The principal also realized the seriousness of the situation this time. Originally, the meals at Starlight Elementary School were just average. But starting just yesterday, the staff working in the cafeteria went on strike. As a result, Hana was shocked by the level of the meals that came out.
To solve this situation, money was ultimately needed. However, the school budget was already tight, so there wasn’t enough money to invest separately in the meals.
The principal didn’t have the ability to make the impossible possible. In the end, they had to borrow money from the foundation. But even when they made the request, the response was vague. The foundation’s stance was to wait for financial support.
If that was the case, it was clear that the meal situation would only get worse during the strike. Even now, the meals were, to put it bluntly, garbage, and it sounded like even worse garbage was on the way.
The principal was pacing around anxiously. No matter how much they pressured the lower staff, there was no solution. Then, a savior appeared. Kim Sehee herself descended upon the school. She had come to check if things were going well or not.
The fact that she took action after just one day showed how much affection Kim Sehee had for Hana. Kim Sehee saw the state of the cafeteria, which hadn’t improved. Of course, she didn’t expect it to improve in just one day. She just wanted to see some progress.
But Kim Sehee was frustrated by the slow pace. If this were her own business, she wouldn’t have tolerated such a slow speed… Then, a solution popped into her head. Without hesitation, she took action. She pulled out her phone and called someone. The person on the other end was her youngest brother, Kim Semin.
—
“Hmm hmm~”
Kim Sehee entered Starlight Elementary School with a cheerful face. Starting today, she was the chairperson of this school.
That’s right. Kim Sehee had given her younger brother Kim Semin a generous offer and became the chairperson of the school operated by the Starlight Group. This way, she could keep a close eye on Hana even after she graduated elementary school, since the middle and high schools were under the same group.
Her younger brother Kim Semin didn’t have much affection for the school anyway. He was more interested in sports than educational institutions. But since he was the youngest, he couldn’t just send him off empty-handed, so he handed over the school foundation.
Kim Sehee immediately started renovating the cafeteria. First, she negotiated with the striking staff and got them back to work. The reason for the strike was a wage increase, so a simple raise was enough to get them back.
Then, she began renovating the cafeteria. To finish quickly, construction started day and night. The cost was significant, but for Kim Sehee, it was just pocket change. Compared to what she was earning now, it was nothing.
It was like real-life in-game purchases.
—
I couldn’t help but marvel at the lunch box in front of me. It wasn’t the usual convenience store lunch box. It was a high-end lunch box packed with a large grilled short rib patty and other meats.
“What’s the occasion?”
Jiyu and Yumi next to me also looked surprised. The children were also expressing their amazement at the lunch boxes in front of them. The quality of the meals had been so poor that most kids were planning to go to the snack bar.
But with such a high-end lunch box, it was definitely worth eating. No, they would definitely eat it. It was much more appetizing than the junk food at the snack bar. The teacher explained why we were having lunch boxes.
“Due to the cafeteria construction, we’ll be having lunch boxes for a while~ Everyone, make sure to finish your side dishes, okay?”
With this level of quality, leaving any food would be a sin. As soon as the teacher finished explaining, I picked up my chopsticks and spoon.
“I wish they’d give us lunch boxes like this instead of the usual meals!”
“Me too! I’d take this lunch box over that dried-up fish fry from last time any day!”
I nodded in agreement with Jiyu and Yumi. Honestly, last time’s meal was just too much. When I showed the photo to Boss Kim Sehee, even she was speechless, which clearly showed how much the meal quality had dropped.
—
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire, loud enough to tear through ears, echoed across the plains. The pungent smell of gunpowder spread. But the gunfire wasn’t aimed at people.
The heavily armed soldiers fired their guns at the animals charging at them. It was the kind of action that would horrify animal rights activists. They were shooting perfectly healthy animals, after all.
But that was before the Gate appeared. The animals, intoxicated by the magic spewed from the Gate, were no longer ordinary animals. They were beasts that mercilessly attacked people.
The animals, poisoned by the Gate’s magic, revealed enhanced stamina, size, and ferocity. Ordinary people couldn’t survive. Even the weakest, like rabbits, were too much for regular adults to handle. These animals had to be killed on sight to avoid future trouble.
“Clear!”
“Area secured here too!”
The ten-member special forces team took a brief breather. Since the Gates appeared, fighting among humans in Africa had almost disappeared. In a way, it was a good thing. Nothing is as brutal as humans fighting each other.
However, dealing with animals poisoned by the Gates was another tough task. Not all animals were affected. Scientists estimated that about 5-10% of animals were intoxicated by the Gate’s magic.
But Africa is home to countless animals. Even 10% meant a massive number of poisoned animals. They weren’t all in one place, but spread out, which made things just as complicated.
“Approaching the target village!”
Swift scouts patrolled the area, sending coordinates once they spotted the village. Based on these, the team dispatched an appropriate number of soldiers. Africa’s slow information flow meant some people didn’t even know about the Gates.
Helicopters or fighter jets could have been used, but in Africa, where Gates frequently appeared, it was too risky. The strong magic from the Gates could cause aircraft to crash.
“Here we are!”
The village was small, with about 20 residents. The villagers looked favorably at the U.S. soldiers, seeing them as saviors. Some villages wanted to move to safer areas but couldn’t due to the distance. Moving meant risking annihilation by animal attacks. Rescuing such villagers was this team’s mission.
“We’re saved!”
“Thank God!”
The villagers cheered upon seeing the U.S. soldiers enter, grateful for a chance to escape their terror-stricken village.
The soldiers calmed the villagers and prepared to evacuate.
*Screech!*
But then, a bizarre sound echoed. It was like nails on a chalkboard, chilling to the bone. The villagers, confused, covered their ears. But the soldiers knew what it meant.
“Gate’s appearing! Get inside now!”
“Damn it! Of all times!”
The soldiers efficiently guided the villagers into their homes. That was the protocol when a Gate appeared. Soon, the eerie sound stopped, and red light Gates began to spawn monsters. From elephant-sized beasts to various grotesque creatures, they all had repulsive appearances.
“Damn it, why now? A Gate wave!”
Gates came in different types. This one was particularly nasty, spewing monsters shortly after appearing. In a city, hunters would have rushed in to handle such a low-level Gate wave, but here was different.
The number of hunters working in Africa was extremely low.
“If we go out now, we’re screwed.”
These monsters couldn’t be killed with guns.
Fortunately, there was a way to handle such Gates. Gates needed to constantly absorb magic to exist. In densely populated areas, they fed on human magic, but in Africa, lacking such magic, Gates would naturally dissipate if left alone.
But how long that would take was anyone’s guess.
