The gate era had brought countless changes to the world, but now that things had settled into stability, the frequency of major incidents had dropped significantly compared to before.

The biggest news items were barely more than entertainment articles about hunters who had become akin to celebrities, or stories about what materials had been discovered in some guild’s gate.

In that regard, this year had been extraordinarily eventful.

The emergence of South Korea’s first Born S-Rank hunter, the exposure of the Management Bureau’s corruption centered around him, and the appearance of a successor organization to replace the abolished Bureau.

And finally, the North Korean reclamation operation—born as the culmination of an eventful first half of the year.

Though related news had quieted down somewhat during the summer, given the sheer scale of the operation, now that the reclamation was imminent, every news outlet was saturated with coverage.

[Supplies from the major guilds are being transported ceaselessly to Cheorwon as we speak. The Association has designated the first entry point as…]

[The operation will commence at the start of autumn. The temperature in North Korea at the time of entry is approximately…]

[For our power analysis segment, we’ve invited retired Hunter Yu Min-wook!]

The key question was how far, and how successfully, they could push.

Failure was not even a consideration.

The leaders of the Three Great Guilds and their core forces, plus the bosses of nationally renowned corporations.

High-ranking hunters from the Association.

And above all, Shin Jung-woo.

South Korea’s first Born S-Rank, now evaluated as the pinnacle—the equivalent of three S-Rank hunters combined, and then some.

With a lineup this luxurious, how could anyone feel anxious about this journey to North Korea?

More than anything, it was an endeavor close to a national aspiration for all of Korea.

With public interest at its peak, commercial interests had naturally begun to entangle themselves.

This was most visible right in front of the Cheorwon DMZ.

“Check the live equipment frequencies!”

“Hey! Over there! Take that tarp off the truck! Those are sponsored goods!”

The enemy might be magical beasts, but the essence of this operation was closer to a territorial war—one that required enormous capital.

The Association and the guilds knew there was a more rational approach than simply emptying their own coffers.

Receiving external support in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Live streaming.

They would broadcast the North Korean incursion and the subsequent reclamation process in segments, then edit the recorded footage for broadcast.

The public would get to see the landscapes of North Korea and the process of its purification, while hunters could sell their heroic images during the process.

Companies supplying materials and equipment would benefit from natural product placement.

It was a venture with advantages for everyone—which was precisely why the scene looked the way it did.

An atmosphere not unlike a film set had inevitably taken shape.

Of course, those heading into actual combat were considerably more on edge.

“Check the mana supplement inventory!”

“Are we not tracking the sponsored goods properly!?”

“Where’s the mana density detector!? Hey!”

Even non-executive hunters were wholly serious about this operation.

Success would make it a legendary achievement.

Simply participating in the reclamation operation would be a challenge that would remain on their resumes for life.

Above all, their lives were on the line.

No matter how much the gate threat had diminished compared to the past, that only applied to the general public.

Hunters who still directly explored and purified gates chose thoroughness over mere enthusiasm.

It was a continuous string of such moments.

[Today, the expedition begins in three hours!]

The Wooden Palisade of the DMZ had vibrated open to form a massive tunnel just the day before.

Hunters stood in formation with their specialized equipment fully set up, and transport vehicles resembling military trucks lined up in columns numbering close to a hundred.

All of it was being captured by recording cameras even now.

“Assistant director, is the Cheonhwa side getting good footage?”

“Yes, they mentioned they’d grab a few shots today.”

“Good. Good.”

Broadcasting PD Nam Sang-geun surveyed the pre-departure scene with a satisfied expression.

As this was the project he considered the pinnacle of his broadcasting career, his heart was pounding faster than usual.

Every nerve was focused on the broadcast.

Editing was important, but the live stream was equally critical.

Sang-geun sat in the command post, watching the feed being broadcast.

“The response is incredible.”

The sight of the three major guild owners preparing for combat was being streamed in real time.

The live chat reactions were inevitably explosive.

[Wow, Ha Kwon-seung actually fighting in a hanbok was real lmaoooooo]

[Think that’s the first time I’ve seen Park Tae-woon fully equipped. Didn’t he fight in a suit during the last shock incident too?]

[Hae-seo noona! Hae-seo noona! Hae-seo noona! Hae-seo noona!]

[They’re really going lmaooo Seeing stuff like this makes it hit home hahaha]

[Geun-ho, what’s up with that guy, always the same? Him lingering in front of the camera is hilarious lmaoooo]

The viewer count alone was tallied at 1.53 million.

On a weekday afternoon, watching a video that was merely broadcasting scenery—that was the number of viewers.

Those were ratings-worthy numbers.

Special broadcast ratings.

Sang-geun, grinning, asked the assistant director:

“Ah, so where is Hunter Shin Jung-woo?”

“He’s in the command post’s temporary tent right now. He should come out when it’s time to de—oh, there he is!”

“Turn the live stream cam! Quick!”

The camera caught Jung-woo in that instant.

[Kyaaa lmaooo Is Jung-woo nervous?!!!!!!]

[He’s always in a suit lmaooo Literally looks like a civil servant hahaha]

[I mean he’s a summoner so he doesn’t need equipment anyway lmaoooooo]

A broad smile spread across Sang-geun’s face.

Viewers: 1.54 million, 1.55 million, and then about ten minutes later, the moment Jung-woo was seen talking with Hae-seo…

‘1.8 million…!’

Wasn’t it obvious even at a glance?

‘It has to be Hunter Shin Jung-woo.’

In the editing of this program, the focal point would inevitably be him.

A few hours later, the expedition began.

It was a departure after a long period of preparation.

Jung-woo watched the trucks lined up in a single file, belching exhaust fumes, then made his way to the front of the column.

Hunters stood ready, and before them lay the tunnel beneath the Wooden Palisade, draped in dark shadows.

It was no illusion that it felt like the maw of a colossal beast.

After all, what lay beyond would be a landscape resembling hell.

“You’re here. We’re departing immediately—are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Hae-seo wore a tight-fitting black combat suit made from magical beast hide.

Her hair was tied up, and mechanical devices were attached to various parts of her body—a strikingly futuristic design.

Given her fighting style, it was a form optimized for maximum efficiency.

The others had already finished their combat preparations as well.

Ha Kwon-seung of Cheonhwa was clad in his famous specialized equipment, “Immortal’s Play,” while Park Tae-woon stood in full plate armor, his expression rigid as he stared ahead.

Baek Geun-ho, whose ability made additional equipment unnecessary, had shed the playful demeanor he’d displayed before departure—it was gone as if washed away.

Everyone was that serious about this operation.

Jung-woo had no intention of taking it lightly either.

In fact, Jung-woo was the person who had to be more serious about this than anyone.

His seat was in the lead vehicle—the Retona with its open roof.

The guild leaders of the Three Great Guilds rode in nearby vehicles as escorts, and the vanguard’s role was to respond to the first identified threat.

Combat was certain to erupt the moment they crossed into North Korean soil beyond the tunnel.

Jung-woo picked up the radio.

“Let’s move out.”

The moment those words were heard,

ppi—

ppi—

ppi—!

Warning lights flared and alarms blared in front of the palisade tunnel.

brrrrrng—!

The Retona surged forward.

pang!

Teddy Bear was summoned onto the rear seat of the Retona.

It drew its sword.

Jung-woo faced the wind, staring into the darkness beyond the tunnel.

The DMZ spanned four kilometers, and the landmines had already been cleared by Soon-ae in advance.

All they had to do was charge straight through.

Yet the tension refused to fade.

Naturally so.

‘The North Korean Erosion Zone remained unconquered even ten years into the future.’

Once, aerial footage of North Korea taken from a plane above the stratosphere had become a topic of public fascination.

The entire land was stained purple-black, belching ominous smoke.

A place beyond magical beasts—a land where the very environment existed solely to be hostile to humans.

Even Jung-woo knew only that much.

And that was where they were headed.

The vehicle did not exceed forty kilometers per hour.

That was the maximum speed at which they could respond to emergencies.

The end of the tunnel drew steadily closer.

Jung-woo could sense it before anyone else.

“Entering the Erosion Zone.”

shwaaaak—!

Purple mist carpeted the ground beneath the vehicle.

A foul stench hung in the air.

If this were truly the end of a tunnel, bright light should have been pouring in.

But beyond, it was different.

“Magical beasts identified.”

Already.

Through the mist near the exit, dim lights were weaving eerily through the space—clearly not natural illumination.

ppyo-byo-byo-byo-byong—!

As the All-Ages Filter activated, the characteristic transformation sound echoed from afar.

The green luminescence was shifting in intensity, which meant all those creatures had been lying in wait—ready to devour whatever came through, unable to cross Soon-ae’s Wooden Palisade themselves.

It was a thoroughly horrifying display of malice.

“Teddy Bear.”

pop!

Teddy Bear, somehow maintaining its balance atop the moving vehicle, settled into a stance.

The end of the tunnel came into view.

The vehicle crossed into enemy territory.

And then, at last, the fog-shrouded wasteland where noxious air roamed spread out before them.

Staring straight into the green lights that loomed closer like the lanterns of hungry ghosts through the impenetrable mist, Jung-woo spoke.

“Clear them.”

paaaaaaang—

A golden radiance swept across every inch of space before them.

The fog, the repulsive magical beast dolls lurking within it, and the natural elements that had been eerily writhing from erosion—all of it was laid bare before Jung-woo’s eyes for an instant before being swept away by Teddy Bear’s strike.

Simultaneously, the guild leaders emerged from the tunnel.

The entire advance party had entered the Erosion Zone.

But the operation had only just begun.

“Hunter Ha Kwon-seung!”

Jung-woo shouted into the radio, and hwik! the man leaped from his vehicle and soared into the air.

The question was: having entered the Erosion Zone, how would they construct a camp for their forces to inhabit?

In a land utterly hostile to humans, how would hunters build a base camp and adapt to this environment?

An S-Rank hunter didn’t need to worry about such things.

Even an A-Rank could hold their own to a certain degree.

That was precisely why the first North Korean reclamation operation had been possible.

But now, with far more personnel deployed and an overwhelmingly greater volume of people and supplies, they couldn’t afford such a primitive approach—not when factoring in the risk of contamination.

For base camp construction, they had erosion purification tanks and mana barriers.

But before any of that—

At this initial stage of entry, with nothing yet established, they needed breathing room to build those foundations.

And there was an ability that could create exactly that.

saaaaah—!

Ha Kwon-seung, hovering in the sky, crossed his legs in meditation.

A blue, auspicious aura bloomed from his body and began pushing back the purple mist that was trying to surge toward them once more.

[Aptitude: Garden of Immortals]

The ability of South Korea’s most famous S-Rank hunter.

A skill that spread yin-yang and five-element mana across a designated area, granting various buffs to those within.

That would serve as the barrier holding back the seeping toxic miasma at the threshold of North Korean soil—until the first base camp could be established.

But the threat wasn’t limited to the environment.

ppyo-byo-byo-byo-byong—!

[Looks like quite a few magical beasts had gathered in front of this tunnel, huh?]

Park Tae-woon of Black Moon laughed heartily.

Trucks were steadily emerging from the tunnel into the clearing Teddy Bear had carved out.

While Ha Kwon-seung’s purification domain pushed back the mist and visibility was improving—

Hundreds of magical beasts could be seen breaking through the fog from beyond the domain, transforming into dolls as they charged.

[I’ll warm up a bit too!]

kwang!

Park Tae-woon drove his fist into the ground.

Immediately after, he grabbed the bare earth and ripped his arm upward. With a kugugugung, a massive earthen greatsword was pulled from the soil.

Lava veins bulged across its surface like arteries, pulsing and shimmering.

[Aptitude: Spirit Lord]

By assigning the keyword “sword” to the earth, all elements belonging to the ground would coalesce into blade forms, becoming his arsenal.

When he swung the sword forward, the lava masses that had gathered into greatsword shapes shot forth like meteors.

gwaaaarrrrrl—!

A spectacular display.

Park Tae-woon’s exhilarated shout rang through the radio.

[The dolls are soft as butter!!!]

Jung-woo cracked a smile.

But it was a fleeting moment.

“Support Team 1, join the magical beast suppression. Team 2, fall back to escort the supplies within the domain.”

They were still at the outermost perimeter.

These were merely the dregs that had been driven out of the territorial struggles within North Korea, coming to them with empty stomachs.

There was no room to get carried away here.

“Begin camp construction.”

At Jung-woo’s words, the atmosphere settled into focus once more.

The monumental moment of setting foot in North Korea.

Everything unfolding was being broadcast to all of Korea through the cameras.