Chapter 235: Prelude to Catastrophe

Chapter 235 - Prelude to Catastrophe

The power structure of South Korea is divided into two main pillars: the strong central government that unites the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and the Association, which essentially functions as an extralegal entity overseeing the nation's defense through heroes.

And at the helm of this Association, the leader with the longest tenure in South Korea's history, the Association President, Park Junho.

The president's office is on the top floor of the Association headquarters.

"..."

The president scratched his empty head, gazing beneath his desk with a grave expression.

"Hmm..."

He made up his mind after a long contemplation

The president called his secretary into his office with a stern expression.

"Secretary."

"Yes, president."

With the secretary now inside, he spoke with a serious tone.

"Let's go with black bean noodles for lunch today..."

Although the choice between jjamppong and jjajangmyeon presented a dilemma, he settled on black bean noodles today.

The president relished the delivery of his jjajangmyeon.

He patted his full belly and yawned.

"Mmm...peaceful."

Honestly, South Korea wasn't particularly peaceful, but for the most part, there were no significant problems for him. When reports of Stardus tearing through the place started pouring in, it wasn't a massive issue since most of the witnesses vanished. Moreover, Egostic, the villain, occasionally helped capture other villains, so things were relatively stable.

Of course, the mere presence of villains could stir up the media, but these days, the media has toned down the excitement. Plus, with the former president, who used to bother him a lot, having retired after he launched a missile attack on Stardus, things were very tranquil.

Afterward, the government managed its affairs quite well, and heroes went about their hero business, capturing villains autonomously. The president only needed to do his own job, and so he was content. When noises from a television on the side reached his ears, he thought of them like white noise and began to doze off in his chair.

And it was during this moment when he was on the verge of falling asleep.

"President, something significant has happened!"

"Hmm? Oh, well, I see. What is it?"

The president responded groggily.

"The sky in the eastern part of Seoul is now home to a massive something!"

...That was until the secretary rushed in with an urgent look on his face.

And then, conveniently timed, a live scene video appeared on the TV, displaying "Breaking News."

[Breaking news! A massive disc-shaped entity has appeared on one side of downtown Seoul! Resembling a portal as seen in video games, this entity currently hovers motionless... Oh no! The moment we mention it, something popped out!]

As such, a bizarre, dark, and purple entity against the blue sky erupted in front of the camera, with grotesque monsters dropping out.

The president instinctively smacked his broad head.

"...Get Stardus here, immediately."

...It seems like taking the day off today isn't happening.

***

A peaceful lunchtime.

I sat in the living room, focused on the TV.

"...."

[Yes! For now, this entity appears to match what was discovered in France, known as the 'Portal'. Currently, the monsters emerging from here are engaging in fierce battles with local B-class heroes...]

Behind the anchor explaining diligently, a circular dimensional rift with blue and purple smoke-like appearance is visible. This is known as a gate.

That has to be a test run of the Wolgwanggyo.

"...It's a bit earlier than expected."

I couldn't help but mutter as I watched. The pace at which they're preparing is faster than the original story. In my memory, the first gate in South Korea was opened a few months later than this. Yet here it is, opening already.

Perhaps Wolgwanggyo is conducting its research much faster than in the original work.

I couldn't help but think as I gazed at the gate, which radiated an ominous aura while spinning darkly in the air.

[Yes! Stardus has finally arrived and eliminated the monsters in one fell swoop! Oh...! The moment I mention it, the portal is also disappearing.]

Then, on the other side of the screen, a figure resembling Stardus, who arrived in the sky, suddenly disappeared along with the gate.

Indeed, most of the monsters coming out of the gate are weaker than one might think, as you can see. B-class heroes can handle them, and Stardus can deal with them in just a few punches.

However, the problem is that thousands or even tens of thousands of them will appear all over the country at the same time.

"....."

The Wolgwanggyo's gate manipulation is far more subtle and malicious than one might think. These individuals are aiming for the complete annihilation of humanity, so their objective is humanity's destruction. Therefore, they've encoded a certain pattern into the rituals that open these gates.

Specifically, the more populous the area, the higher the probability of a gate opening. In other words, major cities and places like that have a frighteningly high chance of generating gates. The ritual itself tends to occur in places with the "greatest" population, and this system is designed in such a way as to maximize the number of victims.

Following the Wolgwanggyo incident, most countries collapsed, and the genres transformed into something akin to an apocalyptic tale. Suddenly, tens of thousands of B-class-empowered beings appeared in the cities. No matter which hero you bring, it's almost impossible to protect everyone.

South Korea, in particular, had more gates appearing than other countries due to Wolgwanggyo's headquarters being located here. Essentially, it was like we were headed towards doomsday. If Isol gathered people into shelters, and Stardus fought tooth and nail, things might have turned out differently, but in the end, it was pretty much a game over. Even Shadow Walker's attacks couldn't stop it.

Moreover, these gates don't appear and disappear on the same day as the incident. They continuously appear at new locations every week or month. It's almost as if they offer an infinite supply of monsters.

In short, it's no exaggeration when people say that the Wolgwanggyo event divides the original webcomic into a "before" and "after." Before that, it was a post-apocalyptic hero story. In the end, the government collapsed, and the Association became the provisional government.

'...Of course.'

I have no intention of letting this world go that way.

Well, post-apocalyptic? I've been through all this trouble to avoid turning Stardus into that, so why would I give up? That's why I've made all the preparations so far to stop this event. From recruiting Eun-wol to PMC training.

The Wolgwanggyo and their leader. Although they are headquartered in South Korea, they have their headquarters located somewhere in the dimensional rift. This is why those not affiliated with the Wolgwanggyo can't go there, and if they do, they'll simply become lost in the dimensional limbo. That includes me.

Of course, if I were to try hard enough, I might find a way. By interrogating Eun-wol, maybe even utilizing Vine Witch's power, I might eventually overcome the risks and get in. However, there's no need to do that.

After all, it's not necessary for the leader of Wolgwanggyo to open the gate with precision up to the ritual, given that the original setting already mentioned the dimensional rift was weakening. This implies that, regardless of whether their leader opens the gate right now, the two-dimensional world will eventually open, and monsters will pour out. It's better to know when it's going to happen rather than having it occur randomly.

Moreover, if things go as I envision, Wolgwanggyo is essential to prevent this event. So, for now, all I can do is wait for that day.

"...There's really not much time left."

I muttered without even realizing it.

"Surely, when we initially planned this, it was supposed to be five years from now, so I felt relieved. But how did it suddenly come so close like this? Of course, during this time, Stardus has become strong beyond measure, and I've gathered everyone in the Ego Stream and EgoSquad. But... is that enough?

'...Right. If we can get through this catastrophe, I'll finally be able to breathe.'

The most important thing before my retirement is to get through this catastrophe safely. While the plans are well-prepared, it's impossible to completely prevent a certain number of monsters from spreading throughout South Korea. Just like the original storyline, even if it's not tens of thousands, at least several hundred will continue to appear periodically. There's a certain level of risk.

To address this, I've established the PMC, but it's obviously insufficient. A national level of preparation is required. Of course, the government has someone influential like Isol, so it's not a problem there, but the issue lies with the association that oversees the military power. Cooperation from there is necessary to make a perfect preparation.

So, I've made up my mind to achieve that.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to visit the association for a bit."

"Huh...?"

"Yes?"

In the evening, at the gathering of everyone, I made the announcement that I'd be visiting the Association.

"Da-in, are you... by any chance, planning to turn yourself in...?"

"What are you saying? Of course not."

"Oh! Da-in, you're not thinking about Stardus...?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but no."

I cleared the strange atmosphere that had suddenly developed around the dinner table and got straight to the point.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to meet the association president and be back."

"Huh...?"

***

"My head hurts..."

In the morning, on the top floor of the Association, the president muttered, scratching his head while looking at the paper.

"What kind of portal is that...? Haa, should we name it a Portal Maker S-Class Villain?"

The first portal phenomenon in France occurred in the Republic of Korea, with the presumption that the villain with the ability entered the Republic of Korea. Behind the back of the president of the association, who was rolling his head, that was not working well to reveal his identity. Suddenly, a man's voice came in.

"Hello, president."

"Hmm? Who is it...?"

Curious about who had come, he looked up, but the door in front was still firmly closed. It was only then that the president realized the voice was coming from behind.

As soon as he realized this, he turned his head behind him, and there stood Egostic, wearing a half-mask and a familiar black hat, with a smirk on his face.

"...Nice to meet you. I'm Egostic."

The president almost fainted upon seeing him.