Chapter 85: The Undisputed No. 1 of South Korea

Episode 85

“But is there a reason they’re willing to offer that much money to host the Colosseum preliminary round in their country?”

Baek Jun asked Tak Namgyu, voicing the question that had been swirling in his mind.

“As far as I know, even someone like Bin Nasir wouldn’t…”

“Waste that kind of money on a personal hobby.”

If someone had Bin Nasir’s wealth, they could spend hundreds of millions, even billions of won, on their personal hobbies without any problem. But the amount Bin Nasir offered was astronomical, far beyond billions. That was the issue.

“I heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Bin Nasir has a strong political motive for wanting to host the Colosseum preliminaries.”

Tak Namgyu began to explain to Baek Jun honestly.

“He’s been purging his opposition since he ascended to the throne.”

“I heard about that. Both sides hired S-rank hunters to fight during the throne struggle.”

“It’s a known story.”

The mercenaries who participated in the Saudi throne struggle were formidable. It was rumored that if those mercenaries combined their forces, they could even challenge the USA.

“But he killed too many popular hunters during the purge. Especially the death of Jiyad, who was very popular among the people, for being an opposition mercenary, was a big deal.”

“Ah, so he’s trying to divert public attention…”

“That’s right. It’s one of the ways to regain public support, which is at an all-time low.”

“It’s similar to the situation in the Korean government a few years ago.”

Tak Namgyu chuckled wryly at Baek Jun’s words.

The current president had actually gone through a similar process as Bin Nasir.

He had been the Prime Minister, and when the previous president died mysteriously, he naturally ascended to the presidency. Rumors spread that he had assassinated the previous president to gain the presidency, causing public sentiment to turn against him. There were even signs of rebellion.

To appease the public, the current president had chosen to heavily promote the shocking program ‘Colosseum Survival,’ which Baek Jun had planned.

At that time, criminal hunters who relied solely on their strength and were arrogant were a major headache. With the monster crisis making life seem cheap, they often looked down on those who couldn’t become hunters and committed serious crimes.

The government arrested and punished them harshly, but the number of criminals only increased.

Then, ‘Colosseum’ emerged like a comet.

A program that gathered criminal hunters and forced them to kill each other, with the survivors pledging their lives to the nation.

Initially, people protested against the idea of broadcasting such brutal deaths on national television. But as soon as the program started, it became a phenomenon, silencing all criticism.

The president was able to divert public attention from himself to the Colosseum. He then used this opportunity to remove all opposition within the government, eliminating the seeds of rebellion.

Baek Jun’s words implicitly alluded to that past.

Tak Namgyu, wiping the smile from his face, warned Baek Jun in a serious tone.

“Watch your words. This is the South Korean government building. You can say whatever you want in private, but…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful.”

Baek Jun bowed, understanding. It was always better to be cautious, as they could be monitored at any time.

Seeing this, Tak Namgyu returned to the topic.

“Anyway, we’re going to deploy all our Hunter Bureau forces until Bin Nasir leaves Korea. It’s the president’s order, so I can’t do anything about it.”

“Of course.”

It was strange if the government didn’t provide security for the world’s richest man, who would bring immense profits to the government.

“But it’s been decided that you’ll have the authority on the ground, so you don’t need to report to me.”

“That’s good news.”

“Do you know how hard I had to work to get this authority from the president?”

“Thank you, Minister.”

“What are you thanking me for? You always just say… huh?”

At that moment, they heard a loud noise from afar. Tak Namgyu and Baek Jun turned to look out the window.

“The participants have arrived.”

They saw several transport planes flying towards them from the distance.

* * *

The transport planes carrying the survivors of the second preliminary round arrived at the Hunter Bureau just after noon. When the transport planes arrived, the large door of the underground landing pad near the Hunter Bureau building opened wide.

The planes began to land, one after another, entering the entrance. After landing and releasing the participants, the planes drove onto the road and moved towards the parking lot in front.

Kim Jinsung’s plane was the last to enter the underground landing pad.

Soon, Kim Jinsung and the other participants got off the plane.

“Everyone, move to the warp magic circle behind you!”

An agent urged them, leaving no time to look around. They walked towards the giant warp magic circle, where hundreds of participants were already waiting.

All the waiting participants turned to look at Kim Jinsung. But only one person caught his eye.

‘Shin Woong…’

A young man with sharp eyes and a sturdy physique, Shin Woong, was staring at him. His current clean-cut appearance overlapped with the bloodied face he had seen in the highlight reel.

[We’re about to depart. Please remain still.]

As soon as all the participants were on the magic circle, an announcement echoed, followed by the sound of mana humming as the magic circle emitted a blinding light. A thick mana barrier enveloped the over 400 participants and the Hunter Bureau elite agents surrounding them.

But after a few seconds, the mana barrier stopped vibrating and vanished instantly. The warp was complete.

‘Where are we…?’

Kim Jinsung turned his head to determine his location.

“Woooaaaah!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted from all around. The participants looked around in surprise.

“It’s Kim Jinsung!!”

“Kyaaah!! Jinsung oppa!!”

“It’s Shin Woong! He’s over there!”

“Wow, look at Kim Jinsung. He’s so young…”

Cheers and screams echoed from the high audience stands surrounding them. People of all ages, men and women, were shouting from the vast stands.

‘…What is this?’

Kim Jinsung was bewildered by the unexpected situation.

[Welcome back, participants of Colosseum Survival.]

An announcement echoed throughout the arena, reaching the participants’ ears.

[This is Jang Seungwook, the deputy director of Colosseum Survival. Congratulations to all of you who have passed the second preliminary round.

Do you know where you are?]

No one among the participants knew the answer to Jang Seungwook’s question. Why? Because the words ‘Jamsil Colosseum Arena’ were clearly displayed on the giant screen in front of them.

[This is the Jamsil Colosseum Arena, where you will be fighting for your lives in a week.

Take this opportunity to slowly look around and get a feel for this place, which might be your last.]

‘In a week…’

[And the people in the stands are the grateful fans who came to see you arrive.

Please greet them.]

Despite Jang Seungwook’s words, only a few people waved their hands. They were too nervous to even wave.

‘Wow, there are so many people.’

‘The stands aren’t even half full, and it’s already this lively. What will it be like when 100,000 people fill the stadium…?’

‘Will I be able to fight properly in front of so many people…?’

‘Are these guys here to watch me fight? Damn it!’

The participants looked around at the audience with various expressions. Most of them looked bewildered.

Kim Jinsung scanned the audience with a complicated expression. But then, he raised his hand and waved.

“Kyaaah!!”

“He waved at me!!”

Kim Jinsung waved at the audience, who were cheering for him, with a relaxed smile. It was a natural gesture, unlike before.

‘I used to do this in the fight club.’

There must be a reason for putting the participants in front of the audience. It was like a merchant promoting their products before selling them.

Kim Jinsung planned to use it to his advantage. The Colosseum was a program that would likely help him, for the sake of viewership.

It wouldn’t hurt to gain popularity and public support.

As Kim Jinsung made his calculations, unmanned cameras installed throughout the arena continued to film him. Those images were being broadcast live to the world through TV.

* * *

The participants, greeted by the cheers of the audience, left the arena.

They walked through the underground passage inside the building and arrived at the basement level of the ‘Colosseum Hotel,’ located next to the arena.

“Welcome, everyone.”

Jang Seungwook, standing on a stage, greeted them. As the participants lined up, Jang Seungwook gestured to a staff member.

The staff member grabbed the microphone on the stage and spoke.

“We will now assign rooms for you to stay in until the third preliminary round ends. Agents, please escort the participants to their assigned rooms.”

He looked at the file in his hand and began calling out names.

“Kim Hyun-su, room 701. Lee Ji-seong, room 702. Song Seung-hwan, room 703…”

The agents escorted the participants towards the elevators as they were called.

As Kim Jinsung listened to the names being called, he realized something.

‘They’re assigning rooms from the lowest floor.’

Kim Jinsung looked at the floor guide near the entrance. He saw that the hotel rooms started from the 7th floor.

The staff member continued to assign rooms, starting from the 7th floor. As time passed, only about ten participants remained in the basement level, out of the over 400 who had been there.

‘…They’re all familiar faces.’

Kim Jinsung looked at the remaining participants. They were all the top stars of Season 12, those who had made a strong impression from the first preliminary round.

“Shin Woong.”

The staff member called out his name, and everyone looked at him.

“Room 2940.”

Kim Jinsung’s gaze immediately went back to the floor guide.

‘…The top floor?’

The rooms were from the 7th to the 29th floor, meaning Shin Woong had been assigned to the top floor. It was the complete opposite of the other participants, who had been assigned to the lower floors.

“Next, Han Mir. Room 2939.”

The other participants were also assigned to the 29th floor.

After everyone moved towards the elevator, only Kim Jinsung remained.

“Kim Jinsung…”

“Ah, I’ll escort him personally.”

Jang Seungwook interrupted the staff member, who was about to call out his name. He immediately descended the stage and stood in front of Kim Jinsung.

“Follow me.”

Kim Jinsung followed Jang Seungwook in the opposite direction of the elevator. They stopped in front of an elevator marked ‘VIP Only.’ Two fully armed Hunter Bureau agents, guarding the elevator, stepped aside as they approached.

The elevator door opened, and Jang Seungwook pressed the button for the 30th floor.

’30th floor?’

Kim Jinsung was confused. The elevator door closed, and they began to ascend rapidly.

When they arrived at the 30th floor, they were greeted by heavily armed Hunter Bureau agents.

Following their instructions, Jang Seungwook led Kim Jinsung to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door marked ‘3001.’

‘What kind of room is this?’

Kim Jinsung looked around with a curious expression. He saw that there were no other rooms on the long corridor, except for 3001.

Then, he heard the door open.

“Welcome. This way, please.”

A beautiful woman, who looked like a secretary, guided them into the room. They walked for a while, entering a room that was more spacious, luxurious, and comfortable than any room Kim Jinsung had ever seen.

“This is it.”

A familiar voice came from the reception area, making Kim Jinsung turn his head. Baek Jun was sitting at a stylish table with someone else.

‘…What?!’

Kim Jinsung’s eyes widened as he saw the white-haired old man sitting next to Baek Jun. He recognized him.

“Let me introduce you. This is Kim Jinsung, a participant in Season 12. And this is…”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

The old man interrupted Baek Jun and stood up. He extended his hand towards Kim Jinsung, who was still surprised.

“I’m Yong Hangil, the master of the Daehan Clan.”

Daehan Clan.

The strongest clan in South Korea, the only clan representing Korea in the New Continent.

Yong Hangil, the master of the clan and the undisputed strongest hunter in South Korea, was shaking Kim Jinsung’s hand.

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