章節 229: CH : 210 The World in Uprore
One person's power equaled that of an entire country.
His name was Thomas Andre.
One of only five in the entire world. This was the confidence that only a Special Authority-rank Hunter, an international powerhouse, could possess.
***
"Let us escort you back home, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly made that offer as Jin stood up to leave.
"If you wait for a minute, one of our agents will bring a car around. How about going home with that, instead?"
"…."
Jin had fully understood that the Hunter's Association, and especially its boss man, Goh Gun-Hui, were feeling extremely grateful towards him.
However, that didn't mean he wanted to be treated like royalty even in something as minor as this.
It wasn't as if his home was too far away and he needed to borrow a car, either. If he wanted to save on time, he might as well ride on Kaisel. Or run all the way back home, which would actually be even quicker, instead and teleporting there would literally be instant.
That's why Jin declined the offer.
"Thank you, but I'll be fine."
However, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head and insisted on it.
"I believe that… it'll be more convenient for you to get a ride home."
"What do you mean by that….?"
Goh Gun-Hui approached the window and spoke to him.
"Could you please come over this way?"
Jin also walked over to the window, and that's when he saw it.
….Outside the window.
Less than one hour ago, the front entrance of the Association used to be sparsely populated. But now, a huge crowd of people had gathered there and he couldn't see any openings at all.
"All these people came here to see you, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. They have heard that you came for a visit in the Association."
Jin didn't have to ask how these people knew.
'Well, I did fly on Kaisel to get here, so….'
In this day and age, everyone walks around with a minimum of one camera on their person. The images of Jin riding on Kaisel, and disembarking in front of the Association, spread through the medium of SNS like wildfire. And sure enough, online reporters were also among those who heard of the news.
Just one headline was all that's needed. The article itself wasn't even that long, either.
'Who is the owner of the monster that landed in the Association?'?
The article stated that the monster was definitely not what one would call average, and that it was jet-black like a shadow. Finally, the article went on to posit that it was most likely one of Jin's summoned creatures, as it looked similar to what millions saw on their TV sets.
Those who heard the news and came here to confirm the truth, and those who only wished to meet Jin in person, combined to create this massive throng of people gathering right on the front lawn of the Association building.
Goh Gun-Hui also stared at the crowd in silence for a while, before he calmly opened his mouth.
"I'm sure that you're aware of it by now… Our countrymen had been thirsting for a victory."
South Korea became the sole nation on Earth who lost a part of their land to monsters after a catastrophic dungeon break occurred on Jeju Island four years ago.
Many countries outwardly expressed their solidarity but inwardly, they were mocking the Korean Hunters for their uselessness. By the time the third subjugation operation ended in failure, that sentiment reached its peak.
Two years of humiliation later….
People learned of the news that the fourth subjugation attempt would be a joint operation with the Japanese. There were some sceptical voices mocking the Koreans for their inability to deal with the monsters without the aid of the Japanese. Unfortunately, that was the actual hard truth.
But then….
The mighty Japanese and their twenty-plus rank S Hunters turned tail and ran away from the raid. Yet, Esdeath then Jin suddenly made his appearance along with his black soldiers. It was understandable that people would go absolutely crazy about them knowing full well they are both related and live together.
Exactly like a parched traveler quenching his thirst at an oasis, the citizens watched in awe as Esdeath and Jin's feats dispelled their sense of powerlessness. Overwhelmed with uncontainable joy, many viewers poured out onto the streets. Upon hearing of Jin's whereabouts, they rushed to find him. Esdeath, however, had vanished from sight almost immediately after the chopper landed. She wasn't with the other hunters at the hospital; instead, she had spoken briefly with Goh Gun-Hui, assuring him she was fine. Consequently, Goh Gun-Hui had his secretary personally escort her home.
As soon as the news of Jin, the second hero of the raid, spread, people abandoned everything and rushed to see the national hero who had made them proud. If Esdeath had been present, the crowd would likely have been even larger, attracting both jealous rivals and admirers. Perhaps that's why Esdeath made her quick escape as soon as the chopper landed, fully aware that people would flock to the scene the moment they heard the news.
It was easy for her to anticipate the reaction. After all, she was more than a general in the empire; she was a hero in the eyes of both the empire's army and its citizens.
"Of course, I'm sure you can also fly away using your monster."
Goh Gun-Hui gently chuckled from the side.
"However, I believe that you should go downstairs in consideration of the crowd. Because, the people… need a hero, you see."
***
Jin pushed open the glass door and exited from the Association building. All chaos suddenly died down right away.
Everyone gathered here kept their mouths closed and quietly stared at Jin.
"…."
"….."
Many areas of Jin's clothes still sported traces of battles he fought.
There were blotches of ant monster's bodily liquid, and some parts had been torn open at the hands of the mutated ant monster, too. However, not one person here made fun of Jin's current appearance.
No, the citizens simply stared at him in silence while feeling a certain boiling something well up from deep within their chests.
Jin quietly stared back at them as well. Just as the heavy silence descended between him and the citizens….
"Hunter-nim, please. This way."
Woo Jin-Cheol was now tasked with guiding Jin, and he faithfully carried out his duty.
The agents of the Monitoring Division went ahead and created a path forward while asking the crowd for their understanding; citizens moved aside without any complaints whatsoever.
However, there was a sole exception.
A grandpa walked in front of Jin when there wasn't that much distance left to the waiting car.
"Hunter-nim…."
One of the Monitoring Division's agents tried to stop the grandpa, but he hesitated somewhat after seeing the tear-soaked face of the old man, before he had to take a step back. Because Jin held the agent back, that's why.
The grandpa was finally able to stand before Jin. Thick tears streamed down his face and he called out to the young Hunter in a choked-up voice.
"Hunter-nim…. Thanks to you… My son could close his eyes long ago but could truly rest now."
The grandpa faltered as strength left his legs. Jin quickly supported him before he fell.
The grandpa held on to Jin's hands and arms and kept bowing his head over and over again.
"Thank you, Hunter-nim….. Truly, I….."
"I only did what had to be done. Please, do try to stand up."
Woo Jin-Cheol helped with assisting the grandpa, and then entrusted the still-crying old man to his subordinate. He leaned in closer and whispered to Jin.
"Hunter-nim. The crowd is getting larger. Perhaps we should get going…."
"Alright."
Jin nodded his head. Woo Jin-Cheol opened the car's rear door and held it there.
Jin took one last look at the crowd before climbing into the car.
It was unknown who started it first.
Someone within the crowd quickly lowered his head as soon as meeting Jin's gaze as a sign of a thank you, but then, everyone followed suit and did the same. Greetings filled with genuine appreciation came back to him wherever his eyes swept by.
"…..Hunter-nim."
Woo Jin-Cheol's anxious voice woke Jin up and only then did he fully climb into the car.
Woo Jin-Cheol entered the front passenger's seat while his subordinate settled into the driver's seat. Eventually, the car drove slowly away from the Association's grounds.
Without saying a word, Jin gazed outside the window.
The crowd kept looking at the car right up until it could no longer be seen.
He leaned back on the seat and placed his hand on his pounding chest.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump….
His heart was beating fast as the wonderful sense of accomplishment filled him up. He believed that the crowd wouldn't impact his emotions, but now he realizes it wasn't entirely true.
He initially felt at a loss when the Association President suggested that he should meet with the crowd. But now, he was glad that he didn't just walk past them.
It felt like every single gaze he met were his reward for a job well done.
It was then….
"Ah!"
Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly looked behind him after Jin inadvertently laugh.
"Did something happen, Hunter-nim??"
"….No, it's nothing important."
Jin remembered only now that he broke the TV without an explanation, just so he could reduce the shock his mom might feel. He helplessly massaged his forehead.
'Just how am I supposed to explain all this?'
Sure enough….
He switched his phone back on to find 13 missed calls from home.
***
It was pandemonium in online forums, too. But, that was to be expected.
The Jeju Island subjugation raid was the very first time Esdeath then later Jin made their public appearance in an official work, ever since getting their rank S licence. It was the same thing as them making their public debut.
And during their first public appearance, they overwhelmed the mutated monster ant that freaked out everyone, and then, Jin swept away thousands of ants blocking the escape route with his summoned creatures.
Like the excited fans pouring out into the streets after a match, those who witnessed the raid broadcast all logged online to voice their opinions.
└ Wow…. I'm speechless….
└ Esdeath nearly killed that monster. WOW
└ We still haven't seen her use her ice magic.
└ But, I thought that you can't call out that many summoned creatures?
└ Is it possible for her to achieve the same result using only ice?.
└ My sibling regained the ability to walk after observing how effortlessly Esdeath handled that creature.
└ My ten-year-old tumour got cured from watching the assault of Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim's summoned creatures.
└ By the way, mister? That tumour must've been a minor one since you had it for only ten years.
└ It was so cool. It was the best.
└ I lost my parents four years ago on Jeju Island. I know that Esdeath and Sung Jin-Woo Hunter-nim won't read this, but….
The operation managed to capture the interest of all South Korean citizens. It was no wonder that various online forums were overflowing with the stories related to the raid. Esdeath and Jin's name always cropped up in those discussions.
Also, a hot debate regarding how high Esdeath and Jin's skills and strength should be rated opened up among the netizens famed for their love of comparisons.
└ With their powers, shouldn't we say that our country now also has at least a Special Authority-rank in our midst?
└ Eiii. With only that? You should limit your intake of Kimchi soup per day.
└ But, why not? He almost solo cleared a rank S dungeon, and the gap between him and other rank S Hunters is pretty vast, you know?
└ Yes I agree with you and not mention how Ice Queen herself didn't even bother to use a single I've Skill besides those floating swords.
└ Certainly. I'd like to share a confidential observation about the Association. I've witnessed Esdeath's S-rank hunter examination, and I can assure you that her destructive capabilities surpass even those of Hunter Jin..
└ Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's record isn't extensive enough. If his skills are for real, then people will acknowledge him sooner or later.
└ "What do you mean by that? Haven't you seen the mountain of monster corpses he created? Do you honestly think he stole them? And why isn't anyone discussing this? Are you blind or something?"
└ Yes about his space magic.
└ In any case, man, they are so freaking cool Literally...
└ A rank E is only a bit better than a regular person, so how can someone like that become so strong?
└ Is Hunter Sung Jin-Woo a Re-Awakened?
└ Lots of people don't seem to know that Sung Jin-Woo is a Re-Awakened. He applied to have his private information protected right away, same hunter Esdeath we know their relationship because they don't shy away from showing love and affection in public. So…..
Of course, there were some people among many who felt mighty uncomfortable about Esdeath's late arrival and Jin's eventual take over of raid, and both of them playing with the monster, especially Jin as well as.
└ But, hold up…. If Sung Jin-Woo or Esdeath participated in the raid from the get-go, Min Byung-Gu wouldn't have died, right?
└ He wanted to be left out in the beginning, so why did he show up in the middle?
└ The absence of Esdeath from the list is quite interesting. It appears that she had a change of heart at the last moment. She was with the group during the raid, but curiously vanished just before it began.
└ I don't even know what to make of this.
└ Looks like guys above mine haven't seen the article put up by the Association explaining themselves yet.
└ What article? Links please.
The contents of the article went like this.
Even though they were ranked S, both Jin and Esdeath lacked experience in entering high-ranked dungeons. Therefore, the Association chose to keep them in reserve nearby in case of an emergency, instead of making them join the raid team from the beginning. Once the situation became dire, they decided to insert them right away.
It was a hastily-cooked up story, but it proved to be enough to convince the masses.
'This is the best I can do for Hunter Esdeath and Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.'
Goh Gun-Hui's quick response was able to stop the sharp arrows of criticism from pointing at Jin and Esdeath, while also managing to keep the latter's private affairs out of public limelight.
Thanks to that, some people denounced the inability of the Association to properly gauge the capabilities of their own Hunters, but no one pointed the fingers of blame in Jin's direction.
No, Jin's acclaim only rose even further in the eyes of the public.
The situation was at its worst point, with the Japanese team tasked with buying time having withdrawn from the island and the Korean team facing certain annihilation. Yet, they didn't complain once and jumped into the ant tunnel all alone.
└ I wouldn't have been able to go in there, even if someone pushed me from the back, 'cuz I'd get scared sh*tless. Other rank S Hunters were getting massacred in there, so why should I?
└ Agreed.
└ What did he think about when she and then he entered there?
└ Shouldn't Esdeath and Sung Jin-Woo be the true role model of all the Hunters out there?
└ Shouldn't those idiots slagging off hunter Esdeath and hunter Sung Jin-Woo for not participating beg for his forgiveness right about now?
└ LOLOLOL That's why you shouldn't yap on like that when you don't know shit.
Esdeath and Jin were fast becoming the most famous Hunters in South Korea, much to their ownfluster. Even though he had requested for the protection of his private information early on, their fame continued to soar higher.
One the whole, unaware of all this Jin was still in the car as they were about to reach his home.
'Stats.'
The familiar mechanical beep rang out in his ear.
Ding.
"Status"
[Name: Sung Jin-Woo]
[Level: 150 [86%]
[Class: Monarch of Shadows]
[Subclass: Locked]
[Title: Bug Killer, Bane Of Holy, Limit Breaker, Demon Slayer, Lord of Death, (38 more)]
[HP: 55,255/55,255 R: 24.3% [2971.39 per Minute]
[MP: 93,354/93,354 R: 45.87% [18,241.26 per Minute]
[???: 1097 R: 5% (35) per Minute]
[Tiredness: 0]
[Stats]
STR : 375
End : 359
AGI : 340
INT : 495
PER : 340
(Available stat points: 95)
Seeing that almost all of his Stats were now about to reach '400', a satisfied smile crept up on his face.
Not bad for a couple of days of work, all things considered. Still there's something that was bugging me and when will I unlock my subclass? have already reached LV : 150. I've got so many levels that I could take on any creature in the universe.
Then why?
Once I completely inherit Ashborn's powers and memories, will it unlock?
Or will I need to keep grinding until I reach level 200? . If so the experience requirements are quite high, especially after level 150.
The EXP requirements beyond 150 are like climbing Mount Everest with a spoon.
So this universe won't do it. I am quite confident in my assertion.
But Hopping Universe won't be good either as I don't even know where will be I thrown this time? Just in case something unexpected happened like a God boss out of nowhere, it could happen after all with 'Serendipity Shard' is all about that RNG.
Every bit was accumulated. Feeling a body Buch stronger than before Jin somewhat understood why most Isekai protagonists like the grind.
This feeling of growing strength can really be very addictive.
As Jin was lost in contemplation, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, interrupting his train of thought.
Jin glanced at his phone and noticed another notification. He realized who the sender was, as his phone was usually set to priority mode.
The number of people who could reach out to him was quite limited with priority mode.
And it was none other then Esdeath he received a message from Esdeath.
It says.
"Come on up, Room 1903! - - - - - Hotel"
With this massage he didn't need to think twice.
So without much conversation his Jin whooshed, and rushed straight to the hotel with his highest speed without damaging public property.
After reaching the hotel he rushed straight into the hotel and went straight to the elevator. Make his way up to the room and arrived.
The door to the room was also left open, and when he went in, it was a confined space with curtains and everything drawn.
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