Chapter 64
Intermediate God Lee Shin (3)
After picking up his chopsticks, Chairman Yoon Suil quietly continued eating instead of launching into the speech he had prepared. Every so often, he expressed his admiration for the food.
Then, in the middle of the meal, he spoke.
“Hunter Lee Shin, why do you like this country?”
He tossed out the question as though it were nothing.
“There must have been plenty of places offering you better terms.”
His tone remained casual.
Lee Shin was currently the only hunter in the world capable of closing rifts. He could even produce equipment that enhanced the strength of other hunters.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that no hunter in the world was currently more valuable than Lee Shin.
Contracts were a practical matter.
Countless hunters transferred to other countries to earn even slightly higher salaries, receive slightly greater honor, or secure slightly better terms.
And in Chairman Yoon Suil’s honest opinion... South Korea was too small a vessel to contain Lee Shin.
Why had he decided to remain here?
Yoon Suil was genuinely curious.
“What exactly do you mean by better terms?”
“...Excuse me?”
Lee Shin answered calmly.
“If I were paid more, lived in a luxurious mansion, ate the finest delicacies every day, and reigned like a king over a foreign land where I had no memories... would that really make my life better than it is now?”
“....”
“Better terms. A better life. Is there a single correct definition for those things?”
It was the sort of answer one might expect from an old man who had already experienced everything life had to offer, not a young man in his twenties.
At first glance, it even sounded philosophical.
Chairman Yoon Suil was rendered speechless.
As he sat there blankly, Lee Shin spoke again.
“Then why do you like this country, Chairman?”
“...I’ve lived here all the way to this age. Where else would I go?”
“Then let’s say my reason is the same.”
“You’ve only just entered your twenties....”
“Age isn’t what matters. What matters is that both of us have spent our entire lives on this land.”
Yoon Suil let out an involuntary chuckle.
“...Things will become quite turbulent once the new cycle begins. You may be extraordinary, Hunter Lee Shin, but you’ve never experienced the beginning of a new cycle as a hunter. It will be chaotic, and perhaps even frightening.”
“Everyone lives like that.”
“No one knows what will happen tomorrow. No one knows what might happen after the sun sets and evening arrives, or what will happen when today ends and tomorrow dawns. No one knows whether they’ll suddenly be struck by lightning on a rainy day or slip and fall while walking with a cup of coffee in their hand.”
Once again, it was a remarkably unusual answer.
“Did you spend your childhood cultivating enlightenment in the mountains?”
“People ask me that often.”
Yoon Suil had asked the question sincerely.
By then, they had almost finished eating.
“...Ahem. Don’t be late next time.”
“Oh, did you wait long?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.... Ahem. I was worried. I wondered whether something urgent had happened or whether you might be in danger....”
Everything Chairman Yoon Suil had muttered before Lee Shin’s arrival had been sincere.
People often misunderstood him because of his distinctive manner of speaking and intimidating appearance, but every hunter close to him knew the truth.
Lee Shin smiled casually.
“All right. I won’t be late next time.”
“Chairman, did your conversation go well?”
“Yes.”
After finishing the meal, Chairman Yoon Suil returned to his car. The moment he sat in the back seat, his secretary bombarded him with questions.
“What was he like in person? Is he really different?”
“He was certainly different.”
“Really? People online say that merely making eye contact with him clears your mind, washes away all your fatigue, and makes you feel ten years younger....”
“...What the hell have you been watching? Is Hunter Lee Shin some kind of germanium bracelet?”
I keep telling you to stop believing everything you see online.
Hearing the lecturing tone in Yoon Suil’s voice, the secretary hurriedly changed the subject. At the same time, he closed the NewTube video from the Church of Lee Shin he had been watching moments earlier:
<100 Reasons You Must Meet Lord Lee Shin Before You Die>
“So, did he say he’ll remain in Korea?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“Wow, how on earth did you win him over? According to the news, the United States offered Hunter Lee Shin a salary in the trillions of won.... There’s also talk of other countries preparing offers that are just as impressive. No matter whom you ask, Hunter Lee Shin is the biggest prize in this stove league.”
“He says he likes Korea. I suppose he’s fond of our beautiful homeland.”
“...You’re not trying to make a joke, are you?”
“I’m serious, you punk.”
The secretary narrowed his eyes at Yoon Suil.
He clearly found it difficult to believe.
“...Korea is a good country to live in, isn’t it? We have beautiful scenery, and what was it... K-food is famous worldwide. You can go overseas and eat pasta or whatever, but eventually, you start craving kimchi. And besides—”
“Hmm. Is that really enough...?”
Even Yoon Suil had to admit that his own explanation sounded ridiculous.
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Anyway, he said he’ll stay here, but make sure we still offer him the best possible terms. Remain in constant contact with Dawn Management, and if there’s anything else he wants, give it to him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And... make sure we thoroughly crush those Chinese bastards.”
Yoon Suil’s gaze changed instantly.
“Of course.”
“It was obviously that bastard, Zhang Jiang, wasn’t it?”
“There’s no one else it could have been. He tried to get the equipment for next to nothing because he wanted to save money. Then he lost the item, got pissed off, and threw a tantrum. It’s obvious what happened. Every other S-rank hunter is soaring after purchasing Hunter Lee Shin’s equipment, while he alone has failed to produce any decent results. Judging by his current performance, he couldn’t complain even if he were demoted from S-rank to A-rank.”
“He never had any real skill. He barely maintained his S-rank by throwing money around and relying on expensive equipment. Now he’s finally being exposed.”
“I can’t argue with that. Hunter Seong Chanyang has been outperforming him for the past three years.”
“That’s because our Hunter Seong Chanyang is exceptional. She’s our nation’s little-sister hunter who raised Korea’s prestige by making K-hunters famous worldwide! How dare you compare her to some Chinese bastard who relies entirely on his equipment....”
“‘The Nation’s Little-Sister Hunter’ is a really outdated expression. Nobody uses it these days, Chairman.”
“...Really?”
How did trends change so quickly?
Feeling embarrassed, Chairman Yoon Suil looked out the window.
‘What a relief.’
The stove league season before the beginning of a new cycle had always been a time of crisis.
Japan, China, Russia....
How often had South Korea been pushed around by neighboring countries that behaved little differently from gangsters during these periods? Even the United States, despite being an ally, had frequently begun revealing its ambitions.
Talented individuals were precious in this small country.
Whenever a hunter showed even the slightest potential, other countries immediately tried to snatch them away.
And many had actually been taken.
Every time that happened, Yoon Suil felt as though his insides were burning.
‘This time will be different.’
Everyone would covet Lee Shin.
But Hunter Lee Shin was not someone they could manipulate to satisfy their momentary greed. His influence had already reached a global level, and anyone who attempted an underhanded scheme and made even the slightest mistake would have to endure international condemnation.
The only hunter capable of closing rifts!
The only hunter who possessed the potential to end the catastrophe for which no one had found an answer since the beginning of the new millennium....
The only hunter who might save humanity was Lee Shin.
‘A new era is coming.’
Once the Fifth Cycle began, the world would revolve around Hunter Lee Shin. Numerous hunters who had already sensed the changing atmosphere had even expressed interest in transferring to South Korea.
That would have been unimaginable during the previous stove league season.
‘Perhaps the era has already changed.’
Chairman Yoon Suil could not suppress the smile spreading across his face.
Just then, a man climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Ah. Sorry I’m late. I was placing a takeaway order.”
“A takeaway order?”
“Yes. You told me to get something for Hunter Lee Shin....”
“What did you order?”
“Um... twenty sets of salmon sushi....”
“What took you so long?”
“Ahem. Hunter Lee Shin seemed to like salmon, so....”
“....”
“....”
Everyone stared strangely at Chairman Yoon Suil.
He waved his hands and shouted.
“An adult should pay for things like this! Hunter Lee Shin may be famous now, but he’s still a young man who only recently became a hunter! And he devoured the sushi the instant it arrived as though he hadn’t eaten in days! Oh, right. Send some red ginseng and side dishes to his house too!”
As Yoon Suil continued shouting, everyone had the same thought.
‘He probably has more money than you, Chairman.’
Because Lee Shin had spoken philosophically like a monk who had renounced all worldly possessions, Yoon Suil had forgotten one simple fact.
Lee Shin was rich.
He received three hundred million dollars a month from the United States in equipment rental fees alone.
Naturally, that was three hundred million dollars, not won.
Converted into Korean currency, it amounted to approximately 434.2 billion won.
“I don’t regret spending a single won! Not one!”
“Did you buy out the entire restaurant?”
When Lee Shin returned home, his father immediately complained.
“How are we supposed to eat all this?”
Fortunately, there was no need to worry.
“My God, my God! Eve could die today without a single regret! Ah, but I suppose I cannot die thanks to the sacred relic you bestowed upon me! Kyahahaha!”
Eve neatly finished every remaining set of salmon sushi.
‘He was an entertaining man.’
Chairman Yoon Suil possessed a pure soul without any dark ulterior motives. Lee Shin was always favorably disposed toward people like him.
He was merciless toward those who were the opposite, though.
‘He said things will become turbulent.’
Come to think of it, Choi Bom had told him something similar. She had said that numerous incidents always occurred before the beginning of a new cycle....
‘Will it affect Bom too?’
Choi Bom would graduate from the Academy and officially become a hunter immediately before the Fifth Cycle began. That meant she would sign her first contract during the chaotic stove league season.
‘I should help her later.’
Before Lee Shin awakened, Choi Bom had helped him a great deal. Now that he was in a position to help her, he intended to support her as much as he could.
‘Is there anything I need to do right now?’
The small world was developing rapidly.
[The road needs to go here!]
[Who designed this? Were you planning to pack the entire area with buildings?]
[Please use your brains! You dwarves, our land is enormous now! If you build things this recklessly, how will anyone travel? Are you planning to smash through every wall whenever you move between cities? Please think about the absolute basics before you start building!]
[But this design is more romantic....]
[Shut up!]
The dwarves were diligently developing the newly expanded territories.
[The world has changed. Come with us.]
[Is it truly acceptable for outcasts like us to enter the world?]
[Yes. A new world has arrived.]
Mars traveled in search of the scattered Ironmen, spreading Lee Shin’s faith among them.
Some Ironmen still believed in Beliar, but Mars was initially concentrating his efforts on the outcasts—those who had been rejected because they could not fight properly or possessed different dispositions from the others.
Mars’s missionary efforts were slow but steadily bearing fruit.
Perhaps Ironmen would someday walk through the dwarven cities as well.
[Yaaawn. I don’t want another city. I want to plant trees.]
[Can’t we grow flowers? Flowers are beautiful.]
[I want to make a flower garden....]
The druid dinosaurs did not appear particularly pleased with the dwarves’ plan to transform the entire territory into an industrial metropolis.
The desire to create a world overflowing with plants was a druid’s instinct!
Even after filling Large but Lazy World with flower gardens, their druidic instincts remained restless.
Whenever they saw empty land, they could not resist the urge to cover it in flowers.
‘They’ll work out a compromise on their own.’
Whatever the result, it would surely be something in which everyone’s contributions blended harmoniously.
Lee Shin simply felt pleased to see so many different forms of life living together.
In any case, there did not appear to be anything he needed to do immediately.
He had no divine power left either.
‘Then....’
Lee Shin reached a single conclusion.
‘Should I reduce the number of rifts before the new cycle begins?’
He would enter some rifts.
‘It shouldn’t be dangerous, right?’
During the previous Cheorwon rift, he had encountered a demon and activated [True Justice]. Thanks to that, he had been able to win easily.
Would the same thing happen this time?
「TIP: ...Who exactly are you worried will be in danger?」
But Lee Shin did not realize something.
「TIP: You mean the monsters, right?」
「TIP: (-_-);;」
He had no idea how much stronger he had become since then.