Two S-Class Hunters and one F-Class Hunter.
It was painfully obvious who the unfortunate sacrifice would be.
‘I’m doomed.’
While I quietly prepared myself for death, the two S-Class Hunters were still glaring at each other.
“How is it different for me?
The risk is the same.
Besides, I’ve already sacrificed myself twice.”
“Then why don’t you ask Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo over there?”
“You’re suggesting we dump the responsibility on an F-Class when there are two S-Class Hunters here?”
Jeong Ha-seong raised the red sword in his hand.
His posture made it clear he was prepared to force the issue if necessary.
I didn’t know how skilled he was with a sword, but getting caught in a fight between S-Class Hunters definitely sounded like a terrible idea.
‘Please don’t involve me.’
Afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, I slowly edged backward.
Then—
Grrrrrr…
An animal’s growl echoed through the room.
Both S-Class Hunters immediately stopped arguing and looked around.
Coincidentally, their gazes landed in my direction.
Which meant—
The beast was behind me.
‘No, wait a second.’
I forced my stiff neck to turn.
And immediately witnessed the exact thing I least wanted to see.
‘There weren’t supposed to be any enemies yet!’
Eight black wolves.
Their bodies looked as though they were made entirely from shadows.
…A monster.
Monsters had emerged directly from the blank white wall.
Awooooo!
The leader of the pack howled loudly.
Whether it was a signal or a summons, more black wolves appeared immediately afterward, spreading through the pure white room like ink staining a blank canvas.
Why were monsters suddenly appearing?
“The lion’s eyes are glowing.”
Amid the confusion, Jeong Ha-seong calmly provided an answer.
Among us, he was the most experienced when it came to Gates.
“It appears to be a system that triggers a monster wave if no blood sacrifice is offered within a certain period.”
So that’s what it was.
If we delayed choosing a sacrifice, the Gate would attack us instead.
There wasn’t even time to curse.
The wolves charged immediately.
Their teeth and claws shimmered with blue mana.
They looked more than capable of tearing through Kim Ki-ryeo’s fragile body.
‘Ugh!’
When someone is truly terrified, they don’t even scream.
I sucked in a breath and stumbled backward.
‘How am I supposed to outrun wolves with these legs?’
Unfortunately, Kim Ki-ryeo’s body wasn’t built for running.
Escape was impossible.
Even though I tried not to look, one of the wolves had already reached me.
Was I really about to be torn apart here?
‘I was curious about human anatomy, but not like this…!’
Unable to face my impending dismemberment, I squeezed my eyes shut.
But the fear lasted only a moment.
Fwoooosh!
“Uh?”
A crimson flash passed through my closed eyelids.
Heat brushed against my skin.
When I opened my eyes—
The monster was engulfed in flames.
‘Fire?
Actual fire?’
Only then did I remember.
At the beginning of the Gate, someone had used fire magic against the sealed door.
“Please fall back.”
Jeong Ha-seong.
He adjusted his grip on his sword and stepped forward.
Positioning himself in front of me, he began cutting through the wolves.
Monster heads flew through the air with every swing.
His sword strikes crashed through the battlefield like raging waves.
And unlike most swordsmen, he wasn’t limited to close-range combat.
Grrrr!
The room filled with flames once more as Jeong Ha-seong activated another skill.
‘This is primitive magic?’
The sheer amount of firepower was absurd.
Watching him manipulate the flames, I found myself reconsidering.
‘Can I really keep calling him a primitive mage at this point?’
And Jeong Ha-seong wasn’t the only S-Class here.
The dazzling flames had distracted me, but there was still another monster standing nearby. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
“Hm.”
Kang Chang-ho.
Even after the monsters appeared, he remained standing where he was.
Only when a wolf lunged directly at him did he move.
He casually removed one hand from his pocket and punched downward.
Boom.
The wolf’s head exploded without leaving so much as a corpse behind.
“Judging by how soft they are, these are around C-Rank.”
Ridiculous strength.
Was Kang Chang-ho’s Awakening ability some kind of physical enhancement?
‘Wait.
Even if I recover my magic, conquering Earth might actually be difficult.’
By the time I snapped out of it, the two S-Class Hunters had completely annihilated the monster wave.
I went pale.
The only comforting thought was that both Jeong Ha-seong and Kang Chang-ho seemed to be using only the first abilities they had awakened.
…Though honestly, what difference did that make?
Whether they had one ability or ten—
I currently had zero.
‘Holy shit.’
At that moment, I made an important decision.
Let’s not fight S-Class Hunters until my magic returns.
Just then, Kang Chang-ho finally spoke.
“There’s a time limit.”
Lightly brushing wolf remains from his sleeves, he walked toward the lion statue.
Then, before anyone could stop him, he shoved his arm into the lion’s mouth.
Rumble…
After drinking Kang Chang-ho’s blood, the lion seemed satisfied.
The door opened.
“If monsters appear when we wait too long, then we don’t really have a choice.”
I hadn’t expected him to cooperate so easily.
‘I won’t have to watch an S-Class battle after all!’
Even Jeong Ha-seong visibly relaxed.
For a moment, it seemed like peace had finally been established.
“Who’s next?”
“We’ll alternate.
I don’t know whether an F-Class body could survive this.”
And through all of this, I learned something about Jeong Ha-seong.
‘Hunter Jeong Ha-seong…’
The moment he learned I was F-Class, he’d immediately removed me from consideration.
He had protected me during the monster attack as well.
Jeong Ha-seong genuinely stood on the side of the weak.
Enough that the title of national hero actually suited him.
‘At this point, I almost feel guilty.’
I hadn’t shed a single drop of blood.
Yet thanks to him, I was still progressing through the Gate.
We entered the fifth room.
After offering another sacrifice, Jeong Ha-seong staggered slightly from blood loss.
“Jeong Ha-seong-ssi, are you alright?”
He immediately corrected his expression.
“We unexpectedly entered this Gate.
Places like this are usually small.
We should find the exit soon.”
His skin had always been pale.
Now it looked almost white.
Concerned he might collapse, I kept watching him while we walked.
Because of that, I didn’t notice the person in front had stopped.
“Hm?”
It was Kang Chang-ho’s turn.
Yet instead of opening the door, he looked down at Jeong Ha-seong.
“Jeong Ha-seong.”
He clearly had something to say.
“Let’s stop for a moment.”
“Why?”
“Now that I think about it, we don’t actually know if the exit is ahead.
Everyone’s condition is deteriorating.”
“…”
“There may be clues we overlooked.
Why don’t we go back and investigate the previous rooms?”
It sounded reasonable enough.
But Jeong Ha-seong’s response was immediate.
“Isn’t that just an excuse to buy time?”
“What exactly do you think of me?”
“The standard strategy for EX-Rank Gates is to follow the conditions presented.”
He continued coldly.
“You probably know that too.”
Then a familiar name surfaced.
“I don’t know if you’re planning to trigger another monster wave and attack me during the chaos.
Just like what happened with Choi Jin.”
Jeong Ha-seong continued without hesitation.
“Wouldn’t it be easier for you if everyone died together rather than suffering losses alone?”
“Jeong Ha-seong.”
“I don’t trust you.
And I don’t have time to remain trapped inside a Gate like this.”
His voice was sharp enough to rival the sword hanging at his waist.
“I won’t repeat myself.
Open the door.”
I nervously looked back and forth between them.
What if they started fighting again?
But—
“Fine.”
Unexpectedly, Kang Chang-ho surrendered first.
He casually raised both hands.
“I’ll open it.
Don’t look at me like that.”
That surprised me.
He gave in far more easily than expected.
“I never said I wouldn’t cooperate.
Besides, you’re misunderstanding something.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“What happened with Choi Jin was an accident.
I’m not some lunatic who attacks fellow Hunters for no reason.”
His explanation remained calm.
“Yes, I’m an ex-convict.
I understand why people don’t trust me.
But right now, you’re being overly cautious.”
“That’s…”
“Isn’t that exactly why you’re rushing?
Because you want to leave as quickly as possible?”
“…”
“Think seriously about what I said.
Going back once might be the better choice.”
“Fine.”
“Let’s open the door first.”
Kang Chang-ho turned around and inserted his arm into the lion’s mouth.
The mechanism unlocked.
The door opened.
‘See?
You really can’t trust rumors.’
He seemed perfectly reasonable.
Then—
My eyes widened.
Jeong Ha-seong looked equally shocked.
“This…!”
“Kang Chang-ho-ssi!”
Kang Chang-ho collapsed halfway to the floor.
One hand remained resting against the lion statue.
Like Jeong Ha-seong before him, he seemed severely dizzy.
After taking a deep breath, he spoke.
“Don’t worry.
I brought recovery medicine.”
Only then did I notice the pouch hanging from his waist.
The medicine was probably inside.
“After taking it, I should be able to open another two doors.”
Using his knees for support, he slowly stood back up.
Jeong Ha-seong watched him for a moment.
Then he finally turned away.
“If we still can’t find the exit in the next room, we’ll look for another method.”
Relieved that I wouldn’t need to support Kang Chang-ho myself, I walked a few steps behind them.
Beside me, Kang Chang-ho opened his pouch and retrieved a small glass vial.
‘So that’s the recovery medicine?’
Then I witnessed something unbelievable.
Crash!
Without warning, Kang Chang-ho smashed the bottle directly against the back of Jeong Ha-seong’s head.
The liquid inside instantly vaporized upon contact with the air.
By the time Jeong Ha-seong turned around, he had already inhaled it.
“Tsk!”
His eyes rolled back.
Then he collapsed.
Paralysis?
Sleep?
I couldn’t tell.
But I knew one thing.
“Ah.
It works on S-Class Hunters too.”
That was definitely not recovery medicine.