Chapter 217
Chapter 217. UN (4)
Before the UN Delegation entered Korea.
Yang Ji-cheol called Yoo Ji-han aside and said,
“Ji-han, please be a bit cautious about the UN team visiting this time.”
“The warning means…?”
“When they truly needed help, they completely ignored our requests. Seeing them only come after everything has ended suggests there’s something fishy going on.”
The UN had shown lukewarm reactions to Korea’s appeals for support during the terrorist attacks. They clearly had the capacity to help but chose not to aid Korea.
“They might be after the new monsters and other byproducts resulting from this recent terrorism.”
“That makes sense.”
“We can’t stop their visit, but the moment they set foot in Korea, we will mobilize all possible means to monitor them.”
Yang Ji-cheol was wary of the UN Delegation even before they arrived. He was concerned that they might intercept the results achieved by the Expeditionary Force halfway through.
It may have seemed overly cautious to be wary of an international organization that claims to promote world peace, but there are always various rumors one encounters when working in government departments for an extended time.
And Yoo Ji-han accepted Yang Ji-cheol’s opinion.
‘This is the result.’
Yoo Ji-han looked at the UN Delegation, who were gazing at him with astonishment.
Unbeknownst to them, a tiny Sylph, who had shrunk down to erase her presence, was listening to their conversation.
In the end, they ended up revealing the facts they had tried to hide.
—Did I do well?
“You’re the only one.”
—Woohee!
The Sylph returned to her original size and flew over to Yoo Ji-han’s side.
The UN’s heroes had already drawn their weapons, glancing at him and their leader.
They were waiting for a command.
At that moment, Olivia, who hadn’t grasped her weapon, spoke up.
“J-Ji-han! Let me explain everything. Please don’t misunderstand…”
“No need for an explanation.”
“What?”
“I understand perfectly.”
Now that they weren’t too far apart, Yoo Ji-han could hear everything the Sylph was hearing.
With the entire conversation laid bare, there was no room for misunderstandings.
“How dare you commit such rudeness toward us!”
“This is not something we can overlook.”
Hiding the spirit was a blatant disregard for the UN’s requests.
The delegation threatened to hold them accountable for that.
If not handled carefully, Korea’s position in the international organization could become very precarious.
However, Yoo Ji-han sneered and said,
“Go ahead. Give it a try.”
“…What did you say?”
A hero known as the core of the Expeditionary Force.
The leader of the party that had risen to Rank 2 in the shortest period.
His achievements were still drawing significant interest online.
If someone like Yoo Ji-han clashed with the UN, anyone would be curious about the reasons.
“Who do you think the people will side with, you or me?”
“…”
Public opinion in Korea was very favorable towards Yoo Ji-han.
Regardless of any actions taken, the applause of those around was guaranteed.
Going up against him was akin to a high-risk gamble.
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”
“Because of you guys.”
Crunch!
The leader of the delegation gritted his teeth.
Of all people, it had to be Yoo Ji-han, the most notorious figure in Korea.
It was a huge blunder for their conversation to leak out.
“Mik!”
“There’s no one around.”
Outside the UN Delegation, there was only Yoo Ji-han, a lone hero.
He had come to meet the delegation alone, without his party members.
‘…Should I kill him?’
There were a total of four Rank 1 Heroes present.
Each one was a hero recognized globally who had come to Korea.
This was also a mockery of Korea, where all Rank 1 Heroes had vanished.
Moreover, it implied that even a newly promoted Rank 2 hero could be buried without a trace.
“Come on.”
“…!”
At that moment, noticing something amiss, Yoo Ji-han took his stance.
His attitude suggested he was ready for whoever dared to enter.
Even in front of Rank 1 Heroes, he showed no hesitation.
The UN’s heroes glared at him in silence, the air thick with tension, as if a battle could erupt at any moment.
‘This is dangerous.’
The delegation leader mulled over this.
If a fight broke out and Yoo Ji-han survived, it would lead to irreversible consequences.
A crisis would hit the international organization known as the UN before achieving the mission of this delegation.
This was not merely about a few positions being revoked.
Boom—!
At that moment, one of the men from the delegation charged at Yoo Ji-han.
It was Bexter Olson, a Rank 1 Hero.
‘I’ll handle this!’
A warrior specializing in swift attacks with a sword.
He fully believed his sword would sever Yoo Ji-han’s neck.
Clang!
However, his attack was easily blocked by Yoo Ji-han’s raised sword.
To ordinary heroes, the speed was nearly imperceptible.
But Yoo Ji-han possessed astonishing reaction speed, clearly seeing and blocking the attack.
‘As expected, not very impressive for a Rank 1.’
Since his first encounter with the Rank 1 Heroes of the UN, Yoo Ji-han had felt they were not as formidable as their fame suggested.
They were hard to compare with true elites like Yoon Do-ha or Baek Kang-cheon.
And now, experiencing this clash only solidified that belief.
It seemed that the UN was trying to elevate their status by churning out Rank 1 Heroes.
“Sylph!”
—You wanna go?
Yoo Ji-han glared with wide eyes.
The moment he was about to retaliate against the confused Bexter.
Crash!
The leader of the delegation sprang up, shouting,
“Olson!!”
“…!”
“Are you crazy? What do you think you’re doing?!”
“I’m, I’m sorry!”
“You fool! Drop your weapon and retreat now!”
Bexter, with his head bowed, immediately dropped his sword to the ground and stepped back.
Following this, the delegation leader spoke to Yoo Ji-han.
“I apologize. That was his mistake.”
“That was an attack that could’ve been fatal; and you call it a mistake?”
“…”
“If that’s the case, then may I ‘accidentally’ kill you too?”
The leader of the delegation tightly pressed his lips together.
Bexter’s impulsive actions had only intensified Yoo Ji-han’s animosity.
Yet, at the same time, it made a realization dawn upon him.
‘This isn’t going to be easy.’
He understood that handling Yoo Ji-han right here wouldn’t be simple.
For someone capable enough to block Bexter’s surprise attack, the exploits he had displayed in the movies were far from exaggerated.
“Yoo Ji-han! I don’t want this issue to escalate any further.”
“And you’re saying that after blowing everything up?”
There was no excuse for the UN’s blunder.
The leader of the delegation raised both hands, as if in surrender.
“What do you want?”
“Is there anything I can want from you?”
“…Anything is fine, just tell me.”
His plea was to keep quiet by giving him what he desired.
As Yoo Ji-han contemplated in his mind, he glanced at the heroes around him.
They all wore attractive equipment.
But what stood out most was…
“That necklace you’re wearing.”
“What?”
“Give it to me.”
“You want this?!”
Yoo Ji-han pointed at the necklace of the delegation leader.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary necklace, yet he was quite flustered.
It was a special item given only to the high-ranking officials of the UN.
“How about I give you money instead…?”
“Don’t want that? Then don’t.”
“N-No! Wait a minute!”
The delegation leader called out to Yoo Ji-han, who was hastily trying to leave through the door.
Yoo Ji-han stared at him, as if it was his last chance.
“…Tsk.”
After a moment of hesitation, the man reluctantly removed the necklace and threw it at Yoo Ji-han.
Yoo Ji-han caught the necklace lightly and inspected its appearance.
A rough white stone threaded onto a silver-decorated chain.
‘Is this a dragon’s bone?’
The Rank 1 monster known as the Hyper Dragon, which had appeared as an unnamed lizard from America.
Also referred to as the Disaster, it was a personified calamity.
The UN had received some of the bone from the Hyper Dragon under the pretext of aiding in subduing the creature.
They made necklaces for those who had accomplished great achievements internal to the organization, and one of them ended up in Yoo Ji-han’s hands.
‘They said most attempts to create artifacts failed.’
It was nearly unheard of for artifacts to be made from a dragon’s bone.
Usually, they would end up as regular strong swords without any peculiar effects.
The only known successful case was a sword owned by an American Rank 1 hero.
The rest of the remaining bones were reported to be displayed at a museum as a reminder of a painful past.
“Is this good enough?”
“You’re seriously going to settle this for just this?”
“How precious do you think that is…!”
The leader of the delegation turned sour-faced at the loss of his treasured necklace.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-han slowly scanned the faces of the delegation.
Among them, Olivia couldn’t bear to make eye contact and turned away.
‘That’s not the Yoo Ji-han I knew!’
A single hero who had changed so drastically from the innocent guy she remembered.
Just because they attended the same school or because she was his ex-girlfriend, she couldn’t afford to treat him lightly.
“You all need to leave Korea by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s…!”
“Materials regarding this latest terrorism will soon be sorted, so there was no need for the UN to send a team in the first place. And…”
Yoo Ji-han picked up Bexter’s dropped sword from the ground.
“I’ll be taking this as well.”
“Don’t!”
“Will.”
“Ahhh!”
Leaving behind Bexter’s cry of dismay as he lost his beloved sword,
Yoo Ji-han left gracefully.
*
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes! Given the excellent handling of the Hero Department, we have nothing further to investigate.”
The UN Delegation was planning to leave again right after entering Korea.
The Hero Department was quite perplexed by this.
But if the thorn in their side was leaving on its own, there was no need to stop them.
The leader of the delegation shook hands with Yoo Ji-han’s party members, who had come out to see him off.
“It was an honor to meet you, Yoo Ji-han!”
“Not at all.”
After a round of polite greetings,
The delegation leader whispered discreetly so that others wouldn’t hear.
“You must keep your promise.”
“I’ll watch what you do.”
Yoo Ji-han responded with a genuine smile at the fake grin the man wore.
Soon after, he also exchanged handshakes with Olivia.
“I saw you yesterday; you should just quit being a hero and become an actress.”
“……!”
Olivia’s expression froze at the compliment regarding her acting skills.
“And you keep giving off an unpleasant scent.”
“What? Unpleasant scent?”
“It reminds me of the flowers I shredded with my sword before. You might want to change your perfume from now on.”
Olivia’s face flushed red as she shot a fierce glare.
But Yoo Ji-han merely smiled innocently.
After staring down Yoo Ji-han, Olivia’s next handshake partner was Min Yu-ri.
Crack!
In a fit of anger, Olivia gripped Min Yu-ri’s hand too tightly.
For an ordinary person, all the bones in her hand would have likely shattered.
Taking out her grievances on his party member, who was much easier to target than Yoo Ji-han.
“Ugh!”
Yet the one wincing in pain was not Min Yu-ri but Olivia.
Min Yu-ri was overpowering her with a strength that surpassed Olivia’s.
‘She looked the weakest among the group; how does she have such strength…?’
Just as Olivia was hastily trying to withdraw her hand, Min Yu-ri quietly told her,
“Don’t act up.”
“……!”
“And don’t cling to Ji-han.”
With an angelic smile, Min Yu-ri delivered a warning.
Realizing the situation, Olivia nodded repeatedly before finally escaping her grip.
“Chirp, chirp…”
Chilla gulped as they observed their master’s demeanor towards Olivia.
