The Red Gate's Boss Room
One hour after a Red Gate erupted in the heart of Seoul.
Behind the barricades ringing the site, inside the tents pitched near the gate, assemblymen and Association officials had already gathered. Every one of them stared up at the Red Gate with the same hollow, helpless look.
"I never thought another gate would open here of all places…"
An assemblyman muttered the words and let out a long sigh.
An ordinary gate might have been manageable. This one was not. It was the same as before.
Half a year earlier, a Red Gate had torn open in this very city. That time, even after the raid failed, the gate had vanished on its own the next day for reasons no one understood. There was no guarantee it would happen again. The sheer abnormality of the situation left them all on edge.
"A-Assemblyman! The hunters have arrived!"
"Ohhh! At last!"
The news they had been waiting for finally came. Stepping out of the tent, they were met by the noisy cheers of the gathered citizens. S-rank hunters were arriving one after another.
"S-rank Hunter Yoon Seah. I've just arrived."
She offered a proper salute to the assemblyman. Besides her, five other S-rank hunters already stood fully prepared.
"Well now! To think Hunter Yoon Seah herself would come in person. Hahaha! The gate's as good as cleared already."
"Exactly! With six S-ranks assembled, what could possibly go wrong? I couldn't feel more secure."
The assemblyman and Association staff beamed at Yoon Seah. With this many S-rank hunters present, the gate was already conquered in their minds.
Cha Seojin stepped forward with swagger.
"Assemblyman. Now that we're here, you can stop worrying. As long as Cha Seojin is on the job, Red Gate or whatever else—I'll smash it all to pieces and come back!"
"Hahahaha! That's our Hunter Cha Seojin. I'll leave it in your capable hands."
"Yes, sir! I'll give it everything I've got."
Cha Seojin bowed from the waist, scoring points with the politician. Yoon Seah did not even glance at the pathetic display. She moved straight into raid preparations.
"The raid will consist of six S-ranks, thirteen A-ranks, and thirty-eight B-ranks and below. There may be undead inside, so make sure each of you packs holy water in advance."
"Come on. We've got healers. What's the big deal?"
One hunter raised a hand, brushing the warning off. Yoon Seah started to speak, then simply nodded.
"Fine. Do as you like."
"Heh. That's our Leader Yoon Seah—flexible as always."
Most of the hunters who heard her either swapped the holy water for something else or simply left their bags half empty. Red Gates were packed with rare and valuable minerals; no one wanted to waste space on holy water.
With their packs lightened, the hunters fell in behind Yoon Seah as she took the lead.
"Let's move."
The moment they stepped out of the tent, camera flashes and the citizens' cheers erupted without pause. It was the kind of moment reserved for heroes returning in triumph. The hunters drank it in, drunk on the atmosphere.
"Ah—Hunter Yoon Seah. Just a moment."
A man stepped into her path.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Nothing major. Just a quick photo with our assemblyman, if you wouldn't mind."
The secretary pointed. The assemblyman stood waiting, clearing his throat. Yoon Seah remained silent for a beat. The secretary, who had expected an easy yes, looked puzzled.
"Um, Hunter Yoon Seah…?"
"W-wait! How about me instead of her?"
Cha Seojin cut in from behind. Yes. You go instead. Yoon Seah privately hoped for exactly that—but the assemblyman's dissatisfied face was visible even from a distance.
"I'm sorry, but Hunter Yoon Seah is the leader of this raid. We'll have to insist."
"Haa. Fine…"
At the secretary's firm refusal, Yoon Seah moved with a sigh. The instant she stood beside the assemblyman, a hand settled familiarly on her shoulder amid the flashes.
"Haha. Looking forward to a clean clear of this gate. The public expects a great deal from you—and so do I, personally."
"Yes. I'll do my best."
She gave the formal answer and turned a false smile toward the cameras.
Every time this happened, Lee Seoyun rose unbidden in her mind. She wanted to find him no matter what it took, and make him hers.
And then lock him away forever so he can never run again.
What would he look like with a collar around his neck? Just imagining it kept tugging the corners of her mouth upward.
"If you'll excuse me."
The moment the shoot ended, she left before the assemblyman could say another word.
"Time to go in."
She rejoined the hunters and stopped before the gate.
A Red Gate inside the city…
Half a year already. She glanced around. Lee Seoyun had been there then. Now he was nowhere.
She exhaled and faced forward again.
"Well. It's just another Red Gate."
She had cleared several of them since he disappeared. This one would be no different—except that it had dropped into the middle of a city.
"Then let's begin."
Yoon Seah and the hunters stepped into the gate without hesitation.
Inside a cave of endless dark, the sharp ring of metal and raw screams never stopped.
"Die, you monster bastards!!"
"Graaaagh!?"
Clang! Clang!
The battle between the hunters and the pack of ogres raged on. After thirty minutes, one side finally broke. The ogres began to fall helplessly.
Thud! Shhhhk—
Flesh was carved and torn. The hunters seized the opening. Ogre heads tumbled one after another. Those that tried to flee were burned to ash or frozen solid by magic.
"Huu. Combat over. Anyone dead or badly hurt?"
Yoon Seah, who had just driven her blade through an ogre's throat, scanned the group. Several hunters were wounded, but no one had died.
Three hours since they entered the Red Gate. The raid was proceeding smoothly.
"All right. Rest a little, then we move."
While the healers worked, everyone caught their breath. As the others scrambled for expensive loot, Yoon Seah stared blankly around the cavern.
Come to think of it… this place feels a lot like that Red Gate.
Half a year had passed, and she had cleared dozens of gates since. The memory should have been hazy. Yet somehow that day kept rising. The first Red Gate in downtown Seoul—the one she had cleared with Lee Seoyun. That gate was long closed, so it had to be her imagination. Still, looking at the cave walls made her skin crawl for no good reason.
"Hey. What are you doing standing there alone? Not even grabbing loot?"
"Cha Seojin…"
She made no effort to hide her distaste as he approached. He snorted right back.
"Must be nice, huh? Getting your picture taken with the assemblyman himself. Fuck. That should've been my spot."
"If you've got nothing useful to say, go. Dig through corpses with the rest of them over there."
She jerked her chin toward the hunters looting. Cha Seojin's face twisted. He still could not understand why he ranked below a bitch like her.
"By the way—doesn't this place feel familiar to you too?"
"What? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Look carefully. It's a lot like the Red Gate from half a year ago."
Cha Seojin stared at her as if she had lost her mind. He glanced around, then only laughed.
"Dude. How many gates like this do you think there are? Fuck, it's so dark I can barely see anything anyway."
Yoon Seah sighed. Of course. She shook her head and stood.
"My mistake for expecting anything from you."
"Hey. I'm already in a shit mood, so don't even bring that day up. Every time I think about that bastard Lee Seoyun I just want to kill him."
"Ah. Right."
She answered without interest. If it ever came to that, I wonder who'd actually be the one to die. I'd really like to see it.
"All right, everyone. We keep moving."
"Yes!"
At her word the hunters advanced again. They met two more packs of enemies after that and wiped them out without a single death or serious injury. Even the undead that appeared midway were handled entirely by the healers.
About an hour later, they finally reached the boss room.
"Th-this is the Red Gate boss room…?"
The B-ranks and below—first-timers in a Red Gate—swallowed hard. The A-ranks had seen a few, but none of them ever truly got used to it. Especially not this door. Compared to every Red Gate boss room they had faced before, it was far more massive, far more imposing.
Even the S-ranks looked unsettled. Yoon Seah simply stared at the door, dazed.
I knew it…
It was the same. As if something had taken hold of her, she slowly turned and looked back the way they had come. Why? As Cha Seojin said, it was almost too dark to see. Yet she could not shake the sense of familiarity. Especially this door. Last time it had been gold; now it was red. But it was unmistakably similar.
Could it be that this place was—
"All right, all right, my dear viewers! We have finally reached the boss room!"
Cha Seojin's voice, mid-livestream, cut in from beside her. He walked straight up to the door without a second thought.
"Okay then—follow, follow along! Time to reveal the boss room!"
He shoved the door open without hesitation. A deep, grinding vibration rolled through the stone as the massive doors swung wide. Several hunters flinched.
"W-wait, are we just barging in like this?"
"It's fine, it's fine! We've got six S-ranks. Just trust us."
Bolstered by the S-ranks' confidence, the doors continued to open. They were rolling their shoulders, about to step through—when several hunters froze where they stood.
"Ah…?"
A B-rank hunter caught sight of the boss and let out a sound that was half scream. He had been one of the hunters who joined the Seoul Red Gate raid half a year ago.
"A-aaaah…"
"…Oh, fuck."
Yoon Seah and Cha Seojin were no different. The man who had been streaming only moments earlier spat a curse without thinking. Both of them stood there, stupidly rigid.
"Wh-what? Why is everyone suddenly—"
"Leader Yoon Seah…?"
The remaining hunters looked at them in confusion, but there was no time for explanations. They needed to shut that door right now. They needed to turn and run without looking back.
But the doors had already opened all the way, merciless and complete.
"…So. You've come."
Inside, the boss waiting for them lifted its head and welcomed them.