Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Instinct's Urgent Pull
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GHO staff visited the hotel room where Yong-un and Sword Tiger were staying.
"Congratulations on passing the preliminaries. If you wish, we can upgrade your room to a better one. Would you be interested?"
Sword Tiger glanced at Yong-un.
"Tell them it's fine. We're good here."
"That's what he says."
The GHO staff's gaze locked onto Yong-un.
A smile crept across the staff member's lips.
"We'll proceed that way if that's your preference. But... if it's not too much trouble..."
The staff member's lips twitched, struggling to get the words out.
"Um, that is..."
Sword Tiger's expression grew serious at the staff member's unusual demeanor.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well..."
But unlike Sword Tiger's reaction, the words that came from the staff member's mouth weren't serious at all.
"No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if you'd take a photo with me. Feel free to ignore it."
The staff member's face grew awkward.
Sword Tiger waved it off with a flick of his hand.
"Phew, I thought it was something big... Master won't do it, so snap one with me."
"Thank you."
The GHO staff member smiled, looking awkward as they stepped closer and pulled out their phone.
They took a photo with Sword Tiger, then glanced at Yong-un.
A fleeting moment of eye contact.
"Well then..."
The staff member bowed their head and moved to close the door.
But right then, Yong-un sat up from the bed.
"Hold on."
"Yes?"
The door swung open again, and the staff member looked at Yong-un.
But soon enough, Yong-un shook his head.
"Never mind."
"Yes, rest well."
The staff member closed the door and left.
Sword Tiger grinned and waved his hand lazily, as if annoyed.
"You really are getting popular now, huh? Such a hassle, sigh."
"You look awfully pleased for someone calling it a hassle."
"Hahaha, no, not at all."
Sword Tiger's behavior certainly made it seem true.
He was clearly enjoying the attention.
Yong-un clicked his tongue in exasperation at Sword Tiger, who lay on the bed laughing nonstop, and shifted his gaze out the window.
He mulled over the staff member's odd behavior from moments ago.
'Just my imagination? Something felt off...'
A string of strange sensations.
And it all started with.
'Park Myung-su.'
That man.
His intuition was screaming.
There was definitely something there.
With that, Yong-un rose from the bed with resolve and headed for the door leading outside.
"Master? Where are you going?"
Sword Tiger followed as Yong-un moved to leave.
The door opened, and Yong-un stepped out, scanning the surroundings.
"Something to check. Wait here."
"M-Master?"
Before Sword Tiger could react, Yong-un's figure vanished from the spot.
The moment it was revealed that the demon gate at Bupyeong Station wasn't a mere low-level demon gate but one tied to a ranked demon.
Minister Baek Myung-hee and Park Myung-su's faces twisted in dismay.
"Aren't there three S-Rank Hunters? On paper, three S-Ranks should at least handle a Viscount-level..."
Minister Baek's words were cut short by Maria's voice, who had requested reinforcements.
"If it's higher than Viscount, we're all dead. Can Korea pay the price if we die?"
The absence of three full S-Rank Hunters.
It transcended a simple deal—it could spark a massive conflict between Korea and the GHO.
Of course, it was a covert agreement unlikely to be exposed.
But the GHO would demand compensation regardless, and Korea—with only one S-Rank Hunter—couldn't cover for three elite GHO Hunters.
It exceeded the worst-case scenario Minister Baek had envisioned, leaving her speechless.
Thankfully, another sharp S-Rank Hunter deftly changed the topic.
"The real issue is this: with the world tournament underway, when will GHO send backup? That's the problem."
"How long does it usually take?"
"From dispatch to flying in, at least a full day."
"So that means..."
"Fastest is tomorrow. Meaning, casualties are inevitable no matter what. We can only pray the demon is Viscount-level and stays contained."
Minister Baek bowed her head.
The worst was unfolding.
A moment of utter despondency, powerless either way.
Then, Park Myung-su shouted at Maria as if struck by an idea.
"What if... there was one more S-Rank Hunter? Could you manage?"
"One won't cut it. We'd need at least two to stand a chance..."
"We have two."
Maria's eyes widened at Park Myung-su's words.
She was a senior GHO Hunter.
She'd already confirmed through GHO intel that Korea had only one S-Rank.
Yet two?
"What..."
The Minister stared at Myung-su in shock too.
"Two? What are you talking about? We only have Sword Tiger..."
"Yong-un."
Minister Baek's face contorted.
"Pardon...?"
But unlike her doubting expression, Park Myung-su's face and voice were resolute.
"Yong-un is S-Rank. Pure, unadulterated S-Rank. Maybe... even surpassing Sword Tiger."
He spoke with the certainty of absolute conviction.
At Park Myung-su's declaration, Minister Baek requested a brief pause.
Reinforcements would take time anyway—that much was certain.
But if Yong-un and Sword Tiger came instead, they might arrive before the gate overflowed.
No—if they left right away, they absolutely would.
"I'll call them now..."
"You can't."
But that wasn't the crucial point.
As Myung-su reached for his phone, the Minister blocked him.
"This is dire. If not now..."
"Absolutely not."
Myung-su bit his lip at her unyielding tone.
Why keep obstructing?
In this crisis, what could outweigh Korea's losses?
"Why block it? That's the only way to avert disaster right now."
Myung-su finally raised his voice.
The Minister stared him down squarely.
"Myung-su!"
She bellowed.
"I am the Minister—the head of the Hunter Agency, where a single decision decides lives."
Myung-su stepped back, silenced.
"I'm sorry. The stakes are too high."
"Did you ask why I'm blocking you?"
Unable to respond, Myung-su cautiously lifted his bowed head.
"I won't risk losing Korea's sole remaining S-Rank on a gamble."
Myung-su's eyes widened.
'Minister...? Was that it?'
Requests had flooded in the instant the demon gate appeared.
To recall Sword Tiger and the tournament Hunters.
But she'd dismissed them, even ordering secrecy.
Her choices rebounded as criticism and cries of incompetence, and the escalating crisis had even Myung-su doubting her.
If her inner circle wavered, imagine the public outcry.
A razor-edge situation that could topple Minister Baek's position.
Yet amid it all, she had been strategizing.
"If Sword Tiger dies returning on my needless whim, even victory over the demon gate leaves Korea voiceless worldwide."
Beyond the immediate threat.
Prioritizing national strength over personal backlash—that was her caliber.
Utterly distant from 'incompetence.'
"I misjudged you."
At her trembling yet earnest voice, Myung-su cast aside all his doubts.
He gave her a faint smile.
"You truly are the Minister."
The Minister startled at his smile.
Special Inspector Park Myung-su.
First time seeing him smile.
"Did you just... smile?"
Infamous for never cracking a grin.
He nodded, smile intact.
"Yes. Proud to have someone like you leading Korea."
No sycophancy from him ever—the Minister flushed briefly, then erased her own smile.
"Then I'll tell the GHO Hunters: we'll await reinforcements."
With the gravity of the situation, she rose swiftly toward the door.
But Myung-su blocked her path.
"Minister."
"What is this? Time's short."
"I despise lies."
Her frown deepened at his off-topic remark.
"And?"
Serious as never before, smile gone, he pressed on.
"Yong-un. That man may well... surpass Sword Tiger."
"Pardon?"
"If Sword Tiger's S-Rank, Yong-un definitely is too. Trust me. We must recall them."
The Minister halted before him, looking up intently.
She sank back into thought.
"Whew, exhausting."
Two hours after slipping out of the hotel.
Yong-un panted roughly, hands braced on his knees.
"How long since I pushed like this?"
He, who cleared multiple gates without breaking a sweat, gasped for the first time.
But only for a moment.
As he straightened, familiar signs caught his eye.
[Tasty Snacks]
[Myoyong Elementary School]
"Made it right on target."
Confirming his arrival in Korea from the Korean signage, Yong-un nodded firmly and shook out his limbs.
Gazing at the dimming sky, he muttered.
"Still beats that airplane contraption."
Comparing flights to his lightness skill mid-journey, he smirked and vanished again.
He'd left the Washington Hotel around 10 p.m.
Making now roughly midnight.
The next matches to determine the top 16 were set for tomorrow at 9 a.m., so deducting two hours for return left Yong-un with just over seven hours.
Ample if cutting it close, but with business to handle, he aimed to scout fast and bolt, moving with haste.
"Hah."
Arriving before Korea's Hunter Management Agency, Yong-un nodded approvingly.
Same as ever, yet he murmured low.
"Good instinct bringing me here."
Merely eyeing the building set his senses ablaze.
That alone banished regrets over the long haul and spent demonic energy.
His intuition was that potent.
No overstatement to call it what forged him in this world.
Scanning the structure, he slowly extended his demonic sense.
To pinpoint Myung-su.
But sensing nothing, he withdrew it.
"Too late?"
As disappointment settled with no leads.
Hunters poured out the main gate where he stood.
A radio crackled amid them, reaching his ears.
[Emergency alert! Demon gate anomaly at Bupyeong Station. Anomaly confirmed. All Hunters nationwide, assemble at Bupyeong Station! Assemble!]
'Demon gate?'
All nationwide Hunters too?
His intuition exploded in warning.
That's it.
That's what drew you here.
Snap-crackle.
True to their training, over ten Hunters piled into the van in a flash.
"Marquis-level?"
His faint mutter hung in the air.
With the van's departure, Yong-un's form blinked out.