The Sudden Gate

Inside the MNL Guild office, Guild Master Park Junpyo’s fist slammed into Yang Jongchan’s face.

Thwack!

"Gah!" Yang Jongchan collapsed to the floor in a single blow. But Park Junpyo’s face was twisted with fury.

"You bastard. You dare try to deceive me?"

"G-Guild Master, I was wrong. Please, just forgive me this once—"

Despite Yang Jongchan’s pleas, Park Junpyo’s rage didn’t subside. He began kicking him again.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Yang Jongchan screamed with every impact.

"P-please..."

The reason he was being beaten was simple: Park Junpyo had found out that the recruitment of Cheon Yooshin had failed. And it wasn’t just the failure; he’d learned about everything that had happened at Cheon Yooshin’s house. Yang Jongchan had drunkenly blabbered about it to an employee in the HR team he led, and the news had reached Park Junpyo’s ears.

"I put you in charge of the HR team because I thought you were competent, and now you’re running wild without knowing your place? Because of you, I’ve lost a hunter who might be on my own level. Do you have any idea how massive a loss that is?"

Cheon Yooshin had never been part of the MNL Guild to begin with, but Park Junpyo spoke as if he were one of his own guild members.

"I, I was wrong, Guild Master."

Yang Jongchan just begged. He thought that if he could just appease Park Junpyo’s anger, he could escape this situation. But Park Junpyo’s rage was beyond anything Yang Jongchan had imagined. In truth, it didn’t matter whether Yang Jongchan had lied or not. He was just someone to be cleaned up.

"Hey. Lee Seongjun!"

The door opened, and a man named Lee Seongjun entered.

"Yes. Did you call for me?"

"Drag this bastard to a gate."

At those words, Yang Jongchan’s face turned deathly pale.

"Guild Master! Please, spare me! Give me one more chance!"

"You idiot. In this situation, what can a non-awakened piece of trash like you even do? Let’s go quietly. Quietly, okay?"

Gates were places where even awakened hunters died. Sending a non-awakened person into one? It was tantamount to suicide. And this was how Park Junpyo had been dealing with people he didn’t like. For a guild in charge of gate management, manipulating gate entry records was nothing.

Yang Jongchan knelt and begged, but it was useless. He was already being dragged out by Lee Seongjun. Park Junpyo paced the office, flames of fury rising in his eyes.

"You dare reject my offer? You son of a bitch!!!"

He shouted, sweeping the documents off his desk with both hands. He didn’t care that they were scattered across the floor.

"I’ll make you realize that this rejection was the biggest mistake of your life."

If I can’t have him, no one can. I’ll break him! That vicious selfishness flashed in Park Junpyo’s eyes. He immediately made a call.

"Start the operation. Yes, commit all available forces. And use the hidden Mana Sealing Stones. Yes, you idiot! Use the Mana Sealing Stones! He’s not an easy target. I’m telling you to erase Cheon Yooshin from this world!"

The tremors grew stronger. Rumble. Along with the heart-stopping sound vibrating from beneath the ground, the school building swayed. The walls and floors shook, and the lockers in the classroom fell to the floor. The glass windows shattered, scattering shards across the classroom floor.

“R-run!”

“F-fuck! A Sudden Gate? Out of nowhere!”

The people attending the committee scrambled toward the exit, pushing each other to get out first. In their struggle to survive, the dignity they had shown moments ago vanished, as did their pretenses. Only the instinct to live remained on their faces.

Just then, Yooshin’s phone rang.

[Y-Yooshin! Right now...]

“I can see it from here, too. That’s a Sudden Gate?”

A black-tinted gate stood tall. And from the gate, the forms of green giants began to emerge one by one. Their presence was so overwhelming that just looking at them made one’s legs tremble.

[Y-yes. It’s a Troll. A Troll!]

Yooshin nodded, recalling the Trolls he had faced in the Abyss. In terms of Abyss hierarchy, they were one step above the very bottom. They were incredibly weak.

[They are incredibly strong. To deal with one Troll, you need ten D-class hunters. But there are already more than ten of them out! Hunter, the situation is dire. Even if our Hunter Management Department arrives quickly, it’ll take over 30 minutes. 30 minutes. And even if they do arrive, dealing with a swarm like that is suicide. Please, help us.]

Park Haesu’s desperate voice came through the phone. He was planning to deal with them anyway. Monsters meant money. And there was another reason: being able to hunt powerful monsters was another form of power. Park Haesu was a core team leader of the Hunter Management Department, yet he was bowing his head to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yooshin repeatedly. The reason was simple: Yooshin had the ability to hunt monsters.

“There’s a bounty, right?”

[Of course! Trolls are classified as special monsters, so you get 2 million won per head. Plus, Trolls drop Yellow Magic Stones, and since the monsters have spilled out of the gate, you can also collect their corpses. It’s instant money.]

At Yooshin’s positive response, Park Haesu was busy listing all the benefits he could get if he caught them.

“Forget it, just hide and handle the cleanup.”

Cheon Yooshin hung up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the phone and walked onto the school field with a gait devoid of any tension. On the field, the corpses of students were already torn limb from limb, their blood soaking the ground. One might have frowned at such a cruel reality, but Yooshin smiled instead.

‘Maybe there’s something wrong with my head.’

“Help me!”

A piercing scream from a female student rang out. Turning his gaze, he saw people divided into two groups desperately fleeing from the Trolls. On one side were students and teachers, and on the other were those who had attended the school violence committee.

Yooshin moved. He headed toward the group with the students and teachers. Dark Arrow struck the head of a Troll chasing the students. The impact must have been significant, as the Troll shook its head for a moment. It shook its head as if trying to regain its senses, but—

‘Too late!’

Five Dark Arrows had already arrived at the Troll’s head.

Puff-puff-puff-puff-boom!

The skill he had been waiting for was unlocked. Dark Spear. It was a much more powerful anti-personnel attack magic than Dark Arrow. It could pierce a Troll’s skull in one go. Yooshin raised his hand. Darkness bloomed over his palm. As soon as the blurry, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smoke-like energy transformed into the shape of a sharp spear, it began to slowly rise from his hand. Yooshin’s gaze turned toward the Trolls chasing the students.

Whoosh!

As if responding to his will, the Dark Spear cut through the air. Its speed was incomparable to Dark Arrow. The Dark Spear, which had pierced the head of the first Troll, moved as if it were a living creature with its own will.

Ignoring the laws of inertia, it changed direction at an unpredictable angle and pierced the second and third Trolls.

Still, it didn’t stop. There were still many Trolls chasing the students, and the students and teachers were still in mortal danger. The Dark Spear knocked down the Trolls one after another like a predator frolicking in the air.

‘Bingo!’

A smile spread across Yooshin’s lips at the explosive leveling speed. Just then, the students and teachers who had been saved ran toward Yooshin.

“T-thank you. We survived thanks to you.”

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you so much!”

“Thank you!”

The teachers offered their thanks first, and the students followed, bowing their heads.

“A-ah, thank you, mister.”

“If it weren’t for you, we would have died...”

Yooshin pointed at the school building without changing his expression.

“It’s noisy, so get inside. Outside will be hell.”

Even before Cheon Yooshin had stepped onto the field, Trolls that had emerged from the gate had already run outside the school. So, it was obvious that the outside was already hell. Staying inside the school would actually help Yooshin deal with the Trolls.

“O-okay.”

“You guys, let’s go quickly! Don’t make a sound, just look ahead and run. Got it?”

Even at that moment, the teachers were surrounding the students, protecting them. It was like mother hens shielding their chicks under their wings. Yooshin smiled slightly at the sight. That’s what a teacher should be. What else is a teacher? That much is enough. Because people like him can handle the rest.

Meanwhile, C-class hunter Park Sanha was facing a Troll with a sweat-drenched face. But the sword in his hand was trembling like an aspen leaf.

“I-it’s just a Troll!”

He shouted, forcing a voice full of bravado. At that moment, the Troll lunged.

“You fucking bastard!”

He yelled and swung his sword. But his attack couldn’t cut through the Troll’s thick hide.

“T-this is impossible.”

Just then, the Troll’s massive hand grabbed Park Sanha’s arm.

“Argh! Let go, let go! Let go, you bastard!”

Park Sanha tried to pull his arm out of the monster’s grip with all his might, but it was futile. The Troll lifted Park Sanha as if he were a toy.

“T-this can’t be. I’m a C-class hunter!!”

But the result didn’t change. The Troll brought Park Sanha to its mouth.

“Gyaaaaaaah!”

It tore Park Sanha’s head off in one bite. Crunch, crunch. Snap. A stream of bright red blood flowed from the Troll’s mouth. Slurp!

“H-huff!”

“C-crazy!”

The parents behind Park Sanha watched the scene with faces full of terror. When the Troll that had eaten Park Sanha turned its gaze toward them, they stood frozen, unable to move. But there was someone among them who was quick to judge the situation. It was Supreme Court Justice Moon Yeongchan. He pushed people aside and ran somewhere.

“Don’t block my path, get out of the way!”

To be precise, toward Cheon Yooshin, who was slaughtering the Trolls. Perhaps that was the trigger. The people who had been frozen followed Moon Yeongchan. People ran, pushing and shoving each other. Fear filled the eyes of Lee Yeongsik, the representative of Cheonjin Industries. The Troll that had mercilessly chewed up the hunter was still hungry, and it was chasing them from just a few meters behind.

His breath was running out. Saliva flowed down his mouth. His leg muscles were signaling that they had reached their limit and to stop running. His movements began to slow down gradually.

‘I-I’m going to die like this!’

When he thought he was going to die, Lee Yeongsik saw Jeong Byeongsu running beside him, also gasping for air. A cruel thought flashed through Lee Yeongsik’s mind.

‘I-I’m sorry, Teacher Jeong. But I have to live!’

Lee Yeongsik pushed Jeong Byeongsu with all his might.

“Argh!”

Jeong Byeongsu screamed at the unexpected impact and fell to the ground.

“L-Lee! You son of a bitch!!!”

Jeong Byeongsu shouted in a voice filled with terror. Following that, his desperate scream echoed across the field along with the cruel sound of flesh being torn.

“Gyaaaaaaah!”

In the end, the parents were torn to pieces one by one by the Troll’s teeth. Only two people arrived at Cheon Yooshin’s side: Supreme Court Justice Moon Yeongchan and Cheonjin Industries representative Lee Yeongsik.

“S-save us!”

Moon Yeongchan’s expensive suit was already a mess, covered in mud, and his dignified voice was nowhere to be found.

“Please, save us! I’ll give you anything you want! Please...”

Lee Yeongsik was the same. His suit was torn, and he was barefoot, having lost one of his shoes somewhere. Their eyes were filled only with the desire to live. The authority they had shown at the school violence committee had vanished without a trace.

A cold smile hung on Cheon Yooshin’s lips.

“You want me to save you?”

Moon Yeongchan begged, bowing his head to the floor.

“Please, we were wrong. So...”

Cheon Yooshin tilted his head slightly and said,

“Wrong? Yeah, you must have been wrong. But it’s too late. To be forgiven, that is.”

The two men’s faces turned pale. If they had admitted their children’s wrongdoing at the school violence committee and begged for forgiveness, promising to accept the punishment, maybe the situation would be different now. But they hadn’t asked for forgiveness. Instead, they had covered it up and manipulated it.

“Remember? You called my sister being assaulted by your children a simple prank. I’ve started to want to try that ‘prank’ myself. So now, you guys have to experience that ‘prank’ firsthand. To see how shitty it feels to be on the receiving end of what you call a prank.”

Cheon Yooshin wore a playful smile. Then he began to step back.

“P-please!”

Moon Yeongchan begged, shedding tears.

“No! I can’t die!”

Lee Yeongsik screamed. But.

“Pay for the sins your children committed with your own deaths. I’ll grant you that much mercy.”

It was the punishment for having immature children.

“Goodbye.”

No sooner had those words left his lips than the Trolls rushed in like a tidal wave. Yooshin’s eyes remained calm even as he watched the cruel scene of heads being separated and bodies being torn in two. Yooshin’s hand created a Dark Spear as he waited for their meal to finish. He pierced their heads while they were gorging themselves.

Before long, there were no more survivors on the field. There were only over twenty green-skinned giants and Cheon Yooshin.

“Alright, let’s start round two!”

Five Dark Spears were created in Yooshin’s hand. At the same time, Yooshin waved his hand. Then, the five Dark Spears were fired in different directions.

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!

Every time a spear pierced a Troll’s head, the system sound rang in Yooshin’s ears. It took less than 10 seconds to deal with 10 Trolls.

Boom! Gyaaaaaaah!

There were no more Trolls on the field, but incessant explosions and people’s screams continued to ring out beyond the school wall. Cheon Yooshin moved toward where the sounds were coming from. Cheon Yooshin, who had instantly climbed onto the wall, clicked his tongue.

‘The situation is a mess.’

First of all, there were too many people. “G-get lost!” “Eek! Move, you bastards! Get out of the way!” “Argh! S-save me. Please!” Everyone was pushing each other to escape first, which naturally slowed down their speed, and some people were even tripping over others. Also, even when they tried to hide by entering buildings, every time the Trolls struck the buildings, they collapsed, becoming graves for the people who had fled there. People without ability were helpless. And the Trolls were crushing them like ants or turning them into mush with their hammers. Like rats completely cornered, people were dying rapidly, and the Trolls were enjoying the festival.

As time passed, the casualties would continue to rise. If so, he had to deal with them quickly. The battle between Yooshin and the Trolls began. Every time Yooshin and the Trolls’ fists struck the ground and hit the buildings, explosions rang out and they collapsed. But he was only one person, and there were already dozens of Trolls. And their numbers were constantly increasing.

‘This isn’t going to work.’

Yooshin looked up at the sky. The sky was clear without a single cloud. ‘Perfect.’ With a smile whose meaning was unknown, Yooshin stretched both arms toward the sky. Black energy rose from his entire body. It was the moment the true power of the new skill unlocked by leveling up revealed itself.

“Cover the world! Dark Rain!”

“F-fuck!”

A male student wearing the uniform of the boys’ high school next to the girls’ high school was looking somewhere with a face full of terror. Where the student’s gaze landed. Kwoooar! There, along with a stench that stung the nose, a green-skinned giant was running toward him with a terrifying expression. The monster’s intention was clear. In a few seconds, he would die by that hammer. M-mom...

The student, whose body was trembling with fear, found his mother at the very end. How much heartache must his mother have suffered because of him, who always played with cameras, saying his destiny was to be a YouTuber instead of studying? He only grew up right before he was about to die.

‘I should have listened to Mom. What YouTuber... I should have studied like Mom said... so I could be filial to Mom...’

But it was already too late. It was already too late to run away. ‘Mom... please forgive your unfilial son who is going first.’ Tears of repentance fell from the student’s cheeks onto the floor.

Gyaaaaaaah!

The vivid, terrifying roar of the monster coming from right in front of him. But it was strange. ‘Why am I still alive?’ Considering the monster’s movement speed, he should have been dead already. But how could he still think? ‘Huh? Is it raining?’ The rain falling from the sky soaked the student’s clothes. Soon.

Whoosh!

The rain poured down like a shower in an instant, and the student opened his eyes slowly, filled with questions. And he discovered an unbelievable sight. The giants began to collapse to the floor, clutching their bodies here and there.

Gyaaaaaaah!

The giants’ pained roars filled the entire street. “Did God help us?” The student stared blankly at the rain falling from the sky. The rain was melting the giants that had been chasing them like acid.

It wasn’t just the student who was surprised. The people who had been fleeing had also stopped running and were watching the scene. “W-what is this!?” “Why are we fine, but those things are melting?” “I-is this a skill?” “Is there someone capable of such a wide-area skill?”

At the word ‘skill,’ the eyes of the male student who had barely survived flashed. ‘T-this is a skill? Then that means a hunter is here?’ He looked around. The person suspected of being a hunter. He wasn’t here! The student started running. And how far had he run? He saw a man with his hands stretched toward the sky.

‘T-that’s the person!’

The student, filled with conviction, immediately took out his phone from his pocket and started filming a video. ‘D-daebak!’ A Sudden Gate. A Sudden Gate appears, pouring out tremendous monsters for about 3 hours before disappearing. Since more powerful monsters emerge than in a normal gate, the best one could do was for the military and hunters to join forces and endure as much as possible. But now. A single hunter was blocking that Sudden Gate. While casting an unprecedented wide-area skill. He had saved countless people, and the black rain falling from the sky was obliterating the Trolls, who had been the predators, so that not even a trace of them could be found.

‘This is it! It’s it!’

A strange heat rose in the student’s eyes. ‘This is going to get a million views, a million! Hehe!’ The maturity he had felt right before he was about to die began to slip away again.