“There’s no way Hunter Choi Yeonseung would commit such a theft, right?” one of the French hunters said tentatively.
The other hunters nodded in agreement with him. Choi Yeonseung had saved some of these hunters back in the battle of Paris.
These hunters didn’t even know what countries bordered South Korea. Some of them might even say absurd things like “Huh, China and South Korea are fighting? Aren’t they like the same country or something?” However, despite their ignorance, these people still knew Choi Yeonseung’s name.
…But all of a sudden, the curator had called him a thief.
“Even an A-grade hunter can do bad things! Catch him!”
The staff member was furious. These treasures, which were more precious than a person’s life, were about to be stolen by an outsider. As a Frenchman who loved cultural assets, the curator found this unacceptable.
The curator’s earnestness slightly swayed the hunters. Certainly, just because someone was an A-grade hunter didn’t mean that they couldn’t commit crimes. If anything, there had been cases of A-grade hunters doing utterly despicable things.
However, these hunters still didn’t think a noble person like Choi Yeonseung would do something so terrible… They thought that maybe, just maybe, it was fine for him to take the artifacts.
“Describe the situation in detail. We need to know what’s going on.”
“That’s right. What did he steal? If it’s a treasure here in the museum... Perhaps the crown of Louis XI? That crown?!”“No! I can’t list off all of them, but he stole a lot of treasures, like the Heavenly Goryeo Crown and the Inlaid Flower Pattern Gate Jar.
“...Uh... Wait,” said one of the hunters in a bewildered manner. “Given its name, I don’t think the Heavenly Goryeo Crown is a French Treasure…? Isn’t it from South Korea?”
“No matter how you look at it, it seems like an Asian treasure...”
The hunters murmured among themselves in confusion, but the curator didn’t care at all about their arguments and shouted, “What could you possibly mean by that? Cultural heritage belongs to all of humanity! What does it matter what country it’s from?!”
“H-Hey, how can you say something like that? Shouldn’t South Korea have this?”
The hunters didn’t really know about the value of being a noble guardian of cultural heritage. Instead, they just used common sense. If it was another country’s cultural property, shouldn’t that country have it?
“The country that’s most capable of protecting that cultural heritage should have it! We have to pass it on to future generations!”
“He’s an A-grade hunter, so I’m sure the artifact will be in good hands...”
“The museum of Dragon Industry is better than this museum.”
The staff member didn’t pay attention to the hunters’ words.
“No!”
“Uhm, I think you should just keep quiet.”
“Did you get permission from the government?” asked one of the hunters.
Choi Yeonseung nodded.
“Yes, I’ve received permission. You think I’d just barge in here and take the treasures without telling anyone?”
“Then you can just go.”
“We’ll take care of these guys.”
“Hey, you traitors! You are giving away French cultural assets!”
“Oh, shut up already. I’m so embarrassed.”
The French hunters blushed slightly and made the staff member shut up.
Choi Yeonseung headed outside and was seen off by the hunters.
Demon No. 139 asked curiously, “Is everyone like this?”
“France is unusual... Actually… I think it’s like this everywhere I go.”
***
“There was a request from the Demon Clan? What are they thinking?” asked the staff member of the Tiger Crest Bird clan. He sounded bewildered.
The Tiger Crest Bird was a medium-sized clan in South Korea. While it was small compared to the larger clans, its reputation and popularity weren’t inferior.
The key to their success was their win rate in clan competitions. If they won a competition, they received a boatload of cash. By using that money, they could grow their clan even more, which in turn would get them even more money…
They didn’t have to do raids like other hunters. They just had to fight other clans and farm the rewards.
Seeing that the Demon clan had requested a competition with them, those from the Tiger Crest Bird were quite embarrassed. After all, the Demon clan had one foot in the grave…
The hunters from the Tiger Crest Bird felt like it was just the day before that they heard some rumors about the Demon clan getting acquired or disbanded…
“Team Leader-nim, why don’t you just accept it?”
“That’s right. Won’t we gain something out of it even if that clan is on the verge of ruin?”
The staff member liked the idea. Sometimes, new clans would join the competitions with an overconfident attitude.
-Let’s risk all our assets in the clan competition!
Naturally, such clans always lost and then got disbanded because they didn’t have the resolve to handle defeat.
The Demon Clan was currently on the verge of collapsing, so it looked like they would probably be in a lot of trouble if they lost...
“Wait, you said the Demon clan? No, a competition with them is off the table. Haven’t you heard the rumors lately?”
“What rumors?”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung has taken over it.”
“...Hey, don’t be ridiculous.”
The staff members were all smiling. Why would an A-grade hunter bother with a second-rate clan like that? Moreover, given his status, Choi Yeonseung could easily mobilize any influential clan members in the US if he wanted to.
“I was surprised myself, so I re-checked it countless times. It seems that it’s true.”
“No... What? Why on earth would he do that?”
“Did he know the clan leader of the Demon clan?”
“Is he a fan of the clan?”
“How can we know what an A-grade hunter really thinks? Regardless of what his intentions are, getting involved in this wouldn’t end well. Wouldn’t our hunters be pissed off if they found out they had to face Hunter Choi Yeonseung?”
“Umm.”
Even if Choi Yeonseung couldn’t unleash his full power in a competition, just his name and status alone were terrifying. The clan hunters would hate having to face him.
In addition, there were also some rumors about him.
-Did he do well in the last competition? I haven’t seen him play. What’s wrong with an A-grade hunter participating in the competition?
-I know a hunter in Europe. He told me that Choi Yeonseung played for France last time.He said he was no joke.
-After all, the physical prowess of an A-grader hunter is out of this world.
-Once they get used to the game, it’s genuinely impossible to keep up with them.Other hunters are fake, but A-grade hunters actually have skills. They’re the real deal.
“By the way, Team Leader-nim. On a second glance, it seems that Hunter Choi Yeonseung isn’t on the participation list.
“...Really? Check it again.”
They checked the list again, confirming that Choi Yeonseung’s name wasn’t on the list.
‘This is nonsense...!’
“So what should we do?”
“If he’s not playing, we have to accept it. How can we miss this opportunity?” replied the team leader immediately. It was too enticing of an opportunity to pass up.
‘I see… So that’s what’s going on.’
Perhaps this was Choi Yeonseung's way to get rid of boredom. After all, A-grade hunters needed hobbies as well.
Rather than doing drugs or partying all night like other hunters, his hobby was perhaps to take over a small clan like the Demon clan and watch their matches.
As opposed to most hunters, Choi Yeonseung seemed to have a healthy hobby.
‘Thank you, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. We’ll use the money you give us for this year’s operating expenses.’
The team leader thanked Choi Yeonseung in his mind for his gesture of goodwill. He almost couldn’t believe they’d get so much money from such a free game. He was grateful that they could swim in cash while other clans were struggling financially.
***
“Isn’t this too hasty...”
“Hyung, you should prepare your return declaration.”
“All the preparations are done. I’m checking it one last time, just in case.”
Choi Yeonseung looked down at the clan hunters in the arena. There weren’t as many as last time, but these hunters seemed more useful. There was Nathan Dab, who had come from abroad to learn martial arts, and Zhang Wei, who had become a naturalized citizen here.
Meanwhile, the Demon clan hunters from before...
“Uh, wait. Is he still here?” asked Choi Yeonseung in a puzzled manner. He was talking about Go Junwon, one of the hunters in the Demon clan.
Go Junwon was popular in his own way, but there was a lot of gossip about him. People often said that he only cared about his image and always acted very arrogantly. Thus, Choi Yeonseung had assumed that he wouldn’t last a day under Lee Changsik.
Lee Changsik nodded in response. “I also thought he would leave, but he held on.”
“Weird… Does he have any debts?”
“Maybe...”
That was precisely the case.
Go Junwon tapped his foot with a dissatisfied expression.
Recently, the atmosphere in the clan had changed remarkably. To be precise, the clan had thinned out. No matter how much value and prestige there was to Lee Changsik and Choi Yeonseung’s names, hunters had left in a hurry after being forced to train hard for no apparent reason in a clan that was half-ruined.
-I guess he just acquired the clan out of boredom?
-Hey. There’s no answer. Let’s go. Come to think of it, Lee Changsik hasn’t achieved any results as a director despite how much of a hero he is.
...Even though hunters had left one after the other, Go Junwon had persisted. He had done that because of his debt.
‘Damn... I didn’t expect to be hit here.’
Hunters always looked for something to stimulate them. Around one-third of hunters were addicted to gambling, and Go Junwon was one of them.
He had tried to hit the jackpot before leaving the clan, only to end up in significantly more debt, which meant that he couldn’t leave the clan no matter how frustrated he was.
‘It’s strange. Why didn’t he leave?’
Kim Yeongchan, one of the original clan members, was also surprised. He couldn’t believe that Go Junwon hadn’t left. Because of their personalities, all of his subordinates had left. It would’ve been normal for Go Junwon to leave with them.
‘Maybe he has some love for the clan after all?’
Kim Yeongchan patted Go Junwon on the shoulder.
“...?”
“I think I was wrong about you.”
‘What’s with this asshole?’
Go Junwon was dumbfounded. What was this guy saying all of a sudden? He didn’t understand, but it was praise after all, so he just nodded.
Go Junwon didn’t know the reason, but it seemed like this guy finally realized how great he was.
“Yes. I’m glad I know it now. Let’s work hard together. We’re the ones who should be the hunters here, not the newcomers.”
“Uh, that’s not what I meant...”
Just then, a staff member rushed over from above in order to talk to the hunters who were about to play.
Go Junwon straightened his posture. He basically got an allowance when participating in a game, and if he won, he would get a victory bonus. However, he couldn’t really hope for a victory…
“Hunter Go Junwon, you can rest this time.”
“...Huh? N-No. Why?!”
“You said you were tired last time, right?”
“N-no… No!”
***
In fact, the money Choi Yeonseung had wagered in the clan competition with the Tiger Crest Bird was just a small sum of money for him.
No matter how much money the clan competitions made, there was a world beyond it that many couldn’t comprehend.
Not only was Choi Yeonseung A-grade and participated in raids, but he also had funds from Dragon Industry. Thus, he could do this however many times he wanted.
This time, he wanted to assess the Demon clan.
‘I need to check how strong they’ve become.’
In the case of Nathan Dab and Wi Seongu, Choi Yeonseung had trained them separately. Then, after hearing Lee Changsik’s words, he became a bit curious.
How strong could they have become in a short period of time?
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, it’s an honor to meet you.”
Ahn Jeonghak, the director of the Tiger Crest Bird clan, came first and extended his hand.
Normally, the director was the head coach of the clan and was also a hunter. Choi Yeonseung could feel his magic power.
“Since you wanted a match with us, we’ve come to give it to you. I'm terribly sorry that we have to meet like this, haha.”
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled seeing the director act strangely friendly. Why did he speak like that?
‘Ah. Does he think I am going to lose?’
Choi Yeonseung realized how the director felt about this. He must’ve thought that this was just some new hobby for Choi Yeonseung and that he didn’t care about the outcome.
‘Jeez... How much of a mess was the Demon clan...?’
Choi Yeonseung felt a bit bitter even though the Demon clan wasn’t his own clan.
This guy underestimated him like this…
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