WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 121: 121
──────
At the same moment Baek Jiho crashed the Hunter Gallery server, the world was moving frantically.
China was the first to act.
China, Beijing.
People's Republic of China Ministry of State Security.
“Photos from the scene in Beijing keep getting uploaded to WeChat and Weibo!”
“Censor them!”
“Videos filmed by civilians showing the battle on the Shandong Peninsula are also appearing on Douyin...”
“Censor them! Censor them! Block everything related to that bastard Baek Jiho! Fuck!”
The first thing they did was censor it.
The things that had just happened. That is, China's East Sea Fleet had been destroyed, fighter jets had crashed, and armored forces had been torn apart.
Part of Beijing's city defense barrier had been destroyed.
A massive nation called China had been utterly ravaged by a single Hunter.
They desperately began trying to suppress that fact.
It was a very Chinese response.
China was a nation where censorship and surveillance of its own people had become more routine and thorough than in any other country in the world.
They activated Golden Shield, the National Public Security Informationization Project, in an attempt to block most information.
But they could not block everything.
“...Traffic through overseas networks is increasing, Director.”
“Fuck! Those goddamn VPNs!”
The Chinese were not idiots either. A considerable number of citizens used overseas VPNs.
Thanks to that, many Chinese citizens accessing foreign networks began to learn the truth of that day, one by one.
Naturally, their reactions were explosive.
[This is really Shandong? Our military got beaten like that?]
[Fake news. There's no way a single Korean Hunter could defeat the People's Liberation Army.]
[Then how do you explain the barrier appearing over Beijing and getting smashed? I'm a Beijing resident. I saw it myself. A huge beam of light poured down and shattered it in an instant.]
[Why isn't the government making any announcement?]
[I heard the Hunter Farm south of Beijing was hit too.]
[The country of bangzi has a Hunter like that? Bullshit.]
[This post has been deleted.]
[This post has been deleted.]
[This post has been deleted.]
“Fuck! Delete this too!”
The night at China's Ministry of State Security was going to be a long one.
At the same time, above the Pacific Ocean.
Air Force One, the presidential office.
“...”
Donald Torumph stared at the screen.
It showed Baek Jiho in battle. More precisely, it showed him firing a gigantic pillar of light and destroying Beijing's city defense barrier.
-Flash!
A blue beam burst forth amid a blinding light.
Rumble...
Two massive lights collided, and part of the barrier protecting all of Beijing collapsed helplessly.
It was an unbelievable sight, and an overwhelmingly powerful one.
One person was fighting an entire nation and gaining the upper hand...
Torumph replayed the footage several times before muttering quietly.
“Jiho. He's an even more huuuuge and great Hunter than I thought. I knew he was a holy great guy, but I didn't know he was this great. It's really, really unfortunate that he's not one of our great Americans.”
“...”
“Aide, at this point, couldn't that ‘team’ Baek Jiho proposed be more than fake news?”
Torumph suddenly recalled their conversation at the Blue House a few hours earlier.
Baek Jiho's counterproposal when Torumph had envisioned a Pacific Union.
‘I oppose this marriage!!!’
‘Why would I join a team someone else made?’
‘If you want in, you should join mine. Once I grow stronger, I'll make that damn Pacific Union myself someday.’
It had been a bold but unrealistic proposal.
No matter how remarkable a Hunter was, an individual's power had limits. Torumph had thought it was just bluster.
But it was not.
Baek Jiho had proven that an individual could face a nation, and that his abilities were far greater than they had expected.
What Torumph now understood about Hunter Baek Jiho's abilities was this.
A Hunter expected to reach the Highest Floors soon and earn Points on a national scale by himself.
A Hunter expected to conquer the Tower someday.
And a Hunter who, even now, possessed enough military power to wage war against a country.
Someone like him...
Could he not create a Baek Jiho-style Pacific Union?
“Great.”
Swish.
Torumph brushed back his thick Freedom Blonde hair, picked up his smartphone, and swiftly began writing a post.
[Donald Torumph]
[180 million followers]
[MY GREAT FRIEND DID IT AGAIN!]
[ONE MAN. ONE NIGHT. CHINA WILL NEVER FORGET!]
(My great friend did it again!)
(One man, one night, China will never forget!)
[Replies: 6.3K]
As Torumph excitedly posted to social media, the aide beside him quietly asked,
“...Mr. President. You posted again?”
“Of course.”
Torumph nodded as if it were obvious.
“If a good friend does something great, shouldn't you brag about them?”
“...”
“And.”
Grin.
Torumph smiled.
It was a capitalist smile, the smile of a man who had finished his calculations.
“You have to say these things before everyone else.”
“...”
“Oh, right. How about we upload the video to the White House's social media too? We can make a meme video from the footage our satellite recorded of Baek Jiho's battle. Mix gameplay footage with Baek Jiho's fighting, make it into a meme. It'll be a very beautiful video!”
“Mr. President. We already tried that once, and the reaction wasn't good. Please restrain yourself...”
“You reject my great idea?! You're fired! YOU'RE FIRED!!!”
Several dozen minutes later, a meme video combining satellite footage of the battle with game footage was uploaded to the White House's official social media account. It received heavy criticism and was deleted.
That was how countries around the world sprang into action.
“China's Lin Chenhuo team was wiped out? Weren't those guys up to Floor 48? And they were wiped out?”
“A single Hunter fought China's military? And won? What kind of bullshit is that...”
“The Chinks got torn apart. Good thing we decided not to provoke him any further. Just in case, inspect our forces too.”
“Prepare a strategy for dealing with Baek Jiho. Ah, there's already a report? Let's see. Direct force is too dangerous, so we should use a honey trap. Recruit dozens of beautiful female agents from the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, train them in bikinis and the Zero Two dance, then deploy them...? Who wrote this? Assistant Cabinet Counselor Ren Tanaka? Fire this idiot immediately!”
China moved desperately to contain the situation.
America rejoiced.
Russia felt relieved.
Japan watched the international situation cautiously.
Amid that shifting international situation, in Brussels, Belgium.
European Union Hunter Security Committee.
Main conference room.
“I'll state the conclusion first.”
Baek Jiho's face filled a massive screen in the center of the conference room.
“We must recruit Baek Jiho to Europe. No matter the cost.”
* * *
The next morning, I checked Hunter Gallery as usual after getting out of bed.
[So that crazy bastard Blue Dot was telling the truth.]
[Wow, the damage is insane... A Hunter really did all that?]
[The government released an official statement. Basically, “We didn't do it, yeah, it was just one individual's actions.”]
[Tsk tsk, that bald coward's moves are legendary. Why can't they just say, “Serves them fucking right lol,” and teabag them?]
[Then there'd be a war...]
[What the fuck did that lunatic Torumph upload to the White House's official social media? LOL This is ridiculous.]
[I told you, that old man is weirdly obsessed with memes.]
[So Light Light Dot really did wreck the Chinks, I'm getting chills... Who am I? “A citizen of King Korea, the nation that possesses King Dot.”]
[We suddenly became a great power. America is courting us, Japan is watching its step, and China is trembling.]
[Why is this real?]
...
Maybe the server had been restored overnight.
Countless posts had come flooding in.
It made me feel pleased.
“The whole world is talking about me.”
It was not just Hunter Gallery.
I closed Hunter Gallery on my smartphone and checked the news section of an internet portal.
[Korean Hunter Blue Dot enters mainland China alone... Partially pierces Beijing city defense barrier]
[European Union Hunter Security Committee convenes emergency meeting, agenda undisclosed]
[Experts: “First case of an individual engaging a nation's military forces... A gap in international law”]
[Korean Hunter not even on Floor 40 single-handedly turns China upside down... Who is he?]
[Torumph: “MY GREAT FRIEND DID IT AGAIN!” Praises Blue Dot publicly once again]
[Mass escape by inmates at Beijing-area Chinese Point Farm... “Saved by a Korean Hunter”]
[“Blue Dot is impulsive and unpredictable... National-level management is needed”]
...
The news was also filled with what I had done the night before.
As I skimmed through the articles, one caught my eye.
[Mass escape by inmates at Beijing-area Chinese Point Farm... “Saved by a Korean Hunter”]
“Hmm. Looks like the Hunters from the Point Farm escaped safely.”
Interested, I opened the article.
A familiar face appeared on the screen.
(A photo of Hunter Nguyễn Hoàng Long smiling as he gave an interview before reporters.)
[“The barrier suddenly collapsed. Then he appeared and removed all our restraints.”]
[“Hunter Gallery Blue Dot. That was how he introduced himself.”]
[Immediately after his statement was released...]
...
It was nice to see the face I had seen yesterday in an online article.
His teeth, white as rice noodles, gleamed. He must have been incredibly happy to escape safely.
Of course he was. He had escaped that hellish place.
“This is fulfilling...!”
What I did in China had cleared my head. I felt like I had properly paid them back.
But saving the people imprisoned there felt even more meaningful.
Because I was an angel Hunter!
Someone as kind, noble, self-sacrificing, altruistic, and politically correct as me found satisfaction in salvation!
Just as I was savoring that fulfillment...
-Buzz!
My smartphone rang.
It was Han Seonga.
I answered it.
“Hello, Hunter Baek Jiho. Good morning.”
“Doesn't sound like a particularly good morning for you, Miss Han Seonga.”
Han Seonga's voice came through the phone, thick with exhaustion.
That made sense.
“...A lot happened overnight.”
“Oh dear. You must've been busy?”
“...Yes. A little.”
I had done more than one or two things the previous night. She must have had a hard time cleaning everything up.
She continued.
“There are a few things I need to tell you, Hunter Baek Jiho. First, regarding China. No official protest has been received.”
“Oh. That's unexpected. I beat them up pretty badly.”
“...At the moment, they seem more concerned about the possibility that you may head back to China than about lodging an official protest.”
“Oho.”
Those Chinks.
They were scared!!!
Well, after seeing the full power of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter like me, how could they not be?
Whew, I should've done this sooner.
It felt like I had a rotten tooth pulled out.
“They have instead announced that they conducted large-scale military exercises in Shandong Province and the Beijing area.”
“Military exercises?”
“Yes.”
“Do people believe that?”
“Of course... they don't. People aren't idiots.”
Unless they were complete morons, nobody would believe that.
They were insisting the beating they got was a training exercise.
All for the sake of their precious pride...
China was trying to hide the truth somehow, even telling such transparent lies.
“Second. About the Hunters who escaped the Point Farm...”
“Ah, them! I saw the article.”
“They are arriving one by one through the former North Korean region. Once their identity verification is complete, they will be sent back to their respective home countries.”
“Oh. That's a relief.”
“Related countries have also conveyed their gratitude unofficially.”
It seemed the nations that had recovered their Hunters had sent unofficial messages of thanks.
Most were basically Chinese colonies. They could not openly offend China, but they still wanted to express their gratitude somehow.
“Third. Countries are requesting contact with you, Hunter Baek Jiho. As of this morning, there are nine, including the United States, the European Union, India, and Japan.”
“Hmm... I don't need to meet them, right? Going out is a hassle.”
“Yes. I would actually advise you not to. If you contact a particular country in the current situation, that alone would become a diplomatic matter.”
“Good.”
Unlike when I met Torumph, it seemed no country had offered terms that could benefit the national interest.
These foreign bastards sure were stingy.
If they wanted an audience with the great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter, they should've at least brought a currency swap like Torumph did!!!
“That is everything I needed to tell you. But... Hunter Baek Jiho. May I say one thing on a personal note?”
What was this?
Her voice sounded serious.
“Go ahead.”
“When we lost contact with you yesterday.”
“Ah. I forgot about roaming. Since I grew up poor and had never traveled abroad, I just...! Sob!!! I hate being poor!”
“...Yes. At that time, a report assuming the worst-case scenario was submitted within the National Intelligence Service.”
“The worst-case scenario?”
“The possibility that you would not return, Hunter Baek Jiho.”
Han Seonga paused for a moment.
For some reason, I could sense her shuddering through the phone.
Was she cold?
Well, the weather had suddenly turned cool lately.
Summer was over.
“That report also included projections of the Republic of Korea's future national strength. Would you like to read it?”
“No. Not really. I'm the type who gets sleepy when I read reports.”
“Yes. It's better that you don't.”
Han Seonga exhaled quietly.
There was a trace of belated relief in her voice.
“I'm glad you returned safely. Both for the country and personally.”
“Personally?”
“I will contact you again if there are further developments. Goodbye...”
Click.
The call ended.
I snickered.
“Everyone worries too much. It's not like I'd go down that easily.”
Honestly, it did not feel bad.
It meant I was becoming that important of a person.
Anyway, it seemed the situation had been handled well enough.
China was scared.
The people who had been captured were safe.
And the foreign bastards were suddenly desperate to become friends with me.
Everything had worked out perfectly!
See? Easy.
A world where nobody got hurt was complete...
‘Except China.’
But those bastards deserved it.
Anyway, everything was truly over now.
It was time to get back to my actual job.
“Today is Floor 40.”
Floor 40.
The floor of the Black Mage Tower.
The final floor of the High Floors, the limit of Normal-rank.
And the boundary between the High Floors and the Highest Floors.
Once I cleared Floor 40, I would become a Highest Floor Hunter.
I would finally become a Hunter on the Tower's front lines!
I could not help feeling excited.
“I'M BECOMING A HIGHEST FLOOR HUNTER!!!”
A noble and great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter like me had lived as High Floor trash for far too long.
A long time of humiliation and oppression... I was sick of it.
But once I cleared Floor 40, my status window would display “Floor 41.”
‘I should update my floor on HunterNet as soon as I clear Floor 40. I can't keep living as a newbie Hunter forever!’
At last, I could shed the newbie label!
I wanted to clear Floor 40 as soon as possible...!
I waited for my porter and Iing Iing.
“Enter Tower.”
[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 40)]
[Na Hyeji (Republic of Korea: Floor 40)]
[Please select the floor you wish to enter.]
“Floor 40.”
[Entering Tower Floor 40.]
Flash!
The Floor 40 raid had begun.
Footnotes:
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