#307. He'll Work Some Magic.
Choi Mi-ran grinned as she focused on driving. Kim Seong-hyeon, strapped into the passenger seat, drummed his fingers on the armrest.
"So that's why you took the day off, sis? To show off this sports car?"
"Heh heh! What do you think? Killer, right?! Waited a whole year for this baby. Reserved it ages ago, and it finally rolled in yesterday."
"No kidding, you can tell it's expensive—shiny as hell. Worth dragging yourself out at dawn to pick it up. But why an open-top in the dead of winter?"
A biting wind tousled Kim Seong-hyeon's hair. Olympic-daero, hugging the riverside, was eerily empty thanks to the college entrance exams. Choi Mi-ran floored the accelerator.
"We're hunters—cold doesn't faze us. Winter? Pfft. Nothing's gonna kill my dream ride vibe."
"Weather aside, we're stuck in North Pocheon. How often do you even get to take this out?"
"Guild's growing, so shifts are lighter now. Little over a year, and we'll be free of the zone restriction. Back to Seoul life, baby."
"Eh? With the Hunter Village business and the rider wolf ranch, you really gonna ditch North Pocheon? Good land like that doesn't come easy."
"Shut it. Don't jinx it. Bad vibes."
"Forget that—what if we run into orcs again and get wrecked like last time?"
"Dude, don't speak it into existence. Why drag up that nightmare?"
Choi Mi-ran yanked the wheel irritably. The sports car veered onto Yanghwa Bridge.
The morning sun painted golden ripples across the Han River. A crisp breeze scattered her hair, blowing away the bad memories.
Ahh, stress gone. This is it, this is the life. Worth every penny on this supercar...
It happened the instant their tires hit the bridge span.
A bizarre yet familiar sight slammed into her vision.
A bus lay overturned, sedans smashed against the railings and ablaze. A truck was crumpled like paper, bodies strewn amid the wreckage. Screams drowned out the roar of engines.
"Kyaaah!"
"Help...!"
Acrid black smoke mingled with a red mist. Half-severed bodies flew through the air. Corpses rolling on the ground were crushed mercilessly under beast-like talons.
From behind the inferno rose a massive bulk. A raptor's curved beak tore into humans from its head. Wings sprouted from its back, lion's claws ripping bellies open.
"Griffin!"
Kim Seong-hyeon recognized the monster instantly.
The griffin prowled for fresh prey, zeroing in on the flipped bus packed with passengers.
"S-Sis!"
"What?!"
"Ram it!"
"...Fine."
Tears welled in Choi Mi-ran's eyes.
"Damn it all!"
Vroooom!
"Farewell, my sweet ride. That hour with you was the drive of a lifetime."
Boom!
They bailed from the car just before impact. Caught off-guard, the griffin staggered and tumbled.
Kim Seong-hyeon rolled into a landing and launched himself at a taxi on the verge of scrapping. He kicked the driver's door off its hinges, spinning the entire panel like a discus before hurling it at the griffin.
Pain lanced through the beast's wing from the surprise hit. It flapped furiously, whipping up gusts that hurled nearby cars and people aside.
Most were already dead, but a few clung to life.
Choi Mi-ran, recovering a beat later, jumped in.
Lasso
Wind Cushion
Basic supporter skills anyone could pick up.
Too weak to bother with—good only for padding a hunter evaluation sheet.
Choi Mi-ran unleashed them on the airborne injured. Thin mana ropes snared them, yanking them to safety. A wind burst on the ground caught them softly before impact.
The griffin spotted it.
"Kyaargh!"
It lunged beak-first at an injured man snagged by her lasso, brushing past its head. A graze would've shredded him.
"Eyes on me!"
Kim Seong-hyeon shoved a light sedan into the griffin's leg. The beak snapped empty air.
The griffin turned on him, swelling its throat with a roar. Its bulk loomed menacingly.
He backed away carefully, putting distance between himself and Choi Mi-ran as she rescued more people.
"Damn, should've grabbed my gear. It's all back there..."
Choi Mi-ran overheard and yelled.
"Check my trunk!"
"Trunk?"
"Armor coat and dagger inside!"
He scanned around. Behind the griffin sat her half-wrecked sports car—total loss.
The distraction cost him; the griffin charged.
That was his plan.
He dove under its stabbing beak, sliding between its legs.
Emerging opposite, he wrenched open the crumpled trunk.
"Hey, easy on it!"
"Forget it! She's toast!"
He snatched the armor coat and dagger. Close call—the griffin smashed down from above, flattening the car like a compactor press.
"Stop it, you bird-brained bastard!"
Choi Mi-ran wailed.
The fury in her voice distracted the griffin, buying Kim Seong-hyeon time to don the coat and dodge.
"Thanks, sis!"
He waved gratefully, but she wasn't listening.
"I'll kill you, monster! Every last one!"
"Sis, our ranks might make that tough."
"Shut up or you're next."
"I wanna take it down too, but..."
He pointed at the griffin.
"Ever hunted a griffin before?"
"..."
She shook her head.
"Nope? Me neither. Can we even do this bare-handed?"
"Probably not."
"Sis."
"Yeah?"
"Run!"
Kim Seong-hyeon bolted.
Choi Mi-ran yelled at his back.
"What about the people?!"
"Not running away! Lure it!"
"How?!"
"You're already doing great!"
"I am?"
She glanced at the griffin. It glared right at her—her earlier shout had hooked its attention.
"Haha... Uh, calling you bird-brain wasn't serious. With that lion body, 'bird' doesn't even fit... Gahhh!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The griffin pursued, pecking relentlessly. The bridge deck cratered. No tank would face that barehanded.
Without Kim Seong-hyeon's timely taunts, her skull would've been pierced already.
Even in peril, she veered away from the rescued injured.
Finally, she caught up to Kim Seong-hyeon. Together, griffin on their tail, they sprinted toward the north end of Yanghwa Bridge.
"What's next?!"
"Pray to our legs and the gods."
* * *
Beeeep!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The Iron Will HQ lobby erupted in noise.
Freelance hunters using the community center and guild members alike whipped out smartphones to check the alert.
"Gate alarm?"
"Huh? It's red!"
"Where?"
"Seoul! Seoul!"
Murmurs swelled. A red gate alert in the heart of the capital was a rarity—first since the mini-war.
As panic spread, another alarm blared from HQ.
Wooo-ooo-ooo!
All eyes locked on the corner speaker. A voice every Iron Will member knew boomed out.
Grade 1 Monster Alert! Emergency gear issue! Combat ready—stand by!
Joo Se-ah's order sent members sprinting. Community center staff shut counters. One clerk climbed on a desk, bellowing.
"Center closing due to emergency! Sorry for the hunt disruption! Reopening after all-clear!"
"When?!"
A hunter who'd just won a Hunter Village spot griped, hunts now impossible.
The clerk bowed apologetically.
"Situation unclear—no firm ETA. We appreciate your understanding!"
"Dude! I waited half a year for this! No way is 'no' an answer. Give us a ballpark!"
"Guild policy: Full compensation period if hunts halt on our request."
A woman's voice cut in from behind the irate hunter.
"Who're you? In charge?"
"Communications Team Chief Oh Jeong-yeon. I'll explain special provisions."
"Special what?"
"Volunteers among freelancers: Iron Will forming temp parties. All resources and costs covered by us. Objective: Seoul defense. Gate outbreaking in the city now. Full guild and volunteers deploy."
"!!"
* * *
Kang Moo-hyuk called Joo Se-ah the moment the gate alert hit.
Before he could dial, she burst into the commander's office.
"Orders, sir? What's the play?"
"Takes time for hunters to gear up. Seoul guilds will mobilize too—numbers fine, but..."
"But?"
"Open gate dictates difficulty. Boss and gatekeeper status swings casualties exponentially. Issue: No prior forced-open gate reports."
Forced-open gates—government-approved bursts for resources like mines or herb clusters inside. Permitted guilds had to raid boss and gatekeeper, cull monsters maximally, and maintain periodic cleanups to prevent outbreaks.
"No reports? So deadline expired, raid failed?"
"Likely. Boss probably still inside."
Joo Se-ah drummed the desk irritably.
"Hate guilds milking gates to the deadline."
"Guild nature—squeeze max value. Can't legislate it out. Focus on countermeasures now."
"I'll go?"
"Yes. Move first. Heli prepped at Exit 3."
"Hope nothing happens till then."
"Contacting Thomas too."
"He's in Paju for treatment, right? That's far."
"He'll work some magic."