Out-of-Rank Jormungandr.

A massive white serpent magical beast that had appeared at the center of the Arctic during the Millennium Shock.

Given its habitat, the actual human casualties had never been particularly prominent—but that was by no means an indication of the entity’s weakness.

One need only consider how magical beasts receive their designation names to understand.

Jormungandr was the serpent that devoured the world in Norse mythology.

Beyond its outward appearance, the damage it had wrought was severe enough to earn such a moniker.

Continental devouring was precisely that.

From the land where it first emerged, Jormungandr had chewed through and swallowed the ice sheets of the Arctic.

Thus it grew from an initial length of roughly three hundred meters to a scale measured in kilometers.

Next, it turned toward Greenland.

Partly because it was the closest nation to the Arctic, but more likely because the ballistic missiles launched from there had offended it.

S-Rank Champions were generally magical beasts with intelligence on par with humans.

It was a highly retaliatory move, and that day Greenland lost thirty percent of its territory.

The hunters of that era could do nothing until the creature leisurely returned to the Arctic, and the same held true thereafter.

Jormungandr’s growth ceiling was staggering—it grew ceaselessly by draining the mana from the Gate Resonance zone in the Arctic.

By the time societies around the world had each achieved their own form of stability, it had reached a point where no one could recklessly challenge it.

The only reason the fear was somewhat muted was that it lived in the Arctic and never strayed far from there—but a monstrosity capable of devouring an entire continent was terrifying by its very nature.

And now, that very creature was crossing the Pacific Ocean, heading toward Asia.

Its trajectory would bring it to Japan. If it passed straight through Japan, Korea and the Jing Nation of Beijing could become Jormungandr’s next snacks.

The international attention was all the greater because Korea—which had just drawn worldwide focus through the subjugation of the Haetae—was directly in its path.

[My god, isn’t that the first time it’s ever left the Arctic Sea?]

[Why? What’s making it move?]

[Is the restoration of the Erosion Zone the trigger? Or is there another reason?]

[Damn, is it true that Jormungandr has grown to thirty kilometers long?]

All manner of rumors circulated.

But none provided a satisfying answer.

Some pointed to the restoration of the Erosion Zone as the reason for its movement, but that explanation fell flat when the other Out-of-Rank entities remained so quiet.

It was, quite literally, an unforeseen disaster that had struck without warning.

Japan was the most urgent concern.

With a national-collapse scenario looming, the prime minister himself stepped forward to steady public sentiment.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not a moment’s rest, sending requests for support to apex-grade hunters overseas.

But public sentiment could not be steadied.

They had already been brought to the brink of national collapse once before, in the face of the calamity known as Izanami.

Knowing better than anyone the sensation of that fear brushing against their skin, they succumbed to panic at the Out-of-Rank disaster that dismissed Izanami as ‘trivial.’

The exchange rate was the first to buckle.

The crime rate more than doubled overnight, and projections cast a dark shadow over every other indicator, all trending toward deterioration—reminiscent of a post-apocalypse.

The government played a bold card.

More precisely, they played a hand they had never played before.

[An official press conference by Japan’s shield, Miss Ichijomodori Hikaru, is scheduled to be held!]

Their apex—the guardian of Osaka—revealed herself at an official public event for the first time.

A symbol to reassure the public.

The unfortunate part, however—well.

Jung-woo narrowed his eyes as he watched the television.

Se-gi exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

“She’s a pretty big sister!”

[Japan is safe. I will make it so. Please, everyone, rest easy and carry on with your daily lives.]

On the other side of the television screen, a girl in a neatly pressed school uniform was forcing a smile onto a deathly pale face.

Her straight black hair fell to her waist, and her blunt-cut bangs were impeccably neat.

Her features, so delicate they might have been painted with a brush, were elegant and refined. With such an aura, had she not been so visibly tense, she would have been a lovely student who captured everyone’s attention wherever she went.

Right now, however, was a different matter.

Seventeen by Japanese reckoning, eighteen by Korean.

That girl, clutching her own hands together and desperately trying to hide her trembling, was Japan’s last bastion.

But when she herself was so precarious, there was no way she could reassure the public.

Jung-woo was well aware that the girl occupied a highly unique position in many ways.

Naturally—wasn’t the reason that girl could be the guardian of Osaka for her entire life so famously known?

‘The world’s only case of aptitude succession, was it?’

During the appearance of Izanami—the event known as the Tokyo Incident—that girl had been in the womb of Ichijomodori Hasumi, who was Japan’s apex at the time.

With childbirth imminent, she could not participate in the subjugation directly; she had to join the Izanami subjugation effort through long-range support. Even so, she was contaminated by mana that resembled the S-Rank Champion’s curse, and fell ill.

With both child and mother in mortal danger, the mother chose to save her child.

Hasumi pierced her own curse-tainted heart.

She shielded the child with her mana and delivered the girl prematurely in her ninth month of pregnancy.

Whether it was the magical beast’s curse, the special nature of her abilities, or the potential of the child she carried—

the child inherited her mother’s aptitude from birth, becoming a powerhouse who wielded it without even knowing.

A birth that left countless questions and avenues of research for the academic world.

And a lifetime lived as a guardian.

What emotions arose when one faced her?

If asked, Jung-woo’s answer would have been, above all, sympathy.

He couldn’t bring himself to smile.

Watching the girl struggle to answer with a trembling voice before a sea of reporters was that difficult for him.

Se-gi spoke.

“Daddy! That big sister is super pretty!”

“Yeah? To Daddy’s eyes, Se-gi is prettier.”

“Then make her the second prettiest after Se-gi!?”

“Let’s do that. Daddy thinks that’s right.”

“Euhihi…!”

Jung-woo scooped up Se-gi, who was bouncing with excitement, her shoulders thrown back with joy.

As he did so, he checked his smartphone with one hand.

Keeping his composure wasn’t easy.

[Ho-jong: Subjugation cooperation. You going?]

The hands of the clock were already turning, after all.

Winter had begun in earnest.

It was the season when the cold grazed the skin, and the streetscape looked somewhat desolate.

Perhaps the biggest reason was the trace of anxiety that flickered across people’s faces.

Of course, compared to Japan, things were far better.

The difference lay in their attitude toward facing the disaster that was Jormungandr.

The Korean hunters’ performance over the past year gave them something to hold onto—a glimmer of hope.

There was also the psychological comfort of potentially receiving Edmond’s support in the worst case.

Of course, Jung-woo knew that wouldn’t happen.

Edmond couldn’t intervene in this matter.

He barely had enough time to stabilize the North American continent, from tedious political battles with the White House to erosion purification.

He didn’t have the hands to spare for a disaster in the Far East.

Setting that aside, for personal reasons as well, Jung-woo’s answer was already decided.

The reserved ticket that Ichijomodori Hikaru held was what was needed for the Zero Gate.

If she died here, it would be a problem.

Jung-woo entered the chairman’s office.

“I’ll go provide support.”

“I figured as much.”

“It makes sense to go while our forces are even slightly reinforced.”

“Yeah, leave the related paperwork to Mr. Kim.”

“Is it right to work the Vice Association Chairman like that?”

“Are you saying I should be the one reviewing documents?”

“If the Association Chairman doesn’t review them, who will?”

Jung-woo let out a hollow laugh.

Easing the tension even in situations like this was one of Ho-jong’s great strengths.

The tightness in his chest from various worries loosened, if only slightly.

So he could speak more comfortably than before.

“My thinking is this: I don’t think the reason that thing moved directly is Japan.”

“They have been quiet lately. If anyone caused a commotion, it was us.”

“I don’t think the restoration of the Erosion Zone is the cause. It’s probably a more fundamental issue.”

He had thought so, very faintly.

Ho-jong seemed to feel the same, as he spoke first.

“…Parasite subjugation. I think it’s that.”

“That’s something we can never acknowledge publicly.”

“Obviously. In this world, admitting it makes you a criminal.”

The supreme entity of otherworldly species was the parasite.

That was an established fact, and for both Jung-woo and Ho-jong, it was the most plausible cause they could point to.

But it was merely speculation, not a definitive answer.

So recklessly acknowledging it would be nothing short of foolish.

One thing was certain.

If the parasite subjugation was truly the issue, then even if they stood by and watched Japan suffer, Jormungandr would push through to Korea regardless.

Even considering other possibilities, the conclusion held.

There was something he could tell no one, yet Jung-woo alone could not dismiss the lingering suspicion.

‘…The parasites knew something about my aptitude.’

Jung-woo remembered the emotions poured out by the parasite that had clung to Chun Jun-ho’s body when [■■■■] was activated.

It was a reaction that would have been impossible without knowledge of this skill.

Something was connected.

How could he not think so?

Regardless, the conclusion remained unchanged: if they could stop it, preventing damage on home soil made intervening on Japan’s side the advantageous choice.

Even if it only devoured Japan and left, the perception of a country that merely stood by and watched its neighbor’s disaster would hardly bode well for future international relations.

He wanted to obtain even the slightest clue.

A careful question slipped out.

“Hunter Chun Jun-ho still hasn’t woken up, has he?”

“He’s sleeping quite steadfastly. A man who’s officially in his sixties—maybe he wanted to play Sleeping Beauty.”

“…That’s concerning.”

“His vital signs have fully returned. The only problem is he just sleeps sprawled out all day.”

He said it dismissively, but the worry beneath was evident.

Jung-woo also smiled bitterly.

In any case, the course was set.

Ho-jong said casually.

“You’re having a rough time too, Jung-woo. You were supposed to go on vacation for the Christmas holidays. With the schedule overlapping like this.”

“Ah, about that.”

He had already been thinking about it.

He had considered using Phase Shift for commuting, but since the maximum range Jung-woo had measured for the ability was around 120 kilometers, it was impossible.

And he couldn’t leave Se-gi behind to go overseas, so he had reached a conclusion.

“Please get Se-gi a passport. Within two days.”

“?”

“I was thinking that an overseas trip might not be a bad idea.”

He had never been overseas with Se-gi.

With Christmas and her birthday coinciding, it was quite the event.

If he wanted to make it a little more special, overseas was certainly a fine option.

“Isn’t that dangerous? Taking a child to a war zone?”

“If we can’t stop it, it’s over anyway. It’s better to have her somewhere I can respond, just in case.”

Even in the worst-case scenario, Jung-woo had the ability to escape.

Taking Se-gi along and fleeing was also entirely feasible.

Considering all possibilities, the safest place for Se-gi was by his side.

So going together was the right call, wasn’t it?

Above all, if he was going to pull off a spectacular event, he should do it properly.

“This time, I’m going to make it so moving that Se-gi will cry.”

【Quest】

▶【[Great Caregiver] Always putting the child first is what a true caregiver does! Parenting never ends! Keep collecting those Praise Stickers! (8/10)】

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

An Out-of-Rank magical beast.

A terrifying enemy, to be sure, but Jung-woo had no reason to back down.

Even Edmond had done it.

He believed he had the potential to surpass him, and he knew the next turning point was right before his eyes.

Ho-jong pondered for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

“Hmm, come to think of it, you’re right. Understood. I’ll leave that to Mr. Kim as well. Take care of yourself.”

“You make it sound like I’m going alone. Of course, you’re coming too, Mr. Chairman.”

“?”

“?”

Ho-jong blinked, and Jung-woo looked puzzled.

“Why am I going?”

“I need someone to play Santa for Se-gi’s event.”

“I’m going because of that?”

“I’m going to do that too. This is the Association’s first international cooperation since its founding—did you think the Chairman wasn’t going to handle diplomacy?”

Ho-jong’s mouth fell open and he gaped like a fish.

But no excuse was going to come to him.

Because it was a perfectly reasonable point.

Ho-jong’s brow furrowed deeply, then he buried his face in his hands.

Words laden with resentment slipped through his fingers.

“…Why did you put me in this chair, Jung-woo.”

“You’re S-Rank now. You can handle this much.”

He didn’t feel particularly sorry for him.

Exactly three days had passed since the news of Jormungandr’s southward advance.

The media atmosphere across the Far East was somber, reporting the ongoing southward movement as though announcing an asteroid drawing closer by the day.

Japan was on the verge of apocalypse.

Flights and ferries out of the country were completely sold out, and news reports showed crowds surging into airports, begging to be let out.

It was a time of utter chaos.

And then, hope descended upon those consumed by despair.

[Breaking news! Korean Hunter Shin Jung-woo has officially declared his participation in the Jormungandr subjugation! Accompanying Korean S-Ranks include the ageless Ha Kwon-seung and Association Chairman Hunter Jin Ho-jong…!]

Media outlets across the Japanese archipelago began broadcasting the news in unison.