“Is there a problem?”
– “It’s the issue I’ve been mentioning repeatedly.” Â
– “Ranked Hunters from other countries keep sending production requests.” Â
– “They’re desperate, saying they’ll pay any amount of money if we just make the equipment for them.” Â
– “Douglas, the number one Hunter in the United States, even offered SS-Class Materials as payment and tried to make a deal.” Â
– “The number of requests… has already exceeded one hundred.” Â
– “What do you want to do?”
“As I said before, I’m currently too busy focusing solely on Korea. There’s some leeway in the production team for mass-produced equipment support, but there’s a limit to what I can personally make.”
So it was that—something I’d heard before—a production request from foreign Hunters.
Recently, Hunters known as Rankers from overseas kept submitting production requests to Vulcanus’s Forge page.
Even when I didn’t respond, they continued contacting the Vulcanus Guild directly.
I had already rejected them once, but they came back with different conditions and sent new requests.
Upon hearing that I was looking for top-tier materials, most of them offered the highest-grade materials as payment.
Still,  I couldn’t accept all of them. Â
‘I really don’t have the time.’
Even now, it takes a whole day to make one weapon for a Ranker.
If I were to make a full set of armor as well, it would take at least two days.
And if I had to make weapons for foreign Hunters too?
There’d be no time left.
– “Actually, both the Government and the Association have made earnest requests as well.” Â
“The Government and the Association?”
With monsters getting stronger and higher-grade Gates appearing one after another recently, they seem to be paying more attention to enhancing the combat power of strong Hunters.
Especially the United States.
Their government officially requested that Douglas’s equipment be made. Â
“Hmm. If the US Government is directly requesting this, the situation must be deteriorating. The number of Gates is steadily increasing, and high-grade Gates are appearing more frequently. I even heard that the rare rank 9 Gates are appearing almost twice as often as before Gate Burning. Perhaps the ‘Age of Destruction’ those two statues mentioned is approaching soon.” Â
Anyway, I’m too busy.
I’m struggling to take care of myself and my country as it is.
There’s absolutely no time to cover foreign demands.
Still, if SS-grade Materials are offered as payment, it might be worth it. Â
As my level rose, the number of times I could use the Soul of the Blacksmith also increased.
If the Age of Destruction arrives, the Combat Team being trained by the statues in Zone 5 might have to take action.
Good items like SS-Class Materials are always welcome.
“If SS-Class Materials are the price, then it might be doable. I can’t do it right now, but I’ll take requests when I have time.”
– “Then I’ll relay that.” Â
– “Even if it takes time, I’m sure they’ll be pleased just to know Vulcanus accepted.” Â
– “The Government and the Association are stuck in a difficult position, having to watch both Vulcanus and the US carefully.”Â
“You’ve had a hard time too, Nam Bora.”
– “Me? I’m actually more relaxed than before.” Â
“Oh, you said you hired new staff, right?”
– “Yes. I handed over most of the simple tasks and intuitive decisions, like Gate assignments.” Â
– “The tedious work just requires a final stamp of approval, so it’s incredibly convenient.” Â
– “Thanks to that, I can focus more on important matters.” Â
“Feel free to hire more as needed, and I’m counting on you.”
– “Thank you, Vulcanus.” Â
Luckily, the conversation ended on a positive note.
The workload increased, but the Guild was growing smoothly.
It couldn’t have been better.
Besides, since I already made the sniper rifle for Team 12’s leader, the major tasks were done.
The pistols and bullets could be made slowly over time.
Feeling relieved, I turned my head and heard the news anchor’s voice from the TV that was still on.
– The strongest Hunter in Korea and a symbol of the Hunter Association.
– The Sword Saint holds the number one spot in the Hunter rankings, and the Hunters ranked second through fourth all belong to Vulcanus Guild.
– Many of the following Rankers are also members of Team 11 under Vulcanus Guild.
– With such fierce changes in Hunter rankings, public attention is focused on who will claim the fifth spot.
“Who should I make equipment for next?”
Originally, two Rankers represented Korea.
The Guild Masters of Changcheon Guild and Mir Guild.
Cheongryong and Heavenly Palace.
Who should I make equipment for first, and how?
No, with the Age of Destruction looming, is it even right to supply equipment to those two when we don’t know how they’ll act then?
As I pondered, the announcer’s voice continued.
[6th place: Cheon Seung-heon]
***
“Damn it!”
The Guild Master of Changcheon Guild.
Heavenly Palace’s Cheon Seung-heon.
His rank had dropped to sixth.
He, who had always been in Korea’s top three Rankers, had fallen to not fifth, but sixth.
He couldn’t believe it.
He couldn’t accept it.
Sixth place?
This is a lie.
“Get me an rank 8 Gate assigned immediately!” Â
“I just got one assigned. It’s a bit far away, though…”
“That doesn’t matter! No leaves allowed for a while. Everyone must focus entirely on hunting!”
“I’ll announce that right away.”
Changcheon Guild went out hunting.
A raid hunt centered on Heavenly Palace’s Cheon Seung-heon.
As one of the five Giant Guilds, the Gate Raid progressed smoothly.
Cheon Seung-heon, who usually lived leisurely, appearing on broadcasts and promoting, was different this time.
He gave up rest.
Canceled all broadcast schedules.
Only hunting.
Hunting, hunting, hunting.
Leveling up and sharpening skills.
The exact criteria for the ranking displayed in the system remain unclear.
But there’s a general understanding of how the rankings are measured.
Level is the basic factor.
Then the grade of abilities possessed, skills, and actual combat potential shown.
Overall combat power is the approximate basis.
The best way to raise that combat power is to clear Gates.
Hunting Gates nonstop led to this result.
[5th place: Cheon Seung-heon]
“Congratulations.”
“Now’s not the time to celebrate. If I stop even for a moment, Cheongryong will catch up.”
“Even so, you have to rest. You’ve been going nonstop for days…”
“Is that important right now? If I lose my rank, everything will collapse. My career, the territory I’ve built, and even… Changcheon Guild.”
Heavenly Palace’s Cheon Seung-heon.
He’s a man who lives on his own pride.
Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Cheon Seung-heon is genuinely talented.
He ranked among the top archers, founded Changcheon Guild, and built it into a Giant Guild.
He and his guild are currently defending Korea against Gates.
Though he lives on pride, he exerts a positive influence.
His sense of loss will be unimaginably large. Â
If his Ranker drops, he’ll feel like everything he built has crumbled.
Right now, there are even talks that one of the five Giant Guilds might fall out, to be replaced by Vulcanus Guild.
If that guild is Changcheon Guild?
That can never happen.
That must never happen.
“Enough. What about the production request?”
“Request?”
“Obviously it’s for Vulcanus, right? They’re offering SS-Class Materials. We have to get a promise that they’ll accept the production request.”
The battle for fifth place with Cheongryong.
This can’t continue like this.
To overcome this crisis, there’s only one solution.
Vulcanus’s equipment.
With that, fifth place—no, maybe even top three—is possible.
But the employee who heard Cheon Seung-heon’s words didn’t look good.
“It seems the refusal isn’t because of the payment.”
“What else could it be?”
“That’s unknown.”
“Then find out! Do whatever it takes!”
“Understood.”
‘Why could it be?  I heard Vulcanus prefers advanced materials over cash.’
Even with SS-Class Materials as payment, why refuse the request?
It’s incomprehensible.
Then,  “We’ve received a message from Vulcanus.” Â
Finally, a reply from Vulcanus.
[6th place: Lee Ga-eul]
“Sigh.”
***
Guild Master of Mir Guild and Korea’s greatest mage. Â
Cheongryong’s Lee Ga-eul sighed deeply.
Ranked sixth.
In the end, the fifth place was taken back by Heavenly Palace.
– Today, Heavenly Palace has reclaimed the fifth rank.
– It’s quite uncertain how long this ranking will hold.
– I doubt Cheongryong will just stand by.
– Another rapid change in rankings may happen soon.
– There’s talk that as Cheongryong and Heavenly Palace drop in rank, the status of Changcheon and Mir Guilds might be falling as well…
The news was buzzing about the fifth rank.
Lee Ga-eul could feel it too.
The current mood in the guild.
Those who had trusted him continued to do so, but the new recruits couldn’t hide their anxiety.
What if the title of one of the five Giant Guilds was taken away?
Mir Guild would remain strong, but its prestige would surely weaken.
For those who believe in him, Lee Ga-eul must maintain his rank.
“Kieeeek!”
There’s only one thing to do now.
Enter Gates and defeat monsters.
The guild members knew what Lee Ga-eul was thinking and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to helping with Gate clears.
Because of that, he regained the fifth position.Â
[5th place: Lee Ga-eul]
But it was only a temporary fix.
At this rate, Cheon Seung-heon would surely take the rank back again.
They would continue their endless battle until one of them burned out and fell.
And because Lee Ga-eul had always competed with Cheon Seung-heon for the ranking, he knew this.
Cheon Seung-heon would never give up.
Lee Ga-eul would never give up his rank for the sake of his guild.
“Master.”
The door opened, and someone entered.
Deputy Lee Saebom.
Cheongryong’s most trusted employee.
When she came in, hope appeared on Cheongryong’s face.
“Did he accept?”
Of course, because Lee Ga-eul had asked Deputy Lee Saebom to request Vulcanus equipment.
Her visit meant that Vulcanus had finally responded.
They had to get the items before Heavenly Palace.
Though far behind now, Deputy Lee Saebom had recognized Vulcanus’s potential before he even used that name.
It was wise to leave this to her.
That’s what he thought, but—
“That’s not the case.”
“I see.”
The expectation was wrong.
Vulcanus even ignored Deputy Lee Saebom’s contact.
Could it be that he accepted Heavenly Palace’s request first?
Rumor had it that Heavenly Palace had offered SS-Class Materials.
How on earth did they get their hands on SS-Class Materials?
At this point, there was no choice.
Lee Ga-eul decided he would have to obtain SS-Class Materials somehow himself.
“It’s not that, but it’s true that Vulcanus contacted us.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He said he wants to meet and talk.”
Hopeful news from Deputy Lee Saebom’s mouth.
If they could meet, they could persuade him somehow.
But then her expression hardened, and she delivered bad news.
“However, he wants to meet together with Heavenly Palace’s Guild Master Cheon Seung-heon.”
Vulcanus.
Cheongryong.
And… Heavenly Palace.
The uncomfortable meeting of the three was set.