Chapter 116
Having taken the elevator, I arrived at the 42nd floor.
"Forty-two. It is the number of truth."
With a dinging sound, the silver-white doors slid open to both sides.
"Well, now."
He certainly had a trick up his sleeve. Looking beyond the seven barriers, I let out a faint smile and began to walk.
Beyond the elevator lay a wide hallway. At the end of that hallway sat a massive door.
A golden inscription was carved into the ebony plaque hanging above the door in elegant calligraphy that read, Taebaek Representative Sung Sihoon. I opened the door.
"Ugh, the sll."
A thick scent rushed toward and stung my nose. It was a deep, llow fragrance mixed with musk, ambergris, sandalwood, and agarwood.
"Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, I believe this is our first ti eting face to face?"
A handso man wearing a deep purple shirt and a black tie stood there. He was looking at while slowly swirling a wine glass in his hand.
"Yes. And I think it is also the first ti I have t soone in this manner."
No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard the door slam shut behind with a loud bang. I also heard the sound of a rattling lock as the door was secured.
"There is no mana here."
At my remark, Sung Sihoon nodded with a smile.
"That is correct. There is no mana in the air here."
Having finished speaking, Sung Sihoon walked slowly toward .
"You take in mana from the atmosphere and use it imdiately, don't you? That is why your mana never decreases."
"Well, that is roughly correct."
At my words, Sung Sihoon continued speaking with an expression like a cat in front of its prey.
"However, to possess that advantage, you hold no mana within your body. In other words, you are my prey in this space."
How should I even explain the current situation? Watching Sung Sihoon filled with such confidence in his victory was almost heartbreaking.
Did he truly think that I had never fought in a condition without atmospheric mana during my ti fighting in the other world?
If sothing like that could have stopped , would I have ever succeeded in preventing the end of that world?
However, since Sung Sihoon didn't know those facts, I understood why he was so certain of his superiority.
"Representative Sung Sihoon, do you know what is interesting about flas?"
The fellow stopped walking for a mont at my question. I kindled a small Paradoxical Fla at my fingertip and smiled.
"No matter how small the spark, it can grow massive in an instant as long as there is appropriate fuel."
Using the fragrance filling this room as fuel, the Paradoxical Fla on my fingertip grew larger and larger.
"The black fla I use has a mana pattern that is normally a bit difficult to understand for the average person."
General flas burn fuel. The Paradoxical Fla also burns fuel. What can be burned is the important difference between general flas and the Paradoxical Fla.
And there is another difference just as important as that.
General flas release heat when they burn fuel. The Paradoxical Fla releases mana when it burns fuel.
"If there is no mana in the air, I simply have to create it."
Fiercely burning the scent that filled the room, the Paradoxical Fla spewed mana into the atmosphere.
"..."
Sung Sihoon’s expression stiffened as he watched the series of attempts I made in the room.
"So, who did you say was whose prey?"
I took a step toward Sung Sihoon and spoke.
"I have plenty of things here that I can burn. Colors, thoughts, sounds, temperatures, forms..."
And I simply need to use the mana that the Paradoxical Fla continuously spews out as it devours and burns all those concepts.
Nothing changes just because I am in a place without atmospheric mana.
If he truly wanted to defeat in this manner, he would have had to prepare a perfect space of complete nothingness. And that is impossible.
"I didn't co here to fight. I ca because I wanted to have a talk."
I greatly reduced the size of the Paradoxical Fla that was burning the room, gathered it back onto my fingertip, and then flopped down onto the sofa.
"So, let us have a talk. Stop these aningless tricks that do not even work."
I looked around the room, spotted a wine glass, and stood up to fill it with wine.
"It is alright for to have a drink too, right?"
Sung Sihoon nodded without saying a word. After pouring the red wine into the glass, I checked the refrigerator, found so jamon, put a few pieces on a plate, and sat back down.
"I didn't think we had any stories worth sharing with each other."
Sung Sihoon stroked his tie with an uncomfortable expression and then sat on the edge of the large desk to look at . He appeared composed, but he also looked anxious.
"What do you an we have no stories? Do you rember Yoon Sung-hyun? And there was also the competition held to get a na on the List of Hope this ti."
I spoke while tossing a piece of jamon into my mouth.
"Are you saying you want to voice a complaint?"
I shook my head.
"Of course not. It cannot be helped if people doing great work happen to bump into each other."
I am not the type of person to act petty over such things. Usually, I try to move on as if it were nothing, but the other party is often the one who gets sulky and harbors a grudge.
"I am sorry, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, but Taebaek has no intention of providing you with any kind of cooperation. I would like you to leave now."
Sung Sihoon answered coldly and then set down the wine glass he was holding. I answered with a beaming smile.
"Then I will do an interview imdiately after leaving this building. I will say that I want to have a match with you."
Sung Sihoon’s movents stopped dead at my words.
"What do you an by that?"
"Why are you pretending you didn't hear when you heard perfectly?"
I poked my chest with my thumb and then pointed my index finger at Sung Sihoon.
"I said I would call every reporter, dia outlet, and individual broadcaster to spread the word that I want to have a match with you if you are willing."
I drained the wine, placed the glass on the table, and then nudged it slightly with my finger. The glass tipped over on the table and rolled around.
"Do you think you can refuse?"
A company with the ideology of the survival of the fittest that does not tolerate challenges from others. That is the image Taebaek possesses. They must have put a lot of effort into building that image, and they still exercise strong influence thanks to it.
"What do you think will happen to the image of the company Taebaek if the representative of Taebaek, Sung Sihoon, avoids my challenge?"
The wine glass that was rolling on the table fell to the floor and shattered.
"Do you truly dare think you can defeat ?"
"Who says I can’t? The match with Choi Yeoreum was essentially my victory anyway."
He would not say otherwise. If denying sothing with one's mouth made it as if it never happened, there would be no need for things like public hearings in the world.
Sung Sihoon remained silent. Watching the fellow, I laughed inwardly.
The law of the survival of the fittest is not a fit for humans. It is not our nature. In my experience, the only race suited for the ideology of the survival of the fittest was the lizardn living in the great marshes of the other world.
Taebaek’s ideology is the survival of the fittest? How ridiculous. It is not the survival of the fittest, but rather that Sung Sihoon simply wants to hold the position of representative for his entire life, so he attached so plausible words to it.
Sung Sihoon is one of the strongest hunters on Earth.
If soone stronger than him truly appeared later, would he obediently hand over his position while saying sothing like 'according to the law of the survival of the fittest'? Not a chance. I could tell just by seeing him hesitate in front of now.
"There are two paths, Representative Sung Sihoon. The first path is to maintain your stance of never cooperating with and fight while everyone is watching."
"What is the second?"
Watching Sung Sihoon ask for the second thod imdiately was almost cute.
"We fight in a private match in a place where only you and I are present. If I win, Taebaek must cooperate with in clearing the Triple Blood Cave."
"And if you lose?"
I raised both hands and made a gesture of strangling my own neck.
"You put a leash on . I will join Taebaek and act as your faithful dog."
At my words, Sung Sihoon replied.
"What basis do I have to believe those words?"
"If you are capable of defeating , that ans you can force a leash on even without a basis."
Since you would be suppressing and subjugating with power according to your ideology. I didn't know why he had so many worries.
In truth, I didn't think I would lose anyway. It would be extrely embarrassing to lose to a guy who started a company and played around while drinking wine and acting important as a representative.
"The first path is a path you cannot even take anyway. At least the second path has sothing to gain if you succeed."
Though he would fail, of course.
Having finished speaking, I stood in front of the exit and tapped the door with the back of my hand.
"Open this quickly so I can go ho, wash my feet, and go to bed."
With a rattling sound, the locking chanisms were released and the door opened.
"I will be waiting until tomorrow, so contact quickly~"
I spoke to Sung Sihoon in a nauseating tone while wiggling my body and making a laughing sound.
Sung Sihoon, who was listening, probably didn't find it very funny, but so what? I found it funny. After leaving the building, I could not help but laugh when I saw the crowd gathered in front of the door.
"Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, what is the reason for your sudden visit to the headquarters of Taebaek?"
The reporters were loving it. Those sparkling eyes were full of passion, wanting to spread their wings of imagination as soon as I opened my mouth.
Well, after making such a commotion in front of the building, I could not have expected that the reporters or dia would not gather.
"There have been various negative stories circulating recently about the relationship between Taebaek and Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. How should we interpret this visit?"
What did he an by how to interpret it? There was no reason to ask when they were going to cook it up in whatever way they liked anyway. Regardless, I answered with a smile.
"It is difficult for to say right now. However, I personally hope that this visit will allow us to be reborn into a good relationship with Taebaek."
"Does that an there was a specific achievent during this visit?"
"I will only say that it was a ti to confirm each other's positions. This level of evaluation seems appropriate for now."
I had no intention of saying whether it was good or bad. It was sothing that would be decided depending on whether Representative Sung Sihoon contacted tomorrow.
"Was it a eting with Representative Sung Sihoon?"
"Yes."
"Does this visit also relate to the subjugation of the Class 1 Erosion Core that Hunter Yoo Chan-seok previously claid?"
"That does not seem to be the kind of question I can answer right now."
I answered the questions that I could among the pouring inquiries and filtered out the ones I had to avoid. In that manner, I succeeded in making it through the crowd and getting into my car.
Once in the car, I headed toward the Association building and contacted the Association President.
— Hunter Yoo Chan-seok.
"I understand that the item I was supposed to receive is ready."
The Association President answered imdiately.
— Ah, yes, it is ready. However, this is not like withdrawing money from a bank. Would it not be standard to have sothing like an award ceremony?
"So, when is that award ceremony scheduled to take place?"
Do not even think about trying to stall for ti. I maintained Choi Yeoreum’s ranking on the condition that I receive that item. If he tried to pull any tricks here, I would not stay quiet.
— The preparations are almost finished. Could you find so ti at three in the afternoon two days from now?
That was perfect. I gave Sung Sihoon until tomorrow. If there was no answer by tomorrow, I could just drop a bomb at the award ceremony held the day after.
"Yes, that is fine. I will be waiting then."
Having finished the call, I checked my missed calls and ssages and scratched my head.
"Do they never get tired of this?"
All sorts of contacts were piled up, asking to co to an interview or a program in any way possible. I had no intention of participating in such things unless it was absolutely necessary.
Later, when the plan to eliminate the Triple Blood Cave becos concrete, I will have to show my face in such places to gather as many hunters as possible.
But there was no need to get tired of such things already. After returning to the Association building, I quietly waited for Sung Sihoon’s contact until the following day.
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