Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Tower of Repentance
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"Chapter 196"
"So... you're saying you came to our office because of that?"
Jeong-hyeon was lost in thought, wondering if he'd heard correctly.
The media had only referred to him as the "first B-Rank hunter to reach level 7," so he hadn't imagined there was this kind of backstory.
But even after hearing the full story, the unease outweighed any sense of relief.
'Isn't this gaslighting or something?'
His older brother and guild master, Gu So-myeong, had blamed everything on his younger brother since childhood and pocketed all the benefits himself.
Of course, this was just from Gu Ji-myeong's perspective, so it wasn't entirely objective—but that made it all the more suspicious.
Jeong-hyeon had also ended up in a temporary orphanage after the cataclysm, so he understood their situation well enough.
He'd been one of the lucky ones transferred early to a regular facility, but the temporary ones were practically hell.
The brothers had stayed there until adulthood, so perhaps those days had pushed Ji-myeong into an irreversible situation.
"Yes. If I hadn't broken through to level 7, I never would have come here. But my brother said he'd entrust it to the HJH Gate Office with me taking responsibility, so he agreed readily..."
Ji-myeong looked genuinely aggrieved and frustrated as he said this.
He truly seemed to believe he was entirely to blame for having to come to Jeong-hyeon.
'How do I handle this...'
Part of him wanted to describe what Gu So-myeong was really like in public and rescue Ji-myeong, but he wasn't an expert, so jumping in out of nowhere would be reckless.
Moreover, whenever he'd hinted at pointing out Gu So-myeong's odd behavior during the story, Ji-myeong had gotten angry.
"Don't talk about my brother like that! You don't even know him properly!"
At least he could solve one of Ji-myeong's dilemmas.
'From the info I got last time, a B-Rank level 7 can enter a level 6 gate.'
The reason Ji-myeong had come here was precisely because he'd surpassed his level cap to reach 7.
Jeong-hyeon had learned from using the level-up ticket that limit levels didn't affect gate entry conditions, but for others, it wasn't unreasonable to think Ji-myeong's hunter career was over after this level-up.
Normally, Jeong-hyeon wouldn't risk taking a request where such info might leak publicly, but since it was Ji-myeong, he felt for him.
'He lost his parents in the cataclysm, and then got treated like that by his brother.'
On top of that, oblivious to his own situation, Ji-myeong had lived a life of overwork beyond exhaustion.
Jeong-hyeon could clear mission gates leisurely thanks to his off-the-charts power, but with B-Rank strength, Ji-myeong had long surpassed his limits.
There was no special reason Ji-myeong could break the level restriction.
It was simply because he'd pushed beyond his limits with genuine effort all this time.
Even EX-Rank needed level 6 conditions to bypass restrictions—how much of his life had an ordinary hunter like him poured in to meet that?
And as Ji-myeong said, this request was an opportunity Jeong-hyeon couldn't pass up.
'A level 6 gate, huh.'
He'd announced on the homepage that he'd take level 6 gate requests from now on, but only level 5s had come in so far.
Level 6 gates were far rarer than level 5s, and the artifacts from them were of much higher quality.
Large guilds capable of handling them wouldn't easily hand them over.
Plus, the HJH Gate Office had no record of clearing a level 6 yet, so they were reluctant to take the risk.
But Somyeong Guild's situation was that they lacked the setup to clear a level 6 themselves yet had to take it on due to reputation.
In short, it was the perfect opportunity for Jeong-hyeon.
"First, can I get some info on the gate?"
"Yes. Here it is."
But prioritizing a rough plan was key.
Not just clearing the gate, but aiming for better results.
At Jeong-hyeon's request, Ji-myeong pulled a document from his bag and handed it over.
"'Tower of Repentance,' huh."
Mission gates with "tower" in the name had appeared a few times before.
And barring rare exceptions, the missions were almost identical.
Nicknamed the "mission within a mission."
True to the name, the gate consisted of a tower, and you cleared the missions on each floor to reach the top.
The internal missions were thus easy to predict.
But there was one variable.
"The energy reading is pretty high, isn't it?"
Compared to the level 5s Jeong-hyeon had cleared—not to mention considering it was level 6—it was about 30% above average.
Energy levels didn't always correlate directly to difficulty, but the prevailing hypothesis was that they had a significant connection that couldn't be ignored.
"Yes. That's probably why my brother didn't object much to handing it to HJH."
Ji-myeong immediately agreed with Jeong-hyeon's observation.
No matter how irreplaceable Ji-myeong was in Somyeong Guild's lineup, as long as the members who'd cleared with him were there, their capability was proven.
If it were average readings, they might try without him, but at this level, they wouldn't gamble.
But that wasn't what Jeong-hyeon meant.
"No, I mean—if you hadn't leveled up, were you really planning to enter this gate? And your guild master didn't object?"
"Yes, that's how it's always been."
"Huh..."
This was serious.
Even massive guilds full of A-Ranks didn't take level 6 gates lightly.
Pushing a B-Rank party leader into one with readings this high?
'It’s practically suicide.'
It was definitely reckless.
And Jeong-hyeon made his decision.
"I'll take the request. But on one condition."
"A condition? What..."
Ji-myeong asked, his expression slightly darkening.
Somyeong Guild's offered terms weren't bad, but nothing special either.
Especially after the recent KP Group contract, other guilds had one less reason to court Jeong-hyeon.
Fortunately, Jeong-hyeon's demand had nothing to do with Ji-myeong's worries.
"You have to give me full authority over the raid party composition."
"Ah, that's fine, of course."
Ji-myeong sighed in relief and nodded.
Accepting this usually meant more spots for gate office personnel anyway.
From the guild's perspective—already outsourcing to avoid leaking strength—if they had no promising talents to nurture, it was actually a gain.
Jeong-hyeon would naturally pick party members who meshed with him over total strangers from Somyeong Guild.
But the moment Jeong-hyeon's next words came out, Ji-myeong felt dizzy.
"And the first one I'm putting in the party is you, Hunter Gu Ji-myeong."
"Yes?"
He'd demanded full party control, then said he'd include him?
Ji-myeong, already unhappy about having to come here, felt irritation flare up.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon. I don't know what you took my words for, but to begin with, level 7—"
"I know full well."
"Are you making fun of me?"
Entering a level 6 gate with him, a level 7 hunter.
If that wasn't mockery, what was?
Ji-myeong shot to his feet.
Better to entrust it to another gate office than endure this humiliation.
But Jeong-hyeon calmly countered, unfazed.
"I'm not making fun. Have you entered a level 6 gate since leveling up?"
"Well..."
Of course not.
It was absurd.
A level 3 hunter can't enter a level 2 restriction gate.
Similarly, a level 6 can't enter a level 5.
So how could a level 7 like him even think of entering level 6?
Yet Ji-myeong couldn't immediately retort to Jeong-hyeon questioning if he'd tested that iron rule.
Because he saw the utter conviction in Jeong-hyeon's eyes.
'Why on earth...?'
But no amount of conviction turns nonsense into truth.
So why couldn't he just brush off Jeong-hyeon and walk out of this shabby room?
"Trust me. I'll explain to your guild master myself."
Why was he starting to believe Jeong-hyeon, who claimed he could enter level 6 gates just like always?
"Worst case, if it doesn't work, we swap in another hunter then."
Jeong-hyeon added it casually, like telling a child who didn't meet a ride's height limit to just skip it.
Ji-myeong found himself believing him without realizing it.
No—he wanted to believe.
What if he really could enter a level 6 gate?
Could he help his brother again, like before?
No, now at level 7 and much stronger, if he worked even harder, he might repay all the help his brother had given.
Ji-myeong nodded.
Ever so slightly.
Jeong-hyeon said,
"Perfect."
That was enough.
"I'll show you exactly what 'helping' means."
Jeong-hyeon smiled faintly and guided Ji-myeong out.
He planned to fully pull Ji-myeong out of this mess this time.
"Please tell your guild master I'll visit soon to discuss details."
"...Yes, got it."
Ji-myeong left the office dejectedly.
When Jeong-hyeon returned after seeing him out, Min-ji startled and hid her phone for some reason.
Jeong-hyeon sighed and said to her,
"Min-ji, don't post stuff like 'H Gate Office Boss Throws His Weight Around' online."
"Ahaha... You saw it? Joke, joke."
He'd seen it the moment he came out of the room earlier.
She'd been typing away, so if he'd been even a bit later, it'd be circulating on major communities by now.
"Joke? Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, I saw it all. As soon as Choi Min-ji came out of the boss's room, she grabbed her phone and started writing that post. She even asked me if the spelling was right. Is that really a joke... Mmph!"
"Hahaha, Hwi-gon. You're so chatty today. I said it's a joke."
Hwi-gon, who seemed quieter for a bit, seized the chance to speak up.
Min-ji frantically covered his mouth.
Jeong-hyeon didn't bother stopping them, as he could guess what happened even without Hwi-gon spilling it.
Instead, he called over Won-ho, who was quietly sitting in the corner.
"Oh, Won-ho hyung. We got a level 6 mission gate request this time. What do you think? If you're okay with it, you can join."
It had been a while since Won-ho's proficiency reached level 4, so it was time to aim for a level-up soon.
A level 6 mission gate was a good spot for that.
Truth be told, Won-ho's answer was set regardless.
"Fine by me. We're really going into level 6 now?"
"Yeah. I was planning to look into it soon anyway—perfect timing."
It was a 6-man gate, so with him, Won-ho, and Ji-myeong, the remaining three could come from Somyeong Guild.
As Jeong-hyeon roughly outlined the plan, Hwi-gon—whose mouth Min-ji had covered—blurted out urgently.
It wasn't that she'd released him; as an A-Rank hunter, shaking off a civilian woman was easy.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon!"
"?"
"I'll go too!"
"Yes?"
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head at the sudden declaration.