Chapter 111: Episode 111

***

Ethan went into deep thought.

There was a limit of only one item per person for the item that advanced their fighting power.

If they happened to ingest more than that, there could be a serious problem.

However, Ethan felt greedy.

‘Can I eat one more?’

‘What if there are no side effects?’

‘What if I can get even stronger?’

Such thoughts rang through Ethan’s mind and roamed within like ghosts.

Ethan looked back at the box of items that were put into the trunk of the car.

His heart pounded like crazy.

He felt like he was gambling.

A gamble that put his life on the line.

And when the temptations of gambling entered the brain, it was hard to get rid of it.

Ethan licked his dry lips. He got out of the car and opened the trunk.

He looked down at the items in the box.

One.

It was probably okay to eat one more.

He rationalized and convinced himself of it.

Ethan made up his mind and grabbed one item with his hand.

After making up his mind, he put an item into his mouth.

Chomp!

The item was quite hard.

It sounded almost as if Ethan was eating a rock.

And then, he began to experience the same pain that came with the first one.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Ethan’s body began to swell up and turn red.

The pain was much worse than when he ate his first item.

Ethan endured the pain with all his might in order to stay sane.

And then a moment later.

Once Ethan endured the horrible pain, he smiled and slowly got up.

It was very clear that he was stronger now.

‘I knew it…!’

The gamble worked.

He suddenly wanted to eat one more, but he talked himself out of it.

Two more could be really dangerous.

The reason for that was because when he ingested his second, he almost felt like his body was going to explode.

“Phew, those bastards. How did they invent this thing?”

After mumbling while looking down upon the item, he put one item in his bag so that he could bring it to a research institute if he happened to get addicted to it.

As long as he sent it over to the research institute, they could find a way to detoxify his body if he overdosed.

Ethan put the bag with the item in the corner of the trunk and got ready to call the other American hunters with much excitement.

***

The American hunters all grabbed their phones at the same time.

After checking their message, they looked at each other.

They then quietly began to head out of the assembly.

Their destination was a storage container.

Ethan was waiting for them there, and around him were many boxes.

In response to Ethan’s orders, each of the hunters received a box of the item.

“This will increase your fighting power. Ingest it right now.”

In response, the curious hunters widened their eyes.

There were nothing hunters wanted more than more power.

The hunters ingested the item without any hesitation.

Chomp!

The sound of teeth biting into the hard item rang through the room.

***

Ho Sung Lee drove as if he was fighting with all his might to live on.

With his trademark squinty eyes and hazy sight, he began to see the assembly.

As soon as the car entered, the hunters focused on them, unlike the last time.

“Are you going to go right away?”

Ho Sung Lee looked back at Min Sung and asked.

“No, I’m going to rest soon,” Min Sung answered while his eyes were closed.

He smoked a cigarette while looking at the Black Tower.

The sky was still filled with dark clouds, and around the tower was thunder and lightning.

The Black Tower almost looked like the end of the world.

While looking at such a tower, Ho Sung Lee sighed after a puff of smoke.

“You’ll probably die.”

“Make your decision.”

“Are you going to overcome your death, or are you going to die?”

Min Sung Kang’s voice rang through his head.

His heart pounded with nervousness.

While he felt all sorts of emotions while looking at the Black Tower.

He heard someone approaching.

Ho Sung Lee threw away his cigarette and looked toward the footsteps.

It was the American hunter master, Ethan.

“I’d like to speak with the hunter, Min Sung Kang.”

“What for?”

“I have a request related to the tower. Please ask him to make some time for me.”

Ho Sung Lee went to the back seat of the car Min Sung was in and knocked on the window.

The window opened slightly to only show Min Sung’s eyes.

“Sir, the American hunter master, Ethan, would like to speak with you about the tower. What do you think?”

“Tell him to get in.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ho Sung gestured for Ethan to get inside the car.

***

The American hunter master, Ethan, sat beside Min Sung inside the car.

Min Sung waited for Ethan to say something, and Ethan did just that.

“We would like to go to the tower with you.”

That was the first thing Ethan said.

“With me? What do you mean by that?”

Min Sung asked.

“We’ll stand at the front, so you’ll just be there for emergencies. Then that’ll take off the burden off of you, and we’ll be able to get through the tower much easier.”

Min Sung scoffed.

“I can get through the tower easily without your help.”

“…”

Ethan’s eyes shook.

He made an effort to calm himself down.

“The tower is a disaster for all of humanity. Even if you can clear it on your own, this is not something that you should do on your…”

“That’s your problem, not mine.”

Ethan was at a loss for words.

Min Sung wasn’t someone who could be convinced of things such as justice or the future of mankind.

It didn’t take long before he realized what Min Sung wanted.

Ethan frowned and looked down.

“… I’m begging you. Please help us,” Ethan said with his head down.

“Okay,” Min Sung accepted.

When Ethan lifted his head in surprise to the quick acceptance.

Min Sung continued,

“But under one condition.”

“… What is it?”

“There are three conditions.”

Ethan gulped.

On the other hand, Min Sung’s face remained unchanged.

“First, I need a cook who can make delicious food.”

“Someone, to make your food?”

“Yeah.”

Ethan nodded.

He was able to accept that condition.

“What about your second condition?”

“My assistant, Ho Sung Lee, and my Lich Doll, Bowl. They will obtain as much experience points as possible.”

Min Sung continued on to his third condition.

“And I will obtain all of the items.”

Monopolization.

Ethan clenched his teeth.

“That’s unreasonable.”

“If you don’t like it, just go on your own.”

Ethan went deep into thought with a stressed look on his face.

“… Are those your only conditions?”

“I’m not sure.”

Ethan looked at Min Sung in annoyance.

He realized that Min Sung had the upper hand in this situation.

“We’ll have a meeting with the other commanders and let you know.”

“20 minutes,” Min Sung advised.

“That’s too short…!”

Min Sung slowly turned to Ethan.

“Shut up and come back to me with your decision in 20 minutes.”

Ethan closed his eyes tightly and got out of the car.

***

“That son of a bitch…!”

Ethan gritted his teeth as he went inside the tent.

He breathed in and out in order to calm himself down from the stress.

The other commanders stared at Ethan in surprise.

Ethan looked up and spoke to his fellow commanders.

“I decided that it’d be a good idea to go to the tower with the Korean hunter, Min Sung Kang.”

In response, the commanders looked as if they approved.

“So I talked to him about going together, but he gave me three conditions.”

“Three conditions? What are they?”

The European commander asked.

Ethan told them the three conditions as Min Sung listed.

The commanders mumbled to themselves in response.

“Since we have no other choice, we’ll have to get his help,” the African commander responded.

Everyone agreed, but Ethan thought differently.

“Then I’ll tell him we accept.”

***

“They accept your conditions. What were they anyway? They looked displeased,” Ho Sung Lee asked as he got into the car.

“They’ll bring me a cook, you and Bowl will get the experience points, and I’ll get all the items. That’s it. So don’t’ forget to obtain all the points.”

“… That’s a lot.”

While Ho Sung Lee mumbled in shock, someone knocked on the window.

Min Sung opened the window.

“It’ll take some time before the cook arrives,” the hunter said.

“How long?”

“Around 4 hours…”

The hunter trailed off unconfidently.

“But we called the best cook, so you’ll definitely like the food.”

“Tell them I’m only leaving after I eat,” Min Sung replied as he closed the window.

***

Gary Gold was one of the few Michelin Star chefs in New York.

He put his materials in his trunk and was on his way to the assembly.

On his way there, he cursed with words that started with “F”.

He was in the middle of a relaxing vacation when he got called by the hunters.

They ordered him to arrive at the assembly and prepare a delicious meal.

He said he was on vacation, but the hunters didn’t give him a choice.

They threatened him that if he didn’t come right away, his career as a chef would be over.

No matter how famous he was, he had no choice but to succumb to the hunters’ threats.

‘Who am I cooking for?’

‘The American hunter master?’

Gary Gold laughed as he stepped on his accelerator.