Chapter 265

Chapter 265

‘This doesn’t make any sense.’

Both before and after the emergence of the gate, the United States had been considered the most powerful nation, given the number of skilled hunters they had, and also the artifacts in their possession. However, Choi Yeonseung saw in the vision riots and chaos all over the United States, like there was some kind of war...

“...This is a bit more serious than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

Choi Yeonseung explained what he had seen in the vision.

If this had been another hunter, Hwang Gyeongryong would’ve said, ‘What are you talking about?’ However, Choi Yeonseung’s words carried significantly more weight. Moreover, wasn’t he a constellation, a being that could see things in the Abyss that mortals couldn’t?

Hwang Gyeongryong frowned upon hearing the foreboding explanation.

“For a monster to inflict this amount of damage... I think it’s an army-type.”

“Right?”

Not all monsters were the same. Each of them had unique characteristics and a specific way in which they behaved. Because of this, even if multiple monsters were all A-grade, the danger level varied.

There were bound to be different risks between A-grade monsters that only stayed in their territory and attacked intruders and A-grade monsters that wandered around and destroyed whatever they came across.

How fierce and violent was it? How cunning was it? What skills did it have? And...

Did it roam alone or lead a group?

Ordinary hunters tended to pay attention to other factors, but whether the monsters moved alone or in a group was surprisingly important. It was absolutely disastrous if high-ranking monsters moved in groups. Those were the ones that usually caused the most amount of destruction!

“The torch dragon might be an S-grade monster, but it doesn’t want blood, nor does it lead groups, which makes it much easier to deal with it. Monsters that lead groups around are a real nuisance.”

If a relatively less fierce monster like the torch dragon appeared, the government would declare a state of emergency and the people would be evacuated. However, if it was a fierce and violent monster with a lot of numbers...

If that kind of monster appeared, the chaotic scene that Choi Yeonseung saw in his vision made sense.

Nowadays, it was often said in the news that hunters were struggling to make a living because there were more hunters than dungeons, but that wasn’t the case. Hwang Gyeongryong knew this very well.

‘To be honest, the top hunters are still inadequate.’

Most of the dungeons that appeared were low-grade dungeons, but if more high-grade dungeons started to appear, humanity would quickly fall into chaos just like it had during the early days of the gate.

Choi Yeonseung asked, “So what’s the strategy?”

“We are going to mobilize as many hunters as possible to create a siege. That way, we could wipe out whatever monsters come out.”

That was the usual way of dealing with a dungeon that seemed difficult to clear. The way to do it was to organize a siege around the dungeon and wipe out the monsters with firepower as soon as they came out.

It was such an orthodox strategy that there wasn’t much to be said about it...

“But given that I saw that bleak future, doesn’t it mean that this strategy will fail?”

“That’s right. In addition to myself, there are probably several A-grade hunters that can be mobilized, but... Won’t we still miss some monsters?”

Even if they built a siege, there were times when the monsters escaped by using abilities that the hunters didn’t expect.

“How many A-grade hunters do you have?”

“Hmm... Maybe three?”

“...Aren’t there around fifteen active A-grade hunters in the US right now?” Chou Yeonseung was confused.

“Hey. If there’s one S-grade hunter and three A-grade ones, the government has done enough...”

In reality, the only reason they were able to have Hwang Gyeongryong participate in this was because of his close relationship with the president. Most hunters who had many assets, like Hwang Gyeongryong, and had become the chairman of a company no longer wanted to engage in actual combat. Currently, among the active A-grade hunters in the United States, there were several who hadn’t fought for over a year.

‘I have a headache every time I hear it.’

It was true that hunters were playing sports and not growing, but A-grade hunters weren’t even trying to do raids...

Hwang Gyeongryong told him, “First of all, I’ll do my best based on the information I have received.”

“Umm...”

“What’s with that expression of disbelief?”

“No, it’s not that I doubt your abilities. It’s just that I don’t trust A-grade hunters.”

***

Even before Choi Yeonseung could confirm Hwang Gyeongryong’s assurances, things started to move in a different direction.

-A dungeon has been discovered in Rutherford, the United States. Based on the result of the magic power measurement, it has surpassed existing A-grade dungeons...

Aine wondered how to express it so that Choi Yeonseung wouldn’t get hurt. It would’ve been too much to say, “You’re sort of being a pushover”...

She replied, “You’re a responsible hunter, right?”

“Why do I think there is a hidden meaning in your words?”

“No. It’s just really rare for an A-grade hunter to travel around and fight like you.”

Aine was being honest. Usually, A-grade hunters lived comfortably under government protection. They rarely risked their lives fighting on the front lines like Choi Yeonseung. He had gone around France, China and the United Kingdom, and had done unconventional raids.

Seeing this type of hunter, the governments of other countries couldn’t help thinking.

-Won’t this hunter come to help if we make a request?’

Money or compensation wasn’t the issue. A-grade hunters didn’t just simply travel to other countries, no matter how big of a reward was offered. In that sense, every country was interested in a hunter like Choi Yeonseung.

“...Do I look like a pushover?”

“N-No. You don’t look like a pushover. Honestly, hunters like you are rare these days. There are very few people who are as responsible and as righteous as you.”

“...”

Aine had tried her best to make it sound nice, but Choi Yeonseung couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t like he didn’t get anything out of this. By stepping forward whenever there was trouble, he had been able to gain a lot of power of existence, whereas other hunters just stagnated.

He wouldn’t even have made it to A-grade if he had hesitated like other hunters, let alone make his name known and build his reputation. But seeing how people reacted, it was a bit...

-Successor, you have to step up anyway, right?

-..That’s true.

What was even more disturbing was that putting aside this response, Choi Yeonseung intended to unconditionally participate in the S-grade dungeon raid anyway.

Hwang Gyeongryong was stepping up, so how could Choi Yeonseung not help him? Obviously, governments from other countries would certainly regard him as a pushover, but he would still do the same thing.

“Is Hunter Choi Yeonseung here?”

Just then, Wes Morales, an American hunter, came to visit. He had joined forces with Choi Yeonseung before to take the Parker Energy dungeon by force.

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the guest.

“What’s going on? Ah. I get it.”

“?”

“You’re going to steal another treasure from Parker Energy. It’s a good idea.”

“...No!”

Morales was frightened by his assumption and vehemently denied it. He thought that Choi Yeonseung was mistaking him for a thief.

“Ah, you won’t?”

“H-Hunter Choi Yeonseung. I hope you don’t think of me as a thief.”

He had in fact robbed Parker Energy, but that was only because he hadn’t received what he had been promised.

Morales had never stolen anything from an innocent opponent.

“No... I don’t think of you as a thief. Still, it’s a shame.” Choi Yeonseung clicked his tongue. He had received quite a lot of profit from Parker Energy. Honestly, rather than working hard to release new artifacts or develop new technologies, it was much more profitable to go to someone else’s company and steal their cores and dungeons...

-Indeed. Successor, you finally understand how the Abyss works.

The goddess of sloth nodded.

Human beings tended to have overly complicated systems and structures. Sometimes it was best to keep things simple.

-I was joking.

-No, why? It sounds really good!

“So what brings you here?” Choi Yeonseung asked.

“I am indebted to you, so I came to help you with this S-grade dungeon attack.”

“...I haven’t even announced my participation yet?”

“Ah. But aren’t you going to do it?”

“...Well, yeah, but...”

Choi Yeonseung felt upset for some reason.