"Come, come quickly."
A man greeted Lee Jun-Kyeong with a bright expression.
It was Jang Hyo-Jin, the president of the Korean Association and head of the secret organization Asgard.
Some reporters stood waiting, taking pictures of him welcoming the group with open arms before returning.
“Welcome back,” Jang Hyo-Jin said, his voice relaxing a little.
He began to walk toward his room, the president’s office, followed by Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu.
“You’ve come back with some very fun things along.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong's forehead furrowed for a moment before anyone could spot it. It was because he had qualms over someone talking about people in that way.
However, he soon relaxed and responded, “Yes.”
He had stopped himself in time. He had to make sure he didn’t show his true feelings in front of this person.
Although he had returned back from China, he found himself back on a tightrope of tension.
‘So it’s this again.’
He felt like he was crossing a rotting wooden bridge that no one could tell when it would fall.
Lee Jun-Kyeong was sneaking across the rotted wooden bridge carefully, hoping to, one day, kill the sniper aiming for him from the other side.
“Over a hundred Hunters…”
Squeak.
Jang Hyo-Jin opened the door to the president’s office as he muttered, “And even two Hero-Level Hunters as well.”
It was obvious that the man would have watched them from afar.
Jang Hyo-Jin knew everything.
The over hundred Hunters from Heaven Lake Village and the two Heroes, Ungnyeo and Won-Hwa.
“Even three bizarre monster-like things.”
Even up to Fenrir and the princess. Jang Hyo-Jin’s senses were so sharp that he seemed to be able to see everything about Korea through his ability.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had a question.
“Three?”
There were only two things that could be said to be bizarre. Fenrir and the princess. He was confused. The remaining one was…
“It’s you,” Jang Hyo-Jin said as he entered the open door.
"The other one, I mean. You are a bizarre monster-like thing."
Following him, Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu entered the president's office.
Thud!
The door closed.
***
The president's office.
Jang Hyo-Jin, Lee Jun-Kyeong, and Yeo Seong-Gu stood in the office with the door closed, which left them feeling stuffy.
"Let's talk about China."
Odin looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong with eyes brimming with interest, his intense desire clearly emanating from his gaze.
‘The spirit of inquiry.’
It was the greatest mass of desire within him that made him who he was.
“However, before that, there’s something we have to do first.”
“...!”
Lee Jun-Kyeong raised his eyes in surprise. Because he knew Odin’s personality to some extent, he thought that the president would have wanted to hear about the things in China right away.
But.
‘There’s something even more important than that?’
As Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes began to shake, Yeo Seong-Gu secretly put his hand on his shoulder away from Jang Hyo-Jin’s gaze.
The Hunter mouthed to him.
‘Don’t worry.’
It was just one sentence.
It was a trivial sentence, but it was enough to stop Lee Jun-Kyeong’s tremors.
‘The variables.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as though he had developed a nervous complex regarding the variables between the future and now due to the several changes that had occurred in China. That was why he had reacted like that, unbeknownst to even himself.
However, he was able to calm down thanks to Yeo Seong-Gu.
Jang Hyo-Jin slowly approached Lee Jun-Kyeong with heavy footsteps.
“Everyone has been gathered here, so it’s time to introduce you to them.”
The president smiled for the first time.
It was a sincere smile, not a pretentious smile.
"I mean in Asgard.”
Tap.
“…”
When he put his hands on the shoulders of Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu, before anyone knew it, the background had changed. Although Lee Jun-Kyeong had already traveled in this manner a few times before, it was a method that he could never get used to.
Moving to someone else's territory in an instant without his own consent always put his hackles up.
‘If by chance…’
Lee Jun-Kyeong realized that there were many things that would become disadvantaged if they could be moved to a territory in this way, especially since they would eventually have to combat Odin in the future.
He thought to himself that he would have to find a way to defend against a territory someday.
The best defense against a territory would be to have one of his own, but it wasn't that easy.
Lee Jun-Kyeong looked up at the sky for a moment.
He wondered when <The Sky of the Apocalypse>, which hadn’t even given him a title by this point, would sponsor him a territory of his own.
If not that, then he would have to do something similar to what these Hunters had done to obtain one but that would require not only luck but also effort that went beyond what anyone could comprehend, so it was something that he couldn’t even begin to attempt to do.
‘Someday…’
Either way, he had neither the intention nor the strength to fight Odin at this point, so he put those thoughts to the side.
Step.
Jang Hyo-Jin began to walk forward.
"All the Heroes have gathered in Asgard,” Yeo Seong-Gu said, beginning to explain to Lee Jun-Kyeong on behalf of Jang Hyo-Jin, who continued to walk forward without a word.
"Today is not only the day to introduce you to them, but also to host the regular meetings of Asgard."
Lee Jun-Kyeong finally realized what they were doing first.
A regular meeting of Asgard.
"I understand."
With a nod, he followed Jang Hyo-Jin into the golden city.
Asgard.
Step.
Accompanied by the scenery of a place that he didn’t often see, Lee Jun-Kyeong walked forward toward the mausoleum, where dozens of enormous auras were gathered.
***
“I heard he was a brat who hasn’t even earned a title yet?”
“But why did Odin say he accepted him into Asgard, then?”
Heroes were gathered in the golden conference hall talking amongst themselves as they waited for someone to arrive. There were over twenty, nearly thirty of them, all of whom were recognized as Heroes across the world.
Unbefitting of their titles as Heroes, they all made a lot of noise according to their respective personalities. It was almost like a school classroom.
In the midst of their freeness, they conversed about Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“I heard his growth was amazing, though?” someone piped up.
“I mean, apparently, he even went to China, too.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong was coming here now, leaving them to wonder as this meant a new member of Asgard would be born after a long time.
"That’s true, he did go to China, didn’t he?"
Someone tsked, "What a madman."
There were some Heroes who held up their hands in defeat right after hearing that he had gone to China. There had been some Heroes of Asgard who had wanted to venture into China, but they were unable to try because of the chaotic energy they felt and the presence of the veil. Thus, they had to stop themselves for fear of the dangers lurking within its borders.
To think Lee Jun-Kyeong had gone to such a place.
“But it seems that psychopath is coming here?”
Not only had he gone to China, but he had also stayed there for quite some time before he returned. Moreover, when he returned, he had brought over a hundred Hunters who had been North Korean survivors.
The Heroes were interested in Lee Jun-Kyeong, and some of the more playful ones rolled up the corners of their lips in a smirk.
‘We can feel it.’
The auras.
There were three auras heading to the conference room.
One was a huge and angry mana that they always felt.
‘Odin.’
Another was Heimdall, whose mana was as angry as Odin’s, frequently clashing with the Hunter because of his uprightness and personality that didn’t fit their tendencies.
And lastly.
"What is this?"
Some of the Heroes' eyes grew wide as they felt the approaching aura.
"Wait! Wait!" they shouted, looking at each other with incredulous gazes. The whole conference hall could feel them, the three approaching auras.
And.
“This is supposed to be the kid who hasn’t gotten a title yet?” someone shouted incredulously.
"No way!"
There was another aura that was there besides Odin and Heimdall.
“This is insane…”
It was too great and powerful to belong to a Hunter who hadn’t yet received a title.
Clench.
Some of the Heroes waiting began to bite their lips. They could feel it; he was stronger than they were.
"You said it hasn't even been a year...” someone muttered.
They wondered if it was possible for a Hunter that had been a Hunter for less than a year to be this strong. Was this really a brat who hadn’t yet earned a title?
As the aura continued to grow closer, the Heroes could feel goosebumps creeping up their arms, and some even trembled as if the temperature had suddenly dropped.
It was monstrous.
The approaching Hunter’s aura was incredibly monstrous.
As everyone gathered in the hall was a Hero, they were all able to gauge the power of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s aura.
“This is insane…”
As someone muttered to themself one last time, a huge door of gold began to spew light.
Creaaak!
Thud.
Odin had entered the conference room.
Thud.
And Heimdall quickly followed behind and looked around.
All the heroes could see the light leaking through the opening of the golden door, the glow giving them all goosebumps.
At this moment, most of the Heroes were horrified.
Thud.
At last, they heard the sound of someone’s footsteps.
"Nice to meet you.”
A pompous voice echoed throughout the conference hall.
"I'm Lee Jun-Kyeong, the Underdog.”
All of them shut their mouths.
***
“Wasn’t it fancy?”
Yeo Seong-Gu couldn’t erase the smile from his mouth, as if there had been something incredibly enjoyable. Contrary to their expectations, Asgard’s meeting had ended too easily.
It really had been all about introducing Lee Jun-Kyeong, so all of the Heroes who had been gathered had been introduced to the newest member.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong pointedly remarked, “But it seemed as though there were some empty seats.”
“Some of Asgard’s Heroes have the right to refuse to attend a meeting,” Yeo Seong-Gu responded.
Finally, the smile on his face had disappeared.
“Those Heroes didn’t come.”
“It seems that one of them…one of those who were missing was Baldur,” Lee Jun-Kyeong commented.
Furthermore, there was another person who didn’t attend.
It was another Asgard hero that Lee Jun-Kyeong was wary of, and even the other impressive people that he felt as though he should keep tabs on, didn’t attend today’s meeting.
“Well, there are some cases where some of them had to be dispatched in a hurry, so…” Yeo Seong-Gu said, trailing off toward the end.
“They didn’t really seem all that impressive,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said without hesitation in front of Yeo Seong-Gu.
“...”
Asgard.
“It seemed as though none of them who attended were those whom we could really consider as Heroes.”
They had been amazed and astounded by Lee Jun-Kyeong's power.
However, that had been it.
They really were a bunch of shitty idiots.
Lee Jun-Kyeong, who had enormous power, had come in as a new member, so most of their reactions had either been positive or filled with jealousy. Instead of being curious as to why or how he had joined, they reacted very simply. It was because they were complacent about their own power.
Furthermore, they also had faith in the organization called Asgard and that the organization had successfully restricted Lee Jun-Kyeong.
They just blindly trusted he would be controlled.
“Of course. Because you don’t qualify as a Hero based on your heart or your disposition…” Yeo Seong-Gu muttered bitterly.
“It’s just strength. Right and fame alone, accompanied by strength,” Lee Jun-Kyeong replied.
Potential, compatibility, Sponsors.
There may have been many different aspects, but the only qualification to be a Hero was simply strength.
If one had strength, then they could attract their Sponsor’s attention.
If one got stronger through the attention, then they could build up their reputation.
As they progressed into becoming a Hero, if that Hero was exceptional, they could even end up joining the secret organization. Of course, those secret organizations were twisted. Their initial ideals, which had been the salvation of mankind or the protection of their own citizens, had long since disappeared.
That was the present state of the secret organizations.
‘You’re right. So, you’ve made your debut splendidly…”
Yeo Seong-Gu continued to speak, looking at Lee Jun-Kyeong with an expectant look.
"What are you going to do from now on?"
"Come, come quickly."
A man greeted Lee Jun-Kyeong with a bright expression.
It was Jang Hyo-Jin, the president of the Korean Association and head of the secret organization Asgard.
Some reporters stood waiting, taking pictures of him welcoming the group with open arms before returning.
“Welcome back,” Jang Hyo-Jin said, his voice relaxing a little.
He began to walk toward his room, the president’s office, followed by Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu.
“You’ve come back with some very fun things along.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong's forehead furrowed for a moment before anyone could spot it. It was because he had qualms over someone talking about people in that way.
However, he soon relaxed and responded, “Yes.”
He had stopped himself in time. He had to make sure he didn’t show his true feelings in front of this person.
Although he had returned back from China, he found himself back on a tightrope of tension.
‘So it’s this again.’
He felt like he was crossing a rotting wooden bridge that no one could tell when it would fall.
Lee Jun-Kyeong was sneaking across the rotted wooden bridge carefully, hoping to, one day, kill the sniper aiming for him from the other side.
“Over a hundred Hunters…”
Squeak.
Jang Hyo-Jin opened the door to the president’s office as he muttered, “And even two Hero-Level Hunters as well.”
It was obvious that the man would have watched them from afar.
Jang Hyo-Jin knew everything.
The over hundred Hunters from Heaven Lake Village and the two Heroes, Ungnyeo and Won-Hwa.
“Even three bizarre monster-like things.”
Even up to Fenrir and the princess. Jang Hyo-Jin’s senses were so sharp that he seemed to be able to see everything about Korea through his ability.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had a question.
“Three?”
There were only two things that could be said to be bizarre. Fenrir and the princess. He was confused. The remaining one was…
“It’s you,” Jang Hyo-Jin said as he entered the open door.
"The other one, I mean. You are a bizarre monster-like thing."
Following him, Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu entered the president's office.
Thud!
The door closed.
***
The president's office.
Jang Hyo-Jin, Lee Jun-Kyeong, and Yeo Seong-Gu stood in the office with the door closed, which left them feeling stuffy.
"Let's talk about China."
Odin looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong with eyes brimming with interest, his intense desire clearly emanating from his gaze.
‘The spirit of inquiry.’
It was the greatest mass of desire within him that made him who he was.
“However, before that, there’s something we have to do first.”
“...!”
Lee Jun-Kyeong raised his eyes in surprise. Because he knew Odin’s personality to some extent, he thought that the president would have wanted to hear about the things in China right away.
But.
‘There’s something even more important than that?’
As Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes began to shake, Yeo Seong-Gu secretly put his hand on his shoulder away from Jang Hyo-Jin’s gaze.
The Hunter mouthed to him.
‘Don’t worry.’
It was just one sentence.
It was a trivial sentence, but it was enough to stop Lee Jun-Kyeong’s tremors.
‘The variables.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as though he had developed a nervous complex regarding the variables between the future and now due to the several changes that had occurred in China. That was why he had reacted like that, unbeknownst to even himself.
However, he was able to calm down thanks to Yeo Seong-Gu.
Jang Hyo-Jin slowly approached Lee Jun-Kyeong with heavy footsteps.
“Everyone has been gathered here, so it’s time to introduce you to them.”
The president smiled for the first time.
It was a sincere smile, not a pretentious smile.
"I mean in Asgard.”
Tap.
“…”
When he put his hands on the shoulders of Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu, before anyone knew it, the background had changed. Although Lee Jun-Kyeong had already traveled in this manner a few times before, it was a method that he could never get used to.
Moving to someone else's territory in an instant without his own consent always put his hackles up.
‘If by chance…’
Lee Jun-Kyeong realized that there were many things that would become disadvantaged if they could be moved to a territory in this way, especially since they would eventually have to combat Odin in the future.
He thought to himself that he would have to find a way to defend against a territory someday.
The best defense against a territory would be to have one of his own, but it wasn't that easy.
Lee Jun-Kyeong looked up at the sky for a moment.
He wondered when <The Sky of the Apocalypse>, which hadn’t even given him a title by this point, would sponsor him a territory of his own.
If not that, then he would have to do something similar to what these Hunters had done to obtain one but that would require not only luck but also effort that went beyond what anyone could comprehend, so it was something that he couldn’t even begin to attempt to do.
‘Someday…’
Either way, he had neither the intention nor the strength to fight Odin at this point, so he put those thoughts to the side.
Step.
Jang Hyo-Jin began to walk forward.
"All the Heroes have gathered in Asgard,” Yeo Seong-Gu said, beginning to explain to Lee Jun-Kyeong on behalf of Jang Hyo-Jin, who continued to walk forward without a word.
"Today is not only the day to introduce you to them, but also to host the regular meetings of Asgard."
Lee Jun-Kyeong finally realized what they were doing first.
A regular meeting of Asgard.
"I understand."
With a nod, he followed Jang Hyo-Jin into the golden city.
Asgard.
Step.
Accompanied by the scenery of a place that he didn’t often see, Lee Jun-Kyeong walked forward toward the mausoleum, where dozens of enormous auras were gathered.
***
“I heard he was a brat who hasn’t even earned a title yet?”
“But why did Odin say he accepted him into Asgard, then?”
Heroes were gathered in the golden conference hall talking amongst themselves as they waited for someone to arrive. There were over twenty, nearly thirty of them, all of whom were recognized as Heroes across the world.
Unbefitting of their titles as Heroes, they all made a lot of noise according to their respective personalities. It was almost like a school classroom.
In the midst of their freeness, they conversed about Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“I heard his growth was amazing, though?” someone piped up.
“I mean, apparently, he even went to China, too.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong was coming here now, leaving them to wonder as this meant a new member of Asgard would be born after a long time.
"That’s true, he did go to China, didn’t he?"
Someone tsked, "What a madman."
There were some Heroes who held up their hands in defeat right after hearing that he had gone to China. There had been some Heroes of Asgard who had wanted to venture into China, but they were unable to try because of the chaotic energy they felt and the presence of the veil. Thus, they had to stop themselves for fear of the dangers lurking within its borders.
To think Lee Jun-Kyeong had gone to such a place.
“But it seems that psychopath is coming here?”
Not only had he gone to China, but he had also stayed there for quite some time before he returned. Moreover, when he returned, he had brought over a hundred Hunters who had been North Korean survivors.
The Heroes were interested in Lee Jun-Kyeong, and some of the more playful ones rolled up the corners of their lips in a smirk.
‘We can feel it.’
The auras.
There were three auras heading to the conference room.
One was a huge and angry mana that they always felt.
‘Odin.’
Another was Heimdall, whose mana was as angry as Odin’s, frequently clashing with the Hunter because of his uprightness and personality that didn’t fit their tendencies.
And lastly.
"What is this?"
Some of the Heroes' eyes grew wide as they felt the approaching aura.
"Wait! Wait!" they shouted, looking at each other with incredulous gazes. The whole conference hall could feel them, the three approaching auras.
And.
“This is supposed to be the kid who hasn’t gotten a title yet?” someone shouted incredulously.
"No way!"
There was another aura that was there besides Odin and Heimdall.
“This is insane…”
It was too great and powerful to belong to a Hunter who hadn’t yet received a title.
Clench.
Some of the Heroes waiting began to bite their lips. They could feel it; he was stronger than they were.
"You said it hasn't even been a year...” someone muttered.
They wondered if it was possible for a Hunter that had been a Hunter for less than a year to be this strong. Was this really a brat who hadn’t yet earned a title?
As the aura continued to grow closer, the Heroes could feel goosebumps creeping up their arms, and some even trembled as if the temperature had suddenly dropped.
It was monstrous.
The approaching Hunter’s aura was incredibly monstrous.
As everyone gathered in the hall was a Hero, they were all able to gauge the power of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s aura.
“This is insane…”
As someone muttered to themself one last time, a huge door of gold began to spew light.
Creaaak!
Thud.
Odin had entered the conference room.
Thud.
And Heimdall quickly followed behind and looked around.
All the heroes could see the light leaking through the opening of the golden door, the glow giving them all goosebumps.
At this moment, most of the Heroes were horrified.
Thud.
At last, they heard the sound of someone’s footsteps.
"Nice to meet you.”
A pompous voice echoed throughout the conference hall.
"I'm Lee Jun-Kyeong, the Underdog.”
All of them shut their mouths.
***
“Wasn’t it fancy?”
Yeo Seong-Gu couldn’t erase the smile from his mouth, as if there had been something incredibly enjoyable. Contrary to their expectations, Asgard’s meeting had ended too easily.
It really had been all about introducing Lee Jun-Kyeong, so all of the Heroes who had been gathered had been introduced to the newest member.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong pointedly remarked, “But it seemed as though there were some empty seats.”
“Some of Asgard’s Heroes have the right to refuse to attend a meeting,” Yeo Seong-Gu responded.
Finally, the smile on his face had disappeared.
“Those Heroes didn’t come.”
“It seems that one of them…one of those who were missing was Baldur,” Lee Jun-Kyeong commented.
Furthermore, there was another person who didn’t attend.
It was another Asgard hero that Lee Jun-Kyeong was wary of, and even the other impressive people that he felt as though he should keep tabs on, didn’t attend today’s meeting.
“Well, there are some cases where some of them had to be dispatched in a hurry, so…” Yeo Seong-Gu said, trailing off toward the end.
“They didn’t really seem all that impressive,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said without hesitation in front of Yeo Seong-Gu.
“...”
Asgard.
“It seemed as though none of them who attended were those whom we could really consider as Heroes.”
They had been amazed and astounded by Lee Jun-Kyeong's power.
However, that had been it.
They really were a bunch of shitty idiots.
Lee Jun-Kyeong, who had enormous power, had come in as a new member, so most of their reactions had either been positive or filled with jealousy. Instead of being curious as to why or how he had joined, they reacted very simply. It was because they were complacent about their own power.
Furthermore, they also had faith in the organization called Asgard and that the organization had successfully restricted Lee Jun-Kyeong.
They just blindly trusted he would be controlled.
“Of course. Because you don’t qualify as a Hero based on your heart or your disposition…” Yeo Seong-Gu muttered bitterly.
“It’s just strength. Right and fame alone, accompanied by strength,” Lee Jun-Kyeong replied.
Potential, compatibility, Sponsors.
There may have been many different aspects, but the only qualification to be a Hero was simply strength.
If one had strength, then they could attract their Sponsor’s attention.
If one got stronger through the attention, then they could build up their reputation.
As they progressed into becoming a Hero, if that Hero was exceptional, they could even end up joining the secret organization. Of course, those secret organizations were twisted. Their initial ideals, which had been the salvation of mankind or the protection of their own citizens, had long since disappeared.
That was the present state of the secret organizations.
‘You’re right. So, you’ve made your debut splendidly…”
Yeo Seong-Gu continued to speak, looking at Lee Jun-Kyeong with an expectant look.
"What are you going to do from now on?"
