General Ahn Hoon-seo burst into laughter after hearing Lee Se-eun's reply.
"Hahaha! A joke, is it—"
Mid-sentence, the general stopped when he met Lee Se-eun's eyes.
"Do I look like I'm joking right now?"
"Listen here, Hunter Lee Se-eun. No matter what, I am older than you, and beyond that, a general in the Republic of Korea Army—"
Lee Se-eun cut him off.
"Courtesy toward one's elders is respect for the years they've lived. Courtesy toward the rank of a major general is respect for a soldier who endures pain, suffering, and personal sacrifice to protect their people from foreign threats."
She finished speaking and, maintaining her icy gaze, brought the pipe to her lips. The sound of tobacco burning filled the air. Exhaling smoke once more, Lee Se-eun stated flatly,
"You don't qualify for either."
Your years don't look worth respecting, and there's no reason to treat you with the honor due to a soldier.
"If the barrier generator functions properly and we can obtain meaningful data from it, it'll be a huge help."
With the limited number of hunters available, there was a clear limit to how many regions could be protected from the Infected. But barrier equipment wasn't human—it was a machine.
If production could be scaled over time, it would surely provide at least some breathing room in areas beyond the reach of hunters. And you want to interfere with that?
Ahn Hoon-seo clenched his fist as he stared at Lee Se-eun and spoke.
"Korea's international standing could be shaken by this. And if you don't cooperate in this matter, the Korean government's view of Jannabi will change."
At his words, Lee Se-eun stared absently at the pipe in her hand before responding.
"Fine. And what exactly do you think the Korean government can do?"
As Lee Se-eun slightly raised her mana, Ahn Hoon-seo's face turned pale and he stumbled back several steps.
"Terminate the contract with Korea and move to another country? There are plenty of Jannabi hunters already deployed overseas.
Pick one of them and make it your new headquarters. Once Jannabi withdraws, Korea will have no way to fill the gap.
"Of course, Lee Se-eun has no intention of doing that. Korea is humanity's final bastion. If Korea falls, even hope disappears.
She—and Jannabi as a whole—carry their duty and pride as hunters. No matter how much pressure the Korean government applies, Jannabi has no intention of leaving Korea.
'But… those people wouldn't know that.'
Because if they were in Jannabi's position and heard threats like the ones just made, they'd naturally consider it an option. They assume everyone thinks the way they do.
"There are two reasons I find this absurd," Lee Se-eun said. "First, do you really think the Korean government is powerful enough to threaten Jannabi at all? And…"
She shoved her empty hand into her pocket and continued.
"Knowing full well what a hellscape things are outside Korea, how do you dare spout that kind of bullshit?"
On the way here with Yoo Chan-seok, the kid had said that he could at least understand why the descendants of Dangun behaved the way they did.
That much, she could understand. He might be skilled, but he'd only just become a hunter. He'd probably never been overseas.
If you didn't know what things were like beyond Korea, you could say something like that. Calling out a mistake born of ignorance would just be overreacting.
But the general standing in front of her was different. A Korean Army general couldn't not know what the situation outside Korea was like. And yet he still said those things. That was something Lee Se-eun couldn't tolerate.
"If you're done speaking, you should leave. You look like you've got plenty to take care of."
Her tone returned to polite formality—but her eyes were nothing like when she'd first faced Ahn Hoon-seo.
"I'm merely prioritizing national interests."
"That still needs moderation. Moderation."
The reason Lee Se-eun decided not to make this conversation public was simple.
No matter where this was brought up, it wouldn't matter. The Embargo Tower? Jannabi's headquarters were in Korea anyway.
Aside from hunter companies on Jannabi's scale, there wasn't a single organization—of any kind—that could afford to openly disregard the Korean government.
After finishing the tobacco in her pipe, Lee Se-eun watched Ahn Hoon-seo walk away, then headed toward the main command room herself.
While waiting in the conference room before the meeting began, the equipment borrowed from Daebak Junk Shop arrived.
"Enough to turn a lethal hit into a near-death one."
That was her evaluation of the protective gear. Surviving instead of dying was already useful enough. And on top of that—
"What's this?"
It was a metal bracelet. Instructions were included. When she aimed it at the wall and infused it with mana, a sharp piercing sound rang out as a capsule shot forward and embedded itself in the wall.
When she aimed elsewhere and infused mana again, a marker appeared at the target point, and the capsule embedded in the wall fired a small anchor that lodged itself at the marked location.
The capsule and anchor were connected by a thin metal wire. She tested it lightly—it had good elasticity.
According to the instructions, it could support up to 200 kilograms. Plenty of potential uses. When she approached the capsule, grabbed it, and infused mana again, there was a whirring sound as the anchor and wire were reeled back in, and the capsule popped out of the wall.
Reusable, too. This was something she wanted to buy outright instead of returning as a rental.
"Yoo Chan-seok."
While she was examining the equipment, it seemed Han Sang-ah had arrived as well. Entering the command bunker, she spotted Lee Se-eun immediately and approached.
"I was worried you might've forgotten our earlier agreement."
"Not a chance."
It had been a very favorable deal for her as well—no way she'd forget.
"Once this assignment is finished, I'll provide everything we promised."
Considering Han Sang-ah's personality, she wouldn't lie about something like this.
"We'll begin the meeting now. As of this moment, anyone not authorized is to leave the command room."
At those words, Han Sang-ah stood up without protest and exited. The other hunters who'd been chatting among themselves followed suit, leaving the room.
Once all the hunters who had accepted the Embargo Tower's commission, the accompanying personnel from the operating contractor, and finally the Korean military command staff had taken their seats, a soldier stood up and began to speak.
"I will now explain the operation overview."
The train we were assigned to was an eighty-car mile train departing from Vladivostok. The explanation flowed smoothly—objectives, personnel deployment numbers, estimated duration until mission completion—all accompanied by materials projected on the screen.
The most important part, of course, was the accommodations.
"A total of sixty-five cars will be used for cargo and other operational purposes. The remaining fifteen cars will be allocated to ensure rest conditions for participating hunters and Korean military personnel."
Soldiers and miscellaneous staff would be in third class. Military officers, participating freelancers, hunters from small companies, and Han Sang-ah would be in second class. Hunters affiliated with Jannabi—and myself—would be in first class.
Lastly, Lee Se-eun alone would be using half of an entire train. It looked like the carriages had been completely rebuilt from scratch.
And the other half of the train she used had been converted into a command center.
"…."
The soldiers and other personnel were probably feeling bitter about it. The disparity in treatment was brutal. Still, it wouldn't be easy for Lee Se-eun to step forward and say she didn't need such luxurious accommodations.
And even if she vacated it, who would take that space? You couldn't exactly move only some of the third-class soldiers up.
Besides, when you think about it, Lee Se-eun ranked tenth among countless hunters. There wasn't a single person in the world bold enough to shove someone like that into third class.
Who would do something that stupid just to get themselves ruined?
"What threats are expected along the route?"
At Lee Se-eun's question, an answer came immediately.
"There are many contaminated zones along the route, but only seven locations where contamination cores are close enough to pose a significant threat."
That was fewer than I expected.
"In addition, bandit groups roaming the Siberian region may also pose a threat."
From the explanation, it seemed there were numerous groups who acquired hunter equipment through smuggling and then preyed on others. Basically, modern-day bandits—what naturally appears when law collapses and food runs out.
"Train robbers, huh. Sounds like we're filming a Western in the 21st century."
Lee Se-eun offered her brief assessment.
"Additionally, official notices were sent by the Hunters' Association in the UK to eight warlords based in Europe. Only three sent proper responses."
Meaning the remaining five never replied—which was the same as refusing cooperation.
"In this situation, it's hard to be confident the barrier generator will arrive safely."
One of the seated hunters spoke up, and Lee Se-eun responded immediately.
"The barrier generator will arrive safely."
At her reply, the hunter who had spoken earlier visibly shuddered, as if he'd been strapped into an electric chair.
"Ah—yes! I'm sorry!"
It didn't seem like something that warranted an apology. Still, this commission definitely involved more than a few concerns.
"That concludes the briefing."
Afterward, people began exchanging various opinions.
"Considering the fatigue of the Jannabi hunters—"
"No. Embargo Tower commissioned Jannabi, Yoo Chan-seok, and Hunter Han Sang-ah to protect the railcar storing the equipment. We have no intention of arbitrarily reassigning roles."
Lee Se-eun's stance was firm, and once she rejected the idea so decisively, no one had the courage to bring up anything similar again.
And honestly, I agreed. Why shove the job assigned to me onto someone else? If that guy screwed up, it'd end up being my fault.
"Why was air transport not chosen?"
When I raised my hand and asked, the answer came right away.
"European warlords are believed to operate some anti-air missile systems such as Patriot and Aster batteries."
Wow. I didn't know that. It wasn't surprising that they had the equipment—what was surprising was that European warlords were capable of operating it.
A significant number of European warlords weren't cooperating with this commission. With friction almost guaranteed, sending an aircraft into airspace controlled by people armed with surface-to-air missiles would be far too risky.
Most hunters are heavily restricted in what they can do while airborne.
"But then, couldn't they bombard the train instead?"
"Railways are an extremely important transportation method for European warlords as well. Bombardment would destroy the rail infrastructure, so the threat of artillery fire has been assessed as low."
If not bombardment, then the likelihood of close-quarters combat increased. And unlike on an aircraft, hunters could move freely on the ground.
"Understood."
That covered all my questions.
After the meeting ended, those heading to Vladivostok quickly packed their belongings and boarded a transport aircraft.
After several hours of flight, we landed at Vladivostok Airport. From there, it took another hour by vehicle before we finally arrived at the station and boarded the train.
"Isn't this a little too obvious?"
Among the long line of connected cars, one stood out immediately. It looked absurdly sturdy. Less like a train car and more like a massive custom-built vault.
"It's made from depleted uranium composite armor stripped from tanks."
Amethyst, standing beside me, answered my muttered comment.
"Looks like they've been preparing for this for a long time."
"Yes. That's why we absolutely have to succeed. Embargo Tower is extremely interested in the data we can obtain this time, which is why they made an investment of this scale."
I knew expectations were high.
"The train's about to depart. Get on already."
As I stared at the car carrying the barrier generator, Han Sang-ah leaned halfway out of the boarding entrance and urged me on.
"Then I'll be going."
Amethyst said her goodbye and boarded first. After that, I got on the train as well and headed to the cabin prepared for me.