Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The One Who Hunts Gates, Hunter (2)
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Arriving at the gate's location right on time as indicated by the app, they were greeted by a scene far different from what the two had anticipated.
The area around the gate was cordoned off with yellow police tape by the cops.
Crowds of onlookers buzzed around the perimeter, while reporters shoved against the officers trying to stop them, snapping photos nonstop.
Before reaching the gate, Kang Sa-hu had decided they should change into hoodies and grab hats back at the house. Kang Ji-ye looked stunned as she fiddled with her hood.
"...If you're asking how I knew this would happen?"
"Like I said before. Movies and dramas."
Kang Ji-ye, who had already guessed the answer, shook her head as if to say I knew it.
"Guess we'll have to carry hoodies and hats from now on."
"Smart move. No good comes from your face getting recognized."
Of course, their identities might get exposed eventually anyway. But with public interest in Awakeners and gates at an all-time high right now, Kang Sa-hu figured it was best to stay low-key.
And while she might not have watched as many movies or dramas as her brother, Kang Ji-ye had seen enough stories about human greed, curiosity, and survival instincts causing chaos to agree with him.
"Hey, over there!"
"Are you an Awakener?! They call Awakeners Hunters, right? Is it true you're heading in to hunt the gate?!"
"One quick comment on your feelings before you go inside!"
Even though they hadn't given permission to film, countless cameras zeroed in on the pair.
Escorted by the police, Kang Sa-hu and Kang Ji-ye hurried past without a word and slipped inside the cordon.
"Phew! Good job getting through."
The officer who'd guarded them to the gate fanned his uniform.
It wasn't quite the end of summer yet, so the heat was brutal—or maybe it was the cold sweat from the tension. Sweat poured from his forehead down to his chin.
"Alright, let's check your IDs. Can I see your Hunter licenses?"
The cop verified their Hunter licenses, cross-checked them on his phone, and nodded once satisfied.
"Please wait here a moment."
After the officer left, a familiar face appeared a short while later—a soldier Kang Sa-hu recognized from their one previous encounter.
"Hey! It's the lieutenant who measured our ranks!"
"Hello."
She didn't show it, but being called "lieutenant" like a big sister seemed to please her. Lieutenant Han Si-yeon greeted them with a soft smile.
Her eyes flicked over Kang Sa-hu with a subtle gaze, but he was too focused on the gate ahead to notice.
"You two signed up for slots 4 and 5, right? You're lucky."
"Huh? Why's that?"
Kang Ji-ye tilted her head curiously, and Han Si-yeon gave a small smile.
"You've probably heard, but each gate has limits on entrants based on its rank and size. This one's capped at exactly five people."
"Didn't seem like many people had applied, though," Kang Sa-hu chimed in from the side.
She shook her head.
"That was true at first. But after a dozen people cleared an F-rank gate that popped up earlier—successfully, no less—applications spiked. A few got banged up, but nothing worse than minor injuries."
Han Si-yeon lifted one corner of her mouth in a mix of understanding and mockery.
"Look, it's natural to fear your first challenge. But it's not exactly thrilling to see people who ignored all the encouragement suddenly clamoring to sign up like it's a competition."
"I get it."
Kang Sa-hu nodded.
He could understand both sides: the Hunters rushing in now that it seemed safer than expected, eyes gleaming with greed...
And her contempt for them.
Following Han Si-yeon, they spotted people seated on plastic chairs set up temporarily in front of the gate. They were checking phones or jiggling their legs nervously, and all eyes turned to Kang Sa-hu and Kang Ji-ye.
Han Si-yeon asked them to wait and switched on the speaker at her hip.
"Hunters numbered 1 through 5 for this hunt are all present. Other Hunters, entry is restricted—please head out."
"What the hell?"
"I've been waiting here forever!"
"If that's the case, why not say so sooner?!"
The Hunters who'd been sitting stood up, pointing fingers at Han Si-yeon and protesting loudly.
As if she'd seen this coming, she let out a quiet sigh and led Kang Sa-hu and Kang Ji-ye toward the tent.
"Sorry, but I need to calm the other Hunters down. Someone inside will brief you on the hunt."
The siblings nodded and ducked into the tent.
A folding table for six sat squarely in the cramped space, with three people already seated and eyeing them.
"Haha! Finally, all five are here! Nice to meet you!"
"Hello~"
A middle-aged man stood and greeted them warmly; Kang Ji-ye responded brightly.
One woman and two men occupied the chairs. Excluding the friendly middle-ager, the other two looked about Kang Sa-hu's age.
Once the initial greetings were exchanged, everyone introduced themselves in turn.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Kim Ho-myeong, Awakened as a Knight this time around. Got an A-rank."
The burly guy with short hair and glasses introduced himself, prompting the permed middle-aged man beside him to jump in seamlessly.
"Name's Bae Deok-ho. Class is Archer, B-rank they said. Looks like I'm the oldest here—take care of me, yeah~?"
...B-rank?
Kang Sa-hu eyed Bae Deok-ho curiously.
Unaware of the look, Bae Deok-ho gestured with an open palm as if passing the baton. The woman with her ponytail neatly tied back bowed her head politely.
"Hello. I'm Lee Yu-rim. Assassin class, A-rank. Nice to meet you."
With introductions wrapping up, Kang Ji-ye went next.
"Nice to meet you~ I'm a Priest class, B-rank! This is my big brother."
"Nice to meet you. Necromancer class. Rank came out as... Ex."
The others nodded along until Kang Sa-hu's rank hit them, leaving them baffled.
"Ex-rank? Is that even a thing?"
Kim Ho-myeong, the Knight, asked skeptically.
"There was an issue with the Monolith during my measurement, so it didn't register properly."
"Ah, so Ex for extra. Like a provisional rank?"
"Something like that, yeah."
Bae Deok-ho stepped in with a grin and explanation; Kang Sa-hu just went along with it.
It wasn't like pooling their heads would solve it, and he didn't put much stock in ranks anyway—no need to belabor the point.
Just as introductions finished, a soldier entered the tent.
"Hello. We're about to start the gate briefing—is now okay?"
"Sure~"
Kang Ji-ye's chipper reply brought smiles to the tent.
The sergeant pinned with his rank insignia fired up the beam projector onto the screen and began.
"This gate is F-rank. Confirmed monsters inside are Forest Lizards—lizard-type, about the size of a large dog."
The screen flipped to a sketch of the beast, like a composite drawing of a wanted suspect.
Noticing their puzzled looks, the sergeant added quickly:
"Electronics don't work inside gates, so we had to go with a drawing of its appearance."
"You said 'appearance'—does that mean a Hunter already encountered this... Forest Lizard inside a gate?"
Kim Ho-myeong raised his hand; the sergeant nodded.
"Yes. First spotted in a gate that opened in Paraguay."
The screen advanced, displaying details beside the sketch.
"Forest Lizards have tough scales, so blunt weapons are more effective than blades. One Hunter even took a gun inside—hit it, but just a scratch."
The group gasped at the idea of bullets barely fazing it.
"Of course, that's only inside the gate. Guns lose power in there somehow."
"What about if they come out?"
Kang Ji-ye asked, and the sergeant smiled.
"Then they'd take a lot more punishment. From the last Gate Break intel, up to E-rank can be handled with rifles, grenades, and Claymores."
"...That's pretty serious, isn't it?"
Bae Deok-ho grimaced at the thought of needing Claymores for E-ranks.
"Which is why you Hunters are crucial. A Gate Break means urban combat—we can't avoid it."
The sergeant paused, giving Kang Sa-hu a pointed look.
Kang Sa-hu blinked curiously, and the sergeant grinned without breaking eye contact.
"And one person actually stopped an E-rank Gate Break solo."
"Solo...?"
The group murmured in shock, following his gaze to Kang Sa-hu—and gawking harder.
"W-Wait, are you that... uh..."
"Does that mean Hunter Kang Sa-hu stopped all the E-rank monsters by himself?"
Kim Ho-myeong finished for the fumbling Bae Deok-ho; the sergeant nodded.
"Exactly."
"...Hahaha! Now that's reassuring!"
Bae Deok-ho burst out laughing.
"I was worried if this gate crawling with those things was the right pick. But if you wiped out E-ranks solo, F-ranks must be a snack!"
Tension easing, Bae Deok-ho laughed heartily. Kang Ji-ye and Lee Yu-rim stared at Kang Sa-hu in awe, but Kim Ho-myeong looked skeptical.
"Does that even make sense? Taking on a whole swarm alone...?"
"You'll see for yourself soon enough."
The sergeant smirked.
"Not impossible, either. Remember Lieutenant Han Si-yeon from earlier? She cleared two F-rank gates solo."
"No way?!"
Kang Ji-ye yelped.
The others—even Kang Sa-hu aside—stared at the sergeant in stunned silence.
"Heh, whoops. Wasn't supposed to spill that."
Bae Deok-ho rubbed his hands together.
A fierce confidence lit up his round, honest-looking face.
"This hunt's gonna be fun."
His competitive fire spread like contagion; the other Hunters fidgeted excitedly, faces flushing.
The sergeant beamed proudly at their enthusiasm—until his eyes met Kang Sa-hu's, and he flinched.
Behind the group of thrilled, expectant faces...
Kang Sa-hu alone sat straight-backed, utterly impassive.