Germany's strongest Hunter, Renat Niehrman, let out an exclamation upon arriving at the airport. As the Master of the "Richter" Guild that represented Germany, he attended the International Guild Conference every year, but this was the first time he'd seen this many reporters. The Vice Master of the Richter Guild spoke to the surprised Renat.
"Why, they say that Korean Hunter who's been making waves lately is arriving today." "Ah—"
Renat understood immediately. Even an S-rank Hunter would have difficulty handling an S-rank Dungeon break alone. And what if the things that poured out of that S-rank Dungeon were giant-type beasts? A Hunter who had single-handedly stopped a Dungeon break that everyone else had been reluctant to touch was about to set foot on American soil for the first time—of course the media would be buzzing. Whether it was the reporters' interest rubbing off on him or not, Renat suddenly found himself intrigued.
'So he's coming.'
Just then, passengers who had disembarked from a Korean flight poured into the airport. The Vice Master pointed to one side.
"Ah! There he is, over there."
The Vice Master was also an S-rank Hunter. He couldn't compare to Renat, the Master, but he had enough perception to pick out Jin-Woo's face from a crowd at a glance. Renat's eyes lit up.
"Shall we go say hello before we leave?" "What?" "There's no harm in getting acquainted with a strong Hunter." "That's true."
The Vice Master nodded in agreement. In case international cooperation or help from another Guild was ever needed, the connections built through such encounters were undeniably a powerful asset. It also aligned perfectly with the purpose of the International Guild Conference—to bring together hard-to-meet Hunters from around the world and foster exchanges. Renat straightened his clothes and headed toward Jin-Woo's group. Or rather, he tried to. But Renat couldn't even take a few steps before stopping dead. His complexion was growing paler by the second. The Vice Master, who had gotten a step ahead because Renat stopped, looked back.
"Aren't you coming?"
Renat spoke with a rigid face.
"That… Can't you see that?" "See what?"
Apparently the Vice Master couldn't see it at all. But Renat, one of the most renowned Hunters in the world, could feel it clearly. Renat muttered in disbelief.
"Summoned creatures—I thought they were beings called from another space, but he's carrying all of them around with him at once like that?" "What?"
What was he talking about? Startled by Renat's reaction, the Vice Master turned to look in the direction Jin-Woo was coming from, but he couldn't find a single hair of a summoned creature, let alone the creature itself.
"You have summoned creatures?" "Yes! An enormous number of them!"
Renat had sensed the presence of the shadow soldiers hidden within Jin-Woo's shadow. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred. No—could he even count them all? Renat swallowed hard.
'That's enough numbers to believe he came here to wage war against the United States.'
Thinking that if he had been the one in charge, he would never have let 'something like that' into his country, Renat shuddered from head to toe. It was one of two things. Either the US Hunter Administration didn't know the full extent of that Korean Hunter's power, or they were convinced his power would never be aimed at them. The pressure bearing down on his body grew heavier as Jin-Woo approached. It was a sensation Renat had only ever felt from National Power-level Hunters like Thomas Andre or Christopher Reed.
'…'
In the end, as Jin-Woo passed right in front of him, Renat involuntarily lowered his gaze. He didn't have the courage to meet the man's eyes. His instincts told him not to. After Jin-Woo's entire party had passed by, the Vice Master looked at Renat, who had been acting strangely, and asked in puzzlement.
"Master, are you feeling unwell? Your complexion…" "No… It's nothing like that."
Renat wiped away his cold sweat. The more you knew, the more you could see—the ability to gauge the gap between you and your opponent was indeed part of one's skill. But in this moment, he envied the Vice Master and the reporters, who showed no signs of being intimidated despite standing before that terrifying Hunter.
* * *
When Jin-Woo tilted his head, Yoo Jin-Ho turned around and asked.
"Do you know someone there, hyung-nim?" "No. Some foreigner kept staring at me."
Yoo Jin-Ho laughed as if it were nothing.
"Your news coverage has been everywhere, hyung-nim—of course you'd have a fan or two. Maybe they wanted your autograph, hyung-nim."
Well, whoever it was, they were a pretty impressive Hunter to be waiting just for an autograph. Jin-Woo smirked and kept walking. In addition to Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho, two more people were part of their group: Section Chief Woo Jin-Chul, who had been dispatched from the Association, and a female staff member assigned as their interpreter.
"Hey! Over there!" "It's Sung Jin-Woo!"
The reporters spotted Jin-Woo. Flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash—! Camera flashes erupted simultaneously from the reporters' cameras. At that moment, Woo Jin-Chul pulled sunglasses from his pocket and put them on, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Yoo Jin-Ho looked at the visibly tense Woo Jin-Chul and asked.
"Come to think of it, why is Section Chief Woo here?"
Being a Section Chief at the Korean Hunter's Association's Seoul headquarters was no minor position. It meant he was the head of a department. Yoo Jin-Chul appreciated that the Association had assigned an interpreter, but his question was why someone of Woo Jin-Chul's seniority had come along. Woo Jin-Chul glanced at Jin-Woo for a moment, then blushed and spoke.
"I've been assigned to… protect Hunter Sung."
It was an answer he had summoned his courage to give. Unfortunately, it was drowned out by the noise in the airport before it ever reached Yoo Jin-Ho's ears. Yoo Jin-Ho cupped a hand to his ear and asked again.
"What did you say?" "…protect…" "Protect who?"
Seeing Woo Jin-Chul's face turn red all the way to the tips of his ears, Jin-Woo draped an arm over Yoo Jin-Ho's shoulder and ended the conversation.
"Hyung-nim?"
Jin-Woo gestured with his chin toward a familiar face.
"Over there—looks like some people came to greet us."
Near the entrance, a young man in a crisp suit with neatly combed blonde hair and a bright smile—it was Adam White. Jin-Woo's guess proved correct, and Adam immediately headed his way. The two large men behind Adam stayed put. The moment Jin-Woo's eyes met theirs, the two burly men bowed their heads in embarrassment almost simultaneously. It seemed they were recalling the time on the airplane when they had charged at him without a second thought about the difference in their abilities, trying to protect Adam. They really looked like they were about to ask for an autograph, and Jin-Woo stifled a quiet laugh. He gave the two a brief nod of acknowledgment, then clasped the hand Adam extended.
"I've been waiting, Hunter Sung." "I believe you were introduced as an Asia-division agent before, Mr. White?" "Ha-ha."
Adam scratched the back of his head and continued.
"That was the case until recently, but now I'm also Hunter Sung's point of contact."
After exchanging pleasantries with his friendly smile, Adam led Jin-Woo's group outside.
"This way. We have cars waiting."
Two cars had been prepared. The two Association members got into the rear car, and Yoo Jin-Ho naturally headed for the front car. But Adam stepped in front of him.
"…?"
When both Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho looked puzzled, Adam spoke politely.
"The three of you, excluding Hunter Sung, will be escorted to your accommodations."
Adam's gaze turned to Jin-Woo.
"And Hunter Sung Jin-Woo—would you mind coming with us?"
Was this about his father? Jin-Woo's gaze went cold in an instant. Sensing the air turn frigid, Adam hurriedly waved his hands.
"I assure you, this is absolutely nothing that would be detrimental to you, Hunter Sung. Didn't we explain what the US Hunter Administration thinks of you?"
He had said he wanted to maintain a good relationship to the end. He had tried to help before, and even now, Jin-Woo felt no malice in him. If there had been even a trace of ill intent, his finely honed perception stat would not have missed it. That was how he had caught the flaw in the alliance proposed by the King of Giants. Jin-Woo asked calmly.
"Is what this is about classified?"
Adam gave an awkward smile, glancing at Yoo Jin-Ho, who was listening to the conversation quietly beside them.
"Several aspects of it fall under top-secret classification."
After hearing Adam's explanation, Yoo Jin-Chul obediently stepped back.
"Hyung-nim. I'll see you at the accommodations later." "Right."
Once Jin-Woo confirmed that Yoo Jin-Ho had gotten into the rear car, he climbed into the same car as Adam. Without any additional instructions, the car set off the moment Jin-Woo got in. The two cars apparently had different destinations, as they split apart from the start and soon disappeared from view. Thinking this was as good a time as any, Jin-Woo asked.
"Where are we going?" "To the Hunter Administration headquarters building."
The Hunter Administration? The International Guild Conference was supposed to be held in a building rented near the accommodations. So this car wasn't headed there for the conference. Jin-Woo asked again.
"Can you tell me now?"
Adam, as if he had been waiting for the question, pressed a button inside the car. Beep. Then, smoothly—a transparent partition slid up behind the driver's seat, completely separating the front and rear seats. On the transparent partition, the English word "SOUNDPROOF" blinked in holographic text. Floating letters in midair. When Jin-Woo showed little reaction to the holographic message, Adam asked with a hint of embarrassment.
"This is cutting-edge technology… You're not impressed?" "I see similar things every day." "…"
A little deflated, as though he had been expecting a reaction, Adam quickly regained his smile.
"Well then, one moment."
Knock, knock. After tapping the partition to verify its performance, Adam resumed the conversation that had been cut off.
"Fact is, we have a fire at our feet right now."
Christopher Reed. One of the two National Power-level Hunters of American nationality had been killed. The US Hunter Administration was feeling that loss far more acutely than Jin-Woo imagined.
"Hunter Christopher was one of the twin pillars of America's greatest military power. Because of that, the Administration is in desperate need of reinforcing its strength. The news of his assassination is still classified, so things seem calm for now, but soon we will be going all out to recruit a Hunter who can take his place." "Am I one of those candidates?"
Adam nodded. Jin-Woo appreciated his honesty. But that didn't mean he was ready to welcome a proposal he had already rejected. Jin-Woo gave a lukewarm response.
"That matter should already be settled." "Yes, of course."
But with eyes that suggested nothing was settled at all, Adam pulled a phone from his pocket and showed a few saved photos.
"This is an entirely new proposal."
Humanity's worst disaster. The most unforgettable raid in history. The dragon 'Kamish.' These were photos documenting the hunt of the first and only dragon to ever appear. The world's finest Hunters had been gathered for a desperate battle, and only the five now called 'National Power-level' had survived, having barely subdued it. Adam's hand stopped flipping through the photos. The image showed top-tier magic-type Hunters extracting a rune stone from Kamish's carcass.
"As you well know, Hunter Sung, the value of a rune stone is proportional to the strength of the beast it came from."
When he touched the screen, the next photo appeared. A rune stone, sleeping inside a case wrapped in layers upon layers of security under strict protection. The rune stone of Kamish. Its value could not be measured in money, and it was something no price could buy. The ultimate skill!
"We are searching for the owner of this rune stone."
Even Adam, who had no connection whatsoever to mana, skills, or magic, felt his heart race just looking at this rune stone. What must Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, a magic-type, be feeling? Adam sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo. Sure enough—a flicker of tension crossed the face of that same Hunter Sung Jin-Woo who hadn't so much as batted an eye at the US Hunter Administration's most advanced technology. Yes! Adam's grip tightened with excitement. But then—Jin-Woo's request was not what Adam had expected.
"The photo… scroll forward a bit." "Excuse me?" "I want to see the photo before that one."
Adam tilted his head in confusion but scrolled forward as Jin-Woo requested.
"Wait."
The scrolling stopped. Jin-Woo pointed to one corner of the photo with his fingertip and spoke in a low voice.
"Where is this right now?"
= [/END]