With Christmas just two weeks away, news of the Haetae subjugation sent the world into a frenzy as the hottest topic of the moment.

The significance of this development went far beyond mere gestures of strengthening ties with Korea.

The driving forces behind it were none other than Edmond and Universe.

To call them the pinnacle and representatives of the hunter world would be no exaggeration.

What did it mean, then, for such figures to set foot in an Erosion Zone and accumulate experience in subjugating a Lord?

It signaled that the global tide was turning toward the reclamation of eroded territories.

[Humanity has finally begun preparations to reclaim lost territory!]

[The international Hunter community is buzzing! The Korean Hunter Association has announced they are being flooded with requests for data-sharing cooperation regarding this reclamation effort…]

[Breaking news! The roster of participants for the Hamgyong Province Erosion Zone subjugation has been released!]

It was already a global movement.

Realms once dismissed as vague impossibilities were transforming into reclaimable land, and year-end media outlets worldwide scrambled to broadcast the news.

It was welcome news for the general public as well.

But for no one was this news more desperately longed for than those who had lost their homelands—the displaced from the Erosion Zones.

Relief organizations and refugee groups from around the world voiced their support for the initiative.

Going further, they began supplying aid materials.

Specialized analysis portals dissected the Association’s live broadcast of the Hwanghae Province and Pyongyang reclamation process, citing it as a model case for proper erosion restoration.

In academia, professors of international renown focused their attention on Korea’s Otherworld Studies conference scheduled for March of the following year, going so far as to submit joint research papers.

It was a time of such intense focus.

But as is always the case with storms, the center remained calm.

“Magical beast pack detected ahead. First group, form defensive lines. Second group, advance. Sniper team, stand ready. Begin analyzing magical beast patterns.”

[Roger.]

In central South Hamgyong Province, that area alone remained isolated from all external currents, quietly preparing for the hunt.

They knew exactly what needed to be done.

The environment of the Hamgyong Province wetlands was brutal.

The squelching ground, the humidity clinging to exposed skin, compounded by the pheromone disorientation emitted by insect-type magical beasts.

All of it bred discomfort, but the most serious issue was the water fog.

“Personnel unable to secure visibility, please report voluntarily.”

[Charlie 3, 5, 6. Visibility unsecured.]

[Bravo 2, 7. Visibility unsecured.]

“Reassigning personnel. Please replace the affected members.”

This was no ordinary fog—it was a disruption mechanism created by Haetae’s mana.

If one were to summarize the theme of Hamgyong Province in a single phrase, it would be ‘a labyrinth that deceives the five senses.’

That was why, from the exploration phase onward, they had trained by classifying and acclimatizing combatants.

This was the responsibility of Jung-woo, who oversaw support team training and environmental analysis, while Edmond had ventured deep into the zone with Universe’s elite squad to observe Haetae’s behavioral patterns.

His voice came through the radio.

[A beautiful creature. It’s crouching in place, elegantly draining the Gate’s mana. Body length approximately four meters; with limbs extended, roughly eighteen meters across. You Koreans call it a fairy’s wing garment, don’t you? A semi-transparent shawl extending from its nape constantly vibrates, emitting fog. Truly…]

“Please share your visual feed.”

[By all means.]

The Haetae that Edmond was recording appeared on Jung-woo’s communication device.

Deep blue scales covered the body of a quadrupedal lizard resembling a cheetah.

But the face was that of a theropod dinosaur.

Just as Edmond had described, what looked like strips of silk protruding like a fairy’s wing garment—a ceremonial shoulder cape called pibak—vibrated ceaselessly.

“It’s elegant.”

[Isn’t it? Its activity level doesn’t seem particularly high. No matter how I look at it, this is a species that grew up smoothly without any natural predators.]

“What about the range it recognizes as its Domain?”

[A dome-shaped area with a radius of about one kilometer. That’s remarkably small for an S-Rank Champion, which means it’ll be an incredibly troublesome matter in combat.]

“You’re talking about Domain density.”

[Correct. I knew you’d catch on.]

A troublesome enemy.

No words could describe Haetae more aptly.

Magical beasts possessed what was known as Domain density.

The term referred to the variation in output relative to the range over which abilities were deployed.

For example, the Three-legged Crow could fill an area exceeding twenty kilometers in diameter with black flame heat. Any magical beast within that range lacking the mana to withstand the black flames would be incinerated.

The parasite that had possessed Jun-ho could sense all of Pyongyang and unleash pinpoint storms as sniper-like strikes; anything entering its detection range would be torn apart in an instant.

Defense patterns thus varied depending on how a Domain was utilized—the narrower the range, the greater the resistance required within, hence the term ‘density.’

In Pyongyang’s case, entering from multiple directions could prevent the pinpoint sniping.

With the Three-legged Crow, the sheer vastness of its range meant its power was dispersed so thinly that merely enduring the flame heat rendered the Domain itself unproblematic.

In contrast, Haetae.

Setting aside any optimistic assumption that it might be significantly weaker than those two beasts.

Living creatures evolve into the form best suited for survival in their environment.

Haetae, too, had simply evolved to concentrate all its power within that Domain.

The absolute observation was that Haetae could rival the Three-legged Crow.

Which meant that the interior of that Domain was an extreme environment, compressed to roughly one-tenth of a Flame Heat Zone.

Jung-woo’s brow furrowed.

“There must be a reason for its low activity level. Compressing density to that degree inevitably produces recoil.”

[Care to test it?]

“Can you launch a drone?”

[Already tried. It went dead the moment it touched the Domain’s perimeter—that’s the problem.]

Another clue obtained.

“It doesn’t move even when you fire a drone at it…”

His mind raced furiously.

Though the otherworld and reality had overlapped, this was still an ecosystem.

There was an unchanging truth.

Every element in nature had a reason, and the moment that reason was uncovered, an unknown terror transformed into a manageable behavioral pattern.

Analysis was the act of finding the correct piece among scattered puzzle fragments and then sorting out the matching pieces based on it.

Jung-woo drew upon every piece of knowledge he possessed, extracting the fragments that fit the clues.

And so, he was able to construct several plausible hypotheses.

“Let’s simply test it. Please fall back.”

[Hm?]

“If its reaction intensifies, things could get dangerous.”

Edmond was hesitant but pulled his entire squad back and remained alone at the scene.

It was a confidence born of knowing he could protect himself no matter what happened—and in truth, if he focused solely on retreat, nothing could touch him.

[What are you planning?]

“There’s something I want to test.”

Pong—!

A shark plush doll poked its head out from beneath Jung-woo’s feet.

Jung-woo spoke.

“Let’s send out a few avatars. Move exactly as I tell you.”

Ppok!

The shark slipped back underground.

Then several black fins surfaced and shot toward Haetae’s location at breakneck speed.

About thirty minutes.

That was how much time passed while continuing support team training.

[The avatars have arrived. Now what?]

“Could you share your visual feed again?”

[Of course.]

Visual feed secured once more.

Then, Jung-woo addressed the main body.

“Let’s move in.”

Ppok!

Jung-woo watched what unfolded on the screen.

Above all, uncovering the true nature of that high-density Domain was the urgent priority.

It was only natural.

The essence of being a hunter was the capacity for a group of A-Rank hunters to bring down an S-Rank magical beast.

There was no reason the reverse couldn’t happen.

Even with an out-of-spec asset like Edmond, the principle held.

A hunt had to proceed from a position of overwhelming advantage.

Anticipating every possibility and reducing variables to zero—that was Jung-woo’s hunting method.

It was immediately after the shark avatars charged in to verify those predictions.

Kwajik!

The moment they saw the avatars crumble on the other side of the screen, Jung-woo and Edmond spoke simultaneously.

“Ah.”

[Ah.]

A phenomenon that anyone with sufficient experience and knowledge could easily recognize was right there.

[What an infuriatingly troublesome creature.]

“But I can see the solution, too.”

A means to break the gimmick had revealed itself.

A week was sometimes a fleeting span that vanished in an instant when immersed in enjoyment.

Particularly in times like these, when fresh topics poured forth ceaselessly day after day.

[The subjugation day has finally arrived. The subjugation team has announced an estimated completion time of three hours…]

[The live channel is currently showing the Hamgyong Province wetlands as they are. Some are expressing concern about the subjugation’s success given the severe visibility restrictions, but…]

The week had truly flown by.

The very next day was Universe’s departure date.

Given the worldwide attention focused on this subjugation, failure was not an option.

Jung-woo stood in the heart of Hamgyong Province.

The subjugation was imminent.

With eyes closed, he reviewed everything they had prepared, calculating the probabilities.

The probability of success on the day of the subjugation: 97%.

Higher than the Pyongyang reclamation battle.

But the remaining 3% gap was a margin that could only be filled by combat variables, so he couldn’t afford to lose focus.

It was a moment to let out a long breath.

“Water fog at minus fourteen degrees Celsius—no wonder there’s no room for jokes.”

“Ah, Mr. PD.”

The one who had spoken to Jung-woo was Nam Sang-geun, a broadcasting network PD.

He had been with them since the first North Korean reclamation operation and had become a familiar colleague; by the day of the Haetae subjugation, he had taken on drone reconnaissance in addition to live streaming duties.

Having prepared thorough countermeasures against the cold, only his smiling eyes were barely visible behind his snow goggles.

“You’re working hard. In this freezing weather.”

“It’s what needs to be done. But you’re the one truly suffering, Mr. PD.”

“There’s never been a time in my broadcasting career as rewarding as lately. I feel truly alive.”

His eyes sparkled brightly, as if to prove his words were no lie.

However, the sight of him shivering from the cold was as pitiful as could be.

Minus fourteen degrees with water fog.

Just as he had said, an environment where even jokes wouldn’t form.

This water fog was a surreal atmosphere made possible only because it was a phenomenon caused by Haetae’s mana.

Put another way, the moment Haetae was subjugated, the water fog that had tormented humanity so severely in this environment would vanish.

What would remain was the disorientation-inducing pheromones of the insect magical beasts.

Regarding those, the antidote research currently underway would render them a nonissue by the time it bore fruit.

As his thoughts wandered in that direction, Sang-geun spoke.

“By the way, Mr. Shin Jung-woo, aren’t you cold? Dressed so thinly.”

“Well, it’s magical beast material equipment, for one thing. And I have a rank bonus, so my environmental resistance is quite high. Somewhere along the line, I stopped being affected by heat or cold.”

Jung-woo wore a coat over a suit.

Ordinary as it appeared, every piece was magical beast equipment.

If there was a perk to fame, it would be things like this.

Ahead of this subjugation, the world’s premier magical beast apparel brand had sponsored these clothes.

Sang-geun gazed at Jung-woo with a face full of envy.

Jung-woo smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.

“The documentary airs in January, was it?”

“Ah, yes. Editing review is finished, so we’re just waiting for the broadcast date.”

“My daughter loves seeing me on TV. When it airs, we’ll definitely watch it together.”

“It’ll look fantastic. I poured my heart into that piece.”

The broadcast of the documentary, edited from footage filmed since the start of the North Korean reclamation operation, was just three weeks away.

That was how quickly time had passed.

Whenever the preview for that broadcast aired lately, Se-gi would gape in wonder at the commercial.

She would excitedly ask every time when it was going to be broadcast.

That future was waiting.

So, if for nothing else than for that time with his child.

“We have to succeed. This subjugation, too.”

“Yes, it absolutely will. With you, Mr. Shin Jung-woo, and the Savior over there.”

Jung-woo’s gaze shifted to Edmond, who was delivering final briefings to his elite squad.

Sunglasses, brown leather vest, jeans, black boots.

It looked like comfortable everyday wear, but that was his identity—his subjugation equipment.

He had come fully prepared.

Jung-woo’s side was no different.

Korea’s S-Rank hunters, having completed equipment enhancements using materials from the Three-legged Crow and parasite subjugations, were warming up.

Every preparation was perfect.

All that remained was for him, the commander, to perform well.

As that thought crossed his mind, Jung-woo checked his Hunter Interface.

『【Shin Jung-woo — Perfect Caregiver (L)】

【Active Skills】

▶【All-Ages Filter (L)】

▶【Children Need Heroes (L)】

—Slot 1: Bear Hero (S+)

—Slot 2: Sea Otter Grand Mage (S)

—Slot 3: Shark Shadow Lord (S)

▶【■■■■ (Unlock: D-9)】

【Quests】

▶【[Great Caregiver] A true caregiver always puts the child first! Parenting never ends! Keep collecting those Praise Stickers! (8/10)】

▶【[Se-gi’s World] Show more of the world to your little treasure, who can only discover it through you! Let her imagination bloom ever more vibrantly! (2/??)】』

Compared to the beginning, much had been added to this window.

Considering that less than a year had passed since his awakening, he felt he had come a remarkably long way in a short time.

However, there was still too far to go to be satisfied here.

With the goal of Zero Gate exploration in mind, he needed to grow even stronger.

The potential for that was clearly visible.

If there was one concern.

▶【■■■■ (Unlock: D-9)】

‘I need to uncover more about that skill, too.’

He had a vague sense that the ash-white skill was directly connected to the origin of aptitudes.

It was a power that, at times, seemed to cause clashes even outside the system.

Would he learn the true nature of that by the time he reached the Zero Gate?

The thought was cut off there.

“All subjugation members, please assemble!”

Jung-woo snapped to attention at the shout.

Everyone was already gathering.

“Then I’ll be off. Mr. PD.”

“Yes! I’ll be cheering you on from afar!”

Jung-woo offered a bright smile and walked to the center of the subjugation members.

The field deployment team.

That is, the gathering place for the S-Rank hunters from both sides who would directly engage Haetae in combat.

“How’s your condition, Teddy Bear?”

“Good. And yours?”

“Before a hunt, the hardest part is always suppressing the excitement.”

It was the moment he said that with a smile.

Ppok!

A creature stamped its foot with an adorable sound, announcing its presence.

It was Hae-dal, who had already firmly secured the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone in its shell.

Hae-dal was glaring at Edmond.

Jung-woo let out a chuckle at the sight.

“It seems today isn’t a day to call me Teddy Bear.”

Indeed, that could be the case.

Because this fellow was the key to today’s strategy.

Edmond laughed.

“Oh, my apologies. C Otter friend.”

Ppok!

In Hae-dal’s raised head, an indescribable confidence was on display.

It was no illusion that excitement could be felt radiating from it.

“First debut for the Three-legged Crow magic stone. I’m counting on you.”

Today, the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone would make its debut in the Haetae subjugation.

It was a power that couldn’t be showcased during the Pyongyang reclamation due to compatibility issues.

Morale was sufficient.

It was time to ride the momentum forward.

He set his stance.

“Please take your positions.”

The hunters dispersed.

Jung-woo likewise boarded the Retona.

Only then did he speak into the radio.

“Rank: S-Rank Champion. Designation: Haetae.”

The start of a hunt was always a briefing, as it had been.

“Commencing subjugation operation.”

Bureureureung!

The vehicle began to move.