Operations Room of the National Bureau of Supernatural Strategy, Washington D.C.
Inside the neatly organized room, brief information on major rookies and emerging powers from various countries scrolled rapidly across a large screen.
Director Leonard Pike, seated in the center, was a seasoned former military man proficient in actual combat experience, strategy, diplomacy, and intelligence. Beside him sat Joan Fisher, a next-generation policy strategist, along with deputy directors from related departments.
Leonard crossed his arms and stared at the information displayed on the screen, speaking in a low voice.
“Let’s wrap up today’s major agenda with this. The recruitment of the S-Rank healer from Iran, the cooperation for climbing the Tower through a plea bargain with a villainous terrorist, and…”
He finally fixed his gaze on the name ‘Rocket Store’ displayed in a corner of the screen.
“What about the cooperation with the Rocket Store in South Korea?”
At Leonard’s question, Joan reported with a troubled expression.
“About that… we received a response that cooperation is difficult because they haven’t identified the owner yet.”
“…Are they mocking us?”
Joan pushed up her glasses and replied.
“That’s likely not the case. There have been no reports of any other countries, including China or influential guilds, succeeding in contacting the Rocket Store.”
“What about our side?”
“Our manpower is limited, after all. Currently, the Intelligence Bureau’s personnel and resources are focused on recruiting the Level 5 healer and responding to terrorist organizations.”
“Right. So we don’t have any leeway.”
“To be precise, it would be correct to say we are maintaining only limited interest. Furthermore, there’s no certainty that the Rocket Store would appear in the American Tower just because that specific Awakened emigrates.”
“…There certainly was a similar case before. Fine. It’s not a situation where we should force people and budget into this.”
However, he still tapped his fingers on the desk’s surface, seemingly unable to let go of the lingering regret.
Joan, who had been with Leonard since his military days and knew his greed for talent better than anyone, smiled slightly and spoke cautiously.
“It is also the wish of the VIP.”
“The VIP?”
“Yes. From the perspective of national interest, there’s no need to force the recruitment. South Korea is a strategic ally that helps us keep China in check, along with Japan.”
“And?”
“Rather than recruiting them directly, maintaining a friendly relationship with South Korea might be a better long-term investment.”
Leonard closed his eyes and took a slow breath. Then, he nodded quietly.
“…That judgment is rational. Let’s do that for now.”
He straightened his back as if to stand up, but then leaned back deeply again.
“But it’s quite regrettable. To think we couldn’t get our hands on such an ability first.”
Joan chuckled softly.
“If they truly have talent, they’ll eventually come seeking us on their own. That is the power of a country like the United States.”
“Indeed. Still, keep the Asian intelligence lines active. Especially if an opportunity arises—don’t ever miss it.”
“Understood. If they reach out to us first, we definitely won’t let them slip away.”
The two of them were certain that the owner of the Rocket Store would eventually reach out to the United States in one way or another.
***
‘A way to purify corrupted mana.’
I was lost in deep thought due to the issue of the Phyrambus fruit supply.
The Dryads said they would give me more fruit if I purified the contaminated land, but I didn’t have a proper method. I couldn’t exactly keep pruning branches from the World Tree, after all.
“Is there corrupted mana on Earth too?”
“Of course there is.”
Most notably, it’s thick and widespread in the ruined areas of North Korea.
One of the reasons neighboring countries, including South Korea, abandoned that territory was the lack of resources to block the monsters at the time, but it was also due to the corrupted mana that had spread because of the monsters that had settled there.
‘It’s not a land where people can live.’
Furthermore, smog filled with corrupted mana frequently drifted south due to seasonal winds, causing headaches for both the government and the Hunter Association.
“We purify it periodically using Purification Powder, but the reality is we’re only maintaining the status quo.”
“Purification Powder?”
“If you extract only pure mana from mana stones and refine it, it becomes refined mana crystals. If you grind those into a fine powder and scatter it, it has a purifying effect.”
“Ah! I’ve seen the Dryads do something similar with mana stones.”
“Really? Then if I send you some Purification Powder, we can solve this for now.”
“How much? Since the World Tree died, Terra has more land riddled with corrupted mana than normal land.”
“I’ll have to check the supply and think about it.”
I accessed the System Exchange and searched for Purification Powder. Lists of powders in small pouches appeared on the screen. I had plenty of coins, but the supply was smaller than I thought.
Without hesitation, I pressed the purchase button for the entire stock.
With a clinking sound, all the Purification Powder piled up in the exchange was transferred into my inventory in an instant.
‘The quantity isn’t as much as I expected.’
Presumably, the item wasn’t in high demand for ordinary Hunters, so there wasn’t much of a listing. Since the primary buyers would be the government or the Hunter Association, it made sense that individuals wouldn’t possess much of it.
‘It would be great if there were a way to contact the Hunter Association directly.’
But for now, that was realistically impossible. I pushed the regret aside and decided to think about that later. First, I had to resolve the Dryads’ problem with the Purification Powder I had.
“Guardian, this is really the last of the supply, right? The Dryads will be so happy!”
I nodded as I handed the last of the Purification Powder to Aria.
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll supply it as it comes into the exchange. In return, keep sending the Phyrambus fruits.”
“Yes! No problem at all!”
Aria replied with a bright smile. It was the moment a long-term trading relationship was established between the Rocket Store and the Dryads. Since both the corrupted land issue and the overflowing fruit issue were being solved simultaneously, the Dryads would be delighted.
Not long after Aria left, a message appeared on the system window.
**[Guardian, thank you for opening a new home for us. Thanks to you, we succeeded in purifying the nearby pond. We will also send you the surrounding Phyrambus fruits.]**
‘It turns out you don’t necessarily have to complete a limited quest to obtain a location.’
Of course, this wasn’t a holy site like the Grand Footsteps, but it was a place with better effects than a normal rest area.
**[Dryad’s Small Pond (Rare)]**
Description: The air here is filled with the energy of nature, restoring the spirit and Mana of Hunters.
Visit Effects:
Mana Recovery Speed Increase: Hunters near the pond receive a temporary boost to their mana recovery speed.
Poison Healing: Cures the status effect ‘Poison.’
‘It’s a general rest area, but it has effects?’
The implications of this were significant. Special functions like poison healing would increase the survival rate of Hunters in specific floors more than a regular break.
However, its utility wasn’t high right now. As far as I knew, monsters with poison hadn’t appeared in the Tower yet.
“Where would be a good place to install this?”
I fell into thought for a moment. Then, a question suddenly occurred to me.
‘Can I move the locations I’ve already set up?’
I immediately opened the system menu and checked the details of the Silent Spring. A small sentence appeared on the screen: ‘Can be moved upon payment of a certain amount of coins.’
Confirming that I could move locations by paying a fee, a massive map of the Tower drew itself in my mind.
‘The next condition for the Tower will surely be the 10th-floor achievement rate.’
Just as the Silent Spring on the 9th floor was a huge help for rookie Hunters climbing up, creating a base on the 8th floor to assist their raids would surely increase the achievement rate.
Without hesitation, I installed the Dryad’s Small Pond on the 8th floor. Naturally, I didn’t forget to install a vending machine as well. I also added simple cooking utensils to the vending machine.
‘There were a lot of requests for those in the reviews for the Silent Spring.’
At this rate, the 10th-floor arrival rate might break 50% even before the Tower presents its conditions next month. That would be good news for everyone else in its own right.
***
The Situation Team office of the Korean Hunter Association.
Over the past week, the team members had been incredibly busy. Team Leader Yun Tae-seong worked silently while looking at the piles of reports and the data filling his monitor, but the speed at which various reports arrived was faster than the speed at which he could process them.
Just then, one of the team members approached him with an urgent expression.
“Team Leader, this is a new report regarding the Rocket Store.”
“What is the content?” Yun Tae-seong asked, adjusting his glasses.
“First, we’ve confirmed the summon system, as well as holy sites and rest areas that provide Hunters with rest and buffs. In particular, the Phyrambus fruit, which provides permanent stat increases, has appeared recently. The team is overwhelmed because of the new products pouring out every single day!”
Another team member hurriedly continued the report.
“Official requests for cooperation from various foreign countries are also flooding in! Not just from major powers like the United States and China, but from various other nations asking us to mediate negotiations if we have identified the Rocket Store’s identity. But we haven’t even seen the face of the Rocket Store’s owner yet.”
“Many countries are suspicious that the Association has already identified them and is intentionally refusing their requests, which makes the situation difficult.”
Yun Tae-seong listened silently to the outpouring of reports. Their sense of helplessness was essentially the same as his own incompetence.
Right then, another team member, unable to contain his frustration, stood up abruptly from his seat.
“Team Leader, this is our limit. No matter how much we struggle, there’s no answer in sight. If it’s going to be like this, we should rather…”
His gaze turned toward Yun Tae-seong.
“Let’s propose it to the higher-ups. We should hold a press conference to publicly ask the Rocket Store’s Awakened for help.”
The office fell into a sudden silence. Yun Tae-seong closed his eyes and sank into deep thought.
A public press conference would be like admitting the Association’s incompetence. It could expose weaknesses to hostile countries waiting for an opportunity and increase distrust toward the Association among Hunters.
But at the same time, a new possibility sparked in his mind like a flame.
‘…That’s right. It’s better than being even later.’
If they just waited for the hidden Awakened and he ended up joining hands with another power, the impact would be beyond imagination. If they proposed cooperation for the sake of humanity through a press conference, there was a chance the Rocket Store’s owner might respond.
Yun Tae-seong opened his eyes with a look of firm determination. The eyes of the team members all turned toward him.
“Understood. Write a proposal for this matter.”
His voice was low, but it held a firm resolve, as if he had ended all his worries and conflicts. Only then did everyone heave a sigh of relief, but Yun Tae-seong thought to himself.
‘Even so, if we could secure him through an unofficial route rather than a public one, that would be best.’
The problem was that no one—not the Association’s Intelligence Bureau, nor any other country or guild—had been able to contact him. The Awakened was hiding himself thoroughly from everyone.
‘There might be reasons on his end…’
A small question bloomed in Yun Tae-seong’s mind.
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