154. Dragon God Council (1)
Truth be told, the refugee problem wasn't unique to Pohang. It was erupting across the entire Korean Peninsula, and the root cause...
"Your Excellency. The refugees have caused trouble again."
"In our jurisdiction?"
"No. It's under another faction's control."
"Then it shouldn't be our problem. We've managed them up until now, but we no longer have any obligation to do so."
This stemmed from Kim Su-ho's de facto ousting in Seoul after the failed expedition, plunging South Korea into complete anarchy. The refugees under his watch should have fallen to the next power-grabber in Seoul, but the very ones who toppled him couldn't manage it like he did, letting the crisis explode. The issue was that it was hitting other factions, not Kim Su-ho—and he had zero intention of stepping in to fix it.
But to say it was only happening on the peninsula...
"Your Majesty. Refugee issues are cropping up everywhere."
"Eh? M-Mary, what do we do about this?"
"W-We do have the palace guard following us, but normally, this is for the cabinet to handle."
Disguised as refugees, bandits were plaguing governments worldwide, not just the peninsula. Even Alicia, who had reclaimed her royal dignity through her contract with Bahamut, received reports that the Protector's cabinet was in dire straits over the refugee mess.
It was the aftershock of the apocalypse itself.
"President Arthur. Refugees displaced from their homes are appearing across the U.S., disrupting public order."
"Take in the relatively peaceful ones. Deploy heroes to control the violent looters."
They needed to figure out solutions on their own.
So Baek Seol-hwa didn't even need to consult Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul to address the refugees.
"The refugees are stirring up trouble again."
"You've had a rough time."
The Balhut Cult headquarters was well aware of looters masquerading as refugees causing chaos. Administrative Minister Lee Su-ah, who had joined the international delegation, returned to Gyeongju and was now reporting directly to Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul on the refugee crises erupting peninsula-wide.
If the news had reached Hwang Geun-chul through Lee Su-ah, it meant the sheer volume of refugees was overwhelming even the Balhut Cult's administration.
"What's the situation?"
"Looters calling themselves refugees are swarming toward Gyeongju. We're deploying troops to block them, but this is happening across Balhut Cult territory."
These looters-cum-refugees, desperate for survival, were unfamiliar with the cult's culture. Drawing from their long refugee stints, they rampaged through Gyeongju like bandits—looting shops in the streets, breaking into homes for squatting and freeloading. Complaints never stopped.
The administration took refugee-related grievances seriously, coordinating with other agencies to resolve the crisis, but early suppression had failed.
"This is tricky. They're demanding Republic of Korea law, not Balhut Cult law... But even under ROK law, these are crimes."
"They call it 'citizens' right to resistance.' Even if it is that, do they not know—or pretend not to—that looting, violence, and crime aren't allowed?"
The problem was these refugees banding together under the banner of citizens' right to resistance, openly defying the Balhut Cult. Sure, it was a last-resort constitutional safeguard for protecting rights and freedoms through force. But these folks weren't just resisting—they were looting shops, assaulting passersby, and occupying homes without permission. Even under ROK law, that was straight-up criminal. Claiming "right to resistance" for it was shameless.
Lee Su-ah flatly told the troubled Hwang Geun-chul that their justification held no water, her face a mask of utter disbelief.
"They probably know but are ignoring it. Common sense, right?"
"We must punish them decisively. Otherwise, the security we've barely clawed back will crumble again. We're already stretched thin from the Ulsan war—we can't handle this too."
Hwang Geun-chul noted Lee Su-ah's unusual anger but didn't blame her. Surviving the apocalypse often meant taking from others, so he felt some sympathy. But as she said, since they'd committed crimes first, decisive punishment was needed. He strongly agreed, citing how Jo Sun-do's remnants had already wrecked security once—letting it happen again would be disastrous. His expression darkened.
"That bad?"
"Worst part: notorious community raiders have slipped in among them. We can snag the infamous ones quickly via checkpoints and intel-sharing. But some skilled ones broke through our watchposts and infiltrated Gyeongju."
"That's bad. In U.S. terms, that's A-rank villains."
Hwang Geun-chul's face grew graver at reports of year-long infamous raiders infiltrating. Looters weren't welcome anywhere, but celebrity ones? Beyond the pale. These were psychopathic criminals who'd tasted blood—indistinguishable from packs roving for kills. The moment they rampaged inside the city, casualties would skyrocket. Americans called them villains for good reason; awakeners turning criminal caused massive collateral. No wonder Hwang's face hardened at the thought of urban devastation.
"Perfect storm timing. The mountain monsters froze to death, right?"
"Yes. They're exploiting the gap. Plus, with the monster packs gone, surveillance gaps opened up."
The timing was awful. A cold snap had wiped out mountain monsters, creating blind spots. Normally, checkpoint watches sufficed, but now refugees bypassed via mountains. Many poured in this way. The cult deployed surveillance drones and refugee response teams, but it wasn't enough.
"Fundamentally, the Ulsan battle pulled defenders from Gyeongju. We have the Dragon Priestess's guard and city defense command, but they're stretched thin."
"Troops on Ulsan front?"
"Recent big win freed some up, but pulling many back to Gyeongju's tough. At least mountain troops returned to watch bypass routes—we should be grateful."
Chronic troop shortages plagued the Balhut Cult. City defense and priestess guards handled undead incursions or escort duties—not policing. Most of Jeong Dong-gun's forces were at Ulsan. A key victory brought some back, but not enough.
They needed extra forces or a root fix for the refugee response.
"Damn. Reporting this to Lord Bahamut would be awkward. He'd never get involved anyway."
"It's human society issues, not monsters or undead. He only touches sensitive social matters if it's dire."
The bad news? Dragon God Bahamut couldn't easily intervene. If monsters, Hwang would report directly. But human disputes? Bahamut had declared non-interference unless extreme.
'Not a threat to Yu-na. Not for the Dragon Priestess to handle directly... This is our cabinet's social issue.'
Neither Choi Yu-na nor Baek Seol-hwa was directly involved. It was a peninsula-wide societal problem for the current Dragon God Council cabinet and Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul to solve. No Bahamut help left him frustrated, but unavoidable.
"Lately, even national sentiments make him cautious on diplomacy."
"I'm glad he's cautious. Solving it blindly without knowing the nuances would've been trouble."
Hwang defended Bahamut's caution amid public sentiment, while Lee Su-ah inwardly regretted it. Sure, his wariness showed respect, but...
'If only he'd fix headaches like this effortlessly.'
Both secretly wished Bahamut would step in. It was a nightmare for them.
"Any solutions?"
"We have means. Means, yes."
Lee Su-ah claimed viable options. Hwang lit up—lifeline from heaven in this mess. The Dragon God's pick for admin, indeed. He gazed expectantly—
"Deploy National Tax Service agents."
"You planning a massacre?"
Hwang's optimism soured instantly. What did she just say? This woman serious about unleashing the IRS? They'd solve it, sure—but the body count? Unimaginable.
"...That bad?"
"Even in chaos, IRS deployment means hundreds lightly to the afterlife. Hundreds? Try thousands dead."
The IRS's infamous rep was cabinet legend. Hwang knew it wasn't hype: agents rivaled elite military awakeners. With Lee Hyun-ah's maneuvering, they got prime magical gear after Jeong Dong-gun. Armed thus, to tax evaders, they were literal reapers.
"But the effect? Phenomenal."
"C-Can't deny that."
Results were undeniable. Deploy, and even awakener evaders paid up meekly. In apocalypse tax collection, force was essential—no surprise there. Though some resisting evaders got crippled in "overkill" enforcement.
So Lee Su-ah wasn't bluffing: IRS would end it fast.
"One shot, everything solved. I get my sister's mindset now."
Label them evaders, IRS physically collects—clashes routine for them. They'd crush resistance while nabbing every penny.
"S-Stop before dangerous ideas sink in. If you go full IRS-worship too, I can't cope."
Hwang half-agreed but nixed it first—too aggressive for a PM. Lee Su-ah sighed, pivoting to Plan B without resentment.
"Next easiest: expel all refugees on principle. Daegu's provisional government fell to refugee hordes already. Use that as pretext for force."
Plan B: deportation. Expel Gyeongju-bound refugees, citing Daegu precedent.
Hwang listened quietly at first.
"...What did you say?"
"So, use force—"
"No, the middle part."
"The provisional government's regime got stolen by refugees. Our intel network there took heavy hits too. Thanks to my sister's thorough purge of Daegu."
Her casual bombshell chilled Hwang. Daegu provisional gone? No small thing. He shut his eyes, dizzy—this wasn't just looters; it threatened regimes. Not mere survivor camps—a full government toppled overnight!
"S-So that provisional government now..."
"Looter regime. Think the usurpers are heroic patriots? Dream on, Prime Minister."
Daegu's new provisional: looter government. Amid dire external threats, Hwang craved escape.
"Kuh! Counterattack... no, cabinet resignation fever!"
He fantasized resigning on crisis blame. Bad luck being apocalypse PM, not golden age. But Yu-na wouldn't accept it anyway.
"Don't even think Level-up-via-resignation."
"Quit it. More real combat levels? We'd suffer. Pohang's similar. Decide fast."
Neighbor a bandit den? Hwang eyed resignation-leveling; Lee Su-ah recoiled, warning it'd make him unstoppable. Crisis escalating, he wanted to cry—but no choice. Dragon God Council cabinet's job.
"Sigh. If Pohang's same, Seol-hwa guarding East Sea knows. How to explain..."
"Your Excellency."
"What? I'm busy—"
No time to brood.
"Baek Seol-hwa has arrived at the residence."
The Dragon Priestess visiting the PM's office froze Hwang. Why this trial from the Dragon God? He silently cursed Bahamut at the temple.
"...Maybe resign now, take full blame."
"Dream on."
Hwang seriously pondered cabinet resignation.