On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 158: #S-rank Hunter Yu Il-Shin (2)

Click click!

Camera shutter sounds clicked simultaneously from all directions.

“...Today is a special day for all the S-rank Hunters who have passed their tests with flying colors. Thank you for choosing South Korea. I hope all of you will continue to keep the nation safe and increase its prestige...”

The speech of the chairman rivaled that of a school principal—both were sleep-inducing and long-winded! It was an event where the Hunter Association appointed the new bath of S-rank Hunters, announcing and introducing them to the public. In the seminar room, which was bustling with excitement, various industry related personnel and media journalists had gathered.

A total of five S-rank Hunters were introduced today, all of whom had outstanding appearances that could put models to shame.

Aside from making appearances, it was customary for them to engage or dabble in other activities, such as entertainment or advertising. As such, the Hunters would make preparations in advance before their appointment.

Of course, there were outliers as well, like a certain nutcase who wore a black helmet and green training suit. Me. By the way, I borrowed the helmet from Sung Mi-Ri.

I, who didn’t know better, followed Sung Mi-Na all the way here. I just thought it’d be useful to acquire the S-rank Hunter license since it’d grant me some immunity to certain issues. I didn’t want to get locked up like before. But now that I’d arrived, I found out how much of a big deal it was.

“M-Mr. Yu, please don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it!” Sung Mi-Ri explained in a flurry. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore the Hunter Academy uniform. She was the main highlight of today’s event—S-rank Hunter Sung Mi-Ri.

“I should say the same to you, Ms. Mi-Ri.”

Even though Sung Mi-Ri had been an S-rank Hunter for a while, the news was scheduled to be officially announced to the public for the first time today.

Click click!

The cameramen were already at war, trying to take a picture of Sung Mi-Ri. After all, the true identity of Thunder Emperor had just been revealed. A teenage student of the Hunter Academy’s high school division, who dramatically grew from a B-rank to an S-rank Hunter. Moreover, she was also the younger sister of South Korea’s best Hunter, Sung Mi-Na.

Sung Mi-Ri was the main character of this appointment event in the truest sense of the word.

“Hiiic, I should’ve kept the helmet for myself...”

Mindful of Sung Mi-Ri’s feelings, Sung Mi-Na secretly whispered to me on my right, “Hey, when are you going to remove that helmet? Also, why didn’t you wear the suit I bought for you?”

“Didn’t they say face reveal is optional? I also find training suits more comfortable.”

I wasn’t as good-looking as the other S-rank Hunters, who could easily land roles in commercials or the entertainment industry. Not that I was interested to begin with, which was part of why I didn’t show my face to the public.

“Haa, do whatever you want.” Sung Mi-Na shook her head, giving up on me.

There was also Ko Myeong-Ji, a fellow student appointed as an S-rank Hunter. Although not as popular as Sung Mi-Ri, she had the confidence to compensate. I secretly hoped Sung Mi-Ri would learn from her in that aspect. She chose to wear a black dress instead of her uniform, making her resemble an elegant antique doll.

-Master.

Death Knight Hades, Ko Myeong-Ji’s familiar and my follower, bowed respectfully in my direction. In fact, he had played a huge role in Ko Myeong-Ji’s rank ascension.

“Hoahm.”

How long is this going to take? Am I nervous, you ask? Not at all.

Every Hunter dreamed of becoming an S-rank Hunter because of the wealth, power, and fame that accompanied it. Yet, strangely enough, I didn’t feel any excitement toward those worldly possessions. All I wanted was to obtain my license as soon as possible and head home for a good rest.

Ding ding!

Just then, a notification rang from God-Maker.

I opened the messages, careful not to let anyone notice.

[You paid All-Cutting Heavenly Sword 66,400,000 Gcoins for transporting 664 Divine Beasts of Eden to Antrinia.]

This is robbery in broad daylight!

I knew I had asked him a favor, but what the fuck was that price?! I became dizzy all of the sudden. Fortunately, thanks to the new followers I’d gained from the Tower of Warriors, along with the constantly increasing number of followers from Antrinia, I no longer had a shortage of Godcoins. Nevertheless, this cost me nearly all of my fortune!

Haa, I can’t seem to be able to save up enough of them.

-It’s a party! A move-in house party-nya!

-The food is delicious-woof!

-Ehehe, there’s plenty of food for everyone, so take your time.

-All hail Empress Anty!

-On a day like this, you can’t miss out on Miho’s performance!

Tadan tadan tadan~♬

The Angel Soldiers and Skull Chickens danced to the tune of Miho’s violin. The Divine Beasts, Anty, and the people of Gayami Nation held hands and joined in the dance.

-Ooh, please allow this troubadour Baek-Ho to join in as well!

Baek-Ho appeared at the party with a grass-made harp in hand.

-In honor of this day, I, Baek-Ho, will play a song for you~ O’, divine beasts who have arrived at Gayami Nation blessed by God Yu Il-Shin~ Your fur is fluffy~ Your tail is wagging~

Anty and the people of the Gayami Nation turned pale.

-Eek! Royal Guard Cheon-Ho! Please stop Baek-Ho, quick!

-H-how could you get in the way of art?! This is tyranny, Your Majesty!

Phew, good work, Anty.

Getting ripped off by Heavenly Sword left me devastated, but watching them enjoy the party made me feel proud.

Let’s see. Maybe I can build it somewhere a distance away from the castle?

Ding!

[Opening the Construction menu.]

Then, I used my remaining Godcoins to build a new house for the Divine Beasts as a little gift for them.

I hope they like it.

“Wow, it’s so cute. Mr. Yu, is this the famous Forest of Beasts?” Sung Mi-Ri peered over my shoulder to see God-Maker on my phone screen. “The graphics are amazing. It looks so real!”

Her nervousness seemed to have eased at the sight of my cute children.

“It’s not exactly Forest of Beasts, but Forest of Ants—wait, that’s still weird...” I pondered for a moment. How should I explain this properly to her?

Huh?

Suddenly, I felt a pair of piercing eyes on me. I looked up and realized that it was one of the other S-rank Hunters. Despite clearly being Korean, he had glossy blond hair and a shit-ton of piercings on his ears and nose like a pop singer. My helmet and training suit couldn’t compare to his extremely flashy attire.

Why did he stare at me as if I was his sworn enemy?

“Ugh, Asshole.” Sung Mi-Ri grumbled as she took a brief glance at him.

“You know him?”

“Yes. Do you remember that asshole I was in charge of during the S-rank test?”

Oh, yeah. She said she wanted to oversee my test, but was rejected because we were acquaintances. In the end, she got assigned to someone else instead. I remembered that he had a foreign name...

“Oh, is that Steve Choi?”

“Yes. He won’t stop boasting about how he came to South Korea after refusing the scout offer from Chronos—the number one guild in the world. To top it off, he started flirting with me! It’s so fucking annoying!”

“That bastard!” Sung Mi-Na muttered, her eyes glowed eerily as she sat beside me.

I flinched. She was keeping a low profile because she was still pretending to be amnesiac. But considering her personality, that guy wasn’t long for this world... I looked mournfully at the blondie.

Ding!

[Your innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

-----

[Choi Bong-Shik]

A male human. Around for 25 years.

Special note: An asshole.

-----

“Steve Choi” my ass. He’s just a Bong-Shik.

Wow, that name doesn’t sound foreign at all. But that special note is quite interesting.

Curious, I focused on the note, delving further into it. If I wanted, I could read a person’s life story, from birth to death, with my upgraded skill.

A teleporter? That’s quite useful.

Choi Bong-Shik Awakened with the rare teleportation abilities. Triggered because I was staring at him for a while, Choi Bong-Shik raised his middle finger at me. To receive and not give back would go against my nature as a Korean raised under the tutelage of Eastern culture, so I gave him a pair of middle fingers in return.

His face flared up a bright red, mouthing the words at me: You’re fucked, asshole.

I didn’t feel intimidated at all. I’d fought a Sun God and a monster with a stomach that was several kilometers long. Above all, nothing could compare to the fear I felt when I saw Il-Ho laughing while being struck by lightning.

“...Why don’t we invite Ms. Sung Mi-Ri and Ms. Ko Myeong-Ji up on stage?”

Hearing the chairman’s introduction, the two students in question walked up the stage hand in hand. The older man watched, beaming as he handed them their gold S-rank licenses. Lastly, he helped them put their bracelets on.

What are those bracelets?

Just then, a flash of light came from their respective bracelets, and a number hovered in the air.

The chairman smiled in admiration. “This simple measurement device, recently developed by the Association, could measure the mana points of Hunters. Ms. Sung Mi-Ri has 14,000 MP, and Ms. Ko Myeong-Ji has 5,000 MP. However, her summon, Death Knight Hades, has 11,000 MP. The new S-rank Hunters this time are excellent.

Was that a performance for the media? The journalists’ reaction was relatively positive.

“14,000? Isn’t that the top three amongst the S-rank Hunters in South Korea?”

“Incredible! This is definitely an exclusive!”

“Wow, an S-rank Summoner! Ms. Ko Myeong-Ji is impressive! As expected of the heir of the Immortal Guild.”

I felt proud watching my two students getting recognized as S-rank Hunters. Then, my turn came.

“Let’s have Mr. Steve Choi and Mr. Yi-Shin on stage now.”

I was told that I could use a pseudonym to keep my identity a secret. Without thinking twice, I went with Yi-Shin. I went up on stage with Choi Bong-Shik still staring daggers at me from behind.

A few journalists had their attention on me, who had a helmet on.

“Who is that?”

“I know the Hunters have the right to conceal their identities, but is there a need to do that? He isn’t some great nameless hero.”

The chairman turned to both of us and said, “You’re free to create or join a guild, but you’ll be required to clear at least one A-rank or higher dungeon or gate every month. If there’s a National-level anomaly, your participation is required. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

Choi Bong-Shik and I answered in unison.

Let’s quickly get this over with. I want to take a nap.

It took a few minutes for the chairman to finish his piece. After that, the older man finally brought out the license and the mysterious gold bracelet. Up close, it looked like a fake Eipel watch, so it didn’t look too bad as an accessory.

Click!

Just like with Sung Mi-Ri and Ko Myeong-Ji earlier, some numbers appeared, displaying our mana points.

“Mr. Steve Choi has 10,050 MP and Mr. Yi-Shin has... huh?”

A commotion occurred within the seminar room.