Chapter 208: All Within My Grasp

Episode 208

Over 500 years had passed since the New Continent appeared on Earth.

Countless hunters had settled there, and to maintain order in the increasingly chaotic continent, some of the strongest Rankers gathered for a meeting.

This was the beginning of the ‘Emergency Meeting’.

Naturally, only Masters of Major Clans were invited to this meeting.

They possessed immense power and influence in the New Continent, both individually and as leaders of their respective clans.

They were incredibly busy, constantly honing their skills, managing their clans, and engaging in political battles to maintain their authority in the New Continent.

Therefore, the ‘Emergency Meeting’ was only held when a major incident occurred that could significantly impact the entire New Continent.

Such incidents were rare.

Murder of a key executive? A large-scale clan war between Major Clans? Monster outbreaks in high-level dungeons above Floor 40?

These weren’t even considered incidents by the Masters. They were commonplace in the New Continent, Sselepoh, unlike other continents where such events would cause national upheaval.

That was why it was unprecedented for three ‘Emergency Meetings’ to be held within a span of two weeks.

It was a first in the history of the New Continent.

* * *

“Ah, ah.”

Lee Sung-choon, the captain and the designated briefer for these large-scale meetings, started testing the microphone.

Standing on the podium, he faced a room full of the New Continent’s most powerful Rankers, whose names alone would make anyone’s jaw drop.

But Lee Sung-choon, experienced in conducting such meetings, quickly completed all the preparations without a hint of nervousness.

“Despite your busy schedules…”

“Hold on.”

His opening statement was interrupted, and he instinctively turned towards Yong Hangil.

‘…Huh?’

His eyes widened in surprise.

He had expected Yong Hangil to be the one interrupting him again, as he had done twice in a row. But judging by his closed mouth and expression, it wasn’t him.

Then who was it?

The culprit stood up and walked towards the podium.

“…Director?”

Lee Sung-choon asked, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected it to be Graham.

Graham approached the podium and said,

“I’ll be conducting this meeting. You can sit next to me and assist.”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

Lee Sung-choon, caught off guard, reluctantly handed over the microphone and sat down on a nearby chair.

Graham stood on the podium, looked at everyone, and spoke into the microphone.

“This meeting concerns a matter of even greater importance than before, so I’ll be personally conducting the meeting and taking questions.”

He then started explaining, referring to the script Lee Sung-choon had prepared.

They had both prepared for the meeting, so Graham was already familiar with the script.

“First, let’s discuss the four ports that have been under constant attack recently.”

Lee Sung-choon changed the screen at the appropriate times as Graham spoke.

“Elnacon, Netherborg, Lingumbo, Tildrin. All major ports in the New Continent, with immigration offices.

They’re important gateways for new residents entering the New Continent, so they also have Paladin and Major Clan branches.

But currently, all four ports are inoperable.”

He pointed at the images of ruins displayed on the screen.

“Due to the relentless terrorist attacks over the past week, all key facilities, including immigration offices, Paladin headquarters, and Major Clan branches, have been destroyed.

Public order has completely collapsed, and the number of criminals attempting to illegally enter the New Continent has skyrocketed.

The influx of unqualified illegal immigrants is affecting not only port cities, but also the capital, Sselepoh City.”

The screen changed, displaying more images.

Graham pointed at each image and continued his explanation.

“The rate of violent crimes, such as murder, robbery, and kidnapping, has increased significantly in the outskirts of the capital and within the B Zone over the past week.

The problem is that there have been many cases of unauthorized entry into low-level dungeons and violent crimes committed inside dungeons.

Some of these dungeons were even monopolized by Major Clans for training new recruits.”

“Hmm…”

The Masters’ expressions finally turned serious.

They hadn’t been too concerned about the previous incidents, as they weren’t directly affected. But now that their dungeons were being targeted, it was a different story.

They were extremely sensitive to any incidents related to their clans.

“As you all know, the main reason for the constant influx of talent into the New Continent was the existence of low-level dungeons, where even beginners could easily earn income.

That’s why Paladins and Major Clan members have always been guarding key dungeon portals.

But due to the recent terrorist attacks, the Paladins have been stretched thin, and the number of unguarded low-level dungeon portals has increased, leading to these consequences.”

“You’re saying we’re short on manpower?”

“That’s right, Master Yong.”

Graham nodded at Yong Hangil’s question.

“Currently, most of the Paladins are deployed in the capital to prevent terrorist attacks, and the four port cities with collapsed security are the next priority.

And we’re still struggling to restore order in the port cities, so requests for additional troops are pouring in.

In this situation, it’s practically impossible to maintain a proper rotation of guards for low-level dungeons.”

“…Hmm.”

“I won’t ask you to dispatch troops from your clans. But we need your consent to recall the Paladins currently assigned to your clan’s security detail.

To be honest, even if we recall all the Paladins assigned to your clans, we’ll still be short on manpower.”

He looked at everyone, having stated his main point.

The Masters exchanged glances silently and then started nodding one by one.

“If you’re not asking us to dispatch our own clan members, we can definitely spare the Paladins.”

“We can just deploy more of our own members to guard duty.”

“We can cooperate with that.”

They seemed to be in favor of the proposal, as long as it didn’t involve sending their own clan members.

Again, they were more concerned about their own clans than the New Continent or the Paladins.

“But will the Paladins be enough?”

Hemingston, the Master of the Alpha Clan, sitting at the head of the table, asked.

“If we’re still short on manpower even after recalling all the Paladins assigned to Major Clans, shouldn’t you be asking us to dispatch troops?

I was expecting you to ask.”

The other Masters nodded in agreement.

Of course, they wouldn’t all agree to dispatch troops even if Graham asked. In fact, considering their usual behavior, it was more likely to be rejected by majority vote.

But that was a matter for later. In the current situation, it was natural for the Paladin Director to request troop dispatch.

It was the basic mindset of the person responsible for maintaining order in the New Continent.

“I was planning to ask. But I changed my mind.”

Graham looked at everyone and asked,

“Let me ask you this. Why do you think the anti-government terrorist groups, including Ukobachi, focused their attacks on the four ports?”

“To create chaos, of course. The entire New Continent is in turmoil because of the illegal immigrants.”

Esteban, the Master of the Triunfo Clan, answered first, and some of the other Masters nodded in agreement.

But Graham shook his head.

“I thought so too at first. But after careful consideration, I realized that they have a bigger plan.”

“A bigger plan?”

“If I were to recall all your clan members, where would you send them?”

“To the four ports, of course, where security is lacking.”

“Exactly. We would have to send all the recalled Paladins there too. That’s the only way to restore order in the ports.”

Hemingston, sitting at the head of the table, suddenly clapped his hands.

“I see. If Major Clan troops and Paladins are deployed outside the capital, the security forces in the capital will naturally be reduced.”

The other Masters gasped in realization.

Graham nodded.

“That’s right. The enemy is definitely planning to take advantage of the situation while our forces are deployed to the four ports.

Even when security was tight, Kim Jinsung single-handedly destroyed the Celcecheong. What do you think will happen now that our forces are reduced?

If they go all out, they might even be able to destroy more than one Major Clan.”

“……!”

“Hmm…”

Graham continued,

“That’s why I didn’t ask you to dispatch troops. To prepare for potential attacks on the capital.

As you know, the main Ukobachi forces haven’t moved yet. Keep in mind that the ones who attacked the four ports weren’t Ukobachi, but other terrorist groups.”

The Masters nodded.

The success rate of the attacks on the four ports was high, but it wasn’t 100%. In other words, some of the attackers had been captured.

But all the captured individuals were members of various anti-government groups, not Ukobachi.

Not a single Ukobachi member had been killed or captured so far.

“So I have one more request.”

Graham looked at everyone and said,

“I’d like to temporarily use some of your clan members as a task force, only during the martial law period.”

Their eyes widened slightly.

A task force?

“It’s a security force that can be mobilized immediately in case of an emergency, like a terrorist attack.

If we form a task force as I envision, we can send a ‘Major Clan Allied Force’ to help any clan that’s under attack, with a single call.”

“Aha~.”

“Hmm…”

The Masters nodded in understanding, and Graham continued,

“With a ‘Major Clan Allied Task Force’, we can also pursue and surround the main Ukobachi forces after they launch an attack.

They might be dangerous individually, like at the Celcecheong, but it’ll be a different story if they face a large army of skilled hunters from Major Clans.”

He then looked at Hemingston, sitting at the head of the table.

He asked him, the one who held the final say,

“What do you think, Master?”

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