The next morning, many reporters from various TV stations around the world gathered in front of Central Tower I-Island. They competed to get the best spot to get a picture of the participants at the Hunter International Conference this time.
As the sun rose higher one by one the Hunter conference participants arrived at the Central Tower. Many Hunters are big names in their respective countries. The camera flash kept flashing since the Hunters arrived. And when the American representatives arrived almost all the cameras were pointed at them.
Almost all the cameras were aimed at the Scavenger guild members who had just arrived. Attention focused on the guild master Thomas Andre.
Meanwhile, Thomas ignored the presence of journalists and looked as if he was looking for someone.
" Laura, are the Japanese still not here? "
" They should arrive any minute now "
Right after Laura said that a commotion could be heard behind them. When they looked back, they could see the Hunter representative from Japan, the person they were looking for.
Thomas looked at the group that had just arrived. Judging from where he felt he could tell they consisted of several A-rank and two S-rank people. But even so, there was still one more person who had escaped his detection. He didn't notice it until he saw the young man's figure.
Thomas, who realized this, felt goosebumps and was challenged at the same time. He was amazed at how the young man could hide his presence and immense mana, especially with hundreds of troops watching in his shadow.
Noticing the gaze directed at him, Izuku stared back at the owner of that gaze. He could see a tall, big blonde man looking at him. Izuku thought for a moment that the man looked like All Might but quickly erased the thought from his head after felt the ferocious aura coming from him.
Thomas then walked over to Izuku's group. People are immediately interested in what will happen. They wondered why the Goliath suddenly approached Izuku's group.
Once Thomas reached them, he stood before Ichirou and then greeted him.
" Nice to meet you guild master Ichirou "
" Yes, nice to meet you too guild master Thomas "
Ichirou accepted the greeting with a friendly smile while hiding his curiosity at the Goliath's sudden approach.
" Congratulations on completing the S-rank gate in China "
" Thank you, I heard that you are also trying to complete the S-rank gate that appeared in California. "
Ichirou and Thomas exchanged friendly conversation. Just by looking at them, people immediately knew that they were building relations between the two countries. Their conversation continued until Thomas finally brought up the topic of Chinese heroes. He then looked at Izuku who was standing behind Ichirou with a sharp gaze.
" And you must be the Chinese hero, vice guild master Izuku, right? "
" Yes, right "
" I see, nice to meet you, kid "
Thomas stretched out his hand as if to shake Izuku's hand. Izuku stared at the hand extended to him for a moment, and after a moment of silence, he then smiled and accepted the handshake.
" Yes, nice to meet you "
When their hands touched, Thomas immediately gripped Izuku's hand tightly and even deliberately put pressure on his grip by infusing a little killing intent. Izuku frowned slightly when he felt the pressure trying to crush his hand but he still maintained his composure, he even responded in the same way the Goliath did.
His grin grew when Thomas felt that his target had responded well to his greeting. Feeling satisfied, he immediately released his grip and laughed.
" haha... good, good, I was curious to see what kind of Hunter could defeat such a powerful monster so easily, it turns out you're quite an interesting kid. Alright, see you later, kid "
Thomas also patted Izuku's shoulder before finally going back to his group. Izuku was a little confused by what Thomas' actions just now meant, he continued to stare at Thomas' back as he walked away. He then caught someone familiar to him.
Among the Scavenger guild group, he could see Rody among the group. When their eyes met, Rody just nodded his head before finally following the guild master.
Izuku just stared at the group in silence. Ichirou also noticed her gaze and whispered to her.
' Is he the young man you met that time '
' yes, he's the one '
' I see, I think there is still a chance to establish good relations with America '
' well, I'm not too sure about that '
' yeah, I guess you're right '
With their thoughts, Izuku's group walked back in following the other groups.
In a meeting room large enough to accommodate all the country's representatives, most of the Conference participants had gathered. Izuku's group was the last to arrive.
Even though only Izuku and Ichirou entered, their arrival attracted everyone's attention, especially Izuku who became the topic of conversation.
' so they are the ones who have resolved the incident in China '
' He's younger than I thought '
Izuku and Ichirou could hear busy whispers discussing them as well as various sharp gazes. Ignoring all the attention, they walked casually towards the chairs that had been prepared for them.
Not long after the conference participants gathered, the conference finally began. An old man in a lab coat who looked like a professor walked onto the stage and stood in front of the podium.
" Hello everyone. I'm Doctor Belzer, head of gate and monster phenomena research on I-Island. "
The old man who introduced himself as Doctor Belzer opened the conference with a simple greeting and introduction. While everyone focused on him, Doctor Belzer continued his explanation.
" I'm sure you're all aware that the number of gates being produced has increased, and stronger monsters are starting to appear. But not many of you know that unusual activity has been detected in the sky.
It has been widely reposted that the concentration of magical energy being absorbed into the atmosphere is increasing. But I would like to call this magical energy found in the atmosphere in a different way. Until we find a more appropriate term to call it, how about we call it 'Magisper' "
In between Doctor Belzer's explanations, he turned on the screen behind him which displayed a world map that also contained several red dots spread across various countries, one of which was Japan.
" Did you know that this Magisphere gathers in the skies of several countries? We have observed this phenomenon in nine places, and of them, the Magisphere is most concentrated here. "
Doctor Belzer then zoomed in on the screen to one of the countries that had a red dot.
" That is Tokyo, Japan. "
As soon as Japan was mentioned, everyone's attention immediately returned to Japan's representative, especially Izuku. The whispers talking about him also came back. Seeing this commotion Doctor Belzer only sighed lightly before returning his attention to him.
" There's no need to look at Japanese representatives like that. If the vice guild master was the one piloting the Magisphere above the sky, then he would have already passed the Hunter realm. "
The noise soon subsided and attention returned to the doctor. Izuku, who had been ignoring people's attention to him, only focused on the nine points on the map.
' nine places huh, does that have anything to do with the number of Kings? but two kings have been killed along with Baran who was killed by the previous Shadow Monarch and Legia who I just killed. So, are the other two Rulers? '
While Izuku was busy with his thoughts, Doctor Belzer continued his explanation.
" Because the cause is not yet known, at this time we cannot do anything. However, just because it can't be addressed, doesn't mean there isn't a need to address it. The world may soon face major changes, once again. "
After Doctor Belzer finished his explanation, Adam White, who had been waiting from the side, immediately approached him.
" Doctor Belzer, is that the end of the presentation? "
" Yes. "
" Then I will take over from here "
Inviting Adam to take over, Doctor Belzer then left the stage and was replaced by Adam. People are increasingly curious about what Adam will say, although some remain calm because they already know the answer.
" There is an urgent matter that I wish to announce to the Hunters gathered today. And it is with a heavy heart that I deliver this news. "
Adam was seen closing his eyes for a moment, he looked regretful and sad about the news he was about to convey. And after taking a deep breath, Adam spoke again.
" About two weeks ago, Hunter Christopher Reid was murdered by a group of unknown assailants. "
Hearing the news of the death of one of the national-level Hunters, an even greater commotion resounded throughout the meeting room. Various reactions emerged and most refused to believe it and some even thought it was a joke. But regardless of their reaction, everyone knows that if such a topic is brought up at an international meeting, it is not nonsense, let alone a joke.
Many questioned how such a strong Hunter could be killed, especially by an unknown group. Various assumptions began to emerge, some even pointed to Izuku as the mastermind.
However, even though he received various negative responses from people, Izuku remained silent and was busy with his thoughts. Adam, who realized this, only took a deep breath before speaking again.
" There is no concrete evidence yet, but based on the wounds found on Hunter Christopher's body, these wounds were caused by a monster attack. "
While Adam was talking, he also showed several photos and videos of Christopher's burning house. Attention was then drawn to a photo of the wounds on Christopher's body which were claws from a monster animal. Thanks to that, people's suspicions of Izuku were slightly reduced. But there were still some people who stole glances at Izuku.
" We assumed the attack came from gate break, but we found absolutely no signs of the appearance or remains of the gate at the scene. News of Christopher Reid's death will be officially released tomorrow. Even though we still don't know the identity of the perpetrator, we hope that the Hunters present here will be willing to help uncover the perpetrator and also be careful about the threat he poses. "
Once Adam finished with his explanation, he then continued with a question and answer session. While the noise returned around him, Izuku was still lost in his thoughts. He then remembered his meeting with Kamish as well as his warning before he disappeared. Kamish had said that five people borrowed Rulers' quarts.
Izuku started pulling red threads one by one from all the information he already knew from now on. Thanks to that, Izuku felt he could guess the group of the perpetrator, but now the question was who the real perpetrator was.
Until now Izuku only knows three Monarchs. While two Monarchs had been killed, there was still the Monarch of Destruction and six other Monarchs whose names he did not know.
Izuku looked back at the photo of the wounds on Christopher's body carefully. He noticed not only scratches but also spiral-shaped wounds that likely proved the perpetrator was not alone.
Despite knowing that fact, Izuku still couldn't guess who the culprit was. He then dug deeper into the memories he got from the Architect and remembered the giant wolf he saw in those memories.
' Is the giant wolf the culprit? '
Seeing the frown on Izuku's face deepening, Ichirou tapped his shoulder which made him flinch. As a result of her response like that, Ichirou whispered to ask her.
' Are you okay? '
' hah? oh! yeah '
' you know something about it? '
' no, just consider it another of my ridiculous assumptions '
' I see, so you already know who did it '
' I told you this is just an assumption, as long as there is no evidence I can't be sure either '
' fine '
Despite Izuku being one step away from arriving at the answer, he chose to erase those thoughts from his head. Not knowing this will lead him to the greatest despair.
Once the conference was over, the participants were then directed to the 2nd floor where the banquet known as 'The Night of The Hunters' was held. Following everyone Izuku and Ichirou walked behind.
As soon as they arrived on the 2nd floor, other representative members from various countries gathered there to enjoy the banquet. Izuku and Ichirou also gathered with their other members.
Some people were seen chatting with their colleagues, some even tried to establish relationships with other parties. Several people tried to approach Izuku's group and the others.
Seeing this, Ichirou happily invited his representative to serve them while he returned to the hotel.
" Well, I'll leave this to you, okay? I'll go back and rest. "
Even though Izuku had a dissatisfied face, Ichirou still left while pretending not to notice Izuku's response.
Ichirou walked away from the crowd and returned to his room at the hotel. As soon as he left Central Tower the smile he had before disappeared completely replaced with an anxious expression.
For some reason, ever since he arrived on this island he kept feeling anxious as if something bad was going to happen. While he was pensive, he accidentally ran into Thomas Andre, who seemed to have just picked up the call.
Seeing her there, Ichirou took the initiative to greet her, but before he could get closer, he suddenly felt something strange happening around him.
Ichirou looked around and realized that he had been trapped in some kind of black dome. Not only himself but the Goliath was also trapped with him.
" I didn't expect there would be two victims trapped at once. "
Both Thomas and Ichirou were surprised by the appearance of an old man with blue skin among them. Moreover, the man used monster language.
While Ichirou was alert, Thomas looked excited. He seemed interested in the opponent who suddenly appeared, especially since he had many questions he wanted to ask the man(?).
" Well, whatever it is, this will speed up the hunt. So, which one of you should I kill first? "
.