SMH 168

Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (1)

TL: Boko

The ‘Righteous Shield’.

It was one of the eight SS-rank items that the U.S.
possessed. It was called a ‘shield’, but it was an item in the shape of a
necklace.

There was a reason it was called a shield despite
that. It possessed an ability called the ‘Absolute Shield’.

He’d never seen or used it before, but he’d read
information about it on Hunter.com before.

“I’m not sure I can accept this.”

He felt great, but he also felt burdened by it. This
would be the second time someone has gotten one of the U.S.’s SS-rank items,
with Leia’s ‘Heaven’s Strike’ staff being the first.

“Who else could accept it other than you, Mr.
Kang Sung Joon?”

“Was this a decision made by Congress?”

“Of course. There are limits to what I can do
alone.”

Congress wanted to reward Sung Joon so that he’d
have a favorable impression of them.

“Then, I’ll accept it graciously.”

Declining out of excessive modesty was
disrespectful, and although there was little chance of it happening, Aiden
could still change his mind, so Sung Joon just nodded his head.

“Since it’s an SS-rank item, we plan on having
a conferment ceremony. We’ll proceed with it as soon as possible, but it’ll
still take a few days before it’s ready. For the time being, please stay in the
Blair House.”

“Isn’t that only for state guests?” Sung
Joon asked. He knew about the Blair House, as he’d heard about it a few times
before.

“It’s fine. Whenever I come here, I stay there
too.”

Leia jumped in. Aiden smiled and said.

“From this day forward, we’ll be treating you
as a ‘state guest’. It’s the least we can do for the hero of New York.”

“Thank you.”

“I took too much of your time. I’ve heard that
Hunters must rest sufficiently following a raid or a dungeon. I won’t take any
more of your time. I’ll make sure the people who just left know as well.”

Shin Tae relayed Aiden’s words and Sung Joon nodded
his head. Due to his ‘Absorption’ ability, he didn’t need to rest for very
long, but having some personal time wouldn’t be so bad.

He had to contact his guild as well, since his stay
in the U.S. would be longer than he’d planned.  

“I’ll take you there.”

Shin Tae took the lead. They were about to leave the
office, but Leia, who had been quietly watching them, suddenly stood up and
followed them. Sung Joon turned his attention to her.

“You’re going to follow us to the Blair
House?”

“I told you. That I sleep over there when I
come to the White House.”

“Yeah…”

Leia replied, her expression seemingly saying ‘why
are you asking something so obvious?’. Sung Joon nodded his head. He’d heard
that the Blair House had several rooms, so he shouldn’t bump into her.

“We’re here.”

Sung Joon followed Shin Tae and arrived at the Blair
House. Then, the workers there led them to their allotted rooms.

“There are no wiretaps or surveillance cameras
here. You should have no problems staying here, my lord.”

Rishubalt, who’d been silent up until now, quickly
surveyed the vast interior of the room and reported.

Sung Joon calmly looked around the room, and Shin
Tae, who had briefly gone out, returned and approached him.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon. My room’s right next to
yours. Feel free to call me whenever you need me. I’ll be standing by.”

The U.S. government was being considerate; they
placed his interpreter, Shin Tae, in the room right next to his, as they knew
his English wasn’t up to par. He didn’t know when Leia had disappeared, as he
couldn’t find her.

“Did Leia go somewhere else?”

“She’s quite an independent individual, so
she’s probably picking a room she likes right now,” Shin Tae replied.

In other words, she was being selfish. He could
understand; after all, she had reached such a lofty position when she was in
her early twenties.

If Sung Joon had become South Korea’s only SS-rank
Hunters without his memories, then he would’ve become conceited.

Cha Kyu Tae, the S-rank Hunter he’d killed, had been
in his mid-twenties, yet he had turned out to be such scum.

Leia was quite eccentric and did as she pleased, but
she didn’t seem like a bad person.

“I’d like to rest.”

“Yes. If you need me, please don’t hesitate to
call.”

Sung Joon spoke curtly, but his intent was relayed. Shin
Tae nodded his head and left Sung Joon’s room.

Now that he was alone, he sat on a soft chair and took
out his smartphone. He called his father, Soo Hyuk, first.

He explained simply, saying that he was in the U.S.
for work. Then, he called Han Seok.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon?”

“How’s the guild doing?” Sung Joon asked.

Han Seok took care of guild matters when Sung Joon
was absent. Originally, Jung Chul oversaw such matters, but because of the
‘Rune of Loyalty’, Han Seok was more trustworthy right now. When both Sung Joon
and Han Seok were out, Jung Chul or Shin Chul would take care of matters.

“There are no problems here.”

“What about my dad’s security? No one
suspicious?”

“Security is perfect. There’s no suspicious
activity nearby,” Han Seok replied with absolute confidence.

Although he’d been humiliated by Sung Joon, he was
still South Korea’s top S-rank Hunter.

Not many people were skilled enough to plot some
sort of scheme without him noticing. At the very least, there was no suspicious
activity around the mansion.

Joon Yeol promised that White Tiger would keep an
eye on any suspicious activity that took place far away from the mansion, so he
could relax for now.

Though they weren’t very efficient, they were still
an armed intelligence agency and South Korea was their ‘home ground’.

At the very least, they would act as a ‘stabilizer.’

“Alright. Keep up the good work.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Once Han Seok was finished, Sung Joon immediately
ended the call. Han Seok was completely obedient to him due to the ‘Rule of
Loyalty’.

“Who else do I need to call…”

Sung Joon called White Tiger’s leader, Na Joon Yeol,
and requested that he keep his residence safe. Sung Joon checked his contacts
and muttered.

“Shouldn’t you call Yoon Seol Ah?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Rishubalt said, and Sung Joon nodded his head in
agreement. Nothing bad would come of maintaining a close relationship with the
Blue Dragon Group’s granddaughter; the Blue Dragon Group that had close ties
with politicians. He called Seol Ah without hesitation.

“Ah… Mr. Kang Sung Joon…”

It sounded like she woke up and picked up her phone,
but she soon sounded energized.

“I saw the news. They said an SS-rank raid
broke out in New York. Are you hurt anywhere?” Seol Ah asked.

SS-rank raids were quite rare, and it seemed like
the U.S. government was doing their utmost to paint Sung Joon as a hero. All of
the news channels were covering the raid in New York.

Leia was the one who’d done the most work and was
thus the MVP, but the news was reporting that she wouldn’t have arrived if not
for Sung Joon. So, the more time passed, the more the U.S. citizens liked him.

“I’m alright. Anything going on in South
Korea?”

“Not really. There are no problems with the
guild, either.”

Seol Ah was the manager of the Lord guild, but she
wasn’t very busy, as there weren’t that many guild members.

That’s why she was able to maintain her position in
the Blue Dragon Group. Although she oversaw the guild’s operations, it didn’t
really amount to much; she would help the handful of guild members with their
dungeon matching or deliver the magic stones to the Blue Dragon Group as
promised.

“Now that I think about it, I have some good
news.”

Seol Ah aroused his curiosity.

“Good news? There’s nothing I can think
of…”

“I was promoted. I’m the director of the guild
business now,” Seol Ah said.

She had settled the contract between the Blue Dragon
Group and the Lord guild for the magic stones, so she had been promoted from
head of the guild plan to director of the guild business.

“Really? Congratulations.”

Sung Joon genuinely congratulated her. After all,
her getting promoted was good news for him.

The higher her position in the Blue Dragon Group, the
more they’d accommodate the Lord guild.

If he could, he would make her Blue Dragon Group’s
chairman.

“It’s all because of you. Thank you.”

She could tell he was being genuine. That’s why she
was so happy. She liked him more and more as time passed. Sung Joon had greatly
influenced her advancement to director of the guild business.

“You were promoted because you did your best. You
don’t need to thank me.”

“If it weren’t for you, then I wouldn’t have even
tried.”

It was the truth. She had always done her best so
that she’d be noticed by her grandfather and chairman of the Blue Dragon Group,
Yoon Tae Seok, but he would never acknowledge her. It was only after she met
Sung Joon did she begin to shine.

“Thank you.”

Sung Joon didn’t reply back. He could hear soft
laughter from his phone. However, the laughter soon stopped and she continued
to speak.

“Please come back soon. It feels quite empty
without our guild leader. I don’t want to be alone.”

She didn’t sound drunk. Perhaps she was showing some
parts of herself that she normally kept hidden.

Sung Joon spoke with her for a bit longer, and then ended
the call.

He’d called internationally for quite some time, so his
bill would be high. But it wasn’t something he had to worry about. Sung Joon
remained in the chair and rested, but then, he felt someone’s presence.

Knock.
Knock.

Sung Joon raised his head and heard someone
knocking. It was a familiar presence, but it wasn’t Shin Tae.

He wasn’t confident in his English, so he spoke with
an anxious expression.

“Please come in.”

His English was poor, but he could hold a simple
conversation. Once he allowed them in, the door opened and a blonde haired
woman came in.

Sung Joon was relieved when he saw her face. It was
Jennifer.

Jennifer, an A-rank Hunter from the Central Hunter
Bureau, didn’t know how to use Translation Magic, but she could speak fluent
Korean. He was relieved that he wouldn’t have to speak in English or call Shin
Tae.

“Ms. Jennifer. What’s the matter?”

“I’ve been assigned as your interpreter.”

“Wasn’t Mr. Lee Shin Tae supposed to be my
interpreter?”

When he was inside the president’s office, he had
heard that Shin Tae would be his interpreter during his stay at the White
House. In response, Jennifer grinned and said.

“There’s been a change in personnel. I am now
the head of a department, and I was also substituted as your interpreter.”

“The head of a department?”

“Yes. We just created it. Please just think of
it as a department designed to help you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”

The Delta Director, Louis, had created this unusual
department to help Sung Joon.

One could tell just how much the U.S. government and
the Central Hunter Bureau valued him.

“Ah… is that so?”

“Yes. I have taken Lee Shin Tae’s room. If you
need something, feel free to call me.”

“I understand.”

Once he nodded his head, Jennifer grinned and left
the room. Now, Sung Joon was able to rest. And a few days passed by.

He wasn’t very good at speaking English, but because
Jennifer stayed close and interpreted for him, he didn’t feel any discomfort in
the Blair House.

And it was finally the day where he would receive
the SS-rank item, the ‘Righteous Shield’.

The conferment ceremony would be held in the same place as President Aiden’s inauguration ceremony. Once he left the Blair House, he was greeted by honor guards decked out in their uniforms.