NOVEL NEXT C116
Chapter 116
Wang Wei.
True to his reputation as an irregular from China, there was no visible magic emanating from his body.
Instead, I could feel an energy similar to mana, emanating from around his navel.
The source of the energy was similar to mana, but much more compressed.
However, this energy wasn’t purely clean. Impurities were mixed in, forming a grayish aura.
Of course, this was only visible to my eyes.
“Be thankful that this is a celebration. If this were any other place, I would have taught you the proper respect for elders and the ways of the strong.”
What I sensed from Wang Wei’s voice was exactly two things: arrogance and displeasure.
It was the arrogance born from overestimating his own abilities, and the displeasure from me not being intimidated by him.
I didn’t respond and simply curled my lips into a smile.
Perhaps dissatisfied with my attitude, the man standing beside Wang Wei spoke.
“Wang Wei is speaking to you…”
“His Holiness did not grant you permission to interrupt. Do not meddle. And show some respect, unbeliever.”
The one who stopped him was none other than Leo.
Leo had remained quiet while I was conversing with Wang Wei, but he wouldn’t tolerate anyone else interrupting.
Leo’s gaze had already turned cold. Moreover, he was channeling divine power through his hand, showing he was ready to “deal with” the opponent at any moment.
It felt like a tense standoff where a fight could break out at any second.
Breaking the silence, it was Wang Wei who spoke first.
“I’ve heard you ignored the proposal we made. Let me teach you something, as an elder. The most foolish thing in this world is to protect a meager pride. A true leader must know when to humble themselves for the greater cause.”
“Hey, Mr. Wang.”
“…Mr. Wang?”
“You said your name is Wang Wei, right? Then it’s Mr. Wang. This is the only time you’ll be treated as a guest, so shut up and go back to your seat. And while you’re at it, thank our Minister Yoo. It’s because he made a request that your dentures are still intact.”
I didn’t want to fight right now. It was too early for me to deal with him properly. There was still time to let the situation brew.
A threat from a fool like him?
Not scary at all. I would rather be scared if Aiden came at me naked.
“I don’t know if you have this saying in China, but have you ever heard of ‘A barking dog never bites’?”
“You little…”
“Do you really think you can take me on?”
I smiled as I looked at Wang Wei.
His face had already turned a deep red, like a ripe persimmon. It almost looked like the color of mala soup.
Even though I blatantly ignored him, Wang Wei didn’t say another word.
He simply glared at me with a killing look in his eyes.
For a long time, Wang Wei continued to glare at me, while Minister Yoo Sun-ho, who had been quietly observing our standoff, finally approached us.
“It seems you both prefer to greet each other roughly. My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Yoo Sun-ho, Minister of the Department of Ability Management.”
Since I was using the
So, Wang Wei didn’t reply until his translator conveyed his words.
“I am Wang Wei, from the International Cooperation Department of the Department of Ability Management of the People’s Republic of China.”
“Isn’t this a wonderful opportunity for the countries of Northeast Asia to strengthen their ties? I hope today, you can enjoy yourselves without thinking too much about assessing each other’s strengths. Let’s save that for another time.”
It was a diplomatic way of saying, “Please don’t cause any more trouble.”
It was a timely intervention.
Both sides had exchanged insults, so no one could claim they were in the right.
In the end, Wang Wei could only scowl and retreat.
“I don’t know if there’s anything here I can enjoy, but out of respect for Minister Yoo, I’ll step back.”
If I had just left things alone, it would have gotten interesting.
I clicked my tongue, feeling a bit disappointed. Then, I noticed a woman trembling behind Wang Wei.
It was Li Jie, the same woman who had come to the temple last time. When our eyes met, she quickly lowered her head.
“We meet again. You said you were going to be friends with Luna, right? I’ll let her know that you’re back in Korea. Luna’s been bored lately, so it’s perfect. She’ll visit you soon, so make sure you have some free time.”
I didn’t know what had happened between Luna and that woman, but it definitely didn’t seem like a normal situation.
Otherwise…
Thud-
As soon as Luna’s name was mentioned, Li Jie’s legs gave way.
“Li Jie!”
“Why…suddenly…”
The Chinese delegation had entered the banquet hall confidently, only to be thoroughly embarrassed in front of everyone.
Wang Wei, who had witnessed the whole scene, ground his teeth and said to me,
“What did you do to my subordinate…?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“…Let’s see if you can act so confidently after we fight.”
There’s a cliché among villains like him.
Those who say “Let’s see” are always the ones who end up not being able to back it up.
I turned and chuckled as I looked at the Chinese awakened ones heading back to their seats.
“Idiots.”
Wang Wei, the irregular from China.
He said he used a sword, so maybe his attitude would change if he held one. But with his current level…
“Aiden.”
“Yeah, Siwoo?”
“You’re better.”
“Of course.”
It seemed like Wang Wei couldn’t even Aiden, who had been eating popcorn and observing.
Maybe Wang Wei had some clout in China, but at least in my eyes, it didn’t seem like it.
“That guy’s all foam.”
Aiden slapped his knee and answered with a grin.
“Foam? Bubble? In that case, Siwoo, you’re a bubble too.”
“What?”
“Unbelievable. Hahaha.”
Look at him, proud of his own joke.
Should I just close my eyes and give him a hit?
The atmosphere of the welcome ceremony after my clash with Wang Wei was bound to be bad.
The Chinese awakened ones were talking only among themselves, and the Japanese awakened ones were mostly doing the same.
Only Jin-young hyung occasionally showed his face towards the Korean side.
That kind of atmosphere was inevitable, as the awakened ones gathered here were ultimately here to fight for the honor of their country.
The exchange tournament was merely an excuse.
Everyone knew that the outcome of this exchange tournament would reshape the political situation in Northeast Asia.
Therefore, the country with the most somber atmosphere among the three was Japan.
They didn’t have an irregular.
They were not here to win; they were mostly there to fill a role and complete the lineup.
In fact, Jin-young was the only disaster-class returnee among the Japanese delegation.
I heard that Japan had a total of five disaster-class returnees.
“Looks like the busiest person today is Minister Yoo.”
“Even though the atmosphere is like this, diplomacy must continue. I’m sure the diplomats came prepared for this.”
As Aiden said, diplomacy was a separate matter.
Unlike the awakened ones who were trying to avoid each other, the diplomats were constantly talking.
They were fighting their own intense battle.
“I don’t think there’s much point in the exchange. The result is so obvious.”
“Who’s going to win?”
“Obviously, Korea. Look at the lineup: Siwoo, Luna, and Leo. The lineup itself is a problem. And not only that. The fourth is my friend Seojin, the fifth is Kang Chae-ah over there. Honestly, isn’t that a lineup with no conscience?”
Since this was a match for exchange purposes, it was decided that all five rounds would be played regardless of the result.
The Korean team’s members were also confirmed.
As Aiden mentioned, our trio plus CEO Choi and Kang Chae-ah were added to the lineup.
All the higher-ranked players than CEO Choi declared a boycott of the exchange because their homes were burning.
By the way, I didn’t see CEO Choi today. Did he have a family event or something?
“Siwoo, do you know who the guy next to Wang Wei was?”
I think he’s talking about the guy who was stopped by Leo earlier.
“How would I know the Chinese?”
“Zhang Min. He’s a disaster-class returnee whom Wang Wei favors. He’ll probably be the second to go.”
The number one of each country would naturally be Wang Wei and me.
Our second was Leo.
Coincidentally, we ended up facing off with the same members we had clashed with earlier.
“Leo.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How long do you think it will take to finish that guy from earlier?”
Leo answered decisively.
“One minute should be enough.”
“That long?”
“I think it will only take 10 seconds to fold, but since it’s a match, I’ll have to straighten him out again. It will take about 10 seconds to fold, and 50 seconds to straighten him out. Folding and unfolding are quite delicate tasks.”
At this point, I began to wonder if Leo really thought of people as just paper.
He was even thinking of straightening them out for them.
And Leo’s words were indeed true.
Even I could tell that if Leo fought that guy from earlier, Leo would overwhelmingly win.
If I had to express Leo’s power using Earth’s standards, he would probably fall somewhere between a disaster-class returnee and an irregular.
What was certain was that Leo was much stronger than Zhang Min or Lee Eun-hyuk, the guys I had dealt with earlier.
If I were to compare him to Wang Wei…well, I couldn’t say for sure. I would have to see Wang Wei fight with all his strength first.
“By the way, Siwoo, I have one question I’m curious about. Can I ask?”
Aiden, who had been gulping champagne straight from the bottle, wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve as he spoke.
“What’s the question?”
“Who’s stronger, Luna or Leo?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“It’s like asking, ‘Do you like your mom or dad more?’”
That was a question I didn’t expect, but instead of me answering, Leo responded.
“Lady Leventon is stronger than me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Upon Leo’s answer, Aiden furrowed his brows slightly, as if feeling deflated.
“That’s boring. Usually, siblings should argue, right? Is it because you’re sworn siblings? There’s no fun in that.”
“While their abilities in individual combat are similar, when it comes to battlefield scenarios, the blessings bestowed upon Lady Leventon truly shine. She can imbue everything she touches with divine power, and that’s a huge advantage on the battlefield.”
Hearing that, I was suddenly reminded of the last battle I fought against the Demon King’s army.
At that time, there was a magical war machine made by the continent’s mages that resembled modern tanks.
It had impressive performance, but the operation was tricky, and Luna used her blessings to freely control it, sweeping through the demon and monster forces.
In other words, if there’s a weapon or machine with decent performance, Luna’s combat power would be doubled.
A strategic bomber or next-generation tank imbued with divine power.
Luna’s ability, combined with modern advanced weaponry, would likely create excellent synergy.
“I see.”
Aiden seemed to understand Leo’s words completely.
“One of the most active ongoing studies in the US is that. Using modern weapon systems to fight against monsters. Right now, it’s impossible for various reasons, but they’re quickly improving weapons using magic stones. They called it magic engineering, I think?”
“Isn’t that usually classified?”
“Who cares? The people who need to know already know. Luna will have to be more careful from now on. If things go wrong, she might launch a ballistic missile, right? A ballistic missile with divine power… that’s damnation in itself.”
I wasn’t sure if it was possible to imbue a ballistic missile with divine power. But I wanted to give high praise for Aiden’s idea.
After this was all over, I would have to go ask President Seo about it.
Maybe I could ask for a missile experiment. If we could precisely target the strongholds of the Purifiers with a divine-powered missile, wouldn’t that give the order more options?
Anyway,
While we were spending time talking about various things, Minister Yoo Sun-ho returned to us.
His expression was quite peculiar. It wasn’t clear whether it was good or bad.
Minister Yoo Sun-ho spoke in an organized voice.
“There’s something I need to inform you of. Due to a strong request from the Chinese side, the Northeast Asia Exchange will now be held as a private match, not a public one.”
Upon hearing that, I looked towards the Chinese awakeners.
And I barely managed to hold back my laughter as I spoke.
“Those bastards are scared.”
Such people talking about being a great power?