๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐: ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
โAre you ready?
“What do I need to prepare for?”
Siwoo responded nonchalantly to Edward’s question.
โYou usually hate being the center of attention.
“Well, you told me to do it, Vice President.”
โHmm, well, thanks to you, it’s not like the main office has been peaceful either.
“What do you mean?”
โThey keep asking for Min Siwoo the Hunter to be sent to their country. They have all kinds of reasons, like a possible terrorist attack, or that the country’s atmosphere is in chaos.
“It seems that half of them are just trying to maintain their power.”
Edward let out a small laugh at Siwoo’s words.
โMy friend, as always, you see right through them. Their sly intentions will surely wither away and flee into the darkness before your clever schemes.
“You sound like you’re quoting Shakespeare or something. . . Do you read plays?”
โJust kidding. By the way, can you just delete the parts I told you about from that footage and then upload it?
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
Siwoo always turned on his body cam as soon as a battle started, unless he forgot to.
Therefore, everything that happened during the terrorist attack (from Siwoo’s point of view) was recorded on his body cam.
โIf we release the IZIZ parts, it’ll definitely cause more chaos. Plus, it would be a problem if people found out you’re close to them.
“And make sure to delete the parts at the beginning where Choi Dae-soo and my men appear.”
In a way, Choi Dae-soo could be considered one of the main characters in this terrorist incident, but through negotiations with the German authorities, he became a “person not present at the scene.”
Choi Dae-soo was said to have attended an auction in Germany as a hobby before the ใGangwon S-rank Gateใ was closed.
For Germany, it was an issue that could have involved the president of a country in a terrorist incident, so it was resolved amicably.
After arriving in Korea, Siwoo took a short break and headed straight to the Blue House.
Currently, the domestic atmosphere was heavy with news only about the S-rank Gate and Ryu Ji-hwan.
However, the return of a Hunter who had suddenly risen to fame as a hero in Germany was enough to turn the atmosphere in Korea upside down.
Hunters now played the same role that global sports stars or movie actors used to.
Siwoo entered the waiting room next to the banquet hall.
There were already government officials there.
Some of them approached Siwoo and greeted him like a neighborhood junior they hadn’t seen in a while.
“Oh my, we finally have a star Hunter in our country!”
“I had my eye on you from the beginning.”
“Haha, you remind me of my grandson. I should introduce you to my granddaughter if you’re not married yet!”
Siwoo responded with only short, emotionless answers.
Who knew when they had last seen him to be on a first-name basis with him.
“Oh. . . You must be busy with all these Gates.”
Siwoo turned his head at the sudden unfamiliar voice.
It was government officials who seemed to be from a different faction.
“I’m Minister of National Defense Kim Hui-ho. I heard you did our Chief of Staff Yang Jun-mo a favor last time.”
Yang Jun-mo was the name of the traitor who wanted to get the magic stone first during the ใS-rank Gateใ.
Siwoo responded with a “What are you talking about?” expression.
“Is that so?”
“Let me introduce myself as well. I’m Police Commissioner Cha Byung-chul. Thanks to the HSIU, we’ve had fewer cases to deal with.”
Siwoo put on a faint smile.
Of course, these people had ill feelings toward Siwoo and the HSIU.
“I’ll give you a piece of advice. Young man, don’t be so arrogant. You never know when you might break.”
“Hahaha. Minister Kim is right. I’ve seen a lot of guys like that. When they get too cocky, they always end up like that.”
“And I hear you’re the teacher of Rolf Bangenheimer, the president of the association? If you’re going to play up the media, you should do it in moderation.”
“There will probably be a correction soon. And Benedict Ackermann, the 2nd ranker in Germany, also said that he was your disciple. Hahahaha.”
Siwoo listened to their words in silence.
His calm expression seemed to get on some people’s nerves, and some even started to criticize the Korea HSIU.
That was when it happened.
“Shut up~!”
The noisy room fell silent at the rhythmic voice.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the entrance.
Gi Il-lyeon, who had short hair and a cute face, glared at the people gathered there and then walked briskly up to Siwoo.
Siwoo smiled at Gi Il-lyeon and patted her head.
Then, Do Kyung-hoo and Min Si-joon entered together, and the atmosphere changed dramatically.
“I can hear the barking all the way out here.”
Do Kyung-hoo said with an annoyed expression.
The Guild Leader of a large guild.
Or a top ranker in a country.
Either one of these two qualifications would give someone the right to speak loudly wherever they went.
Especially in a place like Korea, where the hierarchy was strong.
“I understand that Hunter Min Siwoo was ‘invited’ to the Blue House this time, but it seems it was actually a hearing.”
Min Si-joon said coldly as he looked around at the people surrounding Siwoo.
At his icy tone, the people waved their hands and responded.
“Oh, hello, Guild Leaders.”
“Hahaha. There seems to be a misunderstanding. We were just giving him advice to be humble the more successful he gets. . .”
“Hahaha! Who’s giving advice to whom?”
Do Kyung-hoo approached, picking his ear as if he had misheard.
“Hey, Minister and all. Advice is something you give to someone who’s lower than you.”
The ministers could only blink at the audacity of the 2nd ranked Hunter in the Republic of Korea.
“Yes. . .??”
“Who in this country could possibly give advice to the Three Venerables?”
Do Kyung-hoo’s words made the room fall deathly silent.
The Three Venerables referred to the three people who ruled the Republic of Korea back in the days of the 1st generation Hunters.
Choi Dae-soo, the Incarnation of Comba.
Do Kyung-hoo, the Sword Demon.
Min Siwoo, the Mad Dog.
“Wasn’t he said to have died?”
It had been over ten years ago now.
To some, his name was a memory, while to others, it was a source of fear.
However, information or news about him had vanished like a bubble.
As if a popular celebrity had suddenly disappeared from the screen, and no one could feel the void left behind.
Hunters who succeeded the Mad Dog continued to appear one after another, and soon after the peace treaty with the demon race, the war with the Demon King was quietly erased from history.
“The Three Venerables. . .? Oh, is that guy the successor to the Mad Dog, one of the Three Venerables?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Do Kyung-hoo shook his head.
He didn’t have time to explain to these idiots.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Just then, reporters and cameras began to enter, guided by the security guards.
The people cleared their throats to get rid of the chaotic atmosphere and waited for the next person to enter.
President Choi Dae-soo.
The ministers applauded like thunder at the appearance of the undisputed number one in the Republic of Korea.
The cameras turned on their red lights, and the broadcast went live.
Flash after flash went off, and the reporters waited from a distance for their chance to ask questions.
Choi Dae-soo read from a prepared statement as he handed over medals and plaques.
“As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, and also as a Hunter, I am grateful for your efforts and dedication.”
Siwoo chuckled, never thinking he would receive an award like this from Choi Dae-soo.
“Before the banquet begins, we will take brief questions.”
As the protocol officer spoke to the reporters, hands shot up here and there.
A reporter from a major news agency spoke first.
“You are currently very popular in Germany as well. However, some suspect that it is a mutual promotion strategy between Germany and Korea. What are your thoughts?”
The Nuremberg ghoul attack.
The ใGangwon S-rank Gateใ.
And now, the ‘Berlin International Artifact Auction’.
They were nitpicking at the strangely connected relationship with Siwoo.
“Well, whether it was the two terrorist attacks in Germany or the Gate incident in our country, if anyone wants to be ‘promoted’, they should work harder than me. That is all.”
Siwoo answered without changing his expression.
In the end, it meant, ‘If you work harder than me, you can become popular too.’
As the reporter who had asked the question hesitated, another reporter next to him raised his hand and asked a question.
“There was an article that said you are the teacher of Rolf Bangenheimer, the president of the ใGerman Hunter Associationใ. There is a lot of backlash, saying it’s nonsense.”
“I have a follow-up question! There was also an article that said, ‘I am the teacher of Benedict Ackermann, the Guild Leader of the [Nacht Guild].’ What are your thoughts on this?”
Siwoo clicked his tongue.
He couldn’t help but sigh at the situation, where it was all too obvious who had instigated this.
‘๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐.’
When he looked over there, he saw the ministers standing there with strange smiles on their faces, looking smug.
In fact, Siwoo had learned about this kind of opposition in advance through Choi Dae-soo and Baek Geon-ho.
The high-ranking officials who didn’t like him were going to try to turn this welcoming ceremony into an inquisition.
That was why Siwoo had prepared his own countermeasures.
“I think it would be faster to ask the parties concerned these questions rather than me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters who had been bribed beforehand poured out questions like rain.
“But the only party who can answer right now is Hunter Min Siwoo, isn’t it?”
“Don’t evade the question and answer us!”
“Is it true that you manipulated the media?!”
The reporters continued their untimely pursuit, but Siwoo ignored them and displayed a video on the large screen.
The person on the screen was Rolf Bangenheimer, the president of the ใGerman Hunter Associationใ and a living legend in the German Hunter world.
โGreetings, people of the Republic of Korea.
He greeted them from his office, which was filled with books, wearing a neat suit.
โI heard all of the reporters’ questions from the beginning. I’ve been on the phone since earlier.
Rolf smiled broadly and poured out his sharp criticism.
โThis is truly absurd. What possible benefit could Germany and Korea gain from committing terrorist attacks and promoting each other? Who came up with the idea of tarnishing the image of an entire nation for the sake of boosting the image of one person or organization? Which reporter was it?
The reporter who had asked the question was too embarrassed to raise his hand and was busy hiding his reddened face.
โJust as you people in the Republic of Korea cheered on the German Hunters who helped during the ใGangwon S-rank Gateใ incident, please do not belittle the German people’s affection for Hunter Min Siwoo.
Some people hung their heads at his resolute statement.
“T-Then what about the reports that Hunter Min Siwoo is President Bangenheimer’s teacher? No matter how I think about it, the age difference doesn’t seem to match. . .”
โThat is true.
“Yes??”
โDoes age matter when it comes to learning?
“Well, no, but. . . Do you mean that he was someone you learned a lot from in a ceremonial sense?”
At the reporter’s question, Rolf tapped the table and answered solemnly.
โTeacher Siwoo is the one who laid the foundation for me to become a Hunter. I would give up even my own position for him.
He looked around the room from beyond the screen and continued.
โLet me say it again. Sir Hunter Siwoo is a hero of Germany and my teacher. I do not want to hear any more slanderous remarks about my benefactor. If you distort my statement and report on it again, that person will face the ‘Doberman’ of Germany.
When a strong person speaks, it is not a threat.
It becomes a kind of forceful order.
Rolf Bangenheimer was someone who had that kind of power.
At his almost menacing words, the reporters who had been bribed by the ministers glared at their clients.
Of course, they all avoided eye contact.
โI will end here and call the next person.
Rolf Bangenheimer stood up from his seat like a general who had completed his mission.
A second interviewee appeared in his empty seat.
It was someone that even Siwoo had not expected.
โGuten Tag (Hello,) friendly Hunters! This is Benedict Ackermann.
The reporters quickly spread the urgent news of the sudden appearance of a major star.