Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Cheonhwa (4)
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Japan, Tokyo.
Superhuman Management Agency Director's Office.
"Hoo..."
The director of Japan's Superhuman Management Agency let out a deep sigh as he gazed out the window.
Outside, Tokyo's streets appeared peaceful.
But that peace was nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind.
"Another gate has opened?"
"Yes, Director. An A-rank gate has appeared in Osaka."
Tanaka rubbed his forehead at his deputy director's report.
"Osaka. That's the sixth one this month already."
"Yes."
"Assault team?"
"Konjo Guild has agreed to handle it. However..."
"However?"
"They say they need a break after this one..."
Tanaka bit his lip.
"All the other teams are on break too, right?"
"Yes."
"Then if another A-rank pops up next, we'll have to call in a foreign guild."
His subordinate's face twisted in shame at those words.
Japan had traditionally been weak in hunter power.
No one knew why. Was it a trait of the Japanese people, or had recent generations grown too soft?
Either way, Japan had an extremely low number of top-tier hunters.
The fact that it only had three native S-rank hunters proved it.
So when a powerful gate appeared, Japan had no choice but to outsource it to another country.
That had also slowed the development of their gate-related industries. Without access to monster byproducts, how could anything advance?
Japan's gate industry now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with developing nations. It was a far cry from the technological powerhouse that had once led the world.
'No, forget the corporations for now. The real issue is conquering these gates.'
Until now, they'd scraped by with whatever manpower they had. Or they'd hire foreign hunters for a price.
But.
'China just had three S-ranks open up. The occurrence cycle for S-rank gates is getting shorter.'
The gates were changing.
The director could feel the shift in the flow.
But sensing the change wasn't what mattered. What counted was having the ability to ride that wave.
And Japan lacked that ability.
'In that case, maybe...'
His gaze drifted to the newspaper on his desk.
The front page carried news from Korea.
Kim Hyun Completes Dimensional Barrier Installation!
South Korea Achieves World's Only Gate-Free Nation!
Otherworld Passage Opens in Pyongyang, Ushering in a New Era
The director picked up the newspaper and read the article.
"Dimensional Barrier..."
A barrier that prevented gates from forming.
A single national power-level hunter from Korea named Kim Hyun had created it alone.
"This can't be real."
The director muttered to himself.
Preventing gates from spawning? It was absurdly overpowered. In an era overrun by monsters, it granted absolute security superiority.
And it wasn't even abandoning the gate industry for security's sake.
'She opened a passage to the otherworld.'
Kim Hyun had considered Korea's gate industry and created a pathway to the otherworld. Thanks to that, Korea could still grow its gate sector.
The director set the newspaper down and muttered.
"Why... why is Japan in this state?"
Why didn't Japan have a hunter like Kim Hyun?
No, even before that, why were Japan's hunters so weak? It was as if they'd been abandoned by the gods.
"Ugh."
Tears welled up in the director's eyes. He wanted to cry. He wiped them away and let out a deep sigh.
'Lamenting won't change anything.'
The director slumped back in his chair like a wilted seaweed.
Right then.
Ring ring ring!
The emergency bell rang out.
The director's face hardened.
He immediately grabbed the intercom.
"What is it? What's going on?"
-Director! Big trouble!
"What kind of trouble?!"
-A-An S-rank gate has appeared in Tokyo!
"...What?"
The director's eyes widened.
-S-rank gate! Right in the middle of Shinjuku!
"...!"
The director shot up from his seat.
He rushed to the window.
There, in the distance, a massive gate was ripping open. The cursed rift was spreading in all directions.
"Damn it..."
The director ground his teeth.
Japan lacked the capacity to conquer an S-rank gate.
Until now, they'd begged China for help, handing over massive concessions. Liu Guoliang's power was more than enough to erase an S-rank gate.
So the director issued his usual order without hesitation.
"Contact Liu Guoliang immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
As his subordinate hurried off to make the call,
the director waited with a tense expression.
'Damn, how much are they going to gouge us for this time...'
At least, if they'd just take a reasonable cut...
At that moment,
his subordinate came rushing back, face pale as a ghost.
"Director..."
"What? Why do you look like that?"
"China..."
The subordinate replied, voice nearly breaking into sobs.
"An S-rank gate has opened in China too. In Beijing."
"...What?"
"So they can't help Japan..."
The director's face stiffened.
"...No choice, then."
But he was the head of the Superhuman Management Agency.
It didn't take long for him to reach a decision.
"...Contact Korea."
"Pardon?"
"Request help from Hunter Kim Hyun!"
Pride be damned—they had to survive first.
"The Japanese government has sent a request for assistance."
Kim Hyun tilted her head at Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk's report.
"Why would the Japanese government suddenly ask for help?"
Lee Min-hyuk explained step by step.
"An S-rank gate has opened in Tokyo right now. The problem is the conquest window is extremely short."
"How short?"
"One day left, they say."
One day.
An incredibly tight timeframe.
Practically as good as zero.
An abnormal speed. This wasn't natural.
'Work of a foreign power?'
It was entirely possible.
They might have panicked after seeing her cover the Korean Peninsula with the dimensional barrier.
Maybe they were trying to flood the Earth with gates and monsters as fast as possible. That was Kim Hyun's guess.
"Japan's S-rank gates were usually handled by Liu Guoliang, right?"
Lee Min-hyuk nodded at her question.
"Yes. But China has an S-rank gate open too right now. Their time limit is longer than Japan's, but it's still urgent there as well."
"Hmm."
"You're the only one who can help Japan at the moment. Other countries are too far away, and none have the firepower to clear an S-rank gate in a day anyway."
Kim Hyun listened with her arms crossed, leaning crookedly.
"The Japanese ambassador will visit soon. To beg you personally to conquer it."
Lee Min-hyuk looked at Kim Hyun as he finished.
"Do whatever you want. Even if you abandon Japan, Korea will protect you. That's why I'm here—to relay that."
"Well, no real reason not to conquer it."
Kim Hyun muttered with a sullen face.
"It reeks, though."
"Reeks... you say?"
"Yeah. It reeks. Smells fishy."
Kim Hyun crossed her arms tighter.
"Feels like someone's luring me out of Korea."
Lee Min-hyuk looked flustered at that.
"Surely... you don't mean this S-rank gate crisis was orchestrated by someone? But gates are..."
"Didn't you see me punch through to the otherworld?"
Kim Hyun drew a circle in the air with her finger.
"A gate's just a door connecting spaces. Anyone with the power or tech can open one."
"...Good lord."
Lee Min-hyuk's face hardened instantly.
"So you think someone deliberately opened this S-rank gate."
"Yeah."
"..."
"And get this."
Kim Hyun rummaged in her pocket.
Soon, a crumpled piece of paper emerged. She smoothed it out. It was a cruise ticket to Jeju Island.
She waved it in the air with a grin.
"I even have an idea who the culprit is."
"That is...?"
"Ticket from Cheonhwa Group's vice president. She showed up out of nowhere, tossed it at me via a clone—no less suspicious."
"So Cheonhwa Group was trying to lure you to Jeju—off the mainland."
Kim Hyun nodded, smirking crookedly.
"Heard they've been shady from the start. Seol-ah said they've pulled all sorts of crazy, dirty stunts."
Kim Hyun sneered.
"Wouldn't put it past scum like that."
"It's definitely suspicious... Though I can't quite believe they have gate-creation tech... Still, reports of their odd movements have been piling up lately."
Lee Min-hyuk muttered gravely.
"...We need to raid Cheonhwa Group immediately."
"Yeah, go for it."
Kim Hyun shrugged.
"I'll wipe them out when I get back anyway. Might as well tidy up a bit beforehand."
A chilling smile crept across her face.
"They'll pay dearly for using me."