Chapter 485: Trouble (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 485: Trouble (2)
It was a baffling response.
More precisely, it was something the Incheon Government never should have said.
Moon Tae-jun spoke coldly.
"I will give you exactly one chance to take back what you just said. After this, there is no turning back."
It was a warning.
Roman Dmitry was a foreigner; he might not know how things worked in South Korea. But Kim Jun-hyeok, the Mayor of Incheon, was different. If he showed even a sliver of regret and tried to undo what had just been done, Moon Tae-jun was willing to show mercy. He would grant them a single chance, solely out of consideration for Roman Dmitry's value.
And yet.
Kim Jun-hyeok remained silent.
Faced with this silent endorsement of Roman Dmitry's stance, Moon Tae-jun let out a scoff of disbelief.
"Well, this is quite an amusing situation. Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok, it seems you have forgotten the tragedy of six years ago."
"...It is precisely because I have not forgotten that I made this decision."
"Do you honestly believe a single individual can stop a Great Disaster? It is a cataclysm where monsters run rampant across the globe. Monsters that have been lying low, just like in the recent Ant Cave Incident, will launch simultaneous attacks on humanity without warning. That was how Incheon fell six years ago. The city walls crumbled, and countless people died because we couldn't stop the A-Rank monsters that breached the perimeter. Even if Lord Roman Dmitry is an incredibly powerful master, it is impossible for him to fend off all those attacks with only Incheon's support. Sure, it might play out slightly differently than the last Great Disaster. He might be able to handle the enemies Incheon couldn't cope with, just as he did during the Ant Cave Subjugation. But that is his absolute limit."
He spat the words out fiercely.
The Central Government's investigators.
In the provinces, they were known as devils.
Backed by the Central Government, they monitored local regions and squeezed out whatever resources they could for the capital, wielding immense power in the process. Moon Tae-jun had served as an investigator for a whopping ten years. He knew exactly how much weight his words and warnings carried.
"Face reality. In South Korea, there is only one S-Rank Hunter—the Mage in White—and fewer than thirty A-Rank Hunters. Why do you think most of them operate in Seoul? Because they know that no matter how outstanding their skills are, they cannot protect themselves when they are alone. When the monster wave overflows, dozens of A-Rank monsters will swarm in simultaneously. How could even the greatest expert block that alone? Mayor Kim's resolve and Lord Roman Dmitry's remarks mean only one thing: you are choosing to step outside the very fence that allows you to survive in South Korea."
Moon Tae-jun stared at Roman Dmitry.
He shoved reality right in his face.
He laid bare the harsh truth of the decision Roman Dmitry had to make to survive in this land.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"If the price of safety is unreasonable control, then the Incheon Government has no need for the Central Government's help. In fact, isn't this a good thing? Make an example out of us. Just as you so grandly claimed, sit back and watch what kind of end the Incheon Government meets without the Central Government's assistance."
It was an open provocation.
At this blatant affront, Moon Tae-jun's eyes trembled with rage.
Even though Moon Tae-jun had spoken nothing but the harsh truth, Roman Dmitry remained insufferably arrogant.
"If you are so certain of the future, you can simply make an example out of the Incheon Government."
Snap.
It felt as though the final thread of his reason had snapped.
Those words.
They crossed the line of what he could tolerate.
No matter how coveted a talent Roman Dmitry was, Moon Tae-jun could not let such insolence slide.
Moon Tae-jun pushed himself up from his seat.
"I understand the Incheon Government's stance perfectly. Remember this day. When Incheon repeats the tragedy of six years ago, you will realize just how foolish it was to place your faith in a single individual. By then, it will already be too late."
He spun on his heel.
Storming out, Moon Tae-jun could not hide his burning fury until the very moment he crossed the threshold.
* * *
Slam!
He slammed the door shut.
The moment he stepped out of the office, Moon Tae-jun made a call.
Click.
[How did it go?]
"The Incheon Government has gone completely mad. They declared their allegiance to Roman Dmitry and stated they will walk a separate path from the Central Government from now on. Assemblyman, we must make an example of them. No matter how outstanding his skills are, if we allow such a precedent, another independent power like the Mage in White might emerge."
Just as Moon Tae-jun said.
The Mage in White was a special existence.
While it was true that S-Rank Hunters were formidable, even the Mage in White could not survive a Great Disaster alone. Thus, he had established a symbiotic relationship with the Central Government. However, because he had been granted immense freedom due to his symbolic status as the first S-Rank Hunter, the Mage in White was now considered an entity completely outside the Central Government's control.
That situation.
It was a sore spot for the Central Government.
Despite holding South Korea in the palm of their hands, several assemblymen were highly dissatisfied because of the Mage in White, who remained a constant thorn in their side.
From the other end of the line.
The man addressed as Assemblyman spoke.
[Indeed. Just as you said, when building up our forces is of absolute importance, there is no reason for us to be swayed by a single individual. Make a clear example out of this Roman Dmitry fellow. Show them what kind of future awaits those who harbor foolish thoughts, so that no one ever dares to challenge the authority of the Central Government in this land of South Korea again.]
"Understood."
Moon Tae-jun's eyes turned fierce.
A picture of the future was already forming in his mind.
"There is no need to even wait for the Great Disaster to arrive. Give me just one month. Within that time, I will choke the life out of Incheon."
* * *
Back in the office Moon Tae-jun had just vacated.
Kim Jun-hyeok wore a complicated expression.
He had backed Roman Dmitry's words, but he lacked the conviction that his choice was the right one.
"Are you worried about the future?"
The voice came calmly.
Kim Jun-hyeok did not hide his true feelings.
"...Yes. The Central Government is everything in South Korea. Most of the people who can be considered powerful in this small country belong to the Central Government, so I am not sure if it is right to make enemies of them. If a reality we cannot handle with Incheon's strength alone crashes down upon us... a day may come when we regret burning our bridges like this."
It was an understandable concern.
However.
As Roman Dmitry learned more about this world, the very first decision he had made was to discard the Central Government.
Roman Dmitry said,
"South Korea's system is truly deformed. The Central Government prioritizes only the safety of the capital, Seoul. Yet, they wield absolute power over the rest of the country—a territory dozens of times larger than Seoul—treating it as a mere insignificant fraction. Incheon, and the other local governments, must break free from that fraction to reclaim true peace. If you keep clinging to a Central Government that never makes you their top priority, your lack of independence will always leave you at the mercy of a third party's choices."
If.
If the Central Government made rational choices, or if they could guarantee the safety of the people—even through unreasonable means—perhaps Roman Dmitry would have considered a different path.
But reality was not so kind.
Moon Tae-jun's remarks alone proved this.
While trying to persuade Kim Jun-hyeok, Moon Tae-jun never offered to treat the Incheon Government well; instead, he threatened to exclude them from the queue of assistance even after Seoul's safety was secured. It meant that even if Incheon were prioritized among the provinces, it was still fundamentally treated differently from Seoul. In a system where the hierarchy of priorities was already set in stone, there was absolutely no reason to follow them.
Incheon.
He had chosen this place as his starting point.
In the process of building a new Dmitry in the future, Roman Dmitry would not tolerate an unreasonable system.
"If you lack power, it is only natural to endure injustice. But because I am here, Incheon will have no need for the Central Government's power from now on."
Kim Jun-hyeok swallowed hard.
It was incredibly arrogant.
Roman Dmitry's words were so absurdly grandiose that they had driven Moon Tae-jun to fury, yet Kim Jun-hyeok wanted to blindly believe in his promise to put Incheon first. If only it could be realized, there was no doubt that no better future could exist. Kim Jun-hyeok reaffirmed his resolve to follow Roman Dmitry.
"...I understand. I will serve you with all my heart from now on."
Kim Jun-hyeok bowed his head.
He was an unusual man.
Though merely an ordinary human, he had lived an extraordinary life.
In the process of building a new Incheon, Kim Jun-hyeok and his people were indispensable.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Summon the Directly Controlled Unit. To establish a bare minimum foundation, we will begin raising their level right now."
As always.
The beginning of any relationship was to first build trust.
* * *
A few days passed.
During that time, whenever people gathered in small groups, they buzzed excitedly over a rumor originating from Seoul.
"Is that really true?"
"Do I look like someone who talks nonsense? The Central Government is in an absolute uproar over it right now. They were planning to lawfully punish Roman Dmitry for the Red Moon Destruction Incident, but the Incheon Government drew a line in the sand and declared they won't follow their control anymore."
"The Mayor of Incheon has completely lost his mind. Refusing to follow the Central Government's control means they won't receive any help in an emergency. Where on earth does that confidence come from? Looking at the omen phenomena occurring all over the world, the Great Disaster is just around the corner. Do they seriously plan to handle the Great Disaster with only Incheon's forces?"
"Incheon is finished, that's what. There was a time when people said Kim Jun-hyeok was the future of Incheon, but what can a mere ordinary human do? He must have gotten drunk on power and lost his grip on reality."
Separation from the Central Government.
No one received this as good news.
Knowing that South Korea's national power was concentrated in Seoul, people immediately grasped the essence of the situation.
Furthermore, as if to confirm the rumors.
The Central Government sent out an official notice to the guilds based in Incheon.
[...For these reasons, the Central Government will not support Incheon in the future. The same applies to the guilds affiliated with Incheon. Guilds that cooperate with the Incheon Government will no longer receive separate commissions from the Central Government, and even if a Great Disaster breaks out, they will not receive any assistance from the Central Government.]
The rumors were confirmed.
Since this proved the Central Government had abandoned Incheon, the local guilds found themselves in a desperate situation. They risked suffering losses simply by being associated with the Incheon Government. Several guilds began looking into relocating to other regions, and those other regions welcomed their arrival with open arms.
The Cheongsan Mercenary Guild.
Their situation was no different.
Gu Cheol-ho, a C-Rank mercenary and the leader of Cheongsan, spoke to his executives with a deeply troubled expression.
"Why on earth did Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok do that? He shouldn't be such a foolish man."
"Guild Leader. Incheon is a sinking ship now. If we stubbornly hold on to protect our foundation here, Cheongsan, which manages mercenaries, will go under in the blink of an eye. There's already a widespread consensus in the mercenary industry not to accept commissions from Incheon guilds. There's no reason for us to get dragged down by a single decision made by the Mayor of Incheon."
"We should relocate the guild immediately. With Cheongsan's size, other provinces will surely welcome us with open arms."
Gu Cheol-ho frowned.
He knew it too.
He knew they had to leave Incheon.
Yet, it was painful to abandon the foundation they had worked so hard to build. Above all, he deeply trusted Kim Jun-hyeok. The same was likely true for most people who had settled down in Incheon. While those who had only spent a year or two here would easily scatter at the slightest external pressure, those who had survived the tragedy six years ago knew Kim Jun-hyeok's true worth.
He was an upright man.
A wise man.
He was absolutely not the type to recklessly cause trouble without a plan.
‘If he did this relying solely on a single man like Roman Dmitry, then the Mayor's choice was wrong this time.’
After much deliberation.
Gu Cheol-ho reached a conclusion.
Like the other guilds already packing their bags, he felt he had to move Cheongsan to a region that would accept them under favorable conditions. No matter how much their profession relied on profiting from chaos, they were still people who wished to survive in this chaotic world. If there were even a sliver of hope, they would have tried to stay in Incheon somehow, but they believed the Central Government's decision spelled a hopeless future for the city.
It was then.
Just as he was about to announce his decision, Park Gi-tae, who had been sitting in a corner of the meeting room with a serious expression, spoke up.
"Can't we stay in Incheon?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Park Gi-tae was not officially a member of Cheongsan.
However, he had decided to follow Gu Cheol-ho, which was why he was permitted to attend this meeting.
Faced with the questioning gazes of the others, Park Gi-tae met their eyes and spoke.
"It just keeps weighing on my mind. Why would a smart man like Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok make such a choice? Roman Dmitry. He is the only possible reason. And as the only person among us who has directly experienced what Roman Dmitry is capable of, I feel we shouldn't leave Incheon."
These were not baseless words.
Over the past few days, Park Gi-tae had found a very good reason to reach this seemingly absurd conclusion.