Chapter 181
Sure enough….
One of the doctors in charge, who proceeded to check and observe Yu Myung-Han’s condition throughout the night, continued to tilt his head this way and that while staring into the medical chart containing the good Chairman’s test results.
“How can any of this make sense…..”
Yu Myung-Han saw the expression on the doctor’s face and cautiously asked.
“Are my results that bad?”
The doctor hurriedly waved his hand around.
“Ahh, no, it’s not that, sir. It’s the complete opposite, in fact.”
He resumed staring back at the results as if to bore a hole through the paper and carefully asked his question some time later.
“Chairman, by any chance, have you taken your high blood pressure medication before taking these tests?”
Only up until last night, he was hanging precariously on the edge of death. He might be awake now, but that didn’t mean Yu Myung-Han had the spare mental capacity to take his meds on time.
“No, I haven’t.”
Yu Myung-Han shook his head.
The doctor nodded his as if he knew that answer was coming. Then, he formed a troubled expression as he made his reply.
“Even without the medication, your blood pressure seems to have completely stabilised to a healthy level. No, wait. With your current level, you could even confidently say that you’re even healthier than a regular person, sir.”
Chairman Yu Myung-Han’s eyes grew really large then.
‘What on earth is he talking about??’
He thought that only death awaited him after entering the ‘final sleep’ state, but after waking up, even the chronic high blood pressure he’d been suffering from for a long time had all been cured away??
The doctor in charge continued to read the medical chart.
“And also, the rest of your bodily functions have reverted back to being perfectly healthy as well. Chairman, if I were to forget about your current age, then I’d have believed that I was looking at a test result from a young man in his early twenties.”
How could such a thing even happen?
As great was Chairman Yu Myung-Han’s surprise, the doctor’s own astonishment was even greater and he struggled to hide that fact from showing up on his expression. His own two eyes definitely saw the results, yet he could hardly believe them even then.
Chairman Yu collapsed for the first time a few weeks ago and was brought to this hospital back then. The results of tests taken on that day were printed on a separate medical chart, and the ink on that thing barely had the chance to dry properly yet.
So, how could anyone go about explaining this completely befuddling test result coming out only a few weeks later?
Did he drastically change his lifestyle or some such during that time period? Not to forget, he was wasting away from an incurable illness only a night before, too.
The doctor in charge confessed what was in his mind without holding back.
“I’ve been a doctor for 30 years or so, but this would be my very first time something like this has happened. This… this can only be described as a miracle and nothing else.”
A patient woke up from the ‘final sleep’ state of the Eternal Sleep disorder, and on top of that, his body had become even healthier than when he went to sleep, too.
Didn’t the word ‘miracle’ exist precisely to describe a situation such as this one right here?
The doctor couldn’t hide his astonishment anymore and let a soft gasp of admiration escape from his mouth before a bright smile bloomed on his face.
“Congratulations, Chairman Yu. Your Eternal Sleep disorder has been cured completely.”
He then added that the Chairman was healthy enough to start running the length of a full marathon course right now if he wanted to.
However…
‘.….’
Instead of celebrating, Yu Myung-Han pondered something for a while before raising his head to look at the doctor.
“By any chance, are there cameras installed near the hospital room I’ve been staying at?”
“Pardon? I don’t understand what…..”
“There is something I’d like to confirm first. Are there any cameras installed inside the room or around the entrance itself?”
“There are none within the room, but there should be one by its entrance.”
‘Very good.’
Yu Myung-Han nodded his head.
‘Something like this can not be a coincidence.’
Indeed, this matter had gone far beyond treating it as pure coincidence now. There was little doubt that someone possessing an unfathomable ability had intervened in this matter somehow.
And he had a fairly good hunch who that someone might be.
‘I’ve ended up owing him a great deal.’
Yu Myung-Han had lived without owing anyone in his entire life. And he wasn’t planning to start now. But then again, how was he supposed to go about paying the debt of saving his life?
No, more than that. Putting aside the idea of paying or not paying the debt, wouldn’t it be a common sense to at least find out the name of his saviour first?
Yu Myung-Han wished to confirm that personally.
“I’d like to view the footage from the CCTV cameras taken last night.”
***
Quite obviously, the cameras failed to capture anything.
“Right here. This is the only odd thing that happened, the doorway malfunctioning this one time.”
The guard pointed at the screen and explained what happened back then. The windows were confirmed to be locked from the inside, so the sole exit left in that hospital room was the doorway.
However, all four guards manning the door said the same thing. They said that not even a single ant had entered the room during their watch. And since these guys were professionals hired from a dedicated security company, they wouldn’t make mistakes regarding such things.
“H-mm….”
Yu Myung-Han couldn’t have imagined that Jin-Woo possessed the skill ‘Stealth’ and so, his thoughts had become quite complicated as a result.
Around this time, Secretary Kim hurriedly entered the security room as well to bring some news.
“Chairman. I’ve found out what you asked for.”
“Alright. What’s the news?”
“That is….”
Secretary Kim became extra mindful of the surrounding eyes and ears, leaned in closer and cupped his hand on Yu Myung-Han’s ear to whisper his findings.
“I lodged an inquiry to the Association, and they say Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was in Japan the whole time. He’s only scheduled to return to the country around tomorrow or so.”
“…..”
Here he was, thinking that no one else would be capable of making this event happen unless it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo himself.
Yu Myung-Han finally admitted to making a wrong guess. He now realised that it couldn’t have been that young rank S Hunter.
‘If so, then why….’
Even though he had confirmed through all this evidence, why did a certain amount of suspicion remain rooted in the corner of his heart?
He just couldn’t understand it at all.
However, there was one thing Chairman Yu Myung-Han and Jin-Woo had in common. And that would be – they were rather decisive in moving on when stuck with a quandary they couldn’t solve just yet.
“I see.”
Yu Myung-Han carried on.
“The doctor says I’m healthy enough to even run a marathon right now. I shall return to the company tomorrow so make the appropriate arrangements, please.”
One could say that this was more like him.
Having realised that the attitude of Yu Myung-Han was still the same as before, Secretary Kim barely held back his laughter and replied.
“Sir. Do you know what the mass media is calling you right now?”
It was obvious that there would be quite a bit of chaos unfolding outside right about now, since a guy who was as good as dead only yesterday had gotten back up on his feet perfectly fine.
However, why would such a thing be treated as something big?
Yu Myung-Han asked without a single noticeable change in his expression.
“What are they calling me this time?”
“The Invincible, sir. They are calling you the Invincible.”
“The Invincible, is it?”
Yu Myung-Han wouldn’t break out into a smile that easily over anything but even then, the corners of his lips arched up ever so slightly after he heard that nickname.
‘Invincible’.
Mass media had been calling him with useless labels like ‘Hand of Midas’ or even ‘Pokerface’ but rather surprisingly, they managed to cook up a somewhat okay-sounding nickname this time.
“Huhuh.”
Yu Myung-Han slowly chewed on this new nickname and formed a satisfied smile.
“The Invincible, is it. The Invincible….”
Didn’t this nickname suit him perfectly, when he had never bowed down regardless of the obstacle blocking his path and even managed to survive the threat of a deadly illness?
Yu Myung-Han gratefully accepted this second chance at life and smiled contentedly.
“I really like that one.”
***
While Korea was set abuzz with the news of Chairman Yu Myung-Han…
Jin-Woo had sneaked back into Japan and eventually, succeeded in gathering all 29 Giant Shadow Soldiers.
‘Finally….’
Feeling legit emotional right now, Jin-Woo made the giant soldiers line up starting from No.1 to No.29.
The process of searching for the remains of the giants to extract new soldiers reminded him of a certain video game. But the fruit of his hard labour so far was monumentally tastier than any video game’s quests and he even kind of felt apologetic for thinking of comparing the two in the first place.
The Giant Shadow Soldier No.29.
Looking at the imposing figures of twenty-nine giants with black smokes constantly rising up from their bodies standing tall before him, Jin-Woo felt as if he had gained a whole new army of thousand troops and warhorses.
‘It’s a bit of a shame that one of them escaped from my grasp, but….’
Excluding the one guarding the Gate, the total of the Giant-type monsters emerging from there was thirty. One of them had escaped to the ocean and it was not possible to extract its shadow anymore.
Still, the sense of accomplishment welled up from deep within his heart now that he had successfully gathered up all 29 of them. And with them standing tall and proud in a single location like this, the ruined cityscape suddenly felt rather full all of a sudden.
Of course, Jin-Woo didn’t summon all of his giant soldiers out just so he could decorate this empty city, nor was he admiring his new Giant soldier collection, either.
He scanned the Giant soldiers and addressed them.
“Who among you are the strongest?”
There was a need to find the one soldier among the giants that could serve as the leader to control the others, just like how Beru did with the ant battalion, Igrit with the elite soldier battalion, and Fangs with the High Orc battalion.
The Giant soldiers busily looked around at each other and didn’t want to step up. Beru standing by the side couldn’t endure this sight any longer, so he stepped forward and screeched out loudly.
Kiiiiiieeeehk-!!
The shoulders of the Giants all flinched greatly at that powerful screech seemingly vicious enough to rip the atmosphere in shreds.
But then again, there were a few of them who got killed by Beru, and even if others were lucky enough to avoid that fate, they should still sense the clear gap in power between him and them. It was quite understandable why they would be scared of him.
Kiieehk!
Only after receiving that hot, harsh scolding from Beru did one of the Giant soldiers hesitantly raise his hand.
Beru turned around and bowed to his Sovereign. Jin-Woo raised his thumb up high, feeling quite impressed.
“Nice work.”
But then, this happened. Something both Jin-Woo and Beru didn’t expect unfolded next.
Another Giant soldier watched the hand of his compatriot raise up and quickly raised his own, as well. The glint in his eyes even said, “Regardless of what, I’m better than that guy”.
“Ohhh.”
As it turned out, the soldiers weren’t hesitating and waiting for others to make a move first but simply that, they didn’t know who was the strongest among them until now.
Jin-Woo smirked a little at this unexpected situation and called those two out to the front.
“No.22 and No.6, to the front.”
No.6 and his unusually large fists, and No.22 with an overall sturdier-looking frame strode forward valiantly.
Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed to a slit.
‘H-mm….”
Just like the assertions of these two soldiers, their individual quantities of magic energy were quite similar to each other. Even Jin-Woo’s excellent sensory perception had a hard time telling them apart.
Now that the matter had come to this, there was only one way to solve it. Jin-Woo grinned brightly.
“I’m sure both of you are ready, right?”
No.6 and No.22 stood facing each other. Their eyes were practically shooting out flames born from their powerful desires not to yield, no matter what.
“Start!”
As soon as Jin-Woo gave his signal, the two giant soldiers entered into a messy dogfight.
Boom! Thud!! Bang!!
At the end of a lengthy fight, No.6 and his big fist managed to beat No.22 down by a paper-thin margin of victory.
“Nice work. From here on, No.6 will be appointed as the leader of the Giant soldier battalion.”
The big-fist Giant raised both of his fists high up in the air, prompting the other Shadow Soldiers watching to cheer on loudly as well.
‘So, that’s the issue of the Giants’ leader all sorted out.’
With this, Jin-Woo had finally concluded all the business he had in Japan. He then summoned out his Status Window next.
‘Stat Window.’
Along with the familiar mechanical beep of “Tti-ring”, walls of texts and numbers rose up to fill his view.
Name: Seong Jin-Woo
Level: 122
Class: Shadow Sovereign
Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2)
HP: 65,230
MP: 115,160
Tiredness: 0
[Stat]
Strength: 292
Stamina: 281
Agility: 305
Intelligence: 310
Perception: 277
(Available points to distribute: 0)
Reduction in physical damage: 65%
[Skills]
Passive Skills
– (Unknown) Lv. MAX
– Tenacity Lv. 1
– Master of Shortsword Lv. MAX (TL: Changing this one from “Master of Dagger to Master of Shortsword)
Active Skills
– Quicksilver Lv. MAX
– Intimidation Lv. 2
– Violent Slash Lv. MAX
– Dagger Rush Lv. MAX
– Stealth Lv. 2
– Ruler’s Authority Lv. MAX
[Class-specific Skills]
Active Skills
– Shadow Extraction Lv. 2
– Shadow Storage Lv. 2
– Sovereign’s Territory Lv. 2
– Shadow Exchange Lv. 2
[Equipped Items]
Red Knight’s Helm (S)
Demon Sovereign’s Earrings (S)
Demon Sovereign’s Necklace (S)
Demon Sovereign’s Ring (S)
Truth Seeker’s Shirt (A)
Truth Seeker’s Gloves (A)
Truth Seeker’s Pants (A)
Truth Seeker’s Shoes (A)
The outcome of his Japanese expedition was all too easy to see. His Stat values that had gone through the roof like crazy were the first things to catch his gaze.
Every one of his Stats was now hovering near the 300 mark, while the Intelligence Stat had shot past that number a while ago after receiving his concerted investment for arguably the longest time out of the lot.
All these were the results of receiving the rewards from the Daily Quests he always made sure to complete every day, the level-ups he got after hunting down the Giant monsters, as well as from the defensive artefacts he bought from the Store after completely exhausting his stack of Gold.
‘The Truth Seeker armament set.’
Up until now, he didn’t care much for any of the available items in the Store. However, he had no clue how strong the other Sovereigns and the Rulers were – the ones the angel statue and the King of Giants mentioned.
And he figured that he might need some kind of tools to protect him in case he ran into them somewhere along the line.
‘The King of Giants, almost half a corpse from his powers being sealed away like that, was already that powerful. So, it’s more than likely others will also possess truly monstrous levels of strength.’
Jin-Woo recalled those six-winged angels he ‘met’ inside the memories of the Shadow Sovereign. If he were planning to fight them head-on as well, then he simply had to become much stronger.
His gaze shifted up from the list of equipped items back up to where his level was listed.
[Level: 122]
Just killing one Sovereign resulted in his level jumping up by eight in one go.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine just how far he’d get to climb up once he started fighting against these Sovereigns or whatever they were called.
Ba-thump!
His chest was pounding.
It was from fear.
And hidden just beneath that fear – he also could pick up on the throbbing of his heart from excitement, too.
‘I shall level up.’
And all the power earned through levelling up, it’d become the bedrock, the foundation, and the support in his effort to protect everything he held dear.
His heart pulsed powerfully once more.
Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!
The symphony of two hearts powerfully beating at the same time was enough to cause a dull aching pain within his ear canals.
However, this pain felt pleasant to him, instead.
‘Good.’
Jin-Woo sensed someone’s approach and stored all of his Shadow Soldiers back into his shadow.
Tatatatatata-!!
In a spot not too far from where he was, the Japanese Association helicopter coming to fetch him was making its noisy landing.
For the time being, he’d go home first.
Feeling genuinely happy now, Jin-Woo climbed aboard the helicopter.
Chapter 182
The Japanese government offered up a suite in a five-star luxury hotel for Jin-Woo so he could rest in comfort until his departure from the country.
He was planning to use ‘Shadow Exchange’ to go back rather than waste time waiting for a plane, so he was thinking of refusing their gesture of goodwill.
But then…
“Please, help us to avoid the fate of being labelled as people who had poorly received the saviour of their nation. We beg of you, Hunter-nim.”
….But then, he ended up changing his mind after hearing the desperate plea of the Japanese government.
The very first impression he got after stepping into the hotel suite that reputedly cost over $3,500 per night was, ‘Is it really okay for me to spend a night alone in such a huge and luxurious room?’
Jin-Woo studied the gleaming furniture that sparkled brightly as if they were purchased only yesterday, before walking over to the window to look outside.
This allowed him to take in the sight of the cityscape all at once.
He heard from somewhere that the better the view, the higher the real estate price would get. And as expected, the view of the city draped in the darkness of the night was as arresting as the exorbitant price the suite had alluded to.
‘And to think, such a city was about to go up in flames by a bunch of monsters.’
Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the ruined city of Tokyo and tutted to himself. In fact, he felt relieved that he got here just in time before things could get even worse for Japan.
‘….Let’s just go to sleep.’
After a few nights spent camping outdoors, this one night spent in the hotel proved to be rather bloody fantastic.
***
Next morning.
His departure time neared and employees from the Japanese Hunter’s Association came to escort him.
“Good day to you, Hunter-nim.”
The Association employee tasked with guiding Jin-Woo greeted him using fluent Korean.
“We have readied the vehicle that will take you to the airport.”
What excellent timing it was since he was beginning to feel bored, staying cooped up in the hotel room. Jin-Woo went and picked up his bag that had been discarded in the corner of the suite somewhere and returned to the door.
“Let’s get going right away.”
“Heok!”
Just as Jin-Woo was about to leave the suite, the employee saw the state he was in currently and formed a flustered expression.
“H-Hunter-nim…. By any chance, don’t you have any other set of clothing with you?”
It wasn’t as if Jin-Woo couldn’t understand where this reaction of the employee was coming from. Blood and sweat stained both his shirts and pants, serving as clear evidence of the intense battles he had gone through during the last few days.
‘I was trying to be as careful as possible, though….’
From the get-go, it was plainly impossible to evade every single drop of the massive quantity of blood spewing out from bodies of the Giants. Since the rest of his clothes were in a similarly sorry state, all he could do was to helplessly shrug his shoulders as his reply.
The employee suddenly broke out in a grin and politely made his inquiry.
“If it’s alright with you, may we be permitted to prepare an extra set of clothing for you to wear?”
That was one of the better suggestions he heard the whole day.
There was no reason for him to walk around with blood-stained clothes like this, and also, he hadn’t done anything wrong either so he was disinclined to sneak around like some kind of a criminal, too.
The employee figured out Jin-Woo’s answer from his brightened expression and spoke up with a smile.
“We’ll have them ready right away. Please wait here for a little while longer.”
The extra clothing must’ve been prepared in advance, because it didn’t even take ten minutes after the end of the employee’s phone call for several men to hurriedly rush in to the suite carrying many business suits.
‘Already?!’
Jin-Woo formed a bit of a suspicious expression, which prompted the employee to answer with a happy smile.
“We thought that something like this might happen, so we had them ready in advance.”This chapter was originally shared via N0/vel/Biin.
Jin-Woo watched as the business suits were sorted into different colours and sizes in an instant, and somehow managed to keep the gasps of astonishment to himself.
For something that was prepared ‘just in case’, wasn’t this just all too well organised?
“If you need anything else besides your clothes….”
Jin-Woo quickly shook his hands around.
“Nonono, it’s alright.”
The services he received so far had already been amply satisfactory. He could already see that the Japanese Hunter’s Association was trying to do their utmost best here.
Jin-Woo scanned the displayed business suits before picking the one that seemed to fit his size. After swapping out his duds, he stood before the mirror to take a look.
Maybe because all the prepared suits were high-end items, he came across as a completely new person.
‘Hey, don’t I look pretty cool like this?’
A smile automatically bloomed on his face. He fixed the ends of the suit and turned around. The Association employee who panicked earlier about the lack of other apparels began gasping out in sighs of admiration.
“Those look very good on you, Hunter-nim.”
“Let’s be on our way now.”
“Understood. Our staff members will carry your luggage for you, Hunter-nim.”
Two burly Association employees strode in as if they were waiting for this moment and picked up Jin-Woo’s stuff.
He could sense the Japanese Hunter’s Association’s desire to make sure that he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger from their extremely considerate treatment. He was still treated like royalty even when walking out from the front entrance of the 5-star luxury hotel.
And soon, the black sedan carrying Jin-Woo headed off towards the airport.
***
When he got near the airport’s vicinity, Jin-Woo began realising why the Japanese Association was so particularly mindful of taking care of his appearance.
Because he could see throngs upon throngs of people outside the moving car’s window. And there were even more people beyond them.
“…”
Jin-Woo became utterly speechless and silently stared outside, while the Association employee spoke to him in a clearly excited voice.
“Everyone gathered here today all wanted to see you at least once before you depart, Hunter-nim.”
One couldn’t even argue that this sea of people was forcibly organised either, as there were simply too many of them for that.
“Just how many people have shown up here today?”
“It’s not an exact amount, but we estimate over one hundred thousand, Hunter-nim.”
“That many….?”
The vehicle carrying Jin-Woo quietly glided along the road that had been cordoned off tightly. When they went around a corner, there was just as big a crowd of people, no, maybe even bigger than before, waiting to greet Jin-Woo’s car.
“Seong Hunter-nim, you’re a hero that saved Japan.”
“….”
From Jin-Woo’s perspective, he simply did what he was capable of doing. However, what he did was not something anyone else could do. No, only he was capable of doing it.
The Japanese people had no choice but to shiver in despair after seeing the Giant-type monsters through TV broadcasts, from social media, or even with their own eyes.
No one wanted to help out with the national-level crisis unfolding in Japan. Instead, they all opined in one voice that the country was now doomed.
But then, from their neighbouring nation, South Korea – the man who could possibly be more famous than the country’s own president, the leader of the Korean Hunter’s Association, Goh Gun-Hui, made an announcement which reached the ears of the despairing Japanese people.
[“There is one such person. There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters.”]
Countless Japanese watching the press conference live held their breaths and focused on their TV screens.
[“Just who is this Hunter?”]
After the reporter asked that question, Association President Goh Gun-Hui pressed his lips as close to the microphone and made his reply.
[“It’s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”]
It was an already well-known fact that Jin-Woo had killed off every one of the rank S ant monsters occupying Jeju Island all by himself.
The three letters of ‘Seong Jin-Woo’ coming out from Association President Goh Gun-Hui’s lips caused much upheaval within the entirety of Japan. For the Japanese people, Jin-Woo was their sole ray of hope.
And a week later.
Just as he promised before setting off from Korea, Jin-Woo had completely annihilated the Giant monsters from the Japanese mainland and was about to step on the road back home.
Perhaps it was inevitable that the countless Japanese had gathered to see him one last time.
The Association employee explained that, if it weren’t for the country going through the chaos of cleaning up the affected areas, even more people would have turned up today.
He then added this bit at the end.
“Honestly speaking, our Prime Minister also dearly wishes to meet you to express his gratitude as well, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. May we impose on you for that small matter for a little while?”
The expression of the Association employee was much more serious than ever before. Jin-Woo could easily guess the amount of pressure from the higher-ups this guy must be under.
Unfortunately, what he didn’t want to do initially, he still wasn’t interested in doing it, even now. Jin-Woo answered in the same way as he did when he was asked the first time.
“I don’t want to waste my time doing something unnecessary.”
The Association employee ended up laughing out after witnessing Jin-Woo’s direct attitude and nodded his head in understanding.
“Haha… I understand.”
As they continued to make small talk over this and that, the vehicle carrying them had eventually arrived at the airport’s entrance. As usual, Jin-Woo calmly exited from the car and stepped on to the pavement.
But, in that exact moment, he was showered by the outpouring of passionate hand claps coming from everywhere.
Jin-Woo looked around at the gathered crowd.
“Hunter-nim!”
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!”
He couldn’t understand anything they were saying to him, but then again, every one of the lights gleaming in their eyes, their voices, and their gestures helped him to overcome the language barrier altogether.
Their bottomless gratitude and respect were transmitted in the air and he could sense them all.
Beru, watching this spectacle from within his shadow, quickly engaged him in a chat.
‘Oh, my king. Your loyal subjects are expressing their genuine adulation and awe towards you, my liege.’
‘It’s not like that.’
‘Oh my king, perhaps it is for the best that you wave your hand and acknowledge your subjects….’
‘Hey. I said it’s not like that.’
Where did this guy see and learn all this weird stuff from?
Jin-Woo was about to ignore Beru’s advice and turn around, but then, he stopped in his treks to ask his ant soldier a question.
‘By the way, do other ants enjoy it when you, you know, acknowledge them, as you said?’
Beru replied in a very proud voice. As a matter of fact, if he was standing outside the shadow right now, he’d definitely have formed a commanding, imposing expression, too.
‘But, of course, my king.’
That was to be expected, though. Beru did possess a skill that raised up the morale of the ant soldiers with nothing but his screech, after all.
Jin-Woo nodded his head. All these people came to see him off, so was there a reason not to greet them back, which was something even an ant could do?
Jin-Woo stopped and turned around towards the crowd again. He hesitated and awkwardly raised his left hand, before waving it around at the people watching him.
The sounds of clapping became even more energetic and they were soon accompanied by the loud cheers, as well.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Only then did he notice that the Association employee tasked with guiding him vigorously clapping hands as well. The edges of the man’s eyes were even reddening up with emotions, too.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you very much, Hunter-nim!”
“We’re grateful for everything!”
The Association employee’s nose had reddened by this point as well, and he addressed Jin-Woo as he wiped the edges of his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt.
“Let us get going, Hunter-nim. The plane should be leaving soon.”
Jin-Woo slowly lowered his hand.
Even then, the sound of clapping didn’t cease. They continued on and on, even as his back disappeared from the view of the gathered crowd.
The plane carrying Jin-Woo taxied off amidst the sending-off of over hundred thousand people.
Next day.
A certain well-known Japanese columnist wrote and published these words.
If the top leader of their nation were chosen through nothing but the support from its citizens, then they would have seen their very first non-native Prime Minister elected on that day.
***
In the opulent mansion owned by one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters, Christopher Reid.
He suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.
The cause? The noises from the surroundings.
As one of the very best Hunters acknowledged by the world, he’d not be able to fall asleep even for a single day if he were to mind every little noise he could hear.
And that was precisely it. He didn’t wake up because it was too noisy around him. No, it was the exact opposite.
‘Why is it so quiet around here?’
All sorts of ambient noises he could hear if he concentrated just a little were gone as if they were all a lie, to begin with.
He kicked off from his bed and opened the bedroom door. He couldn’t pick up on the presence of several hired help who should’ve been located in various spots of the mansion.
As if he had entered an abandoned house, there was this deeply creepy and eerie atmosphere permeating in the air.
Christopher Reid wordlessly stared at the empty corridor, before walking over to grab a wine glass left on the table and came back to the doorway. And then, he threw it in the corridor.
The wine glass left his hand and drew a gentle arc in the air, before hitting the floor to shatter into bits and pieces.
However, there were no sounds still. Not even one.
At that moment, a powerful chill crawled up his spine. He realised that something that could not happen had happened.
His sharpened senses were sending out warning bells. They were warning him that he was now facing the kind of danger he had never experienced before. His instincts strongly advised him to make a certain action, right now.
He quickly moved away from the doorway. He ran to the bedside bureau to pick up his mobile phone resting on top, and at the same time, he yanked open one of its drawers. There was a piece of crumpled paper resting silently within.
These words were written on its surface.
– If you need help, please call this number. The President of the Korean Hunter’s Association Goh Gun-Hui will connect you to that man.
The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau left behind that note with the steward before leaving.
Christopher Reid learned of this fact a bit later and flew directly into a rage. He was thinking of disposing of the note right away, but then, he couldn’t bring himself to do so after the worried face of Madam Selner kept lingering on in his mind for some reason.
‘Did the Madam actually predict a moment like this would come?!’
He didn’t know the answer to that. But, if he wanted to find out, he needed to survive first.
Christopher Reid quickly flipped the note over. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui’s phone number was written on the back. Apparently, the Korean man was fluent in English. So, there shouldn’t be an issue with the language barrier here.
As soon as Christopher Reid made this call, he’d get the help from Mister Seong.
‘…….’
He was rather certain of reading the obituary of that Korean Hunter a couple of days after the fool flew to Japan. After all, it did seem like the boy had overestimated himself a bit there.
However, Christopher Reid’s thoughts went through a very quick change after watching the feats of the summoned creatures that guy controlled. The skillset possessed by Mister Seong was indeed all real.
Madam Selner did tell him this before.
[“Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. If it’s him, he might be able to protect you.”]
Since she said those words, there could be some substance behind them, too.
Christopher Reid quickly dialled the number.
No, he tried to.
Unfortunately, his fingers had to stop moving once he felt the presence of people behind him.
“….”
It was too late now to ask for help or let someone else know of his situation. Christopher Reid put the phone and the note down and quietly stood back up again.
The first person he saw after slowly turning around was a blonde man with a bright smile etched on his face. One of this man’s hands was even tucked in his pocket – a display of utter leisure.
Such a relaxed demeanour would be rather impossible to find from a normal person invading the residence of a rank S Hunter, and not only that, a Hunter boasting one of the highest levels in the entire world.
Christopher Reid asked.
“Who are you people?”
The blondie in front of his eyes, and two more behind this one. There were a total of three intruders.
It was already unknown whether he’d be able to fight off just the one in front, and to think, there were two enemies of similar calibre present, too.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Christopher Reid’s forehead. And just as this drop slid past his brow, past his temple, and all the way down his cheek until it reached the point of his chin….
The blondie began speaking up.
“If you keep trying to accommodate these humans during your struggles, you won’t be able to save a single thing, oh Fragment of the Brilliant Light.”
And worse still, his voice sounded truly bizarre as if it didn’t even belong to this world in the first place.
‘….Monster language?!’
Christopher Reid’s brows shot up real high.
“Just what the f*ck are you saying here??”
The blondie watched the agitated Christopher Reid react and raised his finger to press it against his lips.
“Shh. I wasn’t talking to you.”
The blonde’s fluent English this time caused the eyes of Christopher Reid to grow wider still.
A being that could speak both the language of man as well as the language of monsters as freely as he willed it – as far as Christopher Reid knew, no such person existed in this world.
The finger leaving the blondie’s lips then pointed to the heavens above.
“Up there. I was talking to the dude up there connected to you.”
Of course, Christopher Reid couldn’t make heads nor tails of what this blonde man was talking about. But he was sure of one thing.
He was sure that this blonde was completely looking down on him right now. Christopher Reid’s angry voice powerfully reverberated outward.
“Do I look like a d*mn pushover to you?!”
Crimson light exploded forth from his eyes and soon, vicious flames began whipping around all over his body. In fact, his figure became crimson in colour as well as he grew larger and larger in size. The furniture caught by his expansion were all knocked and shoved away.
Rumble-!!
His new appearance as the angry flames enveloped his entire body was that of the God of Fire! Now easily four metres tall, real flames were spitting out from the creature’s eyes.
“At the bare minimum, I will take down one of you with me!”
Christopher Reid’s punch collided with the wall and caused a massive explosion.
Ka-boom!!
The two men behind the blondie stepped aside to avoid the debris from the exploding wall and revealed themselves in full.
“Spiritual Body Manifestation….?”
“A human can manifest a Spiritual Body?”
They looked on at Christopher Reid’s new appearance with some amount of interest. Meanwhile, the floor Christopher Reid stood on began boiling and melting down.
For the first time since the worst calamity ever to befall humanity, the ‘Kamish raid’, he prepared himself to die today.
Rumble-!!
The flames wrapped around him became even more violent as if they were about to explode and began swallowing up everything surrounding him.
And as the vicinity was being swept away by his vicious flames, he stood in the middle of this storm of destruction and roared out loudly enough to shake the earth itself.
“Die, you f*cking monster b*stards-!!”
Chapter 183
What were the odds of finding a familiar face occupying a seat next to yours after boarding a plane?
Jin-Woo was guided to the first class cabin by the stewardess, but before he could take his seat, he could only stare vacantly at his temporary neighbour. He then spoke in a rather exasperated voice.
“I hope you aren’t going to blame this one on coincidence.”
“I’d be happy, very much so, if you did, but… yes, it does sound like a bit of stretch, doesn’t it?”
Listening to a blue-eyed foreigner speak such fluent Korean still remained a rather disharmonious experience to Jin-Woo. He didn’t take his eyes off the man as he settled down on his seat.
“We meet again, Mister Adam White.”
“It’s an honour to speak to you again, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The Senior Agent from America’s Hunter Bureau, Adam White, still carried that amiable smile as he bowed his head, just like the first time they met.
Jin-Woo scanned the rest of the first-class cabin.
‘Ah, so that was why….’
He was wondering why there were two pretty strong Hunters present in the first-class cabin, but now he could venture a guess and say that they were also affiliated with the Hunter Bureau.
Two men kitted out in black business suits met Jin-Woo’s drifting gaze and silently nodded their heads as their greeting.
Here was the thing, though – including the people of the Monitoring Division from the Association as well as these two, why did these ‘agents’ of something or rather all walk around wearing black business suits as if that was their uniform?
Were they trying to show off the fact that they were agents of some organisation?
Jin-Woo studied those two men with such needless thoughts swirling in his head. In the meantime, though, Adam White was letting out a sigh of admiration.
“We’ve only met once briefly, yet you still remember my name. I’m honoured.”
“Well, let’s just say that our first meeting had been too memorable not to remember.”
“I’d like to offer my apology about that day’s events. We certainly didn’t expect there would be a Hunter Madam Selner’s abilities couldn’t reach….”
Jin-Woo lightly waved his hand about.
Because, as far as apologies were concerned, he heard plenty from the deputy director himself until he felt almost fed up on that very day. He didn’t feel like bringing that subject back up again.
However, he was still curious as to why the agents of the Hunter Bureau, who seemed to have cleanly given up on reeling him in, had appeared before him like this.
“I thought our negotiation had broken down completely?”
Jin-Woo’s voice became lower. It was at that moment the amiable smile disappeared from Adam White’s face.
“We’re aware that seeking you out like this without a prior heads-up is quite rude, but an urgent situation had developed and we had no choice but to contact you.”
Jin-Woo abruptly recalled the news of a rank S Gate appearing somewhere in the eastern US.
“Could it be that you guys also failed to handle that rank S Gate….?”
“Mm? Ah, no. Not that. We took care of that one, no problem.”
If this wasn’t about the rank S Gate, then what other problem could there be? Could this matter be somehow related to him killing the King of Giants?
When Jin-Woo displayed his clear interest, Adam White didn’t waste any more time and pulled out a notebook PC.
A video clip came up on the computer’s screen and it showed thick rising plumes of black smoke as if a wide-scale wildfire had broken out somewhere. Adam handed the laptop over to Jin-Woo so that the latter could watch the clip.
He could see that the firefighters were struggling mighty hard to rein in the flames that were clearly getting stronger and stronger. Those flames definitely contained magic energy.
– What is up with this fire? We can’t put it out!
– They can’t be a normal blaze!
– Heeey! Over there! Get away from there! You’ll turn into charcoal if you get brushed by the flames!
The firefighters were clearly in a panicked state. They seemed to be trying all sorts of methods but the raging inferno showed no signs of weakening at all.
No, it was actually only getting stronger and began to slowly box them in, instead.
A scorched tree toppled over, hitting another tree in the process and transferring the flames; it was a chain reaction giving birth to the unending inferno.
The billowing flames crashed forward like an angry tidal wave.
– Oh, my god!!
– Where is our back-up?!
– When are they arriving?!
It was right then. A helicopter arrived in the nick of time and several Mage-type Hunters disembarked from the vehicle. And they proceeded to pour out water-type magic on the flames.
After magical water spray slammed into the fiery forest dozens upon dozens of times, the inferno gradually was brought under control.
Jin-Woo carefully studied the video.
‘All these guys… are top-class Hunters.’
Judging from the strengths of the magic spells used, there was little doubt that they were top-ranked Hunters for sure.
Flames that could only be barely put under control after several top-ranked Hunters had to combine their forces together – this fact confirmed that the cause of the fire itself had to be one hell of a Hunter, as well.
– Oh, Mister Hunters!
– We, we’re saved….
– Thanks for your help, Hunters!
The firefighters continued to express their admiration as they gradually killed off the fire that lost most of its power. If the Hunters had arrived only a second later, there could have been a costly human tragedy unfolding in that location.
– Let’s go in deeper!
– The fire is dying out!
– We’ve done it! We’ve put out the fire!
The video clip was nearing its end. Seeing that there wasn’t much time left in the video’s duration, Jin-Woo felt it strange and had to ask.
“Why are you showing me this?”
Sure, it had been an interesting viewing experience, but people coming to see him because of some wildfire in the US didn’t make much sense to him at all.
Adam White reached out and skipped forward to the last part of the clip.
“Here… please watch the end.”
The guy shooting the video broke past the thick black smoke still rising up and continued to venture deeper into the scorched forest until the footage could capture the origin of the inferno.
There must have been an incredibly powerful explosion, judging from the radius of things being swept away.
And in the centre of that radius…..
A single corpse was lying face down there.
There was no need to confirm if the victim was still alive or not. There was a wide hole in his chest and that should have been the exact spot where his heart used to be.
“In order to put out the fire this man caused, over 1800 firefighters and 14 Mage-type Hunters had to be mobilised.”
Not only that, they were all top-ranked Hunters, too.
14 high-ranking Hunters had to give their all just to put out a fire lingering around after the one activating it had died already? Just from that alone, Jin-Woo was able to make an educated guess at the identity of the corpse lying face down on the ground.
“Could it be, is he….?”
As Jin-Woo looked up at him, Adam White replied with a melancholic expression.
“As I thought, you have recognised him. Indeed, it was Christopher Reid Hunter-nim.”
The previously-unsure Jin-Woo’s eyes widened in shock.
But, this didn’t make sense. A Special-Authority Hunter, one of the world’s very best, had been murdered by someone else?
“We also don’t want to believe it, but he had definitely been assassinated.”
Right at the end of the video playback, one of the firefighters flipped Christopher Reid’s body on its back. With that, one could see the state of the corpse far more clearly.
Not just a hole in his chest, no, there were several horrible wounds inflicted all over his body, too. They were definitely traces of an intense battle.
“And finally, these are….”
Adam White pulled out several photos from his inner pocket and spoke up.
“These are the photos of the being we at the Hunter Bureau strongly suspect to be the culprit in this case.”N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.Bjn.
‘….The being?’
Jin-Woo could only feel confused from the way Adam White said his words, as he didn’t sound like he was talking about a man or a woman – as if he wasn’t talking about a human but a ‘thing’, instead. Soon, though, the Korean’s gaze lowered down to the photographs.
There was no need to even take them for a closer look. Jin-Woo simply stood up from his seat and beckoned with his finger, and that caused Adam White to rise up automatically from his seat, as well.
“Uh, uh?!”
Adam White’s eyes opened up wide in surprise.
Jin-Woo used his ‘Ruler’s Authority’ to drag the American agent in closer and grabbed hold of the latter’s collars.
“Keo-heok!”
Now that they were close enough for their noses to touch, Jin-Woo spoke in a voice a few octaves lower than before.
“If this is your way of trying to play some kind of a trick… you, all of you, won’t walk out of here alive.”
He was not making an empty threat here, either.
Jin-Woo’s cold eyes were gleaming like a wild, ferocious beast as he genuinely emitted a murderous intent.
Adam White, although his collars were held tight, still managed to cry out.
“Don’t! Don’t do it!”
Of course, he wasn’t shouting at Jin-Woo.
His desperate dissuasion managed to stop just in time the movements of the two high-ranking Hunters about to descend on Jin-Woo.
Having successfully stopped the actions akin to pouring oil into the fire, Adam White then pleaded with Jin-Woo next.
“That being in the photo walked out from a dungeon! He’s most likely not the person you know!”
“A dungeon….??”
Jin-Woo’s grip on Adam White’s collars relaxed just a tad. Being able to breathe just a bit easier now, the American hurriedly added more explanation.
“The magic energy emission from that guy was a match to that of monsters, and he suddenly began attacking our rank S Hunter, as well.”
Jin-Woo’s gaze lowered down to the photos that fell out of Adam White’s hands. The person being photographed by the CCTV cameras was…
None other than Jin-Woo’s father.
‘My dad came out of a dungeon, and started attacking other Hunters?’
As Jin-Woo began falling into confusion, Adam White quickly clarified himself.
“Do you still remember the accident that happened a few months ago in the HQ of Hunter Bureau? That explosion?”
How could Jin-Woo forget? That incident caused quite a bit of clamour around the world, after all.
All sorts of wild conspiracy theories were flung about, such as – the explosion being the result of a secret experiment gone wrong, a high-ranking Hunter running amok, or even two rank S Awakened fighting each other, etc.
“Are you telling me that was the handiwork of my father?”
Adam White nodded his head.
“He beat down one of our Hunters and vanished into thin air. We at the Hunter Bureau continued to chase him in secrecy, but as if he had disappeared from this world, we couldn’t find any traces of him.
“….”
Jin-Woo wordlessly listened to Adam White’s explanation.
“I understand how you feel, Hunter-nim. However, that person fits the profile best for this particular crime.”
For one, he had the precedence of attacking another Hunter, he was strong enough to easily exceed a rank S Awakened, and finally, his whereabouts were a complete mystery. It would not be all that strange to see the Hunter Bureau designate the ‘being claiming to be Seong Il-Hwan’ as one of the main suspects.
However, even if he took what Adam White said as 100% truth….
Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed down to a slit.
“What is your reason for showing me those pictures?”
“The International Guild Conference.”
“…??”
“During the International Guild Conference, where the representatives from the world’s leading Guilds will gather in one spot, the higher-ups of the Hunter Bureau are planning to distribute that person’s pictures.”
Meaning, they would no longer keep the investigation a secret.
It also meant that the American government had become really enraged by the loss of an invaluable asset called a Special Authority-rank Hunter and they would fully mobilise every resource at their disposal in tracking down and apprehending the party responsible.
In that regard, there would be no better timing than the International Guild Conference.
The assassination of a Special Authority-rank Hunter – quite obviously, gathered Guilds would pay extra attention to this topic, and the announcement from the Hunter Bureau would certainly intensify their interest.
“We at the Hunter Bureau would like to continue maintaining our amicable relationship with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
“So, you came to inform me first before the public announcement takes place, is that it?”
Adam White managed to move his still-restricted head up and down with some difficulty.
“I-if you attend the gathering only to be confronted by the images of your father, you’d no doubt become shocked and confused by it, wouldn’t you agree?”
Even if it was unknown whether that thing was really his father returning from the dungeon or a fake that simply looked like him.
From the death of a Special Authority-rank Hunter, to the existence of a being calling itself Seong Il-Hwan, and finally, even about the warrant itself – these were the Hunter Bureau’s way of showing consideration, as they had rated Jin-Woo’s abilities very highly and didn’t want to become his enemy.
‘…….’
Jin-Woo’s silence continued on.
He could sense truthfulness from the pleading eyes and voice of Adam White. That came from an emotion borne out of friendly intentions.
Jin-Woo was thinking of not holding back the moment he sensed even a minute level of hostility here.
However, there was the photographic evidence of the being that resembled his father stepping on the neck of the Korean Hunter with American citizenship, Hwang Dong-Su.
He was unable to rebut the assertion of the Hunter Bureau that the person in these photographs couldn’t be a human being at all.
“We’d like to ask you for your understanding on why we had no choice but to do this.”
Only then did Jin-Woo let go of his collars. The red-faced Adam White coughed and wheezed heavily to the side.
Meanwhile, Jin-Woo picked up the photographs from the floor. No matter how hard he looked, the person in these pictures was definitely his father. His heart madly pounded away as he peered deeper.
Around at that time, the announcement from the pilots came out of the PA system.
[Ladies and gentlemen, the plane will land shortly.]
Even though a commotion broke out in its first-class cabin, the plane still managed to land without any further incident on the runaway of the Incheon International Airport.
Using the skill ‘Stealth’, Jin-Woo escaped from the eyes of all the reporters waiting for him there. The first thing he did after making his getaway was to call up Yu Jin-Ho.
– “Ah, hyung-nim! You arrived back in the country!”
Perhaps because his father had recovered fully, Yu Jin-Ho’s voice sounded even happier than before as he welcomed his hyung-nim back.
However, Jin-Woo was in no mood to smile right now.
“Looks like I’ll have to travel to the US next week, after all.”
– “Pardon? Are you talking about that International Guild Conference thing? Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in going, hyung-nim?”
“Situation has changed.”
He needed to find more information.
He needed to know more.
He needed some kind of proof so he could determine whether that being was really his father or something else.
In order to meet his goal, he had no choice but to attend this International Guild Conference.
“Can you book me the plane ticket, then?”
When he asked, an unhesitating reply came right back at him.
– “In that case, I shall book two return tickets immediately, hyung-nim!”
***
Adam White couldn’t stand back up again for a long while even after Jin-Woo had left the plane. He tried to get up, only to stagger unsteadily on his feet. The Hunters escorting him quickly asked.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, more or less. Just that I’m a bit exhausted right now.”
Adam White sounded more like he was trying to console himself, instead. The Hunters helped him to stand up straight again.
Because his major was in criminal psychology, he got to interrogate his fair share of rather horrible human beings so far. But still, this would be his first time being terrified of another person to this degree.
He could still recall Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s quiet yet cold eyes seemingly tightening around his neck like a noose.
Adam White knew full well that the Korean was not going to come back to harm him, yet just from remembering those eyes, he felt his bowels tighten.
Hunter Seong Jin-Woo before and after the photos was like two different people altogether.
‘A person can switch that much, huh.’
However, the truly shocking thing was something else. Adam White asked the Hunters for the confirmation.
“I need to confirm with you both since it happened too quickly for me. Just now, didn’t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo somehow move me without touching me at all, right?”
The two high-ranking Hunters, who wouldn’t lose out to anyone on the matters of excellent eyesight, nodded their heads as their reply to Adam White’s question.
‘I thought as much…!’
The American agent was now properly freaking out now. He definitely hadn’t seen it incorrectly. That Korean man, he could use psychokinesis.
Up until now, he was under the impression that the psychokinesis was the exclusive ability only available to the Special Authority-rank Hunters. However, Hunter Seong had used it without so much as batting an eyelid.
Adam White felt goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.
Seong Jin-Woo was the first one discovered to possess the psychokinesis skill outside the five Special Authority-rank Hunters.
‘There is no time to waste.’
His trembling hand picked up his phone. The ringtone went for a little while before the deputy director answered the call.
Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice.
“Deputy director… I just discovered the sixth one.”
Chapter 184
The American Hunter Bureau released the list of the Guilds invited to the conference.
[Sicario Guild, Alron Diaz (Mexico)]
[Ah-Jin Guild, Seol Jin-Woo (South Korea)]
[Ira et Vitae Guild, Fabio Garco (Italy)]
……
The International Guild Conference.
It was an important event where Guilds representing their nations were invited over to discuss the current trends and future prospects of the Hunter community at large.
And ‘Ah-Jin Guild’ had been chosen to represent South Korea. Its participation in the conference became the hot topic of conversation for both the local and international mass media.
The thing was, Jin-Woo was the sole high-ranking Hunter affiliated with that Guild as well as its Master. This invitation was no different from the American Hunter Bureau publicly acknowledging that this single Hunter was in no way inferior to any of the very best Guilds in the world. Guilds that countless high-ranked Hunters worked for.
However – no, perhaps unsurprisingly – not one person raised a voice of discontent. Because, was there really a need to discuss whether that lone Hunter was qualified or not in this case?
Jin-Woo already possessed the records of solving two massive crises on the level of bringing their respective nations down to their knees in South Korea and Japan. Most importantly, all by himself, too.
Quite obviously, no one now dismissed the capabilities of the Ah-Jin Guild, or more precisely, the core of the Guild itself, Jin-Woo, and his abilities.
No, even more than that – quite a few people around the world were getting rather hyped up from the prospect of a brand new super-powerful Hunter participating in the gathering, where the strongest Awakened scattered throughout the world would stand on one stage.
Whenever the international mass media talked about the Japanese dungeon break incident, they also mentioned Ah-Jin Guild planning to participate in the International Guild Conference in the same breath as if it was the most obvious thing to do.
South Korea was no exception.
As the local interest in the International Guild Conference heated up, one of the TV stations requested the Master of the Hunters Guild, Choi Jong-In, for an interview.
He knew that the station couldn’t ask Jin-Woo for one and had sought him out as an alternative, but still, he readily said yes.
And so, the interview being broadcast live to the nation took up the time slot of the eight in the evening, the one seen as the most important hour just before the watershed.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Choi Jong-In, and I’m the person in charge of the Hunters Guild.”
His handsome visage and the inviting smile made sure to shake up the hearts of many ladies watching the broadcast.
Currently, the comments section of the TV station’s website was inundated with complaints from the female viewers at home. They all said that it should’ve been the Hunters Guild getting the invite for the conference, instead.
“Thank you for coming, Chairman Choi.”
The female interviewer lowered her head as a greeting and began asking the prepared questions.
“The news regarding Ah-Jin Guild has attracted a great deal of interest from many people around the country. But, what are your thoughts regarding this issue?”
Choi Jong-In didn’t even hesitate for a second before he made his reply.
“I believe that the American Hunter Bureau made the right choice.”
“It’s not ‘you understand the reason why’, but you believe it was the right choice?”
“Yes. I definitely believe that’s the case.”
“But, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Ah-Jin Guild is basically a one-man show, is it not?”
“Let’s not forget that that one-man show is currently being run by none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.”
Choi Jong-In replied with an amiable smile on his face, and the interviewer also broke out in a smile, as well.
Before her smile could end, though, Choi Jong-In smoothly continued on.
“If you define the Guild staff members as personnel that could be mobilised in a combat situation, then you could say that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo already possesses hundreds of Guild staff members.”
“Are you referring to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim’s summons?”
“That’s correct. I believe that Ah-Jin’s overall combat potential won’t lose out to anyone, even when compared to some of the very best Guilds around the world.”
“Just because of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?”
“Yes, because of him.”
Noisy, noisy….
Choi Jong-In’s firm, unwavering reply caused an outbreak of low murmurings from the audience members in the studio, but the man himself remained calm in his demeanour.
He had witnessed Jin-Woo’s feats both directly and indirectly, so he was absolutely certain of this. Even now, his feelings hadn’t changed.
Every time he recalled Jin-Woo creating a path in that siege of ant monsters, all the back hair on Choi Jong-In’s neck would stand up and goosebumps quickly enveloped his entire body.
‘Just who out there would believe that, in the past, he used to be a rank E Hunter?’
Choi Jong-In didn’t hold back and acknowledged the difference in strength between his Guild and that of the Ah-Jin Guild, and that elevated the atmosphere of the TV studio to an even hotter degree than ever before.
The interviewer smiled in satisfaction, before cautiously studying Choi Jong-In’s response.
“Even still, the Hunters Guild can’t be too happy about this situation. After all, It was your Guild that had been participating in the Conference for the last several years.”
“Yes, it indeed hurts a little that our dream American trip had to be cancelled this year. I mean, we have all renewed our passports and been waiting for the invite to arrive in the mail, you see.”
Choi Jong-In joked around good-heartedly and that prompted a burst of laughter from the audience members.
“However, the pride I feel easily trumps any pain in my gut.”
Choi Jong-In’s smile that had been constantly fixed on his face was suddenly replaced by something much more earnest. The laughter from the audience members died out gradually. Meanwhile, the light within the interviewer’s eyes also became earnest, as well.
Words spoken from now on would be the main topic of this interview – such atmosphere emanated from the expression Choi Jong-In was making right now. Quite naturally, the gazes of the audience members were directed towards his lips next.
Choi Jong-In had appeared in TV shows quite often and knew how to play the crowd. He built up some suspense to get everyone psyched up first before opening his mouth.
“Please, think about it. Even if monsters my powers aren’t good enough to deal with appear before us, we now have a Hunter we can completely place our faith in.”
His words spoken from the depths of his heart carried a certain weight that no simple description could adequately convey. That weight from one man’s opinion bore down on the studio, leading to the interviewer and the audience members to forget what they wanted to say and simply stare at Choi Jong-In.
As silence filled the once-noisy filming venue, he quietly spoke up.
“In all honesty, my Guild members and I, not to mention countless other people affiliated with other Guilds, managed to survive all thanks to Hunter Seong coming to lend his aid.”
Choi Jong-In scanned the audience members. He wasn’t trying to achieve this effect, but still, the atmosphere had become quite sombre somehow.
In order to brighten up the mood, he formed a warm smile and finished what he wanted to say.
“I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea.”
When he did, thunderous clapping exploded out from the audience members.
***
Choi Jong-In successfully concluded the interview and was about to leave the TV station when he received a call on his mobile phone.
Vrrr…. Vrrr….
‘Mm?’
He lifted up his vibrating phone to find the number belonging to his advisor in the Guild, manager Joh Myoung-Ki.
“Hello, this is Choi Jong-In.”
– “Sir, we got the raid permit for the Gate that appeared this morning in the suburb of Suseo-dong. It’s a rank A, but the actual measurement value apparently isn’t that high, sir.”
“That’s good news.”
Choi Jong-In formed a smile after hearing that piece of good news before tilting his head a little.
“By the way, did Ah-Jin Guild not apply for the raid permit again?”
– “Yes, sir. Now that you mention it, it’s been spookily quiet from them lately.”
It had been four days since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had returned from Japan. And during that time, four high ranking Gates had opened up. Basically, it was at the rate of one a day.
The rate of high-ranked Gates being generated had gone up quite rapidly, yet the Ah-Jin Guild – or, more specifically, the entirety of Ah-Jin Guild itself, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, hadn’t shown any signs of movement at all.
But well, the major Guilds located in the Capital had been in a constant state of celebration day after day due to these events.
All because the destroyer of the monsters, the god of destroying dungeons who rushed in like crazy whenever a new Gate appeared so he could completely root out all monsters within, had not shown himself for the last few days.
However, Choi Jong-In felt a certain strange sense of discord whenever Seong Jin-Woo wasn’t there at the location of a Gate, and that made him feel a bit concerned.
‘I’m different from Baek Yun-Ho of the White Tiger or Im Tae-Gyu.’
If you didn’t care about anything else and simply felt happy about an apple suddenly falling from a tree, then what made you any different from a simple-minded ape?
Some would begin drooling at the prospect of free apples, while some others would start thinking about the laws of gravity.
Choi Jong-In thought that his class hadn’t fallen low enough to simply celebrate this sudden slice of good fortune. It was at that moment he got to hear the bright, innocent-sounding voice of manager Joh Myoung-Ki coming from the phone.
– “Nevertheless, our profit has gone up by nearly 40% after not experiencing any competition from Ah-Jin Guild, sir!”
“Well, here’s an ape…..”
– “Excuse me?”
“Ahh, never mind. It’s nothing.”
Choi Jong-In quickly changed the topic.
“Did the Association say they know what’s going on here?”
– “They believe that he’s at home, resting. The way I hear it, he hasn’t even shown up all that much in the Guild offices, either.”
“H-mm….”
– “Sir, I don’t think there’s a need to overcomplicate this. Couldn’t he be taking a bit of break in preparation for the International Guild Conference?”
Choi Jong-In shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
Just what kind of a person was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Choi Jong-In spoke up his explanation.
“Before his ranking reassignment test, he cleared three to four lower-ranked Gates in a day. And after he became a rank S, he began intruding into the territory of other Guilds, and only a few days ago, he went to Japan and sorted out a rank S dungeon break all by himself. That’s who Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is.”
Having heard all heard that, even Joh Myoung-Ki became curious as to why Ah-Jin Guild had suddenly gone quiet recently. Didn’t Hunter Seong always show up in a place crawling with lots of monsters? He couldn’t have been fatigued from the Giant monster raid, right?
He now thought that his boss getting puzzled by the Ah-Jin Guild’s lack of activity was not so strange anymore.
– “Now that you mention it, sir, it does sound odd.”
“Oh, by the way. Wasn’t the Ah-Jin Guild supposed to interview the prospective employees today? But, he still didn’t show up there?”
– “Yes, sir. Seong Hunter-nim was nowhere to be found in the interview location. It was just that Vice Master, Yu Jin-Ho doing everything by himself.”
“….”
A short bout of silence flowed between the two men. Choi Jong-In eventually broke the silence first and spoke in a relatively calm voice.
“And how do you know that, manger Joh?”
***
– “I might really die at this rate, hyung-nim.”
The moment Jin-Woo answered the phone, Yu Jin-Ho began bitterly complaining. He couldn’t help but grin a little.
It must’ve indeed been tough staring at the faces of the applicants the whole day. Although the number of hopefuls had been carefully filtered and trimmed down, didn’t it still shoot past several hundred?
The kid might have been young, but he was doing his job as the Vice-Master of a Guild and the proxy of Jin-Woo admirably well.
‘Is this why the wise elders say you are your father’s child?’
Sure, his ‘dongsaeng’ might come across as a bit naïve and dopey, but within Yu Jin-Ho’s body flowed the blood of the natural-born business tycoon Chairman Yu Myung-Han.
And thanks to that, Jin-Woo could simply leave the running of the Guild to Yu Jin-Ho and freely pursue what he wanted to do.
“Thanks. You worked hard.”
– “No, not at all, hyung-nim. By the way, how are things on your side?”
“Here?”
Jin-Woo looked behind him. The JSDF soldiers on standby sent him a signal as if the preparations had been completed. Seeing that, a smile floated back up on his lips.
“Well, it’s the same old story. I guess things could get delayed a bit here, so close up shop without me.”
– “Got it, hyung-nim.”
Yu Jin-Ho’s polite goodbye signalled the end of the phone call.
An employee working for the Japanese Hunter’s Association hurriedly ran towards Jin-Woo and received the phone as well as his luggage. Having handed over his stuff for safekeeping, he slowly loosened his neck and shoulder muscles.
This state of heightened feelings he’d get while lightly stretching his muscles before a raid always served to relax his mind.
As if to provide a conversation partner while Jin-Woo was stretching his body, or maybe he was just curious about something, the Japanese Association employee suddenly asked a question.
“If you let the world know that you’re busy closing the Gates being generated in the disaster areas, your fame would skyrocket even further, so if I may ask, why are you keeping it a secret?”
Jin-Woo’s reply to that was pretty simple. He finished his light stretching exercise and grinned brightly.
“I like peace and quiet, you see.”
Humility was one of the highest praised qualities in Japanese society.
Tears began welling up in the eyes of the Association employee as he took Jin-Woo’s “peace and quiet” answer as the latter being modest in his actions.
“If you need anything, please let me know immediately! I shall absolutely do everything in my power to make it come true, even if that means I must die!!”
….Well, this guy seemed to be clearly mistaken about something, but as long as the end result was good, all’s well. Jin-Woo could only smile awkwardly and lightly patted the Japanese man on the shoulders before walking nearer to the Gate.
The JSDF soldiers stepped aside to create a path and saluted Jin-Woo.
This Gate was ranked at ‘A’. Jin-Woo had been travelling from Korea and Japan every day to monopolise all the high-ranking Gates the Japanese couldn’t handle by themselves.
He should thank the Japanese spy satellite that could detect magical energy, as well as his movement skill, ‘Shadow Exchange’, for this venture.
Jin-Woo stood before the Gate and looked up. Indeed, it was a pretty d*mn big thing that totally fit its rank A status.
He didn’t need to spend a heap of cash trying to book high-ranking Gates here, and the Japanese government even promised to waiver all related taxes.
However, the financial side of the things was not the biggest merit for him – no, it’d be the fact that he got to monopolise every single high-ranked Gates appearing within the breadth of Japan, a large country that had lost the functionality of Guilds after the dungeon break disaster.
‘Demon King’s Shortsword.’
Shururuk….
“Heok.”
A young soldier witnessed a pair of shortswords suddenly materialising in Jin-Woo’s hands and reflexively gasped out in surprise. And then, as if he got embarrassed by that outburst, he quickly bowed towards Jin-Woo.
He simply smirked as a reply and began walking towards the Gate.
‘Four days left until the International Guild Conference.’
Jin-Woo told himself that he couldn’t afford to waste a single day and jumped straight into the Gate. Along with the mechanical beep, he was also greeted by the familiar voice in his ears.
Tti-ring.
[You have entered a dungeon.]
***
“Will this be fine, sir?”
Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously asked his question. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui showed no signs of agitation as he received a report.
“Regarding?”
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim…. Recently, he has been frequently visiting Japan.”
The Hunter’s Association could use the Hunter-issue smartphones to trace the current whereabouts of individual Hunters. And they had been feeding disinformation to those asking for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s whereabouts as ordered by the Association President Goh Gun-Hui.
“What if Seong Hunter-nim decides to simply stay put in Japan….”
South Korea would be losing the greatest Hunter ever while sucking on their thumbs doing nothing. This would be Woo Jin-Cheol’s worry in a nutshell.
For some reason, though, President Goh Gun-Hui didn’t seem to be all that concerned regarding this event, even though he probably held the highest evaluation of Jin-Woo out of anyone alive.
That appearance certainly caused some amount of frustration in Woo Jin-Cheol’s heart.
Perhaps finding the anxiety-ridden expression of his younger subordinate a bit pitiable, Goh Gun-Hui chuckled gently and finally spoke up.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“By any chance, do you know something, sir?”
“You see, he came to see me before he went over to Japan to hunt down those Giant-type monsters.”
That sounded quite logical. After all, it was precisely the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who announced the story of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo planning to hunt those Giants to the world.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.Bjn.
Goh Gun-Hui recalled the memories of that meeting.
“I, of course, tried to dissuade him. I told him that, compared to the risk, he’d be earning far too little from this venture. It wasn’t as if he was promised a huge amount of cash like Yuri Orlov in the first place.”
Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head.
Jin-Woo demanded the rights to the corpses of the monsters and that was all. For the price of saving an entire country, that was far, far too small.
‘Of course, that didn’t mean there was enough spare time to negotiate a deal with a country busy losing several cities in a day….’
One should say that the matters couldn’t be helped back then.
The Association President should be protecting the Hunters of his own nation, so it was already an odd thing for him to let Hunter Seong go this easily.
“But then, he told me this.”
Goh Gun-Hui recalled the conversation back then and formed a deep grin. Woo Jin-Cheol couldn’t win against his curiosity and asked back first.
“What… did he say?”
Goh Gun-Hui happily replied to that.
“He said, he wanted the Ah-Jin Guild’s territory to also include Japan.”
“Keo-heok!”
A shocked gasp jumped out from Woo Jin-Cheol’s mouth. Goh Gun-Hui’s initial reaction after hearing that declaration from Jin-Woo himself wasn’t all that different, either.
“Japan’s major Guilds lost most of their strength from the losses incurred on Jeju Island, as well as from the attacks of the Giants. He told me straight that his Ah-Jin Guild will fill the void left behind by them.”
“Huh-uh….”
Woo Jin-Cheol couldn’t shut his slack mouth.
Was it the young man’s confidence or simply an excellent head on his shoulders that allowed him to think that far ahead, even before he got to hunt down a single Giant? Regardless of what it was, Jin-Woo still got to achieve his objective.
After all, wasn’t this story something the Japanese would welcome with wide open arms?
“After hearing that, how could I not permit him going there?”
While the major Guilds were busy bickering among themselves over the comparatively small territory of Seoul, he’d go and make the entirety of Japan his own.
One of the qualifications to become a true Hunter was the talent to choose his own hunting spot. And as he even possessed the necessary power to handle whatever his prey turned out to be, one could definitely call Seong Jin-Woo as someone born to become a Hunter.
Goh Gun-Hui let the opinion stewing in his mind, as well as a sigh of admiration, escape from his mouth.
“He sure is one incredible fellow.”
“….I agree wholeheartedly, sir.”
Woo Jin-Cheol definitely agreed with that sentiment.
Putting aside the incredible power of travelling between Korea and Japan in an instant without the aid of an aeroplane, the fact that he also possessed enough abilities to make that nonsensical goal into reality, could only bring about a sigh of admiration from both men.
With excellent timing, the TV that was left switched on began showing the clip from Choi Jong-In’s interview.
[“I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea.”]
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch as a genuine chuckle left his mouth, and spoke back to Choi Jong-In on the screen.
“I also think the same as you.”
Chapter 185
Goh Gun-Hui switched the TV off. As it turned out, it was already nine in the evening, a bit too late to say that now’s a good time to get off work for the day. However, it seemed that Woo Jin-Cheol still had something else to say.
“The Chinese have requested for information on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
“Information? You mean, his personal information?”
“No, sir. It’s not that.”
“What do they want, then?”
“The requested information is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim’s raid records as well as any official reports related to them.”
That seemed about right; unless the Chinese were truly dumb, they probably knew they wouldn’t be receiving any personal information of a rank S Hunter – no, someone who may greatly exceed that category altogether.
The question was, why were the Chinese showing their interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at this belated stage? After all, they must’ve heard his decision not to entertain any love calls or scouting offers from other countries, which included China.
“The one requesting the information wasn’t the Chinese government, sir.”
“Really?”
“It’s actually from a single individual.”
“An individual?”
The Hunter’s Association representing a country would never release information to any individual Hunters. But to think, this request was made by a person?
Goh Gun-Hui thought it’d be the obvious thing to refuse that request outright, so he was puzzled by the fact that the issue had been brought up at all. Woo Jin-Cheol quickly added some additional explanation.
“It seems that China’s Seven Star-ranked Hunter, Liu Zhigeng, has taken interest in Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
Liu Zhigeng!
With the mentioning of that unexpected name, Goh Gun-Hui became somewhat lost for words.
China didn’t accept the global standard in ranking Hunters and used its own unique ranking system. The higher the number of ‘stars’ in front of your ranking, the better Hunter you were. And for them, ‘Five Star’ was the highest attainable rank.
However, only one person was separated from that ranking system. Only Liu Zhigeng was ranked as the Seven Star. And rather obviously, the treatment he received was on another realm compared to the ordinary Five Stars.
Of course, not one person was brave enough to raise a fuss regarding the fact that he, a well-known ‘Special Authority-rank’ Hunter, was receiving preferential treatment.
He possessed abilities that deserved such recognition, and China herself respected that fact greatly as well.
‘That Liu Zhigeng has taken an interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?’
The thirst of Goh Gun-Hui’s curiosity was then quenched by Woo Jin-Cheol’s reply.
“Sir, didn’t Liu Zhigeng fight the Giant-type monster? I’m quite sure that’s why he’s interested in knowing more about Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, who had hunted down every other Giant.”
That sounded logical. Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head.
Not too long ago, a single Giant-type monster escaped from Japan and swam towards China. And it had been reported that the creature was ably dealt with by Liu Zhigeng at the Chinese coastline.
“The truly strong can recognise another strong being, is that it?”
Goh Gun-Hui formed a slightly mischievous grin.
The American Hunter Bureau that invited the Ah-Jin Guild. And China’s greatest Hunter Liu Zhigeng, beginning to show his interest in Jin-Woo.
Both America and China had finally recognised the true worth of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. For someone like Goh Gun-Hui, who knew that man’s true value from the very beginning, this development certainly made him feel rather good about himself.
Even then…
‘Even then, that doesn’t mean I’ll hand over any information, just like that.’
Was there a need to advertise how excellent Korea’s genius was to those craving after other people’s geniuses?
Sure, a Special Authority-rank Hunter would get quite annoyed by it, but so what?
‘We have Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, after all.’
Goh Gun-Hui made up his mind and let out a genial, hearty chuckle.
“That request? Deny it, please.”
***
Dungeons had changed.
That was Jin-Woo’s overriding impression as he cleared all the high-ranked dungeons being generated throughout Japan.
As he scanned the interior of this particular dungeon, his glare became even sharper than before. He could definitely sense the presence of monsters, but his eyes couldn’t detect them.
If his sensory perception or experience had been lacking somehow, this situation would’ve been enough to cause some consternation. Fortunately, Jin-Woo lacked neither of those.
‘Is it up, this time?’
Jin-Woo stopped walking and raised his head up. Sure enough, some type of thick liquid dropped in the spot just a bit up ahead and began melting the ground.
Chi-jiiiiek…..
Thick smoke rose up from the ground as it melted down by what was clearly an acidic substance. Perhaps inevitably, the stink was rather atrocious, as well.
Naturally, Jin-Woo’s expression crumpled unsightly.
When he showed no inclination to come forward anymore, the large blobs of something attached to the ceiling dropped down to the ground, instead.
Thud, thud, plop….
These blobs then began assuming humanoid shapes next.
He was now confronted by a strange type of monster whose face was covered in a white mask, while the rest of its body was made up of blackish liquid. These bizarre creatures had never been seen before up until now.
Twelve of them were blocking his path. Jin-Woo quietly called out the name of his old pal.
‘Knight Killer.’
Then, a single dagger suddenly appeared in his hand.
In the not too distant past, this guy used to be his main combat weapon alongside ‘Baruka’s Dagger’, but it had been collecting dust in the corner of the Inventory after he got his hands on the pair of ‘Demon King’s Shortswords’.
However, he found a good place to use it for the first time in a while. Jin-Woo briefly felt nostalgic from the familiar grip, before throwing the ‘Knight Killer’ at one of the monsters approaching him.
‘Dagger Rush!’
Swiiiish-!
The dagger flew in a straight line while issuing a hair-raising screech and landed directly in the chest of the monster. Unfortunately, it simply flew right through as if to mock his accuracy and stabbed deeply into the wall behind the creature.
That wasn’t all, either.
The black liquid coated the dagger as it went through the body of the monster and began melting the weapon down.
Chiii-eeek- Chiiieeek….
The dagger soon turned soft and malleable in no time, before transforming into an unrecognisable substance and slid down from the wall.
‘I thought as much.’
His expectation of regular physical attacks not working against this monster was on the money.
It was then. The monsters didn’t even give him enough time to eulogise the passing of his old comrade, ‘Knight Killer’, and pounced on him at the same time. They were surprisingly nimble, as well.
However, Jin-Woo simply greeted them back with ‘Ruler’s Authority’.
Ka-boom!!
The monsters were attacked by the unseen hands and were immediately flung away all at the same time.
Tumble!
The bodies of the creatures were ripped to shreds as they tumbled back down to the ground, but then, they coagulated back again and returned to their previous state.
“Huh.”
Jin-Woo chuckled wryly at that gob-smacking level of regeneration. He was almost tempted to summon out his Shadow Soldiers and start a competition of who possessed better regenerative powers, but….
‘….Be patient.’
Physical damage, whether it be tangible or not, didn’t seem to work. So, then. What should he do next?
Jin-Woo relaxedly dodged the outpouring of monsters’ attacks and pondered this quandary for a bit, before realising that a particular creature among them was moving around unnaturally compared to the others.
‘Mm?’
Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed to a slit.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.Bjn.
Now that he took a closer look, one of that particular creature’s arms wasn’t regenerated, and also, the corner of the white mask covering its face had been cracked to a noticeable degree. It must’ve been broken off when the monster was flung away by the ‘Ruler’s Authority’ earlier.
‘Oh, so that was your weak point?’
A smirk floated up on Jin-Woo’s face. As long as he knew how to attack these things, killing them would be a piece of cake.
Swish, swish!
Jin-Woo continued to easily evade all the punches thrown desperately by the monsters and summoned out his current comrades.
‘Demon King’s Shortswords.’
Once he got to tightly grasp the shortswords in each of his hands, cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Crack!
A monster powerlessly crumbled to the ground as the ‘Demon King’s Shortsword’ stabbed its forehead.
Plop.
That was just the beginning. Jin-Woo moved as if he was performing a slick dance routine and in no time at all, destroyed the white masks of all the monsters present.
Crack!
Kwahck!
And eventually…
Crack!
The mask of the sole remaining monster was split in half. The creature reverted to being pure liquid and lost its overall shape as it crumbled to the floor.
Easily taking care of all twelve of them, Jin-Woo returned the ‘Demon King’s Shortswords’ back to his Inventory.
If it wasn’t him, but some other people finding themselves in this situation, what would’ve happened?
Without a doubt, several of them would’ve met their end before someone finally figured out that regular attacks didn’t work. And then, a few more would have been sacrificed until they figured out the monster’s weakness.
Or, even worse – the whole raiding party could have lost their lives before finding out the weakness. Even if that party happened to be made up of elite Hunters.
That was how strong, nimble, and dangerous these d*mn things were. Unfortunately, this was not his first time running into creatures this strong.
‘For sure…. dungeons have changed.’
On that day, after the King of Giants was killed by his hands, Mana Stones had disappeared from the dungeons appearing throughout the world.
The ores that used to suck up most of the magical energy leaking out from the dungeon itself were now all gone and so, that magic energy with nowhere to go had all become part of the monsters, instead.
Meaning, even if the ranking of a dungeon remained the same as in the past, the conditions had become far more dangerous.
‘And on top of that, monsters as dangerous as these ones have begun showing up, too….’
Jin-Woo’s frown grew deeper.
If a run-of-the-mill raid party entered a high-ranked dungeon willy-nilly, then they would not be able to avoid running into a serious accident inside.
As a matter of fact, he had been hearing some news of several ‘accidents’ happening from all over the world lately. He already assigned the protection of his family to Beru, as he was feeling anxious about these developments.
If it was Beru, then he’d be able to resolve most crises by himself even if a dungeon break happened nearby.
‘But, then again…’
It wasn’t all necessarily a bad thing for the rate of Gate generation to go up, as well as the monsters in the dungeons to become stronger. At least, for Jin-Woo, that was.
Because, it’d be easier to raise his level this way. For instance, this dungeon was still full of monsters he hadn’t disposed of yet. He could feel on his skin a large number of monsters hiding deeper in the dungeon while emitting overwhelming magical energy.
A smile now floated up on Jin-Woo’s face.
‘Well, I’m now familiar with how to deal with these strange monsters. I guess it’s time to start the hunt properly, isn’t it?’
The warm-up exercises were now over. And the proper subjugation was about to begin.
“Come out.”
Shururuk….
The Shadow Soldiers stopped hiding in Jin-Woo’s shadow and appeared behind him in full force. He told them how to deal with the monsters, so they shouldn’t be experiencing any difficulty in dealing with the enemy.
Jin-Woo sent out the signal with his eyes. Igrit was now entrusted with the command of the entire army, since Beru had become the guard dog protecting his home, instead. The black knight issued the order for the troops to advance.
Dududududu-!!
The entirety of the huge cavern began rocking loudly from the marching footsteps of the Shadow Soldiers.
***
The world’s best Hunters began landing on US soil one by one before the International Guild Conference began. Among them were, of course, the Special Authority-rank Hunters.
However, Thomas Andre’s interest was solely fixated on one single person.
‘Tomorrow’s the day Seong Jin-Woo enters the US….’
He had confirmed Jin-Woo’s arrival schedule earlier, and on the day before that fateful date, he summoned Hwang Dong-Su into his office.
“Did you call for me, sir?”
Hwang Dong-Su cautiously studied Thomas Andre’s atmosphere. It had been a few years since he started working in the Scavenger Guild, but even now, he found it rather difficult to speak to its Master.
Because, that man wielded incredible strength, was cursed with a hard-to-fathom personality, and finally, was even beset with an extreme case of possessiveness, as well.
Hwang Dong-Su might be a rank S Hunter, but before Thomas Andre, he became an utterly insignificant being.
“Mister Hwang.”
Thomas Andre went to the main topic right away.
“Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo.”
Hwang Dong-Su’s eyes grew larger. He formed an expression that seemed to ask ‘How did you know’ before his gaze drifted towards Laura, standing behind Thomas Andre.
She simply responded with her eyes that said, she only did what she had to do.
“Che.”
Hwang Dong-Su let a dissatisfied grunt escape from his mouth. Meanwhile, Thomas Andre continued on.
“I know about your brother and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. I’m sure you feel suspicious of some things, and also want to know what happened back then.”
Hwang Dong-Su’s older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok had entered a dungeon along with Seong Jin-Woo, only to go ‘missing’ and never came back out.
The eight fixed members of Hwang Dong-Seok’s raid party were all dead, yet the two people who walked out from that dungeon alive had formed a Guild together.
So, quite obviously, he had plenty of things to ask Seong Jin-Woo. Naturally, his dissatisfaction seeped into his expression.
“But….”
Before he could properly say something, though, Thomas Andre raised his finger up and waved it around. His lips below the sunglasses arched up. He was actually smiling.
“I don’t remember giving you permission to speak, Mister Hwang?”
Keep your mouth shut and just listen – that was the message of a clear threat.
There wouldn’t be all that many people capable of issuing a true warning to a top-ranked Hunter in this world. One of them just so happened to be Thomas Andre.
Hwang Dong-Su was well aware of the gap between himself and his boss, so he obediently kept his mouth shut.
Thomas emphasized his point again.
“Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo. During the duration of the Guild Conference, take some time off and relax at the Guild’s getaway villa in the countryside. So, how about it? Are you willing to humour my earnest plea?”
“…..”
“Mister Hwang?”
Hwang Dong-Su nodded his head, unable to hold out any longer.
“…..I shall do as you say.”
“Good to hear. You can go now.”
Hwang Dong-Su’s expression stiffened hard as he quickly made his escape from the Guild Master’s office. Meanwhile, Laura asked her boss in a worried voice.
“Will this be enough, sir?”
Thomas Andre’s own expression had hardened as well as he shook his head.
“No.”
He definitely read the signs of ill intent flickering within Hwang Dong-Su’s expression just now. That fool still couldn’t let go of this matter, it seemed.
“Laura?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Until Seong Jin-Woo leaves US soil, place Mister Hwang under strict surveillance.”
“Will he…. take that lying down?”
Although he had been suppressed by the aura of Thomas Andre, Hwang Dong-Su’s original personality was as stubborn as it could get, as well.
However, Thomas wasn’t worried. No, rather, he knew that this matter wasn’t simple enough to sweat over something as minor as Hwang Dong-Su’s disgruntlement.
Thomas Andre scratched his chin before making a nonchalant reply.
“Well… being frustrated should be better than being dead, right?”
Chapter 186
“Why are there so many reporters here?”
Germany’s best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, set foot inside the American airport after disembarking from his plane. He immediately let a surprised gasp escape from his mouth from the view greeting him.
As befitting the Master of the ‘Richter’ Guild representing Germany, he got to attend the International Guild Conference every single year, but even then, he had never seen this many reporters camping out in the airport before.
As he stood there in shock, the Vice-Master of the Richter Guild tried to solve the riddle for him.
“Well, that Korean Hunter everyone’s been talking about is scheduled to arrive today.”
“Aha.”
Lennart understood it right away.
Even if you were a rank S Hunter, it was incredibly difficult to resolve a dungeon break from a rank S Gate. And, what if the creatures popping out from that rank S dungeon just so happened to be Giant-type monsters?
The Hunter capable of solo-clearing a dungeon break that no one else wanted any part of, was about to step on the U.S. soil for the first time in his life. So, how could the mass media remain silent on this momentous occasion?
Perhaps he too got infected by the enthusiasm from all the reporters here, as even Lennart himself grew interested in this matter now.
‘So, he’s coming today?’
With excellent timing, the passengers of the plane inbound from South Korea began pouring out into the airport. The Vice-Master pointed to the side over yonder.
“Ah! There he is!”
The Vice-Master was also a rank S Hunter. He may not be as good as Lennart, his boss, but still, his perception was capable enough to easily suss out Jin-Woo’s face among the crowd of people.
Lennart Niermann’s eyes gleamed brightly just then.
“Should we go and say hi?”
“Pardon?”
“We’ve got nothing to lose by being acquaintances with a strong Hunter, right?”
“Well, yes. That’s true.”
The Vice-Master agreed with that idea.
The personal connections built up in such a manner would prove to be rather beneficial if an event requiring international cooperation or the aid of another Guild happened in the future.
This was, in essence, what the whole International Guild Conference was originally conceived for, where the best Hunters from the world were asked to come and exchange pointers, as it were. Especially when it was quite difficult for these Hunters to actually meet one another like this.
Lennart tidied his attire and approached Jin-Woo’s travelling group. No, he tried to.
However, he came to an abrupt halt after taking only a couple of steps. Even his complexion was gradually paling, too. The Vice-Master ended up walking a step ahead because of his boss’s sudden stop. He turned around and asked in confusion.
“Aren’t you going to speak to him?”
Lennart’s expression hardened instantly as he replied.
“That… can’t you see that??”
“Excuse me?”
It seemed that the Vice-Master could not see it at all. However, Lennart was one of the very best Hunters in the entire world and he could clearly sense it. He muttered to himself in complete disbelief.
“Instead of summoning his creatures from some other dimension, he’s been going around with them all this time?”
“Eh?”
What was he even talking about?
The Vice-Master was taken aback with surprise from Lennart’s reaction and quickly took a look in the direction Jin-Woo was walking in from. But, let alone a single summon, he couldn’t even spot a hair of the summoned creature anywhere near the Korean man.
“He’s with his summons?”
“That’s right! So many of them, too!”
Lennart could pick up on the presence of the Shadow Soldiers hiding within Jin-Woo’s shadow. One hundred. Two hundred. Three…
No, could he even finish counting them all?
He hurriedly swallowed his saliva.
‘From that number alone, I’d have believed it if someone told me that man came here to wage war against America.’
He stood there shivering while thinking that, if he were tasked with the role of inviting people over to his nation, he’d never, ever invite someone like ‘that’.
There could be one of two reasons. Either the American Hunter Bureau had no clue the true depths of that Korean Hunter’s power, or they were completely sure that such a power would never be used against them.
The incredible pressure Jin-Woo emanated grew stronger and stronger as he got nearer the German Hunter. Such a sensation could only be felt from those Hunters labelled Special Authority-rank, such as Thomas Andre or Christopher Reid.
‘……..’
Lennart’s head faltered lower even before he realised it just as Jin-Woo walked right past by him. He simply didn’t have enough courage to meet that man’s eyes at all. His instincts had dictated his actions.
After Jin-Woo’s group had completely walked past them, the Vice-Master shot a quizzical look at his boss acting strangely and asked a question of concern.
“Master? Are you feeling unwell somehow? Your complexion….”
“N-no… it’s not that.”
Lennart Niermann wiped the cold sweat off his brows.
You could only see as much as you know; being able to decipher the gap between yourself and the opponent was also a part of one’s abilities.
But, at least right in this moment, he felt quite envious of his Vice-Master, or for that matter, the throng of reporters, who weren’t scared off by the presence of a truly, nonsensically powerful Hunter.
***
Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to take a look behind him and ask.
“Did you spot someone you know, hyung-nim?”
“No. It’s just that, some foreigner was looking at me over and over again.”
Yu Jin-Ho chuckled as if such a thing was nothing to fret about.
“Hyung-nim, your stories have spread out far and wide to the rest of the world, so surely, you must have lots of fans by now. Maybe he wanted your autograph, hyung-nim.”
Well, that guy seemed to be too exceptional a Hunter for someone ‘hunting’ around for autographs, though.
Jin-Woo smirked and continued on with his steps.
Beside himself and Yu Jin-Ho, two more people were accompanying them during this overseas trip – Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol coming along as the show of support from the Korean Hunter’s Association, as well as a female Association employee tagging along as an interpreter.
“Uh! There he is!!”The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l.B1n.
“It’s Seong Jin-Woo!”
The reporters finally discovered Jin-Woo and his gang.
Click, click, click, click, click, click, click-!!
Bright flashes of light exploded from the cameras wielded by the throng of reporters. Woo Jin-Cheol quickly yanked out his sunglasses from his inner pocket and put them on, before scanning the crowd with a pair of very sharp eyes. Seeing how tense he was, Yu Jin-Ho decided that now would be a good time to ask him.
“Now that I think about it some more…. Why are you even here, Chief Woo?”
Without a doubt, the Chief of a department located in the Seoul branch of the Korean Hunter’s Association was not exactly what you’d call an ordinary job.
It was pretty much the same thing as you being responsible for an entire department.
Sure, Yu Jin-Ho felt grateful that the Association helped them out with an interpreter situation. His question, though, was with why someone as important as Woo Jin-Cheol would be accompanying them like this.
Woo Jin-Cheol briefly studied Jin-Woo’s reactions and replied, his face reddening slightly.
“I am tasked with… providing security to Seong Hunter-nim.”
He worked up lots of courage to make that reply, but regretfully, his words were drowned out by the noise within the airport itself and couldn’t reach Yu Jin-Ho’s ears. So, the latter cupped his ear and asked again.
“What did you say?”
“….Bodyguard…. of him….”
“Who did you say you’re guarding now?”
Jin-Woo could see that even Woo Jin-Cheol’s ears were getting red now. So, he wrapped his arm around Yu Jin-Ho’s shoulders and put an end to that conversation.
“Hyung-nim?”
Jin-Woo pointed with his chin to a rather familiar face over yonder.
“Over there. Looks like they are here to escort us.”
Adam White was standing near the entrance of the airport sporting a cool business suit with his blonde hair slicked back, his face full of a bright, welcoming smile. As if to prove that Jin-Woo’s guess was correct, the American agent quickly made his way over to the group.
The two burly guys following after him were the same men from the plane back then. These two met Jin-Woo’s gaze and quickly lowered their heads in apparent embarrassment almost simultaneously.
It seemed that they ended up remembering the time inside the plane when they tried to protect Adam White by attacking Jin-Woo, having completely forgotten about the differences in their strengths.
And well, they were carrying expressions of someone who might really ask for some autographs given half a chance. Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter. He greeted the two burly guys with a simple nod and grasped the extended hand of Adam White.
The American agent spoke with a cheery voice.
“We were waiting for your arrival, Seong Hunter-nim.”
“I seem to remember hearing that you were responsible for the Asia branch of the Bureau. Was I wrong, Mister White?”
“Ahaha.”
Adam White scratched the back of his head and continued on.
“I was, until recently. Now, I’m responsible for matters involving you, Seong Hunter-nim.”
Adam White used his good-natured smile to greet the others and guided Jin-Woo’s group outside the airport.
“Let’s get going, shall we? We have cars waiting for us outside.”
There were two vehicles prepared for them. The two Korean Association people were guided to the vehicle in the back, while Yu Jin-Ho naturally headed towards the car in front. However, Adam White blocked his path.
“….??”
Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho both were puzzled by this. Adam White spoke in a serious tone of voice.
“Excluding Seong Hunter-nim, the remainder of your group will be guided to your hotel.”
Adam White then shifted his gaze over to Jin-Woo.
“And, do you mind accompanying us to a different location for a little while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?”
Was this about his father?
Jin-Woo’s glare became icy cold in an instant. Adam White must’ve felt the temperature suddenly drop, because he quickly waved his hand around.
“It’s definitely a story that’ll benefit you, Seong Hunter-nim. Haven’t we already clarified what the Hunter Bureau’s opinion regarding you is?”
They wanted to maintain a good relationship with him. That’s what he said in the past.
They did try to help him out, and even now, Jin-Woo couldn’t sense any malice from the other party. If they were thinking of doing something dodgy, then his ultra-sharp Perception Stat would definitely catch onto that.
Didn’t he discover the loophole in the proposed alliance with the King of Giants that way?
Jin-Woo calmly asked his question.
“Are the topics we’ll be discussing a secret?”
Adam White glanced at Yu Jin-Ho watching and listening to this conversation with bated breath and formed a somewhat awkward smile.
“A few topics to be discussed indeed fall under the ‘top secret’ category, yes.”
Yu Jin-Ho heard that and backed off without complaining.
“Hyung-nim? I’ll see you later at the hotel.”
“Alright.”
Jin-Woo confirmed that Yu Jin-Ho had entered the waiting vehicle in the back, and climbed into the car in front along with Adam White. The driver didn’t need any other commands and he got the vehicle moving as soon as Jin-Woo settled down on his seat.
As if their destination was not the same, the two vehicles went off on different directions from the word go. Before long, the other car couldn’t even be seen anymore. Deciding that he had been waiting long enough, Jin-Woo began asking his questions.
“So, where are we going now?”
“We’re heading straight to the Hunter Bureau’s HQ.”
The Hunter Bureau?
Everyone knew that the International Guild Conference would be held at a rented venue near the hotel. So, that could only mean that this car had a different purpose than the Conference itself.
Jin-Woo asked again.
“Isn’t it fine to tell me already?”
Adam White pressed a certain button inside the vehicle as if he was waiting for this moment.
Click.
When he did….
Shuwiik….
A clear pane of window rose up behind the two front seats and proceeded to completely separate the front and rear cabin. And just above the clear window, the English word ‘Soundproofed’ appeared as a hologram and blinked constantly. The words were actually floating in thin air.
When Jin-Woo didn’t display much of a reaction from that hologram message, Adam White felt incredibly awkward and sheepishly asked a question.
“This is the latest available technology, but… You aren’t surprised?”
“Well, I’ve been seeing something similar every day, so….”
“….”
Adam White must’ve been looking forward to this moment because he instantly began pouting ever-so-slightly in disappointment. Soon, though, his original smile popped back up again on his face.
“Please hold on for a second.”
Knock, knock.
He leaned forward to knock on the divider to confirm before picking up on the conversation where they left off.
“In all honesty, we’re currently under serious pressure at the moment.”
One of the two American citizenship-carrying Special Authority-rank Hunters had been met with an untimely, grisly death – Christopher Reid.
The American Hunter Bureau had been hurting far greater than Jin-Woo could ever imagine.
“Christopher Reid Hunter-nim was one of the pillars of the United States’ strongest combat potential. Because of this, the Hunter Bureau has become even more desperate to fill the void in our fighting power. For now, things are calm on the surface because we haven’t publicly announced the murder of Christopher Reid yet. But soon, we’ll start the process of securing other Hunters who can substitute for him. And spare no efforts in doing so.”
“Am I one of the candidates you’re thinking of?”
Adam White nodded his head.
Jin-Woo liked the fact the other party was being open and honest here. Of course, that didn’t mean he’d entertain the once-refused offer one more time. He displayed a rather uninterested reaction.
“I thought that part of the conversation has concluded for good?”
“Yes, of course.”
However, the light in Adam White’s eyes showed that it was far from over. In fact, he pulled his mobile phone out and began showing Jin-Woo several of the stored images on it.
“This is a completely different offer, however.”
In the photos, there was…
The worst calamity in the history of mankind.
The raid that no one wished to remember in history.
The Dragon, ‘Kamish’.
Indeed, these photos documented the process of the raid of the first and the last Dragon ever to appear on this planet.
The world’s best Hunters had gathered and fought a battle to their death, and only five managed to survive until the end. Those survivors were now referred to as the Special Authority-rank.
Adam White stopped flipping through the photos. The photo he stopped at showed several first-class Mage-type Hunters extracting a Rune Stone from the corpse of Kamish.
“As you know, the value of a Rune Stone is proportional to the power of the monster the stone was extracted from.”
He tapped on his phone’s screen one more time to bring up the next photo. And it showed a Rune Stone sleeping quietly inside a glass case surrounded by layers upon layers of walls and security.
It was none other than Kamish’s Rune Stone.
Rather obviously, that was an item where its value couldn’t even be imagined in monetary terms, never mind getting one’s hands on it, regardless of the price one was willing to pay.
It might possess possibly the greatest skill ever to exist!
“We’re currently searching for a new owner of this Rune Stone.”
Magic energy, skills, or even magic – Adam White didn’t possess any of those, yet even he felt his heart palpitate when he saw that Rune Stone.
He was already feeling this excited, so how would Hunter Seong Jin-Woo feel when he was a Mage-type, to begin with?
Adam White sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo’s direction.
Sure enough, the tense expression was clearly visible on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s face. He was someone who didn’t even blink an eye when the latest technology the American Hunter Bureau possessed was displayed before him, but now…
‘We did it!’
Adam White clenched his fists tightly. But then, Jin-Woo’s demand proved to be somewhat off his expectation.
“The photo… can you go back, please?”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to see the photos before this one.”
Adam White tilted his head slightly, but still, he scrolled back to the previous photos as per Jin-Woo’s request.
“Right there.”
Adam White’s flipping hands came to a stop over a certain photo. Jin-Woo pointed to the corner of this particular image and spoke in a low, hushed voice.
“Where is this?”
Chapter 187
The ‘thing’ Jin-Woo pointed to was a pillar of a building. More specifically, several pillars being constructed alongside the body of Kamish.
It was evidence as good as any that they were building a structure to house the dead body of the Dragon.
His eyes shot open incredibly wide after seeing that.
Sure, the monster had died eight years ago. The higher the ranking of a dungeon, the greater the value of the monsters that came out of it. The monster corpses would be dismantled into pieces and be used up where they would be deemed most needed.
That was why he didn’t hold any hopes of Kamish’s corpse remaining intact until now. Because, various countries, corporations and/or laboratories willing to buy the Dragon’s corpse would’ve formed a proverbial long-a*s queue around the corner all those years ago, or so he thought to himself.
But then, the remains of Kamish, as seen on the photograph, were in an utterly pristine state. There were traces of the intense battle it had been involved in, yes, but the corpse was pretty much free of any artificial, after-the-fact damage.
The moment he thought of the possibility that Kamish’s corpse could still be around…
….Jin-Woo’s heart began madly pounding away.
“Could it be that America has been storing Kamish’s intact corpse until now?”
“W-well, yes. We have, but….”
Adam White couldn’t really understand Jin-Woo’s current reaction at all.
They were talking about a Rune Stone that all Hunters alive in this world would drool over non-stop, yet he didn’t show any interest in such a valuable article and began talking about a dead monster, instead.
However, Jin-Woo’s attitude was far too serious to steer the topic of this conversation back on the right course.
Jin-Woo pointed at the photo again.
“Where is this place? Let’s go there right away.”
“Pardon me?”
“I’ve been willing to humour the requests of the Hunter Bureau until now. I’m pretty sure that I have the right to demand this much from you.”
“Ah….”
Adam White didn’t expect the situation to go down in this direction and couldn’t hide his fluster anymore. However, he also realised that strictly speaking, this was not a bad result at all.
Between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and the Hunter Bureau that Adam was working for, anyone could figure out that the party desperately needing the other side’s cooperation was, of course, the latter.
The Hunter Bureau was trying to attract Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s interest. That’s why they tried with Madam Selner’s ability initially. And when that fell through, they resorted to using Kamish’s Rune Stone to rouse the young Korean Hunter’s interest.
But then, the spark was lit from an unlikely source, instead. This was at once a crisis and an opportunity for Adam White.
‘….They said I was free to use any method, didn’t they?’
Adam White quickly recalled what the director and his deputy said after they had gathered the agents working for the Hunter Bureau.
They said – ‘do whatever it takes to get on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s good side.’
In order to increase the odds of him moving to the States, even if only by a little. If the Hunter Bureau was in possession of something Jin-Woo wanted, then for the sake of the relationship between them, that thing should be offered up immediately regardless of what it was.
….So they could get into this young man’s good books.
Adam White remembered this incredibly important end goal and cleared his throat so he could speak up.
“Actually, even I do not know where Kamish’s corpse is being stored at the moment. The extent of my knowledge is what the higher-ups are prepared to let me know, unfortunately.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
For sure, Adam White seemed a bit too ‘young’ to know every single secret the organisation he worked for might keep. But, he sounded far more confident as he spoke, which seemed to contradict the contents of his words from a second ago.
“However, if it’s you making this demand, then I believe the higher-ups will give the go-ahead pretty easily. I’ll have to make a report anyway, so do you mind waiting for their reply for a little while?”
Jin-Woo’s expression brightened instantly.
The odds of the skill ‘Shadow Extraction’ failing would increase proportionally to how long the target had been dead for. And Kamish was killed off eight years ago. The odds of failure were just simply too high.
The possibility of bothering a lot of people, not to mention wasting their precious time for what could ultimately turn out to be nothing was pretty high, too.
However, how should he know without giving it a shot in the first place?
Even if the odds were extremely low, even if there was only a chance of ten thousand in one, no, ten million in one, the moment he somehow succeeds in extracting the Dragon’s shadow, he’d end up with possibly the most powerful Shadow Soldier ever in history.
Just thinking about it made his heart madly pound away.
Even if he failed, the only thing he’d lose would be his time. When compared to what he stood to gain if he succeeded, well, this was one gamble worth taking, that’s for sure.
As long as the Americans permitted it in the first place, of course.
Jin-Woo quickly asked Adam White.
“We’re on our way to the Hunter Bureau, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Since I’m going to wait anyway, why don’t I go there and wait, instead?”
“Huh….”
Jin-Woo’s overly passionate interest caused Adam White to form an expression of a man not knowing whether to rejoice or be saddened.
***
The Director of the Hunter Bureau also formed a similar expression, as well.
He shifted his head to the side just in case, and sure enough, his deputy right next to him was also forming the same sort of an expression. So much so that the director couldn’t help but wonder, if he were to look into a mirror now, wouldn’t his face look like that?
“Okay, so. Seong Hunter-nim is in the building with us?”
The director had to confirm it one last time. Adam White wordlessly nodded his head.
“But, what about the Rune Stone? Didn’t he say anything about it?”
They decided that using up Kamish’s Rune Stone was worth it if it meant they got to reel Seong Jin-Woo into the US of A.
Well, a Hunter with an American passport getting stronger was pretty much the same thing as America getting stronger, at the end of the day. But, now…
“No, sir. During our trip, he almost never spoke about the Rune Stone once.”
“Huh-uh… this is troublesome.”
The director could only rub his chin after hearing Adam White’s answer.
Both Thomas Andre, as well as Seong Jin-Woo – it always proved to be so difficult to predict how these Hunters standing at the apex would behave next.
He even thought that possibly, one’s way of thinking would undergo a drastic change after becoming a top-ranked Hunter in the world.
“So, what he really wants is to view the Dragon’s corpse?”
“Yes, sir.”
Adam White nodded his head, his expression full of confidence.
He wasn’t feeling bad at all at the moment. From the get-go, his role was to bring Jin-Woo to the negotiating table and have him take part in it.
And with Jin-Woo willingly walking into the Hunter Bureau HQ, Adam White had pretty much fulfilled the role he was tasked with. As for the rest, it’d be up to the higher-ups holding the deck full of negotiable items at the ready.
The person with the final say in the matter, the director carefully pondered this quandary, before speaking to Adam White.
“I wish to discuss this matter with the deputy director first. Please leave the office for a little while.”
“Understood, sir.”
Adam White stood up to leave from the office; once he left, the director turned around and spoke to his deputy with an awkward expression.
“This… What do you think is the reason for that man wanting to see Kamish’s remains?”
“I wonder…. Well, one thing we can be sure of is that he’s not a tourist. It’s likely that Kamish’s remains possess a greater value than its Rune Stone to him.”
The value of a skill was truly unimaginable. Many Hunters at the top flight would not hold back on their cash reserves in order to purchase a Rune Stone they needed.
Even if it cost tens of thousands, hundreds, even millions of dollars.
It wasn’t as if they had too much money and didn’t know where to spend it, so they were walking around showering their surroundings with cash.
No, a skill was basically the strength a Hunter possessed, and that strength was directly linked to said Hunter’s survival.
‘Even then, seeing that corpse once is much more beneficial than getting his hands on a Rune Stone, is that it….?’
The thoughts forming inside the director’s head was then articulated into words by his deputy.
“It seems likely that it’s related somehow to Seong Hunter-nim’s ability.”
“…..”
The Hunter Bureau proudly boasted the best information-gathering network of any organisation on Earth. So, rather obviously, they had gathered quite a hefty amount of info on Jin-Woo.
And that was the reason why they could leverage both Madam Selner’s ability and now, even Kamish’s Rune Stone. That was why they thought that….
“Wasn’t his ability only applicable to monsters he killed himself?”
After he killed ant monsters, ant soldiers were added to his arsenal, and after he hunted down the Giant-type monsters, Giant soldiers made their appearance next.
The more battles he fought, the stronger Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would become. That was precisely the reason why the Hunter Bureau wished to make Jin-Woo an American Hunter at any cost.
However – what if he could create summons out of corpses of monsters that had died a long time ago, and more importantly, the ones he didn’t even kill in the first place?
“Oh, my god….”
The deputy director’s eyes grew extremely large.
“He’s planning to make Kamish into one of his summons!”
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
That man was thinking of turning the worst calamity humanity had faced into his summoned creature. No wonder he couldn’t care any less about a Rune Stone.
The director resolutely shook his head.
“That cannot be allowed. We simply can’t let one individual wield that much power.”
“But, sir, if we refuse to accept his demand this time, it’d become far harder to maintain an amicable relationship with him moving forward.”
Jin-Woo being in the Hunter Bureau’s HQ to wait for an answer easily showed how high his expectation was.
It was simple logic, really – if one refused the other’s request because one couldn’t trust the other party, then the relationship of trust would break down completely.
“H-mm.”
The director’s forehead creased up greatly as he fell into deep contemplation.
If their guesses were correct and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo did really make Kamish into one of his summons, then his powers would become impossible to control for any one nation or organisation.
His summons revived right away even after getting destroyed, didn’t they? What if Kamish possessing the infinite regenerative power appeared as an enemy?
Indeed, the associated risk was simply too heavy for a chance to maintain a good relationship with a lone Hunter. The director asked one more question before he could make his decision.
“We have Thomas Andre, a Special Authority-rank Hunter, as well as nearly fifty rank S Hunters recruited from various parts of the globe. Is there really a reason why we should continue pursuing Seong Jin-Woo?”
“Actually, sir…”
The deputy hesitated for a little bit before making up his mind. He had been delaying making a report because its content was not verified yet, but he decided to bring it up anyway.
“There is a good chance that Seong Jin-Woo is a brand new Special Authority-rank Hunter. Sir.”
“What was that?”
The director shot up from his seat.
“Agent White made a report about a week ago. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo can use psychokinesis.”
“…..!!”
With the sole exception of the lone Healer-type, four of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters all possessed an ability to exert physical change to objects without actual physical interaction.
Many strong people had appeared before and after those five had entered the world stage, but even until now, only four people possessed that power.
The Hunter Bureau was the only one to have figured out that similarity among the Special Authority-rank Hunters, and the organisation had even designated that power as the prerequisite for being labelled as one of the Hunters exercising rights equalling a nation.
But now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was discovered to possess that power, too?
A certain thought suddenly fleeted in and out of the director’s brain. He wondered if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a gift from God to America, now that she had lost one of her strongest weapon, Christopher Reid.
‘God bless America.’
God’s blessing always seemed to accompany the United States of America.
Soon, the director’s expression changed.
“Do you see him as someone worthy of our trust?”
One’s abilities could be assessed subjectively, but the issue of trust would always be viewed from an objective perspective. The deputy spoke up of his opinion on Jin-Woo, which was formed from what he had witnessed so far.
“Can you imagine what would’ve happened if someone pointed a gun at China’s Liu Zhigeng or Thomas Andre?”
“It’d be horrific.”
Both Thomas Andre and Liu Zhigeng showed no mercy towards their perceived enemies.
That someone in the hypothetical situation would either die or, at a bare minimum, lose the arm holding the gun if luck was on their side.
“However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn’t like that. He was someone you could still talk to and defuse a tricky situation without violence.”
The director lowered his gaze a little and nodded his head. Meanwhile, the deputy carried on with his explanation.
“Also, let’s not forget about the matter of Japan. Didn’t he solve the dungeon break crisis that no one wanted any part of, all by himself, while not making much of a demand from the Japanese?”
It was a complete contrast to Russian Hunter Yuri Orlov, who demanded an exorbitant sum of ten million dollars a day from the Japanese government.
“….”
The director’s decision-making process didn’t last for long.
His lips remained tightly shut in a straight line for a bit longer, but he stood up from his seat.
“I shall guide him personally. This could be a very good opportunity to witness and observe his ability from up close.”
The deputy’s expression brightened up a notch as he also stood up from his seat.
“By the way, where exactly is Kamish’s remains stored, Director?”
Hearing that question, the smirk formed on the director’s lips.
“Have you ever wondered why our HQ has twenty underground floors?”
***
Jin-Woo climbed aboard the special elevator with the guidance of the Bureau’s director.
“I wished to speak to you in a more relaxing environment, but… I’m sure this is what you want, yes?”
Adam White translated the director’s words into Korean almost at the same time. Jin-Woo nodded his head to say yes.
The elevator carrying the director, his deputy, Adam White, and finally Jin-Woo himself speedily climbed down to the basement floors.
‘To think, they’d build the Hunter Bureau’s HQ on the very spot where Kamish had been killed….’
Should Jin-Woo chalk this one up to America being, well, America?
In any case, he was told that the remains of the Dragon Kamish would be stored intact forever in order to honour and remember the lives of every Hunter who valiantly sacrificed themselves to stop the worst calamity in human history.
Ting.
The elevator finally opened its door on the 24th basement floor. The staff members waiting for their arrival greeted the four guests to this floor.
“Director.”
“Sir.”
They must’ve been soldiers originally, judging from the dignified manner of their salutes. The director nodded his head to greet them back and continued to guide Jin-Woo further in.
“Please, this way.”
Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his saliva.
When the door with several layers of strict security finally opened up, a chilling breeze brushed past his cheeks.
‘No, that wasn’t a cold breeze.’
Although faint, he could feel magical energy infused in the air. There was no need to even wonder just who this magic energy belonged to.
Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!
His heart palpitated hard upon realising that his odds were not zero, after all.
Even though it had been eight years, the remains still emitted some amount of magic energy. So, just how incredible would its power be after turning into a Shadow Soldier?
Jin-Woo calmed his heart that was racing fast enough to explode and wordlessly followed after the Director.
“It’s here.”
Eventually, his steps came to a halt in front of the truly massive open dome brightly illuminated by countless spotlights overhead.
And there it was, the remains of Kamish.
The body was perfectly preserved as it were – exactly as it was from that day it managed to kill several hundreds of elite Hunters before also getting killed off by the five remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters.
The Red Dragon!
Even Jin-Woo momentarily forgot to breathe at the creature’s truly overwhelming presence.
“Actually, all electricity used in the Hunter Bureau’s HQ comes from Kamish’s Magic Crystal.”
The director proudly explained where all the energy used to preserve Kamish’s remains came from.
However, Jin-Woo’s ears were not picking up on any of his words. His gaze was already firmly fixed on one spot.
Seeing that fervent gaze, the Director realised that the moment had come.
“….Hunter-nim. Are you satisfied now?”
“Everyone, back away.”
Jin-Woo spoke to the people behind him, causing the staff members to raise a noisy fuss.
“Director, what is that man trying to do?”
“Kamish’s remains is our country’s national treasure!”
Too bad for them, though, the director loudly reprimanded them right away.
“I already gave my permission!”
In that instant, all unnecessary noises disappeared.
Before they came down here, they had concluded their conversation. Jin-Woo made a promise that nothing would happen to the remains. And just like how the deputy had done, the director decided to trust Jin-Woo’s words, as well.
“Let us observe what will happen next.”
As Jin-Woo had instructed, the crowd retreated to a far away distance. In the meantime, he extended his hands out towards Kamish. And then, he quietly spoke up.
“Rise up.”
As if it was waiting for that, a message popped up in his view along with a ‘Ting!’
[Shadow extraction has failed.]
[Two more attempts remaining.]
Jin-Woo’s expression didn’t change. He calmly moved on and attempted the extraction for the second time.
“Rise up.”
He wished to take control of the greatest monster there ever was. His voice, now containing his desire, echoed and reverberated throughout the interior of the underground dome.This chapter’s initial release occurred on the N0v3l-B1n site.
Rise up…
When that happened, all the spotlights located on the ceiling suddenly began flickering. And from somewhere unknown, a streak of brilliantly chilling wind blew in.
Kuwaaaaaahh-!!
Screams of a Dragon roared out from some place that was impossible to locate and caused almost everyone present in the dome to cover their ears in a hurry.
The only person who didn’t lose his cool in this chaos was Jin-Woo, and no one else. He quickly spotted Kamish’s shadow spreading wide on the floor.
‘Did I…. Did I succeed?’
It was then – his eyes opened super-wide.
A certain something was slowly rising up from the shadow. The rising shape enveloped in the rising plumes of black smoke was…. undeniably a Dragon.
“Uh?! Uh, uh!!”
“What, what the… What the hell is that?!”
The staff members freaked out and took several steps back. Even the director and his deputy, who already had a pretty good idea on what Jin-Woo’s ability was like, forgot to breathe in that moment.
Kuwaaaah-!!
The Dragon loudly roared into the air before discovering the human by its feet and stopped its bellowing.
[Were you the one summoning me? Oh, King of the Dead, Shadow Sovereign.]
Chapter 188
The Shadow Sovereign was the sole existence capable of dragging back a soul that had fallen to the pits of the abyss. That was why the Dragon needed only one glance to recognise Jin-Woo’s identity.
The King of the Dead, in the body of a human, was staring right back at the creature with dignified eyes. The authority of a Sovereign that he possessed sent a powerful chill through the Dragon’s body.
But, that only lasted for a brief moment.
The creature’s eyes shifted to a location a bit further away. And that’s when it discovered the stupid-looking humans and their jaws agape as they stared right back at the gigantic creature.
‘Humans…. Humans?’
It immediately recalled the bottomless malice it held against humanity right up until its death. And that also helped the Dragon to remember the terrible pain it felt as it drew its very last breath.
‘Humans… must be killed.’
Snap.
That’s where its rationality got cut off. The Dragon raised its body up as crimson light filled its eyes.
[Every single one of you… I shall kill all of you.]
The air of the underground storage area began boiling right up.
“Oh, my god….”
The Director of the Hunter Bureau spat out a shocked gasp.
This dome had been designed to accommodate the Dragon’s sleeping figure. So, the whole space seemed wholly inadequate the moment the creature raised his head high.
Crack!!
The Dragon’s head pushed against the ceiling and destroyed the concrete there.
“W-what the hell?!”
“No, could it be….?”
They could now see the blood-red light gather within the open maw of the Dragon.
A mass of red light – both the director and his deputy had seen the video footage countless times and they knew what that red light cluster was supposed to do.
Adam White urgently grabbed the director’s shoulder and shouted out.
“Sir! You need to evacuate….”
“That’s Kamish’s Breath! You think we’ll be safe because we escaped somewhere?!”
It was rather clear that, once the red light exploded out, then forget about the underground storage area, the entire Hunter Bureau building would completely be obliterated in the blink of an eye. There was no place safe from the Dragon’s attack, in other words.
Rumble-!!
One of the stationed staff members collapsed to the floor as if his legs lost all strength from the fright. The other two, meanwhile, were urgently punching the security code to open the electronic door-lock in order to escape from the dome.
The director and his deputy knew full well that was simply a waste of time. They could only alternate their gazes between Jin-Woo and the revived Kamish with dazed expressions etched on their faces.
Kuwaaaaah-!!
The red glow created out of pure magic energy finally transformed into a sphere of blinding flames. The Dragon was finally finished with its preparation to erase all ‘humans’ standing before it. Just before it could spit out its ultra-high temperature Breath, though…
[Die!]
….Jin-Woo roared out at the top of his lungs.
“That’s enough!”
The director and his entourage all raised their arms reflexively to shield their eyes from the bright, blinding light. However, after hearing Jin-Woo’s call, they all slowly lowered their arms.
They thought that everything was over once that light filled up the inside of the dome. As it turned out, they were far too hasty in making that judgement, however.
“But, but…. How can this even be possible?”
The flames within the jaw of the enraged Kamish were dying out gradually.
Did the Dragon that melted away the lives of several hundred elite Hunters with a single Breath, stop its attack because of just one command issued by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?
Gulp.
The director stared at Jin-Woo with eyes that were clearly still swimming in unbridled shock. And then, those eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from an even more incredulous sight.
Jin-Woo actually began talking to Kamish, that was what.
“The Magic Crystal embedded in your head has been removed a long time ago. You have no more reason to follow the orders of the Rulers.”
The deputy director standing right next to his boss shuddered from a nasty shock and hurriedly asked.
“Is, is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo actually speaking in the monster language right now?!”
“….Even though I’m looking at it, I can’t figure out how to interpret this situation.”
While everyone else was still stuck in their pit of pure astonishment, Jin-Woo was too busy spitting out a sigh of relief in his mind.
‘Whew-woo….’
He was worried about what he needed to do for a brief moment there, but the end result turned out to be rather good. What a relief that was.
Even then, Jin-Woo was honestly almost scared out of his wits the moment he felt the unchecked rage gushing out from the Dragon.
‘What kind of a Shadow Soldier possesses this powerful an ego?!’
It seemed that the thing about higher existences possessing stronger egos, as proclaimed by the King of Giants, could be true after all. Meanwhile, the Dragon was quite surprised by the fact that it willingly obeyed the new Sovereign’s order.
[So, this is how it feels to submit to the Shadow Sovereign….]
The Dragon then lowered its tall posture and paid its respect to Jin-Woo. The humans flinching constantly from each and every movement of the oversized creature finally spat out lengthy sighs of relief.
The Dragon lowered its head, as if to kiss the floor, and spoke.
[This lowly servant who once used to serve the Dragon Emperor pays respects to the new Sovereign.]
There was a great deal of respect in the creature’s voice that still growled like that of most monsters. Jin-Woo slowly approached the Dragon and placed his hand on the nose of the creature. It silently closed its eyes and enjoyed the warmth of its new lord.
The sensation that couldn’t be described in mere words travelled from its nose tip to the rest of its body.
Jin-Woo also sensed that the Dragon’s mood was lifting up. He had barely managed to calm his pounding heart by then, but now, it was racing hard again.
BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP!!
‘Kamish…. The Dragon Kamish has really become my Shadow Soldier….’
A broad smile automatically floated up on his face.
Adam White’s jaw, meanwhile, had been hanging slack from this unbelievable scene right before his eyes. But then, he discovered something even more incredulous and hurriedly confirmed it with the deputy director.
“S-sir. Is the Dragon really wagging its tail??”
‘What the heck, the worst calamity in history isn’t some puppy, so what kind of rubbish is he even talking about?’
The deputy director thought such a thing would be completely illogical and shifted his eyes to where Kamish’s tail was, only for a pained groan to escape from his mouth.
“Jesus H. Christ….”
Jin-Woo lifted his hand away and the Dragon’s tail stopped wagging, as well. It then raised his head up again.
The name ‘Kamish’ was given to the Dragon for the convenience of humans. Jin-Woo was pondering what new name he should give to his latest addition to the ranks of his Shadow Soldiers, before abruptly recalling the words it used to greet him just now.
“You said you used to serve the Dragon Emperor, right?”
[That is indeed correct, oh, my king.]
The Dragon continued using a polite tone of voice.
[I served the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction.]
‘I’m the King of the Dead, the Shadow Sovereign….’
And then, there was the King of the Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning.
Jin-Woo realised that the former owner the Dragon served had to be one of the nine Sovereigns the System mentioned before.
However, that wasn’t important right now. No, what he wanted to know was the creature’s real name, so he could use that one, too.
“Alright, then. What was your original na….”
Jin-Woo couldn’t continue his words, though. His eyes looking up at the creature began quaking rather violently. Like a sand castle being scattered away by a gust of wind, the Dragon’s body was slowly disintegrating right before him.
[Regrettably, my king… I must bid you farewell.]
“What?!”
Jin-Woo’s Perception Stat communicated with the Dragon’s current emotion. And it was one of pure sorrow, not even a hint of falsehood contained within.
The Dragon was truly lamenting this moment.
[It seems that our meeting came about far too late, my Sovereign.]
Even if it was the power of a Shadow Sovereign, the gap of eight years proved to be far too wide to bridge. The Dragon had been trapped for too long within the bottom of the abyss and as a result, its magical energy had become too weak and began scattering away in the air.
“System?! Systeeeem!”
Jin-Woo couldn’t accept this and desperately cried out to the System, but the d*mn thing remained utterly silent, as always.
Just like how he could sense the Dragon’s emotions, the creature could sense his, as well.
[I am truly envious of Your Majesty’s soldiers, as they are now tasked with serving you for all eternity.]
It spoke from the depths of its heart. To the king who didn’t want to lose his soldier, the Dragon left behind one final advice.
[Oh, my king. There are four humans who have borrowed the powers of the Rulers. Please, you need to be wary of them.]
As the Dragon’s body became completely blurry and indistinct, even its voice grew further and further away.
[I was honoured to be in the presence of a new king…..]
And then, deathly silence descended on the dome.
Like a shifting mirage, the Dragon’s shadow disappeared. All the spotlights flickering precariously above all reverted back to working normally again.
The director had been holding his breath as he witnessed this spectacle. Once the Dragon was gone, he quickly looked at the corpse of the creature.
Absolutely nothing had happened to Kamish’s remains.
He felt as if he had been dreaming until now and that left him utterly dazed and confused.
But, then again, if what happened was simply a bad dream, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wouldn’t be standing around making such an empty, despondent expression right now.
“….”
Jin-Woo couldn’t rip his gaze away from the spot where the Dragon’s shadow used to stand. Eventually, the System message popped up in his view alongside with the familiar ‘Tti-ring!’
[Shadow Extraction has failed.]
[Too much time has elapsed since the target’s death and therefore, any further attempt at Extraction holds no meaning.]
[The target’s shadow has returned to the emptiness of the void.]
Mechanical beeps continued to go off in his head.
Today would be his first time hating the sounds of continuous ‘Tti-ring, tti-ring’ going off in his head. Jin-Woo’s tightly clenched fists trembled ever so slightly.
Ka-boom!
In his rage, he punched the ground hard. For a brief moment there, the entire building shook around just a little.
***
Jin-Woo returned to the hotel.
Because he was in such a gloomy mood, Adam White was unable to say a single thing during the trip, even though he was tasked with ‘escorting’ him here.
The American agent checked in for Jin-Woo at the front desk and that finally presented him with an opportunity to talk.
“I’m in charge of accommodating your needs during your stay in the U.S., so if you want something, please, don’t hesitate and give me a call.”
Adam White spoke with a bright expression, but the reply remained frigid and disinterested.
“….Got it.”
The smile on Adam White’s face hardened instantly.
‘S-scary….’
He learned that standing in front of a very upset top-level Hunter could be a quite scary experience for the first time in his life today.
The negotiation had been postponed to a later date. Which wasn’t surprising, considering Jin-Woo’s current mood. And well, both the director and his deputy hadn’t regained their lost spirits so even they didn’t show any signs of disappointment, either.
Jin-Woo figured that he might as well sleep today’s events off and was about to head towards his assigned room, but then….
“Uh?”
Woo Jin-Cheol was coming down to the hotel’s lobby just then and discovered Jin-Woo here. The Chief of the Monitoring Division quickly made his way.
“Seong Hunter-nim, why couldn’t we get a hold of you?”
“Oh, that… I was temporarily in a place where no calls could get through.”
Outsiders were not permitted to carry their personal phones when inside the HQ of the Hunter Bureau. There was no exception to this rule even if you were an important guest. It was a necessity in order to protect the organisation’s many secrets.This chapter’s initial release occurred on the N0v3l-B1n site.
If an important person such as Madam Selner got her face photographed, the entire Hunter Bureau would be turned upside down, that was why.
Woo Jin-Cheol scratched the side of his head and asked.
“Did you get to meet Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim, then?”
“Eh?”
Almost right away, an expression of confusion formed on Woo Jin-Cheol’s face.
“But, I thought Yu Hunter-nim received a message from you and that’s why he went out? The message said that you were waiting for him at the Hunter Bureau’s building.”
“That’s where I’m coming from right now, so what are you even talking about here?”
Adam White was listening to this conversation from the side and quickly confirmed the fact for them.
“There was no Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim in the visitor’s log.”
“Excuse me? But, how can that be? About two hours ago, a rank S Hunter came here to fetch him personally.”
Jin-Woo quickly butted in there.
“Which rank S Hunter are you talking about?”
“It was Hunter Hwang Dong-Su. He actually came to the hotel.”
Jin-Woo couldn’t understand why he suddenly felt this ominous sensation the moment he heard the name Hwang Dong-Su, which was in stark contrast to the other two men who didn’t seem to know what was going on here.
‘Is this because of the Perception Stat?’
Seeing that the light in Jin-Woo’s eyes had become unusually tense, Adam White quickly pulled his phone out again.
“I shall call Hwang Dong-Su Hunter-nim’s Guild right now.”
Several ringtones later, the manager in charge of Scavenger Guild’s high-ranking Hunters, a woman named Laura answered Adam White’s call. He briefly introduced himself and explained the current situation.
Surprisingly, though – the voice coming from the phone’s speaker was calm and collected, which went completely against Adam White’s expectations. He thought that she might be as flustered as he’d be, but no.
– “Has Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim learned of this situation yet?”
Adam White only said that Hunter Hwang Dong-Su had taken Yu Jin-Ho away, yet Seong Jin-Woo’s name suddenly popped out of nowhere. He tilted his head slightly, before sneaking a glance at Jin-Woo.
The Korean Hunter shook his head briefly. Adam White nodded his head in acknowledgement and came up with a suitable reply.
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim hasn’t learned of the news yet as he’s still stuck in the Hunter Bureau. However, Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim’s travelling party had called us to find out what was going on earlier, you see.”
– “In that case, we’ll find out as quickly as possible.”
And that’s where the call came to an abrupt end.
Jin-Woo listened to the conversation without saying a single word and when the call ended, headed straight to the hotel’s exit.
“Seong Hunter-nim?! The Scavenger Guild said they will find out, so we should wait for…..”
Adam White hurriedly chased after Jin-Woo and came out of the hotel’s exit, but the Korean Hunter was long gone by then.
“What the hell…? Where did he go?”
Adam White stared at the street with a troubled expression on his face, not knowing what to do next.
***
Jin-Woo sought out a deserted back alley away from the crowded main street and undid ‘Stealth’.
A rank S Hunter using his name showed up and took Yu Jin-Ho away. But then, the Guild this guy worked for didn’t even try to get a detailed explanation of what happened and simply stated that they would find out before one-sidedly ending the call.
‘Something bad is happening….’
And that thing should be related somehow to why that Guild staff member on the phone mentioned his name right away.
Jin-Woo’s expression hardened as he issued a new command. If that guy was looking for trouble, then he certainly picked a very bad day for it.
‘Find him.’
If his thousand-plus soldiers dispersed throughout the city and searched for Yu Jin-Ho’s magic energy signature, then finding him shouldn’t take that long.
Shashashak, shashashashak…
A thousand shadows breaking off from below Jin-Woo’s feet quickly scattered in all directions.
***
Thomas Andre scanned the interior of the apartment with a hardened face.
Inside this luxurious apartment where Hwang Dong-Su should have been staying, the two Hunters assigned to keep an eye on him were lying face down with foam bubbling out of their mouths.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and removed his trademark sunglasses.
“…”
His deeply crumpled expression was finally revealed for all to see, and the complexions of his subordinates searching through the apartment paled instantly.
Thomas Andre gnashed his teeth and issued a new order in a low, growling voice.
“Hwang Dong-Su….. Find him, before Seong Jin-Woo does. No matter what, we must find him first.”
Chapter 189
Jin-Woo now stood on top of a skyscraper that afforded him a view of the entire city. His eyesight, enhanced to extreme heights through his Perception Stat, began scanning the city from the streets right below the skyscraper all the way to the residential homes located in the far-off distance.
While doing that, his hearing was focused on the noises his Shadow Soldiers picked up.
[Hey, Smith! How have you been?]
[Dear customer, our store doesn’t accept returns based on a customer’s sudden change of mind….]
[C’mon, man. Why didn’t you come to the party last night?]
Pretty much all of them were useless idle talks.
Aside from those, the horns of passing cars, noises from TV speakers, cats meowing, splashes of water from bathrooms, etc. – all sorts of sounds made by a living city entered Jin-Woo’s ears.
Sweat drops formed on his forehead as he utilised his five senses, plus the sixth one to detect magic energy, to their fullest extent.
‘I wouldn’t be going through this much trouble if I just left the Shadow Soldier in Jin-Ho’s shadow….’
Didn’t someone say this before? It was already too late the moment you start regretting it.
The ant soldier he had inserted in Yu Jin-Ho’s shadow just in case had been used to get to Chairman Yu Myung-Han’s hospital room. Jin-Woo became really busy after that, and since he was planning to accompany the kid during their trip to the US, he had forgotten about inserting a replacement.
And the end result from all of that is him working his a*s off like this.
‘Kamish’s shadow is gone, and Jin-Ho’s whereabouts are unknown….’
Veins popped up one at a time on Jin-Woo’s forehead. His already gloomy mood had now hit rock bottom and was about to convert into a storm cloud.
His knife-like glare, sharp enough to almost shoot bolts of lightning, darted this way and that as if he didn’t want to miss a single movement happening down below.
Unfortunately, never mind Yu Jin-Ho, it proved very difficult to find an Asian youth that resembled him in this city.
‘Could it be…. they are not in the city at all?’
To Jin-Woo, Yu Jin-Ho might be a cute little brother, but the truth was, the kid was still a melee-type rank D Hunter. Any ol’ group of regular people trying to jump him wouldn’t work at all.
If the car supposedly heading for the Hunter Bureau’s HQ suddenly drove out of the city limits, Yu Jin-Ho would have realised something was amiss and started resisting his kidnappers.
The sole problem was…
‘The b*stard kidnapping Jin-Ho was a rank S Hunter.’
Jin-Woo immediately widened the scope of his shadows’ movements.
‘His name was Hwang Dong-Su, wasn’t it?’
Jin-Woo didn’t know why that man faked his name and took Yu Jin-Ho away. However, this was about ‘Give and Take’. He was determined to ask for suitable compensation for provoking him like this.
And, if something untoward happened to Jin-Ho for some reason…
A dangerous gleam flashed eerily within Jin-Woo’s eyes.
Not too long after, the Shadow Soldiers expanding their search range sent in countless bits of information that encompassed the entirety of the city.
***
In the end, Hwang Dong-Su really went for it and caused an incident.
An emergency situation descended on the Scavenger Guild once that fact was revealed to its members. Their opponent this time was Seong Jin-Woo.
Just one misstep and Hwang Dong-Su’s life could be forfeited.
He was one of the top aces within the Scavenger Guild and should be considered as one of the core pillars of its combat force, too.
Thomas Andre couldn’t afford to lose someone like that. But all he could do for the time being was to sit in his office and anxiously wait for any news.
“Anything new?”
His subordinate shook his head with a darkened complexion.
“No, sir.”
The frowns on Thomas Andre’s forehead grew deeper by a level.
Tracking Hwang Dong-Su through his phone was impossible since he had switched the device off. The places he frequented had been searched thoroughly by the Guild’s members, but unfortunately, nothing worthy of note had been uncovered so far. It seemed that Mister Hwang had been planning for this day for quite some time.
‘Isn’t he scared of dying?’
No, Mister Hwang was also a rank S Hunter. He should be aware of the differences in strengths between himself and Seong Jin-Woo, at the bare minimum.
Even then, he still went ahead and did something so monumentally stupid. Because he probably had something he could place his bets on.
‘He knows that I’ll step up on his behalf.’
Well, that fool wasn’t wrong with his calculation. Regardless of whether that man would cause another incident in the future or not, he’d still remain as Scavenger Guild’s asset until the contract duration expired.
The Guild saw potential in Hwang Dong-Su’s skills and had invested a ton of money on him. He bravely started this crap with no care for the aftermath because he knew that Thomas Andre would never willingly give up on his assets.
‘….Did I treat my Hunters too nicely until now?’
Thomas Andre repeatedly told himself to strictly discipline his underlings as soon as this issue had been sorted out so they wouldn’t cause another problem like this one in the future.
The Guild employees in the near vicinity had to stay extra cautious, even with their breathing, as Thomas Andre’s upset mood continued to stew quietly.
It was then, his phone suddenly began ringing. Thomas Andre had been waiting too anxiously for news, regardless of what nature it took, and hurriedly yanked the receiver up.
– “We might be able to track down Mister Hwang’s location, sir.”
The voice on the line belonged to Laura. Thomas Andre shot up from his chair.
“How?”
She knew what he was feeling right now, so Laura didn’t pause for a second before she quickly carried on with her explanation.
– “I asked for assistance from the Hunter Bureau and was able to analyse Mister Hwang’s movement patterns for the last three months. I found out that there were a total of three times when he broke away from his usual area of activity and moved to an unknown location.”
‘Very good!’
Thomas Andre nodded his head. Rather unexpectedly, they were able to find a clue sooner than he thought.
“Send everyone to that location. I’ll be on my way there, as well.”
– “Understood, sir.”
Thomas Andre was about to end the call there but hesitated slightly, before raising the receiver up again.
“By the way… how did you convince the old codgers in the Hunter Bureau, Laura?”
The Hunter Bureau had a habit of recording the locations and movement patterns of all the Hunters via GPS attached to the Hunter-issue smartphones.
Of course, they were not an organisation known for giving away their information willy-nilly. Even if it was the Scavenger Guild making the request, the approval process should take several hours at a bare minimum. But to think, they spat out Hwang Dong-Su’s records, just like that.
This didn’t sound logical at all. Thomas Andre couldn’t help but get curious about the methods Laura employed here to convince them.
However, her answer was rather simple in nature.
– “I only told them that if we don’t locate Hunter Hwang Dong-Su as quickly as possible, then there’s a chance that Mister Seong Jin-Woo and you, Master, might collide against each other.”
***
“Every single Guild member has begun moving, sir!”
Adam White, currently observing the behaviour of the Scavenger Guild, cried out in an urgent voice at his smartphone. The deputy director on the other side of the line quickly asked back.
– “All 100 of them?!”
“I just found out that the raid they were getting ready for has been cancelled as well, sir. All of their Hunters are being mobilised to go somewhere.”
– “What on earth…. Just what is going on here?”
“…”
Adam White couldn’t easily open his mouth here.
A rank S Hunter from the Scavenger Guild used Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s name and kidnapped Yu Jin-Ho. And then, both Seong Jin-Woo and the Scavenger Guild had begun mobilising.
This couldn’t have been something simple at all.The inception of this chapter’s publication is linked to n(0)vel(b)(j)(n).
Not to mention, with the entirety of the Scavenger Guild being mobilised like that, it could only mean that Thomas Andre was behind the move. The ominous foreboding crept up on Adam White and he quickly wiped the sweat off his face.
Sure enough – Adam froze up on the spot after discovering Thomas Andre walk out of the Guild building’s entrance.
‘Heok….’
The American Hunter took a sweeping look around once before climbing into a waiting car. The vehicle then hurriedly set off to an unknown destination.
And it just so happened to be in the same direction where the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild had disappeared to, as well. Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice and described what he saw to the deputy director.
“S-sir… The Goliath… Thomas Andre has made his move as well. Sir.”
***
“Is this really alright?”
A man looked at Yu Jin-Ho lying unconscious on the ground and worriedly asked. Hwang Dong-Su to his side nodded his head.
“Look, I’m not gonna do anything bad to him, alright? I just want to ask him about this one thing, that’s all.”
The Guild Master Thomas Andre warned him. He said not to provoke Seong Jin-Woo.
However, Hwang Dong-Su never planned to provoke that man from the get-go, anyway. Why? Because there was one other person beside Seong Jin-Woo that could answer the question burning a hole in his head. That was why.
The question of what happened on that day – the events that took place within the dungeon where his older brother Hwang Dong-Seok, Seong Jin-Woo, and Yu Jin-Ho entered together. Hwang Dong-Su promised Yu Jin-Ho that he’d be freed as soon as he answered that question truthfully.
Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho didn’t squeak a word out right until he ended up in such a pathetic, wretched state. The longer Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, the stronger Hwang Dong-Su’s convictions became, though.
All he wanted to hear was one thing.
[“Seong Jin-Woo killed your brother.”]
If he could just hear that one sentence, he’d no longer have any business with Yu Jin-Ho. But then, with what balls was a punk with a small physique and a naive-looking face keeping his mouth shut against a rank S Hunter? His courage alone was worth praising him for.
‘Of course, his foolhardiness won’t get him off the hook here.’
Hwang Dong-Su lightly kicked the waist of Yu Jin-Ho’s heavily-wounded-all-over body.
“Oii. Wake up.”
Would this be the fourth time the kid fainted and was woken back up again? Hwang Dong-Su’s irritation grew somewhat at Yu Jin-Ho’s tenacious endurance and his kick became a little more vicious than before.
“I said, get the hell up!”
Pow!
“Keo-heok!”
Yu Jin-Ho curled up on the floor as he spat out the pooled blood in his mouth. The third man of Hwang Dong-Su’s group began cackling out.
“Still, this kid’s supposed to be a tanker, wasn’t he? He sure can withstand some punishment, can’t he? A regular person would’ve died by now.”
Hwang Dong-Su’s face now reflected no emotion whatsoever as he grabbed the back of Yu Jin-Ho’s head to yank it up.
“Listen here. I don’t want to kill you. You see this guy over here laughing his a*s off? Let me tell you, he’s a Healer with some considerable skill. He’ll bring you back just before you are about to die.”
Yu Jin-Ho’s blurry gaze was directed to the cackling man, and the Hunter grinned brightly and wagged his finger around as if to greet the kid.
Hwang Dong-Su’s viciously moved his hand.
“Keo-heok!”
Yu Jin-Ho’s head, still grabbed by that hand, also had to viciously swing to the side. He now could see the dust-filled interior of a decrepit building. Hwang Dong-Su continued on.
“This here is a factory that closed down over five years ago. You can scream all you want, but no one’s gonna hear you.”
After grabbing and fixing Yu Jin-Ho’s head in the place, Hwang Dong-Su brought his own face right up against the kid’s nose. Their locked gazes grew closer and closer.
“Which means, you will suffer from intense pain forever. That is, until you tell me what I want to hear.”
When they got close enough for their noses to touch, Hwang Dong-Su formed a toothy grin.
“So, how about it? Do you feel like talking now?”
“…”
Yu Jin-Ho’s busted lips bobbed up and down but his voice was too small and even Hwang Dong-Su couldn’t hear it.
“What did you say?”
“….”
Hwang Dong-Su tilted his head slightly in confusion and brought his ear near the kid. When the ear was only a few millimetres away from his lips, Yu Jin-Ho whispered softly.
“…..F*ck off.”
Hwang Dong-Su’s expression crumpled instantly.
Ka-boom!
He slammed the side of Yu Jin-Ho’s head on the ground and panted like an angry bull.
“Oii! Did you just kill him?”
The Healer’s brows shot up and he quickly checked for Yu Jin-Ho’s pulse.
“Whew-woo.”
After confirming that the kid’s heart was still beating, the Healer spat out a sigh of relief. Still, there was no doubt that this young and weak Hunter’s life would’ve been cut short if Hwang Dong-Su had used a little more of his strength.
“Mister Hwang, be more careful, will ya? I don’t want to become an accomplice to a murderer just because of money, alright?”
“…I’ll be more careful.”
Hwang Dong-Su acknowledged his mistake.
Was it because of the precariousness of the situation? The man who couldn’t hide his worries from the get-go decided to persuade Hwang Dong-Su.
“Let’s just call it a day and move on. Haven’t you found out all you can by now?”
“What are you talking about? We’re only getting started.”
The corners of Hwang Dong-Su’s lips arched to form a sinister smile. His vicious, cruel nature was pretty much the carbon-copy of his older brother.
The man knew he failed to change Hwang Dong-Su’s mind. Still feeling worried and anxious, he continued to scan his surroundings. And it happened at that moment. He discovered something standing over on the other side of the disused factory.
What could it be?
The man’s eyes narrowed to a slit.
And then…
“Uh? Huh, uh??”
He became surprised by his discovery and pointed in that direction. Hwang Dong-Su and the Healer both raised their heads to take a look. There it was, a High Orc kitted out in black armour standing over yonder.
“….An Orc?”
Hwang Dong-Su stood up. The Healer checking Yu Jin-Ho’s condition also got up from the ground.
“Is there a dungeon break happening nearby?”
Hwang Dong-Su shook his head. If that was the case, their surroundings should’ve become a pandemonium by now.
He extended out his sensory perception just in case and searched for other presence in the vicinity, but he couldn’t sense any other monsters at all. This High Orc was all alone.
“Now that’s pretty bizarre.”
That wasn’t the only bizarre thing, though.
The High Orc was actually shivering.
As a matter of fact, its facial expression contained terror. It looked as if the creature was barely holding back tears threatening to burst out at any moment. And all four of its limbs were quivering from pure fright, too.
“Mister Hwang. I think that thing is terrified of you.”
“….I don’t have time to fool around like this.”
White rays of light began coagulating on Hwang Dong-Su’s clenched fist. He didn’t know where this Orc came from, but now that he had discovered it, of course, he wouldn’t let it just walk away.
Hwang Dong-Su strode right up to the Orc and raised his fist so he could blow the monster’s head clean off. Before he could do that, though…
….The heavy voice of a man suddenly called out from somewhere.
– “Exchange.”
Chapter 190
The TV in the living room was showing the scenes of yet another accident that took place within a dungeon. Those seemed to happen frequently nowadays.
Although no events that could be called truly enormous happened so far, the number of Hunters dying during the raids was on the rise lately, according to the news broadcast.
“I wonder, will my boy be okay?”
His mother, watching the news, recalled Jin-Woo and whispered to herself in a worried voice.
Didn’t matter how excellent a Hunter her son was, there was no helping with a mother worrying about her child’s safety.
Beru, hiding within the shadows to protect this home as per Jin-Woo’s instruction, heard her whispers.
‘Oh, the mother of my king. If my liege meets with an accident that even he can’t survive, then no one in this world can.’
Beru did his best to suppress the words trying to jump out of his mouth. Obviously, he couldn’t surprise the mother of his liege needlessly, now could he? As his reward, he’d have to suffer in silent frustration all by himself.
He also found the liege’s mother, currently equating his liege against those low-class monsters shown on the TV screen, rather cruel and unkind for doing that. However, he roused up a super-human level of endurance and suppressed his desire to preach the incomparable might of his dear liege to her.
[Next up. We bring you the news on the conference organised by America’s Hunter Bureau….]
The scene shown on TV changed yet again to that of a certain American airport as the news related to the International Guild Conference played out. And then, Jin-Woo appeared on the screen as he stepped foot into the airport.
She saw her son walking forward as he was swarmed by the constant explosions of camera flashes. The worried look on her face was soon replaced by a contented smile.
“Jin-Ah? Your brother’s on TV.”
“Really?”
Jin-Ah abandoned her studies and quickly trotted out of her room. This wouldn’t be the first time, but regardless, seeing her oppa on the TV screen remained a mystifying and welcoming viewing experience to her, even now.
But the thing was – both Jin-Ah and her mom had no idea.
They simply had no idea that there was someone very close, cheering on even more passionately then they did while watching the TV screen.
‘Oh, my king….!’
Beru’s deeply-moved eyes were firmly fixed on the screen as he watched the clip being played out.
But then, a powerful chill began invading his body out of the blue. Literally, without warning, his body hidden in the shadows began trembling non-stop.
This sensation, hadn’t he felt something similar to this in the past?
When was that?
Beru combed through his memories and finally recalled that moment. Back then, right when the king’s gaze filled with killing intent was looking down on him. It was at that moment.
A feeling of death that could not be avoided. The warning bells rang out loudly via his instincts after detecting the unmistakable stench of death.
The king’s rage he felt for the first time since becoming his Shadow Soldier was so great that Beru’s entire thought process froze up. However, he was still his king’s loyal soldier!
He regained his wits quite quickly.
‘….My king has been truly enraged.’
Now that he realised something had happened to his king, he couldn’t just sit around quivering in fear like this. Beru quickly sent a signal to Jin-Woo and tried to engage him conversation.
‘Oh, my king. Please compose yourself. I shall get to your side immediately.’
The response arrived immediately.
[You…. Don’t make a move.]
Beru heard the king’s voice which sounded like unchecked rage being compressed into a volatile mass. He could only tremble like a leaf against stormy winds.
‘I shall obey.’
He could only say that he’d submit to the command, that was all. But at the same time, he became also curious about the moron who managed to earn his king’s wrath.
‘Why would anyone do something so reckless and ill-advised….’
To numb the fear, even if only by a little, Beru hid his still-trembling body ever deeper into the shadow.
***
In the city of Busan.
The Knight Order Guild was in the middle of preparing for a raid.
The Master of the Guild, Park Jong-Su, was confirming the raid party members and their current conditions one last time, as the will to make this raid a success burned fiercely within his heart.
“There’s been a lot of accidents happening in dungeons lately. So, everyone – keep your wits about you at all times! Let’s make sure that not a single person gets injured today!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Guild members had become rather docile after experiencing a raid together with Jin-Woo’s summoned creatures. And now, they even sounded properly disciplined, as well.
It was at that moment something strange happened.
The Vice-Master of the Guild, Jeong Yun-Tae, was standing behind Park Jong-Su to nod his head and provide suitable reactions to his boss’s words. But, he discovered something and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
“Heok?!”
Park Jong-Su hurriedly looked behind him.
“What?! What happened?”
Jeong Yun-Tae pointed to the ground and alternated his gaze between Park Jong-Su and the shadow beneath his boss’s feet.
“H-hyung-nim!! Your, your shadow! The shadow on the ground was vibrating….”
Jeong Yun-Tae discovered that Park Jong-Su was glaring at him with narrowed eyes and stopped talking right there and then.
“Hey, Yun-Tae? How many times have I told you not to touch booze before a raid?”
“N-no, hyung-nim! I haven’t had a drop of the stuff today! But your shadow, it really did vibrate! Like it was alive!”
Park Jong-Su stared at Jeong Yun-Tae with criticising eyes and spat out a long groan.
“This won’t do. Take a day off today.”
“Hyung-nim! I’m telling you the truth!”
“Okay, everyone! Time to go inside. The Knight Order Guild, let’s do our best today, too! Fighting!”
“Ahh! B-but, hyung-nim…!”
Just as Jeong Yun-Tae’s voice that protested his innocence resounded in the air…
Unbelievable sightings of shadows trembling streamed in from all the spots where Jin-Woo had left behind his Shadow Soldiers. Shadows trembled noticeably as if they didn’t care for the presence of witnesses or not.
But then again, the Shadow Soldiers had no choice but to shiver from the emotion of pure rage their lord was feeling at that moment.
***
– Exchange.
The High Orc soldier disappeared, only to be replaced by Jin-Woo.
‘….!!’
Hwang Dong-Su’s group froze up like a mouse confronted by a snake the moment this unexpected intruder entered the stage completely unannounced. Especially for Hwang Dong-Su himself, he nearly even forgot to breathe after recognising Jin-Woo’s face.
Meanwhile, Jin-Woo simply strode past the stunned rank S Hunter, as if the latter didn’t even exist, and stopped before Yu Jin-Ho. No one said anything, yet the two Americans standing near the unconscious kid quickly stepped back at the same time, as if they agreed to do so beforehand.
After summoning out a healing potion, Jin-Woo began easing a little bit of liquid down into Yu Jin-Ho’s mouth.
Unfortunately…
[When the remaining HP is less than 10%, it is impossible to recover HP with healing potions.]
….The message saying it was impossible to heal the kid’s wounds popped up in his view along with the familiar ‘Tti-ring’.
Crack.
The empty vial of healing potion shattered in Jin-Woo’s hand.
The ‘Divine Water of Life’ was meant to heal diseases and illnesses. It couldn’t help in matters of physical injuries like this. It was the same principle of healing magic not being able to cure illnesses.
‘I need healing magic.’
Too bad, the only Shadow Soldier capable of using healing magic, Beru, was currently back in Korea house-sitting. Even if Jin-Woo recalled him now, who knows just how long he’d take to get here…
….It was around this time that Hwang Dong-Su finally regained his wits and tried to engage Jin-Woo in conversation.
“You… You, what the hell? That Orc, just now… What the hell did you do?”
Jin-Woo didn’t respond to that and simply asked the two men before him, instead.
“Is either one of you a Healer?”
Hearing the word ‘Healer’, the Healer-type Hunter ended up reflexively nodding his head. Jin-Woo pointed to Yu Jin-Ho.
“Heal him. Now.”
The Healer’s gaze shifted over to Hwang Dong-Su. The latter shook his head. Jin-Woo carefully lowered Yu Jin-Ho’s upper torso back down and stood up.
“Final warning. Heal him.”
The Healer’s gaze shifted back to Hwang Dong-Su again, but the answer remained the same. So, the Healer stared straight at Jin-Woo and the corners of his lips arched up.
“You see, dude, you should talk to the boss first before…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence.
Ka-boom!!
Just like how Hwang Dong-Su had done to Yu Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo slammed the Healer’s head on the ground. It happened so fast that no one saw his movements.
Hwang Dong-Su might have been a rank S himself, but he simply failed to even sense Jin-Woo’s attack and only belatedly discovered the Healer lying face down on the ground.
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the second of the Americans.
“Are you a Healer?”
This man finally confirmed the face of Jin-Woo walking closer to him and his jaw began trembling in shock.
“S-Seong Jin-Woo?! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??”
He back-pedalled in panic and began glaring at Hwang Dong-Su before shouting out.
“Mister Hwang Dong-Su! You promised that this matter had nothing to do with Seong Jin-Woo! What the f*ck is this?! Ah?? What is this sh*t?!”
“I asked you if you are a Healer or not.”
“N-no, I, I’m not. I’m just….”
His answer was also abruptly cut off there.
Ka-boom!
Struck by an unseen hand, the man’s head crashed to the ground like his friend’s before him. In the blink of an eye, two high-ranked Hunters had lost their consciousness.
Finally getting to witness Jin-Woo’s real strength with his own two eyes, Hwang Dong-Su felt his heart pounding away like crazy.
It was then.
“H-hyung-nim…”
Perhaps because the ground rumbled loudly twice in a row? Yu Jin-Ho had regained his consciousness somehow.
“Hyung…. nim….”
Jin-Woo lowered his body and listened closely to the kid’s voice.
“Hey, Jin-Ho. I’m here.”
Yu Jin-Ho managed to crack open his swollen eyelids. He barely managed to move the muscles on his bloodied and messed-up face, his words clearly being formed with great difficulty.
“Hwang Dong-Su… little brother… Hwang Dong-Seok…. Be careful…”
Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho breathing weakly with a helpless expression before stopping the kid’s words.
“Shh. It’s fine. Don’t speak anymore.”
“Hyung-nim….”
Yu Jin-Ho grabbed Jin-Woo’s hand as tears pooled on the edges of his eyes.
Jin-Woo quietly asked.
“Can you hold on for a little longer?”
Nod, nod.
It became harder to speak so Yu Jin-Ho made do with a nod to answer the question.
Jin-Woo carefully let go of his dongsaeng’s hand and slowly got back up to his feet, before shifting his gaze back over to Hwang Dong-Su.
However, Hwang Dong-Su didn’t back down and shot a glare right back. His legs were weakly trembling from the pressure of Jin-Woo’s murderous eyes, but he was not someone who’d cower and run away.
In the meantime, Jin-Woo’s coldly-flickering eyes were getting closer and closer. Hwang Dong-Su did his best to look unruffled and raised his voice.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You killed my older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok. Am I right?”
Hwang Dong-Su’s scared face grew closer with every step taken. And then, a certain someone’s face who enjoyed being strong against the weak, but remained weak against someone stronger, overlapped with his face in Jin-Woo’s view.
That caused his glare to become even colder.
Meanwhile, Hwang Dong-Su cried out.
“Answer me!! Seong Jin-Woo, didn’t you murder my brother and his team?!”
Jin-Woo stopped right in front of Hwang Dong-Su’s nose and replied.
“Ask him after you meet him again.”The debut release of this chapter happened at N0v3l_B1n.
Grit.
Hwang Dong-Su punched with his fist wrapped in bright light. He was aiming for Jin-Woo’s face. Unfortunately for him, the latter simply ducked lower to evade that and shoved his own fist deep into the former’s stomach.
“Keo-Heok!”
Just one hit and Hwang Dong-Su vomited out a mouthful of blood.
***
“Stop the car!”
“Sir?”
“I said, stop the d*mn car!”
Thomas Andre roared out and the car he was riding in came to a sudden halt. As the vehicle in front carrying their Guild Master came to an abrupt halt, the chasing cars ferrying the Guild members all hurriedly came to a stop as well.
Screech, screeech….
Loud noises resounded out from everywhere. Completely disregarding that…
Boom!
….Thomas Andre kicked the car’s door away and climbed out in a hurry so he could glare in a certain direction. His expression crumpled into a vicious scowl.
“D*mn it….”
The elites of the Scavenger Guild, often referred to as the world’s best, jumped out from all the halted vehicles.
“Master, what is it?”
“Did something happen?”
Thomas Andre answered briefly to all the hurried questions from the Guild members.
“It has already begun. I’ll go ahead, so hurry and follow after me.”
“Sir??”
What had already begun?
Before anyone could ask him for an explanation, though, Thomas Andre bent his knees. The muscles on his legs expanded powerfully and the asphalt on the ground began melting down. Other Hunters naturally took two, three steps away from him.
Ka-boom!!
Thomas Andre exploded up from the ground and in an instant, disappeared from their view.
***
‘Something is…. coming.’
Something strong, that was.
Just as Thomas Andre had sensed Jin-Woo’s powers, the latter also sensed the former’s presence. So, he stopped moving his punching hand.
His other hand was still grabbing onto the collar of Hwang Dong-Su, who now was suffering from just as many grievous wounds as Yu Jin-Ho.
Ka-boom!
A part of the disused factory’s ceiling caved in and through the open gap, one of the four remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters in the world, Thomas Andre, flew in and landed on the ground.
Since he knew that a guest was arriving anyway, Jin-Woo wasn’t surprised in the slightest as he calmly took a look at the landing zone.
Thomas Andre stood up straight and quickly confirmed the situation.
He first saw Yu Jin-Ho, then Jin-Woo, and finally, the end of Jin-Woo’s hand. His gaze moved in that order, until stopping at Hwang Dong-Su.
Right away, Thomas Andre’s forehead creased up. Jin-Woo’s incredible magical energy emission had completely masked Hwang Dong-Su’s presence and he couldn’t initially sense it.
Thomas Andre took off and discarded his sunglasses.
“Hwang Dong-Su… Is he still alive?”
“For now.”
Thomas Andre resorted to using simple English and enunciated each word loudly so that Jin-Woo, someone who might be not familiar with the language, could hear him clearly.
“Let him go. If you do that, we’ll forget that today’s event had ever happened. I’m asking you for a favour.”
Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on Hwang Dong-Su’s collar and asked.
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Then, well. A favour won’t be a favour anymore.”
One of the most powerful Hunters in the world bared his fangs.
A regular Hunter would start p*ssing their pants right about now. However, Jin-Woo’s own aura didn’t lose out to Thomas Andre’s.
“Come, then.”
💖 Support My Work, Please Donate Here👇
![AN UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE [Original Version]](https://i1.wp.com/ethiclearners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Add-a-heading-1.png?resize=85,105 "AN UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE [Original Version]")
