Chapter 41: Resource War
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't tell me you're naive enough to believe you'll be allowed onto the ship just because you wait here."
"Won't I?"
When I asked him that, the older Hunter burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! It's not that nobody gets approved. But look around. There are already dozens of people waiting for their applications to be reviewed behind me."
He had a point.
If the reviews were being processed quickly, there wouldn't be so many people waiting in line.
"But aren't you waiting here too?"
"Of course I am! How could I sit back and do nothing when our country might lose its territorial waters and resources to another nation? I may only be a C-rank Hunter, but I'm always prepared to offer my life for my country!"
I glanced above the man's head.
[Low-Rank Soldier]
Forget Tower Knights equipment. I wasn't even sure he had any decent equipment at all.
Most of the people here are probably like him.
The Tower was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
As the gap in Contribution Points continues to widen...
It'll become increasingly difficult for latecomers to earn points.
Floor 70 practically hands out Contribution Points.
But not everyone can reach Floor 70.
I turned to the Association employee.
"When will my registration be officially approved?"
"I don't know either."
"Wouldn't having even one more Hunter be better than nothing, even if their registration hasn't been approved? What if we lose?"
"Those are the regulations. I'm sorry."
The employee was firm.
I let out a hollow laugh.
The Tower has already set the stage, but humans are the ones holding us back.
Apparently, the Association would rather let the Republic of Korea lose than give Hunters the initiative.
This was exactly why I needed power.
Across the pier, the ships that had already departed were growing smaller in the distance.
East Sea Oil Drilling Facility.
The offshore drilling facility built over the East Sea oil field was an enormous platform, practically a floating city capable of accommodating a thousand people.
An oil field had been discovered in the Republic of Korea, a country that had always lacked natural resources!
To commemorate such a monumental achievement, the facility had deliberately been built on an impressive scale.
However, there were currently more than ten thousand people on the platform.
"The terrain... is getting bigger?"
Every time someone entered the hemispherical dome where the Resource War would take place, the surrounding terrain seemed to ripple strangely.
It was almost like an optical illusion.
But by the time they looked again, the terrain had expanded to twice, sometimes three times, its previous size.
Those who belatedly noticed the phenomenon stared in astonishment.
"Is the Tower really an omnipotent being...?"
Then someone made a rather perceptive prediction.
"If we lose, won't Koreans actually be prohibited from setting foot here? Wouldn't that mean Japan really gets to take our resources?"
The Tower hadn't provided any information.
Nobody knew exactly what would happen depending on the outcome.
But after witnessing the Tower's seemingly unlimited power, the possibility felt strangely believable.
"We absolutely cannot afford to lose this."
Tension filled the Korean Hunters' eyes.
The Japanese Hunters watched them with amused smiles.
"Hehehe. According to our intelligence, we have more than twice as many Hunters as they do, Guild Master Asura."
"Whether we have twice their numbers or less than half, the result won't change."
Asura sounded incredibly confident.
And he had good reason to be.
Shing! Shiiing! Whoosh!
"Aaaagh!"
"Urgh!"
"Why is that man so strong?!"
"I don't know! He must be a Japanese ranker!"
Korean Hunters fell like leaves before Asura's sword.
The moment a Hunter died, their body was enveloped in blue light.
Ten seconds later, they revived at the northern section of the battlefield.
Japan's respawn point was in the south.
Korea's was in the north.
"Gasp! I've been revived!"
"So this is the Tower's power...!"
The Hunters trembled in awe at the Tower's ability to resurrect the dead, even outside the Tower itself.
But then...
[You have died.]
[Contribution Points x1,200 lost.]
"What?! I just lost 1,200 points!"
The Hunter who had just died and revived was a [Mid-Rank Soldier].
Normally, a Mid-Rank Soldier should lose 600 points upon death.
If he'd lost 1,200 instead, that meant...
[Mid-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Contribution Points x800 acquired.]
"But a Mid-Rank Soldier is only supposed to be worth 400 points!"
Everyone realized what was happening.
Within moments, the online communities erupted.
[Title: BREAKING: Resource Wars Give Double Contribution Points!]
- If you haven't come yet, hurry up and participate! This is your last chance. If you miss the Resource War, you'll never be able to climb the ladder again.
[Comments: 482]
- Is this real?
┗ It's real. You get twice as many Contribution Points for killing Japanese Hunters. But you also lose twice as many when you die, lol.
┗ Doesn't that mean it's a loss...?
- High risk, high reward. That's how it works.
The Japanese Hunter Inventory forums were no different.
[Title: The Resource War Is So Much Fun!]
- Resource Wars give twice the usual Contribution Points. I've already managed to get two Squad Leader rings! Everyone, come visit the East Sea oil field! (´꒳)`
[Title: These Koreans Are Literally Point-Dispensing Machines, LOL]
- Guild Master Asura swings his sword once and ten Korean Hunters get wiped out, lololol.
The Korean Hunters ground their teeth as they read the posts.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Hunters watched them with thinly concealed mockery.
"Bwahahahaha! All of Korea's resources have belonged to Japan since a hundred years ago!"
"You bastard!"
One Japanese Hunter mocked them by bringing up the history of a century ago.
But the Korean Hunters could do nothing.
The current number of participants was 4,042 against 8,106.
Korea had 4,042 Hunters.
Japan had 8,106.
With such an overwhelming numerical disadvantage, the Korean side had no choice but to fight defensively.
Before long, the gap between their scores had also grown to more than double.
[Korea: 498 vs. Japan: 1,000]
It was the battlefield scoreboard displayed before every Hunter participating in the Resource War.
One look at those numbers made the rules obvious.
Kill count. It's a deathmatch.
The rules were extremely simple.
