Chapter 219. Knockout Tournament (6)

[Wow, I thought the B-rank battles were impressive, but once you get to A-rank, the intensity is on a whole different level.]

[Link] There's some streaming live on billbill right now. For those curious about the audience, head over here:^)

At the beginning of the second day of the tournament, when people's attention started to wane, the first S-rank Hunter participant, Kang Changho, finally appeared. Naturally, the reaction was explosive.

The match that Kang Changho fought was actually fairly unremarkable. It was a relatively moderate victory, where he captured an A-rank that had been running away for additional rewards and destroyed the necklace to claim the win.

[Whoaaa!]

[Awesome!]

[Even someone like that is truly an S-rank, huh?]

[A guy who's good at everything except protecting the country]

After that, interesting scenes appeared frequently. The bloody struggle of a poor region hunter with a sense of mission, who must earn foreign currency from this match to feed the fellow countrymen back home. Or the active support from fans for a famous participant, a former celebrity, and so on.

"Damn, another commercial."

The YTV broadcasting station, which acquired the broadcasting rights, aired commercials for cosmetics and beer whenever there was a break. Just as viewers were starting to feel bored due to the interrupting commercials and the continuous matches between competitors of the same rank...

Finally, a new subtitle appeared on the screen.

[[Republic of Korea][Rank S][Kim Gi-ryeo]]

The moment that man's face was captured by the camera, various streaming sites went into chaos.

[???]

[Huh?]

[Huh???]

Originally, Kim Giryeo's participation was undecided until just before the start of the Yellow Dragon Battle, so it hadn't been announced to the public in any country. In just three minutes of his appearance, the blonde S-rank hunter demonstrated a monstrous performance, driving YTV's viewership to a 14% rating.

[Dreamlike Turn-Based TCG Delta Karma Free Forum]

[New Post]

• Everyone, turn on the TV right now! The tournament is going crazy right now!::;

[Reply]

• What's a tournament? Why are you talking about it here? This is a gaming cafe!

[Reply]

• This is not the time for card games!!! Argh!!! Trust me and hurry up!! @!@!!

Eventually, even communities completely unrelated to the Awakened were flooded with relevant news, so that pretty much it all.

"When did he go to China again?"

"Was he aiming for Traina?"

"Kim Giryeo actually fighting!"

"By the way, I heard a rumor that that hunter is affiliated with the Ministry of Defense... Is that true...?"

People focused on the screen, filled with various expectations. However, the following scene was nothing short of shocking.

Kim Giryeo is--.

[Huh.]

[??]

One of the factors leading to the defeat was that he gripped the gemstone part of the match necklace with his right fist and fell into silence. He maintained this posture even 10 seconds after the match began. So, what was the intention of that hunter?

[What, are you trying to say "go ahead, try to hit me"?]

[Are you trying to be considerate and just fill the participation time so you can at least get a minimum prize?]

[But what if they go over 3 minutes?]

[After considering everything, I guess he's confident he can catch up at the last minute.]

Before long, the chat box on the streaming sites was flooded with reactions. Contrary to someone's concerns, the reactions were far from critical. It was a sentiment that could be awkward to call patriotism, but the citizens couldn't help but feel uneasy seeing their country's hunter's strength being revealed abroad. Amidst all this, Kim Giryeo, seemingly unwilling to show his true abilities, displayed a new strategy, and people thought it was just the right moment for it.

It was then. Suddenly, a change appeared on the screen.

Boom, boom!

Sophia made the first move. The viewers were momentarily confused, but soon recalled the special rules of the match. If one could successfully evade an S-rank hunter for a full 3 minutes or manage an act of rebellion, they would be rewarded with a prize far beyond the entry fee, making it a gamble worth attempting.

Sophia, a freelance hunter. She certainly looked desperate, but well, if you think of it as someone who's in a bit of debt and urgently needs money, it makes sense, right?

"Wow--"

The viewers were left speechless by the intense display of magic unleashed by a certain American hunter. And it was around this time that the problematic "that" scene appeared.

[...]

Amidst the receding thick smoke, a single eyelid slowly moved. YTV, which had secured the broadcasting rights, captured someone's cold glare with a drone camera they had prepared. As soon as this was broadcast, netizens online all reacted intensely.

[Crazy]

[He's fine???]

[I was wondering why he didn't dodge, but it's not that he couldn't.]

[It's crazy.]

[??? He just stayed in the fire?]

[Wow]

[Gasp]

Because even Kang Changho didn't openly take attacks like that No matter how much of a superhuman an S-rank might be, they couldn't completely ignore the attacks from those just one step below them on the power pyramid. Perhaps because of this, Kang Changho showed evasive actions when his opponent, whom he faced in the first round, used a struggling skill.

But Kim Giryeo took it head-on and is still perfectly fine.

[Is it just that the camera quality dropped and we can't see the wounds?? Is this even possible??]

Even a quail can leave a wound on the hand of a human who is much heavier than him if it uses its beak. Whether one knows the difference in strength between hunters or not, the current scene was one that instinctively left everyone in awe.

[See! I told you Kim Giryeo is a defensive type!!]

[Iron Fortress.gif]

[The edited version is already up on YouTube ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The broadcast station is doing a great job.]

[Breaking News] Ahn Yoonseung, who didn't watch the live broadcast because he didn't know his mentor went to China, expresses shock on SNS.]

Sophia, who had her summoning magic sealed and could only use low-powered support skills. And the sacred tree seeding that guarantees the strength of an S-rank defense system hunter if he can tolerate the side effects.

Even amidst the bursting flames, the current scene of maintaining a sharp gaze, like eyes made of diamonds, was the result of several factors aligning by chance. From an ordinary person's perspective, objectively speaking, it was honestly quite an impressive sight.

U, ugh...

Shortly after. About 1 minute and 30 seconds into the match, a strange phenomenon occurred when Sophia suddenly screamed and forfeited. However, the viewers easily interpreted it.

[Anonymous]: It's not even 2 minutes yet, and she forfeits suddenly?

[Anonymous]: I slowed the video down to 0.5x, and just before she forfeits, there's a scene where Kim Giryeo seems to raise his left arm. If she hadn't forfeited at that moment, it looks like a skill would've hit her for sure. [Anonymous]: Ah~

[Anonymous]: For us, sitting in our rooms, it's hard to feel it, but the situation is different on-site. Sophia must have felt Hunter Kim Giryeo's magic power vividly.

[Anonymous]: Where would the awakening power that knocked Cho Sangoh down go? ㅋ. From what Han Jeheon said, it seems Hunter Kim Giryeo's actual magic power is insane. If it were me, I probably would've been too scared to think about the prize and would've reacted the same way instinctively.

Scent, touch, and magic power. No matter how advanced technology becomes, modern monitors still lack the ability to convey these sensations. The seeds of distortion, built upon countless incidents. Based on this, a smooth chaos was completed without even a moment to sort things out.

In the end, contrary to the concerns of a certain S-rank hunter, the community's public opinion shifted towards a positive atmosphere.

[What is to ----]

Of course, as always, there was no such thing as a perfect story that everyone in the world could agree on.

[So these so-called S-rank hunters got completely blinded by their gear and ended up getting wrecked in China? ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ]

A few minutes later. On YTV's channel, a famous celebrity's car insurance commercial aired again. However, despite the warm scenery depicted in the advertisement, a fierce debate was unfolding on the internet.

[If two S-class hunters are missing, who will close the dungeon? Even if the dungeon was originally like that, what on earth was Kim Giryeo thinking?]

[Sigh... At this rate, they're going to start mocking us again, calling us >>small country<< people who are obsessed with money.][Honestly, it seems a bit thoughtless ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ]

The three East Asian countries, due to their geographical proximity, have been intertwined in numerous histories. The backlash formed through such processes wasn't something that could be wiped out by a mere dungeon shock. A few years during WWII or most recently America or the Soviets. So, either way it's not China lol. (Btw I'm Chinese.)

[Huh?]

However, surprisingly, this public opinion quickly evolved.

[Oh, I admit it]

[I admit it]

[But he is crazy...?]

A few hours later, a breaking news report appeared on the main page of the 'Seonhan Daily' website.

***

China. A hotel near the hunter tournament venue.

Bam!

On the 98-inch TV mounted on the wall of the suite, a certain broadcast played. It was a match between South Korea's S-rank hunter and an American freelancer, and when the iconic eye-opening scene appeared, Zhan let out a loud, mocking laugh.

"Ha!"

The figure of the Korean on the screen appeared like a needle hidden within a cotton ball.

Inevitable Malice handling? This was merely the cleanup of a rag that was already on the verge of death.

Siren. If they're an S-rank hunter, they should naturally have high resistance to the sound of songs, so even conquering the Mermaid's Pass should be possible for anyone at the top level.

Additionally, Japan's Kagoshima S-rank gate. By now, the activity in the location, now named [Nest of Poison], is nothing more than support at best.

With the help of the Public Security Bureau, he secretly reviewed a copy of the dispatch contract documents between Korea and Japan. As a result, China had long believed that the man was, in fact, an empty shell with only a good exterior.

"Kim Giryeo..."

However, after watching the morning match, that evaluation changed quite a bit.

It had been about 10 minutes since Zhan's first match ended. At the same time, it was the official lunchtime for the event. Zhan had returned to the hotel to maintain his condition, and while waiting for the food to be ready, the video that was playing caught his attention.

"What a great hunter."

He never expected that an unexpected person would become the center of attention. In the Chinese arena, there were a total of five external S-ranks, but the only foreign individual Zhan had been paying attention to was one.

Enzo Chiano. Due to the nature of his awakening abilities, whenever Zhan met him, several of his skills were inevitably sealed, so he tailored his strategies in the arena to counter him as much as possible.

"Hmm."

A few minutes later, a Chinese-style dish, stir-fried with sea cucumbers, bok choy, and bamboo shoots, arrived in the room where Zhan was staying. However, Zhan glanced at the food brought by the hotel staff before waving his hand dismissively.

"Clean it up."

"Yes?"

"Change the schedule. Take everything away. And make sure a car is waiting in front of the hotel."

It seems that for this lunch, he'll have to dine with that impenetrable Korean. He had looked down on someone from such a small country, but surprisingly, their innate talent seems to be exceptional.

Kim Giryeo is a freelance hunter, who despite his S-rank status, left the country without for his dignity. He was blinded by the expensive event prizes on offer. A materialistic Korean like him would be easy to persuade with the right amount of wealth to shift allegiances.

"His country was a vassal of China in the past. If I think about it, Kim Giryeo could be considered one of our people, right? In that case, he shouldn't have much trouble adjusting if he were to naturalize."

Zhan's unique judgment. He thought that rather than being subordinated to a country like the United States, with its distant land and races, any Asian would naturally prefer to move towards China. He also believed that if Kim Giryeo sought a transfer to a larger market, he could easily accept him.