Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

The government has announced a solution to the crisis.

It is the E-Class Blessing.

Although Korea had been constantly hearing gloomy news, the atmosphere was finally lifted, and the mood was celebratory.

└ “Perfect Clear Awakened! A national treasure!”

└ “But with a blessing range of only 50 km, they’d need over 40 installations just for the Korean Peninsula. How long would that take?”

└ “Stop complaining. Other countries are wailing over this.”

└ “I’m an Awakened, and I just got a 4-chain clear alert yesterday.”

└ “You can get four Perfect Clears in a row? Seriously?”

└ “Wow, if that’s true, this crisis will be over in 10 days.”

Even the media, which had been heavily criticizing the current government, quickly changed its stance.

The government, which had resolved a national catastrophe, now found the political tides turning in its favor.

Particularly because the Perfect Clear Awakened was publicly affiliated with the government, their achievement in uncovering the effects of the E-Class Blessing shone even brighter.

The government’s contribution in recruiting and protecting Awakened individuals also received renewed praise.

Comments made by journalists during public briefings resurfaced, causing backlash.

“Help Japan first? We don’t even have enough blessings for our own country! Are you crazy?”

“Why is this our responsibility? We’ve suffered the most!”

“Who is that reporter?”

The personal information of these reporters was exposed on social media.

Their remarks, which clearly stemmed from political motives, became fodder for the ruling party to use in counterattacks against the opposition.

Aden and Kang Hyun were just as thrilled.

“I never dreamed the blessing would have such effects!”

“Right? No wonder it took so long to figure it out.”

It wasn’t a visible effect, after all.

“But this means you’ll be running dungeons non-stop for a while.”

“Well, that’s just part of the job. Running dungeons is what we do.”

But not today. Their mana was depleted.

It was time to check their rewards.

“Opening four boxes at once! I’m so excited!”

“But first…”

It was about time.

Ding!

“Money’s in!”

“What money?”

“The crisis assessment fee.”

It took some time to settle the accounts. It was a large sum exchanged among multiple guilds.

‘Looks like my wealth is finally starting to grow.’

They had also accumulated mana stones from previous dungeon runs.

During their F-class days, they earned about 200 per dungeon.

Now that they were E-class, it was 700 per run.

“How much money do you have right now?”

“Just under 100 million won.”

“Oh, that’s about the same as me!”

“…How much are you even making from appearance fees?”

She had never even run a dungeon. No wonder Awakened folks were obsessed with fame.

Suddenly, Kang Hyun felt a pang of futility.

“But now, you’ll definitely be richer than me soon.”

“Let’s see how much came in.”

Aden, munching on snacks, grabbed her phone and leaned in close. The scent of fresh greenery, typical of elves, wafted over.

“What’s your settlement ratio?”

“Ten percent of all dungeon profits from assessed dungeons.”

He had some expectations. Some of the dungeons he assessed were B-class or even A-class.

Bank account open!

Upon seeing the number, Kang Hyun froze. Aden stopped mid-bite.

“…8 billion won?”

“….”

Unbelievable.

An astronomical amount had suddenly landed in his account.

It had only been about two weeks since he started assessments.

And in those two weeks, 8 billion won?

‘No wonder Oh Hyuk-jun pulled those crazy stunts.’

Even without exploiting others, the fees alone had brought in this much.

If Oh Hyuk-jun had taken advantage of more guilds and demanded more, on top of the funding he might’ve received from the demon clans…

The scale would’ve been unimaginable.

His status within the guilds would’ve skyrocketed, too.

Now, all that luxury was in Kang Hyun and Seonghwa’s hands.

‘I’ll give my parents some money… slowly.’

Sudden wealth could be unsettling.

Besides, people who win the lottery often end up worse off.

‘I’ll just show up with a nice gift soon.’

Saying he got a bonus would make them happy enough.

Thinking about his family filled his heart with warmth.

While he was basking in those happy thoughts, someone tugged at his sleeve.

“Beef… Hanwoo 2+ grade….”

“…Such humble desires, my student.”

She could afford it herself now, but the beggar mentality seemed ingrained in her soul.

“Alright, let’s eat out today. We’ll go somewhere better than last time!”

“Yayyy!”

She bounced with joy, her magic pouch jiggling wildly.

“Alright, let’s open the four loot boxes—”

“Beef first!”

“Fine, beef it is.”

“Yayyyy!”

Aden dragged him out of the academy.

###

On the way, Section Chief Choi called.

He wanted to meet, and it was around mealtime.

“Haha! It’s an honor to have good beef with good people!”

“Eat as much as you want. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Thank you!”

Choi grabbed the scissors and tongs from Aden.

“You’re both national treasures! I’ll grill the meat!”

Despite being the oldest at the table, he didn’t hesitate.

“Other countries are still skeptical of the blessings.”

“Guess they’re not desperate yet.”

“If we want to negotiate with other nations, we’ll need a lot of solid data over time.”

“Let them figure it out.”

They’d come begging eventually. That’s how irreplaceable resources worked.

“The authority to install blessings is incredibly valuable. Speaking of negotiations…”

“Negotiations with other countries? Handle it as you see fit. Where should we install them first?”

“Oh, I meant negotiations with the Korean government.”

Negotiations? Now, of all times?

“Let’s just run the dungeons first. Where should we install it?”

Choi paused, then looked deeply moved.

“Ah, it’s burning!”

“Ah! I’ll fix it!”

Aden’s eyes sparkled.

“As expected of my teacher…! The hero’s sense of duty is unrivaled!”

What’s with them?

“It’s a demon invasion. Of course, we all defend together.”

Choi flinched.

“…Your perspective is different, just like with the Palan case.”

“How so?”

“Most people see it as just a disaster. They’re only focused on their own country’s survival.”

Kang Hyun silently clicked his tongue.

‘They’ve grown too complacent with peace.’

Even with the enemy at the gates, they were that naive.

“But!”

“Whoa, you scared me.”

“The value created by the people must be fairly compensated! My team will handle the negotiations!”

“With the Korean government? You, Section Chief?”

A public official negotiating with the state. Now that was a fresh take.

“Fair compensation for talent is essential for the nation’s long-term health!”

“Fine. Do your thing.”

But first, dungeon runs. There were only so many dungeons they could clear in a day.

‘Negotiations, huh… I wonder what the president’s like.’

Surely they wouldn’t try to withhold the money.

‘Well, even if they do, it doesn’t matter much.’

It was the country his family lived in. It had to be safe.

So Kang Hyun didn’t think too much of it.

“Teacher, you’re the best! That was delicious!”

“Ha! Thank you for the meal!”

“This place is great. Excuse me! Check, please—”

“Wait a second!”

Choi snatched the bill and trembled.

“Sixty-four thousand won….”

“Don’t worry. I’m loaded.”

“That’s not it… the Kim Young-ran Act….”

“What?”

Divided by three, it was just over 50,000 won each.

“…Are you crying, Section Chief?”

“As a proud and honest public servant of Korea, I cannot accept bribes!”

“No one will know if we—”

“Here! I’ll pay for myself!”

In the end, he paid for his share separately.

His hand trembled as he handed over his card.

###

Japan, deeply traumatized by dungeons, was in a state of isolation.

For Japanese citizens, the E-Class Blessing was a hot-button issue.

“They’ll never install the blessing here, right?”

“Why wouldn’t they? It’s Korea’s fault, so they should install it here.”

The topic was a heated debate, entangling various interests, ideologies, and psychological factors.

News programs all covered the issue.

The most popular opinion was, “It’s just sour grapes.”

“They need 40 blessings just to cover the Korean Peninsula.”

“Even Perfect Clear Awakened is still human. Even if they installed three blessings every four days, there would be no time to help other countries.”

“Exactly. Every nation must find its own solution.”

Relations between Korea and Japan were at their worst.

Everyone knew Korea would never install blessings in Japan.

So, the government and media soothed the public with the “it’s sour grapes anyway” narrative.

However, the truth cannot be hidden.

“They installed four Perfect Clears just yesterday.”

“Do you believe Korea’s announcements? That country constantly distorts history and plays the victim.”

“Kishida, this is a live broadcast. Watch your remarks.”

“I apologize.”

But facing the truth was deeply unflattering.

Most people tried to avoid reality.

“Even if they install four blessings a day, what about travel time? They’d have to go back and forth all over the world. And what about the time it takes to clear the dungeons?”

“It was never going to be installed in Japan or anywhere else. It’s physically impossible for the Perfect Clear Awakened to handle the whole world.”

“Honestly, is the blessing even real?”

“Kishida!”

“Haha, I just mean we should wait and see.”

Opinions clashed on the internet and in private conversations.

But the government didn’t sit back.

If the truth came out?

Who would be blamed for Japan’s broken relationship with Korea?

The current administration would be held accountable.

The Prime Minister’s Cabinet further fueled anti-Korean sentiment.

Many people mocked the E-Class Blessing as sour grapes.

###

The next day, Kang Hyun’s mana was fully charged.

“I’ll start with Busan.”

Every day was urgent due to their progress goals.

They decided to install blessings in major cities with high populations of Awakened first.

“I’ll call after clearing the dungeon.”

He hung up.

Actions spoke louder than explanations.

“【Open 】”

He cleared Busan’s dungeon.

The sea was beautiful.

[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]

[An incredible feat! Cleared an E+ dungeon….]

“Where next?”

“Where?”

Next up was Incheon.

[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]

[An incredible feat! Cleared an E+ dungeon….]

<…How did you do that?>

See? Actions were quicker than explanations.

“Teleportation.”

“You’ve worked with me long enough. Just accept it. If you can’t believe it, just think of it as teleportation-like.”

He cleared Daegu next.

The public’s reactions were just as amusing.

└ Whoa, Daegu just got Perfect Cleared. So that’s the Perfect Clear alert I’ve heard about.

└ Really? Is our house safe now?

└ No lie. I’m in Busan, and it went off five minutes ago.

└ I’m in Incheon, and it went off here too.

└ What’s going on?

└ It’s all trolling. Ignore it.

└ Busan’s is real. I saw it too.

It wasn’t over yet.

Kang Hyun could clear four E-class dungeons a day.

└ Oh, Gwangju just got one too.

└ Gwangju’s alert just went off.

└ Saw Gwangju’s alert and ran here to post. Am I first?

└ What? Even Gwangju?

└ ?

└ Block all the trolls.

└ With so many posts at once, it seems real?

For local residents, it was great news.

But since it was physically impossible, confusion came first.

└ Are there actually four Perfect Clear Awakened?

└ Did the government develop some kind of super-speed travel technology?

└ Is superconducting tech finally here?

└ Doesn’t make sense.

└ What’s going on…?

└ Even ignoring travel time, how are they clearing dungeons this fast? And isn’t Perfect Clear supposed to take more effort?

└ Maybe the Perfect Clear Awakened has a super-speed ability? That would explain the fast clears.

└ Don’t turn this into science fiction.

└ Dude, are you Iron Man?

A glimpse of the Perfect Clear Awakened’s abilities had been revealed.

Many people were thrown into confusion.