Chapter 238: Cleanup (14)
Chapter 238: Cleanup (14)
After receiving Tiamat’s message, Kang Yujin immediately informed the outside world, just as she had told Han Shin she would.
The reactions from both the United States and Korea were identical.
Wolyeong, who had asked for a moment before reaching out again, delivered the news everyone had dreaded most: following the recent demon assault, an even more powerful offensive was imminent.
Even though they were speaking to Wolyeong herself, the staff members were so shocked they had to ask her to repeat the information. It was a matter that required absolute confirmation before being reported up the chain of command.
Given the gravity of the situation, Kang Yujin wasn't particularly offended or annoyed by their reaction. Instead, she spoke with a gravity of her own, assuring them that the information was certain.
The trust Kang Yujin had built over her two years active as Wolyeong was absolute within the Korean Branch of the Awakener Association. Park Min-woo, the head of the Korean Branch, trusted her word implicitly and immediately convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures.
By now, everyone in the Association was well aware that Korea, Japan, and the UK were high-risk zones. These three regions saw a disproportionately high frequency of Gate manifestations, leading them to be classified as dangerous areas long ago. Since Korea was one of them, the Korean Branch naturally reacted with extreme sensitivity.
Park Min-woo summoned the leaders of the Large Clans for a meeting, something he hadn't done in quite a while. He knew the Association’s strength alone wouldn't be enough; they needed the cooperation and help of the Large Clans to overcome the approaching crisis.
However, the Large Clans were currently preoccupied with expanding their influence. They were busy competing with one another and focusing on dungeon raids, so they weren't exactly thrilled about the summons.
Korea had already seen its share of traitors. The Goryeo Clan and the Geumwa Clan had both fallen to corruption caused by Ego Artifacts. Two entire Large Clans had been caught in the schemes of Demonic Humans and were subsequently eliminated.
Previously, the Korean Awakener society had operated under a set of rules and agreements established by five Large Clans that divided the territory among themselves. Since the Goryeo and Geumwa Clans were among them, the areas they had managed and held priority over were vast.
With only five Large Clans in Korea to begin with, the disappearance of two left a massive void that someone had to fill. While nothing was said in the immediate aftermath of the emergency, the remaining Large Clans saw it as a golden opportunity to expand their power.
This was especially true recently, as the Awakener society had become stagnant, with social ranks becoming almost fixed. Although there were differences in strength between the five Large Clans, everyone knew that no single clan was powerful enough to swallow another. Any reckless move to do so would likely provide a pretext for the other clans to join forces and retaliate, making such attempts a tacit taboo.
In short, this was a monumental opportunity for the remaining clans.
On the surface, they appeared to be negotiating and holding meetings peacefully to divide the unclaimed territories, but beneath the surface, a fierce battle of wits was unfolding. It was a storm of political maneuvering, shifting alliances, and even physical skirmishes as they tried to deceive one another.
Given this sensitive climate, the Large Clans couldn't help but show a hint of discomfort toward Park Min-woo for calling a sudden meeting, even if they didn't say it outright. He was pulling them away right in the middle of their heated competition.
Choi Yu-shin, the leader of the Hwarang Clan, was an Awakener with a youthful and enterprising image, possessing the refined looks of a young nobleman. To the general public, he seemed like a successful young entrepreneur, and he was the youngest among the five leaders of the Large Clans.
Of course, compared to the other leaders, he lacked experience and talent, which was why he occupied the lowest seat. He accepted this reality while constantly looking for a chance to grow.
For him, the fall of the Goryeo and Geumwa Clans was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for expansion. Upon hearing the news, Choi Yu-shin had been so delighted he had cheered privately at home.
Consequently, the Hwarang Clan had been moving aggressively and proactively of late. Being summoned now made him incredibly irritated. In the past, Choi Yu-shin was the type to maintain a perfect poker face and a positive image at such meetings, but now, he made no effort to hide his displeasure.
"What is the reason for this summons?"
Choi Yu-shin wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so he could finish securing the territory he was targeting.
Park Min-woo could see right through him.
Sigh... This brat has no idea what's actually happening...
Park Min-woo had always known that despite Choi Yu-shin’s polite and positive public persona, he was actually an ambitious and cold-hearted individual. As the head of the Korean Branch since its early days, Park Min-woo had the connections to gather information on what was happening behind the scenes. He figured the boy was only acting this way because he was too blinded by his reckless expansion to realize the gravity of the situation.
The others don't look too pleased either...
It wasn't just Choi Yu-shin; Lee Jeong-jin of the Yuseong Clan and Hyeon Jeong-ah of the Asura Clan didn't look particularly happy to be there, though for different reasons.
For Lee Jeong-jin, whose clan was already the top Large Clan in Korea, wasting time like this wasn't a huge burden. In fact, a slow and steady expansion favored the Yuseong Clan, as their superior strength made it difficult for other clans to contest them.
However, Lee Jeong-jin was annoyed because the meeting was cutting into his training time. Previously, no one could dispute his status as Korea’s top Awakener. But then Wolyeong, who had been the subject of occasional rumors, suddenly skyrocketed in fame.
Furthermore, the Otherworlders she had reportedly summoned were incredibly powerful. With the rise of the Moon Shadow Party, the title of "Korea’s Strongest Awakener" was becoming meaningless.
This was a humiliation for Lee Jeong-jin. He had always been the best, and he felt he had to be the best. Yet now, some faceless woman was being ranked above him, and the Otherworlders—especially the one known as Knight—were being described as heroes straight out of myth.
This had reignited a fire in Lee Jeong-jin just as his desire to grow stronger had begun to wane. Recently, he had left the expansion of the Yuseong Clan to his subordinates while he immersed himself in a cycle of training and real combat to increase his strength. Naturally, he wasn't pleased that this meeting looked like it would take up a significant amount of his time.
"Let's get straight to the point."
Seeing that even Lee Jeong-jin was speaking up, Park Min-woo decided not to drag things out and followed his plan to be direct.
"Wolyeong has informed us of a very grave matter. Due to the recent events in Morocco, there is a high probability that the demons will launch an even stronger attack in the future."
The atmosphere among the disgruntled clan leaders shifted instantly.
They were well aware of how powerful and dangerous the demons were, having seen the fall of the Goryeo and Geumwa Clans and the display of demonic power in Japan. They didn't take the situation lightly, especially considering how the Japanese Awakeners had been nearly annihilated at Aokigahara before the Moon Shadow Party intervened—even if they considered the Japanese to be slightly inferior in skill.
At the same time, both Choi Yu-shin and Lee Jeong-jin thought this could be an opportunity. As the saying goes, heroes are born in times of chaos. In times of crisis and turmoil, one could rise even higher depending on their ability and actions.
In that moment, Hyeon Jeong-ah, the leader of the Asura Clan, made a quick judgment.
"Then we should stop competing amongst ourselves for the time being and cooperate to establish countermeasures for when the demons appear."
"Exactly. That is why I called you all here."
Park Min-woo felt relieved that Hyeon Jeong-ah had spoken up so quickly, making things easier. Lee Jeong-jin and Choi Yu-shin also voiced their agreement. They realized that trying to back out now would only be to their disadvantage, and they recognized the logic in her words.