Episode 3
Nam Gyu-il, discharged from the hospital, slung his bag over his shoulder and arrived at the housing provided by the Hunter Bureau. At a little over thirteen pyeong, it was enough for a man to live alone. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, either. A built-in kitchen with a gleaming white washing machine standing out, a living room with a two-seater sofa, and two rooms. That was all. It was an ordinary scene.
'Let's unpack first.'
Nam Gyu-il carried his bag into the master bedroom. He organized his clothes into the wardrobe and took out the thermos containing a low-grade elixir from his bag, drinking it down. Then he sat on the sofa and cultivated his mana. When the process of maximizing the elixir's efficacy was complete, he turned his head to look at the clock. Currently, the time was 8 a.m. It was early to be heading to work, but he went out early and made his way to the Hunter Bureau.
First, he reported his return. He received a word of blessing from a Major, wishing him a healthy discharge, and that was that. Afterward, Nam Gyu-il headed to the training ground.
'Time to loosen up a bit.'
He took the elevator down to the basement and opened the firmly shut door to the training ground. There was no one there. Nam Gyu-il took a deep breath.
"Huuuuh."
The musty smell of the training ground, which he was experiencing for the first time in a week, made the reality of his return to the Hunter Bureau sink in. He tested his further-strengthened body and his high-purity mana.
A straight punch.
A spinning kick.
A knee kick.
He moved through various motions. And as he moved, he realized.
'A sensation like my muscles are tightly coiled. The heaviness in every single motion. My speed and strength have skyrocketed!!'
And drastically so, at that.
'Now, let's move to the next step.'
Nam Gyu-il took a deep breath and precisely controlled the mana within his body. If the first step was the condensation of high-purity mana.
'The second is control!'
It was a method of concentrating mana in one place and moving it. He condensed mana into his fingers. As a result, the strength and speed of his other parts weakened, but the destructive power of his fist increased. Nam Gyu-il swung his fist.
Swish.
An exclamation escaped him at the sound of wind being split, something he couldn't have heard before. This time, he concentrated mana into his feet and knees.
Swish.
His movement speed rose. Before he knew it, beads of sweat had formed on Nam Gyu-il's forehead. The method of condensing mana into a specific part of the body required extreme concentration.
'But the effects are incredible.'
He could deliver powerful attacks at the right place and the right time. His evasion speed had increased as well. Above all, the mana consumption was low. It would be extremely useful in close-quarters combat.
'Extracting maximum speed and destructive power with minimal mana consumption!'
This was Arnia's method of mana body strengthening.
'This is the perfect training for me right now.'
He was pleased.
After training like that for a while, his muscles began to pull slightly. A tingling, pins-and-needles sensation, as if a cramp were about to strike, told him that today's training likely had to end here.
'Time to head back up.'
Nam Gyu-il took the elevator and arrived on the second floor. He opened the door and entered Team 01.
Bwoooong!
At that moment, a startlingly loud fanfare sound was heard.
"Congratulations!!"
"Welcome back!!"
The team members in Team 01 conveyed their congratulations. Soon after, a cake appeared. Nam Gyu-il raised the corners of his mouth, but perhaps feeling awkward, he shifted his gaze here and there.
"You guys prepared all this again?"
At his forced grumble born of bashfulness, the Team 01 folks laughed heartily.
"Come on, you love it!"
"Please say a few words to commemorate your discharge from the hospital."
"That's right. We'd be disappointed if we didn't hear a few words here!"
Nam Gyu-il snickered.
"Alright, you brats!! Thanks for celebrating."
Nam Gyu-il and the team members shared the cake amicably. But an unfamiliar figure was wedged among them, glancing around nervously. Nam Gyu-il approached Hwang Il-su, who was next to him, and asked.
"Who's that? Is she the one—the new recruit who was urgently brought in to fill the spot?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Is that so?"
A new face had come in to fill Dong Seon-i's empty spot. Perhaps because of that, the reality that Dong Seon-i had died sank in once more. His heart ached, but this wasn't the first or second time he'd seen this situation, and more than anything, he couldn't just grieve endlessly when he had to enter hellish Gates today and tomorrow, too. It was precisely at times like these that unity was necessary.
Nam Gyu-il looked at the new recruit who had just joined. Perhaps because she hadn't been here long, her fidgeting demeanor stood out. Her shoulders were hunched, too.
'She probably hasn't adapted to life at the Hunter Bureau yet and hasn't made any close friends, so she's like that.'
On top of that, with the team leader having just returned from being hospitalized, she seemed to be struggling to read the overall atmosphere. Nam Gyu-il called out to the newcomer.
"The new recruit who just arrived."
"Private Hong Sin-u."
"Hmm?!"
Nam Gyu-il choked on the cake he was eating. As he coughed and hacked, Hwang Il-su quickly handed him some orange juice. Nam Gyu-il gulped down the juice. Then he looked at Hong Sin-u.
"Private? A private second class?"
"Private Hong Sin-u!"
Nam Gyu-il made a blank expression. The Hunter Bureau was a place you came to after finishing military service. And because it was under the Ministry of National Defense, it used the same rank system. When you finished military service, you were a Sergeant. When you transferred to the Hunter Bureau, you were promoted to Staff Sergeant, and if you died or completed your service, you were discharged as Sergeant First Class. In other words, your military rank continued straight into the Hunter Bureau. So a new recruit couldn't be a private second class. She had to be a staff sergeant.
Moreover, given the times, women were also conscripted into the military and only came to the Hunter Bureau after finishing their service. Their ranks were all staff sergeants as well. Nam Gyu-il carefully examined Hong Sin-u's face and got the impression that she looked somewhat young.
"How old are you?"
When Nam Gyu-il asked, Hong Sin-u quickly answered.
"I'm seventeen."
"What??"
For a moment, Nam Gyu-il thought he'd misheard. Hong Sin-u, who had been frozen stiff, thought her voice had been too quiet to hear and raised her voice.
"I'm seventeen!!"
With a blank face, Nam Gyu-il looked at Lee Chan-u, who was across from him. Lee Chan-u pursed his lips slightly and lowered the corners of his eyes. It was an expression of resignation, as if things had turned out as expected. Nam Gyu-il was dumbfounded. He asked Lee Chan-u just what the hell had happened.
"Chan-u. Why is a high schooler here?"
"The law changed a week ago. Awakened are subject to mandatory conscription starting at age seventeen, so they say she received a week of training and was assigned to her unit."
"Seventeen?! A minor... no...."
Nam Gyu-il was so flustered that his words came out in broken fragments. This was absurd. To conscript minors and force them into service. Lee Chan-u gave a bitter smile.
"They say the law was passed in a hurry because we're short on National Hunters."
"Even if a new law is made, isn't it usually enacted years later?"
"They just implemented it immediately."
"The Ministry of Defense, those bastards really...."
For such an absurd law to pass, the Minister of National Defense must have pushed heavily for it. Lee Chan-u added a word.
"Still, we were dragged here after being discharged from the military.... We didn't enter Gates while in the army."
"Right. That was the case."
"She'll be dragged off to the military after her mandatory service at the Hunter Bureau ends. They say she'll even be assigned to Hunter Bureau support duties."
"Hunter Bureau support duties?"
"They say she'll have to keep entering Gates even while in the military."
Nam Gyu-il pressed his palm to his forehead. The probability of being discharged safely from the Hunter Bureau was less than 37%. Military service had also been extended to two years, so didn't that mean she'd essentially have to enter Gates for five years? In the end, this was the Ministry of National Defense's true intention.
'- To deploy every Awakened, regardless of age, to close Gates.'
Of course, it was also proof that humanity was racking its brains over the Gate problem.
"Man, what a goddamn mess."
Nam Gyu-il clicked his tongue. He wanted to curse the Ministry of Defense for conscripting minors, yet he could only lament how dire things must be to resort to such measures. Nam Gyu-il looked at Hong Sin-u. With an expression that seemed to wonder what to do with that young whelp. Hong Sin-u was frozen stiff.
Thinking that easing her tension was the priority for now, Nam Gyu-il smirked and cracked a joke.
"So, Sin-u. Is life at the Hunter Bureau tough? No one's giving you a hard time, are they?"
"N-no, sir."
When Nam Gyu-il made a joke, Hong Sin-u's pupils shook. She seemed unable to distinguish between jokes and serious remarks because she was so tense. It was the very picture of a fresh recruit. Lee Chan-u, who had been eating cake, pulled his head back and feigned a hurt expression.
"Come on, Hyung!! We've been taking such good care of Sin-u. I'm hurt."
"It's a joke, a joke."
Nam Gyu-il chuckled in reply.
There was no hazing in the Hunter Bureau. If you pulled that kind of thing, you might be found as a corpse one day. When you entered a Gate, there inevitably came a time when you had to entrust your back to a comrade—how could you trust someone who had tormented you? If that person deliberately made a mistake in combat, it would be the tormentor who died. So what fool would commit hazing? No one did.
Nam Gyu-il patted Hong Sin-u's shoulder and continued.
"They're all good people, so you don't need to watch their reactions like that. You'll get used to the atmosphere quickly, too."
"Thank you."
Only then did Hong Sin-u's lips creep up slightly, as if some of her tension had finally eased.
It was then.
Beep-beep-beep.
The signal indicating a Gate had appeared rang from the speakers mounted on the wall. Everyone put down the cake they were eating on the desk and hurriedly grabbed their weapons. And boarded the military bus.
They said the Gate had appeared in Gangbuk this time. The inside of the military bus was quiet. Despite having been chatting while eating cake just moments ago, everyone fell silent. It was always like this when it was time to enter a Gate.
No one comforted Hong Sin-u, who was trembling violently. It couldn't be helped. How could anyone offer such irresponsible comfort, saying it'll be alright? Even seniors didn't know when they might die. When mobilizing toward a Gate, the atmosphere was like heading to hell. Everyone's expressions stiffened with worry and fear, wondering, 'Will I survive this time, too?'
As a terrible silence hung in the air, Nam Gyu-il spoke to Hong Sin-u.
"Hey, rookie. You alright?"
Everyone looked at him for breaking the terrible silence. Hong Sin-u had even forgotten to state her rank and name, trembling like an aspen leaf as she asked Nam Gyu-il a question.
"Are monsters very scary?"
"Of course they're scary. When you face those bastards that are quick as a flash, your blood runs cold."
"......."
As Hong Sin-u's face paled, Nam Gyu-il slapped her back and shouted.
"Don't worry. They're just monsters. If you move according to orders, you can slaughter them easily."
"Really?"
"I guarantee it, with only four months left until discharge."
"But what if something really bad happens?"
"Then...."
Nam Gyu-il paused for a moment, then soon ruffled Hong Sin-u's hair playfully.
"If you think it's dangerous, call for me. I'll run over and save you anytime."
Nam Gyu-il laughed heartily. At that, the other team members smirked.
"Gyu-il Hyung, so you're not gonna save us? Don't just look after the rookie; look after your other juniors, too. I'm hurt."
"The man who just got back from the hospital sure talks big."
Nam Gyu-il smiled leisurely and folded his arms.
"Hahaha. You guys call out if anything happens, too. This hyung will save everyone."
It was a silly joke, but the stiff atmosphere loosened somewhat. Before they knew it, everyone wore faint smiles. Hwang Il-su called out to Nam Gyu-il.
"Gyu-il Hyung."
"What?"
"You've changed somehow."
"Have I?"
"Even during mobilization, you seem incredibly relaxed. Honestly, this is the first time I've heard such words since coming to the Hunter Bureau."
Nam Gyu-il smiled faintly. It was certainly true that he had changed. With strength and knowledge came a relaxed mind, and instead of thinking about how to survive, he began thinking about how to lead everyone.
'So this is how a person changes when they become strong.'
Nam Gyu-il realized anew. He carefully looked at his team members. He liked the look in their eyes, now free of fear.
Screech.
The military bus stopped. They had finally arrived at the location where the Gate had occurred.
Clack.
Nam Gyu-il got off the vehicle with his comrades and stepped onto the ground. Looking around, he saw soldiers and tanks. They were all armed with rifles. The civilians seemed to have evacuated already, as they were nowhere to be seen. The soldiers spotted the National Hunters and approached.
"Are you from the Hunter Bureau?"
"Yes. We are."
"Please follow me."
The soldier quickly guided them to the location of the Gate. A narrow alley where even vehicles couldn't enter. There, a Gate glowing crimson was visible. The soldier reported the current situation to Nam Gyu-il.
"It's been six days since the Gate appeared. The situation is quite dangerous. Hunter Bureau Team 07 entered, but failed to close the Gate. Less than half of the National Hunters survived."
"It'll Gate Break tomorrow, then."
"That's correct."
"At this point, I would think a request for cooperation was sent to the Guilds as well...."
"Well, they say they don't have the capacity because they're closing other Gates."
Nam Gyu-il furrowed his brow. Guilds were strong. The probability of safely completing service at the Hunter Bureau was less than 37%. It was only natural, since they were an organization formed by National Hunters who had survived through those atrocious odds.
'And they're strongly money-driven.'
Guild Hunters who re-entered hellish Gates to earn money even after being discharged. It was something they could only do because they were overflowing with confidence in surviving Gates. For them to make excuses about lacking capacity due to other Gates and refuse to enter this one? The reason was all too obvious.
'It means the monsters in this Gate aren't profitable.'
Anyway, these bastards were cheapskates. Cheapskates!
The soldier continued the report in detail.
"According to the testimony of a surviving Team 07 National Hunter from this Gate, Lizardmen have appeared."
Nam Gyu-il nodded. Monster corpses were used as industrial materials. But Lizardman corpses were ordinary trash that couldn't be utilized anywhere. Moreover, they fought in groups, making them difficult opponents.
The corners of Nam Gyu-il's mouth twitched.
'I ended up in the hospital because of Lizardmen last time. You bastards picked the wrong opponent. This time will be different. I'll turn you into mincemeat-!!'
He turned around and shouted to Team 01.
"We're entering the Gate from now on. Everyone stay sharp and follow my orders!!"
"Understood."
Nam Gyu-il led his team and entered the Gate.