The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 187

186

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Kim.”

Wesley Martin.

The current Secretary-General of the International Hunter Association extended his hand to me.

But I ignored it and opened my mouth.

“If I had known we would meet like this, I would have dressed up a bit more.”

“…It’s alright. We don’t need to stand on ceremony.”

“Haha, I’m glad you’re being so candid.”

As we exchanged awkward pleasantries, Wesley and I locked eyes.

The one who made me regress.

The root of all this.

The thrill of finally meeting him made me smile involuntarily.

“So, what brings you here this time, after staying put in headquarters while your employees were dying off?”

“I suppose the situation warrants it. Frankly… I didn’t expect you to hold off the Rankers.”

“Don’t you underestimate me too much? Considering everything that’s happened, you should have expected it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I underestimated you, but rather overestimated the Rankers.”

Secretary-General Wesley’s gaze turned to Yuito, sprawled on the floor.

Until a few minutes ago, he was the world’s number two Ranker, but he couldn’t offer any excuses.

Secretary-General Wesley continued.

“Anyway, now that things have turned out this way, I don’t think I can leave it to the underlings anymore.”

“So, you’re saying you came rushing over here now that you realize it’s a big deal.”

“Hahaha! Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Kim.”

His sharp gaze landed on me.

“You know better than anyone that it’s getting harder to continue the subjugation [monster suppression], don’t you?”

“Well, even if the headquarters collapses, we can still manage somehow as long as we have our team members, right?”

At his words, I looked around.

The scene was utter chaos.

Numerous injuries caused by the sudden attack.

They managed to hold on, but most of them didn’t even have the strength to hold their weapons.

That seemed to be the case for Kim Min-joo as well.

‘To be in this state against just a few Rankers…….’

I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

It was frustrating, but Wesley was right.

In this state, it would be difficult to continue the subjugation.

“Of course, given your personality, you’ll probably try to find Eden again no matter what. Well, it’s not hard to stop you every time… but our side also suffers quite a bit. Anyway, we want to avoid a war of attrition.”

“You can stop me, but it’s not worth it?”

“Isn’t it the same for you? If you hate the International Association so much, you could just destroy it by force. But you’d have to bear that much loss, so you probably don’t want to use that method yet.”

That’s right.

Frankly, the fastest way to become the Secretary-General is to seize the International Association by force and forcibly take the position.

But the reason I don’t do that is because the risk of failure is too great.

I judged that it would be better to go around a bit, rather than risk a loss that would prevent me from ever recovering.

“That’s why war has always been the last resort. Whether you win or lose, both sides suffer. Especially in these times, it’s more important not to lose than to gain.”

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying, is there really a need for both of us to suffer? From what I see, we can come to an agreement.”

“You’re suggesting a negotiation? What can you offer me?”

When I asked, Wesley stared at me and said.

“In the future, our International Association will manage all subjugations worldwide. If that happens, all independent subjugation organizations, including yours, will be out on the streets. But… you want to prevent that, don’t you?”

“……What?”

“Isn’t that why you came to the past? To stop the International Association’s dominance and bring me down.”

“……!”

At that moment, my body froze.

What, this bastard…….

He knows I regressed…?

As I was momentarily paralyzed by the great shock, Wesley continued.

“No need to be so surprised. You can figure it out if you think about it a little.”

“…….”

“Well, I’d like to applaud you for sacrificing yourself for the greater good… but honestly, who would recognize it?”

My eyebrows twitched.

The greater good? Sacrifice?

What the hell is that nonsense?

“Mr. Kim, come into the International Association. I’ll guarantee you can operate freely. I’ll support you with everything you need.”

“…….”

“That’s not enough, I see. Alright. Then… I’ll promise you the position of the next Secretary-General.”

What?

“How about it? If you endure under me for a few years, the whole world will be in your hands.”

“In exchange, I shouldn’t look for Eden anymore…?”

“To be precise, don’t interfere with us.”

“…….”

I tried to hide my bewildered expression.

How does he know?

Did he investigate the Time Stone?

No, putting that aside…….

‘Does he think I regressed to stop him…?’

Well, I don’t care what he thinks.

As a result, he accurately presented what I wanted.

But I can’t just jump at it here.

“Why would I accept that?”

“Hmm?”

“If I kill you here, everything will be resolved, so why would I do something so troublesome.”

“Hahaha! Go ahead and try. If you can.”

He spread his arms and smiled brightly.

I couldn’t move rashly.

It’s not difficult to kill that bastard here.

Considering the things he’s done to me so far, there’s even less reason to be having this conversation.

But unfortunately, nothing changes by doing that.

Even if I kill that guy here, it doesn’t mean I become the Secretary-General.

Above all, I still can’t ignore the influence of the International Association. The majority of the world, including the branches, still trusts the International Association.

In that situation, if the Secretary-General dies, he could become a hero who died in the line of duty fighting against an unofficial subjugation organization.

In the worst case, we would become the target of the entire world.

That would be too fatal in a situation where Karma Corporation needs to be recognized as the second International Association.

That’s probably why Wesley showed up in person now.

He knows I can’t kill him.

‘Is there no way…….’

Honestly, even if I find Eden first, there’s no guarantee that the situation will be better than this.

In the first place, he even promised me the position of Secretary-General, which is my only goal.

So, is there any need to fight further?

Is there any need to make Karma the second International Association with difficulty?

Is there any reason to go the long way around?

It sucks to bow down to that bastard now, but no matter how I think about it, it’s better to come to an agreement here as he says…….

“…….”

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I made eye contact with Kim Min-joo next to me.

She didn’t say anything, just looked at me silently.

In her eyes, there was no anxiety or worry.

I looked up and surveyed my surroundings again.

My team members, who had just finished a life-or-death battle, were covered in blood and barely catching their breath.

All of them were holding their breath and looking at me.

‘Do they all want to join the International Association…….’

Well, if we become enemies with them, we’ll have to risk our lives fighting again.

No matter how much they follow me, their own safety will be their top priority.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I’m sorry.

It’s not that I don’t understand their feelings… but no matter how I think about it, I can’t do it.

I just can’t bring myself to go under that bastard.

I’d rather not regress than do that.

But the problem is what comes next.

It’s definitely impossible to keep looking for Eden in this state.

Besides, once the grace period expires, Karma Corporation will be officially dissolved.

Even if I don’t accept the negotiation, I don’t have enough cards.

It’s truly the worst situation.

I was wondering what to do when.

Zzzzt―.

Just in time, my communicator rang.

“Yes.”

It was a communication from Chief Lee Ah-young.

“……Really? …I understand.”

After a short communication, I looked back at Secretary-General Wesley.

“It seems… the negotiation has broken down.”

I smiled and opened my mouth.

***

Secretary-General Wesley was wearing a relaxed smile in front of Kim Jun-woo, who was contemplating for a while.

No matter what kind of guy he is, there’s no reason not to accept the negotiation.

He has nothing to lose.

If he just joins the International Association, he can continue his subjugation activities as he wants.

He can move more freely with his existing team.

He even offered the position of the next Secretary-General.

All of this is tied to one condition: not to look for Eden.

A smart guy would know right away that there’s no reason to refuse this.

Even if he’s someone who came to the past for the sake of the greater good, there’s no way he can ignore the power in front of him.

‘Well, the other guys look like they want him to refuse…….’

Wesley thought, glancing around.

Well, Kim Jun-woo’s guys would follow him to hell, so they wouldn’t care what hardships they endure by his side.

They just hope that Kim Jun-woo will never bow down.

But it’s a vain hope.

Kim Jun-woo is also human, so he will definitely accept the negotiation.

If I get Kim Jun-woo, there’s no one else who can interfere with me.

Secretary-General position?

I can give that position with just a name as much as I want.

The important thing is not such a business card, but who actually holds the subjugation rights.

The moment he was looking at Kim Jun-woo with a confident expression.

“It seems… the negotiation has broken down.”

He spat out unexpected words.

“Wh-what…?”

“We just got what we wanted.”

“……!”

Secretary-General Wesley’s pupils widened greatly.

No way…….

Did they find Eden?

‘Damn it, why now…!’

Secretary-General Wesley’s fist clenched tightly.

‘No, no…….’

Even so, it doesn’t make sense that they found Eden at this timing.

It could just be a bluff from a guy with no cards.

I need to check it out here first.

“Ha, haha. What, did you find Eden at this timing? It’s an amazing coincidence.”

“Well, I don’t think there’s any reason to answer you. Then, it seems like we’ve said everything we need to say, so I’ll be on my way…….”

Kim Jun-woo turns his back without even a hint of regret.

Secretary-General Wesley began to feel quite anxious at the sight.

He kept muttering that it was a lie, but his mind was not.

What if it’s not a lie?

What if they really found Eden?

‘Damn it…….’

The risk involved in that one in a million chance is too great to judge based on suspicion alone.

Dungeons and abilities, monsters and hunters.

The only switch that can end this inexplicable phenomenon that has continued for 50 years.

If that thing really got into that bastard’s hands…….

The International Association and everything else will disappear.

‘Damn it, what should I do…….’

He gritted his teeth.

Even in the midst of that, Kim Jun-woo was getting further and further away, and his judgment was getting blurred by anxiety and unease.

“……Wait.”

In the end, Secretary-General Wesley opened his mouth first.

“……What do you want?”