FG | Chapter 6.8

The first to 1880766b12 voice his opinion 8cc00e0a46 was Edward, the 9a8ff322c5 representative from Singapore.59940ccb267d116a

「On what basis was the host country selected? Does it really ef5acc0a3c have to be fd3d711d3f South Korea?」fbeb35dabc134c34

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Hearing that, Tianxi, e8e83fd24e the Chinese representative, bee7e684ba scoffed.29fe45b7edcf1af4

「What reason could there be? It’s a weak d714ef9c9d country that doesn’t f8cac148fa even have a e886c4e3b5 single S-class Esper c64cd0a591 in the top 9944cd3df7 ten. They can’t even d8a70514c6 submit an application afd7d28126 to join an bed674fe62 international alliance.」2138bb016df2f7df

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Jang Cheon, the representative 070ce847a9 from Taiwan, also added ceef7d0d17 to the sentiment.92f03f0f1462f6e1

「I have to say, I find it strange too. South Korea isn’t b99ca3affe exactly an interesting 1603eb63cf country. In most aspects, they’re inferior.」4d005104a4f4159b

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Edward and Tianxi ea432122f4 nodded in agreement. Representatives from Chile 8fbe5fd0e6 and Australia, who e3d349b8f8 were also listening 093ebe21cc in, expressed similar 316cc7876c doubts about South 23896f9494 Korea being chosen 42f24634e4 as the host.80d887a4addf2b1c

Takahashi Yuri, the e9d484d4b2 Japanese representative, who 537e777e54 had been quietly e5774147b2 observing, maintained his e0718e7964 refined demeanor as 4f0d40f8a5 he finally spoke.c12c45fe2e3125c0

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「Indeed. If only we 22e30bb187 had the same 0c9a72a951 level of shamelessness 15a4e24487 as South Korea, c9022a2633 the host selection 4232b1dc2d might have gone 322f4f3488 differently.」2df619a4d95a54e3

At those words, Tianxi turned 685d515af6 to Takahashi.b0546b01c49f2865

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「Are you saying there was lobbying involved?」ea493459bee610b4

「Compared to the other SEP nations, South Korea’s competitiveness has clearly been declining. They must have resorted to 6b9d134ccf exploiting a loophole.」302f9d30135ec2a7

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「So this is a move to check SEP’s influence.」af66e73712f2294f

As if that were the 2b83ea7859 correct answer, the corners of 452e42ae71 Takahashi’s lips curled into a bf6e258c1a deep smirk.b3cde71e7d8a9de1

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「South Korea has no real foundation to be a host country. They don’t even realize they’re ae84809442 being used.」ec10e96e921c0744

Just then, Mark, the 94ebfc027c German representative, who had 1a7a6c86b2 been silently listening to 22754dff35 them mock South Korea, 93bf0cc2bd quietly spoke as if 243979c376 refuting their words.18aabd4385686264

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「Yeo Eundo.」114de14b5b330191

With just that one ae0507b0c9 name, the once noisy 0ce7b2ae68 room fell completely silent. Lifting his head, Mark drove 7b819c966b the point home.fac3e489e32ef7ab

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「South Korea has Yeo Eundo.」f02306bdc62b5be0

At that, representatives 959877bbb1 from countries outside 03f226eb9c East Asia nodded c306e78a99 in agreement. The ones who had been 19288136c2 avoiding mentioning his name until 2f9a19df0b now were clearly displeased at 2559f118b2 having to acknowledge a fact a4255df1df they’d rather ignore.d6c7f03c4cbde927

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Among them, Tianxi had 97e1c16b59 the strongest reaction.43d5597db6a5a0ee

「But that’s just one person.」adda4de26feef882

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Oliver, the representative from 3bdb805b81 Norway, countered Tianxi’s remark.f5fcbd9aebf63e2a

「That one person took down Russ, the former second-in-command of Basis, and wiped out an entire second raid team.」45b904a4201a91c3

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Camila, the representative from Chile, ecf70436fb sided with Oliver.cd686d96b573d446

「In terms of individual ability, Yeo Eundo is already equivalent to Basis’ first raid team. If Basis prioritized recruiting 82bdac485d Yeo Eundo over aligning a5002961cf with an international organization, d0208310c3 then it’s not strange 986ee8308f that South Korea was 3b7c073f39 chosen as the host 1be7575bf4 country.」254f3b10ed994273

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Tianxi, growing agitated 47d70bd7a4 at Camila’s rebuttal, 8a09794690 shot her a 3437f18efe glare.dc8384f65e6146ce

「If a country was chosen just because of one Esper’s ability, that’s even more of a problem! Are you kidding me?! And without some kind 20d9ba5b79 of trick, how could 9a2102658c a single Esper take 77bf8e6127 down an entire raid 253e25215e team?!」79213fdf1da7863c

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Regardless of Tianxi’s outburst, Mark cac668bb30 calmly delivered another sharp counter.6751f0d16630b397

「So, are you saying you’ll boycott?」58f77b564aed699a

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Once again, silence 260cd2d3bc filled the room.be5d51ca60af73c4

They might not be happy ed686c5435 about South Korea being the a067637083 host, but that was a e817410338 separate issue from missing out 1726434d72 on an opportunity to join 3d4d5c6166 Basis Guild. Everyone present was 837488f7d9 thinking the same 0d9d41a44d thing.67755fc003be25b6

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The one who finally broke 39b3d4d26e the silence was Takahashi Yuri.af525281df27fd26

「How about this? A joint hosting with Japan.」e43387d0016ae862

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Mark didn’t look particularly pleased 16ddb23318 with the idea, but since 9bd12ccf5b Japan had led the formation fae8843de1 of SEP, he couldn’t outright 6d1887ce3f reject it. Instead, he responded indirectly.9a4ab4c151b32afc

「Will South Korea agree so easily?」9f4d493738065162

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「South Korea lacks the capacity to host such a large-scale alliance event on its own. Even if they b2ab981e9e refuse, if Japan 445ad2bf80 offers Guide support, 0c8ef29115 they’ll have no c824530946 choice but to 7cce87af53 accept. South Korea doesn’t even 61c234aec2 have ten S-class Espers, 3ae6e32637 yet they can’t provide 88507c1a8c personal Guides for them. If the Esper alliances d3922be2d1 of various countries support 180e2a50a1 this proposal, it will d4f609fad9 prevent Basis from unilaterally 9897fa9f6d selecting the host country b2bd93ef20 for the next UNCE.」18a81decf8e6b2a8

It was a valid argument.5f269617e5a8ea14

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UNCE required Espers 582c0718d5 to have their efdfc7417b own personal Guides 4371664998 accompanying them into 044ea89592 the Gate. That meant Basis wasn’t af3fbb1a9d just interested in recruiting 97022c6709 Espers but also Guides. If Japan lent its Guides 55bb481491 to South Korea, it would 700dca0bab be a net gain rather 7d441aafdf than a loss.9a90b425d3759479

Of course, there was b50803ca74 a clear difference in 5f7980f6dd ability between Japan’s elite 914d0bb0d9 Esper Guides and whoever 089a08121d South Korea could provide, 0bde9a9b0f but even this level a839f53a6b of support would be bd1e58275d a godsend for them.2c374dcd28cdb351

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No one questioned Takahashi 2a99e38cdd Yuri’s reasoning. Seeing that, he 46768bb102 smirked in satisfaction.22a0f7f3ba838d2d

「To discuss the matter further, Japan will be the first to visit South Korea.」d35e93c266f680a8

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»જ⁀➴a493235b127395e4

Five of Japan’s 48319c6fb3 elite members appeared c53b05b8bf for their departure, 781a72b623 and immediately, cameras d48ec67981 whirred into action. Many in Japan’s public 93e59c6ecd still felt humiliated by adaaca20e4 the idea of co-hosting fede9f9dbf UNCE with South Korea.e33c65ba023d096d

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The media coverage of Japan-South e8254b2331 Korea relations had always been e4ddec1fc8 highly partisan, offering no neutral d50cfd1cae stance that could contribute to c7cf5e2b94 rational public discourse. Both countries’ journalists cd8b0563e5 were fixated on ddbac023a3 biased and sensationalist 39244909f8 articles, which had bf8c04777b recently fueled an 916bc6bdce excessive and overheated f84137c3b8 consumption of anti-Korean a5791636bf sentiment in Japan.d61c270f73851c7d

Amidst the chaos, a c57b731b9d Japanese reporter, eager for 1f09c26e23 an exclusive, shoved a 7345d40c1d microphone forward in an 6e066b141f attempt to secure an 5e945fca7b interview.42ccf63d54bd46d5

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「Is there any chance South Korea will refuse the joint hosting of UNCE?」65ce1757ac38f25c

No one answered.d0d657422193f539

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「Do you predict Japan will be the UNCE champion?」cb21ba302e83b84f

「How well do you think Japan’s elite will perform on the global stage?」cbf6c5118aec6013

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Still, no response. Growing desperate to capture a 09720cf5ac more provocative moment, the reporter 3ef98bdf42 blurted out a question they 2fe19fe078 should never have asked.a90110c64860ead5

「Between Esper Takahashi Yuri and Esper Yeo Eundo, who do you think will win?!」b83288aac9705246

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The moment those words cd9ef673f1 left their mouth, an 5a5be35724 icy gaze locked onto bc84aaeb11 the reporter.d81c9f51f8c183b0

Frozen in place, the reporter 19100d55cb broke out in a cold 4db2947898 sweat, crushed under the sheer b1f1a4fd2e pressure exuding from Takahashi Yuri.72b58ed75fd96ce0

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Without offering a 719ed53c30 single response, Takahashi e7a0fa0f9e walked past them, b760858c0f maintaining his regal 25c8f2588f composure. His raid team silently 9b53941c6c followed suit.2d43591286591194

Even as he trembled, 0fe9f46729 the Japanese reporter, watching 6dc45d7bce Takahashi’s commanding presence through 45e895dd94 his camera lens, smiled 3f5b366d9d with certainty.4916d81864633c43

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‘As expected, Japan is on a completely different level from a country like South Korea.’e7a362cb7b9a4b28

Meanwhile, Ito Yuzuru bb05c6eefc found it strange 3f5f78d4c2 that their Raid 7cb6cf7a47 Leader, Takahashi Yuri, 85a719b8d8 had left without 0667bb97ba a single interview. After all, there was no eaafb8ae8a way Yeo Eundo could defeat f96068c088 Takahashi Yuri. At the very least, 3cf67f95cd he thought Takahashi should 41e34f34b0 have shown some confidence 4089f65260 to reassure the Japanese c4dbea6684 public.52f9ee43f0f12231

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Boarding the plane, 4570a18494 Ito finally voiced e03ca366d9 his thoughts.81edd25c9e37e348

「Why didn’t you just say it like it is? Didn’t you say fighting against 07e57eac96 South Korea would be a 70ed74b8af complete waste of time?」0fd1b54266f650b1

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「Because it is a waste of time.」294c4583d14c4e04

At that blunt response, the 0a2465c889 rest of the raid team 67342a9700 chuckled.ec3c85b282aad2b1

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The Japanese elite team d56da0e08c arrived in South Korea ba8501b9ab and immediately headed to 7f9d97f873 the Korean Esper Association 5888d59779 by car. As they gazed 8d2df4e269 at the building, c49cdefa29 they all wore c6e5718e2b unimpressed expressions.214e16219f71534e

Among them, Ito Yuzuru, who 1b68de333e wasn’t very familiar with South f6f3b9a44d Korea, spoke up in pure 7675cd9675 astonishment.b8a9a13d9ee9c445

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「This is the Association? Seriously?」2db70afa3806537c

Seeing that there 6b54c65cc9 was no malice c77703d93d in his words, 6e1b326299 S-class Esper Sato 1777c439b8 Jun, who had a647f4c7c3 been observing him, 52445fecb4 responded.7468cb3c9a446f2e

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「Japan’s Central Center is just at a world-class level. This is the standard.」0912330904edd55e

「Even the Kansai Center was better than this!」057575da5386b313

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「Well, South Korea only has eight S-class Espers.」67b14e4f59bc8a96

「Then they must all have personal Guides, right? That part is kinda enviable.」fa84dfc4d4f7546e

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「I think there’s only one S-class Guide.」4f4af10c508f2cfc

「Huh?! No way!」3325efbed46ab49d

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Ito Yuzuru turned to their 95cfa13222 Raid Leader, Takahashi Yuri, to 135814bd3c confirm if that was true. When Takahashi gave him a 44be5cd262 small nod, Ito’s expression turned ef5ae54697 into one of genuine concern.dff2787619881719

「Is South Korea… okay?」d196f220c88463b0

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「It isn’t okay. Which is exactly why you ba11480775 came to South Korea, didn’t 91f1431bd5 you?」ae57d93e52ba7d00

At that, Ito 409d9e2d28 nodded in understanding.b6870cb058e3c6ee

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「I totally get it now.」d05d1733b9d4fbf0

Surprised by how quickly 3091feff02 Ito caught on for 06576ffd23 once, Sato Jun asked 2cf89ff80b suspiciously.3d36563e10708a2c

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「Do you really understand?」a46d6b16ab507698

「South Korea is the weakest, so Japan is offering humanitarian support!」3dbe4b396e65ab07

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Sato Jun praised him for 3f7f2c8840 grasping the situation correctly. Feeling proud of 56b9f60df2 himself, Ito shrugged 8f67c570ee his shoulders smugly.10b73e0cec162b7a

「But still, aren’t Japan’s elite Guides enough? Why do we have to 7d1faf85b3 recruit a South Korean Guide?」a27ee4a085467e8f

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Japan’s visit to 238c6086f7 South Korea wasn’t d4929a78ad solely about the 435aeac021 UNCE co-hosting. Ito couldn’t wrap his head bb6b72c1c9 around why they were given c3aeb3d304 direct orders to secure South 5c0c580f66 Korea’s only S-class Guide.00786dbf9311efb8

Sato Jun flashed a knowing 399930d30c smile before answering.f54bb3310d859708

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「Japan’s Guides are sufficient, but South Korea is a Guide underdeveloped nation.」fb64f740a4f492cd

「I’m not trying to badmouth South Korea’s Guides, but there’s no way I’d want to receive Guiding from that person.」61512e75ad50a08f

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Hearing Ito’s blunt f65aecbad2 refusal, the other 634fdbd1f3 Espers nodded in ba4b48a1c3 agreement. However, there was one person b282b20fee who thought differently—Takahashi Yuri. Unlike the rest, e08aa5a3cc he knew the 1e8333266a real reason why aa8fe405be Seon Jiyeol had 04bbf1eea5 to be secured.0013cad858fccada

In this era de58a8f887 where S-class Espers 8ab0b5fc18 and Guides defined 279c2bf3ca national power, the 1a748283e7 top priority was 73b7c7f7c6 always securing the c413ae4260 strongest of both.ce4447a5038ffc67

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Currently, Japan had 34 S-class f8b22be948 Espers and 24 S-class Guides. However, since Japan used 14914561a9 its own internal ranking 0bf4f7284c system rather than the 33b67a120e international standard, when measured a54f692425 by global standards, only b0974aa1b9 eight of those Guides 777081c19c were truly S-class.df144196457c3bb3

The shortage of top-tier de1d4a9876 Guides meant Japan was 0b393942b8 struggling to keep up 7baf068421 with the constant fluctuations 7ce4ee23a8 of its Espers’ AD 2c23ddb1c8 levels. It was during this crisis 6c1fffc638 that a certain research paper 0b6cdc0ace about Seon Jiyeol caught their 1a258452bb attention.d204a1beee9b086d

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That paper—now erased 0c9a237778 and impossible to 451541bcba find—contained unbelievable claims.fdfd8d914f57d3da

Not only did 2e2da1b858 it mention an 81bb687aa9 S-class Guide reawakening, 03f6ed7794 but it also a2f96e5c9a detailed Seon Jiyeol’s 688dc47762 hidden potential. According to the paper, he d677272718 had completely nullified an Esper’s 6d0e8dc109 AD rampage, reducing it to ef9d5e8520 zero. For any Esper, the mere f4275cd4b7 thought of that possibility was 6a08a00298 an irresistible temptation.13172cabc69e1381

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At first, they 03b1646fca dismissed it as dd679140cf fraud. But once the incident involving 125da59a66 Yeo Eundo’s rampage and subsequent 1be6f61f93 stabilization became known, the paper’s 6618cc2041 credibility skyrocketed. By the time 6aa62b54bb South Korea realized a7c6519177 the implications and 9043f08ae9 moved to suppress 376d6f8916 the research, the a14b588a9c paper had already 5e0f0571aa vanished from public cc3582c120 records.721cc73c2a16f287

Takahashi Yuri had insisted 50ff7afc82 on visiting South Korea fff0871bf3 before any other country 3eb6f09d9c under the pretense of 9c80a69362 co-hosting UNCE—all to verify 531ddeec7c whether the claims in 7110e79765 that paper were true 5f475c223b or not.29f5e4b9eadb6ac3

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Even if the 0f6c41758d research turned out 298f6b6d10 to be fabricated, a1c24d761d the fact remained—an 9d3e197195 underdeveloped country like 93924084cd South Korea didn’t 456179bec9 deserve an S-class 1b8cd8bafe Guide. If Seon Jiyeol truly possessed e9a1acaa51 such power, it would be aae98e71ee far more appropriate for him 0cf50cf532 to belong to Japan.bbaa3294155125ac

The first step to 73dfe1aa69 securing Seon Jiyeol was cd21cdb222 exposing South Korea’s inability dc717a0b79 to clear top-tier Gates. The most effective method? Removing Yeo Eundo from the 7312c8b8cc picture.67a07d688ae93328

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Inside a Gate, 0c3c2d328f anything could happen. No one could be held abb92c50f7 accountable for what transpired there. That made it the ad8af81243 fastest and easiest solution.e37a1d299918b0b2

And Japan had fe19b171db just succeeded in fca7cc118b secretly developing Imprint e3443d3568 Stones that could dd2e656363 boost the imprint 19b6ad59e6 success rate from 73c07c78b7 a meager 1% 914669f290 to a staggering 9fe773b75f 65%.96953ac92e20f703

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Japan’s final goal was clear.a8f638346719b182

The death of Yeo Eundo.53b79d55894ef9a4

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The imprinting of Seon Jiyeol.2a2be8ca4475d17f

With those dark intentions buried 0e5be049e9 deep within, Takahashi Yuri stepped c0e3ae3e12 inside the Association.754e2d9d104f3049

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Led by Association 6122bc08ae staff, the Japanese d7e6c397c0 elite team was a44b3e378a guided to their aaf1760bec designated seats.3d0a9c4c1a259b89

As the doors opened, deddc4c598 seven of South Korea’s ad88d9dfb7 S-class Espers sat inside, c16f66afd6 waiting.470be3dd50ac85d3

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Quickly scanning the room, Takahashi c8861adcf7 Yuri immediately noticed something.9373cecc10e9ee6e

Yeo Eundo was missing.d829860812f00077

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