"Did you mean that, seriously?"
Adam, who had been waiting outside the conference room, asked. Jin-Woo wanted to ask what he was talking about, but there was only one thing he'd said inside. Jin-Woo gave a thin smile.
"Yes." "Ha ha."
It was hardly a situation to laugh at, but Adam found himself smiling along involuntarily at Jin-Woo's expression. Who were the people in that room? Over five hundred top-tier Hunters, invited from more than 120 countries around the world. Humanity's absolute elite. And yet—he had just told them, to their faces, that he'd "rather turn every Hunter in the world into an enemy." It wasn't something anyone but a truly iron-willed person could even pull off. What was even more astonishing was that no one had mocked him for it. Even Liu Zhikang, the Hunter notorious for his cruel nature, had simply stared at Sung Jin-Woo in silence without uttering a single protest against his remark. Not only the Hunters inside the conference room—even the operatives monitoring the situation through the monitors were left speechless. Adam was one of them. He spoke in admiration.
"I'd say there are only two people in the world who could say something like that here—including you, Hunter-nim."
Jin-Woo showed curiosity about who the other person was.
"Then the other one is…?" "He's in the hospital right now."
Seeing Adam's bitter smile, Jin-Woo immediately figured out who they were talking about. Thomas Andre. With that arrogant personality of his, it certainly wouldn't be out of character.
'Although I'm not sure he could still pull that off.'
Jin-Woo recalled Thomas's last expression when he had raised his hand in surrender and let out a bitter smile of his own. Adam brought up the schedule.
"The evening banquet is coming up next. It's a feast the Bureau has prepared with great ambition, so if you don't have anything urgent, perhaps you could share a meal with the other Hunters…"
Jin-Woo shook his head.
"I'm planning to stop by the hospital." "Excuse me?"
Adam's eyes went wide. Had he perhaps gotten injured somewhere last night? No—that was a natural enough assumption. Thomas Andre, a nation-power-level Hunter, had been so badly wounded that even healers' treatment couldn't get him back on his feet. That was how intense the fight had been. So it stood to reason that even Sung Jin-Woo would have at least one injury somewhere…
"I'm worried about Jin-Ho." "Ah…"
So that's what he meant. Adam, who had briefly been worried about Jin-Woo, regretted his presumption. But he wasn't ready to let it go just yet and asked again.
"Do you happen to have any aching shoulders or wrists since last night…?" "Excuse me?" "N-No, never mind."
Just as Adam was flustering, Hunters who had been gathered in small groups parted ways in unison, clearing a path to either side. Both Jin-Woo and Adam shifted their gaze toward the commotion. Liu Zhikang was there. The Chinese seven-star Hunter, Liu Zhikang, approached Jin-Woo accompanied by his subordinates—commonly known as the "Liu Zhikang Division." It was as if he'd had a destination set from the start; he walked in a straight line and stopped right in front of Jin-Woo.
'Gasp…!' 'What's going on, those two?'
The Hunters' chatter died. The tense air flowing between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhikang made the surroundings deathly quiet. Something was stirring. An unusual undercurrent rippled through the room. The Hunters exchanged glances.
'Why is Liu Zhikang acting like that?' 'Isn't it because of what Sung Jin-Woo said earlier?' 'No wonder they let it slide so quietly…'
Jin-Woo's answer had clearly been a provocation aimed at the Hunters. And the person who had posed the question was none other than Liu Zhikang. First Thomas Andre, and now Liu Zhikang. The Hunters watched the two men's expressions with anxious faces, wondering what would happen next. Adam, caught between the two, turned pale.
"H-Hey, Hunters…"
Before Adam could say a word, Liu Zhikang, having taken one more step forward, spoke first. A deep, resonant voice. As Jin-Woo listened to Liu Zhikang, his expression grew serious.
'…What is he saying?'
He'd never even been near China, so there was no way he understood Chinese. His opponent was speaking with a serious expression, so Jin-Woo matched it, but listening to words he couldn't understand was incredibly uncomfortable. Surely he isn't cursing me out to my face with that serious look on—just as that thought flitted through his mind, Adam whispered in his ear.
"Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim once caught a giant-type magic beast off the coast of China that had slipped through the net."
A look of surprise spread across Jin-Woo's face.
"You speak Chinese too?" "Well, I'm the Asia desk officer, so I handle those languages to some degree. Ah, and a bit of Russian, Spanish, Arabic, German as well…"
For a brief moment, Jin-Woo reflected on the thought he'd just had—that it would be so convenient if Agent Adam were one of his shadow soldiers.
Liu Zhikang's words were still going, and it seemed he had a lot to say.
"Keep translating." "Yes."
Adam nodded and translated with a solemn expression.
"He said that back then, the giant-type magic beast's strength was far greater than he'd expected, and the fight was especially grueling because it took place at sea."
Jin-Woo also remembered being surprised by the power of giant-type magic beasts when he'd fought one. Their massive bodies moving with the agility of birds of prey—and on top of that, a battle at sea with so many constraints on movement? The shock would have been far greater than fighting on open ground. Jin-Woo, as a fellow Hunter, could understand the bewilderment he must have felt. The longer Liu Zhikang spoke, the brighter Adam's expression became.
"After that, he's been wanting to meet Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ever since. He was curious about what kind of person could dispatch such powerful magic beasts so easily."
The moment Adam finished translating, Liu Zhikang broke into a broad grin and extended his hand. It seemed the serious expression from moments ago had been born of tension. After a brief glance at Liu Zhikang's outstretched hand, Jin-Woo smiled and shook it. There was no reason to refuse a handshake offered by one of the top Hunters in the world. Adam, who had frozen in place wondering if something was about to happen, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew—"
The bonding of Hunters. It was an encounter true to the purpose of the International Guild Conference. Still smiling, Liu Zhikang continued speaking while their hands were clasped. Jin-Woo glanced at Adam.
"He seems to be cracking a joke or something—what's he saying?" "Ah."
Adam made a complicated face, then raised the corners of his mouth.
"And he also says it felt great seeing you knock Thomas Hunter into next week. He figured it was Thomas who was in the wrong, anyway…"
Jin-Woo gave a thin smile. His first impression of the man had been just a prickly old guy, but he turned out to be more fun than expected. With that, the greeting concluded and the two men released their hands. However, Liu Zhikang's face darkened slightly. Adam's smile had also faded. Adam quickly translated his words.
"That's exactly why he hopes with all his heart that 'Suspect S' is not related to Hunter Sung's family. He says he absolutely does not want to fight Hunter Sung."
Jin-Woo gave a silent nod.
"I see you're both here."
At the voice that came from nearby, both Jin-Woo and Liu Zhikang turned their heads. There were footsteps but no mana—this person was not a Hunter. Sure enough, the voice belonged to the Director of the Hunter's Association. The Director, glancing back and forth between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhikang, spoke in a voice clearly laced with tension.
"Might I borrow a moment of both your times?"
Jin-Woo looked at Adam. Adam shook his head. The fact that Adam didn't know meant this wasn't on the schedule. What could it be? Before answering, Jin-Woo调动ed his sensory stat to its fullest, mapping out the movements of every Hunter in the building.
'Two individuals with massive mana reserves…'
Two powerful Hunters were being escorted to the same location. Given that both he and Liu Zhikang had been summoned at the same time, this was no coincidence.
'Did something happen?'
When Jin-Woo appeared to hesitate, Adam spoke on his behalf.
"Ah, Director. Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim said he needed to visit the hospital where Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho is…"
But Jin-Woo placed his hand on Adam's shoulder, cutting him off. When Adam turned, Jin-Woo shook his head, then turned to the Director and spoke.
"I'm fine."
The Director's face lit up as he turned to Liu Zhikang.
"What about you, Hunter Liu Zhikang?" "I'm fine." "Wonderful. Then please, both of you—follow me."
Like a salesman who'd just closed a tough deal, the Director's face beamed as he led the way.
* * *
But their destinations were different. Liu Zhikang followed the operatives down the left corridor, while Jin-Woo walked along with the Director.
'This is strange…'
With the two Hunters who had been moving earlier plus Liu Zhikang, three Hunters of immense mana were converging at the same location. Jin-Woo had assumed he'd be escorted there too, but the different path forced him to consider several possibilities. Finally, he spoke up.
"Why am I heading in a different direction?" "Ah…"
After a moment of deliberation, the Director handed off the turn.
"Someone is waiting for you right now. They will explain everything." "…"
As the Director had said, at the end of the corridor—in a separate room—he could sense someone's presence.
'Huh? This mana wave…'
It was someone he hadn't expected at all, and Jin-Woo's eyes widened. He never imagined he'd be meeting her again.
"You've already sensed it."
The Director had broken into a cold sweat on his forehead.
"We go to extreme lengths to keep her location secret, but given the gravity of the current situation…" "So was this meeting requested by the Hunter's Association?" "No. She requested it. She said she wanted to meet you."
Click. When the Director opened the door, Jin-Woo found himself looking directly into the eyes of a Black woman waiting inside.
"It's been a while, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim." "Indeed it has, Mrs. Serner."
Nomad Serner. The Awakener with the unique ability. He'd wondered if time might have changed her, but her gaze was the same. Eyes still filled with fear. Even as she looked at him, he could feel a deep terror emanating from Mrs. Serner. And yet, she had said she wanted to meet him. What had driven this frightened woman to take action? Jin-Woo felt a spark of interest.
"I didn't expect you would seek me out again, but…"
Jin-Woo sat down across from her. Adam, the interpreter, stood close by his side. Mrs. Serner bowed her head politely.
"I truly apologize for how I behaved last time. I wasn't in my right mind…"
Jin-Woo raised his hand to stop her. He had no intention of digging up the past just to get an apology out of her. Mrs. Serner looked at the Director. The Director, his face equally tight, gave a nod. Mrs. Serner hesitated, then finally spoke.
"Lately, I've been having the same dream every night."
He wasn't confident in dream interpretation, but he doubted that was why she had summoned him here. Jin-Woo asked.
"What kind of dream?" "Every night, I see the world's greatest Hunters being hunted by someone."
Someone hunting Hunters. Jin-Woo had an intuition that this was not unrelated to him.
"And then a few days later, that dream becomes reality." "Don't tell me… Christopher too?"
Mrs. Serner nodded. The Director, who had received a briefing, continued.
"We warned Christopher about the danger, but he didn't heed our warning. As for the result… you're well aware of how he ended up."
Jin-Woo had heard and seen more than enough about what happened to Christopher Reed today. The woman spoke in a trembling voice.
"The powerful Hunters who've been holding up the world will keep on dying, one after another. The ones doing this will never stop."
"Which is why—"
Jin-Woo steadied himself and continued.
"You wanted to warn me to be careful of them too?" "No."
Mrs. Serner shook her head firmly. If not a warning, then what? When Jin-Woo looked at her with a questioning gaze, Mrs. Serner made her earnest plea.
"I need you to protect the Hunters."