Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Labyrinth at Seoul Station
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Of course, gates boasted tremendous danger regardless of their type.
‘Monsters that could pop up anywhere, anytime, and you can only identify their type and rank after they emerge... It's basically a stealth-equipped nuclear bomb.’
But on the flip side, knowing the gate's type and the monsters it spawns halved the danger.
‘The response varies wildly depending on the gate type. In that sense... Knowing the gate at Seoul Station is a ‘labyrinthization’ is our biggest weapon right now.’
The danger of a labyrinthization came not just from the traps and monsters inside, but primarily from the fact that entry and exit to the outside world were sealed off.
Without hunters capable of clearing it, those trapped inside had no choice but to meet their end.
‘In that light, this labyrinthization... Honestly, it's too easy.’
He knew one of the greatest threats in a labyrinthization: its location.
And its rank.
Yet he had already reached a level far beyond that rank.
‘Plus the gains from this time... From Yggdrasil's Cloak to the OPKG I've left with Park Je-woo for modification. Considering everything, failing the raid would be the weird part.’
Still, he didn't let his guard down.
The Ha Seok-jin incident had taught him that no matter how meticulously he checked and prepared, gaps could still appear.
‘Moreover, what I want this time isn't just clearing the gate. It's rescuing the ‘civilians’ trapped inside.’
Simple clearing and civilian rescue were worlds apart.
That made unexpected difficulties arise in certain areas.
‘The best would be evacuating civilians in advance and mobilizing Association forces. But... That's practically impossible. Convincing them would require evidence and reasons they could grasp, but no matter what I say, they won't understand.’
Even if he tried, the most he could do was contact them early and rally as many hunters as possible.
So Kang Hyuk thought of his 1st Team members.
‘If I use the 1st Team, who've grown rapidly on Jeju Island... We can cover that gap.’
If so, saving the 50,000 civilians who would otherwise die wouldn't be a pipe dream.
Even with their growth, the labyrinth's dangers made it risky for the 1st Team alone.
Kang Hyuk pulled out his smartphone, recalling the items he'd prepared.
“Yes, Park Je-woo. Are the ‘items’ I requested finished?”
The 1st Team members arrived at the Association and tilted their heads in confusion.
Their team leader had suddenly picked them up and sped off down the road.
Still groggy from sleep, Kang Na-eun asked,
“...What's going on this early, Team Leader?”
Kang Hyuk deftly turned the wheel as he replied.
“I have something for you all.”
“...?”
“More precisely, gifts.”
At that, Kang Na-eun's half-lidded eyes snapped wide open.
The others reacted the same.
“...Gifts out of nowhere?”
“Gifts? Whose birthday is it?”
“It's no one's birthday. You all worked hard during the Jeju Island gate incident. I received my reward alone, so I thought I should do something for you. That's what these are.”
Their eyes widened in surprise.
“Uh, wha?”
The flustered team members exchanged glances.
Then they communicated with eye contact.
‘...Gifts?’
‘Shouldn't we be the ones giving something...?’
‘We already got plenty of rewards... Soulstones, bonuses, even salary bumps...’
‘All thanks to Team Leader Kang... And now we're getting gifts?’
Among them, Lee Ye-sol was hit hardest, her mouth agape in shock.
‘G-Gifts?’
Not from the gifts themselves, but from her own foolishness for not thinking of it first.
‘I-I should have prepared something...’
As she bowed her head in mutterings,
She glimpsed the worn tie around Team Leader Kang's neck.
His suit was pristine, but that tie alone was frayed.
As she stared, the car pulled to a stop.
“We're here.”
A massive structure came into view.
“Wha... What is this?”
Kang Na-eun gaped in admiration.
A huge forge lay before them, also known as a smithy.
She muttered,
“Not even in Yongsan... A forge this size near Seoul Station?”
Kang Hyuk strode in familiarly.
The team followed cautiously.
“Ah, Kang Hyuk!”
A young man with a sun-darkened face approached.
“Long time no see, Park Je-woo. The forge looks well-built.”
“All thanks to you, Kang Hyuk! I practically live here, but it still doesn't feel real. That this huge forge is all mine!”
As the team members rolled their eyes at the exchange,
Park Je-woo noticed them and extended a hand.
“Colleagues of Kang Hyuk's? Nice to meet you. I'm Park Je-woo.”
“Ah, y-yes...”
Kang Na-eun shook his hand as the representative.
Kang Hyuk asked,
“Are the items I mentioned finished?”
“Yes. Better than expected.”
Kang Hyuk nodded and gestured to the team.
“This way!”
Guided by Park Je-woo into the smithy, everyone's eyes widened.
The sweltering heat.
Amid it, items that looked extraordinary at a glance.
Park Je-woo stepped forward and pointed.
“This for the archer, this armor for close-range fighters. I heard two mages, but I'm not great at ‘magic engraving’ for staves, so I made accessories. Try them on and let me know if anything's off.”
Their eyes widened again.
Then they gawked at the messages over the items.
“Wh-what?”
[Bow of the Thousand-Year Tree]
Rank: Rare
A bow made from sacred ancient wood. Any archer will recognize its true value the moment they draw the string.
Special: Vision Enhancement
Special: Aiming Correction
Kang Na-eun muttered in shock.
‘A Rare item... With special stats this good?’
Rare items with strong specials could fetch Unique-level prices.
These specials on this bow were insanely good.
‘Vision enhancement, plus aiming correction?’
The others were just as stunned.
“...Insane.”
Even the stoic Park Seo-jun clicked his tongue, proof of their quality beyond price.
“Your skills have improved even more, Master Park Je-woo?”
“Haha! Hammering and crafting daily has honed my craft!”
Kang Hyuk smirked.
Then subtly asked,
“The item I left with you... That's done too, right?”
“Of course. I put my best into modifying it.”
Kang Hyuk's eyes gleamed.
Park Je-woo turned and brought a glowing object.
“...!”
An extraordinary gauntlet at first glance.
Kang Hyuk swallowed dryly at its artistic beauty, then a message appeared.
[Modified Warlord's Power Gauntlet]
Rank: Unique
Gauntlet infused with the soul of the orcs' king, the Warlord. Under a master craftsman's touch, this artwork gleams even more nobly.
Special: All physical stats x2
Special: Physical impact mitigation
Special: Strike enhancement
He muttered, tongue clicking at the vastly improved stats.
“...An extra special stat now.”
“Yes. Truth be told... The OPKG you brought was already top-tier, so little needed changing, but my efforts paid off!”
Kang Hyuk thought,
‘I didn't expect this, but it's a jackpot.’
He smiled.
‘That's why there's room for more growth... Recruiting him was divine.’
He watched the team lost in the items Park Je-woo made.
“Like them?”
They jolted upright.
“Uh... Well...”
Lee Hwan-seung trailed off.
“I'm not sure we can accept these. Artifacts like this... Auctioned, they'd fetch over 3 billion right away.”
The others silently agreed.
‘Forget price, getting these at all is rare...’
‘Too much for a ‘gift.’’
‘We haven't done anything to deserve this...’
As they eyed Kang Hyuk nervously,
An unexpected remark came.
“Honestly, yes, they're excessive gifts.”
They flinched in shock.
Kang Hyuk grinned mischievously.
“So, I ask you to keep doing your best. As you know, our 1st Team is now an independent unit separate from HQ. Your positions are practically team leader level.”
“...”
“I've always wondered if I was holding you back from promotions. That's why these gifts. Overstating it... Yes, they're bribes to keep helping me run the 1st Team.”
The team fell silent, overwhelmed by the warm, unfamiliar emotion swelling inside.
No one had expected such generosity from the reserved Team Leader Kang.
Kang Hyuk checked his watch.
‘...Almost time.’
His eyes sharpened.
‘Message in 10 seconds.’
He clenched his fist secretly, awaiting the ‘Seoul Station labyrinthization.’
“T-Team Leader!”
Kang Na-eun spoke up.
“I-I'm not one to live in debt, so for these items, I'll give my all...!”
The ground shook.
Boom!
Her words cut off as everyone gaped.
A message appeared before them.
[Sudden Quest: Access Restriction]
📍 Details: Access restrictions applied to Seoul Station and nearby areas. Those inside cannot exit; those outside cannot enter. Restriction lifts upon quest completion or defeating the boss monster blocking the exit.
🎁 Reward: Contribution-based distribution
📊 Labyrinth Progress: 0%
⏰ Time to Restriction: 1 minute
Kang Hyuk muttered, eyes gleaming.
‘It's started. The Seoul Station labyrinthization.’
The sudden message left the 1st Team dazed, but Kang Hyuk spoke quickly.
“...Everyone see that?”
Park Seo-jun replied grimly.
“Yes, Team Leader. This is...”
“Right. Seems a gate has opened. A ‘mutant gate.’”
They checked the message again.
It bore signs of a mutant gate: a ‘quest’ and ‘conditions.’
“1-minute limit... Seoul Station seals off after that? And those inside can't leave?”
Kang Na-eun's expression hardened as she muttered.
If true, the entire station would seal in 1 minute.
‘And this ‘labyrinth progress’...’
It hinted at the infamous ‘labyrinthization.’
Kang Na-eun blurted,
“Team Leader, this means...!”
“Yes. We'll request support, but golden time is 1 minute—practically none. We handle it ourselves.”
The decisive words, as if anticipated.
The team steeled themselves.
Lee Hwan-seung shuddered.
“...Can we manage alone, Team Leader? D-rank mutant gate... Looking like a labyrinthization.”
Silent agreement.
As he said, if labyrinthization, the 1st Team alone couldn't do it.
‘Traps inside...’
‘And monsters.’
‘We'd need at least another team for safety...’
As they hesitated, Kang Hyuk spoke.
“We can.”
Silence fell.
“Didn't you conquer that Jeju Island gate?”
They looked at him.
He continued confidently.
“But rushing in blindly is foolish. We move smart.”
He outlined the plan.
“Labyrinth gates teleport entrants to separate areas upon entry. Even if we go together, we likely scatter. So.”
Their anxiety eased.
Of course.
“Rescue civilians individually and head to a safe zone. I'll lead them to you, building our forces until we all hunt the boss together at the critical moment.”
Objectively absurd: soloing a mutant gate was B-rank level.
Yet the 1st Team had no doubts.
‘Team Leader Kang can...’
‘He beat the Warlord.’
‘With these new items, he can hold out.’
They nodded decisively.
“Let's do it, Team Leader!”
“We beat Jeju Island; this is nothing!”
“If we don't go, massive casualties... How could we live with that!”
Kang Hyuk smiled.
‘Past or present, this hasn't changed.’
Lee Hwan-seung, Kang Na-eun, Park Seo-jun—pillars of Korea.
Their skills varied, but their hearts were as he knew.
With a warm gaze, Lee Ye-sol flinched from afar.
“Let's move.”
Kang Hyuk gestured.
Leaving Park Je-woo, the 1st Team exited the forge.
“D-don't go! Nearby hunters... Hrk!”
They brushed past controlling soldiers—no issue.
“G-Giant Kang Hyuk!!!”
Thus, the 1st Team reached the gate at Seoul Station.
And faced it.
An eerie silence.
“...”
Normally, such a message would cause chaos, but beyond a certain line, Seoul Station was deathly quiet.
Sensing trouble, the team sighed as a message appeared.
[Time to Access Restriction: 20 seconds]
Kang Na-eun swallowed dryly.
“No time—I'm going first.”
Kang Hyuk nodded.
“...Urk! Team Leader, you better come before I die?”
Lee Hwan-seung followed, then Park Seo-jun silently.
“...”
Last, Lee Ye-sol moved to enter.
“Lee Ye-sol?”
She turned sharply, staring at Kang Hyuk.
As he tilted his head, she slowly spoke.
“Team Leader Kang, by any chance...”