Chapter 115
A few days earlier.
A cabinet meeting at the White House.
The mood in the room was grave.
“Huh, so an individual can own a Gate.”
The Attorney General and the Speaker of the House let out deep sighs.
With the appearance of the Awakened, many things had changed dramatically, but the organizations that had been busiest keeping pace were the agencies responsible for enforcing and drafting laws.
“That’s not the issue right now.”
If the only issue were that Gates could be privately owned, it wouldn’t be a major problem.
They could simply pass the relevant laws.
The problem was the value of that Gate.
And... the limits of ’ownership‘.
“First, about the Gate’s value... How are we estimating it?”
“Our intelligence network in South Korea has almost completely collapsed... Fortunately, after checking with the information networks of the U.S. Forces Korea and the embassy...”
The CIA director, who had hesitated to report, finally spoke up carefully.
“We’ve been told its value is boundless.”
“Boundless? Is it impossible to put an exact figure on it?”
After all, it was still just a dungeon.
The cabinet members had seemed unimpressed, as if to say, ‘Unless the dungeon is covered in gold, how valuable could it be?’
“To begin with, we’re certain it’s larger than the Eurasian continent.”
“Pffft!”
Gasps and the sounds of people spitting out their drinks came from all sides.
“T-the Eurasian continent...? That’s quite a joke, Director!”
“...That’s the minimum estimate. It only includes the regions shown on the maps from inside, and we’re told there are several unexplored areas.”
“...That’s insane.”
Eurasian in size, they said...
Russia, the country with the largest land area on Earth.
No, even the former Soviet Union didn’t possess half of the Eurasian continent.
“...There’s no guarantee that a large area of land is valuable.”
At the minister’s remark, the Secretary of State snapped angrily.
“Are you kidding me? The more often you fart, the more likely you are to shit! If it’s the size of Eurasia, even resources from just 1% of the area would be enough to shake the entire planet!”
“...That’s true, I suppose.”
“Mr. President. This is a serious national security issue.”
At the Secretary of State’s urgent words, the Secretary of Defense took over and spoke gravely.
“The good thing is that it’s in North Korean territory.”
At the Secretary of Defense’s murmur, everyone’s eyes lit up.
“It’s still on the state sponsors of terrorism list, isn’t it?”
“And it has nuclear weapons...”
“Probably biological weapons, too.”
Truly, ’the axis of evil among the axis of evil‘.
Compared with all the countries the U.S. had delivered ’democracy‘ to so far, this one had an overwhelmingly clear justification.
Even if the regime had changed.
Even if it was willing to embrace a market economy.
Even if it was pursuing reunification with South Korea.
That only mattered if the U.S. ’allowed‘ it.
Until then,
North Korea was simply a terrorist state in the eyes of the international community.
David Field, the Secretary of Defense and one of the White House’s most prominent hawks, continued.
“Our military is ready to move at a moment’s notice to liberate North Korea!”
“Are you really going to keep saying stupid things like that?”
At Secretary of State Trisha’s sharp retort, Secretary Field furrowed his brow.
“That’s an inappropriate thing to say.”
“You’re a cabinet secretary, so stop making thoughtless remarks. Do you even know who’s in South Korea right now? Do you even know who owns that Gate?”
“Kim Segyun...”
“If you know, then keep your mouth shut. What are you going to do with conventional forces against a Hunter who can survive a nuclear strike and pulverize an entire city with a single gesture?”
“We have several powerful Hunters in the United States, too...”
“Then the Secretary of Superpowers should be the one saying that, not you.”
The State Department had already been the most powerful department in the U.S., but the Defense Department’s standing had fallen even further with the emergence of the Department of Superpowers. Secretary Field could only shrink back and lower his head.
“Our Department of Superpowers strongly opposes engaging Kim Segyun in combat without careful consideration. You don’t stop a natural disaster; you avoid it.”
The world’s strongest nation.
Kim Segyun had become a natural disaster(?) even the United States would avoid.
“Then is there no other way? Are we just going to hand over that new dungeon... no, that New World(新世界)?”
The Secretary of Superpowers spoke to the ministers, who were still pondering the matter.
“First, we need to determine the extent of his ’authority‘.”
“...What do you mean?”
The extent of his authority?
Of course, his authority was...
“Come to think of it...”
“This has never happened before.”
No one had ever ’owned‘ a Gate before.
So no one knew what authority came with ’owning‘ a Gate, either.
“We should establish the possible levels of his authority based on factors like the maximum number of entrants, entry restrictions, whether Kim Segyun can control who enters using his authority, and whether he can eject people who are already inside. Then we can develop our strategy for each level.”
“To find that out...”
“We’ll have to force our way in. It’d be even better if we had a pretext.”
The current Secretary of Superpowers was...
A prominent pro-Kaiser figure who had risen to cabinet rank by following the Kaiser faction.
He said,
“It would be better if we confirmed that Kim Segyun lacks the ’ejection‘ authority, which could be considered his highest-level authority. But even if he has it, that’s fine.”
“What do you mean, that’s fine? What if our American Hunters are excluded...?”
“We have the WDDO.”
“North Korea isn’t a member...”
“Kim Segyun is a citizen of a member country. Read the clauses of the WDDO Dungeon Market Opening Agreement carefully.”
(1) All member states to this agreement, as well as any organizations, institutions, and individuals belonging to those states, must be allowed to enter dungeons without discrimination.
“It’s not just countries that have to allow access. Organizations, institutions, and individuals belonging to member states can’t be denied entry to dungeons, either.”
“Even if Kim Segyun can use that clause to do something, North Korea could still bar them, couldn’t it?”
At the Secretary of State’s remark, the Secretary of Superpowers smiled faintly and replied in a low voice.
“Then North Korea... will never be recognized as a normal country by the international community.”
**
Ryan Spencer and Robert Garcia.
After being ejected from the dungeon, the two wore utterly bewildered expressions.
Even that was broadcast in its entirety.
With an indignant expression, Ryan Spencer clenched his fist and cried out proudly.
“Kim Segyun! If you’re a man, you shouldn’t do this! You crushed an honorable man’s challenge without even giving him a chance!”
“Hmph, Ryan, you do say something right once in a while. I agree. That dungeon called the ’Demon Realm‘... We might’ve been able to clear it, too. What a despicable thing to do. I thought Kim Segyun was a bold man, but I’m disappointed.”
The two exchanged dramatic lines in a way that made it obvious to anyone watching that they were acting.
“Regrettably, we’ll have to end our broadcast here.”
“Tsk. I suppose our rivalry—with you and me, and with Kim Segyun—will have to wait.”
The broadcast ended just like that, rather anticlimactically.
After hurriedly ending the broadcast, Ryan Spencer gave a wry smile and said,
His voice was ordinary, clearly different from his tone just moments earlier.
“So Kim Segyun really did have the authority to eject people.”
“But that’s what we expected.”
“I just hoped he wouldn’t have that kind of authority.”
“Still, the viewers’ reactions aren’t bad.”
The reactions they checked over satellite internet were pretty good.
American die-hard fans were furiously denouncing Kim Segyun, and globally, the prevailing opinion was that Kim Segyun had gone too far this time.
While the two were checking the public reaction, North Korean soldiers arrived.
South Korean Hunters had come with them to assist, but they were visibly tense.
After all, these were supposedly the strongest Hunters in America.
If the two openly decided to resist, there was no way to stop them.
But the two raised their hands and surrendered without a fuss.
They were confident that, unlike North Korea in the past, the North Korea of today wouldn’t impose any severe penalties.
**
Despite the hefty entry tax, foreign Hunters poured into North Korea.
South Korean Hunters had no entry tax to pay, so they could enter more freely.
And the entry tax wasn’t the end of it.
Because North Korea’s roads and railways were in such poor condition, Hunters who finally reached the Aoji region after a lengthy journey were charged an entry fee of ten thousand dollars.
And that was only for a 24-hour stay.
Half of it was mine, though...
“I’ll buy it back with development bonds at 1% annual interest. For now, spend all that money in North Korea.”
─We are truly grateful. All the people of Joseon will remember the great deeds of Comrade Kim Segyun.
“...I told you to leave out ‘great.’”
For the time being, I decided to invest my half directly in North Korea.
It wasn’t even an investment.
At 1% annual interest, it was basically a donation—a donation.
I already had more than enough money, and I had no particular use for it, so I was investing it to help a friend.
─Ah, we deported those American bastards.
“Good. It could get troublesome if we provoke them for no reason.”
I hadn’t even imagined they’d fly in and go straight through the Gate.
And they actually went into North Korea, too.
Those guys were in a league of their own.
And that awful acting at the end...
Wait, there are idiots who actually cheer for that crap?
You never can tell with Americans.
After talking with Lee Seonghyeok for a few more minutes, I ended the call.
It was about time I headed back to the Demon Realm, too.
I had to talk things over with Gremory.
No matter how vast the Demon Realm was, I still needed to check whether it could handle an influx of hundreds of thousands of Hunters.
Just as I was thinking that,
─Segyun.
Zephyros’s voice came through the Ansible Earring.
“Yes, sir.”
─...The U.S. has filed a complaint against you with the WDDO.
“The W... what?”
─The WDDO. The World Dungeon Development Organization.
“...I’m not a country, so why are they filing a complaint against me?”
─Well, technically... I suppose you could say they’re filing it against our country, since you’re a citizen here.
Wait, could it be...
“Are they filing a complaint because I ejected them?”
─...That’s probably it.
“Are they insane? That isn’t even a Gate in our country. North Korea isn’t a member.”
─Well... the clauses are open to interpretation. Our country will do everything it can to fight it, though. As you know...
“Yes, I know.”
What country could win a diplomatic battle against the U.S.?
─And the situation’s even more disadvantageous now. Because...
It wasn’t just an ordinary dungeon. It was practically an entire new world.
Was the U.S. the only one coveting it?
If the U.S. got its way, other countries would benefit just the same, so South Korea would inevitably be on the defensive diplomatically.
“So what does the U.S. want?”
─For North Korea to join the WDDO.
That was something it would have to do to become a normal country, anyway.
─And for you to have your ejection authority sealed.
“...What? No way!”
─I know. We’ve made it clear that this is absolutely unacceptable, and the U.S. probably just threw it out there to see what would happen.
“Then what they really want is something else.”
─They want non-discriminatory access.
“......”
─For now, come over here so we can think it through together. I’m at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We’ve gathered all our experts on international law and international organizations to comb through the treaty. We’ll find a way.
“Understood.”
This had gotten... big all of a sudden.
What was all this about international treaties...
I hurried over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I’d looked at the treaty, too, but the text was all white on black paper... No, the other way around.
There was so much fine print that just looking at it made me feel like I was losing my mind.
Then,
suddenly...
(1) All member states to this agreement, as well as any organizations, institutions, and individuals belonging to those states, must be allowed to enter dungeons without discrimination.
(2) However, the collection of reasonable and non-discriminatory entry fees is permitted.
My eyes fell on those two clauses.
I asked Zephyros, who looked just as close to losing his mind as I was.
“...When you charge an entry fee for a Gate, you usually charge different rates depending on its level, right?”
“Huh? Of course.”
Low-level Gates and high-level Gates were obviously worlds apart in terms of the value they produced.
“...Then you could think of the Demon Realm as a composite Gate with Gates of various levels all gathered together.”
“I suppose so.”
“Then... wouldn’t it be fine to charge different rates?”
For now, the fee was ten thousand dollars for 24 hours as a trial period(?).
I’d planned to adjust the admission fees after the trial anyway, to control the number of entrants and account for other factors.
“For example, what’s the most expensive Level 65 Gate in the U.S.?”
“The Gate in Santa Barbara. It charges about ten million dollars per entry.”
You might wonder why the hell it costs ten million dollars, or think it was insane, but...
The mana stones from the Santa Barbara Gate powered the entire western United States.
The top Hunters in the U.S. made so much money from a single run that ten million dollars in entry fees was nothing to them.
“Tell them they can come if they want. But we’ll charge them, too. Ten million dollars. For anyone Level 60 or higher.”
“...What?”
“Oh, and that’s ten million dollars for 24 hours.”
If they wanted completely non-discriminatory access, then...
Let’s do this the capitalist way.
And...
“There’s one more thing.”
“...What?”
“They said entry has to be allowed without discrimination, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“You said we only have to allow ‘entry’?”
“...What are you up to?”
Oh, sure.
They could come in as they pleased.
But you know what?
Who was the highest authority in the Demon Realm?
You may be a superpower on Earth...
But would that superpower hold up in the Demon Realm, too?
**
Ryan Spencer and Robert Garcia.
The two had been deported from North Korea to South Korea, but now they’d returned to North Korea full of confidence.
“God bless America, God bless America!(May God bless America)”
With the broadcast on, Ryan Spencer praised America in an utterly arrogant tone.
As if a small country could possibly reject the order led by the United States.
When they arrived in front of the Demon Realm Gate in Aoji,
“What? Ten million dollars?”
“Ten million dollars for 24 hours?”
The North Korean official replied curtly in heavily accented English to their astonished questions.
“That’s what we’ve decided to charge Hunters Level 60 and above from now on.”
“Since when!”
“Since yesterday.”
Robert Garcia sighed and asked,
“What’s the basis for that figure?”
“We matched it to the highest entry fee in the United States.”
“What! That’s...”
“If you don’t think this place is worth that much, you can just go back.”
Their expressions twisted with frustration.
They had nothing to say in response.
“Tsk, can’t be helped. I’ll transfer the money...”
“Cash only.”
“Are you insane! Who carries ten million dollars in cash around?!”
“Due to the U.S. economic sanctions, our country can’t receive bank transfers.”
“Damn it! I’ll pay later!”
“No credit. Payment in advance only.”
What kind of situation was this, right in front of the Gate?!
In the end, they couldn’t enter on their first day.
The next day, they paid the twenty million dollars in cash that had been urgently airlifted, and entered the Demon Realm.
“Oh, so this is the Demon Realm.”
“Now we can really get started...”
But then a spear was thrust right in front of them.
A monster?
They reacted immediately and prepared to fight, but...
‘W-what kind of pressure...’
‘W-we can’t beat this.’
As the two stood frozen, overwhelmed by sheer presence alone,
“I am Belimos, Supreme Commander of the Great Army of the revered Demon God Gremory.”
Supreme Commander of the Demon God’s Great Army...
The name alone sounded unbelievably powerful, and they tensed up even more.
Belimos continued,
“Turn off the broadcast.”
“...Pardon?”
“Broadcasting is prohibited in the Demon Realm.”
The Demon Realm...
From the moment they entered, it seemed anything but welcoming to them.