The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener - Chapter 36

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈

Chapter 36

──────

With the tip of my sword lowered, I looked around the basin.

Collapsed castle walls.

Frozen passageways.

Only dust drifted beyond the furrows plowed through by the Black-Iron Shield.

Nothing else moved.

Wild Instinct was quiet as well.

Then.

Ssssss.

Giantification wore off.

I slung the shield, which had shrunk along with my body, over my back. A moment later, Hye-won came down the slope and stood beside me.

“It's all cleared out, right?”

“Looks like it.”

After looking around for a moment, Hye-won spoke while staring into the air.

“By the way, how do we use the Abyss Points we got here?”

She appeared to be checking her points.

“With the Abyss Merchant. You pay them like money and buy things.”

Having grown closer over time, I could drop the formal speech.

“Where is the merchant?”

“Somewhere difficult to find.”

Hye-won turned to me.

“How difficult?”

“Difficult enough that you wouldn't even think a person could be there.”

It was not a joke.

The Abyss Merchant's locations were viciously awful.

At the bottom of a collapsed well.

In a cave halfway up a cliff.

In the basement of ruins where monsters had built their nest.

The Abyss Merchant was always holed up somewhere like that.

That was why, in the early days of the Abyss, countless Raid Parties gathered piles of points but could not spend them because they never found the merchant.

“Then shouldn't we hurry and find one too? We've gathered quite a lot of points.”

That was true.

From the mine to the Raid Party around the Grave Dragon, we had enough now that spending some would make the next raid easier.

But searching this entire vast place would be a waste of time.

“Hye-won.”

“Yes?”

“What does a merchant do?”

Hye-won blinked at the sudden question.

“They sell things?”

“Then what does a merchant like most?”

“Money... probably?”

“Right.”

I opened my palm.

“A merchant moves for money.”

[Abyss Points are being converted into physical currency.]

Clink.

Black coins fell onto my palm.

They were flat and round, with hollowed centers. Their edges interlocked like tiny beast teeth, and purple patterns slowly flowed inside the black metal.

A clear number, 100, was stamped on the front.

The back bore the engraving of a closed-eyed face.

The longer one looked at it, the more it seemed as though its eyelids were gradually lifting.

Hye-won leaned closer.

“You can turn points into coins too?”

“There are times when you use them like this.”

I placed a coin on my thumb.

Ting.

The black coin spun through the air, leaving a purple afterimage as it fell.

The sound it made hitting the stone floor carried unusually far.

Then a second coin, a third, and more continued falling to the ground.

Hye-won looked back and forth between the coins and me.

“Are you just throwing them away?”

“I'm leaving them there for a moment.”

I flicked coins until there were nine.

I had thrown 900P worth of coins onto the ground.

Then, in the next moment, the wind around us died down.

“...!”

Hye-won raised her staff.

She had sensed a presence that had not been there moments ago.

But it did not register even on Wild Instinct. There was no hostility.

Whirr.

Just as the last, tenth coin traced an arc through the air and fell.

Slide.

A black sleeve flowed out of thin air.

Long, slender fingers snatched up the coin.

“Oh my.”

A smooth voice rang out.

“What are coins doing here?”

Flutter.

A cloak unfurled from the fingertips.

Something stood beneath it.

A being that occupied the spot so naturally that it was impossible to tell how long it had been there.

A black cloak hung down to its feet.

Small keys and old metal tags dangled from its hem.

Its face was hidden beneath its deeply lowered hood, but two narrow golden eyes curved as if smiling.

The merchant bowed. As its sleeve swept the floor, all nine scattered coins vanished at once.

“You shouldn't leave such valuable things lying in the street.”

“I didn't leave them.”

I held out my hand.

“I called you.”

The fingers counting the coins stopped.

The eyes beneath the hood turned toward me.

Soon, those golden eyes narrowed further.

The way to call an Abyss Merchant was to offer a price.

Using a full 1,000P of Abyss Points as an offering, one could summon the merchant hiding in places difficult to find.

It was a kind of house-call service.

And people had only learned of that concept two years after the Abyss appeared.

Of course, as a regressor, I could use the method as soon as the Abyss appeared.

“You know how to handle merchants. Would you like to see my wares?”

Merchants might hide from customers, but they could not ignore the sound of money falling.

* * *

Flutter.

The merchant grasped the front of its cloak.

The black fabric spread wide.

Inside was...

“...A cloak?”

Hye-won muttered. When the black cloak came off, a deep purple cloak appeared beneath it.

An identical cloak had been covering it completely.

The merchant spread the removed black cloak on the floor.

Then it grasped the front of its cloak again.

Flutter.

This time, the purple cloak came off.

Underneath was dark green. When that one came off, navy blue appeared.

Flutter. Flutter.

Hye-won's gaze followed the merchant's hands.

Even with four cloaks laid out side by side, the merchant was still wearing a black cloak.

It looked exactly as it had at the start.

“Now.”

The merchant rubbed its palms together.

“Please take your time looking.”

Ssssss.

The fabric spread over the ground rippled.

Sword hilts rose from beneath its folds.

Then helmets, bracelets, and medals engraved with elaborate designs revealed themselves.

Items pushed their way up from the flat cloaks.

They were relics.

Small glass bottles also stood upright one after another beside them.

Red liquid.

Golden powder.

Even pills containing light.

The merchant turned one bottle with its fingertips, facing its label forward.

“Just don't break anything. They're more expensive than they look.”

I was already looking at the next cloak.

Enhancement Tickets glowing faintly were spread across it. Some were placed individually, while others were bundled together.

But my attention did not linger there.

On the final cloak, the spine of a book rose into view.

Thud.

One thick book dropped into place, almost as if it had fallen over.

Then another followed.

Leather covers.

Covers reinforced at the corners with metal.

Even translucent covers made of an unknown material.

The books arranged themselves.

“...Mr. Seong-un.”

Hye-won grabbed my sleeve.

“Those are all...”

“Yeah.”

I did not take my eyes off the books.

Skill Books.

They were valuable items rarely seen even in the Tower.

“Oh!”

Hye-won's hand stopped in front of a book.

Its cover was white and smooth.

Shhhhhh.

Snowflake patterns slowly bloomed and disappeared over it.

The air around us grew cold before her fingertips even touched it.

【Skill Book: Ice Crystal Chain】

Grade: Miracle

Effect: Converts ice attached to enemies within a designated area into ice crystals, then detonates them.

Ice crystal fragments pierce nearby enemies and cause chain explosions in any ice they touch.

The greater the amount of ice accumulated on the target, the stronger the explosion and the greater the number of fragments.

Ice used in the explosion is consumed.

Hye-won picked up the book with both hands.

“Mr. Seong-un. We have to buy this.”

It was a good choice.

Hye-won could already freeze enemies. Ice Crystal Chain, which would then detonate frozen enemies and deal area damage around them, was bound to be extremely useful.

To begin with, it was miracle grade.

“How much is this?”

The merchant's golden eyes curved.

“Ten thousand points.”

Hye-won's hands froze.

“...Ten thousand?”

“Why are you so surprised? It is a miracle-grade skill, customer.”

The merchant raised one finger.

“Freeze and explode! Explosions are art.”

It certainly knew how to talk.

Hye-won checked her points.

[Owned Abyss Points: 12,500P]

Almost all her savings.

After looking between the book and her points, she turned to me.

“Can I buy it?”

“Why not?”

“I feel like I'm spending too much on one book.”

“Don't worry about it. There will be plenty of chances to earn points in the future, not just this time.”

There was not just one Abyss.

Even excluding the places I would rather die than help, quite a few Abysses had appeared.

Realizing that, Hye-won nodded.

That was the end of her hesitation.

“I'll buy it.”

“A wise choice!”

She obtained Ice Crystal Chain for the enormous sum of 10,000P.

Hye-won hugged the book to her chest.

She could not even hide the corners of her mouth lifting.

The merchant immediately turned toward me.

“I have an item that would suit you as well.”

The merchant tried to recommend a book with red chains wrapped around its black cover. It looked expensive from every angle, but I pointed elsewhere first.

“What about this...?”

In the corner of a cloak, thin, shabby-looking books were stacked together.

They had neither elaborate patterns nor any aura flowing from them.

The merchant's hand stopped.

“Those are items that supplement basic abilities.”

“The price?”

“One thousand points per book. Skill Books are extremely difficult to obtain, you see. Which is why something flashy and powerful in a single strike is...”

But I did not look at the Skill Books the merchant recommended.

【Skill Book: Muscle Fiber Training】

【Skill Book: Flexible Joints】

【Skill Book: Deep Breathing】

...

Passive skills that enhanced Strength, Agility, and Health.

Simply learning them increased the relevant stat by 2%.

Some even raised it by 3%.

“Wouldn't they be somewhat modest for a warrior such as yourself?”

“Modest...”

Not at all.

For a Super Novice like me, percentage increases to stats were the best skills possible.

“Do you have more of this kind?”

The merchant's eyes narrowed.

“How many do you need?”

“As many as you have.”

Slide.

The end of the cloak lifted.

More thin books slid out from beneath it.

I checked them one by one.

A skill that strengthened grip strength.

A skill that corrected bodily balance.

Even skills that reinforced endurance and the skeleton.

I pushed aside those with impressive-sounding names but attached conditions. I also excluded those that required a specific weapon or only activated when Health fell below a certain value.

I only needed one thing.

Effects that applied constantly.

Effects that permanently enhanced all my stats.

That way, I selected nine books.

“They're all this price, right?”

“They are, but...”

The merchant looked at the books I had piled up.

“...Are you truly going with these?”

Instead of answering, I held out my hand.

Clink.

I paid a total of 9,000P in Abyss Points.

Hye-won tilted her head toward me.

“Are you sure that's all right?”

“Of course.”

I opened the Skill Book on top.

Flaaash!

The pages scattered into light and seeped into my fingertips.

Then.

Flash! Flash!

A total of nine skills seeped into me.

【Kang Seong-un (Super Novice)】

Level: 55

Strength: 538

Agility: 478

Health: 556

Available Status Points: 0

Skills: +5 Transcendent Body, Giantification, Shell, Muscle Fiber Training, Flexible Joints, Deep Breathing...

These were my stats without Giantification applied.

Grip.

As I checked them, I grasped the hilt of the Black-Iron Greatsword.

I had only lifted it slightly, but the sword followed more quickly than expected.

I would need to get used to the weight I had known before all over again.

Then.

Shhhhhh.

A chilling cold rose beside me.

The Skill Book Hye-won had been holding scattered like snow dust.

“...”

She looked at her fingertips.

Crack.

A small piece of ice formed.

Light seemed to gather inside it, and Hye-won hurriedly clenched her fist.

Rustle.

The ice scattered.

“Don't test it here.”

“Yes.”

Even as she answered, her hand around the staff had tightened.

It seemed she wanted to try it out quickly.

Of course, there would still be plenty of chances to use that skill.

Before then, though.

“One of those too.”

I pointed at a scroll lying at the end of the cloak.

Silver paper bound with a black string.

The image of clock hands turning backward in a circle was engraved on its surface.

【Skill Cooldown Reset Scroll: When used, resets the remaining cooldown of one designated skill.】

Giantification was powerful, but it was not an ability I could use whenever I wanted.

But with this scroll, things would be different.

“Two thousand points.”

“I'll take it.”

I did not hesitate this time either.

I paid 2,000P and took the scroll.

New passives.

And a scroll to use Giantification again.

With this, I was ready to begin the next fight.

The merchant rubbed its hands together.

“Would you like to browse further?”

“That will be all for now.”

“Very good. It was an excellent transaction.”

The merchant grabbed the end of its cloak.

Flutter.

As the fabric lifted, the relics and potions atop it slid into its folds.

The Skill Books and remaining Enhancement Tickets vanished all at once.

The cloaks that had been spread on the ground settled over its shoulders one after another.

Purple.

Green.

Navy blue.

When the final black cloak covered its body, it looked exactly as it had before.

“Please call me again whenever you need something.”

The golden eyes beneath the hood curved.

“The sound of coins carries well, even from far away.”

The merchant bowed.

Slide.

When the hem of its cloak touched its shadow, it disappeared as though sinking into the floor.

Hye-won looked down at the empty spot.

“We'll have to work hard to earn enough to buy all that.”

Hye-won had not merely adapted to the Abyss. She was already eager to earn more.

Just then, a message appeared before us.

[The occupation of the Key Stronghold, ‘Herb Farm,’ has begun.]

[The location of the stronghold is being revealed.]

I raised my head.

Beyond the basin.

Blue light rose between the twisted buildings.

[Time Until Stronghold Occupation: 05:00]

‘An Herb Farm.’

The things we had obtained from the mine came to mind.

Snow-Silk Stone, Illusion Stone, and Enhancement Stone.

That forest would likely have herb resources no less valuable.

I could not let whoever got there first begin gathering them.

“Hye-won.”

“Yes!”

She had already come to my side.

Staring at the pillar of light, I lowered my body.

“Get on.”

Thump.

Weight settled onto my back.

Hye-won wrapped one arm around my shoulder and readjusted her grip on the staff with her other hand.

“I'm ready.”

There was no hesitation in her movements.

Boom!

I kicked off the ground.

The collapsed castle walls rushed far into the distance.

* * *

Thud.

A document was placed before Park Gang-sik.

『Republic of Korea Abyss Response Status』

Across from Park Gang-sik sat the prime minister.

The minister of the interior and safety and officials from the presidential office were there as well.

The prime minister turned the first page.

“When will the follow-up Raid Party enter?”

“We plan to deploy them as soon as the entry restriction is lifted.”

“Has the roster been finalized?”

“We are making final adjustments with each guild.”

“What is the raid plan?”

Park Gang-sik was slow to answer.

“...We are reviewing it based on the survivors' statements.”

The prime minister pointed to a line in the document.

“They were attacked by a man in black.”

“...”

“Have you secured any information beyond this?”

“Awakener Park Jun-hyeok has not yet recovered from the shock. If we rush his statement, it may instead...”

“I am not telling you to interfere with his treatment.”

The prime minister looked up.

“I am asking what measures you have taken other than waiting for that person to recover.”

Park Gang-sik fell silent.

Slide.

The minister of the interior and safety held out some documents.

A map of Busan.

The number of missing people was written over a black-marked area.

About 35,000 people.

Another paper lay beside it.

『Park Jun-hyeok, Korea's Hope Who Survived Despair』

“The roster is being adjusted, and the raid plan is under review.”

The minister looked down at the article.

“But the publicity is already finished.”

“...It was a measure to calm public anxiety.”

“The families of the nine people who did not return probably saw this article too.”

Park Gang-sik's hand stiffened on one knee.

The prime minister continued.

“We have respected the Association's expertise in Awakener-related matters. You said the Association would take responsibility for selection, training, and raids.”

“Yes. The Association is leading the response this time as well.”

“Can you succeed next time?”

“...We are reinforcing our forces.”

“And if you fail again?”

No answer came.

“Another hundred hours will disappear. Will we receive the same report then?”

A presidential office official turned on the screen.

『America's Abyss Raid Also Reaches 40%』

Below it were scenes of residents who had returned.

“Have you requested assistance from America?”

Park Gang-sik sat straighter.

“We were first reviewing our independent response capabilities. If we make a hasty request, it could put us at a disadvantage in negotiations...”

“Have you received their terms?”

“...”

“Have you decided they would be disadvantageous without even receiving them?”

Park Gang-sik glanced at the screen.

“The internal circumstances America faces may differ from ours.”

“Of course.”

The prime minister acknowledged it.

“But they are saving people. That is the capability we must secure now.”

The prime minister pointed to the telephone.

“Confirm whether assistance is possible.”

“Through the working-level staff...”

“I would like you to do so here and now.”

Park Gang-sik looked down at the telephone.

Until recently, Park Gang-sik had been the one demanding an explanation from America.

Now, in front of government officials, Park Gang-sik had to ask them to send Kang Seong-un.

“Chairman Park.”

It did not carry respect for Park Gang-sik, who had made Korea an Awakener powerhouse.

It took the form of pressure.

In the end, Park Gang-sik picked up the receiver.

Soon, Park Gang-sik called the American Association chairman directly through the hotline.

Riiing.

Several rings followed.

Then.

Click.

“Ah, Chairman Park Gang-sik.”

Miller's voice came through.

“You have been waiting a long time, haven't you? My apologies. More people have been looking for us lately.”

“I am calling regarding the Abyss issue.”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“...For Korea's follow-up raid, I would like to request cooperation from the American side.”

A tightly controlled voice followed.

“What kind of cooperation?”

Park Gang-sik's gaze went across the table.

The prime minister was watching Park Gang-sik.

“...The dispatch of Awakeners.”

“Ah, combat support.”

The sound of papers turning came through.

“Is there a particular Awakener you want?”

Park Gang-sik's fingers tightened around the receiver.

“...Kang Seong-un.”

The name caught in Park Gang-sik's throat.

Park Gang-sik spoke again.

“...I request support from Awakener Kang Seong-un.”

“Mr. Kang?”

Miller asked briefly.

“Just a moment. Let me make sure I understand correctly.”

“...”

“Not long ago, you requested an explanation from us regarding the recruitment of Korean talent. This time, you want that Awakener dispatched to Korea.”

Park Gang-sik's jaw hardened.

“I would like you to view that matter separately from this disaster response.”

“Of course. We think so too.”

His agreement came quickly.

“An Awakener's overseas activities should respect the individual's choice. I understand there is no disagreement between our sides on that principle.”

Veins rose on the back of the hand holding the receiver.

Park Gang-sik spoke in a restrained voice.

“For now, I would like to discuss whether support is possible.”

“Yes. I merely wished to say first that the person's consent is required for dispatch.”

“Please discuss it including that matter.”

“Understood. Let me check the schedule.”

The sound of a keyboard being tapped came through.

Park Gang-sik waited.

Park Gang-sik thought it would be over in a moment.

But Miller said nothing for some time.

Another phone rang in the background.

There was also the sound of someone bringing documents.

Then.

“Oh dear!”

Miller sighed quietly.

“This is unfortunate.”

“...Is there a problem?”

“I only wish you had contacted us a little earlier.”

Park Gang-sik's eyebrows moved.

“Our available schedule is nearly full with the requests currently under discussion alone.”

“I understand America's own raid is still ongoing.”

“That is why other countries contacted us in advance.”

The response was gentle.

“If discussions of command authority, information protection, and compensation only begin after the raid ends, preparations for dispatch will be delayed accordingly.”

“...”

“The countries that requested assistance first have completed much of their preparation. Korea is only beginning discussions today.”

Park Gang-sik could not look across the table.

“We needed to confirm whether America could complete its raid.”

“You were making a careful judgment.”

Miller paused briefly.

“Having watched America’s raid progress from ten percent through twenty percent to forty percent, I believe you’ve had ample opportunity to assess it.”

“Chairman Miller...”

“However, the countries that contacted us first conducted that confirmation and working-level discussions together. I ask for your understanding regarding the difference in schedules.”

A sheet of paper turned.

“Then let me ask. Korea has one hundred hours deducted and a twenty-four-hour re-entry restriction. Is that correct?”

“...It is. That is why we need support as quickly as possible.”

“...”

The other end of the line fell quiet for a moment.

Then.

“Oh dear. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to assign Mr. Kang within your country's remaining time limit under the current schedule.”

Park Gang-sik leaned forward.

“We are willing to discuss the terms fully.”

“It is not only a matter of terms. Travel, raids, and recovery all require time. Mr. Kang cannot enter several countries at once.”

“Is there any room to adjust the existing schedule?”

“That would mean delaying assistance to other countries.”

Park Gang-sik fell silent.

Miller continued calmly.

“We would need grounds to explain it to the countries that requested assistance first. Separate from reviewing Korea's circumstances, we must respect the discussions already held with them.”

“...Thirty-five thousand Korean citizens are trapped in Busan.”

“I know.”

Miller's voice lowered for a moment.

“That is why I deeply regret that you did not contact us sooner. You could have confirmed the conditions without finalizing support.”

Park Gang-sik could not answer.

Behind Park Gang-sik, papers turned.

One of the government officials was recording the conversation.

“Are those requests whose dispatch has already been finalized?”

“There are places with prior discussions completed, and others still in progress.”

“Then could you review Korea alongside them as well...”

“Chairman Park.”

Miller politely took over.

“Not long ago, you said that the exercise of approval authority required internationally fair standards.”

Park Gang-sik's lips stiffened.

“We are likewise reviewing requests for assistance according to the order they are received and the state of preparations. To move Korea's request ahead separately, there must be a reason other countries can also accept.”

“...”

“As it is a principle you emphasized, I trust you will understand.”

Park Gang-sik's ears grew hot.

They were words Park Gang-sik had spread through the media.

Fair standards.

No discrimination based on country.

Without raising his voice once, Miller was returning those words to Park Gang-sik.

“Should I take that to mean assistance is impossible?”

“Please send an official request form, and we will register it.”

Miller's answer was clear.

“However, I am informing you in advance that dispatch within the remaining time limit will be difficult under the current schedule. You should not delay other preparations on the assumption of our assistance.”

Park Gang-sik drew in a breath.

The Association chairman was making a request.

Asking them to send Kang Seong-un, whom Park Gang-sik had cast aside.

Yet what came back was a polite explanation telling Park Gang-sik not to expect it.

Another phone rang beyond the receiver.

“My apologies. I have another meeting scheduled, so I cannot speak at length.”

“W-Wait a moment, please.”

The words came out first.

Park Gang-sik fell silent at the sound of that plea.

Miller waited.

“...Please contact me immediately if the schedule changes.”

“Of course. Please leave the person in charge and contact information on the request form.”

“I would appreciate it if you could review it as quickly as possible.”

“Yes. We will review it as soon as we receive the request form. We will make sure there is no delay in contacting you.”

“I ask that you do so.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Click.

The call ended.

Park Gang-sik remained holding the receiver.

At first, Park Gang-sik had thought saying Kang Seong-un's name aloud would be humiliating.

But once Park Gang-sik made the call, the Association chairman had even had to ask them not to end it.

“What was the result?”

The prime minister asked.

Park Gang-sik set down the receiver.

“...They say there are many prior requests. Their answer is that dispatch within the time limit will be difficult under the current schedule.”

The minister of the interior and safety closed the documents.

“When did we first contact them?”

“Today is the first official request for assistance.”

An executive in charge of international cooperation answered instead.

“However, we have continued to monitor America's raid situation and the movements of other countries.”

“Confirming the situation and discussing assistance are different.”

The prime minister's gaze turned to the executive.

“Have you never even inquired about the terms?”

The executive briefly looked at Park Gang-sik.

When Park Gang-sik showed no reaction, the executive continued.

“The Association has responded under the policy of prioritizing an independent raid. External assistance was one of several alternatives under review.”

“How long did you intend to maintain that policy?”

“We planned to make a comprehensive judgment after confirming the follow-up force's capabilities.”

“Other countries completed their assistance discussions during that time.”

The executive's mouth stopped for a moment.

The head of the situation room seated beside them pushed a document forward.

“Each country faces different circumstances. America's own raid is not complete, and it was unclear whether entry restrictions would apply to foreign support teams as well. It was difficult to proceed based on an uncertain dispatch.”

“I am not saying you should have finalized a dispatch.”

The prime minister spoke.

“I am saying you should have confirmed whether it was possible and what the conditions were first.”

“Chairman Park was aware of that need as well.”

The international cooperation executive immediately replied.

“However, if beginning discussions were perceived as an official support request, it could affect the organization of the follow-up team and the participation of each guild. We needed to be cautious.”

The minister looked up.

“You gave this much thought to what problems might arise if you contacted them.”

“...”

“Who considered the problems that might arise from not contacting them?”

The executives lowered their gazes to the documents.

Park Gang-sik opened his mouth.

“The working-level staff acted according to the established policy. I will explain the judgment.”

The executives fell silent at those words.

The prime minister looked at Park Gang-sik.

“Please do.”

“I wanted to first confirm whether we could resolve this with Korea's own forces. There was insufficient information to conclude that American support was the best option.”

“Is that a reason to delay even contacting them to find out whether it is best?”

Park Gang-sik's jaw stiffened.

“As chairman, it was a judgment that considered both the country's raid capabilities and foreign negotiations.”

“That judgment reduced your options.”

The prime minister's voice lowered.

“Isn't that what you confirmed in the call just now?”

The international cooperation executive spoke again.

“Support has not been definitively rejected yet. If we submit an official request form, there is room for reconsideration.”

“Then submit it.”

The prime minister answered.

“From now on, spend your time securing that possibility.”

The meeting room fell silent.

The prime minister turned to the presidential office official.

“Request urgent discussions through the government's diplomatic channels as well. Connect the working-level channels so they do not conflict with the Association's request, and organize the necessary terms together with the relevant ministries.”

“Understood.”

Park Gang-sik straightened.

“The dispatch of Awakeners and raid command fall under the Association's jurisdiction. If discussion channels are divided, confusion may arise in the field.”

“I do not mean to interfere with raid command.”

The prime minister looked at Park Gang-sik.

“But can the Association decide the costs the government must bear and diplomatic guarantees as well?”

“...We will request separate cooperation on that matter.”

“There must not be another delay while we wait for such a request.”

The prime minister closed the documents.

“Rescue support discussions will proceed jointly between the government and the Association. The Association will present the necessary forces and field conditions, while the government will review support terms at the national level.”

One executive spoke cautiously.

“We will report after going through the Association's internal review procedures.”

“Please do so today.”

The prime minister set the deadline immediately.

“After sending the request form to America, confirm that it has been received as well.”

Park Gang-sik did not answer.

The prime minister did not look away either.

Thirty-five thousand people.

The number written on the Busan map atop the table lay between them.

There was no excuse to delay even here.

“...We will do so.”

Only then did the prime minister rise.