'Rumble!'

The uplifted ground erupted. From its peak, chunks of crimson lava shot out like cannonballs in a massive explosion. The lava chunks, scattered into the sky, rained down on the monsters. The monsters near the volcano were swept away by a terrifying tsunami of magma, vanishing without a trace.

'Kreee!'

It was like a scene from the end of the world. Those hideous beasts were being erased from existence by the hundreds, by the thousands.

Haha, hahaha.

I watched the scene from the air, completely mesmerized. Still, being magic, there were no secondary disasters like the sky being covered in volcanic ash. It simply and fairly swallowed everything within the magic circle's radius with magma.

Yeah, this is what it means to be a mage. Isn't the symbol of a mage mass-destruction magic, after all? Volcano Ground, which conjures an artificial volcano in the middle of an enemy camp, was in a way the most faithful to that concept.

It was so satisfying.

Below, people had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the volcano with dazed expressions.

"...What am I seeing right now?"

"Is this that hunter's ability too?"

"This is beyond human."

Just then, with a boom, Hong Yeon's massive sword strike could be seen extending into the sky.

"This is Hong Yeon, rank 3. I have successfully eliminated the centurion commander."

Her panting voice echoed in my ear.

'Nice.'

Hong Yeon had done it. Having lost their leader and now facing a volcano, the monsters began to flee in unison. Seeing this, the people finally felt a sense of relief, cheering, hugging each other, and proclaiming victory. The news must have reached the civilians in the buildings, as they were jumping up and down and running outside.

As the tension drained away, my body slowly began to sink toward the ground.

"Hey, that person is falling!"

"Catch him!"

Along with the voices of the people, I lost consciousness.

* * *

I'm so sick of shaking—

As I thought that, I came to my senses.

'To wake up in another shaking place.'

I looked around. I was in a vehicle. I was lying on a seat with my legs comfortably stretched out.

"Are you awake?"

A lock of hair fell forward as a beautiful girl looked down at me. I was a little surprised. Even this unflattering angle couldn't diminish her beauty.

'But why this angle?'

"Yusin?"

Her gentle voice woke me up completely. Right, I got it now. I was using Hong Yeon's lap as a pillow.

I didn't do something amateurish like jumping up in surprise. Wanting to enjoy this blessing from various angles, I naturally shifted to lie on my side. She was wearing comfortable shorts instead of her armored suit, and I was resting my head on her bare legs. I smelled the fragrance of soap mixed with the scent of her.

"If you're awake, please sit up."

...Tsk, so stingy. I had no choice but to sit up. I was in the t-shirt and shorts I had packed for sleeping. There were allied soldiers sitting across from us, and a few of them were casting strange glances our way.

"How long was I out?"

"About twelve hours."

"What was the outcome of the battle?"

Hong Yeon closed her eyes calmly and replied, "We won. Kisowa has been liberated, and the Alliance's ships have arrived safely with supplies. The taves lost a centurion commander, five plants, and tens of thousands of monsters."

Wow. A great victory, no doubt about it.

"This battle is being called the 'Volcano Battle' by the people of Tanzania. You're being praised as the hero of the volcano and the one with the greatest contribution. Some people are even calling you the reincarnation of an African native god."

"But why am I the one with the greatest contribution?"

She looked at me, confused.

I shrugged and looked at her. "The volcano's impact was undeniable, but I think your contribution—jumping alone into tens of thousands of monsters to take down the centurion commander—was greater."

"Hmph. If you think so." She didn't hide her pleased expression. Anyway, this girl has a subtle competitive streak when it comes to me. And I enjoy being able to cleverly exploit that.

Taking advantage of her good mood, I naturally laid my head on her lap again. A few of the allied soldiers whistled or stared at us with envious eyes.

Haaa. Smells nice...

"If you don't want to meet my lawyer in court, please sit up."

I quietly sat up straight.

"That's harsh. Isn't there some kind of reward for your hardworking senior?"

"Why are you looking for that from me? When you go back, you'll be showered with reward money from the Association and the Alliance."

She was an impenetrable fortress. When I turned my head, she was looking away from me. Seeing her cheeks flushed red, I chuckled.

She whipped her head back around. "What are you laughing at?!"

"Just because. So, where are we headed?"

"Just as Colonel Frederick said, now that Kisowa is liberated, we're heading to Mutwara, where the Tanzanian army headquarters is located."

"Ah, I see."

"When we get there, we should be able to meet the other certified hunters who were dispatched before us."

As I was taking a break and chatting with Hong Yeon, I noticed a soldier who had been staring at me with an intense gaze for a while now. He muttered something to his colleague, then activated the core translator in his ear.

"Sir! First Class Private Hereld Rosel of the Alliance forces! I was incredibly impressed by your performance in the last battle!"

"Huh? Ahaha. It was nothing, really."

"I'm a non-combat player, too. If I learn magic, do you think I could become like you, Hunter Kim?"

I gave a shrug. "Of course. You'll surpass someone like me in no time, Private Rosel."

Even if it was just lip service, the young soldier's lips curled into a wide grin. He took off his translator and laughed as he spoke with his fellow soldiers. Hong Yeon, who had been watching with a strangely proud expression, murmured, "The positive influence of magic is incredible."

"You know it."

She turned to me and smiled brightly. "Revealing your abilities to the whole world… Yes. That's admirable. I'll give you that."

"Strictly speaking, this isn't my ability."

"Still, you could have monopolized magic if you'd wanted to. No one else knew about the system of circles and magical formulas."

"Actually, it just went from a monopoly to an oligopoly."

"What?" Hong Yeon asked, tilting her head.

I didn't answer, simply pulling out my smartphone. A short while later, our transport vehicle rolled to a stop. We had arrived at our destination: the port city of Mtwara. This was the current heart of Tanzania, where the government, army headquarters, and the Hunter Association had all converged.

The air was a mix of sea salt and sand. I gazed out the window at the mud-brick buildings stained a sickly yellow and the sprawling shantytown beside them. Beyond a group of barefoot children kicking a soccer ball, soldiers with fatigue etched into their faces moved with purpose, rifles in hand. Tanks and military barracks dotted the cityscape. When the engine died, we disembarked with the Alliance soldiers. They were apparently on another mission and gave us a quick nod before boarding a different vehicle and driving off. We were left standing there, luggage in hand, feeling utterly stranded.

"What do we do now?" Hong Yeon asked, her voice laced with anxiety.

It wasn't like I had a brilliant plan, either. 'Were they really just going to dump us here?'

"Hujambo!"

Just then, a woman in a military uniform approached us with a warm greeting. "You must be Kim Yusin and Hong Yeon from Korea," she said.

A wave of relief washed over both of us. So we weren't just being abandoned here.

"Yes, that's us," I confirmed.

"Please call me Karim. I'm a certified rank-5 hunter from Tanzania."

We exchanged brief greetings and followed her.

"First, I'll show you to your accommodations," Karim explained. "After you drop off your luggage and rest for a bit, please attend the Tanzania command meeting in three hours. The other dispatched hunters are waiting for you."

She led us to a shabby, old building that had been converted into military lodging. It had no elevator, and the stairwell was crowded with soldiers hurrying up and down.

'This kind of gritty atmosphere isn't so bad sometimes.' I was the type to enjoy a new situation, but the usually composed woman beside me already looked terrified. I still couldn't guess the source of her fear. We climbed to the fourth floor.

"This way to your room," Karim said.

I was stunned when I saw it. I had assumed that even out here, accommodations would be reasonably Westernized. But the wallpaper was peeling and yellowed, the window rattled in its frame, and the ceiling was patched with tape where water had leaked. There was no bed—only a military-issue mattress and a simple folding chair.

Karim, standing awkwardly behind me, bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry. This is the best room in the building…"

'This is the best room they have?' The reality of being in a war zone hit me with full force. I set my suitcase in a corner and collapsed onto the mattress. It smelled a little musty, but it was soft enough.

"It'll do," I said.

"…Ah. That's a relief."

Just then, a piercing scream erupted from the next room. "Kyaaaaaaah!"

It was Hong Yeon.

"I'll go check," I said, already moving.

I burst into her room to find her pressed flat against the wall, trembling, as two cockroaches scurried across the floor.

Tsk.

Fair enough. For some, a cockroach was a catastrophe. Using Deva's Eye, I calculated their escape route and flicked my finger. With Accelerated Casting and precise control, I manifested a micro-magic circle—a first-order Ignition Rune—directly beneath them.

'Fwoosh!'

The insects were instantly incinerated, reduced to ash. Hong Yeon, her expression frozen in horror, sank to the floor.

I grabbed a few tissues to clean up the remains. "You okay?"

She just nodded, looking completely dazed. Karim rushed in a moment later.

"Wh-what happened?"

"Ah, just a couple of cockroaches."

"Ah…" Karim managed a bitter smile. "I'll go to the front desk and request some bug spray. But the building is old, so… a few more might show up."

At this, Hong Yeon stared blankly at the ceiling, her expression like that of someone who had just lost their homeland.

"You can handle all sorts of disgusting monsters just fine," I pointed out. "Why are you so freaked out by cockroaches?"

"…Cockroaches are just… wrong," she said, shaking her head frantically. "I hate them so much. They give me the creeps. Even their 'name' is disgusting. Cockroach. I really, truly hate them. More than anything in the world…"

The thought popped into my head to tell her that a single female cockroach can produce up to eight egg cases in her lifetime, each containing forty eggs, and that she could do the math on how many were likely in this room. But seeing the genuine terror on her face, I decided to keep that fact to myself. If her fragile psyche shattered now, it would make things difficult for me, too.

I turned back to Karim. "The bug spray. Please have them spray this entire floor."

"Ah, yes. But to do that…"

"I'm asking for a favor. It wouldn't do for one of Tanzania's newest assets to have a breakdown over a cockroach, now would it?" I said, my tone dead serious.

She nodded, her expression firming with resolve. "I'll find it, even if I have to search all of Mtwara!"

I nodded and looked back at Hong Yeon. "Hey, get up."

She remained silent.

"We have to get ready for the meeting."

She kept her head down, refusing to answer. She was surprisingly high-maintenance. I put my hands on my hips. "After the meeting, I'll set up a flawless protective barrier in your room. Deal?"

At those words, she shot up with the speed of light.

* * *

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