The Raid on the Seven Gates
“Suhyun, why are you still only a B-rank?”
“I suppose it’s because I don’t really take on much work, and even when I do, I only clear low-rank Gates.”
After rummaging through the kitchen with Min Serin, we discovered two cups of instant ramen hidden in the corner of a cabinet. The dormitory provided boxed meals every few hours. They were tasty and the portions were generous, but since we were completely cut off from the outside world, there was no way to get food if you were hungry at night.
Min Serin was much more talkative and cheerful than I had expected. Perhaps she had struggled with her sharp, intimidating appearance as well.
“Hmm. You might be able to get promoted after this operation is over.”
“What? You think they’ll promote me just for participating in one mission?”
“Yeah. I heard that since the S-rank incident a while back, the number of A-rank Hunters has dropped significantly, so the Association is internally scouting B-ranks to promote. Plus, you were the second-highest contributor at that S-rank Gate... Honestly, even without all that, I’m sure if you just beat up the A-rank re-evaluation examiner, they’d promote you on the spot.”
“I see.”
‘An A-rank Hunter, huh…’
Becoming an A-rank Hunter meant being showered with privileges I had never enjoyed before. Not only would I be assigned a dedicated Association agent, but the base pay for a single request would exceed 300 to 400 million won. However, A-ranks weren’t really interested in money to begin with. Or rather, they were people driven more by the competitive spirit to climb higher than by mere greed.
‘That’s why they risk their lives doing this crap every time…’
“I’ll clean up the leftovers! You go ahead and head in, Suhyun!”
“What? Oh… thank you.”
Min Serin stared at the empty ramen cup with a look of regret, as if she were still hungry. ‘She’s a good eater…’
“Good. If we do exactly as we practiced over the last four days, there won’t be any problems. The operation is tomorrow, so let’s get some good rest today.”
“Understood.”
Four days had passed since the group training began. We had practiced with the team, but I questioned whether this could even be called an “operation.” A total of 35 Hunters were divided into seven teams of five. The reason was simple: according to an insider’s tip and the Association’s investigation, the building had exactly seven entrances. Each team was assigned to one door.
Security was extremely tight, and time was short, so further investigation was impossible. In other words, it wasn’t so much an operation as it was a forced entry. The core of the mission was to infiltrate quickly, secure evidence, and arrest key figures before they could destroy the proof.
Our team leader was Lee Seung-jun. He was the one who had challenged Hyena in the conference room. Originally from the Information Investigation Bureau, he was said to be one of the best among the gathered Hunters when it came to human-to-human combat. The team consisted of five people: A-rank Hunters Lee Dae-sung and Choi Myung-ho, plus Min Serin and myself. Since it was a forced entry, it wouldn’t be a secret mission for long; the Association would announce the operation nationwide the moment it began. Simultaneously, police and Association support units would surround the building to catch anyone trying to flee.
‘Entering without even knowing how many people are inside… or the interior layout… can this even be called an operation?’
“Alright, don’t do anything else today and get some good rest.”
“Yes.”
Everyone smiled and exchanged greetings, but I could feel the tension in their expressions. I was the same.
4:00 AM. I was looking down at the building from the dark, gloomy forest. The building felt much larger and more ominous than it had in the photos.
“We enter in three minutes. Stay sharp. That’s the door we’re going through,” Choi Seung-jun said, pointing at the building.
We had been issued masks by the Association on our way here. Every Hunter wore the same design to carry out the mission. They said it was to prevent retaliation against the Hunters or their families by criminal organizations in case our faces were exposed.
I pulled out the knife provided by the Association and stroked it. ‘A weapon specialized for human combat…’
I had been issued a standard dagger, a harpoon-shaped blade, and six throwing knives. The harpoon-shaped dagger was designed to rip out an enemy’s organs. Once it pierced the skin, the jagged, comb-like blade would tear through the body. ‘And they said the goal was a live capture…’
“One minute… remaining. Don’t worry about the other teams; just look at the door and run. Don’t forget that the key to this mission is the ‘surprise gift.’”
In the silence, I could hear the trembling breath of my teammates. Min Serin turned her head to look at me once, then nodded. Lee Seung-jun, true to his background in the Information Investigation Bureau, showed no signs of tension at all. ‘This probably isn’t his first mission like this…’
It was too dark to see, but 35 Hunters were hiding in this forest, close to the doors they were assigned to. Somewhere out there, Hyena was likely hiding behind a mask as well.
“Ten seconds… I’ll say it again: don’t worry about the other teams. Just look at our target door and run. Understood?”
The team members nodded and braced themselves to sprint.
“Operation start.”
Lee Seung-jun took the lead and began to run at full speed, and we followed him. Hunters from other teams, who had been hiding in the darkness, began to reveal themselves. Two guards were stationed at each door. Soon, the surroundings became noisy, and I made eye contact with the two organization members guarding our door.
“W-what the?!”
“Fucking hell! Contact the higher-ups, quick!”
Lee Seung-jun quickly pulled out a knife and threw it at the guard. He was so skilled that it took less than a second to pull the dagger from his belt and hurl it at the target. As the knife buried itself into the guard’s throat with a wet thud, the guard next to him frantically pulled a radio from his pocket.
Slice.
“N-now…! Gurgle…! Argh.”
Lee Seung-jun sprinted like the wind and slashed the throat of the guard holding the radio. The guard, his throat deeply cut, watched as blood sprayed like a fountain from his neck. He tried to cover the wound with his hands, but blood gushed out between his fingers, and he soon collapsed to his knees in silence.
Lee Seung-jun muttered as he pulled the knife out of the throat of the guard who had fallen with the throwing dagger embedded in him. “Is it because it’s been a while? It’s pretty rusty… Well then, shall we go in?”
Lee Seung-jun skillfully took a card from the corpse’s pocket and swiped it against the entrance door.
Beep— Click.
The door opened. Hunters from other teams were also clearing their guards and opening their respective doors. ‘As expected… so this is a Hunter from the Information Investigation Bureau. If you’re marked as a target, you’d be dead before you could even scream…’
As we opened the door and entered the building, a foul, acrid smell of chemicals hit us. Soon, a loud noise came from the stairs, and over 20 organization members appeared before us. They were all brandishing weapons—longswords, daggers, axes, hammers—the kind Hunters usually used.
“Fucking hell… who are you guys?”
A large man with a scar on his face walked out from between the members, cursing, and everyone bowed in respect.
“This is driving me crazy. Who was guarding this door?”
“It was Gi-ho and Chang-soo, boss.”
“Useless bastards… Hey! Bring me my weapon.”
At the large man’s gesture, a member brought over a katana and handed it to him. We drew our weapons and took a combat stance. Lee Seung-jun turned to look at us and said, “It seems… our team drew the short straw.”
The large man drew his sword, laughed aloud, and swept his hair back. “Just looking at you… it seems like the Association is here for an inspection… fuck, isn’t this a bit of an abuse of power? Does the Association have no business ethics? Even if you’re going to attack, do it in the daytime…”
“Surrender.” Lee Seung-jun cut him off.
“You fucking piece of shit… interrupting someone while they’re talking… Forget it. If we surrender, will you let us live?”
“Everyone drop your weapons and surrender peacefully.”
“Did you shove concrete in your ears? I’m asking you a question… Boys, just kill them all.”
“Yes, boss!”
The members drew their weapons and prepared to rush us. Cold sweat began to flow inside my mask, and my heart started racing.
“Everyone, stay sharp. In a chaotic fight, one moment of carelessness is the end.”
“Hoo…”
As one member lunged at us, the rest followed suit.
“Kill them all!”
“You fucking bastards, you’ve got guts!”
Whoosh. A member swung an axe at me. I twisted my body to dodge the attack and kicked him in the solar plexus.
Crack!
“Argh!”
I felt a few ribs break as I kicked him. The man with the axe collapsed to the floor, vomiting red blood. ‘Slow… barely C-rank level… seeing him vomit blood, did a rib fragment pierce his lung?’
“You son of a bitch! Die!”
Three members surrounded me. ‘Don’t think… forget about live capture, just focus on surviving.’
Slice.
“Aaaargh! Fuuuuuck!”
As one member’s wrist was severed, he grabbed his spurting wrist and rolled around on the blood-soaked floor, screaming.
“My arm! My aaaaarm! Fuuuuuck!”
“Haa…”
The floor of the building had become a complete bloodbath, and every step I took made a squelching sound. On the blood-soaked floor, there were some lucky ones who had simply been knocked unconscious, some who were already half-dead, and others who were gasping their final breaths while spilling blood.
“Is everyone uninjured?”
“Yes.”
Min Serin looked around and checked the condition of the team members. Although our protective gear was torn in places, no one had sustained any injuries.
“Then…”
Our gaze turned to the large man who had looked so confident earlier; he was now a bloody mess, kneeling on the ground. Lee Seung-jun was holding the man’s hair with one hand and had his other hand inside the man’s mouth. Eight teeth were scattered on the floor.
Lee Seung-jun was covered in blood, but he had no wounds.
“No… there are two paths to the basement… I asked you where the kids you captured are, didn’t I? Are you really not going to talk?”
Crunch.
After speaking, Lee Seung-jun pulled out one of the large man’s remaining teeth and threw it on the floor.
“Aaaargh! I! Gurgle! You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”
“…”
We just swallowed hard and watched the scene.
“I’ll ask one last time… where is it? Huh?”
Crunch. The man’s canine tooth was pulled out and thrown to the floor. The man spat blood from his mouth.
“Aaaargh! I really don’t know! Gurgle! Only the high-ranking officers can enter there! Ugh…”
“Is that so?”
Crack!
Lee Seung-jun grabbed the man’s hair and slammed his fist into his face. With a sickening crunch, the large man’s nose broke, and he passed out on the spot. Lee Seung-jun looked at us and said, “Hmm… I tried to reason with him, but he really doesn’t seem to know.”
‘Reason with him? You crazy bastard…’
“It looks like we’ll have to split up to go down.”
“…”
“Suhyun and I will go down to the right, so the rest of you go left. If you’re in a dangerous situation, don’t fight—radio us immediately. Shall we go right away?”
‘Why me…’
Lee Seung-jun finished speaking and immediately began to descend the stairs. After a brief nod to the team members, I followed Lee Seung-jun down the stairs.