Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: A Grand Exit
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After resting up for a few days, I got word from the nurse at the desk.
"Han Sang-ah the hunter said she'll be waiting at the rendezvous point."
She wasn't working the VIP ward for nothing—her demeanor was impeccably calm.
But not everyone else was. Turn on the TV, and it was all about me.
"You'd better brace yourself before heading out."
The Korea Hunter Association President himself had come to greet me. We'd met before, and he'd even promised to line up some requests for me.
"Dressed to the nines, I see."
"It's a fitting occasion. Go change into these."
The president handed me a shopping bag full of clothes. Why go to all this trouble?
"Sponsorship?"
"You think I bought them out of pocket? Getting fancy duds for free isn't an everyday thing, but you'll have to get used to it from now on."
If they're expensive and nice, who am I to say no? I changed and came back out, then headed down from the hospital building with the president. He spoke up in front of the elevator.
"From here on, watch your words and actions. You're basically a public figure now. What you eat, your hobbies, the car you drive, even your speech—everything's under scrutiny."
"Soloing a Rank 2 Erosion Core is a whole different ballgame from Rank 3, huh."
Truth be told, I'd suspected as much while dealing with the core inside. The gap in difficulty was massive. And I hear the Great Demon Island had only recently been upgraded to Rank 2.
"Of course it is. The moment expectations turned to certainty. The Association will do everything to support your activities."
"Thank you."
As I replied, I stole a glance at the president. Dan-gun's descendants. Did he know about them? And if he did, what would his reaction be?
Hunter Association presidents like him—did they want this wretched reality crashing down on Earth to drag on forever, or did they hope it'd end someday?
What about all the media and reporters waiting below?
"I see personal streamers out there too. Damn, they've even called in the riot police to hold them back."
"Personal streamers? Guess there's still room for that sort of thing."
The president nodded at my words.
"Korea's got enough slack in the economy for those kinds of jobs to scrape by."
But with wallets growing thinner, sponsorships and revenue were drying up, pushing content toward extremes in all sorts of ways.
Media and streamers. No idea what they expected from me.
Whatever they imagined, they'd see more.
The elevator doors opened to reveal a massive crowd and the police holding them back.
The people's guardians were earning their keep today. Every one of them looked utterly exhausted from managing the throng.
"There he is!"
"Just one look here!"
"Don't push, you bastards!"
As the president and I stepped out, the crowd surged like they were about to overrun the police line.
The moment it looked ready to collapse, I drew in mana, manipulated it, and released it.
"..."
A chilling dread spread up their spines in an instant, freezing the oncoming crowd—and the cops holding them—in place.
"Sorry, but make way."
The people flinched at my words. Some might call it charisma or presence, but it was just a simple trick.
Besides, I had no intention of doing interviews today. I've got too much on my plate to indulge their curiosity. What am I, their babysitter?
"Everyone, calm down now."
The president stepped in smoothly to defuse things. I walked casually through the parted path.
"Wait!"
Damn, someone with the guts to call out to me even now. I stopped, and a question flew my way.
"I hear you teamed up with Han Sang-ah the hunter on the Great Demon Island op. What's your connection to the Geumyang Group?"
Some guts for a question that lame. Probably because Han Sang-ah was part of the Geumyang owner family.
"Geumyang Group? Their fridges are great."
Garbage question deserves a matching answer. Short and sweet—now it was up to the reporters to spin it into something.
"Any next targets lined up?"
I ignored that one and got into the waiting car.
"Good work."
Her voice startled me a bit.
"Lee Se-eun the hunter."
She turned from the driver's seat, sunglasses perched on her head, and flashed a grin.
"Hey, looking sharp."
"Your arm's hurt."
She let out an "ah" and tapped the bandage on her arm.
"Monsters suddenly swarmed Cheorwon, so we fought non-stop for a week."
A whole week? From what she said, there were tens of thousands of them. Undead, by the look of it. Lingering resentment was hindering her recovery.
"I can help with that."
She'd helped me out first when I had no gigs after the hunter exam, so no hard feelings toward Lee Se-eun.
"You can?"
Instead of answering, I ignited Paradox Flame and brought it to the wound. The black flames burned away the resentment.
She stared at the fire on her arm for a moment, then gripped the wheel and looked away.
"Where to?"
"Osan Air Base."
I let out an "ah."
"The one in Songtan? Why there...?"
"The Korean military's joining the Embargo Tower request this time."
Whoa, bigger scale than I thought. Makes sense—if it's a shield generator, few countries would sit it out.
If it works, reliance on hunters for national defense would drop a bit.
Honestly, Korea might not love that. Higher hunter dependency boosts Korea's standing.
"Ever hear of the Dan-gun's Descendants?"
She eased off the gas slightly as she replied.
"That nationalist terrorist group? Yeah. Surprised you know about them."
My info sources are limited right now. Reliable ones? Just Lee Se-eun and Han Sang-ah.
"Ran into them during the Great Demon Island request."
"Really?"
She brushed it off, but it wasn't nothing.
"You can kinda understand their point, right?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Not hard to see why they'd think that. At least for now."
She rummaged in the console box and tossed me a small candy. Not candy—lozenge? What was this for?
"Dan-gun's Descendants—all ethnic Koreans—pop up everywhere. Their specialty's jumping in to sabotage while hunters are clearing Erosion Cores."
Then she went, "Oh right."
"Not Korean nationals—'one ethnic nation,' they say."
Not nationality—race. The car pulled up to the B1 bunker she'd mentioned.
After security, Lee Se-eun and I parked in front of the main building and got out.
"Gotta handle something. Catch you later!"
She waved and headed off. Then my phone buzzed.
"Ah, forgot about this guy."
Choi Seung-gi from Daebak Scrap Dealers.
—Heard you got discharged.
"Wasn't even that bad."
He let out a weird "euhihihik!" laugh before continuing.
—I already sent crews to sweep the Great Demon Island clean. Should have all the loot sorted by tonight. How do you want to handle it?
"The shoulder guard you gifted me got wrecked."
He yelped "uwaa" then replied.
—Need some protective gear, huh. Can't let my cash cow scream in agony. I'll prioritize materials and whip up something nice. What's your budget?
I'd already checked the payout from the fishermen during my hospital stay. After some thought, I decided.
"Around 15 million won from me. Make it with that."
—Got it. Let me see... That should cover a plate-insertion model.
They'd make plates from premium byproducts and swap them in.
Making plate armor in the 21st century was laughable and inefficient anyway.
"Please do."
—No worries. Our crafting's top-notch.
Wait—didn't I have to fly to Vladivostok soon and train to Europe? I explained, and he sounded troubled.
—Then... want me to loan you some gear? We don't usually do rentals.
"That'd be great if possible."
I picked out what I needed based on the prices he listed.
After parting with Yoo Chan-seok, Lee Se-eun was talking to a middle-aged man in uniform.
"Hello, Colonel Ahn Hoon-seo. Lee Se-eun, partner hunter with Zanabi LLC."
"I've heard so much. Honored to speak with someone of your renown."
Colonel Ahn Hoon-seo, nearing sixty, had two stars on his shoulder, but he was polite to Lee Se-eun.
"What can I do for you? I know you're swamped."
The military didn't move on small scales. Mass ops needed time and commanders like him. That's why he was here.
"About this job. Got an order from up top."
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
"What order has you pulling me aside like this? I know at least thirty hunters are on this request."
He shrugged. The shield generator devs wanted to analyze Embargo Tower gear using their measurement tech.
"Doesn't seem like they're thrilled. So they're cooperating instead."
Lee Se-eun replied immediately.
"Zanabi took the request. We'll fulfill it."
Nothing else mattered. Ahn laughed "hahaha" and pressed on.
"Of course I know that. We're not asking you to slack off. Just..."
Embargo Tower used Korean military for train escort but handed full control of the shield generator to Zanabi and Lee Se-eun.
"Let the Korean military examine it."
Examine, sure—but not just look. No clue who ordered it, but the government didn't want the generator working right.
Lee Se-eun smiled brightly, rummaged her sleeve, pulled a pipe, tamped the tobacco, and spoke.
"I get it. Not a big deal."
"Right? Cooperate, and good things'll come Zanabi's way soon."
She struck a match with a hiss, lit up amid thick smoke, and spat her answer.
"Kill me. Succeed, and you can access the shield generator you want."