Chapter 160. The Coldest Fire (2)

Han Jehoon. This name feels a bit unusual to be considered a registered birth name, and it's also difficult to associate it with 'Jehoon', a term related to the constitution.

It was an abbreviation for "the weakest hunter in Korea."

[Live Broadcast: Han Jehoon TV]

The 'Han Jehoon' being described is the nickname of a video creator.

He has been running his channel for 8 years, and his subscriber count is an impressive 763,000.

Then, what is it about Han Jehoon that attracts people and makes them so enthusiastic?

[Ah—! Everyone. It's been a while since we did an outdoor cam, right? As promised last week, today we're here to hunt the so-called F-rank final boss, the broken hunting... mountain goat]

As it can be guessed from the name, the theme of the videos he produces is "The Daily Life of an Awakener."

Skill practice, item usage, and so on. He shared information that was easily inaccessible to ordinary people, using his status as a Hunter.

But the protagonist of this video was shockingly someone with an Awakening value of only 1.02aw. So, the magic they could display was limited to something as simple as bending spoons...

But surprisingly, in the SNS market, that very weakness became popular. Being in last place, after all, still made him unique in his own way.

[Official No. 1 The Weakest Awakener in Korea Vlog]

[Views: 7.71 million · 7 years ago]

Now, the ad revenue on his videos far exceeds the income from clearing dungeons. Without a doubt, Han Jehoon can be considered the most successful case among F-rank Hunters.

Up until this point, this has been the background of spectator 1 who got involved in Kim Giryeo's fight...

***

[The first person in history to be knocked out twice by an S-rank Hunter.]

One day, a video that would put an end to people's arguments was posted on the Internet. The content of the video was, as mentioned earlier, a testimony from the person directly involved in the incident.

[The reason we passed out at that time was because the hunter suddenly revealed his hidden magic power.]

The hunter in the video, Jehoon, claimed that the mass fainting that day was caused by Kim Giryeo's awakening value. Of course, logically, it wasn't an unreasonable claim. When facing high-ranking hunters, the weak and elderly often couldn't withstand the pressure emitted by an awakened individual and would faint.

[Everyone, honestly, even when I'm next to a C-rank, I... should I call it motion sickness? Anyway, I get this feeling of pressure slowly creeping up on me, you know?]

A large subtitle appears on the screen according to his explanation.

[But when I first saw that hunter, I didn't feel that sensation! So, I felt relieved! Wow, the world has gotten better! With the right items, you can reduce that burden! I was thinking that as I stepped confidently next to Hunter Kim... But when I came to my senses a little later, I was... oh, in a hospital. [My] my sister was next to me.]

But when you think about what kind of secret the fourth S-rank of Korea might be hiding... it becomes a rather strange story.

[In a daze, I was like the protagonist in a drama, saying, "Where am I?" when someone walked in the hallway. A person wearing a suit. When I locked eyes with Hunter Kim, my heartbeat started racing... thump, thump, thump.]

[Hahaha!]

[Don't laugh! And honestly, if my sister had a heart rate monitor on at that moment, it would've shown 180 bpm. Seriously.]

He repeatedly claims that he fainted due to being overwhelmed by magical pressure. However, the blonde figure mentioned in the video is nothing more than an F-rank weakling.

The cause of yesterday's mass fainting incident was a unique-grade item called the 'Surprise Box.' However, the video creator was bound to misunderstand the trust.

[If any of the viewers have ever fainted due to a high-rank, they'll understand. Your head suddenly feels icy and your body loses all strength, right?]

That's right, the effect of the surprise box really does feel similar to the sensation of magical pressure...!

Dizziness. Chills. Acute muscle weakness, etc.

The surprise box triggered a discomfort similar to the extreme fear and vasovagal syncope. And this discomfort was also similar to the pressure felt by a lower-ranked Awakened when encountering a higher-ranked one. A tight feeling in the chest, cold sweats.

It's understandable that one could easily get confused in that situation.

Moreover, what about the shell that hunter Kim Giryeo possesses? No matter how polite his words may be, his skin often gives off a cold aura towards his own kind.

[Seeing him apologize to the victims one by one, he seems like a really nice person, but still, I can't help but feel scared...]

The S-rank status, appearance, and the uniqueness of the situation where he knocked someone down without lifting a finger—all contributed to the escalating fear.

That's how the creator of this video became convinced based on the emotions he felt. Kim Giryeo is actually an S-class with tremendous magical power, but he concluded that the mass fainting occurred because he temporarily released his suppression to deal with the conflict. Coincidentally, except for Cho Sangoh, all the victims were indeed lower-ranked hunters.

[You mean, pure magical power? < <]Moreover, Han Jehoon's claim gained credibility for some reason.

A few years ago, not long after Jung Haseong had awakened, the S-class hunter found himself in a psychologically unstable state after being completely drenched in monster blood inside a gate. While he had washed off the blood in haste, the surge of agitation that had arisen didn't subside so easily.

[Breaking News: Jung Haseong's Interview Causes Mass Fainting Among Gathered Citizens... Presumed to be Caused by Awakening Energy.]

[A certain BJ's fainting scene was broadcast live.]

The mass fainting of the weak is not a first, and Han Jehoon is one of the rare few who has experienced both of these cases. Furthermore, this broadcaster has built a good public image through many acts of kindness. So, how much trust do you think his statement gained?

[Wow, how high must that Hunter's awakening value be to be able to knock someone out so easily?]

[Isn't this Jung Haseong-level?]

[I'm dying of curiosity; I wish an Association employee would pretend not to know and leak the data.]

[Back in the day, they used to disclose awakening levels and everything, but ugh, now it's all because of the Personal Information Protection Act < <.]***

The experience spread by a witness reached the person involved in the incident.

"I fainted because I was startled by the awakening energy?"

Kim Giryeo was an S-rank, and he was an A-rank. To be honest, Cho Sangoh couldn't believe such a thing could have happened between individuals separated by just a single rank.

Eventually, Cho Sangoh looked away from his phone as if he'd had enough. No matter what the so-called experts were saying, he was sure he had fallen victim to some underhanded trick. The problem, however, was that there was no clear way to get back at them...

"So what exactly was it that paralyzed me?"

At the very least, it was definitely either a paralysis or a fainting effect. If he thoroughly prepared against those two status ailments, he wouldn't fall victim to the same trick again. But after building resistance to fainting—then what? How was he supposed to take on an S-rank?

"All my current items are optimized with perfect synergy, each of them top-tier. If I change your main equipment without thinking..."

Drrr.

At that moment, a notification buzzed in Cho Sangoh's ear. Then, a number with 010 appeared on the screen.

"What is this?"

Since it didn't seem like spam, Sangoh absentmindedly answered the call. But the voice that came through was nothing short of shocking.

"— Is this Cho Sangoh's number?"

"—?!"

At this moment, under these circumstances, Kim Giryeo contacted me?

A few hours later, Cho Sangoh was still in shock. The fact that the hunter had been the one to call him first was shocking enough, but do you know what the other person had actually said during the call?

"You're here."

Sangoh lifted his head at the voice he heard. To his surprise, standing side by side in that place were the number 1 and number 9 ranked hunters in Korea. Kim Giryeo had invited him to his usual training gym.

"As I mentioned earlier, I apologize for what happened last time. Honestly, after the merger was canceled, I can only imagine how upset you must have been to go that far."

"W, what?"

As you can see, the blond man's attitude had suddenly changed.

"It may be late, but I've finished discussions with Hunter Jung. If the conditions are right, Haseong also said he would like to work with you, Sangoh-ssi."

"Huh!?"

"So, if you just pass a simple test, we're thinking of giving you a spot on the team right away."

"It's suspicious. Just a few days ago, that guy was so cold, and now he's suddenly willing to grant his wish."

"By the way, the test is exactly like Garion's interview."

"What did you say?"

"You just have to endure the heat from Hunter Jung's skills. You know that, right?"

But with these conditions, things had changed a bit. Coincidentally, he had already gone through Garion's final interview. Based on that experience, with the Efreet set, even if he took a direct hit from Haseong's skill, he would be fine.

"Is that true?"

When Cho Sangoh asked about the truth, the hero of the nation, standing at the end of his gaze, nodded.

"There's no lie in that... but..."

It seemed like he was a bit nervous, but it was probably because he was worried that underestimating an A-rank hunter might hurt the test subject. Whatever his intention was, if Hunter Kim Giryeo used some dirty trick, it would just be an opportunity to turn it into an advantage.

Cho Sangoh discreetly hid the small watch-shaped camera he had been concealing behind his back and nodded in agreement.

"— Alright. But don't change your mind after the test is over."

.

.

.

.

That was what had happened about 5 minutes ago.

"Aaaack!"

First, let's start with the good part. There were no issues with the test that Cho Sangoh had worried about. Kim Giryeo didn't set any traps and watched the situation more fairly than anyone else. Moreover, the skill that Haseong used was one that Kim Giryeo had seen a few years ago: [Ignition]. It was an act of igniting fire without even properly channeling mana.

"Aaah, uuugh!"

The hunter, wearing orange armor, rolled on the floor in shock. Despite wearing the latest flame-resistant gear, it was still unbearably hot, and he couldn't stand it.

"Why, why...!?"

This couldn't be possible. Why was this happening when he wasn't even holding a weapon right now!

Unless there was doping or artifacts involved, the innate mana of a hunter couldn't change. No matter how much they practiced, they would only improve their control a little. It was rare for a normal awakened person to see such a sudden boost in skill power after just a few years.

But Jung Haseong was a different case. Recently, he had hired a very skilled teacher.

"Why? Well, it's because I put in the effort. What other method could there be?"

That's right. Over the past few days, Giryeo had fundamentally changed Jung Haseong's foundation through training.

The number one ranked hunter had been using magic under the pressure of some underlying fear. In other words, the unstable hero had never fully unleashed his potential. Haseong hadn't grown stronger; he had simply broken free from weakness under someone's guidance. Moreover, his growth was only just beginning. The intelligent whispers of an alien creature carried a power capable of overturning the common sense of this world.

"Ah, by the way, are you okay? I honestly didn't expect Cho Sangoh to be unable to hold up. But if this keeps up, it's going to be difficult for you to join our team..."

At that moment, a blond man who had been watching the situation from one side of the gym slowly approached.

The raised corner of his mouth. The dried-up gaze.

"What you experienced today will be the 'coldest flame' among the ones Jung Haseong will unleash in the future."

Soon after, the man made an announcement filled with confidence, declaring the failure of the test. Then, he turned to speak to the hero, who was wearing a gloomy expression.

"Haseong, you did well. Let's go grab something to eat now."

"Hunter Kim Giryeo, you said that person is strong, and that it's okay to shout as we were taught, right...?"

"As long as they're alive, it's fine. Right? Anyway, how about some chicken today?"

Even this kind of small talk was actually all part of the plan. The goal was to show off his relationship with Jung Haseong. If people saw him pretending to be close to an S-rank hunter, no one would dare think of revenge.

'Of course, there is the option of getting help from Kang Chang-ho, but if possible, prevention is better.'

Giryeo, sweating nervously, awkwardly threw an arm around the hero's shoulder. And this act of self-preservation did, in fact, work. The only problem was that it worked a little too well.

"I, it's like this."

The trembling.

"Is it true that I froze because I was overwhelmed?"

Soon after, one of Hanshin's guild members felt into deep thought as they traced the price of arrogance left on their skin.

"That Kim Giryeo bastard is also an S-rank like Jung Haseong. It means he could unleash this kind of power if he wanted to..."

He had come to feel the power of the S-class through this test. How could he not be terrified when he thoughtlessly picked a fight with Kim Giryeo? His hasty generalization had led to a misunderstanding. In the end, despite all the chaos, the image of Kim Giryeo as an S-rank remained intact. In a way, it was the perfect conclusion for him.

But it was still too early to be relieved.

"Ah, Sangoh-ssi, would you like to join us for lunch too? We're going to have soy sauce chicken. Soy sauce chicken."

Even now, on one side of the Earth, there was someone who doubted his true identity.