The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 320

319

The already incapacitated Secretary-General Wesley.

The moment I was about to strike his neck.

Clang—.

“……!”

Just before the final attack landed, Secretary-General Wesley pulled something out of his pocket.

A stone glowing with a subtle green light.

Although it was the first time seeing it, I knew what it was without needing to be told.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

It was Eden.

“As you said, it’s all over now… Wouldn’t it be too unfair if only I ended? Since it’s come to this, let’s just end it all together.”

Secretary-General Wesley smirked, his face covered in blood.

But to me, that just looked like a final act of desperation.

“Do you think that’s going to be a threat? Do you think that’ll save you?”

Secretary-General Wesley shook his head and replied.

“The moment Eden is destroyed, the whole world will be plunged into chaos worse than war. Politics, economy, diplomacy, and military… everything will stop, and each country will face decades of dark ages.”

“…….”

“Can you let that happen?”

Unable to answer, I looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh.

Well, yeah… he’s right.

If Eden is truly the cause of the Otherworld phenomenon that has spread across the world for 50 years, then destroying it would mean the disappearance of all abilities and dungeons.

Of course, that’s a good thing.

It’s the ultimate goal of hunters and associations worldwide, and citizens won’t have to live in fear for their lives.

But even good things need timing.

As everyone, including me, has said, dungeons and abilities need to remain for now.

There are still many countries where dungeon raids are run as a national industry, and even more so when considering the related industries and companies, including the distribution of byproducts.

Perhaps, as Secretary-General Wesley said, a crisis worse than war might come.

So, we still need to prepare.

Even if I’m going back, I need to think about the guys who will be staying here.

“It shouldn’t be destroyed.”

“You know it well.”

“But… even if we destroy Eden, that’s our problem to solve, not something for the Secretary-General to worry about.”

There’s no need to weigh what’s more important right now.

“Because you’re going to die here anyway.”

[Unique Skill: Emperor – Depose]

[Tyrant]

As I gathered the black aura once more.

“I’m sorry, but……”

Secretary-General Wesley let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“This isn’t a negotiation.”

And at that moment.

Crack—.

As he tightened his grip on Eden, cracks immediately began to form on it.

At the same time.

“……!!”

A headache so severe that I momentarily lost my mind struck me.

Crack, crack—.

“Kuh-ugh!!”

Pain I had never felt before.

It felt as if someone was squeezing my head with their hands, and I collapsed on the spot.

My body wouldn’t listen, and my vision turned blood red.

Through the blurry vision, I saw Secretary-General Wesley’s smiling face.

I squeezed out whatever strength I had left and reached out my hand, but…….

Thud—.

In the end, I fell to the ground, unable to reach him.

As my consciousness faded away from the unbearable pain, that’s when it happened.

Bang—!

A single gunshot rang out.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence fell at the same time.

The pain began to subside, and as my vision returned, I could see the situation in front of me clearly.

“You……!”

Secretary-General Wesley, shot in the stomach, looked behind me with a bewildered expression.

I also turned my head, and there…….

“It’s starting to get tiresome……”

Chloe stood there, holding a gun.

“Let’s stop now, shall we?”

“…….”

I was also quite taken aback by the situation.

Even if he was dying, there’s no way ordinary bullets would work.

The only thing that could damage him was Anti-Magic Stone bullets.

But even those were all used up in the battle just now.

Which means…….

‘Could it be…….’

As I looked at Secretary-General Wesley, his figure began to fade away.

As if he had never been a person of this world from the beginning, his very existence was disappearing.

“…Did you process a Time Stone?”

I asked Chloe, keeping my eyes fixed on Secretary-General Wesley.

“Just in case.”

She replied calmly.

We continued to watch Secretary-General Wesley disappear.

Then, as if sensing his end, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Well… thank you all for your hard work.”

A word he managed to utter with difficulty.

“You’re going to have a hard time.”

At that, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re the one who’s going to have a hard time from now on, Secretary-General.”

“……Huh?”

“Karma is more persistent than you think. It took me four years to clear it all up… I wonder how much longer it will take you.”

Dragging my legs, which didn’t move well, I approached him and continued.

“I dare say, every day of your remaining life will be hell.”

“…….”

“Then… I hope you endure it well.”

Secretary-General Wesley had no more answers.

The only thing certain was that his eyes were filled with all sorts of fears.

“…….”

“……”

Chloe and I watched him disappear like a hologram until the end.

“Hoo…….”

Only after nothing was left did I raise my body again.

Then, I glanced around the battlefield where not even an ant could be seen.

The black hole that had covered the sky had also disappeared.

But even so, the city’s scenery was utterly devastated.

Every building and road had collapsed.

As if dyed in the sunset, everything in the city was burning red.

I took a moment to catch my breath there.

“…Let’s go back now.”

I turned my back on all of it.

***

“Most of the International Hunter Association’s forces, including Secretary-General Wesley, died in battle, and the remaining forces have unconditionally surrendered.”

WDSO Headquarters.

Twelve hours had passed since the end of the final battle in New York.

A press conference hall where all the heads and executives of WDSO were gathered.

Director Lee Doo-shik stood in front of the camera and continued to speak.

“We hereby announce that the International Hunter Association has been officially dissolved, and Eden, which was in the possession of Secretary-General Wesley, will be stored under Eclipse, a subsidiary of WDSO. Furthermore, the war between WDSO, including the associations of each country, and the International Association……”

He paused to look at the reporters, hunters, and citizens gathered there.

“We declare that it has officially ended as of this moment.”

With those words, applause erupted.

But no one cheered.

There was too much to lose.

“Good job.”

“…You’re the one who worked the hardest, though.”

Kim Min-joo spoke to Han Yu-bin, who was sitting next to her, and Han Yu-bin shrugged and replied.

“Don’t I get a ‘good job’?”

“Ah… aren’t you being too harsh because I’m not a combat personnel?”

Director Lee Ah-young and Director Ha Sung-il joked.

But that was only for a moment.

They all shifted their gaze towards one person sitting in the front row.

That is.

“Good job, Teacher.”

“…….”

The man who was the beginning and the end of everything.

It was Team Leader Kim Jun-woo of the Cleaning Team 3.

“…Good job, my foot.”

Kim Jun-woo replied with a slight smile.

“Take some rest for the time being. I’ll talk to Yu-bin and get you a vacation.”

“Vacation, huh…….”

A meaningful expression.

As he was doing that, Director Lee Ah-young suddenly interjected.

“Sorry, but… there’s still a lot to wrap up, you know? We’ve decided to take charge of the damage recovery and relief efforts for each association. We also need to re-establish the subjugation system.”

“…….”

“Well, I know you’re tired… but don’t make such a face. We can just finish it quickly and rest!”

Not knowing Kim Jun-woo’s situation, she encouraged him in a very cheerful voice.

“If we take it easy, 3 to 4 days should be enough……”

“No, do we really need to drag it out that long?”

Kim Jun-woo interrupted Director Lee Ah-young.

“Wasn’t it you who said we should finish quickly and rest?”

Kim Jun-woo continued with a forced smile.

“The sooner we do it, the better, right?”

“……If you say so.”

Everyone, including Director Lee Ah-young, took those words at face value.

They didn’t even dream that he wasn’t really trying to finish quickly and rest, but that he only had 12 hours left.

“Ah, and there’s one more thing I’d like to officially announce at this meeting.”

At that moment, Director Lee Doo-shik, who was conducting the press conference on the podium, suddenly brought up those words.

“As you all know, we have also suffered a lot of damage and lost a lot in this war. And among them… there is also Director Park In-beom, who dedicated his entire life to the safety and peace of the people from 50 years ago, when there was no system or information.”

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy silence fell over the conference hall.

“Losing such a great person is a very sad and painful thing. But even so, we must move forward. Because that will be the last respect for Director Park In-beom, who sacrificed himself for us.”

Soon, Director Lee Doo-shik’s voice gained strength.

“Therefore…….”

Eventually, his gaze turned to one man.

“We hereby appoint Team Leader Kim Jun-woo of Cleaning Team 3 as the new Director of WDSO.”

With that statement, the gazes of the people sitting in their seats and even the cameras shining on the podium all turned to Kim Jun-woo.

Expressions that seemed quite surprised by the sudden decision.

Of course, there were some who nodded as if they had expected it.

But there were those who showed an even more intense reaction than them.

“T, Teacher?!”

“W, what?! When was this decided?!”

“No, how could we not know?!”

It was none other than the directors.

“Well, that’s how it is…….”

But Kim Jun-woo trailed off with a rather calm face.

As he was doing that, Director Lee Doo-shik called his name once again, and Kim Jun-woo got up from his seat and headed to the podium.

Following the International Hunter Association, the newly established official international dungeon subjugation organization, WDSO [World Dungeon Suppression Organization].

The director there was the head of all hunters worldwide and the chief officer of all associations in each country.

At the same time, he was the commander of all subjugation operations taking place on Earth.

And today, the protagonist who took that position was, out of the blue.

“Hello. I’m Kim Jun-woo, a cleaner.”

It was a cleaner, the lowest rank in the organization.

As Kim Jun-woo stood on the podium and bowed with a brief greeting, a barrage of flashes that he couldn’t even open his eyes to poured down.

At the same time, numerous questions from reporters flew in chaotically.

Some asked for his impressions, and some asked about the future direction and goals of WDSO’s operation.

Still others tried to get a confirmation that they would not repeat the same mistakes as the International Hunter Association.

But the question that most people asked was just one.

‘How were you able to start as a cleaner and rise to this position?’

Kim Jun-woo took a moment to catch his breath at that question.

“A few years ago, I became a dungeon cleaner due to a trivial reason.”

Soon, the first words he spoke into the microphone.

At the same time, silence began to flow through the conference hall as if promised.

“To be honest… I didn’t even know what a dungeon cleaner did at first. I didn’t really want to do it either. I was planning to quit after just a week.”

At those words, a few people sitting in their seats laughed softly.

Kim Jun-woo also smiled along with them and slowly continued.

“But looking back now, the time I spent as a dungeon cleaner was…….”