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nAfter Korea, an American reporter asked a question, “Min Sung is currently not exposed to the outside world, so there are suspicions that there might’ve been a problem. Please tell us if this is true.”

nHo Sung Lee coughed and hesitated for a moment.

nHe expected this question as well.

nBut since he thought it was better to answer it in a heavier tone, he intentionally stalled.

n“Min Sung has fought to save this world for a very long time. He’s currently very exhausted, so he needs to rest. For that reason, he decided to stay out of the public eye in order to reduce stress.”

nThe reporters looked like they understood.

nNot a single person was unaware of how hard Min Sung fought all by himself.

nOther questions followed, and Ho Sung Lee answered them without any trouble.

nHe expected the meeting to be pressuring and burdensome, but since no one knew that Min Sung was in the Demonic Realm, it didn’t go so badly.

nIt was even quite pleasant and light at times.

nThe problem was the meeting with the hunter leaders that would follow the public meeting.

nHo Sung Lee, who returned to the waiting room after the formal interview, sighed out of relief and put a cigarette in his mouth.

n“Oh… you shouldn’t smoke inside the building…”

nA young female staff member told Ho Sung Lee, and someone who looked like her superior pinched her.

n“You can smoke,” said the female superior with a smile.

n“I’ll smoke outside. Please don’t scold her. She did nothing wrong. Where should I smoke?”

n“That’s okay. You can smoke in the waiting room.”

nHo Sung Lee shook his head and smiled.

n“I need some fresh air anyway. Can she escort me outside?”

nHo Sung Lee asked while pointing at the female staff member.

nThe superior told the female staff to escort him without causing any trouble.

nHo Sung Lee headed out to the smoking area with the female staff member.

nHo Sung Lee put a cigarette over his ear and smirked at the female staff member.

n“Don’t be nervous. You did nothing wrong. You did a good job.”

nThe female staff member, who looked pale, felt reassured by Ho Sung Lee’s words.

nThe two of them chatted as they headed outside.

nAs soon as they got to the smoking area, the female staff member bowed.

nAfter thanking her with his eyes, Ho Sung Lee put the cigarette back in his mouth.

n“Huu.”

nSmoke came out of Ho Sung Lee’s lips.”

nJust thinking of meeting with the hunter leaders made his chest feel suffocated.

nCommander Ji Yoo Kim of Central Institute told him that those with strong ambition and were afraid of Min Sung would begin to act.

nHo Sung Lee laughed.

nHe found it hard to understand that they were trying to defeat Min Sung, who was so powerful that he could put an end to mankind if he really wanted to.

nBut they probably didn’t want their own countries taken away.

nOf course, Min Sung Kang had no interest in taking over other countries, but it was possible for the US to think that it could happen.

nAfter all, if Min Sung Kang really wanted, he could take over the whole world.

nHo Sung Lee was worried that he could potentially make things worse by doing something about it, but Ho Sung Lee also believed that it was his job to act as a mediator.

nThat didn’t mean he should look too weak like Commander Kim advised either.

nThose with power and good faith made sure to maintain the balance.

nDespite that being burdensome to Ho Sung Lee, he had to fulfill it, and since it was also Min Sung’s orders, he couldn’t avoid it.

nHo Sung Lee smoked with a heavy heart.

nVrrr!

nHo Sung Lee put out his cigarette and took out his phone from his pocket.

nIt was Commander Ji Yoo Kim.

n“Yes, Commander Kim.”

nWhere are you? I’m in the waiting room, but I don’t see you.”

n“Oh, I’ll be right there.”

nHo Sung Lee hung up and walked back to the waiting room with the female staff who escorted him.

nAnd there, Ji Yoo Kim was waiting.

n“Let’s go inside.”

nHo Sung Lee opened the door to the waiting room and entered first.

nJi Yoo Kim followed from behind, and once Ho Sung Lee closed the door, he immediately checked his watch.

n“We have around 20 minutes. How do the hunter leaders look?”

nJi Yoo Kim sat down on the sofa first, and Ho Sung Lee sat across from her as he asked, “They’re still quiet. But who knows what’ll happen when the meeting starts?”

n“Will you be there as well?”

nJi Yoo Kim smiled and nodded.

n“Yes.”

n“That makes me feel a little better. If I was alone… Phew.”

nHo Sung Lee shook his head.

n“But you did a good job back there. You didn’t even look nervous.”

n“No, I was really nervous. Anyway…”

nHo Sung Lee sighed as he looked out the window.

n“Min Sung needs to come back soon. I’m getting restless, haha.”

n“Like you said, he’ll handle everything and come back soon.”

nHo Sung Lee nodded and smiled.

n“Yes, he will. I’m sure of it.”

n***

nMin Sung sat on a large rock and looked at the ground of the Demonic Realm with annoyed eyes.

nHe had never met Hallcard before, and since he was avoiding him like a rat, he felt frustrated.

nHe almost wondered if he was still in the Demonic Realm.

nHe received the power of the great god, but that wasn’t enough to find Hellcard if he was intentionally hiding.

nBut that didn’t mean he should just sit around, so Min Sung got off of the rock and began moving again.

nHe probably believed that if they faced off now, he wouldn’t stand a chance, and that was why he was probably looking for something or making preparations.

nBut how?

nHis thoughts went on for a while, and Min Sung thought of one solution. And that had to do with his position.

nThe current devil king of the Demonic Realm was Min Sung Kang.

nSince he was the owner of the Demonic Realm, he could use that to his favor to find Hellcard easily.

nThere wasn’t much hope, but he still felt as though he found a key.

nMin Sung decided to find out what advantages came with being the devil king.

n***

nHo Sung Lee caught his breath before leaving the waiting room.

nSince Commander Ji Yoo Kim had something else to prepare beforehand, Ho Sung Lee had to head out first.

nAs soon as he walked out of the waiting room, he couldn’t see the female staff that escorted him to the smoking area. But a staff member who looked very experienced greeted Ho Sung Lee.

nHo Sung Lee followed the staff to the elevator and up to the sky lounge.

nThat was where the meeting with the hunter leaders was taking place.

nDing!

nThe elevator notified them that they arrived at the top of the building.

nThe doors opened, allowing Ho Sung Lee to see the luxurious VVIP lounge.

nIt was a very fancy lounge with a luxurious interior.

nThere was a large table in the middle of the room, and the staff member escorted Ho Sung Lee that way.

nShe then pointed at the seat at the head of the table, and Ho Sung Lee gulped as he looked at it.

nHe wasn’t sure if he could sit in a spot like that, but he was filling in for Min Sung.

nHe couldn’t cut down his worth.

nHo Sung Lee quietly sat down in his seat.

nThe thought of hunter leaders soon arriving made his heart pound, but for the sake of Min Sung, he controlled his mind so that he could keep his calm.

nAny mistakes he made would taint Min Sung Kang’s image.

nHo Sung Lee made an effort to not forget that he had to be thoughtful.

nHe looked at his watch and saw that there were only 10 minutes remaining.

nAs soon as he looked up from his watch, he heard the sound of high heels clacking.

nIt was Commander Ji Yoo Kim of Central Institute.

nShe brought a pile of documents and placed them in front of Ho Sung Lee.

n“These are the documents for the hunter leader meeting. This will make things go a lot smoother.”

n“Thank you.”

nThey were the documents that Commander Ji Yoo Kim had handed him before.

n“How should we proceed with the meeting?” Ho Sung Lee asked with a nervous face.

n“Just think of it as an approval. If you want to approve something do so, and if you want to reject, do that as well. You just need to make decisions. But of course, that’s after we have the meeting,” Ji Yoo Kim explained with a smile.

nHe was nervous due to his lack of experience, but he felt more comfortable with her around.

n“What if they come off negatively to a rejection?”

n“Have confidence… because it’s ultimately up to you.”

nShe was referring to the balance of power.

nIf he came off strong, they wouldn’t be able to fight back.

nSince it was a very important setting, Ho Sung Lee’s head was throbbing already.

nBut that was when the hunter leaders entered the meeting room, one by one.

nHo Sung Lee almost sprung up from his seat, but he remembered he was there in Min Sung’s stead and tried to maintain a cold attitude.

nInstead, he slowly got up and shook hands with the hunter leaders.

nA moment later, everyone was seated.

nSince the meeting was top secret, the staff who were on standby left the meeting room.

nWhile the hunter leaders focused on Ho Sung Lee, he coughed.

n“It’s nice to meet you. How have you been?”

nHo Sung Lee smiled awkwardly as he offered a greeting.

nAn awkward silence fell before the hunter leaders laughed.

n… The vibe was very different from the official meeting.

nHo Sung Lee felt like he was being chased by the pressure caused by the hunter leaders.

nFor that reason, Ho Sung Lee had a feeling the meeting wasn’t going to go as smoothly as he hoped.

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