Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Choice (2)
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North Island, New Zealand.
A-rank Elite Gate in the Taupo volcanic zone.
Kuooooh—!
The Gorilla King let out a roar. Its body was as massive as three or four buildings combined.
The earth-shaking cry carried a profoundly mournful tone.
The wounds on its thick hide were mere scratches, but the chill seeping through them was freezing its organs solid. No wonder it sounded so pained.
And now, its movements were slowing to a crawl.
"Gr... ugh..."
Crackle, crackle...
Just before it turned into a solid ice statue,
a massive hammer smashed into the back of the Gorilla King's head.
Kwaaaang—!
Frozen blood and chunks of flesh rained down onto Chris's dazed head.
"Ah."
Chris's brow furrowed slightly.
"Huh? S-sorry, boss. You okay?"
The hulking man who slid down from the fully frozen Gorilla King looked apologetic.
"It's fine."
As Chris brushed off the debris like it was nothing,
"Boss, you were lost in thought again, weren't you?"
A red-haired middle-aged woman approached and pinched Chris's cheeks, stretching them like mochi.
Chris showed no particular reaction, as if he were used to it.
"Jerina, show some respect to the boss. How long are you going to keep acting like that?"
A cold-faced man called her out.
Jerina giggled and let go.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just a habit I can't shake."
"The boss is part of the problem too. If you'd act like a proper leader, the guild members wouldn't be so casual. You're the successor—start behaving like it."
"I'm working on it."
Chris replied.
Andrey, the cold-faced man, tsked in dissatisfaction at the response and muttered under his breath.
"I can't for the life of me figure out what the former boss saw in Chris to pick him as successor. Tsk."
The moment Andrey finished speaking,
Crackle-crackle...
Ice formed around him, trapping him in a cage of razor-sharp spikes.
"...!"
A chilling aura poured from Chris, whose demeanor had completely shifted.
"Take it back."
He didn't mind personal jabs.
But he couldn't tolerate anyone questioning the former boss's choice.
Pure killing intent.
Andrey bristled and started to draw on his mana, then hesitated.
The other teammates shook their heads, their expressions saying Andrey had gone too far.
As if they all knew what the former boss meant to Chris.
"...Tch, fine. My bad. I take it back."
Andrey raised both hands in surrender, admitting his mistake.
The ice cage melted away smoothly, and Chris nodded, accepting the apology.
Andrey turned his head away, clearly still displeased with Chris.
Jerina tossed out a question to lighten the tense mood.
"So, what had you so spaced out?"
"The newbie."
The hammer-wielding giant answered at the word.
"The newbie? Kim Gunja? Didn't you confirm last time he doesn't own a Master Ring?"
"Yeah."
"Then why's the boss still hung up on him?"
"Mongiro says he's a promising newbie."
Everyone looked shocked at Chris's words.
"That cheapskate?"
"No kidding! The guy's always looked down on rankers as overrated, and now this."
"I gave him the mission to test him out."
"What kind?"
"Homunculus."
"What?!"
"For real?"
"You're insane."
They were stunned.
That he was assigning a newbie their first solo mission—and one involving a Homunculus, no less.
Jerina asked worriedly,
"You sure that's okay? Starting with something Homunculus-related... he might see stuff that'll break him mentally, or it could get dangerous."
"He's strong."
The giant tilted his head at Chris's words.
"Isn't he just B-rank? Sure, he's got potential, but if he hasn't grown fully, strong is still just... strong, right?"
Chris shook his head lightly.
That wasn't what he meant.
He recalled the moment he'd grabbed Kim Gunja's hand to check the Master Ring.
'It was warm.'
And those unshakable eyes reminded him so much of him.
The former leader of Pentagram.
Chris clenched his ringed right hand slightly,
as if trying to recapture that warmth.
Then, parting his lips slowly,
"The newbie will do fine."
He said it with utter certainty.
Chris checked the system window and spoke.
"Let's go."
Pentagram's rankers followed behind him.
To clear the next gate awaiting them.
The foothills of Jirisan Mountain.
A single vehicle passed through a checkpoint controlled by soldiers.
Choi Jinseung was driving, with Kim Gunja and Sin Yeji in the back seat.
Kim Gunja had known about the labyrinth multi-gate outbreak in advance and volunteered for Hero Guild the moment they got word.
—Uncle! You're heading to the Jirisan multi-gate volunteer op, right?!
And he'd gotten Yeji's call at the same time, so they were heading together.
En route, Kim Gunja recalled the mission Mongiro had mentioned.
—Mr. Kim Gunja. According to Isabel, the multi-gate forming in Korea this time has more unnatural traits than we can count.
—We have extensive data on such special cases. Oh, bragging? Haha. Anyway, running simulations on that data, we're almost certain there's a Homunculus lab hidden near Jirisan.
—I'll send you the coordinates of the suspected spot. Just confirm if there's really a lab there, and if possible, gauge its scale. Confirmation only!
Mongiro had emphasized "confirmation only," and Kim Gunja caught the implication right away.
'Don't go deep if you run into something you can't handle.'
Kim Gunja had no intention of doing otherwise.
As he reviewed the mission details, the car arrived near Seongsamjae in Jirisan.
"Whoa, there are so many people."
Sin Yeji gasped in awe.
The place was packed.
Hunter volunteers, Association staff managing them, and soldiers prepped for contingencies created a sea of people.
An Association employee approached from one side.
"Hunters?"
"Yes."
A quick greeting and ID check later,
"From Hero Guild, I see. Thank you for volunteering. The gate hasn't opened yet, so rest in the temporary barracks over there."
"Thank you."
As Yeji and he headed to the barracks,
he overheard Association staff whispering behind them.
"Again?"
"Yeah. What's the point of being number one if they just cherry-pick the good stuff."
Kim Gunja glanced back, and the staff coughed awkwardly and dispersed.
Pondering the words, he scanned the area.
And understood why.
'About the same numbers.'
The Hero Guild contingent at their barracks matched the numbers from other mid-sized guilds.
"Again" implied it was always like this.
'Guilds that only go for the profits...'
As he took in the scene,
one guild stood out, its atmosphere markedly different from the rest.
Infinite Guild.
Passing by, Kim Gunja overheard the Hunters at the rear.
"...Gotta do it here too?"
"Ugh, it's kinda embarrassing..."
"Right? It's fine when it's just us, but there are too many eyes now."
Kim Gunja tilted his head.
What were they talking about?
His curiosity was soon satisfied.
At the front, where Infinite Guild Hunters stood in line, a figure climbed onto a rock.
Infinite Guild's Guild Master.
Mountain King Hong Gyuhyeon.
"Who are we?"
It wasn't a loud voice.
But the resonant timbre cut through the marketplace bustle— no one missed it.
Clear and sharp.
Everyone could feel it.
The dignity and pride in his voice.
That must have been why.
Even the embarrassed Infinite Guild Hunters responded in unison, brimming with confidence.
"Hunters!"
The thunderous shout echoed off Jirisan's slopes.
Gathered Hunters and staff began turning toward Infinite Guild's cry.
Mountain King Hong Gyuhyeon accepted the attention with poise and asked again.
"Right. We are Hunters. What does that mean?"
"Those who protect!"
The reply was perfectly synchronized, without a hint of disorder.
Hong Gyuhyeon nodded in satisfaction.
"It's your hands. Your hands protect parents, children, siblings, and friends."
The noisy surroundings now echoed only with Hong Gyuhyeon's voice.
"So hold your heads high. Every one of you here deserves to be called a hero. Even if the world doesn't recognize it, I, Mountain King Hong Gyuhyeon, remember. You are heroes."
As his words ended, Infinite Guild members erupted in a mighty cheer.
Onlookers snapped out of their trance and murmured.
"Infinite Guild's always good at this stuff."
"Ugh, so cringey. But... kinda cool?"
"Pfft. I'd never."
The two Hunters chatting had smiles creeping onto their faces.
Mountain King himself had vouched.
That everyone here qualified as heroes.
Not just Infinite Guild—but them too.
No distinction between leads and extras. All heroes.
That one line from Mountain King was enough to boost every Hunter's morale.
Kim Gunja smiled pleasantly as he passed, feeling good himself,
when,
"Oh? Mr. Kim Gunja!"
Turning, he saw Han Juyeong and Cha Gangju approaching from Infinite Guild.
"Hey."
"Fancy meeting you here again. I meant to visit, but got tied up..."
Kim Gunja chuckled at Han Juyeong's sheepish grin.
"Same here."
As they exchanged light banter, Hong Gyuhyeon's head turned.
Reacting to the name Han Juyeong had said.
'Kim Gunja? Ho...'
He couldn't ignore talk of the man he'd been curious about.
Hong Gyuhyeon approached Kim Gunja.
"You're Kim Gunja?"
"Ah... Yes. First time meeting you. Great speech from Infinite Guild's Guild Master."
"Ahem. Great? Hardly..."
Hong Gyuhyeon waved it off like flattery.
He'd brimmed with authority before the Hunters, but now he exuded the kindly warmth of a friendly neighbor grandpa.
"Hero Guild, right?"
Hong Gyuhyeon extended his hand.
"Yes."
Kim Gunja shook it firmly.
Hong Gyuhyeon stared into Kim Gunja's eyes during the handshake.
Eyes filled with seasoned clarity peered beyond Kim Gunja's.
And Hong Gyuhyeon saw it.
A blazing mass of emotion burning fiercely within the calmly composed man.
"Ha, hahaha, hahahaha!"
Hong Gyuhyeon burst into booming laughter.
"Looks gentle on the outside, but harboring a volcanic blaze within. Who knew?"
Kim Gunja's shoulders twitched at the words.
It was the first time someone had seen through his hidden feelings.
"But nothing like White Flame. Yes, definitely different..."
Muttering approvingly, Hong Gyuhyeon patted Kim Gunja's shoulder and added,
"I don't know the details, but whatever you do, don't end up like him."
As Kim Gunja opened his mouth to respond to the meaningful words,
"L-Labyrinth multi-gate generated!"
The Association employee's shout thickened the air.
Infinite Guild's Team 1 Leader, Ji Sangil, approached Hong Gyuhyeon.
"Guild Master. We're ready."
"Good. Let's go. It was a pleasure."
"Yes. Best wishes for Infinite Guild Master."
Mountain King smiled and turned.
Before the blood-red gate.
Infinite Guild Hunters parted to form a path for Hong Gyuhyeon.
"Let's go. Time to show the monsters who we are."
"Yes, sir!"
The Infinite Guild members roared back powerfully.
Thus, Mountain King Hong Gyuhyeon, Infinite Guild Team 1, and rankers from other guilds entered the S-rank massive gate.
And then,
Vwoom— vwoooom—!
Gates began spawning around it, one by one.
Gates with less than a day until breach.
"It's starting!"
Gates would keep appearing until the S-rank cleared.
In other words, it was a battle of endurance until Mountain King's team cleared the labyrinth gate.
"Hunters, form teams quickly and respond! Independents, follow Association orders!"
The multi-gate was true war from here on.
At the employee's words, Kim Gunja and Sin Yeji headed to Hero Guild barracks.
Unlike before, several daggers were sheathed at Kim Gunja's left waist.
After gear checks and team formation, Kim Gunja stood before a gate with his teammates, including Yeji.
Was it Mountain King's speech?
Kim Gunja sensed unprecedented pride in the Hunters' faces.
And it wasn't just him—everyone exchanged glances and shared faint smiles.
With that, they reached out toward the gate.
To fulfill their duty as Hunters.