Chapter 62: Am I the Only One Who Thinks This Is Strange?

It was said that summoning a spirit would take some time, so I returned to the dungeon for now.

The forest had been corrupted by the Curse of the Fallen Dragon.

Amidst the gloomy, tainted forest lay the corpse of a dragon.

‘I should take that too.’

The leather looked too worn to use, but the bones seemed usable if processed properly. I approached and placed my hand on the bones.

I checked the information with the Golden Dragon Eye.

[Dragon’s Bone]

• Possesses strong durability.
• Excellent mana conductivity, reducing mana consumption and greatly increasing skill power.
• Can be imbued with special magic.
• Extremely difficult to use in crafting.

It seemed that the curse and corruption did not adversely affect the Dragon Lair.

I put the dragon’s bones into the Dragon Lair Warehouse.

The massive dragon corpse disappeared in an instant, and in its place appeared a portal leading outside.

“Hm?”

Normally, when a dungeon is cleared, a blue portal appears.

But in my eyes, a red portal shimmered distinctly.

Rubbing my eyes to be sure, the vivid red portal remained clear. I approached and used the Golden Dragon Eye to confirm the information.

[Wyvern King’s Nest (S)]

• Hunt the wyvern, ruler of the skies.
• Possesses strong magical resistance.
• Wyvern King 0/1
  Reward: S-Rank Magic Stone, S-Rank Skillbook.

This was the dungeon I had originally planned to clear.

‘Awesome.’

This meant I could secure one more S-rank Guardian. Since I had to clear the dungeon to exit anyway, I stepped into the red portal.

A tall mountain made of stone.

No trees were visible anywhere around.

Only a barren mountain range composed entirely of rock, where a fierce wind blew.

Whooooosh!

To quickly finish and leave, I cast Perception Magic to spread mana in all directions and gather information.

I sensed multiple presences not far away.

Looking toward the source of the presences, I found a basin-like area, perfect for hiding.

“Teleport.”

In an instant, I crossed the space and arrived at the basin terrain.

Standing atop a high point, I looked inside.

There were clusters of what appeared to be wyvern eggs, surrounded by grayish wyverns curled up with their eyes closed.

Among them, one wyvern was noticeably larger than the others.

‘Is that the Wyvern King?’

I fixed my gaze and activated the Golden Dragon Eye.

[Using Golden Dragon Eye]
[Wyvern King (S)]

• The king of the wyvern flock.
• Pretending to be asleep.
• Overall stats: S
• Potential: S
• No items held.
• Skills: Supersonic Flight (S), Keen Senses (S), Blessing of the Wind (S), Tail Strike (S)… Breath (S).

With this level, it would be easy now.

I lightly jumped down and landed near the Wyvern King. Quietly exhaling, I stood right in front of the wyvern feigning sleep.

The wyvern slowly held its breath.

The moment it snapped its eyes open and stared at me, I opened the Dragon Heart and unleashed Dragon Fear.

Gooooo!

An intangible terror flowed into the wyvern’s pupils.

[… Wh-Who are you!?]

Seeing the creature resist slightly, I raised my fist.

“Burning Impact.”

With a fist wreathed in flames, I struck the wyvern’s head.

Kraaaang!

I controlled the strength so it wouldn’t die, only to stun it. Blackened and scorched, tears streamed down the wyvern’s face.

“Kneel.”

Terrified, the wyvern bowed its head.

[Would you like to appoint the Wyvern King as a Guardian?]

Yes.

[Wyvern King appointed as Guardian.]

The message that the dungeon had been cleared appeared as soon as I appointed the dungeon boss as a Guardian.

[Dungeon cleared.]
[Rewards obtained.]

A blue portal appeared, allowing exit.

‘I should bring the rest of the wyverns too.’

I created a portal leading to the Dragon Lair and gave instructions to the Wyvern King.

“I’m bringing your family along. Take all of them through here.”

“Yes! Understood!”

The Wyvern King, brimming with determination, woke the sleeping wyverns, gathered the eggs, and passed through the portal into the Dragon Lair.

I looked around to see if there was anything else to loot, but seeing nothing through the Golden Dragon Eye, I gave up and left.

Whoooosh!

Back in the real world, the association staff were waiting for me.

“Oh? You’re already out?”

“Any problems?”

“If you need anything, just say so. We’ll bring it quickly.”

“The dungeon is cleared.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the red portal began to vanish.

“Wow.”

“This is really on another level.”

I asked, watching the staff marvel.

“If you know of any other S-rank dungeons, could you tell me their locations?”

“Ah, I’ll show you.”

One staff member approached and detailed the current locations of S-rank dungeons via a tablet.

Both were relatively close.

‘Since I’m out, might as well handle them all and return.’

Summoning the spirit wasn’t urgent, and if I appointed just two more Guardians, I could visit the Support Center.

It seemed best to fulfill the conditions and return to the Dragon Lair.

“Well then, good luck.”

“Yes! You too, Dokkaebi-nim!”

After exchanging farewells with the association staff, I used Teleport to move to the next dungeon location.

Joo Wonseong stared dully at the camera on his desk, unable to sleep after an all-night session of worry.

The meeting would start soon.

The global Hunter Association’s meetings required attendance from all association heads, and failure to attend resulted in severe penalties.

Only truly exceptional circumstances allowed absence.

Especially since this meeting concerned China directly, Joo Wonseong, as the Chinese Association President, could not skip it.

‘…Huff.’

He imagined the situation that would unfold once the meeting began.

It was obvious without even watching.

The usual thorn in his side, the United States, would cause a scene, and the Korean Association President, who had captured the Blood Demon, would surely stir trouble.

Other association heads would back the U.S., casting looks of contempt mixed with ridicule.

‘…Clench.’

Joo Wonseong clenched his fist and slammed it down on the desk.

Bang.

China was not weak enough to deserve such treatment. Only two Twelve Constellations remained, and one was among the top three in strength.

If an S-rank or higher existed…

An SSS-rank would be the ultimate powerhouse.

Even with such allies, being treated this way was infuriating.

‘Should I just push through with force?’

He desperately wanted to.

But—

The most important ally, Cheonma, was unlikely to cooperate. He had been in seclusion for over five years, cutting off all contact.

Calling Cheonma just to deal with the U.S. was impossible.

Not only would Cheonma refuse, but he might even kill Joo Wonseong for disturbing his training.

“…Damn.”

Asking Geomseon was futile; as a peacekeeper, he would never desire human conflict.

Practically, the only ones Joo Wonseong could rely on were the S-rank Hunters aside from the Twelve Constellations.

‘But those guys can’t stop Dokkaebi.’

Since they had captured the Blood Demon, a Hunter of that caliber was required.

Even if he poured all his resources in, developing an S-rank Hunter to the Twelve Constellations’ level instantly was impossible.

Ultimately, he needed help.

• If you want to capture Dokkaebi, contact me.

That was the Japanese Association President’s offer.

This was why Joo Wonseong had spent the night in thought.

Whether or not to side with Japan.

‘…An Apostle.’

He had already worked with an Apostle.

A man brimming with confidence and arrogance.

His skills were not weak, but not on the level of the Twelve Constellations.

Somewhere in the ambiguous middle.

But the Apostle could not be judged by mere force alone.

‘The world he showed me.’

Even if currently weaker than the Twelve Constellations, he revealed another world where he could surpass them.

The Dragon God and those who followed him, the Apostles.

Their power was strong enough to rule the earth.

This was why Joo Wonseong followed the Apostle.

‘Beings that traverse dimensions.’

As strong as they were, they were just as arrogant.

He believed the Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God lost to Dokkaebi because of that arrogance.

So the Japanese proposal troubled him.

If he failed again, China would have to give up a great deal.

For China, it meant relinquishing everything here and taking full responsibility as association head.

‘How did I get this far…’

Position, power, honor.

He didn’t want to lose any of it.

Joo Wonseong clenched his fist tightly and curled his lips into a small smile.

“…Alright.”

It wasn’t easy reaching this point.

But just as he had made it here,

capturing Dokkaebi, though difficult,

he would succeed in the end.

By using Japan as a tool.

“I’m using a tool. Because I’m an intelligent man.”

With that thought, Joo Wonseong sent a message to the Japanese Association President accepting the proposal.

After hitting send, he felt lighter and joined the video conference.

Whoooosh!

Faces of the world’s Hunter Association presidents appeared on the massive screen in front of the association head office.

As expected, they wore expressions mixing mockery, disdain, and shock.

Joo Wonseong straightened his back and maintained his usual calm expression.

“Everyone is here. Let’s begin the meeting.”

The host’s announcement was met with nods.

“The reason for this gathering is the Chinese Association President’s neglect and the Blood Demon’s abuse of immunity. We will first address the Blood Demon issue.”

A huge screen displayed photos.

The Blood Demon’s face and the formation deployed in Korea.

Buildings and citizens harmed as a result.

“The Blood Demon used Forbidden Internal Energy, which consumes the life force of ordinary citizens to raise the strength of the Blood Pavilion’s warriors. It also attempted to kill Jessica of the Twelve Constellations and the rising star in Korea, Dokkaebi.”

“Why did the Blood Demon target Dokkaebi?”

Someone asked, and Korean Association President Lee Changgeon replied.

“The one who challenged Dokkaebi on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth was the Blood Demon’s disciple.”

“I don’t think the Blood Demon is the sentimental type to act for his disciple’s revenge…”

“I believe it’s more because the Blood Pavilion’s pride was scratched.”

The host spoke again.

“Regardless of the reason, what the Blood Demon did is a clear crime. And that crime happened due to the Chinese Association President’s neglect.”

“Neglect?”

Joo Wonseong asked back, and the U.S. Association President smiled arrogantly.

“Basically, you cannot leave your own territory. To enter another country, you need permission from their Twelve Constellations. Did you grant that?”

“Korea never granted permission.”

Lee Changgeon’s answer was followed by the U.S. President’s continuation.

“If you, as association president, didn’t know the Twelve Constellations were moving, that’s incompetence. If you knew but neglected it, then you’re complicit.”

The U.S. presented two choices.

Step down from the presidency due to incompetence.

Or be punished as an accomplice.

“How could I know when the Twelve Constellations are determined to act? Do you think I’m different?”

Joo Wonseong struck the gap between the accusations.

He was neither incompetent nor complicit.

It was simply unavoidable.

“Do you think you can avoid responsibility that way?”

“I will take responsibility. We agreed to transfer the Blood Pavilion’s assets to Korea and have apologized.”

Joo Wonseong smiled at Lee Changgeon’s words.

“Is that an apology?”

“Then should I kneel?”

“Kneeling before the public might ease things a little. A proper apology would help.”

Joo Wonseong clenched his fist beneath the desk. At the same time, he glanced toward the Japanese Association President.

Yookai said nothing.

‘That bastard…’

Snorting, Joo Wonseong met the gaze of all the association heads and restrained the boiling anger inside.

“…Make a proper apology.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Lee Changgeon smiled and turned off his microphone.

Just as the host prepared to continue the meeting, the silent Yookai spoke.

“But everyone seems to be missing something strange. Am I the only one who finds this situation odd?”

“Odd? What?”

“Isn’t China the one at fault?”

“Everyone’s eyes seem fixated on China. Yes, the Blood Demon is at fault, and China is at fault too. But the strangest thing is Dokkaebi.”

Yookai threw a question that shifted the mood.

“How could a Hunter who’s been active less than a month catch a Blood Demon using a formation? Am I the only one who finds that odd?”

“…What do you mean?”

The host asked, and Yookai answered.

“Hasn’t something similar happened before?”

“The serial killer Batistol?”

“The worst criminal with an absurd skill that grew stronger unnaturally while killing Hunters?”

“Exactly. Haven’t we experienced what happens when one person’s power becomes too great?”

“He was a criminal.”

“Dokkaebi hides his identity. We cannot confirm he isn’t a criminal.”

Opinions began to split.

Seeing the shift in mood, Yookai continued.

“Even if he didn’t commit crimes, suppose a month passes, then two months, and he becomes the strongest being in this world. If his heart changes then—”

Yookai’s eyes flashed.

“Can we stop him then?”