Kim Song-cheol and Kim Myung-joo arrived at Incheon Airport.
Kim Song-cheol was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, while Kim Myung-joo wore his usual suit.
“This is my first time going abroad since I went on a trip to Europe back in college.”
Kim Song-cheol said as he looked around Incheon Airport.
Judging by his outfit and his suitcase, he looked like an ordinary person about to go on an overseas vacation.
“I go abroad several times a year, but this is the first time I’ve felt so uneasy about a departure.”
Kim Myung-joo was the opposite. His expression was grim, like someone holding a bowl of bitter herbal medicine.
The two men, each with a different perspective, entered the airport with different feelings.
Without a single glance around, Kim Myung-joo walked straight ahead to check his luggage and go through the procedures.
He was clearly very experienced.
Kim Song-cheol followed closely behind him. He looked like a tourist following a guide.
After finishing the departure screening, the two entered the lounge.
All food and beverages in the lounge were free.
They brought over coffee and some snacks and sat down on the sofa.
“I’ll hold onto the tickets.”
Kim Myung-joo pulled the tickets they had just received out of his inner pocket and showed them.
“But it’s Business, right? Not First Class.”
“On the Guam route, there is no First Class, but there is a Business Class that acts like First Class. Usually, they buy Business and then change it, so you could call it First Class.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“You’ll see when you get there, haha.”
After talking for a while, Kim Song-cheol and Kim Myung-joo headed to the Gate at the scheduled time.
Since it was Business Class, boarding proceeded immediately.
As they passed through the hallway and went deep inside, they reached Business Class, and even further inside, there were several First Class seats that they had only seen in pictures.
Naturally, Kim Song-cheol’s seat was among them.
“Oh!”
Kim Song-cheol sat in his seat, looking fascinated.
The space was incomparable to Economy.
He could adjust the angle of the seat without having to worry about the person behind him.
Money really was a good thing.
“Do you usually fly First Class when you go abroad?”
Kim Song-cheol asked Kim Myung-joo, who was sitting two seats away.
“No. If I’m invited, they might give me Business, but when I travel on tax money, it’s Economy.”
Kim Myung-joo replied with a virtuous smile.
It was a smile that conveyed his resolve not to waste tax money.
“As expected…”
Kim Song-cheol nodded and examined the various buttons on his chair.
After searching for a while, he found the seat adjustment button and reclined the seat comfortably.
Though he didn’t expect to use it, he also tried turning the Light next to him on and off.
It was while he was mastering the functions of the other buttons.
Suddenly, a ‘thud’ sound came from beside him.
It was clearly the sound of someone sitting down.
The flight to Guam would take five hours.
Wondering who the passenger in the next seat was, he looked up.
“…You came?”
It was Cha Se-hyeon.
‘Well, there was no way she wouldn’t come.’
He had heard that it was uncertain whether she would come or not.
This was because Cha Se-hyeon hadn’t replied.
However, he could easily guess that she would show up.
She stared intently at Kim Song-cheol and spoke.
“Listen, if you go anywhere alone, you’re dead. Seriously.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Is there anything more urgent than this? Dammit, my future is at a red light right now.”
Cha Se-hyeon was The Last Gatekeeper assigned by the government.
There had never been a moment where the government’s position and Cha Se-hyeon’s position were more perfectly aligned than right now.
It was even the first time Cha Se-hyeon had responded to a request other than a Dungeon.
They were united under the banner of ‘We cannot let Kim Song-cheol go.’
“What a waste of… Didn’t you just want to go on an overseas trip?”
“Are you crazy? Why would I want an overseas trip when I do Dungeon tours all the damn time?”
“Then take this chance to enjoy yourself a bit. And try to watch your mouth. You’re constantly cursing.”
“Fuck you, seriously. Fuck off. Fuck off! Why the hell do I have to come all the way here!”
Cha Se-hyeon growled as if she were about to eat Kim Song-cheol alive, but all she could do was shove her middle fingers at him.
If she were to break his legs or something, it would only be Cha Se-hyeon’s loss.
“Sigh, look at that temper.”
Kim Song-cheol, who knew that fact all too well, simply ignored her and began reading a pamphlet.
Then, the sparks flew toward Kim Myung-joo.
“What are you laughing at?”
Cha Se-hyeon’s eyes widened.
“I’m just gratified. Just gratified.”
Kim Myung-joo, who was looking at the two of them with a smile, calmed Cha Se-hyeon down and then turned his head back toward the window.
For some reason, Kim Song-cheol could picture the smiling face even just by looking at the back of his head.
“Gratified, my foot…”
Cha Se-hyeon said a few more words, but they were drowned out by the pilot’s announcement.
Nothing seemed to be going her way today.
The plane soon took off and, after a five-hour flight, landed on the airport runway.
They had finally arrived in Guam.
“Well…”
Kim Myung-joo stood up and looked back and forth between Kim Song-cheol and Cha Se-hyeon.
He smacked his lips once and straightened his tie.
“…I guess I’m the only one who needs to keep their head straight. Now, let’s go.”
Since the two of them were looking up at Kim Myung-joo with indifferent expressions, Kim Myung-joo had to steel his own resolve alone.
The three of them gathered their luggage and came out to the airport.
A man holding a sign that said ‘Kim Song-cheol’ was already waiting.
He was a white man wearing a shirt perfectly suited for a vacation spot.
He introduced himself as Peter.
Because he was speaking Korean, it was hard to tell what nationality he was.
“Please, come this way.”
The cheerful Peter led the three of them to a limousine.
It was an incredibly long limousine.
It looked like it could hold 30 people instead of just three.
Even though it was called a Forum, this was an event dripping with greed for Kim Song-cheol.
It was only natural that they would pay attention to protocol.
This was because they had to appeal as much as possible to the idea that they would treat him well.
Kim Song-cheol took that train disguised as a limousine and arrived at a harbor.
A yacht was already waiting at the harbor, and Kim Song-cheol boarded a yacht for the first time in his life.
The yacht carrying the three Koreans cut through the sea without hesitation.
The intense sunlight of the tropics and the thick scent of the sea were exactly what one would expect of a resort.
The long hair of the tanned captain enhanced that atmosphere even further.
Kim Song-cheol sat hunched at the front of the yacht, feeling the wind, while Cha Se-hyeon drank straight from a beer bottle behind him.
Kim Myung-joo was busy in the cabin reviewing the profiles of the Hunters who might attend.
While they were speeding across the sea for a long time, Kim Song-cheol raised his finger.
“Is that the place?”
When he asked while pointing at an island visible in the distance, Peter nodded.
“Yes, that’s our destination.”
It was an island rented entirely for this Forum.
Naturally, outsiders were prohibited from entering.
It was a private event that even reporters could not enter.
Even the participants had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
It meant they would strictly prevent anything happening on the island from being distributed via recording or filming.
The yacht gradually slowed down and stopped next to a wooden deck.
Only then did Kim Myung-joo come out of the cabin, squinting and shading his eyes with his hand due to the intense sunlight.
‘Is this the place…’
Kim Song-cheol examined the atmosphere of the beach as he got off the yacht.
The beach looked just like any other common scene at a resort.
Women in bikinis and men in swimsuits were walking around, and the bar near the beach was open for business.
Of course, the fact that there weren’t many people walking around caught his attention, but there still seemed to be about 30 people.
“I can see four or five familiar faces right now.”
Kim Myung-joo spoke quietly.
The young men and women walking around in swimsuits were, of course, Hunters.
He wasn’t talking about them.
Kim Myung-joo was talking about a white man sitting at a bar in the distance, a middle-aged Black woman lying on a sunbed, and others like them.
They were all prominent figures from Hunter-related institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States.
This place was the most peaceful battlefield in the world.
Revealing themselves like that and appearing relaxed could be considered a display of power.
In fact, with the exception of the people from the host’s side, other Forum participants were not visible at all.
Most of the Hunters playing outside were white people from the English-speaking world.
“Then, I’ll help you with participant registration.”
Following the unnecessarily cheerful Peter’s guidance, the three of them headed toward the interior of the island.
“Oh, Cha Se-hyeon!?”
“Is that Cha Se-hyeon?”
As they crossed the beach, Cha Se-hyeon’s name could be heard from various places.
One could count the number of 6th Circle Mages on their fingers.
Because the mid-level line of Hunters in Korea was weak, they relied heavily on Cha Se-hyeon’s help, but in other countries, 5th Circles were the operational line.
Of course, Cha Se-hyeon didn’t hear those voices.
She had been wearing headphones for a while now.
The loud music was leaking out enough for the person next to her to hear it.
Guided by Peter, Kim Song-cheol entered a building prepared in the center of the island.
Registration was completed by checking passports and receiving a necklace and a bracelet each.
The necklace had a card attached to it, which listed the country of affiliation and his name.
“It’s like an amusement park.”
Kim Song-cheol muttered as he put on the bracelet.
The atmosphere was exactly like that.
The staff were bright and energetic, and not a single person had a dark expression.
Even the interior decor gave off a party-like vibe rather than a scholarly one.
“I’ll guide you to your accommodations. This is where we put in the most effort. You can look forward to it, haha.”
And Peter’s cheerful voice played a part in boosting that atmosphere.
Peter put the three of them on a golf cart and drove along the road.
The road was connected to a deep forest. It was a forest reminiscent of a jungle.
Then, at a certain moment, the view opened up wide, and a resort built on a large site appeared.
An emerald sea stretched out in front of the resort.
‘Hmm…’
Kim Song-cheol scanned the resort with a peculiar look in his eyes.
There were no people walking around except for the staff.
This was despite the fact that there must be people who arrived early.
“Follow me. I’ll show you the guest rooms.”
Kim Song-cheol followed Peter into the resort.
Passing a swimming pool where clear water sparkled and entering the lobby, the first thing he saw was a man and a woman.
The man was older, and the woman was young.
The man was speaking seriously to the woman in his native language.
From what Kim Song-cheol could hear, it sounded like Thai.
The young woman looked a bit indifferent, and as she did, the man’s voice grew louder.
“Now it finally feels like I’ve come to a battlefield.”
Kim Song-cheol whispered.
Though it wasn’t visible to the eye, similar things were likely happening inside each guest room.
“This is Kim Song-cheol’s room, haha.”
Peter guided them to Kim Song-cheol’s room first.
When the room door opened, a luxurious interior was revealed.
Although he hadn’t walked in yet, he could tell that it was quite spacious.
“So this is your room?”
Cha Se-hyeon, who had been quiet for a while, took off her headphones and entered the room first.
She inspected every corner as if it were her own room, then stood in the middle of the living room and clasped her hands.
Mana surged around her.
Soon, a Magic Circle appeared.
It was a large Magic Circle, big enough to fill the entire living room.
At the same time the Magic Circle began to glow, a hazy film was generated in the center and spread in all directions.
It was 5th Circle defense magic, Dimension Veil.
Originally, it was a spell that slightly twisted space to deflect attacks, but this time it was used to defend against Teleport.
It is extremely difficult to use space-movement magic inside a Dimension Veil.
It could be considered impossible at the 6th Circle level.
“Okay, go in now.”
“Mmm, nice.”
Kim Myung-joo, who had been watching from behind, gave a thumbs up.
For today, they were perfectly in sync.
“Tsk. I’m going to head out right away anyway, why go this far?”
“You have to do it in advance. It’ll stay active as long as you supply it with mana.”
Kim Song-cheol unpacked his things for now and then came right back out.
At the same time, the door to the opposite room opened and Kim Myung-joo walked out.
“But aren’t you going to change clothes? You look uncomfortable.”
Kim Myung-joo was still wearing his suit.
It was clothing that didn’t match a resort.
“This is my Combat Uniform.”
Kim Myung-joo straightened his outfit by pulling on his jacket as if to show off.
The cufflink on his wrist sparkled.
If the Hunters’ battlefield was the Dungeon, then this Forum was Kim Myung-joo’s battlefield.
The appropriate attire for it was essential.
“Now, shall we go see what kind of bullshit they’re going to pull?”
Cha Se-hyeon, who had been watching outside the resort from the window without entering her room at all, came and stood behind Kim Song-cheol.
15 minutes before the start of the Forum.
The four-day war was just beginning.
***