The Hero Returns

"What is it? What is it?"

"Did he just say 'here they are?'"

"Who are they?"

"People are coming up here. Wasn't this area off-limits?"

"Are they civilians?"

There was quite a bit of distance, so the reporters couldn't see the faces of the people coming up the hill. Soon, they took their minds off from the new people. For them, the interview with Gwon Jae-hoon and other members of the Hahoetal Guild was the first priority. They didn't want to miss a single word from them. But that didn't mean everyone ignored the new ones. Some curious reporters still opened their eyes and looked at them.

One of them mumbled, "K-Kim Su-hyeun?"

"W-what? Who?"

"Did you just say Kim Su-hyeun?"

"Wait. No way…"

The reporters' eyes went to the four men who reached the front of the viaduct. As they came closer, the reporters could see their faces quite clearly. And, since they were reporters who usually covered awakeners, they were very familiar with the faces of famous awakeners.

<<It's really him! Kim Su-hyeun is here!>>

<<Who's that next to him? Lee Ju-ho?>>

<<Who's that foreigner next to him… Is he Thomas?>>

<<Oh! Choi Hak-joon! He became a S-Rank awakener following Su-hyeun. He's one of the youngest S-Rank awakeners ever.>>

The reporters' eyes were open wide. They looked around, held their breath, and started to leave one by one. They were the reporters who were waiting for the interview with Gwon Jae-hoon. They averted their eyes. One of the reporters who was covering Gwon Jae-hoon from the closest was embarrassed. He also wanted to go and see Su-hyeun. But he couldn't just leave Gwon Jae-hoon.

<<Why the hell is he here?>> Gwon Jae-hoon was also surprised.

He knew Kim Su-hyeun had fought his guild members at Kim Dae-ho's workshop before. But it wasn't that big of a conflict. And, after Su-hyeun had warned them, they hadn't visited Kim Dae-ho at all. But still, here he was. There must be a reason why.

<<Is he interested in the dungeon, too?>>

Gwon Jae-hoon thought that could be why. It was a very likely reason. Su-hyeun had already succeeded in the raid of one blue-colored dungeon before. So, it would be natural for Bak Yun-gyu to ask him for help. Gwon Jae-hoon frowned and gnashed his teeth unconsciously. At this point, everyone except idiots could know.

<<All the interest paid to me and my Hahoetal Guild moved on to that bastard.>>

"Mr. Su-hyeun. I'm from OBS Broadcasting! Can I ask you some questions—"

"Why did you come back to Korea right after the Ranking Wars?"

"What's your opinion about the blue-colored dungeons—"

"Mr. Kim Su-hyeun!"

"Please answer some—"

There were all kinds of questions. Su-hyeun reached his hand out, as if he was used to it, and passed through the reporters.

Hak-joon said with an embarrassed face, "Wow. It's no joke."

"It'll get worse soon," said Su-hyeun.

"How can you be so calm, Su-hyeun? You're not used to this, are you?" Hak-joon asked.

"Well…"

Su-hyeun clouded his words awkwardly and walked toward Gwon Jae-hoon. Gwon Jae-hoon was glaring at Su-hyeun harshly.

Click, click—

When Su-hyeun and Gwon Jae-hoon faced each other, the reporters stopped the barrage of questions and took pictures. The meeting of the two was a good image for the front image. Su-hyeun kept his poker face under the bursting lights. Gwon Jae-hoon was the same since he was used to this kind of attention.

"I'm so glad to meet you." Gwon Jae-hoon reached his hand out to Su-hyeun with a smile.

He knew how to act in public. There wasn't anything good about having an argument with Su-hyeun right at the moment.

"Are you really?" Su-hyeun asked, holding Gwon Jae-hoon's hand back, "I thought we were in an ill-fated relationship."

"An ill-fated relationship?"

"What's he talking about?"

"Do they know each other?"

The reporters whispered to each other in small voices. Gwon Jae-hoon frowned a little bit. He tried to manage his face, but he couldn't help but show his displeasure.

<<So, I guess he is trying to bring things out in public.>>

Bringing the reporters was a bad decision. What Su-hyeun knew would work against him. So far, he had been moving with the idea that the Authority wouldn't fight against the Association. But Su-hyeun had a different plan in mind.

An individual who had no one else to worry about was scarier than a group. In particular, if the individual were the strongest person in the world, there would be nothing more to say.

"I think there was some misunderstanding, and I apologize for my guild members' disrespect," said Gwon Jae-hoon.

"It was a misunderstanding?" Su-hyeun asked.

"Yes. We were in a hurry to get equipment to attack these dungeons, but Kim Dae-ho seemed to have no intention of selling his. Attacking these dungeons is essential for the safety of the citizens, and that was why we needed his equipment." Gwon Jae-hoon shook his head as if it a sad thing.

"We wanted to pay as much as we can, but he asked too high a price. I think my guild members were upset because he didn't negotiate at all. And you were there just at that moment. Since you didn't know what had been happening, I understand you had no choice but to protect him."

"Kim Dae-ho? Who's Kim Dae-ho? Does anybody know who he is?"

"Did the Hahoetal Guild have trouble when they tried to get equipment for the dungeon raid?"

"If that's the case, that man named Kim Dae-ho is so mean. He ripped off a guild trying to attack the dungeon."

Public opinion began to turn against Kim Dae-ho. Gwon Jae-hoon grinned inside. Maybe he could still turn the situation to his favor. Kim Dae-ho would become a villain rather than himself or Su-hyeun.

"What are you talking about? Trying to attack those dungeons is not your work in the first place." But, of course, Su-hyeun had no intention of letting Kim Dae-ho go down as the villain. "The Authority had ownership of these dungeons from the beginning. And you guys won't succeed in attacking the dungeons anyway. It's fun that you're trying to jump in the dungeons like bugs flying to the fire."

At Su-hyeun's ridicule, everyone became quiet. Especially Gwon Jae-hoon, who didn't know Su-hyeun would make fun of him in public, frowned.

"Are…you done talking?"

"I'm not just saying. The raid on the blue-colored dungeon is impossible with you lot alone. You're so inadequate that it's not even funny."

At Su-hyeun's affirmation, the reporters, who had had a friendly attitude toward the Hahoetal Guild in general, started to change their opinions.

"Not just a hard time, but they're 'completely inadequate' for the raid?"

"Kim Su-hyeun is the awakener who attacked the blue-colored dungeon with Jordan before. Wouldn't he know about the blue-colored dungeons the best, then?"

"He's a pretty reliable source—"

"Can we really trust the Hahoetal Guild then? What if they fail in their attack? What if these twin dungeons burst out?"

If dungeons weren't attacked for a certain period, the boundaries between the dungeons and the real-world would crumble, and monsters would pour out from it. A dungeon's outbreak could cause a lot of damage.

What if the blue dungeon caused an outbreak? That would be an almost unimaginable catastrophe. For that reason, everyone was nervous about who would target these twin blue dungeons. And now, Su-hyeun, who actually experienced a blue-colored dungeon before, was saying that the Hahoetal Guild wouldn't be good enough.

"Write an article, quickly. Pick a good title and attach a photo. Hurry up."

"If the Hahoetal Guild released information that they didn't discuss with the Authority… Isn't this a problem?"

"Wait. Then, maybe that's why Kim Su-hyeun came here. I guess the Authority invited him."

The reporters whispered to each other. But Gwon Jae-hoon could hear them clearly. Not only his pride but also his actual profits and good image were about to be ruined. Gwon Jae-hoon glared at Su-hyeun.

"Then, do you have the ability for this raid? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes," said Su-hyeun.

"With only four people? How the hell—"

"No. Not four." Su-hyeun waved his hands and said, "It'll be me alone."

"A-alone?"

"For the blue-colored dungeon?"

"He's very confident, isn't he?"

At Su-hyeun's comment, the reporters buzzed again. Although it was a provocative statement, the reporters were excited about Su-hyeun's appearance and remarks. The headline was set already.

『Winner of the Ranking Wars, Kim Su-hyeun challenges the blue dungeon alone!』

It was a perfect story. The Hahoetal Guild's challenge to the blue-colored dungeon was no match; the public always wanted a star and longed for fantastic stories. At a word from Su-hyeun, Gwon Jae-hoon and the Hahoetal Guild became the third wheel in an instant.

"Can you…take responsibility for what you say?" asked Gwon Jae-hoon.

"I never say anything that I can't take responsibility for in the first place," Su-hyeun calmly answered.

"Can you prove it?"

"If you want to check, you can check it out right now."

Su-hyeun bobbed his hand as if telling him to bring it on. It was an apparent provocation. But Gwon Jae-hoon couldn't move immediately. Su-hyeun was the one who had defeated Gordon Rohan and about 30 other S-Rank awakeners in a row. No one could beat Su-hyeun in a one-on-one fight. Of course, even if all the awakeners of the Hahoetal Guild pounced on him at once, the result would be the same. They still couldn't guarantee their victory.

"Okay. I understand what you're saying. Well, then. If you say so, we'll step back."

Gwon Jae-hoon, who had had a bloody expression, soon put on another mask. He nodded his head with a smile. He looked at Su-hyeun, and the people behind him, Hak-joon, Thomas, and Lee Ju-ho.

"I hope you and your guys succeed in the raid," Gwon Jae-hoon said, turned his body, and started to go down the mountain.

As they moved far enough from the reporters, Yun Jae-ho came very close to Gwon Jae-hoon and asked in a small voice, "Do we really back off?"

He knew Gwon Jae-hoon well. He wasn't one to give up things like this easily.

"What? Of course not," he answered just as Yun Jae-ho expected.

"Gather some talented members. About 20 people. And avert the reporters' attention."

"That means…"

"We'll go into the dungeon, too, quietly," Gwon Jae-hoon said.

"What?"

It was a more extreme decision than Yun Jae-ho had expected. Yun Jae-ho thought he knew Gwon Jae-hoon well, but even he didn't expect Gwon Jae-hoon to go this far. Going into the dungeon in secret would never happen, and for a good reason.

"He should keep his word," said Gwon Jae-hoon, "Otherwise, it would be difficult to avoid criticism. Also, he might not be able to keep his life."

"Are you—"

"Check which dungeon Kim Su-hyeun is going into. We'll sabotage his raid. He won't get a successful attack."

"Sabotage" was the term among the awakeners. It was the act of interrupting other people or other guild's dungeon raids. And now, Gwon Jae-hoon was trying to sabotage Su-hyeun's blue-colored dungeon raid.

"That son of a b*tch, he crossed the wrong man," Gwon Jae-hoon muttered with a hard look.

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