“Anyway, I was waiting for those talented and promising martial artists to play an active role while training at the party’s facilities…”
“......”
It was a lot of strange rhetoric, but Choi Yeonseung just listened calmly. Chen Yuwei could be saying this not because he liked it. If his family was in China, then he probably had no other choice!
‘I have to understand what he’s trying to tell me.’
To summarize, the party invested in creating a facility for fostering martial artists, then worked hard to raise them. However, they didn’t get the results that they wanted. Hence, by somehow manipulating the martial artists’ ranks, they gained several B-grades. However, the moment those people went public, the party’s crime would be discovered, which was why they just left it on the books.
That was the obvious solution. This was usually the case with Chinese businesses.
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says it doesn’t understand why they did something so inefficient.]
‘That’s just how the human world is.’
“... Your recent performances have reached the ears of the party officials.”
“Is that so?”B-grade hunters weren’t relevant enough for their achievements to spread all over the world, but several factors overlapped when it came to Choi Yeonseung’s case. He was a first-generation hunter, an Abyss returnee, and one of the few remaining martial artists. They were bound to notice him. Among those factors, martial arts drew the most attention.
“As a result, some people started saying that we should look at the martial artists trained by the party.”
“Anyway, mani—”
“It isn’t manipulation. It is unpreparedness!”
“Yes. You aren’t prepared.”
“I’ve heard that several people involved are nervous about it.”
The political battle within the Chinese party was a war without guns. It was a bloody death match where they would literally lose everything the moment they lost! No one would admit their mistake in such a situation.
“Are they going to kill all the people involved?” Choi Yeonseung asked with a shocked expression.
“... What nonsense is that?” Chen Yuwei was startled.
“You look so serious that I started expecting something that severe.”
“What do you take China for...”
Regardless, that wouldn’t happen.
“How would they even get rid of so many people? Even if they somehow succeeded, the records would still be around.”
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ wonders if there is something strange about what he is pointing out.]
“What they are trying to do right now is somehow create a performance.”
“Performance?”
“Yes. They can save face if they have at least a few decent martial artists to show for.”
During the raiding era, all countries conducted hunter-development projects. It didn’t matter if they spent a few trillion won. They would profit for as long as they could get one A-grade hunter from it. If some of the hunters turned out to be actual B-grade ones, then they could insist that those hunters were successors who could reach A-grade!
“So they’re training hard using the video you posted...”
“?”
“Why are you surprised? The video you posted is being used as a textbook at the training center.”
“... Th-that can’t be.” Choi Yeonseung was astonished.
What government training course would use a video meant for novice hunters who knew nothing?
“... I heard it is quite fruitful even though it doesn’t produce results that fast.”
“It would be difficult to reach higher levels with a video alone.”
“I know. That’s why I’m telling you this.”
Chen Yuwei looked serious. He was currently B-. The moment he set foot into the B ranks, he gained some power as a hunter. That was how he knew about what was going on with China and its party.
“Maybe one of the officials with a weaker position in the party will contact you.”
“They would dare kidnap my family and intimidate me?”
“... No! Not like that!”
“What? No? Wasn’t that how they used to do it?”
Before the great invasion of the evil god constellations, they kidnapped family members and threatened hunters to recruit them…
Chen Yuwei was startled. Was that the case before?
“It isn’t like that. They will scout you and contact you to make some proposals.”
“I see.”
Chen Yuwei gulped and looked around, then said, “... I’m here to tell you that it would be best for you to say no.”
“!”
Chen Yuwei’s words carried great determination.
“Why?”
“I-I mean… Cough. If a foreign hunter is brought in...”
“Ah. To bring in a foreign hunter, they use all types of persuasions to coax them in. Once they accept, the officials will secretly pick a fight with them and bug them to try and steal any skills or information. After a raid, they will then try to grab a share of the hunter’s achievements or something like that?”
“How did you know?” Chen Yuwei was shocked. He was just about to warn Choi Yeonseung about that!
“I’m already aware of that before you even thought about warning me. Still, thank you.”
“I see. Be careful, Choi Yeonseung. You are the star of martial artists. Make sure you reach A-grade.”
“You aren’t a martial artist, are you?”
“... I am using magic now, but do you really have to point that out?”
***
The exchange ended smoothly. Usually, clans or hunters who achieved outstanding results in the exchange received all types of attention from the media and enjoyed a publicity effect. There was nothing like that this time. All media attention was focused on the Argo raid.
“... Who wrote this?” Choi Yeonseung murmured. He didn’t bother clicking on the article, but he could tell that something was strange about it just by reading the title.
-Hunter Choi Yeonseung reveals, ‘I just did what I was supposed to do,’... Netizens have a ‘good impression’...
-Hunter Choi Yeonseung states, ‘I have never forgotten my country...’
-How did Choi Yeonseung become stronger? ‘This is it!’
-Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor Lee Changsik says he will concede Hunter Choi Yeonseung to Dragon Hwang... He guessed it was a performance that emphasized that he was originally a Korean hunter...
‘Isn’t seventy-five percent of this fake news?’
Three out of the four that popped out on the main page were fake. It was harsh.
-Did you click on that article?
-No... Honestly, I’m curious. Why did they write an article about what I ate?
Choi Yeonseung only opened the third article.
What did he eat? The answer was an ad for energy pills.
“It is better not to care about that. If it gets worse, Icarus will take care of it,” Antony said.
Choi Yeonseung nodded as he walked into the airport. Now that the exchange was over, it was time to head back to Los Angeles, which was where Hwang Gyeongryong was.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung?”
“?”
“I’m from the Hunter Management Department. Can we talk for a moment?”
Antony and Illeya straightened up and grew serious upon seeing the person who looked like a government official.
“Why are you doing something so immoral? I will formally complain to the Korean government!”
“Do you know who you are doing this to?”
The reactions of the two flustered Choi Yeonseung. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Isn’t he planning on banning you from leaving the country so he can take you away?” Antony commented.
“South Korea isn’t China. Why would this country do that?” Choi Yeonseung replied, his expression seemingly finding it absurd.
“That’s right. How can we do such a thing...?”
The government official seemed very upset. Of course, Choi Yeonseung was still a legal Korean citizen, but a diplomatic problem would break out if they did such a thing while he was on a US visa and working for an American clan.
“... I’ll wait and see. Be careful.” Antony realized he was mistaken, but his pride prevented him from backing down.
The government official didn’t bother with him.
“I’ll be leaving in thirty minutes. Can you finish what you have to say by then?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear what you have to say.”
***
“The Hunter Resources Officer of the Hunter Management Department... Oh. You’re a high-ranking official.”
The man’s position surprised Choi Yeonseung. Although he just seemed to be in his late thirties, he was a high-ranking government official. In the United States, the Hunter Management Department was under the Department of Homeland Security, but it was an entirely separate government body in South Korea. The hunter-resources people under them were responsible for bringing in talented people from all over the world.
The Hunter Resources Officer had almost the same level of authority as the vice-minister. He got that position at such a young age.
“Are you a hunter?”
“How did you know?”
“Young people on the hunter side of civil service are usually hunters. You must be extremely skilled.”
Without any ability, it would be difficult for someone to reach such a high seat.
Go Jangmyeong coughed and, with some humility, said, “I was just lucky.”
“I see. Anyway, what brings you here?”
“I want to clear up a misunderstanding.”
“Huh? A misunderstanding?”
“I know you hate South Korea, Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
“???”
Hwang Gyeonryong was always the first to be mentioned when talking about hunters who immigrated to another country because the one they were currently in wasn’t treating them well.
A-grade hunters doing that already caused heartbreak, but he was an S-grade! This always came up whenever Americans and Koreans fought on the Internet.
-Does it make sense that this match is in South Korea’s favor?
-Why did they hand over Dragon Hwang to the US if they know so much?
-... Why don’t you get lost?
Extremely embarrassed by that incident, the Koreans changed the laws relevant to it. There was a steady stream of dissent from the National Assembly, but it was usually resolved by saying, ‘Do you want to see another Hwang Gyeongryong go overseas?’
Choi Yeonseung was from Hwang Gyeongryong’s clan, and he also joined Hwang Gyeongryong’s new clan when he returned from the Abyss. Go Jangmyeong was convinced that Choi Yeonseung was firmly disappointed by the deaths of his former clan members.
“The government has no excuse for what happened in the past, but things are different now! South Korea has changed a lot, and it is completely different from before—”
“Uhh… I’m sorry, but I don’t have a grudge.”
“... Huh?”
“I really don’t hate anyone. It is saddening that my fellow clanmates died, but I’m not holding a grudge against South Korea because of that. I wasn’t even in South Korea when that happened, was I?”
“Uh… Why are you with Hunter Hwang Gyeongryong, then...?”
“When I returned, I fell in the United States. That’s where we reunited. We’re close, so I decided to join him.”
“Ah...”
Go Jangmyeong finally understood what happened. His subordinate, who was next to him, looked as if he found it absurd.
-I heard you were going to relieve Choi Yeonseung’s grudge...
-No... That...
They originally planned to show sincerity so they could clear up misunderstandings and draw a picture of the future. However, he couldn’t say anything because Choi Yeonseung didn’t hold grudges in the first place.
“I wish you well in your endeavors, then.”
“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure. Have you said all that you have to say?”
“Uh... Yes.”
Choi Yeonseung stood up, shook hands with him, and walked out.
‘He seems a bit strange. How did he reach that position?’
***
“You’ve worked hard. How was South Korea?”
“It was good in many ways. Some things have changed, but some things are still the same…”
“What hasn’t changed?” Hwang Gyeongryong curiously asked.
The view of the seas or mountains? No, that changed quite a bit too...
“They now create a lot of fake news.”
“... I-I see.”
“There is also fake news about you meeting Changsik hyung. Shouldn’t you sue them hard?”
“I-I’m too busy to care about such articles.”
“You wouldn’t be doing it yourself. Anyway...”
Choi Yeonseung gave a brief summary of what happened.
“That monster was sent by a constellation?”
“It’s highly possible.”
“Yes!”
Hwang Gyeongryong’s expression stiffened.
Choi Yeonseung was relatively less afraid because he was a constellation, but for most people, evil god constellations were no different from natural disasters. Their existence caused many deaths!
“I’m going to do as much research as I can.”
“I understand. Tell me if you need anything. Ah, right. Someone wants to meet you.”
“?”
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