Chapter 122: Earth Will Become One

BAM!

Elliot slammed the table and shot to his feet.

“Cut the bullshit. A world where only awakeners survive after everyone else dies—how is that paradise? I didn’t endure hardship just so ‘we’ could live. I did it so everyone could live together!”

“Then, Elliot Middlerner… you must be removed.”

“What?”

“We have no need for foolish awakeners like you in our paradise.”

BAM! Elliot drew his weapon and went on guard, but the entity showed no immediate move; Do-jin remained still.

“No one else…?”

“If anyone agrees with that bullshit, they’re the fool.”

Jin Seong-ha declared firmly.

“Many couldn’t act because they were busy surviving, tied to their jobs, or never even had access to information about the climate crisis. You’re saying all those people deserve to die? That’s not the system’s will. The reason the system gave ‘us’ power is—”

“To protect them because we’re suitable? Because we endured discomfort with kind hearts for everyone to live together?”

“Yes.”

“Is that the will of everyone here?”

Ji Pyeong-seop and Lee Jin-ah nodded.

Do-jin’s lips twisted.

“Then all of you must be removed. I personally descended because I regretted letting the system’s favored one slip away—yet I return empty-handed. What a pity…”

“Wait.”

Jin Seong-ha stopped the entity as it seemed about to leave.

“You said you do the selection yourself. What about awakening? Did you get a signed agreement from the system to awaken the humans you bring?”

Do-jin’s eyebrow twitched.

“Awakening research has progressed significantly. Once we find her, we’ll develop awakening ampoules…”

The entity inside Do-jin clamped its mouth shut, as if realizing it had said too much.

Moments later it spoke again—completely different words.

“Do whatever you want with this body.”

Then closed its eyes.

Elliot staggered with a groan and grabbed the table.

Cold sweat beaded on his temple, as if in a fierce mental tug-of-war.

It ended quickly. Do-jin collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.

Elliot shook his head.

“It left. Holding on longer was impossible. It didn’t reveal itself because I caught it—it chose to.”

The unknown entity was gone.

Presumed the Cult Leader, but nothing about its identity had been uncovered.

It had said it was a pity to return empty-handed, but Jin Seong-ha and Ion felt the opposite.

Learning Age’s goal was a massive gain.

“Elliot Middlerner. There’s something you need to hear.”

Before parting with Elliot,

the group told him about Breeder and <Hunter and Hero>.

Ion had suggested it.

No one knew exactly what [Joy] had planned, but in this flow, telling one of the few S-ranks on Earth the events so far—even briefly—was common sense and a natural development.

Elliot naturally scoffed.

“This world is inside a novel? Too many crazies believing nonsense.”

A normal reaction.

“If the novel is hard to believe, think of it as regression. The fact that what Breeder taught came true is real. They could be Idea mages who mastered time-travel magic.”

Ion lowered his voice.

“Interference from the orphans, Butterfly Mask, etc., who knew the future changed some details, but the major plot stayed the same. The Idea–Earth connection dungeon locations and dates matched, so the SS-rank dungeon on February 6 next year will happen too.”

Ion added that it would be Earth’s greatest crisis since the Cataclysm.

Elliot still showed no urgency.

“SS-rank… Why is that a crisis? In Breeder’s <Hunter and Hero>, it was cleared in two months. Knowing the future, it’ll be easier now. Maybe a month?”

“Right. In the novel it was an SS-rank with only Level-2 monsters. But now the system is Level 4. It’ll be an SS-rank with madness-possessed giants.”

Not every Level-4 dungeon spawned giants—many were pure monster dungeons. But anything 14m+ guaranteed giants.

10m dungeons that were S-rank in Levels 1–3 became B-rank in Level 4. 14m+ became A-rank, 17m+ became S-rank.

The upcoming SS-rank would be a giant-spawning dungeon with a gate stone over 20m.

“In <Hunter and Hero>, System Age caused the S-rank Daisy Town dungeon to overflow, killing many. That plan failed in reality, so their next target will be the SS-rank. They’ll infiltrate the raid and deliberately cause an overflow…”

From Level 4, dungeon overflow caused massive explosions, turning the area into a dead zone. Madness-possessed giants would rampage across it.

The radius: 7 million km².

“7 million square kilometers…?”

Even Jin Seong-ha, who already knew, turned serious. Elliot’s expression finally darkened.

“The dungeon will appear in Canada. Canada and northern USA will become wasteland. At that scale, it won’t just be those two countries…”

No matter where in Asia, Africa, or Europe the dungeon appeared, 7 million km² destroyed would plunge Earth into chaos.

Clear condition wasn’t monster extermination, so bombing was impossible.

Hunters had to enter and fight directly.

Elliot Middlerner spoke as if there was nothing more to consider.

“Got it. I’ll join too. No hunter who hears this would refuse.”

“Yes, a wise choice.”

“Can you call this a choice?”

Elliot muttered bitterly. Jin Seong-ha extended his hand.

“Guild and nationality aside—as fellow Earthlings, let’s do this. Elliot Middlerner.”

“…Fine. Jin Seong-ha.”

Elliot took the hand.

Before leaving, Elliot asked,

“What about the other S-rank? Isn’t Joseph Bright core firepower too?”

“We considered Joseph Bright, but too many high-rank hunters inside the dungeon would leave the outside defenseless.”

“Makes sense. But there’s no healer better than Joseph Bright.”

Ion spoke up.

“There are awakeners in Idea who use holy power. They have excellent defense and healing—trustworthy.”

“Ah, Idea… Right, this isn’t just Earth’s fight anymore.”

Until now, Earth had been a fractured planet. Globalization tried to unite it, deglobalization split it again, climate crisis almost united it, then after the Cataclysm nations competed and conflicted to lead the new era—accelerating division.

Now, facing the SS-rank dungeon crisis, things would change.

Multinational awakener raid teams entering high-risk dungeons would become normal. Later, Idea races would join, forming multi-world raid teams.

Beyond nations—planetary unity.

Elliot received additional explanations about Idea and demon realm history and races.

As someone who encountered another world a bit earlier than other Earthlings, she showed great interest in the second protagonist of <Hunter and Hero>, Sara Harundas.

“Awkward to say this with the SS-rank looming, but I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“Want to fight Sara?”

“No. She has red hair—I’m curious.”

“…”

Elliot Middlerner’s inability to resist red hair was famously known.

Soon Elliot stood to leave.

“Then I’ll go. SS-rank dungeon, System Age, Breeder—all problems, but first we handle the current S-ranks.”

The group escorted Elliot to Horizon’s rooftop. Her helicopter was already waiting.

Elliot was about to board, then paused.

“One thing I wanted to ask.”

“Finally. You kept starting and stopping—what was it?”

At Jin Seong-ha’s words, Elliot scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed.

“Is On-il back? D-NATE’s guild master On-il.”

And added unprompted,

“Not because of the red hair or anything—just that the humiliating memory of being knocked out by her is still vivid. I want payback.”

Jin Seong-ha looked at Ion. Lee Jin-ah, Ji Pyeong-seop, even Ppuru looked at Ion. (Ppuru probably just followed everyone else…)

They weren’t asking because they didn’t know if On-il was back.

They were checking with Ion whether it was okay to tell Elliot the truth.

Ion thought Why me…? and answered,

“Guild Master On-il hasn’t returned yet. Seems to be staying in the demon territory in the demon realm. We have no way to contact her either.”

“I see. Got it.”

Elliot boarded with a slightly dissatisfied look. Before parting, Lee Jin-ah shouted,

“Elliot Hunter, Age will target your life—please be careful.”

“You guys be careful. Who’s worrying about whom?”

Confident eyes and attitude.

Yet it didn’t feel arrogant—everyone knew her strength.

When the silver entity said, “Awakening research has progressed significantly. Once we find her, we’ll develop awakening ampoules…,”

everyone immediately thought of Wendy Lowell.

In the novel, Hwang Yul also discovers the awakening method, but at this point Hwang Yul was too young—so they’d target Wendy Lowell.

Wendy Lowell had been protected in a D-NATE safehouse, then moved to Horizon headquarters days ago.

The new lab was surrounded by protection and surveillance rivaling the safehouse, plus reinforced with S-rank items.

But after the silver entity’s threat, moving the lab again was safer.

D-NATE and Horizon were cooperating to find an even more secure location.

Jin Seong-ha and Ion visited before the researchers moved again.

The lab, layered with double and triple shields, was hard even for them to enter.

Wearing multiple mana-suppression bracelets, Ion asked,

“Hunter Jin Seong-ha, first time meeting Wendy Lowell?”

“I’ve only heard about her—this is the first time seeing her in person. Curious what kind of person she is.”

Jin Seong-ha sounded casual, but Ion wondered if he was secretly excited inside.

In the novel, she was the only character he had a romance line with, even if it ended tragically.

Being present for their first meeting made Ion oddly excited too.