Chapter 4: Deal Closing

“Stop! Stop! Freeze!!”

I got off at Station, the melting pot of various races, and saw Americans pointing swords and staffs at me.

Blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos.

People of all kinds were nervously pointing their weapons at me.

I glanced at them.

On average, they were in their early 400 levels.

The highest-level person was in the mid-500s.

In contrast, I was a monster exceeding level 1000.

If I wanted to, I could wipe out all the hunters here without much difficulty.

But I raised my hands obediently.

“Does anyone speak Korean?”

I cautiously asked, indicating that I had no intention of resisting.

The hunters muttered among themselves and soon called someone out.

As soon as I saw him, I could tell he was Korean.

He looked distinctly Korean.

“Are you Korean?”

A slightly awkward Korean voice penetrated my ears.

He must be an overseas Korean.

I nodded.

“I want to talk to the person in charge. The highest-ranking person if possible.”

“What is a Korean doing here? Infringing on foreign territory inside a gate is a violation of international law.”

He wasn’t wrong.

So I didn’t bother making excuses or trying to persuade him.

Instead, I silently threw a bag full of magic stones at him.

“Take this to your superior. Even better if you can show it to a DARPA researcher. These are magic stones from monsters in the 700-level range. They boast overwhelming magic power compared to magic stones from lower-level monsters. We have nearly 30 tons of these at our base.”

“Why are you giving this to us?”

When the overseas Korean, looking puzzled, received the bag, I gave him a broad smile.

“Tell them we want to make a deal. About high-level hunters in the 900-range providing high-purity magic stones stably. Consider it a kind of gift.”

The overseas Korean glanced back and forth between me and the bag before seeming to convey my message in English to another American.

After a brief discussion, they motioned for me to come in.

“Wait inside the base. We will report this.”

“Make sure the highest-ranking person comes out. This is extremely important.”

“Understood.”

The hunters disappeared.

After cancelling the summoning, I leisurely waited inside the base, enjoying a few chocolate bars as snacks.

Even while waiting, the anxious feeling didn’t go away.

Is this really the right thing to do?

What if magic stones aren’t incredibly useful items?

Wasn’t what I saw just a piece of news?

What if other hunters in the base are agitated?

What if there are defectors, or if opinions are divided?

What if the U.S. government doesn’t want to risk its relationship with the South Korean government?

Was this decision really the right one?

What about my family left in Korea?

What will happen to them?

Will the South Korean government capture and threaten us?

If that happens, what will become of us?

As I anxiously tapped my foot, I noticed someone rushing in through the gate and stood up.

A slightly chubby, middle-aged American man in a suit hurried towards me as soon as he saw me.

What will he say?

Will he say they need to consult with the South Korean government first?

Will he say sorry, and I have to leave because it’s a violation of international law?

With a mix of anxiety, expectation, worry, and hope, I watched the middle-aged man who quickly grabbed my hand and started speaking rapidly with a wide smile.

Not understanding English, I blankly listened until the overseas Korean next to me translated.

“He says we should talk outside the gate. They are very positively inclined to accept your deal.”

I felt the tension that had been tightly wound up inside me snap and loosen.

I had gambled.

And fortunately, it seemed to have paid off.

I had a brief conversation over coffee with Vincent Volkov, the president of the American Hunter Association, at a café set up within the military base outside the gate.

“You mean you can stably hunt monsters above level 700?”

“Yes. It’s definitely possible. We have a total of 103 members, and excluding the newly transferred recruits, the veterans have an average level of 700. Besides me, there’s another person exceeding level 1000.”

“I’ve heard that the South Korean government has the highest-level hunter in the world right now. Are you saying that person is willing to work with us?”

“Of course. We will sell all the nearly 30 tons of mana stones we currently have. And those 103 hunters will hunt for the U.S. government. We will supply a large quantity of high-level mana stones steadily.”

Upon receiving my words through the interpreter, Chairman Volkov of the association burst into a hearty laugh, clearly pleased.

“The demand for mana stones will continue to skyrocket. It will reach a level where they can’t be sold because there aren’t enough. Frankly, Mr. Kim’s proposal is hard to refuse.”

“Thank you.”

“You must want something, right? I’d like to hear the conditions.”

Finally, the answer I wanted came.

I calmly organized the words I needed to say in my head.

“We need the right to sell mana stones to private companies within the United States.”

“That can be arranged. As long as you continue to supply the U.S. government with mana stones steadily.”

“And give us one of the U.S. outposts within the gates. If there are no vacant outposts, build a new one for us. This outpost should be built in the most dangerous area where the most fearsome monsters run rampant.”

“That can also be arranged. It’s perfectly possible.”

So far, so good.

Now comes the more difficult issue.

“We want to obtain U.S. citizenship.”

“Citizenship?”

“I am filled with repulsion towards South Korea. We want to live receiving the proper treatment fitting our sacrifices. We intend to leave the South Korean outposts. As you might have guessed, we wish to settle and live in a U.S. outpost territory, as U.S. citizens.”

“Hmm.”

Chairman Volkov, who had been readily agreeing, for the first time showed a troubled expression.

“We would welcome you. We are well aware that the South Korean government has treated hunters very inhumanely. Granting citizenship is not difficult. However, the United States does not wish to see South Korea collapse as a nation.”

It was understandable that the U.S. would not want an ally like South Korea to suddenly collapse due to the rifts.

Such a reaction was expected.

“We have no such intentions. Instead, we intend to protect while receiving appropriate compensation, rather than exploitation. We will receive suitable payment for risking our lives in rift raids.”

“Hunting high-level monsters in U.S. territory while also managing the rifts in South Korean territory? Do you think that’s possible?”

In response to Chairman Volkov’s sceptical voice, I boldly nodded.

It wasn’t a forced show of strength.

“I have tamed and control a level 1200 boss monster. An ancient dragon.”

Chairman Volkov stopped dead in his tracks at my words.

His face was filled with disbelief.

“A level 1200 monster?”

“Yes. That’s right. With it, we can quickly move between the U.S. and South Korean territories within the gates. As soon as a rift is discovered, if you contact us, we can fly over and handle it within minutes.”

“If that’s true, it’s not an impossible proposition. Since you can fight from the air and project firepower, it’s an efficient fight, only dealing with the remaining monsters on the ground.”

Chairman Volkov’s eyes moved quickly.

I could hear him calculating.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

“Then there’s no problem.”

“At this point, we would like to handle the negotiations with the Korean government entirely ourselves. We want to decide how much money we will receive.”

“Haha! That’s no problem at all! We can accept all the conditions.”

Chairman Volkov looked at me steadily.

“If you agree to our two conditions, we can proceed exactly as Mr. Kim desires.”

“Go ahead.”

“First. I want to see the 30 tons of magic stones you mentioned with my own eyes. Can you take me to your Korean base? Although my combat skills are poor, I am also an Awakened.”

I nodded easily.

From their perspective, it was natural to ask for this.

“Alright. And the second condition. I would like to see the 1200-level dragon monster you have contracted with my own eyes.”

“It was severely injured during a raid and is still resting in my subspace. It will take about three days for it to fully recover.”

“I can wait three days. I want to proceed with the deal after seeing the dragon monster with my own eyes. It’s a matter of certainty for us.”

Of course, it would be.

I nodded and then an idea came to me.

“How about staying at the Korean base for three days? Chairman Volkov?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you the 30 tons of magic stones and the 1200-level dragon boss. I can also demonstrate how excellent our hunters are at hunting. Wouldn’t that build trust? And while you’re at it, it would be great if you could bring some food and water with you.”

Chairman Volkov seemed to think my suggestion was reasonable.

“I’ll go. But I would like to bring a few American hunters to escort me.”

“That’s not a problem. If you ride on the wyvern I command, it will be sufficient.”

“A wyvern? Isn’t that a 700-level monster?”

“Exactly.”

Chairman Volkov, seeming very pleased with me, downed his coffee and stood up.

“Let’s go, Mr. Kim.”

He was a straightforward person.

Thanks to that, things proceeded quickly without any worries.

I returned to the gate with Chairman Volkov.

“Prepare food. We need enough for 100 people for three days.”

“Understood.”

A huge container was prepared and filled to the brim with food and water.

I called on Yongduri to carry the container and had Yongil carry Chairman Volkov and a few American hunters back to the Korean base.

Although slower than the dragon, the wyvern also boasted impressive speed, so the travel time was not long.

“I’m curious about the abilities of this dragon boss. A 1200-level monster should have diverse applications.”

“Of course. Given the nature of dragonkind, if we have one high-level dragon, we could control multiple wyverns.”

“Multiple wyverns?”

“As you know, inside the gate, we cannot use oil, gunpowder, or electronic devices. So, transporting supplies and construction is very difficult, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Currently, supplies are being transported through tunnels, but it’s a very inefficient method because it relies solely on manpower.”

“What if we used wyverns for transport? We could move supplies in large quantities without the risk of monster attacks.”

Chairman Volkov clapped at my suggestion.

“That would be excellent. If it’s possible, that is.”

“Let’s explore it gradually. I can show you a revolution in material transport within the gate. Ah, there is the Korean base.”

The Korean base came into view.

I landed Yongduri and Yongil in the training field of the base.

As soon as I got off Yongil, hunters rushed towards me.

“Sungho hyung!”

“Hey, I brought food…”

“This isn’t important right now! That bastard Cho Geunsung is inside the base! He’s fighting with Younghak hyung right now!”

For that bastard, who’s known for his self-preservation, to come inside the gate?

He must be desperate because of the magic stones.

I looked at Chairman Volkov.

“Would you like to come along? You might witness something very interesting.”