Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A New Beginning (2)
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It didn't take long to get close to all the team members.
From the start, there weren't many assigned team members to begin with, and every single staff member had been pushed out from their original departments, so thanks to this odd sense of camaraderie, we bonded easily.
"Hmm..."
While we were gathered in our assigned office, handling work in preparation for the training schedule starting next week...
"Producer."
"Yes?"
Han Gyu-ri, who had been filling out the team application form, suddenly posed a question.
"But aren't we going to decide on a team name?"
"A team name?"
"Yes."
At Han Gyu-ri's question, delivered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, I glanced at Kim Jun-hyeong, who was working on a report beside me, before answering.
"We already have a team name."
"Really?"
She reacted as if she genuinely had no idea.
'...Did she really not know?'
Puzzled by her response, I told her the official team name.
"Team Seoul City Hall."
And then...
"...Pardon?"
For some reason, Han Gyu-ri scrunched up her face, looking thoroughly displeased.
"...It's not just bad?"
"It's awful. How could a team name be Seoul City Hall...!"
"You didn't know until now?"
Han Gyu-ri shot a glare at Kim Jun-hyeong, who had slyly chimed in.
"Of course I thought it was temporary!"
"How could that possibly be temporary..."
"I'm not asking for something cool like Queens or Black Rose! Even something clean and pretty like Gyeongseong or Hanyang would be fine, so why Seoul City Hall of all things?!"
Insisting that it would surely be looked down upon and demanding we come up with a new name right away, she left us no choice but to pause our work and huddle together to brainstorm alternatives.
"How about Seoul Eagles?"
Kim Jun-hyeong was the first to suggest something.
"That's the team ranked 45th. We can't overlap."
"...Really?"
But every idea was shot down by Han Gyu-ri...
"Hmm... Then Seoul Hawks!"
"There's a team called Hawks in Japan."
"What, you're checking Japan too?"
"It could create an image of copying. If it were some obscure amateur team, sure, but pros should avoid it as much as possible."
"Ugh..."
To my surprise, I saw a side of Han Gyu-ri I hadn't expected.
'...She knows a lot more than I thought?'
I'd assumed she had zero interest in hunter teams or sports, but she seemed to possess considerable knowledge.
"What do you think, Producer?"
"Well..."
Honestly, the team name didn't matter to me.
What mattered most was the team's performance.
No matter the name, good results made anything sound cool.
"I think Seoul City Hall is fine."
"...Pardon?"
"It's unique. We're officially under Seoul City Hall anyway. Calling us just 'Seoul City Hall' might appeal more than some made-up name."
"B-but..."
Just as Han Gyu-ri cautiously opened her mouth to counter my opinion...
"See? No need to change it."
Kim Jun-hyeong started mocking her with a smirk.
"What?"
"Honestly, team names can be anything..."
"I'll say it again: a team name is symbolic...!"
I quietly watched the two of them bicker.
And after a long debate, we settled on keeping the existing name: Seoul City Hall.
A little while later.
I woke up early in the morning, finished all my preparations, and glanced at the calendar on the corner of my desk.
April 4th.
An ordinary weekend before Team Seoul City Hall's first training session...
And the day the first major event in the original novel Supreme Expert begins.
"......"
The first event involved a sudden gate outbreak plunging the city into chaos, with Seol Ju-hee, caught up in the frenzy by chance, resolving the cause.
If my prediction was correct, the event would likely unfold the same way this time too.
'Please let it be that way again this time...'
With that firm resolve, I left the house fully prepared and took public transport instead of driving to the site where the incident would occur.
'Not much time left.'
About three hours until the incident erupted.
Standing at the location where the gate would open, I scanned the surroundings, recalling the novel's descriptions.
"......"
The stage for this incident was Central Square in downtown Seoul.
This place, with its stylish large fountain, was surrounded by major shopping malls, a terminal, and a subway transfer station, making it a hub of heavy foot traffic.
In the original novel, it was only vaguely described as having many casualties, and from the protagonist's perspective, the gruesome details weren't dwelt on...
But since this was another reality, a catastrophe seemed inevitable.
'I have to stop it no matter what.'
Get the first button right, and the rest will follow neatly.
Steeling my resolve once more, I moved as planned toward the mana gauge installed by a bench in the corner of the square.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary decorative item blended in with the others—apparently designed that way to avoid ruining the city's aesthetics.
"......"
I took a seat on an empty bench just then, pretended to fiddle with my phone while slowly surveying the area naturally, then casually set down the duffel bag I'd brought and subtly unzipped it.
This was to tamper with the mana gauge.
'Wonder how long it'll take...'
Inside the duffel bag, lined with mana-blocking material, was a component I'd picked up from an S-rank gate.
Seol Ju-hee had brought it as a souvenir once.
'Never thought I'd use it like this.'
Normally, when a gate opens, an enormous amount of mana bursts out explosively.
That's why these mana gauges are installed everywhere in the city, monitored 24/7 by a special government agency.
I planned to exploit that by using a mana stone to induce a malfunction in the gauge ahead of time.
"......"
How long had I been sitting there, pretending to use my phone while keeping watch?
Someone started approaching me.
"Excuse me."
Looking up, I saw two security guards in pitch-black body armor.
"What's the matter?"
"There's an issue in the square area, so we're doing a quick inspection. Sorry, but could you move along?"
The gauge had successfully malfunctioned.
"Ah, sure."
I acted calm, grabbed my duffel bag, and stood up.
"Thank you for cooperating."
"Yeah, take care."
I tried to leave the square naturally, but...
"Wait a second!"
A security guard rushed over and grabbed me.
'...Did they catch me?'
Unsure of my acting, I forced a neutral expression and turned around.
The guard pointed at my duffel bag and said casually,
"Your bag's open."
"Oh."
I quickly zipped it up and bowed to the guard.
He simply warned me to be careful and let me go without suspicion.
"Phew..."
Safely out of the square, I moved to a nearby chain cafe.
Sitting by the window with a full view of the square, I kept checking the time while wetting my dry lips...
'It should be about time...'
Right then.
Ku-gu-gung────
A cracking sound echoed from outside the window.
"!"
It had really begun.
Wung-sung-wung──
"Did you hear that sound?"
"Thunder?"
"Kinda different."
"What was it?"
The cafe patrons started murmuring at the unidentified roar.
Ku-gu-gu-gung───
I jumped to my feet at the second boom, pointed at the sky over the square, and shouted,
"It's a gate!!!!"
All eyes in the cafe turned to me.
I grabbed my duffel bag and yelled urgently,
"Everyone, run!!!!!!!"
And then.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung─────!!!!
The roar grew louder, like a pulsing heartbeat, and the dazed patrons began screaming and fleeing.
"Kyaaah─!!"
"I-it's a real gate!!!"
"R-run!!"
The cafe turned into chaos in an instant.
Following the crowd, I glanced back out the window.
The sky was rapidly darkening as if the gate was about to open.
"......!"
My heart pounded in my ears.
I'd thought I was mentally prepared, but facing a gate for real brought a wave of fear at the hopeless future ahead.
But...
I couldn't just stand by and watch.
I might not be able to play the cool protagonist,
but I had no intention of remaining a helpless extra either.
Forcing my feet to move, I used the confusion to toss the duffel bag at a pre-scouted spot and dashed back toward the square where the gate was opening.
Jjeok──! Jjeo-jo-jo-jeok──!
The gate tearing open in the square sky was already expanding, eroding nearby buildings, and small goblins were pouring out, rampaging through the civilians.
Kiee-ee-ee-eeek───!!
Kiee-ee-ee-eek──!
"T-take me too, me too!!! Aaaah!!!"
"R-run faster!!!"
"Kyaaaaah!!"
It was pure pandemonium.
"Fight back!!!"
"Haaaah!!"
Brave hunters nearby stepped up to battle the goblins, but...
With the sheer number of goblins, they were struggling.
"Kwaaaah─!"
"There's too many of these bastards!!"
The monitoring team must have detected the anomaly hours ago and put upper-rank hunters on standby.
Assuming it took at least 10 minutes for them to arrive, all I had to do was hold out until then and minimize the damage.
"...Hoo..., ...I can do this...'
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I pulled out the prepared knockout incense
and hurled it at the goblins surrounding the hunters.
Pang─!
Ku-reuk... Ku-reuk...
The goblin horde staggered, inhaling the spreading knockout incense.
I shouted to the stunned hunters,
"Now! Take them out quick!"
"Th-this is our chance...! Let's go!!"
The hunters charged in seizing the opportunity,
Kiee-ee-ee-eeek──!
Kiee-ee-ee-ee-eek───!
Leaving their screams behind, I hurried toward the gate.
'There are still people inside!'
But then.
"M-Mommy...!!!"
A little girl's voice came from beyond the rubble of a collapsed building.
"!"
I stopped abruptly and scrambled up the debris to check the scene.
And...
Kiee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eek─────!!!
Kiee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eek────!!!
I was startled to see a lone woman facing off against a horde of goblins, a child on her back.
"...!"
It was Bang Han-na.