Chapter 112
“...Yanan, what are you talking about right now?”
“Haoran, I'm not joking. That kid is really S-rank... or higher.”
Yanan's Starlight Eye doesn't show the details of a battle. It simply assumes the opponent has pushed their current ability to the limit and makes the two potentials collide in a simple mechanism.
In Yanan's mental simulation, the mana Yanan had set against Jing Tongxuan's mana was easily devoured by the mana of Eve, seen through the Starlight Eye, and shattered to pieces.
The officials from the Chinese Dungeon Management Association had been chatting among themselves, but when Eve appeared, they turned to Yanan. They wanted to hear the result of the S-rank skill she had clearly used.
The details of Yanan's skill are disclosed to only a tiny handful of people even within China. Otherwise, many would be extremely displeased to see Yanan traveling around both at home and abroad.
For a hunter, having someone look straight through their own abilities and their limits is not something they can take with good humor.
“Hunter Yanan. How were the results?”
“Not good. That little kid's abilities are far more outstanding than I expected. There's no way the test we're about to run will be enough to get her kicked off the raid team.”
“That good?”
“...That may be different now. What my skill shows is only what it looks like when an ability reaches its absolute limit.”
“I see. She's still young, so maybe it's fine.”
After hearing Yanan's assessment, the officials of the Chinese Dungeon Management Association gathered together and started discussing it. But to Haoran, that sight was far from pleasing.
The reason was that there had been plans to persuade the Chinese Dungeon Management Association, which had been doggedly badgering the International Dungeon Management Association, by running a test through the S-rank hunter sent from China.
Yanan's remark that the current test wasn't nearly enough meant that Haoran, who had been sent to do the test, wouldn't be able to carry out the job properly.
“Yanan, you're making it sound like I'm going to fail.”
“Don't get cocky. Or are you doubting my ability?”
“We'll have to see about that.”
* * * * *
'Hmm, what's this.'
As soon as I arrived, the people clustered in the inner part of the first-floor lobby of the Yongsan rating measurement center started whispering among themselves.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Michael Davis from the International Dungeon Management Association.”
“Ah, hello..! You're good at Korean!”
“Haha, I can hold a conversation to some extent.”
Strictly speaking, what the Dungeon Management Association does is dungeon risk management. First they measure the danger level, then manage dungeons or entry-type gates above a certain threshold.
To put it simply, dungeon structures and the insides of gates can be thought of as fragments of another world, not Earth. What if they produced some toxic new substance that could kill people on contact, or a new pathogen?
Then you'd have to close the gate immediately or smash the dungeon structure to pieces. And do proper containment and decontamination work too.
These days technology has improved, so if you sweep through with the detectors made by the International Dungeon Management Association, you can get most of the results right away.
There could be a new virus not in the existing database, or minerals that emit radiation and the like. Dungeon structures or gates with a risk level above a certain grade are subject to periodic management, even if they have their own owner.
And hunters are superhuman to begin with. A gate-born virus or pathogen that has no effect on a hunter could turn a civilian into a zombie the instant it's exposed to them.
The Dungeon Management Association's inspection team, accompanying the hunters, collects all of that, runs tests on it, and if it seems safe, they give the okay.
As for whether it harms people or not, I heard they take it to third-world countries where the death penalty is still widespread and test it thoroughly on death-row inmates.
Of course, that's only if something like that turns up. The Silence Laboratory was a pretty slapdash investigation last time, but there was no sign of anything like that.
While escorting the relatively lightly equipped inspection team, you move around a bit with mana detectors and various other gear.
If it's a perfunctory investigation, you leave the inspection team at the entrance and let stealthy, mobile, evasive hunters zip around with the detectors and be done with it.
“Where are the requested materials?”
“Here they are.”
Chaerin unnie took the materials requested by the International Dungeon Management Association out of her briefcase and handed them over. It was a huge stack of white papers, but I had no idea what was written on them.
“Chaerin unnie, what's that?”
“Huh? Oh, that? It's like Eve's health checkup results? Things like whether she has any allergic reactions, or any medical history... and other stuff?”
“You need stuff like that too.”
Apparently they didn't originally do allergy tests and the like, but there was a case where a healthy hunter entered a gate that had no problems whatsoever and got beaten to death by a living peach monster.
They said she had a severe peach-fuzz allergy or something, and in any case, they're monsters. Even the tiniest allergic reaction can flare up violently enough to kill you.
In the U.S., there's a gate inhabited by a plant-type monster that fires peanuts like bullets, and it's notorious.
“Well, on our side, everything seems fine based on what we were told in advance. We obtained and checked some of the loot from the Silence Laboratory, and there wasn't any major problem.”
“I see.”
For now, the one speaking with the International Dungeon Management Association people on the outside is Chaerin unnie. My direct protector is Ophelia, but it was the Nova Guild and Chaerin unnie who recommended me for the raid team.
I wondered what Teacher Baek Sangjun was doing, and he was standing nearby with his weight on one leg, locked in a stare-down with the Chinese delegation.
'Wow, that unnie is pretty.'
There was one female hunter among the hunters from China, and I wondered if everyone in China dressed like that. Maybe Chinese hunters wear cosplay-style clothes to look pretty because there are so many people there.
“...!”
“Uing.”
But when that unnie met my eyes, she hastily looked away. What, did she come here with some rule saying she can't make eye contact with me or something?
Well, since she'd come here to pick a fight with me, I guess that's possible.
“Yes, that's right. We'd like to do something on our side too, but... you know how it is; their influence is still strong.”
“I understand. It can't be helped.”
“We'll just run a simple test. If there's no problem, the other side will give up cleanly as well. We've read all the materials Nova prepared, and they looked fine.”
Putting aside all the talk about public sentiment between nations and whatnot, China is still one of the countries with strong influence in the international community.
If we just ignore their nitpicking and brush it off with “Agh, it's fine, you Chinese bastards,” then China will hold a grudge for a long time afterward, saying, “Why did you do this?” and “Why did you do that?” and so on.
It would become a hassle, so we're just humoring them.
“Then I'll go over there and talk to them for a bit.”
Mr. Michael Davis from the International Dungeon Management Association led his team and approached the Chinese Dungeon Management Association people clustered together, carrying the materials provided by Nova and the various things they had prepared themselves.
“What are they talking about?”
“He's probably trying to steer things toward an amicable compromise.”
“Eve, want to make a bet with me?”
“Huh? What kind of bet?”
Suddenly, Teacher Baek Sangjun, who had been beside me, crouched down next to me, spoke, and suggested a bet.
“Will those Chinese guys back off obediently after hearing them out?”
“Hmm... I don't think so.”
“I've already claimed 'no.' You take 'yes.'”
“Why though? I think it's no too....”
“Loser buys the meal.”
“Hunter Baek Sangjun.”
“I'm kidding, guardian.”
Baek Sangjun had been spouting all kinds of absurd nonsense, then immediately cowering the moment Ophelia called his name once.
“Pff-heh.”
“Laugh all you want.”
Before long, Mr. Michael Davis, scratching the back of his head as he approached, gave an awkward smile and said.
“Haha, it's been resolved nicely. The Chinese side says they're going to withdraw.”
“Huh?”
“What the.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that's right. I don't know why, though. We did investigate the materials thoroughly, but it seems they were reading the room.”
The Chinese Dungeon Management Association, which had even brought a whole bunch of people and came at us with two S-rank hunters in tow to pick a fight, cleanly backed down.
“Teacher, buy me a meal.”
“Didn't we agree not to do that?”
“Wow, seriously, that's insanely petty. Adult: fail. Grade-schooler: pass.”
“Hey, you jerk.”
“We're friends now.”
* * * * *
[elaosTT : A Chinese S-rank hunter showed up at today's Yongsan rating measurement center (stacked)
(Photo)
Haoran and Yanan, who are in the mid-200s rather than the top 100, came to the Yongsan rating measurement center
(Photo)
Not sure why, but seeing as they came with the International Dungeon Management Association folks, seems like they came here for something related to the Silence Laboratory
Yanan's butt, ugh]
-ㅇㅇ : Chinese hunters with the International Dungeon Management Association at a time like this? This just confirms they handed the Silence Laboratory preliminary-investigation raid team over to China, 100%.
ㄴ elaosTT : I left after work so I didn't see it, but I heard later that Yoo Chaerin and the Nova people came too, so I still don't know.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : What do you mean you don't know? The only thing unknown is Korea's future, lol.
-Elreuel : It is a little sketchy, though.
ㄴ Elreuel : There's no reason for them to come.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : It's not just sketchy, it's confirmed, just saying ㅇㅇ..
“Ha, no. Maybe I shouldn't be telling them this.”
Across the boards, today's Yongsan incident is already turning into a hot topic. Our prankster anon, semi-anon, and other anon buddies are once again wildly speculating, acting out season 24803481401 of getting gobbled up by China.
“I have to step in..!”
[MyLifeIsntRuined : The investigation team has no problems
Trust me, you total dumbasses]
-Gyahong : Princess, you pulled off another one ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : Go eat shit.
ㄴ Gyahong : (a character icon with something brown smeared at the corner of its mouth, gazing languidly)
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : Ugh, seriously.
-GalleryRecruit : Nice, lol
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : What is it? What happened?
ㄴ GalleryRecruit : It went well, lol.
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : lol, agreed
-KimHeukgan : Looks like you really do know something.
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : I'm super smart, after all.
ㄴ KimHeukgan : Show me what you saw too.
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : Can't do that, haha.