Chapter 161: Konichiwaaaah! (1)

South Korea recently claimed the top spot in a global popularity ranking of overseas travel destinations, according to a foreign portal site. While the poll began as something of a joke, participation surged unexpectedly, and the results were soon spotlighted on the site's main page.

The primary reason for this popularity was the Permanent Gate. Hunters seeking growth visited South Korea specifically to slay powerful monsters emerging from the Gate, even if they didn't fully meet tourism-level requirements.

Another compelling factor was the World Tree. Its blessings were already renowned across the globe, but it also held a rarer gift: the ability to awaken latent Elementalist talent. Though the odds of this were slim, it was still enough to make South Korea a prime destination.

"There's no real issue with South Korea taking first place. In fact, the results were as everyone expected. After all, the reason is obvious: South Korea is the only country in the world with both a Permanent Gate and a World Tree. This applies to the Japanese as well."

Kim Ki-Rok paused his explanation and turned to look at the seat next to him. There, Kim Ji-Hee had long since fallen asleep.

"

Hrm...

Yum..." Kim Ji-Hee mumbled.

Kim Ki-Rok glanced around, searching for his next target—someone unfortunate enough to endure his full monologue. His eyes settled on Lee Ji-Yeon, sitting across the aisle.

"Uh... um... yes, go ahead." She caved under his intense stare but regretted it the instant the words slipped out.

"Right. Once South Korea ranked first in the vote, the Japanese immediately started searching for tourist destinations in South Korea. Of course, I'm talking about people interested in traveling abroad."

Yoo Seh-Eun yawned and glanced slyly at Lee Ji-Yeon from her seat at the center of the table.

In the end, she said exactly what Captain Commentary was hoping to hear. Tsk tsk.

"So, Japanese tourists who decided to visit South Korea began searching online for tourist spots. And that's when they found it."

This was always the issue with Kim Ki-Rok; it was hard to follow what he was talking about. He would ramble about trivial, useless things, but somehow managed to pique everyone's curiosity.

"I'm talking about the pictures taken of the DG Guild and the World Tree."

The guild members, now unknowingly drawn into Kim Ki-Rok's story, nodded along. It made sense. The World Tree was a must-see spot for foreign tourists in South Korea.

"That's why a large crowd will be gathered," Kim Ki-Rok continued.

"What?"

"I'm talking about fans."

"Huh?" one of the guild members let out as they were all startled by the sudden twist.

Kim Ki-Rok pulled out his phone, searched for something, then handed it to Lee Ji-Yeon. "Take a look."

"Oh? This photo?"

The photo was a mysterious yet beautiful image of young Kim Ji-Hee communicating with the World Tree. It had been featured in an article by K Daily, and it was said that reporter Lee Bo-Ram received a huge bonus for it. No surprise, as this was the first photo to appear on any portal worldwide when searching "World Tree."

"It's a photo of our cute and adorable Ji-Hee with the beautiful and mysterious World Tree. Apparently, this photo perfectly matched the tastes of many people and inspired them to become Ji-Hee's fans. According to the representative fan club in South Korea, Love Ji-Hee, Love the Nation, there are currently 300,000 Ji-Hee fans registered in the Japanese branch," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

"Japanese branch?"

"The fan club has branches in the United States, China, even Africa. Why wouldn't there be one in Japan?"

"Wow... You're right," Yoo Seh-Eun said, now convinced.

She had seen it herself: a Hunter from Ghana who had visited for the World Tree's blessing had found Kim Ji-Hee and asked for her autograph on a photo card. There was no way Kim Ji-Hee's fame would go unnoticed in Japan, the country of Moe.

"She has over 300,000 fans, even though she's neither a local Hunter nor a popular idol. If even one percent of Ji-Hee's fans turned up at the airport, it would descend into total chaos," Kim Ki-Rok warned.

"Uh... Isn't that dangerous?" one of the Hunters asked Kim Ki-Rok.

"It won't be. We're a Korean Hunter team visiting to clear an S-Class Gate in their country. Of course, unlike other Hunter teams, we'll have to stay at the airport for a while to hold a simple fan meeting for Ji-Hee's fans."

"Uh... So, Guildmaster?"

"Yes, Ms. Seh-Eun," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

"So, you're saying we have to stay at the airport for a while for Ji-Hee's fans?"

"That's right."

"And that's why you mentioned the popularity vote on the overseas portal site?"

"Yes."

Yoo Seh-Eun put her sleep mask back on. "What a waste of time."

As if that were his cue, Kim Ki-Rok opened his mouth again. "Well... If we had visited Japan for a reason other than the current situation, there might have been some trouble, but since our purpose this time is the S-Class Gate, we shouldn't have to worry about that."

Just as Yoo Seh-Eun was about to put in her earplugs, one by one, the Hunters looked up with tense expressions.

"A bit of... trouble?" Yoo Seh-Eun asked.

"Yes, a bit of trouble."

Could it be...?

All the Hunters thought at once.

"Did you have an accident?" Yoo Seh-Eun asked again.

"Yes," Kim Ki-Rok replied simply.

"When?"

"Oh, it was a long time ago..."

With a bitter smile, Kim Ki-Rok turned his head. He meant to gaze out the window in melancholy, but Kim Ji-Hee was dozing away, so he instead made sure the curtains were drawn tight. Clicking his tongue in disappointment, he began the story. "In the year 2044..."

"That was last year. It's not a long time ago."

"A year is 365 days, and 365 days is 8,760 hours, or, if you do the math, 525,600 minutes. If you calculate it in secon—"

"So, what happened?" Yoo Seh-Eun cut him off before he could go off on another tangent.

"The Japanese government and their Association requested my help, which I accepted."

Why would that cause trouble?

The Hunters wondered, confused.

"I participated in an operation to arrest a group of Awakened criminals at their request," Kim Ki-Rok continued.

"Hmm..."

It was a common occurrence. Kim Ki-Rok's skill Discernment allowed him to appraise monsters, Gates, and even Hunters. Because of his abilities, he sometimes received requests to use his Skill on Awakened criminals from various countries or their governments.

"It would have been nice if we'd managed to suppress all of them, but we didn't. The resistance from the Awakened criminals was fiercer than expected, and we only managed to arrest 70% of them."

"Why would that cause minor trouble when visiting Japan?" one of the Hunters asked.

"I provoked them quite a bit."

"Ah..."

The Hunters understood immediately. Some of them had participated in suppressing the coalition of Awakened criminals who attacked the Incheon UK Hunter Department Store. They still remembered the conversation between Kim Ki-Rok, UK Group Chairman Yoo Jin-Man, and the leader of Black Money after the operation.

Kim Ki-Rok's usual manner of speaking was enough to annoy anyone. If he tried to get under someone's skin, there was no way the other person would just let it go.

It might have been different if they'd wiped them out completely, but almost a third of the Awakened criminals had escaped. It was obvious how furious they would be. Honestly, it was hard to say whether stopping those criminals from coming after Kim Ki-Rok was the right thing to do.

"Um... but you were just acting at the request of the Japanese government and Association. And if they've heard the rumors about you, Guildmaster, they should know you're not a bas—

ahem!

They should know you're not someone to mess with."

"That's right. As Miss Seh-Eun said, I'm famous in the Awakened criminal world as the bastard you don't mess with."

Yoo Seh-Eun sat in silence for a moment before correcting him. "I said

someone.

"

Kim Ki-Rok shrugged. "Anyway, according to my intel, it seems the Japanese Awakened criminals know exactly what kind of guy I am. It would have been nice if that was the end of it, but I suggested something to the Japanese government and Association to wrap things up nicely."

"And the government and Association accepted your proposal."

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "That's right."

It wasn't just about providing information and lending his skills. Since most of the Japanese Awakened criminals were connected to organizations, guilds, and influential politicians, they needed to investigate thoroughly—and that's exactly what they would do.

"You know, I'm certain," Kim Ki-Rok said.

The Hunters listening in had no more sighs to give.

He continued, "I'm certain there are countless politicians, guilds, and organizations grinding their teeth at the news that Kim Ki-Rok from the DG Guild is visiting."

"Wow..."

"So be careful. There won't be a problem before the Gate is cleared... but after we clear the Gate, we'll run into inevitable trouble."

They weren't sure if he was joking, but the members of the DG Guild were sure of one thing: this man had orchestrated the situation.

"Inevitably?" asked one of the Hunters.

"Inevitably," he replied simply.

"Even if it causes diplomatic issues?"

"

Hahaha! Oh, Miss Ji-Yeon.

"

"What? You're scaring me."

"Accidents can happen surprisingly often."

He hinted that someone might come after them and make it look like an accident once the Gate was cleared, prompting the Hunters to exchange uneasy glances.

"So... we leave right after the job?" one asked.

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "No. After the Gate clear."

The tension thickened. But with no concern for their anxiety, Kim Ki-Rok just grinned and said, "We're going on a hot spring trip."

"No, I mean why?"

"A friend I met during the operation suggested it. He asked if I'd be willing to accept an invitation to a well-known ryokan[1] after the Gate was cleared, whenever that may be."

***

The door opened, revealing the famous Hunters of South Korea. The clicking of camera shutters filled the air as reporters raised their cameras to take pictures. The broadcast announcer introduced the Hunters while looking at the camera.

Japanese fans gathered at the airport to welcome the Korean Hunters, cheering loudly, even for the ones they didn't recognize. After all, these Hunters had crossed borders to help destroy the S-Class Gate that had appeared in

their

country. Ally or not, that kind of courage earned respect.

One team after another passed through immigration, and the cheering reached its peak. Their overall strength might not rival that of the larger guilds, but when it came to reputation, no one in South Korea stood higher.

"Konichiwaaaah!" Kim Ki-Rok shouted, arms wide like he was greeting an old friend rather than a cheering mob.

The crowd erupted at the sight of him and Kim Ji-Hee, the DG Guild's beloved mascot with over 300,000 Japanese fans.

"Ogenki desu kaaaah!" he bellowed, his voice echoing dramatically through the terminal.

1. A traditional Japanese inn, often featuring tatami floors, communal baths, and meals served in-room. ☜