Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: National Exchange Conference (5)
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[Whatever. See you later.]
The hero called Overwhelming tossed out those parting words and vanished just like that.
If nothing else, I could understand that last part.
It wasn't particularly difficult English, and the phrase itself was short, so it wasn't hard to catch.
"See you later..."
I'd only been able to hear their distant conversation thanks to my ridiculously sharp hearing now. The two of them had been whispering right up close to each other, so no one except me had a clue what they were talking about.
Naturally, neither Seo-yul nor Yu-ah had heard a thing.
"Why'd he suddenly ask something like that?"
"Who knows... He doesn't actually plan on having him join, does he...?"
All they'd caught was what the Thunder Emperor had asked me earlier—if I could participate in the National Exchange Conference, would I? So it wasn't surprising they'd react like that.
"Nah... It's a national team thing. No way that's up to him."
If it were that easy, it'd be a whole other problem.
I wasn't exactly against joining, but it came with way more pressure than I was comfortable with.
Just look at the news back home in Korea—the uproar over the Thunder Emperor declaring he'd definitely win this time since Korea was finally participating.
Who knows how the Korean side would react if they suddenly learned an unscheduled hero was jumping in.
He's not the type to not know that, so why even ask...
'...Nah, right?'
But he'd said no take-backs, so maybe he was dead serious...
Tension gripped me as I stared stiffly at the Thunder Emperor standing far off in the arena, wondering what he'd pull next.
Not that he seemed to care—he was just prepping for his match.
The National Exchange Conference spanned several days.
Naturally, the nations strong enough to participate sent their top heroes as representatives—heroes they could proudly showcase. It was a matter of national pride, so everyone took it deadly seriously.
As I sat in the stands waiting for the matches to start, someone came up and tapped my shoulder.
"Huh?"
Seo-yul or Yu-ah?
Those were the only two who'd call me over, so I turned expecting one of them...
"Bro?"
The Thunder Emperor was grinning down at me.
"Got the green light."
"Huh?"
"Green light. For you to join."
"What?"
What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden...?
"I didn't hear you wrong, did I?"
"Nah, you heard right. Loud and clear."
"???"
What the heck did he come here for...?
"What did you just say?"
Seo-yul, who'd overheard our exchange, blinked in confusion.
Yu-ah didn't say a word, but she narrowed her eyes, zeroed in on our conversation.
"Exactly what I said. Matches haven't started yet, so I went and talked to the organizers and the government reps. Korea's kinda short on participants for this thing anyway."
...That much was true.
The U.S. was fielding three, and nations could send up to three heroes total... so yeah, three was standard.
But unless you were a hero superpower, you didn't have S-Ranks to spare.
Korea only had three to begin with, and the Martial God—one of the originals—was retired now, leaving just two.
One of those wasn't suited for a stage like this and had no interest anyway, so effectively, Korea only had one S-Rank to send.
And even then, to uphold national prestige, they weren't sending any A-Ranks—just the Thunder Emperor solo.
"In that situation, with Overwhelming, me, and the former S-Rank Hero Association Chairman all recommending you... No reason for Korea or the organizers to say no."
"Wait..."
Is it really okay to handle a global event this haphazardly...?
The thought crossed my mind, but the organizers and Korean side had both given the okay.
And there were no strict quals—just get picked by your nation. So yeah, I was in.
'Even so, this suddenly...'
How did this even happen?
Especially in Korea, where people obsess over the national image—no way they'd welcome some random parachute dropping into the spotlight like this.
"Eh, that's half-sorted already."
"Huh?"
"Folks flipped at first over adding more people, but once they heard it was you? Public opinion went all over the place."
"What does that even mean...?"
"Means your rep's carrying you. You're a big deal, dude."
"......"
I had been pretty active.
And lately, I'd wrapped up some major incidents, so getting famous wasn't weird.
Plus, I'd started showing my face during ops...
'Haven't checked how known I am since going public with my face...'
Honestly, I'd lost track of my own fame.
But enough that even a last-minute conference entry gets a 'let's see what he does' from the public...?
"Uh..."
Is this really fine...?
"Ball's in your court now—join or not. But honestly, after getting this far and you saying you'd do it if you could... Bailing looks bad."
"No... Bro..."
"No take-backs, remember?"
Wow.
This guy's unreal.
Sheesh.
"Hah... Fine, I'll join."
"Nice."
He flashed a satisfied grin.
What a guy.
"...You're really joining?"
"You sure about this?"
Seo-yul and Yu-ah chimed in.
"You don't have to, Oppa."
"Yeah. If you don't wanna, just say so. I'll beg Grandpa if I have to."
"Mm... Begging probably won't work."
He's a total softie for his granddaughter, but he's also a sly genius.
Bet he'd play the 'granddaughter's genius' card without missing a beat.
Guy's craftier than he lets on.
More than that...
"Like I said earlier, it's good experience. No real reason to say no."
What Koreans worried about was bombing on this big stage and tarnishing the nation's rep.
Flip that—if I delivered solid results, public opinion would skyrocket.
And I had zero reason to flop.
I could even beat the Thunder Emperor if it came to it.
"Let's do this, bro."
"Hell yeah? Knew you'd come around, little bro."
"No gays allowed."
"I'd pick our maid over you any day, asshole."
We clasped hands, trading those lines.
A handshake to say, 'Let's both do our best.'
"...It's finally time. Everything's in place."
The National Exchange Conference—and with all that power concentrated in the U.S.—this was their chance.
The moment to make Obelisk's name known to the world.
"Ugh... Look at all those bugs swarming. Disgusting."
"Can I kill 'em? Yeah? I can kill 'em, right?"
"...Gonna be a ton of strong ones."
A swarm of villains muttered whatever came to mind.
In the noise-choked space, one man slammed down his long staff. The ground quaked, vibrations rippling out, and silence fell.
The black-cloaked, masked man stepped forward as the villains panicked over not hearing themselves.
"Shut it. Wanna die?"
"......"
"Anyone who makes another peep? I'll assume you want death."
His eyes gleamed, and most villains held their breath.
The man before them was an S-Rank Villain even in the U.S.—a dangerous monster. In the villains' eat-or-be-eaten world, obeying him was a no-brainer.
"When it starts, go wild. No other orders. Guard your own hides. But..."
His gaze turned ferocious.
"......"
Tension rippled; villains swallowed hard.
"I won't forgive anyone who sullies Obelisk's name. Cowards who run? I'll rip them apart myself. That's all."
With that, the man left.
All that remained were villains awaiting their moment.