NOVPUB
Chapter 108
“These Korean taxis are too dang small.”
“They’re exactly the same size as the taxis in the U.S., Thomas.”
“Is that so? Well, I guess I would need to have ridden in one to know.”
Thomas Andre crammed his massive frame into the back seat of the taxi and chatted with his secretary, Laura, who was seated in the front. “So, how much farther is the hotel?” he asked.
“It’s quite a bit further. You wanted the best hotel in the country, remember?”
“Didn’t realize it would be this far.”
The taxi driver, overhearing their conversation, was silently breaking out in a cold sweat. I might die of a heart attack... I shouldn’t have picked them up.
He never could have imagined his foreign passenger was the infamous Thomas Andre. It was not an exaggeration to say that if the old man stretched his limbs even a little bit more, the taxi’s body would crumple away like a piece of paper.
“Ugh, this is a pain. Maybe we should have waited a bit longer and gotten a bigger car?”
Eek...! Where did all this traffic come from?! Faster! Faster! Every time Andre shifted in the back, the taxi driver felt like his soul was about to leave his body.
“Laura.” Squashed in the backseat, Thomas’ eyes suddenly became serious. He broached the main topic: the reason he had flown all the way to this distant country. “Have you found out about Sung Suho’s current location?”
“We’re still making inquiries, but it shouldn’t take long.” From the moment she got into the taxi, Laura had been busy on her tablet, working on the tasks Andre had given her. With cool blue eyes, she rapidly scanned the information sent from their employees in the United States. “In South Korea, it’s relatively easy to obtain a hunter’s contact information. There’s a saying in Korean that the country is so small, everything is so close that if you tripped and fell you’d bang your nose on whatever you’re looking for.”
“Close enough to hit your nose, huh? That’s an interesting expression.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. For hunters with superior physical abilities, especially those like Thomas Andre, a short run in a small country like Korea could get you to any city in no time.
“By the way, Thomas. Are you certain Sung Suho is the one from the prophecy?”
“I’m positive. The old lady might be ancient, but she’s not senile.”
“I’m not doubting her. But this prophecy seems much more specific than the previous ones, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Heh, that’s true. Maybe she’s getting better as she ages. Fortune-tellers seem more mystical the older they get, right?” Thomas chuckled as he recalled the face of Norma Selner, the seer who had sent him here. “Though we’re aging side by side, that old lady is really something else. She was nearly at death’s door, but she awakened and managed to prolong her life.”
“It’s indeed fortunate. You almost lost your only friend.”
“Aren’t we friends, Laura?”
“Unfortunately, this is strictly a business relationship.”
Despite her firm response, Thomas only laughed merrily.
As the secretary was scrolling through the sea of information on her tablet screen, her eyes suddenly halted at a certain point. “Found him. Sung Suho.”
“Oh, you did? Who exactly is this kid?”
“Hmm. Well, if this information is correct...”
Thomas’ eyes gleamed as if he had found a delectable morsel of prey. However, Laura frowned. “It says he’s only a C-rank summoner.”
“What? A summoner? And only C-rank? That can’t be right.”
“The information is recently updated, so it should be accurate. And as you know, Korean mana-measuring devices are quite reliable.”
“Could there be a different hunter with the same name?”
“It’s possible. It’s not like it’s a unique name.”
“We’ll find out when we meet him in person. Or I could just give him a good thump and be on my way,” Thomas mused with a smirk, as if the choice were as easy as where they were going to have dinner.
But it’s probably him. It better be, the old man thought. If that guy made me take this trip for nothing, he’s going to find a knuckle sandwich waiting for him—one that’ll be pretty hard to choke down. Although he had only set out the night before on impulse, this journey to South Korea was very significant for him.
The Glacier Dungeon... According to Norma Selner’s prophecy, Andre needed Suho’s help to conquer that place. And while Norma usually gave vague and confusing prophecies, this time she had specifically mentioned Sung Suho by name. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly, especially by Thomas Andre, who had been friends with the seer for decades.
Korea, huh, He mused, looking at the landscape passing by outside the taxi.
It was the first time he had set foot in the country, yet fluent Korean had been flowing from his mouth ever since he stepped out of the plane. This was all because of a single suggestion Norma had suddenly made a long time ago.
“You seem quite bored in retirement, Thomas. How about learning Korean in the meantime?”
“Ko-rean? You mean the language?”
“Yes, the language spoken in East Asia, in the country of South Korea.”
“Why should I learn the language of some far-off country at my age?”
“Just learn it. Later on, it might come in handy.”
“Damn it. If you’re saying it, Norma, I feel like I’ll be in big trouble if I don’t pick it up.”
That was the inexplicable beginning of his journey to learn Korean.
Even before her awakening, Norma Selner was a renowned prophetess. Of course, she had declared her retirement long ago, claiming her prophetic powers had vanished. Still, important figures in politics and finance would occasionally seek her advice on crucial matters.
When someone like her suggested out of the blue to “learn Korean,” one would feel compelled to diligently hit the books, even if just to avoid a sense of unease.
Later, I ended up completely engrossed in Korean dramas. Thomas had even entertained such thoughts about the significance of Norma’s prophecies. But maybe she genuinely suggested it because I seemed too bored in retirement, or perhaps she foresaw my future as a K-drama addict.
Until recently, that was the extent to which Thomas had thought about South Korea. But now, having come to the country in search of a hunter named Sung Suho, he began to wonder if this might be the true vision Norma had foreseen.
“Hmm. South Korea, huh...” This won’t do. I’m getting restless. Thomas suddenly snapped out of his daze. His expression changed. “I’m sorry, Laura, but I have to meet him before we head to the hotel.”
“What? Sure.”
“Oh? Are you all right with that? I thought you were tired.”
“Of course I am. But it’s quite gentlemanly of you to ask as a courtesy, even though I know you’ll do as you please anyway.”
“Ha! Gentlemanly! I never thought I’d receive such a compliment from my secretary!”
“It was sarcastic. Anyway, I’ve already found his address. Let’s head there right now.”
***
“Young Monarch...” Beru appeared more tense than ever.
Meanwhile, Suho simply couldn’t believe what was happening. “Does this mean I have to move? Why is an American giant on his way to my doorstep?”
“With all due respect, Master, your personal information seems to have become public property,” Que said.
A massive force was hurtling directly toward Suho, who was just trying to relax at home. At first, he had thought it was a dungeon break or at least a magic beast like a minotaur charging his way. But it was a person—and not just any person, but the famous S-rank hunter he had seen on the news earlier that day.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Every time the man’s feet hit the ground, the pavement cracked and crumbled under the immense force.
Suho sighed and stepped outside to meet him. The old man’s approach was so blatantly obvious that there was no doubt he was the intended target.
“Oh, what’s this? Did you come out to meet me?” Eventually, Andre arrived right in front of Suho.
Suho simply looked up at his face with curiosity. How can an old man with white hair be so muscular? The towering figure seemed at least two heads taller than Suho, with bulging muscles asserting their presence all over his body.
He could probably take down a minotaur without even using mana. Suho reflected on this for a moment. He had been feeling pretty strong after some recent leveling up, but Beru’s words made him seriously consider whether he was still a mere ant larva.
Thomas Andre gently set down his middle-aged secretary, Laura, who he had been holding by his side. “Are you Sung Suho?” he asked in quite blunt Korean.
Wow, this old white man speaks Korean really well. If Ammut had been human, he might have been similar to Thomas Andre.
“What, too scared to say anything to me? Most people are,” the American continued. As Suho stood there silently staring, he chuckled and began to bare his teeth.
Whoosh!
In that instant, an immense fighting spirit burst from his entire body. Suho began to feel the pressure. “You’ll answer me, even if I have to wring it out of you. You wanna die?”
I didn’t think he’d be so direct. I’ve never met an old man like this. Suho, utterly dumbfounded, just stared at him and responded, “Well, yes, I am Sung Suho. But, um... What brings you here so late at night, grandfather?”
“What? Grandfather?” Upon hearing Suho’s words, Thomas’ expression crumpled. He must be kidding me! Might as well call me an “old coot!”
“Hahaha! You little brat! Did you hear him, Laura? How dare he call me ‘grandpa?’ Do you think I’m senile, too?”
“Oh? I didn’t mean to come off that way.” Suho was genuinely taken aback.
No one in their minds would ever call Thomas Andre, the Goliath, an old man. “Fine. I’ll personally verify if you are indeed the Sung Suho of the prophecy,” he growled, unleashing an even more terrifying aura that completely dominated the space around them.
Rumble.
Crunch. Crunch.
Along with the aura, a monstrous force pressed down, cracking the very ground they stood on as if an earthquake had struck. Laura, who had wisely kept her distance because she had guessed this might happen, shook her head in resignation.
Amid this cataclysmic force field, Suho steadied himself.
Suddenly, Thomas Andre felt a chill. How can a mere C-rank hunter stand firm against my mana field?
