MRUCM 08

Chapter 08

Gates are resources.

They are also the single greatest pillar supporting modern society.

The byproducts pouring out of dungeons had completely transformed the existing industrial ecosystem.

First, mana stones.

A high-efficiency energy source that replaces petroleum.

A single mana stone the size of a fingernail could power a large bus for weeks.

Monster hide and bones.

Lighter and harder than conventional alloys.

They’re used not only for Hunters’ suits and weapons, but also as core materials in the cutting-edge aerospace industry.

And even internal organs aren’t wasted.

Special enzymes and venom sacs are a pharmaceutical company’s dream.

From cancer treatments to rejuvenation elixirs, and sometimes deadly poisons traded on the black market.

There wasn’t a single thing to throw away—it was a gold mine.

Among them all, the crown jewel was undoubtedly the heart.

Called the mana core or monster heart.

A miraculous potion that increases an awakener’s total mana capacity when absorbed.

Truly a priceless commodity.

So where are these treasures most abundantly buried?

The answer is simple.

The ocean.

Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface.

Dimensional rifts occur far more frequently, and on a far larger scale, than on land.

Maritime Gates.

They are lands of opportunity and lawlessness for awakeners seeking a fortune overnight.

West Sea Sector 15.

A fishing boat floated on the vast, churning sea.

It belonged to Garam Guild, a mid-sized Korean guild.

“Team leader, look over there.”

Park Min-soo, a guild member holding binoculars in the wheelhouse, pointed ahead.

Team leader Kim Sung-hoon frowned and looked forward.

On the misty sea surface.

The bluish entrance of a Gate was gaping open.

The problem was what lay before it.

Two ships, each at least five times larger than Garam Guild’s vessel, were blocking the way.

Red flags fluttered from their sterns.

Emblems bearing golden dragons.

“…The Hwaryong Guild?”

A sigh escaped Kim Sung-hoon’s lips.

It was the Hwaryong Guild—one of China’s major guilds.

“Why the hell are they here? This is our sector.”

The mining rights for West Sea Sector 15 had been properly acquired by Garam Guild through bidding.

Rights obtained by paying a hefty tax to the South Korean government.

Yet there they were, parked right in someone else’s backyard.

“Approach and hail them on the radio. Tell them to get out immediately.”

“Yes, understood.”

Garam Guild’s vessel sounded its horn and approached.

A warning broadcast went out through the loudspeaker.

―This is Sector 15 within the territorial waters of the Republic of Korea. You are currently in illegal occupation. Withdraw immediately.

There was no response.

Instead, people began gathering one by one on the deck of the Chinese vessel.

They snickered and pointed fingers.

“Are you kidding me?”

Kim Sung-hoon bit his lip.

He stepped out onto the deck himself.

Channeling mana, he raised his voice.

“Hey! Can’t you hear me? This is our sector! Show me your permit!”

Then, a man appeared at the bow of the opposing ship.

A man wearing sunglasses and a red robe.

Li Wei—an executive of the Hwaryong Guild.

He snorted derisively.

“A permit? What use is a scrap of paper like that on the sea?”

“What? Are you insane? Don’t you know international law?”

“Law…”

Kim Sung-hoon was fluent in Chinese.

Because his mother was of Chinese descent.

“Hey… *bàngzi* [derogatory term for Koreans]. Listen carefully.”

Li Wei wagged his finger.

“There are no lines on the sea. Whoever plants their flag first is the owner. And…”

He took off his sunglasses, smiling viciously.

“A small nation dares to complain about what a great nation does? You need to learn some manners.”

Those words were the signal.

BOOM!

A magical barrage flew from the Chinese ship.

“Huh? What—!”

Kim Sung-hoon hastily deployed a barrier.

But it wasn’t enough.

As a B-rank Hunter, his barrier was too thin to block a fireball from an A-rank mage.

BOOOOM!

Garam Guild’s ship lurched violently.

Guild members on deck were caught in the explosion and sent tumbling.

“AAARGH!”

“My arm!”

It was utter chaos.

Kim Sung-hoon spat blood and shouted.

“Cease attack! We’re affiliated with the Republic of Korea! This is a clear act of aggression!”

“Aggression? No. This is discipline.”

Li Wei flew through the air, stepping on nothing.

His foot struck Kim Sung-hoon’s solar plexus.

Crack.

The sound of ribs breaking.

Kim Sung-hoon was slammed onto the deck.

“Ugh…!”

Li Wei ground Kim Sung-hoon’s head under his heel.

“You Koreans don’t know your place. For a country no bigger than a grain of rice, you sure are loud.”

“Grrr…”

“Get lost. If you come snooping around one more time, I’ll sink your entire ship.”

Li Wei spat and turned away.

The Garam Guild members had to flee, carrying their bloodied team leader.

It was humiliating.

They were so furious tears welled up, but the gap in power was just too vast.

That evening.

South Korea erupted.

A video recorded on a body cam by one of the Garam Guild members spread across the internet.

―[Chinese guild assaults Korean Hunter in West Sea]

The content of the video was horrific.

One-sided beatings.

And endless mockery.

Li Wei’s remarks about “small nations” ignited public outrage across the entire country.

―Wow… this makes my blood boil. That’s not a Hunter, that’s a thug.

―What is the government doing? A citizen got beaten in our territorial waters and we’re just sitting still?

―Those Chinese crossed the line. I want to wipe them all out.

―But isn’t Hwaryong Guild unbeatable? They have three S-ranks, right?

―What the hell are our S-rank Hunters doing! Getting paid with our taxes and not stopping this!

Public opinion boiled over.

It looked like candlelight protests would break out in front of Gwanghwamun.

As the situation grew serious, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an emergency briefing.

―The government expresses serious regret over this incident and strongly demands that China prevent recurrence and punish those responsible.

The same old song and dance.

Regret.

Strong demands.

A hollow statement with no substance.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government’s response was brazen.

―Statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

―West Sea Sector 15 is a disputed zone. Our Hunters merely exercised their legitimate right to self-defense when they felt threatened. Korea should first discipline its own Hunters’ rudeness.

The pot calling the kettle black.

They were making it sound like Korea was in the wrong.

The so-called “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy.

Their diplomatic style—ferocious as wolves—left Korean citizens speechless.

The comment sections were flooded with rage.

―How many times has the Foreign Ministry expressed “regret” now? A parrot would do better.

―Did you see the Chinese government’s official statement? They say Korean Hunters threatened them first so it was self-defense? LOL.

―This is the sorrow of being weak. If we just had one SSS-rank Hunter, those bastards wouldn’t be acting so bold.

―What are our top rankers doing? Stop sucking up and filming variety shows and go deal with this!

Powerlessness.

Frustration combined with the sense of defeat that nothing could be done pressed down on all of South Korea.

China was a superpower, and their Hunter forces overwhelmed Korea.

Even the government couldn’t act rashly and was stuck watching the situation.

That was the reality of a small nation.

Seongbuk-dong mansion, living room.

On the large TV screen, a news anchor continued with a grave expression.

“…The government has stated it will summon the Chinese ambassador to Korea and lodge a strong protest, but it appears unlikely they will receive any substantial compensation.”

Click.

Baek Kang-jin turned off the TV with the remote.

“Tch… pathetic.”

He sank deep into the sofa.

Patriotism?

He wasn’t angry because of such grand emotions.

Baek Kang-jin’s anger came from a slightly different place.

Inefficiency.

And the absence of logic.

A thug breaks into your front yard and goes on a rampage.

And the homeowner just waves a piece of paper and pleads, “Please leave.”

In a world governed by the logic of power, what use were diplomatic platitudes?

“Flower-brained idiots.”

Baek Kang-jin clicked his tongue.

In the other world, such a thing was unthinkable.

The norm was to behead anyone who invaded your territory and hang their head on the city wall.

The West Sea was prime real estate.

The value of the mana stones and byproducts from there was considerable.

And those Chinese bastards were trying to take it for free.

Baek Kang-jin swirled his wine glass.

He valued efficiency and profit.

And right now, his biggest concern was money.

His current assets were around 50 billion won.

The money he’d received from the association for subjugating the Skull Centipede.

An amount that would be more than enough for an ordinary person to spend a lifetime.

But Baek Kang-jin’s standards were different.

“Not enough.”

It was for Ha-yoon.

To make her part of the world’s top 0.0001%, 50 billion was pocket change.

Maintenance costs for the luxury mansion.

The head chef’s salary.

Education expenses and lifestyle maintenance costs going forward.

Most importantly, he needed funds to control variables.

‘Money is power.’

With enough money, you could manipulate both the law and the media.

To crush every injustice Ha-yoon might face in life with money alone, he needed assets in the trillions.

‘For Ha-yoon to never have to bow her head anywhere, I need to earn more.’

Others would think he was crazy.

But to Baek Kang-jin, it was perfectly logical.

He picked up his phone.

And immediately made a call.

“Hello. Baek Kang-jin.”

It was answered before even one ring.

Go Jin-hyuk’s voice was urgent.

He was probably working his head off trying to handle the incident right now.

“I saw the news.”

“Ah… you saw it. I have no face to show the public.”

“Before that, let me ask you something.”

Baek Kang-jin got straight to the point.

“For that job, how much can you pay?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m talking about those Chinese bastards causing trouble. How much will you pay me to clean them out?”

He heard the sound of swallowing on the other end of the line.

A moment of silence.

Then a trembling voice came through.

“That’s not necessarily a simple matter. There’s a reason we haven’t dispatched our S-rank rankers either.”

“Explain it simply.”

“If friction occurs, China could also dispatch SSS-rank awakeners. Then we’d have no way to handle it. Ultimately, minimizing damage is the answer.”

“Cowardly.”

“Because sometimes you have to endure humiliation to have another opportunity.”

Even the Korean association had its own difficulties.

“Alright. Some fine-tuning is needed first. Let’s meet briefly.”

“Yes. We’ll visit your residence immediately.”

“No… that’s not necessary. I’ll come to you.”

The Seongbuk-dong mansion was, after all, Ha-yoon’s home.

He didn’t like outsiders coming here unnecessarily.

“Understood. We’ll have everything prepared to receive you. We look forward to seeing you soon.”

The call ended.

As Baek Kang-jin rose and headed toward the entrance—

“Uncle?”

Ha-yoon was coming down the stairs from the second floor.

She was in loose pajamas with messy hair.

She must have just woken up.

“You’re awake?”

“Yeah… I was thirsty. But where are you going?”

“Just stepping out for a bit.”

“Now?”

Ha-yoon rubbed her eyes and walked to the kitchen.

She opened the fridge and took out milk.

Then she noticed the empty wine glass on the dining table.

“Uncle, you didn’t have dinner, did you?”

“…Wasn’t hungry.”

“Liar. I saw you barely ate lunch either.”

Ha-yoon paused mid-pour and stared at her uncle.

Baek Kang-jin felt a pang of guilt.

Even the great Baek Kang-jin softened in the face of his niece’s nagging.

“Wait here. Let me make you something.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t have time. I’ll be right back.”

“Just stay put. Going out on an empty stomach is bad for you.”

Ha-yoon was firm.

She rummaged through the fridge and took out bread and eggs.

Clink.

The sound of butter sizzling in a frying pan.

A savory aroma filled the living room.

Baek Kang-jin awkwardly sat down at the dining table.

He watched Ha-yoon’s back.

‘Is this a habit from having to cook while watching his mood under that bastard Han Man-su?’

A pang ached in his chest.

She could now eat meals prepared by others and live comfortably.

But old habits were hard to break, it seemed.

“Here, eat.”

Ha-yoon set down a plate.

It was golden-brown French toast.

Sprinkled with sugar, with a glass of milk beside it.

“……”

Baek Kang-jin picked up the toast.

He took a bite.

A sweet, soft flavor spread through his mouth.

Objectively speaking, it was ordinary.

Compared to the hotel chef’s cooking, it was rustic as could be.

But.

Baek Kang-jin gave a thumbs up and said.

“Delicious.”

“Really? It looks a little burnt.”

“No. This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

He meant it.

More delicious than any dish he’d eaten in the other world.

For nearly a hundred years.

He’d eaten alone, in loneliness.

No one had ever prepared a meal for Baek Kang-jin.

And yet.

His niece had come forward and made him this meal.

He was so grateful for her thoughtfulness.

“……”

Baek Kang-jin’s eyes grew moist.

How embarrassing.

“Huh? Uncle, are you crying?”

“No. I’m not crying.”

“Yes you are. Your eyes are red.”

Ha-yoon burst out laughing.

“What is this, really? Who cries over just a piece of toast?”

“It’s so good. Because it’s so delicious.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll make it for you often. So stop crying. It’s gross.”

Ha-yoon pulled out a tissue and tossed it to Baek Kang-jin.

He sniffled and scraped up the remaining toast.

He even downed the milk in one go.

His stomach was nice and full.

“I ate well.”

Baek Kang-jin stood up.

Now it was time to return to being the cold-hearted mage for business.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yeah. Come back safely.”

“I’ll be quick. I’ll bring ice cream on the way back.”

Baek Kang-jin stepped out the front door.

The night air was cold.

But his heart was warm.

‘Gotta pay for that meal.’

Having eaten the meal his niece made for him, it was time to get to work.