Chapter 133  

Choi Yu-Seong woke up in the morning, promptly arising from bed and making his way to the bathroom. He filled the tub with warm water.

He was still feeling drained from the previous night's battle and getting caught in the rain. As he soaked in the warm water, the exhaustion from the previous day seemed to melt away swiftly. The only downside was that the tub in his lodging was quite small.

‘No, I should be thankful for this…’

In fact, it was just that the bathtub in his own house was abnormally big.

‘Human beings are animals of adaptation.’

Since he adapted so easily to the large bathtub before, Yu-Seong would easily adjust to the small tub as well. As if to prove this, he began to organize his thoughts right after he sat in the bathtub.

‘Anyhow, it seems like Yoo Jin-Hyuk will join us...’

The aftermath of the various events that had occurred last night seemed to have been resolved by Jin Yu-Ri in the early morning. She must have been exhausted from working all night, since she had even sent Yu-Seong a message saying that she would oversleep this morning.

Thanks to that, Yu-Seong was also able to enjoy such a relaxed morning in another province.

‘Come to think of it, Bernard Yoo must have arrived in the United States by now.’

Perhaps the results of the match had already been announced and the news had reached Korea.

While thinking such thoughts, Choi Yu-Seong finished his comfortable bath and stood in front of the mirror. His body was covered in long and short wounds that had not existed when he first possessed this body, in fact at that time, there hadn’t even been a single blemish. Even though he was a hunter with a strong recovery rate, it was unrealistic to expect his body to remain unharmed after being battered like that.

"Mm… not bad," Yu-Seong said to himself as he smiled slightly. He looked for a hairdryer.

In fact, he considered these wounds as badges of honor, since the number of wounds was not the only thing that had increased in his body. His body had improved also in terms of muscle mass.

‘My shoulders have become wider and I can now do things that I never thought possible when I was just a game company employee…’

Yu-Seong suddenly felt disconnected from reality. Before he knew it, he was in a state of admiration.

‘And also, my hair has grown quite long. Would it be easier to move if I cut a bit?’

Yu-Seong dried his hair, put on the robe provided by the lodging, and picked up his phone that he had plugged into the charger. He couldn't help but make a strange expression when he looked at his phone screen.

‘Why do I have so many notifications from social media...?’

His phone screen was filled with an endless stream of new notifications. He was momentarily flustered, but quickly understood the current situation. He blocked the notifications before checking the news screen on a portal site.

~

※ Choi Yu-Seong, the ninth child of Comet Group, shakes the world!

~ The headline was not an exaggeration or a simple metaphor, because the world was truly captivated by the name ‘Choi Yu-Seong’.

***

Upon returning to his home in the United States, Bernard Yoo contacted all major domestic and foreign media companies through Meghan.

The journalists who were waiting for the competition results felt both surprise and admiration. Up to this point, they only knew that there had been a match between the two groups. They immediately began writing their articles after they received the news.

After being contacted by Meghan, the journalists who were eager to break the story took less than an hour to write their articles. They disseminated the news that the winner of the dungeon racing among the descendants of South Korea's conglomerate groups was Choi Yu-Seong. They had no videos, unfortunately.

If the lack of video evidence were the only factor, it would not have resulted in such a widespread upheaval in the world. However, there was only one reason why the name ‘Choi Yu-Seong’ shook the world.

A journalist sent by CNL, one of the largest media companies in the United States, had directly gone to meet Bernard Yoo and attempted an interview. They were to broadcast the video on the news screen and upload it onto NewTube. Within a day, the video had recorded a world mega hit with one billion views.

In fact, the video's content was not that spectacular. It started with Bernard Yoo, who was sitting on a sofa, showing off his trademark smile.

The journalist was the first to speak. "I heard about your defeat at the rank 4 dungeon, the Orc Village, in Korea, Bernard Yoo. I imagine you must be feeling quite conflicted…but you seem surprisingly at ease."

"It’s because I've already settled my mind," replied Bernard Yoo.

"Should I take it that you have some regrets about the outcome?" asked the journalist.

"Of course, the outcome is disappointing. Is there any way not to be disappointed? Anyway, I fought the battle and lost, so I can't be feeling great, can I? Haha," said Bernard Yoo with a laugh.

The journalist smiled and continued the interview. "Then, if you were given the opportunity to go back again, do you think you would win this time?"

Bernard Yoo was fiercely competitive. He was not a man who would easily admit defeat after losing once. Above all, he was a hunter who was being supported by the United States despite being Korean. There were even rumors that the government was secretly preparing a bill to accept him as an American. Therefore, the journalist’s question was to boost his self-esteem.

However, Bernard’s answer was beyond the journalist's expectations.

"No, how could I? Choi Yu-Seong is a monster. It's disappointing to lose, but I don't have the confidence to fight and win if I go back," said Bernard Yoo.

"You just described Choi Yu-Seong as a monster. But didn't you also hear the same from many people, Bernard?"

In the video, Bernard Yoo shrugged his shoulders, and the journalist was unable to hide the slight surprise.

"There are differences in levels among monsters as well. Goblins, orcs, and ogres are all referred to as monsters, but we do not see them as being of the same level."

"I understand. You respect Choi Yu-Seong as a fellow Korean."

"Let me be clear, I, Bernard Yoo, a hunter who is well-respected by many, do not want this to be viewed as an act of patriotism. I would be disappointed if that were the case."

"I heard that, before you came back to America, you stayed at Choi Yu-Seong's house. Is there any special relationship between the two of you?"

"How did you already find out? Yes, I am friends with Choi Yu-Seong. But that doesn't mean I evaluate him and his strength based on personal feelings. I evaluate him purely as a rival. Don't doubt me. Well, let me put it this way. Choi Yu-Seong is the best Super Rookie that I know of in South Korea."

"I see. Wait, what? Isn't there already one in South Korea?"

"Are you talking about Kim Do-Jin, right?"

“Yes, Kim Do-Jin, the Super Rookie of South Korea. The man who will be the hero of the future."

“I agree that he's also a monster. But..."

"But...?"

"In my personal opinion, he's below Choi Yu-Seong. Above all, he lacks character."

"Pardon...?" the journalist stammered, feeling surprised by Bernard’s unexpected fiery statement.

Bernard Yoo smiled comfortably and leaned back on the sofa. "Everything that Kim Do-Jin does on TV is all fake. I have a lot more to say, but it's not something that can be said in this short interview, so let's move on. You keep bringing up doubts about Choi Yu-Seong, and I know that I'm not ordinary. Fortunately, I have enough ability to be loved by many people. Is it too simple to call me the orc among monsters? Let's just say that I'm an ogre.”

He then showed a sly smile. "And let's talk about Kim Do-Jin. To be honest, I haven't had direct experience with this friend, so I can't say for sure… But let's say he’s a drake.”

Drake was a monster that only appeared in dungeons with a minimum rank of nine and was considered to be one of the higher ranked monsters within the dragon-type subspecies. "But isn't it true that there are cases where drake is hunted by an ogre if they fight on land?" asked the journalist.

Bernard Yoo grinned and gestured to himself with his index finger at the question. He said, "That's what I mean—to watch out for me.”

"Haha... Does that mean Choi Yu-Seong is slightly stronger?"

"A little stronger? No, not at all. Can you believe me? Choi Yu-Seong, he is just a D-rank. And even in a state where he was not at the max level, he has hunted one B-rank villain alone and a rank 4 named monster, the Orc War Chief."

"What…?" the journalist asked in disbelief, once again feeling surprised.

“In history, who were the hunters who had accomplished such a feat? James Rochchild? Bernard Leos? Steve Lindberg, America's hero?”

These were all names of the world’s greatest hunters. But even they would not have been able to survive the deathly situation of simultaneously hunting a B-rank villain and a 4th-rank dungeon-named monster during their D-rank days. Yet, Choi Yu-Seong had managed to accomplish such an incredible task alone.

"Unbelievable..." the journalist exclaimed, unable to hide his emotions any longer.

"What's more surprising is that, while I may have been hallucinating, Choi Yu-Seong single-handedly killed the Orc War Chief," said Bernard Yoo.

“What did you just say…?"

“You are asking me to repeat myself a lot today.”

As if the achievement was his own personal story, Bernard Yoo had a wide smile on his face. He said, "He killed an Orc War Chief in one blow as a D-rank player. This is something that no one could have done before until now.”

This time, Bernard Yoo did not bring up anyone else's name as a comparison. This was because Choi Yu-Seong had accomplished something that no one had ever attempted before and something that had always been thought to be impossible. Even bringing up a comparison would be an insult to Choi Yu-Seong.

"...This is a joke, right? Bernard Yoo?"

"Then let me put it this way. On my honor, name, and everything, I swear that all I said in this interview is true.”

"You said you were delirious, so it could have been a mistake..."

"I absolutely don't think so." Bernard Yoo, who had a smile on his face a moment ago, stiffened his expression and slightly leaned forward. He said, "If Kim Do-Jin is the drake, Choi Yu-Seong is the dragon. Just watch and see. Someday, he might stand at the top of the world, which is yet to be determined. Haha."

The video ended with Bernard Yoo’s distinct laughter.

***

Kim Do-Jin woke up early one morning and checked out a video interview of Bernard Yoo that had been posted on NewTube. As he watched, he couldn't help but distort his handsome face.

"Me as drake, and Choi Yu-Seong as dragon...?"

Of course, Kim Do-Jin admitted that Choi Yu-Seong was indeed an impressive individual. In fact, Yu-Seong was the first person in modern times who fired up his competitive spirit. Also, he didn’t doubt Bernard Yoo's words saying that Choi Yu-Seong had defeated the Orc War Chief with a single blow.

‘Choi Yu-Seong, he must have used a hidden skill.’

Thinking calmly, Do-Jin remembered the image of the Orc War Chief which he had once knocked down before. He remembered how he had used his full mana and had combined magic to unleash his secret weapon.

‘...It's enough.’

Do-Jin could also do it. It may not be absurd to bisect the giant body with one blow, so it was definitely within the realm of possibility. However, what if another B-rank villain were to intervene?

‘Since it’s after a battle, his condition would be at 60%.’

Even in this state, could he cut the Orc War Chief in half with one blow?

"...I don't know."

Kim Do-Jin was flabbergasted at the words he himself had spoken. It was something that even he, who had returned from another dimension with the experience and knowledge of taking the life of the Demon King, felt unsure about. It was strange. He felt an eerie feeling.

He was expecting that Choi Yu-Seong had a hidden skill, but would the skill be this powerful?

Suddenly, Kim Do-Jin looked towards a corner of the room where a picture and the information of the Comet Group's Choi family was hanging. He focused on the face of Choi Yu-Seong, who stood out among his family members with his remarkable appearance.

Then, widening his eyes, Do-Jin shouted, “No way… Could it be that he is too?”

Kim Do-Jin’s gaze hardened. He realized that there was something he needed to check.