Chapter 516
“Why are you nervous?”
“...”
It probably had something to do with the hunter who had just flown through the window!
Choi Yeonseung shrugged. “So you’re nervous... It’s okay. I’ll remove the tension.”
“?”
“Get ready”
The hunters were taken aback by Choi Yeonseung’s words. What did they need to be prepared for?
Then Choi Yeonseung’s attack started.
***
-Many hunters from the previous international competitions have been eliminated... Is there going to be a cataclysmic change in the selection process?
-There are rumors of discord over the elimination of hunters from the international competition. Some hunters are dissatisfied with Hunter Choi Yeonseung’s policy...
-An anonymous interview with a hunter... ‘I really have no complaints. Fans, please stop saying that I was thrown out the window. Really, I don’t have any complaints. The idea that I was thrown out the window is a lie’...
-Predictions for the international competition... The first international competition led by martial artists? Experts predict that martial arts will be the main focus on the Chinese side...
-South Korea or China, which team will be superior in martial arts?
People were deeply invested in this hot topic, not just from South Korea and China but from many other countries as well.
The international competition had been suspended due to the recent turmoil. Now it was finally held again, and it would be between arguably the strongest countries when it came to martial arts.
South Korea had always had many martial artists, ever since the first generation, and there were some outstanding practitioners like Choi Yeonseung. Meanwhile, China had consistently promoted their martial artists at a national level.
Both those countries were so skilled at martial arts that they were the first to strike after the revival of martial arts.
Koreans were currently intrigued by the allegations of that hunter being thrown out the window, but overseas hunters were keenly monitoring the situation to see how powerful martial arts would prove to be in this competition.
@Schreiber_Lane
-Of course, the Korean hunters led by Choi Yeonseung will win. Is there a hunter in China who’s reached S-grade with martial arts? No.
?But the director doesn’t fight directly.
-Shut up. If they lose, it isn’t Hunter Choi Yeonseung’s fault. It’s the fault of the hunters. If they lose, we should exile them in the desolate parts of the Abyss and never allow them to return.
@NewYork_Arenas
-I think it makes sense to some extent.
The hunters who admired Choi Yeonseung were already convinced of his victory. They didn’t think someone like Choi Yeonseung would’ve taken on such a position if there was no chance of winning.
He would claim victory!
@Hunter_Wei
-Aren’t they crazy? What makes them so confident to say such things? They don’t even know what martial arts is.
Of course, the Chinese hunters found the cheering of the Korean fans absurd. The Korean hunters always fought with each other at international competitions and made fools of themselves. Despite that, the fans were enthusiastically claiming that victory was inevitable this time.
Their arguments were sloppy at best.
What kind of farce was this?
@Hunter_Wei
-They talk a big game, but they wouldn’t bet money on their team.
@Schreiber_Lane
?I’ll bet! Let’s try it. I want to see how much it is.
@Seha_Han
?Seeing him talk like this, he must be going to bet his whole fortune, right?
Wei Chang, one of China’s A-grade hunters, was flustered. He had taken to social media thinking that the Koreans would settle down and realize how ridiculous their cheering was, but the high-grade hunters pounced and bit him like rabid dogs.
Social media was already full of fans cheering and supporting the Korean team. It was a completely unexpected reaction!
-As expected of Hunter Han Seha. She’s as vocal as ever!
-This isn’t the time for an international competition, friend! Kill the monsters in our front yard!
Of course, as an A-grade hunter, he couldn’t lose a social media scuffle. Wei Chang decided to fight back.
@Hunter_Wei
-I can bet as much as you want! It’s just that our country doesn’t allow useless bets...
@Schreiber_Lane
?I knew you’d say that.
@Seha_Han
?What a crap excuse.
-Only garbage people make such excuses at a time like this.
-He has no heart and no eyes...
Once he felt like he couldn’t win, Wei Chang threw away his phone.
‘Tch! You’ll see soon enough!’
He was going to see these annoying hunters destroyed!
***
“...Isn’t he crazy??”
Zheng Zhiyun couldn’t help being bewildered by the report. Of course, Wei Chang was one of China’s most important figures, since he was an A-grade hunter.
Unlike other countries, China didn’t give their A-grade hunters power, but that didn’t mean that the importance and popularity of their rank disappeared. Therefore, if Wei Chang offered to watch the international competition and offer some advice, no one would have an issue with that.
...Or rather, it wouldn’t have been a problem if Wei Chang hadn’t engaged in what could be described as acts of rebellion.
It was hard to believe that the man who had joined hands with the other members of the standing committee, rallied factions, and practically started a rebellion was now coming to Shanghai to watch the international competition.
“Isn’t this a ploy to assassinate me??”
‘He wouldn’t come all this way to assassinate you...’
Zheng Zhiyun’s subordinate quietly swallowed his words.
“Ma Jun, you have to protect me!”
“Don’t worry.”
Ma Jun, another A-grade hunter, nodded. He was a sturdy, melee tank legend, and he maintained his allegiance to the party even when other A-grade hunters rebelled. His loyalty had naturally garnered the trust of the party executives.
“I’m sure Hunter Wei Chang is well aware that we can’t afford to fight each other in this situation.”
Ma Jun had his reasons for that assumption. Since the factions within the party were fighting against each other with all the military power they could mobilize, hunters couldn’t afford to fight among themselves.
One accidental spark near a gunpowder facility would be enough for total destruction.
“Yeah, I know that. So then why would he want to participate in the international competition?”
“Hmm... Perhaps he’s being patriotic.”
“You rebel, traitor, betrayer?! If you interfere with even a single word, I will kill you! Don’t ever listen to him!”
“Y-yes...” The staff members nodded at Zheng Zhiyun’s fierce words.
‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ As far as Ma Jun was concerned, the Chinese hunters were in an almost perfect condition at the moment.
The two new A-grade hunters, Gao Rong and Yu Zilin, who had achieved a lot during this invasion, were among the best martial artists out there, and they were flawlessly teaching other martial artists.
When it came to techniques, Gao Rong used the Rising Dragon Fist Technique, which maximized strength and domination. As for the talented Yu Zilin, he had learned the smooth and curving variations of the Scattered Moonlight Swordsmanship.
They had reached those levels of mastery thanks to the rare martial arts books smuggled by the Chinese government and by mainly using items that allowed them to improve in martial arts.
In any case, there weren’t only A-grade hunters at the scene. Hunters such as Liu Xiahang and Wang He weren’t A-grade, but they were martial artists who had undergone rigorous training at a fierce camp where one could only reap rewards and climb the ladder by trampling on others!
Their mindset itself was different from that of the Korean hunters.
“Wait.” Wei Chang arrived and frowned at the way the hunters were training.
He rarely mentioned it because it was a shameful memory, but Wei Chang had bumped into Choi Yeonseung a few times. More precisely, Choi Yeonseung had prevented him from being humiliated.
Having witnessed Choi Yeonseung’s techniques firsthand, Wei Chang could tell that the movement of the martial artists who were practicing here was rather awkward and lacking in some areas.
Regardless of the technique, Choi Yeonseung’s attacks flowed smoothly and didn’t give the opponent any time to breathe. But these hunters...? “Are they not fully trained yet?”
“...”
“...”
Of course, Wei Chang’s words sounded like nonsense to the coaching staff who had been training the hunters with great care.
‘Of course, the guy talking shit on social media came here to find fault.’
‘This is why those arrogant hunters... Don’t they realize that by doing nothing they’d be helping us?’
Wei Chang was angry with the looks of the coaches.
“Are you really doubting me? You better remember what I said! Their martial arts aren’t perfect yet! Compared to Choi Yeonseung...”
“That’s enough. Aren’t you ashamed to do this in front of others?”
Ma Jun tried to drag Wei Chang out. Wei Chang was furious with how everyone there treated him like a madman.
“You idiots! You still have a long way to go! It’s better to bring magic users! Choi Yeonseung will instantly see the gaps in your martial arts!”
“Shut him up and get him out of here!”
As Wei Chang left in a huff, everyone at the scene shook their heads and murmured among themselves.
“In any case, he doesn’t know anything. An A-grade hunter... Ah. Ma Jun, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. He’s made quite the scene,” Ma Jun reassured the other hunter, waving his hand.
But unlike before, there was a slight sense of uneasiness among everyone at the scene.
...Was there really something wrong?
‘Maybe it’s just my imagination.’
***
“The Chinese hunters are coming this way,” Kwon Yeongseung said warily after getting off at the airport.
What happened prior to the international competition was just as important as the competition itself. Many competitors tried their best to overwhelm their opponents mentally before the match started, which meant that having thick skin was essential.
In the current situation, there was only one reason for the Chinese hunters to approach the Korean hunters.
‘They’re trying to provoke us.’
They were about to trash talk them.
In a way, threats or provocations would be easier to deal with; when it came to nasty insults, the short-tempered hunters wouldn’t be able to ignore them.
If they responded with aggression, the crowd would boo them and the media would immediately criticize them, saying things like “Weren’t you confident that you’d win?” There would be dozens of articles with headlines like “South Korea causes an incident before the start of the international competition...”
Of course, Choi Yeonseung knew how this worked, having heard many stories prior to becoming director. He could clearly tell what the Chinese hunters were trying to do.
“Are they trying to provoke me?”
“Probably not? I’ll deal with it.”
Kwon Yeongseung had participated in movies and dramas in China as well, so he had a wide network of connections. Even in this delicate situation, he could afford to respond to the hunters.
“But we can just fight them over there...”
“Huh? You wouldn’t respond to their provocations like that.” Kwon Yeongseung scratched the back of his head with a hesitant expression. Choi Yeonseung wasn’t Han Seha; he wouldn’t punch someone immediately just because he got into an argument.
“...You don’t get it. Those guys won’t be able to do anything even if I break their teeth.”
“?!?”
Normally, if those hunters were doing well, Choi Yeonseung would have to be careful with everything he did, even with how he cleared his throat. However, since Chinese hunters were struggling those days, Choi Yeonseung could get in their face in their own country!
He wouldn’t put up with insults, as he didn’t want to have any regrets.
What if they picked a fight?
Hit them without mercy.
What if they provoked him?
Hit them without mercy.
If the Chinese team indignantly refused to participate in the competition, it would be one less hassle for Choi Yeonseung. If they asked for a penalty and made him take responsibility, he would simply ignore them.
To put it bluntly, Choi Yeonseung was untouchable; China had no way to sanction him. If anything, it was the Chinese who had to be careful, given the countless monsters and dungeons in their country.
“Th-that’s still a bit... Aren’t there too many witnesses...?”
“Whose team are you on? If they make you feel like crap, just beat them up!” Han Seha reprimanded Kwon Yeongseung.
Kwon Yeongseung felt like he was going crazy.
‘Is this really okay?’
Suddenly, he realized that the glass walls of the airport were shimmering in a strangely alluring way. They seemed perfect to throw a few hunters through.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
As they were talking, the Chinese hunters rushed over. Surprisingly, all of them were martial artists.
‘Oh, amazing...’
Choi Yeonseung could tell they were martial artists even without scanning them with his constellation eyes. He had heard beforehand that the Chinese were training hard in martial arts, but it was amazing to see it in person.
He decided to use his constellation eyes to fully grasp the adversaries.
“It’s an honor to meet you!”
“...!”
Seeing the Chinese hunters bow to the point of almost touching the ground, Choi Yeonseung realized something...
All these hunters were believers of his.