Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 259 : Connections and the Past (3)

Connections and the Past (3)

Time remaining until the Dark Star arrives in Korea: 3 days.

As it was predicted that the Dark Star would pass over Korea according to the expected trajectory, lively discussions regarding the matter were held in various online newspapers and communities.

【They say the Dark Star will pass over Seoul. If I go to Seoul that day, can I see it?】

【I don't think you'll see it, since it's moving at such high altitude.】

【It's so high, and it doesn't emit light—so at night, won't it be invisible?】

The estimated time of the Dark Star's arrival was 8 p.m.

Since it was the middle of winter in Korea, it would be quite dark then.

【So, in the end, what is that Dark Star?】

【I dunno?】

【Isn't it something like a spaceship the demons use?】

【Theory: demons are aliens.】

Since it came soaring up from the demonic zone, most speculated it must belong to the demons.

And in fact, that was true.

However, there weren't people who felt particularly threatened by it.

After all, neither the major broadcasters nor the government had made any special announcement.

"Manager Park Jung-woo, what do you think?"

Gong Do-yung, the association president, spoke in an anxious tone.

"There's nothing we can do but wait. We can't attack the Dark Star before it even arrives in Korea."

"Destruction—is that impossible?"

"We can't, not really. If we did, the surface of the earth would be utterly scorched by an immense wave of magic power."

"That's..."

Actually, "scorched" wasn't quite right.

The better expression would be 'crushed by magic power and demonic energy'.

The Earth's environment would temporarily be thrust into a state even more oversaturated with magic power than the demon realm, and in that state, even demons themselves would find it difficult to survive.

So, it goes without saying that ordinary people wouldn't survive.

"Is it true that everyone except for the awakeners would die?"

Cutting into the conversation between Gong Do-yung and myself was Nam Ho-seung, vice-guildmaster of Mirae Guild.

Currently present here weren't just myself and the association president Gong Do-yung, but representatives of Korea's leading guilds and management organizations.

"It's the truth. And if we did destroy it, even the awakened would struggle to survive in the environment left behind. Naturally, that would only be temporary, though."

"So, destroying it is not an option."

Nam Ho-seung murmured as if groaning, and the expressions of other management representatives looked grim as well.

Since the situation was so serious, the heads of Korea's major organizations had all gathered here.

'Of course, it's not just Korea.'

Just yesterday, we'd connected with hunter associations in various countries to share the current situation and make preparations for the coming battle. Surely, when the Dark Star arrived, the battlefield wouldn't be limited to Korea alone.

"Alcatraz is empty, isn't it?"

Jo Chang-woo, the President of Upstream, cautiously spoke up.

Originally, he was serving as a director, but he had managed the chaotic situation at Upstream and had newly been inaugurated as President.

Through that process, Upstream had taken a step back from the "Big 3" management agencies, but it still remained one of Korea's leading major managements.

"If Alcatraz is empty, it's best to assume its former occupants have been scattered to various countries. Of course, it's the demons who orchestrated that. Otherwise... it could be Jin Su-hyuk."

"Should we be amazed that there's someone that influential in Korea, or... what."

It was inevitable for them to feel confused, given that Jin Su-hyuk was the person most deeply involved with the demons.

Sure, he was the owner of one of Korea's largest management agencies, but he hadn't been considered a giant who could throw the whole world into chaos.

"What about the government?"

"Most of the government currently sides with Grand Nova."

In reality, it seemed various pressures were being applied.

But since the Association President, who represented all awakeners, was in a position that not even the National Assembly or President could easily touch, he was somehow holding on.

"Since Manager Park Jung-woo gave the warning, we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"As I've said, becoming awakened in that way is suicide that only shaves years off your life. And only a tiny handful of people can reach true awakening."

When I said so firmly, Do-yung let out a deep sigh.

"It's useless to talk to me about this. Anyway, the government can't tell which is true or false, your words or Jin Su-hyuk's. They're just weighing their options between the two of you."

"... Hmm."

It seemed the government's position was that there was a chance I might be lying, too.

No matter how many times I'd proven myself as a returnee and made major contributions, Jin Su-hyuk wasn't any different.

At least, on the surface, that was the case.

Nam Ho-seung, who'd been listening quietly, frowned deeply.

The present situation clearly didn't sit well with him.

"There really is nothing we can do, is there."

In fact, the United States had already tried sending in several fighter jets to destroy the Dark Star.

The plan was to separate the lower part containing the nuke, and destroy the upper part.

But they weren't even allowed to get close in the first place.

The massive magic power field surrounding the Dark Star prevented not only jets but any human from approaching.

"So, in essence, the end is right before our eyes."

"If we can't strike first, then there's bound to be casualties."

"And the organizations not present here today, we can count as being on the demons' side?"

"Yes, most likely. We can assume they've gone with Jin Su-hyuk."

Though the management heads shared such thoughts, most of them wore grim expressions.

"Still, shouldn't we announce the situation to the public first? At least get them to evacuate..."

A man cautiously raised his hand and voiced his thought, and President Jo Chang-woo, who had been pondering something, answered him.

"There are only three days left. Where can we evacuate them to?"

"Well, that's..."

"Even if we had a week, or a year, there would be nowhere to go."

As Jo Chang-woo said, demonic transformation wasn't about terraforming part of the planet.

It covers the entire Earth.

Unless you leave the planet itself, there's nowhere to hide.

"So, we'll issue something like a disaster alert, and have people wait in shelters. We'll have to frame it as a large-scale gate event, dungeon, or rift like before."

I planned to have the coming disaster communicated to the public through the news, but presented in another way.

Until this fight was over, civilians needed to wait somewhere as safe as possible.

"But if it comes to a fight, how does it end? You said the thing can't be destroyed anyway?"

Everyone's eyes focused on me at the words of another man.

"That's true. If there's no real way to resolve this, resisting would be pointless."

Nam Ho-seung seemed to agree, urging me for an answer with his tone.

It wasn't a demand, but rather the expectation that I must have some plan.

"The demons' real objective is to deliver the Dark Star to Jin Su-hyuk."

Then, once Jin Su-hyuk arrived at the heart, he would activate it, unleashing the heart's power.

With the power of the heart, he intended to 'erode' this entire world with the principles of the demonic zone.

"So, our task is clear: we have to stop him before he gets there."

Obviously, he wouldn't be alone.

Countless awakened and demons allied with Jin Su-hyuk would help him.

"I'll take responsibility for Jin Su-hyuk. And the heart—Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim will handle it."

"... Hunter Shin Ah-yeon?"

"Yes."

"Does Hunter Shin Ah-yeon have a way to destroy the heart?"

At Nam Ho-seung's question, I shook my head.

As I had said before, the heart could not be carelessly destroyed.

"Not destruction, but utilization—I plan to use it."

"Utilize...? Can't that be done ahead of time?"

"No. Right 'now', it's not possible."

After saying so, I explained in detail how the plan would proceed from here.

Upon hearing it, most people had similar expressions.

"... You can't be serious, right?"

"No, I'm serious. It's something we absolutely must do."

Everything up till now had been preparation for this very situation.

***

"Didn't you say you already completed the new Conceptualization Technique?"

Yeon-ji spoke curtly to Ah-yeon.

Since it had been used once in Gangnam, and once in the demonic zone, she thought it must already be complete.

But Ah-yeon only shook her head.

"I can use it, but it's still lacking."

"Hmmm."

Though Ah-yeon's words were strangely vague, Yeon-ji could guess what she meant.

Ah-yeon could certainly use the Conceptualization Technique, but its strength and efficiency didn't yet reach what she hoped for.

"How are your memories?"

"I still only have what I found in the Grand Canyon."

Would things change if she could recover more of Estella's memories?

Magic had reached its limits.

What was needed now was a better understanding of the 'Origin'.

"... Come to think of it, when you use that authority thing, your appearance seems different than before."

"Different how?"

"It's still you, but you don't feel like yourself."

When Ji Yeon-hwa went berserk on Super Hunter K, Ah-yeon had certainly granted the Origin.

At the time, the way Ah-yeon appeared was completely different from her usual self.

"And you said your memory cut out, right?"

"I did."

"And that happened once again on Jeju Island."

"That's true."

But after that, there hadn't really been such an experience.

Certainly, there were times when she felt her consciousness fading, but never again had she experienced something like a third party taking over her body.

"Is that like a remnant of Estella?"

"I—I don't know."

Maybe it was just a phenomenon caused because Ah-yeon was unfamiliar with the authority of the Origin.

But it was certain that, at some point, that tendency had completely disappeared.

'Probably after the Jeju Island incident.'

Since then, such incidents had almost never occurred.

'At Gwehyeoldo, it did feel similar.'

But there she only "saw" memories, not manifested anything.

Ah, apart from deploying a shield to protect her body?

But that had been magic, not using the 'Origin'.

"Come to think of it, I started seeing memories after Jeju."

"And the remnants of Estella disappeared somewhere."

"That's right."

It definitely seemed that way.

The frequency of seeing memories increased, but Estella's consciousness no longer rose to the surface as often as before.

She thought it was just herself merging with the remnants of Estella, but maybe it was a bit different.

"Thanks to that, I can actualize authority as magic now, but it's still not enough."

If only she could glimpse more memories.

With such an opportunity, things could be different.

'She actually gets nervous sometimes, huh.'

Yeon-ji crossed her arms as she looked at Ah-yeon.

It had always been her own burden to worry and agonize.

Yet, these recent days, Ah-yeon had shown an uncharacteristically fragile side.

She had even called Yeon-ji directly, seeking advice about how she had become one with Yuria.

No doubt, like herself who had become one with Yuria, Ah-yeon too wanted to make Estella's power completely her own.

'... I don't like this.'

She was an annoyingly cunning girl, but Yeon-ji didn't want to see her looking weak.

Ah-yeon's memories of Estella were full of holes, and their resurfacing or what she saw was completely unpredictable.

So, banging her head in agony here wasn't going to produce a solution.

"In these cases, it's usually best to interact frequently with what's most closely related."

"What's most closely related?"

"You, and the thing linked to Estella most strongly."

In other words, the most powerful bond tied to her.

It was unpleasant, but Yeon-ji knew exactly what that was.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Yeon-ji being supportive.

23 chapters left.

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