10

IMMINENT THREAT

Take over Jeju Island?

The executives of the Hunter’s Association of Japan remained levelheaded, as if this was something they’d discussed previously. But the senior officials of the government were the exact opposite.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you want to start a war with South Korea?”

“They’ve been prepared for war for over sixty years.”

“This is madness!”

The government officials’ voices rose.

They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They had no idea how many of them would still have a job if they didn’t get answers for the prime minister and the media soon. They’d turned to the president of the Hunter’s Association for a solution, and what did he suggest? A what of Jeju Island?

This absurd notion infuriated the incredibly busy officials of the government. They would’ve berated Shigeo Matsumoto, the president of the association, for wasting their time if he hadn’t had hunter bodyguards beside him.

It’s fascinating how these people never change.

President Matsumoto smiled despite all the harsh criticism being directed his way. This reaction was part of a calculated plan.

Tsk, tsk.

President Matsumoto clicked his tongue and remained quiet for a time before speaking up again.

“I’m not saying we go to war or to take the island by force.”

“What?”

“Then what are you planning to do?”

“Could you just spit it out already?”

A smirk spread across President Matsumoto’s face. “We have to make South Korea hand the island over to us of their own free will.”

President Matsumoto’s icy demeanor brought down the fevered temperature of the room. Based on what he’d just said and how he’d said it, he was being completely serious.

……

The deputy prime minister, known to be quite a coolheaded man himself, opened his mouth for the first time today. “President Matsumoto.”

He was here as the official representative and right-hand man of the prime minister. As his representative, anything he said at today’s meeting was tantamount to the prime minister himself saying it.

“What you just suggested… How do you propose to make it happen?” The second most powerful member of the Japanese cabinet relayed his interest in President Matsumoto’s plan.

Were they willing to listen now? President Matsumoto began his explanation in earnest. “Korea doesn’t have the power to take care of an S-rank gate. They didn’t four years ago when the ants first emerged, and they still don’t at this point in time.”

The deputy prime minister nodded in agreement.

Jeju Island was a large island and made up 2 percent of South Korea’s total landmass. For such a large area to be overrun by magic beasts… Need he say more? The Korean government had given up on Jeju Island after three failed attempts at containing the beasts, or so people believed.

“How do you think they’d react to the suggestion that we send in our Japanese S-rank hunters to deal with the ants?”

The news that some ants could fly had reached Korea as well. It was only a matter of time before the ants themselves reached mainland Korea. The Korean powers that be would be crazy to refuse the help. However…

“Do you think they’d just hand Jeju over to us because we helped them?” The deputy prime minister saw a lot of holes in this scheme.

Sneers came from government officials here and there, but the deputy prime minister wasn’t pointing this out to scorn or berate the president. He calmly continued. “Say we help Korea with the ant problem on Jeju Island like you said.”

President Matsumoto was confident in the abilities of both the Korean and Japanese hunters to get rid of the ants. Nobody was questioning that.

“What’s in it for us?”

Despite the damage done on Japanese soil, the ants on Jeju Island were still solely Korea’s problem. Japan couldn’t sacrifice their hunters to help Korea.

That can never happen.

The deputy prime minister was good at calculating things for his and his country’s interest. Equivalent exchange—that was the basic principle of politics. If Japan lent Japanese hunters to help Korea, they’d need to receive compensation.

Gaining possession of Jeju Island wouldn’t even cover it.

The deputy prime minister’s ideas were in line with the president of the association’s, which was why he’d shown interest in the first place. But President Matsumoto’s ideas were about as feasible as trying to catch a cloud. The deputy prime minister immediately lost interest.

Just then, President Matsumoto laughed. “Who said we’re actually going to help Korea?”

The deputy prime minister frowned.

Is he messing with me?

He was about to politely ask President Matsumoto to stop wasting time when…

Wait……

The deputy prime minister’s eyes widened. President Matsumoto had said they would offer help… He’d never said they actually would help.

“Are you…?”

“Exactly.” President Matsumoto casually confirmed. He could tell by the deputy prime minister’s startled expression that he’d caught on to the true plan.

“You’re going to…throw the Korean hunters to the ants?”

President Matsumoto expected as much.

There’s a reason he’s lauded as a clever man.

He looked at the deputy prime minister with a pleased smile. “When Korea’s top hunters trust us and accept our help, we’ll let them go after the queen ant while we withdraw our hunters.”

Korea had already experienced three failures. Who would suspect that a fourth would be the result of a betrayal by Japan? And it wouldn’t matter if they caught on, because it would all be over by then.

The deputy prime minister’s voice was shaking. “Are…are you going to wipe out all of Korea’s highest-rank hunters?”

“Their fate was sealed when the gate opened on Jeju Island and they didn’t have the power to close it.” President Matsumoto emphasized the inevitability of this situation. “They’ve been on borrowed time for a while now.”

“That means…”

“South Korea will be extremely vulnerable with all their highest hunters gone!”

What if the flying ants made their way to Korea’s mainland while there were no S ranks left? Would they still be able to continue ignoring the ants? If it was only one or two ants, their guilds might be able to take care of them, but statistics showed that the ants multiplied rapidly, and that would endanger all of Korea.

They would probably cry to other countries for help.

But who would aid them? Both China and Russia had legions of hunters, but they also had great swaths of land to protect. The United States had outright refused to help when the S-rank gate had first opened. North Korea would just send in S-rank hunters to invade Seoul.

No, they would only have Japan to turn to.

Japan would also suffer if the numbers of flying ants increased. Korea would have no choice but to beg for Japan’s help, and Japan would be able to demand whatever it wanted in return.

The Koreans might actually hand over Jeju Island without a fight if they found themselves in that situation……

It would all go according to the president’s plan. The deputy prime minister got goose bumps. President Matsumoto was willing to lead all of a nation’s best hunters to their deaths for the sake of his gambit, which could then lead to that country’s ruin.

Shigeo Matsumoto is a terrifying man.

The diabolical plan gave the deputy prime minister the chills.

But that wasn’t the end. President Matsumoto continued. “Jeju Island is only the beginning.”

Little by little, Korea would have to come crawling to Japan every time they needed the help of S-rank hunters. It would be possible to take over the whole of Korea without firing a single shot.

“…And those are my thoughts on the matter.”

The government officials finally exhaled after listening with bated breath to President Matsumoto’s lengthy explanation. They’d thought he was somewhat crazy earlier, but now they were hanging on his every word.

President Matsumoto spoke quietly. “What say you, Deputy Prime Minister?”

All eyes turned to him.

“……” He swallowed hard.

Whatever he said would be taken as the word of the prime minister, and the prime minister wouldn’t walk back on the decision because he trusted his aide.

He had to think carefully.

……

The deputy prime minister debated the issue over and over in his mind. Finally, he raised his head. “How can the government help you?”

Jinwoo received nonstop notifications whenever shadow soldiers defeated demons inside castles. He was steadily leveling up in preparation for the battle on the highest floor. After all, bigger rewards meant bigger danger.

The elixir of life, bonus ability points, the best-quality rune stone, et cetera…

When he considered the rewards for defeating the Demon Monarch, he decided he couldn’t slack off on leveling up for even a second.

Since most of the demons nearby were taken care of, Jinwoo called up the window to check his stats.

He’d been level 80 when he first stepped into the Demon’s Castle for round two, and he was now at level 87. Jinwoo couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at the increased stats.

Nice.

He pumped his fist.

Shadow soldiers finished off the remaining demons. It was a clean victory. Once the battle was over, the soldiers gathered in front of Jinwoo as usual. True to form, Iron was the fastest among them.

Thmp.

Iron stood at attention with his chest puffed out as if he was waiting for Jinwoo’s praise. Jinwoo smiled at the huge body occupying his field of vision.

“Get it all done?”

Iron nodded.

“Are you sure?”

Iron nodded again firmly.

Jinwoo raised his perception with a smile on his face. He then spun around and launched Barca’s Dagger.

Dagger Throw!

The dagger reached the wall in the blink of an eye. And…

“Argh!”

The dagger lodged inside a demon that had been using Stealth and waiting for Jinwoo to become separated from his soldiers.

“Ahhh…” The demon was shocked to see the blade in the left side of its chest. It would’ve impaled its heart if it were human.

How did he know?

This meant the man was familiar with the stealth magic the high-rank noble had used.

But he’s a mere human…

By the time the demon looked up from its wound, it was surprised to find Jinwoo standing in front of it. There was dread in the demon’s eyes.

“How…?”

Jinwoo pulled out Barca’s Dagger and used his single close-quarter attack skill.

Fatal Strike!

Shhhk!

The demon that had barely clung to life with the damage from the dagger was now dead from a max-level Fatal Strike.

Jinwoo sent Barca’s Dagger back into inventory and stood before Iron again. “Now, how do you explain that?”

……

Embarrassed, Iron scratched the back of his head, or rather, the back of his helmet, and looked at the ground.

Soon, Igris, who had gone deeper inside the castle to flush out hiding demons, returned. But…

Huh?

Something about him felt different.

What’s going on?

He stared at Igris. His suspicions were quickly confirmed. Upon approaching Jinwoo, Igris anxiously dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Nothing unusual there. But then came an unexpected electronic chime.

A message?

A promotion?

Jinwoo rushed to check Igris’s info after reading the contents of the unusual message.

Igris’s level has what…?

His level had been in the upper 30s but had now changed to “Max.” Instead of leveling up, it looked like his soldiers could rise in rank once they reached the designated limit.

Looks like they rank up around the upper 30 to lower 40 mark?

Jinwoo made an estimate as to where his soldiers would rank up. Considering his troops’ average level was in the lower 20s, this would be a high milestone to reach.

And they need my permission on top of that.

No wonder Igris had been giving off an air of desperation when he approached Jinwoo.

……

Igris kept his head bowed. Jinwoo could feel the determination coming from the soldier as he waited patiently for his master’s decision. He felt a sudden desire to give Igris a pat on the shoulders for how great he’d been thus far.

Honestly…

Jinwoo looked at the system’s message again.

The message was slowly blinking as if to remind him to respond.

Igris had been one of his first soldiers, and he’d definitely fought the hardest. Was there any reason to say no?

Jinwoo answered the system’s message without any hesitation. “Yes.”

Do I really need a command word for this kind of thing, too?

Jinwoo frowned at first but then considered the situation once again.

When I think about it…

Jinwoo tended to summon large groups of soldiers at a time. Though Igris was the only one to be promoted this time around, it would be tricky to approve multiple promotions at the same time, especially in the middle of a battle. A command word would be useful.

Jinwoo mulled it over.

“Permission granted.”

It was best to keep it simple. As soon as the command word was registered, things began changing. It started beneath Igris’s feet.

Aaahhhhh!

Countless black hands erupted from the shadow under Igris’s feet, accompanied by screams of agony. The ebony appendages grabbed at Igris all over.

What’s going on?

Jinwoo watched the process with great interest.

At first, it looked like Igris was being dragged into his shadow, but it was actually the opposite. The black hands clutching Igris transformed into black smoke and swirled aggressively around him. Eventually, he finished absorbing all the smoke. It was like Igris had melded with it.

Fwshhhh…

As the smoke dissipated, Igris’s aura felt completely different.

Ping!

A system notification signaled the change.

Yes!

Jinwoo tried to rein in his excitement as he checked out Igris’s info window.

His level reset, but his rank is the same as Fang’s.

Fang had only recently joined the shadow soldiers, but he used to be the boss of an A-rank dungeon. For Igris to now be the same rank as that terrible creature meant his abilities were on the same level as Fang’s.

Ba-dump.

Jinwoo’s heart pounded. The assumptions he’d made when he’d first become the Shadow Monarch turned out to be right.

I’m not the only one who can grow stronger.

Jinwoo scanned his shadow soldiers one by one.

Their abilities are improving along with mine.

Looking at Igris, who had completely changed with this promotion, it hit him that all his soldiers could rank up. Jinwoo was suddenly overcome with the urge to get his entire army promoted.

My to-do list just keeps growing.

As he was proudly surveying his troops, Tank approached from afar with a runaway demon’s limp body in his mouth.

Huh?

Tank was rushing over with an odd look in his eyes, the same look and energy that Igris had just been emitting.

Jinwoo studied Tank in awe. “No way! You too?”

Tank threw the dead body aside and lay down on his stomach with his front paws outstretched toward Jinwoo.

“Aroo.”

Yet another message appeared.

Ping!

Oh boy. Jinwoo put his hand on his forehead. When he checked Tank’s stats, sure enough, he’d also maxed out his level.

Wait……

Something was off. Igris had started at level 7 and was an unstoppable war machine. Tank seemed to be so much further away from reaching max level, yet the two of them had ranked up at almost the same time. There was no way the difference between the two levels had evened out after just one battle.

Maybe…each rank requires varying levels to rank up?

If so, that would make sense. If Tank, an elite rank, could be promoted at a lower level, then he’d reach the threshold level faster. On the other hand, if Igris, a knight rank, needed to reach a higher level to rank up, it would’ve taken him longer. Therefore, it would be possible for them to coincidentally rank up at the same time.

As he considered this, Jinwoo was hit with another possibility.

Maybe I’ll also rank up one day?

Perhaps he just hadn’t reached the right level yet.

Right, as if.

Jinwoo laughed, then approved Tank’s promotion.

“Permission granted.”

As soon as he gave permission, Tank went through the same transformation as Igris. Hands came out of his shadow, which quickly turned to black smoke and were absorbed by Tank.

Fwshhh…

Just like Igris, Tank had become more powerful.

However, there was one difference.

Ping, ping, ping!

Notifications popped up one after another.

Tank had been a nickname. His official title was still “Shadow Beast” because a rank lower than knight couldn’t be given a name. There had been no way to differentiate Tank from the other bears except for the fact that he was twice as big.

Jinwoo could officially name him now. He beamed.

“Tank.”

“Yes.”

With Jinwoo’s approval, the change was input into the shadow beast’s info.

Tank hoisted himself up on his hind legs once the ranking-up process was complete. When he stood on two feet like this, he was as tall as a house.

Jinwoo was proud of him. “You finally have a real name, Tank.”

Tank raised his head and roared triumphantly.

“Good job, everyone.”

They could rest easy until the next floor. Jinwoo recalled his soldiers inside his shadow. Iron caught Jinwoo’s eye. His shoulders had drooped sadly. Among the old guard, Iron had been the only one who hadn’t ranked up.

Vwoom.

After all the soldiers had disappeared into his shadow, Jinwoo left the castle. Esil was waiting for Jinwoo with a worried look on her face.

“Um, Jinwoo, sir.”

“I told you, you don’t have to call me ‘sir.’”

“Right.”

Jinwoo’s stern reaction gave her pause, but Esil eventually spoke again.

“Um, Jinwoo…sir.”

Demon tribes appeared to be sensitive to hierarchies.

“What?”

“Do you know how many families have been vanquished now?”

They were on the eighty-ninth floor now, and Esil had come from the eightieth, so that made nine? She seemed to become more concerned the more families he beat.

“Archnoble clans defend the ninetieth floor and beyond. They’re on a completely different level than regular high-rank nobles.”

Jinwoo spoke without missing a beat. “So?”

“Why not approach them with words? If you negotiate peacefully like you did with our family, they may give you—”

Jinwoo cut her off. “If I were weaker than you, would you have even talked to me?”

Esil snapped her mouth shut. A mere human daring to visit a demon’s castle uninvited only to then list off a bunch of demands? It would have been impossible for him to go home alive.

“It is what it is.” Jinwoo grinned from ear to ear.

Relationships between humans and magic beasts or monsters only went so far.

The strong devour the weak.

Jinwoo believed in this law of nature, and he had no intention of easing up since he desperately needed to both acquire permits as well as level up.

……

Jinwoo looked sideways at Esil. He wondered why she was so quiet and disappointed.

“Isn’t it a good thing if there are fewer noble families?”

“Pardon?”

“You said there was a lot of competition among noble families.”

“Oh… That’s true, but…”

Starting from the next floor up, archnoble families ruled. Should Jinwoo’s attacks fail, Esil and her clan would face the wrath of these archnobles. That’s what Esil feared most.

Jinwoo turned to her confidently. “I’ll make the Radar Clan the number one family.”

…Our family name is actually Radir.

Esil timidly kept the correction to herself.

Soon they would be venturing to a higher floor. Could this lone man eliminate all the archnoble families as well?

……Oh, whatever.

Her job was to guide the way. Esil decided to stop making things complicated.

Oh……

There was one more thing she wanted to ask him. “Um, Jinwoo…sir.”

“What?”

Jinwoo turned to look at her.

Afraid to look him in the eyes after witnessing him destroy castle after castle, Esil focused her gaze on his feet. “Why did you show our family mercy?”

Certainly, the Radir Clan was no match for this man. Esil was convinced of this, knowing her family’s strength and seeing what Jinwoo was capable of. Yet they’d been spared by this otherwise ruthless human. Why?

She had to know.

Jinwoo stepped onto the teleportation deviation circle, then turned his head to look at Esil.

“Because I like you.”

Despite being a monster, she’d known when to surrender and when to cut a deal. Most important of all, she’d provided him with a ton of information.

“Wh-what?” Esil was shocked. She blushed from the neck up and simply stood in place, fingers fidgeting awkwardly.

When she didn’t move after some time, Jinwoo glanced back at her. “Are you coming?”

He looked at the system message requesting a destination.

“If you don’t get on, I’m heading back to the eightieth floor.”

“I’m s-sorry.” Still red in the face, Esil hastily stepped onto the circle.

……

But she kept her head down for a long time, even after they reached the next floor.

At Incheon International Airport, officials from the Hunter’s Association of Japan were in Korea to discuss the ant problem on Jeju Island. They had an appointment with all the important people in Korea related to this matter.

President Matsumoto of the Japanese association and the S-rank hunter considered to be the strongest in Japan, Ryuji Goto, made their way through the terminal.

Sensing chaotic energy, Matsumoto scanned his surroundings.

“What’s going on?”

“……There’s a powerful presence nearby.”

“More powerful than you?”

Ryuji snorted. Shigeo noted his reaction and didn’t bother asking him to elaborate.

There’s no such person in Korea.

Soon, an employee of the Hunter’s Association of Korea rushed toward them. “My apologies! I was running a little late. It’s so busy here today, I got turned around.”

The employee bowed in apology.

President Matsumoto kept his displeasure to himself and smiled politely. “It’s fine. But may I ask what’s going on here?”

“Oh…nothing, nothing. I hear a hunter from the US is visiting.”

“What brings an American hunter to Korea?”

“I was told it was a personal matter. Nothing to worry about.” The employee assumed President Matsumoto was worried about a dungeon break, so he attempted to reassure him.

President Matsumoto continued to look concerned.

A hunter from the US, huh? Does it have anything to do with why we’re here?

Ryuji’s gaze hadn’t left the commotion. That was probably where the American hunter was. Shigeo checked the time. Even if they left for the meeting now, they were going to be late.

President Matsumoto made a decision. “Let’s get going.”

President Go and President Matsumoto sat across from each other. A row of Korean and Japanese officials from both associations and both governments’ related departments flanked the two presidents. It was an important matter, so the summit moved along quickly.

“What about a combined strike squad with the highest hunters from both Japan and Korea?”

Officials on the Korean side looked surprised by President Matsumoto’s unconventional proposal. They’d assumed this meeting would be about compensating Japan for damages. Instead, Japan wanted to help solve Korea’s problem? How fortunate.

Once they got over the surprise, all the Korean participants looked delighted…except one.

President Go’s gaze was shrewd as he asked President Matsumoto, “Are you suggesting we form an alliance to deal with the ants?”

“That is correct.”

“We know that Japan’s best hunters are formidable, but it’s too dangerous to attack Jeju Island directly.” President Go explained that the ants had multiplied by hundreds since Korea’s last failed attempt to subjugate them two years ago.

President Matsumoto had a sly smile on his face. “Of course, it’s always dangerous to invade hostile territory without a plan.”

One of the Korean politicians who’d been happily surprised by the proposal asked, “Do you have any good ideas?”

“Yes.” All eyes were on President Matsumoto, but he took his time before elaborating. “Of course.”

He gave an order, and the files he had prepared, with all the numbers having already been crunched, were placed in front of each of the Korean participants. “This contains all our observations on these ants.”

The Korean delegates flipped through the files as he continued.

“Ants are as powerful as high-rank hunters, but they have a weakness—their life span.”

Ants could live for only a year.

“In other words, once we eliminate the queen ant, all the other ants on Jeju Island will naturally die off within a year.”

That was true. The Koreans nodded as they looked over the well-researched files.

Killing the queen ant sounded like a more realistic goal than trying to get rid of several thousand magic beasts originating from an S-rank gate. Yet President Go’s eyes were cold.

What nonsense……

He knew the truth: Getting rid of the queen ant wouldn’t be any easier than trying to kill all the workers.

“Do you realize that the ants will sacrifice their own lives for their queen?”

President Matsumoto laughed and waved off President Go’s concern. “Yes, you have to move past their defenses in order to get to the queen ant.”

President Go was bewildered by President Matsumoto’s casual attitude.

What is he up to?

President Matsumoto pursed his lips. “But what if all the ants left the hive for a time?”

The queen ant lived in the deepest part of the cave. Had there ever been an occasion when every single worker ant had left the queen and her eggs unprotected? President Go and the other Koreans looked doubtful until President Matsumoto spoke again.

“They have. Exactly three times.”

Three times? It had happened three times? But how did Japan know this?

The answer hit like a bolt out of the blue.

“Each time Korean hunters arrived on Jeju Island, the ants emptied the caves to face them—all three times.”

Ugh.

President Go’s hands clenched into fists on top of his knees. Japan had secretly observed the Korean hunters risking their lives and fighting magic beasts. No one blamed Japan for not helping, but did they have to use Korea’s tragedy as a subject for study and then proudly present the facts to the victim? An S-rank hunter had lost his life during the third attack, and countless others had as well. President Go himself had seen their deaths with his own eyes. His fists were trembling with anger.

Hmm……?

Ryuji, Japan’s mightiest hunter, released some of his magic energy as a response to President Go’s shift in attitude. It was a warning—make one wrong move, and he’d retaliate.

Jinchul, who was at the meeting as President Go’s bodyguard, rushed to his side. “Mr. President?”

“……I’m fine now.” President Go reassured Jinchul, and the other man silently stepped back.

Regardless of Japan’s attitude, if their research was accurate, then this was an opportunity to kill the magic beasts.

I can’t let my personal feelings get in the way.

President Go kept his anger to himself. With the tension subsided, President Matsumoto finally got to his main point.

“Our Japanese hunters will take on that role.”

They’d divide the Japanese S-rank hunters into groups and invade Jeju Island from different directions. All the ants would confront the invaders, leaving the hive empty except for the queen.

“Korea’s best hunters can then take care of the queen.”

Korean S-rank hunters would sneak in via helicopter and get out the same way once they’d eliminated the target.

The room erupted into discussion. Japan’s highly detailed and seemingly plausible plan excited all the Korean participants.

“If we do as they say, isn’t there a high chance we’ll be able to take back Jeju?”

“I see Japan’s finally making their move now that they’re in danger, too.”

“This is our chance.”

“Let’s use the Japanese hunters to restore control over Jeju Island.”

President Go didn’t participate in the conversations but instead quietly evaluated President Matsumoto’s proposed plan in his mind.

It might just work.

There were twenty-one Japanese S ranks, while Korea had only eight. Only six could actually participate because President Go had mobility issues and another had retired.

Six alone can’t distract several thousand ants.

They’d need the Japanese hunters for that. They could split up into four strike squads of five or so hunters and buy enough time for the Korean hunters. The only problem was whether or not Korea’s highest-rank hunters could defeat the queen, an S-rank dungeon boss.

Would that be possible?

At that moment, Jinwoo Sung’s name popped into President Go’s mind. What if Jinwoo, who had killed an A-rank dungeon boss all on his own, worked alongside other S-rank hunters?

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

President Go’s heart was racing.

We can’t delay this any longer!

The magic beast ants were evolving rapidly. No one knew how long it’d be before the entire army would gain the power of flight. It could be a decade from now, five years from now, or, heaven forbid, next year… They had to exterminate those damn ants before that happened, even if it meant accepting assistance from another country.

But first things first.

“What does Japan want in return?” President Go didn’t miss a beat.

President Matsumoto flashed his most benevolent smile. “We would like half of the essence stones once all the ants are dead in a year.”

That was all?

President Go cocked his head. “Is that all you want?”

The officials from the Korean government frowned at his question.

If that’s all they’re asking, just agree gracefully. Why make a fuss about it?

What is he going to do if they change their mind…?

His experience in the private sector has made him too suspicious.

They glared at President Go with accusatory looks, so he had no choice but to back down. The Korean participants had a brief discussion where no one objected to the plan. Eventually, Japan’s proposal passed unanimously.

When the summit was over, a smiling President Matsumoto extended his hand to President Go.

“The future of both countries hinges on this important mission. Let’s combine our forces and do our best.”

Back in his hotel room, President Matsumoto stuck a cigarette in his mouth.

Ryuji lit it for him. “Great job today, sir.”

“You did all the work, Goto.”

“Please don’t mention it.”

“No need to be humble. Did you see the expression on Go’s face?”

President Matsumoto smirked. It’d been for only a brief moment, but President Go had been furious. President Matsumoto had been able to remain smiling when faced with the fury of the most powerful S-rank hunter in South Korea only because Ryuji Goto, the best brawler in Japan and his reliable right-hand man, had been there as well.

President Matsumoto scoffed as he recalled President Go’s expression. “It must be hard being the underdog and needing a hand from someone you want nothing to do with.”

Ryuji snorted.

As President Matsumoto had predicted, Korea had taken the hand Japan had extended. Everything was going smoothly.

“Korea is only the beginning,” President Matsumoto continued. “Hunters are the new superpower and the new authority. I’m going to establish a new empire with the power that has been bestowed upon Japan.”

His gaze landed on Ryuji. “And I suppose you will be the next emperor.”

As President Matsumoto’s second-in-command, Ryuji would later inherit the empire from the emperor. This was why Ryuji put his boss on a pedestal.

President Matsumoto then remembered something. “Oh, right……” He put out the cigarette. “Any information on Korea’s new S rank yet?”

“It looks like no one here knows much about that man, either.”

“……I see.”

They knew all of Korea’s greatest hunters like the backs of their own hands with one exception. They had absolutely no information about the newly registered S-rank hunter. This unknown variable could be an issue. With his goal revealed and his plan underway, Matsumoto did not appreciate wild cards.

One person shouldn’t be a concern, but……

There were five hunters in the entire world who were so powerful, even S ranks were no match for them. They’d been dubbed as “national-rank hunters” because each had the might of an entire country’s military force. Another thing they all had in common was that they’d cleared an S-rank dungeon at least once.

A hunter wielding that kind of power could certainly be a thorn in their side.

But the likelihood of that is very low.

Considering how the estimated population of the world was seven billion people, the odds of this new hunter being a national-rank hunter was less than a billion to one. Besides, if Korea had a hunter with that kind of power, they wouldn’t keep them under wraps. It didn’t look like President Matsumoto had anything to worry about.

Being too cautious will also ruin my plans.

President Matsumoto picked up his phone. The Japanese association had been on standby, awaiting his orders. “Korea is all in. Summon the S ranks as discussed.”

President Go contacted the Korean hunters as well. The first order of business was to explain the gravity of the situation to them. That was why he was trying to schedule a meeting with them when…

“What?”

The news was an unexpected blow.

“You can’t reach Hunter Sung?”

Jinwoo was the only one they couldn’t contact.

“We couldn’t even locate him because his phone’s been off for a few days now.”

……

President Go was silent for a moment, then reluctantly gave the order. “Gather all the hunters, even if he’s not there, as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.” The employee bowed before rushing off.

President Go was stunned, lost in thought.

Where could he be?

President Go had a bad feeling about this.

As Esil had alluded to earlier, the difficulty level of the raid had gone up drastically. The number of monsters protecting each floor’s castle and their levels were incomparably higher than those on the lower floors.

Jinwoo couldn’t even put his increasing intelligence stat to good use because his mana was being depleted so quickly. His MP now fluctuated in big gaps every time there was a battle. That meant countless shadow soldiers were dying, regenerating, and repeating the cycle over and over again.

However, Jinwoo hadn’t reached the ninetieth floor through sheer luck. He’d spent every single floor up until the ninetieth honing his skills, forging himself into shape with a proverbial hammer, until he finally reached floor ninety. Even as the clans of archnoble demons pushed back, Jinwoo and his shadow soldiers pushed back harder.

Jinwoo had secured an entry permit for the ninety-seventh floor when he noticed some kind of steam rising from his body. It was his sweat evaporating due to the heat generated by his overpowered moves, a clear indication of how fierce the battle had been. Jinwoo was pleased with the sweet taste of victory.

As soon as she spotted him, Esil came out of hiding and ran toward Jinwoo. The permit was clutched in his hand, and the castle behind him was on fire.

First the fifth-ranked Ricardo Clan and now the fourth-ranked Pathos Clan……

Esil didn’t have the energy to be shocked anymore. If every intruder were like him, forget protecting their territory—escaping and surviving the intruders’ attacks would be impossible.

“Are other humans as powerful as you?” Esil asked anxiously.

Jinwoo thought about it before casually responding, “Maybe two of them?”

Gunhee Go and Haein Cha—Jinwoo could tell those two were definitely stronger than most S ranks. He didn’t think other S ranks, like Yoonho Baek, Jongin Choi, or Taegyu Lim, were quite as powerful.

Jongin, who was often called the Ultimate Hunter, was mistaken to be stronger than he actually was because he owned the Hunters Guild, the top guild in Korea.

When comparing their energies, I’d put Haein a few levels higher than Jongin.

There were different levels of strength even among S ranks. The wide differences in power level among S-rank hunters were probably due to the difficulty of getting a precise reading once a hunter’s strength surpassed a certain point.

Jinwoo smiled in spite of himself.

How will I feel about them once I get out of here?

Would Jinwoo feel differently about President Go’s power the way he’d changed his mind about President Baek’s strength between their first and second meeting? Jinwoo became excited just thinking about how much more powerful he’d become.

But before then……

He needed to clear the Demon’s Castle. There were only four floors left. He was so close to clearing this dungeon.

He turned to Esil. “You can go back now.”

Esil’s head had drooped after hearing there were two more humans as strong as Jinwoo, but it shot up at Jinwoo’s proclamation.

“What?”

“I’ll find my own way from here on.”

Esil had been a great help in locating the nobles’ castles, but he no longer required her services. His raised perception stat was probably a factor, but archnoble demons were so strong that he could easily find their location. He no longer needed her help. Because she didn’t have any other role besides that of a guide, having her tag along would just be an extra, unnecessary burden from here on out.

Jinwoo explained all this to her.

“Th-then I’m useless to you now?” Esil’s face grew pale.

Her reactions are funny to the end.

Jinwoo tried not to laugh as her expression once again exceeded his expectations. He then stood face-to-face with her.

Oh!

Esil’s eyes went wide at how close he was standing.

Is th-this the end for me, too?

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

Every heartbeat sounded like thunder. Esil watched Jinwoo slowly raise his hand. As it drew nearer, she closed her eyes tightly in fear. However……

Huh?

Jinwoo gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Feeling the warmth of his touch, Esil cracked her eyes open. Jinwoo’s face was extremely close to hers. He smiled right then as if he’d been waiting for her to look at him.

“You did a good job. Thank you.”

That would do. Jinwoo figured that was a sufficient enough farewell and strode toward the teleportation circle.

Ping!

When Jinwoo turned back to face Esil, her face was a mix of surprise and disappointment. Fear, worry, surprise, disappointment… Monsters with intelligence had shown a range of emotions. Were they actually creatures from another world or merely illusions created for a purpose by the system?

I don’t know yet……

But one of these days, if he kept collecting clues, Jinwoo could probably solve the mystery of the system’s origins.

Esil hesitated, then called out to Jinwoo. “Um…”

At that exact moment, Jinwoo raised his head and called out to the system.

“Ninety-seventh floor.”

Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine. Jinwoo finally had the key to enter the Demon Monarch’s domain.

How much suffering had he endured to find this…?

Jinwoo checked his status one last time before stepping onto the hundredth floor, where the Demon Monarch was waiting for him.

Jinwoo’s level was already pushing 100. He could feel the increased stats coursing through his body. He had overflowing strength, and his perception was much keener. He was in peak condition.

Perfect.

Jinwoo called up the shop. He replenished his stamina and mana levels and purchased potions as well as extra bandages. He wrapped said bandages around his hands while holding his daggers so he wouldn’t lose his grip on them.

It had been a while since he felt this anxious. With the bandaging done, he started warming up.

Hwoosh.

Shf.

Not bad.

Little by little, Jinwoo started upping his speed. His moves were sharp and accurate. Faster and even faster! He moved so quickly, he’d become a blur of afterimages before he abruptly came to a stop.

Tmp.

Steam rose from his shoulders. He’d warmed up enough. His preparations were done.

“Whew…” Jinwoo breathed in and out deeply, then stepped onto the teleportation circle.

As always, the circle asked for his destination, and Jinwoo answered firmly.

“Floor one hundred.”

His surroundings changed in a blink. Jinwoo scanned the area.

There’s no fire…

The lower floors had been engulfed in flames. Only the remnants of fire lingered here. He looked up to see something falling from the sky.

Snow?

He extended his hand because the color of the snow seemed off. Strangely, the snow didn’t melt in his palm. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was ash. Ash was drifting down like snowflakes.

Just then, the usual electronic sound chimed.

Ping!

Jinwoo, sensing something, focused on the sky overhead.

It’s coming from above…

The system soon informed Jinwoo of the enemy’s appearance.

A black dot moved in the distant sky. It got closer to the ground and landed quite a ways away from where Jinwoo stood.

It appeared to be a lizard-like animal with wings. Once it landed, the lizard flapped its big wings and cried out.

Kreeeee!

Jinwoo then spotted a blue demon’s face behind the lizard’s head. A male creature sporting regal armor was riding atop the dragon. Four words could be clearly seen above the rider’s head.

A remarkable amount of energy radiated from him. Cold sweat ran down Jinwoo’s forehead. Balan was truly a boss fit for a final dungeon this grand.

Then something else caught Jinwoo’s attention.

Hmm?

The lizard Balan was riding also had a name.

A wyvern?

Based on its name and how it looked, it didn’t appear to be a type of demon.

Wait… If it’s not a demon, then could I…?

No matter how many demons he felled, the system hadn’t let him extract any of them, so he’d dismissed the idea of ever acquiring a useful shadow from this dungeon. But a monster that could fly?

……I want it.

If it was possible to extract its shadow, he’d obtain it no matter what it took. This was the first time Jinwoo was lusting after a possible shadow soldier since Barca, the leader of the Ice Slayers.

Just then, Balan raised his hand toward the sky.

Ping!

Army of Hell?

Ping, ping, ping!

One warning after another sounded.

With each notification, more demons appeared in the army forming around the boss. The final demon count appeared to be over a thousand.

This is it.

Jinwoo also revealed the full extent of his magic power.

As Balan lowered his arm to point at Jinwoo, the black swarm of demons rushed forward.

Thmp, thmp, thmp, thmp!

Their charge made the ground quake.

Jinwoo sneered as he surveyed the approaching army.

I have soldiers, too.

His lips moved. “My shadows.”

Instantly, Jinwoo’s shadow started spreading out from under him. He activated Monarch’s Domain. Once the Demon Monarch’s soldiers stepped into the boundary of his shadow, Jinwoo summoned his army.

“Assemble.”

His shadow soldiers shot out from the ground.

……!

Jinwoo sensed the enemies’ panic.

Ahhhh!

Grrrahhh!

Two hulking knights, Iron and Tank, took advantage of the situation and raced toward the army at full speed.

Crash!

“Graaaaah!”

“Kreeee!”

Dozens of demons were bowled over by the two powerhouses. A wave of over a hundred shadow soldiers followed behind. Among them was Igris, the pièce de résistance! He leaped over Iron’s head, landed smoothly on the ground, and proceeded to slaughter demons with a sword in each hand.

“Kreeeeek!”

“Gahhh!”

It was a textbook performance from an elite knight rank.

But Igris isn’t the only elite knight.

Jinwoo looked to one side. Fang, who had just finished expanding in size, stomped forward as if it was his turn on the battlefield. Jinwoo beamed with pride as he watched him.

Hwoooo…

Fang breathed in deeply. His chest puffed up. Jinwoo recalled the shadow soldiers in front of Fang so the shadow mage could go all out on his attack. The soldiers who had melded back into shadows moved in the direction that Jinwoo indicated.

And…

Fwoooooooooosh!

The powerful blast of fire from Fang’s mouth disintegrated the demons. And it didn’t stop there.

Fwooooooosh!

Fang moved his head left and right to roast demons alive. Those engulfed by Fang’s flames didn’t even have time to cry out. Some shadow soldiers were caught in the crossfire of Fang’s attack, but they could simply be regenerated later.

Yes!

Jinwoo pumped his fist. A little over a hundred of his soldiers had managed to overwhelm over ten times as many enemies. The demon army was being horribly crushed. But right at that moment…

Balan, who had been quiet up until now, made his move. He opened his mouth wide to reveal blue sparks crackling inside.

Graaaaaaaah!

The shadow soldiers were bathed in an ominous blue light.

Krakoooooom!

Lightning?

Jinwoo’s eyes widened. The soldiers caught in the blue storm were instantly fried. Those who saw it happen froze as if startled.

That isn’t any ordinary lightning.

Balan’s lightning, which was rather lethal and also had a stun debuff, fell around the entire area. Naturally, the blue storm also targeted Jinwoo.

Krak!

Yet, unlike his shadow soldiers, Jinwoo didn’t receive any damage. The Robe of Wind he’d been wearing absorbed all fire-type damage.

The stun debuff was neatly canceled out by his immunity buff.

Jinwoo dashed toward Balan. Because Balan’s magic affected a wide area, if Jinwoo didn’t do something about it, the scales would tip in his enemy’s favor.

Balan turned to Jinwoo.

Graaaaaaaah!

A scream rang from the monster’s mouth, followed by blue sparks that shot out like hail.

Krak, krak, krak!

Balan shuddered as Jinwoo remained unscathed by his direct attacks.

……!

Jinwoo could sense that the monster was rattled. In the blink of an eye, he used his maxed-out Dash skill to reach Balan and took a giant leap. Balan also drew his sword, and Jinwoo struck it with Barca’s Dagger.

Klang!

The force of impact made Balan fall off his dragon and pushed Jinwoo back a distance. Jinwoo and Balan both took a tumble but got back up at the same time. They glared at each other for a beat.

Then they both instinctively charged at each other with all they had.

Graaaaaaaah!

More sparks flew out of Balan’s mouth.

Krakoom, krakoom!

Jinwoo was awash in blue light. He continued running, relying on the robe for protection, but something was wrong.

……Is it getting hotter?

When he looked over his shoulder, he realized the edge of the robe had caught on fire. He quickly pulled it off and threw it aside.

I guess that was the robe’s limit.

Though it was only a human-made artifact, it had actually lasted longer than he’d expected.

The rest was purely up to Jinwoo.

Jinwoo swallowed.

Graaaaaaaaah!

As if seizing the opportunity, the monster fanned the flames in his mouth, making them even stronger. Jinwoo heightened his senses as much as he could.

I can do this.

No, he had to do this.

Time slowed down for Jinwoo, and he was able to evade the streaks of blue directed at him.

He wondered why.

Krak!

Memories of his time in the Demon’s Castle flashed before his eyes as Balan got closer. As they did, he continued dodging the lightning.

Krak!

His heart beat quietly.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

Jinwoo avoided all Balan’s attacks by a hairbreadth and stood before him.

Oh.

Jinwoo finally realized why all those Demon’s Castle memories had played in his mind. It was out of gratitude.

Thank you.

He was thankful for having been given the strength to fight such an incredible monster. His abilities had been honed further with each floor. It was like he had been training for this very moment. It had made possible what had been previously impossible.

How could he not be appreciative?

Shhhk!

Balan swung his sword down, but Jinwoo blocked it with Barca’s Dagger in his right hand and stabbed him in the shoulder with Knight Killer in his left.

Krak!

The dagger had been made especially for penetrating armor, so it dug deep into Balan’s shoulder.

……!

Though Balan didn’t let out a peep, Jinwoo sensed he was screaming in pain. Jinwoo pulled out Knight Killer. Sparks seemed to fly out from Balan’s eyes as he leveled a vicious glare at Jinwoo. The monster’s breathing was labored.

He lunged at Jinwoo. Jinwoo’s daggers and Balan’s sword struck each other countless times, leaving innumerable wounds on both of them.

Klang! Klang-klang! Ka-klang! Klang!

Every time they clashed, the collision of their magic power left holes in the ground where they stood.

Jinwoo frowned.

His shoulder is severely wounded, but……

The Demon Monarch lived up to his name. Jinwoo was beginning to feel pain in his wrists. Much more of this, and it would only get harder for him.

I have to knock him off-balance.

Both Jinwoo and Balan had two hands. However, Jinwoo had yet another hidden away.

Ruler’s Hand!

Balan fell to one knee as an invisible force struck him down.

Whud.

……?

Before Balan realized what had happened, Jinwoo had punched him in the face.

Wham!

Balan tumbled for ten or so meters before managing to stop himself, but he was unable to get up. Jinwoo was already on top of him.

Balan opened his mouth wide.

Gaak!

But the Demon Monarch couldn’t use his lightning. Jinwoo had shoved his right fist into the monster’s mouth to block the magic.

……!

Balan’s eyes shook.

Instead of using the dagger in his hand, Jinwoo raised his fist high.

Wham!

Wham!

Wham!

Wham!

Jinwoo’s strength stat was over 200 and allowed him to rapidly chip away at the boss-level monster’s health bar. Finally, Jinwoo concentrated all his power in his raised right hand.

Hwoooom…

The muscles in his shoulder and arm bulged, and the air around him grew heavy. The magic power concentrated in his right arm pushed out all the sound around them, and for an instant, everything was dead silent.

……

In the short period of stillness that had washed over them, Jinwoo looked down and addressed Balan in a low voice.

“Thank you for everything.”

Of course, there was no answer. The Demon Monarch simply glared at Jinwoo with hatred.

I guess you’ll never understand the thoughts behind my words.

Regardless, Jinwoo genuinely wanted to express the emotion overflowing within him. He’d said his piece.

With that, he delivered the final fatal blow to the master of the Demon’s Castle.

Whud!

As he did, some very welcome messages popped up with the familiar electronic chime.

Ping!