Monster Wave
Three days until the Monster Wave.
Evacuation advisories and outdoor restrictions blanketed all of Seoul.
They couldn't issue a full evacuation order because no one was certain non-capital regions would be safer than Seoul.
If anything, Seoul—with its concentrated hunter forces—might actually be the safer bet.
And so, the researchers of Yeonhee University's Math Department turned their lab into a shelter.
Universities with Awakener departments were reasonably secure spots, after all.
Of course, there were other reasons too.
Even if the world might end, as long as it was just a possibility, grad students would keep studying in stoic silence.
Today, the researchers gathered in the darkened lab, waiting for one man.
An official notice had come down from the department head's office.
Pursuant to Article 9 of the Personnel Regulations, the following promotion is hereby announced.
Name: Park Ha-jun
Department: Mathematics
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Promoted Position: Associate Professor
The moment Park Ha-jun returned from the department head's office...
Pfshh!
Confetti poppers burst, and the researchers erupted in cheers.
"Whoooaa! Congratulations, Professor!!!"
"...Haha."
Park Ha-jun froze for a second before blowing out the candles on the cake with an awkward grin.
Back when Hwang Ji-on had first informed him, he'd just nodded dryly.
But now, with his researchers celebrating, it finally felt real.
'I was stressing over tenure denial just yesterday...'
Now he was an associate professor. An early promotion, thanks to his magic fusion research and special lectures, or so they'd said.
One perk of the promotion: an extra lab assignment.
But with the Wave looming, he had no headspace to enjoy it.
The Association had come calling with a commission.
"Dinner party tonight?!"
"Korean beef again?!"
"Sluuuurp... I'm in...!"
The researchers chattered, pretending everything was normal.
"A party sounds great..."
But Park Ha-jun scratched his cheek, then spoke in a more serious tone.
"Let's do it later, though. Feels wrong to celebrate carefree right now... Plus, don't we have that project?"
The researchers' faces turned subtly conflicted—excited yet apprehensive.
But there was no choice. A relaxed dinner today might end up as their last supper.
They trusted the hunters fighting tooth and nail, but Park Ha-jun couldn't just sit idle.
Not when he knew the influence he wielded now.
'To protect this lab... to make use of that promotion perk...'
He had to step up.
"Stick the cake in the fridge and gather at the blackboard for a bit...?"
And so, one Math Department lab kicked off another project.
Last night, the third International Hunter Alliance meeting convened.
Because of the Wave South Korea had warned about.
A flying monster Wave.
A horde of A-rank flying monsters, led by the divine beast Garuda.
Repeated international meetings to prepare were only natural, but...
This one's atmosphere was markedly different.
The agenda seemed routine, yet the hunter powerhouses' ulterior motives shone through.
To sum up the agenda:
- The International Hunter Alliance, per its founding purpose, unites against any threat.
Don't just handle your own crises—help others.
It sounded like the big players with spare resources should aid the weak nations.
On the surface, heartwarming stuff.
But the real intent? Far from selfless.
- However, with Wave compensation unclear, aided nations must agree to these terms:
1. The aided nation's (Party B) top hunters respond to Party A's (aider) deployment requests for 3 years.
2. Party B imposes no entry/exit restrictions on Party A hunters for subjugation ops.
3. Party B guarantees Party A gate subjugation rights proportional to contributions...
...
Three more predatory clauses besides.
The weak nations' reps could only panic.
A massive A-rank flying monster Wave—beyond what small nations could handle.
Without powerhouse aid, extinction loomed. How could they impose such ruthless terms?
Especially ceding gate subjugation rights—fatal for small nations.
Gates were their main gold source. Handing them over slashed income.
Stunting hunter growth, dooming them to weakness forever.
The weak nations protested fiercely, but...
- Once Wave rewards are confirmed, we'll consider adjustments.
Vague dodges, nothing more.
If no fair solution now, what options would small nations have next crisis?
A bleak outlook.
Yet Awakener Association President Lee Jong-hwa of South Korea merely listened silently.
He knew this talk meant little.
'...I briefed them properly, yet why the overconfidence?'
He didn't believe powerhouses could handle the Wave casually.
Hunter powerhouses: Nations with 2+ S-ranks, vast lands for smooth gold flow.
Strong, yes. Stronger than Korea pre-asd123, naturally.
But hadn't they said? A Wave blanketing the capital.
Capitals vary by nation size. Would vast powerhouses really have the edge?
'...Your forces will suffer massive losses.'
No spare resources for aiding others then.
Plus, through multiple loops, Lee Jong-hwa knew:
They overflowed with gold. Vast territories meant new awakeners barely dented accumulation.
They bloated reserves just to flex power...
'...Don't ruin your futures with such folly. That gold's better off with asd123—for your sake too.'
So Lee Jong-hwa stayed silent.
Didn't correct their misconceptions.
If powerhouses set this precedent, they couldn't complain when arrows turned on them.
No grand ambitions. Just not overreaching.
Priority: Korea's safety.
His true aim: Powerhouses' excess gold. Nothing more.
Though for nations that offered zero help during Vasky? Harsher proposals planned.
Still, never as vile as their demands.
No wasting asd123's variable loop on petty power grabs.
Just secure commission gold for asd123—generously, if honest.
"... ."
To the silent Lee Jong-hwa, the U.S. Awakener Association President said:
- By the way... congratulations, Mr. Lee. Heard your nation gained a special scroll maker. A perfect magic powerhouse now.
No envy for Korea in that.
An S-rank scroll maker? Blessing or curse—most pondered.
Some even snickered.
Probably the "perfect magic powerhouse" jab.
With archmage Lee Jong-hwa, undeniable... but implying scrolls made them perfect? Subtle shade.
Lee Jong-hwa felt no offense.
Proof their info lockdown on asd123 succeeded.
'...Indeed a perfect magic powerhouse. You wouldn't know.'
If they knew, eyes would blaze hunting asd123. Some might send assassins for dominance.
Hiding asd123's feats? Smart call.
As Lee Jong-hwa smirked inwardly, the U.S. President continued:
- ...From one who's seen the future, what's your take? Think we can help such dangers for free?
That the "magic powerhouse" angle—to prod Korea into agreement, opportunity dangling.
"...Impossible."
The U.S. President smiled faintly.
- Right... We'll tweak numbers later. Meeting adjourned for now...
And so it ended. Blind to how their terms would boomerang.
Monster Wave D-1.
Under moonlight pulsing with menace that evening, Park Ha-jun feverishly wielded his quill in the workshop.
The project with his researchers was straightforward.
The Detection scroll sent to Onhwa Guild.
Perfect attribute fusion.
They reviewed those ideas, checked equations for errors, refined connections.
Park Ha-jun, unburdened from obsessing over the perfect Wave-solving scroll, wrapped it simply.
He'd realized through big guild commissions: Not every solution needed one almighty scroll.
Scrolls shone in synergy.
Thus, emailing the Association dozens of times, he honed Wave-suited scrolls relentlessly.
Base: Water#Wind Detection scroll reviewed with researchers.
Water#Wind's lethality to flyers? Proven.
Final design: Simple.
Grid-ize Seoul skies like Onhwa's Detection, fire Water#Wind waves.
Limited, but friend-foe identification possible.
Not as lethal as attack Frost Wind, but bolsters Association plan—crashing monsters.
Slowed horde swept by mass wind magic, then subjugate weakened foes.
Flyers touching ground? Effective rank drops at least one tier.
He trusted them.
But no intent to idle with one scroll to the Association.
For this day, he'd dump stockpiled scrolls at fair prices.
Anyone with mana could contribute to the Wave.
Finishing the final stroke, Park Ha-jun shipped the scroll to Lee Dong-gyu, then listed workshop heaps on auction.
About 1,400 Mana Arrow scrolls.
Handing the immortality potion to Vasky enrages Garuda, who invades Earth.
[00 days 00 hours 03 minutes]
A massive rift tore open in the sky.
Countless hunters guarded assigned zones. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of meetings and plans culminated here.
[00 days 00 hours 02 minutes]
Two minutes to Wave: Seo Ji-ah fully activated her Barrier Field.
To hold just as monsters poured from the rift.
In that instant, the president would deploy asd123's Detection scroll.
Its principle baffled him still, but asd123's word sufficed.
This Detection fired invisible waves.
Hanging area-wide debuff on incoming flyers.
He hoped beyond mere debuff. An asd123 scroll? Surely more.
The president unfurled the scroll toward the sky rift.
That instant, the [Fragment of the Story] timer hit 00:00.
A frozen moment in time.
The sky wound split wide. From the dark crimson maw, winged monsters flooded out.
Kieeeek!
Hundreds of thousands surged at the barrier.
But the first thing they met wasn't the barrier.
Water#Wind waves from the president's scroll.
Mid-mighty wingbeats, monsters lost propulsion instantly.
They plummeted toward the barrier like freefalling stones.