47
Chapter 47
The current Hunter Association President, Igarashi Natsuko, arrived at the first-floor lobby via the Executives' Elevator.
Just like any other day, she had ambushed Seo Sunwoo's Branch Manager's Office, stolen his Green Tea, planted an Eavesdropping Device, and just walked out.
Strangely, Sunwoo discovered and destroyed every Camera she installed, reporting back to Natsuko that the Cylo jerks must have planted them again, yet he remained completely oblivious to the Eavesdropping Devices no matter how many she planted.
Because of that, Natsuko had given up on cameras and relied solely on eavesdropping devices to monitor him.
It wasn't like she was giving Seo Sunwoo special treatment. Most of the Hunter Association's Executives were being wiretapped and secretly recorded by Natsuko anyway.
However, the degree to which she monitored Seo Sunwoo was a bit extreme.
It was to the point of raiding the Branch Manager's Office out of the blue without any prior notice.
She kept a close eye on him based on her own intuition and judgment.
Considering Seo Sunwoo's true identity, you could say her intuition was spot on.
Well, anyway.
Just as Natsuko finished her business for the day and was about to walk out of the lobby, something incredibly conspicuous caught her eye.
A Suit, a Hat, Sunglasses, and even a mask.
...Was that a Bodysuit she was wearing underneath?
Natsuko had always been a spontaneous hedonist. She immediately approached the bewildered Parang.
Simply because she was curious. And because it looked fun.
'Suspicious.'
That was Natsuko's first impression of Parang.
And understandably so, considering someone was wandering around the first floor of the Hunter Association's Seoul Branch in the middle of summer wearing a mask, Sunglasses, and a Hat.
Did she seriously think that counted as a disguise?
Looking closely, her hair wasn't just completely black; it had a slight blue and aquatic sheen to it.
She had definitely seen her somewhere before.
So Natsuko stared blankly at Parang for a few minutes, trying to remember who she was, which just so happened to be when Parang was staring blankly at the Elevator's Information Board.
She was suspicious, it seemed amusing, and so on. A combination of these reasons led Natsuko to strike up a conversation with Parang.
'Oh, pretty.'
Meanwhile, Parang didn't think much when she saw Natsuko. Because Parang had no idea Natsuko was the Association President.
If one were to point out how a Hunter could fail to recognize the Association President's face... well, it happens.
In the first place, it hadn't been long since the figure known as Igarashi Natsuko surfaced in the public eye.
She was also someone who took the Association President seat without much turbulence. Well, that fact got buried because the whole world was in an uproar over the Slayers Ascension at the time. It was also something Natsuko had intended to some extent.
The point was that Natsuko remained a figure shrouded in mystery.
Furthermore, Parang was someone who never even crossed the Hunter Association's threshold unless she was selling Material.
She didn't even know the face of the Pohang Branch Manager, so what were the chances she would recognize the incredibly distant Association President?
It was perfectly natural for Parang to not know Natsuko. Moreover, Natsuko didn't carry around any Bodyguards whatsoever. She looked like nothing more than a regular Employee.
However, she did feel a faint sense of unease. She was pretty, had a good physique, and her personality was... unknown as of yet. But something, something felt off.
But there didn't seem to be any major hiccups in their encounter.
A seemingly normal but subtly unnerving Employee and a slightly suspicious passerby. That was the extent of it.
"Ah, are you looking for the General Branch Manager's Office? That's over in the East Wing, not here in the West Wing. It's really hot outside, so it might be best to go up to the third floor and use the Skybridge."
"Ah, thank you!!"
Right on time, the Elevator arrived, and Parang threw the doors open and jumped inside.
Natsuko waved with a friendly expression until the doors closed.
Like that, the Elevator smoothly ascended.
The bright smile on Natsuko's face grew ice-cold before the Elevator even reached the second floor.
It was a completely blank, cold, and steely expression that made one wonder if a Human was even capable of making such a face. At a glance, it almost evoked the uncanny valley.
Before anyone knew it, three unidentified men wearing Sunglasses and Suits were standing behind her.
They stood at attention behind Natsuko without saying a word.
Then, Natsuko uttered a single sentence.
"Tail her and report her every move to me."
They vanished even more unnaturally than when they had appeared.
#
Meanwhile, at the Hunter Association Asia General Branch, 13th floor of the East Wing, in the Branch Manager's Office.
Knock. Knock, knock.
Hearing the knocking from beyond the door, Seo Sunwoo, who had been sipping his Green Tea, opened his eyes.
Looking at the Clock, it was 1:55 PM.
When he opened the door, Parang walked in wearing a mask, a Hat, and Sunglasses.
"...Did you really come all the way here looking like that?"
"Yes."
"...I'll at least give you a Mask when you leave."
"Ah."
Parang sighed.
Why hadn't she thought of a Mask?
The Hunter Association distributed Masks for free to Hunters who wanted to hide their identities.
They were circular red Masks with nothing drawn on the surface, not even a Hole for the eyes.
Naturally, you could still see out of them perfectly fine.
Quite a few Hunters wore them, and even celebrities sometimes used them at airports or while traveling.
So a Mask would have definitely been better than that disastrous disguise.
It was the sad habit of a reincarnated person.
Well, anyway. Parang and Seo Sunwoo took their seats.
It was the exact spot where Natsuko and Seo Sunwoo had sat earlier.
As soon as Parang sat at the desk, Seo Sunwoo pulled out two Bundles of Paper.
One was a Document regarding the establishment of an exam to determine the ranks of Undersea Hunters.
The other was just blank Paper.
Seo Sunwoo greeted Parang with a friendly smile, taking out a pen and writing something down on the Paper.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hunter Yoo Parang."
[There is an Eavesdropping Device installed in the room.]
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
[We'll have to communicate by writing while talking about business at the same time. Will that be alright?]
'Wow, his hands are so fast.'
How could a person write that quickly?
By the way, having to write and converse simultaneously... didn't that require a tremendous amount of concentration?
But as Yoo Parang, the Hero destined to save the World! She decided to give it her all for this noble mission.
Still, it seemed like she would need some hydration.
"Ah, just water is fine for me."
[Please give me about 20L. I need it to concentrate.]
Seo Sunwoo's expression was briefly tinged with bewilderment. However, he soon called someone over to bring the water.
A burly, muscular man hurried off, his eyes sparkling at the request to bring 20 liters of water.
Why in the world?
Anyway. The conversation between Yoo Parang and Seo Sunwoo began.
"My name is Seo Sunwoo. I serve as the General Branch Manager of the Asia General Branch."
"I'm Yoo Parang. Nice to meet you."
[I assume Cylo has already briefed you. It's a pleasure to meet the talk of the town in person.]
[Ah. Thank you.]
I could only write short sentences because I was focusing so hard. Seriously, how on earth is this guy doing this?
"I'm sure you're busy, so I'm truly grateful you took the time to come here."
"No, it's fine. I've had plenty of free time lately, and I got to do some sightseeing in Seoul thanks to this."
[Let me cut to the chase and get straight to the point.]
[Yes.]
Glug, glug.
"The reason I invited you here today, Hunter Yoo Parang, is because of this Document you see here."
"Uh....... what is this?"
[Cylo plans to swallow the Association.]
[Swallow the Association? What do you mean by that?]
"It's exactly as it looks. As you know, the ranks of Undersea Hunters have been underestimated all this time."
"That...... is definitely true."
[I mean exactly what I said. We plan to completely take over the Association before starting an all-out war with the Government.]
[And the reason for doing that?]
"Take you, for instance, Hunter Yoo Parang. You're a B-Rank, yet there are virtually no Hunters on the surface who can exert that kind of power."
"That...... does seem to be the case."
[As you are aware, there are two main reasons why Cylo cannot strike the Government right now. First, we cannot predict the chaos that will follow the Government's collapse. Second, they are spread too widely across the World.]
[Are you saying taking over the Association will solve that?]
"Therefore, we are trying to establish a rank measurement exam for Undersea Hunters like this. And this is where we need Hunter Yoo Parang's help."
"I see."
[That's right. It would eliminate unnecessary friction during the process of stabilizing the World after the Government falls. Plus, the Hunter Association has Branches spread across the World even more widely than the Government.]
[I understand. But what does that have to do with me?]
"What we'd like Hunter Yoo Parang's help with is precisely the criteria for determining the ranks of Undersea Hunters."
"I see."
[To swallow the Association, we need to eliminate the current Association President. I assume you know this much.]
Parang nodded with an uncomfortable expression.
"As you know, there is a severe lack of information regarding Undersea Hunters. Furthermore, some of them vastly exceed our standard classification criteria."
"Hmm, that's certainly true."
[I'll assume you understand and continue. We want Hunter Yoo Parang to face the Association President, Natsuko.]
[Why are you leaving that to me?]
"Thus, we've decided to trial the introduction of ranks above S-Rank for the Undersea Hunter ranking system."
"Aha......."
[Association President Natsuko's combat prowess is on the level of a Monster. Hunter Yoo Parang, there is no one within Cylo capable of taking down Natsuko in a one-on-one fight. We would have to deploy an army-sized force.]
[Then I think it'll be difficult for me, too. Using 'Departure' doesn't make me invincible. I wouldn't even be able to use my Personal Skill.]
It was understandable that Parang would suddenly lose her confidence.
According to her tests, the space created by 'Departure' was too narrow to summon the Kraken.
Of course, even without the Kraken, Parang was undeniably and overwhelmingly strong.
To the point where she could crush the current top ten S-Rank Hunters even if she fought them all at once.
However, even for her, fighting the army Cylo had prepared without the Kraken would honestly be difficult.
Cylo knows this, too.
They don't know exactly what Parang's Personal Skill is, but they do know that the difference between using it and not using it is immense.
"What we would like to ask of you are the rank measurement criteria for S-Rank, SS-Rank, and SSS-Rank Hunters. Since this is a new endeavor for us as well, we decided to seek an Expert's help on the matter."
"Uh, I understand. But...... if I set the criteria for the exam I'm going to take, wouldn't that cause a lot of fairness issues?"
[That's why we gave it a lot of thought as well. However, Hunter Yoo Parang. You found a way this time.]
[What do you mean by that?]
"Of course, we won't leave everything to you, Hunter Yoo Parang. Besides...... no matter what exam we prepare, you're guaranteed to pass it as an SSS-Rank anyway."
"Aha......."
[We will utilize the 'Evidence'. Hunter Yoo Parang, you must have seen something capable of instantly shattering a person's mind.]
[Yes.]
[We will imbue that memory into the 'Evidence' and inject it into Natsuko. No matter how powerful Natsuko is, it will be hard for her to withstand a Mental Attack of that magnitude.]
[Ah.]
Now that she thought about it, that was true.
Just as the original debuff skill 'Departure' completely changed its function when placed in Parang's hands, the 'Evidence', which originally only served as a USB, would become Earth's strongest assassination weapon when used by Parang.
A terrifying Weapon that could shatter a target's mind just by making physical contact.
"You don't need to worry about it right away. We only invited you here today to request your cooperation. So, will you help us out?"
"Alright. I'll cooperate."
[Including the conversation we just had here, of course.]
[Wait a minute. We still have more to talk about here.]
"It was a pleasure meeting you today. Let's have a cup of tea. It's really quite delicious."
"Then please pour me just one cup."
[What is it?]
[What's the reason you absolutely have to do that to Natsuko? I mean, you could try to win her over, or at least avoid using violence. I'm not your hunting dog.]
[Winning Natsuko over is impossible. Hunter Yoo Parang. Furthermore, the moment she finds out what is currently in the sea, the situation will start spiraling into the worst-case scenario.]
[Then what about controlling the information so she can't find out about the sea? Is that impossible?]
[It was possible until recently. Right until the 'Brachium Shock'.]
Ah, so it's my fault.
Parang took a sip of her tea.
"......The tea is delicious."
"Thank you."
[Even so, I can't just blindly trust your words.]
[Of course, we've prepared Evidence as well. Please take it.]
Seo Sunwoo handed Parang a USB. Parang gripped it tightly in her hand.
[If I look at this and still don't feel a justifiable reason to eliminate Natsuko, I will ruthlessly refuse.]
[Of course, you may do so. Though we will have to suffer quite a bit on our end.]
[That's none of my business.]
[That is true. I understand.]
"The tea is delicious."
"Thank you. I knew you would like it."
A short while later, Parang left the Branch Manager's Office.
"Phew......."
She let out a deep sigh and placed a hand on her forehead.
Her Head ached.