“Wait a moment. What happens if I don’t cooperate?” Kim Song-cheol asked.
Kim Myung-joo looked up, clasped his hands together, and remained silent for a moment.
He spoke as if he truly had no other choice.
Failure to comply results in a prison sentence of at least one year and up to five years.
“The mobilization order from the Special Disaster Response Agency is equivalent to a Wartime Mobilization Order.
To be honest, I’m not sure what would happen if you were to sue the state, but…”
“So I have no choice.”
“I feel very sorry about that part. However, what is happening now is a global disaster. I would appreciate it if you could be understanding and take that into consideration.”
Kim Myung-joo continued with a look of utmost seriousness.
“But I prefer voluntary participation over forced mobilization. Prison is the bare minimum stick, and we have a carrot prepared separately. First, let’s talk about the money.”
Kim Myung-joo pulled up a chair and sat down.
Finally, Kim Song-cheol and Kim Myung-joo were eye-to-eye.
“If you participate voluntarily, we will guarantee a signing bonus of 10 billion won and an annual salary of 10 billion won. Additionally, performance bonuses based on Point acquisition are separate. On top of that…”
“10 billion won? For the signing bonus?”
Kim Song-cheol picked at his ear, wondering if he had misheard.
He had heard that Hunters received a lot of money from the country, but he never imagined they would drop 10 billion won starting with the signing bonus.
Being an accountant, he tended to receive a lot of newsletters and gossip.
Even in those rumors, there was no Hunter who had received a signing bonus of 10 billion won.
At most, it was in the 3 billion won range.
He would have to see the actual bank statements to be sure, but it shouldn’t have been that much different from the gossip.
“It’s too early to be surprised. This money is merely the amount set based on your Mana Affinity. If you show an aptitude for Magic or Swordsmanship, it will increase even further. It will help if you think of it as being more than a sports star. Furthermore, if you receive scouting offers from overseas, it will increase even more. Money doesn’t lie.”
Kim Song-cheol’s head became a mess.
It wasn’t just because of the amount Kim Myung-joo had proposed.
“Is it possible for me to have some time to think?”
“I will give you one week. However, aside from the financial aspect, I hope you will think deeply about the future of the Republic of Korea. Damage from Gates is occurring one after another all over the world. Even though the situation in Korea is relatively good… the disaster in Ulsan still happened. You have immense potential, Kim Song-cheol. Please help us so that the citizens of the Republic of Korea no longer have to live in fear.”
Kim Myung-joo bowed his head once more.
There wasn’t a hint of pretense to be felt. He truly wanted Kim Song-cheol to protect the Republic of Korea.
***
At a certain traditional Korean restaurant.
Kim Myung-joo was sitting in front of a neatly set table.
His graying hair was combed back neatly, and he wore rimless glasses.
A sharp gaze remained alive behind the lenses.
He looked less like someone at a dining table and more like a soldier facing war.
*Rattle.*
The door opened, and an elderly man entered.
Kim Myung-joo immediately stood up from his seat.
“Minister, have you arrived?”
“Sit, sit.”
It was the Minister of Interior and Safety, Choi Jong-mun.
Since the emergence of Dungeons and Gates and the establishment of the Special Disaster Response Agency, only the most powerful figures of the current administration were appointed as the Minister of Interior and Safety.
Currently, Choi Jong-mun could be considered almost second only to the President.
“So, I heard you have good news?”
Choi Jong-mun asked as soon as he sat down.
His expression was bright.
Setting aside political issues, he too was a citizen of the Republic of Korea.
“Yes. In this expanded Mana Affinity test, a candidate with high potential was discovered.”
“Oho, pushing for the age expansion was effective after all. It’ll save me some face. So, how high is the potential?”
“His Mana Affinity came out as 100.”
“What?”
Choi Jong-mun’s face crumpled instantly.
It wasn’t in a negative way; he too was doubting his own ears.
“Is that certain?”
“Yes, I confirmed it personally. His affinity for Mana was strangely high. I didn’t expect such a body to exist.”
“That’s an unbelievable figure. As long as he isn’t just a pretty face with high Mana Affinity… he’ll be an incredible force.”
Only then did Choi Jong-mun nod slowly.
If they raised him well, the safety of the Republic of Korea would be guaranteed.
Was that all?
These days, national power was determined by Points.
Perhaps the Republic of Korea would become the strongest nation.
“Have you secured his person?”
Choi Jong-mun asked as he read the file Kim Myung-joo handed over.
It was a file containing Kim Song-cheol’s profile.
“Not yet.”
“What? Then?”
“He said he needed time to think, so I allowed him one week.”
“You, how can you handle the work like that?”
Choi Jong-mun did not hide his displeasure.
“You should have grabbed him and sat him down! You’ve been doing well until now, so why are you slipping up here? Is that all the reward I get for my trust?”
“I apologize, but I made that decision after judging the overall situation. He is 31 years old and an accountant. If we act coercively…”
“An accountant over thirty is still a civilian! You can’t even persuade one person?”
“I judged that we wouldn’t be able to elicit proper cooperation by being coercive.”
Kim Myung-joo spoke politely without wavering.
He didn’t seem intimidated, but his tone was very earnest.
“And if things go wrong? His parents are still alive; didn’t you think about that? What parents would be happy about their son becoming a Hunter? Especially the parents of an accountant! So what, you’re going to throw him in prison? If you do, what then? Won’t the media go crazy?”
“….Please trust me just this once. We must never use coercion. At a time like this, we must move forward based on trust with the government, Minister.”
“This is driving me crazy. What about the information blackout?”
“For now, I have obtained a non-disclosure agreement from the measurement assistant. Of course, I got one from the subject as well. There will be no information leaks.”
Currently, there were four people in total who knew about the 100 Mana Affinity.
Kim Song-cheol himself, the researcher who helped with the measurement, Kim Myung-joo, and Choi Jong-mun.
Those four.
“….I still can’t be at ease. They’ll use all sorts of dirty tricks to snatch away Hunters…”
Choi Jong-mun kept tapping the table with his finger.
His anxiety was evident.
“We lost one last time too. The one with a Mana Affinity of 43. We sent him home to pack his things for a bit, and don’t you remember him being scouted and crossing over to the United States?”
“I am aware.”
“And yet you’re going to give him a week?”
“Yes.”
“….You’re prepared to take off the uniform, right?”
“Yes.”
Kim Myung-joo’s answer was unwavering.
***
Kim Song-cheol stayed holed up at home all weekend, and only on Monday morning did he pick up his phone.
He selected Choi Dae-seong from his call list and clicked it.
[Hello?]
Soon, Choi Dae-seong’s voice was heard.
Judging by the ambient noise, he seemed to be on the subway.
“It’s Kim Song-cheol.”
[What’s going on? This early in the morning?]
“I’m not feeling very well, so I think I’ll have to take a day off.”
[Ah, really?]
“Yes. I’ve had a cold since yesterday, and I took some medicine, but there’s no improvement…”
[I heard the flu is going around these days. Get some rest, it can’t be helped.]
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
[It’s not even the peak season anyway.]
Kim Song-cheol ended the call vaguely.
Of course, he didn’t have a cold.
His head was just a mess.
He was destined to become a Hunter anyway, but he couldn’t put his heart into it.
It was true that he was tempted by the money Kim Myung-joo offered.
However, the idea of suddenly becoming a Hunter didn’t quite sit right with him either.
If one was a Hunter, they had to go into Dungeons and risk their lives fighting Monsters, but Kim Song-cheol had never risked his life until now.
In the first place, he was a flower in a greenhouse, raised gently in modern society.
Risking his life?
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of aversion.
Kim Song-cheol stayed inside his house for a week like that.
He kept taking days off, but he wasn’t worried about his job at all.
It was because his head was filled with thoughts of being a Hunter.
As time passed and the final day promised to Kim Myung-joo arrived, Kim Song-cheol lay on his bed staring at the ceiling before loosely throwing on some clothes and heading out.
All he had in his pockets were his phone and car keys.
He immediately drove out of Seoul and entered the highway.
Since it was a weekday morning, the highway was wide open.
After driving for a long time, he arrived in Ulsan.
Until he passed the boundary of Ulsan, nothing seemed particularly unusual.
Rural villages were scattered here and there, and the roads were fine.
However, as he passed the tollgate and entered further into Ulsan, a massive ruin appeared.
Almost beyond just a neighborhood, an entire district had been turned into a wasteland.
Kim Song-cheol drove his car as the navigation guided him.
It was a mountain where he could look down upon the city center of Ulsan.
Kim Song-cheol parked his car in the parking lot and got out.
After walking a bit, an observatory appeared.
He gripped the railing and looked down at Ulsan.
It was a horrific scene.
The craters where missiles had fallen remained as they were, and an immense amount of building debris was piled up.
It was impossible to tell what part of what building it was.
It was because they had been shattered and scattered so finely.
‘It doesn’t smell.’
He had heard that for a year after Ulsan became a wasteland, it was filled with the smell of chemicals.
The carcasses of Monsters blown apart by missiles were scattered everywhere, and it was impossible to clean them all up.
Since Monsters were also living creatures, they were bound to rot, and since various insects and infectious diseases would break out if left alone, chemicals were constantly poured over them.
“….There’s no wasteland like this.”
His impression of Ulsan was “horrific.”
Even though everyone had evacuated, it didn’t end with the evacuation.
They lost their workplaces, and they lost their homes.
There was no way to fully compensate them for their losses, and the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ulsan were a huge social problem.
Then again, in a way, one could say Ulsan had held its ground.
In the case of Australia, they had simply lost their land to the Monsters.
What if Monsters began to pour out simultaneously in Korea without being able to eliminate the Gates with Points? Could everything really be solved with missiles? What if the entire national territory became devastated while constantly firing missiles?
That was a problem in its own right.
Even now, the speed of Gate deletion in Korea was gradually slowing down.
It meant that Points were insufficient.
If this trend continued, the downfall of the Republic of Korea was not a story of the distant future.
‘If I can really be of great help, it would be better to do it. If I’m not much help… that would be fine in its own way too.’
Facing the horrific sight of Ulsan, Kim Song-cheol’s mind was somewhat made up.
Toward becoming a Hunter.
Kim Song-cheol picked up his phone.
[Hello? Kim Song-cheol?]
Kim Myung-joo’s very welcoming voice flowed out.
“Yes, hello?”
[Yes, what’s going on?]
“Ah, I… I’m going to try being a Hunter.”
“You’ve made a very good decision.”
Kim Myung-joo’s voice came not through the receiver, but from behind him.
He whipped around to see Kim Myung-joo standing there with his phone.
“Have you been tailing me?”
“You are the hope of the Republic of Korea. Security is a must.”
Kim Myung-joo continued with a smirk.
“Then, shall we head to the center?”
Heading to the center.
It was a call to enter the place of learning for Magic and Swordsmanship—the Special Tactical Education Center.
***