Chapter 166: Materials Supply (2)

Because the bodies of these mechanical monsters were made from a metal with extremely high mana resistance, it was difficult to inflict any real damage on them. This meant that hunting the mechanical monsters was a slow and time-consuming process, but it wasn't impossible.

Looking at it another way, as long as the Hunters could find a way to properly damage them, these mechanical monsters would actually be surprisingly easy to subdue. With that in mind, Kim Ki-Rok began to mobilize the S-Class Hunters.

His first step was to arm them with weapons forged from the Pastera metal of the monster's corpse, and to order them to hunt more of the creatures near the factory outskirts. Of course, he wasn't so irresponsible as to just hand them the weapons and send them off to hunt.

"Oh my, oh my! Why must I toil so hard at my age, and for such paltry rewards!" Scroll Maker Cha Min-Ji sighed like a weary old woman as she produced scroll after scroll.

At the forward base in front of the Gate's entrance, she worked alongside Lim Yun-Ju, who burst out laughing at the remark while continuing to brew her potion. This was a common scene whenever the DG Guild's crafting Hunters worked together. However, Kim Ki-Rok's reaction was different from usual.

He stopped stirring with his ladle, raised his head, and glared at Cha Min-Ji. "No, you old bat, do you see me complaining?[1]"

"Eh?" Cha Min-Ji blinked in surprise.

Kim Ki-Rok tilted his head. "Hm? Wasn't that the right response?"

She squirmed and admitted, "No, well, it is, but..."

"Hmmm. If it bothers you that much, should I change my tone, Miss Min-Ji?" Kim Ki-Rok asked with a smile.

Cha Min-Ji pouted and whined, "Noooo, Guildmaster, why are you picking on me?"

"

Hohohoho.

"

As Kim Ki-Rok began laughing like an old man from a period drama, Cha Min-Ji had to stop her scroll-making to turn and stare at the odd sight.

Stroking an imaginary beard, he started speaking in an old man's voice, "Miss Min-Ji. Let me tell you how things were in my day—"

She quickly cut him off, "No! Wait. You said you'd change your tone, but why do you sound like my old principal?"

For a moment, Kim Ki-Rok had sounded just like an old man—or an "old fart," as some might put it.

"Well..." he trailed off.

Well what? Cha Min-Ji thought, growing impatient.

Kim Ki-Rok finished with a smile, "Because I thought it would sound familiar to you?"

And in truth, it was. Every DG Guild member had heard that old-fashioned tone before, thanks to one particular old fart of an Archwizard, Kan Cho-Woo. Constantly trailing Kim Ji-Hee and mentoring the guild, the old Archwizard was a well-known figure throughout the guild.

Cha Min-Ji took a deep breath and said, "Guildmaster."

"Yes, Miss Min-Ji?"

"I don't find that funny, so could you please use a different tone? Maybe something that will boost our morale instead..."

"Hm... A tone that will boost morale..."

It was a difficult request to fulfill.

Kim Ki-Rok eventually gave up. "I wonder if I should say this, but honestly, all of you are a bunch of weirdos, so I'm not sure there's any one tone that will lift everyone's spirits. However, I do know a certain 'sentence' that's guaranteed to boost your work efficiency."

"And what would that sentence be?" Cha Min-Ji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Japanese Hunters Association has said they will buy all your products at thirty percent above the usual rate," Kim Ki-Rok revealed.

"Oh yes!" Cha Min-Ji immediately began making scrolls at a furious pace.

"The same goes for you, Yun-Ju noonim," Kim Ki-Rok added.

"Me too?" Lim Yun-Ju blinked in surprise.

"It's not just Miss Min-Ji's scrolls they plan to buy at a thirty percent markup. They're extending the same offer to all consumables," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my.

Huhuhuhuhu!

"

With an excited giggle, Lim Yun-Ju began brewing her potions with newfound enthusiasm. This mother and daughter pair had suffered a lot in the past due to poverty, so nothing motivated them more than the promise of money. In fact, this was a method that worked for most people.

Kim Ki-Rok turned to the other person working in the base and called out their blacksmith, "Mr. Woo-Hyuk."

Kang Woo-Hyuk, nicknamed the Reinforcement Master, had been scrutinizing a sword forged from Pastera metal. He looked up and answered, "Yes, Guildmaster!"

"What do you think? Can you reinforce these?"

"Hmm... to be honest, I don't think I can do it alone."

"Understood." Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "In that case, please return to Korea with Hunter Kayano Yukie's help, go through the permanent Gate, and ask the dwarves to teach you what you need to know."

Lately, Kang Woo-Hyuk had been focusing more on reinforcement than forging. Given his high skill class, his inability to reinforce the Pastera weapons likely wasn't due to a lack of skill. Rather, it seemed he lacked an understanding of the metal itself. To reinforce the weapons, he would need to study Pastera metal until he truly understood it.

With enough time and budget, Kang Woo-Hyuk could likely figure out how to reinforce Pastera weapons on his own. Unfortunately, time was the one resource the raid team lacked most. So, the best option was to seek help from the dwarves who were ahead in their understanding of Pastera to speed up the process and get Kang Woo-Hyuk reinforcing weapons sooner.

"If that's the case, when do you need me back?" asked Kang Woo-Hyuk.

"There's no deadline," Kim Ki-Rok replied, shaking his head. "Keep learning from the dwarves until you truly understand the metal and can reinforce it. We need you to be able to do it independently."

Kang Woo-Hyuk didn't need long to decide. He soon nodded, walked over to Kayano waiting nearby and requested the use of her teleportation ability.

The monsters of the Patera Dimension were all mechanical and could only increase their numbers through artificial manufacture. That meant once the battle began, the Hunters wouldn't get a break. To defeat them, they had to outpace the factory's production rate, so thorough preparation was critical before launching any attack.

Kang Woo-Hyuk's skill development was vital to the raid's success. After sending him off, Kim Ki-Rok returned to producing consumables at the forward base with Cha Min-Ji and Lim Yun-Ju, doing what little they could to support the Hunters working to secure materials.

"Guildmaster, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Min-Ji."

"Will Ji-Hee really be okay?"

"Of course she will," Kim Ki-Rok said confidently. "Mechanical monsters can't see spirits at all. Of course, communicating with the spirits of the Patera Dimension's inhabitants will be difficult since they don't speak the same language, but that's why we worked so hard to find a spirit that could draw."

This was the only way they could support Kim Ji-Hee, their fellow DG Guild member who had ventured into the Gate with the S-Class Hunters on a very important mission.

"It's so hot..." Kim Ji-Hee complained.

A tall, sturdy watchtower had been erected just beyond the Gate. The watchtower even had a roof at the top to block the harsh sunlight. Although they had prepared somewhat for the desert heat, without the blessings of Sir Willis Haviland Carrier[2], nowhere in the Patera Dimension could truly be called comfortable.

Kim Ji-Hee stared blankly into space, trying to endure the heat. But it was just so hot. Really hot... Really, really hot...

She longed to retreat through the Gate and have her Mister make her some red bean shaved ice. But she couldn't, not while her right eye was fixed on a scene relayed by one of her spirits. Through it, she saw a group of thin figures drawing symbols on the ground, trying to communicate. After a brief exchange made possible by her painter spirit, Kim Ji-Hee nodded and turned to S-Class Hunter Daniel Jackson, who stood beside her atop the watchtower.

"Uncle Jackson."

"Yes, Lady Ji-Hee."

Even though she'd asked him to just call her by name, this American uncle always refused, saying it would be too difficult for him.

Kim Ji-Hee sighed before continuing, "They say there's an underground water pipe. And that it was built a very long time ago."

Daniel Jackson nodded approvingly. "As expected of you, Lady Ji-Hee. You are the best. You are love."

"

Haaaaah...

" She got out of her chair to squat on the floor.

And as if someone had anticipated this, drawing tools were already prepared on the floor. Kim Ji-Hee squeezed her left eye shut and picked up a marker.

Daniel Jackson acted like he'd been shot in the heart. "Aaargh! Lady Ji-Hee's wink!"

"Uncle, focus." Kim Ji-Hee's tone carried more than a hint of irritation now.

Daniel Jackson snapped a salute. "Yes. I will definitely focus. Your uncle is focusing."

Thinking to herself that she had plenty of odd uncles, aunties, unnies, and oppas—but that Uncle Jackson was by far the strangest—Kim Ji-Hee slowly began to draw. Under the protection of the S-Class Hunters, she was using her spirits to communicate with the inhabitants of the Patera Dimension and gather information.

The crafting team, including Kim Ki-Rok, focused on producing consumables to support the mission at the Gate, while Kang Woo-Hyuk traveled to the Yuashiel Dimension to learn weapon reinforcement techniques from the dwarves. At the same time, the combat Hunters were preparing for the S-Class Gate raid. Thanks to the World Tree's blessings—which were especially potent for the DG Guild—their growth had accelerated, and they were now working hard to gather materials to supply the dwarves.

Even Hunters not yet strong enough to face the mechanical monsters were sweating through training sessions and drills, working to coordinate with Hunters from other guilds. As preparations ramped up, teams from countries that had previously delayed negotiations or outright refused to send personnel began arriving in Japan, having reversed their decisions.

They were all drawn by Kim Ki-Rok's theory that this Gate might offer enhanced rewards. It was only a hypothesis, but there was precedent for rewards increasing based on a Gate's importance. Word had spread that rewards wouldn't be split evenly among participants, but distributed based on individual contributions. And while some restrictions remained, there was no rule barring lower-ranked Hunters from joining the Raid. In short, it felt like an obvious scam, but one too tempting for anyone to walk away from.

In a way, it felt like everyone was gambling on a hunch, but in the end these foreign Hunters had persuaded their governments to let them join. With negotiations moving smoothly, the Japanese Hunters Association was able to focus most of its efforts on preparing to clear the Gate.

President Kikumoto let out a long sigh and asked in Japanese, "How are preparations for the melee weapons and siege weapons going?"

One of his employees, who was organizing materials for an upcoming meeting, immediately replied, "We've received word that melee weapons will be provided to all Hunters participating in the Raid in just three days."

"What about the siege weapons?" the president asked again.

"They said they can send those right away. However, the supply of materials is still very slow, making it difficult to mass-produce the consumable ammunition the siege weapons need, such as the giant bolts or spears for the ballista," the Association employee explained.

"Would it be possible to start the battle with just the arrows and spears we already have?"

"I've been told that if we start prematurely, the entire flow of the campaign is likely to be disrupted."

"

Hmph!

" President Kikumoto grunted as he processed this information.

These mechanical monsters could rapidly replenish their numbers. Once the raid began, they couldn't afford to lose momentum, or they would quickly become outnumbered. If their assault stalled, it could also give the wall time to repair itself using metal brought from the factory and salvaged from fallen monsters, wasting all the ammunition of their siege weapons.

"If we can ensure a steady supply of materials, when can the attack officially begin?"

"In one week," the employee answered.

President Kikumoto tapped his fingers on his desk, thinking.

To avoid provoking the real enemy, they were only able to hunt the mechanical monsters wandering the desert outskirts. Even if they increased the number of Hunters entering the Gate, it probably wouldn't lead to a steady supply of the needed materials.

"Ah!" President Kikumoto, lost in thought, suddenly slapped the table and called out for his aides. "The Research Institute!"

"The Research Institute?" the employee echoed, confused.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Don't you remember? After each trip through the Gate, we sent monster corpses to the Research Institute, hoping they'd find the monsters' weakness."

Now it was the employee's turn to exclaim. The other aides and employees nearby also immediately understood what President Kikumoto meant by involving the Research Institute.

"But will the Research Institute really be willing to return the metals?" the employee asked, concerned.

"Tell them we'll make up for their losses later," President Kikumoto instructed.

They could supply new monster corpses to the Research Institute once Raid preparations were complete.

"Aso," President Kikumoto called.

"Yes, Mr. President," his aide replied, scurrying over.

"Contact all countries participating in this Gate raid and inform them we need monster corpses. If we tell them they'll be able to obtain more and better metal once the raid is underway, they should be willing to offer what they have."

***

Forty-three days had passed since the S-Class Gate first appeared. Representatives from Hunter Teams across various countries were now gathered in a conference room at the Japanese Hunters Association.

An Association employee announced the start of the meeting, "Now then, let us begin the final meeting before we launch our raid."

With everyone wearing electronic interpreters, there was no great difficulty in conducting the meeting despite the many nationalities present. As the Association employee and Aso glanced at the president, he nodded in support and leaned back in his chair.

The aide then took over. "With the periodic help of Hunter Kim Ji-Hee from the Republic of Korea, we have confirmed all the different categories of mechanical monsters we might encounter."

Aso conducted the meeting at a measured pace, his clear and gentle voice capturing everyone's attention. He detailed the different types of monsters and their weaknesses, explained the operation to rescue the inhabitants of the Patera Dimension, and shared what information they had about First, whose destruction was the key to clearing the Gate.

"The monsters found in the Patera Dimension are all mechanical," Aso explained. "Unlike the Yuashiel Dimension, the monsters here were all artificially manufactured. Therefore, we cannot estimate how many may be waiting within the city. Because of that, we will prioritize rescuing and protecting the surviving inhabitants before committing to an assault on the city. As for our attack strategy..."

Trailing off, the aide picked up a remote and activated the ceiling projector, bringing the plan up on the screen. "We will be besieging the city."

1. Here, Kim Ki-Rok is playing the part of the old man in an old married couple skit. ☜

2. The inventor of the first air conditioning system. ☜