Chapter 5: The Blank Check of Terror
Han Do-Hyun sank into the most expensive leather chair he had ever seen, feeling like a sinner on a velvet throne. Opposite him sat President Choi, the head of the entire Korean Hunter Association. Flanking him were three S-Rank bodyguards, titans of the industry, who were sweating profusely despite the arctic chill of the air conditioning.
Do-Hyun's hands were stuffed deep in his pockets, one of them clutching a single 1,000-won coin like a holy relic. He was trembling so hard that the heavy mahogany desk between them began to vibrate softly.
'They know,' Do-Hyun thought, his vision starting to blur at the edges. 'They connected the dots. The alleyway gate, the dead assassin, my broken wall... They know I'm a Level 0.0001 fraud who keeps stumbling into disasters. I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a mana-sealed dungeon!'
President Choi, a man who could stare down dragons without flinching, carefully pushed a gold-trimmed piece of paper across the desk. It was a blank check, drawn from the Association's emergency fund—a fund with a virtually unlimited balance.
"Mr. Han," Choi began, his voice unusually high-pitched. "We've seen the... 'work' you performed at the S-Rank Gate. We have also reviewed the... 'interaction' you had with the assassin known as Viper."
Do-Hyun's heart hammered against his ribs. This was it. The confession.
"I-I can explain!" he stammered, his voice cracking. "The worm was an accident! The other guy, he was in my room, and I thought he was a ghost! I didn't mean to—"
[Translation Active: The Sovereign's Ultimatum]
[Translation Active: The Sovereign's Ultimatum]
What President Choi and the S-Ranks heard was a voice that carried the weight of ages, a sound that made the very molecules in the room feel heavy,
"YOUR EXPLANATIONS ARE IRRELEVANT. DO NOT WASTE MY TIME WITH TRIFLES."
instinctively begun to draw their weapons, froze mid-motion. Their faces turned deathly pale. They didn't just feel "pressure"; they felt a force so absolute it was like being crushed at the bottom of the deepest ocean trench. In reality, Do-Hyun was just on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, and his glitched, overflowing mana was leaking out in waves of raw terror.
"O-Of course," Choi gulped, dabbing his forehead with a silk handkerchief. "An apology. We do not wish to insult your magnificent deeds. This check... please, name any price. We only ask that you grace us by remaining in Korea. We will provide a penthouse, a private fleet of cars, and... whatever other 'tributes' you require."
'Tributes?!' Do-Hyun's brain short-circuited. First 'sacrifices,' now 'tributes'? 'He thinks I'm some kind of dark god! He wants to give me offerings to keep me from destroying the city?!'
The thought of people bowing and giving him things was somehow more terrifying than prison.
"N-No tributes!" Do-Hyun yelled, leaping to his feet so fast his opulent chair flipped over with a loud crash. "I don't want any! I just want... I just want a lock!"
"A... lock?" Choi whispered, his eyes wide.
"A BIG LOCK!" Do-Hyun gestured wildly with his hands, picturing his broken wall and the "ghosts" (assassins) that could just walk in. "The biggest, strongest lock you have! And maybe... maybe some curtains! Really thick ones!"
The World's Interpretation
Ten minutes after Do-Hyun had bolted from the room, running for his life from the "dark god" job offer, President Choi finally turned to his staff. He was trembling.
"Did you hear him?" Choi asked, his voice filled with a profound, earth-shaking awe. "A 'Big Lock.' He isn't asking for personal security. That's a command. He's telling us to seal the borders of the nation."
"And the curtains, sir?" an assistant dared to ask.
A sudden, brilliant light of understanding shone in Choi's eyes. "He wants to hide his presence from the outside world! From other gods! He's a true Hidden Sovereign. He's demanding we enact the 'Veil Protocol'—a Curtain of Silence to fall over all his deeds in this country!"
He looked down at the blank check Do-Hyun had left behind, untouched and ignored.
"He didn't even take the money," Choi muttered, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat. "Gold means nothing to a being who can rewrite reality with a pillow."
Global News Headline (Live Broadcast)
[BREAKING: SEOUL HUNTER ASSOCIATION DECLARES 'CODE BLACK: VEIL']
Headline: "The Nameless Sovereign has appeared. After rejecting all earthly wealth, he has issued his first Divine Command. Experts speculate he is an ancient deity who considers modern currency 'meaningless paper.' In response to his demand for a 'Great Lock,' the Association has begun activating the 'Aegis Shield'—a massive, nation-wide mana barrier around the capital."