An Irresistible Offer
Canada and Mexico continued to fail in conquering their allocated Legendary-grade ruins.
Despite receiving substantial support from the international community and pouring all their available strength into the raids, the outcome remained absolute failure. Had the international community rallied all its might behind them—granting them firepower on par with the United States—a clear might have been within reach. Yet the burden on other nations was simply too immense to commit such forces. After all, those very nations would soon face their own allocated ruins and desperately needed to conserve their elite strength.
Regardless, the countdown steadily dwindled, and the impending onslaught of beasts turned into an unavoidable reality.
Citizens in Canada and Mexico either scrambled to flee abroad or shivered in sheer terror. Even so, a faint sliver of hope lingered. If only the ravenous swarms dropped into uninhabited wilderness, there could be no better stroke of fortune. While that was impossible for densely packed nations like South Korea, Canada was a quintessential example of low population density; such an outcome was well within the realm of possibility.
However, the aftermath of the collapsed ruins and the deluge of monsters was nothing short of catastrophic.
The beasts materialized with pinpoint precision right in the most populous metropolitan hubs of each nation. Of all places, major cities. The single most crowded urban centers. And to happen in both nations simultaneously was a horrific reality impossible to brush off as mere coincidence.
Once the monsters unleashed hell, a one-sided massacre unfolded.
At a glance, tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—seemed to have perished. Although hunters stationed to protect the urban sectors mobilized swiftly thanks to the monsters landing in downtown zones, they were hunted down instead. Emerging from Legendary-grade ruins, the monsters were terrifyingly overpowered. Canada and Mexico barely managed to conclude the slaughter only after luring the rampaging beasts and scattering them across divided fronts.
With that countdown reaching zero, a new timer began ticking down.
The targets allocated uncleared ruins for the week were the nations of South America. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia... Legendary ruins were assigned one by one to countries across the continent. It appeared the allocations were rotating methodically by continent. Would the next rotation be Oceania, Asia, or perhaps Africa?
• Mexico City Struck by Legendary Ruin Beasts: Confirmed Casualties Surpass 50,000...
• International Community Calls in Unison for Urgent Measures on Uncleared Ruins.
• President Silva Declares: "Hunter Jeon Jaewoo’s Assistance Is Mandatory for Brazil."
• Korean Hunter Bureau Clarifies: "Nothing Has Been Decided."
• "Hunter Jeon Jaewoo’s Willingness Is the Utmost Priority for Overseas Aid."
The public dreaded the thought of Jeon Jaewoo exhausting his limited raid quota on behalf of other nations. The Korean Hunter Bureau shared similar anxieties, and those fears materialized in no time.
"Commissioner."
"Hmm?"
"The Brazilian Foreign Ministry just reached out. They're demanding to be put in contact with Hunter Jeon Jaewoo..."
Yoo Jeongtae scowled fiercely.
"Tell them absolutely not. No, just ignore them entirely."
"If we keep refusing, it looks like they’re ready to fly over in person."
"Those bastards."
Trying to poach another nation's most precious asset at their own leisure. In fact, stripping away the veneer of diplomatic courtesy, the tone South American countries like Brazil took toward South Korea was hardly different from threatening war if Jeon Jaewoo was not handed over. They were practically demanding that Jaewoo be surrendered as a public utility for all humanity.
War? Brazil is twenty thousand kilometers away from Korea! What war could they possibly wage?
"Ah... seriously, what a load of crap," Yoo Jeongtae muttered under his breath.
Why did a planetary catastrophe of this magnitude have to erupt right during his tenure as Commissioner?
"Commissioner, since it's come to this, wouldn't it be better to arrange the meeting and secure some benefits as middlemen?"
"What are you talking about? It's not enough that we hide him away, and now you want us to hand Hunter Jeon Jaewoo over to them on a silver platter?"
"The pressure from the international community is growing too intense. In times like this, forcibly hoarding a powerhouse like Hunter Jeon Jaewoo goes against moral decency..."
"..."
Since when did those hypocrites give a damn about international moral decency?
Yet Yoo Jeongtae couldn't shake his anxiety. What if Hunter Jeon Jaewoo was seduced by the clandestine offers of fortune, women, and authority from South American nations and simply packed up and left without a word?
"Before that happens, wouldn't it be better for us to take on the official mediator role and ensure he doesn't emigrate?"
"..."
Naturally, Yoo Jeongtae had zero desire to send Jaewoo abroad under any circumstances. But having more time didn't conjure up a better solution. With an existential crisis looming over the globe, the prevailing atmosphere demanded unified cooperation, transcending ideology and alignment. Sitting on a singular supreme power like Jeon Jaewoo in such an environment carried a severe risk of international backlash. In fact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was already facing immense diplomatic heat.
Furthermore, to be perfectly frank, mediator or not, the Korean Hunter Bureau had zero control over Jeon Jaewoo.
Up until now, they had stonewalled inquiries by pleading helplessness—claiming they couldn't command Jaewoo anyway—but outright rejecting requests to simply connect them was proving difficult. In the end, things would likely proceed by reserving a minimum clear quota for South Korea and brokering introductions with other nations.
Even so, seeking Jeon Jaewoo's aid for Legendary ruins this early was hardly an ideal choice, setting personal feelings aside.
No matter how peerless Jeon Jaewoo was, as long as he was bound by the system as a hunter, his remaining lifetime raid quota stood at a mere twelve clears. Yet just how many uncleared Legendary ruins were left in the world? Moreover, even if Legendary ruins could somehow be managed, the real horror lay in the uncleared Ancient ruins.
That was when Jeon Jaewoo's strength would be truly indispensable. If the beasts dwelling within an Ancient ruin breached containment and poured into a nation, unlike a Legendary ruin, total national collapse was a near certainty.
Are they just desperate to put out the immediate fire?
Granted, Ancient ruins were exceedingly rare compared to Legendary ones. With over two hundred nations across the globe, the odds of being assigned one were slim, so people likely comforted themselves with wishful thinking: Surely it won't be us.
After a prolonged silence, Yoo Jeongtae let out a heavy sigh and slowly opened his mouth.
"Fine. Bring it up with Hunter Jeon Jaewoo."
As acknowledged, the Bureau couldn't command him anyway. Though he gave the order to broach the topic, deep down, Yoo Jeongtae desperately hoped Jaewoo would reject the foreign appeal.
A few days later, Jeon Jaewoo headed to the Hunter Bureau at Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae's request. Foreign dignitaries from South America—officials from the Brazilian government—had traveled all the way to see him.
The reason was glaringly obvious.
It has to be about the uncleared ruins assigned to South America.
Only three days remained until the countdown ran out. South American nations were giving it everything they had, but so far had achieved zero results. Not even Brazil, the premier power on the continent. Then again, these ruins had been put off precisely because they were uncleared deathtraps; scrambling at the eleventh hour was hardly going to change anything. Even the United States had barely pulled off a clear by consolidating its entire national might.
Jaewoo had also been stunned by the catastrophe that befell Canada and Mexico. The devastation witnessed through the television screen was horrifying beyond words.
...It wasn't an exaggeration; bodies literally blanketed the rivers.
While Jaewoo was an ordinary citizen who prioritized his own interests, that didn't mean he lacked his own sense of humanity or morals. If the visitors offered fair compensation, he was willing to lend a hand. Of course, Yoo Jeongtae and the Bureau officials looked as if they prayed he would issue a flat rejection.
Upon arriving at the Bureau, Jaewoo met the special envoy of the Brazilian government in an executive reception room. The moment the Brazilian delegate laid eyes on Jaewoo, his face broke into an exuberant grin and he began speaking animatedly. Not understanding a word of Portuguese, Jaewoo glanced at the Bureau staff member beside him, who promptly interpreted.
"Foreign Minister Lucas states that it is an immense honor to meet you, Hunter Jeon."
"Ah, yes. Could you tell him it's a pleasure to meet him as well?"
The Foreign Minister himself came all the way here in person?
With senior Bureau executives sitting in as witnesses, Jaewoo and the Brazilian delegation commenced their discussion. The Bureau officials insisted on attending, wary of what the Brazilian government might pitch if Jaewoo were left alone with them. Minister Lucas was almost boisterously expressive, chattering excitedly about various topics.
Stripping away the pleasantries and minor details, the core message was clear.
They'll give me proper compensation, so please help them conquer the Legendary ruin before the countdown expires.
In fact, before heading to the Bureau, Jaewoo had already looked into the clear rewards for the newly assigned ruins. And the clear reward for the Legendary ruin allocated to Brazil was none other than an Extra Clear Ticket.
Helping them wouldn't hurt at all.
After all, his net clear count wouldn't change.
Right then, the interpreter relayed the Foreign Minister's next words.
"He says that if you successfully conquer the ruin, Brazil will provide Hunter Jeon Jaewoo with an Extra Clear Ticket as compensation."
"!"
Jaewoo's eyes widened.
The Hunter Bureau executives seated nearby wore equally stunned expressions.
While Brazil couldn't match the national awakened military might of superpowers like China, India, the United States, or the European Union, it remained one of the world’s formidable powers. Having cleared ruins over the course of decades, they possessed one or two Extra Clear Tickets in their national reserves.
"Are you saying Brazil will give me an Extra Clear Ticket from its own reserves?"
"Precisely. Since you are clearing the ruin on our behalf, the least we can do is restore your raid quota. And of course, the loot dropped from within the ruin will be distributed according to ruin ownership shares."
"..."
The ruin clear reward itself was already an Extra Clear Ticket—and now Brazil was offering another one on top of that?
A natural smile formed on Jaewoo’s lips.
He was about to gain two Extra Clear Tickets in total. Even setting aside noble causes like saving human lives, he had zero reason to refuse.
"Very well. I accept the proposal."
The meeting concluded as Jaewoo and the Minister exchanged a firm, mutually satisfied handshake. Minister Lucas laughed heartily, praising Jaewoo's generous magnanimity. He looked completely relieved, as though a rotting tooth that had plagued him for weeks had finally been pulled.
In contrast, the senior executives of the Hunter Bureau wore sour, grim faces, feeling as if their prized asset had just been snatched right out of their hands. On top of that, hearing a foreign nation offer a precious Extra Clear Ticket—something South Korea couldn't even afford to provide—left them with an odd sting of humiliation and defeat.
Well, if you're so sour about it, why don't you cough up an Extra Clear Ticket for Hunter Jeon Jaewoo yourselves?