Gong Tao tried to express the shame and remorse he felt, but this was even more embarrassing.
“...Just take it!”
“Oh, the party must’ve caught you. Alright, I’ll take the money back,” said Han Seha from beside Choi Yeonseung. There was no reason to refuse if someone offered money.
Party members could go to jail if they were caught taking bribes. On the other hand, the Chinese government couldn’t do anything to overseas hunters even if they took some bribes. Therefore, this exchange was beneficial for both sides.
“Yeah, I’ll take it back.”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung…”
“Huh?”
“...Have strength!”
‘What’s up with this guy?’
***“The good news is that Joseph is missing.”
“...”
“It was just a joke… Was it not funny?”
Several hunters bit their lips tightly at Armas’ words. An A-grade hunter could tell such a joke, but the hunters under him couldn’t laugh even though they actually found it funny.
However, the current situation was no laughing matter. Many hunters, including Joseph Grant and Rosemary McClure, who were A-grade, had gone missing. They hadn’t been confirmed dead, so they were missing in action for the time being, but it was a huge disaster nonetheless.
Naturally, this dire situation deeply worried the Chinese government, which was why they started controlling information the second they heard the news.
They were already spending a lot of money to convince hunters to come to China. If news got out that several A-grade hunters had gone missing, the hunters who were still on their way to China would instantly turn back.
-Please make sure to rescue them!Do whatever it takes!
-Any support will be available.You must save them!
Of course, the hunters also wanted to rescue them, but it wasn’t just because they were comrades who fought together. If this operation failed, their careers would take a big hit. Armas and the other B-grade hunters would be particularly responsible for any failures.
“The more we wait, the more their chances of survival will drop. Let’s go right away”
“...?!”
“??!”
The hunters were stunned by Choi Yeonseung’s words as he entered the room out of nowhere.
Armas spoke in a bewildered voice, “H-hey, did you hear the report just now?”
The hunters couldn’t overlook the fact that the Monkey King possessed unusual abilities. It was also clear that those peculiar abilities were somehow connected to the abnormal phenomenon occurring in the area.
If they tried to attack again without understanding it properly, they would likely fail just like before.
“Yeah, I’ve listened to the report, which is why I’m telling you to take action immediately.”
Choi Yeonseung wasn’t very surprised.
Apparently, the reason the Monkey King was so strong was the fact that he fought in the area where the power of martial arts was heightened.
This monster already possessed formidable physical and magical abilities, and he had been reborn into a nearly perfect form when he had also gained the power of martial arts.
However, this wasn’t much of a problem for Choi Yeonseung.
‘I’m actually glad that I’ll get to fight someone who has just learnt martial arts.’
From Choi Yeonseung’s perspective, this upcoming battle with the Monkey King was something to be thankful for. He would’ve been apprehensive to fight a monster with different abilities, but to fight one that used martial arts…
It would be a piece of cake for him.
“What if I refuse to participate?” said Armas as if looking down on Choi Yeonseung. He was known for his careful planning, so even if a monster appeared in front of him, he wouldn’t fight it before he made a proper plan.
Therefore, given the critical situation, Armas didn’t want to rush into a raid that could fail.
“If you don’t want to participate, then don’t,” Choi Yeonseung replied with an indifferent expression, as though he could see right through Armas.
“What? But you’ll definitely need my support...”
“Huh? Get lost already! You said you won’t participate. Why are you being so annoying?”
Han Seha was quick to disparage Armas, causing him to be speechless.
Armas had heard from a lot of people that Han Seha had a terrible personality, but he hadn’t expected her to be so blatantly disrespectful to him.
“What...”
“We came here with noble intentions, trying to rescue those hunters, and you’re over here complaining like an asshole. You’re so infuriating. And why are you still here? Get lost already! I’ll have a few words to say about you in the post-raid interviews.”
Even though Han Seha was clearly out of line, nobody stopped her because they sympathized with Choi Yeonseung.
“We have mobilized additional hunters who were on standby. They said they would help us,” Choi Yeonseung said.
“They agreed to participate knowing how bad the situation is?!” Armas exclaimed in disbelief. This shocking news prevented him from getting angry over what Han Seha had told him.
The raid had been a disaster, and several A-grade hunters had gone missing, and yet more hunters wanted to participate?
It didn’t make any sense…
Choi Yeonseung also got fed up with Armas’ attitude, so he ignored him and continued, “There are quite a few martial artists, so it should help. They should be able to stop the monsters under the Monkey King. In the meantime, Han Seha and I will go straight for the Monkey King.
Illaphael kept nodding as Choi Yeonseung explained, but he suddenly stopped as he realized something.
He didn’t have a role to play.
“...What about me?”
“Uh? Did you want to go as well?” Choi Yeonseung was a bit embarrassed. “Armas doesn’t want to participate, so I thought you didn’t want to participate either.”
“...You compare me to that greedy hunter?” murmured Illaphael, indignant.
Armas was stunned. Illaphael was indeed an angel, but even so, Armas hadn’t expected him to say something like that to his face.
“Then are you coming with me?” Choi Yeonseung asked.
“Yeah, I’ll join you.”
“I see. Then let’s go together.”
Illaphael nodded enthusiastically, but he quickly stopped as he realized that the other four hunters were watching him.
“...”
Han Seha cocked her head as she saw Illaphael’s reaction. She then whispered to Choi Yeonseung, “He seems different from what you said about him last time…”
“No, you must be mistaken.”
“Is that so...?”
***
The Chinese government restricted the flow of information to prevent the rest of the world from learning about the situation. However, they couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading widely among the hunters who had already arrived in China.
The hunters became excited when they heard that Choi Yeonseung would immediately get involved in the raid. The most surprising part was that many other hunters were willing to take part in the raid despite the disastrous failure.
“...This is ridiculous!”
A member of the party audit committee was stunned by how the situation was evolving. The higher-ups had been discussing countermeasures after assuming that the defense line around here would collapse...
Where had so many hunters crawled out from?
The Chinese officials had initially thought that they were Korean hunters. If the hunters were all from the same country, they would be a stronger force overall, and it would also be easier to negotiate and reason with them.
However, the hunters weren’t even from the same country.
‘Is this possible...?’
The audit committee member got goosebumps for the first time. All the officials had initially scoffed when both the international and national media presented how Choi Yeonseung gained popularity thanks to his involvement in raids.
No matter how active he was, what could a single foreign hunter do? The party could quickly tarnish his image with all types of articles and dirty tricks if they wanted to.
However, now that they saw how all the other hunters wanted to participate in the raid because of Choi Yeonseung, the audit committee member realized that they wouldn’t actually be able to damage his reputation.
[An enormous amount of faith is pouring in.]
[The power of existence has increased!]
‘I haven’t even defeated the monster yet…?’
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled by the sudden flow of faith, but he accepted it regardless. It was the perfect gift to get him ready for battle.
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ promises to personally watch over and protect you.]
[The power of the ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is descending.]
[The power of ‘Future Sight’ has become stronger.]
-Th-thank you…
Choi Yeonseung was about to say, “Do you really need to do that?” but held back. He was very confident about this battle, but the goddess didn’t know that, so she couldn’t help being anxious.
-What a devoted constellation.
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says that it is rare for a constellation to take such good care of others.]
Choi Yeonseung just stood there for a few moments, feeling guilty.
“The attack has begun, Hunter Choi Yeonseung!”
“Ah, alright!”
The hunters initiated the attack in a slightly different manner compared to the first raid. They had lost the Monkey King’s exact location, so they decided to lure him out by pushing forward with a large number of hunters.
Of course, it could be a very dangerous strategy for low-rated hunters. They would just drop dead like flies if the A-grade hunters didn’t have their backs.
‘Amazing,’ Lee Changuk thought to himself while leading the Bulgae hunters forward.
There were no complaints about the fact that several hunters formed separate parties and moved in different directions. Everyone had different thoughts, goals, and desires, but they all had faith in one person.
-Hunter Choi Yeonseung isn’t a fool to not show up when an A-grade monster appears.
-He’s not like Grant…
This seemed like an elementary level of trust, but Lee Changuk knew how difficult it was to gain this kind of trust.
How many A-grade hunters could be trusted like this?
-■■■■!
“The Monkey King has appeared! The Monkey King has appeared!”
The Monkey King was elated from the previous victory, and he rushed over the moment the hunters came around.
“AAAA! I shouldn’t have come!”
“I was ■■ing crazy to believe in Choi Yeonseung!”
The morale of the hunters had been quite high before charging into battle, but now that they saw the Monkey King rushing at them, they were terrified.
The magic power released by the Monkey King intimidated the hunters a lot. The monster seemed so unbelievably powerful that the hunters’ instincts were telling them to turn back immediately!
“Choi Yeonseung, you bas...”
Bang!
With a loud bang, the Monkey King was sent flying back; Choi Yeonseung appeared in the blink of an eye.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes!”
Lee Changuk immediately reported the situation before retreating with his colleagues. They did that so they wouldn’t interfere with Choi Yeonseung’s fight.
“Didn’t you just curse at him?”
“Sh-shut up...”
Choi Yeonseung ignored the hunters behind him and focused ahead. The Monkey King was staring at him with a puzzled expression, as if to ask him how he was using martial arts.
“Where are the hunters you’ve captured?”
-■?
The Monkey King shrugged dismissively and sneered. At that, Choi Yeonseung instantly disappeared.
‘Origin of the Celestial Step! Origin of the Celestial Fist!’
With a sharp woosh, Choi Yeonseung struck the Monkey King fiercely, sending him flying and causing him to cough up blood.
The monster’s defense had become stronger thanks to his mastery of the Diamond Fist Attack Technique inherited from the constellation, but that wasn’t enough to stop Choi Yeonseung’s attacks.
Following the tremendous impact of the attack, Choi Yeonseung’s internal energy flowed into the Monkey King, causing him to convulse.
-■? ■??
“I’ll give you a chance. Taste my martial arts!”
-■!
The Monkey King charged at Choi Yeonseung with an angry look on his face. Perhaps because of his pride, the monster rushed forward using his newly acquired martial arts skill instead of using magic or other skills.
The technique itself didn’t have a name, but it involved a large variation of attacks. The Monkey King punched and kicked in all kinds of strange motions, trying to crush Choi Yeonseung.
However, with an indifferent expression, Choi Yeonseung parried every single punch and kick and counterattacked with another brutal strike.
The Monkey King was completely overwhelmed.
‘I see...! It’s the difference in mastery!’
Illaphael had been taken aback by the clear power gap between Choi Yeonseung and the Monkey King. However, he quickly realized why the fight was so one-sided.
The Monkey King had learnt those martial arts only recently, whereas Choi Yeonseung had been learning and mastering martial arts for as long as he could remember. Therefore, the Monkey King was losing so badly because he was only an apprentice, whereas Choi Yeonseung was a master.
It wasn’t clear how the fight would go if the Monkey King changed his fighting style by widening the distance and using magic. However, it seemed like the monster’s pride was hurt, which was why he was still only using martial arts.
At this rate, no matter how great his physical prowess was, the Monkey King was at Choi Yeonseung’s mercy.
However, the area was suddenly cut off from the rest of the world.
[The ‘Angel of Martial Arts from the Future’ declares a realm.]
[The world is divided.]
“...?!”
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ says to be careful!]
A huge amount of the power of existence was consumed and the world changed.
The Monkey King, who had been in front of Choi Yeonseung, disappeared and a green meadow materialized in his place.
The scenery seemed tranquil, but all the constellations who were watching were nervous.
There was an angel standing in front of them.
‘A constellation.’
The small angel’s face was concealed by a blurred mask. Everyone realized that it was the Angel of Martial Arts from the Future who had caused all of this.
This angel had shaken Western China and now isolated this area from the rest of the world. It was clear that this constellation possessed tremendous power.
The constellation looked straight at Choi Yeonseung and exclaimed, “Father!”
“...?!?”
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is dumbfounded...]
“Mother!”
[...???????]
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