Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Dimensional Barrier (1)
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It was just as Chae Seol-ah had said.
That evening.
All the media outlets were making a massive fuss over the conquest of the Pyongyang Gate.
A special segment on the Pyongyang Gate had been programmed into the news.
"Today is a historic moment! Hunter Kim Hyun has resolved the Pyongyang Gate that's tormented Korea for 11 years! With this, the Korean Peninsula is finally free from the threat of the spider legion!"
"Kim Hyun, the hunter who cleared the Beijing Gate in just three minutes? She's the pride of the Republic of Korea. Today, she put an end to Pyongyang's nightmare."
Portal site real-time search terms?
1. Kim Hyun
2. Pyongyang Gate
3. DMZ
4. North Korea
5. Pyongyang
Naturally, the online communities were in absolute chaos.
This is insane. Real national pride high.
For real?
Whoa fuck lololol
So it finally got cleared, huh.
11 years it rampaged—that's a long time lol
Is this even possible?
If it's Kim Hyun, sure.
National pride surging.
For real lol.
You know taking North Korean land means rebuilding infrastructure from scratch, right? Gotta redevelop and bulldoze all those shitty buildings the Kim regime built. Trust me, I'm a construction stock guy.
Ahh, Shinyun...
KOSPI savior GOAT
But do we actually get North Korean land?
Not yet, but it's possible now.
Lol these stock gallery guys thinking about shares during a national event.
The spiderlings swarmed like crazy today, but I only found out after everything was over that it was because the Pyongyang raid succeeded. Honestly, they overwhelmed us so bad our unit got pushed all the way. I thought today was my last day for sure, then suddenly bombings from afar wiped them all out. Turns out it was Kim Hyun. Saved my life for real. Our unit's going nuts now. Even the rookies are obsessed with her. Our company commander got a pic of Kim Hyun somewhere, stuck it on the wall, and ordered salutes every time we pass it.
Salutes wtf lololol
What salute? Gotta pray to her, you heathen—faith lacking smh
So she really circled the whole DMZ?
Seems like it.
???
She's the idol of the battlefield fr.
United States, White House.
"The Pyongyang Gate has been conquered?"
President Trevi's eyes widened as he received the report.
"Yes, Mr. President."
The CIA Director handed over a tablet.
The screen summarized the intel on the Pyongyang raid.
'Wide-area attack magic, strength to hurl a soccer-field-sized boss spider, firepower surpassing carpet bombings from bombers projected across the entire DMZ on an hourly basis...'
"Ha!"
A monster in every sense.
How could a single person possess such power?
"...Well, she's the woman who clears S-Rank Gates like cake. This much is expected."
And it wasn't just any conquest. She cleared it in minutes. An unprecedented feat no one else had achieved—not even Sergei, the dictator of Siberian Russia.
President Trevi muttered.
"Impressive."
Judging by the results alone, it was a feat that demanded admiration. A level worthy of being called an 'absolute being.'
The CIA Director, gauging the president's mood, cautiously spoke up.
"It seems Kim Hyun is the world's strongest hunter."
"Oh dear, the title of world strongest used to be America's exclusive domain."
As President Trevi muttered that, the CIA Director's face went pale. Knowing the president's temperament and his past 'achievements,' those words carried significant risk.
"Sir, we must not antagonize Kim Hyun!"
The CIA Director cried out urgently.
"Antagonizing her now is tantamount to suicide! We need to maintain the best possible relations! America has no way to stop her currently!"
"Don't we have a National Power-level Hunter too?"
"Diago and America have a mutually beneficial relationship. That's why we can't force Diago's actions. That's how the treaty was structured from the start."
The CIA Director caught his breath and continued.
"And even if we could force him..."
"He'd be crushed by Kim Hyun. That's the skill gap you're getting at, right, Director?"
"Yes..."
"But with her around, doesn't that mean America can never be the greatest forever?"
"In exchange, Your Excellency's life won't be threatened."
"..."
President Trevi fell silent at those words.
True enough, antagonizing Kim Hyun recklessly would mean he'd be the first to die. Given what he'd seen of her personality, war was inevitable.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, President Trevi burst into laughter.
"I have no intention of antagonizing her. No need to tense up."
"Sir."
"With an opponent like that, the only option is to make her a friend. If she switches her citizenship to America, we'd instantly become the world's greatest."
"Quite right."
"Approach her from various angles for now. She's got wings too big for a small country like Korea. We need to draw her into the wider world to let those wings spread fully."
President Trevi said leisurely.
"We'll slowly build goodwill, foster friendship, and ultimately make her American."
"We've already initiated the relevant plans."
"Good, good. And for now, we should give Korea some benefits. Review trade agreements, strengthen military cooperation. Separate from whatever we do for her personally—it's her home country, after all? Benefits to the homeland might improve perceptions of America."
"A wise judgment."
"Alright, you're dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
The CIA Director nodded and left. Alone, President Trevi fiddled with his smartwatch, lost in thought.
'Nuclear weapons are useless against National Power-level powerhouses.'
Sergei in Siberia had already proven it.
China used nukes in retaliation against Sergei, but he casually seized them with magic.
'Nukes won't work on Kim Hyun either.'
Of course, there was no guarantee she handled magic as well as Sergei. But it was clear nukes wouldn't faze her—no need to test it.
They couldn't just fire one off to check.
President Trevi clicked his tongue.
"Tch..."
Humans with nuclear-level power walked the earth.
Free from national control, no less.
It grated against his ideology. Even more so since there was no way to control them.
But.
'No choice.'
Try to control Kim Hyun by force?
She'd turn against America.
That would be the end for America.
No, himself first, definitely.
"So, accept it and adapt to the situation."
President Trevi sighed and picked up his smartphone.
He opened Twitter.
"Congratulations on Korea's liberation after 11 years! Amazing, Kim Hyun!"
As always, the tweet exploded with reactions immediately. President Trevi skimmed a few retweets before returning to work.
At that moment.
While the whole world was buzzing over Kim Hyun's Pyongyang Gate conquest, she herself couldn't care less.
"What are you doing?"
Chae Seol-ah asked.
Kim Hyun was sitting on the sofa, fiddling with something.
"Refining the outer beings' power."
"The outer beings' power...?"
Chae Seol-ah made a strange face.
"Th-those outside entities you mentioned last time?"
"Yeah."
"I see..."
Chae Seol-ah approached Kim Hyun.
What Kim Hyun was kneading looked like modeling clay.
'Is that the outer beings' power?'
It just looked like clay.
'More importantly, what’s she planning to do with it?'
Chae Seol-ah cautiously asked.
"What are you going to make with it?"
"Use it to create the seventh dimensional barrier over the Republic of Korea."
Kim Hyun finally finished the lump of clay and showed it to Chae Seol-ah.
"This will be the core."
Chae Seol-ah's face twisted oddly upon seeing the core Kim Hyun held out.
'This is...'
It looked just like a mud doll.
No, it really was. The core Kim Hyun had shaped resembled a crude human figure made by a child playing with clay—ugly enough to fit the snot-nosed kid image perfectly.
But it was made by Kim Hyun.
Appearances aside, it surely had tremendous effects.
Chae Seol-ah poked the clay doll with her finger and asked Kim Hyun.
"S-so, what does this dimensional barrier do?"
Kim Hyun replied as if it were no big deal.
"Well, simply put, no gates will open in Korea anymore."
"...Whaaat?!"
Chae Seol-ah's jaw dropped.
"I-is that even possible?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Oh my god..."
What would this mean?
Korea would definitely be safe. A land with no gates opening meant no more gate-related damage.
But what about the hunters operating in Korea? The guilds? The industries based on monster byproducts?
'This is a total emergency!'
Chae Seol-ah bit her lip.
'How the hell do we handle this?!'
If Kim Hyun said she'd do it, it would happen without fail.
In other words, the dimensional barrier would blanket Korea.
The problem was the aftermath.
It would cause a massive upheaval.
How to manage it...
"..."
Suddenly, enlightenment dawned on Chae Seol-ah.
'This isn't my problem to worry about.'
With that thought, her mind calmed, and all her inner anxieties vanished. Wearing a Buddha-like expression, Chae Seol-ah operated her smartwatch to report to Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk.
Naturally.
The Republic of Korea government was thrown into utter chaos.