Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Press Conference
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He changed course from heading home and flew toward the Iowa State Hunter Association branch building.
It looked like he wouldn't need to call in reporters for the press conference.
That was because crowds of people clutching cameras and microphones had already gathered in front of the Association building.
"Like vultures they've gathered."
David muttered under his breath as he gazed down at the reporters below.
He wasn't thrilled about these lowbrow articles popping up out of nowhere without warning.
There had to be at least a few hundred people milling around the Association building.
They were protesters demanding Seo Dae-hyun's discharge as an Iowa State Hunter.
One of the protesters jabbed a finger toward the sky.
It was the helicopter carrying David and Seo Dae-hyun.
"It's a Hunter Association chopper!"
Sharp eyes—they'd spotted it was an Association helicopter right away.
"Get the hell back to your own country right now!"
"Don't play games with our tax dollars! David!"
"What's a D-Rank even doing here?!"
The Iowa State protesters unleashed a barrage of curses and shrieks, venting their fury.
Seo Dae-hyun could feel just how much had happened while he'd been inside the dungeon.
The resentment was far worse than what he'd seen on the news.
"I'm sorry."
David bowed his head apologetically.
He hadn't anticipated things blowing up this badly.
It made the Association—and himself—look utterly incompetent.
No one could blame Seo Dae-hyun for finding the Iowa branch pathetic.
Yet Seo Dae-hyun didn't look at him with disappointment or reproach.
On the contrary, he racked his brains right alongside him.
When David asked why he was going so far out of his way,
"We're in the same boat now, aren't we?"
Seo Dae-hyun had replied so matter-of-factly, without a hint of awkwardness.
"These people just don't like me, that's all."
It was a situation that could've easily soured anyone's mood, but Seo Dae-hyun brushed it off like it was nothing.
A grin tugged at his lips.
"So all I have to do is make them like me, right?"
David let out a deep sigh of admiration at Seo Dae-hyun's magnanimity.
'Ah...'
David knew that even if he could turn back time, he wouldn't change a thing about his decision.
Canceling the contract with S-Rank Hunter Ryu Jin to sign with Seo Dae-hyun was the best choice he'd ever made.
A look of resolve crossed David's face.
Just as you can't cover the sky with the palm of your hand, Seo Dae-hyun couldn't be hidden away forever.
Since they were already out in the open, it was time to shake things up.
*
The helicopter touched down on the roof of the Association building.
Kim Hyun-jun and May stayed behind in the branch chief's office.
This press conference was about him, after all.
"Hyung."
"I'll be back."
He had no intention of dragging Kim Hyun-jun into this.
He took the top-floor elevator down to the first floor, nice and slow.
Had it ever felt this long before?
"Are you sure it's okay to go in completely unprepared?"
David asked.
Normally, for a press conference like this, you'd coordinate with reporters ahead of time or prepare a list of questions. But right now, it was raw and unfiltered.
Seo Dae-hyun had zero experience dealing with these starving hyena-like reporters hungry for a scoop.
"Gotta keep it real."
David figured it was because he was ex-military—nothing fazed him in situations like this.
"The Association will take a hard line on this too, and we'll make sure anyone posting malicious crap about Hunter Seo Dae-hyun faces punishment."
The corner of Seo Dae-hyun's mouth curved up faintly.
David, now firmly in his corner, felt like a reliable soldier in this space.
And David felt the same way about him.
Thanks to the Necromancer's unique trait, Commander, Seo Dae-hyun wasn't tense at all.
He hadn't done anything wrong, so he could face the public with his head held high.
Stepping out of the elevator, he walked toward the exit of the Association building.
Thud. Thud.
The interior was eerily quiet.
As he neared the doors, the chatter of camera shutters and the protesters' roars began to filter in.
Click! Click!
"Asian guy! Go back to your own country!"
"Woooooo!!!"
Seo Dae-hyun stood before the people who hated his guts.
The reaction was fierce.
Someone even hurled an egg at him.
Kyle stepped in and took the hit instead.
"Kyle."
"Haha. I'm fine."
Kyle nodded sheepishly, grinning.
The egg-thrower was swiftly subdued by Association staff.
"Do you admit to the bribery and corruption charges?!"
"David! Is this a press conference to confess your wrongs?!"
"Where'd you fly off to in that chopper?"
"Mr. Seo! What's your connection to David?!"
At this rate, he'd never get a word in edgewise before it turned into total chaos.
No choice—Seo Dae-hyun stepped forward.
Heal
Recovery mana envelops the crowd.
A dark cloud-like mist poured from Seo Dae-hyun's hand, enveloping the crowd.
"W-Wait! What is this...?"
"I-It's healing?"
At first, they panicked, thinking he was attacking out of spite, but they quickly felt their minds and bodies calming.
The black smoke was recovery mana from his Heal skill.
"Ah... So relaxing."
"Haa—"
They let out deep sighs of relief, floating blissfully like on water.
The Heal skill didn't just mend wounds—it could soothe the mind and spirit too.
Perfect for a heated situation like this.
David and Kyle were stunned in unison.
'It even affects hundreds of people at once!'
He hadn't realized the Heal skill had such incredible versatility.
If he hadn't seen the Necromancer abilities firsthand, he'd have believed Seo Dae-hyun was a Healer.
With the crowd's anger subsided, it was David's turn.
......
David was so shocked by the Heal skill that he blanked for a moment.
"Branch Chief."
Seo Dae-hyun murmured David's title softly.
"Ah. Ahem."
David cleared his throat and spoke up.
"I'm not here to admit any wrongdoing. Quite the opposite."
The reporters fired off questions again.
"What do you mean by 'opposite'?! So you really didn't take bribes?!"
"Is the thing with Ryu Jin true?!"
"Mr. Seo, care to say a word?!"
Another wave of questions crashed in like ripples on water.
No Heal skill could hold back that tide.
"As you just saw, Hunter Seo Dae-hyun is a Healer. And not just any Healer—he's remarkable enough to soothe the minds of hundreds at once."
The reporters finally noticed the change.
"Huh? Come to think of it, my headache's gone."
"I pulled an all-nighter yesterday and was wiped out, but I feel better now."
The hundreds-strong crowd stirred in an instant.
It was an unbelievable effect for a D-Rank Healer's recovery skill.
"What's your relationship to Hunter Seo Dae-hyun?!"
"Recently, Magical Beasts appeared near the breadbasket region."
David spun a quick, embellished tale about how he'd met Seo Dae-hyun.
Seo Dae-hyun had been working as a farmer there, and David scouted him after seeing him save people.
"Is that true, Branch Chief David?!"
Seo Dae-hyun nodded at the reporter's question.
There were dozens of people he'd saved yesterday with his Heal skill.
"But isn't his rank too low for that?!"
That was one of the insults leveled at Seo Dae-hyun.
In the Hunter world, rank meant power.
Iowa State Hunters had a duty to protect the state's citizens.
But how could a weak Hunter protect anyone?
David shot back at the reporter with a relaxed smile.
"Do you really think he's just a D-Rank Hunter?"
It was a loaded statement.
The reporters couldn't respond. Or rather, they couldn't bring themselves to.
They'd witnessed firsthand how the crowd had quieted under Seo Dae-hyun's Heal skill!
"Hunter Seo Dae-hyun! What's your rank?!"
Now the reporters addressed Seo Dae-hyun as "Hunter," dropping the casual "Mr."
Seo Dae-hyun's official rank was B-Rank.
Not too low, not too high—a solid mid-tier.
But his abilities and potential were SSS-Rank.
His Heal skill alone was on par with A- to S-Rank Healers.
Revealing his potential, though? No way to do that yet.
"...No comment."
He said it because he had nothing to add, but the reporters lit up.
"Hunter Seo recently re-awakened. We had to postpone the measurement due to his condition."
Re-awakening!
The protesters looked dubious, folding up their signs or lowering them.
"Isn't he A-Rank?"
"S-Rank?"
"Nah, no way."
S-Rank Healers were the rarest even among S-Rank Hunters.
Especially ones who'd reached S-Rank through re-awakening—unheard of.
"Is the thing with S-Rank Hunter Ryu Jin true?!"
An A-Rank Healer might get near-equal treatment to an S-Rank Hunter, but there was still a clear gap.
"That's true."
David denied everything else but admitted that one point outright.
Unlike their fears, they were relieved Seo Dae-hyun wasn't D-Rank, but losing an S-Rank stung.
You couldn't please everyone.
But anyone who knew his true face would choose Seo Dae-hyun over Ryu Jin.
"Selecting Iowa State Hunters is squarely my authority."
David continued.
"I'll request an audit from Association HQ's Surveillance Division soon to prove our innocence."
The Hunter Association Surveillance Division wielded power akin to military intelligence.
Seo Dae-hyun and David had done nothing wrong, so they feared nothing.
"Th-Then—"
The reporters tried to jump in, but David cut them off.
"Before that, any reporter here who wrote malicious articles about Hunter Seo Dae-hyun—apologize first."
Most of the journalists present had churned out stories based on emotion and speculation, without verification.
"Refuse, and there'll be no more interviews, no leaks, nothing from us."
David took a hard stance against them.
Public figures rarely came out on top fighting media outlets, but the Association was different.
"We're sorry."
"We'll issue a correction immediately."
The reporters had no choice but to back down.
David was the Hunter Association Branch Chief.
They'd attacked first—he held both the moral high ground and the power.
Normally, he wouldn't push this far, but for Seo Dae-hyun? He'd burn bridges with the press in a heartbeat.
Hunter reporters needed Hunter-related scoops, and crossing the Association meant drying up their sources.
A D-Rank Hunter re-awakening was a rare case.
A global scoop worth attention!
No way they'd let pride cost them that.
David smiled at Seo Dae-hyun and courteously guided him back inside the Association.
"Please, come inside, Hunter Seo Dae-hyun."
The onlookers could only assume there was something to him.
The reporters begged for more answers, but he gave none.
The protesters dispersed, and the journalists hurried back to their papers for corrections.
*
He wrapped up the conference and headed home.
A reporter was waiting when he arrived.
Phone off, staking out around Seo Dae-hyun's house.
He'd missed the press conference news.
"What brings you here?"
The reporter puffed up and handed over his business card.
Seo Dae-hyun just glanced at it—no thanks.
He held it pinched between index and middle finger.
His expression and gesture dripped with disdain.
Flustered that Seo Dae-hyun wouldn't take it, the reporter pocketed it.
"Ahem, I'm here to interview Hunter Seo Dae-hyun."
"Did we have prior arrangements?"
Seo Dae-hyun's response was chillier than expected.
The reporter flinched at his stone-cold face.
"Th-This isn't the time to play hard to get."
Seo Dae-hyun saw right through him—this wasn't just about an interview.
'Hyun-jun.'
He signaled Kim Hyun-jun.
The reporter rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, goblin-like.
"You know people are ripping you apart online, right?"
He snuck a peek at the sports car Seo Dae-hyun and Kim Hyun-jun had arrived in.
"Slip me something reasonable, and I'll write you up nice. Could even bump your rank to C in the article?"
He figured Seo Dae-hyun's Iowa State Hunter spot was bought with cash and was cozying up.
Offering a "good article" in exchange for money.
"How much is 'reasonable'?"
"...50 million won?"
Seo Dae-hyun chuckled.
"Let's go, Hyun-jun."
"Yeah."
He ignored the reporter and headed inside.
'W-Wait, this isn't how it's supposed to—...'
The reporter barked at Seo Dae-hyun's back.
Seo Dae-hyun turned to Kim Hyun-jun.
"You get the recording?"
He played back the recording.
"Yep. Sending it to Kyle."
Kim Hyun-jun forwarded the recording of the exchange to Kyle.
[C.K. Times. Mr. Hanson]
Sharp eyes—he'd memorized the affiliation and name from the card.
He left the fallout to the Association without getting involved himself.
*
Washington D.C.
Hunter Association Surveillance Division.
Division Chief Noah munched on an apple while watching TV.
Her white bobbed hair framed an impassive doll-like face.
Her eyes stayed glued to the screen, hand dipping into snack bags.
"Noah. Something's up in Iowa."
Noah didn't even pretend to listen, her expression flat.
But the man pressed on regardless.
He was Hanley, from the same Surveillance Division.
"Looks like trouble at the Iowa branch. Let's go inspect."
The division chief rarely handled stuff like this personally.
The Iowa branch was the weakest anyway.
Usually, underlings did the audits.
Noah and Hanley had risen fast thanks to their skills and merits.
"Too annoying."
Short reply.
"For real? Then I'll go solo."
Hanley wondered if she actually found it that bothersome.
"Oh. Seo Dae-hyun's there—"
Lethargic Noah zipped in front of Hanley in a flash.
"That Seo Dae-hyun?"
"Yeah."
Their promotions stemmed from merits recognized by the Association, earned fighting at Korea's DMZ.
That got them transferred from Dungeon Division to Surveillance.
Seo Dae-hyun had played a part in their rise.
Never had he seen tortoise-slow Noah move this fast.
"Let's go."
Noah grabbed Hanley's wrist and dashed hundreds of meters.
"W-Wait! Wrong way—aaah!"
Hanley screamed.
The pair set off at dawn to reunite with the man they'd connected with on past battlefields.