Chapter 244: The Second and Third (2)

At Kim Ki-Rok's request, corporations, nations, and the various Associations donated S-Class mana stones, as well as prototype SS-Class synthetic mana stones. It was almost as if they had already agreed to it beforehand.

"Though we didn't discuss it beforehand..." Kim Tae-Won began.

"We gave them the information," Kim Ki-Rok finished for him.

Kim Tae-Won nodded.

They hadn't used the mana stones yet because supply was limited and already earmarked for specific operations. The Hunters had tested the mana stone bombs on regular monsters and, with the Association's backing, released the experimental footage to countries and corporations alike.

Rather than directly asking for donations, they demonstrated that the S-Class and SS-Class mana stone bombs were crucial to clearing the Hell Gate.

"What are their conditions?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"Hmm? You don't know?" Kim Tae-Won replied.

"Me? As soon as the subjugation ended, I moved around like Hong Gil-Dong," Kim Ki-Rok said, referencing the legendary character who could appear anywhere in an instant.

With help from a teleportation user, Kim Ki-Rok had used Discernment to gather intelligence on the Iron Duke of the East and the Ice Duke.

"Their condition is that we secure mana stones from the Hell monster subjugations," Kim Tae-Won replied.

"The corrupted ones?"

"Yes. They assume regular mana stones would be used immediately for bombs, so they specifically requested corrupted mana stones and monster corpses for their research."

"Did you confirm exactly what the corrupted mana stones would be used for?" Kim Ki-Rok pressed.

"Of course."

Ma Ak-Soo had used corrupted mana stones to brainwash children, so the Hunters Association knew full well what potential they had.

Workers hauled in heavy machinery. Craftsmen listened to instructions from the Hunters. A few of the ordinary visitors and workers at the Gate recognized Kim Ki-Rok, nodding in greeting. Kim Ki-Rok responded with a smile.

"Ah, by the way..." Kim Ki-Rok trailed off as he looked at Kim Tae-Won, who was crouched down and staring back in anticipation. "Yes? What is it?"

"Which side are you planning to join for the subjugation?" Kim Tae-Won asked, wondering whether he would be joining the fight against the Iron Duke of the East or the Ice Duke of the West.

"Ah, the subjugation... I'm not joining."

Kim Tae-Won looked up, cigarette half in his mouth, momentarily speechless. "What? You're not participating?"

"No, I'm not."

Kim Ki-Rok had worked harder than anyone to gather intel on both dukes, and had been more diligent than any other at meetings to organize the subjugation teams.

"Uh, um... why?" Kim Tae-Won stammered.

"Because, my level is still too low."

"Ah."

Kim Tae-Won understood now. Aside from the technical Hunters, Kim Ki-Rok had the lowest level among those participating in the clear.

"I've revealed the mana stone bombs," Kim Ki-Rok explained. "I've gathered intel with Discernment. Now I need to stay at headquarters and focus on leveling up. Hunting hundreds of regular monsters here will allow me to grow faster than fighting either of those dukes, and there's also—"

Kim Tae-Won finished his sentence. "The Archduke, Hydra."

"Exactly. And the Hell King."

To defeat the Four Dukes, certain conditions had to be met. For example, to take down the Ice Duke of the West, they needed to expand territory westward and lure away surrounding monsters.

"So you need to focus on growing in order to participate in the Grand Duke and Hell King subjugations. Then who'll lead the teams?" Kim Tae-Won asked.

"Headquarters should. That's their job, after all."

Kim Tae-Won blinked at Kim Ki-Rok. When the latter tilted his head in response, he let out a short laugh. "You're right. This is their job."

The headquarters coordinated the battlefield with the help of the Hunters, watching from above and on the ground. Moving troops and deploying forces fell on them, not the Hunters in the field.

"The subjugation of the Poison Duke of the North was just an exception," Kim Tae-Won mused.

***

Thirty days had passed since the Poison Duke of the North was subjugated.

"Damn, that thing's huge," a Hunter murmured.

"Those scales are even harder than Pastera, right?" someone else asked.

"There aren't any gaps in the scales. If it's a dragon, shouldn't it have... What's it called? A reverse scale?"

"A dragon's weak point?"

"Yeah."

The leader of Team One raised his hand for silence, then took out a telescope to get a better look at their target in the distance. He focused on the dragon, whose steel-colored scales covered even its wings as it slept undisturbed.

"Our target is the Iron Duke of the East, Stein," the leader announced after lowering the telescope. "According to Hunter Kim Ki-Rok, the scales covering its entire body are not only harder than Pastera but also extremely resistant to attacks. However, Hell monsters are weak against Hunter mana. Research and testing on a sample scale confirmed its mana resistance is fifty percent, meaning it only absorbs half the mana directed at it."

"So we just need to use twice as much force as we did against the Poison Duke of the North?" a Hunter suggested.

"Three, no, four times as much," the team leader corrected.

"What?" another Hunter balked.

"There aren't any normal monsters nearby," he explained. "They've all been lured toward headquarters, thanks to territory expansion and Hunters with mobility skills. So we don't need to split our team to handle the monsters or the Ice Duke."

"Is there any chance Stein will summon reinforcements?" someone asked.

"Hunters are filming the battlefield in real time from above. Headquarters and the camera operators have confirmed no monsters are in the area. Of course..."

Of course?

The Hunters thought as they glanced at one another.

"They might just be too far out to be detected," the leader admitted. "But as I said, headquarters and the camera teams are monitoring everything. If enemy troops approach, we'll switch to the strategy we used for the Poison Duke of the North and keep fighting with allied support."

Finishing his briefing, the team leader unhooked his radio and reported to headquarters, "Final briefing complete."

—Confirmed. You have five minutes to prepare.

"Understood. We'll begin the subjugation of the Iron Duke of the East, Stein, in five minutes," the Team Leader replied.

—We'll contact you immediately if there are any issues.

"Understood."

—Any questions?

The leader was about to sign off but added, "I'd like a status update on headquarters and Team Two."

—Team Two will arrive in the Ice Duke's territory within ten minutes. Like Team One, headquarters will lure monsters away, and the 300 members of Team Two will subjugate the Ice Duke together.

"Confirmed. Next, the status of headquarters?"

—We've had some dangerous situations, but thanks to higher-level Hunters, many have reached appropriate strength. There are a lot of monsters at headquarters right now due to the simultaneous subjugations east and west, but we expect to hold out until the four teams responsible for each duke return.

"Is it possible to estimate how long you can last?"

—Not exactly. Unless we face the worst possible scenario, we should be able to hold out for three hours.

"Understood. We'll begin subjugation of the Four Dukes in two minutes."

—Even if it takes longer, please prioritize a subjugation with zero casualties.

***

For smooth coordination, subjugation teams were divided by nationality. South Korea's SS-Class Hunters were assigned to Team Two, handling the Ice Duke.

After confirming their target, Lee Yeon-Hwa—Guildmaster of the Shine Guild and now an SS-Class Hunter—gathered her mana and spoke, "Our opponent is the Ice Duke of the West, Aifei. As the name suggests, the monster is an ice golem."

They would need to carve into it with sharp blades and melt it with fire-type skills.

"The subjugation method will be similar to what you'd use for ice-attribute monsters in other Gates. But remember, this is the Duke of the West from Hell," she reminded the team.

The Hunters nodded as they made their final preparations.

"We'll proceed as planned, and follow headquarters' orders if anything unexpected comes up. One more thing... Headquarters," Lee Yeon-Hwa called out.

—Go ahead, Team Two Leader.

"Can I order a retreat if I judge it necessary?" she asked.

—Yes, but if possible, please request reinforcements rather than retreating.

Knowing how much the headquarters was already sacrificing, Lee Yeon-Hwa accepted the operator's request. "Understood. We'll begin subjugation of the Ice Duke in two minutes."

—Confirmed. Any other questions?

As soon as the radio buzzed, Lee Yeon-Hwa spoke, "Headquarters, could you update me on Team One's status?"

—Team One began the Gate clear five minutes ago. We're doing our best to block the monsters' attacks.

Thinking they were running behind, she asked, "If we request reinforcements, can you prioritize sending Korean Hunters, including Hunter Kim Ki-Rok?"

—We can prioritize Koreans, but Hunter Kim Ki-Rok is unavailable.

"Is that headquarters' decision?"

—It's at his own request. He said he needed to level up for the Hell King and Archduke Hydra.

***

Throughout his first Attempts, the clear team for this Gate suffered significant damage as they could not withstand the strength of the initial monsters encountered immediately after entering Hell. Once the conditions for hidden rewards were identified, the team pressed on with subjugations, but still lost too many members after having underestimated the Four Dukes.

In every Attempt, the Gate clear team faced either the Poison Duke of the North or the Iron Duke of the East first. After failing to defeat either one, the Hunters would abandon the hidden rewards and go after the Hell King, only to fail yet again.

"Still..." Kim Ki-Rok tapped the ground lightly, stopping before the castle gates and raising his sword. "We've picked up the pace a bit."

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Previously, he had taken down the Four Dukes one by one before challenging the Hell King, but his approach was different this time. He had gathered intel during the first subjugation, analyzed all Four Dukes with Discernment, and now, the Hunters were set to take down the East and West Dukes at the same time.

The plan was to focus on monster subjugation afterward. Once everyone reached the right levels and stats, they'd move on to the Archduke, then resume hunting to further power up, and finally target the Hell King.

As simple as it sounded, the process wasn't easy. It was physically exhausting and left a mental fatigue so deep it bordered on illness.

"But what choice do I have...?"

Their opponents were mindless monsters, hellspawn driven only by instinct. There was no room for clever tactics or trickery. In the end, there was just one requirement to clear Hell.

"What we need is overwhelming power," Kim Ki-Rok said to himself.