It was only natural, but the Japan Hunter's Association headquarters was located in the heart of Tokyo, the very core of Japan. That was the case, at least, until giants began pouring out of the Gate. When an S-rank Gate in Shinjuku triggered a Dungeon Break, Matsumoto, the chairman of the Japan Hunter's Association, had barely managed to survive — all thanks to the Hunters and soldiers who sacrificed themselves on the front lines. He hurriedly relocated the Association's headquarters to Osaka, in the Kansai region. He chose Osaka over other cities at the northwestern edge for one reason alone: if even Osaka, a city of 2.66 million people, couldn't be held, then Japan was hopeless. It was, in a manner of speaking, the last line of defense — the Maginot Line. That was why, when news arrived that Nagoya, not far from Osaka, had fallen to the giant-type monsters, Chairman Matsumoto felt his vision go dark. Destruction was right on their doorstep, yet begging the international community for help was impossible. The scheme Japan's Hunter's Association had hatched had been laid bare, every last detail, by the chairman of the Korean Hunter's Association, Ko Gun-Hee. No one was willing to help Japan. After Chairman Ko Gun-Hee's press conference, the Japanese provisional government, which had relocated to Kyoto, urgently summoned Chairman Matsumoto. He knelt before the high-ranking officials who demanded accountability.
"The full responsibility for this crisis lies with me. However, someone must see this through. Could you postpone holding me accountable until then?"
The Prime Minister, who had been standing with his back to him, answered after a long deliberation.
"...Very well."
It was undeniable that the crisis was of Chairman Matsumoto's own making, but as he had said, someone had to clean up after the Dungeon Break. Punishment could come second. Putting out the fire that had already spread across the whole body — rather than just the toes — came before making an example of anyone. That was when Jin-Woo arrived in Japan. The first person to rush out barefoot to greet him at the airport was none other than Chairman Matsumoto himself. His fate was already sealed. But his thinking was this: he couldn't let his homeland share the same future he faced. The moment he laid eyes on Jin-Woo at the airport, Chairman Matsumoto felt a chill run down his spine.
'This is...'
Strong. As chairman, he had encountered countless powerful individuals over the years, so he recognized it instantly. Among the many Hunters he had stood before, very few had made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. No — this was a first. If he had had even one chance to meet Jin-Woo before the Jeju Island raid, he would have retracted the plan to put Korean Hunters in jeopardy. Goto's words, spoken after seeing him firsthand, had been spot on. The Hunter before him radiated that kind of overwhelming pressure. But the enemies were the giant-type monsters that had burst forth from the S-rank Gate. No matter how strong Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was, Matsumoto judged that it was impossible for him to face them all alone, and made his earnest request.
"I ask that you focus your defense on Osaka."
The Japan Hunter's Association's plan was for Jin-Woo to buy time through his defense while they negotiated with the United States or Russia. But their plan was shattered to pieces by a single word from Jin-Woo.
"No."
Jin-Woo said it flatly. Naturally, Chairman Matsumoto and the Association officials could only jump in alarm. Had his resolve to eliminate the monsters changed? Matsumoto asked in a fluster.
"Th... Then what do you intend to do?"
Instead of answering, Jin-Woo showed them through action. He divided his summoned creatures into three separate teams and sent each one advancing in a different direction, while he himself set off alone. The enormous number of summoned creatures was astonishing, but Matsumoto swallowed his breath for a different reason.
'Is he really going to face all the giants by himself?'
Was he planning to accomplish what every Hunter in the world had unanimously declared impossible? There was no answer. For now, the only thing he could do was entrust his fate to the heavens and wait. Back at the Hunter's Association building, he focused on tracking the situation. Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.
"Kofu City — recaptured successfully!" "What did you say?"
Chairman Matsumoto shot up from his seat. How much time had even passed since Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had departed, and already the giants in Kofu had been felled? Before Matsumoto could even calm his shock, reports poured in from across the country.
"Nakatsugawa City — giant carcass discovered." "Shizuoka City — recaptured successfully." "Takayama, Nagano City as well..."
Hunter Sung Jin-Woo and his summoned creatures were eliminating the giant-type monsters scattered throughout Japan and heading straight for Tokyo. The speed was unreal. Chairman Matsumoto trembled as he watched the Korean Hunter turn the impossible into reality. His pounding heart wouldn't settle. And then, at last—
"Kofu City... Hunter Sung Jin-Woo has arrived in Kofu City."
When he heard that even the giants in Kofu — just 130 kilometers from Tokyo — had been slain, he slumped into his chair.
"Chairman!" "Chairman Matsumoto!"
His legs had gone weak. He really was going to kill every last giant-type monster by himself. A thought suddenly struck him.
'What he's doing right now... isn't it exactly what I tried to do to Korea?'
Destroy Korea's Hunter system and use Japan's Hunter force to manipulate Korea at will. Now the situation was reversed. Japan's Hunter system had collapsed, and the entire country was being swept along by a single person — Jin-Woo. A scheme that he, the Association, the top-ranking Hunters, and the Japanese government had all pooled their efforts to execute — and failed — Jin-Woo had carried out alone, and succeeded.
"..."
Slumped in his chair in a daze, he gave his orders to the Association officials who were worried about him.
"Could everyone step out for a moment? I'd like to be alone."
In the empty room, he hung his head. An intensity of defeat he had never experienced in his life washed over him like a tide. He had lost. Completely and utterly lost. But. The emotion that filled him next, after the defeat, was a brief moment of self-reflection followed by a boundless, endless gratitude. He wept in silence. And that day, Jin-Woo and his summoned creatures — who had departed from Osaka, moving eastward and taking down every giant they encountered along the way — finally arrived in Tokyo.
* * *
Boom! Two giant-type monsters collapsed.
[Your level has risen!]
He had no idea how long it had been since he'd been able to level up this freely. Jin-Woo clenched his fist tight. Traveling in an almost straight line toward Tokyo, he had taken down thirteen giant-type monsters on his own. His level had gone up six times during that stretch. Each giant-type monster was a boss-class entity, so an enormous amount of experience points had rolled in. Of course, the experience pouring in from the shadow soldiers eliminating giants along other routes had a significant effect as well. Whenever the message [Your level has risen!] popped up while he was on the move, his fists clenched on their own. Just like this.
[Your level has risen!]
'Nice!'
At the perfectly timed level-up notification, Jin-Woo clenched both fists once more. A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
'My King. Another enemy has been slain.'
The source of the experience points just now was Beru's ant legion, which had the fastest advance speed. Beru was already the strongest shadow soldier, and the sheer number of ants made it a foregone conclusion. After every battle, Beru had been reporting to Jin-Woo exactly like this. Jin-Woo praised the ant legion's performance.
'Good. Well done.' 'Thank you, My King.'
After finishing his exchange with Beru, Jin-Woo checked on the status of each legion through "Sensory Sharing." While they weren't quite at the level of Beru's ant legion, the Hyalroc legion led by Tooth and Igrit's elite soldier legion were also charging ahead without hesitation. The levels of his soldiers, which had grown considerably, brought a satisfied smile to Jin-Woo's face.
"Hyung-nim, should we stay here for the night?"
Jin-Woo opened his eyes. Yoo Jin-Ho was holding up a tent he'd pulled from a trunk and asking him. He looked up to see the day fading and dusk settling in. Fatigue wasn't high, thanks to the recovery potions sold at the shop and the effects of leveling up, but mental exhaustion had been steadily accumulating.
'I should get some rest.'
Jin-Woo nodded. The campsite for the day was decided. The two of them quickly set up the tent and finished preparing dinner. Before long, the heat had faded and the night wind turned cool. Autumn. Jin-Woo warmed the food the Japanese Association had provided over the campfire and idly thought that winter wasn't far off. Winter. If one were to divide the rise and fall of civilization into seasons, the outskirts of Tokyo visible in the distance wore the unmistakable air of winter. But the sight of Tokyo — its urban form utterly destroyed — looked strangely familiar.
'Where have I seen this before?'
Jin-Woo rummaged through his memory for a moment and soon found the answer.
'Demon Castle.'
Back then, the ruined cities he had seen inside the Demon Castle had looked just like this. The only difference was that they weren't burning. Once his thoughts reached that point, a shadow fell over Jin-Woo's face.
'No way...'
From the first floor of the Demon Castle to the very top — every city had been destroyed. If that was a hint from the System, then what had the Administrator been trying to tell him? Jin-Woo let out a faint laugh.
'What does it matter?'
The Administrator was already dead, swallowed into the depths of the dungeon. Since there had been no contact since then, the chances of it still being alive were slim.
'Even if it was foreshadowing what's to come...'
I'll stop it. That's exactly the power he'd been building toward. He had relentlessly pursued strength because he didn't want to be at the mercy of power he couldn't contend with. Leveling up, acquiring skills, leveling up again... and now he'd come this far. Thump. The 'Black Heart' reacted, giving a single powerful beat. Jin-Woo placed his hand over it, feeling the vibration, and smiled faintly. The hospital had told him he was perfectly normal.
-No abnormalities were detected. You are in perfect health, Hunter.
The day before leaving Korea, Jin-Woo had gone to the hospital for a thorough examination. Even after scanning Jin-Woo's entire body, the doctor had found nothing resembling a second heart. The 'Black Heart' wasn't a physical change. It clearly existed, and he could feel its pulse, but it had no physical reality.
'What's that supposed to mean.'
Jin-Woo laughed softly to himself. He was relieved that his body hadn't turned out to be structurally different from anyone else's, but then where was this vibration in his chest coming from? That was when a light breeze blew in from the direction of central Tokyo. Riding the wind was a foul, sticky magical energy so deep its depths were impossible to gauge.
"Hyung-nim..."
Yoo Jin-Ho wore a worried expression. This was a force so powerful that even Yoo Jin-Ho, whose sensory perception had sharpened considerably, could feel it. Jin-Woo nodded silently. There was no need to wonder where the wind was coming from. The giant guarding the Gate in Shinjuku. It was an aura on an entirely different level from every giant he'd faced so far. Even from this distance, goosebumps instantly prickled along his forearms. But. Jin-Woo smiled. As if responding to the intense magical energy, the 'Black Heart' thudded and pounded wildly. How many levels would he gain after taking that thing down? What kind of soldier would its shadow become? The anticipation was already building.
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