The Green Magic Stone and the Tense Border

The Hunter Management Department's plane landed at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea. Park Hae-soo stood at the very front, scanning the surroundings with a stiff expression. The runway was cleanly cleared, but at its end, a line of high-ranking North Korean Workers' Party officials and military generals stood waiting. The man at the very front stepped forward and offered a handshake.

"Comrade Cheon Yooshin, we sincerely welcome you to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

The golden stars on his shoulders glittered brilliantly. Yooshin blinked.

"Who are you again?"

He wasn't the person he often saw on TV. The man smiled.

"It is an honor to meet you, Comrade. I am Kim Seong-ryong, Colonel General of the 2nd Corps of the Korean People's Army."

"...What's a Colonel General?"

Park Hae-soo, standing beside him, whispered urgently. "In our military ranks, it's equivalent to a General."

"A General? Isn't that a really high rank?"

Yooshin hadn't served in the military yet, so the title of General just felt vaguely impressive. Park Hae-soo clarified, "To put it simply, think of him as a four-star general."

"Whoa."

The intuitive explanation of 'four stars' made it click instantly. "This guy was a really big shot, huh? Nice to meet you. You seem to know me."

Yooshin’s casual attitude, as if he were talking to a neighbor, caused the faces of the surrounding North Korean soldiers to harden. Someone even reached for the holster of their sidearm. However, Kim Seong-ryong just let out a hearty laugh as if it were nothing.

"Hahaha. You are exactly as the rumors described. We have no time, so let's head to the C-class gate."

The black Mercedes sped through the streets of Pyongyang, its license plate clearly marked with four white stars on a red background. The traffic lights along the road didn't turn from green to red. It wasn't a malfunction; it was a privilege for a four-star general. All the regular vehicles lined up on the left and right were stopped. North Korean soldiers were lined up along the entire route, standing like statues in a salute, not moving an inch. It felt as if everything on the street had frozen just for that Mercedes. Thanks to this, the vehicle drove smoothly without a single stop.

Inside the car, Yooshin and Kim Seong-ryong sat together. Yooshin watched the scenery, but he didn't feel quite right. Were they really doing this voluntarily? Kim Seong-ryong saw his expression and gave a bitter smile.

"It can't be helped. I didn't ask for this, so I hope you don't misunderstand."

"Well, this is North Korea, after all."

Yooshin muttered something ambiguous. Perhaps to change the subject, Kim Seong-ryong shifted the topic.

"I heard you cleared the C-class ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gate in South Korea all by yourself. Is that true?"

"Why would I lie? I cleared it. It wasn't a big deal."

Yooshin said, staring at the city of Pyongyang passing by outside the window.

"Indeed, that is impressive. It is a pity that our People's Republic lacks a hunter like Comrade Cheon Yooshin."

"Don't be sad. There probably isn't a hunter like me anywhere in the world."

Even though it was an arrogant answer, Colonel General Kim Seong-ryong laughed instead.

"You're right. Even if you searched the whole world, there wouldn't be a hunter like Comrade Cheon Yooshin. Anyway, I'm counting on you for the C-class gate today."

"Got it. Don't worry about a thing."

"Oh! And may I ask one favor?"

"What is it?"

"Would it be alright if our People's Republic warriors enter with you? I want to let them observe."

There was no need to refuse a simple request to observe.

"As long as they don't get in my way."

"Of course. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Before long, they arrived at the area where access was restricted. As soon as the soldiers saw the car Yooshin was in, they saluted in unison. At the same time, the barriers blocking the vehicle's entry quickly vanished. As they passed through smoothly, the gate finally came into Yooshin's view.

"Here we are."

"This is it. I pray for your success in clearing the gate. Many of our people are suffering because of this."

"Hey, General, don't be so pessimistic. Don't worry. I'll be back in no time."

The Hunter Management Department hunters who had followed Yooshin's car began to get out one by one. Park Hae-soo was the first to approach. "Hunter, you're going in right away, right?"

"Of course."

Yooshin got out of the car and looked at Baek Woo-hyun and the others waiting. "What are you doing? Get in there."

One by one, they began to enter the gate. The North Korean hunters followed them inside. Soon, all the hunters had entered, leaving only Cheon Yooshin behind.

"I'll be back soon."

The gate swallowed Yooshin whole.

# Inside the gate.

Yooshin spoke to the hunters waiting at the entrance. "Let's go. Once."

"Yes!"

The hunters answered with tense expressions. Behind them, the North Korean hunters watched.

How long had they been moving? A mysterious cry echoed from afar. They had arrived. A lumpy, muscular monster over three meters tall entered Yooshin's field of vision. It was an Ogre. And there were three of them. This was manageable. That was just Yooshin's thought, however; the others' faces had turned pale.

"Everyone, group up!"

At Yooshin's command, the hunters formed a formation in an instant. Tankers, including Baek Woo-hyun, stood tall in their path with giant shields, and the ranged attackers stepped back.

The Ogres swung ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their massive wooden clubs. Baek Woo-hyun poured strength into his shield-bearing arm, bracing for the impact. *Boom!* Baek Woo-hyun's eyes widened as he took the Ogre's attack. 'Why, why is the impact...' It was much weaker than expected. He wasn't even pushed back, despite the Ogre being twice his height. It wasn't just him. The other tankers were also stunned, having blocked the clubs with ease.

Then.

"Are you spacing out now? What's the point of just blocking? Why aren't you attacking?"

Cheon Yooshin shouted from behind, clicking his tongue.

"O-okay!"

Only then did the hunters begin their counterattack in a hurry. Magic, arrows, and throwing daggers flew at high speed. For some reason, the three Ogres were wiped out in an instant.

"T-this actually works?"

They were stunned by the results they had produced. Before this, clearing a D-class gate was a dangerous challenge. But here they were, in a C-class gate, taking down Ogres so easily. But before they could even collect their thoughts, Yooshin shouted.

"Alright, everyone, move!"

They moved again to find more monsters. But unlike before, there was power in their footsteps.

# Under Cheon Yooshin's command, the hunters searched the gate quickly and advanced. Their initial hesitation had turned into confidence.

"Clear!"

A loud voice rang out from the left. They had neatly finished off two Ogres that had appeared moments ago. "Extermination complete!" The right side was the same. "We've cleared this side too!" A report of victory came from the front as well. Their voices were filled with excitement, as if they couldn't believe the situation. Yooshin smiled with satisfaction. 'At this rate, they won't get beaten up anywhere they go.'

They adapted quickly. The eyes of the North Korean hunters watching the South Korean hunters' hunt shook violently. How could there be such a difference? The South Korean Hunter Management Department wasn't much different from them until recently. This was a C-class gate. And yet, they were hunting? It felt like something was stuck in their throats.

That was when it happened. The ground shook slightly. *Thump. Thump.* Everyone's gaze turned in one direction. A massive entity was approaching at high speed. It was twice the size of the Ogres they had dealt with so far, and it even wore a crude crown on its head. Furthermore, it carried a club and a giant shield.

"O-Ogre King."

Someone muttered. Ogre King. At a glance, it was not an opponent they could handle. Everyone was frozen, overwhelmed, but a voice that didn't fit the situation reached their ears.

"You muscle-bound pig, who are you trying to act tough in front of?"

Yooshin's eyes flashed. Darkness. Black energy rose from his fingertips. At the same time, the black energy flew toward the Ogre. The Ogre King kept running as if it hadn't noticed, and finally, the black energy seeped into the Ogre King's eyes. At the same time, it stumbled, waving its giant hands in the air as if it couldn't see in front of it. The creature that had shown such strength until now moved clumsily. Like a child.

"W-why is it doing that?"

"Is it possible it can't see?"

"How could this happen?"

Why had it suddenly become a fool? But Cheon Yooshin's curse didn't end there. Slow. Once again, black energy wrapped around the Ogre's massive body. Its movements slowed down noticeably. The hunters watched blankly as the Ogre King acted out a blind man and a slow-motion performance. And then, the final blow shattered the Ogre King's head. Naturally, it was Yooshin's attack, Dark Burst.

As expected, you have to hunt C-class. The level that was so hard to raise in D-class had gone up by two stages at once. Meanwhile, the hunters who watched Cheon Yooshin's solo clear were stunned.

"Whoa."

"The boss monster in one hit?"

"To blow its head off in one hit..."

Baek Woo-hyun's jaw dropped. He knew he was strong, but to take down a C-class boss monster in a single hit? The only word that came to Baek Woo-hyun's mind was 'overwhelming.' How on earth could one explain that strength? Could an A-class hunter do something like that? The North Korean side was the same. It wasn't an E-class gate, but a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠C-class gate, and they had taken down the boss monster so easily.

But that was when it happened.

"I-it's a Green Magic Stone!"

Everyone's gaze turned to the hunter who had just shouted. Cheon Yooshin was the same. A Green Magic Stone, really? This was a jackpot. Baek Woo-hyun ran over with a serious expression. "Hunter, we must return to Korea immediately."

"What?"

Meanwhile, Joo Jo-eun was carefully recovering the Green Magic Stone. "It's a Green Magic Stone. It's a Green Magic Stone, something whose very existence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hasn't even been revealed to the world yet."

"So what?"

"This is North Korea. It's impossible to predict how they will react. So we must recover the Green Magic Stone and return as quickly as possible."

"What are you talking about? Doesn't all the right to the loot go to the person who cleared the gate?"

He bit his lip, glanced at the North Korean hunters, and whispered secretly. "That's true. But that only applies when it's a general item. If it's a Green Magic Stone, even the United States, known as the world's hunter police, cannot be trusted. Needless to say, North Korea is the same. So we must get out of North Korea as fast as we can."

Cheon Yooshin scoffed at those words. "Let them try. I'll kill them all."

It was the same in the Abyss. Everyone was desperate to kill him. But in the end, he was the winner. Besides, wasn't North Korea a hunter-poor country that couldn't even clear a C-class gate on its own? There was no way those guys could do anything to him. That was why Yooshin was relaxed. Even though they had obtained a jackpot called a Green Magic Stone, the faces of the South Korean hunters were stiff. Under Baek Woo-hyun's command, they headed to the exit gate, surrounding Cheon Yooshin as if to protect him. The North Korean hunters also followed them, keeping a close eye on Cheon Yooshin.

# As soon as the North Korean hunters came out of the gate, they moved busily. Some went to Colonel General Kim Seong-ryong, the person in charge here, and some disappeared somewhere in a hurry. One hunter began to whisper something to Colonel General Kim Seong-ryong. Then, Kim Seong-ryong's face hardened. It was the same for South Korea. When Baek Woo-hyun reported what had happened inside to Park Hae-soo, his face also stiffened. In normal times, it would be something to cheer about. But they were in North Korea. They were in a country where it wouldn't be strange if anything happened. Although they had come to help, they had obtained a Green Magic Stone. Perhaps they might even resort to force to steal the Green Magic Stone. But they couldn't just hand it over. The value of a Green Magic Stone would far exceed the value of the few Yellow Magic Stones in the world. The Hunter Management Department hunters and agents from South Korea stood tall at the boundary between Cheon Yooshin and the North Korean agents. The peaceful atmosphere from moments ago had vanished. It was a situation where they were wary of each other. That was when Colonel General Kim Seong-ryong stepped forward.

"Congratulations, Comrade Cheon Yooshin."

But his voice was rigid. Yooshin also stepped forward.

"What are you congratulating me for? For clearing the gate? Or for obtaining the Green Magic Stone?"

Kim Seong-ryong began to walk toward Cheon Yooshin. Then, a tight tension flowed between both sides. But even in that, only Yooshin was relaxed. It didn't matter what they did. If they blocked his path, he would just crush them all.