Chapter 186 - Chapter 186 (1/2)

"Why are there so many reporters here?"

Germany's best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, set foot inside the American airport after disembarking from his plane. He immediately let a surprised gasp escape from his mouth from the view greeting him.

As befitting the Master of the 'Richter' Guild representing Germany, he got to attend the International Guild Conference every single year, but even then, he had never seen this many reporters camping out in the airport before.

As he stood there in shock, the Vice-Master of the Richter Guild tried to solve the riddle for him.

"Well, that Korean Hunter everyone's been talking about is scheduled to arrive today."

"Aha."

Lennart understood it right away.

Even if you were a rank S Hunter, it was incredibly difficult to resolve a dungeon break from a rank S Gate. And, what if the creatures popping out from that rank S dungeon just so happened to be Giant-type monsters?

The Hunter capable of solo-clearing a dungeon break that no one else wanted any part of, was about to step on the U.S. soil for the first time in his life. So, how could the mass media remain silent on this momentous occasion?

Perhaps he too got infected by the enthusiasm from all the reporters here, as even Lennart himself grew interested in this matter now.

'So, he's coming today?'

With excellent timing, the passengers of the plane inbound from South Korea began pouring out into the airport. The Vice-Master pointed to the side over yonder.

"Ah! There he is!"

The Vice-Master was also a rank S Hunter. He may not be as good as Lennart, his boss, but still, his perception was capable enough to easily suss out Jin-Woo's face among the crowd of people.

Lennart Niermann's eyes gleamed brightly just then.

"Should we go and say hi?"

"Pardon?"

"We've got nothing to lose by being acquaintances with a strong Hunter, right?"

"Well, yes. That's true."

The Vice-Master agreed with that idea.

The personal connections built up in such a manner would prove to be rather beneficial if an event requiring international cooperation or the aid of another Guild happened in the future.

This was, in essence, what the whole International Guild Conference was originally conceived for, where the best Hunters from the world were asked to come and exchange pointers, as it were. Especially when it was quite difficult for these Hunters to actually meet one another like this.

Lennart tidied his attire and approached Jin-Woo's travelling group. No, he tried to.

However, he came to an abrupt halt after taking only a couple of steps. Even his complexion was gradually paling, too. The Vice-Master ended up walking a step ahead because of his boss's sudden stop. He turned around and asked in confusion.

"Aren't you going to speak to him?"

Lennart's expression hardened instantly as he replied.

"That... can't you see that??"

"Excuse me?"

It seemed that the Vice-Master could not see it at all. However, Lennart was one of the very best Hunters in the entire world and he could clearly sense it. He muttered to himself in complete disbelief.

"Instead of summoning his creatures from some other dimension, he's been going around with them all this time?"

"Eh?"

What was he even talking about?

The Vice-Master was taken aback with surprise from Lennart's reaction and quickly took a look in the direction Jin-Woo was walking in from. But, let alone a single summon, he couldn't even spot a hair of the summoned creature anywhere near the Korean man.

"He's with his summons?"

"That's right! So many of them, too!"

Lennart could pick up on the presence of the Shadow Soldiers hiding within Jin-Woo's shadow. One hundred. Two hundred. Three...

No, could he even finish counting them all?

He hurriedly swallowed his saliva.

'From that number alone, I'd have believed it if someone told me that man came here to wage war against America.'

He stood there shivering while thinking that, if he were tasked with the role of inviting people over to his nation, he'd never, ever invite someone like 'that'.

There could be one of two reasons. Either the American Hunter Bureau had no clue the true depths of that Korean Hunter's power, or they were completely sure that such a power would never be used against them.

The incredible pressure Jin-Woo emanated grew stronger and stronger as he got nearer the German Hunter. Such a sensation could only be felt from those Hunters labelled Special Authority-rank, such as Thomas Andre or Christopher Reid.

'….....'

Lennart's head faltered lower even before he realised it just as Jin-Woo walked right past by him. He simply didn't have enough courage to meet that man's eyes at all. His instincts had dictated his actions.

After Jin-Woo's group had completely walked past them, the Vice-Master shot a quizzical look at his boss acting strangely and asked a question of concern.

"Master? Are you feeling unwell somehow? Your complexion...."

"N-no... it's not that."

Lennart Niermann wiped the cold sweat off his brows.

You could only see as much as you know; being able to decipher the gap between yourself and the opponent was also a part of one's abilities.

But, at least right in this moment, he felt quite envious of his Vice-Master, or for that matter, the throng of reporters, who weren't scared off by the presence of a truly, nonsensically powerful Hunter.

***

Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to take a look behind him and ask.

"Did you spot someone you know, hyung-nim?"

"No. It's just that, some foreigner was looking at me over and over again."

Yu Jin-Ho chuckled as if such a thing was nothing to fret about.

"Hyung-nim, your stories have spread out far and wide to the rest of the world, so surely, you must have lots of fans by now. Maybe he wanted your autograph, hyung-nim."

Well, that guy seemed to be too exceptional a Hunter for someone 'hunting' around for autographs, though.

Jin-Woo smirked and continued on with his steps.

Beside himself and Yu Jin-Ho, two more people were accompanying them during this overseas trip – Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol coming along as the show of support from the Korean Hunter's Association, as well as a female Association employee tagging along as an interpreter.

"Uh! There he is!!"

"It's Seong Jin-Woo!"

The reporters finally discovered Jin-Woo and his gang.

Click, click, click, click, click, click, click-!!

Bright flashes of light exploded from the cameras wielded by the throng of reporters. Woo Jin-Cheol quickly yanked out his sunglasses from his inner pocket and put them on, before scanning the crowd with a pair of very sharp eyes. Seeing how tense he was, Yu Jin-Ho decided that now would be a good time to ask him.

"Now that I think about it some more…. Why are you even here, Chief Woo?"

Without a doubt, the Chief of a department located in the Seoul branch of the Korean Hunter's Association was not exactly what you'd call an ordinary job.

It was pretty much the same thing as you being responsible for an entire department.

Sure, Yu Jin-Ho felt grateful that the Association helped them out with an interpreter situation. His question, though, was with why someone as important as Woo Jin-Cheol would be accompanying them like this.

Woo Jin-Cheol briefly studied Jin-Woo's reactions and replied, his face reddening slightly.

"I am tasked with... providing security to Seong Hunter-nim."

He worked up lots of courage to make that reply, but regretfully, his words were drowned out by the noise within the airport itself and couldn't reach Yu Jin-Ho's ears. So, the latter cupped his ear and asked again.

"What did you say?"

"....Bodyguard.... of him...."

"Who did you say you're guarding now?"

Jin-Woo could see that even Woo Jin-Cheol's ears were getting red now. So, he wrapped his arm around Yu Jin-Ho's shoulders and put an end to that conversation.

"Hyung-nim?"

Jin-Woo pointed with his chin to a rather familiar face over yonder.

"Over there. Looks like they are here to escort us."

Adam White was standing near the entrance of the airport sporting a cool business suit with his blonde hair slicked back, his face full of a bright, welcoming smile. As if to prove that Jin-Woo's guess was correct, the American agent quickly made his way over to the group.

The two burly guys following after him were the same men from the plane back then. These two met Jin-Woo's gaze and quickly lowered their heads in apparent embarrassment almost simultaneously.

It seemed that they ended up remembering the time inside the plane when they tried to protect Adam White by attacking Jin-Woo, having completely forgotten about the differences in their strengths.

And well, they were carrying expressions of someone who might really ask for some autographs given half a chance. Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter. He greeted the two burly guys with a simple nod and grasped the extended hand of Adam White.

The American agent spoke with a cheery voice.

"We were waiting for your arrival, Seong Hunter-nim."