Chapter 40

Ja Sujeong tapped the supplied goods laid out with the back of her hand and continued speaking.

"Anyway, since it goes from Europe to Korea and then back to Europe, it is hard to expect proper quality goods."

Canned food years past its prime, low-grade mixed meat with no market value, sprouted potatoes and the like were what ended up coming back to Europe.

"Even the relief goods?"

At my question, Ja Sujeong seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. That reaction said enough. So there was something else about the relief goods.

"Sixty percent of the relief goods transported by train are food. Of that, eighty percent is Reprocessed Organic Material Blend No. 65."

"Reprocessed organic material? What is that?"

Instead of answering directly, she rephrased.

"It is food waste that has been dried at over 390 degrees and then pulverized."

The number 65 indicated the percentage of reprocessed organic matter contained in the powder. In other words, No. 65 meant 65 percent.

Wow. I was at a loss for words.

"You dissolve it in water and boil it to eat."

Put simply, it was a sanitary slop.

"I suppose there is no helping it."

She looked quite surprised at my reaction.

"In fact, Korea has the capability to deliver much better food ingredients."

I replied coldly.

"Then who do you think those better ingredients will end up in?"

It was an absurd contradiction. If food fit for human consumption were sent as relief goods, the chances of it actually reaching the people who needed it were nearly zero.

I already knew all too well what would happen if proper meat, grain or vegetables were sent as relief. In war-torn, sickly nations, the local warlords would take it all for themselves.

"At least with this… there is a higher chance it will go to people who are truly starving."

Those with any level of comfort would not want such goods. Even their subordinates would not want them.

Therefore, relief goods of this sort would more likely be given directly to the poor, as if to show goodwill.

"But this trash is given for people to eat?"

"Try saying that in front of someone starving to death."

Hunger, especially hunger right on the verge of starvation, strips people of their humanity.

The world was truly rotten. And there were many more people who could not even get this.

"Ah, I will wash up now."

I nodded and fell into thought.

"Crazy bastards."

After sitting quietly for a while, I muttered briefly.

"Wow, I would never be able to do this without feeling guilt."

Not long after arriving in Poland, my evaluation of the group called Descendants of Dangun had plummeted into the gutter.

The way the world worked could not be helped for now.

But an organization that controlled Erosion Zones and monsters in order to keep this broken system going forever?

The Satan himself would be begging to intern for free just to learn their methods.

"Uh, could you hand me a towel?"

Hearing the voice from the bathroom, I left a towel at the door and went back to my thoughts.

"What Lee Se-eun said in the car..."

I could roughly understand now. Not knowing how things were outside, I thought the idea of the Descendants of Dangun made some sense.

Lee Se-eun said she could understand why I felt that way, because I didn’t know that this was going on.

"And that taffy she gave me was clearly a sign of displeasure."

Either way, if Lee Se-eun asked me again now, I could answer without hesitation. The so-called Descendants of Dangun was a harmful group that needed to be stopped.

And if the Korean government was connected to them as I suspected, I wouldn’t be fond of the Korean government either.

"National interest huh."

I muttered and sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window.

"Ah, forget it."

I simply did not want to watch this mess because it disgusted me. That alone was enough reason to clash with the Descendants of Dangun.

Since the first time I encountered them was in Tsushima, my decision to treat them as enemies had been delayed a bit.

"Phew."

Ja Sujeong came out after washing. I immediately stood up.

"If you want to rest, you can. I will go out for a bit."

"Got it… Wait, what?"

She looked puzzled, towel still rubbing her hair.

What was that reaction for? I left after saying my farewell and headed to the palace where Lee Se-eun was staying.

"I would like to meet Hunter Lee Se-eun."

The Mazurka soldiers guarding the palace checked my identity, contacted someone to confirm it, then spoke.

"Yes, I shall guide you there."

I was guided inside and finally was able to see Lee Se-eun.

"I am a bit busy right now, so please get to the point."

She was wearing training clothes with a hair roller in her bangs, looking over some documents.

"The Descendants of Dangun are trying to take control of Erosion Zones."

She lifted her head from the documents.

"I heard it from a member of theirs I met on Tsushima."

"Why are you only telling me this now…?"

She stopped mid-sentence and clicked her pen.

"So you have made up your mind huh."

"Yes. I do not think I can get along with them."

I loved Korea too. I was born and raised there. Everyone wants the place they grew up in to thrive.

But when that feeling is twisted like this, I could not agree with it.

"Good."

Her answer came in a tone that sounded quite satisfied.

"You were a junior I quite liked, and now you have made a similar decision."

"I’m starting to wonder what you would have done if we disagreed."

She looked regretful after hearing my words.

"There would have been some kind of conflict. I am glad that is not necessary now."

Then she handed me a cup with some kind of liquid.

"I made it for myself, but you can have it. I will make another."

I took a sip from the steaming cup and immediately felt like I wanted to scrape my tongue with a plane.

"What… is this?"

"Milk tea."

Milk tea, my ass. It was so sweet my scalp tingled. Sweeter than the same weight of sugar.

While I was reeling from the taste, she received a message and looked at me.

"Looks like Han Sang-ah is here too."

Han Sang-ah? Thinking about why she would come, I quickly realized.

She had also encountered the Descendants of Dangun’s Taekwondo-piercing on Tsushima and heard about their goals.

After seeing Warsaw’s situation, she probably came to the same conclusion I did.

"You and Hunter Han Sang-ah took on the Tsushima request together, right?"

It seemed like Lee Se-eun seemed to think the same. She allowed Han Sang-ah in, and soon we were gathered together.

"Warsaw’s situation is honestly hard to believe even after seeing it."

Han Sang-ah opened with the main point right away, and Lee Se-eun smiled faintly.

"Does Korea not know the state of other countries?"

"Of course they do, Young miss from the Geumyang Group."

At her answer, Han Sang-ah looked troubled.

"If I were not a Hunter, I would have lived my whole life not knowing."

Even if she was not in the succession race, Han Sang-ah was still part of the Geumyang Group’s owner family. If she had not chosen to be a Hunter, she probably would never have left Korea.

Then she would never have seen Warsaw or known what the world outside Korea was like.

"I cannot accept this situation."

Lee Se-eun looked at her warmly before speaking.

"Did you know Geumyang Group has a social welfare foundation?"

"You mean the Hanwoori Foundation?"

Of course Han Sang-ah knew as she was from the Geumyang Group. Lee Se-eun took something out.

"I run my own foundation too."

"Are you talking about the Neulbom Welfare Foundation?"

Great, so now the two of them were having an interesting conversation without me. I looked at Lee Se-eun.

"You didn’t know?"

Would I look like this if I had known? Han Sang-ah added.

"This trans-Siberian train is also carrying relief goods from the Neulbom Foundation."

According to Ja Sujeong, eighty percent of the food on board was Reprocessed Organic No. 65.

"The other twenty percent is from Neulbom."

Instant rations in paste or biscuit form, micronutrient powder, things like that. Not reprocessed food waste.

"I lived off it for a month once. No problem at all, though I will admit it is not tasty."

"And the chance the warlords would touch it…"

She snorted.

"This is why people need to be famous. Neulbom is mine. If some petty European warlord stole it, that would mean they want to fight me."

That would not be bravery, it would be stupidity. At least I now knew she ran her foundation with her own money.

"But why bring up the Hanwoori Foundation from the Geumyang Group?"

She looked at Han Sang-ah.

"Hunter Han Sang-ah, you could probably become its CEO with a bit of effort."

"Yes. The example is sitting right in front of me after all."

A welfare foundation was unrelated to the succession fight. And with Lee Se-eun’s precedent, Geumyang Group could grant her that easily.

"In truth, Hanwoori’s purpose is not entirely pure."

"I know."

Lee Se-eun crossed her arms and made a proposal.

"When the owner changes, the people working there are bound to change too."

She was clearly thinking Han Sang-ah could take over Hanwoori and then work with Neulbom. I sighed softly as I watched the two talk.

"What about you, are you interested?"

She aimed the question at me, and I shook my head.

"I have no interest in that sort of thing."

Both of them stared at me after hearing my answer.

"Good deeds are fine. Doing that while still working as a Hunter is impressive."

But it was not enough. It was only keeping people barely alive.

"I will focus on handling Erosion Zones."

Giving food to the hungry and medical support to the sick was good, but…

"If a patient is dying of cancer, you have to destroy the cancer."

Keeping them alive in the meantime was important, but without removing the cancer, none of it mattered in the long run.

At the root of all this was the Erosion Zones.

"Hunters are steadily removing them."

"First-class."

I replied firmly.

"We need Hunters who relentlessly go after first-class zones. Hunters with both the will and the skill to take them on."

Second, third or unclassified zones had no shortage of challengers. Most competent Hunters could clear them.

But first-class? That was another matter. I took a piece of paper out and started to write something.

1. Greenhouse (USA)

2. Gonsalok (China)

3. Club Shaddai (Israel)

4. Al Ramadi (Saudi Arabia)

5. Ristorante (Italy)

6. Winter Closet (Canada)

7. Polvora (Argentina)

8. Cassan Factory (Australia)

The eight worst Erosion Zones in existence. The Great Eight.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.