Cold water was abruptly thrown over what had been an atmosphere of celebration.
[China Closes Jointly Owned Legendary-Grade Ruins.]
[Experts Point to Clear Violation of International Law.]
[China: We Merely Exercised Our Legitimate Ownership Rights Over the Ruins. There Is No Problem.]
┗What the hell are they doing? Have they seriously lost their minds?
┗They agreed beforehand to divide the profits according to contribution. What right do they have to take the Ruins for themselves?
┗This is practically an outright declaration of war. We absolutely cannot let this slide.
Naturally, the general public was furious at the shameless behavior of another country.
But Hunters with even a passing familiarity with the Hunter industry were concerned about a different, more serious problem.
┗China is acting like this, so we need some kind of countermeasure. What are we supposed to do now?
┗There is no choice. A new Legendary-grade Ruin where Magic Stones can be mined appeared this month. We have to secure our supply from there somehow.
┗But can South Korea definitely clear that Legendary-grade Ruin? I heard China is determined to take that one too.
┗Does it matter when we have Jeon Jae-woo? Just leave it to him and he will probably clear it in five minutes.
┗He only recently cleared an Ancient-grade Ruin. I am not sure whether he can do it right away.
┗And we still do not know whether Jeon Jae-woo will actually move according to what the Hunter Administration wants. If he just does whatever he pleases, then there is nothing we can do.
Most people firmly believed that even if a problem arose, the mysterious Hunter named Jeon Jae-woo, whose face they had never even seen, would somehow solve it.
Considering everything he had accomplished so far, it was only natural for them to assume that clearing a Legendary-grade Ruin would not be particularly difficult for him.
There was, however, one variable.
Jeon Jae-woo had only recently cleared an Ancient-grade Ruin.
No matter how powerful a Hunter was, clearing an Ancient-grade Ruin must have placed an enormous burden on him, and it was common sense for a Hunter to rest thoroughly after completing a Ruin clear.
People worried that immediately challenging another Legendary-grade Ruin—not merely a Common- or Rare-grade one—might be unrealistic.
China had also begun its attempt on this month’s Legendary-grade Ruin under the assumption that Jeon Jae-woo would be unable to enter another Ruin so soon.
In any case, after receiving Yoo Jeong-tae’s calls, Jeon Jae-woo decided to visit the Hunter Administration.
He had intended to use public transportation, but Yoo Jeong-tae sent a car directly to his home.
“This way, please, Hunter.”
“Ah, yes.”
Jeon Jae-woo awkwardly climbed into the vehicle as several men in suits treated him with meticulous courtesy.
Of course, even while he traveled by car, Myeolgeop and the Elder Lich accompanied him nearby while concealing themselves.
After arriving at the Hunter Administration building, he avoided the public eye and went directly upstairs to the Commissioner’s office.
Inside, he found Commissioner Yoo Jeong-tae and another middle-aged man around the same age.
The middle-aged man broke into a broad smile the moment he saw Jeon Jae-woo and clasped both of his hands.
“Hunter Jeon Jae-woo! Thank you for coming.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
They had never met before, but Jeon Jae-woo had seen the man’s face somewhere.
Anyone working as a Hunter in South Korea would have difficulty not recognizing him.
“Excuse me, but are you perhaps the Minister?”
At Jeon Jae-woo’s question, the Minister of the Ministry of Disaster Administration smiled warmly and shook the hands he was holding.
“It is an honor that you recognize me, Hunter. My name is Lee Cheol-su.”
He was the head of the Ministry of Disaster Administration, the supervising ministry above the Hunter Administration.
For some reason, his name sounded as though it belonged in an old Korean language textbook.
“Thank you sincerely for selling us the Spiritual Elixirs obtained from the Ancient-grade Ruin. The President and the Prime Minister were also delighted to hear about the clear. They specifically asked me to convey their gratitude to you, Hunter Jeon Jae-woo.”
Good heavens.
Now the President and the Prime Minister were involved too.
Jeon Jae-woo felt slightly nervous as the scale of everything surrounding him continued to grow.
It was obvious in hindsight, but by now, the name Jeon Jae-woo must have become thoroughly known among the highest-ranking officials in the country.
“Not at all. I merely sold the Spiritual Elixirs for their proper price.”
“Even receiving the opportunity to purchase Spiritual Elixirs like those is extraordinarily difficult. You have done a tremendous service for South Korea, Hunter. Before long, the President intends to present you with a medal and an official commendation as well…”
A short while later, Jeon Jae-woo sat across from Commissioner Yoo Jeong-tae and Minister Lee Cheol-su.
Yoo Jeong-tae’s expression was considerably worse than usual.
“Hunter. Have you heard the news?”
“Ah… You mean China closing the Legendary-grade Ruins that we jointly owned?”
Jeon Jae-woo had seen the news himself.
Every broadcasting station was reporting it as breaking news, so it would have been difficult not to know.
Jeon Jae-woo had been just as shocked as everyone else when he saw the reports.
Had China really resorted to something so petty simply because he had supposedly(?) taken the Ancient-grade Ruin they wanted?
No, this went beyond petty thuggery.
It was an obvious violation of international law.
He had even seen experts on YouTube speculating that the Ancient-grade Ruin clear was probably the reason behind China’s actions.
“I was surprised when I heard this happened because I cleared the Ancient-grade Ruin.”
Lee Cheol-su hurriedly waved his hands.
“Please do not concern yourself with that at all, Hunter. This is unquestionably a matter for the government to resolve.”
It was obvious that both men were trying not to place any burden on Jeon Jae-woo.
“However, there is one thing we would like to ask. Do you perhaps have any intention of clearing another Legendary-grade Ruin that appeared this month?”
As expected.
So this was what they wanted.
“…Is this because of the Magic Stone supply?”
Yoo Jeong-tae let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“There are many projects that urgently require Magic Stones obtainable only from Legendary-grade Ruins. Now that our supply has been cut off without warning, we are in an extremely difficult position. Projects being pursued by both major domestic corporations and the government have effectively come to a halt.”
“Can you not substitute Magic Stones from lower-grade Ruins?”
Yoo Jeong-tae shook his head firmly.
“The difference in quality is simply too great. Furthermore, China appears to be preparing to take the newly appeared Legendary-grade Ruin as well. If possible, we need to clear it as quickly as we can.”
The only mining-type Legendary-grade Ruins over which South Korea could claim ownership were the two it had jointly cleared with China.
China had closed both of them and was now attempting to seize the newly appeared Legendary-grade Ruin as well.
They truly seemed determined to choke their neighboring country dry.
Yoo Jeong-tae leaned forward and spoke with a grave, earnest gaze.
“That is why we desperately need your strength for this clear, Hunter Jeon Jae-woo. Would you be willing to cooperate with us?”
The South Korean government desperately wanted Jeon Jae-woo to step in.
After all, if Jeon Jae-woo took action, clearing a single Legendary-grade Ruin ought to be simple.
“……”
Jeon Jae-woo remained silent for a moment.
Watching him, both the Commissioner and the Minister swallowed anxiously.
Every ounce of their attention was focused on his lips.
Eventually, Jeon Jae-woo slowly spoke.
“To be honest, I do not think I can clear another Legendary-grade Ruin right away.”
At those words alone, Yoo Jeong-tae and Lee Cheol-su felt their hearts sink.
“I only just finished clearing an Ancient-grade Ruin. For at least the next few days, I would rather avoid directly fighting monsters.”
“As expected… I understand.”
They had anticipated that possibility to some extent.
In truth, it was the perfectly natural response.
Still, because this was the man who had cleared an Ancient-grade Ruin alone, they had held on to a faint hope that perhaps he would somehow be capable of it.
Yoo Jeong-tae felt his last hope disappear, leaving the future looking bleak.
If they could not borrow Jeon Jae-woo’s strength, the Hunter Administration would have to find some way to clear the new Legendary-grade Ruin using its own forces.
Of course, thanks to the Magic Tools Jeon Jae-woo had provided, clearing Legendary-grade Ruins had become much easier than before.
But South Korea was not the only country targeting the Ruin.
China, moreover, was now concentrating all of its strength on the new Magic Stone mining Ruin with the express intention of strangling South Korea’s supply.
A Ruin belonged to whoever cleared it first, and China’s Hunter forces were undeniably superior to South Korea’s.
The possibility of losing the Ruin was extremely high.
If China committed everything it had, it might finish clearing the Legendary-grade Ruin in only a day or two.
Then Jeon Jae-woo spoke again.
“Instead, I think another Legendary-grade Ruin might be possible.”
“?”
The two officials looked equally bewildered.
“Hunter Jeon Jae-woo? What other Ruin do you mean…?”
“I believe there is a Legendary-grade Ruin called Underground Labyrinth that China has left uncleared.”
Yoo Jeong-tae and Lee Cheol-su immediately perked up.
Underground Labyrinth.
It was one of the Legendary-grade Ruins that had remained uncleared since appearing rather than being claimed immediately.
An enormous quantity of Magic Stones was buried within the Underground Labyrinth.
If someone successfully cleared it, the Ruin was estimated to contain more Magic Stones than the two Legendary-grade Ruins China had closed combined.
At present, China possessed the highest Exploration Rate within the Ruin and effectively regarded it as its own.
However, a considerable amount of time had passed since the Ruin appeared, and a successful clear remained nowhere in sight.
The monsters inhabiting Underground Labyrinth were not particularly strong compared with those in other Legendary-grade Ruins.
In fact, they were considered unusually weak for a Legendary-grade Ruin.
The problem, true to the name Labyrinth, was that the interior was extraordinarily complicated.
And as everyone knew, Ruin clears had a Time Limit.
The monsters that had to be hunted were hidden throughout every corner of the maze, which was why no one had managed to complete the clear yet.
But if someone could clear it—
Minister Lee Cheol-su stared at Jeon Jae-woo with wide eyes.
“Are you truly saying that you may be able to clear Underground Labyrinth?”
“I am not one hundred percent certain that I can clear it. But I intend to try. Direct combat power is not particularly important in that Ruin, is it?”
In truth, the idea had not originated with Jeon Jae-woo.
Myeolgeop and the Elder Lich had been the ones to suggest it first.
[I do not believe we should allow the country called China to continue acting as it pleases.]
‘I agree. To protest the Maker’s actions in such a manner… If left unchecked, they may eventually attempt to bring harm to the Maker himself.’
After seeing the news that a certain country had taken offense at their master’s Ruin clear, Myeolgeop and the Elder Lich had become quite angry.
They had even made the dangerous suggestion of traveling to China themselves and personally punishing its leadership.
Jeon Jae-woo managed to stop them from invading China outright, but neither Myeolgeop nor the Elder Lich would abandon the idea that China needed to be taught a lesson.
As an alternative, they proposed clearing the Ruin that China treasured and regarded as practically its own.
Of course, if Jeon Jae-woo simply swooped in and took Underground Labyrinth, China might truly fly into a rage.
But China had already crossed the line long ago by unilaterally seizing jointly cleared Ruins.
With the situation already this far gone, why should he worry about offending them?
A Ruin belonged to no one until someone actually cleared it first.
Yoo Jeong-tae abruptly rose from his seat, seized both of Jeon Jae-woo’s hands, and spoke.
“Hunter. If you clear Underground Labyrinth and secure those Magic Stones for us, I will repay you to the absolute best of my ability.”