EP 28 – No Country for Superman (8)
When I woke up, my ankle was cut off.
“what.”
If you spend a long time applying potions after being cut off your limbs, you get used to the pain. So, it was possible to make a cold judgment even in the situation of falling to the floor.
First of all, this is a battlefield, and I fell in the middle of a sprint. The reason is that his ankle was cut off. Apparently, a monster hiding under the ground bit his ankle.
But suddenly the surroundings darken.
When I looked up, I saw large soles of the feet that covered the sky.
“Seal. f**k-”
Woo-woo-woo!
The giant monster’s soles crushed the Hunter.
Blood didn’t splatter everywhere like a water balloon.
Just moderately quiet and horribly one person died.
* * *
A hunter who watched the death of a rather rare level 6 hunter shouted.
She had a miniature communicator in her ear.
“Observer Down! I will take the order. We have confirmed the approach of the Sandworm, so everyone back down!”
-What!? What if I get out of here?
“A large bell appeared. But Jeongyeon and Jaehyun just died, so the deal isn’t enough.”
Hunter calmly stepped backwards and used his telekinesis. It wasn’t strong, but it was sophisticated in its own way. The monsters with their heads smashed hung down.
When the nearby 15m was cleared up, the Hunter took a small breath and continued communication.
“I also have a headache. I’ll have to take it out before it melts. our team.”
-that… … Can’t you just hold on a little bit? Team 3 is going there right now-
“Who wants to forcefully seize jurisdiction? I’m going to be thrilled because I’m slaughtering corpses trying to make a profit. Anyway, I’ll take it out before I die.”
-hey! Hey! For what money we-
“Then it’s all about money. damn it I don’t know the topic because they give me respectful words about the topic of non-Awakened people.”
– Well, what… … ?!
Hunter’s attitude was surprisingly calm. The hunter stopped the nearby monsters little by little with an expressionless expression, and with a gesture he made his teammates retreat.
And in a calm voice, he continued to communicate calmly.
“I want to crush the heads of the desk bastards, but I am putting up with money. But if you look all over, you’re a mess. Can’t you understand?”
-… … You don’t want to renew the contract-
“Don’t order a bastard who doesn’t even know X, change the advisor next to you. How long will I endure when I see a yangban who won a position for politics killing people out of greed?”
– Uh, uh! Mr. Joohyun! fly! Deputy Director of the Tactical Department!
The voice from the communicator changed. Hunter calmly looked around and stepped back.
“yes. Chief. Our team will retreat for now. Team 3 was coming, right? He drags him to Aggro and throws monsters at him. It would be safest to remove the magic stones or scatter them here—”
Whoops-!
“Ugh… … .!”
at that time. A huge flame engulfed the desert. It looked like a tsunami.
The waves that spread in all directions spurted up into the wind, and a huge pillar of fire was erected in front of the hunters.
The hem of the hunters’ clothes fluttered in the updraft that spread in an instant.
Chei Yi Profit-
When the monster’s hideous flurry ended, the flames faded. All that was left was ashes and the smell of burning meat.
“… … .”
The monsters that were likely to annihilate the 30-man raid just before disappeared, and someone ran through the black smoke and appeared.
“Are you okay!?”
“… … Oh yes.”
With this level of firepower, I wondered if Hong Seon-ah had arrived, but it was a young pyrotechnician who did not know who it was. Looking at the sheriff’s badge, though, he was a high-ranking hunter of level 7 or higher.
He gave a worried look at the dozens of raiders standing dazedly.
“The situation seemed unfavorable, so I inevitably intervened. sorry.”
“no. it’s okay. Thank you for your help.”
Hunter Seo Joo-hyun, who was in charge of the order, expressed his thanks as the representative, but no one was happy.
It wasn’t because even the corpse of his comrade had been burned. There was something even sadder than that.
“… … It’s a clean ride.”
All the monsters were burned, but the corpses of the monsters, which accounted for 35% of their income, disappeared. Still, the mana stones were left behind, but according to custom, some of them should be paid to the high-ranking hunters who saved their lives.
It wasn’t legally stipulated, but the farther from the original law, the more complicated the law. It was an ambiguous situation that usually occurs when hunting initiatives are mixed.
Perhaps conscious of such an atmosphere, the high-ranking Hunter shook his head in embarrassment.
“You don’t have to pay any compensation. You have damaged the bodies of your colleagues, so please deliver them to the bereaved families instead.”
“… … oh thank you.”
In fact, it was not a problem that could be solved with money. Of course, money was the most important thing. Wasn’t that why he was fighting for his life until recently?
However, the fact that for a group of monsters enough to kill 11 out of 30 people, one finger was enough for some.
The effort put in to prepare for this hunt.
The experience I have accumulated with my colleagues.
The money you exchanged for your life.
The amount of blood spilled like that.
such a life
“… … .”
It was truly unfortunate that there were times when it felt so light.
* * *
“It is said that there were 22 battles in the Northwest today. The casualties were 142. The death toll is 78.”
Five days have passed since the hunters were put into Australia in earnest. In other words, it was also the fifth report of a casualty by Pi Chae-won. Thanks to him, his tone was very business-like.
I jotted down the report in my notebook.
and lightly murmured.
“The battle fees came out well.”
“Compared to other regions, the damage is significantly less. I think it was a wise choice to have the magistrates all over the place.”
“okay. I heard that the sheriffs helped out a lot. Are there any children who took money without notice? Is that customary? If you help me, I get a pochi.”
“There is not. Because you promised to pay for it with taxes in the first place.”
“great.”
Things went very smoothly. Strategically, economically, politically.
A situation in which the operation to gradually encircle the center of Australia began from the outskirts of Australia. High-ranking hunters are roaming the battlefield, defeating millions of monsters.
Australia’s Manastone production quickly became the world’s number one. In such a situation, Korea declared tax exemption, purchased Manastone, and released the capital it had earned through Samsung and SK to the hunters.
I spent some money, but it was an advantage because many hunters flocked to it for the money. Moreover, it was not a big loss as Samsung and SK were going to process the magic stones they bought and sell them overseas for reuse.
Even hunters around the world were purchasing hunting devices from the GS Aegis Australia special branch with the money they earned.
“Tt… … . I told you to sell it like highway popsicles. They sold it like a kind-hearted fried rice man.”
CEO Cheon Geum-soon captivated consumers by initiating a large-scale sale in the opposite direction, rather than putting on a war premium.
Thus, the GS ended the military-industrial separation. This means that there is no place for the government to be bitten now.
The PMC business was organized towards the GS defense agency, and the existing GS Aegis was completely transformed into a hunting device business. As soon as it was launched, it became the first in market share and recognition.
In that way, Samsung Psionic and SK Innovation received an astronomical magic stone from the government, and GS Aegis took a step further as the world’s largest manufacturer of hunting gear.
Of course, it was a fairly complicated matter from planning to execution, but it was a feat achieved with the help of the cold, the archangel, and numerous bureaucrats.
And it became my achievement.
I smiled happily.
“Now, the situation in Korea, which was chaos due to organ trafficking, will be fine. It’s been a while since the government has called companies ships, so soon the media will be quiet.”
“You naturally assume that the media is the dog of corporations, don’t you?”
“What afresh. It’s just that people are slaves to money. Look at that.”
I gave a small chin to Pi Chae-won. Where I pointed, CEO Cheon Geum-soon was lying on the sofa.
Even though she collapsed from overwork, she gurgled like a girl while talking to someone on the phone.
“Oh… … . really? Well done, Manager. You solved it wisely. are you okay. are you okay. I’ll take care of the legal issues. Tell the staff not to worry about the little things, take the money and go to Korea. yes. yes. who am i Seungmoon said that I cook lightly… … .”
“Hey, who do you boil? Am I an egg?”
“Ah! Honey. I am on the phone.”
“Tt… … .”
So, you have to catch me and collect some taxes before you come to your senses. I lightly tapped my tongue and gave Pi Chae-won advice.
“Chaewon-ah. you don’t be like that I mean, it’s money. You are poisonous.”
“… … Aren’t you afraid of power?”
“Hey? You’re a child and you’re too experienced. After this work is over, take a trip somewhere-”
at that time. The phone vibrated loudly.
“hello?”
– It’s me.
“Oh, yes. Hong Seon-ah, President of the Association. What’s going on? Are there any injuries?”
– Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt! But I ran into a bit of a problem.
“What is going on?”
– Hmm. It’s a bit of a political issue… … ?
* * *
The start of the problem was the gap between the rich and the poor among hunters.
In fact, there is no other place as large as the gap between the experienced and the newcomer. A strong hunter catches a monster with strong force and becomes infinitely stronger, and a weak hunter cannot catch a monster with a weak force and growth stagnates.
Of course, I don’t know if I can borrow a manastone from a large company PMC because I have a rare ability, or if I can become stronger with the same manastone because my mana aptitude is higher than others.
Ordinary people are not special because they are ordinary people.
Of course, the hunters who were sent to Australia were very good hunters in quality. However, cold water has an up and down, and the difference between the top-ranked hunters and the mid-high-ranked hunters was stark.
so eventually,
Controversy arose that high-ranking hunters monopolize the Manastone.
[Having 30 raiders fighting half-dead, a high-ranking pyrotechnician cleaned it up with one finger. If that’s the case, then why did you bring us here?]
[It seems that some high-ranking hunters are in charge of the strategic part, and the rest are organized for a local follow-up operation. When the low-level hunter drives the monster, the high-ranking hunter takes care of the monster and eats the manastone. Are we sheepdogs?]
On the surface, it was argued that the high-ranking hunters were taking over the battlefields of the middle and low-ranking hunters, but this was a fairly complex problem.
First of all, the government mixed high-ranking and low-level hunters to reduce damage, and a picture was created in which high-ranking hunters were mainly involved to naturally reduce damage.
In addition, the phenomenon of the poor, rich, poor, and rich, which hunters had recognized so far, was emotionally sensitively accepted as it approached the scene where their lives were at stake.
To put it a little more directly, a subtle sense of inferiority worked.
And small and medium-sized guilds fanned it to maximize profits.
Of course, the high-ranking hunters were not without complaints.
[Isn’t it natural for strong people to catch a lot and earn a lot? If that’s ironic, then you should go to North Korea… … .]
[These guys don’t mind helping me. Aren’t you pathetic about whining about stealing money after you went and saved them all?]
He delivered the guidelines to the security officers and sent a letter of cooperation to the large corporations, but he could not control the quarrels between individuals.
The high-ranking hunters responded quite strongly. Still, it was because he was a race that could take over, and he accepted this as a kind of underdog.
In this case, a subtle sense of superiority worked.
In addition to this opportunity, as a large corporation to beat the small and medium-sized guilds joined, the conflict between the hunters was ignited within a short time.
But is the polarity the same?
The demands of the two forces were common.
[Have the lower and higher hunters fight separately.]
The low-ranking hunters were saying they would take a lot of mana stones even if they saw a little blood, and the high-ranking hunters meant that they would fight on their own by throwing away useless luggage.
This was an extremely emotional phenomenon, and as much as a political dispute.
And from the point of view of politicians who care about their safety.
“… … under. Look at these chicks.”
This was a very hungry thing.