Chapter 216: Knockout Tournament (3)
“You should have told me sooner if that’s the case.”
“What?”
Kang Chang-ho, who seemed to have no intention of attacking anymore.
“If you are indeed an S-Class Hunter, I shouldn’t have to be surprised about a mere C-Class Gate business.”
“Um.”
“But you know this was mostly your fault, right? I mean, sending a text about working at dawn is just ridiculous.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Regarding Mimic City… I switched my day and night schedule since I’m a freelancer.”
“Really?”
“I mistakenly confused the time zone when I sent the message from home.”
“Guess we don’t really have a concept of office hours.”
Their short conversation continued.
“Anyway, unless you want to ruin your recently recovered body again, please be careful with dawn messages from now on.”
Kang Chang-ho handed over a visiting gift to the landlord and made some kind of proposal.
“It’s a good thing you’re an S-Class. So, I guess going to the stadium full of Awakened won’t be a problem since you won’t get crushed by the magic.”
“Ah, but I, um, actually my condition is… a bit…?”
“Really? Not well enough to head to China?”
Of course, their answers didn’t matter much.
“But I’m worried that my contractor might wander into some strange dungeon while I’m away. If that happens, I might just die right here…”
“I was just joking, and I’ll see you at the airport next Saturday.”
*
Tianjin, China.
Despite being geographically close to the capital city of Beijing, it’s not especially known for captivating tourist attractions.
However, today, this port city is unusually crowded.
Media outlets that spent millions on live broadcasting rights. Excited foreigners.
And skilled individuals radiating an extraordinary vibe different from regular people.
The international stadium in Tianjin, now completed, looks as sturdy and vast as a castle built over several years.
This was actually the result of local Awakened working quickly, but upon entering, the simplicity of the viewing area, just stone steps, revealed some shortcomings.
Since the building is exposed to the skills of the Awakened, its lifespan would be inevitably short.
They saved costs with plans to demolish the stadium post-event since it would be useless afterward, resulting in these kinds of mishaps.
【The Reality of the Stadium Built in One Month in China.jpg】
【(Actual Scenario) This is a 600,000 Won seat…?】
【The stability issue of a hasty construction with Awakener’s powers.】
And now various communities were ablaze critiquing the inadequacies of the event.
Interestingly, despite the negative public sentiment, ticket sales for the event itself went surprisingly well.
[(EXCLUSIVE) The Status of S-Class Hunters Confirmed for the 1st IHT… ]
Intelligent beings often have a weakness for curiosity.
This event promised enough intriguing spectacles that citizens couldn’t afford to ignore.
[Awesome]
[Are we really seeing S-Class battles??]
[The insane Triaina must be a huge reward ㄷㄷㄷ]
Confirmed participation from top-ranked Awakened!
With news like this, how could people from various countries not open their wallets?
As the event approached, citizens around the world held expectations for this thrilling, modern sport.
A short while later.
At the Tianjin port and runway, warriors began to arrive, each with their own goals…
*
Near the 2.5km stadium.
At a hotel in Tianjin.
“Zhu Han, the last confirmation of the South Korean S-Class’s arrival has been made.”
“No one’s missing, right?”
“At least no one below Liu Xing level. I think we don’t have to worry about the Hwangryong Tournament anymore.”
Clank.
The man called Zhu Han set down his whiskey glass and turned around.
He was a well-known figure from the People’s Republic of China, previously seen at the Gate Star party.
Thanks to the nature of his job, he had a darker complexion.
With hair tied back in a calm style, reminiscent of an old martial arts film protagonist.
Outside, people referred to him as an S-Class Hunter, though in his country, they often used the term Liu Xing Awakened.
F-Class, E-Class, D-Class.
Yixing, Erxing, Sanxing.
There was no need to fixate on trivial expressions.
What mattered was that he stood at the peak of the Awakener world.
And with this event, he intended to prove his superiority even further amidst the high-tech crowd.
“Hmm, four participants. Just four.”
Zhu Han glanced through the documents his subordinate handed over.
So, in total, there were four elite participants from foreign countries.
One from the U.S., one from Korea, one from Pakistan, and one from Lebanon.
Considering the immense prize money involved, participation numbers seemed low, but it was still enough.
After all, they managed to secure the presence of a representative from the ‘most important country,’ namely the United States.
“It’s a pity Japan’s participation fell through. When I checked last time, they were still caught up in that guild decentralization issue? Seems they were in quite the mess with that. Though even if their Awakened had come, they would have only been like lambs led to the slaughter.”
As Zhu Han spoke in his usual soothing tone, the other Chinese individuals in the room chuckled, as if they had heard a delightful joke.
Who wouldn’t find it amusing?
After all, gathering S-Class Hunters in one place was largely due to the Epic-level Triaina, which there was certainly no intention of handing over to foreigners.
With the geographical advantage of Tianjin for someone awakened with water attributes.
Secretly buried magical stones in the ground would always enhance the destructive power of skills.
And fully utilizing the advantage of being from China, he prepared various tricks to exploit during the basic item checks at the stadium.
Zhu Han was already readying himself for what could hardly be considered a home advantage, with significant deceit.
Thus, even before the game began, he was confident of victory.
Of course, he felt no shame.
In this world, whether by cheating or trickery, those who win are the ones who make their names, right?
Zhu Han only thought he was being more thorough and clever than others.
He felt proud and noble.
Thus, the only thing left was to repay his nation’s trust.
“Now, this festival was personally ordered by the Chairman, so let’s all pay attention.”
“Yes!”
“We’re going to use this opportunity to announce to the world that the People’s Republic of China is indeed the powerful nation at the center of the world. Got it?”
Ooooh!
The people gathered in the room seemed to pop champagne as if the match had already concluded.
Just as the atmosphere was heating up…
“Zhu Han!”
“Yes, Li Qiang.”
An excited voice suddenly burst forth from a corner.
The speaker was another top-ranked Awakened, appearing younger than Zhu Han.
He seemed to have a question, pointing at a paper in his hand as he continued.
“About the matchups, can we really set them up this way? Pitting Liu Xing-level (outward-facing S-Class Hunters) against O Xing (A-Class Hunters)?”
“The O Xing level will lose.”
“That’s too obvious. People are saying, ‘Why is the Hwangryong Tournament being held like this?'”
Indeed.
As this Hunter pointed out, with S-Class and A-Class mixed in, there was practically no chance for A-Class to win in the Hwangryong Tournament.
But the Chinese side had no choice.
In regards to this event, they couldn’t simply use it to elevate their status due to the significant money spent on attracting participants.
To avoid a deficiency, they needed to increase the participation of popular figures in the matches no matter what.
“Li Qiang, witnessing someone overwhelmingly lose can also be a form of entertainment for the spectators.”
Zhu Han maintained a gentle tone and crossed his arms behind his back.
“For the lower-ranked ones who lose against a Liu Xing, there are consolation prizes tailored for them. Well, honestly, it’s not too bad for them either.”
“Really?”
“Some A-Class hunters were even excited about getting a rare opportunity to compete against Liu Xing Awakened.”
Of course, the probability of an incredible upset occurring in such a guerrilla-style event was low.
“Besides, there’s a slight chance we might see the entertaining scenario of an S-Class losing due to an uprising from the underdogs. Just keep watching.”
“Well…”
“After all, this is the first iteration of the event, so there’s no need for everything to be perfect.”
Zhu Han shrugged and concluded.
Ding, ding, ding.
Just then, a classic alarm rang, signaling the set time.
Now it was slowly becoming time to leave the hotel and head to the stadium…
“Zhu Han, by the way, what about the Hwangryong Tournament brackets? Haven’t those been sent to you yet?”
The Chinese hunters finished their simple conversation before moving.
“That wouldn’t be the case~ It just hasn’t been made public yet; I’ve already received it.”
“Aha.”
“But until the match starts, we must keep it strictly confidential. If someone runs off just by seeing a name tag, it’ll become a bore.”
“Well, no matter what, do you really think those prideful A-Class hunters would surrender that easily? And to collect entry fees, the match time must be at least…”
“Shh, wait a second. I have another call coming in.”
Just then.
Suddenly, Zhu Han’s mobile phone buzzed with a new contact.
“Hello?”
The screen displayed the Event Manager’s number, and the Chinese figure’s expression turned slightly surprised as he absorbed the news coming from the speaker.
“Yes? You need to urgently change the established brackets?”
…
Meanwhile.
Inside a waiting room at the Tianjin stadium.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“…”
“Ughhh, if I hadn’t gone all-in back there…”
Brown and gold.
Here sat a couple of foreigners who had endured long flights to participate in the international match.
However, the girl with short golden hair suddenly stood up and began pacing, prompting one S-Class Hunter to lose his temper.
“Stop fidgeting! When are you going to stop mumbling about that old game? Sophia, come on!”
This was the room where the U.S. participants of the Hwangryong Tournament gathered.
“But! If I hadn’t lost that, I wouldn’t be here at all…”
The short-shaped Hunter’s eyes watered repeatedly.
After laboring under a supervisor to pay off her debts, as soon as she had spare money, her old habits kicked in.
How could she squander the hard-earned money on card games, and why the heck did she take out loans to chase after her losses?
Seeing her appearance in front of others was truly against her nature.
She had come here to quickly earn a high prize from the event in China, just like before, driven by the factor of gambling.
“Damn it! Damn it…”
But with such a pathetic purpose, the man on the sofa wasn’t much different.
Swoosh.
Sophia suddenly glared back, her gaze sharpening.
“By the way, that Enzo guy… he’s really something.”
After the announcement of Brooklyn Morgan’s disappearance, she knew what kind of state Spectrum Guild was in.
The hulking Enzo made his choice to participate in this tournament, showing little interest in his comrade’s fate.
He was probably attracted by the 2nd place reward of [God’s Droplet x20].
Yet, the Spectrum Guild’s external image had taken a hit.
At least until the talk of Brooklyn’s disappearance quieted down, it would be wise to avoid drawing attention…
“Enzo.”
Sophia finally asked hesitantly.
“Are you really not affected at all?”
“About what?”
“Brooklyn. I mean, an ex-member of our family just vanished overnight, you know?”
But the response was quite cold.
“Family? That woman was just someone in the same industry; we barely had any contact as it was.”
“Hmm.”
“When we first met, I might’ve made a joke or two, but she was already married. She just shot me down. What could I do? She rejected my attempts to get close.”
“Uh… what?”
“Plus, being a Hunter is like that. Gates can be more unpredictable than teenagers! It’s not strange for an S-Class to get gulped up all of a sudden.”
Haha!
As Enzo said that, he greedily gulped down the alcohol that was dripping off his beard.
A mix drink made from [God’s Droplet], just so Awakened could get tipsy.
A gambling addict and a drunk in one bundle? What a tragic state for a top Awakener nation.
‘Brooklyn was married…?’
Sophia fell into her thoughts for a moment.
Unconsciously, she scratched the choker around her neck, feeling the skin beneath it, devoid of the previous butterfly tattoo.
Because that black tattoo had been the branding the supervisor left her.
And the contract between her and that supervisor had vanished suddenly one day.
“Hmm.”
Brooklyn Morgan was not a missing person; he was a casualty.
Sophia was one of the few who knew this fact. Moreover, she even knew the precise time of Brooklyn’s death.
The intensity of the horror felt when the contract was severed was profound.
‘3 PM on the 14th…’
At the time the weather was bright and sunny, Brooklyn had already perished.
So, how had he died?
Caught in a stupid EX-Class Gate?
Or perhaps met some terrifying demon like Nuckelavee in the deep sea?
But somehow.
Sophia couldn’t shake the assumption that Brooklyn Morgan had been killed by someone.
After all…
‘Beast.’
The moment the rampaging Beast ceased its activity coincided eerily with the time Brooklyn died.
The world still does not recognize the connection between the Beast and Brooklyn Morgan.
Thus, Sophia entertained a misleading theory.
What if the culmination of the recent serial murders had led to Brooklyn…?
If Brooklyn was the last victim, then that beast was satisfied afterward.
But why did the Beast collect the bodies of Hunters?
Who was he really?
…And upon reflection, the Beast yet to be caught must still be wearing human skin and hiding within society…
