The Midnight Gate Break and the Hammer That Fell
The night a gate break erupted in Gwangju-dong, every major media outlet had already broken the story into special bulletins.
[Gate Break in the Heart of Seoul!]
[Clean Zone Cracked After Two Years.]
[Is the Gate Threat Still Manageable?]
Around the world, Korea alone had seen dozens of such incidents.
On average, a gate break every ten days or so.
But why? Gates didn’t appear only in crowded cities. They could spawn in mountain ranges above a thousand meters, along deserted coasts, or in completely random locations. Managing or sealing them all was almost impossible.
And there was one more complication.
Because of the entry restrictions, only hunters who met the strict criteria could be sent in.
If the gate was far from any city, or if the restrictions were even tighter than usual?
It was often smarter to leave the area sealed until the break occurred, then send in an SS-class hunter to hunt the boss monster afterward.
In other words, the old “chop-and-roast” method.
But in civilian residential zones, that method was strictly forbidden.
That was why the break in Seoul itself had been so shocking.
Yet even so, a gate breaking right in the middle of Seoul hadn’t received nearly as much attention as it should have.
[The Miracle Along the Han River! Zero Casualties!]
[Official Statement from the Rift Bureau: No Loss of Life or Property.]
[Did the Passing Hunter Help Resolve the Situation?]
[Thanks to Swift Rift Bureau Response and the Assistance of Private Hunters, Citizens Were Saved!]
The incident ended with not a single death.
Even in the world’s largest cities—New York, London, Paris—gates had broken open and been impossible to contain.
Once they did, casualties and property damage always followed.
This time, however, there had been no warning, no casualties, and no damage.
A news crew had even managed to interview a student who had been in the vicinity.
“KNN’s Chief Reporter, Seong-yeon Jo, here. You say you saw monsters during the break?”
“Yeah… I thought I was going to die.”
“Thank you for taking the interview despite the shaking. How was it?”
“I was heading to a shelter when the monster… just appeared…”
“Ah, you were one step away from disaster.”
The student interviewer’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
“If not for that hunter, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Do you have anything to say to the hunter watching this news?”
“Thank you for saving me!”
[Was the Passing Hunter the One Who Solved the Gate Break?]
[Rift Bureau Officially Thanks the Hunter Who Assisted in Resolving the Incident.]
[Body-cam Footage from the Break: Is the Scene as Urgent as It Seems?]
Body-cam footage worn by a Response Department hunter had also been released.
Some gruesome parts had been edited out, but the tension of the moment came through clearly.
[Delicious Jeonju-style Pancake]
“Why are the undead fighting each other?”
“We agreed socially that we’re the necromancer’s servants.”
“Fee”
“But there are no necrosmiths in the country, right?”
“Yeah, it’s a rare class.”
“Annyeonghihee”
“The Response Department’s mine is here.”
“Yeah. If the Response Department hunters hadn’t held up, private casualties would have happened, right?”
From the Rift Bureau’s perspective, the video was full of awkward “you owe us one” moments.
Still, Director Jeong Seung-il had released the footage to the press anyway.
Kim Seong-woo, the hunter who had been deployed during the incident, had also been interviewed.
“He’s the hunter who commands undead.”
“The boss monster was a C-rank ghoul. Probably a mutated one.”
“D-rank hunters who entered thinking it was just a D-rank gate were wiped out, which caused the mana concentration to spike. That’s what triggered the break.”
“It really was. Without that hunter, we’d have had to pay compensation.”
[Who Was the Passing Hunter Who Saved the Day During the Break?]
[The Hunter Summoning an Undead Servant, Known as D-rank Hunter Park Minho.]
[Hoop-thing]
“Park Minho? Isn’t that the S-rank promoter?”
“Yeah, same name.”
[Elly]
“An S-rank promoter necrosmith?”
“Not publicly known yet.”
[E-wook]
“If they’re the same person, shouldn’t the S-rank be showing up?”
“No way.”
“There’s always a chance.”
“Even if it’s unlikely, the probability is still there, right?”
“Even if it’s a long shot, Fee wins, you know?”
The comments exploded in real time.
The rumor that an S-rank had appeared in the promotion exam had been spreading quietly for weeks.
In Korea, it was the highest rank in five years.
Since the actual S-rank promoter hadn’t appeared yet, it had been just idle gossip—until the break incident turned the protagonist into Park Minho, and the story detonated.
Online, comments ignited instantly.
“A D-rank single-handedly kills a C-rank boss monster?”
“No way!”
“Was he hiding his identity until the break forced him out?”
Everyone watching the news started throwing Park Minho’s name around like it was currency.
In bars, in apartment complexes, in any place where a TV was on—everywhere in the country.
The name Park Minho was on every tongue.
In this situation, where was the main character himself?
“Cool… cool.”
After months of gate raids, undead customization, and getting caught in a break, he had crashed face-first into his bed.
Whooooosh!
Whooosh!
His phone lit up even though he hadn’t noticed.
* * *
Clang! Kaang!
Even though it was night, the forge at Hanil Blacksmith never went dark.
“Let’s call it a night for today.”
“Yes, Master.”
The man known as Korea’s greatest craftsman set his hammer down.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
“Want a drink?”
“Of course I prepared it.”
“I picked a fine apprentice.”
Han Yohan chuckled, then suddenly straightened his expression.
“Side dishes?”
“Bo-sam samhap.”
“Perfect.”
The table was set with makgeolli and the perfect accompaniments for the country’s best blacksmith.
The moment he turned on the TV, breaking news flashed across the screen.
“There was a break, I see, Master.”
“Good thing there were no casualties.”
While Han Yohan watched the news without much thought—
“Master, would you like a drink…?”
Nam Jin-woo, who had been pouring the liquor, froze.
Churrrr—
“Chief Apprentice. The rare liquor is flowing freely.”
“I-I-I-I…”
“Are ghosts coming out?”
“It’s the director!!!”
Nam Jin-woo’s finger pointed at the screen.
The body-cam footage from a Response Department hunter was playing.
“Who is it?”
“I-I-It’s…”
“What?”
“The new hire who allegedly handled bones with god-like skill!”
Han Yohan’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“You said he was a blacksmith earlier.”
“He was summoning and commanding undead, so it’s definite!”
How could anyone forget?
While he was refining the bones, an undead summoner had been watching from the side.
He hadn’t even wondered how a hunter with a blacksmith affinity could fight so well.
The man he had been desperately searching for had appeared on TV.
“Park Minho.”
“I’m going right now!”
“You only know the name?”
“Ah.”
Han Yohan downed the overflowing makgeolli in one gulp.
“Ugh. Tastes good.”
“What should I do, Master?”
“Ask the people I know. It’ll come out quickly.”
Han Yohan’s “people I know” were not ordinary.
Korea’s top blacksmith’s network was legendary.
Because he never complained about anything, favors were granted without hesitation to anyone who asked.
“Let’s meet somewhere and talk.”
“Yes!”
While master and apprentice burned with excitement—
Someone else was furrowing their brow over a special bulletin.
“Director Jeong Seung-il’s work, perhaps?”
Baek Seong-hyeon swept his hair back with his right hand.
By tomorrow, the entire nation would know Park Minho was an S-rank promoter.
He had never expected the secret to hold.
He had contacted Hunter Park Minho at the Challenging Realm while the guy was causing a ruckus there.
He had already been moving to check the other top five guilds.
The problem was that the break had made him the spotlight.
“Other guilds might open their wallets wider.”
An S-rank promotion was impressive.
But killing a C-rank boss monster solo so soon after a D-rank promotion was another matter entirely.
Plus, he was a necrosmith.
A rare class that, once awakened, should have at least a B-rank from the start.
Proven talent, an elite class, and already inside the top five.
Baek Seong-hyeon had no idea how much more budget the guilds would pour into him.
“What is Jeong Seung-il after?”
The body-cam release was obvious.
The goal was to highlight Minho’s value.
But what could be gained by going that far?
Competition among the five major guilds?
“Even if Park Minho’s worth rose, it would only help the Rift Bureau.”
With the Rift Bureau’s budget no bigger than a mouse’s tail, they couldn’t even show their name to the five major guilds.
What were they thinking?
“No. Director Jeong Seung-il’s intentions are secondary.”
It was too late to regret.
Minho’s true value had been revealed far too quickly.
At this point, the Chilseong Guild had no choice but to raise the stake.
“Actually, this might make things easier.”
To secure a one-hundred-billion-won contract, he had already had to complain to the Chilseong Group headquarters.
The Rift Bureau’s announcement had proven his judgment right.
Baek Seong-hyeon placed his hand on his phone.
Speed was everything now.
The Chilseong Guild had already taken the lead.
He would move faster and seize the glowing rune stone.
While Baek Seong-hyeon was acting—
Hunters from all major guilds, including the domestic top five, were already hunting for Park Minho.
“Where are you from?”
“Check every elementary, middle, high school, and university!”
“Find out who his family or close friends are!”
The recruitment war that had started the moment Minho was born was only just beginning.
* * *
Familiar ceiling.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Ever since meeting Lady Isra, mornings had been refreshing.
Not because he felt good, but because the Heavenly Martial Body effect had wiped away all fatigue.
[Are you coughing, Lord?]
“Yeah.”
He picked up his phone out of habit.
Huh?
Why is the battery dead?
He had no memory of charging it before bed.
Even after holding the power button, nothing happened.
[Your Lord has been charging continuously while you slept.]
A call?
No way.
Charging the phone multiple times?
He had only bought the new phone a year ago—maybe he needed a battery replacement.
[Not multiple times.]
“Eh?”
[Dozens. No, hundreds.]
Hey, exaggerating a bit.
Even if he chased convenience-store night-shift workers, he wouldn’t call a hundred times.
[Precisely 324 calls, actually.]
Why so specific?
He plugged in the charger while half-doubting, waited a moment, and pressed the power button.
A moment later.
[Missed Calls]
―324
[Unidentified Text Messages]
―1,159
What the hell had happened while he was asleep?