Chapter 160: The Toughened Gate

Chapter 160: The Toughened Gate

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

160 – The Toughened Gate

After sending James, who had lost his foot in the battle against Grimpanther, back to the Liberator with the medical pod on Nautilus, Myung-jun moved to the military tent set up by the US military in the Grand Canyon. There, Soo-jeong and Skyler, having cleared up their misunderstanding through a one-on-one conversation while the US government requested an emergency meeting with other countries’ Awakener management organizations, were chatting amicably.

“It seems the misunderstanding has been resolved.”

“Well, it was an unavoidable situation. It looks like he couldn’t let Skyler down while fighting such a strong Awakener.”

Soo-jeong was in a good mood. Despite the increased difficulty of the gate, Myung-jun had returned unscathed, and through Skyler, she had heard in detail how powerful the beast-type combat system she designed was. This helped restore her pride, which had been shattered by the sight of the Dogfight being destroyed in the battle against Orion.

“Due to the urgency of the request, some countries are absent, but we have connected with the key officials from the major countries.”

“We’ve also called in all the instructors from Liberty City. Although they are currently on Icarus’s instructor duty, they are originally the top Awakeners from their respective countries.”

“How will the meeting be conducted?”

“The equipment brought by the US military is set up to connect only with the White House, so we’ll use the hologram sphere we brought for this meeting.”

Soo-jeong pointed to a round mechanical device on the table. The device, with multiple holes and emitting a soft LED light, hovered in the air without any propellers.

“Everyone is waiting for you. Shall we start now?”

When Myung-jun nodded, Soo-jeong lightly clapped her hands. Instantly, multiple beams of light shot out from the hovering device, projecting dozens of holographic screens around Myung-jun.

Facing the eyes of the heads of Awakener management organizations and world rankers from the frontlines of gate strategies, Myung-jun began to speak with a serious expression.

“Thank you for responding to this sudden meeting request. The reason I’ve called you all here is because a situation has arisen that could pose a significant threat to future gate strategies.”

The term ‘significant threat’ coming from the world’s strongest Awakener was enough to make everyone in the meeting tense. Even those who had been forced to attend the meeting in the middle of the night due to time differences were instantly wide awake.

With everyone’s attention focused on him, Myung-jun began to recount what he had experienced inside the gate.

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“So, you’re saying that even using a Striker, it would be difficult to clear the purple gate?”

Myung-jun nodded at the question from Suzuki Kentaro, the representative of Japan’s Awakener management organization, the Dungeon Agency.

“Is there more to discuss? I believe I’ve done my part.”

“You’ve only conveyed the situation without providing any solutions.”

“You’ll have to find your own solutions. Whether the gate difficulty increases or not, it doesn’t matter to us. Whether we clear it solo or as a team, the Liberal Clan has plenty of members capable of tackling high-grade gates.”

“While that may be true for the Liberal Clan, other countries, including Germany, are not in such a fortunate position. Moreover, even if we form teams, all capable personnel are currently dispatched as instructors to Icarus.”

“So?”

Seeing the world’s strongest human looking at him with an expression that said, ‘What do you expect me to do about it?’ Thomas felt a suffocating frustration. At that moment, President Biden, who was attending the meeting beside Myung-jun, spoke in a soothing tone.

“Mr. Myung-jun, we all understand that the Liberal Clan, as a private organization not affiliated with any country, has no obligation to take responsibility for this situation. What we’re suggesting is that perhaps the Liberal Clan might find a way to offer some assistance in this crisis. Of course, we’re prepared to compensate you adequately.”

Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Myung-jun responded.

“Tell me specifically what you want.”

Wang Chengming, the head of China’s Awakener management organization, the Ministry of Abnormalities, spoke up.

“Could you increase the number of Strikers allocated to each country, even if just a little?”

Given the potential impossibility of clearing 7th-grade or higher gates with Strikers, the most reliable method was to deploy at least one Striker for 5th-grade gates and three or more for 6th-grade gates. However, unlike Japan and the US, which had ample allocations, China was set to receive only 18 Strikers. This meant China could simultaneously tackle only six 6th-grade gates or clear fewer than 18 5th-grade gates, marking the limit of their gate-clearing capacity.

“Of course, we are willing to pay for any additional orders. The most crucial thing right now is to prevent the overflow of gates,” Wang Chengming stated.

Nodding in agreement, representatives from other countries with even fewer allocated Strikers echoed his sentiment.

“France is in the same situation. Thirteen units are not enough to cover all the gates nationwide.”

“South Korea has it worse. We only have ten units.”

“Indonesia and the Philippines are in an even more dire situation, with only one unit each. A single Striker cannot possibly cover the enhanced gates occurring within their territories.”

Listening to the various representatives, who seemed to be treating the request for more Strikers as if it were a given, Myung-jun sighed deeply.

“More Strikers, huh...”

He then propped his feet up on the table in front of him and spoke.

“Do you think you’ve left them with us for safekeeping?”

The look on Myung-jun’s face clearly conveyed his firm stance: no additional Strikers would be provided beyond the promised quantities, no matter what they said.