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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 40
Originally, Dojun had planned to check out at least one more Rift.
If he didn’t secure a Blue Croco’s heart this time, there was no telling when he might get another chance.
Even though he had claimed priority over the Rifts near Santarém to hunt as many Blue Crocos as possible, he still wanted to secure at least one more in advance.
But thanks to Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild, he was forced to change his plans.
After all, he had half-killed an S-Rank hero.
At the very least, he had to give some explanation and justification for what had happened.
“…That’s how it happened.”
At Jeong Injoo’s words, Chairman Daniel Lopez was left speechless.
[TL/N: President → Chairman]
Summarized, her report went something like this:
1. Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild picked a fight first.
2. A battle broke out.
3. Ryouma Takashi and Shunike were beaten nearly to death by Dojun.
Chairman Daniel Lopez’s gaze naturally turned to Dojun.
A young man sitting there with a blank expression, calmly savoring premium Brazilian coffee.
’Am I really supposed to believe this?’
It was Ryouma Takashi, after all.
There were nine S-Rank heroes in Japan.
Ryouma Takashi was strong enough to rank among the top four based on personal ability alone.
And if you included the full force of the Imperial Guild, who practically worshipped him like a god?
Then he could be considered among the very strongest in Japan.
And yet Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild had been utterly crushed by a young Korean hero who had only just become S-Rank?
Who could possibly take that at face value?
’Maybe Hyun Jooyeon and the members of the Silken Lily Guild helped him… but still…’
Even with their help, it was hard to believe that Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild had been defeated so thoroughly.
The power gap between the Imperial Guild and Silken Lily Guild was enormous.
Granted, the Korean side had two S-Rank heroes, so it wasn’t impossible to win.
However…
’How is it that not a single person on their side was hurt?’
The only injured were Ryouma Takashi and Shunike.
No matter how strong an S-Rank hero was, someone like Ryouma Takashi should have at least managed to inflict a significant wound on either Hyun Jooyeon or Dojun.
But both Dojun and even Hyun Jooyeon were completely unscathed.
The idea that Ryouma Takashi had been beaten to within an inch of his life without even managing to lay a finger on them was simply impossible to accept.
’Could it be… that Korea’s Na Taehwang is backing this hero with everything he’s got?’
No matter how things had gone down, one fact stood out above everything else.
They were putting the entire blame for all of this on just one person: Seo Dojun.
The intent was obvious.
Was it a strategy to minimize responsibility by pinning everything on a single hero?
At first glance, that might have seemed the case. But looking at the attitudes of Jeong Injoo and Hyun Jooyeon, it clearly wasn’t that simple.
It looked more like they wanted to use this opportunity to imprint the arrival of Korea’s new S-Rank hero on the world stage.
Chairman Daniel Lopez let out a small sigh.
Regardless of their true intentions, the fact remained: an ugly incident had occurred on Brazilian soil.
Even if they claimed it had nothing to do with them, as the one in charge, Daniel Lopez couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility.
That was why both Ryouma Takashi and Shunike were receiving the best possible treatment.
Every Brazilian healer who was treated like nobility among heroes had been mobilized, and the medical team was the finest they could assemble.
The problem was that Ryouma Takashi’s injuries were just too severe.
Even with his monstrous healing factor, it would take at least a month before he could even think about walking on his own.
As for returning to hero activity? That would take even longer.
In practice, Ryouma Takashi was effectively out of this entire Rift closure operation.
Shunike was even worse off—his right shoulder was beyond recovery.
If he ever wanted to fight as a hero again, it would be a year at minimum, maybe even two.
’I knew Korea and Japan had bad blood, but to be this ruthless…’
Honestly, Daniel Lopez couldn’t bring himself to look favorably on the Korean heroes.
Sure, it was a mess caused by their own personal grudges, but in the end, he was the one left dealing with the aftermath.
“There will be a more thorough investigation separately.”
That was Japan’s business.
Their own heroes had been hurt; there was no way Japan would just let that slide.
“I understand.”
Jeong Injoo replied, and Daniel Lopez nodded.
“That’s fine, but this whole operation just got a lot harder.”
Daniel Lopez continued, turning his gaze toward Hyun Jooyeon.
She met his look as if asking what exactly he meant.
“Only Korea and Japan had claimed the Rifts near Santarém. So we were hoping the heroes of both countries would cooperate to seal them.”
Naturally, the country with higher expectations had been Japan.
Objectively speaking, Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild’s capabilities were superior to Korea’s.
Korea had only two S-Rank heroes to boast of, and aside from that, there wasn’t much.
Of course, an S-Rank hero’s power could easily overwhelm a hundred A-Rank heroes put together. That was certainly true.
However, setting aside Hyun Jooyeon, who was basically the face of Korean heroes, Dojun was still fresh out of earning his S-Rank license. His combat prowess had never really been proven.
Naturally, Japan’s heroes seemed the more reliable bet.
Especially Dojun, he was an absolute rookie with no clear specialization, which meant in the unpredictable environment of a Rift, the outlook on him was even poorer.
Hyun Jooyeon understood perfectly what Daniel Lopez was saying.
’You smashed Japan’s heroes to pieces, so now you’ll have to handle the Rift closure by yourselves.’
Sensing her realization, Daniel Lopez tacked on what sounded almost like an excuse—
“I know this won’t be easy. To be blunt, even if you cooperated with Japan, your chances of success weren’t very high. That’s why what we’re asking is just to buy time—until the other Rifts are closed.”
That, at least, sounded doable, according to Daniel Lopez.
In other words, they just needed to roam around the Santarém Rifts and thin out the monster population.
Given the circumstances, it was the most practical approach.
“We’ll do our best.”
Hyun Jooyeon answered without complaint, and Daniel Lopez smiled in satisfaction.
Well, there was no room to complain, was there?
They’d brought this on themselves.
“We’ll also do everything we can to lighten your burden as soon as possible.”
He added.
And with that, the conversation was over.
Jeong Injoo and Hyun Jooyeon stood first, and then Dojun rose as well.
Throughout the entire discussion, Dojun hadn’t said a word, simply sipping his coffee.
Tall, handsome, and with that chilly blank expression—Daniel Lopez found something strangely unsettling about him.
Daniel Lopez kept staring after Dojun’s retreating figure as he left the office, then rubbed his face with both hands.
The Rifts near Santarém were a thorn in Brazil’s side.
That was why no heroes from anywhere in the world had tried to claim them in advance.
He’d been relieved when Korea stepped up to take them, with Ryouma Takashi following behind—there had been some hope there.
Now, that hope had crumbled.
In the end, they might have bought a little time on the Santarém problem.
“But it can’t be helped. They made this bed themselves.”
Unless heroes from another country stepped in now, Daniel Lopez could only stand by and watch as Korea’s heroes were left to handle the Santarém Rifts on their own.
＊ ＊ ＊
The issue with the Brazilian Association had been wrapped up relatively neatly.
“Japan is definitely going to lose their minds over this and come after us…”
Ever since the economic retaliation measures, relations between Korea and Japan had been at rock bottom.
They’d been practically sworn enemies already, and now the whole world knew just how badly they’d turned their backs on each other. There was no way they’d just let the Ryouma Takashi incident slide.
But Dojun brushed off Jeong Injoo’s worries with ease.
“If the people involved smooth it over, that’s the end of it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If Ryouma Takashi and the Imperial Guild admit their own mistakes, there won’t be any further problem.”
“There’s no way they’d do that, right?”
It made sense on the surface but would Ryouma Takashi really go along with that?
Jeong Injoo doubted it would be that simple.
“It’s totally possible.”
Hearing Dojun’s confident reply, Jeong Injoo could only think that he lived life way too easily.
Maybe the Imperial Guild members, terrified of Dojun, could be controlled. But Ryouma Takashi? No way.
With an S-Rank hero’s pride, he’d definitely try to resist somehow.
“Anyway, thanks to that, it’s going to be easier to hunt in the Rifts.”
Jeong Injoo could only let out a hollow laugh at Dojun’s completely carefree tone.
“Dojun, I want to talk to you for a second.”
Hearing Hyun Jooyeon, Dojun looked at her as if asking what she meant.
“Injoo, sorry—could you give us a minute?”
“So you two have something to say without me, huh?”
She sounded a bit offended, but still stepped aside obediently.
Once they were alone, Hyun Jooyeon cautiously started speaking.
“About what happened with Ryouma Takashi… I’m thinking maybe they were targeting you, Dojun.”
“That might be.”
Dojun couldn’t say for sure, but it was suspicious.
The way Ryouma Takashi had suddenly shown up with the Imperial Guild, the hostility he’d aimed at him—though he still wasn’t sure if it was really because of Hyun Jooyeon—it was all questionable.
Would someone try to deliver a lethal attack just out of ordinary resentment?
If they said it was because Dojun had destroyed Shunike, sure—but before that, Ryouma Takashi had coldly abandoned him, which left a strange aftertaste.
Even trying to see it from his perspective, Ryouma Takashi’s attack felt excessively harsh.
Almost like he was a lifelong enemy, or like someone had ordered him to do it.
“So you felt it too, Dojun?”
“I’m not certain.”
It was just a gut feeling.
At Dojun’s answer, Hyun Jooyeon bit her lip, hesitating, then spoke as if she’d made up her mind.
“There is someone I suspect.”
“Who?”
Dojun asked casually.
If it had been anyone else, they’d have been demanding answers with fire in their eyes—but Dojun was so calm, Hyun Jooyeon couldn’t read his feelings at all.
“Kang Yeong-pyo is pretty close with Ryouma Takashi.”
“Is that so?”
Even after hearing Kang Yeong-pyo’s name, Dojun showed no change in expression.
“Did you already expect that?”
“No.”
“Then why… aren’t you surprised?”
“You said it’s just a suspicion, right? I just want to know the solid truth. And I’ll find out soon enough.”
“How are you going to find out?”
“If someone put him up to it, he’ll say so with his own mouth.”
“You don’t seriously think Ryouma Takashi will confess, do you?”
“Of course I do.”
Dojun answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Hyun Jooyeon could only shake her head.
“Ryouma Takashi isn’t that easy to deal with. Unlike the Imperial Guild members, he won’t bow to you that easily. Especially if he thinks he’s safely protected right now… he’s the type who’d rather plot revenge no matter what.”
“Well, we’ll see soon enough.”
“Where do you get that confidence from, anyway?”
She genuinely wanted to know.
How could he be so sure of himself?
But Dojun didn’t answer.
He just smiled.
·
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·
That evening.
Dojun went to visit Ryouma Takashi in his hospital room.
It was a very luxurious space, with heavy security.
It was a clear sign that the Brazilian Association was taking special care to protect him.
Dojun was able to enter Ryouma Takashi’s room without much resistance.
Even though he was technically the attacker, Dojun’s identity was fully verified, and no one expected that, however bad things might be between them, he would actually lay a hand on a patient lying in a hospital bed.
The surveillance cameras installed in the room played a part, too.
Since they were monitoring the room in real time, there was little risk of any serious incident, even if they let Dojun in alone.
Ryouma Takashi, hooked up to all sorts of medical devices and sleeping like the dead, was a far cry from the confident S-Rank hero he had once been.
When he had been transported to Brasília, capital of Brazil, he’d been in such a critical state it looked like he might stop breathing at any moment, but thanks to the healers’ treatment, he was now recovering in stable condition.
“Ryouma Takashi.”
At the calm sound of Dojun calling his name, he immediately opened his eyes.
When Ryouma Takashi recognized Dojun’s face, a mix of fear, dread, and anger filled his eyes.
Just as Hyun Jooyeon had warned, seeing that he was under protection seemed to spark thoughts of revenge against Dojun by any means necessary.
“Looks like you want payback. But you’re not going to get the chance.”
Strength returned to Ryouma Takashi’s gaze.
He couldn’t speak, but he clearly wanted to argue back.
“You know what this is?”
Dojun took out two eyeballs from inside his coat.
They were Lynx’s eyes.
Ryouma Takashi looked between Dojun and the eyes, his expression showing a hint of anxiety as if asking what they were.
Dojun silently channeled mana into Lynx’s eyes.
The faint, blood-hued glow from them began to blaze with an intense light under Dojun’s mana.
The surveillance cameras, positioned behind Dojun, could not see the eyes at all.
·
·
·
Moments later…
“Looking forward to your speedy recovery.”
Dojun left the hospital room.
The heroes from the Brazilian Association, monitoring the hospital room through the cameras, saw only Dojun standing a short distance away from Ryouma Takashi, nothing more.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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