A Hunter's World
I processed the fortune teller's words in my mind.
That everyone passing by here is going to die today...
Since it's impossible for everyone in the same place to suddenly die of natural causes on the same day, it means some kind of disaster is going to happen.
And since she'll get caught up in it too, she's asking me to save her.
Then what about me?
“Am I not going to die?”
“You won't die today. Though your lifespan isn't exactly long...”
“...”
“No, wait. You're very unique. You do die, but it feels like... you're fine with dying? What is this...?”
Blinking, the fortune teller tilted her head as she looked at me.
“By any chance... have you died once before?”
“...”
“Ah, it wasn't just once. Multiple times...?”
“...”
“At least five times...?”
She's the real deal.
“You... are human, right?”
“What do I look like to you?”
“A ghost...?”
“...”
“I'm sorry...”
The fortune teller avoided my gaze.
“So, what are you trying to say?”
“Ah... Right. Please save me...”
“How, exactly?”
“I don't really know that either...”
What does she want me to do then?
As if she had read my mind, her shoulders flinched.
“I-I'm an Awakened...”
“I figured.”
“I have an ability similar to foresight... but, well...”
“You can't see your own fate, right?”
“Yes...”
Foresight users cannot perceive their own destiny. Just as physical-type Awakened cannot project their mana outside their bodies.
Of course, there are exceptions, just as Do Yun-ah could fight like a mage if she set her mind to it.
“But... if everyone here dies, isn't it obvious that I'll die too...?”
“Can't you just run away?”
“Well, human fate doesn't work out that easily...”
“Then how does it work?”
“If you run from fate, there's a backlash. It's even worse if you knew about it and fled...”
“...”
“If I run from a fate of death... I don't even want to imagine what would happen...”
“Let me ask you one thing.”
The fortune teller, who had been avoiding my eyes, cautiously looked up.
“Why are you asking me for help?”
“Because you're someone who won't die today...?”
“I mean, if people are going to die in the middle of Yeouido, it's either an accident, a terrorist attack, or a Gate...”
I scanned the area outside the shop.
A forest of towering skyscrapers. The man on the phone, whom the fortune teller had predicted would die, was already gone.
The woman sweeping the street had also gone inside.
For them to die at the exact same time meant all of Yeouido would be swept up in it.
“It's not like a gas explosion is going to happen here.”
“Right...”
“Then it's either an Awakened terrorist attack or a Gate opening, right? Why didn't you report it to the Hunter Bureau instead of asking me?”
“Well, that's...”
Reporting it to the Hunter Bureau was by far the more logical choice.
Moreover, this woman had asked for my help before I even brought it up. She didn't even know I was a hunter, let alone a member of the Yuseong Guild.
Was she unable to report it to the Bureau because she couldn't escape her fate through her own actions? Then why ask me?
“I also do a bit of astrology... On days when the stars align in a certain way, a benefactor appears...”
“Yeah.”
“Today is that day. The day the benefactor arrives. So I closed up shop and waited... hoping the benefactor ordained by the heavens would show up.”
“And you think that's me?”
“Man proposes, God disposes, as they say.”
Suddenly, the fortune teller began speaking in abstract terms.
“Ultimately, the heavens decide the affairs of the world, so they say to do your best. It's a quote by Zhuge Liang...”
“Right.”
“Since the heavens decreed a benefactor would come... I thought finding that benefactor was my duty.”
Twirling her hair around her finger as she spoke, she suddenly stood up.
“I-I'll explain. Could you follow me for a moment...?”
I followed her out of the shop.
Deep within the forest of buildings, the sky wasn't visible from the first-floor shop.
“Huh...?”
Perhaps that was why.
Having led me outside, she tilted her head back to show me the sky, only to freeze, letting out a hollow gasp.
I looked up as well, following her gaze.
“...”
The sky was pitch black.
The sun was up, and the blue sky was cloudless.
Yet, a massive, pitch-black mass hovered above.
“Can you... see that?”
“...I see it.”
“You were a hunter... No wonder...”
The black mass. It was the precursor to a Gate.
Judging by its dull, murky black color, there was a high probability it was a Gate spawning demons.
The rank was around A-rank. If things went south, the damage wouldn't stop at Yeouido.
“The fortune you read for Chairman Park. The one about a Gate opening.”
“Ah, yes... I did.”
“Is that it?”
“No...? That one opens a bit later...”
The reason large-scale S-rank Gates are such a pain in the ass isn't just because they're hard to clear.
It's because smaller Gates pop up around them sporadically and unpredictably, which is incredibly annoying.
The Gate hovering above my head was likely one of those.
Enough speculation.
I pulled out my phone.
Ring...
The ringing dragged on. Pick up already, damn it.
Nearly a minute passed before the call finally connected. A curse almost slipped past my lips.
"Is this Hunter Yoo Sung?"
“Yes, Chief.”
"What can I do for..."
“I'm in Yeouido right now.”
"Yes, what is the matter?"
His carefree tone suddenly made my blood boil. The Hunter Bureau gets direct intelligence feeds from the US—how could they not know about this?
“You need to issue an evacuation order.”
"...An evacuation order?"
The Chief of the Hunter Bureau. Though his title was merely 'Chief,' he held more power than most cabinet ministers and was the undisputed head of Korea's hunter society.
He mulled over my words for a moment before murmuring.
"According to our prediction system, there are no anomalies..."
Sure, I was highly sensitive to mana, but if it was visible to the naked eye, how could their prediction system miss it?
Especially when they had already detected the S-rank Gate scheduled to open much later?
Either their system was completely broken, or they were intentionally keeping the Hunter Bureau in the dark.
Or they were trying to screw with me.
I kept my voice level and pressed on.
“I can see it with my own eyes, Chief. Issue the evacuation order.”
"I know you well, Hunter Yoo Sung, but..."
“Chief.”
At my sharp tone, the Chief finally changed his tune.
"...I will issue the evacuation order. What rank are we looking at?"
“Class 1. Right now.”
A Class 1 Resident Evacuation Order. It was an order issued during near-wartime conditions, telling everyone to drop everything and run for their lives.
This was where the wealthiest people in Korea gathered. They were the type to scoff even at the name of the Yuseong Guild. They would only listen if the order came directly from the Hunter Bureau.
"Understood. I have issued the order."
“Thank you for your cooperation, Chief.”
"Will Yuseong Guild be handling this?"
This son of a bitch.
Suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of curses, I spoke.
“We'll talk about that later. Just send your people first.”
The visible scale was around A-rank, but if demons emerged, it was a completely different story.
Those bastards possessed something that defied standard rank measurements. To save even one more life, we had to move fast.
"...Yes. I will dispatch our agents immediately. The evacuation order should be broadcasting right..."
As the Chief spoke, sirens began to wail throughout the area.
A rigid, synthesized voice blended with the sirens, announcing the imminent appearance of a Gate and instructing everyone to evacuate immediately.
"...now."
“Yeah. I hear it.”
"Our agents will assist with the evacuation. Could you wait just a moment?"
Even as the Chief spoke, a group of men in black suits materialized from nowhere and scattered into the forest of buildings.
Meanwhile, I kept my eyes fixed on the Gate.
“Doesn't look like we have time for that.”
"Pardon...?"
“I'm hanging up.”
I hung up and held down the speed dial to call Shin Ji-hye.
"Hello?"
Her voice carried that sweet, affectionate tone she reserved only for me. But right now, I needed Shin Ji-hye the Guild Master.
“Guild Master, I'm in Yeouido right now.”
"Yeouido? Why Yeouido all of a sudden? Weren't you going to Seongjin?"
“Something came up. But a Gate is about to open here. Can you look into it for me?”
"A Gate...?"
Ahem. Over the line, I heard Shin Ji-hye clear her throat to adopt her professional voice.
"Hold on."
The sound of rustling over the receiver. Shin Ji-hye's voice drifted slightly away.
"Seon-yul, it's me. Are you busy?"
"You're free? Then can you look something up for me real quick?"
"...Got it."
After wrapping up the brief exchange, Shin Ji-hye spoke back into her phone.
"They just detected it. Estimated rank is A-rank."
“It's visible to the naked eye right now. Looks like an Instant Gate.”
"Should I come?"
“No, there's no need for you to come...”
No need to use a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken. If Shin Ji-hye came herself, she'd handle the demons easily, but Yeouido would be reduced to rubble in the process.
For the same reason, Baek Seol was out.
Park Ha-neul and Team 2 were in Gangwon Province...
Naturally, that left only Team 3.
“I'll call Yun-ah. I'll handle summoning the kids, so you take care of the other logistics.”
"Got it, Sung-ah."
“Yeah?”
"Don't get hurt."
Now that my relationship with Shin Ji-hye was far deeper than before, there was no telling how she might lose control if something happened to me.
First, I had to reassure her.
“I'll just call Yun-ah. It'll be fine.”
"I'm serious. You can't get hurt..."
“I told you, I'll be fine. I'm Yoo Sung.”
I hung up with Shin Ji-hye and immediately dialed Do Yun-ah.
Before the phone could even ring five times, Do Yun-ah's voice came through.
"Y-Yes, Team Leader...!"
“You're the Team Leader, Yun-ah. Are you at the guild right now?”
"Y-Yes. I'm at the g-guild, Senior."
“I'm in Yeouido right now. Near the banking district? Get over here, and bring the kids...”
"H-Hold on a second."
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from beyond the phone.
“Eek...?”
A massive surge of mana. Sensing it, the fortune teller beside me shrank back, trembling.
A sudden gale whipped through the skyscrapers, and someone skidded to a halt right in front of me.
It was Do Yun-ah.
Fortunately, she was wearing a combat suit, ready to fight. She wasn't fully armed, but this was more than enough.
“D-Did you call for me?”
“Did you run all the way here?”
“Because you called...”
...Right.
An S-rank could cross the distance from Gangnam to Yeouido in under five seconds.
“Good job. Yun-ah, look up.”
“Yes...?”
“Not at me. Look at the sky over there.”
I pointed my finger toward the sky.
“It's a Gate.”
Her gaze sharpened in an instant. Once she confirmed the mass of mana, Do Yun-ah stopped stuttering entirely.
Seeing her like this, she was definitely Do Hyun-ah's twin.
“How long do you think we have?”
“Thirty minutes at most? Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if it ruptured right this second.”
It was a Gate that hadn't been there before I entered the fortune-telling shop.
If it had become this distinct in the short time we were talking inside, it could burst at any moment, just as Do Yun-ah said.
Moreover, it was an anomalous Gate spawning demons—notoriously unpredictable and full of variables.
“Should I call the others?”
“That's why I called you.”
“I'll summon them immediately.”
Do Yun-ah tapped the earpiece in her ear and began speaking.
“Ha-jun. It's the Team Leader. Bring everyone who can move and head to Yeouido right now.”
“Do-hwa, contact the R&D team and secure our gear.”
“Hyun-ah. It's Sis. Yeah. Something's about to go down. Tell all the hospitals in Seoul to clear their beds, and have ambulances standby near Yeouido. If you're not busy, get over here too.”
She's so competent, yet she always claims she can't do it.
With that thought, I turned my head toward the fortune teller standing behind me.
“I... I'm going to live, right...?”
“If I save you, will you read my fortune?”
I couldn't let this fortune teller slip away.
While she hadn't predicted the Gate itself, she had clearly foreseen the danger.
I had to make sure she survived and bring her with me.
“U-Usually, it's 500,000 won per session...”
“...”
“I-I'll read your fortune for free for the rest of your life...”
“No need to go that far. I just have a few questions.”
The mass of mana, which had initially looked like a mere ink blot, was rapidly taking the shape of a rift.
“After we deal with that.”
“Ah...!”
They were large enough to swallow one or two of the skyscrapers in front of me. And there were six of them.
“Senior. This is a bit...”
“Yeah. This is a fucking mess.”
“I'll tell the kids to hurry.”
“Exclude the Guild Master and Baek Seol. Leave out Team Leader Choi Mi-ra and Chae-eun too, but contact the rest of the S-ranks.”
“Should I call Hunter Lee Seon-yul too?”
“For now, yes. But don't force her if she doesn't want to come.”
Beating down the demons wasn't the issue; the civilians were.
There had to be at least tens of thousands of people in Yeouido, and evacuating them all at once was impossible.
This wasn't a situation that could be solved simply by having physically powerful hunters. We needed mages.
And...
Right now, we were desperate for every single hand we could get.
“Hey.”
Rustle.
I turned toward the sound of movement behind me.
My eyes locked with the fortune teller, who was slowly backing away as she watched the Gate expand.
“Eek...?”
“You can use magic, right?”
“Well, technically... yes...”
“Let's do a job together.”
“You said you'd save me...”
“I'm not going to kill you.”
“Were you going to kill me if I ran away...?”
“Ah, poor choice of words. You won't die.”
“You're really going to save me, right...?”
“I told you, you'll be fine.”
Since foresight users were classified under the magic type, she should be able to wield a decent amount of mana.
As I was thinking that, the phone in my pocket began to vibrate.