Identity Exposed?
Lee Du-hwan, the team leader who had gotten caught up in today’s Double Gate, felt like he was losing his mind. He had entered thinking it was nothing more than a simple Urgent Gate. But suddenly it was a Double Gate. An Urgent Double Gate formed by two overlapping gates was something almost never reported anywhere in the world. That was how rare Double Gates were.
“Damn it…”
With only the seven of them currently trying to calm the trapped civilians, was clearing this even possible? If he considered it seriously, it looked hopeless. They had entered relying on Hunter Baek Wol from the start. Their original role was to rescue civilians trapped inside the Urgent Gate, so their overall combat strength was noticeably lacking. On top of that, the team’s only A-rank member and rookie healer was currently on Hunter Baek Wol’s side.
“In the end, the only one we can count on is still Hunter Baek Wol.”
There was no other choice. All they could do was wait for Baek Wol here. The moment that thought crossed his mind, a chilling aura swept over him.
“There!! Get out of the way!!!”
“Huh?”
Slash!!
“What? Aaaargh!!!”
One of the team members collapsed, spraying blood everywhere. Behind him stood a massive green figure.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
An orc. A monster that commonly appeared in high-level dungeons. Its huge frame came with matching strength and a tough body, making it a straightforwardly powerful creature. How had they failed to notice something that big until it was this close?
That was when multiple presences appeared from behind the orc. More than thirty orcs continued pouring out. And from behind them emerged an orc wearing a necklace made of skulls.
‘An orc shaman…’
Orcs were normally low in intelligence. They excelled at hunting but were utterly insignificant in every other aspect. However, there were always exceptions. That exception was the boss monster known as the orc shaman. A being intelligent enough to understand and use shamanic arts was several times more dangerous than a regular orc.
‘It hid its presence with a spell.’
It happened occasionally—bosses that wandered around inside the gate. He understood the situation, but that didn’t make it any better.
“Kyaaaah!!!”
“What the hell?! Did he really die?”
“S-save us!!!”
Chaos spread in an instant. The moment the civilians saw someone bleeding openly, they became completely uncontrollable.
“You people are from the Association, aren’t you?! Do something, quick!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!!”
A proper strategy had already flown out the window, but they couldn’t just sit idle. Whether it turned out well or poorly, they had to do whatever they could.
“Forget formations! Move according to your own judgment! Don’t attack—focus entirely on defense!”
After issuing the order, he dashed to the front and pulled out his shield. He immediately drew the orcs’ aggression. The rest of the agents fought according to their specialties, but at this rate they probably wouldn’t last five minutes. Especially since their only healer was currently with Hunter Baek Wol.
‘So this is how I die.’
Working as a hunter, he had always known a day like this might come. He had been prepared for it, so that was fine, but he hoped the trapped civilians and the other agents would survive. Still, what could he do? There was no way to negotiate with those monstrous bastards.
“Ugh!!”
An orc brought its huge axe down, nearly bending his body in half. The pained groans of the agents nearby and the panicked screams of the civilians behind them filled his ears with noise. It seemed they hadn’t even lasted five minutes. At this rate—
Boom!!!
A tremendous roar suddenly cut off his thoughts. At the same time, the orc that had been preparing to swing its axe again exploded from the front.
‘What the…?’
While he was still trying to process the scene, an unbelievable voice reached him.
“Team Leader!!!”
It was the voice of Agent Shin A-yeong, the only one who had been separated from them and paired with Hunter Baek Wol.
“Team Leader!! Hold on! I’ll heal you right away!!”
Healing energy immediately flowed into his body. The moment he felt he could move again, he told her to stop and go help the others. When he looked back toward the orcs, more than thirty of them had already been slaughtered and piled up. Only two figures stood there now—the orc shaman and Hunter Baek Wol.
“Grrrr… Strong… warrior…”
“…”
The two stared each other down, keeping their distance.
“But… it’s already too late… My spell… is already… complete…”
Suddenly, ominous green flames swirled around the shaman’s entire body, and its size nearly tripled. The aura it gave off grew far more intense.
“Kill… eat… strong… warrior…!”
A massive hand swung down toward her. All the agents froze in alarm, but she herself remained perfectly relaxed.
“Are you done?”
After that light remark, Baek Wol swung her blade in a wide arc. The orc’s outstretched arm, torso, and opposite arm were all sliced cleanly in a single stroke.
Thud!!
The severed upper half fell with a heavy sound. Afterward, the light vanished from the orc shaman’s eyes and its body shrank back to its original size.
“…”
Silence fell. She had cut down that enormous monster with a single sword strike. When he thought about it, she had destroyed one side of an A-rank Double Gate in under five minutes, rushed all the way here, and taken down the monster as well.
‘This is what X-rank means.’
In Korea, there were people who practically worshipped her. That sentiment grew even stronger among hunters. Until now, he had never understood those people. No matter how strong someone was, treating one person like that had always seemed strange.
‘She doesn’t even look tired.’
But now he would become one of those people too. Humans had always feared and revered beings they could not understand.
Ah, I got blood on me.
Because the orc shaman had enlarged itself, blood had splattered everywhere and some had landed on my body. I should have killed it before it grew.
‘The spell was already complete by the time I arrived.’
If the caster of an already-finished spell was killed before it could be used, the backlash would run wild in every direction. I would be fine, but the civilians who had been dragged in might suffer injuries or permanent disabilities. Just like what happened to my parents—
“Waaaaah!!!”
“We’re alive! We’re alive!!!”
The moment both boss monsters died, the gate leading outside opened. The civilians who saw it burst into cheers.
“Hunter Baek Wol.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
The team leader asked me a question.
“Were there no civilians on the other side? How did you get here so quickly…”
“There were civilians. But the situation on this side looked far more urgent, so I ran straight here.”
“What? Then the civilians on the other side…”
“They’re fine. I’ve taken care of all the monsters.”
“Ah…”
The instant I realized the only A-rank on their team—the healer—had been paired with me, I cut through everything at full power, carried the healer on my back, and sprinted over. Thanks to that, I had the unique experience of clearing a gate while carrying someone.
“I’ll go check on the civilians again. Team Leader, please handle things here.”
“Yes, understood.”
Some of the agents looked badly hurt, but the healing seemed to have reached them in time. The civilians didn’t appear to have any injuries either. This could be called a successful outcome. With an Urgent Gate, it was normally difficult to avoid even a single death.
‘Maybe I can get some sleep tonight.’
I just hoped the Association could handle things on their own for at least one day.
After confirming that civilians from both sides had exited the gate, I stepped outside as well. Word must have already spread, because the area was packed with the trapped people’s families and reporters.
“Oh! She’s out! It’s Hunter Baek Wol!”
“This is a reporter from the DPS Hunter Division. Could you give us a word about today’s incident—”
“Is it true this was an Urgent Double Gate?”
“The rank and frequency of gates keep increasing—how do you feel about that—”
“Honey!!!”
“Waaah!! Mom!!”
Reporters rushing forward and families embracing each other mixed together, creating a chaotic scene. And of course these people were charging at me again. I really needed to flip the board over one of these days.
Ever since I received X-rank, neither the political nor the business world dared to act recklessly around me. Yet for some strange reason, the press charged in without hesitation the moment I appeared. Were they model journalists or just trash reporters? It was hard to tell.
“Good evening, Hunter Baek Wol.”
“Secretary Lee?”
Lee Hae-ri, the Hunter Association President’s secretary and someone I was acquainted with, had come in person. An Urgent Gate was certainly an emergency, but was it serious enough for the secretary to come herself? It wasn’t as if a Gate Break was imminent.
“The President sent me. He said you must be tired and told me to come help.”
“Ah.”
So he knew how harshly he had been working me. My thoughts must have shown on my face, because the secretary’s expression turned slightly awkward. Still, she quickly returned to her usual professional look and spoke again.
“I’ll handle all the cleanup. Please go home and rest.”
Those were welcome words to hear.
“Thank you. I’ll be going, then.”
Before heading home, I made my usual stop. It was a back alley a short distance from the academy. Because of a past construction mistake, the area had become completely isolated by walls and fences. It was a hidden space that could only be entered by climbing the wall—an ideal spot for changing.
Since the person coming and going from the house had to be Baek A-rang, not Baek Wol, I always transformed here. Showing the neighborhood that Baek A-rang was the one entering and leaving the house prevented any strange rumors.
I slipped into the secluded space, avoiding prying eyes. After barely sleeping, concentrating, and using my strength, exhaustion hit me twice as hard. I quickly took out my glasses and erased my ears and tail.
Now all I had to do was walk home slowly…
Clang!
The sound of something light and metallic falling echoed. When I turned toward the noise—
There stood someone who should never have been there.
“Huh?”
The one person who must never learn my secret. The original story’s Geum Tae-yang. It was Cheon Ma-ru.