Chapter 384

Mount Qingcheng.

A sacred Taoist site steeped in ages past.

Anyone who stood before its stern, overwhelming peaks would be struck speechless.

But I was amazed for an entirely different reason.

It’s definitely different…but it looks so similar.

Mount Qingcheng in Murim. Mount Qingcheng in the modern twenty-first century.

The two worlds I had experienced resembled each other in many ways—their terrain, languages, people’s features, and even their ways of life.

At one point, I had even wondered whether Murim might be the distant past of the modern world.

But it wasn’t.

The butterfly effect? There was no way something I had only ever seen in movies had actually happened.

The two worlds were certainly similar, but there were subtle differences between them, and their histories were different as well.

The world of Murim was also smaller than the modern one, with no five oceans or six continents.

People with colored eyes lived in far-off foreign lands, but that was all. The center of that world was a continent ruled by a vast Great Nation.

Perhaps the Zhonghua¹ the Chinese never tired of going on about was Murim itself.

But why did even this have to be similar?

I had barely returned from the Three-Gate Bloodbath, which had mercilessly drenched Sichuan Province in blood, only to find myself at Mount Qingcheng in modern-day Sichuan.

I couldn’t tell whether it was a simple coincidence or some terrible twist of fate.

I only hoped the similarities didn’t extend that far…

“Mr. Jin?”

“Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

“Ah.”

I raised my head like someone waking from sleep.

Wei Fenghu and Team Leader Choi had already gotten off the business jet and were looking at me strangely.

“Sorry. I got distracted by the scenery for a moment.”

“It is so dark, yet you can still appreciate the magnificent scenery of Mount Qingcheng. You truly possess extraordinary mana, Mr. Jin.”

That wasn’t exactly wrong, but now that I had reached the Supreme Peak realm, I could see through most darkness with my eyesight alone, without relying on internal energy.

When I nodded with a complicated expression, Wei Fenghu gazed at me in admiration.

“Now I understand why Korea has kept you hidden so carefully, Mr. Jin. You are indeed worthy of being called an S-rank Hunter—the face of your nation.”

“Excuse me? I’m still officially A-rank.”

“There is no need to hide it. Our country has already ascertained the situation to some extent.”

Before I could respond, Wei Fenghu continued without pause.

“To become an S-rank Hunter, one must attain enlightenment through relentless mental discipline and arduous training. Our country also endured countless trials and errors to cultivate the Hunters we have today…but for someone as young as you to have reached such a realm, the Korean government must have given you its full support.”

“…?”

“…?”

“Of course, Mr. Choi beside you is also an excellent Hunter. With the two of you here together, I feel greatly reassured.”

What kind of hearty gukbap nonsense was that?²

Team Leader Choi and I exchanged a brief glance and reached a silent agreement.

Keep your mouth shut.

Let’s just go.

Apparently, this misunderstanding had arisen because I had reached my current level in such an absurdly unrealistic way. But if they had already decided to slap that label on me, there was no reason for us to peel it off for them.

Besides, convincing Wei Fenghu otherwise right here would be a pain.

“Hmm. I think there’s been a slight misunderstanding, but I’ll explain everything bit by bit when the time comes.”

“What is there to misunderstand? We both know how things stand.”

“…”

“…”

“Even the Chairman already knows about the matter. When you meet him, do not bother denying it. Just accept it as it is.”

Aware of what?

I let out a quiet laugh.

Speaking of the Chairman…

He was like a king, holding more than a billion people and the economy and military of the People’s Republic of China in the palm of his hand.

Even now that I had reached the Supreme Peak realm, he felt both close and impossibly distant to someone like me, whose modern-day common sense remained rooted to the bone.

I wonder if I’ll get to see him once this is all over.

Well, what did it matter? That was a question for much later.

Even without my raid pay, my weekly salary was a staggering ten billion won.³ As far as I was concerned, he was simply a generous employer.

I got to save people and make money. Two birds with one stone.

“I’ll do that. If I meet him.”

“Good. Then let us go meet him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Did I not tell you? He is waiting in the underground bunker right now.”

What the hell is going on?

I stared blankly at Wei Fenghu’s retreating back, then hurried over to Team Leader Choi and whispered,

“D-Did you hear that?”

“Yes, I did. But I find it rather surprising as well. For the Chairman of China to leave the safety of Beijing and come all the way here… It seems his public reputation is at least partly deserved.”

“To hell with his reputation. China’s Jongseok—Jongseok!”

“Not Jongseok, General Secretary! The Chairman!”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

“Nothing, Minister.”

When Wei Fenghu suddenly glanced back, Team Leader Choi politely covered for us. Then he turned to me with the most grave and earnest expression I had ever seen on his face.

“Mr. Jin Taekyung. You must not make that kind of verbal mistake in front of the Chairman. Understood? Especially not Jongseok. Don’t even mention it. It sounds like the name of some high school classmate.”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“…”

I think Team Leader Choi just muttered fuck.

Must be my imagination.

I took a deep breath and repeated the words to myself.

Not Jongseok. General Secretary. The Chairman of China.

Unlike Team Leader Choi, who had been born into the highest tier of nobility, I was an ordinary citizen to my core.

Whatever feelings I normally had toward China, my heart pounded at the thought of meeting the leader of one of the ten most powerful nations in the world.

Just don’t make a mistake. Especially not Jongseok.

Ten minutes later, deep inside an underground bunker, I shook hands with the leader of the People’s Republic of China under the gazes of the important figures gathered there.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jin. This old man is Xiao Yang, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China.”

Good. Not even a hint of Jongseok.

Having cleared that hurdle, I opened my mouth at ease.

“Welcome.”

“…?”

“…?”

Ah, fuck.

Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission. General Secretary. And the head of state who stood at the apex of more than a billion people.

Xiao Yang.

His voice directed at the people was gentle, while strength filled his eyes.

“As you all know, I am unfortunately neither a military expert nor an outstanding general. I am merely a schemer who entered politics at an early age and managed to fulfill one small ambition only after reaching the age of seventy.”

It was astonishing to hear the leader of the country with the fourth-largest territory and largest population on Earth call himself a schemer.

So this is what Team Leader Choi meant by the public perception of him?

I felt as if I had a rough idea of what kind of person he was.

Perhaps it was merely a mask he wore in front of others. Perhaps it was hypocrisy.

But at least from the old man speaking before all of us now, including me—Xiao Yang, the Chairman of China—I sensed a kind of qi utterly unlike either of those things.

“Please do your utmost. Save as many of our people as you can, and bring this terrible disaster to an end as quickly as possible. If you do, I will express gratitude worthy of what you and your countries have done, and I will long remember the aid you have given us.”

The truth was, I knew nothing about the life that old man had lived or the policies he had pursued.

But I wanted to give him considerable credit for reaching out to countries around the world to save his own people.

“That is all this old man has to say. Please do not concern yourselves with complicated matters such as politics. I earnestly ask that you find the best way to resolve this crisis with the fewest possible sacrifices.”

The old statesman who had devoted his entire life to politics turned toward one man.

“Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghu. My old friend.”

“Yes, respected Chairman Comrade.”

“Do you want full authority over the Central Military Commission?”

Wei Fenghu hesitated for a moment, then nodded gravely.

“I do.”

“You could use that power well. But I must refuse.”

“…Chairman Comrade?”

“Bring me the orders once this meeting is over. I will assume full authority—and full responsibility—for everything that follows.”

For a moment, I wondered why China’s Jongseok was acting like that.

Then I understood. He was declaring that he would shoulder everything himself.

Watching from beside me, Team Leader Choi murmured,

“He’s a good leader.”

I quietly shook my head.

“No. To me, you’re the best, Team Leader Choi.”

“Mr. Jin Taekyung…”

“So please raise my Guild settlement percentage.”

“Mr. Jin Taekyung…”

The same words, yet a completely different feeling.

Team Leader Choi gave me a look that said, Of course you’d say that, you bastard, and shook his head. Just then, the secretary announced,

“The Chairman is departing.”

At the secretary’s announcement, everyone rose from their seats. It was the least courtesy owed to a head of state.

“I wish you all good fortune in battle.”

The Chairman addressed every person present, meeting each one’s eyes in turn. Naturally, I was no exception.

Unfortunately, I was the very last.

“Mr. Jin.”

“…Yes.”

A faint smile touched the Chairman’s lips as he looked at me.

“I have very high expectations of you, Mr. Jin. Although this is a contract through which we each receive what we need, I hope you will prioritize human life under all circumstances.”

Was it my imagination, or was his farewell much longer than the ones he had given everyone else?

Feeling the others’ eyes on me, I nodded.

“Understood.”

“Please lend us your considerable strength.”

The Chairman turned to leave, only to pause after a step. Then he casually tossed out one last remark.

“Welcome.”

“…”

“Then I will take my leave.”

Once the senior Chinese officials accompanying the Chairman had disappeared, I collapsed into a chair.

Fuck.

If I died, the cause of death would be death by humiliation.

Even if a monster killed me, I would have the cause of death recorded as death by humiliation.

Aagh! Aaaaaagh!

As I screamed in every direction inside my mind, something firmly stepped on my foot.

It was obviously Team Leader Choi, who was sitting beside me.

“Why?”

Team Leader Choi gave a quiet cough.

“Ahem.”

“What is it?”

“Ahem. People. People.”

“Oh.”

I looked around and finally realized that a dozen or so men and women of various races were staring at me inside the underground bunker.

Four of them stood out in particular.

Those people are…

A Chinese man and woman, and two Western men, one tinged green and the other blue.

I could feel it from the moment our eyes met—the enormous energy coiled within their bodies.

Rather than being surprised, I felt that it was only natural. Anyone who knew the identities of those four would have thought the same.

S-rank Hunters.

People whose very existence made headlines. The individuals who stood at the pinnacle of the countless Hunters around the world.

The faces I had grown sick of seeing on television and in commercials were right in front of me.

And now one of them rose and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m… Ah, do you not speak English? I can cast translation magic for you.”

I had never expected him to approach me first.

Still dazed, I took his hand and answered,

“No, it’s fine.”

“Oh, listen to that pronunciation. I’d believe you were American.”

He was a middle-aged Black man, a giant well over two meters⁴ tall. His blue eyes gleamed as he asked,

“You seem to know who I am. Am I right?”

How could I not?

I was even more nervous than I had been when facing Chairman Xiao Yang.

“Of course. Magic Johnson.”

The title of Archmage, bestowed on only three people in the entire world.

And among those three, the Black man standing before me—Magic Johnson—was the War Mage, the one most specialized in combat.

I’m actually talking to Magic Johnson. I never thought I’d live to see the day.

As I thought that coming here had been the right choice in more ways than one, the world’s greatest War Mage smiled broadly and spoke to me.

“Haha. Thank you for recognizing me. Actually, I’ve known about you for a while.”

“Y-You know me?”

“Of course. Even my youngest daughter, who started elementary school this year, knows Lord Fuck.”

“…”

Just how far has that damn nickname spread?

I wondered what Lord Fuck would be called in the English-speaking world.

Fuck Guy? Fuck Man?

The thought of Magic Johnson’s youngest daughter knowing me by that name did not make me happy in the slightest.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one displeased.

“What an utterly vulgar nickname. Though I suppose it suits a mere A-rank Hunter like you.”

The Chinese man who had just turned thirty, or perhaps was about to, watched me with his arms folded.

“Isn’t that right, you peninsula bangzi?”⁵

Team Leader Choi had no chance to stop me.

My voice had already come out like a prerecorded response.

“What the hell are you talking about, you mainland chink bastard?”