Manager Oh, who arrived in a suit, and Director Kim, who appeared in a casual jumper.
Though the atmosphere between them was different, their eyes looking at the turtle monster were alike, filled with excitement.
Director Kim, who had rushed toward Team Leader Han, began speaking rapidly.
“It’s enormous. And from what you said over the phone, it’s almost close to C-Rank. Plus, despite the Dimensional Core being contaminated, that shell withstood conventional weaponry. This is a treasure trove of resources.”
Director Kim’s eyes sparkled like starlight as he spoke.
Feeling slightly burdened by that gaze, Team Leader Han quickly turned his head.
Anyway, before Director Kim arrived, the team members had agreed to leave the negotiations regarding the turtle monster to Yonghoon. Everyone was concerned about Yonghoon’s condition, but he was the only one truly capable of handling the negotiations about the turtle monster.
Team Leader Han immediately pushed Director Kim toward Yonghoon.
“It would probably be best if you discussed it with our captain. After all, he captured it himself and knows its value better than anyone.”
Director Kim immediately ran over to Yonghoon.
Yonghoon was sitting beside the monster, resting. Though he had changed clothes and washed up, his pale face showed he was still not in great condition.
Director Kim came to a halt when he reached Yonghoon. Memories of Yonghoon’s actions at the company resurfaced.
But that was all in the past. Burying the cost of the measuring device Yonghoon had broken deep in his heart, Director Kim spoke.
“It’s been a while. Team Leader Han told me to discuss the corpse with you……”
Director Kim ended up trailing off. It seemed Yonghoon had left a strong impression on him.
Yonghoon nodded. Indeed, in this world, he knew more about this monster than anyone else.
It was a monster that had appeared alongside high-level monsters during the mid-stage of the war. Though he had told the Team Crazy members that he learned about it from Instructor Seo, in truth, it was information he had gained through hard hunting with other Awakened.
Thanks to that knowledge, they were able to capture the monster this time.
“We rushed over after receiving the call, but would it be alright if we handled it? We didn’t realize it was this large before arriving. The opposition from the other side won’t be easy.”
Director Kim glanced at Manager Oh, who was talking with Grace.
Yonghoon thought the same.
The size of the captured turtle monster was incomparable to other monsters. It was tens to hundreds of times larger than the others. Moreover, its shell, boasting tremendous defense, was undoubtedly the best material for crafting defensive equipment.
Even without considering the monster’s unique abilities that only Yonghoon knew, the corpse alone was enough to stir greed.
That’s why Yonghoon had secured a promise from Grace beforehand.
“Huh? You promised?”
From Grace’s side, a scream-like shout from Manager Oh rang out.
Director Kim looked bewildered at Manager Oh’s outburst, and Yonghoon explained to him about the promise he had obtained from Grace.
Director Kim’s face brightened.
“If you got confirmation from Link Corp’s second-in-command, that’s more than enough. Plus, she’s from HQ, so Manager Oh won’t be able to do anything. I can’t believe I’m this happy!”
Director Kim smiled brightly as he watched Manager Oh despairing in front of Grace.
In the end, Grace did not retract her words, and Manager Oh was left deeply dejected.
Even afterward, Manager Oh pestered Team Leader Han by following him around, but Team Leader Han feigned ignorance, and Manager Oh had no choice but to return empty-handed.
Watching Manager Oh with a satisfied smile, Director Kim turned back to Yonghoon. With the obstacle removed, it was time to negotiate.
“Then, please tell me the price you want. There’s a standard rate, but we can’t treat such excellent materials that way.”
Yonghoon nodded at his words and laid out the conditions he had prepared.
Hearing Yonghoon’s conditions, Director Kim looked a bit troubled. It was beyond his authority to decide. He immediately called HQ and soon received approval from the higher-ups.
After reaching an agreement with Yonghoon, he mobilized all available resources from the company-technicians, Awakened, equipment, trucks-and headed to Asan City.
Thus began Shilla Heavy Industries’ alligator snapping turtle transport operation.
The first Safe Zone installation of the new year left many stories behind.
Two stories, in particular, became major topics. The first was about the alligator snapping turtle transported from Asan City to Suwon. The massive monster, 30 meters long and 13 meters tall, was not easy to move.
Moreover, its shell, impossible to cut on-site, was eventually loaded onto a specially sourced oversized cargo module trailer and transported via the national highway to Suwon.
This scene perfectly suited the government’s desire to promote monster hunting and was simultaneously featured across various broadcasts and newspapers. However, to avoid drawing attention to ordinary Awakened, the government censored Team Crazy’s name.
The Team Crazy members were simply grateful for the government’s actions to shield their identities. They had already gained considerable fame from past incidents, and additional fame would only bring more fatigue.
Still, among Awakened, soldiers, and within the government, word spread that it was Team Crazy who captured the turtle monster.
The other story was the footage Yonghoon was now watching on TV. In it, Grace was speaking to the camera.
“……We will fight for you until the very end.”
The video ended with Grace solemnly bowing her head.
The government decided to use Grace’s interview from the rescue site as it was. Although it differed slightly from what the government wanted, they thought her sincere words would better unite the people.
And that decision proved right.
The public service announcement featuring the battle scenes and Grace’s appeal sparked an overwhelming response nationwide.
Her photo graced the front pages of various daily newspapers, and her video spread everywhere.
As time passed, the internet was flooded with memes, and people’s phones and computer desktops were plastered with Grace’s photos. Entertainment reporters, not social affairs reporters, began chasing her around.
Two weeks after that day, Grace had become the star she wished to be.
Yonghoon could only shake his head bitterly at the irony of the situation. Her heartfelt plea had turned her into a star and, ironically, glorified countless deaths.
Death on the battlefield was not a beautiful story filled with love and sacrifice. It was a sorrowful and painful tale, swirling with grief, curses, pain, and all the emotions Grace had spoken of.
Still, since she had done her best, Yonghoon chose to think positively. Besides, he had no right to judge her. His own goals were even more selfish than hers.
Turning off the TV in the living room, Yonghoon began gathering the items he needed for the hunt.
Among the various basic equipment, two peculiar items stood out.
One was a murky Dimensional Core that appeared contaminated, and the other was a strangely shaped stone fragment. The Dimensional Core looked several times larger than usual, seemingly from a massive monster.
These two items were things Yonghoon had personally extracted from the monster before Shilla Heavy Industries transported the turtle monster.
Director Kim had said nothing when Yonghoon removed the unknown stone fragment from deep inside the monster’s throat, but when he extracted the Dimensional Core, Kim’s eyes widened, and he clung to Yonghoon. He hadn’t expected the core to be so large.
He pleaded with Yonghoon to hand over the Dimensional Core to the company, even threatening that the monster’s corpse might decay without it. But Yonghoon had no choice but to refuse.
If Shilla Heavy Industries learned the true use of these two items, it would surely become troublesome. Yonghoon had already decided to use the Dimensional Core and the stone fragment within Team Crazy.
The conditions Yonghoon had told Director Kim were as follows.
The first condition was that Team Crazy would use the Dimensional Core and the stone fragment mentioned earlier.
The second was to craft a shield for Team Leader Han and breastplates for all the team members using the turtle monster’s shell. Yonghoon also requested several modifications, including leaving the Dimensional Core slots empty.
Compared to the size of the giant turtle monster’s shell, it wasn’t a large amount, and with the promise of covering the production costs, Director Kim readily agreed.
The third condition was not to sell the turtle monster’s corpse outright but to split the profits from products made from it.
Yonghoon brought up this idea while discussing with the team members before Director Kim arrived.
To strengthen cooperation with Shilla Heavy Industries, with whom they would continue trading, he proposed profit-sharing. With Team Leader Han and Kangwoo leading the way, everyone agreed.
However, Yonghoon’s true intention was slightly different.
From his recent conversation with Instructor Seo, he learned that Link System’s internal situation wasn’t very good.
Hearing that, Yonghoon thought he also needed to find a company to cooperate with separately.
He considered Shilla Heavy Industries, with whom he had been trading, and asked Kangwoo about it.
After hearing relatively positive feedback from Kangwoo, Yonghoon suggested profit-sharing as a way to strengthen ties with Shilla Heavy Industries.
Yonghoon planned to continue handing over monster corpses in this manner. As product sales from monster corpses grew, the bond between Team Crazy and Shilla Heavy Industries would deepen.
In that sense, it was even more important that the Dimensional Core and stone fragment remained hidden from Shilla Heavy Industries.
Yonghoon looked at the Dimensional Core, about the size of a ping-pong ball. It was murky from contamination.
Though people didn’t know, this Dimensional Core was the key to the turtle monster’s regenerative abilities.
Even in the other world, turtle monsters were often hunted to craft breastplates or shields from their shells.
The regenerative properties of the turtle monster slightly carried over to the defensive equipment made from its shell, allowing them to last much longer than ordinary weapons.
However, shields and breastplates were ultimately consumables. No matter how large the monster’s shell was, the amount that could be made was limited, and turtle monsters were quite rare.
Eventually, equipment made from turtle monster shells became exclusive to wealthy high-level Awakened for defense purposes.
After the front lines collapsed severely, even they could no longer obtain turtle shell armor or shields.
However, some of them continued using such equipment until Yonghoon crossed into this world.
Everyone was curious, but they kept their mouths tightly shut.
As time passed, two years ago-one year before Yonghoon crossed over-he finally heard the secret of their breastplates from a high-level Awakened he had operated with.
Embedded in their breastplates were not ordinary Dimensional Cores but fragments of the turtle monster’s Dimensional Core.
Strangely, the turtle monster’s Dimensional Core restored the equipment made from its shell.
When an Awakened infused Dimensional Power into the turtle core embedded in the equipment, the damaged gear would return to its original state. It seemed the monster’s innate ability fully activated when the core and shell met.
Two weeks after the Safe Zone installation, the equipment Yonghoon had requested finally arrived today. He planned to divide the Dimensional Core among the team members’ equipment and head out for a hunt.
Yonghoon carefully placed the Dimensional Core into the Dimensional Core storage container and packed the stone fragment separately.
He needed to verify this item during today’s hunt. If his guess was right, it would greatly benefit the team.
Yonghoon stretched his body. He had been bedridden for almost a week.
But thanks to rehabilitation, he was now fully recovered.
Satisfied with his condition, Yonghoon stepped out to go hunting.