Disclaimer: The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this novel are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Ding!
[Black Orc – The rank of Plunder has increased.]
[Your level has risen.]
‘They’re working hard,’ Han-Yeol thought with a satisfied nod.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
The Black Orcs refrained from participating in the raid, considering their limited utility and the potential hindrance they might pose. While the force of eighty thousand seemed substantial, it amounted to little more than ants scurrying in the face of Craspio's overwhelming power.
Han-Yeol, pragmatic in his approach, would have readily used the Black Orcs as bait had they proven beneficial. However, Craspio's capacity for widespread destruction through earthquakes rendered the numerical strength inconsequential. Whether it was eighty thousand or even more, all would end up buried alive after a few earthquakes.
'But that doesn’t mean they’re idle.'
Han-Yeol didn't employ the Black Orcs solely for leveling up. Attaining a hundred levels held no significance, given the immense gap between him and Craspio from the outset.
[Harkan-nim.]
Tak!
“Oh! Kandir!”
Han-Yeol was lost in thought when Kandir suddenly landed beside him. However, the question lingered: why was Han-Yeol so delighted to see Kandir when they had been almost inseparable in the past few days?
“What happened to the task I gave you?” Han-Yeol inquired.
[We have found the hideouts of the survivors and managed to convince them to come here. It took a lot of effort as they were quite stubborn, but we managed somehow in the end,] Kandir reported.
“Oh!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, his eyes widening in response.
He appeared noticeably pleased by the news, for some unknown reason.
“How many are there?” Han-Yeol asked.
[There were three hundred warriors and five hundred civilians.]
“Wow, good job! Did you find any top-tier warriors?” Han-Yeol inquired.
[Yes, we were fortunate enough to find one among them,] Kandir confirmed.
“Good! Good!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, breaking into a smile.
Meanwhile, news of Han-Yeol's failure to kill Craspio and resorting to sealing the monster for ten days as an emergency measure spread worldwide. The swift dissemination of this information raised questions about how news from Japan traveled so rapidly across the globe. The answer lay in the lax security of the South Korean Navy. Some officers leaked the news to journalists they were close to, leading to widespread coverage.
While the leak didn't matter much to most countries, first-world nations and those neighboring Japan paid attention. The Japanese and Chinese Governments, in particular, reacted strongly to the news.
Bam!
[Damn it! If Lee Han-Yeol, the Hunter, failed, then...!]
[Haha! That’s a good point. By the way, I heard more than a million have died so far, is that correct?]
[Yes, but that was an unfortunate accident completely unrelated to us, sir.]
[Hahaha!]
The subjugation of Qin Shi Huang didn't extend for a whole month not because the government lacked the firepower to defeat it. Instead, the government tactically blocked Qin Shi Huang’s army, channeling them through the western regions inhabited by minorities who had been vocal about their desire for independence. Consequently, the Terracotta Army led by Qin Shi Huang ravaged the western regions, resulting in the massacre of minority groups within that span.
Despite over a million minorities losing their lives within a month, the incident remained unnoticed in international news. This was partly due to the global turmoil caused by numerous dimensional rifts, but more significantly, it was a consequence of the country's stringent censorship policy. The tragedy was conveniently labeled as just another ‘accident’ caused by monsters, a common occurrence since the emergence of dimensional rifts.
[Hmm... I would love to capitalize on this situation, but we must quickly stabilize things in case Craspio decides to invade our lands.]
[I agree, sir. Based on our analysis, we'll need at least seventy of our best Hunters to defeat Craspio. While we may be the most powerful country globally, pulling out seventy of our top Hunters against Qin Shi Huang is undeniably burdensome.]
The leader grimaced at his adjutant's words, well aware of the formidable strength possessed by their best Hunters. Amassing seventy of them in one location would undoubtedly create a force to be reckoned with. The leader was uneasy about the fact that a monster could warrant such a substantial response, and he questioned the true power of Craspio.
[Craspio... Is that monster genuinely that powerful?]
[Yes, sir.]
[Haa... Well, I suppose we have no other choice. Let's abandon our plan to raze the western region and deploy our best Hunters next week to confront that monster and his pitiful army.]
[Yes, sir!]
The adjutant bowed before leaving the office, signaling the beginning of preparations for a decisive confrontation with Craspio and its formidable forces.
“Hmm...”
The leader now found himself alone. He walked over to the map on the wall and observed it.
“Our country has been small for the longest time...”
He was dissatisfied with the country’s geography. This place was home to more than one billion people, boasting the highest population in the world. However, it ranked only as the fourth largest globally, behind Russia, Canada, and the United States. The inequality irked him.
How unjust was the situation? Those three countries combined only had five hundred million people, yet they possessed more land than his own country. This was not something he could simply overlook.
“Let’s begin with North Korea...”
As per reports, North Korea teetered on the edge of destruction. The Minotaur and Centaurs wreaked havoc across the country, skillfully evading the Hunters. While North Korea might not have incurred significant losses in terms of Hunters, it suffered considerable damage in civilian lives, food supplies, and critical infrastructure. Even if they managed to somehow defeat the Minotaurs and Centaurs, it could no longer function as a proper country.
Annexing North Korea to his country seemed like the logical step.
“Well, those irksome South Koreans are going to complain about it, but what can they do?”
In the past, they exerted immense pressure on South Korea during a dispute over missile placements, leading to consequences for both countries. However, times have changed, and the country has evolved accordingly. The population now stood at 1.3 billion based on the official census and 1.6 billion based on unofficial estimates. It had emerged as one of the world's powerhouses in terms of possessing Hunters and boasted some of the most advanced technologies globally.
This was no longer the same country that lagged behind in technology as it did in the past.
South Korea could voice their complaints, but the Korean Government would undoubtedly yield the moment twenty of the country’s best Hunters were deployed to their borders.
1. I swear on my carrots; this was what the author wrote. ?
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