Hunter Association headquarters in South Korea.
There, a single topic dominated the meetings of the assembled executive staff, from the chief level and above.
"Leon Dragonia Lionheart…what kind of name is that? I mean, he emerged from the black gate and...."
"He decapitated an Archdemon with a single blow…Is this the report you guys want me to believe?"
"Survivors vary in strength, so it's not impossible. There were cases before weren't there?"
"What else did you find out, God? Wasn't that magic to make the crops grow?"
"He also assisted in the capture of the Hunan Plains Gate?"
"That's good to know."
The black gate that appeared in the middle of Seoul passed uneventfully through information control but the problem is that a survivor was found inside the black gate.
The Association approached the survivor very cautiously.
"Chief Kim Jin-soo, I heard that you've been watching him the last few days. He even helped us attack the Hunan Plains."
Oh Kang-hyuk, president of the Hunter Association, asked Kim Jin-soo.
"Yes, sir. Director."
"What kind of person is he?"
Kim Jin-soo thought for a long time, which was unusual for him to answer a question from his superiors.
"Well… I don't know."
His conclusion was as vague as it was troublesome.
"You're not sure?"
"Not…evil…but rather just."
Of that, he was sure.
"But his values are very different from ours. He is basically like medieval lords...."
"That's troubling."
"I wish he was more modern."
Their reactions were understandable because while a significant number of survivors are integrating into society, an equally significant number are not.
The lower the level of civilization, the more likely it is that they were the ruling class or due to racial differences.
The survivors were unable to integrate into society, causing all sorts of social problems.
If they were just a nuisance to society, they would be ignored, but there were many survivors who were just as powerful as the Awakened.
In short, even if a madman comes out, the problem is that the madman's too powerful.
"Hmm… In terms of ideas and etiquette, it's best to be cautious and match him as closely as possible."
"Yeah, but he can be surprisingly smooth. He seems to understand your culture."
That was because Leon was originally an Earthling but he was currently pretending to be from a completely different planet, so he could act a little unreasonable.
For Chief Kim, who doesn't know that, Leon appears understanding and in terms of abilities, Leon was surprisingly impressive.
"The part about descending gods…tell me more."
Leon's miracle at the Hunan Plains Gate appeared on a personal YouTuber's livestream, but he stopped the livestream for fear of confusion.
"Yes, Demera, the goddess of fertility and life, possessed a straw puppet, and it appears they actually had a conversation."
It was also captured on video. Somehow, the straw man's voice was inaudible, but it was clear that the straw man had moved.
"You don't think she was just using some sort of telekinesis?"
"A goddess, that's ridiculous."
Most of the officers dismissed it with the same words. A goddess was too much of a stretch.
"But there's evidence...."
"Couldn't it just be some kind of magical effect? The rice grew because God blessed it? That's ridiculous."
"If there're demons, why not gods?"
Opinions were divided within the Association, but there was one consensus.
"The rice must be good."
With Leon's blessing, the rice grew rapidly. But that's not all. The land contaminated with miasma was instantly purified as the rice grew.
The mere fact that the land was cleaned of miasma was shocking enough, but when the test results showed that each and every one of the rice was a rare grade, the room was once again in an uproar.
"Rice that can heal cancer patients and give long-lasting buffs...."
This ability is as remarkable as Leon's brute strength. No, maybe even more so.
Ordinary potions made by potion masters only lasted for three hours, and they cost millions, so even large guilds were wary of using them.
However, this rice keeps the buff longer than potions and can stack up to three times if they are of different types.
If utilized properly, this meant that every hunter at the gate would only need to take one or two doses to stay buffed.
"I'll have Leon Drago…Nia Lionheart weigh in on that."
"Yes, sir. And about the subsidy for survivors...."
"Maximum. Give him whatever he wants, we need to bring him into our organization."
Even as he spoke, Oh Kang-hyuk was unsure of himself.
Since the Firebird Guild was present at the scene this information shouldn't be theirs alone. At the very least, the Firebird Guild knows about Leon's abilities.
It's only a matter of time before the Ten Guilds find out about Leon the Survivor.
Will the Association be able to compete with them? Oh Kang-hyuk sighed as he looked at the remaining budget for the year.
"I…But, Mr. President. There's one thing Survivor Leon asked for."
"What is it? Whatever he says, I'll listen."
"It's...."
Kim Jin-soo hesitated, as if he didn't know what to say, then said it with difficulty.
"I need to meet with the President."
"What? Why?"
"Because he'll be living in our country so it's only natural for a king to greet a king...."
"???"
* * * *
It's been four days since Leon returned to Earth.
He's been staying in a five-star suite in Seoul. Initially, the Hunter's Association had offered him a place to stay, but he immediately rejected them.
"It's not a battlefield," he said, "and there's no beauty in the king's bedroom!"
In short, it's not classy.
He demanded a room with the finest bed, servants at his beck and call, and art to admire at all times.
Eventually, in the middle of the night, Ha-ri went around to the five-star hotels and asked for a compromise. They could rent a suite and decorate it with paintings and pottery pieces.
"Your Majesty… please let me sleep!"
At two in the morning Ha-ri asked Leon to let her sleep, mimicking the pleas she had seen in historical dramas.
"Hmm...."
Leon backed down from the request since he didn't want to pester the bureaucrat too much.
The next morning, Ha-ri was in charge of room service.
"Your Majesty, Ha-ri is here!"
-Come in.
Ha-ri swiped his room card to open the door and pushed a tray of breakfast in front of her.
"I hope you're feeling better after your journey."
"Morning."
Ha-ri set the food down herself.
The meal was a short rib banh sung that cost over 100,000 won. The ribs, marinated in spices and grilled with the finest Korean beef, made her drool.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet."
"Eat when you can. Don't go hungry."
"Yeah…."
When Leon had finished eating, Ha-ri decided she should get a sandwich from the café on the first floor.
Have a seat."
Leon invited her to take a seat.
"Your Majesty…!"
He asked her if she had a meal and offered her a seat. Apparently, he was going to share his meal out of consideration for her.
Ha-ri searches for chopsticks with a touching gaze.
"What are you doing?"
"What?"
"I asked, what are you doing with these ribs, instead of making them edible?"
"Ugh...."
Ha-ri bent her head down and tried to separate the bone from the flesh of the spiced ribs.
...
…
After checking out, Ha-ri drove away with Leon and as they were moving to their destination, she began to explain things.
"The Hunter's Association has decided to provide you with a grant and resettlement assistance. They will take you to a place where you will be comfortable, though not as comfortable as the royal palace."
"That is very considerate of them. When do you think the President of the Republic of Korea will be free?"
"Ah, well, that's… there's the matter of our security, and──"
"Do you think this king has no honor and would assassinate the president? A king does not kill a king!"
"Oh, no, we don't!"
She didn't think Leon would ever try to kill the President, but she thought they couldn't assure the President's safety by saying 'I think so'.
Leon is a force to be reckoned with, even for an S-class hunter, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the worst disaster in Korean political history if he were to act unexpectedly.
"I've already told your majesty that land in the capital is very expensive, so your majesty will be much more cramped than when you lived in the royal palace. Do you think you'll be okay?"
At first, she thought she'd try to find a decent apartment in Seoul. Rent support for survivors with a high assessment totaled 15 million won for a year.
Of course, if you think about it, $1.3 million a month for an apartment would be a palace for a modern man, but Leon was a king.
He had his own royal palace, with hundreds of rooms and just one of which must have been enormous.
They would have to give him the Blue House or Gyeongbokgung Palace to match his aesthetic. Of course, this was impossible.
"As a guest, how can I be extravagant?"
Ha-ri didn't mention that the Hunter Society had lobbied to have the museum's artwork removed to accommodate Leon's request. Nor did they tell him that the housing allotted to him now was the private vacation home of Oh Kang-hyuk, the president of the Hunter Association.
The Hunter Association was trying to accommodate Leon's demanding tastes.
"Your Majesty, speaking of which, the distribution of the loot."
"I've ordered that you handle that yourself. But I like the cloak, so leave it alone."
"Yes...."
In the end, it was decided that the loot from the Hunan Plains Gate would be exempt from taxes as a special case.
Technically, they were saying, "We don't have any loot from the Hunan Plains!"
It was a better deal than the Firebird Guild and the other ten guilds, but Leon hadn't listened to the Association staff. He insisted that if he could speak to the king of the country, the president, he would be more likely to listen to him, and eventually the Association agreed to arrange a meeting with the president in secret.
Until then, Leon would be granted immunity and tax exemption from all charges.
The loot allocated to Leon was Dulahan's Greatsword, Dulahan's Cloak, and $5 million worth of the $10 million worth of magic stones that had been mined in the haste to close the dungeon.
In fact most of the loot was given to Leon but since he had actually closed the dungeon on his own none of the staff had any complaints.
"Your Majesty, we arrived."
They arrived at an office building in Bundang. It's a high-end office building that's close to the Hunter's Association and has a helicopter on the rooftop, so it's favored by the Hunters.
The lobby is just as lavish as the rest of the building as the elaborate framed prints and contemporary artworks on display create a convincing atmosphere.
"Those little paintings are the best."
Leon's aesthetic didn't make sense of some of the artwork.
"Ms. Han Ha-ri of the Hunter Association?"
It was then that a well-dressed man in a business suit spoke to the two as they made their way to the lobby.
"Who are you?"
Ha-ri was wary of the man who spoke to them as if he had been waiting for them. It was a secret that they were coming to this office building.
"Haha, what a coincidence. I'm Park Jong-chan, director of Doojeong Group, Doojeong Future Food."
"Doojeong Group?"
Doojeong Group was one of the top three conglomerates in Korea, so why would a director of such a conglomerate be waiting for them under the guise of coincidence?
"Ah… You must be the famous 'survivor' these days, nice to meet you Leon Dragonia Lionheart."
He had already figured it all out.
Ha-ri's heart sank at the sight of Mr. Park, Leon, on the other hand, stared in disbelief at Park's hand as he shook his.
"A merchant…shook this king's hand?"