Chapter 30
“I take that as your answer, then?”
Leaving those words behind, I stood up, turning my back on Sophia Heinrich, who was gritting her teeth, utterly stunned.
Perhaps the shadow I cast as I stood up finally brought her to her senses. She reached out and said.
“W-Wait.”
“What now?”
Wow, I had to give her credit for being persistent.
“You know RHS Dungeon Development, right?”
“... Isn’t that Zephyros’s company?”
“We’ve decided to acquire that, too.”
“And what do you expect me to do about it?”
Because they had money?
I was sick of hearing that by now.
“Zephyros will be forced out of the company because of you. And that’s not all. Everyone connected to you will suffer because of you. In the end, you’ll be driven away from everyone, and you’ll have no one to rely on. You can count on it.”
That bitch?
Seriously, my fists... no, my bacteria were itching.
It was disgusting to see her threaten me so shamelessly.
I’d never thought about hurting someone.
But I could see myself doing it to her.
It was almost like she was deliberately performing a ritual to get herself killed... Hm?
Deliberately?
Could this woman...
Be deliberately trying to provoke me right now?
On the off chance, I put on an angry expression and took another step forward.
Then.
“There’s only one way for you to survive in this industry. Take my hand, even now.”
She went one step further and even held out her hand.
And she just gave it a little flick, as if to provoke me.
I let out a hollow laugh and left her with one final remark.
“Let’s make sure we never see each other again.”
This time, I turned my back completely and walked out of the café.
Ignoring her as she kept calling after me.
And so, I left the café.
**
Sophia watched Segyun leave and murmured, the corners of her lips curling up.
“I heard he was a high school dropout, but he’s smarter than I expected.”
At her mutter, a woman in ordinary casual clothes who had been sitting nearby got up and walked over.
Sophia looked up at her and spoke.
“I wanted to see what he could do.”
“That would’ve been settled if Recruitment Team One had done its job properly.”
“There’ll be an opportunity in a dungeon later.”
“Hmph. It would’ve been even better if we could’ve implicated him in a crime while we were at it.”
Using a Hunter’s abilities to hurt someone outside a dungeon is a serious crime in any country.
The woman was amazed by Sophia’s scheme, which had even been aimed at ensnaring him that way.
“By the way, aren’t you putting too much faith in that necklace? Aren’t you afraid of Kim Segyun? They say he just melts everything away.”
“It’s an item that can even block my grandfather’s attacks for at least seven seconds.”
As she said this, Sophia proudly showed off the antique necklace around her neck for a moment.
Item information appeared before her eyes as she grasped the necklace.
[Aias’s Sevenfold Necklace]
[Quality]: Relic-grade accessory
[Description]: A necklace imbued with some of the power of the shield wielded by the mythical hero Aias. Legend has it that it repelled a volley of 7,777,777 arrows with its seven layers of shields.
[Details]: Once every 24 hours, grants immunity to all physical and magical attacks for up to 7,777,777 hits over 7 seconds.
An item capable of making its wearer ‘almost’ invincible for seven seconds.
“It’s a pretty broken item...”
“There isn’t anyone in the world stronger than my grandfather on his own, so why should I be afraid?”
The world might rank Ahmad Triaine above Kaiser, but they were wrong.
Ahmad Triaine could only demonstrate his power with his undead army, while Kaiser’s power was his own.
Faced with Sophia’s near-faith-like conviction, the woman could only nod.
“Zephyros’s return was unexpected. Was the information you obtained reliable?”
“I got it from the hospital he goes to.”
“Tch. Then his condition must have improved recently.”
“Maybe Hunter Kim Segyun had a way to treat him. That would make sense.”
“Come on, no way. The deterioration of warrior-type Hunters caused by inactive mana is incurable. It’s not something that can be ‘treated’ to begin with.”
“That’s true.”
The woman, who seemed to be an agile fighter of a similar class to Zephyros, nodded in agreement.
In the end, it was a matter of no longer being able to endure the worsening pain. If someone could endure that pain, were they even human?
“Besides, he looks like a typical combat-type magic class. And he has healing abilities on top of that? What kind of unfair class like that exists?”
“Well, that’s true, too.”
There were certain rules to the classes granted by the system.
Attack, buff, healing, and crowd control.
No class had ever possessed all four.
At most, three.
“It makes sense to assume Kim Segyun has attack abilities, crowd control, and the ability to withstand fire. And now healing, too?”
After laughing uproariously for a long while, as if she’d heard something amusing, she continued, her gaze turning cold.
“If that’s possible... then my grandfather could return, too.”
Kaiser returning to active duty.
Zephyros’s return alone had sent the Hunter world into a frenzy, not just in Korea but around the world. If Kaiser returned, the global financial world would truly be thrown into turmoil.
“Kim Segyun isn’t important anymore. First, we need to find out how Zephyros returned.”
If Kaiser could reclaim even the achievements of his prime, would East Asia matter?
The moment the world’s only hope of conquering the uncharted Gates above Stage 70 returned.
The world would once again cry out only her grandfather’s name.
She could be certain.
**
I called Zephyros as soon as I came out.
The moment he answered, Zephyros spoke with a laugh.
─Ah, you saw it?
“I did. How are you feeling?”
─I feel like I could fly. Where are you? Did you eat hangover soup?
“Yeah, I’m in Gangnam now, but...”
When I briefly told him what had just happened, Zephyros cried out urgently.
─What? Kaiser Corporation? Are you okay?
“Yeah, I’m fine. Some woman named Sophia came—Kaiser’s biological granddaughter.”
─Sophia Heinrich? Oh, damn. That woman is the de facto CEO of Kaiser Corporation. I hadn’t heard she was in Korea. Normally, just her visiting Korea for no reason would be enough to make the second page of the business section.
“She came right to a café in Gangnam, openly.”
─...Media control?
“......”
Her ability to keep the press from making a fuss despite arriving openly was even more frightening than sneaking into the country under a false identity.
I-I’m a little intimidated.
─Anyway, it was good that you didn’t touch her. She was probably deliberately provoking you. She must’ve been hoping to get something out of it.
“That’s what I thought, so I didn’t touch her. But get what out of me?”
─She could’ve gathered evidence that you were trying to hurt her and gone after you legally. Or she might’ve been interested in your abilities themselves. Maybe both.
“I’m not interested in those people. Why are they all so interested in me? Anyway, do you think they’ll really try to acquire RHS? Because of me?”
─Let them? That’s great.
Despite my worry, Zephyros answered cheerfully, without a hint of concern.
─I was planning to cash out my stock options and leave anyway. This is the perfect time, with the stock price so high.
“The stock price... Oh?”
Zephyros was an executive at RHS, and he’d returned to active duty and even set a new record, so naturally RHS’s stock price must have shot up.
Good news for Zephyros, who had stock options.
─And who’s going to lose if I sell off my shares and leave in the middle of all this?
A positive development would turn into bad news overnight, so the crash would be massive.
─That woman seems to think I have some great sense of duty or attachment to the company just because I’m a founding member of RHS, but nothing could be further from the truth. I hope they make an acquisition offer. I’ll sell my stake at the peak, then watch the company crash and burn.
That would be entertaining.
─She probably just said whatever came to mind to provoke you. If Kaiser Corporation had been stupid enough to throw money around like that, it never would’ve reached where it is today.
“Aw, what a shame.”
─Anyway, you should start clearing dungeons again, too. What level are you now?
“Level 19.”
─You still haven’t collected your Level 20 reward?
Zephyros sounded surprised all over again.
─The rewards you get every ten levels are often a little more special. It’d be best to check your Level 20 reward before deciding what to do next. Oh, and I sent you an email. Can you check it?
“I’ll look now.”
─It’s nothing major, just uncleared Gates around the world that are near your level. They have rough descriptions of the dungeon types, so let me know if there’s one you think would be easy with your abilities. I’ll negotiate with the central or local government of that country. You have to level up anyway, so there’s no need to do it in an ordinary Gate. Let’s make the most of your low-level advantage as you climb.
“Yeah, I’m looking now. There are a ton of these. I’ll have to check them on my computer at the office.”
It’d take forever just to read through them.
Were there really this many uncleared Gates in the world?
─I only picked out the uncleared Gates that were valuable to clear and just a step or two from completion.
“There are that many?”
I skimmed through them on my phone, then one Gate suddenly caught my eye.
“What’s this... this Gate?”
I sent him the link, and Zephyros checked it before replying.
─A challenge-type dungeon? They’re not common. Most ordinary people don’t know about them, either.
“This is the first I’ve seen.”
─Right, there are no monsters, either... Once you enter, it just tells you to complete various challenges. They’re not popular dungeons, to say the least. No monster drops, either... You could say they don’t even cover labor costs. So after the first clear, they’re usually abandoned. The problem is, these dungeons are always balanced. If there’s no risk of dying, the difficulty is fucking ridiculous. That’s why some are left uncleared like that.
“It does look difficult...”
But I think I could do it.
As if he’d read my thoughts despite my not saying them aloud, he asked right away.
─You’re going there? It’s Stage 18, so it matches your level.
“Yeah, it sounds fun.”
─Where is it?
“Russia.”
─Russia? Wait, I think I’ve heard of this Gate before... I’ll look into it a bit more.
“Sure, take your time.”
A little while later.
With a hollow laugh, Zephyros said.
─Hey! Have some conscience!
**
Fortunately, things were quiet for the next few days.
I’d been worried Kaiser might try something, so that was a relief.
And I...
Had arrived in Moscow, Russia.
“Please take me here.”
When I hailed a taxi and said that, the driver’s eyes widened before he nodded.
It was thanks to the legendary translation necklace, but from the taxi driver’s perspective, it must’ve sounded like some random Asian suddenly speaking his language fluently, like a local.
Dungeon items were still another world to ordinary people.
When I arrived at the dungeon, dozens of people were lined up behind the shimmering Gate.
There were even all kinds of people from every corner of the world, not just locals.
“Is this the Trial of Strength Gate?”
At my question, the woman at the very back of the line glanced back and furrowed her brow.
“Oh, rich kid.”
“...What?”
“Watch out with that translation necklace. Someone might come along and slit your throat to steal it.”
“......”
Unlike the taxi driver, the woman, who was clearly a Hunter, recognized the value of the necklace exactly.
Was it really that expensive?
“If you wear a ten-million-dollar necklace that openly, even someone without a greedy bone in their body might be tempted, don’t you think?”
Oh, this thing was worth ten million dollars?
It would be even weirder if I said I got it for free.
“I’m telling you because I’m worried about you, so take it to heart. I know there are plenty of muscleheaded Awakened idiots who come here to film ‘Shorts’ or ‘DingDong,’ but you should know there are just as many thieves looking to prey on them.”
That was exactly it.
This, Moscow’s Stage 18 Gate, ‘Trial of Strength,’ was literally a place where Awakened tested their strength.
The way to clear the Gate was simple.
Enter the dungeon and destroy the enormous iron wall in front of you to clear it.
The problem was that the required level was so high that it was practically impossible for anyone below Level 23, so it remained one of the uncleared Gates.
But why had it become a mecca for short-form content like ‘Shorts’ and ‘DingDong’...?
First, because it was a completely safe Gate, and second, because the amount of damage done to the iron wall was displayed as a numerical value.
So Awakened flocked there to film challenge videos showing off their firepower.
Well... it was a dungeon made for challenges, after all...
No wonder everyone was carrying ridiculously expensive magical filming equipment made for dungeons.
Anyway, the woman in front of me seemed to have mistaken me for one of those immature idiots.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Still, I appreciated her looking out for me.
I wrapped my coat around my neck to hide the necklace.
I didn’t want to get into trouble for no reason.
So these were the problems that came with wearing an expensive item.
After waiting for a long time, the woman right in front of me finally came out of the dungeon.
She’d left of her own accord, without a golden glow.
As expected, it hadn’t counted as a clear.
I faintly heard someone say she’d set a new record at 27%, sounding delighted.
Phew. I took a deep breath and entered the dungeon.
[You have entered the Stage 18 Gate, ‘Trial of Strength.’]
[Destroy the wall within one hour and test your strength.]
About twenty minutes after I entered.
[The wall is 100% destroyed.]
[You are the first to subdue the Stage 18 Gate, ‘Trial of Strength.’]
[As a first-clear reward, some of your class’s main stats have increased.]
[Control has increased by 5%.]
I wish all Gates were this easy.
And when I was swept out of the Gate in a golden glow.
What I saw was a crowd of people with cameras, their mouths hanging open as they filmed me instead of their own challenges.