Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 267: Episode

“The second calamity is the real issue.”

The observer clicked the remote and brought up the next slide. Unlike a typical dungeon gate, this one was a dark, blood-red.

“The calamity is called Red Gate.”

The guild masters leaned forward, their interest piqued.

“A gate-type calamity.”

“How is it different from the usual classic gates?”

“Yes. You’ve likely heard of Blue Gates, better known to us as the Nightmare of Moscow.”

Everyone nodded.

It was the calamity that had driven the great power of Russia to the brink of collapse, an incident where the former Association President, Hong Yul, had played a major role.

At the time, Russia was a prime example of a military powerhouse that invested more in its army than in hunters. After that event, however, they poured all their resources into training hunters.

“Don’t tell me a calamity on the level of a Blue Gate is coming to Korea...”

“Consider it twice as powerful.”

Everyone’s expression darkened.

A calamity even more powerful than the one that had nearly destroyed the hunter superpower Russia would appear in Korea, alongside Cataclysm.

Now they understood why SG Company had tried to flee.

“Are you certain it will appear in our country?”

“Yes, we are.”

The observer brought up a global map of weather anomalies.

“Anomalies are being detected in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, Egypt, and Korea.”

“All of them are M10 nations.”

“That’s correct. However, four of those countries will face Blue Gates. Only the United States and Korea will have Red Gates.”

As if balancing the game, Will had queued up twin calamities for the hunter superpowers that led the world.

’Still, why skip China and the UK and choose Korea for a Red Gate?’ the guild masters lamented inwardly.

With a global calamity underway, international support was a pipe dream. They would have to stop the Red Gate with their own strength alone.

“I must now share some unfortunate news.”

The observer lowered his voice.

“After calculating whether Korea’s current forces can withstand the combined firepower of Cataclysm and the Red Gate...”

Silence filled the room.

Everyone swallowed hard, waiting for him to continue. Wearing a heavy expression, the observer finished.

“There is a seventy-five percent chance that Korea will be destroyed.”

Groans erupted across the room. Some covered their foreheads with their hands, while others leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

“Now, now.”

President Lee Deokbae sprang to his feet and clapped, trying to lighten the mood.

“Let’s not lose heart! Numbers aren’t everything, are they? We’ve faced many crises before, and every time, our Republic of Korea has endured!”

This time, Hong Yeon spoke up.

“Then we will now establish countermeasures.”

Even in this hopeless situation, she calmly steered the meeting forward.

Seeing her composure, a few of the guild masters felt a measure of relief. She was a harsh, nerve-wracking superior, but when calamity struck, there was no hunter more reliable.

The reason everyone tolerated her displaying severed heads at official events or arriving at meetings after the President was simple.

It was solely because of her overwhelming strength.

“Once the anomalies begin in earnest, we will declare a state of emergency and concentrate the population in Seoul.”

As she spoke, Hong Yeon brought up a map on the screen.

“The vast majority of Korea’s forces, including myself and the Executive Division, will head to the Red Gate. We will not have the luxury of worrying about Cataclysm.”

At those words, several faces stiffened.

“D-does that mean you’re abandoning all territory outside of Seoul?” asked Ahn Sehyun, the guild master of Ayla.

She nodded.

“In the worst-case scenario, yes.”

“...Haah.”

“Of course, we will still assign hunters to the provinces by ranking the importance of key areas, but their mission will be limited to recapture operations. If we concentrate the population in the Greater Seoul area, we can protect many people with relatively few troops.”

“Now! Please, just hear me out for a moment!”

President Lee Deokbae cut in.

“I believe that is too hasty a decision, Association President.”

A faint crease formed between her delicate brows.

“Hasty, sir?”

“We’re getting so caught up in numbers like seventy-five percent and twice the firepower of a Blue Gate that we’re forgetting something important, aren’t we?”

Thumping his chest, Lee Deokbae declared, “I’m talking about the lives of our people!”

The room fell silent in confusion.

“Even if we stop the Red Gate, what good is it if the homes where our citizens live are reduced to ashes? The government exists for the people, and the Association exists for the people! The people must always come first!”

Worked up, Lee Deokbae jabbed a finger at the map on the table.

“Our goal must be to prevent the calamity from taking even a single patch of our land! If we can’t do that, we can’t call ourselves a nation!”

“Mr. President.”

Hong Yeon’s voice turned icy.

“If we fail to stop the Red Gate, it won’t be a matter of losing a few territories. The entire country will be in danger.”

“Oh, come now! That’s exactly what I mean by needless, excessive worry. It’s all just that Oracle fellow’s prediction, isn’t it? It’s not one hundred percent certain. Are you saying you’re fine with letting the people lose the homes they built with their blood and sweat?”

“I never said that.”

Lee Deokbae, still smiling affably, refused to back down.

“I may not know much about war, but there is one thing I know for sure! The people are the foundation of the nation! Especially in a crisis like this, we must not entertain the thought that it doesn’t matter what happens to their lives!”

Several guild masters let out long, weary sighs. Their expressions clearly said, ’Here we go again.’

Speaking for all of them, Hong Yeon replied, “Mr. President. If we don’t stop the Red Gate first, it will be meaningless no matter what territory we manage to defend from Cataclysm.”

“Association President Hong Yeon!”

Lee Deokbae stepped closer and clasped her hand warmly.

“You’re underestimating yourself! And you’re underestimating the strength of Korea! We are strong! We are an M10 nation, and we have the greatest guilds in the world! No calamity can swallow us whole!”

A savage light flashed in Hong Yeon’s golden eyes.

“Let go of me.”

“Hm? Ah, haha! My apologies. I meant nothing by it.”

He let go and stepped back, looking at her with his usual cozy smile. Then his nose twitched, and tears suddenly began to spill down his cheeks.

“I am the one who is guilty here!” he choked out. “The reality that we must place the entire burden of this nation on the shoulders of a young woman in the prime of her life is truly tragic! Ah, what has this era taken from us?”

Launching into a grandiose speech with exaggerated gestures, Lee Deokbae went on and on.

The guild masters quietly lowered their eyes to their phones, and Hong Yeon pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped her hand.

“In times as difficult as these, we must not turn our eyes away from universal values!”

“We will resume the meeting.”

She answered coldly, turning her back on him and pointedly ignoring his ongoing speech.

“If we fail to stop the Red Gate, all of Korea will be trampled by monsters. We will commit our top forces to that front. For Cataclysm, we will focus on holding Seoul and limit operations in the provinces to recapturing key areas.”

“Then will you at least establish defensive lines in the major metropolitan cities...?”

She shook her head.

“To minimize casualties, we must concentrate the population in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Please announce that even those as far away as Jeju Island must move into the Gyeonggi region if they want protection. If we try to both protect people and recapture key areas, it will take far too long.”

“Association President Hong Yeon!”

Still in mid-speech and crying freely, the President suddenly pointed straight at her.

“Has my sincerity truly not reached you? What we should be most concerned about is...!”

“Then allow me to ask you something in return.” Even her patience was starting to wear thin.

“If we don’t stop the Red Gate, everything—the people’s livelihoods, their homes, all of it—will be gone. The entire Republic of Korea will be annihilated. Do you have a plan for that?” Hong Yeon pressed.

“Now, now, it’s too early to be making such definitive statements!” President Lee Deokbae retorted with a dismissive wave. “Do you not believe in the strength of our great nation?”

“On the contrary, Mr. President. You are the one overestimating our forces and prematurely declaring victory,” Hong Yeon shot back.

“Of course! Absolutely! If we don’t believe in ourselves, who will?”

Lee Deokbae was popular with the public. He was a master at cherry-picking policies that appealed to the masses and had a knack for extorting vast sums of money from corporations and guilds “in the name of the people.” He would then use that money to create jobs or provide benefits, employing a thousand different methods to boost his approval ratings.

The most dangerous part was that he genuinely believed he was in the right; it was his core conviction.

This disaster was no different. It was obvious that the public would react more sensitively to the Cataclysm, which directly threatened their property and land, than to the more abstract threat of the Red Gate. Lee Deokbae’s reaction was entirely predictable.

Hong Yeon spoke again, her voice sharp, “If we follow your orders and the Red Gate is breached, who will take responsibility?”

“That would be your responsibility, of course, Ms. Hong.”

Her eyebrow twitched.

“And it would also be the responsibility of this world that has driven a young lady like you into war! Ah, what has calamity taken from humankind...”

He never finished the sentence.

With a loud CRACK, his body snapped backward and flew into the wall.

Everyone jumped to their feet in shock.

“I will not listen to this any longer, you clown.”

Rising from her seat, Hong Yeon glared down at him.

“I don’t understand how a loudmouthed clown like you managed to win the people’s votes and end up in that chair.”

“Y-you... you...” Bleeding from his nose and trembling, Lee Deokbae suddenly exploded. “You assaulted me! You animal, you’re worse than a—!”

“Assault?”

She stepped forward and ground her heel into his hand. He thrashed on the floor, screaming, “Aaaaaah!”

Her sword slid from its sheath and came to rest at his throat.

Only then did Lee Deokbae truly see them—those golden eyes, so chilling they made his mind want to shut down.

“We are at war. I would rather cut down a delusional dreamer and reduce casualties than watch this country fall because of his little political games.”

“Association Presideeent! What are you doing?! Why are you driving a stake through my heart?! Do you know how much I have cherished you...”

“Once the Red Gate is dealt with, you can boil me, roast me, or do whatever you like.”

She sheathed her sword, then, still not satisfied, kicked him in the face. His head snapped back, and his body collapsed limply to the floor.

’...Hot damn.’

The guild masters were fighting the urge to grin from ear to ear and burst into applause, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the other military officials turned beet red and shouted.

“What do you think you’re doing, Association President!”

“Do you think this is some back-alley thug hangout!”

“Are you out of your mind? Even your sister never went this far with the President...!”

Running a hand through her red hair, she slowly turned to face the military officials.

The moment they met those chilling golden eyes, no amount of mental discipline mattered. A reflexive, primal fear sprouted in their chests.

“My sister is my sister, and I am me. I will take responsibility once this is over.”

She returned to her seat and crossed her legs. In the meantime, aides rushed in, gathered up the unconscious President, and hurried him out.

“What responsibility! If the Association behaves like this, we will not cooperate!”

“Very well.”

She shrugged.

“Then, in accordance with the President’s orders, we will ignore the Red Gate and disperse our forces across the entire country. Whether the nation falls or not will no longer be my concern.”

“N-no, that’s not what we meant...” At a loss for words, they stammered, trying to recover.

“Ahem, ahem. We were criticizing your attitude, that is all. We didn’t mean we should follow the President’s words to the letter.”

“We should persuade him and find common ground. You can’t just start beating people like that...”

“You’re unbelievably dense.”

Power gathered in her golden eyes.

“I’m saying there is no need to sacrifice precious lives just to humor a clown who knows nothing about the military. And one more thing.”

She crossed her legs the other way and gripped the hilt of her sword. That simple motion made three men flinch and tremble.

“This is not cooperation. This is coercion.”

* * *