Chapter 54: A Period of Turmoil!(4)

As Min-hyuk was leaving the site of the terrorist attack with Park Yeong-hwan, Park Yeong-hwan received a phone call.

— Something terrible has happened!

A large-scale Gate Break has occurred in the North Korean region!

“…What? Suddenly?”

Park Yeong-hwan asked back, his expression one of disbelief.

— The Gates along the armistice line are the ones primarily breaking.

“It was intentional.”

— That is our assessment as well.

However, one concerning point is that there were no prior signs.

At those words, Park Yeong-hwan’s expression also turned grave.

With its current capabilities, North Korea could not manage its entire territory like the Kingdom of Korea.

They were forced to abandon regions they couldn’t handle, but from the Kingdom of Korea’s perspective, if the areas near the armistice line were abandoned, they had to prepare in advance.

That was why they had densely packed the area near the armistice line with precision detection equipment.

By identifying the Gate’s color via satellite and calculating the Mana wave patterns with detection devices, they could roughly determine whether a Gate Break would occur.

The problem was that there had been no signs of an impending Gate Break.

“Did they trigger the breaks artificially?”

— It seems so.

“But is it possible to trigger a break so quickly that it’s difficult for us to detect it in advance?”

It wasn’t entirely impossible to trigger a Gate Break artificially.

There were methods such as agitating the monsters or overfilling the Gate’s nucleus by having it absorb something like a high-ranking Gate Core.

However, even if such methods were used, one could not escape the signs of an impending break.

First, the color would change.

Before an overload occurred, the Mana waves would fluctuate violently near the entrance, becoming unstable.

Finally, cracks would appear as if the Gate were about to shatter.

Was it possible for a Gate Break to explode immediately while skipping all these processes?

— We inquired with the World Association, but they said this is the first time such a thing has happened.

‘I understand for now.’

Park Yeong-hwan sighed softly at the employee’s answer.

It seemed the Villains had found a new way to cause Gate Breaks, but why did they have to use it now of all times?

Couldn’t they have tested it out earlier?

As he thought this, Park Yeong-hwan headed toward the Hunter Management Bureau.

“I will prepare a place for you next to the Bureau Chief’s office for now. I ask that you stay at the Bureau until the chaos settles down.”

“Yes.”

After seeing off Park Yeong-hwan and Park Min-hye, who seemed busy, Min-hyuk immediately opened his System Window.

The Hunter Net was in an uproar over the news that he had been attacked.

Even those who identified themselves as members of the Villain Union were indignant, claiming that such an act of terror should never have happened.

This was immediately apparent because they had spent huge sums of money on donations to keep their posts pinned at the very top.

— We offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Choi Min-hyuk, who was attacked by the Triad. We also view this terrorist act with great gravity.

— The South American Cartel declares that we have no involvement in this incident. Furthermore, we will prepare our own means to punish the perpetrators and protect Min-hyuk….

— The Mafia Union will prepare means to protect Mr. Choi Min-hyuk….

Large Villain Unions immediately announced that they had nothing to do with the incident.

Touching Choi Min-hyuk at this time was that sensitive.

It could trigger a full-scale war to the point where all the money they had poured in until now would become meaningless.

Inside the Tower, there was a trend of avoiding the use of modern weapons due to the decrease in the clear rate, but what if they fought in the real world?

Even ordinary people could hunt Villains.

Special anti-Hunter bullets,

Special anti-Hunter bombs,

Special anti-Hunter rockets.

While Villains could dodge them with physical abilities that far transcended ordinary humans, the mere fact that there were means to inflict damage was a burden to them.

What if a single unit formed a perimeter and poured firepower into capturing a few Hunters?

No matter how strong a Villain was, they would eventually tire out, and when Hunters were finally deployed, they could be easily suppressed or killed.

Even if they managed to endure against the world, maintaining their current influence would be out of the question.

In that situation, breaking news appeared on the television hanging in the room.

“The identity of Hunter Choi Min-hyuk’s attacker has been revealed! The culprit is a member of the Middle East Villain Union…”

“Most of them are illegal immigrants, and in the case of some terrorists, a specific corporation guaranteed their identity…”

“The Hunter Management Bureau believes there is a possibility that some of the companies that guaranteed the identities of the terrorists are involved…”

The Hunter Management Bureau revealed the identity of the terrorists immediately after the attack occurred.

They tried to end the chaos as early as possible, but the situation was not good.

“A large-scale Gate Break has occurred near the armistice line!”

“Inquiries were made to North Korean authorities, but there has been no response…”

“Ministry of National Defense: We may have to keep the worst-case scenario in mind…”

Normally, they would say it was fine, that it was a situation they were controlling, or if it were truly difficult, they would ask for help.

However, the fact that there was no response this time raised suspicions that something was wrong with the North Korean government.

This wasn’t the only problem.

“Signs of a break from an unidentified Gate in the Chungju area…”

“Sudden Mana instability in the Gangwon-do region…”

“Many individuals suspected to be Villains spotted in four locations in Jeollanam-do…”

“Numerous Hunter Management Bureau employees were reportedly attacked at two Gate sites in Gyeongsangbuk-do…”

News of ominous events continued to pour in through breaking news reports.

Normally, if an attack on Min-hyuk was reported, videos of experts analyzing the event would follow one after another, but this time, there wasn’t even time for that.

This was because the Villains continued to cause problems as if they were trying to gather in the Kingdom of Korea.

‘They’re really crazy.’

Min-hyuk muttered to himself at the movements that seemed to have no regard for the consequences.

The translucent System Window was filled with posts from Villains repeatedly stating that the problems in North Korea and all the current issues had nothing to do with them.

Within a short period, the giant Villain Unions were already drawing a clear line between themselves and the Villains who had carried out the terror.

Furthermore, various countries around the world also announced a hardline stance against the attack.

“United States: If there is any corporation even slightly involved in the terror that occurred in Korea, we will impose the most certain sanctions…”

“China: The Triad must prove they are not involved in this incident. Otherwise, we will sweep them away until not a single speck of dust remains!”

“European Union: This incident is absolutely unacceptable. If they do not actively cooperate, we will go to war with the Mafia!”

Major organizations made announcements all at once and began gathering armies and Hunters as if they were about to go to war with the Villains right away.

Perhaps because of this, the Villain Union also exceptionally announced that they would hand over information on everything from suspicious organizations to black companies.

It was a starkly different reaction from before.

That was because Min-hyuk’s value was just that great.

The 10th Floor Base.

The low-floor industries.

Just these two things alone created a mountain of potential cooperation, and the further one ascended the floors, the greater the cooperation would become.

Above all, the response from the World Association was firm.

“World Association: We will respond with zero tolerance to anyone even slightly involved in the attack on Hunter Choi Min-hyuk. We are also considering the introduction of a summary judgment system.”

In the case of heinous criminals, the World Association sometimes gave special agents the authority to kill them immediately on the spot.

But this time, they warned that they might use that authority against everyone involved.

They saw this incident as that serious.

If it had just ended with the attack on Min-hyuk, that would be one thing, but continuing terror simultaneously in North and South Korea?

This meant they intended to target Min-hyuk again when the opportunity arose.

Perhaps that was why the World Association also took an exceptionally strong stance.

‘It’s chaotic.’

Min-hyuk sat quietly, watching several breaking news reports pop up every hour.

Perhaps because of this, the flow inside the Tower, where the clear rate had been rising steadily, was abruptly cut off.

If this trend continued, it would be difficult to progress through the quests on floors 11 to 15.

Moreover, the construction on floors one to nine might also be suspended.

‘Phew… I have to work.’

Saying he was out of his mind because he had been attacked was just an excuse.

He moved to fulfill his duties as the 10th Floor Base Owner.

**[10th Floor Base Event: 10% Clear Rate Bonus for 3 days!]**

**[Group Event: Rewards will be given to everyone who participates when the Special Quest clear rate is achieved!]**

First, he offered rewards.

There was nothing better than an event to make Hunters focus on the clear rate instead of other thoughts.

At the same time, Min-hyuk moved around the base and opened surprise events.

**[Surprise Event: For the next 10 minutes, receive a special quest from the Base Owner!]**

Min-hyuk deliberately moved through places where people didn’t travel often so that they would have to search for him.

As he held events throughout various locations this way, the Hunters, who had been staring at the Hunter Net until a moment ago, stood up and began to roam every corner of the base.

Then, the chaos caused by the terror vanished like a mirage, and in its place, the base began to fill with the madness of those determined to receive rewards.

However, as if this were not enough, Min-hyuk fiddled with the System Window again.

A surprise event individually offered by a shop owner,

An individual event conducted by the Base Owner,

A defense event conducted by the Fortress Defense Force,

And even a special event conducted outside the fortress.

These were events created by pouring in all the money the fortress had barely managed to save.

One might think it was a waste of money to calm the chaos, but in the long run, this was all an investment.

Perhaps that was why the chaos inside the Tower began to settle quickly as Hunters moved busily to take advantage of the events popping up relentlessly.

After stabilizing the 10th Floor Base in such a hectic manner, Min-hyuk checked the situation outside once more.

“It’s a mess.”

In the meantime, the situation in the Kingdom of Korea had become even more of a disaster.

Currently, nowhere was as safe as the 10th Floor Base, so he stayed there without going outside.

As if they didn’t like that, terrorist attacks were occurring throughout Seoul.

Since they had no way to attack Min-hyuk, they were trying to cause a disturbance instead.

The problem was that this was only the beginning.

“Breaking News: Risk of Tower Collapse in North Korea?”

Since North Korea had not disclosed information, the exact clear rate was unknown.

However, cracks were appearing in the Tower located in the center of Pyongyang.

The phenomenon of increasing Gates due to System warnings was already occurring, and beyond that, there were warnings that the Tower itself might collapse.

“World Association: South Korea may have to prepare for a disaster! We may even have to consider the assumption of infiltrating North Korea with the World Association before the worst happens…”

The World Association officially stated that they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

It seemed to show what happened when Villain forces, having grown as large as possible, launched a massive offensive against a nation.

‘Is it… war?’

It was when he was sighing softly at the thought that a large-scale war might break out.

A System Window appeared in front of Min-hyuk.

**[Emergency Proposal: A problem has occurred in the neighboring Tower. Therefore, we would like to make a special proposal to Climber Choi Min-hyuk, the 10th Floor Base Owner and an Irregular.]**

**[Conquer floors 16 to 20 all at once! Upon success, the North Korean Tower and the South Korean Tower will be merged.]**

**[※ Special Quest rewards (Base/Individual) will be announced separately after the clear.]**

**[Will you accept?]**

Min-hyuk pondered for a moment at the System’s question, then nodded quietly.

“Sure.”