CHAPTER 40
040- Survival

“As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would be like if Hunter Kang Jinwoo were here.”
Ma Doo-sik spoke as if he had been waiting for this very moment.
In New York, thirty S-class Hunters who had arrived from various countries were already engaged in battle with the creature.
However, despite the deployment of such a massive force, they were being pushed back. The barrier that protected New York had been shattered long ago. Even now, the western outskirts of the city were crumbling.
They were in a situation where they were trying every possible method they could think of.
That was why Ma Doo-sik lamented the absence of Jinwoo’s ability. The power to find the core of the Erosion. With that power, perhaps they could find the giant turtle’s weakness.
But he had been mourning the news of Jinwoo's death…
—Can you also find the core of the ‘Island’? Ah, ‘Island’ is the temporary name we’re using for that monster.
“Simple enough.”
—This isn’t the time to be debating complex scientific names. Anyway, can you see its core? This creature is a completely different phenomenon from any Erosion we’ve seen before.
“I’ll have to try. If it doesn’t work, then there’s nothing to be done.”
In truth, he had already confirmed his ability against the Black Knight, but that was something he couldn't tell Ma Doo-sik.
Jinwoo’s ability to see the core of Erosion had evolved while fighting the Black Knight. Now, he could vaguely sense the entire structure and flow of the Erosion.
He could tell which part was the most vulnerable, and where he needed to cut to most effectively collapse the Erosion’s structure.
It was as if…
‘As if I’ve been researching it for a very, very long time.’
Yes, that was the feeling.
The ability itself was still faint, but the understanding and knowledge it contained were on a completely different level—so vast that Jinwoo’s mind, that of an ordinary human, couldn't fully comprehend it.
Perhaps that was why he could only perceive it vaguely. Whatever his past life was, right now, he was still just a normal human.
In any case, there was a huge difference between being able to identify an enemy’s weakness in some form and not being able to.
—It’s impossible to push back a monster of that mass with simple force. That’s why we can’t stop it, even with thirty S-class Hunters gathered. But if Hunter Kang Jinwoo can pinpoint its core…
If so, the situation would turn 180 degrees. If they knew the location of the core, they could break through at a single point and bring it down.
In that case, thirty hunters would be overkill. Five S-class Hunters would be more than enough.
“I think it’s worth a try. In any case, I can’t tell from the transmitted videos, so I need to see it with my own eyes.”
—Hey! Contact the Bureau right now and get a private jet ready! And send a car to Hunter Kang Jinwoo’s residence.
Through the phone, Jinwoo could hear Ma Doo-sik giving orders to his secretary.
Be cautious until a decision is made, but once it’s made, push forward like a wildfire. It was the exact leadership philosophy Ma Doo-sik had spoken of before.
—Thank you for volunteering so readily. I know you don’t have the best relationship with New York.
“My grudge is with the Bureau Director, David, not the citizens of New York.”
—Even so, Hunter Kang Jinwoo, you have no obligation to do this.
He was right. Jinwoo's decision to go to New York was primarily to stop the disaster, but that wasn't the only reason.
“I plan to meet with David on this occasion.”
—…! Is this about Johann, the matter Hunter Cheon Juhyeok mentioned…?
“I heard he tried to use me as bait to lure Chartia out.”
—I… see. Hunter Chartia is in New York right now, helping.
So that was it.
Although she had lost her affection for New York's Hunter community and naturalized in Seoul, New York was still the hometown where she was born and raised.
With that city on the verge of being wiped off the map, she couldn’t have just stood by.
“If the Island situation is resolved, I’ll meet with David alongside Chartia. Depending on the situation, perhaps…”
An unpleasant incident might occur. He swallowed the words he was about to say.
—…Please be careful. Still, David won’t be able to act recklessly. The eyes of the world are on this incident, and there are many hunters from other countries providing support. There are over twenty S-class Hunters from abroad, and if you include the A and B-class hunters helping with the evacuation, there are easily hundreds. He can’t evade all those eyes.
The scale of the hunters who had come to support New York was considerable.
The S-class were all deployed in the battle against the Island, while the rest were helping with the civilian evacuation, mainly tasked with clearing out monsters outside the city.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have to abandon the city and flee, so for a smooth evacuation, all nearby monsters had to be eliminated.
“So there are that many hunters providing support.”
—Yes. It’s a form of Erosion no one has ever seen before, so no country thinks of it as someone else’s problem. Many experts have also been dispatched for on-site analysis. Besides, if they build up a debt now, they can receive help later when they are in danger, wouldn't you agree?
He had a point. An individual hunter might act differently, but a nation would never move without calculating its gains and losses.
The fact that they sent support meant there was something to be gained. It was an interesting thought, that by acting purely on calculated self-interest, they ultimately ended up helping others.
—I was surprised to hear that you were alive, Hunter Kang Jinwoo. There’s much I want to ask, like how you survived against Johann, but I’ll save that pleasure for later.
“I’ll tell you when I get back.”
—Understood, sir. Please take care.
“Sir? Why so formal all of a sudden?”
—Hahaha, it doesn’t mean much. In any case, have a safe trip. When you arrive, make contact with Hunter Chartia first.
“Got it.”
Click.
The long call ended. A few hours later.
On a plane headed for New York, Jinwoo was endlessly rewatching a recorded video of the Island.

New York was a scene of pandemonium.
The barrier that had always reliably protected the city shattered in a single blow the moment the Island collided with it.
The invading Island was mercilessly pulverizing the western outskirts of New York.
“Move! Get out of the way!”
“Hey! Don’t block the road!”
“Son! Hold Mommy’s hand tight! Don’t you dare let go!”
Those who lived in the west had all evacuated to the east, and even some of the eastern citizens were evacuating outside the city.
With the citizens of this massive city moving all at once, New York was plunged into a vortex of chaos.
- Damn it! This is insane! A tragedy like this can’t be happening!
- Please, anyone, just stop this disaster! Anyone!
- They’ve already sent in 30 S-class hunters! Look at the videos, they’re fighting like crazy!
Footage of the S-class Hunters fighting to stop the Island spread across the internet through countless channels.
In an age where remote filming was easy with a single drone, there was no stopping the videos from spreading.
Of course, the videos were shot from a great distance, but the Island’s sheer size was so immense that it was enough to assess the battle situation.
“Damn it! Why won’t it stop! The western outskirts are almost completely destroyed!”
Inside the mobile command vehicle for responding to the Erosion.
In a conference room similar to the inside of a large bus, David slammed his fist on the table. BANG!
Around him, three other individuals were seated sparsely—S-class Hunters who had gathered to devise their next move.
The rest of the personnel not present in the room…
KWAAAAANG!
K-K-K-KWAGAGAGANG!
…were outside, using every means at their disposal to stop the Island.
“Hey, Chartia. Can’t you tie up its feet or something with those precious trees of yours?”
David spoke, looking at the person sitting across from him with an exasperated gaze.
There sat Chartia, unable to hide her deep fatigue.
“I’m already doing it, you don’t have to tell me. Can’t you see its left foot is almost completely covered in a forest?”
“Don’t just wrap it up, stop it! What are you doing, dressing it up in a doll’s outfit?”
“Hmph.”
Chartia turned her head away at David’s words, which grated on her already frayed nerves.
Not just the S-class hunters in the room, but everyone fighting outside was at the peak of exhaustion.
The Island first appeared 200km west of New York. Ever since then, they had been fighting for nearly two weeks without rest to stop the giant turtle as it steadily walked toward the city.
Even for S-class Hunters, continuing a battle of this magnitude was bound to cause fatigue.
Especially in a situation where they were only taking a beating without making any progress.
“Hey, David. I know you’re frustrated, but cool your head. We won’t get anywhere with that kind of teamwork,” said the S-class Hunter from London, the Thunder Emperor, Reinhardt.
The bearded old man was still vigorous for his age, which was unbelievable considering he had been dropping countless lightning bolts on the Island’s shell for nearly a week straight.
It was a level of stamina—no, mental fortitude—that couldn’t be explained by mere natural toughness.
“Chartia is already doing her best. Instead of pressuring her, shouldn’t we be trying to come up with some other plan?”
This was the S-class Hunter from New Delhi, the Dragon Tamer, Mahiri.
With her forehead exposed and her body clad in black, she held a small dragon in her arms, a creature she had reportedly found and tamed on the 5th Floor.
Originally an exceptional tamer, she became known as the Dragon Tamer after taking in the young dragon. However, because the dragon was still young, she was considered somewhat lacking compared to other S-class Hunters.
“Plans! Strategies! Methods! I’m sick of it! Haven’t we tried everything and failed every single time?! If I had my way, I’d call the government and just drop a nuke on it.”
“Get a grip, David. Have you forgotten where we are? This is a city with over ten million people!” Mahiri scolded the hysterical David, who was losing it due to stress.
Chartia watched this with weary eyes, thinking that, as expected of a skilled tamer, she was quite good at handling beasts.
Chartia pressed her tired eyes and asked into the empty air.
“Mr. Kurenai. Do you have any ideas?”
“Ideas? I only know how to kill people. I have no idea how to kill monsters.”
A voice suddenly came from the empty space. In fact, Kurenai Masato from Tokyo was also present.
“You’re not helpful. Why did you even come?”
“A new type of Erosion appeared, so I came to see it with my own eyes. Aren’t most of the S-class hunters here for a similar reason?”
“I came to protect my home.”
“Then you’d better try harder. It’s not my home.”
“…I’m sorry. I started it.”
Chartia shook her head with a deep sigh.
It was true that Kurenai Masato had a bad personality, but this time, she was in the wrong.
Since arriving in New York, she had worked tirelessly to bind the Island’s feet, barely getting any sleep.
Compared to the other S-class Hunters who managed to get some sleep in short bursts, she had been awake for nearly 24 hours a day, only taking brief naps. For almost two weeks straight.
‘Get it together, Chartia. There must be something in my power that can stop it. Raise a forest and… and do what? Even if I created a rainforest, it would just trample through it.’
Her mental fatigue had reached its limit. She had already been enraged by the news that Johann had killed Jinwoo before she even came to New York.
Her mental strength, which had begun to wear down then, had become even more frayed as she fought without sleep to stop the Island.
“Chartia. Didn’t you get anything from Seoul? You must have gotten a lot if you went as far as to naturalize, huh? Didn’t you receive any items you could use in this situation?!”
Her stress was also compounded by being in the same room as David.
There was no reason for Johann to suddenly kill Jinwoo. If there was a reason, it would lie with David, Johann’s close friend.
Cheon Juhyeok had said that Johann was acting on David’s orders, and that was probably the truth.
In other words, the irritating man in this room was Jinwoo’s enemy. Of course, he was also her enemy, the one who had put a bounty on her in Tokyo…
The situation was such that she had to grit her teeth and endure, despite wanting to grab him by the collar and demand answers. And to make matters worse, the Island subjugation she was dedicating herself to was making no progress at all.
Her nerves were being worn down in every possible way.
Just then, a report came into the command vehicle.
Ksssh-ksshk—
—Reporting. A hunter is requesting to provide support to your location.
“Support? Which country’s S-class is it?” David asked, pressing the button on the radio.
At the prospect of a new S-class reinforcement, everyone’s attention focused on the radio.
—Well… on paper, he’s an E-class Hunter.
“E-class? Are you insane? Do you know what kind of situation this is? This is no time for jokes! Didn’t you hear the order to send anyone who isn’t S-class to the evacuation efforts? Who are you, and what department are you from?!”
—W-Wait a moment, Director! He has the guarantee of the Mayor of Seoul! He says the hunter has the ability to detect the core of Erosion, so we should at least test him against the Isl—
“—What?”
A sudden silence fell over the command vehicle.
Every S-class Hunter present thought of one person. The rookie from Seoul who had recently become a hot topic due to the incident in Tokyo.
Even Reinhardt and Mahiri, who had no direct connection to him, showed expressions of interest.
“It must be Kang Jinwoo. They say he can detect hidden cores. It’s certainly worth a try.”
Kurenai Masato’s casual remark echoed through the command vehicle as if confirming it.
He spoke of Jinwoo’s survival as if it were a matter of course, but no one could tell if his tone was bravado or genuine.

And then.
“Jinwoo!”
“Kang Jinwoo!?”
Chartia and David. For entirely different reasons, with entirely different expressions, both shot to their feet.