Meanwhile, after sending the Blacksmith’s Assistants to the field, I was swinging my hammer diligently in my room, crafting support items.
– Breaking news!
– Unidentified members newly dispatched from the Vulcanus Guild and they are displaying power comparable to top rankers as they defeat Monsters.
“Wow, they’re fighting well.”
I watched with satisfaction as my Blacksmith’s Assistants made their spectacular debut.
I honestly didn’t expect them to do this well.
I always thought they fought in groups when climbing the Tower, but it turned out that each Blacksmith’s Assistant had far more individual ability than I expected.
– According to expert opinion, their true identities are ‘Living Armor.’
– Living Armor is a Monster commonly referred to as ‘Living Armor.’ While there are rare skills that can control Living Armor, they are very uncommon.
– It seems these Living Armor were created using equipment personally made by the Vulcanus Hunter.
– However, as everyone knows, Vulcanus Hunter’s job is a Blacksmith.
– It’s still unclear how a Blacksmith like Vulcanus Hunter was able to animate Living Armor.
– Some experts speculate that the Vulcanus Hunter must have hired a Hunter with the skill to animate Living Armor for the guild…
“It’s funny how wrong they are. And why are they analyzing Living Armor during a crisis anyway?”
The fact that they had the leisure to analyze Living Armor meant the crisis had passed.
Well, it had already been a full day since my Blacksmith’s Assistants entered the battlefield.
Thanks to the large amount of equipment support I provided, Korea was regaining stability at a remarkable pace.
I was flustered when several Rank 9 Monsters appeared.
The Sword Saint led the Hunter Association to defeat one, the Changcheon Guild took down another, the Mir Guild claimed a third, the returning Berserker handled one more, and the Vulcanus Guild—my guild—took responsibility for yet another.
In the past, whenever a Rank 9 Monster appeared, all of Korea’s top rankers had to gather just to barely bring it down.
It’s clear that Korea’s Hunter forces have grown much stronger.
– The Third Gate Burning incident in Korea is stabilizing.
– Although Hunters are still dealing with remaining Monsters, the entire situation is expected to be resolved within today.
This is an exceptionally fast pace compared to the rest of the world; even the United States, often called the strongest Hunter nation, has yet to suppress the Third Gate Burning…
Naturally, Gate Burning didn’t only erupt in Korea.
Gate Burning had occurred all over the world.
The United States, while still struggling, was actually faring better than most.
As the so-called strongest Hunter nation, America boasted many powerful Hunters, and especially its top ranker, Douglas, who—as a true Dragon Knight—was swiftly moving from place to place, dealing with Monsters.
The real problem was other countries.
Developing countries, where nurturing Hunters had been difficult, of course…
– The situation in China is extremely bad.
– The vast territory has become a liability, as they are now surrounded on all sides by swarming Monsters.
– Having weakened their Hunters through overreaching efforts to reclaim territory lost during the Second Gate Burning, China now finds itself unable to stop the Monsters attacking from all directions.
– Chinese Hunters have continued to be pushed back, and the defensive line now stands just outside the capital, Beijing…
– If this line falls, the capital itself could be overrun by Monsters.
– Citizens of Beijing are fleeing, but the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is blocking their escape…
“Wow, this is seriously bad.”
Even a nation once considered a major power was crumbling without resistance.
China, in particular, was on the brink, pushed to the limit and losing its vast territory.
It seems the ill-advised policies for managing Hunters had backfired much more than expected.
As I was watching the news,
– “Vulcanus-nim.”
“Oh, has the next request list been made?”
– “Yes, it has. But this time, it’s not for Korea.”
“Well, Korea’s situation is under control now. So it must be for other countries?”
– “Correct. There are quite a few requests. Especially from China.”
“China?”
– “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but China’s situation seems very dire. At this rate, they may lose their capital.”
“I’ve seen the news.”
– “The reality is probably worse than what’s being reported.”
“So, you want me to send items to China?”
China.
As a shut-in gamer, I didn’t particularly dislike China, but I didn’t like it either.
No matter how big or strong China was, I had no intention of giving them any special treatment.
Well, not that they were particularly big or strong anymore.
Luckily, Nam Bora never forced me to do things like that.
– “No, I was just letting you know.”
– “The top priority is payment.”
– “The amount of high-grade materials offered is the first criterion, and the second is the relationship with Korea—”
– “Honestly, the relationship isn’t that important, but the government made a strong request.”
As expected of Nam Bora.
She’d organized the request list neatly.
While I had collected many materials climbing the Tower, high-grade materials like those from Rank 9 Monsters were always in short supply.
If I could obtain such materials, I’d welcome it any time.
“I’ll handle the requests in the listed order as quickly as I can.”
– “Ah, and as for dispatches, Korea’s Gate Burning hasn’t been completely resolved yet, so…”
“No.”
– “Huh?”
“Don’t accept any dispatch requests. Not until I say otherwise.”
– “…Understood.”
No dispatches allowed.
The reason was simple.
‘The Tower will soon descend.’
Now that the Tower’s power was draining and the Gate Burning incident had occurred, there wasn’t much time left until the Tower’s descent.
“Oh, but feel free to send my Blacksmith’s Assistants anywhere. If you send them as items, it’s easy, right?”
– “Yes, that’s true.”
– “But are you sure? What if they don’t send them back?”
– “We’ll prioritize friendly countries, but things are so urgent, there’s no telling what they might do.”
“That’s fine.”
My Blacksmith’s Assistants.
As my Soul of the Blacksmith skill leveled up, I gained a skill to summon my Blacksmith’s Assistants back to me.
Transmitting them somewhere might be a hassle, but getting them back is simple.
They may not be as powerful as the Sword Saint, Cheon Seung-heon, or Cheongryong, but my Blacksmith’s Assistants are sure to be quite helpful.
Honestly, I’m confident that if all my Blacksmith’s Assistants work together, even the Sword Saint would have a hard time.
And from that moment on, my items and Blacksmith’s Assistants began being sent overseas.
***
The Third Gate Burning.
As the name suggests, this Gate Burning was overwhelmingly powerful.
Even countries famed for their Hunter strength were struggling, which said it all.
“Douglas! Next is Boston!”
“Eh? I just finished up in New York!”
“That’s why you have to go to Boston! Only your speed can handle this!”
“Huu, might as well grab a lobster roll while I’m there.”
“There’s no time! Eat rations, finish as fast as possible! I’ll tell you your next location right away!”
“Ugh…”
Even so, the Hunter powerhouse nations were faring better than others.
It was tough, but they were somehow managing to stop the Gate Burning.
The real trouble was with countries that weren’t considered Hunter powerhouses.
If the United States, the world’s strongest Hunter nation, was having such a hard time, what about the others?
Starting with Canada, right above the US, then Russia, Mongolia, China, and more.
Countries with vast territories were facing especially dire straits.
According to what’s been revealed so far, Monster spawns were heavily influenced by population density, but the sheer number of Gates randomly appearing across broad landmasses was staggering.
“Is Korea’s support here yet?!”
Then, amidst the chaos, Taiwan called out for Korea’s help.
Just like during the Second Gate Burning, Taiwan had requested support from Korea.
Since then, they’d purchased Vulcanus Equipment and greatly strengthened their Hunters, but it was still difficult to completely fend off the Monsters constantly coming up from all sides of the surrounding sea.
“Korea is experiencing Gate Burning as well. It’ll be difficult for them to help for a while.”
“Well, it hasn’t been long since their Gate Burning started, after all…”
No matter how amazing Korea was, there’s no way they’d have already suppressed Gate Burning.
Thinking this, the Hunters of Taiwan fought desperately to fend off the Monsters.
But then, a moment later.
“A support request from Korea has arrived!”
“Really?! Who are they sending?!”
“Ah, they say it’s items.”
“Items? Even if they send L-rank items, it’s hard to make good use of them right now…”
Item support.
It was greatly appreciated, but it didn’t seem like it would help much in the current situation.
But at that moment, the sea breeze suddenly turned freezing cold.
“Ssshhh~.”
The Hunters unconsciously turned their heads.
Standing there, a mage in pure white robes was chanting a spell, exuding not the slightest hint of life.
They had never seen this person before, but the Vulcanus Mark on the mage’s robe made it clear this mage was Korea’s ‘support.’
And moments later, as the mage finished the incantation—
“Crackkk!”
“My god…”
The sea froze solid.
Naturally, every Monster in the water froze solid as well.
A terrifying display of power.
Who was this person?
Some people among them knew all about Korea’s rankers, but none had ever heard of such an existence.
If we’re talking about the strongest mage guild in Korea, that would be the Mir Guild.
But anyone could see this was the Vulcanus Mark.
More importantly, this was not a lone case.
“Reinforcements!”
Combat 6 was effortlessly cutting down Monsters with a razor-sharp blade.
Combat 13 was swinging a massive scythe and cleaving through a Cursed Serpent.
Combat 21 was wielding a gigantic axe and holding its own against a colossal Monster.
Vulcanus’s soldiers were beginning to take down the Monsters.
Could even a Korean ranker have done something like this?
No.
These reinforcements from Vulcanus were a greater help than the appearance of any ranker.
Right now, Taiwan wasn’t up against a single powerful enemy, but Monsters attacking from all sides.
And it wasn’t just Taiwan that received Vulcanus’s support.
“It’s the incarnation of Genghis Khan!”
Combat 10 and 11 tore through Monsters on the Mongolian plains.
“Our saviors! Is that the incarnation of the Berserker?!”
Combat 7 and 8 were rampaging through the Vietnamese jungles, slicing down Monsters in a frenzy.
All across various countries, Vulcanus’s soldiers were in action.
Countries cheered as Vulcanus’s soldiers suddenly appeared, vanquished the enemy, then disappeared.
“Equipment support has arrived!”
“Yes!”
The support wasn’t limited to just the Vulcanus soldiers.
Vulcanus Equipment was starting to arrive.
Just by donning Vulcanus Equipment, a Hunter’s combat power increased dramatically, so the countries receiving Vulcanus’s support found it much easier to deal with Gate Burning.
At this rate, could they get through the Gate Burning without massive losses?
It was a much more difficult situation than the Second Gate Burning, but hope was rising in everyone’s hearts.
Along with that hope came a deep sense of awe toward Vulcanus, the Hunter and Blacksmith from Korea.
Meanwhile, while everyone’s attention was focused on Gate Burning,
“Kugugugugu—”
The earth trembled as the ‘Tower’ began its descent.