###
The government announced its solution to the strange crisis.
E-rank Blessings.
Though South Korea had been surrounded by gloomy news, the country was now in a celebratory mood, as if it were a festival.
└ Perfect Clear Awakened, amazing! Truly a treasure of the nation!
└ But if the Blessing range is only 50 km, calculations suggest we’d need over 40 installations just for the Korean Peninsula. How long will that take?
└ Don’t complain; other countries are in much worse shape.
└ I’m an Awakened, and I got a notification for my fourth consecutive Perfect Clear yesterday.
└ Four consecutive Perfect Clears? Seriously?
└ Wow, at that rate, this crisis will be over in 10 days.
Even the media, which had been harshly criticizing the current administration, changed its tune entirely.
The government that resolved a national disaster.
The political tide shifted completely.
Especially because the Perfect Clear Awakened was known to be affiliated with the government, the impact was even more significant.
Revealing the effects of the E-rank Blessing was an achievement.
On top of that, the government’s success in recruiting the Awakened was being re-evaluated.
The public address by the government also became a hot topic, with some journalists’ comments resurfacing and sparking backlash.
“Help Japan first? We don’t even have enough Blessings for our own country! Are you crazy?”
“Why is this even our responsibility? We’ve suffered the most!”
“Who was that journalist?”
Personal information about certain reporters spread rapidly across social media.
It was clearly politically motivated media manipulation, and the ruling party turned it into material to counterattack the opposition.
Kang Hyun and Aden were just as thrilled.
“I never dreamed the Blessing would have such an effect!”
“Right? No wonder it took so long for the effects to be revealed.”
It wasn’t immediately obvious—hence the delay.
“But this means you’ll have to run dungeons non-stop for a while, Master.”
“That’s just how it is. Dungeons are meant to be cleared.”
Well, not today.
His mana was completely drained.
It was time to check their rewards instead.
“Four loot boxes in one go! I’m so excited!”
“Before that…”
It was about time.
Ding!
“Payment’s in!”
“What payment?”
“For the evaluation fees.”
It had taken a while to process, as it was a hefty sum exchanged between multiple guilds.
‘Looks like my finances are finally taking off.’
He’d already been steadily earning from dungeon runs.
As an F-rank, each dungeon earned him about 2 million won.
Now, as an E-rank, it was 7 million per run.
“How much do you have now, Master?”
“Just under 100 million won.”
“Wow, you’re almost at my level!”
“…How much are you earning in appearance fees?”
This student, who hadn’t even set foot in a dungeon.
No wonder Awakened individuals chase fame so fervently. It suddenly felt a bit hollow.
“Still, you’re about to surpass me for sure, Master.”
“Let’s see how much came in.”
Aden, munching on snacks, leaned in closer as Kang Hyun opened his phone. Her elven fragrance was subtly refreshing.
“What’s the revenue share?”
“10% of the profits from evaluated dungeons.”
He had high expectations.
Some of the evaluated dungeons were B-rank or even A-rank.
Checking the balance—
Both froze when they saw the figure.
“…8 billion won?”
“…”
Oh my.
An unbelievable amount of money had just landed in his account.
It had only been about two weeks since he started dungeon evaluations.
And in two weeks—8 billion won.
‘…Now I get why Oh Hyuk-jun went crazy.’
Kang Hyun hadn’t been gouging people with his evaluation fees.
Yet even at a fair rate, this was the result.
If he’d taken advantage of his position and exploited more guilds…
Add in the financial backing Palan received from demon forces…
The numbers would’ve been astronomical.
Not to mention, Oh Hyuk-jun’s influence would’ve skyrocketed.
Guilds would’ve bent over backward for him, just like they were now for Kang Hyun and Seonghwa.
‘Let’s give my parents some allowance… slowly.’
It would be suspicious to suddenly have so much money.
Besides, they say sudden wealth can bring misfortune.
‘I’ll visit them soon with a nice gift instead.’
His family would probably be thrilled if he told them it was a bonus.
Thinking of them warmed his heart.
While lost in his thoughts, Aden tugged at his sleeve.
“M-Master… beef… premium Hanwoo…”
“…Your desires are so modest, my disciple.”
She could afford it herself now, but her frugal habits seemed ingrained in her soul.
“Alright, let’s go out for dinner today. Somewhere even better than last time!”
“Yay!”
She jumped for joy, her pouch of magical energy bouncing with her.
“Now, time for the loot box-!”
“Beef! Beef first!”
“F-fine. Beef first.”
“Yayyy!”
Aden practically dragged him out of the academy.
###
On the way, Chief Choi called.
He wanted to discuss something, so they invited him to join.
“Ha-ha! It’s an honor to enjoy premium beef with such distinguished company!”
“Please, eat as much as you like. You’ve been through a lot lately.”
“Thank you!”
Chief Choi even took over Aden’s tongs and scissors.
“Both of you are national treasures! Let me handle the grilling!”
Despite being the eldest at the table, he didn’t hesitate to take over.
“It seems other countries are still skeptical about the Blessing.”
“Perhaps they aren’t desperate enough yet.”
“It will take time to present enough concrete data to convince them during negotiations.”
“Let them figure it out themselves.”
In the end, irreplaceable resources always attract demand.
“The authority to install the Blessings holds immense value. So, about the negotiations…”
“Negotiations with other countries? Leave that to others. For now, where should we begin in Korea?”
“Ah, I was referring to negotiations with the Korean government.”
Negotiations? In a situation this urgent?
“Let’s just focus on clearing dungeons first. Where should we install the next one?”
Chief Choi was momentarily stunned but soon looked deeply moved.
“Oh, oh, the meat’s burning.”
“Ah, my apologies! I’ll fix it immediately!”
Next to him, Aden gazed up at Kang Hyun with sparkling eyes.
“As expected of you, Master… A true hero with a grand vision for the greater good…!”
Why are they acting like this?
It’s not my first time at war.
“What are you all talking about? This is an invasion by the Abyss. Of course, we all need to defend together.”
Chief Choi flinched at Kang Hyun’s words.
“…With the Palan incident and all, your perspective truly stands out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most people see this as merely a disaster. They’re only concerned about their own country surviving.”
Viewing it as an invasion and promoting cooperation for defense—
That was indeed a fresh perspective in the modern age.
Kang Hyun clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘People have become far too complacent in their peace.’
The enemy was practically at their doorstep, yet everyone was still so carefree.
It was evident from online discussions and the news.
People spent more time criticizing other nations than preparing for the crisis.
These days, truly…
“But!”
“Ah! You startled me.”
“We can’t seize the value created by the people without compensation! My team will negotiate this properly!”
“Negotiate with the Korean government? You, Chief Choi?”
A public servant negotiating with the nation itself.
Now that was a novel approach.
“Talented individuals must be properly compensated for their contributions. That’s how the nation thrives in the long run!”
“Well, do as you wish.”
For now, Kang Hyun decided to table the matter and focus on dungeon runs.
After all, there were only so many dungeons he could clear in a day.
‘Negotiations, huh… Wonder what the president’s like.’
Surely, they wouldn’t try to cheat him.
‘Even if they do, I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal.’
This was the country where his family lived.
It needed to be the safest place.
Kang Hyun shrugged it off.
“Master, you’re amazing! That was delicious!”
“Ha-ha! Thank you for the meal!”
“This place is really good. Excuse me! Bill, please—”
“Hold ooooon!”
Chief Choi clutched the bill with trembling hands.
“1-160,000 … 40,000 won…”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of money.”
“That’s not it… The Kim Young-ran Act…”
“Pardon?”
Divided among the three of them, the price slightly exceeded the legal gift limit per person.
“… Chief Choi, are you crying?”
“Integrity and honor! As a proud and upright civil servant of Korea, I cannot accept this as a bribe!”
“We won’t tell anyone—”
“Excuse me! Separate checks, please!”
In the end, he insisted on paying his share separately.
His trembling hands betrayed the stress of parting with his credit card.
###
Japan, battered by dungeon trauma, was in chaos.
Among Japanese citizens, the E-rank Blessing had become a heated topic.
“They’ll never install Blessings in Japan, will they?”
“Why wouldn’t they? This is Korea’s fault; they should obviously help us.”
Complex emotions, ideologies, and psychological states intertwined, fueling fiery debates.
Even talk shows revolved around this issue, with the dominant sentiment being: “Sour grapes”.
“Forty Blessings are needed just to cover the Korean Peninsula.”
“Even Perfect Clear Awakened are human. At best, they can install three every four days through an intense schedule. There’s simply no time to extend Blessings overseas.”
“Exactly. Every nation must ultimately find its own solution.”
Korea-Japan relations have recently reached their worst.
Korea will never install Blessings in Japan.
Everyone knew it.
Thus, the government and media sought to comfort the people by reiterating: “It was never going to happen anyway.”
But the truth has a way of coming out.
“Did you hear? They reportedly installed four Blessings in a single day yesterday.”
“Do you trust anything that comes out of Korea? The same country that distorts history and always plays the victim?”
“Mr. Kishida! This is a public broadcast. Please refrain from problematic remarks.”
“My apologies.”
When confronted with reality, people’s denial grew even uglier.
Most chose to avert their eyes.
“Even if they install four Blessings a day, what about travel time? They’d have to go back and forth across the globe. What about the time spent clearing dungeons?”
“Exactly. There was never a scenario where Japan or any other country would receive Blessings. It’s physically impossible for a single Perfect Clear Awakened to save the entire world.”
“And how can we even be sure the Blessings are real?”
“Mr. Kishida!”
“Haha. I meant to say we need to observe further.”
Online and offline, opinions clashed.
But the government didn’t just stand idly by.
What would happen when the truth came to light?
Who was to blame for the deteriorated relations with Korea?
The current administration would inevitably be held accountable.
The Prime Minister’s cabinet fueled anti-Korean sentiment even further.
Many dismissed the E-rank Blessing as nothing more than “sour grapes”.
###
The next day, Kang Hyun’s mana was fully replenished.
“I’ll start with Busan.”
Time was of the essence.
Progress was critical.
He decided to prioritize installations in major cities with large Awakened populations.
<Understood. However, attention is heavily focused on Perfect Clears right now. We can’t afford to have your identity or movements exposed. Government decoy vehicles will accompany->
“I’ll contact you after I clear the dungeon.”
He ended the call.
Actions spoke louder than explanations.
“【Open】.”
Kang Hyun cleared the dungeon in Busan.
The ocean was beautiful.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have…]
<Wh-what’s this notification?>
“Where’s next?”
<When did you even arrive in Busan?>
“Where’s next?”
The next destination: Incheon.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have…]
<…How are you even doing this?>
Exactly. Actions were faster than explanations.
“Teleportation.”
<That’s impossible. Not even Kyle or Mila Roden achieved that level of over-technology.>
“You’ve been working with me long enough. Just accept it. If it’s hard to believe, think of it as something similar to spatial movement.”
<U-understood.>
Next, Daegu. Another dungeon cleared.
The public’s reaction was as entertaining as expected.
└ Oh, Perfect Clear just popped up in Daegu. So this is that notification I’ve been hearing about.
└ For real? Does that mean my house is safe now?
└ No joke, I live in Busan, and the notification showed up 5 minutes ago.
└ I’m in Incheon, and we got it here too.
└ What’s going on?
└ The guy above is trolling. Block him.
└ Busan’s legit. I saw it myself.
The day wasn’t over yet.
Kang Hyun could clear up to four E-rank dungeons daily.
└ Gwangju just got one too.
└ Notification just popped up in Gwangju.
└ Saw the Gwangju alert and rushed here to comment. Am I first?
└ Wait, Gwangju too?
└ ?
└ Block all these trolls.
└ Judging by the sudden flood of comments, it seems real?
For local residents, it was joyful news.
But the sheer impossibility of it left people confused.
└ Are there actually four Perfect Clear Awakened?
└ Did the government develop some kind of high-speed transport technology?
└ Have superconductors finally been invented?
└ This doesn’t make sense.
└ Even if we ignore travel time, how are they clearing dungeons this fast? And with Perfect Clear, no less, which requires extra effort?
└ Could the Perfect Clear Awakened’s ability involve super speed? Is that why they’re clearing so quickly?
└ Stop with the sci-fi nonsense.
└ My guy thinks he’s Iron Man.
As glimpses of the Perfect Clear Awakened’s abilities emerged.
Confusion spread among the people.
