NOVEL NEXT Chapter 140
Chapter 140: What’s Going On?
“What is this?”
“Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?”
Lee Si-hyun’s face was one of sheer disbelief.
Who would’ve thought she was part of the Sun Guild?
After completely cutting off my interest since that day, I had no idea about such a fact.
Had I known earlier, there was no way I would have shown up.
Is there any way I can get out of here now? While contemplating this, Si-hyun suddenly bit her lip and shook her head.
No, I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I avoid her?
There was absolutely no reason to.
It was true that meeting her felt awkward.
But that only meant I had to act more confidently.
I had to show her that I was living well without caring about her at all.
“…”
Though I thought that, Si-hyun didn’t initiate a conversation first.
There was no need to acknowledge her first, nor was I inclined to do so.
“Hello.”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
A man who appeared to be the leader of the Sun Guild raid team exchanged greetings with Cheol-hyung.
Since he was the captain of a major guild, I assumed he’d be older, but surprisingly, he looked quite young.
He seemed to be in his mid-thirties.
Tall, well-built, and muscular, his strong facial features shone with intense eyes.
Si-hyun listened carefully as they introduced themselves to each other.
The captain of the Sun Guild’s raid team was a man named Nam Woo-sik.
Hearing the name rang a bell for me.
I think I heard he was one of the top A-rank Hunters in Korea.
That’s probably why he led a raid team for a guild like the Sun Guild.
“Nice to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure for us too.”
After exchanging pleasantries one last time, each guild began preparing for the raid.
Abnormal Gates are different from regular gates.
You had to rush in the moment they formed.
So, preparations had to be completed before the gate appeared.
Si-hyun started putting on her armor.
The leather outfit made from Giant Monkey hide was completely ruined when she sustained a big injury to her chest, so she bought another unique piece of armor.
Still, she didn’t quite like the heavy armor, choosing to go for medium armor instead.
That, of course, cost a significant amount of money.
It was possible thanks to the guild’s income.
“Oh my, who do we have here?”
Just as Si-hyun finished putting on her armor, a woman’s voice rang out.
“Oppa? Isn’t that Si-hyun oppa?”
It was Su-jin.
She looked at Si-hyun with a strange expression.
So, she had eventually spotted Si-hyun.
“Uh? Su-jin?”
Si-hyun played it as if she just realized, pulling off the act quite naturally.
Her acting experience from various situations seemed to kick in effortlessly.
“What brings you here, oppa? You’re the famous guard seen on TV, right?”
Su-jin said with a grin.
Hearing the word “guard,” Si-hyun had to make a significant effort to maintain her composure.
Given the incidents with Po-ahim, the term “guard” didn’t particularly repulse her.
But it was obvious she was using it in a derogatory sense.
It was like before.
When she thought about how belittling someone’s valuable profession warranted an apology, all she got was a scoff.
“I can’t get drawn into this.”
Si-hyun repeated in her mind.
If she blew up here, it would play right into what she wanted.
“I came for the raid. I’m a guild member here.”
Si-hyun responded as nonchalantly as possible.
“A raid?”
At first, Su-jin seemed confused, then soon wore a subtly mocking smile.
“Today’s an abnormal gate strategy right? Did you get that wrong? You’re D-rank, right? A D-rank shouldn’t… Ah, sorry. I said that without thinking. Anyway, D-ranks aren’t supposed to be here… Oh, I get it. You’re the porter, oppa.”
As if realizing her slip of the tongue when she unconsciously used “dweeb,” Su-jin quickly softened her words, showing no genuine apology.
Worried that the Yangji Guild members might react, Si-hyun raised her left hand to signal not to make any reckless moves.
Fortunately, the Yangji Guild members remained silent.
Still, they didn’t know the full extent of the relationship between Si-hyun and Su-jin.
“Think what you want.”
By the time they parted, she had already shown her true colors.
This kind of behavior from her wasn’t surprising at all.
If she just let it slide, everything would be fine.
With that thought, Si-hyun felt her agitation calm down gradually.
“Why should I care about your assumptions? You’re a porter, aren’t you? If you weren’t, the association wouldn’t have let a D-rank into an abnormal gate raid.”
Su-jin smirked with a twisted smile.
After that, Cheol-hyung seemed to indicate to Si-hyun with a look.
He raised his right hand and made a small circle with it.
‘So, that’s it.’
Si-hyun chuckled inwardly, realizing what he meant.
So it’s true she was registered as a porter.
Thinking about it, on the surface, she was D-rank.
Thus, to join a raid team for a top-tier gate like an abnormal gate, being a porter was the only option.
‘Hah… how did I not think of that?’
Having raided only with the Yangji Guild for three years, she had forgotten the fact that she couldn’t act however she pleased in front of others.
“Why do you look like that? What’s with the dumbfounded expression? Am I wrong?”
Si-hyun made a face of annoyance, clearly showing how bothersome she found it.
“We’re not related anymore, so why pay any attention? Let’s just relax, okay?”
“Oh, really?”
While saying that, Su-jin eyed Si-hyun oddly.
She licked her lips lightly, glistening her mouth.
Si-hyun had a good idea of the expression Su-jin was making.
It was one that hinted she wanted to toy with him a bit more since they met, but given the situation, it was a tad disappointing.
Had it been a lesser guild, she might have directly caused trouble.
But since they were a well-established guild with some A-ranks, Su-jin held back.
“Hey, who is that?”
Just then, someone approached from behind and spoke to Su-jin.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties.
Tall and youthful with a decent-looking face.
“Ah, you know… that guy from before….”
“Oh, that guy?”
The expression of the man who referred to her as “that guy” didn’t seem too pleased.
“Wow, so you were hanging out with that kind of person. Must have been tough.”
The man mumbled almost too low to hear, but Si-hyun caught every word.
These two sure are a piece of work…
Si-hyun internally scoffed in disbelief.
That was enough. No need to react to everything.
Why should he care about that?
Still, the urge to retaliate if the opportunity arose crept up.
But not here.
Si-hyun purposely pretended not to hear and ignored it.
“Let’s go, Su-jin.”
The man grabbed her hand, showing off proudly.
It seemed he wanted the world to know he was her ex-lover and an A-rank hunter.
…But honestly, it’s not like I’m jealous at all. What’s he trying to prove?
He was actually doing Si-hyun a favor by removing a potential trap.
Si-hyun smiled at that thought.
The guy, however, looked confused upon seeing her smile.
“Then, help me carry some things. Make sure to pick up every single item!”
Su-jin waved her hand, maintaining her annoying smile.
Si-hyun averted her gaze, ignoring her.
“Are you two acquainted?”
As they walked away, Baek Dong-il approached and asked.
“Well, a little. Who is that guy?”
“That’s Han Ji-ho, an A-Class healer.”
“A-Class healer… Quite the noble, huh.”
Si-hyun chuckled.
As the gates became stronger, the role of healers became increasingly crucial.
With monsters being strong, the chances of injuries spiked.
Without healers’ treatment and buffs, it would be no surprise if casualties began piling up.
After brushing him aside, it seemed she had snagged a young and capable man.
Well, it doesn’t matter who she meets.
“Bring me the bag.”
“Eh?”
Dong-il’s eyes widened at Si-hyun’s words.
“The bag, I said.”
“N-no, how could I dare ask you, Section Chief….”
“Just bring it. I’m a porter, so I need to carry stuff.”
As Si-hyun persisted, Dong-il reluctantly went off to fetch the bag and handed it to her.
Just then—
“Abnormal gate has appeared!”
An Association Staff shouted loudly.
As stated, the grayish gate’s waves rapidly formed in the air.
“Quickly, hurry in!”
No one needed reminding, everyone understood there was no time to waste.
Raid members closest to the gate started jumping in one by one.
◈ ◈ ◈
When Si-hyun entered, combat was already underway inside the gate.
No, it was closer to one-sided slaughter.
Corpses of monsters littered everywhere.
The monsters resembled wolves.
“They’re too weak.”
Someone remarked.
Indeed, despite their numbers, the wolf monsters that attacked them were weak.
It was hard to believe they were from an abnormal gate.
“This is just the beginning.”
Cheol-hyung stated.
The monsters in an abnormal gate couldn’t possibly stay this weak.
And everyone else thought the same.
From the get-go, the Sun Guild’s first raid had not been their first encounter with abnormal gates.
“Is everyone in?”
Nam Woo-sik, the actual leader of this raid, asked, checking on their team.
Cheol-hyung quickly scanned his guild members with his eyes before answering.
“Everything is in order.”
“Understood. Let’s move forward cautiously.”
◈ ◈ ◈
The area they were in was dense with tall trees.
It was a place where it wouldn’t be surprising for monsters to suddenly leap out.
Thus, they moved cautiously while watching their surroundings.
The path was a straight one, so all they had to do was walk right ahead.
During their passage, there were a few monster ambushes, but they handled them easily.
Most were animal-type monsters, and they weren’t very strong.
It was too easy.
Even the hunters’ tension relaxed.
“Wait? The path?”
Dong-il, looking ahead, shouted.
What had been a straight forest path suddenly split into two.
The group halted for a moment.
They needed to decide which path to take.
“Let’s split into two, hyung.”
Han Ji-ho stepped closer to Nam Woo-sik and suggested.
“Why?”
“If we split, we can breach faster and take out the boss, claiming the loot all for ourselves, right?”
It was a simple reason.
Yet, it was a significant reason.
The boss of the abnormal gate is a money-maker.
A lot of money.
It drops top-tier items, and magic stones of the highest grade.
Those are nothing compared to what you’d get from regular monsters.
So, if there was a way to monopolize it, it was only natural they’d be drawn to it.
“I assume the monsters will become stronger as we go. Are you sure that’s okay?”
Nam Woo-sik asked, his face pensive.
“We’re plenty powerful enough as it is,” Ji-ho replied confidently.
Nam Woo-sik agreed with that.
Considering their prior experiences with abnormal gates, he was convinced that their guild’s strength alone could handle the challenge.
They were merely forced into this joint raid due to the association’s policies.
“I concur with Ji-ho’s thoughts, oppa.”
Su-jin chimed in, wearing a smiling face.
“Why should we go together and share the boss loot? Let them loot just the items from regular monsters and leave it at that.”
“Hm.”
Nam Woo-sik scanned the expressions of the other guild members.
There seemed to be no signs of dissent.
“Alright, let’s do it that way.”
Nam Woo-sik nodded in agreement.
◈ ◈ ◈
When the Sun Guild disappeared down the other path, Si-hyun’s group sat idly at the fork.
In an instant, the strongest power had withdrawn.
If they encountered powerful monsters ahead, it was clear they were in for a tough time.
“Seriously… it just keeps getting worse….”
Dong-il muttered.
Mujik was sitting silently with his eyes closed.
Cheol-hyung looked at Si-hyun.
With no one around, Si-hyun could lead her group without worrying.
She was just as lost.
While they could likely break through ordinary monsters, could they do so without a major injury?
Such thoughts were giving her a headache.
Then came a voice.
“Why are you all sitting around?”
It was a woman’s voice.
But it was one they wouldn’t expect to hear.
The Yangji Guild consisted entirely of men.
“Wait, you…?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened as she recognized the voice.
It was Lin Xue.
She wore a playful smile as she gazed at them.
The guild members’ eyes widened in shock at her appearance.
Those involved in the incident from three years ago, particularly so.
The other monster they’d fought and beaten during that event had now appeared before them.
“It looks like you’re all in for a rough ride… yet here you are all just waltzing in.”
Lin Xue said mockingly.
“What do you mean by that?” Si-hyun inquired.
“Typically, in huge forests like this, the lower-tier monsters only wander near the outskirts. But the deeper you venture, the stronger monsters you’ll encounter.”
“I’m sure they’re aware of that much.”
“But it’s not just that. Can’t you feel this energy?”
Lin Xue stared at Si-hyun intently as she questioned him.
“What energy?”
Si-hyun shook her head, appearing unsure.
The other guild members shared the same clueless expression.
“I wonder how far they’ll get. Well, it doesn’t concern me much since they willingly walked into this.”
“…”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait?”
“Let’s head in.”
“Oh, okay.”
“It’s your first raid with me, right? Since it’s your first, I’ll treat you to the best service.”
Lin Xue winked at Si-hyun with a grin.