Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: A Dire Prophecy
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"Vice Master, you got any water? My mouth is bone dry."
Do-jae handed him a bottle of water.
*Gulp. Gulp.*
Jeong Hoon-hyeon drained the entire bottle on the spot.
"Why are you so nervous?"
"How can I not be? My heart's pounding and my hands and feet are tingling."
"It's just a meeting. Please don't be so tense. You're making me nervous just watching you."
"I… I know…"
But despite Do-jae's prodding, Jeong Hoon-hyeon couldn't stop fidgeting.
After sending the kids off, Do-jae and Jeong Hoon-hyeon had come straight to the Association Headquarters.
Thanks to a nervous Jeong Hoon-hyeon, they'd loitered in front of the building for a while, but Do-jae finally managed to get him to compose himself and lead him inside.
"Hello there… I'm Jeong Hoon-hyeon… and this is Lee Do-jae…"
"We're from the Guardian Guild, at the Association President's request."
"Ah, I see. Please proceed to the main conference room on the 9th floor."
"Thank you."
After bowing to the receptionist, Jeong Hoon-hyeon continuously wiped away the sweat trickling down his face.
Do-jae grabbed him and led him to the elevator.
"Please, just relax. We haven't committed a crime, so what are you so anxious about?"
"It's not that I'm anxious… You might be fine, Vice Master, since you're a superstar, but just a few months ago, I was just a guy running a small guild. Now I'm about to meet the Association President and other famous hunters. How could I not be nervous?"
"They're people, just like us. Just act normal."
"No… They're my idols…"
Do-jae and Jeong Hoon-hyeon took the elevator up to the 9th floor.
When they arrived at the main conference room, many people were already seated.
"Lee Do-jae! Look who's here!"
A man in a suit so tight it looked like the buttons would pop off at any moment walked over.
It was Gwak Ji-hyeok, the guild master of Taebaek.
"We meet again soon."
"You've become a real star. Life treatin' you well?"
"A star? Hardly… Ah, this is our guild master."
Gwak Ji-hyeok extended a hand toward Jeong Hoon-hyeon, who was cowering beside Do-jae.
Jeong Hoon-hyeon hastily wiped his hands on his pants before taking it.
"It's… it's an honor! I'm Jeong Hoon-hyeon!"
"Nice to meet ya. I'm Gwak Ji-hyeok."
After a firm handshake with Gwak Ji-hyeok, Jeong Hoon-hyeon stared at his own hand with a dazed expression, opening and closing his fist.
Gwak Ji-hyeok, in turn, introduced the man next to him.
"This here's our vice representative. Hong Mun-geun, say hello."
"Well now! I've heard so much about you. Just as handsome and magnanimous as they say! Hahaha! I'm Hong Mun-geun!"
"Ah, yes… I'm Lee Do-jae."
Hong Mun-geun greeted him with an almost excessive level of energy.
He was a man with a strong personality, sporting bright yellow hair and what looked like at least ten piercings scattered across his face.
"Greetings to the Guardian Guild's master as well! I'm Hong Mun-geun… Eek! Wait, wait. Is that watch…? Isn't that the Louis Stella 100th Anniversary limited edition?"
Hong Mun-geun stopped mid-greeting, grabbing Jeong Hoon-hyeon's hand and staring intently at the thick, gold-plated watch.
A proud expression spread across Jeong Hoon-hyeon's face.
"Oh? To think someone would recognize it! A pleasure to meet you. I'm Jeong Hoon-hyeon!"
"Kyah… To meet someone with such incredible taste and discernment here!"
This time, Hong Mun-geun casually rolled up his sleeve to reveal his own watch.
It was a hefty, blue-toned timepiece, lavishly encrusted with brilliant cubic zirconia.
"Ooh, this is…! One of only twenty-four ever made by Louis Stella's artistic director, Christopher…!"
"This won't do. To meet a kindred spirit in a place like this! Please, come sit next to me!"
"Right away!"
As Jeong Hoon-hyeon and Hong Mun-geun headed toward one side of the conference room, Do-jae turned to Gwak Ji-hyeok with an embarrassed look.
"I think our Master Jeong Hoon-hyeon got a little carried away. Haha…"
"It's fine. I told him not to make such a fuss… Anyway, where are ya gonna sit?"
"I'm going to go say hello over there first."
Do-jae glanced at a man and a woman sitting in the back.
As he headed toward them, he greeted the representatives from other guilds one by one.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Choi Ji-ho from the Yujin Guild."
"Yoon Gi-seong of ROM. I've heard a lot about you."
"Haha, Han Dong-eun, representative of the Red Rain Guild. It's an honor to finally meet the vice representative of Guardian!"
Yujin, ROM, Red Rain.
Taebaek, Gong, Manseong, KD Hunters, and of course, Guardian.
Seated here were the guild masters and vice guild masters of the top guilds leading Korea's hunter community.
"Been a while, hasn't it? I heard you did something big."
A man approached Do-jae with a friendly greeting.
It was Song Deok-hoon, the vice guild master of Manseong and Shim Young-jin's maternal uncle.
"It's good to see you. But your body…"
Do-jae trailed off as he looked at Song Deok-hoon's condition.
His state was so poor that Do-jae felt bad even asking how he was.
"Ah, this? Don't worry about it. It's not a serious injury."
Song Deok-hoon said it like it was nothing.
However, he had casts on his left leg and left arm, and an eyepatch over his right eye.
"Are you really okay?"
"Manseong has plenty of skilled healers, so I'm fine. Can't do anything about the eye, but the arm and leg will heal soon enough."
"What happened to you?"
"Isn't it a common thing for hunters? I got hurt during a dungeon raid yesterday."
"I see."
Do-jae wondered what kind of dungeon it must have been to injure a hunter of Song Deok-hoon's caliber.
But he didn't ask further.
If it had been a dungeon of that level, word would have surely reached Guardian, and he would have known about it. Since he hadn't heard anything, he figured there must be something else to it.
Something he couldn't just ask about and expect an answer.
"Please don't mention this to Young-jin. He's already having a hard time and keeps coming to see me. As his uncle, the last thing I want is to give him another thing to worry about."
"Is that so?"
It was the first Do-jae had heard of Young-jin visiting Song Deok-hoon.
He had acted fine in front of him, but it seemed he was leaning on his uncle for support.
Do-jae felt a pang of disappointment that he hadn't yet become that kind of presence for Young-jin, but at the same time, it made him resolve to treat him even better.
"I'll take that as a promise to keep it a secret from Young-jin. I should get back to my seat now. Our representative is glaring daggers at me."
Do-jae looked past Song Deok-hoon's shoulder at a woman.
His eyes met a pair of fiercely glaring ones.
It was Kwon Ran-hee, the representative of Manseong.
"Why… is she looking at me like that?"
"Who knows. She's just always like that, so I can't really say."
Song Deok-hoon shrugged and returned to his seat.
Do-jae also found an empty seat, and a short while later, Jeong Hoon-hyeon returned and sat next to him.
"The vice representative of Taebaek is a really great guy."
"Are you feeling more relaxed now?"
"Of course! I'm living a successful life! I can't wait for this meeting to be over…"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon said with a happy face as he rummaged through his bag.
Just then, someone else opened the door and entered.
"It's Nam Gang-ryul."
At someone's whispered exclamation, the room fell silent.
While the atmosphere hadn't been exactly warm, with each guild being a competitor, it had at least been pleasant.
But the moment the two men entered, the mood turned icy, and everyone fell quiet.
"The guild master of Great Tiger has graced us with his presence."
"He hasn't shown his face anywhere for years. Was this meeting that important? I'm glad I came."
Only two people.
Only two men welcomed the newcomers.
"Nam Gang-ryul! It's been a damn long time! You been well? Kim Se-hoon, you came too!"
"Representative Nam Gang-ryul, you look as healthy as ever. Have you been well?"
Gwak Ji-hyeok of Taebaek and Han Dong-eun of Red Rain.
They were the only ones who greeted Nam Gang-ryul, the guild master of the Great Tiger Guild, and his vice guild master, Kim Se-hoon.
"…"
However, Nam Gang-ryul merely gave them a single nod before walking straight to the front seat without a word.
"Ha, that bastard… still as rude as ever. Kim Se-hoon! You must have it rough!"
"Vice Guild Master Kim Se-hoon, I heard you had a difficult time in Busan. You have my thanks for your hard work."
Seeing Nam Gang-ryul's lukewarm reaction, Gwak Ji-hyeok and Han Dong-eun turned their attention to Kim Se-hoon as if they were used to it.
"Great Tiger merely did what had to be done."
With that, Kim Se-hoon also sat down next to Nam Gang-ryul.
Although both of them were stiff in their responses, the greetings from Gwak Ji-hyeok and Han Dong-eun helped to slightly thaw the atmosphere in the room, and the representatives began to talk amongst themselves again.
And a moment later.
Accompanied by a staff member, the very person who had gathered all these formidable people entered the conference room.
***
"Has everyone eaten?"
Jeong In-gon, the President of the Hunter Association, entered with a grim expression.
He surveyed the faces of the hunters in the conference room and offered a faint smile.
"The timing was a bit awkward. Perhaps I should have prepared some refreshments."
Some rather formal greetings and pleasantries were exchanged.
After a few more words, Jeong In-gon began to get to the point.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for gathering here despite the sudden request."
Jeong In-gon had only sent out the meeting request to the guild leaders two days ago.
For most of the guild masters and vice guild masters to have gathered, with only a few exceptions, was truly remarkable.
Even if it was a request from the Association President, these weren't people who would gather so readily.
However, the topic of the meeting was far too serious to ignore, which was why the representatives had no choice but to be here.
"Let them in."
At Jeong In-gon's words, a waiting Association staff member stepped outside, and a moment later, a woman entered the conference room.
A white-haired Caucasian woman who appeared to be well on in years.
Looking extremely gaunt, she walked in leaning on a cane.
"This is Ms. Hellen Lopez, whom we had the honor of inviting all the way from the United States."
Hellen Lopez was helped onto the platform by a staff member.
A few of the hunters who knew her name looked utterly astonished.
"I'd like to thank the President of the Korean Hunter Association for arranging this meeting. And I also want to thank Ran-hee Kwon for helping me get here."
Kwon Ran-hee, who was sitting in the back, smiled and made a characteristically American gesture.
Jeong In-gon motioned to a staff member, who held up some documents and began to address the representatives in the room.
"First, allow me to introduce Ms. Hellen Lopez. Hellen Lopez, age 72…"
Hellen Lopez.
A 72-year-old American woman who had once shaken the world but had vanished at some point. She was a prophet.
Unlike the charlatans who went around spouting nonsense claiming to be prophets, she was a true prophet who boasted a perfect track record of predictions.
And the reason this was possible was due to the single skill she possessed: ‘Clairvoyance’.
When she looked at someone with her own two eyes, she could see the moment a singularity would occur in their future.
Thanks to this skill, Hellen Lopez had gained global fame and immense wealth.
But 20 years ago, she had suddenly disappeared.
Countless speculations arose—that she had been kidnapped or murdered—but her case was officially ruled a suicide after an announcement from the United States that they had acquired both of her eyeballs.
And now, that very woman had suddenly appeared here, of all places, at the Korean Hunter Association.
"Are you sure it's really her?"
"It must be. Otherwise, how would the Association President handle the fallout?"
The representatives looked at Hellen Lopez with a mixture of doubt and belief.
Jeong In-gon spoke with an expression that said he understood them completely.
"As for why we have invited Ms. Lopez, I believe it would be best for you to hear it from her directly. Ms. Lopez, if you would."
Hellen Lopez nodded.
Then, she slowly took off the black sunglasses she was wearing.
Her eyes were closed.
Slowly, she opened them.
*Stagger!*
At that moment, Hellen Lopez nearly collapsed, catching herself just in time by grabbing her cane.
Seeing her precarious state, a staff member went up to support her, but she held up a hand to stop him.
"I'm alright. It's just been a while since I've used Clairvoyance… Just give me a moment."
Hellen Lopez focused on the hunters' faces one by one.
One of her eyes was completely clouded over and white, like that of a patient with late-stage cataracts. The other was also covered in a hazy film, though it was in slightly better condition.
For a long while, both Hellen Lopez and the guild representatives watched each other in breathless silence.
Finally, Hellen Lopez closed her eyes again and put her sunglasses back on.
And then, a shocking statement came from her lips.
"This country will soon be destroyed."