"Hyung-niiiim-!"
Jin-Woo lightly dodged Yoo Jin-Ho, who came running with tears in his eyes for a hug. He then asked Woo Jin-Cheol, who had volunteered to look after Yoo Jin-Ho in his place while he attended the conference.
"What's wrong with him?" "When he woke up, I showed him this..."
Woo Jin-Cheol held up the newspaper he'd been reading. On the front page of the folded paper were photos of the Scavenger Guild members beaten to a pulp by Jin-Woo, and Thomas's blood-soaked, unconscious face. Whether this was a given for Jin-Woo or not, it certainly wasn't for Yoo Jin-Ho after reading the article. Who in the world would go head-to-head against the world's strongest guild to save someone? And the guild's master was none other than "Goliath" Thomas Andre. After reading the article and shedding tears of emotion, Yoo Jin-Ho expressed his joy with his entire body the moment Jin-Woo arrived.
"Hyung-niiiim-!"
However. Jin-Woo's agility had long since surpassed that of even S-rank Hunters. Despite Yoo Jin-Ho's persistent efforts, Jin-Woo dodged the emotional hug this way and that. After letting Yoo Jin-Ho's charge slip past him once again, Jin-Woo pointed at him with his thumb and asked.
"This guy read an article in English?" "Yeah. The female interpreter in charge of translation said she couldn't justify her salary just doing this, so I asked her to at least read this to me." "Ah."
Yoo Jin-Ho's nose reddened, upset that Jin-Woo kept dodging his physical affection.
"Hyung!" "Here."
Jin-Woo held out a tissue, which Yoo Jin-Ho took and blew his nose into forcefully. Honk. He understood Yoo Jin-Ho's feelings, but getting snot all over the expensive suit he'd prepared for the conference was out of the question. Wiping away his tears, Yoo Jin-Ho seemed to calm down a bit and asked.
"By the way, Hyung, when did you learn English?"
Back then, in the abandoned factory, even while barely conscious, Yoo Jin-Ho had apparently overheard the conversation with Thomas.
"Low-rank Hunters have a lot of time on their hands."
Hunters without a raid schedule were no different from unemployed people. Jin-Woo had studied English here and there whenever he had free time, in preparation for the day he might quit being a Hunter.
*'Never thought I'd end up using it like this, though.'*
Thinking back on those study sessions felt nostalgic. He never would have imagined in his wildest dreams that his first conversation partner in self-taught English would be Thomas Andre.
"Ah—"
Yoo Jin-Ho nodded, recalling that Jin-Woo had once been a low-rank Hunter. Projecting his Hyung's past onto the present, the brotherly loyalty Jin-Woo had shown—fighting the entire Scavenger Guild for a mere D-rank Hunter—hit him even harder. Yoo Jin-Ho spoke, his voice cracking.
"Hyung! I'll follow and trust only you, for real!"
Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes reddened, and snot started running again from under the nose he'd just cleaned. Jin-Woo smirked. But.
*'...Having a high sense stat isn't always convenient.'*
His transcendent senses picked up every nuance of Yoo Jin-Ho's emotions, making his own nose sting. Jin-Woo deliberately avoided his gaze and turned to Woo Jin-Cheol.
"Looks like there's no problem with discharge at this point?" "Right. The attending physician was actually surprised that his wounds healed completely overnight." "Then let's handle the discharge paperwork and head back to the lodgings. The Association already has a car ready for us." "Understood." "I'll get ready, Hyung."
Jin-Woo watched Yoo Jin-Ho hurriedly pack his bags with reddened eyes, grateful that he'd made it back safely. At the same time, a flicker of anger rose toward the one responsible for setting this whole mess in motion.
*'Grid. When we get back to the lodgings tonight, you know what's coming.'* [...Understood, Your Majesty.]
Reassuring Grid that he'd just bang his head for two more hours—no more, no less—Jin-Woo left the hospital room.
* * *
The Association provided two vehicles. Jin-Woo, who had personal business with Adam, rode in the front car with him, while Yoo Jin-Ho rode in the back car with the Association staff. When he opened the backseat door. Clunk. Adam, who had been fast asleep with his head resting against the window, flinched at his shoulder and shook his head.
"You're here, Hunter."
Haggard face. Adam's eyes were ringed with dark circles after two consecutive days of exhausting, back-to-back schedules. While Jin-Woo looked at him sympathetically, the driver, following Adam's instructions, started the car. Jin-Woo got straight to business.
"Can you give me the list of Hunters who requested my protection?"
That single sentence seemed to chase the sleep right out of him, as color immediately returned to Adam's face.
"Have you had a change of heart?" "Just got curious, that's all." "Ah..."
Adam showed his disappointment. The offer had gone sour, but it wasn't bad news either. It meant Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was still interested in the issue. Adam smiled and replied.
"I'll prepare the list as soon as we return to the Association."
As soon as he got in, Jin-Woo reflexively checked the time. It was 9 PM. Was it his imagination that Adam's face—already burdened with even more work—looked more gaunt than before? Sure enough. Adam strained his drowsy eyes to stay awake, unwilling to fall asleep in front of the Hunter he was escorting.
*'Tsk tsk.'*
Unable to watch, Jin-Woo reached out his hand.
"Huh? Huh?"
When Jin-Woo's left hand covered his vision, Adam panicked and his voice cracked.
"Hunter?"
But one word from Jin-Woo froze him in place.
"Just hold still for a second."
Even an ordinary man would get chills from something like this. But the person beside him was no ordinary man—he was Hunter Sung Jin-Woo. The one who had pummeled Thomas Andre to within an inch of his life. Gulp. Suddenly having an S-rank Hunter's hand over his eyes, Adam swallowed nervously. Jin-Woo tilted Adam's head back with his left hand, then poured the healing potion he'd bought from the shop into his mouth with his right.
*'Wh-what is this?'*
Forced to swallow an unidentified liquid with absolutely no idea what was happening, Adam tensed up—but with each gulp sliding down his esophagus, he felt strength flooding back into his body. How was this possible...? When Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's hand finally lifted, Adam realized the drowsiness that had been weighing on him had vanished completely. No—that wasn't all. He felt as refreshed as if he'd slept through the night and woken up in the morning sunlight. It was almost unbelievable; there was absolutely no trace of fatigue.
"H-Hunter...?"
What did you do? As Adam stared at him with that question in his eyes, Jin-Woo just shrugged.
"Trade secret." "Ohh."
It was so miraculous that Adam simply accepted it without further question. Moving his body around in various ways, Adam marveled in a voice still tinged with disbelief.
"Hunter, you're... how should I put it... I get the feeling you would have achieved great success in life no matter what, even without being a Hunter."
Coming from a top intelligence agent of the Hunter's Association who was already fluent in over ten languages, it was arguably excessive praise—but Adam looked satisfied, so Jin-Woo gave a pleased smile. This would make the next request easier. Asking for the list of Hunters had been preparatory groundwork for exactly that.
"Also, could you arrange for me to meet the Hunters on that list?"
This was the opportunity. With the world's strongest Hunters gathered in one place, if he could plant shadow soldiers on their shadows, he'd be able to counter any attack from the Monarchs. But Adam shook his head. His concern had been exposed. No matter how powerful the U.S. Hunter's Association was, mobilizing the world's top Hunters would be beyond its reach. Jin-Woo's expression hardened.
"I thought so... It's difficult?" "No. It's not that—I'm saying there's no need to arrange a separate meeting, Hunter."
Adam smiled brightly and explained the final day's schedule of the International Guild Conference.
"Because there's the Night of the Hunters."
Opening with a combination of words that sounded more like a video game title, Adam seemed oddly excited.
"It's a grand party hosted by the Hunter's Association, inviting all the Hunters participating in the conference. If you'd like, you could meet them all there."
A party. Could there be a better setting for making natural contact and attaching shadow soldiers? Jin-Woo clenched his fist.
*'Perfect.'*
Contacting the Monarchs through the Hunters. That way, he'd learn who was friend and who was foe, and how to fight them.
"Let's do that."
Jin-Woo smiled and leaned back in his seat. Beyond the car window, the American night deepened.
* * *
The Night of the Hunters. In a massive banquet hall that could accommodate over fifteen hundred people, the world's top Hunters and prominent figures in the Hunter world had gathered.
"Whoa—"
Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes went wide at the sight of legendary Hunters he'd only ever seen on screen. But. The other Hunters' gazes directed at Jin-Woo were no less stunned. The moment Jin-Woo stepped into the banquet hall, every eye turned to him.
"Hey, over there..." "I see him." "He's right in front of me and I can't sense a thing." "That's a different level entirely."
And as attention focused on Jin-Woo, Yoo Jin-Ho drew stares too.
"Then that Hunter beside him is the one who...?" "Is he the one who fought Thomas Andre to save that guy?"
The Hunter's Association had already finished its briefing, and things had been somewhat settled. The Hunters couldn't hide their amazement that Jin-Woo had clashed with the entire Scavenger Guild for his fellow D-rank Hunter, while also getting chills realizing that the declaration Jin-Woo had made on the first day of the conference was no idle boast.
[I will protect my family, even if it means making every Hunter in the world my enemy.]
The photos in the newspaper showed exactly what had become of the Scavengers. All they could do was hope his words didn't become reality. In any case, thanks to the Association's investigation results, the Hunters had been eyeing Jin-Woo, looking for a chance to approach and talk to him. His image had been transformed—from a monster who'd beaten the monstrous Goliath into a pulp, to a monster who'd risked everything on the line to protect a comrade. But. The first to muster the courage to approach him was not a Hunter, but the CEO of a world-renowned magical beast disposal company.
"It is an honor to meet Hunter Sung Jin-Woo."
He introduced himself, then.
"I'd like to purchase the giant-type magical beasts you've captured. Would you have some time?"
Giant-type magical beasts typically appeared as bosses in A-rank Gates, making intact carcasses extremely rare. His appetite for business drove him to move a step faster than the other Hunters.
*'Just in time.'*
Grinning, Jin-Woo introduced Yoo Jin-Ho to the CEO.
"I mainly handle the raid side of things, and I leave the business matters to our Vice President here." "Oh, is that so?"
Buoyed by Jin-Woo's introduction, Yoo Jin-Ho straightened his shoulders and extended his hand.
"I'm Yoo Jin-Ho, Vice President of the Ah-Jin Guild." "Ah, nice to meet you." "I'm not usually one to bring up business at gatherings like these, but for you specifically..."
Watching Yoo Jin-Ho lead the CEO off to a more comfortable spot for conversation, Jin-Woo smiled with satisfaction.
*'Kid's finally become a real Vice President.'*
But soon Jin-Woo's gaze sharpened. The distractions had been dealt with, and now the real work began. Adam sidled up to him.
"Here's the list."
On the screen of the tablet computer he handed over were the names of ten Hunters ranked at the very top, listed in order.
"Our Hunter's Association converts each Hunter's accomplishments into a score based on our own criteria and ranks them. These ten hold the highest Hunter Points."
Hunter Points. The idea of representing Hunters' careers as scores caught Jin-Woo's interest. Spotting his own name absent from the list, Jin-Woo asked.
"Where do I rank on this?" "Probably, once your record for eliminating the giant-type magical beasts is factored in... somewhere around here."
Adam pointed to a spot between third and fourth place. Above him were Liu Zhigang, Thomas Andre, and Christopher Reed. For someone whose career spanned only a few months to be positioned right below them spoke volumes about the magnitude of Jin-Woo's exploits.
*'Fourth place is... Siddharth Bachan of India. And fifth is...'*
The top five were all nation-power-level Hunters. Even those ranked below were formidable figures who couldn't be underestimated. Just then. As Jin-Woo read down the list, he looked up at the commotion. Murmur, murmur. In the distance, the Hunters were in a commotion over the unexpected arrival of a visitor. Jin-Woo identified the visitor and handed the tablet back to Adam.
"H-Hunter..." "Don't worry about it."
As expected, the visitor walked straight toward Jin-Woo without a shred of hesitation. Pushing aside Liu Zhigang, who tried to stop him along the way, the visitor stopped right in front of Jin-Woo and took off his sunglasses. Jin-Woo called his name.
"Thomas Andre."
Everyone around them was stunned—both by Jin-Woo, who showed no sign of losing his composure before Thomas, and by Thomas, who still had bandages wrapped around his arm. Thomas looked down at Jin-Woo, a full head shorter than himself, and spoke.
"Hunter Sung Jin-Woo... let me ask you one thing."