A Korean S-rank, presumed to be a defensive-type hunter. While there's already one S-rank with a body as strong and resilient as a tortoise in this country, honestly, having more strength wasn't a bad thing at all.

"If the proposal succeeds, maybe I'll assign him a neglected area to handle."

China, following Russia, is a country with a relatively low number of S-rank hunters compared to its vast land area. There are so-called "dead zones," monster-infested wastelands, that exist within the country. With the current S-rank hunters in China, it's difficult to resolve these issues on their own, so welcoming an appropriate naturalized hunter would be a good idea.

"I, I understand. I will take care of both the car and the food as per your instructions right away."

Zhan was deeply impressed by Kim Giryeo's performance and decided to offer him a special naturalization. However, even if this plan fell through, nothing much should change. No matter how impressive the Korean's abilities were, the winner of the tournament was already decided.

"Defensive hunters are relatively slow and their attacks aren't sharp, that's their chronic flaw."

If the special match necklace is rigged to adjust the strength, Kim Giryeo's attacks could withstand a few direct hits. Moreover, with the backing of the Chinese government, he has many other means at his disposal.

"To relieve his energy. Before the final match, I'll have to make sure to face that hunter with consecutive S-rank opponents."

The announcement that the matchups would be determined by a lottery was a lie. The more Kim Giryeo performed well in the matches, the more it highlighted the rise of China's future hero, the one who would eventually defeat him. That Korean was the perfect stepping stone to elevate China's prestige.

With a confident attitude free of any concerns, Zhan was about to head off to meet Kim Giryeo.

Bang!

"Hm?"

But at that moment, someone suddenly barged in, pulling the door open as if they were breaking it down. Sweat was dripping down their face, and their complexion was pale, like a corpse on a winter day. This person was the senior awakened member of the Unbeaten Guild.

"Z, Zhan! I... I have something urgent to report...!"

He was Zhan's subordinate.

But when he barged in so urgently, Zhan couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say.

But what could he possibly be saying, rushing in like this?

"I, I tried contacting them at the Korean airport where you said he would have a meal, and that, that yellow-haired lunatic..."

"Why Kim Giryeo?"

"He left the arena! There's no one at the waiting area."

Hmm?

Both Zhan and the Chinese people in the hotel were simultaneously bewildered. This was supposed to be the official lunchtime arranged by the event organizers. But when Kim Giryeo looked, he wasn't at the waiting area...In other words, he had left?

"Did he leave because the lunch we prepared didn't suit his taste, and he's gone to eat something else?"

"Well, we did cut back on the budget for that side..."

Muttering.

For a moment, the event organizers turned their heads and exchanged uncertain looks. However, since the venue was selected far from the city center for safety reasons, finding an outside restaurant would require quite a bit of time.

"Then, have you figured out which restaurant Kim Giryeo is at right now...?"

All sorts of thoughts came to mind.

"That's not it!"

The pale-faced subordinate opened his eyes wide and shouted again.

"It seems like he's really planning to give up the match and leave the country. His phone is turned off, and most importantly, a Tianjin citizen witnessed a Korean using a dungeon artifact to teleport!"

Then, the Chinese officials hurriedly stood up all at once.

"Give up?"

"Did you say give up?"

"Are you saying he's going to give up all of his upcoming matches?"

It was an absurd situation. Although this event doesn't have any penalties for forfeiting (after all, it was organized with the hope that participants would come, even offering prizes to entice them, so it would be ridiculous to have a cancellation fee). Still, even with that, if an S-rank Hunter forfeits, the situation changes completely!

"What on earth is he thinking?!"

One of the judges for the Yellow Dragon Battle was furious, veins bulging in shock. This event offered significant prize money and rewards based on ranking, and since his opponent was an S-rank Hunter, just getting over a few A-ranks would have easily secured him a substantial prize.

Of course, the prizes for the lower ranks are less valuable than a [Rare Item Box]. So, strictly speaking, if you only consider hourly efficiency, one win followed by forfeiting could be more profitable. But still, how could an S-rank Hunter do something like this? How can someone of such a high level behave like this?

"Is he really trying to hide his abilities that much? Ha! This is it. He's refusing to show even a single one of his skills!"

The people in the room couldn't have known. In reality, the blond man had the shallowest of foundations, to the point that he could inspire sympathy as a fake S-rank. His entire strategy consisted of the earlier tactic of endurance, and even the [Sacred Tree Seedling] had a limit—if it took a certain amount of damage, its effects would immediately wear off. When the news broke that Kim Giryeo had left the arena, the room was immediately thrown into chaos.

"Enough."

However, there was still someone in the room who managed to stay calm.

"Everyone, calm down."

The representative Hunter of China, Zhan, continued to speak with the same calm smile on his face as always.

"Well, since Zhan is firmly standing here in the Yellow Dragon Battle, I can understand why he ran away in fear."

"Ha, ha... That may be true, but..."

"Still, this is definitely not the proper way to behave. Honestly, we hardly ever get to see each other on days like this, so just leaving like that... it's a heartless act, don't you think?"

What followed was a cold declaration from a strong man with a warm face.

"Let's ban him from leaving the country for now."

At Zhan's remark, his subordinates were taken aback. However, the man's opinion remained unchanged.

"If we take measures to prevent him from leaving China, he won't have any options left."

"Ah...!"

"Once we have him trapped, we just need to bring him back to the arena somehow. Set up the A-rank matches as soon as possible for the afternoon."

"Understood!"

"If you say my name, we'll start right away."

For a foreigner, he was considered a fairly competent Awakened, yet he still caused such a ridiculous situation. Upon hearing that the participant had fled, Zhan didn't panic. As a representative Hunter, essentially a symbol of his country, he was a person of immense power within China. And when it came to matters concerning the success of an event, he could even pull off the extraordinary act of shutting down all airports and ports in Tianjin with just a phone call.

"Z, Zhan..."

But what was going on here? The face of an Awakened who had contacted the National Bureau of Public Security under orders from his superior soon turned pale, like a lifeless corpse, devoid of any color.

"That's..."

What followed was a report that was uttered in a trembling voice.

"They just confirmed from their side... Kim Giryeo didn't use the regular airport services..."

"Hmm?"

"He used Kang Changho's private jet... Apparently, he left through the business aviation center..."

The Business Aviation Center was a newly constructed facility specifically for private planes belonging to corporate owners or individuals of similar wealth. Since it was primarily used by VIPs whose assets were on a different level from the general public, it was vastly different from regular airports in many aspects.

One of the biggest advantages was the quick customs and immigration process. Unlike the usual procedure, where passengers had to arrive three hours in advance for screening, the Business Aviation Center allowed the entire departure process to be completed in as little as 10 minutes.

"Ah, right. About that..."

With a small exclamation, Zhan tapped his forehead, and after a few seconds of silence, he spoke.

"...Wait."

After thinking it over carefully, Zhan realized there was something odd about the news his subordinate had delivered.

"Did you just say 'on Kang Changho's private jet'?"

"T, that's right."

"...Does that mean, could it be that Kang Changho also left China? Now that I think about it, you mentioned the Korean waiting room was empty earlier... Wait a moment. Let me double-check. Are you saying both Kim Giryeo and Kang Changho left the country? Did they both quit the competition at the same time?"

At Zhan's urgent question, a low-ranking hunter finally confirmed it while sweating profusely.

"Yes..."

The shocking truth is finally revealed.

That's right. In fact, what Kang Changho had hoped to gain from this event was a [Item Box (Rare)].

What I want is a completely different item. That one is semi-essential in the black market for illegal trade, so it's rarely available.

A magic bag containing a secret space was like a shower to traders who were sly.

We probably won't meet in the match... but...

So, when Kang Changho entered China, he had told Kim Giryeo that the chances of them meeting in the match were slim.

Why? Because for an event like this, they wouldn't match strong opponents from the very first round, just to showcase the faces of the S-rank Hunters as much as possible.

From the start, he had planned to forfeit after the first round. After the observation from [Dragon's Eye], once it was concluded that there were no noteworthy opponents in the IHT arena, he immediately attempted to leave. In fact, even Kang Changho had anticipated facing obstacles at this stage, but contrary to his concerns, the middle-aged Chinese official in charge of customs swiftly allowed their escape.

Oh my, what is this all about... Koreans tend to be impatient and don't like waiting. But since the process was so quick, I personally feel grateful.

The trivial entertainment events for awakened individuals have nothing to do with the common folk. Right in front of me, a VIP is casually waving a tip worth thousands of yuan. Anyway.

"_ _"

A shocking silence. All of this happened because China never imagined that an S-rank Hunter would run away after just an hour into the match, settling for only the basic rewards. They hadn't prepared for such an event in advance.

Zhan, who had figured out the situation, opened his mouth again after a brief silence.

"These damn Korean B*stards, how can people like this be such lowly creatures————!"

The curse words spilled out from his twisted face, which was a stark contrast to the smooth demeanor he had just shown. However, it was already too late to take back the plane that had taken off.

By the time the S-rank Hunters from South Korea returned to Korea, Zhan tried to hold them accountable for ruining the event, even though it was a bit late to do so.

So you're saying since I left the match without permission, you can't give me the item box?

China didn't want to give the runaway offenders what they desired, but unfortunately, once Zhan's blood pressure had risen, there was little chance it would calm down at least within this week. When China tried to apply pressure, Korea's S-rank Hunter, Kang Changho, conveyed a message through his interpreter.

Fine. If you don't want to give it, then don't. We haven't broken a single rule you set for this event, but if you insist, we'll have to go with your decision.

"---..."

Of course, from the 2nd IHT onward, China will probably earn the title of a ruthless nation that makes up new rules and withholds rewards without prior notice, but what can we do?

"---..."

You want it.

"---..."

It's fine. Do as you please. We don't mind not receiving the item box.

Thus, China's first super power tournament ended in an unprecedented crisis. For the first time since his awakening, Zhan took three days of sick leave.

Author's Thoughts Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)