Episode 151: Receiving a Guest (2)

There are currently about nine World Rankers in existence.

It would be easy to assume that number is small for something selected once a year, but in truth, a new World Ranker doesn't emerge every year. This isn't a medal or a trophy that simply has to be awarded to someone — it's a position that makes a person the face and the power of an entire nation. The review process happens annually, yet more often than not, no one is deemed worthy of selection.

Which means, conversely—

the World Rankers of today were all powerhouses who had passed that bar and earned the world's open recognition.

And among them, Diana is special in more ways than one.

She was the second World Ranker ever to emerge from a single nation — a hunter who had already been famous as the Master of a Magic Tower even before that. Borrowing the words of others, she was 'the one who stands at the apex of magic.' The strongest mage-type hunter alive, able to overturn heaven and earth with a flick of her finger and call down rain upon rain of fire.

That was Diana.

"...I'm curious."

I organized my thoughts as I wrapped up today's gate routine. Lately, I'd made growth that was honestly quite remarkable. If I had to put a number on it, I could confidently claim a spot in the upper tiers of S-rank.

On a good day, beating Gwonwang wouldn't even be a stretch.

As someone he claimed as his disciple, it was a presumptuous thing to say — but if I faced Gwonwang head-on right now, I was confident I'd win fifty times out of a hundred.

"And if I used Demon-Dragon Transformation on top of that..."

Could my strength reach the World Rankers?

Well, it's not like I ever had anything to do with them before.

Before my regression, I'd been worth less than the ants crawling under their feet. At best, they might have registered me as 'the son of some famous conglomerate chairman.'

But now is different.

Now, maybe I could reach that place I couldn't even have looked up at before regression. It wasn't that I coveted the World Ranker title itself. It was simply that a nation with a World Ranker became a place no other country could touch so lightly.

You could say its national power itself rose. That was exactly why Britain could be called a strong nation alongside the US and China, despite being far smaller in pure size.

The US and China each have one World Ranker, but—

Britain had two. And one of them was the 'first and apex World Ranker,' the Lion King David. In a word, the strongest hunter in recorded history resided in Britain.

Thanks to that, Britain wields enormous influence.

This was also why so many countries poured resources into cultivating hunters. The moment even a single World Ranker emerged, the nation's standing shot straight up.

Put another way—

when a crisis hits, help becomes that much easier to ask for.

A crisis in some small, insignificant weak nation and a crisis in a hunter superpower with a World Ranker were dimensions apart.

"So, I'll use this chance to find out."

Just how strong a World Ranker really was.

"Arf!"

The moment my thoughts ended, Rir trotted up in front of me, carrying a monster's head in her jaws. Her tail wagged furiously, as if demanding praise.

"Good job, good job."

"Kyiiing."

When I rubbed her belly, she stuck out her tongue happily and closed her eyes. Just as the sensation was about to steal my attention—

THUD!

A colossal monster carcass crashed down in front of me. Looking closer, it was the boss of this gate.

"Kraaaar!"

Moss, who had carried the thing back in his jaws, pressed his huge head against my body.

"Yes, yes. You did well too, Moss."

"Kruuk!"

"Arf?! Grrrrr...!"

Rir and Moss locked eyes with each other and launched into another round of their staring contest. We'd cleared countless gates together by now, yet there was still no sign of things improving between them.

Not that it looked serious.

If it were truly bad, I'd have put a stop to it long ago. They just glared at each other like that, then huffed once and gave up.

"Come on, I told you two to get along."

They might have to coordinate an attack together someday, so they should at least learn to move in sync.

"Oh."

Both of them had leveled up through this gate. Rir was already at level 30, and Moss had hit level 10.

Which means—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

the moment had come for both of them to grow stronger once more.

The skill Moss had learned was a familiar one. It was the wide-area bombardment skill he'd unleashed against Karin and me back when he was still Behemoth. With a wider range than Dragon Breath and less of a burden to use, Moss would be able to put it to good use.

"You're not allowed to use that one on me next time."

"Kraa?"

Moss tilted his head, his eyes pure innocence. Now, next up was...

"Another choice again, huh."

Apparently, from level 20 onward, the rewards were fixed as choices. After a moment of deliberation, I picked—

—a new skill rather than a skill enhancement.

I can't afford to obsess over Resonance alone.

Facing Deus Ex Machina had taught me that: as the spirits grew, creating an opening against a powerful enemy only became easier. And above all—

...I don't ever want to see them destroyed again.

Spirits or not, these were children who trusted me and followed me here. I didn't want them to be broken or hurt like things people throw away. Even one more skill meant one more means of responding in a crisis.

"Let's hope it's a good one."

"Woof woof!"

Rir barked energetically, and soon a new skill bloomed into existence for her.

It was—

"...Huh?"

a skill of a kind far beyond anything I had imagined.

Time passed, and before anyone knew it, the day of Diana's visit to Korea had arrived. Incheon International Airport was already bustling thanks to Horizon, but today the crowds swelled to another level entirely.

"Everyone! This is a historic moment!"

Reporters from every broadcasting station imaginable. Streamers running their personal broadcasts. "The second Diana shows up, I'm getting her on camera! Subscribe and like!" Even fandom members who'd rushed over just to catch a single glimpse of Diana in person. The already-crowded airport turned into a sea of humanity with not an inch of ground left to stand on.

"Haaah! Whew! Finally made it out!"

A red-haired mage gasped for breath after barely squeezing through the crush of people.

"Ugh, I knew there'd be a lot of people, but I didn't expect this many..."

"I think it's because Tower Master Diana is arriving here today."

A woman draped in black cloth stuck close behind her. It was Veronica, wearing the Night's Shroud, an item with a recognition-inhibition effect.

"Huh? Why is that royal pain in the ass suddenly coming here?"

"S-Sophia...!"

Sophia's face twisted in a scowl. She was, after all, the poster child for hating the UK Magic Tower. Having her A-rank staff snatched away still haunted her dreams with how infuriating it had been.

"Whatever. Diana or Dye-dye, whatever — getting to Horizon matters more to me than she does."

She turned her head away decisively, right there in the middle of the crowd.

"But... if we go now, we'd already be too late. Hing."

According to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠info she'd checked on the way over, the day's stock vanished the instant the doors opened. It was already forty minutes past opening time today. Going now would obviously be pointless.

"Th-then should we eat first, Sophia? You haven't had a meal yet."

"...Sure. So what's good in Korea?"

"Uhm... ahem... there's a place I visited last time that was absolutely delicious... W-would you like to come with me?"

"You, Veronica?"

Food that Veronica liked? This was the girl who lived on salad and chicken breast even back at the guild. Whatever it was, it would probably be some similarly clean, light dish.

I'd rather have meat, but.

Humoring Veronica for her first meal in Korea didn't sound bad at all.

"Sure! What is it?"

"K-kimchi jjigae..."

"Never heard of it, but if Veronica recommends it, fine."

It was bound to be something fresh and light, no doubt.

"Then let's go."

"Yes! Let's hurry!"

"V-Veronica! Don't run!"

The two of them vanished quickly from sight.

And a few hours later—

"Sh-she's here! Hunter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Diana has appeared at the airport!"

Diana had arrived. The moment she came into view, the entire airport erupted, camera flashes going off without pause.

Despite the long-haul flight, she wore not a trace of disarray, smiling with effortless composure.

"Fufufu. Hello, everyone in Korea."

Not a hint of it showed on the surface — but in truth, Diana was utterly exhausted right now.

Haah, I want to rest. Just for a bit.

To carve out time for this trip to Korea, she'd crammed several days' worth of work into a single day. She'd even worked the entire flight here. Right now she wanted nothing more than to scream 'Argh, damn it all, burn to ash!' while firing off spells in every direction.

But I have a reputation to maintain.

Only a handful of people knew Diana's 'true personality.' Publicly, she was the great and capable woman who held the positions of World Ranker and Supreme Tower Master simultaneously. She absolutely could not afford to show a single crack.

"Supreme Tower Master."

Just then, a voice approached from behind her.

"You are..."

"It is an honor to see you again."

In a tone far more polished than usual, Ji Yeon-ha, the Tower Master of Korea, bowed respectfully.

"Look at that! It's Ji Yeon-ha!"

"Whoa! The two Tower Masters, together in one place!"

The reporters kept snapping away in a frenzy, but Ji Yeon-ha ignored them entirely and carried out her duty.

"Ah, it's you. Ji Yeon-ha, was it?"

Diana knew her too. Back when she'd come to report that she'd become a Tower Master, she'd been such a blushing, country-bumpkin little thing. Apparently she'd grown to a rather presentable level in the meantime.

"Tae-hyun... ahem. I have come at the request of Representative Lee Tae-hyun to escort you, Tower Master."

"...You?"

A Tower Master, taking on an errand like this? Diana felt a flicker of strangeness at that, but soon accepted it.

Well, given who it's for, I suppose.

This was an act of escorting none other than herself — the Master of every Magic Tower. No doubt that Lee Tae-hyun fellow had used exactly that angle, bowing his head as deeply as possible when he made the request.

Hmm. He's not entirely without social awareness, it seems.

Her assessment of him improved slightly in her heart.

"So, what are we traveling by? A limousine? A private jet?"

"One moment."

Ji Yeon-ha stepped close to Diana and took her hand. Then, in an instant, she released her mana and activated a teleportation spell.

FWAP!

In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed from the deafening chaos of the airport interior to a comparatively quiet observation deck. A spell that planted coordinates nearby and moved in a single step. The process was complex and the distance short, making it hard to use in actual combat — but for slipping out of a congested place like this, it was quite useful.

"What in the world is this..."

"You've finally arrived. We've been waiting for you."

Just as Diana tried to get her bearings, a man who had been waiting for them at the observation deck waved a hand lightly.

"L... Lee Tae-hyun? Why are you here...?"

"Why else? I came to escort our honorable Tower Master, of course."

Tae-hyun flashed an easy grin and called over to Ji Yeon-ha.

"Thank you for your work, Yeon-ha-ssi."

"Oh... it was nothing at... no, no, it's nothing."

Uncharacteristically, she was a bundle of nerves. Finding the unfamiliar sight amusing, Tae-hyun rolled his eyes over her a few times, then turned back to Diana.

"You must be tired after such a long journey. Let's get you settled without delay."

"Ah, yes..."

Whatever the means of transport, it would be more or less the same. At best, it couldn't beat the flight magic she could deploy at full speed. But if they were going to offer her such hospitality, accepting it was a matter of keeping face. If it weren't for that, she would have simply flown off with magic on the spot.

Showing off, are we.

She was sick to death of the ostentation of rich men like this. Honestly, she was a little tired of it by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now.

"Then, shall we?"

Diana nodded, her soul half-drained.

"Very good. Are you ready?"

Tae-hyun had prepared his first act of receiving a guest.

It was 'swift, expedient travel.'

"Come out, Moss."

The shadows churned violently, and enormous wings unfurled.