The achievement of reclaiming North Korea held an enormous place in South Korean society.

Setting aside the economic benefits—now a sore subject to even discuss—and setting aside the historic unification of a divided nation, there was something far more profound at work.

For the people living in this era, the reclamation of North Korea was a tribute to the hero Chun Jun-ho.

Now that the full truth had finally come to light, here was a man who had sacrificed himself to protect the nation’s very framework.

He had known full well that his expedition to the North was a desperate, near-hopeless endeavor—yet he went anyway.

Fifteen years was too short a span to relegate him to the distant past as a mere historical figure.

The public still remembered him vividly.

With the second reclamation effort progressing successfully, the people now wished only for him to rest in peace at last.

Some even hoped against hope that his remains might somehow be recovered from somewhere in North Korean territory.

No one imagined that Chun Jun-ho could still be alive in that land.

Given his abilities, surely he could have escaped the North on his own—any number of times.

So when the special report broke, news websites saw their traffic explode.

[We bring you unbelievable news! The hero Chun Jun-ho has returned! A full fifteen years! The hero has been fighting an unrecognized battle all this time, even now!]

[According to the Second Reclamation Squad’s report, after advancing on Pyongyang, they discovered Hunter Chun Jun-ho controlling the Gate Resonance from within the city! Suspicion first arose from a scar found on the Three-legged Crow’s corpse after its subjugation…]

Even the anchors and reporters delivering the news could barely contain their excitement.

This was no mere rumor or speculative report—it was an official statement.

Furthermore, supporting evidence accompanied it.

[Let’s look at the footage again! In the heart of the Pyongyang Resonance Zone, Hunter Chun Jun-ho—having surrendered half his body to a magical beast—continues to fight for control while assisting the subjugation squad’s combat operations! As you can see, the black wind and green wind…]

The footage provided by the Association was drone-recorded during the battle with the hero, captured after Jung-woo had used a new skill to restore the upper half of his body to human form.

Jun-ho was screaming himself hoarse, shouting where to strike and where to dodge.

It was proof that he lacked control over his own body—and thanks to his guidance, the Association’s hunters had targeted and destroyed the parasite attached to him.

What followed was the crowning moment.

[The moment the Parasite imprisoned within Hunter Chun Jun-ho’s body was subjugated, the Gate Resonance ceased.]

[Yes, as you can see, Hunter Chun Jun-ho had been gripping the heart of the disaster, trusting that a subjugation squad would eventually come.]

The ominous, trembling violet gate slowly began to lose its color.

It was a gate stabilization phenomenon.

Strictly speaking, the cause was the destruction of the entity that had been draining the gate’s mana—but then again, words change their meaning depending on nuance, do they not?

That was precisely what Ho-jong had aimed for.

He wanted the public to perceive Jun-ho’s story not as “his body was seized by a parasite and he lived as a magical beast,” but rather as “he voluntarily implanted a magical beast within himself to prevent the gate from running amok.”

The narrative painted a rather beautiful picture, leaving ample room for persuasion.

Jung-woo’s [All-Ages Filter] had only transformed half his body, and the footage showed Jun-ho continuously issuing instructions—both factors lending tremendous credibility.

Above all, the strategic decision to excise the most harrowing details of the ordeal and showcase only the scenes the public would want to see proved devastatingly effective.

The result was a single scenario the public wholly embraced: the return of a hero.

The news comment sections were filled with people so overwhelmed by the incredible turn of events that some even denied reality itself.

[Am I dreaming right now? Is this some kind of brain experiment in a jar???]

└ Didn’t believe it so I slapped myself real hard and didn’t wake up;; Guess it’s real;;;

└ Nah. Could be a virtual world that simulates pain too… simulation theory was right ㅇㅇ

└ Are you insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Chun Jun-ho is really alive?? Holy crap, so he was blocking the Gate Resonance there for 15 years?]

└ ㅅㅂ seriously, the original hero is just on another level. But how the hell did he even come up with that ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Wait, so the Three-legged Crow came south because Chun Jun-ho stole its territory? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

└ Opinions are still divided on this part, but the theory about Chun Jun-ho’s involvement is the dominant one

└ When the Association subjugated it, they said there was an old swirl-pattern scar. Looks like a Chun Jun-ho Screw Punch mark?

└ Even hearing the skill name again, it’s so cheesy…

With Chun Jun-ho’s return being the biggest story, that dominated the headlines.

A handful of sharp-eyed individuals noticed gaps in the information and raised questions, but that thread could never gain traction.

Because while Chun Jun-ho’s return was the biggest story, there were several other pieces of news sending the public into a frenzy.

[With this, the long-cherished goal of reclaiming Pyongyang has been fully realized!]

[During the process, Korean Hunter Association Chairman Jin Ho-jong has been promoted to S-Rank!]

[Foreign press remains astounded by Hunter Shin Jung-woo. Professor Willie Harrison, described as a giant in the academic field, has proposed the possibility that Hunter Shin Jung-woo’s reality-manipulation skill could be effective even at Zero Gate level!]

The starting point of this entire affair had been the Pyongyang reclamation in the first place.

The public had watched the grand plan unfold ever since the Management Bureau’s downfall the previous spring, and now that its most critical objective had been achieved, attention naturally dispersed in that direction first.

Then came the second diversion: Ho-jong’s promotion to S-Rank.

South Korea now had its seventh S-Rank hunter.

Even globally, there was no precedent for a country this small to possess seven high-rank hunters, making the interest level extraordinary.

Above all, Ho-jong—the seventh—was a hunter who hunted hunters.

His abilities pushed national security to its absolute limits, so the public had no choice but to celebrate his growth.

And finally, as always, there was no shortage of talk about Jung-woo.

Though he never appeared on screen, even a fool could tell how pivotal the three dolls had been in the battle.

What’s more, the [All-Ages Filter]—whose value had been constantly revised upward—proved its worth once again, generating enormous enthusiasm overseas.

It was a succession of good news warm enough to make the bitterest winter feel not cold at all.

So there was no conceivable way for petty, nitpicking voices to gain any traction.

The news reports continued, refreshed and ongoing.

[Hunter Chun Jun-ho has reportedly not yet regained consciousness and is receiving continuous treatment.]

[Hunter Shin Jung-woo, who pushed his abilities to their absolute limits during this battle, has emerged from an approximately two-day coma and is now awake and focusing on recovery.]

[With the Pyongyang reclamation complete, full-scale development of North Korea begins. Foreign press has recognized this as the world’s first successful case of erosion purification…]

Three days since the initial report.

The media’s flames had not dimmed in the slightest.

If anything, they were increasingly turning their focus toward the contributors, becoming obsessed with securing their statements and interviews.

And so, what was the person at the very center of the world—someone who could presently be called the focal point of all existence, and who topped every journalist’s wish list of people to meet—actually doing?

“Se-gi. Let’s stop watching the news and watch Biniping?”

“No!? Se-gi’s news is super fun!!!”

“Ahaha… is that so?”

“Daddy’s on the news a whole lot! Daddy’s the best!!!”

He was currently being subjected to a humiliating play-by-play commentary in front of his daughter while lying in a hospital bed.

“Whoa! Daddy’s making a really cool face!”

“…That’s just me scrunching my face because my nose was itchy.”

If necessary, he could act to his heart’s content—but having it broadcast on TV while his daughter provided live commentary was, for Jung-woo, simply mortifying.

Jung-woo was slowly growing to hate the news.

Lying in a hospital bed when you weren’t even sick was quite an ordeal.

Given that the cause had been an overload of his abilities, Jung-woo’s body was now running at peak condition.

However, with the media’s attention so overwhelming, claiming to be bedridden from the aftermath of fierce combat was far more advantageous at the moment.

He needed to project the impression that applying his filter to a human fused with a magical beast was a taxing endeavor—only then could he avoid the worst of the international scrutiny bearing down on him.

He’d never thought of himself as a particularly active person, yet being cooped up was somehow this boring.

There were exactly two sources of entertainment, at least.

First: reporters sneaking into the hospital to snap a single photo, slipping past the tight security.

“Whoa! Found a reporter mister!”

“Uwaak!”

This was the result of asking Se-gi to look for them.

Treating it like a game of hide-and-seek, she had gleefully sniffed out every hidden reporter with an almost uncanny talent.

Disposal was handled by the Shark Avatar.

Po-ong—!

“H-hold on. Just a mo—Uwaaaagh!”

The sight of them being dragged into the shadows and disappearing beyond the corridor was reminiscent of a horror movie scene.

The fact that it was broad daylight with bright lighting made it only marginally less terrifying.

That led to the second source of entertainment.

“Ehem! Se-gi caught another one!”

“Se-gi, you could be a police officer when you grow up. You’re really good at finding hidden misters.”

“Right! Se-gi could be a police officer! But Se-gi won’t be one!”

Se-gi shook her head with her arms crossed, then pulled a surgical cap with a red cross on it from her sky-blue crossbody bag.

It was something the nurses had made for her because they adored her.

Se-gi solemnly crossed her arms again.

“Se-gi’s gonna be a doctor. If Daddy gets hurt, I won’t give him a shot—I’ll heal him nicely!”

“Daddy feels totally reassured. If Se-gi treats me, does everything get all better?”

“Mhm! But you can’t get hurt, so Daddy has to stay healthy! Don’t go to the hospital!”

“Then what’s Doctor Se-gi going to do?”

“Go on trips with Daddy!”

“You’re a genius.”

Se-gi’s nth dream was becoming a doctor.

Since she’d been coming to the hospital every day after daycare, she’d been captivated by what she saw and started playing doctor.

It was an impossibly endearing sight.

Jung-woo smiled warmly and headed back to the hospital room.

He’d been about to open the refrigerator to grab a snack for Se-gi when—

Ppok!

“Ah, it’s Shark.”

Shark had manifested in its main body and was staring fixedly at the refrigerator.

At the end of its gaze sat some fruit.

“You want to peel some?”

Ppok!

Seeing Shark nod its head gave him a rather peculiar feeling.

“You never use that dagger when you’re fighting, but you sure get enthusiastic about it at times like this.”

If anything, it was even more eccentric than Sea Otter.

Perhaps because it enjoyed attention, Shark never failed to manifest in its main body whenever there was an opportunity to shine—like fruit peeling.

The sheer unpredictability of its appearances was nothing short of astonishing.

“What are you going to make this time?”

Ppok!

Shark raised its dagger in a gesture that said “trust me and leave it to me,” so Jung-woo handed over the pear.

Then—chwajwajwak!—Shark carved the pear and created art.

Se-gi was amazed.

“It’s a shark made out of a pear!”

Carving a full-body statue from a plaster column would have been less surprising.

Shark had peeled the round pear into a full-body statue of itself striking a magnificent pose.

It was almost too beautiful to eat.

‘Not that I’m going to leave food uneaten, though.’

Wassak—as Jung-woo bit into the pear, Shark went Kung!—frozen solid from the shock.

He’d given it to him to eat—what on earth was that reaction supposed to mean?

“It’s delicious. You peeled it well.”

Even after being told, Shark remained dejected.

Se-gi patted Shark on the back.

Jung-woo shook his head in disbelief.

‘So reliable in a fight, but at times like this, honestly…’

But it wasn’t just Shark.

Sea Otter was the same.

Even now, it was in the corner of the hospital room, diligently polishing the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone and clutching it like a treasured possession.

At this rate, it seemed like it might actually marry the magic stone.

As expected, there was only one he could truly rely on.

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve kept Teddy Bear stored away this whole time.’

The most dependable and taciturn of them all—Teddy Bear.

Perhaps due to the aftermath of the rank promotion, it had been reverse-summoned while he was unconscious, and he hadn’t thought to bring it out until now.

Jung-woo felt a stir of anticipation.

‘I wonder how it’s changed.’

This was a summon that had ascended to the unprecedented S+ rank.

Having been reverse-summoned, there had to be physical changes as well.

Verifying its abilities could wait until after discharge—for now, he just wanted to see what it looked like. With that in mind, Jung-woo summoned Teddy Bear.

“Teddy.”

Paang!

Teddy Bear appeared in the center of the hospital room.

A comical puff of smoke rose, and as it cleared, Teddy Bear’s silhouette came into sharp focus.

‘Sure enough…!’

The anticipation lasted only a moment.

“…Huh? It’s the same?”

Red cape, toy doll sword, glossy-furred, human-sized teddy bear.

Even the way it crossed its short arms in an effort to look dignified was identical to before.

Jung-woo’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s different about you…?”

It was after that cautious question was posed.

Ppok!

Teddy Bear smoothly drew its sword.

Belatedly, he noticed a groove had formed on the sword’s pommel.

The realization hit him in that very instant.

【The Magic Stone slot is empty!】

【Please equip the summon with a Magic Stone!】

【!Caution: Once equipped, the Magic Stone will be consumed and cannot be removed! Please choose carefully!】

The notification appeared.

Jung-woo’s eyes widened.

He had an idea of what this meant.

“A magic stone? Ah, summon equipment!”

Strictly speaking, summons were never meant to remain in their base state—they were entities designed to have equipment tailored to each one, raising their combat power accordingly.

The reason he hadn’t done so until now was that these summons had come with their own dedicated weapons from the moment they appeared.

This evolution, it seemed, was one that allowed those weapons to grow.

This was something he absolutely had to do.

Given Teddy Bear’s output, he needed to equip it with nothing less than the highest-grade magic stone available.

And so, the moment Jung-woo parted his lips to speak—

Ppok…!

A small sound arose from the corner of the hospital room.

Jung-woo’s gaze shifted to Sea Otter, who was sitting there.

Ppokppokppokppokppokppokppok!!!

Sea Otter was clutching the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone, shaking its head frantically.

…As if to say, “Anything but this one.”

When Ho-jong arrived at Jung-woo’s hospital room, it was an absolute disaster zone.

Or rather, a doll zone, perhaps.

Ppokppokppok! Ppok! Ppok!

Ppokppobok! Ppokppokppok!

Teddy Bear and Sea Otter were squabbling.

More precisely, Teddy Bear was unilaterally beating up Sea Otter.

Sea Otter, curled up on the floor and taking kicks, looked utterly pitiful.

Se-gi was completely absorbed in the Biniping episode airing on TV, oblivious to the fight, while Shark was feeding her bite-sized pieces of cut fruit.

Ho-jong’s gaze turned to Jung-woo, who was scratching his cheek.

“What’s all this?”

“…Something like that happens. But what brings you to the hospital room?”

It was such a fascinating spectacle that Ho-jong wanted to ask about the situation first, but business was business.

“That thing that was attached to your body. The material extraction is done. Magic stone and all.”

Uttuk!

Jung-woo, Teddy Bear, and Sea Otter all froze simultaneously.

Ho-jong spoke amid the bizarre scene of two pairs of doll eyes and one pair of human eyes all turning toward him.

“Are you going to take the magic stone like you did with the Three-legged Crow? That’s what I came to ask.”

Ho-jong couldn’t begin to fathom the reason, but for now, Teddy Bear’s foot—which had been grinding down on Sea Otter—lowered to the floor.