"I, thank you for your kindness, Hunter Nanase."The reason Chairman Go Gun-Hee was thanking Haru stems from the fact that the latter was currently using his Reverse cursed technique to restore the old man's health to a stable condition.
Woo Jin-Chul extended his gratitude as well and as per the others in the room then they were still too shocked after hearing the content of the video Haru presented.
Just like Go Gun-Hee they all were agitated hearing about the plot of the Japanese Hunter Association chief was planning and what real motive they had to offer the proposal of an allied raid team.
Korea already was going through a tough time after losing two of its S-rankers recently(one retired and one migrated) and in that situation, the Japanese Association wants to weaken Korea even more by sacrificing all the high-ranking Hunters and making Korea entirely dependable on its neighbors.
Utterly disgusting.
It took some time but Haru was able to stabilize the old man who nearly went into berserk mode hearing the ploy and he had enough reason to react in that way.
"....Hunter Nanase, if you don't mind me asking, then who provided you with this video clip?"
Even Choi Jong-In, who generally remains calm-headed seemed nearing his edge.
Every gaze once again turned toward Haru to hear the answer since if someone could get close to the top-ranking hunter and Chairman of the Association then the spy must be a high-ranking official as well.
"I was about to get there, Hunter Choi. But before that, I want to ask a favor, Sir Chairman." With due respect, Haru spoke up as he walked to the opposite side of the table so he could address everyone in the room before he continued, "It doesn't matter to me, whether you take any legal action or not after watching the clip but if you go through the proceeding, I want you to keep the name of the third person out of the equation."
It was a fact that in this world, strength was what matters the most so even if the Korean Association tries to sue the Chairman of the Japanese branch, it wouldn't make any difference since the clip could be easily regarded as a cheaply edited trickery.
Japan needs and believes in Goto Ryuuji and it was a undoubtedly proven fact that the said hunter is one of the strongest pillars of the vanguard from the human side if viewed from a general view. He might become a National Level Hunter soon as well so it was given that based on a single clip, people were not going to cancel his hunter license and punish the top-ranking Japanese Hunter.
Both Go Gun-Hee and all the S-rankers sitting on either side of the conference table know this fact. However, what intrigued many was the sudden request Haru made regarding the 'third person' certainly was the one who was spying on the other two.
Some in the room including Go Gun-Hee understood who Haru was trying to protect and they had nothing to say against it. Haruka Nanase has practically saved the whole top-ranking hunter unit from their demise by uncovering the truth behind the kind proposal the Japanese Association extended.
"But even if we don't take support from Japanese hunters...which now we surely won't, how are we supposed to clear the Jeju-do?"
Baek Yoonho asked with a serious frown knitting his brows and this query was something that everyone mutually shared.
After discovering the true face of the offered alliance, only an insane person would follow the plan and jump into a hell hole with a bunch of backstabbers.
'That brings us back to zero... ' Go Gun-Hee sighed.
"Oh, don't stress about it anymore. I will clear it out in two days."
"!!!"
Go Gun-Hee wasn't the only one whose eyes widened in shock at the moment since what Nanase Haruka just dared to utter now was something that could be regarded as utterly absurd and foolish of him.
"Hunter Nanase....are you aware of the numbers of ants and their physical capabilities?"
Haruka was young and inexperienced that's why Jin-Chul thought that the young man might have been a little blinded by the sudden popularity he has gained after being evaluated as a S-ranker.
But...
"I know they are over 10k and many of them could rival a typical S-ranker as well, but that does change the fact that by the evening of the day after tomorrow, I would completely isolate that island."
There was slight arrogance and overflowing confidence in his voice that made Cha Hae-In baffled. Even though she was regarded as the strongest hunter in Korea by many until now, she never dared expose such arrogance since she knows that there is someone always stronger than you.
But here Haru was explicitly telling everyone in the room how capable he was to handle something that Korea was failing consecutively to take care of.
"I respect your confidence, Mr. Nanase but we shouldn't forget that in the past there were capable hunters who also lost their lives on that island." Choi Jong-In spoke in his usual tone while trying to mediate the atmosphere.
However, by the looks of it, the youngest one here wasn't going to consider any advice at all.
"I respect the sacrifice they made and the hard work every hunter has made to clear up that problematic island but it won't be the same for me as it was for them. After all..." With a grin spreading his lips and head tilted to the right, Haru announced in a matter-of-fact tone.
"...I am the strongest."
****
[Haru's POV:]
After stating my point and retrieving my phone, I walked out of the conference room.
The atmosphere in there was scary since mostly everyone was looking at me with a judgemental gaze. Well, I can't blame them since I haven't exposed much of my powers to make them feel the weight of my words.
I was planning to go to Jeju-do on my own and nuke it entirely after defeating Beru. Truth be told other than the Ant King nothing was much worth for Sunbae. I actually liked Beru's character in the story that's why a fair fight for him before I take his body with me.
Absorbing those ant's energies would be beneficial but it would take a lot of time. I was planning to absorb the main guarding ants and the mother of all ants. Not Querehsha but the one laying eggs on the island.
I didn't know what the Korean Association would do after this but their perception of me would surely improve after I clear their biggest trouble as of now.
"Wait, Hunter Nanase."
I already sensed the people chasing after me so I calmly turned around to see every S-ranker currently standing there and Baek Yoonho folding his sleeve with his eyes trained on me before I heard something interesting being uttered.
"Association Chairman was against it but as a responsible Hunter, I need to ensure everyone's safety. So if Mr. Nanase is really confident in defeating every creature on Jeju-do, then you won't mind having a spar with me just for my own assurance right? It's nothing personal so please go easy on me."
...this is gonna be fun.
*****
A/N: - Damn, you guys are restless. Over 500 already? Well, I delivered what I promised.
There's a reason why Haru exposed the plot to them which would eventually be mentioned and influence the story. Since I took out the sparring scene of the canon, I added this one to make people realize how strong Haru actually is.
Drop a comment.