196 CH. 178 Yet Another thing out of the way.

If you haven't noticed yet then let me inform you the Harem chapter is out and I already uploaded the pics so go there and give some likes.

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Today's anime meme is here. [ ]

Again chapter is bigger than usual.

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"What?? Why is my oppa…??"

Jin-Ha felt her heart tumble to the pit of her stomach.

'Were they carrying out the deed where others could see? If not, could it be even worse….??'

The friend dragged Jin-Ah by her wrist inside the classroom as if she didn't want to waste time explaining anymore.

Jin-Ah's eyes immediately shifted over to the large TV located next to the blackboard.

And there was….

"O…. Oppa?! U… Unnie?"

The moment Jin-Ah saw the TV screen, the banana milk in her hand fell to the floor.

****

Ten minutes prior, in front of the Hunters Association building.

When it clearly became impossible to take his rank evaluation test ahead of schedule, Rhee Min-Seong sensed the looming crisis, and in the end, decided to drop a bombshell.

"Excuse me, I, Rhee Min-Seong, will retire from the entertainment industry regardless of the test result, and I shall pledge my service as a Hunter for the betterment of the public!!"

This was his last hurrah at reviving the atmosphere of the press conference that had cooled off from the sudden entrance of Goh Gun-Hui. Its effect was immediately noticeable.

"What?!"

"Rhee Min-Seong is going to retire?"

"Regardless of what his rank is?"

Right away, the atmosphere became frenzied.

Click, click, click!!

Countless cameras were now pointing at Rhee Min-Seong, and questions from excited reporters poured down on him non-stop.

"Mister Rhee Min-Seong!! Please look this way!"

"Are you telling us that you'll abandon the title of Asia's top movie star and choose the life of a low-ranked Hunter if need be?"

"Are you willing to give up on everything you built up as a successful actor?"

'Yes! Very good!'

Rhee Min-Seong was pleased as punch at all the attention being focused on him again.

"Even if the result is bad and I end up with a low rank, I wish to repay all the love everyone has shown me by fighting the monster threats."

Of course, he was lying through his teeth.

Just two years. He was thinking of helping out with the Reapers Guild's public image as its most famous rank A Hunter for only two years, while enjoying the sky-high annual pay package.

This was the best method to silence those voices raising issues with him avoiding the draft with his father's help, as well as a few distracting noises rising up here and there recently, all in one fell swoop.

Climbing down from the summit to protect the ordinary citizens while risking his own life!

This was the greatest opportunity for him yet, to achieve that often-talked about 'lifetime guarantee against criticism' status.

Enjoying the taste of everything finally going according to his plan, Rhee Min-Seong continued on with the press conference.

"And, with the Master of Reapers Guild, Chairman Im Tae-Gyu, who shares my wish, I…."

And so, as the gathered reporters were listening to Rhee Min-Seong's future aspirations….

Ringggg….

Someone's phone suddenly went off. The surrounding reporters glared at the phone's owner, and he quickly killed the phone before lowering his head in apology several times.

Thanks to that, the press conference was slightly interrupted, but fortunately enough, it was not a permanent interruption in the end. Rhee Min-Seong also pretended to not hear it and continued on.

However….

This time, someone else's phone went off.

"Argh, what the hell?"

"Whose phone was that?!"

"Isn't it common sense to switch it off before a conference?"

"Turn it off, now."

Thinking that this might be a good chance to earn himself some extra brownie points, Rhee Min-Seong beamed brightly and spoke up.

"I'm fine with it, so why don't we continue after you answer your urgent call?"

Hahahaha….

Rhee Min-Seong's spontaneous response elicited jovial laughter from here and there. But, who knew that was merely the beginning?

Buzzzz….

Vrrrr…..

Seemingly from everywhere, mobile phones were singing out in a messy chorus of noises.

"What's this?"

"What the hell? Even me?"

The first reporter who switched his phone off first realised that something was very wrong. Meanwhile, the eyes of the reporters were growing extra wide after confirming the contents of the calls.

"You got a call from the Association??"

"Why are you only telling me this now?!"

Reporters present hurriedly accessed the Association's website. It was then, they discovered the new rank S Hunters's photo and their names being uploaded there as if everything had been prepared beforehand.

The announcement date for that person's evaluation result just so happened to be today.

'Wait, but didn't they say something about the measurement room not being available in the morning?'

'It wasn't because of Rhee Min-Seong?'

'In that case, the reason for the measurement room being emptied out wasn't because of Rhee Min-Seong's rank evaluation, but these new rank S Hunters?'

And then, the face of a certain man and followed by an extremely beautiful woman flashed in the heads of all the reporters present.

Could they have been?

'Could they be famous Ice Empress and Mage Machine? '

'She froze her way but they ignored it, thinking nothing much of it.'

That young man and woman who followed Association President Goh Gun-Hui into the building! Goh Gun-Hui even called them with honorifics. They were the only ones to have accessed the measurement room today.

If they all went inside now, wouldn't they be able to take both their pictures?

"E-everyone?!"

With their eyes now resembling those of a starving predator, reporters ignored Rhee Min-Seong and rushed towards the Association building as new reports started to arrive. As soon as they got the news of this they rushed toward the Association building.

Rumble….

When Woo Jin-Cheol signalled with his eyes, Hunters from the Monitoring Division spread out their arms and formed a human barricade.

"Let us in!!"

"Aren't those two the famous dou S-Rankers who emerged a few weeks ago, right? Aren't you supposed to announce this ahead of time?"

"Just get out of the way, will you?!"

Reporters violently pounced forward, but they couldn't overcome the wall created by the agents of the Monitoring Division, where every single member was a Hunter.

"W-what the hell is this??"

Having been forgotten by everyone in an instant, Rhee Min-Seong and his flustered face ran over to his burly manager. Mister manager pushed forward the screen of his phone with what he discovered only a second ago.

"….The rank S?!"

Rhee Min-Seong became completely dazed.

"Two rank S showed up today, of all days?!"

He wanted to receive the attention and adulation of the world by becoming a rank A Hunter. But, to think that two rank S Hunters would pop up out of nowhere and ruin everything in all the days they could have showed up they showed up now….

Rhee Min-Seong shook his head, hard.

'No, wait. Something doesn't feel right here.'

Seriously now, two rank S wasn't a cup of instant coffee one could buy in a vending machine with a couple of change, now was it? Maybe, these reporters knew something about what was happening right now?

It was at that point that Rhee Min-Seong spotted a reporter still talking to someone on the phone while belatedly climbing up the steps. He was none other than the exact same reporter who sought out Rhee Min-Seong's opinion regarding tomorrow's headline earlier.

"Excuse me, Reporter Im?"

Even though Rhee Min-Seong's voice sounded urgent, Reporter Im simply walked past while responding in haste.

"Ah, Mister Rhee Min-Seong. I'll get in touch a little bit later, okay?"

"Excuse me? Reporter Im!! Wait!"

Rhee Min-Seong got to eavesdrop on the contents of the call as the Reporter Im's back gradually distanced itself away from him.

"….That's right. I'm telling you to go with the headline of "When love and chaos collide in Seoul, they become both a saviour and an annihilator?"' for tomorrow."

Rhee Min-Seong scanned his vicinity with energyless eyes. There was no one around him now. He fell down on his knees.

"What…. what is this…."

While he remained on the ground muttering to himself in dejection, the front entrance to the Association was abruptly pushed open wide, and South Korea's tenth and eleventh rank S Hunters revealed themselves.

Click, click, click, click, click, click, click….

Jin was shocked for second for a second just by the absurd number of reports they seem to have multiplied in matter of minutes faster than cancer cells. They're multiplying at an exponential rate as he could already feel so many vehicles coming here.

'News spreads like wildfire, roaring across the digital landscape with the force of an inferno, leaving no corner untouched.'

Jin thought due the fact that he could see even symbols of international news channels and Maithili

The camera lenses captured Jin and Esdeath standing in front of the entrance while holding hands, and behind him, Baek Yun-Ho with a rueful expression and Choi Jong-In and his bitter smile.

***

It was now lunch time.

The Hunters of the mining team had ended the morning's operation and were sitting around to enjoy their lunch.

Mining might have been their main role, but, since there was no threat of rockfall or cave-in, the mood of the team was rather carefree.

Some Hunters were lying on the floor resting, having gobbled up their meals in the blink; some Hunters were busy giggling to themselves while checking out their phones; a few Hunters were even enjoying cold alcoholic beverages while sharing snacks among themselves.

"Huh??"

One of the Hunters playing with his phone cried out in surprise and hurriedly raised his upper body up.

"Hey, isn't this Mister Sung??"

Lee Seong-Gu's ears perked up.

"Hey, it is him!"

"Mister Sung's on the news."

Indeed, Lee Seong-Gu hadn't heard wrong.

"I knew it."

With his face considerably flushed red after ingesting three cups of alcohol, Lee Seong-Gu ran to where his colleagues were as if he had been waiting for this. Even while he was doing that, his mouth continued to operate without rest.

"I knew it from the moment that b*stard glared at me! Let me see for myself what horrible things that insolent b*stard committing now!"

Perhaps Lee Seong-Gu's voice was too loud?

"Mister Sung did what?"

"Did Mister Sung commit a crime or something?"

Including Foreman Bae, all of the mining team's Hunters in the near vicinity gathered in one spot.

Jin's and Esdeath's face filled up the palm-sized screen of the mobile phone, and just below that, large subtitles flashed by.

[….Following after Hwang Dong-Seok and Cha Hae-In, South Korea's tenth and Eleventh rank S Hunters, Mister Sung Jin-Woo, and Esdeath have just now…]

"Heok?!"

Having 'discovered' Jin-Woo, Lee Seong-Gu's eyes began trembling.

***

In front of the private office of Yujin Construction's chairman.

Standing in front of the door, Yoo Jin-Ho let out a short sigh.

"Fuu…."

He opened the door, and as it smoothly gilded inward, he also raised his head to spot his father busy going through several documents, not bothering to even turn his head this way.

"Come inside."

Even though he made his 'reply', Yoo Myung-Hwan continued to scribble his signatures on the documents.

Yoo Jin-Ho stood next to Yoo Myung-Hwan. The father briefly raised his head to confirm the son's visage, before continuing on with his work.

'Dad's still the same, I see.'

In the past, Yoo Jin-Ho would've been suppressed by his father being like this and run off, utterly unable to say what he wanted to say. However, it was different now.

"I'd like to speak to you about something, Father."

"Is it regarding Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?"

"Yes."

Yoo Myung-Hwan finally raised his head up.

"Alright. So, what happe…."

It was then.

Yoo Myung-Hwan's phone suddenly went off.

Vrrrr…

"Hold on."

Yoo Myung-Hwan raised his hand and stopped Yoo Jin-Ho's words. Checking the message on the phone's screen, Yoo Myung-Hwan's eyes grew wide just a little.

'My dad can get surprised too?'

Yoo Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly.

"…There's something you should see."

"Pardon?"

Rather than providing an answer, Yoo Myung-Hwan operated the remote and switched the giant TV mounted on one of the walls, instead.

A breaking news piece immediately came up on the screen.

[Yes, the confirmation came just moments ago; they both bear the titles of the Ice Empress and Mage Machine, solidifying their newfound identities. What's more, today's evaluations revealed an astonishing revelation about the hunters who had previously been categorized as rank S. Among them, one has undergone a rare transformation—an extraordinary event known as Re-Awakening, marking his journey beyond the initial awakening. This remarkable individual goes by the name of Mister Sung Jin-Woo, a former rank E Association member who has ascended to new heights. As for the other hunter, she is an entirely fresh addition to our ranks.]

The reporter's exhilarated voice effortlessly mirrored the prevailing sentiment across the entire nation. The populace was collectively agog, for they had acquired not one, but two powers that could rival even the destructive force of atomic bombs, if not surpass them entirely. As this day could be called a festival for the entire South Korea.

Yoo Jin-Ho had been halfheartedly listening to the broadcast, his interest waning. However, as soon as the name 'Sung Jin-Woo' reverberated through the airwaves, a wave of astonishment washed over him, capturing his full attention in an instant."

'Heok!"

The screen underwent a swift transformation. What once displayed ordinary content now presented the visage of someone he knew all too well, a face devoid of emotion. This person, a familiar figure in his life, stood amidst their immediate surroundings, gripping the hand of an exquisitely beautiful woman.

He couldn't help but recognize her too, as he'd had the privilege of meeting her during one of his visits to their newly acquired residence while in search of Jin.

It was none other than his hyung-nim And Esdeath Unni.

'I'm sure of it. Hyung-nim is feeling irritated right now.'

Thanks to Yoo Jin-Ho sticking around hyung-nim for a while, it became pretty easy to tell what he was thinking about simply through his expressions. But, besides all that – he was a rank S?

Yoo Jin-Ho was well aware of his Hyung-nim being great, but that greatness had far exceeded his own imagination.

At the same time….

'Even though he possesses such incredible power, he enters dungeons every day to train himself even further?'

A sense of awe rushed in, fast. As a person who used to guard his side, Yoo Jin-Ho's heart swelled with pride as Jin-Woo's and Esdeath's names got continuously mentioned on the TV.

His girlfriend's presence had caught him completely off guard; it was a revelation that sent a cascade of emotions rushing through him. Every time he laid eyes on her, an inexplicable sense of unease would wash over him, as if an ominous foreboding had settled in the very air around her.

Beep….

The TV was switched off and hyung-nim and Esdeath-Unni's face also disappeared from the view. Yoo Jin-Ho formed a wistful expression.

"Okay, continue."

Father was telling Yoo Jin-Ho to continue with what he wanted to say.

As he had practised beforehand, Yoo Jin-Ho bowed down hard and spoke.

"My apologies, father. I couldn't change hyung-nim's mind."

Yoo Myung-Hwan's expression hardened.

"…..Okay, what did Hunter Sung Jin-Woo say while rejecting your offer?"

"Well, hyung-nim said….."

Yoo Jin-Ho hesitated slightly, but he raised his head slightly and spoke.

"He wants to make his own Guild, so if I was interested in the Vice Master spot, I should come over, instead….."

Yoo Jin-Ho thought that father would get angry or ignore that suggestion altogether, but instead, his expression was solidly frozen up.

And then….

Grin.

Yoo Myung-Hwan chuckled without making a sound.

Someone widely known for his poker face, Chairman Yoo Myung-Hwan had actually revealed a change of expression in front of his own son.

'What is my dad doing?'

Yoo Jin-Ho couldn't dare to ask what was happening, so all he could do was to avert his gaze this way and that.

Yoo Myung-Hwan spoke, that smile now erased from his lips.

"Do you know why I'm trying to establish the Yujin Guild?"

"Isn't it because…. there's money to be made in the Hunter business?"

"No, it's not at least not fully."

Yoo Myung-Hwan's tone of voice was resolute, unwavering.

"We have more than enough money right now. You think I'll try something that could put us at odds with other large Guilds just for the sake of chasing after a couple more bucks?"

Was he trying to imply that money wasn't all the reason?

Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes widened.

"But, if not that, then….?"

Yoo Myung-Hwan carefully put the pen down.

"It's in order to protect ourselves."

Yoo Myung-Hwan's serious, dignified eyes caused Yoo Jin-Ho to swallow his dry saliva in nervousness.

"Hunters are growing in power every day. And it's not uncommon to see a single person possessing enough power to rival a country's military might."

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Stones?