Chapter 467: Chapter 467

‘It’d probably be rude.’

Choi Yeonseung held back and decided to ask other questions.

“What are you doing now? Are you in charge of an affiliate of Dragon Industry?”

“Uh... No. I’m not good at managing a company. In fact, I have no intention of inheriting what my father has built.”

“...Passed!!”

“?!”

“Ah, sorry! Go on.”

Aine thought the conversation would stagnate if she let just the two of them talk, so she intervened to speed things up.

“Mike Hwang has been a social activist from a young age. He’s active in ‘Relief for the Poor Devastated by Illegal Clan Warfare’ and ‘Eradication of Illegal Drugs in the Dungeon’. He was also active in the Armitage Foundation and Cabin Hot Fund. He’s also been a state legislator for quite some time and has just been elected as a member of the Senate.”

“...Is he really Gyeongryong hyung’s child?”

In the end, Choi Yeonseung couldn’t help asking the question that had been sitting on his mind. However, instead of being angry, Aine nodded in understanding.

“I knew you’d react like this.”

“It’s just amazing! How can such a person be Gyeongryong hyung’s child?”

“That... No, I was inspired by what Father had done, so I committed myself to improving society...” Mike Hwang tried to explain.

“Don’t say nonsense that people only say in interviews. Making the world a better place because you saw what Gyeongryong hyung had done? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Surprisingly, Choi Yeonseung only saw sincerity in Mike Hwang’s eyes, so he couldn’t help being surprised.

-I guess a lion can be born to a tiger.

-Don’t try to pass over the matter by using some famous saying. Goddess, wouldn’t it be surprising if your child was the ‘Worker of Diligence and Integrity?’

The goddess of sloth thought about it for a moment. Indeed, it seemed very hard to believe.

“So putting this miracle aside... Now you’re a senator? Isn’t that a good thing? Can’t I push you as a presidential candidate?”

There were only one hundred members in the US Senate, which meant that it was a position of enormous weight and power. In turn, that meant that Mike Hwang had to be capable enough to candidate for the presidency.

However, Aine was very skeptical.

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have talked to you. There are ninety-nine other senators, and all of them must have a desire to run for president. Why do you think they’re not coming forward?”

Indeed, a senator was just barely qualified.

In the sphere of US politics, there were many powerful senators with brilliant careers, including re-elected and third-term senators, governors, and various other big shot politicians. Thus, a newbie senator like Mike Hwang was nothing more than a rookie, a toddler that had just learnt how to walk.

‘It’s a bit funny that a middle-aged man is a novice.’

Of course, that wasn’t something that Choi Yeonseung should say, given that he himself was over ten thousand years old.

“It’s not common to be elected as a candidate within the Republican Democratic Party, let alone for the presidential election. If they send the wrong person and suffer a crushing defeat, their future in politics would be destroyed.”

One had to score two major victories in order to become the president of the United States. First, in order to be selected as the final candidate within the party, they had to suppress all the other candidates.

South Korea had a direct presidential election, but in the United States, there was an indirect one, with every state voting for its electors. Those electors would be the ones casting the votes for the presidential candidates, not the regular citizens.

Thus, even after selecting a candidate, the party had to go around the states and gain the favor of the electors.

Moreover, after fiercely fighting to become the candidate of their party, they had to face the opposing candidate in various presidential debates.

Lastly, the candidate that obtained an absolute majority of the presidential votes, meaning at least two hundred and seventy, would become president!

-...Why make it so complicated when they can just do it all at once?

-Don’t ask me. I didn’t create the system.

For Choi Yeonseung, a Korean, America was bound to be strange in various ways.

“By the way, isn’t the current president a member of the Republican Democratic Party? If he’s trying to get re-elected...”

“President George? Nah, he’s announced that he wouldn’t be running for re-election. It’d be impossible, since his approval rating has plummeted because of the invasion.”

“!”

Choi Yeonseung hadn’t met with him in quite some time, but President George was quite a dignified figure. He knew what he could do and what he needed to do, so Choi Yeonseung had always thought, ‘He won’t cause any trouble if I leave him alone.’

Thus, it was hard to believe that someone like George Manuel would just give up like that.

‘It definitely won’t be easy.’

“The situation can’t be all bad. Don’t we have any advantages?”

“Of course we have. Firstly, if you decide to help, that would already be a tremendous advantage in itself, from funding to organizations. The senators and congressmen we’re supporting will also stand with us.”

“Oh, so we’re going with bribery? It’s amazing what you can achieve with bribery.”

“It’s not bribery. It’s sponsorship. In addition, you know how popular you are, right? Even if you don’t come forward, the people will still see you as a candidate.”

Choi Yeonseung nodded. It was rather shocking that he had ranked higher than that madman from the opposing party in approval ratings as a candidate for the presidency.

-Isn’t the United States ruined? Have the evil god constellations corrupted their minds?

“But no matter how much support I give, it’ll be difficult if the candidate doesn’t have much of an advantage. Aine, what advantages do you see?”

Aine was surprised by Choi Yeonseung’s sharp question. How had he managed to get to this point without even knowing how the US presidential election worked...?

“Mike Hwang is highly supported by various organizations and civic activists thanks to his long-standing social activism. His name has less weight compared to other big shot politicians, but he has always been popular among the public. There’s also the fact that he would be the first Asian president in the history of the US.”

“...?”

Choi Yeonseung kept nodding but paused at Aine’s last remark.

“Huh? Is the last one an advantage?’

“Truth to be told, I’m not sure whether it’ll be an advantage or a disadvantage, but it’ll be a hot topic for sure. I’m sure the minorities will support him. It’s certainly a relevant topic.”

“Mike, so what does your party think about you running for president? Apparently it would be a bit disadvantageous for the party to push you as their candidate. Do you still want to try it?”

“I’ll do it,” Mike Hwang said with a firm look. “My father has defended this country all these years, and I...”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung got goosebumps all over. How could Mike start his speech with such nonsense?

“Ah, I’m sorry. Keep going.”

“If there’s a way to protect this country, I will completely dedicate myself to it, just like my father did.”

“That... Yes. I will cheer for you.”

Choi Yeonseung made up his mind that the next time he went to the Abyss, he would grab Hwang Gyeongryong by the back of the neck and ask him what lies he had told Mike.

***

Ever since the start of the invasion of the evil god constellations, the governors of the United States had been constantly making phone calls and flying around.

They had only one reason for doing that.

-Please fight in our state!

Whenever there were a few monsters roaming around, clans would beg the governors to allow them to deal with those monsters. However, it was the complete opposite when the monsters were in the hundreds.

It was obscenely expensive to hire clans during the invasion.

The power of the governors in the United States was comparable to that of the president of a state. However, their responsibilities were just as great. If a state was destroyed by hordes of monsters because nobody had tried fighting them, whose head would fly first?

The governor’s, of course.

Therefore, it was only natural that several governors would frantically contact Choi Yeonseung after hearing his announcement.

At the moment, he was the most active A-grade hunter out there. Moreover, he prioritized the safety of citizens and didn’t randomly cast magic in crowded areas or take drugs when bored. Thus, it wasn’t surprising at all that he was the first option for every governor.

‘I did it!!’

Governor Kenny could barely contain his excitement after arriving in front of Dragon Industry’s headquarters.

He had been terribly anxious after hearing that other governors had the same intention as him. However, he had managed to arrive first. In fact, he got on the plane the second he heard Choi Yeonseung’s announcement, and then he urged his driver to press the accelerator pedal into the ground.

“Thanks to you, I got a speeding ticket...”

“I’ll reimburse you later!”

Governor Kenny ran into the office building after responding to his driver. He ran so fast that his bodyguards barely kept up with him.

The situation in Texas, the state he was in charge of, was nothing short of chaotic.

The household members sent by the evil god constellations were going on a rampage. Because of that, hunters couldn’t clear dungeons, and some of them exploded, increasing the number of monsters...

Some of the clans were overwhelmed, and a few of them had even fled the country.

For Governor Kenny, who was now worrying over the Liberal Federal Party’s presidential election, the current situation was a nightmare.

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung! Huff... I love K-pop and I eat Korean food twice a day! It’s nice to meet you!”

‘Are all American politicians crazy?’

Choi Yeonseung was taken aback by this governor, but he seemed so stressed out and disheveled that he just shook his hand.

Illaphael, who was next to Choi Yeonseung, asked Adaquaniel carefully, “Is this a method of greeting that humans like?”

There was a similar custom in the Abyss. The savage races usually chewed up half their food before offering it to the other party as a gesture of goodwill.

Illaphael thought that eating the same thing as the other party had to be a good way to become friendly with them.

However, Adaquaniel shook her head and kindly explained, “No matter how great he is as a person and how broad-minded he is, even Hunter Choi Yeonseung will get angry if you greet him like that. It’s best to avoid such greetings.”

“...”

At that, Illaphael tore her notes to pieces.

Meanwhile, Governor Kenny, still gasping for air, proceeded to explain his situation.

“It feels like Texas is hell right now! We need a hero like you, Hunter Choi Yeonseung! All the hunters in Texas are cowardly idiots, and they ran away instead of defending the people of Texas! The clans from other places are charging three times the normal amount, and we simply don’t have the resources to hire them! Please help me!”

Governor Kenny appealed to Choi Yeonseung’s benevolence, but he felt skeptical overall. No matter how many people considered him a hero, would he actually do something that would only result in losses for himself?

However, it wasn’t actually that disadvantageous. If Choi Yeonseung agreed to help, he would receive all the money left in Texas, making for an astronomical paycheck.

However, if clans or hunters only received five million dollars when they could’ve received ten, they would go crazy and say, “I can’t believe I lost five million!”

Thus, would Choi Yeonseung really agree to Kenny’s request...?

“I understand. I’ll get ready and go there at once.”

“?!?!?”

Governor Kenny suddenly looked up. He was so thrilled that he started singing the Korean national anthem that he had memorized before meeting with Choi Yeonseung.

“Until the East Sea’s...”

“?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

‘Did he just start singing the national anthem...?’

Choi Yeonseung was stunned by Kenny's madness.

“Of course, I won’t do it for free.”

“Yes, tell me! I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“In the presidential election...”

“You’re a candidate?”

“...I’m Korean.”

“Ah... I’m sorry.”

‘Is he actually crazy?’

Choi Yeonseung was seriously concerned about the governor’s mental health.

“...I have a candidate I want to support, and I’ve heard that your voice carries a lot of weight within the party. Can you help me?”

“...!”

Governor Kenny was surprised by Choi Yeonseung's request. It was one thing that Choi Yeonseung wanted to support a candidate, but more than that...

“I... I’d love to help, but... I’m also going to run for president. So how could I help you...?”

Governor Kenny himself intended to run for president, and he was very confident too. If he didn’t become the candidate from the Liberal Federalist Party, then who would?

Choi Yeonseung looked at Adaquaniel, and she shook her head firmly. She didn’t know about other candidates, but this person definitely couldn’t do it.

“Then you can support my candidate if you’re eliminated?”

“Th-that’s all?”

Governor Kenny lamented Choi Yeonseung’s naivety. He was making such a naive request because he didn’t know anything about the current political situation in the United States!

‘Ah, I feel bad making this deal... I can’t believe I have to deceive such a great hero... But I need to save those people!’

“I understand! If that’s what you want, I accept!”

Governor Kenny agreed to Choi Yeonseung’s conditions without knowing the fate that awaited him.