Chapter 10

Jinwoo gave Lee Sohee a meaningful smile and said,

“You’ll need to learn first. You’ll be the one teaching the other Hunters in my place.”

Lee Sohee looked shocked and asked back,

“Me? You want me to become an instructor?”

“Not an instructor. The principal. You’ll become the head of the Hunter Academy.”

Her eyes widened at those words.

It was only natural to be surprised after suddenly being told to become the principal of a Hunter school.

‘Someone like Lee Sohee is talented in every way.’

When raiding the Tower alongside Jinwoo, she had barely gotten the chance to show her abilities.

After all, Jinwoo usually annihilated every monster before she could even use her trait.

But Lee Sohee was still one of the top ten long-range dealers in the world.

And she possessed skills worthy of that ranking.

Not only physical talent, but also outstanding talent related to mana.

‘Most importantly, her loyalty is incredible.’

She had followed Jinwoo all the way to America.

Even when his power had drastically weakened, she never left his side.

Of course, once Jinwoo completely gave up on Tower raids, she eventually had no choice but to leave him.

“Then when will the Academy begin?”

“It won’t take too long. I plan to officially open it by next spring at the latest.”

“…That’s only about half a year away?”

The two continued discussing their future plans in greater detail.

How to manage the Hunter Association, what kind of people should be recruited as Academy instructors, and many other topics.

As the conversation continued, the plans became more and more detailed.

Elizabeth Wilson, a talented CNN reporter and investigative journalist known around the world, had come to Korea for the first time in her life.

Her purpose was simple.

To interview Kim Jinwoo, currently the most talked-about person in the world.

Elizabeth felt her heart pounding at the thought of meeting him.

‘The hundred-billion-dollar man, the strongest human in the world, the ruler of the Tower, and Captain Korea.’

The many titles used to describe Jinwoo passed through her mind.

In America, people viewed him not simply as a hunter but as a superhero straight out of a Marvel movie.

That was also why so many people supported him regardless of nationality.

‘How was Captain Korea able to achieve such overwhelming results?’

Unlike most Americans, Elizabeth did not see Jinwoo as a movie-like hero.

She viewed him as the world’s most capable hunter.

That was why the questions she prepared focused mainly on Tower raids.

She was deeply curious about how Jinwoo managed to stay so overwhelmingly ahead of everyone else.

“Nice to meet you, Jinwoo Kim. I’m Elizabeth Wilson from CNN.”

Elizabeth calmly held out her hand for a handshake, but inwardly, she was struck by Jinwoo’s appearance.

He was tall with a confident build, and his intense eyes and sharp jawline left a strong impression.

She could not help thinking that his appearance probably contributed greatly to his popularity in America.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jinwoo, chairman of the Korean Hunter Association.”

Jinwoo smiled as he introduced himself as the chairman of the Hunter Association.

Elizabeth could not hide her surprise.

Chairman?

It already sounded like the beginning of a major scoop.

As the interview began, Elizabeth focused carefully on every word Jinwoo said.

At first, the conversation remained casual.

She asked about his hobbies, his ideal type, and the reason he founded the Hunter Association.

Then, as the conversation naturally flowed, Elizabeth brought up a rather sensitive topic.

“I saw your recent interview where you mentioned conflicts with the government. Has the situation been resolved?”

“Yes. The recent conflict with the government has been resolved peacefully. So for the time being, I plan to remain in Korea and work for the rights of Korean hunters.”

Elizabeth felt secretly disappointed.

Like many Americans, she had hoped Jinwoo would immigrate to America.

But judging by his response, it seemed he had decided to stay in Korea after all.

Still, the phrase “for the time being” suggested there might still be opportunities for America in the future.

‘It’s only natural for a Korean to protect Korea… so why does this feel disappointing?’

She even found herself irrationally annoyed at the American government.

Pushing aside her disappointment, she asked the most important question on her list.

“How are you able to clear the Tower so quickly and so overwhelmingly? Could you perhaps offer a small piece of advice for Americans?”

Jinwoo thought quietly for a moment before answering calmly.

“The source of my power lies in a technique for handling mana that others don’t know about. I’m simply better at controlling mana than most people.”

Suddenly, he picked up a stick and demonstrated sword energy.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in shock.

“This is a technique I call sword energy. You could also call it aura. Using it allows you to unleash tremendous attack power.”

“Wow…!”

When she first saw sword energy, she mistook it for a skill or a trait.

But Jinwoo’s well-known trait was spatial storage.

Of course, it could have been a skill, but she did not believe Jinwoo would lie about something like this.

“Is this really a technique that anyone can use as long as they know how to control mana?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“T-Then… would it be possible to teach this technique to Americans as well?”

Jinwoo answered firmly.

“For now, I only plan to teach these techniques to Korean hunters. However, if someone comes to Korea and joins the Hunter Association, they may be able to learn it through the Hunter Academy.”

The reason Jinwoo revealed sword energy during the CNN interview

was to encourage hunters around the world to immigrate to Korea.

Strengthening Korean Hunters was one way to raise the level of his skill, Heart of Mana.

But there was an even better method.

Turning powerful hunters from other countries into Korean hunters.

‘Once they learn sword energy, their combat power will multiply several times over. Hunters obsessed with becoming stronger will have no choice but to come to Korea.’

After Jinwoo’s CNN interview aired, Hunters reacted explosively.

People everywhere expressed amazement and excitement while sharing countless opinions.

[Whoa… Is this the secret behind the world’s strongest Hunter?]

[If I go to the Korean Hunter Academy, can I become a Hunter too?]

[An actual martial arts master existing in real life. This is insane.]

[If I learn sword energy too, can I become an S-rank Hunter?]

[Let’s goooo S-rank Hunter!]

[Can non-awakened people learn it too?]

└ Of course not, idiot.

[Brother Jinwoo, please teach me too!]

[How do you join the Hunter Academy? Someone please explain.]

Jinwoo’s interview also caused a huge sensation overseas.

Communities around the world endlessly discussed sword energy and the Hunter Academy.

“So this was Captain Korea’s secret! Sword energy is incredible!”

“Aura… So something like this is possible if you master mana properly. Fascinating.”

“We completely underestimated Jinwoo. He wasn’t just talented or lucky.”

“If what Jinwoo Kim says is true, then entering the Hunter Academy might not be a bad idea.”

“I need to figure out how to get into the Hunter Academy.”

And it was not only independent Hunters reacting strongly.

Hunter guilds and governments worldwide also took Jinwoo’s interview very seriously.

Jinwoo was no longer merely a powerful Hunter.

He was also effectively an instructor capable of training other Hunters.

Recruiting Jinwoo no longer meant gaining one strong person.

It meant gaining hundreds, perhaps thousands, of strong Hunters.

“We absolutely must recruit Hunter Kim Jinwoo. Imagine monopolizing this technique called “aura” after recruiting him. We could completely overwhelm other countries in Tower raids.”

“If we had known this would happen, we should have accepted Jinwoo Kim’s eighty-billion-dollar demand back then!”

“It’s not too late yet. If eighty billion dollars isn’t enough, offer one hundred billion. Isn’t he already called the hundred-billion-dollar man?”

In America, discussions began about recruiting Jinwoo even if it cost one hundred billion dollars.

Even Japan and China prepared enormous offers approaching one hundred trillion won.

Jinwoo’s value had risen that much.

“If we cannot recruit him, then we should consider sending our Hunters to Korea instead.”

“First we need to determine whether negotiations should be made with the Korean Association or the Korean government.”

“Haah… I envy Korea. Because of Kim Jinwoo alone, Hunters from around the world are going to flock there.”

Jinwoo’s interview greatly impacted not only hunters worldwide but also governments and related organizations.

Everyone focused on Jinwoo and the Hunter Academy he planned to establish while considering ways to strengthen their own national Hunter forces through him.

The Hunter Association officially launched with its headquarters in a tall building in Jongno.

To celebrate, a grand inauguration ceremony was held, attended by countless people.

Not only guilds like White Tiger Guild, Forest Guild, and Black Phantom Guild, which had already publicly supported the Hunter Association, but even the remaining Top 10 guild masters attended without exception.

Several rankers from overseas also came personally to congratulate Jinwoo.

“It’s incredible that Kim Jinwoo knew such a technique.”

“He really is extraordinary. He didn’t become the world’s strongest for nothing.”

“At least we still have a chance to learn sword energy ourselves.”

“Exactly. Anyone who fails to learn sword energy from now on will inevitably fall behind. Meanwhile, those who learn it will move ahead of everyone else.”

As conversations like these spread throughout the venue, Hunters seriously discussed why learning sword energy had become necessary.

Of course, the biggest topic was the qualifications needed to learn it.

In fact, the reason all Top 10 guilds ultimately supported the Hunter Association was precisely because of those qualifications.

After all, becoming a director or executive within the Hunter Association would likely grant them the opportunity to learn sword energy.

Clap clap clap!

The moment Jinwoo appeared at the event hall, applause erupted from every direction.

Famous rankers and major guild masters enthusiastically cheered for him without even caring about their dignity today.

All because they wanted to leave a good impression on him.

Jinwoo smiled politely while interacting with them, but internally, he analyzed the situation coldly.

‘Every single one of them is aiming for executive positions. Originally, none of them cared even slightly.’

At first, they had only supported the Hunter Association because Jinwoo pressured them into it.

But now, they genuinely supported it.

To Jinwoo, the situation felt almost laughable.

“When will we be able to learn sword energy?”

“When will the Hunter Academy open?”

“I’m already forty years old. Can someone my age still enroll in the Academy?”

Once the atmosphere fully warmed up, questions like these poured in from everywhere.

Jinwoo answered calmly.

“The Hunter Academy plans to first select instructors and train them before officially opening. It may even be difficult to open within this year.”

After hearing this, Hunters became explosively interested in the instructor positions.

Even rankers who normally would never care about becoming instructors now showed serious interest.

The overseas rankers also listened carefully to Jinwoo’s words.

At that moment, someone approached him and spoke.

It was Yamada Kenshin, Japan’s number one-ranked hunter.

Yamada Kenshin stared at Jinwoo with sharp eyes and said,

“Kim Jinwoo, I challenge you to a duel.”

It was an extremely sudden challenge.

Naturally, the atmosphere around them instantly turned cold.

Even Hunters from the same country rarely challenged each other unless they were close.

So a foreign hunter to issue a challenge like this?

It was an incredibly rude act.

Yet Jinwoo himself simply smiled and replied,

“A duel, huh. Very well. I accept.”

The moment the duel between the two men was announced, the entire venue erupted once more.

At that point, the event itself no longer mattered.

A duel between Japan’s number one Hunter and the world’s number one Hunter.

Everyone’s attention focused entirely on Jinwoo and Yamada Kenshin.