America's Offer, and the Possibility (1)
The highest room in the hotel where I was staying.
Across the table where I sat was James Jordan, Section Chief of the Hunter Management Department at the US Hunter Association.
Watching him now, I couldn't help noticing the sly, fox-like smile on his face — he looked entirely at ease, as if dealing with me were nothing at all.
I slowly raised the teacup in front of me to my lips.
"The tea isn't bad, I take it?"
"It's fine."
Even though I'd come here, I couldn't let my guard down.
I can't guarantee this is a hundred percent safe.
Meeting an unusual man in an unfamiliar place — of course I had to be careful.
Inside a gate, a hunter is a superhuman that no weapon of human science can stand against.
Outside, however, it's a different story.
Even an S-Rank hunter — the highest grade there is — has combat power that, generously speaking, amounts to an elephant or a polar bear.
That's a level firearms can subdue well enough.
At least so far, no top-tier hunter in a developed nation has ever been assassinated... but it happened now and then in South America, or Eastern Europe, in the past.
"You don't look like you're enjoying this conversation very much, so... Hunter Lee Dohyeon, let's get down to business."
"..."
Had he noticed me running the calculations back and forth in my head?
James Jordan looked at me and spoke.
"I hear your license was suspended in Korea."
"That's correct. I can't really call myself a hunter at the moment."
"Hahahaha! Surely you jest. You're one of the most valuable hunters in the world."
The way he smiled at me was so natural that, if anything, it made me suspicious. Or was I simply being too wary of this man?
"Hunter Lee Dohyeon."
His expression suddenly turned grave.
"How would you like to bring that talent to the greatest nation in the world?"
"I'm sorry?"
"We would like to recruit you into the US Hunter Association."
At James Jordan's words, it felt as though I'd been struck across the head.
America?
Go to the United States and work as a hunter? What on earth was this?
I had never even considered it.
As far as I could remember, no S-Rank hunter had ever transferred the country they operated in.
Even among A-Ranks and B-Ranks below them, moves happened only out of necessity — wartime refugees, people who'd fled with no other choice.
Switching nations like changing jobs was unheard of.
I was dumbfounded by the sheer audacity of their idea: poach Korea's S-Rank hunter.
Of course, it was true that I couldn't work as a hunter in Korea right now.
But still... no matter how you sliced it, coming to America?
"Is that even possible? From America's standpoint, it would surely become a diplomatic problem with Korea."
"It would have been, under normal circumstances. But Korea has already suspended your license. We'd simply be recruiting a hunter who is already free. What grounds could Korea possibly have to object?"
"..."
That's a technicality.
My license was suspended for five years. Which meant I would resume activity in five years.
Even if the paperwork technically allowed it, 'recruiting a free hunter' was nothing but sophistry.
My fist clenched involuntarily, crushing the hem of my jacket as I stared at the floor.
If America took me, Korea would surely push back hard.
But did I even need to care about that? Did I even have the standing to care?
"Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Shall we take a short break and continue later?"
"No, I'm fine. Whew."
I waved a hand and drank from the bottle of water beside my teacup.
There was still so much I didn't understand. Parts of this made no sense to me.
Above all — why would the United States shoulder that kind of risk for me?
"As I understand it, America has no fewer than three elite strike teams composed entirely of S-Rank hunters. There'd be no reason to stake everything on one more S-Rank like me, would there?"
"Well, an S-Rank hunter is, first and foremost, a tremendous asset in their own right. And beyond that — aren't you a hunter who is special even among S-Ranks?"
"..."
"You can perform inside a gate as a melee DPS while simultaneously providing detection capability — it's rare enough to hold S-Rank ability in two separate fields. On top of that, you have outstanding leadership as the representative strike team leader of an entire nation. A hunter like that is wanted by every country on Earth."
"Yes, I can see you rate me highly. But..."
"And there's one more thing you have. Call it — potential."
I flinched for a moment.
Potential? What was that supposed to mean?
"A hunter's power comes from mana."
"That's common knowledge."
I was nodding along when James Jordan held up two fingers toward me — his index and middle finger.
"You possess S-Rank capability in two separate abilities. Which means there's a real possibility your innate mana is exceptional as well."
"My mana measurements were never anything out of the ordinary."
"What's visible may not be everything. We place the utmost importance on extracting maximum results from the resources one possesses — so we are always chasing that possibility. Hunter Lee Dohyeon, if given the opportunity, we would like to understand your abilities in far greater depth."
"Understand my abilities in greater depth? How, exactly?"
"We possess hunter training facilities, research materials, and technology that no other nation can hope to match."
Mid-sentence, James Jordan broke into a broad grin.
"The only thing we lack, in the end, is the rarest of human resources — the S-Rank hunter himself."
"..."
"Hunter Lee Dohyeon. You have the potential to become something even greater."
He finished and gestured, casual and light.
From him, I felt an overwhelming confidence — an immense pride.
So this is what it's like, working for the nation that is, in name and in fact, the best in the world.
"Haah..."
I closed my eyes, exhaled a long sigh, and bit my lip.
Too much had flooded into my head all at once; nothing would settle into order.
"This offer to work in America. I'll need some time to think it over."
"Of course. I'm not asking for an answer on the spot. Thank you for making the time. I hope your stay in Guam is an enjoyable one."
"Thank you."
I rose from my seat.
Seeing the beach was out of the question — I needed to go back to my room and rest.
"Hunter Lee Dohyeon. We want you — sincerely. Please keep that in mind."
"..."
I only gave a small bow of my head and withdrew.
"Section Chief."
Once Dohyeon had gone, the US Hunter Association staff who had been waiting at a considerable distance came over to James Jordan.
"A failure, then?"
"On hold, for now. But it was a promising conversation."
"Still... will he really accept? From what we know, Hunter Lee Dohyeon has no personal ambitions of any kind — he simply devotes himself to whatever duty is put before him as a hunter. If he's truly without ambition, wouldn't he stay in Korea and wait rather than uproot himself? The prevailing view is that even five years will never come to pass — the suspension won't last that long."
"I'm aware."
James Jordan closed his eyes and tipped his head back.
"But no person without desire exists in this world. Only the direction of it differs. What worries me, if anything, is that everything is going so smoothly it makes me nervous."
He suddenly found himself laughing, remembering the moment he'd first heard news of Dohyeon's disciplinary action.
It had been absurd. Could this really be happening?
The US government and its people alike judged that their country's lead in the hunter field was not yet wide enough — and the US Hunter Association agreed. James Jordan of the Hunter Management Department, in particular, was one of the voices advocating aggressive expansion.
And now the most tantalizing prize imaginable had simply... appeared?
If that suspension hadn't actually gone through, he never would have dared to even think about bringing the man over.
It was like walking down the street and spotting the luxury watch you'd always wanted lying on the pavement. Of course you shouldn't touch it right away — and yet you couldn't hesitate, either.
This was an opportunity. There wasn't a country in the world that hadn't at least entertained the thought of poaching an S-Rank hunter.
"Let's hope it turns out well."
Now there was nothing to do but wait for the man's answer. For James Jordan, time seemed as though it would flow painfully slowly for a while yet.
"..."
I'd been lying on the bed for thirty minutes without moving a muscle, and my thoughts still refused to come together.
It had been such a long time since I'd been outside a gate — since I'd last faced a situation where I had to make a decision entirely on my own, without consulting anyone.
Truthfully, giving commands as a raid leader in the middle of a raid felt easier than this.
What do I want to do?
More concretely — what is it that I want?
Perhaps because I'd been through an experience that had shaken my values to the core, I found myself able to ask something closer to the essential question.
Until now, I had never once paid attention to what I wanted or desired. Thinking back on it now, it was almost laughable.
I had always taken responsibility, always restrained my own desires. I'd believed that was the right way to live.
Just work hard as an S-Rank hunter, as a strike team leader. Even when I carried a grueling raid to success, I always deflected the credit to the other hunters.
Even if they weren't my woman, I simply tried to help them, standing at their side.
A life of wanting nothing, receiving nothing, never even attempting to learn what it was I wanted.
Had I truly felt happiness there?
Had any of it really come from my own heart?
There was one thing in particular from James Jordan's words that kept nagging at me.
That very claim — that I had the potential to become stronger.
Could it be true? Against the monsters inside a gate — could I actually fight better than I do now?
Gulp.
My heart was pounding before I realized it, and I swallowed.
I'd never known I harbored such a fierce longing for this. Naturally so — I had always believed my limits were fixed.
But the moment someone spoke of a new possibility, my chest began to race. Even if it was only a possibility, and nothing more.
"...Alright."
Everything was uncertain, and nothing was guaranteed.
So what I had to do was simple: change the circumstances around me, and try something new.
"Have you made your decision?"
The next day.
I met James Jordan again and spoke first.
"I accept. From now on, I want to work as a hunter in the United States."
"Hahahaha!"
The words were barely out of my mouth before James Jordan burst into loud laughter.
"I can't even remember the last time I was this happy! Thank you. You will never regret this. And we'll push through all the tedious paperwork as quickly as we can."
"May I ask one favor?"
"Anything at all! 'Favor' is far too modest a word. If you need anything, just say it."
"I'll have to return to Korea once anyway, no matter what. But before that — I want to verify, quickly, this 'potential' you keep telling me I have."
I voiced the request I had turned over in my mind for quite some time.
I wanted to know, as soon as possible, whether I really could become stronger.
But.
Even though I'd just said with my own mouth that I would become an American hunter, they would surely assume there was a chance I'd change my mind.
If I took their help with America's hunter technology and then cast them aside, they'd be left in a very awkward position.
"Excellent! We'll find the fastest available flight to Los Angeles."
"...Thank you."
So he agreed just like that? I'd half expected him to think I was rushing things.
But if they were offering to help, there was no reason to refuse. I wanted to see it soon.
My potential.