Chapter 8

"Yes, among us, Hyunji was the first to go, followed by Donhee and me, and later Yuchan and Abdul."

"If it's like a reward vacation, how is the duration determined?"

Kangsan dipped a wooden chopstick in water and drew something on the floor.

"It's Wu (宇) stone. When you dismantle a mutant, you might get lucky and find a Wu stone. Remember the super expensive stone the DK kids found before? It's like a black crystal the size of a human head. When you put it with other minerals, it converts into nickel. If it's that grade, it should be worth a two-month stay, right?"

Occasionally, special minerals are found in mutant corpses.

The bacteria living in these minerals secrete acid when they come into contact with other rocks, causing a chemical reaction. This process generates raw materials like nickel or gold, making it a form of biological mining.

Of course, natural biological mining takes a long time to produce byproducts, but this mineral can produce results in just a few days.

People call various mutant minerals that can convert ordinary minerals into diamonds, gold, nickel, etc., 'Wu stones.' Some even call them 'alchemy stones.'

"First, how does the gate open?"

"The Wu stone is the offering. Only those who have it can use the gate to return to where they originally lived, and each Wu stone has a different validity period."

"You mean the Wu stone has to be consumed, not sold?"

Chahaya nodded.

Mutants are classified into six levels of danger, from 1 to 6, and Wu stones are only found in the corpses of mutants at level 3 and above. The higher the danger level, the higher the probability of finding high-quality Wu stones.

At one point, the state offered rewards to all mutants hunted by the Manseongs, regardless of their level. If the state had only given rewards for killing mutants, issues like taxes and the national treasury would have become major topics.

To solve these problems, the Manseongs and the state signed an agreement.

"All Wu stones discovered by Manseongs will be purchased by the state."

Of course, some Manseongs wanted to sell the stones at higher prices to foreign countries, but the majority of the leaders of prominent guilds voted in favor, quelling any opposition.

There are about 5,000 officially registered Manseongs in the country.

Among them, about 20 are at the top level, around 150 are at the upper level, and the most are at the lower level, following the middle level.

Lower-level Manseongs can hunt 1-2 level mutants, but they won't find Wu stones there. If they don't receive any rewards, there would be no reason for them to hunt mutants, no matter how low the level, since mutants are still monsters.

At that point, the military could have been deployed, but the government wanted to minimize military casualties. So, they introduced the mutant hunting reward system.

Level 3 mutants can only be handled by middle-level Manseongs and above, who sell the Wu stones to the state for money. The taxes generated from this are converted into rewards for lower-level Manseongs.

Some mid-upper Manseongs asked why they should feed the lower-level Manseongs, which wasn't entirely wrong from a self-interest perspective, but a few incidents silenced them.

The life of a lower-level Manseong registered in the country is not easy.

They cannot leave the country or work for the government. The government is concerned about the problems they might cause in government departments. They were also expelled from the education sector for potentially instilling false ideologies in students. Even as company employees, they had little freedom.

Then, a murder case involving a senior manager at a large corporation occurred.

The manager, who had gone to work, suddenly clutched his neck in agony and died. Surprisingly, the cause of death was drowning, but the killer was never identified.

There were three Manseongs in the same building who could manipulate water, but they could only handle the amount of a cup of water.

The fact that a cup of water could kill someone spread fear and hatred of lower-level Manseongs throughout society. They became isolated from their colleagues and often resigned or were forced to leave.

Lower-level Manseongs were attacked everywhere, with no one to turn to. Desperate, they formed a guild and began to act like a gang.

Even a swarm of bees can kill a hornet.

If lower-level Manseongs continued to cause problems, it would not be good for other Manseongs. Why do mid-upper Manseongs risk their lives to hunt high-level mutants? Ultimately, it's to survive. If they antagonize the government and citizens, they will only suffer in mutant hunting and lose respect.

While mid-upper Manseongs had a sense of privilege, they understood that their privileges came from coexistence. Therefore, they decided to take responsibility for the lower-level Manseongs.

However, the state and Manseongs could not openly trade Wu stones, so they used the term 'mutant hunting reward' instead of 'item payment.'

A law prohibiting the export of minerals from mutants between individuals was passed, and South Korea became comparable to oil-producing countries within just two years. The country's dependence on imported raw materials significantly decreased, and it even exported the valuable minerals.

Some feared that the country would be at risk due to the coveted Wu stones, but no minerals were found when the military, not Manseongs, killed mutants.

But would the Manseongs who come to Korea to consume precious minerals be welcomed in a country without mutants?

"What about the guild buildings and personal assets in Korea?"

"The guilds and personal assets remain the same. Your father didn't even know you were missing."

If he had known, he might have declared you dead and seized your assets. But your father was more interested in power than money, so that's a bit of a stretch.

"Now that there are no more mutants, Korea definitely won't welcome them."

When there were mutants, Manseongs coexisted reluctantly, but now that the danger is gone, they would be unwelcome guests.

"Seun, did you really live in isolation?"

"What?"

"Idiot, Seun."

Abdulraziz placed more well-cooked meat on Seun's plate. Seun thanked him, and Chahaya handed him a phone.

In the early days of using the gate, people's clothes and items remained the same, so having a phone was not unusual. Besides, Chahaya had recently been to Seoul.

【Emergency Disaster Text】

Mutant Disaster Control Center: On April 20, a level 3 mutant monster (No. 232) is expected to appear in Cheoin District, Yongin City. Beware of damage. From April 18, access within 20km of Cheoin District is prohibited, and residents are ordered to evacuate.

The date on the emergency disaster text Chahaya showed was confusing.

"What's the date today?"

"April 15."

<‘Elephant Shrew Cha Seun’ is trying to detect the mutants in South Korea.>

What does that mean?

<On April 20 at 3 PM, a mutant monster is expected to appear at the 'Theme Park' in Pogok-eup. It's not level 3 as predicted, it's level 5!>

Seun, who was stunned by the voice in his head, stared at Chahaya. Chahaya threw a candy into Seun's open mouth.

"Damn, what are you doing?"

The candy didn't go in properly and fell to the floor. Seun quickly picked it up, dusted it off, and put it in a container.

"Seun, did you live like a beggar all this time? I'm really moved."

"Shut up."

"That's why everyone is desperately searching for Seun. Now, mutants don't just appear in the underworld."

Chahaya poured candies from a container he had brought out.

"We're planning to go through the gate on the 19th with Abdul and Donhee. Level 3 should be manageable with that number."

<It's not level 3 as predicted, it's level 5!>

If it's really level 5 as the messenger said, the three of them could be in danger.

Seun had only encountered level 5 mutants five times. Even among those, several promising Manseongs had lost their lives.

"I need to talk to Chahaya for a moment."

"Seun, do you want to stay out of it?"

"No, I'll move."

Seun grabbed Chahaya's wrist.

"Cha Seun, you almost made me swoon with your charisma."

Stop talking nonsense and follow me, he said, leading Chahaya out of the rooftop iron door. He glanced at the two left on the roof but didn't show interest since he and Chahaya had had several private meetings before.

Seun finally let go of Chahaya's arm and motioned for him to come down a bit.

The stairs were dark, so Chahaya led the way, and Seun followed closely behind. Although Chahaya had never explicitly said it, he seemed to have no trouble identifying things in the dark after his awakening.

Seun stopped on the second floor.

Chahaya looked up at Seun from a few steps below. The dim light from the first floor illuminated Seun but cast a shadow on Chahaya.

"From now on, what I'm about to say is only for you to know."

"Am I going to swoon again?"

"It's not something to swoon over. Just promise to keep it a secret. I'll keep your secret next time."

"I don't have any secrets."

Chahaya drew out the conversation.

Really.

"I know when Cha Seun, who pretends to be my best friend, will turn around again."

"Hey, when did I...?"

Given his past actions, he had no defense, even with ten mouths. Now, he could only admit it.

"I promise not to do it again, okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

Seun finally got Chahaya to agree to keep the secret.

"Is it related to the big deal you mentioned earlier?"

Chahaya brought up the topic that had been forgotten due to Abdulraziz's appearance.

"No, it's more important than that."

Seun closed the distance with Chahaya, who was standing two steps below.

"It's level 5. The mutant appearing on April 20 is not level 3 but level 5. Sending only Kangsan and the others could be dangerous."

He whispered as quietly as possible.

1) Wu (宇): It means space. When combined with Zhou (宙), which means infinite time, it forms 'universe,' encompassing everything.