Here's an Opportunity-Chapter 174: Chaser (2)

The Japanese representatives jumped up from their seats at the sight of the twin-tailed, silver fox cub.

Kim Ki-Rok nodded at their reactions. "This is a cub of the Elemental Fox found in a Gate that appeared three months ago."

The Elemental Fox, a Spiritual Being revered as the guardian of the forest, had been identified after contact was established with the elves and humans of Yuashiel through the Permanent Gate. Confident that the fox was unrelated to the Gate's clear condition, they chose to avoid it and focused their efforts elsewhere. Their instincts proved right; by defeating a two-headed monster that spewed black mana, they were able to destroy the Gate, confirming the Elemental Fox was not involved.

"Just so you know, I rescued it right away after confirming what it was, with help from a friend in the American Black Market. That was about a week after the Japanese reached out to the elves and human nations and verified the Elemental Fox's identity. If I remember correctly, during that time, it was putting out a lot of pressure and killing intent toward anyone who got too close, right?"

President Kikumoto nodded. The Elemental Fox, once indifferent to those who passed by, had gone through a period of intense rage. At the time, he'd assumed it was agitated for some other reason, especially since it never attacked any of their Hunters. Still, the Hunters had to tread carefully and chose to handle the situation by steering clear of the fox as much as possible.

"As soon as we understood the situation, we approached the Elemental Fox with the elves and asked her to hold off on any action while we prepared the rescue operation," he recounted. "She had been relentlessly searching the forest, and if we hadn't stepped in, she would've followed the trail straight to the Gate. Normally, it wouldn't be visible until a Break occurred, but as the guardian of the forest, she possesses enough mana to force a Break on her own and cross through."

It hadn't been a trivial matter, after all. It only seemed that way because Kim Ki-Rok had already taken careful precautions behind the scenes.

President Kikumoto shivered and asked the American ambassador attending the meeting, "Is this true?"

"Yes, it is." The American nodded. "At Hunter Kim Ki-Rok's request, the United States raided the Black Market, rescued the Elemental Fox cub, and used Korea's Permanent Gate to cross over to the Yuashiel Dimension to return the cub to its mother."

"Why didn't you inform Japan of this?"

"First, because we handled it in advance, so nothing went wrong. And second, we had circumstantial evidence pointing to a Japanese A-Class guild as the culprit," he said.

A Spiritual Being—the guardian of the forest, no less—could have launched an attack on Japan if things had gone sideways. President Kikumoto was on the verge of venting his frustration but held back after hearing the explanation.

"You don't mean..." the president stammered.

"Yes. The Chaser Guild," the ambassador admitted. "We didn't make the information public because it was only circumstantial evidence. It could have easily turned into a diplomatic issue if handled incorrectly."

"By the way, I was also planning to keep this a secret," Kim Ki-Rok added.

President Kikumoto turned to Kim Ki-Rok. "Pardon?"

"An A-Class guild was involved, and I assumed Japan would just put on a show instead of holding them accountable. Of course, I looked for evidence whenever I had the time."

After a long, heavy silence, the president finally asked, his voice low and reluctant, "Was the Chaser Guild behind it?"

"They were," Kim Ki-Rok replied with a nod.

***

The Chaser Guild was involved in drug trafficking and had kidnapped the Elemental Fox's offspring, a move that could've triggered a major incident. To buy time to gather all the details, Kim Ki-Rok traveled by car, which allowed Kayano, the Japanese teleporter responsible for emergency transport, to arrive at the Association ahead of him and report the situation.

"Yes. It's the Chaser Guild," she confirmed.

"We're screwed," replied Imanaga.

Kayano was currently monitoring the situation in the conference room alongside the vice president of the Japanese Association. Although the vice president couldn't understand the Korean being spoken, the tense atmosphere alone made it clear that the situation was serious.

Noticing Kayano's pale face, the vice president asked, "What are they talking about?"

She let out a deep sigh as she looked at him. "You're very lucky."

"Come on... Please explain in a way I can understand."

"The Chaser Guild has been distributing Dream Candy."

Distracted by the chaos caused by the Chaser Guild, the president frowned, puzzled about the sudden mention of candy. "What do you mean, Dream Can—"

His words caught in his throat as his eyes widened, the realization dawning that they were talking about the drug.

"A-are you saying that the Chaser Guild distributed Dream Candy?"

"They're also suspects in a potential terror incident," Kayano answered.

"Potential?"

"They tried to kidnap and sell an Elemental Fox cub. The ones holding the evidence had stayed quiet since it was only circumstantial and could've sparked a diplomatic incident. But now that the Chaser Guild's made a mess, they've decided to go public. Sounds like they've gathered some additional evidence in the meantime too."

The Elemental Fox had taken Japan by storm. With foxes deeply tied to shrine culture, the creature felt both mystical and familiar to the public. A Hunter's photos of the fox, shared on social media, racked up endless views, and several publishers were already preparing to print and distribute them. Some even saw the fox's appearance as a sign of good fortune.

They tried to kidnap and sell a cub of such an Elemental Fox?

Imanaga looked up in a daze, then slowly opened his mouth. "They're... complete nut jobs."

With his background in a Hunter Guild, he quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. Even from the reports alone, he understood that the Elemental Fox was a Spiritual Being with immense mana. It wasn't hard to imagine the catastrophe that could've unfolded if it had gone berserk and crossed the Gate, enraged over its missing cub. This wasn't just a diplomatic issue with France anymore.

Suddenly, Imanaga shuddered, as if recalling something. "Wait. Did Mr. Hatashita attend the meeting?"

"Huh?" Kayano mumbled, not immediately understanding.

"Mr. Hatashita, from the First Secretary's Office," he repeated.

The two offices operated separately: the First Secretary's Office supported the Association President, while the Second Secretary's Office assisted the Vice Association President.

Noticing Imanaga's suddenly tense expression, Kayano pulled out her phone without hesitation. Since she was receiving a live feed of the meeting and couldn't place a call, she quickly used her messenger app to get a response.

"Yes, he's there," she replied.

"He's a corporate spy selling Association information to that bastard's guild."

"What?"

"I looked into the people circling around, trying to bring down the Association President. That's when I found out... He's probably feeding the meeting details to the Chaser Guild."

After a brief silence, Kayano stood up from her seat and shouted, "Why are you saying that now?!"

***

Hatashita Yasushi of the First Secretary's Office realized things were spiraling fast. The Chaser Guild's drug trafficking was already serious, but now they were suspected of being involved in a potential terrorist act. He quietly ended the call he'd been using to relay the meeting in real time, but it was already too late.

As the aide whispered in his ear, President Kikumoto raised a hand to pause Kim Ki-Rok mid-explanation and began walking straight toward Hatashita.

"Mr. Hatashita."

"Is there anything you need, President Kikumoto?" Hatashita responded, trying to keep his composure, but it was no use.

The president stared down at Hatashita with icy eyes. "Vice President Imanaga seems to know you."

"Hmm." Hatashita raised both hands slightly, seemingly unfazed. "Call my lawyer, please."

"He's a potential terrorist and the culprit behind the drug trafficking case that's currently causing chaos in Japan. How much information did you sell to him so far?"

"Will you reduce my sentence?" Hatashita asked, straightforwardly.

President Kikumoto gritted his teeth but still nodded.

"I've told him everything up to the drug enforcement situation."

That meant the Chaser Guild hadn't known about the potential terrorist incident but was involved in the drug case, and that alone was enough.

"Deploy the criminal pursuit team!" Kikumoto shouted.

As soon as he confirmed the link between the drug case and the potential terror threat, he ordered his inner circle to mobilize the team.

Looking around at the stunned faces of the conference attendees, President Kikumoto said, "We'll resume this meeting after we've arrested the Chaser Guild."

No one objected. The attendees rose from their seats at once.

The president pulled out his smartphone and made a call, his eyes tracking the people filing out of the conference room before shifting to the podium where the laptop sat. Kim Ki-Rok was staring intently at his own phone, his face set in a serious expression, fitting for someone who had uncovered two major cases Japan hadn't even been aware of. That look alone was enough to make Kikumoto uneasy.

"Hunter Kim Ki-Rok. What's the matter?" President Kikumoto asked.

"Guildmast—no... Awakened criminal Eigawa Toshino had been at his guild building earlier, but he just escaped with a few associates."

"What happened to the personnel who were monitoring the guild?" the president asked, fearing the worst.

"Since it was an A-Class guild, we had high-level Hunters guarding the site. No fatalities, but many were injured," Kim Ki-Rok calmly reported. "The surprise attack came from outside the guild, and those injured will need rehabilitation—anywhere from six months to a year and a half."

President Kikumoto let out a deep sigh and glanced toward the remaining French embassy staff. Kim Ki-Rok's eyes also shifted there.

Seeing their expectant gazes, the Frenchman finally spoke. "I will relay the contact from our country first."

"I hope they have a good answer for us," the president replied.

The French embassy staff hesitated briefly, but seeing no concern on Kim Ki-Rok's face, he finally spoke. "Given the circumstances and the severity of the risk, there's a strong chance this will be handled quietly. The decision will likely align with what you and the Japan Hunters Association are hoping for."

With the party that should've taken responsibility now vanished, there was little point in chasing after excuses. The only viable path forward was a practical one.