NOVEL NEXT Chapter 311
Boom!
As the enormous body of the demon collapsed in a pitiful heap, the world erupted into chaos.
『[Breaking News] Utopia Party: Defeated a Devil During Freshman Sparring! The World Is Stunned!』
『A Stern Warning from Cheonhwa: Dark Gates Will Appear, and Devils Will Emerge.』
『A New Threat to Humanity: What Are the Devils? – A Deep Explanation by 10 Industry Experts.』
『Step Up Again! Examining Utopia’s Skills: Asymmetrical Power, What Is Utopia’s Rank?』
『Velvet Hunter Academy’s Surprise Star in the Freshman Sparring Match! Granddaughter of the Sword Emperor, Alice, Takes MVP! What’s Next for Her… Utopia?』
The public had already been buzzing ever since the rare decision to broadcast Velvet Hunter Academy’s freshman group sparring session. Then, the shocking revelation that a demon had been hiding there, followed by the first-ever appearance of a devil itself, only fueled the excitement. Adding to the noise was the re-emergence of Utopia’s strength, which had remained quiet since the U.S. monster extermination mission.
Despite the appearance of such a horrifying new enemy, the atmosphere wasn’t overly tense.
Why? Because despite its dramatic entrance, the devil couldn’t do anything and was easily cut down!
The live broadcast from Utopia was endlessly replayed, flooding YouTube with clips, shorts, and articles, dominating the top search rankings in every country.
[“Devil Hunt: Jin Yuha Edit, 10-Hour Loop.”]
– Jin Yuha! Jin Yuha! Jin Yuha!
– Holy crap, the way he swings that sword so effortlessly! How does he even do that?
– Oppa… I’m blown away…
└ Disgusting. Then clean up!
– Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Jin Yuha!
└ You’d need to TS (gender-swap) for that!
└ TS him, and he’d still be the most handsome boy around. Why not do it? Please make it happen…
└ ;;;
└ Honestly, I doubt even a TS would help you…
[“Devil. You’ve got potential. Keep it up just like that.”]
– What if devils are actually pacifists?
– For real, the devils: 0 kills, 1 death, 0 damage.
– Lmao, it made an entrance like a final boss.
– Ahh, I miss it… the scrub devil.
└ They’re calling it humanity’s greatest threat, but LOL, this “scrub devil”…
[A meme of Jin Yuha sitting in a chair, looking down.]
“Alright, time to start worshiping, right?”
– Me! Me! Me! I’m great at this! My nickname is Doctor Fish, the best at cleaning feet! I’ll make them shine! Lick, lick, lick!!
└ Lmao, this guy’s the real deal.
└ Is it free?
└ Licking Jin Yuha’s feet? You’d have to pay for that!
└ How much?
└ Um… does the body part matter…? Slurp…
└ This guy’s getting arrested.
└ How much though?
└ Seriously, how much? Why aren’t you answering?
[“The Devil’s Final Moments, Ignoring Humanity.”]
– ??? “When did I ignore anyone…?”
└ You ignored us!
└ ??? “I just showed up and got my butt handed to me…”
└ No, you ignored us. Anyway, you did.
└ Yeah, and that’s what made it funny.
– Lmao, are these people for real?
– So, is Japan shaking in fear and China weeping? Isn’t this usually the part where the patriotic YouTubers go all out?
└ Ma’am… this is old-school patriotism…
└ “Strong teams don’t make a fuss.”
└ Ever since Velvet Hunter Academy was founded, all the “patriots” disappeared; it doesn’t hit like it used to.
└ The last of them passed out during Utopia’s monster extermination in the U.S. after they wiped the floor with Chinese hunters.
└ The Last Patriot (died of overwork)
└ Here… posting a YouTube link for all the patriotic souls…
Every platform was flooded with dopamine-fueled content.
The syndrome surrounding this event was massive, incomparable to anything before.
Even though no one faced the demon in person, just seeing it on screen was enough to make people’s teeth chatter and hair stand on end from instinctive fear.
Yet, humanity’s hero had stepped in and utterly crushed this incomprehensible foe.
And it all happened live, with everyone watching!
The sense of relief and security people felt skyrocketed, as they were reassured that no matter what threats came their way, the heroes of Velvet Hunter Academy would save them.
This sense of excitement and celebration was spreading on a global scale.
In the midst of all this uproar both inside and outside the academy, Shin Se-hee prepared for a press conference.
Click, click, click, click─!
The camera flashes went off so intensely that it was almost impossible to open one’s eyes properly. Yet, Shin Se-hee, accustomed to the scene, smiled slightly and took her seat.
Immediately, reporters from all over the world eagerly shouted their questions.
“How strong exactly is Jin Yuha? Can you tell us more about his abilities?”
“Cheonhwa! What is the reason behind the demon infiltrating the academy? Is Velvet Hunter Academy’s security still intact? Could there be other demons hiding among the freshmen?”
“Regarding the recently revealed devils—there are allegations that the footage was fabricated to elevate Utopia’s status. Can you clarify this?”
The appearance and defeat of the devil were thrilling for the general public. However, other groups had a different perspective.
There were countries that didn’t want Korea to gain more power. Various non-Academy guilds and parties believed Utopia’s reputation only existed because of Velvet Hunter Academy’s backing. Then there were demons living in the shadows, always keeping a low profile. But with the sudden appearance of a devil, they were now under stricter surveillance.
These groups had complex motives and needed to discredit Utopia and the existence of the devils in any way possible.
‘Ha, looks like all those who are feeling the heat have gathered here.’
Shin Se-hee scoffed internally, raising a hand to calm the crowd.
“First, I will take questions after I finish speaking. So, please calm down for now.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The press conference hall instantly fell silent.
Seeing that the atmosphere was now set, Shin Se-hee began to speak. She didn’t plan to address their suspicions or questions. Instead, she intended to outline preparations for the upcoming demon gates.
“First, I’ll talk about the devils and the black gates, commonly referred to as demon gates. We have already passed the information we’ve gathered to the Hunter Bureau. We promise to share any new findings swiftly as well, and this will be done without request, across all Hunter Bureaus worldwide.”
Sharing information was the top priority.
According to Jin Yuha, the ecosystem inside the demon gates was entirely different from anything they had previously encountered. Spreading information in advance would reduce the early casualties.
“Second, regarding Utopia’s devil subjugation efforts. As before, if you submit a request to our academy, Utopia will accept and dispatch a team to handle it. You can inquire at the academy about the specific terms of the request. However, I can assure you that the fees and completion costs won’t be too burdensome.”
Shin Se-hee believed this was a necessary measure.
Even though the demon gates posed a threat to humanity, they couldn’t deploy Utopia for free. If Utopia started doing everything for free, people would try to manipulate them like a tool.
‘On a national scale, the academy’s fees aren’t particularly high anyway.’
Although the completion fees varied depending on the difficulty of the request, they were still much cheaper than hiring a private hunter guild or party. Plus, with the academy’s backing, they could detect and prevent any shady dealings in advance.
“And lastly, the third point concerns civilian protection and guidelines for guilds. If a devil gate appears, it must be reported immediately. We will not allow any guilds or parties to engage in subjugation on their own without permission from the Utopia Party.”
“What? Permission?”
The reporters, who had listened quietly up to this point, couldn’t stay silent at the third point. They began whispering among themselves.
She hadn’t explained the existence of devils, the validity of Utopia’s strength, or the reality of the so-called demon gates, and yet here she was, making such bold statements.
“What, are we supposed to be watching Velvet Hunter Academy’s every move now?”
“This seems overly arrogant…”
“She’s talking nonsense.”
“She didn’t even confirm if black gates or devils are real, and now she’s spouting all this?”
Shin Se-hee’s intention behind these statements was to avoid any potential blame in the future.
‘Of course, even if I say this, they’ll all try to clear the gates anyway.’
Her firm stance was to prevent others from pinning the blame on Utopia if other guilds or parties suffered losses while attempting to challenge the gates.
At that moment, one reporter, who had been looking at his phone, widened his eyes and exclaimed.
“Ah! Africa! A black gate has just appeared in Africa!!!”