Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Devil's Training
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The Chief Secretary placed five neatly arranged pages into a file folder and stood before the Bureau Director's office.
Though unintentional, she could hear voices from within.
"If things were going to turn out this way, might as well go all in. Well done! That felt damn good!"
The Chief Secretary, who had been about to open the door, took a long breath to calm herself. But the next voice grated on her nerves once more.
"While you're at it, why not join my secretarial staff? I'll make sure you're well compensated."
*Knock! Knock!*
She couldn't help but knock forcefully.
As if her feelings had been conveyed, the voices inside suddenly ceased. When she opened the door and entered, all three people within avoided her gaze.
Kang Il-seop, Bae Wang-sik, and Min Ha-na.
Hearing the approaching sound of her heels, the three of them did their best to control their expressions.
*Thud.*
The Chief Secretary placed the file folder in front of Kang Il-seop, who was sitting on the sofa and chatting.
"These are the consent forms from the guild leaders."
"Haha. Good work."
"I'll be on my way then."
"Why don't you have a seat as well?"
As the Chief Secretary sat down, Bae Wang-sik and Min Ha-na reflexively stood up.
"Well, I'll be going now."
"Me too."
"Hey, what are you talking about? You two should stay."
"We've already done our part."
Bae Wang-sik turned to leave first. Min Ha-na was about to follow when a cold voice stopped them.
"It would be good for you two to hear this as well. Shouldn't we call the team leader?"
The Chief Secretary spoke with an indifferent expression, staring straight ahead. Though no one was there, her gaze seemed to glare at the entire room.
Bae Wang-sik protested to Kang Il-seop in a voice too low to be heard.
'Leave me out of this.'
Kang Il-seop averted his eyes and said.
"Haha. That sounds like a good idea. It seems our Chief Secretary has something to say, so listen before you go."
Having lost their justification due to Kang Il-seop's betrayal, the two sat back down on the sofa.
There was no conversation among them until the Gate Response team leader, who had been contacted, arrived and took his seat.
"Alright. Shall we talk? Now that the guild leaders have left like that, they won't just sit still."
As he broached the topic with a serious expression, the Chief Secretary explained the situation in greater detail.
"They will likely mobilize every method at their disposal, short of refusing to clear gates. The key will be public opinion."
Currently, the Hunter Management Bureau enjoyed absolute support from the public. In this situation, even politicians with ties to the guilds had to be cautious.
But that didn't mean they were without weapons.
"If we can't maintain the current level of public opinion, we will likely face an attack on a scale incomparable to anything before. In a form that makes you, Director, most vulnerable."
The Chief Secretary's gaze sharpened.
"Hm? Vulnerable?"
"The Bureau Director is an appointed position."
Most people seemed to understand, but Min Ha-na, who was unfamiliar with the Bureau's circumstances, did not. The Chief Secretary gave her a brief explanation.
"The Director's term ends in six months."
"Ah!"
"You were reappointed and have kept your position, but your second term ends in six months. If you can't maintain public support until then, reappointment will be difficult."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
The only one at ease was Kang Il-seop, the man in question. Seeing his expression, the Chief Secretary spoke.
"I had anticipated that suppressing the major guilds this time would ensure your reappointment, but things have gotten complicated."
Only then did Min Ha-na realize the gravity of the day's events. Today, they hadn't just checked the guilds; they had set them off.
"I made a mistake."
Bae Wang-sik readily admitted his fault, and Min Ha-na also bowed her head.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know the circumstances. I should have held back..."
"This is not something for you to apologize for."
Kang Il-seop did not permit their apologies.
"Today's events served as a clear warning to the guilds that prioritize individuals over the nation and its people. Thanks to you two, we were able to issue a powerful warning. That is absolutely not something to apologize for."
As the Chief Secretary tried to rebut, Kang Il-seop continued.
"I did what had to be done, but I have to step down because my political power is lacking? If that's the case, then I'll step down. It would be worse if I failed to do my duty because of my position. If problems have arisen from this, then I must do my best to solve them. That is the proper way."
At a glance, it sounded right, but the Chief Secretary's next words shattered his logic.
"The next director the guilds are working to install behind the scenes is Bang Jin-cheol."
"That son of a bitch!"
"If that son of a bitch becomes the next director, what will happen to the Hunter Management Bureau? Why do you act so surprised, as if you didn't know?"
Bang Jin-cheol was a former member of the same Awakened Special Forces as Kang Il-seop, a man who'd been dismissed after his shady dealings were exposed. Yet, he had regained his position through connections and bribes.
If such a man became the director of the Hunter Management Bureau with the guilds' help, what would follow was obvious.
"The Hunter Management Bureau will become the guilds' errand boy."
The atmosphere finally grew heavy. It was Min Ha-na who broke the stifling silence.
"Should I go and apologize? After all, I'm the one who started this..."
For the prideful Min Ha-na to say such a thing showed just how much responsibility she felt.
"That's not an option."
Surprisingly, it was the Chief Secretary who opposed Min Ha-na's suggestion.
"The plan from the start was to suppress them, not to bow our heads. That will not change."
"Is there another way?"
"Now that it's come to this, we must show them our true strength."
The Chief Secretary seemed to already have a method in mind.
"Tell me the plan."
"We apply all the legal pressure we can."
"Legal, you say..."
"We stop assigning them gates."
A guild's primary activity is clearing gates. A guild that cannot clear gates is bound to fall behind in every aspect. But there was a problem.
Who would clear the gates?
Wang-sik was the first to grasp the intention.
"So the Hunter Management Bureau will just clear all the gates they were supposed to clear."
"Exactly."
The authority to assign gates was the Hunter Management Bureau's greatest power. The problem was that the Bureau lacked the resources to exercise that authority.
But what if they had the power to clear them?
There would be no reason to assign gates to the guilds. The situation would literally force the guilds to bow their heads to the Hunter Management Bureau.
"Ultimately, it all depends on Hunter Bae Wang-sik's decision. We would have to clear every B-rank and higher gate that appears in the country."
With Wang-sik, it wasn't impossible.
All eyes turned to Wang-sik.
Wang-sik was lost in thought for a moment.
In any case, he was a contract worker. He had chosen not to become a full-time agent precisely because he valued his personal time.
Meaning, no one could blame him if he refused.
As Wang-sik closed his eyes and thought, the others waited patiently. When five minutes had passed, the director made a decision.
"We've put an undue burden on you. Forget we said anything."
Feeling sorry for Wang-sik, the director came to a conclusion.
"I'm not debating whether to do it or not. I'm thinking about how."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm. My thoughts were just starting to come together, but now I have to rethink it because of you, Director."
Wang-sik closed his eyes again.
"Geez, so picky..."
Kang Il-seop shut his mouth as the others shot him sharp glares.
After another five minutes, Wang-sik looked at Kang Il-seop and spoke.
"Give me the position of acting sub-team leader for six months."
It was an unexpected request, but not impossible to grant. His performance already made him more than qualified for a team leader position. Moreover, the agents' trust in Wang-sik was absolute.
Still, he had to ask for a reason.
"Would you care to explain?"
"I plan to act as an instructor from the sub-team leader position."
"You mean you're going to train the agents?"
"Yes. Let's call it a special training period. Because there's no better training than actual combat."
Kang Il-seop looked at the team leader who was also present.
"He can have my position. I don't mind. This will be an excellent opportunity."
The team leader's faith was just as firm. However, giving up the team leader position was not approved due to the potential aftereffects six months later.
It was best for the team leader to always remain in his post.
"Alright. I approve. Is there anything else you need?"
"When you explain this to the agents, make sure you say this."
The corners of Wang-sik's mouth lifted.
"They're going to see me as a devil."
Everyone was speechless at Wang-sik's first-ever cruel smile.
Mapo District, Seoul.
The blare of sirens drew people's attention.
A shimmering blue dot had appeared on an eight-lane road in the heart of the city, packed with towering skyscrapers.
Normally, the sirens would stop once the Hunter Management Bureau arrived on the scene.
This was because, with some variation, there was usually a period of three days to a week between a gate's first appearance and when it opened.
But today was different.
By the time the sound of a helicopter was heard and Bureau agents arrived, the gate's diameter was already approaching one meter.
A Rapid Gate.
"It will open in five hours."
At the agent's declaration, barricades were immediately set up, and an evacuation order was issued.
"It's a B-rank gate, at minimum."
The danger of a Rapid Gate wasn't just its formation speed. They were at least B-rank, and in Korea, one had even appeared as an A-plus rank.
Naturally, the news was reported as a breaking story and reached the Black River Guild, which controlled the western part of Seoul.
Upon hearing the news, the Black River Guild immediately issued an emergency summons, gathering its members.
—All B-rank and higher hunters, assemble.
This was not a place where they could afford to split their forces.
Moreover, the Black River Guild had suffered heavy losses from their last failed gate conquest, and Min Ha-na had also left.
Min Ha-na's departure was not just the loss of a single outstanding talent.
Sponsorships and advertising inquiries had dwindled, dealing a blow to their financial situation.
"We have to handle this flawlessly."
That was why this conquest was so important.
"The heavens are on our side."
With the appearance of a rare Rapid Gate, the spotlight they would receive after clearing it would be immense.
"Guild Leader. We're being flooded with requests for cooperation from other guilds."
"We clear it alone."
There was no need to share the glory.
Maeng Do-sik, the leader of the Black River Guild, insisted on a solo operation, and preparations moved swiftly.
An hour after the summons, once the necessary personnel had gathered, Maeng Do-sik, contrary to his usual practice, personally donned his combat suit and stood before the guild members.
"I will lead this assault."
He intended to create a definitive event.
"Let's move out."
At his words, everyone turned with grim expressions. Just then, a man rushed urgently toward the guild leader.
He was a D-rank hunter in charge of communications.
"Guild Leader. There's a problem."
"A problem?"
"The Hunter Management Bureau hasn't sent a request to clear it."
"What?"
The first thing the Hunter Management Bureau did was select a guild for a conquest. Especially for a Rapid Gate, they should have had a main guild and support guilds lined up and ready.
"Don't tell me..."
Maeng Do-sik frowned and asked.
"Which guild did they assign it to?"
"Well, as far as I've confirmed, no guild has received a request to clear it."
"What does that..."
"It seems they're going to clear it themselves."
Maeng Do-sik's expression crumpled.
In front of the Mapo Rapid Gate.
The blue gate was gradually changing color, taking on a reddish hue.
It was a characteristic of a Rapid Gate.
Normally, they would turn a deep blue, but a red color meant it was A-rank.
"Gate opening in five minutes!"
Twenty agents were gathered in the danger zone, which was cordoned off by a wide perimeter.
Among the nineteen tense faces was the Gate Conquest team leader.
But one person, Wang-sik, who faced the agents, wore a blank expression.
Wang-sik glanced once at the gate turning blood-red, then took something out of his inventory.
It was a helmet he rarely used.
A black helmet, seemingly modeled after the face of a demon.
Donning the helmet, Wang-sik's voice became somewhat sinister.
"Welcome to hell."
Everyone reacted with confusion, but he ignored them and continued.
"No one will die, but it will be so hard you'll wish you were dead. There's no quitting midway. It will be more painful than any hell you can imagine."
The agents felt a chill run down their spines as his words were delivered with an eerie echo from the helmet.
Even Min Ha-na, who had a strong resistance to the cold, felt a slight chill.
"Now. Let's begin. It's going to be a six months that feels like six hundred years."
Wang-sik walked toward the red gate.