The Emergency Summons
The water spirit that had been wrapped around her body shook its hands with a frown, while the wind spirit perched on her shoulder. Just then, Gwangnam oppa approached us and spoke.
“That ability always feels unfair no matter how many times I see it. Do you even understand the struggles of someone who has to fight with gear alone?”
“On the other hand, you’re the one who gets the best gear.”
“That’s true. More importantly, an emergency request just came in.”
At the mention of an emergency request, Ruya’s face instantly turned serious. Ekaterina and Charlotte were already preparing to leave in a hurry. Sensing the tense atmosphere, I asked,
“What exactly is an emergency request?”
“Think of it as the Hunter Association declaring a full emergency mobilization—only for dimensional disaster-level incidents.”
“So what’s actually happening?”
“Do you know about the H-69 dimension?”
“It’s the uncharted dimension the Americans have been exploring recently, right?”
“All the hunter teams that left America to explore that dimension have gone missing. Even the investigation teams the American Hunter Association sent to find them have lost all contact.”
The American Hunter Association had tried to handle it on their own, but after several investigation teams also vanished, they finally requested help from the International Hunter Union. The Union had notified each country’s hunter associations and officially issued a large-scale rescue request.
“The Korean Hunter Association decided to participate as well.”
“How many teams are going?”
“The major teams are Dokkaebi and Hyunsung Mirae Chemical, plus fourteen medium and small teams.”
“Hyunsung makes sense—they have to look good to the Americans. But Dokkaebi is going too?”
“Their team leader must have smelled something. They’re already preparing in earnest.”
“Ah, shit. Teaming up with those Dokkaebi bastards is the worst.”
“Let’s head home, pack up, and go to Incheon Airport. They’ve prepared a direct flight to America. Might as well get in some sightseeing while we’re at it.”
“They’re even providing a private jet? This must be pretty urgent. Got it.”
Even as Ruya prepared to leave the training grounds, her expression showed clear reluctance. On the way home, I asked,
“What kind of team is Dokkaebi that you’re reacting like this?”
“They’re a bunch of crazy psychopaths. They became hunters because it lets them kill people however they want—legally.”
According to her explanation, the Dokkaebi team, one of the largest in Korea, was a gathering place for notorious madmen. They were brutal hunters who openly practiced values considered taboo in modern society—closer to criminals who enjoyed massacre, torture, and rape.
“People like that are allowed to work as hunters?”
“They’re extremely good at skirting the law. As lunatics, they’re exceptionally skilled in combat. It’s an open secret that some high-ranking officials in the Hunter Association are backing them.”
Of course, a group of criminals like that would need powerful connections to survive. Once home, we packed our belongings as thoroughly as possible.
“When we arrive in America, they’ll provide support supplies. Still, make sure to pack your personal items carefully. In situations like this, no one knows what might happen.”
“I’m starting to feel that being a hunter really means risking your life. But… am I even a hunter?”
I had no memory of officially becoming a hunter, yet because I kept traveling with the Bitnari team, I was already being treated as one. Gwangnam looked at me in disbelief.
“You became an official hunter after successfully completing the Fairy’s Fruit request. With a recommendation from a high-ranking hunter and proof of mission success, you can register as a low-ranking hunter.”
“Ehh, I didn’t even know that.”
“Our whole family are hunters, so it’s basically the family business.”
Anyway, it seemed I had officially become a low-ranking hunter affiliated with the Bitnari Hunter Team. With grim expressions, we finished our preparations and called a high-speed taxi. Since there were many of us, Gwangnam, Ekaterina, and Charlotte took one car while Ruya and I took another.
The high-speed taxi was much faster than the one we usually used, flying at a higher altitude. The people on the ground looked as small as ants from that height.
“Wow. This is the first time I’ve been this high up.”
“You’ll be even more surprised when you ride a plane.”
“Now that you mention it, this will be my first time on a plane too.”
Elisa would probably want to ride a plane. Should I ask her?
“I’ll go see Elisa for a moment.”
“I had something I wanted to ask her anyway.”
When I went inside, I asked the AI controlling the body,
“Is the one moving the body right now an AI?”
“Yes. It’s an artificial intelligence created based on my personality data.”
“Eek. Isn’t it creepy to have your own personality copied like that?”
“I don’t know? In the end, I’m just a doll with a sense of self. If you think about it, there’s not much difference between me and an AI. Besides, the performance gap between us is so huge that comparing us doesn’t even make sense.”
The AI Elisa was a low-performance artificial intelligence that only reacted according to its input, so it was impossible to compare her from the start with me, who was close to a top-tier autonomous AI.
“I don’t think I could stand having an AI made by copying myself.”
“There’s no such thing as two perfectly identical beings in this world. The moment you create two entities with the same personality, they become completely separate individuals. Anyway, I’ll go see Elisa for a bit.”
“Alright.”
When I activated AI Elisa, I could feel the artificial intelligence taking control of the body. Entering the mental space, I saw my room in the same messy state as before.
“I really should clean this up sometime.”
I couldn’t ask Master Elisa to clean it. I decided to leave it for now and opened Elisa’s door.
Elisa couldn’t hide her excitement at the news that we would be riding a plane.
“Really? We’re really riding a plane?”
“Yeah. We’re taking a plane to go to a country called America.”
“A direct flight to America—you mean the latest model passenger plane KGA-101 equipped with six mana-mixed high-output jet engines, right?”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“That’s the only passenger plane that flies straight across the Pacific! It has to be that one!”
Elisa showed me a photo of a sleek aircraft with six engines, her eyes sparkling.
“Maximum capacity 320 passengers. Top speed Mach 2.5 at minimum load, and stable speed Mach 2 even at maximum load—the pinnacle of magical engineering!”
“Uh-huh.”
When Elisa got like this, there was no point in saying anything, so it was best to just listen quietly. After chattering excitedly for a while, Elisa finally calmed down, leaned back in her chair, and said,
“Phew… I really need to fix this habit of rambling when I get excited.”
“I like that side of you too, you know?”
“Thank you. I got so worked up about the plane that I almost forgot—since you’re going to be doing something so dangerous, please be especially careful.”
“Yeah, I will.”
“It’s a shame the accident assistance program is still incomplete. It would’ve been helpful.”
“The combat assistance program is already enough. No need to rush.”
The combat assistance program, upgraded once by Elisa, had reached a level where it could be useful in battle even without overclocking.
“When you ride the plane, I’ll use the body.”
“Okay. See you later.”
After finishing my conversation with Elisa and coming back outside, I saw Ruya playing with AI Elisa. They were clapping hands alternately while singing.
“I’m back.”
“Ah, you’re back? What did she say?”
“She was really excited. She said she’ll use the body when we ride the plane.”
“Elisa really is a hardcore tech otaku.”
“I think so too.”
The taxi carrying us arrived at Incheon Airport and dropped us off. The airport, where aircraft roared through the sky coming and going, was incredibly vast and well-organized.
“Seeing it in person, it’s really impressive.”
“If you saw military planes instead of civilian ones, your jaw would drop.”
Following Ruya who was leading the way, we entered the airport building. The interior of the massive three-story structure unfolded before us. Cleaning robots roamed around, and various races lined up in front of the cargo inspection counters staffed by employees. Passing them, we went up to the second floor and saw a group that looked like hunters gathered together.
Gwangnam oppa’s voice called out to us as we looked around.
“Over here! Here!”
Ekaterina and Charlotte were also at the spot where he was waving. We joined them under the sharp gazes of the hunters who turned to look at the sound of his voice.
“The atmosphere feels pretty grim.”
“Just as I suspected…”
“Why else would those Dokkaebi bastards volunteer so eagerly? It’s obvious.”
“Let’s just take another request and back out now, meow.”
“Our team is already registered on the participant list.”
The team’s mood was also tense. Feeling like I was the only one who didn’t understand the situation, I asked,
“What’s going on that the atmosphere is this bad? Tell me too.”
“Those Dokkaebi bastards are crazy people who love bloodshed and slaughter. The fact that they’re the first to step forward for a dangerous emergency request that’s basically a suicide mission—what do you think that means?”
“The H-69 dimension is probably in the middle of a war with a high probability. A real war where blood and flesh will fly.”
“A war?”
My voice must have been loud, because the surrounding gazes turned toward us. The hunters looked at us with sharp expressions before huddling together and whispering. Lowering my voice while checking the other hunters’ reactions, I spoke.
“That… you mean a real war, not just a simple battle, right?”
“Yeah. It’s a request to go into the middle of a battlefield, find the missing hunters and investigation teams, and come back.”
“We never know when we might get caught up in combat and be in danger, meow.”
Suddenly hearing about war, it didn’t feel real at all. Suddenly, I remembered the story Theo had told me back in Eden about the war with the orcs. A hell on earth where people repeatedly killed each other in a place overflowing with murderous intent and hatred. His back as he muttered like he was venting while drinking remained vividly in my old memories without fading.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I’d seen him. He was someone I had liked quite a bit at one point, yet I’d been too indifferent. The last news I heard was about his marriage to Maria— I wondered if he was doing well.
“Can you see them over there? Those are the Dokkaebi bastards.”
“Ah, so those are the people.”
The hunters gathered in the direction Ruya pointed had a completely different aura. A damp, dangerous, filthy feeling. There were about forty of them, laughing and chatting loudly without caring about the heavy atmosphere around them.
“They all look strange.”
“What was it they called it—end-of-the-world fashion? Apocalypse fashion? Anyway, they’re weirdos.”
They had hairstyles where the sides were shaved and the middle was grown long and slicked to the side or spiked up, wore leather equipment covered in studs, and had piercings dangling everywhere. The piercings were especially something—noses were basic, but they also had them on tongues, eyelids, foreheads, chins, pelvises, and even navels.
“Forget how they look— isn’t that dangerous during combat?”
“When they get excited, they rip them out themselves. What do you expect from crazy bastards like that? The people gathered over there are the Hyunsung team.”
In contrast to the Dokkaebi team, the Hyunsung Mirae Chemical team on the opposite side felt more like a military unit than hunters. About sixty people, all with neat hair and wearing standardized uniforms, sat in orderly rows listening to a man briefing them at the front.
“They really do look like soldiers.”
“Since they’re hunters contracted and employed by Hyunsung, they’re similar to the military. Closer to professional soldiers than hunters. A lot of them are actually from special forces.”
Their solid builds and serious expressions, regardless of gender, gave off a reassuring feeling that eased the anxiety I’d felt when looking at the Dokkaebi team.
“And the other medium and small teams like ours are over there.”
The medium and small teams gathered between the Dokkaebi and Hyunsung teams on either side, including ours, numbered over a hundred people. With fourteen teams, the numbers were considerable.
“Alright, our Elisha is still a low-ranking hunter so she doesn’t know much, right? I’ll explain everything. Just trust oppa.”
Hearing our conversation, Gwangnam grinned mischievously and spoke. Ruya responded with a disgusted expression.
“Eww, what’s with the ‘just trust oppa’? So lame.”
“Ah, why? What’s wrong with that? I was just trying to lighten the mood for my girls.”
“Husband?”
“Yeah?”
He was smiling, but at Ekaterina’s silent pressure, he shrank back immediately.
“Read the room, meow.”
“We’re heading into the middle of a war. As the head of the family, I need to stay composed.”
“Ruya is right. As the head of the family, you should show some gravitas.”
Oppa got nagged like that. With three wives, he was getting thoroughly scolded.
“So we have to break through a battlefield in the middle of a war?”
“No. Unless absolutely necessary, we’ll avoid contact as much as possible. We’ll follow the emergency location beacons.”
“If it becomes absolutely necessary, we won’t hesitate to fight either.”
When I asked a question and changed the subject, oppa gave me a grateful look.