The Gauntlet of Despair
"Yes, Hunter Yoon Suhyun, your identity has been verified. You may proceed through that door."
As expected, the headquarters was, quite literally, a disaster. After finishing the verification process, I stepped into the association's temporary operation control room. The place was packed with countless hunters. Some were clutching their heads and muttering to themselves, others stood with vacant expressions, and some were even giggling. At a glance, there had to be at least fifty people.
Then, a man stepped onto the podium. The chaotic atmosphere inside silenced in an instant. The man on the podium was Han Jihyuk, the Hunter Association President and an S-rank hunter. With his white hair, trimmed beard, and sturdy build, he carried the aura of a dignified gentleman. This was the first time I had seen him in person since my hunter academy graduation.
Han Jihyuk stroked his beard a few times before standing before the microphone. "First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the hunters who gathered here in response to the mobilization order."
"That son of a bitch dragged us here... anyone would think we volunteered for this," the man next to me muttered under his breath.
"I will explain the current situation without a shred of falsehood. Team Leader Seo Suyeon."
As Han Jihyuk nodded, a woman stepped onto the podium. She immediately projected information about the Gate onto a large screen and began the briefing.
"I am Operation Team Leader Seo Suyeon. Thirty-six days ago, an S-rank Gate was discovered, and thirty-eight hours ago, an advance team was deployed. We have lost contact with them as of seven hours ago."
Seo Suyeon's briefing was horrifying. The initial exploration team, consisting of one S-rank hunter, thirty A-rank hunters, and forty-three B-rank hunters, had been deployed and had since gone silent. South Korea had only seven S-rank hunters, four of whom were affiliated with the Association. One was the Association President, Han Jihyuk himself—the figurehead of the Korean Hunter Association and the very embodiment of its system. If he were to enter this Gate, it would be an international admission that the Association was a crippled organization incapable of functioning without its leader.
Another was a hunter who was only on the Association's roster in name, effectively retired. I heard he was only listed as affiliated due to personal ties with the President. A third was a hunter who occasionally visited Korea to clear a few A-rank Gates, only to spend the massive payout abroad before returning to clear more Gates once the money ran out. I heard he wasn't even in the country right now.
And the last one... the only S-rank hunter who actively worked for the Association: 'Choi Seojin.' She was the leader of the advance team that had now gone missing in the Gate. In other words, we, the second exploration team... were being sent into an S-rank Gate without a single S-rank hunter.
Sighs and murmurs of discontent erupted from all corners. The second exploration team consisted of seventeen A-rank hunters, twenty-one B-rank hunters, and seven C-rank hunters who had been confirmed for promotion to B-rank. They said a third team was being organized to follow us shortly after we entered.
The only saving grace was that, perhaps because this was a hastily assembled team, the objective was rescue, not boss subjugation. If we explored the Gate and found the advance team, our goal was to evacuate immediately if the situation was too dire for continued combat.
The worst thing I heard today was that... Hye-na was on the list of the advance team.
It’ll be okay...
In two hours, we would enter the Gate.
The atmosphere was abysmal. Some were praying to God, while others were on the phone with their families. I tried to look for Nahyun, but it was impossible to find her in this chaos, so I gave up. We were issued top-tier equipment, the kind usually reserved for A-rank hunters.
"Hoo..." My instincts were screaming at me, telling me not to go in there.
"Everyone. Our mission is rescue, not exploration. If you follow my orders, we can return without any casualties," said the man standing in front of the Gate. It was 'Lee Seungchan,' an A-rank hunter who had been appointed leader of this team. He was a Psyker-type hunter... a psychic.
The advance team leader, Choi Seojin, is a Psyker, and this leader is a Psyker too... No, don't read into it.
"Then, let's go in. Follow me in order."
Perhaps sensing the grim mood, Lee Seungchan forced a smile and stepped into the Gate. It was my turn.
"Hoo. Survive. I must survive. If it gets dangerous, don't look back—just run." I steeled myself and stepped into the Gate.
After entering the Gate, we moved rapidly for about four hours, rested for thirty minutes, and then continued moving at a breakneck pace for several more hours. Everyone was on edge, maintaining a heavy, suffocating silence.
The interior of the Gate was creepily grotesque. It was filled with metaphysical, bizarre objects and altars reminiscent of the Cthulhu mythos. The altars were piled with things like hearts and organs, stained with blood. The entire place was made of black stone with a purple hue. The corpses of monsters scattered everywhere were proof that the advance team had been fine up until this point. The monsters themselves were equally bizarre—creatures with dozens of eyes and tentacles, all stained with purple blood.
There were no signs of the advance team's bodies.
Then what are the red blood and organs on the altars?
How many hours had passed? We hadn't encountered a single monster along the way. That meant the advance team was either struggling in a battle with the boss or had been wiped out. If they were fighting, we should have heard the sounds of combat, but there was nothing.
In the heavy silence, Lee Seungchan stopped. Before us stood a massive wall made of smoke.
"This is..."
"Haa..."
"Fuck..."
"Ah... Aaaah..."
Facing the smoke, not just me, but the other hunters let out groans of despair and sighs. Some even started laughing, perhaps because it was all too absurd. I, too, let out a hollow laugh as I faced a situation that far exceeded my worst expectations. The boss was likely inside this smoke. It was a completely isolated space, which explained why contact had been lost. And... the fact that no one was out here meant this entrance was likely a one-way street. It was highly probable that we were being moved to a space from which we could only escape by killing the boss. Furthermore, judging by the circumstances, we were likely the first to discover this smoke.
The advance team must have been dragged in by force. That's why they couldn't even send a signal.
"If we go in, it's over. Let's turn back."
"I agree. Going in is suicide."
Many hunters were refusing to enter. Lee Seungchan looked troubled as he spoke.
"For now... I will send a rescue signal. Three C-rank hunters, return and report the situation to the Association, and tell them to send the third rescue team immediately. And... we are going in."
The three C-rank hunters let out sighs of relief, as if they had been granted a reprieve. It wasn't the wrong decision. They wouldn't be of any help inside. Alerting the Association was the top priority. Lee Seungchan sighed and pressed the button on the signal beacon.
"You want us to go in and die?"
"Are you joking? Why don't you go in yourself?"
"This is a rescue mission, isn't it? Do you seriously intend to go in?"
Lee Seungchan scanned the hunters before speaking with a serious expression.
"Yes, because we are professionals. Fulfill the mission you were assigned. No one knows what is happening inside right now. It could be the worst-case scenario you're imagining, but they could also be locked in a fierce battle, desperately needing reinforcements for victory. I won't stop you if you want to turn back. But the revocation of your hunter license and severe disciplinary action will be on your own heads. I am going in, so those who wish to return, do so. Every second counts."
A few seconds of silence followed. Every hunter here was A or B-rank... they all knew the strength of an S-rank hunter. They were awakeners above awakeners, monsters so powerful you questioned if they even belonged in the same category as humans. That was what an S-rank hunter was. It was impossible to imagine such a monster being defeated and falling to a boss. They were likely fighting fiercely inside, waiting for support to land a decisive blow.
As the silence stretched, Lee Seungchan spoke.
"I'll assume no one is turning back... I'll go in first."
As Lee Seungchan entered, the other hunters followed without a word. Everyone, myself included, was trembling, but we suppressed our fear to fulfill our mission and walked into the mist.
Bang! Crack!
"This is rescue team leader Lee Seungchan!"
"The rescue team is here!"
"The next attack is coming! Get ready!"
As we walked into the mist, we were transported to a large room surrounded by black stone. The altars were made entirely of gold, and on the largest one sat a bizarre, indescribable monster. Dozens of hunters were trading blows with the boss. Every time the boss swung its tentacles, the walls crumbled like dust. The sheer wind pressure made the entire room shake.
That's the boss...
It was a massive, writhing black mass with no discernible shape. It flailed dozens of tentacles, attacking the hunters. In the center was a giant eye, and beneath it, a cylindrical mouth. Inside the mouth were thousands of saw-like teeth, and within that, a red sphere. And... lying in front of it was a hunter who looked to be in her thirties. Some were already dead, others were writhing in pain from their injuries. The worst part was... in the corner of the room, surrounded by recovery-type hunters, was the blood-soaked S-rank hunter, Choi Seojin. She was barely gasping for breath.
"What on earth happened..."
As Lee Seungchan asked with a hollow expression, a recovery-type hunter replied.
"There was an incredibly powerful attack... Hunter Choi Seojin took the full brunt of it with her own body..."
"Haa..."
There was no time to waste. After checking the fallen hunters, I searched for one person in this hellish scene.
"Huh?"
Among the hunters fighting fiercely, I found the person I was looking for. Hye-na... you're alive. She was bleeding from various places and looked exhausted, but I could see her still holding her sword straight. Then, Lee Seungchan shouted.
"Everyone! Pull yourselves together! We are joining the front lines immediately! Support-type hunters, move the wounded to where the recovery hunters are, and the rest of you, follow me into battle!"
The only saving grace was that the boss also had cuts and mangled wounds all over, pouring out purple blood like a fountain.
"Hoo. I won't die. I promised... that I'd come back."
I steeled my resolve, pulled out two knives, and headed toward the front lines.