217 CH: 198 Jeju Island Raid
The mass media was whipped into a frenzy.
– To eradicate the monsters that turned the island of Jeju into a barren wasteland, the nations of South Korea and Japan formed a united raid team!
Where would you find another story that could stimulate the interests of not only the country's citizens but the citizens of whole Asia?
even more than this news?
TV channels ran news segments related to this upcoming raid all day long, while every front page of newspapers was completely dominated by the topics of the united raid team.
However, it was only Korea's media that kept talking about this matter. Even though the number of Japanese Hunters participating in this operation exceeded the Koreans by three folds, no one thought it was strange that the Japanese media kept quiet over the upcoming event.
And when a handful of articles did appear online, the comments that followed said articles were negative in nature, to say the least.
└ What did you expect when the Koreans are too weak to close a Gate by themselves?
└ Why are you cleaning up the sh*t left behind by the Koreans?
└ Are they going to compensate us for the damages those ants caused here or not?
└ Useless Japanese Hunter's Association, and irresponsible Korean Hunters, why dontcha all kick the bucket together on Jeju Island? LOL
As divergent thoughts occupied the minds of two parties regarding an impending event, time inexorably marched on towards the appointed date.
Meanwhile, a startling development unfolded on a global scale as massive S-Rank Gates began to manifest across the world. What proved even more astonishing was the swift closure of these gates mere hours after their emergence. The phenomenon originated in North Korea, where the first gate materialized and vanished before Hunter Organizations could conduct thorough analysis.
Amidst this seismic shift in events, the world found itself in a state of tumult, with the news of international collaboration to address one of the world's few disaster zones overshadowed by the overwhelming spectacle of the Gates. Despite the valiant efforts of high-ranking hunters, the toll of casualties mounted, prompting a pervasive sense of fear and uncertainty among the populace. Indeed, the notion of an impending apocalypse loomed large in the collective consciousness, casting a shadow of apprehension over every heart.
So the world was in uprore and drowned out the news of two countries coming together to clear one of few disaster places in the world that caused the deaths of many high ranking hunters and an untold number of casualties.
***
The so-called expert continued to speak on the TV screen.
"The rate of evolution these ant monsters have shown is truly surprising to behold."
A guest sitting next to the expert formed an exaggerated expression of surprise and asked.
"Monsters are evolving?! Wasn't the ant found in Japan, a lone mutated creature?"
"You're correct. When the mutated specimen increases in number and gains control of the whole horde, then we call that evolution."
After that, the prepared video footage began playing. Ants, as they appeared during the first and second subjugation attempts, were displayed on the screen.
At first, they were no different from regular ants as they crawled on the ground. Just from their external appearances alone, they looked exactly like oversized super-massive ants.
But then, a short while later….
"This is the footage taken during the third subjugation attempt."
The ant monsters were now walking on two legs like humans. The once-giant heads had shrunken down in size by a great deal, they were able to move around much more nimbly, and the four limbs acted like arms.
Its appearance looked as if half an ant and half a person had been mashed together to form a new creature. In only two years, the distinct characteristics of the ant species had been completely transformed into something else.
"And this footage of the ant monster was taken recently as it wreaked havoc in Japan."
"Wow…"
The audience members in the studio all gasped out in shock at the footage being played. To their horror, the ant was now even closer in appearance to a human, and not only that, it even sported huge wings on its back.
The comedian appearing in this show as a guest flinched in great surprise and raised his voice higher.
"They fly now?!"
"They fly now?!"
"They fly now?!"
"Yes, they fly now And that would be the decisive factor in the formation of the Korea-Japan united raid team."
'The Korea-Japan united raid team.'
When that term blared from the TV's speakers, Esdeath wordlessly flicked the off switch. She harbored no desire to participate in the upcoming operation, especially after Association President Goh Gun-Hui extended the invitation for her involvement. However, everything changed after her encounter and skirmish with that insufferable nuisance.
Yet, her initial thrill quickly dissipated, replaced by a calm, detached analysis of the situation.
'I've settled the score with him.'
More than personal vendettas, Esdeath harbored suspicions regarding the Japanese team's true intentions—an intuition that proved astute when she overheard a damning conversation. Despite the fool's attempts to conceal his treachery, his words reached her keen ears, confirming her suspicions and solidifying her resolve.
Now, she intended to crash their meticulously planned party, relishing the prospect of witnessing their expressions of despair when their clandestine machinations unraveled before their very eyes.
Her lips didn't want to part and provide an answer. And now she had one reason to do this.
"….I will…."
Esdeath barely made up his mind and spoke with great difficulty.
Except that, now….
└ BTW, why is Sung Jin-Woo and Esdeath are not on the Korean list?
└ Your disposition won't change just because you've become a rank S, you know. Once a rank E, forever a rank E, dude. Prolly ran off to hide, nearly wetting his pants in the process. Kek.
└ I seriously doubt that, have seen how close they seem to be and they also live in the same house, they definitely in a relationship and I think they are just fucking somewhere and picking up calls from Association.
└ Mmm, that's very wild theory how can you be so sure of it.
└ Simple because I could have done the same when I had such a beautiful and gorgeous woman as my girlfriend.
└ Creep
└ 21 Jap rank S Hunters + even the retired Hunter is gonna represent for Korea, yet…. where are our newest S-rank hunters?
└ Why does they want to do that when they are the rank S? It's so embarrassing;;
Except that, all these anonymous pointing fingers who didn't even know of her situation were really getting on her nerves now. Or, to be more specific, it was her sister's stress level that got on her nerves, actually.
As she never cared about what a random weirdo thinks about her.
'I don't really give a d*man about what others think of me, and mother doesn't really go online, so it's fine on that front, but….'
….But, Jin-Ah liked to search for stuff like this in her spare time.
'Tsk'.
Esdeath clicked her tongue and put her phone down. There was no helping it, what with the poor timing and all.
Mom had retired early for the day, and it was also still too early for Jin-Ah to come back from her studies. She was thinking of taking a stroll to get some fresh air and change her spoiled mood, but like a devil, her phone began ringing just then.
Esdeath checked the caller ID and a grin formed on her face.
Click.
– "Unnie!! It's me, Yu Jin-Ho!"
"Hey, Jin-Ho."
– "Ah, right! Hyeongnim, I found some office space for us, so would you like to come over and take a look?"
What office space was he even talking about?
"What office?"
When Esdeath asked with a confused voice, Yu Jin-Ho confidently declared.
– "Of course, it's the office space for our Guild,
Unnie, remember the one hyung-nim must have talked to you about! If you want to establish a Guild, then you'll need an office, at the very least."
'Yu Jin-Ho, this kid…..'
It seemed more than likely that this kid was under the grand delusion of developing the Guild Jin had preside over as its Vice Master, and make it as big as the Hunters or the White Tiger in the near future. Esdeath slowly scratched her chin.
'If I tell him that the raid team will consist of only me and Jin and no one else, he might flip out in shock here….'
She only invited the kid to join him in passing, but now that it was time to explain to Yu Jin-Ho the future of the Guild, Esdeath didn't even know how he should go about it.
***
"What do you think, Unnie?"
Now that she was here, she could understand why Yu Jin-Ho sounded so confident on the phone. She scanned the empty office space and nodded her head.
Its location was pretty good.
"I specifically chose a place not too far from Hyung-nim place, Unnie."
It was also tidy, too.
"I deliberately went for the newly-developed office spaces. I believe that the old saying goes something like 'put new wine in a new bottle'. Don't you agree, Unnie?"
Perhaps most importantly, the place was quite big.
'....'
""I'll do my best to grow this Guild so it'll surpass the five large Guilds someday, and try to live up to the expectations of hyung-nim, Unnie!"
Yu Jin-Ho was burning with unbridled passion, figuratively speaking.
'It's fine for you to burn with passion like that, but please, leave me out of it….'
Esdeath pondered seriously about this quandary: Should she tell Yu Jin-Ho to just go back to Yujin Guild now, before it's too late?
Well, she had this gut feeling that the Yujin's Chairman, a guy who even froze his own son's bank account, wouldn't be so keen on taking his son back at this point in time. Seeing that Esdeath was in deep contemplation, Yu Jin-Ho formed an expression that cried out "Heok!"
""Unnie... Do you dislike this place? Or do you think hyung-nim wouldn't approve?"
"…..No, that's not it."
"Then, should I sign the lease contract,
Unnie?"
"….Sure, I don't see any problem."
Judging from the size of the place, the monthly rental must've been pretty high, but compared to Jin's account size, it'd be a mere chump change at the end of the day.
'So it'll be fine'
For now, Esdeath couldn't tell the kid that it'd be only the three of them sharing this huge office space.
"Ah!"
Yu Jin-Ho suddenly clapped his hands.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
Yu Jin-Ho abruptly opened his mouth. Esdeath quickly asked him.
"Did you suddenly remember someone suitable for the spot, then?"
"No, it's not that, Unnie. Actually, there was someone looking for hyung-nim."
"Jin?"
"Yes, hyung-nim."
Esdeath couldn't help but get curious. Seeing that this unknown person had indirectly contacted Jin through Yu Jin-Ho, he or she must've done their thorough research.
'Yu Jin-Ho and Jin aren't known as associates publicly, after all.'
Indeed, if anything, others should see their relationship simply as one being the previous raid leader while the other being the member of that raid team.
'Even then, calling him through Yu Jin-Ho, is it?'
Esdeath's eyes narrowed to a slit just a little.
"Is it a woman?"
"No, as for who it is, I don't know either, Unnie. That person was definitely an English-speaking foreigner. Hold on."
Yu Jin-Ho rummaged through his pockets, pulled out his wallet and extracted a piece of a memo from there.
"This person said that he'd be staying in Korea until the 17th, so he'd very much appreciate it if hyung-nim gave him a call. Unnie"
Esdeath took the memo and found a number for a mobile phone as well as a hotel room number. She took a look at the back of the memo, but nothing was written there.
'17th… that's three days from now.'
An English-speaking foreigner – just who could it be? She couldn't think of anyone Jin knew or fit the bill.
However, she looked at the time and suddenly remembered something…
"….Looks like I'll have to go home first."
Esdeath's expression hardened.
"Pardon? You're going home already, Unnie?"
Yu Jin-Ho had been thinking of treating his Unnie to a delicious meal since they never ate together. But now, he looked like a person who had lost his country. Perhaps a bit too callously, though, Unnie didn't even try to understand his dongsaeng's feelings at all.
"I'm going ahead first."
Yu Jin-Ho quickly hid his disappointed expression and quickly bent down in a polite bow, as usual.
"Okay, have a safe trip, Unn…. ie?"
When he raised his head, Esdeath was already long gone.
***
Late at night.
Goto Ryuji was still in the dojo inside the Japanese Hunter's Association.
In front of him, two men, and at his back, one other. He was surrounded by rank S Hunters, ostensibly the same rank as he was. Goto Ryuji took a deep breath, and just as his eyes flew open….
"Ta-ha-aht!!"
The Hunters biding their time powerfully pounced on him all at the same time. However….
Slam!
The ones to fall down were the three attacking Hunters.
"That was great!"
"As expected of Goto-san!"
"No one can measure up to your skills, sir."
The three Hunters lying on the wooden floor of the dojo dusted themselves off and stood back up. This was only possible because Goto Ryuji had held back his power. Without saying anything, he lowered his head slightly to imply that they all did a good job.
'As expected, there's no problem with healing and now his hand is working even better.'
No, if he were to frankly assess himself, with the new hand then he was at peak condition right now. Just from imagining how he'd swallow up South Korea, it felt like his condition was getting better and better all by itself.
So, how come….?
Goto Ryuji continued to stare at the dojo, now empty that the three Hunters had left, as the memories of that day still lingered on in his mind.
Esdeath.
Just what was she?
'...'
The more he thought back to that day, the more bitter he felt. Soon, though, Goto Ryuji shook his head.
'Well, it doesn't matter now.'
Regardless of all else, that woman Esdeath wasn't taking part in this raid. And the Association President's plan would unfold without any mishaps.
Once South Korea loses almost all of her rank S Hunters, its leadership would naturally fall into Japanese hands. By then, the complaints of the Japanese citizens demanding for the appropriate reparations from the Koreans would have been transformed into rousing cheers of fanfare, instead.
When that happened….
'What can Esdeath do all by herself?'
Didn't matter whether Esdeath was a genuinely powerful Hunter or she simply came across that way through Goto Ryuji's momentary delusion, the fact remained that not participating in tomorrow's raid was for the greater benefit of Japan.
There was nothing to bother him now. The decisive moment would come tomorrow.
Inside this still dojo bathed in the cold moonlight, Goto Ryuji formed a quiet smile to himself.
***
"We'll be in your care!"
The managing director of a certain TV station deeply bowed his head to the lone cameraman. Such a thing was completely unheard of. However, the cameraman standing in front of the director was no ordinary man; he was an active Hunter and a proud holder of a rank A licence.
"The future of my station and the whole Koria depends on this raid."
In order to win the exclusive broadcasting rights, the director had to spend over half of the station's total annual budget. There had been simply too many competing bids, and that's why he had to go all in.
But, then again, there was a compelling reason why he simply had to make such a brave business decision.
Not many rank S Gates opened up around the world. Even when one did open, it was still impossible to take the recording equipment inside to capture the footage of what happens there.
In other words, this would be the one and only opportunity for regular citizens to witness an actual rank S raid in progress. As long as there wasn't another unfortunate event of a rank S Gate opening up somewhere else, that was.
On top of this, this broadcast wouldn't be a recording, but shown live. Sure, there would be a ten-minute delay to the live feed, but still.
Just how high would the audience rating reach?
70 percent? 80? 90?
When the managing director thought back to all the potential profit margin to be had from selling the footage to the TV networks in other countries, he no longer felt regret in investing half of the station's budget in this venture.
"…As long as the raid doesn't end in failure! Even if it did, I'd still be getting more than I invested. There's a chance that if the raid failed, I would earn more than if it was successful, as people love watching failures more than success.'
When he felt his thoughts were getting dark he shook his head.
Indeed, no sane-minded viewer out there would ever want to watch the top-ranked Hunters get devoured by the monsters during the raid. No, even if there were, he couldn't let such footage be broadcast to the public, to begin with.
So, the director had staked everything he had on the success of the fourth subjugation operation.
Considering that, bowing his head several times to the cameraman tasked with capturing the all-too-important footage was indeed, nothing.
Heck, if the cameraman wished for it, the director was prepared to prostrate on the floor, even.
"Please don't worry too much, director."
The cameraman did his best to calm the shivering managing director down from his high anxiety level.
Even before he became a Hunter, he made his living as a cameraman. And after agreeing to take on this job, he made sure to study and polish his skills of wielding the camera even further.
Obviously, he didn't want to spoil the broadcast that the entire nation would be watching through some stupid mistake on his part. Of course, he'd get paid quite a big reward in return, too.
'He's going to give me a portion of the profit earned from the broadcast, after all.'
The cameraman had already earned plenty from being a rank A Hunter, but the offered amount was so high that it really excited him to no end.
If the operation ends in success, then he'd be able to earn an enormous amount of money and fame, perhaps as much as the rank S Hunters actually participating in few raids.
Wouldn't he become quite possibly the most famous rank A Hunter in South Korea?
A smile formed on the cameraman's face as all sorts of wonderful thoughts of the future bloomed in his head.
"By the way, I'm surprised that the Association President Goh Gun-Hui actually gave his permission to film this raid. I mean, that hard-headed man wouldn't have allowed it simply for the sake of money, so…."
The station's director nodded his head at the cameraman's puzzled question.
"He said that the fee we paid will be split equally among all the Hunters participating today, actually."
"Oh? In that case, why….?"
Why did he permit the filming of the raid?
The director cautiously voiced his educated guess.
"I think….. I think, perhaps, he wishes to console the hearts of the citizens."
The Korean Hunter's Association had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat three times at the hands of the ant monsters. Because of the continuous failure, the Association had to suffer great losses, which in turn also led to the loss of the public's trust. Meanwhile, the citizens felt increasingly powerless as the thought of these ant monsters being invincible took root in their hearts.
As the atmosphere of the nation festered like that, a chance to reverse this whole thing had suddenly landed on their laps.
'You can tell how the public is responding by taking a quick look at the internet forums.'
The Association President wanted to take a step further than that. He wanted to capture the moment of victory and broadcast it live to the citizens.
His grim and perhaps desperate resolution to not fail could be gleaned from this decision.
The cameraman nodded his head after hearing the managing director's explanation. He took a look at his wristwatch before standing up with a determined expression on his face.
"It's time already. I'll be on my way now, sir."
The managing director once more bowed deeply to the cameraman.
"We leave everything to you, Hunter-nim!!"
***
Hunters began boarding the helicopter, as the spinning rotors issued deafening noises above their heads.
"…"
"…"
The constantly-smiling Mah Dong-Wook, the always-confident Choi Jong-In, and even Baek Yun-Ho famed for his positive personality, were all wearing sombre expressions.
The cameraman checked his recording equipment for the last time. The camera itself was designed to be fitted around the head so it should not impinge on his movement by much.
'I wouldn't have agreed to come if the camera was bulky and made it impossible to move.'
The place their helicopter was heading off to was perhaps the most dangerous place in the whole of South Korea – no, maybe, even the world. Thinking about their destination, the cameraman could only swallow his saliva down in nervousness.
No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, there was nothing he could do about the nervous tension slowly mushrooming in his heart. It was the same story for the rank S Hunters, as well.
In order to dispel the tension in the air, Baek Yun-Ho started talking to his 'dongsaeng', the one he was closest to.
"Hey, Byung-Gu. I really didn't expect you to show up here today."
Min Byung-Gu grinned in response.
"I thought that, without me healing you, hyung would be the first one to get killed today. I mean, you always jump on a monster whenever you see one, you know."
"What the hell. Why do you talk like that? Since when did I ever 'jump' on monsters??"
Other Hunters began giggling after hearing the two men chat.
Min Byung-Gu was the sole rank S Healer in South Korea. All members of the raid team were greatly relieved and happy to hear that he was coming out of retirement especially to participate in this operation.
There was a big difference in whether there was a Healer or not in a raid. After all, one would be able to fight harder without worrying about getting hurt when there was one.
As the tense atmosphere frozen stiff in nervousness gradually relaxed through Baek Yun-Ho and Min Byung-Gu's conversation, Cha Hae-In sitting next to the former quietly asked a question.
"So, are we all just going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Ma Dongwook asked, eyeing the hunter who sat in front of them while reading a book. Hearing someone finally addressing the obvious, a collective sigh escaped from the group.
Feeling called out, Esdeath closed her book and turned her attention to Ma Dongwook. "Why are you all looking at me like that? If you want to ask something, just ask."
"Miss Esdeath, Hunter-nim, your name wasn't on the list for this raid," Min Byung-Gu pointed out, stating the obvious. Then, turning to Esdeath, he continued, "Esdeath-nim, you declined to personally take part in the raid, yet here you are. May I ask why?"
"Well, after some consideration, I had a change of heart. So here I am," replied Esdeath calmly.
"Great to hear it. You'll definitely be a huge asset in this raid, Esdeath-nim," Choi Jong-In said with an enthusiastic smile. The others nodded in agreement, their expressions reflecting their confidence in her abilities. They had personally witnessed her power, and it was evident that she possessed incredible strength. What was even more impressive was that she hadn't even used her magic during the spar against Goto Ryuji. Her potential was beyond comprehension, as demonstrated by the ease with which she created that city-ending ice meteor.
"Miss Esdeath-nim. By any chance, did you get in contact with Mister Sung Jin-Woo before coming here today?" asked Cha Hae-In with some hope.
"Jin?"
"Yes, Mr. Jinwoo."
Esdeath shook her head.
"No, sadly it's still out of the reach. But, why do you ask?"
"Ah…. It's nothing important, actually. I guess I've made a mistake."
It was then.
Mah Dong-Wook broke out in genial laughter.
"Huhuh. Looks like it's finally starting."
The gazes of the Hunters present followed the direction he was pointing at. Through the window of the helicopter, they could see the darkened island that had become the land of monsters.
_-------_
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