Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 186 : Moonlight Bloom (2)

Moonlight Bloom (2)

The Odyssey was temporarily suspended.

The battle among the S-ranks had become more intense than expected, and it was judged that, with the existing arena, it was no longer possible to continue the matches.

There was also an issue related to Sol Mayer, who had fought against Yeon-ji.

The sudden change in Sol Mayer had given people a great shock.

As Sol Mayer was an S-rank Hunter who was very popular with the public, the news of his sudden death made the headlines.

"Still, no one is blaming Yeon-ji."

"Yeon-ji? Ah."

As I was getting ready to leave the dorm, Soo-ah quietly spoke up, having entered at some point.

"It may sound strange, but it's thanks to Sol Mayer rampaging at the end."

Solar Flare. Sol Mayer's Conceptualization Technique, and the transformed power, could have blown away the entire area.

That destructive power was not limited to the stands of a single arena—the blast would have certainly turned thousands of meters around into ash.

Even now, if you turned on the TV, a series of analysis programs about the event were airing.

Had Yeon-ji not stopped Sol Mayer—Chester Mayer in Sol Mayer's form—a terrible disaster would have happened.

"And besides, Yeon-ji didn't directly attack Sol Mayer."

Yeon-ji's Conceptualization Technique, Moonlight Bloom, was a counter-type technique.

A spell that absorbed and returned the opponent's power.

No matter how strong the enemy's force was, it had no effect.

If you could defend against it with a mirror, you could stop both physical and magical force.

It was more a miracle than typical magic.

Perhaps it was possible due to the influence of Yuria embedded in her body.

All Yeon-ji did with that power was tear off Sol Mayer's wings.

She could have killed him at any moment had she wanted to.

"The important thing is that the existence of demons has been revealed to the world."

Of course, not many people mentioned the exact term 'demon'.

Mostly, they referred to him as a 'devil'.

That was because Sol Mayer's transformed state certainly resembled a demon.

'Enoch must be quietly releasing information about it on the internet.'

Preparations had to be made in advance to warn the world about the threat of the demons.

To prepare for when they moved in earnest.

"Then, I have a promise to keep, so I'll be going."

"A promise?"

"An interview's been scheduled."

Though the final round was still ahead, things had been delayed significantly due to what happened at the semifinals.

With the arena issue as well, the organizers said they needed time to prepare a stage suitable for the finals.

'The Americans can hardly be happy with Sol Mayer's death.'

If Sol Mayer hadn't nearly killed countless people or self-destructed, the incident could have been magnified into a national issue.

In that regard, they'd been rather lucky.

***

'Back when the Odyssey first began, I never imagined it would turn out like this.'

Kate, a popular announcer from MHN Broadcasting, smiled sweetly at the man before her.

Park Jung-woo—the man who led the Korean national team to the finals.

Probably no one could have predicted it.

A country that had only entered the Odyssey once before.

Even that one time, they were eliminated without making a mark, and now here they were in the finals.

From what she'd heard, after the semifinals, countless broadcasting stations had sent requests to interview him.

But he refused every request, agreeing only to an interview with MHN.

"Thank you for accepting our interview request today."

"No, it's nothing. I owed a favor to an MHN reporter before."

"Really?"

"Yes, I believe it was a reporter named Veil Robinson."

Kate nodded as she remembered the name Veil.

She thought it best to report this detail to her higher-ups later.

'Thanks to that, I was able to invite Alencia Walker, too.'

Today, the hottest figures gathered in one place.

When it became known that Park Jung-woo would appear for an MHN interview, Alencia also joined as the American representative.

Thanks to this, seats that were usually empty were now filled to capacity for Kate's interview show.

It was the first time such a thing happened during her broadcasts.

"I understand you two belong to the same agency. Did you keep in touch during the Odyssey?"

Kate first asked Alencia.

Somewhat nervously, as she was being interviewed for the first time, Alencia nodded.

"I wanted to, but everyone stopped me, so I couldn't."

With genuine disappointment, Alencia glanced at Jung-woo.

Honestly, it was hard for her to face him like this.

'Although I understand.'

In any case, she was currently participating in the Odyssey as the American representative.

She couldn't just recklessly contact Jung-woo, who was the coach of the Korean national team.

'He could've contacted me first, though.'

Couldn't he secretly reach out just once?

Thinking such things, Alencia glanced sharply at Jung-woo.

'And I'm still worried about Yeon-ji.'

She hadn't been able to contact Jung-woo, but she had quietly reached out to others.

Especially after Yeon-ji's fight with Sol Mayer, she'd called Yeon-ji out of concern.

'I'm sure something's going on.'

Yeon-ji's behavior had been subtly different from usual.

Normally, Yeon-ji was either indifferent or responded like a confident big sister.

But something was off that time.

Especially when asked about Jung-woo.

"... I-I'm not really sure."

A subtle note of embarrassment could be heard in her tone.

Normally, even if it was a hassle, she would have given a detailed answer.

But there was a strong sense that she was trying to avoid the topic of Jung-woo.

'Her body's grown, too.'

Since the battle with Sol Mayer, Yeon-ji had not shown herself easily, partly because her body had suddenly grown. Although not as much as Sol Mayer, even Yeon-ji had grown horns and her body during the fight.

Of course, people were speculating about her changes.

There were even suggestions that, like with some Awakener, her physical body had changed, as sometimes happens when horns grow.

"So far, the Korean team has been on an incredible winning streak. Your next opponent is us, the United States. Hunter Alencia, are you confident about facing the Korean team?"

"Ah, yes."

At Kate's cue, Alencia picked up her mic and answered.

"Yes, everyone has strong confidence. The result against UK was unexpected, but no one is particularly shaken. Hunter Eugene Garland wanted to compete, but..."

"Hunter Eugene Garland... he certainly had a connection with Coach Park Jung-woo on a Korean variety show, didn't he?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, he couldn't come out."

Due to injuries sustained previously, Eugene Garland was not in a condition to go all out, and thus was ceded the spot for the finals to others.

America's so-called absolute top three—Trinity.

Owen McGregor, Ryan Knox, and Alencia Walker.

No matter how seasoned an S-rank Hunter Eugene was, he could not claim superiority over them.

Had Alencia not been present, he might have had a chance, but unfortunately, Alencia's abilities were both similar to and far stronger than Eugene's.

"Which Korean Hunters do you see as the biggest threats?"

Kate continued to ask Alencia questions.

It was a US broadcast, and Alencia was very popular, so it was natural.

"Hunter Owen McGregor named Hunter Shin Ah-yeon, and Hunter Ryan Knox named Hunter Baek Hojun as the ones to watch out for."

"Hunter Baek Hojun is certainly a great swordsman... but Owen's choice is unexpected."

Kate looked surprised, eyes wide.

Owen had never once named a Hunter he considered a threat.

Yet, the first Hunter he mentioned wasn't another swordsman, but the mage Shin Ah-yeon.

And Shin Ah-yeon was a young Hunter in her early twenties.

Given that mages generally become more powerful with age, kate didn't consider Shin Ah-yeon a credible threat.

She had never even participated in the Odyssey before.

'A prodigy who became a great mage before adulthood.'

The youngest S-rank. Of course, that title would now go to Yeon-ji, but it was a fact that Shin Ah-yeon was a once-in-a-generation genius—assuming all the rumors were true.

"I see. Then, hunter Alencia, which Hunter are you most wary of?"

"For me, it's the Hunter called No Name."

"No Name?"

Wondering, kate searched through information about the Korean team and remembered No Name.

"Ah, right. There was someone registered under that name in the Korean team. But isn't he just a substitute who's never competed?"

"Yes, but I'm most wary of No Name."

When Alencia, of all people, said that so firmly, not only Kate but even the audience was abuzz.

Just who was No Name, that Alencia was this wary?

'Good grief.'

Jung-woo smiled at Alencia's words.

Throughout the Odyssey, Alencia had never lost a single blow—in every victory, even when hit, she took no real damage. Her lightning-fast kicks were impossible for most S-rank Hunters to follow with their eyes, much less defend against.

So for Alencia to name someone like No Name... Kate couldn't help but think deeply about him as well.

It seemed she now had more opponents in the Korean team to keep in check.

"No Name... I'll have to remember that."

Kate repeated the name No Name, looking back at Jung-woo.

After all the questions for Alencia, it was time to ask him something as well.

"The last match against UK must have been a nerve-racking one for Korea. Did you think Hunter Hwang Yeon-ji would be able to defeat Sol Mayer...?"

Kate trailed off.

Officially, Sol Mayer had died in the match, so she needed to be careful with her words.

Yet, she still brought it up—the script contained instructions to mention Sol Mayer.

'Is this to talk about the demons?'

It's the most effective to mention such topics in a gathering of the most talked-about figures.

And with pressure from above, kate had no choice but to bring up the subject, even if she wished to avoid it.

"I believed Hunter Hwang Yeon-ji had a good chance against Sol Mayer."

"But isn't Hunter Hwang Yeon-ji A-rank?"

"She was A-rank, but her ability had already reached S-rank. She simply couldn't fully control that power due to some psychological factors."

Jung-woo said, smiling lightly.

"She's still young, after all."

"Ah, right!"

Kate nodded, understanding.

When a young Hunter gains overwhelming power, it's only natural for them to be psychologically unstable.

To reach the level of an S-rank Hunter, one must be complete not only in strength but in mind—a reason she could accept.

'Yeon-ji would be furious if she heard that. He's doing this on purpose.'

Of course, Alencia, who knew the truth, could only look at Jung-woo with half-lidded eyes.

She knew Yeon-ji's true age was thirty.

But since Yeon-ji strongly insisted on being treated as the younger, Alencia had been treating her that way. In fact, Ji Yeon-hwa was practically a generation apart from Alencia.

"In Sol Mayer's case... the term 'demon' has been mentioned a lot."

Kate brought out the next question, carefully reading from the script.

She didn't know why the higher-ups had inserted such lines, but there were clear instructions for Park Jung-woo to mention the demons.

'Demons—such a word is only found in fairy tales.'

Kate thought Sol Mayer's dramatic transformation was simply the result of runaway magic power.

She'd never given any thought to demons or devils, only having seen such things in childhood fables.

That remained true even in this current monster-filled world.

Monsters were just monsters, after all; demons and devils belonged to the realm of imagination.

"I think those rumors are probably true."

"Pardon?"

"This wasn't my first time facing a demon."

Jung-woo said, letting his gaze sweep over the audience and the cameras.

This entire setup had essentially been arranged by Enoch.

While he had chosen the broadcasting station, this scenario was something Enoch had guided all along.

A place to formally inform the world about the existence of demons.

And the role of messenger had been given to him.

With instructions to judge for himself just how much to disclose.

"The first time I saw a demon was while filming the Korean variety show Super Hunter K."

Jung-woo organized his thoughts, then slowly opened his mouth to speak.

About whether demons truly existed.

And what their objectives might be.

Jung-woo's words spread through the online communities in an instant.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】