-……The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs issued a statement of regret, saying that according to legal interpretation, the deceased did not engage in battle and therefore do not fall under the Special Compensation Act for Fallen Soldiers. In response, the Director of the Bureau posted on his personal social media: ‘The fallen were all honorable and perished for the country. If there was no battle, then why did they die? If we dismiss their sacrifice as meaningless, there will be no one left willing to sacrifice for the nation in the future.’ With this, a sharp conflict is expected between the Ministry and the Bureau…

Slurp!

“Nothing’s changed, past or present.”

Hwang Tae-su shook his head while eating jjajangmyeon in his office.

Just then, the names of the fallen scrolled across the bottom of the TV. When the name Kang Yoon-gu appeared, Hwang Tae-su put down his chopsticks.

As soon as the name Kang Yoon-gu appeared in the caption, his wife appeared on screen, sobbing uncontrollably.

Next to her was a child, perhaps five or six years old, who had no understanding of the father's death and simply laughed brightly at the constant camera flashes.

-……It is also reported that Team Leader Kang Yoon-gu, who was deployed on the mission, died on his wedding anniversary, deepening the public’s sorrow.

“Tsk.”

His appetite vanished for no reason. Hwang Tae-su put a cigarette in his mouth instead of eating. But he couldn't find a lighter.

Just as he fumbled for it—

Fwoosh!

A flame lit up from the side. Naturally, he lit his cigarette with it and took a few puffs before suddenly leaping up at a passing thought.

“Apologies if I startled you. It just looked like you were out of fire, so I lit it for you.”

“No, not at all.”

Hwang Tae-su waved his hands and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. How could he smoke in front of this man?

“You're free to smoke.”

“How could I possibly… Anyway, what brings you here? If you came to see Mr. Park, he’s outside right now.”

“How long has he been out there like that?”

“Since morning… about seven hours, I’d say. Shall I go bring Mr. Park in?”

“I didn’t come to see Park Yeon.”

With that, Seo-jun pulled something out of his subspace.

Thunk!

With a heavy sound, a bone was laid on the table.

“What in the world is this dog bone— I mean, what kind of bone is this?”

“Dragon bone.”

“……!”

“They say dragon bones are traded, too.”

“Did you… were you the one who took care of the dragons that appeared this time?”

“The ones that appeared this time were more like monsters than dragons.”

“…….”

Upon his affirmation, Hwang Tae-su’s mouth fell open. The appearance of a real dragon usually meant catastrophic casualties on a national scale.

But this time it was live dragons.

Not just one, but three!

And he said he took care of all of them?

‘Is that even possible?’

…He quickly realized that thought was foolish.

Because it was Monster 1.

That alone made everything make sense.

“I—I respect you!”

“Not afraid of me instead?”

“…….”

“Anyway, how much do these bones go for?”

“They’re traded for very high prices.”

“So how much exactly.”

“Do you know what dragon bones are called? Blank checks. The price is whatever someone is willing to pay.”

“Then I guess you’ve eaten part of a blank check before.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind. Do you know the most recent transaction prices?”

“Dragon bones have been traded twice this year. Once in the U.S., where bones were sold at $10 million per meter regardless of part. Another time in France, at €9 million per meter.”

“So about 10 billion won per meter.”

“Roughly, yes. Of course, there are slight variations depending on the condition.”

“What are dragon bones used for?”

Hwang Tae-su gave him a bewildered look. This man, who had just wiped out three dragons, didn’t know what they were used for?

He even wondered if he might be a bit dull—but that was a thought he must never entertain.

Monster 1 had the ability to read people like a book.

So think good thoughts. Good thoughts. Good thoughts…

“The uses are countless. Mostly, they’re used to make items. Like swords or shields crafted from refined bone… Oh, also in creating accessories for enchanting magic.”

“Accessories?”

“Well… do you know that enchanting magic has a percentage rate? Like, uh… success rates, to put it simply.”

Seo-jun shook his head.

“Uh, then this’ll be a bit complex. Enchanting magic onto specific accessories or objects is extremely difficult.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, simple spells like Translate or Clean are easy. But higher-difficulty magic is another story.”

“Hmm.”

“The higher the purity of the mana stone, the higher the chance of successful enchantment. But there is one material that guarantees a 100% success rate.”

“Dragon bone?”

“Yes. People even joke that if you successfully raid a real dragon, you can retire in Alaska or Sakhalin.”

“Hmm.”

As Seo-jun let out a contemplative hum, Hwang Tae-su asked with a hopeful look.

“So… how much should I arrange to move for you?”

Seo-jun had brought down three dragons.

A single dragon’s bones were worth about 1 trillion won—roughly 100 meters. So in total, that was around 3 trillion won.

A share of that kind of fortune could easily run into the hundreds of billions.

But unlike the expectant look on Hwang Tae-su’s face, Seo-jun only smacked his lips.

“About 10 meters.”

“Pardon?”

“About 10 meters remain.”

“You took down three dragons… how is it only 10 meters…?”

The dragon at Dongui Elementary and the one at Uam Historic Park had both been taken down by turning their own breath attacks against them.

They had completely vanished without a trace, not even a bone left behind due to their own breath.

The same went for the dragon on Dongbaekseom, but in that case, it lost balance and left behind a few bones.

“It just happened that way.”

This is insane!

Three trillion won. That’s three trillion won!

Even with inflation and the decline of currency value, it’s still three trillion won!

As far as Hwang Tae-su knew, North Korea’s annual budget was a little under ten trillion won.

This was equivalent to a third of a country’s annual budget. And what?

“It just happened that way”?

This crazy bastard!

“You look dissatisfied.”

“……”

Kind thoughts, kind thoughts, kind thoughts.

“Of course not. Hehehe.”

“How soon can it be handled?”

“Dragon bones are massive, so if you trade them carelessly, they’re easily tracked. Plus, the funds have to be laundered several times.”

“So how long would it take?”

“At least a month, sir.”

“Hmm… I need to use it urgently.”

“There is another method.”

“What is it?”

“Sell it to a broker like we do with mana stones.”

Seo-jun had occasionally entrusted Hwang Tae-su with selling mana stones. In the black market, mana stones were in high demand and were traded with only a 5% cut from the listed price.

“How much below market does dragon bone sell for?”

“Dragon bone is so rare that it’s difficult to sell it like mana stones. Only a few can process it. You could expect around 10% off the market price.”

“About 10 billion won?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s do that.”

“…Even so, it’s 10 billion won.”

“I’m in a hurry.”

“……”

“How much commission do you want?”

Hwang Tae-su tested the waters carefully.

“Would 5%… be too much?”

“I’ll give you 20%.”

“……!”

“But in return, why don’t you do something good this time?”

“Something… good?”

“Yes, something good.”

Director’s Office, Administration Bureau.

Lee Myung-seop was pacing nervously around the director’s office.

Knock knock—

He responded as if he’d been waiting.

“Yes, come in.”

The deputy director entered, face contorted.

“How did it go?”

“……”

“Why, what did they say that you’re not answering?”

“I didn’t hear directly from the VIP, but the chief of staff relayed a response… It’s unfortunate, but under current law, there’s nothing that can be done.”

“What the hell is this! They took every possible photo at the funeral, and now they’re saying what? Current law?”

“……”

“Who the hell is 200 million won supposed to help!”

Since the upheaval, much like the collapse of the medical insurance system, various laws had essentially become meaningless.

However, seven years ago, a special law had been enacted to grant a one-time payment of 200 million won to the bereaved families of awakened individuals proven to have died in service to the nation.

That law had rarely been honored with good intentions.

Recently, although there had been an uptick in incidents involving channels and gate rampages, the death rate among Administration Bureau agents was not especially high compared to other professions.

Firefighters lost about 20 people a year on average. Police officers lost more than 60.

In contrast, the Administration Bureau averaged 2 to 3 deaths annually.

As a result, politicians and businesspeople would use the occasion to cultivate public goodwill, raising funds and offering condolence donations to the families of the fallen.

Thanks to that, bereaved families often received far more than the compensation mandated by law.

But unfortunately, this time a general election was just around the corner.

Which meant it was the season when those in high places focused more on campaigning than memorial fundraising for the fallen.

Of course, he could understand. Elections were a matter of survival for politicians.

But… he hadn’t imagined even the president would turn away. He’d forgotten that even the president was just another damned politician.

‘What’s so great about power…’

After the upheaval, the presidency had become subject to re-election. But so far, no president had ever been re-elected.

Most likely… current President Lee Moon-guk hoped to be South Korea’s first re-elected president.

And to do that, the ruling party had to win the general election.

In the end, from their perspective, dealing with the fallen was no more meaningful than clinging to a dead child’s testicles.

“…So they died for nothing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Deputy Director. It’s my fault for being inadequate. People really are… different when they go into the restroom and when they come out. I didn’t know. I didn’t know…”

Lee Myung-seop sighed softly and continued.

“Call in some reporters.”

“Reporters? Why…”

“I’m going to quit anyway. Might as well splash some shit water on the faces of those who used the restroom.”

“Director.”

“It’s fine. Please call the reporters.”

Just then—

Knock knock!

A secretary entered with the knock.

“Director, there’s someone here who’d like to speak with you.”

“I don’t have any scheduled meetings, do I?”

“Ah, this person didn’t schedule in advance, but he said he’d like to talk with you regarding the compensation for the fallen’s bereaved families…”

Normally, Lee Myung-seop didn’t meet with random people like this. Too many came with petty requests or favors. But right now, he was desperate enough to grab at straws.

“Let them in.”