To be honest, a level 3 Erosion Core wasn’t a big deal. The problem was that a rookie Hunter was even less of a deal.
“The governnt must be pleased.”
“They seem to be observing for now. But if that guy shows more than he already has…”
If that Hunter went beyond just being a promising rookie and reached a higher position, it wouldn’t matter if Korea shook a little. The test they were currently conducting would continue without pause.
“Let’s say Gyodong-do is fine. What about the other places?”
“The Tsushima Island experint was a success. The other 19 were failures.”
The man in the hood let out a deep sigh.
“That’s troubleso. Still, maybe we should be glad the successful one was in Japan.”
The success rate was a re 5%. Even so, they had extracted useful data. Because there had been one success. If they figured out what went wrong in the 19 failures and analyzed the one success, they could improve the odds.
“Start preparing again.”
“Will that be alright? A brief pause might be better…”
“By the ti we’re ready, that guy Yoo Chan-seok will likely have shown better results.”
But what if he didn’t… The reporter muttered that thought without realizing it.
“If he can’t produce results, then he was just a briefly shining shooting star, not soone impressive. Nothing changes.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
The two disappeared into the back alley.
* * *
Defeating a level 3 Erosion Core solo. For famous Hunters, that was sothing they could do as easily as eating a al.
But if the one who did it was a rookie who had only just beco a Hunter, then the sa feat turned into sothing practically impossible for just anyone.
“Feels like I’m a kid who showed up on a gifted prodigy program.”
The story about was attracting the most attention in Korea. But this wasn’t a small storm raging only within Korea.
From the start, Korea wasn’t a small country anymore anyway.
“This is just the beginning.”
All eyes turned to . With a start like this, everyone would eagerly await what I would do next.
When soone received attention greater than what their actual abilities warranted, eventually they would fail to et expectations, and the disappointed attention would turn to ridicule.
On the other hand, if I t those expectations, that attention would turn into cheers. And those observing the current situation would get ready to hand wads of cash.
“It won’t take long.”
Without Lee Se-eun’s help, it would have been hard to attract people’s attention this quickly. Thanks to the request she introduced to on Gyodong-do, I was able to handle the level 3 Erosion Core on my own.
But now it didn’t seem like I needed her help anymore. To begin with…
“She’s ranked tenth in the world, so she must be busy. It’s enough to inconvenience her once.”
They called it sothing like the list of hope. It was sothing like a Hall of Fa. A list of Hunters updated regularly under the lead of the Korean Hunters Association headquarters.
The list included 100 Hunters. It was a sort of ranking chart selected from Hunters around the world.
“According to the Korean Hunters Association, there are currently about 70 million Hunters worldwide…”
Only 100 made it onto that list.
I glanced indifferently at the list displayed on the monitor.
Out of the 100 on that list, 37 were Korean. In simple terms, Korea was the ho country of Hunters. That was the strength behind why other countries didn’t dare make a fuss toward Korea, and why Korea held on to the title of being the leading force in eradicating Erosion Zones.
Anyway, this situation could be compared to archery. When a talented rookie archer appeared in Korea, people didn’t hope for just a silver dal from them.
“Only gold no matter what.”
For a leading nation in any field, the expectations for a newcor in that field were sky-high.
So…
At the very least, I needed to make it onto that list for people’s expectations to start turning into real conviction. To be truly acknowledged, I had to not just make the list, but rank near the top.
Otherwise, I’d just be another rookie Hunter who had received so hype, another nobody among nobodies.
I checked my outfit one more ti and headed out.
dia outlets who had heard the rumors requested interviews, and today was the day I stood in front of them.
“They said there’s no one else aside from the so-called great senior.”
There had been no precedent for a solo defeat of a level 3 Erosion Core on a first request, except for that legendary Hunter, the one who had remained ranked number one on the List of Hope since its creation.
“In fact, calling it his ‘first request’ doesn’t even make sense for soone like him.”
The first thing he eliminated after becoming a Hunter was sothing that only later ca to be classified as a level 3 Erosion Core.
The point was, the dia… and the people didn’t want to see as a rookie who had just beco a Hunter.
I opened the door, stepped out, and spoke in front of countless microphones and caras.
“Nice to et you. I’m Yoo Chan-seok.”
There was no reason to be nervous. I’d stood in front of far more people before. Sure, there hadn’t been any caras in that other world, but that didn’t make much difference.
Before I even finished greeting, one of the reporters opened their lips.
“We heard you handled the level 3 Erosion Core that appeared on Gyodong-do by yourself.”
You already knew coming here, so why ask? But there was no denying that hearing it from the person themselves was different from hearing it through the grapevine.
“That’s correct.”
Luckily, I didn’t tack on any extra qualifiers like ‘by chance’ or ‘with luck.’
“It couldn’t have been easy to make that decision and follow through. What were you thinking at the ti?”
“I did it because I thought I could. And seeing that I’m standing here running my mouth, I guess I wasn’t wrong.”
It was fine to sound arrogant. As long as results followed, arrogance could be dressed up as class.
If soone who only knew how to play the piece ‘Chopsticks’ said, ‘I saw the sheet music and thought I could play it. Isn’t that normal for everyone?’ they’d be laughed at.
But if Mozart said the sa thing, people would say, “As expected…” and be amazed.
I had set a record that had only one precedent in the entire world. There was nothing wrong with doing an interview like this.
“IHC confird a 10-week transfer window beginning 65 days from now. Do you have your eye on any particular company?”
Hunters could only change companies during the designated transfer period.
It took a certain amount of ti to complete a request, and if a Hunter suddenly threw in a resignation mid-mission and walked away saying, “Goodbye everyone~ sothing sothing I hope you’re all happy!” that would cause problems.
Newly selected Hunters were free from these restrictions for a month, but that ship had already sailed for .
“I have no intention of joining a company yet.”
Would the reporters focus more on the ‘yet’ or on the ‘no intention’ part?
The questions continued. For about another 30 minutes, the Q&A went on.
“It seems many are paying attention to Hunter Yoo Chan-seok’s future path. As a Hunter, could you share your mindset or determination moving forward?”
It looked like it was ti to wrap up. One or two more questions like this, and the press conference would be over.
What should I say?
Should I go with sothing like, “I went to help the neighbor and ca ho to find my own house on fire”?
No point in saying that. They wouldn’t understand anyway.
“I’ll show results beyond your expectations.”
That was really all there was to say. After the brief press conference ended, I was summoned to et the Association President.
“You seed pretty skilled.”
“I’m glad to hear that. My hands were sweating like crazy though.”
“Is that so?”
The Association President said that offhandedly, then turned to .
“Have you already decided on your next request?”
“Yes, I have.”
I was essentially a freelancer. And a freelancer not working was no different from an unemployed bum.
Of course I had a few requests under consideration. The President spoke calmly.
“When choosing a request, many factors must be considered.”
As he said that, he showed his smartphone. On it were a few requests.
“Are these recomndations?”
“There are relatively important requests and ones that are not.”
I felt a bit curious at his words. Judging from his tone, it didn’t seem like the relative importance he ntioned was based on danger level.
“For example, this request…”
A cargo ship departing from the United States was scheduled to stop briefly at Busan Port, then unload goods at Zhanjiang before transporting them to Nanning.
I would join the cargo ship in Busan and protect the cargo all the way to Nanning.
“What is it, daily necessities or sothing?”
China was not in good shape. If Hunters had the List of Hope, the Erosion Cores had the so-called Great Eight.
The eight most dangerous Erosion Cores in the world. One of them, Gon Sal-ok, was located in Beijing, China.
“Gon Sal-ok was one of the first Erosion Cores to appear simultaneously around the world 13 years ago.”
The problem was, one of the Erosion Cores that erged in China had appeared at the Great Hall of the People during the Communist Party Congress.
The upper echelons of China who had gathered there were all wiped out by that Erosion Core. As a result, unlike Korea where the first Hunter had appeared and responded swiftly, China failed to respond properly in the beginning.
Anyway, China ended up a wreck, like a dalgona candy crushed under a truck wheel.
“Nanning is practically the capital of China now.”
Even in decline, China still had power. It didn’t just collapse outright.
Those who managed to survive fled south to avoid the Erosion Zones spreading from Gon Sal-ok in Beijing and gathered around the ‘People’s Salvation Republican Party’ headquartered in Nanning.
“More importantly.”
I checked the cargo list for the ship and looked at the President with disbelief.
“No matter how much I look at it, these aren't daily necessities.”
Had Chinese food culture beco so extre while I was away in another world? Was mink fur grilled with brandy now a staple dish instead of tomato egg stir-fry?
Besides the mink and brandy, there were luxury furniture, cars, clothes, and watches on the cargo manifest.
“You do know that people don’t only need daily necessities, right?”
Without a word, I pulled out my smartphone and showed him a news article about China’s recent situation. It said proper food distribution wasn’t even happening due to shortages.
“I don’t know about your explanation, but I do know what China needs most right now is daily necessities.”
The President let out a small sigh as he read the article.
“It’s true that many countries around the world are suffering because of the Erosion Zones, but that doesn’t an international diplomacy is completely broken.”
So he ant this was a bit of grease to keep relationships going. I put my phone back in my pocket and answered.
“I don’t plan on getting involved in politics.”
In a world steadily falling apart, I had no interest or ti to spare for pathetic fools clinging desperately to their tiny scraps of power.
“The Korean governnt also considers this mission important.”
“I don’t.”
The President looked speechless at my response.
“Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, I an no offense… but you’re a rookie Hunter who just debuted. It seems all this attention has gone to your head.”
The person in front of wasn’t just so neighborhood uncle. He was the President of the Association. So Hunters would tremble and regret their words upon hearing that.
Just as I was about to say sothing more, the door suddenly opened.
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