Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Back at the Tent Before the Tower of Repentance
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Chapter 198
Back at the tent in front of the "Tower of Repentance."
"I didn't expect Manager Cha Ye-rin to show up too. Hunter Jeong-hyeon, your connections are more impressive than I thought."
"You're too kind."
With confirmation from So-myeong, the ultimate decision-maker, now complete.
All that remained was actually entering the gate.
One by one, the hunters exited the tent.
Jeong-hyeon deliberately left the roll call for Ji-myeong until last before stepping outside himself.
Of course, his hearing couldn't be blocked by something as simple as a tent flap.
"I'm heading in, bro."
"Yeah, don't get hurt. That Han Jeong-hyeon guy—he doesn't seem like the purely nice person the rumors make him out to be. Be careful, got it?"
Ji-myeong and So-myeong's voices came through as clearly as if they were right in front of him.
'No wonder no one sticks around him.'
So-myeong had schemed to ensure no one but himself stayed by Ji-myeong's side.
He badmouthed others to him, framed people, and even resorted to physical force.
For Ji-myeong, who had always been highly dependent on So-myeong, it was inevitable that he'd sink deeper into the mire.
This time was no different.
He showed no sign of it on the surface, but the moment Jeong-hyeon left the room, he started sowing discord.
It was probably because of the previous request to transfer Ji-myeong over.
"Got it, bro."
"You can't read people, that's what worries me. You know I'm doing this for your sake, right? And make sure you figure out how to enter the gate properly—you can use it later."
"Yeah."
And with that, the conversation ended.
Jeong-hyeon approached the other hunters who'd gone out first, acting as if he'd never eavesdropped.
Soon, Ji-myeong emerged from the tent, his face noticeably darker, and joined them.
"Alright, now everyone, let's head in."
"But how exactly is Hunter Gu Ji-myeong going to enter?"
Ye-rin glanced subtly at Ji-myeong as she asked.
She was well aware of his situation.
It might have been overshadowed by bigger issues, but how could any hunter not be intrigued by news of someone breaking through the level limit?
And now Jeong-hyeon claimed to have a way to bring him into a level 6 gate, which had piqued her curiosity quite a bit.
"Ah."
Jeong-hyeon clapped his hands as if he'd just remembered and rummaged in his pocket.
'Is he really sure about this?'
His demeanor, like he'd forgotten a water bottle or something, planted a seed of doubt not just in Ye-rin, but in Ji-myeong too.
What if he couldn't enter after all this and just shut his mouth with a casual "Well, it didn't work after all"?
There was even a B-Rank level 6 swordsmanship hunter on standby here as backup, in case Ji-myeong couldn't enter.
Meanwhile, what Jeong-hyeon pulled from his pocket was a ring.
"What's... this?"
"It's the item that will let Hunter Gu Ji-myeong enter the gate."
"This?"
Ji-myeong took the ring from Jeong-hyeon with a dubious expression and examined it closely.
It was a plain ring with no particular decorations.
If anything stood out, it was the strange green metal it was made of—impossible to identify.
"Try putting it on first."
But Jeong-hyeon just smiled lightly and urged him on, oblivious or uncaring of Ji-myeong's thoughts.
In the end, Ji-myeong slipped it onto his index finger, figuring he had nothing to lose.
"How's it feel?"
"Hmm... doesn't seem like much difference. My body feels a bit lighter, maybe."
Ji-myeong alternated moving his arms as he replied.
'Of course there's no difference.'
The ring Jeong-hyeon gave him was an artifact he'd gotten from Ji-hee.
Its effects were mana efficiency boost and stabilization.
Naturally, Ji-myeong, who didn't even know how to use mana, couldn't feel a thing.
The lighter body sensation was probably just a placebo.
This obvious ploy was Jeong-hyeon's own preparation.
It wasn't "Gu Ji-myeong can just enter a level 6 gate," but "there's a way to let Gu Ji-myeong enter a level 6 gate," so he needed something to show—and after hunting for a convincing item, he'd borrowed Ji-hee's ring.
Since Ji-myeong could definitely enter the gate anyway, no one would suspect anything.
"Then, shall we really go in now?"
"Yes. I've been waiting for this moment..."
Seo Hwi-gon's mouth, predictably opening again.
Jeong-hyeon hurriedly said to Ji-myeong.
"Just in case, why don't you go first, Ji-myeong?"
"Y-Yes!"
Ji-myeong had never met Hwi-gon before, but he was already worn down to his limit.
Catching on to Jeong-hyeon's intent, he drew his sword and approached the gate.
Gates rarely sprung dangers the moment you entered, but it was wise to enter prepared just in case.
But right before his foot crossed the threshold, Ji-myeong hesitated.
'Can I really go in?'
Even with the ring from Jeong-hyeon, the doubt lingered.
He'd entered gates hundreds, thousands of times before.
But never had he hesitated like this.
It felt similar to his very first time entering a gate.
Back then, he'd dawdled out of fear of going in.
Now, it was fear that he might not be able to.
In that final moment, Ji-myeong glanced back—and there was So-myeong.
So-myeong, watching with a cold face, met his eyes and gave a slight smile.
That was enough.
Step—
Ji-myeong took a large stride forward.
And then.
"Ooh!"
The Somyeong Guild staff encircling and watching erupted in cheers.
Ji-myeong's figure had truly vanished into the gate's ominous purple glow.
"Crazy..."
Even So-myeong let slip a low curse.
Until now, his feelings had been utter skepticism.
Jeong-hyeon had boasted so much that he'd wondered "maybe," but who could've guessed he'd actually bypass the system's restrictions?
'Was that ring the key?'
He'd clearly seen the ring Ji-myeong put on right before entering.
There'd been no need for Jeong-hyeon to hand over anything else in that moment, so if it enabled a level 7 hunter to enter a level 6 gate, that had to be it.
Thinking that way made sense of Jeong-hyeon's claim of "having a way" and his offer to let him continue hunting in exchange for transferring to HJH.
An item that enabled something like this couldn't be common.
He had no idea how it worked, but it wouldn't be leaked outside, so those were the terms.
And with that ring, Somyeong Guild could continue operating as before.
No—now with the world's first B-Rank level 7 hunter, they'd soar even higher.
"Then if I can just get that ring— Gah!"
As So-myeong smirked, pondering how to acquire the ring, he suddenly paled in shock.
Jeong-hyeon, who moments ago had been tending to Ji-myeong and the party, was now glaring at him.
It was a smiling face, but meeting those eyes left So-myeong unable to keep his composure.
An aura washed over him like he was about to be torn limb from limb.
"Guild Master, Guild Master! What's wrong?"
Only when a staff member shook him, puzzled by his reaction, did So-myeong snap out of it.
"Huh? Oh? No, Manager Shin. Didn't you feel a weird vibe from Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon just now?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Stammering, So-myeong asked, but the staffer tilted his head as if he had no idea what he was talking about.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon is just smiling. Wow, you gotta have that kind of guts to get so famous."
Then he chuckled and rattled off praise for Jeong-hyeon.
Somehow, the staffer right beside him hadn't sensed anything off.
'Then what the hell was that just now?'
So-myeong was at a loss, nearly jumping out of his skin.
"Th-They're all entering now!"
As the staffer pointed at the gate, the raid party began filing in.
Won-ho first, then Ye-rin, Jeong-hyeon, Seung-jun, and Hwi-gon.
"KP Vice Guild Master Seo Hwi-gon is heading in to conquer the 'Tower of Repentance'! Everyone, take a good look at me—! Ack!"
Of course, Hwi-gon wouldn't go quietly.
He thrust both hands up, turned to shout at the crowd, only to be yanked inside by a hand that shot out from the gate, dragged away like a kidnapping.
"That guy's really loud..."
As people cringed at the oddball antics, So-myeong broke into a cold sweat, still fixated on that moment with Jeong-hyeon.
***
"Hmm..."
Meanwhile, inside the gate, Jeong-hyeon surveyed his surroundings.
"This place..."
Whenever you entered a gate, didn't you need to know exactly where you were?
As he pondered that, Ye-rin casually resolved his concern.
"It's just a tower."
"...Just a tower, huh."
No matter how you looked at it, it was an ordinary tower.
More precisely, the interior of one.
Massive stone walls enclosed them on all sides, and straight ahead lay stairs leading up.
Fortunately, torches provided ample lighting, making it easy to take in the surroundings.
"Look at this."
Meanwhile, Ji-myeong, who was also scouting around, called the others over.
What he'd found were the numbers "0~10."
A bit crooked, but definitely man-made, so it had to mean something.
"This is..."
"This means we're on the first floor. And 10 indicates the tower has ten floors total."
"...You're right."
Jeong-hyeon nodded, beaten to the punch once again.
Normally, he'd be the one piecing together these clues, but with Ye-rin spitting out answers instantly, it left him deflated.
It wasn't some brilliant deduction anyone couldn't make, but still, it felt anticlimactic.
"Manager Cha, have you been in a lot of mission gates?"
"About twenty times. Not that many."
"...Impressive."
"You're too kind."
Twenty times?
She must've skipped the association's assigned investigations to raid mission gates.
How could she have more experience than Jeong-hyeon, the president of a mission gate specialist office?
'No, wait—the association barely touches mission gates to begin with!'
But voicing that would just make Jeong-hyeon look bad.
Meanwhile, Ye-rin glanced back with a satisfied smile and nodded.
"Finally quiet. My head works better without the chatter."
"I agree."
Jeong-hyeon nodded right away.
Where her gaze landed, Hwi-gon was kneeling with both hands raised high.
'It was brutal, but effective.'
Jeong-hyeon recalled when Somyeong Guild's fire mage Seung-jun entered the gate.
- Where's Hunter Hwi-gon?
- Oh, he was saying something outside.
The moment he heard that, he'd shoved his arm outside, then yanked hard.
- Ack!
Naturally, Hwi-gon's collar was gripped tight in his fist.
- Wh-Why are you doing this? Violence isn't good! Back when I was in New York—
Even Hwi-gon could read the mood as a person.
He'd tried talking his way out, but inside gates, fists and weapons were always closer than words or laws.
After a brief exchange—by means unfamiliar to Hwi-gon—he became remarkably docile.
- I'll sue you when we get out...
It might prick the conscience if overheard.
Despite appearances, he was a New York law school grad.
He knew the law inside out.
Of course, he'd picked the wrong opponent.
- I'll be handling that investigation.
- Eep!
It felt like he was committing every misdeed a civil servant shouldn't, but Jeong-hyeon didn't stop her.
The reason? Well...
At least Hwi-gon wouldn't open his mouth properly while teamed with Ye-rin this raid.
"Anyway, we've got the gist of it, so let's wrap this up quick and go home. Up we go. Stay alert!"
"Got it!"
A classic tower-type mission.
And a marker indicating ten floors.
Not a bad haul.
With Won-ho—not a pure tank but handling tanking duties—leading, the hunters cautiously ascended the stairs.
"Not coming?"
"Eek! Coming!"
Hwi-gon, still in his penalty pose, bolted upright and scurried to the rear the moment Ye-rin spoke.
'Next time hunting with Hwi-gon, gotta bring the manager. No, invite her to the office more often...'
That was Jeong-hyeon's thought upon glimpsing the scene.