Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Elite
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Moist, fishy air.
The sound of waves that had been crashing just moments ago was gone, replaced by an unsettling silence.
Kim Cheolsu instinctively reached into his jacket the moment he opened his eyes.
Click—
A heavy metallic clank rang out as he racked the slide on his massive handgun.
It was a bit too bulky to conceal on a VIP escort secretary, but it boasted overwhelming power: the "Desert Eagle Versus M."
A customized Desert Eagle designed to work against monsters.
A hand cannon so monstrous that even controlling the recoil was a challenge for ordinary people.
But for serving as Jihyun Yoo's secretary, this level of armament was absolutely essential.
"Ms. Catherine, are you alright?"
"Yes... I'm fine."
Catherine drew her own gun from its holster on her thigh.
In her hand was another matte black, monster-rated custom: the "H&K MK23."
Developed for special forces, it was smaller than the Desert Eagle but possessed durability that worked in extreme environments and accuracy rivaling a sniper rifle.
Hers had been customized with Benedict family tech.
A laser sight hung under the barrel, and a long suppressor capped the muzzle.
"As expected of you, Ms. Catherine. An MK23, no less. Even with a suppressor?"
Kim Cheolsu marveled, and Catherine racked the slide with a cool reply.
"I hate noisy things. And this one's .45 caliber, but with special armor-piercing rounds, its penetration might even beat yours."
"Haha, classic Benedict."
The two pressed their backs together and scanned their surroundings.
The dank cave interior was covered in jagged rocks and slimy moss.
"Looks like a maze type..."
"Yeah. Our luck's rotten."
Kim Cheolsu gave a wry smile and pulled out his smartphone.
"The time... it's off."
Kim Cheolsu's brow furrowed.
It felt like less than five minutes since they'd dropped here, but the phone's clock showed over an hour had passed.
Catherine grasped the implication immediately.
"Severe time distortion?"
"Seems like it. We just passed through the gate, and over an hour's gone by."
Gates usually had different time flows from reality.
And typically, time inside passed slower than outside.
Sometimes, an hour inside was just ten minutes out there.
A situation that would panic civilians, but the two remained calm.
They were elite agents who had weathered every storm while serving the world's top families and corporations.
"No need to panic. You saw those three charging in at the end, right?"
Kim Cheolsu's voice brimmed with certainty.
"Yeah. If it's them, they'll definitely come for us."
The world's top two ranked Hunters and an Enhancer with off-the-charts abilities.
No rescue team could be more reliable.
"Judging by the terrain, it's a coastal cave gate. High chance of amphibious monsters."
"Agreed. How much ammo do you have?"
"Three mags. .50 cal means low capacity, but one shot per monster should do it."
"I've got two. Armor-piercers, so headshots will drop them in one."
"We'll need to conserve. Let's scout first. Waiting here could draw a horde, and that'd be trouble."
"Got it."
"I'll take point, you cover the rear."
Catherine nodded.
Cold sweat beaded their palms, but their eyes shone with mutual trust.
"Don't worry. We'll get out alive for sure."
"Obviously. I won't forgive you if you get hurt. Stay safe."
Kim Cheolsu grinned.
"Noted."
Meanwhile, outside the gate.
"Get out of my way!! I need to go in now!"
Eileen was flipping out, lunging toward the gate's shimmering surface.
Catherine, like a part of herself, had vanished right before her eyes.
Reason had long shut down.
But—
Grab—
Woojin clamped down hard on Eileen's shoulder.
"Snap out of it! Charging in now means you won't save anyone!"
"Let go! Every minute counts! I have to go!"
"That's why we need to prepare! Rushing in separately without a plan could scatter our start points!"
Eileen froze at Woojin's shout.
Gates sometimes dropped entrants at slightly offset coordinates based on entry timing.
In a maze or trap gate, scattering meant mission failed.
"I know you're strong. But the secretaries aren't! What are you gonna do empty-handed? What if they're hurt? Poisoned? You wanna rush in and just carry out corpses?"
"...Th-that's..."
Eileen bit her lip. Woojin was right a hundred times over.
Jihyun Yoo added calmly.
"Oppa Woojin's right. The mana waves suggest low B-rank or high C-rank. Secretary Kim and Catherine are trained pros. They won't go down easy. We need to gear up fast. But..."
Reinforcements to this rural spot would take hours—at least—and it'd be too late by then.
Woojin scanned around quickly.
"I've got a way."
No hunter gear shops in this backwater village.
"Pharmacy. Where's the pharmacy?"
Kim Cheolsu's uncle, drawn by the commotion, yelled.
"Th-there! End of the alley! But it's closed for the weekend!"
"I'll just break the door. Tell 'em I'll pay ten times over later."
Woojin bolted down the alley without hesitation.
Crash—!
The pharmacy's glass door shattered.
Woojin leaped the counter, sweeping shelves clean.
Bandages, antiseptics, hemostatics, ointments, painkillers, fever reducers...
"Enhancement."
The items' info popped up.
Woojin's eyes skimmed just the skills and effects.
In seconds, the rural pharmacy's mundane meds transformed into dungeon-grade high-performance potions.
"Good to go! Let's move. We can make more as needed."
A makeshift first-aid pack slung on his back.
Eileen stared blankly.
"You're... going in?"
"Duh? Someone I know got sucked into a gate right in front of me, and I just sit here?"
Woojin grumbled, but Eileen and Jihyun knew.
How strong his sense of responsibility was.
"You two are just brute force. Someone's gotta support. Protect me good, got it?"
Eileen spoke with sincerity.
"Thanks... I'll repay this debt."
Jihyun Yoo added gravely.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing touches Oppa."
"Solid."
The three stood before the gate.
The blue shimmer awaited.
"Positions: Jihyun up front, Eileen rear. Me in the middle. No complaints? I'm the weakest."
"Understood!"
"Got it."
The world's top two Hunters followed Woojin's lead.
Woojin took a deep breath.
'Tch, swore I'd never step into a gate...'
No regrets, though. People he had to protect were inside.
"Entering! Hands tight!"
At Woojin's shout, the three clasped hands and plunged into the gate without hesitation.
"Kieeeek!"
From the darkness, grotesque shrieks erupted as "Mermen" lunged out.
Webbed hands and feet, razor teeth, crude spears and harpoons in hand.
Any civilian's legs would've buckled, but not Kim Cheolsu and Catherine.
"Two at 11 o'clock! One at 2!!"
"Visual!"
The Desert Eagle roared the instant Kim Cheolsu called it.
Boom—!
A cannon-like thunderclap. Muzzle flash lit the dark.
The charging Mermen's head exploded like a watermelon.
Insane destructive power—even the followers staggered from the shockwave.
Pfft! Pfft!
Catherine's shots, by contrast, were eerily silent.
The suppressed heavy .45 ACP rounds sliced air, piercing Mermen brows dead-center.
MK23 precision plus Catherine's marksmanship equaled perfect sniper hits.
Struck Mermen crumpled without a scream.
"Cheolsu! Reloading!"
"On it!"
In the 1.5-second window of Catherine swapping mags.
Kim Cheolsu stepped forward, squeezing off rounds at the closing foes.
Boom! Boom!
His arm muscles flexed with each shot.
Recoil that'd snap a normal wrist—he held steady, grouping shots tight.
Perfect duo.
Kim Cheolsu drew aggro with overwhelming firepower and noise, holding the line; Catherine sniped lethally from the shadows.
Not just secretaries.
They were human weapons trained in advanced marksmanship and anti-terror ops to protect VIPs in crises.
"Kraaak!"
One Merman hurled a harpoon.
Catherine ducked reflexively, spinning to fire twice.
Pfft! Thunk!
Perfect holes in its brow and throat.
"Nice shot."
"You too, Cheolsu. Firing that beast one-handed."
They even had time to smile.
"These guys are weaker than expected."
"Yeah. Guns working is a relief."
But Kim Cheolsu's face stayed grim.
He checked his phone clock, expression hardening.
"Over another hour gone."
"......"
No word yet meant one thing.
"Heavy time distortion gate."
This was a siege.
Stamina drain, ammo shortage, mental strain—everything against them.
"Ammo's half gone. Can't handle a swarm. Stop scouting here. Prep to hole up for the night."
Then—
Thud—
Thud—
A deeper vibration rumbled from the cave depths.
Puddles rippled in sync.
Fishy stench hit hard.
Kim Cheolsu and Catherine's faces set.
"......This is."
A massive shadow emerged from the dark.
Twice a normal Merman's size.
Steel-like scales everywhere, dragging a giant anchor.
C-rank monster: "Merman Warrior."
"Grrr..."
Its yellowish eyes gleamed at them.
9mm rounds barely scratched it.
Luckily, their guns were made for such beasts.
Kim Cheolsu swallowed dryly, checking his slide.
"Gonna have to take that one down too? Can we?"
"Mags still good. If I nail the brow..."
Kim Cheolsu trusted Catherine's aim implicitly.
"Right. Let's do it. I'll bait."
Catherine knew it was the best play, so she encouraged instead of stopping him.
"Be careful."
Kim Cheolsu shrugged off his jacket for agility.
"Confident in dodging. Sorry our first night together's like this."
His joke hit Catherine's humor perfectly.
"Pfft, same here."
Smiles on, but their elite eyes burned sharp.