abcnovels
Chapter 489
Chapter 489
Chapter 489
Morales firmly defended Dragon Hwang. It would be understandable for ordinary people to be deceived by such nonsense, but it was unacceptable for a fellow hunter to insult Dragon Hwang like that.
There was no way that someone like Dragon Hwang would steal a panda. He did have a frivolous image, but that was just a gimmick to avoid public attention. In reality, Dragon Hwang had done a lot for hunters.
...Or at least that was what Morales thought.
“I was wrong!”
“??”
Please forgive me!”
“???”
Morales and Carter paused.
They turned around and saw dozens of hunters lying on their stomachs in a garden, which was large enough for a private jet to land.
‘Isn’t that the Robert Patriots clan?’
The Robert Patriots was one of the largest clans in the United States. It was quite a powerful clan, with several famous B-grade hunters. They also had strong political connections, including several senators, so not even A-grade hunters could take them lightly...
So why were those hunters bowing with their heads on the ground...?
“I will never disobey orders again!”
“Give us one more chance!”
Illaphael came out with an annoyed look on her face. “Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”
“We’ll be waiting here for you to give us orders!”
“...”
Illaphael’s eyebrows twitched; her expression indicated that she was on the verge of attacking those hunters.
“You must not hurt them, Illaphael.”
At Adaquaniel’s advice, Illaphael gritted her teeth and went back inside.
The two A-grade hunters were puzzled by this.
‘How... What on earth just happened?’
***
Following the election of a new president and Choi Yeonseung’s S-grade promotion, several changes took place. Firstly, Choi Yeonseung’s power of existence had increased drastically, and he ranked eleventh as a constellation.
No other constellation had ever experienced such a sudden and sharp rise in power and influence.
‘But even so, I’m still not in the top ten.’
On that note, the power of the ancient constellations of the Abyss was enormous. Those constellations owned hundreds, if not thousands, of kingdoms and realms, far more than Choi Yeonseung could ever hope for.
He wouldn’t be able to surpass such constellations with ordinary methods. He had to use any means necessary!
-The promotion list for A-grade hunters that was recently announced is already causing controversy.
-In response to the criticism that A-grade hunters are being mass produced excessively, the government explained that ‘the hunters have been evaluated fairly and objectively. There are no underlying reasons...’
The second invasion of the evil god constellations had also brought about other changes, such as a new set of A-grade hunters.
It wasn’t just the United States; countries around the world were promoting B-grade hunters to A-grade. Regardless of any political implications, the hunters who had made truly significant contributions were finally getting acknowledged.
As the household members of the evil god constellations flocked to Earth and wreaked havoc, multiplied dungeons that hadn’t been cleared exploded, releasing swarms of monsters...
Just like the first-generation heroes, who had stepped up to protect humanity, some hunters came forward and bravely dealt with all those monsters and household members, thus accumulating achievements one after another.
Eventually, several hunters from the Icarus clan, including Illeya, were promoted to A-grade. One could consider this a natural change.
‘More is better than less.’
Having more talented hunters was great. Of course, whether the hunters listened or not was another story, but for now, it was better than nothing.
In addition, the hunters had been quite compliant toward Choi Yeonseung lately.
...Just like these guys.
“We were wrong! Please forgive us!”
In fact, Choi Yeonseung didn’t even have much of a connection to the Robert Patriots clan.
Last time, he contacted them during a raid and told them, “That dungeon exploded and monsters are swarming out of it. It’s not far away from you guys, so can you give me a hand?”
Of course, the Robert Patriots clan refused.
-I’m sorry, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. Since it’s not our area, we’re not obligated to participate. In addition, all our hunters are currently suffering from injuries...
They were being polite, but they were essentially saying, “Why would we kill monsters that don’t make us money?”
However, Choi Yeonseung hadn’t expected much from them, so he wasn’t angry.
-Who are you fighting for right now? These humans don’t know grace!!
-Forget it, Illaphael. I wasn’t expecting much in the first place. Contact Dragon Industry and mobilize the remaining clans and put them on standby. It will be troublesome if the monsters get out.
However, that minor incident turned into a major one for the clan when Choi Yeonseung rose up to S-grade and became the powerhouse behind the president of the United States.
-Oh my god, so many things are happening.
-We’ve also generously lobbied the Republican Democratic Party. There shouldn’t be much of a problem, right?
-But unlike other senators, we have a weaker connection to Mike Hwang. They didn’t need our support.
-I hope there won’t be any problems with Hunter Choi Yeonseung? I heard there’s a rumor that he will manage the clans in America like he manages those in Korea.
-That can’t be. Hunters who are stupid enough to create problems with A-grade hunters shouldn’t be here.
-...E-excuse me. I received a proposal from them last time... I refused.
-...
-...
-I’m sorry! But back then...
-Wo-won’t it be okay? There’s no way...
[Hunter Choi Yeonseung... Will he hold the clans responsible for refusing to help during a crisis? Countdown to the introduction of the Korean-style management...]
[The US president says, “Korean hunters don’t waste their time on drugs or gambling. They concentrate on raids”...]
[The Korean hunter community says, “There seems to be something wrong with the US president”...]
But of course, people eventually faced punishment for their sins.
Many rumors circulated during the first few days of Mike Hwang’s term, causing clan officials to be apprehensive.
If Mike Hwang were a traditional politician, they would’ve been able to hear rumors coming from inside the White House using their connections. However, it was more difficult with Mike Hwang because he was relatively inexperienced.
-...
-...Let’s move first and convince them!
It wasn’t just one clan; all the clans who were uncomfortable and ashamed came forward and apologized profusely to Choi Yeonseung.
“We were wrong!”
“We should’ve said yes!”
“Give us a chance to make things right!”
Experienced hunters knew they shouldn’t just accept it when the other person said, “Fine, I understand.” That could very well be a trap to filter out unpleasant individuals.
The hunters had to bow down and do what the other person asked so they would say, “Oh, I feel at ease now.”
“...Can we just pass by?”
Morales and Carter walked through the crowd of clans in bewilderment.
‘Those who can move like this...’
‘If only they had been this humble and sincere from the start...”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Choi Yeonseung was happy to see the two A-grade hunters. Most of all, he was very pleased with the fact that they had conducted the Abyss raid while Earth was in turmoil.
‘That’s how hunters should be.’
Morales and Carter were relieved by Choi Yeonseung’s reaction. Naturally, it was great that the new person in power was happy to see them.
‘...What?’
Nicholas Carter paused for a moment. He unwittingly tried to bow as he greeted Choi Yeonseung.
‘Why am I doing this?’
He didn’t do it intentionally for flattery; his body just moved on its own, like a beast that succumbed to its tamer.
“...Isn’t this too much?”
Morales looked at his friend as if embarrassed. No matter how good Carter wanted to look, bowing so deeply... He was making a fool of himself.
“What the...?”
“Huh? What’s the matter?”
“No...!”
Morales paused as he spotted an unexpected being inside the mansion.
“A nightmare demon! Draw your weapon!” Morales hurriedly warned his friend.
“What? A nightmare demon?”
Since they were both A-grade hunters who had gone through many battles, they were both used to encountering nightmare demons in such situations.
Fortunately, nightmare demons were low-level monsters with low intelligence. However, if they actually managed to land a proper hit, their destructive power was incomparable to other monsters.
The nightmare demon was a troublesome monster that could inflict all kinds of damage on its target, putting aside its raw strength!
“Ah. This isn’t an enemy but a minion sent by a constellation.”
“...???”
“It’s a long story, but...”
“Were there any good god constellations with nightmare demons serving them?”
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ is angry.]
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says that to be precise, it isn’t really a good god constellation...]
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust had sent more of her nightmare demons to block the attack on the debate venue.
At first, Choi Yeonseung had doubted them because of Lamart, but surprisingly, they had been better than Lamart. Since they had been thoroughly educated by the constellation, they weren’t indecent like Lamart. Instead, they were disciplined and solemn.
-Amazing! I actually thought you guys would go on a rampage like Lamart.
-How can that be, Hunter Choi Yeonseung? The nightmare demons who serve the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust are, in a sense, like monks. We are better than anyone else at controlling desire and pleasure.
-But Lamart went berserk.
The nightmare demons pretended not to hear Illaphael.
-Well, we can lose control due to unique and unforeseen circumstances, but rest assured you can trust us.
-That’s right. Maybe it’s just Lamart who’s weird.
-We don’t have any greed for Hunter Choi Yeonseung.
Gulp.
-...Did someone swallow just now?
-Until the other evil god constellations are completely gone, we will be with Lamart to assist.
-...
Choi Yeonseung frowned as he recalled what had happened. No matter how much power they brought to his side, those nightmare demons were a bit...
‘There’s a bit of a nasty side.’
-Just a bit? It’s a lot...
Even the goddess of sloth could see what ulterior motives these nightmare demons staying in the mansion had. The order of their constellation was just an excuse...
“Alright, back to the Abyss raid. Tell me about the Third Realm.”
Choi Yeonseung was most curious about that.
What kind of hardships awaited humanity?
“There was a sea.”
“A sea...!”
Choi Yeonseung nodded as old memories surfaced in his mind.
Seas in the Abyss were completely different from those on Earth. Instead of water, they were made up of all kinds of different liquids, such as poison, acid, lava, and so on. Even for someone like Choi Yeonseung, who had mastered martial arts, Abyssal seas were incredibly difficult to deal with.
Besides the deadly composition of an Abyssal sea, it was also inhabited by monsters, which made the sea itself a formidable enemy.
Of course, fighting monsters in an Abyssal sea was no easy task.
“You must’ve had a hard time finding your way through that sea. I wish I could’ve given you some advice. Even if it seems to work at first, you still have to figure out how to adapt to its composition. No matter what type of nasty liquid you go through, you need the proper skills to withstand its effect.”
“Uh... Hunter Choi Yeonseung?” Carter interjected after noticing something. He hadn’t interrupted Choi Yeonseung thus far lest he angered him, but he had to say this.
“What is it?”
“We didn’t go into the sea... There is a big ship prepared by the Chef of Endless Gluttony. We will navigate the sea on it.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was slightly disappointed.
‘Isn’t that too easy? Preparing a ship...’
-Whose side are you on...?