The Late Game Healer Is Way Too Strong – Chapter 227

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐𝟕: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥 3

Siwoo and his party flew from Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez.

Upon arriving at the airport, they were greeted by hunters and soldiers who were currently dispatched to Juarez to crack down on the cartels.

“Welcome, Hunter Min Siwoo. Diego from the [Elephant Union]. I’ll guide you to the hotel.”

Although they were hunters belonging to associations or different guilds, they said that they were operating under the name [Elephant Union] for this operation.

They were literally people who gathered to crack down on cartels.

At the hotel restaurant, there were the hunters of the [Elephant Union] who were waiting for Siwoo’s group.

They were so happy about Siwoo’s support that they greeted Siwoo’s party with bright smiles and great enthusiasm.

“Welcome! God hasn’t forsaken us!”

“We’ve heard a lot about you. No, we should say we’ve seen a lot on Hunter Tube!”

“I was at the ranking match venue! It’s nice to see you again.”

“To be able to work with an SSS-rank hunter. . . This is a great honor!”

Everyone shook Siwoo’s hand or hugged him once, and some asked to take pictures and took selfies with Siwoo.

Siwoo was a little taken aback by their reactions.

In Korea, before he could even feel his rank as number 0 in the world, he had to fight Pandemonium and didn’t have time to internalize it, but now that he’s overseas, it felt a little more real to him.

【𝐇𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐡𝐚. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 -𝟏 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐫𝐞! 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐲’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝—𝐊𝐮𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐠!】

Siwoo grabbed Prey before he could continue his nonsense and shoved him right into his pocket.

“Let’s eat first. We’ll have your luggage taken to your rooms.”

“We’ve been roasting hotel ceviche since morning because the hunter was coming! Hahaha.”

“The hotel ceviche and fajitas here are amazing. You have to try them.”

“Do you like alcohol? We’ll prepare different types of mescal, pulque, and tequila for you.”

They were all excited to show off their hospitality as if Siwoo were a savior.

Choi Kang-yul and Han Tae-chi felt a sense of pride and satisfaction watching the scene.

There wouldn’t be any team member who would be upset to see their leader being treated well by people he was meeting for the first time.

“Kang-yul, aren’t you happy?”

“Yes. I feel good because it seems like the Guild Leader is finally in the right place.”

Despite being neglected by Siwoo, they smiled happily.

“Oh, right. Where’s our captain?”

“He said he went to check the cartel’s location this morning.”

“Is it okay for us to eat first? He might feel bad.”

The [Elephant Union] hunters looked at Siwoo’s face while mumbling among themselves, and Siwoo spoke to them first.

“If your leader isn’t here yet, you can eat first and wait.”

“Ah. . . I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Hunter Min Siwoo. If you say so, the hunters can eat first. . .”

“It’s fine. Food always tastes better when you eat together.”

Siwoo looked at the [Elephant Union] hunters with a gentle smile.

Despite being a group of members gathered from various places, their system was well-established, and they didn’t seem to fight among themselves, which surprised him.

The answer was the simplest.

Fear of their team leader.

‘𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.’

Siwoo crossed his legs and began to input the information about the situation into his head one by one.

“Oh, there he comes!”

“Captain! Did you have a good time?”

Several people waved their hands, pointing at the entrance of the restaurant.

Siwoo turned his head towards the person entering.

A large body, a black leather vest, dozens of tattoos covering his entire upper body.

He looked like the typical macho man.

The man called the captain took off his sunglasses and approached Siwoo directly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Javier Fernandez, ranked 1st in Mexico and 6th in the world.”

He stroked his bushy beard and glared with the eyes of a beast.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Min Siwoo, ranked 0th in the world.”

Siwoo got up from his seat and took Javier’s hand.

Likewise, Siwoo also glared fiercely and did not avoid his gaze.

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

They held each other’s hands for several seconds in silence.

The people around them watched their expressions, not knowing what to do in this sudden situation.

They never expected that the hunter and the leader who came to help them would start a fight.

At that moment, laughter erupted from Javier’s mouth.

“Muhahaha. I like your straightforward introduction. I was testing you out for a bit. I was curious what kind of species an SSS-rank hunter would be.”

“Is that so? I’m not sure if I passed your test well.”

“You passed, you passed. It’s rare to see someone stand straight even after receiving my glare. Sit down. Get me some alcohol here. What kind of alcohol do you prefer, hunter?”

“Well, I’ve never had Mexican alcohol before.”

“Muhahaha. All Mexican alcohol tastes good. Bring all kinds!”

Javier pulled back his messy hair and tied it up tightly.

It was a hairstyle that seemed difficult to digest, but it surprisingly suited him well as he exuded masculinity.

“I heard from President Enrique. You’re here to help Mexico without taking any money?”

“That’s what I’ve decided. I’m not going to take from the government, but from the guys who have it.”

“You’re damn brave. But what’s your real intention? When you reach world rank 0, people will pay a lot of money to hire you, so why take on such a dangerous job? Is there another motive?”

Javier bit into a taco and chewed it noisily.

His speech was vulgar and eccentric, but that was just his usual personality.

It wasn’t a question that was malicious, so Siwoo emptied a glass of tequila and opened his mouth.

“〈Pandemonium〉, you know?”

“Of course. Who among the high-rankers these days wouldn’t know about that?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, let me see.”

Javier brushed off the taco crumbs on his beard and poured pale pulque into his mouth in one gulp.

“I think they’re sons of b*tches. They’re guys who need to be killed. You worship the demon race? They’re not human. But. . .”

“. . . . . .”

“It’s a story that’s far removed from us.”

“Far removed?”

When Siwoo asked in confusion, Javier chuckled and sat up straight.

“For us, the reality is not the 〈Pandemonium〉 that you never know when and where it will act up, but the cartels that might point guns at our foreheads tonight.”

“I see. I understand.”

In fact, that was obvious to him.

No matter how threatening 〈Pandemonium〉 was, or how it might become the cornerstone of a great disaster for humankind in the future, it would be nothing more than a distant cloud to those who were struggling to survive each day.

“So why are you asking?”

“There’s going to be a war soon.”

“A war. . . Where? In Korea?”

“No. A world war with the demon race.”

Javier stopped putting the taco in his mouth and stared at Siwoo with a blank expression.

Siwoo’s words were that difficult to understand, or perhaps, that difficult to want to understand.

“No. . . That’s just. . .”

“If I cut off the neck of the boss of Sicario Kartel.”

“. . . . . .”

“Will the Mexican hunters build up their strength against 〈Pandemonium〉 and prepare for war? Will they respond to my call?”

“Uh. . .”

Javier hesitated to answer at Siwoo’s gaze.

It was because a strong spirit emanated from his gaze, incomparable to when they had a fight earlier.

Javier, who intuitively felt that this answer could never be given as a hunter, straightened his expression and glared.

“If you solve our problem. . . I promise. This Javier Fernandez will respond to your call and command.”

“Good. It’s a promise.”

Siwoo raised his tequila glass towards him.

Javier nodded and likewise raised his tequila glass, and they drank it all at the same time.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

That evening.

Siwoo headed to the night streets of Juarez with some hunters.

Contrary to what they had thought, there were many clubs and crowds downtown.

Javier, who seemed to understand Siwoo’s intentions, spoke first.

“One of the cartels’ sources of income is entertainment. They sell alcohol, women, and drugs inside. That’s why this downtown area is relatively safe. Of course, I’m talking relatively to the whole of Juarez.”

“So that’s why you told us to come in plain clothes instead of hunter uniforms?”

“If you come in as a hunter or a soldier, it’s not an investigation but a call to fight. Isn’t that obvious?”

Siwoo was now wearing ordinary jeans and a black T-shirt.

He looked at Choi Kang-yul, who was following behind him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, Guild Leader. I’m okay.”

“Even if I don’t give you the signal, use your magic power whenever you feel like it’s dangerous. Don’t hesitate.”

“I understand.”

For reference, Han Tae-chi was too scared to be alone in the room, let alone go outside, so he was waiting in the accommodation with a few Hunters.

“You guys look around for any suspicious movements nearby. Hunter Min Siwoo, follow me this way.”

As Javier walked past the crowd towards the back of the club, Siwoo followed right behind him.

The others dispersed into the crowd and observed the surroundings naturally.

“Here?”

“They’re a rival cartel that’s not on good terms with Sicario Kartel, so to put it simply, they’re the ones giving us information. We decided to meet today.”

Javier went into a dark alley and entered a building halfway through it.

The pungent stench, the smell of spilled alcohol, and the syringes scattered everywhere explained how dangerous this place was.

“Is this the only place to meet?”

“Even if they are hostile forces, if the cartels find out that the national hunters are receiving information from Sicario, the other cartels won’t stay still, so we have no choice. We have to be as invisible as possible.”

Javier went up to the 3rd floor and approached a room at the end of the hallway and knocked.

“This is strange. He was supposed to be here first.”

He tilted his head and checked the time.

━Kuaaaaak!

At that moment, a piercing scream was heard, and Siwoo quickly gathered his magic power to spread a shield.

“Damn it, what the hell is this!

Javier also circulated his magic power throughout his body and immediately broke the door and rushed inside.

Three people with skull masks and one person lying on the floor covered in blood.

“Government lackeys must die.”

One of the skull masks said, raising his knife.

“Sicario. . . You’ve saved me the trouble of looking for you.”

Javier gathered his magic power on both hands, and soon solid knuckles were materialized on both of his fists.

Kuaaaaang!!

The swung fist grazed the skull mask and broke the wall.

Siwoo looked at the other two Sicario gang members.

“Who are you? Are you some new hunter bastard the government brought in?”

“With such pale skin, how is this guy an SSS-rank?”

“Hmm.”

Siwoo shook his head left and right as he listened to their chatter.

“Kekeke. What? You want to fight?”

The skull mask looked at Siwoo and snapped his fingers.

Siwoo couldn’t stop the laughter that burst out.

Even though he became the world’s 0th ranker, the guys who underestimated him never changed.

“I’m going to hit two each from now on. Decide whether you want to die after that, or cough up information.”

Siwoo’s dantian opened up, and a blue energy surged out like a typhoon.

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