Chapter 200: Chapter 200

Humanity was still behind when it came to magic. When looking at Odaigon and his goblin kingdom, it was clear that there was still a long way to go.

‘But the technological skills...’

The kingdoms of the Abyss could easily use magic, while humanity on Earth had to rely entirely on technological advancement. Technology had advanced to the point where Odaigon admired it. Earth was a peculiar place for those in the Abyss.

“Is this a magic shield?”

“Yes.”

A huge, translucent curtain covered the city. It was a curtain made of magic. This could never be maintained with the power of a few hunters.

“We maintain it using large mana batteries and artifacts,” the staff member of Dragon Industry shouted with great pride.

This in itself was cutting-edge technology. Even on Earth, magic that covered an entire city was rarely used unless it was an emergency. The magic power consumption was enormous. It was incredible to think that they could constantly maintain this.

-Our Dragon Industry is capable of this!

People were boasting like that.

Of course, those weren’t just empty words. Their boasting proved that the curtain could keep the city safe. Which city would people turn to when coming to the Abyss to seek opportunities? They had no choice but to head to the safest city.

“Wait. Aren’t those Chinese hunters? Why are the Chinese hunters here?” Choi Yeonseung wondered as he looked at the Chinese hunters passing by.

China was one of the first countries to set up a base.

During the Abyss raid, they failed to deal the final blow, as Choi Yeonseung was the one to do it, and they failed to obtain any special achievements, so they weren’t able to gain an advantage in the positioning. Still, they moved quite aggressively, got into a good position and quickly built a city.

-China’s technology that will surprise the world...?Build a city in the Abyss!

-Long’an New District, the city of dreams built in the Abyss!

Of course, the hunters didn’t believe all of it.

-If we go over there, won’t we end up locked in a basement with all of our artifacts taken away?

-Aish...?No matter how bad the Chinese government is, they wouldn’t do such a thing, would they?

-More importantly, I wonder if they can even manage the city properly.?They were really careless when they raided the Abyss last time.

-I saw it. Their only tactic was to push.?The low-grade hunters were dying and yet they received no help. They just kept forcefully attacking and occupying key points.

In any case, the Chinese hunters had a city for them to go to.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? It’s hard for Chinese hunters to come to this city because they’ll be seen.”

“They’ll be seen?”

“Of course, by the Chinese Communist Party. That’s how strict their surveillance is.”

Choi Yeonseung had been on Earth more than 30 years ago, so he knew how much control the Chinese government had over its people. However, the hunters there were a bit of an exception. They were given a certain amount of freedom as they were valuable for the country. They also had to risk their lives fighting monsters.

“I know that, but I thought they would cut their hunters some slack.”

“Huh? Uh... I don’t know if I would call it ‘cutting some slack’...

The staff member was puzzled. Unbeknownst to Choi Yeonseung, the Chinese officials became even more controlling and terrible as technology advanced.

“By using artificial intelligence, they collect and manage human data, then record people’s general behavior and give them a score based on that.”

“...I-Isn’t that like science-fiction?”

For a moment, Choi Yeonseung thought that the staff was telling him a science-fiction story. However, it wasn’t fiction. It was simply how powerful technology had become.

“Yeah, anybody would be shocked by that. Rumor has it that China’s technology is even greater than that of the United States.”

“...Really, it seems like they only make significant advancements for nefarious things.”

The Chinese government’s surveillance system surprised even the constellations. Collecting information from the numerous surveillance cameras spread throughout China and having AI score loyalty and evaluate hunters.

-Is that possible without magic?

The goddess of sloth was also surprised. Not even the powerful constellations were at this level.

“In any case, shouldn’t they stick to their own cities if they’re under such strict surveillance? Why are they here?”

“...Who knows? Could they be spies?”

Choi Yeonseung shrugged.

His curiosity prompted him to see whether they were spies.

“Hey!”

“...!”

The Chinese hunters’ faces went stiff when they saw Choi Yeonseung. He was easily recognized given his recent achievements. There was only one Korean hunter, who was big and muscular.

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung...!”

“What are you doing here instead of the Long’an New District? Isn’t that your new city? Why aren’t you hanging around there?”

“What made you think we’re Chinese hunters? Just because we look Asian doesn’t mean we’re from China, alright?”?One of the hunters quickly tried to come up with an excuse.

Of course, many white people would say stuff like ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I’m not good at recognizing Asian faces... Are you Chinese-American?’, but the hunters were talking to Choi Yeonseung, so their excuse to get offended wasn’t valid.

“Are you crazy? What are you on about? I’m Korean, not some white guy. The watch you’re wearing now is the smartwatch given by the Chinese government. How come the design hasn’t changed in 30 years?”

“......”

“......”

The faces of the Chinese hunters turned sullen. They didn’t think at all that they would get caught because of their accessories.

“Is there a problem?”

“No... Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t approach you because I thought you were spies or something like that.”

The Chinese hunters sighed with relief at Choi Yeonseung’s words.

“I was just wondering whether the Chinese government gave you permission.”

“......”

“...Are you threatening us?” The hunters asked as their faces turned pale. There couldn’t be but one intention behind that question...

‘He is so vicious...!’

‘People really call him a hero?’

‘He’s not like the hunters who participated in the Abyss raid described him.’

The Chinese hunters regretted meeting with Choi Yeonseung. They initially had their guards down because he had received so much praise following the raids in the Abyss and France. At the end of the day, hunters only cared about themselves. Among them, A-grade hunters were corrupt, like gruesome monsters with hundreds of worms inside them.

“What do you want?”

“I ask the questions. Why did you come here?”

“Tell us what you want and we’ll...”

“...Are you deaf? Or do you not understand what I’m saying?”

Choi Yeonseung doubted it. Would they get the message if he hit them a few times?

***

“...That’s what happened.”

Choi Yeonseung spoke in a bewildered manner. The hunters of the Mount Hua Sect, who were responsible for the security of this new city, nodded as if they weren’t surprised.

“It’s not surprising.”

“Really?”

The reason why the Chinese hunters came here was simple. It wasn’t because they were ordered by the Chinese government to conduct espionage within the city. It was just that there were a lot of things to play with here.

-What are you saying??Are you crazy?

-N-No.?Really...?Our city is...?There is a lot of control.

30 years ago, the Chinese government was controlling to some degree, but it wasn’t like there were no ways to have fun. Even when the government brutally suppressed its citizens, the hunters could still have fun in their own ways. However, after being humiliated by the Master of Slowness and Silence and losing northern China, the government became doubly oppressive. That led not only to the AI monitoring system, but also to the suppression of hunters.

-Hunters are supposed to train their bodies and contribute to the country, not hurt their bodies by drinking alcohol!?You will be penalized!

-How dare you play poker, the evil culture of Western bastards!?You will be penalized!

-How dare you play mahjong?!

-No, mahjong is the cultural heritage of China...

-Shut up!?You are enjoying luxuries that should be banned.?You will be penalized!

Penalty points seemed a bit ridiculous, but it was a serious problem for Chinese hunters.

Receive penalty points -> AI downgraded them -> loyalty rating decreased -> they weren’t treated like a person.

It was terrifying and out of control.

“It was the same with us. It’s probably worse now.”

‘I thought that the world improved because North Korea collapsed and China got weaker, but it doesn’t seem like it’s gotten any better.’

Choi Yeonseung thought to himself while grabbing a bowl. The Mount Hua Sect hunters looked at Choi Yeonseung with expectations. A very good chef was hired in order to serve Choi Yeonseung.

Slurp.

Choi Yeonseung took a big bite of the jajangmyeon while using his chopsticks.

“...!”

Choi Yeonseung was surprised. It was more delicious than expected. He thought it was because he ate in the Abyss, but first of all, the ingredients and skills weren’t ordinary.

‘The smoky taste and umami flavor are intense!’

In every bite, the rich taste of the black bean paste harmonized well with the secondary ingredients such as the well-fried onions and pork.

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ is drooling.]

Even the cat constellation wondered how delicious it was.

Choi Yeonseung spoke with a look of admiration. “It’s my first time eating such delicious jajangmyeon. I wonder if it’s different because it’s the real thing…”

Did Chinese cuisine taste differently when done by a Chinese chef? Choi Yeonseung thought so and admired it.

“......”

“......”

The Mount Hua Sect hunters exchanged confused looks with each other.

‘Wasn’t it a Korean chef from Koreatown who cooked this?’

‘Shh. He likes it now so let’s not ruin his mood for no reason. It might taste differently if he knows it was cooked by a Korean.’

In fact, they still had no idea what jajangmyeon was.

Choi Yeonseung wondered, ‘Why don’t you know jajangmyeon when you are Chinese?’ but what could they do if they really didn’t know?

They even asked the high-ranking masters in the clan but nobody had a clue.

...In the end, they had to go to Koreatown and find out by asking, ‘Who is the best chef of jajangmyeon here?’

“Wow. I want to learn from the chef how to cook this.”

“I-I’m sorry. The master is very reluctant to meet other people and teach...”

“Ah. Really? Indeed. It makes sense.”

Choi Yeonseung understood perfectly. It was unusual for a master to reveal their culinary secrets.

“Anyways, you guys are trying to reach B-grade, right? Is it going well?”

“Yes!”

Originally, most hunters of the Mount Hua Sect were C-grade or lower.

It was necessary to have at least a B-grade hunter in order for the clan to be able to function, but since all of them were like this, it was only natural that the clan would struggle. However, everything changed once Choi Yeonseung appeared.

Choi Yeonseung was a master among masters and could guide them on the path of martial arts. It wasn’t just the Mount Hua Sect. The martial artists around the world were growing rapidly. His influence was so significant that there were actually a few martial artists who reached B-grade.

“Is that so?”

"Didn't you know?"

“I can’t check every B-grade person...”

“They also did an interview to thank you.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“You posted a video.”

“Ah. That… If they managed to achieve B-rank, it wasn’t because of some video.” Choi Yeonseung said so, but it was true that his standards were too much. Who on earth would try to reach B-grade if they knew it could take 100 years?

It was a great thing that he could drastically shorten the necessary time to achieve that.

“Are there any problems besides that?”

“Actually, I have something to tell you.”

“?”

“Did you know that individuals from Abyssal races are visiting these days?”