Chapter 81
Gulp-
The reporters swallowed dry saliva, and one question began to bloom in their minds.
'Just how strong is he?'
Hypotheses kept popping up, but they shook their heads vigorously to brush off those doubts.
'It's not something you can figure out right away just by racking your brains without professional knowledge.'
What's important is that one mega-scoop after another has just broken right before their eyes.
It meant they had obtained story material that could generate record-breaking views without exaggeration.
Seong-jun Lee's lips curved into a smile as he confirmed the reporters' gleaming eyes.
'Not bad.'
It wasn't the situation he had originally thought of.
But looking at the situation itself, it could be said to be not bad.
To be precise, it could even be seen as a good situation.
'Once the articles pour out... most small fries won't even dare to approach.'
A satisfied smile was flowing on Seong-jun's lips when,
Whoosh-!
With a strong gust of wind, Ko Tae-hyun appeared, crossing over the reporters' heads, and urgently checked Seong-jun's physical condition.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Thankfully, there were no visible injuries on his body.
No, come to think of it, this could be said to be a very natural result.
'What on earth was that summon just now?'
Originally, for hunters with assassin-like characteristics, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the battle is decided in the first strike.
But the red-formed summon that suddenly appeared showed movements like those of martial artists and deflected Yang Jun-hyuk's attack.
From Yang Jun-hyuk's perspective, it must have been an unexpected variable.
To be precise, it was a variable that no one could have expected.
'Excellent judgment ability and nimble movements... At a glance, it was a high-level summon of S-rank or above.'
Originally, to summon an S-rank or higher summon, special preparation was needed, or casting time was required.
But just now, Hunter Seong-jun Lee summoned it without any conditions.
It was an ability that would surprise even hunters with summoner-type jobs, and moreover, Seong-jun was a martial artist who handled martial arts.
It was something that couldn't happen according to common sense.
'...Is it a reward obtained from the treasure gate?'
Along with surprise, curiosity was piqued, but what was important now wasn't the identity of the summon.
"I'm sorry, I'm truly ashamed, I should have paid more attention to the security... It's my negligence."
Ko Tae-hyun immediately bowed his head and offered words of apology.
If their relationship wasn't good, they might have used this attack as an excuse to corner him, but currently, the Association could be said to be the most friendly group of all.
There was no reason to create conflict unnecessarily.
"It's alright, it was just an accident."
Shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, Seong-jun Lee turned his head and shifted his gaze to the sprawled Yang Jun-hyuk.
"I just ask that you handle the aftermath thoroughly."
Ko Tae-hyun had directly seen and experienced the person named Seong-jun Lee for a not-so-short period of three months.
Although not perfectly, he could say he had grasped to some extent what kind of person Seong-jun Lee was.
'For now, he'll tolerate it as an unavoidable accident...'
But the follow-up response is different.
The Association's capability will be judged by how they wrap up the incident that just occurred.
'...We need to conclude this definitively.'
Hunter Seong-jun Lee cleared the treasure gate alone.
'Moreover, he showed his inherent ability by breaking the world record.'
To maintain a symbiotic relationship of mutual assistance like now, the Association itself must also prove its worth.
How they wrap up the attack incident that occurred today will determine the future relationship.
Naturally, Ko Tae-hyun didn't want to break ties with Seong-jun Lee, who could be called the current hope of the Association.
Ko Tae-hyun, with eyes full of determination, nodded his head.
"We will mobilize all of the Association's personnel to surely uncover the mastermind behind this incident."
"Good."
Seong-jun's lips curled into a gentle smile at Ko Tae-hyun's truly satisfactory answer, and he shifted his gaze.
"Then, I'll trust the Vice President and take my leave now."
He had achieved his original goal of revealing his presence to the world.
There were some minor interviews left, but they were information that could be announced later through the Association without any problem.
There was no need to waste time being held up by reporters.
Of course, it was inconvenient to move as the reporters blocked all directions, but it wasn't much of a problem.
The moment Seong-jun expressed his intention, Ko Tae-hyun's head nodded briefly.
"...I'll escort you."
The Association's hunters, including Jo Kang-hyun who had been waiting nearby, began to move as if they had been waiting.
Tap. Tap.
Naturally, the blocked path began to open.
Seong-jun, walking with light steps on the clearly opened path, got into the Association's vehicle that was waiting and left the place.
* * *
The next day, at the top floor of the Cosmos Guild headquarters.
The eyes of Yoon Min-su, an SSS-rank hunter also known as the Sword Master, narrowed.
"Is this... certain information?"
The information about Seong-jun Lee and the treasure gate written in the report just handed over was something that Yoon Min-su, who could be called the highest boss in the workplace, was paying tremendous attention to.
If he thought it was false information, he wouldn't have directly submitted the report like this.
Park Han-taek, the head of the First Information Planning Team, nodded his head firmly.
"Yes, it's information obtained through Association personnel just now."
Although it wasn't a legal matter, not only the top 5 guilds but also the information teams of large guilds all secretly had individuals who could be called informants in the Association.
As Yoon Min-su was also aware of this fact, he would have accepted Park Han-taek's information without much question under normal circumstances.
However, the content written in the report he was holding now was difficult to comprehend.
"It's already amazing that he broke the world record for the treasure gate alone..."
Moreover, a doppelganger appeared as the boss monster.
A battle against oneself, and not even 1:1 but 3:1, it was an inevitably disadvantageous battle.
But Seong-jun Lee overcame it.
To be precise, it could be said that he overwhelmed it.
He even had enough strength left to easily subdue Yang Jun-hyuk, an S+ rank villain known as the Shadow Operative.
'Of course, there's a possibility that Hunter Seong-jun Lee lied.'
After all, the information from the Association side was merely an overheard interview directly taken from Hunter Seong-jun Lee.
'But he has no reason to lie.'
It's already a treasure gate that he cleared while breaking the record.
Whatever the difficulty of the boss, it doesn't greatly change Seong-jun's external achievements.
Above all, from Yoon Min-su's standpoint, there was no reason not to believe it.
'Denying and underestimating the opponent's ability is something only fools do.'
At this point, it's better to view Seong-jun's level as much higher.
Yoon Min-su's expression hardened as his contemplation deepened.
'I've been misjudging all this time. It wasn't something I should have entrusted to Seung-jun in the first place.'
Seong-jun Lee was not just a wind.
He was an existence that could be called a hidden dragon without exaggeration.
He could reach at least SSS-rank, no, perhaps even beyond that, to the realm of Grand Master who could compete with the world's rankers.
Of course, Seong-jun could also suddenly stop growing like other returnees.
But one shouldn't rely on such ridiculous luck.
'All matters should always assume the worst case scenario.'
Just as he believed the doppelganger to be true.
He doesn't let his guard down.
A lion gives its all even when hunting a rabbit.
This was the process by which the current Cosmos was created, and could be said to be the mindset that Yoon Min-su usually held.
Of course, that doesn't mean he thought about using villains like Radiant Star, or dealing with him directly.
Yoon Min-su was, after all, currently number one in South Korea.
The self-esteem he had honed to create that position was by no means low.
'I will protect the position of the strongest with my own hands.'
As mentioned, to do so, he can no longer just rely on Song Seung-jun.
Yoon Min-su himself needs to grow more.
He himself must reach the realm of Grand Master.
'There might be some noise if I suddenly leave my position, but...'
It was something he had to do anyway.
If he stayed idle like now, the Cosmos Guild that he had painstakingly nurtured could be swallowed up by the hidden dragon named Seong-jun Lee.
'I have no choice but to think of it as the only way to prevent the worst-case scenario and a small sacrifice for the greater good.'
Having finally made his decision, Yoon Min-su's eyes shone as he began preparing to enter closed-door training.
* * *
That evening, at the Phoenix Guild building.
"Master! A big fish! An ultra-premium big fish has appeared in the market!"
A loud voice erupted from the office of Lee Ye-rin, the master of Phoenix, one of South Korea's top 5 guilds.
The owner of the voice was Choi Chang-woo.
He was the second SS-rank hunter of the Phoenix Guild and held the position of vice-master.
There was a good reason for the vice-master himself, not just anyone else, to rush in like this and shout loudly.
"Seong-jun Lee! Hunter Seong-jun Lee has entered the FA (Free Agent) market!"
Lee Ye-rin's eyes widened as she was processing the documents piled up on her desk. Her gaze was full of confusion and surprise.
"What? Hunter Seong-jun Lee has entered the market?! Is that possible?"
He was clearly the most sought-after hunter in South Korea currently, a goose that lays golden eggs.
If he entered the market, anyone would be tempted to acquire him.
But Seong-jun Lee was already straddling both the Association and the White Tiger Guild.
In that situation, he additionally declared FA.
"...How are the Association and White Tiger side reacting?"
To Lee Ye-rin's tension-filled question, Choi Chang-woo swallowed his saliva and carefully said,
"They stated that they support Hunter Seong-jun Lee's decision."
"Insane...!"
Is this even possible?
While it's rare domestically for an exceptionally outstanding hunter to have dual affiliations, it's quite common when looking at cases worldwide.
But triple affiliation is different.
This is inevitable because even for a great hunter whose name alone raises the value of the affiliated guild, if that share is divided into three instead of two, the value becomes somewhat ambiguous.
'Currently, the precedent for triple affiliation is at most five people even by global standards...'
And all of them are among the strongest of the SSS-rank hunters, rankers, and among them, they belong to the Guardians, which only selects nine people.
In simple terms, they were beings called the heaven above heaven, existences beyond compare.