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Chapter 32: A Test Pt. 2

"…"

Jang Hyo-Jin was the president in charge of the Hunter Association, and in the shadows, he was the king who ruled Asgard, Odin.

Odin was a strong man who was not only able to influence Korea but also the world. He was a First Hunter and a Hunter stronger than anyone else at that.

However, this incredible Hunter sat there silently. Across from him, Lee Jun-Kyeong sat silently as well.

‘Did I go too far?’

Although he was exuding an aura of confidence outwardly, Lee Jun-Kyeong was actually filled with tension. It was as if he was walking on a thin sheet of ice.

[Odin had never had a good personality; his benevolent mask was a complete lie, and he was actually more petty and more cruel than anyone else.]

Contrary to Odin’s publicly known appearance, the story that Lee Jun-Kyeong had seen in the book of the Demon King was absolutely shocking. He was an incredibly cruel and petty king. It was easy to tell just how vicious and twisted his personality was by looking at how the Northern Army Guild turned out.

Lee Jun-Kyeong continued to provoke him. There was a valid reason as to why he was acting this way.

[Still, Odin also had a weakness.]

The book of the Demon King had mentioned something he could use.

“And how is it that you know all of this, young man?”

Jang Hyo-Jin’s words had confirmed it.

[Odin’s curiosity is like an insatiable monster. His desire to find out more was so deep that it was like there was no end. It was to the point that if it meant that he would be able to satisfy his curiosity, he wouldn’t hesitate to join forces with his enemy.]

Odin’s personality and what he sought the most was something he could take advantage of.

“You were even aware of Huginn’s existence. Not only that, but you were also aware of the fact that I had given it to Choi Yeong-Seong in order to control the river worm. And you even said, ‘I got stronger by hunting monsters’ to give me something to chase after.”

The Association President lived for the quest for knowledge and wisdom, and Lee Jun-Kyeong had gambled on it even though he was weaker than the older man. Odin would never kill him. Even if Lee Jun-Kyeong had provoked Odin’s royal ire, the latter would keep giving him one chance after another.

“Most importantly…”

Jang Hyo-Jin continued without attempting to hide his burning desire.

“My?eye doesn’t work on you. Did you know about my eye?”

‘As if I didn’t know.’

Odin’s eye was imbued with the absolute sacredness he had received from his Sponsor. For Odin, it was his most potent weapon, the Eye that Pierced the Truth.

[Odin was interested in me.]

The Demon King had gone through the same thing as Lee Jun-Kyeong.

[Because his eye didn\'t work on me, and also it?is...]

The only things that Odin’s eye couldn’t see through were the Demon King and himself.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> expresses extreme distaste for attempts at interfering with the mind of a Sponsor.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> warns the Seeker of Wisdom.]

It was a facet of being sponsored by <The Sky of the Apocalypse>.

Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t answer Jang Hyo-Jin’s question about him knowing the Eye that Pierced the Truth. Instead, Jang Hyo-Jin looked at him, sitting there silently without an answer, and smiled.

“How entertaining.”

Anything that he didn’t know, the unknown, they all gave him a catharsis-like joy.

“It’s interesting.

From this point, Lee Jun-Kyeong only had a single lifeline.

‘I need to get and keep Odin’s interest by doing the best with the information I have.’

He couldn’t hide the necessary and extremely important information anymore. From this point on, the longer he interacted with Odin, the more he would have to fight for every moment. So, Lee Jun-Kyeong waited for the president’s answer.

“Okay. While it will require complicated procedures… it wouldn’t be a bad choice to have you join Asgard. Though I have my personal interest, your potential and intelligence are also astounding.”

It was done. Finally, the door to Asgard was opened.

‘Much of the plan can go forward only after I join Asgard.’

In this era, Asgard was a long-standing group with the highest power among the many secret organizations that existed. It was the gathering of the first Hunters. Of course, while there were several other organizations out there, the Korean-based Asgard was the most important one to Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Furthermore, he had another reason why he wanted to join.

‘Someday…’

He would destroy Asgard from within.

The Demon King was the enemy of Asgard. While he had been a member briefly, he had later withdrawn from Asgard alongside several others, including Heimdall.

That later turned out to be a crucial mistake.

Asgard didn’t have a good impression of the departed Demon King and Heimdall, and the Demon King continued to be a stumbling block for them.

‘They should have destroyed it before leaving it.’

The Demon King had actually tried to dismantle it after leaving, but there were limits to what the former members could do. In the end, after a long and arduous fight, Asgard was taken down, but not before the two sides had left devastating wounds on each other. The Demon King and many of his companions ended up losing their strength. The wounds of that battle later resulted in the death of the Demon King.

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s plans were different.

\'I will join Asgard sooner and use their power to grow.’

His eyes flickered.

‘And then. Destroy it from the inside.’

Odin’s eye couldn’t see through him. Therefore, the king would never be able to figure out his intentions.

“I’ll allow your entrance into Asgard.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong was ultimately allowed to join Asgard.

"But, there are conditions."

"…"

Odin continued, “Asgard is a more secretive organization than you might think. I don’t know how much you actually know, but I can assure you, you don’t know everything about Asgard.”

However, there was still another hurdle that remained.

“Let me give you a few admission tests, in the name of the King of Asgard, Odin.” His expression had shifted into the same arrogance that Lee Jun-Kyeong had seen earlier.

“Originally, Choi Yeong-Seong, that useless dimwit from the Northern Army Guild, was supposed to do this after becoming the Hero, but… I guess I’ll leave it to you. If you can pass a few tests, you’ll be recognized as an official member of Asgard."

The older man paused and then said, “Of course, there should be some kind of restriction to prevent all of this from being disclosed.”

A kind of light suddenly began to be emitted from under the eyepatch on his left eye. At that moment, the rapidly brightening light rushed toward Lee Jun-Kyeong.

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong thought that everything was going well as even Odin’s ban had occurred as expected. Asgard was a secretive organization and its existence was carefully guarded. Thus, Odin must have been quite concerned that someone who was not yet a member of Asgard had known about it. Furthermore, he didn’t even want to join Asgard right away. Compared to the other members of Asgard, he was still quite lacking. He knew that they would have wanted to test his qualifications.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> smiles creepily at you.]

However, his Sponsor’s power had extended beyond Odin’s special eye.

‘To think it even destroyed the restriction.’

In fact, his Sponsor had even destroyed the forbidden restriction that Odin had placed on him at the end of the conversation. However, Odin must not have noticed it. <The Sky of the Apocalypse> had interfered in the form of sponsorship.

‘Seriously…’

The Authorities of <The Sky of the Apocalypse> that were recorded in the Book of the Demon King were limitless. Furthermore, because there were so many things that the Demon King was immune to due to its interference, it was easy to see that <The Sky of the Apocalypse> had a high rank even among the other Sponsors. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t know that it was this overpowered.

‘There’s no way. Doesn’t that mean that all mental attacks and restrictions are negated?’

It was a ridiculous enough concept that he had thought of an impossible result, something that completely broke the balance.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> smiles towards you.]

However, seeing its reaction, there was nothing that Lee Jun-Kyeong could be sure about. It was an absurd situation.

"Mr. Lee Jun-Kyeong?"

As he was thinking about The Sky of the Apocalypse, he heard a voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” apologized Lee Jun-Kyeong after he noticed Chu-Tae. He admonished himself for getting lost in thought after inviting someone over to meet up.

Lee Jun-Kyeong straightened his posture and said, “Did you talk about anything important…?”

The man in front of him had also encountered the same situation. He had met that person—no, he had also met Jang Hyo-Jin, the President of the Hunter Association. Lee Jun-Kyeong was very curious about his meeting with Jang Hyo-Jin because Chu-Tae was a member of the Northern Army Guild, which had been receiving special favors from the president.

Later on, Lee Jun-Kyeong had decided to meet with Jeong In-Chang and spoke with him at a nearby cafe after his meeting with the Association President.

“That’s right…he basically only said that it was a shame as to what had happened to the Northern Army Guild…” said Jeong In-Chang while biting his lip.

‘He must feel resentful.’

Jeong In-Chang knew that the person he met was Jang Hyo-Jin, the president of the Association, and that Jang Hyo-Jin was the person who had corrupted Choi Yeong-Seong, Choi Yong-Su, and the Northern Army Guild. In essence, Jang Hyo-Jin had caused this entire situation.

Jeong In-Chang bit his lip again and continued, “I couldn\'t even refute him. I couldn’t even say a single word to ask him why he did that…”

As the high-ranking members of the Northern Army Guild had been destroyed and the guild had essentially become useless, Jang Hyo-Jin had completely buried the Northern Army Guild socially and physically as if he was trying to erase the evidence.

“Mr. Jeong,” said Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“The Association President had probably wanted to deal with you as well. Because you also know his true identity.”

“...!”

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked around. There was no one around listening in, and he couldn’t find anyone eavesdropping even when he used his mana detection.

“But do you know why he didn’t eliminate you and just left you alone? Do you really believe it’s because you did nothing shameful?”

Jeong In-Chang replied, “If it’s that person, he would have come up with something to pin on me even if he couldn’t dig up anything…”

“That’s right. It’s simple. The reason you’re the only survivor…” Lee Jun-Kyeong said in a calm voice before pausing in the middle.

“...is because you have no value. Either dead or alive. He would have thought that there was no way for you to bother him at all. As for the Northern Army Guild? Do you really believe that he thought that the Northern Army Guild was an obstacle, and that’s why he buried it?”

Jeong In-Chang’s trembling body was proof that the other man had reached the same conclusion.

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head and decisively said, “No. He was just displaying their punishment. In his mind, if it is useless, it can be thrown away. He wanted to convey that to the other guilds and Hunters he supports and raises.”

Puheok.

Blood was flowing out of Jeong In-Chang’s mouth. He had become a Hunter. He had obtained strength incomparable to ordinary people and had grown stronger and even more powerful.

“It looks like I am nothing,” he remarked bitterly with self-loathing glowing in his eyes.

Lee Jun-Kyeong interjected, “So please join me.”

“But…”

“Whether you believe it or not, in my plans, that person, the Association President, Jang Hyo-Jin…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong took a deep breath.

“...will meet his maker one day.”

"…!"

Lee Jun-Kyeong continued, “It’s okay if you want to think of what I’m saying as nonsense. It’s okay if you think it\'s arrogance or even pride. But, since you’ve already hit rock bottom, wouldn’t there be nothing to lose if you joined me?”

“That’s…” Jeong In-Chang’s eyes trembled.

“I’ve already prepared to enter their base,” Lee Jun-Kyeong interjected.

“By their base, you mean…?”

Shhhhh.

Intangible mana emanating from Lee Jun-Kyeong had suddenly enveloped their surroundings as a precaution against being surprised by something they weren’t aware of. Jeong In-Chang could feel the other man’s usage of mana, and his eyes widened in surprise. He seemed to have noticed how difficult this technique was to use.

“Asgard. I will enter their base and destroy them from within.”

Jeong In-Chang was dumbfounded at that declaration. Lee Jun-Kyeong finally said, “This is the last time I am making this offer. If, by chance, you refuse again this time...”

The mana in the surroundings gradually began to tighten, and Jeong In-Chang started to sweat as if a suffocating pressure was pressing onto him.

“...I’ll have no choice but to kill you. Because, unlike the Association President, you’re still a threat to me.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t actually need to say that, but he did so deliberately.

‘He needs to regain his confidence.’

Because he knew that Jeong In-Chang had the potential to grow even greater and eventually stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other strong Heroes. Finally, vitality began to return to the other man’s eyes. After a while, Jeong In-Chang wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and gave his response.

“Alright. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sleep for the rest of my life with guilt anyway. Whether it works or not, I’ll follow you.”

Finally, Lee Jun-Kyeong had obtained a definite answer, and the pressure of the mana surrounding them disappeared as if it had been washed away.

“Then, what should I do now?” Jeong In-Chang asked as if he had made up his mind. Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at him and smiled.

“Mr. Jeong, you definitely were sponsored at the Rhine River Gate. Could you start by telling me what sponsorship you received?"

‘Please.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong prayed earnestly that Jeong In-Chang had received it. He knew that it would have been impossible from the beginning. It would be a long time later before he would have received it. It was not only powerful but also useful, so much so that his Sponsor wouldn’t have wanted to intervene that severely. But the reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong still wished for it…

‘History has changed.’

.

The Rhine River Gate ended with the defeat of the Northern Army Guild, and Jeong In-Chang had switched sides.

It was justice.

He had cleaved through the neck of his brother, a friend he had been with for his entire life, for the sake of the justice he believed in.

‘That Sponsor is fond of justice. The reason Jeong In-Chang had received the sponsorship so much later was that it took him a long time before he had finally awakened true justice.’

In the history that was supposed to have passed before Lee Jun-Kyeong had intervened, Jeong In-Chang would have continued to grow with the Northern Army Guild and suffered crises of depravity over and over again. In the process, that Sponsor would have expressed all sorts of dissatisfaction. However, now it was different. Lee Jun-Kyeong had intervened, and something had changed.

“I’m not too sure about it, but…”

Jeong In-Chang took something out of his inventory and placed it on the table.

“I received something called a Dragon’s Bloodstone.”

It had happened. Damn.

‘Thank you.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong expressed his gratitude to that Sponsor inwardly.

The Sponsor with a title that was too funny to say out loud.

‘The Prince on a White Horse.’

Damn it.

Lee Jun-Kyeong quickly realized that his thoughts were inappropriate and blushed.

1. The term First Hunter is in English and references the original Hunters.

2. The author seriously used the term ??(逆鱗), which means the ire of a King.

3. Of the game/system/world. Remember, this entire Hunter/Sponsor system is assumed to be for the Sponsor’s enjoyment.