Face-to-Face
When four women gather and start chatting, things get incredibly noisy. Our conversation, however, was far from ladylike. I suppose that was only natural, given that our only common denominator was being hunters.
"I hear hunters are being exceptionally cautious with their activities lately," Ah-young said.
The reason was simple: the Gates had suddenly become far more difficult. Just when the world was stabilizing and clearing Gates was starting to feel like a casual pastime, they had changed once more. Sudden new Gates, spiked difficulty levels, and recurring anomalies... No one knew why.
"Especially since there are so many new Gates popping up instead of the usual ones, right?" Seohee asked.
Instead of Gates with manageable difficulties and well-established strategies, entirely new Gates were appearing without warning. It was causing headaches across the board. The difficulty was too high for small-to-medium guilds to handle, while the more established guilds were drowning in work.
"Even the Moorim Alliance's raid units are constantly being dragged out," my sister added.
Since it came from Seohee, it was bound to be true.
"Because of that, people are saying the government's decision to improve hunter treatment a few months ago was a stroke of genius," Gyuri chimed in.
Apparently, people were praising the government, claiming that raising their compensation beforehand was the only reason major disasters had been averted. It made sense. If the pay were still miserable, no hunter in their right mind would willingly risk their life in these newly spiked Gates.
"I take it none of these new Gates have any useful resources?" I asked.
"Apparently not," Seohee replied.
We lived in an era where Gates were heavily commercialized. If any valuable resources had been discovered, the corporations would have jumped on them immediately.
"Is that so...?"
"Yeah. Apparently, they're too dangerous to leave open, so they have to close them immediately."
So the new Gates were too dangerous to leave unclosed, but closing them only led to more popping up elsewhere? What a mess.
"What a headache..."
The real issue, however, was that some of these Gates were linked to the Other World where I had spent ten grueling years. I had no idea why.
I wanted to inspect them all personally, but I couldn't just waltz into active Gates whenever I pleased. While I could glean some information from official reports, nothing beat seeing them with my own eyes. Without firsthand observation, I couldn't confirm the connection to the Other World.
"Come to think of it, I've never actually seen an Erosion Gate," I mused aloud.
I had been to plenty of standard dungeons and alien-type Gates, but never an Erosion Gate. The thought struck me as rather odd.
"An Erosion Gate, huh? There's actually a famous tourist spot that's one. Want to go?" Seohee suggested.
An Erosion Gate... as a tourist attraction?
"Does that even make sense?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Aren't Gates supposed to be inherently hazardous? I had heard of countries using Erosion Gates to turn deserts into lush forests, but a tourist destination?
"It's one of the exceptionally low-risk ones," Seohee explained.
Naturally, to keep it safe for the public, hunters were stationed there around the clock as guards, and active subjugation operations were carried out regularly to ensure no monsters ever leaked out.
"Oh, I know that place! It's Rainbow Lake, right?" Ah-young chimed in excitedly.
"Rainbow Lake?"
"Yes! It's surrounded by gorgeous lakes, ponds, and a beautiful forest, and the water in the lake literally shines in rainbow colors."
Apparently, there wasn't actually anything strange mixed into the water. No one knew the exact scientific reason, but when the sunlight hit the surface just right, the reflection created a breathtaking, iridescent rainbow glow.
"Huh..."
I guess Gates like that existed too.
"And they say there's even a rare creature called a unicorn living there!" Ah-young added.
A unicorn... A holy beast that had already gone extinct in the Other World.
Gyuri suddenly looked slightly repulsed. "Wait, do the unicorns there also have that weird obsession with... you know, virgins?"
Even though we were all women, it was a slightly delicate topic. Honestly, it's not like we're all innocent saints here, so why the sudden bashfulness? Still, it seemed Gyuri was well-aware of the lore.
"Not exactly... but they do seem to have a massive preference for beautiful women," Seohee replied.
Apparently, unicorns were incredibly shallow creatures that gravitated toward exceptionally attractive women. Even when it came to men, they preferred the good-looking ones—though they reacted much better to pretty, delicate flower boys than rugged, macho types.
"How amusing."
"That's why women in their teens and twenties apparently use unicorns as a sort of 'beauty test,'" Ah-young giggled.
If a group of people stood in a line, whichever person the unicorn approached first was officially deemed the most attractive.
"Pfft, that's hilarious," Seohee snorted.
My sister clearly found the concept highly entertaining.
"Have you never been there?" I asked her.
"Not really. I mean, I knew Rainbow Lake existed, but there's no way the Moorim Alliance would ever deploy to a place like that."
As elite hunters of the Moorim Alliance, their duties lay in far more perilous and urgent battlefields, not scenic tourist traps.
"Well, it does sound like it would be fun to visit," I said.
If I went there, wouldn't those unicorns lose their minds trying to get close to my breathtakingly gorgeous self?
"If you go, Miss Nix, I bet the unicorns will absolutely swarm you!" Ah-young said with a bright smile.
Ah-young's pure, unadulterated praise made me feel a sudden prickle of embarrassment.
"W-Well, of course they would!"
With a face and body that perfectly mirrored the Goddess of Light's peerless beauty, there was no way it wouldn't work. Still, having someone else say it out loud was surprisingly embarrassing.
"In that case, why don't the four of us go on a vacation?" Seohee suggested.
"Do you think we can?" Gyuri asked, looking hesitant.
"We'll set a date first, and if something urgent pops up, we can just cancel," Seohee said.
Well, I suppose that was the standard way of doing things.
"A girls' trip? I'm so excited!" Ah-young beamed.
Both Ah-young and Gyuri were fully on board.
"Then I'll leave the planning to you girls," I said.
I told them I would just show up with my wallet and fund the entire trip.
"Deal. But in exchange, you're not allowed to complain once we get there, okay?" Seohee warned.
"Complain about what?"
No nitpicking the itinerary, no whining about the food, no grumbling about things being a waste of money, no saying the place is disappointing... She rattled off a laundry list of restrictions.
"C-Come on, surely I'm allowed to express my opinion on those things?"
"If you want a say, then you plan it, sister."
I cleared my throat and quickly backed down. "Fine, fine. Do whatever you want."
"Great. Then Gyuri and I will work on the itinerary," Seohee said.
"Huh? What about me?" Ah-young pouted, looking left out.
She seemed genuinely disappointed to be excluded from the planning committee.
"Oh, come on. You'll literally love whatever we choose anyway," Seohee teased.
That was just how Ah-young was. She was endlessly positive and bright, the kind of girl who rarely, if ever, complained about anything.
"Well... I guess that's true," Ah-young admitted.
"Anyway, we'll keep it simple—just a quick two-day, one-night trip, so don't get your hopes up too high."
What started as a casual chat had somehow snowballed into a full-blown vacation. Still, a trip with these girls sounded like it would be quite fun.
When I finally dropped by the Moorim Alliance headquarters after a long absence, the atmosphere was noticeably grim.
"Why is everyone so gloomy today?" I asked.
"No idea..." Seohee muttered.
It seemed my sister was in the dark as well. Did a raid go south? No, if that were the case, Namgung Min would have deployed personally. And if even the Sword Saint couldn't handle it, they would have begged for my help. So it wasn't a dungeon crisis.
Driven by curiosity, I headed upstairs to find Jegal Cheon, who was undoubtedly buried under a mountain of paperwork.
"Ah, Lady Nix. What brings you here?" Jegal Cheon asked, looking up from his desk.
"I was just curious why the entire guild looks like it's attending a funeral."
The oppressive, heavy silence hanging over the offices was hard to ignore.
"Ah... It's because of the recent talk regarding guild competitions."
Guild competitions? I recalled hearing that there had been talks of establishing an Olympic-style tournament for hunters for quite some time now. Naturally, PvP sparring was a major part of it.
"And?"
"Well, some of our hotheaded members participated in an unofficial match, lost miserably, and dragged our guild's reputation through the mud."
"Well, that..."
"Isn't that actually a massive problem?" I asked.
Jegal Cheon's mouth twitched with irritation.
"It is an incredibly massive problem," he sighed.
Apparently, the idiots who had participated in the unsanctioned match had already been suspended and slapped with heavy salary cuts.
"By the way, what exactly is an 'unofficial match' anyway?"
"It's less of a match and more of an underground arena," Jegal Cheon explained.
It was essentially a blood sport where hunters fought each other, akin to wrestling, boxing, or MMA, but with superhuman powers. Naturally, it was incredibly dangerous, and fatalities were not uncommon in these underground fight clubs.
"I fail to see the appeal myself, but apparently, there is a massive audience of wealthy degenerates who find it highly entertaining."
Because of the extreme danger and legal issues, these events were never officially sanctioned, but they thrived in the shadows of the black market.
"Well, that certainly has nothing to do with me."
"Though, with your skills, Lady Nix, you could easily make a fortune acting as a healer for those events," Jegal Cheon remarked dryly.
Since it involved superhumans clashing, the injuries sustained were catastrophic compared to normal human sports. Having a divine healer who could instantly mend shattered bones and ruptured organs on the spot would certainly guarantee the fighters' survival.
"To let the entire guild's morale plummet over such foolishness... how utterly ridiculous."
"Tell me about it," Jegal Cheon sighed, rubbing his temples.
Though, knowing our Guild Master, Namgung Min probably would have loved the idea of a good spar...
"Ahem. Anyway, if you ever need my help, just let me know."
Jegal Cheon hesitated for a brief moment, glancing at me, before shaking his head.
"No, it is fine."
"Hmm..."
"Is that persistent man who keeps looking for me still showing up?"
It had already been over three weeks since he first started pestering the guild.
Jegal Cheon remained silent. But his silence was an answer in itself. If the man had stopped coming, Jegal Cheon would have happily said so. The fact that he was avoiding the question meant only one thing.
"He's still coming, isn't he?"
"Yes. He is incredibly, exhaustingly persistent."
Apparently, the man refused to give any proper reason for his visit, stubbornly insisting that I would understand everything once we met face-to-face.
"What a load of nonsense."
He needed to give me a concrete reason so I could actually weigh my options and decide whether to grant him an audience. Spouting cryptic nonsense like that only made me highly suspicious of his motives.
"Hmm..."
"Do you intend to meet him...?" Jegal Cheon asked cautiously.
I wasn't sure. His sheer persistence suggested he had a compelling reason, but his refusal to state it was deeply bizarre. Why the secrecy? Was this "you'll know when we meet" line just a cheap ploy to get close to me? My suspicion only grew.
"I'm not sure. It is quite a dilemma..."
But then again...
"Since he's causing a nuisance to the guild, I'm tempted to just meet him once, tell him to piss off, and make sure he never sets foot here again."
"If you would do that, I would be immensely grateful," Jegal Cheon said, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
He hadn't complained openly, but it was clear the situation had been giving him a massive headache.
"You should have told me sooner if it was giving you this much trouble."
"Shielding our guild members from unnecessary harassment is part of my job," he replied professionally.
That was true, but still... I knew he had been dealing with a lot of stress lately.
"I feel bad for the security guards at the entrance, so I suppose I really should meet him."
I finally made up my mind. It was annoying to deal with, but since my presence was causing collateral damage to the guild staff, I had to resolve it.
"Shall I arrange a meeting, then?"
"No, let's schedule it for about a month from now."
If his reason for meeting me was truly of life-or-death importance, he would easily be able to wait a month.
"Ah, I see. If it's nothing urgent, this is the perfect way to weed him out."
"Exactly."
If he had been seeking treatment for a dying loved one, he would have screamed it from the rooftops. The fact that he hadn't mentioned anything of the sort meant his reasons were likely trivial.
"I will convey your terms the next time he shows up."
"Thank you. I should have made this decision sooner. My apologies for the trouble."
"Not at all, Lady Nix. As I said, protecting our own is the guild's duty."
Seriously, what a stand-up guy.
"Indeed."
Before leaving, I cast a light healing spell and a minor blessing on the overworked administrator. That should alleviate his chronic back pain and wash away some of his accumulated fatigue.
I could just enjoy my vacation first and deal with him afterward. I wasn't particularly curious about who he was, but I was already pondering how to "reward" him for harassing my guildmates.
Should I knock him unconscious and beat him to a pulp? It's entirely possible to leave absolutely no external bruising while inflicting excruciating internal pain... No, is that a bit too harsh? Well, whatever. I decided to stop worrying about it for now.