abcnovels
Chapter 443
Chapter 443
Chapter 443
“You know how things are at the moment, so stop pretending you don’t.”
Han Seonggu knew that his granddaughter just didn’t want to use her brain, not that she couldn’t. Given that she was helping Choi Yeonseung with all sorts of matters, there was no way she didn't know what the situation was.
The moment the committee was formed, Choi Yeonseung would be able to take the leash of domestic clans in one hand and exert his influence on related companies. After all, where did companies get monster cores, materials, and artifacts? They got all those things from clans.
“Ah. So what do you want me to do? I’m not going to stop him. Rather, I’ll support him,” Han Seha said bluntly as she looked away.
No matter what her grandfather asked of her, Han Seha had no intention of stopping Choi Yeonseung. She had a conscience, so she couldn’t possibly bring herself to hinder his plans.
Even though many people had publicly criticized him, Choi Yeonseung had put up with it and used his own money to stop the monsters.
All those politicians had stayed still during the first battle and then came out of hiding to mess everything up after the battle was over.
Han Seha genuinely believed that it would be better for those kinds of people to just jump into the sea and disappear forever.
“I won’t try to stop it.”
“...Really?”
Han Seha looked at Han Seonggu suspiciously. Even though he was her grandfather, there was nothing more absurd than Han Seonggu saying that he wasn’t after money.
Wasn’t her grandfather the kind of man to enter any kind of field and try to monopolize it the moment he smelled money?
“I mean it.”
Han Seonggu opened his arms as though asking for Han Seha’s trust.
“How greedy do you think I can be at this age?”
“For as long as possible?”
“...It hurts to hear my granddaughter say such things.”
“I bet.”
“...”
Han Seonggu pretended to be hurt by Han Seha’s words, but she wasn’t buying it at all, so he gave up on it and returned to the main topic.
“I’ve already earned so much. I inherited this company from my parents, and I’ve made it the best in South Korea.”
“Is it... the best in South Korea? I think there are a lot of competitors. I also don’t think it’s that impressive in the international sphere...”
Han Seonggu wasn’t fazed by Han Seha’s harsh criticism.
“Yes, it’s true that we fall short in the international sphere. We hear all the time that overseas companies are developing new technologies and taking the lead in innovation. Meanwhile, people only hear that Hanseong Group is making money.”
“Oh, so you were aware of that?”
“I no longer have any desire to go after money. We’re about to enter a new era, and I just wish to pass on the company I inherited and make sure it doesn’t collapse.”
The wrinkles on Han Seonggu’s face seemed unusually prominent as he was voicing his wishes for the company. Han Seha was rather surprised. She had no idea that her grandfather felt that way.
“That’s great! If a monster comes out in the future, we will evacuate the people, get the staff off work, and pay the hunters to ensure the security of the city!”
“Yes, that’s one of the things we’re going to do.”
“...?”
Han Seha was puzzled. She had been convinced he would dislike her idea.
“Really?”
“Yes. Would you like to take charge of it?”
“...No, why would I do that??”
“Then who do you trust to handle that? You can pick.”
“...”
Han Seha fell silent. Which of her relatives was trustworthy...?
‘None...’
“I figured. You’ll be in charge of it.”
“No, wait a moment!”
“Why? What are you dissatisfied with? I agree with the establishment of a committee, and I’ll also change the direction of the group so it can contribute more to society, like you’ve said.”
“No...”
Han Seha was confused because she felt like she had fallen into a trap, but she didn’t know what kind of trap it was exactly. What was going on?
Indeed, Han Seonggu had agreed to cooperate with Han Seha and Choi Yeonseung, so why did she feel uncomfortable?
‘A new era is coming,’ Han Seonggu thought to himself as he tilted his head and watched his granddaughter leave the office.
The latest Abyss raid and the second invasion of the evil god constellations foreshadowed a great change.
Ignorant and stupid people still hadn’t noticed, but Han Seonggu could sense that tumultuous times were upon them. He remembered how society had been turned upside down when the Abyss gate had been opened.
Currently, those who foolishly relied only on their own strength would be swept away in an instant.
Han Seonggu was convinced that Han Seha was highly talented and best suited to take care of things in this new era in which Choi Yeonseung was becoming the most important man in South Korea. At the very least, she wouldn’t be needlessly greedy like his other children and reap all the benefits for herself.
He was a bit uneasy about her hot-tempered and unpredictable behavior, but...
‘Seeing the way she held the press conference the other day, it’s clear that she’s grown up.’
However, as experienced as he was, Han Seonggu still misunderstood something.
***
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, a position like that of committee leader isn't suitable for an A-grade hunter like you! Some greedy people are trying to take advantage of you, Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
“Oh... Leave.”
“W-what? Surely you don’t think it’s acceptable to speak to me like that?”
“What do you think it’s going to happen if I hold a press conference and claim that you came and threatened me? Would I be humiliated or would you have to resign?”
“...”
The politician went pale, and he quietly bowed his head and left.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, it’s nice to meet you. There are many rumors that other clans are on the fence right now... Since the clans are dissatisfied with the current situation, wouldn’t it be better to postpone the establishment of the committee for a bit longer?”
“Oh... Name those clans. I’ll try to convince them face-to-face.”
“...”
The next politician who visited also turned pale and left quietly.
Around a dozen politicians tried their luck with Choi Yeonseung and left disappointed, and after that, rumors started circulating and no one else tried to persuade Choi Yeonseung.
“I’ve heard the rumors myself. It must be hard, huh?”
“Huh? I don’t really care.”
Lee Changsik, who had come late, was impressed by how thick-skinned Choi Yeonseung was.
Hunters who valiantly cleared dungeons and defended civilians from monsters without hesitation often found themselves lost the moment they dipped their toes in politics.
The experienced politicians could play with hunters in the palms of their hands. However, Choi Yeonseung wasn’t swayed by any of them. On the contrary, the so-called powerful politicians were in a tight spot and couldn’t do anything but look at each other in disbelief.
‘Is this what true power is?’
The great Hwang Gyeongryong had also drawn attention with his bombshell speech after he had come back to South Korea, but his reputation had eventually taken a hit because of the attacks of the media, who had been instigated by politicians. Thus, Hwang Gyeongryong had been forced to back down.
Meanwhile, Choi Yeonseung persevered in the face of such attacks. With the invasion, he had turned things around and grabbed the sword by its hilt.
Hwang Gyeongryong would’ve shed tears of joy if he had seen how things were.
“Alright, I get it. You’re essentially untouchable right now. Anyway, what should I do next?”
“You can just rest. Let’s train the hunters and wait to see how things develop.”
“Is that okay though?” Lee Changsik wondered.
Of course, South Korea was urgently putting out the fire, but Choi Yeonseung was still responsible for many other things. Everything, from the subsidiaries of Dragon Industry to the overseas factories, was in a state of emergency.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Choi Yeonseung said in a confident voice. “I’ve deployed hunters in advance.”
Lee Changsik was once again impressed. It was hard to believe that Choi Yeonseung could focus so much on South Korea while also keeping everything else in order.
“Look. That’s how things are with the factory in China.”
-There are several attacks on the factories in the special zone located in Shanghai. Surprisingly, they succeeded in preventing them without any damage. This area where the factories are concentrated...
“Vietnam too.”
-Monsters attacked the Dragon Industry factories located in Vietnam, but we succeeded in driving them out with local hunters. Jonas, the general manager of the factory, appreciates the cooperation of the Vietnamese authorities...
“The United States as well.”
-Several US states are paralyzed by the invasion. The clans have promised to restore order, but they have yet to accomplish that. The state government is asking its clans to ban excessive raids...
“...”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung and Lee Changsik paused.
“Uh... That makes no sense. How many hunters are there in the United States? Why can’t they take care of it?”
“Th-that’s right.”
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says there is an enemy to watch out for.]
“!”
***
Since ancient times, South Korea, China, and Japan would always blame each other when a monster wreaked havoc on either side.
For example, whenever a powerful monster appeared in China or in Japan and the local hunters couldn’t kill it, South Korea would offer support while thinking, ‘What? They really can’t kill that monster? Are they deliberately not killing it? Are they trying to set a trap for us or something?’
It wasn’t too difficult for a powerful monster to cross the sea, so it was best to eliminate it in a foreign country in order to prevent harm to one’s homeland.
As such, it wasn’t surprising that Choi Yeonseung received a warning about a monster that had appeared in Japan.
...However, the warning wasn’t from the Japanese government, but from a constellation.
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says that the ‘Black Magician Who Shares Everything’ is more threatening than you think.]
The black magician constellation.
Choi Yeonseung had encountered this constellation a few times.
Since he hadn’t been able to defeat the explosion constellation alone, the black magician constellation had asked Choi Yeonseung to join forces, and he had lost his household members to the chef constellation.
In many ways, he was an enigmatic and weak-looking constellation.
‘Even when I was lower in rank I didn’t feel that he was a strong constellation. Is he focusing on trickery?’
-There are constellations who lack the ability to fight directly, but if you give them time, they become quite tricky to deal with.
The goddess of sloth wasn’t surprised. That was the case with constellations that were the strategist and scheming type, not the warrior type.
A constellation like that would have a hard time fighting against a warrior type constellation like Choi Yeonseung head on, but if they were given time, they could scheme and plot unimaginable things.
‘So he wants me to nip this constellation in the bud.’
Choi Yeonseung understood what the angel constellation wanted from him. He despised aggressive evil god constellations, so the angel constellation wanted Choi Yeonseung to cut off this enemy before it became a larger threat.
Besides, it was hard to find any household member out there that could move as freely as Choi Yeonseung.
However...
“I’m sorry, angel constellation. Human rules are much more complicated than you think. Even if I make a proposal, the Japanese government will reject it.”
If Japan accepted help from foreign hunters during an emergency, it would essentially declare publicly that its government was incapable of dealing with the problem.
The media would excitedly shout things like “The country is going to collapse!” and the government’s approval rating would plummet to the ground.
It would be especially disastrous if the help came from South Korea, a long-time enemy.
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says this is nothing to worry about. The other constellations will cooperate, so don’t worry.]
“...?!”
[The ‘River of Mercy’ says persuasion will be attempted.]
[The ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ says persuasion will be attempted.]
[The ‘Warrior With a Hammer’ says persuasion will be attempted.]
[The ‘Arrogant Light Elf’ says persuasion will be attempted.]
‘Ohh...!’
Choi Yeonseung was moved. Even the famous good god constellations joined forces to do this. So it wasn’t just the evil god constellations that could unite for a common goal...
It was certainly inspiring to see the good god constellations finally team up like this.
‘Yeah, we can actually pull this off if the constellations step up.’
Choi Yeonseung wouldn’t refuse to help if the Japanese officials bowed their heads first and formally invited him. Not only would he be able to raid under much more favorable conditions, but he would also be able to gain more faith as a constellation.
Politicians and far-right media might grit their teeth and hate it, but the vast majority of people were usually grateful when a hunter came from overseas to offer aid.
“If you do so... I will accept it.”
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ shows respect and appreciation for your honorable actions.]
“Uh...”
‘This is embarrassing.’
Choi Yeonseung felt bad because of the reaction of the angel constellation. He wasn’t doing this because of honor...
***
After one week...
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ apologizes...]
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was speechless.
How did the group of constellations fail to persuade the Japanese government...?