The Management Bureau Control Room was in chaos.
“F-rank gate reset to S-grade!”
“Gate exit confirmed closed!”
“Seventeen people trapped inside, including the collection team, trainees, and Hunters on standby!”
“Boss entity confirmed!”
Dozens of monitors flashed red warning lights at once.
At the center of it all stood the Branch Director of Team One at the Republic of Korea Awakened Management Bureau.
Baek Kang-hyeon, the country’s first S-rank Hunter and its strongest, fastened a scabbard at his waist.
“What kind of boss is it?”
“A Griffin.”
“What is the rank?”
“S-rank.”
“What is the status of the survivors inside?”
“Communications are unstable. However, we were still receiving signs of life until moments ago.”
“Is the Raid Team being assembled?”
“Three C-rank Hunters who were on standby nearby were already inside, but the opponent is S-rank, so combat appears impossible.”
Baek Kang-hyeon nodded.
“I will go in.”
“Branch Director, entering alone is dangerous.”
The Control Room employee hammered at the keyboard and brought up various charts and graphs.
“The gate’s mana is also unstable, so we do not know what might happen. We have prepared recovery items for you, but they may not be enough.”
“Because the gate is unstable, ordinary Monsters may appear in addition to the Boss Monster. If you are overwhelmed by their numbers and the battle turns into one of attrition….”
“It does not matter. An S-rank gate has suddenly formed, and it opened inside a cleared F-rank gate.”
CLACK–
“Who will take responsibility if everyone trapped inside dies while you are still assembling the Raid Team?”
“Even so… the support team will be ready in thirty minutes….”
“There is no guarantee the people inside will survive those thirty minutes.”
Baek Kang-hyeon spoke briefly.
“Send the support team as soon as it is ready. I will go first.”
The Management Bureau employees all fell silent.
There were not many S-rank Hunters in the Republic of Korea.
Even among them, Baek Kang-hyeon was a Combat-Type Hunter of unrivaled strength.
All-Weapon.
Swords, spears, bows, axes, shields, greatswords, and even whips.
A combat trait that allowed him to wield any weapon he could get his hands on above a certain level of proficiency.
Since gates first appeared, he had worked for the Management Bureau and stopped countless emergencies.
It was only natural that he would be the first person called in a situation like this.
“Haa… Understood, Branch Director. Secure the access route!”
“Access route opening!”
A path through the sky opened, allowing him to fly straight from the Management Bureau Control Room to the gate.
Baek Kang-hyeon calmly gathered teal mana at the tips of his feet.
“I will enter, assess the situation, and engage if combat is necessary. Continue analyzing why the exit is blocked.”
“Understood!”
THOOM–!
Stepping on the immense mass of mana, Baek Kang-hyeon shot rapidly through the air.
He reached the gate entrance in an instant.
The people recognized him and cheered. They shouted something at him as well.
But he did not have time to respond to each thing they said.
“Hunter Baek Kang-hyeon! The gate has been clea….”
“Yes, thank you.”
Ignoring them, he leaped straight into the gate.
“…Something feels strange.”
Damp air filled his lungs.
The mana density inside was unmistakably S-rank.
The pressure felt like a needle scraping across his skin.
The concentration was so high that an ordinary Hunter would have found even breathing difficult.
Baek Kang-hyeon drew his sword.
‘Toward the boss room.’
He immediately broke into a run.
The farther inside he went, the more violent the mana became.
The walls were shattered, and work equipment and collection bags lay scattered across the floor.
A group of people had gathered near the entrance.
“Are you all right?”
As Baek Kang-hyeon approached, the field supervisor grabbed him with a face on the verge of tears.
“Hunter B-Baek Kang-hyeon!”
“Please give me a situation report.”
“The thing is… it has been cleared.”
What?
The gate has been cleared?
“What do you mean?”
“Just now, right before you entered… it was cleared.”
“By whom?”
“Th-The thing is….”
“Are there any injured people or fatalities?”
“No. Everyone is fine.”
An S-rank gate had been cleared, yet no one was injured?
And the gate itself was still this intact?
The ground had not been gouged out, none of the nearby rocks had been shattered, and not a single tree had been cut down.
Baek Kang-hyeon narrowed his eyes.
“Did the boss not attack anyone?”
The supervisor opened his mouth, then closed it again.
“The thing is….”
“Speak quickly.”
“The boss tried to attack us, but….”
“But?”
“An F-rank trainee stopped him.”
“…….”
Baek Kang-hyeon thought he had misheard.
“Say that again.”
“An F-rank trainee stopped the boss.”
“How?”
“By talking to him.”
A brief silence followed.
Baek Kang-hyeon stared at the supervisor.
The supervisor raised both hands as though he felt unfairly accused.
“I do not even know what I am saying right now!”
One of the C-rank Hunters beside them cut in.
“It’s true. We attacked him, but it didn’t work. When the boss was about to go berserk, that trainee blocked his path.”
“An F-rank?”
“Yes.”
“He stood in front of an S-rank Boss Monster, a Griffin?”
“Yes.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“If we knew that, do you think we’d be standing around like this?”
Baek Kang-hyeon furrowed his brow slightly.
‘Mind control?’
It was possible.
Some high-rank Monsters possessed abilities that clouded the human mind.
Especially for a Boss Monster of S-rank or higher, controlling a single F-rank Hunter might not be difficult.
The reason for controlling him could be nothing more than amusement for the Boss Monster.
Some Undead Monsters really did place humans under mind control to use them as toys.
If it truly was mind control, Baek Kang-hyeon had to rescue him quickly.
“What is the trainee’s name?”
“Lee Ji-hoon.”
“Yes. He is a Tamer, but he is F-rank, so….”
The Hunter trailed off.
Baek Kang-hyeon nodded, showing that he understood what the Hunter meant.
An F-rank Tamer.
For 0.1 seconds, he considered the possibility that the trainee had tamed the boss, but it was impossible.
Baek Kang-hyeon steeled himself and slowly walked toward the boss room.
He gathered mana at the tip of his sword. If his opponent was a Griffin, the sovereign of the skies, he had to target the wings with his first strike.
Once a Flying-Type Monster could use its mobility, it became an exceedingly difficult opponent to defeat.
He reached that conclusion and rounded the corner.
“So, this red in your eyes—this, this is poison, right?”
[I am not sure whether it is poison or an impurity, Big Brother….]
“Isn’t that the same thing? Anyway, who fed it to you?”
[I do not know…. When I came to my senses, I was here….]
A man who appeared to be an F-rank trainee stood before the Griffin.
And he was not merely standing there.
He had his arms folded and was lecturing him.
The S-rank Boss Monster had his head bowed deeply.
His wings were pulled in as tightly as possible, and he was cautiously watching for the man’s reaction.
‘What is this?’
It was a sight Baek Kang-hyeon had never seen in all his experience with countless gates.
An S-rank Boss Monster and an F-rank Hunter.
A predator and its prey.
A disaster and a civilian.
If those two faced each other, there was only one normal picture.
Flight, screams, death.
Ten years ago, when the gates first appeared and the first collapses occurred.
How many people had been sacrificed?
Back then, even his own younger sibling had….
That was why Baek Kang-hyeon could not believe the sight before him.
They looked like a big dog that had gotten into trouble and his owner.
Baek Kang-hyeon slowly approached.
“Mr. Lee Ji-hoon?”
Ji-hoon turned his head.
“Ah, looks like backup’s here.”
“I am Baek Kang-hyeon of the Management Bureau.”
“Oh! You’re the S-rank Hunter Baek Kang-hyeon?”
“That is correct.”
Ji-hoon’s eyes lit up slightly.
“Wow. I’ve never seen a real S-rank before.”
“Step back.”
“What?”
“Move away from that Monster.”
The tip of Baek Kang-hyeon’s sword pointed at the Griffin.
At that moment, Poppy narrowed his eyes.
Mana slowly manifested beneath his wings.
Ji-hoon quickly raised a hand.
“Hey. Stay still.”
[But, Big Brother….]
“Stay. Our Poppy isn’t going to cause trouble, right?”
[That is… yes… Understood.]
Poppy lowered his head again.
Baek Kang-hyeon did not miss it.
‘He responds to commands?’
Is this really Taming?
No. He could not view it that simply.
“Mr. Lee Ji-hoon. I need to verify that you are in a normal state.”
“Me?”
“This Monster is the boss of an S-rank gate. You may be under mind control.”
“Ah, I’m not under mind control.”
“Most people under mind control say that.”
“That’s true, but….”
“Then step away. I will verify it myself.”
Baek Kang-hyeon took a step forward.
Poppy parted his beak slightly.
GRRRRRR.
Blue mana gathered around Baek Kang-hyeon’s sword.
“This is your warning. Move, and I will cut you down.”
[Do not threaten Big Brother.]
Poppy gathered mana in his beak and thrust the beak toward Baek Kang-hyeon in warning.
At that moment, Baek Kang-hyeon moved.
CRASH—!
A teal sword strike collided with the enormous beak filled with golden mana.
BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH—!!!!
Poppy spread his wings.
Golden feathers scattered like dozens of blades.
Baek Kang-hyeon did not retreat.
The sword in his hand transformed into a spear in an instant.
He spun the shaft and knocked away the incoming feathers.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
A rapid succession of metallic clangs erupted.
As Baek Kang-hyeon recovered his spear, Poppy’s feathers came streaking toward his eyes. Baek Kang-hyeon quickly formed a shield, and the teal shield rose before him.
CLANG— CLANG CLANG—!
Baek Kang-hyeon swung the shield and sent every feather flying, then kicked off the ground and closed in on Poppy’s right wing. Poppy twisted his body, raised his left foot, extended his talons, and blocked Baek Kang-hyeon’s sword.
CRASH—!!!!
A shock wave erupted.
The boss room shook.
Decorations fell from the ceiling and embedded themselves in the ground.
RUMBLE, CRASH—!
“No, wait, wait!!”
Ji-hoon pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Hunter Baek Kang-hyeon!”
Baek Kang-hyeon answered without slowing down.
“Go ahead!”
“You get told you have a bad personality a lot, don’t you?”
“….”
Baek Kang-hyeon’s movements stopped for the briefest moment.
CLANG—!
“What do you mean?!”
“You’re stubborn, and you act only on your own judgment. That’s why you have so few friends!”
Baek Kang-hyeon now merely held his stance and turned his head toward Ji-hoon.
“Does saying that help resolve this situation?”
“Of course it does! Would someone under mind control try to get under an S-rank Hunter’s skin?”
“….”
Baek Kang-hyeon’s eyebrow twitched.
Ji-hoon did not miss his chance.
“And I know you came in here to save everyone from the start, but you need to listen to what people are telling you. If I were really under mind control, I’d tell that Griffin, ‘Kill them all,’ so why would I be telling him to ‘stay still’?”
“You could have been ordered to act that out too….”
“See? I told you you’re stubborn.”
“….”
Baek Kang-hyeon stared at Poppy with his sword still raised.
“Poppy, I told you not to fight.”
[I feared that you might be harmed, Big Brother… I apologize.]
Baek Kang-hyeon asked,
“He can speak as well?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Is that a Taming Skill?”
“Uh… let’s just call it something like that.”
An F-rank Tamer.
An S-rank Boss Monster.
Ji-hoon’s words and actions were far too free for this to be mind control.
He did not look frightened.
If anything, he acted far too naturally. He had not shown any fear even during a battle between two S-ranks.
As if a situation like this were perfectly ordinary.
And above all.
‘That Griffin is holding back his attacks.’
Baek Kang-hyeon was certain after their brief clash.
The Griffin had only been trying to protect Ji-hoon.
Baek Kang-hyeon slowly lowered his sword.
“For now, it does not appear to be mind control.”
“Right?”
“However, I do not agree with what you said about my personality.”
“Ah, so that did offend you.”
“I can be hurt too.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Yes, well, some of it is true.”
Baek Kang-hyeon sighed.
Then he looked at Poppy.
“An S-rank Boss Monster obeying a human….”
Has anything like this ever happened before?
Of course not.
“Reporting this to the Management Bureau will cause quite an uproar.”
“Before that, let’s get out of here. Everyone’s trapped.”
Ji-hoon had already received a message moments ago saying that the gate had been cleared.
Then I can go outside and check the clear reward too….
“Wait.”
Baek Kang-hyeon stopped him.
“Mr. Lee Ji-hoon. Do you understand what it means to take the Griffin outside?”
“What it means?”
“He is an S-rank Boss Monster.”
“Right?”
Ji-hoon looked up at Poppy.
Poppy was still sitting quietly.
With his golden wings folded and his head slightly lowered, he gazed at Ji-hoon.
To Ji-hoon, he was the eldest at Hell Farm.
Poppy, who cried after knocking over his food bowl.
Poppy, who nervously watched Ji-hoon’s reaction whenever he was caught hiding snacks to eat.
Poppy, who was always the first to stand against any Demonic Beast that bullied the younger ones.
He was a loyal and trustworthy companion and family member who had spent a hundred years with Ji-hoon.
But to everyone else?
“Ah.”
Then Ji-hoon muttered with a slightly troubled expression.
“Come to think of it, he’s a Boss Monster, isn’t he?”
What do I do?
“Maybe some kind of perception-obscuring magic….”
“I am not a Magic-Type Hunter….”
“Aren’t S-rank Hunters supposed to be able to do all kinds of things?”
“That is a stereotype. There are many things I cannot do either.”
Seriously, what do I do?