Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Centaur Plains Gate
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"......"
"Does it not sit well with you?"
*Nod.*
At Jeong-hyeon's question, Ji-hee nodded silently without a word.
Right now, the two of them were riding in Won-ho's car, heading toward the Centaur Plains Gate.
When Jeong-hyeon suggested they enter a Level 6 Gate, Won-ho and Ji-hee's reactions were exactly as he had anticipated.
Won-ho's response had been a casual "Whatever," as if he'd been asked to run to the corner store.
Ji-hee, on the other hand, hadn't said a word but had shaken her head vigorously.
She had eventually agreed to come along after Jeong-hyeon's repeated urging, but she still didn't look thrilled about it.
At that moment, Won-ho, who was gripping the steering wheel, chimed in to back him up.
"Ji-hee, if anyone's got a reason to worry, shouldn't it be me more than anyone?"
Won-ho had recently raised his A-Rank Strength Enhancement trait to Level 4.
On top of that, he hadn't slacked on personal training, so these days he was skilled enough to hold his own in any major guild, not just Vice Guild.
But in this current party, none of that mattered.
Jeong-hyeon was S-Rank on the surface—or EX-Rank in reality—and Ji-hee was a whopping Level 5 S-Rank.
Not to mention Ye-rin was Level 6 A-Rank, making the core party members a lineup so luxurious it bordered on overkill.
That was the point Won-ho was making: if anyone should be worried, it was him the most.
Ji-hee knew that full well.
She understood that at her level now, she needed to pull her weight not just in Level 6 Gates but even higher ones.
S-Ranks often operated in Gates from Level 3 up to 6, after all.
It was just her innate personality and the trauma she hadn't fully overcome that made her hesitant to push into new challenges.
'Sometimes you have to nudge her a bit forcefully into these things; there's no other way.'
That was why Jeong-hyeon, who always prioritized Ji-hee's wishes, had insisted so strongly on her joining the party this time.
Just then, sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Won-ho changed the subject.
"By the way, Boss, don't you think it's about time you bought yourself a car? Borrowing mine all the time probably doesn't suit you."
"It suits me just fine."
"That was a roundabout way of saying it."
Jeong-hyeon chuckled, and Won-ho grinned slyly in response.
In truth, Jeong-hyeon had decided to buy a car quite a while ago.
Coincidentally, it was around the time he had to awkwardly head to the Association with Ji-hee to witness the Trait Stabilizer demonstration.
But with one thing after another keeping him busy since then, it had remained just a thought—he still hadn't gotten around to buying one.
As a result, he often borrowed Won-ho's car for Gate runs.
"I'll really have to buy one after this hunt."
"That sounds like a total flag."
"Does it?"
Jeong-hyeon wasn't feeling much tension about hunting in a Level 6 Gate for the first time, so he'd tossed out the comment casually without a second thought.
But hearing Won-ho say it, yeah, it did sound like one now.
"Nah, what could possibly go wrong?"
"......Yeah."
"Ah."
Even Ji-hee from the back seat chimed in this time.
Thinking back, every casual remark they'd made really did sound like flags.
'What can you do? It's the truth.'
But this was a party with two S-Ranks and two A-Ranks.
In a standard Level 6 Gate—not even a Mission Gate—if they couldn't hunt smoothly with this lineup, then something would seriously be wrong.
"We're here."
As they were laughing it off to lighten the mood, Won-ho gradually slowed the car.
The city outskirts they'd seen three days ago looked just the same.
While Won-ho was parking, another car slid into the lot.
'Something familiar about that one.'
It was a silver sedan—mid-range luxury, neither too pricey nor cheap.
Jeong-hyeon felt like he'd seen it before but couldn't pinpoint why.
Assuming it was just a common model he'd spotted on the street somewhere, he spotted the driver stepping out and let out an exclamation.
"Ah!"
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, long time no see!"
Kim Young-hun, the B-Rank spear hunter.
They'd hunted together in the past in a Level 4 Gate, 'Tadan Orc’s Destroyed Encampment.'
That party had included a top-tier villain named Dan Jong-woo, so it hadn't gotten much attention, but for Jeong-hyeon, Young-hun had left an impression for another reason.
'The poor guy crushing on Section Chief Cha......'
In a way, Kim Young-hun had startled Jeong-hyeon even more than Dan Jong-woo.
The déjà vu from the car came from Young-hun arriving in the exact same model as back then.
Two more people stepped out of Young-hun's car.
"Ah, Section Chief's here too. Wait, isn't that Yun-ji?"
He'd assumed Ye-rin was handling the rest from the Association, but these were familiar faces.
For Jeong-hyeon, who usually hunted with new people every time outside of Sun-hyeong's party, it felt novel.
The healer was Choi Yun-ji, who had joined the Kim Du-yeol gang arrest operation last time.
"Been well?"
"Yeah, same as always—wait, why are you here, Section Chief?"
"Haha, it's been a while, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon."
While Ye-rin was greeting someone, another man stepped out—Choi Nam-sik.
'Is this the full Association gift set?'
It seemed like every familiar face from the Association had shown up.
Nam-sik flashed his trademark business smile and explained why he was there.
"Because I'm in charge of the contract between Hunter Choi Ji-hee and Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon."
Hunt once a month with Ji-hee.
To Jeong-hyeon, it was the S-Rank hunter recruitment project, but it was still technically a contract.
Normally, they just notified Nam-sik beforehand and hunted, but this time he had shown up at the site himself for some reason.
"Don't tell me you came because you couldn't make it to Upo Swamp and it's still bugging you?"
"Nah, no way. I have to join the hunts of the hunters I'm managing whenever possible."
The gall of saying that with a straight face.
You really couldn't underestimate someone seasoned in society.
"And actually, the real reason is this."
Nam-sik rummaged through his briefcase.
It was a bundle of contracts as always.
He pulled out a single sheet and added an explanation.
"This is the preliminary compensation proposal from the Operations Bureau and Investigation Bureau for cooperating on the Kim Du-yeol gang investigation. Of course, I'll email the details."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, that whole affair still hadn't wrapped up.
Jeong-hyeon took the paper from Nam-sik and skimmed it right there.
It wasn't comparable to Mission Gate rewards, but considering the difficulty, it was a decent offer.
"Looks good. I'll review the email in more detail, but for now, this seems fine."
"Thank you. Then I'll step aside for a bit......"
Perhaps pleased that Jeong-hyeon accepted so readily, Nam-sik nodded with a broad smile.
He then walked over to Ji-hee, apparently having something to say to her.
'Did I agree too easily?'
Well, he was here for work anyway, so no need to interfere.
"It's been ages since I last saw you, Young-hun. Mind if I ask what level you're at now?"
"Truly been a while, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon. Last time we hunted, I was Level 1. Now I'm Level 4."
"Oh, you've leveled up fast!"
"They say my growth is on the quicker side."
Blushing a bit embarrassedly, Young-hun scratched the back of his neck as he replied.
He certainly looked much stronger than before, judging purely by appearance.
His gear was leagues better overall, and his build and posture no longer screamed rookie hunter.
'Was I Level 3 back then?'
Probably right around when he'd hit Level 3.
Raising skill levels from 1 to 4 in that time definitely put him on the faster end even among B-Ranks.
Of course, level caps existed, so rapid leveling wasn't always ideal, but no one would complain about getting stronger.
"So, how is it? I gathered people with some connection to you—pleased with the lineup?"
Ye-rin approached Jeong-hyeon with her signature sly smile.
"Yeah. Hunting with familiar faces is great for me. Thanks."
He wondered why she was going out of her way like this.
It was so gracious it almost made him suspicious.
Maybe she was hiding something again.
Meanwhile, as Ye-rin drew near, Young-hun startled and backed away three or four steps.
Jeong-hyeon stifled a laugh at the sight.
'Cute.'
But even so, he couldn't cheer on Young-hun's crush on Ye-rin.
Not for any other reason—just concern for the bright future of this promising young man.
A decent-looking B-Rank hunter who was also a good person; he could surely find a nice match.
"Oh, right—you two haven't met before, have you?"
Struck by a sudden thought, Jeong-hyeon turned to Won-ho.
"This is Investigation Division 3 Section Chief Cha Ye-rin, and this is Kim Won-ho, employee at my office."
At Jeong-hyeon's introduction, the two shook hands.
The newcomers exchanged brief introductions and greetings, then began preparing to enter the Gate.
"As far as I know, I'm the only one here with Centaur hunting experience—is that right?"
Ye-rin naturally took charge as party leader.
No one else had experience hunting Centaurs, as she noted.
Of course, everyone had done their prep research, so no full briefing was needed.
"You all probably know this, but Centaurs attack from higher up than humans while keeping a relatively low center of gravity, making them tricky monsters."
It was the well-known hallmark of Centaurs.
Think of infantry facing cavalry—specifically, riders fused as one with their mounts, charging wildly.
That trait alone explained much of their notoriety.
Of course, it came with clear weaknesses too.
"That's why we target the horse and human vital points simultaneously. Pay special attention to this, Hunter Kim Young-hun."
"Got it!"
Young-hun replied in a voice brimming with determination.
Spears countered cavalry best, after all, so his spear trait made his role crucial.
She gave a few more instructions on positions and protocols, but those were standard for most hunts, barring a few exceptions.
Ye-rin emphasized just one thing repeatedly.
"Under no circumstances create a situation where we're surrounded by a Centaur herd. We've weighted toward the front line, but with backliners present, getting encircled puts us at a severe disadvantage."
The half-human, half-horse monster: Centaur.
Cunning herd-dwellers, they saw hunters as prey upon encounter.
Leveraging superior mobility, they encircled foes in seconds, unleashing arrow barrages from range alongside chaotic charges—encirclement had to be avoided at all costs.
'So that's the reasoning behind this party comp.'
Here, the meaning of Ye-rin's party setup became clear.
Even avoiding encirclement, contact with Centaurs was inevitable.
Better to prioritize close-combat hunters over ranged DPS like archers or mages, even if it meant less raw power.
She'd claimed ties to Jeong-hyeon, but the only true backliners were Ji-hee and healer Yun-ji.
Backline minimized.
No orthodox tank either.
Considering Centaurs' penchant for hammering from all sides, that made sense.
As always, Ye-rin's moves were calculated, even if her thoughts remained opaque.
"Alright, let's head in."
Briefing over.
All that remained was gearing up and entering the Gate.
"......That's a unique weapon you've got."
Having finished changing first in the prep room, Young-hun eyed Jeong-hyeon as he geared up.
This time, Jeong-hyeon had brought the pickaxe instead of the mace.
He'd seen the Harald mace's effects last time; now it was the pickaxe's turn.
Per Doil, the artifact pickaxe should outperform the mace, so he had high hopes.
Outwardly grimacing at the pickaxe, inwardly Jeong-hyeon had come to accept it.
"Oh, this? It's an artifact."
"What? Really?"
Young-hun's eyes widened in shock.
Hunters wielding artifacts as weapons were rare enough; a pickaxe? Unheard of.
Seeing Young-hun's reaction, Jeong-hyeon realized his blunder.
'Oh no!'
He'd only thought to test Harald with the pickaxe—forgotten entirely who he was partying with.
Somehow, Jeong-hyeon's steps felt leaden as he left the prep room.
And when he finally stepped out.
"Pfft."
Jeong-hyeon clearly saw it.
Ye-rin's amused snort, bursting forth with delight.