Sanctuary 01 - Current Situation. Please Report Faster!
Jeong Eunhye's urgent voice crackled over the radio. Special Mobile Team leader Kang Cheolhan had already sat up, eyes fixed on the Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate.
"Hurry!"
Jeong Eunhye urged again.
Finally, Lee Seongsim, who was in the middle of connecting, let out a deep sigh.
"It's close."
"So, what's the status now?"
"Mm. Ah. It's done."
"The rankings?!"
"Yeonwoo. Shin Gaon. Those two names are dominating the top spots."
Top Spots: Yeonwoo & Shin Gaon
"Aaaah! Yes!"
Her voice brimmed with joy, accompanied by the sound of clapping hands echoing over the radio. From the moment the rankings flipped, Jeong Eunhye had been relentlessly pestering Lee Seongsim while listening to the internal broadcast, fretting nonstop. Now that Nade Man had plummeted and Yeonwoo had won, she celebrated as if it were her own victory.
"By any chance, can you see the gap between them?"
"Mm."
Lee Seongsim stared blankly into space for a long moment with unfocused eyes.
"It only shows the top ranks."
"Too bad."
"Ah."
Then Lee Seongsim furrowed her brow slightly. It was only after her gaze dropped far down that she spotted the other teams.
"Unbelievable. The gap is absurdly huge."
It wasn't that the other teams weren't displayed. They were simply too far behind to appear on the ranking board.
"Oh my, oh my!"
Jeong Eunhye's delight transmitted fully over the radio. Amid the commotion, Lee Seongsim quietly pressed the radio button to mute the reception.
"Is it really that exciting?"
"Nade Man lost."
"...He wasn't an easy opponent. Plus, he had Real Combat Compression No.4."
"Yeah. He's infamous for all the wrong reasons, but his skills aren't fake."
"Didn't she beat him before too?"
About two months ago, at the Hunter Center incident dubbed the "Gold Tier Beatdown Girl" affair, both Special Mobile Team members had been on site.
"Who knows. A Tier II versus Tier I fight can swing on stigma or luck, but Tier III versus Tier II? That's different. You can't win without being born for it."
In Kang Cheolhan's honest opinion, he'd wanted to hand her his business card right there at that beatdown scene. But the situation wasn't ideal for intervening, and burdening a rookie hunter felt awkward, so he'd just watched. He hadn't even tried to stop it, so he had no right to approach her anyway. Now, he regretted it a bit. He should've scored some points back then.
"Mm. What about Shin Gaon's influence?"
"That's what's even more abnormal!"
Kang Cheolhan exclaimed in shock, raising his voice—a rare sight from their leader that piqued Lee Seongsim's interest.
"Why?"
"If words alone had tamed that bitch, her family wouldn't treat her like that."
"You know her well."
"Of course. It's bad blood. Put simply, teaming up with her is more hindrance than help. She's got a hell of a temper too."
"And yet they overwhelmingly took first together."
"Well..."
Kang Cheolhan stroked his chin. He had ties to Shin Gaon's family and had watched her growth up close—what drove her to become a hunter and all. So he could guess the scenarios where she'd cooperate. Roughly two possibilities. Either he'd crushed that insane temper with overwhelming power. Or he'd pierced her tastes with impossible odds.
"Either way, both are necessary."
That only made him more curious about Yeonwoo. And expectant. The Ant Nest Gate Liberator. Strong enough to handle Tier III Nade Man and rein in Shin Gaon. And Yeonwoo was still just Tier II. Plenty of room to grow physically stronger too.
That wasn't all.
"Captain. You're thinking of the Inverted Garden, aren't you?"
"Can't leave it abandoned forever."
Gates had entry restrictions, varying by gate. The Inverted Garden allowed up to Tier II max, but its unique environment had prevented proper exploration. A ticking bomb, basically.
They'd requested Eden's help to deploy experienced Tier IIIs as support, but true to its inverted nature, only Tier I Eden hunters could enter.
"Is it right to send valuable talent into a danger zone?"
Lee Seongsim was correct. The Tier II limit was trickier than it sounded. It required rising stars to solve, but could also mean losing promising hunters.
"The rewards are guaranteed."
"Unique-grade, you mean."
Unique-grade. The highest known weapon classification. Fewer than ten known in the world—an unknown tier. One lurked in the Inverted Garden Gate. Hunter Management Bureau top secret, naturally. If word got out, every Tier II hunter might swarm it, wiping out the pool. Greedy groups would push them with promises of support and glory.
"Plus, with my authority, I could throw in a Legendary-grade too."
"That's not something you call 'a bit extra.'"
"Better to give it to someone who needs it than let it rot in storage."
"Aren't you taking too long?"
Jeong Eunhye's voice cut in over the radio. She understood they had private matters, but the chat was dragging.
"The range is expanding. Has the gate interior moved to the next phase?"
She was right.
"Phase advanced."
After Yeonwoo and Shin Gaon's overwhelming first place, the phase shifted. The translucent house covering the gate entrance had grown massively, now surpassing a two-story townhouse.
And the gate's forced territory was expanding steadily.
"Also, about what Hunter Ma Jingon said earlier. We've mobilized the full infra-net, but no contact."
Ma Jingon, Gate Liberator of the Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate, was retired. But as a liberator, they'd tried reaching him for clues on the red pillar event. No progress.
"Sent someone to his address just in case, but still no word..."
"Ugh!"
Then it happened. Lee Seongsim's sharp grunt cut off Senior Officer Jeong Eunhye. Her eyes refocused simultaneously.
"What happened?"
"You. Connection dropped?"
"...Yes."
"What?! Why?"
"Well."
Lee Seongsim narrowed her eyes at the transparent house over the gate.
"Probably... no more rankings needed."
"Meaning it's wrapping up?"
"More like... something's slightly off."
She couldn't be sure with the forced disconnect, but it felt like some phase or process had glitched.
Rumble rumble rumble―
The house rose straight from the ground, spanning the entire allotted shadow area.
"Whoa."
Yeonwoo widened her eyes at it. Calling it a house was questionable. She'd used common red bricks, yet the result was astonishing.
The structure before her—no, this fortress worthy of the name citadel—was built of massive gray bricks. Its outer walls looked utterly unreal.
Like something from a book.
A fairy tale picture book, even. A grand open gate flanked by a moat, with cannon emplacements and huge ballistae dotted along the walls. Especially the top—bristling with vicious protrusions. The uniform □_□_□_□ battlements were straight out of a storybook.
"This. Is good."
The childlike form brought a soft smile to Yeonwoo's face. Capping the event like this felt thrilling, exhilarating. And it was hers alone.
"A dream house that doesn't even exist in reality, fulfilled here."
Event-limited or not, her chest swelled. Pain still throbbed underneath, but the swell overshadowed it.
"Living here would be fun."
"Yeah. Would be fun."
Oddly, Shin Gaon nodded agreeably, empathizing. Sharing that childlike wonder felt strangely novel.
"Bit big, but fun."
"Small, but fun."
They spoke in unison.
"...Huh?"
"What?"
But their meanings were polar opposites. They pointed at each other in genuine surprise.
"Ah."
Yeonwoo got it instantly. Right—she drove a sports car worth dozens of times their deposit. Yeonwoo didn't even know its model.
"Hmmm."
Shin Gaon, meanwhile, looked baffled.
"Looks so fancy. Weird."
The sudden wealth gap stunned Yeonwoo; Shin Gaon lightly pinched her cheek.
"Whoa. So this got built without upkeep? Yeonwoo, you're insane."
Soft yet springy skin. Addictively so—Shin Gaon lingered.
"Come play next time. Sis'll show you a wild time."
"Uh. Sure."
"Take pics too."
Shin Gaon slung an arm over Yeonwoo's shoulder. They headed side-by-side toward the gate.
For now, Yeonwoo played along amiably. No desire to kill the vibe of savoring victory. Shin Gaon seemed pleased too.
"Hehe. Hee."
Amused or enjoying it? She let out light laughs.
"What."
"Just. The picture's funny."
"True. It is."
They laughed together. After slaving shoulder-to-shoulder all day, they felt rapidly closer. Yeonwoo's male essence meshed with Shin Gaon's tomboy vibe.
Passing the gate, they looked like old friends. Objectively, the gate entrance resembled a motel's a bit, but whatever. They passed grinning like pals, immersed in the event's whimsy.
At least until Yeonwoo's next words.
"Yeonseo would've loved this."
Shin Gaon halted abruptly.
"Huh?"
But she voiced it. For a split second, she hadn't grasped her own sour mood.
"What're you doing?"
"Just. Went back to childhood innocence."
"What're you on about."
Shin Gaon grinned sharply and resumed walking. But hidden from Yeonwoo, her eyes sharpened.
"Not bad."
She murmured, licking her lips. Now she knew the feeling. Even if a sister, after brawling body-to-body (fists), tackling the event, rolling around gleefully stacking bricks—
Recalling another woman so casually? Unbearable.
Yeonwoo and Yeonseo didn't even look alike. Clearly not blood sisters.
But Yeonwoo's musing didn't stop.
"Mikael would fit great too. Especially up on that roof—adorable."
"...Yeah, hilarious."
The repeated names scraped Shin Gaon's pride. But. Good stimulus.
"Gotta pay more attention."
"What're you muttering."
"Nothing."
Shin Gaon tugged Yeonwoo's shoulder playfully—then firmly, hugging tight.
"Hey."
"Nothing."
Yeonwoo twisted free. Gestured come on, then skipped excitedly into the citadel.
Shin Gaon felt the sudden emptiness at her side, fingers tracing the sensation. Gauging the shove's force.
"About this much."
Still suppressible with strength. Tricky due to speed and agility, but catch off-guard?
She could do whatever.
"Still. Not stimulating enough."
But nice as a last resort. Thrilled, she chased Yeonwoo into the citadel.
The citadel interior was simpler than expected. Picture-book tables, chairs, fireplace.
Second floor to rooftop: cannons and massive ballistae fixed in wall slits. Cannonballs and giant bolts piled high.
Pure defense space.
One more flight: rooftop. Mostly drop-weapons here. Spiked logs, boiling cauldrons.
"This is too brutal, no?"
"Oh. My style."
Higher floors shed the fairy-tale vibe. But the rooftop offered full visibility. Each hunter's circular sector divided by translucent walls. No invasions now.
Their 100% pure brick house towered highest—others fully visible.
"...The gap's huge."
Worse than the pigs' houses in the tale. Far-off straw hut: tiny triangle, shorter than their front door. Wood-mixed: no match for the citadel. Decent resource hauls yielded wooden walls/barricades—still single-story.
Brick houses fared better: added spears, giant crossbows for entry denial.
As most hunters, Yeonwoo included, inspected their homes—
Rumble rumble rumble―
The ground shook violently again. Epicenter: outer ring. The wooden perimeter wall—boundary and barricade—collapsed uniformly.
Sanctuary phase begins.
The final phase began for all hunters.
"Here they come."
Rumble― Whoosh!
Dust billowed through the fallen trees; wolves burst forth.
But their numbers were insane.
-Grrrrr!
-Whine! Yap! Bark!
Like a blue wave. Endless wolves charged the hunters' houses.