Chapter 19
Chairman Oh Kanghyeok's proposal was one Leon was happy to accept.
An impregnable Gate that no one had managed to clear for a year and two months.
If he conquered a place like that, he could spread his renown in one fell swoop.
Leon was more than willing to accept the offer.
"However, old man, I heard they'd given up on clearing that Gate. Why the sudden interest?"
Even as Leon considered the renown he could gain by conquering the impregnable Gate, he coolly assessed the situation.
It was a special Gate with no risk of a Dungeon Break. There had to be a reason to resume the raid after abandoning it.
"It's only natural. People risk their lives to clear Gates because there's something to be gained, isn't that right?"
"Tell me everything."
Chairman Oh Kanghyeok gave a wry smile as he watched Leon treat him so plainly as a subordinate.
He was the chairman of the Hunter Association and an S-rank Hunter of the first generation, representing the Republic of Korea. A living legend.
But after observing Leon for some time, Oh Kanghyeok knew that Leon treated him with considerable respect.
Han Hari and the other so-called 'commoners,' as well as Director Park of the Dojeong Group, who had approached him.
Considering Leon's domineering attitude toward them, this was actually quite good treatment.
'The one who has more to lose has no choice but to yield.'
Just by being able to purify land contaminated by mana, Leon was of immeasurable value. Oh Kanghyeok was willing to bow as low as necessary for his country.
"The 'Orb of Wisdom,' the dungeon's closure condition, was discovered in the United States. It was the reward from a Crimson Gate that was recently cleared."
"It seems quite valuable."
"Yes. The Mage Tower studied it and proved that immense power was compressed within it. The Association leadership was encouraged by that."
In short, they wanted to secure the Orb of Wisdom, no matter the cost.
"Will anyone be accompanying us?"
"The Golden Lion Guild, one of the Top Ten Guilds, and the Mage Tower will send people. I heard the Mage Tower is sending mages itself, too."
"One of the Top Ten Guilds... Should I think of them as this country's equivalent of a knightly order?"
"Since they aren't affiliated with the state... they'd be closer to mercenaries."
"Hmph. Lowborn mercenaries who care only for money? Protecting the people is a knight's duty and honor."
Chairman Oh Kanghyeok didn't bother correcting Leon's way of thinking. People with this sort of authoritarian mindset tended to get angry when others disagreed with them.
The type with such a firm worldview that they disregarded everything outside it.
If they had no ability, perhaps. But if they were also exceptionally capable, no outsider could correct them.
"Very well. But I have two conditions."
"Just say the word. As long as it doesn't go against our principles... we'll support you in any way we can."
"Nothing major. First, after we win this battle, you are to make my renown known."
"We haven't announced Your Majesty's existence as a survivor yet. We planned to do so once you'd adjusted sufficiently to life on Earth, but..."
"I've more or less grasped the situation Earth is in, and the way you people live."
Could that really be true? Leon had lived with such outdated notions and such a different worldview that even Earth's flexible-minded people struggled to understand him. Surely the reverse wouldn't be easy, either.
"The second is..."
Leon looked past the chairman. There were Association employees there... including Han Hari.
"Y-yes, I'm here!"
Hari hurried over and brought the prepared memo.
"What's this?"
"A list of recruits to be trained in my guild. They're a motley bunch, but that's about right for now."
The list included several Hunters, among them D-rank Hunter Gu Daeseong. Leon had also requested enough other suitable Hunters to bring the total into the hundreds.
The people Leon had noticed during the rank assessment shared one thing in common.
"Most are D-rank... C-rank at best. They don't seem good enough to catch the eye of someone as powerful as Your Majesty."
Oh Kanghyeok mentioned that he could assign Leon more promising candidates if he wished, but Leon shook his head.
"I'm not looking for knight material. This will do for now."
"I'll sound them out. However, Your Majesty, the choice is theirs, so we can't force everyone to join the 'Pantheon.'"
Even as he said that, Oh Kanghyeok was certain they wouldn't refuse his offer.
They were all a motley bunch, every one of them. They were low-rank Hunters who couldn't get into the Top Ten Guilds, or even a decent mid-sized one. Would people like that refuse the chairman's offer?
Oh Kanghyeok didn't think so.
"If they kick away their own good fortune, then that's all the luck they'll ever get."
Leon, for his part, thought it didn't matter if they refused. He was confident that his offer was generous, even a blessing.
"When will it be?"
"We'll gather in front of Cheongju Sports Complex in three days."
"Good. I shall show you the martial prowess of the Lionheart King."
Chairman Oh Kanghyeok gave a wry smile and did his best to play along, thinking he should give Miss Hari a generous year-end bonus.
* * * *
The raid on the Cheongju Gate resumed.
The indefinite suspension of the Cheongju Gate raid after its upgrade to a Red Gate had drawn considerable attention, even across Asia.
It was a special Gate that had wiped out three raid teams. And its enemy was only a single Jagd Spinner.
Unable to defeat that one machine, countless Hunters had made the Cheongju Gate their grave.
That was how the Cheongju Gate became a burden to the city, the source of anxiety for Cheongju's residents ever since.
-Waaaaaaaah!
That was when the citizens gathered at Cheongju Sports Complex began cheering.
"The Golden Lion is here!"
The citizens' cheers started it off, and reporters flashed their cameras at the black vans entering the sports complex.
As Association employees held back the crowd, people began stepping out of the twenty or so black vans.
"Hwang Geumcheol! Hwang Geumcheol!"
The man who emerged to the citizens' cheers was a giant over two meters tall.
He looked intimidating at first glance, but decked out in gold chains and bracelets like a rapper from the United States, he seemed like a successful rapper. In fact, he was one of the most famous rappers in Korea.
"I have arrived~ citizens of Cheongju!"
Hwang Geumcheol was considered the hippest Hunter in the media. He stuck out his tongue and basked in the citizens' cheers.
"Can't you stop doing stuff like that? It's embarrassing."
"Fan service~ Fan service~ Gotta sell albums and T-shirts."
Geumcheol grinned at his younger sister, who'd called him out. She was fed up with him slowing them down by taking photos with fans and signing autographs whenever he stopped walking.
"Then just become a celebrity. There are way too many idiots listening to your crappy rap. Hand over the guild and start an entertainment agency."
"My dear sister, Hunters make more money."
"Love my ass."
Just then, fans swarmed his younger sister, who was a famous A-rank Hunter even if she didn't pursue a career in show business.
"Eeeee! Hwang Yeonha's here too! Unnie! Look over here!"
"That's what they say? My dear sister Geumsun?"
"I told you not to call me Geumsun, you fat pig bastard."
Even though she'd already completed the paperwork to change her name, Hwang Yeonha headed toward the Cheongju Gate entrance prepared by the Association. And she wasn't the only one.
"Mage Gil Taeseong. We'll escort you inside."
"Hmm, thank you for the guidance."
The one who appeared, chin held high under the respectful guidance of Association employees, was Gil Taeseong, a mage of the Mage Tower.
A promising mage at the Korean branch of the Mage Tower, he was a battle mage treated as nearly S-rank in a Hunter world where mages were rare.
And dozens of foreign Hunters followed him.
"Black Mamba?"
"The mercenary Hunters who supposedly cost over twenty million won per head?"
"Is the Mage Tower that serious about this?"
A mage could only bring their full strength to bear when they had guards. With the Mage Tower's full support, Gil Taeseong had brought the Black Mamba mercenary unit, made up of B- and A-rank Hunters.
"Oh, another vehicle is coming in?"
"That's an Association vehicle, isn't it?"
The last Association vehicle to arrive brought a female swordswoman whose braided red hair was striking.
As she straightened her suit, she drew everyone's attention as the most talked-about figure from last year's academy draft.
"Han Hari?"
"Whoa, is the Association really deploying Han Hari?"
That would make sense. A-rank Hunter Han Hari was famous as one of the most talented people in Korea.
There were quite a few A-rank Hunters in the country, but what drew so much attention to Hari was her age.
She'd awakened at fourteen, then developed a unique skill while training at the academy. Hadn't she become the youngest A-rank Hunter?
She was a rookie who'd turned down the lucrative offers from the Top Ten Guilds representing Korea and joined the Association instead.
Everyone naturally expected her to take part. But...
"Your Majesty, we've arrived."
She bent into the vehicle to escort someone. And the person who emerged was, oddly enough, a blond foreigner.
"Who's that foreigner?"
"He doesn't look like he's with Black Mamba..."
The reporters and the watching citizens alike wondered who the man was.
* * * *
When multiple factions try to clear the same Gate, they need to coordinate in advance.
Who would tackle the boss first, how would the items be divided...? From the order of entry onward, there were endless things that could lead to conflict, and negotiations could take days.
In that regard, the raid on the Cheongju Gate was fairly simple.
There was only one boss monster, the Jagd Spinner, and the only noteworthy reward besides mining resources was the 'Orb of Wisdom.'
"Our Mage Tower will cede all rewards to the Golden Lion Guild. All we want is the 'Orb of Wisdom.'"
Hwang Yeonha gave a faint laugh at Gil Taeseong's words.
"That's the main thing, and if you take it, what are we supposed to live on?"
It was the reaction he'd expected. Gil Taeseong smiled affably as he spoke.
"We'll give the Golden Lion Guild all the credit for defeating the boss. And if you hand over the Orb safely, we'll pay you fifty billion won."
"...!"
The unexpected sum left Hwang Yeonha flustered.
Fifty billion? A legendary-grade weapon cost around ten billion won.
Even though she was considered near-S-rank, she was saving as much as she could to get a legendary-grade weapon. Fifty billion was enough to buy not just a weapon, but a full set of gear.
They were willing to offer that much without hesitation?
'What could that thing be worth?'
Hwang Yeonha hesitated, wondering if she should try to draw out more information. But Hwang Geumcheol whistled.
"You're being generous. Fine, even if we kill the Jagd Spinner, we'll hand over the Orb."
"Hey, just like that...?"
"My sister~ It's an item we don't know anything about. The Pentagon couldn't decipher it and handed it over to the Mage Tower. What makes us any different?"
"......"
Hwang Geumcheol wasn't handing over the Orb of Wisdom because he couldn't guess its value.
They didn't know what it was. There was no reason to fight the Mage Tower over an item they couldn't understand.
Though famous for his toughness and boldness on the battlefield, Hwang Geumcheol was surprisingly cautious.
"......Sixty billion. N-no, fifty-five billion. We should... ask for that much."
Gil Taeseong smiled sweetly at her words.
"Let's make it sixty billion, then."
"Ahem...!"
At his generous offer, Hwang Yeonha regretted not asking for sixty-five billion.
It was just as Gil Taeseong, having finalized the deal with the Golden Lion, was becoming confident about the raid's outcome.
"By the way, Mage, aren't you going to negotiate separately with that guy?"
Hwang Geumcheol glanced toward the end of the platform. There, Han Hari, the Association's A-rank Hunter, was pouring tea from a thermos.
"It is barley tea."
Why was she talking like she was in a historical drama? Gil Taeseong and Hwang Yeonha tilted their heads, but Leon elegantly raised the cup to his lips.
"Hmm, not bad."
"I am deeply honored by Your Majesty's gracious favor..."
Gil Taeseong watched their little farce and spoke with a smile.
"Come to think of it, you were the Hunter dispatched by the Association, right? I wondered who the extra spot was for..."
Gil Taeseong didn't consider the two of them to be a meaningful fighting force.
There were forty-nine Black Mamba members here, all B-rank or higher, including himself, along with forty-nine Golden Lion members from one of the Top Ten Guilds.
Among them, only two people. Even if Han Hari was A-rank, what difference could two people make?
"I don't want people talking, so I'll make an offer to the Association as well. If we get the Orb, we'll pay the two of you five hundred million won regardless of your contribution. Not bad, is it?"
"Pfft...!"
The scoff came from Hwang Geumcheol.
"What's so funny?"
"Mage, the Association sent that guy even if it meant leaving a spot open. And they assigned Miss Han Hari, this year's rookie, as his attendant. Don't you get what that means?"
"......That he's stronger than an A-rank Hunter?"
At the very least, he was near-S-rank. Perhaps even S-rank. Of course, neither Gil Taeseong nor Hwang Geumcheol had heard of a man named Leon.
But Hwang Geumcheol had a pretty good idea who he was.
'The Black Gate that disappeared recently. He's probably a survivor who came out of it.'
Powerful people who appeared out of nowhere, with no connections, were often survivors.
The Heavenly Demon, the Star Slayer, witches, immortals... countless famous survivors had followed a path much like Leon's.
'This is probably some kind of debut the Association arranged. Can't believe they'd toss him straight into a near-Red-rank Gate.'
The Association must be awfully confident in him.
Gil Taeseong had reached the same conclusion.
"How rude... Then we'll make you a new offer—"
"Ridiculous."
The first words Leon had spoken cut Gil Taeseong off.
"What... did you say?"
Leon found this whole scene ridiculous. They were speaking as if they were saying something outrageous.
"You speak of spoils before even setting foot on the battlefield. Your eyes are filled with greed."
"Are you insulting the Mage Tower's mages?"
"Do spellcasters like you possess any honor worth insulting?"
Gil Taeseong was dumbfounded by the unexpected insult.
"I don't know what kind of martial prowess you greedy treasure-hunters will display... but fine, I'll leave the vanguard to you."
He said it as if he were yielding, and in a thoroughly unpleasant way at that. Hwang Yeonha was the one who snapped back.
"What? Leave it to us? So while we're fighting for our lives, you'll stand behind us with your arms crossed and watch?"
Perhaps because it was the first time anyone in this world had spoken informally to him, Leon's brow furrowed.
"You wag your tongue carelessly, woman."
"What the hell are you saying? You wanna fight?"
"You have no right to challenge this king."
"This is driving me nuts! Seriously!"
She was stopped by Hwang Geumcheol grabbing her shoulder from behind. He looked at Hari, not Leon.
-Aren't you going to manage your survivor?
At Hwang Geumcheol's look, Hari dejectedly shook her head.
-I tried. It didn't work...
-Okay. So he's a total my-way-or-the-highway type.
"Fine, Your Majesty guy? So we and the Mage Tower have the right to lead the raid, then?"
Leon didn't answer, silently agreeing.
Jagd Spinner.
From what the surviving Hunters had learned, it seemed quite powerful. But whether it was a warrior worthy of Leon stepping in personally was another matter.
Now that he'd regained a little strength by spreading the faith of Demera, it was unlikely he'd find many opponents worthy of his honor and skill.
"Um... Your Majesty. Are you sure?"
"What do you mean?"
"The goal of this raid is for Your Majesty to spread your renown..."
Hari had a point. If the Golden Lion or the Mage Tower defeated the Jagd Spinner, wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose?
"No matter how important honor is, it would look bad for the Lionheart King to step ahead of his subordinates. It might end up looking like I'm monopolizing the honor."
This guy was so old-fashioned about the strangest things. Hari had mastered the art of getting along in society well enough not to say that out loud.
* * * *
"Just like in the video... the weather's a mess."
The Cheongju Gate was a city in the middle of a wasteland.
Sandstorms blew up at random, and even a short delay could leave you trapped in one. Unluckily, the raid team ran into a sandstorm as soon as they entered the Gate.
"Don't go into the city. The farther in you go, the more likely the Jagd Spinner is to appear."
Based on information from the raid teams that had been wiped out, Hwang Geumcheol set up their base camp outside the city rather than inside it.
There were plenty of buildings on the outskirts, so setting up a base camp wasn't difficult.
"Your Majesty! I've prepared a spot over here!"
"Very well."
They found a spacious building where everyone could gather and keep watch on the surroundings. Inside, Hari laid out their food and opened the lunch boxes.
"Your Majesty, I've prepared what little food I could~ Please~ partake!"
"It's not enough to complain about as rations on the battlefield."
Even as Hari prepared the meal, she looked somewhat anxious.
"Why are you like that?"
"Hmm... I'll be worried if things go well, and worried if they don't."
If things went well, Leon would lose his chance to show what he could do.
If they went badly, that would be the worst outcome of all.
"Honestly, the best outcome is if things go well without Your Majesty needing to step in."
Even as she said that, Hari glanced at Leon, worried this anachronistic Lionheart King might yell at her for praying he'd lose his chance to make a name for himself.
"Yes, that would be best."
"Pardon?"
"If the Lionheart King doesn't need to step in himself, it means the matter is that much less serious. What do you think a king's role is in my kingdom?"
"Um... to rule... isn't it?"
"That goes without saying. But that, too, can be done by anyone. Unless they're exceptionally incompetent, most would be much the same."
The Lionheart King spoke of a king's duties as if anyone could take his place, something unthinkable in an absolute monarchy.
"Th-then... to lead the knights from the front... Ah."
He hadn't taken the lead at the Honam Plain Gate, the Seoul Station Gate... or even now, at the Cheongju Gate.
He'd kept making his point through his actions: the king's sword would never be drawn for a trivial battle.
"Could it be... the title Lionheart King means..."
"The last line of defense."
Hari swallowed at those words.
Until now, she and the Association had thought of Leon as a barbaric king from the Middle Ages, bolstered by the power of faith called holy power.
But if what he said was true, Leon wasn't merely a ruler. He wasn't some rigid knight or general, either.
The Lionheart Kingdom's last line of defense.
In other words, if he stepped in, it meant their ultimate weapon was being deployed.
"Understand? For the Lionheart King to step in himself is humiliating for the knights, and means the situation is serious."
As he said that, he let out a rare sigh.
"Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to trouble myself on behalf of you pathetic weaklings once again. I miss my Knights of Glory."
It was a chilling prediction.
As if something terrible enough to require him to step in was about to happen.
"But Hunter Hwang Geumcheol is an S-rank, and there are mages from the Mage Tower, too."
There was only one enemy. Even if it was a killing machine with a horrifying record, surely it couldn't take on a raid team with an S-rank Hunter and a mage—
"You said Hunters. I'll grant that, for ordinary humans, you lot have some strength."
Leon scoffed, mocking the superhumans of modern Earth.
"But you know nothing of war. The outskirts have been safe until now? You boast on the basis of three battles?"
"What? What do you mean...?"
"You call yourselves raid teams. You learn a monster's patterns and respond to them. How laughable."
It was unsettling.
His words carried a strange conviction.
Whether for good or ill.
"A commander adapts to the situation. There are no such things as patterns. That Jagd Spinner looks to me like a born warrior."
And, as if on cue, the proof began.
-Aaaaaagh!
-W-what is this?!
-E-enemy! We're under attac—!
Screams rang out clearly even through the sandstorm. The cries mixed with the blowing sand, echoing eerily.
The Jagd Spinner
attacked the camp.