Chapter 181 - Summit (2)
A large-scale world summit had been organized to discuss how to eradicate the Demon Cult—the group led by the ruler of all evil, Satan. It was the first time such a large-scale conference had been held since the Day of Calamity.
A world summit for every functioning country that was still able to call itself a 'country' was being prepared in the US. Among those countries were Eastern Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan as well as European countries, Russia, and, of course, the US.
People thought that the conference was being led by the US, but in reality, that wasn't the case. It was actually being led by Guardians, the international organization of Protectors chosen by Gaia.
The members of Guardians were as strong as World Rankers or, in some cases, even stronger. Their power was equal to that of several countries combined. They were an organization that could be called the last hope of humanity.
The world was gathering around them.
* * *
"Ah, Kang-Woo. Your tie is crooked," Han Seol-Ah said.
She reached toward Oh Kang-Woo's necktie. Kang-Woo, who had never worn a tie, let her fix it for him.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Fufu. You look much cooler dressed like this."
"Tsk. I probably look like a squid compared to Si-Hun."
"What are you saying? That's not true," Seol-Ah disagreed as she gazed at Kang-Woo, who was all suited up.
Kang-Woo certainly wasn't as handsome as Kim Si-Hun, but he was fairly good-looking as well. Moreover, he pretty much had the muscular body of a swimmer, so the suit fit him incredibly well. The addition of his piercing eyes to that combination made him look like the heir of a big conglomerate that appeared in dramas.
"Kang-Woo, these clothes are uncomfortable," Echidna said while frowning and pulling on her clothes.
Both Echidna and Seol-Ah were wearing party dresses. The dresses looked excessively fancy, but the two of them were so pretty that the dresses didn't seem like overkill at all.
Slam.
Cha Yeon-Joo swung open the door and entered.
"Hey! Are you ready yet?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Yeon-Joo was wearing a red dress that matched the color of her hair.
"For God's sake, what a bother. Why are they hosting a banquet?" Yeon-Joo whined with a scowl.
Like Echidna, Yeon-Joo seemed to find the party dress that she wore uncomfortable.
A banquet had been scheduled for the night before the summit so that chief executives of each country could strengthen their bonds. Yeon-Joo could be considered one of Korea's chief executives, so she had to participate as well.
"Well, to be honest, this could be more important than the summit itself," Kang-Woo remarked.
Unlike what they expected, the chief executives had accepted invitations to the summit with surprisingly little persuasion. Not even Gaia and Kang-Woo had expected things to go that easily. Still, it would be hard to expect their unconditional cooperation in stopping the Demon Cult.
'I should make as many connections as possible,' Kang-Woo thought.
It was very important for them to build good relationships with the chief executives of each country. After all, it was hard to expect unconditional cooperation from someone just by being acquaintances. Nevertheless, it was good to make at least some sort of connection.
"Oh, right. Kang-Woo, you're probably going to be swamped at the banquet," Yeon-Joo commented.
"Me? Why?"
"It seems that quite a few people are waiting for you," Yeon-Joo explained with a smirk.
Kang-Woo frowned.
'Why?'
The fact that he used to be the Demon King, how he'd been born in the darkness but had accepted the light and was reborn as Tirion's apostle, and how he was the most powerful member of Guardians… Kang-Woo had made sure no one except the members of Guardians knew about all those things.
Moreover, he'd made Si-Hun take the credit for his achievements by spreading false information that Si-Hun was the one who had done all of those things. That's why only members of Guardians or those who knew him personally knew about the Warrior of Light, Oh Kang-Woo.
As a result, most of the chief executives around the world who had superficial knowledge of Guardians were more interested in Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun.
'I specifically set things up that way.'
The hero who had saved Korea, the new sword supernova, the disciple of Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen… Kang-Woo had placed many titles on Si-Hun to boost his popularity.
So, Kang-Woo couldn't understand why people were waiting for him.
"More precisely, they're waiting for you because you're Si-Hun's hyung."
"Ah."
"I guess you weren't able to hide the relationship between the two of you," Yeon-Joo pointed out with a light laugh.
Kang-Woo nodded, finally understanding the reason why.
"I see, so it was because of that."
"Well, it's not a bad thing, is it?"
"I guess not."
To build a relationship with the chief executives, Kang-Woo needed to have a corresponding level of reputation and authority. Rather than just being Member B of Guardians, it was better to be the sworn brother of Kim Si-Hun, the hero who was receiving the world's attention.
'This is better.'
Kim Si-Hun didn't seem talented in terms of building good relationships with politicians, so Kang-Woo could do it in his place.
Step, step.
Kang-Woo's group headed out and met Si-Hun, Gaia, and Grace McCubbin on the way to the banquet hall. They entered it together.
"Wow!"
"So, they are the rumored…"
As the members of Guardians showed themselves, the banquet hall filled with chatter.
The members who got the most attention were Gaia and Si-Hun. Famous politicians and Players from all around the world walked toward them to strike up conversations. Gaia and Si-Hun seemed surprised.
People also walked toward Ito Shinji, Zhuge Xian, Grace, and other Guardians members.
'I guess Guardians really is famous.'
Kang-Woo looked at that scene from a distance.
Guardians, the most powerful group of humanity, only had ten or so people. In the past, before Players appeared, no one would have cared so much about a small organization.
'But…'
Times had changed. Guardians was so powerful that they could erase a country without leaving any trace behind if they wanted.
World Rankers received VIP treatment in the countries that they were based in, and in the case of Wuchen, he pretty much had the Chinese government wrapped around his fingers. It was not a strange sight at all.
'But…'
Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.
'Something a bit weird.'
He hadn't expected all the countries to cooperate in hunting down the Demon Cult. He had even prepared a trump card for if he couldn't get through to them with words.
Nevertheless…
'They seem too carefree.'
The politicians and Players acted as if they weren't aware of the reason behind the summit. No matter how optimistic and peace-loving they were, their behavior was far too strange considering the Demon Cult was still a real threat.
"Ah, nice to meet you. I am the ambassador of France, Emmanuel Amon."
"You are the sworn brother of Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun, correct? I've heard a lot about you."
Before Kang-Woo could resolve his doubts, the politicians roaming around started to approach him as well.
Kang-Woo smiled and bowed in greeting. "Thank you very much for coming all this way for world peace."
His smile was perfectly professional.
"Hahaha! Not at all. This is all to support Guardians, after all."
"It is a given for any country to support Guardians as much as possible."
'What's with them?'
Kang-Woo furrowed his brows ever so slightly.
Politicians from France, England, Italy, the US, and even Korea gathered and spoke to Kang-Woo.
'Why are they so assertive?'
Unlike Gaia's expectations, the politicians were acting as if they were willing to give them literally everything they needed. It was the night before the summit, but this was too much.
Politicians would usually try to profit as much as possible while offering as little support as possible, but that could not be seen at all. Each offered the best conditions they could possibly offer as if they had come to an auction to buy a product.
"We were thinking of supporting Guardians by offering the services of the France Special Forces."
"We can promise you a budget of a hundred million dollars each year."
"Haha, I feel reassured hearing such things from all of you," Kang-Woo said.
He kept up his professional smile while speaking to several people at once.
'Oh, fuck.'
As the conversations continued, he eventually understood what was going on.
"I heard that the Demon Cultists had suffered great losses in South America."
"Haha! It seems like they can't do much else than hide well."
'These motherfuckers.'
There was no hint of anxiety or fear in the politicians' words. It didn't take Kang-woo long to understand why they could talk like that.
'After all the work we did to stop them, you think hiding is all they're good at?'
The incidents in Korea, China, and then South America… All those incidents that the Demon Cult had caused had been solved more easily than the politicians had expected.
Civilian losses had only happened in Korea. Then in China, they had achieved a massive victory against weak demonic beasts. Lastly, the South America incident had been resolved by the members of Guardians and World Rankers before the Demon Cult even had a chance to do anything.
So, from the politicians' point of view, the Demon Cult just looked like a group of lunatics. The Demon Cult was not even a national threat in their eyes, let alone an international one.
'Shit.'
Kang-Woo frowned.
He had dealt with the Demon Cult's plans so perfectly that it had ended up working against him.
'This isn't good.'
He couldn't see any anxiety at all in the politicians' expressions as they laughed.
At this rate, even if they provided support to Guardians, Kang-Woo was sure that they would take their sweet time to do so.
'This…'
A conflict had arisen. He narrowed his eyes as his mind whirled.
"Ah! Madam Julia!"
"You're here! We've been waiting for you! This is Mr. Oh Kang-Woo, the person that we mentioned before!"
Everyone around Kang-Woo turned their heads to look in a certain direction. Kang-Woo followed suit.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Julia Vilkova, the ambassador of Russia," a shockingly beautiful woman greeted Kang-Woo.
She had long, braided brown hair, red lips, and a perfect figure that was wrapped in a dress with a deep V-neck. A pleasant fragrance wafted over from her, accentuating her extremely sensual aura.
'I'd say she's between Tian Suyan and Lilith.'
Tian Suyan was like a little brat who'd just learned what being sexy meant, whereas Lilith was the epitome of sexiness. Julia Vilkova seemed to be right between them.
"It's nice to meet you too," Kang-Woo greeted in return.
He looked around with a sharp gaze.
'These guys…'
All the politicians and Players who had approached Kang-Woo were now gathered around Julia. Judging by how they were glancing at her, it seemed like they'd approached Kang-Woo because she had told them to.
'This must have been a systematic approach.'
Kang-Woo shook the hand that Julia had extended toward him and smiled.
While smiling seductively at Kang-Woo, Julia continued, "Oh, right. I saw a VIP room in the banquet hall. There's something I would like to speak with you about… Could you give me some time?"
She tilted her head and reached toward Kang-Woo as she moved closer to him. The strange scent that he smelled from her was amplified.
"…"
Kang-Woo's smile disappeared for a second. He narrowed his eyes at the strange scent.
Then Kang-Woo, who seemed to be immersed in his thoughts, smirked. He flexed his fingers into a loose fist as a tingling sensation ran through them.
"Of course," Kang-Woo eventually replied.
He grabbed the hand that Julia had extended toward him.
"In that case, let us all head to the room," Julia told the politicians.
She led Kang-Woo and the politicians to the VIP room.
Click.
"Hah."
Kang-Woo laughed in disbelief upon entering the VIP room.
'Come on, aren't you going a bit too far here?'
There were all sorts of delicacies in the VIP room and around thirty beautiful women with faces and figures that did not fall behind Julia in the slightest.
The stunning women approached Kang-Woo as he sat down.
"This is a shark fin dish of the highest quality. Give it a try."
"And this is foie gras and caviar. Give this a try as well."
The thirty beautiful women didn't seem to care at all about the other people who had entered the room with Julia. They surrounded Kang-Woo, cutely offering him the delicacies.
'Damn, you really put out all the stops, huh?'
It was obvious to anyone that they were trying to convince Kang-Woo to join their side.
"I selected these girls myself. I was hoping they would be able to help you get some rest after all the fatigue you've accumulated from the difficult missions you undertook with Guardians," Julia explained, still smiling as she sat down in a chair.
Kang-Woo looked at the girls, delicacies, and politicians surrounding him.
'They don't seem to know me very well.'
Tsk. He clicked his tongue.
A hundred million dollars, which was a sum of money that was hard to even imagine, delicacies he'd never even heard of or seen, and eye-blindingly beautiful women…
"Hahaha."
He couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
Kang-Woo leaned his back against the couch made of the highest-quality leather and grinned smugly.
'You won't be able to seduce me with trash like this.'
He understood Julia's intentions but found them ridiculous. He wasn't so pathetic that he would lose his way because of things like this.
'You should have prepared kimchi stew at least.'
The tips of Kang-Woo's mouth curled up into a sneer as he mocked their idiocy in his mind.
'I'm not that easy.'
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