First D-Rank Gate Clear

The ride in the old D-rank gate van was quiet. Even though these people seemed kind, they were still unregistered hunters. They tended to avoid personal topics, so without work-related talk, there wasn't much to say.

Still, the Team Leader kept an eye on me, the newbie, and made conversation here and there.

When entering a gate, teams split into three groups: exploration, search, and finally, closure.

The exploration team goes in first when the gate opens. They assess the level of the monsters and whether a boss is present. Since they enter with zero information, it's the most dangerous job. That's why they get paid the highest daily rate.

Once the gate's rank is determined, the search team heads in. They hunt down the monsters and take on the boss if there is one. There's no daily pay, and with so many hunters swarming in, accidents are constant. Yet tons of people still volunteer for search duty. There's only one reason: they can farm a ton of mana stones and materials.

And the job the three of us got was closure. We step in once it's clear there's nothing left worth taking from inside the gate, then destroy the core to close it. Of course monsters will eventually spawn again, but leaving it open forever would cause a break and lead to a monster overflow.

Closure duty is basically the safest role. By then, multiple awakened hunters have already swept through, so the number of monsters is very low. Plus, the other hunters have already left, so there's almost no chance of running into real villains. That must be why they brought a newbie like me along.

The one who just spoke was Blanco. A man wearing a balaclava that reminded me of Islamic extremist militants, with sharp eyes peeking out.

The van dropped us off near the gate. After walking about five minutes, we reached the entrance.

"So this is a D-rank gate…."

The entrance itself didn't look much different from the E-rank one I'd entered before. The only difference was that the Hunter Association had staff checking IDs back then, while this place felt completely abandoned.

The Team Leader jerked his chin toward the entrance.

I followed carefully behind the Team Leader and Blanco as we stepped into the gate.

The scenery that appeared after my vision flickered was…

A forest…?

It was a forest, but it felt different from Earth's. The abundance of green was similar, but many plants had blue or red leaves. Above all, the shapes of the plants themselves were completely unfamiliar. Just looking at them gave a strong sense that I'd entered another world.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

When Blanco activated the core detector, it pointed us in the right direction. We moved quickly accordingly.

We were pushing through the forest when—

The Team Leader raised his hand to halt us.

Right as he finished speaking, one Bone Branch burst out.

It was a bare, white branch without a single leaf. A grotesque monster that looked like tangled human bones. I'd only skimmed over it in Monster Studies class at the academy. Low rank, but agile and good at ambushes.

"Kikikik!"

The thing let out a bizarre cry and charged. One of its thin branches flew at my face like a whip.

"Ugh!"

I reflexively ducked my head and raised my sword with both hands to block.

Clang—!

The impact was heavier than I'd expected from a branch. My palms went numb for a moment, but it wasn't enough to make me drop my weapon. The strength I'd built up over the past year lifting barbells and swinging a wooden sword every single day wasn't for nothing. I might be weak, but I wasn't about to lose to some trash monster at the entrance of a D-rank gate.

My defense knocked its branch back, creating a brief opening. I didn't miss it. I kicked off the ground and closed the distance instantly.

Stabbing something this thin and brittle won't do much.

I raised my sword high overhead. The most basic motion I'd repeated tens of thousands of times in empty training fields. A powerful vertical slash from above.

Whoosh— Crack!

The sword slammed down with all my strength, striking the monster's center perfectly. But it wasn't enough to finish it.

Crack! Crack!

I kept hammering down. Again and again. In the end, its body split in half like dry firewood under an axe.

"Huff… Got it…."

It was sloppy and crude, but a solid blow. Or maybe not a single blow since I beat the shit out of it. Anyway. This was the moment I realized all those sweat drops I'd shed alone in places no one ever saw hadn't been wasted.

And then—

Points…?

At a glance, it was obvious this was a system where you collected points to roll the gacha. I could tell right away.

While I was catching my breath, the Team Leader spoke up.

The next four Bone Branches appeared.

The Team Leader drew his sword and charged straight at them. And then—

Shwa-shwa-shwa-shwa—

Whoa… Holy shit…

The Team Leader's skill was incredible.

He deflected their attacks with his sword in an instant, created openings through parries, and finished them with lightning-fast strikes.

It was definitely different from the swordsmanship I'd learned at the academy.

How should I put it? It was like the basics had been extremely compressed and refined for maximum efficiency?

It was easy to say, but hard to actually do. I knew that because I'd practiced the basics diligently every day.

The Team Leader personally corrected my stance. He kindly explained where to put strength and where to relax it.

"Ah…."

It was definitely different from what I'd learned at the academy.

So this is real combat swordsmanship…

The Team Leader's teaching ability was truly outstanding. He explained everything so simply that even someone with no talent like me could understand it instantly.

We advanced toward the gate core without stopping. Monsters kept appearing along the way, but the Team Leader and Blanco held back as much as possible so I could gain more experience. For me, who needed to collect souls, it was the perfect situation.

It was right after we'd hunted a monster called 'Black Heartwood' that looked like it had been scorched by fire. Blanco, who had only been collecting mana stones until now, suddenly pulled out a dagger and approached the corpse. As he began the proper dismantling process, the Team Leader spoke to me.

Blanco examined the joints of the Black Heartwood, skillfully cut them out, and stored them in his bag.

No matter how I looked at it, these people didn't feel like villains at all. Honestly, it was strange that they were treating someone they'd just met this well. I'd never received this kind of goodwill in my life.

Anyway, we kept hunting monsters while Blanco dismantled materials. Eventually, an artificial structure resembling a tower appeared. It was a statue about two meters tall.

A basketball-sized black orb floated in the center of the statue. I gripped my sword and struck the gate core with all my strength.

Crack—

Cracks spread across the core and it began to shatter.

Vrrrr—

A small gate opened. It must be the exit that appears after the gate is closed.

After clearing the gate, we walked back to the van and climbed in to return to the Labor Office.

Once the tension faded, exhaustion hit me like a wave. I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the Crunch chocolate that Haeun had given me yesterday. I tore open the crinkling wrapper, took a bite, and a pleasant sweetness spread through my tired body.

Now that I think about it, it's pretty ironic…

The first thing you do upon entering the academy is take an oath.

"We swear deeply that we will become hunters who serve our country and its people, and uphold justice on behalf of the weak."

But the academy bastards, the professors who taught them, and the Hunter Association pricks were never on the side of the weak like me. The hunters who claimed to lead by example in practicing justice were the ones who turned my life into hell. They labeled an innocent person like me a criminal and tormented me like trash.

Yet the unregistered hunters, rejected by society, were different. They showed me, a complete stranger, as much consideration as possible and didn't hesitate to share their knowledge and skills.

So who exactly were the righteous hunters, and who were the villains? I found that point extremely ironic.

Oh right. I should check my points.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I hadn't checked my point collection while clearing the gate. Losing focus even for a moment would make me vulnerable to ambushes, and it could put the Team Leader and Blanco at risk too.

When I opened the window—

I caught quite a few…

Each one gave about 30 points, so it looked like I'd taken down roughly twelve with my own hands.

Then how much does a gacha roll cost?

I immediately opened the gacha window.

Ten-roll is out of the question…?

1,000 points? That's not something I can roll right now.

Should I at least do three single rolls?

Just as disappointment started to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sink in—

Nice!!!! Thank you, Outer God. I will never forget this grace for the rest of my life!

With this, I could do a ten-roll and three more single rolls!

I'll do the gacha when I get home.

If I rolled it in the car and things like 'handsomeness' started pouring out, everyone would think it was weird, right?

After returning to the Labor Office and finishing the settlement, my share came out to about 250,000 won including daily pay and material sales.

This is amazing.

I collected souls and earned a lot of money. For a weekend part-time job, it was an incredible result.

I exchanged numbers with the Team Leader. I planned to come out again next weekend to enter another gate.

Let's hurry home!

I ran back home as fast as I could. The moment I arrived, I opened the gacha system.

Badabam badabam badabam badabam—

The second time hearing that solemn music. A new production I'd never seen before appeared.

Letters appeared one by one, forming a sentence.

What?! An SR on the very first pull?

Is this for real?!