CHAPTER 13

- Choi Jong-In (Hunters Guild) -

"WHAT?! You're saying that most of the strike team was wiped out?!" He screamed into his cellphone, standing up from his expensive desk, his eyes wide open in shock. He went from thinking about future expansion plans in Asia to damage control mode within seconds. "Start from the beginning!"

He was in a call with his vice guildmaster, who was explaining to him what happened once she entered the gate with Mars. Cha Hae-In had successfully extracted three of the seventeen hunters, thanks to Mars. What a waste of talent, but at least Baek Yoonho lost plenty of members as well. He didn't have to worry about the White Tiger guild leapfrogging over the Hunters guild, who themselves are dealing with the aftermath of the red gate.

"I'll meet you at the hospital!" Jong-In ended the call, cursing the Association members who fucked up the measurement. "Fuck... It was a top tier A-rank gate with hundreds of high orcs. Even our main strike force would have trouble against such an enemy."

While he rushed to the elevators, any guildmembers he walked by averted their gaze, the tragic news was spreading rapidly throughout the guild. He thought of Mars, apparently the young hunter was taking care of the entire gate by himself.

His glasses shone, as he recalled his experience in the golem dungeon the day before, where he witnessed Mars call any dead golems back as shadow soldiers. Does that mean he will emerge from the high orc gate with hundreds of resurrected orcs as his summons? Jong-In wondered what the boss of the dungeon would be like, he needs to meet with Mars as soon as possible.

Jong-In couldn't afford to let Mars go now. Just like White Tiger, now his Hunters guild owes Seoul's Saint a great debt. The Association might make a play for him soon, now that both top guilds have been weakened.

Does Mars have any more hidden abilities? He thought of the orc dungeon, there's no way he could solo a top tier A-rank dungeon like that. No matter how strong his flames were, if he was surrounded by too many monsters it would be impossible for the guildmaster to keep up his defense, especially against hundreds of magic resistant high orcs.

"Pfft. The Ultimate Soldier nickname sounds ludicrous now." Jong-In muttered to himself, as he waited in the elevator to reach his personal underground garage filled with his luxury supercars. "I wonder if Mars can revive any dead hunters?"

- Mars -

I'm waiting near the dungeon exit, scrolling through the Gamer's Shop, while Igris directs the rest of my shadows. My summons are all either mining crystals and looting treasure, or collecting as many high orc corpses that aren't completely destroyed. Their bodies are highly sought after, to be used to in creating magical artifacts and weapons.

The four orc generals are waiting with me, who are now officially my personal guard, as Igris will sometimes be sent elsewhere to complete objectives with a brutal efficiency only he can provide. I should probably name you four orcs, but for now I should use this free time to prepare for my next mission.

Since I cleared the high orc gate, I gained another 60 000 coins, bringing me up to 121 370 total. There's got to be something that could help me with the Demon Castle, but also still be useful in the future, like for when I enter the DxD universe.

After a few quiet moments of searching, I find a Perk, 'Demon Slayer', it costs 100 000 coins. It allows me to deal 33% more damage to any demons or devils. I wonder if that applies to my shadows as well? Either way, the perk plus my holy lightning should make any demons I encounter a lot less dangerous.

I also finally buy the intro Grimoire on White Magic, the beginners book only costs 20 000 coins, hopefully I can gain more coins in the castle. Regardless, now that I can start acting as a healer, nobody should expect anything too nefarious from me. Who would expect a healer type to be one of the most ruthless hunters?

Item added to Inventory:

White Magic Grimoire (Intro): The first book on White Magic, teaching the history and theory behind benevolent healing and blessing magic, as well as the reversal of dark curses and spells.

Perk added:

[Demon Slayer]

Deal increased damage to all demons, devils and any evil supernatural hellspawn.

What a shame I can't revive any demons as shadows. Why is that Ashborn?

That's because Baran was always the most distrustful of all the Monarchs, he even hated me more than Antares did. It's why he took the first opportunity to betray me, and why I didn't hesitate to kill the Monarch of White Flames. He feared our power more than anyone, tainting all of his subjects' mana so that no demon would ever become a Shadow.

That's rather clever of him, I guess I can see where he was coming from. Any war you fought would always turn in your favor thanks to [Shadow Extraction]. I guess the top floor of the castle is a test of sorts, to see if I'm ready to compete against my fellow Monarchs.

Just think of it like the fight against Igris, never forget why you are working this hard, young Mars.

"My King." Igris approaches me, the rest of my army stand behind him, either carrying treasure or hauling as many dead orcs they could. "We are ready to depart."

Tusk is carrying his own corpse, it's a bit unsettling but his corpse alone should fetch a pretty penny.

"It's time to leave!" I announce to my waiting legion. I'm expecting a lot of different people when I exit the dungeon, hopefully Jinchul is able to secure the scene properly.

Stepping through the exit portal, I adjust to the bright Seoul sun shining down on me, Woo Jinchul was right next to the gate, no doubt waiting for my arrival.

As I had hoped, his men created a large space in front of the gate, allowing my shadows to exit comfortably. Unsurprisingly, the media had caught wind of the incident, they must be on high alert thanks to me and all the recent events. Many Association officials and Hunters guild members were blocking the hungry photographers and cameramen from approaching.

I could hear the startled gasps and whispers of people around me as my shadows emerged from the dungeon, my new and improved soldiers being shown in public again since the red gate event. Not only have they changed and grew quite a bit thanks to [Monarch's Domain], but my new shadow orc warriors are receiving a lot of attention. I kept Cyclops and the golems in my shadow, they couldn't really help too much in the cleanup of the dungeon, and would only cause more panic outside. Iron, Kang and the assassins stayed hidden as well, I'm serious about keeping my nose clean in public, exposing them would only invite unneeded suspicion.

"Mars." Woo Jinchul warmly greeted me with a nod. "I trust there was no trouble on your end?"

"Of course not, thanks for securing the area outside, Inspector Jinchul." I reply with a small smile, before turning to my shadows who were waiting for my order. "Here, I won't need these crystals again. There were a lot of artifacts and valuables in the dungeon boss' treasure room. If you wouldn't mind taking care of all this loot, you can distribute the proceeds to the deceased hunter's families."

"Thank you, Mars." Jinchul shakes my hand with a grateful expression on his tired face, as my shadows carefully stack up the treasure in a neat pile.

Kargalgan hoarded treasure from the countless battles he's been in. I turn to Tusk who scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Oh yeah, and you can do whatever you want with the high orc corpses." I gesture to the growing pile of dead red orcs, my shadow orcs are dumping their dead bodies into a mountain of killed monsters. "I could imagine this will help with the production of magical artifacts."

Name: Woo Jinchul

Level: 49

Race: Hunter (A)

Class: Fighter

Thoughts about you: He is thankful you're not as greedy as many other S-rankers. You're starting to remind him a lot like Go Gunhee, in strength and personality.

Reputation: 80

"That is a huge help. Especially with the Jeju raid coming up." Woo Jinchul looked at the corpses with wide eyes, he couldn't believe there were so many high ranked monsters in a single dungeon. "If there was a dungeon break... The casualties would reach the thousands, as each high orc would be able to decimate hundreds of humans with no issue."

"Hmm yes, they would have been able to destroy a city pretty quickly if they were let loose." I look around the scene, while my orc bodyguards scare away anyone trying to get too close to me. "Where's Hae-In?"

"Ah, vice guildmaster Cha immediately went to the hunter's hospital with the three survivors." Jinchul answered me with his eyebrows raised, not many people were on a first name basis with the cold swordswoman.

"Right, of course." My eyes wander to a black Mercedes-Benz E250, with limo tinted windows. The bright magical pressure from inside lets me know only one person could be sitting inside. "Has the chairman been waiting for me long?"

"Ha, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised you could notice his presence right away." The lead inspector gives me a rare chuckle as he starts to lead me to the car. "He just got here. Mars, you do know it's pretty damn hard to track you down?"

"What can I say? I like my privacy." I give Jinchul a shrug as I recall all of my shadows except Igris and my personal orc guards, who form a perimeter around the car. "Let's not leave him waiting."

- Go Gunhee (Hunters Association) -

The old man looked out the window with interested eyes, as he observed the 4-winged hunter and the growing shadow army. He instinctively felt drawn to Mars, as if his great power was of the same origin as the young hunter's. Mars' army has become world-class, many of his shadows were at S-rank strength now.

"Mars is as strong as any of the top Korean guilds." Gunhee spoke to himself, squinting his eyes as he looked towards Igris, Mars' most powerful soldier summon. "No... He's already surpassed any organization in the country."

He couldn't hear what Mars and Jinchul were discussing, but judging by the relaxed expression on Woo Jinchul's face, it couldn't be anything troubling. Even he was surprised when Jinchul strongly recommended to him that he should try to recruit Mars by any means possible.

Looking at the young hunter and his army, the old man sighed, understanding what Jinchul meant. The Americans have already reached out, asking for more information on the young Valentino Mars. He kindly declined, but he knew they would be back, as once they set their eyes on a hunter the influential superpower would do anything to secure a prodigy's loyalty.

Gunhee was brought back from any grim thoughts, when Jinchul opened the door, Mars entering the car with his wings wrapped around him snugly.

"Sir, it's good to see you again." Mars greeted the chairman with a respectful nod, shaking his hand rather firmly, slyly showing Mars' newfound strength. "I hope I haven't caused too much trouble for you."

"Likewise, Mars. And it's of no issue." The chairman squeezed Mars' hand with force, his aura flaring excitedly due to the young hunter's touch. "You've been quite busy since we last met, haven't you?"

Mars sighed, laughing softly to himself, as he let go of the high powered handshake.

"Yeah. Thank you for taking care of any aftermath of the previous accidents, chairman." Mars gave him a guilty smile, lightly bowing to Gunhee.

"No, I should be thanking you, young Mars. You've saved many lives, there aren't that many hunters who can do what you do." Go Gunhee returned Mars bow briefly, as the slightly tense mood in the car disappeared. "Do you have anywhere you need to go? We can drive there while we talk."

"Actually, I do. Can you take me to the Lotte World Tower?" Mars responded with a grateful nod. "I have some business to take care of there."

- Mars -

I observe the red key sitting in my inventory, placing it in my pocket, as the driver starts the ignition. I recall my five shadows waiting outside, as we start to head to the world famous tower in Songpa-gu district in Seoul.

Item: Demon Castle's Key

Item Class: S

Type: Key

A key that allows you to enter the Dungeon: Demon Castle. Can be used in Song Pa Gu Tower.

My inner memories from growing up here in South Korea instantly remind me that means the Lotte World Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, boasting over a hundred floors.

"I appreciate it, chairman Go." I look into the wise man's eyes, who is studying me intently. "What did you want to discuss?"

Go Gunhee's gaze become serious, as he looks to me with a hint of desperation.

"I'll cut straight to the point, Mars. My time as one of the strongest hunters in the world is coming to an end. With every day, I can feel more of my power leaving me. " He curls his hands into fists, looking down on them with reluctant acceptance. "Eventually, I'll need to step down as chairman, once my powers are gone for good. Rather than sit and wait for that day to come, I'd much rather fully use my powers one last time, when we take back Jeju Island. And afterwards, I want you to be my successor."

I think to myself for a moment, as I plan on clearing Jeju all by myself. I feel a sudden idea enter my mind, this is a good opportunity to complete multiple tasks at once.

"Sir. About that..." I clear my throat, matching the seriousness in Go Gunhee's voice. "If it's okay with you, sir, I plan on clearing Jeju Island all by myself."

"What?! Surely, you can't be serious, young Mars!" Gunhee almost screamed out in shock, he definitely wasn't expecting me to say that. "These ant monsters are no joke! Just a couple of hours ago, our satellites observing the island picked up a single ant brutally killing and devouring five S-ranks sent from the Blade guild in Japan."

Hmm? That definitely didn't happen in canon. Why would Goto Ryuji send his hunters to the island alone? And a single ant killing multiple S-rankers? That could only be Beru... Is he going to be stronger than what I'm expecting?

"Chairman Go. Please excuse my selfishness, but I'm confident I could do it." I sincerely ask one of the most influential leaders in the world. "You can see with your very own eyes just how strong I've become in a matter of days. And not just me, but my entire army has improved considerably, in quality and quantity."

The chairman closed his eyes in deep thought, as if he's seriously considering my offer. As we get closer to the tower, the key in my pocket starts to faintly glow and hymn, like the key is ready to be used.

"I'm not asking you to throw away the plans you made, we can prepare and coordinate with all the participating guilds as if the raid was happening normally. Just give me a chance to clear the island, before we send any anyone else in." I continue my pitch to the chairman. "If I'm wrong, then we can send in the rest of the Korean forces. But if I really can do it, then there wouldn't be a single drop of Korean blood spilt, the country has suffered enough thanks to the ants."

"Hmmm, I don't know, Mars. Why do you want to clear the island all by yourself?" Gunhee asked me after a moment of thought.

"To be honest, sir, I want to become officially recognized as the world's newest National rank hunter." I reveal to the confused Gunhee. "I'm just asking for the opportunity. I don't plan on turning my back on the country, rather, I want to protect it. I have some friends here I want to keep safe. The rest of the assembled Korean forces can just stand by as backup, while I clear the island with my shadows."

"I'm not so sure, Mars." The old man looked to me with curious eyes, studying just how serious I'm being right now. "I'm not saying you lack the willpower or even the strength, but it would be devastating if we were to lose you to the ants."

"I understand that, sir." I nod in agreement to Go Gunhee, as the tense atmosphere in the car has doubled. "How long until the raid? Just give me until then to get as strong as possible. I promise you I'll show you strength surpassing even National rank. I can show you powers right now that would fully instill your trust in me. What if I told you, you don't even need to worry about losing your powers at all?"

I reach out my hand to the bewildered chairman, who is wondering what I plan on showing him now. As he reaches out with his right hand, I grasp his large, scarred hand with my hands, as I call forth my Ruler powers.

My eyes and wings begin to glow as I feel part of my power transfer to him, his own eyes can't believe what he's seeing as he feels my vigorous power supplement his own. With my eyes closed, I can sense the shard of Brilliant Light within him. It's like a drained battery that I charged back to max, as his inner Ruler shard is briefly connected with Ashborn, reuniting like long lost brothers.

"J-just what did you do, young Mars?!" Go Gunhee asked me with almost manic eyes, he hasn't felt this strong in decades. "My mana is back... It's like you've restored my vitality!"

"How do you feel, sir? A power I gained in the double dungeon incident allows me to share some of my power with people, essentially giving them a fraction of my own abilities." I reply to the stunned chairman with a small smirk on my face.

The massive smile on his face answers my question, as he balls his hands into fists once again, but this time, he radiates dangerous holy lightning energy in each powerful fist.

"Do you believe in me now, sir?" I can't help but laugh as he no longer needs to be careful about using up all of his strength anymore.

Name: Go Gunhee

Level: 96

Race: Hunter (Ruler Vessel)

Class: Monk

Title: S-rank among S-ranks, the Sky above the Skies

Thoughts about you: He can't believe what you just did, he feels as strong as he ever has before. Stronger, even.

Reputation: 100

[Go Gunhee's Reputation has been Maxed and Locked]

We were about the same strength before, but now it feels like Gunhee has the edge. He's definitely National rank now that he doesn't need to hold back his powers.

"Ahem. We've arrived, sir." The driver announced, as we're parked right underneath the tower.

"Mars..." Gunhee is still trying to process his new and improved powers. At this point, his entire arms are covered in the crackling energy. "I trust you."

"My army and I will be away for a bit, we're going to train nonstop starting now." I return his stupefied face with a grin, raising my hand to him, with four fingers raised. "Give me four days. That's all I'll need to show you how strong I'll become for Jeju."

"Heh, okay. We have a deal, Mars." Gunhee chuckled, before his eyes shined wickedly. "But if you can't prove to me you're ready by then, you will join the Association. And of course, you'll follow my original plan of everyone raiding the island."

"If you really want to make a bet out of it, then you're on, sir." I shake his hand one more time in an electrifying grip, opening the door and exiting in one swift motion. Before I shut the door I look back to the chairman. "Let's spar when I'm back. We'll go with the winner's plan."

Quest added

A Bet with the Chairman

Objective: Clear the Demon Castle in 4 days (3 days, 23 hours left)

Reward: ?

Failure: ?

Yeah, I probably don't want to find out what happens if I lose the bet. But this should be good, as Gunhee is shaping up to be the perfect General for me. Winning this bet should secure his loyalty for me.

Without wasting anymore time, I fly to the top of the tower, where I won't be disturbed by anybody. I pull the red key out of my pocket, fiddling with the S-rank key, hot to the touch. My phone begins to vibrate, I had ignored its constant buzzing during my negotiations with Go Gunhee.

Multiple missed calls from the Sung siblings and Song-Yi. Texts from Yoonho, Jong-In, Lee Joohee, even a message from the nurse, Choi Yoora. I don't have time to reply to everyone, so I send a quick text to Jinah, letting her know I'm leaving the city to train for a couple days, in preparation of the upcoming Jeju raid. I told her to focus on her upcoming exams as I'll be back once she's done.

One more push and I'll be National rank, I need to focus on what remains ahead, as the rest of the Monarchs must be scheming right now too. At the very least, I shouldn't waltz forward assuming the Monarchs are going to lie down and die for me. I can't rule out the possibility of any sudden Monarch ambush, as most of them should still be wary of Ashborn.

I insert the key into the air, and a bright orange gate starts to form in front of me. The orange sphere went from the size of a marble to as vast as the sun within a couple of seconds. The key I was holding onto exploded soon after, causing a crack to appear in the orange sky, revealing a fully formed gate inside.

Jumping into it, I suddenly land on the sidewalk of a completely devastated city. This is Seoul? The heat of an entire city covered in a violent inferno hits me in the face, it feels like my wings might randomly burst into flames. The gate behind me disappears with bright golden sparks, so I summon Igris and my high orc guards.

Hmm. This must be an alternate timeline, where the war between the Rulers and the Monarchs completely ravished the whole planet, wiping out the entire human race and all life on earth. Seoul is ruined, every single building has either collapsed or is currently ablaze, on the verge of crashing down. Walls of fire around me let me know there's only one way forward, straight to the tower.

Just by standing here and sensing the volatile mana in the air lets me know this is an S-rank dungeon. The feeling in the air is more dangerous than the high orc and golem gates combined. My Ruler senses warn me something demonic is nearby.

At the end of a path I can see a large beast in the distance, three sets of glowing red eyes burning through the smoke. A huge three-headed dog rises to it's feet, noticing my intrusion. It's black fur is seemingly unaffected by the wild fires all around us. Each vicious head begins to snarl and bark, sizing up me and the five shadows behind me. Two of the heads have fiery manes, while the other head has a dark grey mask covering it's face, leaving only it's red eyes and razor sharp fangs exposed.

Hell's Gatekeeper Cerberus

Level: 70

Race: Demon (Canine)

No thoughts? Even if it's S-rank, I guess it's still a mindless beast, just like the majority of the animalistic demons. A demon's strength determines its level of intelligence, so most behave like hostile monsters. The demon nobles are on par with humans, it's like the devils in DxD evolved from these more savage demons.

Just one of my orc elites wouldn't be able to take it down, but I want to see how they fight as a squad, I'm expecting them to be able to defeat the Cerberus in a three on four.

"Guards... Go!" I point ahead, ordering my four elite orcs to charge forward, as Igris and I stand back to watch. "Kill it quickly!"

My four orc generals all bow to me, as I observe the S-rank orc warriors start their fearless charge against the growling demon dog. The two speedier orcs reach the beast first, as the two other guards wielding a great sword and a battle axe were slower in their heavy shadow armor. The pony-tailed orc with the scimitar started to cut and slash at the middle and right heads with great speed, too fast for the Cerberus' bites and swipes to hit it. The wolf head orc with gauntlets distracted the left masked beast head, jumping onto it's neck as it started to claw at it's nape; slicing fur and skin until it began to bleed, aiming for it's muscles underneath it's thick hide.

The left head howled in pain, right as the executioner orc and knight orc arrived, each grabbed one of it's fangs, before they both twisted violently in opposite directions. The masked head spun with great force, a distinct snap echoing in my ears as it's neck is broken counter clockwise. It became limp like a wet noodle as it's tongue plopped out of it's mouth, I could see it's cracked fangs and broken jaw.

With the first head killed, the two remaining dogs roared out loud, it's aura felt a lot more stronger, so my orcs jumped back to observe the buffed up Cerberus. It's using Rage, which causes it's stats to double for a couple of minutes. While it's enraged, Cerberus will no longer feel any pain, so the orcs need to kill it decisively.

Cerberus looked past the orcs straight at me, where I felt it's bloodlust rise. In a flash, it sprung forward, a menacing red aura surrounded the beast. The tankier orcs leapt in front, intercepting it as an axe and a great sword deflected it's two front paws, disintegrating both of them, but allowing the two waiting orcs to each attack a head.

The counter attack was perfectly timed, as the orc warrior slammed it's scimitar deep into the middle head. To the orc's surprise, the dog's eyes began to glow even brighter, furiously shaking in rage at the long-haired orc. While the stab did big damage, Cerberus didn't feel a thing, so the middle head lunged forward with a bite, turning the orc into a black mist.

My orc shadows respawned instantly by my side, they rushed back into the battle immediately. Meanwhile, the right head was being bombarded by numerous swipes at it's eyes, the shadow gauntlets on the orc's hands were sharper than any metal, the dog was aware of the claws that could blind it in a single swipe. Cerberus' right head finally caught my wolf-headed orc general in it's massive mouth, but the savage orc started to shred it's tongue into ribbons. The long-haired orc appeared from above, piercing it's eye with his shadow scimitar.

The two armored orcs were focusing on the middle head, each orc was swinging at the deep cut that was bleeding profusely. Eventually, the executioner orc hit his target, bringing down his axe right into it's skull, brutally dissecting the middle head in half. The force of it caused the last head to fall to the ground, as the lifeless left head was acting like an anchor. The last head could barely bring it's head up, it lost control over half of it's body and the other two mangled heads were literal dead weight.

The four generals followed their orc instincts, descending on the dying Cerberus with no mercy, mauling it to death with nonstop attacks until it stopped moving.

[You have slain Hell's Gatekeeper Cerberus]

Approaching my orcs, who have begun the process of cutting off each head, a golden key appeared over the dead dog.

Item: Castle Door Key

Item Class: S

Type: Key

A key that can open the Demon Castle's door. Obtained by killing the Gatekeeper.

I try to extract Cerberus' shadow, but there's no response, the mana within the corpse feels corrupted, I simply cannot call forth it's spirit. Fuck that would be dope if I could revive demons as well, but maybe it's a lesson to not be too greedy for any potential shadows.

The giant doors the Cerberus was guarding starts to glow in response to the key, now that the gatekeeper has been slain.

Approaching the door, a black window forms in front of me.

[Would you like to use the key to enter?]

[Yes/No]

"Yes."

The sealed doors open with a huge gust of wind, the wicked mana hitting me in the face. Stepping inside, I'm greeted by an ancient hallway, demonic gargoyles on both sides leading up to another great door.

Quest added

Collect Demon's Souls!

Objective: The Demon Castle is filled with demons. Hunt down demons and collect their souls. (0 / 10 000 souls collected)

Reward: ?

I wonder how many total demons are in the castle? If I remember correctly, each floor has hundreds of demons, and I'll need a floor pass to advance to the next level. There are a hundred floors, each one is a special gate, scaling in difficulty the higher I go.

There are bosses, Vulcan and Metus, who are S-rank gatekeepers for the higher floors. My one concern is if the nobles on the top floors are aware of what's happening in the lower levels. I'm really not sure what to expect, but hopefully I can steamroll through the low levels. My shadows need to use this opportunity to level up as much as they can. Maybe some of my S-ranks can even promote, but both Tusk and Baruka are quite far from promotion.

I take a deep breath, as soon as I enter, I'm not going to stop for anything. Kicking open the door, I arrive into a scorching hot arena, as I find myself in a different Seoul, this version in ruined even more than the Cerberus' floor.

There's not much time to strategize, as I can see dozens of low grade demons emerging from the wreckage. I can hear hundreds more roaring in the distance, I need to advance to the higher levels as fast as I can.

"SHADOWS!" I call forth every single shadow, my entire army materializes, understanding their orders. "Kill every demon you can. We need to find the permit to enter the second floor as fast as possible!"

Igris leads my revitalized shadow army as they charge against the horde of demons. I form holy spears in both my hands as I fly into the air, looking for the biggest group of beasts to eliminate.

It's a fight against time now.

- BONUS -

- Goto Ryuji (Blade Guild) -

Tokyo, Japan

The strongest Japanese hunter puffed on a cigar as he reflected on the failed scouting mission on Jeju Island. It was unfortunate he lost almost half of his S-ranks in his Blade guild, but he had sent his five weakest members, so it wasn't that big of a loss. Besides him, he still had 6 other S-ranks at his command, he would still consider his guild stronger than all of Korea's top hunters. Their top two guilds, Hunters and White Tiger were dealing with heavy losses, and the Korean hunters association was a joke now that Go Gunhee couldn't even use his powers now.

Goto Ryuji is the second strongest hunter in all of Asia, second only to the so called hero of China, Liu Zhigang, who himself was the second strongest hunter in the world. Ryuji was only second in Asia thanks to Korean chairman Go Gunhee's sharp decline.

This is the perfect chance to clear Jeju Island, an S-rank dungeon, allowing him to become the next National rank. He wasn't satisfied having complete control in Japan, he wanted to be recognized with the rest of the strongest hunters. In fact, he wanted to dominate the entire world. Korea is only a stepping stone, he has his eyes set on China and the Americans as well.

Korea's newest S-ranker might have forced his hand earlier than he planned, causing this blunder, but he could easily change his plans. An invitation from Go Gunhee presented a new opportunity to take the country down. He just needed to trick the geezer into agreeing to an allied force between the two countries, who both need to take care of the Jeju problem.

His new plan involves sacrificing the Korean S-ranks, who will be assigned to assassinating the queen ant, as the rest of the ants have limited lifespan, dying after a year.

It's time to go to Seoul, to meet with and negotiate with the old hunter. Maybe he can poach some Korean hunters while he's there, to replace the Japanese S-ranks who died in Jeju.

- BONUS -

- Hwang Dongsoo (Scavenger Guild) -

Scavenger guild's best international recruit reclined comfortably in his seat in the private jet, as he finally began to see his home country from above the clouds. He sighed in nostalgic remembrance, when was the last time he was here again? It was almost two years ago... It was when he received the first upgrade from Norma Selner, which was the reason he decided to move to America.

The Koreans all called him a traitor for it, he knew it would upset a lot of people. But he didn't expect his own Hyung to resent him for it either. Dongsuk was always jealous of him, whether it was in competition, with girls, and of course, as a hunter. His last moment with his older brother was a heated argument, where Dongsoo called his Hyung a fucking mooch, and a pathetic weakling. It formed a permanent crack in their relationship, as the brothers last moment together was one of hatred.

"Don't you worry, big brother." Hwang Dongsoo pulled up a piece of paper, it was an internal report on the investigation, where it brutally detailed the agonizing way Dongsuk and the lizards died. "You may have been a shitty Hyung, but I'll avenge you all the same."

The Korean hunters association report on the incident was personally created by the chief inspector, Woo Jinchul. While there was no direct evidence, the inspector's main and only suspect was B-rank inspector Kang Taeshik, the association's Lunatic. Even Dongsoo personally sensed the putrid aura when he met the assassin, but he had thought it was funny that the old fart Go Gunhee would employ a psychopath such as Taeshik.

"Fuck. If I knew this little scrub would kill my brother, I would have killed the creep as soon as I crossed paths with him." Dongsoo muttered to himself, crumpling up the piece of paper with Taeshik's photo. "Whatever. I'll have to accept a quick death for the rat. I have more important business to take care of..."

The meathead pulled out another file, made by Scavenger Guild on Seoul's Saint. Surprisingly, the chairman had blocked all access on the new S-ranker, but Scavenger was the strongest guild, if Thomas Andre wanted a new hunter then it would happen, regardless of any international politics or any secured files.

"Valentino Mars..." He had studied the new S-rank's known powers, realizing Mars represents a real threat to his own standing in Thomas Andre's guild. "It would be a shame if someone were to leak your identity!"

He noticed right away the twinkle in his guildmaster's eyes as Thomas talked about the winged hunter. It was the same way the world's strongest hunter once talked about Dongsoo, who had quickly rose to becoming Scavenger's ace hunter. Dongsoo only had a couple of days before Thomas Andre would arrive in Korea, so he needed this time to take care of Seoul's Saint. He just received Norma Selner's second upgrade, he should be as strong as Cha Hae-In. No, he's stronger now...

"That icy bitch..." Dongsoo will never forget the way Hae-In ignored him, how dare she not give him any attention? This time, Hae-In will acknowledge him, as no Korean hunter should match up to him, now. He licked his lips in hunger, imagining pinning the blonde beauty to the ground, where she wouldn't be able to resist him.

"LAURA!" He shouted, calling Scavenger's infamous secretary, before grinning menacingly. "Do you think you can get me out of any trouble if I kill Seoul's Saint?"