Chapter 241
“I’m not being deceived.”
“Don’t you think you’re being out of line?” The Six-Eyed Turtle employee looked serious as he scolded the scout after hearing Choi Yeonseung’s words. The scout might have been an outsider, but there were limits to what he was allowed to say.
“N-No… That’s...”
It was only at this time that the scout realized he had made a mistake. Those words just slipped out when he saw the A-grade hunter wasting his time like that with those hunters. It wasn’t something that one could just say in someone else’s clan building.
‘Come to think of it, why is Hunter Choi Yeonseung even here? Is it because of a friendship? Unless he’s a pushover, an A-grade hunter wouldn’t come to another clan just because of some friendship...’
The Ambitus scout was distressed, and he didn’t know that he had actually guessed the reason why Choi Yeonseung had come here.
In the meantime, the scouts realized that the old hunter behind Choi Yeonseung also had a familiar face.
… It was Chen Xiezhi!
“H-Hunter Chen Xiezhi?”
“What is it?” asked Chen Xiezhi, not knowing why this person called his name.
The scout was speechless. He really was Chen Xiezhi!
‘Is the Korean government crazy? Abducting an S-grade hunter from another country...?’
‘No... If they blatantly took an S-grade hunter to another country, it means they don’t care if they get caught. They would only do something like that if they had a plan that they’re convinced would work.’
‘Are they serious about this? If so, it’s even crazier!’
No matter how much they thought about it, it was hard to figure out why Chen Xiezhi was there. Because of that, the scouts began whispering among themselves.
-The Korean government seems a lot more like a mafia gang than I thought. Isn’t this something that only China would do? Bringing a hunter from another country so confidently...
-Umm. They are neighboring countries, so it would be strange for them to stay still without doing anything. The Chinese government must be very angry.
-Regardless of anything, I never thought South Korea would provoke them like this...
The scouts were stunned by the bravery of the South Korean government.
China was certainly different from the old days, but they were still a big country that operated like gangsters. It was completely unexpected for South Korea to provoke China in such a fashion.
“If you have nothing else to say, could you please leave?” said the Six-Eyed Turtle clan in a sullen voice. He seemed quite offended by what the scouts had said.
The scouts were surprised by the way the employee was treating them, but they soon realized why he was acting like that.
‘Damn it.’
Kwon Yeongseung, the A-grade hunter who was more or less the face of the Six-Eyed Turtle clan, was also there. His presence meant that even the leader of the Ambitus clan had to be careful. They could get locked up in the basement of the training facility if they messed around with an employee of the clan.
Even so, the scouts couldn’t back down.
“... We haven’t seen all the players yet, so we’ll have to look around some more.”
Choi Yeonseung became curious and asked the Ambitus scouts, “Seeing that you came all this way to look at the Korean hunters, they must be doing well, right?”
“Yes, they fight well.”
“Above all, Korean hunters who want to participate in the competition prefer overseas clans to Korean clans...”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung paused at the last answer, which was unexpectedly sad.
‘How bad are the Korean teams?’
One of the scouts seemed to notice Choi Yeonseung’s reaction and poked his companion in the side.
“Hey, be careful what you say!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung is Korean. What person likes it when their own country is insulted?”
“Ah...!”
For a moment, the scout thought he was speaking to Dragon Hwang, but on a closer look, the A-grade hunter in front of him seemed to be from South Korea. He had mistakenly thought that Choi Yeonseung was American!
“Haha, Korean hunters are great at fighting. Heh…”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, if you know any good hunters, then please recommend them.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was hesitant at first, but he eventually decided to recommend someone. He asked, “The Ambitus clan isn’t a bad place, is it?”
Kwon Yeonseung replied, “No, it isn’t. The clan leader is a bit of an asshole, but playing on their team is completely fine.”
“... I get what you mean.”
It was evident from Kwon Yeongseung’s answer that the hunters training over there needed a chance to compete. It wasn’t fair for them to be ignored just because the Ambitus guys were shallow and annoying.
“Let’s see... That hunter, what was his name? Was it Geum Taesu? He’s doing fine.”
Choi Yeonseung recommended one decent hunter based on the skills and stats that he saw. His skills were pretty good, and his stats complemented his skills quite nicely.
However, hearing Choi Yeonseung’s words, the scouts just looked at each other and shrugged.
“Is that so?”
“I see.”
“... Did my words go in one ear and out the other?” said Choi Yeonseung as his voice lowered by one level.
.
It was only after his reply that the scouts realized the situation. They scrambled to avoid getting punched in the face by an enraged hunter.
“N-No! I heard you very well!”
“But there are procedures to be followed! We have to report it to the higher-ups and get permission!”
No matter how they tried to phrase it, it was clear that the scouts didn’t like Choi Yeonseung’s recommendation. He didn’t understand why they didn’t like it, so he asked, “Isn’t Hunter Geum Taesu okay? He trains hard.”
“Ah...”
“That...”
One of the scouts hit his palm with his fist as if he belatedly realized how old Choi Yeonseung was.
Choi Yeonseung firmly told them, “If you don’t tell me what you’re really thinking, I’ll make you leave through the window, not the stairs.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! We need a hunter with useful skills, not a hunter who trains hard! That’s just how things work! I’m sorry!”
The scout was overwhelmed by Choi Yeonseung’s genuine threat and finally spoke his mind. Training hard was the old-fashioned way of doing things. That was how the hunters from the first-generation operated. However, these days, scouts didn’t even look at hunters unless they had a special skill.
Weren’t skills everything in the SSL?!
Everyone had that opinion, so Choi Yeonseung’s words were bound to seem old-fashioned.
The Six-Eyed Turtle employee also seemed to think so. He said in a low voice, “Hunter Choi Yeonseung, thank you. There’s no point in recommending someone to these shallow guys.”
“... It’s fine. It’s better if I show it myself.”
***
“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Dragon Artifact’s performance this quarter has been overwhelming. As expected, you made the right choice.”
“I just put my trust in the right people,” said Hwang Gyeongryong with a stern expression.
Other senior people were watching, so Hwang Gyeongryong was trying really hard to control his facial expression. He had already been revered as a legend, and his reputation skyrocketed when his decision of appointing a hunter as CEO, even though he knew nothing about the position, turned out to be a success. Because of that, people had an incredible amount of respect for him.
The senior members participating in the video conference nodded with genuine respect.
“Chairman, Hunter Choi Yeonseung is trying to contact us.”
“Uh. Accept it.”
Hwang Gyeongryong created a clone with magic, sat it in front of the camera and stood up.
“Hey! You did a great job in the monster wave. Have you seen that the Chinese government is coming out with a submissive attitude when discussing the matter of compensation? I recorded it. Do you want to watch it together?”
“... Why did you record that? No. Forget it. Do you know any clans that specialize in the SSL?”
“??”
Hwang Gyeongryong was puzzled by Choi Yeonseung’s sudden words, but he answered immediately.
“I do. Why? Do you need people who are good in the SSL for the constellation battle? It would be hard to mobilize it now, right?”
The name of the incarnation of training was widely known due to the monster wave, but convincing the hunters would still take some time. They had to figure out what the hunters needed and focus on that.
“No. There are no constellation battles yet. Rather, if you do have such a clan, I would like to train them.”
“This... Your suggestion is a bit tempting.”
Hwang Gyeongryong looked intrigued for a moment.
As a constellation, raising a clan wasn’t a bad choice either. Many ordinary people were currently more interested in fights between clans than raids. As far as dungeon raids were concerned, the general public wasn’t really interested in them unless it was a really dangerous dungeon. A clan-to-clan competition was far more exciting than that.
However, there was a reason why Hwang Gyeongryong hadn’t bothered to recommend it.
First of all, it wasn’t common to train a clan. The reason he had sent Choi Yeonseung to the Icarus clan was because the Icarus hunters were talented people who were considered aces in their own way. At the very least, he had been certain that they wouldn’t hold Choi Yeonseung back. However, if he left a clan that was currently doing well to Choi Yeonseung...
“It won’t work. I’m sorry. There are clans that are already doing well. If I just simply add you to the clan, they will argue with everyone, starting from the hunters there to the director. I can’t break their trust.”
The clans that Hwang Gyeongryong had under him could be regarded as first-class clans. Those clans were among the best in the United States, and were always at the top of the league. No matter how great Choi Yeonseung was, Hwang Gyeongryong couldn’t simply add him to the team. On the contrary, the clans would be shaken if he changed them as he wanted.
Hwang Gyeongryong continued to discuss with Choi Yeonseung, “Is this really necessary for you? If that’s the case, I’ll do it even if I get criticized...”
“No, forget it. It doesn’t matter what their results are. I just need a clan where I can train some hunters.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t you just create a new clan and take over the facility? It’s not that difficult.”
“In addition, if possible, I would like it to be a Korean clan.”
“...Ugh, why?” asked Hwang Gyeongryong with a slightly dissatisfied voice. “Wouldn’t an American clan be better? Why would you go there?”
“That... Don’t you feel sorry for Changsik hyung?”
“...”
Hwang Gyeongryong couldn’t refuse it.
That was true...!
***
“You’re actually buying it? Why?”
“Are you asking me not to buy it?”
“N-No. It’s not like that.”
It was really easy to take over a clan facility in South Korea or in the United States. Throughout the years, hunter clans had always appeared and disappeared. In the past, hunters would leave because of injuries. Nowadays, hunters left either because they were scouted somewhere else or because they didn’t get along with each other.
“By the way,” Illeya asked curiously, “Are you good at SSL? It is to the point where you can be the director?”
Choi Yeonseung shook his head. “I can’t say it’s like that.”
There were many decent hunters out there that were blatantly ignored by others. This was why Choi Yeonseung did this. However, he wasn’t particularly confident about the whole thing.
“Then?”
“I’m going to call someone who’s good at it.”
“???”
Illeya cocked her head. Was there someone who would be a good director?
Someone knocked on the door before they could finish talking.
“Why did you want to meet in a place like this?” asked Lee Changsik as he walked in. They met at a closed clan facility out of all places.
“The Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor!”
“... Nice to meet you.”
Lee Changsik looked slightly embarrassed as he replied to Illeya.
Choi Yeonseung looked at Lee Changsik and asked, “Hyung, I heard that you will step down as the head coach of the national team next month.”
“How do you know that...?”
“I asked a government official, the Six-Eyed Turtle clan, and the leader of the Golden Blood Fish clan. They all pretty much said the same thing.”
“...”
Lee Changsik was surprised that this younger brother had developed wider connections than him during the time they hadn’t met.
Choi Yeonseung curiously asked, “What are you going to do when stepping down as director?”
“Let’s see... I don’t know.”
“If you don’t have anything in mind, do you want to help me with my work?”
“Your work? Haha... Okay. I’ll help you with anything as long as I don’t have to be the director.”
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