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***
‘But no matter how much I think about it, something’s definitely off.’
A few days after deciding to enter the gate.
As Jeonghyun headed to the agreed-upon meeting place, he smirked.
He had reviewed the posts several times, but there was nothing strange.
However, the absence of anything strange made it even more suspicious to him.
“No, who does business like this, falling for it so easily?”
It seemed too mismatched with the principles of fairness.
While Jeonghyun, in the position of a consumer, wasn’t necessarily concerned, the conditions of the contract were too good to not think about it three times.
Two D-rank hunters,
Those two individuals regardless of rank or experience to enter a gate of level 2 or lower, with equal distribution and no disadvantages?
If it was a guild request, selecting from within the guild members would have been sufficient.
“There’s something fishy about it.”
Jeonghyun, like a seasoned detective in a drama, closed his eyes, sniffing the air with a wrinkled nose.
Indeed, there was a smell.
Jeonghyun followed the scent, opened his eyes, and there, being dragged along by his right hand, was his travel suitcase.
And from there, a strong odor of monsters emanated.
“Ugh, it’s not good when your senses get sharper.”
It was a hunter’s equipment case he purchased based on Jeonga’s advice from their previous hunt.
Although it had a sealed function to contain the smell from the hunter’s gear, it was still noticeable to him.
‘Well, maybe the one responsible for this is the problem?’
The sealed function was only to the extent of preventing the smell for ordinary people.
Especially with the performance of the newly acquired E-rank attributes being too good, it became more of an issue.
Adapting and using these heightened senses in real life was a separate issue.
Not only did the sensitivity increase, but there were also difficulties in applying force or making subtle movements in everyday situations.
For example, when holding an egg or casually scratching an itch.
He thought he had grabbed it as usual, but the egg would shatter like tofu, and he would almost bump into the person in front of him.
During the days waiting for the gate entrance, Jeonghyun had focused most on adapting to his newly acquired attributes.
‘Still, it’s not as bad as before.’
Jeonghyun clenched and opened his left hand.
He had become more accustomed to it, but whether he can use it in real combat remained a question.
Even if there was a slightly suspicious smell, he couldn’t give up the safety of the current party.
“But still, something’s off.”
The more he tried not to be conscious, the more he became aware.
And the moment he unconsciously put extra force into his step.
Thud-
The pavement block in the street cracked under his step.
“Oh, what’s this now?”
Jeonghyun quickly bent over to pick up the broken pavement block.
But that wouldn’t make the already broken piece whole again.
In the end, Jeonghyun straightened up and surveyed the surroundings.
“Um, well.”
Then, after confirming there was no one around, he cleared his throat and continued walking.
He didn’t forget to be cautious with each steps.
“Ouch, why is this gate in such a remote place? Were there places like this in Seoul?”
Jeonghyun looked around dramatically, swinging his arms.
He was heading to the address the post’s author had sent, but the path seemed to be getting more deserted and remote.
‘Even this is suspicious.’
Once he started doubting, even such things caught his attention.
However, the location of the gate was not a problem.
Gates appeared regardless of urban or natural settings.
The feeling that gates appeared more frequently in the city was just a perception.
Sometimes, gates that remained unnoticed in the mountains would cause trouble, so the Association regularly patrolled the entire country.
Moreover, if there were many people visiting a gate’s location, that, too, had its own strangeness.
Even in a remote area, there should be an Association staff managing the gate.
Jeonghyun dismissed his concerns, considering them baseless.
Just then, the meeting place came into view.
“Hello.”
The Association office building and the three people standing in front of it.
A couple stood close, engaged in conversation, and another woman stood a few steps away alone.
As Jeonghyun approached, the man greeted him with a bright smile.
“Oh, hello. Are you Mr. Han Jeonghyun?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Hanseok, who will be going in with you today.”
“I’m Park Gareng.”
Following the man, the woman who was with him also greeted him.
And the woman who had been standing alone with a somewhat reserved attitude approached.
“Hello, I’m Nam Jiyoon.”
“I’m Han Jeonghyun.”
Probably the other person who would be joining the party with Jeonghyun.
A man who introduced himself as Hanseok provided additional information about Jiyoon.
“Jiyoon, a healer? Isn’t that a bit unexpected? I never really thought about her attributes, but it’s quite fortunate, isn’t it?”
“Well… I’m just an E-rank level 1 healer.”
“Even if it’s E-rank, having a healer is reassuring, you know? Even a goblin could cause significant harm if not careful.”
“Of course, with us, there probably won’t be many incidents like that.”
Hanseok and Gareng praised Jiyoon, and the scene seemed quite natural.
Anyway, having a healer in the party is a good thing.
Jeonghyun observed the two.
‘Were they people who often did such things?’
How many times have people ignored others just because their rank was high, as seen in the videos on MyTV?
Jeonghyun didn’t register his attributes with the Hunter Association for a similar reason.
Those who didn’t register their attributes were probably considered F-rank by most, but there was still a difference between openly discussing it and keeping it hidden.
However, at least Hanseok and Gareng didn’t seem to be like that.
‘Well, people like them probably form parties like this.’
While Jeonghyun was thinking, Hanseok asked.
“But Jeonghyun, what about your attributes? You didn’t register them, right?”
“Uh… well, I’m in the agility category.”
Jeonghyun didn’t explicitly mention his rank.
However, Hanseok nodded as if he understood.
“No wonder you look agile. Counting on you.”
“No problem, you should count on me.”
Despite the potential disappointment, Hanseok complimented Jeonghyun without changing his expression.
It was familiar, indeed.
Was everyone here like that?
Hanseok, Gareng, and Jeonghyun, with a bit of distance, took their seats where everyone could see.
“Now, we’re going to enter the gate. It might not be anything special, but let me explain beforehand.”
Hanseok began the briefing, a customary practice before entering the gate.
The place they were about to enter was called the ‘Atarok Goblin Stronghold.’
Despite having a tribe name, the goblins inside were ordinary.
The variations in the goblin species were vast, and the difficulty varied as adjectives were attached.
There was no need to worry about that.
“Moreover, we won’t enter the stronghold. We’ll only deal with scouting goblins nearby.”
Then, the explanation continued.
Hanseok had a D-rank axe skill attribute, while Gareng had a D-rank magic attribute.
Therefore, Hanseok would be in front, followed by Jeonghyun, and finally, Gareng and Jiyoon.
Since there was nothing particularly unusual, everyone nodded in agreement.
“Well, shall we go in then?” Hanseok said, leading the way back to the Association office, but then seemed to remember something and turned back to Jeonghyun and Jiyoon.
“Everything’s fine, but be careful of goblin venom stingers.”
“Oh, okay!”
Perhaps due to nervousness, Jiyoon answered in a slightly louder voice.
Hanseok chuckled at her and added, “Goblin venom stingers can be quite painful if you get stung.”
“What?”
From Hanseok’s appearance, Jeonghyun felt a slight sense of strangeness.
It felt like someone else suddenly replaced him for a moment.
However, that impression was only momentary, and Hanseok, after turning around, was the same as before, so Jeonghyun followed along with a wry smile.
‘Well, I guess I do need to be careful of venom stingers.’
It was so common and well-known that everyone knew its effects.
If you lacked sufficient resistance, it could cause stiffness, and if your body was weak, it could even lead to fainting.
But, for the most part, its power was weak enough not to penetrate simple armor.
It was an attack that needed caution, but it was almost something you could overlook.
Maybe because he was with a novice hunter like him and Jiyoon, he said such things, and it was something that could be easily passed over.
***
Korean Hunter Association, a 30,000 square meter facility.
As the size of the site was large, the main building of the headquarters was grand, but in reality, most of the crucial departments of the Association were underground.
This was to preserve the ability to respond in case of potential terrorist attacks or similar emergencies.
The ‘Investigation Department 3,’ responsible for investigating hunters who committed crimes, or villains, was also stationed underground.
Among the countless crimes committed by villains, Investigation Department 3 focused on incidents that occurred within the gates.
Inside that office,
“Hmm…”
A woman was dozing off.
With short hair that didn’t reach her shoulders and no makeup, her skin was fair even though she lacked a flashy appearance.
Although she looked sloppy with her eyes closed and drool gathering at the corner of her mouth, she was Yerin, the head of Investigation Department 3.
And someone urgently called her.
“Director!”
“Huh? What’s up? What’s the matter?”
Startled, Yerin, who had been awakened from her nap, was greeted by the team leader of the Investigation Team, Kim Seokwoong.
“We caught them!”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Whom did you catch?”
“The ‘Mask’! The Control Center just contacted us! We’ve secured their location!”
“What?”
Yerin, who had been listening drowsily, suddenly stood up.
The Mask.
The villain was a duo, disguising themselves within the gates to kill inexperienced hunters newbies.
One of them possessed magical abilities and used it to change faces, making tracking difficult.
They seemed to be criminals targeting newcomers for crimes related to Level 2 quests, exploiting the vast differences in skill levels corresponding to each level.
“Things were quiet for a while, but there was an incident in Seoul recently. The staff mentioned something suspicious afterward…” Seokwoong, in the midst of excitement, spoke before trailing off suddenly.
Yerin nudged him. “Hurry up! Where did it happen?”
“That… they’ve already entered the gate. It’s the Atarok Goblin Stronghold.”
“What? This is insane…”
Yerin touched her forehead with her hand, her gaze shifting.
The empty seat across from Yerim. Typically, the immediate Response Team leader, Jo Seokhyun, should be dispatched. However, he was already handling another case in a different region.
Seokwoong’s hesitation was likely due to that. However, in a situation where another crime was likely to occur, delay was not an option.
“What are you doing? I’ll report to Director Kookjang and follow immediately. Gather the remaining response team and move out!” Yerin shouted without hesitation.
“What?”
“If you’re a B-rank hunter, you should do something! Can’t you hear me? Get going!”
“Yes!”
In response to the commanding tone, Seokwoong rushed out of the office.
Yerin let out a deep sigh.
The estimated grade of the two-member duo was D. Although currently in an administrative position, Seokwoong was a skilled B-rank hunter, experienced enough to temporarily take on the role of the response team.
Even if the response team leader, Joseokhyun, hadn’t left, he couldn’t enter the Level 2 limited gate. There wasn’t a significant difference in actual strength.
The only issue was whether the hunters who entered the gate with Seokwoong to apprehend the villains were alive or dead.
They wouldn’t have formed a party with other hunters and entered the gate without reason.
‘This is not the time for this.’
After adjusting her appearance hastily, Yerin immediately rushed out of the office.
The two-member duo had been notorious in Section 3 of the Investigation Department for a long time. It was a case that the entire department paid attention to.
To ensure a thorough resolution, she needed to rush to the scene herself.
There was no room for complacency when dealing with hunters. That had been the motto of Section 3 since Hunter Cha Yerin took office as the supervisor.
Yerin’s footsteps, echoing through the clean underground corridors of the Association, became even more urgent.
