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nTranslator: HunterW

nEditor: RED

nSao Paolo, Brazil…

nIt wasn’t difficult to get to Sao Paolo from Japan. There were still flights flying out of Tokyo’s Narita Airport for Sao Paolo. Golden rings were useless on Earth now and I didn’t have any paper currency on me anymore, but none of that mattered. I was basically a god compared to everyone else. I didn’t even need to use both Blinks to jump over the airport’s outer walls and stand atop a hangar overlooking the tarmac. When I found the plane with a flight plan for Sao Paolo, I jumped the sixty-meter distance between us in a single bound. I landed as softly as a butterfly behind the flight attendants before they closed the plane’s door and slipped past unnoticed.

n“Did you feel that gust of wind?”

n“Yeah. I didn’t hear any wind warnings for today’s takeoff, though…”

nThere were other ways to get to Brazil instead of flying. I could have sprinted over the Pacific Ocean or just swam the entire distance. But why would I, when flying was so much more comfortable?

nA few minutes later, the plane finally took off. I quickly realized that I didn’t need to stay hidden throughout the flight. From what I could tell, the plane was filled with passengers of Rank 3 and higher. In other words, the flight attendants could not do much to the passengers. They were more careful to not get singled out by the passengers.

nI found an empty seat in the first-class cabin and ordered a glass of whiskey and a packet of peanuts. Soon, a flight attendant politely brought over the drink and peanuts.

n“Please let us know if you need anything else.”

n“I will.” After seeing how the passengers were treating the flight attendants, I also acted arrogantly. It also looked like the flight attendants did not suspect me at all. As luxurious as my clothes were, I exuded confidence from the way I walked and carried myself. And I wasn’t worried about getting caught; I could blow this plane up anytime I wanted.

n{TN: Uhh, NSA? Interpol? Somebody stop this man!}

n“Hello.” Just as I was settled in my seat and enjoying my whiskey and peanuts, a man walked up next to me and greeted me. I knew that this stranger had his eyes on me the moment I sat down, but I just didn’t care about him.

n“Uh, hi,” I replied with a small nod. I made it clear that I didn’t care who he was, but he must not have picked up on it.

n“I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Frederic Jansen, a Rank 2 human. I was recently tasked with an important mission by the Saviors, which is why I’m heading to Brazil.”

nThere was a good chance I was about to have my cover blown, but I wasn’t afraid. What the hell was he going to do about it? I leaned farther back in my chair and glared at him. “Rank 2? You want me to shake hands with a Rank 2 human? I hope you brought hand sanitizer.”

n“…” As soon as Frederic Jansen approached me, the entire first-class cabin was focused on us. A heavy silence filled the cabin after what I just said.

nBut Frederic reacted faster than the silence. “I…I’m very sorry! I must have taken leave of my senses. I just noticed that your clothes were similar to the ones sold only by Stores and wanted to acquaint myself with you. I apologize for insulting you with my presence!” Frederic practically threw himself to the floor, and shouted his words for everyone in the cabin to hear. My cover was safe for now, thanks to the clothes my mother had bought me.

n“That’s enough. Get back up.”

n“Thank you!”

nAfter things calmed down, even the captain came over to greet me. From that, I had a vague idea of how this Rank system had taken root in less than two years. I could only scoff at how unbelievable it was.

n“So, you’ve been accepted into the Saviors?” I asked Frederic out of boredom.

n“Yes sir. I was recommended to become the captain of the Fourth Security Office.”

n“You’re moving up.”

n“Thank you, sir! This is all…” Frederic trailed off and looked at me.

nI knew what he meant and answered. “The name’s Lee Jiwon.”

n“Oh! Yes sir. This is all thanks to Rank 1 humans like Master Lee for making Earth a better place to live. I am always grateful to you all.”

nThe amount of brown-nosing he was doing almost made the plane stink and so I wanted to ask him about the Liberator. The elderly man back at Japan couldn’t tell me much about him, but I held my tongue. I was going to find out for myself soon enough and didn’t want to needlessly put Frederic in an awkward position.

n“But your name sounds very similar… you share the same name as someone closely related to the Liberator.”

n“Well, I do hear that a lot. But it’s not like I can just change my name because of it.”

n“Yes, I see your point.”

nI spent the flight talking to Frederic about Earth’s current affairs and before I knew it, we had reached Sao Paolo.

n{TN: Really? No connecting flight from Japan to South America? Must be nice.}

n“Allow me to escort you, Master Lee.”

n“Sure. After you.” I followed Frederic to the Savior’s base. I wanted to take care of this here and now. Besides, there was a luxury brand car waiting for Frederic at the airport. He was, after all, now the Captain of the Savior’s Fourth Security Office. During the car ride, I half-listened to Frederic talking about this and that and I could only think of one thing as I watched him.

n-Let’s see how perfect of a trap you have waiting for me.-

nI knew what Frederic Jansen was playing at. I knew from the moment he laid eyes on me. I had to give it to him; his acting was perfect. But I was a superhuman, remember? A mere mortal couldn’t hope to fool me. That was the real reason I didn’t ask him about the Liberator. I didn’t want to spring the trap prematurely.

n——

nOne hour later…

n“There it is,” Frederic said as he pointed out the window to an imposing building, decorated by amazing and detailed sculptures and statues on its outer walls. “That’s the home of the Liberator, who freed us humans from the evil grasps of the demonic devas and deities.”

n“I see.”

n“Yes, sir. If it weren’t for the Liberator, us humans would have continued to live under the tyranny of devas and deities. They were worse than actual monsters. It only took the Liberator two years to heal our wounds and restore humanity to its former glory. It was all thanks to the Liberator.”

n“Is that right? Then I don’t see why humans had to be divided into Ranks like animals.”

n“Hahaha. There are crazies all over the world, aren’t there? There used to be deva and deity loyalists, and the Liberator tried to accept them all, but there were just so many of them that it just couldn’t be helped. That was why the Liberator created the Rank system, to punish the loyalists. The Liberator always welcomed them with open arms, as long as they abandoned their ways.” Frederic spoke of the Liberator as if he was worshipping a god.

nI didn’t believe him for a second, not after how I saw the Rank 10 humans were treated. They weren’t loyalists of devas and deities. But I held my tongue. I was about to meet this Liberator soon anyway.

nSoon, the car entered through an iron gate that opened up for us and we entered the Savior’s base.

n“I must go now to greet the Liberator and officers. What will you…?”

n“Let’s go together. I need to see them as well.”

n“Well, I’m sure a Rank 1 human is allowed to meet the Liberator anytime they wish. Allow me to escort you. I know the way quite well after meeting with several Savior officers.”

n“Very well.” I walked out with Frederic and six Savior guards. I knew the building was huge, but I realized as we walked that we were heading deep inside the building. It was almost laughable. The building was surrounded by walls that were several meters thick, but I knew that I could easily break through them.

nAfter several minutes of walking, we came up to a set of giant arched doors that seemed to have been built in the Middle Ages. “We’re here.”

n“Good. Let’s head inside.”

n“Yes sir.”

nSoon, the arched doors opened and Frederic and I walked in. I saw that there were six men and one woman seated around a large table in front of us. I knew who the woman was. Hell, I had even introduced myself and shook hands with her. There was no way she was a mortal.

n“Hah…” I scoffed.

nThe woman smiled when she noticed me. “So it was true. I wasn’t sure, to be honest. No, I outright didn’t believe it. It just wasn’t possible.”

n“Honestly, I’m just as surprised. Then again, I thought it was weird that I never heard from Luana, the ruler of South America, on the Judge’s Continent.”

nThe woman sitting in front of me was none other than Luana, the queen of South America. She had ruled all of the nations south of Costa Rica. Her guild was so powerful that the NCR Guild could never cross the border into Panama. I had first met her at Toh’s and Wanhu’s Auction House in Macao. The last time we spoke, she had wanted me to come visit her if I ever came to Brazil.

n“Hahaha. So, you actually kept your promise and came to see me now that you’ve come to Brazil. Hmph. Now that I think about it, I regret even bringing it up to you. I doubt this is a visit of good intentions.”

n“Is that right? I’m grateful I got to see you again. After all, you did help me out back in Macao when you decided to help me instead of Toh and Wanhu.”

n“Oh, it wasn’t much.”

n“No, no. I’m very thankful. I’m just sorry I accepted your invitation so late. I should have come earlier.” I could see now why I never heard about her back on the Judge’s Continent. She wasn’t there in the first place.

n“Anyway, you must have some luck. How did you remain on Earth? As far as I know, anyone who used their token of knowledge was forcibly taken to the Continent. You don’t have more than one, do you?”

n“Well, that’s a secret only for me to know. I will tell you that I’m the only one who managed to remain on Earth. But now there are two of us. How did that happen?”

n“That’s my secret. You can’t expect me to reveal everything when you won’t.” I had a little more than two days left before I would be forcibly taken back to the Continent, but Luana didn’t need to know that yet.

n“Well, that’s fine. Now, I doubt you came all this way for lunch…why don’t we get to the point?”

n“Sounds great to me. I’ve got places to be,” I said as I slowly walked forward. I pulled out the chair opposite Luana and sat down, making myself comfortable. “Are you the Liberator?” I asked her.

nIn response, one of the six men slammed the table in front of him and shouted, “Watch your tongue! Who do you think you are to address Mistress Luana…”

n“Shut up. Now.” Luana interrupted the man in a cold, low voice.

n“…” The man who had made the outburst closed his mouth immediately and sat back down.

nThe room was filled with a heavy silence, but I didn’t care and just leaned back in my chair with my feet propped up on the table, staring at Luana. They were all mortals; I could kill them with my pinky, so I didn’t care what they did.

nFinally, Luana broke the silence, speaking as informally as I had. {TN: Just a side note, Lee Jiwon was speaking down to Luana this whole time while Luana was speaking in a formal tone. Now, she’s doing the same.} “You’re right. I’m the Liberator.”

nI wasn’t surprised by her answer. It was pretty obvious at this point. “Were you that bored? What made you do all this? You should have just come to the Judge’s Continent instead. It’s so dynamic up there. There was even a battle of four million people not too long ago. I even faced off against people with abilities I have never heard about. You’ve never been, have you?”

n“Hah… you’re right. I should have gone. I’m beginning to regret it now.”

n“It’s not too late. Come with me.”

n“No, I still like it here very much. I made the Earth you see now with my own two hands.”

n“Well, if you’re that adamant about it, I won’t force you. But you should know…” I took my feet off the table and sat up with my arms crossed. “I don’t like what Earth has become. I never expected Earth to become a utopia, but this Rank business…that really doesn’t sit well with me.”

nI clearly remembered my experience with Muskan and the people of the lower castes in India. I hated how the higher castes treated them like cattle where they had no say about their lives and fate. I grew up during the 21st century. I couldn’t stand seeing people being treated as slaves or livestock.

n“It’s not your place to decide, Lee Jiwon. Earth became mine the moment all of the other devas and deities disappeared, and left me alone on this godforsaken planet,” Luana said as she stood up and pointed a finger at me. She then muttered quietly, “I, Luana, declare Lee Jiwon banished from Earth!”

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