Unexpected Gate – The Deal of a Lifetime
“Hmm... it's worse than I thought.”
I'd rushed straight to the site in Yeoksam-dong after spotting what looked like a decent listing on the Association's gate auction site.
But my expectations were too high—now it was just pure disappointment.
The gate's info numbers blinked in the floating status window hovering in the air before me.
Yeoksam-dong 23rd Gate.
The Association's official rating was C-Class, but the actual mana fluctuations I could see were teetering right on the edge of B-Class.
Gates with higher ranks generally yield higher value, so auction bids reflect that.
This Yeoksam-dong 23rd Gate was a C-Class bordering on B-Class, meaning we could snag near-B-Class value at a standard C-Class bid price.
But here's why it screamed fake listing.
No matter how I crunched the numbers on what this gate offered—via my status window—it just didn't add up.
The risk was sky-high, so the drop resources should match... but they were pathetically lacking.
In short: all risk, no reward. A shiny peach that's pure poison inside.
With the 3rd Division's thin budget, bidding C-Class prices on this could backfire hard if a B-Class monster popped out—raid costs would balloon, and we'd bleed red ink.
It looked like the best pick on the auction list, but close inspection? Total bust.
“Huh? Ilgang?”
A guy in glasses suddenly pointed at my employee badge on my chest and sauntered over with zero hesitation.
I shot him a wary glance, but he flashed a bright, toothy grin and thrust out his hand like we were old pals.
“Hey! You're here to inspect Yeoksam 23rd, right? Ah, I'm Im Yeonggyu, Assistant Manager from Daegeon Guild's Strategy Planning Team.”
Daegeon Guild—one of the upstarts steadily nibbling at Ilgang's crumbling market share.
I shook his hand lightly.
“Ah, yeah. Baek Sujae, Strategy Planning Team Leader for Ilgang Guild.”
“Baek Sujae... wait, Team Leader Baek Sujae? Oh! You're that new guy starting today at Ilgang's 3rd Division, right?!”
Im Yeonggyu mumbled my name, puzzled, then his eyes lit up.
“Whoa, jackpot. Rumors were flying wild this morning. Didn't expect to meet the star of the show so soon!”
No malice in his words, but they still rubbed me the wrong way.
...Tsk. What a pain.
In this industry, info is money and power.
That's why the giant guilds' strategy teams have this secret anonymous community where intel and rumors update in real-time.
By now, this morning's events had ballooned into absurd fiction.
Eyeing the rumor mill's star right in front of him, Im Yeonggyu scanned me up and down with keen interest.
“I was checking this morning's new listings too, hopping between sites... What do you think of Yeoksam 23rd, Team Leader Baek?”
He adjusted his glasses slyly, probing with feigned casual curiosity.
Half to compare his intel against mine.
Half to test if Ilgang's parachute leader was legit or just hot air.
Dungeon Analysts' awakenings vary wildly—skill by skill.
Differences in mana sensing precision.
Types of mana stones or byproducts predicted.
Dungeon environments, monster intel, and more.
These analysis skills are their bread and butter—no one spills the details.
Analysts' value shows in results: jackpot gates, zero-incident raids, specialized niches.
So no need to hand rival guilds free intel by spilling to this guy.
I pocketed my badge and shook my head with a troubled frown.
“Eh, they all look meh to me. The Association report suggests decent ROI for a C-Class, so I was thinking of just rubber-stamping it.”
“Hmmm...”
Im Yeonggyu turned serious, staring at the gate with furrowed brows.
Deep in thought, he pulled out his phone and tapped out a message.
Reporting back that Ilgang's sniffing around...
Would Daegeon actually bid on this?
“Gotta head back to HQ. Catch you later, Assistant Manager Im.”
“Ah! Sure, Team Leader Baek! Great meeting you. Safe travels!”
He waved enthusiastically, beaming ear to ear.
What a sunny guy.
Whatever—Daegeon taking this gate wouldn't hurt.
The 3rd Division just needed max efficiency on our shoestring budget.
“Total wash today.”
I clicked my tongue and trudged toward the parking lot.
“Your Americano.”
“Thanks.”
A quick nod to the barista, then I stabbed in the straw and chugged.
Caffeine hit my veins—finally felt human.
Heading back to the office from a cafe near Ilgang HQ.
No wins today, so time to re-review docs.
Overnight overtime locked in.
Sipping the crisp, bitter brew, dragging my feet toward the building—
Then—
嗡嗡嗡嗡—
Commotion from the alley mouth caught my ear.
Yellow barricade tape cordoned it off; Association agents had it locked down tight.
No alert siren yet—they'd beaten it here. Fresh gate, just popped.
Unregistered in the Association DB. Hot off the press.
But as a Dungeon Analyst, my status window was live-updating with its info.
...F-Class.
The bottom-rung gates even registered guilds ignore.
Can't cover top hunter wages—usually subcontracted to tiny guilds or mercs.
I narrowed my eyes, gulping coffee thoughtfully.
The analysis window's hidden clause was flashing with a real-time update.
“...Jackpot!”
A mouse-sized—rat-tail budget for max efficiency. Right here.
I yanked my phone from my pocket.
Scrolled contacts to a fresh number and hit call.
Riiing—riiing—
Click.
- “Yes, Team Leader! What's up?”
A hint of surprise in the voice from Park Changyu—my sole ally and team member.
Machine hums and chatter leaked in the background.
Glanced at my watch: 6:05 PM.
Quitting time.
“Oh, on your way out?”
- “Y-yes! Waiting for the elevator. All thanks to you, sir! We'd be in overtime hell otherwise. Oh, the analysis docs you wanted—I'll double-check 'em tomorrow morning and leave them on your desk!”
His voice brimmed with rare energy—first on-time exit in ages.
Sorry, buddy. Gonna have to cockblock that sweet freedom.
“Assistant Manager Park. Hate to do this, but urgent task just dropped.”
- “...P-pardon? Now?”
His tone deflated instantly. Pitiful, but every second counted.
“Yes. Log into the company intranet NOW and check the Association auction site. A fresh F-Class gate in Seocho-dong just went live. I'm heading to HQ—prep and submit the bid approval docs first.”
- “Wha—?! F-Class? You're saying bid on an F-Class gate?!”
Background noise cut out—dead silence.
“Yep. Cap the bid at exactly 40 million won.”
- “Team Leader! Even so, F-Class is...”
Park scrambling to dissuade me—then sudden friction and commotion over the line.
A familiar voice cut in.
- “Hey, Team Leader Baek Sujae.”
Icy tone.
Unexpected ambush: Operations Team Leader Han Iseo.
Heading out together, apparently.
- “We're scraping by on bids for the best gates we can afford, and you want to burn cash on some trash F-Class? You sane? You think we've got time to dick around on the street?!”
Her shout blasted my eardrum.
Furious I'd ignored her hand-picked docs for this random F-Class pop-up.
Frankly, her rage was justified.
Even stuck in the sinking 3rd Division, she was Ilgang public hire—top guild stock.
A proven talent who'd climbed to run ops on major raids.
No doubting her skills.
To her, I was the no-field-experience parachuter wrecking shop.
With our budget strangled, her C-Class picks were solid, sensible backups to fill the coffers.
But that was normie logic.
I eyed the glittering analysis window greedily.
If this panned out, 40 million won for billions in value. Insane ROI.
But this biz proves itself in results.
No track record yet—I needed to sell the F-Class bid.
I sighed long and low, addressing her low growl.
“Team Leader Han Iseo. Calm down first—put Park back on. I'll take full responsibility for this bid. Full debrief at tomorrow's morning meeting.”
Crazy or not, we had to snag this F-Class gate.