Chapter 762
‘Oh dear.’
Huginn clicked his tongue softly.
Beyond the specially treated windows that prevented anyone from seeing inside, the slowly approaching ground and the staggering number of reporters were clearly visible.
‘They’ve gathered in quite a crowd.’
Of course, that in itself was nothing unusual.
Even under normal circumstances, Michael Silbert’s name was always enough to draw reporters like flies, and ever since the terror incidents began, they had become rabid enough to come running at the mere sight of the Guild Master’s Private Aircraft.
Even so, in Huginn’s memory, there had never been a press crowd this large in recent years.
‘The problem is… the focus of those cameras isn’t on us, but on someone else.’
The power of the media was formidable.
The easily swayed public saw cameras as their eyes and speakers as their ears.
So what would happen if, on an occasion this important, every spotlight was aimed at Jin Taekyung?
‘Troublesome. Very troublesome.’
Just as Huginn muttered to himself and pulled his smartphone from his pocket—
“Leave them be.”
In that brief instant, a sudden voice pierced his ear, and Huginn felt his heart drop.
‘How?’
After serving him for so long, he already knew whose voice it was.
What startled Huginn, however, was the fact that he had not sensed the slightest trace of a presence from someone who had been standing only a few steps away.
Even though he too was an S-rank Hunter with exceptionally outstanding abilities.
“…You’ve arrived.”
Sensing the agitation his loyal subordinate had barely managed to suppress, Michael Silbert spoke abruptly.
“Was it that unexpected?”
After a moment’s thought, Huginn replied,
“No.”
“You seemed surprised.”
“For the first moment, yes. But not anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because you are the Guild Master.”
“You truly are a born flatterer.”
“I mean it sincerely. I would stake my life on it.”
“One shouldn’t wager such a precious life so lightly.”
“It’s fine. It’s a life I dedicated to you long ago, Guild Master.”
A soft chuckle escaped Michael at Huginn’s smooth reply, and he turned his gaze out the window.
“It’s quite noisy outside.”
“I was just about to disperse them.”
“I thought you would. If it were you.”
Then came a brief remark.
“Still, leave them be.”
Huginn toyed with the smartphone in his hand.
With a single phone call, he could send every reporter gathered outside scattering.
Even if coercive methods had to be used in the process, not a single line about it would make it into print.
The Odin Guild, this world, was that kind of place.
But for Huginn, the most important thing was the will of the superior he served with his life.
Even so, this time he could not accept it so easily.
“May I ask the reason?”
“The reason?”
“Yes. The reason for coming all the way to Munich when there is nothing to gain here. The reason for deliberately meeting Jin Taekyung in front of all those reporters.”
It was a question Huginn had harbored ever since leaving South Africa.
The Monster Wave that broke out in Munich was something that could not have been predicted, and by the time they were ready to take off, Jin Taekyung, having moved several steps faster, had already finished dealing with the situation.
In other words, the protagonist of today’s stage was Jin Taekyung.
“Public opinion toward Jin Taekyung has been unusual lately. The protest rallies that sprang up all over the world right after the Leviathan incident have been disbanding one after another, and even media outlets aligned with us are being cautious in the current atmosphere.”
“So?”
“At the very least, at this moment, Jin Taekyung is receiving more attention than you are, Guild Master. In that kind of situation, is there really any need to meet him and draw even more attention to him?”
“It sounds as though you’re saying I’m nothing more than a supporting actor. A spotlight meant to make Jin Taekyung shine even brighter.”
“…Forgive me for saying so, but yes.”
After speaking, Huginn lowered his head.
Though his words came from loyalty, he did not have the courage to face the anger his superior might soon reveal.
‘But this is the reality.’
The tide had already turned.
The Odin Guild led by Michael had accumulated remarkable achievements by suppressing more than ten Monster Waves during this terror crisis, but Jin Taekyung had also restored his collapsing reputation through just two incidents.
There was, of course, the infamy of Leviathan, which had all but ruled the seas during the Great Cataclysm.
And there was also the fact that the Munich Monster Wave, which erupted on a scale beyond all expectations, had ended in a great victory.
But Huginn believed there was a more fundamental reason public opinion had shifted so rapidly.
‘Yes. Jin Taekyung.’
Those who already possessed much were destined to receive envy and jealousy before reverence.
But to the public, Jin Taekyung was a hero more familiar and more devoted than anyone else.
His difficult family circumstances.
The fact that after Awakening, he took responsibility for supporting his family, moved from Gate to Gate without a single day of rest, and until only a year ago, lived in a shabby little goshiwon barely five pyeong wide, surviving on instant noodles.
That was why, even after that young, poor, lowest-rank Hunter one could find anywhere in the world came to grasp immense wealth and fame, the image of the old Jin Taekyung remained deeply imprinted in people’s hearts.
Even when he charged alone into a massive guild for revenge.
Even when he dyed the desert in blood to achieve his goal.
Even when he broke countless laws and procedures in the process, Huginn was certain the reason it had ended with nothing more than criticism was because of that image.
‘This world… the public loves Jin Taekyung.’
Despite the media offensive, Jin Taekyung’s support base had remained solid, and the people who criticized him, caught in fear of the terror crisis, crumbled like sandcastles after just one or two accomplishments.
Of course. That’s just who Jin Taekyung is.
That was how they justified it.
Rather than condemning him, they blamed themselves for ever wavering, even for a moment.
‘This is a kind of indulgence. An invisible indulgence the public granted Jin Taekyung.’
An indulgence no one but Cheon Tae-min had ever possessed.
The very indulgence Michael had tried so desperately to obtain was something Jin Taekyung already held.
‘Precisely because of that, we cannot allow him to stand out any further than this.’
It was right then, as Huginn was muttering inwardly, that the pilot’s voice came through the speakers inside the private aircraft along with a light vibration.
[Landing successful. The door will open shortly, so please let us know when you are ready.]
“Not yet. Don’t open the door. Wait—”
“Open it.”
Huginn hurriedly raised his head.
Michael, seeing the confusion plainly written across his subordinate’s face, let out a hearty laugh.
“Huginn, my cautious friend.”
“Guild Master!”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention whatsoever of becoming someone else’s spotlight.”
“What do you mean—”
[Opening the door. Please step back from the entrance momentarily.]
Whoosh.
Huginn’s unfinished words were swallowed up by the noise that burst forth like a broken dam the moment the door opened.
Click, flash flash flash!
“Michael! Michael! Please look this way just once!”
“We’re from TBC Broadcasting! Just one word, please!”
“We understand this is your second meeting. What kind of relationship do you usually have with Mr. Jin?”
“Now that almost all crisis situations have been resolved, what brings you to Munich?”
“What are your thoughts on Mr. Jin’s achievements?”
“According to the German government, the scale of the Munich Monster Wave was nearly ten times that of Cape Town! Don’t you think it took too long to suppress it?”
Huginn’s face hardened stiffly at the nonstop flashes and the reporters’ questions, which came pouring out like shouted accusations.
As expected.
Most of the questions were focused on Jin Taekyung, and some bold reporters were even openly drawing comparisons.
“…Even if you have something in mind, Guild Master, it would be better to postpone any interview for now.”
But in response to Huginn’s words, Michael only shook his head calmly and took a firm step toward the exit.
Along with a remark that seemed to have nothing to do with the situation at all.
“I watched the footage you retrieved from Japan. It was very interesting.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.”
Thud.
Michael Silbert descended the stairs of the private aircraft with an unwavering stride and came to a stop before the countless cameras and flashes.
Then, looking beyond the shoulders of the reporters clamoring for an exclusive and the German federal soldiers holding them back, he beamed brightly at the approaching figure.
“Finally, the young hero has arrived.”
Flash flash flash!
Flashes brighter than ever lit up the night.
Amid the gasps and the reporters hurriedly clearing a path, the two heroes slowly approached each other and at last came face-to-face.
“We meet again like this, Jin.”
Thud.
A greeting delivered in a cheerful tone, and a hand suddenly extended.
Jin Taekyung, who had been silently staring at the enemy’s smiling face, accepted the handshake.
In a low voice simmering with heat, he said,
“…Michael Silbert.”
Crack.
The tightly clasped hands of the two men turned white.
Everyone lived wearing their own mask.
For the sake of smooth social relations.
To make a living.
Or to avoid unnecessary conflict.
But the mask Michael Silbert wore was thicker and harder than that of anyone I had ever met.
So much so that I could not begin to imagine what might be hidden behind it.
Crack.
The sound of bones grinding came from our clasped hands.
Feeling the force transmitted through his grip, I widened my eyes.
‘What the hell is this…?’
An absurdly overwhelming grip strength.
Of course, I wasn’t using my full power either, since there were so many eyes on us, but even so, I couldn’t hide my shock at a strength that far exceeded my expectations.
‘How?’
My physical capabilities, strengthened through the System, were literally superhuman.
That was why I had thought no supreme master and no S-rank Hunter could even come close to me in pure physical ability.
No, that was what I had believed.
Until the moment I clasped his hand.
– I think the greeting has gone on long enough. Don’t you agree?
– We’re in front of cameras. It would be better for both of us to be a little more careful.
Only then did I come back to my senses and look around.
We had been holding hands for close to ten seconds now, and a few reporters were already staring at us suspiciously.
“Ah.”
“This friend here seems very happy to see me. I feel the same.”
Pat pat.
The reporters smiled subtly at the sight of Michael patting my shoulder with a familiar air and a pleasant smile.
But between him and me, a secret conversation was unfolding that neither their cameras nor their microphones could capture.
– What kind of act is this?
– Well now. I’m not sure what you mean. Is it an act to come and congratulate a young Hubae on his victory?
– Even a passing dog would laugh. You son of a bitch.
– You really do refuse to believe me.
– Sorry, but I’m not that much of an idiot. You’re already one step too late.
Michael Silbert gave a quiet chuckle and moved his lips.
– Actually, you’re right. I came here to make a very important announcement.
– An important announcement?
– Yes. An announcement that will turn this world upside down.
– …What?
What the hell was this bastard talking about?
The moment I stared at him blankly, caught off guard by those unexpected words,
Michael Silbert abruptly erased the smile from his lips and looked straight into the cameras.
And then…
He threw a bombshell at the world that no one there had anticipated.