An Out of Rank magical beast had been subjugated.

It was the second such achievement following Edmond Richmond, and the first accomplished through a collective, planned subjugation.

Naturally, the reaction was explosive.

The public’s perception of the two events was fundamentally different.

The former was the salvation brought by a transcendent individual.

But the latter was a precedent that could be replicated.

That distinction drove humanity into a frenzy.

[This proves they can be taken down with strategy, right? Of course, Shin Jung-woo was incredible, but it gives us hope for dealing with other Out of Rank entities too.]

└ For real; Jormungandr was just unusually massive and tough, which was the only problem. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have died from the explosives packed into the Eternal Imprisonment? That makes it a strategic victory.

└ Actually, academics think that if a command center had a hundred or so operators using computers to intervene, they could replicate Shin Jung-woo’s “brain proxy” approach.

└ Brain proxy << That term is honestly brutal.

└ Hahaha So Shin Jung-woo did in real-time, alone, what a hundred people do with computers? Isn’t he a crazy bastard? This is insane hahaha

└ *Korean flag fluttering*

The broadcast quality wasn’t as good as it would have been in Korea.

It was unavoidable, considering the battle wasn’t fought by engaging directly but rather by whittling it down from hundreds of kilometers away as it approached.

Even so, what became undeniably clear was Jung-woo’s commanding prowess.

The tactical framework and flow of subjugating the magical beast were clearly conveyed to the masses, even through the deteriorating audio quality.

Because the entire process had been so grueling, the moment the subjugation was declared a success, it was common for cheers to erupt simultaneously across the globe, transcending time zones.

In Jung-woo’s home country of South Korea, the cheers rang out even earlier than the dawn rooster’s crow, leading to a flood of noise complaints in apartment complexes.

It was nothing short of a festival atmosphere.

Given that it happened right as the true end of the year was approaching, how could it not be?

Even on an international level, the tier used to evaluate Jung-woo was shifting.

[A Born S-Rank really is on another level. I thought he should be placed at a standard S-Rank tier until he grew more, though.]

└ Think we can promote him to the heavenly realm now? Personally, I think he’s definitely surpassed that Jing Nation guy and the South American guy. And Hikaru was basically a floor mat from the start, so she doesn’t even bear mentioning.

└ Agreed. Originally, Jung-woo’s firepower limits were a bit of a flaw lmao

└ Teddy Bear was absolutely insane. Damn, when it unleashed that spatial slash right there, my mind just went blank.

└ Did you see the photo taken by the reporter on site? For real, wasn’t that surreal?

Top tier even among Born S-Ranks.

If you knew how obsessively those who argue over hunter rankings online inflate every weakness, the fact that they all accepted this evaluation would be so remarkable it would make your mouth hurt just trying to explain it.

The most compelling basis for this judgment was Teddy Bear’s evolution and the new summon, Rabbit.

[With the Domain Debuff applied, Rabbit buffing allies, and Teddy Bear landing a slash, it’s basically a guaranteed one-turn kill most of the time.]

└ Rabbit < But the way it applies buffs is so crude…

└ As long as the effect is good, does it matter?

└ True, I guess.

The limit to the number of summons had not yet been reached.

Utility, reconnaissance, bombardment, buffs, and debuffs—the scope of what he could handle within his personal capabilities was incredibly vast.

On top of that, his peak firepower had exceeded the limits the public had anticipated.

Now, viewing his abilities conservatively was considered an underestimation.

At any rate, this all happened during a time of incredibly positive momentum.

Amidst all this attention and fanfare, the one thing the most people were curious about was a single question.

[So how are they splitting the subjugation rewards?]

└ This is the really fun part lmao Even if we say Shin Jung-woo created the grand framework and decisive flow, he sourced the personnel locally lmao

└ I wonder how it’ll go. Still, I don’t think anyone can deny that Korea’s share will be absolute.

└ Yeah, since they were in the position of helping, they’re definitely at an advantage.

An Out of Rank magical beast.

Since Edmond had subjugated the first one solo, such issues had never arisen.

Furthermore, what he did with the magical beast’s remains had never been disclosed.

Hence the curiosity.

As an international cooperative subjugation, the distribution would be transparently disclosed. This would be the first time the public would learn exactly how much power and performance the materials of an Out of Rank magical beast possessed.

There was a lot of talk.

Some argued a 6:4 split was right, while others insisted it should go up to 7:3.

Taking it a step further to the extreme, there were even calls for 8:2.

Naturally, the higher portion belonged to South Korea.

The very fact that Japan would even take a 2 or 3 ratio was solely due to the performance Hikaru’s Eternal Imprisonment had demonstrated.

It was a time of such intense anticipation.

However, the details of the negotiations had not yet been released.

[The man himself, Shin Jung-woo < Unconscious for 4 hours post-battle]

└ Is he Sleeping Beauty? He collapses every time he catches something.

└ Official statement says he just overdid it and collapsed, so he’ll wake up soon.

└ Princess Jung-woo hahaha

This was because Jung-woo, who needed to be at the center of the negotiations, had not yet woken up.

A similar thing had happened during the Pyongyang Recovery Operation, so the voices of concern weren’t as loud as before. Still, the whole world remembered the sight of him collapsing only after every subjugation was over, unable to even finish his sentences.

Please let it not be a serious injury.

Hurry up, dust yourself off, and enjoy this fanfare and the rewards.

They hoped and hoped again.

It was during such a time.

Before noon even passed, Hikaru—Japan’s strongest hunter and the protagonist of this subjugation—stepped into the public eye leading an 80-person support team and made a shocking announcement.

For a girl who had never once appeared in an official capacity of her own free will, this was the first press conference she had ever hosted herself.

That alone would have been shocking enough, but what followed was even more staggering.

[Japan’s share from this subjugation will be 10 percent. Everyone present here has agreed to this.]

A face slightly flushed with anger.

And a voice full of resolve.

Hikaru bowed her head deeply before the countless reporters and spoke.

[First, I would like to offer a deep apology for the trouble caused by our government’s side during the subjugation process.]

[Excuse me, Miss Ichijomodori! It was announced that the subjugation preparations proceeded smoothly!]

[That is untrue. I will now explain the truth regarding that matter.]

Hikaru dropped a bombshell.

She was delivering a truth she had endured to avoid causing discord among the citizens, but one that absolutely had to be pointed out.

[The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provoked Jormungandr during the subjugation preparations. That act was a deception against our own Hunters and the South Korean Hunters who came to support us…]

It was news that would send shockwaves not just through Japan, but internationally.

It was also the first step in signaling that the Japanese government and its hunters would no longer be bound as one.

The bird in the cage finally realized the iron bars it had believed in were nothing, and it began to flap its wings.

Jung-woo had a dream.

A sense of déjà vu arose.

Soon, he could identify its nature.

He had dreamed this dream when he first acquired [■■■■] and collapsed during the Pyongyang Recovery Operation.

It was the pitch-black abyss he had reached during his regression.

Previously, while losing consciousness in this place, he had met someone.

This time was no different.

[■■■.]

He still couldn’t understand the language.

Even the silhouette was so distorted that its form was unrecognizable.

Would it have been different if Review Regulation had followed him into this dream?

He wanted to know.

This didn’t seem like a simple dream.

It felt like there had to be some clue in the other party’s words.

So he tried to focus harder, but unfortunately, nothing changed.

[…■■.]

[■■ ■■■.]

[■■■■…]

The other party’s words were still completely censored.

Only that part was overlaid with a ringing in his ears, replaced by a beeping sound.

A sense of urgency arose, but it seemed the allotted time was running out.

His vision gradually blurred.

The pressure of the deep sea vanished, and he watched the other party beyond the pitch-black darkness scatter like bubbles.

‘Ah.’

Wait a minute.

He thought, but—

Ttiring!

The alarm sounded first.

His mind awakened, and his eyes opened.

Then, the interface overlaid itself onto an unfamiliar ceiling in Jung-woo’s vision.

Tiring! Tiring! Tiring!

【You have subjugated [Entity: Abiu]!】

【The Aptitude level of Perfect Caregiver (L) increases!】

【The proficiency of [All-Ages Filter (L)] increases!】

【The proficiency of [Bear Hero (S+)] increases!】

【The proficiency of [Sea Otter Grand Mage (S)] increases!】

【The proficiency of [Shark Shadow Lord (S)] increases!】

【The proficiency of [Snow Rabbit Saint (S)] increases!】

【The proficiency of [Review Regulation (Ex)] increases!】

And in addition to that.

【[Sea Otter Grand Mage (S)] breaks through its proficiency limit!】

【[Sea Otter Grand Mage (S)] evolves into [Sea Otter Grand Mage (S+)]!】

【[Shark Shadow Lord (S)] breaks through its proficiency limit!】

【[Shark Shadow Lord (S)] evolves into [Shark Shadow Lord (S+)]!】

Even those alarms.

It was a dizzying array of notifications.

His head throbbed, and his stomach tightened.

He couldn’t immediately grasp the situation.

It seemed his senses weren’t fully intact yet.

Connecting his thoughts through his pounding head, he concluded where he was.

‘…Ah, I collapsed.’

He had probably been moved to a hospital after finishing the subjugation.

The faint smell of medicine finally made him realize where he was.

Only then did he understand why his body ached so much.

‘Wow, I feel like I’m dying.’

It was to the point where he wondered if he would have been better off staying unconscious a little longer.

Setting aside the baseline sensation of someone stirring his brain with dozens of needles, his eyes were heavy, and his mouth was bone dry.

And what about the muscle pain? It was a subjugation where he hadn’t even moved that much and only gave orders, yet his entire muscular system felt wrung out like a dry rag.

‘I really can’t use this unless it’s an absolute emergency, huh?’

The recoil was too severe.

But there was no time to lie around.

‘I need to know what’s going on outside before I can rest. And Se-gi too…’

It was the moment he was groaning and trying to sit up.

“Yeah, let’s go with that. You get the gist of it too, right, Mr. CEO?”

…Beyond the curtain, he heard Ho-jong’s voice talking to someone on the phone.

“I’m telling you, we need to target the pre-order market first. Turn on the news. It’s all about Teddy Bear. It even transformed this time and gave us a perfectly cool scene. We need to strike while the iron is hot.”

“?”

“Right, make the cape split into two, and I looked closely, there’s a gemstone attached to the tip of the sword. Paint the single-edged sword gold.”

“…?”

“Ah, and I thought this might be worth a try: how about a limited quantity auction for a Prestige Edition? Embed real gemstones in the sword and use the highest-grade magical beast fabric… Huh? Hey, come on, it’s my idea, so you can at least give me a sample product. My grandkids will throw a fit if they don’t have a Teddy Bear. Mr. CEO, the holidays are coming up, help me puff out my chest a little.”

Was it really okay to just quietly listen to such a vicious plan?

Jung-woo pondered for a moment, then made a decision.

“Ahem…”

He gave a fake cough.

At that, Ho-jong behind the curtain held his breath.

A high-rank hunter’s perception was truly magnificent.

[Mr. Chairman, what I’m giving you as always is a sample, right? Not the actual product, right?]

“…Hold on a second, I’ll call you back later.”

[Hello…]

Tu-u—

He could even hear the person’s voice through the receiver.

A newfound realization.

Following that, the curtain slowly opened.

Ho-jong stared at the lying Jung-woo with his characteristic sleepy eyes.

“…You’re awake? That was fast this time.”

“Mr. Chairman, I didn’t know you were someone who could speak with such fervor.”

“…You heard that?”

“If you mean that vicious business plan, then probably?”

“Busted. But just hear me out for a second. It’s a money-making opportunity for you too, Mr. Jung-woo.”

His head throbbed even more.

It probably wasn’t just because of the side effects.

He would hear about that later; for now—

“How long have I been unconscious?”

“Eight hours?”

“Ah, and what about Se-gi?”

“Well, here’s the thing. Just understand one thing, Mr. Jung-woo.”

“Why are you being so ominous?”

“I did my best.”

It was an incredibly ominous statement.

The meaning behind Ho-jong’s words dawned on him after he struggled to his feet and went to see Se-gi.

“Se-gi…?”

“…”

In the hospital waiting room, Se-gi—who was being guarded between a rabbit doll and a teddy bear doll—spotted Jung-woo.

Immediately, she narrowed her eyes and whipped her head around.

“Hmph…!”

“…Are you mad?”

“Hmmph…!”

Se-gi turned her entire body away.

All he could barely see was the back of her head and her chubby cheeks quivering with indignation.

Jung-woo let out a deep sigh.

She claimed she didn’t know about the subjugation that happened overnight because she was fast asleep.

He said he had taken measures to keep her away from the news and had concocted an excuse for why she had stayed at the hospital until now.

That was the problem.

“…Wasn’t there a better excuse than saying you were secretly playing all night and sleeping in?”

“My girls would just sigh and accept it if I told them that. I thought Se-gi would do the same.”

“Apologize to your daughters when you get back to Korea.”

“Now?”

He thought it would be over once Jormungandr was subjugated, but the true wild last boss was still waiting.

He was truly trapped in a labyrinth of problems.