abcnovels
Chapter 361
Chapter 361
Chapter 361
“Congressman!”
“I-I’m fine.”
“Congressman!!”
“I’m also fine...”
The nearby hunters first checked on the politicians they were in charge of. The most important thing was to make sure that the people they had to protect were fine!
Whoever was gone, they weren’t responsible for them.
“Senator McGlas, who was supposed to be protected by the Albuquerque clan, has been kidnapped!”
“Hooray! Oh, no. It’s not hooray! You despicable bastards!”
The hunters tried their best to act distressed and rushed to speak to the politicians they were in charge of.
“Congressman, you have to leave.”
“But another member of the Congress has been kidnapped...”
“That’s not your problem! We need to protect you.”
“Yes, you’re right! Let’s depart!”
Most politicians were ready to leave, but...
“Senator McGlas has to be saved! I’ll be fine. Just go and save him!”
“I understand!”
“What are you doing... Oof... Nnngg!”
“Let’s go!”
Some politicians urged the hunters to go and save Senator McGlas, but the hunters quickly shut them up and left with them. They did this simply because they didn’t want to get involved with a clan that had failed to do its job.
“Hey! Together...”
“...”
The hunters of the Albuquerque clan were speechless as they saw all the hunters leave in less than a minute. Of course, they also would’ve run away if they had the chance, but...
‘You bastards!’
At times like this, the Albuquerque hunters understood why some politicians insisted that special laws were needed for hunters. Wasn’t it because hunters only cared about themselves that the country was in this state?
***
“What do you think is the first thing you should do?”
“...Magic?”
Adaquaniel shook her head at Choi Yeonseung’s response. Of course, it would be great if Choi Yeonseung knew how to use magic.
However, it wasn’t just about fighting; it was about responding to all kinds of situations. In Adaquaniel’s eyes, Choi Yeonseung didn’t have an inclination toward magic, so it was better for him to avoid using it. He shouldn’t waste time learning magic that didn’t suit him.
“You have to strengthen your powers.”
A constellation’s power.
As a constellation, Choi Yeonseung had been collecting various powers from his enemies or as rewards for his contributions. Adaquaniel was advising him to hone those powers.
“Indeed...”
Choi Yeonseung recalled the Shadow Crown skill that he had obtained from the Noble Crown Collector. Even he, an outsider to magic, could see that Shadow Crown was a good skill.
In fact, hadn’t the collector constellation’s household member used that power to defeat angels like Illaphael?
“The first one is...”
Adaquaniel interrupted, “First of all, I need you to improve your Future Sight.”
“...”
“Oh, sorry, were you trying to say something?”
Adaquaniel cocked her head because it seemed like Choi Yeonseung had been trying to say something.
Choi Yeonseung quickly changed his words and said, “Ah, I was also about to say Future Sight.”
“Oh, really? I’m glad we’re on the same page then,” replied Adaquaniel with a refreshing smile.
Choi Yeonseung felt a slight twinge of conscience.
“In my opinion, it’s important to uncover the conspiracies of the constellations and recapture the territory of the Abyss, but I think it’s equally important to maintain peace on Earth.”
It had been a while since she started learning stocks from Aine, so Adaquaniel already had a decent understanding as to how things worked on Earth.
Advancing into the Abyss territory was the offense, and protecting Earth was the defense. More often than not, the defense was more important than the offense.
“The evil god constellations haven’t caused any major disasters in decades, so the humans of Earth were caught off guard... The evil god constellations are formidable. In fact, this all could’ve ended up way worse if we had been a bit unlucky.”
“You’re right,” Choi Yeonseung agreed as he nodded. In all honesty, he thought that humans these days weren’t very mindful of their own safety. Instead of getting stronger, hunters chose to make money from media and games.
Furthermore, the developed countries didn’t think to join forces to keep the realms of the evil god constellations in check because of their greed.
If countries had striven to reduce their crime rates, the power of the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood would’ve been weakened. Similarly, if cases of bribery and defamation were dealt with more seriously, the power of the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House would also be weakened.
But rather than joining hands to solve their problems and put pressure on the evil god constellations, the government of each country was arrogant and overconfident because it was stronger than before.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was another great invasion just like the one after the Abyss gate had opened.
‘Are they being overconfident because they’ve dealt with S-grade monsters and waves...?’
It was understandable that humans had gained confidence. Present-day hunters could easily deal with monsters that would’ve been unstoppable a few generations back. This was all thanks to the fact that data had been accumulated, artifacts had been improved, and hunters had become overall stronger.
However...
Choi Yeonseung already knew that he couldn’t rely solely on strength when fighting the evil god constellations. There were times when had to overpower his enemies with raw strength, and there were times when had to outsmart his opponents in order to win.
There had been times when he had to bait, intimidate, or trick his opponents!
After all, why was Choi Yeonseung leading a group like Dragon Industry in the first place? It was because being just a hunter would limit him.
“That’s why you should train your Future Sight. It’s a really strong ability for defense,” said Adaquaniel in a slightly proud tone. It was only natural for her to take pride in the ability of the goddess she worshiped.
“Of course, you can use Future Sight, but it’s a far cry from its full potential. Ah, please forgive me for my words.”
“No, don’t worry. You’re teaching me after all...”
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ says in a sulky voice to get to the point.]
“I understand, Master.”
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ mutters that it isn’t a very good idea.]
The manipulator constellation shook her head ruefully. The more things went on like this, the more Choi Yeonseung would feel sorry for Adaquaniel...
“Adaquaniel, it’s okay. Please feel free to tell me anything.”
“No, I’ll get to the point. You need to focus and train so that your Future Sight gets stronger.”
All skills improved the more they were used, Future Sight being no exception. In Adaquaniel’s case, she intentionally used the power of Future Sight to regularly glimpse into the future.
“It’s easy. No matter the situation, try to predict the future. It sounds simple, but the more you focus, the better you’ll get at it.”
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ finds it absurd that you are teaching like this.]
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ agrees.]
The listening constellations were bewildered. Adaquaniel was essentially telling Choi Yeonseung to just focus hard...
They knew that Adaquaniel was an excellent angel, but her teaching skills were... less-than-stellar... However, the constellations quickly remembered who her pupil was...
Choi Yeonseung nodded without a word of complaint.
“I see. I’ll do my best.”
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ is annoyed...]
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ is annoyed...]
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is making an excuse that it is a good idea.]
After listening to Adaquaniel’s advice, Choi Yeonseung curiously asked her, “By the way, if you can see the future like this, it must be rare for you to fail with the skill, right?”
“The more I look at the future, the more choices I have, and if I choose the wrong one, I fail.”
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ averts her gaze with a gloomy expression.]
The goddess of balance was sullen. Her ability was genuinely strong, but she had failed a bunch of times because she had chosen the wrong option.
‘I didn’t mean to target the goddess with that remark...’
“From what I heard, you’re hiring new hunter clans,” said Adaquaniel.
“Ah. That’s right.”
“Use Future Sight to choose the clan. It’ll be helpful.”
“...!”
Even though Choi Yeonseung was never afraid of monsters, no matter the grade, he was now anxious about the task Adaquaniel gave him.
She was basically telling him to choose using his gut instinct...
‘I don’t know if this is going to work...’
***
“...T-the competitors are stronger than expected.”
The leader of Myodusa, a Korean clan, looked around with a puzzled expression.
Since they worked in the same industry, he could immediately recognize all the hunters even though they wore suits.
‘The clan leader of Amikiri...! In addition, isn’t that the Black Sword Sect?’
They were all great clans.
The Japanese clan Amikiri was one of the best clans in Shikoku. It was clear they had come this time to land a good contract with Dragon Industry.
The Black Sword Sect, a clan from China, was also a formidable opponent. They had such strong hunters that they were constantly in the top ten clans in Shanghai. Rumor had it that the Chinese government was also giving the Black Sword Sect full support.
“Aren’t you from Myodusa?”
“Ah... That’s right.”
The moment the clan leader of Amikiri, Hamada, reached out, Myodusa’s clan leader shook hands with him.
“I guess you came after hearing about Dragon Industry.”
“That’s right.”
“It must be hard.”
A slight smile appeared on Hamada’s face, but it was a condescending, wry smile.
Myodusa's leader was fuming but kept his composure. He couldn’t start a fight in someone else’s company building.
Someone interrupted them, “You're trying in vain. I’m sorry. Don’t waste your time and just go home.”
“...”
“...”
Hamada had been the first one to have a condescending attitude, but he hadn’t expected that someone else would ridicule others so blatantly.
The clan leader of the Black Sword Sect, Wei Chenggang, looked down at the other hunters, his eyes full of arrogance.
“Do you have something that backs up your arrogance?” Hamada asked, flustered. In reality, Myodusa was a small clan that could be ignored, but the Amikiri clan wasn’t to be disregarded.
Amikiri most likely had more hunters that were C-grade and above than the Black Sword Sect.
“How much are you thinking for the basic salary? It probably starts at ten thousand dollars. We start at five thousand.”
“...?!?”
Hamada was taken aback by Wei Chenggang’s words. How could he disregard the market price like that?
What hunter would accept such a terrible offer?!
“It doesn’t make sense... There’s no way the hunters would accept that!”
“We have something that you Japanese hunters don’t have.”
“??”
“It’s patriotism.”
“...”
Hamada and the Myodusa clan leader realized what was actually going on. It was clear that the Chinese government ordered the clans to pay their hunters less.
Something like that was only possible in China.
‘This type of dirty...’
Hamada didn’t give up.
“Dragon Industry won’t pick based on labor costs alone. They will consider the performance.”
“Haha, you’re being so funny. Do you know of any A-grade monster raids that are currently going on? Security-related work is all about labor costs.”
The two clan leaders glared at each other; the atmosphere was very intense.
That was when Choi Yeonseung came down and said, “Thank you for coming. We have decided to make this deal with the Myodusa clan.”
“...!!”
“...Un... Unacceptable! This is preferential treatment!”
Hamada was speechless, whereas Wei Chenggang erupted in anger.
“I can’t believe you’re making such a ridiculous decision as the chairman of a company! I’m sure you picked them because they’re Korean!”
“...Then what are you going to do?” asked Choi Yeonseung, dumbfounded. It wasn’t like he had contacted the Black Sword Sect to offer them a position. They had come to him and asked to consider them.
This was their reaction for not picking them...?
“...You’re being unfair!”
“Fine, I’m a dishonest person, so get out of here already. Does anybody else have any complaints?”
“I have no complaints,” said Hamada, quickly changing his attitude. He didn’t want to be scolded for being arrogant like the leader of the Black Sword Sect.
Wei Chenggang looked at Hamada with an expression of betrayal. He had thought Hamada would take his side.