The Trap-Laden Tomb
The man who had proposed that Minho immigrate to China.
Jin Xiao was seized by Rift Bureau hunters in under thirty minutes.
Minho’s countermeasures had been far quicker than expected. Thanks to that, the tracking specialists read the residual mana waves left in the alley and located him with ease.
“Does Korea just grab tourists at random like this?”
“Are you an ordinary tourist?”
“This is why small countries are hopeless. Detaining an innocent man.”
Jin Xiao raised both hands high and rattled on with a smiling face.
Sparks flew in the eyes of the tracking hunters.
That damn bastard.
Because of you lot, how much shit did we take!
Jeong Sinho was your handiwork too!
The pride of the Seven Stars Guild. Jeong Sinho—no, now that he had changed nationality to Zheng Xianhao—had cursed the Rift Bureau endlessly. Even before that incident they had never looked kindly on the Superhuman General Bureau. After Zheng Xianhao’s defection, the two sides became mortal enemies.
Killing intent flickered at the corners of the Rift Bureau hunters’ eyes.
Even as his whole body prickled, Jin Xiao put on airs.
What can you Bangzi possibly do?
There was no evidence. A recording? Had Minho even had the leisure for that? Noticing the tail was impressive, yet the man had clearly been flustered, completely unprepared for the Superhuman General Bureau’s proposal.
I never thought he would refuse these terms.
Arrogant Bangzi. He had obtained talent far beyond his station, then kicked aside the finest conditions the Superhuman General Bureau had prepared. One hundred billion won. Treatment equal to a Party cadre. Every necessary resource provided. No other nation, no major guild, could ever put forward such an offer. Unless one was a great power like China. He should have bowed his head and gratefully accepted the reward bestowed by a great nation—yet he refused!
Glad I brought the Turang.
The wolves raised in secret by the Superhuman General Bureau. Mobilize them, and a greenhorn hunter who had only just reached C-class could be kidnapped or erased as easily as eating cold porridge.
How long do I have to wait?
There was not a scrap of proof that he belonged to the Superhuman General Bureau. His items were a bit flashy, but he could simply claim a rich man had been throwing money around. With a thoroughly prepared fake ID, the Rift Bureau would not be able to hold him for long.
“How long do you intend to keep me?”
“I would like to say until your crimes are confirmed.”
BOOM!
A tremendous sound erupted as air compressed to the limit was suddenly released. Jin Xiao reflexively looked up at the sky.
Why is this man here!
Jeong Seungil. Korea’s sole SS-class hunter landed squarely in front of Jin Xiao.
“A tourist, you say. You’ve dressed it up quite well.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Deliver this message to Ling Shamei.”
A dry, emotionless voice. Not a shred of feeling colored it, yet for some reason a chill ran down Jin Xiao’s spine.
“There will not be a second time.”
“Ptooey. As if I’d ever come to Korea for tourism again.”
“The Rift Bureau will protect Hunter Park Minho by any means necessary.”
“Stop spouting nonsense I can’t understand and let me go, will you?”
“Do you truly believe that?”
A conversation running on parallel tracks. Jin Xiao wanted to clutch at his heart, which felt ready to burst. Evidence that he had tried to take Minho to China? There was none, so the Rift Bureau could only apply pressure; they could take no further action. That should have been the case. Yet facing the sheer presence of an SS-class hunter, he felt he might drop to his knees and beg at any moment.
Damn it. Damn it!! Damn it!!!
To be this frightened by mere Bangzi. Helplessness, rage, and the duty to complete his mission tangled together. If he spoke one more word, he felt he would vomit the whole mess out.
Jeong Seungil sighed.
“Let him go.”
“Is that wise? Simply releasing him like this?”
“There are no regulations that allow us to detain him.”
The Rift Bureau hunters stepped aside to either side. Jin Xiao walked away without looking back.
The Superhuman General Bureau. I thought they would scale back their activities after the last incident.
Jeong Seungil watched Jin Xiao’s retreating back with eyes honed as sharp as a single blade.
You will not be taking Hunter Park Minho.
Crunch—
From his tightly clenched hand came a sound like rocks grinding together.
After the whole disturbance had settled, I told Boss Baek about the previous night’s events.
“You did well.”
“Including the request to protect my family’s safety?”
“Including that—everything.”
Hehe. I got praised by the boss.
“Of course, if it had been me, I would have demanded move-in rights to Yuno Palace.”
“Yuno Palace? That’s the ultra-luxury apartment complex with hunter escorts, isn’t it?”
“The Rift Bureau holds several units in Yuno Palace.”
They occasionally rented empty residences to people who needed identity protection. Yuno Palace, huh. I certainly wouldn’t have had to worry about my family.
“That’s a shame.”
“It’s fine. Moving into Yuno Palace would mean saying goodbye to ordinary life for a while.”
Ah. That would be a problem. I couldn’t shut the chicken shop for months on end. It wasn’t about the money. If I told them to take months off and stay only in Yuno Palace because of the Superhuman General Bureau… that might create even bigger issues.
“My little brother would probably like it, though.”
“If you wish, I can contact the Rift Bureau right now.”
“No. It’s fine.”
Oh boy. I almost lost the principal by joking around.
“Hyung-nim! We’re here!”
“The confirmed SS-class talent recognized by Jeong Seungil!”
“Hyeoooong!”
“I believed in you!”
Why are you guys so fired up?
【Hahahaha. Everyone’s full of spirit—good to see.】
【We can work you a little harder in tomorrow’s training.】
Already looking ahead to the next day.
The gate we would enter today with the gathered support teams was a place called the Explorer’s Tomb.
“It’s said to be a trap-focused gate.”
“No monsters at all?”
“According to the statements of hunters who went in earlier, yes.”
Traps, huh. A type you never saw in E-class gates.
“Honestly, gates where traps are the main attraction aren’t popular, right?”
“Even if hyung is amazing, isn’t it Boss’s fault for snagging a gate like this?”
The support-team friends each tossed out a complaint. Wow. Just because we scored one win, they were pouncing right away. At their grumbling, Boss Baek let out a sigh.
“This time it’s my mistake. I admit it.”
“Yahoo!”
“Boss is a human with blood flowing after all!”
“Yeah. Are we the only ones allowed to mess up?”
Teachers. You haven’t forgotten that this is a gate we have to clear together, have you?
“Honestly, with hyung-nim and Sir Isra, traps or whatever—you can just smash them all.”
“There’s the Witch too.”
It was such a correct opinion that I had no rebuttal.
“It’s fine, Boss Baek.”
“I have no face left.”
“You won the bid when Mir was pulling their tricks, right?”
“Even so, the fact that I misplanned the clear schedule is true.”
At this rate his head was about to hit the ground.
“We’ll finish an SSS-grade clear and come right back, so just wait for us.”
Before Boss Baek could actually bang his head, I strode straight into the blue rift. The scenery changed in an instant. A long, straight corridor. A place that looked a lot like the section of the Challenging Realm where Living Armor had appeared.
The moment I entered the gate I summoned two of my subordinates.
【Leave the vanguard to me.】
“Yeah. I’ll leave it to you.”
The leader of the support team who had followed, Seongsu, grabbed my shoulder.
“Wait a moment, hyung-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Trap-type gates require careful advance.”
Traps were more dangerous than gates that spawned monsters. Boss Baek had repeatedly emphasized that we had to be extremely careful.
【Your worry is excessive. Watch from behind.】
The moment Sir Isra took five steps—
Click—
Part of the left wall opened and arrows shot forth. So this was what a trap looked like.
Clang! Sir Isra deflected the arrows without even glancing in the direction they came from. Broken shafts tumbled across the floor.
“Iron head. Need help?”
【Just watch.】
Clang! Claclank!
Arrows flew from left and right. The floor dropped away. Axes plummeted from the ceiling. A comprehensive gift set of movie-style traps welcomed Sir Isra.
【Hahat. Quite amusing. It seems suitable for training as well.】
Hey, teacher. I understand the burning educational passion, but please hold back a little. If we trained in a place like this, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough for me.
Whoosh!
Sometimes flames surged upward.
Crack!
Sometimes freezing air enveloped Sir Isra.
Mana Release
With the released mana she split the flames and carved a path, then shoved the eerie cold aside to left and right. Doing all that with a single sword? Even with the power of Heavenly Martial Body, I could not fully grasp the divine skill Sir Isra displayed. Someday… would I reach that realm as well?
Shield
Kagagak!
【I said there was no need for the mage to step in.】
“Even helping gets me an earful.”
【Did I not say I would tell you if I required your aid?】
“I’m bored. Why?”
【Hahat. Be honest—you are jealous of my performance.】
“Jealous? Me? Why would I envy an undead that doesn’t even have a living body?”
【Bah!】
Yeah, it was jealousy. Defusing traps with nothing but a single sword was no ordinary feat. In the blink of an eye she broke through every trap and reached the wide chamber at the end of the corridor.
The five-meter steel giant rose the instant it saw our party. Rumble— The wind-up keys embedded all over its body spun furiously.
“Ah, that’s the monster, hyung-nim!”
“Wind-up keys?”
“Yes. Spring Gears—monsters that drive the Steel Hold.”
The mana density was climbing. That was why no ordinary monsters had appeared. Dozens of wind-up keys clung to the Steel Hold at a glance. The more keys there were, the higher the Steel Hold’s combat power rose.
“At that level it would rival B-class.”
“That’s fine.”
I summoned two more Dracos from the death space.
Fire Breath × 2
The Dracos standing side by side spewed fire.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Unique Formula – Solar Eclipse
Fireball × 3
Wind Cutter × 10
Modification – Expansion
The enhanced explosions engulfed the Steel Hold. The steel weapon that had only just begun to move collapsed back down.
How about that? Pretty easy, right?
You have cleared the Explorer’s Tomb Gate.
Grade – SSS
It was such an obvious result that I didn’t even feel much about it.
Alright. Time to collect the rewards.
―Hey! Please listen to me for a moment!!
Huh?
“Sir Isra.”
【It is not I.】
“Not me either.”
If it was neither of them… then who had just sent that thought?