155 - Claiming the Valley

By noon, the situation in the river region had become far more complicated than a simple monster investigation.

The international team had returned to the settlement on the western side of the valley, where representatives from the local government, the regional Awakener Association, and several guilds had gathered inside a temporary command center. The building had originally been a warehouse, but after the river changed course and several roads were damaged, it had become the center of regional operations.

Subin entered with Yerin and the others while Mateus and Camila remained behind to speak with the local Association officers. Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Several maps covered the walls, with newly marked monster territories, damaged roads, evacuation zones, and areas where the river had changed direction.

A large screen displayed an aerial image of the valley.

The river had formed two new branches.

One flowed toward the east.

The other disappeared underground before emerging several kilometers farther south.

Director Kang had joined the meeting through a secure communication channel from Korea. Beside the screen stood a regional Association director named Luciano Ferreira, a calm man in his fifties who had spent most of his career managing dungeon-response teams.

Luciano looked at Subin.

"Before we discuss the guilds, I want your assessment."

Subin studied the map.

"The monsters aren't concentrated around the dungeon anymore."

"Meaning?"

"They're establishing territory."

Luciano nodded slowly.

"That's what our observers have reported."

Subin pointed toward the eastern section.

"The strongest creatures are controlling the areas with stable water and food sources. Smaller creatures are settling around them. Some species are moving between territories rather than remaining inside the dungeon."

Ara looked at the map.

"So the dungeon isn't their only habitat anymore."

"Exactly."

Min-seok leaned against the wall.

"Which means clearing the dungeon won't solve the problem."

Luciano looked at him.

"That's our concern."

A representative from another guild immediately spoke.

"Then the obvious solution is to eliminate the strongest monsters before the territory becomes permanently established."

Yerin turned toward him.

"How many?"

The representative hesitated.

"What?"

"How many monsters are you proposing to eliminate?"

The man glanced at the map.

"All high-level threats."

Yerin's expression remained calm.

"That would include most of the creatures in the valley."

"Yes."

"Then you're not removing a threat. You're destroying an ecosystem."

The representative frowned.

"With respect, ecosystems don't pay for damaged roads or rebuild homes."

Mateus finally spoke.

"And dead monsters don't magically repair them either."

The room grew quieter.

Luciano raised a hand.

"Enough."

He looked toward the screen.

"We have three separate problems. The dungeon itself, the migrating monsters, and the territorial claims from guilds."

Director Kang's voice came through the speaker.

"And the fourth problem is that these three things are connected."

Everyone looked toward the screen.

"The dungeon is generating an environment capable of supporting monsters outside its original boundaries. If that continues, the affected territory could expand."

Jae-hyun crossed his arms.

"How far?"

"We don't know."

That answer made the room even quieter.

Subin looked at the map.

"Then nobody should claim the territory yet."

The guild representative immediately objected.

"That's unreasonable. People need access to the land."

"Access isn't ownership."

Subin's answer was simple.

"Allow controlled use. Keep the central valley protected until we understand how far the ecosystem is spreading."

Rafael, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.

"And who decides what controlled use means?"

Subin looked at him.

"The Association and local authorities."

Rafael shook his head.

"That's exactly the problem. Government officials aren't the ones fighting the monsters."

Min-seok smiled slightly.

"And guilds aren't the ones writing laws."

Rafael ignored him.

"We've spent years building infrastructure in these regions. When dungeons appear, guilds take the risk. We lose people clearing them. We invest money into settlements. We protect roads. Now an international team arrives, and suddenly we're told we can't operate."

Yerin answered before Subin could.

"Nobody said that."

Rafael looked at her.

"Your proposal effectively does."

"No."

Yerin pointed toward the map.

"Your guild can operate outside the protected zone. What we're saying is that the central valley shouldn't become a private hunting ground."

Rafael's expression remained hard.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then a younger man sitting behind him stood.

"We've already lost two teams this year."

He looked toward Subin.

"You people talk about observing monsters because you're strong enough to survive them. Ordinary Awakeners don't have that luxury."

Subin studied him.

"What rank?"

"B-rank."

"How many people were in your team?"

"Six."

"How many returned?"

The young man looked down.

"Three."

Subin didn't respond immediately.

He understood the anger behind the man's words.

It wasn't greed alone.

Fear was involved.

Fear of losing territory.

Fear of losing income.

Fear that the world was changing faster than ordinary Awakeners could adapt.

Subin finally spoke.

"Then the answer isn't to pretend the valley is safe."

The young man looked up.

"The answer is to stop sending teams into territory you don't understand."

The statement was blunt, but not dismissive.

Subin pointed toward the screen.

"We've already seen an A+ creature drive three other A+ monsters out of its territory. We've seen the river change direction. We've seen monsters migrate without attacking settlements. And we've seen the ecosystem establish itself outside the dungeon."

He paused.

"If you send a normal hunting team into that environment, you're not clearing a dungeon."

"You're entering a territory war."

Nobody interrupted him.

Because everyone understood the difference.

A dungeon had predictable objectives.

A territory had competing inhabitants.

And now humans were one of those inhabitants.

Luciano leaned back in his chair.

"Then we'll establish a temporary protected zone."

Rafael immediately objected.

"How large?"

"Twenty kilometers around the central valley."

"Too large."

"Fifteen."

"Still too large."

Mateus sighed.

"This is becoming a negotiation."

"It is a negotiation," Luciano replied.

The argument continued for nearly an hour.

The final proposal was a compromise.

The central valley would become a temporary protected region. No guild could claim exclusive rights there. Outside the protected zone, licensed guilds could conduct resource operations under Association supervision. Monster hunting would require authorization if the target was above A-rank.

Subin listened quietly.

It wasn't a perfect solution.

But it created time.

And time was exactly what they needed.

When the meeting ended, most of the representatives began leaving.

Rafael remained.

He approached Subin near the doorway.

"You changed the decision."

Subin shook his head.

"No. Everyone changed it."

Rafael gave him a skeptical look.

"You could have forced the issue."

"I could have."

"Why didn't you?"

Subin glanced toward the window.

Outside, several children from the settlement were watching the distant valley from behind a fence.

"Because strength isn't supposed to make every decision for everyone else."

Rafael was silent.

Then he nodded once.

"Perhaps."

He turned to leave.

After taking several steps, he stopped.

"My guild will cooperate with the temporary zone."

Subin looked at him.

"But?"

Rafael smiled faintly.

"But if the territory becomes valuable enough, I won't pretend the argument is over."

Then he walked away.

Min-seok appeared beside Subin.

"I actually like him."

Jae-hyun looked at him.

"You spent half the meeting arguing with him."

"That's why."

Ara laughed quietly.

Yerin shook her head.

Subin looked toward the valley again.

The conflict had not disappeared.

It had merely changed shape.

The humans had agreed not to destroy the territory.

For now.

But the valley contained resources that could transform the surrounding region. High-level monster materials, newly exposed mineral deposits, fertile mana-rich land, and a dungeon capable of expanding its influence.

Sooner or later, someone would want all of it.

Yerin walked beside Subin as they left the command center.

"You look worried."

"I'm thinking."

"About the valley?"

"Partly."

She waited.

Subin looked at her.

"About what happens when there are ten valleys like this."

Yerin smiled slightly.

"Then we'll deal with ten."

Subin laughed softly.

"You make everything sound simple."

"No."

She looked toward him.

"I just don't think we need to solve tomorrow today."

Subin considered her words.

That was exactly what he had been doing since the monsters appeared.

Always looking farther ahead.

Always trying to understand the next stage before it arrived.

Maybe that wasn't necessary.

They walked toward the settlement together.

Behind them, the temporary command center continued preparing the new territorial regulations.

Beyond it, the valley remained quiet.

For the first time since the dungeon appeared, there was an official boundary between human territory and monster territory.

But nobody knew how long that boundary would remain meaningful.

And far beyond the valley, another report had already reached the regional Association.

A new dungeon had appeared along the northern coast.

Its initial rank was only C.

Within six hours, it had reached B.

Two hours later, it had reached A.

The report contained only one additional line.

The dungeon was moving.