Huckster

"What on earth are we supposed to send……?"

The Association's Strategic Countermeasures Headquarters office. Park Ingyu was racking his brains with the Association employees late into the night again.

What kind of country was South Korea? Before the Tower appeared, it was the sort of country that could give a crown as a gift even to a president who had slapped punitive tariffs on goods entering the country, making him pull it out and show it off with a smile on an airplane.

Looking farther back, it was the country that sucked the marrow from Ming China, making all sorts of excuses even when Ming envoys were sent back with pleas to stop paying tribute. Since it was geographically a strategic crossroads by nature, it was a nation that had mastered the art of currying favor with foreign powers, whether it liked it or not.

Yet despite several visits by hunters led by Moon Seo-young, it was extremely difficult to determine Yoo Hyun's preferences. It wasn't simply because he lacked greed.

"I more or less expected him not to accept money, but I never imagined he'd reject even weapons or medicine that seemed useful over there."

"I showed him a magic-infused weapon once, but he said only weak barbarians used such things."

"What about medicine? You know, things like potions from the Tower."

"He said only weak barbarians got sick."

"……."

Modern hunters found it difficult to keep up with the Empire's premodern way of thinking. When it came to Yoo Hyun's tastes, Moon Seo-young seemed to take a step backward and hit upon the answer.

"Come to think of it, they confiscate the kimchi we're going to eat every single time. Could he perhaps like it?"

"What!? Why are you only saying that now?"

"If it makes him uncomfortable, shouldn't we leave it out from now on?"

"Oh, come on, it's not like he throws it away in front of us. If he's taking it even though he won't eat it, he must have some use for it somewhere."

"You think so?"

"If it bothers him, he'll tell us first, so let's just leave it."

As long as it works, even dust is a component.

They nearly threw all their efforts away, but thanks to an employee with a developer's background, they at least managed to keep kimchi from disappearing from the offerings.

"Still, he must want something."

"Right? As long as he's human……"

It made no sense that he wanted nothing at all. If that were the case, he could simply have said from the start that there was no need for tribute and they should never bring anything again.

From Yoo Hyun's perspective, it clearly seemed that he was waiting for a card they possessed but had yet to reveal. They had absolutely no idea what it was, though, so once again several employees headed to the smoking room.

"It's been a while, Manager Park Ingyu."

"So it's you, Mr. Lee Dowon."

Park Ingyu was about to follow them when someone stopped him in the hallway. It was Lee Dowon, the vice-master of the Ignis Guild.

Korea had seven great guilds known as the Seven Great Powers. Most of them did not operate domestically, and the Ignis Guild even had its headquarters in the United States.

Lee Dowon was also a dual national, a black-haired foreigner who spoke fluent Korean but had lived in the United States for most of his life.

He had hurried home after hearing that a Hidden Stage had opened in Korea. As he slipped his Association access pass into a passport holder that still looked brand-new, he said to Park Ingyu,

"I've heard the story. The Cheonyu Empire? I hear you're having trouble negotiating with them?"

"It's not a negotiation, but tribute. They're an extremely isolationist country that puts their own people first, so we're carefully working on narrowing the distance."

"Ah, this is why government agencies are hopeless. They live off taxpayers, but they can't get anything done quickly. Haven't you heard this saying?"

"What saying?"

"If a problem can't be solved with money, ask yourself whether you're simply short on money."

As he said this, Lee Dowon explained why they had come.

"The Ignis Guild will help you, so in return, give us exclusive rights to process and distribute the mana stones that come from there."

"We'll discuss that with the relevant departments if you make an official request. If it gets approved, exactly how do you intend to help?"

"Didn't I tell you? We're going to overwhelm them with money."

From the Ignis Guild and Lee Dowon's perspective, the Association's approach was hopelessly old-fashioned. To put it more bluntly, it reeked of penny-pinching.

"Packing suitcases to the brim and lugging them over there? Can't you hear how that's dragging down our national prestige?"

"From our standpoint, that was the best we could do."

"So don't do your best—do it properly. Is that really so difficult?"

"……."

"If we use the monsters we've tamed, we can transport up to thirty people at a time. It's a rushed order from the laboratory, but it'll be arriving at Busan Port soon."

Even though the Association had not officially announced the access information for the Hidden Stage, Lee Dowon knew how to get to the Empire. Park Ingyu had expected it to be revealed sooner or later, but not this quickly.

If they accepted his help, could they secure Yoo Hyun's permission to hunt in Pamagok? He did not deliberate for long.

"For now, I must respectfully decline on the Association's behalf."

"You're refusing to join hands?"

"And please, don't mention anything about being short on money or anything of the sort in front of Great General Yoo Hyun."

"Ha-ha, are you already trying to keep us in check?"

Even though it was merely a guild, it was one of the Seven Great Powers. There was a huge difference in strength between it and the Association, which could not even properly deal with the monsters spilling out of the Tower.

Compared to the profits that could be made from mana stones, even the money spent on tribute was a mere drop in the bucket. To gain an advantage over the other groups in their relationship with the Cheonyu Empire, Lee Dowon began assembling a delegation the moment he left the Association building.

*

A forested area near Pamagok where little sunlight reached. On the flat ground where the trees had been turned to stone by a basilisk, the Association's hunters were once again coming through the rift.

Without bothering with proper amenities, they had put up only minimal defensive magic and were diligently moving their supplies. Even if they were short on money, they were not so broke that they could not bring in tents for the base camp.

The reason the setup was so spartan was that they still had not obtained permission to hunt in Pamagok. If they settled in and even lit a fire, monsters were sure to swarm them. They had to flee while avoiding combat as much as possible.

Normally, it would have been the same cycle of hauling everything to the government office only to be turned away again, but today was different. Yoo Hyun himself had come in person.

"It smells again today."

"H-how is your health……!"

"Don't."

"We humbly greet the Great General!"

"Yes."

Moon Seo-young immediately dropped to her knees and bowed to greet him. Judging from what the other subordinates, who treated them as barbarians, said, even the Commander of the Capital Guard rarely personally patrolled beyond the fortress walls.

Even so, Yoo Hyun had personally gone to the most dangerous places for fifteen years without missing a single day, never sending his subordinates in his stead. No wonder those beneath him trusted and followed him wholeheartedly.

"Let's see, what is this now?"

"That's the food we brought this time. Last time, um, we were a little short on food for ourselves……"

It was kimchi. White kimchi, nabak kimchi, and cucumber kimchi. They had no intention of bringing it all the way to the government office, and had prepared the least pungent varieties possible so they would not give him even the slightest excuse to object.

It had been made directly at Moon Seo-young's family home, so it was wrapped in kimjang plastic bags. Yoo Hyun, who spotted it with uncanny accuracy among countless suitcases, soon twisted his face into an unnatural grimace.

"There are vegetarian barbarians around here."

"Pardon? Vegetarians?"

"They can smell it from a thousand li away, raid villages, and strip the kitchens of herbs and vegetables. They're so elusive that even the Capital Guard has no way to catch them."

"So, for your safety, I shall hold on to this for a while." Yoo Hyun said that as he picked up the suitcase, and one of the group whose kimchi had been taken let out a scream.

Moon Seo-young was still curious why Yoo Hyun ignored every offering except kimchi. Although they had decided at the meeting that asking the Great General directly what he needed would be rude and was not to be done, she gathered her courage and spoke to him.

"Um…… Great General."

"What is it?"

"We want to hunt in Pamagok."

If they could not establish a base here, not only would gathering mana stones be impossible, their very survival would be at risk. The hunters would not all be safe simply because they had one Shin Yuyu with them.

"We'll prepare anything you need. So please, could you tell us what it is?"

Although Yoo Hyun had never demanded tribute outright, if they could hear from his own mouth what they lacked, the Association would search every avenue to find a solution.

As Yoo Hyun looked down at Moon Seo-young, who was thinking that a single mistake could cost her her head, he opened his mouth.

"I've already received it."

"You have……?"

"I didn't say it outright, as Nochil advised. Did you truly not understand? When you first came here, your commander personally handed me something. I'm merely waiting for his words."

The commander Yoo Hyun meant was Director Park Ingyu. What Park had handed Yoo Hyun at their first meeting was none other than a business card. They had brought nothing else at the time, so there was nothing more.

What were they supposed to do with it? Moon Seo-young hurriedly asked Yoo Hyun.

"If you could just explain a little more……!"

"Well, fancy finding you here."

Just then, a massive rift opened beside them. Dozens of people poured out.

Then came a small container box with a propulsion unit attached to its underside. They could not see what was inside, but it was obvious that it could not compare with the things the Association had brought.

Lee Dowon looked at the suitcases spread across the ground with disdain, then explained to Yoo Hyun who he was.

"It is an honor to meet the Great General of the Cheonyu Empire. My name is Lee Dowon of the Ignis Guild."