Chapter 144: Kagoshima Dragon Raid (7)
The chaotic Dragon Raid has come to an end.
I hastily booked a plane ticket back to Korea. And now, I have safely returned home.
“Phew.”
First of all, the events that happened in Japan were incidents in the dungeon, so there’s no evidence. I barely escaped, and if I make a fuss about it, who knows what kind of trouble might arise?
So, what could I possibly do as a follow-up?
I simply took a deep breath and fell asleep. I wanted at least some peace of mind.
Before long, evening came.
“Hmm.”
When I woke up, the sun was setting. I instinctively grabbed my phone next to my pillow and checked the internet.
Cough!
I nearly fainted upon waking up because, on the portal site, unexpected news was posted.
【Translation from Japanese Forum】————
ID: wqX5LW
A no-casualty clear?!
ID: zsN0gC
Imabari is the strongest!!!
ID: XG0WaV
I was really worried because my grandfather lives in Kyushu. I’m so relieved to hear it’s all resolved.
————————==
Japan was in a festive mood, celebrating the news of the S-Class Gate being dealt with.
But at that moment, the Imabari Guild made a stunning declaration in an interview.
[The contribution of Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter from Korea was the biggest factor in our success.]
The Guild Master Moritake Ito was passing off the credit for clearing the gate to a foreign envoy.
[Therefore, we have decided to repay his assistance.]
[What kind of decision is that?]
[If an S-Rank Gate appears in Korea in the future, all of our top-ranking Awakened will participate in that raid free of charge. Of course, this is something we can firmly promise as a Knight’s Pact.]
Wait! Why are they coming to Korea?!
At this point, I’m curious about what discussions took place within the guild while I was asleep.
But the surprises didn’t end there. Ito stepped up to the podium, took a moment to gather himself, then stared directly into the camera and said:
[Mr. Kim Hunter, are you perhaps watching this broadcast?]
[…]
[Our survival is all thanks to you, Hunter. We will never forget this. Please be lenient toward the trouble we caused.]
Watching the video to the end gave me a rough idea of his state.
Pale complexion. Slouched posture. And those subtly trembling, anxious eyes.
I remembered my first encounter with Ito. That man had initially looked at me with a casually condescending gaze.
But in the recorded video, he appeared almost turtle-like.
I could tell that emotion from my previous life.
‘Fear.’
Ito was currently afraid of me.
‘Wait, fear? Ah! Could it be my bluff made him…?!’
This made me realize that the Japanese hunters had been properly deceived by lies.
Moreover, if that’s the case, it would certainly explain such an interview.
After all, I had been deciding whether to break their skulls while capturing Imabari’s S-Class members.
‘They’ll regret this belatedly!’
For now, they verbally sought forgiveness, but this was a serious incident touching upon an unknown powerhouse.
From their perspective, there was no way to recover from this other than bowing deeply.
They couldn’t brazenly attempt negotiations after committing such offenses. They would desperately want to restore relations with me, even if that meant making ridiculous offers of sending their top hunters.
‘That bowing also implies a plea to keep secrets.’
By the way, is it really okay to say such things on public broadcasts? This might blow the whistle on how Imabari had been threatened in the dungeon…
———————==
ID: mXoQj7
Thanks to you, I survived?
ID: 0HacBY
How much did you contribute in the dungeon for them to be that grateful?
ID: QtF381
Moritake has somehow become humble w Can’t deny Korea is a hunter powerhouse. Even lending such Awakened to another country.
ID: TwKWCl
Was there a dangerous pattern during the raid or something?
ID: 78Ur7v
He probably saved them from a monster or something like that.
————————
It’s not getting exposed… after all.
Thinking about it, without knowing the situation, Ito’s statement would just sound like a thank you for the dungeon raid.
So, the Japanese citizens wouldn’t know the details of our situation.
————————
ID: 78Ur7v
Thank you so much for readily helping us out with the S-Class Gate that everyone else ignored. Mr. Kim is our benefactor.
————————
If only the fact that the legendary item had appeared had been revealed, then some different speculations would have circulated.
Whether they wanted to keep it as a trump card or whether there was something they felt guilty about, Imabari didn’t announce their acquisition of the legendary item, leaving the situation quite strange.
Unintentionally, someone’s international reputation has skyrocketed.
[Did you hear? The top guild from Japan just announced they will definitely come if an S-Class Gate appears in Korea.]
[Their diplomacy is top-notch.]
[Wow~ This is a national pride promotion.]
[For real lol.]
[What on earth was Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo doing over there…?]
Moreover, due to Ito’s excessive buttering-up, the Korean community started to get agitated too.
“……”
As I checked the internet, I casually laid my phone on the floor.
“Darn it.”
Let whatever happen. I really don’t know anymore.
I was hungry, so let’s just eat.
*
After the Dragon Raid in Kagoshima.
[Korea’s S-Ranks are scary w]
[This isn’t right, but honestly, they look exactly like Yakuza (gang).]
[So not all Koreans are flower boys like Jeong Ha-seong…? (´･ω･` )]
Due to this incident, Japan’s interest in the hunters from the neighboring country soared.
Not that Jeong Ha-seong wasn’t already world-famous, but thanks to the newly prominent hunters, the neighboring country is once again in the spotlight.
[Seo Esther. She’s Korea’s second rank.]
[Did you accidentally bring a picture of a K-POP idol?]
[What a masterpiece!!!]
[Please let me know the immigration procedures to Korea.]
When a public enemy appears, even enemies can unite.
Japan was showing a fairly favorable reaction toward Korea’s hunter industry.
Plus, some people were going beyond simple goodwill, wondering how to bring Kim Gi-ryeo, who has no guild affiliation, to their country.
However, this trend wasn’t much different in someone’s home country either.
[Real-time rising search term ▲ 1st place Kim Gi-ryeo.]
This raid has triggered significant interest in a specific hunter in Korea.
However, unlike Japan’s light and complimentary tone towards the Awakened, our side fell into a much heavier and more complex contemplation.
[So why did Kang Chang-ho go together with him?]
[A translated interview from the Japanese airport popped up saying he was there to assist Kim Gi-ryeo.]
[What?]
[Yeah, let’s say he needed a team member because his skill has a long delay. But didn’t Kang Chang-ho step in to handle that?]
[What on earth?]
[Is Hunter Kang gambling? If he borrowed money from Kim Gi-ryeo, it would explain everything.]
But it’s not possible to keep tabs on the lives of hunters. How could ordinary citizens know the truth?
Internet users speculated Kang Chang-ho’s reason for cooperating with Kim Gi-ryeo for a while but eventually shifted topics when they couldn’t find an answer.
[By the way, how much did the S-Class Hunters earn from this raid?]
[I don’t know about the distribution, but they did get epic-class items.]
[Wow, epic-class?]
Rare equipment generated from the dungeon.
No matter what dragon from the legends, people are generally very interested in brilliant treasures.
[So it’s real that epics actually come out ㄷㄷ.]
[Will searching it on Wiki bring up the effects?]
┕[Of course, it wouldn’t.]
┕[I work as an appraiser, and because epic is so rare, there aren’t many people who can fully analyze it, so the information is not easily disclosed. There might be some classification terms, though.]
So, what could Kim Gi-ryeo’s acquired item, which so many are curious about, be?
The long sword that the blond S-Class hunter received is an epic-class weapon called [Hydra].
Hydra.
A snake with multiple heads.
The reason why that clean blade is named after a monster is because…
*
Shink!
The sharp blade parts the animal’s flesh.
As the narrow, sharp edge glides past, drops of blood begin to bead up from the gaping wound.
But instead of just superficial scratches, the injury started to stir up jade waves within the blood vessels.
“Grrk, griiick.”
Soon enough, the monster in front of me was lifeless.
Thud! I looked down at the pig-like beast that fell with a sound just like when a human corpse drops.
Let’s see. For now, the item effect seems to be working well.
I straightened the longsword I was holding and confirmed its effect once more. If I used the Earth’s analyzer, it would probably display like this.
[Hydra]
[Grade: Epic]
[Description: A Western-style sword with a sharp blade. Dealing damage with it inflicts [Poison that kills immortals] status.]
[Additional Explanation: [Poison that kills immortals] – An ultimate deadly poison. Instantly kills enemies of C-Class or lower.]
Hydra. Truly a fitting name, the sword possesses a strong poison effect.
This was the reward I obtained from this dragon hunt.
‘A mage resorting to a mere swordplay…’
It’s quite disappointing that it takes the primitive form of a longsword.
“-Still, I’ll make sure to use it well!”
Now’s not the time to complain. This [Hydra] has an extraordinary performance that could entirely change a hunter’s life.
C-Class and below enemies die instantly just by brushing against it.
B-Class would suffer and die after three minutes, even when poisoned, and it’s said to be somewhat effective even against A-Class?
“Awesome!”
Hahaha!
My previous lack of offensive power has been instantly resolved.
With the reinforcement of defensive gear added to the mix, maybe now I could manage to hold my own against B-Class purely with gear.
Having such a weapon now filled me with all sorts of thoughts.
‘Should I just live like this?’
Honestly, if I just keep hunting C-Class monsters, I could make plenty of money!
This is the best reward. With this, living with an F-Class body is totally doable.
‘Hmm.’
But I still need to keep my debt intact.
Right now, I’m giddy, but living under magic restrictions would one day surely lead to regret.
‘And the contract with Kang Chang-ho is a problem as well.’
Shing.
I sheathed the vividly glowing green blade of Hydra and tucked it into my side before heading out through the gate.
Clearing C-Class gates solo, I felt satisfied and proud. It seems today I should throw a banquet to celebrate this achievement.
“Hello? Yoon Seung-ah, do you have time for dinner tonight? It’s on me.”
Of course, the only guest for this banquet would be just one person.
.
.
.
“Thank you for the meal! I really appreciate it!”
“Yeah.”
At a meat restaurant in Seoul.
Memories of the past suddenly flooded back. When I first reincarnated on Earth, I didn’t even have money for a bowl of soup and got caught many times; and now I can feast on 1++ Hanwoo without a care.
‘Such remarkable progress.’
Though I suffered a bit during this Dragon Raid… but still, this is a way better outcome than expected.
I walked out of the restaurant with light steps.
“Oh right, I just thought of something. What does your brother usually do when he goes home…?”
Ding ding♪ Ding ding ding♬
But at that moment, Yoon Seung’s voice was drowned out by some notification sound. To be precise, my phone’s ringing.
“Sorry, just a moment.”
“Whoa! No need to apologize. Please take your time.”
I raised my finger, gesturing to hold on a bit, and picked up the call.
-Hello?
As I placed the receiver to my ear, I heard a stranger’s voice.
-Are you Kim Gi-ryeo… Hunter… is this the right number?
I replied to the caller’s question casually, as usual.
“That’s right.”
-Then the person who just answered is Gi-ryeo?
“Yes, I’m Kim Gi-ryeo. Who is this?”
However, it was a number I didn’t recognize at all. Who is this person suddenly speaking informally?
“Giyeo, hyung?”
I paused.
Holding the phone, I widened my eyes in shock, frozen in my spot. It was an involuntary reaction.
-…Giyeo, it’s Mom.
And right after, that phrase flowed through the speaker.
