Ch.130Strike Declaration Is Dangerous (2)

“…Good heavens, did you really clear the dungeon already?”

“Y-yes, I did.”

The Russian Association staff member stared at the disappearing gate with disbelief, then hurriedly pulled out his phone to contact someone.

“Yes, yes! That’s right. The conquest is complete.”

Then he approached me and continued speaking.

“I’ve filed the report. You’ll receive all the promised rewards shortly. And the minister was wondering if perhaps this evening…”

“Ugh. Enough. I’m leaving now.”

I summoned a flying undead and soared into the sky in an instant.

I was supposed to meet up with Helena at the airport, so I should probably head there.

‘I wonder if it’s working by now.’

There was a perfectly rational reason why I suddenly came to Russia to conquer this dungeon.

And if my prediction was correct, the effects should be showing right about now.

Flap!

After finding a suitable position, I dismounted from the undead gryphon and headed toward the airport while calling someone I’d grown familiar with.

Ring ring.

Click.

“S-so, how’s the reaction?”

[What do you mean how? It’s exactly as you expected. Public opinion is shifting immediately.]

The information Joseph relayed matched my predictions quite closely.

[Naturally, the reaction from Russia is the most intense.]

The truth is, Russia and I don’t have the best relationship.

I had friction with Ivan, Russia’s S-rank hunter, at the large dungeon in America before, and with the attack on Helena’s military base added to that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were practically enemies.

However, the reaction now is completely different. Not only Russian citizens but even their upper echelons are expressing gratitude toward me.

[No wonder, Russia has been seriously short-staffed recently.]

Despite having such vast territory, they surprisingly have few exceptional hunters.

In the midst of that, they unfortunately had high-level dungeons appear one after another, so from the Russian government’s perspective, they must have been pacing anxiously, unable to do anything.

The citizens’ anxiety was growing as the government failed to present a clear response.

At that timing, Russia was barely able to resolve the immediate crisis thanks to the support from me, Helena, and Astrida.

‘How ironic.’

Ivan, who had devoted his entire life to Russia, was bedridden from the aftermath of conquering an S-rank dungeon, yet all public attention was focused solely on me.

But it can’t be helped.

That’s just how the world works.

What matters to citizens is someone who can save them from immediate danger, not necessarily a great person with beliefs and justice.

And the citizens of Korea are no different.

‘They must be getting anxious by now.’

The tremendous praise pouring in from Russia in real-time.

Not only am I being treated as a hero, but there’s also consistent talk about persuading me to naturalize immediately.

And naturally, from that point on, Korea would be in an uproar.

They didn’t think it would happen, but now it really looks like their S-rank hunter might be lost to another country.

That’s an issue directly linked to their own safety, so whether they’re government officials or ordinary citizens, they can’t help but feel desperate.

In fact, the Association was already contacting me, practically begging.

“…You really haven’t changed at all since then, teacher.”

“They must be in chaos over there by now.”

Two people approached me, having arrived at the airport without my noticing.

I put some distance between us and slowly opened my mouth.

“Ah, rather than continuing to be bothered in the future, it’s easier to sort things out in advance.”

If I truly disliked Korea, I would have left without looking back.

This was all being done out of affection.

As this annoying performance was coming to an end, Joseph’s urgent voice came through the still-connected phone with perfect timing.

[Um… I think this is something you should check yourself rather than me telling you.]

While Korea was still in the midst of conquering their first S-rank dungeon, apparently a second one had appeared.

And its rank was alarming.

“…S2, you say?”

Excluding the S1 rank that has never appeared before, this is essentially the highest-ranked dungeon currently.

[Since it’s been officially announced, it seems to be reliable information. Wouldn’t it be better to stop the tug-of-war now?]

“Y-yeah, it was going to reach a conclusion anyway.”

With an S2-rank dungeon appearing, there’s essentially no other option. The Korean government had to call me and the other two back by any means necessary.

And by now, the citizens would know that too.

Ring ring.

Sure enough, a call came through on the separate phone I had prepared.

The caller was Seo Dahye, the vice president of the Association. It was a signal that things had concluded as planned.

I answered the phone but without listening to the content, I simply stated that I would return now.

[…Yes. Thank you. We’ll send a guide to the airport.]

Having won the battle of nerves, it was now time to hold a triumphant return ceremony.

#

“Damn it all!”

Bang!

Seo Gongtae, the de facto leader of the Guild Alliance, displayed his directionless anger by repeatedly striking the wooden desk.

Despite spending enormous funds to hire foreign hunters, now an ultra-high-risk S2-rank dungeon had appeared.

To be honest, Seo Gongtae and the other Guild Alliance leaders had no moves left.

‘Why such a sudden drastic change…’

Honestly, Seo Gongtae felt wronged. An S2-rank dungeon was something that Korea’s existing forces could never handle.

It wasn’t that Seo Gongtae was incompetent. But citizens, when their safety was threatened, didn’t consider such minor details.

– Why did they give Baek Eunha such a hard time if this was going to happen?

– See, what did I tell you? They can’t do anything when an S-rank dungeon appears. This shouldn’t have been controversial in the first place. It’s natural that those who can do more get preferential treatment, why make such a fuss about it?

– Korean public opinion manipulation strikes again. So what are they going to do now?

The citizens’ reactions were harsh.

Once they realized the guild leaders headed by Seo Gongtae had no ability to resolve the situation, they continuously hurled criticism at them.

Meanwhile, on the other side, apologies and requests for Baek Eunha to return flooded in.

– We were wrong! Please forgive us and come back!

– We’re sorry. We’re sorry. We’re sorry. We’re sorry.

– We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die.

– Please, teacher…

The citizens now knew. That ultimately, the most influential being in Korea was Baek Eunha.

Without her, they would inevitably be mercilessly crushed in the face of greater violence.

And as if hearing these desperate wishes of the citizens, thankfully news came that Baek Eunha was returning to Korea.

Through this series of events, the Guild Alliance led by Seo Gongtae realized.

That they had been completely pushed back in this battle of nerves, and that they would no longer be able to interfere with Baek Eunha in any way.

‘…She’s more cunning than I thought.’

I heard her mental state was unstable and her emotions fluctuated severely, but facing her in reality was quite different from what I expected.

As frustration boiled inside him, to make matters worse, news came from a close aide.

“R-representative! The conquest team has cleared the dungeon! However, our casualties are quite…”

News of clearing the first S4-rank dungeon that had appeared, but the content wasn’t just bad—it was disastrous.

At this point, they were truly bound hand and foot, unable to take any action.

‘…It’s over.’

In the end, the Guild Alliance had no choice but to bitterly acknowledge their defeat while bearing enormous losses.

#

“H-one side has been cleared? That’s good. Ugh.”

Inside the helicopter I boarded due to the urgency of the situation, I was receiving a briefing from Seo Dahye while moving toward the problematic S2-rank dungeon.

“However, the damage is generally extensive. Only the Cheongbaek Guild and Taegeuk Guild, which have experienced many major battles, are in decent shape. For the others, the weakening of their forces cannot be ignored.”

“…Mmph. As long as Seoha is safe.”

It might sound cold, but I don’t particularly care about the others. That’s why I had sent Lee Jicheol in advance to help the Cheongbaek Guild.

“…By the way, since this is essentially the highest-ranked dungeon, wouldn’t it be better to form a proper conquest team?”

Seo Dahye asked with concern, but our answer was simple.

“Ugh. I-I’m enough on my own.”

“Actually, there’s no need for multiple people, it’s rather excessive to go in a group. Right, Asti?”

“…Yes. No problem.”

Seeing our immense confidence, Seo Dahye simply nodded and said she understood.

Thud thud thud thud.

Thud thud thud.

After some time passed and as the helicopter approached the ground, a gate of an ominously different color gradually came into view.

An unverified territory even for humanity, a gate of the highest rank.

Looking at it, I muttered just one thing with a tired face.

“…It’ll take two or three hours at most.”

And so, we headed into the dungeon once again.