Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: The President's Announcement
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The Paradox Flame already blanketing the creature's body began scorching its soul. It wasn't the soul of Seok Jo-heum, the body's original owner.
It was the soul of the impostor currently hijacking that body.
― You, you...!
"Not calling me 'thou' anymore? Thou."
I said it teasingly, flashing a grin. Then I snuffed out the Paradox Flame and released the tattoo's power.
Just two seconds of burning. Naturally, a soul that massive wouldn't be fully cooked through from a mere two seconds of roasting.
Like blanched vegetables or tataki beef—at the very least, it would've taken some damage. And with the soul itself injured, it couldn't freely manipulate time like before.
"Farewell. Dream of me."
The damaged soul began to fade away. After its spirit fled in a panic, all that remained in its place was Seok Jo-heum's corpse, his hair turned stark white, as if he'd aged to death.
"Ah... ugh... aaah..."
Seo Sin-cheol, his senses incinerated except for pain, was making strange noises from the corner. He probably couldn't even hear his own voice. No, it was worse—he couldn't feel the vibration of his own vocal cords.
That's why he was babbling like that.
"He's already clawing at himself over there."
One of the guy's fingernails was broken. Jeong O-hun, who'd been watching him for a moment, spoke up.
"We're just leaving him like that, right?"
"No need to drag him along."
Han Sang-ah nodded at my words.
"Then we can head back now."
I shook my head at Han Sang-ah's suggestion. Head back? Just like that?
"Gotta clean up the scraps first."
Han Sang-ah let out a puzzled "Hm?"
"I promised we'd leave right after taking out Seo Sin-cheol."
"Who keeps promises with pirates? If he's got a problem, he can call the cops."
I doubted the police would even show up after a report, and even if they did, I wasn't sure who'd end up in cuffs between me and the pirates.
"Besides, we don't even need to get our hands dirty."
Dakar was overflowing with intel on the pirates working under Seo Sin-cheol—their bases, numbers, armaments, you name it.
All we had to do was secure that info and hand it over to Shuriya.
After that, the rich entrepreneurs who wanted a cleaner Africa would hire hunters to mop up the pirates themselves.
We promptly gathered the necessary documents in Dakar and sent them to Shuriya.
Then, without delay, I contacted the Association President to connect with my next conversation partner.
President Jo Won-hun received the report in his office.
"Yoo Chan-seok here, Your Excellency."
Jo Won-hun gave a curt reply.
"Put him through."
As Jo Won-hun picked up the receiver, Yoo Chan-seok's voice came through.
― Doing well, President Jo Won-hun?
"Thanks to you. I got the report. You wrapped things up nicely in Africa? Good to hear."
Yoo Chan-seok responded to Jo Won-hun's words in an oddly pitched tone.
― Must be all that worrying you did for me. By the way, haven't received any other calls, have you?
Jo Won-hun replied to Yoo Chan-seok in a leisurely drawl.
"Calls? Who knows. Even if I did, I don't have any obligation to tell you about them, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. Besides, isn't that the president's job? We don't go blabbing about that sort of thing."
― Something about Erosion Core monsters.
Jo Won-hun let out a bewildered "Pardon?" before chuckling incredulously.
"No idea what you're on about."
― This kind of plot twist might be unfamiliar to you, President Jo Won-hun, but I'm used to it. Which is why one particularly likely development down the line had me worried.
Jo Won-hun struggled to keep his tone mild as he replied.
"Couldn't say I follow. You sound a bit worn out lately. How about taking a break?"
― Even the Erosion Core monsters found us bothersome. And you feel the same, don't you, President Jo Won-hun? Our interests align quite nicely, don't they?
Jo Won-hun's hand tightened on his thigh.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok?"
― I get it. We're pushing pretty hard right now. You've been backed into a corner.
Yoo Chan-seok continued in a subtle tone.
― I still believe you haven't made the worst choice yet. Things might force you out of the presidency... but at least you could live out your days with the honors befitting a former president.
"Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, you're speaking to the President of the Republic of Korea."
Yoo Chan-seok let out a low chuckle at Jo Won-hun's words.
― I don't know if you reached out first or if the other side beat me to it. Feels like I was a beat late...
Soon, Yoo Chan-seok's voice turned icy cold.
― You'd better choose wisely. I get the appeal of power, clinging to your role as Korea's strong leader. But if you're human, make a human decision. One more thing: don't sign contracts lightly in areas you don't understand.
With that, the call ended.
Jo Won-hun glanced at the small statuette on his desk.
"That snake."
How did he figure it out? He hadn't—it was just a hunch, a preemptive threat with no evidence.
The problem was how spot-on that hunch had been.
Contact had come through the Dan-gun Descendants. And via a device created by Dr. Seo Kyun-woo, Jo Won-hun had successfully communicated with the monsters.
To be precise, with the Erosion Core of Israel's Shadai Club. And he'd received a rather intriguing proposal.
In simple terms, a non-aggression pact.
"..."
This wasn't just a verbal agreement. If the analysis from the Dan-gun Descendants was correct, these monsters' contracts carried a level of binding force utterly unlike human paperwork.
Now, having reviewed the research on events following Yoo Chan-seok's fight with So Hwi, it was clear. Breaking the contract inflicted irreversible damage.
One thing was certain: they couldn't violate the terms. The question was, could Jo Won-hun ignore Yoo Chan-seok's warning?
No, he couldn't.
Gonsalok had been crushed. Sure, it wasn't Headhunter alone. But if other hunters could've done it with help, someone would've by now.
And hunters grew incomparably stronger with each major Erosion Core they cleared.
"Shadai Club, huh."
Jo Won-hun drummed his fingers on the desk amid his deliberations. One wrong move here, and everything crumbled.
Here, the man who had risen to become Korea's supreme commander made his choice.
On the way back to Korea, Jeong O-hun said to me,
"Chan-seok, check this out."
"What's with that look on your face?"
I checked the phone he held out and hardened my expression too.
I checked the attached video.
― Headhunter has made great contributions to world peace and Korea's stability. As a citizen living thanks to hunters' sacrifices—before even being a head of state—I find this condition hard to accept.
Jo Won-hun was speaking before a throng of reporters.
― But I am also Korea's president, with a duty to prioritize our people's safety.
So what was he going to do? I'd warned him clearly. If he insisted on drinking the poison, I'd make sure he regretted it.
― Headhunter, please deal with the Shadai Club within one month. As your proud supreme commander, I have no choice but to make this decision for the national interest.
After watching the video, I let out a small sigh.
"Well, damn. Gotta give him a slow clap."
Should I call it clever? He'd dumped the responsibility on us. A bold move, and admittedly effective.
But he knew full well what it would unleash.
"Korea won't support our Shadai Club raid."
Han Sang-ah gave her quiet assessment.
"Obviously. They might even sign that non-aggression pact in a month."
Han Sang-ah pondered briefly before replying.
"But the hunters won't."
"Exactly."
Jo Won-hun knew it too. This ploy would stir complicated feelings among Korea's hunters.
"Hunters like Choi Yeo-reum and Sung Si-hoon."
A non-aggression pact offered them nothing good. Money wasn't an issue—they had plenty. But they could lose all the status they'd enjoyed.
Monsters wouldn't attack Korea, and Korea wouldn't meddle outside its borders.
Hunters would be obsolete.
"Some might even renounce their Korean citizenship."
Prominent hunters loved this Korea. Amid monster threats, they'd protected it, taken foreign gigs, amassed wealth and fame.
Now, basking in luxury in a nation surviving thanks to them, and suddenly told to leave? Yeah, right.
"He's completely messed up the board."
With the current tidy setup offering no answers, he'd stirred up a massive mess to splatter filth over it all.
"Now everyone will have their own opinions."
Korea's safety guaranteed in exchange for kicking us out. How many citizens would resist that?
"Hell, some might even want us to fail."
If we failed, at least Korea's safety was assured—or so they'd believe.
"Will the Erosion Core monsters really guarantee Korea's safety?"
"Like hell they will."
It's not a deal with the devil—I'd told him that.
The penalty would be enormous. Contracts like that carried immense weight. Not person-to-person—a whole nation was involved.
They weren't failing mid-contract; this was deliberate defiance.
Everything that agreed to it would be crippled, unable to show on Earth for millennia.
"That's why they made the offer."
They were fine smashing everywhere except Korea.
From my experience battling demons in that other world, I could guess...
"They need something specific to move to the next phase. No reason to wipe out Korea for it."
Leave Korea intact, crush the rest, and the odds of advancing skyrocket.