I Am The Anti-Mage

Chapter 163: Ready To Sweep

The hunters tasked with bringing Momoka's body had arrived at the lobby.

"Aniki, we have it. However, there is nothing but the body of this traitor. The magic items in her possession didn't found at the crime scene. So, nothing remains."

"It does not matter."

Akuma then drew closer to Chairman Yu, leaving the other S-rank hunters on the spot. And he didn't need an interpreter because the person in front of him understood and could speak Japanese.

"The unpleasant first meeting between us. I want to apologize for this. I was in a hurry because I was worried that the other members of the traitor group would stop me. And waiting for permission would take all day. Not to mention the International Hunters Association that would take over this matter within 24 hours."

Chairman Yu blinked his eyes, showing a tired face, and sighed.

"I know that. However, it still violates my authority. You must know that we have just gotten hit by a calamity here. So, strict rules must get put in place, and every hunter who enters the country must have a permit. If not for the sentiment from the events of the first year of Portal Gate that we experienced together, I won't let you guys do something like this."

"I know. Again, sorry for our actions." Akuma said while bowing.

"Yes, never mind. Go. I will not accompany and escort you. I'm too busy for now."

Akuma turned around and was about to leave, but the movement stopped, and he asked Chairman Yu a question.

"Who is that young man sitting over there? If so, what rank hunter is he?"

Chairman Yu was neither surprised nor unmoved by Akuma's question. He didn't answer and just stared back at Akuma with a solemn face. Chairman Yu was initially still skeptical of the rumors about Ji-woo. However, after seeing what happened earlier when Ji-woo casually stood before Yoh Akuma, who used his Mana Presence, he began to believe and hope like Dal-soo.

Akuma reached the rank of Apex earlier than Hyun-bin. So, Akuma was above Hyun-bin in terms of experience and magic power. And being able not to fall on his knees in front of such a strong hunter had shown Ji-woo's ability a little. Although, it was unknown whether Ji-woo could keep up with Akuma or not.

It made Chairman Yu change his attitude. He didn't want to talk about Ji-woo to strangers. He believed that Ji-woo would become their secret weapon for survival. After all, information about Ji-woo was confidential for now. So, there was nothing he could say to Akuma.

Akuma chuckled. "Heh! It looks like I crossed the line. Fine then." He then walked away towards the lobby door. The S-rank hunters followed in the footsteps of their guild Headmaster from behind. When he passed Ji-woo, he opened his mouth.

"You guys go first in the car."

The S-rank hunters were confused by Akuma's sudden words. But, they all complied without much question.

Akuma then slowed his footsteps. He stopped right at the entrance before he was about to leave the building. He asked something in simple English without turning his head or turning around. "What's your name?"

Ji-woo was sitting on the sofa with his back to Akuma, answered in simple English without looking back.

"Kim Ji-woo."

Even though neither of them was fluent in English, Ji-woo and Akuma understood short and basic conversations like that.

Akuma raised the corner of his mouth, and Ji-woo also smirked at the same time. The two of them knew in the future. Their paths would get intertwined. Whether in being friend or foe. Only time could answer that.

Meanwhile, Jo-hyun, Ji-yong, and Dal-soo have nothing to gain from the body. They only came to one conclusion after examining the body momentarily. It was a quick kill and a one-sided fight.

First, the bruises from the fight were not very visible. Second, with no indication of how the combat took place, the neck had got separated from the body in a fine cut.

It made the three hunters wonder who the culprit was.

All the members in Ma Dong-seok's group have extraordinary strength. They were people who knew magic from the very beginning of the Portal Gate. The speed with which they increased strength was also unusual. That made them a dangerous and unpredictable threat.

And now, someone killed a member of the group with ease. Who?

ArchMage? It might be. However, an ArchMage would require a bit of effort to kill someone of equal strength to an Apex-rank hunter. It didn't match the condition of Momoka's body.

But, if not the ArchMage, who else had the power above the Apex-rank? In the end, it became unsolved for the three hunters. Which, of course, they would still share the information with their respective guilds.

Well, speak of the devil. The culprit that made those people rack their brains was sitting leisurely on the Hunters Association's lobby sofa. Unknown to him, the corpse that the Gaijin guild hunters just brought was his doing.

Jo-hyun and Ji-yong say goodbye to the Artates guild. At the same time, Dal-soo chose to stay and planned to chat with Ji-woo and Chairman Yu.

Min-ho, who was only there as a display because he wanted to follow Jo-hyun, finally chose to return to the Demigod guild. Even though he was still curious about Ji-woo, he didn't dare act too much in front of his senior, Oh Dal-soo.

Chairman Yu and Dal-soo sat on the sofa, facing each other three-way with Ji-woo. Chairman Yu had ordered Chief Yoon and Chief Yang to continue their work activities. That was because the content to get talked about getting known only to him and Dal-soo. Meanwhile, Chief Lee left the Hunters Association building and carried out his regular field monitoring.

"I'm guessing that you accepted the offer I made regarding possession of the Portal Gate, right?"

"That's not a bad offer, is it?" Dal-soo chimed in. "That's better than having to spend a lot of time dealing with useless documents in establishing ownership. It's a win-win situation. Those Portal Gates might turn into Red Gates if left for too long."

Ji-woo was taking a sip of his ice americano, which was served at the beginning when Chief Yoon told him to wait.

"Taking care of such a thing might take a while, however, if I close all ten tier-3 Portal Gates in one day. What are you going to do to me? You can't charge me with possession, can you?"

Chairman Yu coughed. He couldn't shake off what Ji-woo said. The possession of the Portal Gate was there to find out who would be responsible if something ominous happened from it. However, if the Portal Gate closed in such a super short time, then the ownership case would not proceed. In the end, what the Hunters Association wanted was the Portal Gate to close as quickly as possible.

Dal-soo was speechless. But on the one hand, he was also surprised that Ji-woo could take care of ten tier-3 Portal Gates in one day. In the world, no one would be able to do that. Not Unless they had ten teams to enter the Portal Gates simultaneously. And Ji-woo was alone, as far as he knew.

Ji-woo chuckled and tried to lighten the mood when he saw the expressions of the two S-rank hunters.

"I'm kidding. There's no need to take it so seriously. I agree with the offer. And we can do it later this afternoon or evening. Well, tomorrow morning at the latest. It's because, in a few days, I have business with the Demigod guild. So, the sooner this is completed, the better."

Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were surprised by Ji-woo's statement. They thought Ji-woo would do it after the next few days or next week, not today.

"Are you sure you want to do that today? Don't you need to get ready first?"

"I'm sure you want to do it alone?"

Ji-woo smiled slyly. "Why are you suddenly so worried? Wasn't that offer given to me to test my strength? Isn't it?"

Dal-soo and Chairman Yu couldn't help but smile awkwardly. They did intend to test Ji-woo with the offer and also wanted to know a little about Ji-woo.

"I'm sorry if that's too overbearing or arrogant," said Chairman Yu.

Dal-soo, who heard Chairman Yu's words, was slightly surprised by the change in attitude. However, he also understood if he related it to the incident at the beginning when Ji-woo stood face to face with the Japanese Apex-ranked hunter, Yoh Akuma.

Ji-woo waved his hand. "It's fine. I came even though I knew because I wanted to. Also, I want to have the privilege of the Portal Gate." He found it too much of a hassle to deal with brokers about it. Wouldn't it be better if he bought it directly from the Hunters Association?

Chairman Yu looked troubled because of Ji-woo's request. It was because their Apex-ranked hunter alone didn't have such privileges. It wasn't the same as him giving something special to a VVIP member from the Black Market. He was worried about the backlash he would receive from some guilds if he decided to give the privilege to Ji-woo.

Ji-woo knew why Chairman Yu didn't immediately respond to his request. So, he had no intention of suppressing too much. "There's no need to make it a burden. Just think about it. We still have time."

He then got up from his seat and said, "Two o'clock this afternoon, we'll meet at the first tier-3 Portal Gate."