India was only the beginning.
“China is in the same situation. Centered around Sichuan Province, the west and north have been completely overrun by Monsters.”
“Isn’t China a Hunter powerhouse?”
“China is considered a Hunter powerhouse only because its large population produces many Hunters. There are many high-grade Hunters as well, but…”
“The territory they have to defend is just too vast, huh.”
“That’s right. On top of that, they reportedly lost a significant number of Hunters during the Gate Burning. Because of this, China has requested equipment support to block the Monsters heading toward Sichuan Province.”
“What about Hunter support?”
“They’re reluctant to accept Hunter reinforcements. Actually, it’s more like they can’t receive any. It’s bad for the country’s image, and other countries are struggling too.”
“That makes sense.”
China, once called a Hunter powerhouse.
To think that half of it had been swallowed by Monsters.
I had thought the Gate Burning was nearly over, but apparently not.
“Next is Canada.”
“Wasn’t Canada the country that declared the end of its Gate Burning crisis recently?”
“Yes. With the help of the United States, they were able to stop the Gate Burning. However, they’ve now requested Vulcanus Equipment to strengthen their own capabilities without relying on foreign aid.”
After that, countless documents were presented.
Not only from Hunter powerhouses like China or countries like Canada that had already declared an end to the crisis, but also from nations I’d never heard of before and countries I never imagined would ask for help.
It was like the names of countless countries circled around the globe.
“This is the last request. A total of fourteen countries have asked Vulcanus to produce equipment for them.”
“Hm…”
“This is only the official requests collected.”
“So, there are unofficial requests too?”
“The United States has also requested equipment for their top Rankers. Judging by how they categorized the levels, it seems they wanted to check your level and skills, Vulcanus.”
“The United States did that?”
“Yes. Since there were many prior official requests, unofficial ones have been put on hold.”
It was more than I expected.
To be the focus of worldwide attention like this…
I worried if countries like China might even send kidnappers.
“Recently, a spy from China was captured. Although they didn’t disclose any information, the timing suggests they were targeting Vulcanus.”
“So they came knowing something and sought me out?”
“They didn’t know, which is why they were caught. We won’t ask about your location, Vulcanus. Please continue to keep your hiding place secret, just like before.”
“…”
“If you need help, contact us. The Hunter Association will join forces with you to ensure your safety as much as possible.”
They actually sent kidnappers.
No matter how I thought about it, not revealing my location had been a brilliant move.
Had I disclosed it, Hunters from various countries would have come to capture me by now.
Even if a large guild or the Hunter Association protected me, I’d still feel uneasy.
“I’m sorry to trouble you in these troubling times, but can you make a choice right now?”
“You want me to pick one of these documents?”
“We’re not forcing you. You don’t have to choose, but if you do, we’ll negotiate the best possible contract terms for you.”
“You’re going to use that for political diplomacy, too.”
“I won’t deny that.”
Requests from foreign countries.
Honestly, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Although there were many requests for Vulcanus Equipment from all over Korea, the urgent crisis had been quelled here.
If I helped other countries now, when Korea faced danger later, I could expect various kinds of support from allied nations.
“I will.”
“Thank you.” Jeon Goeun bowed deeply once more.
“Then, which country would you like to choose? If you want, I can recommend one for you.”
Jeon Goeun’s offer to recommend.
A moment ago, I might have found it suspicious, but not now.
She was being overly friendly to me, almost to an extreme.
Her attitude reminded me of the Association Chairman.
If it was her, she wouldn’t make an unreasonable offer, even considering political diplomacy.
“Let’s hear it.”
So, I decided to listen to her suggestion first.
If I didn’t like it, I could simply shake my head and pick another document.
“Until recently, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs focused mostly on the economy. At that time, we would have accepted China’s support first…”
Jeon Goeun lifted the documents from China and Canada.
“But not anymore. After the Second Gate Burning, our focus shifted from economy to security, especially security to block Gates and Monsters. In that sense…”
She pushed the two documents aside.
“China, fundamentally, does not feel grateful even when receiving domestic support, nor does it easily help other countries.”
Then she began dismissing other documents one by one with reasons.
“Canada is too far away, and their Hunters aren’t very strong. If you want to get Hunter support in an emergency, countries that are too far don’t help much. When considering security, we have two factors.”
“One, is the country close to Korea? Two, are their Hunters strong?”
One by one, documents slid off the table.
Only one remained.
“Taiwan.”
It was Taiwan.
Completely opposite to the initial idea of choosing China for economic benefit.
That made sense because China still doesn’t recognize Taiwan as a country and insists on “One China.”
“How will China react?” I asked.
Jeon Goeun smiled slightly.
“What is there to fear when the nation’s survival is at stake?”
So I took the Taiwan document.
***
There were various reasons Jeon Goeun chose Taiwan.
First, proximity.
Excluding North Korea, China, and Japan, Taiwan is the closest country to Korea.
Second, the strength of the Hunters.
For some reason, Taiwan has a comparatively large number of powerful Hunters.
Though their economy and equipment are not outstanding, in terms of sheer Hunter strength, they are recognized worldwide.
Because of that, Taiwan managed to block the First Gate Burning easily.
Their Hunters are strong, and their territory isn’t that large, making it enough to fend off Monsters.
But why are they struggling this time?
– Today, let’s look into the news from Taiwan.
– Until recently, Taiwan was known as a Hunter powerhouse.
– So why is Taiwan struggling so much during the Second Gate Burning crisis?
“Oh, ten minutes. This should be enough.”
To find out, I went to NewTube.
Most other videos were 20 to 30 minutes long, which I couldn’t bear to watch.
This one was only ten minutes, and it had many views, so it was worth watching.
– Taiwan’s Hunters are rated at A-grade or higher, even compared globally!
– However, their lack of capital means Hunter equipment levels are low, so the overall level is considered relatively low…
–
I skipped through the parts I already knew.
Because of this, Taiwan has been making efforts in many areas, but under pressure from China…
I sped up the unclear parts at double speed until the information I wanted appeared.
– The current Second Gate Burning in Taiwan is not limited to land.
– In fact, Gate Breaks and Monsters on Taiwan’s mainland have mostly been dealt with.
– So why haven’t they declared an end to the Gate Burning crisis?
The screen switched.
From Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, to the seas surrounding Taiwan.
And in those seas…
– Kyeeeeek!
– Shh, ssht. Sshhh.
-Kurururung…
Monsters were swarming.
Sea-type Monsters.
Monsters emerging from the sea were climbing the shore to invade the land.
Taiwanese Hunters desperately attacked the Monsters to stop them.
– It’s because of sea-type Monsters.
In fact, it’s common for countries bordering the sea to fight sea-type Monsters.
Just look at Korea—we recently struggled to fend off Monsters that appeared off the coast of Incheon.
Other countries are the same.
Including Korea, many have formed specialized guilds gathering sea-hunter experts.
Taiwan, of course, is no exception.
No, more than that.
Several guild names appeared on the NewTube screen.
– Pado, Deungdae, Dot, and ‘Taiwan Blue Magpie,’ symbolizing Taiwan’s iconic bird.
– Since Taiwan is an island surrounded by sea on all sides, they have prepared more diligently against sea Monsters than any other country.
– Few countries have Hunters as skilled against sea Monsters as Taiwan does.
– But this time, it’s different.
The screen showed the Monsters again.
An enormous number of Monsters rising from the seas on all sides of Taiwan.
The sheer number was clearly abnormal.
Especially the ones coming from the north.
About twice, no, more than three times the usual number of Monsters were coming from the northern sea.
– During this Gate Burning, Taiwan’s seas have seen an unusually large number of Monsters rising.
– And these aren’t weak ones.
– Strong sea-type Monsters swarm like ants.
– Taiwan claims that China deliberately funneled the Monsters to their territory through some means to pass on the problem.
Such overwhelming numbers and strength.
A difficulty level far beyond other countries.
Because of this, Taiwan still hasn’t managed to resolve the Gate Burning crisis.
“So that’s the story.”
Taiwan’s desired weapon was simple.
Weapons effective for defeating sea-type Monsters.
For that purpose, they were willing to pay large sums of money, and if that wasn’t enough, they promised to give Monster materials acquired from this Gate Burning without hesitation.
Nodding, I immediately grabbed the hammer.
[Using the Production Skill.]
Weapons good for defeating sea-type Monsters.
There were many types, but the most famous was, of course—
[Please select the form of the item to produce.]
“Harpoon.”
A harpoon.
A weapon made by attaching a pointed metal tip to a pole for catching fish.
Well, essentially a spear specialized for fish.
Though many weapons are used, the one most commonly used in Taiwan to fight sea-type Monsters is this harpoon.
[Please set the detailed form of the harpoon.]
[Please select the material.]
The shape and material of the harpoon would be as standard as possible.
[Production complete.]
[‘Intermediate Harpoon for Taiwan’ obtained.]
I first made the base item.
“Production Team, let’s get to work!”
“Yes, understood.”
I showed it to the Production Team.
Now, the mass-produced harpoons would be made by them.
Meanwhile, I said, “Blaze, let’s get started.”
“Okay!”
“Hwreuk!”
I began making the sea Monster weapons in earnest.
Harpoon is a terrible weapon cause it’s designed to get stuck inside their target.