EP7. North Korean Gate
[EP7. North Korean Gate]
With a hangover relief drink in one hand, Ji-hoon walked toward the gate.
Since the gate hadn't disappeared yet, it looked like the so-called Dragon Knight still hadn't come out.
A junior spotted Ji-hoon approaching and pinched his nose, grimacing.
"How much did you drink, hyung?"
"Not much."
Ji-hoon chugged the drink in one go.
"Hey.
Where's this Dragon Knight guy?"
"He hasn't come out yet.
This one's B-rank, so it might take a bit longer?"
"I see."
He'd searched it up on the way over in the taxi.
The footage had looked vaguely familiar, but with the motion sickness in the cab and his pounding hangover head, he hadn't been able to check properly.
Still, he knew the guy had blown up huge over the past few days.
A new S-rank hunter!
A hero who'd saved people from countless disaster sites!
'A hero's a hero!
Clearing all these gates in a single day!'
Even before Ji-hoon arrived that morning, he'd cleared four D-rank and one C-rank gates.
Clear this B-rank one too, and every gate D-rank and above in the area would be wiped clean.
'Then things'll get a bit easier for me too.'
Whoosh.
Right on cue, the gate rippled.
The phenomenon that happened when a raid wrapped up.
Ji-hoon smoothed down his disheveled clothes and hurried to the gate.
Someone burst out of it with a whoosh.
Riding what looked like a massive centipede, Ji-hoon freaked out for a second, thinking it was a monster.
"Wh-what the!"
But the face of the guy riding it was familiar.
"You... you!
Why the hell are you here?"
Spotting Ji-hoon, Jae-jun grinned.
"You said there were too many gates and it was rough, right?
So I came to clear 'em all for you."
"You're... the Dragon Knight?"
"Yeah.
Somehow ended up with the nickname."
Jae-jun chatted briefly with the dumbfounded Ji-hoon before heading to the next gate.
"Let's grab a drink later and talk details."
"...Sure."
Leaving Ji-hoon's awkward farewell behind, Jae-jun moved on with Jun-yong.
He could feel Jun-yong's dissatisfied glare.
"Shouldn't we at least eat something first?"
"We ate something simple."
"...Kimbap?"
If it was the convenience store triangle kimbap Ji-hoon had bought out of pity, then yeah, he'd eaten.
"Does convenience store triangle kimbap even count as a meal?"
Jae-jun glanced at Jun-yong and shook his head.
"Then let's clear one more and go eat."
'This damn guy!'
He got the good intentions.
But people had limits.
The guy didn't know the meaning of moderation.
Running dungeons non-stop all day was exhausting.
This punk showed no signs of tiring, swinging his sword endlessly like he had infinite stamina.
Kang Jun-yong, on the other hand, had hollow, sunken eyes.
'Sigh.'
"Why the sigh?
Tired?"
"...No."
The dungeon clears that started early morning didn't wrap up until past dinner time.
"Wanna go eat?"
"...Nah.
I need rest instead of food."
"Well, can't force you.
See you here tomorrow at 6 a.m. then."
"What?
6 a.m.?"
Jun-yong's brow twitched.
"What? Something wrong?"
That shameless face.
If not for his promise to the Association President...
"Haa.
No.
See you then."
Jun-yong staggered home.
But that night, one phone call canceled the next day's gate rounds.
The third raid party had finally been formed.
And surprisingly, one-fifth of it consisted of Japanese hunters sent as support.
Japan's Hunter Association President Nakamura Shibashiki had demanded the raid happen as soon as possible, using the hunter support as an excuse.
His reason: It was burdensome for Japanese hunters to stay abroad too long.
So the Korean Association had rushed the schedule.
For tomorrow—one day later.
Even though Jae-jun's mana could hold back the monster waves for a while longer, there was no helping it.
"Third raid party's fully assembled.
We gotta go too."
"Hmm.
Isn't this too rushed?"
Jun-yong nodded at Jae-jun's question.
"It is, but Japan's demanding it.
Can't be helped.
Korea's in an absolutely disadvantageous position right now."
"Absolutely disadvantageous, huh."
Jae-jun didn't like the sound of that.
"Are the Japanese hunters that strong?"
"...If Korean hunters specialize in defense, Japanese ones specialize in offense.
If we clash, we'll be at a big disadvantage."
Jun-yong softened it, but it boiled down to: they're stronger than Korean hunters.
"...Even if they pick a fight, just think 'dog barking from afar' and ignore it.
It's not our first rodeo."
Sensing Jae-jun's displeasure, Jun-yong pleaded with him.
'Not our first rodeo.'
Hearing that just made him want to throw down even more.
Jae-jun's face twisted into a mischievous grin.
The next day, Japan's Kurada Shingo entered Korea discreetly with thirty elite Japanese hunters.
That night, they met with the Korean Hunter Association to discuss operations.
Kurada Shingo agreed to pretty much everything the Korean side wanted.
The Korean Association, expecting Japan's usual prickliness, was pleasantly surprised by the cooperative attitude and wrapped up on a high note.
Kurada Shingo kept his affable smile all the way back to the hotel.
'Stupid Koreans.'
Truth be told, Kurada Shingo couldn't care less how Korea ran their ops.
Japan had its own plan.
"How'd it go?"
"Yes.
As you instructed, we analyzed the Korean hunters participating tomorrow."
The paper handed over was packed with detailed info on the Korean hunters.
Five S-ranks.
But only three, including Jang Gil-san, would fight directly—and just one was combat-type.
The rest were support.
'Pathetic lineup.'
No need to even glance at the A-rank and below.
"What's the new S-rank's ability?"
"Yes.
A summoner who uses a sword.
Estimated combat power: around Association President Jang Gil-san's level or lower."
Kurada Shingo snorted and tossed the file aside.
'Not worth looking into.'
"Stick to the plan.
You all know our real goal isn't gate clearing."
Kurada Shingo locked eyes with each Japanese hunter, whispering.
"Killing Korean Association President Jang Gil-san!
And subjugating Korea beyond that!"
The Japanese hunters bowed in unison.
Gyodongdo was packed so tight there wasn't room to step.
Reporters and media had swarmed despite the monster threats, desperate for coverage.
The third joint Korea-Japan raid party!
They couldn't peek inside, but they gathered to at least snap the party's approach.
Reporters who'd flooded in since yesterday—even the night before—set up tripods right on the edge of the Association's safety line.
And finally, the raid party appeared.
Click-click!
First came the Korean S-rank hunters and others.
Jang Gil-san's face was stern as he headed inside the safety zone.
Even the hyped-up reporters held back questions from his rigid expression.
The other incoming S-ranks faced a barrage of questions and camera flashes.
The hottest topic was Dragon Knight Jae-jun.
"Dragon Knight! TV Goryeo here!
Any chance for an interview?"
"Just one pose, Dragon Knight!"
But Jae-jun ignored the clamoring reporters and followed Jang Gil-san inside.
"Ah.
What a snob."
Some grumbled that Jae-jun was being stuck-up.
Right behind them came the Japanese hunters.
Kurada Shingo beamed broadly, greeting each reporter personally.
"Kurada Shingo! How're you feeling today?"
"Great."
A stark contrast to the stiff Koreans.
"Balhae Media! Thoughts on today's op?"
"Today's operation?"
Kurada Shingo grinned.
"Absolute success."
As he spoke, his gaze fixed on Jang Gil-san in the distance.
Why's that bastard smiling like that?
From the moment Kurada Shingo appeared, Jae-jun hadn't liked it.
Using Korea's disaster for popularity stunts, grinning and showboating—it was straight-up disrespect.
"Is that guy nuts?"
Jun-yong muttered under his breath, scowling.
Jae-jun smirked, sizing up Kurada Shingo.
...How strong is he?
Looked like a scrawny old man.
Japan's top S-rank, supposedly stronger than Korea's.
Jae-jun felt his fighting spirit stir.
Would be nice to test him.
Licking his lips in anticipation, Jae-jun followed Jang Gil-san.
Today's role: Support the raid party overall from beside Jang Gil-san.
Weak-offense Korean team on flanks and rear; Japanese team up front. That was the strategy.
Jang Gil-san stood before the Homunculus Staff.
Pull back the mana from the staff, and the barrier vanishes instantly—turning the place into hell.
Korean hunters took pre-assigned positions, ready.
The Association evacuated all media and reporters from Gyodongdo.
To prepare for breakout monsters or other risks.
Kurada Shingo kept smiling up front until they were gone, dragging it out.
Only then did the Japanese hunters step to the barrier.
'Here we go.'
Jang Gil-san signaled everyone and raised the staff.
Woooong—
A faint tremor rippled through the air.
The barrier surface wavered like waves in response.
Monsters inside roared, frenzied.
Shoooo!
Red light burst from the staff, and Kang Jun-yong bellowed from the side.
"Battle stations!"
Fwaaah!
As the light faded, so did the monster-blocking barrier.
Monsters charged from all directions.
Thank you.