Chapter 27

“Assemblyman, what should we do now?”

Despite Seoul being torn apart by monsters, National Assembly member Kim Seokmyeong remained seated comfortably in his chair.

He was hiding in an underground bunker—something that had become trendy among the upper class after the appearance of gates and Hunters.

The monsters weren’t the problem.

The real issue was: who would take responsibility after the gate break?

But since Kim Seokmyeong had no intention of taking responsibility himself, he considered it a non-issue.

He confidently told his aide:

“Don’t worry. The Association will take the blame anyway.”

Thankfully, no S-rank gates had appeared in Korea.

Even if there was some civilian damage, Korea wouldn’t be pushed to the brink of destruction.

In short, as long as he could redirect blame elsewhere, his position would remain rock-solid.

“I’ve talked to the other assembly members and sent word to the media. We’re targeting the Association and V.”

With the power of the press, it wasn’t hard to drag someone with a good image into the mud.

It was even easier if the person was a rising star.

Especially if they were a Hunter with a fearsome appearance.

The fact that V joined the scene later than other Hunters helped as well.

If public opinion could be shifted to: “What were they doing until now?” then the masses would start to believe it.

“But what if V decides to immigrate to another country?”

“Immigrate? Nonsense. Where would he go? What country is safer than Korea right now?”

“That’s true, I suppose.”

S-rank gates were appearing all over the world.

They’d heard that V had slaughtered the monsters with overwhelming force.

Apparently, he had cleared an A-rank gate incredibly fast too.

He was clearly beyond the level of typical S-ranks.

But that was as far as it went.

“Most major countries have been hit with S-rank gates. If he moves abroad, he’ll have to take part in those assaults. Would you go?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Exactly.”

S-rank gates were disasters in and of themselves.

One gate was enough to put an entire country under emergency status.

Outside of the United States, no country could clear one on its own.

So most had to form alliances and help each other—but even then, S-rank Hunters had to risk their lives.

“And now S-rank gates are popping up everywhere? It’s already a global catastrophe.”

Korea’s situation was still relatively better.

China, Japan, India, Russia, Indonesia—every neighboring country had seen S-rank gates emerge, except Korea.

Korea wasn’t weak in Hunter power, either. They ranked within the top 7 globally.

They were lucky, almost like the gods had intervened.

But other countries?

They couldn’t handle S-rank gates on their own—and now they had to deal with them internally.

Would any country have time to help others when their own house was burning?

Except the U.S., most countries were time bombs waiting to explode.

“It’s time we prove the pen is mightier than the sword.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“These days, the sword’s trying to crush the pen. We must suppress their power.”

Since the rise of Hunters, Hunter power had grown, and political power had naturally weakened.

Of course, governments still regulated force, and Hunters had agreed to that balance—but politicians didn’t like losing power.

Especially now, with the Hunters’ influence growing even stronger due to recent events, politicians were increasingly uneasy.

“Midas, V… Sure, it’s good for the country to have strong Hunters, but it’s not exactly welcomed. Especially since the Association keeps drawing them in.”

“But we don’t know if V is affiliated with the Association yet, do we? With Midas, it’s clear they’ve been receiving supplies from them, but V hasn’t officially announced anything.”

“That may be true, but haven’t we seen the Association’s exclusive helicopters near V multiple times? That makes it highly likely he’s in close cooperation—even if they haven’t signed anything.”

“That’s true.”

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. If V’s not with the Association, he’s a rogue threat and we can label him dangerous. If he is affiliated, we can paint the Association as incompetent for not managing their own people.”

“…! That’s brilliant!”

If V were acting solo, people would view him as unpredictable—and pressure the Association to restrain him.

If V were part of the Association, they’d demand to know why he was late to the scene.

Aide Han Yushin looked at Kim Seokmyeong with admiration.

Everyone knew this was how the game worked—but saying it aloud pleased Kim.

He grinned smugly.

“It’s actually lucky that V was late. If he’d arrived on time, it would’ve been troublesome in a different way.”

“You’re amazing, sir.”

“When this is over, we can collaborate with the U.S. to send support abroad. Dispatching Hunters would be incredibly profitable.”

“Do you think V would go after being smeared by the press?”

“That’s what negotiations are for. If we tell him we’ll stop the media attacks if he cooperates, we can learn who he really is and get a leash around his neck. Two birds with one stone.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Even if we fail, weakening the Association’s power is still a win.”

Damn it. Got stuck working for an old schemer, Han Yushin thought bitterly.

If V moved abroad, he’d have to face deadly S-rank gates with local Hunters.

But if he stayed in Korea, he’d be backed by Korea, the U.S., and the host country’s government during foreign missions—far safer.

And public opinion mattered.

Even a powerful Hunter couldn’t completely ignore the media.

Public perception defined a Hunter’s scope of action.

A beloved Hunter was a hero—a feared one was a terrorist.

“He’s already in the trap.”

“Even you think he can’t escape, don’t you?”

“Who could?”

But then, a thought flashed through Han Yushin’s mind.

‘Wait… what if he can?’

These political strategies always looked perfect on paper—but they often had flaws.

What if V’s power and value actually surpassed the entire Association?

What if it was the Association bowing to him, not the other way around?

In that case, the Association wouldn’t care about the media.

And if V had that much value, people would follow him regardless.

“I’ll lead the hearing myself, and as the next president, I’ll build a ‘civilian government’ free of Hunter fear.”

“A noble goal, sir.”

“Haha, good. Then I’ll grant you a position when the time comes.”

The promise of sweet rewards made Han Yushin let go of his earlier doubts.

‘Nah, no way that’s true.’

It was pure delusion.

How could one person shake a national institution like the Hunter Association?

He wasn’t Midas, after all.

Han Yushin chuckled with Kim Seokmyeong.

“Man, I’m exhausted.”

“You did great. Rest up.”

“You too, Woojae.”

We collapsed onto our king-size beds—completely drained.

As expected, fancy beds gave your body the best support.

Dirty? Who cares.

We had automatic cleaning robots every day.

That’s why rich people lived in homes like this.

I tried to sleep but kept tossing and turning.

“Woojae.”

“Why’re you calling me?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Nope.”

“Those reporters earlier… they’re bothering me.”

They really were.

Even though I didn’t care much about public opinion, criticism still stung.

I’d risked my life to save people—why was I being bashed?

Judging by the way the reporters were framing their questions, the articles were guaranteed to be negative.

“Politicians are like that. If things don’t go their way, they send out media dogs to yap.”

“You’ve been through this?”

“They gave me support I didn’t even ask for, then threw me under the bus the moment I didn’t clear the tower fast enough.”

“But it wasn’t like you didn’t want to leave.”

“Exactly. And then they started attacking me—saying I was lazy, asking for sex toys… crap like that.”

“What if you had cleared it eventually?”

“Politicians don’t care. They just want to milk the next 4-5 years. They’ll deny they ever pulled strings.”

True, bad news about Hunters wasn’t rare.

Hunters were treated almost like celebrities.

Dating rumors, personality scandals, shady pasts—nothing was off-limits.

But unlike celebrities, Hunters had actual power.

So if their image tanked, people didn’t just dislike them—they feared them.

That’s why if a Hunter from a guild committed violence, every Hunter got blamed, and the Association got dragged down with them.

“Bet it’s already in the news. These days, all you need is a keyword and GPT spits out articles for you.”

“…It’s true.”

Hero Who Saved Seoul… or Cruel Monster? The Two Faces of Hunter V.

It started with a B-rank gate break in Noryangjin on the 6th. V arrived late but cleared the monsters inside, earning praise as a hero.

However, an investigation revealed that two early-entry Hunters, Mr. Shin (32) and Mr. Park (29), are missing. Both were B- and C-rank veterans likely to survive.

Yet, no trace of them has been found. Some speculate V orchestrated the gate break for fame by killing them…

“Damn, tech’s fast these days.”

“This isn’t the time to admire it! That article’s full of malice.”

“There is a solution.”

“What is it?”

“Kill them all. The reporters. The politicians behind this. Easy.”

“H-Hey, don’t joke like that! That’d make things worse—people would think we’re insane!”

“Meh, it was on my bucket list while I was stuck in the tower.”

…Should I really have let this guy out of the tower?

Oh well, we signed a contract. He’s not done with his purpose yet.

Woojae continued:

“They just want us to bow and apologize. ‘Sorry, Mr. Government’—then they’ll ‘let’ us rebuild our image.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then they’ll keep hounding us. They don’t believe you’ll leave for a country with S-rank gates.”

“And I don’t want to.”

I really might die out there.

“But who cares what the media says? V is just your second identity. It’s not like you’re broke. If V disappears, it’s the country that suffers.”

“That’s… wait. You’re right!”

“What? What now?”

No matter where I went—or even if I stayed still—I was the valuable one.

From the government’s point of view, both V (beyond S-rank) and Midas (ridiculously rich) were national treasures.

And I was both.

What if I hinted that both were considering leaving Korea?

They’d beg me not to.

I immediately called the Association head.

—“Hello? Are you safe and well?”

“Yes, Director. Please tell them I’m considering emigrating.”

—“E-Emigrating? If it’s about the article, we’re doing damage control…”

“I’m not really leaving. Just bluff it. Say something like, ‘If the nation no longer needs me, I’ll go where I’m wanted.’”

There was a pause, then:

—“Ah… yes. That would be very effective. The people are scared another disaster could strike. But the government won’t back down easily.”

“That’s why Midas will do the same. Release a statement: ‘We’re open to working with other countries. Korea isn’t our only option.’”

—“Y-You’re not serious, right?”

“We’ll see.”

—“U-Understood! I’ll deliver the message right away!”

…Huh.

Maybe I really am talented at power plays.