Chapter 449

For a while, a strange exchange of glances passed between us and the Legendary-grade greatsword.

At that moment, the name Seo Esther suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Oh, right."

To be precise, I was recalling the accomplishments that the S-rank Awakened, Seo Esther, had recently achieved.

"Come to think of it, the private tutoring that nearly fell through finally got back on track, and while I was at it, I even visited Esther this morning to explain the whole guild-management situation..."

During that visit earlier this morning, I had heard some news. Apparently, the purple-haired nurse user had finally secured full authorization to use the [Book of Destruction]. If the nation's security were ever seriously threatened, she would become the book's official wielder—or so they said.

"As expected, the collapse of the central force behind the Beast Incident was largely due to my actions. Well, considering Spectrum's CEO was sentenced to life imprisonment, there's no way that wouldn't have had an impact."

However, South Korea would never openly reveal such a powerful trump card as the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Book of Destruction. Whether by pretending to have no weapon at all or by acting as though they possessed overwhelming strength—that, after all, was one of the nation's oldest survival strategies.

Revealing too quickly that a powerful weapon had appeared on South Korean soil would bring no benefit. If a crisis threatening the nation's survival occurred and a powerful foreign Awakener rushed in to help, then while fighting side by side with them, South Korea might inevitably be forced to reveal the trump card it had been hiding.

In other words, even a patriot like Esther wouldn't wholeheartedly welcome the dispatch of foreign hunters.

"It's a promise of assistance that I secured on my own anyway. So, well... even if I accept their proposal however I want, it shouldn't really be a problem."

There really didn't seem to be any reason to refuse this deal.

"I'm suddenly overwhelmed with emotion."

I closed my eyes for a few seconds as a wave of emotion washed over me.

"Back when I was an F-rank, I was trembling like a leaf just trying to survive... and now I can obtain a Legendary just by sitting still."

And originally, the moment that brief reflection ended... I had planned to reach out and take the [Greatsword of the Sun God] sitting right in front of me.

"A-Anyway!"

But before I could, Iori hurriedly spoke again.

"You can inspect the weapon anytime."

"Uhm."

"Ranker Kim Giryeo, I'm sorry, but we'd really appreciate it if you could reach a decision on our offer as quickly as possible!"

When he suddenly began rushing me, I grew curious and asked what was going on.

"Why does this need to be decided so quickly?"

Iori replied.

"I hate to complain after coming all this way, but the current situation in our country is quite serious."

"Yes?"

"Especially since conditions in the Awakened industry have deteriorated considerably. We need to determine what will happen to the [Legendary] as quickly as possible."

At first glance, what he said sounded plausible.

"Ah, I see. So that's the situation..."

But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Lately, I'd been checking online news more often, and in the process, I'd come across this exact headline no fewer than five times.

[Japan sheds its stigma of having the "lowest ratio of top-tier awakened" relative to GDP... Fifth S-rank Hunter officially recognized]

A moment passed. After gathering my thoughts, I quickly spoke again.

"Wait, something doesn't add up. Could your country really be in such a bad situation right now?"

"Uhm..."

"But I thought your country had just gained a new S-rank Awakener a few days ago?"

Of course, reality was different from what I'd assumed.

"There's a reason."

"Is that so?"

"Actually... it's precisely because that new S-rank appeared that our situation became worse."

Iori began explaining why the emergence of a fifth S-rank wasn't necessarily something to celebrate.

"Since you're already familiar with the background, this may go faster than expected. To start with, yes. A new S-rank emerged in our country this month."

"Hmm."

"However, as you may have read in the news, that Awakened person wasn't originally Japanese."

"Aah."

"They obtained permanent residency at the same time they became a psychic."

It was similar to the trick Brooklyn Morgan had once tried to pull on me.

"In America, talent moving between countries like this happens fairly often, but honestly, it's extremely rare in Eastern countries."

Click.

Hunter Iori fiddled with a translator as he continued.

"First of all, we have no idea under what circumstances the fifth S-rank left their homeland."

"So you're saying people like you and Ito don't know either?"

"Yes. The four S-ranks from old Imabari."

Around then, the guest sitting in the chair took another drink of water to wet his throat.

"Because we've been in severe conflict with the country's non-awakened elite for a long time, all of us have been reluctant to share information with the Awakened Management Agency."

"Hmm."

"But in the middle of all that, a new S-rank suddenly appeared, right?"

"Yes."

"What's more, supposedly the Management Agency actively recruited them, and that alone was enough for the person to leave their homeland and come to Japan. Honestly, the circumstances are somewhat suspicious."

The other man cautiously continued while watching my reaction.

"Well, let's say it's a good thing that the number of S-ranks increased thanks to the competent efforts of the Awakened Management Agency..."

Iori slowly set down the cup he'd been drinking from.

"But that's exactly what made us wary. No matter how you look at it, the S-rank who joined us this time doesn't seem to be on our side."

Us.

For the record, there was no need to single out that word and ask what he meant by it.

"It's as if that person has no intention whatsoever of getting along with Japan's native S-ranks... And judging from the circumstances, it seemed all too obvious that they were rejecting their fellow mutants and siding with the Management Agency..."

Soon afterward, Iori took it upon himself to elaborate.

"Ah! And just to be clear, I'm absolutely not discriminating against him because he's an immigrant."

"I see."

"I like all countries! In fact, if there's an outstanding foreigner like Ranker Kim Giryeo, I'll acknowledge them immediately regardless of their ethnicity, you know?"

Well, hearing that he didn't look down on immigrants from distant countries was certainly pleasant from my perspective.

"But that fifth Awakened... there's just something really strange about him. It's almost as if he's openly declaring himself an enemy within!"

Iori's expression gradually grew more serious.

"That's why I asked you to make your intentions regarding this [Greatsword of the Sun God] clear as quickly as possible."

"You'll have to explain that in a little more detail."

"Right now, only a few of the Imabari Guild's highest-ranking members know about the [Greatsword of the Sun God]... but as time passes, this information could very well reach the new S-rank, couldn't it?"

"I see."

"But if it comes to light that there was actually a Legendary in Japan, that fifth S-rank will immediately report it to the Management Agency."

"...I see."

"The item we've been managing would end up in the hands of the non-awakened leadership. There would be absolutely no way for us to stop it."

The situation, tangled in the complicated interests of the Earthlings, gradually became clear.

"Even if the Management Agency catches so much as a hint of this information, from that moment onward, we'll never be able to handle this artifact as we please."

"Aha."

"Using it to demonstrate the greatness of our beloved homeland to the world... sigh. Well, I wouldn't necessarily mind if that were the weapon's eventual fate."

"You're worried because the people at the top are hostile toward Awakened individuals, is that it?"

"It's fairly obvious, isn't it? If the Greatsword of the Sun God falls into the hands of a power group that has openly treated psychics as taboo, what do you think will happen afterward?"

Well, the primitive sorcerers of Earth would certainly face tremendous persecution.

Still, no matter how I thought about it, this part seemed like something of a leap in logic. I quietly listened to his explanation for a while longer, then, after some consideration, spoke up.

"Um, excuse me, but was there a specific reason you began suspecting the fifth S-rank Hunter of being pro-government?"

The Japanese man in front of me nodded.

"There was a welcoming party four days ago."

But unexpectedly, the person who answered this time wasn't Iori.

Compared to Iori, the man had a much sterner, rougher appearance. His bangs were slicked back with wax, and his scarred face had remained silent until now.

"Hmm?"

In other words, this time it was the Hunter named Montake Ito who spoke first.

"A grand party was held in the heart of our country to celebrate the induction of the new S-rank."

"Hunter Ito."

"The event was hosted by the Awakened Management Agency, but the guest list was predictable. Essentially, all the S-ranks who were already based in mainland Japan attended."

Someone clapped their hands together in front of me.

"But that's where the fifth ranker ended up ignoring all of us."

"Ignored you?"

The slender-cheeked Awakened nodded.

"At first, I assumed that since he'd obtained permanent residency, he would know Japanese. But when we met him, it turned out he didn't know our language at all."

"So we tried using Play Corp's translator, but the fifth S-rank wouldn't allow it."

"Then?"

"He warned us not to bring unreliable electronic devices near him because he has artificial organs inside his body."

Well, the reasoning itself was understandable.

"So I thought that, in that case, I could at least speak English... and communicate with him that way."

"Yes."

"But that failed too. All he did was smile as if he couldn't understand a word, so we weren't able to communicate with the new S-rank at all."

"Kim Giryeo! For reference, Ranker Montake Ito may be a pathetic Awakened, but before the Dungeon Shock, he worked at a top-tier securities firm. He's highly educated and quite good at English."

I glanced at Iori beside me, then turned my gaze forward again. When our eyes met, Montake Ito, looking half dazed, began speaking while sweating profusely.

"But the reason we ended up completely at odds with the fifth S-rank is..."

"Yes."

"Actually, at that celebration venue... we'd planted a wiretap."

"Excuse me?"

"It wasn't me. Ranker Iori here... had prepared various contingencies just in case."

The black-haired man continued sweating heavily as he spoke.

"And that's when we caught the fifth S-rank speaking fluently."

"Oh my."

"He was having an extremely friendly conversation with the head of the Awakened Management Agency. And the content of that conversation... w-well, it was something else. They were talking about things like attacking and breaking apart my guild, which is number one in the country..."

So in the end, this was the conclusion.

"An S-rank who's definitely colluding with an Anti-Awakened hate group? If someone like that got hold of this weapon, even I'd want to prevent it."

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Ito continued.

"By the way, the [Greatsword of the Sun God], when properly utilized, is said to be a weapon capable of instantly killing even an S-rank Awakened."

Whether he had simply been born with that kind of face or genuinely suffered from chronic fatigue, Montake Ito, looking thoroughly exhausted, quietly voiced his opinion.

"If a complete stranger—and one who hates his fellow mutants at that—learns of this weapon's existence..."

"I don't think anything good would come of it. The atmosphere in our country's hunting industry is already far too unstable."

"For the record, I have absolutely no intention of ingratiating myself with the powerful and working for the benefit of a selfish few. My goal is to act in a way that protects as many citizens as possible. In the end, all I ever wanted was to make Japan safer."

For some reason, both of the foreign S-ranks present looked sorrowful.

"So, in the end, this is the conclusion we reached. Even when you were being unfairly threatened... you still quietly remembered your duty as a Hunter. And if it's Ranker Kim Giryeo, who did exactly that..."

"Me?"

"At the very least, wouldn't you use this Legendary to hunt monsters? We sincerely believe you would. We believe that you, of all people, would never use it to antagonize Awakened individuals or disrupt the balance of human society."

"Hmm."

"If the Awakened Management Agency finds out about it, there's a 100% chance they'll take it from us. So from our perspective, it's better to use it in a deal like this than to sit around waiting for that threat to become reality."

"Were things really that bad between you and the government?"

"Embarrassingly enough, I've recently been involved in several incidents while working to advance mutant rights..."

Montake Ito kept fidgeting with the hem of his pants, visibly uneasy.

"So that's why they made the condition that I not use the [Greatsword of the Sun God] against them their top priority."

Since I was already gathering weapons to kill the Goumche anyway, that condition didn't burden me in the slightest.

"Then let me confirm one last thing. This isn't a rental, right? You're actually transferring ownership to me permanently?"

Those bastards—what if they changed their story later?

Harboring that faint suspicion, I pressed the Earthlings for a clear answer. But this time, it seemed there was nothing to worry about.

"I'm the cunning man who once stabbed you in the back, Kim Giryeo-ssi. Do you really think I'd do something like this without calculating the benefits first?"

The man with his hair slicked back with wax finally regained his composure and spoke.

"As I mentioned earlier, starting in the eighth year after the Dungeon Shock, the number of S-rank gates appearing in this world surged."

"The series of threats has temporarily subsided, but we in Japan believe the danger level of dungeons will rise again in waves."

"That's precisely what the statistics have shown so far."

"However, if high-ranking gates continue to increase, honestly, doesn't that also mean rare treasures will eventually become more common?" Вставленный Markdown