"Whoa! Wh-what is all this?!" Lim Dogyoon couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
Thud—Thud—
Countless porters were bringing in a mountain of gifts into the Woojin Guild office right before his eyes. Yoo Jinho, the CEO, smugly wiped his nose in front of the ever-growing pile of presents.
"Heh. I pulled some strings." It had been a while since he felt this way. Yoo Jinho, setting aside his usual calm and intellectual CEO image for today, was fully enjoying the memories of his younger days.
He couldn't help it. Seeing Sung Suho and Lim Dogyoon running the guild together in this office he prepared naturally overlapped with his own youth spent with Sung Jinwoo and the Ahjin Guild. So, seeing Lim Dogyoon, who was left alone in the office and taking care of things while Sung Suho was away on important business, made him feel a sense of camaraderie.
"Speaking of which, Vice President Lim Dogyoon?"
"Y-yes!"
"Keep your mouth shut and just listen. I'll give you a brief overview of the current situation."
"- - - -!" Lim Dogyoon, standing at attention at Yoo Jinho's words, hurriedly pretended to zip his mouth shut. To receive a briefing directly from a remarkable person like CEO Yoo Jinho, without going through anyone else! This wasn't just a simple matter.
'Embargo!' It meant that it was a confidential and important issue that Yoo Jinho had to address personally.
"First, let's start with what you already know. The national vote was confirmed as expected." There were no surprises. Suho's entry into North Korea was finally decided.
But the repercussions were enormous. All the media, from the political to the economic sections, were in a frenzy.
– (Breaking News) Hunter Sung Suho's decision to enter North Korea!
– (News) S-rank Hunters' declaration of full cooperation!
– (Urgent) International Hunter Association's political cooperation begins!
– (Politics) The president expresses his position to provide supplies to Association President Woo Jinchul through this opportunity!
While Suho was exploring the Sea of The Afterlife with Seo Jinwoo and sending the demons on rafts to search for the World Tree, Many things were happening outside the Gate. Yoo Jinho was moving to help Suho in his own way. He resolved all the political and economic issues that were entangled with his entry into North Korea. By any means necessary…
"Remember this." Finishing his explanation, CEO Yoo Jinho's sharp gaze pierced Lim Dogyoon's eyes.
"If Suho wields a sword and defeats countless magical beasts, people like us have to use everything we have to take care of all the other miscellaneous tasks. This is a matter of speed." Yoo Jinho knew it well.
"If you're slow, you fall behind." To keep up with the speed at which people like Sung Jinwoo and Sung Suho were getting stronger, they had to support them at a tremendous pace.
"If you fall behind even for a moment, unnecessary miscellaneous tasks will pile up like bad stock and eventually hold Suho back. And if his growth is slowed down by troublesome things, for example international law or public opinion like this time, it will lead to a global loss and a crisis for Earth."
"…!" Lim Dogyoon fully understood what Yoo Jinho, the veteran of support, was saying.
True support wasn't done from behind, but from the front! It wasn't simply following behind, but clearing the path ahead that Suho wanted to take! That was the true role of the pillar supporting Woojin Guild, the vice president.
"In that sense, these are the gifts I personally squeezed out of the S-rank Hunters. The news is saying it's full cooperation, but in reality, it's full-scale extortion."
"…!" Ah, so it is an embargo! Lim Dogyoon ended up learning a tremendous truth that the public didn't know.
'This is the tyranny of a large corporation! A righteous bully…!'
Snap
"I'm going to do an unboxing now." Yoo Jinho's hands were covered with white gloves made of luxurious material. And with delicate movements like a tech YouTuber, he began to open the gifts that the porters had left one by one. Lim Dogyoon felt like he was going blind from the shiny lights leaking from within.
"Crazy." He could tell it was expensive equipment at a glance. Lim Dogyoon's jaw dropped.
"I-Is this the new longsword 'Callion' released by Mayas? And this is the Royal Series shield made by Master Gredos?!"
Smirk. A satisfied smile appeared on Yoo Jinho's lips.
"Yes. You know your weapons. A masterpiece transcends time and history."
Memories were faint... In an era that no one remembered now. Even in that forgotten history, there were luxury brands recognized by all Hunters. And there were genius master craftsmen who personally crafted those items. Decades later, a world where they once again fought magical beasts with primitive weapons like swords and shields had arrived, but there was a clear difference from that time. Humanity's scientific power.
'Even though the master craftsmen have aged, technology has advanced many times over. This means that we can create much more delicate and durable weapons with the same materials.' Yoo Jinho smiled with satisfaction, feeling that it was worth squeezing the large guilds as much as possible.
"H-how much is all this…?"
"Roughly 10 billion won, I guess."
"Gasp."
"Why are you so surprised? There are still items that haven't arrived yet."
"…!" Lim Dogyoon was shocked.
Expensive weapons made using magic stones and valuable materials worth hundreds of millions of won. These were treasures of tremendous value that could make a C-rank Hunter B-rank or higher, and a B-rank Hunter A-rank.
"But will Suho take all of this to North Korea and use it?"
"You can never have too many weapons. Even if Suho doesn't use them himself, it will be a great help just by equipping his soldiers with them."
"Ah, as expected…!"
As expected from the head of a company. CEO Yoo Jinho's thoughts were on a different scale. He wondered why there were so many weapons, but the plan was to arm not only Suho, but the entire army he led!
"Besides, being expensive doesn't matter as long as they can protect Suho's precious life, even if he needs to use them as disposables. We can't provide any supplies once he crosses into North Korea. We need to make thorough preparations before departure…"
[Kieek! What a great mindset!] Beru, who appeared just in time, grinned wickedly. As expected, he was taking care of things without even being asked! It was worth restoring his memories. Yoo Jinho suddenly handed Beru the smallest box among the numerous gifts and said,
"Especially this. It was really hard to find…"
[Kiek?] Beru's eyes narrowed in satisfaction as he recognized the item. It was really worth restoring his memories.
* * *
The front line.
'Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)' This place, which once served as the border between South and North Korea Was an area known as the 'last paradise for wild animals on the Korean Peninsula' because it had been untouched by human hands for over 100 years. Hence the nicknames 'primeval forest' or 'natural forest.'
"…Originally, this place had countless landmines buried under the grass." Soldiers greeted Suho, as he arrived at the front line.
"The DMZ was a place where civilian access was strictly prohibited, surrounded by numerous landmines and barbed wire fences. But now it's prohibited for a completely different reason."
Kyaaa—!
Kraaaaaaaaa—!
In short, beyond the barbed wire fence was a wasteland.
"That day, all the landmines here exploded simultaneously." Captain Kim, who had been serving on the front line for five years, swallowed dryly as he recalled the horrific events of 'that day.'
"To put it bluntly, the landmines didn't kill the magical beasts, but only enraged them. As a result… the sky was torn, and the earth split open." This was no exaggeration. Suho followed Captain Kim's gaze beyond the barbed wire fence.
"If we were to classify the types of magical beasts, they were 'spirits'."
Spirits.
Beings he had seen once in Sillad's sanctuary. Only ice spirits lived there, but the types of spirits that rampaged beyond this barbed wire fence were diverse.
"The rampaging spirits caused earthquakes and flooded the boiling river. Some areas froze over, and in other places, trees sprouted from the cracked earth, forming a rainforest."
"The terrain itself has changed."
"Yes. Beyond this barbed wire fence… is literally hell. It makes us think it's fortunate that the two Koreas weren't unified before." Captain Kim let out a small sigh.
As he explained, a wide river, as vast as the sea, flowed in front of the barbed wire fence leading to North Korea. Although he had been serving here for several years, it was a sight that never ceased to amaze him. The outside of the fence was so ordinary, but just a few steps beyond, a river was flowing, boiling with terrible heat like lava. Even at this moment, the sea was ordinarily flowing along the east-west direction of the Korean Peninsula. But the river in this area, covered in blue mist, was boiling.
'It's much worse than I thought.' Suho had seen this bizarre phenomenon several times before.
'Void Gate' A dimensional gap created by the overlapping and intertwining of numerous dungeons. This place was no longer just a field-type dungeon; it was practically a double dungeon on an enormous scale, dangerously dangerous.
"It's a miracle that people in our country can still live peacefully despite this area existing on the Korean Peninsula, even though there were no casualties because it was originally uninhabited land." And that miracle was created by the efforts of one man. Woo Jinchul.
"If Association President Woo Jinchul hadn't sent Hunters with numerous protection skills at the right time, our country would have probably become like North Korea. At least up to the Han River." Captain Kim, having finished his explanation, suddenly sensed the atmosphere surrounding Suho. The gazes of the soldiers guarding the barbed wire fence were all focused on him.
'I told them to be polite. These guys really…' Captain Kim smiled bitterly, guessing the soldiers' thoughts. The emotions mixed in the gazes of the soldiers who had been guarding this place for two years were diverse, but they could be summarized in one sentence.
'So what can you do?'
The soldiers knew the reality of this place better than anyone. There was nothing an ordinary human could do in the face of this disaster-like phenomenon. Even when the great Association President Woo Jinchul and the strongest Hunter, Choi Jong-In, came, it was the same. The only thing they accomplished was reducing the number of magical beasts coming down south. Of course, that alone was a remarkable achievement. As a result, South Korea was safe, wasn't it? But that was all. They succeeded in reducing the number of magical beasts, but they ultimately failed to restore the Demilitarized Zone, which had turned into a wasteland, to its original state. It was only natural, because this place had already been 'eroded.'
"Beyond this, everything has already turned into the land of spirits. I don't know if you've ever fought spirits, but they not only cause weather changes…"
Rumble— Crash!
Lightning struck the boiling river water. Unpredictable weather changes. And…
Kyaoooo—!
"…Spirits directly possess wild animals and plants, creating mutant magical beasts. Tree-type magical beasts, large animals, even insects too small to be seen have turned into magical beasts. In short, this place is a land where nature itself has been completely transformed into magical beasts." Captain Kim wanted to give Suho, who came to go to North Korea, a strong warning. To be honest, he wanted to dissuade him. He couldn't understand why a young man with a bright future would volunteer to go to such a dangerous place.
'If you were lucky enough to awaken as an S-rank Hunter, you should just stay in the south and rake in money…'
'It's recklessness.'
'It's bravado.'
From the soldiers' perspective, Suho's decision to come to this dangerous place of his own free will, was incomprehensible. But they wouldn't ever dream that Captain Kim's explanation, which was meant to caution Suho, was actually motivating him.
"That's good timing."
[The King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch, drools at the mention of many beasts.]
[The Queen of Insects, the Plague Monarch, smacks her lips at the fact that there are many insects.]
Along with the excited reactions of the Monarchs, Suho also had a triumphant smile. Nidhogg, the serpent that gnaws at the World Tree. To face that powerful creature again, he needed to defeat the remaining six heads first. And the way to do that was to have the other successors properly inherit the Primordial Darkness, just like Esil.
'I'll have to help Arsha and Gray grow this time.'
Crash!
But was it his imagination? There was too much lightning. And on top of the hot air coming from the river, he felt a chill.
"Uwaak!"
"Emergency! Emergency!"
The soldiers guarding the outpost suddenly started screaming and making a fuss.
Woooooo—! The emergency siren sounded.
"The sky!"
"Look at the sky!"
The soldiers' horrified gazes were pointing overhead.
Crackle! Crash!
Along with the thunder and lightning, a magical beast with giant wings was descending from the sky.
"A giant magical beast has appeared!"
"Gather all the Hunters!" Captain Kim also panicked and grabbed his walkie-talkie at the sudden situation. But Suho was blankly looking up at the sky…
"Calm down. It's okay."
He quietly stopped the soldier and said, With a slightly embarrassed expression, "That's just my mother."