Chapter 39: What’s Needed to Prevent the War (1)

[Japanese Prime Minister’s Residence]

Following the recent assassination of Prime Minister Yamada Goro, the residence had tightened its security to an extreme degree.  

Inside the building boasting impenetrable defenses, the Prime Minister’s office.  

“……”

His furrowed brows deepened as his fingers drummed silently on the desk.  

Endless worry, and more worry after that.  

But he knew the truth.  

His current agonizing thoughts were utterly pointless.  

Because this matter had already been decided beyond his control.  

Yet, he could not bring himself to make that obvious choice.  

The heavy responsibility was far too overwhelming for someone who, until recently, was merely a member of the House of Representatives.  

Honestly, he had avoided it.  

Given more time, he would have evaded it forever.  

But now, the time to decide had come.  

“Huu…”  He let out a heavy sigh.  

“Click.”  

He picked up the receiver.  

A hotline connected through an old-fashioned, outdated telephone.  

[Received.]

A calm voice flowed through, knowing full well who was on the other end.  

“I think we need to… lend some support.”

‘……..’  

There was a brief silence, understanding exactly what those words implied.  

But soon after.  

[…So be it. As for the agreed payment…]

[We will provide it as soon as this matter concludes.]

[Thank you for your hard work. Bearing such heavy responsibility as Acting Prime Minister…]

“I only hope this ends quickly. For that, we need the Chairman’s assistance.”  

[Hahaha! Don’t worry. We will handle it thoroughly, as promised, once the payment is made.]

“I’m counting on you.”  

[Ah, and one more thing.]

The voice stopped Takaoji Fumio from ending the call.  

[Since you’re reaching out for help, it would be wise to make it count. It might be best to seek support from the United States, Russia, and as many others as possible.] 

A shrewd move.  

Recently, Japan had been aggressively pursuing China.  

That much was obvious from the weekly and monthly rankings.  

But this unforeseen crisis had robbed Japan of the momentum behind that pursuit.  

Ikeda Kaito, Japan’s top Awakened, had died.  

Thanks to that, the Oni Guild, which had boasted global competitiveness, was shaken.  

On top of that, if Japan distributed its accumulated resources and wealth to other nations under the pretext of aid, 

‘It would take a long time to recover.’  

Chairman Zhang Zhao of China knew this all too well.  

So he pretended to give advice, while attempting to strangle Japan.  

To crush any will Japan had to chase China.  

Even while fully aware of this fact.  

“…That’s right.”  

He had no choice but to comply.  

If, by some chance, Japan were to lose this war, it wouldn’t bow to China, but to the Republic of Korea.  

[I sincerely hope this matter is resolved well.]

He ended the call with Chairman Zhang Zhao, who sounded almost mocking.  

But his calls were not over.  

As planned, he promised payment to the United States, Russia, and others, securing their support.  

This completed preparations for justification of war, and safeguards against the world’s condemnation toward Japan.  

But it was still not over.  

With a smooth motion, he took something out from inside his coat.  

It was the business card of an unexpected visitor who had come to see him recently.  

‘There may come a time when you need my help. When that happens, don’t hesitate to contact me. I have far more amazing things than what I showed you before.’  

At the time, he thought he wouldn’t need that help.  

But now, the situation had changed.  

He had to win by any means necessary.  

Even if it meant drawing the world’s condemnation, he could not hesitate.  

He put down the old telephone and picked up his smartphone.  

Then dialed the contact written on the card.  

“Riiing—”

An outdated ringtone, ill-fitting for these times.  

Before it even finished ringing once,  

[Oh my, who might this be?]

A bright voice came through the phone, as if they already knew who was calling.  

“The thing you showed me before? We’ll buy it.”  

On the desk lay a black business card with golden letters.  

[Archer Freeman, Head of Elixir Headquarters]

One name was written there.  

A signal of war?

Japan’s moves were becoming ominous!  

“Japanese forces gradually pushing the frontlines forward. A powder keg ready to explode!”  

[Acting President Hosik Jeong will not stand idly by if an attack begins.]

Just reading the news conveyed the tense atmosphere.  

After holding their positions for some time, Japan was slowly advancing the frontlines.  

Their troop concentrations and preparations were anything but ordinary.  

A war could break out at any moment, and the tension was palpable.  

‘A misjudgment.’  

Japan had tried to control their top Awakened and suppress the war.  

But that was a clear miscalculation.  

The very attempt at restraint became the spark.  

They had failed to consider the current situation.  

How much Japan underestimated the Republic of Korea.  

How humiliating it would be for a former ruling country to surrender to Korea.  

Complex feelings and circumstances combined into something beyond normal reasoning.  

Thanks to that, the situation was now a powder keg ready to ignite.  

War.  

A horrific stage that he had witnessed far too often.  

Because he knew its horrors, he would prevent it at all costs.  

This was a crisis born from his own vengeance.  

The world’s law: if you make a mess, you clean it up yourself. 

*** 

And now.  

“Yes. That condition sounds acceptable.”  

Kim Si-won was in the middle of preparations to prevent that war.  

Inside the Republic of Korea Awakened Bureau conference room, he was meeting with an outsider.  

The visitor was Rain Peterson, an American with light brown hair and striking blue eyes.  

He was an employee dispatched from Elixir’s U.S. headquarters.  

But Rain Peterson was a human without any demonic aura.  

It was unexpected.  

Kim Si-won had killed a Doppelganger that the Korean branch was secretly experimenting on.  

After recovering the test subject, he had asked the government to increase imports of the Awakening Potion.  

Naturally, it was assumed a demon would be sent to investigate, but here came a human employee instead.  

Archer Freeman hadn’t taken the bait he’d set.  

Only two possibilities came to mind.  

‘Either stupid or clever.’  

Judging from the situation, the latter seemed more likely.  

“…So, we’ve prepared double the usual amount compared to before.”  

The message conveyed to him was a doubled import of Awakening Potions.  

Awakening Potions were among the most strictly regulated imports.  

This was necessary because if individuals smuggled in the potions, monopolies and price surges would cause chaos.  

Therefore, the government strictly controlled the import quantities, but due to his influence, the amount doubled overnight.  

He pressed the button on the titanium box brought with them.  

“Psssssh”

Cooling gas vented out as the container opened.  

Inside, exactly one hundred glass vials were neatly placed in slots.  

Kim Si-won met eyes with Minister Kim Chaun, who was also present.  

After confirming the orderly arrangement of potions, the minister gave a slight nod.  

“Yes. I’ve just made the payment. Please check.”  

Though it was his order, the cost for the Awakening Potions was fully paid from government funds.  

“Confirmed. Contact us anytime you need more. Elixir is confident in always meeting customer demands.”  

Rain Peterson left after successfully concluding the contract.  

He observed him carefully.  

“Shall I assign a tail?”  

At Minister Kim Chaun’s question after hearing the situation he said: “No. There’s no doubt.”  

A human, not a demon.  

Sending him here probably had no connection.  

Tailings would yield nothing.  

He didn’t want to waste time.  

With this, the original plan had failed.  

That meant only one thing was left: obtaining additional spoils.  

The Awakening Potions right in front of him were the spoils gained from this plan.  

‘They were serious about it.’  

They didn’t ignore the death of the Doppelganger.  

Surprisingly, all one hundred Awakening Potions Rain Peterson brought were actually Demon Transformation Potions.  

“Whoa.”  

Normally, only a few of these potions would be mixed in.

But here, all one hundred were Demon Transformation Potions.  

The intention was clear.  

Revenge for the dead Doppelganger.  

An attempt to mass-produce demons to replace the fallen Doppelganger.  

‘Thank you.’  

Thanks to their plan, he had unintentionally gained a significant advantage.  

“Well then, I’ll be going out to take care of some business. Call me if you need anything.”  

Kim Chaun, sharp-witted despite his lack of experience, left the meeting room.  

Alone in the room, he swallowed down the Demon Transformation Potion, which was originally meant to plunge the Republic of Korea into chaos.

“Clack.”

One?  

No.  

He swallowed again and again without hesitation.  

There was no sense of fullness or hesitation.  

The liquid quickly evaporated as it slid down his esophagus, gathering near his heart as demonic energy. 

“Ssshhh”

Each time he took the Demon Transformation Potion, his demonic energy would recover by 0.1 to 0.2%.  

But as his demonic energy rose, its efficiency decreased.  

At first, it would increase by 0.2%, then gradually drop to 0.1%, then 0.05%, and so on.  

By the time he finished all 100 potions, his demonic energy had recovered by about 12%.  

He had regained about 5% through the Demon King Legion Commander’s Package, so this meant roughly 7% additional recovery.  

The recovery amount wasn’t as high as expected, but considering he hadn’t climbed a tower and had only increased it using government money, it was a fairly satisfying result.  

But then.  

[Japan’s Sato Yusuke has used a Summon Ticket (Basilisk) targeting the Republic of Korea.]  

[This is a designated Summon Ticket. The summon creature (Basilisk) appears in Seoul, Republic of Korea.]  

There was no time to rejoice at the sudden message.  

Moreover, it was followed by.  

[Japan’s Sato Yusuke has used a Summon Ticket (Manticores) targeting the Republic of Korea.]  

[This is a designated Summon Ticket. The summon creatures (Manticores) appear in Seoul, Republic of Korea.]  

[Japan’s Sato Yusuke has used a Summon Ticket (Griffin) targeting the Republic of Korea.]  

[This is a designated Summon Ticket. The summon creature (Griffin) appears in Seoul, Republic of Korea.]  

[Japan’s Sato Yusuke has used a Summon Ticket (Wyvern) targeting the Republic of Korea.]  

[This is a designated Summon Ticket. The summon creature (Wyvern) appears in Seoul, Republic of Korea.]  

Alerts sounded dozens of times in succession.  

‘So many Named Summon Cards?’  

It was unexpected.  

Though he did not know the full details, he had a general understanding of Japan’s situation.  

Japan, who hadn’t even known the means to attack a nation until recently due to lack of guild sharing, had used dozens of Summon Tickets.  

This was…  

‘…someone’s interference.’  

This was not Japan’s power alone.  

There was a hidden hand behind it.  

As he was guessing who this mysterious backer could be, the meeting room door slammed open violently.

“Bang!”

“B-Big trouble!”  

Minister Kim Chaun shouted, his expression anxious and urgent as he looked at him.  

“Japan, they launched a preemptive strike!”  

Along with the use of Summon Tickets, they attacked and sank a Korean naval ship they had been confronting.  

A meticulous strategy that dropped monsters in the middle of Seoul while simultaneously advancing troops.  

But.  

“Do not worry.”  

Kim Si-won did not falter.  

Japan had made a grave mistake.  

10001  

Demonic energy began to envelop his body.  

It was no ordinary level of demonic energy, but the Martial Demon Energy only a high-ranking demon could manifest.  

The kind previously used by the Death Knight.  

But this was different.  

“Tsutsutsutsu!”  

It began to materialize.  

The cold and solidified Martial Demon Energy finally took shape.  

At last, a jet-black armor enveloped his entire body.  

“Algor—”  

The armor of Valdevron Brocia, the original Undead Legion Commander.  

“It’ll be over quickly.”  

No sooner had he armed himself, he dashed out as a single streak. 

“Ka-bang!”  

***

Downtown.  

“Bang, bang!”

Continuous explosions echoed.  

“Crack!”

Debris from shattered buildings littered the ground.  

It was a truly terrifying, despair-inducing scene.  

“Kyaaaaah!”  

“Kiiik!”  

The roars of monsters.  

Though the world had changed along with upheaval, this was limited to the towers.  

Ordinary citizens went about their work or lived peaceful lives.  

But that peace was shattered.  

Monsters suddenly summoned in the heart of the city.  

“Kuwakuwakwang!”

The massive beasts tore down buildings.  

“Ugh!”  

“Aaah!”  

Collapsed structures.  

Loud screams from all directions.  

“Gyaaah!”  

And agonizing cries.  

It was, in a way, a scene resembling the apocalypse.  

No, perhaps not the end of the world, but certainly the end of Seoul.  

While everyone was engulfed in fear and despair, something fell from the sky. 

“Boom!”

Creating a huge crater on the asphalt.  

It was  

A mysterious figure clad in jet-black armor.  

An Awakener?  

Yet, no one dared to hold hope.  

Because dozens of monsters controlled the city, what could a single Awakener possibly do?  

But in the next moment, everyone witnessed it.  

“Thud!”

He stomped once.  

“Jjejeojeojeojuk!”

The rapidly spreading chill froze the monsters’ feet.  

Stuck to the ground, their legs prevented smooth movement.  

Thanks to that, the destruction ceased.  

But it was only temporary.  

They could break free from the icy chains and attack again at any time.  

But that was not all.  

“Obey me.”  

“Kwaaaah!”

The unpleasant and fearsome aura, like the gloomy atmosphere of a cave, spread in all directions.  

“Kiiing, kiiing—”   

An unbelievable sight unfolded.  

The monsters, which until moments ago rampaged like wild beasts, began trembling.  

How could this be?  

Monsters whose mission was to hate living beings and kill them felt fear?  

But it was not over yet.  

“Welcome your new master, you insignificant creatures!”  

“Flash!”

A blue demonic aura poured out from beneath the helmet.  

“Thud, thud!”

Like dogs paying homage to their master, all of them lowered their bodies.  

All the ferocity they had shown vanished.  

The monsters had become nothing more than tamed dogs.  

“Kwa-chang!”

The weakened chill broke the ice that had bound them.  

“Let’s go.”  

The man leading the tamed beasts.  

His steps were headed toward Busan, where Japanese troops were advancing.