South Korea’s North Korean Reclamation Zone currently refers to the northern section of Gyeonggi Province, extending up to Hwanghae Province and Pyongyang.

It has now been completely purged of erosion’s toxic miasma, and the process of clearing native vegetation along the planned road routes to create bare ground is underway.

The collected vegetation is immediately transported to nearby base camps or field research stations, where research begins.

Because the whole operation runs on such a mechanism, if you see anything living and moving about anywhere here, it is either a hunter or a researcher under their escort.

The military vehicle carrying Jung-woo and Edmond was heading north along one such road.

As mentioned earlier, the Erosion Zones in Hwanghae Province and Pyongyang had already been reclaimed, so their destination lay beyond.

“We’re heading to the base camp closest to South Hamgyong Province.”

“I memorized the geography beforehand. East of North Hwanghae Province, and north of Gangwon-do, right?”

“Yes, you know it well.”

“Is there anything more foolish than a hunter ignorant of his own hunting grounds?”

From the moment they crossed into the North, he had been visibly expressing his delight.

He was like a man who could only truly feel alive in a place like this.

“The territories of the living Lords are Haetae, which has consumed all of Hamgyong Province, and Qilin, which has taken Pyongan, Jagang, and Yanggang Provinces, correct?”

“Exactly. We’re leaving the Qilin alone for now since it’s best not to provoke it.”

“The Man Nation is the problem, then.”

“Yes. There are territorial issues, after all. If we deal with it, it will be the last.”

The Man Nation is a nation occupying the Manchuria region, formerly part of China, one of the Central Plains 16 Nations.

It shares a border with Korea along the Erosion Zone. While diplomatic relations aren’t entirely bad, it was a delicate situation where neither side could quite call the other an ally.

It was somewhat of a diplomatic issue.

“If we consider development cooperation, we should become allies, but estranging ourselves from the countries we’ve already built cooperative frameworks with over this matter would be a shame.”

Even now, the South Korean government was attempting to take a friendly stance toward the Man Nation in consideration of future development cooperation in Pyongan Province.

But such was the nature of diplomacy.

The nation formerly known as Beijing, now called the Gyeong Nation, was expressing its displeasure over the matter.

To put it simply:

“They’re basically saying, ‘If you play with them, we’re cutting ties with you.'”

“Well, if you boil it down, that’s about right.”

As Jung-woo agreed, Edmond chuckled, *keuk-keuk*.

“Still, it’s hilarious. That damn Millennium Shock turned the world completely upside down.”

“The emergence of superhumans completely negated the existing order.”

“Right. That massive China fragmented. Russia became a nation of extreme fascists, and Japan even relocated its capital, reorganizing itself around Osaka. Out of the vast lands of Northeast Asia and Siberia, only Korea remained the same.”

That was why Chun Jun-ho was called a Hero.

In a world where every structure was reorganized by the emergence of alien invasion species and superhumans, he protected the society that people knew.

He was praised because the strongest superhuman took the initiative to do so.

Edmond’s gaze darkened.

“You’re living in a fairy tale. Perhaps that’s why Korea is so soft.”

“That’s a dangerous thing to say.”

“I’m speaking to the value of your might, Teddy Bear. In the era of superhumans, power makes the law.”

He was suggesting that Jung-woo step in personally, dismiss the conflict between the two nations, and take the benefits for himself.

It was something Edmond could only say because he valued Jung-woo that highly and was favorably disposed toward him.

But it was not a remark Jung-woo was inclined to welcome.

“I don’t want to make my child the only daughter of a dictator. And you, Edmond, didn’t become a dictator of the United States either, did you?”

“Got me there. Right, it’s the America of freedom? That’s the bare minimum of respect I have for my homeland. I knew we’d get along.”

“Is that so?”

He was this amicable because he categorized Jung-woo as a fellow hunter.

His affection, which went beyond mere goodwill, clearly demonstrated how desperately he longed for a peer.

So it was just lip service.

“I view you quite favorably as well.”

“In what regard?”

“The fact that your extremism can reach a compromise with the world.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Going by your words alone, you sound like an aspiring dictator, but your actions say otherwise. I hate it, you see. Dictatorship.”

“To think the day would come when my choices would be rewarded like this. I’ll keep it in mind.”

He had a highly satisfied expression.

Then, he suddenly spoke.

“Things would have been a lot easier if the others were like you.”

“Who might you be referring to?”

“The people I’m about to explain?”

Jung-woo’s gaze sharpened.

He was about to get to the point.

It was exactly when they entered the border of Hamgyong Province.

“We’ve arrived. Is this the domain of the Haetae? The humidity is incredibly high.”

What unfolded outside the window was the territory of Haetae, one of North Korea’s three Lords… no, now one of its two Lords.

It was the landscape of the Hamgyong Province wetlands.

Designation: Haetae.

An S-Rank Champion magical beast whose observation began only 22 years ago. It earned its name due to its quadrupedal carnivorous form and water-attribute abilities.

Because the environment of an Erosion Zone follows the characteristics of its master magical beast, there was never a day in Hamgyong Province when the water fog lifted.

With the element of water added to the already dense forest environment, a wetland formed, inhabited by insect-type and reptile-type magical beasts.

All of Hamgyong Province was like this.

Mountains were swamps, and plains were marshes.

Add the never-ending water fog, and visibility was poor. The bizarre forms and habits of the magical beasts made exploration itself quite difficult.

Hunters from the Association and Universe were entering such a place, packed with exploration gear.

Drones were broadcasting the scene live.

The news would likely report it as the two groups conducting environmental adaptation training in the Erosion Zone.

Jung-woo and Edmond moved to the high ground alone together and watched the sight.

Even though the water fog was thick, it wasn’t enough to completely block their vision.

“Hmm, the atmospheric magic concentration is dense. At this level, I’ll need to readjust my equipment output before entering the hunt.”

Edmond analyzed the environment of Hamgyong Province, muttering instructions to himself like a soliloquy.

Jung-woo stood quietly behind him and watched.

Then he spoke.

“Can I hear the main point now?”

He believed enough ice-breaking had been done.

As Edmond wished, they were the only two left, and there was nothing here to eavesdrop on their conversation.

The nearby perimeter was also being persistently patrolled by Shark Avatars, ensuring nothing slipped through. It was the perfect environment for a private conversation.

“…Right, this should be enough.”

“The purpose of your visit. I understood it to mean you had something to tell me.”

“What do you think it is?”

Edmond had been consistently providing clues.

Therefore, Jung-woo could answer without hesitation.

“Zero Gates. You want the qualification to explore them, and I want the same thing. At least, I thought that was why you came here.”

“And the reason you mention ‘exploration qualification’?”

“Because something is blocking your Zero Gate exploration. Something that even your power cannot overcome—an entity, or perhaps a group. Am I wrong?”

“You never stopped analyzing even during all that. Teddy Bear. Excellent.”

“That sounds like I’m correct.”

Edmond answered with a deep smile.

Then, turning his gaze toward the wetlands, he let out a murmur.

“The world has changed this much.”

“Yes, a world of superhumans.”

“Rather, it’s a world plagued by endless war. So much so that the peace the masses feel is fragile.”

Jung-woo listened in silence.

“Humanity learned how to induce the appearance of gates. We learned how to defend against Erosion Zones, and now, thanks to your hands, we can even see the possibility of purifying them.”

Then, suddenly.

“But humanity’s safety is not guaranteed.”

He spoke of the threat.

“Zero Gates. A disaster that could appear anytime, anywhere, and bring about a certain apocalypse lurks beside us. Even setting that aside, secondly, Out of Rank magical beasts—entities outside the standard scale—are blatantly roaming somewhere on Earth.”

Out of Rank magical beasts.

A term of convenience referring to certain S-Rank Champion magical beasts born during the Millennium Shock. Due to their exceptionally high growth thresholds, they continue to grow stronger in real time even now.

Why mention it?

The incident that made Edmond the savior of the United States—the bombing of Washington—was caused by just such an Out of Rank magical beast.

Besides that, there were the Arctic, the Atlantic Ocean, Antarctica, and the Savanna.

The four magical beasts currently active could cause disasters at any time, in any way.

“To ensure humanity’s safety from them, a transcendent organization is needed. A control center at the very top.”

He was revealing the secret of the world.

“Such a group exists. It has existed since the Millennium Shock.”

“So the Illuminati actually exists.”

“Being a conspiracy theory group is the only thing they have in common. The difference is that they aren’t that massive, nor are they an ideological group united as one. They are a small interest group.”

Since Jung-woo had suspected this from the moment he realized there was a means to control Edmond, the shock wasn’t that great.

However, the point to consider was, who on earth…

What kind of group could control that racist and keep him away from Zero Gates?

There was a conclusion he reached after endlessly thirsting for that answer.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about all along.”

Jung-woo already had the answer.

After experiencing the miracle of regression, going through countless incidents he couldn’t understand on his own.

From some point on, he began to suspect something.

“Born S-Rank.”

S-Rank from the moment of awakening.

The qualification to become the pinnacle of humanity.

“Does such a thing actually exist?”

…No.

“I thought perhaps such a rank didn’t exist at all.”

They just called it that for convenience.

From some point on, it simply became the accepted theory.

So let me say it.

“The people currently called Born S-Rank… aren’t they all just liars hiding their true ranks? That thought never left my mind.”

Starting with Jung-woo himself, wasn’t that the case?

With a little thought, anyone could see that drawing unnecessary attention and creating wariness and hostility was foolish, so he hid it.

From then on, he vaguely realized something.

Was he truly the only human in over 30 years to receive a rank measurement that didn’t exist for humanity?

That itself was an extremely convenient assumption.

That was why Jung-woo could speak.

“You, the group you belong to, and me too. Didn’t we all hide our ranks with the same thought in mind?”

Excluding himself, there were eight so far.

He tied together the monstrous anomalies who had caused tectonic shifts in the hunter world, known as Born S-Rank.

If he did that, it made sense.

Why Edmond wasn’t free from someone’s control, and the reason for that group’s existence.

At that moment, Edmond’s smile deepened indescribably.

“…Haa.”

It bordered on madness.

“As expected, I like you too much. Teddy Bear.”

They had revealed their cards to each other.

Of course, they likely had more hidden cards, but even so, the conversation could finally get on track.

“That’s the correct answer. You are the ninth of the ‘Council’.”

Edmond took a step closer to Jung-woo.

“Do you know about Environmental Pressure? When a hostile creature grows stronger, the prey must also change to survive. That’s how the balance of predator and prey is maintained in an ecosystem.”

Jung-woo read ecstasy on his face.

“Magical beasts grow endlessly stronger. They are born predators, and their thresholds are always higher than ours. Yet the great ecological balance is maintained. That’s because special mutations appear, struggling to survive.”

Eventually, he was right in front of Jung-woo’s nose.

“Out of Rank. Isn’t it too obvious that such a trait doesn’t only appear in magical beasts?”

Edmond referred to their group as the Council.

He subtly revealed that he belonged to it, and by saying Jung-woo was the ninth, he precisely gave the number of liars known as Born S-Rank.

“The ninth, but the second after me.”

Edmond offered a handshake.

“You are the second mutation to become a hunter and evolve in the direction of eating predators, Teddy Bear.”

It was an ecstasy blooming at the end of solitude.

He was feeling joy from the fact that he had found a peer.

However, Jung-woo couldn’t smile.

Finding the pieces one by one, only now.

Because only now could he resolve the curiosity that had constantly made him cry out ‘why’.

“Let me ask one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is the reason they don’t approach Zero Gates fear?”

Why did it have to be Se-gi?

Why did it have to be that small, pitiful child?

The only answer he could think of was that Se-gi was that exceptional.

Based on the obvious fact that becoming the host of a Zero Gate required being ‘the human with the greatest potential’.

Now he knew the exact level of that context.

“…This ‘Out of Rank’ you speak of, is that the condition for becoming the host of a Zero Gate?”

“Yes. A Zero Gate is what happens when we meet a parasite before we fully Awaken.”

At the returning answer, his heart felt like it would burst.

Because those words told him that the child could have become the savior of humanity.

With a talent more brilliant than anyone else’s, the child might have woven any future she desired into reality.

The worst ending cast upon such a child was the disaster of that day.

Simply because she was unlucky.

Even though she could have been like them, she ended up standing at the opposite extreme.

It would be a lie to say it wasn’t tragic.

But at the same time, Jung-woo found hope.

“It’s not absolute, then. An Out of Rank becoming a host.”

“Right, it’s not absolute. Those of us who have already Awakened can sufficiently resist them. A way to block parasitism before the awakening stage? The answer obviously lies in the Zero Gates, doesn’t it? So we need to persuade the old men who fear that place. Do you understand what I’m saying, Teddy Bear?”

“Yes, I understand.”

To be honest, he had been at a loss.

Even while believing that moving forward would prevent Se-gi from becoming a parasite, he couldn’t see how.

But look.

Edmond before his eyes, and the others called the Council, were all evidence.

They were living testimonies of a future where an Out of Rank did not become the host of a Zero Gate.

They were proof that a shining future existed for Se-gi as well.

Adding to that the grandeur of a calling.

Jung-woo felt a fundamental sense of alienation.

The Perfect Caregiver was a mutation of ability born not from innate greatness, but from the miracle of regression.

The system’s alarms also always hinted at it.

This power was not for himself.

If so, didn’t the answer emerge?

“May I ask one more thing?”

“Speak.”

“What’s the rank displayed on your system?”

Edmond answered happily.

“Why ask when you already know? Ex, Extra. It means an ability that cannot be defined. Is that your answer?”

Only then could Jung-woo smile as well.

“Yes, that’s my answer.”

Jung-woo was different from them.

He knew their abilities, and he knew his own potential.

They, too, were just mountains he could overcome at any time.

Hadn’t Edmond said it?

That new mutations capable of overcoming Environmental Pressure in the ecological balance could be born at any time.

L-Class was merely one such mutation.

He now knew exactly what he had to take.