Chapter 186 – Sleeping with the Enemy (2)

-Sawasdee ka.

A woman with tanned skin greets me, her palms pressed together.

As an acquaintance passes by, I can feel a glare shooting at me from the other side of the video call.

A faint look of humiliation on her otherwise haughty face.

I love seeing that expression. It gives me this strange desire to keep tormenting her.

“It suits you.”

-Because of you, I’m in this mess…!

The person on the video call is Olivier.

One of her clones had been made into a Thai person.

“Hey, now. Thanks to me, you get to travel abroad. Isn’t that great?”

-Hah, anyone hearing you would think you actually sent me on vacation.

-Anyway, I think I found what you were looking for, Hero. Is this it?

Olivier is showing something to the camera.

That’s Olivier for you. She found it so quickly.

When it comes to search abilities, no one can match her.

-You’re not thinking of me as some kind of hunting dog, are you?

“Of course not.”

She’s more effective than a hunting dog. Of course.

-In any case, I’m not letting this one slide. You know that?

“I already pleaded with that Demon King to raise your salary.”

-Pleaded? Don’t you need to relearn your vocabulary, Hero? Most people would call that blackmail.

As long as the result is good, who cares?

-Anyway, I’ll text you the location data soon, and this time, I won’t let it go for nothing… But what’s that? Move the phone back a bit.

She blinked and said it so suddenly, so I did as she asked.

-No, further. So I can see all of you.

What a pointless request.

-Whoa, what’s this? Why are you in a suit and tie? Going on a blind date?

A blind date? Well, it’s something like that, I guess.

“Hey, no way. Why would I go on a date when I have our Sia’s mom?”

-You crazy bastard!

The call ended.

She must have hung up because the phone bill was getting too high, right?

“From this point on, you must leave your cellphone with us.”

Without a word, I turned off my phone and handed it over.

A security guard in sunglasses took my phone, placed it in a sealed bag, affixed a security sticker, and put it inside a safe.

“Please proceed through the scanner here.”

There was a security checkpoint.

The security procedures were thorough, but they were meaningless against a Hunter.

Even if I brought a gun in my inventory, there was no way for the scanner to detect it.

Of course, the security staff weren’t fools who didn’t know this.

It was just a formality.

Meant to create a sense of tension.

Union Hunters.

Literally, an organization where the world’s top rankers gathered.

I had been invited to their Asia branch headquarters.

“Hunter Lee Hyunbin, visit confirmed.”

“We will guide you to the conference room.”

After passing an unnecessary number of people in an unnecessarily complicated manner, I entered the conference room.

“We’ll see. They’re all superheroes, so I guess a rough welcome is fine, right?”

The voice sounded greasy, as if his vocal cords were coated in fat.

“Keep it moderate.”

“Well, that depends on how he acts. For starters, I don’t like that he’s late.”

“There are still two minutes until the appointed time.”

“Wow, so strict about punctuality. Just like a Jap.”

A man with a body that looked like it hadn’t finished evolving and an Asian man were in the middle of a war of nerves.

What’s this, are they about to throw down?

“Wow, everyone’s early. Annyeonghaseyo. Hello?”

My greeting drew everyone’s attention.

Damn, they all look like they can fight.

When someone greets you, you should greet them back, but they were all just sizing me up.

As if they were scanning me for something.

I spread my arms and did a little spin, letting them get a good look.

Pretty good service, if I do say so myself.

“So this is what the Union has come to. I heard some famous guy was joining, but all I see is a clown. No, wait. Don’t you Asians call each other monkeys?”

The hairy man, wearing a sleeveless shirt to show off his body, strode up and got right in my face.

“In reality, it’s just monkeys insisting they aren’t monkeys.”

I smiled at the hairy oaf talking in front of me.

“The Union is amazing. Even gorillas speak English here.”

“Fuck Korea. Your typical Asian stench and shitty English pronunciation are hard on the ears. So I’d appreciate it if you stayed in a corner, out of my sight.”

“Listening to you, I’d think you could recite the Confucian classics by heart. Right?”

“Hey. You seem to be mistaken that you were invited. You weren’t invited; you were summoned to pay your respects. Didn’t you know?”

The hairy man kept shoving his unevolved face at me, as if he was dying for a fight.

Australopithecus. Australopithecus.

“That’s enough, Ralph.”

“Ouch. Trying to look out for your fellow Asian, are you?”

The hairy man’s aggro shifted to the only other Asian, the Japanese man.

The two of them seemed to have been rivals for a long time.

No, to be precise, that unevolved, hairy man seemed to be a racist.

Did some handsome Asian boy steal his girlfriend or something?

“Alright, shall we sit?”

I sat down next to my new Japanese friend.

The Japanese man stared at me with his lips tightly sealed, while the hairy man laughed excitedly.

“Look at the monkeys sitting together. What a lovely sight. It’s like being at the zoo.”

“Now, to all you Union Hunters, this gathering of superstars. I doubt you called me all the way here just to watch this hairy gorilla run his mouth. Can we get to the main point now?”

“What?”

Hearing my words, the other hunters who had been watching from the sidelines crossed their legs and started snickering.

Only the hairy man glared at me as if he wanted to eat me alive.

“My apologies. This is Ralph. He can be a bit mischievous.”

A man with long hair finally stepped forward.

He snapped his fingers at the hairy man called Ralph, who instantly fell silent, only breathing heavily.

Anger management issues? I know a great way to fix that.

“The man next to you is Kimura, an S-Rank hunter from our neighboring country, Japan.”

The Japanese man, his hair slicked back, looked at me with sharp eyes.

“The Korea Monster? I’ve seen you often in videos. Call me Jerry. I don’t like cats.”

“Is there anyone here who isn’t S-Rank? I’m Brown. Let’s try not to die and get along.”

The long-haired man, who seemed to be the leader of the Asia branch, offered me a handshake.

“Danny Maguire. I hope you know who I am. I’ve seen a lot of you. Through a monitor, of course, not in person.”

Everyone here was known to be a big shot in their own country.

Among them, Danny Maguire was a pretty big name in the Hunter world.

“I know you, Archon.”

He was certainly a man who possessed both the power and dignity to shut up that arrogant gorilla.

“Indeed… Yes, I should express my delight.”

“Danny?”

The hairy man called out the leader’s name in confusion.

But he paid him no mind, his eyes fixed only on me.

His gaze was unsettling, like a man looking at a captivating woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Korea Monster. I’m glad we didn’t lose you to another branch.”

“What are you talking about…?”

At the hairy man’s words, Danny turned his head with a smile.

“Even if we are an organization without a formal hierarchy, I’d appreciate it if you’d show some class. Ralph, you mischievous friend. I’m talking with our team’s future ace right now.”

Danny said this while making a zipping motion across his lips.

Seeing that, Ralph’s pupils dilated.

He clenched his fists so tightly in anger that I could hear the sound from where I was sitting.

“First, let me tell you about our branch. Ah, do you like Italian food? I had them prepare something special.”

“Anything’s fine.”

At first, the hairy guy’s aggressive reaction made me think everyone was going to be hostile.

But what’s this?

The branch leader was treating me with the utmost respect. Thanks to that, the hairy guy was seriously sulking.

Even the Japanese man, Kimura, was surprised.

“As you may have heard, we Union Hunters are a global clan, united to protect world peace. Well, we’re not some cliché apostles of justice, of course.”

Unable to take it anymore, the hairy man stormed out of the conference room.

He must have been really hurt. Like a kid whose dad is paying attention to someone else.

That’s how it is during your growth spurt.

Ah, or is it just his hair that’s growing?

Anyway, Danny continued talking to me.

Most of what he said, I already knew.

Publicly, they were a clan of hunters who joined forces for world peace.

They would clear dangerous dungeons for developing countries or lead gate conquests.

Each branch had a team called ‘Chimera’ that supported the global hunters’ conquests with overwhelming firepower.

“Well, thanks to all our hard work, we’ve cleared a lot of gates and dungeons and turned a good profit. It’s not pro bono work, I mean. We also get tax exemptions.”

Getting tax exemptions for dungeon clears was a huge benefit.

The same probably applied to their business ventures.

“By any chance, where is the Union Hunters’ headquarters?”

“Headquarters?”

Danny laughed at my question, as if surprised.

“No one knows where the headquarters is. We hunt villains quite often, so if its location were to be revealed… you know how it is, right? An unfortunate incident where a colleague gets captured and brainwashed, leaking information.”

Danny continued his explanation with a smile on his lips.

“You’re the first colleague to ask about the headquarters.”

“I need to know what kind of place I’m dealing with. Don’t you check the country of origin when you buy beef?”

“I would think that having a hunter of my caliber as a member would be all the explanation you need.”

Arrogant, but he was one of the top hunters in the world.

A big shot within the top 10 rankings. That’s why the hairy guy couldn’t say a word earlier.

Union Hunters.

Publicly, they acted as heroes, active all over the world.

No, perhaps some of them really were heroes. But I had seen the truth.

I had seen the actions of Lee Han-seong, the man called K-Superman.

No, the 100 Mages. The Union Hunters who played a major role in the brutal destruction of a world that was like a second home to me.

There might be some little Hitlers among them who think it’s fine to slaughter people from other worlds because they aren’t modern humans and are no different from monsters.

Of course, they might not be entirely wrong.

Humans kill other humans for their own benefit.

And just killing them is the least of it.

Those who kill people must be prepared to be killed by someone else.

But I don’t know if you can even call it ‘war’ when you’re brutally slaughtering innocent people who have no ability or will to fight.

Is it really right to invade another world and carry out extermination measures as if you’re getting rid of cockroaches?

I don’t think so.

I was contemplating.

The Union Hunters also engage in activities similar to the UN.

They provide support to countries that can’t close gates properly and help treat the injured.

But what if, behind that facade, there was something built on the blood and pus of people from another world?

With the power gained that way, they became nation-level hunters and lived as the elite, the ones in charge.

Rumors about their shady dealings were circulating, but the truth had never been revealed.

It was only natural.

In every country, the existence of Hunters was now becoming a measure of national power.

No one would cut open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs.

Not until that goose turns around and bites their neck, that is.

“Didn’t I mention that a meal was being prepared? The food at our branch is to die for. It seems to be ready now.”

Danny said, placing a hand on my shoulder in a show of friendliness.

I had no intention of crushing these guys right away.

After all, there’s no point in cutting off the tail if the head remains.

“I’m not a picky eater.”

“Please escort this special hunter to the banquet hall first. I’ll follow shortly.”

I followed the others and left the room.

I was looking forward to the banquet that a top-10 world ranker praised so highly.

But a voice shattered that expectation.

“Are these people all crazy today? Do they not know who I am?”

So this is where our hairy friend ended up.