Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense - Chapter 80

080 – Clan Members and Crew

The meeting room was engulfed in silence. The current situation relayed from Hanna indicated a graver state than initially thought. If, as her speculations went, there had been some behind-the-scenes dealings between the Korean and US governments, the options available to the Liberal Clan were limited.

Breaking the silence after a moment, Ho-chang turned to Myung-jun and spoke.

“Should we just give them a slap on the wrist and leave it? After all, our clan headquarters can withstand missile attacks, and regardless of the forces they bring in from over there, we can handle them if we set our minds to it, right?”

Ho-chang’s words were factual, but Myung-jun shook his head.

“Engaging the South Korean government head-on would inevitably lead to civilian casualties. I don’t want to massacre young soldiers dragged here against their will, risking their lives, regardless of their own desires.”

At this point, Soo-jeong stepped forward, interjecting her opinion.

“No matter where we operate, a clan needs a base. Even if it’s possible to force our adversaries to their knees by sheer force, that should be the last resort. If we resort to using force simply because we find them bothersome, our clan’s future activities will face strong resistance.”

“What about seeking a reasonable compromise then? Not accepting all demands from the US government, but agreeing to some. If we provide them with equipment satisfactory to them, they might willingly meet our demands.”

Hanna also shared a similar thought.

If Myung-jun decided to make even a slight concession, she was willing to try and maneuver the rest of the conditions through lobbying. With a determined voice, she addressed Myung-jun.

“If you make the decision, I’ll utilize all my abilities to negotiate the best possible terms for the Liberal Clan.”

From Arin’s perspective, it seemed like the wisest choice. Rather than engaging in a civil war with one’s home country and trying to overthrow the world’s strongest government, finding a middle ground appeared to be a more sensible judgment.

However, Soo-jeong, who knew Myung-jun best among those gathered, was well aware that he would never accept that proposal under any circumstance.

After a brief pause, Myung-jun finally made his decision known.

“I oppose it.”

“What?!”

“There’s no lack of choice, is there?”

Amidst the barrage of questions, Myung-jun remained silent for a moment. Then, as the room quieted down, he continued.

“There’s always a choice. It’s just that it’s difficult and comes with losses, making it a hard decision. Do you know why governments worldwide don’t negotiate with terrorists? It’s to avoid setting a precedent. The moment terrorism itself seems like a viable option, numerous interest groups worldwide could resort to terrorism as an effective means.”

“So, Captain’s saying that by negotiating, we might give the impression that the Liberal Clan is a group open to negotiations?”

“Yes, it was the same in Brazil. After all the incidents were resolved, do you know what the Brazilian government, the Floresta Clan, and the Servihum Clan requested first when they came together? It was to withdraw the initial conditions. At least, they wanted concessions equivalent to the materials and crystals they hunted down.”

“What about the Brazilian government?”

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“They made similar demands too. Even though civilian casualties decreased thanks to Arin’s swift actions, in a situation where a third of the city was destroyed, the Liberal Clan requested a certain level of humanitarian aid.”

“Well, it’s a tragic disaster, so at least some portion of the recovery costs for the residents who lost their homes and families…”

When Ito Kei, the most compassionate among the clan members, began to speak, Myung-jun responded.

“They demanded crystals and materials.”

Initially, Myung-jun didn’t plan to entirely disregard the suffering of the residents. This crackdown could have secured the world’s first Rank 8 crystals and numerous other high-Rank materials and large quantities of crystals essential to him.

However, while Myung-jun proposed to assist the victims with dollars, the Brazilian government insisted on receiving crystals, a condition he couldn’t accept.

“The moment we provide crystals and materials, those resources won’t be used for aiding victims but rather for bolstering the government-affiliated Awakener Forces in Brazil. The refugees will still suffer from losing their homes. Governments worldwide are consumed by the enormous benefits of Gate materials and crystals, almost driven by a kind of frenzy. Safeguarding the clan’s core within that current is more important than any sacrifice.”

“Understood. That makes sense. But there’s a significant difference between deciding to uphold beliefs and actually doing it. While the former requires only determination, the latter needs concrete and achievable methods. If we keep rejecting all proposals from both governments, the South Korean government will resort to using force, even if it means military intervention. Or they might publicly label the Liberal Clan as a criminal organization and cut off external contacts. Myung-jun, do you have a plan to handle all these situations?”

“Well, to be honest, I anticipated such a situation when we began receiving rewards solely in crystals and materials.”

Myung-jun spoke.

“To explain that plan, I need to talk about my newly unlocked ability from the Amazon incident. And as you know…”

As Myung-jun was about to speak, Taylor sighed and interjected.

“Ugh… again? Just spill it already.”

Before Myung-jun could respond, Soo-jeong stepped in and addressed Arin.

“This is where observation ends. From here on, it’s clan members’ business, so could you please head downstairs for a while?”

Though she was curious about the unfolding story, Arin left the conference room as Soo-jeong requested. She knew that being able to witness another clan’s meeting as a non-member was already a considerable favor from Soo-jeong, and pushing for more would be unreasonable.

As Myung-jun exited the conference room and took the elevator downstairs, he resumed speaking to Taylor.

“Well, Taylor, as well as Kei, you’re aware that access to our Liberal Clan’s information is restricted. Information regarding my abilities is also off-limits even to all of you, who are core members of the Liberal Clan.”

As Myung-jun had stated, the Liberal Clan categorized its employees into three major groups.

“Handling the clan’s main tasks but unable to intervene in operations is ‘employees’. ‘Members’ can provide opinions on operational policies but are not allowed in the so-called ‘secret meetings’. Lastly, the founding member of the Liberal Clan, Myung-jun, holds the position of ‘officer’ and has access to all the clan’s secrets.

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Even though the Liberal Clan had only recently begun its full-scale activities, the members gathered in the meeting room all expressed their desire to join the ranks of the ‘officers’. Today, representing those members, Taylor took the lead.

“Well, we all have a general idea. There are hidden secrets in the leader’s abilities that we’re not aware of. And there must be reasons for keeping those secrets from us. However, the rest of us, including me, share this belief. even if our time together may not be long, we won’t abandon the Liberal Clan. So, please start considering our inclusion into the officers’ rank.”

As Taylor banged the table, everyone turned their eyes towards Myung-jun, conveying a growing sense of trust in themselves. It was a look that subtly asked him to trust them in return. At this point, Soo-jeong stepped forward and addressed the members.

“Just a moment. I think there might be some misunderstanding among everyone. Do you all believe that Myung-jun doesn’t include you in the officers’ rank because he doesn’t trust you?”

“Isn’t that so?”

Soo-jeong shook her head, denying Taylor’s opinion.

“No, absolutely not. Think about it. Myung-jun is a powerhouse who could manage the Amazon incident without necessarily needing your help. Yet in all meetings except those related to his abilities, he grants you the right to speak. If Myung-jun didn’t trust you, how would that be possible?”

“But one might think that he doesn’t trust us enough to include us in the ‘officers’ rank. Some even talk about it among the members. The story goes that the leader’s ability can only be used by sacrificing a living human heart, and that’s why he can’t reveal it to us.”

Before Soo-jeong could counter again, Myung-jun raised his hand to stop her.

“That’s enough. Senior, in truth, there’s some validity in Taylor’s words, and I also believe that with the rapid increase in the appearance of this new enemy, it’s becoming difficult to postpone the addition of more members.”

“Then…”

“It’s time to select members from those present here to become officers. But before that, it’s a priority to explain about my ability.”

Myung-jun proceeded to explain, in simple terms, the process of becoming an Awakener, starting from when he Awakened, then the addition of Soo-jeong, Ho-chang, and Byung-tae, and the abilities he gained. He also mentioned that his ability included preventing betrayal among his subordinates.

However, Myung-jun excluded some information that needed to be kept hidden during the explanation of his abilities. Opening up everything while the ‘members’ final decision was still pending would be a risky move.

Once Myung-jun finished explaining, Taylor raised a hand and questioned him.

“Leader? So, summing up your explanations until now, the main reason you haven’t accepted us into the officer rank is because one of your abilities involves intervening in human free will?”

“That’s correct.”

“How does it specifically work? Does anyone who becomes your subordinate have to unconditionally obey your commands from that moment?”

“Not necessarily. We’ve conducted various experiments to confirm that. For example, both Mr. Ho-chang and Mr. Byung-tae are my subordinates, but even if I order Mr. Ho-chang to attack Mr. Byung-tae, he can refuse that order.”

“How can we tell if the ability is actually working??”

Soo-jeong interjected and responded to Taylor’s question.

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“Through comprehensive experiments conducted multiple times, we concluded that Myung-jun’s ability doesn’t enforce ‘obedience’ but rather describes ‘loyalty.’ For instance, if Myung-jun’s ability compelled subordinates to unconditionally obey, then the subordinates would have to follow his orders no matter the situation. However, because that doesn’t happen, we speculate that this ability only prevents ‘betrayal’ by subordinates.”

“So, as long as there’s no betrayal, it’s fine? Then there’s no problem. After all, we intended to share the fate of the Liberal Clan from the start.”

“That’s not the only issue. As explained earlier, when Senior, Mr. Ho-chang, and Mr. Byung-tae became subordinates, they were all in a non-Awakener state. However, all of you are Awakener. This means that when you become my subordinates, there’s a risk that your accumulated abilities so far might disappear or reset.”

Upon hearing Soo-jeong’s words, the members fell silent, lost in contemplation.

While it might be a great opportunity to elevate themselves as Awakener by becoming Myung-jun’s subordinates and potentially gaining additional abilities while retaining their current ones, the thought that their existing powers might vanish, or worse, deteriorate, amidst their current status as some of the strongest in the world felt like an enormous gamble.

‘Could my abilities really vanish? Is it necessary to take such a risk just to join the officer ranks?’

Taylor, who had previously demanded to know why they weren’t trusted, now sat quietly after hearing this information. And then, at that moment…

“I’ll… do it.”

It was Ito Kei, an Awakener who was only in the sixth Rank.

“I’m not dissatisfied with my current abilities, but if I’m lucky, I might become even stronger, right? Maybe I’ll receive a different class than being a Tracker.”

As Kei spoke, Soo-bin, with half-closed eyes, reached a similar conclusion while listening to the conversation.

“I’ll do it too. Honestly, I’m not particularly interested in becoming stronger than I am now, but I’ve often thought about joining in conversations among the four officers. Since I’ve already stepped into the Liberal Clan… Ah… I’ll stick with it till the end.”

When the two reached a conclusion, everyone’s gaze turned towards Taylor.

At that moment, Taylor, who had been contemplating, cautiously directed a question to Myung-jun.

“Before making the final decision, I have one more question. If I decide not to become your subordinate, would it affect my current position within the Liberal Clan?”

“There won’t be any discrimination in terms of information sharing externally. As you know, generally, Awakeners try not to expose their hidden cards to anyone. You can consider it for the same reasons.”

While feeling embarrassed about persistently asking questions, Taylor threw one more question. Despite risking being seen as indecisive, this question was something they had to ask.

“Could you please specify the advantages of becoming the leader’s subordinate?”

This question aimed to confirm if Myung-jun’s new position as his subordinate was worth risking the loss of Taylor’s identity as ‘Burning Spear’.

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