###
Kang Hyun waited for Section Chief Choi’s reply.
“Why is this taking so long?”
“Please be patient. There are always circumstances among adults.”
“Deciding where to go is taking longer than clearing a dungeon.”
Aden sipped her coffee, fascinated by the streets of Washington.
“Oh… America really has a diverse range of people.”
“Not as diverse as you.”
People passing by stole glances at Aden.
“But the price of coffee is ridiculous.”
“Right? Why does a coffee cost 9,100 won? The cost of living here is brutal.”
“If Master wasn’t a 200-billionaire, I wouldn’t have let you buy it!”
“But isn’t it manageable with 8 billion?”
“No way!”
Still, the trip was quite satisfying.
Even the Harlem district brought back nostalgic memories of his mercenary days.
“But the whole city smells sweet.”
“That’s drugs.”
“Excuse me!?”
Kang Hyun, having been a mercenary, was familiar with the scent of narcotics.
Aden, coming from nobility, was not.
“Wh-what do you mean drugs are just in the streets?!”
“This is normal. Korea is the exception.”
Unlike Aden, Kang Hyun remained unfazed.
As he casually sipped his milk, he continued waiting for a response—but there was no word yet.
“Seems like this will take a while. Might as well set up three while we’re here.”
“Is it okay to be that biased?”
Kang Hyun was quite satisfied with what he had received from Charles.
Giving back a little in return seemed fair.
“From what I’ve heard, if America stays strong, other places will survive too.”
The U.S. was the largest permanent member of the GSA.
There was a reason it was called the world’s awakened capital.
The GSA’s mission was to support underdeveloped nations.
And America was the biggest exporter of Awakened mercenaries.
Kang Hyun couldn’t protect the entire world.
But America could.
“For Earth’s defense, it’s better to strengthen the U.S. a bit.”
And their approach to cooperation had been reasonable.
He also notified Chief Choi.
His phone rang immediately.
<Three in the U.S. Understood. But could you wait a moment? If you’re going to install them anyway, we’d like to maximize what we can get from this.>
<If I’m going to install them anyway, isn’t it weird to negotiate?>
<That makes it even easier. If they receive something, they have to give something in return. Since we’re giving it no matter what, we can squeeze as much as possible.>
<Oh-ho.>
Back when he was Kyle, politics wasn’t his forte, but this was interesting.
<Do as you like.>
<Thank you.>
If this also made Korea stronger, then all the better.
“Shall we go sightseeing?”
“Meat!”
“You came all the way here, and you want meat again? Isn’t American beef not that great?”
“But here, American beef is local beef, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Is that how it worked?
Whatever. They’d know once they ate it.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yay!”
“Oh, wait. Currency exchange.”
They needed dollars to have fun.
<I’ll be waiting while things are decided. Send me some dollars.>
<Understood. Enjoy your trip.>
Chief Choi’s subordinates promptly transferred a hefty amount.
If the trip turned out well, he’d bring his parents and Kang Subin next time.
“Let’s go!”
“Yay!”
And so, their teleportation-fueled American journey began.
###
During a break in the meeting, the U.S. Vice President was in a frenzy.
“Check the border crossing records immediately! Plan out all possible routes from every airport to Washington! Investigate as thoroughly as possible and spare no manpower!”
But there was no way such methods would find Kang Hyun.
After a long meeting, they had finalized a three-day schedule.
Since Kang Hyun had set a limit of five per day, that totaled 15 installations.
Originally, it would have been six per day, but the mana cost of 【Open】 forced a reduction.
The chosen locations were primarily permanent member states.
Their survival was crucial before they could assist others.
Of course, this was just the official justification—the real reason was power dynamics.
Additionally, Korea’s interests were factored into the decision.
Wealthy, developed countries could promise more benefits.
Chief Choi was pleased.
‘This is how a nation strengthens itself!’
Korea had secured a massive number of benefits this time.
The President, too, wore a satisfied expression—without even needing to see the results.
This would all go down as his political achievement.
Kwon Dong-chul, who had once been attacked by the press over EX, had now risen to this level.
‘I’d love to take an elixir back with me, but…’
There was no way that would happen.
Everyone was already worried about EX’s excessive growth.
If EX consumed an elixir and grew stronger, the restriction on entering E-zone areas would come even sooner.
Requesting something like that now would only backfire.
The meeting continued, with Japan persistently complaining.
“Why is Japan not included in the selection order?”
“The same applies to many other nations.”
“Japan has suffered the most damage! We should be the top priority for aid!”
Chief Choi frowned.
‘They sure know how to play the political justification game.’
That was the nature of international politics.
It was infuriating to be on the receiving end, but their political skill was undeniable.
Then, a Korean aide—specifically, the Minister of Foreign Affairs—spoke with a firm tone.
“I’ve heard that anti-Korean sentiment has been rising sharply in Japan recently.”
“W-what!?”
It was a dangerous statement.
Even the Japanese Prime Minister seemed flustered.
“If EX enters Japan, there’s no telling what harm might come to him. For EX’s safety, we cannot send him to Japan at this time.”
“This is outrageous! That statement is an insult to the Japanese people!”
The Korean side presented evidence.
“Two days ago, this was posted on social media by Japan’s A-rank Awakened, Shimida.”
<Perfect Clear Awakened? That guy’s just E-rank trash.>
<Can I kill him in one second?>
<What? He’s coming to install a Blessing in Japan? Lol, should I just kill him?>
<Just kidding!>
<Or maybe not?>
<Okay, that was the joke!>
Shimida was well known for his anti-Korean views.
The post had been widely shared.
“…”
“If such powerful individuals seriously attempted an attack, EX, who is still only D+, wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Are you accusing the Japanese people of being terrorists?!”
“Can you say that after seeing this post?”
“Don’t be childish over a mere joke!”
The argument continued.
But the justification now lay with Korea.
Then, a mediator intervened.
“The United Kingdom will now speak. The Perfect Clear Awakened is currently a treasure of the world. If harm were to come to him, it would be irreversible.”
Like Korea’s S-rank Word Mage, the UK had its own successor to a hero.
Their voice carried significant weight in the field of Awakening affairs.
Their legitimacy was not something that could be easily dismissed.
“Therefore, EX’s safety must be the top priority.”
“Then, this matter is concluded here.”
No objections.
The GSA summit had implicitly acknowledged Japan’s anti-Korean sentiment.
Diplomatically, this was a major win.
Section Chief Choi trembled with excitement.
‘Ah…! So this is the taste of national strength!’
Korea’s voice had never carried this much weight before.
This was a completely different dynamic from previous meetings.
It meant EX’s importance was now that high.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister clenched his fists in humiliation.
“Please do not ignore the suffering of the Japanese people!”
Of course, even Chief Choi found this uncomfortable.
The Japanese citizens themselves were not to blame.
It was their government that had manipulated public sentiment against Korea.
‘But every other country is suffering, too.’
Among the 193 UN member states, 173 had not been chosen either.
Japan could not offer Korea any concessions.
If they did, their already furious citizens would revolt.
The current cabinet was barely holding on as it was.
Thus, it was only natural to prioritize equally suffering nations that could offer something in return.
International diplomacy was cold and unforgiving.
‘Still, Japan will manage this crisis well.’
Despite everything, it was a nation strong in Awakening abilities.
A permanent member of the GSA.
Their previous disaster had been a combination of misfortune and their government’s incompetence.
Japan, at its core, was still a powerful country.
Their elite Awakened would take care of things.
Of course, the current cabinet would have to answer to its people in the future.
“Japan will never forget this betrayal by the international community—”
“Due to time constraints, we will now move on to the next agenda item.”
The microphone at Japan’s table was turned off.
###
Yoo Chae-young stared in disbelief.
“…What are you wearing?”
“I had some leftover mana, so I stopped by Hawaii.”
“…What?”
“It was nice.”
“Aloha!”
In just a single day, Kang Hyun’s skin had slightly tanned.
Proof that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Aden’s skin remained as pale as white jade.
“Do you know any good restaurants in France? I’m planning to go tomorrow.”
“…Ask Mar.”
“You think she’d know?”
Kang Hyun handed over some chocolates as a gift.
Then, he listened to why Yoo Chae-young had called him.
“About Ghost’s suit.”
“Oh, right. That was borrowed.”
“…I’ve removed it from the inventory records. As far as anyone is concerned, that suit never existed in Seonghwa’s storage.”
That was something only the Support Team Leader could pull off.
“As expected of you, Team Leader Yoo. You’re thorough.”
“Sigh… I never thought I’d be embezzling Seonghwa’s assets.”
“So it’s mine now?”
“Yes. Do whatever you want.”
“Nice.”
That combat suit was quite good.
Thanks to it, he had been able to move a little even after taking a hit from Park Cheol-woong.
‘Not like I can use it unless I’m acting as Ghost, though.’
Still, a good acquisition.
“So, was that the only reason you called me?”
“…Can I ask what you talked about?”
“Oh, Charles?”
Kang Hyun recalled his conversation with Charles.
###
“Mr. Kang is certainly a valuable individual, but we’ve decided not to rush his naturalization.”
“What changed your mind?”
“Honestly, we don’t want to provoke Ghost.”
Huh? Ghost, all of a sudden?
“The U.S. has concluded that you and Ghost are friends.”
“Oh-ho.”
“You’re not denying it?”
“Go on.”
Their reasoning was as follows.
“We’ve been very interested in Korea’s rising talents.”
Ghost.
An S-rank Word Mage.
A Perfect Clear Awakened.
A sudden surge of major figures—too sudden.
“So, we formed a hypothesis: perhaps there’s a connection between them. And our superiors took an interest in the information I reported.”
“Which was?”
“The Doctor and Ghost.”
“Me?”
Ghost knew a lot.
About the anomalies and the disturbances.
He had resolved nearly half of the World Quests overnight.
In fact, it was Ghost who had brought the incidents to light in the first place.
“The moment Ghost exposed the situation, Mr. Kang acted as if he already knew and developed a detection method immediately.”
“That’s quite a stretch.”
“That’s not all. Have you forgotten how we first met?”
Park Cheol-woong had threatened the Doctor.
Charles had witnessed it himself.
And just a few days later, as if on cue—
Ghost killed Park Cheol-woong.
“It might have been a coincidence. Maybe Ghost intended to kill him from the start.”
“That’s possible. But do you know? The current U.S. President enjoys making bold bets.”
The United States had decided to bet on the theory that Kang Hyun and Ghost were connected.
“Today, I came to meet not the Doctor, but Ghost’s friend. To avoid provoking Ghost, we’re not going to rush bringing you over.”
“Wait… is the U.S. seriously wary of Ghost? You guys have plenty of S-ranks.”
Charles smiled amiably.
“Ghost is incredible.”
“Sure, he’s an S-rank.”
“No, I mean beyond what people think.”
“What do you mean?”
He possessed not only S-rank combat prowess but also an array of extraordinary abilities.
The power to wield divine power.
A stealth assassination ability that bypassed even modern magitech detection.
“And most importantly, he killed the undefeated legend, Park Cheol-woong.”
Surprisingly, Park Cheol-woong was well-known in America.
No American S-rank could have done what Ghost had done.
The world saw Ghost as just another new S-rank.
But the U.S. had assessed him as one of the strongest among S-ranks.
Charles’ expression turned serious.
“The current U.S. President is an extremely forward-thinking leader. Bold and decisive. He’s taken a deep interest in Ghost.”
To think it had come to this.
No wonder people always talked about how capable the U.S. was.
“The President wants to have a conversation with Ghost.”
