Chapter Nineteen – The Japanese Hunter Uchiha Sasuke – Song Jin-Woo Heads to the Conference
"Master (Uchiha), I wish to inform you that the time to go to the International Hunters' meeting is drawing near."
The voice was calm, almost unnervingly placid. It belonged to the assistant with long black hair, violet eyes, and a pale, porcelain-like complexion. She appeared to be only in her twenties, yet her demeanor was that of a seasoned bureaucrat.
She delivered the information with utter serenity while observing the room's occupant—a sixteen-year-old boy staring out of a floor-to-ceiling window with his peculiar eyes. One was a deep, swirling violet. The other, a sharp, bloody crimson.
His gaze was fixed on the sprawling, neon-lit metropolis below, a cityscape of impossible verticality and ceaseless movement.
"If so, prepare the plane. We will go there."
After hearing the orders, the assistant gave a slight bow, the fabric of her suit rustling softly, and exited to carry them out, her heels clicking a precise rhythm on the polished marble floor before the sound faded.
(Uchiha Sasuke) remained in his private room, his silhouette framed against the glass. He watched the giant city and its technological evolution, a world so different from the forests and hidden villages he knew.
Only two weeks had passed since he arrived in this world.
But he had finally managed to adapt to the languages present here, which he understood were not one, but many—unlike the world he came from, the world of shinobi. People in this world possessed many different languages, one for each country.
Thanks to the abilities of the Sharingan, he had been able to copy a dictionary for one of the languages, which naturally enabled him to memorize all the different letter forms. He had used shadow clones to accelerate the speed of learning.
In just three days, he had managed to memorize all the words for English, in addition to Korean. All of that just to understand people's speech.
Furthermore, he remembered to obtain information pertaining to these "gates," which was the main objective from the beginning of this… cooperation. It was a tool. He was merely using it for the current time, before returning to the world of shinobi.
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On the plane, the atmosphere was one of hushed luxury and tense curiosity. (Goto Ryuji), Japan's strongest hunter, sat across from (Uchiha Sasuke), his eyes fixed on the young man who possessed an unreasonable calm.
In these few days, Japan's strongest hunter had discovered things that had shocked him a thousand times over.
First, he discovered the person before him could create clones. He could replicate himself into several individuals, and each of those individuals seemed capable of moving on their own, even performing varied tasks.
Furthermore, he discovered the boy did not master English or Korean; he could only speak Japanese. But then, he had requested a dictionary. The next day, he began speaking a little English. After only three days, he became capable of speaking English fluently.
All this astounding information forced Japan's strongest hunter to relinquish his title, at least in his own mind. In that moment, he could only imagine this boy was a complete genius.
Additionally, he learned the boy's name was (Uchiha Sasuke). But (Sasuke) had requested everyone, even himself, to address him as 'Master (Uchiha).' Of course, everyone accepted this matter.
(Sasuke)'s power was immense, of course. They didn't know he was a ninja from another world. He was hiding these matters from them. But even so, Japan's power was rising after announcing a hunter of national rank. This type of power qualified Japan now to have a seat larger than the solid seats on the world stage.
"Master, these are the names you requested. The persons who are of national rank."
The information (Goto Ryuji) placed on the low table between them was data on hunters of national rank, which (Sasuke) had requested to familiarize himself with. After learning there were classifications different from ninja ranks in the shinobi world, he had begun studying the ranking system inside this world. He discovered it was the hunter system, and a hunter's level corresponded with their rank.
He discovered these people had placed a national rank on him. So, he began searching to see if there were hunters at his same level.
But in truth, he didn't consider that any person in this world could reach his level, not after having reached the peak of the Six Paths.
There were five pictures in the collection.
One was of a blond man with long hair, his features sharp and his smile carrying a lazy, predatory confidence.
Another was a man whose features resembled someone from the Hidden Mist Village—cold, sharp eyes, and an air of detached lethality. He was pictured with two swords. It was also written on his card that he was a Chinese hunter of national rank.
(Uchiha Sasuke) narrowed his eyes.
The Chairman, the head of the Hunter's Association, was also on the cards. It seemed he was also a hunter of national rank. This didn't surprise (Sasuke). He had felt a strong level of energy from him that surpassed the level of other persons. With his current knowledge of the world, he discovered these others were merely S-rank hunters.
Therefore, he understood that the essence of power in the national rank was much higher.
"Master, it seems we will arrive in only two hours. So, if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer."
Of course, when the man before him said these words, (Uchiha Sasuke) was sneering inwardly. He could see the great greed in the man named (Goto Ryuji), but he pretended not to see it. The man's ambition was a palpable heat in the air-conditioned cabin.
"No need for that. When we arrive, I will certainly get to know them all. I will undoubtedly be able to obtain some important information about the things I want."
He wasn't revealing much information to Japan. But he had implicitly agreed to be a hunter of national rank under Japan's name. That had allowed him to obtain direct money, in addition to the resources Japan provided.
But that wasn't something significant for him, because he was originally seeking to gain strength quickly and use these resources he obtained to search for a way to return to the world of shinobi once again.
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In another place, two months had passed for (Song Jin-Woo).
Two months since he had managed to obtain the medicine he needed to awaken his mother.
Only after obtaining this medicine did he manage to smile for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He had even cried. His beloved mother had regained her consciousness and woken up.
It was a quiet moment, in a sterile hospital room that suddenly felt warm. The steady, strong beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor was the most beautiful music he'd ever heard. He held her thin hand, feeling the weak pulse under his fingers, and for a moment, the weight of the Shadow Monarch lifted.
In addition, he had managed to establish the Shadow Guild. Right after founding it, he immediately used the guild's ability to enter high-ranking gates to obtain experience points to increase his strength.
Not only that, he had bolstered his shadow army. He was now capable of summoning 150 shadow soldiers, including the commander-ranked soldiers as well.
Of course, events he didn't want had also occurred.
Especially after (Cha Hae-In) had also tried to join his guild.
Her approach at the beginning was normal, with her desire to join. But that had surprised (Song Jin-Woo). In the end, his guild, even with the existence of many gates they could enter, was a surprise that this beautiful girl wanted to join him.
Of course, for him, he didn't focus on any of that. He only wanted to raise his level.
"I just want to join the guild. I'm prepared to do anything."
The voice of the S-rank hunter was full of determination. In the end, he could only sigh and agree. He had summoned his most loyal shadow soldier, (Igris), and requested him to fight (Cha Hae-In) and defeat her. To ensure this, he gave him the Demon King's sword, brimming with magical power.
He had expected his own shadow soldier, his right hand, to win.
But in the fight, the S-rank huntress displayed precise and agile swordsmanship skills. Her skills were so fast they made her seem as if she were in several places at the same time. She used the sword's edge and engagement skills to strike the Sword King (Igris).
In a matter of seconds, the final blow she delivered was enough to push the Sword King into the wall with a resonating CRASH.
In that moment, (Song Jin-Woo) could only sigh. The dust settled around (Igris), who slowly picked himself up.
"It seems you have passed the test. Well, congratulations. You have joined the Shadow Guild."
Her joy was evident, a bright, genuine smile breaking her usual cool demeanor. "I will make sure to be useful to you, Guild Master."
After that, the happiness vanished and transformed into an exaggerated formality. But in the end, he didn't care about that.
As days passed, he became sure that his decision to let (Cha Hae-In) join was… ill-advised. The girl was incapable of knowing anything. She would watch the shadows doing everything—cleaning, organizing, fighting, scouting. Therefore, it was clear to him that she was unhappy with her inability to do anything.
But for him, that was natural. He wasn't going to gain anything, nor would he level up, if she took the experience points that were his life—the lives of the monsters.
---
Now, he was flying using (Kaisel), the dragon he obtained from the Demon King's Castle after killing it. The great beast flew at fantastical speed through the air, its wings beating with powerful WHOOSHES that tore through the clouds, heading towards America.
There, the conference pertaining to all the hunters' guilds would be held.
What drove (Song Jin-Woo) to go there was one thing.
The voice of the chairman of the Korean Hunter's Association had been clear over the communicator, crackling with static and urgency.
"I have heard important news. Your father… has returned once again, (Song Jin-Woo)."
Those words had been like a bomb detonating in the silent space of his mind.
He was alive.
Imprisoned inside a gate.
The search for him would also be discussed with the other guilds, determining what would be done.
In this moment, he would go there. He would make sure his father was safe. And he would understand everything from him.
Why did you leave us all these years?
The question was a cold stone in his gut, heavier than any shadow. The wind roared past as (Kaisel) cut through the sky, carrying the Shadow Monarch towards answers, and perhaps, towards a storm far more personal than any dungeon.
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End of Chapter.
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