Chapter 138: New goal (2)

I didn’t mean to, but if you keep pushing it, doesn’t it end up multiplying?

Hmm.

But if Lee Si-yeon is in that state, is there a need to move into China just yet?

We do need to go eventually, but it means we need some build-up time first.

“So when are we going to China?”

“Hmm. I get the power balance part. But what’s the situation with the Hunters?”

After all, this era is ruled by Hunters.

Seeing how evenly matched the powers are, I’m guessing the Hunter forces are relatively similar.

“The Hunter situation? Chinese Hunters?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re all about the same, I think? Actually, when they come to Korea, they’re even asked to pick a side.”

Bunch of idiots.

“South Chinese and Chinese Communist Party Hunters once got into a fight in Seoul and were both expelled.”

“Seriously? What kind of dumb crap is that?”

“So now both the CCP and South China are blacklisted. Only Hunters from Taiwan can operate in Korea.”

Then maybe it’s time to tweak the plan a bit?

“Should we aim for the Baekdu mountain range first?”

“The Baekdu Mountain?”

“Think about it, China is a massive market. Tons of people. If we go for Baekdu Mountain first and do some promotion there?”

“You’re saying broadcast while targeting Baekdu Mountain?”

Right.

There’s no need to head in first.

First, we aim a propaganda broadcast toward China.

That comes first.

And to do that, we start by targeting Baekdu Mountain.

“Yeah. I’ll talk to the President about it appropriately. This time, let’s split into teams again and raid different parts of Baekdu Mountain.”

“So the idea is to bait China’s attention, huh?”

Exactly.

Once we start moving on Baekdu Mountain and looking toward North Korea, China will definitely take notice.

Naturally, they’ll also learn about Korea’s current state.

Even if they’ve heard a bit about Korean Hunters, they probably don’t know much about Kanora church.

Once that happens, they’ll also hear about how hot Kanorachurch is in Korea right now.

Either way, someone will want to make contact with us.

Which means… we should target their communities.

Even after the Great Cataclysm, there’s still a massive population.

“Do you know much about Chinese communities?”

I subtly asked the propaganda leader if he could stir things up there too.

“You want me to stir shit there too?”

“Yeah.”

“Wouldn’t Slenderman(Solinderman previously) or someone from the ‘daeyeok’ (alternate world) faction be better at Chinese characters? Like, martial arts nerds.”

It’d feel weird to get help from the daeyeok or wuxia (martial arts) side.

For example, people from the daeyeok faction tend to have deep ties with Chinese history, so who knows how they’d react.

And the wuxia faction—well, they’re obviously tied to China.

Overall, sounds annoying.

So yeah, Slenderman seems like the better choice.

But what even is Slenderman?

“By the way, how does Slenderman know so much? He seemed super knowledgeable before. Is he actually a big deal?”

“He’s like a repository of knowledge. I heard he taught kids all over the world. Also, rumor is he used to be a diplomat.”

With that face and body?

Can’t imagine it.

Well, considering we’ve got a typing slime in this world, anything’s possible.

Anyway, he’s better than the rest of them.

“Let’s call Slenderman in. The daeyeok and wuxia folks would just complicate things.”

After the Great Cataclysm, South Korea’s official territory became the entire Korean peninsula due to North Korea’s collapse.

Of course, that only happened because the President coordinated with the West while China was distracted.

But in practice, Korea’s still stuck below the old DMZ.

To truly reclaim the North, we need the mana stone resources from Baekdu Mountain, and we have to deal with the monsters there.

“So, we’re heading for Baekdu Mountain. Do you have any info about it?”

I probably won’t lose, but still—know your enemy, know yourself, win a hundred battles.

Even if it’s not a full strategy, it’s better to be informed.

That way we don’t get lost, and we can enjoy ourselves more.

There are still people in North Korea.

Not all of them died in the Great Cataclysm.

It’d be a huge problem if we accidentally wiped out survivors while hunting monsters.

Some Koreans might ask if I’m even really Korean for thinking like this, but let’s be real—
North Koreans have nothing to do with me.

I only care because if something happens to them, it might become Kanora church’s problem.

Besides, they’re struggling too—could just convert them all into followers.

“Hmm. That’s not my area. Someone else handles that.”

The propaganda leader pointed a finger—at Naipir.

“Ah. I know about it.”

“Neiphir? You do?”

No way this useless angel actually knows?

“I returned to Korea through Baekdu Mountain.”

“Baekdu Mountain? You did?”

“Yeah.”

So it’s like a hero return scenario.

That makes things easier.

“And?”

“I fought some monsters there.”

“Are there any North Koreans still there?”

Depending on the situation, I could wander through Baekdu Mountain like a divine angel, slaying monsters and becoming their new leader.

“There are quite a few, I think. But realistically, what kind of lunatics would live where monsters roam? It’s been 15 years since the Cataclysm. They’ve all probably run to safe zones by now, right?”

“So it’s not like monsters are literally everywhere?”

“Most North Koreans died in the Cataclysm, but their numbers kept dropping even after that. You know why?”

“They didn’t even have decent Awakeners, so they fought the monsters directly?”

“Pretty much.”

So, the North Koreans had to muster every bit of strength they didn’t have just to protect their homes from monsters, and only the toughest beasts are left in the Baekdu Mountain region.

Put like that, it sounds simple enough.

“Then, both the North Koreans and the monsters… it means they’re within our ability to handle.”

“Should be easy. That Lee Si-yeon girl is probably having fun up there by now.”

“Forget about Lee Si-yeon. Do you have any maps, by the way? Last time I checked online, all they had were rough estimations of dungeon locations or where monsters were clustered.”

“Stuff like that is Ttaengchilli’s specialty.”

Looks like I’ll have to call Ttaengchilli, who’s probably resting at home.

Then, we strike Baekdu Mountain.

***

Baekdu Mountain

After the Cataclysm, the terrain of Baekdu Mountain had changed beyond recognition.

Lee Si-yeon carefully combed through the mountainous region of North Korea using satellite images, drones, and intel from a few North Koreans who had crossed the demilitarized zone.

There were quite a few monsters.

Unlike the south, creatures like Imugis or dragons actually existed here.

Dragons, tigers, and other mythical beasts roamed the area.

“Kyaaaaaaooo!”

“Freeze.”

CRACKLE!

A giant tiger-like monster froze instantly.

With a light tap of her sword, the beast shattered and crumbled.

“Wh-who are you? How are you so good at killing those monsters?”

“Do you live here?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Are there no other people nearby?”

“No. Just us around here.”

That’s strange.

Their way of speaking isn’t quite North Korean. It’s a bit clumsy, but clearly not Seoul standard either.

Could they be human traffickers who crossed into the North?

No, if they’d seen her slay a monster that easily, they wouldn’t dare approach unless they were suicidal.

Even if that were their intent, she could kill them instantly.

So maybe it’s time to dig a bit deeper.

If they really did come here with hostile intent, then they’d have to be dealt with.

“I see. But you speak Seoul standard pretty well. Are you from Seoul?”

At Lee Si-yeon’s question, the North Koreans shook their heads.

“No. I’d like to go to Seoul, but I can’t. I’m a Joseon person. I learned standard speech to survive. I thought if I learned it, I’d eventually be able to go south.”

“Didn’t South Korea say they’re accepting North Koreans?”

The government had definitely publicized that.

Even though the Hunters couldn’t physically cross the DMZ, they said that if anyone could make it south, they’d be welcomed.

If these people had even learned proper Korean, they should know that.

“Ah, if only it were that easy. For people like us… we just have to stay dead silent here. If we make a sound, the monsters appear.”

The North Korean looked around, as if telling Lee Si-yeon to look with him.

Snow was falling all around, and the cries of monsters echoed in the distance.

That’s probably why things hadn’t gone their way.

The conditions north of the DMZ were worse than expected.

‘So the monsters are really that many.’

At this point, Hunters—especially Korean Hunters—seemed like detestable beings.

If they’d crossed the DMZ earlier, these people wouldn’t be living in constant fear.

She had been living with the guilt of Karina, following her lead, trying to impress her.

But as someone with a Hunter license, in this moment, she felt ashamed.

Then a thought occurred to her.

This could actually be something Karina would be very interested in.

If she plays this right, Karina might come to North Korea herself—not just to help North Koreans, but…

Look at the current reality of this North Korean.

Wearing ragged clothes just to survive the cold.

Surrounded by monsters.

Clearly starving and shriveled from lack of food.

The contrast with South Koreans was stark.

These were people utterly cornered and struggling to survive.

And for people like that, what works best is something like religion—something to believe in.

If Karina were to appear and spread the word of Kanora, a religion that worships a real, existing god…

Lee Si-yeon had long sensed it:

Though she had become a Kanora follower, Karina treated her like she was disposable.

But this time, she could truly prove her worth.

If she did that, then maybe Karina wouldn’t abandon her.

“If I play this right, this could work.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

Let’s make the most of this opportunity.

Translators note:- Solinderman is actually slender man, there has been a mistake while translating. Sorry for the inconvenience.