Chapter 316: Episode 316

“The Supreme Commander of the Nemesis Strike Squad is South Korea’s Official Rank 1 hunter, Kim Yusin!”

A deafening roar of shocked murmurs from the reporters poured out of the TV speakers. And then—

“Woooooooo!”

Passionate, chaotic cheers erupted from the mages all around me.

“That’s incredible! The Supreme Commander of the whole world!”

“Does that make you the biggest boss on Earth now?”

“Of course our Tower Master is the one who’s going to lead it!”

Watching their ecstatic reactions, I could only let out a bitter chuckle.

Phil… so this is how you’re playing it.

In a massive expeditionary force mobilizing the entire world’s assets, it was customary for the position of Supreme Commander to be held by the absolute strongest hunter.

Since the actual tactical and strategic logistics were mostly handled by veteran military experts, the hunter acting as Supreme Commander was largely a symbolic figurehead—a morale booster.

The most prominent candidates that came to mind were Gabriel, who had been dubbed the provisional strongest hunter in the world ever since Hong Yul disappeared; Franz, the magnate who commanded numerous global guilds, even if his individual combat prowess fell slightly short of the apex; or perhaps Pharaoh Han Yoonjeong, who utterly controlled the African continent. Even the young hunter Hong Yeon, who had shown the most explosive performance over the last five years and was rising through the ranks at a terrifying pace, would have been a selection the global public found perfectly acceptable.

Yet, against all logic, they had placed a rookie who had only just attained Official Rank 1 into the Supreme Commander’s seat.

And more importantly, I was currently a highly controversial, borderline polarizing figure due to the recent Bahrain incident.

While my mages were too busy cheering to care, the reporters in the press conference room were visibly flustered, buzzing with outrage and confusion.

Immediately, a flood of aggressive questions poured in.

“What is the Alliance’s reasoning for placing a known terrorist at the pinnacle of humanity’s forces?!”

“Isn’t this a decision that completely disregards delicate international relations? The Middle Eastern countries that currently loathe Kim Yusin might outright refuse to participate in the Strike Squad. How do you justify this?”

“Kim Yusin’s qualifications to even hold the title of Official Rank 1 are highly questionable, let alone his fitness to be the World Supreme Commander!”

Phil let out a heavy sigh and leaned into the microphone.

“Qualifications? Magic Tower Master Kim Yusin is the very pioneer who shared magic with the entire world for the first time in history. He is a hero who has stepped up to save this world time and time again. I have absolutely no need to justify his skills or his staggering list of achievements to anyone in this room.”

Phil leveled a hard glare at another shouting reporter.

“And above all else, he is the most proactive Official Rank 1 regarding this impending Nemesis disaster. Just look at the ground he has covered in such a remarkably short amount of time.”

Another reporter threw his hand up and practically screamed.

“Accomplishments? Should we interpret that to mean the Secretary General of the Alliance is making an official statement in defense of the Bahrain terrorism incident?”

“It was not terrorism; it was a necessary act of justice. There were zero civilian casualties, and he successfully neutralized the wealth hoarded by the demonkins. As a direct ripple effect, numerous Middle Eastern countries were liberated from their systemic control. If not for him, in six months, the Middle East would have been entirely annihilated, and their hijacked strategic nuclear weapons would have rained down on capitals across the globe.”

“Even so, isn’t it true that he used extreme, coercive methods? How is he any different from an armed robber pointing a gun at a hostage’s head and barking orders?”

“His opponents were the absolute worst breed of criminals aiming for the literal extinction of humanity,” Phil snapped back, losing his patience. “Are you really going to stand there whining about ’coercive methods’ when nuclear warheads are dropping on your heads?”

Having maneuvered me into the Supreme Commander position, Phil was actively throwing his weight around to defend me, fully prepared to absorb the brunt of the global public’s criticism.

“There will be no reversals. The Coalition’s decision is final. We have no doubt whatsoever that the Strike Squad led by Kim Yusin will save this world.”

Right on cue, the phone in my pocket vibrated. It was a call from Shin Nara.

“Congratulations! When should I book your flight to Switzerland for?”

I chuckled. “I’ll just warp there. Please prep a PR sheet for my interviews.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll draft a rigorous list of expected ambush questions right away!”

*

With Nemesis looming on the horizon, a punishingly hectic itinerary began. The first stop was my own official press conference held at the Alliance Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amidst the swarming crowd of international reporters, I put on a little theatrical show by stepping directly out of a shimmering Warp gate.

“We will win, without fail.”

“I have absolutely no intention of leaving the composition of the Strike Squad up to voluntary participation. Every single hunter currently registered as Official Rank 3 or above will be drafted.”

“I do not believe the Bahrain operation was a mistake. To save human lives, the Magic Tower will do whatever it takes.”

I thought I parried their loaded questions fairly well, but dealing with aggressive reporters for the first time in a while thoroughly drained my social battery.

After wrapping up the press conference as succinctly as possible, I was escorted to a secure conference room deep within the Alliance Headquarters.

My next—and far more dangerous—meeting was waiting for me.

The Official Rank 1 summit.

“Right this way, sir,” the aide murmured.

I followed my guide and pushed through the heavy double doors into the room.

The room was dead silent.

No one spoke a word.

Under the dim, atmospheric lighting, five men and women were seated in luxurious leather chairs, their eyes locked on me in synchronized, hostile glares.

Naked bloodlust, overbearing physical pressure, and volatile psychic energy swirled violently in the enclosed air.

These were the apex predators. The unofficial highest tiers among the Official Rank 1 hunters.

Rank 1, Gabriel Garcia Rodriguez.

Rank 2, Franz.

Rank 5, Wang Ya.

Rank 8, Seraph.

Rank 9, Firefly.

Including myself, six out of the world’s ten Official Rank 1s were present in this single room.

Phil had mentioned beforehand that the attendance rate for this specific summit was entirely unprecedented. Even when mandatory global meetings were convened, these wildly capricious demigods usually only bothered to show up with an average turnout of two.

Back in the day, I might have been intimidated enough to break into a cold sweat. But having survived a similar gauntlet at the World Guild Conference before, I honestly couldn’t care less about their posturing.

“I’m Kim Yusin,” I announced dryly.

I strode right past their menacing auras, plopped myself down into the Supreme Commander’s seat positioned dead center at the table, and casually crossed my legs.

“We’re short on time, so let’s skip the pleasantries and cut straight to the point. Every single one of you Official Rank 1s is officially drafted into the Strike Squad. I expect you to do your absolute best, follow my orders, and pull your weight during the Nemesis operation. That is all.”

No one dared to speak.

A heavy, dreadful silence descended upon the room like a suffocating blanket.

“Hold on a second, Tower Master.”

Franz was the first to break the tension. He was a ruggedly built Westerner with a voluminous mane of thick brown hair that made him look like a scarred lion.

“Do you even realize what kind of room you just walked into?”

“I do,” I replied, casually buffing my fingernails against my jacket. “It’s like a cute little tea party for the top hunters, isn’t it?”

Franz fell silent.

Franz’s expression turned murderous.

“You arrogant little punk, you must have a death wi—”

“Stand down.”

The blonde woman who interrupted Franz leveled a cold stare at me.

It was the strongest gravity-type user on Earth, Seraph.

“Are you displaying such blatant disrespect just because they handed you the Supreme Commander badge? We are not your subordinates, boy, and we couldn’t care less about the fancy title the Alliance slapped on your chest. You are in a position where you need to beg for our participation on your knees.”

“Ah, I suppose you’re right.” I casually propped my chin up on my hand, looking amused. “Then let’s lay our cards on the table. What do you want? Money? Fame? Exclusive territorial rights? Or maybe you just want the ego trip of seeing me cowering before your little displays of bloodlust, bowing down and rubbing my palms together in utter submission?”

“…You!”

“Interest.”

A deep, gravelly voice cut through the room. The man who had been sitting in absolute silence the entire time—whose muscular body was covered in complex, dizzying tribal tattoos—finally lifted his head.

The current strongest hunter alive, Gabriel Garcia Rodriguez.

“I cannot find any interest in this little war of yours.”

“Great. I actually prefer dealing with this approach. It makes a hell of a lot more sense.”

Every human life experiences severe turbulence, and enduring those vicious twists and turns inevitably causes permanent wrinkles to form in one’s ideology and values.

Everyone is inevitably twisted in some way. Most simply suppress their true nature to function in polite society, but in reality, anyone pushed far enough is capable of anything.

In that sense, these Official Rank 1 hunters were the absolute pinnacle of twisted, damaged individuals.

Honestly, I didn’t think it was even mathematically possible to reach the realm of Official Rank 1 while remaining entirely sane.

You had to slaughter thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of monsters. You had to traverse nightmarish alternate dimensions as casually as stepping out to a convenience store for a coffee, and you had to cross the threshold of death more times than you could even count.

These people sitting before me were literal monsters born from fiercely piling up mountains of horrific karma.

They had suffered through traumas so profoundly shattering that ordinary people couldn’t even begin to comprehend them. To keep themselves from falling apart, they had simply gone mad in their own unique ways.

These beautifully distorted monsters were no longer driven by trivial, worldly things like money, love, or fleeting fame.

They were driven by primal desires. Like the ’interest’ Gabriel had just mentioned.

I had to provide each of them with the exact, tailor-made motivation required to make them move.

They had felt a spark of interest in me, which was exactly why they had bothered to show up to my summons despite having zero legal or moral obligation to do so.

If they felt even a shred of disappointment in me here, they would walk out that door without a second thought, and the Strike Squad would crumble before it even began.

“Then allow me to tell you a few things,” I said, clearing my throat. “This impending disaster, Nemesis, marks the absolute end of your hunter careers. Whether we manage to clear Nemesis or we fail and die, this is the finish line. There is no ’after’.”

“…Where did you hear that?”

“The specific details are highly classified so I can’t share them, but let’s just say I heard it directly from the mouth of Oracle. Which means it’s time to burn your final, glorious flame, doesn’t it? Gabriel.”

I locked eyes directly with the tattooed giant.

“You’re searching for a worthy place to die, aren’t you?”

“…You know far more than you let on.”

“Yes, I know quite a lot about the skeletons in all of your closets. But the crucial point here is that this is the final disaster, and there are only two possible endings: either the Earth survives, or it perishes in flames. So I will ask you again.”

I interlocked my fingers and leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table.

“Is there really any need for me to beg and plead for your participation?”

No one answered.

“You don’t like me, so you refuse to join the Strike Squad. Fine, do whatever you want. I suppose everyone has the right to choose suicide. But one thing is absolutely certain: Nemesis is a disaster where humanity’s chances of total annihilation heavily outweigh our chances of victory. Regardless of your attendance, an allied human Strike Squad must—and will—be formed to march into the meat grinder.”

“You are the one who is deeply mistaken.”

Gabriel slowly stood up, his massive frame casting a shadow over the table.

“The interest I feel does not lie in the disaster.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s you.” His eyes blazed as if they had physically caught fire. “If you wish to use me as your weapon, prove your worth.”

Fighting spirit.

“Well, it’s been a while since the old man actually made a good point,” Franz chimed in, cracking his knuckles. “I refuse to bow down to some arrogant greenhorn kid as my superior. Who the hell do you think you are to step over our decades of bloodshed and play boss?”

Jealousy.

“The end of the world or whatever, none of that trivial nonsense is my concern.” The white-haired man, Firefly, tilted his head, his eyes glinting with madness. “Let’s play a game.”

Amusement.

“Just as I thought. There’s no need to drag this boring conversation out any longer.”

I rose from my seat, a dark grin spreading across my face.

“Everyone, step outside.”

*

Hong Yeon, who had been deeply entrenched in preparing for a demonkin subjugation dispatch, had asked the Alliance for their understanding in advance. As a result, she arrived at the Switzerland Headquarters a bit late.

Ever since becoming the Association President, she had visited the Alliance Headquarters quite frequently, but today the atmosphere in the building felt unusually volatile and chaotic.

She also kept hearing the name ’Kim Yusin’ being whispered frantically in the hallways. A dreadful, anxious premonition began to creep over her—had that man caused another massive international incident?

She immediately contacted Secretary General Phil and demanded to know what had happened.

“Well, this is… we have a bit of a problem.”

Her premonition had been dead on.

Phil informed her that the fiercely prideful, veteran Official Rank 1s had flatly refused to acknowledge Yusin’s appointment as Supreme Commander. In response, Yusin had abruptly grabbed the three most hostile hunters and vanished to who-knows-where.

Yusin had left Phil with only a single ominous message:

“You completely expected the Rank 1s to react this way, didn’t you, Secretary General? I will employ my own personal methods of persuasion.”

Upon hearing those words, Hong Yeon felt a nauseating wave of anxiety wash over her.

The absolute second Phil relayed their suspected coordinates, she enlisted the help of the dedicated Warp mages Yusin had assigned to her and rushed over.

The destination was a deserted island in the remote Spratly archipelago.

The moment Hong Yeon stepped through the swirling portal of the Warp gate, she froze in absolute stunned disbelief.

Massive ancient trees had been violently uprooted, their splintered trunks strewn chaotically across the blasted earth. Thick, pitch-black smoke completely blanketed the sky, blotting out the sun. And sitting dead center amidst the smoking, apocalyptic ruins was a single solitary figure.

A massive fork of lightning struck across the oppressive gray sky, casting a stark, blinding illumination over the devastated surroundings.

Hong Yeon’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. She couldn’t process what she was seeing.

Rank 1, Gabriel.

Rank 2, Franz.

Rank 5, Wang Ya.

Stacked neatly face-down on top of each other in the dirt were the most powerful Rank 1 hunters on the planet. And sitting squarely atop their bruised, unconscious bodies like they were a living throne was a man dressed in gorgeous blue robes.

Lightning flashed once again, harshly illuminating the man’s face.

A dark, thoroughly sinister smile was plastered across his lips.

“You’re here, Yeon?”

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