abcnovels
Chapter 570
Chapter 570
Chapter 570
“You’re not saying you wouldn’t have beat them up, right?”
“He clearly doesn’t have such disloyal thoughts. He’s not that kind of hunter.”
“I... I understand. I’ll try and see about that movie...” Kwon Yeongseung replied.
Seemingly immersed in his story, Hwang Gyeongryong eventually changed its course as he had originally intended.
He would tell these ignorant orcs the story of his ascension!
***
“He’s from South Korea? Then he should stay there. Why come to the United States?”
“I guess he didn’t make it in South Korea. He won’t be able to hold out for much longer in the United States. Get rid of him. Nasty fellow...”
***
“No, that’s too much!”
Kwon Yeongseung was furious at how Hwang Gyeongryong had been treated after coming to the United States.
“How can they discriminate like that? It’s so disappointing! Those American hunters...”
“Uh... They weren’t Americans...”
“Huh?”
“They weren’t American hunters.”
***
“You bastards immigrated here just a few months earlier. What the hell are you saying?”
Hwang Gyeongryong immediately beat up those Chinese hunters. They were immigrants just like him, so it was infuriating to hear the Chinese hunters claim that this was their territory just because they had come first.
These Chinese hunters were skilled in their own right, but they were no match for Hwang Gyeongryong, who had been through countless fierce battles in South Korea. Besides, he had also trained with Choi Yeonseung hundreds of times.
He was very familiar with the weaknesses of martial artists.
“We... We were wrong. Please spare us!”
“Think twice before you pick a fight with someone, you arrogant brats!”
Just like that, Hwang Gyeongryong turned the Chinese hunters into his subordinates. And that wasn’t all.
At that time, the world was in chaos. Many countries had collapsed because they hadn’t been able to stop the monsters. As for hunters, not all of them fought for their lives. On the contrary, it was easier for a hunter to just flee the country because they would be accepted at least once when applying for immigration.
Seeing the hunters who had come from all over the world, Hwang Gyeongryong thought they could be quite useful to him.
“Join me as my subordinate!”
“I will follow you!”
As they fought and clashed with other hunters, Hwang Gyeongryong’s power grew even further. At that time, the United States was concerned about the evil god constellations, so they gave hunters considerable autonomy. With that, Hwang Gyeongryong started to run not only the clans, but also businesses selling monster by-products.
“We don’t need a company to sell cores. We can just sell them ourselves. If we do it ourselves, we can raise the price. The same goes for the monster byproducts! There is no need for a dismantling expert. We can do it ourselves!”
“Indeed... Amazing!’
As they actively conquered dungeons and fought monsters, their income was bound to increase rapidly. Hwang Gyeongryong’s clan and business grew at an astonishing rate.
However, his rapid ascension was bound to attract attention. It wasn’t long before the other clans tried to keep Hwang Gyeongryong in check.
“Other clans are spreading bad rumors about our cores!”
“I heard they’re putting pressure on the corporate side as well. I spoke with one of our clients. Apparently they threatened that if he bought our supplies, they would no longer sell anything to him...”
“They’re releasing leather much cheaper than the one we want to sell. They’re trying to kill our business!”
“...Don’t worry. There’s a way to deal with this.”
***
Choi Yeonseung, having listened to this part, wondered about something.
“How did you solve it?”
“I think I know.” Kwon Yeongseung nodded. “Wasn’t Dragon Industry’s selling point all about trust? The interference of those clans was undermining the company’s credibility. Haven’t people acknowledged Dragon Industry because of its ability to endure such sabotage and slander without being shaken?”
“I don’t think so,” Choi Yeonseung murmured.
Given Hwang Gyeongryong’s personality, that had never been the case, and it never would be.
“...No?”
“Nah.”
Hwang Gyeongryong also looked a bit embarrassed.
“Shall we move on?”
“Yeah, go on. It’s getting interesting.”
***
Clang!
“You piece of shit! What bullshit rumors are you trying to spread?!”
“S-spare me! Please spare me!”
“Did you think I’d just stand by and do nothing?! Do you know where I came from? I crawled out from hell! I’m not like you guys, who’ve slept cuddled up in warm blankets all their lives!”
“Ack! Ghah!”
Hwang Gyeongryong and his hunters stormed into the rival clans and crushed them. The enemy hunters had been taken completely by surprise, so they didn’t even manage to fight back.
Since then, business went quite well. In fact, Hwang Gyeongryong established more businesses over time, and his performance also improved.
However, a new problem arose.
***
“What was the problem? Did the US government intervene?”
“No. The US government gave me a medal...”
“Then...?”
“I fell in love.”
“...”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung and Lee Changsik frowned as they looked at Hwang Gyeongryong. Although they didn’t say it out loud, their expressions made it clear that they weren’t eager to hear this part.
The orcs picked up on their master’s reaction and spoke up.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Me neither. Let’s move on.”
“We met on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York...”
“Move on!”
“Boo! Booo!”
“How many wives do you have? Do we have to listen to them all? I’m not curious!”
“...Y-you bastard.”
“Certainly, Hyung married and divorced many times. As his younger brother, I’m a bit worried.”
Hwang Gyeongryong was speechless after hearing Choi Yeonseung’s words.
Lee Changsik didn’t miss the opportunity either.
“Yeah, he did it too often.”
“You asshole...”
However, Hwang Gyeongryong didn’t back down. Starting with his first date, he shared a long tale of love with everyone.
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ listens with bright eyes!]
***
Falling in love and then cooling off, over and over again.
As time went on, Hwang Gyeongryong became more and more empty. Now that he had reached the S-grade, what was he supposed to do with his life? Most of his children were greedy or lacking...
-Can I tell Aine this?
-No!
...Even after slaying monsters, the emptiness lingered inside him. If not even killing monsters would excite him, what would?
The constellations who had crippled Earth were still around, and one day, Hwang Gyeongryong started to gather hunters and invest in them. He was certain the constellations would bare their teeth one day, and he would be prepared for them!
...In the meantime, the man whom he had presumed dead had finally returned.
***
“Who is it?”
“I think I know,” said Iguacha. “Your third wife’s brother! Right?”
“Dude... It was your master...”
“Whoops...! So close! I almost guessed it!” The orc sighed sorrowfully.
Hwang Gyeongryong was dumbfounded but didn’t say anything.
“You’ve managed to come back in such a hopeless situation...” Han Seha remarked in a heartfelt tone, looking at Choi Yeonseung.
“...Hey, what about my achievements?”
No matter what Hwang Gyeongryong said, Han Seha just let it go in one ear and out the other.
Hwang Gyeongryong heaved a sigh before giving up trying to talk to her. He then said, “Yeonseung, tell me what happened to you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, I’ve never heard it in detail. I only know that you wandered through the Abyss.”
“After arriving, I was at the goddess’ tower.”
“Um...”
Hwang Gyeongryong nodded at Choi Yeonseung’s words, and everyone else expressed their understanding. Wandering the Abyss was too dangerous for a mere mortal. They had to possess a certain level of strength to survive in that place!
It was clear that Choi Yeonseung had completed his basic training in the tower of the goddess. Her foresight had revealed that he would become very strong in the Abyss and wander through its realms...
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ attempts to quietly walk away.]
‘You don’t have to...’
“Uh... No?”
“I couldn’t get into the tower. I was caught in a storm and flew into the Abyss.”
“???”
“????”
Everyone in the audience was baffled.
“Wasn’t the goddess supposed to send you directly into the tower?” asked Han Seha.
“I guess the trend back then was to keep people out of the tower.”
“I asked the hound constellation and it said there was no such thing?”
“Uh... I guess the hound constellation just didn’t know about it. Hound constellation, I’m sorry you weren’t popular enough to be told such things.”
[The ‘Hound of Instinct and Liberation’ barks in frustration!]
The hound constellation was frustrated but didn’t bother arguing with Choi Yeonseung, as he was too powerful of an opponent. Besides, instead of kicking it out like the other constellations, he had been kind enough to allow it to stay on Earth because of its relationship with Han Seha.
“Ask the other constellations. The cat one, for example.”
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ indignantly asks why you are making it lie for you.]
“In any case, that’s how I started wandering the Abyss.”
The rock snake lying on Choi Yeonseung’s lap wagged its tail as if ready to fight.
Choi Yeonseung proceeded to tell everyone about the various enemies he had faced, how so much time had passed that he had lost count of the battles he had fought, and how he eventually received a world message.
“That’s when you realized that you had become a constellation!”
“Yeah, you can put it like that.”
[The Cat of Lava and Magma’ widens its eyes at the absurdity!]
[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ is dumbfounded and asks if you have forgotten who taught you!]
“The moment I became a constellation, I knew what I had to do. I knew I had to go back to Earth right away.”
“Yeonseung...”
Hwang Gyeongryong was moved. To think that Choi Yeonseung’s heart had remained the same after all that hardship.
His little brother was such a great guy!
[...]
[...]
Choi Yeonseung ignored the gazes of the two constellations and continued his story.
“The constellations I met along the way cheered me on after hearing about my goal. Finding my way wasn’t that difficult.”
“But who came up with the idea of hiding your identity as a constellation?”
“The other constellations said I had to do it.”
The two constellations rolled around in frustration. Of course, it was true, but the nuances were different!
“Urging him to do that... Isn’t it kinda messed up?”
“Right, that’s right!”
It wasn’t just Hwang Gyeongryong; all the orcs clicked their tongues at the advice of the other constellations. Despite becoming a constellation, Choi Yeonseung had kept his identity hidden and returned to Earth.
It was too much.
“But I had work to do.”
“That's true, but still...”
“Yeah, I also think it was too much.”
Choi Yeonseung’s old teammates all nodded.
Those constellations had been too harsh!
“In any case, after returning to Earth like that...”
“You met an old friend?” Hwang Gyeongryong suggested.
“I was going to tell you about the goddess of sloth, but I guess you were referring to yourself, Hyung.”
“...”
“In any case, you know the rest of the story.”
“You blessed us with your wisdom!” the orcs cried out with reverent looks on their faces. They had only known bloodshed, but Choi Yeonseung had taught them how to kill in a refined and sophisticated manner.
...And also farming!
“Now that you’ve said this, my story doesn’t seem like much,” Hwang Gyeongryong muttered.
“No, why are you saying that? Hyung, your story was also pretty interesting.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm, then how about we make a video out of it?”
“Uh... Actually, there’s a constellation that’s approaching Earth,” Choi Yeonseung said suddenly. “I have to go and deal with it...”
“...Just say you don’t want to!”