A Messy Situation
The Chinese hunter who was stumbling toward us pointed a finger directly at my face and began babbling. Was it the tones? His accent sounded incredibly grating.
"He's picking a fight, right?"
"Mmm..."
Namgung Min clearly knew the answer, but he hesitated to give it. In this situation, we had three options.
First, ignore him. No matter what that Chinese bastard did, we could just act like he didn't exist, get in the elevator, and go on our way. It was the option least likely to cause trouble, but... I wasn't sure if I had the patience for it.
Second, let Namgung Min handle him. I wasn't entirely sure of the gap in their abilities, but... the guy was drunk, so Namgung Min should be able to subdue him, right? If any annoying complications arose afterward, Namgung Min would be the target, not me. Much more convenient.
Third, I subdue him myself. I knew what S-class hunters were capable of. That Chinese guy was likely around that level, so I could definitely win. The only problem was... the annoying political fallout that would follow, and I wasn't sure if I could knock him out instantly. Killing him would be easy, but subduing him without permanent damage was...
Was there a fourth option? Maybe someone noticing the commotion and coming to drag the drunkard away? Unfortunately, there was no sign of that happening.
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
The Chinese hunter swayed on his feet, closing the distance between us.
"Tsk..."
Namgung Min clicked his tongue, which triggered an immediate, explosive reaction from the man. He raised his voice, shouting and pointing aggressively. He was clearly worked up.
"It appears a peaceful exit is no longer an option," Namgung Min muttered.
"Indeed."
Namgung Min took a step forward, cautiously raising his hands. Seeing this, the Chinese hunter snapped. He lunged forward, thrashing about like a madman.
Maybe I don't need to get involved? I decided to watch the two of them fight first.
As the Chinese hunter swung a sloppy, drunken punch, Namgung Min deflected it with his forearm, redirecting the trajectory of the blow. The momentum carried the Chinese hunter forward, and he rolled clumsily across the floor.
I nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face. Flushed with embarrassment, the Chinese hunter scrambled to his feet, huffing and puffing.
"Be on your way," Namgung Min said calmly.
He probably couldn't understand a word, but Namgung Min was giving him a chance anyway. Predictably, the Chinese hunter didn't take it. Viewing Namgung Min's words as a provocation, he flew into a rage and began channeling his mana.
"Crazy bastard..." I muttered.
I had planned to just watch, but unleashing mana in a public hotel was nothing short of insane. It was fortunate that we were hunters. If we had been ordinary civilians, a single stray shockwave from his attack could have killed someone.
Seeing this, Namgung Min also flared his mana to defend himself.
The Chinese hunter's movements grew faster and sharper. However, his drunken state still severely hindered his coordination. Namgung Min countered him using the refined principles of martial arts. It reminded me of the Taiji Wisdom Sword technique I had seen before—deflecting and redirecting the incoming force to break the opponent's posture.
Yet, because the Chinese hunter was pouring raw mana into his physical strength, his stance didn't break as easily as expected.
"Need a hand?" I called out.
"Kh..."
Even drunk, an S-class was still an S-class. His movements were remarkably fluid. If he had been sober, he would have been a formidable opponent. Namgung Min seemed to lack the spare breath to reply.
As their clash intensified, the residual shockwaves grew stronger. Just standing nearby, I could feel the air prickling against my skin.
"Can't be helped."
If Namgung Min could have fought at full strength, he wouldn't be struggling like this. But as a swordsman fighting unarmed, the handicap was simply too severe. Granted, the other guy didn't have a weapon either, but still...
I circulated my Divinity and cast a physical reinforcement Blessing on myself before darting between the two men. Coating both of my palms in Holy Light, I drove them straight into the Chinese hunter's abdomen.
"Kuh-ack!"
The palm strike connected cleanly, completely shattering his posture. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach, and then—
"Blegh!"
He began violently throwing up the contents of his stomach.
"Uh, well..."
That wasn't exactly what I had intended.
"What now?" I asked.
I had meant to knock him out, but his S-class physique was incredibly durable. A single strike wasn't enough to put him under.
"First, we should call for help," Namgung Min said, immediately walking away toward the hotel lobby.
"Hey!" I called after him.
How could he just leave me here with this vomiting drunkard?
Actually, wait. Maybe this was better. There were no witnesses around.
I channeled my Divinity once more and stepped behind the retching Chinese hunter.
"Go to sleep."
I sent a pulse of Divinity straight into his head. To be precise, I shook his brain.
"Ack!"
The moment the intense wave of sacred energy rattled his skull, the Chinese hunter collapsed, completely unconscious.
"Did that do it?"
If I used too much force, I could easily damage his brain, so I had to be extremely precise with my control. Seeing no immediate signs of trauma, it seemed I had adjusted the power perfectly.
Before long, Namgung Min returned with a hotel employee.
"And this gentleman?" the employee asked, looking at the unconscious man.
"It appears he has collapsed from severe intoxication," Namgung Min replied smoothly.
The employee let out a heavy sigh, thanked us, and began making arrangements to clear the man away. Once we confirmed they had it handled, Namgung Min and I finally boarded the elevator.
"How did you manage that?" he asked quietly.
"I rattled his brain a bit to knock him out."
"Is that not incredibly dangerous?" Namgung Min immediately picked up on the risk.
"Yeah, well, it turned out fine."
A slight miscalculation on my part could have turned me into a murderer.
"I hope there are no complications tomorrow..." I muttered.
Surely he wouldn't remember what happened and throw a tantrum, right?
We got into the car and headed straight back. Namgung Min drove me all the way to my apartment.
"Do not worry overmuch about tonight's events. Should any complications arise, I shall personally step forward to resolve them."
"Really? I don't mind handling it myself, you know."
Namgung Min smiled gently. "With your capabilities, you could undoubtedly appease even the high-ranking officials of the Chinese Communist Party. However, let us keep that as a last resort."
Oh... Namgung Min was actually acting like a proper Guild Master for once.
"I'll trust you then."
"Yes."
After Namgung Min left, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Sister! You're okay, right? Nothing happened?"
My younger sister, Seohui, rushed out to meet me with a deeply serious expression.
"Why do you ask?" I said. "Did something happen?"
"That Chinese guy went completely crazy and is wrecking the hotel!"
"Wait, what?"
"The Chinese hunter who came for the Association meeting suddenly lost his mind and started destroying the hotel lobby!"
Apparently, other hunters on the scene had managed to subdue him before the damage got any worse, but... I couldn't believe my ears. I pulled out my phone to check the news.
It was entirely true. I didn't know the exact extent of the property damage, but the internet was in an absolute uproar. Because reporters had been lurking around the hotel waiting for the foreign S-class hunters, articles were being published at lightning speed.
"Sigh..." I let out a long breath. "I should contact the Guild Master first."
When I called Namgung Min, he sounded utterly shocked. He clearly hadn't heard the news yet. After processing the situation, he told me not to worry and to just wait.
"Maybe I should have just killed him..." I muttered under my breath.
"Sister?"
Oops. I had forgotten Seohui was standing right next to me and let my true thoughts slip.
"Ahaha, just kidding."
"Seriously, what happened over there?"
It was only natural for her to be curious. I gave her a highly condensed summary of the events. We had gone to show our faces, and the Chinese hunter had approached us. He seemed to want to ask something, but when we didn't give him the answers he wanted, he started throwing insults. We chose to ignore him and walk away.
"But while we were waiting for the elevator to leave, he stumbled over, completely drunk..."
He had approached us while shouting incomprehensible Chinese, picked a fight, and eventually swung a punch.
"So, technically, we were the victims."
"And then you subdued him and ran away?" Seohui asked, raising an eyebrow.
Well... when she put it that way, it did sound a bit suspicious.
"You should have stayed there and explained what happened! If you had..."
Would it have made a difference? The man was crazy enough to throw a tantrum even in a room full of other S-class hunters. If we had stayed, would things have been different? No, he probably would have gone even wilder. I explained this to her, but—
"Still, you should have stayed by his side."
"Whatever. I just followed the Guild Master's lead."
If any issues arose, the Guild Master would handle it. It was late, so I decided to change my clothes and go to sleep.
The next morning.
I woke up and immediately checked how the situation had developed.
Fortunately, things were progressing heavily in our favor. The hotel's CCTV footage had been partially released, completely turning public opinion around.
Actually, since no one was inclined to defend the Chinese hunter in the first place, it was more like justice taking its natural course. The footage clearly showed him picking a fight and throwing the first punch. He was immediately branded as a pathetic loser who had thrown a tantrum to vent his frustration after getting easily subdued.
To make matters worse for him...
The Chinese Embassy was the first to cut ties with him. They quickly released a statement claiming that such a disruptive individual could not possibly represent the proud hunters of China.
Enraged by the betrayal, the Chinese madman had reportedly thrown another fit, but S-class hunters stationed nearby had quickly subdued him. The article had been posted just thirty minutes ago.
"So they edited it like this."
In reality, the full CCTV footage would have shown me striking him and knocking him out. However, those parts were entirely absent. The released clip cut off right after his clash with Namgung Min.
"This was highly calculated."
The hotel management had likely coordinated the release. Whoever was behind it was incredibly sharp. Thanks to their editing, the internet was flooded with praise for the Sword Saint's flawless technique, while mocking the Chinese hunter's utter lack of skill.
Well, the Guild Master's skills were indeed impressive.
Meanwhile, the Chinese hunter was reportedly ignoring all interview requests from reporters and preparing to flee South Korea.
"It seems the embassy is helping him pack his bags."
Despite the chaos from the night before, it looked like we had nothing to worry about.
"By the way, just how strong is this Chinese guy?"
I searched the name mentioned in the articles.
He was from China's Hunan Province. He was the sole S-class hunter of that region, practically worshipped as a guardian deity by the locals.
"No wonder he was so arrogant."
China was vastly larger than South Korea; a single province there was roughly the size of our entire country. Ruling over such a massive territory as its sole S-class would inevitably breed immense arrogance.
I walked over to Seohui, who was busy preparing breakfast.
"I'm glad yesterday's matter was resolved so cleanly," she said, having apparently read the articles as well.
"Even if a problem had arisen, the Guild Master would have taken responsibility," I replied. That was the agreement, after all.
"That's exactly what worries me. That guy is way too naive and foolish." Seohui grumbled, pointing out that Jegal Cheon handled almost all of the guild's actual administrative work anyway. She seemed strangely protective of the Guild Master.
"Seohui."
"What?"
"Do you like the Guild Master?"
Seohui didn't even flinch. "What are you talking about? Didn't you ask me that before?"
Had I?
"He's my savior, and he's a good person..."
Looking into her eyes, it was clear she didn't view him as a romantic interest.
"But as a person, you can't help but like Namgung Min."
That... I suppose I felt the same way. Though he often appeared incredibly awkward and socially dense, the Namgung Min I had met was a genuinely good, righteous man.
In any case, the incident with the Chinese hunter had ended far more anticlimactically than I had expected.