It was actually great that an A-grade hunter had offered to help in such a selfless manner. Usually, A-grade hunters could stand their ground and refuse to help even if the government put pressure on them.
It was even more amazing when considering that during the situation in Paris, the A-grade hunters had delayed their responses despite the chaos.
However, all Choi Yeonseung did was help people. That was it. For some reason, he felt resentful about people’s assumptions.
Morales was unaware of the inner workings of Choi Yeonseung and said with a smile, “I knew it. I knew a hunter like you wouldn’t cowardly back down like other people.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung’s expression twisted subtly, and Aine whispered from next to him, “What is it? Do you have any problems with Hunter Wes Morales?”
“He knew I would participate unconditionally.”
“...Well, isn’t that right?”
“Regardless of whether it’s the right thing or not, I feel bad. Do I really seem like that?”
“...”It wasn’t that Aine didn’t understand what Choi Yeonseung was saying. She knew exactly what he meant. Wasn’t he essentially saying that he didn’t want others to treat him like some sort of saint? However…
‘I think it’s too late for that...’
In Aine’s eyes, it was already too late for Choi Yeonseung to change his image. He was just acting based on his instinct and common sense.
First of all, the large majority of hunters were just terrible. Just like petals enhanced the beauty of a flower, the other hunters made Choi Yeonseung seem like a saint with their terrible personalities.
In fact, looking at the actions of other A-grade hunters, Choi Yeonseung was quite strange.
[Gilbert Gerrity, the A-grade hunter from The Western Shields, participated in the charity event. Gilbert Gerrity said, ‘I’m delighted to participate in this charity event. As a hunter, it’s an honor to be able to bring some happiness to other people.’]
-You piece of trash, what the hell are you talking about?
-Hey, isn’t he the one who put pressure on the authorities to free the Western Shields hunters who were caught distributing drugs as a group?
-Oh, he’s the guy who fought with another clan and destroyed a street because he didn’t like the outcome, right? Son of a bitch!
-This guy should be taken to Mexico.
-What did the Mexicans do wrong? Send him to China!
-Hah. Everyone is so talkative. How can you say something like that about an A-grade hunter? You’ll only realize your mistake when you get in trouble later because there won’t be any A-grade hunters.
-There are fourteen other A-grade hunters aside from this guy. Even if he disappears, the US will be the same.
-But looking at it from this perspective, doesn’t it mean that there are only a few A-grade hunters left?
Basically, all A-grade hunters had stained their reputation with crimes like assault, selling and doing drugs, gambling, theft, vandalism, and so on. Because of that, people were afraid of A-grade hunters and kept quiet in front of them, and they certainly felt no gratitude toward them.
Smart people knew that A-grade hunters only stepped up when there was something in it for them. On the other hand, Choi Yeonseung...
[Choi Yeonseung, the A-grade hunter from the Icarus Clan, has acquired the Demon clan from South Korea. When a reporter asked him the reason for that, Choi Yeonseung responded, ‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll use them as sparring partners’...]
-You know, reporters in our country are a bit over the top. Do they have to go all the way to South Korea for an interview? No wonder why hunters are so sensitive.
-Oh my god. What could they possibly have to ask that they go all the way there?
-But I think that Hunter Choi Yeonseung uses too much violence.
-What are you saying? The words ‘too much’ should be used for the guy who burned down the streets. Do you think he’s using too much violence when he’s trying to save the citizens who don’t listen?
-Maybe that guy is a Chinese spy. I saw on the news that Chinese people often spread such rumors.
-What? Isn’t he a Russian spy?
-Yes. They do such despicable things because they’re close to South Korea!
-God, how could you do that?
-No... I’m not Chinese.
-So you’re trained as a Chinese spy?
Other hunters caused incidents during their breaks, but Choi Yeonseung did no such things. To be precise, he was so busy that he didn’t have time to cause trouble. On top of that, other A-grade hunters participated in raids once a year in order to keep themselves in shape, but they weren’t ready to take initiative and save citizens.
From Aine’s perspective, Choi Yeonseung had to do something like a mass shooting to ruin his image. The scary thing was that if he actually did that, some people would take his side.
‘It’s fascinating.’
Aine looked at Choi Yeonseung in wonder. How had he managed to gain so much support so quickly? No one besides Choi Yeonseung could’ve earned so much support. She told him, “I guess you have to accept your image and use it to your advantage.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung nodded with a dissatisfied expression.
The moment their conversation seemed to be over, Morales spoke again, “Have you finished your conversation? In any case, I’m here because I want to help. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad for no reason.”
“No... Thank you for coming. I am grateful for your help.”
“I heard interesting stories about the United Kingdom. I expected nothing less from you.”
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled as he hadn’t done much in regards to the United Kingdom. The most he had done was bring in the orcs and the nightmare demons. He had also expelled all the hunters who had still been on the side of the collector constellation.
“I haven’t really done anything though…”
“That’s actually a great thing. Other hunters would’ve been too greedy.”
From the perspective of other people, it was rather surprising that Choi Yeonseung hadn’t done much with the United Kingdom. Other A-grade hunters would’ve taken ten percent of the country’s wealth for themselves.
In fact, an A-grade hunter had heard the news about the United Kingdom and said, ‘Buckingham Palace will be a great party place. I’ll wait for an invitation from Hunter Choi Yeonseung.’ The fact that Choi Yeonseung hadn’t done anything was a testament to his willpower.
“You’re giving me too much credit. In any case, there would’ve been no point in being greedy and making all sorts of changes in the UK. Morales, you would’ve dealt with the UK in the same way, right?”
“Me?” Morales said curiously. “If I had occupied the United Kingdom, I would’ve confiscated all their property and given it to the Native Americans.”
“...”
Morales’ words turned out to be unexpectedly shocking, leaving Choi Yeonseung speechless.
“Isn’t… Isn’t that too much?”
“You think so? I don’t think it’s that extreme… The British are the ones who came to this country in the first place and trampled on the natives.
“Hmm. Well, when you put it like that…”
“Wake up...!” Aine panicked from the sidelines and stopped Choi Yeonseung from agreeing with Morales.
Since Morales was of Native American descent, it was natural that he had a grudge against the British, but the problems would only escalate if Choi Yeonseung fell for it.
“No. I’m not saying I’ll do that. It’s just that… It makes perfect sense.”
“As expected, I knew you would understand. The East still preserves the spirit of righteousness and justice.”
“No. That’s not it. You have some strange fantasies.”
“?!?”
Choi Yeonseung continued, “In any case, thank you for taking part in the Rutherford raid. I need to gather as many A-grade hunters as possible, so this works out well.”
“As expected, we need several A-grade hunters. I would like to introduce you to another A-grade hunter. He’s someone I know personally,” Morales suggested.
“Oh...”
A-grade hunters from the same country were more or less bound to know each other, but whether they were close or not was a different story.
More often than not, they weren’t close, so the fact that Morales knew an A-grade hunter personally…
Aine’s face brightened.
“That’s great, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s going to be helpful. I was expecting another thief.”
“...”
***
Nicholas Carter. He had a smooth muscular body and looked like he was in his forties. Choi Yeonseung could tell at a glance what fighting style this hunter had.
‘He’s a speed-type that specializes in close combat.’
He cast various destructive spells on his sword and speed-related buffs on himself. He then would use various movement skills and fight in a dazzling style. While this fighting style was appealing, not many people used it because of how dangerous it was. During the period when martials artists had almost disappeared, this style would’ve been considered the superior version of martial arts!
"Kuaaaaak!"
“Did you make a bet again?”
“Of course, I have to bet money. Those damn hunters!”
Carter stomped his feet in anger at Morales’ question. Under the VIP seats, hunters were fighting against each other.
Carter was watching the SSL.
“Why can’t they push the lane? It’s not that difficult! Just group up, kill them, and charge forward!”
“I don’t know and I’m not interested. Rather, I brought a distinguished guest here,” said Morales.
“?” Carter turned his head towards the so-called guest. “Hunter Choi Yeonseung?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nice to meet you!” Carter ran over quickly and shook Choi Yeonseung’s hand.
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled by the unexpectedly lively reception.
‘What?’
A-grade hunters rarely greeted each other like this when they met for the first time. They usually had to be vigilant in case the other person had some hidden intentions…
Morales also seemed puzzled, and asked, “You’re much happier than I expected. Were you waiting?”
"Of course. I already knew it. Hunter Choi Yeonseung is the same kind of person as me.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was slightly impressed by his words. It became clear to him that Nicholas Carter also liked training more than the average hunter. Of course, such a melee speed-type hunter was bound to be obsessed with training, given that one wrong movement could be the end of him.
“You know things.”
“Right? You said it as well. Now, which team are you betting on??”
“???”
“The match! The match! Which clan are you going to bet on?”
“...”
Hunter Choi Yeonseung realized that something was strange. What was going on with this bastard? “...Were you referring to the SSL when saying that we’re the same kind of people?”
“Of course. What else could I have referred to?” Carter looked at Choi Yeonseung as if wondering why he was asking something so obvious. “I knew it when I saw that you went all the way to South Korea and took over a clan. I thought to myself, ‘Ah, this hunter is the real deal.’ The moment you could afford it, you took the money and went to buy a clan. I can understand that very well.”
“You can’t beat up an A-grade hunter!” Aine whispered urgently. If such rumors spread, it was likely that other hunters would refuse to meet with Choi Yeonseung.
“No, Aine. What do you take me for?”
“S-Sorry. I was worried for some reason because of the chairman.”
‘Gyeongryong hyung...’
Based on what Aine said, it was clear that Hwang Gyeongryong had used his fists instead of the law quite a few times. In any case, it didn’t matter if this guy was a gambling addict or not. All Carter had to do was take care of one side of the siege.
Choi Yeonseung got straight to the point,
“Would you like to participate in the Rutherford S-grade dungeon raid?”
“Is that why you’re here?” Carter asked with a surprised expression.
Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded.
“Then why did you think I came here?”
“I thought you were here to talk about the SSL...”
‘Ah, this son of a bitch.’
Choi Yeonseung had to endure it.
Carter asked, “Are you planning on participating in the raid?”
“Yes. I’m going to participate.”
“...Have you sworn to the constellation that you would live a good and righteous life, sacrificing yourself for others? I’ve suspected this for a long time.”
“...”
The most absurd thing about this was that Carter was being dead serious. He wasn’t joking.
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