Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1243: The Politics

One Week Later...

The tower in question was made public, and suddenly, the entire country was taken by a storm.

Every new tower was a grand phenomenon because it risked the lives of the entire population. And at the same time... it was basically a diamond mine for hunters to get exp, level up, gather equipment, and gain fame as well as wealth.

Business organizations also put billions into getting the rights to these towers and dungeons.

But the most noteworthy part is that it had the highest number of floors so far in the whole world.

On average, towers didn’t go above 20 or 25 in their world. But this one had 30 floors, setting an unprecedented record, so all the hunter associations across the world had their eyes.

If their country failed to clear the tower due to the S-Rank restriction... many foreign nations would try to intervene and create pressure for their hunters to gain a chance to enter the tower.

There were too many things at stake, and the aftermath would be too dire, and its consequences might as well change the paradigm of authority for all the key players.

If the Hunter Association hadn’t been betrayed by their own people who joined all these guilds and cooperations at the last moment... Han Du-sik would have never agreed to make their present arrangement possible.

He would have cared more for his image and the face their organization had to save in front of the entire population of the country instead of compromising and agreeing to the terms presented by a man who just happened to be an S-Rank Hunter.

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In the past week, the low-level hunters, the elite squads, and newly awakened hunters were given access to the tower in question.

It was mainly done in the name of reconnaissance to collect intel about every floor as per the traditional rules.

It also helped them save a lot of manpower and gather knowledge about all the monsters, resources, artifacts, hidden traps, and floor bosses.

In that week alone, many people sent their hard hitters like groups of A-Rank hunters.

But all of them stopped after the 27th floor because even groups led by A-Rank Hunters couldn’t clear it.

The very few survivors described it as a green colored hell due to its terrain, while basically every single thing within the environment tried to kill you.

So after the first week, the preplanned Expedition was also revealed to the masses.

A total of 19 teams with diverse backgrounds, all led by at least one or multiple S-Rank Hunters, would venture together to clear the tower.

If it was before, all the other organizations would have turned it into another harvest mine for resources, but with the whole country watching and even foreign nations eying the tower... they had no other choice but to accept the terms, otherwise all of them would be treated as public enemies.

And the fact that this tower itself had the highest number of floors and an S-Rank hunter limit on top of it... made it a monumental threat to the whole nation.

If you opposed clearing the tower, then you would be no different than a traitor to the nation. But if your group of hunters cleared it... Then you would be the heroes of the nation who would gain fame and wealth beyond imagination.

Thus, the expedition itself was mired in controversies as well had the undivided attention of the entire population.

But what happened on the day of the expedition shocked everyone, including the hunters who were to take part and risk their lives clearing the tower.

The Hunter Association pulled off a bold move that no one had expected.

They sent one single team in this group, and on top of it... It was comprised of only criminals.

As for the leader... the rumors revealed that he was an unknown S-Rank hunter who was hidden well by the association up until now.

Some rumors also revealed that all the S-Rank hunters who previously worked with them had suddenly switched sides and even went against their contracts of employment.

The collateral fees were paid to the association by these organizations, so they couldn’t take action against them legally anymore.

Hence, they were forced to bring out their hidden card to determine who would be the leader of their elite team.

Obviously, there was a lot of opposition to this decision within the association’s upper echelons, and even the registered hunters who felt betrayed. Because it also gave rise to the rumors that the majority of the hunters under the association’s management were incompetent and cowards who could not get the job done or had the courage to risk their lives for the sake of the nation.

Many management officials and the board of directors also tried to cancel this team’s formation, but after hearing Han Du-sik’s counter proposal... they had no choice but to accept.

What he proposed was the ’wait and watch’ strategy.

Even though it was the most monumental expedition in recent decades... it didn’t mean that it would be the only one unless the tower was cleared on the first try.

Also, they had lost a lot of manpower even in their own ranks due to a huge number of hunters and even elite squads led by A-Rank hunters dying on the higher floors.

The team they would sent will not only be comprised of known criminals that should have received a death penalty already but the fact that a S-Rank hunter, whom they had no prior knowledge of, stepped in to save their image after all their prized trophies and poster boys betrayed them at the last moment... forced their hand and resulted in them agreeing to the chairman’s proposal.

If these people died, they wouldn’t incur too much loss, and the S-Rank hunter was at least capable of returning alive on his own.

Besides... participation was more than enough when rivals were sending all the creme de la creme who also could end up dying in the tower.

If most of the expedition teams perished, none of them could be blamed, while all the guilds and corporations would take a major blow that would require years to recover from.

Efficiency was more important than results in this particular case because they had to minimize their losses on all fronts while participating and showcasing their authority to the whole country.

What Chairman Han Du-sik offered was an acceptable tactic that helped them save face in these dire times.

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Click!

Click!

Media personnel started taking pictures as many other hunter teams, each representing a different guild, cooperation, or an organization that would send their best warrior to save humanity; finally arrived in front of the newly discovered tower.

Millions of people were out on the streets as the broadcast was held across the nation.

Each team, adorning the highest quality armor and weapons, posed for the media and recording cameras to leave behind an imprint of their existence before the expedition began.

”They’re here!” shouted one of the reporters as he pointed at the last group to arrive.

A group of ragtag criminals wearing legendary rank gear, while a man clad in black noble attire akin to an aristocrat, his figure tall and a sword on his waist... made his appearance known to everyone.

He soon took the stage and revealed himself as an S-Rank hunter by releasing his aura.

”Hello, everyone. I am the leader of the expedition team that represents the National Hunter Association.

My name is...” spoke the man in a firm and domineering tone as the entire atmosphere froze.

”Morpheus Constantine.”