Chapter 38: The Line That Must Not Be Crossed (1)

Gate Incident, Day 22.

If you called it fast, it was fast; if you called it slow, it was slow, but the Hunter Association had finally begun to move in earnest.

The Hunter Association President was at the training field of the newly built Association building.

Rather than being built entirely from scratch, it had been completed more quickly by utilizing the former Ministry of National Defense Facility.

“So… It finally feels like things are getting organized.”

Baek Hyewon busily sorted through all the artifacts and monster junk she had picked up here and there.

The use of weapons by Hunters was, in truth, a legal gray area.

“They won’t make a problem of it right away, but…”

When it came to the trade of artifacts or weapons, there was bound to be some gray area.

After all, there were still sections that hadn’t been clearly defined by law.

If you followed the principle, it could even be illegal.

“Well, there is a way to store things in the inventory, at least.”

It was a relief that she could toss a few weapons into her inventory.

After finishing her words, she lifted the staff.

Tok.

As the bottom of the staff touched the ground, ten dolls holding spears appeared in midair.

The Association President tried moving the dolls.

As she saw it, there was no ability as powerful or with as much potential for growth as the Puppet Master’s trait.

Every time the level went up, the dolls grew stronger, and their numbers increased.

There seemed to be no limit to growth.

“This isn’t enough.”

Still, even this ability had a definite weakness.

Not every problem could be blocked with dolls alone.

If a big monster pushed its way in, there wasn’t much that could be done.

That was true for Iron Dragon, for Tentacle Dragon, and most recently, for the Living Armor as well.

If they forced their way in, there weren’t many options.

So, she practiced magic.

“I need to become stronger.”

It was absurd, having to fight monsters because Gates suddenly opened, but she didn’t particularly mind.

Compared to what she used to do, it was much more interesting.

“It’s definitely fun, I have to admit.”

Over the past few days, she had earned a lot of money.

And it was a job with a clear goal—helping others, fighting to save the world.

“……….Is it worth the risk?”

If she trusted the Government—or rather, those White Coats—then yes.

Besides, they had promised to make her richer than ever before.

With a slightly perplexed expression, Baek Hyewon kept moving her dolls back and forth, focusing.

At that moment.

[You have reached Level 10.]

[‘Doll Creation’ ability has been unlocked through Level Up.]

Baek Hyewon looked at the window that appeared before her and fell silent in thought.

Up until now, the dolls she summoned appeared without any extra preparation when she activated the skill, and disappeared when she was done.

If she could craft dolls separately, there were a few problems that could be solved.

She’d have to practice to figure out the details, but…

“Let’s try it for now.”

The Research Institute must have had a reason for making her the Association President.

She didn’t know what that reason was, but still.

0 That man…

Baek Hyewon thought of the Director of the Research Institute.

The arrogant scientist who had worked at the Supernatural Science Research Institute. And now, at this point in time, one of the high-ranking Government officials.

There was a strange aura of confidence about him.

As if he knew everything.

“He definitely knows something.”

If she got stronger and built up her power, wouldn’t she find out? What was being hidden?

***

I had my head in my hands. I needed to deal with the remnants of the Gate Worshippers, but this was no ordinary task.

After all, I had failed spectacularly at this operation in my previous life.

I spread out a few sheets of paper and twirled my pen.

“Pineapple, what do you think?”

“Death to humans. Glory to Skynet.”

“Can’t you stop that…? You’re scaring the staff.”

Pineapple nodded.

“Opinion.”

“A preemptive strike is most important. We hold the initiative, so we should attack as quickly and strongly as possible.”

“And how exactly do you plan to attack?”

“We don’t know yet. Information is lacking.”

As expected, empty-headed.

“Think about it, Pineapple. If you consider Gate Worship to be a kind of cult—there would be followers, clerics, and a place of worship, right?”

“As expected of you, Doctor Lee.”

Just as Dr. Kang had said before.

Imitation Human Machines didn’t only copy the good sides of humans. They copied the bad as well.

Even machines could flatter you now.

“Can’t you say anything helpful?”

“If we follow Doctor Lee’s opinion further, rather than focusing on Gate Phenomena, it would be better to look for how worship is practiced, and how the Organization spreads.”

Pineapple’s face displayed a buffering screen.

“Yeah.”

“Setting bait would be good too. It doesn’t seem like the enemy is thinking of attacking Government facilities directly, so let’s give them something tempting.”

“For example?”

“Spread fake information to the Gate Worshippers that a truck convoy carrying artifacts or Gate byproducts has been imported and is running along the Gyeonggi Expressway.”

That was a pretty good idea.

I wrote down Pineapple’s suggestion on the paper.

Create a target so tempting that the Gate Worshippers wouldn’t be able to resist attacking, then leak the info and lure them in.

“Will it work?”

“In solving real-world problems, a multi-faceted approach is important. We attack from different angles—track them in society, fight them on the battlefield, lure them into traps.”

“There you go again. Are you a management consultant now?”

Pineapple’s face displayed the buffering screen once more.

“To smoothly resolve the current task, we need practical short-term goals, team communication, and a multi-layered problem-solving approach…”

“Sigh.”

I let out a small sigh and shook my head. Who on earth had taught a robot how to be sarcastic?

Regrettably, there was nothing immediately actionable.

“They won’t fall for it right now.”

Of course, after the Mujin City incident, the Gate Worshippers would have gone deep underground.

“We can’t do it right now. They were just hunted down a few days ago; the Gate Worshippers probably don’t have the resources to respond.”

“That’s true.”

***

Today was Gate Incident, Day 22.

It had already been several days since the Daejeon Gate opened. Quite a bit of time had passed, and there was an event that would happen soon.

A monster would be coming down from the North.

Several Gates had opened north of the 38th Parallel as well. The North Korean Government had failed to properly respond to the Gate incident.

The aftereffects reaching South Korea were just a matter of time.

“Before Return, Kaesong was overrun.”

The monsters had made it right up to the border. There wasn’t any concrete intel or information yet, but it was almost time to move.

In the conference room, it was just me and Dr. Kang.

“So, what you’re saying is, according to Doctor Lee Han, a monster from a North Korean Gate has occupied Kaesong?”

I nodded slowly.

Dr. Kang sat with his usual grave expression. Judging by his rolled-up sleeves, he’d just come from the lab. Big, taciturn—sometimes people called him a statue.

Not that he knew.

Anyway.

“That’s what it looks like. It won’t be hard to confirm, but I can’t even guess what the North’s position is. Will they ask for help?”

“I don’t know.”

For now, let’s solve the problems happening on our side.

The key was to set up a monitoring system at the border and respond accordingly. You never knew when an incident would break out.

Before Return, there were monsters that crossed the border.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’ve looked at the reports. The North says they’ve spotted a few monsters with radar, drones, and binoculars. But nothing’s crossed the border yet.”

Predictably, a preemptive strike.

They were planning to exterminate them before the monsters crossed the border.

The next day.

At my request, dozens of military helicopters landed in Gimpo.

“……I never knew the country had this many helicopters.”

For simple border surveillance, Paju might have been better, but before Return, Gimpo had been the first target.

This time, Dr. Kang himself was looking at the Drone Command Vehicle’s display. I waited quietly behind him.

“Still, it’s amazing. No one ever questions Doctor Lee’s judgment… To see the military move like this after just a few phone calls—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Army, Supernatural Science Research Institute, and even the Hunter Association’s helicopters—all told, dozens landed in Gimpo today.

By the way, the Hunter Association’s helicopters were borrowed from the Air Force.

“The drones are entering North Korean airspace now.”

“Hm.”

Dr. Kang’s creation—the Eagle Drone. Without propellers, it looked indistinguishable from a real eagle.

Since we didn’t know what was happening in North Korea, there was a slight chance they might shoot down an unidentified flying object.

“Oh, I see it now.”

“That….”

I squinted my eyes. A column of Soviet-made armored cars was headed north.

Why were they moving north…?

“Why are they going north?”

“They’ve given up.”

The North Korean military had abandoned the city.

I let out a sigh.

There weren’t many people visible on screen beyond the city.

There were no lines of refugees. Maybe there was no one left to protect, maybe they just gave up, or maybe it was a strategic retreat.

I had heard the story before.

Apparently, the situation at the Pyongyang Gate was so serious, they were sending supplies there. I didn’t expect to see it for myself.

“Judging by the state of the city, the monsters will cross the border in just a few days. We got here just in time…”

“Yes.”

Dr. Kang thought for a moment, then spoke.

“But still… Even if Kaesong is sparsely populated, there should be hundreds of thousands of people. How many monsters must there be for them to abandon the entire city? Doesn’t it seem odd?”

There must be a reason. We’d see soon enough.

Dr. Kang’s Eagle Drone headed toward the city center.

“…Yeah.”

I let out a sigh, and Dr. Kang fell silent at the horrifying sight. It was clear as day on the screen.

Already, strange structures made by insects, and huge, vividly colored mushrooms were growing in downtown Kaesong.

The Gates that opened in North Korea had spawned insect-like creatures.

Something massive passed beneath the Eagle Drone.

A monster insect the size of a bus.

And for some reason, the bus-sized monster insect had wings.

Those things flew around, too…

It was a memory I wanted to forget.

And then.

Under the legs of the monster bigger than a bus, countless smaller bugs, each about the size of a human, were scurrying around.

Now I understood why the North Korean army had run.

If I saw that, I’d give up too.

“Should we get a closer look?”

No sooner had Dr. Kang said that, one of the monster insects flew up and snatched the drone.

Since it was a drone without propellers, it moved slowly—it was unavoidable.

“Hm.”

“We can just build another drone.”

I sighed once more.

“So, what now?”

It was good to have identified the problem, but I wasn’t sure if we could cross into North Korean cities. On the other hand, waiting for the monsters to cross the border wasn’t an option either.

A decision had to be made. And soon—within a few hours.