92. Sled Dog
If they had carried out the plan before the Master’s awakening, it would have been executed easily.
However, now that the Master had awakened to his divinity, if anything were to happen to him, the first to suffer the consequences would be China.
For the past three days, the absolute ruler of Sobaeksan had openly displayed his joy.
To match his mood, a national feast was held.
What else could it be?
Naturally, to celebrate his awakening.
To match his mood, a grand national feast was held in China.
Alcohol and meat were plentiful even in the countryside, and debts were forgiven for those in debt.
Amidst this, if an assassination were attempted, the outcome was clear.
He would retreat as he had for decades, plunging into endless silence once again.
Or perhaps, he might lament humanity’s foolishness and never reappear in the world.
In a situation where the survival of all humanity was at stake, trying to locate and eliminate him based on mere emotional judgments was not just foolish but downright senseless.
Assassination was already out of the question.
No, it had become an impossibility.
For over a decade, China had monitored Korea with all sorts of excuses, but they had now blundered in their actions.
“Damn it! How did things end up like this…!”
In China’s eyes, the Master had always been the sole entity in the world.
A top-tier hunter, a magnificent vessel mightier than anyone else in the world.
They were the absolute rulers to the extent that even the leaders of China would look up to them.
Naturally, from their perspective, it was a given perception that they could not tolerate any existence that dared to challenge, let alone eclipse, their authority.
But now that reality had been shattered.
“So those little country bumpkins managed to hide that so-called candidate.”
“Ah, they must have hidden him desperately. It must have been the only way to maintain the nation.”
“Yeah. That must be it.”
He closed his eyes.
What had happened was inevitable.
Suppressing his impatience desperately, he asked.
“…What about the United States?”
“W-well… it’s fine over there. Just that our informant realized that the woman named Elf is not unrelated to this incident.”
…Is that so.
A flicker of life passed through President Wang Lihong’s eyes.
“First, find that so-called candidate.”
“If, if we find him, how… should we proceed?”
President Wang Lihong opened his eyes fiercely and shouted.
“If you find him, find him! Am I supposed to now order that damn candidate to be executed?! Find out where he is, what he’s up to, just find him and report back properly! We’ve spent the past decade wasting money trying to find him and this is what we end up with!”
There was no longer a need to proceed with secrecy.
It was a given that not only Korea but also the United States would know that China would no longer be able to do anything.
It was quite the opposite now.
Until whatever happened next, China had to do its best to take care of that candidate.
“So much effort and all kinds of support poured in…! It’s all been in vain!”
Veins bulged on President Wang Lihong’s forehead.
Though he smiled in front of the supreme being, there was no feeling of decay in his inner self.
It was a global perspective.
From that point of view, the awakening of the gods was not such a bad situation, but in their eyes, it was not so.
From Noble mtl dot com
The existence of an overwhelming absolute ruler, unseen by anything modern, was their pride that even the United States dared not challenge.
In essence, it meant that another presence was establishing itself above the head of the supreme, who had been the only absolute ruler of the world that even the United States had looked up to.
Even if only a tiny fraction knew his true nature, the legacy of the supreme was still spreading throughout the world through various works of literature.
It was beyond discomfort; it touched their pride.
But reality was reality.
If he could not rise to the position of the President, being bound by mere emotions, he would never have ascended to that position.
That was the nature of his position.
“What did they decide to offer as a token of goodwill?”
“They decided to bear the majority of the funds from South Korean companies themselves. Of course, along with the reinforcement of the US forces in South Korea and the containment of North Korea, outwardly it still appears to be on the Korean side…”
“They’ve made an absurd decision. It must be more than just a normal bleeding.”
No matter how powerful the United States was considered, this was still a burden for them.
After a while, the President, who had regained his composure, conveyed the information in a chilling voice.
“…First, send a message of congratulations to Korea. Of course, we must not forget the token of goodwill. It’s a matter of global scale, after all.”
“What about the gift?”
“Cancel all the debt that Korea had on our country. Furthermore, they mentioned adding top-tier hunters into the mix. If we add economic aid and military support on top of that, it should be enough for an immediate advance payment.”
“…!!”
Upon hearing this, everyone sitting in the room widened their eyes.
“That… that’s too much.”
“I know. Do you think I’m ignorant of that fact?”
There was no one unaware of the astronomical value of top-tier hunters.
In fact, even the term ‘astronomical’ fell short.
No country dared to put a price on their existence.
To voluntarily aid such individuals in supporting Korea’s dungeon conquest was equivalent to China volunteering to bear the risk of potential losses of hunters.
If even one hunter were to die, it would remain a lifelong burden.
However, China was undoubtedly a powerhouse following the United States.
A recognized superpower in the world.
From a nation of that caliber, if the United States had bestowed such a gift, it was only natural that China reciprocate with an equally, if not more, substantial offering.
Furthermore, President Wang Li Hong did not forget to add one more comment.
“Of course, also convey that there will be no more unsightly incidents as before. In the future, we will do our best to protect him in China as well. If necessary, no matter the cost, even if it means assigning top-tier hunters as his guards, we will take care of him together.”
***
[Thus, currently, numerous top-tier hunters gathered to visit Korea to announce their firm commitment to strengthen the relationship with Korea and provide support in dungeon conquest-]
“Wow. Top-tier hunters from China offering active support in Korea? That’s something.”
This was the impression of Hani, who was sitting on the couch watching television.
Living had made her realize that such things indeed existed.
She had always thought those hunters lived only there.
Let alone it being China.
The country known for having an unrivaled hunter force worldwide.
Even the United States had to acknowledge China’s might.
China was the world’s largest hunter-holding nation with a dungeon conquest rate of 99 percent.
The remaining 1 percent was practically left open for resource extraction purposes only, making it essentially 100 percent.
Thanks to this, the news had already spread worldwide, causing a sensation.
[“China helping with dungeon conquests in other countries? Unbelievable!”]
[“The hunter industry in Korea has been growing lately; could they be planning something together?”]
In this highly exceptional situation, not just Korea but people from other countries seemed generally surprised.
Because China had always been closed off.
Their hunters had solely focused on closing China’s dungeons without venturing to support other countries.
“Oh! Hunters arriving from China are disembarking right now!”
Hunters were lining up to disembark from the dedicated plane.
They were waving to the gathered crowd with bright smiles, seemingly genuinely pleased about this visit to Korea.
Accompanying them was the Chinese President.
“It’s truly baffling.”
Even in their own country, it wouldn’t be to this extent; could there be political reasons?
At least from Hani’s perspective, it was all unknown as a Korean.
“Uh?”
It was at that moment.
Limeiri
• Title: Martial King.
• Rank: Special Grade Hunter.
Wang Lihong
• Title: Political Master.
• Rank: President of China.
The status windows of those descending from the private plane were clearly visible in his eyes.
“Now my gaze can penetrate television broadcasts too?”
It couldn’t be anything but truly strange.
[President Wang Lihong’s expression. Have you ever seen him smile like that before?]
[What’s going on? Weren’t we not that close with China? And why do the hunters look so happy? I remember their faces not being that bright even when they cleared their dungeons and came out.]
The internet was already buzzing with excitement.
“Is something good happening?”
Han was eating ice cream at the moment.
[Do you think so?]
“…?”
For what reason could it be?
For some reason, the system’s response seemed a bit fierce today.
“Why is that?”
[It’s nothing.]
“I think I’ll have to order delivery this morning. I’m craving tteokbokki. Spicy stuff.”
[Is that so. Are you going to have more there even though you’re already eating ice cream?]
“No, what? What’s the problem with ordering food now?”
Understanding this system is truly an enigma.
***
[Clang! Clang! Clang!]
Sled dogs, no, sled wolves, dashed forward with furrowed brows.
Dyer Wolf.
Pups of wolves.
Noah, Lua, Mia, along with four elves and quite a load, moved forward almost effortlessly, as if sliding smoothly.
The soft sled tracks they left behind on the ground they passed were clearly visible.
The long mane of Irina fluttered wildly in the wind.
“Wow, they’re incredibly fast, aren’t they? Isn’t that too fast even for speed?”
Han, who was watching, expressed concern.
To put it in perspective, they seemed to be as fast as most cars running on the road.
[Currently, the sled wolves pulling the sled are averaging a speed of 60 kilometers per hour. However, this is merely to ensure the stability of the elves riding on the sled, and the actual speed can always be even higher.]
“That’s not even their full power?”
[That’s correct.]
Like sled dogs running swiftly, the wolves dashed forward.
Despite their usual immature behavior, the wolves remained true to their nature as wolves.
The elves riding on the sled shouted with excited expressions,
“So fast, Irina!”
“Indeed! Oops!”
[Crash!]
It happened then.
As the wolves pulling the sled swerved to avoid a frozen, dead tree, the sled leaned sharply outward.
“Watch out…!”
Just as Han was taken aback, the sled, which seemed to be tilting, returned to its original position and continued to run steadily.
“Phew….”
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
It was almost flipped over.