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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Although it was an emotion she had felt countless times, seeing it with her own eyes, she was still filled with a sense of pride.
However, she forcibly suppressed her rising emotions.
‘…This is not the end.’
It was not yet a reality.
She didn’t know what variables might intervene.
‘Especially… China and Japan will not stand by and watch this situation.’
They would begin to meticulously investigate Hunter Lee Seong-joon from behind the scenes.
‘Then they’ll make irresistible offers to win him over.’
A transactional relationship, as before, wouldn’t be enough to sustain this amicable connection.
‘We must prepare beforehand, so they don’t dare to covet Hunter Lee Seong-joon.’
They had to find and fulfill what Hunter Lee Seong-joon needed and desired.
Of course, there would be things that were beyond the power of a mere Vice President. But there was a way.
‘If I have a one-on-one meeting with the President…’
They would be able to make thorough preparations so that other countries wouldn’t covet Hunter Lee Seong-joon.
‘I’ll be very busy for a while.’
Although it would create a mountain of work, she didn’t feel bad.
In fact, she was pleased.
‘To think that the things I’ve only dreamed of could become a reality…’
A deep smile spread across Taehyun Ko’s face as she envisioned Korea’s future as a powerhouse in East Asia.
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In the VVIP room of the friendly spar venue between Korea and China,
a brighter smile than ever before bloomed on Baek Mu-jin’s lips as he sat in a chair.
“Hahaha! Lee Seong-joon! As expected, my judgment was not wrong!”
The Great Rakshasa, Kang Yi-ryung, was someone who had reached SSS-rank solely through her stats, a half-baked individual.
He was confident that he, Baek Mu-jin, despite being only SS+-rank, could have won a head-on fight with her.
Therefore, he had thought that Lee Seong-joon, with his skills, could easily defeat her.
But his performance just now had gone beyond simply winning.
‘The power Lee Seong-joon used at the end was definitely True Energy!’
He had wielded the power that was the symbol of transcendent martial artists.
This meant that Lee Seong-joon had reached the transcendent realm.
“I knew he was no ordinary man… but he has far surpassed my expectations.”
Baek Mu-jin couldn’t hide his excitement.
“I’ll be able to fight him much sooner than I thought.”
Just imagining a duel with Lee Seong-joon made his heart pound.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
How long had it been since an opponent had excited him this much?
‘The current Returnee Alliance Leader, Tae Sang-cheon? Yoon Min-soo of Nuri?’
No, they weren’t enough.
Even those two hadn’t excited him this much when he first met them.
As his breath came in ragged gasps…
“……If we delay any longer, we might be late for the meeting.”
Choi Seung-tae, the Mute Master, who had been silently standing behind him, cautiously spoke.
If it had been an ordinary meeting, he wouldn’t have cared and would have immediately challenged Lee Seong-joon to a duel.
But this was a meeting convened by the World Returnee Alliance.
And all the attendees were the leaders or acting vice-leaders of each country’s Returnee Alliance.
Ignoring it would create a lot of trouble.
Although it was annoying, he had waited for decades, so he could endure this much.
No, in a way, it was a good thing.
‘If I had stayed in Korea, I wouldn’t have been able to suppress my desire and would have tried to fight him.’
But not yet.
It needed a little more time to fully ripen.
‘Considering the amount of True Energy he wielded, Lee Seong-joon has just entered the transcendent realm.’
He had made up for his lack of internal energy with his outstanding martial arts skills, but in terms of the actual amount, it wasn’t much.
It was not enough to face him, Baek Mu-jin, who was at the top of the transcendent realm.
‘Normally, it would have taken a considerable amount of time to advance within the transcendent realm…
but Lee Seong-joon reached it in just four months after returning to Earth.’
Considering his growth rate,
by the time he returned from the Returnee Alliance meeting,
he would have become a formidable opponent worthy of a full-fledged fight.
He would be able to enjoy a more exciting fight than now.
Baek Mu-jin suppressed his rising desire, imagining a more mature Lee Seong-joon who would bring him greater joy in the future.
‘I have to endure… just a little longer for that day.’
Forcibly suppressing his desire, he turned around before he could change his mind and spoke,
“We’ll leave immediately. Prepare for departure.”
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In the headquarters of Hailong Fortress in Tianjin, China.
A wry smile appeared on the lips of Wei Zhigang, the master of Hailong Fortress,
as he watched the screen on the wall.
“To think Kang Yi-ryung would lose… an unexpected result.”
It wasn’t just a loss.
“In terms of pure martial arts, it was as if he was toying with her.”
The executives who were watching with him remained silent.
They knew he wasn’t looking for an answer.
But they were all thinking the same thing.
“I thought he was a great genius from the moment the strict Wind Dragon Grand Master showed such a strong reaction… but this is astonishing.”
“Indeed… it’s a result beyond what our intelligence department had anticipated.”
It wasn’t just about the friendly spar with Kang Yi-ryung.
The more they learned about Lee Seong-joon, the more surprising he became.
‘According to the report from the intelligence department… Lee Seong-joon has only spent five years in the other world.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that a returnee’s strength was determined by the time they spent in the other world.
It was only natural that more effort and time would yield better results.
But it wasn’t absolute.
Occasionally, there were those like himself, Wei Zhigang, who were called geniuses.
Among the so-called rankers on Earth,
there were returnees who showed tremendous growth by applying their experience and memories from the other world to the system.
“Still… Lee Seong-joon is too unprecedented.”
A considerable amount of admiration was in his voice.
It was only natural.
Lee Seong-joon had only been active as a hunter for four months.
‘……It hasn’t even been half a year.’
Four months.
For returnees with past experience and memories, it was enough time to achieve some results.
But it was far too short a time to wield True Energy, the symbol of a transcendent martial artist.
‘Even if his mind remembers the path he once walked, his body after returning is weak.’
He had to rebuild from the basics.
Therefore, even he, Wei Zhigang, who was praised as a genius, had taken two years to reach the transcendent realm.
But Lee Seong-joon had reached it in just four months and had used True Energy as if to show off.
‘A genius… he’s more than a genius.’
It was such an absurd story that he wouldn’t have believed it if it weren’t for the video of the duel with Kang Yi-ryung.
But now that he had seen the result, he couldn’t deny it.
‘Perhaps… Lee Seong-joon was born with a Cheonmu Body (Heavenly Martial Body).’
No, considering his past achievements, it was highly likely that he was born with a Cheonmu Body.
‘It means that what we see is not all there is, and he can continue to grow endlessly.’
A question arose in his mind.
If he continued to grow at this rate, what realm would he reach in a year?
‘Transformation Realm… no, Profound Realm?
No, considering his growth rate so far, he might even be able to reach a realm beyond that.’
It meant that soon, South Korea, Lee Seong-joon, would reign as one of the world’s hegemons.
The balance of power in Asia, which hadn’t changed for decades, would undergo a huge change.
This wasn’t the time to just be in awe.
‘We have to decide on a course of action before it’s too late.’
Either become an enemy and confront him, or become a strong ally and stand by his side.
It was an easy decision, so Wei Zhigang’s deliberation wasn’t long.
‘Become an ally of Korea, of Lee Seong-joon.’
A martial artist born with a Cheonmu Body.
‘There’s no reason to make the foolish mistake of turning him into an enemy out of greed.’
He wanted to immediately propose a peace treaty, but unfortunately,
China, the home country of Hailong Fortress, was a communist country.
If his thoughts aligned with the government’s, there would be no problem, but what if they had a different opinion?
‘They’ll impose all sorts of restrictions and oppression.’
If he were acting alone, he could endure it.
But if they extended their reach to Hailong Fortress and his relatives, it would become very troublesome.
Even he, Wei Zhigang, a current ranker, had to be wary of the Chinese government.
“What’s the Chinese government’s reaction to the result of this friendly spar?”
Li Xian, the head of the intelligence department, answered immediately,
“They are currently silent, with no official response.”
For Wei Zhigang, who had already decided on a course of action, it wasn’t a good situation.
But it wasn’t entirely negative either.
“They’re investigating Lee Seong-joon to decide what to do, what kind of attitude to take… I see.”
“Yes, after the investigation, we expect them to offer him citizenship, as they usually do.”
Wei Zhigang nodded.
‘Lee Seong-joon’s naturalization… from my perspective and that of Hailong Fortress, that would be the best situation.’
Of course, he had no intention of just passively waiting and trusting the Chinese government.
A leader of a group always had to consider the worst-case scenario and act accordingly.
“Thoroughly investigate what kind of attitude the Chinese government is taking regarding Lee Seong-joon to prepare for any eventuality.
And report immediately if they try to be hostile towards him.”
As if Li Xian was thinking the same thing, he bowed his head without a word and replied,
“As you command.”
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