The Gate Exploration
“I’m Seo Sang-hoon. My position is Tanker.”
“I’m Kang Jun-seo. My position is Combat Support.”
“Joo Ye-jun. I’m also a Tanker.”
“I’m Yoo Si-woo. I’m a... Carrier. Please take care of me.”
“I’m Yang Ha-yoon. My position is team leader and Attacker.”
“...Right, I’m Yoon Suhyun. I’m just tagging along as an observer this time.”
Once everyone finished their introductions, Im Ye-won spoke up.
“Hunter Yoon Suhyun is only here as an observer, so he won’t step in unless it’s an emergency.”
‘Hmm... the position balance is decent.’
In particular, Yang Ha-yoon, the team leader and the only D-rank hunter on the team... she’s a pure offensive Awakened with the highest growth potential. Seeing her constantly briefing the team members on their roles throughout the journey, her preparedness is also thorough.
The others seem average... but my heart feels a bit complicated looking at Yoo Si-woo, the porter.
He’s called a "Carrier," but he’s basically just a pack mule. When one becomes an Awakened, they develop a specialized field. From the rarest, Healing, to Combat Ability Enhancement, Support, Tanking, Attacking, and so on... Since Gates are generally entered by groups, it’s crucial to arrange team members who can cover each other’s lacking abilities.
But what if you’ve Awakened, yet have no standout ability? That’s me. This is where roles diverge, and hunters like me are called "Hexagon Hunters."
We don’t excel at any one thing, but our stats are evenly and neatly distributed, allowing us to respond appropriately to any situation. If you’re lucky enough to have a large "hexagon" like me, you’re called versatile... but small-sized Hexagon Hunters are just porters.
In short, Yoo Si-woo is an "Unlucky Yoon Suhyun."
“We’ve arrived. Please, be careful on your way.”
“Shall we go?”
Yang Ha-yoon entered the Gate with a confident look.
‘I hope this ends quickly.’
“...”
Everyone had entered the Gate, but the atmosphere was uneasy.
The interior of a Gate varies wildly from one to another. It could be a vast wilderness, a cave, or a castle built in the Middle Ages. But what unfolded before us was a cityscape.
‘The vibe is like Hong Kong.’
The reason for the uneasy atmosphere was clear. There is a common piece of "common sense" among hunters:
It’s not common for a city to appear in a D-rank Gate, but it’s not unheard of either. The problem is that the report clearly stated it was a vast prairie, yet here we are in a city.
“Um...”
Yang Ha-yoon turns around and looks at me.
“What should we do now...?”
All five of them are looking at me.
“Hmm... it’s not unheard of for the contents of a Gate to change overnight. Just because the background changes doesn’t mean it becomes dangerous enough to change the rank, but... in this case, it might be a D-rank dungeon bordering on C-rank.”
“...”
Silence falls again. Everyone is waiting for my instructions.
Basically, once you catch the boss of a Gate, an escape portal opens, and the Gate closes completely after a week. In other words, a hunter’s job is to deal with the boss. Once the hunters finish, a recovery team enters to sweep up useful resources from the Gate for the week.
However, even if you don’t catch the boss, the portal created when you entered doesn’t disappear. That means if things go south, you can just turn around and leave the way you came.
“It wouldn’t be a problem if I joined in, but since I’m an observer... I think it’s best if we turn back this time.”
“No.”
Seo Sang-hoon objected with a look of dismay.
‘Ha... damn, I knew it.’
The reason I was sent as an observer is because these hunters are undergoing a promotion review. Compared to the life-risking work they do, the pay for an E-rank hunter is quite stingy. For them, successfully exploring this Gate and promoting to D-rank is incredibly important.
If they turn back less than an hour after entering the Gate? Regardless of the reason, the chances of this promotion going down the drain are high.
“Well, everyone has their own circumstances, but...”
“I don’t want to turn back either.”
“If I fail this time, I have to wait another year.”
Joo Ye-jun and Kang Jun-seo also stepped up to oppose me.
‘Ah, should I just beat them all up and drag them out?’
The contract states that if they don’t follow the observer’s orders, I can legally use physical force. To be cold about it, subduing three E-ranks with my bare hands and cracking their skulls wouldn’t be a chore at all.
“Hmm...”
Perhaps reading my thoughts, Yang Ha-yoon urgently stepped in front of me.
“Observer, then how about we explore a little further... and if it’s really dangerous, we turn back then? If you, the observer, judge that it’s truly dangerous, we’ll all turn back without a word. Everyone else agrees, right?”
Everyone nods, looking as if they’d accept that much.
“Haa... fine. If I say we turn back, we turn back then.”
“Yes, Observer! Thank you!”
Crackle-
A white bird with a wingspan of at least 20 meters and eight black eyes is slamming into the shield as if to shatter it. It didn’t look like a creature from Earth at all.
“Sang-hoon, hold on! You’ll see an opening soon!”
Behind the tankers holding the shields, Yang Ha-yoon is watching the monster with sharp eyes, waiting for an opening.
“Ugh! Yes!”
While grasping the team members’ capabilities and giving orders, she hasn’t forgotten her own role and is keeping a close eye on the beast.
“Now...!”
Yang Ha-yoon leaped through the gap in the shields in an instant, flew up, and sliced the monster’s head. The bird-monster, sensing danger too late, tried to change its trajectory, but Yang Ha-yoon’s sword was a split second faster.
Even after landing safely, she didn’t let her guard down and slashed at the monster’s head lying on the ground.
“Whew... she’s good.”
‘It’s safe to say this is a Yang Ha-yoon one-man team.’
There were moments that looked a bit precarious, but she overcame them each time with her individual capability. And above all, she looks familiar. The combat style and the aura of the person herself are familiar.
“The boss should be coming out soon. It’s late, so let’s camp here tonight and continue the exploration tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
After eating the dinner Yoo Si-woo prepared and setting up a base to spend the night, we decided to take turns standing guard in pairs. Yang Ha-yoon and I were the first to take the watch.
No one expressed any complaints about the order. It’s common sense that the strongest team member needs to be in the best condition, so Yang Ha-yoon and I were assigned the first shift.
“Um... can I ask you something I’m curious about?”
“Yes.”
Yang Ha-yoon stared at me cautiously as she spoke.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you, Observer?”
“Twenty-two.”
“What?! Haha... you’re younger than me. I’m twenty-five.”
“Yes...”
“You must have been incredibly talented. To be B-rank at such a young age...”
“I think Ha-yoon will reach that level soon, too.”
“Really?”
Even at such trivial small talk, Yang Ha-yoon smiled and replied as if she were enjoying it.
‘Ah... why does she look so familiar? Who is she?’
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“I’ll decide after I hear it.”
“Can you spar with me after our watch is over?”
“What? Without resting?”
“What’s the point of resting? I’m not even that tired.”
“Ah!”
It hit me.
Hyena. Kang Hyena.
I kept thinking the atmosphere was familiar; the way she wields her sword and her tone of voice are exactly like Kang Hyena’s.
‘I talked to her on the phone just a few days ago, and I only just realized it now.’
After graduating from Hunter School, I only made occasional request calls for three years, so I hadn’t seen her face, which is why it didn’t come to mind. Of course, only the vibe is similar; her ability is completely different.
‘After all, Kang Hyena is a state-certified monster whose S-rank promotion is practically guaranteed.’
“Why... are you doing that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Sure, let’s do it. But I don’t handle longswords well, so I’m not sure if I’ll be of any help.”
“You’ll handle it better than me.”
“Kuaaaaaa!!!”
Bang-!
As the giant monkey with white fur swung its arm, the concrete pillar was smashed in an instant.
‘A monkey as the boss in a city background... I don’t get it.’
The tankers held their shields to block the boss’s attacks and draw its attention, while Kang Jun-seo carefully stabbed the enemy with his spear whenever there was an opportunity, quickly pulling back.
Squelch-!
“Kueeee!!!”
‘It’s almost over.’
The boss had been slashed to pieces by Yang Ha-yoon, its skin torn in various places, bleeding, and now it was panting heavily, as if exhausted.
Kwang-!!!
The boss launched one final attack, but Yang Ha-yoon dodged it lightly, dove into its chest, and plunged the final dagger into its heart.
“Kue...”
Vwooom-
As the boss collapsed and fell silent, the escape portal opened.
“Whew... it’s over. You all worked hard.”
“Let’s go back.”
Crossing back through the portal, Im Ye-won was standing there.
“Thank you for your hard work. Is the Gate exploration finished?”
“Yes, you can call the recovery team now. Can we go back now?”
“I’ve prepared a car to take Hunter Yoon Suhyun home. The payment will be processed tomorrow.”
‘Sweet.’
“Thank you. I’ll be going then.”
I’m going home. My heart, which had been dead, starts pounding as if it’s coming back to life.
“Um... Observer! No, Suhyun!”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could I get your number?”
“...Yes.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to give it, but I gave her my number to avoid a long conversation. She must think I have connections in the Association and intends to ask for help when she needs it later.
‘Ah, I need to get home fast.’
“Then I’ll contact you...!”
“Yeah, yeah, get inside quickly.”
“Driver, let’s depart immediately.”
Just imagining Mom’s special service scheduled for tonight makes my crotch bulge as if my pants are about to burst.
Have I become a body that can no longer live without Mom?