"..."
The recording of the raid that had just taken place in the small country at the eastern edge of the world had delivered no small shock to David Brennan, Director of the Hunter Management Bureau.
"What do you think, sir?"
The Deputy Director asked cautiously. The Director answered immediately.
"What do I think, what do I think—do you think I wouldn't know what I'm going to say? That's why you came to see me at this hour, isn't it?"
He had a point. It was already unusual for the Director and Deputy Director of the Hunter Management Bureau to be meeting at four in the morning, and the location was none other than the Director's own kitchen. A brief silence fell between the two men seated across from each other at the dining table. *Flick. Flick.* The Director replayed the video once more and lit a cigarette. His wife, who had come downstairs to the second-floor landing looking for her husband, saw the light on the first floor and called out to him by his pet name.
"Dave, are you okay?"
The Director waved a hand, and his wife turned back upstairs with a worried look in her eyes. And it was only after he had finished smoking his third cigarette exactly that the Director finally spoke.
"Such talent is wasted in a small country like Korea." "I agree." "Do we know anything about him?"
The Deputy Director produced a file containing information on Sung Jin-Woo. The Director scanned the document and broke into a satisfied smile.
"Good."
Less than an hour after the raid had ended on Jeju Island, in the far reaches of the East, the relevant information was already in his hands. It was a vast trove, covering everything from the Hunter's class to his personal relationships. This was, perhaps, the true strength of the United States—a superpower when it came to Hunters. The Deputy Director smiled to himself.
'We got lucky.'
American intelligence was formidable, but this time luck had played a part, too. The so-called "Seong Il-Hwan" incident. A certain being that had emerged from a Dungeon—whether human or monster, no one was sure—had claimed to be a Korean Hunter, and the intelligence gathered at the time was still on file at the Bureau. While every country other than Korea didn't even know the name of the Hunter called Sung Jin-Woo, the United States was already two steps ahead. God bless the U.S. What else could this be but divine providence? However, one could not get worked up over every stroke of luck. Turning luck into opportunity was ultimately up to the people involved. The Deputy Director fixed the Director with a serious gaze.
"His father was a Hunter who went missing in a Gate, yet he never received proper compensation." "Hmm..." "Moreover, until his recent re-awakening, he reportedly had to cross the line between life and death multiple times just to pay for his mother's hospital bills." "...Unacceptable."
For the wife and son of a hero who had given his life fighting monsters for his country to be treated this way? It was inconceivable here in America.
"And this is unconfirmed intelligence, but..."
The Deputy Director, who had been hesitating, spoke in a low voice. The Director looked up from the document.
"He hasn't joined any Guild yet." "...!"
That was a headline-grabbing piece of news. The Director closed the file.
"This is different from the time with Hwang Dong-Su."
At the mention of the familiar name, the Deputy Director's expression changed.
"Taking two S-rank Hunters from a single country... That's tantamount to burning the bridge with that country completely."
Korea was a long-standing ally of the United States. That meant this operation would inevitably cause significant fallout. Yet the Deputy Director spoke with a voice full of conviction.
"Still... isn't he worth it?" "..."
The Director could not deny it. So instead of answering, he posed a question.
"Can you do it?"
The Deputy Director gave him the same answer he had given during the Hwang Dong-Su affair.
"I'll see it done."
Those were the words that had carried the Deputy Director promotion after promotion until he ultimately landed in this seat. And now, Sung Jin-Woo was the second man the Deputy Director had set his sights on. The United States already boasted two of the world's strongest Hunters—men considered to be on the level of national power—but still, the Director wanted this man to become an American above all else. He placed his fourth cigarette between his lips and spoke heavily.
"Whatever terms he sets, bring him before me. Make it happen."
***
Jin-Woo rode through the sky on Kaisel, hunting down every last ant his shadow soldiers had missed. *Keeeeek!* One more ant crumpled to the ground after being struck by a thrown dagger. Jin-Woo didn't even bother dismounting from Kaisel—he used the Ruler's Authority to effortlessly retrieve the dagger.
'It's about time I leveled up.'
There weren't many ants left. Jin-Woo wanted to use the remaining ones to Level Up if he could. He needed just one more level to reach 100. As someone who loved round numbers divisible by five, this was a level he didn't want to miss—an absolutely perfect milestone. He had no Gates reserved, so once he left Jeju Island, there would be nowhere to gain experience for a while. Not unless a key happened to drop from a random box or a Dungeon Break occurred nearby.
'Well, calling a Dungeon Break "lucky" does feel a bit off.'
A Dungeon Break required at least one raid party to have failed before it could happen. And there was another reason, too. The painful memory of extracting Hunter Min Byung-Gu's shadow had resurfaced. Baruka—the captain of the White Skeletons. After three attempts, Jin-Woo had ultimately failed to turn the creature into a shadow soldier. When the first attempt to extract the monster ant's shadow had failed earlier that day, his heart had nearly dropped out of his chest, fearing the same outcome.
'Well, I did succeed on the second attempt, but...'
Once bitten, twice shy? There was no guarantee the extraction of the monster ant's shadow wouldn't end up like Baruka's. Its stats were on a completely different level from Hunter Min Byung-Gu's. He wanted to raise his level before attempting the extraction, even if it was just by a single level, to improve his chances of success. Even one level would surely make a difference.
'Hm?'
Jin-Woo spotted something and signaled Kaisel to land. *Keehak!* Kaisel flapped its wings and settled onto the ground. Jin-Woo dismounted from the creature's back and surveyed the area.
'It should be around here...'
As he rummaged through the undergrowth, Jin-Woo found the bodies and furrowed his brow. Scattered here and there were what remained of the Japanese Hunters. There were corpses with heads cleanly severed, and others so badly mutilated they were nearly unrecognizable. Jin-Woo examined the remains.
'Strong mana...'
They had been powerful Hunters. They didn't look like the kind who would die in a place like this. Yet here they lay—which meant something far stronger had passed through this area.
'The monster ant's doing, no doubt.'
He couldn't imagine any other creature being responsible. When he had first taken a blow from the thing, his jaw had ached. Any other Hunter would have struggled to survive even a single hit. Jin-Woo surveyed the area with a bitter expression, and then froze at one spot.
'This feeling...'
Jin-Woo crouched down and examined the ground. The soil was soaked with a tremendous amount of blood, making it slick and muddy. Faint traces of mana still lingered on the surface. It was a mana signature he had encountered once before.
'Gotou Ryūji.'
Jin-Woo looked around. Gotou's mana was still present, but his body was nowhere to be found. It appeared the monster ant had devoured him entirely. *Tsk, tsk.* Jin-Woo clicked his tongue at the ignominious end of Japan's strongest Hunter and straightened up. Just then, the shadow soldiers he had dispatched to hunt across the island reported that they had finished off all remaining ants. Even extending his spiritual awareness, Jin-Woo couldn't sense a single ant monster nearby.
'...So that's all of them?'
Any citizen of Korea would have shouted hooray at this news, but Jin-Woo smacked his lips in disappointment. He hadn't gotten his level up. With no monsters left to fight, his only option was to return to the ant nest and extract the shadows of the monster ant and the Queen Ant. Just then, Jin-Woo stopped in his tracks.
'Wait—there are still monsters left?'
His extended spiritual awareness was picking up monsters in the vicinity. And there was an enormous number of them! A smile quickly spread across Jin-Woo's face, which had been clouded with regret moments ago. He climbed back onto Kaisel with a bright expression.
"Let's go!"
***
As he suspected. Inside the deepest reaches of the ant nest—the spawning chamber—Jin-Woo's eyes gleamed. Eggs lined the floor, the walls, the pillars, and the ceiling in endless rows. Through their translucent shells, he could see wriggling movement—these were unmistakably living monsters.
'I don't know how much experience they'll give.'
Still, with this many of them, he could easily make up the experience he was lacking. Jin-Woo summoned shadow soldiers specializing in area attacks.
"Form up."
In order of rank, Fanged and three Mage soldiers stood in a line. Jin-Woo placed the 'Greed of the Void' in Fanged's hand, then looked over the four soldiers one by one.
"You know what you need to do?"
The Mages nodded in unison. Jin-Woo pointed at the eggs.
"Begin."
From the mouth of the giant-form Fanged, a torrent of horrific flame poured forth, while the Mages, having finished their casting, hurled massive fireballs in every direction. *Kuaaaaaah—! Kaboom! Bam!* The eggs, with no means of resistance, were reduced to ash in an instant. *Kieeeek—!* Jin-Woo closely examined the ant pupae in one corner—not eggs, but pupae. As their shells melted away, the carcasses of ants that had been on the verge of becoming adults were revealed. Every single one of them had wings.
'If these fully developed ants had crossed the sea along with the monster ant...'
Even with the Queen eliminated, both Japan and Korea would have suffered tremendous casualties. Thank goodness it had been stopped in time. *Ba-oom—! Kaboom!* Watching his sweating subordinates work, Jin-Woo retrieved the 'Demon King's Greatsword' from his inventory. The magnificent greatsword, its blade shimmering with blue light, crackled with electricity across its surface each time it moved. There was only one reason Jin-Woo had drawn this greatsword, which he rarely used, instead of his usual daggers. *Vwoom—!* He swung the greatsword with all his strength. *Kwaa-zzzzzzzzzzzzt—!* Lightning crackled ahead of him, and a blue storm erupted.
'Oh!'
Jin-Woo smiled. It didn't have the destructive power or stun effect of the skill the Demon King had used, but it was more than enough to burn through the eggs. Working together, they steadily cleared out the eggs until finally, a welcome mechanical chime rang out.
[Level Up!]
'At last!'
Jin-Woo cheered silently. He immediately returned the Demon King's Greatsword to his inventory, left the cleanup to his soldiers, and headed for the Queen's bedchamber. As expected, the monster ant's corpse lay sprawled exactly where it had fallen. Jin-Woo stood before it. His desire to make the creature a shadow soldier was so strong that his heart had already begun to race. But then he remembered extracting Hunter Min Byung-Gu's shadow, and how he had realized just how crucial concentration was.
'Calm down.'
Jin-Woo's gaze cooled and his breathing steadied once more.
'...Good.'
He was in peak condition. Jin-Woo's eyes drifted downward. From the monster ant's corpse, a thick, menacing, pitch-black smoke was seeping upward—a sight unseen in any other monster. Could it be because its mana was so overwhelmingly powerful that it defied comparison? As that thought crossed his mind, Jin-Woo slowly extended his hand toward the black smoke.
"Rise."