Chapter 291: Chapter 291

‘Isn’t it really bad if it’s on the same level as China?’

Originally, even injustices had to be done with a certain degree of ingenuity.

Ever since the gate had opened and humans had awakened, the Chinese government had become increasingly more creative and ingenious when it came to committing outrageous actions.

Given that Choi Yeonseung was from a neighboring country, he would always hear rumors about the reprehensible things China did, and he had even experienced some of them firsthand.

If a monster that didn’t hold valuable treasures emerged, China would send it to other countries instead of killing it. If a dungeon with abundant treasures appeared, the Chinese would make an agreement only to occupy it first and steal the rewards. They would mistreat the hunters who had helped them and steal from them.

...Surprisingly enough, such misdeeds were actually rather tame when it came to China. Choi Yeonseung had suffered things like that in the past. Presently, countries like Vietnam, India, Africa, and so on, faced even more injustice from China.

The Chinese would send hunters to kill monsters that were virtually unkillable and forcibly sign agreements to train the hunters. They would also send regular people to monopolize profits during the training process, bribe dictators to secure various interests, force them to pay for the training of the hunters, etc.

Ever since hunters and dungeons had come into play, China had been committing every transgression known to man. Was it even possible to be on the same level of wickedness as them?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Alland does very despicable things. They coax the Abyssal races, who are unfamiliar with how contracts work on Earth, into signing contracts with them. Then they force those creatures to build buildings and roads to pay them back. Obviously, they couldn’t pay it back. This means they have to pay it back with artifacts and cores, but the value of those items is rather insignificant for paying back their debt...”

“What… Are they actually doing that?!” asked Choi Yeonseung incredulously.

They were actually on the same level as China!

Aine, who was listening from beside him, spoke in a confused manner, “When it comes to offering support, wasn’t France worse than China?”

“Is that so? I didn’t know that.”

“The French maintain a righteous image but are very corrupt behind the scenes.”

“...”

“...”

The French hunters lowered their heads as they listened to Choi Yeonseung and Aine’s conversation. It wasn’t their fault, but they still flushed with embarrassment.

“No, why are you embarrassed? You guys weren’t the ones to do such things. If anything, I’m really proud that you stepped up and informed us of what Alland is doing.”

“Tha-thank you… In any case, the way they treat Abyssal races is too much. If they keep acting like this, will any Abyssal races trust us? It’s understandable that they are disgruntled and want to retaliate.”

If the Abyssal races protested, they would be pushed away by an overwhelming number of humans. Thus, it was natural that the nearby tribes were dissatisfied.

The evil god constellations would take advantage of the frustration of the Abyssal races.

“If the information I got is true, then this is probably the case.”

“This... What should we do?”

“Is there anything we can do?”

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled. Even though there were hunters with incredible abilities, there wasn’t much they could do in this situation.

Wasn’t Alland an organization that also hired hunters?

Moreover, even if those hunters opposed the goals of the company, they would just get fired and sent back to Earth.

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, what is your plan?”

“My plan? I was initially going to negotiate with Alland and stop them from what they were doing. After that, I was going to increase the strength of the hunters to prepare for an attack. I didn’t expect them to be so dismissive.”

“There is a way!”

“??”

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled. Was there actually a way to sort this mess out?

“Are you going to call the executives of Alland to assassinate them or hold them captive and threaten them?” asked Choi Yeonseung.

“Huh? No... We didn’t even think of that!!”

“Ah, I’m sorry. That’s all I could come up with…”

“...”

The French hunters were baffled by Choi Yeonseung’s words. He had the best reputation among the A-grade hunters, but he was still a bit crazy.

“One of the hunters here is an A-grade hunter. He’s easy to talk to! He’ll understand if you use the right words.”

There was a reason why Alland was so bold. Even if it came to a confrontation, they were confident that they could fight back as long as they had hunters up to A-grade.

“There are very few A-grade hunters who are easy to talk to...”

Choi Yeonseung was unexpectedly pessimistic, for he knew that very few of the A-grade hunters he had dealt with so far had been reasonable.

He would try to start a discussion again, but if that hunter ridiculed him like Gaston had previously done, it was likely that he wouldn’t be able to control himself and fists would be thrown.

“Please trust me and meet him!”

“He’s a trustworthy man!”

“I got it, I got it. I’ll see him just once, but don’t expect too much. Most A-grade hunters are selfish.”

***

“If you say so, I will wholeheartedly cooperate.”

“...”

Both Choi Yeonseung and Aine were taken aback. The two of them exchanged looks.

‘Do you know each other??’

‘This is the first time I see him...’

Kevin Armon.

He was one of the three French A-grade hunters.

In fact, Choi Yeonseung felt skeptical about Kevin because during the siege of Paris, the French A-grade hunters had ignored the call. Because of that, more hunters from abroad had been forced to step up. Following the siege, A-grade hunters were collectively criticized. It had been so bad that the A-grade hunters, who normally never apologize for anything, had to bow their heads in front of the public.

This was what Choi Yeonseung had heard...

Kevin said, “You look surprised.”

“I thought you would come up with more terms or be picky.”

“Well, you’re doing this to protect the city and its people. What terms should I come up with?”

‘What...’

Choi Yeonseung was taken aback. After meeting so many crazy people, it was embarrassing to meet someone who was normal. He felt uncomfortable.

“Perhaps you had the wrong idea about me because I didn’t participate in the battle of Paris.”

Kevin looked like a very dignified gentleman, but Choi Yeonseung still kept his guard up.

‘There has to be some ulterior motive here… Some evil scheme...’

An A-grade hunter would do something like that!

However, Kevin spoke politely despite Choi Yeonseung’s doubts.

“That was a misunderstanding. I didn’t come forward because I wasn’t treated fairly compared to other A-grade hunters. The French people tend to mistreat those who aren’t from the mainland.”

“What? They do that?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeonseung was outraged. To think that those people had actually treated an A-grade hunter poorly…

Were they insane...?

‘Ah, my opinion of France has been ruined... Actually, it was already ruined during the siege of Paris.’

Back then, Choi Yeonseung’s illusion regarding France was dispelled when he saw that while hunters were killing monsters, citizens came out of their houses to yell things like “Wow, a raid show!”

All developed countries were like that.

“I have a lot of respect for you for stepping up and helping the people of another country. Thank you again on behalf of the people!”

[Kevin Armon admires you!]

[The power of existence has increased thanks to the strong respect and trust!]

The faith sent by an A-grade hunter was unexpectedly powerful. Choi Yeonseung was quite surprised, as he hadn’t expected to make an A-grade hunter believe in him like that.

‘I thought I would have to put a knife to his throat and threaten him in order to make him my believer.’

-I’m really surprised by his sincerity.

Choi Yeonseung was slightly impressed and patted Kevin on the shoulder. He asked, “Why don’t you immigrate if you’re having a hard time? If you do so, I’ll help you.”

“No... It’s a bit difficult to leave the country where I grew up...” said Kevin with a hint of embarrassment. He then asked out of curiosity, “I heard that South Korea is a good place to live. Is that true?”

“...What?? No! What are you talking about??”

“Uh... That’s definitely what I heard but... So, Hunter Choi Yeonseung, what’s the best country to immigrate to?”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung was lost for words. Come to think of it, there was no country he would recommend.

‘No... Is South Korea really number one?’

In retrospect, South Korea had been ranked high in terms of living conditions. Choi Yeonseung was shocked by this unexpected fact. Was South Korea originally a good country to live in?

‘Did other countries just fall all the way to the bottom while I was away?’

Choi Yeonseung was feeling confused when AIne whispered beside him, “There is no one who doesn’t have complaints about their own country. Stop talking nonsense. We need to find a way to stop the attack.”

“Ah. That’s right. In any case, thank you for your cooperation.”

“What should I do?”

“Lead the hunters and pressure Alland. At least for this matter, things can go smoothly if you take command.”

“Um... I’ll try, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” responded Kevin with a feeble voice.

It was shocking that Alland could disregard the words of an A-grade hunter, but they had the power to do so.

If Choi Yeonseung’s party brought an A-grade hunter, Alland could respond with one of their own. They wouldn’t just roll over.

‘They’re really greedy.’

Choi Yeonseung clicked his tongue.

“Then take the hunters and properly prepare to evacuate people. If something goes wrong, you have to evacuate in order to reduce the damage.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

***

“It failed.”

Kevin came back with a gloomy expression.

The executives, including Gaston, had refused, telling him, “What the hell are you talking about?’

Choi Yeonseung, who had been waiting for him, shook his head.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. You did everything you could. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“I’ve talked to the hunters and they’re ready to evacuate.”

“Alright, please proceed with the evacuation.”

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, what are you going to do now?”

“I guess I should go find someone else to try to reason with. I just wasted my time here.”

“No, you haven’t wasted it! In case of an emergency, people will be safe thanks to you. I’ll come forward and speak.”

“Forget it. It’s futile.”

Choi Yeonseung waved his hand.

In any case, he hadn’t accomplished anything there. He was going to find someone else to talk to.

‘But this is how things are, aren’t they? I don’t think the others will be more cooperative than the others...’

Corporate selfishness was much more terrifying than Choi Yeonseung had thought. Those corporate bastards never yielded, no matter how many human lives were at risk!

Bang!

“?”

“??”

The two hunters turned their heads at the booming sound that came from behind them. An explosion just occurred at the city’s skyscraper, which was owned by Alland Company.

“Is that because of poor construction?”

“No!”

Before they could finish speaking, monsters appeared out of thin air!

Choi Yeonseung was impressed as he saw the monsters breaking through the defense of the city.

‘What type of constellation has this power?’

“Emergency! Emergency!!!” shouted Kevin in a terrified voice. He was summoning the hunters. Fortunately, they had just finished training, so they were already nearby and ready for action.

“Monsters! Monsters have appeared in the city!”

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ warns that this is a trick! She warns that they are clearly trying to cause trouble with the monsters to capture the leader, just like what happened in Paris.]

‘Those executives?’

Choi Yeonseung suddenly stopped as he was about to run. If those executives were taken hostage… It wasn’t too bad.

‘Isn’t this karma?’

-There’s a raid on the central building of the city! There’s an attack on the city’s central building! Hunters, gather in the center!

Kevin looked perplexed at the news that came from the radio. There were monsters everywhere, and he couldn’t just ignore them.

Choi Yeonseung noticed his hesitation and kindly advised him, “You can ignore it.”

“...?!”

Kevin was appalled by Choi Yeonseung’s advice.

Ignore it…?

“If I ignore it, the consequences...”

“Why? You can just say you didn’t hear it. The monsters interfered with the radio.”

“...!”

Kevin was impressed.

“You’re wicked!”

“...Are you cursing me now?”

“N-No. In a good way! I mean it in a good way!”

Kevin decided to listen to Choi Yeonseung. There were other hunters in this city. They could certainly take care of it!