Chapter 162: Episode 162

After finishing the press conference Q&A, I returned to the command building. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, and a black ripple rose from the floor, coalescing into the shape of a person.

“…That was audacious, rookie,” Night Walker remarked.

“What was?”

“To refuse the Global Alliance’s demands and invite all this trouble. The Alliance will not forget this.”

“The Alliance is the one that caused this mess,” I said, wagging my finger. “They’re the ones who screwed up, dispatched some maniac, and nearly got forty thousand people—myself included—killed. And they expect to just sweep it under the rug? I know they’re powerful, but isn’t this going a bit too far?”

“In the end, no one was hurt, were they? If you had extradited Hakan as instructed, the Alliance would have provided you all with appropriate compensation.”

“I have no use for that crap,” I said flatly. “What I want is Hakan’s punishment. That’s all. Besides, I think we’ve held up our end of the bargain.”

I was referring to the fact that I hadn’t revealed to the press that a rank-2 hunter from the Alliance had stormed in, fully prepared to take Hakan by force. This time, Night Walker didn’t answer, but a slight smile played on his lips.

“What about Hong Yeon?”

“I haven’t touched her. You know that.”

In truth, one of my reasons for not revealing Night Walker’s identity was to prevent a worst-case scenario where he went on a rampage. The worst possible outcome for him was the world discovering that the Alliance was trying to forcibly extradite Hakan. By giving him an out, I’d made Hong Yeon safer. Night Walker had no choice but to protect the opening I’d given him.

“Truly audacious,” he repeated, letting out a long sigh. “I’ll let it slide this time, as it’s in the Alliance’s best interest. But as I said, the Alliance will not forget this. Be careful not to draw too much attention to yourself.”

“I’ll gratefully accept my senior’s advice.”

Night Walker crossed his arms and studied me. “You may be doing as you please, full of youthful vigor, but the day will come when you, too, will hit the wall of reality.”

“Then I’ll just break through it.” I smiled back. “You people still have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Nightwalker rose from his spot. “I’ll be watching, Kim Yusin.”

His body dissolved into black liquid and vanished.

* * *

Having a veteran certified rank-2 hunter barge in was unexpected, but everyone was safe. As promised, Night Walker and the Alliance took Hakan and quietly disappeared from Mtwara before the reporters could notice.

The story of Hakan Abdullah spread across the globe. Public opinion boiled over when it was revealed that he was a major shareholder of the global military corporation PHC and had intended to sacrifice forty thousand soldiers in Africa for his company’s benefit.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

In the court of public opinion, the advocates of abandoning Africa were all lumped together with Hakan. An unavoidable choice? The pursuit of efficiency? Not anymore. The perception that they were nothing more than money-grubbing trash spread like wildfire.

A witch hunt erupted online. The faces of famous figures who had previously advocated for abandoning Africa were recirculated, and their names were even compiled into lists. The individuals in question locked their social media accounts, resigned from public office, and scrambled to disappear from the public eye.

The Alliance also moved swiftly. They arrested not only Hakan but also a string of high-ranking officials who had appointed him commander, seating them all in the courtroom.

’Our Global Hunter Alliance will never, under any circumstances, abandon a member state. This applies to our member states in Africa as well. We dispatched twenty thousand troops to help drive out the taves. We express deep concern that this noble resolution is being tainted by a small minority of ‘Africa-abandonment advocates’ within our ranks. The Alliance will purge all individuals whose ideas conflict with our pure directive of world peace and will do our utmost to devise countermeasures.’

They certainly had a lot to say. The subtext was clear: ’We tried to protect Africa. Please don’t blame all of us.’ To ensure their own survival, the Alliance had no choice but to impose a heavy sentence on Hakan.

The influential global military corporation PHC faced a worldwide boycott. Its stock price plummeted, and a wave of severed business deals sent it down the path to complete ruin.

With the Hakan issue settled and Africa liberated from a deep-rooted cataclysm, the Suez defensive line was effectively meaningless.

And so, my first overseas deployment came to a successful end.

’So, it’s finally over in Africa.’

I was lying on the mattress in my quarters. The thought that I was done with this musty room left me with a strange mix of relief and regret.

“Hey, Kim Yusin!”

’SLAM!’

Without so much as a knock, Han Yoonjeong kicked the door open and stormed in. She wasn’t wearing her usual luxurious golden armor, but comfortable, casual clothes instead.

“Oh. I thought you went back to Egypt.”

“I dropped off the Gravekeepers and came right back!”

“Why?”

“That’s…” She stopped, suddenly shooting me a sullen look. “What?! Am I not allowed to be here?”

“No, why do you always have to take it that way?”

“Wow, seriously! This is so insulting! I go out of my way to save you, and you just sit there asking, ‘Why are you here?’”

“I didn’t say that.”

She strode over and glared down at me. She had dark skin, jet-black hair, and a statuesque frame with striking curves. And yet, the eyes, face, and expression were unmistakably Han Yoonjeong. A laugh escaped me.

“…What are you grinning about now?”

“It’s nothing. How’s life in Egypt treating you?”

“Treating me well? I feel like I’m going to die from stress.”

Yoonjeong was in conflict with the Egyptian council of elders. While they had acknowledged her as Pharaoh, they knew she was just an ordinary Korean college student on the inside. They tried to restrain her in various ways, often ignoring her while harping on about legitimacy.

But Yoonjeong, who had quite a temper, refused to submit and began to forge her own path. The previous Menes had been arrogant and greedy, but Yoonjeong’s recent populist policies and proactive approach had earned her the public’s unwavering support. The battle between the Pharaoh and the council of elders seemed likely to continue for some time.

“But that thing you made for us was really useful. The magic that keeps monsters out.”

“You mean the field magic?”

“Yeah, that! Can you keep casting it for Egypt?”

I held out my palm. “That’ll be ten million.”

“You jerk!”

“What’s with the attitude? This is business.”

Yoonjeong’s shoulders trembled as if she’d been betrayed. “Wow! I heard you were starting a business, but you’ve become a real sellout! Is this how you treat a friend?”

“I have to eat, too. Do you have any idea how hard it is to create field magic? Oh, and the barrier I set up is only good for a month, so be careful. After thirty days, the monsters will swarm in. You should probably clean them up before then.”

She crossed her arms with a pout. “Ten million, you said?”

’Is she actually going to pay?’

“Give me a friends-and-family discount. Knock off five hundred thousand. How about 9.5 million?”

“Okay, 9.9 million.”

“Hey! Are you really going to be that petty? 9.6.”

“9.8.”

As she got heated over the haggling, she suddenly burst out laughing. “Pfft! This feels so surreal! Isn’t it hilarious that a couple of kids who were running up Achasan not long ago are now throwing around millions?”

“You’re right. Things have changed a lot.” I smiled back, propping my head up with my arms. “Speaking of which, did I tell you Eunoh Choi showed up for the mage interviews?”

“Eunoh? Eunoh Choi? That guy who was obsessed with his girlfriend? Ahahaha! I miss those days! What’s he up to now?”

As we were getting lost in memories of our academy days, a polite knock came from the door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

The door opened, and Hong Yeon walked in.

“Sunbae. The Tanzanian hunters suggested we have a farewell party before we return to Korea… Ah!”

Hong Yeon’s eyes went wide. At some point, Yoonjeong had plopped down on the mattress next to me and unbuttoned her top. Hong Yeon’s face turned beet red as her gaze darted between me and Yoonjeong.

“Ph-Pharaoh!”

“Hey there, Commander,” Yoonjeong chirped, waving cheerfully.

“What is the Pharaoh doing in sunbae’s room…?”

“Why? Am I not allowed?”

’Why has she been so prickly since she got here?’ I put a hand on Yoonjeong’s head and sat her up. She squawked indignantly from below me.

“Of course we’re going to the party. You two are coming, right?” Yoonjeong asked.

“Yes!”

“I never turn down free booze.”

We headed outside. In front of the Tanzanian command building, countless tables had been set up where people were grilling meat. The retired soldier from the pub was there, too, with barrels of alcohol stacked high.

“The heroes of the hour have arrived!” Samia called out with a grin as she tended to the grill.

The Tanzanian soldiers welcomed us with a cheer. There were familiar faces like Scorpion, Marta, Charlie, and Zhang Wei, along with some new hunters. Many of the soldiers’ faces had become quite familiar as well.

I walked around, catching up with everyone. To give a brief update, Scorpion had decided to stay in Tanzania. It seemed he’d grown fond of the country and wanted to settle down. Even without the taves, the threat of dungeons remained, so the more hunters they had, the better.

Marta’s contributions in the war had been recognized, and she was set to join the Global Alliance. Her snake was even bigger than when I first saw it. She declared that the next time we met, she’d be a certified rank-3 like me.

Charlie, the guy covered in piercings, had been scouted by a major guild and was leaving. It seemed being a veteran of the Tanzanian Front now came with a certain prestige. He offered to take me somewhere nice as a final gesture, but the intense glares from either side of me forced me to decline.

And then there was Zhang Wei.

“I’m going back to China, Kim Yusin,” he said, chugging a can of beer.

“Done with the formalities, are we?”

“The deployment’s over, and it’s not like we’ll see each other again. If you have a problem with it, you can drop the formalities too.”

“Fine by me.”

We drank our beers in silence.

“Yeah, fuck it. You guys were right,” he finally said, his voice laced with resignation. “The world only cares about results, doesn’t it? I’m just a cynic worn down by reality, running my mouth while you all became pioneers and heroes.”

I let out a short laugh. “What, still bitter?”

“I’m just curious. I’ve spent my life telling people to face reality. But you managed to pull off every single thing I dismissed as impossible.” His face was flushed, perhaps from the alcohol. “It was all just dumb luck… Trying to console myself with that just made me feel too pathetic to bear. So what is it? What’s your secret?”

“There’s no secret, you idiot.” I glared at him. “You people just don’t even try.”

Zhang Wei fell silent.

“Being realistic? Fine. That instinct reduces risk. But only ever trying to avoid failure just makes you a coward. And I’d rather be a dreamer than a coward.”

Just then, I heard Yoonjeong calling my name from a distance. I tossed my empty beer can into a trash bin.

“Don’t be a coward. And if possible, let’s not cross paths again.”

He let out a dry chuckle.

I slowly walked away.

“Thanks,” I heard him say from behind me. Without looking back, I gave him a wave.

* * *

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