Chapter 222 – Meeting with Justin Walker

Min Do-jun arrived at the designated meeting place to meet Justin Walker. The location was a small park not far from the Korean Hunter Association.

‘He probably plans to meet here and then head straight to the Association.’

Understanding the intent, Min Do-jun chose not to stand in the middle of the park but instead hid among the trees. Actually, he had already concealed himself using invisibility. Even so, he positioned himself among the trees just in case Justin Walker’s high combat power might allow him to see through the invisibility.

‘I’ve equipped my full set of gear and hidden my body, so preparations are complete. Now, I just need to wait for him to show up.’

Hiding with invisibility, Min Do-jun planned to check if his Weakness Detection trait would work on Justin Walker once he appeared.

‘I’ll also check his combat power with the set effect.’

That was the reason he had equipped all his gear.

‘It’s about time for him to arrive.’

The appointed time had come, but Justin Walker was nowhere to be seen. There were only a few people in the park, so it was impossible to miss him.

‘Could it be a trap?’

Though he had considered the possibility of a trap, his concerns were soon dispelled. Justin Walker appeared, wearing sunglasses and a mask, likely to avoid drawing attention.

‘It’s definitely Justin Walker.’

Even with the disguise, Min Do-jun could identify him thanks to the Weakness Detection trait that revealed names.

[Justin Walker]

– Description: Hunter born in 1978. Current level is 4,400. Affiliated with Overlord Guild, profession is One-Handed Sword Warrior.

– Combat Style: Uses swift sword strikes to kill in the fastest and most efficient way. Prefers to ambush by targeting the neck when the opponent is off guard.

– Weakness: Has a strong perfectionist tendency, so he becomes greatly flustered if an attack is dodged. Always uses a thrust as his first move.

Not only the name but also the weaknesses were fully visible.

‘Weakness Detection works on him.’

This meant, in other words, that Justin Walker’s combat power was lower than his own.

‘Since I’ve confirmed he’s weaker than me, I don’t need to worry about my invisibility being detected…’

The second thing he was curious about, Justin Walker’s combat power, appeared in a message.

[Opponent’s Combat Power: 3,251,451]

‘3.25 million?’

Min Do-jun was slightly surprised. It wasn’t much different from his own combat power of 3.5 million.

‘As expected, the world rank 1 is on a different level.’

Compared to Shin Kyung-min, the domestic rank 1 with a combat power of just under 1.7 million, the American rank 1 had nearly double that value.

‘I thought he was just a high-level figurehead, but that’s not the case at all.’

He wasn’t just flashy on the outside; he was a true powerhouse through and through.

‘Even so, he’s no match for me.’

Though surprised by the similar combat power, Min Do-jun didn’t consider them on the same level. His own combat power was still increasing, while Justin Walker’s seemed to be at its peak.

‘Now that I know even the world rank 1 isn’t much, shall I return as Heo Ji-pyeong?’

Releasing his invisibility at an appropriate spot, Min Do-jun unequipped all his gear except for Tarnhelm. Then, with the face of Heo Ji-pyeong, which he had transformed into earlier, he appeared before Justin Walker.

“Mr. Justin Walker.”

Pretending to have just arrived, Min Do-jun spoke in Chinese, panting as if out of breath.

“Sorry for making you wait. I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”

“Why are you late?”

“I’m not familiar with Korea, so I took a wrong turn…”

“You should have accounted for that and left earlier, shouldn’t you? I’m disappointed.”

It didn’t seem like a joke; Justin Walker’s expression was dark.

“I’m sorry.”

“I went out of my way to let you stay by my side because you were curious about my conversation with the Association President…”

How dare you make the world rank 1 wait? You insolent fool.

Though he didn’t say it out loud, his expression clearly conveyed that sentiment.

“I’ve made a mistake. I won’t be late again.”

“I’ll let it slide this once. Next time, make sure to keep the appointed time. That is, if you don’t want to fall out of favor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Bowing repeatedly to appease Justin, Min Do-jun gritted his teeth inwardly.

‘Once I get the information I want, you’re a dead man.’

Since Min Do-jun already surpassed Justin Walker, he had more than enough ability to kill him. The only reason he was keeping him alive was to hear what demands he would make of the Association President.

“Let’s go.”

As Justin Walker took the lead, Min Do-jun quietly followed behind.

‘Turning his back to me like this. Does he trust Heo Ji-pyeong that much?’

Or perhaps he was just confident in his own abilities.

‘With combat power that most hunters couldn’t even dream of matching.’

Following Justin Walker, Min Do-jun gave an order to the Ghost Wolf to memorize his scent.

[The summoned beast has memorized the scent.]

[Real-time location tracking is active.]

[Currently memorized scents: 4 types.]

Shin Kyung-min, Shin Hye-ri, Kang Hyuk-su, and now Justin Walker.

Out of the four targets for revenge, three were now within Min Do-jun’s grasp.

‘Except for Seo Jin-cheol, I can track them anytime.’

If he decided to, he could find and kill them whenever he wanted.

‘Not yet. It’s not too late to kill them after observing the situation a bit longer.’

He still needed to uncover the mastermind behind the coup, so he couldn’t kill them just yet.

“Stay close to me and act like my entourage. Don’t say a word.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s go in.”

Entering the Association building, the two were soon stopped by security personnel. Wearing sunglasses and a mask, Justin Walker looked suspicious to anyone.

“What brings you here?”

“I’ve come to meet the Korean Association President.”

Speaking in English, Justin Walker was met with a response in the same language from the security guard.

“Do you have an appointment with the President?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then you cannot meet him.”

As if expecting the refusal, Justin Walker had already removed his sunglasses and mask.

“Tell him that Justin Walker from the United States has come to see him.”

“Gasp!”

Justin Walker.

There was no way the security guard at the Hunter Association wouldn’t recognize that globally famous face.

“J-Justin…!”

“Shh, keep it quiet.”

Justin Walker put his sunglasses and mask back on.

“My visit here is a secret.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Is the President upstairs?”

“Yes. He’s in the President’s office.”

“Then inform him immediately. Tell him Justin Walker has come to meet him.”

* * *

Knock, knock-

The door to the President’s office opened, and a secretary entered.

“What is it?”

“A visitor has come to see you.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes. It’s Justin Walker.”

Hearing a name he couldn’t ignore, the Association President’s face stiffened instantly.

“Wh-Who did you say came?”

“Justin Walker. He wishes to meet with you.”

‘It’s finally here.’

The President’s mind went blank.

“President? Are you alright? Your complexion…”

“Ah, I-I’m fine.”

“What should I do? Shall I let him in?”

“No! Tell him I’m not here.”

Not yet mentally prepared, the President instructed to turn Justin away.

However.

“Well… the security guard already told him you’re in the office, so that might not work.”

“What?”

They had already told him.

‘If I say the security guard was mistaken, would he believe it?’

Probably not.

‘Damn it. What do I do?’

He had tried to make an excuse to delay the meeting, but that was no longer possible.

“Idiot security guard!”

“…If you don’t want to meet him, shall I say you’re busy and send him away?”

“Busy? Do you not know who he is? Even if I’m busy, I have to make time to meet someone like him.”

“Or I could say the security guard was mistaken…”

“If I suddenly change my story like that, won’t he get suspicious? Huh?”

“Th-then what should I say…”

“Tell him I’ll meet him!”

“Understood.”

There were no other options.

He had no choice but to meet him.

‘Damn it. I knew he’d come eventually, but I didn’t think it would be today.’

The reason the President was avoiding Justin Walker was simple.

He had lost the legendary sword that Justin had entrusted to him.

‘Sigh, I’ll be meeting him soon. What should I say?’

Should he tell the truth, that it was taken by an unknown group?

What if he asks how they knew about it and took it?

What if he presses on the fact that confidential information leaked out?

‘No matter what I say, I can’t avoid responsibility.’

In the end, he had failed to protect the sword he was entrusted with.

‘If only Eui-cheol hadn’t traded it for his daughter…’

If he had protected the sword to the end, he wouldn’t be in this headache-inducing situation.

At that moment, something Hwang Eui-cheol had said flashed through the President’s mind.

-If I ever get into danger, suspect Justin Walker first. There’s no one else who could have leaked the information.

‘Could this really be Justin Walker’s own doing?’

Though suspicion arose now, meeting him would reveal something.

Knock, knock-

“President, Justin Walker has arrived.”

“Tell him to come in quickly.”

As the door opened, a Westerner and an Asian man entered.

‘J-Justin Walker!’

He looked exactly as he did when they met in the US to receive the sword.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Justin Walker! It’s an honor to have the world’s greatest hunter visit Korea!”

Fawning in English as much as possible, the President glanced sideways.

A sharp-looking Asian man stood silently.

“And the person beside you is…?”

“He’s my entourage.”

“Ah, I see. Then, since we need to speak privately, could he step outside…?”

“No, there’s no need. My entourage is tight-lipped.”

“…”

Though uneasy, the President couldn’t object further.

As a civilian, he couldn’t afford to upset the world’s top-ranked hunter, especially in his current situation of having lost the item.

“Mr. Justin Walker, when did you arrive in Korea?”

“I arrived today.”

“Oh my, then you must not have had time to sightsee?”

“Pretty much.”

“How about it? If you have time, I could show you around Korea. There’s a place that makes really delicious Korean barbecue…”

“No thanks. President, you know why I’m here, don’t you?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

Feigning ignorance, the President felt cold sweat trickle down his back.

“I’ve come to retrieve the weapon I entrusted to you, the legendary sword.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Where is it? My item.”

“W-Well, that’s…”

Unable to continue due to panic, the President’s reaction made Justin Walker smile inwardly.

‘Sweat on his forehead, quite a sight.’

Though he wanted to enjoy the reaction a bit longer, he decided to get to the point out of pity.

“Did you perhaps lose my sword?”

“…”

“Tell me. Did you really lose the legendary sword?”

Thud-

The President dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the floor.

“I-I’m so sorry. I have no excuse. I’m sorry.”

“Fuck! Holy shit!”

Trembling on the floor at the angry voice, the President thought to himself.

‘H-He’s genuinely angry, isn’t he?’

Judging by the realistic reaction, the President concluded this wasn’t a self-orchestrated act.

Though it could be considered good acting.

“Phew…”

Calming his anger, Justin Walker asked in a composed tone.

“What happened?”

“Well, you see…”

The President explained the process of losing the sword, sounding aggrieved, hoping for understanding.

However, Justin Walker, who had come with a purpose, had no intention of letting the President off easily.

“So, in the end, you failed to protect the sword, didn’t you?”

“Th-That’s true, but who would’ve thought someone could steal from an inventory…”

“Stop with the excuses. What are you going to do about it?”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve lost an item worth hundreds of billions. Shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

“…”

“Surely you didn’t think I’d let it slide just because of some flattery, did you see me as a pushover?”

“P-Pushover? I never thought of such a thing!”

“Then you should take responsibility.”

“B-But I don’t have the money to compensate for something worth hundreds of billions…”

“I don’t need money. What I want is…”

Finally, Justin Walker made his demand to the Association.

And Min Do-jun, listening from the side, couldn’t help but show a surprised expression.