A moment of silence fell. The special duty major general looked at his adjutant with wavering eyes, as if checking whether the microphone installed in this room was working. The adjutant shook his head several times.

“It’ll surely become troublesome.”

Whether or not they felt a chill down their spines, Choi Gang-hu’s voice flowed casually through the speaker.

“I won’t meet them. If Mr. Choi doesn’t want me to.”

While even Kwon Se-jeong briefly showed bewilderment, only Ryu Seo-ha calmly nodded. Choi Gang-hu’s eyes narrowed slightly at the submissive answer.

“Even if they beg and plead from over there?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because Mr. Choi’s opinion is more important.”

It was such a soft voice that even he paused momentarily after speaking. Choi Gang-hu, who also paused, twisted his lips as if trying to hide his pleased feeling under a sneer.

“But you saved other people first in front of the café?”

His tone was grumbling as if showing jealousy towards a lover who had looked at someone else. The longer they spent time together, the more he seemed to diverge from his image in the original work.

“You allowed it, didn’t you?”

“Did I?”

“You urged me to touch you quickly.”

Although he had first spread [Sanctification] before that, he had only taken action after Choi Gang-hu’s explicit permission. When he pointed out this fact, Choi Gang-hu chuckled as if he had nothing to say.

“I like Ryu Seo-ha’s upright and kind heart.”

Embarrassment flashed across Ryu Seo-ha’s face at the sudden confession. He knew well that this man was completely unaware of others’ gazes, but doing this while everyone was watching made him feel a bit…

“Still, I don’t feel good every time I see you being kind to other guys.”

But the embarrassment quickly faded. Regardless of others’ gazes, he wanted to soothe Choi Gang-hu’s heart first.

“I admit that I have a trait resembling a good child complex.”

One-sided expressions of emotion, like pouring water into a bottomless pot, can tire even the strongest person. He hoped Choi Gang-hu wouldn’t feel so lonely.

“But this time, I can clearly tell you. The reason for my actions was different from what you think.”

Choi Gang-hu tilted his head sideways as if questioning the calm but confident voice.

“The fact that Mr. Choi is now sitting alone without wearing mana control devices is one of those results.”

As he spoke in a whisper, Choi Gang-hu’s expression, which had been feigning a cynical smile, suddenly relaxed.

“…Are you saying it was a measure for me?”

“About 95%?”

As he answered with a slight smile, Choi Gang-hu stood up, pushing his chair with a scrape, and approached the special glass. The soldiers and police who had been watching the cringeworthy conversation in a daze reflexively entered a state of alertness.

After all, there was no guarantee that he, who had already shown abnormal behavior, wouldn’t break through the specially manufactured reinforced glass and come over to this side. Ryu Seo-ha also shook his head and quietly tried to dissuade him.

“It’s frustrating. I want to hug you tightly right now.”

As if that intention had been properly conveyed, Choi Gang-hu, who had stopped abruptly in front of the glass window, muttered lowly with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. It was a statement that made one wonder anew if this man knew no shame.

“We can release you right away!”

The special duty major general quickly interjected as if he had grasped who needed to be persuaded.

“We won’t hold you responsible for anything and will release you immediately. If Hunter Ryu Seo-ha would just meet with our country’s Prime Minister, no, even if not meeting directly, if he would just sign one sworn statement.”

The special duty major general, who continued speaking quickly without relaxing his posture, gestured to his adjutant. The adjutant quickly produced a document. It was a preliminary contract printed on ordinary paper so that the contents could be previewed.

It contained a promise that Ryu Seo-ha, as an S-rank hunter, would provide direct assistance in case of a disaster situation in Italy in the future. It was a request that felt solemn, as if staking the nation’s fate on his abilities.

“If the content of the oath becomes known, countries from all over the world will pester you one after another.”

Choi Gang-hu, who had quickly scanned the paper beyond the glass with his arms crossed, voiced the expected negative outcome.

“Yes, it seems so.”

Ryu Seo-ha also nodded slightly in agreement. Setting a precedent was dangerous. There would certainly be countries that would recklessly rush in to get their hands on such a reliable insurance.

“Not only the people in this room, but also key personnel from various government departments will all sign confidentiality agreements.”

As the atmosphere clearly flowed towards rejection, the special duty major general hastily added. He seemed to have no interest at all in understanding why Choi Gang-hu had caused a disturbance out of the blue.

“Why are you going to such lengths? It seems too desperate to be just for insurance.”

Ryu Seo-ha, who felt doubtful about the desperate attitude as if certain that a disaster would occur in Italy, asked back.

“Currently, there is one person in Italy who receives respect and adoration comparable to the Pope of Vatican City.”

After first sending out the soldiers and police except for his adjutant, the special duty major general mentioned an irrelevant content in a solemn voice. That alone was enough to infer what the special duty major general was trying to convey.

“Commonly called The Prophet.”

One of the first-generation heroes who protected Italy from various disasters that occurred after the Great Change. An S-rank psychic awakened who gained even more fame due to the story of being born and raised blind.

“We received a clear warning from him. Unless Aesculapius stakes his fate under the white star that descends on the peninsula where the first sun rises, the long history that began with the son of Mars will come to an end.”

The content was excessively vague, as prophecies usually are. It probably meant something like “If we don’t get Ryu Seo-ha’s help, Italy will be ruined.”

“…How are you so certain that I am that white star?”

It was fascinating to see them pleading so desperately with an oracle that could be interpreted in various ways. He, having read through the original work, knew that a global crisis was approaching, but they didn’t.

“Italy has been focusing on nurturing experts who make it their job to interpret vague prophecies. They unanimously pointed to Hunter Ryu Seo-ha.”

It seemed they were working hard on inferences based on past experiences as a database, since numerous prophecies had hit the mark over the past 10 years.

“…What will you do if I refuse to sign the oath?”

“We will keep knocking until it opens.”

“So in the end, you’ll keep bothering until you get what you want.”

When Choi Gang-hu, who had been listening quietly, sneered in a scathing tone, the special duty major general smiled bitterly. His attitude suggested he couldn’t deny it.

“Politicians are all beggars regardless of affiliation, I tell you.”

“It’s a matter of the nation’s future… Please understand.”

“You’re going to keep asking even after I’ve said all this?”

“I’m grateful just to have this opportunity to talk like this. They say the beginning is half the battle, right?”

Despite the sarcastic tone that seemed to provoke anger, the special duty major general only responded seriously. Perhaps it was due to the heavy responsibility of having to draw out a choice that would determine the rise and fall of the nation.

“Mr. Ryu Seo-ha.”

Choi Gang-hu clicked his tongue softly and called Ryu Seo-ha in a low voice.

“Yes. Please speak.”

“It seems it’ll become troublesome no matter what choice you make.”

He blinked his eyes a couple of times in anxiety, wondering if he was going to overturn everything. Then he saw long fingers lightly tapping the thick glass window.

“Then you should at least make the choice your heart leans towards.”

It was an unexpected statement. Watching Choi Gang-hu quietly as he returned to sit in the interrogation room chair, he turned his head with a slight sigh.

“Alright.”

At his short word, the complexion of the special duty major general, who had been trying hard to hide his impatience, brightened. However, unfortunately, he had no intention of agreeing to everything they were demanding.

“If a national disaster occurs in Italy, I will guarantee a personal interview time if a representative comes to find me with the sworn statement.”

“Direct help…”

“Let’s leave the compensation for that, the type and degree of help, the timing, etc. to be negotiated again with a separate sworn statement after the disaster occurs.”

It was something that couldn’t be determined right now. Who knows what situation Italy, or even Ryu Seo-ha himself, might be facing at that time?

❖ ❖ ❖

The main stadium modeled after the Colosseum, the symbol of Rome, Italy’s capital. The opening ceremony began with Vivaldi’s classical concerto as background music.

A stealth-type hunter disguised as Pinocchio suddenly appeared in the center of the stage. He repeatedly hid and appeared comically, avoiding monsters implemented with holograms.

After saving the production-type hunter disguised as Grandpa Geppetto, when the monsters disappeared, he began to dance cheerfully. Pictures began to spread on the floor centered on where the stealth-type hunter’s toes touched.

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael… They were masterpieces by historical artists representing Italy. But a very large hologram of an armored turtle appeared and swallowed it all up.

In a corner of the dark shadow that covered even the audience seats. A search-type hunter, relying on a single pin light, pointed somewhere with all his might. A spatial-type hunter who suddenly appeared moved there with someone. It was a physical-type hunter wearing knuckle items. A huge fist, about 50 times the volume of an ordinary person, struck the center of that location. With a loud bursting sound, an object modeled after a magic stone was revealed.

Monsters tamed by summoner-type hunters appeared and simultaneously spewed flames towards the magic stone. Elemental-type hunters like electric and ice types also poured out all their skills at once with seemingly solemn faces.

The moment the shattered fragments of the armored turtle flew towards the audience seats, telekinesis-type hunters lifted them into the air. The fragments dyed green, white, and red were rearranged like a puzzle.

The tricolor Italian flag was brilliantly embroidered in the night sky where the monster’s shadow had disappeared. Thus, amidst grand cheers, the International Hunter League (IHL) opened.