A Nation in Turmoil
The embers of the failed gate raid and the tragic deaths of the raid team showed no signs of dying down. There were many reasons for this, but one of the biggest was North Korea.
Just as its economy was on the verge of total collapse, the advent of gates had breathed new life into the hermit kingdom. The nation that once struggled with a failing economy, unable to trade and desperately lacking food and resources, had vanished. In its place stood a proper, thriving state, built on harvesting countless resources and securing food from the gates... South Korea's primary adversary.
And now, North Korea was making a major move. A military unit composed entirely of Awakened hunters had appeared near Panmunjom. As the warnings of TV pundits—who had spent years ranting about "commies"—suddenly became a stark reality, the government and politicians panicked. It seemed they had never expected North Korea to mobilize in such a way.
"They've always loved their provocations," I muttered.
Back when I was in elementary and middle school, it felt like there was a constant stream of armed infiltrations, bombings, and general chaos. It was the same even after I became an adult... In short, things had always been tense. Nowadays, I didn't really pay attention to that sort of thing since disasters happened left and right anyway, but it seemed their provocations hadn't changed. Regardless, the incident threw the country into a state of emergency, and public opinion naturally shifted toward treating hunters better. Of course, laws don't change overnight, so the political arena remained incredibly noisy.
That wasn't all. Massive rallies began cropping up in Gwanghwamun Plaza. With all the noise surrounding North Korea, elderly citizens carrying the South Korean flag gathered to protest...
"So... you're saying our parents went there too?"
"Apparently so."
Our parents belonged to the generation that had lived through the Korean War and witnessed countless provocations, so they must have felt a profound sense of crisis.
"To be honest, I don't think North Korea will actually start a war," Seohui said.
Apparently, it was all just a show to maintain their regime's survival. Having returned after ten years, I didn't know much about the current political landscape, so I just nodded along.
The gate at the Millennium Ancient City was officially named the Vampire's Palace... and its rank was designated as a whopping S-Class. Even though it was an Alien-type Gate and had already been cleared, there was always a chance another one could appear, so recording the data was essential. The World Hunter Organization seemed to think South Korea's rating was too high, but the rank was ultimately approved due to the vampires' ability to turn others into their own kind. If even a single one escaped, it could trigger a zombie apocalypse. Attempting to raid it with mediocre hunters would only increase the enemy's numbers—it was a truly perilous threat.
Consequently, the treatment of hunters officially improved. Their pay increased, they could no longer be worked to the bone without consequence, and S-Class hunters were granted relatively more freedom of movement. Previously, the government had thrown absolute tantrums trying to keep S-Class hunters tied down to the capital... but that was now a thing of the past. And what did that mean for me?
"Wow, it's been so long since we've entered a gate together!"
"Finally... finally, we're out of training and doing a real raid..."
It meant I could finally enter gates with Ah-young and Gyuri. Having been liberated from that damn emergency standby duty, I had regained my freedom. The gate I chose to clear with them was the Kobold Desert City. It was a Dungeon-type Gate with a desert environment. The objective was to lay siege to a city inhabited by kobolds from the outside, and their numbers were vast.
"Kobolds..."
Kobolds were dog-headed monsters, quite similar to goblins. While a direct comparison was tricky, they were roughly equal in strength and intelligence. However, kobolds possessed a far superior sense of smell and leg strength. On the other hand, goblins were a cut above when it came to manual dexterity and sheer underhandedness. At any rate, they weren't particularly special monsters.
"Aside from the harsh combat environment, this dungeon isn't actually that difficult," Seohui said.
"That environment looks incredibly difficult, though..." I chimed in, talking back to my younger sister.
"That's why I just said the environment is difficult!"
"No, I mean..."
"What?"
Seohui's nerves were incredibly frayed. Is it that time of the month? I kept my mouth shut, sensing that if I asked, she might actually hit me.
"I get that you wanted to go to a gate with those two, but did you really have to drag me along?"
Ah, so that was what she was grumpy about.
"Hey, you're the one who insisted on coming."
"That's because..."
"I would have been perfectly fine going with just the three of us."
With my abilities, supporting the two of them while clearing a dungeon was child's play. Yet, the moment I mentioned going to a gate, my sister had insisted on tagging along.
"What if I let you go alone and you cause trouble?"
Hmm...
"Just look at what almost happened right before we entered the gate!"
It hadn't been that big of a deal. Some guy, clearly captivated by my figure, had approached me, and I had simply been about to knock him out with a light punch. But my sister, who had been following me, stopped me. To be precise, she had confronted him, snapping that a lowlife like him had no right to approach me, and shut him down with words. I would have just settled it with my fists.
"Why? Wouldn't that count as self-defense?"
"I mean, it probably would have been ruled as self-defense, but violence is still wrong!"
I shrugged. "I was going to do it without leaving a single scratch anyway."
"You were going to hit him with the power of healing, weren't you?" Ah-young, who had been watching our bickering, chimed in.
"Wait, unnie, really?"
"What? I was just going to knock him out gently."
My sister's sighs only grew deeper at my response.
In any case, we began our raid on the gate. I wanted to see how much the two of them had improved through their training. First of all, they had received equipment support from the guild, so they were dressed similarly to my sister. Ah-young seemed to be using the same sword she had acquired previously, while Gyuri had received a brand-new weapon. It was an incredibly expensive piece of gear that functioned as both a magic catalyst and a sword. Considering how pricey magic weapons usually were, one crafted in the shape of a sword was astronomically expensive.
"Gyuri, is it really okay for you to borrow a weapon like that?"
"A-as long as I don't break it, it's fine..."
Well, it was highly unlikely she'd break it against mere kobolds.
"Even if you do break it, they'll probably let it slide just because of my sister," Seohui remarked dryly.
"Is that so?"
"Our Military Advisor would gladly tell unnie to treat some patients to pay off the sword."
By "Military Advisor," she meant Jegal Cheon, the Vice Guild Master.
"True..."
I supposed treating a few wealthy individuals would easily cover the cost of the weapon.
"Anyway, I'll leave the raid to you two. Let me know if you need buffs."
"Yes!"
The two decided to try fighting without buffs first. The desert environment was incredibly harsh for humans. First, there was the scorching sun. Even standing still, the heat beating down on us was intense. Next was the sand. The shifting dunes made walking exhausting, draining their stamina and making it difficult to dodge attacks. Finally, the wind. The dry, sandy wind made breathing difficult, parched their skin, and constantly obstructed their vision.
"What a grueling environment."
Desert kobolds were a subspecies adapted to these harsh conditions, occasionally hiding beneath the sand to launch surprise attacks. Regardless, the two fought... remarkably well. Thanks to the techniques they had learned, their movements had far less waste. In Gyuri's case, she handled both swordplay and magic with natural ease.
"Hah!"
Ah-young's movements, in particular, were outstanding. Perhaps because her stamina and physical strength had grown, her actions were much smoother and swifter. She gracefully dodged a kobold's strike on the heavy sand before slashing back. Gyuri seamlessly chained her thrusts with magic, using spells to strike the openings created when her sword fell just short of the target.
"Yip!"
The kobold hit by her Thunder Arrow collapsed but didn't die immediately, so she quickly closed the distance and finished it off with her sword.
"They're fighting well."
Despite the harsh environment, their movements were better than when they had hunted goblins. It was proof that their grueling training had not been in vain. Watching them easily dispatch a dozen kobolds, it was clear they had grown.
"How was it?"
"You've gotten stronger."
I might actually have to revise my previous assessment of them. To think that simply learning proper swordsmanship could improve their movements this much...
"Hehe."
"Well, we still have a long way to go."
As for Gyuri...
"You've gotten better at not wasting mana."
"Yes! I learned that for a mage, properly distributing and not wasting mana is crucial."
To be honest, I didn't really understand that concept. The mage in our Hero's party was the type to spam spells recklessly... and once his mana ran dry, he would just retreat to the back and watch the fight. Though, to be fair, there were rarely situations where he had to use that much mana anyway...
"Still sloppy."
But apparently, my sister saw things differently.
"Your movements aren't bad, but your kill speed is too slow."
"Come on, as long as they didn't get hurt, it's fine."
"At this rate, clearing the dungeon will take too long."
And in extreme environments, time was of the essence. At Seohui's words, the two hung their heads. To be scolded by a hunter they idolized...
And as the raid progressed, the reason behind my sister's warning became painfully clear.
"Pant, pant..."
It was great that we had crossed the desert and entered the city, but... the two were already at their physical limits.
"Because you have too many wasted movements, your stamina consumption is high."
Combined with the desert environment, their energy had drained far faster than they realized. Currently, we were hiding inside a kobold dwelling to recover.
"This place needs to be cleared within three hours at most."
The reasons were the sun and water. The scorching heat made them intensely thirsty, and the dry, sandy wind made their bodies feel heavy... The water they had brought was already completely gone.
"We're... sorry."
"How is this your fault? It's all part of the learning experience."
I conjured Holy Water inside their canteens.
"Here, drink."
"Huh? Is this magic?"
"Well, something like that."
My sister glared at me.
"If you help them like that..."
"I know, I know. It's not good for them."
Experiencing these hardships was part of the process, and bypassing them with my power would stunt their growth. But as the two drank the water... their eyes went wide.
"This is..."
It wasn't just water; it was Holy Water. Drinking it, even in small amounts, restored stamina and mana.
"You feel a bit better, right?"
"Yes..."
"Then let's move out immediately."
"Huh?"
The two looked utterly bewildered.
"Did you think I gave you that for free?"
It was to get them back on their feet as quickly as possible. In the end, the two had to continue the raid with tearful faces.
The boss of the Kobold Desert City was the Kobold Chieftain, who was only slightly larger than a regular kobold, making the fight easy. Unlike goblins, they didn't have hordes of subordinates... so we cleared it with ease.
"But seriously, do I have to carry this?" my sister asked, nudging the sack of mana stones with her foot.
"You can at least do that much."
"If you're going to be like this, hire a porter."
"Then you be the porter. I'll pay you."
"Excuse me, I'm an A-Class hunter, you know?"
Seohui was full of complaints. I was ordering her around a bit much, but...
"Ah, then you can stay behind next time."
"I told you, I'm worried you'll cause trouble!"
"I won't cause trouble, okay?!"
"How can I just let you go after what I saw this morning?!"
My sister and I bickered back and forth. Ah-young and Gyuri couldn't even bring themselves to intervene, merely watching us with anxious eyes...