Chapter 86

086. Sky Dragon (1)

While all the challengers inside the meeting room were looking at me as if I were crazy,

"…Did I hear wrong just now? Mr. Sungyun?"

Lee Hayeon even lifted her feet off the ground to come closer to me and whispered in my ear.

She asked me to please say that what I just said was a misunderstanding, but…

Unlike her, who didn’t want to fight Namgung Hyuk, I was fully prepared to fight the challenger from the other world.

Namgung Hyuk in the video was stronger than I expected, but that didn’t mean I would be completely defeated.

At worst, my limbs might be torn a few times, but in a situation where there are other challengers, it wouldn’t be a matter of life and death.

So—

"It’s not a slip of the tongue, nor did I say it without thinking."

I firmly conveyed my intention, adding magic power to my voice without denying it.

Only then did Lee Sungjin, who had been staring at me blankly, seem to come to his senses, furrowing his brows and speaking.

"I… I remember you. Mr. Han Sungyun."

He soon looked at me directly and mentioned that he knew me.

"And I also know that you are always among the top three in the ranking."

Since I hadn’t revealed the ranking, this must be information that Lee Sungjin had found out.

I wasn’t particularly concerned about how he knew the ranking.

After all, I had already braced myself for the exposure of my ranking and name when I started dueling in the arena using my real name.

"So what’s your point?"

"I can’t understand. Why would someone with your skills want to help Japan?"

"Because it’s a path for me to grow."

"…Pardon?"

"Didn’t you say that Mr. Kim Seunghoon and Mr. Oh Chunseok went to the Japanese Hunter Association?"

"…Yes. Even though they were told they didn’t have to go, they insisted on going."

"It’s similar to that."

Upon hearing my words, Lee Sungjin narrowed his eyes and bit his lip.

"You’re thinking about the rewards offered by the Japanese Hunter Association."

"Even if there’s a noble cause, people won’t gather without rewards."

"Are you going to go just to get a Skill Proficiency Boost Potion?"

"A Skill Proficiency Boost Potion. So that’s the reward offered by the Japanese Hunter Association."

"Even if you didn’t know, you still decided to go? A Skill Proficiency Boost Potion can only increase your skill proficiency by 10%."

Lee Sungjin looked at me as if to say that it wasn’t worth risking your life for.

But I couldn’t just change my mind and decide not to go.

After all, Namgung Hyuk, the challenger from the other world, appeared because of me.

Moreover, several A-rank hunters had died because of him, and the city had been greatly affected.

To back out because of the high risk and the meager reward?

That was something I couldn’t tolerate.

And at the same time,

"If you let go of such a reward, you’ll eventually be eliminated."

A Skill Proficiency Boost Potion wasn’t an item to be dismissed so easily.

The ability to arbitrarily increase the proficiency of one of your skills by 10%?

While it was slightly less effective than the Skill Proficiency Boost Potion I obtained as a common reward for the 10th floor trial…

It was still a reward that couldn’t be easily dismissed, which made me even more determined not to back down.

"Only now do I understand why Mr. Han Sungyun became a ranker."

Lee Sungjin looked at me, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, before finally saying with a look of disbelief.

"You… are not normal."

To that, I smiled and replied without hesitation.

"I’ve known that for a long time."

Because I had already known that I wasn’t normal.

***

I went straight to Incheon Airport and departed for Japan with the ticket that Lee Sungjin had cut off.

It seemed that Lee Sungjin didn’t really want to send me off, but…

In reality, there was no way for him to forcibly ignore the Japanese Hunter Association’s request for support if I decided to go.

I could easily guess why he didn’t want to send me.

‘With three Korean ranker-level challengers responding to Japan’s request, he must be anxious.’

The challenger from the other world who appeared in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a monster among monsters.

When the video of the death of the Chinese S-rank hunter, Pang Zawen, was released, it was clear that sending a challenger who hadn’t grown properly would be difficult.

‘The Korean Hunter Association must be fearing the worst-case scenario.’

The worst-case scenario.

It would probably be a situation where Kim Seunghoon, Oh Chunseok, and I are all wiped out.

They are the top-ranked challengers from Korea among those affiliated with the Tower of Trials.

If they die, the loss to Korea would be immense, so he probably wished I wouldn’t go.

However, since Kim Seunghoon and Oh Chunseok responded to the request, how could I not?

Surprisingly, Lee Hayeon didn’t cling to my decision like Lee Sungjin and try to dissuade me.

She sent me off, saying that if I believed my decision was right, she couldn’t stop me.

Of course…

[Lee Hayeon: Please contact me when you arrive at the Japanese Hunter Association.]

[Lee Hayeon: If it seems dangerous, run away immediately.]

[Lee Hayeon: If you need any items, demand them from the Japanese Hunter Association.]

[Lee Hayeon: You should also request recovery potions as part of the support items. Got it?]

[Lee Hayeon: And…]

Despite sending me off coolly, she nagged me through the messenger.

Her messages were filled with anxiety, as if she were sending a child into a dangerous situation.

I read the message, let out a hollow laugh, and turned off my smartphone screen.

"…It seems you really are worried about me."

Even my late mother didn’t fuss over me this much.

However, I couldn’t really understand Lee Hayeon’s actions.

In fact, I am only contractually affiliated with the Silver Guild and am not a proper guild member.

The Silver Guild only acts as a dungeon supplier or intermediary.

The contract clearly states that there is no deeper relationship.

But Lee Hayeon always treated me kindly and offered to help whenever she could.

When the Silver Guild set conditions for me to clear dungeons, she always prioritized me.

It felt like she genuinely cared for me, beyond a simple contractual relationship.

"…"

That was the problem.

It wasn’t a give-and-take relationship; she genuinely cared for me.

It made me feel that I needed to change how I treated her, making my feelings complex.

Especially since I couldn’t offer her anything in return.

However—

The complex feelings gradually faded as the plane I was on landed in Japan.

I listened to the in-flight announcements and slowly stood up.

It was time to end my idle thoughts and really go to the Japanese Hunter Association.

***

Just as I was about to leave the airport, a Japanese woman approached me at the entrance.

"Are you Mr. Han Sungyun, the challenger?"

Seeing her fluent Korean, I immediately responded.

"Are you from the Japanese Hunter Association?"

"Yes. I’m here to escort Mr. Han Sungyun."

"…"

"My name is Ari Chika. Please take care of me."

Surprisingly, she was quite humble, unlike those who claimed responsibility for the Korean Hunter Association.

I thought they would be furious just to hear the name of a Korean challenger mentioned by a challenger from the other world.

But Ari Chika, who was looking at me, was polite and not rude at all.

That was definitely a plus.

"I will also take care of you, Ms. Ari."

I asked her to guide me to the Japanese Hunter Association, and she immediately helped me with my luggage and led me to the car.

There wasn’t much to talk about, so I closed my eyes and waited to arrive at the Japanese Hunter Association.

"Mr. Han Sungyun, we have arrived."

Hearing Ari Chika’s voice, I got out of the car and looked around the building.

There were more people around here than I had seen since leaving the airport.

Most of them seemed to be hunters or challengers, as I could sense their magic power.

‘It seems the hunters and challengers are busy due to the Shinjuku incident.’

Civilians were not out on the streets due to the Shinjuku incident.

The scene felt like the end of the world, which made me feel uneasy.

"Mr. Han Sungyun, please follow me. Others are waiting inside."

Following Ari Chika’s guidance, I turned my head and entered the building.

And—

I immediately recognized who was waiting inside, as there were two people I had seen before in the meeting room.

"It’s the first time we’ve met since the 10th floor trial."

I sat in front of them and greeted them.

"Mr. Kim Seunghoon and Mr. Oh Chunseok."

They looked at me intently and then greeted me in turn.

"Indeed. I never imagined I’d see you here."

Oh Chunseok spoke to me with a stiff face.

"You’re late."

Kim Seunghoon, still wearing a black mask that hid his face, only said that much.

It seemed he knew I would come, but it wasn’t particularly surprising.

I also knew that Kim Seunghoon would definitely come here.

But—

"Surely, these are all the people who responded to the Japanese Hunter Association’s request for support?"

Looking around the meeting room, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

After all, no one else was sitting in the meeting room except for the three of us.

"…A challenger from the United States is expected to arrive soon."

Kim Seunghoon, after a brief silence, gave that answer, but it wasn’t a good one.

The thought of only four challengers facing the situation made me want to laugh.

Of course, the three of us, including me, could be considered S-rank hunters.

But it was unclear whether the three of us could handle the challenger from the other world currently in Shinjuku.

‘And we don’t even know how strong the additional challenger from the United States will be…’

If the challenger from the United States turns out to be weaker than expected, it might be worse than having no one at all.

But as I was lost in thought, the door to the meeting room opened, and I turned my head.

I could see a red-haired woman slipping into the room through the door.

And—

"…What?"

The woman who entered the room soon saw me and muttered in disbelief.

"…Why are you here?"

At the same time, I looked at her and couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

Who would have thought that the last challenger from the United States would be this person?

"…That’s what I want to know."

Catherine Bennett.

A powerful figure who I once faced in the arena, wielding fire-related powers.

A challenger who, just before losing the duel, left a meaningful message saying she would come to find me.

She was the last challenger from the United States.