Chapter 153. You Guys Can't Do This, Right?
Chapter 153. You Guys Can't Do This, Right?
The stream ended, and I sat in front of my computer with my arms crossed, deep in thought.
- Pajijik streamers too broke to do events.
- Every Pajijik viewer's a beggar.
Those words kept circling in my head.
It wasn't that I was angry.
It just got under my skin.
You know the saying—you could chastise your own child, but it irritates you when someone else did it.
"Hoon, what's bothering you?"
Laila tilted her head and asked, but I simply closed my eyes and sank quietly into thought.
'Still, there isn't anything concrete to latch onto...'
He hadn't aimed at me directly, nor had he openly criticized me.
It was just the usual Galde Cup you see on streams.
And it wasn't even something he said himself—those were comments his viewers made.
'If I step up and say I was offended for no reason...'
I could see exactly how that would play out.
If I ended up apologizing for not managing my own viewers, I'd just look like the odd one.
The weird guy who couldn't take a joke as a joke.
"What would be the best way to handle this?"
Hearing my dilemma, Laila rested her chin on her hand and thought quietly.
"How about we do something only we can do?"
"Only we can do?"
"To be precise, only you and I can do, Hoon."
Laila lifted the corner of her mouth just slightly and brought her lips close to my ear.
Then she whispered softly.
"How about taking other streamers to experience a gate in person?"
"Oh... now that's a good idea."
We had the power to make sure no one got hurt.
"In that case... we'd need permission from the Association and Pajijik first, right?"
"Exactly. We'd also have to find streamers who actually want to participate, but getting approval seems like the first step."
"Let's head to the Association right away."
I answered without a moment's hesitation and quickly opened the closet.
Beside me, Laila grinned, grabbed some clothes, and headed to her room.
"Laila, you could just change here..."
"Oh my, are you trying to peek at a woman changing her clothes?"
"...Aren't we past the point of having seen everything?"
"Ack! That is completely different from this!"
---
A short while later, we arrived in neat attire in front of the Hunter Association building.
As we stepped into the ground-floor lobby, it bustled with formally dressed visitors and busy employees hurrying back and forth.
"Excuse me, I'd like to see the Association President."
Behind the desk, a career woman with a short bob stared at her monitor and spoke without expression.
"A visit with the Association President... do you happen to have a prior appointment?"
"No, we don't."
A worker crushed by routine who'd lost all her emotions.
Her fingers, which had been typing, came to a halt.
"I'm sorry, but meeting the Association President is difficult without a scheduled appointment."
At that moment, Laila stepped forward softly.
"Could you just make one phone call for us, please?"
Her tone was kind and gentle.
But within that smile was a subtle authority.
"...?"
The employee at the counter looked up.
Only then did she properly see my face and Laila's.
And in an instant, her eyes widened, and she shot up from her chair.
"Ah, aah! Oh, you're the Unknown Hunters!? Ju-just a moment...!"
An employee working at the Association.
There was no way she wouldn't know the faces of the Unknown Hunters.
Flustered, she grabbed the receiver and hurriedly dialed somewhere.
"Yes, yes! The two Unknown Hunters are here right now. They're requesting a meeting with the Association President...!"
After finishing the brief call, she dropped into a ninety-degree bow and pointed the way.
"You can take the private elevator over there and go right up!"
"Thank you~"
Laila waved her hand and smiled like she was used to this.
Together, we headed to the elevator, pressed the button, and went straight up to the Association President's office.
'Huh?'
When the door opened, the Association President was already waiting just outside.
A rather rigid expression, but with lips that were awkwardly trying to smile.
Tension outweighed any hint of delight at seeing us.
"Wh-what brings you here?"
"Haha... please don't be so nervous. It's nothing that serious..."
At that, the Association President chuckled and guided us inside his office.
"It reminds me of that time you came unannounced to talk about military matters."
I'd been so ignorant back then.
A wave of embarrassment swept over me, and I scratched my chin as I sat down.
"Haha... I apologize. I was in a hurry back then..."
"Well, as a result, thanks to that, our nation's prestige has risen considerably. Because the two of you took action, there were only gains—no actual losses whatsoever."
"That's a relief."
The Association President straightened his posture and immediately got down to business.
"So... what is it this time?"
I gave a slight shrug and spoke as gently as I could manage.
"Well, actually, I wanted to ask you something regarding gate access."
"The two of you, the Unknown Hunters... are asking me separately for access...?"
"To be precise, about the possibility of allowing civilian access."
At my words, the Association President frowned slightly and tapped his fingers on the desk.
"Haa... this reminds me of that time you brought up the military issue..."
He then began rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
Watching his reaction, I cleared my throat and continued.
"R-right now, streamers...???"
"No, no. How should I put this... you don't have to see it as something so severe. It's just... rather than having stiff bureaucrats explain things, if friendly streamers could experience and introduce a gate, it would broadly raise public awareness... and from a content standpoint, it would have educational value..."
Even as I spoke, I knew the reasoning sounded flimsy.
In truth, it was all because I was annoyed by Amazon TV and wanted to do something only we could do, but...
I couldn't exactly say that here.
"I know the two of you are powerful. However, if a civilian were to have an accident inside a gate... from the Association's perspective, a truly terrible situation would unfold..."
I nodded at his words and chose my words carefully.
"Then... how about we bring additional hunters? So we're prepared for any possible situation..."
"You're saying you would hire hunters to protect civilians coming for a field trip?"
The Association President shook his head back and forth.
"If word gets out, public sentiment won't stand still. If wealthy people start hiring hunters and enjoying recreational activities inside gates..."
"That's not it."
I hurriedly corrected myself.
"I'm not saying we'd specifically hire hunters. It's just that... I have two hunters who are friends of mine, so I was planning to ask them."
"Friends?"
"Max and Emir."
For a moment, the Association President froze.
Then, a smile of pure disbelief spread across his face.
"Haha, so you mean America's S-rank and Türkiye's S-rank?"
"Yes..."
"Haa... Hunter... will those two actually show up...?"
The Association President pushed his chair back slightly, tilted his head up, and let out a sigh.
But I was certain they would come.
Because...
- Hmph! Emilia keeps pestering me to go to Korea! It's been a while since we had the baby, and her morning sickness has gotten worse...
- Boss, I'm so bored these days...
"They will... absolutely come."
"How can you be so sure...?"
I looked at the Association President with a grave expression.
Then, as if he sensed something in my gaze, he chuckled.
"It seems... the deal is already concluded on your end."
I hadn't even brought the topic up with them yet...
'Well, if his misunderstanding works in my favor, that makes things easier, right?'
"Well, unqualified hunters without a license are sometimes deployed into gates for practical training, so..."
The corners of my mouth crept up at his words.
"Fine. On one condition!"
"?"
"Absolutely no one is to be hurt, and get me firm confirmation that those two hunters will take part!"
I smiled quietly at the Association President's words and muttered to myself.
'All that's left... was convincing Pajijik.'
---
With my spirits lifted, I went straight to the Pajijik headquarters.
Fortunately, there were no major scheduling conflicts, so I met with Pajijik's CEO, Shin Chang-hyun, right away.
"Absolutely not."
He refused without a moment's hesitation.
"It's far too dangerous."
"No, but still... with Emir and Max..."
"Hero, streamers are precious assets to Pajijik. If any of them were to get hurt..."
Honestly, that was unexpected.
I'd thought he, as the company CEO, would recognize the viral potential of this sensational content and agree.
"We can't force anyone to go, and besides... no streamer would want to do this in the first place."
"Huh?"
"?"
"Then we'll accept applicants."
"Pardon?"
"How about we open applications directly to people who want to participate?"
Shin Chang-hyun's eyebrows rose slightly.
Remaining calm at his reaction, I added persuasively,
"We aren't forcing anyone to go. If we only gather those who want to join voluntarily... then the responsibility changes, doesn't it? Those streamers would also have the passion to create content themselves."
Shin Chang-hyun closed his mouth for a moment and sank into thought.
Then he slowly nodded.
"...Fine. Go ahead and put up an announcement. If the response is positive and many people want to participate... I'll consider it favorably."
At his words, I stood up with a broad smile.
"As expected, the god of normalization."
---
We immediately returned home and hit the power button on the computer.
"What should we write?"
"Just... write it exactly as it is."
I stuck to the facts, cut out every unnecessary word, and kept it as concise as possible.
I typed it exactly as it came to mind.
[ Hunters, you can do it too. ]
[ A gate field trip with Hero and the Saintess.
Target : Pajijik-affiliated streamers
Condition: Must be able to participate of one's own free will
Escorts : Hero, Saintess, Max, Emir
(※ Note: Participants must agree to filming and movement within an actual gate.) ]
The moment the announcement went up, netizens started spreading the post everywhere.
And amidst all that, the comment with the most recommendations.
- You can't do this, can you?