NOVEL NEXT Chapter 144
Chapter 144
“Wait, Team Leader!”
The Association Staff, who were sitting around chatting and smoking, widened their eyes upon spotting Team Leader Seo.
In a hurry, they tossed their cigarettes into a nearby trash can and stood up straight.
“Uh, this is just for a moment….”
“Don’t worry about it; it’s fine.”
Team Leader Seo said.
However, the staff felt uncomfortable showing such a demeanor in front of their superior.
It was customary for office staff to give prior notice when a high-ranking official like Team Leader Seo suddenly showed up unexpectedly, so they could prepare in advance.
But the lack of notice meant that Team Leader Seo had really come here alone without a word.
But why?
The staff racked their brains, wondering what was going on, but nothing came to mind.
The fact that Team Leader Seo was here was solely for one reason.
Lee Si-hyun.
He had discovered that name earlier in the morning and tried hard not to think about it.
Still, it kept nagging at him, so he ended up walking over here after finishing his fieldwork.
“Please have a seat.”
Team Leader Seo said, sitting down on a nearby bench first.
Yet the staff hesitated, wearing reluctant expressions, unable to sit easily.
Team Leader Seo glanced at his watch without saying anything more.
The clock showed 4:45 PM.
The time required to conquer a Gate varied greatly depending on the raid team’s level, the structure of the Gate, and the types of monsters present.
The same applied to Abnormal Gates.
However, in most cases, it never exceeded 10 hours, no matter how delayed.
If it took longer than that, it would mean the Association had foolishly approved an incompetent raid team.
Team Leader Seo expected that this time, with the top guild’s excellent raid team tackling this Abnormal Gate, it wouldn’t take long.
He crossed his arms and stared at the Gate.
Coincidentally, a change occurred at that moment.
The color of the Gate shifted to white, and its entrance began to open once again.
“Team Leader!”
The staff beside him seemed to have noticed that and called his name.
Team Leader Seo raised his hand to indicate he understood.
Soon after, people started emerging from the entrance of the Gate.
They were hunters from the Sun Guild.
Leading them out was Nam Woo-sik, who appeared to be wearing a strangely rigid expression.
The expressions on the rest of the hunters’ faces weren’t good either.
Despite having just conquered the Gate, there was no sign of relief on their faces.
Instead, they looked quite irritated.
Moreover, it was evident they were carrying a palpable sense of fatigue, clearly having gone through a significant ordeal.
Team Leader Seo narrowed his eyes and observed the hunters.
His gaze came to a halt on a woman.
‘Kim Soo-jin.’
She was surely an A-Class Wizard.
However, there were splotches of blood on the hem of her clothes.
If the conquest of the Gate had gone smoothly, a back-line wizard wouldn’t have any blood on them.
The fact that she did indicated something had gone wrong during the raid.
For some reason, she seemed to be arguing with the A-Class Healer, Han Ji-ho, her expression looking truly displeased.
The atmosphere did not reflect that of hunters who had just returned from a successful Gate conquest; it was grim and chaotic.
Feeling perturbed, Team Leader Seo then spotted a hunter in the back with one arm severed, and his expression tightened.
“…No way?”
The staff member beside him muttered in disbelief after seeing their condition.
Team Leader Seo had visited many sites related to the Sun Guild, but it was the first time he had seen them come out in such a state.
They had always emerged with confidence and composure, just as much as their reputation warranted.
Team Leader Seo stood up and approached the raid leader, Nam Woo-sik.
Nam Woo-sik looked surprised to see such a high-ranking official come here directly.
“Were there any problems inside the Gate?”
Team Leader Seo asked, bowing slightly and cutting to the chase.
“We had no problems. The conquest was successfully completed.”
Nam Woo-sik replied with a flat, inscrutable expression.
“Yet there seem to be seriously injured people… The boss must have been quite strong.”
The moment he mentioned the boss, Team Leader Seo caught a hint of a distorted expression from Nam Woo-sik.
“Well, you can ask those coming out behind us about that.”
“What?”
Nam Woo-sik’s sudden answer surprised Team Leader Seo. It was an unexpected response.
“Then I’ll be taking my leave.”
Nam Woo-sik walked away toward the parked vehicle, as if he had no further intention of discussing the matter.
Team Leader Seo was left momentarily awkward, unable to hide his surprise at Nam Woo-sik’s actions.
The other hunters also ignored the Association staff as if they were invisible and headed toward their vehicles.
The staff stood, dumbfounded, as the Sun Guild hunters drove away from the scene.
Soon, only Team Leader Seo and the staff were left standing there.
“…They really look frustrated.”
“Yeah, something definitely happened.”
The staff members murmured quietly among themselves.
Team Leader Seo was lost in thought.
“Hey! They’re coming out!”
A staff member’s voice snapped him back to reality.
True to their words, more hunters from a different guild began to emerge from the Gate.
But then.
‘What’s that?’
Team Leader Seo wore a baffled expression.
The faces of these hunters were entirely the opposite of those from the Sun Guild who had come out earlier.
They all looked inexplicably cheerful, as if they had just come from a party.
There was no sign of fatigue from their Gate conquest whatsoever.
It was truly incomprehensible.
Even though they had challenged the same Gate, it was impossible for their conditions to differ so drastically.
The other staff members seemed to share the same sentiment, looking at the newcomers with blank faces.
While gazing at this strange and bizarre sight, a particular someone caught Team Leader Seo’s eye.
A very noticeable someone.
That person seemed to have spotted Team Leader Seo as well, flashing a smile as they greeted him.
‘…You again?’
Staring at Si-hyun, Team Leader Seo found himself shaking his head unconsciously.
◈ ◈ ◈
– Title: Have you all heard? The Sun Guild really got humiliated this time! LOL
– Content: A friend of mine works for the Association, and apparently at the recent conquest of the Abnormal Gate, the Sun Guild was utterly humiliated. They couldn’t even see the boss and got overtaken by the Yangji Guild, LOL! My friend, who’s a C-Class Hunter, was always bragging about being in the Sun Guild, and I’d love to savor the moment when I see him next! LOL!
“This industry is really small.”
Si-hyun mumbled as he sipped his beer.
He was currently browsing the ‘Hunter Room’ community.
While it may not be the most active Hunter community in the country, there were enough current hunters participating to keep it somewhat entertaining.
Rumors circulating in the industry or the perspectives other hunters had about the Association or the guilds were interesting to Si-hyun as well.
Anyway, it hadn’t been long since the conquest of the Abnormal Gate, and yet news was already popping up here.
Si-hyun tore into a dried squid snack while scrolling through the comments.
– Is this real? I can’t make sense of it. How can the Sun Guild and Yangji Guild be that mismatched?
– Are you an anti of the Sun Guild?
– It’s true! I heard it too. These guys never believe a word anyone says.
– An employee, are you? Sun Guild employees are everywhere, aren’t they?
– Which side is telling the truth?
– It’s real. The atmosphere in the Sun Guild is totally bad right now. LOL.
– Sounds like it might be true? I told you the Sun Guild is just riding on their advertising hype.
– It’s all about industry positioning. The White Dragon Guild is definitely better, you guys.
– White Dragon employees, come over here, please!
– Isn’t this event going to change the rankings of the major guilds? Who would want to support them after they got crushed by Yangji?
– I’ll support them! Just let me in, and I’ll kneel and beg my way into the Sun Guild!
– Hey, online they all look like they’re doing great as guild hunters, but in reality, it’s a total mess, isn’t it? LOL, how many C-Class and above are there? LOL!
– What about the Yangji Guild? They’re gonna blow up after this one for sure!
– That place is family-run, right? LOL. You can’t get in without connections. They might post job listings, but they already have their internal candidates lined up. It’s a total mess, so don’t even think about applying. It’s like they only get together to do craft work among themselves, seriously! LOL!
Cough, cough.
Si-hyun suddenly choked as he coughed continuously.
It took a little time, but once he settled down, he took a deep breath, his face flushed.
“Honestly, I have no words.”
Si-hyun murmured.
He was the one who had directed them not to select any inmates.
It had to be those with the effect of Iron-Blooded Guard.
If someone entered who didn’t have one, managing them would be impossible.
So, although it had been announced formally, he had only selected inmates, not general applicants.
Yet, he thought it wouldn’t matter since no one would know they were inmates, but it seemed rumors had already begun circulating.
However, it was inevitable that such rumors spread.
There was no way around it.
Si-hyun forced a bitter smile and took a gulp of his beer.
Nonetheless, he felt he had been sleeping well these past few days.
He still couldn’t forget Su-jin’s sour face.
And knowing her personality, she probably couldn’t sleep at all, feeling vexed.
Si-hyun wore a pleased smile at the corner of his mouth and took another sip of his beer.
Just then, his cellphone, which he had placed beside him, vibrated.
Si-hyun picked up the phone and checked the screen. Instead of a name, a number appeared. It meant it wasn’t registered in his phone.
Si-hyun thought for a moment before answering the call.
– Still using the same number, huh?
He heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
Kim Soo-jin; it was her voice.
Si-hyun chuckled.
It seemed his expectations had been spot on.
She must have been so annoyed that she finally decided to call him.
“What’s going on? Weren’t you the one who said not to contact you first?”
He spoke in an intentionally calm tone, devoid of any emotion.
– What does that even matter right now? After what happened, should I just sit back and do nothing?
Her voice was laced with irritation.
Just by hearing her tone, he could picture the kind of expression she was wearing.
“What happened?”
Si-hyun responded, feigning ignorance entirely.
That seemed to aggravate her even more.
– How dare you pretend not to know! You did that to me, didn’t you? Serves you right!
She spat out, sounding increasingly agitated.
Yet, Si-hyun remained unaffected.
“I really don’t recall anything. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
– Ha, so you’re going to deny it like that?
“You’re the one jumping to conclusions and accusing me without any basis. Honestly, it’s pretty pathetic.”
His words were unrestrained.
With no one else around, it was easy to speak freely.
– What? Pathetic? You’re just a piece of trash who shouldn’t even be talking to me?
“That’s just your projection of your feelings onto me.”
Soo-jin’s voice grew even sharper.
“Let’s stop this. We agreed not to contact each other, so why are we dragging this out? I’m hanging up.”
– What? Who do you think you are to just hang up? Don’t you dare hang up!
Beeep.
Si-hyun hung up the call, ignoring her protests and started laughing.
“It seems you really are feeling spicy.”
He thought perhaps she might storm over in person, but he didn’t care.
He wasn’t the powerless, ordinary correctional officer he once was.
No matter what she came to say, he would just retort back uncompromisingly.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Ugh! So frustrating! So infuriating!”
After Si-hyun abruptly hung up, Soo-jin, unable to reach him again, threw her phone down in irritation.
Her face was flushed with anger as she stomped around.
Her frustration only seemed to pile up.
How dare a lowly guard who should rot in prison with inmates infuriate her like this?
How audacious.
How shameless.
“Just you wait! I won’t stand for this! I’ll make you kneel and beg for forgiveness!”
Soo-jin shouted, furrowing her brow as if she would rip Si-hyun to shreds.