Chapter 570
8 a.m.
Even with the new year’s arrival, people’s routines remained unchanged.
Office workers in crisp suits hurried to work with tired faces, and the roads were jammed with cars lined bumper to bumper.
Honk, honk—!
With the endless blare of car horns, the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat of a midsize van rolled up the half-open window and grumbled.
“Damn it. Even after the Great Cataclysm, these damn roads never improve. Are we supposed to drive or not?”
Cursing behind the wheel is inevitable, especially when driving in Busan.
Watching a small car try to cut in without signaling, the man laid on his horn.
Honk!
But if the other driver had any sense, this wouldn’t be happening in the first place.
The small car, celebrating its cut-in with a high beam in broad daylight, drove off. The man read the sticker plastered across the rear window and cursed again.
[BABY ON BOARD]
“…Yeah, right. The kid must be on fire, judging by how you drive.”
Realizing too late he’d just cursed out loud, the man glanced at the passenger seat and coughed awkwardly.
“Ahem. Didn’t mean to say that.”
The young man in the passenger seat replied calmly.
“It’s fine. It happens.”
Though he spoke to the driver, his gaze was angled out the window. The man glanced at him, then spoke up again.
“Your name was… Dongseok, right? Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good. These days, with everything happening everywhere, it’s hard to remember even three syllables.”
“No worries. Don’t worry about it.”
“Not sure if I told you my name last time, but…”
“I’ll just call you Team Leader. It’s easier for me.”
As the team leader blinked in surprise, Lee Dongseok answered crisply.
“And, Team Leader.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“The light changed.”
Hoooonk!
Snapped out of it by the horn blaring behind, the team leader hit the gas, frowning as the van lurched forward.
‘Man, this kid is rude. Cocky little punk.’
He grumbled inwardly but quickly changed his mind.
Well, what’s so bad about a little attitude? After all, I’ll only see him for a day. As long as he does his job well, that’s enough.
‘Better this than a nervous rookie or a loudmouth who just talks.’
The team leader had been a freelance C-rank Hunter for years.
He knew from experience that a skilled, blunt guy was better than someone polite and soft.
‘At least he won’t screw things up and run off like that last idiot.’
After a teammate botched a raid and went into hiding, he had to find a temp. The result was Lee Dongseok.
His résumé was spotless, and his skills as a Hunter seemed solid—surprisingly so for a freelancer.
‘Well, that works out for everyone.’
These days, just hiring someone is a struggle.
Even now, the low chatter of DJs on the radio was discussing the country’s Hunter shortage.
We’ve got a comment from Shin Ah-young in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Three days ago, a mutated Gate opened near my house. It was just ten minutes away, so I’m really anxious and can’t sleep.
Oh dear… of all places to live. That must be tough.
I remember seeing that on the news, too. It was a dangerous situation that could have been catastrophic.
It’s a relief the monster wave was prevented. Really.
The team leader turned up the radio.
The Pocheon mutated Gate three days ago was a big deal—no Hunter could have missed it.
Even Lee Dongseok, still gazing out the window, seemed to listen closely.
Thankfully, no one died this time.
Right. Stopping the monster wave meant there were no civilian casualties, and the mutated Gate was swiftly cleared.
That was the emergency rescue team, right? The Peace Guild’s?
That’s right. Hunter Jin Taekyung didn’t go himself, but the Peace Guild’s emergency rescue team really delivered. These days, magic power surges are a serious issue here and abroad, but Korea is recognized worldwide for its fast response and minimal casualties.
It’s really impressive. Not just Hunter Jin Taekyung and the Peace Guild’s emergency rescue team, but all the Hunters who keep fighting monsters…
Listening to the DJ’s continued praise, the team leader glanced at Lee Dongseok.
“Come to think of it, you’re impressive too, Dongseok.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s not easy to go on raids in times like these.”
With magic power rising, monsters had grown stronger, and mutated Gates—once a twice-a-year event—were now appearing every three days and making the evening news.
Turning the wheel, the team leader continued.
“For me, it’s all for my family, but you’re in your twenties and not even married. Is it youthful spirit? Something like that?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“I do it because it’s what I have to do. It’s my responsibility.”
His firm answer and clear, shining eyes were nothing like before. The team leader blinked at the change.
“O-oh, really?”
“Yes.”
“Mm. That’s good to see. You’ve got a real sense of duty as a Hunter.”
His directness was a little disconcerting, especially the way Lee Dongseok’s eyes shone with determination—enough that the word ‘calling’ seemed to fit him.
‘What’s with this guy?’
Rude, but burning with justice. A young man dreaming of being a hero in troubled times, maybe. Whatever he was, one thing was certain—he was unusual.
The team leader slowed the van and parked in the Gate Management Office’s lot. As they got out, the other team members gathered around, having recognized the van.
“Hey, Team Leader Kim, you’re here?”
“Welcome, hyung.”
“You’re early, oppa. Who’s this next to you…?”
“This is Dongseok. You know, the one I brought on as a temp.”
“Oh, right, right. He’s got that Seoul look, doesn’t he?”
“He is from Seoul. Dongseok, these are our team members…”
As the team leader introduced them, he blinked. Something was off about Lee Dongseok.
“Dongseok, are you feeling okay?”
“Hey, Dongseok?”
Staring at the Gate in silence, Lee Dongseok wiped cold sweat from his brow.
“I’m fine. I just suddenly got a bit nervous, that’s all.”
“Hmm. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, there’s no problem.”
The team leader gave him a skeptical look, but with the team already at the Gate, there was nothing to be done.
The manager in charge of the C-rank [Siren’s Black River] Gate in Haeundae was already walking over from a distance.
“Hey, Team Kim, you’re here.”
“Yeah, sorry we’re a bit late.”
“No problem, right? Got the headcount?”
Glancing at Dongseok, the team leader nodded.
“Of course.”
“You’re sure? You know the rules are stricter now. If anything goes wrong, it’s on both of us—”
“I know, I know. You’ve never seen me or my team screw up. You’re going to check everything anyway.”
“These days things are so tense I just have to be careful. And yeah, I was going to do a final check anyway.”
The check was over quickly. The manager gave Dongseok one last once-over, then grinned.
“All set. Go ahead.”
With permission given, the team bustled around, preparing to enter. Only one person, Lee Dongseok, was different.
He lingered at the back of the group, staring intently at the Gate.
Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded. He’d suffered from cold hands and feet since the orphanage days, but now his palms were clammy with sweat, almost like hyperhidrosis.
‘Don’t be nervous. Not until the very end.’
He had a mission. A mission he absolutely had to complete.
Just as Lee Dongseok took a deep breath, the team leader at the front turned and called out.
“Dongseok, are you sure you’re okay?”
“…Yes.”
“You don’t look good. Your answers are slow, and your mind seems somewhere else.”
“No, I’m fine.”
The team leader would never know—the reason Dongseok’s answer was slow wasn’t because he was distracted, but because the name still felt unfamiliar.
And Lee Dongseok—no, he—had never once forgotten his real objective.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get it done.”
“Huh?”
The team leader gave him a puzzled look but then just shrugged it off as a quirk.
They stood at the Gate’s entrance.
“Alright, before we go in—everyone, safety first!”
“Safety first!”
With that cheer, the team leader led the way into the Gate.
“Then, let’s enter!”
Whoosh!
Rippling magic swallowed each person in turn.
As the others rushed inside, Lee Dongseok suddenly looked up at the sky.
A January morning. The sky was blue, and the wind was still cold.
And… this might be the last sky he ever saw.
‘I have a task only you can do.’
A voice he’d heard days earlier seemed to blend with the wind.
And the answer he’d given then.
‘I’ll do it.’
‘It could cost you your life.’
‘It’s a life the former Vice Guild Leader saved anyway.’
He’d heard his mother had given birth to him in a subway restroom, never even seeing her face.
The newborn, wrapped in toilet paper and thrown in a trash bin, survived by luck and was sent to an orphanage secretly sponsored by the Blue Dragon.
‘If it helps… I’ll do anything.’
To him, Lee Jeong-ryong was a father, and the Ares Guild was as close as family.
For them, he’d do anything.
‘Leave it to me.’
With those words, his benefactor had smiled deeply and handed him something—now kept deep in his pocket dimension.
‘I must succeed.’
That was the last order. After receiving it, he’d changed everything—his face, name, even moved to Busan.
With something extremely precious and dangerous hidden close.
“I… will succeed.”
At some point, it was his turn.
Suppressing his fear, he muttered to himself and stepped into the shimmering Gate.
Swoosh—!
And about an hour later, the people outside the Gate saw it.
Beep beep beep beep beep!
Magic readings skyrocketing out of control. And then, a transformation starting at an unstoppable rate.
Riiiip—
A tear opened in the air, and a thick breath of death spread over Haeundae Beach.
After three teleportation circles, I arrived in Busan. I realized it instantly—no, I could feel it.
Kyaaaak!
Graaah!
Kwahhh!
The screams and roars echoed from far away. And then—
* * * * * * **
(T/N: Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)
