The air in the Grand Majestic Hall, already thin from the joint pressure of both Minho and Jinwoo's auras, now felt completely suffocated.
The name 'Sung Il-Hwan' landed as a seismic shock that re-framed the entire confrontation.
All eyes, already filled with shocked and suspicion suddenly went from Minho to the other Korean hunter. The accusation had subtly, irrevocably, shifted.
Jinwoo slowly lifted his head, his dark, unreadable eyes meeting the collective gaze of the room.
Director Selam, his hand still trembling slightly on the file, broke the silence. "Hunter Sung… this is… a developing lead, of course. But the correlation is significant. The magical signature is unique. Can you… shed any light on this? Do you know anything about this 'monster?'"
Before Jinwoo could speak, Thomas Andre found his voice again, the shock fueling a fresh wave of anger. "Are you saying it's his father?!" he boomed, the sound echoing in the hushed hall. "Are you telling me this is a family affair? One Korean hunter kills Reed, and another's supposedly-dead father is taking out the rest of the world's best? What is going on in that country?"
Liu Zhigang, though visibly shaken by the new information, held his ground. "Thomas, that is a wild and irresponsible leap. A magical signature is not a conviction."
"It's a hell of a lot more than we had a minute ago!" Andre shot back. "First the son appears out of nowhere with impossible power, and now the dead father is implicated in assassinating National Level Hunters? For all we know, they're working together!"
Minho, from his seat, let out a short, sharp laugh. Every head turned back to him. A cruel, amused smile played on his lips.
He was literally the only person who had been smiling since this all began. Waves of anger, shock, suspicion, but he was either bored or amused.
"So let me get this straight," Minho said, his voice dripping with mockery. "First, I'm a mindless monster who killed Reed and your other precious hunters for no reason. Now, you're saying the two of us," he gestured lazily between himself and Jinwoo, "are part of some grand Korean conspiracy to take over the world by… killing a few hunters? Your imagination is almost as pathetic as your evidence."
He leaned forward, voice growing lower, but carrying the same authoritative weight. His smile suddenly disappeared and that made some flinch, while the heart of others started thumping faster.
"You are all so desperate for a villain that you're stitching together ghosts and rumors." His eyes glinted a faint crimson as he scanned the crowd, finally landing on the American rep. "You can't beat what you don't understand, so you try to name it, box it, blame it, anything to feign strength."
Minho kissed his teeth, shaking his head with a pitiful look, as if they were all insects he was second guessing on stepping on out of pity. "It must be so tiring, being so weak."
The insult was a blanket thrown over the entire assembly. The translators hesitated, then hurriedly whispered the translated venom, causing a wave of outraged murmurs.
It was at this moment that Jinwoo spoke. His voice was quiet, yet it cut through the rising noise with an effortless clarity that demanded silence.
"My father," Jinwoo began, his tone flat. "disappeared protecting others. He is not a monster. This file," he nodded toward the podium, "does not change that. It only raises questions that should have been answered years ago."
He stood up gracefully, in a way that was somehow more commanding. He wasn't even addressing the room; he was specifically addressing Director Selam directly.
"You all had a decade to investigate the disappearances linked to this signature. You failed. You failed to find my father, and you failed to protect Hunters Bachchan and Jonas." His eyes gave off a faint purple glow as he held Selam's gaze. "Do not now try to cover your failures by pointing fingers at his name. Or at my country. Do not mess with my family. I don't care if I'll be facing every single one of you in this room because of it."
The accusation was devastatingly simple and true. The bureaucracy had been caught flat-footed.
Jinwoo's gaze then swept across to Thomas Andre. "And you, Thomas Andre. You speak of rabid dogs. Be careful your barking doesn't get you bitten."
The threat was implicit, cold, and a stark contrast to Minho's.
The conference was in shambles. The trap for Minho had backfired spectacularly, the authority of the international bodies was in tatters, and a new, even more mysterious threat had been unveiled, implicating the family of the other most dangerous man on the planet.
Director Selam, looking utterly defeated, knew the meeting was over. He could no more control this situation.
"This… this session is adjourned," he stammered, slamming the gavel with a weak, hollow sound. "We will… reconvene after a recess to discuss… the next steps."
But as hunters began to stand, talking in frantic, hushed tones, all eyes remained locked on the two Koreans.
A voice suddenly rang out, calling back everyone's attention.
"And why do we skip the issues about… The Breaker?"
The cacophony of footsteps ceased. All eyes turned to the speaker: Yelena Graven, an esteemed S-Rank from Russia. She did not flinch under the collective stare.
"Or the Australian quad that has been the talk of the entire world, long before these two?" she added. "Four A-rank—or S-rank hunters rather, clearing dungeons like monsters weren't threats."
She let that sink in as before carrying on. "Now, back to the first. From interest, it became a hunt, since this anonymous figure started killing the scouts sent after him. The world hunted for this 'Breaker,' and then… we were simply told to stop. The case was buried. By whom?"
A fresh wave of unease, different from the fear of Minho and Jinwoo, swept the room.
People exchanged heavy, knowing looks. The desire to flee was replaced by curiosity. One by one, they slowly sank back into their seats, the unspoken consensus clear: the accusations were not over; they were merely changing targets.
Director Selam, who had looked moments away from fleeing himself, found a sliver of his crumbled authority. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat.
"Perhaps… perhaps this should be a question," Selam stammered, his eyes darting between the two impassive Korean men.
He gripped the edges of the podium, his knuckles white. "Hunter Sung Jinwoo. Hunter Lee Minho." He paused, gathering a courage. "In the interest of global transparency, I would like you both to be honest with this assembly."
He took a shaky breath, the words hanging in the air.
"So… which of you is The Breaker?"