Chapter 320: Episode 320

“The capacity for disobedience is the only way to prevent the end of human civilization.”

Erich Fromm.

Six months passed in a flash.

Oracle declared Nemesis as the final and worst calamity, and the entire world poured every ounce of its strength into preparing for it.

The largest bunker expansion project in human history was underway. Human civilization was actively migrating from the surface to the underground, fully equipped with self-generating power facilities and sprawling subterranean networks.

Once Nemesis began, almost all of humanity’s economic activities would grind to an absolute halt for its duration. Everyone had to survive solely on the food and resources stockpiled underground. Scholars had even begun describing it as humanity’s greatest hibernation.

Of course, as the Supreme Commander of the Raid Team, I also spent a ridiculously busy six months.

I installed Warp Gates all over the world and distributed potions to hunters completely free of charge. In regions with poor defensive capabilities, I provided remote-controlled golems or funded the construction of massive underground bunkers.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I dumped almost all the revenue the Magic Tower had earned thus far directly into these Nemesis preparations.

Additionally, the magi-engineering project—led by the 7th floor Administrator, Derrick Rosbash, alongside renowned scholars from around the world—was 99% complete.

Currently, they were in the mass-production phase, and the new mana diffusion network had entered its final round of inspections.

Over the past six months, I was actually surprised to find that humanity’s unity was far greater than I had expected.

Of course, there were exceptions.

U.S. President: The US Military will only protect its own territory and citizens. Hints at withdrawing from the Raid Team.

Chinese Government: Protecting our own territory is already overwhelming.

The currents of “my country first” nationalism and isolationism were still running rampant.

The United States pulled the trigger first, and China, along with several M10 countries, quickly declared a “home-defense-first” policy.

This meant they would strictly prohibit dispatching their hunters to the global Raid Team.

The World Alliance strongly condemned them, and European countries friendly to the Alliance launched massive campaigns encouraging global participation in the Raid Team.

But looking closely at the internal politics, public opinion within the participating countries wasn’t actually very good either.

-Please protect your own citizens first.

-Are you guys just the Alliance’s lapdogs?

-Tbh the US has the right idea.

-Why are we still bowing to the Alliance? Our own government doesn’t even care about us.

It was basically a mess of self-preservation.

Everyone valued their own life above all else, and no one wanted to sacrifice their personal safety for the public good.

Starting with the US, skepticism began to gain serious traction even within the dispatching nations.

The Alliance’s Secretary-General, Phil, also showed deep signs of distress.

“There is realistically no way to sanction countries that refuse to participate in the Raid Team.”

It was an incredibly frustrating situation. With Nemesis looming over our heads, we couldn’t exactly start a world war or slap them with crippling economic sanctions.

It was a matter of life and death, so we couldn’t just emotionally condemn the non-participating countries either. That’s why I gave Phil a simple directive:

“Just leave them be.”

If they were going to fight tooth and nail not to go, what else could we do?

I had multiple backup plans anyway. In the current geopolitical climate, it was better to let them do whatever they wanted rather than force the issue and throw the entire world into premature chaos.

And so, humanity’s final six-month grace period passed. Tomorrow was the date Oracle had announced for Nemesis.

On my way back to the Magic Tower in a heavily armored car after finishing some outside work, I looked down at Seoul.

Seoul, a city that should have been ablaze with neon lights even in the dead of night, was entirely submerged in thick, suffocating darkness. The streets were as dead as a ghost town, and the densely packed shops were all closed, their metal shutters pulled down tight.

Citizens had retreated into underground bunkers and shelters starting two days ago. It wasn’t a free choice; it was heavily enforced martial law.

Still, the situation was far better compared to the Cataclysm, when the entire population had blindly flocked to Seoul. Now, all underground shelters nationwide could be properly utilized, and the sheer number of bunkers had increased astronomically over the past six months.

That was how South Korea had successfully crammed its entire population underground.

Theoretically, humanity could hold out underground for ten years; realistically, it was about two years. There was enough to sustain them—not just in terms of food and medical supplies, but also plumbing, waste management, and independent power plants.

On a night when ordinary citizens were huddling safely underground, hunters like us were busier than ever. I passed through the military restricted zone and entered the Magic Tower.

“Extra Mana Stones over here!”

“Who did the maintenance on the stone golem? Step out right now!”

“Don’t block the way! Move it!”

Unlike the silent, dead exterior, the interior of the Magic Tower was complete and utter chaos.

Fully armed mages frantically ran around shouting orders, while logistics teams packed various equipment and potions into reinforced crates, or engaged in heated, screaming debates over unrolled magic circle blueprints.

So as not to disturb the staff, I quietly walked down the hallway, stepped onto the magic circle elevator, and went straight up to the 9th floor.

“Hyah! Pick one!”

“This is it!”

The atmosphere completely shifted once I stepped into my room.

Eunsol and Kim Sarang, both fully geared up in their combat armor, were sitting across from each other casually playing a card game.

“Ah, Boss! You’re late.”

“Look who’s back.”

They waved their hands and greeted me cheerfully. I let out a bitter smile at the sight of the two acting so carefree, practically leisurely, while the rest of the world panicked.

“Isn’t there a severe lack of tension in this room?”

Kim Sarang chuckled and crossed her arms.

“Aw, come on, Boss! Anyone who’s still scrambling on the final day is just underprepared. We’re fully prepared! We actually have the luxury to relax, which is exactly why we’re playing games to ease the tension. Right, Sol?”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Everyone in the Magic Tower was officially part of the ’Raid Team,’ so even if Nemesis started tonight, we wouldn’t mobilize immediately.

The initial defense of South Korea was being handled by the Hunter Association, major guilds including the TOP 10, and the corporate management companies.

Just like they said, we did have a bit of leeway.

“Fully prepared, my ass.”

Right then, the magic circle elevator behind me flashed, and Jin Bora came up. She swept her hair back, looking completely drained.

“Sol. I heard someone botched the stone golem quota?”

“Ugh! Who was it?!”

Eunsol urgently switched on her earpiece mic and started barking at someone on the logistics channel.

I walked past them toward the 9th floor’s massive transparent wall, where I had a perfect view of Seoul’s sprawling nightscape.

I looked out at the city completely submerged in darkness.

I’ve done everything I could.

I had no regrets. Now, I just had to run straight toward the ending I desired.

“Ah, Boss! The countdown is starting!”

Jin Bora ran to my side and pointed at the digital clock on the wall. At her words, Kim Sarang and Eunsol abandoned their cards and pressed themselves flat against the transparent glass, their eyes sparkling with a weird mix of adrenaline and dread.

Jin Bora checked her watch and held up her fingers.

“Here we go, five!”

Eunsol, who was still on the comms, threw her arm up in the air.

“Four!”

Then, everyone shouted together at the top of their lungs.

“Three! Two! One!”

“Welcome to the end of the world!”

“Wooohooooo!”

…They sure were having a blast.

Had their minds completely overloaded from the sheer pressure to the point of temporary insanity?

Still, I figured it was better than them sulking in a corner and crying over when they were going to die just because the world was ending.

“But nothing’s happening?”

Jin Bora murmured, blinking her eyes at the empty sky. I shrugged.

“Of course not. It’s not like the calamity is going to drop right out of the sky perfectly synced to Korean Standard Time.”

“Hey! No need to call me a dummy!”

I sat in a comfortable chair and leaned back.

“Everyone just get some good sleep while you can. It’ll probably happen the day after tomorrow…”

“Uh, what is that?”

“It’s coming down!”

I jumped out of my seat, sprinted over, and pressed my face right up against the transparent wall just like them.

Something was descending, violently piercing through the dark night sky.

A sound like a massive bomb detonating echoed from far away, shaking the very foundation of the building. Through the thick, billowing cloud of dust rising over the city, something towering came into view.

It was a massive architectural structure.

It’s begun!

I immediately expanded the range of the Deva’s Eye. The impact location was roughly around Seongbuk District. Through my enhanced vision, I could see swarms of monsters already pouring out of the structure’s base.

“…It’s huge.”

“Isn’t that even bigger than the Magic Tower?”

I raised my head and looked up at the wider sky. Countless burning streaks were drawing fiery lines across the black atmosphere.

Nemesis’s first phase, the ’Tower of Judgment,’ had officially begun.

*

According to the ancient records of the Grand Library, the ’Tower of Judgment’ was nothing more than a passing, introductory phase.

Nemesis itself hadn’t even appeared on Earth yet. According to the Grand Library’s texts, the general trend was for the true Nemesis to manifest five to six days after the Towers of Judgment commenced.

These Towers of Judgment shared many eerie similarities to the Magic Tower; they were completely indestructible objects and rigid nine-story structures. Weak monsters dwelled on the 1st floor, while the absolute strongest monsters resided on the 9th floor.

A designated boss monster existed on each floor, and only by eliminating this boss could one ascend to the next level.

Once the monster on the final 9th floor was defeated in this brutal gauntlet, the Tower of Judgment would be completely and permanently destroyed.

According to the Alliance’s real-time reports, the number of towers that had just dropped across the globe was roughly around sixty.

In South Korea, only one dropped—right in the heart of Seoul. There were a few lucky countries where no towers fell at all, while China, with its massive landmass and population, had a whopping four towers drop at once.

Association President Hong Yeon responded swiftly. She established a heavily fortified defensive perimeter around the tower that had dropped in Seoul, completely blockading the monsters pouring out of it.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

The exit point for the monsters was restricted to the first floor, and their overall levels hovered only between Ranks 1 and 4. For South Korean hunters who had survived the Red Gates, this was child’s play.

However, one crucial fact couldn’t be overlooked: the coming battle against Nemesis was going to be a brutal war of attrition.

Everyone knew that eliminating the boss monster on the ninth floor would clear a Tower of Judgment. But according to Erendel’s records, doing so wouldn’t be easy. A strike squad could breeze through the first five floors, but starting from the sixth, where Rank 6 monsters appeared, the difficulty spiked exponentially. And above all, the rewards were utterly lackluster compared to the effort required to clear it.

The best course of action was to barricade the areas around the towers and preserve our forces.

The Towers of Judgment were still dropping across the globe, and they would only continue to fall. The right move was to bide our time, conserve our strength, and go all-in with the global assault team when Nemesis finally revealed itself.

However, the news said otherwise.

United States announces assault on three towers.

U.S. Secretary of Defense: “Malicious Dungeons will be eliminated as a top priority for the safety of our citizens.”

The United States and several other nations that had declared their withdrawal from the global assault team from the very beginning were now initiating raids on their local towers. Since they had no intention of sending troops to the main vanguard, they saw no need to conserve their forces. Instead, they enacted populist policies designed to pander to their citizens.

Alliance Secretary-General Phil immediately sent an official recommendation to halt, but they remained obstinate. They simply no longer listened to the Alliance.

America’s top hunter, Hines, clears the fifth floor of the Portland Tower in just seven hours! Smoother than ever.

Assaults on Seattle and Pittsburgh towers also begin.

U.S. Secretary of Defense expresses satisfaction: “America is safer than any other country in the world.”

What the hell are these bastards plotting?

I was completely dumbfounded. Prioritizing their own citizens was one thing, but wasn’t this media circus taking it a bit too far? It made absolute fools out of the countries that had promised to dispatch troops to the assault team, despite the risk of heavy sacrifices.

News outlets worldwide were parroting the American interviews, and citizens across the globe were now clamoring for their governments to redirect forces meant for the main assault team to raid local towers instead. The world’s greatest superpower was going completely off the rails, utterly failing to consider its geopolitical responsibilities.

If this was really just a political maneuver to keep the Alliance and Europe in check after Nemesis was defeated… I could only conclude that they had completely lost their minds.

In response to blatant criticism from the international community, the U.S. Secretary of Defense states: “America will prioritize the protection of its own citizens. Once their safety is secured, we will then consider dispatching troops.”

For now, I had to consider the very real possibility that demonkins had infiltrated the highest echelons of the United States government. Domestic public opinion in South Korea was relatively quiet, mostly criticizing the selfish Americans, but there was a growing, formidable sentiment arguing that we should follow America’s lead and focus on protecting our own backyard.

I sighed deeply and glanced at Ea. “See? What did I tell you? We really should have kept Plan B, the ’Great Nuclear Missile Threat Operation,’ on the table.”

Ea shook her head. “No matter how much I think about it, that is not the right way to handle this.”

“Ugh…”

She was right. I had to hold back. This was a battle of patience.

Right now, the only thing I could do was maintain my peak condition until the decisive moment arrived. That was it.

“Tell Phil to re-emphasize to the Alliance’s member nations not to waver,” I said. “Tell them to focus on defending the perimeters around the towers. And, of course, remind them that raiding the towers is absolutely forbidden.”

“Understood,” she replied.

The final disaster had only just begun.

Just wait a little longer.

My turn would come soon enough.

*

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