Chapter 222
Chapter 222. OT
Right after the announcement of recruiting heroes to go to another world from Korea was made public on the internet.
Countless heroes from around the world applied to this announcement.
At one point, the website for applications became paralyzed for about an hour due to the overwhelming number of people.
“The final number of applicants has surpassed 30,000!”
“……Looks like we’ll be working overtime from today.”
The Hero Department mobilized all internal personnel to filter out heroes who did not meet the minimum requirements.
After that, they converted achievements and skills into quantifiable scores.
If necessary, they verified the applicants’ attitudes and levels through remote interviews.
Ultimately, 500 heroes were selected.
These 500 were confirmed to be deployed to 10 different other worlds with 50 per world.
‘And today is the day we gather for the first time.’
[Kallem]
The door to the Hero Department’s conference room had a sign that read “Kallem.”
Yoo Ji-han entered the room along with his party members.
Inside, a meeting was planned for the heroes who were confirmed to head to Kallem today.
It was similar to an orientation conducted for new employees in a company.
“Jae-kyung.”
“Oh, everyone’s here.”
In the conference room, about 20 people were visible.
Park Jae-kyung, the Vice Guild Master of the Dice guild, was seated in a chair with several party members.
They were also heading to the other world to find Yoon Do-ha, the Guild Master who landed in Kallem.
‘So it’s Yoo Ji-han’s party.’
‘Are those guys also going to Kallem?’
While Yoo Ji-han and Park Jae-kyung were chatting, others in the same conference room glanced towards Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri.
A few months ago, the topic of Yoo Ji-han’s party was extremely popular due to a regional expedition in Korea.
However, just like the chilly weather outside, that interest had somewhat cooled off.
Still, there was no doubt that they had risen to influential positions.
Heroes from other guilds regarded Yoo Ji-han’s party as a top priority target for caution, quickly building their reputation.
‘If it’s Yoo Ji-han’s party, that’s not bad at all.’
‘I figured they would come here.’
‘Seems like some pretty decent folks are gathering.’
But they were not rivals today; rather, as comrades with a common goal, there were few as reliable as them.
Soon after, Lee Mi-a entered the conference room.
“You made it.”
“I saw you open the door.”
The hero, who had abruptly withdrawn from Kim Hyun-tae’s party and established herself as a one-person guild named Mi-a, was making quite an impression with her frightening pace of activity.
Thanks to her, she was receiving commendations from those around her, almost indistinguishable from her previous reputation.
“Hmmm.”
Yoo Ji-han, seated in an empty spot, scanned the heroes in the conference room with his eyes.
Most were Korean heroes in their 20s to 30s, active in Rank 2 parties.
Although he didn’t know their detailed names or backgrounds, they were faces he had seen at least once somewhere, be it in the news or videos.
‘Ji-cheol’s words were true.’
Yang Ji-cheol had mentioned paying a lot of attention to screening applicants.
It appeared they gathered heroes with impressive achievements.
And then it happened.
Bang!
As the closed door swung wide open.
More than ten individuals began to enter all at once.
They were foreign heroes with various hair colors—blonde, red, and more.
Since heroes who were not of Korean nationality required a separate screening process for entry, it seemed they all entered together.
“Hello, everyone!”
“Can you hear me well?”
“Yes. We can hear you perfectly.”
The Hero Department provided a magical Korean translator for heroes who couldn’t speak Korean.
Thanks to that, everyone spoke in Korean, albeit with slightly awkward pronunciation, but communication proceeded smoothly.
“Are you Yoo Ji-han?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard many rumors about you.”
“Your performance in the movies was very impressive.”
International heroes all recognized Yoo Ji-han.
Before visiting Korea, no one could have avoided seeing his name at least once in their research.
Some were so excited they rushed over to request a handshake.
‘Seems like they’re gathering to some extent.’
Just as the 50 seats prepared for the heroes were nearly filled.
The door opened again, revealing men dressed in traditional Japanese garments, kimonos.
‘Wait, is that……!’
However, what caught Yoo Ji-han’s eyes was not any unique equipment, but the face of the man walking at the front.
He wore a black kimono adorned with white floral patterns; he seemed to be in his mid-thirties.
With a short ponytail tied behind, he was the most recognized Rank 1 Hero from the neighboring country of Japan.
Watanabe Yosuke.
‘Is that guy also heading to the other world?’
He was the person Cassandra, the fortune-telling hero, had even expressed gratitude for being born in Japan.
Contrary to the rumors, it appeared that a hero of global caliber was present after all.
—Ji-han! That guy is strong.
“I know.”
—I hope you avoid fighting him as much as possible.
Being aware of Watanabe’s strength, the Sylph spoke up first to warn him not to see him as an enemy.
“Ah, ah! Can everyone hear me?”
Watanabe tested the translator just like the foreigners who arrived first in the conference room.
His rough yet hearty voice caused other heroes to nod absentmindedly.
Confirming that the translation was working properly, he scanned the now quiet conference room and spoke.
“Everyone, let’s do our best together for a while!”
“Ah, yes!”
“If possible, don’t hold my ankles! Hahaha!”
His broad smile soon locked onto Park Jae-kyung.
As their eyes met, Park Jae-kyung slightly bowed his head.
He had met him during a business trip to Japan with Yoon Do-ha.
“I was surprised to hear that Yoon Do-ha disappeared.”
Mentioning Yoon Do-ha, Watanabe’s expression grew serious.
“I will assist a little in finding him.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Your face looks full of worries. Don’t overthink it. That giant is surely alive and well.”
Watanabe then turned his attention to Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri, who had no connection with him, had tense expressions.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-han, who was equally unfamiliar with him, quietly observed his face.
Seeing this, Watanabe spoke with an intrigued expression.
“So you’re the hero who stopped the terror in Korea.”
“I didn’t stop it alone.”
Bang!
Upon hearing Yoo Ji-han’s reply, Watanabe lightly slapped his back with his palm.
Yoo Ji-han, who instinctively tried to defend against that attack, froze up.
‘So fast.’
He managed to spot the attack with his eyes, but perhaps due to his relaxed state in a safe place, his body did not react properly.
If that had been a sneak attack, he had already permitted one.
‘Ugh!’
And Watanabe noticed Yoo Ji-han’s movement as he attempted to respond.
With a broad grin, he again slapped Yoo Ji-han’s back and said.
“There’s no need to be so humble! I know you’re not a dwarf but a giant.”
“What…… what does being a giant mean?”
“A giant is a giant!”
Watanabe called Yoo Ji-han a giant.
Though he didn’t know what it meant, it didn’t seem to carry a negative connotation.
Yoo Ji-han awkwardly smiled, but his party members who entered with Watanabe were startled inside.
‘Watanabe-sama acknowledged him…….’
‘He’s truly something else.’
It was rare for a hero to be acknowledged as a giant by someone like Watanabe Yosuke.
It wasn’t just a simple metric of strength; one had to meet his very subjective criteria to earn that recognition.
The number of heroes who met those criteria could be counted on one hand in Japan.
And now, Yoo Ji-han had just been added to that list.
“Wait! What’s that sword?”
Watanabe showed interest in the sword hanging at Yoo Ji-han’s waist, Qudie.
Even though it was sheathed, he could tell it was no ordinary sword.
As Yoo Ji-han drew Qudie to show its blade, Watanabe’s face lit up in surprise.
“It’s beautiful. But it’s not just beautiful; it’s a quite remarkable sword.”
“It actually is.”
“An artifact? Who’s the creator?”
“Nam Ho-yeol. Our resident blacksmith.”
“Nam Ho-yeol, Nam Ho-yeol…….”
Watanabe’s eyes gleamed as he recognized the value of the sword.
A collector of equipment, he favored skilled blacksmiths.
“I’ve never heard that name before, but I’ll make sure to remember it.”
And at the same time.
Nam Ho-yeol, who was wielding a hammer in the workshop, felt a chill run down his spine.
*
After all the heroes heading to Kallem gathered in the conference room, every seat was filled.
The atmosphere became lively in the cramped conference room.
It was rare for high-level heroes of various nationalities to gather in one place, so many were attentive to the exchanges amongst each other.
“Yosuke! Let’s hit a bar after the meeting!”
“Understood.”
“If possible, I want to try some soy sauce marinated crab and traditional Korean makgeolli.”
Known for being a heavy drinker, Watanabe was licking his lips next to Yoo Ji-han.
Just then, Yang Ji-cheol entered the conference room.
“I’m Yang Ji-cheol, in charge of the Kallem Expeditionary Force until departure. Before the meeting concludes, I’ll hand out my business cards, so please direct all inquiries related to the other world to me in the future.”
He briefly introduced himself and bowed his head to the heroes.
Knowing he was his staff member, Yoo Ji-han clapped and smiled faintly.
Previously, he had caught the eye of the Vice Minister of the Hero Department and handled various tasks.
Now, Yang Ji-cheol had also caught the attention of the Minister, becoming a regular at all major events of the Hero Department.
“Watanabe-sama. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Oh! Did you say Yang Ji-cheol?”
“Yes. To cut to the chase, I’ll now explain the plans of the Hero Department to you.”
Beep!
As Yang Ji-cheol operated the remote control, an image appeared on the screen of the pre-prepared projector.
It was a document with brief illustrations and a schedule written on it.
“Seven days from now, you will move to Kallem through a special location called the dimensional boundary.”
“Is that boundary safe?”
“We have conducted safety checks more than ten times. I assure you there have been no risks or health issues whatsoever…….”
Yang Ji-cheol explained in detail the plan for going to the other world.
All of it was information that Yoo Ji-han had passed on to the Hero Department.
However, the actual tests for crossing into the other world had not yet been carried out.
Thus, the events occurring after the dimensional transition remained an unknown realm.
“I would like to ask a question.”
“Please go ahead.”
“The method of returning to Earth still doesn’t exist, does it?”
This was the greatest issue with stepping into another world.
The return method to Earth was unclear, which led to many people not participating, even after being selected.
“We have not found a certain method yet.”
“Hmm……”
It was, in effect, a journey without a clearly defined return schedule.
Just as unease began to spread at Yang Ji-cheol’s response, Yoo Ji-han said.
“If there’s a way to go to another world, there must be a way to come back.”
It was a very simple and clear answer.
Upon reflection, it was close to a vague hope.
Yet even the eldest hero in the conference room, Watanabe, appeared to agree with his thoughts as he nodded.
“Indeed. Invaders come to Earth all the time; we shouldn’t be unable to do the same.”
“I agree. I have no desire to rot in another world for my whole life.”
“I agree too. Hahaha! I like your attitude!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Watanabe, in a good mood, patted Yoo Ji-han’s back with his palm.
The Sylph yelled out to Watanabe.
—Hey! Stop bothering my contractor!
“Were you the wind spirit?”
—Yes!
“If I really hit hard, your contractor would have collapsed by now!”
Even as he listened to the Sylph’s nagging, Watanabe didn’t lose his smile.
Yoo Ji-han inadvertently won the favor of a top-tier hero.
‘Watanabe-sama seems to be in a good mood today.’
‘I’m slightly jealous.’
Watanabe’s party members looked on at the scene with great curiosity.
