Jeong Wonuk was so dumbfounded that saliva dripped from his mouth.
âWhat did he do to make you respond like that?â Jeong Wonuk asked softly. He felt that spending millions of dollars wouldnât be a waste as long as he could find out the secret to appeasing Han Seha, who had a terrible personality.
âI also want to know...â
âItâs his personality.â
Han Sehaâs answer puzzled both Choi Yeonseung and Jeong Wonuk.
âPer...
â...Sonality?â
âDo I have a good personality?â
-I donât know if you necessarily have a good personality, but from a moral standpoint, you are one of the best among the hunters and constellations.
-Is that true?
Choi Yeonseung was surprised by the unexpected evaluation. Up to this moment, he had heard many people call him things like ânutsâ, âcrazy about trainingâ and âinsane bastard who only knows trainingâ. He didnât remember hearing people say that he has a good personality.
-Successor, rather than your personality being particularly good, the moral sense of hunters and constellations has declined tremendously. Donât you think your moral compass is quite high compared to them?
-...Thatâs plausible.
Choi Yeonseung was convinced. Personality was like a flower. It needed petals to be more valuable. Even the ordinary Choi Yeonseung was bound to feel like he had an outstanding personality when compared to other hunters and constellations!
âHavenât you saved hunters from other clans, or citizens from other cities? Only people with great personalities do such great things without expecting anything in return.â
âCan you stop?â
âYep.â
Han Seha immediately shut her mouth at Choi Yeonseungâs words.
âIn any case, back to the story of Chen Xiezhi. Chen Xiezhi was a legendary hunter back in our time.â
âLegendary? Isnât he a Chinese hunter?â Han Seha questioned it.
Among the Chinese hunters who had a high rank, very few of them werenât bastards. Because of that, Han Seha tried to come up with a formula that stated that the ratings of Chinese hunters and their personalities are inversely proportional. However, the South Korean government stopped her from actually publishing it.
âThe Chinese used to be⦠less bad. Itâs not like they didnât cause problems, but they were a bit less ferocious. Most importantly, it wasnât that long after the gates opened and the cooperation between all of humanity was very strong.â
âEven then, the Chinese government deceived others.â
âThatâs right, but it wasnât as bad as it is now.â
âThatâs true...â
âIt was Chen Xiezhi who represented that era. He had a good character, and if he were a martial artist, he would be my idol instead of Li Yuyuan.â
Chen Xiezhi was an old man of the first generation and a hunter with both skills and a good personality. After Chen Xiezhi disappeared, it was rumored that the Chinese government assassinated him because they were afraid he would state his opinions publicly...
âThatâs why Iâm going to make a firm request to the Chinese government.â
â?!â
Jeong Wonuk was surprised by Choi Yeonseungâs words.
âWould they listen...?â
âThey are the ones in a tragic situation. If their S-grade hunter canât come forward, they should at least reveal the reason. Arenât you curious?â
Come to think of it, the Chinese government wasnât the only one in a bad situation. It was also the foreign companies (including Hwang Gyeongryong). Well, Choi Yeonseung was alrightâ¦
âSounds like a good plan.â
âGood? Why are you so reticent with your words? Shouldnât you at least start with âgreatâ?â
Jeong Wonuk made up his mind to ask for a separate plane for each A-grade hunter next time.
***
The Suzhou Overseas Business Zone was a new city in China. Dozens of companies came here to set up factories, accommodations, convenience facilities, and educational facilities for employees. Thus, it wasnât much different from overseas cities.
The atmosphere in the special zone was terrible due to an official letter from the Chinese government.
âHunter Choi Yeonseung!â
A factory manager of Dragon Industry saw Choi Yeonseung and rushed over with a happy expression.
There were over a dozen hunters belonging to the company here, but it was hard to believe that they could hold their own against an S-grade hunter.
âDid you get any instructions from above?â
âThey told me to obey your orders.â
â...I-I see.â
Of course, it was better for them to listen to him, but given how they phrased it, he felt more burdened. There werenât merely a few dozens of people, but thousands, or even tens of thousands of people.
âI donât mind fighting, but Iâm worried that there will be quite a bit of damage.â
In the Abyss, he could fight like crazy without holding back. As long as he killed a monster, nobody would complain even if he also destroyed the core of a planet in the process. However, if he fought like that on Earth, hundreds of thousands of people would die.
âThere are many companies in that place, so you will receive a lot of support.â
Before he could finish speaking, a voice called out to Choi Yeonseung from behind. It was Germanyâs A-grade hunter, Ben Nacht.
âWhy is that Gestapo-looking bastard acting all friendly and stuff?â Han Seha wondered while looking at him with apprehension.
They always had to be careful when getting involved with A-grade hunters from other countries. People always assumed that there was a scheme behind every word and every action. Hunters with no hidden motives like Han Seha and Kwon Yeongseung were rare. Usually, hunters engaged in politics and were ambitious, just like Jeong Wonuk. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI saved him last time during the Abyss Gate raid.â
âI shouldâve been there!â
âIf you had been there, I wouldâve been too worried and wouldnât have been able to concentrate. I could fight comfortably because I had Kwon Yeongseung with me.â
Kwon Yeongseung listened to them from the side and paused.
...He suddenly felt⦠bad?
Unable to hear their conversation, Ben Nacht came over and took Choi Yeonseungâs hand, shaking it up and down roughly.
âItâs nice to meet you, Hunter Choi Yeonseung! I didnât think I would meet you here like this. Have the Korean A-grade hunters come as well?â
He had a harsh voice, similar to that of a soldier, but there was a faint sense of familiarity. A-grade hunters were also people. They wouldnât hate someone who saved their lives without asking for anything in return.
âYeah, since South Korea could be severely impacted.â
âAh, I see. Itâs such a terrible location. How on earth did South Korea end up in that place?â
Han Seha felt somewhat disheartened. Koreans could reprimand the country all they wanted, but it was sort of unpleasant when foreigners spoke badly about South Korea.
If Choi Yeonseung hadnât grabbed Han Sehaâs wrist and signaled her to keep quiet, she wouldâve asked, âWell, since youâve lost two world wars, Iâd say your countryâs location is just as bad.â
âI didnât expect Germany to send A-grade hunters...â
âGiven the size of the factory here, it was only natural for them to send an A-grade hunter. The moment the dragon flies away, the worldâs stock prices will plummet. I think there will be a few more A-grade hunters coming, not just me.â
His words encouraged the people around him. Ten A-grade hunters could overthrow a few countries by themselves.?This was enough to give them some hope against an S-grade monster.
âAnd...â
Ben Nacht looked around, lowered his voice and whispered, âHunter Chen Xiezhi is coming.â
â...What?! Really?â
Choi Yeonseung was surprised to hear that. He honestly thought that Chen Xiezhi was half dead.
âItâs off the record, but I think that many countries have put a lot of pressure on China.â
It was to be expected. No matter how important money was, A-grade hunters were exceptional national assets. No government would just send their A-grade hunters without making some demands.
-The Chinese government should at least be transparent! If you donât send in your S-grade hunter, Chen Xiezhi, we wonât send our hunters to help you.
-No Chen Xiezhi, no support.
Given how bad the situation was, the Chinese government couldnât hold out against the monster if all the other countries withdrew their support.
In the end, the Chinese caved in.
âIâm curious!â
Choi Yeonseung suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. Why had nobody seen or heard of Chen Xiezhi in all these years?
-Gasp...! Did Chen Xiezhi also get chosen by a constellation to train?
-...Successor, the only one who would do such a crazy thing is the goddess of balance, so calm down.
-Arenât you exaggerating?
However, the goddess of sloth was right. It was absolutely impossible to do anything like that!
âThen did he train on Earth by himself? Whatâs going on here? Did the Chinese assassinate him and bring him back to life as an undead? Or maybe they implanted a chip in his brain...â
âHunter Chen Xiezhi has arrived.â
â!â
The moment the news came out, the hunters started to gather quickly. Many had already been waiting for him to show up.
Chen Xiezhi was the most experienced hunter from the first generation and had gained every type of achievement. Who would miss a chance to see him?
âMake way! Make way!â
âYou canât come any closer!â
The Chinese hunters escorting Chen Xiezhiâs vehicle struggled to block access. Most of them were C-grade hunters at best. Trying to stop a crowd of B-grade or A-grade hunters wouldâve been utter hell.
âIf you keep doing this, I will arrest all of you!â said one of the Chinese hunters angrily.
Hunters were normally in a privileged position, and in China, their power was even greater. Thus, they were bound to feel uncomfortable and angry when foreign hunters ignored their requests and just rushed over wildly. However, they made a mistake by having such a hostile attitude.
âYou bastard, how dare you threaten me? Do you want to die?â
âOpen the door before I rip your head off and use it as a garden ornament over there!â
âYou look like youâre not even D-grade... Do you think we canât kill you just because weâre in China? What do you think the Chinese government can say to us if we kill you? Open the door!â
The faces of the Chinese hunters turned blue because of the unexpected verbal abuse. There were hunters from all over the world, and each of them had strong personalities. Above all, they had the upper hand in this situation, so they would show no hesitation.
âEveryone, calm down!â
âWhat are you... No. Hunter Choi Yeonseung? Thank you for what you did in Paris.â
âI also want to see the face of Hunter Chen Xiezhi, so please step back. What are you going to do if I go back before you even open the door?â
A few hunters stepped up to organize the traffic, so there was barely room to open the door. Everyone was silently anticipating the appearance of the S-grade hunter.
What would Chen Xiezhi look like?
â......!â
Choi Yeonseungâs eyes widened.
âIt seems that he looks almost the sameâ¦?â
Chen Xiezhi looked like a monk or a daoist. His hair and his beard were completely white, and every step he took felt natural. It was as if the years had slipped away from him. He was an old man 30 years ago and he was still the same now.
âHunter Chen Xiezhi! You are Hunter Chen Xiezhi, right?â
âIt seems right! Look at that magic power!â
âHe really is still alive...! I thought the Chinese government had assassinated him!â
The hunters whispered with shocked expressions.
One of the hunters stepped forward and shouted.
âHunter Chen Xiezhi! Do you remember me? You saved me when I was a child!â
âYou...â
Chen Xiezhi stared deeply at the hunter. The hunter nodded tearfully.
âYes! My name is Dawan!â
â...Who are you?â
â......â
The hunter who came to talk to him was flustered, as were the nearby hunters, but they soon accepted it.
âIt was a long time ago and there mustâve been more than one or two people saved by Hunter Chen Xiezhi.â
âNo wonder he doesnât remember.â
â......?â
However, Choi Yeonseung cocked his head. Something was wrong with Chen Xiezhiâs reaction.
âYes, my name is Dawan.â
âI see... Who are you?â
âHuh...?â
âWho am I?â
â......â
âWhere is this?â
A somber atmosphere started to spread through the area. There was also a hint of fear within the group of hunters. The Chinese were in tears and were sending messages somewhere.
-Didnât you say that heâs regained his sanity?
-Well, it comes back occasionally, so we never know when he gets weird...
-You shouldâve said it earlier!
Everyone picked up on why Chen Xiezhi hadnât made an official appearance in a while.
He mustâve lost his memory due to old age...!