Tit for Tat
A bucket of ice water came crashing down without warning on the jubilant atmosphere.
[China Closes Access to Jointly Cleared Legendary-Grade Ruin]
[Experts Declare: "Clear Violation of International Law"]
[Chinese Authorities Respond: "Merely Exercising Legitimate Ownership Rights, Zero Issue"]
The general public erupted in sheer outrage at the gangster-like bullying of their neighboring superpower. But anyone with even half a foot in the hunter industry grew pale for an entirely different reason.
Most citizens held a blind, steadfast belief that even if a crisis broke out, this mysterious hunter named Jeon Jaewoo would somehow sweep in and resolve everything. Looking at his track record alone, it was easy to see why people thought conquering a Legendary-grade ruin would be a stroll in the park for him.
Yet there was one critical variable: Jaewoo had only just emerged from an Ancient-grade ruin.
No matter how superhuman a hunter might be, clearing an Ancient-grade ruin placed an immense physical and mental burden on the body. Standard protocol demanded that any hunter who conquered a ruin take a prolonged period of recuperation. Diving straight into a Legendary-grade ruin—not some common or rare dungeon—seemed practically impossible. That harsh reality weighed heavily on the minds of those who knew the field.
In fact, China had launched their aggressive bid for this month's new Legendary-grade ruin on the exact calculation that Jeon Jaewoo would be in no condition to mount another expedition.
Having received an urgent call from Yoo Jeongtae, Jeon Jaewoo prepared to visit the Korean Hunter Administration headquarters. He had originally planned to take the subway, but Yoo Jeongtae insisted on dispatching a private escort vehicle directly to his front door.
"Right this way, Hunter-nim."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Flanked by men in sharp black suits bowing respectfully, Jaewoo climbed into the sedan, feeling somewhat self-conscious. Of course, throughout the entire drive, Myeolgeop and the Elder Lich remained cloaked in concealment, seated right beside him like invisible bodyguards.
Upon arriving at the headquarters building, Jaewoo was escorted through private corridors to avoid prying eyes, heading straight up to the Commissioner's executive office. As he stepped inside, he found Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae accompanied by another middle-aged gentleman of similar years.
The moment the stranger caught sight of Jaewoo, his face lit up in a broad smile, and he rushed over to take Jaewoo's hands into both of his own.
"Hunter Jeon Jaewoo! Thank you so much for coming."
"Ah, hello."
Though they had never formally met, the man's face was unmistakably familiar. In South Korea, anyone working as an awakened hunter would find it nearly impossible not to recognize him.
"Excuse me, but... are you the Minister?"
At Jaewoo's polite question, the Minister of Disaster Administration smiled genially, giving the young hunter's hands a warm shake.
"Well, I am truly honored that you recognize me. My name is Lee Cheolsoo."
The head of the Ministry of Disaster Administration—the supreme government authority overseeing the Hunter Administration itself. Lee Cheolsoo... sounds like a name straight out of an elementary school reading textbook, Jaewoo thought dryly.
"I cannot thank you enough for selling us the elixir recovered from the Ancient-grade ruin," Minister Lee continued warmly. "The President and the Prime Minister were ecstatic when they received word of the conquest. They specifically instructed me to convey their deepest personal gratitude to you, Hunter Jeon Jaewoo."
The President? And the Prime Minister too?
The dizzying scale of it all caused Jaewoo's stomach to flutter with mild tension. He had always known it abstractly, but the realization hit him anew: his name had climbed all the way to the highest corridors of state power.
"You flatter me," Jaewoo murmured modestly. "I simply sold the elixir for a fair price."
"To even have the opportunity to purchase such an elixir is a miracle in itself! You have rendered an invaluable service to the Republic of Korea, Hunter-nim. In due time, the Blue House intends to confer a national medal and a presidential commendation..."
Before long, Jaewoo sat down across from Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae and Minister Lee Cheolsoo. Yoo Jeongtae's expression looked far more haggard and grim than usual.
"Hunter-nim. Have you, by any chance, seen the news?"
"Ah... you mean China unilaterally sealing off the Legendary-grade ruin we held joint ownership of?"
Jaewoo had caught the broadcast earlier that morning. With every major network interrupting their regular programming for breaking news bulletins, avoiding it would have required living under a rock. Seeing the reports had shocked him just as much as anyone else. To think that simply because they had been beaten to the punch on an Ancient-grade ruin they covetously eyed, they would resort to such petty retaliation. In fact, calling it "petty thuggery" was an understatement; it was a brazen, flagrant breach of international law.
He had even watched YouTube analysis videos claiming this entire geopolitical stunt was an angry backlash against his raid on the Ancient-grade ruin.
"I was stunned to hear that my clearing the Ancient-grade ruin triggered this mess," Jaewoo remarked with a wry grimace.
Minister Lee hastily waved his hands, shaking his head with urgency.
"Good heavens, no! Please, Hunter-nim, you must not trouble your conscience over this matter. Dealing with diplomatic friction of this nature is strictly the government's duty, not yours."
Both officials were visibly walking on eggshells, desperate to ensure they didn't impose any emotional burden on Jaewoo.
"However... there is one question we must humbly ask," Minister Lee hesitated, his eyes flickering with tentative hope. "Would you perhaps be willing to undertake the conquest of the new Legendary-grade ruin that manifested this month?"
And there it is, Jaewoo noted inwardly.
"...Is this because of the magic crystal supply?"
Yoo Jeongtae let out a sigh so heavy it seemed ready to hollow out the floorboards, nodding glumly.
"The high-purity magic crystals produced exclusively by Legendary-grade ruins are vital to dozens of critical projects right now. With our supply abruptly severed without warning, we have been plunged into a catastrophic bottleneck. Strategic national ventures and the manufacturing lines of our domestic conglomerates have ground to a dead halt."
"Can't they substitute them with crystals mined from lower-tier ruins?"
Yoo Jeongtae shook his head vigorously, dismissing the notion entirely.
"The purity gap is simply too vast; the output can't even compare. On top of that, intelligence reports indicate that China is already preparing to sweep in and seize this month's newly spawned Legendary-grade ruin as well. If we want any chance at securing it, we have to clear it before they do."
Among all the Legendary-grade mining-type ruins to which South Korea could lay legitimate claim, there were only two—both previously cleared through joint operations with China. Now, Beijing had padlocked both facilities and was mobilizing its elite raid teams to snatch the newly spawned one as well.
They really are dead set on bleeding their neighbors dry, Jaewoo realized.
Yoo Jeongtae leaned forward across the mahogany desk, his eyes burning with intense, pleading earnestness.
"Therefore, for this upcoming raid, we desperately need your strength, Hunter Jeon Jaewoo. Will you please lend us your aid?"
The Korean government was clinging to Jaewoo like a drowning man clutching a lifeline. After all, if Jaewoo stepped onto the field, a mere Legendary-grade ruin would be scrubbed clean in short order.
"......"
Jaewoo remained silent for a long moment, his face impassive.
Watching him hesitate, the Commissioner and the Minister swallowed dryly, their throats tightening with suspense. Every ounce of their attention was glued to the young hunter's lips.
Finally, Jaewoo broke the quiet, speaking in a calm, deliberate tone.
"Frankly speaking... taking on that Legendary-grade ruin right now would be difficult for me."
The words struck like a hammer blow. Yoo Jeongtae and Lee Cheolsoo felt their hearts plummet straight into their stomachs.
"Having just conquered an Ancient-grade ruin, my condition isn't optimal," Jaewoo explained reasonably. "I'd prefer to avoid engaging in direct, heavy combat against lethal monsters for at least a few days."
"As... as expected. I understand."
Yoo Jeongtae slumped back, his shoulders sagging. They had anticipated this answer. In truth, any sane hunter would have refused outright. Yet because this young man had conquered an Ancient-grade ruin entirely on his own, they had harbored a desperate, naive shred of hope that he might be immune to ordinary human limits.
Now, with their final lifeline severed, total darkness seemed to shroud the agency's future.
Without Jaewoo's overwhelming might, the Hunter Administration would have to clear the new Legendary-grade ruin using only their domestic roster. Granted, thanks to the high-tier magic artifacts Jaewoo had previously provided, clearing a Legendary-grade ruin was significantly more feasible than in the past. But South Korea was far from the only nation eyeing the prize.
Worse, China had concentrated its vast reserves of elite S-rank hunters specifically on that new crystal-bearing ruin, determined to suffocate Korea economically. In the cutthroat world of the awakened, ruins belonged strictly to the first party to conquer them. In raw numbers and collective hunter firepower, China held a decisive advantage. If they unleashed their full national might, they could easily wrap up the raid in a matter of twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
Just as the atmosphere turned utterly suffocating, Jaewoo spoke once more.
"However... if it's a different Legendary-grade ruin, I believe it might be possible."
"Pardon?"
Both officials blinked, their faces instantly twisting into utter bewilderment.
"Hunter Jeon Jaewoo? When you say another ruin... which one could you possibly mean?"
"If I recall correctly, there is a Legendary-grade ruin that China has been sitting on for quite some time now. The one called the Underground Labyrinth."
At those words, Yoo Jeongtae and Lee Cheolsoo's ears perked up sharply.
The Underground Labyrinth!
It was one of those notorious Legendary-grade ruins that had appeared years ago, yet remained uncleared, perpetually postponed. Buried within the labyrinth were astronomical deposits of superior magic crystals—so vast that if successfully claimed, the yield would dwarf the combined output of the two mining ruins China had just stolen.
Currently, China held the highest exploration rate within its depths, leading Beijing to treat the site as their de facto private property. Yet despite the years that had passed since its discovery, a complete clear remained out of reach.
The monsters lurking within the Underground Labyrinth were not particularly terrifying compared to those found in standard Legendary-grade ruins; in fact, their combat power was remarkably weak for that tier. The true nightmare lay in the name itself: the interior was an unfathomably complex, shifting maze.
As with all extradimensional ruins, a strict time limit applied from the moment of entry. With over a thousand target monsters cunningly scattered and hidden across every dead end, crevice, and false corridor, clearing every beast within the allotted countdown had proven practically impossible.
Yet if someone could actually conquer it...
Minister Lee's eyes widened into saucers, his breath catching in his throat.
"Are you... are you truly saying you can conquer the Underground Labyrinth?"
"Well, I can't guarantee a hundred-percent success rate, but I'd like to give it a try," Jaewoo replied calmly. "After all, brute physical combat isn't the deciding factor in that ruin, is it?"
In truth, this bold scheme had not originated from Jaewoo's own mind.
It was Myeolgeop and the Elder Lich who had brought the proposal to him first.
"Creator. I do not believe we should let this nation of China go unpunished."
"I quite agree, clatter-clatter! To lodge a protest against our Creator's magnificent triumph in such a petty, insolent fashion... Left unchecked, those vermin may dare to scheme against your person in the days to come."
Watching the news broadcasts about an entire nation throwing a tantrum over their master's triumph had ignited furious indignation within both summoned beings. In fact, their initial reaction had been so severe that they had proposed flying directly across the Yellow Sea to decapitate the foreign leadership in their own beds.
Jaewoo had barely managed to talk them down from launching an international assassination spree, but neither Myeolgeop nor the Elder Lich had yielded on their core demand: China had to be taught a lesson.
Thus, an alternative strategy was born—to snatch away the prize ruin China treasured most and treated like its own backyard.
Naturally, swallowing the Underground Labyrinth whole would likely send Beijing into an apoplectic rage. But China had already crossed every line imaginable when they unilaterally seized the jointly owned sites. When the other side was playing this dirty, why bother walking on eggshells?
Besides, under international awakened law, a ruin belonged to nobody until the raid was officially logged.
Overwhelmed with sudden relief and manic hope, Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae sprang from his chair, lunging across the table to seize Jaewoo's hands with white-knuckled fervor.
"Hunter-nim! If you can truly conquer the Underground Labyrinth and secure those magic crystals for our country... I swear on my life, I will reward you with everything the Korean Hunter Administration can offer!"