Chapter 2458 – 2458. Seventier
Bzzzz.
My smartphone vibrated. The caller was the Hunter Association. An emergency summons had been issued to me as well.
‘Probably, a message went out to all A-rank or higher Hunters nearby. Since this is Gangnam, most of the top ten guilds will be mobilized.’
In my opinion, this was an overreaction. There was no need for me to go. But if I didn’t go, I’d be branded a traitor. The chances of being witch-hunted if things went wrong were high. Excuses like having other things to do wouldn’t fly.
‘Well, just responding to the emergency summons will build up my record.’
I got up from my seat.
Kang Seok-soo was making calls here and there, then moved busily. The guild members who remained at the Seventier headquarters also gathered their gear and followed Kang Seok-soo.
Jung Ji-hak and I got into Kang Seok-soo’s car. Kang Seok-soo stepped on the accelerator without hesitation.
“We don’t have much information, Representative Kang. Did you receive any separate information?”
“I don’t know either. The Hunter Association is probably in chaos. We’ll find out when we get there. Can’t you search for it on the news?”
“The news hasn’t spread yet. There don’t seem to be any casualties, except for the dungeon raid team.”
“It’s an S-rank dungeon. An evacuation order has been issued within 500 meters, and the Association’s Hunters are guarding the dungeon gate in preparation for any eventuality. There won’t be any casualties, even if there’s property damage.”
An S-rank dungeon break. At first glance, it might seem like a very serious matter. But S-rank dungeon breaks happened from time to time. Naturally, there were countermeasures for them.
Looking at the road, there were cars speeding by. Ambulances, police cars, and luxury cars. The police were mainly controlling the roads, and the luxury cars were speeding towards Yeouido. Hunters would be riding in those luxury cars. Glancing at the sky, I saw helicopters moving busily here and there.
“Doesn’t our guild have a helicopter?”
“We’re planning to get a helicopter eventually. We need to discuss various things with the Association and the government… It’s difficult for now.”
Seventier wasn’t that great of a guild yet.
We arrived at our destination.
Hunters belonging to the Association were on guard with tense expressions. On one side, there were monster corpses scattered around. I checked the blood-soaked corpses. A 2-meter-long reptile with tiger stripes.
‘Is that a Tiger Raptor, an A-rank monster? They’re fast and move in packs, making them annoying. Above all, their claws are as sharp as sword energy, so you’ll be in trouble if you’re careless.’
We headed to the temporary camp set up by the Hunter Association.
The air felt heavier as we went deeper inside. The Hunters were each exuding their own presence. More than a dozen A-rank Hunters were gathered here.
“Who are you?”
One person inside, a middle-aged man, looked at us with a profound gaze and asked. His voice itself carried a sense of intimidation. He seemed to be in a bad mood.
“…We are the Seventier Guild, here to support after receiving the emergency summons.”
“Seventier. I see. Thank you for coming. I am Kwon Il-chan, the Guild Master of Bluebird. …I received a report that he visited the Seventier Guild a few hours ago. Did he cause any offense?”
“It wasn’t anything offensive.”
“Then that’s a relief. Thank you for coming all the way here, but I’d like Seventier to stand by. Bluebird will handle this incident.”
Just then, I felt a presence behind us. I reflexively turned around. A group confidently entered the camp.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
The one who entered was a middle-aged woman dressed in a flamboyant manner. Her impression itself was ordinary, but her atmosphere was extraordinary.
I knew her. No one in South Korea wouldn’t know her.
Like Kwon Il-chan, she was the Master of one of the top ten guilds, the Ewha Guild. That was her, Choi Seo-jung.
“…Choi Seo-jung. There was no need for you to come personally. Did you come to laugh?”
“Ha, what do you take me for? I came to clean up the mess Bluebird made.”
“We’ll handle our own business.”
“You wouldn’t be in this state if you could handle it.”
Sparks flew between the two. I watched with great interest. What would happen if they fought here? Honestly, I was a bit curious. They weren’t S-rank Hunters, but they were among the strongest in South Korea.
But a new face appeared and stopped them. It was someone I knew as well.
“Let’s stop there. You two didn’t come here to fight, did you? The reporters are gathering now. We need to avoid any scandal, especially Bluebird.”
Baek Ji-eun.
It had been a while since I saw her in person. Our eyes met briefly. She smiled as if she recognized me, then turned her head and spoke to the Hunters gathered around.
“About 15 minutes ago, a dungeon break occurred, and a total of 74 A-rank monsters have come out of the gate so far. The monsters were killed by the Hunters who were on standby. The important thing is that only 74 monsters came out. Normally, at least three times that number should have come out.”
“There’s only one thing we can think of. Bluebird’s first raid team is still inside the dungeon. Bluebird did not fail the dungeon raid, yet a dungeon break occurred.”
Bluebird’s Guild Master, Kwon Il-chan, said with strength in his eyes. He especially emphasized that they had not failed.
This was an anomaly.
There were two known cases of dungeon break phenomena. When the dungeon raid completely failed, or when the dungeon was left unattended for a certain period.
“Isn’t it because you completely failed the dungeon raid conditions?”
Choi Seo-jung interjected. She was referring to the raid conditions that existed in some dungeons.
“Well, we don’t know for sure yet. We’ll have to investigate that later. What’s important now is that we need to rescue the raid team that’s still inside the dungeon. It would be great if Han Ah-young could step up… but she’s currently raiding another dungeon.”
“We’ll go.”
“No. The Association can’t trust the Bluebird Guild, which has already failed once. Besides, aren’t all of Bluebird’s main forces in the first raid team? With Bluebird’s remaining forces, a raid would be impossible.”
“I’m here. I can do it if I’m here.”
“Can you say that in front of the reporters gathered outside?”
“……”
Kwon Il-chan shut his mouth.
What the public wanted wasn’t Bluebird’s pride recovery, but a sure raid. Regardless of the reason, since a break phenomenon occurred in the dungeon that Bluebird was in charge of, Bluebird had lost credibility. Whatever the reason, Bluebird had failed.
And the public didn’t care much about the process. The best thing to do here was to follow the Association’s instructions.
“We will form a rescue team on the spot. The goal is not to raid. A minimum number of people will move quickly to rescue the raid team. The list is as follows. Me, Baek Ji-eun from the Hunter Association, and…”
Baek Ji-eun called out the names of the Hunters. They were among the best A-rank Hunters. Kwon Il-chan and Choi Seo-jung were included as if it were natural. Surprisingly, Kang Seok-soo and Jung Ji-hak were also called.
“Finally, Hunter Sung Yu-jin, making a total of 12 people.”
“Wait. I can’t understand why Sung Yu-jin is going. I acknowledge that Seventier’s Kang Seok-soo and Jung Ji-hak are skilled individuals who have consistently raided A-rank or higher dungeons. But isn’t this kid just a rookie who has only been raiding B-rank or lower dungeons? Why are you taking someone like him?”
“Hunter Sung Yu-jin is an S-rank candidate recognized by the World Hunter Association.”
“That’s what I can’t understand. He doesn’t have any proper achievements. Did he bribe the World Hunter Association?”
I looked at Kwon Il-chan and smiled. I wasn’t the old me. I was confident in my skills, and my backing was the World Hunter Association. There was nothing I was lacking.
“The rookie is probably your son, who failed the dungeon raid. Oh, since he failed the raid, he’s probably already dead. My condolences.”
It was well-known in the Hunter community that Kwon Il-chan’s son was the leader of Bluebird’s first raid team.
“You little…”
Kwon Il-chan growled and released killing intent. At the same time, he naturally released mana, dominating the surroundings. His skill was incomparable to the A-rank Hunter I had faced during the day.
But it wasn’t overwhelming. I could do this much too.
I released killing intent in the same way and dominated the surroundings with mana. Our invisible mana collided as if they were fighting for territory. What was important now wasn’t power, but delicate mana control, the will contained in the mana. My mana began to push back Kwon Il-chan’s mana, gradually applying pressure. Kwon Il-chan was flustered and hesitated.
“Let’s stop there.”
The one who stopped us was surprisingly Choi Seo-jung, the Master of the Ewha Guild.
“As you know, the Bluebird Guild Master’s situation isn’t good. He’s mentally cornered. Please understand, Hunter Sung Yu-jin, who has a generous heart. Now isn’t the time for us to fight each other. Kwon Il-chan, you should also apologize for ignoring Hunter Sung Yu-jin.”
“……I’m sorry. My judgment was clouded because the situation wasn’t good.”
Kwon Il-chan apologized through gritted teeth. It was obvious to anyone that he was apologizing reluctantly.
I wanted to kill him, but… there were too many eyes watching. I decided to be a magnanimous person for a while.
“I understand. You must be confused since your only son died. I understand you.”
“…My son is not dead. I didn’t raise him to be so weak that he would lose his life in a mere dungeon like that.”
“No matter how prepared you are, dungeons are dangerous places. Is that something a Guild Master doesn’t know?”
“You…! You have no respect for your elders…!”
“It must be nice to be old. Come to think of it, isn’t it about time for you to retire? It would be good to hand over the guild to your son and spend the rest of your life in the countryside… Oh, your son died. My bad.”
“……”
Grind.
Kwon Il-chan clenched his fist, grinding his teeth. Just that alone caused the space to vibrate.
I, on the other hand, spread my fingers. Crackle, lightning flickered between my fingers.
KWAANG!
An explosion occurred between me and Kwon Il-chan. Our gazes turned to Baek Ji-eun.
“Both of you, if you’re not going to cooperate, would you please leave?”
“……”
“……”
Kwon Il-chan and I released our power. Baek Ji-eun sighed and began a short briefing.
Kang Seok-soo quietly said to me.
“Are you okay? Kwon Il-chan is known for having a terrible temper. He’ll hold a grudge against you because of this.”
“A grudge isn’t something only he can hold.”
And we entered the S-rank dungeon in front of the Hunters and reporters.
‘Kwon Il-chan…. Judging by his temper, he’ll probably bother me later. If I get the chance, I should send him to his dead son.’
