Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Bureau Chief's Request
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I entered a room on the top floor of the Awakener Management Bureau headquarters.
"They're waiting for you."
The secretary guided me to the inner door.
Knock knock.
"Hunter Lee Ji-seok has arrived."
"Come in."
"Hello."
I greeted them as I entered.
"Hunter Lee Ji-seok, thank you for coming."
Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin stood up to welcome me.
"It's been a while, Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin. Ah, it's Director now, right?"
I pointed to the nameplate that read "Director."
"Haha, going from fieldwork to just sitting around feels so uncomfortable."
The previous director had been dismissed after it came to light that he'd taken bribes from Shin-woo, and Baek Young-shin had taken his place.
Bureau Chief Baek had racked up unexpected achievements in several subjugations, and even capturing Shin-woo's son and the killer counted toward his record. Since most of the big reasons for his promotion involved me, he was quite favorable toward me.
"So, what brings you to call me here?"
"Have a seat first. Would you like some tea?"
"Yes."
I sat on the sofa, and Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin sat down as well.
As soon as we were seated, the secretary came in, set tea down in front of us, and left.
"I've heard you've been clearing gates at an incredible pace lately."
"Yeah, I need a lot of things, and I have energy to spare."
"Most hunters don't run that many."
"Is that a problem?"
I'd been getting nitpicked by the Awakening Bureau so much that I felt uneasy.
"No, no. Quite the opposite. That's why I called you—I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Right now, anyone who meets the minimum qualifications can enter a gate. Since hardly anyone goes in to die, most get cleared. But sometimes, gates appear that can't be cleared even when they're nearing full entry capacity."
"Gates on the verge of a Gate Break, you mean?"
"Yes. When a break is imminent and there are only a few slots left, they end up paying A-Rank Hunters a fortune to clear them, like swallowing bitter medicine while crying."
"Better than letting a break happen."
"Exactly. So, Hunter Lee Ji-seok, here's what I'd like to ask. Before resorting to A-Rank Hunters as a last measure, could you clear gates on the verge of breaking and rescue any survivors?"
"I'd be the first safety net, and the A-Rank Hunter the second?"
"Precisely. Looking at your past clear records, you've soloed tons of C-Rank Gates, and in very short times. I believe you have the ability."
I'd already been paying close attention to future events ever since my life regenerated. Preventing breaks was one of them.
I was periodically clearing gates that looked dangerous or had broken in my previous life. But since things had started diverging a bit from my past memories, I needed more intel, and gathering it alone was tough. If the Awakening Bureau provided it, it'd make my job easier.
"Ah, of course, we'd provide appropriate compensation."
Seeing no immediate reply, Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin assumed I was displeased and offered a carrot. No reason to turn it down if they were paying.
"Got it. Send me the schedule and gate info, and I'll clear them."
"Alright, this one's urgent—it needs to be cleared within three days at the latest."
Assuming I'd agree, he immediately handed me a paper with gate details. It was a C-Rank Golem Gate.
"I'll head there right now."
I downed the rest of my tea in one gulp and stood.
"Pardon? Are you sure?"
"I was going to hit a gate today anyway. I can just do this one first. And there might be survivors, right?"
"Yes. Thank you. We'll load your gear into the car."
Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin called the secretary back and gave instructions.
* * *
After an hour's drive, we arrived at the gate, where more Management Bureau officials than usual had set up camp.
A few hunters were there too, blocking unauthorized entries.
"Halt!"
As I approached, the hunters menacingly blocked my path.
"I've got orders. Heading in for rescue."
I showed them the info from Bureau Chief Baek Young-shin. Only then did they relax. Some lunatic rushing in could kill the hunters inside and suicide, triggering a Gate Break.
"Ah, sorry about that."
I passed the now-relaxed hunters and approached the gate.
"Good luck."
The guarding hunters weren't low-rank—B- or C-Rank at least—but even they wouldn't solo clear a gate. It was that dangerous. Failure just brought a break one step closer.
Passing through the gate, a rocky mountain appeared. Classic Golem Gate terrain.
No time to waste, so I bellowed loudly.
"Any survivors!!!"
My voice, amplified beyond a normal person's to megaphone levels, echoed through the mountains.
It might draw survivors—or golems.
Seconds later, the ground's rocks began to vibrate.
Then, rocks in front clumped together into a 3-meter orangutan shape.
Rock golems had no mouths, so no roars, but it thumped the ground with both fists, advancing threateningly.
I charged at the golem.
With each step, I grew larger. By the time I closed in, I was 4 meters tall.
As I approached, swelling in size, the golem actually slowed.
But I accelerated, smashing down on its head.
The rock corresponding to the orangutan golem's head shattered with a boom that echoed off the mountains. The headless golem collapsed face-down.
It'd be nice if that killed it, but rock golems don't die without destroying the core.
Sure enough, other rocks rolled in to replace the shattered head.
But it froze while reforming.
I hammered the largest rock in the center of its fallen torso mercilessly.
If you don't know where the core is, smash the biggest rocks first—in order. High chance it's there.
Brute force, but reliable.
As I smashed parts of the golem's body, smaller rocks filled the gaps repeatedly.
Boom!
When I crushed one rock in the torso, the stones making up the golem crumbled down.
Between the fragments of the last rock I broke, the golem's core appeared. More valuable than a standard magic stone. I'd heard countless companies were trying to use them to create golems. None had succeeded yet.
"Whew."
I straightened up and caught my breath.
Meanwhile, three more golems were bounding toward me.
"No rest for the weary."
I rushed the lead one, flying-kicked its chest to dismantle it, then leaped to hook-kick the second's head, shattering it.
The last one stopped dead in front of me.
The first two weren't dead yet, gathering rocks to reform. But seeing its two comrades drop so easily made the last golem's feet halt.
Golems acting like this always sparked debates about whether they had emotions.
Emotions or not, I had no intention of sparing it.
* * *
I pulverized the three into rubble, then explored the gate. Hunter scents were scattered everywhere, so it took time, but I had to clear it anyway—turning every golem I saw to dust.
Thanks to that, I stocked up nicely on golem cores.
A faint groan came from afar. So weak, any other hunter would've missed it.
Following the sound, I found three hunters huddled in a sunken pit-like hole.
"It's a golem!"
The male mage shouted at the sight of me.
"I'm a person."
They must've mistaken my giant shadow for a golem.
"Wha... what?! It's a person. We... we're saved!"
"I'm from the Awakening Bureau. I'll treat this guy first—grab what you need from my bag."
I shrank to normal size and entered their hiding spot. The one who looked like a male warrior had both legs shattered, and the male and female mages weren't in great shape either. Surviving such injuries was insanely lucky.
I trickled potion into the unconscious warrior's mouth, who was sweating coldly.
"Where are the other hunters?"
The male mage asked while rummaging through my bag.
"I'm solo."
"Wha... solo? What's your rank?"
"C-Rank."
"...We're just adding to the body count."
He stopped rummaging and slumped to the ground.
"Why?"
"Giant Golem."
"Giant Golem, huh? Talk about rotten luck."
Giant Golems were so rare you rarely encountered them. That explained why the prior party failed—they must've all died to it.
In my past life's memories, this gate hadn't broken at this point. Probably an A-Rank cleared it later.
"No follow-up rescue team?"
The female mage asked.
"If we don't exit in a day, won't they come?"
"A day... Can we hold out...?"
"Why bother. Where is it? I'll handle it."
I poured the remaining potion on the warrior's broken legs as I asked.
"Handle what?"
"The Giant."
"Are you insane? Even a swarm of C-Ranks couldn't take it. You alone?"
The female mage looked baffled.
"I'm not asking to come along—just tell me where."
"Don't be stupid. Wait here for rescue together. If we stay hidden, we have a shot."
"I'll check solo."
I'd finished first aid, so I stood.
"It's on the hill to the right after you exit. Do what you want if you're suicidal. But if you run, go the other way. Don't drag us down."
I left without a word.
* * *
"It's a golem! Wake up!"
The male mage startled at my shadow again, shaking his comrades.
"Every time?"
"Ah! You're back."
He peeked out, scanning for the Giant.
"Phew... Good call. No need to throw your life away."
He assumed I'd fled without fighting the Giant.
"Couldn't you see the sky? It's cleared. Let's go."
I hoisted the still-unconscious warrior over my shoulder.
"Really?"
The woman peeked out skeptically.
Outside, rock fragments littered everywhere—no monsters in sight.
"Not coming?"
I asked as I exited first.
"C-Coming! Wait!"
The two scrambled after me.
* * *
After that, I cleared a few more gates, rescuing survivors.
The gates I entered were limited to C-Rank and below, but B-Rank and higher rarely had accidents. High-rank hunters prepared thoroughly.
Ideally, like the Golem Gate, prior entrants got rescued, but most times when I arrived, they were already dead. I ended up recovering just their belongings more often.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few close calls. Monster numbers suddenly spiking after gate resets, rare monsters appearing—incidents like that were far more frequent than the average a year ago. Thanks to nonstop clears, I leveled up twice.
My contributions earned me a promotion to B-Rank Hunter.
I'd been leisurely leveling and doing rescues when a Gate Break erupted from the last place I expected.