Chapter 67
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: F급 힐러가 SS급 게이트를 공략하는 방법-67화
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Deoter's Fury
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Among them, the whites of the three eyes at the top turned a blinding yellow, and sharp pillars began sprouting densely from the floor.
In the meantime, Jan Yeong closed in on Deoter, with Han Seung-woo hot on his heels.
The moment Jan Yeong leaped with all his might to strike Deoter...
"Remnants should act like remnants... and bow their heads."
The whites of the three eyes at the bottom turned blue, slowing Jan Yeong's movements before he plummeted straight to the floor.
"Jan Yeong!"
"Little... Master......"
"Jan Yeong! Get back! Seung-woo, watch out!"
But Han Seung-woo fell victim just like Jan Yeong in an instant.
"No, no!"
Lee Ru-ri unleashed every skill she had to block Deoter's repeated attacks.
Deoter paused its assault, seemingly intrigued, and stared at Lee Ru-ri for a moment.
She stood in front of the fallen Seung-woo, her voice filled with rage.
"Manifest."
⟨ Summon: Jan Yeolko ⟩
A massive whirlwind erupted, twisting the space within it.
From the warped space, Jan Yeolko emerged, her long black hair whipping around.
Seeing Jan Yeolko's kind smile brought tears to her eyes.
"Sniff, sob... Help us......"
Jan Yeolko wrapped the fallen Han Seung-woo and the sobbing Lee Ru-ri in her pitch-black hair.
Then, hiding behind her glass mask, she whisked them away from the spot in an instant.
When she came to, they were in front of Jan Yeolko's piano.
"What about Seung-woo......"
"I was waiting for you to wake up. This human's injuries are severe."
"Jan Yeolko, thank you. You saved our lives."
"Hurry and go."
"Okay."
Lee Ru-ri hoisted Han Seung-woo onto her back.
She hurried through the Hidden Gate waiting room, cleared the monsters in the connected gate, and called for Jan Yeong at the entrance.
"Jan Yeong, are you okay? Can you come?"
Jan Yeong appeared before her, fully recovered.
"I'm fine."
"I need to get Seung-woo to the hospital."
"Understood."
Jan Yeong slung Han Seung-woo over one shoulder and scooped Lee Ru-ri up with the other arm.
Lee Ru-ri quickly hid all three of them behind the glass mask and they exited the gate together.
Jan Yeong moved them in a flash, setting the two down in front of the hospital.
Lee Ru-ri emerged from behind the glass mask with Han Seung-woo, hoisted him again, and dashed into the hospital.
After hurriedly admitting him, she contacted Yang Jeong-hyun and Choi Si-jin.
"Ru-ri!"
"T-Teacher...... Sniff, sob......"
"Don't cry. It's okay. How's Seung-woo?"
"He's getting treated right now......"
"My god. What happened? We all left, and when you didn't come out after a long time, we were forming a follow-up team. You're not hurt, right?"
"It's because of me that Seung-woo......"
"No, no. Calm down. It's fine. There."
"Sob......"
Yang Jeong-hyun took Lee Ru-ri to the cafe in the hospital lobby on the first floor.
Choi Si-jin ordered a hot cup of black tea and handed it to her.
Lee Ru-ri was trying her best to calm down.
She took deep breaths, slowly releasing the tension from her trembling body.
In the meantime, members of Hurt and Light's core team were streaming into the hospital.
"Miss Ru-ri!"
"What happened! Master's condition!"
"Seung-woo! Where's Seung-woo!"
"Everyone, calm down. He's being treated now. Ru-ri's a bit unstable too."
Lee Ru-ri slowly explained what had happened.
The monster's name was the SS-grade Deoter.
Since Deoter hadn't launched any proper attacks, a preemptive strike was inevitable to gather intel, and after confirming the other teams had escaped safely, they tried to pressure it even a little—but they were mercilessly overwhelmed by its immense power. She blamed herself, saying it was all due to her misjudgment.
Everyone waved it off, consoling her that it was absolutely not her fault.
Just then, an announcement called for Han Seung-woo's guardian.
They all headed to his room to check on him.
"He was crushed by tremendous force and fell from a height, twisting bones all over his body. His muscles are so tough that he survived this; a normal hunter would have......"
The doctor trailed off.
"Th-then, is Seung-woo okay now?"
"No threat to his life. But recovery will take some time."
Everyone sighed in relief at the doctor's words.
"When will he regain consciousness?"
"He's already conscious. He's just sleeping now."
"Phew......"
They all let out deep breaths of relief once more.
Overwhelmed with relief, Lee Ru-ri's legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor.
"Ru-ri, you okay? Want to get checked too?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Alright. Tell us if anything hurts. Got it? Since Seung-woo's sleeping, let's talk outside."
After asking the nurse to call if he woke, they returned to guild headquarters.
In Light Guild's small conference room at headquarters, representatives from various countries sat with grave expressions, sipping tea.
Guild Head Choi Si-jin spoke first.
"The vice chairman will need some time to recover, but his life is not in danger."
"Phew, that's a relief."
"Is the Inex Gate really this impossible to conquer?"
Lee Ru-ri, who had been quietly listening to the representatives, clenched her fist as if resolving something and stood abruptly.
All eyes turned to her.
After scanning the room, she began explaining the situation.
"The monsters generated in the Inex Gate are at least SS-grade bosses. Occasionally mid- or high-grade regulars appear, but they mostly connect to boss areas. This is only the third global attempt and second domestic one, and we encountered a monster named SS-grade Deoter."
"Where did you get the monster's info?"
At Japanese representative Haruki's question, Lee Ru-ri hesitated briefly.
"I can see monsters' information. That's my ability."
"Really?"
Chinese representative Xiao asked Lee Ru-ri, and Hurt stepped in.
"Yes. You all know I can communicate with monsters. Ru-ri has a special ability to discern their information."
Hurt winked at Lee Ru-ri.
He clearly had no intention of revealing she was a Conqueror who summoned and fought with them directly.
Ham Dae-hee spoke cautiously.
"After Teacher Hurt enabled communication with the monster first, I—as a Taster—could see its ability stats. Is this... a coincidence?"
Hurt smiled at Ham Dae-hee's question.
"Exactly. I could see them too. Anyway, the key point is this puts us in a very advantageous position."
"If you two could see that horrific monster's stats, it definitely gives us an edge."
But Ham Dae-hee trailed off with a still-dark expression.
"The problem is......"
"The problem?"
"If we consider only Korean hunters... even if every single one upgraded to S-grade and rushed in, the stats suggest it's impossible......"
"Th-that monstrous?"
"Probably. That's why Seung-woo and I stayed till the end to attack Deoter again... We felt it was hiding its true power. And we got utterly crushed......"
Lee Ru-ri bit her lower lip hard.
"It seems urgent to train hunters worldwide."
Following the string of failed Inex Gate assaults, shadows fell not just on Light Guild members but also on the U.S., Chinese, and Japanese representatives who'd joined the raid.
Korea had become the world's center by uniquely nurturing hunters for decades.
Witnessing one of its top guilds fail so miserably firsthand must have left them with an indescribable sense of despair.
The emergency meeting ended without Han Seung-woo, and Lee Ru-ri dragged her weary body back to her room.
She flopped onto the bed, closed her eyes, and sorted her thoughts.
'Teba was one thing, but Deoter too... They're insanely stronger than imagined... Now I get why Keres keeps pushing me to the brink.'
Having finished her thoughts, Lee Ru-ri shot up.
"Jan Yeong."
"Yes."
"Ask Keres properly. How much do I need to do to crush Teba or Deoter? And exactly how much time do I have left?"
"Understood."
While Jan Yeong went to Keres, she showered with hot water, still deep in thought.
'Even Jan Yeolko could only escape with us.'
As she dried her hair, she checked her personal stats and skill list.
'As Teacher Ham and Mr. Hurt said, even if all Korean hunters became S-grade, Deoter's stats make the outcome uncertain. I thought I'd gotten a bit stronger, but......'
Just as bitterness filled her mouth and despair crept in, Jan Yeong returned.
"What did Keres say?"
"Keep collecting vengeful spirits steadily, make two more contracts, boost your current power tenfold, and gather the mana stones from the remaining three weapons—then you might stand a chance against Teba, she said."
"Easier said than done....... And what's this 'mix it up'? I really need to ban TV for her."
[Han Gyeol (S): Ru-ri, you doing okay? Let's grab a meal sometime.]
"Han Gyeol?"
Lee Ru-ri immediately messaged Yang Jeong-hyun.
As she chugged water to soothe her nerves, someone knocked.
Knock knock.
"Come in! It's open!"
"Ru-ri, what's this about?"
"Oh, Teacher, he messaged to have a meal together."
"Gyeol did?"
"Yes. Wonder what's up?"
"Hmm, not Chairman Han, but Gyeol inviting you to eat... Right when Seung-woo's down... Let's ask Teacher Kwon and Teacher Lee first."
"Okay."
Lee Ru-ri and Yang Jeong-hyun hurried to Lee Sang-chun's room.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
"Teacher."
Lee Sang-chun welcomed them warmly.
"Oh, you two together. What's going on?"
"Gyeol messaged Ru-ri to eat together."
Kwon Dong-nyeon, watching TV in Lee Sang-chun's room, turned in surprise.
"Gyeol did?"
"It's... pretty weird, right?"
"Dong-nyeon, heard anything?"
"Yeah, super strange. Why would Gyeol, not Chairman Han?"
"If you teachers haven't heard anything either... What could it be? Chairman Han's orders? Or just Gyeol... nah."
"Right. No word on Chairman Han ditching Gyeol either."
"What do you think about Ru-ri meeting Gyeol?"
"If he's targeting now with the vice chairman down, he definitely has an agenda."
"Should I... decline?"
"What's your take, Miss Ru-ri?"
"I... don't really know. He's not well, so refusing feels rude......"
"Fair point."
The four pondered silently.
Kwon Dong-nyeon spoke first.
"Meet him once. See what he says. No other way right now."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"Set it in a busy area and we tail discreetly?"
"Oh, we can ask Mr. Hurt too?"
"Yeah. Teacher Colin's there, so let's check. We'll dig more and update you."
Yang Jeong-hyun and Lee Ru-ri left Lee Sang-chun's room and messaged Hurt.
[Colin Hurt (S): Darling, sending all those messages! Sneaking a date behind Seung-woo's back?]
"Should I... not reply......?"
"Kinda awkward, but we're on the back foot, so eyes closed and send!"
"Sigh......"
It didn't take long for Hurt to arrive at guild HQ.
Lee Ru-ri, Yang Jeong-hyun, and Colin Hurt settled in the farthest corner table on the second-floor cafe, continuing their hushed conversation.
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