‘Has he always been like this?’
Lee Changsik was puzzled as he watched Go Junwon cast the shields. The young hunter was clearly casting them much faster and with more accuracy than during the practice sessions.
Of course, his survival instinct played a role in this. If someone felt their life was in danger, they would squeeze out every bit of their strength in order to survive.
However, even considering the survival instinct, it seemed that Go Junwon had improved unnaturally fast. What if this wasn’t the survival instinct, but something else…?
‘A skill? It’s not martial arts.’
Lee Changsik considered the possibility of Go Junwon having been influenced by Choi Yeonseung’s power, but he had thought that it was limited to martial arts…
Was that not the case?
***
Rumors spread quickly that two A-grade hunters were having coffee at a cafe on the first floor of the government building, talking leisurely about how there wasn’t anything going on that day.
“What type of nonsense is that? First of all, why would Han Seha… Actually, Han Seha is rather eccentric, so her being there isn’t implausible. However, Hunter Choi Yeonseung must be busy running a business in the United States. Why would he go out of his way to come to South Korea just because there are more monsters here?”The member of the National Assembly was dumbfounded by the report he had received from his aide. After expressing his astonishment, he walked away.
Of course, it was best for the top hunters to be on standby when there was a sudden increase in monsters. However, if hunters actually adhered to those principles, nobody would be saying harsh things like “Hunters are bastards who can live without caring about the law!”
It wasn’t just A-grade hunters; even B-grade hunters ignored the standby orders and did their own things. Therefore, hearing that two A-grade hunters were having coffee and were on standby for any possible emergencies was surreal.
Han Seha was eccentric and unpredictable, but Choi Yeonseung had inherited Dragon Industry, which was a huge company. Thus, why had he come to South Korea when he had such important duties in the US?
“But it’s true.”
“Haven’t you seen the movie? Did Iron Man call out for reinforcements? Was there such a scene in the movie?”
“No?”
“Yes, exactly! You know how things are, so why are you saying such nonsense…?”
“...”
The aide felt overwhelmed because their boss’ nonsense sounded plausible…
“Still, it’s true...”
“And if it’s not, will you work overtime without additional pay?”
“I’m already working without overtime pay...”
The congressman grumbled and got out of the car. He didn’t have time for such nonsense. He had to quickly go to where monsters had appeared, take some photos with the hunters, do some volunteer work in the areas where the buildings got destroyed…
“!”
The congressman was suddenly astonished. He looked at a certain cafe and saw some faces he had seen many times at the Nation Assembly.
‘Is it true?!?’
***
Golden Blood Fish, Bulgae, and the Six-Eyed Turtle were the three largest clans in South Korea, which naturally meant that the hunters from those clans had a lot of authority within the country. As the names of those clans carried weight, so did the names of those hunters.
Those who had reached this level could respond to government requests with an arrogant attitude, saying things like “Sorry, I’m too busy not giving a damn about your request.”
That was usually how things went. Yet on this day, the hunters from those three major clans sat awkwardly in their chairs, visibly uncomfortable.
‘I want to go home...’
‘Put up with it. You idiot.’
“Oh... Uhm, so everyone is… present?” asked an official incredulously. They were flustered because they had expected the room to be empty…
“Then in that case, I will proceed with the training,” started Choi Yeonseung. “Today’s lesson focuses on things hunters shouldn’t do when a dungeon appears...”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung! Hunter Park Ilseon is on his phone!”
“You… You asshole?! What’s wrong with you?!” yelled the hunter who got caught with his phone.
“People like you who disregard the education funded by the people’s tax money are the problem!”
“You really have a screw loose...”
“Hey, shut your mouth and get out!”
Han Seha picked up a pencil and threw it at the cheeky hunter before he could say anything. She threw it so hard that the pencil flew like a bullet and got stuck in the wall.
“Seha, don’t damage things.”
“...Fix it and then get out!”
“...Yes...”
The hunter caught with the phone looked very ashamed and distressed. He pulled out the pencil from the wall and cast magic to repair the damage.
Seeing this, several other hunters placed their phones deep in their pockets.
‘What the... We can’t even use our phones…?’
‘How old are we…?’
The atmosphere became tense!
The hunters gathered at the table wished that a monster had appeared outside. It would certainly be troublesome to go outside and fight, but it would be way better than this stifling atmosphere…
“We’ve received a request for assistance! The hunters who have been waiting...”
Jump!
“I’ll go right now!”
“We have to run and help!”
“???”
The official who rushed over was embarrassed by the enthusiastic response. He had expected them to respond with something like “Oh, and why are you calling us?”
***
“The golden pig?”
“Yes.”
Monsters were usually named by the country in which they were first discovered.
The golden pig had first been found in South Korea. Even first-generation hunters, like Choi Yeonseung, had faced this monster at least once in their lifetime, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was a famous monster.
However, this monster was D-grade and it wasn’t even that dangerous. Because of that, there was obviously no reason to call A-grade, or even B-grade hunters to deal with it…
“This monster used to be really popular. Is that still the case?”
“It’s even more popular these days.”
“...Really?”
Choi Yeonseung was surprised.
Monsters were a threat to humanity, but at the same time, they could also be a treasure, and as such, some monsters were very popular among hunters.
The more expensive its body parts, the more popular a monster was.
The golden pig had used to be a very popular monster.
-A golden pig?I thought it was an insignificant monster?
-Ah...Humans tend to be very excited when it comes to vitality.I remember people saying that the golden pig is very good at that.
The golden pig possessed almost all good properties, such as vitality, energy, stamina, hair and skin beauty, etc.
It had gotten to a point where, for a while, the materials received from the golden pig were more expensive than its core. It was definitely a craze back then.
“That was the case back then, but quite a few artifacts have come out since then. I believe that potions from the Abyss have also spread quite a bit. So why is it still popular?”
“Well, it’s been a long time since the golden pig last emerged, Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
“Ahh...”
Choi Yeonseung finally understood. They said it had been a while, but that was an understatement. It had actually been almost twenty years since the golden pig’s last appearance.
That was enough to raise its value. In addition to that, the rich weren’t always rational when it came to their desires.
No matter how many better materials and medicine they developed, manufacturers couldn’t come up with anything to offset the nostalgia of the old-school treasures from the early raid days.
-The CEO of Dongmyeon Food was cured of liver cancer after taking a pill made from the pancreas of the golden pig?
-That’s correct.Suddenly, a skinny and shabby gentleman...
“Indeed, it must still be popular in South Korea,” said Choi Yeonseung.
“Huh? It’s actually not that popular here…”
“...What? Then where?”
“Overseas....”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was at a loss for words. Were people that stupid…?
“It’s more popular overseas. When I was in Europe the other day, I saw a black market selling Korean medicinal herbs.”
“I don’t think people would buy that.”
“Actually, the sellers have run out pretty fast, and the demand is still high…”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung had known for a long time that people who had this weird obsession with East Asia were also obsessed with the herbs and the peculiar medicine from that area.
Ever since the Abyss gates had opened, there had been many cases of people dying over just one herb.
Even so, this was a bit...
“So we’re here to keep the overseas hunters in check, not the Korean ones?”
“Yes.”
Korean hunters were cautious when conducting raids in their own country. If they caused any incidents, the South Korean government wouldn’t let it slide because they were Korean.
In comparison, foreign hunters had more freedom. Even if they made a mess, they could just quickly flee back to their country, and their own government wouldn’t punish them because they were too valuable.
In fact, the popularity of the golden pig was higher overseas...
“If you could prevent any fights from taking place, I would be extremely grateful!” requested the official as he bowed deeply.
However, using an A-grade hunter for something like this felt like using a sword to cut an onion. The effect would be obvious…
“Alright, if anyone starts fighting, I’ll make sure to stop them.”
“Thank you!”
“Don’t worry, if anyone feels like fighting, I’ll crack open their head,” Han Seha added confidently.
After Han Seha walked away, the official asked Choi Yeonseung in an earnest voice,“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, please...”
“I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that no one dies.”
“Oh, you’re so kind!!!”
The official was so touched that they teared up.
Choi Yeonseung was the first hunter to be so considerate to a public official.
***
“Aren’t those Korean guys using some weird skills?”
The hunters of the Bloody White clan of the United States were swearing. They found it ridiculous that everywhere they went, the Korean hunters would rush in to claim the treasures right from under their noses.
The Koreans had killed all the profitable monsters first, so only the cheaper ones remained...
“I’ve heard that the South Korean government has given them the locations of the high-profile monsters.”
“What?! Are they actually being that cheap and unfair?!”
‘Why is it unfair?’ One of the listening hunters was confused. He thought it was only natural for the government to share information with the hunters of that country first…
“Even if they have intel, how can it be so accurate? Have they spotted the hunters on the map or something?”
“Even if they know where the monsters are, how can they move so quickly? How many hunters are there? Isn’t there a mix-up?”
“Isn’t it ignorant of those Korean hunters to give out their private information to the government?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, friend. Would Korean hunters accept that?”
The hunters grumbled as they moved.
Some clans had special contracts with companies. For example, there could be contracts that assigned a specific monster, if it appeared, to a specific company. A clan would take care of that monster and receive a large amount of money from that company.
“Ah... I think I’ve been walking around for around what… fifteen hours now, because of that one pig monster.”
“Shouldn’t we just give up?”
“No. The news has already spread. If we don’t catch it, we won’t receive any more support in the next quarter.”
“...Then let’s steal it.”
“What crazy nonsense...”
“Wait, it’s not a bad idea actually.”
“Hey, what are you trying to say…?”
The exhausted hunters came up with devious ideas. By this point, there had to be a few Korean clans that had caught golden pigs.
Trying to start a fight with those clans would be suicide, but what if they stole the monster in secrecy…?
“With the skill of this good friend over here, we can actually steal it. After all, we only have to quietly take it away and replace it with a fake, right?”
“What if there’s a problem and the buyer asks about it?”
“Don’t worry, Team Leader! Saishin is the buyer, right? It’s a Chinese company. They won’t care about legal disputes.”
“Hey, this could actually work.”
Instead of dissuading the team leader from allowing them to go through with this wrongful plan, his subordinate actually persuaded him to go with it. Certainly, Chinese companies were likely to agree to buy it even if there were some legal problems.
“Okay. Let’s steal it as quietly as possible. Rumor has it that there’s an A-grade hunter here.”
“Team Leader… If you don’t want to do it, just say so. An A-grade hunter? Haha, that’s ridiculous!”
The other hunters burst into laughter at their leader’s words. They knew he didn’t have a sense of humor, but they hadn’t thought he would say something so ridiculous...
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