Chapter 48

Chapter 48
## Suddenly in Command

I had no idea how the situation had devolved into this, but I had unexpectedly been thrust into a leadership role for this relief expedition.

“Damn it. Just my luck.”

I grumbled under my breath, my eyes never leaving the mountain of paperwork I was relentlessly processing. Lee Se-eun had successfully reached the Netherlands two days prior, but she had spent the subsequent three days in recovery.

A hunter ranked in the top ten was essentially a national asset. It was only logical that they would afford her such special treatment.

However, I was also on track to become a national asset myself. Wasn’t it a bit much to bury me in this much labor?

“How do we manage the distribution of the aid? Much like the previous crisis in Warsaw, it’s becoming nearly impossible to regulate.”

Faking the ration documents, pilfering supplies from neighbors, using children or the elderly to elicit sympathy—human nature remained constant regardless of the location.

Furthermore, people were beginning to address me with a new level of formal respect.

I offered the man a blunt, frigid response.

“Establish a specific daily total for disbursement and a set timeframe. It’s open to anyone during those hours. Lock the gates exactly three hours after you start, or the moment the day’s quota is exhausted.”

I didn’t care if people lined up twice. I didn’t care if they resorted to theft or mugging one another for extra. It was time to implement a relief strategy inspired by the harsh logic of another world.

“Will that… actually produce results?”

I countered his hesitation immediately.

“Your distributions have been dragging on for ten hours. Take those seven saved hours and scour the district like you’re flushing out vermin.”

The focus needed to be on identifying those secretly hoarding supplies for profit or violently seizing the portions of others.

“When you catch them, crush them. And provide a bonus to anyone who provides a credible tip.”

This was disaster management styled after a fantasy kingdom. I wasn’t sure if it even qualified as “relief” anymore, but it didn’t matter.

“That’s going to trigger a massive witch hunt.”

The logic was simple: that neighbor has plenty, so let’s turn him in, strip him of his goods, and claim a reward. It was a fair critique; in fact, it was the fundamental flaw of such a system.

“It’s an unavoidable trade-off.”

I wasn’t trying to build a perfect, thousand-year utopia for resource distribution.

“If you want a policy that makes everyone happy, wait until you’re in the afterlife.”

We were dealing with humans, and any system designed by humans to govern others was guaranteed to have cracks.

If the advantages outweighed the complications, you simply committed to the path.

“But still…”

“There are no ‘buts’.”

It was comparable to medical triage. If a treatment with zero side effects existed, you’d take it. If not, you did whatever was necessary to keep the heart beating.

This crisis was no different.

“Three hours of distribution, a hard cap on supplies. After that, every able-bodied person is assigned to hunt down the fraudsters manipulating the rations.”

Another voice interrupted my instructions.

“But those siphoning off the goods likely have resources. What happens when they try to pay off the guards…?”

“Han Sang-ah.”

At the sound of her name, Han Sang-ah—who was actually present in the command center for once—shifted her attention toward me.

“I had the chance to witness your work in Warsaw.”

“I recall.”

It had been undeniably effective. She had decapitated the men hoarding food and victimizing the vulnerable, then displayed their heads in the public square. It was savage, but I viewed it as the most logical solution for the environment.

“I believe your methods were correct. Replicate them here.”

There were bound to be criminal syndicates behind the hoarders. I intended to locate them, take their heads, and hang them in the center of the market.

“Wait a minute, I won’t sit here and listen to this madness!”

Finally, a member of the council surged to his feet in protest.

“The Netherlands might be under temporary administration, but it’s our administration! Do you not feel the need to consult us before enforcing these rules?”

I fixed my gaze on him. The Secret Alliance. These were warlords who had originated in the Netherlands and expanded their influence into France and Spain.

The man shouting was Robert Anelka, the individual they had installed as the Governor of the Netherlands.

“I don’t believe I do, Robert Anelka.”

I rose from my seat as I spoke. Robert’s expression turned brittle. There was no way he hadn’t heard the accounts of what happened in Hamburg.

Yet, he had spoken up anyway. The reason was transparent.

He was tied to every criminal organization currently embedded in the Netherlands.

“Don’t worry. I had no intentions of dragging all of you down alongside them.”

I recognized that despite the chaos, they were the ones maintaining the current structure of the Netherlands. Eradicating them entirely would only invite total collapse.

“Simply cooperate without a fuss, and I will leave you alone.”

“You…”

Robert began to retort but forced himself to go silent.

“You are essentially foreigners here. Do you honestly think you can survive the inevitable blowback?”

“These supplies were manufactured in Korea and transported by our hands. They belong to us. If they aren’t reaching their intended destination, we possess the absolute right to intervene and take corrective measures.”

I let my hand slide slowly across the surface of the table as I concluded.

“What are you going to do, sue us? I’m not convinced a pack of armed criminals without a shred of international legitimacy even has the standing to file a claim.”

These were just lucky street thugs who had managed to swallow a nation, and now they were acting entitled.

“Do you honestly believe Lee Se-eun would sanction this kind of behavior?”

He was desperate enough to hide behind Lee Se-eun’s reputation.

“You are speaking to me, not Lee Se-eun. And I have her full authorization to manage this situation.”

“When Lee Se-eun realizes what you’ve done…!”

It wouldn’t change a thing. I looked away from Robert and issued the final orders.

“This meeting is adjourned. Calculate the daily allotments and report back. Organize the patrol units and their shifts, and have it on my desk by this afternoon.”

I exited the chamber and made my way to my private quarters. Shortly after, there was a tap at the door, and Ja Su-jeong entered.

“You were quite the firebrand today.”

“I know. Even I found my performance rather repulsive.”

I offered a blunt critique of my own actions. Ja Su-jeong looked taken aback, as if she had been prepared to offer a compliment.

“Oh? No, I meant you displayed genuine command and…”

“I’m not doing this for an ego boost.”

Charisma? I couldn’t care less about her interpretation.

“This is just using overwhelming force to bypass obstacles.”

I am more powerful than you, so you subordinates will stay silent and follow orders, or I will break you. That was the reality.

I squeezed my hand into a tight fist. This was the exact brand of tyranny I had grown to loathe in that other world—the very thing I had fought against.

And yet, here I was, recreating it on Earth.

“It was simply the only viable path I could see right now. But I don’t enjoy it.”

Even rationalizing it as the best choice didn’t ease the bitter taste in my mouth.

“Do you have the paperwork for the daily distribution?”

I looked toward the documents Ja Su-jeong held, and she passed the file to me.

“Yes. We are ready to proceed with these figures.”

I provided my signature, exhaled a weary breath, and stood up.

“Good. I appreciate the effort.”

Leaving her behind, I walked to the area where Lee Se-eun was resting.

“I’ve read the briefing.”

I gave a short nod in response.

“I’m aware this isn’t your preferred method, but there was no alternative.”

She was the one who had delegated the authority to me.

“It’s fine. Our methodologies vary, which is expected. The important thing is that the machinery is moving.”

I scanned the room as she spoke.

“Are you still playing it back?”

Lee Se-eun was stuck in a mental loop, obsessively reviewing her clash with the army coats from Hamburg. Her physical wounds and the exhaustion of the fight had faded long ago.

She whispered a response to my query.

“Yes. I can’t find the opening.”

Regardless of how many times she dissected the encounter, she couldn’t find a path to victory.

In our world, they called this “hitting the wall.” It looked like she would be struggling against it for some time. I doubted she would value my perspective, but I spoke anyway.

“True understanding doesn’t usually arrive in a sudden bolt of lightning.”

That was the only insight I could offer.

We weren’t monks in meditation. If you sought greater strength, you engaged in combat, accumulated scars, and hardened your resolve. Being a hunter was a physical profession—you didn’t ascend to new tiers through quiet reflection.

“…I suppose.”

She gave a reluctant sign of agreement.

“Once we stabilize the Netherlands and move the goods through the port to England, the shield generators will follow.”

That would signal the end of our current contract.

“I’m aware. Why mention it now?”

“Dangun’s Heirs won’t just walk away.”

It was highly likely they would attempt to sabotage the shield generators in England as well.

“So, you intend to stay in England?”

“Correct. The Embassy Tower estimates it will take three to four months to gather any significant data.”

Han Sang-ah and I intended to sign brief contracts to remain in England during that window.

“What’s the end goal?”

“Use those few months in England to sharpen our abilities. Then, during the return trip to Korea, we hit that Grade 1 Erosion Core fridge we encountered in Bratsk.”

Lee Se-eun looked me over carefully and let out a sharp laugh.

“You’re absolutely insane.”

She tossed a strawberry-flavored candy toward me. I caught it, and after a brief silence, she spoke again.

“I had planned to take a genuine leave of absence after this. Maybe a month, perhaps two.”

She had guarded Cheorwon for years without pause before jumping into this transport mission. Even someone like Lee Se-eun wasn’t indestructible; she required a reprieve.

“I’ll stay behind as well. England isn’t going to turn me away. I’ll provide whatever assistance is needed.”

Her eyes took on a sharp glint.

“If you manage to achieve something significant while I’m away… I’ll join your raid on that fridge.”

I gave her a respectful bow.

“I appreciate that.”

There was no reason to decline a partner of her caliber. As she watched me bow, she added a final thought.

“The Bratsk fridge is considered one of the lower-tier Grade 1s. We use standardized rankings for cores, but…”

“I know. The variance within Grade 1 and above is massive.”

A shared label didn’t imply a shared level of danger. The power gaps there were even more pronounced than in the lower ranks.

“Regardless, a Grade 1 is a Grade 1. You mentioned wanting to build a team specifically for hunting them.”

She looked toward her oversized blade as she spoke.

“Even after what you faced in Bratsk, I hope you maintain that drive. Some hunters at my station call them the ultimate challenge… others just call them hell.”

“I’ll keep it.”

I had already walked through a literal hell. It wasn’t this one, but it counted.

Lee Se-eun’s expression turned pensive. If we succeeded here, perhaps she would move on from her partnership with Zanabi and join forces with me permanently.