The Tsushima Crisis
Japan.
Tsushima Island.
Once a peaceful tourist destination,
It was now—
A living hell.
Thanks to the dynamite Han Myeongjin had set off, the Japanese government had no time to prepare excuses. They had no choice but to admit to the Demonic Outbreak on Tsushima Island.
From Japan's perspective, this was an incredibly humiliating incident.
A Demonic Outbreak had occurred in Japan, a country that had boasted of being the safest in the world by rapidly training hunters after the tower appeared?
And this was despite having Ryohei, the world's number four hunter, whom they were so proud of?
It all began with the Japanese government's complacency.
Their hunter forces were heavily concentrated on the mainland.
As a result, outlying islands like Hokkaido and Okinawa were left relatively unprotected.
Among them, Tsushima Island was notorious for being completely neglected by Japan.
Why?
Despite being a Japanese island, it had been piggybacking off South Korea's barrier of Contribution Points.
The South Korean government spent a massive amount of Contribution Points to extend its defensive barrier all the way to Busan and Jeju Island.
Tsushima Island happened to sit right in that exquisite sweet spot, and Japan had slyly reaped the benefits of the barrier.
It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to barely scrape by.
Of course, maintaining their own Contribution Point barrier would have been much safer, but the cost of doing so was astronomical.
So, Japan chose to quietly steal South Korea's barrier.
For about ten years, the trick worked.
However, starting about five years ago, the boundaries of the Contribution Point barrier began to sharpen.
Japan noticed this, but investing their own Contribution Points at this late stage was out of the question for them.
Why?
Because it had been free all this time!
It was free before, so why should we pay now?
It was the mindset of a classic entitled restaurant customer.
While Japan was walking this tightrope, the bomb known as the Tsushima Demonic Outbreak finally dropped.
The Demonic Outbreak had begun in earnest a year ago.
One day, when South Korea's barrier didn't quite reach, a Kappa appeared on Tsushima Island.
Normally, a Kappa is a weak monster.
But that is only when compared to a hunter.
What happens when a Kappa appears in front of an ordinary civilian?
They die, obviously.
No matter how weak a Kappa might be, it can easily tear a civilian to shreds.
In fact, being torn to shreds would be a mercy.
Most Kappas grow stronger by extracting and consuming human soul beads.
That wasn't all.
After extracting the soul bead, they skin the human's skull, cave it in, and pour Kappa water onto the dish-like depression.
When that happens, what occurs?
The human undergoes Kappa-ification.
Just as being bitten by a zombie turns you into one, dying to a Kappa turns you into a Kappa.
The Kappa-ified humans then move under the command of the Kappas, turning other humans into Kappas in turn.
The result was an infinite multiplication of the monsters.
This was exactly how Tsushima Island had fallen under the control of the Kappas.
The Kappa-ification spread so rapidly that by the time the Japanese government realized what was happening, the situation was already beyond the control of the Self-Defense Forces or ordinary hunter teams.
Of course, if they had requested international aid the moment they noticed, the outcome might have been different.
But Japan chose to cover it up.
Knowing they would fail, they still dispatched the Self-Defense Forces and hunter teams to Tsushima.
In the end, this only served to feed and expand the Kappa forces.
As mentioned, Kappas grow stronger the more human soul beads they consume.
Ultimately, the Japanese government had served up a full-course meal of human soul beads to the Kappas.
With stronger and more numerous Kappas, Tsushima Island was no longer Japanese territory.
It was, quite literally, hell.
Or perhaps, a paradise for Kappas?
Furthermore, Kappas were water-attribute monsters.
It wouldn't be surprising at all if they crossed the sea from Tsushima and headed toward the Japanese mainland.
When Kappas began to be discovered on the mainland's coasts one by one, the Japanese government finally realized that they could no longer hide it.
Thus, they had secretly requested cooperation from the South Korean government, planning to quietly clear the Tsushima Demonic Outbreak.
But with the sudden appearance of Han Myeongjin, Japan's dirty laundry—the Tsushima Demonic Outbreak—was laid bare to the entire world.
But what choice did they have?
If left unchecked, it wouldn't stop at Tsushima.
The Kappas would multiply endlessly and eventually invade the Japanese mainland.
So... they had no choice but to beg for help from the South Korean hunters they had looked down on for so long.
In other words, Japan had no other options.
"This matter cannot be resolved by Japan's unilateral response, and we must respond to this disaster together through international cooperation..."
Kang Mina read the official document aloud.
"...For the safety of your nation's straits, a preemptive containment is necessary."
Before she could even finish the last sentence,
"Hahaha," Lee Taepyeong burst out laughing.
"They call it cooperation."
"..."
"But they're basically asking us to jump into the mud with them, aren't they?"
"...Yes. Bluntly speaking, that's exactly it."
Kang Mina, who had been reading the document, seemed thoroughly annoyed as well. She ground her teeth and sat down opposite Taepyeong.
"Stealing our Contribution Point barrier all this time wasn't enough, and now they want 'cooperation'... They really are incredibly selfish."
"Still, the justification is solid."
"...Justification?"
"Yes."
"What kind of..."
"Joint management of Tsushima Island."
"..."
Joint management of Tsushima. If they successfully cleared the Demonic Outbreak, South Korea would be able to co-manage Tsushima Island, which Japan had failed to defend.
After all, this incident practically proved that Japan lacked the capability to handle it alone.
"There is a possibility of that, but..."
"It's a certainty."
"Well, we'll have to discuss all of that after clearing the Demonic Outbreak..."
"We will clear it," Taepyeong replied confidently.
"That's why I'm going, isn't it?"
At those words, Kang Mina had no choice but to nod.
Lee Taepyeong. There was a reason why Japan had specifically requested him.
Despite only barely passing level 30, his abilities were overwhelming.
Especially in a battle of pure slaughter...
...There's no need to even explain it.
Mina agreed inwardly as she handed the documents to Taepyeong.
"Because of Han Myeongjin, we're moving faster than scheduled, but nothing else will change."
"Got it."
"However, there is one problem..." Mina trailed off.
"What is it?"
"...No South Korean healers will be participating."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. Since it's a highly dangerous raid..."
"Well, sending Hunter Park Geumja to a place like this would be crazy."
Indeed. It was far better for a top-tier healer like Park Geumja to standby in Busan, South Korea, and treat injured hunters transported back in an emergency.
The problem, however, was that the lack of an accompanying healer would significantly raise the difficulty.
There was a clear limit to what potions could do.
That meant they would have to rely on Japanese healers.
"Ugh, I'm not so sure about Japanese healers."
"Ahaha, I suppose you wouldn't be...?"
Having had certain "memories" with Japanese hunters during the previous raid on China's special floor, Taepyeong was bound to feel reluctant.
"Then, what about Woo Jumin...?"
"No, absolutely not," Taepyeong immediately rejected the suggestion.
Jumin's talent as a healer was extraordinary. Multi-target heals, debuffs—with just a bit more growth, he was guaranteed to become a top-tier healer.
That was precisely why he couldn't take him.
What if he brought him to a place like this and Jumin ended up Kappa-ified? Taepyeong was not the type to risk such a devastating loss.
"Then, we will do our best to search for items..."
"Rather than that," Taepyeong said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"I think I know just the person."
"A healer?"
"Well, close enough."
"But would they be willing to go to Tsushima?"
"That's for you to figure out, Ms. Kang Mina."
Gulp. Kang Mina swallowed hard.
Who on earth was this healer Taepyeong was suggesting? If he was the one requesting them, they had to be someone incredible. But would such a person really agree to go to Tsushima?
"W-who is it...?" Mina asked nervously.
"They're from quite a while back," Taepyeong replied.
"Yes..."
"His name is Maeng Juim."
"...Pardon?"
"I don't even know if he's still alive."
"M-M-Maeng..."
"Maeng Juim."
"Why on earth Maeng Juim?!?!?!?!"
*
The participant list was finalized. A total of eight hunters were dispatched from South Korea.
Lee Taepyeong, Choi Muryeong, Ban Haeyeong, Han Sion, Sim Iyeong, Seo Inha, and Park Geumja.
"Ah, Hunter Park Geumja will not enter Tsushima Island but will remain on standby in Busan," the Hunter Administration official explained.
"That is certainly safer," Han Sion agreed, nodding.
"Right, right! Our Geumja is far too precious," Ban Haeyeong chimed in.
Seeing that Choi Muryeong remained silent, he seemed to agree as well.
"But has the last person not arrived yet?" I looked around the room and raised my hand to ask.
"Excluding Hunter Seo Inha, who couldn't make it due to scheduling conflicts, the people gathered here are everyone."
Wait. Does that mean there are only seven of us, not eight?
Hmm... Did she fail after all? I guess even Kang Mina couldn't pull off the impossible...
Slam! Just then, the back door of the meeting room burst open.
"Pant, pant." Kang Mina entered, out of breath as usual.
"J-just a moment!" Behind the wide-open door, a dark shadow loomed.
Could it be...? I looked at Kang Mina with eyes full of anticipation.
"I have brought him here!!!!" At Mina's thunderous declaration,
"W-who...?" Before the bewildered crowd,
The dark shadow stepped forward. He was quite large. No... rather than large, he was fat.
Wow, he looks completely different from the face I remember. A chubby face, a scruffy beard, and a baggy tracksuit.
His face, looking as if he had just rolled out of bed, was lined with wrinkles and extra weight that bore witness to the passage of time.
The other hunters stared at the middle-aged man with expressions that clearly asked, Who on earth is that?
I was probably the only one who recognized him.
"Oh my, could it be...?" Ah, it seemed Park Geumja recognized him too. I suppose it made sense, since they must have worked together back in the day.
Screeech. The middle-aged man pulled out the nearest chair, slumped into it with his legs wide apart, and began scratching his belly.
No matter how generously you looked at him, he just looked like a random middle-aged guy you'd pass on the street.
While everyone else stared in sheer disbelief, I was the only one grinning from ear to ear.
He's here! My cheat key. The legendary "Succubus," Maeng Juim!