Korea’s participation in the Jormungandr subjugation was a shocking topic.

Internationally, yes, but domestically even more so.

Naturally, dissenting voices followed.

[Wait, do we really have to go all the way to Japan…? What happens to us if something goes wrong with Shin Jung-woo…?]

└ Can’t exactly skip it. We still don’t know why Jormungandr came down, and if that thing breaks through the archipelago and reaches the peninsula, we’re all screwed.

└ That might not happen, though…

└ And if everyone dies, then we’ll truly regret it. You can’t deny this is the best call the Korean Association could make.

In this era, such sentiment was remarkably commonplace.

An S-Rank hunter was a strategic weapon in and of itself.

The sharpest sword and sturdiest shield safeguarding a nation’s security.

For that to be deployed on behalf of another country—naturally, citizens would feel some resentment.

If a hunter died abroad, it meant a direct decline in national military strength.

In the gate era, this was one of the most unmanageable terrors—and the primary reason international hunter cooperation consistently faced massive obstacles.

But this time, the voices of support far outweighed the dissent.

Whatever the outcome, if Jormungandr pushed past Japan and breached the Korean Peninsula, it meant mutual destruction.

Above all, there was faith.

[Still, if anyone could do it, it’d be Shin Jung-woo, right? Even Edmond, who’s been publicly proposing to him on social media, seems to be sitting this one out. Must mean even he thought it was a subjugation Jung-woo could handle solo.]

└ Plus, the Osaka Princess is a Born S-Rank too. Two Born S-Ranks might actually pull it off.

└ The Princess doesn’t count;; her ability is pure defense anyway.

└ What else can we do but trust him? And Jung-woo wouldn’t go without good reason. Everything he does shows he’s a meticulous guy.

Shin Jung-woo was different.

Shin Jung-woo could do it.

He had consistently delivered results no one else could have imagined, and the public placed their faith in him to do the same this time.

And so, the Korean public ultimately came around to accepting it.

Meanwhile, the Japanese public was in absolute uproar.

In recent terms alone, Jung-woo had demonstrated performance that could be called the world’s finest without exaggeration.

In terms of value, he was estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of won per mercenary subjugation.

At this point, there was no one who didn’t know how his debuff and summons had performed in the Three-legged Crow and Haetae subjugations. The moment word spread that he was heading to Japan, various economic indicators began recovering at a staggering pace.

[Yen-chan recovering in the ICU wwwww]

[Shin Jung-woo-sama, his surname means ‘god’ in English www]

[Best decision of my life was trusting Shin Jung-woo-sama and going long on yen leverage when it hit rock bottom www]

└ Absolute legend.

└ A true master.

[Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!]

└ We’ve got a super dogeza over here www

[By the way, Shin Jung-woo-sama is quite handsome. Korean dramas were telling the truth.]

└ Ha-sama has returned. Chairman Ho-jong-sama, and a well-maintained physique under that suit too.

└ I’m a current Korean citizen. Please don’t take away my nationality.

Exchange rates and public security issues were fluctuations born from the crisis of national collapse.

So when good news arrived—and carried sufficient force—these indicators could recover readily.

On the foreign press front, networks deployed dedicated analysts to break down the subjugation’s success probability on special panels.

That was how massive the issue was.

[“It was Korea’s divine sanctuary. If the Jormungandr subjugation succeeds, the narrative changes entirely.”]

Indeed it would.

[“The landscape of the global Hunter community will shift.”]

The subjugation of the Out-of-Rank Jormungandr.

Beyond resolving a threat to national security, Jung-woo’s rise in international standing was woven into this endeavor.

“Se-gi. You all ready?”

“Mhm! How’s Se-gi!”

“So pretty. You’re a princess today, aren’t you?”

“Ma-ja! Princess has sunglasses too!”

Jung-woo sat in the living room, smiling fondly as he watched Se-gi spin in circles showing off her outfit.

A navy fur parka, brown UGG boots, white fur earmuffs, and round-framed sunglasses to top it off.

Since they were heading to Japan, which was colder than Korea, he had prepared thorough cold-weather countermeasures—and this was the result.

The sunglasses were Se-gi’s own choice.

She had seen Edmond flick his sunglasses during an interview and become utterly captivated.

Being easily influenced was so like a child.

Whatever the case, an adorably charming sight.

The morning of their departure was bustling and joyful.

To put it another way, it was uncharted territory for Jung-woo as well.

His first overseas trip with his daughter.

Having returned to life once, he was only now getting to experience something like this for the first time.

Work was work, but he wanted to give his all to this event too.

He hoped the vast world wouldn’t be a source of fear for his child.

Knowing she was the kind of child who had been frightened by the sheer size of the ocean when she first saw it, he hoped that someday, when she faced the unfamiliar, she would feel excitement before anxiety.

“Shall we go?”

“Mhm! Se-gi is deploying!”

Jung-woo scooped Se-gi up.

Pulling the carrier and following behind was Teddy Bear.

The airport was about an hour’s drive away.

As with any trip, the moment of departure sets the heart racing with anticipation, and a child’s stamina was more than sufficient to fill that hour with nonstop chatter.

After arriving at the airport and stepping out of the car, the first people they met were Kwon-seung and Ho-jong.

Ho-jong looked somewhat drained.

Probably from being hounded by reporters since the departure procedures began.

“You’ve had a rough time.”

“You’re acknowledging that? After you’re the one who put me through it, Mr. Jung-woo?”

“Hi, Ho-jong ahjussi! Hi!”

“Yes, good to see you too, Se-gi.”

“Hi, Grandpa! Hi!”

“Yes, what a spirited greeting.”

When Se-gi greeted them, both men received it warmly.

Ho-jong was already familiar with Se-gi, so the atmosphere was natural, and Kwon-seung, ever the gentleman, maintained his decorum even before a child.

Jung-woo addressed Kwon-seung.

“Thank you for your help in so many ways.”

“Japan is a land I have ties to. It’s only natural. If someone should go to help, it should be me.”

Kwon-seung had been a close friend of Hasumi—the mother of Ichijomodori Hikaru, currently regarded as Japan’s strongest hunter.

When she died at the end of a subjugation, Kwon-seung had demonstrated his sense of responsibility by staying at her funeral until the very end.

His participation in this subjugation was an extension of that bond.

Jung-woo owed him a great deal.

Above all, that began with their mode of transportation.

“It’s my first time on a private jet. Thanks to you, we’ll be traveling comfortably.”

“Glad I had one prepared. Let’s go now. There will be more reporters up to the aircraft entrance. No need to answer every question, but…”

“Understood. I’ll handle it cleanly.”

“You’re a clever man. I trust you.”

“Are we gonna go ride the airplane now???”

“Yes, we’re going to ride the airplane.”

Se-gi bounced with visible excitement.

Riding an airplane was a first for her, too.

Jung-woo smiled warmly, and the other two adults did the same.

Seeing Kwon-seung flash a faint smile was an added bonus that caught Jung-woo by surprise.

As they exited the departure hall and made their way to the private jet, casual conversation filled the walk.

Then they arrived at the airfield, where winter winds whipped around them.

Chwajwajwajwajwak!

Flashbulbs erupted in a frenzy.

Se-gi’s jaw dropped.

Jung-woo said,

“Se-gi, want to make a pretty face? You’re on TV right now.”

“Gasp!”

With a determined expression, Se-gi pressed her sunglasses firmly onto her face, then flicked the end of them with her index finger.

A classic Edmond move.

One of the reporters smiled warmly and captured the moment on camera.

“Hunter Shin Jung-woo! A word on your resolve before departure, please!”

Jung-woo paused mid-stride and answered only that one question.

“We’ll return safely. Please don’t worry too much.”

“What percentage would you put on the subjugation’s success?!!!”

This was the first international cooperation effort.

A single sentence here would carry enormous impact.

However, he didn’t want to lie for the sake of appearances.

He offered an answer that was cautiously hopeful—something he could state with certainty at this stage.

“Seventy-eight percent. Based on the clues gathered so far, that’s where it stands. We need to raise it higher.”

He took no further questions.

With a slight bow, he boarded the private jet.

Countless flashes erupted behind him.

Once inside, the commotion subsided.

Se-gi’s mouth fell open. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly.

“It’s so biiiiig…!”

The impeccably appointed interior of the private jet stretched before them.

In a reception room at Kansai International Airport, a girl sat with a demure posture.

Eyes closed, breathing suppressed to near silence, maintaining a state as close to absolute stillness as humanly possible—that was Ichijomodori Hikaru, Japan’s strongest hunter.

“Lady Ichijomodori, it’s time to prepare. The state guests will be arriving shortly.”

“…Yes.”

When Hikaru opened her eyes, her expression was not good.

It was a tangle of tension and fear, yet none of those present met her gaze.

Because they must not.

Hikaru knew this too.

This was no time for childish complaints.

She bit her lip and swallowed the negative emotions surging within her.

Why. Why me.

The more she thought, the more it gnawed at her heart.

Better not to think at all.

‘I have to do this.’

She was the only one who could prevent Japan’s annihilation.

That was why she was alive.

That was why she had inherited her mother’s ability—for moments like this.

‘I have to do this.’

She couldn’t collapse.

The citizens were watching her back and her back alone.

That was the weight of this power.

She rose from her seat.

A wave of anemia hit her.

She fought to steady herself.

She regulated her breathing.

She walked forward.

The gazes of security personnel lining both sides of the corridor pierced into her.

A gray corridor. People in black suits.

The oppressive colorlessness and expressionlessness squeezed her heart once more.

Each step grew heavier anew.

She wanted to stop, but the stares pushed her forward.

Perhaps she would live with this sight for the rest of her life.

Hikaru chose to lower her head and look away instead.

The thought slipped out unbidden.

‘Why did it have to be me, Mother?’

She truly wasn’t someone capable of bearing such power.

If her mother were here instead, everything would have been different.

The sensation of an aircraft rising into the sky was deeply unfamiliar.

Jung-woo hadn’t flown often in his life either, so it felt all the more so.

For Se-gi, experiencing it for the first time, the occasion was naturally extraordinary—needless to say.

However, sensing the act of flight from inside a highly advanced private jet was notoriously difficult.

It was only when Se-gi belatedly looked out the window and realized she was actually flying that she erupted with excitement.

“Daddy! Se-gi is flying!”

“Yeah, we’re flying right now.”

As the private jet took off and ascended into the sky, Se-gi’s face was flushed with pure wonder.

Her cheek was pressed flat against the window, spreading out squishily—and Jung-woo, charmed by the absurd cuteness of it, immediately grabbed his camera and snapped a photo.

The ground grew farther and farther away.

Each time, Se-gi shuddered with amazement.

Watching everything she knew that was enormous shrink to the size of ants was novel enough to warrant the reaction.

But when the buildings began to look like miniatures, her response changed.

“…Se-gi doesn’t want to look anymore.”

Se-gi carefully pulled away from the window and buried herself in Jung-woo’s arms.

Her face pressed into his chest.

No alarm had triggered.

Which meant there was an emotion beyond mere surprise at work.

Jung-woo now understood that parenting required seeing things from a child’s perspective.

Perhaps she had suddenly become afraid of falling from this great height.

Apparently thinking the same, Kwon-seung offered a gentle, knowing smile, while Ho-jong, with characteristic tactlessness, said something entirely unhelpful.

“If we crash, we’d be falling for quite a while. Hold on tight to Daddy, Se-gi…”

“Hic…!”

“Mr. Chairman, why would you say that?”

“…It was a joke.”

When Jung-woo shot him a glare, Ho-jong smacked his lips and fell silent.

It was Kwon-seung who eased the tension.

“Don’t worry. I can fly, so I’ll carry you safely to the ground.”

“Rweally…?”

“You’ve seen it on TV plenty of times, haven’t you?”

Se-gi blinked at Kwon-seung.

Then, perhaps recalling his ability of levitation, she belatedly relaxed.

Jung-woo stroked Se-gi’s hair, suppressing a giggle that threatened to escape.

“It’s okay. This is a really, really expensive airplane, so it won’t fall.”

“How expensive?”

“Hmm, about a hundred thousand Binipings?”

“Haek…!”

A child’s unit of value was the Biniping.

Something that brought her such joy to have even one—multiplied by a hundred thousand.

Armed with the power of a hundred thousand Binipings, Se-gi was no longer afraid of flying.

Of course, she still didn’t go back to pressing against the window, but she could at least enjoy the sensation of passing through the clouds.

Then Se-gi drifted off to sleep, dororong.

She had been so excited since they set out.

She had already burned through her stamina, and as with any flight, the eventually repetitive scenery had bred its own boredom.

Only after the child fell asleep could Jung-woo finally discuss business.

“Was the banquet the first event after arrival?”

“Just kill time eating whatever unidentifiable stuff they put in front of you in front of the reporters. That’s all you need to do.”

“And after that?”

“The full-scale subjugation planning starts in four days. I asked them to keep Christmas off the schedule in advance. I personally requested it. So could you drop that look, Mr. Jung-woo?”

“Hmm… well, okay.”

He smoothed out the sharp edge in his eyes—he still hadn’t fully forgiven Ho-jong for scaring Se-gi.

He hadn’t forgotten his purpose.

He was going for the subjugation of Jormungandr.

A thread of tension always resided within him, and having independently researched and analyzed several matters before departure, he would spend the time before the full-scale subjugation cross-verifying the process against the Japanese side’s data.

Of course, until then, Se-gi came first.

“We’re almost there now.”

As Ho-jong said, while discussing various matters, Japanese soil had come into view.

Jung-woo looked out the window, smiled faintly, and patted Se-gi’s back.

“Se-gi.”

“Mmm…”

“Look. We’ve arrived.”

Se-gi’s eyes fluttered open.

Her face was still heavy with sleep, but the drowsiness vanished in an instant.

Se-gi grabbed tight onto Jung-woo’s collar.

Then she craned her neck toward the window, eyes wide, taking in the vista spread before her.

“…Snow! It’s snooow…!”

“Looks like it snowed recently. The ground is so white, isn’t it?”

Breaking through the stratosphere and emerging from between the dark clouds, a snowy landscape awaited.

Black tree trunks dotted the white earth like ink strokes, evoking the imagery of a sumi-e painting.

It was a sight one couldn’t ordinarily behold, and its singularity seemed to stir something profound.

Ttiring!

【”Snow! Ground! I am the sky!” Gazing upon a snowy landscape from on high is a rare and special experience! The child has encountered the land she is about to set foot on in the most extraordinary way possible! This, too, is the magic of travel, isn’t it!? [Great Caregiver (9/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock skills!*】

One more to go.

The next summon was within reach.

That, too, would be a joy—but for now, let that thought wait.

“It’s so white!”

“Right? It looks so pretty from up here in the sky.”

“Mhm! Se-gi feels like a fairy!”

“You came down from the sky, so a fairy fits perfectly.”

“Gasp! Then Se-gi is a Fairy Princess…!”

“Want to put your sunglasses back on?”

“Mhm! Sunglasses Fairy Princess!”

While Se-gi peered into the mirror, brimming with anticipation, the private jet touched down.

As it came to a stop and the doors began to open, Jung-woo adjusted his attire as well.

“Shall we.”

“Let’s.”

They disembarked.

From that moment, flashes erupted.

The brilliant white airport made the light all the more dazzling.

The clamor was entirely in Japanese.

As they descended the stairs and looked ahead, someone finally came into view.

‘Ichijomodori Hikaru.’

Wearing what looked like a designated school uniform, a girl stood tall at the front of the path, flanked by an entourage.

Was her pale complexion due to the cold?

No, that probably wasn’t it.

Jung-woo walked forward.

The distance between him and Hikaru closed.

He saw her trembling eyes.

He felt sympathy.

Finally, the distance to shake hands.

Hikaru swallowed dryly and lifted her head.

Before the stopped Jung-woo could even offer a greeting—

“…Pretty unnie.”

Se-gi said it with her mouth hanging open.

Hikaru, who didn’t understand Korean, flinched in surprise.

The sight was somewhat comical.

Then it occurred to him—for a girl like this, perhaps this was better than a formal greeting.

Jung-woo offered a gentle smile and spoke his first words in Japanese.

“My daughter says you’re pretty, Lady Ichijomodori. She’s been saying that even before we came.”

A faint flush of bewilderment crossed Hikaru’s face.

Her cheeks had turned slightly pink.

Her gaze shifted to Se-gi.

Flustered, she managed an awkward smile and squeezed out a single phrase.

Only then did Jung-woo catch a glimpse of this girl’s true nature.

“Uh, um… Kamsahamnida…?”

She was quite the hard worker.

Her accent bore the traces of someone who had studied specifically to show proper respect.