Shattering Limits: 17 Ethers

Chun Sang-hyun's aide caught the coat as the congressman stepped into his office.

"Your next appointment is the 2:30 briefing..."

"Yeah, I know. You can go."

"Yes, sir."

Once the aide left, Chun Sang-hyun sank into his chair. Thirty minutes still remained before the next meeting. He usually packed his schedule so tightly that idle time never appeared, but today he had deliberately cleared a window. There was something he needed to check.

He booted up the computer.

"...What's taking Kim Dan so long this time?"

When the man had suddenly asked him to crush a single company, Chun Sang-hyun had agreed without much thought. As Korea's number-one Awakener, the request felt slightly distasteful, yet it was hardly impossible. They weren't asking him to sanction Awakeners themselves, only to target one mid-sized company the man happened to run. That much was easy.

"This is the perfect chance to teach those Awakener brats a lesson. They're getting far too arrogant."

Chun Sang-hyun had never liked either the Shut-In Blood Demon or Choi Kang-hyuk. The way they strutted around as though they were something special grated on him. How dare they act that way in front of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠elected officials who had received the people's mandate? That was why he had accepted the request—to break the Shut-In Blood Demon's momentum and force him to bow his head. That was the picture Chun Sang-hyun wanted to see.

Yet Kim Dan, who had boasted he would handle it, was moving at a snail's pace. Chun had told him to shape public opinion, so why was the mood swinging in the Shut-In Blood Demon's favor instead?

"Kim Dan really has lost his edge. Tsk. At this rate he'll be swinging a hammer for the rest of his life."

Chun Sang-hyun leaned back in his chair.

"A hearing on violations of the Awakener Equipment Monopoly Act should do the trick, right?"

There was no need to target the Shut-In Blood Demon directly. Kim Dan's request had only concerned the Blood Demon Gentleman brand, not the man himself.

"While we're at it, I should make sure every last Awakener stays inside the Labyrinth where they belong. They can dig up Ether instead of stealing ordinary people's jobs. Tch."

Chun Sang-hyun felt no hesitation. No matter how high they ranked inside the Labyrinth, in the real world they were still just citizens. What could they possibly do? They should have bowed their heads in reality long ago if they wanted any leniency.

Tap, tap.

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Hello, Director Han! Haha! No, no, I just wanted to check in. Did the golf clubs from last time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suit your taste? Yes, yes. I'm glad to hear it."

Glancing at the clock, Chun Sang-hyun rose from his seat with a smile.

"Yes, yes. Actually, I was wondering about the Awakeners these days. Instead of entering the Labyrinth they're all running businesses, and ordinary citizens are having trouble making a living..."

Coat in hand, he walked out of the room. After he left, the computer screen still displayed the news portal he had been browsing for public opinion. Just as the screen was about to dim on its own, fresh headlines flooded the page.

Kim Min-woo walked alongside his secretary, Kim Hyun-ah. Normally he would have summoned a guest straight to his office, but this visitor was someone he could not treat so casually.

"You didn't hear why she's here?"

"No, sir. She only said she wanted to have a casual chat..."

"A chat, my ass. She's probably one of the spies they planted on our savior."

"Savior?"

"My spiritual pillar! The guardian of Korea's barrier stones! The Shut-In Blood Demon himself!"

"...Association President, why are you like this?"

Kim Min-woo had been in an exceptionally good mood lately. The barrier stones' energy had never once dropped below 99 percent. They were sitting at a generous 110 percent overcharge, and he was even considering selling the surplus to the power plant. Had he ever felt this elated while serving as Association President?

"Korea is 110 percent safe!"

"Heh, heh-heh."

"...We've arrived, Mr. President."

"Ahem. Right."

Kim Hyun-ah shook her head slightly at the sight of Kim Min-woo's beaming face before opening the door. It was a rarely used conference room inside the Association. A blonde woman sat alone on the opposite side.

When Kim Min-woo entered, the woman stood up.

"Good afternoon. I'm Kim Min-woo, President of the Korea Awakener Association."

"Elena Benson. Director of the U.S. Federal Awakener Management Agency."

After a brief handshake, the two sat facing each other.

"Why would the Director of the Management Agency come all the way here alone?"

"I thought we could have a simple conversation. Of course..."

Elena pulled something from her pocket: a cube-shaped object the size of a fist. Kim Min-woo flinched at the sudden appearance, but Elena smiled and waved her hand as if to say there was nothing to worry about. She placed the cube on the table and tapped it twice.

Ziiing.

Something spread outward from the cube in an instant.

"Just the two of us."

"...Is that an artifact?"

"Yes. Neither of us wants to deal with wiretapping, do we?"

Elena smiled faintly and glanced at Kim Hyun-ah. Kim Min-woo nodded. His secretary quietly closed the conference room door and left.

Artifacts only appeared on the fifth floor of the Labyrinth or higher, or in extremely rare special situations on lower floors. Fewer than a hundred existed worldwide, making them the highest-grade items available. Yet she had used one so casually in a foreign country.

"What exactly did you want to say that requires going this far?"

"You already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know, don't you? Why pretend?"

"...Even between allied nations, planting spies on another country's Awakeners violates international agreements."

"Hmm? You seem quite upset. You're being very direct."

Elena raised the corner of her mouth in a grin, then clapped her palms together.

"Sorry!"

"...Where did you learn Korean?"

"Ten Ethers and it just pops into your head. Why? Is that strange?"

"No... The patch worked surprisingly well."

Kim Min-woo was inwardly shocked that she had spent ten precious Ethers just to learn Korean. As expected of America.

"I made an investment. I wanted to talk to someone."

"You already have Alex, don't you? Your greed knows no bounds."

"Oh come on, why are you like this? It was just a greeting. Let's get along!"

"...Are you really the Director?"

"If you don't believe me, call the U.S. Management Agency and ask for the Director."

"No need. That's enough. So what is it you actually want to say?"

"Aww, you're no fun."

At Kim Min-woo's request, Elena slid a file folder across the table toward him.

"Take a look. And it auto-destructs in one hour, so memorize it quickly."

"Auto-destruct?"

"It'll just go up in flames suddenly?"

Those crazy Americans. Kim Min-woo picked up the documents. Inside were photos of two men along with transcripts of their conversations: Kim Dan and Chun Sang-hyun. The file detailed their behind-the-scenes maneuvering to shut down the Blood Demon Gentleman brand and the schemes Chun Sang-hyun was plotting.

"A hearing...?"

"I was genuinely surprised. Is this how they treat Awakeners here?"

"It doesn't matter anyway. Without me, they can't summon the Shut-In Blood Demon."

It would be nothing more than a show hearing that would be cut off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at Kim Min-woo's level. Still, it left a bad taste. Were they trying to assert dominance with this?

"Anyway, since they're preparing, we should prepare as well, right?"

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want us to be friends?"

"Haah... We're already allied nations."

"How about a blood alliance? I'll help you as much as I can. Let's live well together."

"Is this because of the Shut-In Blood Demon? All this over a single Awakener?"

At Kim Min-woo's reply, Elena's eyes narrowed.

"Do you really think it's 'just' one? Then Korea's standards are lower than I thought."

"Of course we can't match America. Still, thank you for this. You won't have to worry."

"That's a relief. If you need help, just say so. Read that and tear it up before it burns."

Buzz— Buzz—

Both Elena's and Kim Min-woo's phones vibrated at the same time. Kim Min-woo stared at his screen, eyes widening. The message was from his secretary, Kim Hyun-ah.

"Looks like you received the same message. Congratulations. Korea has a new high-ranker!"

Even Kim Min-woo, who had kept a straight face until now, could no longer hide his expression.

"Hahaha! Thank you. Well, I think that's enough for today. Please take care on your way back!"

Just as he stood up with a wide grin, both phones vibrated again.

"..."

"..."

Buzz— Buzz—

The two stared frozen at their phones.

"Wow... Maybe... we won't need help after all."

Elena's poker face, which had remained unbroken throughout the meeting, finally cracked after three consecutive messages.

"Hey... Isn't that like ninety-nine missed calls again?"

I swallowed hard at the flood of Ether acquisition notifications. Even I had to admit it made no sense. The Golden Goblin was way too broken, wasn't it?

Of course, it wasn't completely omnipotent. In exchange for 777 Agility, its Strength and Intelligence were stuck at 5. It couldn't level up, and it looked so scrawny that a single tap would probably kill it. One hit on the second floor and it would be gone for good.

"Master, what do you plan to do with this Ether!?"

Instead of one or two, nearly ten or more Ethers were being collected every month. At this point...

"I was thinking I'd like to get some Kobolds now."

"Kobolds? They're stupid and useless! Aren't they just bipedal hyenas?"

"They are. But I'm curious. What about the ten-thousand Kobold achievement reward?"

"Now that you mention it..."

I had received the SS-rank skill Golden Goblin as the reward for ten thousand Goblins. So what would ten thousand Kobolds give?

"If it's another SS-rank..."

"The Lightning Goat is completely animal-type, so that's out. Moving Armor, the amusement park mechanical clown, and the rotten water spirit from the Spirit Lake can't be dominated by blood at all. That only leaves one option, right?"

"I think we should invest more in the territory!"

"The territory? We already have plenty, don't we?"

"Business! Expansion! We need to do more!"

Mongmo had a point. The Blood Demon Guard, Blood Demon Gentleman, and Blood Demon Carriage were all businesses made possible thanks to the territory.

"Then let's split it half and half. We have plenty of Ether anyway."

"...We have more than enough now."

It was going to be noisy again for a while.

The number of Ethers kept climbing. The community was heating up. Just as the reset approached, the Shut-In Blood Demon's Ether count finally stopped—at seventeen.

He was no longer looking only at the national ranking. His eyes were now fixed on the world stage.