Chapter 302

More than thirty minutes had passed since the rescue team was deployed.

Hunters from other Guilds who had been assigned to guard the perimeter in case of an unforeseen incident had already drawn their weapons, while network personnel were reporting on the situation with microphones and cameras.

The commotion was not limited to the ground.

Dozens of combat helicopters flew through the sky, and countless drones equipped with cameras hovered overhead, broadcasting the entire scene across Korea.

“What are you watching so intently?”

“A live news broadcast.”

“News? You barely watch variety shows. What got into you? Did something happen?”

“Do you carry your phone around as a decoration? It’s been over two hours since the Named Monster caused all this chaos, you idiot. Try looking at the internet once in a while.”

“Holy shit, there’s a headline saying, ‘Named Monster Appears… Jin Taekyung Presumed Dead.’ Is this real?”

“I don’t know. I can’t hear anything, so don’t talk to me.”

At home, at school, at work, and even on crowded public transportation during rush hour, everyone was staring at a television or the phone in their hand.

The HunterTV iTube channel’s live stream had surpassed one hundred thousand concurrent viewers long ago.

Did Lord Fuck really die?

Don’t say shit like that.

That’s not saying shit. Honestly, at this point, his chances of survival are slim. The golden window for a rescue operation is fifteen minutes, and there hasn’t been a word for over an hour. On top of that, they’re dealing with a Named Monster.

Still, the rescue force looked no joke. I’ve never seen so many A-rank Hunters gathered in one place.

That’s what I’m saying—what are they rescuing? You don’t rescue a corpse. You recover it. No wonder the Peace Guild Team Leader was screaming that they were fucking bastards earlier. Safety matters, sure, but they should save the person first.

Fact check: Lord Fuck is already considered almost certainly dead. The Hunters deployed there appear to be focusing on raiding the Named Monster rather than rescuing him. Since there has been no word even from the rescue team, it is also possible that the battle has already begun—or that they have been wiped out.

What? Wiped out? What happens if they get wiped out too?

What do you mean, what happens? The Named Monster starts a food tour. It’ll probably eat the people waiting outside as appetizers. An emergency evacuation order has already been issued for the surrounding area.

Fuck, I’ve got such a thick layer of fat I wouldn’t even taste good. Can’t we just cook it some ramen?;

Are you another fucking idiot? You think it’ll go back into the Gate just because it’s full?

Guys, for a Named Monster like that, what’s the maximum?

What does “what’s the maximum” even mean?

How many people can it take at most?

Another idiot has joined the chat.

Do the guys cracking jokes right now have nothing but udon noodles for brains? Have you thought about what will happen if the next time a Gate opens, it’s monsters that come out instead of people?

As one commenter had bluntly pointed out, the situation was more serious than expected.

The Hunters deployed there possessed overwhelming strength, but their opponent was a Named Monster.

If it possessed power beyond anything they could imagine, an enormous catastrophe would occur.

There had been precedents of a single powerful Named Monster causing tens of thousands of casualties and destroying an entire city.

As time passed, tension began to seep into the chat window as well.

There really hasn’t been any news. Someone should have come out by now.

Isn’t a rescue operation normally like this?

Nope. Communication devices don’t work inside Gates, so normally someone has to be sent out every thirty minutes to let everyone know they’re still alive.

Then why hasn’t anyone come out? They said the battle site was just a stone’s throw from the Gate.

Are they fighting the Named Monster? Shouldn’t they deploy Central Plains forces?

Just then, the broadcast camera caught the Gate’s magic field rippling like a wave.

At the same time, the chat window, which had been filled with heated arguments, began scrolling upward at a maddening speed.

They’re coming out!!!

The magic field just moved—yessssss!

Go go go go go go go!

Please let it be people.

I want to see Lord Fuck. I hope he’s alive.

On the internet, on television, and at the scene itself, countless people—roughly half the population of Korea—were watching the changes taking place at the Gate.

And then, in the next moment—

Whoooosh!

The swirling magic field of the Gate began vomiting out several objects.

Human arms and legs. Clad in gleaming armor and armed with weapons, they marched out in neat ranks.

They were not monsters, but the Hunters who had entered earlier.

“Woooooah!”

The explosive cheer from the crowd startled the middle-aged man in a suit at the head of the group.

But he soon broke into a smile, his double chin folding as he waved his hand.

“Yes. I’ve returned, everyone! We’re all safe!”

I’ve been wondering since earlier—who’s that guy?

Lee Woojoong. Read “Seoul Branch President” as “idiot.” Everyone already knows he’s incompetent.

Why is that asshole Lee Woojoong grandstanding?

The guy who went in for a rescue operation is the only one wearing a suit, lmao.

Lee Woojoong, man boobs, whatever you are—quit blocking the screen and move. Seriously.

The chat window was being flooded with criticism.

The cameras mounted on the drones avoided Lee Woojoong and filmed the Hunters emerging behind him.

First came the government-affiliated Hunters from the Association, which had led the operation. Then the cameras captured the Ares Guild members walking out with grim expressions.

They were carrying a stretcher covered with a large sheet. As it swayed with each step, one blood-soaked hand slipped out from beneath the cloth.

Pop-pop-pop! Click, click!

Camera flashes burst from every direction. A wave of mourning spread among the people watching the scene.

Ah… I didn’t want it to turn out like this.

Jin Taekyung really died in the end.

May he rest in peace.

May he rest in peace. I hope he finds peace in heaven.

It was at that moment, with everyone swept up in grief, that a voice rang out.

“That startled me. Why are there so many of these?”

“……!”

The news anchor who had been solemnly reporting Jin Taekyung’s death, the photographer who had been pressing his camera shutter without pause, and the chat window covered with messages wishing the deceased peace—all of them stopped what they were doing and stared at one person with their eyes wide open.

“Wow, look at all these cameras. By the way, is it really okay to broadcast something like this live?”

The young man looked around as if he found everything fascinating.

There was no one who did not know the name of the man wearing simple leather armor with a spear strapped to his back.

…Isn’t that Jin Taekyung?

Huh?

?????

Why is hyung there…?

Am I the only one seeing a ghost?

As everyone floundered in a bottomless pit of confusion, one field reporter was the first to recover. He thrust a microphone toward Jin Taekyung.

“J-Jin Taekyung, is that you?”

“No. This is Patrick.”

“Huh?”

“I’m kidding. It’s me.”

That bastard was joking? On live television, no less?

Dazed by the completely unexpected dumb joke, the reporter pulled himself together and asked another question.

“So you didn’t die after all.”

“Seeing as I’m doing this interview here, it looks like I didn’t.”

“Then who is the person on the stretcher that came out earlier?”

“Oh, that.”

Jin Taekyung scratched his neck before answering.

“Well, how should I put it… He’s a Hunter who was injured fighting bravely. It’s not that serious, so he’ll recover soon.”

“Then where is the Named Monster?”

“The Named Monster? There isn’t one.”

“What? Are you saying there was no Named Monster in the first place?”

“No, there was one.”

Jin Taekyung calmly added:

“Now there isn’t.”

It was the moment a legend was born.

“I have something I’d like to ask…”

Team Leader Choi suddenly raised his head from the newspaper covered in curling foreign letters.

“Why exactly is Jin Taekyung in my office?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to drop by?”

“You come here more often than I do, despite the fact that I’m the owner.”

“Come on, these things happen. I only stopped by briefly after coming to see your face.”

“The door was locked.”

“It was open.”

“You broke the lock.”

“Really? How strange.”

“I’m asking just in case—really, just in case…”

Team Leader Choi removed the glasses he had been wearing and asked calmly,

“Are you coming here because of the seventeenth-century-style Russian imperial sofa made by the Russian furniture master Sorkovache?”

I was sprawled across the sofa when I answered.

“Absolutely not.”

“Do you realize that saying that while lying like that is not very persuasive?”

“Nope. Ah, this is comfortable.”

The price tag made it uncomfortable, but once I leaned my back against it, I couldn’t pull myself away.

As befitted a chaebol—no, a third-generation hero—Team Leader Choi’s office was packed with things like this.

A state-of-the-art hologram TV with unbelievable picture quality was one of them.

“The next video we’d like to show you is the sensational clip that’s been heating up the past week. Johnson, have you seen it?”

On the screen, a Black man nodded at the long-nosed white man’s question. For some reason, his name being Johnson made me curious.

“Of course, Conan. I’ve already memorized all the lines.”

“What lines?”

“You know, the last thing he said.”

It was a popular American talk show, famous enough that even I had heard of it.

The co-host, Johnson, opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“It wath there. Now it’th gone.”

“Ha-ha! Exactly the same.”

“…….”

Exactly the same, my ass. Does he have actual snails in his ears instead of cochleae?

I shook my head and turned off the TV.

They were bound to play that interview again as stock footage, so turning it off myself at this point was the wise choice.

“His popularity shows no sign of fading.”

“I know. I never imagined something I said without thinking would become this huge.”

“I’m afraid I have a different opinion.”

Team Leader Choi had already quickly prepared a cup of coffee. He sat down across from me and continued.

“It wasn’t the words that became a hot topic. It was the person. You hunted two Named Monsters, alone at that. It’s only natural for the whole world to take notice.”

A week had already passed, but the impact of that day had not faded. If anything, it was burning hotter than ever.

My official interview video on iTube surpassed two hundred million views within twenty-four hours, shattering the record previously held by an idol singer. Edited videos and all kinds of memes were pouring out from every corner of the world.

And on top of that…

“We received an interview request from the American broadcaster CNM.”

“Again?”

“I already told you that BCC in the United Kingdom made an offer. They want to invite you as a special guest and said they can give you up to twenty minutes for a live interview.”

“Special indeed. Really.”

Interview requests were pouring in from the flagship broadcasters of major countries whose names everyone knew.

Of course, I had not accepted a single one. By now, merely hearing about them gave me a throbbing headache.

“Are you still thinking about it?”

“Yes. If it’s for the Peace Guild’s growth, I should do everything I can, but…”

I lowered my voice until only Team Leader Choi could hear me.

“All of this is bullshit, you know.”

That was right. This was the most important thing.

None of what surrounded me was actually true.

Team Leader Choi spoke with a tense expression.

“That… Did you bring it again today?”

“Of course.”

With the solemn expression of a priest performing a ritual to summon a god, I chanted the incantation.

“Come forth, Warlordmon!”

Inventory. Summon.

At the command I called out in my mind, a black, glossy skull appeared on my palm with a loud clatter.

“Who are you calling Warlordmon?! I am the master of the Black Forest and the commander of the great Army of the Dead! I’m a Skeleton Warlord!”

“Warlordmon, forward roll!”

“You crazy human!”

“Warlordmon, Quick Attack!”

Papapapapat!

Team Leader Choi watched me clutch the Warlord’s skull and shake it at insane speed. Then he muttered as if he had reached enlightenment.

“Why on earth did you capture that thing and bring it back…?”