Chapter 562

No one here failed to understand what that meant.

‘Mutated Gate.’ The third mutated Gate to break out just a week into the new year.

I clicked my tongue softly and stared straight at the branch manager.

“What are you doing? Open it up.”
“I was going to follow the law and not enter without the person in charge’s permission, but we have to save people. Right? So just say I barged in and went crazy—open it, now.”

Tightly shut eyes. A fist clenched and trembling. As I turned away, leaving the silent branch manager behind, a shaky voice called out from behind me.

“Let’s just say… I gave permission.”

I thought he was an idiot, but this makes him just a fool.

Letting out a snort, I left him a final word and strode toward the Gate.

“If you get fired, call me. Peace Guild will take you.”

* * *

That place was a wasteland stretching endlessly in every direction.

There was no sun, but a dark glow made of mana filled the air, and hundreds of orcs wandered in packs, hunted by Hunters.

Or at least, that’s how it used to be.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground trembled. The mana that had saturated everything seemed ready to explode at any moment, squeezing the breath from everyone.

Huff. Huff. The Hunters gasped, their breaths reeking of iron.

There were already over a hundred orc corpses scattered around the Hunters who stood back-to-back in a circle, but beyond that, an army of monsters ten times that size was surging forward.

“Team Leader…”

“Don’t worry. No matter what, we’ll make it out alive.”

The Team Leader’s reply to someone’s frightened question was hollow.

Both the one asking and the one answering already suspected the truth. All of them knew they would not survive this day.

Even if, by some miracle, they broke through the encirclement, there was one enemy they simply could not defeat.

Kuwaaaah!

Orc Lord.

A powerful mutated specimen said to appear only once in a million times, its roar rallied over a thousand orcs, who clashed their weapons together and screamed.

Ssshhh!

Clang! Bang bang bang!

Despair flickered in the Hunters’ eyes as they watched.

‘This is the end.’

They were up against a monster army, now even stronger under the command of an Orc Lord.

With a powerful leader, the orcs were no longer a ragtag mob wandering in small groups, and the Hunters numbered not even twenty.

‘This… this is an unwinnable fight.’

That thought crossed everyone’s mind for a moment.

Even if they were far stronger than Hunters of the same rank, it didn’t matter.

Their pride in being Ares Guild meant nothing in the face of imminent death.

“…Damn mutated Gate.”

A muttered curse slipped from someone’s lips as the army of monsters all charged at once.

And at the front of that horde, the Orc Lord stood—a monster you’d never get tired of killing.

—Karuchi! Kalypto!

Rumble!

Unintelligible words from the demon realm rang out as its massive frame charged.

Gritting his teeth, the Raid Team Leader raised his shield and rushed forward.

Shouts from his team rang out behind him, but he poured everything into the enemy before him.

“Come on!”

A shout meant to drive out fear.

The moment the Orc Lord’s eyes glowed red, the massive axe in its hand swung down at the Team Leader’s skull.

Whoosh—KWAANG!

One strike. That was all it took.

With an unbelievable speed and power, the blow shattered the Tower Shield reinforced with advanced magic, and the Team Leader stared wide-eyed, forgetting even the pain of his broken arms.

The axe blade hadn’t even landed, but it already felt like his side was split open.

As the world slowed, like a life flashing before his eyes, a second strike came to slice his body in two.

‘No, not the second—this is the last one.’

The Team Leader shut his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to die with the face of that ugly, cursed monster as his final sight.

And in the next instant, pitch-black darkness blocked his vision, and a sharp wind split the air by his ear.

Shiiing—SPLAT!

There was no pain. Strangely enough, it was so unreal that he wondered if this was really death.

Opening his eyes slightly, the Team Leader stared blankly.

Less than five steps away, the Orc Lord’s three-meter-tall frame stood frozen.

Its head was gone.

* * *

The world seemed to stop.

Human and monster alike, everyone stood still and stared. In that moment—

In the endless wasteland, only one thing moved.

Rumble—

A spear, having burst through the Orc Lord’s head and into the ground, trembled.

And every Hunter present knew who owned that glowing, mystic spear.

‘Jin Taekyung!’

With a name striking like thunder, the spear buried deep in the ground soared up and flew into someone’s hand.

Shiiing—thunk.

As if on cue, everyone slowly turned their heads and finally realized.

“Lost lambs wandering a mutated Gate, run your asses off and get behind me.”

The shadow of death that had been moments away had vanished.

* * *

Step. Step.

The middle-aged man’s stride was confident, unhurried.

Even inside the high-rise building overlooking the Blue House and the National Assembly, nothing changed.

“If you’re a guild member, present your pass—”

“Don’t recognize your face. Are you new?”

“Yes? Yes, I am…”

“Yeah, figures. You must not have heard from the Team Leader.”

The security Hunter staring blankly at the man gulped.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t realize who you were…”

“It’s fine. We’re busy—just step aside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Not even the security checkpoint—one that everyone, insider or outsider, had to pass—could stop the middle-aged man.

He glanced at the hastily bowing security team Hunter and continued toward his destination.

From the tiny communication device implanted under his ear, a voice was already coming through.

“They’re waiting for you.”

The middle-aged man’s lips moved slightly.

“The location?”

“Sector A.”

This skyscraper had 150 floors, but there was no ‘Sector A’ marked on any map or guide inside.

That space was reserved for only a handful of the countless guild members—naturally, the middle-aged man was one of them.

“Open teleport.”

“It’s ready. By the way, that new guy in the security team—oh, sorry, Team Leader.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

I’m not even used to it myself.

As the man muttered inwardly, someone on the other end of the communicator continued.

“Anyway, I’ll report this to the security team leader and see that the staff in question is disciplined.”

It wasn’t a suggestion or a request, but a notice. It had become normal now, but that word still felt foreign to the middle-aged man.

“Do you really need to go that far— Team Leader?”

“…Never mind. Handle it yourself.”

“Yes. I’ll take care of it appropriately.”

‘Appropriately’ meant at best a pay cut, at worst demotion.

Thinking of the young man who had briefly blocked him, the middle-aged man felt a twinge of discomfort, but it couldn’t be helped.

That was his guild’s policy—no, it was the policy for people like him.

‘Ever since that incident… it’s only gotten worse.’

He’d known about the guild’s iron-fisted rule for a long time, but since the recent tragedy, it had become even harsher.

Maybe it was the impatience of a new king who still hadn’t been fully accepted by his subjects.

The middle-aged man sighed quietly as he walked and spoke again.

“Report on the VIP’s status.”

“They’re not in a good mood.”

“Is that so? Feels like I heard the same thing yesterday.”

“Well, uh, it’s because of the morning papers.”

“I don’t need to hear more. Gather up everything the VIP is reading and send it now.”

As soon as he finished, his security-enchanted smartphone buzzed.

With a light tap, the headlines from over twenty morning papers, fresh from the press a few hours earlier, filled the screen.

[Unprecedented crisis… What do the repeated mutated Gates mean?]
[Ominous signs. Is China’s Sichuan nightmare coming to Korea?]
[Blue House emergency announcement: “To prevent any possible crisis, a partnership with Peace Guild has been formed. Results so far are encouraging.”]
[Third mutated Gate, but zero deaths? Global praise for Peace Guild’s emergency rescue team.]
[America’s Grand Mage Magic Johnson: “Peace Guild is the light of a new era. Jin and Choi are upright young men.”]
[Former U.S. President Joseph Biden: “South Korea is an undisputed Hunter powerhouse with outstanding young people. The Choi I met is one of them.”]
[Chinese President Xiao Yang: “Mr. Choi is another unsung hero. We remember how he fought in Sichuan, risking his life.”]
[Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Shinjiro also commented on social media: “As far as I know, Choi is Korean. So he’s not Japanese.” Domestic reaction: “At least he’s not one of our idiots.”]
[The extraordinary attention brought by the comments of world leaders. Who exactly is this Choi they speak of? It’s been confirmed he’s Team Leader Choi Minwoo of Peace Guild…]
[S-rank Hunter Jin Taekyung. Attended the New Year’s press conference with the president this morning!]

“Whew—” After reading all the articles, the middle-aged man rubbed his tired eyes. It felt like the forgotten fatigue was finally catching up.

“Damn.”

“All done reading?”

“Yes. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but you should hurry.”

“I know. I’m almost there.”

With that reply, the middle-aged man stepped onto a magic circle that glimmered faintly.

He placed his fingerprint and breathed mana into it. The teleportation circle recognized the user and erupted in a bright flash.

Pop!

A brilliant light engulfed him, and he felt his body rise.

The next moment, the middle-aged man opened his eyes and realized the teleportation to Sector A had succeeded.

Inside, the room was decorated with white marble and magic stones. A dozen men and women in fitted suits bowed deeply.

“Welcome, Team Leader.”

Many people, but only one voice.

The middle-aged man glanced at his subordinates, moving with machine-like precision, and calmly stepped out of the magic circle.

“Where’s the VIP?”

“In their private office.”

“No guards? I told you to keep at least three in the hallway at all times—”

Bang!

A muffled boom interrupted him. Guessing the situation, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue quietly.

“I’ll go myself. Everyone else, clear out except for one.”

“Yes, sir.”

At his command, his subordinates moved quickly. The middle-aged man began walking down the wide hallway.

Over fifty magic traps were set along the corridor to repel intruders, but his access card allowed him to pass safely.

Buzz—

[Security Team Leader Go Sewon]

As a red light passed over his badge, the swirling mana calmed instantly.

Go Sewon, the middle-aged man, walked the long hallway with ease and stopped in front of a tightly closed door.

Knock, knock.

“This is Go Sewon.”

A rough voice answered from the other side.

“Come in.”

Go Sewon slowly grasped and pushed open the doorknob.

At the center of an office that looked as if a bomb had gone off, a man seated on the sofa stared at him with red-tinged eyes.

“You’re late today.”

Go Sewon bowed silently. Amidst the scattered debris, a nameplate gleamed.

[Ares Vice Guild Master Seok Gojun]

“You’re late today.”

But Seok Gojun was wrong. Go Sewon’s watch was always exact, and there was still plenty of time before his scheduled start.

The only thing out of the ordinary was not Go Sewon, but Seok Gojun’s particularly foul mood today.

Still, Go Sewon simply kept his head bowed and stayed silent.

“Sorry.”

“Enough, sit.”

Sharing the same sofa as him was a privilege reserved for only the closest aides.

But even before Go Sewon could sit on the Italian leather sofa, he sensed his superior’s anger hadn’t cooled.

『This is Reporter Go Hyunwoo from Rough News.』

On the hologram TV, a reporter in his early thirties, having gained the right to speak, continued smoothly.

『The new year has just begun, and in less than two weeks, three mutated Gates have already appeared. I’d like to ask the President for his thoughts on this.』

Go Sewon’s gaze naturally shifted to the side.

A stiff face, eyes bloodshot with rage. Seok Gojun’s gaze was fixed on a figure within the hologram.

‘Ah.’

One of the articles he’d seen earlier came to mind—news that Jin Taekyung and the President were holding a New Year’s press conference.

He’d suspected, but for Seok Gojun to watch something like this in his current state was no different from swallowing poison.

‘It’s like showing a snuff film to a child.’

Having made up his mind, Go Sewon bent down to pick up the remote that had fallen to the floor.

“Security Team Leader.”

A rough voice rang out at his ear. Seok Gojun, eyes still locked on the TV, spoke flatly.

“Leave it.”

“…I’ll just set it here.”

Go Sewon hesitated briefly, brushed the glass off the remote, and set it on the coffee table. On the hologram TV, a middle-aged man in his early forties began to speak.

『That’s a good question.』

A pleasant voice. A gentle, but not soft, impression.

President Baek Hanseong, the 27th president of South Korea, the youngest ever elected at just forty, spoke with a soft tone.

『As those who saw the official Blue House announcement yesterday already know, the series of mutated Gates…』

His calm, composed manner, even in the face of tough questions, naturally earned trust.

His captivating speeches, laced with subtle humor, were one of President Baek Hanseong’s trademarks. Of course, everyone paid attention.

When his speech—which sounded just like his presidential campaign declaration—ended, a round of applause burst from the journalists.

“It’s basically a campaign rally in there.” Seok Gojun muttered with a mix of anger and mockery.

“How many of those guys in there haven’t taken money from us, huh?”

“When Master was around, those guys could barely even breathe. Youngest president in history? Anti-Ares Guild? Baek Hanseong was always just another guy at Master’s feet.”