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Solo Leveling Novel Chapter 71 Average 5 / 5 out of 1
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17th, it has 3 monthly views
Summary
Jin-Woo locked his gaze on the young American man named Adam White, who turned out to be an agent of the Hunter Bureau.
‘…….’
Judging from the glint in that man’s eyes, he obviously had no ill intentions towards Jin-Woo whatsoever.
The Americans spending an exorbitant sum of money to bring in top Hunters from all over the globe was already a well-known fact. So, Jin-Woo figured that the guy would start extolling the virtues of coming to America soon after making his introduction.
However, what Adam White said next went wildly against his expectations.
“There is a piece of information we’d like to share with you, Hunter-nim.”
“Information, is it….?”
“Yes. And you won’t ever hear about this information from any other existing country or organisation in the world. Except ours, of course.”
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly. What would be their reason for revealing such highly-classified information to a foreign Hunter like him, a complete stranger?
“Why are you willing to share such information with me?”
Jin-Woo’s probing question only managed to elicit another round of a refreshing smile from Adam White.
“We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few.”
“Specially chosen few”, he said.
Which meant that the Americans considered Jin-Woo to be eligible to enter that category now. Sure enough, that roused his curiosity rather greatly.
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“That is as far as I’m permitted to tell you, Hunter-nim. As for the rest, you’ll have to hear it from our deputy director.”
The deputy director of the mighty Hunter Bureau? A man who possessed more political clout than a minister of some government actually was in South Korea, right now?
‘Sounds like it can’t be some run-of-the-mill info, then.’
Adam White must’ve thought that he was successful in stoking the flames of Jin-Woo’s curiosity, because he finally delved into the main topic at hand.
“We have a car ready nearby. How about accompanying me to meet up with the deputy director?”
Unfortunately for him, though – it was Jin-Woo who had the final say in the matter.
‘Information, is it….’
It could only be one of two things. Either it was info that would benefit him in some way after learning of it, or a tip of someone coming after his life. Funnily enough, he didn’t feel all that compelled to get to the bottom of this matter at the moment.
For the time being, he wanted to focus on the preparations for the ‘black key’, even if this info proved to be beneficial to him. If it was the latter and someone indeed wanted to take him out, then he was pretty confident of emerging victorious from that, too.
Also, most importantly….
‘It’s not like I can fully trust the information these guys will furnish me with, in the first place….’
This whole thing about sharing information could be just a ruse, too.
He wasn’t even sure of the opponent’s hands being useful to him, or for that matter, if the opponent held any useful hands at all. So, was there a reason for him to be lead around by the nose here?
He quickly arrived at his decision.
“I’ll sleep on it, and give you a call later.”
“…!!”
Adam felt like someone had just punched him in the back of his head as this unexpected turn of the conversation left him reeling in shock.
‘What? The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau came all this way to share information, yet he’s ignoring that and wants to go on his way??’
Jin-Woo didn’t look like he was bluffing here, because he was already opening the driver’s door of the van. Cold perspiration immediately coated Adam White’s forehead.
If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was allowed to slip through his fingers now, then who knew when he’d get another chance like this? No, there was even a distinct possibility that this could be the very last time.
It was unknown whether the Korean intended for this reaction or not, but without a doubt, the ones ruing the missed opportunity would be them, not him.
“Well, have a nice day.”
Just as Jin-Woo was about to climb into the van, the restless Adam White urgently cried out.
“P-please, hold on!”
Jin-Woo shifted his disinterested gaze over to Adam White. Hoping to rouse Jin-Woo’s curiosity further, even if it was only by a fraction, Adam White hurriedly continued on.
“Upgrader….”
“An Upgrader?”
Adam formed an expression of a defeated man and explained the meaning behind the word he just spat out.
“Did you know that there is an Awakened who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened?”
‘Yup, you should’ve started with that from the beginning.’
Right away, Jin-Woo realised that the stuff being shared by Agent Adam White, no, the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, was actually of far greater importance than mere ‘information’.
‘An Awakened who can enhance other Awakened, is it…?’
Finally, Jin-Woo felt compelled enough now. He pulled the half-entered leg out of the van and closed the door. Adam could sigh a sigh of relief after seeing that.
“Whew…”
When he raised his head, though, Jin-Woo was already standing a couple of inches away from him.
“Jesus H. Christ?!”
The startled Adam White took a step back in fright, but Jin-Woo didn’t care about that and simply asked the man.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
Screech-
The black saloon carrying the two men came to a stop in front of a famous luxury hotel.
“We’re here.”
Jin-Woo noted that the name of the hotel was the same as the one from the memo Yu Jin-Ho handed over to him not too long ago.
‘Wait, that English-speaking foreigner Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, could it have been one of these guys?’
Jin-Woo followed after Adam White and climbed up to the suite where the deputy director was waiting for him.
The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Connor, failed to disguise his excitement at the sight of a certain Oriental man standing behind his subordinate.
‘Very good!’
One of the more difficult aspects of negotiation was bringing the other party to the negotiating table. One could even declare that half the battle was won already by doing so.
The deputy director smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jin-Woo for a cordial handshake.
“My name is Michael Connor. I’m the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau.”
His self-introduction was translated into fluent Korean with the speed of lightning by Adam White. Jin-Woo took the deputy director’s hand and lightly shook it.
“I’m Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.”
Now that their brief introductions were over, they settled down on the opposing sides of a table. Adam remained standing next to his deputy director.
“Before we start, have anyone claiming to be from foreign Hunter-related organisations tried to make contact with you before us?”
The deputy director directly fired the opening salvo.
“No one, so far.”
Once that anticipated answer was given, the deputy director formed a smile of pure satisfaction.
‘But, of course. There shouldn’t be anyone else on Earth quicker than the United States of America.’
Only the striker a step ahead of everyone else could score the winning goal, indeed.
The deputy director didn’t plan on wasting this golden chance that no one else had the luxury to enjoy yet – especially when his target was someone his superior officer ordered to reel over to their side, no matter the cost or the method.
He didn’t even try to beat around the bush and went straight to the topic at hand.
“Allow me to be frank with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.
With a solemn, determined face, the deputy director pushed a rather sizeable mountain of files towards Jin-Woo and continued on.
“We, at the United States of America, want you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
“These are….?”
“These are all the documents needed to emigrate to America. Now normally, you’d need at least one or two years for these papers to be processed. However, it’ll be a different story for you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The deputy director then raised his index finger.
“Just a single second.”
He declared in a very confident voice.
“If you agree to immigrate, then you’ll become an American citizen in one second. And not as a simple, regular citizen, either – no, you become eligible to receive the equal treatment as the nation’s existing top-ranked Hunters.”
“…”
Everything so far had been what Jin-Woo expected to hear from this man. However, what he wanted to find out about was the information related to this Awakened called ‘Upgrader’. He shifted his gaze over to Adam, causing the American agent to flinch slightly and avert his eyes away.
Jin-Woo looked back at the deputy director.
“But, I only came here because Adam said something about some ‘information’.”
The deputy director let out a burst of genial laughter when he heard that.
“That isn’t entirely unrelated to what I was talking about.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Hunter-nim. If you give us your word that you’ll become the next American Hunter, then we will definitely enhance your abilities to an even higher realm.”
The so-called ‘Upgrader’. It seemed that this Awakened could really do what that moniker implied.
Still, Jin-Woo was not entirely convinced, even if the deputy director said roughly the same thing as Agent Adam White.
‘Could there really be an Awakened possessing such a power?’
That’s why he decided to make d*mn sure.
“To enhance one’s abilities – can such a thing be for real?”
Jin-Woo’s apparent interest caused the deputy director to become even more excited.
“Actually…. she’s here with us, right now.”
Jin-Woo already knew that there was someone else within the hotel’s suite. From a while ago, he had picked up on the minute amount of magic power leaking out from the gap of the closed door just over there.
Because the magic energy emitted didn’t seem all that powerful, he was inwardly thinking that person was too weak to be a bodyguard of someone as important as the Hunter Bureau’s deputy director. And now, his suspicion proved to be correct.
The deputy director quickly issued an order.
“Please bring Madam Selner here.”
Click.
Almost immediately, the door was opened and two agents escorted a middle-aged African-American woman out from the room beyond. Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed slightly after picking up on a strange vibe coming off of her.
‘……’
Somehow, she gave off a different aura from other, regular Awakened.
The African-American lady stood next to the table, and the agent quickly pulled out a chair for her. She then elegantly settled down on the end of the cushion.
She immediately recognised who Jin-Woo was and floated a smile of genuine interest.
“So, you are that man from the video….”
She was already familiar with all the important information on Jin-Woo and needed no introduction, so the deputy director’s job became a bit easier.
“This is Madam Norma Selner. She is the lone Awakened, the only one of her type in the entire world, who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened to even greater heights.”
At the end of the introduction, Madam Selner did a simple nod of her head as a greeting to Jin-Woo. He reciprocated the greeting with the nod, as well.
“Madam Selner. Please, if you will, briefly explain what you can do to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
She formed a teasing smile while staring at the still-unconvinced Jin-Woo’s face.
“Everyone has the same look as you, in the beginning, Hunter-nim. However….”
She then leaned in closer to Jin-Woo and whispered softly to him.
“Once they have a taste, they have no choice but to beg me for more.”
“Madam, please….”
The deputy director furrowed his brows a little, prompting her to laugh out and wave her hand about.
“I know, I know. Don’t worry, Director Connor. I know that he’s a very important man.”
Still with an alluring smile, Madam Selner began with her explanation.
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. As you may know already, all Awakened face a limit they can’t breach. No one can overcome it.”
That was why the ranks of the Awakened would never change, unless one was lucky enough to go through a Re-Awakening process. This was common knowledge that all living Hunters out there knew all too well.
“But, Madam. You can….?”
Even before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Madam Selner formed an expression of a little kid picking up the final piece of strawberry on top of a cake that she’d been saving up for the very last.
“You’re correct.”
Jin-Woo’s eyes grew progressively wider.
“I can increase that limit even higher in three separate stages. I don’t know whether to call it a forced Re-Awakening, or simply waking up the latent potential sleeping within the subject already, but yes, I can do it.”
What an incredible ability that was!
The things she said just now were explosive enough to shake the very cores of every top-ranked Hunters found throughout the world. Jin-Woo’s gaze shifted over to the deputy director.
He nodded his head to reaffirm what she said.
“What she said are all true. It’s just that, once she uses her powers once, she needs to take a lengthy break to recover her energy. So, only around three to four lucky Awakened get to enjoy this benefit in a single year.”
“….How effective is it?”
“It depends on individuals, but once one goes through all three stages, they say that they grew stronger by a minimum of 20 percent, and as much as 30 percent, over their original powers.”
Twenty to thirty percent!
With the average of his Stat values nearing the 250 mark, if Jin-Woo got that mystery enhancement, that average value would shoot past the 300 mark, instead,
Without a doubt, that would be an enormous leap up.
….As long as these guys weren’t lying to him, of course.
‘Is she casting a buff that raises one’s powers? Or, is it more like raising the fixed level cap?’
Regardless of what it was, the ability she possessed would be like a precious treasure for all the Hunters out there. Which also meant that there should be no shortages of people aiming for her, too.
“If the knowledge of such an ability is made public, then….”
The deputy director nodded his head.
“That is why Madam Selner is with us.”
She too worried about the exact same thing as Jin-Woo had thought of, and after lengthy deliberation, she joined the Hunter Bureau who’d guarantee her safety while also letting her use her powers as often as she wanted to.
“We ensure her absolute safety and reward her accordingly, while she enhances the abilities of those Hunters we deem worthy of joining us. We have been maintaining this symbiotic relationship for a long time now.”
And so, that’s where the deputy director bookended the explanation. Now, the time for the fireworks to begin.
“Madam Selner’s ability, that is precisely the gift we wish to give to you, Hunter-nim.”
“A gift, is it….”
Indeed, could there be a gift even more valuable than this one?
“If you become a Hunter of the United States of America, you will be the first in line to receive this benefit. Also, we will make sure that you get the best possible terms when negotiating with any Guilds you wish to join.”
From the perspective of an ordinary Hunter, these were simply too good of conditions to say no to.
Only now could Jin-Woo understand why Hwang Dong-Soo didn’t even hesitate once and emigrated to the States when everyone was criticising him for it. The enormous sum of money the Americans reportedly paid him was most likely a cover-up story to hide the real reason.
Regular Hunters would lose their collective sh*t if they ever heard of such a tale. So, if you told a top Hunter that his or her abilities could be enhanced even further? Who in their right minds would say no to that?
However….
“Can you prove that she really possesses such a power?”
Everything they said so far were just words, and there had been no proof to back them up yet.
It was her turn to butt in next.
“No need to rush. Today, I’m only here to undo the first button, you know.”
Jin-Woo finally realised what she meant earlier.
‘One taste, and people beg her for more, was it?’
Just as she had alluded to, every Hunter seeing her powers with their own eyes chose to head to America right away, one hundred times out of one hundred. Her sky-high confidence was based off on that.
The deputy director quietly asked a question to Jin-Woo.
“It is as she says. So, will you let us unlock your ‘first stage’?”
“Without anything in return?”
“Think of it as a ‘service’ from us, Hunter-nim.”
Madam Selner lightly grasped Jin-Woo’s wrist. When he turned to look at her, she formed a gentle smile and gestured to him to get closer.
“Please, look into my eyes. Look deeply into them. That will be your first step.”
Was she telling the truth?
To confirm if this Madam Selner really did possess the power the Hunter Bureau was swearing by, Jin-Woo decided to follow her instructions for the time being.
The deputy director leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms.
‘It’s done! He’s ours now!’
The game was already over.
Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been constantly maintaining that cold, indifferent expression until now, but that was only because he hadn’t yet experienced what this lady’s power had to offer.
Once the first lifting of the natural limit was completed, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would call them on his own volition sooner rather than later. No, if he had an impulsive personality, then he might sign the immigration documents right here, right now.
The deputy director’s curiosity shifted on to something else now.
‘Just how high will his limit be, I wonder?’
The deputy director uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his eyes of anticipation firmly locked on Jin-Woo. But, it was then.
“Heok!!”
Madam Selner sucked in her breath, as her eyes began to quake quite violently.
Her name was Norma Selner.
An African-American woman of 46 years of age, and often referred to as Madam Selner or Mrs Selner, the Hunter Bureau offered her a higher degree of protection than the President of the country.
Meaning, if both her and the President’s lives were under threat, then the Hunter Bureau would prioritise in rescuing her first and then worry about the President later.
But, how could such a thing even be possible?
When the previous director of the Hunter Bureau retired from the office and handed over the responsibility to his successor, he described her with the following words.
- “Doesn’t matter who becomes our next President, our position as the world’s greatest Hunter nation on Earth will never change. But, if she’s no longer with us, then America will start worrying about the Gates appearing in smaller cities around the remote regions of our country.”
That’s how it was.
Because she managed to attract the world’s elite rank S Hunters here, the American citizens were able to rest easy every night knowing that they didn’t need to worry about high-ranking Gates opening up somewhere within this massive country of theirs.
The top-ranked Hunters who changed their nationality because of her was already 26.
This was already a number far exceeding other so-called Hunter superpower nations and their roster of rank S Hunters. The Hunter Bureau also carefully selected their targets as well, so it went without saying that their Hunters were of far superior quality, as well.
So, one could say that Madam Selner was the guardian angel looking after America from behind the scenes.
Regardless of how high a rank S Hunter’s position was, or the treatment he or she received, none of them were seen as being as important as Madam Selner at the end of the day.
She was the top classified secret that not even the American President could easily approach. Quite obviously, the rank S Hunters allowed to meet her were selected via the most strict, rigorous vetting process.
They were the specially chosen few, as coined by Agent Adam White earlier.
[“We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few.”]
At first, Jin-Woo had no clue what it meant to be included in that exclusive group of the chosen few. Not just him, but most of the rank S Hunters, too.
However, they would come to a realisation after Madam Selner broke open their limits – the realisation of who chose them, and what it meant to be chosen!
One of the Hunters was so moved by the overflowing power coursing through his body, he even knelt down before her to shed tears of gratitude. On the following day, his nationality changed from Congo to America.
‘That always happened, didn’t it?’
And that was why the current serving deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Conner, didn’t believe that anything would go wrong.
He was sure that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would cry out in alternating emotions of elation and shock, maybe even search for his God, just as everyone else before him did.
Then, he’d beg for more.
Was there any other, more fitting description than that?
He confidently thought like that, not even a hint of suspicion within his mind. But, then….
The cry of shock actually came out from someone else’s mouth.
“Uaaahhk?!”
Madam Selner stared deep into Jin-Woo’s eyes for a long time, before she screamed at the top of her lungs as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. She fell off the chair on to the floor.
Almost right away, two agents here to guard her whipped their pistols out and took aim at Jin-Woo.
“Stop!! Have you all lost your minds?!”
The deputy director witnessed the agents and their recklessness, and cried out in alarm. Loud cussing exploded out of his mouth as he jumped up from his sitting position to push down the pointed pistols of the agents.
“Do you not know who this person is? How dare you point at him with such a thing?!”
“But, sir, the Madam is….”
“You idiots! If you’re that worried about Madam Selner, then check up on her first!!”
“M-my apologies.”
The agents quickly put their guns away and supported the shivering Madam Selner off from the ground. Her complexion had become so pale that she looked quite pitiful right now.
Meanwhile, the deputy director bowed his back 90 degrees to Jin-Woo.
“I’m truly sorry, Hunter-nim. My agents committed a grave blunder.”
Judging from the previously-relaxed voice of the deputy director tremble like that, he must’ve been frightened out of his wits rather greatly just now.
‘They are trained to put the safety of the Madam above all else, but to think, they’d be stupid enough to point a gun at a rank S Hunter!’
If their opponent possessed a fiery temper, then never mind the two foolish agents, even their boss’s neck wouldn’t have remained in its original place.
He couldn’t even come up with an excuse to explain away the agents shoving guns in the face of a top-ranked Hunter in a country where carrying firearms was illegal.
The deputy director’s heart still loudly pounded in his chest, unable to calm down from the fright he felt when Madam Selner screamed and fell, and also, when the agents pulled their guns out without any warning.
Funnily enough, though, Jin-Woo was also deeply flustered by what transpired just now.
‘Just what the hell is up with this situation?’
That lady suddenly screamed out and fell down, the Hunter Bureau’s agents pointed guns at him, and finally, their deputy director jumped up and down in a huff before apologising with a deep bow of his head.
At first, he was dumbfounded. Next up, he was speechless, and finally….
“….It’s fine. No one got hurt, after all.”
He didn’t even feel like getting angry here.
He kinda figured that angrily threatening the other party was a pretty disgraceful thing to do, especially when the second most powerful man from another country’s top organisation was quick to admit the mistakes of his subordinates and apologised like this.
A part of him also didn’t feel much of anything when guns were being pointed at him. Rather than weapons, they looked more like children’s toys to him now. That was how wide the gap between them and Jin-Woo was.
“Thank you for your understanding, Hunter-nim.”
Only after Jin-Woo let it go did the deputy director raise his head back up again. He then sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo’s face and confirmed that the Korean wasn’t being sarcastic or anything. He felt that he had really dodged a bullet here.
‘If something like this happened in front of either Thomas Andre or China’s Liu Zhigeng, then….’
The hearts of those two agents pulling out their guns would have stopped beating long before he had the chance to apologise. What a relief that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was such an understanding gentleman.
‘Whew-.’
The deputy director sighed out in relief and wiped the pooled sweat off his nose. He managed to put out the most pressing flames first. Next, it was time to focus on the other matter.
The deputy director bowed his head one more time and then, urgently checked up on Madam Selner’s current condition.
“Madam? What happened?”
“M-Michael….”
“Madam? You’re sweating so much… are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
The deputy director may have shed a few cold sweat drops over the volatile situation just now, but she was completely soaked from head to toe at the moment.
‘What’s going on here?’
Worried about her condition, Jin-Woo got up from the chair and cautiously made his approach, but she didn’t want to look him in the eye and began shivering even harder. Seeing her react like this, the deputy director could only chew on his lower lip.
‘With her condition, we can’t….’
He had succeeded in bringing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to the table with much difficulty, but now, the most important negotiating hand was no longer available to him. Madam was in no condition whatsoever to use her ability.
The deputy director turned around and while carrying a heavy, distressed expression, spoke to Jin-Woo.
“Madam Selner’s condition isn’t very good today. May I give you a call at another time?”
***
Around the same time.
An important guest was waiting inside the President’s office of the Korean Hunter’s Association. It was none other than the President of the Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo.
Two Presidents of the respective organisations settled down on the opposite sides, with no one else except their interpreters accompanying them.
Goh Gun-Hui was the first to open his mouth.
“I’ve heard about what happened to Mister Goto.”
“It’s truly a lamentable thing.”
An expression of bitterness briefly flashed past Matsumoto Shigeo, before his complexion recovered.
“However, I didn’t come here to discuss what happened in the past, but to talk about the way forward.”
Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head. There were a few matters between these two men – no, between the nations of Korea and Japan, that needed to be settled.
First of all, splitting up of the magic crystals. The original plan was to divide the loot one year later, when all the ant monsters would’ve have died out on the island. But Jin-Woo had completely exterminated every single one of them before that.
Japan did discover his utterly unbelievable actions through their spy satellite and its high-tech camera, so they were aware of this fact, too.
- W-what is that man trying to do?
- The ants…. The ants near Seong Jin-Woo are disappearing one by one?!
- The summons he controls have begun hunting down the ant monsters!
- His summons are spreading to all corners of the island.
- Could he be…??
The old idiom said that uncertainty would kill a man.
In the proverbial blink of an eye, all traces of magic energy disappeared from the island of Jeju.
With the sole exception of one, that was – the massive bundle of magic energy suspected to be that of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.
‘Incredible physical strength. Unpredictable movement patterns. And the ruthless streak to hunt down every single monster, even though it’s no longer necessary….’
Where would one find a Hunter more suited to a life in Japan than that man in this wide world?
Matsumoto Shigeo smirked to himself after recalling the atmosphere of the mission control room back then. He then pushed forward several documents to Goh Gun-Hui.
“And these are?”
Goh Gun-Hui asked as he picked them up.
“This is the official declaration that Japan will give up on the rights to our share of magic crystals from the Jeju Island.”
“…..?”
Feeling not entirely convinced, Goh Gun-Hui browsed through the documents, and eventually, his brows gradually rose up higher. Matsumoto Shigeo was telling the truth.
“But, why?”
Why was the Japanese Association, who had suffered heavy losses themselves, willing to give up on such a massive revenue source?
His answer arrived soon enough.
“In return, hand Mister Seong Jin-Woo over to us.”
“….Huhuh.”
Goh Gun-Hui guffawed out and leaned against the back of the couch.
“Regretfully, he’s not affiliated with the Korean Hunter’s Association.”
Of course, even if he was, Goh Gun-Hui never planned to ‘hand over’ such a Hunter to anyone, to begin with.
“We know.”
Matsumoto Shigeo replied as if he was waiting for this moment.
“However, he has a very close relationship with the Korean Association. And it’s currently impossible to get in contact with him unless it’s through your Association.”
It was truly unfortunate, but the Japanese didn’t enjoy the kind of information network the American Hunter Bureau did. Which meant that, if Matsumoto Shigeo wanted to get in touch with Jin-Woo, then he needed to get permission from the Korean Association first.
“I didn’t mean to imply that you are being forced to do something. No, just give me an opportunity to negotiate with him, that’s all.”
“Are you throwing away this astronomical sum just for that chance?”
Nod.
Matsumoto Shigeo readily admitted to it.
Japan lost ten of her top-ranked Hunters through this incident.
In the current situation where Japan needed to import top-ranked Hunters quite urgently, her Association was blessed with ample cash reserve to pay out the compensation meant for the victims of the raid.
Indeed, they had so much money that it was practically rotting away in the bank right now. So, if Matsumoto could get his hands on a Hunter of Seong Jin-Woo’s calibre, then he didn’t give a rat’s a*s about those magic crystals anymore.
Unfortunately….
“I refuse.”
The reply Matsumoto Shigeo got was different from what he expected.
“What do you mean, you refuse?”
The Japanese man was stunned by that answer.
He was deeply confident of winning Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to Japan’s side, but just in case, he told Goh Gun-Hui that he only wanted an opportunity to negotiate with that young man.
But, to think, his counterpart would say no to the offer first.
“Are you turning down an opportunity like this because you’re afraid of losing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to Japan?”
“Not at all.”
Goh Gun-Hui slowly shook his head.
“No, I’m saying that, from the beginning, you people have no right to claim even a single magic crystal from us.”
The Japanese interpreter quickly looked at Goh Gun-Hui after he made that bombshell of a declaration packed full of hidden implications.
“Sir, should I relay that in full?”
“Of course. Don’t miss out on a single word and translate them in full.”
Matsumoto Shigeo’s complexion reddened considerably the moment he heard the interpreter.
“President Goh Gun-Hui! What nonsense are you spewing now?”
His voice naturally rose up higher. But then, Japanese unhurriedly flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui’s mouth.
“I wish to speak to you without the presence of the interpreters.”
Matsumoto flinched and gasped in surprise.
“You… know how to speak Japanese?”
“My father used to run a small company in Japan when I was a young lad. It’s been a long time so it’d be difficult to hold a conversation, but….”
The two interpreters left the office soon after Matsumoto agreed to the suggestion. And he fired the opening shot first.
“We lost over ten of our rank S Hunters for you people.”
Japan’s top Hunter, Goto Ryuji, was also included in that list.
“If you do not wish to accept my suggestion, then there’s nothing we can do. Not only will we demand the agreed-upon half of the magic crystal haul, but we will also claim compensation from the Korean government, too.”
Goh Gun-Hui simply snorted in derision.
“President Matsumoto…. Looks like you still mistakenly believe that you hold an upper hand here.”
“President Goh!”
Matsumoto shot up from his seat, his glare getting fiercer.
“Is that something you’re supposed to say to someone who fought for your people?”
Unlike the agitated Matsumoto, though, Goh Gun-Hui remained collected throughout.
“I couldn’t understand this one thing.”
Goh Gun-Hui’s calm demeanour managed to cool Matsumoto’s own rage, and the latter slowly settled back down on his couch. Waiting until he was completely seated. Goh Gun-Hui carried on.
“And that would be – why did your people, who enjoyed showing off in front of the world, decide to entrust us with what was arguably the core part of this raid, the hunting of the ant queen.”
“That’s obviously because the Koreans lacked the means to buy the necessary time from the ant army….”
“If that’s what you were thinking of, then wouldn’t it have been better for you to insert the Koreans as a part of the distraction, like how you had split up yours into four different groups? And then, hunt the ant queen with some of your top elite Hunters, instead?”
‘He is as I expected…’
The light in Matsumoto’s eyes changed.
“…..So, what is it that you want to say to me, President Goh Gun-Hui?”
For some reason, he was enunciating Goh Gun-Hui’s name as clearly as he could.
“And the timing of your people withdrawing…. It looked as if it was your plan all along, regardless of the mutated ant monster or not.”
“You have gone crazy.”
“It’s you who have gone crazy. Just what were you planning to do after driving the Korean Hunters to death?”
Goh Gun-Hui’s eyes narrowed to a slit.
It was then, Matsumoto burst into a fit of loud cackles.
“Hahahaha!!”
He then pulled out a voice recorder from his pocket. He slowly shook his head and continued on.
“Everything you said just now, it’s been captured in full. Your sins of insulting the Japanese Hunters without proof, and using that as an excuse to back out of the earlier agreement, everything is here!”
An odious smile formed on Matsumoto’s lips.
“You shall be judged by the international community.”
Just this little sound file containing Goh Gun-Hui’s voice was more than enough to cover up the fact the Japanese Hunters withdrew in the middle of the operation. As for the public opinion, that would come around soon enough.
This was clearly a slip-up on Goh Gun-Hui’s part, because he doggedly pursued his conviction and nothing else. What if he lost his cool completely and laid a hand on Matsumoto right now?
Now that would be seen as even more irrefutable proof.
The sound file was already transmitted to the computers in the Japanese situation room by now.
Too bad for him, though.
“Proof? Of course, I have it.”
Goh Gun-Hui pulled out a black-coloured object the size of a stamp from his inner pocket and left it on the table.
“…?”
“Hunter Seong Jin-Woo found it on the location.”
Sensing something ominous was about to go down, Matsumoto’s attitude had softened a tad.
“What… is this?”
Goh Gun-Hui smirked at the sight of the puzzled Matsumoto Shigeo.
“It’s a black box attached to your communication equipment, the one Goto’s team was using.”
Right away, the colour of Matsumoto’s complexion changed to ash. Not missing out on this opening, Goh Gun-Hui also brought out an MP3 player and proceeded to play the sound file extracted from this black box.
Click.
- “How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?”
- “Hold on. They say it has been less than 10 minutes.”
- “Ten minutes, is it….”
- “Time to start the withdrawal process.”
The voice of Goto Ryuji, one of the most famous Japanese in the world, could be heard clearly from the recording.
Goh Gun-Hui switched the player off and continued on.
“Do you know why I didn’t reveal the existence of this file to the rest of the world, President of Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo?”
Matsumoto slowly shook his head. The ashen complexion of his was now getting paler than a sheet of white paper now.
“It’s simply because I didn’t want to dampen the joy of my fellow countrymen basking in the glow of a hard-fought victory with this bullsh*t you people managed to cook up. Do you get it now? I’ve only delayed its release for the sake of our people, not you.”
The recorder fell from Matsumoto’s hand with a thud. Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui relentlessly pressed on.
“I’m sure that you get what I’m saying to you, President Matsumoto.”
Goh Gun-Hui then crushed the player in his hand to pieces with his physical strength of a rank S Hunter.
“Get the f*ck out of this office. Now.”
***
After Jin-Woo had left, the deputy director found himself alone with Madam Selner in the hotel’s suite.
“Madam. What happened back there?”
They had worked with many Hunters before, and this wasn’t Madam Selner’s first rodeo either. Meaning, this would be the first time something like this happened.
She suppressed her pounding heart and managed to squeeze out her trembling voice.
“He is a ‘king’. A very powerful ‘king’.”
The deputy director’s eyes grew wider and wider.
Those who knew how her power worked were the director of the Hunter Bureau, the deputy, and of course, Madam Selner herself. Only these three. And she confirmed that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a ‘king’.
Ba-dump, ba-dump.
The deputy director sensed his heartbeat pick up pace.
“Which means…. he’s on the same level as the Special Authority-rank Hunters?”
Shake, shake.
She shook her head.
“No, I don’t…. This was my first time experiencing such a phenomenon, so I can’t be sure at all. He is definitely a ‘king’, but he’s also different from the other ‘kings’.”
“Excuse me? Please, explain it in simpler terms….”
“When I looked into him, ‘it’ too was looking back at me.”
“But, other Hunters also….”
“No!! Not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but the endless darkness hiding within him was staring back at me!”
Madam Selner hysterically cried out. Her complexion paled again and her body shuddered greatly. This was the display of an instinctual fear all living organisms possessed: the fear of death.
But, that wasn’t important at the moment. No, the truly important thing was, even though her entire body continued to shiver in terror, she still managed to recall one more thing.
“And he….”
The deputy director focused on her words again.
Her lips parted with so much difficulty.
“He doesn’t have any limits.”
< Chapter 71 > Fin.
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