Go Geon-Hui turned off the TV. It was already 9 PM. Too late to call it quitting time. But Woo Jin-Cheol seemed to have more to say.
"A request came in from China for Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's data." "Data? You mean personal information?" "It's nothing like that." "Then what?" "They asked for official materials like his raid records and related articles."
Fair enough. China wouldn't be so foolish as to expect they'd receive the personal information of an S-rank — no, possibly even higher — top-tier Hunter. But why was China showing interest in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo now, of all times? They had clearly relayed his intention to decline any love calls from any country, including China.
"The request didn't come from the Chinese government." "What?" "It was an individual's request." "An individual?"
A Hunter's Association representing an entire country would never hand over data to an individual Hunter. An individual? Naturally puzzled at a question that should obviously be refused, Go Geon-Hui received an explanation from Woo Jin-Cheol.
"It appears that Liu Zhikang, China's Seven-Star Hunter, has taken an interest in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo."
Liu Zhikang! At the unexpected name, Go Geon-Hui was struck speechless. China does not follow the world-standard Hunter ranking system and uses its own unique grading system. The more stars in front of the rank, the more outstanding the Hunter, with Five-Star Hunters being the highest grade. However — there was a single person, and only Liu Zhikang, who was classified outside the rating system entirely, called a Seven-Star Hunter. Naturally, his treatment was on a completely different level from the Five-Stars. But even among those known as "National-Power-level" Hunters, no one could raise an objection to the exceptional treatment he received. He possessed that caliber of ability, and China respected that fact.
'So Liu Zhikang is showing interest in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?'
How did this come about? Woo Jin-Cheol relieved Go Geon-Hui's confusion.
"Liu Zhikang has fought giant-type monsters before, hasn't he? It seems he's taken an interest in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who eliminated all of them."
So that's it. Go Geon-Hui nodded. A giant-type monster that had recently escaped from Japan headed to China. That monster had been reported killed by Liu Zhikang on the Chinese coast.
"The strong recognize the strong?"
Go Geon-Hui wore a playful smile. The Hunter Management Bureau, which had invited the A-Jin Guild. And now China's greatest Hunter, Liu Zhikang, had begun showing interest in Jin-Woo. Both the US and China had finally started to recognize Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's true worth. For Go Geon-Hui, who had known his value all along, this was a source of pride. But.
'That doesn't mean we just hand over the data.'
There was no need to advertise how exceptional our talent was to those coveting him. Let one National-Power-level Hunter get a little annoyed — what of it? They had Hunter Sung Jin-Woo on their side. Having reached that conclusion, Go Geon-Hui laughed heartily and said:
"Turn down that request."
* * *
The Dungeon had changed. That was his impression from clearing the high-level Dungeons that had popped up all over Japan in recent days. Jin-Woo's gaze sharpened as he surveyed the interior. He could sense the presence of monsters, yet none appeared in his field of vision. A situation that could easily be disorienting if one's sense was dull or one lacked experience. But Jin-Woo fit neither of those.
'This time — from above?'
Jin-Woo stopped and looked up. Just as he suspected. A viscous liquid dripped a little ahead of him, sizzling as it scorched the ground. A pungent smoke rose from the floor dissolving in the acidic substance. The smell was foul. Jin-Woo's brow furrowed naturally. When Jin-Woo showed no sign of approaching further, the massive lumps clinging to the cave ceiling dropped down. Plop. Thud. The lumps that had been stuck to the ground slowly took on a human shape. Where a face should have been sat a white mask, and their bodies were made of black liquid — a peculiar form of monster. Never before discovered anywhere, these were bizarre creatures. Twelve in number. Jin-Woo quietly called the name of an old friend.
'Knight Killer.'
A dagger appeared in his hand. It had once been one of his primary weapons alongside the 'Baluka Short Sword,' but ever since he obtained the Demon King's Daggers, it had been stowed away in his inventory. He finally found a use for it after so long. Jin-Woo, who briefly expressed pleasure at the familiar grip, hurled 'Knight Killer' at an approaching monster.
'Dagger Barrage!'
Swoosh-! The dagger flew in a straight line with a fierce whistle and struck the monster's chest. But the hit was for naught — the dagger passed right through the chest and embedded itself in the wall behind. That wasn't all. The black liquid coating the monster as the dagger passed through its body began to dissolve the blade. Sizzle— sizzle— the limp dagger melted into an unrecognizable viscous blob, sliding down the wall.
'Just as I thought.'
His prediction that ordinary physical attacks wouldn't work was correct. Then — without even a moment to mourn the passing of his old companion, 'Knight Killer,' the monsters all charged in at once. Lightning-fast movement. But Jin-Woo met it with the 'Ruler's Authority.' Boom-! Struck by an invisible force, the monsters flew backward simultaneously. Thud-thud-thud-thud! Their bodies tore apart as they fell, then slowly gathered themselves back together, regenerating to their pristine state.
"Heh."
At the absurd regeneration, Jin-Woo let out a dry laugh. Part of him wanted to summon his Shadow Soldiers and pit their regeneration against these creatures.
'...Stay calm.'
Physical attacks, whether tangible or intangible, weren't working. So what now? As Jin-Woo deftly dodged the rain of attacks and pondered, he noticed that one movement in particular was unnatural.
'Hm?'
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. Looking closely, one monster whose arm hadn't regenerated had a chipped corner on the white mask covering its face. It must have broken when he knocked it away with the 'Ruler's Authority.'
'So that's the weak point?'
Jin-Woo grinned. Once you know how to attack, finishing them off isn't that difficult. Swoosh, swoosh! While dodging the monsters' furious punches left and right, Jin-Woo summoned his friends.
'Demon King's Daggers.'
Gripping the daggers that appeared — one in each hand — Jin-Woo's eyes gleamed. Crack! A monster with a Demon King's Dagger embedded in its forehead collapsed helplessly. Thump. That was the beginning. Jin-Woo's fluid, dance-like movements shattered every single monster's mask in an instant. Crack! Snap! Finally. Crack! The last remaining monster's mask split vertically down the middle. The creature, now reduced to liquid, lost all form and collapsed completely. Having cleanly dispatched all twelve, Jin-Woo sent the Demon King's Daggers back to his inventory. If it hadn't been him standing here, what would have happened? Before even realizing that ordinary attacks wouldn't work, several people would surely have been killed. And before discovering the weak point, several more would have been sacrificed. Perhaps — before anyone found the weak point, every last member would have lost their lives. Even if they were an elite strike team. That's how powerful, fast, and dangerous these things were. The problem was this wasn't the first time.
'Something has definitely changed about the Dungeons.'
On the day the Giant King was executed, the mana crystals disappeared from every Dungeon in the world. With the mineral that had accounted for a large portion of the mana flowing out of Dungeons gone, all the mana filling the Dungeons now belonged entirely to the monsters. In other words, even Dungeons of the same rank had become far more dangerous than before.
'And now creatures like these have started appearing on top of that...'
Jin-Woo's brow creased. An average strike team stepping into a high-level Dungeon would not be able to avoid a serious accident. As if that weren't enough, the news was full of reports of incidents happening frequently these days. Out of worry, he had ordered Beru to guard the house. Beru could handle most Dungeons on his own, even if one broke out.
'But...'
The increased frequency of Gates spawning and the monsters growing stronger wasn't entirely a bad thing. At least, not for Jin-Woo. The stronger they got, the easier it was to level up. There were still plenty of monsters left to kill inside this Dungeon. He could vividly feel the number of monsters emanating terrifying mana from deeper within. A smile appeared on Jin-Woo's face.
'Now that I've learned how to deal with a new type of monster, shall we get started on a proper hunt?'
The warm-up was over. Now the extermination began.
"Come forth."
Whoosh- The Shadow Soldiers, who had been hiding in the shadows behind Jin-Woo, all revealed themselves. He had already told them the method of killing, so they shouldn't have any trouble with it. At Jin-Woo's signal, Igrit — who had been put in charge of the army in Beru's stead after the latter was suddenly ordered to guard the house — advanced the soldiers. Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud! The footsteps of the Shadow Soldiers echoed thunderously throughout the massive cave.
* * *
The world's top Hunters set foot on American soil one by one for the International Guild Conference. Among them were National-Power-level Hunters. But Thomas Andre's concern was with only one person.
'Tomorrow is Sung Jin-Woo's arrival date...'
After checking Jin-Woo's schedule, he summoned Hwang Dongsu to his office the day before Jin-Woo's entry into the country.
"You called, sir?"
Hwang Dongsu carefully watched Thomas's expression. Several years had passed since he joined Scavenger, but he still found dealing with the Master unpleasant. Overwhelming power, an unpredictable personality, and on top of it all, a ruthless possessiveness. Even as an S-rank Hunter, Hwang Dongsu felt infinitely small whenever he stood before Thomas Andre.
"Mr. Hwang."
Thomas got straight to the point.
"Don't mess with Sung Jin-Woo."
Hwang Dongsu's eyes widened. His gaze, which had been asking how Thomas knew about this, soon turned to Laura standing behind Thomas. Laura returned the look with an expression that said she had only done what needed to be done. Tsk. A sharp sound escaped Hwang Dongsu's mouth. Thomas continued.
"I know about your brother and Hunter Sung Jin-Woo as well, Mr. Hwang. I'm sure you have your suspicions, and you probably want to know the truth."
Hwang Dongsu's brother, Hwang Dong-Seok, had entered the same Dungeon as Sung Jin-Woo and gone missing. All eight of Hwang Dong-Seok's fixed party members were killed, and the two survivors from that Dungeon went on to form a guild together. Hwang Dongsu had many questions he wanted to ask Sung Jin-Woo. His discontent was plain on his face.
"However..."
But before he could even open his mouth, Thomas raised his index finger and wagged it. The lips beneath his sunglasses curved. Thomas smiled.
"I don't recall giving Mr. Hwang permission to speak?"
Just listen. A clear warning. One of the very few men who could issue a threatening warning to even the topmost Hunters. That was Thomas Andre. Well aware of the gap between them, Hwang Dongsu quietly shut his mouth. Thomas reiterated.
"Under no circumstances are you to approach Sung Jin-Woo. During the conference, go to the villa the guild owns and enjoy a vacation. How about it — can you grant me this earnest request?" "..." "Mr. Hwang?"
Hwang Dongsu reluctantly nodded.
"...I'll do that." "Good. You're dismissed."
With a rigid face, Hwang Dongsu quickly exited the office. Laura asked with concern.
"Will that be enough?"
Thomas, his own face equally stiff, shook his head.
"No."
He had just read hostility in Hwang Dongsu's expression. The man still hadn't let go.
"Laura." "Yes." "Keep Mr. Hwang under close surveillance until Sung Jin-Woo leaves the country." "Will he... accept it?"
Pushed down by Thomas, yes — but Hwang Dongsu's personality wasn't one to be trifled with either. But Thomas wasn't worried. No, Hwang Dongsu's resentment was not something to be taken lightly enough to brush off one by one. Thomas scratched his chin in thought, then answered nonchalantly.
"Well... being stifled is better than being dead."