The Age of Pax Koreana

Midway through the main assault on the 57th Floor.

CLANG—!

"Next is healer targeting!"

Joseph the mage shouted like a man in the throes of a fit.

"M-m-magic cast failed! I-I messed up! I messed up!"

"What!?"

Kang Minji went white with panic. David, though, stayed perfectly composed.

"Stay calm! Even that was inside Master Do's predictions."

Hyeonseok had warned them. Because of the Dark Emperor's darkness mana, light-attribute casts could fail at a low probability.

"David, should we pull out?"

"No. Initiating Plan C."

He could not disappoint Master Do.

A variable had cropped up, yes — but thanks to the contingency Hyeonseok had laid out, the situation was still running smoothly.

"Next target is Minji! Back of the neck!"

At last, the final stage of the raid. Kang Minji drew her body taut as a wire.

"Three, two, one!"

The moment she locked onto the timing, she felt the attack coming — even though she couldn't see a thing. She activated Sunbo at once.

Whoosh!

Swish—

Her body shifted. Empty air filled her vision. She swung her blade.

Slice—

The satisfying bite of steel through flesh came in the same instant the Dark Emperor's stealth unraveled. What appeared before them was a head and a body, already apart. The Dark Emperor crumpled.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Thud.

The raid team did not move from their positions.

"…Is it over?"

"D-did he actually die? Did the Dark Emperor actually die?"

Then the cheers erupted from every throat.

"Woooo! We cleared the 57th Floor!"

"Kyaaaaah—!"

"I saved America! I saved the fatherland!"

"Joseph, you idiot! Master Do saved it, not you!"

Joseph's celebration hitched for a second. Then he was grinning again, sheepish and delighted.

"W-we at least had a hand in it, didn't we?"

"Well, that's true. Haha!"

Either way, this raid would go down in their careers. The team of heroes who had stopped America's collapse with three days to spare.

"Ah, right! The raid isn't over yet."

"Whoops. Almost forgot."

The team snapped back to attention.

The Dark Emperor was not the 57th Floor's only occupant. This was no Guardian floor. Kill him, and a regular elf assassin unit would spawn.

"Everyone, formation—"

"I'll handle them!"

Before David could even finish the order, Kang Minji was already sprinting out.

"Wait— ah."

David started to stop her, then remembered Hyeonseok's words and let his hand fall.

The remnants were just lower-50s difficulty. Hunter Kang Minji could take them alone.

Still, they weren't about to stand there and watch. Joseph, this time, actually got his magic off.

"Dispel!"

Not the Dark Emperor raid magic — an ordinary buff-stripping spell. The elf assassin unit was laid bare.

What followed was a one-sided massacre. Sunbo, then a beheading.

Swish— A wet slice. Swish— Slice, slice! Elf heads went tumbling across the floor.

"Whoa…"

"H-how can anyone move like that?"

Their stats had to be identical. There was no other explanation.

"It's because her technique is special."

So that was the legendary presence of an SS-Rank they'd only ever heard about.

But the teammates who had already tasted the true identity of that presence soon found themselves thinking of another man entirely.

He cleared the 57th Floor that America and China both failed — in a matter of days — and produced four monster hunters like that…

Even the absurd technique they were watching had been invented by that man. Kang Minji had merely learned it.

"De-David. Up until a minute ago I thought I'd become the world's highest-floor, greatest hunter…"

"Yeah."

That had been a delusion. Fighting alongside her made it painfully, viscerally clear.

"To become the real best… we have no choice but to learn from him."

David was not American-born. He was an immigrant.

His talent had been recognized from the earliest days of his awakening in his home country, and he had immigrated on the staggering terms America put in front of him.

The shock of it was still vivid. The shock of seeing that first contract. The shock, after immigrating, of confirming just how high the level of America's hunters really was.

From that day until this one, he had believed it as iron fact. The capital of the world's hunters was America. America was the best.

But after this crisis, that entire worldview had begun to crack.

Should I consider immigrating?

If he showed that much dedication, surely he would be taken as a disciple, if only for the effort. Someone of his caliber was already a top-tier hunter in the world. There wasn't a single thing he la—

Ah.

The black history surfaced.

Ah.

That was the worst first impression possible…

To throw away a lifetime opportunity over a single moment of rudeness. You fucking moron!

A-at the very least, I should get on Hunter Kang Minji's good side.

Master Do had helped America? It must have been for his disciple Kang Minji, not for America.

Keep this connection alive. Stay attached to Kang Minji's team. Then at least they wouldn't die on a raid — Master Do would never let Minji fall.

And a team that had his disciple on it was, by definition, the strongest team in the world. The honor of being the best would follow them for life.

The Deputy Director was so polite…

He used to wonder why the man made such a fuss about manners. Looking back, though, it had been a good look.

If his own first impression had been like that, could he have become a disciple?

From now on, I should learn some Eastern… no, Korean manners.

Soon enough, the raid came to an end.

The raid team appeared in the TASH Emergency Crisis Meeting Room. The Director shot to his feet.

"Is everyone all right?"

"Hahahaha! Full survival — not a single injury!"

"Waaaaah!"

Someone shook a bottle of champagne and popped it. Everyone was soaked in joy and a sweet rain of champagne.

"You are all America's heroes!"

"Hey, Miss Kang! Your Master's the greatest!"

"Kyaaaaah! Hyeonseok-ssi is the best! Our Master's the best!"

Kang Minji, who had been riding the high with the rest of them, felt the tension snap. She sank to the floor and started crying all over again.

"Waaah. I was so scared… I'm so glad… waaah…"

"This one needs to learn how to hold back tears from her Master too!"

"Hahahaha!"

Still, everyone understood. She had been one of the people with the most complicated feelings in the room.

The other hunters might not have had to, but she had been required to enter the 57th Floor. In every real sense, Hyeonseok had saved her life.

"Waaah… Mom…"

They had been the four most terrifying days of Kang Minji's hunter career. She would spend the rest of her life repaying that debt to Hyeonseok.

"Ah, it's over?"

The news came through over the phone. My body stretched on its own, long and luxurious.

"Nnghhh…"

Finally. Freedom from phone hell.

The Director, speaking with a courtesy that had been nowhere in sight at their first meeting.

Wow. I was actually hearing this from America.

"Hm?"

"Ah."

When he'd asked for the footage? He had done a little push-and-pull about it being classified national intelligence. But that was fair — you didn't just hand that kind of thing out to anyone.

"I've already forgotten about it, so don't worry."

The call ended. I was free!

"Nngaaaah…!"

"Oh, that's the most satisfying stretch I've ever heard."

It really was. To think I'd get to feel like a new hire clocking out after work again.

I dove straight onto the sofa. My body sank deep into the cushions.

So this sofa is mine now, huh?

Delightful. That bright lighting too.

Maybe because it was holy-attribute, it felt strangely like sunlight — the warmth of a beautiful spring day.

Could there be a more comfortable work environment than this?

Honestly, just these two things made the whole ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠favor a thoroughly satisfying journey.

"Master, have you finished your work?"

"Yeah, it's all do—"

Wait.

Was I about to be dragged from phone hell straight into waiting-around hell? I snuck a glance at Lee Yeonhwa.

"…"

"Is something the matter?"

"You're not asking to go somewhere today?"

And then she said something genuinely admirable.

"Come on, I can take a hint. On a day like this, you should go home and rest, shouldn't you? You've worked so hard."

See, that's Yeonhwa for you. Someone raised that girl right.

Jo Youchan came in late and went straight for a game console.

"Master! There's a boss I'm stuck on — please carry me through it. And we still have to settle all those game bets you've been putting off!"

Oh, you little—

"You must've aged through your ass."

"What? What's with the childish remark all of a sudden?"

"Forget it, you brat."

This one's home education…

Ah. Right. Uncle Paldeok.

Uncle, how in the world did you raise a beast instead of a human being?

Hyeonseok's mother was preparing dinner. Three portions, with Hyeonseok left out.

"I do worry about your brother. What kind of guild works him overtime like that?"

"I'm not worried at all. Oppa's salary is insane. America's the one I'd be worried about."

"I wonder if he's even eating properly…"

"I heard Jingyeok's cafeteria is amazing!"

Right on cue, Hyeonseok came home from work. He opened the front door and made his entrance with full ceremony.

"I'm home!"

"Oh my, you're early?"

"The overtime's over!"

"Really? You worked hard, son~"

Hyeonseok's mother, who had been chopping, moved her hands in a hurry. She added zucchini to the soybean paste stew and increased the portion to four.

Do Seohyeon, sprawled on the sofa with a book, poked just her head up to greet him.

"You're back?"

"I never see you studying. How do you keep pulling good grades?"

"It's called talent. You've been pulling overtime these past few days. Must've been rough."

"Thanks."

Do Seohyeon rolled over on the sofa. The sofa caught Hyeonseok's eye.

It's gotten pretty worn.

They wouldn't happen to have one more of those sofas, would they? Maybe he should mention it to the TASH Director.

"Were you busy because of America too, oppa?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Wow. So once you're at your level, you get pulled in when America has a crisis."

Hyeonseok's shoulders rose. That's right. Your big brother's world-class now.

"But America really is worrying. A lot of people are going to die this time, right?"

"The 57th Floor's been cleared. Hasn't it hit the news yet?"

"What!? For real?"

Do Seohyeon snatched up her phone to check the news. But it was their mother, from the kitchen, who let out a shriek first.

"Good heavens!"

"What is it?"

"A notification just went off, so I looked, and… th-the stocks, why are they doing this?"

"Huh?"

"They're rising at a terrifying rate!"

Hyeonseok's ears perked up. Was this the start of the money-printing event? So it had been worth it.

They're not going to bust me for insider trading or stock fraud for using internal information, right?

This case was a little different, though, wasn't it? It felt a lot closer to him growing the company and raising the stock price himself.

Which means this is the hour of rightful harvest!

Their mother came bustling over with her phone, in a full flutter.

"Good heavens, I bought them just like you said and look at this!"

"Good thing you listened to your son, huh?"

"I should've bought more!"

"Huh?"

She hadn't gone all in? She was letting this opportunity slip away.

"I told you. America's about to clear it, so buy the stocks."

"Who would believe that right away! You're talking about this enormous crisis like it's some game."

Well, he probably wouldn't have believed it either. She was bitterly, loudly regretting it.

"Good heavens, I should have actually listened to you! I should have put more in!"

"But oppa, you even know huge insider info like this? Like, are you in some close partnership with America?"

"I did work with them pretty closely this time."

If it involved a phone, he was thoroughly sick of it by now.

"How closely?"

"I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me."

"Tch."

Do Seohyeon pouted, lips pushed out in disappointment.

Lately she had been watching Lee Yeonhwa get all the attention at school and had been more than a little jealous. She had been hoping to mine a few impressive stories she could take back and talk about — and her damn brother was no help at all.

"Would it kill you to tell me a little!"

"Good night."

It had been a long time since a high school girl's heart had gone pit-a-pat at the prospect of having something her friends would actually care about. Her wretched brother had refused to play along.

Wait. Is oppa's name in the news or something?

She was about to open a news app when a DM arrived from a friend.

"Huh?"

Her friend had sent an internet link. She tapped through and found a single SNS post.

Whoa. What kind of share count is this?

Had she ever seen a Korean-language post with numbers this high? It looked like it had spread across the entire world. What had blown up this time?

This was posted a few days ago.

Let's see.

"!?"

She sat bolt upright on the sofa.

Lee Yeonhwa? Jo Youchan? Master?

Then this was her oppa.

She checked the date again. It was definitely a post from before the American clear had been announced.

O-oppa… cleared America?

What kind of nonsense was that? She scrolled to the newest comments.

She set the phone down. At this point, her head had gone completely blank.

N-news!

She picked the phone back up.

She dropped the phone again. Do Seohyeon just sat there on the sofa, staring at nothing.

"……Hyeon-ah. Seohyeon-ah! I told you to call your brother for dinner, what are you doing? Hey!"

Do Seohyeon finally came back to herself.

"…Huh?"

The phone she had dropped was going haywire.

Bzzzt—

Ding!

Bzzzt, bzzzt—

Ding, ding! Ding!

DMs from her friends were pouring in.