Chapter 95
Even just imagining it made Tae-hyun Ko feel a surge of emotion in his chest, but he forcibly suppressed those feelings.
'...It's still just a future scenario.'
It meant it hadn't become reality yet.
There was no way to know what variables might interfere.
'Especially... China and Japan won't just sit back and watch this situation unfold.'
They would start thoroughly investigating information about Hunter Seong-jun Lee behind the scenes.
'Then they'll try to persuade Hunter Seong-jun Lee by making offers that are hard to refuse.'
It meant that maintaining the current friendly relationship through simple exchanges would become difficult.
'We need to prepare in advance so they can't easily approach Hunter Seong-jun Lee.'
It meant finding and providing things that Hunter Seong-jun Lee needs and desires.
Of course, some tasks would be too much for a mere vice president of the association to handle alone.
But there were still ways to make it happen.
'If I can have a one-on-one meeting with the President...'
They could establish solid defenses to prevent other countries from coveting Hunter Seong-jun Lee.
'I'll have to move very busily for a while.'
Though it meant a mountain of work to handle, he didn't feel bad about it.
Rather, he felt good.
'To think I'd be able to make the dreams I only imagined a reality...'
A deep smile spread across Tae-hyun Ko's face as he envisioned Korea rising as a powerhouse in East Asia in the distant future.
* * *
In the VVIP room at the Korea-China Friendly Exhibition Match.
A brighter smile than ever before was spreading across Mu-jin Baek's face as he sat in the chair.
"Hahaha! Seong-jun! As expected, my eye for talent was not wrong!"
The Great Monk, Yi-ryeong Kang, was a being who reached SSS-rank purely through stats alone - someone who could be called a half-wit without exaggeration.
In reality, even Mu-jin Baek himself, who was only SS+ rank, was certain he could gain the upper hand if he faced Yi-ryeong Kang in a head-on battle.
So he thought Seong-jun Lee's skills, having cleared the Treasure Gate alone, would be enough to secure victory against Yi-ryeong Kang.
However, Seong-jun Lee's performance just now went beyond merely gaining the upper hand.
'The power Seong-jun used at the end was undoubtedly strong ki!'
It meant he had wielded a power symbolizing the pinnacle of martial arts mastery.
This meant Seong-jun Lee had become a master who reached the realm of the absolute peak.
"I knew he was no ordinary person... but he's far exceeding my expectations."
Mu-jin Baek couldn't hide the excitement rising in his chest.
"Looks like I'll be able to face him much sooner than I thought."
As he imagined sparring with Seong-jun Lee, his heart began pounding wildly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
How long had it been since an opponent evoked such excitement?
'Tae-sang Cheon, the current Returners' Union leader? Yun-su Min of Cosmos?'
No, not enough.
Even those two didn't evoke this level of excitement when he first met them.
Just as rough breaths were escaping Mu-jin Baek's nose and mouth:
"...If we delay any longer, we may be late for the meeting time."
From behind, Seung-tae Choi, the Silent Door Lord who had been quietly observing, carefully spoke up.
For an ordinary meeting, he would have paid no mind and immediately requested a duel with Seong-jun Lee.
But this meeting was called by none other than the World Returners' Union.
Moreover, all the attendees were either Returners' Union leaders from each country or vice leaders acting as representatives.
It meant ignoring it completely would lead to several troublesome issues.
Though somewhat annoyed, he couldn't fail to endure this much after waiting several decades.
No, thinking about it, this could even be considered a good situation.
'If I had stayed in Korea, I might not have been able to suppress my desire and would have made a move on Seong-jun Lee.'
But not yet.
A little more time was needed for him to fully ripen.
'Considering the amount of strong ki he wielded, Seong-jun has just barely entered the initial stage of the absolute peak.'
Though he made up for deficiencies with excellent inner energy techniques, the actual quantity wasn't very significant.
It meant he would inevitably fall short against Mu-jin Baek, who had reached the uppermost tier of the absolute peak.
'It would normally take considerable time to advance to higher realms even within the absolute peak... but Seong-jun reached the level of an absolute peak master just 4 months after returning to Earth.'
Considering his growth rate so far, by the time they returned from the Returners' Union meeting, he would likely become a formidable opponent worthy of going all out against.
It meant he would be able to enjoy an even more thrilling battle than now.
Imagining the growth of Seong-jun Lee that would bring even greater joy in the future, Mu-jin Baek suppressed the desire threatening to leak out.
'For the sake of that day... I must endure just a little... a little longer.'
After forcibly suppressing his rising desire, Mu-jin Baek quickly turned around and spoke before his mind could change:
"We'll depart right away, so make preparations to leave."
* * *
China, Tianjin, Dragon Scale Fortress headquarters.
A wry smile spread across the face of Ji-gang Wei, lord of Dragon Scale Fortress, as he watched the screen on the wall.
"To think Yi-ryeong Kang would lose... an unexpected result."
It wasn't just a simple defeat either.
"In terms of pure martial skill, he was toyed with like a puppet on a palm."
The executives watching the screen with Ji-gang Wei remained silent at his words.
They knew it wasn't a question expecting an answer.
But they all shared the same thoughts as Ji-gang Wei.
"I thought he must be an incredible genius when even the notoriously strict Azure Dragon Lord showed an intense reaction... but this is astonishing."
"Indeed... the results exceed what our intelligence department predicted."
It wasn't just the friendly match with Yi-ryeong Kang - the more they learned about Seong-jun Lee, the more surprising he proved to be.
'According to the report submitted by the intelligence department earlier... Seong-jun Lee only spent 5 years living in the other world.'
Originally, the strength of Returners was largely determined by how long they lived in the other world.
That was because the more effort and time invested, the better results one could achieve.
It was natural, but not absolute.
Very rarely, there were those called geniuses like himself, Ji-gang Wei.
In other words, among those currently called Rankers on Earth, there were Returners who showed tremendous growth by applying their experiences and memories from the other world to the system.
"Still... Seong-jun Lee is an unprecedented existence."
Ji-gang Wei's words were tinged with no small amount of admiration.
Inevitably so, as Seong-jun Lee had only been officially active as a Hunter for just 4 months.
'...Not even half a year has passed.'
4 months - for Returners with past experiences and memories, it was enough time to achieve some notable results.
But it was far too short to wield strong ki, the symbol of absolute peak martial artists and masters.
'Even if the mind remembers having walked this path before, the body right after returning is in an extremely weak state.'
It meant having to rebuild from the basics, which could be considered rock bottom.
That's why even he, Ji-gang Wei, hailed as a genius, took a full 2 years to reach the realm of the absolute peak.
Yet Seong-jun Lee reached the realm of the absolute peak in just 4 months, demonstrating the use of strong ki.
'A genius... no, beyond even that.'
If not for the video of the match with Yi-ryeong Kang, he would never have believed such an outrageous story.
But faced with the immediate results and video evidence, there was no denying it.
'Perhaps... Seong-jun Lee may have been born with the Heavenly Martial Body.'
No, considering all of Seong-jun Lee's achievements so far, the probability of him having the Heavenly Martial Body was very high.
'It means he can continue growing endlessly, not limited to what's immediately visible.'
Suddenly, a question arose.
If things continued at this rate, what realm could Seong-jun Lee reach in about a year?
'Transformation... no, Manifestation? No, considering his growth rate so far, he might even reach realms beyond that.'
It meant that before long, Seong-jun Lee of South Korea would reign as one of the world's overlords.
The balance of power in Asia, unchanged for decades, was about to face a tremendous shift.
This was no time to simply marvel.
'We need to clearly determine our stance before it's too late.'
Either firmly oppose him as an enemy, or secure a position as a reliable ally by his side.
As the answer was all too obvious, Ji-gang Wei's deliberation didn't last long.
'We'll become allies of South Korea and Seong-jun Lee.'
He was a martial artist born with the Heavenly Martial Body, no less.
'There's no reason to do something stupid like turning him into an enemy out of foolish greed.'
Though he wanted to immediately propose an alliance to Seong-jun Lee, unfortunately Dragon Scale Fortress's homeland of China was a communist country.
If the government shared his current thoughts, there would be no problem, but what if they held the opposite view?
'They would try to impose all sorts of restrictions and oppression.'
If he were acting alone, he could gladly endure it.
But if they extended their reach to his relatives and those around Dragon Scale Fortress, things would inevitably become quite troublesome.
It meant that even he, Ji-gang Wei, active as a current Ranker, had no choice but to be wary of the Chinese government.
"How is our Chinese government reacting to the results of this friendly match?"
In response to Ji-gang Wei's question, Li Xian, head of intelligence, immediately spoke up.
"As of now, they are maintaining silence without offering any response."
From Ji-gang Wei's perspective, having already decided his stance, it wasn't a very favorable situation.
However, it couldn't be called an entirely negative situation either.
"I see they're investigating Seong-jun Lee to determine how to proceed and what attitude to take..."
"Yes, we expect that once their investigation is complete, they will first attempt to persuade him to naturalize to our Chinese side, as they have done in the past."
Ji-gang Wei nodded.
'Seong-jun Lee's naturalization... from my and Dragon Scale Fortress's perspective, that would be the best scenario.'
Of course, he had no intention of simply trusting the Chinese government and sitting idly by.
As a rule, the leader of any group must always consider and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
"Thoroughly investigate the Chinese government's attitude towards Seong-jun Lee to prepare for any unforeseen situations. Furthermore, report immediately if they intend to treat Seong-jun Lee as an enemy."
Li Xian, sharing the same thoughts, bowed his head and responded without hesitation.
"I will carry out your orders."