Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Scheme
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Han Seung-woo silently switched to the next screen.
All of Han Ho's vicious directives to Han Gyeol were laid out in stark detail.
Han Ho and Han Gyeol stared at the screen in grim silence, their faces pale.
—Vice Chairman, may I ask why you've chosen to bring this to public light so suddenly?
The Tokyo headquarters chief asked in Korean that had grown fairly fluent.
"To find a solution to the gate phenomenon that's now spreading worldwide, we need proper leadership. But for quite some time, gates were only discovered in Korea. I believe the current reality—stemming from this unique circumstance and leading to an imbalance of power—was an inevitable outcome."
Everyone listened intently to Han Seung-woo's words.
"Yet we've already failed to clear the Inex Gate three times. I led two of those attempts myself and barely survived. This issue has transcended Korea, a small nation, to become a global problem. In a situation where we all need to unite and devise countermeasures, if we simply sweep these unsavory incidents under the rug, can we truly face the citizens who have placed all their hopes and future on us hunters?"
Deep sighs echoed here and there.
"If we forget our duty as hunters and fail to properly address the gate phenomenon, humanity will have no future left. Think back to the gate breaks—how many sacrifices were there? Even now, in areas where new gates are spawning, missing persons reports are skyrocketing exponentially. We're backed into a corner. That's why I propose publicizing this amid the great chaos: to correct the imbalance, regain our senses, and find a way to avert the impending catastrophe without further sacrifices."
The attendees began scrutinizing exactly how Han Ho and Han Gyeol had murdered hunters and what their motives had been.
"Chairman Han, do you have anything to say?"
The New York headquarters chief asked Han Ho.
Han Ho simply stared at Han Seung-woo without a word.
"I'll speak in my father's place."
With help from his personal secretary, Han Gyeol ascended to the podium.
"I'll take responsibility for all of this."
The conference room buzzed once more at Han Gyeol's declaration.
"But according to the documents, it was Chairman Han who gave the orders?"
The Beijing headquarters chief questioned Han Gyeol.
"My father faced constant threats from certain hunters who rebelled against the National Hunter Association's operating principles during its management. As his son, I planned and carried out everything to protect my aging father. Punish me."
Lee Ru-ri glanced at Han Seung-woo as she listened to Han Gyeol.
'Huh, Han Seung-woo's smiling? Is everything going according to plan?'
Han Seung-woo suppressed his rising smirk and watched the scene unfold for a moment.
Han Ho still hadn't spoken.
"We'll hand over the evidence to the police."
At Han Seung-woo's words, it seemed Han Ho might finally speak.
Han Seung-woo quickly stepped aside.
Han Ho slowly took the podium, gripped the microphone, took a deep breath, rubbed his dry face, and then opened his mouth.
"First, let me apologize. I failed to rein in my son's wrongdoing and guide him on the right path as a father. I hope this time, Gyeol receives fitting punishment for his crimes and repents."
Lee Ru-ri's jaw dropped.
Baek Eun-an's hand, wrapped around her, tensed slightly.
Han Seung-woo wore an expression that said he'd expected as much.
Han Gyeol clenched his fists, rage slowly building.
After a brief silence, the New York headquarters chief spoke first.
"In that case, how about we wrap this incident up here?"
Han Seung-woo nodded slightly at the New York chief's words and looked at Han Ho.
Han Ho spoke cautiously once more.
"Imbalance of power—the Vice Chairman is right. The National Hunter Association in Korea was delegated full authority by the state for a long time and led hunter management. After the Inex Gates appeared, it expanded into the International Hunter Association in the same old way. As the Vice Chairman says, it's time for reorganization."
Han Seung-woo waited silently for Han Ho's next words, his face showing he'd hooked him.
"How about converting the International Hunter Association Chairman position into a joint role?"
The conference room filled with murmurs.
Seizing the moment, Han Seung-woo fired off a question.
"What exactly do you mean by a joint role?"
"All authority and decisions would be made through consultation with each nation's gate headquarters chiefs."
The New York headquarters chief voiced approval first.
—Not a bad idea. Hunter awakenings have proceeded smoothly thanks to Korea, and I've heard the dispatched personnel are learning a lot here... I support Chairman Han's proposal.
—I support it too.
The headquarters chiefs voiced their agreement with Han Ho one after another.
—Then the issue is who becomes the Yongsan headquarters chief.
"In my view, Vice Chairman Han Seung-woo would be suitable."
Hurt, who had been listening quietly, recommended Han Seung-woo.
"No. I believe Chairman Han should continue leading us from the top position."
Han Ho looked at Han Seung-woo with a completely unexpected expression.
The New York headquarters chief emphasized his point.
—I agree. The Vice Chairman is capable, but it's Chairman Han's seasoned experience that has built the foundation of hunter society over that long time and led us without major losses. We, who are new to all this, need that from him.
Lee Ru-ri was puzzled.
'What's going on? I thought Han Seung-woo would snag a top spot for sure.'
The meeting concluded with Han Ho stepping down from International Hunter Association Chairman to Yongsan headquarters chief.
As attendees hurriedly left the conference room, Lee Ru-ri approached Han Seung-woo with Baek Eun-an.
"Enjoy the show?"
"You called us just to watch?"
"Quite the entertaining spectacle, wasn't it?"
Han Gyeol glared at Lee Ru-ri briefly from the conference room entrance.
Han Seung-woo smoothly turned and led Lee Ru-ri out the opposite entrance.
Baek Eun-an headed straight to her office due to urgent work orders.
As Han Seung-woo walked Lee Ru-ri back to her room, he asked,
"You cleared an A-rank gate in 25 minutes?"
"I could've done it faster, but I figured it'd shock everyone."
"I figured as much."
"What happens to that guy Han Gyeol now?"
"Once the documents go to the police and the investigation starts, you won't cross paths for a while. If murder charges stick, he'll spend life in the Hunter Surveillance Bureau."
"Won't he tell Chairman Han about my position?"
"Even if he does, it doesn't matter."
"Why?"
"Teacher Colin Hurt already buttered him up."
"Ah."
Unable to grasp the connection between Han Seung-woo and Hurt, Han Ho had easily trusted him.
And as he fell for Hurt's slick tongue, the rift between father and son widened to the extreme, culminating in today's fiasco.
"You heard it earlier, right? That's the kind of person Han Ho is."
"Yeah, I was shocked. How could he cast aside his own son like that in an instant..."
"It's before Gyeol's police investigation begins, so stay cautious. Is Shadow still with you?"
"Yes. Don't worry. I'll always let you know if I'm heading out. Speaking of which..."
"No."
"I haven't even said it yet."
"You're not trying to beg for another A-rank, are you?"
"Ah."
"Get a checkup at Teacher Yang's lab first, then move."
"A checkup?"
"Yes. My condition's been off lately, so I asked her to look into it. Might as well have you checked too while we're at it."
"Okay, sure."
The two headed to Yang Jeong-hyun's lab.
"How'd the meeting go?"
"It ended as planned."
"Did Han Ho really disown Gyeol?"
"Yes, clean cut."
"What a guy. Ru-ri, here for a checkup too?"
"He won't approve raids unless I do..."
"Seung-woo, your game is showing."
Han Seung-woo pretended not to hear and stepped onto the platform Yang Jeong-hyun indicated.
"Feels similar to the old lab at headquarters?"
"This one's close to a massive mana stone too. So the equipment layout's alike."
Yang Jeong-hyun carefully scanned Han Seung-woo.
"Done. You can step down."
Yang Jeong-hyun displayed Han Seung-woo's info on the large monitor.
"The numbers look fine overall, but what's exactly feeling off?"
"The monsters' movements are more precisely visible than before."
"Yeah, your agility shot up by 30 since the last check."
Lee Ru-ri quietly compared Han Seung-woo's stats to her own.
'Inside gates, I'm way stronger than Han Seung-woo. So I really am S-rank.'
Yang Jeong-hyun told Lee Ru-ri to step onto the platform.
Lee Ru-ri cautiously climbed up where Han Seung-woo had stood.
After a short wait, Yang Jeong-hyun pulled up Lee Ru-ri's info on the large monitor.
"Whoa... what am I looking at right now?"
"Ru-ri, you'd normally be S-rank, right?"
"Her mana alone exceeds typical S-rank magicals by tenfold—they're usually around 10,000. Absolutely monstrous numbers."
"But now it shows as Magical?"
"Yeah, the system update finished at dawn. Looks much cleaner. Hmm, so with Ru-ri's current stats clearing A-rank in 25 minutes, and Il-won's in 2 minutes... if I plug in the times..."
Lee Ru-ri waited quietly for Yang Jeong-hyun's next words.
"Plugging it in precisely... Hm... Ugh, no clue."
"I'll grind more and come back."
"Not tired?"
"Mm, there's a moment when fatigue lifts, and if I focus then, I feel my stats surge wildly. But the downside is I pass out after."
"Anyway, with these numbers, A-ranks might as well be yours."
"Really?"
"Thanks to you, mid- and low-rank gate generation in Seoul and Gangwon is normalizing frequently. Now A-ranks can join that list."
"Teacher, Seung-woo's like this, so it's easy to get used to..."
"He's always been that way. Got eyes only for you. Just doesn't show it well. Adapt, Ru-ri. We all have."
"Haha..."
Han Seung-woo checked the time.
"The Inex Gate raid schedule is being rescheduled."
"When?"
"Discussions are narrowing it to as soon as a week or up to ten days. Each country's dispatched personnel wrap up in two weeks."
"So Hurt goes back too?"
"No. Hurt joined Han, so he stays."
"Ah, tough break for Hurt."
"No need to worry about a guy who had double agent on his bucket list."
"Is that so?"
"Hey? You two are noisy—take the lovey-dovey outside?"
Yang Jeong-hyun shooed them out of the lab.
Han Seung-woo opened his status window, organized nearby A-rank gate coordinates, and sent them to Lee Ru-ri.
"Just these for today."
"I'll be off."
Lee Ru-ri hurried to her room, changed, recalled one of the coordinates Han Seung-woo sent, and activated her skill.
'Teleport.'
She arrived at the gate entrance in an instant.
"Oh!"