Chapter 233: This Isn’t the Final Floor

Episode 233

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. He’s shaking hands and talking with Yoo Jun-ho right now.”

Kim Jinsung’s face turned serious as Park Do-joon answered confidently.

“…They really went all out.”

He couldn’t help but be impressed.

Hemingston was attending the meeting in person, despite the risk of being under surveillance.

“It’s like he’s saying he doesn’t care if he’s under surveillance.”

Kim Jinsung shook his head at Park Do-joon’s question.

“No, it’s a sign of confidence. He’s confident that he’s not under surveillance.

Especially considering Hemingston’s personality.”

“Hmm…”

Park Do-joon couldn’t argue with that.

But the reason why Hemingston was here wasn’t important.

The important thing was that he was here.

“This makes things more difficult for us. It’s not just the fact that he’s the strongest man on Earth, but also that we don’t know what his ability is.”

Kim Jinsung nodded silently in agreement.

Hemingston was one of the few top Rankers whose unique ability was still unknown.

He was already an intimidating figure, and the fact that he had a hidden card in the form of his unknown ability made him even more formidable.

* * *

“Thank you for joining us, Hemingston.”

Yoo Jun-ho was shaking Hemingston’s hand, bowing deeply.

“I was surprised when Duke told me you were coming.”

He turned his head to look at Duke, the Vice Master of the Alpha Clan, who was standing there with an impassive expression.

“I thought you wouldn’t come, because of the risk of being under surveillance…”

“Me?”

Hemingston chuckled and asked back,

“Do you think Hemingston would be affected by something like a surveillance skill?”

“Ah! Of course not. Hahaha…!”

Yoo Jun-ho couldn’t refute his confident statement and laughed awkwardly.

Even if he was under surveillance, no one would dare to question him openly. He was Hemingston, the strongest man on Earth.

“By the way, is there a reason why you’re holding the meeting in such a low-level demon world dungeon?”

He asked Yoo Jun-ho.

Wouldn’t it be better to hold the meeting in a higher-level dimension, where it would be harder to be discovered?

Yoo Jun-ho understood his implication and answered,

“We initially planned to hold the meeting in a more secure dimension, but we changed our plans recently.

We prioritized defense over secrecy, in case of an emergency.”

“Defense…”

“The higher the dimension, the harder it is to return to Earth if the coordinates are even slightly off. And Kim Jinsung, who devoured Graham, is capable of distorting dimensions.

We didn’t want to risk the Vice Masters getting lost in another dimension.

And more importantly,”

He looked directly at Hemingston and continued,

“We have Hemingston, the strongest hunter in the world, with us. We’re not afraid of even ten Kim Jinsungs. Hahaha!”

He laughed confidently, his eyes filled with admiration for Hemingston.

Hemingston simply smiled and let him lead him away.

“Of course, we’ve taken all the necessary precautions to prevent any attacks from the anti-government groups, even without Hemingston. If you’ll come this way…”

He started explaining the defense systems they had set up around the cave.

Duke watched them leave,

“……”

His eyes filled with a murderous glint.

“Duke!”

He quickly composed himself as Hemingston called out to him.

“What are you doing there? You should be escorting me, as the Vice Master!”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

He hurried after Hemingston.

Hemingston looked at him coldly.

“You’re not going to let your personal feelings show in such an important meeting, are you?”

“No, sir.”

He glared at him for a moment and then turned to follow Yoo Jun-ho.

Team Leader Hong watched Duke leave,

‘So that’s the real reason why Hemingston is here.’

* * *

“So that’s the real reason why Hemingston is here.”

Park Do-joon, who was watching from afar, echoed Team Leader Hong’s thoughts.

“He’s here to keep Duke in check. Duke, who’s prone to emotional outbursts, would definitely try to disrupt the meeting led by Yoo Jun-ho.”

“He can’t even control his emotions? He’s the Vice Master of the Alpha Clan, for crying out loud.”

Park Do-joon nodded confidently at Kim Jinsung’s incredulous question.

“Duke isn’t really qualified to be a Vice Master. Hemingston only put him in that position to counter Yoo Jun-ho, because he’s also a genius.

Duke is known for being Hemingston’s favorite within the Alpha Clan. He’s incredibly talented.”

“So Hemingston is investing in his future solely based on his talent.”

“Yes. Just like he did with Yoo Jun-ho.”

“And that’s why Duke sees Yoo Jun-ho as a rival.”

“Exactly.”

It was no secret that Duke saw Yoo Jun-ho as a rival. It was common knowledge in Sselepoh City.

“There’s a reason why I told you to exploit their rivalry. They’re destined to be rivals for life.”

“I was planning to do that.”

Kim Jinsung replied calmly.

“But it’s impossible now that Hemingston is here as a mediator. And he’s also the strongest man on Earth.”

“…Damn.”

“But it doesn’t matter anymore.”

His voice was filled with confidence.

“Yoo Jun-ho made a fatal mistake by choosing this place, the 5th floor of a demon world dungeon, as the meeting location.”

“Then explain your plan in detail. You haven’t told me everything yet.”

“Are you sure you’ll understand, even if I explain it?”

“…What? What do you mean…?”

He chuckled at Park Do-joon’s confused expression.

“Let’s move to another location. Someone might overhear us here.”

They vanished from the cave entrance.

He had used his teleportation skill.

* * *

Moments later,

“Everyone has arrived, Vice Master.”

Team Leader Hong whispered to Yoo Jun-ho, who was sitting in the main seat.

Yoo Jun-ho cleared his throat and said,

“I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all the ‘Vice Masters’ of the Major Clans for attending this meeting, despite your busy schedules.”

His voice, amplified by Mana, was clear and loud, even though he wasn’t shouting.

“Before we begin the meeting, I’d like to make a few announcements. First, let’s give a round of applause to Hemingston, the strongest man on Earth, who has graced us with his presence.”

He introduced Hemingston, who was sitting next to him.

Thunderous applause erupted, and then he continued,

“I never imagined that Hemingston would personally come here to ensure our safety.

You don’t have any other motives, do you? I’d be a little troubled if you’re here to scout for talent for the Alpha Clan.”

“Oh no, you caught me.”

“Hahaha…!”

He lightened the mood with a joke and then changed the subject.

“With Hemingston here, you don’t have to worry about your safety.

Even without him, we’ve taken all the necessary precautions to prevent any attacks from the anti-government groups.

For example…”

He lowered his voice slightly.

“We’ve set up a system that allows your clans to send reinforcements immediately in case of an emergency.

In other words, we’ve opened dimensional rifts connecting all your headquarters to this meeting room.”

“Oh…!”

The Vice Masters gasped in awe. But he wasn’t done yet.

“However, Kim Jinsung, who most likely possesses the ‘Dimensionalization’ ability, could render these dimensional rifts useless.

He could send this entire cave to another dimension.”

“……!”

“But don’t worry. We’ve opened the same rifts to all the dimensions we know of, just in case.”

“Ooh!”

“Really?”

He nodded at the surprised Vice Masters.

“Yes. We’ve obtained permission from the Major Clans to open rifts to the Polluted Dimensions, the Void Dimension, and all the other dimensions they use privately.

We’ve even opened rifts to the final floors of the Trial Tower and the Demon World Dungeon, the 50th floor and the level 50 dungeon.”

“Huh…!”

“All those dimensions…?”

Some of them were speechless.

He replied,

“This meeting is that important, so we’ve taken all the necessary precautions. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all the Major Clans who readily agreed to my request.”

He bowed deeply, and thunderous applause erupted once again.

“Now, with our security firmly in place, let’s begin the Vice Masters’ Meeting…”

He was about to announce the start of the meeting when

he suddenly felt the surrounding energy shift.

‘This is definitely…!’

The other Vice Masters also felt the change.

“The dimension…?”

“The dimension is changing!”

“Is this Kim Jinsung’s doing?!”

The commotion died down as the dimensional shift ended.

‘Where…?’

Yoo Jun-ho looked around, bewildered.

‘This isn’t any of the dimensions I know!’

He had confidently declared that they were safe in another dimension, but his words now seemed hollow.

None of the dimensions he had opened rifts to were this pitch-black.

[Middle Realm creatures who have found their way to the edge of the Demon Realm.]

A deep, authoritative voice boomed from ahead.

[I, Baal, accept your challenge.]

“……!!”

Yoo Jun-ho’s eyes widened in shock.

—

(TLN: ………………….. bro sent them to hell)