Chapter 437 – You’ve Worked Hard (1)
“What happens if we leave the designated area?”
Amid the deafening roar of the helicopter blades, Sung Hyunjae asked.
“Why are you asking that? Don’t go stirring up trouble for no reason.”
“I might step over the line by mistake.”
“This isn’t dodgeball. Do you have somewhere you urgently need to go? I’ll ask Newbie for now.”
Did he really want to get out of Korea that badly? Then again, judging by what Soyoung and the people around him had said, this was the first time he had stayed in Korea for this long. He had gone to Hong Kong, Japan, and China, but those were nearby countries, and he hadn’t stayed long. That is, if you didn’t count the time difference inside the Japanese dungeon.
“For now, just go somewhere nearby, somewhere nearby. How about Russia.”
“I’m not on good terms with them.”
“…What exactly did you do.”
At this rate, it felt like the place was already crawling with enemies even before the Filial duty addicts started interfering. Chatterbox could dangle the bait of, I’ll let you get revenge on Sung Hyunjae! and they’d all come swarming in to bite. I was already hearing plenty of, He has a lot of people he’s abandoned, after all.
The corner of Sung Hyunjae’s lips lifted slightly.
“It was enough for me to enjoy myself, at least. Back then.”
So it really was serious, then. No wonder Chief Song’s complexion had brightened when he heard Sung Hyunjae wouldn’t be able to go overseas.
“Once we get back to Korea, please organize the list of dangerous individuals and people to watch. We’re in the same boat now, aren’t we.”
“I’m sorry for being so popular.”
Sung Hyunjae said that shamelessly. I didn’t know much about Russia other than the fact that Hunter-use alcohol was the most developed there. It had a fair number of high-rank Hunters, and the casualty rate among lower- and mid-rank Hunters was supposedly relatively high, wasn’t it?
“Anyway, please, for the love of God, don’t do anything that’ll make Chief Song and me lose our minds.”
“I should gift Han Yoojin-kun a hand mirror.”
I wanted to argue, but my conscience locked my mouth shut. I really was going to lie low for a while.
“Soyoung unni said she once caught king crabs in Russia.”
Yerim, who had half her body hanging out of the helicopter while sightseeing, turned back to us and said that.
“Why king crabs all of a sudden?”
“She said she caught lobster there too.”
Don’t tell me that was when she’d practiced cooking them. I had no idea whether she had boarded a fishing boat normally or turned the sea upside down. Or maybe she’d hijacked a ship.
“Weren’t there a lot of S-rank Hunters in Russia too? There are some pretty famous ones.”
“Come to think of it, there was an S-rank ice-type Hunter.”
“Really? Who?”
Yerim asked, curious.
“Yuri Radiev.”
“Is it a woman?”
“No. A man who is older than Han Yoojin-kun and younger than me.”
Apparently he was somewhere between twenty-five and thirty. If he was an S-rank Hunter, then he must have some ice-attribute items too. Of course, it wasn’t like I was planning to strip a good person of their equipment.
Yuri Radiev. It felt like I’d heard the name before. Yuri was short, at least, but a lot of Russian Hunters had difficult names, so even if they were S-rank, it was hard to remember all of them. The same went for people from other countries if the names were long and unfamiliar.
Anyway, he didn’t seem to have been in the top ranks. He didn’t have any particularly notable record, either.
“I went to Russia last year too.”
Noah said.
“It was for a Moscow dungeon. There was a small dispute over dungeon rights, and one side hired my noona……”
He trailed off and smiled. So it must have turned into a total mess. Moscow was all the way on the opposite side from our country, wasn’t it? I turned to look at my brother, who was sitting quietly beside me.
“Yoohyun, how about going somewhere like Russia sometime?”
He had never gone abroad even once before, and then because of me, he had ended up going to Hong Kong, Japan, and China. At my words, my brother’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Don’t say ominous things.”
“Hm?”
“I want to stay in Korea. With you, Hyung.”
“If Han Yoohyun goes overseas, that’s basically the same as saying ahjussi is going too.”
“No, you could go for tourism. Do you absolutely have to get kidnapped every time you leave?”
If it was tourism, somewhere warm would be better than Russia. Hawaii or Bali, maybe. Or maybe just a short trip to Jeju Island. A real family vacation, with nothing happening at all.
After flying for quite a while, the helicopter finally landed. Peace jumped out of it first and shook himself all over. He clearly didn’t like helicopters one bit. Well, they were noisy, and since he could fly by himself, he was probably wondering why we even needed to ride such a thing.
The helicopter had landed about halfway up a mountain. Wherever the eye reached, mountain peaks jutted up one after another.
“Welcome!”
Someone shouted loudly and burst into laughter. I thought the voice sounded familiar, and it turned out it was that guy from before. The man from the Martial Arts Alliance in white clothes who had attacked the airport—what had his name been again. Anyway, that guy.
“Magical Beast Tamer Han-gongja! Thank goodness you are safe!”
Maybe because this was a formal invitation, his tone was more respectful than last time. His voice was still just as boisterous, though.
“Ah, yes. Um……”
Name, name, what was it. His gaze shifted to Yoohyun, who was standing beside me.
“So this must be Haedong Fire Dragon Han Yoohyun so-hyeop! I am Samokwol, captain of the Martial Arts Alliance’s separate unit.”
“I am Han Yoohyun, Guild Master of Haeyeon.”
Yoohyun answered while letting the whole Haedong Fire Dragon business slide right off him. Right, Samokwol. That was it.
“And this young lady must be Ice Fairy Bak Yerim, yes?”
“I’m not a fairy.”
Yerim said sullenly.
“If Han Guild Master is a dragon, why am I a fairy? Call me an Ice Dragon or a Water Dragon!”
“Ah, but a martial name is—”
“There’s no Hunter stronger than me when it comes to controlling ice and water! So of course I should be a dragon! I’m the best!”
That was true enough. Samokwol scratched the back of his head, looking a bit flustered.
“My apologies. Haedong Ice Dragon Bak Yerim so-hyeop. And the person beside you is Hunter Noah Luire?”
“Our Noah-ssi is a Gold Dragon.”
He really was a golden dragon. Then would Sung Hyunjae be a Thunder Dragon? Samokwol finally looked toward Sung Hyunjae. His expression was more serious than when he addressed the rest of us, and he brought his fists together respectfully.
“It is my first time meeting you, Thunder Emperor.”
…Leaving aside how cringe-worthy that was.
“Why doesn’t only the Seseong Gu—, I mean Guild Master, get the Haedong part left off?”
Yerim protested before I could. Good job, Yerim. She even crossed her arms and scrunched her brows together tightly.
“When there’s no region attached before a martial name, that means they’re being treated as top tier, doesn’t it?”
“So-hyeop, fame is—”
“I fought S-rank Hunters in Japan and China and beat them. And our Guild Master did too! He crushed that Chinese S-rank who messed with ahjussi!”
“That’s right. The Haeyeon Guild Master lightly suppressed Chief General Chohawayun, so it makes no sense for him to be stuck with Haedong.”
Or they should have attached it to Sung Hyunjae too. Both Yoohyun and Yerim were so strong that nobody in China could deal with them, so why was there discrimination? And our Yoohyun had even been called Flame Emperor before my regression. If I had to choose between emperor and dragon, dragon was better, but still.
“Would you like to verify my skills right now?”
“No, so-hyeop—”
Samokwol stepped back in flustered haste.
“First, let us go inside.”
Mumbling the words away, he turned around and took the lead toward the path stretching up the mountain.
“Honestly, I think Magical Beast Tamer sounds the tackiest.”
At my low mutter, Yerim tilted her head.
“Ahjussi, before, didn’t you say Magical Beast Tamer sounded better than Monster Daddy?”
“No, it’s because it’s squeezed in between dragons and emperors. It makes it sound like I don’t have any ability or something……”
Well, I didn’t have stats, to be fair.
“I think Director sounds the most ordinary. It sounds like an office worker.”
Or maybe a leisurely landlord. If Chief Song had come here too, what would they have called him?
“Hyung, the path is narrow and steep. Want me to carry you?”
“I’m still okay. Besides, Peace is here.”
“Please refrain from leaving the path.”
Samokwol, who was walking ahead, said that.
“It may appear to be a simple mountain path, but a formation skill has been applied to it. It would not be dangerous for S-rank Awakened people, but you would lose your way.”
What was a formation skill now? If you lost your way, was it something like hallucinations? I asked Yerim to carry Peace. Just in case he wandered off to the side. And in the end, after my cane slipped once or twice, I too got picked up by my brother.
Only after climbing the mountain path for about another ten minutes did a massive mountain gate finally appear. It felt as though we had come to a temple. Not that I’d been to one often.
When we entered the Eastern-style building, a long dining table had been prepared. A woman seated at its far end rose to her feet.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Dan Unbi, leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.”
She looked to be in her mid-thirties. Just from appearances, she didn’t feel like some mastermind in the shadows. Sticking close beside Yoohyun and avoiding Samokwol’s gaze, I used the Sprout skill.
[Awakened person – Dan Unbi
Current stat rank B
Awakening possible stat rank B~A
Optimized initial skills
Gentle Negotiation (A) obtained
Diligent Educator (B) obtained
Mental Focus (B) obtained]
She had obtained all of her Optimized skills. Negotiation, educator, mental focus. Had her original profession been that of an educator? It felt similar to nurturing-type skills.
‘She doesn’t seem to be Bak Hayul’s noona, though.’
Besides, mid-thirties wasn’t exactly an age you’d call old. It might seem old to Bak Hayul, maybe.
‘If she’s the kind of person who can grant Optimized skills, then B-rank is low.’
If she were that noona, then it would have to be Diligent Educator, that skill—but her rank was low relative to the skill effect. At minimum, she should have been A-rank. Still, if I wanted to confirm it for sure—
“I am Han Yoojin, director of the kiseungsu rearing facility. I am very pleased to meet you like this.”
Smiling brightly as I greeted her, I looked toward the man standing at her side like a guard.
“May I ask who that person is?”
“He is Gu Yuyeong, Leader Dan’s bodyguard.”
“Ah, then he is an S-rank Hunter?”
“He is A-rank. If he possessed the capabilities of an S-rank, he would not be able to devote himself wholly to Leader Dan.”
If he were S-rank, he would have to be out actively working in the field, after all. The leader’s safety was important, but given that they had security in place with formation skills and the like, it seemed A-ranks were enough for ordinary times.
Anyway, as expected, A-rank. And a close aide to the leader.
[Awakened person – Gu Yuyeong
Current stat rank A
Awakening possible stat rank B~A
Optimized initial skills
Scale Armor (A) obtained
Pounding Blade (A) obtained
Sharp Ears (B) obtained
Spring of Silence (B) failed to obtain]
Failed to obtain. He had not acquired all of his Optimized skills.
‘So it really isn’t her.’
If Dan Unbi were Bak Hayul’s noona, then she wouldn’t have left the Optimized skill acquisition of someone as close to her as this incomplete. There was a chance the skill conditions simply hadn’t matched, but if I checked a few more people around here, I’d know for sure.
Not the S-ranks, though. Too risky.
“Please, have a seat.”
The leader of the Martial Arts Alliance lightly gestured toward us. She also asked if we would like to eat, since it was lunchtime. Normally, you should never eat food offered by another faction carelessly, but I was here. If they did anything strange to the food, it would be easier to distinguish friend from foe.
Still, we declined a full meal and accepted only refreshments. Maybe because we were in the mountains, it was slightly chilly, and drinking the warm tea made my stomach feel better.
“At present, the military is in a state of emergency.”
Dan Unbi continued calmly.
“It is said that a number of high-rank Hunters have turned undead and are attacking their own side. This includes S-rank Hunters, but their combat power is said to be lower than when they were alive.”
“We experienced it on the island as well. The problem is probably that they do not die.”
Humans got tired, but the undead did not. Dan Unbi nodded.
“Indeed. Since they are high-rank Hunters, even confining them is difficult. Would it be possible to know what happened to the military Hunters at Chaohu?”
“We sank them in the lake. They may crawl back out one day, though.”
It would be nice if they stayed quietly at the bottom, but that was unlikely. Did people in the nearby city need evacuating, maybe? At my worried remark, Dan Unbi answered that she would make contact regarding that.
“We are not without connections to the government ourselves.”
Well, of course. There would also be people within the Chinese government who disliked the military taking hold of power.
“Then what do you think will happen to the military? It seems like the damage would be huge.”
“If the Hunters of Chaohu have all been neutralized, then it is only a matter of time before they collapse. Do you know anything about Chief General Chohawayun?”
“Yes, about that.”
I briefly explained what had happened then. Dan Unbi and even the people around her turned surprised eyes toward Yoohyun.
“Chief General Chohawayun is one of the foremost experts on the continent. Impressive.”
Our Yoohyun was indeed very impressive.
“To me, Hwang Rim looks the most suspicious. He was originally from a merchant family, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. There is a high possibility that he is connected to this matter as well. To be exact, he was probably standing at a fork in two paths. Either continue cooperating with the military, or topple the military and grow his own power.”
If he sided with the military, he would likely remain safe. But if he was a merchant, all the various restrictions probably grated on him as well.
“And on top of that, he got his hands on the tobacco.”
Sung Hyunjae said that while looking at me. Ah, the tobacco. That would probably end up passing into the hands of the Hwang Rim family now, then. I wondered what had happened to the Chohawayun they had taken with them.
“For our part, we hope to maintain as good a relationship as possible with all of you.”
Dan Unbi said that with a gentle expression and voice. Was she using a skill right now, perhaps? Even though it was nothing special, it made me want to answer firmly, Yes, let’s do that.
“If Chinese Hunter society becomes freer, then it will certainly benefit Korean Hunters as well.”
The ability to trade freely alone would be helpful.
“To be perfectly frank, the Martial Arts Alliance stands to gain enough from this incident, doesn’t it? Thanks to us.”
Dan Unbi nodded.
“Then let us begin formal negotiations.”
We give what we should give, and take what we should take. And we had already given a great deal. Hadn’t we?
