"Whoaaaaah! What, what is all this?!"
Im Do-gyun couldn't help but be astonished.
Woo-
In front of my eyes, numerous porters were entering the Woojin Guild office carrying enormous gifts. In front of the gifts that were piled up one by one, CEO Yoo Jin-ho wiped his nose and boasted.
"Hehehe. I tried my best."
It's been a long time since I've felt this way.
Today, Yoo Jin-ho put aside his usual image as a cool and intellectual CEO and enjoyed reminiscing about his younger days.
Isn't that so?
As he watched Sung Suho and Im Do-gyun forming a guild in the office he had prepared for them, he couldn't help but think of his own youth when he spent time with Sung Jin-woo and Ahjin in the guild.
So, while Sung Suho went out to take care of important business, Im Do-Gyun, who was left alone in the office to look aft er him, seemed like no other person.
"In that sense, Vice President Im Do-gyun?"
"Yes, yep!"
"Keep your mouth shut, open your ears and listen. I'll give you a brief overview of the current situation."
"... ... !
Im Do-gyun, who was taking a very serious stance at Yoo Jin-ho's words, quickly zipped up his mouth.
A briefing delivered directly by a great person like CEO Yoo Jin-ho, without going through other people's mouths!
This was never meant to be simple.
'Embargo!'
It meant that it was a secret and important matter that Yoo Jin-ho had to speak about himself.
"Let's start with what you already know. The referendum was finalized as expected."
As expected, there was no change. Suho's trip to North Korea was finally decided.
The ripple effect was enormous.
All media outlets in Korea, including politics and economics, were abuzz.
-Breaking News) Hunter Sung Suho decides to go to North Korea!
-News) S-class hunters declare full cooperation!
-Urgent) Initiate political cooperation with the International Hunter Association!
-Politics) President, please take this opportunity to express your position on providing supplies to Association Chairman Woo Jin-chul!
While Suho searches for the sea of the afterlife with Seo Jiwoo, he sends the demons on a raft to find the World Tree. There was a lot going on outside the gates too.
And Yoo Jin-ho was moving to help Suho.
He helped solve all the complex political and economic issues that were intertwined with Suho's trip to North Korea.
With all your might.
Regardless of the means and methods.
"Keep this in mind."
As he finished his explanation, CEO Yoo Jin-ho's sharp gaze pierced Im Do-gyun's eyes.
"If Suho can take out countless demons with his sword, people like us have to wag our tongues and take out all the remaining collaborators. Speed is everything here."
Yoo Jin-ho knew it very well.
"Oops, I'll fall behind."
In order to keep up with the pace at which people like Sung Jin-woo and Sung Suho are getting stronger, I also have to support them at an incredible speed.
"If we fall behind even for a moment, useless chores will pile up like malignant inventory, and eventually hold Suho back. If Suho's growth rate is slowed down by annoying things like international law and public opinion, it will be a global loss and lead to a crisis for the planet."
"... ... !"
Im Do-gyun realized what Yoo Jin-ho, the most senior member of the support team, was saying.
True support comes from the front, not from behind!
It's not just about falling behind, it's about clearing a smooth path for Suho to take!
That is the true role of the Vice President, the pillar that supports the Guild of Suho.
"In that sense, these are gifts that I personally took from S-class hunters. The news is making a fuss about their full cooperation, but in reality, I took full advantage of them."
"... ... !"
Oops, embargo!
Im Do-gyun eventually discovered a tremendous truth that the people did not know. 'This is the tyranny of big business! Righteous thugs... ...!'
Okay.
"I'm going to start unboxing now."
A pair of luxurious white gloves were placed on both of Yoo Jin-ho's hands.
And with the delicate movements of a tech YouTuber, he began to open each and every gift the porters had left behind. Then, Im Do-gyun felt as if he was going to be blinded by the dazzling light coming out of it.
"crazy."
At first glance, you can tell that these are expensive pieces of equipment.
Im Do-gyun's mouth fell open.
"Hey, isn't this the new longsword 'Calion' released by Mayasa? Is this the Royal Series shield made by the craftsman Gredos?!" S
hh.
A satisfied smile appeared on Yoo Jin-ho's lips.
"Yes. You know a thing or two about weapons. All masterpieces transcend time and history."
The memories are hazy.
A time that no one remembers now.
Even in forgotten history, there were luxury brands recognized by all hunters.
And there were genius craftsmen who made them by hand.
Decades later, the world has returned to a place where people fight against demons with primitive weapons like swords and shields, but something has clearly changed since then.
The scientific power of mankind.
'Even though the master craftsmen have aged, their skills have advanced several times since then. This means that they can now make much more delicate and durable weapons using the same materials.'
Yoo Jin-ho smiled with satisfaction, saying that it was rewarding to squeeze the big guilds to the max.
"Hey, how much is all this?"
"If we add it up roughly, it would be around 10 billion."
"Ugh."
"What, are you really that surprised? There are things that haven't arrived yet."
"...!"
Im Do-gyun was terrified.
Expensive weapons made using magic stones and expensive materials that easily exceed hundreds of millions.
These were treasures of such enormous value that if a C-class hunter held them, they would be turned into B-class or higher, and if a B-class hunter held them, they would be turned into A-class.
"But will Suho take all of these to North Korea and use them?"
"There's nothing wrong with having a lot of weapons. Even if Suho doesn't use them himself, just giving them to his soldiers will be a great help."
"Ah, as expected!"
I guess it's because he's the head of a company.
CEO Yoo Jin-ho's thoughts were different from the start in terms of scale.
I wondered why there were so many weapons, but it turned out that Yoo Jin-ho was planning to go beyond Suho and arm the entire legion led by Suho!
"Besides, no matter how expensive the item is, if it can save Suho's one and only life, it doesn't matter if it's used as a disposable item and then thrown away. Once you cross over to North Korea, no supplies will be provided. You have to prepare thoroughly before you leave."
[Keeeek! That's a really good mindset!]
At that moment, Beru appeared and smiled wickedly, revealing his teeth.
As expected, he takes care of everything without being asked!
It was worth it to bring back Yoo Jin-ho's memories.
Yoo Jin-ho suddenly appeared and handed Beru the smallest box among the many gifts he had received and said.
"Especially this one. It was something I had a really hard time finding."
[Keeek?]
Beru's eyes narrowed in satisfaction as he recognized the object.
As expected... ... Wasn't it worth it to regain my memories?
---------------------
The front line.
'Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)'
This place once served as the border between South and North Korea.
It was an area known as 'the last paradise for wild animals on the Korean Peninsula' because it had been completely untouched by human hands for over 100 years.
That's why it got the nickname 'primitive forest'.
Or 'natural forest'.
"Originally, there were numerous landmines buried here."
The ones who greeted Suho as he arrived at the front line were soldiers.
"The DMZ was a place surrounded by numerous landmines and barbed wire, where civilians were strictly prohibited from entering. But now it has become prohibited in a completely different sense."
Kyaaaaaa-! Wow! Wow!
In short, the area beyond the barbed wire fence was a wasteland.
"That day, all the mines here exploded simultaneously here and there."
Captain Kim, who has been serving on the front lines for five years, swallowed dry saliva as he recalled the horrific tragedy of 'that day.'
"To get to the point, the mines did not kill the monsters, but rather drove them wild. As a result the sky was torn apart, and the earth split open."
This was by no means an exaggeration.
Suho looked beyond the barbed wire fence while listening to Captain Kim's explanation.
"If we were to categorize the types of monsters, they were 'spirits.'"
Government ordinance.
These are beings that I had seen once in the Sanctuary of Silad.
Although only ice spirits lived there, the types of spirits that ran wild beyond the iron fence were diverse.
"The rampaging spirits caused earthquakes and boiling rivers to overflow. Some areas were frozen solid, while elsewhere the earth cracked open and trees sprouted, forming rainforests."
"The terrain itself has changed."
"Yes. Beyond this barbed wire fence... ... it's hell. To the point where it's fortunate that unification didn't happen before."
Captain Kim sighed softly.
As he explained, in front of the barbed wire fence heading towards North Korea, there was a wide river flowing like an ocean.
I've been serving here for several years, but it's still a new sight to see every time.
Outside the barbed wire fence, everything is so ordinary, but just a few steps away, a river bubbling with fierce heat like lava flows.
Even at this very moment, there was still a normal sea flowing east to west across the Korean Peninsula. But in this area, the river water was bubbling, covered in a unique blue fog.
'It's much more horrible than I thought.'
Suho had seen this bizarre phenomenon several times before.
'vacuity'
A dimensional gap created by numerous dungeons overlapping and overlapping each other.
This place was too dangerous to be described as a simple field dungeon, it was more like a double dungeon of enormous scale.
"It is truly a miracle that our people can still live in peace in this area on the Korean Peninsula, even though there were no casualties because it was originally an uninhabited area."
And in fact, that miracle was created through the efforts of one human being.
That's Woo Jin-chul.
"If Chairman Woo Jin-chl hadn't sent a large number of hunters with protective shield skills at the right time, our country would have ended up like North Korea long ago. At least up to the Han River."
After finishing his explanation, Captain Kim suddenly read the atmosphere surrounding Suho.
At some point, the attention of the soldiers guarding the barbed wire fence was all focused on one guard. 'I told you to be polite. These guys are really...'
The emotions mixed in the gazes of the soldiers who have been guarding this place for two years were truly diverse, but they could be summarized in one line.
'So what can you do?'
From the soldiers' perspective, they knew the reality of this place better than anyone else.
In the face of this catastrophe, there was nothing a mere human could do.
Looking back, it was the same when the great Chairman Woo Jin-chul and Hunter Choi Jong-in came to visit.
The only achievement they made was to reduce the number of monsters coming down from the south.
Of course, that alone was a great achievement.
As a result, isn't South Korea safe?
But that was it.
They succeeded in reducing the number of monsters, but ultimately failed to return the demilitarized zone, which had been transformed into a demonic realm, to its original state.
It was natural.
Because this place has already been 'eroded'.
"This place has already become the land of spirits. I don't know if you've ever fought spirits, but spirits not only cause changes in the weather..."
Woorung- Kwakwakwang!
Just then, lightning struck the boiling river. The ever-changing weather conditions. and....
Kyaaaaaaaaaa-!
"The spirits themselves inhabit wild plants and animals, creating deformed beasts. Tree-shaped beasts, large beasts, and even insects too small to be seen with the naked eye have all been transformed into beasts. In short, this is a land where Mother Nature itself has been turned into a beast."
Captain Kim wanted to give a strong warning to Suho, who had come to see him saying he would go to North Korea.
To be honest, I wanted to tear him apart.
I couldn't understand why a young man with such a bright future would volunteer to go to such a dangerous place.
'If I were lucky enough to awaken as an S-class hunter, I would just quietly guard the south and make some money.'
'It's all-consuming.'
'Guest house.'
The soldiers could not understand why Suho had come to this dangerous place on his own two feet. But they will never know.
Captain Kim's explanation, which was meant to caution Suho, ended up motivating him instead.
"That's a good thing."
[The King of Beasts, the Fang Lord, salivates upon hearing that there are many wild beasts.]
[The King of Bugs, the Lord of Plagues, is delighted by the abundance of bugs.]
Along with the fierce reactions of the monarchs, Suho also smiled in satisfaction.
Nidhogg, the serpent that devours the World Tree.
In order to face that powerful being again, I first needed to reduce the number of heads from the six remaining ones. The way to do that is to formally pass on the primordial darkness to other successors, just like Esil did this time.
'I should use this opportunity to help Arsha and Gray grow up a bit.'
Wow!
But is it because of my mood?
It's been raining lightning hard since a while ago.
And it felt like a cool breeze was coming down on top of the hot heat I felt from the river.
"Eww!"
"Emergency! Emergency!"
Suddenly, the soldiers guarding the outpost began screaming and expressing their urgency here and there.
Whyeeeeeeeeee-!
The emergency bell is ringing.
"Sky!"
"Look at the sky!"
The soldiers' astonished gazes were pointed upward.
Kwarrung! Kwargwang!
With thunder and lightning, a monster with huge wings spread out was descending from the sky.
"A giant monster has appeared!"
"Gather all hunters!"
Captain Kim, who was with Suho, was also flustered by the sudden turn of events and picked up the radio. But Suho, who was blankly staring up at the sky next to him.
"Calm down. It's okay."
He spoke quietly, turning off his radio. With a slightly embarrassed expression.
"She's just my mother."