Chapter 25
They focused intently on the hunters' conversations.
Meanwhile, Team Leader Yoo was pale as a ghost, berating his staff.
"Go up there and check right now! Deploy the agents on emergency!"
"We've already sent in twenty people...... They all got ejected without lasting even a minute......"
Seo**, <Gtyirrw1-1.1 [8F]> cleared with SSS rank. An astonishing achievement!
This is driving me insane.
He couldn't even properly scold his subordinates.
The gate dubbed the <Crying Gargoyle> was a place that relied one hundred percent on luck.
No amount of brainpower could overcome its probabilistic nature.
And yet......
......What the hell is that guy?
The complimentary phrases hunters loved—usually tacked on as formalities—had returned as the very first line. There were only six pre-programmed flourishes to begin with.
An SSS rank was something that appeared once every three years, if at all.
And that guy!! He's updating it every hour! For Team Leader Yoo, who knew Seo Wonseok's true identity, it made the back of his neck stiffen.
'When the hell did that guy even enter?!'
What kind of cheat is he using?
Seo** was steadily climbing the <Crying Gargoyle> Gate. The Association staff sent to analyze the cause and pursue him were getting wiped out helplessly.
'The Association's reputation is already scraping the bottom right now......!!'
He had to catch Seo** somehow. If a casualty occurred, it would spark a chain of funerals within the Association.
Team Leader Yoo suddenly glanced sideways.
"......"
A haggard-looking man was staring at the electronic board.
'Hold on.'
Wasn't that dazzling Seo** on the board the very hunter Han Biyeol had been desperately searching for?
'If I play this right......'
With a sudden idea for mutual aid, Team Leader Yoo spoke in a calm tone.
"Hunter Han, would you consider lending a hand for the Association?"
"......?"
"......If you do, I could actively support whatever you request, within my influence......"
Even amid this.
Seo**, <Gtyirrw1-1.2 [9F]> cleared with SSS rank. Unstoppable momentum! Unbelievable.
The macro spewed its clichéd praise.
When R&Y's planning director had called Han Biyeol to mark Seo Wonseok, he had flown into a rage, nearly fainting.
He wanted nothing more to do with that monster. He'd considered ghosting all guild contacts and vanishing, but the director had made the first move.
But the director was a cunning veteran who knew Han Biyeol well after years of working together.
So, he played his trump card.
—Biyeol-ah, if you take this on, I'll funnel all future EXP events your way.
Shady motives? In the damn hunter world, this guy was second to none.
But rewards and punishments were clear-cut. If the director promised, he'd really deliver the EXP events to Han Biyeol.
'Seo Wonseok probably picked up Jeong Hamin along the way.'
He'd have to keep crossing paths with Seo Wonseok anyway.
Avoiding him forever was the worst option.
Better to......
It grated on him, but diluting that disastrous first impression might be best.
With that resolve, Han Biyeol struck a deal with the director.
He headed straight to Yeouido to bully Team Leader Yuneobyeon, as usual.
But Yuneobyeon refused outright.
For ethical reasons.
Han Biyeol was dumbfounded.
Then.
A situation arose where Han Biyeol and Yuneobyeon's goals aligned.
The catalyst was that dazzling Seo** on the electronic board.
'It's Seo Wonseok!!'
Bombarding with SSS ranks.
In the <Crying Gargoyle> Gate, no less!
'I-isn't instant death supposed to be widespread there?'
His delusions spiraled, painting a picture of himself sleepless again.
Fuck, he really is a monster.
He had to salvage his image somehow.
'The backstab at COEX Gate twists my guts, but......'
For now, he had to bow low.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll win every battle—the hero said it, right?
As a hunter who burns his body for the nation, embody that maxim, Biyeol-ah.
"I'll do it."
Yuneobyeon blinked at the sudden change.
"But promise me this one thing. I'll give it my all, but even if I fail, you provide the info."
Han Biyeol nodded firmly. Yuneobyeon beamed.
"Of course."
Yuneobyeon lied without batting an eye or swallowing.
If a casualty happened? He'd shift some blame to Han Biyeol.
Even on success, he'd play it conservatively.
"Thank you again for your dedication, Hunter Han."
Yuneobyeon smiled.
"No big deal. We help each other out."
Han Biyeol flashed a pallid grin, already plotting how to screw Yuneobyeon if he reneged.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Right away."
A co-conspirator plotting to backstab another backstabber plotting to backstab......
Such convoluted farce.
Was everyday life in this world.
Ragged breaths kept escaping me.
I supported my sides with both hands, arching my back. Had to get the blood flowing somehow. Staying still might make me pass out.
'How did I clear up to the 9th floor?'
I swept my weary eyes over the entire gate.
Statues everywhere. Even counting in tens would take forever. Screw it. Who cares about the number.
"Hemo, come back."
The Red Slime, which had been coating the floor, rushed to me. Climbing my leg like a vine, it transformed into a dark matching outfit.
I adjusted the polo shirt reaching midway up my neck.
"Good job, Hemo."
Hemo was the name I'd just given it.
Red Slime was too wordy. Hemo came from hemoglobin, the medical term.
'Hemo's grown a lot already.'
At first, even forming gloves seemed tough.
Now it enveloped my whole body.
Seeing Hemo's explosive growth in mere days tugged at my heartstrings.
Is this what it feels like when your kid grows up?
Should tell hyung about it sometime.
Anyway.
"......Lost too much blood."
Pools of blood littered the floor.
Mine and the gargoyles' mixed together.
To use Hemo as a third arm, I needed comparable blood volume.
What I'd stockpiled inside Hemo wasn't nearly enough.
So I'd used gargoyle blood via the <Blood Draw Sticker>.
'Forgot that mixing blood makes recovery impossible.'
Have to be careful next time.
Cough, cough.
Just coughing felt like my lungs were shredding.
Damn anemia.
'But......'
I turned my gaze far ahead.
An elevator waited. Unlike the ones I'd seen climbing up, this one gleamed differently.
"I've come this far—gotta check the hidden stage, right?"
It's fine, Wonseok-ah.
I soon stepped forward, into the elevator.
[Going up.]
No need to press buttons. It activated automatically.
I leaned briefly against the elevator mirror, feeling its chill and floatiness somewhat.
[10.00.00.99th floor.]
Ding!
The doors opened.
Do they label the 10th floor like that?
Puzzled, I stepped out.
Flash!
Light assaulted me. I instinctively crossed my arms to shield my eyes. Not me—Hemo moved them to protect its master's eyes.
Grateful to Hemo, I lowered my arms. Then goosebumps erupted. Both me and Hemo were startled.
'A temple?'
The surroundings evoked Greek mythology. Marble columns stretched in a row endlessly.
At their end.
'......!'
Two statues loomed over me.
Two gargoyle statues.
The right one: golden gargoyle.
The left: silver gargoyle, standing as if serving its master.
My clothes vibrated. Hemo showing anxiety. Were those statues also magic beasts?
'Weird.'
If they resonated, it would've happened on lower floors.
This was Hemo's first such reaction on the 10th. Because it's a hidden stage?
Troublesome. With Hemo like this, its mobility would be restricted.
'Still better than before. Only two, and both facing me.'
No backstabs coming.
Soon facing the two statues, I felt suffocated.
'What is this.'
This crawling chill on my skin. Couldn't even think of sticking a sticker. My outstretched hand trembled.
'......'
I backed away step by step.
Then suddenly bowed deeply in a full prostration. Maybe future knowledge's instinctive reaction.
Hemo, as clothing, seemed to bow with me.
Right after three full bows. The pinnacle of awe among all I'd ever felt in past and present lives.
['Jinhaeseong' is mildly surprised by your keen eyes.]
The Star that Calms the Sea, Jinhaeseong.
Cold light filled the silver gargoyle statue's eyes.
[○○, 'Cheonjeja' is greatly satisfied with your proper ○○ bow.]
The golden gargoyle's eyes gleamed too. A warm aura, distinctly different from the silver—full of benevolence yet stern dignity.
'No way.'
What bolt from the blue is this?
In the Association HQ's 10th floor, no less.
As I gawked slack-jawed, the silver gargoyle.
The general transmitted his will directly into my mind.
[○Seat, 'Jinhaeseong' has not yet fully lowered his guard toward you○.]
[The bearer of an unbroken legend asks once more.]
[How you reached here.]
Mysterious.
Being doubted by a figure every Korean reveres as a star hero.
Their words gradually sharpened into clarity.
These were humans who forged myths.
Constellations challenging a god.
'Chungmugong and the Great King.'
The two national heroes at Gwanghwamun.
One year before my death, perhaps.
Constellations began interfering with top hunters via voices.
Overseas hunters ignored them just as arrogantly.
Humanity paid dearly for dismissing their ancestors' warnings.
'Millennium Gate.'
Strange omens worldwide.
America: Statue of Liberty.
France: Eiffel Tower, UK: Big Ben.
Korea: Jamsil Tower.
Each nation's landmarks suddenly turned into gates.
A trial and task for humanity. The Millennium Gate warned at its entrance in language.
[87,600”00’00]
Numbers are universal.
87,600.
People quickly grasped its meaning.
'10 years.'
No detailed explanation needed—instinct told them. This blue star had a 10-year death sentence.
Before a common enemy, yesterday's foes become allies. Even the scum of hunters.
How much more the constellations who warned their descendants—they were a heavenly host.
'Hunters lorded as superhuman nobles for 10 years. Arrogance made them kick away their own salvation......'
I won't make that mistake.
'At least not me, with future knowledge.'
[Constellation Jinhaeseong mildly scolds you for ignoring his words for 1 minute.]
[Constellation Jinhaeseong sternly scolds you for ignoring his words for 1 minute 30 seconds.]
[30 seconds until Constellation Jinhaeseong's great fury.]
Definitely constellations, huh?
'Well, history books hint at Chungmugong's personality.'
The principled general doesn't wait long.
"I turned luck into skill."