What do Americans think about Koreans?
An alien race from the East?
I have no intention of completely changing the perception of Koreans ingrained in American society, but I also see no reason to alter the general impression that they consider “not bad”.
– When waiting in line for passports, you should stand behind a Korean.
– That’s racial discrimination.
– No, it’s wisdom for survival.
Hurry up, hurry up.
While individual differences exist, on a national cultural level, Koreans are generally fast.
Not only do they act quickly, but they are also proactive in achieving results.
In a certain movie, a New York police officer enters a convenience store run by a Korean couple. The store owner, the husband, usually offers free coffee and says, “My wife is resting right now because she has a cold.”
And the next scene?
- A joke about how the Korean has fully assimilated into New York life.
- As soon as the officer gets into his patrol car, they hear about an armed robbery happening at the convenience store.
‘It’s obviously number two.’
Koreans don’t take breaks just because they have a cold.
There’s a standardized image that Koreans work hard, and I don’t see a reason to change that image because of me.
Why?
Because right now, I’ve become the “standard” for Koreans in America.
“I’m still hungry.”
Every Korean has heard this phrase at least once.
It doesn’t mean actual hunger.
I’m still hungry (for victory).
Koreans who are old enough to understand will immediately get it, but Americans or those unfamiliar with the phrase will tilt their heads in confusion.
Because of this, U.S. broadcasting stations and YouTube channels are now endlessly replaying related clips.
– Back in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, Korea’s national team coach said…
The screen is filled with waves of red and a string of victories.
And now, through official footage, Americans are interpreting my words in their own way.
– Of course, it means he’s immediately moving to conquer the next S-Rank Tower, right?
– Yes. What else would he be hungry for? Money? Women? Pizza?
– …Gacha? Haha, just kidding.
“That guy’s subtly throwing shade.”
People who catch on are throwing out bait.
Even if they aren’t completely sure about my abilities, they often react with a “Well, it’s probably something like this.”
In fact, on YouTube, some people have created a “World Cup of characters you’d want as a summon in a gacha game,” and it’s gaining popularity.
For streamers who thrive on view counts, it’s a trend to ride.
Among the comments, there are things like.
– Ah, I wish I could summon a Saber and conquer Towers like the Master!
– If I summon Edison and Tesla in America, do I get instant citizenship?
People are catching on.
But since no one wants to officially acknowledge it, they resort to indirect references.
Even those people, when they mention what I said, don’t seem to have any particularly negative feelings.
Why?
– If he had just made a typical American celebrity-style statement, we’d think he’d become fully American. But it turns out, the Red Devil is still in his heart.
Because of what I said, the internet is now flooded with red waves.
– We must punish those who sent the Master to America. They are my sworn enemies!
Ironically, this kind of sentiment is also working as a form of self-regulation.
It’s an unspoken agreement.
I came to America first to eliminate global threats, not because I abandoned my homeland.
That goes for me and for those back home.
So if I do my best, people back home will also push for change.
For example, they’re already starting to question outdated laws—like forcibly mobilizing Hunter veterans for reserve forces or civil defense.
Public opinion is still forming around certain figures, but if handled well, it could lead to meaningful changes.
That’s why, as the “Standard Korean”, I have to do my best in America.
“Would it be a problem if I work too hard?”
“No. If anything, they’ll want you to.”
Inside the private quarters of the battleship Illinois, cruising at constant speed, I accepted a cup of coffee from Elaine while checking the reactions across various American communities.
“It helps reinforce the image that Koreans work hard.”
“And what if I start slacking off later?”
“Unless something major happens, you’ll be tackling S-Rank Towers one after another anyway, right? And even if you take a short break in between, no one’s going to make a fuss about it.”
“That’s true.”
Most of the reactions were positive.
Of course, just like in Korea, there were still comments saying, “What were the existing Hunters even doing?”
But I wasn’t interested in getting into that debate.
– The Master is like this because he’s Korean. Because he’s a capable Korean.
In a way, the “Korean image” became a shield for the previous Tower raiders.
Even if someone tried to argue, “But still—”
– Besides, can you really compare an EX-Rank Hunter to an S-Rank one?
Even if unofficially, my ranking had subtly been labeled EX-Rank, preventing people from lumping me in with the others.
Just as S-Rank Hunters can easily clear A-Rank Towers, the idea that I can clear S-Rank Towers effortlessly stems from the perception that I’m EX-Rank.
In reality, it’s mostly thanks to Elaine and my summons, but people don’t really care about that.
What they care about is what’s next.
Which Tower will be tackled next?
And that brings us to an issue.
“Drei. Where do people want me to go next?”
“Hmm… their own backyard?”
“Then, which location is the most economically impactful?”
“That would be… here, right?”
At my question, Drei marked a set of coordinates.
“A Tower popped up right in the middle of a major shipping route. An S-Rank Tower, no less.”
A location similar to the Golden Gate Bridge, but with a different kind of significance.
“The Panama Canal. Look at this. With the Tower right on top of it, cargo ships are forced to pass through.”
Technically not on American soil, but undeniably within America’s sphere of influence.
“And the next closest one?”
“North from here. Crater Lake National Park.”
Drei pulled out another image.
Two pictures.
One was a black-and-white photograph showcasing a stunningly beautiful lake, while the other was a painting of the same location—but with a shimmering, illusionary Tower rising above it.
A reflectionless image on the water’s surface.
“Distance-wise, it’s close, but it’s an inland lake, meaning Illinois can’t enter. It’s an S-Rank Tower, but a bit farther inland. If you head straight down, there’s another S-Rank Tower, though it’s technically not in the U.S. How do you want to handle this?”
“…”
Well, obviously—
“First, let’s sleep on it for a night. Watch some videos, and, uh…”
“Ritual?”
“Hey, Drei. Be careful with that kind of phrasing.”
I was planning to review our previous Tower raids for analysis and feedback, but suddenly, Drei’s choice of words made it sound weird.
“I was just going to check the internet reactions… huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“…Who the hell are these people?”
A live-streaming Black rapper, celebrating ecstatically with people on the streets, almost like they were intoxicated by a drug-induced high.
Behind him, actual intoxicated people swayed like zombies.
“…”
* * *
[At the same time, in a quiet mountain village on the U.S. East Coast.]
Caw, Caw.
A flock of crows circled in the sky over the silent village.
At the entrance of what looked like an old Wild West-style town, a rickshaw rolled into view.
The man pulling the rickshaw was a large-built figure in a suit, and the person riding in the back was also dressed in an expensive suit.
Like something straight out of a mafia movie, several well-dressed figures stepped off the rickshaw and gathered inside a shabby bar.
“Damn it. I never thought I’d end up in a movie set like this just for a meeting. And riding a rickshaw, of all things.”
“Nothing we can do. We can’t have any electronic devices around, remember?”
Two elderly men in suits shook hands and sat down across from each other.
“What about your phone?”
“Left it behind—along with all the metal on me, over in the car.”
“The car isn’t nearby, right?”
“Damn it, I rode a rickshaw for ten kilometers to get here. That should be enough to avoid any hacking risk, don’t you think?”
“Good. I walked twenty kilometers to get here. Heh.”
With irritated expressions, the two old men sat down at the table and pulled out a briefcase.
“Damn it. Even in the 1960s, we weren’t this paranoid about meetings.”
“Even Wild West gunslingers had more civilized discussions than this.”
“Can’t we just talk normally?”
“Over the phone? So we can get hacked and let the Master hear everything? No way. Even if we used a radio in a device-free museum car, he’d still find a way to hack in and listen.”
“Hah, this is insane. If he can hear what we’re saying all the way out here, I’d just give up and quit right now.”
“Oh? Really?”
“No.”
One of the elderly men pulled out a small plastic packet from the briefcase.
“This stuff is worth too much money. No way I’m giving it up.”
“And what’s the Master’s stance on it?”
“No clue. The standard Korean attitude is to avoid things like this entirely, but you know how it is. Some of those Koreans who grew up overseas—what do they call them, ‘gyopo’?—they might think differently.”
The old man sprinkled the white powder in the packet into the air, like seasoning a steak with salt.
“Like salt on a steak. I just hope he has an interest in drugs.”
“Right… and I just hope he doesn’t come here and start doing anything weird in our country.”
“Weird? Like what?”
“If he wants to clear Towers, fine. He can clear Towers and leave. What I don’t want is for him to try and change America from the inside.”
With a complex expression, the elderly man unfolded the documents from the briefcase.
“Lately, I’ve been watching those ‘Korean Nationalism Channels’ or whatever they call them.”
“Things that exist in Korea but not in the U.S.? What’s this list about?”
“Call it paranoia, but I just have this feeling. The Master is Korean. That alone makes me think he might try to Koreanize America.”
“…Hmm.”
The other elderly man scanned the document. His lips curled into a smirk at the very first item on the list.
“‘Drug-free nation’? Hah, what a joke.”
* * *
“Kiharu.”
“What is it, nyah?”
“As a goddess disillusioned with the darkness of humanity, you can’t just overlook this, can you?”
“Are you going to intervene?”
“There’s nothing stopping me.”
I have the power.
“While we clear Towers, let’s also clean up whatever’s harming humanity in the background.”
A corrupt civilization.
“Drei showed me too much.”
It must be crushed.
“Since we’re already here, might as well take out the trash too.”
Oh, just to be clear.
Of course, I’m talking about the Towers—the real threats to humanity.
