Chapter 167: Underground Waterway (1)

Aso stood before representatives from various countries in the Japan Hunters Association.

"The team clearing this Gate must choose one of three options," she said, pausing to make eye contact with each delegate. "The first option is to evacuate and protect the residents of the Patera Dimension before starting the clear."

This would allow the siege to begin at any time. However, the rescue team would face high risk infiltrating the city ahead of the operation.

"The second option is to evacuate the residents during the clear," Aso continued.

This would ease the rescue team's movement through the underground waterway, using the city's chaos as cover. The only downside was that the First might order the other monsters to relocate the Patera Dimension's survivors.

"The third is to rescue the residents after the siege," the aide concluded.

This would require no separate rescue team and let all forces focus on the siege. Still, it offered little chance of survival for the Patera Dimension's residents.

"If we consider the safety of the clear team, it would be best to choose the third method," Aso continued in Japanese. "However, according to the results confirmed using Discernment by the Korean Hunter, Kim Ki-Rok, the more survivors there are, the greater the reward is thought to be."

The Russian S-Class Hunter, Makar, turned to Kim Ki-Rok and asked in his native tongue, "What is the reward?"

"Although I used Discernment, the reward section was marked as unknown," Kim Ki-Rok replied in fluent Russian.

Makar's eyes widened at Kim Ki-Rok's fluent Russian. "Hmm? Did you study in Russia?"

"Well, foreign languages is one of my strengths..." Kim Ki-Rok replied. "Anyway, back to the main point. The Gate that appeared is likely the last one connected to the Patera Dimension. I say that because the word 'salvation' showed up in the peculiarities. That's why I believe the rewards will be pretty substantial."

All eyes in the conference room remained fixed on Kim Ki-Rok.

Sensing their unspoken curiosity, he turned to Aso for a quick nod of permission, then continued. "Some of you are probably already aware how South Korea successfully cleared the Gate, Revival of the World Tree."

The World Tree was the one thing Demons and Black Wizards feared most. After its revival, it had a major impact on transforming the Yuashiel Dimension. In the process, the Hunters who took part in the clear received substantial rewards, evident to any outsider by the noticeable upgrade in their equipment before and after the event.

"So, you're saying the reward will be on par with what the Hunters got for clearing the Revival of the World Tree?" asked Logan, an S-Class Hunter from the United States.

"No," Kim Ki-Rok replied. "That Gate brought 'change' to the dimension, but the one we're clearing now is different—it's about 'salvation.' So the reward is expected to be even greater than what was given for the Revival of the World Tree."

A massive reward was on the line. The Hunters swallowed hard, their minds drifting to the rewards that had been gained from clearing the Revival of the World Tree.

S-Class Hunter Lin Chao raised his hand and asked in Chinese, "If the existing rewards are that great, can't we abandon the additional rewards, that is, rescuing and protecting the residents?"

Their mission didn't just end at infiltrating the city and rescuing the survivors. It was a lot more difficult because they would have to see that all of the survivors successfully escaped.

Kim Ki-Rok turned to Lin Chao, effortlessly switching to yet another language. "Yes. Considering the safety of the Hunters participating in the clear, giving up could be an option. However, from what I anticipate, the more survivors we save, the more we will be able to receive a reward far exceeding that of the existing clear reward."

Kim Ki-Rok had answered Makar in fluent Russian and switched seamlessly to American English when responding to Logan. Lin Chao already knew, from Liu Xian—a Chinese Hunter who had risen from B-Class to A-Class—that Kim Ki-Rok spoke Chinese with surprising fluency. Still, hearing that native-like pronunciation in person caught Lin Chao off guard, leaving him briefly at a loss for words.

"What is the reason you anticipate the additional rewards to be better than the clear rewards?" Lin Chao asked.

"Hmm, how should I explain this? Where to start..." Kim Ki-Rok stroked his chin as he organized his thoughts for a moment, then slowly got up from his seat and approached the aide who was sitting in front of the screen.

"Excuse me, may I borrow your microphone?"

After hearing his flawless Japanese, Aso gave an involuntary hollow laugh, then handed over the microphone and stepped aside.

"Ah, testing, testing. Mic check—one two, one two. Alright. To keep things smooth, I'll explain in Korean, since everyone's wearing a communication device anyway."

He tapped his interpreter device and glanced around the conference room. "The First Mechanical Monster that posed a threat to this Gate... No, allow me to correct myself. The First posing a threat to the Patera Dimension is equipped with artificial intelligence, giving it the capacity to learn, adapt, and make autonomous decisions on par with or even beyond human reasoning. Even if we manage to subdue this monster, we would still need to deal with the Mechanical Monsters operating underneath it. Still, according to the Gate information I confirmed, if we clear the Gate, the Patera Dimension will be saved. In other words, it's one or the other."

If they managed to subdue the First, either all the Mechanical Monsters would shut down, or they'd find something inside the building capable of disabling them all.

"That means there's either something in the castle where the First is, or something unique about the monster itself," Kim Ki-Rok said. He paused, then shrugged. "But even if we take down the First and stop all the other Mechanical Monsters, it wouldn't be salvation without survivors. What's the point of saving a world if there's no one left in it? No sentient beings, no

humans,

means no true salvation. That's why I believe the god, or administrator, of the Patera Dimension has offered a kind of bonus for rescuing the residents."

"If that were the case, shouldn't the clear condition be rescuing the survivors, not subduing the First?" one of the Hunter Representatives asked.

"The last city of the Patera Dimension is probably not the only place with survivors. Although we've never met them, there must be people somewhere in their world who have managed to survive, avoiding the Mechanical Monsters."

"I presume what's happening is a shift in priorities, as the dimension would need many residents to tend to the dimension after the First is subdued. After all, no matter how many survivors there are, unless the First is subjugated and all the Mechanical Monsters are put to an end, the Patera Dimension would still be a dimension conquered by monsters."

The meeting attendees nodded their heads, convinced.

The American S-Class Hunter raised his hand again. "I get that the main goal is to subjugate the First, and rescuing the survivors is for an extra reward. But let me ask you, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok—of the three options, which one will you choose?"

"The first one." Kim Ki-Rok answered.

"Is it for the additional reward?"

"Yes."

"Hmm! Are you saying you're stepping in yourself?"

Logan's question carried a few unspoken implications. He wasn't just asking about strategy, but probing whether Kim Ki-Rok intended to join the rescue team himself, infiltrate enemy lines, extract the survivors, and make it out with them alive.

"Yes," Kim Ki-Rok said again.

"Is that the choice of the DG Guild or the choice of Hunter Kim Ki-Rok?"

"It's the choice of our guild. Hunters who participate in the rescue team will receive greater rewards than others. There are other reasons, but I'll leave it at that for now."

Logan watched the smiling Kim Ki-Rok in silence. This was the Guildmaster of DG Guild; he wasn't the type to throw himself into a high-risk mission just for a reward.

Should I assume the risk isn't as high as it seems?

Logan wondered, tilting his head slightly toward another person who had come to the meeting alongside Kim Ki-Rok.

Yoo Seh-Eun.

Kim Ki-Rok always seemed to have brought one guild-affiliated Hunter to the meetings.

It's not Hunter Lee Ji-Yeon this time, but Hunter Yoo Seh-Eun.

Lee Ji-Yeon, the Greater Elementalist of Fire, was known as the ace of the DG Guild. Kim Ki-Rok typically brought her to important meetings, almost as if he was preparing for his own absence. But this time, instead of Lee Ji-Yeon, he had brought Yoo Seh-Eun. She sat quietly, watching him with a calm, detached gaze, as if the entire conversation was old news and her decision had already been made.

"Considering this mission would require quick movement and the terrain characteristics of an underground waterway, the rescue team will comprise thirty men. Five people from the DG Guild will be participating: myself, Hunter Yoo Seh-Eun, Hunter Kang Seh-Hyuk, Hunter Nam Dong-Wook, and Hunter Seo Lee-Ha."

Twenty-five seats remained. Logan glanced around the conference room. A few Guildmasters were quietly conferring with their members, clearly noting that Yoo Seh-Eun had shown up in place of Lee Ji-Yeon. They recalled Kim Ki-Rok's reputation for only committing to plans that minimized risk and ensured results.

"What do you think?" Logan asked Daniel Jackson, an S-Class Hunter from America with whom he shared a friendly rapport, despite belonging to different guilds.

"Mister Kim Ki-Rok." Daniel Jackson started in Korean, but then switched to English. "He does not participate in dangerous operations unless safety is guaranteed."

***

Five individuals from Japan were selected for the rescue operation: S-Class Hunter Nakasone Soichi, a specialist in infiltration and reconnaissance, Kayano Yukie, an Awakened with teleportation abilities, and three A-Class Hunters nearing S-Class rank. Five Hunters each from the United States, Russia, and France would also join the mission.

South Korea was the only country to send ten Hunters for the rescue operation. Five came from the DG Guild, while the remaining five included S-Class Hunter Lee Mi-So, dispatched in place of Jang Baek-San, and A-Class Hunter Cha Tae-Woo from the Phoenix Guild, among others. The Phoenix Guild had originally planned to send an S-Class Hunter, but mobility was key for this mission. Their long-range S-Class Hunter was ultimately excluded, and Cha Tae-Woo, who possessed a physical reinforcement-type skill, was chosen instead.

Then there was China, declining to participate altogether, citing the mission's high risk.

"Now, you see, right? The rescue team, or rather, the rescue squad, is composed only of Hunters with superior physical abilities."

In a small conference room, courtesy of Association President Kikumoto, Kim Ki-Rok simply and succinctly summarized the characteristics of the rescue team. He put his hand into the subspace pocket and, with a thud, placed a potion and a green pill on the table.

"This is an Antidote Potion and a Poison Pill," he explained.

"An antidote and poison?"

"Yes."

"Uh..." Lee Mi-So tilted her head and alternately looked between the two items. "Are we supposed to administer these to the survivors?"

"No."

"Then are they for us?"

"That's right."

"You said... It's poison, right?" Lee Mi-So asked again for clarification.

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Yes. Poison. It's not a poison that gives a powerful buff and a strong side effect at the end of the buff, but a real poison."

"Is it necessary for the rescue operation?"

"Yes. I remember mentioning it at the clear meeting. Is there anyone here who remembers what I said?"

Kim Ki-Rok had already explained the purpose of both items earlier in the meeting. The DG Guild members winced, fully aware of where the poison would come into play. Meanwhile, Hunters from other guilds and countries, who hadn't caught on, furrowed their brows slightly as they tried to piece it together.

"For the underground waterway?" Lee Mi-So murmured in a small voice.

"Yes, that's correct," Kim Ki-Rok said, placing a finger gently on the Poison Pill with a grim smile. "We'll be using the underground waterway to rescue and escort the survivors out."

"Uh... Hmm... So, I'm guessing the waterway isn't just filled with water?"

"That's right. We'll be using the Poison Pill to numb our sense of smell and block out the stench from the monsters' wastewater and... other unspeakable byproducts."