Chapter 13: Women can do that too

South Korea is in turmoil.

[Shock! Fire at Military Base in Daejeon Gate!]

[Monster Attack! Will the Apgujeong Incident from 10 Years Ago Repeat?]

[President Yoo Acknowledges Loss of Stronghold! Currently Investigating the Cause.]

The news flooded with sensational headlines, causing nationwide panic.

“What is the President even doing?”

“Why did the stronghold, which was perfectly fine, suddenly get destroyed?”

“What are the hunters doing?”

Only now did the public start to care about the whereabouts of the hunters.

It wasn’t long before their whereabouts were announced—not by the South Korean government, but by the United States.

“We would like to inform you that we have undertaken a humanitarian rescue operation for the 133 hunters that the South Korean government had redeployed to the stronghold. They are currently staying at our military base.”

Volkov, the head of the association, began reciting the prearranged lie with a calm demeanour.

“While heading towards an unexplored zone, our American hunter, Lee Younghak, spotted dozens of mutant wyverns heading toward the South Korean stronghold and changed his course. These mutant wyverns were heading into Korean territory and were confirmed to be extremely high-level.”

Amidst the clicking of cameras and flashing lights, Volkov continued his lie nonchalantly.

“Judging that the hunters at the stronghold alone would not be able to handle the situation, Hunter Lee immediately went to provide support. However, by the time he arrived, the stronghold had already been destroyed. The hunters had fled the stronghold and were hiding in a nearby forest. Hunter Lee rescued them on humanitarian grounds and brought them back to American territory.”

“President Volkov! Is the wyvern causing chaos beyond the gate also one of these mutant wyverns?”

Volkov pointed at the reporter as if she had asked a good question.

“That’s a great question. Shockingly, yes. These mutant wyverns seem to be able to store a certain amount of mana in their bodies, allowing them to function briefly even outside the mana-rich environment of the gate.”

“Where did these mutants come from?”

“That, we do not know. However, based on the testimony that they were spotted while flying towards an unexplored zone, we can speculate that they might have come from an unknown area within Eldorado. As you know, there is much more we don’t know about Eldorado beyond the gates than what we do know.”

The reporter, seemingly satisfied, sat down, and another question was immediately raised.

“Why did an American hunter rescue South Korean hunters?”

“As you know, Hunter Lee is of Korean descent. Seeing a large number of high-level monsters heading towards the South Korean hunters, he judged that they might get hurt and decided to help.”

“What I mean is, if there was a problem significant enough to destroy the stronghold, wouldn’t it have been better to return to South Korean territory immediately through the gate? Why did American hunters get involved?”

“Surprisingly, the South Korean hunters refused to return to their homeland through the gate.”

The frequency of camera flashes increased, indicating growing interest.

“Why?”

“They claimed to have been exploited by their homeland, South Korea. They had ill feelings toward the South Korean government. We offered to temporarily protect them and send them back to South Korea, but they all applied for naturalization in the U.S. This was entirely their decision.”

The murmuring of disbelief spread.

Exploited by South Korea?

The country famous for K-pop, bibimbap, and kimchi?

That advanced country?

“What exactly do you mean by ‘exploited’?”

“That is a question better directed at the South Korean government. The rescued Korean hunters are very exhausted at the moment. We haven’t heard the detailed backstory ourselves.”

Thinking he had said all he needed to, Volkov stood up.

“This is all the information we can provide for now. We will hold another press conference once we have more details.”

He left, but the words he left behind were quickly reprocessed into articles by the journalists and spread worldwide.

And then.

“This is an absolute disgrace for the country!”

The President of South Korea had just finished reading the newspaper article.

He was extremely displeased.

His approval ratings were already plummeting due to economic issues, and now a security issue had erupted.

The entire nation was buzzing about the fire incident at the Daejeon Gate military base, and then Volkov’s article came out.

Exploitation of hunters.

Destruction of the stronghold.

And for the first time since the Apgujeong incident 10 years ago, monsters had appeared on South Korean soil again.

The Apgujeong incident was a trauma for the South Korean people.

And now, with the possibility of it happening again, the President’s approval ratings were plunging to rock bottom.

“Minister of Defence!! Did I not tell you to be extremely cautious as the hunters might escape?”

“I apologize, Your Excellency! We tried our best to accommodate the hunters’ needs!”

“Was the money from selling mana stones not paid on time?”

“No, it was paid adequately! Some hunters received nearly 10 million won in cash within a week!”

“Then the hunters should have protected the stronghold! Why did this happen? And exploitation? Do I have to hear this from the mouth of the American hunter association president?”

“I, I’m sorry!!”

Although the Minister of Defence bowed his head, the President’s anger did not subside.

“This is not a coincidence. It’s clear that someone orchestrated this! It’s highly likely that Lee Younghak and Kim Sungho are behind this!”

Breathing heavily, the President glared at the Defence Minister, who was bowing his head.

“Gather evidence. Right now! It’s clear that someone was riding that wyvern that burned down Daejeon. They must be hiding somewhere! We need that evidence to pressure the U.S.!”

But the Minister of Defence couldn’t immediately respond.

“Uh… Your Excellency.”

“What is it?”

“The hard drives storing the CCTV footage melted completely…”

“No evidence?”

“Most of the vehicles also exploded, leaving almost no black boxes intact. The few video materials we have are from civilians’ phones or car black boxes outside the military base, but they don’t provide clear footage…”

“Such incompetence!!!”

It seemed clear that it was a sophisticated terror act by someone.

It was impossible for wyverns to wander outside the gate, so it was natural that they wouldn’t know where buildings were located.

Yet, they accurately targeted and blew up the vehicles and the CCTV storage.

It was suspicious.

It reeked of conspiracy.

This could only be done by someone riding the wyvern, someone who harboured a lot of resentment towards the South Korean government.

But despite the suspicion, there was no solid evidence.

The President’s mind started racing.

“Find the evidence. Anything will do. Get it. By any means necessary!!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Leave. Now.”

The Defence Minister rushed out.

Joo Cheolwoo, the head of the Hunter Association, was sweating as he looked at the President.

Now it was his turn to be reprimanded.

He expected to be berated for the association’s lack of action despite receiving taxpayers’ money.

But the President didn’t shout.

“Chairman Joo Cheolwoo.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to give up the title of Chairman of the association?”

It felt like a cold blade had grazed his neck.

Joo Cheolwoo swallowed dryly.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then take responsibility and carry out my orders.”

“Yes, sir.”

The president began crumpling a newspaper article about Volkov, the association president, that was thrown in front of him.

“Bring the EU, China, and Russia to our side.”

“What?”

“We must retrieve the hunters that America took from us. And to do that, we need international cooperation.”

The president of the Hunter Association realized why the president was saying this.

There were still discharged hunters who could be re-drafted.

But even if they succeeded in re-drafting despite all the opposition and resistance, they wouldn’t be able to conduct proper rift raids with the current state of their base.

In other words, the most important thing right now was to rebuild their base.

And to do that, they needed at least three groups: one for conducting rift raids, one for transporting materials needed for base construction, and one for building the base.

In short, they needed as many hunters as possible.

“Pressure the U.S. on the grounds of international law. Use any means necessary! Humanitarian aid, whatever it takes, focus on the fact that American hunters have entered Korean territory. The EU, China, and Russia have all suffered enough, so they’ll support us if we bring that up.”

“Understood.”

“Locate the families of the escaped hunters—Lee Younghak, Kim Sungho, and their group—and the newly re-drafted hunters. Detain them all at the Hunter Association.”

“What? But if we do that, there will be backlash…”

“I didn’t want to choose such a politically burdensome method either. But the current situation leaves me no choice. We need to secure hunter power by any means necessary. Use their families to bring back the escaped hunters.”

Joo Cheolwoo’s face turned pale.

Even though the president was the one giving the order, he knew that if he did such a thing, he would face enormous criticism.

But the entire nation was afraid that a new rift might open and cause a second Apgujeong incident.

They had to do something.

Even if it meant using extreme measures.

“I understand.”

Joo Cheolwoo had no choice but to agree.

The president gestured for him to leave, and Joo Cheolwoo exited the office with a heavy heart.

The president struck the table in frustration and then stood up.

“Chief of Civil Affairs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You said there are about 5,000 hunters in Korea who can be drafted, correct?”

“Yes, sir. Based on the ratio, that’s roughly accurate.”

“But we have records of only about 500 draftees in our database, right?”

“Yes, most of the existing hunters have either had their service extended or have fled, ending up serving without pay for five years.”

“Find the remaining 4,500. Right now.”

The Chief of Civil Affairs blinked in surprise.

Was he serious?

He pretended to be ignorant and asked again.

“How do you expect us to find 4,500 people all of a sudden, sir?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

The president banged on the desk in frustration.

“Civil service personnel! Soldiers who were discharged before the gate incident! Start medical examinations for male high school students under the age of 19! Find those with high mana affinity and register them in the database! We need to have them ready for drafting in case of an emergency!”

The idea of individually finding and testing a massive number of men for mana affinity seemed daunting.

Knowing that becoming a hunter increased the likelihood of death, it was clear they wouldn’t stay quiet.

There would be immense backlash and social costs.

Thus, the Chief of Civil Affairs rarely expressed his opinion to the president.

“Sir, many women in the current military have been identified as awakened. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to mobilize them and send them into the gates instead? Testing that many men would take too long.”

The president shook his head.

“Drafting women would cause significant backlash. Women’s groups, civic groups, and the Ministry of Gender Equality would create a lot of noise.”

“Men, on the other hand, have a duty to defend the country by being born male in Korea. They might protest initially, but they will eventually accept it. So draft the men. Do whatever you can. There are many young men these days who are unemployed, right? Find them.”

The Chief of Civil Affairs felt utterly drained.

‘If one lived as long as they were criticized, I’d live longer than Dong Bangsak.’

But there was no other way.

Their base was destroyed, rifts could open within Korean territory at any moment, and the number of hunters was insufficient.

He could only nod.

“I’ll provide the necessary manpower, so proceed. We must prevent any security gaps by any means necessary. Do your best!”

“Of course, sir.”

The Chief of Civil Affairs also left the office.

‘The conservative government won’t be able to regain power for a long time.’

His years of experience told him as much.