Chapter 65
Hunter Lee Shin (1)
“Damn it, you worthless bastards! You couldn’t even handle one simple task properly!”
A vicious voice thundered through the room.
It sounded like the growl of a wild beast.
The owner of the voice was Zhang Jiang.
An S-rank hunter from China.
“You couldn’t obtain one measly item. You couldn’t even abduct one person from that insignificant little country. Is there anything you useless fools can do properly? Huh?”
“....”
“We-we’re sorry.”
Everything Zhang Jiang had ordered had ended in failure.
They had failed both to obtain Lee Shin’s item and to bring back Lee Shin, the person who had created it.
That was unforgivable.
How dare a minor nation defy the will of a great power?
Of course, the Chinese government had grievances of its own.
‘...Does he think that was an easy task?’
Lee Shin was currently attracting attention from the entire world.
Every item he released had the potential to transform the hunter industry. China might possess immense financial resources, but the United States and the other major powers were hardly easy competitors.
Of course, China could have secured at least a few items if it had been willing to spend aggressively.
‘But whose fault is it that our budget is already depleted...?’
Not long ago, the Chinese government had borne an enormous expense for Zhang Jiang.
Because of that ill-tempered hunter’s poor performance, China’s representative hunter had been on the verge of being demoted to A-rank.
In this changed world, possessing an S-rank hunter was directly connected to a nation’s strength. Whether to prepare for the approaching Fifth Cycle or preserve the pride of the continent, China had no choice but to support Zhang Jiang, even if it had to overextend itself.
‘He confidently claimed that if we bought him that equipment, he’d perform so spectacularly that the other S-ranks couldn’t even compare....’
What a load of shit.
Even after monopolizing every form of support, he had only barely managed to cling to his S-rank status. Without the government’s wholehearted backing, he would have fallen to A-rank long ago.
“Do you not understand how important this is? That long-nosed British bastard, who used to be far beneath me, has overtaken me! That should never have been possible. It happened because you incompetent fools failed to obtain that Korean bastard’s equipment!”
“Your incompetence has broken the spirit of the continent!”
Bullshit.
Even before purchasing Lee Shin’s equipment, Hunter William of Britain had enjoyed a brilliant career. Whenever the world’s hunters were ranked, he had consistently placed among the top ten.
Naturally, Zhang Jiang was not someone who could be compared to him.
Not in ability, and certainly not in character.
“Yes, it was entirely our fault. So please calm your anger. Please....”
Of course, they could not say any of that aloud.
In this changed world, hunters always held the upper hand.
‘How long does the Communist Party intend to continue employing Zhang Jiang?’
China possessed many talented hunters.
If even a fraction of the astronomical resources spent on Zhang Jiang had been redirected toward them, China’s standing in the international community would undoubtedly have been different.
The reason that had not happened was probably—
“If you disappoint me one more time, I’ll tell my father everything about your incompetence.”
Politics.
‘...How pathetic.’
Zhang Jiang had been personally inserted into his position by one of the Party’s highest-ranking officials.
It was almost laughable.
The world had changed, but this country had not.
“I’m sick of looking at you. Get out!”
Bang!
Wei Chen, chairman of the Chinese Hunter Association, was practically thrown out of the room.
He trudged away.
There was no strength in his steps.
‘This is hopeless.’
Unlike in most countries, the Chinese Hunter Association was not an independent organization. It functioned as a subordinate body of the Communist Party.
It was responsible not only for training and supporting hunters and supervising the rifts that appeared, but also for obeying the Party’s commands and carrying out “irrational assignments.”
It was ridiculous.
‘They’ve all grown far too complacent.’
The people in power did not understand.
They did not understand how terrifying a catastrophe the rifts truly were.
Consequently, they had no idea how critical it was to train hunters and manage the rifts. Their world remained trapped in the era before the year 2000.
Or perhaps they knew and simply did not care.
Perhaps they believed that no matter what happened to China or its citizens, the only things that mattered were their own political games and enriching themselves.
‘Do they truly believe China is the entire world?’
The world now revolved around Lee Shin.
The United States and other major powers were desperate to establish close relations with South Korea. Not long ago, the President of the United States had even held a private meeting with Lee Shin.
And China?
China was paying dearly for provoking him.
“Chairman, the hunters who signed agreements with us have contacted us....”
“Germany says it will stop supplying equipment.”
“Russia has also....”
They were being penalized throughout the international community.
‘At this rate, all hunter exchanges will cease.’
‘If we cannot receive support from the United States with the Fifth Cycle approaching, we’ll be in genuine danger. We barely survived the Fourth Cycle as it was, all because Hunter Zhang Jiang failed to do his share....’
A crisis would soon arrive.
‘Public opinion is at its lowest point.’
‘The Party is suppressing it, but the overall reaction to this incident has been overwhelmingly negative. No one understands why we would do something like this....’
‘It also appears to be influenced by the rapidly expanding cult.’
Even the reactions of China’s own citizens were cold.
‘What is going to happen to this country?’
Sigh!
Wei Chen released a deep sigh.
Then—
“Chairman Wei Chen?”
A voice called from behind him as he walked down the corridor.
“...Who are you?”
A man stood there with a hat pulled low over his face.
“You must be dissatisfied with quite a few things right now.”
“...?”
“I’m certain you are. Unlike the others, you are a wise man, Chairman Wei Chen. If this country did not have someone like you, it would have collapsed long ago.”
The man spoke in a whisper.
“You’ve heard of the Church of Lee Shin, haven’t you?”
As he spoke, he subtly moved closer.
Uncomfortably close.
“I’ve come here to help you, Chairman.”
Then he said,
“Why don’t we begin with a simple test of your ideological beliefs?”
***
There were countless rifts.
That was only natural. They appeared simultaneously throughout the world, and more than twenty years had passed since the first rift opened.
Moreover, not a single one had ever been closed during that entire period.
Of course, things were different now.
An exceptional case named Lee Shin had appeared.
Every country on Earth had requested Lee Shin’s help. Lee Shin had never realized that so many countries existed.
From renowned global powers to countries whose names he had never heard before... everyone wanted Lee Shin.
There were far too many candidates for him to evaluate alone, so he asked Dawn Management to help him decide which rift to close first.
Fortunately, with Manager Kim Dongseok’s assistance, the selection process did not take long.
“Hello, Lord Shin!”
Seong Chanyang approached from a distance, waving cheerfully.
She wore a straw hat and a refreshing summer dress and pulled a suitcase behind her.
Judging from her appearance alone, one might have thought she was leaving on vacation.
“We’re seeing each other again so soon. Hehe.”
“We certainly are. I didn’t expect you to accompany me, Hunter Seong Chanyang.”
Seong Chanyang smiled brightly.
“Of course I had to come with you!”
“I thought Manager Kim Dongseok was supposed to accompany me—”
“Oh, come on. Mister is busy!”
And you aren’t busy, Hunter Seong Chanyang?
Lee Shin was about to ask that question but decided against it.
“You’re going to Hong Kong this time, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was true.
After repeatedly narrowing down the candidates for the first rift he would close, Lee Shin had chosen the rift in Hong Kong.
‘They said it was one of the rifts responsible for the greatest number of incidents.’
Because it had not been properly supervised and its initial response had been poorly handled, the rift had gone berserk several times.
It had experienced another outbreak only recently. Hunters from countries around the world had been assembled and had barely managed to suppress it.
The rift was also enormous.
It was approximately four times larger than an ordinary rift. Consequently, whenever it went berserk, it inflicted astronomical damage, making it a persistent source of trouble.
Lee Shin had several reasons for choosing this rift.
First, the other candidates in Africa and Greenland were too far away. They were also relatively small and posed less danger.
And....
‘This rift is steeped in an exceptional amount of resentment and sorrow.’
That was true of both the living and the dead.
Countless grudges were bound to that rift.
“Have you ever visited Hong Kong before?”
“No. This is actually my first time leaving the country.”
“Y-your first time? Really?”
“Yes.”
“....”
“Hehe.... Then your first overseas trip will be with me?”
“I suppose so...?”
Strictly speaking, this was not a “trip.”
“That’s wonderful! I’ve been to Hong Kong a lot, you know? Its rift has been going berserk constantly for years, so hunters were summoned there at least once every quarter. Anyway, I’m more knowledgeable than most professional guides, so I’ll teach you everything from beginning to end!”
“Haha....”
“....”
“Of course, I’ve never visited it as a tourist either. Hehe. Wait—then this will also be my first trip to Hong Kong with you, Lord Shin. It’ll be the first trip for both of us?”
Again, this was not a vacation. It was work.
“I’m strangely excited. Hehe.”
Well, there was no need to dampen her enthusiasm.
“Oh, right. Hong Kong was also where one of your items recently demonstrated its power. Hunter William of Britain equipped the [Flame Cloak for the Heavens] and stopped an entire monster wave by himself without anyone else’s help. He achieved a truly incredible feat.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Thanks to that, all the people questioning your equipment went quiet. Previously, a small number of people were saying things like, ‘Isn’t it too expensive?’ or ‘Isn’t he exploiting hunters by playing games with the price of equipment meant to help them?’ Everyone accepts its value now, though!”
So that had happened.
Lee Shin had not known because he had paid little attention to the matter.
“Anyway, I’m really excited. This is my first time traveling alone with someone!”
“Uh....”
Hmm.
“There is also a believer with an excellent name—me!”
“My God, my God! This lowly Eve is ten times more excited than that sister! If you permit it, I could express the full extent of my excitement through my halo!”
They were not exactly traveling alone.
[This old man is watching over you as well.]
[My God, my God! Jude wants to go on a trip too!]
[Yaaawn. Wake me if you find any flowers or grass.]
There were quite a few others accompanying them.
‘Strictly speaking, they aren’t human, though.’
And—
[Unknown God.]
There was also one newly added follower.
[Whenever you require a blade, call upon me.]
Mars, the Ironman.
‘Surely, nothing will happen that requires me to summon him immediately.’
Nothing unusual would happen.
Probably.