Chapter 39: Movements on All Sides

A/N :

" " : Dialogue,

' ' : Thought,

[ ] : System, Akasha, Minerva,

"Italicized text" : Telepathy,

« » : Artificial Intelligence,

| | : Sung Jin-Woo's System Panels, Sung Jin-Woo's System Messages,

"Bold text" : Shadows & Deathborns.

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Narrator POV

A few days had passed since the Jeju Island Raid, and due to the sheer size of the Ant colony, Korea's Hunters were still harvesting the magic stones from the mountain. The amount they had harvested had already been speculated to help Korea generate enough funds to fully restore Jeju and procure the payment for most the Hunters involved with the raid, and they still weren't finished.

As for the members of the Dominion Guild, they had chosen to take the cores of the Ant King, Queen and Royal Guards and decided that was all they were going to take from the raid. Even now, magic stones were still being harvested from the mountain.

Members of the Knight Order Guild of Korea were helping to protect the collection team that's responsible for retrieving the bodies of the ants and the magic stones. But while they were doing that, they encountered something strange.

A tall muscular man with a wild mane of black hair, and glowing yellow eyes. He wore silver fur pelts over his shoulders, armguards and shin guards that were held onto his arms and legs with what seemed to be the ribcages and spines of small monsters or animals, a ragged leather skirt with a silver fur waistline, and white armor over his groin.

*Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs*

To the Hunters, such a scene was odd, as the only people that they knew were currently present on the island were the Hunter Association's collection team, the soldiers and the Hunters themselves.

"Who are you?!" "Reveal your identity!" They shout at the man, while keeping their guards up. "Hyung-nim, is that a human?" One of them asked, unsure of what to do. "Hey, don't shoot! That's not a monster!" Another Hunter said, thinking that the man was a human.

"You're in a restricted area! If you do not follow the orders, we will shoot!" The head of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-So said as he pulled out his sword. The only response he got was an unintelligible reply that sounded similar to the language that intelligent monsters used.

He didn't have any time to react, none of them did. When suddenly, *Snap.*, he and every other person fell asleep instantly.

"What are you doing?" The man said as he looked behind him. "There's no need to make a scene. So I just made them sleep for a bit." A man with blue skin, silver hair, and blank white eyes responded to him.

*Sillad, the Monarch of Frost*

"So, do you want to check?" The blue skinned man asked. "I'm sure that it's his power." The beastly man said. "It's quite strange. I don't understand why he would be helping humans." The blue skinned man said with furrowed brows.

"Who knows? If you're so curious, why don't you go ask yourself?" The beastly man said as he looked down at the unconscious humans in front of him, then to the remaining ant corpses. "Ugh, it stinks of rotten insects inside. If she was here, she'd have been frightened." He said, quickly wiping his nose with his hand.

"It doesn't matter. The hunt will proceed as planned. This changes nothing." The blue skinned man said, then extended his hand and opened a blue portal, one that looked eerily similar to a Gate. "Alright then. By the way, it seems that one of them was here." The beastly man said, causing the blue skinned man to pause.

"In Korea?" He asked over his shoulder. "Yeah. And since we're here, why don't we take care of it?" The beastly man said, baring his teeth to show two rows of deadly fangs. "We will... leave this place in his hands." The blue skinned man said, and turned to step into the portal.

"You don't want to get involved, right?" The beastly man asked with a gruff voice. "You could see it that way. Think as you please." The blue skinned man said as he stepped into the portal and closed it.

"Coward." The beastly man said with a snort, after the portal closed. He then looked at the humans, contemplating whether or not he should kill them. "Well, I guess we don't need to make a scene." He said and turned away. He then swiped his hand in a similar fashion to a werewolf slashing at something, and a red portal opened, its shape made it look like something had used massive claws to tear into the space there. He then walked through the portal, the humans none the wiser.

...

Meanwhile, on the Korean mainland, a nationwide celebration was underway. The raid had been seen as an immensely important victory for Korea, and had helped many families that had lost someone to the ants over the years find some well needed closure.

The fact that nobody in Korea died from this wave of ants was another reason for celebration, as many families joyously welcomed the Hunters that had participated in the raid. But there were no Hunters that were welcomed as greatly as the Dominion Guild members.

Multiple posts on forums praised all of them, be it for their abilities, their decision to participate in the raid, or simply for their looks. For once, the entirety of Korea's internet population was united in praising a set of Hunters.

On top of that, the 3 official active Hunters of the Dominion Guild were now National Rank Hunters. It was not only an immense boost for Korea's image worldwide, but also for the feeling of security that was felt by every citizen of Korea.

But other countries were looking for some way to bring the Dominion Guild over to them, specifically the United States of America. The president of the country, as well as the head of their Bureau of Hunters, had seen the capabilities of Dante, Shiraori and Sung Jin-Woo, and were ready to do whatever was necessary to get them to become American citizens.

They had even sent the deputy director of the US's Bureau of Hunters to meet with the 3 of them. At first, they were indifferent to his coaxing, but then he mentioned something that caught their interest, or at least, it caught Sung Jin-Woo's interest, as Dante and Shiraori didn't care for it.

"Do you know of the awakener who can increase the ability of another awakener?" Adam White, a senior agent from the Bureau of Hunters asked them. Dante and Shiraori looked at Sung Jin-Woo, and saw the unmasked intrigue within his eyes, and they agreed to meet the deputy director.

They followed a small convoy of cars to one of Korea's top luxury hotels, where Michael Connor, the deputy director of the Bureau of Hunters was staying. After they exchanged greetings, Michael brought out three binders, each holding all the required papers for immigration into America for each of them.

"Understand this, Michael. We came here because Agent Adam said that we could earn some information about an "Upgrader". So tell me, is it truly possible for an awakener to increase another awakener's abilities?" Sung Jin-Woo said, sidestepping Michael's proposal.

Michael expressed his understanding, and revealed that the Upgrader was already within the building, then ordered one of the bodyguards to call the Upgrader. Shortly after, the bodyguard came back with a dark skinned woman, who was wearing a tan suit, a black pair of shoes, and a large, tan bonnet.

"The only person in the world who can help other awakeners exceed their limits. She is Mrs. Norma Selner." Michael said, introducing one of the world's most important awakeners.

Dante and Shiraori merely gave her a cursory glance, then went back to ignoring everyone in the room. Sung Jin-Woo, however, observed her for a bit longer. And he soon noticed that while she was also an awakener that had her own mana, the mana functioned much differently than it does in Hunters.

She took a seat on the couch facing them, then explained her ability, albeit with a somewhat smug approach. She explained that she would be able to push a Hunter's abilities to a maximum of 130% of their original level of power, but would have to rest herself for a long time afterward, which could last for a few months, or even up to a year.

Sung Jin-Woo thought about this, and understood how Hwang Dong-Su had chosen to leave Korea to the US. Such a benefit was something that most Hunters wouldn't pass up.

"Mrs. Selner's ability is a gift that we can give to you." Michael said, his heart beating faster in anticipation. Sung Jin-Woo tried probing them to see what other intentions they may have had, but they just listed more benefits that they would give to them, if they agreed to become American citizens.

"All you have to do is give me your hand and look into my eyes." Norma said, as she held out her hand in front of Jin-Woo. As Jin-Woo took her hand, Michael smiled in triumph. 'He fell for it! He's been maintaining his cool, but once the first stage is done, he will contact us again, or even sign the contract right here. And the two of them will follow suit.' He thought to himself, not noticing the mocking smiles on Dante and Shiraori's faces.

...

Norma Selner POV

I had been brought to Korea to help the Bureau of Hunters bargain with the 3 members of the Dominion Guild that have been making waves recently. I was confident that I could at the very least spark up their interest in coming to the US, but when I came in, two of them, Dante and Shiraori, I hope I got that correctly, just glanced at me then indifferently turned away, doing God knows what.

As for their third member, Mr. Sung Jin-Woo, he looked at me, almost as if he was trying to analyze me. It felt a bit uncomfortable, but I ignored it. It's not as if he was going to try to kill me.

As I explained my ability to him, I noticed that his expression didn't show any actual interest, like he was receiving knowledge that he didn't care for. I was going to change that.

I hold my hand out, and tell him to take it and look into my eyes, like I had done to multiple Hunters before him, and he does. I send a pulse of mana into his body, and the familiar sensation of my mind being pulled into a different realm hits me.

However, unlike with other Hunters, when I opened my eyes, all I saw was darkness, like an abyss. I look around, searching for the light that I would normally see in other Hunters, or even for the extreme brightness that I would see with one of the kings, but all I see is darkness, and within that darkness are two eyes, like the abyss itself is staring straight at me.

My God, what is he?!

...

Narrator POV

"Uwaaaaahhhhh!!" Norma screamed out of reflex, as she pulled her hand away from Jin-Woo and clutched her head between her palms. Fearing the worst, the bodyguards rush in, and point their guns at Jin-Woo, Dante and Shiraori. "You bastard! What did you do to Mrs. Selner?!" One of them shouted, but what he saw happen next, shut him up.

The gun in his hands began crumbling to dust, then the room went quiet, except for Norma's fearful quivering and muttering. "You morons! Have you forgotten who's in front of you?! If you're worried about Mrs. Selner, then take care of her!" Michael shouted at the bodyguard, then turned to the trio.

"I sincerely apologize for our agents' rudeness." He said with a bow and sweat dropping from his brow. "It's fine" "Don't worry about it." "No harm done." The three of them said, giving Michael some much needed relief.

He walked up to the bodyguard that held the gun, with a scowl on his face. "If something like this happened with Thomas Andre or Liu Zhigang, we'd all be dead now. Keep that in mind." He whispered, and the bodyguard nodded, his hands still shaking.

Michael then moved to check up on Norma, and noticed that she was shivering and sweating profusely. When he noticed that she wasn't responding to him asking her what was wrong, he had to bring the meeting to its end. He was about to instruct Adam to get the three of them home, but they turned his offer down.

"We've got somewhere else to be real soon, and we won't want to impose on you, especially after what's happened." Dante said, and left the building with Sung Jin-Woo and Shiraori in tow.

As soon as they left, Norma started to calm down, just enough to be able to respond. "Mrs. Selner, what happened?" Michael asked her, her body still shaking. "He... He is... He is a king. And a very powerful one." She said.

"We already knew that he was probably at the same level as the National Rank Hunters, but even then that didn't happen with the others. So, what happened?" Michael asked, worry starting to slowly set in.

"It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. He is a king, but he's different than the others. When I looked into him, he looked back at me." She said as she held her sides, quivering in fear from the memory. "It wasn't Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, but rather, it was the endless darkness inside him. It looked at me. And he... He has no limit."

Norma's words were like an explosion in Michael's ears, as he hadn't even considered such a thing. Then the scarier thought came into his mind. 'Are those two also the same?' He would never truly know.

...

Meanwhile, outside the building, Dante, Shiraori and Sung Jin-Woo had just stepped out of the building. Due to the fact that they didn't come with their own vehicle, they were here with only their feet to take them elsewhere. Sung Jin-Woo stepped forward, about to call a taxi, but Dante stopped him.

"Don't worry, our ride's here." As Dante said that, a car that looked like a Rolls Royce Phantom drove up to them, and the front window rolled down to reveal Sung Il-Hwan in the driver's seat. "I got your message. Get in." They all stepped into the back of the car, with Jin-Woo being slightly confused.

"What message?" Jin-Woo asked as he sat down. "The Monarchs are here, and they've already begun moving to kill the vessels of the Rulers." Dante said, as he put up a hologram of the planet, showing the current locations of each Monarch, as well as the locations they had been in within the last hour.

"We don't have to go over to them, since my deathborns are already protecting the National Rank Hunters, as well as Norma. They'll fail to assassinate the National Rank Hunters, band together and come to Korea in a bid to take down the most powerful one, that being Go Gun-Hee." He said as he projected images showing the current appearance of each of the Monarchs.

"You aren't going to kill them. Why?" Sung Il-Hwan asked from the driver's seat. "I'll leave that to Jin-Woo. I've already killed all of them once before, and as things stand, he'll be able to kill all of them, except maybe Antares." Dante said, then pulled up another hologram, this one showing the Gates that are present within Korea.

"I see, so what now?" Sung Il-Hwan asked. "For now, we'll do what we've been doing. We'll hunt. From what I'm seeing here, there's a Gate on the road back home. It's a B Rank Gate, so you take care of it, Jin-Woo. It might not do much in the way of helping you level up, but it'll net you some more soldiers." Dante said, then turned off the hologram.

Some minutes pass, and they soon enter a traffic jam, which as Dante had said, was owed to the presence of a Gate on the road. There were road safety officers directing people away from the Gate, and they had placed yellow tape and safety cones to cordon off an area in front of the Gate.

Sung Jin-Woo stepped out of the car, much to everyone else's relief, as one of Korea's most powerful Hunters is going to clear the dungeon within the Gate, guaranteeing their safety. There were a few news vans with the cameramen and reporters reporting the situation to the people at home.

Sung Jin-Woo greeted the safety officers and Hunter Association employees who were doing the routine checks that are normally done to every Gate, then stood in front of it. "Oh, by the way, that's a Red Gate. Do with that information what you will." Sung Jin-Woo smiled after hearing Dante's words, then entered the Gate, and true to those words, the surface of the Gate changed color to become a bright red.

An hour passed by, and the surface of the Gate reverted to the normal blue, showing that the Gate has been cleared. Sung Jin-Woo came out of the Gate, still looking pristine, almost as if he didn't raise a finger to do anything, then headed back into the car, not minding the cheers of the people.

"Okay, what now?" Sung Jin-Woo said as he leaned into his seat. "For now, we'll prepare to receive a new S Rank, and get you ready to return to the Carthenon Temple. I'm sure that it's already given you a countdown for its appearance on the key." Sung Jin-Woo nodded, then brought out a black key from his inventory, looking at it with a resentful expression.

"Don't worry about it so much, Jin-Woo. Neither the Carthenon nor the Monarchs would know what hit them. So just do what a Hunter has to do, and hunt." Dante said with a grin that promised misfortune for his enemies, and to the now much greater misfortune of the Monarchs, they were his enemies.

Chapter End.

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Word Count: 3,013

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