Chapter 762

Damn.

Huginn clicked his tongue softly.

Through the windows, specially treated to keep anyone from seeing inside, he could see the ground drawing closer and an astonishing number of reporters waiting below.

They’ve come out in force.

Not that reporters gathering for Michael Silbert was unusual. His name attracted them even in ordinary times. Since the terrorist attacks began, the mere sight of the Guild Master’s private aircraft was enough to send them rushing over.

But Huginn couldn’t remember seeing a crowd this large in years.

The problem is, those cameras aren’t pointed at us.

The media wielded tremendous power. The easily swayed public treated cameras as its eyes and speakers as its ears.

And if every spotlight here fell on Jin Taekyung?

Troublesome. Very troublesome.

Huginn took his smartphone from his pocket.

“Leave them be.”

“…!”

A voice suddenly slipped into his ear, and Huginn’s heart lurched.

How?

He knew the voice. He had served its owner for years. What startled him was that he hadn’t sensed Michael Silbert’s presence at all—not even the faintest trace of it.

And Huginn was an exceptionally skilled S-rank Hunter himself.

“…You’ve arrived, sir.”

Michael caught the agitation Huginn couldn’t quite suppress.

“Was I that unexpected?”

Huginn considered his answer. “No.”

“You looked surprised.”

“For a moment, I was. Not anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you’re the Guild Master.”

“You really are a born flatterer.”

“I mean it. I’d stake my life on it.”

“Don’t go staking such a precious life so easily.”

“It’s all right. I gave it to you long ago.”

Michael let out a quiet laugh at the ready answer and looked out the window.

“It’s rather noisy outside.”

“I was just about to have them sent away.”

“I thought you might. Knowing you.”

Then he added, “Leave them be.”

Huginn ran his fingers over the smartphone in his hand. A single phone call would be enough to send all the reporters gathered outside away.

Even if they used force, not a line about it would appear in the papers. That was Odin Guild. That was the world they lived in.

But his superior’s wishes mattered more to Huginn than anything else. Even so, he couldn’t understand this order.

“May I ask why?”

“Why?”

“Why you came all the way to Munich when there’s nothing to gain here. Why you intend to meet Jin Taekyung in front of all those reporters.”

The question had been with Huginn since they left South Africa. They hadn’t foreseen the Munich Monster Wave, and by the time their aircraft took off, Jin Taekyung was already several steps ahead of them, bringing the whole crisis to an end.

In short, today’s stage belonged to Jin Taekyung.

“Public opinion toward him has taken a sharp turn. The demonstrations against him that broke out around the world after the Leviathan incident have been disbanding one after another. Even the media outlets working with us are being cautious now.”

“So?”

“Today, at least, he’s drawing more attention than you are, Guild Master. Must you meet him here and draw even more eyes?”

“You make it sound as though I’d be nothing but part of his supporting cast. A spotlight to make him shine brighter.”

“…I’m sorry, but yes.”

Huginn lowered his head. He had spoken out of loyalty, but he couldn’t bring himself to face the anger he expected.

But this is reality.

The tide had already turned.

Michael’s Odin Guild had built an impressive record during the terrorist crisis by suppressing more than ten Monster Waves. Yet Jin Taekyung had restored his steadily declining reputation in only two battles.

Leviathan’s infamy from the Great Cataclysm, when it had all but ruled the seas, had played a part. So had Jin’s overwhelming victory over the Munich Monster Wave, whose scale had surpassed all expectations. But Huginn believed there was a deeper reason public opinion had changed so quickly.

Jin Taekyung.

People who already had plenty tended to inspire envy and resentment before admiration. Jin Taekyung, though, was familiar to them. A hero who gave everything he had.

He had grown up in a family that struggled to make ends meet. From the moment he Awakened, he had supported them, going from Gate to Gate without a day off. As recently as a year ago, he’d lived on ramen in a shabby goshiwon¹ room of barely five pyeong.²

Young, poor, and among the lowest-ranked Hunters, he had been someone people could find anywhere in the world. Even after he gained tremendous wealth and Fame, the Jin Taekyung from those days remained etched in their hearts.

When he stormed a massive Guild alone in pursuit of revenge. When he stained a desert red with blood to achieve his goal. Even when he broke countless laws and procedures along the way, he faced no more than condemnation.

Huginn was certain that was why.

The world… the public loves Jin Taekyung.

The media offensive hadn’t shaken his core supporters. Those who had condemned him out of fear of terrorism crumbled like sandcastles after just one or two displays of what he could do.

Of course. It’s Jin Taekyung, after all.

They accepted him again—and blamed themselves for ever wavering.

It’s a kind of pardon. An invisible pardon the public has given him.

No one but Cheon Taemin had ever possessed it. Michael had worked so hard to obtain it. Jin Taekyung already had it.

Which is exactly why we can’t make him stand out any more than he does.

A slight vibration ran through the aircraft, and the pilot’s voice came over the speakers.

“Landing successful. The door will open shortly. Please let me know when you’re ready.”

“Not yet. Keep the door closed and wait—”

“Open it.”

“…!”

Huginn jerked his head up. Michael saw his bewilderment and gave a hearty laugh.

“Huginn, my cautious friend.”

“Guild Master!”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of becoming anyone’s spotlight.”

“What do you—”

“I’m opening the door. Please stand clear of the entrance.”

Psssh.

Huginn’s unfinished voice was swallowed by the noise that erupted the instant the door opened, like a dam collapsing.

Click, click-click-click!

“Michael! Michael! Please look this way!”

“TBC Broadcasting! Could we have a word?”

“I understand this is your second meeting. What kind of relationship do you normally have with Mr. Jin?”

“Nearly every crisis has been resolved. Why come to Munich now?”

“What do you think of Mr. Jin’s performance?”

“According to the German government, the Munich Monster Wave was nearly ten times the size of the one in Cape Town! Don’t you think it took far too long to suppress?”

Flashes fired without pause. Reporters shouted questions over one another, and Huginn’s face hardened.

Most of the questions being thrown at them revolved around Jin Taekyung. One audacious reporter had even gone so far as to compare them.

“…Whatever you have in mind, Guild Master, it would be best to postpone the interview.”

Michael calmly shook his head and strode toward the exit.

With a single remark that seemed to have nothing to do with the current situation.

“I watched the video you obtained in Japan. Very interesting.”

“Pardon?”

“Come along. We can’t keep him waiting any longer.”

Step.

Michael descended the aircraft stairs without hesitation and stood before the cameras and flashing lights.

Beyond the reporters clamoring for a scoop, and the German Armed Forces soldiers holding them back, he spotted someone approaching. He broke into a broad smile.

“At last, the young hero has arrived.”

Flash!

The night was illuminated by the most dazzling burst of flashes yet.

Reporters gasped and hurriedly parted. The two heroes walked slowly through the opening until they stood face-to-face.

“We meet again, Jin.”

Slide.

Michael greeted him warmly and held out a hand. Jin Taekyung stared in silence at his smiling enemy, then took it.

His voice was low and hoarse, almost as though it were boiling.

“…Michael Silbert.”

Crack.

Their tightly clasped hands went white.

Everyone lives behind a mask.

To get along with others. To earn a living. Or to avoid a fight they don’t want.

But Michael Silbert’s mask was harder and thicker than any I’d ever encountered. I couldn’t begin to guess what lay behind it.

Crack.

The bones in our clasped hands shifted with a grinding sound. Feeling the force transmitted through his grip, I widened my eyes.

What the hell…?

The force was unbelievable. With everyone watching, I wasn’t using my full strength either. But his grip was far stronger than I’d expected, and I couldn’t hide my surprise.

How?

The physical abilities I’d developed through the System were, quite literally, superhuman.

That was why neither a Supreme Peak master nor an S-rank Hunter could approach me in pure physical ability.

That was what I’d thought until I took his hand.

—That seems like enough of a greeting, don’t you think?

“…!”

—We’re in front of the cameras. We should both be a little more careful.

I came to my senses and looked around. We’d been holding hands for nearly half a minute, and a few reporters were watching us with suspicion.

“Ah.”

“My friend here must be glad to see me. I feel the same way.”

Pat, pat.

Michael smiled and gave my shoulder a friendly tap. A few reporters smiled too.

But he and I were having a conversation their cameras and microphones couldn’t capture.

—What the fuck are you playing at?

—Who can say? I do not understand what you mean. Is coming to congratulate a young junior on his victory some kind of trick?

—A passing dog would laugh at that, you son of a bitch.

—You really won’t believe me.

—Sorry, but I’m not that much of an idiot. You’re already a step too late.

Michael let out a quiet laugh and moved his lips.

—Actually, you’re right. I came to make a very important announcement.

—An important announcement?

—One that will turn the whole world upside down.

—…What?

What the hell was he talking about?

I stared at him, stunned. Then Michael’s smile vanished. He looked straight into the cameras.

And he dropped a bombshell no one there had seen coming.