Choi Kahng-Sik proceeded to unwrap the bandages off his body and switched into his regular clothes. He then left the hospital with his trusty camera and shovel in tow.
'Obviously, I can't let them pull a fast one on me!'
Without an exception, there would be loot to be found once a monster was defeated.
And no, it wasn't something like this shovel in his hands. The monster's bones and leather could be used to forge the equipment for the Hunters, so those were the true loot. Heck, some of the meat would even be used for human consumption, too...
In any case, they were a valuable source of income.
"I'm just going 'there' to take what's rightfully mine."
Choi Kahng-Sik immediately headed to a three-story building located on the island of Yeoui, right in the middle of Seoul. This building actually occupied nearly a quarter of the entire island.
In the past, the Korean parliament building stood here, but a flight-type monster sneak attacked and destroyed it. And now, a huge and impressive structure that served quite a different purpose stood there, instead.
It was the building belonging to the Monster Association. A global organisation created in order to counter the monster threats, just about every country in the world was a member. Including Korea.
And this building was the HQ for the Korean branch.
Choi Kahng-Sik often came here on behalf of MS Yu Il-Ahm in the past.
Back then, and even now, the issue was all about money.
"No way... are you the MS Cameraman?"
Spotting his camera and his shovel, the eyes of the girl behind the reception counter widened in an instant. And thanks to her question, the attention of everyone present was directed to Choi Kahng-Sik.
'He looks so plain, outwardly at least.'
'I still don't believe he did all that.'
'How can a powerless normal guy....?'
The Hunters going about their business in the Monster Association's lobby began displaying hostile attitudes right away.
He was someone who defeated a five-star rated monster all by himself, yet no one here tried to congratulate him, never mind inquiring about his current health status.
However, Choi Kahng-Sik didn't really care and didn't pay them any attention.
"I am he."
"H-hello there. Mister Cameraman."
The reception girl trembled slightly while formally greeting him.
'Oh my gosh?! What should I do?!'
Her thoughts process became a mess pretty quickly.
The very man responsible for the internet losing their collective minds was standing right in front of her. Right now, no world-famous celebrity could even hold a candle to this guy.
He was a man who single-handedly defeated the most powerful monster.
He had left his mark in the history books by doing something completely unprecedented.
He was a living legend.
And he was speaking to her right now.
"I'd like to receive the loot from the two Any-Wons I hunted a few weeks ago, as well as from the Buff-Palrog herd."
[A certain god is getting bored.]
[Another got is demanding you to skip this part.]
'What?! I gotta secure my livelihood first if I wanna keep broadcasting, you know!'
Choi Kahng-Sik could only spit out a lengthy but silent groan at these sleepless gods and their tyrannical demands. If he were to try appeasing every single demand they made, then he'd probably die from overwork in less than a week.
"Please wait for a moment~."
The reception girl replied sweetly and began type something on the computer.
"..."
*SFX for soft humming*
She was even humming, too.
"Hey, you."
"....I'm busy."
Choi Kahng-Sik didn't even turn around to the voice calling out to him from behind and replied disinterestedly.
"You're doing f*ck all, so what can you be busy with?"
"...."
"The thing about you driving away the Bul-Raid... See, the thing is, no matter how much I think about it, it makes no d*mn sense to me. You couldn't even handle a one-star, yet you did what to a five star?"
'He's an annoying type, huh.'
The nameless Hunter proceeded to yap on and on about how impossible it was for Choi Kahng-Sik to do something that the 'esteemed' Hunters, such as himself, couldn't do. In other words, this guy was itching for a throwdown right this minute.
Other Hunters began raising their voices as well.
"Hmph! If it's a one on one, even I can take on a Bul-Raid. No, I'd probably have killed it. Don't get conceited because you got f*cking lucky, you feel me? Cuz that sh*t disgusts me."
And this guy was saying what he'd be able to do when presented with a similar sort of circumstances.
Many other Hunters began saying, "Me too! Me too!" after they were seduced by this slightly faulty logic.
"Seriously, man...."
Choi Kahng-Sik finally turned around and silently moved his hand. Then, he switched on his camera.
"W, what the f*ck?! Hey, turn that camera off!!"
"And why should I? I thought you wanted to become the top superstar in the world? Isn't this a good chance for you? Speak. Tell the viewers what you just told me. What were you planning to do to a Bul-Raid again?"
"T-that was....?!"
"If you can't even say it, then stop wasting this MS's time. Please."
"Euh, euh...."
The Hunter who tried to rile up Choi Kahng-Sik beat a hasty retreat. It was the same story for the other Hunters who were watching the situation develop from the sidelines. All these 'brave' folks who claimed they could defeat a five-star monster got scared away by a single camera.
'Pathetic.'
Choi Kahng-Sik turned back to the reception desk. However, he couldn't turn the camera off, now that the channel had gone live.
┖ I guess I was right about sticking around, eh. ㅋㅋ
┖ Re: Hi ^0^/
┖ That's right. Promises exist to be broken. ㅎ
┖ This MS. He's already discharged? Are you Superman or something? =ㅅ=;
'...Yeah, it's a bit wrong to turn it off now, isn't it?'
Choi Kahng-Sik turned the camera towards him. The stage for the broadcast was the lobby of the Monster Association's Korean branch.
This was a place as famous as South Korea's number one national treasure, the Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul. So, the viewers immediately recognised the place.
"Hiiiick?!"
"Heok!"
Hunters hurriedly escaped from the camera's scope like the receding tide. Currently, the MS Cameraman was the centre of not only Korean media's attention but the entire world's. So, what if they made a mistake, or do something stupid and be seen by the world at large?
No matter who it was, it'd be difficult to escape from being crucified online, and become an international laughing stock.
Choi Kahng-Sik spoke to the camera.
"I'm starting this live stream because I got bored waiting at the reception of the Monster Association. I'm planning to talk about mundane stuff, so if you're not too keen on that, please, it'll be fine for you to come back later."
┖ Would you look at this MS challenging us?
┖ The greatest dude alive is certainly different from us, eh. 0.0
┖ And he's been an MS for a week. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
┖ Just because you told me to go, I must go now? Hah!
….Afterwards, Choi Kahng-Sik proceeded to talk about all sorts of mundane stuff for real. However, rather than decreasing, his audience numbers kept on climbing up.
The lips of the reception girl began trembling while seeing this.
'Oh no!!! And I didn't even put on proper make-up today, too!'
She inwardly bemoaned her mixed luck while showing the list of items appearing on the monitor to Choi Kahng-Sik.
"Here it is. This is the list of your loot."
"....."
"M-Mister Choi Kahng-Sik?"
"The monsters I've subjugated were two Any-Wons and a few dozens of Buff-Palrogs. However, how come to my share of the loot, after the Monster Association did their calculations, is this small? I can also see that my shovel has been excluded, too."
"B-but, even I don't...."
"Oops. My apologies. I wasn't trying to argue with you, miss."
What point was there to shout at an employee who was simply passing on the message decided by the higher-ups?
Deep frown formed on Choi Kahng-Sik's forehead.
'You're trying to openly screw me over, huh.'
Well, in that case, he'd not be polite, then.
"Dear viewers? Judging from this, it seems that the Monster Association doesn't like me very much. Not only did they completely omit the reward for beating back a five-star monster, but they are also trying to swallow up this shovel that I've found. Looks like I will have to seriously consider emigrating to another country."
┖ The Korean Association people must've lost their stupid minds! ;;;
┖ Hiya~! They are a bunch of thieves. ㅡ.ㅡ
┖ They are giving the Greatest a cold shoulder, huh. (TL note at the end)
┖ Still, Mister MS, emigrating isn't the answer. Don't go. ㅠ
Obviously, that caused a huge stir online.
The viewers were able to confirm the list of loot through the broadcast. And the list of loot for the MS that did most of the work was some small pittance of a compensation and a handful of Buff-Palrog horns.
No matter who saw it, it was a daylight robbery.
It was at this point that a foreign Esper decided to contribute.
┖ Dear viewers. I guess the MA hates me. No rewards for taking out a 5-star monster and they also want to take this shovel away from me. I think it is time for me to exile this country. (TL: this paragraph is written in English in the raw. I left them as is.)
The translation of what he said showed up on the chat window.
The overseas viewers, who could only look on and wonder what was going on since they didn't speak the language, finally got to understand the current situation. And their reactions were quite different from the Korean viewers.
┖ Welcome to USA! ^0^
┖ We welcome you. To China.
┖ Hey! Boy! Come on! Paris!
┖ We want to meat you. ♥ (TL: again, all these lines were written in English in the raw, including the spelling mistake. Left as is.)
In the end, someone claiming to be the secretary of some foreign country's president even got in touch with him. Of course, it was hard to tell whether that was for real or the guy was just yanking his chain.
He was a man who chased away a five-star monster!
There was a value in having a man like that around, just like how countries used to keep nuclear arsenals. Since he was clearly streaming everything live, it was doubly difficult to question his skills, too.
'Whew~. Isn't this reaction bigger than I thought?'
If one thought about it, this made sense, though.
Choi Kahng-Sik may have judged the battle in the Gimpo Airport as a failure, but most people didn't think that way. Indeed, many thought that he'd end up actually defeating the Bul-Raid, if it weren't for the ill-timed intervention by the one and only MS Hahn Joh-Seop.
So, all criticism and hatred were poured on top of Hahn Joh-Seop's doorstep!
And at the same time, the MS Cameraman found himself as the hope of all humanity.
The ripple effect from that was considerable, to say the least.
"Excuse me! Pant, pant!!"
Suddenly, a man kitted out in a smart business suit ran towards Choi Kahn-Sik. He was completely breathless by the time he got there.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the deputy of the department chief."
"A deputy, huh. Alright. Let's listen to what you have to say."
"Most of that day's loot has been divided equally and given to the families of the Hunters who were killed by the Bul-Raid. Please, make no mistake, the Korean branch of the Monster Association does not and will not condone any corruption, nor will we ever try to serve our own self-interest above all else."
The deputy explained the association's position quite confidently.
"....Hey man. Look here."
"Yes?"
"This is where you're making a huge blunder. The compensation for the victims should be paid out from the Association's own coffers, so why are you taking the majority of someone else's loot for that purpose? The fact is, the money you should be paying, you took it from someone else without consent, and that's clearly fraud."
"What do you mean, someone else? You hunted together..."
"Look again. I hunted alone."
"...."
The deputy's mouth closed shut.
'Chief! What should I do now?!'
If he uttered one wrong word here, then without a doubt, the deputy would be finished for good. Perhaps, the d*mn chief dumped this responsibility on his lap because he knew something like this might happen?
Cold sweat trickled down on the deputy's backside.
The final fatal blow mercilessly struck the deputy.
"Well, then! Mister deputy, why don't you explain to the fair and honourable viewers watching at home?"
[A certain god is getting even more bored.]
[A different god is still waiting for that heart-pounding adventure.]
'….I can only say 'Hmph' to you guys!'
His livelihood took precedence over some misguided and probably very dangerous adventure.
"Hey, you! Over there! You, the cheeky MS hiding behind the camera and running his mouth off! Stop causing a ruckus inside the sacred Monster Association that protects this nation, and get the hell out! If you have time to waste like this, then I tell ya, go out and catch one more monster!"
"Isn't that Mister Park Jin-Chang?"
"That's right! I'm 'that' Park Jin-Chang!"
An old man approached Choi Kahng-Sik with huge strides and shouted out loudly.
He was a very muscular old man with a zhanmadao slung on his back. One might have thought that he was still a youngster, were it not for his snow-white hair and beard, plus all those wrinkles on his face.
He didn't duck away from the camera's lens and boldly confronted it.
"Oh, oh! Mister Park Jin-Chang!"
"The moral centre of Korea!"
"Show that insolent noob what's what, please!"
"Park Jin-Chang is making his move!"
The fighting spirit of the hesitant and scared Hunters was rekindled in an instant. However, the response from the viewers remained cold and...
[A certain god is enthusiastic.]
[A certain impatient god is calling out for the adventure to commence.]
[Another god is scolding the other gods for being lame.]
….Choi Kahng-Sik's head suddenly ached, just then.
< Chapter 16: The Monster Association (3) > Fin.
(TL: The Greatest bit is a wordplay on the MC's name. The first two letters of his name, "Choi" and "Kahng" can be combined to form a word that can be translated into either "the greatest" or "the strongest.")