Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 190 : Fake Finals (1)

Fake Finals (1)

Fortunately, I returned in time before the finals were set to begin, but the real problem lay elsewhere.

The public outcry over whether to continue the Odyssey at all began to grow louder.

"It looks like the impact of Sol Mayer's death was huge."

"And more than anything, the existence of demons seems to have heightened public anxiety."

The Odyssey organizers were equally troubled.

Of all times, this had to happen right before the finals—the main event. They couldn't have foreseen something like this.

"Manager Park went through all that trouble to bring Hunter Shin Ah-yeon back with him... This is tough."

This must have been an incredibly awkward situation for Gong Je-hun as well.

Korea finally achieved a good result, but with the entire Odyssey in jeopardy, this outcome couldn't help but feel disappointing.

Of course, even just the current achievements were historically great, but it was hard not to feel regret.

If we had lost, at least it would've just been a loss—this felt worse than losing.

"I wonder if Manager Park has any good ideas... But then again, even Manager Park probably doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve for a situation like this."

Gong Je-hun let out deep sighs and simply waited for further contact from the Odyssey side.

The other hunters were all training individually, but hearing that the Odyssey might not continue left an air of gloom.

Vrrrm!

"I have a call—I'll go take it outside for a moment."

"Ah, it's fine, you don't have to come back. There's not really anything in particular for us to talk about anyway."

At Gong Je-hun's powerless words, I nodded quietly and stepped outside.

The caller displayed on my smartphone was none other than Enoch.

"What is it?"

"You really stirred things up in UK."

"They crossed the line first."

"That's true. I'm not blaming you. You did well, actually."

He said Odin's Eye had been getting too arrogant lately, and that it was about time they got put in their place.

"Anyway, you must be troubled because of the Odyssey."

"Of course. After all the chaos in UK, we managed to bring back Ah-yeon, and now I can't help but wonder if there was even any point."

"The fact that the Odyssey isn't opening right now isn't just because of public opinion."

Enoch's voice suddenly turned heavy.

"Owen McGregor has disappeared."

"What? Owen McGregor...."

"He's barely made any public appearances so far. He didn't need to, since most of the matches could be won without him."

He didn't even watch the Korea vs. UK semifinals in person.

Only Ryan Knox, who could be called Owen's right-hand man, stayed.

"Where did he disappear to?"

Of course, I didn't expect Enoch to actually know.

If Enoch knew Owen's whereabouts after his sudden disappearance, he wouldn't have bothered contacting me like this.

But Enoch's answer was unexpected.

"The Grand Canyon."

He answered without hesitation.

"For the record, we didn't find him. In fact, it was Owen himself who contacted us afterward."

"Do you know why? As far as I know, the Grand Canyon...."

"It's the site of the rift incident."

The Grand Devastation that swallowed up the once-magnificent natural landscape of the Grand Canyon.

It was the event that sent most of the U. S. into the jaws of monsters.

"You mean Owen contacted you from there?"

"If it were that simple, I wouldn't be reaching out to you."

Enoch let out a soft sigh and continued.

"Owen said he wants the 'real' finals to take place at the Grand Canyon."

"The real finals?"

"Strange words. Does that mean there's a fake finals, too?"

"You've already checked out the Grand Canyon, right?"

"Of course, but we couldn't find Owen."

Was he hiding somewhere, saying he would wait at the Grand Canyon? I waited silently for Enoch to go on.

"All the search parties we sent to the Grand Canyon have gone missing."

We didn't know why.

But the likeliest explanation was that they had all been killed.

'Why would Owen do such a thing?'

He was someone who had both wealth and fame.

He had no reason to suddenly commit such bizarre acts.

"Is it because of the demons?"

"I don't know. But I can't think of any other reason."

He had a point.

If the demons were not involved in Owen's actions, it was hard to find any other reason.

'Is there actually something that could control someone as formidable as Owen?'

Owen's strength was at least S-rank Over.

Not even a top-rank demon should be able to control someone like that.

"You're not planning to give in to Owen's demands, are you?"

"I don't know."

I asked, expecting a definite refusal, but Enoch's answer was unexpected.

"If we refuse, countless people will die."

"You can't be serious."

"That was the last message Owen left us."

How, and when, we had no idea.

That uncertainty made Owen's threat effective.

A warning from the world's most powerful awakener—

That's why Enoch had no choice but to ask for my help.

***

There were many questions surrounding Owen's actions.

Why choose the Grand Canyon for the finals? And to threaten the lives of so many people?

"Owen said we have one week to decide. Whether the finals will be held at the Grand Canyon or not."

It would be nice if we could track him down by then, but if not, anything could happen.

'So he calls it a finals...'

In this situation, Owen's side was virtually non-existent.

How could the U. S. team fight on Owen's side in these circumstances?

'Or maybe the other participants don't matter at all.'

The Odyssey was a winner-stays-on tournament.

One person could beat everyone else and end it.

'So wouldn't it have been simpler if he just entered the finals as usual?'

So maybe that's not it.

Could it be that the 'real finals' Owen spoke of...?

"... Busy?"

Just then, Yeon-ji quietly poked her head into my room.

Previously, Yeon-ji had looked like an early teen, but now she had matured to look like she was in her late teens or early twenties.

She had been nervous about her sudden growth, but Ardan assured her that she probably wouldn't age much more, so she was at ease now. Even if she did, her limit would be her mid-to-late twenties.

Thinking about it that way, demons really did seem like a convenient race.

Their bodies remained in their prime until death.

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Oh, is it because of the Odyssey?"

"Well, yes. But Yeon—"

I was about to ask Yeon-ji why she had come, but I felt her gaze lingering on me.

"Yeon...hwa, what is it?"

Her half-glaring eyes softened a little.

"Nothing. Now that I'm truly a perfect half-demon, I just thought of you."

"Me? Why?"

"You never seemed to have completely fused with the Demon King's heart."

And that was true.

The only reason I could use the heart planted in my body was thanks to the power dwelling inside me.

A normal human would have died long ago.

"You're a special case. Normally, it's impossible."

"No, it can be done. I felt it when I tried. I think I could've done it even if I weren't half-demon."

It was an unexpectedly firm statement from Yeon-hwa.

"Ah, well, maybe the Demon King's power is a bit different..."

"Well, I'll trust someone who's actually done it. There's very little info about fusing a demon's core with a human, after all."

But would absorbing the Demon King's heart actually change anything?

It was already a huge strain every time I used it—could I even absorb it?

"By the way, using the Demon King's heart really won't put your life at risk, right?"

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about that."

"... That's a relief. Did you know I agonized over it for ages before because of that?"

She must have struggled alone after witnessing me coughing up blood.

'As long as I have Estella's Authority, I'll be fine.'

I swallowed the rest of my words around Yeon-hwa.

Because, in reverse, that meant I'd be in grave danger if I lost that Authority.

***

Time continued to pass.

The week Owen gave us as a grace period was almost up.

"Any progress?"

"I've already visited the Grand Canyon once."

"Judging by your face, I guess you didn't find him."

"That's right."

Owen was nowhere to be seen.

"But I think I know where he is."

"... What? Then say it now! I'll send all the S-rank hunters over to bring him back immediately!"

"I wouldn't recommend that."

Owen had said, if his demands were not met, many lives would be lost.

"Otherwise, a third of America will probably be wiped out."

"......"

Enoch was speechless.

"Explain more, please."

"Owen is already holding hostages."

"Hostages?"

"You, chief, should know about how rifts manifest, right?"

When a gate forms inside a dungeon, the dimensional twisting causes a rift to occur.

A colossal force that devours everything within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

"Whether we hold the finals or not, it doesn't matter. There was never a choice for us from the start."

Owen was inside a dungeon.

A dungeon where a gate could open at any moment without warning.

"That's impossible! Rift incidents can't happen in places where dungeons or gates have already formed!"

"Yes, that's true. But there are those with the ability to artificially create them."

Demons—they possessed the technology to open dungeons or gates for terraforming.

'Even so, it's normally impossible to spark a rift.'

They could create dungeons or rifts, but the location was random.

Creating a rift inside a dungeon was nearly impossible even for demons.

"I don't know how Owen is planning to open a gate inside a dungeon to cause a rift. But when I went, I definitely saw the signs."

"Signs?"

"When a gate opens inside a dungeon, magic power surges to the point of oversaturation."

I saw it with my own eyes.

Three years ago, I stood before a dungeon just before a rift burst open.

"In other words, it's like being in a sealed room full of gas and there's a box of matches."

"If a match is struck..."

"Of course it'll explode. And the force this time would be at least five times greater than the previous Grand Canyon incident."

That's why Owen made such a demand.

He was telling us to come and stop him.

'But who knows who or what else will be with Owen there?'

This wasn't about U. S. vs. Korea anymore.

All the S-ranks would have to gather immediately to fight Owen and try to close the rift.

That was what Owen meant by the 'real finals'.

Not a simple match, but a finals with life and death on the line.

***

News about Owen was delivered in secret to all countries participating in the Odyssey.

We had to inform them about the rift crisis and ask for help.

"A rift crisis is far too big for us to decide on our own."

But most countries refused outright.

No matter how much the U. S. asked, they couldn't send their precious S-ranks to their possible deaths.

"Is there any way to close the rift? At this point, just evacuate everyone near it!"

With only two days left until Owen's deadline,

All the representatives and managers of the Odyssey contingents gathered in one place.

It was necessary to come up with a strategy for the situation.

"The U. S. has plenty of S-ranks, don't they? We don't see why you need our help."

The Odyssey and this incident were completely separate issues.

Many of the other nations' representatives were already looking for flights out of the U. S.

'It can't be helped.'

Gilbert, chairman of the U. S. Odyssey organizing committee, wiped the sweat from his brow.

He wasn't alone—every other American official present was in the same state.

'A rift can't be closed.'

Defeating Owen wouldn't solve the problem.

They needed to find a way to close the rift.

The grace period was only a few days.

That meant we had to somehow defeat Owen and find a way to close the rift in that short time.

"We can close it."

At that moment, the woman who had been silent until now spoke.

Shin Ah-yeon, the Great Mage of Stars.

She said,

"I know how to close the rift."

At her unshaken words, all the confused gazes in the room turned to her.

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

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