The construction of the first base camp in North Korea had begun.

It was an outpost built within the space where Kwon-seung’s Garden of Immortals had pushed back the fog, designed to accommodate around 300 personnel.

As they activated the front-line-style Mana Barrier around the perimeter of the domain, a deep blue, translucent membrane surged upward, enclosing the space in a dome shape.

Driving snow-white, antenna-shaped wedges into the ground along the inner barrier perimeter, they activated them, forcing the erosion that tried to seep in from the earth to retreat once more.

Finally, massive floodlights were installed at regular intervals along the barrier’s outer perimeter. The moment they powered on, the fog was pierced, revealing the landscape of the Erosion Zone beyond.

“We’re good! It’s working perfectly!”

“Great work. You can start unloading the supplies now.”

While the crew unloaded supplies from the trucks, Jung-woo cast his gaze beyond the barrier.

It was bizarre beyond words.

It looked entirely different from the Seoul of ten years in the future—the only real-world example of erosion Jung-woo was familiar with.

‘As expected, it varies depending on the regional characteristics.’

Erosion has a ‘theme.’

If the afflicted land is a city, concrete buildings might transform into giant golems, or buried electrical wires could become corrupted, turning the waves of electronic devices into the Calling Protocol.

That was the nature of the Seoul Zero Gate’s erosion.

The erosion in the northern region was different.

Trees that walked like monsters, wildflowers spewing violet spores, and magical beasts lurking within the fog—it all evoked the image of a grotesque forest straight out of a horror movie.

Why did they not simply deploy hostile creatures, but go so far as to transform the very land into such a form?

The research team had deduced the answer as follows:

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still unpleasant. This damn terraforming.”

“Ah, Hunter Ha Kwon-seung.”

“You must be seeing Hunter Shin Jung-woo for the first time.”

Ha Kwon-seung, having withdrawn his Garden of Immortals, approached with his snow-white robe fluttering and struck up a conversation.

Jung-woo replied with a bright smile.

“Thank you for your hard work. Come to think of it, you must have seen it in Tokyo, Hunter Ha Kwon-seung.”

“Indeed. Izanami’s domain was horrifyingly repulsive. It was the kind of creature that turned inanimate objects into living ones to build a legion.”

“It really hits home that this is an alien invasion at times like this.”

After passing through an era where they were solely focused on merely fending off the threat, humanity eventually began to constantly ponder why these gates had appeared in the first place.

The Zero Gates, and the god-like beings they called S-Rank Champions, provided the answer.

Hostile Transcendents, possessing emotions and forming societies, reshaped humanity’s lands into forms suited to their own ecology, claiming them as their territory to operate within.

This was the very factor that forced the conclusion that this gate phenomenon was an invasion by otherworldly intelligences, and the terraforming unfolding before their eyes was the prime example.

“They should have just lived in their own land. Crossing over like this and turning our land into theirs—it’s beyond horrifying.”

“That’s exactly why we’re here—to stop them.”

“I believe we’ve started off on the right foot. Hunter Shin Jung-woo, it is thanks to you. Turning magical beasts into dolls made identifying them much easier from the start.”

Kwon-seung was an incredibly old-fashioned man.

True to the image projected by an elderly man in his seventies wearing a white robe, he was like a dignified scholar, regardless of who he faced.

Of course, to Jung-woo, this S-Rank hunter representing Korea still felt somewhat awkward.

“It’s all thanks to everyone’s help.”

“There is no need to be modest. I am merely stating facts.”

Jung-woo gave an embarrassed smile.

At that moment, Kwon-seung narrowed his eyes, having spotted something out in the Erosion Zone, and spoke.

“Hae-seo is returning.”

Turning his head, Jung-woo spotted Hae-seo and her subordinates emerging through the fog in the distance.

They had gone out to clear the camp’s surroundings and collect nearby ecological samples.

Chiik!

The moment they crossed the barrier, sprinklers burst open, disinfecting the toxic miasma of the Erosion Zone clinging to their bodies.

Hae-seo roughly shook her head to shake off the moisture and spoke.

“Mr. Jung-woo.”

“Ah, yes, Ms. Hae-seo.”

“Could you un-summon your summons for a moment?”

“Excuse me?”

“We found a magical beast that wasn’t in our bestiary and brought it back for an autopsy. But the moment we got near the base, it turned into that.”

Jung-woo looked in the direction Hae-seo gestured with her chin.

A fish doll with legs was sprawled out in front of the barrier.

It was the corpse of a magical beast the size of a shipping container.

‘Ah, having the Domain active causes problems like this.’

Indeed, at a stage where they needed to accumulate data, this was problematic.

Jung-woo un-summoned Teddy Bear.

Paang!

Only then did the magical beast’s true appearance become visible.

“…That’s grotesque.”

“Magical beasts are all like that. Though you wouldn’t know, Mr. Jung-woo.”

Snow-white, wrinkled skin, a round head with countless legs reminiscent of centipedes, and irregularly sprouted, repulsive fangs.

Perhaps because he had grown too accustomed to the All-Ages Filter.

Confronting its true appearance anew left him feeling a bit unsettled.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all. Where is Shark?”

“He’s on patrol outside the camp. He’ll probably take care of any magical beasts that try to approach on his own.”

Keeping Shark constantly summoned was the default for Jung-woo.

For one thing, he needed to scatter shadows required for teleportation in various locations. At the same time, Shark’s high mobility and stealth made it advantageous for reconnaissance in unfamiliar territory like this.

Hae-seo nodded and headed deeper into the camp to call out the researchers.

They came running in a flurry, and upon seeing the magical beast’s corpse, they all erupted in admiration and began examining it from every angle.

The plan was to expand their reconnaissance range centered around this camp for about a week, scouting for the next camp construction site.

The goal was to continue marching north, breaking through Hwanghae Province and reaching Pyongyang before winter arrived.

Inside the erected barracks, they discussed the relevant details.

“First, as you all know, the core objective is the subjugation of the S-Rank Champion. The Erosion Zone will ultimately not disappear as long as they remain.”

This was a territorial war.

The only difference was that the opponent wasn’t a hostile nation, but a hostile species.

“Pyongyang is definitely the place where a Champion would reside. It’s where the North Korean erosion first began, and if there were another Champion beneath it, their domains would overlap too much.”

“The Three-legged Crow…”

“That’s its identification name.”

It was one of the most famous Champions in Korea.

A Champion’s identification name was typically derived from a figure in history or folklore based on its characteristics.

The reason the Pyongyang entity was called the Three-legged Crow wasn’t simply because it was a crow.

It was because it was a Flame Heat System magical beast draped in black feathers.

“Pyongyang will probably be a sea of fire. That thing’s temperature is estimated to be close to 10,000 degrees.”

“That’s not something standard magic shielding can withstand.”

“Probably, only us S-Ranks should participate in the Champion’s subjugation.”

That was the very reason subjugating an S-Rank Champion was so difficult.

Hunters of lower ranks couldn’t even make eye contact with them to begin with, making it a struggle to secure the absolute firepower required.

On the bright side, Korea currently had five S-Ranks. Even if Soon-ae, who manipulated trees, was excluded due to compatibility issues, that left four.

However, with Jung-woo’s three summons, they effectively had the combat power of six.

Jung-woo’s own martial prowess was negligible, but he possessed a mana manipulation ability protected by the system.

Looking back at it now, he was certain that Jung-woo’s L-Class abilities surpassed those of an S-Rank.

Using magic shielding, walking around that battlefield wouldn’t be an issue.

Even if he stepped back into an operating role, the presence or absence of a field commander created a distinct shift in the dynamics of the battle.

It was safe to consider it a combat power of 6.5 individuals.

The atmosphere grew slightly heavy, but they had come prepared for this from the start.

Afterward, they discussed the necessary steps for the push into Pyongyang, provided feedback on the information the researchers were gathering in real-time, and finalized the immediate search directions.

“Then that’s it for today. Great work, everyone.”

They had started the operation around lunchtime. After crossing the Wooden Palisade, building the camp, clearing the surroundings, and holding the meeting, it was already 5:00 PM.

It was quite a lot of work for a single day, but considering the vast expanse of land they had to reclaim, it wasn’t anything to celebrate.

Since it was the first day, the plan was for all the S-Ranks to guard the camp and defend the area.

That is, with the exception of exactly one person.

“Then I’ll be heading out. Please contact me if anything comes up.”

“…What an incredibly convenient ability. Seriously.”

The moment Jung-woo bowed his head,

Sea Otter slammed a clam shell against the floor with a Kkaeng!, and Jung-woo vanished from the space at the same instant.

As if to take his place, a single Shark Avatar barely remained.

A faster clock-out than anyone else.

Tae-woon clicked his tongue.

Geun-ho, who had returned late from finishing his reconnaissance, stared at the spot where Jung-woo had vanished with the eyes of a puppy abandoned by its owner. A small murmur arose: “He left without even talking to me today. Ham…” He then went over to Hae-seo, his eyes looking vacant as if feeling a sense of deprivation.

All of that scenery was being captured on camera and streamed from afar even now.

[That crazy clock-out addict lmaooooo]

[Info: Shin Jung-woo is the famous Clock-out Fairy of the Hunter world…]

[Right,,, gotta take care of the kid,,,]

[Hae-seo noona got hit with reality ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

The first day of the reclamation was fading away just like that.

The Association’s North Korean reclamation project was drawing attention not just nationwide, but globally.

Every country had lost territory.

There were quite a few nations that had entire neighboring countries reduced to eroded wastelands.

Therefore, a plan to reclaim an Erosion Zone by mobilizing national power held a special significance that couldn’t help but resonate differently.

On the first day, fueled by domestic interest, the viewer count converged at around 1.5 million. Now, ten days later, it had settled at an average of about 3 million.

Having that many people watching it live 24/7 was significant, but in reality, most of them were either keeping it playing on a sub-monitor to check periodically or overseas researchers analyzing the zone’s data from the footage.

Regardless, it was a massive amount of interest.

The impact was tremendous.

[It’s definitely different from the Gates we usually know. Fucking grotesque;;]

└ I freaked out seeing what the magical beasts looked like. The ones from the gates look like a joke in comparison;;;

└ More than that, isn’t the Erosion Zone itself just too repulsive? I couldn’t leave the city for a while after seeing those walking trees, fuck.

└ How the hell do hunters walk around in a place like that lmaooo

The public, witnessing the sheer horror of the Erosion Zone, reacted with sheer astonishment.

It was merely land isolated along the 38th Parallel.

Something that had been perceived as nothing more than a ruined country was now casting such a terrifying shadow, leaving them shocked.

Aside from that, there was talk about the hunters.

[I never thought the day would come where I’d see S-Ranks fight without holding back lmaooo Ha Kwon-seung is insane when he goes all out]

[Tae-woon always fights so stylishly. It’s so colorful, totally doesn’t match his looks lmaooooo]

[Geun-ho is just healthy… That guy would survive the end of the world…]

[Hae-seo noona is so cool, so cool, so cool!]

└ Ugh, this fandom is being obnoxious even here…

Naturally, at the center of all that buzz was Jung-woo.

[Shin Jung-woo’s reaction to seeing a magical beast’s bare face meme]

└ lmaooooo seeing this after looking at doll faces every day must have snapped him right back to reality lmaooo

└ The way his jaw dropped is the best part lmaooo

└ Looks like a boyfriend seeing his girlfriend without makeup for the first time

[Jung-woo’s ability analysis.jangmun]

[But Shark is seriously so useful. Sitting still and farming reconnaissance is legendary]

└ You guys are focusing on Shark? I feel a sense of deprivation every morning watching him clock out with Sea Otter

└ For real, teleporting to commute is the real superpower

While Jung-woo’s abilities were generally well-known, this was the first time their diverse applications had been properly showcased to the public.

Each one offered a surprise in its own unique way, causing reactions to spread across various communities.

As the reclamation progressed with the world’s eyes fixed upon it, they soon arrived at the construction of the second base camp.

It was located about 30 kilometers away from the first base.

After identifying the safest route through relentless reconnaissance, they laid down a line, installed Mana Barriers to form a road, and completed the base setup. Finally, they had reached a point where the term ‘marching north’ could be used in earnest.

A radius of about 15 kilometers from the camp was designated as the safe and clearance zone.

This was because it was the range that could be instantly covered by Jung-woo’s Shark Avatars. By setting this standard, the guidelines up to the next camp’s construction were also being rapidly established.

“We can just expand the range by building bases in 30-kilometer increments. If there are no anomalies, I think we can clear out the Hwanghae Province area before autumn.”

This fact was announced to the world through the Association.

With a realistic plan now laid out, it went beyond simple cheers, even causing the stocks of companies involved in the reclamation operation to surge.

It was during such a time that it happened.

“Grandmother, how are you feeling?”

[Oh my… oh my…]

The second base camp.

The land that could truly be called North Korea.

Jung-woo brought Soon-ae there.

Finally, they were able to bring her roots to a place a little closer to the land where she was born and raised, rather than just around the Wooden Palisade.

Soon-ae covered her mouth, not knowing what to do, before eventually patting her chest and spoke.

[I never thought I’d make it back here alive. How am I ever gonna thank you, Jung-woo…]

“We’re still in Hwanghae Province. It’s too early to thank me.”

Soon-ae’s hometown was in South Pyongan Province, north of Pyongyang.

Jung-woo thought to himself that they still had a long way to go, making it far too early to receive her gratitude.

Regardless, Soon-ae continuously looked around, deeply immersed in sentiment.

Besides Jung-woo, Kwon-seung and Hae-seo were also by her side, and they were just as pleased by her reaction.

Everything was going smoothly.

However, if it were only going to go this smoothly, the reclamation of North Korea wouldn’t be such a formidable challenge.

The anomaly was reported by a reconnaissance squad during the period of expanding their range from the second base camp.

It was on the fifteenth day of the reclamation operation.

“A Flame Heat Zone has been observed in Hwanghae Province…”

It was a statement that froze the atmosphere.

A Flame Heat Zone—land so hot that the atmospheric oxygen would ignite.

What that implied was all too self-evident.

As if driving a wedge into the silence, the reconnaissance captain spoke while dripping with cold sweat.

“It appears the Three-legged Crow has moved south.”

Jung-woo’s expression hardened.