Chapter 44
Cult Leader Ji Seongwei (1)
“This can’t be happening.”
Wang Tao sat there in despair.
Plan B had failed completely. Plans C and D had been prepared in case Plan B failed, but Wang Tao had already lost his will to fight.
He was certain.
Nothing he tried would work.
Where did everything go wrong?
Never before had an operation by the People’s Republic of China failed so miserably. To think he had suffered such humiliation not even at the hands of those American Westerners, but at the hands of people from a small nation...
Lee Shin approached the dazed Wang Tao.
Looking at Lee Shin’s still-expressionless face, Wang Tao decided to make one final struggle.
Perhaps that would alleviate at least some of his resentment.
Staring directly into Lee Shin’s eyes, Wang Tao activated [Mind Domination].
Ji Seongwei’s body began to convulse, and Wang Tao’s spirit emerged from it. His body had become translucent like a ghost, creating a scene that belonged in a horror movie rather than reality.
And then...
“Ah.”
Wang Tao glimpsed a small portion of Lee Shin’s “inner self.”
He witnessed the true soul concealed beneath the shell of an ordinary South Korean man in his twenties.
What... is that?
From within Lee Shin, Wang Tao felt countless gazes pouring down upon him.
An incalculable number of eyes...
It was as if Lee Shin’s body contained another world.
A fortress of iron. Cities where flames bloomed. Barren lands. Clattering skeletons and dinosaurs. Tiny dwarves glaring in his direction.
And...
“Something” of immeasurable greatness.
Wang Tao did not dare attempt to describe it with his limited vocabulary.
Before it, he became an infinitely small speck of dust—a particle, a worthless trace of existence.
Wang Tao’s sense of duty after spending his entire life as an operative, his patriotism toward the People’s Republic of China, and the desires and emotions he possessed as a human being all evaporated without a trace.
In their place, an irresistible sense of awe began to rise.
“Worship... him...”
At the final moment...
Wang Tao experienced the most exhilarating ecstasy he had ever felt since being born into this world.
It was truly dazzling.
***
“I am sincerely sorry, Mr. Lee Shin.”
Manager Kim Dong-seok repeatedly bowed his head.
“We should have prevented something like this beforehand...”
“It isn’t your fault. How could you have detected someone with such an unusual ability when he was deliberately concealing himself? You did your best, Manager Kim Dong-seok.”
“This was our responsibility. If we couldn’t prepare for every possibility, we should have advised you to refrain from public appearances...”
“I was the one who wanted this meeting. I’m truly fine.”
Lee Shin sincerely meant it.
“I don’t want to spend my life hiding merely because something like this might happen again. If people hid because they feared the future, who would be able to live in this world?”
“...Thank you for your generous understanding.”
Even after hearing Lee Shin’s answer, Kim Dong-seok did not feel any better. He bowed once more and said,
“Dawn Management will never let this matter pass. We’ll make sure China accepts responsibility, whether that means imposing an appropriate punishment or providing adequate compensation.”
“Won’t that be difficult?”
Lee Shin knew little about the hunter industry, but he knew that relations between South Korea and China were poor.
He also knew that South Korea had always occupied the weaker position whenever problems arose.
South Korea might have joined the ranks of developed nations, but every country surrounding it was practically a gangster state. Its present reality was that it could only be pushed around from every direction.
However...
“Not anymore.”
“...?”
“They must have fallen back into their old habits and orchestrated this while planning to cut off the tail if anything went wrong. But South Korea is no longer the country it once was. We’re the only nation in the world possessing a hunter capable of closing rifts, and we can produce equipment powerful enough to shake the entire hunter industry.”
Lee Shin had not realized it, but his influence in the real world was far more tremendous than he imagined.
“They had a wonderful time tormenting us while constantly calling us a small nation. But we are no longer a small nation. Once the fifth cycle begins, what position do you think South Korea will occupy in the international community?”
“Our country will hold the upper hand over the entire world.”
Kim Dong-seok’s eyes burned fiercely.
“I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
Lee Shin nodded.
“Yes. I trust you.”
Something similar to today’s incident would probably never happen again, but Lee Shin knew that saying so would not help Kim Dong-seok feel any better.
Therefore, he gave the manager the answer he wanted to hear.
“Then what should we do about this place?”
Lee Shin looked around.
The bodies of the masked men lay scattered across the floor. The table had overturned, spilling food and tableware everywhere.
It was utter chaos.
“We should move somewhere else first.”
“...Will it be all right that those people ended up like that?”
Lee Shin was genuinely asking.
He might possess extraordinary qualities, but ultimately, he was still a young man who had lived as an ordinary citizen.
He had remained composed while causing all sorts of incidents as a god in another world. However, when such an abnormal situation unfolded in reality, even he could not help feeling somewhat flustered.
Could he possibly be sent to prison?
That thought even crossed his mind.
“My God, you don’t need to worry.”
Hunter Seong Chanyang smiled brightly.
“Who would dare accuse you of a crime? No one in this world could ever do that. No one.”
Her phrasing sounded peculiar, but Manager Kim Dong-seok gave him a similar answer.
Then...
“...U-ugh.”
Someone rose from among the bodies sprawled across the floor.
“What the hell is this?”
It was Ji Seongwei, leader of the Lee Shin Salvation Cult.
“...Is this a dream?”
He had finally regained consciousness.
He wore a vacant expression.
Dawn Management was thrown into an uproar.
China had attempted to manipulate South Korean hunters many times in the past. And it was hardly limited to South Korea. It would be difficult to find a country anywhere in the world that had never suffered at China’s hands.
But of all people, they had even dared to target Hunter Lee Shin?
They had targeted a hero whom all humanity should protect and revere—a man who might someday bring the entire rift crisis to an end!
“Uncle, can we really screw China over this time?”
“Of course. The CEO is furious too.”
“Those bastards have cut off their tails and escaped so many times before.”
“This time will be different.”
Seong Chanyang nodded at Kim Dong-seok’s words.
“I can feel the difference too. You know those hunters who live convinced they’re the greatest thing in the world? People who normally never contact me are calling more than ten times a day. Every one of them has either used one of my God’s items or personally witnessed how incredible they are.”
“The hunters in the field would feel the difference most keenly. They’re monsters who can detect even the slightest difference in performance. The active hunters probably already know that the world has begun to change.”
“Uncle, do you know what sort of calls I’ve even received? Hunters have contacted me saying they want to change their national affiliation to South Korea when they renew their contracts for the fifth cycle. They say they’ll work in Korea without a salary as long as they’re allowed to use my God’s equipment. And these are elite S-rank hunters.”
“S-rank hunters...?”
“If I brought over even half the people who contacted me, it would cause an international uproar. We live in an era where the quality of a country’s hunters determines its national power.”
“You’re right.”
The world had changed.
In the face of the unprecedented disaster known as the rifts, hunters were the only means of maintaining peace.
With only slight exaggeration, Lee Shin could now be regarded as the most influential hunter in the world.
Ironically, he did not actually perform any hunter work.
Even excluding the abilities attracting the world’s attention, Mr. Lee Shin is unquestionably special. More special than any hunter I’ve ever met.
The Lee Shin known to the world was merely a tiny fraction of his true self.
Perhaps even Kim Dong-seok knew only a fraction of him.
And then...
“By the way, those two... seem to be getting along remarkably well.”
“...They do, don’t they?”
“Wasn’t he supposed to be Chinese? I think he speaks Korean better than you do.”
“......”
They looked over.
“What could they possibly be discussing so happily?”
Lee Shin and Ji Seongwei were sitting together.
When Wang Tao disappeared and Ji Seongwei finally regained consciousness, Kim Dong-seok and Seong Chanyang had argued that they should restrain and isolate him first.
They claimed he might still pose a threat.
Lee Shin disagreed.
“He isn’t dangerous.”
“How could you possibly...?”
Kim Dong-seok had been about to ask how Lee Shin knew.
But the moment Lee Shin spoke, both Seong Chanyang and Eve nodded in agreement. Neither of them asked for evidence.
The atmosphere made Kim Dong-seok feel as though he would become the strange one if he continued questioning it.
Even the expression on Eve’s face was ominous. He felt as though the moment he asked “Why?” she would shout “Unbeliever!” and transform into a medieval inquisitor before beating him senseless.
...It should be fine. This is Mr. Lee Shin, after all.
Furthermore, the mysterious bodyguard who had instantly wiped out the operatives sent by China was accompanying him.
Ultimately, Kim Dong-seok had no choice but to grant Lee Shin’s request to speak with Ji Seongwei separately.
He even accepted the condition that only Lee Shin, Eve, and Ji Seongwei would be present during the conversation.
In truth, no one there could protect Lee Shin better than Eve.
A new meeting place was therefore prepared, pristine and orderly rather than chaotic.
Only now could the meeting Lee Shin had originally wanted properly begin.
Hmm.
After Wang Tao disappeared and Lee Shin finally saw the real Ji Seongwei, he understood why he had become entangled in such a commotion.
So it happened because what I stood to gain outweighed the trouble I would experience. I couldn’t tell while I stayed at home, but the destiny I possess really is unpredictable.
Ji Seongwei sat across from Lee Shin, looking around uncomfortably.
“I heard you suffered a troublesome ordeal because of me.”
After cautiously studying Lee Shin’s expression, Ji Seongwei cleared his throat. He then lowered his voice dramatically as though delivering a grand speech.
“Regrettably, I remember nothing of what transpired. Nevertheless, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies. Before meeting the one who descended to save humanity from its confusion, I should naturally have purified my body and soul and conducted myself with greater care. Yet I allowed myself to become a tool of wicked men. This is truly...”
“Cult Leader.”
“Yes?”
“You can relax.”
Lee Shin gave Ji Seongwei a broad smile.
“You may remove that uncomfortable mask. At least while you’re in front of me.”
Then...
Ding!
A status window appeared before Lee Shin.
「A Madly Gifted Demagogue Born in the Wrong Era」
「Name: Ji Seongwei」
「Class: Demagogue」
「Overall Evaluation: A soul who, had he been born in the past, would have either plunged the world into chaos or saved it. Even without intending to, he somehow attracts the attention of others and possesses an innate talent for stirring the minds and emotions of a crowd with a single statement. Surprisingly, he prefers being home alone above everything else. His MBTI test showed a 100% inclination toward Introversion.」
「TIP: This believer was born to evangelize!」
「TIP: If you, in your omnipotence and mercy, take this admirable believer under your wing, he will gladly dye the entire Earth with fervent faith—until every living, breathing creature on this planet believes in you without exception!」
「TIP: ٩(<)٩」