Chapter 111: Japan (19)
Chapter 111: Japan (19)
The truth was a piece of information born of a misunderstanding.
The news that an anonymous Awakener named [Knight] had single-handedly cleared a dungeon containing an Orc tribe spread like wildfire among the Awakeners.
Because it was so far beyond the realm of common sense, everyone doubted the credibility of the report.
"Is that for real? Isn't it an exaggeration?"
"I mean… they said no one actually saw him hunting, right?"
It was a natural reaction. While it wasn't impossible for the existing top-tier Awakeners to pull off such a feat, the idea of such a powerhouse appearing out of thin air made it harder to believe than to doubt.
Since it was a brief report coming out of Japan, people initially suspected it was just Japanese media hype.
"Isn't it just the Japanese overhyping things again?"
"They're always inflating their Awakeners' abilities."
"It's hard to trust anything coming from that side."
Because Japan had fewer top-tier Awakeners compared to other nations, they had a chronic habit of inflating and over-packaging their Awakeners' capabilities.
While Awakener Ranks were ultimately measured by a standardized global criteria, the assessment of the abilities themselves could be subjective and was handled by local Association branches. This led to such practices not only in Japan but in several other countries as well.
Being their immediate neighbor, Korea naturally had a sense of rivalry with Japanese Awakeners, so Koreans were well aware that Japan tended to exaggerate their heroes' prowess for publicity.
Because of these past instances, some dismissed the stories about Knight as nothing more than a ridiculous fabrication.
However, public opinion shifted drastically when additional information surfaced: Knight was someone brought along by Wolyeong.
The possibility that he was Korean, rather than Japanese, skyrocketed.
Even if he wasn't Korean, the fact that he wasn't Japanese—combined with the knowledge that Wolyeong was in Japan providing support alongside officials from the Korean Association—lent the rumors a heavy weight of credibility.
As the situation evolved, Awakeners who heard about Knight naturally began flooding the Association with inquiries.
In this day and age, information traveled at lightning speed, and the Association was besieged by an overwhelming number of phone calls.
The staff were losing their minds trying to answer every call and provide explanations.
Park Min-woo, the head of the Korean Branch of the Awakener Association, was no exception.
In fact, his position was even more precarious. He was receiving direct calls from executives and leaders of Large Clans who grilled him for details, leaving him drenched in a cold sweat as he manned the phones.
Considering the status of the callers and his relationship with them, he couldn't just hang up or give a flat "no comment." He had to find clever ways to dodge their questions.
He explained that Knight was someone Wolyeong had brought for this specific mission and that he didn't know much himself, but he had to repeat this excuse dozens of times.
In truth, even when Kang Yujin first began her activities as Wolyeong, the Large Clans had coveted her and applied all sorts of pressure.
At the time, she was the only S-Rank Psychokinetic in the entire world, a fact that was truly shocking and made her value astronomical.
However, Park Min-woo had rejected every single proposal on her behalf, stating that Wolyeong wished to remain anonymous and unaffiliated. Thanks to that, she had been able to operate solo and incognito until now.
But now, a new Awakener named Knight had appeared and performed a feat that only the very best could even dream of. It was only natural for others to be curious—and greedy.
Park Min-woo understood the Large Clans' intentions, but it was also incredibly annoying.
The criticism that it wasn't fair to keep increasing the number of anonymous high-ranking Awakeners was, in his own opinion, a reasonable point.
However, having heard from Wolyeong that Knight was a knight from another world who fought through a contract, he couldn't possibly reveal the truth.
If he disclosed that, the demands for Wolyeong to reveal her identity would explode, as she was the first person to make contact with someone from another world.
The pressure from other nations would likely be even more intense.
Since monsters were crossing over from another world, the hypothesis that intelligent life existed there was already well-established.
This would be the first empirical proof of that theory. People would undoubtedly spout nonsense about how the Artifact Wolyeong used to contract Knight should be handed over for the "public good" just so they could extract more information and exploit it.
"Phew..."
After hanging up, Park Min-woo leaned back deeply into his chair and let out a long sigh.
Every clan, with the exception of the Yuseong Clan, was desperate to recruit powerful Awakeners.
The moment he set his smartphone down, it began to vibrate again with another call. Park Min-woo felt a headache coming on.
He wanted nothing more than to just turn the phone off, but since he couldn't, the frustration was stifling.
Though annoyed and tired, Park Min-woo picked up the phone again to give yet another textbook answer.
★ ★ ★
Kang Yujin was currently very angry.
Today was the final day scheduled to clear the dungeons at Japan's request.
There were about three days left on the deadline, so they had to finish everything today.
Her plan was to wrap things up as quickly as possible and head back home to spend some sweet, lovey-dovey time with Han Shin, whom she hadn't been able to see much lately.
She had skipped breakfast and prepared everything early to move fast.
She had already reached an agreement with Han Shin, Grace, and Laysia that it would be best to clear the dungeons as quickly as possible, just in case.
But as soon as she stepped out, officials from the Japanese Association approached her and asked her to "show consideration" so they could excavate Artifacts as they usually did.
"Excuse me?"
Kang Yujin was draped in her black robe, her face hidden by a silk veil.
When Wolyeong's cold retort cut through the air, the beaming smiles on the faces of the Japanese Association officials froze.
Until now, Wolyeong had accepted such requests.
In their minds, there were only ten A-Rank monsters left inside the Reinforcement Portals.
Looking at the speed at which she had been clearing dungeons over the past two days, the Japanese officials thought they had plenty of time to spare. In their eyes, it was a perfectly reasonable request to make.
In fact, when they first discussed bringing this up, the Japanese executives had been a bit cautious. However, after seeing Han Shin clear the portal with the Orc tribe all by himself yesterday, they were so amazed by his power that they became overconfident, thinking the crisis was as good as over.
Believing that two incredibly powerful Awakeners had perfectly resolved the situation, they were gleefully planning to have Awakeners from Japan's Large Clans on standby today to dig up Artifacts.
Contrary to their expectations, however, Wolyeong's immediate, icy response and her blatant display of displeasure left them flustered.
An Association staff member in charge of operations spoke up hurriedly.
"We will pay you much more than usual. We've suffered quite a bit of damage this time, and securing Artifacts is beneficial for all Awakeners, so... couldn't you reconsider?"
The fairly competent staff member tried to soothe Wolyeong's mood. Although he hadn't cleared it with his superiors yet, he promised a large bonus to try and fix the situation.
But Kang Yujin wasn't mollified at all.
She was no longer greedy for money.
The reason she had been so focused on earning money as Wolyeong was to pay for Han Shin's medical bills and to save up for a future together.
Now, not only was Han Shin's body perfectly fine, but he was also stronger than most Awakeners.
On top of that, Tiamat's treasury was now theirs, so they didn't need to worry about earning money separately anymore.
Since she had already saved up a significant amount, she was no longer obsessed with wealth. The Japanese Association's offer held zero appeal.
To her, more money was unnecessary.
Ultimately, the reason she had come to help Japan was for Han Shin's sake.
If the portals weren't closed, the Evil God Forces would eventually cross over, which would put Han Shin in danger.
'I save a drowning man, and he demands I hand over my bundle...?'
Kang Yujin found the Japanese Association's behavior utterly contemptible.
"I'll proceed as originally planned. We aren't in a position to be taking it easy."
Even if a person's face isn't visible, their mood can be felt through their aura and tone.
As Wolyeong spoke with words that practically dripped with frost, the Japanese officials' lips went dry.
They hadn't expected Wolyeong to refuse so firmly.
Furthermore, they didn't know how to argue against her claim that they didn't have time.
If they asked her to leave just a few dungeons for them, there was no guarantee that the Awakeners from the Japanese Large Clans were skilled enough to clear them while taking the time to excavate Artifacts.
It was an undeniable fact that the dungeons had to be cleared by today.
Since they needed Wolyeong's cooperation, the Japanese Association couldn't push any further.
"...Understood."
Fearing that Wolyeong might just leave without finishing the dungeons, the Japanese officials had no choice but to follow her lead.
Han Shin, who had been watching and listening to the entire exchange, felt just as disgusted as Kang Yujin.
He had worked hard to help, and now that the situation was being resolved, seeing them try to snatch up profits left a bad taste in his mouth.
He admired Kang Yujin's firm refusal.
‘If I were in Noona’s shoes, I would have been even more annoyed and rejected them even more coldly.’
In fact, Han Shin thought Kang Yujin was being remarkably soft in her handling of them.
Moreover, Han Shin felt that he shouldn't participate in the hunt today.
‘They’ll probably try to sneak into the dungeons behind our backs after this...’
It didn't matter if he was seen, but it would be problematic if Grace and Laysia were spotted by others.
Ultimately, he signaled Kang Yujin, and once they were alone, they decided that she would clear the remaining dungeons quickly by herself today.
Kang Yujin, understanding Han Shin's concerns, immediately agreed.
"Knight isn't feeling well today because he overexerted himself yesterday, so I'll be heading into the dungeons alone."
Even though Knight didn't look particularly unwell despite his black robe and armor, the people present figured that what he did yesterday would have been enough to exhaust anyone, so they accepted the excuse.
Han Shin decided to head back to their lodgings first, and the final day in Japan concluded with Wolyeong clearing the dungeons alone.