[Wow, I thought the B-rank battles were impressive, but once you get to A-rank, the intensity is on a whole different level.]
[Link] There's a live stream running on billbill right now. If anyone's curious about the audience, check it out here:^)
At the beginning of the tournament's second day, just as public interest was beginning to wane, the first participating S-rank Hunter, Kang Changho, finally appeared.
Naturally, the reaction was explosive.
Kang Changho's match itself was actually fairly uneventful. His opponent, an A-rank who had been running away in hopes of securing the additional reward, was eventually caught, and Kang Changho destroyed the necklace to claim a relatively straightforward victory.
[Whoaaa!]
[Awesome!]
[Even someone like that really is an S-rank, huh?]
[A guy who's good at everything except protecting the country]
Afterward, plenty of other interesting scenes followed.
There was the desperate struggle of a Hunter from an impoverished country, driven by a sense of duty because he needed to earn foreign currency from this match to help feed his compatriots back home.
There was the fervent support of fans cheering for a famous participant who had once been a celebrity.
And so on.
"Damn, another commercial."
YTV, the broadcasting station that had acquired the rights to air the tournament, ran advertisements for cosmetics and beer whenever there was a break in the action.
Just as viewers were beginning to grow bored with the constant commercial interruptions and the string of matches between competitors of the same rank—
A new caption finally appeared on the screen.
[[Republic of Korea][Rank S][Kim Gi-ryeo]]
The instant the man's face appeared on camera, streaming sites across the internet erupted into chaos.
[???]
[Huh?]
[Huh???]
Kim Giryeo's participation had remained undecided until shortly before the Yellow Dragon Battle began, so no country had publicly announced that he would be competing.
Yet within just three minutes of his appearance, the blond S-rank Hunter produced a monstrous effect.
YTV's ratings shot all the way up to 14%.
[Dreamlike Turn-Based TCG Delta Karma Free Forum]
[New Post]
• Everyone, turn on the TV right now! The tournament is going insane right now!::;
[Reply]
• What's a tournament? Why are you talking about that here? This is a gaming forum!
[Reply]
• THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR CARD GAMES!!! Argh!!! Just trust me and turn it on already!! @!@!!
Eventually, even online communities completely unrelated to Awakened people were flooded with news about the tournament.
That alone said everything.
"When did he go to China again?"
"Was he aiming for Traina?"
"Kim Giryeo is actually fighting!"
"By the way, I heard a rumor that that Hunter is affiliated with the Ministry of Defense... Is that true...?"
People stared intently at their screens, each carrying their own expectations.
But what followed was nothing short of shocking.
Kim Giryeo—
[Huh.]
[??]
One of the strangest things about his behavior was that he simply clenched the gemstone portion of the match necklace in his right fist and fell silent.
Even ten seconds after the match began, he remained in exactly the same position.
So what in the world was that Hunter trying to do?
[What, is he basically saying, "Go ahead, try hitting me"?]
[Is he being considerate and letting her fill the participation time so she can at least collect the minimum prize?]
[But what happens if they go past 3 minutes?]
[If he's thought everything through, I guess he's confident he can catch her at the last second.]
Before long, the chat windows on the streaming platforms were overflowing with reactions.
Contrary to one particular person's concerns, those reactions were nowhere near critical.
Calling it patriotism might have been a little awkward, but Korean citizens could not help feeling uneasy about the idea of one of their country's Hunters openly revealing his abilities overseas.
And now, in the midst of those concerns, Kim Giryeo appeared to be deliberately concealing his true strength by adopting an entirely different strategy.
To the viewers, the timing seemed perfect.
Then—
A sudden change appeared on the screen.
BOOM! BOOM!
Sophia attacked first.
The viewers were momentarily confused, but soon remembered the tournament's special rules.
If an A-rank successfully evaded an S-rank Hunter for the full three minutes—or somehow managed an act of rebellion against them—they could receive a prize far exceeding the entry fee.
It was a gamble worth taking.
Sophia, a freelance Hunter.
She certainly looked desperate.
But if you imagined her as someone burdened with debt and urgently in need of money, then her behavior made perfect sense, didn't it?
"Wow—"
The viewers were left speechless by the violent display of magic unleashed by the American Hunter.
And it was around this point that the infamous "scene" appeared.
[...]
As the dense smoke gradually dispersed, a single eyelid moved.
YTV, which had secured the broadcasting rights, had prepared drone cameras specifically for the event.
One of them captured a close-up of someone's cold gaze.
The instant the footage aired, netizens erupted.
[Crazy]
[He's fine???]
[I was wondering why he didn't dodge, but it wasn't because he couldn't.]
[This is insane.]
[??? He just stood there inside the fire?]
[Wow]
[Gasp]
Even Kang Changho had not openly allowed himself to be struck like that.
No matter how superhuman an S-rank might be, even they could not simply ignore attacks from Hunters only one step below them on the power hierarchy.
That was probably why Kang Changho had dodged when his opponent in the first round had desperately unleashed a skill against him.
But Kim Giryeo had taken the attack head-on.
And he was still completely unharmed.
[Did the camera quality drop or something, so we just can't see the wounds?? Is this even possible??]
Even a quail could wound the hand of a human far heavier than itself if it pecked hard enough.
Whether someone understood the precise differences in strength between Hunters or not, the scene unfolding before them inspired instinctive awe.
[See! I told you Kim Giryeo was a defensive type!!]
[Iron Fortress.gif]
[The edited clip is already up on YouTube ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The broadcasting station works fast.]
[Breaking News] Ahn Yoonseung, who missed the live broadcast because he had no idea his mentor had gone to China, expresses shock on SNS.]
Sophia had her summoning magic sealed and could use only relatively weak support skills.
Meanwhile, the Sacred Tree Seedling guaranteed defensive power worthy of an S-rank defensive Hunter—as long as its user could endure the side effects.
With flames exploding all around him, Kim Giryeo maintained a razor-sharp gaze, his eyes glittering like diamonds.
The scene was the product of several unrelated factors coincidentally aligning at once.
But from the perspective of an ordinary person...
Objectively speaking, it looked incredibly impressive.
"U-Ugh..."
A short while later.
Roughly one minute and thirty seconds into the match, something strange happened.
Sophia suddenly screamed and surrendered.
However, the viewers quickly arrived at their own explanation.
Anonymous: It hasn't even been 2 minutes yet, and she suddenly forfeits?
Anonymous: I slowed the video down to 0.5x, and right before she surrenders, there's a moment where Kim Giryeo seems to raise his left arm. If she hadn't surrendered right then, it looks like he would've hit her with a skill.
Anonymous: It's hard for us to tell while we're sitting in our rooms, but it's different when you're actually there. Sophia must've been able to feel Hunter Kim Giryeo's magic power directly.
Anonymous: Where do you think the Awakening power that knocked Cho Sangoh down went? ㅋ. Judging from what Han Jeheon said, Hunter Kim Giryeo's actual magic power must be insane. If it were me, I'd probably forget all about the prize and react the same way instinctively.
Smell.
Touch.
Magic power.
No matter how advanced technology became, modern displays still could not transmit sensations like these.
And upon the seeds of distortion planted by countless previous incidents, yet another perfectly seamless misunderstanding was completed before anyone had the chance to sort out the truth.
In the end, contrary to the fears of one particular S-rank Hunter, public opinion online shifted in a positive direction.
[What is to ----]
Of course, as always, there was no such thing as a perfect story that everyone in the world could agree on.
[So these so-called S-rank Hunters got blinded by prize money and went all the way to China to embarrass themselves? ㅋㅋㅋ]
A few minutes later.
A commercial featuring a famous celebrity promoting car insurance appeared on YTV once again.
But while the advertisement itself showed warm, peaceful scenery, a fierce argument was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} unfolding online.
[If two S-rank Hunters are missing, who's supposed to close the dungeons? Even if the dungeon situation was already like that, what the hell was Kim Giryeo thinking?]
[Sigh... At this rate, they're going to start mocking us again, calling us >>small country<< people obsessed with money.]
[Honestly, it does seem a little thoughtless ㅋㅋㅋ]
The three East Asian countries had been entangled with one another throughout countless chapters of history due to their geographical proximity.
The resentment accumulated through those processes was not something that could simply be erased by the shock of the dungeon era.
[A few years during WWII or, more recently, America or the Soviets. Either way, it's not China lol. (Btw I'm Chinese.)]
[Huh?]
However, surprisingly, the prevailing opinion soon began to shift again.
[Oh, I admit it]
[I admit it]
[But isn't he insane...?]
A few hours later, a breaking-news article appeared on the front page of the 'Seonhan Daily' website.
***
China.
A hotel near the Hunter tournament venue.
BAM!
A certain broadcast was playing on the 98-inch television mounted on the wall of a suite.
It showed the match between South Korea's S-rank Hunter and an American freelancer.
And the moment the now-iconic scene of the Korean opening his eyes appeared on screen, Zhan burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Ha!"
The Korean figure on the screen looked like a needle hidden inside a ball of cotton.
Handling the Inevitable Malice?
That had merely been the cleanup of a rag already on the verge of death.
The Siren?
Any S-rank Hunter should naturally possess considerable resistance to song-based attacks, so conquering the Mermaid's Pass should have been possible for anyone at the highest level.
Then there was Japan's Kagoshima S-rank gate.
By now, his activities in the location that had since been named [Nest of Poison] amounted to little more than support work at best.
With assistance from the Public Security Bureau, Zhan had secretly reviewed copies of the dispatch contracts exchanged between Korea and Japan.
As a result, China had long since concluded that the man was, in reality, little more than an empty shell with an impressive exterior.
"Kim Giryeo..."
However, after watching the morning match, Zhan's assessment changed considerably.
It had been about ten minutes since Zhan's own first match ended.
At the same time, the tournament had entered its official lunch break.
Zhan had returned to the hotel to maintain his condition, and while waiting for his meal to be prepared, the video playing on the television caught his attention.
"What an impressive Hunter."
He had never expected such an unexpected figure to become the center of attention.
There were five foreign S-ranks participating in the tournament in China.
But among them, there had only been one foreigner Zhan had truly been watching.
Enzo Chiano.
Because of the nature of Enzo's Awakening ability, several of Zhan's skills were inevitably sealed whenever they faced one another.
For that reason, Zhan had tailored his arena strategy as much as possible with Enzo specifically in mind.
"Hmm."
A few minutes later, a Chinese-style dish prepared with stir-fried sea cucumber, bok choy, and bamboo shoots was delivered to Zhan's room.
But after glancing at the food the hotel staff had brought in, Zhan waved his hand dismissively.
"Take it away."
"Yes?"
"Change the schedule. Remove all of this. And have a car waiting in front of the hotel."
It seemed that today's lunch would have to be shared with that impenetrable Korean.
Zhan had looked down on him for coming from such a small country, but surprisingly, the man's innate talent appeared to be exceptional.
Kim Giryeo was a freelance Hunter who, despite being an S-rank, had left his country behind without even caring about his dignity.
He had clearly been blinded by the expensive prizes offered by the tournament.
A materialistic Korean like him should be easy enough to persuade.
Offer him sufficient wealth, and changing his allegiance would surely not be difficult.
"His country was once a vassal of China. If you think about it, couldn't Kim Giryeo practically be considered one of our own? In that case, he shouldn't have much difficulty adjusting if he naturalized here."
That was Zhan's peculiar way of looking at things.
Rather than submitting themselves to a country like the United States—with its distant lands and different races—he believed that any Asian would naturally prefer to gravitate toward China.
And if Kim Giryeo wished to move into a larger market, Zhan saw no reason why China could not readily accept him.