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Chapter 175: To Japan (2)
Chapter 175: To Japan (2)
Chapter 175: To Japan (2)
“Hyung! Welcome!”
As soon as the immigration process was completed, An Yeong-ho greeted Kang-hoo warmly.
Except for the low tone of Park Dong-jae, his voice was high-pitched, making him seem like a second version of Park Dong-jae.
In An Yeong-ho’s eyes, there was a look of respect and gratitude as he gazed at Kang-hoo.
“It’s been a while, Yeong-ho.”
“It’s really difficult to bring you to Japan! I’m sorry. I should have tried harder.”
“Your uncle is listening in the back; isn’t that a bit risky to say?”
“Oh! Ah! Is it?”
While Kang-hoo was shaking hands with An Yeong-ho, Suzuki Fumiya naturally took his place beside him.
The Rikou Guild had firmly established itself as the top guild in the Kansai region of Japan.Suzuki Fumiya was the vice guild master of such a guild, a significant figure.
If not for being An Yeong-ho’s uncle, it would have been much less likely for such a high-ranking hunter to be present.
Checking Fumiya’s constellation information, it seemed he would easily exceed level 600.
He couldn’t compare to Jang Si-hwan or Chae Gwanhyeong, but he had enough skills to surpass someone like Kang Dong-hyun.
An Yeong-ho stepped back slightly, and Fumiya extended his hand to Kang-hoo.
“Nice to meet you….”
“You can speak comfortably in Japanese. I can speak and understand it quite well.”
Kang-hoo said with a bright smile in Japanese to Fumiya, who was about to greet him in Korean.
It was convenient not to have any language barriers in such matters.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Suzuki Fumiya, the vice guild master of the Rikou Guild and Yeong-ho’s uncle. Please call me Fumiya.”
“I’m Shin Kang-hoo.”
“I heard this is your first time abroad. How do you find Japan? Not much different, right?”
“From the airport alone, it’s hard to say, but overall it doesn’t seem much different from Korea.”
Kang-hoo nodded at Fumiya’s question.
That’s what he had researched beforehand.
Japan also has similar implicit rules to Korea, so they don’t mess with airports or railways.
Of course, it helped that most of Japan’s Hunter Public Safety Bureau’s forces were focused on these transportation facilities.
Because of that, the airport area seemed calm, and there didn’t appear to be anything to be cautious about.
However, the constant announcements on the electronic bulletin board about wanted criminals were quite intimidating.
Among them were notifications about some hunters with extreme tendencies.
[Ishihara Yuji]
[First-Class Wanted Target]
[A highly dangerous hunter repeatedly committing indiscriminate murders targeting hunters from Korea and China.] ‘Right, that bastard exists.’
In the original story, there was never a main plot set in Japan.
The protagonist, Jang Si-hwan, mostly operated in the US and Germany when working abroad.
But Japan wasn’t entirely absent from the story.
There was information derived from Takashi, which included details about Ishihara Yuji.
Yuji, who had anti-Korean and anti-Chinese tendencies, was a maniacal murderer despised even by Japanese hunters.
It was more like he forced a reason to justify his killings rather than having genuine tendencies.
As the bulletin board announcement stated, he targeted Korean and Chinese hunters without reason.
Even judging by the current known level, he was over 500.
Moreover, with a combination of berserker and assassin traits, he was quite a tricky hunter.
That’s why he was a first-class wanted target, and despite the cooperation of public safety bureaus from Korea, China, and Japan, he was still at large.
Even though he would be closely protected by the Rikou Guild, he decided not to let his guard down.
If he met Takashi or had any outside activities, he had to protect himself in the end.
The Rikou Guild might be friendly and considerate, but they wouldn’t handle every single action for him.
Fumiya led Kang-hoo to the secure limousine waiting in front of the airport.
It was a much more specialized limousine compared to the one he had ridden, thanks to Jung Yuri.
At a glance, it seemed like a luxury vehicle that could easily cost billions of won per ride.
Was saving An Yeong-ho worth this much?
It seemed a bit excessive, but on the other hand, considering he saved a beloved nephew from a life-threatening situation, it made sense.
Thus, while riding in the limousine to the Rikou Guild’s building, they had more in-depth conversations in the car.
An Yeong-ho, who seemed like he would chatter away, kept silent, possibly due to an agreement with Fumiya.
“You know, when I first contacted you, your stature had really changed a lot. Do you know that?”
“I somehow gained both notoriety and fame. Does the guild monitor domestic trends?”
“Of course. We’re also considering cooperation with Korean guilds to expand our reach.”
“Any progress?”
“I can’t disclose the details, but it’s not easy due to competitors. Haha.”
Fumiya’s words, with a bitter smile, hinted at the Touishi Guild.
To operate in Korea, cooperation with the Jeonghwa Guild is essential.
Simply put, it is difficult to operate domestically without the Jeonghwa Guild’s permission.
In the original story, Jang Si-hwan intentionally instigated competition among several Japanese guilds for cooperation.
In return for cooperation, he maximized the benefits he could get.
As the protagonist, he was quite clever in doing so.
Looking back from the Rikou Guild’s perspective, it seemed rather cunning.
“I see.”
“Anyway, you were always an important guest, but now you are even more so.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Not at all. We are also making our investment. Just know that all investments are sincere.”
“Of course.”
Rikou Guild is the most proactive in recruiting foreign hunters.
This is also why Rikou Guild, which was originally outside the top 3 in the Kansai region, has risen to the top position.
So, this kind of approach was not unfamiliar.
They must have already assessed Kang-hoo’s value and are proceeding with their investment.
Some people call this a ‘fool’s errand,’ but their current status proves that it’s not wrong.
“This is the list of dungeons you requested. Please review it one more time.”
Kang-hoo received the documents from Fumiya and scanned through the contents.
It was the same as what he had previously checked.
To target the Dark Era farming, Kang-hoo had deliberately listed undead-type dungeons.
All of them were in standby mode, ready to be attacked at any time. This meant there were no hunters inside them.
“I’ve confirmed it. You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
“Honestly, our guild members are a bit hesitant about these dungeons. Undead often defy calculations.”
Fumiya was right.
This is due to the undead’s unique insensitivity, their near-ignorant endurance, and their suppressed fear and terror.
Therefore, they naturally preferred dungeons that proceeded as expected.
At that moment.
An Yeong-ho, who was beside them, excused himself and took a phone call, glancing at Kang-hoo and Fumiya.
If it were a personal call, he wouldn’t need to be so cautious, suggesting it was related to the matter at hand.
When An Yeong-ho put the call on hold, Fumiya immediately asked.
“What’s the call about?”
“Takashi contacted me.”
Kang-hoo’s eyes sparkled.
He had said that the preliminary arrangements with Takashi were already finished. There shouldn’t be more to discuss.
Was he trying to cancel the meeting? That would complicate Kang-hoo’s plan to connect with Takashi.
He didn’t show it.
But he was very curious about the content of the call.
Soon, a conversation ensued between An Yeong-ho and Fumiya.
“What’s the call about?”
“Takashi-sama is at the training ground now. He asked if you could see him now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, uncle. He already knows that Kang-hoo hyung has arrived.”
“Did he hack the airport CCTV? We haven’t announced it publicly.”
“Uncle, how should we respond?”
“This doesn’t seem like something you should ask me. Kang-hoo, what do you think?”
Fumiya asked Kang-hoo’s opinion.
Kang-hoo, who usually took the lead in meetings, made an exception this time.
The thirsty one digs the well. And Takashi was worth the effort.
Kang-hoo immediately replied.
“If it’s okay, let’s move to the meeting place right away. I can’t miss the chance to meet such an important person.”
Fumiya and An Yeong-ho exchanged slightly awkward glances at Kang-hoo’s response.
They arranged the meeting because Kang-hoo wanted it.
But the perception of Takashi in Japan was very negative. He was classified as someone to be avoided.
Why did Kang-hoo want to meet Takashi so much? No one could guess his true intentions.
Even An Yeong-ho, who trusted and appreciated Kang-hoo for everything, felt the same way.
The place where Takashi called Kang-hoo was a training ground.
Until they arrived, Kang-hoo had imagined a personal training ground at a private residence or villa, like Kim Shin-ryeong’s.
Usually, that was the case.
But Takashi’s training ground was an abandoned factory.
It felt like the abandoned factory targeted when they attacked Jeon Jong-du’s Osho Mercenary Corps.
Moreover, all the windows were blocked so that no one could see inside from the outside.
It seemed like special iron plates were added to the interior windows, turning them into walls.
“Is this disrupting your schedule?”
“No. Yeong-ho and I have kept today completely free. No worries.”
Seeing the two people who accompanied him to meet Takashi, Kang-hoo scratched the back of his head.
Takashi had warned that no one except the concerned parties should approach, so they had to stop here.
“Then, I’ll be back.”
Kang-hoo began to stride towards Takashi’s training ground.
The surroundings of the abandoned factory, with weeds growing as tall as a person and roads in a terrible state, exuded a sense of desolation.
Since it was Takashi’s alter ego moving, not his main body, he could remain indifferent.
Even Takashi’s main body wasn’t known for cleanliness, so his house must be a mess.
From the original story, it was mentioned that he was too lazy to even go out to buy a bottle of water, enduring it.
In a pinch, he would drink tap water. Due to the unsuitable tap water, he would suffer from stomachaches.
The moment he reached about 10 meters in front of the iron gate that seemed like the main entrance of the training ground,
Clunk.
Kang-hoo stopped.
There were no warning signs or special markings, but Kang-hoo did not move any further.
“……”
Standing still, he began to broadly observe the surroundings of the abandoned factory.
Then, he could feel many tightly designed detection barriers, making it impossible to pass unnoticed.
They were invisible to the eye.
But Kang-hoo, who could sensitively detect the flow of mana, felt as if the flow was visualized.
‘This damned shut-in is playing tricks from the first meeting.’
A clear “?” (river) character was etched on Kang-hoo’s forehead.