Chapter 111

"... Whew. So this is Sung Suho's country."

Rio Singh wore a deeply troubled expression as he left the airport.

Rio Singh, a raid leader of the Asura Guild, was an Indian B-rank hunter who had fought the Scavenger Guild alongside Suho in Egypt. He had come to Korea to meet Suho, but his own circumstances were far from favorable.

'I never thought I'd be demoted.'

Demotion. The word weighed on him, leaving him at a loss.

Not long ago, he had gone to a dungeon in Egypt to build up his record, only to return after a crushing failure. He had barely escaped with his life, let alone achieved anything noteworthy, and the Asura Guild's guildmaster had held him responsible for all of it. In the process, Rio Singh had ended up reporting everything he had experienced, without leaving anything out.

The pyramid dungeon had been far more perilous than expected. The Scavenger Guild had been throwing its weight around, monopolizing the place without authorization.

... On this point in particular, Rio Singh had repeatedly emphasized the story of "the Korean hunter Sung Suho," who had saved them from danger.

He had no choice. From his perspective, his connection with Sung Suho was effectively the only thing he had gained from the pyramid.

["Guildmaster, he was a hunter as powerful as an incarnation of Asura. Without him, that pyramid would have become our tomb."]

["An incarnation of Asura? That hunter was that powerful? Tell me more."]

When the guildmaster showed interest in Suho, Rio Singh had talked about him with even greater enthusiasm. After hearing the whole story, the guildmaster had stroked his chin in interest and nodded.

["Hmm. He certainly is extraordinary. Your establishing a connection with such a hunter is undoubtedly good for the guild as well. Giving him an item from the dungeon to cultivate that friendship was a wise choice, too."]

["Th-thank you, Guildmaster!"]

["Good. With that in mind, I'll give you a special assignment. Rio Singh! Go to Korea immediately and recruit Sung Suho."]

["Pardon? You want me to become a recruiter myself?"]

["Who else should go, if not you, the one who knows him? Go to Korea, ask how much his current guild is paying him, and recruit him with a suitable offer."]

["...!"]

["Oh, and don't even think about returning until you've recruited him."]

At the guildmaster's final words, Rio Singh had finally understood. Though ostensibly a recruitment assignment, this was, in effect, the guildmaster's last act of consideration for him. Still, he had been unable to stop himself from asking outright.

["Th-then what will happen to my position as raid leader in the meantime...?"]

["That is none of your concern."]

... He'd been fired.

In the end, he had no choice but to accept reality. He had tried to build his record and rise higher, only to lose even his position as raid leader.

'... But it's too early to give up.'

Despite his circumstances, Rio Singh had not lost hope. He still had one last hope left—Sung Suho!

'If I can just recruit him, the guildmaster will see me in a new light!'

Having witnessed Suho fight firsthand, he was certain of it. The sight of him slaughtering enemies with twin swords had been nothing short of Asura incarnate. No one could have been a better fit for the Asura Guild.

If Suho joined the guild and distinguished himself spectacularly...

'Then I, the man who recruited him, could get promoted along with him.'

Rio Singh was confident. Before coming here, he had already made every preparation to persuade Suho.

"So this way is the 'exit'!"

There was an unusual gleam in his eyes as he deftly read the sign written in Korean.

'Just one week! That's how long it took me to master Korean completely.'

Appearances aside, he had been a renowned scholar in India before the Cataclysm. Learning a new language well enough to hold a conversation was hardly difficult.

'Yes. I can do this! I'll think of this as a new opportunity, not a demotion.'

And this would be good for Sung Suho, too. Surely he also wanted to venture out into the wider world rather than remain in this small country!

DING.

The moment he turned on his phone outside the airport, messages from the guild began arriving as though they had been waiting.

—Rio Singh, we have obtained Sung Suho's contact information. Contact him at this number.

"Heh. Already? Fast as ever."

Pride showed on his face. As expected, the Asura Guild's intelligence network was the best in India. Digging up information on a hunter in another country was child's play.

But just then—

DING! DING! DING! DING!

"Hmm?"

As he checked the emergency messages arriving one after another, his eyes widened until they nearly popped out of his head.

"Wh-what is this?!"

—URGENT) Information on 'Sung Suho' has been leaked to the Scavenger Guild.

—URGENT) Thomas Andre has personally departed for Korea by private jet.

—URGENT) Thomas Andre has arrived in Korea!

—URGENT) Korea's Hunters Association has failed to detain Thomas Andre at the airport.

—URGENT) Currently tracking Thomas Andre's movements in close cooperation with the Korean Association.

—URGENT) Prediction that Thomas Andre is heading to Sung Suho now considered certain...

"Th-this is really bad!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Rio Singh went deathly pale.

The Scavenger Guild had already been alarmed recently when the members it had sent to Egypt failed to return. Its investigation had revealed that they had entered the pyramid, then vanished from the face of the earth along with it.

Had that been all, the case would simply have remained a mystery...

"I never imagined the information would leak from our side! Those Scavenger thugs are at it again!"

For such a large guild, Scavenger had a terrible intelligence network. Ironically, that was because its guildmaster, Thomas Andre, was close friends with the renowned prophet Norma Selner. With a gifted prophet right beside him, he had naturally come to do less of the legwork required to gather information himself. Then, whenever he actually needed information, he would always resort to extorting it from other guilds like this.

In any event, things were now spiraling out of control. Given Thomas Andre's usual temperament, there was no way he would leave anyone connected to his guild members' deaths alone.

"Sung Suho is in danger!"

Rio Singh hurried to contact him.

* * *

Some time later, Rio Singh arrived in Suho's neighborhood and was horrified.

"What on earth happened here?!"

Had a storm swept through? Or had an earthquake struck this area alone?

Paving blocks lay shattered and smashed. The asphalt had been crushed and torn apart in a web of cracks. With everything in sight half-destroyed, Rio Singh could not close his mouth.

Under the circumstances, only one person could have caused such incredible devastation.

'Thomas Andre! Thomas already came looking for Sung Suho!'

Rio Singh quickly calmed his startled heart and thoroughly examined the traces around him. After all, he was a specialist who had risen through the ranks of the unforgiving Asura Guild, from the very bottom to raid leader, in just two years. His keen eye, backed by seasoned experience, could deduce what sort of battle had taken place here from just a few visible clues.

In a sudden flash, he saw it.

'There it is!'

His eyes flew wide as a vision of imaginary figures clashing took shape before him.

First:

'Thomas Andre stood here and deployed his mana field!'

Rio Singh could see it clearly—the massive silhouette of Thomas Andre unleashing a monstrous mana field centered on this spot.

Second:

'His opponent stood here and took that mana field...'

He flinched. Something was strange.

'W-wait.'

As Rio Singh pieced the situation together, goosebumps rose on his skin.

"He withstood this? Thomas's mana field?"

He looked again, but there was no mistaking it. Whoever had faced Thomas Andre's mana field had endured its crushing pressure with ease. They even seemed to have engaged Thomas in a contest of strength inside it. The traces left on the ruined ground made that clear.

The question was how that contest had ended...

"My God."

Rio Singh could not contain his astonishment.

"I-is this possible? He matched Thomas Andre, humanity's mightiest weapon? How could this...?"

There were no traces of any other skills being used, so it must have been a clash of pure strength against strength. Even so, this made no sense.

No, wait...

'It does make sense!'

Realizing an incredible truth, Rio Singh trembled on the spot as though struck by lightning.

"Th-that's it! He was holding back his power then because he was afraid the pyramid would collapse!"

Looking back, Suho had calmly left them, saying he would hunt the enormous centipede magic beast that had entered the pyramid. Rio had certainly tried to stop him, warning him of the danger.

"He really was confident he could hunt that centipede! Good heavens!"

Now that Rio Singh had finally realized the whole truth, not a trace remained of his sorrow over being demoted.

Information was power. Entirely by accident, he had become the first to discover the valuable fact that Sung Suho was 'Goliath-class.'

'This is the opportunity of a lifetime! I have to recruit Sung Suho, no matter what it takes!'

As he made that firm resolution, Sung Suho finally appeared before him. Seeing him so completely unscathed despite having clashed with Thomas Andre left Rio Singh astonished all over again.

"Rio Singh?"

"Hunter Sung Suho! Namaste!"

Rio Singh realized that the moment had finally come to demonstrate his perfect mastery of Korean. Now was the time for his brilliant eloquence to shine.

'First, an apology! Then I'll offer to recruit him, saying we'll protect him from Thomas Andre!'

A truly flawless scenario. With the utmost sincerity in his eyes, he desperately apologized to Suho.

"Sung Suho! Me sorry! Thomas Andre, because of me. You okay?"

"Hmm?"

"Thomas scary! You join? Asura good!"

"... What's this guy on about now?"

[It appears to be a new kind of phone scam, Master.]

"Asura good! Join!"

"..."

Suho could only feel drained.

"Do I seriously need to move...?"

Following Thomas Andre, this was already the second foreigner to visit him today, and neither was in their right mind.

'At this point, my personal information really must be public property.'

How on earth had he found his phone number? And his address, for that matter?

Then again, even the Hyunmoo Guild, known only within Korea, had recently shown up at his home. What guild couldn't?

But regardless of Suho's exasperation, Rio Singh had never been more serious in his life. He explained everything that had happened in detail.

"Me tell guildmaster. Sung Suho strong hunter. We frens!"

... There was no need to summarize. That explanation was his very best effort.

[Kieeeek! Did you just say friends?!]

Beru, who had already been itching to get at him, finally unleashed his pent-up fury and burst out of the shadows.

[You traitor! You sold out the Young Monarch, and you dare show your face here?! You vermin, even tearing you limb from limb for this treason wouldn't be enough...!]

Except...

"What mean? Me not know hard words. Easy, easy."

[... Kieek?]

As Rio Singh tilted his head in bewilderment, Beru's murderous intent wavered. He began fumbling for words.

[Um... Treason, tear your limbs...]

Another puzzled tilt of the head.

"Too hard. Easy, easy."

[Pull your arms and legs out of your torso, rip your head...]

His head tilted again.

"More easy, easy."

[...]

Oh, for crying out loud. This bastard really couldn't speak Korean.

At last, Beru growled right in his face, enunciating every word with murderous intent.

[You. Bad. Human.]

"Yes! Me very bad! Namaste!"

[Kieeeeeek—!]

At the solemn look in Rio's eyes as he promptly bowed his head and pressed his palms together, Beru turned to Suho in utter fury.

[Young Monarch! May I chew this human's brain up?]

"No. Instead..."

Apparently having suddenly made up his mind about something, Suho looked at Rio Singh with a kindly smile.

"Rio Singh. Thomas Andre came here to kill me. You knew that when you came, right?"

"Me know. Me very sorry."

"Just words?"

"... Huh?"

"Is saying sorry all you're going to do?"

Suho was smiling brightly.