Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Dimensional Barrier (2)
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"...You're saying it can prevent gate creation?"
The President, Han Sung-ho, muttered in disbelief at the report from the Director of the Superhuman Management Bureau.
"That's what the report says."
"Wait a minute. So, you're telling me it can stop any more gates from appearing in South Korea?"
"It seems that way..."
President Han Sung-ho drew in a deep breath.
He hadn't been this shocked even when Kim Hyun cleared an S-rank gate in three minutes or when she wiped out the entire spider legion in Pyongyang. This was that monumental.
'Preventing any more gates from appearing.'
What would happen to all the related industries then? How were they supposed to handle the flood of unemployed hunters?
No, that wasn't the priority right now.
"Hold on. Is this confirmed?"
The most important thing at the moment was Kim Hyun's intentions.
No one could stop her, so whatever she decided to do would happen without fail.
"Given Kim Hyun's usual personality, the chances of her changing her mind seem extremely low."
"Good lord."
President Han Sung-ho wiped his face with his hand.
That meant South Korea becoming a gate-free zone was practically set in stone.
'In that case, all we can do now is...'
Maybe convince her to time the installation of that dimensional barrier. Asking her to consider the domestic industries and hunters probably wouldn't fly anyway.
'No, no. I still have to try persuading her.'
Like it or not, he was the president.
The odds of success were slim, but he couldn't just sit back and watch the gate industry and hunter sector collapse.
'It's scary... but I have to do it!'
President Han Sung-ho steeled his resolve.
"Understood for now. I'll set up a meeting with Hunter Kim Hyun and try to talk her into it."
"Mr. President..."
The Director looked at him with pitying eyes. Han Sung-ho nodded firmly.
"Arrange the meeting for negotiations."
"...I'll do that. We'll mobilize every resource in the Superhuman Management Bureau to get Hunter Kim Hyun to the table."
President Han Sung-ho made a firm vow.
He would change her mind, no matter what!
Meanwhile, at Kim Hyun's residence.
"There, all done."
Kim Hyun plunked the completed core down on the desk.
It still looked like a crude clay figurine a kid had slapped together. But Chae Seol-ah knew full well that this thing was a disaster waiting to happen—a cataclysm on the level of a nuclear blast.
"So, when do you plan to install it?"
"Huh? Today, obviously."
"Today..."
Chae Seol-ah's face darkened as her mind filled with worries again. She wanted to brush it off as not her responsibility, but that just wasn't in her nature.
Seeing this, Kim Hyun tilted her head and asked,
"Why the funeral face?"
"Oh, it's just..."
Chae Seol-ah carefully chose her words.
"If no more gates appear... won't that tank the gate-related industries?"
"Huh?"
"And the hunters too! Guilds and all—there are so many hunters in Korea. They'd all be out of a job in an instant with no gates to clear!"
"But no more people dying to monsters, right?"
"Th-that's great, sure, but...!"
Chae Seol-ah fidgeted with her fingers, mumbling timidly.
"Still, it bothers me that people will suffer losses."
"Well, then just make it so they don't."
"Pardon?"
Chae Seol-ah's eyes went wide.
Make it so they don't suffer? What did that mean?
"Look, the root problem is monster byproducts, right? That's what keeps the industries running, and hunters make their living selling them."
"Y-yeah?"
"So, just give them a place to hunt monsters."
"Pardon?"
What on earth was she talking about?
"A place to hunt monsters... what does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
Kim Hyun explained casually, like it was no big deal.
"I figured it out while checking out some gates. They're basically chunks of other dimensions ripped out and jammed into Earth."
"Other dimensions?"
"Yeah. And I kinda know which ones."
Kim Hyun spoke nonchalantly.
"So, make a pathway there, and boom—problem solved."
"Eh?"
Make a pathway? What did that even mean?
Chae Seol-ah furrowed her brow, trying to piece together what Kim Hyun had said so far.
"So..."
"Gates are like instanced dungeons, and the pathway I'm opening is a road to an open hunting field."
Kim Hyun shrugged, brushing her palms together lightly.
Chae Seol-ah gave an awkward smile and muttered,
"I have no idea what that means."
"It's fine. You don't need to get it."
"Feels like I'm being called an idiot..."
Kim Hyun shrugged again.
"Anyway, maybe Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk will catch on?"
It didn't matter if he didn't understand.
Seeing was believing, after all.
Even if he couldn't wrap his head around it, he'd get it once he saw it.
The next day.
Kim Hyun headed out right after waking up early in the morning.
She kicked off the ground and shot into the sky, then veered toward the DMZ.
"Whew."
Moving faster than the speed of sound, she arrived at the DMZ in seconds and touched down in a suitable spot.
The landing site was smack in the middle of a forest.
Kim Hyun glanced around and smacked her lips.
"Guess I'll tidy up the area first."
The next instant, her shadow spread out in all directions.
Her shadow swiftly overtook the surrounding area.
Confirming it had spread just right, Kim Hyun whistled lightly.
Wheee!
Then the shadow "opened."
Like a black hole ripping open, everything nearby got sucked into the shadow in a flash.
She cleared an enormous space in the blink of an eye, then took to the skies again.
This time, heading toward Gangwon Province.
Flying over Gangwon, Kim Hyun captured just enough monsters as needed. She brought the collected monsters back to that cleared space and pulled out the dimensional barrier core she'd made earlier from her pocket.
"This should do."
Kim Hyun embedded the core into the ground.
Then she began dismantling the monsters she'd caught.
Flesh separated and blood was extracted at her gesture. She distributed the flesh chunks to key spots and drew a magic circle on the ground with the blood.
"Done."
With that, the magic circle for installing the dimensional barrier was complete.
Kim Hyun closed her eyes and slowly chanted the incantation.
"■■■■■"
A chant no human could comprehend, hear, or pronounce flowed from her lips into the air.
At the same time, the magic circle began to glow red.
The piled-up flesh shriveled, oozing essence. The essence slowly trickled across the ground and got absorbed into the dimensional barrier core.
Once it had soaked up all the essence, the core changed. Its color turned deep red, and its surface smoothed out—like a glazed ceramic pot.
The next moment.
Tssst!
The dimensional barrier core twitched.
It wriggled like it was alive, waving its arms around like a dancing doll.
Kim Hyun watched the sight calmly, then
"■■■■■■"
finished the chant.
The core's movements stopped immediately.
At the same time, an invisible barrier spread out in all directions.
The barrier ballooned instantly, engulfing the entire Korean Peninsula.
Only then did Kim Hyun nod.
"All done."
Around that time, the sound of engines approached from afar.
Kim Hyun turned to see a helicopter flying in from the southern sky.
Thud thud thud thud!
The chopper closed in on Kim Hyun in no time and landed on the ground.
"Kim Hyun!"
Chae Seol-ah, Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk, and a man in a suit stepped out of the helicopter.
"Kim Hyun!"
"Ugh, too loud. Kill the engine."
At her words, Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk signaled the pilot, who shut it down. Lee Min-hyuk swallowed hard, glanced around nervously, then hurried over to Kim Hyun.
"How'd the work go? You already installed the dimensional barrier core?"
"Yeah. Wanna see?"
Kim Hyun stepped aside casually.
Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk let out a groan at the sight of the red-tinged core. The suited man gaped in shock.
"My God!"
"Who's this guy?"
"This is the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President."
"Al-already installed it... without a word..."
The Chief of Staff muttered in a daze.
Kim Hyun gave him a flat look, then turned to Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk.
Lee Min-hyuk swallowed again and said,
"...Understood. If it's already done, nothing we can do about it."
He quickly schooled his expression.
"I heard from Agent Chae, but what do you mean by a pathway to another dimension? From what I gather, it connects that world to Earth—is that right?"
"Ooh, quick on the uptake."
Kim Hyun clapped her hands.
"...Is that even possible?"
Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk asked cautiously.
"Of course it is. Punch through this, and the monster problem's solved. Just head to the other dimension and hunt there."
The moment those words landed, the Chief of Staff's expression shifted.
He'd instantly grasped the value of the pathway Kim Hyun described.
Kim Hyun asked indifferently,
"Anyway, where should I make it?"
"You can choose the location?"
"Yup. I could open it right here if I wanted..."
Hearing her mutter, the Chief of Staff blurted out desperately,
"Pyongyang!"
"What?"
"P-put it in Pyongyang, please."
The Chief of Staff's mind raced.
'It's the gateway to another world. With gates sealed off, this is the only source of monster byproducts!'
Wherever it went, the area around the entrance would explode with development. No, it had to be developed. They'd need infrastructure to process all those byproducts.
'Not in some godforsaken backwater like this!'
That's why he desperately yelled Pyongyang.
"Pyongyang? Sounds like a hassle... Eh, fine, got it."
Kim Hyun nodded with a subtle expression.
"Alright, heading out then."
"Now?"
"Yeah. Might as well get it over with."
With that, Kim Hyun kicked off the ground and flew toward Pyongyang. She vanished from sight in an instant, leaving the Chief of Staff swallowing hard.
"She's got an insane my-way-or-the-highway vibe."
Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk glanced at him and replied,
"That's Kim Hyun for you."
"It's a huge relief she's South Korea's returnee... She's already beyond control as is. If she were from another country—especially a hostile one—I can't even imagine."
Lee Min-hyuk shuddered at the mere thought.
It really, truly was a blessing.