NOVEL NEXT Chapter 139
Chapter 139
“Nice building.”
Lee Si-hyun mumbled as he looked at the structure where the Yangji Guild had recently moved in.
At first, they started in a shabby place not much different from Grace Guild due to a lack of funds.
Gradually, as skilled Hunters increased and revenue grew, they were able to relocate to better premises.
And this time, they went ahead and bought a respectable seven-story building outright.
A-rank Hunters truly make money.
A whole lot of it.
Si-hyun nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the building once more.
Though not on par with the major large guilds, the current Yangji Guild had powers that were absolutely comparable to moderately well-known mid-sized guilds.
Moreover, he believed they could grow even further.
Si-hyun walked inside the building.
The Yangji Guild occupied the seventh floor.
The other floors were rented out.
He took the elevator to the seventh floor.
The guild office was directly across from the elevator.
Si-hyun opened the door and entered the guild office. A simple yet neat interior caught his eye.
“Ah! Hello, Section Chief!”
The inmates—no, Hunters—who spotted Si-hyun stood up and greeted him with booming voices.
They bowed deeply.
It felt like welcoming the boss of an organization.
It would be embarrassing to be greeted like this outside, though.
So, he’d asked them to tone it down, but it seemed that was easier said than done.
It seemed they would bow almost reflexively.
It was probably due to the influence of the Iron-Blooded Guard.
So, he decided to just let it be.
“Hello.”
Si-hyun returned the greeting and made his way to the Guild Leader’s Room. Upon opening the door, he found Guild Leader Cheol-hyung inside.
“Hello, Section Chief.”
Cheol-hyung greeted Si-hyun with a warm smile.
“You look well.”
Si-hyun grinned back and sat on the sofa near the reception table.
Cheol-hyung placed a cup of green tea in front of Si-hyun and sat opposite him.
“It’s normal for the world to seem beautiful after coming out of a cell, isn’t it?”
“When was that? It’s always been like this for me.”
“I constantly remind myself to not forget my original intentions.”
“You genuinely seem to take that to heart, Cheol-hyung.”
Si-hyun chuckled as he took a sip of the green tea.
Then, he continued speaking.
“Is everything alright?”
“There’s an urgent raid scheduled, so the schedule has changed a bit.”
“An urgent raid? For what?”
“An abnormal gate incident.”
“Ah, I see.”
Si-hyun nodded.
The very first abnormal gate incident in Korea quickly became a global issue.
The occurrence frequency wasn’t high at all.
In fact, it was quite low.
However, when it did occur, it certainly dealt substantial damage.
A considerable number of people worldwide lost their lives due to the abnormal gates.
Thus, it was an undoubtedly serious problem.
In the midst of that, a claim surfaced stating that they had discovered a critical clue to pinpointing where abnormal gates emerged in the United States.
They weren’t just making noise; they even launched surveillance satellites for abnormal gates with extensive publicity.
Countries were skeptical.
But suddenly, the U.S. began accurately predicting the locations of abnormal gates.
Naturally, other countries requested assistance.
However, the U.S. clearly stated that they couldn’t share the technology due to various realistic reasons.
If foreign countries wanted U.S. help, they would have to pay a commensurate price.
Naturally, there was strong backlash from other nations, but lacking any viable alternatives, they reluctantly had to turn to the U.S.
As of now, only countries like Russia, China, and North Korea had not reached out to the U.S. regarding abnormal gates.
Since the occurrence frequency was already quite low, they were unwilling to bow down even if there might be some damage.
“This time, we’ll be teaming up with the Sun Guild to tackle the abnormal gate.”
The level of abnormal gates was generally assessed to be slightly higher than that of typical A-Class gates.
Thus, even large guilds wouldn’t be entrusted with just one to handle it.
The Hunter Association had stipulated that abnormal gates must be tackled together for reliability.
However, the huge profits from abnormal gates made competition fierce.
Typically, they were entrusted mainly to large guilds, but only giving it to them would inevitably lead to dissatisfaction and backlash.
So, there was occasional rotation for the capable mid-sized guilds to receive opportunities as well.
This time, it was Yangji Guild’s turn.
“The Sun Guild… they’re number one in the industry, right?”
Si-hyun remarked.
With such a renowned name, it was impossible not to hear about them while working as a Hunter.
“That’s right. They’re famous for having a lot of skilled Hunters.”
“When is the raid scheduled for?”
“This Friday.”
“Mm.”
Si-hyun briefly fell into thought.
Friday was a weekday.
He usually didn’t undertake raids on weekdays due to work commitments. If it were a standard gate, he would have just passed by without a second thought.
But hearing the words ‘abnormal gate’ stirred something within him.
As someone who had directly experienced the first abnormal gate incident, Si-hyun felt there was still something undiscovered lurking in them.
He envisioned the gray-haired man in his mind.
Something feels odd.
He hadn’t heard of a being resembling that peculiar person emerging from other abnormal gates.
At least, not in Korea.
What about other countries?
Perhaps such beings had emerged elsewhere but were being hidden.
Regardless, the urge to confront abnormal gates once more welled up inside Si-hyun.
Of course, back then he had fought against the beings that emerged, but this time he would be entering the gate.
By physically confronting them, he might uncover something.
“I think I might need to use vacation days.”
Si-hyun muttered.
“Huh?”
Cheol-hyung looked at him quizzically, as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m participating in this raid.”
Si-hyun stated clearly this time.
“So that’s what you meant. Understood. I’ll prepare accordingly.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Wait, are you really thinking about sticking around in Korea until the end of this week?”
Si-hyun said with a frustrated look on his face.
“What’s it to you? I’m in Korea—what have you contributed?”
Lin Xue shot back bluntly.
“Well, that’s not really the point… but anyway, I won’t have time on Friday.”
“Why? Do you have plans after work?”
“That day, I have a raid scheduled.”
“A raid? You go on raids during weekdays?”
It seemed like she knew his lifestyle patterns all too well.
“I usually don’t, but this gate is an abnormal gate, and I want to check it out.”
“Oh, an abnormal gate.”
Lin Xue nodded as if she understood.
She continued speaking.
“Then, it sounds interesting enough for you to want to go.”
“That’s why I plan to go.”
“But there probably isn’t much of significance, is there?”
“Really?”
Si-hyun stared directly into Lin Xue’s eyes.
“If there really was something significant, I would have known about it way earlier.”
“You’ve tackled other abnormal gates before? You never mentioned that.”
“You actually think I’m just fooling around all the time or something?”
“Wasn’t that the impression?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…Sigh, forget it.”
Lin Xue exhaled deeply and shook her head.
Seeing her like this made Si-hyun smirk and pop a piece of relief steak into his mouth with his fork.
They were currently at a high-end restaurant near Seoul.
Whenever she was in Korea, she would often invite Si-hyun to dine with her.
She covered the meal and did all the driving, so Si-hyun wasn’t particularly bothered by her requests.
Though Si-hyun wasn’t exactly short on cash these days, food that someone else paid for always tasted better, just like before.
“Anyway, don’t bother looking for me on Friday.”
Si-hyun said.
“So, that’s the case… hmmm.”
Lin Xue wore a thoughtful expression. Then she spoke.
“I’m bored; should I go along too?”
“What?”
Si-hyun stared at her in disbelief.
“I don’t have anything particular to do, so I thought I’d tag along.”
“No… it’s not that kind of event where just anyone can freely walk in.”
There were, of course, checks performed by Association Staff at the gate entrance.
Especially given that it was an important abnormal gate, that was even more critical.
“What difference does that make? I can just sneak in.”
“….”
Thinking about it, if she really intended to sneak in, who could stop her?
But wait.
Si-hyun frowned slightly.
If she was there, he wouldn’t be able to use the Guard Baton freely, nor could he unleash Po-ahim’s techniques at will.
Just the thought of that was frustrating enough.
“I don’t think there’s a need for you to do that.”
“Why? Don’t you want me there?”
Si-hyun paused, trying to figure out how to respond.
“Not that I don’t want you there, but you know how the intense combat experience in raids helps me recover my strength, right? I’ve moved up to B-rank. But if you’re there, that intensity will fade.”
“Mm, I get what you’re saying.”
Lin Xue replied, as if understanding him perfectly.
“Alright, I’ll think about it some more.”
‘Honestly, it seems better if she doesn’t come.’
Si-hyun didn’t say that out loud.
Being too direct in refusal would only make her want to come more.
“This place has decent food.”
Si-hyun decided to sidestep the issue.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Welcome, Section Chief.”
When Si-hyun arrived, the first attack team of the Yangji Guild was already on-site.
He waved his hand at them as they bowed in greeting, indicating there was no need for that formality.
He was slightly self-conscious about their gazes, but beyond the Association Staff, he didn’t see anyone else.
It appeared the Sun Guild hadn’t arrived yet.
But there was an understanding in this field.
When conducting a joint operation, those of lesser rank were supposed to arrive first.
“Section Chief.”
Cheol-hyung approached him, along with Mujik.
Scars from that day were still evident on one eye and one ear, yet he didn’t hide them.
“Did everyone arrive?”
Si-hyun asked Cheol-hyung.
“Yes.”
“Great. Let’s make sure we’re well-prepared before entering.”
“Understood.”
Cheol-hyung replied and went over to issue orders to the attack team members.
‘It seems Lin Xue didn’t come after all.’
He glanced around once again but didn’t see her anywhere.
It seemed his persuasion had worked.
“They’re here.”
Someone announced.
Several luxurious vehicles were pulling up in a line, making their way over.
All of them were high-end cars.
It was immediately obvious they were from the Sun Guild.
If it weren’t for them, there wouldn’t be any others coming to this location.
Before long, the area was transformed into a parking lot filled with upscale vehicles.
Si-hyun discreetly slipped into the group of guild members.
He didn’t want to stand out in such a setting.
After all, he still wasn’t skilled enough to attract attention.
He planned to blend in and take part in the raid.
However.
“Huh?”
Si-hyun initially thought he was seeing things.
So, he tilted his head and looked again.
But the same figure came clearly into view.
With her petite frame and the way she walked, it was unmistakable.
Kim Soo-jin.
The woman who had mercilessly kicked him out was approaching alongside the Sun Guild’s attack team members.