There were about 100 media outlets in Jeju Island, named after the region.

This number includes daily and weekly newspapers, internet news outlets, and broadcasters, with varying scales.

The media outlet that the reporter, who had walked the path that could be described as "garbage journalism," belonged to was one of the larger ones in the region.

In smaller media outlets, it was common for the integrated social and external affairs departments to be separated.

The reporter was part of the external affairs department.

"You're asking me to interview the students from Eungwang High?"

"Yeah, lately things have been quiet in the external affairs section, so we can't fill up the pages. Do you think it's common for players of that caliber to visit at once? Try to get an interview if possible, and if not, at least find out what routes they’re taking and how they’re spending their time."

The reporter frowned at the department head's order.

In reality, the external affairs section at this media outlet had been without much work recently, and there were subscribers who might be interested in an article about how the Eungwang High students were spending their time in Jeju.

However, the reporter had neither a sense of mission nor any love for Jeju Island.

From the reporter’s perspective, these were just ignorant, rich kids who had gotten into an expensive school thanks to their superior abilities and now found themselves on a free trip to Jeju Island. The idea of wasting time and energy interviewing them was off-putting.

‘Hold on, hold on... If it weren’t for my senior’s introduction, I’d probably be out of a job by now...’

The reporter's situation was far from ideal.

Originally, the reporter had been working as part of the external affairs section of a major media outlet with its headquarters in Seoul.

At one point, even the more prominent players in the field had respected the reporter’s ability to gather information and write articles, not daring to treat him lightly.

But the reporter had made the mistake of crossing paths with a player who should not have been touched, and thanks to his senior’s connections, he had ended up in his current position.

From the reporter’s perspective, that incident was nothing special.

At a drinking gathering with some high-ranking individuals, the reporter learned about a particular lawyer player who was treated like a thorn in the side, and the reporter casually intervened to help the person.

The reporter had used rumors overheard here and there, mixed with fabricated evidence and stories circulating in online communities, to suggest that a player without a backing might be an agent of the demon race who served the Demon Lord.

At the time, there was a prominent professional player team, the Jeolheukpongrim, who hated demons.

The reporter, unaware of the political implications, had teamed up with Jeolheukpongrim, expecting their support on the issue.

‘If only those martial artists hadn’t caused unnecessary trouble...!’

But it was the sword master of Jeolheukpongrim who sent the reporter spiraling into ruin.

Though Jeolheukpongrim had been quiet externally, they were far from ignorant of the situation. They were fully equipped to deal with devious demons or their sympathizers in the social sphere.

Jeolheukpongrim had investigated the matter thoroughly, exposed the truth, and their statements were far more convincing than the fabricated articles of the reporter.

‘The righteous path of martial artists? True enemies? Why should I have to live like this because of such childish nonsense?’

What’s worse, the lawyer player the reporter targeted, Byeon Jae-ik, was fully prepared to respond legally.

The reporter had written articles carefully, never crossing the line too much to avoid getting caught in illegal actions, but Byeon Jae-ik’s sharp legal arguments caught even the smallest mistake and made the reporter legally liable.

Still, the reporter hadn’t crossed a major line, so the issue was resolved with a small fine, and in legal battles with a journalist from a major media outlet, the odds were usually heavily in the journalist’s favor.

But Jeolheukpongrim, concerned about the rise of fabricated articles that failed to root out the true minions of the demon world, intervened to set an example, and the reporter was thoroughly defeated without the chance to properly defend himself.

The senior who had encouraged the reporter immediately cut off ties once the sword master from Jeolheukpongrim got involved.

After getting caught up in a lawsuit and becoming an enemy of Jeolheukpongrim, the reporter, unable to handle the workplace atmosphere, ultimately submitted his resignation.

"What's wrong? If you’re working on a separate article, bring it up at the desk meeting."

Had it not been for the kindness of a senior who had graduated from the same university, the reporter would have been out of a job by now, but he could only feel frustration.

The reporter thought that he had ruined his career by publishing a single article, and he had forgotten ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) how he had been trying to bury the victims by publishing another article and contacting other media outlets and famous streamers who dealt with the external affairs section.

In any case, the reporter clenched his teeth, trying not to lose his job, and reluctantly nodded, saying, "I understand, I’ll cover the students from Eungwang High."

"Department head..."

"I know, but this time we have Hongryong and Ahn Jung-ji-gye in the lineup as well. The editor-in-chief also told me to take care of the junior, and based on the lineup, we can't just act recklessly with our pens, so let's assign it to you."

There were some who voiced concerns about the reporter contacting influential players, but the department head spoke practically.

The reporter, who was strong against the weak but weak against the strong, understood the situation well.

That's why the reporter hated the idea of interviewing them even more.

Having to grovel before the talented and rich students and find a story was a matter of pride.

When the reporter turned on his device to check the students’ schedules posted on the Eungwang High website, an anonymous email arrived.

‘A tip-off email?’

The reporter’s device code was publicly available in many places.

However, what arrived were either advertising emails or curses from those who held a grudge over articles the reporter had written during his more successful days.

Those who were desperate or had a keen interest in the media outlet usually did some research on the reporter before sending a tip-off.

A simple search of his name would reveal the trouble he had caused years ago, so no one would bother providing a real tip-off.

The reporter opened the email without much hope.

Displaying his annoyance openly, he checked the hologram, and his eyes gradually brightened.

Just as the reporter was about to rush out and begin his interview, he tried to calm himself.

‘No, this could be a trap. I need to verify it first!’

The reporter checked the research papers and materials provided as evidence.

The papers referenced were all legitimate, registered in the Academic Research Information Service, and the institutions that published the materials were government-certified research institutes and associations.

According to the tip, he could definitely bring the students of Eungwang High down to his level, or even lower.

The reporter couldn’t help but smile as he stood up in excitement and rushed out.

The employees of the media outlet, seeing the reporter suddenly full of energy, blatantly scowled, but the reporter didn’t notice them.

The devices of the students on Hallasan had stopped receiving satellite information, but very few people were aware of this.

This was because satellite information was still being received in other parts of Jeju Island.

The devices were signaling the emergence of a rare level of dimensional disturbance, with all of them occurring along the coastline.

Employees of the Player Association’s Jeju branch were busily responding to this.

"Evacuation? At this time, some people should still be out working on the sea."

"They said the sea condition report came in early today, so the divers came back earlier. The haenyeo (female divers) know the sea better than we do."

The association staff sent requests to the professional player teams stationed around Jeju Island and monitored the evacuation situation.

Although the number of dimensional disturbances was high, their rarity meant that many had already evacuated after reviewing the sea conditions.

Jeju Island had a low frequency of dimensional events, and whenever they occurred, the association had handled them without major incidents. This time, they believed it would be the same.

Moreover, the third-year students from Eungwang High were on a school trip to Jeju Island at the moment.

Since both the students and teachers were strong individuals, they could request support if needed.

But the association's situation room began to sense ominous signs.

"We can’t reach the representative of the Eungwang High school trip."

"The teacher? Or the student?"

"Eungwang High has set up Hongryong, the student council president, and Nam Ok-sin, the head of the faculty, as the representatives. The teacher is probably just a figurehead, and the student council is actually in charge, but both of them are unreachable right now."

"They might be unreachable because they're climbing Hallasan. The reception there is unstable."

"We also can’t reach TC's Snow and Air. There are pro-team players stationed there too..."

The association had planned to contact influential players as a precaution, but their communications were failing.

It was common for busy players to be unreachable, so the association staff didn’t think much of it at first. But soon, the alarm sounded loudly, slapping them into realization.

The holograms began flashing red and blue.

"What’s this? The alert sounds are different from the dimensional alarm!"

"Multiple alerts are going off at the same time. I’ll separate the holograms."

The association staff quickly identified the cause of the alarm.

The blue hologram indicated an anomaly in the sea, while the red hologram signaled something unusual happening at Hallasan.

From the sea, massive waves were detected, and from Hallasan, signs of magma flowing, possibly indicating a volcanic eruption, were emerging.

No tsunami had hit Jeju Island yet, and magma had not yet erupted onto the surface, but it was clear that within a few hours, a massive disaster would strike the island.

And that wasn’t all.

"Hostile response detected. Enemies are approaching!"

The red dots marking enemies filled the hologram the association staff had opened.

The waves crashing towards Jeju Island were filled with enemies.

The association had seen a similar situation before.

It had been a year since the strange enemy incident occurred on Seokmodu, and this situation was eerily similar.

In Aewol-eup, Jeju Island, the domain of the Yang tribe.

The leader of the Yang tribe, Suryeom, was trembling in shock as he received a report from the sheep.

The ground had felt unusually warm, and now they were hearing reports of a potential volcanic eruption, while huge waves were coming from the sea.

Suryeom tried to calm the sheep, counting their numbers.

One sheep, two sheep... In the midst of their tension, his eyelids were about to close, but Suryeom forced himself to speak loudly.

"We have a barrier! We’ll be fine. Everyone, stop the reconnaissance and come back now. But... there’s one missing. Where is it?"

Suryeom, having counted the sheep, asked.

One of the sheep, who had been watching the Eungwang High students, responded.

"They said the Eungwang High kids were heading up Hallasan. One of our mountain goats followed them. It hasn’t come back yet."

"What? The Eungwang kids are strong, so they might actually be safer up there, but..."

Suryeom hesitated for a moment, then began using his ability.

The Yang tribe had stretched out their wool in various places across Jeju Island, allowing them to survey the area, but if they used their abilities, they would stand out.

Since the situation was urgent, Suryeom decided to feel for the wool leading to Hallasan, hoping to find his kin.

"Uh? Why can’t I see anything?"

Suryeom blinked as he tightly gripped the wool.

The Hallasan area beyond the wool was just dark and unsettling.

Suryeom forced his senses to extend through the wool, ignoring the rising unease in his gut.

After some effort, he couldn’t find the mountain goat, but he had learned something.

A sinister darkness was lingering around the summit of Hallasan.