Chapter 39: The Gate (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: The Gate (4)
The Branch Manager's office, inside the World Hunter Association's Korean branch building.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
With the owner's permission, the secretary cautiously entered the office. In his hands was a small file.
“This is the investigation report on the man who exchanged a large quantity of D+ rank elite magical beast magic stones, as we discussed.”
“Hmm.”
As Kang Cheolho scanned the document with an indifferent expression, a flicker of interest appeared in his eyes.
“Is this true?”
“...Yes.”
The file contained Kang Hyun-woo's basic personal information, followed by a record of his movements over the past six months.
“An ordinary person, a college student until just a few days ago, suddenly registers as a mage overnight. He's never even left the city, yet he acquires a large number of magic stones and exchanges them...”
If he had cleared an undiscovered gate, as was first suspected, there should have been at least some record of him visiting a remote area.
But for the last six months, he had rarely strayed from three locations: his university, his part-time job, and his home.
Furthermore, his movements on the day he exchanged the stones were also strange.
“A church?”
“Yes, the one right next to our branch building. When I inquired with the priest there, he said the man had a rather serious injury.”
“Was he attacked by a magical beast?”
“It's not certain, but the priest said that based on the circumstances, it was highly probable.”
Becoming a mage wasn't something one could achieve overnight. He hadn't been anywhere near a place where an undiscovered gate might appear, yet he'd obtained a large quantity of elite magic stones and sustained an injury that looked like it came from a magical beast...
Could a person be any more suspicious?
“Sir, there is one more thing to report.”
“Oh?”
The secretary handed another file to Kang Cheolho.
“One of the victims of the isolated gate that appeared yesterday at 19:49 is the same Kang Hyun-woo we were just discussing.”
“...And wasn't the other victim the granddaughter of Madam Choi Young-ok?”
“Yes.”
“Ha.”
Kang Cheolho sensed the situation was becoming complicated.
A suspicious man, about whom nothing was known for certain, was trapped in an isolated gate with none other than the sole heir of the Seongbuk Choi family.
Didn't it all fit together a little too perfectly?
“You said the gate was B-rank, correct?”
“Yes... Madam Choi Young-ok demanded several re-evaluations, so we even brought in high-precision measuring equipment, but there was no change.”
A 2nd Circle mage and a 3rd Circle mage could never clear a B-rank gate, not even in their wildest dreams. Surviving for a week without any preparation would be impossible as well.
This was a certainty backed by decades of data accumulated while holding a key position in the Association.
If there was any chance of survival, it rested solely on the existence of this man, Kang Hyun-woo, who was shrouded in mystery.
Normally, he would have been displeased by someone as dubious as Kang Hyun-woo, but a part of him also wanted to speak with the man.
As for why, not even Kang Cheolho himself knew.
*
Two figures were walking through the heart of a snowfield, a fierce blizzard raging around them.
It was Kang Hyun-woo and Choi Hyena.
Up close, their condition looked far from okay.
Choi Hyena had exhausted most of her magic power during the sudden attack by a pack of White Wolves, and Kang Hyun-woo had suffered a rather large gash on his arm.
He had managed to stop the bleeding for the time being, but it was nothing more than first aid.
As time passed, Kang Hyun-woo's complexion grew worse. He had tried to apply as much pressure as he could, but a mere scrap of cloth couldn't completely stop the dark red blood from seeping out.
Eventually, Kang Hyun-woo staggered and collapsed onto the snow.
“A-Are you okay?!”
Startled, Choi Hyena rushed to his side, only to be horrified by his condition, which was far worse than she had imagined.
The piece of cloth tied around his arm had long since lost its function as a bandage.
Kang Hyun-woo's face was contorted in pain, and his lips were deathly pale. It was clear at a glance that he would be in danger if he didn't receive proper treatment immediately.
“It's nothing.”
“Stop acting tough! Why didn't you say anything when you were this hurt?!”
“...”
Kang Hyun-woo said nothing.
No, to be precise, he didn't even have the strength to make an excuse.
“Getting out of here is the priority.”
According to Choi Hyena, White Wolves formed packs far larger than those of White Yetis.
We had killed about ten of them. I didn't think we were lucky enough to have encountered a small pack.
There was no telling when other White Wolves might come after us.
'...And the shop hasn't reset.'
After defeating the Ice Bear and the pack of White Wolves, my coins had surpassed 3,000, but in the un-reset shop, there was nothing useful for our current situation.
With the matching cooldowns for Iris and Cheon Yeo-hwa still active, the only thing I could think of as a last resort was a new match.
But that was a gamble, too. It wasn't like I could definitively choose my match.
'Should I set the desired profession to 'doctor'?'
That would increase the probability, but it still wasn't a sure thing.
Still, it was better than bleeding to death in a snowfield, so I decided to keep that option in mind.
“Use this to apply pressure.”
Choi Hyena took off her fur coat and handed it to me.
It was tattered from the fight with the White Wolf pack.
“Take it, quickly. If the bleeding doesn't stop, you'll die, and then I'll be killed by whatever magical beasts follow.”
It's not very convincing when you're shivering as you say it.
“...Alright.”
Of course, I didn't have the luxury of refusing.
I took the fur coat and tore off a piece. After wrapping the torn section tightly around the wound to apply pressure, I finally felt the bleeding begin to subside.
“Hoo...”
I felt like I could live.
There was no dramatic improvement in my condition, but just knowing the bleeding had stopped was a huge relief.
However, the biting cold that felt like it would snap my toes off at any moment didn't get any better.
With my magic power nearly depleted, I couldn't use it to warm my body. And Choi Hyena, having taken off her tattered fur coat, was now in clothes that were far too thin, her face growing paler by the second.
At this rate, we were fated to freeze to death together.
This was no time to weigh our options. To survive, we had to do whatever it took.
·
·
·
“...Are you serious?”
“What? You'd rather just freeze to death?”
“...”
Choi Hyena scowled at the shelter I had worked like a dog to create.
“...You pervert.”
Below a slightly sloped hill, the small hole I had dug out of the snow was so cramped that the best we could do was set up a one-person tent as compactly as possible.
Naturally, it was too small for two people.
Which meant we would have to be pressed tightly against each other just to fit inside.
“...It's not like it's our first time.”
“What's that supposed to mean? Huh?”
Choi Hyena's fierce glare was piercing.
But there was no other choice.
We couldn't find anything like the shallow cave from before, and if we just pitched the tent out in the open, we'd be vulnerable to an attack at any moment.
It was better to cover the entrance with snow, leaving only a small breathing hole, and hide inside.
Besides, if we didn't even have the tent, we would have had to sleep using the snow as a blanket. Thinking about that, I had no complaints.
Of course, even if the inside of the tent warmed up on its own, our bodies were as cold as ice, and we could catch a cold and start shivering at any moment.
We both knew all too well that a little bit of warmth wouldn't be nearly enough.
Both me and Choi Hyena.
—So what do we do?
What else? We'd have to hold each other naked again.
“Are you undressed?”
“...”
There was no answer.
Taking that as my cue, I stripped off my clothes as quickly as possible, blocked the entrance with snow, and crawled into the tent.
Inside, a naked Choi Hyena sat, covering herself.
“...Just lie down.”
I did as she said.
The moment I lay down, Choi Hyena climbed on top of me.
“What are you staring at...?! Close your eyes!”
I felt like I'd get hit if I didn't do as I was told.
I had no choice but to close my eyes. After a moment of hesitation, Choi Hyena quietly snuggled into my embrace.
I could feel the soft touch of her breasts.
“...Touch me and I'll kill you.”
*
How much time had passed?
My heavy eyelids fluttered open on their own.
It was pitch black around us, and Choi Hyena was sleeping soundly in my arms.
She looked beautiful while she slept.
'It's warm...'
Is it morning outside? Or evening?
I couldn't tell.
All I could hear was the faint sound of the blizzard raging on.
I was hungry, but it was best to hold out here for as long as we could.
Besides, considering that mages were a rear-line class and that Choi Hyena was a typical researcher type who spent her days cooped up in the Magic Tower's workshop, her stamina must have already reached its limit.
It was right to let her rest as much as possible while she could.
'My condition is better than I thought, though.'
I'd stopped the bleeding, but I hadn't received a transfusion, so I expected to feel terrible even after waking up.
But my body felt much more normal than I'd anticipated.
Is this also thanks to magic power?
I wasn't sure, but I decided it was a good thing and moved on.
“...She's sleeping well.”
Even the way she slept gave off the distinct air of a child from a prestigious family.
She must have been quite uncomfortable sleeping on top of me, but she barely even talked in her sleep.
“Dad...”
Just as I was admiring the sleeping Choi Hyena, I heard her whisper for her father in a voice as small as a crawling ant.
Come to think of it, she was looking for her dad in her sleep last time, too.
As she mumbled for her father, her expression began to sour.
She started breaking out in a cold sweat, as if she were having a nightmare.
“Hh, hhhk...”
Seeing her shed pearl-like tears, I wondered what kind of dream she was having and whether I should wake her up.
As my mind wrestled with the dilemma, I remembered what the director of the orphanage used to do for me when I had nightmares as a child.
I placed a hand on Choi Hyena's back and began to stroke it gently.
As slowly and leisurely as possible.
At the warm touch on her back, Choi Hyena's expression softened.
She looked much more peaceful than before.
But now there was a problem.
It was already hard enough holding a naked Choi Hyena, but stroking her smooth, soft skin was driving me absolutely insane.
'...She's asleep, so it should be fine, right?'
Considering how I carried the team by reliably protecting her from the front during the magical beast hunts, shouldn't I be entitled to a small reward?
Besides, I took care of half the White Wolves by myself. This was a just reward.
The hand stroking her back slowly moved downward.
Squeeze...!
Her firm, large ass filled my palm.
I gently caressed it, savoring the feeling.
Thankfully, Choi Hyena was still sleeping with a happy smile, her mood having clearly improved.
Seeing her so much deeper in sleep than I expected, I decided to take things one step further.
I shifted my position slightly and slid my already rock-hard cock between Choi Hyena's legs.
Pressed right up against her pussy, my cock was screaming its desire to pound against her womb and shoot a thick load of semen inside.
Of course, I wanted to do that too, but now wasn't the time.
Grabbing her ass with both hands, I started rubbing her pussy against my cock.
Squish, squelch—
The pre-cum that leaked out served as lotion between my cock and her pussy.
My movements were restricted, so I couldn't move as satisfyingly as I wanted, but this wasn't bad either.
It was tantalizing dry humping, but after the successive battles with magical beasts, my sexual desire was at its peak, and the urge to cum was building rapidly.
My hands kneading Choi Hyena's ass grew bolder as well.
As I squeezed her ass, which felt like a bouncy jelly, I let my fingertips brush against her pussy.
“Ah, ahn... ahht...”
Under the continuous caress of my cock and fingers, Choi Hyena let out a shallow moan.
Reaching my limit, I began to thrust my hips, hastening my release.
Just as I was thrusting, enjoying the sensation of her pussy, which had become even slicker and wetter with what must have been her own love juice...
Spurt, spuuurt!!
“Keuk...!”
Several days' worth of pent-up semen burst out all at once.
The semen I shot out landed on Choi Hyena's ass like a topping.
It was an impressive amount, even at a glance.
Just as my now-clear head began to worry about the cleanup...
“Nngh...”
Choi Hyena let out a strange moan and began to stir.
Her violet eyes, now awake, turned towards me.
Still groggy, her eyes lacked focus for a moment, but then, as if sensing something was wrong, she glanced down at her ass. Her expression twisted into something so ferocious it defied description.
“...Did my little girl sleep well?”
“Die.”
It took Choi Hyena only 0.1 seconds to lunge for Kang Hyun-woo's throat with a murderous look on her face.