Jealousy
People murmured in surprise upon spotting Lea Shed and the UHN Chairman ascending the stage belatedly.
"Oh! Lea Shed! They've been hiding her all this time, and now they reveal her like this?"
"It's gotta be because they're conscious of the Hero, right? Whether they steal the initiative or snatch the Hero himself, they have to do something."
As Lea Shed and the Chairman settled into the luxurious chairs behind the microphone stand, the Canada Branch Chief grabbed the mic again to calm the room.
"Now, now, representatives from each branch, please quiet down. Since we've gathered busy folks, let's dive straight into the main agenda."
The Canada Branch Chief's gaze swept the room before locking straight onto me.
"As all of you present today are aware, the Hero's residence has been uncertain, leading to divided opinions. Therefore, today we resolve to designate the World Union Headquarters as the Hero's residence and together overcome the trials granted by the gods..."
"No, what the—! Hold on a second!"
Knight Commander Jeong Hyun-seop, who had been listening, raised his hand to speak, but the Chief glanced dismissively at him and pressed on.
"We hereby abruptly transfer the Hero to the World Hunter Association headquarters and..."
"What nonsense!"
"Hey, Lerri Branch Chief!"
The Iron-Blooded Pope could no longer hold back, rising from his seat with a bellow. Only then did the Canada Branch Chief turn toward the Pope, scanning the Gaon of Light contingent.
"...What seems to be the problem, Your Holiness Pope Cheon Myeong-jin?"
He asked with his head cocked slightly to the side.
"The goal of this summit is to discuss the Hero's residence. This is not the place to decide his transfer. And yet you're making a unilateral declaration like this! How is that even remotely acceptable? The Hero's residence is for the Hero to decide— that's already been agreed upon!"
At the Pope's protest, voices of agreement rippled through the other nations: "That's right!", "Exactly!"
Debates over the Hero's residence weren't a one- or two-day affair; every country had pleaded for him to base in theirs, so to quell unnecessary political strife, it had been settled that the Hero would reside where he wished.
Yet Canada, home to UHN headquarters, had relentlessly demanded control over the Hero, culminating in this very summit.
While continental nations like the US and China had lost most of their territory to swarming monsters, Canada's vast cold expanses—blanketed in subzero temperatures—had suffered far less invasion.
Thus, Canada had inherited the world order once dominated by the old US.
As the saying goes: where there's no tiger, the fox rules.
But Canada's fox was fiercer than it looked.
Even accounting for higher survivor rates due to fewer monster outbreaks, Canada's awakener boom was freakishly disproportionate, allowing them to swiftly establish a national Hunter Association ahead of others—and ride that momentum to form the World Hunter Association.
They seized key interests early on and now wielded near-absolute power, backed by their powerhouse awakeners.
Everyone praised Canada as a land blessed by the gods.
'It was simply the place where the Corrupted Demonic World Tree scattered the most seeds.'
Planting those demonic tree seeds in people first had yielded a massive awakener surge.
The fact that Canada's trees bore the most fruit was proof enough.
But publicizing this required ironclad evidence against the Canadian Association—and we lacked it.
Even when we'd reported everything to the Gaon of Light Main Temple, they'd been hesitant to fully believe.
That's why, knowing this summit was dangerous, I'd come with the faithful anyway.
"Do all the branch chiefs here share this opinion?"
The Canada Branch Chief narrowed his eyes, surveying the room.
"Yes!"
"From the start, it's unreasonable for Canada HQ to monopolize the Hero, isn't it?"
"The 35 branch chiefs gathered here already reached consensus on this yesterday."
"We request that HQ resolve this amicably with the Korean branch!"
The branch reps who'd greeted me warmly just moments ago now chimed in one after another.
"Hmm... I see. We've heard the representatives' views clearly."
A sly smirk curled the Canada Branch Chief's lips as he nodded.
"Do you all know how much sacrifice and effort our Canadian Association has poured into maintaining today's peace, stability, and international cooperation? We could have dominated the world through war! Yet we've always based our decisions on principles and basic human rights."
Suddenly agitated, he slammed the table.
"And now you're refusing over something as trivial as the Hero's residence?!"
His intensity silenced the room, faces stiffening.
"Our Canadian Association isn't just some branch. We're the headquarters representing the World Hunter Association! Headquarters—that means our contributions to the world have been immense. So where should the Hero protect first? Canada, of course!"
At that, the hitherto silent Australian Branch Chief shot to his feet.
"So that's your game?! Luring the Hero here to shield Canada? Where's the rule saying he has to protect only Canada?!"
Emboldened by Australia, the Italian Branch Chief added his piece.
"When the sword cultists massacred our universities last time, what did UHN do? Rejected our pleas for help and washed their hands of it! And now you preach world peace?!"
As Italy dredged up the past, branch chiefs from other nations piled on.
"Exactly! They ignored our monster outbreaks in India too!"
"Even the Corrupted Demonic World Trees behind all those horrors—the Hero uprooted them all, didn't he?"
"Right! And in Brazil..."
Sporadic protests erupted, sharpening the Canada Branch Chief's glare.
"Branch chiefs representing your nations, mind your words. Our Canadian awakeners might get overexcited and make mistakes."
"What?!"
"Are you threatening the assembled national reps? You, the World Union Chairman?!"
"The nerve! Shameless words!"
Lerri's veiled threat drew even the hitherto observant chiefs into the fray.
Shouts mingled with curses, turning the summit into pandemonium.
"Branch chiefs, please remain orderly! Order!"
"Order? After blatant threats?!"
"You think awakeners are only in Canada?!"
Staff tried shouting them down, but the furious chiefs were unstoppable.
As the chaos escalated, Chairman Karl Rutley slowly rose.
Baring his teeth in a manic grin.
Blood Terraforming
Crimson-black veins erupted from Chairman Karl's body like arrows, piercing the Italian and Indian Branch Chiefs, among others.
"Gaaah!"
"Aaaagh!"
The impaled began transforming one by one into blood-red zombies.
"Grrrraaah!"
Karl Rutley had eyed the Hero the moment he entered the conference hall.
'Just a greenhorn.'
He'd sacrificed three thousand lives for Blood Terraforming, gaining immense power. Yet facing a human who'd supposedly received divine strength directly from a so-called god—a being he'd never seen or sensed—filled Karl with endless jealousy and self-loathing, driving him to the brink of madness.
He'd served the Dark God faithfully, yet received nothing in return.
Only Choi Joo-bong's precognitive oracle had indirectly revealed how to serve and earn that god's power.
Karl hadn't even spared a glance for the demonic legion commanders Choi claimed to have met.
'Why! I've worked so hard! Offered blood, humans—everything! Why?!'
Countless resentments festered in his heart.
From the moment tourist Choi Joo-bong awakened his precognition amid the monster outbreaks and shared visions of the Dark God, Karl had devoted himself utterly to building the Black Sheep Cult.
How desperately he'd watched from afar as Choi confronted that terrifying demonic legion commander, praying to be called, to be named a key cult member!
But no.
The legion commander ignored him, assigned tasks, and vanished.
Plant "Corrupted Demonic World Trees" worldwide.
Sacrifice humans to them, implanting black seeds.
Fill the world with cultists for the final day of ruin.
Karl embraced these divine mandates, clawing his way to power.
When early adult sacrifices to the trees mostly monsterized or died without seeding, it was Karl who suggested using children.
The result? A resounding success!
Unlike adults' 0.5% success rate, children boasted 87% survival and awakening rates.
From there, it was smooth sailing.
Founding the Canadian Hunter Association, then the World Hunter Association—all in a straight line to dominance.
Outwardly preaching world peace and salvation from monsters; inwardly establishing the "Black Sheep Salvation Church" as Choi's oracle demanded, proving his faith to the Dark God.
Yet despite the glory and power bestowed upon him...
He could never bury the fact that the god hadn't chosen him.
Forcing the hated Gaon of Light offshoots under World Hunter Association oversight was his petty rebellion against that god.
His own hypnotic skill felt pathetic amid brawny powerhouses. Facing the Gaon Pope's strength and poise always left him shrinking, feeling small and vile.
Then, after the Choi Joo-bong incident, a new awakening chance arrived.
Sorting Choi's belongings, he'd found notes on reawakening via dark energy manipulation!
And finally, sacrificing three thousand lives to the World Tree yielded his new skill: Blood Terraforming!
'Now no one can speak of gods before me!'
Karl's eyes gleamed toward the Hero.