Chapter 129
Chapter 129
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Tracking, Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Recently, ominous rumors began circulating throughout South Korea.
[No Matter How You Look at It, That's It] [Author: 171CMHunterKimHunbong]
(Grainy footage of transporting massive monster fragments)
Looks like a Mythic-grade gate has opened.
The Hunter Association is flat-out denying it, which just confirms it.
Everyone, get out of South Korea ASAP.
Extinction-level event incoming soon, GTFO.
-Fucking idiot, prove it.
└(Author): Fact) Kids who can't refute the message attack the messenger instead.
└No point refuting worthless bullshit lol.
-Mythic-grade my ass lololol.
-Is that footage even real? Isn't it AI-generated?
└(Author): There was an article about it.
└That got deleted as fake news.
└(Author): Hunter Association scrubbed it.
-Suspicious as hell~
-Might as well say aliens showed up.
-Look at all these morons above. Can't stand sharing a vote with idiots like these.
└(Author): For real, pisses me off to no end.
└Lmao: 171
└Crazy bastard lololololololol
└What kinda nonsense is this shit lolololololol
The capture of unidentified colossal monster transport.
All the rumors, and conspiracy theories, started from there.
"Fools."
A burly, brutish man spat out a sneer.
The communities are full of idiots. Absolutely ridiculous claims that leave me speechless.
"Senior, we're almost at the destination."
"How much further?"
"Uh... about 5km left."
"What? Already? I told you to warn me when we hit 7km!"
"Y-You were so focused on watching..."
"Shut up and stop the car already."
Screeech!
At the man's bellow, the vehicle slammed to a halt.
They had stopped in some remote mountain valley in Gangwon Province. No trace of humans anywhere—just endless trees blanketing the surroundings.
Clunk!
"Get ready and get out."
"Yes, sir."
While his subordinate rummaged through the trunk, the man took an exaggerated breath.
He could smell it. The scent.
That loathsome bastard was surely nearby.
The man's name was Oh Jin-cheol.
A member of the ATK Mercenary Group, known only to those in the know—a subcontractor for Hwayeon.
And the mission assigned to his team was exceedingly simple.
Investigate the secretive figure, the "S-rank Summoner" associated with Molrangmol.
"Slippery little shit..."
A full year. An entire year chasing after that guy's tail.
There had even been a moment when they pinpointed his rooftop room hideout.
If they'd been just a bit faster then, they wouldn't be suffering like this.
Maybe that's why.
"How much further!"
Frustration boiling up from within, he unnecessarily yelled at his subordinate.
"Hang on. The battery's running low... might take a bit more time."
"I told you to handle that shit ahead of time. Tsk."
Men these days are so damn sloppy.
One thing rubs you wrong, and everything else starts looking shitty too.
Look at that scrawny frame. What, some scarecrow?
What kind of mercenary does he think he can be with a weak-ass body like that?
"Ugh."
Amid the outpouring complaints, Jin-cheol eventually lit a cigarette.
Ding!
The flame ignites. Smoke rises.
Lighting up in the mountains is an incredibly inconsiderate act, but...
"Hoo..."
Jin-cheol wasn't the type to care about such morals.
That's why he'd stuck around ATK for so long.
"Senior! Let's go! All packed!"
The subordinate hurried to Jin-cheol's side, carrying a couple of Molrang cases.
"Mana charged up? Properly?"
"Full blast, sir. Let's move."
Crunch!
Jin-cheol spat out his half-smoked cigarette onto the ground and ground it underfoot.
In the meantime, the subordinate thinly coated both their bodies with mana.
Camouflage ability.
A special power that evades any camera or radar, even detection skills below A-rank.
Nothing beats it for infiltration missions.
The fatal flaw was that it didn't work against the naked eye, though.
"It'll be fine, right?"
"Yeah. Satellite cams didn't show any guards."
"What if they have camouflage abilities like us?"
"Hey."
"...Yes?"
"Less talk, more walking."
"...Yes, sir."
The two slowly, cautiously advanced toward their target.
Baekya-owned D-rank gate, 5km away.
Intel said Molrangmol was preparing some unknown project inside.
According to reports, even the colossal monster fragments had been moved in there.
Their goal: uncover every detail, and while at it, expose the S-rank Summoner's identity.
Beep! Beep beep!
The tracking GPS's signal grew intense.
Mana concentration in the air was rising. Sign of a gate nearby.
"Senior, it's close."
"Wait! There it is."
Jin-cheol pointed beyond the hill. And sure enough, there was the gate they sought.
No barriers or anything visible.
It was a D-rank gate to begin with, one bought just for tax benefits, right?
At most, a temporary fence to keep civilians out.
Which made it feel suspiciously lax.
"This really the place?"
What kind of half-assed security is that?
Carrying out a secret project inside something like this?
Doesn't add up.
If they'd hidden their identity so thoroughly, the gate's defenses should be ironclad.
"Well... nav points right here, doesn't it? No other gates around."
"...Tch."
Suspicious, but no choice.
They'd come this far—time to check it out.
If it was fake intel?
'Gonna have words with the captain.'
Seven straight busts already.
Sure, mercenaries chase wild leads, but there's a limit.
Just quit on the spot?
The merc group's position was shaky enough as is.
Operations for Molrangmol kept failing one after another.
Members who'd failed to escape judgment were piling up.
Hwayeon no longer had their back.
They'd cut off tails before, quietly springing guys from jail later, but that seemed over now.
"Senior?"
"What now."
"We've come this far—should be safe, right?"
Jin-cheol looked up ahead, and the gate was now right in front of them.
Roughly 500m out.
Perfect distance for recon.
"Get ready."
"Yes, sir."
At his order, the subordinate pulled tools from the Molrang cases.
They set up a camouflage net to hide their bodies and unpacked a small drone.
"Ready!"
Once the subordinate's camouflage ability enveloped the drone, prep was done. Jin-cheol's turn.
"Keep watch properly."
Whirr!
Jin-cheol's mana took control of the drone. It lifted into the air, its noisy propellers falling silent almost immediately.
Soundless flight from a drone under 5cm.
It nullified most detection skills—no better recon tool existed.
Of course, unlicensed use was illegal.
But Jin-cheol wasn't one to care about laws now.
"......"
The drone headed for the gate. Right after Jin-cheol's vision synced with the camera lens.
And it was quick.
No interference—the drone slipped right inside the gate.
The view darkened.
Familiar phenomenon. The camera needed time to adjust passing through.
"...What the?"
But something was off.
No matter how long he waited, the screen didn't recover.
Just pure darkness on camera.
Sudden malfunction? Or no light near the gate entrance?
He switched to infrared, but no change.
Finally, Jin-cheol tried recalling the drone—
'What's going on?'
The drone started moving on its own.
Completely out of control. Even as he poured mana back in.
Nyaaang!
A bizarre noise, and total cutoff.
"Hey, hey! What the hell's happening?"
Jin-cheol slapped at his side—probably the subordinate's shoulder.
The subordinate had his own drone up, scanning the surroundings.
If something was wrong, he'd report it.
But for some reason, silence.
"What's going on, I said!"
Fed up, Jin-cheol broke vision sync and turned toward the subordinate.
Grrr......
Their eyes met properly.
"B-Bloody Wolf?"
No. The mana aura was unnatural.
Far more evolved than a standard Bloody Wolf.
High-rank monster, at least A+.
Summoned by the summoner?
Bad luck.
No wonder security seemed lax—they'd hidden this.
Where's the subordinate?
"......"
Luckily, the fool was sprawled nearby, still breathing.
Grrrrowl!
The Bloody Wolf snarled.
Instinct screamed: hard to beat.
Time to run.
Distract it, grab the idiot, and bolt.
"......"
Jin-cheol reached for his right pants pocket. Emergency smoke grenade spot.
"W-What...!"
But that was it.
Like the hijacked drone earlier, his body wouldn't move.
Ssshh......
Something long and pitch-black was coiling around him.
When did it get so close?
He hadn't even sensed the approach.
Crack...!
The constriction tightened mercilessly. Bones intact, but breathing grew hard.
'...Damn.'
Consciousness faded bit by bit.
He was out cold in under a minute.
**
"Guild Master. What should we do?"
Two intruders knelt before Haneul.
The ones who'd tried scouting the gate without permission hours ago.
She'd half-expected intruders.
Information was hard to fully control.
Too many had witnessed the monster transport.
Something that size was impossible to miss.
Even the Hunter Association had helped suppress leaks, but limits existed.
"Which group are these guys from?"
"ATK Mercenary Group is the most likely."
ATK—suspected Hwayeon affiliate, though not confirmed.
From gate terrorism to all sorts of nasty deeds.
Yeah, figures it'd be you.
But so damn stupid.
How'd they think they'd scout undetected?
Not scared at all?
Picking a fight with someone who summons and controls monstrous beasts at will.
Even she, an S-rank hunter, wouldn't dare.
Well, in a way, thanks were in order.
She needed a pretext anyway. This gave plenty of grounds.
"Wipe them out."
"...Pardon?"
"Let's uproot these idiots completely."
Hwayeon, a thorn in her side.
Couldn't cut the head yet—time to lop off limbs first.