Time flew by, and the day of the dispatch finally arrived. Jeong Seojin drove me to Incheon Airport.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay? You have a meeting this morning, you didn't have to…"

Seojin, at the wheel, smiled quietly. "It's your first overseas dispatch in your hunter career. Of course, I should be the one to see you off."

"We'll probably see each other tomorrow evening anyway."

"Haha, that is true."

Thanks to opening the fifth floor, I could travel to and from Korea whenever I wanted, which put my mind at ease. It felt less like a dispatch and more like a vacation.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Have a safe trip."

"Don't get out. Just go as soon as the light changes. You have to get to that meeting, right?"

"Understood."

It was at that moment.

"Masteeeeer!"

"Mr. Kim! Over here!"

I turned to see a group of people waving from behind a black van. It was the Fourth Floor Team.

"Have a safe trip!"

I was surprised. Why were they here? I thought they had a dungeon scheduled for today.

"It seems they stopped by briefly to say goodbye," Seojin said.

I smiled and waved back. I could hear the Garam managers nagging, "Alright, alright, that's enough! We're late, let's get going!"

'I can't believe them.'

After parting with Seojin, I pulled my suitcase and entered Incheon Airport. It had been a while. The terminal was bustling with countless travelers, and the unique, energetic atmosphere made me feel excited for no reason.

'I wonder where Yeon is.'

I took out my smartphone and typed a message to her.

—Yusin: where r u?

"Over here."

Startled by the voice, I turned to see Hong Yeon approaching from behind. She wore form-fitting black skinny jeans, a slim white shirt, and a single-button black jacket. She also had on fashion glasses, perhaps to avoid attention, and beneath a stylish fedora, her red hair flowed out like waves. The black outfit made her hair stand out even more today.

"Those people from before, they're the non-combat mage team you're raising, right?"

"Yeah. That's them."

She gazed through the glass window as the Fourth Floor Team's van drove away.

"…That's impressive."

"What is?"

"I wonder what it feels like," she mused, "to reach your goal after striving with all your heart and soul, to the point of breaking."

There was a reason she was looking at them with such a peculiar gaze. She could never know that kind of achievement. To put it bluntly, she was a genius whose talent defied all limits.

"It feels freaking amazing, of course," I replied with a grin. "Let's go."

"Okay."

"Oh, is that coffee for me?"

"It's mine!"

We didn't have much time, so we headed straight for the departure procedures.

"Why do you have so much luggage?" I asked as we walked. She was striding confidently with a 28-inch suitcase in each hand.

"I don't know when I'll be back, so this much is necessary. In fact, isn't your luggage a bit too small?"

I was pulling just one small, lightweight suitcase.

"Heh, it may not look like it, but I've got everything I need in here. Don't come asking me for gochujang or ramen later."

"It looks like it would be full with just a few changes of clothes. You have things like that in there, too?"

"Of course."

After finishing the procedures, we boarded the plane without delay. Plane tickets were incredibly expensive these days. Before the Overlay, the average person traveled abroad two or three times a year, but that was a distant memory. We lived in an age where crashes were not uncommon due to flying monsters. Light aircraft were practically extinct, and even large planes were mostly limited to domestic flights. To carry passengers across an ocean, a plane needed a mana engine, armor strong enough to withstand attacks, and, by international law, at least two hunters with interception capabilities on board. On top of that, there was hazard pay for the pilots and crew. It was only natural for ticket prices to skyrocket.

'Free plane rides are the best.'

But I felt great. The Association had booked us not just business class, but first class. This was the life of a certified hunter.

'…Replacing airplanes with Warp Gates would definitely be profitable.'

My business planning was brief; I fell asleep as soon as I lay down. The direct flight took about six hours. I woke up well-rested to find we had arrived at Jakarta Airport in Indonesia.

"Sir!"

As soon as we deplaned, an officer in an Alliance uniform approached with a salute. "Hunter Kim Yusin, Hunter Hong Yeon. Is that correct?"

"Yep."

We presented our certifications, and he nodded with a bright smile. "It is an honor to escort you. Please come this way."

We followed the officer to a helipad near the airport and boarded a mana-powered helicopter. Our destination was a naval base built on a converted island in the Indian Ocean. The journey took quite some time. As I stared out at the endless expanse of the ocean, Hong Yeon tugged on my sleeve.

"Yusin! Look over there!"

"Whoa."

The naval base was visible out the window. As a key installation covering the entire Indian Ocean, its scale was immense; the entire island was a military zone. We would rest here before heading to our final destination, Tanzania.

"Welcome to the Indian Ocean Naval Base!"

The moment we stepped off the helicopter, tall Western soldiers enthusiastically saluted us. Certified hunters from Korea were also members of the Global Hunter Alliance, and being a rank 3 was considered quite high.

'This is a little overwhelming.'

From the helipad all the way to our destination building, Alliance soldiers were lined up, saluting. I wondered if this was what it was like when a division commander visited a base. It was my first time receiving such a grand welcome, and I felt a little embarrassed. Hong Yeon, on the other hand, was surprisingly cheerful, smiling and returning each salute. She seemed quite used to it.

We received a fervent welcome as we entered the Alliance operations room.

"We've been waiting for you! Hunter Kim Yusin! Hunter Hong Yeon!" A man who introduced himself as Colonel Frederick extended his hand. He was the one in charge of this operation. "I was astonished to hear that certified rank-3 hunters were coming! And such young and outstanding prospects at that! On behalf of the Alliance, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Korea!"

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Colonel Frederick."

"With your strength, the complete liberation of Africa won't be far off! You will be a tremendous help to the Tanzanian front!"

Colonel Frederick was a man of great enthusiasm. His handshake was firm enough to make my arm tremble.

"Great Mage Kim Yusin! I pay my respects to the greatest young hunter leading the new generation! Your magic is a treasure and a miracle for humanity!"

"Th-Thank you." It seemed he knew about me.

Next, Colonel Frederick shook hands with Yeon. "Hunter Hong Yeon! It is an honor to conduct this operation with you! I heard you are the sister of the great hero, Hunter Hong Yul. Everyone living in this era owes her a debt!"

Frederick clenched his fist. "What borders can there be in the war between humanity and monsters! When I see fine young people like you two, my heart burns with passion! All of humanity must unite to face this Disaster! For a world where our descendants can play without worry!"

"Of course. We will do our best to help."

We finished our greetings and sat down. The other officers, who had been standing, also took their seats, and Colonel Frederick began his briefing.

"Now that our two hunters are here, I will first explain the monsters you will be fighting."

Frederick brought up a presentation screen. The monsters we had to face were a species called 'taves,' a type of corrupted disease monster. They were cousins to ratmens, but their skin was not visible, as it was covered in what looked like a constant ooze of rotten sewage. Because of them, Africa was on the verge of destruction. According to Frederick, they weren't from rifts or dungeons, but were monsters from restricted areas that had evolved to adapt to Earth's environment. As such, they couldn't leave their territory.

Listening to the explanation, Hong Yeon asked, "Are monsters that can't leave their territory that dangerous?"

Her question was valid. Restricted areas were left alone in major cities around the world, and they rarely caused problems.

"The most threatening characteristic of the taves is that they can expand their territory at will."

They supposedly devoured anything with flesh, like humans or animals, and then vomited it onto the ground. The substance made from this vomit made up what was called a 'living field,' and the picture Frederick showed us was horrifying. Something that writhed as if alive covered the ground in a grotesque, pulsating carpet.

"You will see a lot of it out there, but I recommend not looking too closely."

"Why is that?"

"As I said, living fields are made of vomit. Sometimes, things aren't properly digested, and traces of humans are left gruesomely visible."

"…I see."

Just thinking about it was horrifying. The thought that seeing a person's torso, limbs, or even face writhing in that muck could give you nightmares for life crossed my mind.

In any case, this living field was the 'territory' where the creatures could move. It looked like mud, but it was actually a type of living monster itself. Setting it on fire or spraying it with chemical agents like defoliants would cause it to slowly shrink and disappear. By eliminating this territory, we could reduce the taves' range of action.

"Currently, most of Tanzania is covered by living fields. We must eliminate the disgusting territory they have occupied and reclaim our land!"

Next, we moved on to the high-ranking monsters. The taves came in many varieties, but there were only three types of named monsters, as designated by humans: legion commanders, centurion commanders, and company captains. They were the top-priority targets. The 'Legion Commander, Selegma' we had to face was currently dominating Tanzania.

The explanation continued. The creatures built horrifying biological facilities called 'plants' on living fields, where monsters were continuously spawned. They were the number one target for elimination.

"Now, I will explain the operation!" Frederick spread out a map. "Our mission is to attack! The objective is to open the port of 'Kisowa' to secure a stable entry point for our navy and supplies."

Yeon and I nodded in unison.

"Currently, seventy percent of Kisowa is submerged in a living field, and monsters are charging into the city center. We have identified plants at the four points marked on this map."

Frederick placed markers A, B, C, and D on the map.

"Once the air force secures air superiority, we will immediately deploy bombers to reduce the number of monsters rushing the city!" Frederick was unstoppable, explaining with thrilling energy as he knocked over the game pieces on the map. "After the bombing, two transport planes will reinforce the defenses in the city center and at key defensive points. Then, our commando team will attack Plant C and D! The monsters will then move to protect the plants, like so!"

He moved the pieces representing the monsters forward.

"But this is all a feint! After drawing their attention with bombings and troop movements, our transport team will drop the most lethal bomb on point A!"

"What is that?"

"Why, of course!" Frederick's eyes widened as he pointed at us. "It is you! The saviors of humanity! Two certified rank-3 hunters!"

"…Haha."

"Ah! Even Legion Commander Selegma will tremble at the news that new rank-3 hunters have descended upon the Tanzanian battlefield! I request that you two destroy Plant A and advance to destroy the nearby Plant B as well!"

It wasn't an unreasonable strategy. Instead of throwing us into a deadly situation, they were shouldering the risk themselves to buy us time.

"We have intelligence that Plant B is being directly guarded by a centurion commander! If so, after destroying Plant A, please observe the situation. Once our commandos join you, you can advance together!"

"What rank is the monster?"

"It varies, but we estimated it to be around rank-6."

That should be manageable. Either of us could take one down without much trouble.

"If all the Plants are destroyed as planned and the legion commander is killed, the monsters will have no choice but to retreat! After securing Kisowa, we will escort you to the Tanzania headquarters! From there, you will operate under their command. There are other dispatched hunters stationed there, so you should be able to stay comfortably."

We nodded.

"Doesn't sound too difficult."

"We'll do it."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Colonel Frederick grabbed our hands again, his grip filled with sincere gratitude. "I know that hunters on overseas dispatch are not always thrilled to be here! You came because your country and your company ordered you to. Facing rift monsters in a city is a world apart from facing a monster legion on the front lines! It will surely be difficult. It will be painful! But!" His eyes widened. "Even if hunters don't come, the Alliance and citizen soldiers fight for their lives every single day! They endure day by day, desperately hoping that hunters will come!"

He continued, "You two are certified rank-3 hunters. I heard that an overseas dispatch is a prerequisite to becoming rank-2. But I think a little differently." He shot up from his seat and spread his arms wide over the map of Tanzania. "On a battlefield like this!" He pointed to the screen showing a living field. "It is because of experiences like this that one can become a superhuman being worthy of being certified rank-2!"

Colonel Frederick, his face red with excitement, met our gaze with an utterly serious expression. "I sincerely hope that our forces in Tanzania can leave a mark on the great careers of you two hunters!"

Wow… What an amazing person. I didn't know soldiers so filled with a sense of duty and mission still existed.

"Leave it to us!" As if inspired by his resolve, Hong Yeon's eyes sparkled. "We will liberate Africa."

The officers who had been sitting couldn't hold back and erupted in fervent cheers and applause. Frederick did the same.

'The intensity in this place is insane.'

* * *

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