Chapter 349

Chapter 349

People flocked like birds; the crowd had gotten so large that Choi Yeonseung wondered just how many hunters were around this area.

It was understandable. After all, there wasn’t a hunter who wasn’t tempted by the story of martial arts. It had been proven that martial arts could be quite powerful when used in combat, which impressed people even if they weren’t necessarily interested in learning them.

“So what exactly are the rules here?” Han Seha asked the vendor, or rather, the official...

“Ah, yes. First of all, if you move from your designated place, you have to report it.”

‘I shouldn’t listen to this clown.’

The moment Han Seha heard this rule, she thought about disobeying it. After all, didn’t Chinese hunters always come to South Korea, move without reporting their locations, cause trouble, and then come up with excuses like “Oh, I didn’t know... What should I do?”

She would just balance things out.

The official continued, “Currently, there are many abnormalities occurring around us, and the number of unusual monsters is increasing. We need the power of a lot of hunters. I’m just grateful to all the hunters who have come this far.”

“And you’re expressing your gratitude by scamming them...?”

“S-scamming? I came here to find items to sell to hunters!” the official exclaimed with utmost sincerity. Of course, it could be interpreted as a scam, so the official was keeping it secret from the party. There were many high-ranking party officials who wouldn’t understand the patriotism behind his actions.

He was earning foreign money by selling items on the black market at high prices. If this wasn’t patriotism, then what was?

In addition, the hunters were satisfied, which further proved that this wasn’t a scam. It was just a mutually beneficial deal.

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung! I wonder what type of martial arts is right for me?”

“That’s right! How do I find it?”

The hunters gathered like clouds and asked Choi Yeonseung questions like a bunch of kids looking up to their professor.

‘It’d be great if everybody showed half of their interest on a regular basis.’

Choi Yeonseung was a bit irritated by this.

The image of martial arts had improved a lot, and the number of hunters who reached the higher ranks in martial arts had increased significantly, but there were still many hunters who weren’t interested in martial arts.

-Martial arts?I tried to learn it once, but it took too long compared to magic.

-If you learn martial arts, you’ll always have to fight at close-range.I want to fight from a distance.Don’t you know how high the death rate for close-range tankers is?

However, the power of martial arts increased significantly in this area. Even those who hadn’t been interested in it before were now expressing their interest. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a bit...

‘Still, I can’t miss this opportunity.’

“Can you evaluate the martial art I’ve bought?”

“I bought it because its name seems legit, but I wonder if this is really a proper martial art!”

‘Hehe. Hunter Choi Yeonseung, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to get these people to turn away,’ the official thought to himself.

Of course, it was embarrassing to see Choi Yeonseung show up like this, but hunters were generally ill-tempered and didn’t listen to anybody. Thus, Choi Yeonseung could say all he wanted that the martial arts at this black market were nonsense!

At most, some hunters might become skeptical, but after some time, they would flock back to the market.

-I don’t think this is trash though?

-Hunter Choi Yeonseung might’ve tricked us.

-Maybe he gave us false information to keep us in check...

-... It worked well when I used it!He lied to me!

People believed what they wanted to believe. They had experienced the effects for themselves, so it was hard for them to think that the martial arts they had bought were bad...

“The martial arts here are definitely decent, but you know what? Dragon Industry has been collecting martial arts and developing new ones. That’s why the number of B-grade martial artists has been increasing.”

“!!!”

“Such a secret...!”

“Ch-Choi Yeonseung! How can I get that martial art? Can I only get it by joining Dragon Industry?”

“Uh, I’ll be honest with you. The rarest, most excellent martial arts aren’t disclosed to anyone, and we won’t change that any time soon.”

The hunters weren’t surprised by Choi Yeonseung’s words, so they nodded as if they had expected him to say that.

“Yeah, I didn’t think they’d release new skills that they invested so much money into.”

“Maybe they’re preparing it to recruit A-grade hunters?”

“Didn’t a Chinese clan try to recruit B+ hunters using spell books last time?”

Clans would do this all the time. Trading with magic or skills was a natural thing among hunters!

“But I’m willing to release a martial art that is a bit less powerful than those secret ones.”

Of course, Choi Yeonseung had always played an active role in China, but he hadn’t expected such a strong reaction this suddenly...

“What do you want?” the official asked very politely.

It turned out that the vendor was a high-ranking official in charge of the area. In South Korea, this man would be a fifth-level public official or higher, but in China, where the population was much higher, he had a heavier burden on his shoulders

‘Wait, is this how you do business?’

The chief, Gong Tao, was very confident. “Shouldn’t I earn my share and retire? If I don’t take care of myself at times like this, no one will.”

“You have very capitalist and enterprising ideas... So what’s the current situation?” Choi Yeonseung asked.

Choi Yeonseung remembered what Aine had said before. It was surprisingly easy to gather information in China. It seemed that there were many people who would share it for the right price...

-Doesn’t that apply to every country?

-No.You’ll know when you go there.Those types of people are way more active.

‘Yeah, alright. It’s definitely different here.’

Choi Yeonseung hadn’t expected government officials, out of all people, to actively do business like this.

“In fact, the party currently doesn’t seem to have any plans to subdue the opponent.”

“What nonsense... Why?”

“It’s because of the rumors that this whole situation has been caused by the Master of Slowness and Silence.”

“!”

The Chinese government would be quite distressed if this situation had indeed been caused by a constellation. They had already lost the northern part of the country to that constellation in a shameful manner, so they would do their best to avoid having that nightmare happen again.

“So the government is gathering all the hunters in the north?”

“I think that should be the case? I’ve heard that A-grade hunters are also on emergency alert.”

“What’s the situation here?”

“It seems that they’re trying to stop it by bringing in hunters from overseas. As you know...”

Gong Tao made a circle with his fingers.

Choi Yeonseung also knew that the Chinese government was spending a huge amount of money to stop this incident.

‘Maybe this really is their intention.’

“But will this actually work? They’ll need a few more A-grade hunters to do something, and I don’t think there will be any other hunters coming in from abroad.”

“...”

Gong Tao looked at Choi Yeonseung with a bewildered expression. Weren’t Choi Yeonseung and Han Seha also A-grade hunters?

There was an uproar on the Chinese side when they belatedly found that A-grade hunters had come here...

-Two A-grade hunters from the Bulgae clan have come to China!It seems they will provide support!

-What are they up to?Send them back!

-We can’t!The situation is dire, so we need all the help we can get. If we send away the A-grade hunters...

-But we don’t know what they’re up to!

-For now, we have to keep them on our side and watch their movements!

After a bitter meeting where several executives fought each other, Choi Yeonseung and Han Seha received permission to participate in the raid.

“I’m here because I want to help people, but the other A-grade hunters won’t come here even if you pay them. They’ll only come at gunpoint.”

“Is Hunter Choi Yeonseung there?”

Just then, someone knocked at the door after asking about Choi Yeonseung.

This person gave off a cold and heartless impression, and Choi Yeonseung had never seen him before.

It was Joseph Grant, an A-grade hunter who served the Iron-Blooded General Who Shakes the Battlefield.

“I’ve been brought up to date on the way here. You’re taking control of the hunters present. As expected, only a hunter like you can do it.”

“What non...”

“Wait... Wait. Let me guess. There’s no way you would do this for no reason... Are you going to unite the hunters here to blackmail the Chinese government? That’s the only possibility.”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung wanted to explain, but he didn't have the energy to do it. Therefore, he just nodded and lamely said, “Think what you want...”