NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
Chapter 41
I felt a bit uneasy, but the raid proceeded remarkably smoothly. After all, it was impossible for a D-rank Gate to be a challenge with two B-rank Hunters on our team.
Taking our time, we ascended floor by floor, taking out monsters. The Black Tiger Guild Members, who initially looked uneasy in front of the tower, gradually relaxed as the raid continued. They probably felt it was unnecessary to worry; after all, such incidents seldom repeat.
Si-hyun and Eun-hye also returned to their usual selves, unlike on the first floor.
“We’re almost there,” Min-jun said.
The boss room came into view. It felt like a leisurely stroll since we faced no trouble from monsters along the way.
“Let’s head in,” Hyung-cheol said with a light tone. Usually, before entering a boss room, thorough checks of equipment and status were standard.
However, Hyung-cheol seemed as casual as if he were just popping over to a neighbor’s house.
“Seriously… I told you not to bother about the little guys,” Jin-soo grumbled as he stepped into the boss room first. Hyung-cheol bowed his head slightly, as if asking for understanding, and followed him.
“…That guy is truly a piece of work. Should I put him on the Hunter blacklist?” One Black Tiger Guild Member remarked with a disgruntled expression.
◈ ◈ ◈
The boss turned out to be a Giant Bat.
It had sharp claws capable of easily slicing through human flesh and terrifying teeth that could shred a neck to fragments in an instant. Despite its large size, it could fly at impressive speeds, so dropping your guard could quickly turn into an attack.
Aware of this, Si-hyun’s group kept an eye on the front, prepared for an attack. Although a B-rank Hunter stood ahead, there was a risk of it flying over and launching an attack thanks to its wings.
“Ah, finally, I can use my skills,” Jin-soo chuckled as he walked slowly toward the Giant Bat. Until now, he had been taking down all the monsters using simple slashes and thrusts, with the enemies hardly worth being called a threat.
But against a boss monster, even at a D-rank Gate, it was about time for him to show his skills.
A faint blue aura began to swirl around his sword.
“Sword Aura.”
Someone murmured. It was a skill that only a swordsman who had reached the expert level could use. By infusing magic power into the sword, it created a sword aura, allowing for much sharper and more destructive attacks.
“Hmph, it seems you’ve got an eye for things,” Jin-soo scoffed. He was a knight who had reached the intermediate level of the Sword Expert awakening. Naturally, he was also a member of one of the three renowned knight orders under the royal family. He was leagues above the provincial lords’ various knights.
That was the pride of B-rank Hunter Jin-soo.
“I’ll give you one minute.”
As Jin-soo unleashed the sword aura, Hyung-cheol crossed his arms and stepped back, letting him have free rein.
“Thirty seconds is enough for me, bro.”
“Ki-iiih!”
Feeling threatened by Jin-soo’s sword aura, the Giant Bat screeched loudly.
“C’mere, you little punk!” Jin-soo beckoned with a finger, seemingly provoking the bat which flapped its wings dramatically and zoomed in.
Its sharp claws aimed for his neck.
But Jin-soo was already gone from that spot. Soaring into the air, he thrust his sword, enveloped in the sword aura, straight into the bat.
[Siik!]
In an instant, one of its wings tore apart like a rag.
“Ki-eek!”
The Giant Bat screeched in agony, losing its balance and wobbling.
Jin-soo’s eyes widened. His gaze fixed on the bat’s neck. He was determined to end it in one blow. Not blinking, he flew toward his target.
The Giant Bat scrambled to evade, but it was already too late.
[Fwoosh!]
As the sword aura flashed, the Giant Bat’s neck was cleanly severed.
“Okay, that took less than 20 seconds,” Hyung-cheol remarked, sounding pleased.
He had finished the Giant Bat with just two attacks. Despite his personality, he proved to be quite competent among B-rank Hunters.
“That didn’t even serve as a warm-up. Tch, this is just the level of a low-grade Gate,” Jin-soo bragged with arrogance.
“Alright, now let’s head back… Huh?”
Hyung-cheol’s eyes widened as he was about to suggest returning after the smoothly completed raid.
“What’s that?”
With the boss dead, a swirling red Gate appeared in the air out of nowhere.
“A Double Gate?”
Tae-seong, the Black Tiger Guild Leader, widened his eyes.
◈ ◈ ◈
In the Korean Hunter Association’s Inspection Bureau.
It was just an ordinary day with a phone ringing.
But the Inspection Bureau staff suddenly jumped up in shock.
“What?! Yes, yes, understood. Right now!”
The staff hurriedly dashed to the Team Leader’s office. As the Director and Deputy Director were away on a business trip, the Team Leader was practically in charge.
Without knocking, he swung the door open. Normally, this would earn him a reprimand from his superior, but right now, that was the least of his concerns.
Team Leader Seo Yong-gil, a young man in his mid-thirties, sensed the urgency in his subordinate’s demeanor.
“What is it?”
“It’s a Double Gate!”
“Really?”
Seo frowned. The term “Double” referred to a Double Gate. If a team defeated a Gate boss under very rare conditions, it could lead to another Gate opening.
Lower-graded Gates shone blue, while upper-graded Gates glimmered gray. However, when a Double Gate appeared, it transformed into a vibrant red, making it noticeable from outside.
This was a troublesome phenomenon. When a Double Gate occurs, the original entrance remains shut, trapping people inside. The only way out is to tackle the newly formed Gate.
But that wasn’t all. The new Gate’s rank tended to be higher than the original one. Because of this, many Hunters trapped in Double Gates often lost their lives while attempting to tackle a higher-ranked Gate.
“What’s the Gate rank?”
“It’s D-rank.”
“A D-rank means the Double Gate is likely C-rank. What’s the makeup of the raiding party?”
Generally, a Double Gate had the highest likelihood of being one rank up from the original Gate. According to reports to the International Hunter Association, this was the case over 95% of the time.
“We have two C-rank, five D-rank, and three E-rank…. but it seems two B-rank Hunters from the White Dragon Guild have joined up.”
“Is that so? That’s great news.”
Seo’s demeanor brightened. He had thought that only innocent Hunters would perish, but with that, their chances of survival improved. With that lineup, they might not match a typical C-rank raid party, but it was still a capable force.
“However….”
The staff’s expression darkened, as if he had bad news to deliver.
“Speak.”
“The magic power measuring device that the dispatched staff tried to use broke at the worst possible time.”
“…I told them we need to replace all the outdated equipment with new ones. Anyway, for now, send about ten staff members to fetch a magic power measurement device and report back immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t worry too much; it’s probably just a C-rank.”
Team Leader Seo believed that statistics never lied.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Is that the Double Gate?”
Jin-soo asked Hyung-cheol, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. He had heard it was an incredibly rare occurrence, yet here it was, right in their first raid.
“That’s likely it. I’m experiencing this firsthand for the first time too.”
“Wow, even you, Hyung-cheol? This should be fun!”
Jin-soo, without a hint of concern, appeared almost excited. It was reminiscent of a child discovering a new toy.
“Don’t get too complacent. It should be a C-rank. That’s a whole other level compared to D-rank.”
Hyung-cheol warned him to remain calm.
“What’s the big deal about a C-rank? I’ve got you, and you’ve got me. Those little weaklings won’t help much, but they’re better than nothing.”
Jin-soo replied, adding an unnecessary jab at the end, but Si-hyun’s group was too preoccupied to mind.
“We have no choice but to go in.”
Eun-hye spoke firmly. Even if she hadn’t said it, looking down from the tower, the Gate’s entrance was firmly shut.
‘No wonder I had a bad feeling about this.’
Si-hyun wore a look that signaled he wasn’t mistaken about his ominous instincts. He thought such coincidences didn’t happen twice, but yet another misfortune had come knocking.
“Let’s keep our heads straight. This could really be a matter of life and death.”
Min-jun said, his usual jovial demeanor replaced with seriousness. A single rank may have changed, but the difference in the strength of the monsters was bound to be much more significant than they anticipated.
For those D-rank Hunters, even the common monsters of a C-rank Gate would present a formidable challenge. The only saving grace was the presence of two B-rank Hunters, but even they couldn’t rampage freely in battle like before. It was time for them to look after their own lives.
“…Hyung, isn’t this a huge mess?”
One Black Tiger Guild Member, who had looked uneasy since the first sight of the tower, opened his mouth.
“Stop with the bad omens and keep your head together.”
Tae-seong said, clapping his hands to encourage the guild members.
“Alright, let’s focus and fight properly instead of looking so grim.”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone looked tense, yet they answered enthusiastically. Perhaps they shouted just to relieve a bit of tension.
“Let’s move in, Guild Leader.”
Hyung-cheol suggested.
Staying here wouldn’t help; they would be stuck forever. Their only option was to step into the newly formed Gate.
“Understood.”
Tae-seong nodded vigorously.
◈ ◈ ◈
“A jungle?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened at the sight of the unfamiliar Gate.
It felt as if they had entered the middle of a tropical rainforest. Surrounding them were towering trees that stretched over dozens of meters. The scent of the jungle hit them, and the humid air clung to their skin.
“…I’ve never seen a Gate like this before.”
Tae-seong spoke with a grim expression. When encountering a new Gate, it was likely to reveal new monsters as well. If there’s no information, it becomes unfavorable for the Hunters. They would have to confront the unknown enemy without any clue about its strength, attack methods, or weaknesses.
Tae-seong turned his gaze, expecting Hyung-cheol might know this Gate, but he shook his head.
“At least it’s straightforward.”
Hyung-cheol said.
In a jungle, if the path was complicated, they would quickly get lost. Fortunately, there was only one visible path ahead of them.
[Kaiaak!]
[Kaiaak!]
From somewhere, an unrecognizable beast’s screams echoed. It could be a bird or something else entirely. What was certain was that it sounded ominously foreboding.
“Let’s go, Hyung-cheol. What’s the big deal about a jungle?”
Jin-soo remained unperturbed. He was too inexperienced to grasp the horror of a Gate.
Still, he had a point; there was no choice but to proceed forward.
Leading the way, Jin-soo and Hyung-cheol began to advance slowly.
“Keep your eyes peeled.”
Eun-hye cautioned. They never knew when something might jump out at them.
“Of course.”
Si-hyun nodded as he moved along.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Is this really a Gate?”
Someone questioned. After pushing through the jungle for what felt like over 30 minutes, they hadn’t seen a single shadow of a monster.
In an ordinary Gate, encountering monsters within that time would be unavoidable. It was only natural to feel something was off.
“Phew, it’s hot.”
“It’s ridiculously hot.”
The tropical heat and high humidity made it suffocating. Everyone was sweating profusely, and their clothes were thoroughly soaked.
Those in robes or light armor had it easier. Hunters in heavy armor were likely feeling like they had entered a sauna.
“…I’ve never felt my stamina drop so dramatically from just walking while being a Hunter.”
Min-jun, donned in heavy armor, spoke with a distressed expression that was uncharacteristic of him. Hunters typically had stamina that far exceeded ordinary people. Yet, they were continuously sweating buckets, leading to exhaustion.
They couldn’t even take off their armor. This was a completely unknown Gate. They never knew when an enemy might strike.
Not being able to drink water didn’t help either. Water as an item didn’t exist. So, they couldn’t stock up in their inventory. That was why, during a raid, a designated Hunter typically prepared water beforehand.
But just how much water would they have prepared for a D-rank Gate? It was unnecessary. That’s why they had already run out of the little water they had packed while trudging through the jungle.
“Come on out already, damn it,” Jin-soo muttered, visibly irritated by the heat and thirst. Beside him, Hyung-cheol also looked dissatisfied.
[Grroooar!]
Just then, a roar echoed nearby.