Chapter 40
Chapter 40
40.Discharge-type Gate (3)
The activation of a Discharge-type Gate isn't as fast as during the Night of Despair. It takes about 20-30 minutes.
That's a distance you can cover in 10 minutes. We need to move quickly and create a defensive line in front of the Gate.
"Quickly! This way!"
"Hye-young!"
Less than two minutes after the alarm sounded, nearby citizens were already moving busily.
There wasn't much chaos in this evacuation.
Since the Gate incidents 10 years ago and 5 years ago, evacuation drills in the event of a Discharge-type Gate appearing in Korea have been conducted quarterly.
Most urban areas have shelters within a 30-minute walk, and when an alarm is issued, vehicles in the city must park on the side of the road and evacuate.
Operating a vehicle when it's not an emergency vehicle results in a fine of tens of millions of won, so it's a well-observed law.
The fact that I can drive comfortably now is thanks to that.
Well, vehicle traffic decreased drastically in Daejeon right after the large Gate opened in the first place, but still.
"Phew. They made it safely to the shelter. No Gate opened on that side."
Uncle's expression relaxed after hearing news from his family.
"That's a relief."
"Yeah, now the problem is us."
My sister-in-law and Minseok, who are at the shelter near the Association, are safe. What's more dangerous is us, who have to block the medium-sized Gate.
Lee Shin-hee continued calmly.
"Some Hunters may have gathered, but it might be difficult to completely block a medium-sized Gate."
"That's right."
It's not just "might be," it will be difficult. Most of the B-rank or higher Hunters, meaning those above level 36, have headed to Daejeon.
There might be some Hunters left behind in case of emergencies, but it won't be enough to block the 13 medium-sized Gates.
"We have to hold out until the top-tier Guild Hunters who went to Daejeon, or the remaining Hunters, arrive."
Min-jae, who was fiddling with his phone while driving, spoke up.
"Emergency and Recovery are both higher level than us. Emergency is around level 35 on average, and Recovery is around level 30."
"Is that a relief? A team above level 30 should be able to handle an Ogre, right? Can't we just take them down one by one while we hold out?"
It was a reasonable opinion, but also somewhat idealistic.
"I don't know. It feels like we'd get breached if an Ogre just charged through."
"True. Those things are just brute force."
Ten minutes passed like that, and we were able to reach Seoul National University Station.
"Here! Bring the barricades here!"
"What are you doing? Move the car further to the side!"
The area in front of Seoul National University Station was quite chaotic. Helicopters were flying in the sky, and soldiers were visible.
It goes without saying, but Hunters aren't the only ones who come to Discharge-type Gates.
Saying that bullets and bombs aren't very effective is referring to Awakened Monsters.
Only Hunters can easily cut down Awakened beings protected by a Magical Field.
That meant we could get help from soldiers with other miscellaneous enemies.
Of course, all Monsters above a certain level have a Magical Field.
'There aren't that many.'
Two helicopters that had been landed took off, and about 20 soldiers remained here.
It seemed to be because a large Gate had opened in Daejeon, and it hadn't even been 10 minutes since the Gate was created.
Still, this was very fast.
Was it because the entire army entered an emergency standby system after the large Gate was created?
"Where are you from?"
The person ordering the installation of barricades on the road approached us. Judging by the clothes, they were an Association employee.
"Dinosaur Guild."
"Ah, you've arrived! Leave your car keys and go that way."
Following the guidance, we arrived at a place where five Hunters were. It seemed that only one Guild had arrived yet.
"Dinosaur Guild, Han Hye."
"Dinosaur? Oh, nice to meet you. Recovery Guild."
The Recovery Guild looked at us with some curiosity. The situation was what it was, but everyone seemed curious.
It's because Uncle and I haven't done any external activities at all, except for the interview during the contract.
Considering that, there's too much talk about us on Hunter Net.
While we were exchanging greetings, seven more people approached from behind. A man who looked to be in his early 30s was at the front.
"Emergency Guild. I've received on-site command authority from the Hunter Association. What's the situation?"
Emergency Guild.
Min-jae had explained it in detail on the way here. It was a place where B-rank and C-rank Hunters were mixed.
Perhaps because there were also C-rank Hunters, they didn't go to Daejeon and became an emergency standby team.
The Recovery Guild, which had arrived before us, spoke up.
"The Dinosaur Guild just arrived, and we're in the Gate activation preparation stage. The soldiers are working on barricades and bombs."
"Ah, this is Dinosaur?"
The Emergency Guild also looked at us with curiosity, like the Recovery Guild. Of course, it didn't last long.
Perhaps because he was the highest level, he seemed quite level-headed.
"Additional Hunters will come, but don't expect too much from them."
That was the Emergency Guild Leader's statement, and I agreed. Around level 30, they're usually affiliated with a Guild.
That meant that not very strong Hunters were coming.
"First, we plan to divide the area by Guild and defend it. Any objections?"
These Discharge-type Gate defense battles are operated in two main ways. One is by job, and the other is by Guild.
The former involves forming teams by job among the gathered Guilds and arranging them.
However, it wasn't a very preferred method. Unless they had practiced together in advance, there was a high probability of problems occurring.
That's because they have to work with people they're seeing for the first time.
Standing on the front lines and sharing buffs with people whose Skills and combat styles they don't know is a waste of Mana and can often be harmful to each other.
In the case of large Gates, they do coordinate with each other before entering, but that wasn't the case now.
"None."
"Us neither."
The Emergency Guild Leader nodded. Then, he exchanged a few words with the Association employee who was controlling the road and returned.
"The rear of the Gate will be blocked with Monster buses and barricades. Our goal is to block this passage."
Since time was short, the briefing was also simple.
"Recovery is known to be C-rank, and Dinosaur is mainly D-rank Hunters. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Emergency will take the front, and Recovery and Dinosaur will take the left and right slightly behind."
After saying that, the Emergency Guild Leader sighed briefly and whispered softly.
"Survival is the priority for this defense. The goal is to hold out as long as possible until high-level Hunters arrive. Don't overdo it."
"Understood."
"Of course, we should block them if we can. I don't know if it's possible, but let's do it."
There was strength in the voice of "Let's do it."
The meaning of trying to block them as much as possible was conveyed.
"Let's move to our positions since we don't have time."
* * *
The defensive line wasn't created with a very complex structure.
The location where the Gate was created was a 7-lane road between Seoul National University Station and Gwanak-gu Office.
Since Discharge-type Gates have only one entrance for Monsters to come out, the rear was blocked with sturdy two-story buses and barricades developed for Monsters.
Our mission was to deal with the Monsters that popped out from the front.
Monsters wouldn't usually go behind the Gate. Monsters usually target Awakened beings rather than ordinary people.
Within the range they can catch, that is.
It's instinctive, you could say. I learned that Monsters do the same thing we do when we catch them and gain experience. There are also Monsters that Awaken after catching Awakened beings.
'Realistically, this is the best we can do.'
If there were many Hunters, we would have set up a defensive line even behind that to prepare for any escaping Monsters, but that's impossible.
Furthermore, support is limited right now.
All we have are the low-level Hunters who joined later and the 20 soldiers who are on the rooftops of both buildings.
The low-level Hunters are in charge of preventing miscellaneous monsters from escaping.
The soldiers will support us with firearms, but they're similar to the Hunters in the back. Firearms shouldn't be effective against Awakened beings.
In particular, what we're worried about in a medium-sized Gate is Ogre-class Monsters, so the three Guilds were the main force after all.
-Emergency Guild is broadcasting again. Upon the initial appearance of Monsters, proceed with the explosion first.
The Emergency Guild Leader grabbed the radio at a time when the activation of the Discharge-type Gate was imminent.
It was already an agreed-upon matter.
The Monsters that come out of the Gate first are dealt with as much as possible by the bombs installed by the soldiers.
This was to conserve our Mana and stamina as much as possible.
-After that, a wall of fire will be formed due to the pre-laid oil. Each Guild's Magician... and Magician should respond secondarily with wind and fire Magic as much as possible. The order is Emergency, Recovery, Dinosaur.
What we, with our limited personnel, chose was a way to deal with minor enemies as comfortably as possible.
This was to properly deal with the strong Monsters that came out after that.
-After that, Emergency will block those that break through first, and Recovery and Dinosaur will take care of those that escape to the sides.
-Understood.
-In the event of an Ogre-class Monster appearing, each Guild will be assigned one as much as possible. If more than 4 appear, retreat and engage in delaying tactics.
Medium-sized Gates produce at least 2 Ogre-class Monsters. If we're lucky, it's 2, but more than that can appear.
At least 2, up to about 7.
Realistically, a head-on confrontation is impossible in such a situation. We need to buy time until additional support arrives.
-As I said before, survival is the priority. Then, I wish you good luck.
10 seconds after the transmission ended.
Hwaa-.
Once again, a wave of Mana spread, and the Gate began to activate. Monsters began to emerge from the activated Gate.
-Kuaaa!
The start was an Awakened Orc.
After that, various Monsters such as Goblins, Noll, and Mantises began to appear.
-Wait.
The Orc at the front roared at us and began to run vigorously.
There was some distance between the Gate and the defensive line. Just as the Orc crossed the middle...
-Kwaaaang!
There was a primary explosion. It was such a grand explosion that the ground shook. The surrounding building windows shattered, and the barricades swayed in the wind pressure.
Fire ignited on the pre-laid oil, completing a wall of fire.
-Kiek!
Amidst the screams of the Monsters, the Awakened Monsters jumped out head-on.
-Magic!
Min-jae began to chant, and Magic was fired from the Emergency Guild first.
Kuoong-!
More than half of the Monsters on the front lines fell. But this is a medium-sized Gate. Monsters continued to pour out.
-Recovery Guild!
Following that, the Magician from the Recovery Guild reached out. Several fire spears poured towards the Monsters.
However, in terms of destructive power, it wasn't as effective as the Emergency Guild.
-Dinosaur!
Therefore, the turn soon passed to Min-jae. It was the moment when Min-jae's Fireball flew forward.
-Kwaaaang!
And that destructive power was incomparable to before. It seemed stronger than Emergency, not just Recovery.
Min-jae had been preparing since earlier. He said he would use it to the maximum, but I didn't know it would be this much...
-Crazy, Dinosaur, how many more times is that possible?
-It's possible.
-We'll hold out with the Dinosaur Guild Magician. Emergency and Recovery, stand by. Use it in the gaps where Dinosaur's Magic is missing.
There was hope in the Emergency Guild Leader's voice. Did he feel that it was doable with Min-jae's destructive power?
But that feeling didn't last even 20 seconds.
-Awooooo!
-Awooooo!
Beyond the wall of fire, from inside the Gate, a low and long wolf howl was heard.
This wasn't Noll's, nor Sniffer's.
-Damn it! Grendel appearance! Number unknown!
Grendel.
This Monster, which is about 2m 50cm tall, can be seen as a higher species of Werewolf comparable to an Ogre.
Its strength is slightly weaker than an Ogre, but its agility is beyond imagination. Depending on the situation, it's treated as a more difficult Monster than an Ogre.
Judging by the howls alone, there were at least 3 of them.
-There are 4 Grendel!
The soldiers who were observing the Gate from the rooftop of the building said over the radio instead. The Emergency Guild Leader cursed.
-4? Prepare to retreat!
But I was skeptical of that judgment. 4 Grendel. Would delaying tactics while retreating be the answer?
If it were Ogres, we could drag them into an alley and buy time somehow, but...
If they're quite agile Grendel, the story is different. They're the ones who climb walls. If we retreat carelessly, there's a high probability that we'll be annihilated instead.
There was only one method I could choose now.
"Just a moment."
Woong-.
After unilaterally notifying the team members, I immediately opened Subspace.
The best thing to do now was to find an answer in Subspace.