An Unintended Evaluation
The area where Yugi's tail had swept through was as silent as a grave. On the ground lay the mangled corpse of a Threshing White Fox. It was completely shriveled, as if every drop of its life force had been drained away. Above the carcass, Yugi's tail swirled in a slow circle, almost as if it were licking its lips. It seemed the mana of a Rank 8 kaiju was quite to its liking.
Only then was I finally able to move my stiff, frozen body. Before I could even process my emotions, I turned my gaze toward my party members. They were still locked in combat, clearly lacking the leeway to even glance in my direction.
The battle wasn't going particularly well. While we clearly held the upper hand, the kaijus were too fast for them to land a decisive blow. The Threshing White Foxes were incredibly nimble, their hit-and-run tactics posing a constant threat. The only saving grace was that they couldn't inflict fatal wounds while moving at such high speeds.
A Threshing White Fox would dart in, leave a shallow scratch on a party member, and immediately retreat without lingering. Whenever they tried to pursue the fleeing beast, the other one would jump in to keep them at bay. Watching this play out, I swallowed a sigh. Even if I wanted to help, I couldn't even track the beasts' movements. Trying to intervene half-heartedly would likely do more harm than good.
So, I decided to just stay out of it. The party members simply hadn't adapted to the beasts' speed yet; given enough time, they were bound to win. In fact, the moment I took down two of them, the outcome of the battle was already decided. No matter how powerful a kaiju was, its abilities had limits. A beast capable of such explosive speed couldn't possibly possess high stamina. Once the monsters grew exhausted, the party would easily finish them off. All they had to do was hold out. Of course, that holding-out process was proving to be an incredibly grueling ordeal for these first-timers in a D-Grade Gate.
"Damn it! Isn't there any way to pin it down?!" the swordsman yelled at the tanker, swinging his blade in frustration. He seemed thoroughly pissed off after repeatedly striking empty air.
"With my speed, it's impossible..." the tanker wheezed. His shield was already battered beyond utility, and his body was covered in minor lacerations. Had he focused solely on blocking, his shield would still be intact, but his injuries were the result of trying to force an opening. The third member, wielding a heavy battle-axe, looked just as sluggish as the tanker.
"I'll pay for your potions, so offer up an arm and hold it down for just a second!"
"...What?"
The swordsman proposed as he stepped up beside the tanker. Potions were notoriously expensive. While cheaper than a human life, using them in a D-grade gate was generally considered a waste. But right now, achievements and survival mattered far more to them than money.
"...Understood. Just make sure you finish it off cleanly."
The swordsman was willing to cough up the cost of the potion, and the tanker seemed prepared to endure the pain. Sensing the plan, the axe-wielding man quickly moved to keep the other fox busy. They're finally showing some teamwork. They had abandoned any hope of a clean, flawless victory, but this desperate coordination was actually more likely to yield results.
The tanker deliberately assumed an awkward, defenseless posture. The Threshing White Fox, which was also beginning to tire, couldn't resist the bait. It lunged deep, sinking its fangs into the tanker's arm.
"Urgh..."
Seizing the exact moment he had been waiting for, the swordsman brought his blade down, cleanly severing the beast's neck. Normally, the other fox would have intervened to disrupt the strike, but the axe-wielding hunter kept it completely occupied.
I marveled internally. So this is how a normal raid goes. It was fascinating, but at the same time, it made me realize once again just how absurdly broken my own ability was. If I had awakened a moderately strong, ordinary ability, would I have been able to fight like them? Would I even have been able to continue working as a hunter? Of course, I would have forced myself to do it to make a living, but it certainly wasn't a career to be taken lightly.
"Huh? Watch out!"
While I was lost in thought, someone screamed. Snapping back to reality, I stared straight ahead. *Whoosh!* The Threshing White Fox that the axe-wielder had been holding off was suddenly gone. I instinctively realized the beast was charging straight at me. The problem was, even though I knew it was coming, my body couldn't react in time.
Screeech! The Threshing White Fox materialized right before my eyes. Jesus, you scared me. Still, having experienced this once already, I didn't panic. I remembered that a Rank 8 kaiju couldn't penetrate my protective bubble. Though my heart skipped a beat, I managed to react without flinching. *Crack.* Almost purely on reflex, I summoned the gate. Having tasted the delicious mana of a Rank 8 beast earlier, Yugi whipped its tail out even faster than before.
"..."
"Whoa, what the..."
"Holy crap... that's insane."
In truth, I simply couldn't track the beast's movements at all, so I had just stood there waiting for it to attack... but to them, it must have looked entirely different. They were practically vibrating with excitement, their eyes screaming, Did you see that? Did you see that? At any rate, with the battle concluded, we took a brief moment to rest.
"Wow, Hyung-nim, that was seriously incredible! The monster charged right at you, and you didn't even blink! Just... bam! Wow..." The swordsman sitting next to me praised, gesticulating wildly. He looked older than me, yet he kept calling me "Hyung-nim" over and over. "...By the way, Hyung-nim, weren't there two monsters on your side as well? When did you take care of them?"
"I finished them off quickly. I just got lucky."
The swordsman nodded slowly. The heavy silence he maintained suggested he was trying to broach a difficult topic. "Then, by any chance... why didn't you help us right away?" he asked cautiously. Did he think his party had suffered unnecessary injuries because I had stood idly by? If so, his premise was fundamentally flawed. I hadn't helped because I literally lacked the ability to do so. But since I couldn't just say that, I opted for a semi-honest response.
"...I was evaluating your combat capabilities. I was curious about a few things."
"Excuse me...?"
I could have smoothed things over with a convenient lie, but I chose not to. Unless they were complete fools, they had to realize by now that I possessed an extraordinary level of power. And in a messed-up world like this, power translated directly into privilege—the privilege of being respected by strangers, and the freedom to speak and act as I pleased. Of course, that didn't mean I should abuse it. I simply wanted to make it clear that I had no intention of living subserviently. Especially not in a situation like this, where I had just slain three of the beasts for them, only to be met with a resentful question about why I hadn't helped sooner.
"Well, I apologize if I offended you... but isn't the reason you got hurt simply because you are still too weak?"
"..."
The swordsman stared at me with a complicated expression. *Maybe that was a bit too harsh?* But it wasn't a lie. It was an undeniable fact that they had entered a gate far beyond their actual skill level. As the swordsman remained silent, lost in his complicated thoughts, the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward. I decided to stand up. Besides, with the limited duration of my protective bubble, I didn't have the luxury of taking a long break anyway. "Keep resting. I'm going to look around the area for a bit."
Immediately after Park Yoo-cheon left, a strange silence fell over the remaining three. After a long silence, the swordsman finally spoke. "...I think we were just put to a test."
The other two looked at him in confusion. "A test?"
"Yes. Honestly, there's no way that man has the skills of a recently awakened hunter."
Setting aside raw power, one's composure toward monsters was something that could only be forged through long experience. It was only natural to flinch when a beast lunged at you, and it was only natural to hesitate when taking a life. Yet, Park Yoo-cheon had shown none of those normal reactions. He had countered a charging monster without moving an inch. There wasn't a shred of hesitation in his strikes. This was not the composure of someone with a mere few months of experience. It was clear that years of relentless combat had been deeply engraved into his very muscles.
"That's true..."
"I suspect he's been active as an Unregistered Hunter for a very long time."
An Unregistered Hunter—a term used for awakened individuals who chose not to register with the Hunter Association. Although technically illegal, the general consensus was to turn a blind eye as long as they didn't cause any major trouble. Given Yoo-cheon's overwhelming strength, it was a highly plausible theory.
"...And?"
"Why else would someone with that kind of strength remain unregistered? He must be a major player who rules the underworld."
They briefly recalled Yoo-cheon's ability. The tentacle-like attacks reminiscent of a sinister serpent, and the pitch-black darkness left in their wake. It was an image that perfectly fit their dark assumptions.
"B-but what does that have to do with us being tested?"
The swordsman shook his head in frustration. "Think about it. Guilds exist in the underworld too, right? But those kinds of guilds must have a hard time recruiting members through normal means."
"...So?"
"That man is...!"
He raised his voice in frustration, then flinched and quickly scanned their surroundings. After confirming Yoo-cheon was nowhere in sight, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "He's a scout! He must be an examiner for one of those dark guilds, or perhaps an even higher-ranking figure."
Yoo-cheon had explicitly stated he was evaluating them. And he had deemed them "still too weak."
"...Whoa."
It was a fact they had all heard with their own ears.
"It sounds plausible... but getting involved with a dark guild... isn't that dangerous? Our lives could be on the line," the tanker said cautiously.
"I think it's an opportunity."
"...What? An opportunity?"
The swordsman nodded. "I've heard rumors that those kinds of guilds pull in astronomical amounts of money—on par with major official guilds. But honestly..."
Realistically, how many of them stood a chance of ever joining a major guild? Most hunters of their caliber would either retire or die long before reaching that level.
"But what if that dark guild is just some small-time operation?" the axe-wielder questioned.
The swordsman shook his head. "I've met an A-Class hunter before. And honestly, even that A-Class hunter didn't seem to hold a candle to him. There's no way his guild is ordinary."
The three exchanged looks, their eyes burning with newfound determination. They nodded in unison. They would do whatever it took to catch Park Yoo-cheon's eye.
After slipping away, I made sure no one was around before summoning a gate. A small, golden portal rippled open. I had only recently discovered that Yugi's domain manifested as a dark violet light, while Arin's glowed with a brilliant gold. Arin stepped gracefully out of the gate.
"...Yoo-cheon? Yoo-cheon!"
Arin's face lit up with pure joy the moment she spotted me. I offered her a wry smile without saying a word. To be honest, I had felt a bit guilty about pushing her away so coldly earlier. Even though I was only summoning her briefly away from the others' eyes, I wanted to make it up to her. And, of course, I also wanted to make use of her abilities while I was at it.
"Arin, could you help me find where the gate's Magic Core is?" I asked her as she curiously examined our snowy surroundings. Tilting her head, she closed her eyes. While the term "Magic Core" might have been unfamiliar to her, a contractor's words were conveyed through pure intent. She could understand the meaning behind my words regardless of the actual vocabulary. Arin seemed to grasp exactly what I was looking for.
"Over there... but it's dangerous. There's a monster... with mana far stronger than Yoo-cheon's..."
It made sense. Arin didn't know about Yugi yet, and she certainly couldn't imagine me fighting with a myth-grade beast.
"I'm fine—"
But I couldn't finish my sentence. The dark, intense look in Arin's eyes as she reached her hand out was deeply unsettling.
"...Arin? What are you doing?"
"Yoo-cheon, danger... so I killed them. All of them."
"...What?"
"I broke the Magic Core, too. This space will collapse soon. Come with me... to my domain."
Meanwhile, at the Association's data management department. An employee responsible for monitoring the manifestation and closure of gates suddenly bolted upright and shouted, "Uh...?! Team Leader, please take a look at this!" Honestly, it wasn't the first time this employee had panicked over some anomaly. Gates were inherently bizarre phenomena to begin with. The team leader internally grumbled, Here we go again with this guy, but walked over to stand behind him anyway.
"Look at this. The scheduled entry time for this D-grade gate was 2:00 PM, but we just received a closure signal only twenty minutes later. Could this be a mutated gate?"
"They probably just entered early. Mutated gate, my foot," the team leader replied dryly, though his fingers were already busy firing off a text message to the field management team. If it really was a mutated gate, they had a massive crisis on their hands. On the other hand, if the party had simply violated protocol by entering ahead of schedule, it was a golden opportunity to slap them with a hefty fine. Of course, fines were only ever successfully squeezed out of weak, low-ranking hunters—exactly like the ones currently inside this D-grade gate. It was a petty, cowardly system, but that was how the Association operated.
"Whatever. I've messaged the field staff, so focus on other things for now."
"Yes, sir."
However, five minutes later, when the team leader received a reply, his expression gradually soured into utter disbelief.
"...What kind of absolute bullshit is this?"