Chapter 18: Price of Patriotism

“The South Korean government is making such a fuss that we hear complaints from the State Department every day.”

In the Oval Office, the man speaking in a calm yet leisurely tone from the chair behind the desk is the President of the United States, Henry Komolov.

Despite his suit, his solid muscles and firm demeanour clearly reveal that he is a former Marine.

“After hearing from Chairman Volkov, I thought it was necessary to meet you in person. Mr. Kim. Mr. Lee. You’re taking fragging to a global scale.”

President Komolov lights a cigar.

He offers us one as well, and both Younghak and I accept and light up.

The aroma is much stronger than the cigarettes we usually smoke.

“Did you know it was us who blew up the military base in Daejeon?”

“Of course. I’m the one Chairman Volkov reports to. You did well in leaving no CCTV or black box recordings. It would have been quite troublesome if there had been evidence.”

Silently, cigar smoke fills the room.

Younghak seems a bit tense as his actions are repeatedly mentioned, but he continues to smoke, gripping his fist tightly.

I understand.

It was an event even he couldn’t tolerate.

I lightly patted his shoulder and then asked a question.

“Are you angry with us because of the military base incident and our actions towards the South Korean president?”

“My personal feelings are irrelevant. What matters is the position I hold. I am the President of the United States. My primary concern is whether America stands to gain.”

The President puts down his half-smoked cigar and begins to laugh.

“You’ve made things quite interesting. Two hundred wyverns. And you’ve managed to align Europe, Russia, and India with you. I thought it was a great idea the moment I heard it. Especially Russia’s unusual submissiveness. Thanks to you, we’ve effectively leashed Russia.”

“The land where the rifts open is vast, and the population is not small. We believed Russia would definitely need the wyverns.”

“Well done, Mr. Kim. I’m very pleased.”

The President raises the cigar to his mouth again.

The tip glows red.

He exhales smoke quietly, his piercing gaze fixed on the two of us.

“I’ve seen many people on my way up to this position. Many cause trouble. But it’s rare to find someone who cleans up their own mess. Even rarer are those who profit while doing so. You’ve done that. You’ve brought benefits to America.”

“We will continue to do so. We aim to be entities that bring benefits to America.”

“I believe you will. As the era of Elixirs dawns, your value will only increase. That’s why I’d like to propose a deal right here and now.”

A deal.

A deal proposed directly by the President of the United States.

What exactly does he want?

“Since trying to stop you doesn’t seem feasible, let’s do it this way. As long as it doesn’t harm America, we’ll help you exact revenge on South Korea. Of course, it’s best to avoid overt actions that could be risky, like this time. But if it remains unnoticed, the United States will stand by you as much as possible.”

If there’s a real temptation from the devil, it might feel like this.

An offer we can’t refuse is presented to us.

I look at Younghak.

He clenches his fist tightly, swallowing hard.

This offer is too sweet to resist.

But we can’t just bite into it blindly.

Since America will turn a blind eye to our actions, we must do something for them in return.

“So, what do you want us to do?”

“Enforcer.”

The President makes a playful gesture of wielding a knife.

“The rifts themselves are quite useful as weapons. When a country acts against American interests or we need to pressure another country, I want you to take on that role. Inside the gates, without electronic devices, no records are left. If people die, there’s no one left to testify. Perfect crimes are possible.”

“Are you asking us to be America’s attack dogs?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. I want you to attack those we tell you to attack, protect those we tell you to protect. Seeing how you brought the South Korean President to his knees, I think you’re well-suited for this role. In return, we’ll offer many conveniences. Including overlooking the trouble caused to America by the South Korean President, and other similar incidents.”

So, even here, we are treated as mere dogs.

But it doesn’t feel bad.

I look at Younghak.

He looks back at me.

For a moment, our gazes meet.

Without words, we understand we are in agreement.

If we’re to be treated as dogs anyway.

“We’ll do it.”

A master who provides plenty of food is a good master.

At my answer, the President smiles contentedly and nods.

“I’d also like you to manage the Japanese territory within the gates. Due to their pacifist constitution, Japan is legally prohibited from sending hunters beyond the gates. Currently, the U.S. is handling the rifts within Japan, but with your help, it would be much easier. In return, we’ll give you a portion of the fees Japan pays for rift management.”

“We’ll do it.”

“And one more thing. When you meet President Yoo Myunghak, ask him to give you Daejeon.”

“Daejeon?”

“During the early days of the gate crisis, everyone fled, and the South Korean government bought all the land in Daejeon at a low price to use as military facilities. Declare that all that land will be your territory.”

My fist clenches.

Daejeon.

Just hearing the name makes me grit my teeth.

But why go there?

“May I ask why?”

“We need to keep China in check. The conservative government has lost significant support due to President Yoo Myunghak’s actions. The progressive party is likely to win the next presidential and parliamentary elections. And the progressives are friendly with China.”

The President exhales smoke again, seemingly filled with annoyance.

“China is a dangerous country. It must be controlled somehow. And to China, South Korea, right at its doorstep, is a country it either wants to consume or eliminate. I don’t want to see the South Korean government siding with China against the U.S.”

“So, you want us to settle in the heart of South Korea and keep watch?”

The President gives a chilling smile.

“Keep watch, attack, destroy—whatever it takes. The rifts make a convenient excuse. Prevent China from using the rift crisis as an excuse to take over South Korea. As long as you don’t get caught, the U.S. will allow some illegal methods.”

So that’s their intention.

All of it.

Though I intended to secure Korea’s safety, sever their limbs, and slowly suffocate those bastards, I had no intention of returning.

But who would have expected things to turn out this way?

In fact, it’s even better this way.

It’s easier to mess with them if I’m close by.

“I’ll do as you wish.”

“Excellent. Then I won’t take any more of your time. Please go and meet President Yoo Younghak.”

With that, the two of us stood up.

Just as we were about to leave after exchanging pleasantries about the well-smoked cigar, the president stopped us.

“Oh, wait a moment. I heard you plan to establish a guild?”

“Yes.”

“It’s inconvenient without a name. What’s the name of the guild? How should I address you in the future?”

A name.

Our name.

There’s really only one name that suits us.

I told the president the name I had discussed with Brother Yeonghwa.

“The Stray Dog Guild. You can call us that.”

***

The atmosphere in the room was heavy, but I didn’t care.

Regardless of how heavy it was, I grinned as I looked at President Yoo Myunghak.

“Hunter Kim Sungho, please return to Korea.”

“Oh, I will. As I said before, if I receive proper payment for handling the rifts, there’s no reason not to return.”

President Yoo Myunghak seemed to want to say something.

Does it have to be about money?

Do you really have to be so cold-hearted about protecting your homeland?

But he couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

President Yoo Myunghak lowered his head.

“I’ll do as you wish. One trillion won per rift. We’ll pay you. Please handle the rift problem.”

“Two trillion won per rift. And let’s use dollars as the standard, not won. Considering the current exchange rate, two trillion won is about 1.4 billion dollars, right? Let’s just round it up to 1.5 billion dollars per rift.”

The president’s expression crumpled.

“Last time, you agreed on one trillion won…”

“You refused and left, so the price went up. 1.5 billion dollars per rift. Take it or leave it.”

“Next time, it’ll be double.”

“Exactly. You should have agreed to one trillion won per rift when you had the chance.”

I smirked as I said this, and the president’s face turned red.

Anger, hatred, disgust.

But also helplessness.

There’s no alternative but us.

“1.5 billion dollars per rift. We’ll pay.”

He had no choice but to say those words.

I nodded.

“And Daejeon City. The national property there? Transfer all of it to us.”

“What?”

“During the gate crisis ten years ago, the land value plummeted, and the country bought up Daejeon City, right? Hand over all that land to us. We’ll take Daejeon City.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m dead serious. Our base was destroyed. To rebuild, we need cement, materials, and other supplies, so we need our territory outside the gate. Hand over all of Daejeon City to us.”

“All of Daejeon City will be U.S. territory. It should be treated like an embassy. If the damn Korean laws get in the way, we can’t work properly. Set it as an extraterritorial region.”

The expressions on the faces of the chief of civil affairs and the president were priceless.

It was almost comical.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“And all the mana stones we earn from handling Korea’s rifts belong to us. We won’t pay taxes to Korea. Also, if you touch our families again, you’ll pay in blood. Release them immediately.”

“You bastard…”

“These are the main demands. There are other detailed conditions, but you can discuss those with Chairman Volkov. If you agree to all this, we’ll handle the rifts.”

It seemed President Yoo Myunghak had lost his sanity.

He ground his teeth and spat out a sentence at me.

“Selfish bastards. All the hunters who fled with you are selfish. You put yourselves above the nation. You’re all traitors.”

I burst into laughter at his words.

“The country pushed us to become traitors. So what? These days, even spiritual values can be bought and sold for money in a capitalist society.”

I smiled and looked at the president.

“The money you’re paying is nothing more than buying patriotism. That’s why it’s expensive.”

President Yoo Myunghak glared at me.

I met his gaze with a smile.

But ultimately, it was President Yoo Myunghak who had to relent.

“Fine. I’ll agree. Handle the rift as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be resolved by today.”

With that, the chief of civil affairs and the president turned and left the room, not wanting to look at me any longer.

I watched their backs for a moment, then called the U.S.

“Chairman Volkov? Send the wyverns to Brother Younghak. Stop collecting slimes and deal with the golems trying to open the rift.”

These were wyverns of around level 900.

They would take care of the golems in no time.

That evening, the South Korean government hurriedly announced that the rift crisis had been resolved.

The next day, 1.5 billion dollars was transferred to us.

It was the first payment we had extorted from Korea for our lost patriotism.