Chapter 203
Despite?Pan Wugang’s confident words, the elves were actually good at lying.
Choi Yeonseung had once bumped into the elves while wandering around the Abyss.?Most of them weren’t that dangerous, but occasionally when he got stuck with them, the elves could be very…?They could be very annoying.
‘Just thinking about it makes me angry.’
Basically, the elves loved their race a lot. Normally, that would be a good thing. The problem was that they loved their own race so much that they ignored the others.
-Didn’t you promise to show me the way out of this area if I got rid of the monsters occupying that forest? I’ve dealt with the monsters.?Now show me the way.
-We don’t know the way.?We’ve been in this forest for so long that we’ve forgotten our ancestors’ names.
-But you said you would show me the way…
-I’ll give you something better instead.?It’s the opportunity to serve our glorious elf race.?Isn’t it a glorious opportunity for an insignificant being like you who comes from an unknown place?
-...If you don’t find the way right now, I’ll decapitate all of you!
-Hey, savage bastard!
Just like that, they would never hesitate to lie to other races.?They didn’t even think they were doing something wrong.?Choi Yeonseung had to swing his fists a bunch of times to make them reflect on it.
‘I mean, how many elves could they possibly have encountered on Earth?’
They could’ve met only a small number of elves working in the household of a constellation, so it wasn’t surprising that they had some misconceptions about the elves.
-Elves don’t lie.
-Elves are the most honorable race in the Abyss.?How common is a race that is both beautiful and noble?
...If such things were said on Earth, humans were bound to have the wrong idea about elves.
-Still, you can’t be sure that they’re trying to deceive you, can you?
-Yes, it’s not like they lie all the time… Some of them tell the truth.
***
“Everyone... I’ve been waiting for you.”
An elderly elf was waiting for the hunters along with a few other elves in attendance.
The elf elder looked thrilled and said, “I had no idea that the human race was so brave and honorable.”
“Don’t worry. Not all humans are brave and honorable. You had better only trust those who belong to the People’s Republic of China. Humans from anywhere else are like wild dogs,”?Pan Wugang spoke kindly to the elf elder.
The companies and nations exploring the Abyss were desperate to discover new areas and get acquainted with Abyssal races.?The Chinese government was no different.
‘The elf tribe led by this old man could be very useful.’
The elf elder, Grenno, knew everything from the surrounding terrain to monsters.?As far as the other members of the tribe were concerned, they had a knack for crafting all types of rare items with magic and skills that didn’t exist on Earth.?What if China had the ability to monopolize this?
“Will you keep your promise?”
“Of course! If you kill the monster,?brave?and honorable human kingdom... Was it the Chinese kingdom? I’m confused about the name...”
“It is the People’s Republic of China. Not a kingdom.”
“But from what you said, it sounds like a kingdom.”
“It’s not a kingdom!”
‘Humans are so weird.’
Grenno thought that the human in front of him was quite peculiar.?He’d heard that the country was ruled by a human at the top. Wasn’t that a kingdom??It was clear that they didn’t know what a kingdom was because they were stupid and ignorant.
‘But it doesn’t matter.’
“In any case, as long as you deal with that monster, I will become an eternal ally of the Chinese Kingdom.”
“You must keep that promise.”
Pan Wugang nodded with satisfaction.
Choi Yeonseung was listening attentively to the conversation from a distance.
“No...”
-They are being scammed.
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says they are being scammed...]
It was so obvious that nobody could even try to deny it. Clearly, the elves of this tribe were trying to get the Chinese government to do their work for them. It was one of the things that elves did best. If a dangerous monster appeared, just ask a different race to deal with it!
“It’s pathetic and pitiful, but also funny to see them fall for it...”
-If the elves are acting like this, then it must be a pretty strong monster.
The Chinese government estimated that it was a B-grade monster, but considering how the elves were acting, it was clearly more dangerous than that.?It was a B-grade monster, but there was something tricky or suspicious about it, or there was something else...
‘Well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing if it’s a monster with a high rating.’
Of course, it was a dangerous job that could cost the lives of hunters, but it wasn’t that bad if there was someone confident enough to deal with the monster.?Not only was this a good opportunity to train his hunters, but he could also teach the Chinese hunters a lesson. He would feign ignorance at first, then, once everything was over, he would chastise them for being deceived by the elves.
“Wow. They are elves.”
“Will they get offended if I try to take a photo with them?”
“I’d like to take a photo with them...”
“......”
Choi Yeonseung looked at the Mount Hua Sect hunters, thinking they were pathetic.
‘They still have a long way to go in training if they are deceived like this by appearances.’
They weren’t supposed to lower their guards against Abyssal races or monsters just because they were beautiful. Take the nightmare demon race for example. Even though they looked gorgeous, they used an evil skill specific to their race called ‘Energy Drain’ the moment the opponent was caught off guard.
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ says out of all examples, why...]
‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of anything else.’
The elves who came with Grenno were pleased with the reactions of hunters.?There was nothing better than seeing the looks of envy on those from insignificant races.
‘Be envious, you insignificant humans!’
“Wait. I also want to have a word with the elves.”
Pan Wugang was visibly upset by Choi Yeonseung’s words.?Nothing good was going to come out of the elves making contact with hunters from other countries.
“The elves over there are actually afraid of hunters from other countries.”
“It’s okay. Even if they’re scared, I just have to talk to them.”
“...They might leave if you force them to talk to hunters from other countries.”
“Really? I will ask them myself.”
Pan Wugang was under a false impression.?Choi Yeonseung had common sense and might have been really polite for an A-grade hunter, but he could also be very assertive.?Pan Wugang thought that, out of all the A-grade hunters, Choi Yeonseung was the one he could cooperate with. Maybe even recruit him. However, he was awfully mistaken.
“Oh. Did you say your name is Grenno? It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Choi Yeonseung.”
“It is nice to meet you, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. You seem to have a very strong body,”?Grenno spoke with admiration.?His words weren’t a lie. He really meant it.
All the hunters that came here seemed quite strong, but Choi Yeonseung was just outstanding.?He was strong enough to defeat all the elf heroes!
‘This is even better.’
With this kind of strength, he should have no issues in dealing with the monsters located nearby.?Pan Wugang stared at Grenno, but Grenno pretended not to notice.?For the elves, two human kingdoms were better than one.
“By the way, what constellation do the elves here believe in? Do you believe in Arrogant Light Elf?”
“W-What… We wouldn’t dare dedicate our faith to him!”
‘Um?’
He would sometimes meet Abyssal races that didn’t believe in any constellation.?He thought something like that was ridiculous in the Abyss, where one could pick and choose, but it was a surprisingly common phenomenon.
-Isn’t it better to not believe in them than to believe in them halfheartedly?
There were quite a few clever Abyssal races.?Even if they gave their faith to a constellation, a constellation couldn’t take care of everyone.?From a constellation’s point of view, mortals were like ants. At most, they would take care of a small number of humans that were excellent.
There were those who believed without hoping for anything in return, but there were also many people who chose to believe because they were hoping for some favor from the constellation. They would keep having faith until a constellation selected them.
“It wouldn’t be that hard to believe in the Arrogant Light Elf, right?”
“It’s disrespectful for a small tribe like ours to believe in him.”
‘They are good at making excuses.’
They said they didn’t believe in the constellation, so Choi Yeonseung didn’t pry. He left without asking any more questions.
***
“Sir Grenno. How was it?”
“It went very well. Those stupid human bastards don’t even know that they’re being deceived,”?Grenno said with satisfaction.?“But I have to change the plan a bit.”
“How?”
“There’s a very good warrior among the humans. We might be able to use him to kill the monster. Let’s use the Chinese hunters as bait and make things happen.”
“That’s a good idea!”
The Chinese hunters would’ve drawn their swords in anger if they had heard this, but the elves had already made up their minds.?Since Choi Yeonseung seemed to be able to kill the monsters, the Chinese hunters who came first would be nothing but bait.
***
“Wait. Why are you taking the lead?”?Choi Yeonseung asked in a puzzled manner.
The Chinese hunters were moving too far ahead.
Usually, when a large group of people did a raid, the members of the group would try to synchronize their movements with each other as much as possible. If someone went too far ahead by themselves, they risked getting ambushed by monsters.?Despite that, the Chinese hunters were strangely advancing far ahead on their own, as if they had eaten something rotten and weren’t in their right minds.
"Is there a problem?"
“Didn’t you hear me? Why are you going forward like this?”
“We’re taking responsibility for everyone here, so we need to be ahead.”
The words of Pan Wugang shocked the hunters of the Mount Hua Sect.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung. Something is suspicious. I think they’re up to something.”
“Maybe they’re trying to join forces with another group of hunters and ambush us!”
“It’s a wild guess.”
Of course, that wasn’t possible.?The dungeon they were entering now was a plain-shaped dungeon with a straight road.?There was no place for hunters to hide, and more than that, it was difficult for someone to avoid being sensed by Choi Yeonseung.
‘What are they thinking? Are they worried I’m going to take the loot?’
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled.?Of course, it was entirely possible that the Chinese hunters were worried about that.?They stabbed a lot of people in the back, and now they were scared of being at the other end of the knife.?However, Choi Yeonseung had no intention of doing so.?He was a constellation. He couldn’t be bothered to seal some loot from the Chinese hunters.
-I suspect that the elves are playing some kind of trick.
-What kind of trickery?
-Clever monsters tend to avoid strong warriors.?Among the cold-blooded races, they sometimes use the weaker members of their group as bait to bring out the monster.
-......!
Choi Yeonseung realized what the words meant.?So the elves actually wanted to clear out the dungeon?
‘Wow. It’s amazing!’
The battle of trickery between two scumbags!?A spectator couldn’t help but feel admiration.
“I’ll be in charge now. Stop moving. We have to coordinate our movements.”
“......!”
The Chinese hunters were flustered by Choi Yeonseung’s words.?Even if they raided together, he didn’t have the authority to give orders to hunters from another team.?It didn’t matter how high his rank was.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung. You don’t have the authority to order us, do you?”
“Um... That is true.”
Choi Yeonseung seemed resigned and Pan Wugang nodded with a look of satisfaction on his face.?However, Choi Yeonseung wasn’t going to back down.
“Then I’ll give you orders without the authority. If you don’t want to get hurt, stop right away and come this way.”
“......!!!”
Everybody was shocked by Choi Yeonseung’s words.
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