Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Man Who Entered the Gate
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Hunter Agency Hunter Intelligence Bureau —
Affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but given the importance of gates and hunters, it held higher prestige than any other government organization.
Intelligence Bureau Chief Cha Yona was frowning at her monitor.
The moment she moved to click her inbox, the door to the chief's office burst open.
"Ch-Chief! There's been an incident at N-21!"
It was her scatterbrained secretary.
She usually knocked, so it must have been urgent.
"N-21? Suwon Tollgate?"
"Yes."
The Navy Gate that even the four major guilds had failed to clear twice.
Casualties had occurred during the first raid, so it had been classified as a caution gate.
"What kind of incident? More deaths?"
"No, it's..."
The secretary swallowed hard before speaking.
"A man got sucked into the gate!"
"What?"
"Augh... it hurts..."
He touched his head and felt a lump.
He must have bumped into something on the way in.
"Where is this..."
Keeeek—!!
He couldn't finish his sentence.
A horrific sound, like a blade scraping metal, echoed from all directions.
He looked toward the source of the noise and locked eyes with it.
Or at least, he wasn't sure if what met his gaze were eyes.
This is... a gate...
A snake? A centipede?
Whatever it was, a long, skeletal thing clung to the wall, staring right at him.
The pillar wrapped around its tail was shaking, on the verge of collapse.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to make out his surroundings one by one.
A stone floor, dozens of pillars, an ancient castle interior straight out of a fantasy movie.
He was too overwhelmed by the thing on the wall to stand.
What do I do, what do I do...
Then he heard rough breathing from beside him.
"Haa... haa..."
There was someone else here besides him.
"Pleeease... just one more minute..."
It was S-Rank Hunter Han Chaewon, who had entered the gate with such confidence.
*
Only Han Chaewon remained.
The axe-wielding woman and the healer must have been ejected due to Yin Energy depletion or torn a return ticket.
If there had been fatalities, Han Chaewon wouldn't still be here.
Even after the two retreated, she was holding out to take down that thing.
Symptoms of Yin Energy depletion.
Hunters could fight as long as they had even a handful of Yin Energy left.
But Han Chaewon couldn't even stand. She was on her knees, barely propping herself up with her arms.
Even that was too much, and her body kept leaning toward him.
She looked about to collapse onto the floor, so he instinctively grabbed her shoulder.
"You okay?"
Only then did Han Chaewon look at him.
Her eyes, reminiscent of red wine, seemed to suck everything into them.
Han Chaewon's eyes grew wider and wider.
"A... a man..."
Yeah, a man.
But he had no idea how he'd ended up inside either.
Suddenly, a wisp of vapor rose from his hand on her shoulder.
White smoke turned yellow, then gradually red as it spread outward.
It was like the superpower auras from movies or anime.
Wh-what is this...?
The color wasn't the issue.
Something was being drawn out of his body.
It felt warm and ticklish... like someone caressing a pleasurable spot.
But it wasn't just him.
Han Chaewon's expression grew strange, a flush rising to her cheeks.
They turned the color of a perfectly ripe peach—so tempting he wanted to take a bite.
Her body trembled so violently that his hand on her shoulder shook.
"Hnn... haaang..."
Eh?
A vulgar moan utterly out of place here slipped out.
She clamped her hand over her mouth and instantly put distance between them.
She hadn't even been able to stand moments ago—what was this?
"Wh-what are you?!"
There was no time to answer.
The thing on the wall had leaped toward them.
Han Chaewon had been too distracted by him to notice its movement.
In an instant, he threw himself forward and pulled her into an embrace.
He wasn't a hunter, but he'd been a promising baseball player all through high school.
If his knee hadn't given out, he could've been playing pro leagues!
They tumbled several rolls until they reached the corner.
Pain shot through his shoulder, but it didn't feel like the thing had hit them.
He was about to ask if she was okay when Han Chaewon hugged him back.
She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing raggedly.
Her chest pressed against him like a mass of hundreds of marshmallows—a delightful weight.
She wedged her leg between his thighs and rubbed against him stickily.
"Th-that, if you keep rubbing..."
Even as he said it, she showed no sign of letting go.
He turned his head and saw the thing heading their way again.
This wasn't the time!
"Ch-Chaewon... I'll do it outside, so for now..."
Na Woojin, you perverted bastard.
Filter your damn words.
This woman's an S-Rank hunter!
"Haaaang... so good... too good... just a little more..."
Her sticky voice made his ears melt.
So this was what they meant by ear tits.
Kek... keeek!
It came from right behind them.
He was caught between heaven and hell.
Ever since, something kept flowing into Han Chaewon's body.
It was dozens of times faster than when he'd just placed his hand on her shoulder.
The aura that had risen only from his hand now spread across her entire body.
"Hut... hyaaang... more, no more..."
Han Chaewon twisted her body, shuddered, and hugged him with all her strength.
The aura enveloping them exploded outward.
The shock was so intense that the approaching thing was flung away.
Heaven was still right there beside him, but hell had been sent far off.
"Haa... haa..."
Only then did Han Chaewon shove him away and roll toward the other side.
She'd been clinging to him moments ago, but now she wouldn't even look at him.
What the hell was that...?
He tried to stand, but he was suddenly pulled somewhere else.
It felt just like when he'd been sucked into the gate.
"Why is this happening to meee—!!"
The world flipped, and he lost consciousness again.
Am I crazy? Are you insane?!
Han Chaewon shot to her feet in shock.
Her lower body was soaked.
In the arms of some strange man... uwaaaah!!
She looked around, but the man had vanished without a trace.
But what he'd left behind lingered in her body.
A dark red aura enveloped her entirely.
Heat boiled up within her, as if she were standing in the crater of an erupting volcano.
She'd had barely a scrap left before, but now her Yin Energy was overflowing.
It was more than enough to summon her Blood Sword again.
Focus.
The Blood Sword was S-Rank Hunter Han Chaewon's unique skill.
A small amount of blood mixed with mana formed a blade to cleave enemies.
The sword created this way protruded from her palm for instant grasp.
That was why Han Chaewon needed no separate weapon.
She felt the sword forming inside her.
She tensed her palm to draw it out.
Eh?
No response.
It should have emerged by now, but it was silent.
She stared blankly at her palm.
What? Why won't it come out?
It wasn't a lack of Yin Energy.
She could take on the boss barehanded right now.
The sword had formed, but it was refusing to emerge from her palm.
Come out, come on out!
Suddenly, something anomalous happened.
A burst of light erupted from the valley between her ample breasts.
Amid the blinding beam, her Blood Sword rose—transformed in shape.
Blood Sword (Unique Skill)
Formed from blood and mana. Emerges from transformed position.
For some reason, the sword seemed to be smirking.
"Why is a sword coming out of my breaaaaasts—!!"
Intelligence Bureau Chief Cha Yona headed to the Suwon Tollgate.
To personally verify the N-21 gate where a man had reportedly been sucked in.
A man entering a gate was unthinkable.
If it was true, it could completely upend the established hunter dynamics.
As chief, she had to confirm this phenomenon firsthand.
Halfway there, her phone rang.
"Yeah, it's me."
It was a call from a staffer on site.
"What? Cleared?"
The three managers, the attack team, and the healer had all retired.
Han Chaewon was S-Rank, but there hadn't been nearly enough time to take down the gate boss.
A clear in that situation set off Cha Yona's instincts.
Something definitely happened inside.
Cha Yona grew anxious.
*
Once the boss was defeated and the gate cleared, it turned white.
A form of dormancy—after a few days, it would downgrade to a lower gate.
From then on, it became a hunting ground for low-rank hunters to collect magistones.
News of the Navy Gate's clear after two failures spread, drawing reporters.
From the entrance onward, it was packed with broadcast vans, journalists, and curious onlookers.
"Black Tortoise Guild has finally cleared the 21st Navy Gate. The key player in the boss takedown, S-Rank Hunter Han Chaewon, is the visual center of the popular idol group Cherry Blossom..."
An announcer was in the midst of a live on-site report near the gate.
Cha Yona entered the site office and summoned the staffer in charge.
"The guild definitely didn't notice?"
"Yes. It happened so fast that only I saw it nearby. The light vanished quickly."
The staffer handed Cha Yona a tablet.
"A part-timer."
"Korea University Hunter Administration major, senior year. Signed up for field experience before reenrolling."
It was common for hunter-related majors to take gigs like this.
"You called?"
"Phone's off."
"Location tracking?"
"Picks up inside the gate, but it's dormant—no scan possible."
"Hmm..."
She scrolled through the tablet screen and instructed the staffer.
"Send an agent to this address. Check with the family too."
"Yes, understood."
Cheers erupted from the gate entrance.
The boss-slaying hero, Han Chaewon, had returned.
Cha Yona rushed to the entrance to meet her.