abcnovels
Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Chapter 207
“First of all, members of the Shaolin Temple should shave their heads, right?” The Mount Hua Sect hunters spoke eagerly.
For a long time, they had been very dissatisfied with the fact that the clan was called ‘Shaolin Temple,’ but none of its members shaved their heads. Now that the Shaolin Temple hunters owed them one, it was the perfect opportunity to make them embrace their identity!
The Shaolin Temple hunters grew pale as they listened to the Mount Hua Sect hunters. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was humiliating.
“I’m not going to bully them like we’re all a bunch of kids,” Choi Yeonseung spoke like he was dumbfounded by what the Mount Hua Sect hunters were suggesting.
The Shaolin Temple hunters were deeply moved.
‘Thank you...!’
It had been a long time since they met, but the hunters of the Shaolin Temple felt a genuine surge of loyalty for Choi Yeonseung. The Chinese leaders would’ve been shocked if they had known that their hunters felt this way to a foreign hunter.
[The power of existence has increased due to faith!]
“......?”
Choi Yeonseung was perplexed by the sudden rise in the power of existence. Why was it increasing now?
“Yes, there’s no reason to bother with such a trivial thing. How about a forced labor camp?”
“We don’t have one, do we?”
“If we don’t have one then we can make it.”
“...That’s enough. I have a better plan,” Choi Yeonseung said while looking at Pan Wugang and the Shaolin Temple hunters. “Right now, the new cities in the Abyss lack hunters in many departments. I was hoping you could help me with the workload.”
“??”
“Uh, that’s all?” one of the hunters from the Shaolin Temple said out loud without realizing.
Hearing this, a hunter from the Mount Hua Sect said angrily, “Look at that! You ungrateful bastard! You don’t deserve our good treatment!”
“N-No. It’s not like that! It’s a misunderstanding!”
“What misunderstanding! Look at those eyes! I see betrayal in his eyes!”
“Stop it,” Choi Yeonseung said.
Iris, the only rational one, spoke in a puzzled manner, “I... I think we’re being too easy on them...”
“Of course.”
The Shaolin Temple hunters also wondered, ‘Is this really enough?’ Choi Yeonseung’s conditions were quite lenient.
“Try to look at it from the other side. Would they comply if I gave them harsh conditions?”
“They... They don’t have a conscience so I don’t think they would comply.”
“That’s right.”
The Mount Hua Sect hunters growled in anger as they heard this. How could the Temple Shaolin hunters have the audacity to refuse their conditions?
“Well if they don’t listen, why don’t we make them?”
“That’s something we can do later. Now’s the time to take it slowly.”
“??”
“Wait and see. You will realize it later,” said Choi Yeonseung.
Mount Hua Sect hunters stopped arguing. They would listen to Choi Yeonseung. In fact, they were able to argue in the first place because Choi Yeonseung freed the Mount Hua Sect and gave them the power to express themselves. Originally, the Mount Hua Sect hunters wouldn’t be able to say such things.
-J... Jump! How dare you use the words of those Western bastards when practicing martial arts?
-But everyone outside speaks English. Why do you prohibit English only when we learn martial arts, Elder?
-You dare to go against the soul of the Mount Hua Sect? Oh my! Oh my!
-If you told young hunters in this day and age that they had to learn martial arts in Chinese rather than English, do you think anybody would want to learn it? Even if you explain it really well, it would take too long!
Getting ordered around and scolded by older hunters was the norm for the young Mount Hua sect hunters.
In that regard, Choi Yeonseung was a very permissive person, especially when considering his level of martial arts. However, that didn’t mean that the Mount Hua Sect hunters had less respect for Choi Yeonseung. Rather, they respected him more for that.
‘If the Shaolin Temple hunters come here for work, let’s tell them to cut their hair for hygiene purposes.’
‘That’s a very good idea.’
***
“Emergency! Emergency!”
“Hunter Han Seha is entering!” An urgent voice rang out from inside the headquarters building of the Hanseong Group.
Han Seha, one of Korea's A-grade hunters, was now entering the building.
Han Seha was considered the heir of the Hanseong Group, but this didn’t make her nasty personality any nicer. Even if that was her own group, she could grab people and throw them out the window if they did something wrong!
“......?”
Han Seha looked sideways with a piercing gaze. There was a security office at the entrance of the building. The guard working inside it welcomed Han Seha with a very awkward smile.
“H-Hello, Hunter Han Seha.”
“Hello. You don’t have any difficulties working these days, right?”
“Yes! Yes! It’s been very good! The group is very good!”
“Why do you look like you’ve been threatened by the group?”
Han Seha raised the tone of her voice, which caused the guard to become even more frightened.
“No! They’ve covered all four major types of insurance and raised my salary by 30%! Really! Here is the contract!”
“Isn’t it hot in there?”
“It’s very cool! The air conditioner is installed underneath!”
“......”
Han Seha took a quick look before nodding and walking by.
It was over.
‘Gasp, gasp.’
The guard thought he got nervous for no reason. Prior to that, an executive of the Hanseong Group had come down and spoken to him in a firm manner.
-Teacher-nim. You know how hot-tempered Hunter Han Seha is, right? We’ve treated you well since last time, right?
-O-Of course, Director-nim.
-Don’t make any mistakes. If you have any complaints, please let us know! You’re not hurt anywhere, right?
-Yes! Yes!
Last time, Han Seha noticed that the cleaners had no place within the building where they could rest. Consequently, she went to the directors’ lounge and threw out the director who was sitting in a massage chair. Since then, every time Han Seha came to visit, the Hanseong Group had to do three preliminary inspections.
“Have you confirmed that there hasn’t been any overtime work this week?”
“Yes. There hasn’t been any overtime work on any of the floors.”
“Those who usually complain and speak without thinking have taken a vacation, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Tell her to come inside!”
Han Hyeokrim looked dissatisfied when Han Seha came inside.
“How are they going to lead the group if they are scared of her?”
“It can’t be helped. She’s an A-grade hunter.”
“So what if she is an A-grade hunter... Is an A-grade hunter everything? Just because she’s an A-grade hunter doesn’t mean she is good at management!” Han Hyeokrim grumbled.
It wasn’t just Han Hyeokrim. The children of the current chairman were jealous of their nieces who were favored by the chairman. All of them had the tremendous abilities of A-grade and B-grade hunters, and also had the advantage of being the children of a cherished person. Last but not least, everybody was sympathetic towards them because they had lost their parents in an accident at a young age. They couldn’t understand how their father could be so affectionate towards their nieces.
However, the children of Chairman Han never acknowledged it. They knew that their niece was an A-grade hunter and was very capable, but management should be done by someone with experience in it.
“You came?”
“What? Why are you here?”
“I came at the request of the Hanseong Group.”
“There is no need for two A-grade hunters, right?”
At Han Seha’s words, Jeong Wonuk, the A-grade hunter and leader of the ‘Golden Blood Fish’ clan, shook his head.
“We think differently from the people who run the company. Think about it carefully. They have to ask hunters to test artifacts and write a report, but if you are the one to submit the report, the people in charge won’t bother to double-check it because you’re related to Hanseong Group, and that could lead to future problems. And if a problem does occur, won’t they be punished? They need a hunter from outside, one that can be objective… Hey! You are the one who asked, so please listen!”
“Uh? Uh. Sorry.”
Han Seha took out her smartphone and looked at it. Then she apologized after hearing these words. It was too boring.
“There is no hunter that would contact you, is there now? Why are you looking at your phone like that all of a sudden?”
“It’s Sehui.”
“Han Sehui rarely contacts you.”
“You got me. I was watching a video of the Abyss.”
At Han Seha’s words, Jeong Wonuk looked slightly impressed. Han Seha said many things, but she was a responsible person as an A-grade hunter. Jeong Wonuk would often lose his cool when dealing with Han Seha, but he never wished she would be swapped with an A-grade hunter from another country. He was convinced that she was a hunter who would surely make South Korea even greater.
“Yes. We too must participate when attacking the Second Abyss Kingdom.”
The two of them hadn’t participated in the first Abyss raid against the Abyss Kingdom. The South Korean government absolutely refused to put them at risk.
-South Korea will be ruined if three A-grade hunters die in the Abyss!
… Jeong Wonuk didn’t think they would die, but the government’s worries were to be expected.
In fact, there were several dangerous situations during the Abyss raid. Despite that, the Abyss attracted the attention of all the hunters, so much so that now many were paying money to visit the newly created cities. The fact that it was an unexplored land was just as appealing. There was so much information pouring in just from the first kingdom and its surrounding areas. What kind of information would the second kingdom have to offer?
He couldn’t sleep at night thinking about it. He wanted to be the one to plant the Korean flag there more than anyone else.
“What are you talking about?”
“Weren’t you looking for information about the second kingdom...?”
“No? I was watching a video about Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
“...He’s the one who succeeded in the first raid. You want to study and learn his techniques, right?”
“No? I’m just watching it because I like it.”
“Forget it.”
Jeong Wonuk gave up on the conversation. The more he talked, the more it felt like he was going to explode.
“You two. Thank you very much for coming.”
The director of the Hanseong Group came and greeted them in person. If it was an A-grade hunter, then it wouldn’t be strange if the president himself came and slammed his forehead against the table. A hunter’s rank was above the age and position of the person they were talking to. Of course, Jeong Wonuk was a very rational and calm person, and Han Seha had a deep relationship with the Hanseong Group, so there was no need for them to display their superiority.
“As I said before, today I want you to tell me which of these artifacts is the best.”
An artifact test! It was one of the ways famous hunters could make a lot of money without entering the dungeon. Unless it had a special ability, the artifact had to be held and used by a hunter in order to find out its ability.
What skills were in the area, what they could be used for and how good they were… Hundreds, or even thousands of tests were required to get that kind of information. Even so, the skills hidden in the artifact were sometimes discovered later. This was why testing was important.
For the Hanseong Group, this test had a different meaning.
“This is the Parker Group’s new artifact and this one is from China’s Yin Nie company. This is from Japan’s Tatsui company. This...”
The artifacts grew one by one.
Before the raid era, various affiliates of the Hanseong Group were ordinary companies. They dealt with finance, construction and the service industry...
A group like that was famous within the country, but insignificant from an international standpoint. However, following the raid era, the Hanseong Group became one of the world’s leading companies. It was thanks to Hanseong Energy. It hit the jackpot with a technology that refined a monster’s core to the maximum potential. Thanks to that, many companies that used the core expressed their utmost admiration to the Hanseong Group.
“I want you to pick the one you think is the best.”
“...?”
Han Seha didn’t understand.
“Why are you asking me to pick the best?”
“They are probably trying to sign an exclusive contract.”
Jeong Wonuk immediately realized what was going on. It was obvious that these artifact companies had made some proposals.
-Don’t trade with other companies! Trade exclusively with our artifact company!
They were fiercely competing with each other in the market so it was no wonder that such a proposal came. If so, the Hanseong Group had to make a cautious judgment. If they chose one side, then the other would find another company...
They had to pick the side they thought was the best.
“Speaking of which, isn’t Choi Yeonseung the CEO of Dragon Artifact?”
“What? Really? Then I’ll choose the one from Dragon Artifact.”
“...You can’t do that!”