Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Japan Makes Its Move

Tokyo, Japan.

"A First-Class Officer already..."

Inferno muttered while reading breaking news on Japan's Hunter Inventory.

Thinking about how he had become Japan's first Third-Class Officer made him want to laugh bitterly.

Yaksha and Asura had been tearing each other apart and repeatedly killing one another.

Inferno had simply profited while they destroyed each other.

Of course, Inferno had earned his own Contribution Points.

But the Tower had officially recognized Inferno as Japan's "first Third-Class Officer."

The reason was obvious.

Now that Japan can also gain Contribution Points by killing monsters from Floor 50 onward...

There was probably another condition.

Something like, "After reaching Third-Class Officer, maintain the rank for a certain amount of time."

Probably around one day.

Are those two still obsessed with killing each other?

Inferno looked out the window and chuckled.

Korea is already that far ahead.

Bitterness and impatience rose inside him.

But only for a moment.

Fwoosh!

A pitch-black flame rose from Inferno's palm.

The moment he clenched his fist, the fire disappeared.

Then the same black flames flickered within his eyes.

"First-Class Officer. If possible, I'd really like to meet him."

A grin spread across his face.

"I wonder how many Contribution Points he'd give me. Hehehe."

Meanwhile, in Osaka...

"First-Class Officer or Third-Class Officer..."

Katana, an S-rank Hunter and one of Osaka's top rankers, glanced at her status window before looking away.

[Current Ranking: 2nd]

They're all meaningless titles.

She had little interest in rankings.

She simply cut down monsters that crossed her path and Hunters who challenged her.

By the time she noticed, she had become second in all of Japan.

That meant many of Japan's strongest Hunters had challenged Katana.

In other words...

Katana had defeated every one of them.

Why bother rushing?

She leaned against the window and closed her eyes.

The appearance of Korea's First-Class Officer lit a fire in the hearts of rankers throughout Japan and the rest of the world.

But the one feeling the most pressure was the Japanese government.

"What happened with the Maritime Self-Defense Force deployment?"

The Japanese Prime Minister asked the Minister of Defense sitting across from him.

The Defense Minister answered carefully.

"There's something urgent I need to report regarding that matter."

"What is it?"

"The plan to move the fleet over the oil field in the East Sea... or rather, the Sea of Japan... needs to be completely reconsidered."

The Prime Minister's eyebrow twitched.

"Reconsidered? Now? Haven't preparations almost been completed?"

The Japanese government had been preparing military action in response to what it described as the Korean company F&C Refining Corporation's "illegal occupation of territorial waters and unauthorized seizure of offshore resources in violation of international law."

We've sent peaceful protest letters all this time, yet the Korean government completely ignored us.

We have no other choice.

Naturally, they had no intention of actually starting a war.

They merely wanted to demonstrate just how angry Japan was.

"The problem is... Trident Oil's position is extremely firm."

"Why does that matter?"

"Trident Oil says it intends to honor its contract with F&C Refining Corporation."

"Hmm..."

The Japanese Prime Minister made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

"I'll contact the White House myself."

"Prime Minister, it's possible the United States government is behind Trident Oil's refusal."

"You're saying the US government would side with some unknown Korean paper company?"

The Japanese government had already investigated F&C Refining.

To their surprise, the company had only recently been founded.

No major conglomerate had invested in or established it.

It was essentially a paper company with no proper headquarters, founded by two unknown nouveau riche Koreans.

"Well..."

The Defense Minister hesitated.

Then someone else spoke.

"Prime Minister, military provocation is an outdated method."

The Director of Japan's Hunter Agency suddenly spoke.

The Defense Minister glared at him.

"Outdated?"

The Prime Minister, however, looked intrigued.

"Think about it, Prime Minister. We're entering an era where a single S-rank Hunter may possess greater strategic value than an aircraft carrier. A new age has begun. Shouldn't we respond using methods appropriate for that new age?"

Heavy silence settled over the Prime Minister's office.

"...What exactly are you suggesting?"

The Hunter Agency Director answered with complete confidence.

"Summon Hunters from across the country. It's time to compete with Hunters, not warships."

"Compete with Hunters?"

"Yes, Prime Minister. We can propose friendly matches under the banner of exchange between Japanese and Korean Hunters. That would demonstrate the power of Japan's Hunters directly to the Republic of Korea."

"A friendly exchange!"

A smile spread across the Prime Minister's face.

It was called a friendly exchange.

But the actual plan was to overwhelm Korea through force and use that leverage to secure a share of the East Sea oil field.

The possibility that Japan might lose did not even enter his mind.

Not even by 0.1%.

After thinking for a while, the Prime Minister finally nodded.

"Very well. Director, coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and prepare a proposal for a Korea-Japan Hunter friendly competition."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

Just like that, Japan's chosen method of demonstrating force changed from a naval fleet to Hunters.

Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Hunter Association VIP Reception Room.

News that Japan was planning a Hunter friendly match against Korea quickly reached the country.

Because of that, the Hunter Association Chairman ended up meeting the loan shark.

"Welcome, CEO of F&C."

"Pleasure to meet you. You can call me CEO Park."

The moment the loan shark sat on the sofa, the Chairman's gaze subtly changed.

This man... Wasn't he supposed to be nothing more than a lucky nouveau riche businessman?

The Association Chairman had once been a famous Hunter himself.

He was now retired and focused entirely on Association affairs.

But his eye for Hunters hadn't retired with him.

He's a Hunter.

The Chairman reached that conclusion after observing the loan shark's gait, posture, and hand movements.

The loan shark naturally understood the meaning behind that gaze.

Everyone in Korea knew the Chairman was a former Hunter.

"So, what did you want to discuss?"

The loan shark asked while accepting a cup of coffee.

The Chairman carefully chose his words.

"Japan has made a proposal. A Korea-Japan Hunter exchange competition. They want it held like a sporting event, essentially a friendly match."

"I see. But why are you telling me this?"

"At first, our government wondered why Japan would suddenly suggest something like this. The answer was simpler than expected."

"They want to publicly demonstrate the strength of Japanese Hunters, then use that status to gain leverage regarding the East Sea oil field."

The Chairman's eyebrow twitched.

He already understands everything.

He was surprised but didn't show it.

"Exactly."

"You don't need to be surprised. If I were the Japanese Prime Minister, I'd do the same thing. But there is one thing I can state with certainty."

"Go ahead."

"The East Sea oil field will not be taken from us."

The loan shark continued firmly.

"Whether this Hunter match happens or not, and no matter what the outcome is."

"However, if Japan offers a reasonable price, we could consider selling them part of the field."

"...You're willing to sell?"

"We're already negotiating an equity investment with an American company."

The Chairman's eyes widened.

"An American company?"

"Trident Oil. There's a reason we brought them in instead of a domestic refinery from the beginning."

The loan shark smiled.

"If American capital is tied into the project, neither Japan nor China can carelessly touch it."

The Chairman was deeply impressed.

That meant the man had been calculating this entire structure from the beginning.

So choosing the American company wasn't simply because they offered the best conditions.

Japanese military pressure.

Chinese movements.

The loan shark had apparently anticipated all of it.

This man is no ordinary businessman.

After a brief silence, the Chairman carefully changed the subject.

"Then... what kind of person is the majority shareholder who owns seventy percent of F&C Refining Corporation?"

At that moment, the loan shark set his coffee cup down with a firm clack.

"If we make enough money from the oil, wouldn't that also help fund eventual Korean reunification?"

"...!"

The Chairman was momentarily speechless.

Fifteen billion barrels of highly profitable crude oil beneath the East Sea.

With oil prices fluctuating wildly, the field was currently valued at two trillion dollars.

At minimum.

He's calculating far ahead.

And he's clearly not a simple man.

The Chairman had attempted to investigate the identity of F&C Refining's largest shareholder.

But the conversation naturally shifted away before he could ask any further.

"Do you know this man?"

The Chairman placed a file containing Lee Geon-ho's personal information on the table.

The loan shark glanced at it.

"He was a debtor of Friends Capital. He entered the Tower and never came back out."

There wasn't the slightest tremor in his eyes.

"Can I take that as your statement that you had nothing to do with Hunter Lee Geon-ho's death?"

"Friends Capital lost the ability to recover an 80-billion-won debt because Hunter Lee Geon-ho disappeared. I believe that is sufficient as my answer."

"Understood."

The Chairman couldn't find a single crack in the man's response.

Tower of Fate - Middle East.

Fwish! Slice!

[Mid-Rank NCO defeated.]

[Low-Rank NCO defeated...]

[NCO, NCO, NCO defeated...]

Message logs announcing the defeat of NCO-ranked Hunters appeared nonstop.

These guys are doing it again.

After finishing my reflected-damage experiment in Korea, I had returned to earning foreign Contribution Points.

"Allah is greaaaaat!"

China had the largest NCO training operations.

But Islamic countries, particularly extremist groups, were the most fanatically committed.

Other countries seemed to have developed resistance against Assassin attacks.

Whenever an Assassin appeared, everyone immediately left the Tower and hid.

At some point, my method apparently became famous among Assassins.

More and more of them had started imitating me by raiding Floor 25 training facilities.

But these guys always come back for revenge.

Even the people being used as "Contribution Point experience" by the NCOs waited for their turn like martyrs.

It was almost unbelievable to watch.

Since you've prepared my daily bread so generously...

How could I not offer my praise?

"ALLAHU AKBAAAAAAR!"

Today, once again, I expressed my gratitude for the greatness of Allah, who had gathered one hundred [NCOs] into one place for me.

Then I harvested their Contribution Points.

Perhaps because these extremist Islamic groups were so isolated, word didn't spread very far even if I caused a huge incident.

[Available Contribution Points: 4,154,560]

[Total Contribution Points: 9,666,502]

I stared at my total Contribution Points and clenched my fist.

Only 340,000 more!

Then...

I'd become a One-Star General.

The summit was right in front of me.