Chapter 124
Republic of Korea Hunter Association President, Kim Taeseong.
Though he tried not to show it on the surface, he was extremely anxious.
China's strongest, the Heavenly Demon, had barged in, demanded that they find Jinjo's whereabouts, and was now standing motionless in the middle of the Association lobby with her hands clasped behind her back.
She had not used force or issued any threats in particular, but her mere presence was enough to make the air in the lobby feel heavy.
To put it another way, it was like a lion that had escaped from a zoo entering the living room and plopping itself down.
Even though she was doing absolutely nothing, it was hard to breathe.
In the end, Kim Taeseong had no choice but to send Jinjo an emergency message as a last resort.
Still, judging from the various things Jinjo had done recently, she had maintained a fairly friendly attitude toward the Association.
'And if Jinjo cooperates, we can even find out whether she is willing to assist the Association when a truly urgent situation arises.'
A veteran strategist who calculated the situation even amid this desperate crisis—that was Kim Taeseong.
However, shortly after he sent the message, a 'Read' indicator appeared, but no reply came.
'Could she possibly be…… angry?'
The Heavenly Demon was acting recklessly at the Association, demanding that Jinjo be handed over, and Jinjo might be furious that they dared summon her.
If that happened, this could become the greatest crisis since the founding of the Republic of Korea.
It was just as Kim Taeseong grew twice as anxious, cold sweat pouring down his face, that—
Wooooong—!
Suddenly, a purple dimensional portal opened in midair.
Then, from beyond the portal, a girl wearing a fox mask and dressed in an old-fashioned black dress walked out.
‘……!!!’
Her haughty bearing and demeanor naturally made one think she was infinitely noble.
She was on a completely different level, right down to her genes.
She was a girl who instinctively made one think of a 'higher being.'
Following behind her, two women wearing cat and wolf masks crossed through the portal.
'Th-those people…!'
Kim Taeseong's eyes widened.
They were the very 'animal masks' the Association had identified as Jinjo's subordinates.
Moreover, the woman wearing the cat mask was Jinjo's messenger, whom Kim Taeseong had personally encountered at the meeting where he had offered tribute to Jinjo in the past.
If that was the case, there could be only one answer to the identity of the girl wearing the fox mask.
'Jinjo……!'
A calamity-class Awakened.
The head of an unidentified vampire group.
Jinjo had personally descended upon the Association headquarters.
'So she could open a dimensional portal and appear in the middle of the Association at any time.'
Naturally, the Association possessed countless skills and artifacts designed to prevent spatial movement.
Yet Jinjo had ignored all of them, opening a passage through space like a Gate and coming straight here.
It meant she could launch a surprise attack on the Association at any time.
She simply had not attacked until now.
But what astonished Kim Taeseong even more was what she did next.
Tap, tap.
Jinjo, wearing the fox mask, moved forward and approached the exact center of the space where the Heavenly Demon and Kim Taeseong had been facing off.
Then she stood with her back to the Association personnel, as if protecting them, and faced the Heavenly Demon head-on.
"How impudent, mortal. How dare you threaten those who serve this Jinjo."
Her lofty voice rang through the lobby.
‘…Gasp.’
Kim Taeseong momentarily held his breath.
'Those who serve Jinjo?'
Kim Taeseong's guess had truly been correct.
All the effort he had made to treat her with the utmost respect, offering tribute and lowering himself before her, had not been in vain.
Jinjo recognized the Association—and the citizens of the Republic of Korea—as beings under her protection!
‘Jinjo-nim……!!’
The back of this tiny girl, who looked young enough to be his daughter, had never seemed so reassuring.
***
'No, why are they bullying the people who are nice to me!'
That was roughly what I was thinking.
In any case, they were the Association people who had kindly offered me tribute and even set up an account for me, so I stepped right in front of them and created a standoff.
Of course, my heart was pounding with considerable nervousness.
'But the Heavenly Demon, this person…….'
I quietly observed the Heavenly Demon's face.
Seeing her in person, she looked much younger than I had imagined.
She looked slightly more like an older sister than my vampire body did, but she still had the distinctly youthful appearance of a middle-schooler.
I had read on Treewiki that the Heavenly Demon had the build of a small child.
Apparently, it was because the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had caused her body to adapt to its most efficient proportions.
The Corpse-Lover, the Lich King, was also said not to age because she was undead, and my appearance had changed after I awakened as a vampire, so it was not all that strange.
However, her eyes were like black holes, and the atmosphere she gave off was downright terrifying.
Her appearance was merely young; her presence was something that could never be mistaken for that of a child.
'Ugh…. I can't even compare myself to her.'
I was a little intimidated.
I'm just a crappy vampire.
Vamp-sad….
'B-but thanks to [Noble Demeanor], people do say I look cool and impressive to them!'
Just as I was desperately trying to comfort myself,
a small system notification window appeared in midair.
[Lord's Great Deeds]
[Current Completion: 70%]
'Whoa, it went up by a full 5% in one shot?!'
As expected, directly meeting the world's number-two ranker, the Heavenly Demon, was something else.
Just as I expected, I was farming great deeds like crazy.
Good, then let's take it one step further!
"Why have you come to this one's domain? Do you intend to cross blades with this Jinjo?"
At my question, the Heavenly Demon's eyes deepened.
"Cross blades……."
Ssssss—!
Suddenly, an aura resembling black heat haze began to rise from the Heavenly Demon's entire body.
'Whoa, what's that? Demonic energy or something?'
I was inwardly horrified by the writhing black aura, but fortunately, perhaps thanks to the mental immunity bonus from [Noble Demeanor], I was not particularly frightened or crushed by its pressure.
Goooooo!
Katarina and Siyeon, standing behind me, instantly began radiating killing intent and looked ready to spring into action at any moment, but when I raised a hand slightly to restrain them, they held themselves back and stayed put.
‘It’s scary, but…. I can’t back down!’
Dozens of my retainers and Association personnel were watching me from behind right now.
I could not let them see me cowering here.
More importantly, my current self was not the real body but an avatar body.
I was naturally a coward, but with the safety net of a clone, I had grown remarkably bold.
I secretly rose onto my tiptoes inside my shoes.
To make myself look even a little taller.
Then, putting all my strength into my eyes, I stared straight at the Heavenly Demon.
It was the greatest battle of wills I could manage!
Glare!
A direct battle of wills with the strongest person in the world.
Even I had to admit that I seemed pretty amazing today.
A suffocating staring contest continued for a while.
And, surprisingly, it was the Heavenly Demon who withdrew her aura first.
"Heh heh."
The Heavenly Demon suddenly lifted the corners of her mouth into a faint smile.
'She smiled?!'
While I was inwardly flustered, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a calm voice.
"At last, you have deigned to look at This One, Jinjo. This One did not intend to intimidate your followers. However, if it felt that way, This One apologizes."
'……She's apologizing?!'
I had actually received an apology from the Heavenly Demon herself.
***
'Hehe, this is… quite a blow.'
The Heavenly Demon could not help but marvel at the existence known as Jinjo.
The Heavenly Demon had just activated the Heavenly Demon Soul-Heaven Qi (天魔魂天氣), unleashing her internal energy as a hardened aura.
It possessed enough power to exert tremendous pressure on its target that even an average S-rank hunter would have trembling legs and be unable to remain standing if they faced it head-on.
Yet Jinjo had taken her Heavenly Demon Soul-Heaven Qi head-on without even twitching.
Even more astonishing was Jinjo's reaction.
The two retainers standing behind Jinjo had sensed the Heavenly Demon's aura and immediately released killing intent in response, but
Jinjo herself had not released so much as a trace of killing intent or aura.
For someone as powerful as Jinjo, it would normally have been only natural to release her own aura in response to the Heavenly Demon's pressure and engage in a battle of wills.
The Heavenly Demon had initiated that battle of wills expecting precisely that.
But Jinjo had done nothing.
She had calmly received the Heavenly Demon Soul-Heaven Qi the Heavenly Demon had released and completely ignored it, as if she did not even consider it worth countering!
Rather, by refusing to play along, she had made the one who started the battle of wills look foolish.
'Is this what they call "elegance" in the West?'
An attitude that did not lose its composure or dignity even when the opponent came at her.
It was an elegant approach, different from the domineering path (霸道) she had walked all her life.
‘She truly is remarkable, Jinjo.’
She had no choice but to acknowledge it.
That was why the Heavenly Demon had cleanly acknowledged her own rudeness and offered an apology.