The weather was fine and sunny, in fact, it would've been a usual sunny day if it weren't for the fact that the whole country was in mourning. The Fourth Jeju Island Raid was a massive success, but there were casualties.
Massive casualties, including those from past tragic raids.
This time, a great healer, an S-Rank Hunter, Min Byung Gu, died. I attended the funeral, along with several other hunters and civilians. Today was liberation day, yet it felt heavy.
I was about to enter my parked vehicle and head out to know more about creating my own guild when I was approached by this foreign dignitary.
He was from the United States of America.
He spoke in perfect Korean, the pronunciation, the intonation, and the choice of words. His accent is somewhat in the way, but he still showed perfect knowledge of my language.
Anyway, it was a strange feeling, being noticed by other countries. The past me would've been flustered, but now, it's just another effect of my actions.
Maybe they want me to deal with some of their problems?
I don't mind, this is the United States. They can afford me.
The foreign dignitary introduced himself as Adam White, a senior representative from the United States Bureau of Hunters. He then gave me a calling card, which had a nice texture.
Impressive, very nice. Now let's see -
"I went to meet you at your office, but it was hard to find you." Adam White apologized. "Please, understand that I had to meet you at a place like this."
He apologized as if I were some sort of royalty. I may be an S-Rank Hunter, but this kind of professional courtesy is still kinda awkward for me to deal with.
Also, he came to my office? Jin-Ho did mention someone...
I returned a polite smile. "Why did you want to meet with me?"
"There's some information that I want to give." Adam White said, adjusting his expression.
"You probably won't hear this information from any country that exists..." Adam White said with an open grin. "Except for us..."
I don't know what to make of this. "Why're you willing to give me that kind of information?" I said, half-interested.
"There's a benefit even for us by revealing the information only to certain people." Adam White said, now fully immersed in the diplomatic role.
What...? Huh? He kept giving baits to an already satiated fish. I've already had my feeding frenzy. At this point, I was already a bit bored.
Adam White still kept that smile. "Originally, I was the only one to meet you, but the deputy director was touched by the Jeju Raid so much that he wanted to meet you in person." An appeal to the ego bait.
"This is a rare case." An appeal to rarity bait.
"The deputy director will tell you the rest." An exclusivity bait.
I'm not biting that. "I'm not sure if the information is reliable. I'll give you a call when I've thought about it." I said, opening the door of my parked vehicle.
Adam White chuckled. "In negotiations, the better the card you hold, the less you should cover it up." He muttered as I entered the vehicle.
Yeah, yeah. I wonder what I should buy for dinner.
"Awakener."
With that word, I stopped.
"Do you know about the awakener who can increase the ability of another awakener?" A damn good bait.
...
...
...
Yeah, I couldn't help but bite. It was an opportunity I couldn't just ignore. Adam White led me to an expensive car along with a few convoys. The trip was rather short; the destination was an expensive premium hotel.
We both rode the elevator, and Adam White straightened his posture, fixing his appearance. He then led me to a door, opening it with diplomatic grace.
There was already a man waiting for us.
A man, taller than me, also sporting blonde hair like Adam White, introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, I'm the deputy director, Michael Connor."
"Sung Jin Woo."
The whole building rumbled for a quick second. It was strange; it didn't feel like an earthquake. Adam White and Michael Connor both darted their eyes towards me, like I was the reason for the rumble.
"That wasn't me," I said, rubbing my stomach. They both laughed.
"Well then, let's get straight to business, shall we?" Michael said, leading us to the living room. Adam then whispered to me, telling me to leave the translation to him.
Michael then presented a file, stating that it was my legal documentation for immigrating to the United States. He said that the proper process would usually take a year, but for my case, it was only a second. If I agree.
I didn't like it, I was just here about the awakener information. "Increasing one's ability, is it really possible?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, and they're already here. I want you to meet Mrs. Selner." Michael said as Selner entered the room with a mature woman's grace. She was dressed in formal attire with a very wide hat.
She then explained that she can upgrade a hunter's ability up to twenty or thirty percent. It sounded amazing. At the absolute minimum, a twenty percent increase would be a godsend.
She explained that there would be multiple sessions, but for now, they'll give the first one for free. The ultimate golden bait from the land of the free.
She said that once hooked, you can never be free from the pull. If that's true, am I going to Make America Great Again? No, I don't want -
She took my hand, and just as she was about to activate her ability. I fell straight to the floor and lost consciousness.
...
...
...
The great disappearance of the Hunter Sung Jin Woo left Korea in disarray. An S-Rank Hunter who was probably going to be a National Rank Hunter had disappeared after a meeting with the United States Bureau of Hunters.
This was the second time an S-Rank Hunter had disappeared from Korea, which the United States had a part of. The first one was branded as a traitor, now working for them.
The second was Hunter Sung, now gone, who was now theorized to be working for them. The United States vehemently denied this accusation, stating that it was baseless.
The United States ran a full damage control campaign. Korea held a diplomatic protest and issued a temporary sanction of the Bureau's actions in Korea.
Jin Hoo kept calling Hunter Sung's number, adamant on contacting him despite not receiving a reply for several days. Sung Jin-ah and her mother accompanied Jin Hoo, looking for ways to contact his missing brother.
Cha Hae-In felt furious, joining the diplomatic protest against the USA. She never got to properly thank him for saving her life. Now, she won't get to.
The Korean internet was now full of hatred for the Americans. Another, S-Rank was taken from them. The Japanese government also issued a diplomatic protest but behind closed doors, they were slightly ecstatic.
Chairman Go Gunhee was now in the building where Hunter Sung had disappeared. He was accompanied with hunters who specialized in tracking and scouting. He knew that the United States were just as confused.
So he didn't give up looking for the missing hunter, but the incident made him lose some days of his life due to the stress. "Still nothing?"
He said, asking the most capable hunter when it comes to finding missing persons. The hunter shook his head but still kept looking.
"Hunter Sung, where are you...?"