The Steel Ball's Secret
01 Team handed the body off outside the gate and reentered, pressing forward.
The dying man's words kept circling in Nam Gyuil's mind.
Steel? Something big? Ball?
This wasn't just a gate full of hobgoblins, apparently.
What the hell comes out here?
In gates where hobgoblins appeared, the boss monster was always a Shaman Hobgoblin—a magic-user with healing abilities. Not only did it pack a punch with spells, but its recovery powers made it a real pain in the ass. You couldn't clear the gate without killing the Shaman Hobgoblin first. As long as it lived, the hobgoblins kept getting back up and charging no matter what.
The national hunters who entered ahead of us must have known that.
Hobgoblins were dumb as rocks, so they never actively protected the Shaman Hobgoblin or fought smart. Exploit that, and victory was easy. Yet the first group had been wiped out—and left behind that weird dying message.
What if the boss monster is something else entirely?
That would explain it. Nam Gyuil called his team to a halt.
"Freeze."
They all stopped in their tracks. With a grave expression, he scanned their faces and spoke up.
"This gate might be dangerous. The boss could be something totally different from what we expected."
Hong Shinu broke out in a cold sweat.
"Sergeant Nam Gyuil, what kind of monster do you think it is?"
"No idea. But it could be a new species, so stay sharp, everyone."
He emphasized sharp. Lee Chanu let out a long breath, scratching the back of his head uneasily.
"New species, huh... Yeah, they've been popping up more lately. Even the news is talking about it."
Nam Gyuil issued orders.
"We don't know the boss's identity, so avoid fights as much as possible and conserve energy. Save it all for the boss encounter. Got it?"
"Got it!"
01 Team moved silently, muffling even their footsteps. Whenever hobgoblins appeared, they climbed trees to evade and observe. The idiots never spotted them up there.
And soon enough, they reached the core chamber.
To close a gate, you had to destroy the core—and bosses always lurked nearby.
Or they were supposed to.
What? No boss?
Nam Gyuil was baffled. From their perch in the trees, 01 Team scanned the core area. They waited ages, but no boss even cast a shadow.
No interest in guarding the core?
Everything felt off. A massive steel ball sat nearby, but nothing—no one—guarded the core. Not even hobgoblins.
01 Team glanced at Nam Gyuil, awaiting orders.
Hong Shinu signed: Should we smash the core?
Nam Gyuil didn't give the order right away. He pondered. It all seemed too suspicious. Maybe that's why the dying words echoed again.
Steel, big thing, ball.
He stared holes into the steel ball beside the core.
So that's it.
His face lit with realization as he leaped from the tree. 01 Team exchanged puzzled looks but followed suit.
"Hyung, what's up??"
Lee Chanu couldn't hold back his curiosity. Nam Gyuil smirked.
"I figured out this gate's boss monster."
"Huh?"
Nam Gyuil approached the steel ball, tossing out a casual question.
"What would you do if you found a steel ball in a gate?"
Lee Chanu's eyes flicked up and left as he thought it over.
"Take it out, duh."
"Right?"
"Yeah, gate iron's super valuable for research—sells for a fortune."
Lee Chanu had a point. Gate-sourced iron fetched top dollar. So the national hunters who'd come first probably tried hauling out that steel ball by the core—without knowing what it really was.
Nam Gyuil stood before it and raised his longsword high.
Clang.
The blade struck the steel ball, the dull thud echoing everywhere. 01 Team stared, dumbfounded, totally lost on his sudden move.
Then it twitched.
They gaped in shock. A steel ball that moved? No way.
Screeech, screeech.
Gears ground as it unfolded into its true form: six legs, a body of head, thorax, and abdomen bigger than a man, hooked fangs clacking like scythes.
Nam Gyuil revealed it.
"New monster. Steel-bodied ant—watch yourselves."
He skipped the formal name: Steel Ant. It normally curled into a ball like this, waiting. When prey approached, it struck like lightning and devoured them. That explained the first team's gruesome end—they'd walked right up to a "normal" steel ball.
And from the Steel Ant's embrace emerged... a Shaman Hobgoblin. It must have curled around it for protection.
Nam Gyuil assumed his sword stance, eyes locking on the necklace around the Shaman Hobgoblin's neck.
Pearls on a pig.
That necklace was an item.
Tamer's Necklace. Never thought a puny Shaman Hobgoblin would have one.
The Tamer's Necklace let you tame monsters—with limits. Only three at a time, and only unhatched eggs. Hatch 'em, raise 'em from infancy. A hassle. But once tamed, absolute obedience.
The Shaman Hobgoblin must've lucked into a Steel Ant egg somewhere.
"Guak! Guak!!"
It hopped mad, screeching nonsense. It climbed atop the Steel Ant's head, jabbing a finger at Nam Gyuil—furious. The Steel Ant clacked its fangs in irritation.
The Shaman Hobgoblin bellowed.
"Tatatata-!!"
A piercing shriek rang out, and hobgoblins swarmed from all sides. 01 Team was surrounded in seconds.
Lee Chanu swung to break through, but slashed hobgoblins healed instantly and rose good as new. The Shaman's doing.
Nam Gyuil charged straight for the Shaman. Clang!—his longsword rebounded uselessly. The Steel Ant had blocked with its steel fangs.
He fell back a step.
Tch. This just got messy. No wonder the first team got wiped.
The Shaman healed its kin. The Steel Ant guarded it perfectly. Things were turning sour. Prolonged fight favored the healing hobgoblins. Drag it out, and they might lose.
Got to take out the Steel Ant somehow.
Nam Gyuil barked orders.
"I got the boss. You handle the hobgoblins."
"Got it!"
They roared back in unison. The Steel Ant lunged at Nam Gyuil, its spindly legs pounding the earth, fangs aimed to impale and devour in one go!!
Thud.
He dodged nimbly. The Steel Ant's hide shrugged off even K2 rifle rounds. Normal attacks wouldn't scratch it.
Only one way to hurt a Steel Ant.
Mana Sword. He knew, but held off.
Not enough skill to sustain it long. Maybe once, tops.
Save it for the kill shot. He kept evading. The Steel Ant slashed with fangs; the Shaman healed kin and lobbed spells. Tamer's Necklace made their teamwork flawless—no openings.
Even Nam Gyuil focused purely on defense. Unwinnable like this.
Break their combo first.
Dodging, he edged toward the hobgoblins, grabbed one by the shoulder—
Whoosh.
—and hurled it at the Steel Ant and Shaman.
"Kruk?!"
The Shaman's eyes bulged. Incoming teammate? Panic. It halted the Steel Ant to dodge, creating an opening.
Thud.
Nam Gyuil seized the golden chance and charged. The Steel Ant whipped its antennae like a lash. The air whistled dangerously. One hit, and his head was gone.
His breath caught.
Stay calm. There's a gap—
He held his breath, focus razor-sharp, hunting the escape.
There!
Thud.
He threw himself aside. The antennae grazed him. He landed beside its head.
Perfect strike window!!
Ultimate concentration—mana surged into the blade. It glowed blue.
Quick glance: teammates too busy with hobgoblins to notice his Mana Sword.
Slash.
Mana Sword cleaved the Steel Ant's head clean off. Nerves twitched, legs wobbled—but
Thud.
—it collapsed, lifeless. The mana faded like smoke; the sword dimmed.
"Kruk?!"
The Shaman reeled, everything happening too fast.
Stab!
Nam Gyuil rammed his blade into its skull, ending it. Boss down.
With the Shaman dead, 01 Team mopped up the hobgoblins easily. All monsters slain.
"Whew, that was tough."
Nam Gyuil muttered. He eyed the Tamer's Necklace with a faint smile.
Hard fight, but the rewards are sweet.
Pocketed the necklace—huge potential later. Then he shoved a hand into the Steel Ant's head, rummaging until he gripped something.
Crunch.
He yanked it free. Steel shell outside, but inside was protein mush—easy pickings.
Got it.
A fingernail-sized gem.
Just what I needed—didn't expect it like this.
Special gem: material for transformation items. He recalled the mutant Werebeast hide. Combine with this gem, craft Form Change—disguise ability.
Can't wait.
Infiltrating as anyone, endless strategies. Not easy to craft, even with materials—but Akashic Records had the know-how.
Nam Gyuil turned.
"Work's done. Let's bounce."
01 Team smashed the core and bolted from the gate.
The Hunter Agency housed many departments. One specialized in capturing AWOL national hunters.
"Goddamn it."
AWOL Capture Division—aka HA—team leader Sergeant Jo Heeyoung spat curses. She clicked her tongue at the paperwork.
Odds of a national hunter discharging intact? Under 37%. No wonder everyone dodged the draft. It bred deserters too. Big risk of death or disability in gates—plenty bolted instead.
HA's job: round 'em up. Oddly, no awakeners here—all non-awakened. Short on hunter manpower, and guns could subdue them anyway.
Still, not easy.
Jo Heeyoung sighed. Monsters were brute-strong but brainless. Deserters? Smart. They hid overseas or organized. HA had nabbed plenty before, but lately? Impossible.
She slammed the file down.
"Haa, crazy bastards."
Headache hit; she massaged her temples.
Hide quietly if you're deserting. But no—they band together, start crime rings, escalate?!
Kidnapping. Illegal gambling. Contract kills. Abusing awakener strength against civilians. Police collab yielded zilch. Worse: an HA staffer shot chasing them. They'd gotten guns.
Jo Heeyoung was getting reamed by brass nonstop. Situation desperate—even a cat's paw would do.
HA and police aren't enough.
Small win: nabbed one gang member recently. But she needed national hunter help.
Only way for undercover ops. They only recruit AWOL Agency awakeners, right?
Smart ones.
Heard about a hotshot team lately. 01 Team, was it?
She rubbed her chin and picked up the receiver.