Chapter 209: Yuashiel is Next (1)

Kim Ki-Rok was busy throughout the three days before the Gate's destruction.

His first move was to summon a representative from the Hunters Association, accompanied by Lieutenant General Akabe. This was simple enough, as a key Association member had already been waiting in front of the Gate, ready for either a clear or an extension depending on the outcome of the last operation.

At Kim Ki-Rok and Lieutenant General Akabe's request, the Hunters Association immediately entered the Gate to meet with them. Kim Ki-Rok and Lieutenant General Akabe's first action after bringing in the Association representative was to ask both the Hunters Association and the Japanese officials present to keep the clear reward confidential.

At first, the Association found the request unusual. However, when Kim Ki-Rok brought up Japanese Awakened criminals who bore grudges against him, as well as retired politicians and businessmen, they agreed to the proposal without hesitation.

"Therefore, the reward the DG Guild received was not made public. Then, what do you think was the second thing I did?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

Yoo Seh-Eun was quietly watching as he sat in a massage chair and stroked the back of a beautiful, white-furred cat named Baekmyo.

"The second thing I did was summon the Gate clear participants. It wasn't particularly difficult," Kim Ki-Rok continued.

Although the clear team had successfully finished the operation, they did not return to their home countries because of a new mission the Patera Dimension had given them. The Gate's reward would grant them temporary stat increases that would fade over time, rather than permanent boosts.

"So why didn't they go home?" he mused. "A hundred days in here meant rapid growth and a chance to build ties with the Yuashiel Dimension. That's why they stayed and carried out their missions. It's why, for three whole days, no one came out of the Gate."

The government, the Association, the guilds, and corporations had all sent supplies into the Gate. The Hunters bought these deliveries, took ownership, and used them to complete the missions assigned within.

"The Association kept quiet at my request, but the more people know a secret, the harder it is to keep. The problem lingered because the Hunters who cleared the Gate stayed inside to carry out the mission from the Patera Dimension."

B-Class Hunters and above stayed in the Gate to prepare for the war set to occur in a hundred days. C-Class Hunters remained as well, making use of the comfortable, fast-paced environment the Gate offered.

"The regular soldiers were no different," Kim Ki-Rok went on. "With so many supplies brought in during the last three days of the clear, they stayed to help with the aftermath, alongside the Hunters."

"Even so, weren't you a

little

too cautious?" Kim Ki-Rok, currently dressed in a yukata, rose from the massage chair and stroked Baekmyo's back. "You kept tabs for a whole week."

Looking up, he laid eyes on an Awakened whose arm had been cut off, and another whose whole body was tightly bound. An old man who had been waiting for the outcome sat in the rear, captured by the Association's Hunters, with young men scattered among the crowd.

One of them sputtered, "Da...mn...it..."

"It's I who should be saying that. Me. I'm a very busy man," Kim Ki-Rok said flatly.

"Damn it!" another cursed.

"We were already pressed for time," Kim Ki-Rok complained. "Because you all twiddled your thumbs and watched for a week, we now only have ninety-three days left."

The raiders' faces showed a mix of anger and despair.

Kim Ki-Rok let out a big sigh, looked at them, and addressed the Hunters representing the Association and the nation. "Ah, and everyone. You've all done a great job."

The Hunters looked at Kim Ki-Rok with subtle expressions and bowed. "Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok, you've done well as well. Will you reveal your rewards tomorrow?"

"Yes. They will be announced tomorrow morning."

"Your mouth must have been itching for a week," one Hunter slyly commented.

"Indeed, it has been," he responded with a chuckle.

Right after the Gate was destroyed, everyone who had taken part in the clear returned to Earth. At the request of Kim Ki-Rok, the Association, and Japan, both the Hunters and the regular soldiers kept silent for a week.

"I was worried the regular soldiers might let the secret slip..." one government-affiliated Hunter said, and several others nodded in agreement.

However, Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "I trusted that the secret would be kept until the rewards were officially announced."

A Japanese Hunter tilted his head. "Hm? Is that so?"

"Yes. The DG Guild asked for secrecy, as did Japan and Korea. Finally, the Hunters Association, with its worldwide presence, also demanded confidentiality. There was no chance the soldiers would let it slip."

"Then, were you keeping watch over the Hunters?"

"Yes. I was wary of the C-Class Hunters and unaffiliated Hunters."

The nation, the Association, and the guild would never reveal their secrets first. They would suffer too great a loss if they fall out with Kim Ki-Rok, who possessed the Discernment Skill that could confirm clear conditions and rewards.

"So," Kim Ki-Rok continued, "I made a request to the Association and the government."

Yoo Seh-Eun pointed her blade at an Awakened criminal. "Hm? Did you assign people to watch the Hunters?" she asked Kim Ki-Rok.

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "That's right."

"Uh... that..."

Hunters affiliated with the nation and the Association kept an eye on the C-Class Hunters.

"Isn't that civilian surveillance?"

"Oh, no! Civilian surveillance? That's not what I mean," Kim Ki-Rok said, flustered. "There were Awakened criminals and Hunters targeting Gate rewards, weren't there? We simply had government and Association Hunters accompany the C-Class Hunters to protect them from hostile threats. It was for the safety of those who risked their lives in the clear. In other words, it was a safety measure... practically a reward."

"

That...?

" Yoo Seh-Eun asked, baffled.

"Was a reward," Kim Ki-Rok finished. "They were guarded safely by escorts."

She fell silent, her expression thoughtful. Amid the chuckling Hunters, a girl raised her hand and spoke.

"The one who really pulls the strings in Korea pushed the state and the Association to monitor the Hunters. But instead of calling it civilian surveillance, he calls it 'individual protection'..."

"

Puhahaha!

" Nam Dong-Wook of The Five Siblings of Mapogu burst out laughing.

Kim Ki-Rok turned his head. "Our Ji-Hee."

"Hm?" Kim Ji-Hee answered.

"Did you think Mister holds the real power behind the scenes in Korea?"

"Don't you?" Kim Ji-Hee asked.

"No. Mister does not hold real power behind the scenes."

"Even though politicians come to greet you, address you with honorifics, send gifts every New Year, and call you just to give their New Year's greetings?"

"No. They just wanted to be friendly with Mister."

"Hmm..."

"But then, why is our Ji-Hee here?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

The cute, disheveled-haired girl, Kim Ji-Hee, stood next to Lee Ji-Yeon, holding a doll in her arms. "I woke up because it was noisy."

"Ah, I see. We did make quite a ruckus."

Kim Ki-Rok had tried to settle the matter quietly, but failed when the Awakened criminals, realizing escape was impossible, made one last desperate move. The Hunters took no losses, and armed with Patera weapons, ended the fight easily. Without that pointless struggle, it could have concluded without incident.

He fixed his gaze on Kim Ji-Hee, who yawned and glanced at the captured criminals with indifference. Even after it was over, her expression didn't change. Maybe it was because she'd been involved in Gate activities since childhood, because the DG Guild often clashed with Awakened criminals, or because she herself had once been their victim.

"Ji-Hee, you should go inside and sleep quickly," Kim Ki-Rok suggested.

"What about you, Mister?"

"I'll be about thirty minutes."

Kim Ji-Hee complied, heading back and ignoring the people loudly begging for their lives on the way.

"

Hohoho.

Our Ji-Hee is a very kind, lovely, cute, and promising beautiful girl, with potential to blossom into a triple S-Class Hunter one day. But she is also a victim of Awakened criminals. Do you think our Ji-Hee's heart would be swayed by the pleas for mercy of the likes of Awakened criminals?"

The Awakened criminals, who had seen Kim Ji-Hee as their only hope and had reached out to her, fell silent. Kim Ki-Rok rose from his seat with a satisfied expression and addressed both the national and Association representatives.

"Then, I will be waiting for you all in the Yuashiel Dimension."

***

Videos of the last Gate clear operation, an urban warfare scenario, were released worldwide, showcasing the clearing of an S-Class Gate. People scoured the internet for every clip they could find, watching extensive footage of the battle within the city.

Because the main characters and assigned missions differed, people watched all the videos released by the guild, the government, and the Association. The public viewed the guild's footage, the Association's footage, and the government's footage, as well as first-person videos filmed by C-Class and B-Class Hunters.

The DG Guild, which had stayed quiet while others sought publicity, eventually released their own footage. Countless viewers flocked to their channel, excited that it not only showed the Gate's urban battle but also revealed what happened after the clear, including reward details absent from the videos released by major guilds, the government, or the Association.

⤷ What are they talking about?

⤷ They'll use the reward from the Patera Dimension to reinforce their stats and defeat the demon.

⤷ You're saying they'll defeat the demon of Yuashiel to prevent the appearance of the Yuashiel S-Class Gate?

⤷ Wasn't there still quite a bit of time left?

⤷ There is. But the Yuashiel S-Class Gate could appear within five years.

⤷ The demons couldn't move because of the promise it made, right?

⤷ Are you an idiot? You think it's the demon that makes the Gates?

⤷ Ah, right.

⤷ He said his first reason is to prevent the Gate from appearing in advance.

⤷ The first? Does that mean there's a second reason?

⤷ Yeah. I heard from someone I know who participated in the Gate clear.

⤷ What did you hear?

⤷ The second reason.

⤷ Okay? What is that second reason?

⤷ So...

Although the stance of Yuashiel's humans might be ambiguous, the dwarves, elves, and Beastfolk did not repay kindness with enmity. The Hunters would help them first and ask for help in return later.

⤷ The fewer casualties the Yuashiel Alliance suffers, the more troops they'll send to Earth when Earth requests reinforcements. That's why he's going to move up the promise?

⤷ It was really a good thing that Kim Ki-Rok requested a Permanent Gate as a Gate reward.

⤷ Is this what they call being on the same ship?

⤷ On the same ship? You mean boat, right? On the same

boat?