Chapter 135: The End of the Journey

The president taking control of the hunters finally allowed Lee Si-yeon to receive a modest compensation from the Guild Union along with permission to enter a dungeon.

She had no idea who they thought they were to act so high and mighty.

“Those sneaky bastards.”

“Unnie, what’s wrong?”

Yoo-jeong, sipping her Americano, looked up in surprise when she felt the chill emanating from Lee Si-yeon.

“They’re saying they’ll grant me dungeon access.”

“Who do they think they are, acting like they have the authority to permit it or not?”

“Exactly.”

It was only because of Kanora Church’s current image that she hadn’t forced her way in already.

She could have done so at any time.

Yet, they acted as if they were bestowing some great favor upon her, which was beyond ridiculous.

“Even if they’ve given permission, it’s not like you can just waltz in immediately, right?”

“Got a better idea?”

“There’s no reason to step into something tainted by their hands.”

There was no way she’d accept those dungeons that had been handed over as if they were gifts.

The power dynamic was clear—she was in the dominant position.

Accepting their scraps would only make her look weak.

And if she entered now, who knew what kind of tricks they’d pull next?

The great Lee Si-yeon could not afford to appear vulnerable.

The only exception was in front of Karina.

So perhaps aiming elsewhere was the better approach.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Kaema Plateau.”

Lee Si-yeon took a sip of her Americano as she spoke, her sharp gaze meeting Yoo-jeong’s.

At that, Park Yoo-jeong furrowed her brows.

Kaema Plateau…

She had heard about it recently when exchanging texts with Karina.

It was the place where the so-called hero party first arrived on Earth.

And it was also considered the most difficult dungeon in the Korean Peninsula.

“Kaema Plateau? The one where that hero was?”

“Yeah.”

Kaema Plateau—what was it again?

It was the area in the post-cataclysm North Korea that had been completely devastated, a place where the presence of colossal monsters had been detected.

The Korean Guild Union had once considered securing it but had abandoned the plan.

And now she wanted to go in?

“Isn’t that a bit too dangerous?”

“Don’t worry. The hero went there too. If they could do it, why can’t I?”

“…No, unnie, are you seriously comparing yourself to them? They even took down a Demon King. Not that we have any way to gauge what a Demon King actually is by our standards.”

Lee Si-yeon knew what Yoo-jeong meant.

But thanks to the Chinese side also making multiple expeditions into Kaema Plateau, a decent amount of data had been gathered.

She wasn’t recklessly rushing in.

And if the hero had already been there and hunted monsters, then perhaps there would be fewer of them now, lowering the overall difficulty.

“I’m not planning to charge in blindly. If things get dicey, I’ll return to Seoul immediately.”

“But what about guilds? Aren’t dungeons only accessible through a guild? Your ties with them are all severed now.”

“It’s fine if I go as an individual. And since the Guild Union’s authority has been reduced, this is the perfect opportunity.”

Yes.

This was worth a shot.

If she conquered Kaema Plateau, she could utterly humiliate the incompetent Guild Union.

After all, one of the reasons their attempt had failed was petty in-fighting over power and profits.

***

The president had sent word.

Apparently, he had successfully put the rowdy hunters in their place.

The Bureau of Administration had also been shaken by recent events.

I glanced at the returning repatriates, who had just finished enjoying the hot springs.

The tin can seemed curious about why people soaked in hot springs, but I decided not to question it too much.

Right now, the president summoning us back was the bigger issue.

It was about time we returned anyway.

“Hmm. The president says it’s time to head back.”

“Well, I suppose we’ve had enough fun.”

Cheonma spoke carefully while nibbling on a dango skewer.

Yeah.

We’d had our fill.

“Honestly, we played around plenty. We indulged in every Japanese delicacy, and we’ve firmly established Kanora Church here.”

And that wasn’t all.

To root Kanora Church in Japan, I had practically rewritten their mythology.

Man, the prime minister was completely hooked.

All those Japanese myths, deities, and religious figures?

Compared to the real, tangible blessings of the Kanora Goddess, they were nothing but ash.

To be honest, this only worked because the cataclysm had shattered Japan’s old hierarchies and institutions.

It wasn’t a big deal, but we had also demolished major Shinto shrines and replaced them with Kanora Churches.

The prime minister turned out to be quite competent.

“Well, there’s no choice. We can’t stay here forever.”

“Besides, Nephier seems pretty pissed off.”

“Nephier? That old angel geezer? Why?”

That shut-in angel was jealous of us being here in Japan.

No matter how much of a recluse he was, he still seemed envious of our situation.

So, as a parting gift, I decided to give him a teruteru bozu umbrella charm.

Of course, the Jafudou charm was mine to keep.

“He kept nagging us to stop fooling around and come back. Said he’s too busy.”

“Busy?”

“Apparently, some stalker types have been lurking around the area.”

Stalkers, huh.

I’d heard they occasionally skulked around near the building.

Among them was even the master of the Cheonghwa Guild.

“And what about her?”

“Oh, the so-called Pride of Korea has arrived.”

“Whew… That was a good break.”

A succubus, her naturally tanned skin glistening after basking in the sun, sighed in satisfaction as she stretched.

It was obvious what had happened, but if I didn’t ask in this situation, it felt like our succubus’s presence would become insignificant.

After all, the Hallyu icon was about to be hidden away within the Kanora Church.

“Why is your face so shiny? Did you wax it or something?”

“There were a lot of those Golden Sun guys in Japan.”

Yeah, I figured there’d be a lot.

“Blond, tanned thugs?”

“Yeah. There were plenty of them, even among the Hunters. Some even tried to approach me.”

“They’re screwed.”

Battle mage, who was eating salmon sashimi, commented.

“Of course. Their minds probably got completely wiped. Who do they think they’re messing with? Some AV actresses even came to see me personally.”

Wait, why would AV actresses come to her?

No way…

“Did they ask how succubi do things or something?”

“Yeah. So I told them to experience everything—race, age, from elementary school kids to old men—without discrimination.”

This woman is insane.

She really is a succubus through and through.

Just how promiscuous was she in the world she came from?

The fact that she casually advised them to disregard age and race…

Wait, if I let this slide, wouldn’t that be the same as recognizing a reckless succubus as a Hallyu icon?

No, well…

The president will take care of it.

I’ll just let the whole Hallyu issue go.

But one thing was certain.

“In short, you’re a total mess.”

“Isn’t that too harsh?”

She made a hurt expression, but from the proud look on her face, she didn’t seem to mind at all.

Is being called that some kind of trophy for succubi?

“You should be grateful our goddess even accepts someone like you.”

“Hey, I still made Japan kneel before me as Korea’s pride, okay? They even called me ‘Kankoku Number One!’”

Well, that’s impressive in one way, but also incredibly vulgar in another.

Of all people, the president had to make a succubus Korea’s pride.

Not only did he not stop her, but he even supported her.

“Anyway, let’s move past these trivial things.”

“Trivial?”

Ignoring the angry “pride of Korea,” I looked around at the other returnees.

We’d enjoyed sashimi, sushi, udon, ramen, and even hot springs.

There was no reason to stay in Japan any longer.

“We’ve had our fun. Let’s head back. The president has recovered some authority, and if we return at his request now…”

“It’ll look like he’s securing public opinion.”

If we return to Korea under the president’s request, it would massively boost his image.

“Yeah, and the Guild Alliance will be screwed.”

“People are already talking about it on community forums. They’re blaming the Guild Alliance, saying the returnees only left for Japan because of them.”

Ttaengchili muttered as he idly played with his laptop.

Of course.

That’s how it should be.

With Korea’s pride and a saint leaving for Japan, the public would go wild.

The Hunters would take all the heat.

And they couldn’t just ignore it with their heads held high—Hunters had a duty to protect civilians.

“What about people calling us traitors because of Korea and Japan’s history?”

That was still a concern.

Even after the Cataclysm, those sentiments probably hadn’t disappeared.

Ttaengchili tapped away at his laptop.

“There are a few, but they’re all affiliated with the Guild Alliance. The Cataclysm changed international relations, but to them, returnees don’t really feel like Koreans. They probably think we could just leave for another country anytime if things go south.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

It was a shame, but that was reality.

To those who watched the live broadcast of the Dragon Dungeon, Kanora seemed more trustworthy than the Guild Alliance.

I didn’t really need to check, but these things were always worth verifying.

As long as the president had our backs, we could get tangled up in politics at any moment.

Public sentiment toward us was important.

I had already informed Park Yoo-jeong and my aunt, so they’d handle things well.