The Only Enhancer - Chapter 112
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 112
112 – Level-Up Bus (2)
3.
Incheon International Airport.
The place was packed with reporters and crowds of people.
Somehow, word had spread that today, Korea’s hero—no, the world’s hero, the Reinforce Guild, was entering the country.
“Reinforce Guild is coming in.”
“I heard Min-jun isn’t even emigrating.”
“Is that confirmed information?”
“The general consensus is that Cheongwadae deliberately leaked it.”
“Wow, so it’s real? How on earth did they manage to keep him?”
Just a month ago, Min-jun was acting like he’d emigrate at any moment.
The fact that they’d somehow managed to keep him was extraordinary news indeed.
As this news gradually spread, approval ratings that had plummeted began to rise—or so the reports went.
There was even a sense of confrontation between Min-jun and the administration.
The drop in approval ratings was inevitable.
Of course, President Jang Seong-yoon had never done such a thing, and it was understandable to feel wronged that his approval ratings fell due to mistakes made by lawmakers, but what could be done?
If Min-jun insisted on leaving, it would create serious difficulties not just for him but for all figures in politics and business.
So they’d done everything they could to keep Min-jun here.
And the result was a resounding success!
“You can tell just by seeing all of us gathered here.”
“He was in Germany and Europe for a while, but he’s returned faster than expected.”
“Sigh, don’t even mention it—the situation there was no joke.”
“Well, with that kind of intelligence report, there’s no helping it.”
“If it weren’t for Kim Min-jun, who knows what would have happened.”
Several people nodded at one reporter’s words.
Without Min-jun, the country could have been annihilated—no exaggeration.
And that country was England, one of the world’s superpowers.
Not some second-rate hunter nation either.
The value of the Reinforce Guild, which had prevented that, could only increase.
If Min-jun had announced his decision to emigrate in such circumstances?
I didn’t even want to imagine it.
A disaster worthy of being called a national catastrophe would have occurred.
While the reporters were all chattering away like that.
The airport gate they’d been waiting for opened, and someone walked out.
Hunters typically emanated their aura or presence as they appeared.
No matter how hard they tried to hide it, it would inevitably radiate outward.
But this man was different.
Nothing could be felt from him.
Gulp.
I couldn’t feel any of those things—aura, presence, wavelength, or energy.
Yet for some reason, my instincts were rejecting something.
If I made a single mistake here, I would die. That’s what I felt.
Beyond unease lay primal terror.
So the journalists could only stare blankly as that man walked out as casually as if taking a leisurely stroll.
Min-jun walked out that way, and the Reinforce Guild members followed one by one behind him.
Behind them came an overwhelming surge of mana.
The journalists were seized with panic at the massive wave that felt like a tempest, and not a single one could even think of pressing their shutter.
The ominous aura was so sinister that it felt like they could truly die.
Why was such a menacing aura radiating from them?
In that moment of the journalists’ confusion, some of them could recall something.
‘Could it be?’
‘Are they angered by England’s betrayal!?’
A gulp.
There was nothing else it could be right now.
Besides, these were people who possessed the power to stop such things.
So it made sense that they could feel this way.
The journalists nodded their heads one by one, their eyes glistening with emotion as they watched the Reinforce Guild members.
Should it be called the pride of warriors?
Their pride made even the bridge of their noses sting, their eyes reddening.
At that sublime sight, someone—no one could say who started first—began to clap.
Clap clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
It was applause of respect sent to the heroes who had saved Europe.
The Reinforce Guild members receiving the applause each glanced at the journalists once before continuing on their way.
At their resolute bearing, the applause grew even more intense.
And receiving that fierce applause, the Reinforce Guild members thought:
‘I wish I could rest, but that won’t happen, will it?’
‘How could it? Let’s just train more. We really don’t want to be dead weight.’
‘Still, I wish we could rest a bit.’
‘Sigh… when you get tense, your edge sharpens.’
The ferocious aura was simply emanating because they hadn’t rested and remained on edge.
Of course, the journalists didn’t realize this either, nor did anyone else.
4.
The moment news reached the business and political circles that Min-jun had returned to Korea, their excitement couldn’t be contained.
And for good reason—Min-jun’s liquid assets alone exceeded 100 trillion won.
When I say liquid assets, I mean pure cash exceeding 100 trillion won.
Of course, if we consider what Min-jun hasn’t yet received from the European Union and England, it could easily surpass 200 trillion.
But that’s not even the end of it.
The Reinforce Market that Min-jun had opened now possessed a value that couldn’t even be estimated.
To put it bluntly, if Min-jun were to list the six-rank items he possessed on the Reinforce Market right now, the minimum value would exceed thirty trillion won.
So how could one even calculate their true worth?
Well, it was obvious, but considering Min-jun’s abilities, even that seemed trivial.
And the financial and business elite now understood this perfectly.
Simply because Min-jun was Korean, Korea’s international standing had risen dramatically.
In fact, the value of the Korean won had surged sharply.
Just looking at this alone, one couldn’t ignore the influence Min-jun wielded.
If anyone collaborated with Min-jun, received investment from him, or even invested in him?
Tremendous benefits would follow.
Of course, Min-jun himself couldn’t care less.
“Phew, the young man seems ignorant of how money flows.”
“Simply hoarding it isn’t beneficial, you know.”
“Ugh, but who’s in a position to tell him that?”
“Ugh…”
“Sigh, what can we do? We’ll have to try securing investment from him somehow.”
“Us investing in him?”
“Are you insane? Does Kim Min-jun have less money than you?”
“Ugh, well… no.”
If Min-jun were willing to accept investment, anyone would welcome the opportunity, but there was doubt he’d even need it.
Min-jun, who had already entered the world’s wealthiest rankings, transcending Korea itself.
Investing in such a man?
Under what pretext?
In what field would one invest?
To someone whose wealth was so abundant they couldn’t spend it all, money rotting away unused.
It was truly a difficult and troublesome situation from every angle.
If they tried using seduction tactics, Gwen standing beside him was formidable.
“Whew, at least he’s not emigrating. That’s a relief.”
“Hmm, haven’t you heard anything?”
“They say he acquired North Korean territory. Surely he’ll push out the monsters and develop new land, won’t he?”
“Oh?”
Then wouldn’t there be plenty of work for construction companies?
Several group chairmen who heard this news’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Many Korean enterprises owned construction divisions.
No matter how capable Min-jun was, he wouldn’t handle construction himself.
With that reasoning,
they all began scheming how to secure construction contracts from Min-jun.
5.
While the financial and business elite stirred with excitement, Min-jun’s sole focus remained unchanged.
The conquest of North Korea.
The consequences stemming from it were numerous.
Most notably, leveling up the guild members.
If everyone reaches level 5, the conditions for everyone to advance to level 6 will be met.
Moreover, North Korea is known to have countless Disaster Level 5 monsters.
How many of them would be carrying evolution orbs?
Isn’t it thrilling to think about?
If I obtain quite a few, there should be several people who can advance to level 7.
‘The next trait enhancement will be for the Hunter Association Chairman and Jung Ji-hwan.’
I had already decided.
My plan was to enhance Ma Hyun-seok’s trait first since he had already reached level 7, and then do the same for Jung Ji-hwan.
Jung Ji-hwan is certainly the top priority for reaching level 7, but I intend to enhance his trait first before that.
Reaching level 7 requires finding conditions and clearing them, but trait enhancement can be done immediately without such requirements.
With that in mind, I finished my preparations without any particular sentiment upon stepping on my homeland after so long, and got ready to head to North Korea.
Boarding the tactical helicopter, I reviewed the state of North Korea, which I had examined dozens of times already.
‘Hmm.’
North Korea as I had seen it in the data was nothing short of hell.
And for good reason.
‘There are five unmeasurable monsters.’
The unmeasurable monsters that had appeared in Europe before numbered only three.
Yet there were five of them here.
I wasn’t sure if these creatures were the same ones that had appeared in Europe from the Deep Sea, but wouldn’t they have possessed strength comparable to Kraken at least?
At minimum, Disaster Level 6 monsters.
And most of the Disaster Level 5 monsters had more mana than ordinary Disaster Level 5 monsters.
According to the data, the North Korean region was marked as an anomaly, but now I understood.
‘They must have all engaged in intraspecies predation.’
I had already conducted experiments and witnessed it with my own eyes.
There was no way I couldn’t know.
I let out quite a sigh upon seeing that.
Was it because of the subjugation and the abundance of monsters?
No, it wasn’t that at all.
That would be something to be pleased about, not something to sigh over.
The reason I sighed lay below.
[Survivors are judged to exist.]
While survivors are judged to likely exist, in truth, based solely on the data, it seems all survivors would have perished long ago.
There were several reasons the data concluded this, but they seemed baseless to me.
Of course, if survivors exist, that would be good.
I have the will to save them.
But it seems right to assume there aren’t any.
I’m not intoxicated by some hero complex, unconditionally determined to save everyone.
However, if there were life signs or groups of survivors nearby?
I’m not the kind of person who could see them and pretend not to notice.
There was one thing that bothered me, though.
Beyond the mere fact of survivors, if there truly were survivors, a problem would arise.
As I pondered this, Gwen approached and asked.
“Something troubling you?”
“It’s not so much worry as something that’s been nagging at me.”
“What is it?”
Gwen tilted her head, unaware of what I meant, and I fell silent for a moment, observing her.
I needed to determine whether I was overthinking something absurd or if my concern was genuinely warranted, so I posed the question to her.
“I’m asking because I can’t quite judge it myself.”
“Yes?”
“If you were in a situation where a nation had fallen and monsters infested every direction…”
“Yes, yes.”
“How do you think you’d survive in such a place?”
“Huh?”
Gwen didn’t understand my intent and tilted her head in confusion.
Then, suddenly, she seemed to grasp something odd.
Watching realization dawn on her face, I continued.
“If humans are alive in a world dominated by monsters, doesn’t that suggest the monsters deliberately let them live?”
Gwen swallowed hard at those words.
If that were true…
“Why would monsters bother keeping humans alive?”
Gwen couldn’t answer my question.
Whatever she imagined—or couldn’t imagine—it would be nothing short of horrifying.
Whether it’s something you imagined or something you couldn’t have imagined, whatever it is, it’s bound to be absolutely horrifying.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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