Generally, magical beasts that emerge from gates do not stray beyond a certain radius from their point of origin.

This is because they are species capable of surviving only within the range of the waves emitted by the gate.

Particularly, the closer they are to the gate, the denser the waves become, making it more advantageous for their survival and evolution.

This held true even for lands where terraforming had been completed by a Gate Shock.

Although the environment had changed, allowing magical beasts to operate easily even in the outer zones, they too desired a more abundant life on fertile ground.

This was why higher-grade magical beasts lived closer to the center of the zone, while the outer fringes were inhabited by beasts that had been weeded out.

Therefore, the Three-legged Crow’s southward movement was an anomaly.

It was an S-Rank Champion. According to observation records, it was the ruler of Pyongyang that had lived in North Korea for over 20 years.

With the shock persisting for decades, turning the entire space into nutrient-rich land, there was no reason for it to voluntarily abandon it and come down.

Simply leaving its territory?

Nonsense.

If foxes eyeing the tiger’s vacated mountain were given the chance, this was it.

If they sucked up the nutrients from the gate’s center and happened to grow, the Three-legged Crow would lose its territory.

An S-Rank Champion with language and intelligence could not possibly be unaware of this.

A reason to head south even at the risk of danger.

At the very least, the Association could only think of one.

“Looks like it wants to eat us.”

It was Tae-woon who spoke.

Hae-seo agreed.

“Fundamentally, humans are nutrients to them. The higher the rank of the hunter, the more nutrient-rich they are.”

“It sounds weird when you put it that way… but you’re not wrong, so I can’t really argue.”

“For the Three-legged Crow, it’s a challenge worth taking. Even if other magical beasts evolve while its territory is empty, eating five S-Ranks will grant it power that surpasses the Usurpers. Especially since Jung-woo is a Born S-Rank; to that guy, he’s basically an elixir.”

An abrupt southward advance by the enemy.

All the hunting plans they had anticipated were discarded, and beyond that, it was obvious what would happen if they failed to stop this advance.

Kwon-seung spoke.

“It has already left its territory. Rather than returning empty-handed, it will try to snatch at least one thing. We cannot ignore the possibility of it coming down to South Korean soil. The obsession of an intelligent enemy is that terrifying.”

They had poked the beehive for nothing.

It was a thought anyone could easily have.

The atmosphere in the tent sank into a heavy silence, and Jung-woo, who had been standing in the center with his eyes closed, only parted his lips after the surroundings quieted down.

“You said it’s still in the ground below Pyongyang?”

“I don’t know when it got there. Originally, the first sighting was in North Hwanghae Province.”

“Is there any sign of further movement?”

“At the time of the first sighting, it stayed still for a day. Then, from the next day, it started moving south at a rate of 10 kilometers per day.”

From the moment they realized the Flame Heat Zone had formed in Hwanghae Province, the hunters tracked the zone’s movement through long-range reconnaissance.

Reaching that conclusion, the Three-legged Crow was moving in a straight line directly toward the camp.

The speed was by no means fast, but the purpose was clear.

If they didn’t stop it and retreated, it was almost certain to follow them down to South Korea.

Had they not anticipated it?

If asked, shamefully, they hadn’t.

In the history Jung-woo knew, not a single champion had exhibited such movement.

But was it an absurdity?

If asked, it wasn’t.

S-Rank Champions are intellectual entities from the otherworld.

As beings with their own thoughts and desires, their individual personalities could vary significantly.

It was simply that the entity known as the Three-legged Crow judged eating the group of hunters who came north to be far more beneficial than staying within its domain.

High risk, high return.

It seemed to be a species that enjoyed gambling.

‘So what are you going to do? Just leave it?’

Jung-woo asked himself and found an answer.

“Let’s make a public announcement.”

“Hunter Shin Jung-woo, this isn’t something to say so lightly. We unnecessarily stirred up North Korea, and now the Three-legged Crow is heading south. What do you think the odds are that the media will draw that conclusion? 100 percent. Absolutely.”

Tae-woon spoke sternly.

Media risk was an obvious consideration.

This was because hunter guilds placed a stronger emphasis on branding than any other corporation.

Kwon-seung was similarly skeptical.

“We must first devise a defensive strategy. Only when the plan is established can we build the justification necessary for a public announcement.”

He spoke of thorough preparation.

However, the more Jung-woo listened to those words, the firmer his resolve became.

“In other words, isn’t this an opportunity?”

“What?”

“Far from the gate, the Three-legged Crow’s location is Hwanghae Province, not Pyongyang. Environmentally, it’s a position that can only be advantageous to us.”

“…Ah!”

Hae-seo understood the meaning.

Tae-woon and Kwon-seung reacted simultaneously.

“Don’t tell me, Hunter Shin Jung-woo, making a public announcement means…”

Jung-woo smiled brightly.

“It’s all in the phrasing. Isn’t there a saying that it’s all in how you spin it?”

The Three-legged Crow had begun its southward march.

It was an irreversible fact. Regretting coming to North Korea now was too late.

Then shouldn’t they think about it differently?

They needed to discuss how to stop it.

However, from Jung-woo’s perspective, the conditions were already sufficiently met.

“A magical beast’s performance has a direct correlation with its distance from the gate. Yes, nowadays it’s largely forgotten since we only hunt inside Third gates or respond immediately to burst gates, but the hunting norms during the early Millennium Shock were like this. Isn’t that right, Mr. Ha Kwon-seung?”

“…That’s right. Thirty years ago, the vanguard’s role was to drive the magical beasts away from the gate.”

“The Three-legged Crow’s performance will be significantly lower here than in Pyongyang. Environmental factors are absolute. It’s one of the core tenets of Hunting Training.”

Therefore, they could frame it that way.

“We lured it. Isn’t it fine to think of it that way?”

Of course, even if they did this, there would be backlash.

Weren’t they taking the citizens’ lives hostage? Reactions like ‘Did we unnecessarily poke the beehive?’ would immediately circulate within the North Korean camp.

It was a natural enough thought to have in the face of a threat to one’s life.

However, who was truly here to take the citizens hostage?

“It was an enemy we had to catch. It was our first target, and if we succeed, Pyongyang will be unclaimed territory. The S-Rank Champion’s minions will lose their master and weaken, and the forces we can deploy in a widespread urban battle will expand to include all Association hunters.”

For the Three-legged Crow, this challenge was high risk, high return.

However, the same logic applied to the Association.

“I don’t know how confident it must be to do this, but shouldn’t we be grateful?”

They hadn’t come all this way just to be thwarted by the enemy’s unexpected actions.

Hunter combat was always about choosing the best option in the face of near-infinite variables.

All that was needed was an unwavering mind.

Everyone knew that.

It was just that the environment of the Erosion Zone and the existence of an S-Rank Champion, an entity beyond their expectations, had briefly blinded them.

“Hah…!”

Tae-woon let out a hollow laugh.

His gaze toward Jung-woo held a glint of admiration.

“I knew you were a bastard. But you’re truly sinister and audacious. Hunter Shin Jung-woo.”

Hae-seo sent a look of agreement.

However, Kwon-seung was different.

He was clearly surprised as well, but for a different reason than the other two.

He was a hunter who had been active since the Millennium Shock.

He was someone who could have recalled everything Jung-woo was saying now, yet he hadn’t offered a single solution on the spot, while Jung-woo, who hadn’t even been born at the time, presented a plan.

He had grown complacent.

It was an understatement to say just that.

A reflection bordering on self-loathing arose.

At the same time, he found himself thinking.

“To think you came up with that. Hunting Training, an old manual that no young person even bothers to look up and read anymore.”

At those words, Jung-woo smiled enigmatically.

“It’s a manual written in the blood of our seniors. I just thought the most fundamental teachings were important.”

It was no empty praise.

Jung-woo had truly read through Hunting Training, the first hunter instructional manual, dozens of times.

He hadn’t simply memorized it; he had to endlessly systematize it to fit modern hunting techniques.

The Seoul Zero Gate.

During those days, which were no different from hell on earth, what carried Jung-woo to the forefront of the era was none other than the teachings written in the blood of hunters.

The public, ecstatic as the reclamation of North Korea proceeded smoothly, heard the news of the Three-legged Crow on the 20th day of the reclamation.

[Breaking news. The Korean Hunter Association reportedly observed the formation of a Flame Heat Zone in Hwanghae Province during the reclamation process. Regarding the possibility of the Three-legged Crow leaving Pyongyang, the Association announced a plan to lure it toward Hwanghae Province and hunt it…]

[The decisive battle location is Singye County, North Hwanghae Province. Some are expressing concerns about the absence of Hunter Park Soon-ae, who cannot participate in this battle. Also…]

[As the first official S-Rank Champion subjugation operation in Korea, the media is heatedly ablaze.]

It was nothing short of an S-Rank Champion’s domain departure incident.

As it was the first case internationally, the interest went beyond simple concern, sending reverberations throughout the entire Otherworld Studies academic community.

For the public, they felt terror realizing firsthand that the lord of an Erosion Zone could transcend its domain.

A-Rank Champions are a civilian terror.

They are monsters that exist in a form where actual damage cases hit close to home.

The S-Rank Champions above them are an incomprehensible terror.

It is a despair that makes one feel dizzy just imagining it, like disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

There are three known S-Rank Champions that destroyed North Korea.

However, the most famous among the public is the Black Sun, the Three-legged Crow that devoured Pyongyang.

Given the situation where the heat it radiated could melt away the Wooden Palisade dividing the 38th Parallel and engulf Korean civilization in ashes, there were not many who could remain calm.

Thus, an atmosphere of terror was created.

[No, crazy;;; If they can’t stop it there, doesn’t it just head south?]

[Ah shit shit shit I should’ve lived in Busan I should’ve lived in Busan sbsbsbsb]

[Please save us Ah…]

At the same time, the earnest wishes of the people gathered in one place.

[They’ll catch it, right? Since they even lured it, they obviously have a reason to believe they can catch it, right?]

[Still, they’ve shown us something. Maybe it’ll work out…?]

└ Fuck, lured? Aren’t they moving because of those bastards?

└ Stop spouting bullshit, you’re arguing over who’s right or wrong even here, you idiot;

[I believe… I have no choice but to believe…]

It was an inevitable habit to think of someone to blame in the midst of extreme terror.

Fortunately, those voices couldn’t grow louder.

Even judging by professional analysis, if the Three-legged Crow was heading south in response to the hunters, its goal was ultimately the South Korean S-Ranks in North Korea.

The Three-legged Crow’s descent south would only happen in the future if they retreated to South Korea, and the Korean S-Ranks were naturally continuing their preparations for the northern advance, seemingly not even considering such a thing.

The live-streaming footage of the North Korean base camp, which was still ongoing, showed this well.

“Director.”

The assistant director called out to PD Nam Sang-geun.

He was constantly overseeing the broadcast situation and inspecting the equipment with a grave expression.

He wasn’t just looking at the broadcast equipment.

He had packed everything from protective suits to shield his body from the toxic miasma of the Erosion Zone to heat-resistant equipment to block the heat radiating from afar.

Anyone could see he was a man going to film the Three-legged Crow subjugation battle.

“Are you really going? Seriously?”

“Well, if I don’t go, who will?”

He had completely lost his mind.

Whether the ratings were that good, or his broadcasting career was that important, this man was planning to walk into a death trap.

The assistant director tried to stop him.

Before being his superior, he was a colleague who had been with him for a long time.

No one knew better than the assistant director that he was just a down-to-earth, affable middle-aged man.

“Drones are fine. You don’t have to go near the site! Of course the quality will drop, but is that more important than your life? Your broadcasting career is only meaningful if you’re alive!”

Sang-geun silently packed his gear.

Then he finally dropped a single word.

“Jeong-su. Do you think I’m going because of the broadcast?”

“Then are you going for some grand cause! You’re not that kind of person!”

“That’s the correct answer. I’m going because of the broadcast.”

Sang-geun grinned.

Assistant Director Jeong-su felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, but Sang-geun spoke as casually as ever.

“That’s why I’m going. We’re broadcasters. Because we’re broadcasters, we have a job to do.”

“You’ll die!”

“I’ll go even if I die. Because I have to go and capture it with my own hands for the footage to be meaningful.”

“What is that!”

“What this era needs the most.”

Sang-geun had not left the camp once since the reclamation operation began.

It didn’t mean he had only stayed in that safe place.

It meant that despite not having a speck of supernatural ability, he had never left the Erosion Zone.

At first, he had been delighted to see the viewer count rise.

But as time passed, he saw something else.

Spending all day filming the hunters here and conducting interviews, he came to realize things.

“You know. No one guarantees they’ll win.”

“…Of course. It’s an S-Rank Champion. An evil god.”

“But no one backs down.”

Jeong-su’s lips sealed tightly.

His eyes were widening.

Passion was etched across Sang-geun’s face.

It was something infinitely close to a boy’s admiration.

“They don’t go because they know they’ll win. They go because they must win.”

The field moved.

“The Three-legged Crow has begun moving! It has approached within a 50-kilometer radius to the north!”

“One hour until the operation begins. Transport vehicles are ready!”

In the distance, the central command tent opened.

Sang-geun’s gaze caught the four people stepping out of it.

Shin Jung-woo, Ha Kwon-seung, Park Tae-woon, and Jin Hae-seo.

Four men who would be named if you picked the most exalted names in South Korea.

Men who could hold all wealth and honor in their hands without doing such a thing walked toward the vehicles with stern faces.

Their armed state was more solid than ever.

Even Hunter Shin Jung-woo, for today, had put on a breastplate and a mana shield and boarded the vehicle.

The era calls hunters heroes.

But the era only sees their heroic reputation.

It says hunters move for that reputation.

But look at their bare faces; aren’t they heading to a place where they can’t even guarantee their own survival, even after facing a disadvantageous phase?

At least for them right now, the reputation they would enjoy alive didn’t seem important.

Whenever Sang-geun saw such a sight, he received profound inspiration.

“Do you know why hunters are called hunters?”

“What’s with this all of a sudden…”

“Heroes, superhumans, psychics, a new humanity. There are so many ways to describe them. But of all things, hunters. Have you ever wondered why?”

Of course, their purposes would be diverse.

Higher fame, more wealth, or perhaps something small they had to protect.

However, all of those were insufficient keywords to bind them into one category.

A more fundamental, clearer word was needed to explain those great superhumans.

Sang-geun found the answer in their habits.

They are people who steadily polish their equipment and calm their minds before a crossroads.

They are people who observe and analyze vicious beasts, devoting their all to wring their necks.

Therefore, there could only be one word to describe them.

“I’m going to film it and show the world.”

The protective suit scattered his voice, making it echo.

“Why the heroes who protect humanity are called hunters.”

It was right after Sang-geun boarded the trailing vehicle.

“Boarding complete. Opening the barrier.”

Chwaaaak—!

The mana barrier of the base camp opened, unlocking the door to the Erosion Zone.

At the lead, Jung-woo picked up the radio.

His usual gentle demeanor was nowhere to be found.

An aura reminiscent of a well-trained military officer emanated from him.

His voice rang low, and enunciated clearly.

“Target, S-Rank Champion. Identification name, Three-legged Crow.”

Jung-woo’s gaze headed past the erosion, toward the spot where black flames could be seen flickering beyond the ridgeline, visible even from this far distance.

“I will now commence the subjugation operation.”

The operation with the most terrifying difficulty in Korean history had begun.