The S-Rank Hunters are now enjoying their rest in a 5 star hotel in San Fransisco. They are resting while the authority takes care of the aftermath of their battle against the Dragon.
On their way to San Fransisco, the Hunters saw that it wasn't just Los Angeles that got destroyed. The Fire Breath even reached the neighboring areas and the impact went even further.
Luckily the Government has evacuated Los Angeles and all the cities around it because the Hunters couldn't enter the Gate. They were worried that the damage would be too big, so they increased the evacuation radius, and it seems to be the correct decision.
However, there were always those who ignored the evacuation order and stayed. Those people even went as far as hiding from the police and military that searched the whole evacuation area. Now those people can't even see the bright sky anymore.
If even S-Rank Hunters died from the Dragon's attacks, then normal people won't even have a chance to survive. Even the indirect hit caused by the attack impact was enough to kill them a few times already.
Well, it's none of Indra's concern. He doesn't want to help people who don't even want to help themselves. It's the consequence of their stupid choice. At least he and the other hunters saved those who loved their lives.
While they stay in the hotel, the Federal Hunter Bureau agents are asking the S-Ranks questions about how the raid went to make a detailed report.
It's a hassle to explain everything, but all the Hunters cooperated. They don't want their payments to be docked just because they don't want to explain a few things, after all.
On the 3rd day in the hotel, Il Hwan suddenly asks to meet Indra in private after breakfast. Indra has a hunch of what Il Hwan wants to talk about with him, and it is very important. So they go to the rooftop to talk.
"What do you want to talk about, old man?"
Indra suddenly speaks Korean, surprising Il Hwan who thought they would need to use the translator device.
"Don't use that device. It might transmit what we say to the American Government."
Indra uses his Ruler's authority to throw away the translation device in Il Hwan's hands. He also asks Il Hwan to remove all electronic devices he carries now to avoid any chance of eavesdropping.
Then Indra creates a barrier to cover them even after he checks that there's no one around them or even on the floor below them. It's all to make sure their talk won't be heard by anyone.
"You know korean?"
"Someone taught me korean with a mysterious method."
Jin Woo was giving Indra knowledge of the Korean language when he gave Indra the system. They will be partners and will have to communicate a lot, so Indra being able to speak in korean is important.
"Nevermind that. What do you want to talk about with me, old man."
"Solo Leveling, Rulers, Monarchs, have you ever heard about them?"
Indra is silent for a moment after Il Hwan asks that question.
"Did Jin Woo tell you everything?"
Il Hwan widens his eyes when he hears Indra's response.
"So it's really you. Sigh, I'm glad I got the correct person."
"What do you mean by the correct person?"
"W-well, I'm worried I got the wrong person and ended up revealing a very big secret. Anyway, you are the correct person, right?"
"..... If you mean the one who's sent by your son from the future to help him save the Earth, then yeah, it's me."
"Phew, good thing that it's really you."
"So, Jin Woo told you everything?"
"Yeah, to be exact, he opened my memories from the previous timelines and then explained what happened afterwards. He said he didn't want to involve me if possible, but he decided that it's better for me to know because I would be involved either way as an awakener. So he opened my memories and even raised my power."
As Indra thought, Il Hwan's power has been upgraded by Jin Woo. Well, it's necessary to have more powerful people to save the Earth and Il Hwan who was a Ruler's vessel in the past is a great addition because that means he has great potential.
"Does he have any messages for me?"
"Yeah, he told me to find a Battle Healer. That's why I wasn't sure because you only use your Healer abilities."
"Sorry about that. I still want to hide my true power to avoid problems that will make it harder to execute the plan. But I can show you the Battle abilities now if you want."
"It's-."
Before Il Hwan can finish what he wants to say, Indra sends a punch at Il Hwan's face. It stops right in front of the face, but it still creates a strong effect that pushes Il Hwan's head a bit.
"...-fine."
Il Hwan fixes his hair after finishing what he wanted to say.
"So what's the message?"
"He told me to give you his contact information so you can talk anytime later. That's why he wants us to get closer so it will be easy for you to go to South Korea or for me to go to Indonesia with my son by using our close friendship as an excuse."
"I see. If we show that we are good friends to the public, it will be much easier for us to contact each other as well."
As S-Rank Hunters and especially after this S-Rank raid, they will be the center of attention all the time. People will follow them everywhere and want to know what they do every day.
"That's right. That's why I am glad we were put in the same team in the raid planning. It's also the reason I kept joining you during breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. Though I never expected the others to keep joining us as well."
As Il Hwan says, the other Super S-Ranks who contributed the most in the raid almost always eat together. They just feel closer to each other after the raid.
But thanks to that, Il Hwan can show a close friendship with Indra naturally. Not like Indra cares about what others will think, but it surely will be easier to visit each other if they become close friends.
"Alright then, I will contact Jin Woo after we return to our countries. I'll even hire a professional to keep our communication secured. Using phones to talk about those important things always makes me worried that someone might have tapped into our phones and hear everything we talk about."
"So that's why you made me remove all those electronics."
"We never know."
"Sigh, alright, I'll tell that to my son after I get home then."
Il Hwan thinks that Indra is being overly cautious, but Indra always thinks it's better to be safe than sorry.
After their talk, both of them are getting even closer. But Indra doesn't just befriend Il Hwan. He also befriends most of the S-Ranks, especially the Super S-Ranks. Having good connections with these people will be very helpful in the future, after all.
His sister also helps a lot with it. She and Egypt's Dina are especially close. They even claimed to be BFF and always go everywhere together. Well, it's normal considering both of them are the only female S-Ranks in this raid and both of them are super strong.
The S-Ranks enjoy their break in the hotel for the next few days. There are many reporters flocking outside, so Indra doesn't come out at all. Though there are some who like getting attention, so they come out to entertain the reporters, like Thomas.
Then on the 5th day, the Federal Hunter Bureau finally makes an award ceremony for the S-Rank Hunters. It's also to announce a few important things regarding the S-Rank Gate raid.
They start with a few formalities as usual and then show some pictures of the Red Dragon's corpse that now is kept by the Federal Hunter Bureau.
'Too bad for Thomas. He can't keep a tooth now because he didn't get bitten and broke one of the Dragon's teeth. But well, Jin Woo won't need those daggers when his power recovers, so it doesn't really matter.'
After quite a long time, the main event finally comes. They give rewards to the Hunters who participate. The rewards of the deceased Hunters will be sent to their families.
Then the Federal Hunter Bureau reveals that the success of the raid was mainly because of 11 Hunters. In fact, only 11 of them could face the Dragons because the Dragon's spell could immobilize the other Hunters.
"The Red Dragon, codename Kamish, has shown power to obliterate a city with a single attack. Kamish was that powerful, but these 11 Hunters were the ones stopping Kamish from going to other cities and killed it in Los Angeles. This is the testimony of all participating Hunters."
The Bureau Director's revelation surprises the audience. They never thought that most of those S-Ranks couldn't even fight the Dragon, which means it was terrifyingly powerful.
"That's why after a long discussion with experts and also the United Nations. We decided to give these 11 Hunters a new rank beyond S-Rank. Each individual has power rivalling Nations, so we grant them the rank of National Level Hunters."
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