Chapter 586: A Stale Old Connection (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 586: A Stale Old Connection (5)
300 million.
300,000,000.
A staggering number that could take your breath away no matter where you saw it.
Since the appearance of the Rifts, countless people had lost their lives to monsters.
As a result, the most recent statistics put the Earth's population at roughly six billion.
Of that, 300 million was 5%.
But that was just a simple calculation.
Excluding newborn babies and young children, the percentage grew even larger.
10%, maybe even 15%.
This colossal number was the follower count of a single Hunter: Kim Do-jin.
It was a figure that put him on par with world-famous pop stars and soccer players.
An SNS account with such an astronomical number of followers was no different from a strategic weapon.
It had the power to sway public opinion, a force that has been potent throughout history.
To this end, Kim Do-jin had waged a war of public opinion using SNS for the first time.
300 million people.
Even excluding those who followed him out of passing interest, that still left 100 or 200 million.
They all read the post he uploaded.
And that wasn't all.
Some of the followers who read his post and grasped the situation shared it with their own followers.
Their reach varied, from dozens to hundreds of thousands, even millions.
It spread and spread until it became a story that anyone who was anyone knew.
【Hunter Kim Do-jin, of South Korea, who has gained worldwide renown, is reportedly in conflict with his government…】
Eventually, the story was picked up and broadcast on the flagship news programs of famous media outlets around the world.
And this situation presented an opportunity for some.
“Speak frankly. What are the chances of Hunter Kim Do-jin choosing to naturalize?”
“It’s difficult to put an exact number on it, but… I believe the possibility is not insignificant.”
“The reason?”
“He publicly called out his government using an SNS account he hasn't properly managed in years. This can be interpreted to mean he is not only furious at the state's neglect but also so isolated that he had nowhere else to turn to vent his frustrations.”
Nations across the globe were constantly waging a silent war beneath the surface.
A battle to recruit talent, fought solely to secure their own country's peace.
Talent that was S-rank, or had a high probability of reaching it.
Everyone knew how much the mere existence of such individuals could bolster a nation's security.
That was why every country secretly extended its hand toward the talent of other nations.
Money, fame, women, or something else entirely.
They promised them a value determined through precise intelligence—or even more—to lure them to their side.
Some might ask.
In a time when everyone was struggling, was it really necessary to go so far as to jeopardize the security of another nation?
It was.
Isn't that how everyone is?
To cherish those inside your own fence more than those outside it.
For them, their own citizens were the people inside the fence.
And among them were family, friends, and colleagues.
That was reason enough to pursue this with fervor, even knowing they would be condemned if caught.
These were people doing their utmost in the shadows for the safety of their nations.
“Make contact discreetly. At a time like this, he won't just turn you away at the door.”
To them, the conflict between Kim Do-jin and the Korean government looked like an incredibly appetizing opportunity.
Rumors of his skills had already spread in secret; he was said to be on a level where most S-ranks were no match for him.
What’s more, he was only in his mid-twenties.
If this was a chance to acquire a man whose limits were impossible to gauge, wasn't it worth diving into a pit of fire?
The higher-ups in each country gave their orders.
“Tell him we’ll give him whatever he wants.”
“Give him whatever he asks for!”
“Let’s start by throwing a blank check at him.”
Their voices merged into one.
“Bring him in, no matter what!”
The scouts who received the orders boarded the fastest flights to Korea.
* * *
The anger sparked by a single incident snowballed, growing larger like a snowball rolling down a steep hill.
Stunned to see the reporters who had been friendly to him turn into enemies in the face of a scoop, Maeng Gi-yong fled the scene and holed himself up in the Minister's office.
But that was only for a moment.
An order he could not refuse arrived from the President's office.
Knock, knock!
“…It’s Maeng Gi-yong.”
“Come in.”
An aged voice, tinged with anger.
As he opened the door and entered, the room's owner slammed his hand on the desk and began to rage like a wildfire.
Bang! Bang!
“Just how in the world are you handling things?!”
He immediately bowed his head.
“I apologize. I have no excuse.”
His polite apology seemed to quell the anger for a moment, but only a moment.
The man, the President, was still seething as he huffed and berated him.
“I supported you to enact reforms, not to make an enemy of an S-rank Hunter!”
“No, sir.”
“All you had to do was let them conduct the damn interrogation! Why did you have to refuse and blow this whole thing up?!”
Biting his lower lip, he kept his head bowed.
“For the sake of reform, it was imperative that we reclaim some of the special privileges granted to S-ranks.”
“Who doesn't know that?!”
The President had agreed to that as well.
That was why he had made the unconventional move of appointing Maeng Gi-yong to the minister's position in the first place.
But the timing was wrong.
“This organization was just starting to gain momentum! If you had taken a little more time and gradually reclaimed those privileges, none of this would have happened! That’s what I’m saying!”
“…I’m sorry.”
On that point, he had no excuse, even if he had ten mouths to speak with.
He had thought about it endlessly on his way here.
‘If only I had let them interrogate him.’
Nothing would have changed significantly.
Frankly, even if Kim Do-jin had subjected him to harsh torture, Jincheon would never have talked.
Knowing that, why had he made such a choice?
The camaraderie that had been etched into his bones since his early days played a part, but there was another reason.
‘I thought I hadn't fallen for it… but I was wrong.’
He had been more arrogant and conceited than he appeared on TV.
He seemed to be running wild with youthful vigor, but it also seemed to be his inherent nature.
Maeng Gi-yong had tried his best to control his emotions to avoid getting swept up in it, and he thought he had done a good job.
But looking back now, everything started to look different.
‘From start to finish, I was dancing on the palm of his hand.’
His arrogant behavior.
The way he provoked him by saying he enjoyed watching videos of old-school Hunters.
Even the warning he gave before he left.
Although it had been his own space, he now realized it was nothing more than a stage for the play Kim Do-jin was directing.
It was only after the disaster had struck that he understood, like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.
As he stood with his back bent, chewing on self-blame and regret, the President spoke.
“So.”
Having vented his anger by shouting, the President, who had regained some of his composure, asked.
“What are you going to do now?”
Come up with a solution. Otherwise, I will no longer support you.
That was how the President's question sounded to Maeng Gi-yong.
Right.
The most important thing for him now was to resolve this situation.
So, what had to be done, and how?
“First, I will capture the escaped prisoner. Then, I will personally visit Hunter Kim Do-jin and apologize.”
He had to win back Kim Do-jin's favor first.
Whether he had to get on his knees or slam his head on the ground.
He had to do it, whatever it took.
It would be the greatest humiliation of his life, but it didn't matter.
For the sake of his own ideals, and those of his organization, the humiliation of one man was nothing.
At his determined answer, the President's anger subsided further, and he grumbled.
“Ahem… Let’s do a better job. A much better job.”
“Yes, sir. I will do better from now on.”
“You may leave.”
The President swiveled his chair around.
Maeng Gi-yong bowed respectfully to the back of the chair, then turned and walked out of the President's office.
“Hoo.”
A deep sigh.
Public opinion, which had been favorable, was now boiling over, and the President who had supported him was now drawing a line.
Because of this, the Ministry of Land Protection, which had been on a roll just yesterday, was now facing a crisis of its very existence.
“…He really landed a solid punch.”
It was unbelievable.
That all of this was the result of a single move made by a young man in his twenties.
He stared up at the sky with piercing eyes and muttered.
“But it’s not over yet.”
It was the worst-case scenario, but it wasn't over.
He had been knocked into a daze by an unexpected uppercut that rattled his jaw, but he could get back up.
No, he had to get back up.
To do that, he needed someone's help.
Someone who was just as desperate as he was, and who would also have a deep interest in this matter.
He made a call to her.
“Hunter Han Ju-hee, I need your help.”
Scarlet Witch.
The ideals she and he sought were slightly different, but the essence they held in their hearts was the same.
She was someone who would do anything to achieve her goals.
Even if that wasn't the case, she wouldn't be able to refuse his request for help this time.
“Please investigate how the security system at the Ministry of Land Protection building was breached.”
The security design installed in the Ministry building had all come from her, Han Ju-hee.
She was a woman with immense pride.
Especially when it came to magic.
She was probably just as curious as he was.
Curious about who the culprit was that had so easily bypassed her security.
Perhaps she had even been waiting for his call.
Her answer was already decided.
-“I’ll head out right away.”
It was the moment the first step to resolving the crisis was taken correctly.