Chapter 253: Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Planetary Alliance (2)

Oval Office, White House, USA.

President Robert wrestled with a pile of documents, his brow furrowed.

With the recent increase in gate occurrences, the national defense budget had to be reorganized.

'Did they say the cause of all this was the Shadow...?'

An evil organization that moved so covertly that even he, the President of the United States, had only recently caught their tail.

What he found out about them was shocking, to say the least.

The Golden Triangle Syndicate in the Philippines was just the tip of the iceberg.

The drug cartel 'El Sombra' that controlled the Mexican border.

The 'Red Bratva' that monopolized the arms trafficking market in Eastern Europe.

Italy's Mafia 'Nero Famiglia' and even the African warlord group 'Black Ivory Corps'.

Those who gained notoriety across continents were actually nothing more than hands and feet serving a single head.

They were not a simple criminal alliance.

They completely dominated the world's underworld, as if mocking even national intelligence networks.

And was it just the underworld?

Germany, a powerhouse ranked 4th in awakened strength, was practically a branch of the Shadow.

If Kim Minwoo hadn't tipped him off about the Shadow, he probably still wouldn't have caught their tail.

'It makes sense, considering even our intelligence agencies were corrupted...'

The CIA, FBI, and even the NSA's surveillance network were in the palm of their hands.

Reports were cleverly manipulated, and key information was omitted.

The eyes and ears of the world's strongest superpower were thoroughly covered, playing right into the game the Shadow had set up!

'This is really a headache...'

What's more, their tyranny didn't end here.

He had heard from Kim Minwoo that the Fire Spirit King incident that erupted there was also the work of the Shadow.

'The enemy is strong and hidden very well. We've dealt with the lower ranks, but how on earth should we solve the rest...'

It was when he was about to sign the budget plan, deep in thought.

Along with a clear notification sound, a blue hologram window appeared in the air.

He reflexively tried to call his bodyguards but stopped.

Because the content of the message was unusual.

[Planetary Alliance Proposal]

[Sender: Kaisar Continent Manager (Kim Minwoo)]

[Recipient: Earth's Representatives]

[A 'Planetary Alliance' has been proposed between your planet (Earth) and the Kaisar Continent.]

[Upon concluding the alliance, safe exchange and resource trade between both dimensions will become possible.]

[Please hurry to elect a General Representative for Earth and inform us whether you accept or reject this proposal.]

[The deadline is in 3 days.]

Robert's brow furrowed.

At a glance, it wasn't a continent on Earth.

It seemed like a place inside a gate.

'Was an alliance even possible?'

He was also quite a capable awakened individual himself.

Even so, he had never heard of such a thing happening.

Inside a gate was a place full of monsters to subjugate, not a place to go and make friends with enemies.

At that time, it wasn't just Robert.

From the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street in the UK, the Élysée Palace in France, Zhongnanhai in China, to the Kremlin in Russia.

The same message appeared before the eyes of the leaders of the 120 countries registered with the UN.

It was only natural for the world's top leadership to be turned upside down by the System's sudden intervention.

The repercussions didn't end there.

Awakened beings all over the world.

From F-rank to S-rank, messages also appeared before the eyes of everyone blessed by the System.

The content was slightly different.

[System Notice: The Opening of a New Era!]

[Voting for an alliance with the Kaisar Continent is in progress.]

[Kaisar Continent Manager: Kim Minwoo]

[Earth Representative: Undecided (There is currently no one ratified by the permanent member states.)]

[Depending on the result, exchanges will begin, opening up new hunting grounds, new resources, and new opportunities!]

The impact of this single line of message was nuclear.

'GateNet', which boasted the largest scale among hunter communities worldwide, was truly on the verge of exploding.

―Hey, do you guys see it too? Something about a Planetary Alliance [shivering]

―Wow, crazy lol. I just dropped my spoon while eating. Thought something happened lmao;

―Where the hell is the Kaisar Continent?

―Dunno. Anyone seen it in a gate?

―Seems like no one has?

―Is it a place inside a Hidden Gate?

―Was forming an alliance with a place inside a gate even possible?

―Grandpas, has this ever happened before?

―No, it's the first time I've seen a message since I was born. (83 years old)

―But is this Kim Minwoo possibly that Kim Minwoo? Necromancer Kim Minwoo?

―Kim Minwoo is a god! Kim Minwoo is a god! Kim Minwoo is a god!

―Damn, I believed in you lol

―No black cranes who didn't believe in Kim Minwoo here, right? Kyaa lol

The bulletin board was instantly paralyzed with thousands of posts regenerating.

The reaction was not just passionate but explosive.

It made sense, considering the System was the one presiding over this!

Whatever the System guaranteed could be trusted 100%.

At least, that had always been the case so far.

That meant this exchange would be a tremendous opportunity!

This was the reason awakened beings all over the world began to go into a frenzy.

Because gates and resources were woefully insufficient compared to the number of awakened beings.

Especially the higher up you went.

Standing at the center of that chaos, Robert pressed firmly on his throbbing temples.

Holding his phone, he made a call immediately.

To the Awakened of upheaval, Kim Minwoo.

"This is Robert. By any chance, is the Alliance Representative really you?"

―That's correct. I think I need to have a talk with you, Mr. President. Shall I go there? To where you are.

At the voice coming calmly over the receiver, Robert nodded with a bewildered face.

The White House, USA.

Kim Minwoo, who visited receiving treatment truly fit for a state guest, faced Robert.

"Nice to meet you. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"...Phew. Every time I see you, you bring me big problems. It really gives me a headache."

"Headache? Why is that?"

At his innocent gaze asking as if he truly didn't know, Robert gritted his teeth and answered.

"...Alliance with another planet, do you think this is an easy task? If any problem arises, I have to take all the blame, but the problem is I, who has to take that responsibility, don't even know what kind of place this Kaisar or whatever is!"

"Ah, so it was because of that. But, there's nothing to worry about. It'll be a tremendous boon. For you, Mr. President."

"...A tremendous boon?"

Grinning and nodding, Kim Minwoo took something out from inside his jacket.

Even a tattoo shown by rolling up his sleeve.

Plus Items and Runes were things he was already well aware of.

Ilsung's monopoly supplies.

"But what is that small bear tattoo?"

[A tattoo depicting the image of a brave bear.]

[Effect: Strength increased by 12%]

Robert blinked his eyes.

Is he saying this tiny picture boosts strength by a whopping 12%?

"This is crazy... What on earth is this?! I haven't heard of something existing...!"

"What do you think? It's a skill you can obtain from the Kaisar Continent. It's called Tattoo Art."

He explained simply to the appalled President.

While Runes were easy to sell, Tattoo Art required skeletons to engrave them directly, so they were only engraved on guild members to maintain security.

He continued speaking to the surprised man.

"That's not all. You could also craft runes..."

As Kim Minwoo's explanation continued, Robert's jaw began to drop endlessly.

"So, you mean not just tattoos, but all the exclusive crafting technologies utilized only by Ilsung will be released?"

"That's right. If that happens, what do you think will happen?"

"...Awakened beings will become stronger. Probably."

If supply overflows, prices are bound to drop.

The prices of relatively high-rank equipment would also decrease little by little.

It was one of the representative achievements.

"The benefits don't end there. The Shadow. You know about them too, right Mr. President? It will also be helpful in keeping them in check."

"Helpful. How so? They will also benefit from this..."

"The Shadow is only a tiny minority compared to the total number of awakened beings. If the skills of the absolute majority improve, it can also act as a check against the Shadow."

"Hmm... That does make sense, but..."

Suddenly, Kim Minwoo's face became serious.

This was the introduction.

Now it was time to stimulate Robert's desire.

"Mr. President, I heard the next presidential election isn't far off. I heard that man Johnson from the Republican party has quite the momentum."

"...That is correct. My staff also said this election would be tough. Ahem... But that... honestly, isn't that because of you?"

"Well... half of it is, yes."

Even though they had cemented their relationship by developing Slime Batteries and selling them jointly with the US, ultimately, the flow of American hegemony slowly slipping away couldn't be stopped.

'The fact that the highest-grade elixirs are slowly being released, too...'

And the fact that he swept away items at the Sky Auction.

From the outside, Robert looked like an incompetent president who was just getting beaten up endlessly.

And by none other than Korea, which was considered a weak awakened nation.

On the other hand, Johnson, a die-hard Republican, was shouting spiritedly, using his youth as a weapon.

―Korea? Those people aren't allies, they're leeches! If I come into power, I'll bring the Money Talks Guild headquarters to the middle of New York immediately. If they refuse, I'll drop a 500% tariff nuclear bomb! We can no longer have our wealth stolen. Only America First! Make America Great Again!

―I will impose tariffs on the whole world! For our stolen wealth and jobs!

A truly extreme America First proponent!

If Robert was closer to a moderate, Johnson was a hardliner.

If such a person became the US President, how tiring would things become in the future?

That had to be stopped.

Robert was also an America First proponent, but at least he was someone he could talk to.

"One of the permanent member states becomes the representative. It would likely be the US, right?"

"...Make this my achievement?"

"Earth's Representative. How cool is that? Plus, if accepted, all sorts of benefits will pour in, and you will receive all the spotlight in the future, won't you, Mr. President?"

Robert, who had been clearing his throat, suddenly had a dreamy look in his eyes.

'If all that is true...'

It would be a tremendous achievement.

Furthermore, he would be the representative of the first-ever planetary alliance contract.

His name would be passed down for generations.

"...Are there any side effects that might arise from the alliance?"

"Well, let's see. Rather than side effects... well. Just that other races might come over to Earth a bit?"

"If a problem erupts..."

"You know the System too, Mr. President. It's an alliance guaranteed by none other than the System, so you should trust it."

"Ahem. China probably won't stay still. That man Li Zemin has great greed, so he won't easily yield the representative seat..."

Robert sent a subtle signal.

Kim Minwoo nodded as if he understood immediately.

"It would be a bit difficult for the US to control alone. I'll help too."

"I'm curious. What was the reason that greedy old monster stayed still in the middle of Beijing back then?"

"You'll get hurt if you knew. You just have walk on the flower path, Mr. President."

Since negotiation was his specialty.

At his grinning face, Robert shook his head as if he couldn't help it.

"Then I'll leave Chairman Li to you. We'll handle the rest."

With America's power, being selected as the representative would be a piece of cake.

Even more so if China was out of the picture.

Since the behind-the-scenes coordination was finished...

"Let's schedule a press conference right away. Is your time okay?"

"Of course. Even if I don't have it, I have to make it."

The President, standing up with sparkling eyes, called his Chief of Staff.

For the alliance to become an achievement, shouldn't they clearly announce what benefits this would bring right away?

"Gather reporters from all over the world. Right now!"

At Robert's spirited shout, the Chief of Staff hurriedly ran out.

The dying ember of re-election was burning into a huge torch.

Vitality returned to his wrinkled eyes, and his bent back straightened naturally.

'Johnson, that brat.'

Robert looked out the window and let out a fishy smile.

As long as he was with Kim Minwoo, the master of the White House would be him forever.