Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: AAA, Undying
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RCHR Gate.
An S-Rank Gate belonging to the AAA Guild, under the Chinese government.
The reason the AAA Guild held a Gate that appeared on South Korean soil was simple.
It went back several decades.
All because of the covert "Jeju Island Securing Project."
The overt strategy was to gradually buy up land on Jeju Island to gain de facto ownership over the entire place.
But the real intent was to establish a Chinese Hunter outpost on Jeju Island to keep Korea and the United States in check.
"Ah, holiday duty is fucking bullshit."
Of course, the project had failed around twenty years ago.
Because Lee Hyun-ah, then president of the Korean Hunter Association, had completely wrecked it.
She had never lost her spot as the world's number one Hunter ranking until her retirement.
If it had been on Chinese soil, maybe different, but on foreign land, no one could match her.
In the end, China pulled out of Jeju Island and left only the bare minimum staff to manage the RCHR Gate.
They couldn't just leave it unmanned, or the Gate's ownership would lapse.
There were currently three resident managers.
And complaints never stopped from one of them, Xiao Bao.
"Fuuuuck... When the hell do I get to go home?"
It was truly a hellish manager life.
It had been about three months since he was assigned here... He just had to hold out five more months until the next three replacements arrived.
Damn. What kind of bullshit job is this?
Xiao Bao couldn't comprehend it at all.
And rightly so—he was a proud A-Rank Hunter.
Why the hell was elite manpower like him rotting away in a place like this?
And for pocket change pay, no less?
If he'd known, he never would've joined the AAA Guild.
It was China's undisputed top guild, the dream of every man, woman, and child.
He'd been properly indoctrinated with ideology since childhood, and joining had truly been his dream.
When he got the acceptance news, he'd hugged his whole family and bawled his eyes out.
"Fuck this."
Who would've thought he'd face a reality like this.
He resented his past self so much. Shit, if he'd known, he should've just gone independent Hunter.
Of course, quitting or rebelling was absolutely impossible.
'I don't want to disappear mysteriously...'
There was one infamous rumor that circulated within the AAA.
Hunters who defied orders ended up as prime material.
In crude terms, "Hunter good for the body."
...No one knew exactly what for, though.
In the end, all Xiao Bao could do was one thing.
Hold out until the next shift arrived.
It especially pissed him off that he couldn't slack off during duty.
They even monitored for negligence via CCTV from headquarters, grinding away what little patriotism he had left.
And this was an S-Rank Gate, the RCHR.
No customers at all. At most, one or two per week.
"........."
So today, too, Xiao Bao spaced out staring at the CCTV screen.
Ten hours left until clock-out. How was he supposed to endure this...
"...Oh?"
Was his luck good today?
Miraculously, a visitor had arrived at the Gate.
"Who is it?"
Mana cloaked them, making identity hard to confirm on CCTV.
Ding!
[Gate Entry: Anonymous / S-Rank]
And anonymous at that. That just made it more intriguing.
Tracking the movements of South Korea's S-Rank Hunters was a secret task given to RCHR managers, too.
Let's see...
Among S-Ranks, anonymous ones...
Hwayeon Vice Guild Master hadn't renewed, so pass. Korean license anyway, not foreign Hunter.
That left two.
One S-Rank acting independently, and one who recently became S-Rank.
Hoped it was the latter.
The former held zero interest, honestly. Had to actually do something.
A total slacker who hadn't done jack since S-Rank registration.
The recent one, though? He was dying to know.
An S-Rank based at the rising star "Molrangmol."
Molrangmol was a company recently elevated to "Highest" interest level in AAA directives.
"Highest" meant gather every scrap of info.
If it was new and useful intel?
'...This quarter's performance bonus is mine.'
He'd be swimming in cash.
Creak!
His lips curled uncontrollably. Xiao Bao exited the management office.
Planning to wait inside the Gate barrier.
That way, he'd inevitably run into the S-Rank Hunter emerging.
...Ugh! Already drooling.
**
Vroooom!
After riding the four-wheeled ATV for about three hours.
"Yawwwn..."
A ride utterly unlike expectations—peaceful.
Thanks to it, sleepiness fully kicked in; he couldn't stifle the yawns.
"Smack..."
He smacked his lips and rubbed his eyelids, but drowsiness wouldn't leave.
The effects of waking early were hitting now.
Eyes gritty, head fuzzy—like he'd pass out the moment his head hit something.
Bump! Bump!
"Eua...! Ugh...!"
Occasional rough terrain provided some rhythm, but even that couldn't chase away the sleep.
If anything, counterproductive.
The swaying felt like lying in a hammock.
Made him even sleepier.
Vroooom!
Who knew scouting would be this boring.
Completely unexpected.
No dragons, not even low-level mobs. Had they all sensed him coming and hidden in fear?
"Seolbaek. Still far?"
Squeak!
Seolbaek sniffed like a puppy a couple times, then shook its head.
A bit ambiguous reaction.
Squeak!
At least, Seolbaek's radar had definitely picked up the Ancient Wing.
But for some unknown reason, pinpointing the location was tricky.
Did this dragon have stealth or something?
'Should've trained it on another dragon's material.'
Something weaker might've been easier to track, with more individuals around.
No helping it.
He'd been saving mana and avoiding it as much as possible, but...
[11:35]
At this rate, no dragon hunt today.
He already had tomorrow stacked like vacation homework.
'Molrang Park opening delayed Molrangtail production a bit...'
Skip today, next visit earliest next week's holiday.
Only one day off a week; didn't want to wake at dawn again for this.
Pop!
So he cracked it open.
The Awakener-exclusive energy drink stashed in Molrangtori.
[Blackout: No. 1 Drink for Right Before Death]
Effects matched the confident labeling.
Said to have saved lives from mana exhaustion death in Gates.
Rumor or truth, apparently injecting "Blackout" into freshly dead Awakeners revived them briefly.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph... Pwah!"
Taste was solid. Sweet, fizzy classic zero-sugar soda.
Thump! Thump!
Feeling his heart race from the energy drink, he channeled mana to Seolbaek.
Squeak!
Seolbaek, grasping his intent perfectly, began weaving a net using his mana as medium.
Humm...!
Soon, an invisible net spread wide around them.
A kind of domain expansion.
The net's sole target: the Ancient Wing hiding deep in the Gate.
Not like there were other detectable monsters anyway.
Anyway, finally.
Squeak!
Seolbaek started bouncing excitedly. Target found.
Finally hooked. Before it got farther, he tapped Seojin's shoulder, who was focused on driving.
"Stop stop stop!"
"You found it?"
"Yeah. Seems nearby."
Screech!
First time the ATV tires stopped since entering the Gate.
Squeak! Squeak!
Seolbaek hopped around like a border collie herding sheep.
"It's here?"
Squeak!
Huh. What? Seemed certain yet somehow nuanced.
Like... there but not there.
Schrödinger's cat or something?
"Hmm... You sure it's there? Nothing visible."
As Seojin said dubiously, nothing around.
Just a sheer cliff towering high?
.........!
Wait. Hold on. This now...
"Did you feel it?"
"Huh? Feel what?"
Seojin's totally oblivious reaction.
Just paranoia?
......!
No, this was real.
An S-Rank Hunter's instincts were screaming.
...Something's off.
"Q-quick, back on the ATV!"
"Huh?"
"Now!"
Scooping up still-bouncing Seolbaek, he hastily mounted the ATV.
Next.
"Full throttle! Full throttle! Floor it!"
"Why, what's wrong?"
"Just floor it!"
Vroooom!
The ATV hit top speed instantly.
Zero-to-max acceleration under two seconds? Still nearly not enough.
Crack! Crack!
The ground cracked like tearing paper.
Cracks spiderwebbed out from where they'd been.
Kurrrboom!
The center collapsed fully, forming a massive sinkhole.
The falling void was vast.
Inside, darkness yawned endlessly.
...A bit later, and they'd be dead.
But.
This sinkhole made things easier.
No effect without cause.
Even a harsh Gate terrain wouldn't randomly sinkhole like that.
Only one possible cause.
Rooooaaarrr!
The culprit itself roared, shredding the Gate's air.
"Whoa... It's huge."
Rising from the sinkhole.
Wings of bare, blackened bone.
Head half-rotted and decayed.
Heart gleaming ethereally within exposed ribs.
Certain dragons that attained the undying realm.
Born when the body couldn't keep up.
Rooooaaarrr!
The S-Rank monster Ancient Wing revealed itself before their eyes.