Chapter 45

Chapter 45: A General's Authority

"Actually, I awakened today."

"M-Me too! I also awakened completely by chance today. When I woke up, a message suddenly appeared telling me I'd awakened. I was going to register as soon as I came to work, but it somehow slipped my mind... Hehe. I'm sorry."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Hmm... You awakened today, but your ranks are High-Rank Soldier and Low-Rank NCO?"

"W-Well...!"

The people standing in line had no idea how I was distinguishing Hunters from ordinary people.

There was no reason to explain the process to every single person.

Nor did I have the time.

When I revealed their exact ranks, the two unregistered employees nearly fainted and stumbled backward.

However...

"How dare you! You're Hunter Association employees, and yet you think you can make a mockery of the Association?! Special Operations Unit!"

Every time the Chairman erupted in fury and shouted an order, at least one employee was restrained and dragged away.

Ah, so this is what they call authority.

With a single movement of my finger, I could decide another person's future.

Who went to prison.

Who got to keep their job.

And the Chairman seemed extremely pleased with my authority.

Sure enough, news of what was happening inside the Association was rapidly spreading across the Hunter Inventory forums.

[Title: Summary of What's Happening at the Association Right Now.txt]

- Apparently, the One-Star General and the Chairman have teamed up to conduct an emergency inspection of Association employees. They're gathering everyone and identifying every unregistered Hunter. No idea how he does it, but his accuracy is 100% so far. WTF.

[Comments: 1,084]

- LongLiveTheGeneral: The One-Star General is identifying them himself? He has lasers, flight, and now he can identify Hunters too... Is there anything the General can't do? WTF.

┗ There are rumors that he also has stealth and teleportation abilities.

┗ How can someone have so many abilities?

┗ Maybe it's because of Artifacts?

┗ Yeah, I also think it's Artifacts.

┗ I heard Generals gain access to exclusive skills too.

- AssociationEmployee844: I awakened a month ago, and I'm standing in line right now... My heart's about to explode. Fuck. Somebody save me.

┗ Apparently, if you awakened recently and haven't committed any serious offenses, they'll release you pretty quickly. My friend got dragged away by the Special Operations Unit but was just let off with a warning.

┗ HunterAssociation844: REALLY?? Phew... Then they'll probably release me too, right? I did sell a few Mana Stones on the black market, though.

┗ If it was only a few Mana Stones, why didn't you just report them and sell them legally? They probably would've overlooked that much.

┗ Because then my health insurance and national pension contributions would increase.

┗ If the income from selling Mana Stones is high enough that you're worried about increased health insurance and pension contributions... Well... Good luck.

"Aaaaaagh! Spare meeeee!"

Suddenly, someone burst into tears and tried to flee the line.

But members of the Special Operations Unit promptly cracked him over the head and dragged him away.

A while later.

Hunter Association Chairman's Office.

The unexpected operation to identify unregistered employees had finally ended.

Chairman Han Sangho was visibly pleased that he'd managed to eliminate at least some of the corruption within the Association.

His trust in me seemed to have reached its maximum.

"Thank you, Hunter Choi Hyunwoo. You've done us a tremendous service."

"It was nothing. I had fun too."

"You had fun? Hahahahaha! Only someone who knows how to enjoy fulfilling their responsibilities can truly accomplish great things!"

The Chairman laughed heartily.

Then his expression grew serious.

After a moment, he spoke cautiously.

"By the way, Hunter Choi Hyunwoo, may I ask you one more question?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"That laser weapon you used during the Resource War. Where did you get it, and how?"

There was a particularly desperate look in the Chairman's eyes.

"Why are you so curious about that?"

When I asked him, his expression stiffened slightly.

"The truth is..."

Washington, D.C., United States.

White House Briefing Room.

A video was playing on a large screen.

It was footage from the East Sea oil field Resource War.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!

The American President paused the footage at the moment red beams swept across the deck and literally erased dozens of Japanese Hunters.

"Mr. Phoenix."

The President turned toward the man sitting opposite him.

He was blond, wearing a baseball cap and casual clothing.

His appearance and clothing were so ordinary that he could have been anyone you'd encounter on an American street.

But in New York, there was practically nobody who wouldn't recognize him.

He was New York's highest-ranked Hunter.

New York Phoenix.

"Do you think you could defeat the man on that screen?"

New York Phoenix calmly studied the footage.

"We'd have to fight to find out."

He shrugged.

"But at the very least, I wouldn't be as helpless as those Japanese Hunters."

"The Japanese government and its S-rank Hunters were equally confident, yet they suffered a crushing defeat. Are you truly confident?"

There was a subtle hint of doubt in the President's voice.

But there was also a trace of hope and desperation.

"The circumstances are different now."

New York Phoenix answered firmly.

"The Japanese knew absolutely nothing about their opponent. They didn't know the One-Star General's face, name, or abilities. They knew nothing. But that's no longer the case."

He pointed toward Choi Hyunwoo on the screen.

"If the flight ability shown in this footage represents everything he can do, then I have a significant advantage in mobility. Speed, turning ability, versatility, everything."

New York Phoenix shrugged again.

"Of course, if we never have a reason to fight, there's no point comparing ourselves like this."

The American President, however, had a different opinion.

The United States was a global hegemon.

A superpower.

Whether it was technology, national defense, capital, or the individual abilities of Hunters, America couldn't afford to fall behind another country in any field.

If that ever happened, it had to use every available means to win over or acquire whatever advantage the other country possessed.

That was how the United States had maintained its global dominance until now.

After quietly exchanging a few words with his officials, the President turned toward Phoenix again.

"In that case, Mr. Phoenix, could I ask you something?"

The President pointed toward the Gatling Laser on the screen.

"Could you defend yourself against that laser weapon?"

For the first time, New York Phoenix looked genuinely interested.

"I'm not faster than light, but..."

A smile appeared on his face.

"I'd like to take a direct hit and see whether I can withstand it."

The President's expression became determined.

"If that's what you want, we'll arrange a test."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow.

"A test?"

A secret military base somewhere in the United States.

New York Phoenix stood casually in the middle of a large, enclosed training ground.

Facing him was a Hunter soldier holding one of the recovered Gatling Lasers.

Safety personnel and medical teams had been stationed throughout the surrounding area in preparation for any unexpected incidents.

"...Are you ready, New York Phoenix?"

The soldier's voice was tense.

Phoenix smiled.

"Yes. Go ahead and shoot."

"Beginning the test."

The soldier nodded and aimed the Gatling Laser.

PEW!

Since it was only a test, the laser was fired for a very brief moment.

That was when it happened.

FWOOOSH!

Enormous wings of flame unfolded behind New York Phoenix and completely absorbed the red beam.

"...!"

The soldier's eyes widened.

"Try again."

Phoenix urged him on casually.

The soldier no longer hesitated.

"Yes, sir!"

This time, he fired the Gatling Laser for nearly a full minute.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!

Throughout that entire period, the wings of flame remained perfectly steady.

Hundreds, then thousands of red beams poured toward Phoenix's fiery wings.

But the wings absorbed every single laser.

Eventually, the firing stopped.

"That wasn't much."

Phoenix smiled and loosened his shoulders.

His wings of flame folded away as though nothing had happened.

"I-Impossible...!"

"He blocked a weapon considered comparable to a tactical nuclear weapon that easily?"

"Unbelievable!"

"As expected of New York Phoenix..."

"So this is the true power of a top-ranked Hunter."

The soldiers and officials watching the test stared in astonishment.

"New York Phoenix really must be the strongest Hunter in the world!"

Someone shouted proudly.

Exclamations of admiration erupted around the room.

The American President, who had also been watching, smiled with satisfaction.

New York Phoenix calmly observed their reactions.

Inwardly, he had only one thought.

It barely tickled.

To be honest, he'd been somewhat nervous when he first tested the Gatling Laser.

But he'd quickly realized that there had been no reason to worry.

...If this is all it can do.

Now he genuinely wanted to fight that Hunter named Choi Hyunwoo.

The One-Star General.

Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Hunter Association.

After a moment of hesitation, the Chairman finally spoke.

"The truth is... that weapon is 99% identical in appearance to the weapons used by the orcs during the Pyongyang Orc Gate incident."

"Oh, that."

The mention of the Pyongyang Orc Gate incident immediately brought back some memories.

How could I possibly forget? I'm the one who caused it.

Of course!

That was something I could never reveal.

I decided to give him a vague answer.

There was no reason to explain everything in detail.

Besides, I couldn't tell him everything even if I wanted to.

"That's right. I obtained it from that Gate."

"As I thought! Hunter Choi Hyunwoo, you were the one who...!"

The look in the Chairman's eyes changed completely.

I could tell his question had been about much more than simply confirming the weapon's origin.

"But why is that so important?"

"...Do you know about the mysterious structure that remains in Pyongyang?"

"A mysterious structure?"

"It's the place that served as the orcs' base. Inside the Association, we call it the Munitions Factory."

The Chairman lowered his voice as he continued.

"Inside it are countless blueprints for weapons that human civilization is currently incapable of producing, let alone reverse-engineering. However..."

"However?"

"We haven't been able to interpret a single one of them. We can't even operate the factory itself."

My interest was immediately piqued.

Something like that exists?

Come to think of it!

When I first cleared that Orc Gate...

Didn't I receive some kind of Munitions Factory Control Authority?

Chairman Han Sangho looked directly into my eyes.

"However, we believe that whoever cleared the Orc Gate might know how to operate the factory, or at least possess some clues."

"I see."

"That's why the governments of both the Republic of Korea and the United States have been working tirelessly, even at this very moment, to gather information and identify the person who cleared that Gate."

The Chairman continued.

"And then..."

"I appeared carrying a Gatling Laser?"

"Exactly. To be precise, I'm not the only person interested in this matter."

The Chairman's expression grew even more serious.

"As I mentioned earlier, the Blue House and even the White House are paying extremely close attention to this issue."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Gatling Laser alone is a strategic weapon capable of overturning the world's military balance. If a country were to obtain all the other equipment inside that factory as well... it might gain global supremacy."

I considered the Chairman's words for a moment.

The Munitions Factory...

This was something I hadn't known about at all.

And there was a good reason for that.

Not a single piece of information about the factory had appeared anywhere on the internet.

Looks like the American and Korean governments have been doing everything they can to keep it under wraps.

That was understandable.

However...

Interesting.

I had a feeling this might be another opportunity.