Chapter 395
‘I can’t believe he was telling the truth.’
Hwang Gyeongryong had told Choi Yeonseung that he was so close to the president that they went to the sauna together. Obviously, Choi Yeonseung had thought that was a lousy life, but now that he realized he had been telling the truth, he felt bad for not believing him.
Never in a million years would Choi Yeonseung have thought it was true...
“I will never forget your help,” President George said wholeheartedly. The help he had received from Choi Yeonseung was truly priceless.
Choi Yeonseung had managed to save the Second Realm raid, which had initially seemed like it would fail. George Manuel had broken out in a cold sweat when he heard the detailed report following the raid.
Choi Yeonseung said, “If that’s the case, I hope you can help me out in the future.”
“...”
George wasn’t the president of some small country, but the president of the United States. He basically ruled the world. Even the most arrogant hunters would bow down when they heard such sincere gratitude from the president.
Being praised by the president of the United States wasn’t an honor simply because it came from the leader of the country. Rather, it was the honor of being acknowledged by the most dominant global force, a country with outstanding power and history!
However, Choi Yeonseung didn’t care about any of that, which took George by surprise. Even among A-grade hunters, it was rare to find someone so candid.
It was often said that A-grade hunters had reached the pinnacle of humanity and they had nothing to fear, but... From the perspective of those in real positions of power, that was just nonsense. Even A-grade hunters bowed down when they had to.
They would be humble if their business or clan was in trouble, if they had a hidden agenda, if they wanted to get into politics, and so on...
Hunters faked humility especially when dealing with other hunters.
Those who managed to stay upright were one of two types. They either lived as if there wouldn’t be a tomorrow, or they were confident enough to solve any issues on their own without help from others.
In George’s opinion, Choi Yeonseung was the latter.
‘He’s more intimidating than Dragon Hwang.’
George took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at it like that, it was hard to believe that Choi Yeonseung was older than him.
He had a youthful appearance, but...
“Of course. Politicians like me always value credibility. If I don’t keep my promises, nobody will trust me anymore.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung’s expression was very serious.
-Is that true?
-Not from my experience at least.
Not noticing Choi Yeonseung’s skepticism, George said carefully, “Dragon Solutions and Dragon Artifacts. Congress will soon approve support for those two companies. Now that the senators and everyone in the committee are on board with it, there should be no problems.”
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung doubted his ears for a moment. Had he heard it right? He couldn’t believe Congress would pass a bill to take care of a company...
“Isn’t this a problem?”
“A problem?”
The president gave him a confused look. It wasn’t the first time a hunter got a well-deserved reward for their achievement. That was especially true in the United States, where lobbying was legal.
‘I thought this was the Abyss for a moment.’
“Was it originally a reward that the other clans participating in the raid would’ve received?”
“I won’t deny it.”
George maintained his expression despite the sharp question. Given that he was the president, he wasn’t that soft as to get visibly embarrassed when caught off guard like this.
“It’s not a bad offer, but by help, I meant something else.”
“What do you mean, something else...? Oh, I get it.”
“Yes. I guess you caught on.”
“Do you want support for the Icarus clan? You want to put pressure on them so you can select the talented people first.”
“...If a raid breaks out, I want you to properly mobilize the hunters and evacuate the citizens.”
“...”
For the first time in ages, George was lost for words. He felt like he had been knocked off balance. Choi Yeonseung’s request was indeed unexpected, but it was even worse because it was so basic and obvious, and yet George hadn’t caught on.
...George was genuinely embarrassed. He had never thought he would ever feel embarrassed after being president for this long.
“Of course... That’s something that must be done...”
“Oh? In that case, how come I had to individually evacuate the citizens when the last S-grade dungeon exploded? I don’t even remember how many A-grade hunters I had to bring with me.”
“I have nothing to say about that. I’m sorry.”
George quickly apologized. He figured that it was best to apologize if he didn’t have anything to say for himself. Many politicians couldn’t do that when they were stumped.
In that sense, George was a veteran politician.
“I had no choice because I had to pay attention to what the opposition party would think. However, such things won’t happen anymore if I win the upcoming election.”
“I find that hard to believe, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Then...” Choi Yeonseung was about to get up as though he had said everything he had to say.
George was surprised and asked, “Wait, is that all?”
“Is there anything else you want to add?”
“...No...”
“Then it was nice meeting you. I wish you luck in the election,” said Choi Yeonseung as he casually turned away.
He had done everything Aine had asked him to.
-The president secretly invited you?
-Yeah. But do I have to go?
-...Are you really asking that...?
-But I wonder if it’s right for the president to secretly meet with outsiders...
-What are you worrying about? Make sure you build up your connections. You know what will happen in the future!
Of course, George didn’t feel like he was as friendly with him as with Hwang Gyeongryong, but he nonetheless felt pretty close to Choi Yeonseung after what he had done for the US in the Second Realm raid.
Given how important the upcoming presidential election was for him, George was most grateful for Choi Yeonseung’s favor.
Choi Yeonseung had also felt from their conversation that George was very happy and grateful. The only thing that bothered him was that George was a veteran politician at the end of the day, so it wasn’t impossible for him to eventually forget the favor.
In any case, President George’s sincere gratitude was a good sign.
“Alright, we’ve wrapped up our meeting. ”
-You tried to speak respectfully to him, right? Please tell me you weren’t too rude.
It was clear from Aine’s voice that she was nervous. She seemed worried about how the meeting had gone.
“Nothing happened. The conversation went well...”
[Your power of existence has increased thanks to new faith.]
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled. The only reason for his power of existence to rise in the current situation had to be his relationship with President George. After all, it couldn’t be that the Secret Service agent who had escorted him had any faith in him.
“I think the president was very pleased with what we talked about.”
-...I don’t want to pour cold water on you, but don’t let your guard down. Politicians are all sly foxes, especially President George. He might say nice things when he’s in front of you, but he’ll most likely throw you under the bus if he has to.
Aine was worried that Choi Yeonseung would be deceived by an experienced politician.
-No, Miss Lawrence. Hunter Choi Yeonseung isn’t the type to be deceived by such a shallow person.
-Adaquaniel, a politician's job is to deceive people...
“You’re together? In any case, don’t worry too much. It’s not like I fully trust him, but I’m confident that he fully trusts me.”
-Really...? That’s strange. Is it because of your abilities? Your recent performance truly was amazing. But don’t let your guard down against him.
“Anyway, it’s time I went back...”
-Uh... Sorry, but I have one more appointment for you.
“...What?”
-A bigshot of the opposition party. He’s probably coming out to represent the opposition party in the upcoming election. His approval rating is overwhelming. President George’s popularity isn’t bad, but you have to be prepared for the possibility of him falling.
“Wow, you’re very thorough. Alright.”
-Is it okay?
He couldn’t see her face, but he could tell Aine felt a bit bad. She knew that Choi Yeonseung preferred raising and training hunters to meeting politicians and having secret conversations.
“Yeah, it has to be done anyway. This is a type of training as well.”
-Ah. If you think so, can you make a public appearance at the next Democrat-Republican Party political fundraiser?
“...”
-Just kidding...
***
“Please drink, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. This isn’t a common drink you can find anywhere.”
“...?”
The moment Choi Yeonseung saw the Korean words ‘Taedong River Makgeolli’ written on the bottle logo, he thought for a moment that he had come to the wrong restaurant.
Korean food was popular in LA, but it wasn’t to the extent that people secretly ate makgeolli in French restaurants.
“Is this perhaps...?”
“You recognize it. This is the homemade liquor of the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing. I thought you’d be happy to have it here, since you’re Korean, Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
McCarthy Gould, a bigshot from the opposing Liberal Federalist Party, was pleased with Choi Yeonseung’s response.
This liquor from the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing wasn’t even readily available to the richest of the rich. Only the truly powerful individuals could have this drink.
‘Are these madmen enjoying the alcohol of the evil god constellation?’
Even though he didn’t show it, Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded.
Of course, the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing was neutral, but she was nevertheless an evil god constellation who could change in the blink of an eye. Even so, these politicians were still drinking it...
How many influential people had fallen for the schemes of the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing because they had been after her alcohol?
“I prepared it for you so you can feel like home.”
“I’m from South Korea. Are you confusing South Korea and North Korea?”
“...No! The food here isn’t bad!”
-This person is quite good.
The goddess of sloth admired it. Even though they had no magic powers, this politician named Gould and President George were good at handling things.
Normally, all the powerful entities in the Abyss could use magic... It was amazing to see humans on Earth who didn’t have any magic powers present themselves like this.
Clack!
Gould snapped his fingers and the chef nervously grabbed a tray and set the food down. They brought a lobster dish that had a mouth-watering smell.
Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary dish. The shell of the lobster was glowing silver.
‘A monster?’
The silver lobster was a D-grade monster.
It was said that Choi Yeonseung could cook food that was normally inedible thanks to his skills. Without him, humans could only eat a handful of monsters, and the silver lobster was one of them.
Naturally, such cuisine was very, very rare, and only the most knowledgeable gourmets would be able to enjoy it.
Gould said confidently, “You’ve probably enjoyed all kinds of delicacies, Hunter Choi Yeonseung, but you’ll get to know a new dish today. Please, have a bite.”
“It’s delicious.”
“I knew it!”
‘The cooking is rather disappointing.’
The chef would’ve started crying if they had heard that, so Choi Yeonseung kept his thoughts to himself. Honestly, the dish would’ve been much better if he had cooked it himself...
‘He’s very happy with it,’ Gould thought to himself, satisfied.
If President George was a cautious and calculated politician, then Gould was bold and ambitious. He truly believed that during these turbulent times, it was right for him to become the president of the United States.
The dish highlighted his personality quite well.
By serving Choi Yeonseung this dish, Gould wasn’t saying, ‘Would you like to work with me?’ but ‘We need you!’
Along with the liquor, this entire meal probably cost over one million dollars, but Gould didn’t care.
“I’m really impressed with the Abyss raid this time. When I was younger, I never thought that humanity could make it to the Abyss. I kept hearing things like ‘Will we perish tomorrow or the day after?’ The first-generation hunters are heroes, but oh well... I’m sure you’ve heard that so much that you’ve grown tired of it...”
“Actually, I haven’t. It’s nice to hear it.”
“...?!”
Gould was baffled.
How come people hadn’t told him that?
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