Chapter 91: Mount Fuji’s Last Stand

Japanese Hunters are strong.

Not quite a Hunter powerhouse, but the global consensus was that they were at least upper-mid tier.

Accordingly, during this Second Gate Burning, Japan’s Hunters were able to defeat the Monsters. 

It took time, and there were casualties, but somehow, most of the Monsters in major cities were eliminated.

With that, they intended to quickly announce the conclusion of the Gate Burning.

“Monsters at Mount Fuji have not been cleared!”

“Weren’t the others finished? We just need to call all the Hunters, what’s the problem?”

“We have already gathered most of the Hunters, but the Monsters are too powerful!”

“What kind of Monsters are they?”

“They’re not just one or two. I’ll show you the footage!”

A problem had arisen.

While focusing on city defense, the outskirts were neglected.

Among them, the mass Gate Break at Mount Fuji, a symbol of Japan, remained unresolved.

In the following footage, the first Monster revealed was—

– Shaaaaah!

“…Could that be Yamata no Orochi?”

“That’s right! It’s the Rank 8 boss Monster, Yamata no Orochi!”

The Rank 8 Monster that had once appeared before and brought Japan to the brink of crisis.

Yamata no Orochi.

A gigantic serpent with eight heads and eight tails.

Its heads and tails were so huge and menacing they evoked the image of a blood-red valley.

The problem was, that wasn’t all.

“In addition, the Rank 8 boss Monster Yuki-onna has appeared!”

“That’s bad enough…”

“On top of that, Kuro-Oni has also appeared.”

||

“There have been seven Gate Breaks in total. We gathered all Hunters, but we’re barely holding them back.”

“What about Kiyuto Hunter?”

“Kiyuto Hunter is also participating, but he can’t take on three boss Monsters simultaneously.”

“Aren’t there other Rankers?”

“If Kiyuto Hunter and the Rankers pooled their strength, they could defeat the three boss Monsters, but the lesser Monsters are preventing that.”

“The lesser Monsters?”

“General Monsters that appeared alongside the boss Monsters. And the Rank 6 and 7 Monsters as well.”

The situation was dire.

If the Rankers focused on the boss Monsters, they could bring them down, but the general Monsters wouldn’t stand by.

If they dealt with the general Monsters first, they wouldn’t be able to handle the boss Monsters.

There was only one way.

While the Rankers fought the boss Monsters, other Hunters had to fight the general Monsters.

Easier said than done—it was practically impossible.

“We need Hunters from other countries to assist!”

“That can’t happen! We can’t let the great Japan’s progress be ruined! There must be another way!”

“Then… how about asking Korea for help?”

“Korea? How could we ask Korea for that…”

“There’s a Blacksmith in Korea who can produce SSS-class Equipment. I heard Korea was able to declare the third Gate Burning conclusion thanks to that Blacksmith.”

“Equipment would be fine, wouldn’t it? None of our citizens care much about Equipment anyway.”

It was a plausible suggestion.

Bringing in foreign Hunters would draw all eyes onto them, but bringing in Equipment might be overlooked.

Thinking along those lines…

“Then, let’s do it.”

The man nodded.

Mount Fuji, the spiritual mountain and symbol of Japan.

Countless Monsters swarmed its slopes as always majestic Mount Fuji was overwhelmed.

“Shaah—.”

“Ugh… heh heh.”

“Hehehehehe—.”

Monsters descending from Mount Fuji to ravage the world.

No, these beings, called Yokai in Japan, truly evoked the legend of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

Below them—

“There are too many!”

“What are the Rankers even doing?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to let them come down and defeat the Yokai after they spread?”

“Abandon Mount Fuji? We can’t do that!”

“Is our problem more important than the symbol of Mount Fuji?”

Japanese Hunters fought desperately to stop the Yokai.

But the number was overwhelming.

Hunters flocked as if to unite, but they were no match for the Yokai pouring down from Mount Fuji.

“Hunters! Focus! From now on, we’ll hunt the Great Yokai! Please prevent the general Yokai from interfering with our fight!”

A loud voice came from the Ranker side.

Using some kind of skill, the voice echoed across all of Mount Fuji and reached every Hunter’s ears.

Still, the Hunters’ reaction was far from good.

“You want us to stop all of them?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“But if the Rankers don’t bring down the Great Yokai, the battle will get even tougher.”

“Even so, how are we supposed to handle all this…?”

The Hunters were deeply troubled.

They understood they had to defeat the Great Yokai—boss Yokai—but seeing so many Yokai descending Mount Fuji’s ridge, they lacked the courage to face them.

Then—

“Support has arrived!”

Along with the sound of helicopters, someone’s voice was heard.

Support?

Were more Hunters coming?

Unfortunately, no.

“We will begin Equipment transmission. Please prepare!”

“Equipment?”

Equipment?

How could simply receiving Equipment help fight these countless Yokai?

Though they didn’t understand, they accepted the Equipment anyway.

When they checked the Equipment’s grade, they couldn’t help but open their mouths in surprise.

[Japanese Medium-Grade Sword]

Type: Sword

Grade: SS

“Double S-grade?”

Double S-grade Equipment.

How could this be?

They instinctively gasped but didn’t have time to be surprised.

Hunters hurriedly equipped the Equipment and began to face the Yokai in earnest.

Then—

“Swish!”

“How is this possible?”

“What is this weapon?”

Fighting the Yokai became unexpectedly easier.

Were they stronger now?

Or were the Yokai weaker than expected?

No way.

Hunters knew the truth.

This was all thanks to the overwhelming power of the Equipment.

“We can do this!”

The Hunters pushed the Yokai back.

Yokai bodies that once required multiple stabs were now pierced with a single strike.

Mana Conductivity was so high that even a small flow of mana created a vivid Attack Aura.

What about the armor?

They could endure most Yokai attacks with their bodies and press forward.

The Hunters’ combat power rose dramatically after receiving the Equipment.

“We’ll help too!”

“Huh? Already…?”

Before the Rankers defeated the Great Yokai, general Hunters cleared out the Yokai and joined the Great Yokai hunt.

The Rankers were barely handling the three Great Yokai, but once general Hunters formed a raid formation and joined the battle—

“Shaah—”

“Thud!”

Yamata no Orochi.

Yuki-onna.

And Kuro-Oni.

The three famous Great Yokai could no longer endure and were finally defeated.

Only then could Japan officially declare the end of the Second Gate Burning incident.

The general Hunters, who had even assisted in hunting the Great Yokai, naturally turned their attention to the Equipment they’d been supplied.

And the Equipment bore—

“Vulcanus?”

The Vulcanus Mark was clearly engraved.

***

– Yesterday at 8:21 PM, Japan officially declared the conclusion of the Second Gate Burning incident.

– It was the 35th conclusion declaration worldwide, but for Japan, a nation rising as a Hunter power, it was perceived as humiliating.

– However, interest is growing in Japan’s final battle.

“That ended quickly.”

It hadn’t even been a day since the Equipment was sent.

They must have quickly received the Equipment and finished off the Monsters.

Well, all the other places had been cleared; only the Monsters at Mount Fuji remained.

It matched the timing perfectly if the last battle ended with the Equipment I sent, followed by the conclusion declaration.

– Hunter News has secured footage of the battle at Mount Fuji, called Japan’s final battle.

The video of the Mount Fuji operation played on the news.

It was an ordinary operation video, but my eyes stayed fixed on the Equipment the Hunters wore.

Of course.

The Equipment they used was the one I provided.

Although it wasn’t Korean footage, seeing it used so well felt good.

And I wasn’t the only one focusing on the Equipment in the video.

– As you can see, the Equipment worn by Japan’s Hunters bore the clear ‘Vulcanus’ emblem.

That’s right.

– The Blacksmith of Korea.

– The Vulcanus Hunter’s Mark.

Hunter News was also paying attention to my Equipment.

But their focus was somewhat strange.

– Experts are focusing on the possibility of the Vulcanus Hunter’s ‘naturalization’ (citizenship change).

– Rumors have been circulating that the government made unreasonable proposals to Vulcanus Hunter, raising the possibility of naturalization to Japan even higher…

“What on earth is this?”

Naturalization?

When did I ever do that?

Can’t they realize that I only supported Equipment to Japan?

Curious, I checked the community on the system and saw many posts about me.

[Vulcanus Naturalization]

– Is it true?

– It can’t be true; I heard Vulcanus had a big part in stopping the Gate Burning. ㅠㅠ

– What if Vulcanus leaves us?

– So what if Vulcanus leaves? Lol, let him go. Lol.

– The above comment doesn’t seem to understand the situation yet.

– The government better not catch Vulcanus, let alone make unreasonable offers? Are they sane?

[Jirashi Leaked]

Apparently, the Minister’s office forced Vulcanus to supply Equipment.

Told him to do it for the country, but the money offered was terrible, Lol.

– Ox

– Is this for real?

– If true, they’re a bunch of incompetent fools.

– That’s why half the people leave just by staying quiet.

– Fire the Minister and everyone involved!

– Lol is the Minister the problem? Vulcanus is worth more than that.

– But seriously, what should we do now? ㅠㅠㅠ

“Why are they like this?”

On the forums, it felt like my naturalization was already confirmed.

Suddenly, I was Japanese.

I was taken aback and contacted Nam Bora, who told me the full story.

– “Apparently, it was leaked by the Hunter Association.”

“The Association?”

Like last time, they added falsehoods to the truth to prevent anyone from treating Vulcanus badly.

“So the Chairman did this? He’s really something.”

– “It’s a bit extreme, but it’s effective. From now on, no one will dare mistreat Vulcanus.”

I understood what they meant.

Even if it was just a rumor, very few people knew the truth.

If someone was behind this, it could only have been the Chairman.

Though I wondered if the higher-ups knew and if they would allow the Chairman to get away with it—it was problematic.

“I guess I can trust the Chairman.”

– “Yes. He’s definitely trustworthy.”

The Chairman of the Hunter Association.

He was more admirable than I thought.

His methods were rough, but he clearly worked for Korea’s sake.

But still.

Alright, I get it.

“But what about me supposedly naturalizing? Is there any plan for that?”

– “Hmm… I don’t really know about that.”

When can I become Korean again?