Min-hyeok had been influencing the entirety of the Korean media every single day since he first entered the Tower.
Now, his footsteps were beginning to echo across the globe.
Information regarding Min-hyeok was fixed at the very top of the news cycle daily, and because his name was repeated constantly on major broadcasts, the name “Choi Min-hyuk” was becoming increasingly familiar to people all over the world.
In this climate, articles related to Min-hyeok began exploding onto the scene.
[The Rising Value of Rookie Hunters!]
[Booming Monster Industry and Tower Byproduct Business! Korean Stocks Soaring!]
[World’s Leading Scholars of Low-Floor Ecology Choosing Korea! Joining Forces with Korean Universities and Research Institutes Under the Monster Management Bureau…]
[Major Executives from Hunter Management Bureaus Worldwide Flocking to Korea…]
It was a busy time.
News broke several times within 1 hour.
Reports flooded in about which nation was heading to Korea, which corporation had decided on a massive investment, and which power had joined hands with a Korean company.
Naturally, the Hunter Management Bureau and the World Association moved in lockstep.
[Research Institute of the Korean Hunter Management Bureau: Commencing Research on Rehabilitation Food for Mana Sickness Using Low-Floor Ingredients! Testing If Small Mana Stones from Low Floors Are Viable!]
[World Association: Will Support the Construction of Medical Facilities in Korea to Treat Mana Sickness!]
[Discussions Underway to Relocate Key Facilities of the World Association to Korea!]
[Likely That Support Facilities for Rookie Hunters Will Establish Their Headquarters in Korea…]
Because Min-hyeok had laid the groundwork for rookie Hunters to thrive, the rest of the world was now struggling to climb onto that stage.
Naturally, the number of applications for temporary immigration was overflowing.
Even applications for permanent residency from those wishing to settle in Korea were so backed up that it would take a significant amount of time just to finish the screening process.
Perhaps that was why everyone was astonished that Korea, a nation famous for its speed, was this congested.
The neighboring countries, in particular, were in an uproar.
— What on earth is our country doing? Aren’t we the closest nation? (Japan) —
— Try giving Korea some money or something! (China) —
— No way! They’re even accepting Villains, so what is our country doing? (Russia) —
— Shouldn’t Asia unite this time? Tell them to look after their neighbors first! (Philippines) —
— That’s right. Take care of your fellow Asian countries first! (Thailand) —
— Give Taiwan the first chance! (Taiwan) —
— What kind of nonsense is this? Do we owe you something? (Korea) —
— We’re just saying it would be nice if you prioritized Asia. (Malaysia) —
— Exactly, exactly. (Cambodia) —
Though they whined about being taken care of first, most Hunters were actually busy cursing their own countries.
While other nations were desperate to invest in Korea, many of their own governments remained silent.
They had seemingly given up in advance, thinking they couldn’t compete in terms of scale or wealth.
Perhaps that was why the Hunters in those countries were feeling the heat.
Even if they couldn’t make it into the top twenty countries, shouldn’t their governments at least be making an effort to become a reserve guild or a candidate nation for the Korean Tower later on?
The more they thought about it, the more their rage boiled over.
The Hunters who had been whining to Korea began opening separate threads to exchange information.
As they did, they became even more furious.
Even now, with everything turned upside down because of Min-hyeok, corruption disguised as “custom” still remained in many Hunter Management Bureaus.
So, how much worse would it be in other countries?
It was likely more severe, not less.
[New Union of Low-Floor Hunters Established in Japan! “Support Us Like Korea Does!” Japanese Hunters Denounce Incompetent Government!]
[China: “We Can No Longer Endure One-Sided Exploitation!” Rookie Hunters Proclaim They Can No Longer Trust the Chinese Hunter Management Bureau for Embezzling National Subsidies!]
[Taiwan: Rookie Hunters Demand They Follow at Least Half of Korea’s Example. Large-Scale Protests Planned. Goal Is a Total Overhaul of Bureau Executives Involved in Corruption!]
[Rookie Hunters Storm Southeast Asian Hunter Union Headquarters. Discovered That Even Rookie Support Funds from the World Association Were Embezzled…]
Hunters who had shared their opinions on Hunter Net began to rebel en masse.
However, the defiance of rookie Hunters who had only just begun to grow carried little weight compared to high-ranking Hunters.
Perhaps that was why a defection rush occurred.
[A Rush of Defections to Korea! East Asian Countries Account for More Than 5 Times Other Regions…]
The defection rush that started in East Asia spread to Southeast Asia and was gradually expanding into the Middle East.
Protests and defections were breaking out primarily in countries where the rookie Hunter problem was most severe.
The issue was that some of them were promising Hunters who had awakened with A-rank skills or higher.
Consequently, the Hunter Management Bureau was in a frenzy.
They needed to screen the incoming Hunters and identify key targets to integrate into the Korean Hunter population.
[Special Asylum Approval Condition: ※ Those granted special asylum cannot defect to another country for 10 years!]
They intended to create such conditions.
The longer the duration, the higher the priority in screening and the greater the benefits provided.
However, this wasn’t the only thing the Hunter Management Bureau had to worry about.
Perhaps that was why, unusually, every Hunter at the Section Manager level or higher was sitting on the sofas in the Bureau Chief’s office, racking their brains.
“Where are you going?”
“I received word that a Gate opened….”
“Sit down.”
As Park Yeong-hwan spoke in a grim tone, telling Park Min-hye to sit back down, he placed a call.
“Yeah. Outsource that Gate.”
— But the cost is…. —
“I’ll take responsibility, so outsource it.”
— Ye… Yes, sir! —
After finishing the call, Park Yeong-hwan looked at Min-hye.
“We have a lot to do, so don’t even think about running away. Just stay quiet and review the documents.”
At Park Yeong-hwan’s words, she stared blankly at the pile of documents stacked high on the table.
A laptop had even been placed next to them.
Furthermore, Park Min-hye wasn’t the only one gathered in the Bureau Chief’s office.
Everyone sighed at Park Yeong-hwan, who had summoned them there to work under his direct supervision just in case they tried to flee.
[Strict Prohibition on External Operations!]
Under Park Yeong-hwan’s order to do nothing but paperwork until everything regarding Min-hyeok was settled, everyone lowered their heads and began reading again.
They compared well-organized data on their monitors with files pulled from various archives.
It was only natural, as there was simply too much to verify.
They had to vet the transnational alliances that would officially participate in the 10th Floor Base guild.
Verifying the corporations and guilds belonging to these groups was hard enough, but the bigger problem was the Villain Union.
The Union had supposedly sent only the “cleanest” parts of their organizations, but there were still many issues.
“… I’m going crazy.”
“It’s been a while since my body felt this stiff.”
“Tell me about it. Ha….”
The Section Managers rubbed their eyes and sighed, their bodies aching.
However, they quickly bowed their heads again at Park Yeong-hwan’s terrifying gaze.
They all knew exactly how important this task was.
‘Perhaps this is an event that will be recorded in the history of the Tower.’
The changes occurring now, after the creation of the 10th Floor Base, would be remembered as a major turning point in human history in the distant future.
With the thought that they could leave their mark on that history, the Section Managers devoted themselves to the paperwork.
Thanks to the efforts of the Section Managers, who focused primarily on the Villain Union, the front companies the Union had set up were being filtered out in real time.
As a few days passed, more than half of the Villain Union’s front companies were excluded from the candidate list.
They had expected a backlash, but the Villain Union actually welcomed the results.
“They kept more than I thought. Do they really intend to let us establish a guild?”
“Perhaps. It’s a profitable deal for that man, Choi Min-hyuk.”
“Phew… I’m going crazy. At this rate, we’re really going to be divided.”
The leaders of the Villain Union, who dominated the world, wore worried expressions.
These were four individuals, all of whom were SS-class.
However, there were many organizations rising through the ranks.
“If this continues, the Middle East will form its own alliance.”
With the power they possessed, they could have long ago built a Villain force rivaling the ones gathered here, but they had never been able to unite.
Because they weren’t a single force but were torn apart, they had never grown into a massive entity until now—and that status quo was about to be broken.
“Southeast Asia is also a problem. A new power is trying to form around India.”
In the Indochinese Peninsula, including Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia, the Triad held a tight grip with Singapore as their base.
But the rest were different.
Countries near Central Asia or the Strait of Malacca could switch to a new Villain alliance led by India at any time.
“Both were groups that sympathized with those mad plans.”
At the Triad leader’s words, the other three nodded heavily.
They were a group of madmen with ideals and beliefs that even fellow Villains could never agree with.
And they were preparing to move.
“Wasn’t there one in Russia as well?”
“… Yeah. They’re almost finished preparing to strike as well.”
At the Mafia leader’s words, the Cartel leader let out a long sigh.
“Something is being prepared in the shadows in Argentina, even though they’re keeping a low profile for now.”
The leader of the Cartel based in Brazil spoke with a small sigh.
Since they were just starting to grow, he wanted to crush them with force.
However, too many things were intertwined.
Criminal organizations scattered across each continent had united to oppose the four major powers.
Usually, they were banded together by profit, but these lunatics became one whenever they resisted the four major powers.
He wanted to let it slide if possible, but he couldn’t this time.
Those people wanted to kill Choi Min-hyuk, who they saw as a future threat, while they were on the opposite side, wanting to use him.
“If we’re going to split anyway, we need to pick a side clearly.”
At the Cartel leader’s words, the three other leaders of the Villain Union nodded slightly.
“We make them ‘Absolute Evil’ and we become the grey zone.”
The middle ground between the World Association and the Villain Union.
The Cartel leader was declaring that this would be the new position for the four major criminal organizations.
As if in agreement, the other leaders also nodded quietly.
“Then, for now, do we protect Choi Min-hyuk?”
“He’s the core objective.”
As long as Choi Min-hyuk existed, the current system could not be maintained.
If so, the only way would be to use him as a stepping stone to move further into the light.
And if they happened to protect him from the powers of the underworld?
It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement, so it wouldn’t be bad.
“If it’s decided, let’s move.”
“Right.”
At the Cartel leader’s words, the three other leaders nodded slightly, stood up, and vanished.
Once all the leaders had disappeared, the Yakuza leader, who was left alone, quietly walked to a secluded spot and handed a note he had just written to someone.
“Three of them intend to become a grey zone. Tell them they’ll need to hurry the plan.”
“What about the plan to assassinate Choi Min-hyuk?”
“He’s a cautious one. It will be hard to find an opening for a while. For now, focus only on our plan.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Yakuza leader looked up at the sky as his subordinate vanished into the shadows.
“There’s no way to survive those monsters. If that’s the case, I’d rather….”
Muttering something incomprehensible, the Yakuza leader fell silent and disappeared into the distance.