Atlas's Burden
"When I was a kid, I used to read this book about Greek mythology. There's this guy named Atlas who holds up the sky. That came to mind, so I figured I'd give it a try."
"There was a myth like that?"
Jegal Myeong tilted his head. He didn't know every mythology in existence, but he was familiar with most of the myths found across the continent. Greek mythology, however, was something he had never heard of.
"Yeah, it exists. It's not a Western Continent myth."
"Ah, is that so…"
"Hah… hah…"
Whoosh.
Thud.
"I… huff… I'm here."
Sweat pouring down like rain, Jegal Seo-wol carefully set the massive boulder down. In truth, he had cracked the rock several times on the way here. Each time, a beating from the Absolute One had come flying his way. He had no idea what kind of stone it was made of, but it was so fragile that simply setting it down carelessly would shatter it on the spot.
"Good work. One minute of rest."
"R… rest!"
"…"
Snapping to attention like a soldier under iron discipline, Jegal Seo-wol barked the word back and dropped to the ground. Jegal Myeong stared at Do-ha with a blank, stunned expression. Just what had he done to the boy over the past two days to turn him into this?
Nothing Myeong had ever tried had changed him. And yet in a mere two days, Seo-wol had become a completely different person. Myeong had even beaten him himself—once for hours straight—and it had made no difference at all. Look at him now. A brand-new man.
"Like I said, I'm taking him with me."
"Yes, of course…"
In that instant, Jegal Myeong felt his son's head give the faintest tremor. A tiny, almost invisible shake—as if he truly, desperately did not want to go.
"Honestly."
Do-ha cut himself off mid-sentence, shook his head, and pulled something from his spatial bag.
"N-no! That's a misunderstanding!"
The moment Do-ha produced the club, Jegal Seo-wol frantically shook his head.
Whoosh!
Crack!
"Guh!"
Seo-wol clutched his head and toppled backward.
Thud.
"Don't worry. I know how to hit him just right."
"Ah…"
Only then did Jegal Myeong understand how his son had been transformed. He had seen it clearly with his own eyes—despite the tremendous impact, Seo-wol's head was completely unharmed.
He must be going out of his mind…
Getting clubbed over and over with no wounds, no real injury, and no way to escape.
"We're heading out, then."
"Yes."
"I'll send word from time to time, so don't worry."
"Understood."
"Hey, Dokgo Man."
"Yes, sir!"
At some point, Do-ha had started speaking down to him, and Dokgo Man had started answering with full respect.
"You'll be coming over to Earth soon."
"Sir? Why would I go there…"
He knew they had begun exchanging with the world called Earth, but why would he need to go?
"Because I'll be there. I've got some work for you, but… never mind. Forget it."
At those words, Dokgo Man's eyes lit up. The reason a man with no social grace and no talent for scheming had climbed all the way to branch leader was simple—he had an uncanny nose for the scent of money.
Grab!
"No, sir! I'll go! Please let me go!"
"Fine, just get off me! You stink."
Do-ha peeled Dokgo Man off his leg. He had only planned to have the man shuttle back and forth collecting information—why was he this enthusiastic?
"I'll keep you updated on Jegal Seo-wol through this guy."
"Yes, understood."
"Hey. Let's go."
Whoosh!
"Yes, sir!"
At Do-ha's word, the supposedly collapsed Jegal Seo-wol shot to his feet. He hadn't actually been unconscious—he'd just been lying there resting after the blow.
"Pick it up."
"Yes, sir."
Rumble…
Jegal Seo-wol nodded and began hoisting the massive boulder he had set down. He would have to carry this all the way to Earth. At first he had refused over and over, insisting it was impossible—but all that earned him was more clubbing. After a few hours of that, he decided simply carrying the thing was the better option.
About two weeks after returning from the murim world—
"Do-ha-nim!!!"
"…"
Someone came looking for Do-ha as he sat leisurely drinking coffee on the bench in front of his house. He nearly dropped the cup in his hand.
"You… how the hell did you find this place?"
Do-ha, who was rarely ever surprised, frowned at the sight of Park Seok-jun standing before him. How had this bastard tracked down his home? This wasn't the kind of address you dug up with a background check.
"I missed you, sir!"
"I asked how you found it."
"The Association President told me."
"…"
Do-ha pressed a hand to his forehead at Park Seok-jun's answer.
Haah…
I should have put a stop to it the moment I heard…
In truth, he had heard months ago that the Association President and Park Seok-jun had been meeting privately on a regular basis. He simply hadn't cared. It had nothing to do with him, and the two of them growing closer wasn't particularly harmful. Park Seok-jun had even been pouring every last bit of his illegally acquired wealth into the Association as investment. And it wasn't just money—he had been using the media to continuously elevate the Association's standing. For a man who, only a few years ago, had attacked the Association daily to turn around like this… people were singing its praises left and right.
So when Park Seok-jun asked for the address, he just handed it over.
The Association President knew what kind of relationship Do-ha and Park Seok-jun used to have. But that was the past—he believed they were on good terms now. And why wouldn't he? Park Seok-jun had been the one who provided the mine information, after all.
"Fine… who am I going to blame."
"Sir?"
"Never mind. Why are you here?"
If the reason turned out to be trivial, he was not going to let this slide.
"This, sir. I've already delivered copies to Selenia-nim and that… Jegal…"
"Jegal Seo-wol."
"Ah, yes. I've already given one to him as well."
At present, Jegal Seo-wol was receiving instruction from Selenia and taking over every responsibility under her. His mind was so sharp that, despite only two weeks having passed, he was already covering nearly everything on his own. Of course, whenever the faintest hint of rebellion showed itself, a thorough clubbing was administered alongside the lessons.
"What is this?"
"It's a plan I'm currently pushing forward."
Do-ha flipped through the documents.
"North Korean Land Recovery Proposal?"
"Yes."
"So the Republic of Korea is going to take the North Korean territories for itself?"
"Correct. North Korea as a nation has been gone for over nine years now, and the land is still just sitting there abandoned, isn't it? So I moved immediately."
"The reason we couldn't take it before was China, wasn't it?"
The Korean government had tried to claim the northern territories on the grounds that the Korean Peninsula had originally been one, but China had repeatedly refused, and Korea had eventually backed down. In exchange, the Chinese government had promised not to take the North Korean land either.
"Yes. As you said, it was because of China that we couldn't claim the North. But now we have a pretext, don't we?"
"A pretext?"
"Yes. The monsters that came down from the North."
If Do-ha—a Cheon-oe-cheon—hadn't stopped them, Korea itself might have vanished from history. When they tallied the number of monsters that had poured down from North Korea, the count was more than four times higher than any other country.
"So I took those statistics and have already held multiple discussions with China."
"Oh? Really?"
For once, Do-ha found himself impressed by Park Seok-jun's swift action.
"Of course, China is still refusing for now. They're saying that if North Korean land is absorbed into the Republic of Korea, our borders would touch, creating a national security threat, and so on. But every time they bring that up, I bring up the Wave incident."
Thanks to that, China had nothing left to say.
Because they left the Gates in North Korea unattended, more than four times as many monsters flooded into Korea compared to other nations.
Sinŭiju, right next to China, has over six Gates alone—and not a single Chinese Awakened ever went there.
Korea's Cheon-oe-cheon helped China, so what exactly did China do during the Wave?
And so on. Park Seok-jun had been aggressively pressing China on every front.
"Which is why I've come to ask a favor of you, Do-ha-nim."
"You want me to speak up personally and put my weight behind it."
"Exactly. That's precisely it."
Park Seok-jun clapped at Do-ha's words. In the current climate, if Cheon-oe-cheon A opened his mouth in support, they could seize nearly complete control of the initiative. Hadn't they already created a debt when Do-ha dealt with the demon in China?
"Would you… be willing?"
Park Seok-jun looked at Do-ha carefully. If Do-ha helped here, they would hold the knife by the handle. Most nations were already saying that Korea should take and manage the North Korean territories. And with Do-ha having traveled to other countries handling the Wave crisis, the overall atmosphere was extremely favorable.
"All right."
In the end, Do-ha nodded. This time, he shared Park Seok-jun's sentiment.
I was already thinking I wanted to clear the Gates in North Korea anyway.
Paju City, which he controlled, sat relatively close to the North. That proximity had been nagging at him for some time. If another Wave ever broke out, it could become dangerous.
"Thank you so much!"
Park Seok-jun bowed at a full ninety degrees. With a Cheon-oe-cheon's blessing secured, all that remained was to bring the North Korean land home. Plenty of complicated issues and diplomatic hurdles still remained, of course—but the other nations were already on Korea's side.
"Argentina's president even spoke up personally."
"Huh? Said what?"
"That the Korean Peninsula was originally one, so China should stop sticking its nose where it doesn't belong."
"Pfft…"
Do-ha burst out laughing at Park Seok-jun's report.
"Ah, and another Cheon-oe-cheon has also taken your side, Do-ha-nim."
"Who?"
"Henry-nim, ranked number one."
When Park Seok-jun first began pushing this initiative, Henry had been the very first to side with Korea. Henry had stated that thanks to A's efforts, many nations had stabilized quickly, and that North Korea would be best managed by Korea—where A resided. Once the world's top-ranked hunter said as much, the other Cheon-oe-cheon who had been watching the situation began siding with Korea one by one.
"It's all thanks to the great Do-ha-nim. If Do-ha-nim hadn't been here…"
"Shut it."
As Park Seok-jun launched into endless praise, Do-ha clamped a hand over his mouth. The thing he hated most was fanatics—and looking at Park Seok-jun, the man was indistinguishable from one.
"Then I'll prepare a press conference soon and make the announcement."
"Yeah, fine."
"Please rest well."
Park Seok-jun's drive was extraordinary. The moment Do-ha's press conference ended, he set out on a tour of other nations alongside the politicians already in his camp, securing firm declarations of support. Not mere social media statements—face-to-face confirmations, obtained in person.
And the person who delivered the final decisive blow was none other than the representatives from Belhart. Emperor Dimerof, Martial Alliance Leader Namgung Je-u, Elf Queen Dearopia, and Dwarf King Kael—every last one of them stood with A without exception.
The result: about a week later, China issued an official statement that it had no objection to Korea taking possession of the North Korean territories. They had considered simply ignoring the matter as they once would have, but they came to understand that such a thing was no longer possible in this era—and ultimately decided to relinquish the North Korean land.