Chapter 24
“———!”
This was completely different from the last gate break.
The screams of people were so loud they all blended into one sound.
“What… what is this…?”
All kinds of monsters were pouring out and causing destruction.
People were running wildly through the streets, dying in swarms like bugs.
“This way! Please move back!”
“Ahhh! Get out of the way!”
“No, not that way—!”
Kieeeek!
“Ahhh!”
Hunters were running around trying to save people, but there was no control.
It was a true disaster.
A natural disaster—one that couldn’t be predicted or stopped.
“Hunter Kim Namjoong!”
When I turned around at the voice, I saw a man in a suit I didn’t recognize.
“I’m Vice President Han Seonwoo from the Association! I’ll take you straight to the Association!”
Only then did I hear the sound of the helicopter from the rooftop.
It had been buried under all the screaming.
“I need to hear what’s going on first.”
Still in shock, I followed them up to the rooftop.
Tututututu—
The loud sound of the helicopter helped block out the screams below, making the panic feel less intense.
But knowing what was happening down there didn’t make the guilt go away.
I spoke to the Association President through the headset.
“What is going on here?”
—Aside from the information we sent by text, we honestly don’t know anything more…
This situation made no sense based on anything we knew so far.
Even the sudden gate break last time was almost unheard of. But now, A-rank gate breaks were happening all at once.
And this was happening all over the world?
Something was definitely very wrong.
Or maybe the whole system of towers and hunters was suddenly changing.
—Our country’s situation is actually one of the better ones. Countries like China, India, Japan, and the U.S. even have S-rank gate breaks.
“S-rank?”
—Yes. China and India have two each. Thankfully, none of them have broken yet, but once we finish handling this, there won’t be much time left.
This was incredibly serious.
S-rank gates were dangerous double-edged swords.
If cleared, they offered huge rewards and rare items, but if failed, they would turn the whole area into hell.
In fact, an S-rank gate break in Pune, India killed more than 5 million people and turned the area into a wasteland.
It was so bad that China even helped India handle the situation, despite their usual bad relationship.
(Of course, China took most of the benefits.)
—We’re sorry. We prepared as much as we could, but we still couldn’t stop it.
“…There’s nothing you could have done. It couldn’t be helped.”
It might sound cold, but objectively, our country really was doing better than others.
After the last gate break, we had placed backup forces ready to respond immediately, and even trained the public on how to evacuate.
Plus, no S-rank gates had appeared here, so once the A-rank ones were handled, we’d have time to recover.
—Still, something feels off.
“What do you mean?”
—What are you talking about?
Both the Association President and I asked the question at the same time after Lee Woojae said something serious.
He continued.
—Looking back, I’ve noticed many strange things. Like, items appearing now that shouldn’t exist yet.
“You mean the items we bought at the auction?”
—Yes. And your ability too. Honestly, it shouldn’t exist. It goes against the tower’s entire system. And ever since you appeared, things have been getting strange.
—Now that I think about it, that’s true. There were some weird mutated gates before, but they’ve increased a lot since Midas showed up.
—I’m not blaming you though. It’s not like you chose this power. It just… feels like everything’s been flowing in this direction.
I already knew that much.
But even knowing that, I couldn’t shake off this nagging guilt like it was somehow all my fault.
“So, what’s the current situation? Doesn’t look good.”
—Officially, our country has five S-rank hunters: the four major guild leaders, plus the newly recognized Kim Yooyeon. But we have eight gate breaks—four in Seoul and four in other regions—so we’re struggling.
“So, all the S-rank hunters are out handling the gate breaks?”
—No, Kim Yooyeon and some A- and B-rank hunters are stopping the monsters pouring out from the breaks. C-rank and lower hunters are helping with evacuations.
“The rest of the S-rank hunters must have entered the A-rank gates then.”
—That’s correct. Guild leader Hoyeon is handling the gates in Seoul, and the other three are covering the regions.
Looking down, I could see monsters being wiped out like waves.
That must be where Kim Yooyeon was fighting.
Seoul had the most gate breaks, but we had assigned our two strongest S-rank hunters to Seoul, so it was a smart move.
Plus, thanks to her myth-level item, Kim Yooyeon could fight like 1.5 or even 2 people.
Still, the fact that Seoul had four breaks was the real problem.
—That’s why we made protecting you our top priority, Mr. Kim Namjoong. The Vice President was on standby for that reason.
“Oh… thank you, but why didn’t you send me to help? I can fight like an S-rank too.”
—Because these are A-rank breaks. Usually, one S-rank and five A-rank hunters go in together. But we don’t have enough A-rank hunters right now.
“You just said A-rank hunters are stopping monsters from the breaks?”
—Exactly. We can’t let the civilian casualties get any worse.
“Hmm…”
—And honestly, it’s too dangerous. To be frank, you’re more important than Guild Leader Hoyeon. If you died… it would be a global loss, not just a national one.
—I see.
—Also, you’re not an official hunter, so we don’t have command over you. Once you’re safe, we were planning to ask for your help alongside Hunter Kim Yooyeon.
So that’s why.
At the beginning of the break, they asked for my help, but now they were trying so hard to keep me safe.
The first break wasn’t dangerous for me at all.
Even if it was a mutated gate, it was just B-rank.
And with Lee Woojae, who had power beyond S-rank, I didn’t have to lift a finger.
But this was an A-rank break.
Normally, one S-rank and five A-ranks go in together.
From the Association President’s point of view, it was the right decision not to risk sending me in without knowing my full strength.
I spoke to Woojae in my head.
[Mr. Woojae.]
[Listening.]
[Can you handle it?]
[I can.]
I didn’t need to ask anything more.
I couldn’t stand just watching and listening to the destruction anymore.
“President, there’s no need for all that.”
—Pardon?
“I’ll go. Into the gate.”
And with that, I jumped out of the helicopter.
The sound of the wind whipped past my ears.
The first time I flew through the sky with my bare body, it was colder than I thought.
The sharp wind cut through my body, and in the clear sky like a blank canvas, I couldn’t keep my balance properly.
To make it worse, a flying monster that looked like a pterosaur was rushing toward me from above.
But I wasn’t scared. That’s how much I trusted Lee Woo-jae.
Whoosh—
Lee Woo-jae’s body, falling with me, turned into black smoke and wrapped around me.
It was the return to V-form—“dark mode.”
Screech!
Boom—
I punched the monster flying toward me right in the mouth, grabbed its neck, and slammed it diagonally into the ground.
With the sound of my fist and knee hitting the ground, the road cracked beneath us.
“Ahhh! What was that?!”
“Is that… a monster?!”
“No, I think it’s a Hunter?”
I had landed in the back area where monsters were gathering.
I had blocked the monsters chasing refugees.
I did it to stop civilian casualties first.
The gate was far away, so I had to move fast.
[Run away.]
When I looked back and spoke, the people who had frozen in fear because of my scary appearance quickly nodded and turned to flee.
“This isn’t the time to just stand around! Let’s go!”
“Yeseo! Areum! Hurry!”
Screech!
The monsters tried to chase the fleeing people, but I wasn’t about to let that happen.
‘Burst. Darklight.’
Black flames exploded in mid-air.
The skill, already powerful, became even more destructive thanks to the dark mode, leaving behind flames that wouldn’t go out.
With just that one skill, I killed over a hundred monsters.
But it wasn’t enough. Monsters were swarming like bugs.
‘Burst. Burst. Burst. Burst. Burst.’
The world was covered in dark, glowing fire.
I walked quickly through the burning area while talking.
[Where do I go next?]
[Clear three more blocks, then go two blocks to the right.]
[Got it. Burst. Burst. Lightning. Laser.]
Boom! Boom! Crack! Zing—
Following Woo-jae’s instructions, I wiped out the monsters gathered nearby.
The explosive sounds were deafening, and the monsters burned up fast.
Of course, I didn’t hurt any civilians.
I used “Burst” for wide areas and “Lightning” and “Laser” for targeted attacks.
After repeating that several times, the number of monsters dropped to a level that the other Hunters could handle.
“Who… who is that guy?”
“That’s V! The one from the news!”
“Isn’t he way past S-rank already? Maybe he could even match Kim Yuyeon?”
I didn’t have time to listen to their amazed voices.
Monsters were still pouring out of the gate.
The only way to end this nightmare was to defeat the boss monsters.
I moved quickly.
[Let’s go to the gate.]
[Of course.]
I hadn’t expected to finish things so quickly, but I was glad.
Woo-jae said it was better for me to be the one in control this time, and he was right.
My skills were much stronger than I expected.
When I climbed the Tower, my “Lightning” had reached A-rank, and the rest were B-rank, but they weren’t just “that strong.”
Sure, dark mode boosted them, but could it really make such a huge difference?
[Why am I so strong? Even if dark mode is good, isn’t this too much?]
[It’s not just dark mode. Normally, this would’ve taken twice as long.]
[Then why?]
[First, you’ve gotten stronger. At your current level, you’re about A-rank now.]
Wait, that high? I’ve only cleared the 10th floor!
Well… it was top difficulty, and I did clear it with S+ rank.
[What’s the second reason?]
[Your “Darklight” is actually Horté’s most powerful skill. And both “Burst” and “Darklight” have synergy with dark mode, since they’re the same element.]
I’d used other skills before, but this was the first time using “Darklight” in battle.
Actually, it was the first time I used it seriously at all.
“Darklight” only created a dark zone—just a shadow that made everything look like an endless abyss.
That’s why the flames from dark mode were burning like they came from a deep void.
[Darklight slowly erases the enemy’s very existence. It’s the most terrifying magic I’ve ever seen. Though you still need to be way beyond S-rank to use it at that level.]
Right now, “Darklight” didn’t erase existence—more like it greatly boosted the destructive power of my attacks.
Its highest potential might be mythical, but even this level was amazing.
“…So how strong are we right now?”
[As strong as two S-ranks.]
I already believed I was safe since Woo-jae said it was possible, but this made me feel even more confident.
Before I knew it, the gate appeared before my eyes.
And without hesitation, I stepped right into it.
