In the venue for the press conference held by the American Hunter Bureau.
The United States of America had opened her mouth to make her statement.
âWeâre currently gathering Hunters to one location.â
Was America finally revealing her hand in order to save Japan?
Reporters had all rushed to attend this press conference after the Hunter Bureau announced that they would clarify their position. They all cried out in elation from this announcement as if this matter concerned them personally.
No one alive would wish for tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions of people to die a gruesome death. That was why these reporters were so enthusiastic about this announcement.
As the atmosphere within the press conference venue heated up to an astounding degree, the spokesperson ruefully shook his head.
âHowever, itâs not for Japanâs sake.â
What was that?
The gathered reporters began exchanging glances as hushed murmurs grew louder. It seemed that no one present here had received any prior warning about this as they were all cautiously looking at each otherâs reactions right now.
The spokesperson pointed to the giant screen behind him.
ââŠ.Heok!!â
âWhat the hellâŠâ
The mouths of the reporters were clamped shut by the image now shown on that screen.
The chaotic atmosphere cooled down in an instant and it was replaced by deathly silence instead. And then, as this weighty silence persisted, shocked gasps could occasionally be heard in between.
The prepared footage indeed carried that much of an impact.
âThis is the image of the Gate discovered earlier today in eastern Maryland.â
The size of the Gate was not normal. It was smaller than the one in Japan, but still, its sheer scale was uncommonly massive.
The rank of a Gate didnât always match up to its size. But then again, a Gate with an enormous size never led to a low-ranked dungeon, either.
The spokesperson continued on with his explanation.
âAccording to the measurement taken by our investigative team, this Gate is also a rank S, exactly like the one that has appeared in Japan. This nationâs top Hunters will focus all their efforts in closing this Gate, instead.â
Some reporters covered their faces, some shook their heads in helplessness, some spat out pained sighs to display the despair each of them felt in that moment.
An unprecedented event of two rank S Gates being generated close to one another had taken place.
Of course, the United States of America wasnât worried in the slightest. It was now time for the dozens of rank S Hunters she had reeled in from all over the world to step forward and easily take care of this Gate.
The problem was with Japan.
âAmerica doesnât have the spare manpower to aid Japan.â
When this horrifying piece of news finally made its way over to Japan, the Japanese people desperately praying for the Americansâ aid all cried out in despair.
Japan was finished.
The Giant-type monsters were advancing south as it destroyed everything in their path. People escaping up north were slowly but surely being forced onto a cliff, as well.
In this situation, Korea finally broke her silence over the matter and clarified her position as well.
Goh Gun-Hui stood in front of the reporters and spoke up.
âWe will not get involved in Japanâs matters.â
***
A day before the press conference.
Just like any other day, the wide-open office space of the Ah-Jin Guild was occupied by only two people â Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho.
The latterâs eyes sparkled brightly.
âHyung-nim? A rank B Gate just became available. Should I book it?â
âIs it within the Hunters Guildâs jurisdiction?â
âPardon? Oh, yes it is, hyung-nim.â
âIn that case, donât.â
âOhâŠ. okay. I got it, hyung-nim.â
Having sacrificed a lot of her elite Hunters, the Hunters Guild would be going through a seriously hectic time now. Itâd not look good if Jin-Wooâs Guild swooped in to take advantage of the situation and stole a Gate from under their noses.
Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head before shifting his head over to Jin-Woo.
âHyung-nim? What have you been you looking at so intently like that?â
Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the computer screen and leaned his back against the chair.
âHey, Jin-Ho?â
âYes, hyung-nim?â
âShould I go over to Japan for a while?â
âExcuse me?â
Yu Jin-Hoâs expression hardened.
Of course, he hadnât forgotten just who was saying those words. He had seen hyung-nimâs amazing feats closer than anyone else out there.
However, common sense simply didnât apply to rank S Gates. It was impossible to measure, to begin with. Didnât that imply such a Gate was beyond the scope of whatâs considered normal?
Just like how there was an unscalable wall even among the rank S Hunters, no one could tell just what kind of dangerous monsters would pop out from a Gate that was impossible to measure.
And that was why Yu Jin-Ho simply couldnât think of Jin-Wooâs words of going to Japan as him simply kidding around.
Abruptly, his head shifted over to the computer screen Jin-Woo was looking at.
âAhâŠ.â
It was filled with the breaking news regarding Japan.
âHyung-nim was worried about them.â
Unlike Yu Jin-Ho, hyung-nim possessed incredible powers. It was quite obvious that heâd also suffer from the distress that the responsibility of his power level brought along.
âHyung-nim, hold up.â
âMm?â
Jin-Woo only lightly threw that suggestion out but Yu Jin-Hoâs reactions were rather serious.
Yu Jin-Ho vacated his spot and hurriedly extracted a photo album from the file cabinet before bringing it over. When he flipped that thick book open, all sorts of newspaper articles were clipped onto its pages.
âWhatâs thisâŠ.?â
All of them were articles related to Jin-Woo.
From the incident of the Red Gate â which the media still didnât know that Jin-Woo was a part of â to the raid of Jeju Island; when he solved the issue of the traffic jam; and even when he took care of the strange, unidentifiable stone statues alongside the Hunters Guild recently, too.
Jin-Woo was dumbfounded by this spectacle and asked Yu Jin-Ho.
âYou were collecting all of these?â
âYes, hyung-nim.â
Yu Jin-Hoâs face was slightly flushed red.
âOkay, fine. But, why are you showing me this all of a sudden?â
âYou know what the common theme among these articles is, hyung-nim?â
âI wonderâŠ.?â
ââŠ.Surely, heâs not trying to say that Iâm involved in all these incidents.â
A short while later, Yu Jin-Ho spoke with a voice softer than the buzzing of a mosquito.
âItâs that Iâm nowhere to be found in all of them, hyung-nim.â
If it werenât for Jin-Wooâs high Perception reinforcing his hearing, heâd have missed that voice.
âWhat?!â
Jin-Woo looked back, and Yu Jin-Ho raised his drooped head and stared straight into the formerâs eyes.
âHyung-nim. If youâre planning to go to Japan, please take me along with you.â
ââŠ.??â
Jin-Woo was baffled here.
He expected Yu Jin-Ho to either stop him or cheer him on when he said heâd be heading over to Japan, but never did he imagine the kid would say âTake me with you!â
However, Yu Jin-Ho was being dead serious.
âAlthough it is embarrassing to say this out loud, hyung-nim, youâre my pride. Youâre the only thing that I can proudly boast about to other people, you know.â
âBut, youâŠ.â
Jin-Woo quickly shut his mouth up.
Yu Jin-Ho looked outwardly as if he had possessed more than anyone else in the world. According to his own words, however, all of those were shackles that only managed to torment him, and to him, they were nothing to be proud about.
But then, it was Yu Jin-Hoâs own decision to stick around Jin-Woo, and then to continue developing the Ah-Jin Guild. All his, and no one elseâs.
Jin-Woo could more or less understand where Yu Jin-Ho was coming from when he said this was his sole source of pride.
âThat is why Iâd like to be there where you are, hyung-nim. Please, please take me with you, hyung-nim.â
âYou, you havenât forgotten where I want to go, right?â
Even if Yu Jin-Ho was a naĂŻve, immature kid, he surely would have heard about what was happening in Japan.
That place was currently a true hell on earth. Demons called âGiantsâ were judging mankind in the most gruesome manner imaginable.
Even then, Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined expression on his face.
âAs long as youâre unhurt, hyung-nim, Iâll be alright as well. If you get hurt somehow⊠eiii, I donât wanna even think about that.â
Yu Jin-Ho looked back with a strong light of trust burning in his eyes.
The feeling youâd get from someone trusting you to such an extent certainly couldnât be described as bad in any shape or form.
Jin-Woo felt this strange warmth tickling him in his chest and he happily ruffled Yu Jin-Hoâs hair. The latter was flustered but he didnât withdraw his head.
âH-hyung-nim?!â
âI was only joking, you know? Why would ever I go to Japan when times are like this?â
Jin-Woo stood up from his spot.
âHey, thatâs enough for today. Letâs just go home. You worked hard anyway.â
âUh? Youâre going home already, hyung-nim?â
Jin-Woo stepped outside the office door while waving his hands. Yu Jin-Ho bowed his waist deeply to send him off.
âIâll see you tomorrow, hyung-nim!â
***
Clunk.
Jin-Woo stepped into his house.
A truly mouth-watering savoury scent of stew tickled his nostrils. He stood on the spot and soaked in the eveningâs smell.
âThis is so good.â
One of the great things about mom being discharged from the hospital was that now, he had someone to welcome him back home every day. The dark and quiet home of the past no longer existed in his life. Not anymore.
âSon, youâre home?â
He heard his motherâs voice coming from the kitchen.
âYes, Mom.â
He took off his shoes and neatly arranged them before walking into the kitchen himself. His mother was looking behind her and he sent her a smile as a greeting.
âIâm home.â
âWill you eat dinner?â
âYes. What about Jin-Ah, though?â
âShe says sheâs got no appetite.â
Jin-Wooâs hand suddenly stopped before it finished pulling out his chair.
âEven now?â
âShe couldnât get a wink of sleep last night. She only fell asleep not too long ago.â
ââŠâ
Jin-Woo hid his presence and cautiously opened the door to his sisterâs room.
âMm⊠MmâŠ..â
Jin-Ah was rolling around in her bed, struggling to fall into a deeper slumber. She normally maintained such a bright appearance, but it seemed that she hadnât gotten over her mental trauma yet.
âThen againâŠ. She had to go through such an experience, didnât she.â
His rage towards monsters boiled over whenever he saw how much his sister was struggling like this.
Why were those things endlessly tormenting humanity?
It was then, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of those silver-clad winged soldiers pouring out from the Gates in the sky to sweep away the monsters. The army with its unfathomable size, burning with clear animosity against the horde of monsters. If such an army actually existed, thenâŠ.
âAre they our allies?â
Wasnât there an old saying about an enemy of an enemy being a friend?
Jin-Woo studied his sleeping sister quietly for a little while, before closing the door behind him.
*
âThank you for the meal.â
After finishing his dinner, Jin-Woo headed off to the Associationâs gymnasium to get a little bit of exercise in. It indeed proved to be really convenient to have a Shadow Soldier stationed inside the gymnasium.
Sweating a lot was the best cure when oneâs head became clogged full of complicated thoughts. And so, he wanted to sweat buckets for the first time in a while.
Jin-Woo summoned Beru out.
As he began to lightly loosen his body, the former king of the ants politely knelt before him and lowered his head.
âOh, my kingâŠâ
Beru was the sole soldier among Jin-Wooâs Shadow Army that could withstand his attacks, at least for a little while. But even he flinched grandly after sensing the extent of Jin-Wooâs change and shuddered where he stood.
âI offer my unreserved congratulations, my king. I sense from you a far greater amount of power than ever before.â
Beru sensed an electrifying shiver run down his body after sensing that incredible amount of magic energy oozing out of the âBlack Heartâ. His head, still lowered to the ground, was trembling noticeably now.
Jin-Woo didnât summon his Shadow Soldier out to boast of his growth, though. He gestured to Beru to stand up.
ââŠ.??â
The former ant king tilted his head after picking up Jin-Wooâs worried eyes, which would be the first time he had sensed such a thing ever since becoming a part of the Shadow Army.
Jin-Woo spoke under his breath.
âAttack me with everything you have.â
âOh, my king. How dare I evenâŠ..â
âItâs fine. I just want to shed some sweat for a little while. And you know no one else besides you can do that.â
âI⊠I am truly honouredâŠ.â
Feeling touched, Beru was about to kneel down again, but then, Jin-Woo glared at him with a pair of very sharp eyes.
âHang on a minute. You know, your vocabulary seems to be increasing every day. You havenât devoured someone else somewhere, have you?â
Beruâs shoulders flinched somewhat, but Jin-Woo soon let go of the matter. He clenched his fists and issued his order again, instead.
âRemember to hit me with everything you have.â
âIf my Sovereignâs wills it, then I shall followâŠ.â
Beru raised his head as his claws lengthened.
âKiiiieeehhk-!!â
There was no burden on Beru as he knew that his claws would never touch his Sovereign. Jin-Woo grinned after seeing that and nodded his head. This was what he wanted, anyway.
âKiiieehhk!â
Along with the thunderous roar that shook the interior of the gymnasium, Beru pounced on his master.
*
Boom!
Beru slammed down on the floor and was laid out flat on his back.
âK-kiiieckâŠ.â
127 times fought, 127 times defeated.
Indeed, even though he threw everything he had, he failed to touch even the hair on his masterâs body. In the last few days that Beru didnât see his king, Jin-Woo had become far stronger than ever before.
The display of power today only deepened the level of respect and loyalty Beru held towards his king.
While the former ant king remained sprawled on the floor unable to move, Jin-Woo settled down next to him. There were a few strands of sweat on his forehead. But this was as far as he could take it.
If he moved any harder than this, then this gymnasium would have been demolished in no time at all.
Jin-Woo remained seated and stared into the far distance.
Beru silently sat back up and knelt down before asking him.
âOh, my king⊠Is there a matter thatâs troubling you?â
âTroubling me, is it?â
âA portion of our consciousness and the Sovereignâs are connected as one. The kingâs troubles are transmitted as pain to us, the subjects.â
ââŠâ
To think, heâd get consoled by a Shadow Soldier. Not only that, from a dude who originally was an insect, too. Jin-Woo couldnât help but form a wry smirk.
Now normally, heâd simply chuckle and put the matter to bed, but this time, things were a little different.
âThereâs something I want to do, but Iâm not sure how I should go about doing that.â
The events taking place in Japan were, strictly speaking, someone elseâs troubles.
Who knew what kind of dangers were in hiding and waiting for him there? Besides, it wasnât as if he could resolve every single incident that happened in the world, either.
And not to forget, there was that resolved emotional baggage between the Korean Hunterâs Association and its Japanese counterpart to consider, as well.
All these thoughts only served to make the inside of his head more complicated than ever before.
It was then, Beru suddenly raised his head.
âOh, my king!â
Jin-Woo looked at Beru with surprised eyes. This was the first time this guy expressed his thoughts this strongly ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier.
âNothing must become a hindrance in the path of my king.â
Beruâs voice filled with conviction made him sound more like a close aide that stayed by Jin-Wooâs side for a long time rather than a monster that got turned into a Shadow Solder recently.
âThe one that does what he wants to. That is what it means to be a king.â
âHold on. I keep telling you, Iâm not a king.â
Indeed, the Class he got coincidentally through the System just so happened to be the Shadow Sovereign. That was all.
However, Beru strongly denied Jin-Wooâs assertion.
âThat is incorrect, my king. My king, you possess the power to achieve anything you desire.â
Jin-Wooâs eyes shook around heavily.
Ba-thump.
For some reason, his heart began pounding away rather violently.
âYou are, without a doubt, a king.â
âThat stuff about being a king again.â
HoweverâŠ.
However, his heart that began racing on its own didnât want to calm down that easily at all.
âAnything I desire, is itâŠ..â
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the distance, but his eyes were gleaming with a cold light now.
***
Next day.
The United States of America made her announcement, and the Association President Goh Gun-Hui also clarified the position of the Korean Association.
âWe will not get involved in Japanâs matters.â
Click, click, click, click!!
Camera flashes ceaselessly exploded all around him.
The Association President then proceeded to reveal every little detail of what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back then to these reporters. The proofs he presented only solidified the inscrutable truth even further.
The CCTV footage of the President of Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, brazenly yelling at the top of his lungs at his Korean counterpart even after he put into motion such a dastardly scheme left a serious shock to all the reporters watching on.
And the Japanese reporters, hoping for South Korea to come to their aid, could only watch the footage with utter devastation.
Before long, their hands holding the cameras were pointing down to the floor.
Only a short moment ago the Americans said that they couldnât help Japan. In such a situation, the explosive revelations from the Korean Hunterâs Association were no different from passing a death sentence to the Japanese people. Thick, burning tears began falling from the eyes of the Japanese reporters.
ââŠ..This is everything I wanted to say.â
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui finished saying what he came to say.
Normally, this would be the time when countless questions started inundating him, but no reporter present here could unshackle their mouths from the nasty shock and astonishment to do so.
The poor atmosphere of the press conference was broadcast live to the rest of the country through the various TV cameras. Only then did the viewers watching on realise why the Koreans had maintained their silence over the crisis unfolding in Japan.
But thenâŠ.
âHoweverâŠ.â
Goh Gun-Hui looked as if heâd be turning around to leave as the press conference had come to an end but then, he continued to speak on.
âThis is the decision of the Hunterâs Association, and ours alone. We wonât stop any individual Hunters from doing what they wish to do.â
What was he even talking about now?
Noisy, noisyâŠ.
Like animals lazily waking up from their winter hibernation, the reporters still frozen in shock began slowly exchanging glances with each other again.
âThere is one such person. There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters.â
Who could that be?
Who wanted to head to Japan under the current situation all by himself?
The bottomed-out atmosphere of the press conference venue suddenly began boiling over. Even the Japanese reporters shedding tears raised their cameras with their trembling hands.
âPlease⊠PleaseâŠ.!â
The lone strand of hope was busy hammering away in their hearts now.
One of the Korean reporters raised his hand up. The Association President pointed to this man. Perhaps fearing that his turn would be snatched away from him, he quickly asked his question.
âJust who is this Hunter?â
The attention of everyone present in the venue was directed to Goh Gun-Hui. He took his time for a moment or two, before pressing his lips as close to the mic as possible.
âItâs Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.â
Click, click, click, click, click, click!!
That one sentence caused hundreds of cameras to explode in a wall of blinding flashes.
< Chapter 169 > Fin.
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