19. It

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There exist regions in the world commonly referred to as powder kegs.

 

 

 

 

 

The Middle East, where wars are constantly erupting even in modern times.

 

 

The Balkan Peninsula, where numerous ethnicities, cultures, and nations are intertwined, historically writing countless wars.

 

 

The Korean Peninsula, the only remaining divided nation, where the North is an unpredictable rogue group (North Korea), backed by a newly emerging hegemonic power (China) seeking to overthrow the empire (United States) and seize global hegemony, along with the Bear Country (Russia) aiming to reclaim its former glory, and the island nation (Japan) eyeing a return to its powerful imperialist days, constantly seeking to advance into the continent, while the world’s superpower (United States) keeps a close watch with eyes blazing to maintain its global hegemony, checking its old nemesis (Russia) and new nemesis (China).

 

 

 

 

There are several other powder kegs, but these three regions are by far the most prominent.

 

 

 

 

Among them, the Korean Peninsula is not just a powder keg, but practically a nuclear missile warehouse. As mentioned above, great powers are gathered there, each with different ideologies, purposes, and intentions, yet they are strangely intertwined. If something happens, neighboring countries could be instantly sucked in, leading to global annihilation.

 

 

 

 

This isn’t just a story limited to the Korean Peninsula. The surrounding Northeast Asia is the same.

 

 

For that reason, the world was focusing on the Korean Peninsula with cold sweats, and recently, since the Battle of Tokyo, Korea has been insisting on possessing nuclear weapons and now refuses to withdraw its troops dispatched to Japan.

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, North Korea, without any sense of timing, provoked again and got thoroughly trashed by South Korea, and is currently in hiding.

 

 

 

 

These events have occurred in succession, so it’s strange that the world isn’t trembling with anxiety. War breaking out on the Korean Peninsula is an event that even the United States dreads as unmanageable, so how much more would other countries fear it?

 

 

Thanks to this, the stock markets of Korea and surrounding Asian countries are recording daily plunges, leading to discussions about an economic crisis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amidst all this, fortunately, the Korean government, which had been in a tense standoff with Japan for nearly a month, finally expressed its intention to withdraw its troops, and the world, which had been holding its breath in tension, let out a sigh of relief.

 

 

 

 

However, that relief was short-lived, and soon the world fell into shock and anxiety.

 

 

 

 

The chairman of the Dungeon Cooperation Organization D10, along with his secretary and bodyguards, had gone missing.

 

 

Now that the whole world is suffering from the dungeon crisis, he was not just the head of an organization, but a figure symbolizing humanity’s hope and reconstruction in this era.

 

 

Especially in countries that have not been able to resolve the dungeon situation with their own power.

 

 

 

 

The fact that he went missing caused confusion along with questions.

 

 

And the place was Korea again.

 

 

 

 

Instantly, numerous conspiracy theories emerged, the most prominent being that it was the work of the world’s largest guild, ‘Harem Troop’, which exists in Korea.

 

 

 

 

The Korean government initially denied it, but announced that it would mobilize as much police force and military as possible to find the chairman, and actually deployed tens of thousands of personnel to search for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he was already dead and cremated by Hyun-ah’s fire magic, so there was no way they could find him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[What the hell is going on in the world….]

 

 

[Does the Korean branch director know anything? Didn’t the chairman go missing in your country?]

 

 

[Well… we’re doing our best to find him… but there’s no significant progress yet.]

 

 

 

 

Video conference room.

 

 

Created for those who are too busy to meet in person, this was a very important system connecting the executives of the global organization, Dungeon Cooperation Organization D10.

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the D10 branch directors located around the world attended the emergency meeting, and the only ones who didn’t show their faces were the chairman and the European branch director, Agnes.

 

 

 

 

[Come to think of it, I heard the European branch director was also in Korea… Could it be that she also went missing?]

 

 

 

 

One person raised that question.

 

 

Some nodded, but most shook their heads.

 

 

 

 

[That monstrous woman going missing? If that were the case, she would be hiding of her own will. There could be many reasons, like not wanting to work, right?]

 

 

[Could it be that she did something treacherous to the chairman?]

 

 

[Ahem. Let’s refrain from speculation.]

 

 

 

 

Various words came and went, and the noise increased. They had all grown up hearing they were elites in their respective countries, and even before taking on the role of D10 branch director, they were in key positions in their countries, yet they were spouting conspiracy theories that could only be found on the internet.

 

 

 

 

 

Some even suggested that the Korean branch director had eliminated the chairman and the European branch director to strengthen his own power.

 

 

 

 

‘What a mess….’

 

 

 

 

Watching the scene, the Korean branch director sighed deeply.

 

 

At times like this, they should gather their opinions and move in unison, but instead, they were busy suspecting and alienating each other without any sign of doing so.

 

 

 

 

‘Well, I’m no different.’

 

 

 

 

He knows the truth.

 

 

He had already yielded to Yoo-eun a long time ago, so various information was coming in without him even knowing.

 

 

 

 

‘Even branch director Agnes, who is said to be the association’s top combatant, has become his so easily, so how could this association be any different.’

 

 

 

 

The chairman is dead, and Agnes will soon appear and devour the entire association.

 

 

And of course, Yoo-eun will control her as he pleases.

 

 

 

 

It hasn’t even been half a year since Yoo-eun appeared in the world as an adventurer, and he’s already come this far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jijik.

 

 

 

 

A noise that silenced the market-like commotion was heard.

 

 

It was a video transmission device connected to the D10 headquarters, and after several static noises, it soon took the form of a woman.

 

 

 

 

She had a very beautiful figure, with short blonde hair, a young appearance that looked like she had just turned thirty, and elegantly crossed legs that absorbed attention.

 

 

 

 

[A, Agnes branch director??]

 

 

 

 

She was Agnes Isabella, the head of the European branch based in Berlin, Germany.

 

 

 

 

It’s strange that she suddenly appeared after not being heard from, but it’s even stranger that she appeared from headquarters.

 

 

 

 

[No, where have you been until now to show up now? And from headquarters… Is the chairman with you?]

 

 

[Are you hurt anywhere….]

 

 

 

 

Many words were poured out to her.

 

 

But she didn’t answer them, and looked at the Korean branch director, crossing her legs to the other side.

 

 

 

 

[There’s that guy in Korea, right? A guy named Yoo-eun. After meeting him in person, he’s quite a figure. I think he might be the strongest human.]

 

 

[…I agree.]

 

 

[Since there’s such a person, it doesn’t seem appropriate for a (C)-class organization, right? There’s a high possibility of an adversarial relationship, but shouldn’t we still be polite?]

 

 

 

 

It’s impossible to grasp what she’s trying to say. Even the Korean branch director who is listening to her!

 

 

 

 

But that was soon learned in shock.

 

 

 

 

[From today, I will upgrade the Korean branch from a (C)-class organization to a (B)-class organization. As it is a country with the world’s largest guild and the world’s strongest adventurer, I made this decision because that level is necessary for smooth management, so please keep that in mind.]

 

 

[Excuse me?]

 

 

[W, wait! What are you talking about!]

 

 

 

 

The other branch directors immediately protested and stood up at Agnes’s words.

 

 

In particular, the reaction was even more intense in the Japanese branch, which had completely collapsed and lost its function, and even the newly appointed branch director could not exert much power.

 

 

 

 

But it’s a decision.

 

 

Agnes raised her hand to stop them and repeated the same words once more.

 

 

 

 

[I hope you understand that I also made a difficult decision.]

 

 

[Ha….]

 

 

 

 

 

What a ridiculous situation this is.

 

 

Suddenly popping out from headquarters and arbitrarily upgrading the rank of an individual organization? This is an international organization comparable to the UN, and even the chairman can’t commit such an outrage.

 

 

Moreover, a (B)-class organization means putting it on the same level as continental branches like the European branch, but in many ways, the Korean branch’s power was insufficient for that.

 

 

 

 

[Where is the chairman!]

 

 

[Even if it were the chairman, he couldn’t handle it so unilaterally!]

 

 

[Why are you even there in the first place? Where is the chairmanㅡ,]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[I killed the first chairman, Carlos Sagan.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[…What?!]

 

 

[???]

 

 

[!!]

 

 

 

 

 

Shocking statement.

 

 

She revealed that she herself had committed murder, even killing the head of an international organization.

 

 

The words didn’t end there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Therefore, I, Agnes Isabella, will serve as the second chairman. If you wish to disobey, please do not resent it even if you suffer the wrath of my Noblesse Corps.]