Chapter 52: Fifteenth of December (2)

Since the tenth of December, it had been revealed that around 500 Gates in total had appeared all across the world, and no one had yet discovered the reason behind this surge.

In a world where people were forced to flee from their homes as their land became occupied by monsters, Hunters had no choice but to tackle the crisis without fully understanding the situation.

To be honest, if it weren't for Kim Ji-Hee, even the DG Guild wouldn't have been able to identify the true cause behind this incident. Their discovery was only possible because Kim Ji-Hee had the ability to speak to both Mandong the Pegasus and the other spirits. It was also thanks to the fact that Kim Ki-Rok had saved Kim Ji-Hee earlier than he had in previous Attempts and managed to raise her level enough by occasionally taking her to Gates.

"

Heeheeheehee.

"

Seeing Kim Ji-Hee giggling to herself merrily, Kim Ki-Rok took out a sausage on a stick from his subspace pocket and handed it to her.

Ding.

As soon as the elevator came to a stop, Kim Ki-Rok swept Kim Ji-Hee up into his arms and headed over to the Hunters Association's conference room.

"A Gate has been discovered in Gyeongnam, Uiryeong!"

"A Gate has been discovered in Jeonnam, Yeongam!"

"Five Gates have been confirmed in Busan!"

The conference room was extremely bustling.

A huge monitor that took up an entire wall was displaying a map of the Republic of Korea, with various colors and icons marked on top of it. Below the gigantic screen were two office workers busily typing away at their desk, upon which reports on the latest updated data continuously piled up.

Over a hundred people were all moving in unison, working toward a singular purpose.

"

U-uwaaah

!" Kim Ji-Hee exclaimed in shock.

The DG Guild did have its own office, but Kim Ji-Hee was still surprised to see an operation of unprecedented scale. Her mouth had opened wide in amazement.

"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok," greeted the Hunters Association's President Kang Man-Ki with dark circles beneath his eyes.

"

U-uwaaah!

" Kim Ji-Hee exclaimed once more, though for a different reason this time.

Kim Ki-Rok absently patted Kim Ji-Hee on the head, then explained the purpose of their visit to President Kang Man-Ki, "Like I said in the text I sent you, I came here to give a report in person. Of course, it's not just a simple report on our latest Gate raid."

"You've found the cause of this incident?" Kang Man-Ki asked hopefully.

"Yes." Kim Ki-Rok nodded seriously.

As if they had been waiting for this confirmation, each of the Hunters Association's various department heads gathered around. After confirming that most of the key personnel were present, Kim Ki-Rok began speaking, "We have confirmed the cause behind the appearance of this multitude of Gates."

Kang Man-Ki nodded gravely. "Then please, go ahead and give your re—"

"Hey! Where did the documents on the Gyeongnam Gate discovery go?!"

"The Gates located in Chungbuk have experienced a sudden increase in difficulty due to terrain issues!"

"There are only a few Gates left in Seoul and Incheon!"

Since it would be difficult to be able to calmly listen to the DG Guild's report in this sort of environment, Kang Man-Ki gestured to the ceiling with his thumb and proposed, "Let's move this up to the fourth floor."

Contrary to the third floor, the conference room here was extremely quiet. As they sat around an empty table, President Kang Man-Ki urgently asked, "What is the cause behind this surge in Gate appearances?"

"Black Wizards," Kim Ki-Rok said concisely.

"Isn't that something we already suspected?" Kang Man-Ki pointed out with a frown.

"I'm just bringing it up first so that I can lay the whole story out smoothly," Kim Ki-Rok assured him.

When Kim Ki-Rok started patting Kim Ji-Hee on his lap, the eyes of the people who were gathered in this conference room all turned toward her.

"Hmmm?" Kim Ji-Hee, still chewing on her sausage, tilted her head in confusion.

"What does this have to do with Ji-Hee?" President Kang Man-Ki asked.

"Just to be clear, I received this information from a spirit that our Ji-Hee here made a contract with during our latest conquest of a Gate," Kim Ki-Rok informed them.

A horse spirit appeared on top of the table with his wings outspread.

"Whiiiiiing."

"

Munch munch, gulp.

It's nice to meet you," Kim Ji-Hee began translating.

"Bruuhuhuh."

"I am the Pegasus—

nyom nyom

—named Mandong," Kim Ji-Hee relayed.

Ji-Hee's translation was endearingly cute, but the contents of her translation were dead serious.

This whole incident was the result of a large-scale plan that was three years in the making, enacted by a group of Black Wizards! Their aim was to erect a total of 666 dark mana stone altars that would contaminate the surrounding monsters with dark mana and cause them to go on a rampage!

"

Uuuugh.

666 of them..."

The people who had gathered at this meeting all groaned as they considered the impact of a total of 666 Gates appearing simultaneously.

"Bruuhuhu."

(However, it doesn't end there.)

"There's still more?"

"Brruhuhu."

(That is right not. They tampered with the dark mana so it could devour pure mana and spread across the continent.)

Ah, no way...

While everyone else was solemnly discussing what would happen next, Kim Ki-Rok, with his knowledge of the near future, connected this piece of information to a certain incident.

"

Bruhuhu.

" (In fourteen days, all the contaminated monsters will go berserk.)

Usually, monsters instinctively sensed that crossing into other dimensions was dangerous and would avoid approaching the Gates. But if those monsters were to go berserk, they would force their way through the Gates onto Earth.

"That means there will be a mass Break in fourteen days," Kim Ki-Rok said.

Kang Man-Ki muttered, "If the tenth being the first day, then in fourteen days, that would be—"

"Christmas Eve," Kim Ki-Rok finished his sentence.

"Fuck!" Kang Man-Ki let out an angry roar.

On a day like that one, people would still insist on going outside even after being warned to stay indoors.

Kang Man-Ki quickly moved on from his frustration. "So is our best solution to destroy all 666 Gates within fourteen days?"

The head of the strategy department spoke up, "It's not like there's any guarantee that all the places where a dark mana stone altar was set up will have a Gate opening to it. However, since we still need to consider the "worst case scenario," it would be better to assume that all 666 Gates will appear and act accordingly."

President Kang Man-Ki nodded in approval and gave his orders, "Inform all the guilds about the changes in this situation. And get ready to share this news with other countries! Warn them that there is a possibility that up to 666 Gates with "Contaminated" in their names have or will appear, and that there is a risk that all of those Gates will Break simultaneously on the twenty-fourth!"

The head of the international relations department cautiously raised his hand and said "There is a high possibility that they won't believe us."

But President Kang Man-Ki just snorted. "

Hmph!

If they don't want to believe it, then let's just let them delude themselves. We've already fulfilled our duties by sharing the news. Any damage that occurs because they don't believe us will be entirely their fault, so there's no need for us to try and convince them."

After President Kang Man-Ki was done giving his orders, the heads of the various departments began to discuss work priorities and proper procedures for sharing the news.

As the important officials left to go and hold their own meetings, President Kang Man-Ki asked, "Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok, will you be participating in the raid on your guild's next Gate?"

"Yes. That's what I plan to do."

"Will Ji-Hee be accompanying you as well?"

"Yes. It will be safer for her to stay with us rather than be in the guild headquarters all by herself. Of course, she'll be staying with me in the rear along with the other crafting-focused Hunters, so there's no need to feel too concerned about her safety," Kim Ki-Rok reassured him.

Kim Ji-Hee's value was now impossible to quantify. She could obtain information from spirits, and that wasn't limited to Earth alone. If word spread, every major country might stop at nothing to get her, as would local guilds and Awakened criminals. Knowing this, Kim Ki-Rok had decided to keep her close with the guild members at all times.

"When do you plan to resume your Gate raids?" President Kang Man-Ki asked.

"In two days, on the fifteenth," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

"Understood. Just pick which Gates you want to tackle, the Association will handle the administrative procedures within three hours," Kang Man-Ki promised.

"Thank you very much."

As Kim Ki-Rok got to his feet, having achieved all of his goals for this meeting, President Kang Man-Ki also stood up and reached over to pat Kim Ji-Hee on the head.

"As for you, Miss Ji-Hee," Kang Man-Ki said with a smile.

"Yes, Uncle," Kim Ji-Hee responded politely.

"

Hahaha...

" As Kim Ji-Hee looked up at him with her bright eyes, President Kang Man-Ki laughed before expressing his gratitude. "Miss Ji-Hee. You did a very good job."

"

Hehe...

" Kim Ji-Hee smiled bashfully.

"But even with Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok sticking close to you, you still need to be careful, alright," Kang Man-Ki warned her.

"Yeeees." Kim Ji-Hee obediently nodded. "Uncle, you be careful, too!"

Once the pair from DG Guild left the conference room, President Kang Man-Ki's uncle-like smile vanished, replaced by a grim look as he turned to address the various department heads. "Relay to all raiding guilds that they can clear a contaminated Gate by defeating the highest-level monster that has been infected with dark mana."

One of his subordinates asked, "What should we do about the altars?"

"Destroying altars grants special rewards, so let's order them to prioritize clearing the Gates," Kang Man-Ki decided.

However, there was still a problem. Would guilds actually comply with the Association's instructions and focus on clearing as quickly as possible?

As the President of the Hunters Association, Kang Man-Ki was well aware of the guilds' willfulness, so he gave additional instructions, "We'll give them two days. Inform them that there is a risk of the Gates going out of control on the twenty-fourth, and tell them that if they aren't able to meet the conditions for the special reward within the first two days, they should prioritize clearing the Gates. If they disobey this direct order, they will face punitive measures for endangering everyone for personal or guild profit."

While big guilds might still sneer at the Association's threats, if everything really did go berserk on the twenty-fourth, such guilds would bear full responsibility. That alone would keep most in line.

The higher-ups of the Association quickly dispersed and returned to their work.

Left alone in the conference room to catch his breath, President Kang Man-Ki had just taken a seat when his loudly ringing smartphone forced him back on his feet.

"I'm on my way down now," he said over the phone.

With a maximum of 666 Gates to handle and a potential mass Break in just fourteen days, there was no time to rest.

***

The We-Love-Hanwoo specialty barbecue restaurant located in Mapogu was just as busy as ever.

"

Aaaah!

" Yoo Seh-Eun let out a satisfied breath.

A shot of soju, a bite of grilled meat.

A shot of soju, two bites of grilled meat.

A shot of soju, a spoonful of doenjang-jjigae[1].

"She's so pretty, but she acts just like an old man..." Kang Seh-Hyuk shook his head with a sigh as he watched Yoo Seh-Eun down glass after glass of soju with her legs folded beneath her on the seat.

Yoo Seh-Eun snorted impatiently, "So what. What are you going to do about it?"

"Really now, who would want to end up saddled with that...

Tsk tsk tsk,

" Kang Seh-Hyuk continued.

"'Tsk' yourself, should you really be talking shit about others? You should be more worried about yourself," she fired back.

"

Ha!

Need I remind you that I am a Hunter?"

"That's right, you're just a Hunter who could snuff it at any moment."

"No, I meant that I'm rich, you bitch!"

Yoo Seh-Eun sneered. "If some chick shows up just for your money, she'll vanish the moment it runs out, idiot."

"

Arghh,

damn it." Having lost the argument miserably, Kang Seh-Hyuk reflexively grabbed the soju bottle and chugged it upside down.

After cowing Kang Seh-Hyuk into silence, Yoo Seh-Eun glanced at the others.

"Ji-Ah. Stop drinking already. You've already drunk way too much," Nam Dong-Wook tried to persuade her.

Lee Ji-Ah waved off his concern. "Don't worry about me. I'm a stronger drinker than you are."

"No, with you drinking so much, I can't help but be worried. Should I walk you back home?" Nam Dong-Wook offered.

Lee Ji-Ah shook her head. "Ah, don't worry about that. I've already called Woo-Hyuk to come pick me up."

Nam Dong-Wook was alarmed. "

Hm?

Woo-Hyuk hyung? Why would you call him?"

Lee Ji-Ah just seemed puzzled about why he was even asking. "Because I need to go back to the guild to get some sleep?"

The sight of Nam Dong-Wook trying to flirt with Lee Ji-Ah only to run face-first into a wall was just as familiar as always.

Munch munch.

Sluuurp, sluuuurp.

Rattle, rattle.

Ding-dong.

"Ma'am," Jeong Man-Kook called out to a restaurant server. "Five more servings of meat, another bowl of doenjang-jjigae, and three more bowls of rice."

Jeong Man-Kook was still devouring food as fervently as ever.

Thud!

Yoo Seh-Eun set her soju glass down with a loud crack.

"So what are you all going to do about tomorrow's expedition?" Yoo Seh-Eun asked once she had everyone's attention. "Are you going to participate?"

"Well... participating would be the natural thing to do, but..." Nam Dong-Wook thoughtfully licked his lips.

He knew that he should participate. He was the ace of the guild's raid team, and he had benefited a lot from Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok's guidance.

However, a major issue was the fatigue creeping up on them. With only two days of rest, it was a huge burden on their bodies to go back to raiding Gates so quickly. Getting only two days off and going right back to clearing Gates full of monsters that were their level or higher would take a toll on their bodies, so it made sense for him to hesitate. Though, their discussion soon turned moot upon hearing the announcement.

「Breaking news: The Hunters Association has announced that all the Gates which appeared on the tenth of December could potentially undergo simultaneous Breaks on the twenty-fourth of December. According to the Hunters Association's spokesperson, they will be trying their best along with all the guilds to completely clear all these Gates before that date. Until all the Gates have been cleared, they advise the citizens to be careful and prioritize their own safety.」

Everyone was focused on the news playing on the TV.

"Fuck... This means that we have to participate no matter what, doesn't it?" Yoo Seh-Eun groaned.

Failing to participate now would practically make them traitors. The members of the Mapogu team all let out a deep sigh.

1.

Doenjang-jjigae

. A classic Korean stew made with fermented soybean paste—doenjang—vegetables which often including zucchini, onion, and chili peppers, and typically tofu or meat. ☜