Chapter 34: (2): – Season 1: Preparation
In this world, there are truly diverse individuals. Among them, there are always extreme people, and among those extreme individuals, there is a group commonly referred to as “far-right” who have strong nationalist sentiments. In Japan, there is a significant presence of far-right groups, even within the political sphere.
The Japanese Union expressed gratitude towards the Korean Union. However, separately from that, certain officials within the Japanese government argued for imposing a certain amount of taxes. Given that the appraisal value of the Redstone has not yet been determined, they believed that since they hunted down monsters within Japan, they should also receive profits. On the internet, there were exchanges of such opinions on websites self-identifying with conservative tendencies.
– They came here to make money anyway. It’s not like they came to help us. So, isn’t it only natural to levy taxes?
– The Redstone of Cyclops, which appeared in Japan, naturally belongs to Japan. The government and the union are making a grave mistake.
The general atmosphere was somewhat like this. The reason the Korean Union dispatched Slayers to actively assist Japan was not solely out of goodwill. It was because when the Korean Union slew Cyclops, a temptation for compensation arose, leading them to come to Japan. Therefore, the argument was that a portion of those benefits should be offered to Japan.
However, some people made the following claims:
– There is some logic to what they’re saying. But what about when another monster like Cyclops appears later? What will we do then?
– Let’s not just focus on the immediate situation and get carried away by emotions. Please, let’s look further ahead. There is no guarantee that Cyclops won’t appear again, and if it does, Japan won’t have the power to handle it. If they foolishly provoke the Korean Union, it could become a dangerous situation.
However, most of the content reported in Korea was what the far-right was saying. Perhaps because it was provocative and made for a good topic. As a result, public opinion on the Korean internet flared up.
– We helped them, and now they’re acting like they don’t owe us anything? Don’t they have any sense of gratitude even if they compensate us?
– A mutually beneficial transaction? It wasn’t a transaction; it was a request for help. These crazy people.
The public sentiment that Japan should no longer provide assistance had reached a boil²ing point. Fortunately, the Japanese government did not demand a stake in Cyclops’ items. However, some right-wing organizations accused the Korean Union of bending over backwards and held protests.
Despite various happenings, Hyun-seok remained in a fairly comfortable state.
Typically, celebrities do not work independently but belong to a management agency. It’s commonly referred to as an agency. Once under agency representation, they handle all aspects of the celebrity’s activities. The agency also strives to maximize profits through the celebrity.
Currently, Hyun-seok’s relationship with the Korean Union was similar. He hadn’t studied law or amassed significant power. He was the guild leader of the Inha Guild, with only Ha Jong-won, Kang Pyeong-hwa, and Yoo Min-seo as guild members. However, the Korean Union took charge of all issues related to Hyun-seok. Putting aside the fact that Park Sung-hyung was undoubtedly trustworthy, the Korean Union couldn’t afford to treat Hyun-seok lightly.
Solo Cyclops Slayer. This fame was incomparable to that of the Solo Orc Slayer. Wasn’t it not long ago that slaying Cyclops was deemed impossible? Moreover, when he slayed the Cyclops, he received a notification sound for an “impossible achievement” that he didn’t even know existed, except for a few, including him.
Hence, the Korean Union made every effort to accommodate Hyun-seok’s needs. One could compare it to an agency trying to acquire a top-tier celebrity with guaranteed profits. Hyun-seok thought he had hidden well within the confines of the colossal fence called the Korean Union, but someone from the United States came looking for him. The Slayer, fluent in Korean, had secretly sought out Hyun-seok.
“Hello? Platinum Slayer Yoo Hyun-seok.”
Although Hyun-seok and the Union tried to conceal it, it seemed that top-tier Slayers or high-ranking individuals from various countries had a certain understanding of Hyun-seok. And it wasn’t just any country—it was the United States.
“From the United States…?”
Even the executives of the Union in Japan knew Hyun-seok’s face. The members of Ichigo, referred to as the best guild in Japan, also recognized Hyun-seok’s face. It seemed that Hyun-seok’s identity was not a tightly guarded secret, and the United States had conducted investigations on him. Perhaps they had discovered it through satellite imagery analysis or by some other means. Whatever the reason, Hyun-seok didn’t particularly deny it.
“Yes. How are you?”
After a brief greeting, the man who introduced himself as Steve got straight to the point.
“I won’t beat around the bush. We, the Union in the United States, highly value the worth of Platinum Slayer Hyun-seok and promise full support. We encourage you to join the Union in the United States.”
The offer presented by the United States was astonishing. In exchange for joining the Union in the United States, they would spare no expense in providing state-of-the-art equipment and support. They would even provide a house and a private jet within the United States. Moreover, the United States had a considerable number of high-level monsters appearing, which would be of great assistance to Hyun-seok. They offered a staggering 300 million dollars for the initial scouting cost alone. In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid for a value of approximately 134.5 billion won. A top-tier football player received some of that amount, but Hyun-seok was being offered more than double that.
Hyun-seok was aware that the Union in the United States had a slightly different structure from other Unions around the world. While the Korean Union was more of an alliance of guilds, the Union in the United States was a guild above the guilds, overseeing the management of guilds. In other words, it was closer to a higher-level organization than a guild.
However, it was quite astonishing to hear that they were willing to pay $300 million to scout. Without any other obligations, it was a straightforward statement to start with a payment of $300 million. The subsequent profits would mostly go to Hyun-seok’s possession. Conditionally, it was much better than the present.
‘Was the power of the American Union really this strong…?’
Real Madrid had always been a prestigious football institution with the financial capacity to recruit star players, in simple terms, a wealthy group. However, the American Union had only emerged less than a year ago. They were a newly formed entity. Nevertheless, they offered $300 million to secure one slayer. $300 million is not a small sum of money. It exceeds 300 billion Korean won. The fact that they could spend such an amount to acquire a single slayer indicated that the power of the American Union was far greater than imagined.
Hyun-seok found himself immersed in contemplation.
‘300 billion… along with exceptional treatment…’
He couldn’t provide a definite answer. He took the contact information, promising to respond later. Hyun-seok meticulously read through the details Steve had handed over repeatedly for several days. Aside from the initial scouting cost of 300 billion, the conditions were undeniably favorable. After a few days had passed, Hyun-seok made his decision.
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