Chapter 94 - That Just Shows How Much Potential You Have, Oppa

Naturalization?

I'd never considered it before, and the word left my mind blank for a moment.

'Come to think of it.'

I'd heard that high-ranking hunters sometimes received offers of special naturalization from other countries. I'd heard of quite a few Korean hunters moving abroad for favorable terms, too. Of course, I'd also seen news stories about hunters coming here from other countries.

In this age of hunters, it was no longer unusual for talented people to change citizenship in exchange for better treatment. But I'd always assumed special naturalization had nothing to do with me, so I'd never given it much thought. I'd had no reason to. Until recently, I'd thought I'd never receive an offer like that.

And yet here one was.

'An offer to become a citizen of another country.'

... Should I at least hear her out?

I had no intention of accepting, no matter what country made the offer or what terms it proposed. Still, I was curious about those terms. Leaving home to become a citizen of an unfamiliar country couldn't be an easy choice. What were hunters offered that convinced them to do it?

I decided to hear what she had to say.

"Which country are you from?" I asked.

"Russia."

Perhaps worried someone might overhear again, she whispered the answer in my ear. After a moment's thought, I decided to let her inside. We couldn't keep talking at the door forever.

"Come in and let's talk."

"Thank you."

As soon as we sat down, she took a thick document envelope from her bag.

"As you know, countries around the world are doing everything they can to secure talented hunters."

"So you've come to offer me citizenship?"

She smiled and gave a small nod. "That's right. If you choose to join forces with Russia, we can promise you our full support."

She handed me the envelope. Inside were papers detailing, in both Russian and Korean, the benefits I would receive if I became a Russian citizen.

- Immediate cash payment of 5 billion won upon naturalization.

- Free use of a luxury detached house worth approximately 6 billion won.

- 50% of equipment and artifact rental costs covered, with no upper limit.

- Naturalization and relocation support for the entire family, if desired.

- Bonuses paid at each increase in rank.

The documents were packed with other benefits, large and small. At first, I hadn't understood why hunters would leave their beloved homeland for a country they had no ties to. Now that I'd seen the offers, I thought I did. The benefits were generous enough to tempt even me for a moment, despite having no plans to change citizenship.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Well..."

"I can confidently say these are the best terms offered to any A-rank hunter. They're negotiable at any time, too, so please feel free to contact us whenever you like."

"Ah, right."

Objectively, the benefits were impressive. Her claim that these were the best terms offered to an A-rank hunter didn't sound false, either.

But they weren't impressive enough to change my mind. I didn't urgently need money, and I already earned more than enough to live on. The other benefits weren't bad, but they weren't attractive enough to make me change citizenship.

More importantly, what mattered most to me now wasn't money. It was growth. Unless Russia had a dragon who liked me as much as Sia or Rokan did, going there wouldn't do much to help me grow. Forget the money—it might even lead to the worst outcome: slowing my progress.

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, she sat neatly with a bright, professional smile and met my eyes.

"I hope you'll give it careful thought. Do you have any questions?"

"Not at the moment."

"I see. Then I hope to see you again, Hunter."

With that, she left without another word.

'Phew.'

I'd worried something might happen like it had with Lia Black, but thankfully, this visit had gone smoothly.

But just as I was about to close the door after seeing her out, I noticed a package sitting alone on my doorstep. I hadn't spotted it when I'd opened the door earlier, and I had no idea what it was.

"What's this package?"

I thought hard about whether I was expecting a delivery, but nothing came to mind. I looked more closely, thinking it might have been delivered to the wrong address, only to find my name on it.

'What is this?'

Puzzled, I brought it inside and opened the box. It contained several bottles of potions and a thick document envelope. Inside the envelope were a hefty stack of papers and a letter.

I'd read the letter first.

<To Yoon Minjun, from the United States.>

The first line drew an involuntary laugh from me.

"Russia a minute ago, and now the United States."

Marveling at the coincidence, I read on. The opening lines were formal greetings I could have skipped. A few lines later, it got to the point.

<... For these reasons, we would like to extend a tentative offer of special naturalization to the United States.>

Seriously? Again?

'Is there something special about today?'

A woman I suspected was from the Russian Hunter Association had just come by to persuade me to change citizenship. Now the United States had sent me a package and a letter. Were the potions some kind of bribe?

I kept reading.

Like the Russian offer, the letter began by promising ample support, then outlined the benefits I would receive if I became a citizen. It referred me to the enclosed documents for details. Strangely, apart from a few differences in the specific terms, the overall offer wasn't much different from Russia's.

Before I knew it, I'd reached the final lines.

<If you have any questions, please contact us at the number on the back of this letter.

The enclosed potions are a small token of our goodwill. Please accept them without feeling obliged.

We sincerely hope you will find our proposal reasonable.>

Beneath those words was an elegant handwritten signature. I looked closer to see whose it was.

"... The president?"

It was none other than the president of the United States. Never in my life had I expected to receive a letter bearing the American president's signature. I'd thought little of it when I first started reading, but now...this felt like a much bigger deal.

I skimmed the documents once more, then set them on top of the envelope the Russian representative had given me.

"Hmph."

My mind was reeling. For now, I had no intention of changing citizenship. Whatever benefits they offered, I doubted it would help me grow—and adjusting to an entirely new culture would be hard work.

As I leafed through the documents, lost in thought, Sia called. I set the papers aside and answered.

"Hey, Sia."

["Did you sleep well, Oppa? Grandpa told me you had a really hard time yesterday. How are you feeling?"]

Rokan must have told her about yesterday's training. The moment she saw me, she asked in a voice full of concern. My body was still a little sore, but I pretended I was fine so she wouldn't worry.

"Yeah. It was a little rough, but I can handle it."

["I'm glad. Don't push yourself too hard in training."]

From there, we fell into our usual chatter.

["Oh, that reminds me, Oppa. Should we go visit your parents together sometime soon?"]

"My parents?"

["Yeah. It's been a while since I've seen them, and we haven't gone to visit them together since that day."]

Come to think of it, Sia had visited my parents on her own, but we hadn't visited them together once since our reunion. They both liked her, and not long ago they'd asked when I was bringing her over.

"You're right. We should visit."

["I was thinking about them the day before yesterday while we were eating with Grandpa. Ask them when they're free, okay?"]

"They'll probably say anytime. If I tell them you're coming, they'll drop whatever they had planned and welcome you with open arms."

["Pfft. They probably would."]

We could talk about that again later. I turned to what had happened earlier.

"Sia, how would you feel if I became a citizen of another country?"

["Changed citizenship? Why, all of a sudden?"]

"Russia and the United States both asked me earlier if I'd consider becoming a citizen of their country."

I didn't intend to accept, but I thought I should tell Sia about it anyway. I explained everything that had happened. She thought for a moment, then spoke brightly.

["If that's what you want, Oppa, of course I'd respect your decision! From what you've told me, they'd treat you really well, too. So have you decided which country you're going to choose?"]

"I'm not planning to change citizenship right now. I just received offers, that's all."

["I see."]

Her expression brightened even more as she nodded. She'd said she'd respect my decision, but it seemed she hadn't liked the thought of me actually leaving.

["Still, it's something to celebrate. It means other countries think highly of your potential too, Oppa."]

"How do you always know just the right thing to say, Sia?"

["Hee-hee."]

She beamed.

We chatted a while longer. As training time approached, I wrapped up the call.

"I'll call my parents about the visit as soon as we hang up."

["Okay! Be careful during training, Oppa. I love you!"]

"Love you too."

After that sweet call, I got ready to go to Rokan's lair for training.

"... Sigh."

Today probably wouldn't be any easier than yesterday. If anything, it'd be even harder...right?