Chapter 223 – Crossroads of Choice

Min Do-jun, who had been wearing a surprised expression, quickly composed himself.

It was only a fleeting moment, so fortunately, no one noticed.

However, anyone would be shocked upon hearing Justin Walker’s demand.

“Wh-what did you just say?”

The Association President, doubting his own ears, asked again.

Frowning, Justin Walker repeated himself.

“I said to gather all of Korea’s S-rank hunters.”

Hearing the same words twice, the President finally realized there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

Min Do-jun felt the same.

‘He’s asking for something as trivial as that in exchange for losing the treasured sword?’

Contrary to expectations, it was a minor request.

For Min Do-jun, who had anticipated something difficult, it was indeed surprising.

The Association President was equally bewildered.

“Why are you making that face? Is my request too unreasonable?”

“Pardon? Oh, no, that’s not it.”

“As the President of the Korean Hunter Association, you should have the authority to summon S-rank hunters to one place, right?”

“That’s true, but… is that really all you want? If I gather the S-rank hunters, will you forgive my mistake?”

“It seems you’re misunderstanding something. I never said this would settle the debt.”

“Ah…”

“What I just mentioned is merely one of the demands you’ll need to fulfill in the future. Thinking you can clear your debt with just this-don’t you think that’s a bit too greedy?”

“Ahem…”

Perhaps feeling a prick of conscience, the President avoided Justin’s gaze.

“A-anyway, you’re asking me to gather Korea’s S-rank hunters, right?”

“Yes. Every single one of them, without exception.”

“May I ask why?”

Min Do-jun was also curious and looked at Justin Walker, but-

“Do I need to explain my reasons?”

It seemed he had no intention of revealing them easily.

“Just do as I say.”

“Y-Yes, I will.”

The President immediately backed down.

He was in a position where he had to comply with anything, even if it meant pretending to die if asked.

“By the way, Mr. Justin Walker.”

“What is it?”

“When should I arrange the gathering…?”

“The sooner, the better. However, since you need to summon all the hunters without exception, you should send out the notice at least a week in advance, right?”

“Oh, then what reason should I give for the gathering? If it’s not something important, most of them will try to skip it…”

“That’s for you to figure out, President. Do I have to spoon-feed you everything?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Seemingly done with his business, Justin Walker put back on the mask and sunglasses he had removed and stood up.

“Handle this properly. The number of future demands will depend on how well you manage this. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, I understand. I’ll make sure to handle your request perfectly.”

“Then I’ll be going. Don’t forget to inform me of the date and location of the gathering.”

Leaving the bowing President behind, Justin Walker walked out.

Min Do-jun followed suit.

Once they were a fair distance from the Association building, Justin Walker broke the silence.

“Did you see that? The President groveling before me?”

“Yes. He looked ready to do anything you asked.”

“Heh, the President is practically in the palm of my hand now.”

“But I’m curious about something. Why do you want to gather Korea’s S-rank hunters…?”

Min Do-jun was equally curious.

However, Justin Walker turned out to be more tight-lipped than expected.

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Just out of curiosity…”

“Wasn’t what you wanted to know the demand I’d make to the President? That’s why I brought you along to hear it directly.”

“I’m grateful for that.”

“Then be satisfied with that. Don’t be curious about anything more. Sometimes, curiosity can shorten your life.”

“Ah, I understand. I’ll be careful.”

“And just to be clear, keep what you saw and heard today to yourself. Don’t go blabbing about it anywhere, not even to your subordinates.”

“Of course. How could I do otherwise?”

Min Do-jun bowed obsequiously, maintaining a subservient attitude.

Since there was still information to extract from Justin Walker, he couldn’t reveal his true intentions.

‘Not yet. It’s not time to kill Justin Walker. Not until I uncover his real scheme.’

Unaware of the dagger hidden in Min Do-jun’s heart, Justin Walker patted his shoulder.

“Don’t feel too bad about what I said.”

“No, not at all. I’m fine.”

“I’d like to have a meal together since we’ve met, but I’m busy and need to return to the US. You’re heading back to China, right?”

“Yes, I have business there as well.”

“Alright. Let’s meet again when we have time.”

There was no regret in seeing Justin Walker leave.

After all, Min Do-jun could track him down anytime using his scent.

‘Still, why does he want to gather the hunters?’

Though he couldn’t understand the request, an ominous feeling was undeniable.

‘He’s definitely plotting something.’

His instincts were telling him.

Whatever the scheme was, it had to be stopped.

* * *

For Min Do-jun, who had been ranked 2nd, reaching 1st place took just a single day.

‘One run through the Forest of Spirits is enough to gain nearly 10 levels.’

Currently, Min Do-jun’s level was 3,610.

Shin Kyung-min, at level 3,607, had been pushed down to 2nd place.

With Min Do-jun taking 1st, the hunters below him each dropped one rank as well.

[Hongdae Hero Min Do-jun. Finally Achieves Domestic Rank 1!]

[Reaches 1st Place in Less Than 2 Years Since Awakening. A Remarkable Record!]

[Netizens Say, ‘We Knew This Would Happen.’]

[When Asked for His Secret in an Interview, Min Do-jun Says, ‘I Could Become Strong Thanks to a Magic Swordsman-Specific Trait.’]

[Revealed That Magic Swordsman Requires a Specific Trait to Be Strong…]

[Magic Swordsman Aspirants Nationwide Voice Their Disappointment.]

Recently, Min Do-jun had made it clear through an interview that not just anyone could become a Magic Swordsman.

As a result-

“Team Leader Park, how was it today?”

“There wasn’t a single person who came wanting to become a Magic Swordsman.”

The stream of Magic Swordsman aspirants had completely stopped.

“But there were hunters who came wanting to join the Guardian Guild.”

“Our guild?”

“Yes. It seems that since you achieved domestic rank 1, Guild Master, it’s served as some kind of promotion.”

It’s natural for hunters to admire those stronger than themselves.

For Min Do-jun, who reached rank 1 in less than two years-the shortest time ever-it wasn’t just admiration; he was worthy of being idolized.

“So, what did you tell them?”

“I told them we’re not accepting guild members yet and sent them away.”

“Hmm…”

“Were you perhaps considering accepting them?”

“No, not exactly…”

It wasn’t that he had no thoughts about it at all.

To grow the guild, increasing the number of members would be the best approach.

‘Money isn’t a concern.’

With enough money to live extravagantly for a lifetime, he had no intention of running a business.

‘Still, to reclaim the domestic rank 1 spot in less than two years…’

To be precise, it took just 1 year and 7 months since his awakening.

‘Compared to my past life, this growth speed is absurd.’

It had taken a full 10 years to reach rank 1 back then, so there was no need to elaborate on how fast this was.

At that moment-

Bzzz-

A text message for a gathering arrived from the Association President.

[Web Message]

[Hello, Hunter Min Do-jun!

The Korean Hunter Association is hosting a meeting on the topic of priority rights for S-rank dungeons.

We understand you must be busy, but as this is an important matter, we would appreciate it if you could make time to attend.

– Target: All Domestic S-rank Hunters

– Date: Monday, July 26, 2021, 2:00 PM

– Location: Korean Hunter Association, 2nd Floor Conference Room

– Agenda: Application of Priority Rights for S-rank Dungeons

Please note that there may be penalties regarding priority rights for non-attendance, so we kindly ask for your full participation.

Thank you.]

‘The Association President has sent out the gathering notice to S-rank hunters as per Justin Walker’s instructions.’

As Min Do-jun reviewed the message, a glint appeared in his eyes.

‘I was curious what excuse he’d use to gather the hunters, and he’s bringing up S-rank dungeon priority rights.’

Priority rights were a kind of ticket that allowed guilds to monopolize dungeons once a year.

Since Min Do-jun had established a guild, he too could use priority rights once annually.

However, currently, priority rights only applied up to A-rank dungeons.

S-rank dungeons were not included.

‘But with this opportunity, they’re saying they’ll apply priority rights to S-rank dungeons as well.’

In the future, priority rights would indeed apply to S-rank dungeons.

In other words, this was an agenda that would be implemented and had no chance of being scrapped.

‘If I can use priority rights for S-rank dungeons, I can easily solo them on the dates I want.’

Whether this agenda had been used to gather S-rank hunters in the past was unclear, but there was no reason for Min Do-jun to skip it.

There was no downside to having the privilege of priority rights.

‘Moreover, since it mentions penalties for non-attendance regarding priority rights, most will likely show up.’

With a week left until the gathering date, he could clear his schedule accordingly.

‘They might really get everyone to attend.’

If that happened, it would be exactly as Justin Walker wanted.

‘I don’t know what scheme he’s hiding, but I have no choice but to attend as well.’

He needed to see with his own eyes what kind of trick Justin Walker was planning.

‘I can’t afford to receive a penalty on priority rights either.’

Min Do-jun showed the message he received to Park Dong-yun.

“Huh? A meeting? Just for S-rank hunters?”

“Yes. I’ll need to go to the Association that day, so keep my dungeon schedule clear.”

“Understood. By the way, can I come along that day? It’s a chance to see S-rank hunters in one place…”

“It’s only for S-rank hunters, so I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Tch…”

Park Dong-yun looked disappointed, but in a way, it was for the best.

‘If he came along, he might end up in danger.’

While a dangerous situation could unfold, there was also a sense of anticipation.

There was a chance Seo Jin-cheol might show up.

‘If Seo Jin-cheol appears at the gathering spot, that would be the best outcome.’

Then he wouldn’t need to go out of his way to track him down; he could easily memorize his scent.

‘I hope this week passes quickly.’

A look of anticipation spread across Min Do-jun’s face.

* * *

A week later, on Monday, July 26.

The day when all of Korea’s S-rank hunters would gather had arrived.

‘Will I finally get to meet Seo Jin-cheol?’

Whether other hunters showed up or not didn’t matter to him.

As long as Seo Jin-cheol appeared, that was enough.

‘Justin Walker will probably show up too.’

Since he had asked the President to inform him of the time and place, he would undoubtedly be there.

‘I’m curious what he plans to do by showing up out of nowhere.’

Though he didn’t know what would happen, he didn’t feel any sense of danger.

‘Even if he tries to pull off some kind of attack, I’m not worried.’

Having confirmed that he was stronger than Justin Walker, there was nothing to fear.

‘But looking at the distance, it seems he hasn’t come to Korea yet…’

[Distance to Target: 1,412.32 km]

Seeing that the distance was closer than expected, he must be in a neighboring country.

‘There are only 5 hours left until the appointed time. What’s his plan?’

At that moment, Heo Ji-pyeong’s phone rang.

The caller was none other than Justin Walker.

‘What’s this about?’

Immediately equipping Tarnhelm to transform, Min Do-jun answered the call.

“Yes, Mr. Justin Walker.”

-Where are you?

“What’s with the sudden question this morning?”

-Are you still in China?

“Yes, I am.”

-I happened to stop by China today for some business. How about we have lunch together?

“Lunch… Sounds good.”

-Then come to the place I tell you by 2 PM. I’ll text you the location.

“Ah, understood.”

As soon as the call ended, Min Do-jun frowned.

‘Why does he want to meet today of all days? And at 2 PM, no less?’

It coincided exactly with the time of the hunters’ gathering.

‘Since he wants to meet me, does that mean he wasn’t planning to come to Korea?’

He couldn’t figure out what Justin Walker’s intentions were.

‘What should I do? Should I go to China?’

He was at a crossroads of choice.

Should he ignore the gathering order and meet Justin Walker?

Or should he break the appointment with Justin Walker and attend the gathering?

‘Alright. I’ll meet Justin Walker.’

After some deliberation, Min Do-jun decided to head to China.

‘I can monitor the situation at the gathering through Parasite.’

As long as either Shin Kyung-min or Kang Hyuk-su attended, he could find out what happened at the gathering.

‘Let’s go.’

Having made his decision, Min Do-jun booked a ticket to China.