Chapter 15

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 015

Chapter Title: You Turned the Country Upside Down

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Haegyeom had moved into the dorm provided by the Management Bureau.

"Even though it's a move, it wrapped up awfully fast."

Probably because he had so little stuff to begin with.
Hardly anything to pack or unpack.

"If only my inventory had enough space, I could've done it buck naked?"

Later on, once his inventory expanded and the capacity limit increased, it'd be totally doable.

Anyway.

"So this is my house now..."

Haegyeom recalled the details of the place he'd received from the Bureau.

'Prime Seoul real estate, with 24-hour hunter guards on duty. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Perfect natural light and a Han River view, plus explosion-resistant outer walls and ultra-strong bulletproof glass...'

A house he couldn't have dreamed of buying before.
And it had been provided free of charge.

"...It's pretty great."

People really ought to succeed.

"It's a bit empty right now, but I can fill it up little by little."

A deeply satisfying space.
As Haegyeom savored the afterglow of his move,

Ding-dong.

"Hunter! It's Yeowon Han!"

Yeowon had come to visit.
He opened the door, and as she stepped inside, she handed him a pack of premium toilet paper.

"Your first housewarming gift."

"Thank you... First?"

"I'll send the second one after checking what you're missing."

"......"

She toured the house once and then declared,

"...There's nothing here. I'll just buy it all for you."

"Uh... Thank you?"

A bed, sofa, TV, fridge, washing machine, and more... everything brand new.
Haegyeom simply nodded.

'She'll handle it perfectly...'

No doubt she'd pick out better stuff than he could choose himself.

With that, the moving and settling plans were sorted.

"Oh, and I brought the item you requested."

Yeowon pulled a large, elongated metal object from a hefty case and offered it to Haegyeom.
It was a hunter-grade rifle.

"Oh."

"The RHK-741 mana rifle, manufactured by H&K. Weighs 12.7 kg and fires large-caliber mana rounds. The handle features cutting-edge mana circuits to amplify explosive power with mana infusion. Main caution: the recoil offset tech creates a powerful backblast, so never fire with allies behind you. And..."

She went on at length about the specs, but most of it was technical jargon that was hard to follow.

"...That's the rundown. Get it?"

"More or less."

"Anyway, we're lending it as requested... but how do you plan to use it? You can't take it into the Tower."

"Don't worry about that."

Haegyeom grinned and slotted the mana rifle into his inventory.

"...Huh?"

"Because I can take it."

Normal inventories couldn't store non-'item' objects, but Haegyeom's had been repurposed for 'residential' use, lifting those restrictions!

"......Whoa!"

Yeowon let out an exclamation of awe.

"I thought only awakeners with gun-related unique abilities could bring real-world firearms into the Tower...!"

That was true.
Take America's 'Arcane Gunner,' for example.
He'd awakened a unique ability for gun use and shot up the ranks early on.

"Wait, then what exactly is Dragon Emperor's unique ability...?"

"It's a secret."

"...Ah! Sorry, I wasn't trying to pry!"

"No, it's fine. Natural to wonder. Just can't share it."

"Understood! I'll watch myself!"

She briefly pondered his unique ability, but it was no big deal.

And with that, Haegyeom wrapped up his move.
A thoroughly satisfying change of residence.

Two days after the move.

"The day is finally here."

The day to activate 'Newbie Shield'.
The moment he did, Korea would lose its mind.

"Eh, whatever. I'll just focus on my clear."

Of course, his goal this time was another SSS+ clear.
That's why he'd specially borrowed the pricy mana rifle from the Bureau.

"All prepped... got some time left. Might as well check reactions?"

Ten minutes until Newbie Shield activation.
Haegyeom logged into the awakener community to gauge the buzz.

And...

It grated on him.

"Ah."

There were quite a few negative takes.

Of course, not all were like that.
Some cheered him on, insisting he'd pull off SSS+ again.
...Some.

"......Not many."

And the majority response was this.

They still rooted for him.
Expected him to grow into an amazing hunter.
But they didn't expect sustained SSS+ clears.

Exactly that.

"Sigh."

Haegyeom felt oddly off for no reason.

"...Yeah, Drong's breath alone makes SSS+ tough. Fair point."

But that's why he'd prepped another weapon.
He could do it.
More than enough!

"Alright... time to head in? Salvation Tower, enter."

Haegyeom entered the Tower's 6th floor.
And then.

Viewers began flooding in.

Ppebam!

"There was a good reason. You'll find out soon─"

Ppebam!

"......"

It'd only been a few days since his proper stream, but viewers were already treating him way more casually.

"...Isn't the vibe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠totally different from the start?"

"Can't argue..."

True enough.

'Eh, whatever.'

Time to enjoy it.
No avoiding it anyway.

With that thought, Haegyeom pulled Drong out of his inventory.

Ppeha!

Drong landed on all fours with a beaming smile.

The chat exploded right away.
Drong was as popular as ever.

"Time's up, so let's get started."

"Nah. Before the clear, I've got something to do."

Time to activate Newbie Shield.
Right on cue, a question sponsor rolled in.

Ppebam!

Haegyeom answered.

"Yes. Spot on. You must be an insider."

Haegyeom knew, too.
As a former hunter manager, he couldn't not know the top Korean guild leader's nickname.

Anyway.
He smiled and pulled out Newbie Shield.
Then declared,

"Alright, I'm extending Korea's 'Rookie Protection Period' right now."

"Correct. This is it."

Haegyeom held up the shield-shaped badge, Newbie Shield, a bit higher.

And then.

"Item use."

Ding!

"Korea."

The moment he selected the country─

Ding!

The country flipped upside down.