Chapter 24
“B-rank Gate, you said?”
“Yeah. We need some Frokking hide this time.”
Hansan-guk glanced at the items set in the middle of the training arena.
“I’ll pay you in advance with a weapon. Your job is to bring back the hides. If you’re going to a B-rank Gate, the reward’s worth it.”
It was a hastily arranged request—something made up just so Juhyuk wouldn’t feel like he was being handed a gift.
Coincidentally, Juhyuk had been considering challenging a gate a level higher than the last one he entered, so the offer wasn’t bad at all.
‘If it were a C-rank Gate, I wouldn’t even be hesitating this much.’
The B-rank was an awkward middle ground, and his thoughts grew heavy.
While he was lost in thought, Sui, who had been quietly listening, suddenly cut in.
“You can’t seriously tell an F-rank hunter to go into a B-rank Gate.”
“A normal F-rank hunter couldn’t, sure. But he’s not normal, is he? And he’s got a few strong people in his party, so it’ll be fine.”
The old craftsman smiled kindly at his granddaughter’s scowl.
No matter how often Juhyuk saw it, it still looked surreal.
“And if he’s strong enough to make you come home all excited and talking nonstop, I’d say he can handle keeping himself alive in a B-rank Gate.”
She talked about me at home?
She had looked genuinely happy during their sparring match, but to think that this normally quiet girl had been so lively at home was… hard to imagine.
Even when he tried to picture it, he couldn’t quite see it—her excited and chattering face just didn’t fit the image.
“Anyway, it’s your decision.”
Hansan-guk crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Juhyuk.
“Not a bad deal, is it? When else would an F-rank ever get a shot at entering a B-rank Gate?”
“….”
A B-rank Gate.
For anyone labeled as F-rank, that was a nearly unreachable step.
Even if you were well-known among hunters, once you had that “F-rank” label, joining a high-level party was nearly impossible.
If he had a guild, he could’ve applied for a team through them, but unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to join any guild at all.
Now, not only was he being given full equipment support, but he was also being given a chance to enter a B-rank Gate.
“I’ll do it.”
Juhyuk couldn’t find a single reason to refuse.
“Juhyuk.”
“Hey.”
When he arrived to visit his mother at the hospital, Yena was already waiting.
Without even greeting his mother, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him outside, her expression dark.
“I heard you’re going into a B-rank Gate.”
“…Where do you even hear these things?”
“It’s my job to have sources if I’m a scout agent. Anyway!”
She tapped the back of the bench irritably.
“No matter how much of a monster rookie you are, a B-rank Gate is too much. It’s on a whole different level from D-rank.”
“I know.”
D to B wasn’t just one jump—it was two full leaps.
Even with his past success carrying a D-rank raid, trying to take on a B-rank right away was pushing it.
“You know how worried your mother would be if she found out?”
“She doesn’t need to know.”
He turned toward her, lowering his voice.
“…You didn’t tell her, did you?”
“…No. If I did, she wouldn’t even be able to eat. How could I tell her?”
“Good.”
If she had blurted it all to his mother, he probably would’ve stopped seeing her altogether.
As overbearing as she could be sometimes, at least she knew where to draw the line—something that made her hard to dislike.
“And what, you’re just going to keep sneaking around like this every time you raid?”
“I’ll tell her when it’s time. As long as it’s not something as absurd as ‘I’m going into a B-rank Gate on my third run,’ she’ll eventually accept it.”
“So you do know it’s absurd.”
Her sharp tone cut through the air.
She sighed deeply and looked away.
“I know you’re strong, Juhyuk.”
An F-rank who fought like someone far higher.
She’d fought beside him and seen his power firsthand—strong enough that most D-ranks couldn’t hold a candle to him.
“And I know you’re not the kind of idiot to get yourself killed by being careless.”
He was calm, rational, and always found the optimal move in every situation.
He wasn’t someone who’d die stupidly.
“But I can’t help worrying.”
Maybe she wouldn’t have cared if it were just some stranger. But he’d saved her life once, and she wasn’t the kind of person to forget that.
And after recommending that D-rank Gate where he nearly died, she felt partly responsible.
“I visit your mom every day, and all she does is talk about you nonstop. You think I can just not care when that person’s son is walking into a B-rank Gate?”
From stories of his childhood to his most recent fights—she’d heard everything. Maybe even more than the mother herself remembered.
“If you’d just join our guild, I could take care of your mom’s bills and your living expenses too. But nooo—you’re too damn stubborn.”
“….”
He couldn’t argue.
She’d been there for his mother more than anyone, offering help at every turn—even though he had no intention of joining her guild.
If it were anyone else, she would’ve just told them to handle their own problems.
But she didn’t.
He wanted to say something that would ease her worries, but the words wouldn’t come.
It had been a long time since someone besides his mother had worried about him so genuinely—especially a woman.
He thought hard for a moment.
“….”
The clouds shifted, letting the sun fall warm across his face.
He squinted at the light and, for a brief moment, a memory of his father flashed through his mind.
He held out his pinky finger to her.
“…What’s this?”
“A promise.”
His father’s old habit.
He used to say: You can’t keep every promise in life—but if it’s one you absolutely must keep, hook your pinky and seal it.
It was a simple, childish gesture to most, but for Juhyuk, it meant something.
“I promise I’ll come back unhurt.”
“….”
Her eyes dropped to his extended pinky.
After a long pause, she sighed, grumbling under her breath, but still reached out and hooked hers with his.
“If you get hurt, I’m telling your mom everything. And I’ll drag you into the guild if I have to.”
“Then I’m not doing it.”
He started to pull back, but she grabbed his arm with her free hand.
“Hey!”
Their pinkies linked firmly. She gave his hand a small shake, then smiled softly.
“You don’t have to join the guild. Just… keep your promise and come back safe.”
A bright smile bloomed on her face.
Her brown hair shimmered in the sunlight as it swayed.
That gentle warmth lingered at the tip of his pinky finger.
“Good day.”
A few days later, the team gathered at the B-rank Gate in Anyang under Hansan-guk’s commission.
A B-rank support, an archer, and a mage made up the other members—a solid group.
Including me, that’s one S-rank and three Bs. This’ll be easy.
Park Hanseong—one of only two S-rank hunters in Korea, and one of the world’s top front-line fighters.
Normally, he wouldn’t bother with something as trivial as a B-rank Gate, but since Hansan-guk himself had requested it, he made an exception.
“Oh wow, it’s really Hunter Park Hanseong!”
“It’s an honor, sir! I’ll do my best today!”
The team buzzed with excitement.
Hanseong greeted them politely, though his sharp eyes quickly found the unfamiliar young man standing among them.
So that’s him.
The rumored F-rank rookie—no reawakening, just raw swordsmanship—and he’d supposedly soloed a D-rank Gate.
Figures. The old man didn’t drag me here for no reason.
He realized then why he’d been brought along.
This raid isn’t a normal one. It’s a bodyguard job.
An F-rank entering a B-rank Gate, fully geared in Hansan-guk’s custom equipment—yeah, this was definitely for publicity.
A rookie who beats a B-rank Gate in his third run… you couldn’t write a better PR story.
The D-rank raid “carry” must’ve been staged too.
Hanseong wasn’t the kind of man who judged on bias, but an F-rank soloing D-rank? Too far-fetched not to doubt.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Jung Juhyuk, right?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be in your care.”
They shook hands, Hanseong’s suspicion still simmering.
But before they could move on—
“What’s that equipment there?”
Something had caught his eye.
A supporter holding a selfie stick with a phone mounted at the end.
When he asked, she smiled sheepishly.
“Oh! I stream as a hobby, you see.”
She shortened the stick and showed him her channel—her face filling the thumbnail.
“I was thinking of livestreaming the raid! Is that okay?”
“….”
He’d heard there were crazy hunters who streamed mid-raid, but this was his first time meeting one.
An F-rank rookie and a streamer? What a circus.
He barely held back a sigh.
If this weren’t Hansan-guk’s request, he’d have walked out right then.
“Filming inside the Gate is dangerous. Please refrain.”
“…Got it.”
Thankfully, she listened when an S-rank said it.
After some final prep, Hanseong called out, “If everyone’s ready, let’s move in.”
The team nodded and stepped through the Gate.
Light flashed—and the scenery changed.
A swamp zone. Been a while.
They had entered a wetland-themed Gate to hunt Frokkings.
As he scanned the area, he sensed movement.
Already?
Footsteps. The sound of a bowstring drawing tight.
His senses sharpened.
Block, counter, finish.
He crouched, ready to react the instant an attack came—
“Northwest,” said a calm voice.
The F-rank had spoken first.
He heard that?
An F-rank shouldn’t have senses sharp enough to pinpoint direction like that.
That alone was impressive. But then—
Whsshh!
An arrow sliced the air.
Hanseong blinked—startled just long enough that the arrow was already upon them.
Still, I can deflect it—
He reached for his sword, but Juhyuk was already moving—charging forward, putting himself between them and the arrow.
A suicide move.
There was no way an F-rank could block that shot. Hanseong started to move to knock him aside—then froze.
Something in his gut told him otherwise.
He’s going to stop it.
He didn’t know why. It was pure instinct—ten years of battlefield experience whispering certainty.
He won’t get hit.
And indeed—
Clang!
The arrow spun off and clattered to the ground.
If he’d done that to protect the rear guard, it was the right call.
He actually did it?
An F-rank blocking that—unbelievable.
While the others gaped, Juhyuk didn’t stop.
He sprinted forward, climbing a tree in one swift motion—then came the shriek.
Screeech!
A monster’s dying cry.
Moments later, a Frok carrying a quiver on its back fell from above.
Juhyuk landed atop it, driving his sword deep into its neck.
Blue blood splattered his face.
He wiped it away and spoke calmly.
“There was only one.”
“….”
Every party member except Hanseong felt it instantly—
The rumors were real.
The F-rank rookie who soloed a D-rank Gate—
He wasn’t a myth.
He was the real deal.
