Chapter 1087 - 130 - 134

Chapter 130: Chapter 130

Jin-Woo locked his gaze on the young American man named Adam White, who turned out to be an agent of the Hunter Bureau.

'....'

Judging from the glint in that man's eyes, he obviously had no ill intentions towards Jin-Woo whatsoever.

The Americans spending an exorbitant sum of money to bring in top Hunters from all over the globe was already a well-known fact. So, Jin-Woo figured that the guy would start extolling the virtues of coming to America soon after making his introduction.

However, what Adam White said next went wildly against his expectations.

"There is a piece of information we'd like to share with you, Hunter-nim."

"Information, is it….?"

"Yes. And you won't ever hear about this information from any other existing country or organisation in the world. Except ours, of course."

Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly. What would be their reason for revealing such highly-classified information to a foreign Hunter like him, a complete stranger?

"Why are you willing to share such information with me?"

Jin-Woo's probing question only managed to elicit another round of a refreshing smile from Adam White.

"We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few."

"Specially chosen few", he said.

Which meant that the Americans considered Jin-Woo to be eligible to enter that category now. Sure enough, that roused his curiosity rather greatly.

"Okay, let's hear it."

"That is as far as I'm permitted to tell you, Hunter-nim. As for the rest, you'll have to hear it from our deputy director."

The deputy director of the mighty Hunter Bureau? A man who possessed more political clout than a minister of some government actually was in South Korea, right now?

'Sounds like it can't be some run-of-the-mill info, then.'

Adam White must've thought that he was successful in stoking the flames of Jin-Woo's curiosity, because he finally delved into the main topic at hand.

"We have a car ready nearby. How about accompanying me to meet up with the deputy director?"

Unfortunately for him, though – it was Jin-Woo who had the final say in the matter.

'Information, is it….'

It could only be one of two things. Either it was info that would benefit him in some way after learning of it, or a tip of someone coming after his life. Funnily enough, he didn't feel all that compelled to get to the bottom of this matter at the moment.

For the time being, he wanted to focus on the preparations for the 'black key', even if this info proved to be beneficial to him. If it was the latter and someone indeed wanted to take him out, then he was pretty confident of emerging victorious from that, too.

Also, most importantly….

'It's not like I can fully trust the information these guys will furnish me with, in the first place….'

This whole thing about sharing information could be just a ruse, too.

He wasn't even sure of the opponent's hands being useful to him, or for that matter, if the opponent held any useful hands at all. So, was there a reason for him to be lead around by the nose here?

He quickly arrived at his decision.

"I'll sleep on it, and give you a call later."

"…!!"

Adam felt like someone had just punched him in the back of his head as this unexpected turn of the conversation left him reeling in shock.

'What? The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau came all this way to share information, yet he's ignoring that and wants to go on his way??'

Jin-Woo didn't look like he was bluffing here, because he was already opening the driver's door of the van. Cold perspiration immediately coated Adam White's forehead.

If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was allowed to slip through his fingers now, then who knew when he'd get another chance like this? No, there was even a distinct possibility that this could be the very last time.

It was unknown whether the Korean intended for this reaction or not, but without a doubt, the ones ruing the missed opportunity would be them, not him.

"Well, have a nice day."

Just as Jin-Woo was about to climb into the van, the restless Adam White urgently cried out.

"P-please, hold on!"

Jin-Woo shifted his disinterested gaze over to Adam White. Hoping to rouse Jin-Woo's curiosity further, even if it was only by a fraction, Adam White hurriedly continued on.

"Upgrader…."

"An Upgrader?"

Adam formed an expression of a defeated man and explained the meaning behind the word he just spat out.

"Did you know that there is an Awakened who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened?"

'Yup, you should've started with that from the beginning.'

Right away, Jin-Woo realised that the stuff being shared by Agent Adam White, no, the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, was actually of far greater importance than mere 'information'.

'An Awakened who can enhance other Awakened, is it…?'

Finally, Jin-Woo felt compelled enough now. He pulled the half-entered leg out of the van and closed the door. Adam could sigh a sigh of relief after seeing that.

"Whew…"

When he raised his head, though, Jin-Woo was already standing a couple of inches away from him.

"Jesus H. Christ?!"

The startled Adam White took a step back in fright, but Jin-Woo didn't care about that and simply asked the man.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

Screech-

The black saloon carrying the two men came to a stop in front of a famous luxury hotel.

"We're here."

Jin-Woo noted that the name of the hotel was the same as the one from the memo Yu Jin-Ho handed over to him not too long ago.

'Wait, that English-speaking foreigner Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, could it have been one of these guys?'

Jin-Woo followed after Adam White and climbed up to the suite where the deputy director was waiting for him.

The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Connor, failed to disguise his excitement at the sight of a certain Oriental man standing behind his subordinate.

'Very good!'

One of the more difficult aspects of negotiation was bringing the other party to the negotiating table. One could even declare that half the battle was won already by doing so.

The deputy director smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jin-Woo for a cordial handshake.

"My name is Michael Connor. I'm the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau."

His self-introduction was translated into fluent Korean with the speed of lightning by Adam White. Jin-Woo took the deputy director's hand and lightly shook it.

"I'm Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

Now that their brief introductions were over, they settled down on the opposing sides of a table. Adam remained standing next to his deputy director.

"Before we start, have anyone claiming to be from foreign Hunter-related organisations tried to make contact with you before us?"

The deputy director directly fired the opening salvo.

"No one, so far."

Once that anticipated answer was given, the deputy director formed a smile of pure satisfaction.

'But, of course. There shouldn't be anyone else on Earth quicker than the United States of America.'

Only the striker a step ahead of everyone else could score the winning goal, indeed.

The deputy director didn't plan on wasting this golden chance that no one else had the luxury to enjoy yet – especially when his target was someone his superior officer ordered to reel over to their side, no matter the cost or the method.

He didn't even try to beat around the bush and went straight to the topic at hand.

"Allow me to be frank with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.

With a solemn, determined face, the deputy director pushed a rather sizeable mountain of files towards Jin-Woo and continued on.

"We, at the United States of America, want you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

"These are….?"

"These are all the documents needed to emigrate to America. Now normally, you'd need at least one or two years for these papers to be processed. However, it'll be a different story for you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

The deputy director then raised his index finger.

"Just a single second."

He declared in a very confident voice.

"If you agree to immigrate, then you'll become an American citizen in one second. And not as a simple, regular citizen, either – no, you become eligible to receive the equal treatment as the nation's existing top-ranked Hunters."

"…"

Everything so far had been what Jin-Woo expected to hear from this man. However, what he wanted to find out about was the information related to this Awakened called 'Upgrader'. He shifted his gaze over to Adam, causing the American agent to flinch slightly and avert his eyes away.

Jin-Woo looked back at the deputy director.

"But, I only came here because Adam said something about some 'information'."

The deputy director let out a burst of genial laughter when he heard that.

"That isn't entirely unrelated to what I was talking about."

"I don't understand."

"Hunter-nim. If you give us your word that you'll become the next American Hunter, then we will definitely enhance your abilities to an even higher realm."

The so-called 'Upgrader'. It seemed that this Awakened could really do what that moniker implied.

Still, Jin-Woo was not entirely convinced, even if the deputy director said roughly the same thing as Agent Adam White.

'Could there really be an Awakened possessing such a power?'

That's why he decided to make d*mn sure.

"To enhance one's abilities – can such a thing be for real?"

Jin-Woo's apparent interest caused the deputy director to become even more excited.

"Actually…. she's here with us, right now."

Jin-Woo already knew that there was someone else within the hotel's suite. From a while ago, he had picked up on the minute amount of magic power leaking out from the gap of the closed door just over there.

Because the magic energy emitted didn't seem all that powerful, he was inwardly thinking that person was too weak to be a bodyguard of someone as important as the Hunter Bureau's deputy director. And now, his suspicion proved to be correct.

The deputy director quickly issued an order.

"Please bring Madam Selner here."

Click.

Almost immediately, the door was opened and two agents escorted a middle-aged African-American woman out from the room beyond. Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed slightly after picking up on a strange vibe coming off of her.

'...'

Somehow, she gave off a different aura from other, regular Awakened.

The African-American lady stood next to the table, and the agent quickly pulled out a chair for her. She then elegantly settled down on the end of the cushion.

She immediately recognised who Jin-Woo was and floated a smile of genuine interest.

"So, you are that man from the video…."

She was already familiar with all the important information on Jin-Woo and needed no introduction, so the deputy director's job became a bit easier.

"This is Madam Norma Selner. She is the lone Awakened, the only one of her type in the entire world, who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened to even greater heights."

At the end of the introduction, Madam Selner did a simple nod of her head as a greeting to Jin-Woo. He reciprocated the greeting with the nod, as well.

"Madam Selner. Please, if you will, briefly explain what you can do to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

She formed a teasing smile while staring at the still-unconvinced Jin-Woo's face.

"Everyone has the same look as you, in the beginning, Hunter-nim. However…."

She then leaned in closer to Jin-Woo and whispered softly to him.

"Once they have a taste, they have no choice but to beg me for more."

"Madam, please…."

The deputy director furrowed his brows a little, prompting her to laugh out and wave her hand about.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, Director Connor. I know that he's a very important man."

Still with an alluring smile, Madam Selner began with her explanation.

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. As you may know already, all Awakened face a limit they can't breach. No one can overcome it."

That was why the ranks of the Awakened would never change, unless one was lucky enough to go through a Re-Awakening process. This was common knowledge that all living Hunters out there knew all too well.

"But, Madam. You can….?"

Even before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Madam Selner formed an expression of a little kid picking up the final piece of strawberry on top of a cake that she'd been saving up for the very last.

"You're correct."

Jin-Woo's eyes grew progressively wider.

"I can increase that limit even higher in three separate stages. I don't know whether to call it a forced Re-Awakening, or simply waking up the latent potential sleeping within the subject already, but yes, I can do it."

What an incredible ability that was!

The things she said just now were explosive enough to shake the very cores of every top-ranked Hunters found throughout the world. Jin-Woo's gaze shifted over to the deputy director.

He nodded his head to reaffirm what she said.

"What she said are all true. It's just that, once she uses her powers once, she needs to take a lengthy break to recover her energy. So, only around three to four lucky Awakened get to enjoy this benefit in a single year."

"….How effective is it?"

"It depends on individuals, but once one goes through all three stages, they say that they grew stronger by a minimum of 20 percent, and as much as 30 percent, over their original powers."

Twenty to thirty percent!

With the average of his Stat values nearing the 250 mark, if Jin-Woo got that mystery enhancement, that average value would shoot past the 300 mark, instead,

Without a doubt, that would be an enormous leap up.

….As long as these guys weren't lying to him, of course.

'Is she casting a buff that raises one's powers? Or, is it more like raising the fixed level cap?'

Regardless of what it was, the ability she possessed would be like a precious treasure for all the Hunters out there. Which also meant that there should be no shortages of people aiming for her, too.

"If the knowledge of such an ability is made public, then…."

The deputy director nodded his head.

"That is why Madam Selner is with us."

She too worried about the exact same thing as Jin-Woo had thought of, and after lengthy deliberation, she joined the Hunter Bureau who'd guarantee her safety while also letting her use her powers as often as she wanted to.

"We ensure her absolute safety and reward her accordingly, while she enhances the abilities of those Hunters we deem worthy of joining us. We have been maintaining this symbiotic relationship for a long time now."

And so, that's where the deputy director bookended the explanation. Now, the time for the fireworks to begin.

"Madam Selner's ability, that is precisely the gift we wish to give to you, Hunter-nim."

"A gift, is it…."

Indeed, could there be a gift even more valuable than this one?

"If you become a Hunter of the United States of America, you will be the first in line to receive this benefit. Also, we will make sure that you get the best possible terms when negotiating with any Guilds you wish to join."

From the perspective of an ordinary Hunter, these were simply too good of conditions to say no to.

Only now could Jin-Woo understand why Hwang Dong-Soo didn't even hesitate once and emigrated to the States when everyone was criticising him for it. The enormous sum of money the Americans reportedly paid him was most likely a cover-up story to hide the real reason.

Regular Hunters would lose their collective sh*t if they ever heard of such a tale. So, if you told a top Hunter that his or her abilities could be enhanced even further? Who in their right minds would say no to that?

However….

"Can you prove that she really possesses such a power?"

Everything they said so far were just words, and there had been no proof to back them up yet.

It was her turn to butt in next.

"No need to rush. Today, I'm only here to undo the first button, you know."

Jin-Woo finally realised what she meant earlier.

'One taste, and people beg her for more, was it?'

Just as she had alluded to, every Hunter seeing her powers with their own eyes chose to head to America right away, one hundred times out of one hundred. Her sky-high confidence was based off on that.

The deputy director quietly asked a question to Jin-Woo.

"It is as she says. So, will you let us unlock your 'first stage'?"

"Without anything in return?"

"Think of it as a 'service' from us, Hunter-nim."

Madam Selner lightly grasped Jin-Woo's wrist. When he turned to look at her, she formed a gentle smile and gestured to him to get closer.

"Please, look into my eyes. Look deeply into them. That will be your first step."

Was she telling the truth?

To confirm if this Madam Selner really did possess the power the Hunter Bureau was swearing by, Jin-Woo decided to follow her instructions for the time being.

The deputy director leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms.

'It's done! He's ours now!'

The game was already over.

Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been constantly maintaining that cold, indifferent expression until now, but that was only because he hadn't yet experienced what this lady's power had to offer.

Once the first lifting of the natural limit was completed, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would call them on his own volition sooner rather than later. No, if he had an impulsive personality, then he might sign the immigration documents right here, right now.

The deputy director's curiosity shifted on to something else now.

'Just how high will his limit be, I wonder?'

The deputy director uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his eyes of anticipation firmly locked on Jin-Woo. But, it was then.

"Heok!!"

Madam Selner sucked in her breath, as her eyes began to quake quite violently.

Chapter 131: Chapter 131

Her name was Norma Selner.

An African-American woman of 46 years of age, and often referred to as Madam Selner or Mrs Selner, the Hunter Bureau offered her a higher degree of protection than the President of the country.

Meaning, if both her and the President's lives were under threat, then the Hunter Bureau would prioritise in rescuing her first and then worry about the President later.

But, how could such a thing even be possible?

When the previous director of the Hunter Bureau retired from the office and handed over the responsibility to his successor, he described her with the following words.

"Doesn't matter who becomes our next President, our position as the world's greatest Hunter nation on Earth will never change. But, if she's no longer with us, then America will start worrying about the Gates appearing in smaller cities around the remote regions of our country."

That's how it was.

Because she managed to attract the world's elite rank S Hunters here, the American citizens were able to rest easy every night knowing that they didn't need to worry about high-ranking Gates opening up somewhere within this massive country of theirs.

The top-ranked Hunters who changed their nationality because of her was already 26.

This was already a number far exceeding other so-called Hunter superpower nations and their roster of rank S Hunters. The Hunter Bureau also carefully selected their targets as well, so it went without saying that their Hunters were of far superior quality, as well.

So, one could say that Madam Selner was the guardian angel looking after America from behind the scenes.

Regardless of how high a rank S Hunter's position was, or the treatment he or she received, none of them were seen as being as important as Madam Selner at the end of the day.

She was the top classified secret that not even the American President could easily approach. Quite obviously, the rank S Hunters allowed to meet her were selected via the most strict, rigorous vetting process.

They were the specially chosen few, as coined by Agent Adam White earlier.

["We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few."]

At first, Jin-Woo had no clue what it meant to be included in that exclusive group of the chosen few. Not just him, but most of the rank S Hunters, too.

However, they would come to a realisation after Madam Selner broke open their limits – the realisation of who chose them, and what it meant to be chosen!

One of the Hunters was so moved by the overflowing power coursing through his body, he even knelt down before her to shed tears of gratitude. On the following day, his nationality changed from Congo to America.

'That always happened, didn't it?'

And that was why the current serving deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Conner, didn't believe that anything would go wrong.

He was sure that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would cry out in alternating emotions of elation and shock, maybe even search for his God, just as everyone else before him did.

Then, he'd beg for more.

Was there any other, more fitting description than that?

He confidently thought like that, not even a hint of suspicion within his mind. But, then….

The cry of shock actually came out from someone else's mouth.

"Uaaahhk?!"

Madam Selner stared deep into Jin-Woo's eyes for a long time, before she screamed at the top of her lungs as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. She fell off the chair on to the floor.

Almost right away, two agents here to guard her whipped their pistols out and took aim at Jin-Woo.

"Stop!! Have you all lost your minds?!"

The deputy director witnessed the agents and their recklessness, and cried out in alarm. Loud cussing exploded out of his mouth as he jumped up from his sitting position to push down the pointed pistols of the agents.

"Do you not know who this person is? How dare you point at him with such a thing?!"

"But, sir, the Madam is…."

"You idiots! If you're that worried about Madam Selner, then check up on her first!!"

"M-my apologies."

The agents quickly put their guns away and supported the shivering Madam Selner off from the ground. Her complexion had become so pale that she looked quite pitiful right now.

Meanwhile, the deputy director bowed his back 90 degrees to Jin-Woo.

"I'm truly sorry, Hunter-nim. My agents committed a grave blunder."

Judging from the previously-relaxed voice of the deputy director tremble like that, he must've been frightened out of his wits rather greatly just now.

'They are trained to put the safety of the Madam above all else, but to think, they'd be stupid enough to point a gun at a rank S Hunter!'

If their opponent possessed a fiery temper, then never mind the two foolish agents, even their boss's neck wouldn't have remained in its original place.

He couldn't even come up with an excuse to explain away the agents shoving guns in the face of a top-ranked Hunter in a country where carrying firearms was illegal.

The deputy director's heart still loudly pounded in his chest, unable to calm down from the fright he felt when Madam Selner screamed and fell, and also, when the agents pulled their guns out without any warning.

Funnily enough, though, Jin-Woo was also deeply flustered by what transpired just now.

'Just what the hell is up with this situation?'

That lady suddenly screamed out and fell down, the Hunter Bureau's agents pointed guns at him, and finally, their deputy director jumped up and down in a huff before apologising with a deep bow of his head.

At first, he was dumbfounded. Next up, he was speechless, and finally….

"….It's fine. No one got hurt, after all."

He didn't even feel like getting angry here.

He kinda figured that angrily threatening the other party was a pretty disgraceful thing to do, especially when the second most powerful man from another country's top organisation was quick to admit the mistakes of his subordinates and apologised like this.

A part of him also didn't feel much of anything when guns were being pointed at him. Rather than weapons, they looked more like children's toys to him now. That was how wide the gap between them and Jin-Woo was.

"Thank you for your understanding, Hunter-nim."

Only after Jin-Woo let it go did the deputy director raise his head back up again. He then sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo's face and confirmed that the Korean wasn't being sarcastic or anything. He felt that he had really dodged a bullet here.

'If something like this happened in front of either Thomas Andre or China's Liu Zhigeng, then….'

The hearts of those two agents pulling out their guns would have stopped beating long before he had the chance to apologise. What a relief that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was such an understanding gentleman.

'Whew-.'

The deputy director sighed out in relief and wiped the pooled sweat off his nose. He managed to put out the most pressing flames first. Next, it was time to focus on the other matter.

The deputy director bowed his head one more time and then, urgently checked up on Madam Selner's current condition.

"Madam? What happened?"

"M-Michael…."

"Madam? You're sweating so much… are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The deputy director may have shed a few cold sweat drops over the volatile situation just now, but she was completely soaked from head to toe at the moment.

'What's going on here?'

Worried about her condition, Jin-Woo got up from the chair and cautiously made his approach, but she didn't want to look him in the eye and began shivering even harder. Seeing her react like this, the deputy director could only chew on his lower lip.

'With her condition, we can't….'

He had succeeded in bringing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to the table with much difficulty, but now, the most important negotiating hand was no longer available to him. Madam was in no condition whatsoever to use her ability.

The deputy director turned around and while carrying a heavy, distressed expression, spoke to Jin-Woo.

"Madam Selner's condition isn't very good today. May I give you a call at another time?"

***

Around the same time.

An important guest was waiting inside the President's office of the Korean Hunter's Association. It was none other than the President of the Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo.

Two Presidents of the respective organisations settled down on the opposite sides, with no one else except their interpreters accompanying them.

Goh Gun-Hui was the first to open his mouth.

"I've heard about what happened to Mister Goto."

"It's truly a lamentable thing."

An expression of bitterness briefly flashed past Matsumoto Shigeo, before his complexion recovered.

"However, I didn't come here to discuss what happened in the past, but to talk about the way forward."

Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head. There were a few matters between these two men – no, between the nations of Korea and Japan, that needed to be settled.

First of all, splitting up of the magic crystals. The original plan was to divide the loot one year later, when all the ant monsters would've have died out on the island. But Jin-Woo had completely exterminated every single one of them before that.

Japan did discover his utterly unbelievable actions through their spy satellite and its high-tech camera, so they were aware of this fact, too.

W-what is that man trying to do?

The ants…. The ants near Seong Jin-Woo are disappearing one by one?!

The summons he controls have begun hunting down the ant monsters!

His summons are spreading to all corners of the island.

Could he be…??

The old idiom said that uncertainty would kill a man.

In the proverbial blink of an eye, all traces of magic energy disappeared from the island of Jeju.

With the sole exception of one, that was – the massive bundle of magic energy suspected to be that of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.

'Incredible physical strength. Unpredictable movement patterns. And the ruthless streak to hunt down every single monster, even though it's no longer necessary….'

Where would one find a Hunter more suited to a life in Japan than that man in this wide world?

Matsumoto Shigeo smirked to himself after recalling the atmosphere of the mission control room back then. He then pushed forward several documents to Goh Gun-Hui.

"And these are?"

Goh Gun-Hui asked as he picked them up.

"This is the official declaration that Japan will give up on the rights to our share of magic crystals from the Jeju Island."

"…..?"

Feeling not entirely convinced, Goh Gun-Hui browsed through the documents, and eventually, his brows gradually rose up higher. Matsumoto Shigeo was telling the truth.

"But, why?"

Why was the Japanese Association, who had suffered heavy losses themselves, willing to give up on such a massive revenue source?

His answer arrived soon enough.

"In return, hand Mister Seong Jin-Woo over to us."

"….Huhuh."

Goh Gun-Hui guffawed out and leaned against the back of the couch.

"Regretfully, he's not affiliated with the Korean Hunter's Association."

Of course, even if he was, Goh Gun-Hui never planned to 'hand over' such a Hunter to anyone, to begin with.

"We know."

Matsumoto Shigeo replied as if he was waiting for this moment.

"However, he has a very close relationship with the Korean Association. And it's currently impossible to get in contact with him unless it's through your Association."

It was truly unfortunate, but the Japanese didn't enjoy the kind of information network the American Hunter Bureau did. Which meant that, if Matsumoto Shigeo wanted to get in touch with Jin-Woo, then he needed to get permission from the Korean Association first.

"I didn't mean to imply that you are being forced to do something. No, just give me an opportunity to negotiate with him, that's all."

"Are you throwing away this astronomical sum just for that chance?��

Nod.

Matsumoto Shigeo readily admitted to it.

Japan lost ten of her top-ranked Hunters through this incident.

In the current situation where Japan needed to import top-ranked Hunters quite urgently, her Association was blessed with ample cash reserve to pay out the compensation meant for the victims of the raid.

Indeed, they had so much money that it was practically rotting away in the bank right now. So, if Matsumoto could get his hands on a Hunter of Seong Jin-Woo's calibre, then he didn't give a rat's a*s about those magic crystals anymore.

Unfortunately….

"I refuse."

The reply Matsumoto Shigeo got was different from what he expected.

"What do you mean, you refuse?"

The Japanese man was stunned by that answer.

He was deeply confident of winning Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to Japan's side, but just in case, he told Goh Gun-Hui that he only wanted an opportunity to negotiate with that young man.

But, to think, his counterpart would say no to the offer first.

"Are you turning down an opportunity like this because you're afraid of losing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to Japan?"

"Not at all."

Goh Gun-Hui slowly shook his head.

"No, I'm saying that, from the beginning, you people have no right to claim even a single magic crystal from us."

The Japanese interpreter quickly looked at Goh Gun-Hui after he made that bombshell of a declaration packed full of hidden implications.

"Sir, should I relay that in full?"

"Of course. Don't miss out on a single word and translate them in full."

Matsumoto Shigeo's complexion reddened considerably the moment he heard the interpreter.

"President Goh Gun-Hui! What nonsense are you spewing now?"

His voice naturally rose up higher. But then, Japanese unhurriedly flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui's mouth.

"I wish to speak to you without the presence of the interpreters."

Matsumoto flinched and gasped in surprise.

"You… know how to speak Japanese?"

"My father used to run a small company in Japan when I was a young lad. It's been a long time so it'd be difficult to hold a conversation, but…."

The two interpreters left the office soon after Matsumoto agreed to the suggestion. And he fired the opening shot first.

"We lost over ten of our rank S Hunters for you people."

Japan's top Hunter, Goto Ryuji, was also included in that list.

"If you do not wish to accept my suggestion, then there's nothing we can do. Not only will we demand the agreed-upon half of the magic crystal haul, but we will also claim compensation from the Korean government, too."

Goh Gun-Hui simply snorted in derision.

"President Matsumoto…. Looks like you still mistakenly believe that you hold an upper hand here."

"President Goh!"

Matsumoto shot up from his seat, his glare getting fiercer.

"Is that something you're supposed to say to someone who fought for your people?"

Unlike the agitated Matsumoto, though, Goh Gun-Hui remained collected throughout.

"I couldn't understand this one thing."

Goh Gun-Hui's calm demeanour managed to cool Matsumoto's own rage, and the latter slowly settled back down on his couch. Waiting until he was completely seated. Goh Gun-Hui carried on.

"And that would be – why did your people, who enjoyed showing off in front of the world, decide to entrust us with what was arguably the core part of this raid, the hunting of the ant queen."

"That's obviously because the Koreans lacked the means to buy the necessary time from the ant army…."

"If that's what you were thinking of, then wouldn't it have been better for you to insert the Koreans as a part of the distraction, like how you had split up yours into four different groups? And then, hunt the ant queen with some of your top elite Hunters, instead?"

'He is as I expected…'

The light in Matsumoto's eyes changed.

"…..So, what is it that you want to say to me, President Goh Gun-Hui?"

For some reason, he was enunciating Goh Gun-Hui's name as clearly as he could.

"And the timing of your people withdrawing…. It looked as if it was your plan all along, regardless of the mutated ant monster or not."

"You have gone crazy."

"It's you who have gone crazy. Just what were you planning to do after driving the Korean Hunters to death?"

Goh Gun-Hui's eyes narrowed to a slit.

It was then, Matsumoto burst into a fit of loud cackles.

"Hahahaha!!"

He then pulled out a voice recorder from his pocket. He slowly shook his head and continued on.

"Everything you said just now, it's been captured in full. Your sins of insulting the Japanese Hunters without proof, and using that as an excuse to back out of the earlier agreement, everything is here!"

An odious smile formed on Matsumoto's lips.

"You shall be judged by the international community."

Just this little sound file containing Goh Gun-Hui's voice was more than enough to cover up the fact the Japanese Hunters withdrew in the middle of the operation. As for the public opinion, that would come around soon enough.

This was clearly a slip-up on Goh Gun-Hui's part, because he doggedly pursued his conviction and nothing else. What if he lost his cool completely and laid a hand on Matsumoto right now?

Now that would be seen as even more irrefutable proof.

The sound file was already transmitted to the computers in the Japanese situation room by now.

Too bad for him, though.

"Proof? Of course, I have it."

Goh Gun-Hui pulled out a black-coloured object the size of a stamp from his inner pocket and left it on the table.

"…?"

"Hunter Seong Jin-Woo found it on the location."

Sensing something ominous was about to go down, Matsumoto's attitude had softened a tad.

"What… is this?"

Goh Gun-Hui smirked at the sight of the puzzled Matsumoto Shigeo.

"It's a black box attached to your communication equipment, the one Goto's team was using."

Right away, the colour of Matsumoto's complexion changed to ash. Not missing out on this opening, Goh Gun-Hui also brought out an MP3 player and proceeded to play the sound file extracted from this black box.

Click.

"How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?"

"Hold on. They say it has been less than 10 minutes."

"Ten minutes, is it…."

"Time to start the withdrawal process."

The voice of Goto Ryuji, one of the most famous Japanese in the world, could be heard clearly from the recording.

Goh Gun-Hui switched the player off and continued on.

"Do you know why I didn't reveal the existence of this file to the rest of the world, President of Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo?"

Matsumoto slowly shook his head. The ashen complexion of his was now getting paler than a sheet of white paper now.

"It's simply because I didn't want to dampen the joy of my fellow countrymen basking in the glow of a hard-fought victory with this bullsh*t you people managed to cook up. Do you get it now? I've only delayed its release for the sake of our people, not you."

The recorder fell from Matsumoto's hand with a thud. Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui relentlessly pressed on.

"I'm sure that you get what I'm saying to you, President Matsumoto."

Goh Gun-Hui then crushed the player in his hand to pieces with his physical strength of a rank S Hunter.

"Get the f*ck out of this office. Now."

***

After Jin-Woo had left, the deputy director found himself alone with Madam Selner in the hotel's suite.

"Madam. What happened back there?"

They had worked with many Hunters before, and this wasn't Madam Selner's first rodeo either. Meaning, this would be the first time something like this happened.

She suppressed her pounding heart and managed to squeeze out her trembling voice.

"He is a 'king'. A very powerful 'king'."

The deputy director's eyes grew wider and wider.

Those who knew how her power worked were the director of the Hunter Bureau, the deputy, and of course, Madam Selner herself. Only these three. And she confirmed that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a 'king'.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

The deputy director sensed his heartbeat pick up pace.

"Which means…. he's on the same level as the Special Authority-rank Hunters?"

Shake, shake.

She shook her head.

"No, I don't…. This was my first time experiencing such a phenomenon, so I can't be sure at all. He is definitely a 'king', but he's also different from the other 'kings'."

"Excuse me? Please, explain it in simpler terms…."

"When I looked into him, 'it' too was looking back at me."

"But, other Hunters also…."

"No!! Not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but the endless darkness hiding within him was staring back at me!"

Madam Selner hysterically cried out. Her complexion paled again and her body shuddered greatly. This was the display of an instinctual fear all living organisms possessed: the fear of death.

But, that wasn't important at the moment. No, the truly important thing was, even though her entire body continued to shiver in terror, she still managed to recall one more thing.

"And he…."

The deputy director focused on her words again.

Her lips parted with so much difficulty.

"He doesn't have any limits."

Chapter 132: Chapter 132

Plop.

Matsumoto Shigeo fell down on his knees.

A boss of an organisation – not only that, a man representing the opinions and positions of every Hunter in the country called Japan, was kneeling in front of another person.

'���…'

Even in this brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Matsumoto's brain.

However, no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't come up with a way to get out of this predicament.

This was not the time to worry about his pride or honour. If any of this got out, then its ensuing aftermath wouldn't end with him just losing his position.

"President Goh Gun-Hui…. Please, forgive me."

Unfortunately for him, Goh Gun-Hui's glare remained icy and unmoving.

This man was shouting blue murder when there was no proof of his wrongdoing, but as soon as the situation turned disadvantageous, he obediently lowered his tail.

Who'd look at such a man with sympathetic eyes?

"Get up."

Goh Gun-Hui's icy voice advised his Japanese counterpart to stop wasting time with this hollow apology, but Matsumoto didn't heed that and slammed his forehead on the office floor repeatedly.

Thud! Thud!!

"Our nation, Japan, has lost half of her top-ranked Hunters and we will soon have to beg the international community for their aid."

No matter how excellent the Hunter system in Japan was, they would eventually see the gaps in their defences opening up sooner or later with half of their rank S Hunters dead.

Their remaining combat force would be enough to deal with rank A Gates for the time being, but….

But, Japan would have to be on their toes the moment a rank S Gate opens up somewhere in their territory. Even worse, the repeat of the tragedy that occurred on Jeju Island could happen in Japan, too.

"If that sound file gets out, then we'll be completely isolated from the world. I beg of you, President Goh Gun-Hui. Please, think about the innocent Japanese citizens and forgive our transgressions just this once….!"

"Think of it as your due punishment."

Goh Gun-Hui ruthlessly cut Matsumoto's words there.

"Think of it as the punishment for the sin you and your Hunters tried to commit and gladly accept it."

Carry around a bomb that might go off at any given moment, and wait for the hour of reckoning – that's what Goh Gun-Hui was implying here.

However, Matsumoto didn't show any sign of lifting his head off the floor.

"President Goh Gun-Hui…. Until I appease your anger, I shall not rise up again. I beg of you, please, please! Consider it one more time!"

"You leave me with no choice."

With a displeased expression firmly etched on his face, Goh Gun-Hui pulled out his mobile phone.

"You have five minutes."

What could he mean by that?

Unable to win against his curiosity, Matsumoto raised his head and looked up at Goh Gun-Hui. The Korean man slowly waved his phone around.

"If you don't get out of here in the next five minutes, a message will be sent to the numbers of every reporter saved on this phone. It'll be a message about the President of the Japanese Association grovelling before me."

If you cling onto me in fear of the bomb going off at any second, then I'll just let it go off, right now – he wasn't threatening anymore. No, it was a declaration.

"But, that…"

Matsumoto bit his lower lip.

Goh Gun-Hui's determination wasn't soft enough to be shaken up by nothing but a pitiful plea for leniency. Matsumoto belatedly realised this fact. And this was also the moment his last-ditch attempt to save this situation at the cost of his pride ending up in total failure.

Powerlessly, Matsumoto stood back up.

Goh Gun-Hui's glare remained icy, his phone gradually being lowered. He then spoke to the unsteady Japanese man.

"You should thank Mister Seong Jin-Woo."

The light of pure anger flickered dangerously within Goh Gun-Hui's beast-like eyes.

"Not at the hands of that mutated ant, no, but if my Hunters got hurt from the schemes of your people, then you wouldn't have walked out of this room alive."

Matsumoto's trembling hands packed up his belongings and without taking a single look back, he escaped from the Korean Association's building in a hurry. Not one lick of his former pride and confidence he displayed during his last visit here could be seen from his departing back now.

"Fuu…."

Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui was leaning against the back of the couch. It felt like all of his pent-up stress was cleared away in one shot. Of course, he wasn't planning to end things here.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he now held the lifeline of the Japanese Hunter Association.

'If you committed a crime, then you get punished for it.'

From early on in his life, Goh Gun-Hui was taught how to treat his friends and enemies accordingly.

It was then, his mobile phone resting on the table suddenly issued a loud racket.

'Mm?'

He tapped on the 'Answer' icon, and an urgent voice came out from the speaker. Goh Gun-Hui quietly listened to what happened, and his eyes progressively grew wider and wider.

"What?! A Gate formed in the middle of a road??"

Not only that, it was rated to be a rank B Gate that no regular raid team could do something about, too!

"Where is it located?"

The best course of action for this problem was to contact a major Guild and have them send over a capable raid team. But, then….

'….Hold on.'

Having heard the report from the agent on site, Goh Gun-Hui's expression became a bit strange.

'Didn't Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get an office for his Guild around there?'

The road suddenly became really clogged up.

Jin-Woo was in deep contemplation as he found himself stuck in the middle of an unmoving sea of traffic.

'That lady, she definitely saw something.'

That woman called Madam Norma Selner. She must've faced countless powerful Hunters, yet she couldn't even meet his gaze because she felt a crippling fear of him.

Just what did she 'see' in him?

Was it the traces of his System?

The System would make a few ridiculous demands from him every now and then, sure, but it was certainly not a scary existence.

'Instead of being scary, that thing's my greatest ally.'

However, how would it look like in other people's views?

The deputy director asked him back then if it was fine to get in touch at a later time. The thing was, though, the woman regaining some calm behind him suddenly got startled again and began shuddering as soon as he asked that question.

Even if Jin-Woo wanted to see that woman again, she'd avoid him of her own volition. Her entire body displayed her unwillingness quite clearly. Jin-Woo then came to a realisation.

Maybe, that woman's power didn't work on him. He was very different from normal Hunters, after all.

'Well, I guess there's no need to waste more of my time with those folks, then.'

That was why he already told the American deputy director that there wouldn't be a need and tactfully declined their invite. The frozen-stiff expression of the deputy director was particularly memorable, to say the least.

'Besides all that, what is up with this traffic, man?'

Jin-Woo furrowed his brows at the road ahead utterly mired in congestion as far as his eyes could see.

'This is why taking the subway is so much more convenient.'

Just as he began wondering if there was an accident up ahead or something….

Vrrrr….

His phone stuck in the car charger vibrated rather noisily. Jin-Woo checked the ID of the caller.

'…It's the Association President?'

They saw each other in the funeral venue only a few hours ago, so what business did he have in calling him so soon? Jin-Woo tapped the 'Answer' icon.

"Hunter-nim. It's Goh Gun-Hui speaking."

The Association President explained the situation taking place in the middle of Seoul in a calm voice.

"Excuse me? A Gate opened up in the middle of the road?"

He was beginning to think that this traffic jam was far too heavy to be normal, but there was a good reason behind it, as it turned out.

Hoping to turn the van around, Jin-Woo scanned around the vehicle. Unfortunately, there were simply too many cars tightly packed around him and it was not possible to move an inch. He helplessly shook his head and returned his gaze to the front of the road. It was then.

A welcoming piece of news capable of washing away the wave of dissatisfaction rising up from the traffic jam jumped out from his phone.

"Our agents have evaluated it as a rank B Gate. Would you like to take care of it for us, Hunter-nim?"

'Heot!'

Jin-Woo struggled to suppress the giggles of joy this truly excellent news managed to awaken. As a matter of fact, he shouldn't be pleased about something that was greatly inconveniencing so many citizens like this. Yes.

Jin-Woo managed to straighten his voice and cautiously asked.

"I don't have the raid permit, so can I just enter like that, sir?"

"Huhuh. Hunter-nim, who issues the raid permits?"

"It's issued by the Association."

"And who am I?"

Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter again and replied seriously.

"You're the President of the Hunter's Association."

"Huhuhuh. That's why, don't worry about anything and please take care of it."

"Well, in that case, thank you for the me…. No, I mean, thank you for the opportunity."

Jin-Woo clenched his fist.

He climbed out of the van and began walking after the trace of the magic energy leaking out from the Gate. Because of the cars packed tightly in all sides, he didn't even need to park the van somewhere else, too.

"….Yes. Everyone, the black hole in the air you see behind me is the Gate that has appeared in the city today….."

"….According to my sources, this Gate has been ranked at B, a high-ranking Gate that requires the participation of a large Guild…."

Reporters had already formed a cordon around the Gate by the time he got there, and the Association employees, as well as the members of the local police force, were restricting the access.

'Hmm…'

Jin-Woo brushed past the wall of the reporters and approached the Gate, but then, a female Association employee with a by-the-book demeanour abruptly blocked his path.

"Please hold it! What do you think you're doing?!"

She pushed at his chest and spoke loudly.

"You can't just barge your way in here like this!"

Too bad, no matter how hard she pushed with her small hands, Jin-Woo didn't show any signs of budging from the spot. Only then she belatedly realised that the guy standing in front of her was a Hunter – and a pretty high-ranking Hunter at that.

"Are you… a Hunter?"

Jin-Woo pulled out his licence and showed it to her. Naturally, her eyes grew super large.

'A r-r-rank S? Seong Jin-Woo???'

Wasn't he the same guy who killed all those ant monsters on Jeju Island….?

Finally learning of Jin-Woo's identity, the female Association employee raised her head to take another look.

Jin-Woo looked a lot different from when he appeared on TV, so even though she was an Association employee, she ended up failing to recognise a rank S Hunter.

However, it was also natural for people with discerning eyes to exist within the large crowd gathered here.

"Uh??"

"Isn't he…?"

"It's Seong Jin-Woo!"

"I think Seong Jin-Woo came here to deal with the Gate personally!"

People feeling fed up from being stuck here began recognising Jin-Woo, and their complexions brightened greatly. Some people among them with appointments to get to even cried out in elation, too.

However, the female employee completely disregarded the reactions of the citizens and showed no signs of backing down. She hesitated slightly before asking him.

"What… What brings you here?"

What did she even mean, what brings him here?

There would be only one reason why a Hunter chose to stand before a Gate, wouldn't it?

Jin-Woo figured that there was no need to explain, so he simply pointed at the Gate beyond her shoulders. She looked behind her for a second or two, and then, formed an expression of pure determination.

Many Hunters ended up losing their lives after placing too much faith in their skills while disregarding the established rules and regulations.

'It should be the same story with a rank S Hunter, right…?'

The Association existed to prevent such accidents – this fact had been drilled into her head over and over again. Hunters and their safety were the top priority of the Association.

Especially when the person in question happened to be an exceptional individual ranked 'S', her duty was to prevent any mishaps from happening to him no matter what. That's what she thought, and so, she expressed her belief with a plucky attitude.

"Even if you're a rank S Hunter, sir, I will not tolerate any behaviour that ignores proper procedures."

"…"

Jin-Woo was lost for words and blankly stared at her face. He didn't expect her to come out like this at all.

She thought that she had succeeded in persuading a rank S Hunter, and continued on with her next question.

"Did you obtain the raid permit?"

Jin-Woo shook his head, which led her to….

"No, wait. Even if you did obtain the permit, since you haven't met the minimum required number of team members, you can't be allowed in."

The female employee was impressively unyielding.

Jin-Woo could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn't doing this out of spite. No, she just seemed to be the type to stick as close to the rule book as humanly possible.

Jin-Woo scratched the back of his head. Well, there's no helping it, then.

"Hold on for a sec."

Jin-Woo immediately called somebody on the phone. After the call connected to the other side, he pushed the phone to her.

"Here."

When the female employee looked at him puzzled, Jin-Woo spoke to her in a clear voice.

"Please, take it. The call's actually for you."

She maintained her puzzled expression while asking him.

"W-who is it on the phone?"

"Someone else you may not 'tolerate' as well."

She inadvertently took the phone from him, but when she discovered the name of the call's receiver appearing on the screen, her brows shot up really high.

'Goh, Goh Gun-Hui?!'

If the person on the line was really…

"H-hello….?"

The female employee's nervous voice was greeted by a deep, heavy voice from the phone's speaker.

"This is the Association President speaking."

Sure enough, it was him.

The female employee's eyes trembled noticeably, before she began nodding her head over and over again.

"Yes, yes. No, sir. Yes. Yes. I shall do as you say, sir."

Click.

She returned the phone with a crestfallen expression on her face. When Jin-Woo walked past her, he whispered to her in a hushed tone.

"Thanks."

"Pardon me?"

"For worrying about me."

"Y-you, you knew….?!"

Jin-Woo hurriedly disappeared into the Gate.

'Euh….!'

Greatly annoyed by his antics now, the female employee shuddered from dissatisfaction and she threw… not a curse, but more like an unhappy grumble at his departing back.

'Father in heaven! Sprain that guy's ankle or something inside the dungeon, please!'

However….

Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a man who walked away safely from the Jeju Island that was completely overrun with rank S monsters.

'Such a guy won't have much trouble inside a rank B dungeon, probably?'

But then, it happened at that moment. Screams were rising up from here and there.

"Uhhh? What's going on here??"

"Why is it changing to red colour?!"

Right after Jin-Woo stepped past the Gate, the eerie colour of blood slowly spread over its black surface. It was a Red Gate!! A terrifying event was unfolding right now.

"Ah…..!"

The female employee felt utterly devastated after seeing the Red Gate appear.

'Was it because I prayed for him to get that sprained ankle?!'

Of course, that wasn't it. However, she couldn't get rid of the voices in her head telling her that it was her fault.

She was taught that the Red Gate, a portal to another world, was one of the most dangerous places there was. She also heard that even the high-ranked Hunters weren't guaranteed to get out of there alive.

'It can't be…..'

Suddenly, her head was filled with the images of the worst case scenario, and her complexion paled instantly.

'If, if that Hunter-nim gets injured for real, what then…..?'

Just how many minutes went by like this?

She continued to stew in self-guilt, but when she felt a presence near her, the female employee tore her gaze away from the asphalt below to look up. And found Jin-Woo standing before her.

"M-mommy?!"

She got royally frightened out of her wits as if she saw a real ghost just now. Jin-Woo simply threw a grin at her way and walked right past her.

'....'

The face of this female employee was in a deeper shade of red than when she was talking to the Association President earlier.

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo searched around for something, and eventually, made his way over to a driver of a truck filled with sacks of potatoes.

"Excuse me, ahjussi? Can I buy a sack from you?"

"Pardon? You wanna buy some potatoes?"

Jin-Woo shook his head.

"No, just the sack."

The Vice-Master of the tentatively-named 'Solo Play' Guild, as well as its chief recruitment officer, its sole lawyer, and even its accountant, Yu Jin-Ho smiled brightly as he saw Jin-Woo entering the office.

"You came back, hyung-nim!"

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

"Yes, hyung-nim. However, an applicant wanting to become a founding member is….."

"Okay. Show me the list. Let me go through it as well."

Seeing that Yu Jin-Ho was pressing him with the same stuff they'd been talking about in the morning, the kid must've been desperate to establish the Guild as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Jin-Woo was thinking the same thing.

They only needed one more person for the spot of the founding member. The minimum of three people was needed to satisfy the requirements to establish a Guild.

'Even if we're trying to fill in the headcount, it's better to pick someone hard-working and trustworthy, I think. It's not like we'll be seeing each other only once, after all.'

Jin-Woo nodded his head, convinced by his own thoughts. But now that he took a closer look, Yu Jin-Ho's complexion seemed a bit cloudy for some reason.

"Did something happen?"

"The thing is…. Hyung-nim."

"Yeah?"

"As you may well know, you need a lot of capital in order to establish a Guild. The bidding prices for higher ranked Gates all start at astronomical sums, we gotta pay the signing fees to the newly-joining Hunters, and most importantly, the person applying to become our founding mem…."

Jin-Woo cut him off there.

"Is this enough capital for now?"

Thud.

Jin-Woo placed the potato sack he carried into the office on the floor.

'What's this?'

Yu Jin-Ho's puzzled gaze peered into the open gap of the sack. And he found it packed full of expensive magic crystals.

"H-hyung-nim….?! W-what are these?"

Jin-Woo was nonchalant in his reply.

"There was an open Gate on the way to the office, so I made a pit stop."

"….."

He went out only a couple of hours ago, yet during such a short period of time, he found a high-ranking dungeon, cleared it completely, and brought out all the magic crystals found within?

"As expected of you, you're amazing, hyung-nim!!"

Yu Jin-Ho stopped thinking about this matter there. It was ultimately a fruitless endeavour to pigeon-hole hyung-nim with common sense.

Jin-Woo watched Yu Jin-Ho celebrating the acquisition of their seed money with a content smile, before shifting his gaze over to the conference suite.

"By the way, why is she here?"

"Pardon? Ahh. I was about to talk to you about her a minute ago…. Well, someone applying to become a founding member is waiting for you, hyung-nim."

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

"An applicant?"

"Yes, hyung-nim."

"Who is?"

"The person waiting for you in the conference suite, hyung-nim."

"That's what she said?"

"Yes, hyung-nim."

What on earth was this kid even talking about….?

Jin-Woo quickly strode over to the conference suite as soon as Yu Jin-Ho was finished and opened the door wide open.

Clunk.

And then, inside this mostly-empty conference suite, he found a woman sipping on a can of coffee all alone and in silence turning her head to meet his gaze. Incidentally, Yu Jin-Ho had to quickly dash outside to get that coffee because they hadn't even bought proper office equipment yet.

"What brings you here, Hunter-nim??"

Jin-Woo asked his guest with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Then, Cha Hae-In opened her own mouth, still looking up at him from her sitting position.

"I came to…. join your Guild."

Chapter 133: Chapter 133

Did he hear that right? Jin-Woo ended up doubting his own hearing, then.

Cha Hae-In was the Vice-Master of South Korea's top Guild, and her skills were ranked to be among the very best, but she willingly walked into a Guild that hadn't even taken its first baby step yet?

Unless she was being threatened into coming here, how could this situation make any sense? But then again….

'Uh, well, just who'd be brave enough to threaten her?'

Jin-Woo decided to bring up the one person with enough clout to potentially threaten her in South Korea.

"Did the Association President order you to do this?"

Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression, evidently not understanding why Goh Gun-Hui was being brought up in this discussion.

"Why would he….?"

It was Jin-Woo who couldn't understand what was going on here, so why was she making that face even though she was the reason for all this confusion?

'No, hang on. Let's calm down.'

It was a situation where most people would've been left too stunned or get overexcited, but Jin-Woo was able to stay calm as he pulled out a chair to sit on Cha Hae-In's opposite side. He then wordlessly stared at her.

He only needed to focus for a short while. As the time visibly slowed down in his perception, various bits of information about her flowed into his brain, one at the time.

'She's restless.'

Her heartbeat, her breathing, even the glow within her eyes. She was doing her best to look composed, but there was no fooling Jin-Woo's sky-high Perception.

So, the question was – why was she forcing herself to this extent and trying to enter the tentatively-named 'Solo Play' Guild?

Jin-Woo had to ask her.

"Don't you still have some time left in the duration of your contract with the Hunters Guild?"

Now normally, the Guild would negotiate contracts with Hunters in five-year terms. Cha Hae-In joined the Hunters Guild two years ago when she was evaluated to be a rank S, so at a bare minimum, she should still have three years left in her contract.

"I have enough money to pay the penalty for breach of contract."

Cha Hae-In's collected answer only elicited Jin-Woo's head-tilting.

Most of the time, such a penalty fee would be between two to three times the original signing fee.

Thinking about the exorbitant sum the Hunters Guild must've forked out in order to sign up a rank S Hunter like her, one didn't need to be a genius to figure out that the breach of contract penalty fee would be absolutely horrendous, as well.

Since he was about to speak to her about harsh reality, Jin-Woo's attitude became very business-like.

"Our 'Solo Play' Guild simply can't afford to pay the kind of signing fee your skill set warrants, Cha Hunter-nim."

"T-the name of your Guild is 'Solo Play'??"

"You have a problem with the name that the Vice-Master and myself came up with?"

"…No, not really."

Cha Hae-In let a soft sigh escape from her, and continued on.

"It doesn't matter. It's fine if you don't pay me the contract signing fee."

She didn't mind signing a contract without any payment, even though she'd have to pay an enormous breach of contract fee to the Hunters Guild?

'What is she scheming here?'

Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed to a slit.

When their eyes stayed locked for a while, Cha Hae-In could no longer endure the silent pressure and averted her gaze. Her heart was beating a step faster than before, too.

Jin-Woo's ears perked up. His acute sense of hearing didn't miss out on a single change taking place inside her.

'Is she hiding something?'

At this point, he simply had to ask her or he'd die of curiosity.

"Why are you willing to go through such a wringer just to join our Guild?"

"…."

As expected, Cha Hae-In couldn't easily answer him and kept her mouth resolutely shut. And seeing her face redden like that, it became oh-so-obvious that she was hiding something from him, too.

'Wait a minute…'

Now that he thought about it, he remembered sensing that something was different about her even back in the funeral venue. He couldn't tell what she was thinking of, but she could have been planning to do this for quite some time already.

Jin-Woo quietly waited for Cha Hae-In's answer. However, she kept her head lowered and for a long while, didn't say a single word.

'….But, how can I even explain myself to him?

….That I sensed your presence next to me even after I lost my consciousness from the attack of that mutated ant monster?

….That, I felt safe and warm after picking up on your scent as I sank deeper into an empty and endless dark void?'

There was no word in this world adequate enough to describe what she felt back then.

'Even if I explain it, he'd only say that I've gone mad.'

Her heart began beating faster after she learned of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo really being there. She felt so relieved, knowing that she wasn't imagining things.

And also….

'What if….'

She discovered that she wanted Jin-Woo to be by her side in the worst case scenario of her being unable to escape from the cold blade of death.

'….To think, it'd be like 'please be right by my side until my final moments'.'

How could she even attempt saying that, when just thinking about it made her blush uncontrollably?

That was an impossible task for Cha Hae-In who didn't know anything about a normal girl's sensibilities. That was why she finally spoke up an answer she cooked up before coming here.

"…To be more comfortable."

She raised her head to meet Jin-Woo's gaze and continue on with the rest.

"I wish to be live more comfortably…."

Although it wasn't exactly what she tried to say, it wasn't a complete lie, either.

She couldn't even lift her head properly from all the horrendous stink when high-ranked Hunters were standing next to her. But, in contrast, she felt her mind getting peaceful in the presence of Jin-Woo.

The meaning of Cha Hae-In's 'comfortable' was precisely that.

Jin-Woo didn't interpret the meaning that way, but still, he could understand where she was coming from. He slowly nodded his head from her answer.

She apparently wanted to leave a big Guild like the Hunters, and spend a more 'comfortable' time in a far smaller Guild like his.

According to Jin-Woo's knowledge, Cha Hae-In was either twenty-two or twenty-three years old.

'I'm sure the burden that a rank S must carry would be pretty heavy for a woman in her early twenties.'

Especially more so, after she felt the threat of death during the Jeju Island raid.

Jin-Woo could easily understand her feelings as he too felt like abandoning everything and running away from it all countless times, back when he still worked for the Association.

Unfortunately for her….

'Although her plight is pitiable, but…..'

But, he couldn't just accept her like that.

Why would he have named the Guild 'Solo Play'? That was because he planned to book dungeons using the name of his Guild and clear them all by himself.

If the minimum number of team members proved to be a stumbling block, then he'd simply hire temps to fill the headcount, just like how it was back when he cleared those rank C Gates with Yu Jin-Ho. That was the smartest thing to do in his quest to level up higher.

However, if Cha Hae-In entered the picture, things would become rather complicated in many ways. Even if they forget about her contract signing fee, wouldn't she still need money for her daily necessities?

By hiring a rank S Hunter with huge salaries, someone he didn't even need in the first place and wasn't planning to put to work either, he'd be committing a massive wastage on a national scale.

However…

'If I reject a rank S Hunter who's willing to waive the contract signing fee and join my Guild without a proper reason, it's going to look pretty suspicious.'

That was why Jin-Woo quickly came up with a plan.

"Actually, our Guild has an admittance test you need to go through."

"Pardon? But, the job posting didn't specify anything li…."

Jin-Woo quickly cut off Cha Hae-In's flustered words.

"This rule is pretty new, so it's possible that the Vice-Master may have made a small error."

The glow in Cha Hae-In's eyes became quite serious at the mention of a test.

"What kind of a test is it?"

Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise from her reaction.

'This gal, she was really serious?'

Because of her professional pride, he expected her to quit after being told about taking a test. However, Cha Hae-In acted the exact opposite. No, she was actually burning up even hotter with the desire to win.

He could sense her fervour hidden behind that expressionless mask of hers.

'Is she the type to face any fight coming her way head on?'

Or, was this the case of misplaced pride?

Whatever the case may have been, Jin-Woo couldn't back off now while staying it was all a misunderstanding.

"It's to win against the summoned creature I pick."

Crack.

He swore that he heard the physical sound of a crack forming on her ego.

"…."

'Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, is that how low your assessment of me is?'

What a mysterious thing this was. He only looked into her eyes briefly, yet it felt like her voice could be heard so clearly inside his head.

However, Cha Hae-In didn't display any of her thoughts and asked in her usual collected manner.

"Which summon will you pick?"

"For you, Cha Hunter-nim, I'll especially have to pick the strongest one."

"…..Alright."

She wasn't backing down here.

Most likely, she wouldn't have dreamed it in her wildest imaginations, regarding who became the latest addition to Jin-Woo's summoned creatures – no, his Shadow Army collection.

Jin-Woo thought that, since her will to win was so strong, she'd give up on her own after tasting defeat. He immediately agreed to the bout.

"Okay, let's do it."

"When will the test be?"

"Right now."

Jin-Woo wanted to establish his Guild as soon as possible, so he didn't want to waste any more time on Cha Hae-In. Since he came up with this idea, might as well do it now.

The location would be the gymnasium of the Hunter's Association.

A rank S Hunter could rent out the gymnasium whenever he felt like it. It was one of the many special privileges afforded to rank S Hunters.

"Got it."

Cha Hae-In nodded her head. She too wanted to move things along as quickly as possible. They both stood up at the same time as if they made a promise to do that.

'….Hold on.'

It was then, a certain thought flashed past his brain. He quickly called out to Cha Hae-In as she was about to turn the door handle.

"Cha Hunter-nim, please wait."

"Pardon?"

"There's no need to go that way."

"…?"

Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression.

There was only one door in the conference suite. He obviously wasn't suggesting that they should jump out of the window, so….

Jin-Woo quickly walked over to her unmoving frame.

"I have a quicker way of getting there, actually."

"Excuse me?"

"But, I must be touching you if I'm to use this method, so will it be alright with you?"

"Oh….."

Cha Hae-In recalled what Baek Yun-Ho told her about the situation back then. He said that, as all the members of the Korean assault team found themselves in a life-or-death situation, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo suddenly popped up behind him.

'Is he trying to show me that skill?'

She quickly swallowed her dry saliva and looked up at Jin-Woo's face that was now much closer than her initial expectations.

"Sorry about this."

Jin-Woo lightly embraced her.

He thought that such a light hug wouldn't mean anything to her since he had carried her unconscious frame around inside the ant tunnel, but Cha Hae-In's face was rapidly dyeing in a beet-red colour.

However, she didn't struggle or try to get out of his embrace.

'….His nice scent.'

While her face was getting progressively redder and redder, Jin-Woo cautiously held her to make sure they wouldn't get separated and finished getting ready.

'Okay, all done.'

There was this thing he wanted to confirm. And he wouldn't find as good an opportunity as this one in the future.

"It might get a little dizzy."

Well, he felt that the first time, so there.

Cha Hae-In only then wrapped her arms around Jin-Woo and whispered her reply.

"Okay."

Jin-Woo raised his head up to his front and issued a command in his mind.

'Shadow Exchange.'

Shururu…..

Two of them soundlessly got sucked into the shadow beneath their feet.

It was right at that moment Yu Jin-Ho opened the door and entered the conference suite. He ran out to the local convenience store to buy some refreshments after thinking that the talk might go on for a bit.

"Please, drink these while you two ch…."

A High Orc Shadow Soldier met Yu Jin-Ho's gaze, and as if he was feeling a bit sheepish over something, scratched the back of his head.

"…."

Claaank!!

The tray in Yu Jin-Ho's hand crashed to the floor, and cups of liquid refreshment shattered from the impact.

"W-what the hell?!"

Yu Jin-Ho freaked out grandly and blinked his eyes, but the High Orc soldier was gone without a trace.

'B-b-but, I definitely….!!'

He rubbed his eyes hard and shook his head to regain his composure. He took another look at his surroundings, but he couldn't spot a single trace of the monster anywhere.

'….I guess I've been working too hard recently.'

Yup, that must be it, what with seeing a hallucination and all.

Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head and scanned the conference suite one more time, before turning around to find a mop to clean up the mess on the floor. But then….

A thought entered his mind and stopped his feet from moving again.

"Where did hyung-nim and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim disappear to?"

Chapter 134: Chapter 134

The moment the ground disappeared and they got sucked into the shadow, Jin-Woo looked at Cha Hae-In falling together at the same time.

'As I thought….'

His expectation was on the money.

He wondered if the skill 'Shadow Exchange' worked in this manner while using it a few times in the past, and he was right.

The identity of the skill 'Shadow Exchange' was actually a 'Gate'. That theory was proven correct when Cha Hae-In travelled alongside him through the shadow.

'The entrance is generated below my feet, and the exit is where the determined coordinates are.'

And those coordinates would be the location of a Shadow Soldier.

Even though there was a limitation of the three-hour-long cooldown time, he was still able to create a Gate with this skill. If he wanted to, then wouldn't it be possible for him to move to the other side of the planet every three hours? Jin-Woo unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

But, his stunned state lasted only for a brief while longer.

His view covered up by the inky darkness reverted back to normal almost right away. And the two of them found themselves inside the Association's gymnasium.

The last time he came here, Jin-Woo left behind a shadow just in case he found himself in an urgent need to visit the Association.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

The overhead lighting system sensed the magic energy from them and the bulbs came on one by one, brightly illuminating the gymnasium's interior. Cha Hae-In opened her eyes after sensing the brightness through her closed eyelids.

"But, how…..?!"

Her brows shot up as she failed to hide her astonishment. They were already in a familiar place.

She sensed only about one second passing by, yet the surroundings were completely different when she opened her eyes.

'How is this even possible?!'

She had never heard of such a skill existing in the world. Cha Hae-In looked around in utter amazement before shifting her gaze back to Jin-Woo.

"You….."

She had so, so many things she wanted to ask, but in the end, she couldn't open her lips to voice any of them.

The first reason for that was because she didn't even know just where to start her questions, and secondly, their distance was far, far too close for a spot of civilised conversation.

"It's safe now, so…."

Jin-Woo lightly grasped her wrists and unwrapped her arms around his waist.

"….You don't have to hold on to me anymore."

Nod, nod.

Cha Hae-In lightly rubbed her wrists he had grasped and wordlessly nodded her head.

"Okay. Let's get started."

Jin-Woo walked out of the corner the High Orc Shadow Soldier was probably hiding in, and strode towards the centre of the gymnasium.

"Alright."

She too followed behind him only to remember that she left her sword back in her car. Although a weapon was an indispensable tool for her trade, it would be quite rude to visit someone else's office fully armed, now wouldn't it?

Cha Hae-In quickly spoke to him.

"I left my weapon back in my car….."

"Oh, you mean that pickaxe?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, the one you were carrying around back in the rank A dungeon with High Orcs in it."

Her face reddened as soon as she remembered a small detail she'd been wanting to forget.

"N-no, my weapon is…."

She then spotted Jin-Woo giggling to himself, and belatedly realised that he was teasing her just now.

"…."

Jin-Woo waved his hand after seeing Cha Hae-In's reddened complexion.

"I was just joking with you."

Time to stop kidding around, however.

'Seriously, though. What should I do?'

Even if it was Cha Hae-In, she wouldn't be able to fight against the soldier he was planning to summon out. Of course, he wanted his soldier to win, but that didn't mean he wanted to see her get hurt, either.

"It'll be fine."

Cha Hae-In shifted her gaze towards the storage located within the gymnasium.

"I'm sure there will be a weapon I can borrow in the storage."

'Oho.'

A light gleamed within Jin-Woo's eyes after learning of something new. She walked up to the storage and diagonally swiped her Hunter licence on the electronic lock found on the side of the door.

That prompted the storage door to automatically slide open.

Rows of not-too-shabby-looking spare weapons were displayed inside the storage. Looking into the interior from a bit of distance away, Jin-Woo was inwardly impressed by the preparedness of the Hunter's Association.

'So, there was even stuff like this inside the Association….'

He wondered where all those high taxes Hunters had to fork out over the years ended up, but it looked like they were being put to good use. Cha Hae-In scanned the displayed items before picking up a sword similar in length to the one she'd been using and exited from the storage.

"I'm ready."

"Will that be fine? It's not a sword you've been using before, so wouldn't it feel off in your hands?"

Cha Hae-In shook her head.

"It doesn't really matter what weapon it is. Monsters don't care about what weapons Hunters are wielding when they fight us, after all."

Those were some wise words.

Jin-Woo carried the same opinion as her, so he didn't argue with her there. At the very least, he found her straightforwardness rather likeable.

'So, calling out my soldier is next, right?'

As if to prove that she wasn't joking about being ready, a sharp, focused aura oozed out of her. Against someone like her, any ol' regular soldier would be sliced up into tiny pieces in no time.

That's why, Jin-Woo called for the best card he could bring out under the current circumstances.

'Come out.'

A small portion separated from Jin-Woo's shadow and moved away a couple of steps from him. Then a black knight rose up from the unmoving shadow.

The jet-black armour and the helm; the red plumage attached to the helm, extending all the way down to his waist. The best sword-wielding Shadow Soldier in his army. It was Igrit.

'I told her that I'd be summoning the most powerful guy out, but…'

But, he thought that calling out Beru was a bit too much. Before he was turned into a Shadow Soldier, Beru was the terrifying creature that nearly drowned the entirety of Korean team members in the pit of pure terror. Hell, even Cha Hae-In herself almost died from his attack, too.

Jin-Woo couldn't bring Beru out when considering the potential mental shock she could suffer after seeing him again.

As for Fangs, he might end up destroying the gymnasium, so he was excluded. That's why he chose Igrit.

'Yup, at the end of the day, it can only be you.'

Jin-Woo knew he made the right call when looking at the wide, dependable back of Igrit. But then…..

"Mister Seong Jin-Woo."

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Cha Hae-In.

"What are the conditions for victory and defeat?"

When he heard her icy voice that was cold enough to instantly freeze the listener's heart, his belief began wavering somewhat. Jin-Woo pondered a bit before making his reply.

"Either my summon is destroyed, or Cha Hunter-nim admits defeat first."

Nod.

Cha Hae-In briefly nodded her head. Then, unsheathed the sword she got from the storage.

She was only holding a simple, plain magic sword one could buy pretty much anywhere, but even then, the aura oozing out of her was still quite incredible to behold.

'Yup, she's definitely strong.'

Jin-Woo could sense it. Her surging aura, after she decided to get serious, was definitely fitting for a woman whose skills were rated as the best even among the rank S Hunters.

Igrit also unsheathed his sword. As a matter of fact, he was now holding a longsword each in his hands. Even then, Jin-Woo couldn't help but think that Igrit would be defeated by her at this rate.

But then…..

'Wait a sec…. Didn't she say that it doesn't really matter what weapon it was, right?'

Jin-Woo recalled what she said just now and a smile floated up on his lips as he asked her for a small favour.

"Can you turn around for a second, please?"

"…..?"

Cha Hae-In tilted her head for a bit, but didn't complain and turned around as he asked. Using that gap, Jin-Woo summoned the 'Demon King's Longsword' out of his Inventory and handed it over to Igrit.

'Use this.'

By saying that she didn't mind what weapon she used, it could also be interpreted as she didn't mind what weapon her opponent was using.

Having been bestowed a sword straight from his sovereign, Igrit tried to kneel down to express his profound gratitude, but Jin-Woo quickly stopped him.

'I'm telling you, you don't have to stand on ceremony all the time, you know?'

If only Iron could learn half of Igrit's attitude….

In any case, the preparation was done, so Jin-Woo called out to Cha Hae-In again.

"It's fine now."

She turned around and spotted Igit now holding a brand new sword that crackled with blue arcs of electricity. Which he clearly wasn't holding a minute ago.

"....."

"Will it be fine if we start now?"

Jin-Woo pretended to not notice anything and asked her if she was good to go.

"….Yes."

Cha Hae-In, having already agreed to do this, could only say yes again with a begrudging expression.

"Okay then, begin."

Soon after Jin-Woo signalled the beginning, Igrit swung the 'Demon King's Longsword' to activate its passive ability as his opening attack.

Crack!

A strand of lightning flew in a straight line at Cha Hae-In. She flinched for the briefest of brief moments. But then, like an agile cat, she bent her upper body back and evaded the lightning.

Crackle!!

The wall of the gymnasium was scorched jet-black after getting struck by the stray lightning.

Shudder.

Cha Hae-In righted her torso and sent her sharp glare in Jin-Woo's direction, but he averted his gaze to stare into the distance, still pretending to not notice a thing.

'.....'

Without saying anything, Cha Hae-In gripped the sword tighter in her hands.

It was right then. Igrit rushed towards her at a frightening pace from her front to heed his Sovereign's order to bring her down. However, she didn't even blink once and also flung herself forward towards her opponent.

The office of the Association President, located on the top floor of the main building.

One could clearly see not just other Association buildings but the surrounding scenery when sitting inside this office.

'Mm?'

The Association President was in the middle of going through a report, but then, his gaze abruptly shifted over to the window. There should have been no one inside the gymnasium, but the lights there came on just now.

Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly, before picking up his phone to speak to his PA.

"Yes, sir?"

"Did someone book out the gymnasium today?"

"….Sir, I confirmed and no one has booked it today."

"Is that so?"

Goh Gun-Hui covered the phone's receiver and organised his thoughts for a bit, before speaking to his subordinate again.

"Can you send the CCTV feed from the gymnasium into my office?"

"Yes, sir. Please hold on."

Shortly thereafter, the live feed was displayed on the giant TV occupying the entire wall of his office. And that's when he got to see Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In hugging each other inside the gymnasium.

"….Keu-hum."

Stunned by what he saw, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly coughed to clear his throat. He looked over and over again, but it was definitely those two. He then tilted his head again.

'Did those two people have such a relationship?'

But then again, the very first person Hunter Cha Hae-In searched for when she regained consciousness briefly inside the helicopter was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.

'It seems that I was very slow on the uptake, huh.'

A content smile spread on Goh Gun-Hui's face as he gazed at the two young people on the TV screen.

Both of them requested for their private information to be protected as soon as they got their rank S licences. Even then, there was not one person in this country who didn't know Cha Hae-In, or for that matter, Seong Jin-Woo.

So, if two such people wished to spend some quiet time together, there would be no better place than the Association's gymnasium after the closing time.

To think, they'd chose a gymnasium as their date venue, quite unlike the youths of today. What a wonderfully wholesome date this was.

Goh Gun-Hui maintained a heartwarming smile and shook his head wryly.

'Yup, being young is indeed wonderful.'

He reached out to the resting phone's receiver and picked it up once more.

"I'm sorry about this, but I want you to switch off all the CCTV feed coming from the gymnasium."

"Sir? But…."

"Just say that today was the maintenance day in the records."

"I understand, sir."

The giant TV screen in the President's office showing the CCTV feed switched off as soon as he ended the call. Goh Gun-Hui took one last look at the gymnasium and returned to perusing the report, a grin still etched on his lips.

But, it was then.

RUMBLE…

The surface of the water in his cup vibrated softly as he sensed a minute tremor coming from the gymnasium's direction.

"Huhuh."

Goh Gun-Hui didn��t bother to look at the gymnasium and simply carried on smiling.

'Indeed, being young is the best.'

'This is…..'

Jin-Woo massaged his aching forehead.

It seemed that he had been greatly underestimating Cha Hae-In's actual skills up until now. Igrit's strength had been boosted overall by the 'Demon King's Longsword', but in the end, he couldn't win against her skills.

Right after Igrit's left arm flew away from being cut, Jin-Woo ended this match.

"Stop!"

Even though they would regenerate back to full, he still couldn't stand the sight of his soldiers getting destroyed.

"Fuu-."

Cha Hae-In reined in her rough breathing and let out a long sigh. Her opponent must've been tougher than expected, because she was soaked in sweat from head to toe. Her slender, white fingers wiped the droplets of sweat forming on her forehead.

Jin-Woo looked at that with a rueful expression, inwardly accepting his loss today, and called Igrit back.

"It's my loss."

Shururuk….

Igrit returned back inside his shadow. However, Cha Hae-In spoke directly to him, her hands not letting go of her sword.

"No. Please, this one doesn't count."

"…?"

What did she even mean by that, out of the blue? Didn't count?

Cha Hae-In explained herself.

"Didn't you say that you'd bring out the most powerful summon?"

Cha Hae-In walked closer and only stopped when she was one step away from Jin-Woo.

"Was that black knight really your strongest summon?"

She wasn't asking him here. No, it sounded as if she was just trying to confirm what she knew already.

Jin-Woo quietly shook his head. As if she was waiting for that, Cha Hae-In immediately carried on.

"Please call out your strongest summon. We agreed to do from that get-go, didn't we?"

"But, you may get injured."

"It's fine. I wanted to fight it at least one more time, anyway."

Jin-Woo's eyes widened from her declaration.

"Wait, you knew?"

Nod, nod.

"I saw the video footage."

Cha Hae-In had watched the raid video starring Jin-Woo several times by now.

The giant monster that made its appearance during the clip – she definitely remembered seeing that monster shooting out the pillar of flames from somewhere.

"That summoned creature, that was the High Orc Shaman, the boss of that rank A dungeon. Am I correct?"

If that was the case, then the mutated ant monster he hunted down this time would also have become his summoned creature, as well. From the word go, she chose to go through the test while thinking of fighting that mutated ant.

'There is no meaning in a victory like this.'

She wanted to defeat the summoned creature that used the powers of the mutated ant monster, and thereby get Jin-Woo to acknowledge her true value.

He pondered for a little bit, before nodding his head.

'Beru'.

Right away, a Shadow Soldier enshrouded in jet-black smoke rose up behind Jin-Woo. Cha Hae-In instinctively jumped back and created some distance as soon as she saw Beru's entrance.

Back then or now, that guy carried a truly horrendous aura.

Jin-Woo got genuinely worried when all colour drained out of her face and quickly asked her.

"Will this really be fine?"

Even if Beru had gotten weaker compared to when he was alive, this guy was originally a killing weapon born solely for the purpose of eliminating Hunters.

Cha Hae-In's lips were squeezed shut in a straight line, as she weightily nodded her head.

Beru had been staring at her quietly for a while, before lowering his head to whisper a question to Jin-Woo.

'Oh my king. How should I deal with this female?'

Cha Hae-In must've been unable to hear what Beru was saying, because she showed no particular reaction at all.

'Defeat her without injuring her.'

'It shall be done.'

The former king of the ants and the current Shadow Soldier turned towards the deeply tense female warrior.

Gulp.

Cha Hae-In swallowed her dry saliva. She felt goosebumps break out on her skin from the enormous amount of magic energy emitted by her opponent.

'Mister Seong Jin-Woo fought against a creature like this and won??'

Her eyes that showed no signs of hesitation while fighting against Igrit were now trembling greatly. Beru was done with the necessary preparation to follow his sovereign's order, and suddenly, spat out a mighty screech.

Kiiiaaaahhk!!

Blade-like claws began extending out from the ends of Beru's fingers, so Jin-Woo standing behind him sent over an unhappy glare.

'….Retract the claws.'

The high-spirited Beru immediately retracted his claws. Jin-Woo drilled one more instruction into his soldier's head.

'If you injure that woman, it won't be nice for you, either. Got that?'

'I shall follow your will.'

Only after hearing that definite answer from Beru did Jin-Woo declare the start of the second bout.

"Begin!"