Chapter 17: There is no alternative

“Please, please, I told you not to cause any problems!!! Mr. Kim!!! Please!!!!”

The exhausted Volkov’s words didn’t need a translator to convey their meaning.

“The White House has called me! The White House!! They want the rift issue in Korea resolved promptly. Like it or not, Korea is an ally of the United States!! Economically, we’re closely tied!! Mr. Kim!! Do not drag international relations into your power struggle!! What am I supposed to do, stuck in the middle like this?!”

Volkov’s anger was palpable.

Honestly, he was right.

Because of me, he had been through a lot.

I offered an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot because of me.”

“I’m not in the mood for apologies. I just want the rift issue in Korea resolved quickly! I’ve said it repeatedly, the U.S. wants you to supply magic stones stably, not stir up problems in Korea!! There are many Americans living there!! If a rift opens and the country is destroyed, it will be a serious problem!!”

I nodded.

“I understand. It will be resolved soon. Please convey to the White House that the situation they’re worried about won’t happen.”

“Alright. Let’s assume we’ll get through this time. But what about next time? I understand your grudge against Korea. But you need to realize that if you keep acting like a thorn in our side, America’s patience has its limits! Just quietly get the magic stones!! We’ll make sure you’re rolling in money!!!”

Volkov was fuming.

Clearly, he needed some reassurance.

And by reassurance, I didn’t mean childish promises like “I won’t do it again, promise.”

“Mr. Volkov.”

“What now?”

I threw him a magical word as he smoked irritably.

“We can’t stay nameless forever. We’re planning to form a guild soon. Haven’t decided on a name yet.”

“So what? Do you want me to applaud?”

“We’re thinking of going public with the guild. It could become a substantial company. A PMC specializing in rift management. Our main clients would be governments, our revenue coming from magic stones obtained from rift hunts and rift management fees from governments.”

Volkov’s unpleasant expression changed intriguingly.

“Why are you telling me this…?”

“We’ll give you 1% of the guild’s quarterly net profit as dividends. I hope we can continue a good relationship. Frankly, we need someone in American society to speak on our behalf. And you’re the most suitable person for that role.”

Volkov’s eyes lit up.

His calculation was quick.

Soon, the anger disappeared, replaced by a warm, capitalist smile.

“I’ll handle the White House. Ha ha! The South Korean government seems to be talking a lot to the White House, but I’ll make sure it’s taken care of. I have enough connections to make it happen.”

“I trust you’ll handle it well.”

“Mr. Kim.”

Volkov leaned toward me.

He was still smiling, but his eyes held firm resolve.

“I’ll do my best to talk to them, but that’s on the condition that you and your guild handle the rift issue in Korea soon. If a rift opens in South Korea and citizens, Americans, and American-related businesses are affected, I can’t support you.”

“Of course.”

“South Korea can’t just disappear. If you let a rift open intentionally due to personal grudges, leading to mass slaughter, the U.S. and the Western world won’t see you kindly.”

I don’t plan on that.

That would be too easy.

That’s not the revenge I seek.

Besides, I want to live well with my comrades, not be labelled as mass murderers by the international community.

“We’ll end the rift before it fully opens in Suwon. I guarantee there will be no catastrophe.”

“It’d be best to get the South Korean president to surrender as soon as possible. If the fear of a rift opening spreads in South Korea, it will affect the U.S. as well.”

“I had the same thought. So, I’ve already taken some steps.”

I silently took out my phone and showed Volkov the news articles on the front page of a Korean portal site.

“What is this? I can’t read Korean.”

“News articles criticizing the South Korean president.”

“Given the situation in Korea, these articles are expected.”

“It’s more than that. There’s an article about a new rift opening in Suwon tomorrow.”

Volkov’s eyes widened.

“Isn’t that something Hunter Lee Younghak discovered? How did they already…?”

“I leaked it.”

I shook my phone.

On the phone was the logo of the website TC Inside.

And at the top of the best posts section was a post I had made a few hours ago.

The content was simple.

It said a rift would open in Suwon.

Not just any rift, but a large-scale rift with monsters of level 700, with a mana contamination range of several hundred meters.

It was just a rumour, but as expected. Korean journalists did not disappoint me.

“These days, Korean reporters care more about views than facts. Many of them write sensational articles based on provocative internet community posts. I took advantage of that. Once it’s revealed that this isn’t a fabricated story, the president will have no choice but to come to me. It will be impossible to quietly cover this up as the South Korean president wishes.”

***

[Breaking news from Rift Community]

A rift will open in Suwon.

Got confirmation from an American contact that a rift will open in Suwon tomorrow.

Mana contamination range is several hundred meters.

Monster level is around 700.

Suwon residents, be careful.

Source: Rift Community. [View original]

-ᄋᄋ(113.31) The level of fake news these days lolol

-(WantToLickEmilia’sButt) Dude, the atmosphere is already shitty because of the recent outpost collapse, don’t post fake news like this.

-ᄋᄋ(351.291) <A frog looking at you with contempt.>

Posts always go up on communities.

That day, too, a post went up on the best posts section.

People thought it was fake and moved on.

There are always people pulling stunts like that.

But gradually. Ominous testimonies began to appear.

[I’m a resident of Suwon. The best post earlier isn’t a lie.]

[Fuck, I was hanging out at a friend’s house and suddenly all our computers and phones stopped working. Rushed home and am writing this on my laptop. This seems like a sign that a rift is about to open?]

-ᄋᄋ(111.11) Wait, you said all your computers and phones stopped working, how are you writing this?

-ᄋᄋ(149.11) Idiot, he said he rushed home to write it.

-(DogLover) Fuck, my phone just stopped working too. Writing this on my computer at home.

Posts about electronic devices breaking down started flooding in.

[Breaking News. Suwon is Screwed.]

[The crack alert siren is going off. Damn. It seems real. The broadcast is advising people not to go near potentially explosive materials or cars and to run away.]

Source: Rift Gallery. [View Original]

-“──”(102.11) Was it really true??

-(World’s Best) <shocked frog meme>

A post about the siren going off in Suwon has climbed back to the top.

And that post quickly spread across various communities.

[Breaking News. A rift has opened in Suwon.] They say level 700 monsters are coming out?

-Seunghee, are you sleeping? Ban the hoax post.

-Do you want to scare people with this kind of hoax?

-No, this… it’s real? There are news articles.

-????

-Seriously?

-Someone capture the article and upload it!!!

[The post on Kyun-chan is true.] The warning broadcast is going off in Suwon. Yoo Myunghak, damn it. I knew something was wrong when the base got blown up.

-How are we going to deal with this without hunters?

Information spread like an epidemic.

[Breaking News. A rift has opened in Suwon.]

[Is Korea doomed?! Something big happened in Suwon!]

[Why Suwon citizens need to evacuate now!!]

Journalists produced articles en masse with sensational headlines, spreading unchecked information.

Within just half a day, the entire nation learned about the crack opening in Suwon.

“This just in. The Korean Hunter Association has just issued a large-scale evacuation order for Suwon. The association is still investigating the scale and extent, but they estimate it to be quite large…”

It even made it to the airwaves.

Politicians, sensing the issue, started speaking out.

“President Yoo Myunghak. How incompetent can you be? Not only is the economy in shambles, but now our security is failing too. They say level 700 monsters are pouring out in Suwon!! Our Yellow Progressive Party is utterly appalled!!…”

Hearing this, citizens couldn’t hold back any longer and started taking to the streets.

The thought of slimes crawling out from a crack in Apgujeong alone was terrifying enough, but now a massive crack was opening in Suwon.

But the hunters who should be handling this weren’t there.

There was no base inside the gate.

This drove the public to anxiety.

“President Yoo Myunghak, take responsibility!! Take responsibility!!!”

People began filling Gwanghwamun Square.

Everyone wanted this nerve-wracking situation resolved quickly.

“Why did the base inside the gate get destroyed!! Why did the capable hunters fly off to America!! Reveal the truth clearly!!”

“Bring back the hunters who flew to America!!! The country is on the brink of collapse!!”

Some citizens made reasonable arguments.

“Young men these days are the problem. Back in our day, military service was tougher and the pay was lower. Even then, we served in the military and protected the country. Right?”

“But these days, these guys getting 200,000 won a month just fly off to America at the slightest dissatisfaction? That’s treason. Even if they come back to Korea, they should be severely punished.”

“It’s all because young men these days only play games like that Rule or whatever. They lack perseverance.”

-The typical man is a societal evil. Just look at the chaos they’ve caused by fleeing to America.

-I’m a woman living in Suwon, and I’m trembling in fear because of these spineless men.

-Men without a sense of responsibility are evident from the overflow of deserting soldiers.

-It’s terrifying to think we have to live with such irresponsible deserters in the future.

-Break all their balls.

There were people who just blamed blindly.

The storm of words and text swept through Seoul, South Korea.

At the center of this storm, in the office of the Blue House, President Yoo Myunghak looked like he’d aged ten years, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“So, Defense Minister, you couldn’t find any useful evidence? Is that what you’re saying now?”

“I’m sorry. The closest footage we have is too blurry due to the wyvern’s speed, making it hard to recognize the shape.”

“…….I understand. You may leave.”

The Defence Minister leaves.

The president turns to the next person.

Joo Cheolwoo, the Hunter Association president.

“You’re fired. Get out of my sight and don’t show your face again.”

President Joo Cheolwoo, or just Joo Cheolwoo now, left the office without a word.

Only the Chief Secretary and the President remain.

“Chief Secretary.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Is there really no other way than going back to America?”

“The only options are to send the female hunters in the military into the gate or re-draft the discharged hunters and send them in. But either way, the chances of handling the crack are low.”

“Why is that?”

“They lack experience. Female awakened ones have fewer opportunities to enter the gate due to safety concerns. Even when they did, they mainly managed bases. Discharged hunters are out of practice. Asking such people to hunt without a base drastically reduces the raid success rate. Moreover, it’s uncertain if we can locate the discharged hunters before the crack opens.”

President Yoo Myunghak closed his eyes.

How did things turn out so badly?

“Those guys are traitors. Traitors!! They betrayed Korea and fled!!! They’re despicable extortionists!!”

Yoo Myunghak erupted in anger, jumping up from his seat.

The Chief Secretary responded to his outburst.

“And they are also our only option to handle the crack, Your Excellency.”

“According to the association’s investigators, the crack is already opening. It could fully open as soon as tomorrow morning, or in three days.”

President Yoo Myunghak lowered his head.

“Those young bastards… Those contemptible bastards…”

He trembled with rage, but he knew there were no other options.

The timing was terrible, with the crack opening just after rejecting Hunter Kim Sungho’s proposal, but the rapid spread of specific information left no room for response. Time.

If only he had three more days, he could have mobilized all administrative resources to round up and deploy the discharged hunters.

But he wasn’t given that time.

What could he do?

“Contact the US Hunter Association. Tell them I’ll be in Nevada tomorrow.”

Yoo Myunghak spoke in a nearly defeated voice.

“I need to meet Hunter Kim Sungho again.”