Minerva (3)

The next day, Minerva's boarding procedures began and filming commenced as scheduled.

The concept of "a variety show where people from different professions travel together" had, in fact, half-collapsed, but thanks to Yeon Kyung-ho's participation, it still retained some of its original flavor.

"Are we really safe here? I honestly feel like I shouldn't have come. Is movie promotion really worth all this?"

"Oh my, you don't get chances like this very often. When else will you ever get to ride on Minerva?"

With an exaggerated tone, Yeon Kyung-ho's remark was picked up next to him by Pyo Ji-yeol.

"There's really no need to worry. In our party, we even have an A-rank Hunter, Kim Seung-hyun, and just yesterday! A young lady who gave Eugene Garland a taste of defeat...!"

"Ugh, seriously!!"

Pyo Ji-yeol blurted out so loudly that everyone boarding Minerva could hear, and Yeon-ji's face flushed bright red as she dashed over.

"Don't say it out loud! It only happened because Hunter Eugene Garland... was caught off guard, okay?"

"'Caught off guard'—yet you slammed him into the ground, didn't you? And I heard your specialty is magic, but you beat him at arm wrestling, right? Maybe you should switch careers to something more physical, even now?"

"No way."

Staff nearby smiled as they fixed their cameras on the two's conversation.

Even if Yeon-ji did it on a whim yesterday, her victory over Eugene was nothing but a surprise attack that took advantage of his carelessness, not her true ability.

Of course, I considered the fact that it was even possible was thanks to Yeon-ji's power, but Yeon-ji, who had a strong sense of pride, probably didn't see it that way—that's why she was reacting so fiercely now.

"It's Eugene Garland!"

"Mr. Eugene! What do you think about what happened yesterday?"

At that moment, Eugene and Hunters from Pandemonium, who had also arrived to board Minerva, appeared—with KDC's PD Heo Seong-man and their staff in tow.

"Those people don't look happy."

Yeon Kyung-ho observed quietly in a small voice.

Just as he said, Eugene and the others' faces looked somewhat crumpled.

They brushed off reporters who wanted them to explain yesterday's incident and kept walking.

"...!"

Meanwhile, Eugene's gaze shifted this way.

More precisely, toward Yeon-ji, who was in the middle of bickering with Pyo Ji-yeol.

"That person really has no eye for these things."

Noticing Eugene staring intently at Yeon-ji, Kim Seung-hyun grinned and approached me.

"Yeon-ji wasn't the only one there yesterday, you know."

"Well, I was there too, I suppose."

I gave a non-committal answer to Kim Seung-hyun's words.

For reasons unclear to me, Kim Seung-hyun had always seemed strangely conscious of me.

"I think the reason Yeon-ji had that kind of strength at such a young age is all thanks to you, manager Park."

"Eh? I really didn't..."

"No need to be modest. I know everything."

Kim Seung-hyun smiled as he spoke.

'I really don't get it.'

For some reason, Kim Seung-hyun always glanced at Yeon-ji with hostility but treated me very warmly. Considering that most Hunters tended to disregard managers, Kim Seung-hyun's attitude was rather unusual.

Even more, according to Pyo Ji-yeol, managers assigned to Kim Seung-hyun struggled to last even a month.

'Well, I'll probably find out eventually.'

Not thinking much of it, I leisurely stepped into Minerva.

For now, the filming needed to be completed safely—that was the priority.

***

"Monster attack! All Hunters, intercept the monsters charging at the train!"

"Hunter Eugene, please prepare in case an A-rank monster appears!"

Such announcements echoed through the train corridor as Hunters dashed past.

Having already seen video footage beforehand, I wasn't surprised. Still, it had only been an hour since the train departed, yet monsters had already attacked for the third time. There was a reason why people called this the Red Field.

"The real action is definitely over on that side."

Yeon-ji spoke calmly, and I could feel the people around her flinch slightly, as if affected by her presence.

KDC cameramen hurried after Eugene and the Pandemonium Hunters as they performed.

Through the window, Eugene Garland's flashy display cutting down monsters was already impressive, and it hadn't even been edited yet.

"In contrast, aren't we a little too plain?"

Yeon Kyung-ho, cutting his steak, spoke in a dispirited tone.

If KDC was getting sensational footage by securing Eugene Garland, our group's atmosphere was exceedingly calm.

We ate from Minerva's menu, engaged in light conversation and played simple games.

All we did was review Minerva's interior.

At Yeon Kyung-ho's comment, PD Jung let out a faint sigh.

"... This wasn't how things were supposed to go. We planned to film Hunters in action on Minerva and add missions for us to carry out among them."

"Eh? Regardless of what you planned, neither Pyo Ji-yeol nor I are Hunters, so there's no way we could join in."

"Not everyone there is a fighter. There are caretakers tending to wounded Hunters, porters carrying goods, and so forth."

It seemed he had imagined a rather dynamic program, helping out the hard-fighting Hunters.

Usually, since the attention is on the Hunters, it's hard to know what the others do.

If people like me, Yeon Kyung-ho, or Pyo Ji-yeol—who weren't Hunters but understood their world well enough—ended up pitching in here and there, that might actually make for interesting footage.

'So that's why they tried to scare people when recruiting.'

They must have intended for tough people to remain, planning to film under demanding conditions.

"But... I never thought KDC would pull something like this."

For once, good-natured PD Jung's voice was laced with anger.

Even though everything had been arranged with the Minerva organizers, the plan was derailed when KDC intervened.

It was especially problematic that KDC was responsible for supporting the Hunters who were assigned to guard Minerva.

'KDC has effectively got a monopoly on the scenes with Hunters in action, so there's nothing left for us to film.'

If it were just KDC, perhaps complaints could be voiced, but the problem was, they had a direct agreement with Pandemonium—a major power even in the US.

With S-rank Hunter Eugene Garland involved, what could anyone possibly do?

There was no way KDC would let others film the Hunters, so in the end, we could only shoot the facilities inside Minerva.

"At this rate, it's no different from a regular streamer doing a review. I'm really sorry. I should have anticipated this possibility."

PD Jung bowed his head and apologized, letting out a deep sigh.

It was obvious that filming would fail at this rate.

"PD Jung."

"Yes?"

As the PD was saying he'd try to come up with a new plan for filming, I calmly asked,

"So, right now there's no separate plan for how we'll film from here on?"

"That's right, I'm sorry to say. Still, the stations at which Minerva stops are unique, so maybe we could review the Red Field at some of them..."

"Wouldn't KDC have made arrangements there, too?"

"..."

At that, PD Jung fell silent, apparently unable to be certain anymore.

With the way KDC had derailed everything, they probably had tactics ready to keep us in check at the stations as well.

"It's a bit tricky, but I don't think things are actually that bad. At least, we've carried the early buzz."

And that was all thanks to Yeon-ji.

Even if her real identity was Ji Yeon-hwa, from the outside, she was "the genius girl" who'd bested a famous American S-rank Hunter.

Even a quick look on the internet showed talk about yesterday's events from both Korea and the US.

"Then how about we change up the concept a bit?"

"Change the concept?"

PD Jung repeated, sounding confused, and I nodded.

"If we could bring in a guest who isn't outshined by Eugene Garland, most of the problem would be solved."

"Changing the concept is one thing, but... bringing in another guest? And someone not outshined by Eugene Garland, here on Minerva?"

Clearly not believing his ears, PD Jung shook his head.

Anyone would react that way.

Finding a guest within these limits who could match or surpass Eugene was impossible.

"At least in terms of recognition, I promise they won't fall behind."

"... Who is this person? If someone like that was on Minerva, I'd know."

Without any further explanation, I just turned on my phone and showed him a video.

In it, a streamer was walking around inside Minerva.

That streamer was none other than Alencia Walker.

The daughter of James Walker, the swindler who shook up America.

"Is this... being filmed live?"

"Yes, that's right."

At my hinting question, PD Jung looked conflicted.

"Well... I suppose she's got recognition, but her image isn't exactly great, is it?"

PD Jung was visibly negative toward bringing in Alencia.

The other staff didn't look much different.

"She's the daughter of a con artist, after all, and I can't imagine what we'd do if we brought her on."

"Even if it's you, manager Park, honestly this one's a bit much...though her looks are certainly above average."

Most of these points were valid.

Alencia had name recognition, but that alone wasn't enough for a broadcast.

Moreover, even if she was famous in the US, more Koreans probably didn't know her than did.

There were definitely more negatives than positives.

"Then, why don't you just meet her once and decide?"

It wasn't simply that I wanted to meet Alencia myself.

I was convinced she would prove to be the key to overcoming our current problems.

With her abilities—definitely.

***

"Huh, the restaurant on Minerva is expensive. I can't afford it."

Alencia Walker was filming herself exploring and reviewing the train facilities ever since boarding Minerva. There was a reason it was called "the world's largest train."

From the railroad specifications to the sheer size, the train cars were enormous and full of interesting sights.

【Buy something with this, $5】

"Oh, thanks. But this isn't nearly enough, you know?"

These days, you could hardly buy anything for just five dollars.

On Minerva, the cheapest item was over ten dollars, so with five dollars you could barely get an orange juice at best.

'The $200 guy isn't here.'

Well, it was a weekday—he was probably busy at work.

She'd received a lot from him over time, so couldn't complain, but she couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic.

This was what happened when you got used to earning easy money.

"I heard Eugene Garland is fighting monsters up front. Should I go take a look? I mean, I'm still an Awakener, so while I can't fight, I can go close to the action."

【You're just an "awakener" in name only, aren't you?】

"Shut up. F-rank is still Awakener, okay? Wanna get beat up by all the F-rank Awakener in the country?"

She shot back half in jest, but the chat was full of laughter and mockery. There wasn't a single supportive comment for her.

Annoyed, Alencia irritably ended her stream, half on impulse.

It was something a streamer should never do, but with so few viewers, it didn't matter much anyway.

"Damn."

Her words sounded like a joke, but inside, she was genuinely upset.

Not all F-rank Awakener were the same.

These days, aptitude tests for the Awakener could estimate future potential somewhat, but Alencia received the appraisal: "Lowest possible."

"There's some magic power in your body, so you must have a mana hall, but it's so small and you can't really absorb it properly."

According to the examiner, Alencia was born unable to properly absorb magic power.

It was amazing she had any magical energy at all, they said.

Honestly, she was basically a normal person—but anyone with magic power was classified as Awakener, so she received the lowest possible rank, F-rank.

"Honestly, you should be ranked even lower than F, but there's nothing lower. Oh, but I'll admit your magic control is pretty good. I don't know who taught you, but that's the only thing you've got going for you. That's why you get F-rank. Otherwise, you would've failed, failed."

How everyone had laughed at those words.

Remembering the humiliation of that day made her whole body tremble.

Those words were meant to tell Alencia: don't ever even think about setting foot in this world again.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Just wait until Jung-woo gets his hands on Alencia.Wait, that sounds bad, but you know what I mean.【(⩌_⩌ )】

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