Chapter 235: Thirty Percent (1)

The blood-red sun hung alone in the sky above the Gate known as Hell.

"

Whew!

Alright!" Kim Ki-Rok shouted as he yanked his sword out of the ground.

One of his arms was missing, torn away in combat. Across from him stood a figure with black wings and two horns jutting from its forehead. Its right arm was also missing, but on the opposite side.

"I get it now..." Kim Ki-Rok muttered under his breath.

Unable to understand his words, the King of Hell turned to face him, head tilting in confusion.

"There are two things I need to fix."

Regaining his balance, Kim Ki-Rok swung his sword through the air, advancing on his opponent. The Hell King mirrored his movement, stepping forward as well.

"First..."

Kim Ki-Rok vanished in a blur, reappearing right in front of the Hell King and stabbing forward. His opponent was well aware of Kim Ki-Rok's physical limits and countered with a fist. The resulting explosion sent Kim Ki-Rok hurtling backward, while the Hell King was merely pushed back a few steps.

"Those damn Awakened criminals!"

The average Hunter's level had risen dramatically. Earth had cleared multiple S-Class Gates, thanks to the World Tree and the reinforcements of Yuashiel and the Elementals stationed on the planet.

Maybe that was why the Awakened criminals had underestimated the Gate to Hell. Despite offers of reduced sentences from the government, the public, and the Association, instead of earning pardons through clearing Gates, they betrayed their teams and ran.

They didn't simply run away, either. They turned on the Hunters in the midst of the fight against the Four Dukes. The result was devastating: the clear team suffered heavy casualties, the operation ended in failure, and instead of the boss monster, it was the Four Dukes who triggered a Gate Break, flooding Earth with monsters.

Only then did the Awakened criminals realize why Hunters had been forced to cooperate with people like themselves. They understood that hiding would be pointless if the world ended, so they returned to the fight.

But trust was gone. Hunters and Awakened criminals split into separate groups. Still, the clear team managed to hunt down the Hell monsters that invaded Earth, defeated the Four Dukes, and ultimately challenged the Hell King.

"Some changed their minds and helped, but it wasn't enough," Kim Ki-Rok muttered.

The Hell King caught Kim Ki-Rok by the shoulder, but Kim Ki-Rok twisted his torso with brutal force, tearing his own flesh and shattering bone. He endured it only because it was his already-injured left shoulder.

"

Hup!

"

With a shout, Kim Ki-Rok smashed his head into the Hell King. The blow didn't do much damage but did halt it for a moment. Seizing the chance, Kim Ki-Rok hurled himself backward to open up some distance.

"I need to cut off the death row inmates."

Even among Awakened criminals, there were lines that couldn't be crossed.

This time, the Hell King launched itself at Kim Ki-Rok with a thunderous charge.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"The second issue is the initial battle."

The Hunters had dropped their guard when the Hell monsters first attacked, drawn by the scent of mana from another dimension, or perhaps by the smell of humans. Confident in their levels after a Second Awakening, bolstered by their comrades, and lacking intel on these monsters, the Hunters dropped their guard. As a result, the clear team suffered heavy losses in the first battle, and their losses snowballed, growing larger and larger.

Kim Ki-Rok took his stance and brought his sword down while the Hell King swung his fist. With a huge explosion, Kim Ki-Rok flew backward, and the Hell King burst into laughter and kicked off the ground again, chasing after him.

"I must enter the Gate before anyone else and gather information."

Just as he had landed on the ground and taken his stance, the corpses of his comrades who had joined the Hell King subjugation came into view. Kim Ki-Rok ground his teeth.

"

Kuhahat!

" The Hell King burst into loud laughter and stretched out his fist again.

His very simple attacks comprised of swinging his fists and kicking his legs. He spread his wings strongly and cursed his opponent with wind mixed with Hell Mana, but that alone was strong enough.

Kim Ki-Rok swung his sword and deflected the enemy's attacks, causing thunderous sounds every time his sword met its body. Just as he had done when he faced Greater Demon Mammon, he predicted and dodged attacks by reading the body movements he'd already analyzed.

However, he had no chance of winning in a battle where he only defended and dodged.

An ominous sound soon pierced his ears, and Kim Ki-Rok turned his head slightly. "Oh dear. My right arm is gone, too."

Both his arms were now gone, leaving only his legs still intact.

"The problem is that it's getting harder to hold out."

Eight physical ability reinforcement artifacts and seven teleportation artifacts had previously adorned his arms.

"Still..."

Kim Ki-Rok did not give up. Even as he dodged the Hell King's relentless attacks, sacrificed his legs for precious seconds, and poured mana into the gaping wound in his side to slow the bleeding, he kept analyzing. Every fallen Hunter he passed while retreating bought him time and offered data. He considered each one carefully, judging whether they had ever been suitable for this subjugation.

Five minutes passed. He twisted his body in the air to adjust his posture for the landing, but still fell forward on impact, collapsing onto the one remaining leg he had left. Kim Ki-Rok stopped in his tracks as he saw the corpse in front of his eyes.

"Oh dear. I made a mistake."

After losing the physical reinforcement artifact, along with every buff to his skills and magic, his focus slipped. His mind wandered, pulled toward the sight of his fallen ally.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped," he said, looking at the beautiful red-haired woman and the black-haired woman in front of him.

Kim Ki-Rok let out a deep sigh, checked the shadow cast over his head, and turned his body. He faced the Hell King, who was smacking his lips, as if savoring the moment.

"Then..."

It tilted his head and raised his fist.

"I'll see you later."

The Hell King grinned and swung his fist, and Kim Ki-Rok smiled brightly as he closed his eyes.

Crash!

***

Uijeongbu Prison was a place specially designed to house Awakened criminals, built to fit the increasing number of Awakened criminals.

A loud beep filled the air in the prison. The prisoners, who were exercising, chatting with their acquaintances, or reading books or playing board games, turned their heads to look at the speaker.

—A moral education session will commence in ten minutes.

"Ah, shit."

"Our already short free time is getting cut again."

Some prisoners cursed, while some frowned. But that only lasted a moment.

—We have invited an instructor from outside for the moral education session today.

"From outside?"

"An Instructor?"

"Is it a woman?"

"It must be a woman, right? It's moral education."

"Wouldn't they be a soldier?"

"They could be a rookie."

—Among the instructors invited from outside, there are also female instructors...

The prisoners sprang up from their seats.

—Wash up, you bastards.

"Waaaah!"

The prisoners cheered and ran toward the water faucet, disregarding the established hierarchy. As short as thirty seconds, and sometimes as long as fifty, the prisoners washed themselves quickly and ran like elementary school students on vacation to a guard.

"Hyung," one of the prisoners said.

"Who are you calling hyung?" The guard said, lightly swinging his baton and tapped the head of the prisoner who called him. He let out a laugh at the sight of the prisoner's eyes sparkling and asked, "What is it?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Who?"

"The instructor who's coming."

"Yeah."

At the unhesitating answer, the eyes of the prisoners in the front row twinkled again. "Really?"

"Yeah. One of them is among the top ten beauties in Korea, while the other is among the top hundred representative beauties of Korea. And then there's a man."

"Forget about the man."

"Top ten beauties? Top hundred beauties?" one of the prisoners chimed in.

"Yeah."

"For real?"

"

For real,

" the guard responded.

Though the prisoners' expectations grew, the guard did not feel any pressure.

"Alright, let's go," he said.

"Yes, sir!"

The guard shook his head at the sight of the prisoners answering in unison. The prisoners, their eyes sparkling like chicks, eagerly followed behind the guards. As soon as they arrived at the auditorium, they rushed forward.

"Take your seats, starting from the fron—"

Immediately, most of the prisoners clamored over each other to sit in the front row. Those who made it were ones who had not neglected their physical training on the inside, or ones who had made a name for themselves outside.

Hearing the sound of heels clicking echoed through the hallway, the prisoners perked up their ears.

Tok, tok, tok.

As it grew closer, they turned their heads. Two women could be seen walking slowly toward the center of the auditorium.

"Wo..."

"Ah?"

"Huhh?"

The prisoners had been admiring the women's beauty and perfect figures, but their expressions shifted.

"She is in the top ten beauties."

"And she's in the top hundred beauties, too."

Just as the guard had explained, the two women who walked in were beautiful enough to be counted among the top ten and the top hundred beauties of Korea. The problem was that they were no ordinary beauties.

"Hunter Lee Ji-Yeon."

"Hunter Yoo Seh-Eun."

The two women who visited the prison were Hunters Lee Ji-Yeon and Yoo Seh-Eun, both of whom were associated with the DG Guild.

"Hm? A man?"

At that moment, at the muttering of a certain prisoner, which recalled the guard's explanation, people quickly turned their heads.

Following the sound of footsteps, a man belatedly revealed himself.

"Damn it."

"Fucking hell."

"What a fucking joke."

He was the Hunter most hated among Awakened criminals ever. Contrary to all of their frowns, Kim Ki-Rok was wearing a bright smile as usual.

"Oh, man."

"Damn it."

"This is fucking crazy."

"Moral education, my ass."

While the prisoners cursed or glared with murderous intent, Kim Ki-Rok stood unwavering at the podium with his usual friendly smile.

"I see some new faces... and some I haven't seen in a while. So, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hunter Kim Ki-Rok, Guildmaster of DG Guild, envied by people for having both a top-ten beauty and a top-hundred beauty as escorts at the same time. Greetings to you all, prisoners."

***

There were no capital offenders in Uijeongbu Prison, and the Hunters stationed there rarely had to overexert themselves. Awakened criminals were brought in dead or alive, with little distinction. For major criminals, execution on the spot was the standard procedure.

Ordinary Awakened were only targeted when subjugation seemed realistic, and even then, trials were little more than formality. If the verdict was death, it was carried out quickly. Unless there was serious dispute over the charges, no one lingered on the moral weight. Killing them on the spot was routine.

"So the people here... are all petty criminals, right? Fraud, violence, smuggling, and so on. That's how you ended up here."

The prisoners nodded their heads. Kim Ki-Rok looked at those prisoners and drew a gentle smile. With the help of the beautiful women by his side, Kim Ki-Rok had reduced the hostility the prisoners felt toward him. With smooth, cunning eloquence, he kept the prisoners just off balance enough to listen.

"So, here's my offer."

The prisoners nodded their heads once again.

"An opportunity to reduce your sentence."

The prisoners, still nodding like hypnotized cattle, suddenly flinched. While the prisoner's gaze had returned to normal, Kim Ki-Rok clicked the remote and activated the beam projector.

"This is the Gate that made an appearance recently. It's called Hell."

The screen was split in two. On the left was a photo of the Gate that had appeared in the middle of the sea. On the right was a document file containing information about the Gate, confirmed using a discernment system.

"For a smoother explanation, we will first watch the battle footage."

After finishing his words, Kim Ki-Rok turned his head to look at Lee Ji-Yeon. He carefully stepped aside while she operated the laptop and played the footage.