Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Hungary (2)
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Apgujeong, Demir Workshop, third floor.
Swipe, swipe.
I sat in the conference room, scrolling through my smartphone with my finger.
[Hungary reduced to ashes overnight—border nations on high alert!]
[NATO holds emergency meeting over largest dungeon break in history!]
[World Association assessing the situation; first-ever designation of ‘SS-grade’ for a nation-destroying entity.]
[Hungarian government requests aid from TOP 3—no response yet.]
……
“Hmm.”
This was bad.
The situation was more serious than I’d thought.
The World Association assigning SS-grade was a first.
And the casualty count was staggering.
Practically on the scale of a war.
Every corner of the internet, every community—it was all flooded with Hungary news.
▶ What the hell are they supposed to do?
▶ Shouldn’t the World Association step in?
▶ Yeah, there’s no guarantee it won’t happen here too.
▶ But we’re a hunter powerhouse. Hungary’s a small fry. If something like that popped up here, Hasera would jump right in.
▶ This one’s different, though, right? Rumors say even rankers got taken out.
▶ This is so heartbreaking for the Hungarian people……
▶ Oh God…… Amitabha.
Waves of condolences were pouring in for the sudden catastrophe.
As I read through the comments one by one—
Clunk!
The conference room door burst open.
“Guild Master, you’re out? It’s total chaos right now.”
Kim Jin-ah had rushed over the moment she heard I’d emerged.
“Yeah, I’ve been checking it out.”
“I was just looking for you. The Association sent an official notice.”
“From the Association?”
“Yes.”
Drag.
Kim Jin-ah pulled out a chair and sat across from me.
“It’s long-winded, but the gist is simple: stay out of it if you can.”
“……Oh?”
That was unexpected.
Even during the Russia incident, they’d begged for help first—and now the Association was telling people not to get involved?
“They’re taking this seriously too. No point risking your own nation’s rankers and losing national power. Plus, there’s no real upside.”
“…….”
“The Hungarian government’s already collapsed, so any rewards would have to come from NATO, the EU, or the border nations…… Well, you know how that goes.”
Kim Jin-ah gave a wry smile.
“From the Association’s perspective, no reward is worth sacrificing their own rankers for.”
Rankers equaled national power.
Associations under national governments would always prioritize protecting their own.
“That’s why the Magic Tower, Demon King’s Army, and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult haven’t budged either.”
To be precise, it wasn’t that they couldn’t move—they just wouldn’t.
The TOP 3 leaders operated above nations.
“What about the World Association?”
“Well, the so-called World Association is really just an alliance of nine countries.”
“Ah.”
I nodded.
Nine Eyes (9 EYES).
United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, South Korea.
It referred to the tight alliance among these nine nations.
Unless one of them was directly hit, the World Association’s ass would stay planted firmly in its chair.
Too much risk in helping.
Put simply, it was like this:
Nine friends pooled a million won to buy ingredients for a shared feast.
If some other guy who chipped in 100 won asks to use a bit?
You might help out of courtesy, but no one would commit without group consensus.
“Ahem.”
Kim Jin-ah cleared her throat, covering her mouth with her fist.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t just up and leave for Hungary without a word again!”
She stared at me intently.
Eyes full of deep worry.
I replied.
“Hey now, what do you take me for?”
Some might see me as the hero from a blockbuster flick.
But I was just a guy chasing my own goals and gains.
No dungeon, no rewards.
And with plenty of other rankers around, I wasn’t the type to throw myself into the fire yelling about sacrifice.
‘Innocent people dying is tragic, sure.’
But what’s done is done.
Not my country, not my guild.
“What do I take you for?”
Kim Jin-ah shot me a glare.
“You’re the global hero who went to Russia on the Association President’s word alone, wiped out the world’s biggest crime syndicate ‘Gotham,’ and swapped out the Russian president. Or, to put it less nicely, a world-class meddler.”
“Hey, you praised me for that before……”
“Of course it was great, but now it’s time to think about your safety too. To be honest, Vice Guild Master here wants to stop worrying her ass off.”
Fair enough.
My vice guild master had it rough.
“No need to worry.”
Even if I went,
I’d tell her first.
“Oh, right—did you see the video?”
“Video?”
I tilted my head.
“Yeah, the one with those monsters going berserk. S-grades dropping in one hit. Even rankers screaming.”
“…….”
“I’ll send you the link later—check it out.”
* * *
Back to Murung Dowon.
“Hmm.”
Taeyang’s eyes darkened.
The black wings spread behind him twitched elegantly.
Currently polymorphed.
“Nothing but small fry, my lord!”
Whoosh!
Taeyang swung his spear crisply.
Madness laced with fighting spirit gleamed in his eyes.
Whoa……
He could even express that now?
“Just give the order, and I’ll punch a hole straight through their center. Plus, look at those pitch-black bastards—they’ll melt the instant sunlight hits them!”
Taeyang’s spear glowed with brilliant light.
“Professor. Does this mean my first real mission has finally come? After all that studying?”
Arin’s eyes sparkled beside him.
“They’re no pushovers, that’s for sure. Fast, and their movements are tricky.”
Kaden, hand on his chin, analyzed the foes on the screen before us.
“But if they’ve upset my lord, they must be exterminated.”
Indeed.
I was watching the footage with my bony crew on a massive screen.
Budapest’s horrors, transmitted from afar.
- Let’s fight……
- Is there…… no one…… stronger……?
- How boring……
Black monsters pummeling with fists and feet, speaking human tongue.
Hmm.
Grotesque didn’t even begin to cover it.
Their look, their voices.
Like fur sprouting faintly?
Felt like a scene from a horror flick.
Anyway.
“That’s not it.”
Not upset or anything.
Just wanted to share the latest intel with you guys.
“Understood, my lord.”
Taeyang’s madness vanished in an instant.
The surging hostility evaporated.
He reverted to the brooding boy, leaning against the wall.
“Not a target for elimination, then.”
Kaden too.
“Professor, can I go back to translating now?”
Arin too.
Like ice melting under the blazing sun, their interest evaporated.
“Uh…….”
What the hell?
Thought they’d fight, got disappointed?
Or……
Got hyped thinking I was pissed, cooled off when I wasn’t?
“Tsk tsk.”
The old man chuckled beside me.
“What’d you expect, kid? They’re your subordinates. They’d die for a word from you. Obviously the latter.”
If so, that was touching.
‘So, what do you make of it, Elder?’
“Those black monsters?”
‘Yes.’
“Hmm…….”
The old man fell silent a moment, then nodded.
“Top-tier peak-level stuff.”
‘Peak-level?’
“If there’s ten or more like that—not one or two—it’s worse than it looks. Even you can’t get cocky.”
‘Whoa.’
Yeah.
That’s why a whole nation got wrecked.
Still.
He wasn’t saying I’d lose anymore.
He knew by now.
No matter how absurd the opponent, I’d proven I’d win—over and over.
“Wanna fight?”
‘…….’
“If you do, go fight. You’ve entered the ranks of the strong. If something bugs you, that alone can be a disaster for them.”
That was the law of the strong.
From the old man’s world.
But.
‘No.’
Something about this one didn’t appeal.
No cause, no motive.
‘Let’s train instead.’
“Tsk tsk. If that’s what you want, so be it.”
* * *
Meanwhile.
In a border nations’ conference room.
“Where seven presidents—excluding Hungary—gathered.”
“What the hell are we supposed to do about this?”
Croatia’s head of state, Zoran Milanović, muttered.
“If we don’t act, we could all go down. We need to pool our strength and wipe out those black monsters fast.”
“But we can’t! Everyone’s pretending it’s not their problem, and the World Association won’t budge an inch.”
“Damn it.”
Zoran bit his lip hard.
Yeah.
This was the small nation’s lot in life.
Since the world went to hell, countries without ranker-level hunters couldn’t guarantee their people’s safety.
Even one dungeon break like this,
And they could only sit there sucking their thumbs.
“Any of you heads of state have a ranker you can call on? Or even one you know personally……?”
“We in Romania sent ours already. Died yesterday. Ranking in the 800s.”
“Same in Slovenia.”
“Figured. If we had, we’d have called already. Sigh.”
Zoran let out a deep breath.
“The black monsters that obliterated Hungary—their next move is anyone’s guess…… Are we really just supposed to wait?”
“How about nukes?”
Romania’s president asked in frustration.
“Nukes?”
Zoran stared at him incredulously.
“What kind of nonsense is that? If radiation spreads over Hungary, we’re the ones who suffer. Besides, the US and World Association would never allow it.”
“No, we have no choice! We have no choice!”
The Romanian pounded his chest.
“If they won’t allow it, then what? Help us or something! They expect us to just sit here and die? What the hell?”
His outburst heated up the room.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Mr. President.”
Serbia’s head of state, Vučić, stepped in.
“I don’t recommend nukes either. Wasteful for just ten small ones, and no guarantee it’d work.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“How about this?”
Vučić adjusted his glasses.
“We contact every ranker from 1 to 100.”
“You think we haven’t tried? Their nations are blocking them outright—what……!”
“That’s why we need an offer everyone can agree on.”
“An offer? Like what!”
“Isn’t that why we’re all here?”
Vučić smiled faintly.
“Let’s start by pooling whatever rewards we can offer.”