《I Am The Anti-Mage》 Chapter Notification Board: Going Premium [210924] Notification Board: Going Premium [210924] Hello, this is Phantomfiend. I want to announce that IAM will be going premium soon. And finally, maybe I can hire an editor to fix the grammatical error and sentence structural. However, I came across some issues while searching for information about web novel editors. Each editor has a different fee depending on their quality in editing chapters. The cheapest is around $2-$3 per chapter. And for a decent one is about $5-$8 per chapter. Then 30 chapters in a month would cost me quite a lot. **NEED TO REMEMBER! All prices mentioning here only apply to a chapter that have a word count of 1000! Meanwhile, IAM has 1500 words/chapter, which means the expenses will be greater than those listed above. So, the editor for that IAM depends on how much it¡¯s generates. If it¡¯s a little, I can only afford Grammarly Premium. Or hire the cheapest editor if it¡¯s earning enough. Who knows. I need to see how it¡¯s fareter first before decides about an editor. I hope for understanding from all readers. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [WFP #16] IAM win the Gold Tier of Writing Form Practice (WFP) Male Lead ¨C Towers and Dungeon and Rifts oh my! Yeay! This is thanks to the reader that showed their interest to IAM. Once again Thank you! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Official] New Schedule chapter update, Daily update! Since it¡¯s premium now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª THANK YOU FOR IAM fans gifter! with this many of you, I will never drop IAM until it end, even though I¡¯m not sure if the end will be good or not. Kekekeke XD Chapter 1: Return to the Original World Chapter 1: Return to the Original World The dark of the night slowly faded away. The hill was quiet and peaceful after the great war was over. In contrast to the environment, the ce got filled with blood and the stench of corpses. Not just Humans, even the remains of Beasts, Elves, Dwarves, Demons, and Dragons could be found in the ruins of war. There were just two men alive left on the hill. Their surrounding was full of Magic spell explosion marks. It made the ce with nothing left except the soil. One man stood holding the Greatsword pointed at the ground with both hands. He looked toward the sunrise while the other man was lying down, looking at the sky and panting. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°I don¡¯t have any more stamina left if that Underlord is still alive after boldly gotten hit by your final wave, Stormrage.¡± ¡°Yeah, the same as me too, Magina. ¡°We won the great war, but with what cost¡­ ¡± Stormrage replied without looking back at Magina. He kept staring at the sunrise. Magina got up and sat on the ground with his legs crossed. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Ourrades sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Surely they want us to honor their death for winning this great war.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Thanks, my friend. It¡¯s always you that keeps me sane enough to ovee this hellish journey.¡± Magina smiled while looking at the back of Stormrage. He still remembered how they met for the first time after he came to this world. They were still just errand boys for somemanders or a general at the age of 17. But their talent in learning and supporting each other back was fruitful enough to make them stand out from the rest of the boys. Both Stormrage and Magina immediately became renowned soldiers. They fought at the front line of the army since they were still young. Since then, Magina had always been with Stormrage, supporting him in many trial wars through many fights and massacres. Stormrage led the army for almost 25 years, with Magina aiding him at the side. And also with many otherrades that had outstanding power and talent. In the end, only both of them were left and survived until the great war ended. ¡°If we didn¡¯t meet and fight in that small tent, there would be no Stormrage now. Because of you, I have the courage and strength to lead the army for this great war.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ Oi¡­, don¡¯t just casually say cringe things. I¡¯d hate that. Well, it¡¯s your power and strength that kill the Underlord, not me.¡± Magina shrugged and smiled at Stormrage. He knew his friend was suffering while leading the army, putting the responsibility of many billion lives on his shoulder. That¡¯s why Magina had an iron heart for his friend. He would dly go rampage through the nightmare for Stormrage disregarding his own life, even if the ce was hell. Now, It was absolutely peaceful since the great war had ended. Magina and Stormrage felt at ease even though many of theirrades and friends died in the process. But¡­, Peace was something that will neverst long. Suddenly Magina felt amiss with the surrounding. ¡°Wait, did you feel it? there is no Mana anymore here.¡± Magina stood up while looking everywhere, then tapping Stormrage back. But Stormrage didn¡¯t bother to turn and face him. Stormrage kept looking at the front and said some words to Magina. ¡°Thank you for apanying my journey till the end. It¡¯s a great victory for all of us.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Magina was confused by the Stormrage words. In the midst of Magina¡¯s confusion, the ground started to shake, crack, and shatter the earth. The earthquake started to happen, the ground where Stormrage and Magina stood now breaking apart. It separates them away from each other. ¡°Magina, this is the end¡­¡± Having power and strength depleted after the fight, Magina found himself struggling to stand up in the middle of the earthquake. He kept looking at his friend while holding his ground. ¡°Stormrage, what happened!?¡± Magina was still confused and surprised by the event that unfolded in front of his eyes. His friends, Stormrage, act pretty unusual too. Stormrage finally turned his back and looked at Magina. The ground where they stand now slowly separated them further. Stormrage threw his Greatsword and spoke to Magina with a happy tone, ¡°I am the same as you. Since you are ready to sacrifice yourself for me, I am ready to sacrifice myself for you.¡± Stormrage and Magina stared at each other in the middle of the disaster. Their eyes already spoke a thousand words that made them understand each other¡¯s feelings. ¡°Long time ago, I knew if I ever faced the Underlord. I need to use the Eternal Mana to kill it. Even if it means this world will perish from existence.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not someone from this world, Magina. From the time we spent together, I have a belief that you might not be here if this world didn¡¯t exist. ¡°But, I¡¯m not sure about that contemtion until¡­ I know about Eternal Mana. ¡°That¡¯s how I decided to end this war with that and return you back to where you belong.¡± Stormrage smiled happily for his friend, Magina. For him, as an orphan, Magina was like a true brother that he never had before. ¡°Magina¡­ My real name is Riddle, Jonathan Riddle.¡± Magina¡¯s started shedding tears. His emotion and mind were really in a mess right now. ¡°What the fu*k you talking about it!? ¡°How can you be sure that I wille back?! ¡°How can you sacrifice many lives for me! ¡°I-If you know about me, why not talk to me before¡­ Why do you keep quiet?!¡± Before they could talk any longer, the ground where Stormrage stood was gone, and he fell down to the darkness of the cliff. Magina tried stretching out his hand, hoping it could reach his friend, but it was impossible. Magina couldn¡¯t hide his feelings anymore and cried out so loud for the death of his friends. Regret, confusion, surprise, and sorrow were mixed in Magina¡¯s heart right now. His head hit the ground without knowing what he was supposed to do from now on. Many corpses after the war had fallen when the ground started to disappear. The earthquake ate all of the things that stand on thisnd. Soon, this world was gone, and Magina would be gone too. He gave up the same way as Stormrage died. He closed his eyes and spoke for thest time while fallen. ¡°My¡­ Name is ¡°Kim Ji-woo.¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- South Korea, 2023. There was a man lying down on the ground, facing the sky in the alley. That ce was a bit dark and dirty. The man wore in grey clothes and long pants. His ck wavy hair was long, up to the shoulder. Suddenly, the man opened his eyes and looked surprised. He stared at the familiar sky that he had not been able to see for a long time. His eyes started to cry. The emotion in his heart was really aching for all the things he had been through it. ¡°I¡¯m really alive, Stormrage. Thanks to you, I¡¯m back in my world. But, what about you?¡± Kim Ji-woo moved his body and tried to sit on the ground while leaning against the wall. His face showed an expression of someone that didn¡¯t know what he had to do right now. ¡°If only I were stronger. We both could kill the Underlord without using Eternal Mana and sacrifice your own world for me.¡± Ji-woo closed his teary eyes and reminisced all the memories of the Mage world. He didn¡¯t expect living there would be a precious experience in his life. Ji-woo sighed and got up while still leaning against the wall. He tried to cope with the grief and loss as soon as possible. He was already familiar with that feeling since he got involved in the war for almost 30 years. But still, Ji-woo¡¯s heart aches so much because of Stormrage and the destruction of the Magical world. He tried to walk barefoot while staggered toward the street at the front. ¡°I can¡¯t retrieve much about this ce. But, I still remember my family. They must be worried about me.¡± Before Ji-woo could reach the street that was a brighter ce than the alley, He heard amotion break out abruptly. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ Ji-woo reached out to the street despite being puzzled about themotion. He saw people running in panic, and many officers tried to keep the order as not to cause any casualties. ¡°What¡¯s about the query?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been almost one hour since Mana fluctuation appeared, sir!¡± The Chief in ck suit frowned upon the answer. ¡°At any moment, a Portal Gate will be formed. How about the evacuation? The Chief looked toward the mess in front of him. He started to get irritated by how rted officers that had the task to evacuate the people were not good at doing their jobs. ¡°Can they do it a little bit faster!?¡± The Chief raised his voice. ¡°We already try our best, sir!¡± His assistant was trying to calm his Chief. ¡°Why does this appear in the middle of a crowded ce!? And it to happen on my fu**ing holiday too!¡± The Chief roared his frustration and grabbed his head, feeling annoyed by the situation. While the Chief grabbed his hair and shook his head, he identally saw a man that looked like a beggar at the front of the alley. Their eyes met each other, and both of them were startled. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Chief pointed his finger at the man. Ji-woo replied, ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 2: Portal Gate Chapter 2: Portal Gate The Chief frowned and walked away indifferently, closing the distance between him and Ji-woo. The Chief assistant followed behind him. ¡°Why are you speaking informally to me!?¡± Kim Ji-woo gasped and realized that he was no longer the old man in the Magical world. ¡°A-ah, I¡¯m sorry. Who are you, sir?¡± While getting closer, The Chief replied, ¡°I am the Chief of the Monitoring division from¡­¡± The Chief realized something stupid was happening. ¡°No, Wait! I¡¯m the one asking you a question! Why would I be the one answering!?¡± The Chief yelled and was ready to kick this punk that doesn¡¯t know about manners. The assistant immediately held his Chief on the side, ¡°Wait, Chief! Don¡¯t hit a citizen here!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t understand why this person was so eager to hit him. The Chief regained hisposure, ¡°I¡¯m the one with authority here. Except for hunters and rted officers, no one can stay here.¡± ¡°Sorry young man, my leader is a bit tired of this situation. Please, leave this ce. I will guide you to the Portal Gate perimeter.¡± The assistant gestured to Ji-woo to follow him out. Ji-woo just decided to obey the order while he was confused about why he got told to go away. Another subordinate reported to Chief Lee. ¡°Reporting, Sir! Mana density around the Portal increased. In a few minutes, the Gates will be established and estimated to be Tier-2 Portal Gate. So far, there is no sign that the Red Gates will ur yet.¡± Chief Lee nodded and looked at the Portal Gate that got estimated to be tier-2. And apparently, it wouldn¡¯t be a hassle as long as they had hunters ready to enter the Portal Gate. ¡°Still, we can¡¯t be sure if the Red Gates will appear or notter on. I will stay here for a few hours.¡± He then shifted his head to the man that had just reported, ¡°Oh, right. Which Guilds will handle these Gates? Did the Management division tell you already?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shadow guild, sir! They have hunters from D-rank and C-rank on standby positions.¡± ¡°Huh? There are no B-rank hunters that are ready from the guild?!¡± ¡°E-em¡­ No, sir. They say B-rank hunters are not avable at the moment.¡± Chief Lee sneered, hearing his subordinate report about the Shadow Guild hunters¡¯ enlistment. ¡®Sure enough! They don¡¯t want to use so much manpower, just because the Portal Gate is not their private property.¡¯ At the same time, when the conversation between the Chief and his subordinates was going on. Ji-woo stopped his track and looked back to where Chief Lee¡¯s sight was looking while talking. ¡®Mm? I can feel Mana from there. What is happening? Why does this world have Mana?¡¯ ¡°Sir, we are in South Korea, right?¡± Ji-woo blurted out a dumb question. The assistant escorting Ji-woo turned his head and looked back. He stared at Ji-woo like some idiot kid. Ji-woo became embarrassed after he realized the question was stupid enough to be asked. Just take a look for a moment. There were Hangul (Hangeul) words and writings in several ces. Even Ji-woo himself spoke in Korean from the moment he opened his eyes in the first ce. It should be clear where he was right now. ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji-woo bows his head to the man for his absurd question. The assistant didn¡¯t mind it and waved his hand toward Ji-woo to indicate that he needed to leave the area faster. ¡°Take him to the Police station.¡± The Chief assistant walked back to where the Portal Gate appeared while leaving Ji-woo with the soldiers guarding the entrance perimeter. ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes, sir!¡± ¡°Ehm?!¡± Ji-woo bbergasted hearing the order from the Chief assistant. He doesn¡¯t know what mistake hemitted to get taken into custody. ¡®Oh well, Let¡¯s follow it there. Regardless, I need to ask the police officer about my addresster on.¡¯ Ji-woo was sure that as long as he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. They would not make him stay behind the bar. After all, he needed information about his family too. Meanwhile, at the Tier-2 Portal Gate opening, Chief Lee was still waiting for the hunters from the Shadow guild toe. Truthfully, Chief Lee didn¡¯t worry about hunters but more worried about the Portal Gate. The longer it appears, the more damage it will affect the surrounding. Chief Lee could rx a little had the Portal Gate appeared in a rural area or a less crowded ce. And they can carry out the operation of closing the Portal Gate without rushing. ¡°What about the casualties?¡± Chief Lee suddenly asked his subordinate. The subordinate immediately looked at his 10-inch smart gadget screen in his hand. ¡°There are three citizens that got minor wounds from the Mana impact when it started condensing. It required a B-rank healer to handle it.¡± It was something that Chief Lee didn¡¯t like the most about Portal Gate appearing in the middle of the city. But luckily, this time was just a minor ident. Their life was not in danger at all. Chief Lee felt on his thought, ¡®Tsk, if only the Hunters Association had many capable hunters. We can handle this matter quickly.¡¯ ¡°How much longer will the hunters show up!? The longer theye here, the bigger our country will suffer from this!¡± All of the personnel around Chief Lee could only lower their heads, hearing the frustration from their boss. They couldn¡¯t answer it casually since it was not their control when would the hunters wereing. It¡¯s been almost 2 hours since the Portal Gate started. Now, they could only wait while monitoring if an unexpected thing showed up around the Portal Gate. Suddenly, the quiet and strained situation in that ce was gone because of the footsteps sound that came from Chief Lee¡¯s back. The hunters walkedposedly, wearing all the gears needed to increase their magic power to enter the Portal Gate. An assistant came hurriedly to Chief Lee¡¯s side and whispered to him about the hunters¡¯ arrival. ¡°Che. Finally, show up, huh?!¡± Most hunters from the big guild always act arrogantly in front of the people from the Hunters Association. That¡¯s why Chief Lee never liked hunters that came from there. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, there is a traffic jam on the way, and the distance is a bit too far.¡± A C-rank hunter answered and shrugged at Chief Lee¡¯s mock. ¡°Nice joke, Commander Song. Hahaha.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here now, so what¡¯s the problem!? Just sit and wait. Kekeke.¡± Other hunters try to butt in the conversation to tease Chief Lee after hearing theirmander¡¯s remark. ¡°Enough, Good Luck! Hope for sessful conquest inside.¡± Chief Lee spoke with a stern voice and bowed to wish for their sess. All of the hunters didn¡¯t continue their teasing and immediately departed toward the Portal Gate. Then¡­, the hunters entered the Portal Gate one after another and disappeared in front of the people watching them. Several personnel and officers rxed their tension and sat down while waiting for the hunters to return from the Portal Gate. Chief Lee was still looking at Portal Gate, muttering some words, ¡°They¡¯re really confident with just 13 hunters for Tier-2 Portal Gate.¡± ¡°Well, they are hunters from Shadow Guild. I am sure all of them are the elite hunters from there, sir.¡± The Chief assistant had replied in a whisper. Chief Lee sighed at his assistant¡¯s words and turned around from the Portal Gate. He slowly walked to the street chairs that were close to where he was standing before. Before Chief Lee could sit on the chair, he abruptly stopped his track and made his assistant at the back halt his step too. Chief Lee quickly turned his back again then looked at the people around the Portal Gate. Then he asked his assistant. ¡°A human who doesn¡¯t have Mana should need a special suit to get closer to the Portal Gate, right?¡± The assistant replied confusedly, ¡°Uh? Yes?¡­ They can¡¯t get close to around 30 to 75 meters to the Portal Gate. Why are you asking, sir?¡± Out of the blue, Chief Lee realized something serious that he missed earlier. ¡°The man from before, the man with long hair and in clothes. How long did he stay beside us until you drove him out of the perimeter before?¡± ¡°Huh???¡± The assistant didn¡¯t know why Chief Lee was asking this weird question. ¡°That man is thest one from here that needs to get evacuated, right?¡± The assistant at the moment could only answer consciously. ¡°Um, yes?¡± ¡°I think he stayed here roughly for 5 minutes. But I don¡¯t see him suffering from Mana impact, right?¡± The assistant started to think back about the man¡¯s condition after hearing Chief Lee¡¯s words. It seems that was the case. The man really didn¡¯t look like someone who was suffering from the Portal Gate Mana impact. The assistant nodded at Chief Lee and affirmed his concern about the man. Now, Chief Lee was aware of the man anomaly. Humans that don¡¯t have Mana blessing can never approach the Portal Gate. It was because the Mana impact that condensed to form a Portal Gate was dangerous to ordinary people. Of course, only Mana¡¯s impact from the Portal Gate was violence. On the other hand, Mana from Magic stone and Magic Crystal are harmless. That¡¯s why only hunters that have power from Mana could reach the Portal Gate. Even if someone wanted to approach it, they especially needed to wear an Artifact suit designed for an ordinary human. Chapter 3: 6 Years not 30 Years Chapter 3: 6 Years not 30 Years ¡°What did you do to him?¡± The assistant hurriedly replied to Chief Lee, ¡°I handed him over to the soldier since he doesn¡¯t have any identification.¡± He didn¡¯t tell him the specific situation, worried he would be given another unnecessary task from the chief. Chief Lee then told him, ¡°Ask someone from the Monitoring division to find his information.¡± What you fear will always happen when you didn¡¯t expect it. The assistant heard themand felt regret for his worry. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The assistant replied sulkily. ¡°Do itter. It¡¯s not urgent now. We already have so much work to handle rather than this trivial matter.¡± Chief Lee reassured his assistant about the order. He knew Hunters Association had limited staff to work for the organization to handle the Portal Gates. So, he couldn¡¯t carelessly appoint his subordinate solely to find any information about a stranger. ¡®But, if he is a hunter, then it will be good news for me. No, it¡¯s great for the Hunters Association.¡¯ Chief Lee thought that he might find an additional hunter to the association. Hunters were usually hard toe by on the road since they always sought a guild rather than Hunter Association that ties with the government. Guilds had different rules and treatment for hunters even though they were under the supervision of the Hunters Association. The Hunters Association payment was more stingy than the guild, considering they rted to the government. And the profit from Magic Stone or Magic Crystal had to be split three ways with the association and the government, rather than a 50:50 dividend directly with a guild itself. Well, the government needed some money too. To rebuild the ce that got damaged by the Mana impact of the Portal Gate. Chief Lee suddenly mumbled something with a confused look. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ I didn¡¯t feel Mana from him? If he is a hunter, he should have Mana to be able to repel the impact from the Portal Gate.¡± Before, Chief Lee thought the man was a hunter since he could have gotten close to Portal Gate. Now after realizing he couldn¡¯t feel Mana from the man. He couldn¡¯t be sure if he was a hunter or only hid the Mana with some artifact he used. Huntersmonly can identify each other by tracing Mana, and Chief Lee himself was a hunter too. That¡¯s why he was baffled about Kim Ji-woo¡¯s appearance at the scene from before. An assistant interrupted Chief Lee¡¯s reverie with a report from the Shadow guild as he kept thinking about meeting a strange man who looks like a beggar, Ji-woo. ¡°Sir?!¡­ Sir!?¡­¡± Seeing Chief Lee didn¡¯t budge after being called, the assistant raised his voice. ¡°Lee Jae-suk!!!¡± Chief Lee got woken up by his assistant¡¯s loud voice. ¡°Huh?! What?¡­ What did you say before? Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear it clearly.¡± The assistant gulped, looking at Chief Lee. He just realized he made a mistake when calling out Chief Lee¡¯s full name without honorifics. ¡°Ah, n-no, sir. It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°So, what do you want to say?¡± Chief Lee threw away his interest in Ji-woo and shifted his focus back to the Portal Gate. Another problem that almost got forgotten because of honorifics. The assistant straightened his back and then recited the word calmly. ¡°Shadow guild requesting us to divide the profit from the Portal Gate dungeon fairly to their hunters.¡± Chief Lee twitched hearing the request. ¡°You mean, they want a 50:50 dividend? What pain in the *ss!¡± The assistant nodded, confirming the Shadow Guild¡¯s demand for their help to close the Portal Gate. It was amon urrence when a Portal Gate doesn¡¯t have an owner. It¡¯s the reason why the Hunters Association was trying its best to sell the dungeon hunting rights at the Portal Gate to the guilds out there. If Portal Gate became guild property, it would lessen their burden and get a benefit from it. Portal Gate closed, plus got money from selling it. Without a doubt, everything in the dungeons would go to the guild that owns the Portal Gate. It would be impossible if the Hunter Association wanted to deal with the many Portal Gates on the Korean Penins with understaffed people and low-rank hunters. It was why hunters from the guild always had ridiculous requirements. It urred when they helped to close the unowned Portal Gate by the Hunters Association. Chief Lee gritted his teeth, ¡®If this Portal Gate appears in the middle of a quiet ce and away from the crowd, I will sell it at a higher price than usual to them!¡¯ ¡°We don¡¯t have time to quarrel with a bunch of Shadow guild people. Just agree with their terms.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± When the assistant wanted to go to the side to confirm their agreement with the term, Chief Lee stopped him with a fearsome aura. ¡°Wait¡­ Did you only call by my name a moment ago?¡± The assistant felt chills at the back of his neck hearing Chief Lee¡¯s voice speak about the incident earlier. He tried hard to deny it and decided not to say any word. He just shook his head and ran to the side, calling Shadow guild people back. Chief Lee shrugged at his assistant¡¯s action and looked up to the sky, ¡°When will this Portal Gate be gone from our world?!¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- At Seoul, Yongsan Police station. Kim Ji-woo didn¡¯t intend to ask about his home address yet, letting the police officer talk about the situation first. ¡°There is no wallet, no ID card, and no smartphone. Nothing¡­, ¡°Yepp, nothing.¡± The police officer looked at Ji-woo strangely. For him seeing a beggar was normal. Some of them even don¡¯t have anything too like Ji-woo now. ¡®Why the Hunters Association personnel give an order to bring this man here?¡¯ The police officer had no idea why this person got sent to the police station instead of being let out of the Portal Gate area like the other beggars in that ce. ¡°Okay, what is your name?¡± asked the police officer when looking through theputer to search for the information. ¡°Kim Ji-woo.¡± Ji-woo answered while looking around the room. He was reminiscing about how he lived on earth before since he had gone for 30 years from the modern world. ¡®Living in modern earth is sure a pleasant thing.¡¯ The differences in life in the Magical World and the Modern earth were clearly visible before the eyes. While living in the other world, witnessing many extraordinary things that only exist in a movie was really fascinating. But, living on modern earth was more convenient with many advanced technologies. And more importantly, Ji-woo¡¯s family was here. So, if he could choose again, he still picked modern earth for a ce to stay even though he has a good brother in another world. ¡®Well, what does that matter now? Better¡­, ¡®Let¡¯s be grateful for what I have now. Sorry, Brother.¡¯ Ji-woo stopped his thought and looked at the police officer. From how the officer looked back and forth between Ji-woo and hisputer. He realized it seems there was a problem with it. The police officer looked focused onparing the picture on theputer to the person in front of him. It¡¯s because Ji-woo had a different appearance from the image. ¡°I have a hard time recognizing you with that long hair. Em¡­, But your face resembles the picture a little bit on our database. ¡°Here, your situation is reported as missing? In 2017 you couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else, so your status is stillbeled as a missing person for six years. ¡°How can you be there now? Like¡­, pop out of nowhere around the Portal Gate? ¡°Impossible, d-did you¡­ C-Came out from that¡­?¡± The police officer kept speaking without breathing and did not let Ji-woo say anything at all. Surely, Ji-woo itself doesn¡¯t know how to exin his situation ofing back from the Magical world. Even if he told everything, would anyone believe it? Bullsh*t! More likely, Ji-woo would get suspected as a foreign kind or invader of thend that came from that Portal Gate. Ji-woo roughly knows about the Portal Gate. He connected to the previous incident with the man telling him to leave the scene, where the Mana fluctuations started. The Portal Gate was definitely a type of door that could open up to another world. Then from that, they must have thought Ji-woo came out from the Portal Gate after missing for a long time. ¡°Wait, six years? I¡¯ve been missing for six years??¡± Ji-woo abruptly shouted out, horrifying the police officer on the desk. The police officer swore on his head. ¡®Brat! I got scared and almost lost half of my life. Fu*k you! ¡®I am the one that was supposed to be confused about your whereabouts. Not you, the one that is confused about how long you¡¯ve been missing.¡¯ Then Ji-woo asked the police officer, ¡°I¡¯m not gone for 30 years, but I¡¯ve been missing for six years? Hay, don¡¯t joke around with me, sir. H-Ha¡­, haha¡­¡± While Ji-wooughed awkwardly, the police officer became more confused and stared at him. ¡°Here! Take a look, you missing in 2017, and now you sit in front of me in 2023, understand?!¡± The police officer annoyedly described Ji-woo¡¯s situation by showing him theputer screen and the smartphone that revealed today¡¯s date. Ji-woo, after looking at the information. He understood that the time between the Magical world and Modern earth was not the same. In this world, Ji-woo had only gone for six years. On the other side, he had already experienced the Great war for 30 years. Chapter 4: Family Chapter 4: Family At the moment, Kim Ji-woo tried toply with reality. The fact that he just went missing for six years, not 30 years. Ji-woo sighed, ¡®Anyway, I have been gone for six years. I hope it is not a long wait for my family.¡¯ Even though he knows it¡¯s merely wishful thinking. Six years might be a long time to wait for some people. And 30 years could be a short one for Ji-woo while fighting in the Great war. The police officer stared at Ji-woo, who lost on his thought, ¡®This one sure is a weird fe.¡¯ ¡°So, howe you were there despite being missing for six years and can¡¯t get found anywhere else??¡± Ji-woo was startled at the question, remembering he should have searched for an excuse instead of fallen deep inside the thought. ¡°You seem to have lost your memories yet can recall your own name?? Kim Ji-woo~si?¡± Ji-woo felt the unfavorable circumstances, and instead of looking for excuses about where he had been. He decided to feign ignorance and said he only remembers his name and family. Other than that, he doesn¡¯t remember anything at all. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s all I know. I have no memories of my disappearance. When I open my eyes, I-I¡­ Just¡­, there.¡± Ji-woo affirmed it with a nod. In contrast, the police officer¡¯s doubt grew after hearing the absurd trick. He was familiar with interrogating people, especially the ones whomit an offense or crime. ¡®That¡¯s weird. This man didn¡¯t know anything about the six years that had passed? Something is fishy here. ¡® But, the police officer, not wanting to be affected by this matter, decided to let it go. ¡°Fine, you can go.¡± Ji-woo got shocked by the police for easily letting him go. ¡®You d*mn officer! Doubting me and now letting me go? Did you fu**ing think I am a kid? Okay, I follow your rule. I have nothing to lose here!¡¯ ¡°I will drive you home. I¡¯m sure you forgot about your address too. Right?¡± The police officer smirked at Ji-woo. The police officer wanted to inquire about the family about Ji-woo¡¯s detailed information since he seemed suspicious. Ji-woo nodded at the police officer and gave him a subtle smile, ¡®Oho, still doubting me and want to visit the family directly to ask? Not that easy!¡¯ Both of them then depart from the police station with the police officer¡¯s car. ¡ª- ¡ª- Finally, they arrived at their destination. Ji-woo and the police officer both got out of the car at the same time. ¡°This is your home, remember it?¡± Ji-woo nodded to inform the police that he still remembered it. ¡®Tch, still wanna do it until the end? What an idiot.¡¯ There was a sound of the door opening after pressing the bell on the wall for a while. A woman in her 50s opened the gate with a confused look. She stared at the two of them in front of her. Ji-woo recognized the woman. He couldn¡¯t believe that his mother was still the same despite getting older. His mother aged like a fine wine, her beauty was timeless. Many Korean women in theirte 40s were still pretty like they were still in their 30s. It¡¯s because some of them take care of their body well, or they might have an inborn gene. For Ji-woo¡¯s mother, it was thetter. Of course, even though Ji-woo¡¯s mother was still the same. Ji-woo still can see there were some wrinkles around his mother¡¯s face. However, Ji-woo¡¯s surprise was notsting enough after hearing his mother speak first. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ah, right. Sorry to disturb your rest. I¡¯m a police officer from the Yongsan area. Are you Lee Elijah~nim?¡± The police officer opened the conversation and asked Ji-woo¡¯s mother while showing his Cop Badge. ¡°Yes, I am. And?¡± ¡°I brought this guy. It says he lives here, and his name is Kim Ji-woo.¡± The police officerpleted his sentence when looking at the printed paper with Ji-woo information on the hand. ¡°Kim Ji-woo?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother looked at the man introduced by the police officer. After a few moments, Her eyes were slightly red from holding back tears. Ji-woo¡¯s mother immediately recognized Ji-woo despite having a different appearance. Even with his long wavy hair somewhat covering his face. She was still sure this was her child. Ji-woo¡¯s mother held back every emotion she had now and only grabbed Ji-woo¡¯s hands. ¡°Ji-woo~ya, you back. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± The police officers didn¡¯t expect a beautiful reunion to happen. He thought the man would get doubted and asked a bunch of questions by the family member. ¡°E-err¡­ I think¡­, we need questioning ¡­ ¡± Before the police officer finished his sentence, his smartphone was buzzing. Ring, Ring¨C ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I need to pick up this first. Please wait for a moment.¡± The police officer went closer to his car and took the call. It was a call from the Hunters Association. ¡°Yes, sir. Pardon? But¡­, okay, I understand, sir.¡± After getting the call, the police officer became irritated and grumbled. ¡®Geez! What a troublesome, why put him into the police station before. It¡¯s better just let him go in the first ce. Scatterbrained people!¡¯ At the same time, the phone call transpired. Ji-woo dragged his mother to the house and closed the gate, leaving the police officer outside. After the door house closed, his mother started pouring her worry. ¡°It¡¯s okay to leave the police outside? Isn¡¯t he helping you toe here? We should thank him first, Ji-woo~ya!?¡± Ji-woo looked back at his mother and tried to calm her, ¡°It¡¯s fine mom, It¡¯s their job. Don¡¯t worry. They can¡¯t barge into the house without a warrant on their hands.¡± And before Ji-woo could ask about his father and sister, his mother cut him off first. ¡°Fuu¡­ I¡¯m d you¡¯re back. Where have you been in this whole time? Your father was searching for you desperately.., he died in a car crash back in 2017 when you first went missing¡­¡± Sob, Sob¨C His mother cried and walked closer to Ji-woo, then hugged him tightly. She missed her son so much that she kept thinking about him for the whole six years of his absence. Looking at this moment, Ji-woo¡¯s warm and happy feeling when his mother still remembered him at the first meeting was totally gone without a trace. Ji-woo felt this day was the worst day he had ever had in his entire life. Even experiencing 30 years of the Great War couldn¡¯t bepared to this kind of pain in his heart. Ji-woo¡¯s heart aches so much that it might burst out from all of the misery after losing his brother-in-arm, his father¡¯s news, and looking at his current family in such a state. Ji-woo tears flowed out of his eyes. But not wanting his mother to see it, he wiped his own tears silently. Then Ji-woo patted his mother¡¯s back andforted her a little bit. He felt responsible for everything that happened. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t want his mother to know that he was ming himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been missing for a long time. Now that I¡¯m back, Mom can rx a little.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother wiped her tears and took her hug off. ¡°Ah, right. Let¡¯s eat. You might be hungry now. Did you still like Kimchi-jjigae?¡± Ji-woo smiled subtly and nodded at his mother¡¯s query. Both of them then sat at the table for dinner. The night felt short for family reunions. At the table, Ji-woo¡¯s mother only looked at her son without eating. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re not eating?¡± Ji-woo asked after he slurped the soup. ¡°Eomma has already eaten before. You can finish this one,¡± replied Ji-woo¡¯s mother. Ji-woo was silent for a second while his mother kept smiling at him. Then asked, ¡°Mom, you¡­ didn¡¯t want to ask me anything?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother shook her head and shrugged. ¡°There are many things that need to get asked. Even the way you call me is different now. But, it doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you are here, everything is good.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ try to be like my old selfter.¡± ¡°No need, Ji-woo~ya. Just befortable with yourself. Eomma is fine with it.¡± In the time following the dinner. Ji-woo cleaned up himself in the bathroom, looking at his reflected face in the mirror. ¡®I¡¯m not bulky anymore, and the rest is almost the same as before, except my long hair color now is ck rather than light blue.¡¯ Ji-woo then touched his chest and closed his eyes at the same time. ¡®Didn¡¯t expect the Soul will follow me here.¡¯ The soul that¡¯s been with him in the Magical world was still inside Ji-woo¡¯s body now. It might be grace or might be a bad omen for him. Coming out of the bathroom, Ji-woo heard his mother softly cry in the other room. Ji-woo leaned on the wall and listened to it. In the room, that was dark without a light. Ji-woo¡¯s mother was shedding tears while staring at her husband¡¯s picture on the bed. ¡°Dear, our Ji-woo is back. You can rest and not worry about him anymore. I will take care of him and Ji-won as best as I can.¡± While crying, Ji-woo¡¯s mother hugged the picture. Meanwhile, Ji-woo brought his head up a little bit and closed it with the back of his hand. The endless night passed just like that. The day could be a happy and sad asion for Ji-woo¡¯s family. But surely the future would be better with Ji-woo back now. Chapter 5: Hunters Association Chapter 5: Hunters Association In the morning, Kim Ji-woo was still sleeping. It¡¯s a peaceful rest from the eternal nightmare for him. It¡¯s been a while since Ji-woo had a time like this. In the Great War, he couldn¡¯t even dream of getting asleep because of the worry about assassins attempting to kill the shadow of Stormrage. Sadly, again. Every good thing in the world would neverst long enough. The quiet morning passed in just a second as Ji-woo forcefully woke up after hearing an argument outside his room. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go back homest night, Ji-won~ah?¡± ¡°Is not Eomma business!¡± ¡°Your Oppa is back. He is in his room now resting. Lower your voice.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother helplessly reminded her daughter and told her about Ji-woo¡¯seback. ¡°Oppa? the man missing for six years, that Oppa? Bulls**t!¡± ¡°Ji-won~ah, you can¡¯t speak to your own family like that¡­ He¡¯s still your Oppa¡­¡± ¡°Howe Eomma is sure that man is Oppa? Maybe he¡¯s just a con man¡­ ¡° Kim Ji-won didn¡¯t believe and denied the existence of her brother to the end. For someone that had gone and left a mess in their family. He doesn¡¯t deserve to get weed at home. Ji-won got angry the more she thought that her father died while trying to find her brother, leaving her mother alone supporting the family of two of them. Ji-won¡¯s personality changed, and she was a bit harsh toward her mother after living in poor conditions for a few years. ¡°That phone? That¡¯s for him. Isn¡¯t it? When I¡¯m asking for money, Eomma says there is none!?¡± Ji-won¡¯s eyes focused on her mother¡¯s hand and looked toward the phone box. Seeing that her mother had money but didn¡¯t give her the money made her angry and irritated more than hearing her brother¡¯s news. ¡°Eomma can exin this¡­¡± Before her mother could calm her, Ji-won rushed to her room and closed the door immediately. m, Bang¨C The mother was shocked by the door sound. Ji-woo then came out from his room and looked toward his mother. He couldn¡¯t bear his sister¡¯s attitude anymore, but he understood her frustration because of him. So, Ji-woo decided to let his sister¡¯s behavior go and tried tofort her mother. ¡°Mom? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, Eomma is fine. You must hear our loud voice. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your rest, Ji-woo~ya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already awake. So, it¡¯s fine, mom.¡± Ji-woo shook his head and persuaded his mother. ¡°Let me wash my face and brush my teeth first. Then I will help to prepare breakfast.¡± Ji-woo walked hurriedly to the bathroom, leaving his mother in the living room alone without having time to say anything. After Ji-woo had done with everything, he got back to the living room and helped his mother set up the table for breakfast. ¡°You must hear what we said earlier¡­ Ji-won didn¡¯t mean what she said. She was just lonely since you and your father are gone¡­¡± Before his mother continued to talk and felt guilty about Ji-won¡¯s words, Ji-woo interjected. ¡°Mom. Don¡¯t worry about me. This time I will be the one that takes care of the family.¡± Ji-woo smiled while reassuring his mother. ¡°You have grown up already. I¡¯m very grateful you¡¯re back and alive. ¡°Ji-won~ah, Let¡¯s eat breakfast. Your Oppa is here too. Come to see him.¡± Creak, Ngeee¨C The sound of the door opening made both Ji-woo and his mother stare at Ji-won¡¯s room. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a long time since you didn¡¯t meet your Oppa. Greet him first¡­¡± But Ji-won didn¡¯t walk toward the table. Instead, she went to the front door. ¡°Ji-won~ah, eat first before going to school.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to! And you, I don¡¯t care who you are, but you better leave this house quickly. Before I report you to the police!¡± Ji-won rejected her mother¡¯s plea and spoke harshly toward her brother, Ji-woo. ¡°Don¡¯t speak to your Oppa like that, Ji-won~ah¡­¡± His mother tried to stand up and stop Ji-won from leaving but was being held back by Ji-woo. ¡°It¡¯s okay, mom. Let Ji-won go to the school. Mom can sit and eats first for now.¡± Ji-won heard Ji-woo speak to her mother like that, sneered at him. ¡°F*ck off, jerk!¡± Ji-woo could hear the mocking, but he only shook his head and shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯te backteter, Ji-won~ah. Okay?¡± Her mother tried to reach Ji-won. However, Ji-won had already left the house. mmed the front door as she did to her room before. ¡°Eomma didn¡¯t understand why she changed like that, Ji-woo~ya.¡± His mother sighed, and it made Ji-woo know that his family was suffering so much these past few years without him. Suddenly, Ji-woo¡¯s mother looked at him and then gave him a hairband. ¡°Tie your hair with this. It must be hard eating with that long hair.¡± Ji-woo immediately tied his hair, making his face clear to be seen by his mother. ¡°Your face is still the same as before.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother smiled while eating with her son. Last night, Ji-woo already knew more about his family¡¯s current situation. His mother shared the story of his father dying in a car ident, and that¡¯s how his mother got money for a ce to set up a street food stall from his father¡¯s insurance. At that time, Ji-woo¡¯s mother didn¡¯t have any choice except to keep living because they didn¡¯t have any rtives that they could lean on. She needed to pay her daughter¡¯s school fee and the cost of living for both of them alone. Ji-woo¡¯s sister started to be rebellious three years ago. Ji-woo¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t bear to ask her daughter to help earn money to make a living. So, she endured the hardship resulting in Ji-won¡¯s poor attitude. It¡¯s just with working so hard alone. She couldn¡¯t monitor Ji-won¡¯s activity all the time. Trying to earn money for six years made Ji-woo¡¯s mother familiar with work now. At least what she earned could support both mother and daughter¡¯s living costs. She even saved some money even though the amount was small. Ji-woo was determined to shoulder the burden of his family from now on after listening to his mother¡¯s story. ¡®This time, I wouldn¡¯t let my family suffer. And I need to earn some money too.¡¯ ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- Seoul, Hunters Association¡¯s headquarter building. ¡°We currently have a total of 213 Portal Gates across thend. Three tier-6 Portal Gates, nine tier-5 Portal Gates, 21 tier-4 Portal Gates, 31 tier-3 Portal Gates, 48 tier-2 Portal Gates, and 101 tier-1 Portal Gates,¡± ¡°Tier-6 Portal Gate¡­¡± Chairman Yu massaged his temple after hearing the report from his secretary. Just tier-5 Portal Gate alone, even with 10 S-rank hunters, couldn¡¯t clear the dungeons unscathed. That was how dangerous tier-6 Portal Gate was. Korean couldn¡¯t afford to send more than 15 S-rank hunters, only to clear the dungeons from tier-6 without getting any casualties. Who will close the rest of the Portal Gates that was still not closed around their country if South Korea lost its manpower? Not to mention the threat from the Red Gates, which could appear from any tier of Portal Gates anywhere at any time. How worrying this problem was for everyone. Even the higher-ups from the government would have a headache over this problem. What they needed to do now was to keep some essential hunters and not rush to close all the Portal Gates. Only when the Red Gates appeared would they get forced to use their hunters without reserving them. ¡°Even though the Portal Gates were hundreds only. It was still not enough to ovee them with more than tens of thousands of hunters we had in South Korea. Not only do weck staff for the Hunters Association, but hunters that can handle the dungeons are inadequate too. ¡°What we need now is more high-ranked hunters to be ready and defend our country from the Red Gates.¡± Beep, Beep¨C The inte at the Chairman¡¯s table was ringing and stopped their talk. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir Chairman Yu, Chief Lee from the Monitoring division requested to meet you. What should I do?¡± ¡°Let hime in.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Creak, Ngeee¨C The door of the Chairman¡¯s room opened. Chief Lee walked to the front desk of Chairman Yu after closing the door when he came in. He stood on the same line as the Chairman Secretary on the right side. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you toe and see me. Shouldn¡¯t you be busy right now?¡± ¡°I have something to say to you, sir.¡± ¡°Alright, say it.¡± Chief Lee then took a glimpse of the secretary. And Chairman Yu noticed the movement and immediately told his secretary to go out of the room. Now, only both of them were in the room. Chief Lee didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°I met someone yesterday around the Portal Gate, I can¡¯t feel any Mana from him, and he didn¡¯t get affected by Mana impact.¡± ¡°Maybe he has an artifact to hide the Mana?¡± Chairman Yu still couldn¡¯t understand why Chief Lee, making this seem such an important matter to him. ¡°No sir, he just wore in clothes, and I didn¡¯t even trace any artifact around him. The weirdest thing from him is¡­, Mana that should be all over the ce because of the Portal Gate seems like avoiding this man.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it before because the Portal Gate appeared in the middle of a crowded ce. But of all people around the Portal Gate, only he seems to have a barrier blocking the Mana to get close to it.¡± Chairman Yu was surprised and straightened his back on the chair. ¡°Eh? Interesting.¡± Chapter 6: Porter Chapter 6: Porter ¡°So, he seems not to have Mana and does not use any artifact to hide it. That means he is not a hunter. But he can withstand the Mana impact, Em¡­, weird¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I think too. Sir.¡± It was the first time a man didn¡¯t have Mana Blessing but could handle Mana¡¯s impact. Moreover, the man seemed to be shunned by Mana. Looking at Chairman Yu that was still deep in his thought, Chief Lee pushed his idea. ¡°If Mana avoided him, maybe if he got close or touched the Portal Gate. Then it may disappear instantly.¡± Chairman Yu frowned upon hearing the idea. ¡°It¡¯s because Portal Gate gets formed by Mana. And that man probably has the ability to make Mana avoid him. So, you think he can eliminate the Portal Gates?¡± Chairman Yu understand the meaning of Chief Lee¡¯s idea. A long time ago. They created an artifact suit to disperse Mana to form the Portal Gate, but it didn¡¯t work as they anticipated. Instead, it became an artifact suit that could make regr people deflect the Mana impact. Now, based on Chief Lee¡¯s news. They had something simr to their concept to close the Portal Gate without clearing the dungeons. Rather than an artifact, they had a man as an option. It was really a very tempting n. But, ¡°Nonsense¡­ You know, after we failed on an artifact suit. We concluded that when Mana fluctuation started, it couldn¡¯t get stopped anymore. ¡°Once the Portal Gate finishes forming, you can¡¯t make it disappear except to clear the dungeons inside it.¡± Of course, Chief Lee knew about this too, and he still hoped it might be possible to close all the Portal Gate without losing anything. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Chairman Yu didn¡¯t want to put hope into something that was still uncertain. Who knows what would happen if they tried something like that when their confidence was below 1%. Thest time they tested the artifact suit. The Portal Gate suddenly changed to the Red Gate and almost wiped all of the research team on site. The most troublesome thing about the Red Gate was the monsters that came out from it. They had the possibility to spread and avoid the hunters. Red Gate couldn¡¯t be closed since it would deny the hunters entry, and hunters couldn¡¯t force their way to enter the Portal Gate. The only way to close it was to obliterate all of the monsters thate out from the Red Gate until thest scrap. Who knows if the bad luck would appear again or not when they want to try the test with the man. Chief Lee lowered his head after being halted. ¡°I have a hunch that the man will be the key to erase the Portal Gate from this world.¡± Chairman Yu didn¡¯t like what Chief Lee just said. He was not someone that relied on a gut feeling. The Chairman of the Hunters Association couldn¡¯t do something audacious just based on that alone. ¡°You said he doesn¡¯t have Mana Blessing. How can someone that not a hunter can be the hope to solve the Portal Gate issue? Do you want to sacrifice or offer him to the Portal Gate, huh? ¡°It¡¯s better to have an ArchMage rather than putting hope into a questionable n.¡± Chairman Yu reminds Chief Lee. So as not to make a mistake and mess around for the Hunters Association. ¡°You can keep watching the man if you want, but please refrain from doing anything that harms the public interest.¡± Chairman Yu sighed and let Chief Lee pursue the matter. But, it was only limited to observing and find information about the man. Chief Lee bowed and excused himself from the Chairman, leaving the room. Although the Chairman of Hunters Association did not coincide with him, Chief Lee still chose to trust his hunch. He was sure the man was the key to this world madness. However, Chief Lee also didn¡¯t know how that man would achieve what he hoped for it. Even Chairman Yu said before that man was not a hunter. So, how did he get rid of the Portal Gates? ¡®I hope my hunch leads me to the right path. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re the savior of the world.¡¯ Chief Lee firmly believed his feelings without knowing how to make that happen. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- In a small restaurant measuring 4 square meters, The street food stall that Kim Ji-woo¡¯s mother had to earn their living costs. Ji-woo was there too. Due to theck of visitors, Ji-woo sat across from his food stall. Meanwhile, Ji-woo¡¯s mother sat inside looking at the TV. Ji-woo busied himself with the new smartphone that he got this morning from his mother. He was looking for the information about hunters that he got heard before. Portal Gates began appearing in 2017, the same time as Ji-woo got deported to the Magical world. The first appearance from the Portal Gates created chaos all over the world. At the same time the Portal Gate shows up, people with Mana Blessings start to appear. Gifted with Mana, these people carry Magic power that could make them fight and defeat any creature in the dungeons of the Portal Gate. It took a full year for humanity to adopt the change and founding the Hunters Association for each country to handle its own Portal Gate. And the people with Mana Blessings being called the hunters by the government. To keep the hunters in check and their interests, the Hunters Association allowed some people with wealth to create a guild for their own benefit. But, in return, the guilds should be willing to cooperate with the Hunter Association regarding their hunter members in case of future problems. Ji-woo was fascinated by how fast the world changed after the Portal Gate urred. Even knowing Mana exists in this world really surprised him. There was a difference between Mana in this world and the Magical world. Mana circtes in this world through Magic Stones and Mana Crystals. While the Magical world where Mana was in the air and could be absorbed with meditation. Ji-woo shook his head at the information he got on the inte, knowing the current stuff was enough. In the end, Ji-woo was not interested involved in battle again after the 30 years of the Great war. In the meantime, Ji-woo was busy with his smartphone. A woman in her 20s came to the street food stall of Ji-woo¡¯s mother. ¡°Imo! Gimbap and fish cake like usual, Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, Eun-bi came! Wait for a moment. Imo will prepare it for you.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother replied with a subtle smile. Seeing there a customer wasing that seemed close to his mother, Ji-woo approached the stall. ¡°Oh, Eun-bi~ya. Let me introduce you to Imo¡¯s son.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother immediately introduced Ji-woo after seeing him walk toward them. ¡°Ah, yes. Hwang Eun-bi.¡± Eun-bi stretched out her hand first and wanted to do a handshake with Ji-woo. ¡°Yes, Kim Ji-woo.¡± But Ji-woo refused the gesture and instead chose to bow slightly. Eun-bi seeing her awkward hand because of getting ignored by Ji-woo, instantly became blushed. She was really embarrassed now. Trying to hide her embarrassment, Eun-bi asked Ji-woo¡¯s mother something. ¡°Imo¡¯s son, that has been missing since 2017? Woah, howe he is here now, Imo?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother shrugged, ¡°Imo, don¡¯t know too. But, Imo is happy and grateful that he¡¯s back now. That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Eh, Imo. We should ask him how he went missing and what he did in the span of 6 years. Who knows, he might do something sinful that we don¡¯t know.¡± Eun-bi whispered the sentence to Ji-woo¡¯s mother. But the voice could still be heard by Ji-woo at the side. ¡°Tsk, hey! Don¡¯t write your own story.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡­, why do you speak informally to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m older than you.¡± ¡°How did you know? How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 23 years old, so call me Oppa, okay?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s subtle smile, showing his triumph in conversation over Eun-bi. Eun-bi astounded, ¡®I¡¯m just 21 years old. Howe he knows? Jeez, he¡¯s annoying!¡¯ ¡°Haha, stop teasing her, Ji-woo~ya. Here is your order Eun-bi~ya. Take it.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the money, Imo. Thank you.¡± Eun-bi thanked Ji-woo¡¯s mother and stuck out her tongue to Ji-woo after taking the food. But Eun-bi stopped her track before walking far away from the street food stall. She turned around and waved to Ji-woo. ¡°Ji-woo~si, pleasee here for a moment.¡± Ji-woo doesn¡¯t really want to answer Eun-bi¡¯s call. But his mother, busy nudging him to go there. It made him don¡¯t have any choice. But to follow his mother¡¯s wishes. ¡°Why?¡± Hearing Ji-woo¡¯s informal speech made Eun-bi nce and irritated at him. ¡°Did you have a job? If you don¡¯t, I have one here. You should know how hard Imo works to earn money for her and your sister.¡± Ji-woo got taken aback by the sudden talk of a job from Eun-bi. By mentioning his mother, Ji-woo decided not to joke around and take this discussion seriously. ¡°Who are you?¡± Although Ji-woo gets tempted, Eun-bi is still a stranger to him. Eunbi understood Ji-woo¡¯s doubt and showed her hunter ID, ¡°D-rank hunter of Demigod Guild. Hwang Eun-bi.¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t believe his eyes looking at the ID. ¡°You¡­ A hunter? Haha, don¡¯t joke around.¡± Ji-woo try denied with awkwardughing Yet Eun-bi didn¡¯t speak any single word to refute Ji-woo and let him gauge the situation. ¡®Well, now I really feel Mana from her. Should I take the offer?¡¯ When Ji-woo was thinking, Eun-bi put out her Guild card and wrote something on the back. ¡°If you are interested, you can call me at the number on the back of the card.¡± Ji-woo was a bit hesitant, then asked Eun-bi. ¡°What is the job?¡± Eun-bi smiled, then turned around from Ji-woo. At the same time, she was telling him the answer while walking away. ¡°Porter.¡± Chapter 7: Dungeon Encounter Chapter 7: Dungeon Encounter ¡°Ji-woo~ya, go back home. There is nothing you can do here. Eomma, not so busy like you saw now.¡± His mother tried to make Ji-woo go back home and take a rest. After all, it had only been a day since he was back from being missing. Ji-woo himself knew that he didn¡¯t have anything to do at the street food stall. There were not many customers, so his mother could take care of the work without Ji-woo¡¯s help. The street food stall was a business that was easy to earn for living costs with just a few customers. Even though it only barely supported the family of two. But currently, there was a family of three. Street food alone couldn¡¯t support all of them. Moreover, having street food as ie work meant Ji-woo¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t take a single day off to rest. If she did, it would not be enough for them. Then Ji-woo followed what his mother said and decided to go home. On his way back, he kept thinking about his family¡¯s condition. Because of that, Ji-woo contemted whether or not to get the offer from Hwang Eun-bi. On the other hand, Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to dive into the world of fighting again after the Great war. But he, too, needed it to earn money for his family, especially his guilt for them to have such hardship. On his way back home, Ji-woo concluded to take the offer. He called the number from the Guild card that Eun-bi gave him before. Tut, Tut¨C ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± Ji-woo heard a woman¡¯s voice from the phone call and remembered it belonged to Eun-bi. ¡°This is me, Kim Ji-woo. I take the offer as a Porter. But I wanna ask you something first.¡± ¡°Ah, Kim Ji-woo~si. Sure, what do you wanna ask me?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this for me? What did it do for you?¡± There was no immediate answer from Eun-bi. The silent momentsted for 10 seconds. ¡°Long time before I became a hunter, your mother sometimes gave me food for free. At that time, I didn¡¯t have any family or anyone I could depend on it. I keeping to your mother¡¯s street food stall when I¡¯m free, even until now. ¡°I feel like I can be a hunter because of your mother¡¯s food. Sometimes I thought that as a support for me, to live means to help.¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Ji-woo put a stop to Eun-bi¡¯s reason for helping him to find a job. Eun-bi wasn¡¯t angry when Ji-woo stopped her from speaking. She knew that Ji-woo should be understood the purpose already, so thetter part was unnecessary. ¡°When and where?¡± ¡°Oh my, so straightforward? 5 p.m. at Neighborhood parks. I¡¯ll pick you up there.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ji-woo ended the call and went back home to get changed. Ready to leave with Eun-bi at the appointed time and ce. ¡ª- ¡ª- Neighborhood parks, 05.05 p.m. Ji-woo looked at his watch on the wrist, waiting for Eun-bi to pick him up. Honk, Honk¨C ¡°Here! Get in.¡± Eun-bi lowered her car window in the front seat. Ji-woo walked to the car and got in. ¡°Does working as a hunter have a high sry?¡± Ji-woo asked after seeing Eun-bi drive the car. ¡°Oh my, you didn¡¯t know much about the hunter? Where have you been all this time? Though you have been missing, shouldn¡¯t you know more about the hunters at least?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t refute Eun-bi words since he only knew a little about the hunters. ¡°Tsk, hunters is a job with the highest sry over any other job in the world right now.¡± Eun-bi was really proud after saying hunters have the best career in the world. but then said gloomily, ¡°On the other hand, it¡¯s an expensive assignment.¡± ¡°A lot of money with a high risk of death,¡± Ji-woo interjected. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Eun-bi answered with a solemn mood. ¡°Well, even I have money; as a matter of fact, I bought this car with the installment.¡± Eunbi tried to change the dull mood inside the car. ¡°How can it be like that?¡± ¡°Even with a high sry. Sometimes, that is not enough to support your daily life. Artifact items and weapons for hunters are costly. It is a necessity to survive in the dungeons.¡± Ji-woo realized he knew so little about the so-called hunters. He didn¡¯t apprehend that behind their fame around the world. The hunters were suffering from the worry of death and spending money on the Artifact items and weapons. Every mour thing always had certain circumstances to it. Not too long on their way, they arrived at their destination. After Eun-bi parked her car, she spoke to Ji-woo. ¡°Wait here first. I will get you the Artifact suit.¡± Looking at Eun-bi that got out of the car to grab the Artifact suit. It made Ji-woo a bit speechless. ¡®It¡¯s not necessary for the suit. I¡¯m cursed.¡¯ For Ji-woo, this was not the first time he saw the Portal Gate. He was familiar with Mana around Portal Gate and Artifact suits too. ¡°Here the suit, wear it. I go to my team leader first.¡± Ji-woo wore the suit. Itpletely covers all of his body. The Artifact suit looked like an astronaut suit, but the Artifact suit was smaller and tight than that. It looks funny and weird at the same time when Ji-woo wore the Artifact suit. ¡°Okay, everyone, please gather over here. We will begin the briefing.¡± All the hunters who were around the Portal Gate approached the squad leader of the Demigod guild. ¡°For other hunters, you already know who I am. But since we have new Porters today, I will introduce myself again. Please be quiet. ¡°I am the Squad 7 leader, Jun Ji-hoon. D-rank hunter of Demigod guild. ¡°And the Portal Gate in front of me is a tier-1 level. With 20 E-rank hunters and 3 D-rank hunters here, we can close this Portal Gate easily. So, trust us and rx a little bit, Porter.¡± Ji-hoon tries to ease their tension. Eun-bi stood beside his squad leader and looked at Ji-woo, who was already wearing the Artifact suit in the back, with other Porters. ¡®Why is she looking at me like watching a kid in the yground?¡¯ Ji-woo didn¡¯t like being helped too much. He was morefortable doing everything alone. ¡°Now, I end the briefing. Prepare! We go inside the Portal Gate in 1 minute.¡± Everyone dispersed and took their bags while some hunters prepared the artifact items and weapons before going to the dungeon. Ji-woo looked around him and observed it carefully. ¡®All of the Porters are not hunters. They don¡¯t have Mana with it. So, I guessed right. Mana from this Portal can harm others that don¡¯t have Mana. It is where the Artifact suit came in handy.¡¯ And Ji-woo shifted his face toward the hunters that were preparing themselves. ¡®Over there, hunters have different amounts of Mana in them. Oh, that how can they tell about the hunters¡¯ rank? That means Eun-bi must be one of the strongest hunters in this squad.¡¯ After observing for a few seconds, Ji-woo was aware. That Eun-bi was not fooling around with her work. These E-rank and D-rank hunters were strongpared to ordinary humans. Of course, Ji-woo knew they could be like that because of Mana. But the difference between each rank was huge when Ji-woo felt the Mana from their body. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Leader of squad 7, Jun Ji-hoon, ordered them. Zap, Zap¨C One by one, all of the people from squad 7 entered the Portal Gate. Zip, Zip¨C All of theme to the dungeon¡¯s world inside the Portal Gate. ¡°This is a dungeon. For some of you that enter the Portal Gate for the first time. Everyone¡­, be careful!¡± Jun Ji-hoon warned them with a stern voice. He didn¡¯t want to make a mistake in the dungeons. Squad 7 marched at a slow pace while observing their surroundings. Sometimes they stopped and let the Porters do their job of collecting the Magic Crystal. Magic Crystal was a medium for providing Mana. It could get used with the Artifact items and weapons. Or to increase and restore the hunters¡¯ Mana. Ji-woo could feel a small amount of Mana from Magic Crystal. He couldn¡¯t help and ask Eun-bi on his side. ¡°Can this be sold? How much does it cost?¡± ¡°It should be around 1-2 Million Won since hunters need this to replenish their Mana.¡± ¡°Can hunters grow stronger with this?¡± ¡°We can, but it varies for each hunter. Some need 100. Some need 10.000 of it. I dunno, maybe it needs 100.000 pieces.¡± ¡°WHAT THE¡­¡± Ji-woo almost yelled out the curse because he was surprised by how much hunters needed to get stronger with this Magic Crystal thing. ¡°Shh¡­ Don¡¯t make a fuss. You still have poor knowledge about all of this. When we get backter, I will teach you.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know what to say after receiving an offer from Eun-bi to teach him all of this. ¡®Sigh! I can learn by myself.¡¯ Then, before the Porters finish their collection job, they hear Jun Ji-hoon signaling them to stop and be quiet. ¡°Get down!¡± Other hunters approached Jun Ji-hoon and told him what he got. ¡°Mister Jun, we found a Silver Wolf following us.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Only one, mister Jun.¡± ¡°Good. Piece of cake. Let¡¯s do it like the drill. Don¡¯t make a mistake.¡± Ji-woo tried to get a glimpse of the creature that got called a Silver Wolf while crouching. In the end, dungeon creatures were different from their world. ¡°Kill it!¡± Chapter 8: Silver Wolf Chapter 8: Silver Wolf ¡°It¡¯s too dark now. Can your squad handle that Silver Wolf?¡± Regardless, this was Kim Ji-woo¡¯s first time in the dungeon. However, he still had 30 years of wisdom and experience from the Great war. Fighting at night was not wise without a concrete n. It might be a double edge-sword if they force it. ¡°My squad can take care of it.¡± Hwang Eun-bi pat Ji-woo¡¯s shoulder to try assuring him about the situation. Eun-bi and four other E-rank hunters must stay put, where the others went to deal with the Silver Wolf. Besides Ji-woo, there were five other Porters. All of them were very anxious right now. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ Scared.¡± ¡°Will we¡­ Come back alive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the leader can protect us!¡± Ji-woo shook his head, hearing the rambling from other Porters. He then shifted his focus to the environment. After looking left and right, Ji-woo started having a premonition. ¡®It¡¯s been a few hours already since we are here, but I still can¡¯t throw off the odd feeling from earlier.¡¯ Eun-bi noticed Ji-woo¡¯s ufortable expression, asking him. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Is the flow of time here different from our world?¡± Ji-woo answered the question with a question. ¡°Oh, you catch it? Yes. one day here is only 1 hour in our world.¡± ¡®Peculiar space.¡¯ Ji-woo then continued his questioning. ¡°Did¡­ You feel Mana around you?¡± ¡°Em? No? What¡¯s wrong with you, Ji-woo~si?¡± ¡®Eh? Holy sh*t! There was Mana on the ground, in the trees, in the leaves. And to be more precise, the entire dungeon was flowing with Mana!!¡¯ But Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to overreact just because of this. ¡°Nothing, forget what I said.¡± ¡°You¡­ So strange. Just don¡¯t do anything without asking me first? Understand?¡± Ji-woo was astounded at being treated like someone weak and in need of protection. In the end, he didn¡¯t reply to Eun-bi¡¯s words. And Eun-bi didn¡¯t mind Ji-woo not replying to her. She went back to wait for her squad member dealing with the Silver Wolf. Suddenly, Ji-woo remembered something and didn¡¯t pay attention to anything. ¡®Ah, Stormrage has told me about this soul before. It allows me to detect or feel all kinds of Mana. Even if it¡¯s blocked or hidden. ¡® When Ji-woo was still in the middle of thinking, there was a signal from the frontier. Eun-bi immediately gave themand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We regroup with other squad members.¡± The Porters and hunters from the Eun-bi side then walked as the order. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t help but throw away his thoughts and move like the others reluctantly. The reek of blood could smell up to their noses right after they reach the other squad member. The Porters didn¡¯t dare to get close, while Ji-woo followed Eun-bi and other hunters from behind. One of the hunters from the Eun-bi side asked their leader. ¡°Ji-hoon hyung~nim, this Silver Wolf is dead?¡± Jun Ji-hoon nodded to his Dongsaeng¡¯s query. On their back, Ji-woo stared at the corpse and was puzzled. ¡®How does this dead Silver Wolf still have Mana? And this Mana seems like¡­¡¯ Ji-hoon swept his eyes, looking through his squad members. ¡°Alright, Let¡¯s rest for a bit before we advance.¡± ¡°Yes, Leader~nim.¡± ¡°Okay, Hyung.¡± ¡°Yes, Ji-hoon~si¡± But before they could even rest and sit. The hunters got horrified by Ji-woo¡¯s warning. ¡°Get away from the corpse, now! FAST!!¡± All the people close to the dead Silver Wolf don¡¯t have time to be surprised or angry at Ji-woo. Because at the next moment, there was poison from the carcass. Even the squad leader twitched seeing the poison. ¡°Everyone! Cover your nose and move away!¡± As a result of the sudden warning. All hunters, who were close to Silver Wolf¡¯s corpse, scattered around erratically. ¡°Sh*t, Why the f*ck this time we meet a poison beast?!¡± Ji-hoon cursed in disdain, seeing the ck coloring poison spread in the air. Meanwhile, Ji-woo busied himself to save the other Porters with Eun-bi. ¡°How did you know about the poison?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have time to exin! We better move if we don¡¯t want to get in trouble!¡± At the same time, Ji-woo saved the other Porter. He got goosebumps and got a bad feeling after fleeing away from the Silver Wolf. That was why Ji-woo only told Eun-bi to move rather than exin. At the moment, Eun-bi helped the Porters to stand up. Ji-woo then became too hectic looking over the ce to find the source of his foreboding. The other hunters got upied to avoid the ck poison from the Silver Wolf carcass. It was making them not aware of their surroundings. Owooooo, Awuuuuu¨C What Ji-woo was worried about finally came true. There was a group of Silver Wolves appearing on the hill near where currently Squad 7 was located. About 13 beasts were apparent on that hill, their white fur shining brightly under the light of the moon. The 13 Silver Wolves, looking at all of the hunters below. The beasts gritted their teeth. Grr, Grrr¨C Anyone under the hill was shivering after being stared at by the Silver Wolves. Seeing one Silver Wolf couldn¡¯t bepared to seeing 13 Silver Wolves with saliva in their mouth. ¡°Sh*t!¡± ¡°F*ck, they look scary!¡± ¡°D*mn it!¡± ¡°Prepare for the encounter!¡± Jun Ji-hoon had a good wit and fast response to the situation as leader of Squad 7 of the Demigod guild. He ordered his second inmand to act. ¡°Ya! Park Jung-nam, gather the kids! Don¡¯t fight them alone! Try to form a 3-man team to fight 1 of the Silver Wolf. Do it!¡± Ji-hoon counted this as his worst day in the dungeon. ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim!¡± Park Jung-nam then moved around the trees. He tried to connect with every member of Squad 7 around the area. Wosh, Wosh¨C The Silver Wolves maneuver with their swift movement, and after that, they nowhere to be found at the hill. ¡°Jung-nam~ah, FASTER! They are on the move already!¡± While other hunters seek to assemble their members, Ji-woo¡¯s face showed a grim expression because of the development of the event. Ji-woo had the power to exterminate this pack of wolves. However, carelessly disying his strength was like inviting a thousand troubles for him when he had no intention of bing a fighter anymore. The hunters might inquire about his family too. Regarding Ji-woo¡¯s power and disturbed their ordinary life. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to bring unnecessary problems to his home. Especially to his mother. ¡°Eun-bi~si, listen carefully! Bring these Porters to your leader, and don¡¯t engage against that when you¡¯re alone? Got it?¡± ¡°But¡­ Ji-woo~si¡­, how about you¡­?¡± ¡°GOT IT!¡± Ji-woo yelled at her. He didn¡¯t have time to sweat talking Eun-bi when the time was critical now. Before Eun-bi went to her Squad 7 leaders, they heard the scream of the first victim. Owooooo, Awuuuuu¨C ¡°Arrrkkkhhhhhhhhhhh, Help¡­.¡± Srek, Srek¨C Ji-woo could hear some of the hunters got torn apart by the Silver Wolves. The Porters and Eun-bi feel the fear from the beasts in their mind, stopping the movement. Luckily, Ji-woo snapped them out of fear. ¡°GO! Don¡¯t just stay here!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s loud voice forced the Porters and Eun-bi to move their legs. Now, Ji-woo was being left alone. He was nning to wipe all of those beasts as fast as possible. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡°Park Jung-nam! Where the f*ck*ng are you? Are you not done yet?!¡± Jun Ji-hoon called for his second inmand for help. Right now, he was fighting against 3 Silver Wolves alone. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°This wolf b*stard!¡± Ji-hoon was already tired and felt heavy with his broadsword. His hand trembled after blocking 3 Silver Wolf fast attacks a few times. He even became passive to defend since their sharp teeth and ws could tear him apart if he let his guard down just for a moment. On Park Jung-nam¡¯s side, five Silver wolves were facing eight hunters, including him. Almost all of them had slight wounds around their body. ¡°We need to regroup with Ji-hoon Hyung first. Which one of you still has more Mana left and can do the fire magic spells?¡± Hosh, Hosh¨C Their tedious breath could get heard among them. Even the Silver Wolves took the fight in a rxed manner and circled at a slow pace. Another hunter answered Park Jung-nam after taking a deep inhale. ¡°I am, but I need 5 seconds to charge it. It¡¯s best if I¡¯m not disrupted in the middle of that if we hope for the maximum outburst from my fire magic spells.¡± Park Jung-nam didn¡¯t look back and spoke with a calm attitude. ¡°Do it now, 7 of us while protecting you. The rest of you, take all your breath and ready to fight again.¡± ¡°The Magic of Fire!¡± The hunter starts his spell. ¡°NOW! Make them busy and gather them in one spot!¡± Park Jung-nam gave them the order. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim.¡± The other seven hunters charged at the 5 Silver Wolf. First, They nned to separate the Silver Wolf. nk, nk¨C The sound of a sword shing with the sharp teeth and w of the wolves Ting, Ting¨C ¡°Gather Now!¡± Park Jung-nam gave the second instruction. All of them round up while their backs were facing each other. The Silver Wolves, seeing them in one spot, immediately jump with their teeth opened. ¡°Disperse!¡± The seven hunters that gathered jump all over the ce, avoiding the Silver Wolf teeth. Keuhk, Keuhk¨C Some of them injured their backs while performing the roll motion, while others injured their low jumps and fell with their fronts on the ground. The Silver Wolvesnded on the spot and took a turn to look at the hunters. ¡°NOW!¡± Park Jung-nam cried out loud. ¡°Magic of fire, Feuerstob!¡± Swosh, Booom¨C Bang! The fire blew up on the Silver Wolves¡¯ spot. Chapter 9: The Last One Chapter 9: The Last One The explosion from Fire Magic made the surroundings so bright in the dark of the night. The eight hunters, including Park Jung-nam, fell silent and stared at the spot where the Silver Wolf was getting hit, seeing a big fire still burning around the area. Shruk, Shruk¨C The hunters suddenly heard a noise from where the great fire wasing. ¡°Retreat, let¡¯s find our leader. Now!¡± Park Jung-nam instantly gave the order after hearing it. The other hunters in that ce immediately carry out the orders. They ran towards where it seemed to be their leader site. ¡°What was the buzz?¡± Park Jung-nam got more nervous than before. He sweated from fatigue and worry. ¡°I¡­ Suspect three of the five Silver wolves¡­, slip away from that fire ze.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Park Jung Nam could only specte because he didn¡¯t see it clearly. However, he was sure that the noise he heard came from the Silver Wolf, who had not died and had escaped the Magic spell. Other hunters had ugly expressions hearing some of the beasts were still alive. ¡°We need to fight them with all of the remaining hunters left.¡± Park Jung-nam with a solemn voice, suggesting they fight the beast altogether. There was no other choice for them. Except for Jun Ji-hoon, Park Jung-nam, and Hwang Eun-bi, the other hunters were E-rank. Their mana pool and power were insufficient. And also, their n to kill multiple Silver Wolves with one strike had failed. It means all hunters currently have low Mana and fatigue. The hunters never fight against so many creatures or monsters at the same time. They always hunt them one by one or use a trap after spying around the area. So, this was a rare situation that puts the entire Squad 7 in dismay. ¡°Oh, hey, you guys!¡± Other hunters and Park Jung-nam were surprised by the voice. It came from none other than their leader, Jun Ji-hoon. ¡°Hyung, how can you be here?¡± Hosh, Hosh¨C Ji-hoon¡¯s breath was heavier than the rest of them, and slight wounds could get seen around his body. Even his Broadswords have many scratch marks. It¡¯s clear to them that their leader had the fiercest fight among them. ¡°Where Hwang Eun-bi?¡± Asked Ji-hoon while panting. Park Jung-nam, clearly the one and only person with fine condition from the rest of the hunters, replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t meet her on our way.¡± ¡°We need her and the rest of us to fight the Silver Wolves. How many of them left? I fought three of them before and escaped. How many Silver Wolves did you guys fight?¡± Listening to Ji-hoon questions makes them lower their head. With 8 of them, they should have killed three or more. But the result was disappointing enough to be told. ¡°¡­ Three Silver Wolves¡­ Still alive¡­¡± Jung-nam replied with an awful tone. Ji-hoon frowned. There were eight of them. They should be able to kill three Silver Wolves. But after hearing the tone from his second inmand, he decided not to pursue the matter. ¡°That means six Silver Wolves are alive, and we didn¡¯t know how many of them left. Or whether Eun-bi already encountered them yet.¡± All of them were in low spirits at the moment and trying to regte their breathing. They tried to reduce their fatigue as quickly as possible. ¡°Leader~nim!¡± They were surprised by the voice. The hunters didn¡¯t think they would meet Eun-bi this soon. Ji-hoon was d to see Eun-bi was fine. But didn¡¯t bother tofort or ask her. He quickly counted the people he had now. ¡°There are only fourteenth of us now and five Porters.¡± Ji-hoon felt grievance over the fact of losing his squad member. The blunder he made was really a painful experience and left a mark on his heart. ¡®If only we are extra careful approaching that Silver Wolf. All of them might be still alive.¡¯ But, Ji-hoon knows he didn¡¯t have time to feel guilty. He had the job to ensure the safety of his remaining hunters and porters. ¡°We made a triangle formation with the porters in the middle. Three of us will take each triangle point position in this n.¡± Ji-hoon made the strategy and pointed to Park Jung-nam and Hwang Eun-bi for the crucial role because only the three of them were D-rank hunters. The moment they finish assembling the formation, the rest of the Silver Wolves show up in front of them. Grr, Grrr¨C Those seven Silver Wolves were drooling like they would eat a delicious meal. Owooooo, Awuuuuu¨C After the Silver Wolf howled, they moved at the same speed as before when they descended from the hill. ¡°Tanker! Defend from the crash!¡± Ji-hoon takes themand. Bang, Bang¨C The collision between the Shield and Silver Wolf w sounds really loud. As a result of the two sides colliding, Silver Wolves didn¡¯t rush to attack them again. Instead, they circled them. It was like what usually beasts do for their prey. ¡°This will not end in a short time¡­¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- Kim Ji-woo, on his way to the top of the hill. He stopped close to the hunter¡¯s corpse. ¡°They die in terrible ways.¡± Ji-woo then looked around at the area and saw hunters¡¯ weapons on the ground. ¡°Well, let¡¯s take this spear. Killing those beasts with a sword is too easy.¡± Ji-woo smirked while picking up the spear. ¡®Not bad, perfect.¡¯ Ji-woo observed the spear and found that the weapon was not half bad like he thought it would be. And the good news for Ji-woo was thest four of the Silver Wolves now appear in front of him. ¡°Yo, Let¡¯s the party begin!¡± Ji-woo provoked the Silver wolves while tapping his shoulder with the part of the spear. Grr, Grrr¨C Trak, Trak¨C The four Silver Wolves move so fast and jump toward Ji-woo. Ji-woo took off the artifact suit helmet and threw it to one of the Silver Wolves. Duag¨C It hit the Silver Wolf¡¯s head and fell to the ground while in agony. Iing, Aing¨C Ji-woo then jumped in the air to match the other three of Silver Wolves¡¯ jump height. He kicked the Silver Wolf on the left side with his right leg, then spun his body to maneuver the spear to hit the Silver wolf on the right side. Ji-woo defeated the two Silver Wolves swiftly, bypassing the Silver Wolf in the middle with another jump plus the support of his left hand above that Silver Wolf¡¯s head. Ji-woo and the Silver Wolfnded on opposite sides. He looked at the three Silver Wolves that were lying on the ground after getting hit by him. ¡°You guys are still 30 years too early to challenge me.¡± Ji-woo, with his evil smile mocking the Silver Wolves. Ji-woo suddenly disappeared and made the Silver Wolf that was still standing startled. Zwish, Kuahk¨C Ji-woo popped out, and The Silver Wolf on the ground lost its head. His spear then got covered in blood. Zwish, Kuahk¨C Zwish, Kuahk¨C The other two Silver Wolves cease to exist after losing their heads. Ji-woo swung his spear to the ground, trying to wipe the bloodstain in the weapon by sshing it. ¡°Last one¡­¡± Ji-woo¡¯s gazended on thest of Silver Wolf, still with his evil smile. The Silver Wolf shivered without it realized. Ji-woo then disappeared again from his ce. The Silver Wolves quivered, looking in the spot where Ji-woo was missing from their eyes. The Silver Wolf thought of running away, but before it could move. Ji-woo presented and thrust his spear from the side. Zwish, Kuahk¨C The body of Silver Wolf that just got killed by Ji-woo got twitched. Ji-woo wiped the beast¡¯s blood on his face with the artifact suit clothing. He thought it such a waste let it became dirty. ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter. Now, it¡¯s the final show.¡¯ Ji-woo looked up to the hill. He then ran swiftly. Sometimes he did a light jump in the interval to reach the summit faster. At the top of the hill, Ji-woo had arrived. There, a ck Wolf that was 2 meters tall sat on the ground across the standing Ji-woo. ¡®This one should be their leader.¡¯ Then Ji-woo frowned when he heard it could talk. ¡°Human, you shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I should be out of this ce.¡± ¡°No, I mean, your friends. You have to get back to them. The poison from the Silver Wolf body should be spreading right now.¡± The ck Wolf showed a smile after speaking the words. But Ji-woo didn¡¯t back off so easily. ¡°Whatever, if you die. They will be safe.¡± Kukukuku¨C The ck Wolfughed at Ji-woo¡¯s confidence. ¡°Human, the poison is the most troublesome foe that you are facing without an antidote.¡± Ji-woo stared at the ck Wolf intensely. ¡°You talk like a woman in their 30s, very fussy.¡± The ck Wolf didn¡¯t expect the one that got intimidated was itself. Its temper immediately rose and directed at Ji-woo. ¡°The lowly Human!!¡± The ck Wolf screamed with Mana and cracked the ground around them. Ji-woo smiled and put the spear behind the neck with both hands hanging from the spear shaft. Act like he didn¡¯t get affected by the scream. ¡°You know what? The cursed thing that I have has provided so many benefits in exchange for it to reside in my body. ¡°Other than to maintain my physique. This thing will never let me have Mana forever.¡± The ck Wolf got confused about what Ji-woo was talking about it. Ji-woo then smiled and put down the spear after pausing for a moment to observe The ck Wolf¡¯s expression. ¡°It means everything formed from Mana is a piece of sh*t in front of me.¡± Ji-woo then slowly walked, headed to the ck Wolf while dragging his weapon with the spearhead pierced at the ground. The top hill would witness the fight between Ji-woo and the ck Wolf. Below the hill, the poison from the Silver Wolf started spreading across the area. And it almost reached Ji-hoon and other locations. Chapter 10: Deceiving Chapter 10: Deceiving Under the shining of Moonlight, the top hill became brighter without any tree blocking it. Kim Ji-woo motion that walked toward the ck Wolf with his spear, breaking the quiet night. ¡°Entertain me.¡± The ck Wolf heard Ji-woo incite, gritted its teeth. Grr, Grrr¨C The ck Wolf¡¯s four legs pressed into the ground. Then it jumped up against Ji-woo. The movement was pretty fast that couldn¡¯t be seen even with E-rank hunters. It even left an imprint on the ground in its way. Wosh, Wosh¨C However, the collision that was supposed to happen did not ur at all between the two. Ji-woo dodged it with a hair-thin gap. He smiled, owning the missed confrontation from the ck Wolf. The ck Wolf knew its attack was missed and immediately bounced back afternding on the ground. The ground cracked due to the pressure of the ck Wolf¡¯s feet, which took a leap toward Ji-woo. Wosh, Sreek¨C Another collision between ck Wolf and Ji-woo happened. Ji-woo dodged it again, but this time was not perfect like the first one. His artifact suit clothing got torn on the chest while moving. Despite all of that, Ji-woo still showed his subtle smile. While the ck Wolf was getting angered because its teeth could only tear the suit. The ck Wolf stretched its legs and opened its mouth. The fangs, which were formerly in their regr size, grew thicker and longer. Grr, Krauk¨C The ck Wolf gritted its teeth and tried to move its mouth to get used to the jaw and new fangs. The ck Wolf¡¯s eyes became pitch ck too. Hursssh¨C The ck Wolf breath emitted steam. Ji-woo saw the transformation, instantly changing his body position. He moved his left leg to the front and his right leg to the back. Then stretch it, which made his upper body lower. Ji-woo moved his right hand to the back a little while holding the end of the spear and moved his left hand at the same level as his shoulder. Put the part of the spear tip in the palm of his left hand at the front. Wosh, Wosh¨C Abruptly, the ck Wolf rushed at full speed. At the same time, Ji-woo¡¯s eyes were still on the target. And he stared at it fiercely with his fighting posture. He then matched the beast timing to thrust his spear with the stance. Bang¨C The next moment, the ring shock wave suddenly burst from the collision point. The silhouette of ck Wolf was shot backward like a shell, leaving a series of traces on the ground on its way. The ck Wolf was shot and flew out! Gah, Gah¨C ¡°How can this be?¡± The ck Wolf finally stopped the momentum of flying backward and spoke in misery. The beast didn¡¯t believe the force that Ji-woo had was more durable than itself. A beast that was 2 meters tall and had a weight of 400 pounds. Lose to a mere human? More than that, the ck Wolf wounded its head and bled. On the other side, Ji-woo didn¡¯t suffer anything from the shock. He just got pushed back slightly. Ji-woo was surprised that the thrust of the spear didn¡¯t wound the ck Wolf deep enough. ¡°Sturdy.¡± Ji-woo found it amusing to confront this kind of creature. ¡°Who are you? You¡­, you¡¯re not one of them!?¡± The ck Wolf already saw earlier and evaluated the strength of the hunters when they killed the lone Silver Wolf. All of those hunters can¡¯t match up with ck Wolf¡¯s raw strength. But, Ji-woo¡¯s tenacity was capable of overwhelming the opponent. Now, Ji-woo felt he had to rush to finish this ck Wolf. Nevertheless, the ck Wolf didn¡¯t give up. It charged once again and increased its speed. Wosh, Wosh¨C Der, Daar¨C It moved randomly and bounced around, trapping Ji-woo in the middle of it. But Ji-woo continued to strike with his spear at the ck Wolf whenever they intervened. Wosh, Zwish¨C This momentsts for 5 minutes. Before long, The ck Wolf stopped its movement and fell down to the ground after getting wounded by the thrusts of the spear from Ji-woo. Its breathing was so heavy, and blood came out from all over its wound on the body. Kukukuku¨C The ck Wolf couldn¡¯t move anymore. But, its eyes still gazed furiously at Ji-woo, who was walking closer to the beast. ¡°Don¡¯t think this is the end, human! Someday, we will take your world and destroy everything.¡± Ji-woo paused his walk in front of the ck Wolf. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about it. ¡°Nor did I care whatever it was that.¡± The ck Wolf was not happy with Ji-woo¡¯s ignorant attitude. ¡°Human, you will dieter!¡± Kukukuku¨C Ji-woo didn¡¯t waste his time. He quickly thrust his spear to the beast¡¯s head in nk range. Zwish, Kuahk¨C Ssh¨C Blood from the ck Wolf sprayed over Ji-woo¡¯s artifact suit and some on his face. Ji-woo knew about the ck Wolf warning. ¡®My, My. I told it before. that I got cursed and have bad blood with Mana. Yet it wants to poison me with the ck sma?¡¯ Ji-woo already saw the ck blood from earlier. Different from Silver Wolf, which poisones out from the carcass. The ck Wolf¡¯s blood seemed the one that contained the infection. The only thing inmon was that Ji-woo sensed the Mana of the two poisons. Then, both of the poison was produced from it that upied the wolves¡¯ bodies. That was why when Ji-woo felt the Mana from the blood. He let the spurted blood from ck Wolf spray on his artifact suit and face. Letting the ck Wolf assume the poison was sessfully inted Ji-woo¡¯s body and would die because of it. And¡­, It didn¡¯t work like what ck Wolf hoped. Ji-woo shifted his gaze from the carcass and nced down the hill. ¡ª- ¡ª- Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°We kill all of them, but we can¡¯t move now because of the fatigue and the poison already spread on us.¡± Jun Ji-hoon can¡¯t help feeling down for the final result they currently have. The hunters seed in killing all of the Silver Wolves. But their condition got worse after the fight. The bad news, while the rest of the hunters and porters got poisoned by the Silver Wolf carcass. They have yet to defeat the owner of dungeons. They feel weak, and some of them even lose consciousness already. The hunters of Squad 7 possess a healer on the team. However, the healer was an E-rank hunter, and the healer looks likely to die by the Silver Wolf from earlier. It was a hopeless situation for all of them. No hope! No hope! Hwang Eun-bi leaned her back to the tree, looking at her Squad 7 in awful condition. Her eyes became dimmed. At the door of death, Eun-bi murmured some words to ease her guilt. ¡°Imo, I¡¯m sorry for bringing Ji-woo into the dungeons.¡± Eun-bi closed her eyes, which signified that all of the hunters on the spot lost their consciousness. Zip, Zip¨C One by one, the rest of the people inside the dungeons were gone. Even Ji-woo, who was on his way to meet the others, also disappeared. Zap, Zap¨C All of the survivors of the dungeons show up outside the Portal Gate. They were lying on the ground. It was only leaving Ji-woo, which was still standing after being out of there. ¡°So, killing that ck Wolf is the key to leaving these dungeons?¡± Ji-woo shifted his gaze to the Portal Gate at the back that slowly dissipated the Mana. ¡®Look like this thing will fade away.¡¯ Pong¨C The tier-1 Portal Gate disappeared from Ji-woo¡¯s vision. He then looked at the hunters and porters at the ground that got poisoned. ¡°Now, this is a tricky matter. ¡°I can¡¯t call the Hunters Association since I don¡¯t know their number. ¡°But if I tell the police, they will ask who is the one that reports this situation¡­¡± Ji-woo¡¯s worries exist because all the people who survived the dungeon were poisoned and lost consciousness. How does Ji-woo exin that he was the only one that was fine and healthy? And he was the one that was beating the ck Wolf there? Ji-woo then walked toward Eun-bi, who was lying unconscious. He looked at her carefully from head to toe, then stretched his hand over the wrist. He found a bracelet that seemed to get tied with her car keys. Ji-woo picked up the key and opened the car door, searching around inside the car. He finally found Eun-bi¡¯s phone. Tut, Tut¨C ¡°Hello, the police station is here. Who are you?¡± Ji-woo called the police and reported the situation and condition of the remaining survivors of the Portal Gate. Then, he closed the call after giving them the address, and he didn¡¯t even bother to give his name as the informer. ¡®Now, time to set the scenario.¡¯ Ji-woo, thenying down beside Eun-bi. After putting everything back like how they were before. Of course, other than acting unconsciously like the rest of them. Ji-woo already prepared his bullsh*t. If he ever got asked why he was not infected by the poison, unlike the others. ¡®I hope they pay me a lot. This job is dangerous¡­, really, really dangerous¡­, for others. But not for me.¡¯ Ji-woo closed his eyes and smiled, thinking about the money whileying down, resting. He was waiting for the reinforcement toe. From all of that mess that might have a perfect ending, Ji-woo seemed to forget something important that might have made him regret his deceiving plot. Chapter 11: Failed Chapter 11: Failed Seoul, at Public Hospital, hunters medical center. ¡°How is their condition?¡± A representative from the Hunters Association was asking and looking at 20 people upying the hospital beds. ¡°They will be fine in an hour. The poison isn¡¯t deadly.¡± A C-rank healer replied to the representative. ¡°d to know. But people from the Demigod guild are already here. Let me do the talk with them.¡± The C-rank healer smiled and nodded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a wicked mouth like yours. So, I¡¯m not a match with the people from a guild.¡± ¡°Aish, you want to get a beating? Also, I do this for your sake! We should not let a guild like them possess all high-ranked healers.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Whatever Noonim says is always right.¡± ¡°You punk!¡± The representative from Hunters Association sneered at C-rank healer teasing. ¡ª- ¡ª- At the corner of the room, a hunter from the Demigod guild was busy talking on the phone. ¡°It¡¯s bad. We lost 9 E-rank hunters at tier-1 Portal Gate. And that Witch is here too.¡± The person on the other end. ¡°What is the exact situation?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. All of our hunters are stillying down, Unconscious.¡± After a moment of silence, ¡°Don¡¯t let that woman talk or interrogate our hunters and make sure the porters keep their mouths closed. I wille to the hospital in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Alright, sir!¡± Tut, Tut¨C The phone call ended. The Demigod hunter put away his phone, turned around, and looked toward the patient on the beds. Then there was a voice directed at him. ¡°Hello, are you from Demigod guild?¡± The hunter got approached and asked by a woman. The hunter twitched after looking to the side. ¡®So, she came to me first, shamelessly?¡¯ But the hunter didn¡¯t dare say what he thought about the woman. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The hunter replied nonchntly. The woman smiled. ¡°Ah, I am from the Administrative division of Hunters Association, Yoon Soo-ah,¡± while offering a handshake. The hunter knew the woman, even though they had never met before. Yoon Soo-ah notorious was not a secret between all of the South Korea Guilds. An A-rank hunter specialty in Fire Magic. No one in the country could getpared to her fierceness on the battlefield. Other than that, the most well-known one was Yoon Soo-ah¡¯s mouth that made her famous and earned her the nickname of The Witch! Even Chairman Yu from Hunters Association will avoid her at all costs. ¡°Ah, yes. Demigod guild, Im Taek-won.¡± Both of them shake their hands, greeting each other. ¡°I¡¯m straight to the point, Mister Im. This incident might happen againter. So, you should know how important a healer is for the hospital in our country.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°A guild shouldn¡¯t keep high-rank healers to themselves. They should spare some of them to the hospital.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°If the guild is not this selfish with the possession, we can save many hunters and civilian life in the past and the future.¡± ¡°That not¡­¡± ¡°You lucky. This time a C-rank healer is enough to save your hunters on time. What if they got wounded and poisoned by a high-grade creature?¡± Im Taek-won could only gulp hearing the barrage of words by Yoon Soo-ah. He really hated and cursed the woman in his mind. ¡®F*ck you uncle, what the h*ll this kind of mouth it is. She even didn¡¯t let me talk. Hyung~nim, came faster, please!¡¯ ¡°What if a C-rank healer can¡¯t do anything to your members of the guild? Should we let them die?¡± ¡°Can you give¡­¡± Im Taek-won tries to refute, but his effort got futile. ¡°Your guild should let the hospital have an A-rank healer, or you might consider an S-rank healer as another option for the hospital.¡± ¡®Holy sh*t, mother***ker! She even asked for an S-rank healer?! Damn it! It¡¯s is S-rank one that we are talking about b*tch. S-rank!¡¯ Im Taek-won couldn¡¯t help but keep cussed on his mind even though he didn¡¯t dare say it aloud. He still had the courage to say it in the thought. Long short, after being scolded for 10 minutes. Im Taek-won felt numb, his anger already unbearable. He didn¡¯t care anymore whether the one in front of him was The Witch of Fire or not. If Yoon Soo-ah kept talking any longer, Im Taek-won would start a fight in this public ce. Without thinking of the consequences anymore. Tep, Tep¨C Suddenly they heard footstepsing closer to them. ¡°Ya, Taek-won~ah! Hyung is here!¡± Hearing someone called Taek-won, Yoon Soo-ah stopped her talk and shifted her gaze to where the voice wasing. Im Taek-won¡¯s anger subsided. He was pleased to hear a familiar voice calling his name. The man that just came walked toward Yoon Soo-ah¡¯s direction and stopped at Im Taek-won¡¯s side. The man patted Im Taek-won¡¯s shoulder and told him, ¡°I handle it from here. You go to our injured members there.¡± Im Taek-won nodded. ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim.¡± Yoon Soo-ah stared at the man that made Im Taek-won go away and stand in front of her. She didn¡¯t speak immediately. She just kept looking at him. ¡°Ah, how rude I am without introducing myself. Demigod guild, Jung Hyun-don. Nice to meet the famous Miss Yoon.¡± ¡°Tch, a bunch of retards that didn¡¯t know about the manner.¡± Jung Hyun-don frowned while listening to Yoon Soo-ah vulgar words. But he wasn¡¯t angry and quickly calmed down. He knew the rtionship between a Guild and Hunters Association was always sour. They mocked and tried to downgrade each other despite showing cooperative manners to the public. Yoon Soo-ah didn¡¯t care how Jung Hyun-don felt about her attitude and words either. ¡°Let me repeat what I said to your Dongsaeng previously.¡± But before Yoon Soo-ah could continue her ramblings, Jung Hyun-don cut her off with a stern voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to cut you off, Miss Yoon. But this is our Demigod guild matter. ¡°I thank the Association for helping and saving our guild members. ¡°Give my gratitude to Chairman Yu.¡± Jung Hyun-don then bowed to Yoon Soo-ah and left her behind. ¡°Jung¡­ Hyun-don!!!¡± Yoon Soo-ah could only mutter the name while holding her anger. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡®How long did I need to close my eyes? If I fall asleep here, I could get into trouble with these guys.¡¯ Kim Ji-woo felt ufortable after lying down for too long. And he couldn¡¯t be the first one that wakes up in order to avoid getting questioned all over round. Ji-woo then started to worry about his family too. Since his phone was still inside Hwang Eun-bi¡¯s car, he couldn¡¯t contact his mother. Luckily, all the items in the location were brought together to the hospital, except for heavy items. ¡°Ah, where am I?¡± Eun-bi was the first one that came to her senses. Im Taek-won instantly approached Eun-bi. ¡°Miss Hwang, are you okay? What happened¡­¡± ¡°Not here.¡± Jung Hyun-don hastily interjected Im Taek-won¡¯s inquiry. Taek-won nced at Hyun-don then nodded, understanding the meaning. One by one, the survivor came to their senses, with thest one being the porters. Include the porter Ji-woo as thest one that awakened from the rest. Having all of their members woken up, Hyun-don asked the C-rank healer. ¡°Thank you for the help. Since the incident is not severe, I will take all of our members back with me now. ¡°I take the responsibility from here on.¡± The C-rank healer shrugged and epted Hyun-don¡¯s wish. Hyun-don then ordered Im Taek-won to take care of the porters, and he would handle their hunters. After giving the instruction, Hyun-don was the first one that left the medical center, followed by the Demigod hunters. Eun-bi took her time for a moment and spoke to Ji-woo. ¡°Wait for me at the entranceter. I wille to you shortly.¡± Subsequently, Im Taek-won tookmand of the porters after all of their hunters left the room. ¡°Follow me to the front. Don¡¯t speak anything on the way. Unless I am the one asking.¡± Ji-woo still follows everything obediently like a kid without throwing a tantrum. Yoon Soo-ah was really irritated when she looked at the Demigod guild members smoothly leaving the room. And she couldn¡¯t run havoc with carrying the Hunters Association name in the hospital carelessly. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡°Alright, all of you can go back to guild headquarter first.¡± All of the porters walk in low spirits. But, when Ji-woo¡¯s turn to go to the Demigod bus transport. He got stopped by Im Taek-won. ¡°Only our Demigod members can go back to the headquarter.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ Ji-woo confused, then asked Taek-won back. ¡°But, they are not hunters? Howe they are Demigod members?¡± Im Taek-won shot him back with another confused face. ¡°They are working for the Demigod guild, but you are just a part-timer for today¡¯s hunt.¡± ¡°Pardon? Then what about my payment?¡± Im Taek-won didn¡¯t know whether Ji-woo was an idiot or dumb. ¡°Already take your belongings from inside the room, right?¡± Ji-woo nodded after touching his body. ¡°Then you can take off the artifact suit and hand over the porter bag that used to collect Magic Crystal or Magic Stone.¡± Ji-woo was surprised by the demand. He could take off the suit, but the bag was already gone after being left in the dungeon. Ji-woo now felt that he made a huge mistake about his role in the dungeon. However, Ji-woo¡¯s hurdles were not over yet. Im Taek-won stared at Ji-woo for a moment and realized something was missing. He looked at Demigod porters inside the bus. He then looked back at Ji-woo. Asked, ¡°Where is your artifact helmet?¡± Hearing another query from Im Taek-won, Ji-woo suddenly felt he got struck by the thunder. Ji-woo was busy plotting everything that he forgot what porters were supposed to do in the dungeon. Chapter 12: A Lesson Chapter 12: A Lesson ¡°I don¡¯t know where my artifact helmet and my porter bag are either after I get transferred here. When I check my belongings, I only have my phone now.¡± Kim Ji-woo already got sweated around his forehead. Not because he worried about the mistake but was concerned about his payment. Im Taek-won was familiar with the situation where a porter lost their bag or lost the suit helmet. But the artifact suit that Ji-woo wore right now was too damaged. And the weird thing about all of this was, Ji-woo seemed not to be injured. There was no trace of wounds that could get found after Im Taek-won looked at Ji-woo from head to toe. But Im Taek-won didn¡¯t want to ask Ji-woo about what was happening to the artifact suit. He needed to deal with his guild matter faster. Im Taek-won demanded that they handle their death hunters as soon as possible. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that now. You must know the payout percentage based on how many Magic Crystals or Magic Stones you can bring back. But the bag is gone. And you ruined the artifact suit too. It cost a lot to repair it or buy the new one.¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t ept the reason. ¡°Is it not my fault. Shouldn¡¯t that be your hunter¡¯s job to make me and my equipment safe?¡± Im Taek-won heard the refute, gave Ji-woo a contempt look. ¡°You¡¯re not our guild members. And don¡¯t forget, we lent you the artifact suit. So, you need to be responsible for the damage if you still insist on getting the money.¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t utter any single word anymore. What I¡¯m Taek-won said was the truth and fact for him. He was not a guild worker and didn¡¯t do his job as a porter, making the Demigod guild that lent him the artifact suit have a loss instead of a profit from the hunt. Moreover, the price of repairing and buying new artifact suits was enormous. One of the materials for the artifact suit itself was Magic Crystal or Magic Stone. One Magic Crystal cost 1 million won, and that was only just 1 part of the material. Want to pay Ji-woo after losing the helmet and damaging the suit? Dream on! Not only that, he even didn¡¯t bring any Magic Crystal or Magic Stone back. Instead of getting revenue, the Demigod guild didn¡¯t get anything in return. Why should they pay a nameless stranger on the street for that immense loss? Audacious! If Ji-woo could return the artifact suit back in good condition, the Demigod guild could pay the fee for the part-timer even though it lost the porter bag. Ji-woo thought back about his actions in the dungeons. He was full of himself and so cocky that he forgot his objective. Now, he didn¡¯t get what he hoped for it. In this reality, who would pay you for being a hero? Ji-woo admitted his mistake and apologized to Im Taek-won. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± He bowed then took off the artifact suit. Im Taek-won took the artifact suit and left Ji-woo at the entrance. He didn¡¯t want to bother Ji-woo anymore. Ji-woo lowered his head, feeling sorry toward his mother. Ji-woo held remorse in his heart, remembering the promises he made. He wanted to be the one that took care of the family. However, he failed today. ¡°Fuu¡­ Let¡¯s move on from this failure. There¡¯s still a chance for me tomorrow.¡± Ji-woo tried to change his mood and stay resolute about his n to shoulder the burden of his family. Tik, Tik¨C Sressh¨C Came the sound of raindrops. The night got blessed by the rain. Ji-woo saw a silhouette of women walking hastily amidst the light rain and put her hand at the top of her head. ¡°Wait for long?¡± Hwang Eun-bi asked. Ji-woo smiled, then shook his head. ¡°Nope. Let¡¯s go back now.¡± ¡°Yes, Imo might be worried about you.¡± Ji-woo then walked with Eun-bi to the bus stop since her car was at the guild headquarter after losing consciousness earlier. She chose to go back by public transport with Ji-woo because she was the one that invited him to be a part-timer. At the bus stop, Ji-woo noticed Eun-bi seemed lost in her thoughts and wanted to ask her about what happened. But the bus came and disrupted Ji-woo¡¯s intentions. Inside the bus, on their way back. Eun-bi spoke first and broke the silence between them. ¡°I wanna ask about what happened to you, but after I got warned by my senior hunter from the Demigod guild. I don¡¯t want to drag you more into this. And I think it is not a good idea to inquire more about the incident. ¡°I can only say, I¡¯m sorry for bringing you into this mess. I should protect you and others better. After all, I¡¯m one of the high-rank hunters in there.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t like the part where he looked like someone that needed protection. ¡®Why does she always think I¡¯m weak, simply because I never show her my power? Did she even know, the one beating that ck Wolf is me!¡¯ But, Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to exin. Instead, closing his eyes and sighed. Eun-bi misunderstood Ji-woo¡¯s response and thought he was angry at her. ¡°We hunters usually can handle tier-1 Portal Gate easily. It just¡­, we didn¡¯t expect they woulde all together after killing one Silver Wolf. ¡°You might find this is no more than an excuse. We usually hunt in the dungeons with surprise attacks and close the Portal Gate with ease. It is to train our new and low-rank guild members too. ¡°But¡­ In that situation, Except we have all of our Squad as D-rank hunters, it will be difficult to clear the dungeon. ¡°You don¡¯t know the hunters¡¯ difference in rank is a huge factor for clearing the dungeons, right?¡± Ji-woo, who at first was not interested in hearing Eun-bi talk, began showing his curiosity. ¡°What about the rank difference?¡± But after voicing out his curiosity, Ji-woo instantly regretted it. ¡®Why should I f**k*ng care with the hunters b*st*rd business? I didn¡¯t get payment because of their petty loss!¡¯ Eun-bi was happy that Ji-woo asked her. Immediately said, ¡°How big is the difference between E-rank hunters and D-rank hunters?¡± Ji-woo shrugged. ¡°For example, E-rank hunters need 1 Magic Crystal to solidify their power. Then how many Magic Crystal did a D-rank hunter need?¡± This time, Ji-woo shifts his face and looks at Eun-bi. He is waiting for the continuation. ¡°It needs 10 Magic Crystals.¡± Ji-woo frowned and asked, ¡°Then for C-rank hunters need 100 Magic Crystal?¡± Eun-bi answered calmly. ¡°Nope, it needs 1000 Magic Crystal.¡± Ji-woo was surprised. ¡°So much?¡± ¡°After D-rank, each rank will multiply by hundreds.¡± ¡°Then, Portal Gate with tier level has the same concept with the hunters too, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ji-woo made a conclusion based on how the E-rank and D-rank hunters perform at tier-1 Portal Gate. Eun-bi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why until now, we can¡¯t close all of the Portal Gate because weck top high-rank hunters. ¡°And that¡¯s the reason too, why is there no one who can clear dungeons alone.¡± ¡®Alone? You mean no one can solo that Portal Gate?¡¯ Ji-woo then found something odd from what Eun-bi just said. ¡°A high-rank hunter can easily close that Portal Gate from before? What do you mean they can¡¯t clear the dungeons alone?¡± ¡°High-rank hunters can¡¯t enter a low-tier Portal Gate?!¡± Eun-bi answered confusedly. ¡°But you, a D-rank hunter, can enter tier-1 Portal Gate before?¡± Now, Eun-bi feels awkward exining this well-known information. ¡°E-Erm¡­ The Portal Gate seems to have Mana restriction in each tier. If hunters have huge Mana on them, they can¡¯t enter.¡± Haha, Haha¨C Ji-wooughed hearing this ridiculous reason about the Portal Gate. ¡®What a bullsh*t! This Portal Gate is clearly cheating all people in this world!¡¯ Eun-bi was horrified by Ji-woo¡¯sugh. ¡°Ji-woo~si, are you okay? Why are you suddenlyughing?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine. Sorry, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Ji-woo really doesn¡¯t know whether this Portal Gate was a joke or a disaster that fell upon them. But he didn¡¯t care that much anyway. What was important now was to make money for his family and let his mother take a break from work. However, remembering about money made Ji-woo pissed. ¡®That b*st*rd is cheating me too! I save their members!¡¯ In the midst of Ji-woo grumbling, Eun-bi took something from her pocket. ¡°Take this.¡± Eun-bi gave Ji-woo an envelope and put it in his hand. ¡°This is your fee for working as a part-time porter. Thanks for epting my offer.¡± ¡°I thought they wouldn¡¯t pay me after all that happened in the hunt?¡± Eun-bi smiled and assured Ji-woo. ¡°My guild itself told me to give you this. But still, there is not much in there. So don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± Ji-woo was d. He still got his money even though Eun-bi said there wasn¡¯t much inside. To be truth, he just let out his frustration about his own mistake. In the beginning, he never intended to hold an ount with the Demigod guild. The truth was, the money came from Eun-bi, not from her guild. Before Eun-bi met Ji-woo at the entrance, Eun-bi got scolded by Jung Hyun-dun, and after that, she got a full ear from Im Taek-won about Ji-woo as a part-timer porter. Felt guilty after bringing him to dungeons, Eun-bi decided to take her own money. And use her guild as an excuse. Eun-bi wanted to help Ji-woo¡¯s mother too. Because she doesn¡¯t have parents, She thought of her as her mother. ¡°Thank you for this. At least I can still earn.¡± Ji-woo wanted to say that Eun-bi could call him again for the porter job, but after looking back on his performance for today¡¯s hunt. He changed his words. Ji-woo was still thinking about what he needed to do to secure some ie for his family. He thought working rted to that Portal Gate was too troublesome. It might disturb his family in the future. Chapter 13: Shocking News! Chapter 13: Shocking News! At the same time, Kim Ji-woo went to tier-1 Portal Gate. France, in the middle of the night. Somewhere else, far away from Paris city, there was a loud noise in the forest area. The clouds of dust and fires were seen everywhere around the trees. Even some of the ground got shattered. Bang!, Kaboom¨C Another ground shattered, and a cloud of sand covered the area. ¡°Der gnadiger Herr, It¡¯s rude to do this to your guest.¡± A man who was 6¡¯8 feet tall and bulky with shoulders that looked wider than most of the muscr men mocked them. But, there was no reply inside the sand dust that covered the surrounding. Suddenly, four silhouettes to be seen going out from the cloud of sand, leaving the dust trail behind them. The four men kept running away. It looked like they wanted to go toward the city. ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± One man at the front stopped his track, surprised the other three at the back. ¡°Mon Seigneur!¡± The three of them stopped and called the man at the front in a worried tone. The man that they called Mon Seigneur looked at three of them and spoke with a grim expression. ¡°We no longer can run. We can¡¯t go to the city and fight with him there. I don¡¯t want to involve innocent people.¡± ¡°But, we can¡¯t ask for reinforcements if we don¡¯t go to the city!?¡± ¡°Cool your heads. We should be able to pin that man down. There are four of us here.¡± The three of them lowered their heads and went silent, hearing the Mon Seigneur decision. ¡°If not us, who will stop him? Or you want that person hanging around and running havoc on our country as he pleases?¡± ¡°No, Mon Seigneur!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s fight. Like the old days, Mon camarade!¡± The man Spoke with a nostalgic tone. Three of them answered with a firm heart. ¡°Yes, Mon Seigneur!¡± Then, suddenly, the four of them felt a gradation of coercion in Mana from the cloud of dust. The four of them then looked at the shadow that seemed to be walking and closing the distance. ¡°I am disappointed. Is this the dignity of The Guardian? Is running like a cat your expertise?¡± ¡°Sh*t up!¡± ¡°F*ck off!¡± Gagaga¨C The bulky manughed at them while his eyes fell on the man they called Mon Seigneur. ¡°France pride and dignity, Fizldir Lambert. And the three of them seem like the remnant from the famous The Guardian of Gaul.¡± ¡°What did you say!¡± ¡°Take back what just you said, bast*rd!¡± Fizldir Lambert held them with his calm voice. ¡°Don¡¯t get intimidated. That man provoked us on purpose.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mon Seigneur.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gagaga¨C ¡°Did I look like I needed that kind of cheap trick?¡± Fizldir Lambert didn¡¯t respond to the man. Instead, he asked a question that puzzled him since they met. ¡°You¡­ from that group isn¡¯t? We, humanity, should unite to defend against the Portal Gate. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a fight among us. There is no enmity between you and me.¡± Gagaga¨C ¡°Dunno, just doing my jobs.¡± Out of the blue, there was a shout-out from Fizldir Lambert. ¡°Prepare!¡± Then the other three Guardians of Gaul move away and spread after hearing themand. Only Fizldir Lambert didn¡¯t move from the spot. He held the Divine Sabre tightly on the right hand. He forced the Mana Presence to burst out from his body, and the blue light came out to cover his entire body and the Divine Sabre. Gagaga¨C ¡°The triangle formation? Tsk, all of your tactics and strategy are already outdated nowadays. Why note out with a new move instead of back to the old one?¡± ¡°Talking too much!¡± Fizldir Lambert used his right foot for dashing to the front. His speed was too fast. Even the dust and the sand on the ground couldn¡¯t follow the movement. The bulky man dragged his weapon and let out his Mana Presence too. A red light showed up all over his body. ¡°Time to kill! Axe Warhammer.¡± Bang! Boom¨C The ring shock wave and dust came out from the collision. The center point ground explodes. The shadow of Fizldir Lambert getting thrown away could be seen from the collision point. Meanwhile, the other three immediately used their Mana and performed the Magic spells for triangle formation. ¡°Focus!¡± The three of them then put both of their palm hands to the front, chanting the spells. ¡°Magic of Wind, Legaz Sword!¡± A streak of wind blew over the hand and formed a thousand wind swords in the air. The thousand wind swords then shot towards the big man. ¡°Magic of Fire, Aufeu Explosion!¡± A huge fireball came out from both hands and got thrown to where the bulky man was standing. ¡°Magic of Ice, Eaux Thunder!¡± A big chunk of ice that pointed downward appeared above the bulky man too. Shoo, Shoo¨C Clrk, Boom¨C Wosh, Dang¨C Kaboom¨C The three powerful Magic Spells hit their target violently. The area around the sh was further destroyed and extended farther away. The ce formerly was a forest with many trees, flowers, and grass. Right now, only t ground and dust could get seen as far as the eye could see. The Damage from the fight was something that should happen in a fairy tale. But¡­, it was happening now. The fight between five mighty hunters continued for several hours. The tremors were reaching the city of Paris that was miles away from there. ¡ª- ¡ª- Paris City. ¡°Chief, What are these tremors?¡± France¡¯s president asked his Chief of Staff. ¡°We¡­ currently try to look at it, Mister President.¡± Both of them then look to the outside of the room through the windows. ¡ª- ¡ª- At Dawn, The ce where the source of the tremors fromst night. There was a man who lost an arm. Another man had blood all over his body. And another man, again, was down with his head buried to thend. Meanwhile, Fizldir Lambert wasy on the ground with his back to the sky. The bulky man wiped the dust on his shoulder. ¡°Well, time to go back, Axe Warhammer.¡± Gagaga¨C Then, out of nowhere, the bulky man¡¯sughs got interrupted by a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°That brute weapon is useful to kill an Apex-rank hunter, Fizldir Lambert. Huh? Gluttony.¡± Gluttony then turned his head, looking at the woman that just suddenly showed up. ¡°Call me with that name again, and I will separate your head from your body, Momoka.¡± The woman turned grim, hearing the namee out from Gluttony¡¯s mouth. Wewo, Wewo¨C Both of them heard the police car approaching. The woman then spoke, ¡°The mission done. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Both the woman and Gluttony left the ce. The police cars and other ck cars came as soon as they went. When the police officers and ck suit men arrived at the field, they couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. All of The Guardian of Gaul members, the Pride and Dignity of Franceying down in front of them. There was not the slightest visible movement of the bodies. ¡°This¡­ Report to the Hunters Association and Mister President!¡± One man that looked like a leader of the group spoke with sorrow and teary eyes. ¡ª- ¡ª- Mapo, South Korean. ¡°Ji-woo~ya, Why were youtest night? Where have you¡¯ve been?¡± Ji-woo just woke up and came out of his room with messy wavy long hair. ¡°Well, I just went out and had a look around my ce. Because it¡¯s been a long time since I was here.¡± Ji-woo hadn¡¯t been able to tell his mother about the work he had been doing. Considering that he had just returned home and did not want to scare his mother into finding out he was working with hunters. Ji-woo¡¯s mother might get freaked out if she knew. ¡®Well, I need to text Eun-bi about this. Who knows if she came to the mother street food stall and identally talked about the eventst night?¡¯ ¡°Ah, right. Where is Ji-won, mom?¡± ¡°Eomma couldn¡¯t reach her at all yesterday, until this morning she texted me back and said she slept over at a friend¡¯s house.¡± Ji-woo sighed, knowing his sister was going out as please as she wanted. ¡ª- ¡ª- (We just got the sad news from France this morning and will inform you quickly.) (Worldwide news! Apex-rank hunter, Fizldir Lambert, found dead this morning far away from Paris city. And aside from Mister Fizldir, there are three S-rank hunters whose bodies are at the location too. Mr. Vitas Fournier, Mr. Tihalt Garcia, and Mr. Maxime Morel.) (This¡­, we give our condolences to the Guardian of Gaul. Rest in peace!) Twips¨C The TV where the news wasing got turned off. ¡°What do both of you think?¡± Chief Yoon replied. ¡°Just want to eliminate the strong hunters?!¡± ¡°I think there is another reason why Fizldir Lambert died. Is there any more information from the France Hunters Association, sir?¡± Chief Lee chipped into the conversation. ¡°There is none. HA in France is also didn¡¯t know why Fizldir Lambert, their sole Apex-rank hunter, got assassinated. Their country is in martialw now.¡± ¡°Did the one that did this have a n to stir up trouble and destabilize the system of government in France?¡± Chief Yoon is confused about the purpose. Chairman Yu shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± After a moment of silence, Chairman Yu continue his talk. ¡°I don¡¯t know their current power, but years ago. They are capable of bringing down a country with Apex-rank hunters as the pir, a bunch of S-rank hunters, and hundreds of A-rank hunters with just two of them.¡± Chief Lee knew what Chairman Yu meant. ¡°It¡¯s this really their work, sir?¡± ¡°80%, based on the moves they made when I saw the news earlier.¡± Both Chief Yoon and Chief Lee knew who they were that Chairman Yu was referring to it. ¡°Enough worry about that. Even until now, the International Hunters organization still can¡¯t find and track their whereabouts. ¡°How about this week¡¯s report?¡± Chief Yoon then opened her smart tablet and read the statistics. ¡°Ah right, this week casualties are 314 hunters, sir.¡± Chairman Yu sighed, massaged his temple. ¡°The detail?¡± ¡°E-rank hunters take the Majority of the percentage of them, followed by D-rank as the second-highest dead, C-rank, B-rank, and A-rank hunters among the list too.¡± Chapter 14: Nullifier Chapter 14: Nullifier ¡°There are too many casualties instead of new hunters emerging.¡± Chairman Yu got stressed over the matter between hunters who received Mana Blessing and hunters who died or went missing in the dungeon. ¡°And another problem too, we have a low rate of the potential hunters that can climb from low rank to high rank.¡± Chief Yoon added about the overall hunter¡¯s crisis in South Korea right now. ¡°There is no solution because it requires vast resources to nurture them. ¡°I¡¯m growing old now, and the world still hasn¡¯t offered a solution for this Portal Gate. ¡°What if all the Portal Gates all over the world became a Red Gate again?¡± Both Chief Lee and Chief Yoon were shocked at Chairman Yu¡¯s absurd words. ¡°Sir!¡± ¡°Chairman, you can¡¯t say such a horrible thing!¡± Chairman Yu looked at his subordinate and smiled. ¡°But what I said is true. We don¡¯t know that much about the Portal Gate. Like why, when, and where they will show up.¡± Both of his chiefs lowered their heads. Yes, they know so little about the Portal Gate. For the whole six years since the Portal Gate appeared, not even the slightest bit of them had the chance to solve the problem or clear all the dungeons. The only usible solution was to hunt the dungeons and close the Portal Gate after clearing it. Want to solve it by carrying some research and science approach? Hrious! From the beginning, Mana was not something that science could touch. Even the research about Mana didn¡¯t have any breakthrough all these years. At best, they could make the Artifact suit with some Artifact weapon and item. That was it, no more, no less. The Artifact weapon and item that could get manufactured was only 100 pieces. Then how many hunters were there all over the world that needed them? 113.000++ hunters! Should they take turns borrowing artifacts among hunters from all over the world, with that 100 pieces of weapon and item? Noted, it was not 100 weapons and 100 items, but 100 pieces of artifactbined. Also, the quality was far from useable. They might need 100 years to make a breakthrough. Who knew, maybe after 100 years. They could make legendary artifact weapons and items. Meanwhile, their ce already became a world of dungeons after Red Gate happened with that many long years need it. Luckily, the creature from the dungeons did drop an item or a weapon. If not, how do they want to gear up all of their hunters to ensure the sess of closing the Portal Gate? This Portal Gate might not have the advanced technology that Earth had. But it had something that humans didn¡¯t know and had, which was Mana. Mana itself came from the Portal Gate through Magic Crystal and Magic Stone. Not from their science and research. That was how desperate their situation was for searching for the solution of clearing the dungeons. ¡°¡­ How tragic the scene you imagined, sir? Making you so pessimistic?¡± Chief Lee asked about Chairman Yu¡¯s statement from before. Chairman Yu answered with a single word. ¡°Catastrophe.¡± Chief Yoon and Chief Lee¡¯s faces turned ugly after hearing the word. That really was like the worst of the worst possibilities that could happen to the world. Fuuh¨C Chairman Yu sighed. ¡°Schedule a meeting with Shadow, Demigod, and Artates guilds headmasters at ater date. ¡°Chief Lee will handle the matter, and Chief Yoon will be the one that apanies me.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Both Chief Lee and Chief Yoon bowed their heads and left Chairman Yu¡¯s room. ¡ª- ¡ª- Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. These past two days just went without anything significant happening. After the news about France Apex-rank hunter getting killed. Except ¡­, Kim Ji-woo¡¯s struggling life, who still didn¡¯t have a job. Ji-woo got transmigrated in 2017 when he was still a high school student to the Magical world. Now back in 2023, Ji-woo currently had nothing to use to apply for jobs anywhere else. The only choice was working as a part-timer at a convenience store with a payment of 7000 Won per hour and only got 56,000 Won after working for 8 hours straight. (7000 won = $6,20) But Ji-woo couldn¡¯t tolerate working in that kind of boring ce where you only wait and stay. The current Ji-woo was not suitable for working in such an environment. As someone previously involved in the Great War and had a position as one of the Great Generals. He was not familiar with working in a safe ce yet. Ji-woo sighed. ¡°Should I work with a guild and go to that Portal Gate again? ¡°Last time Eun-bi gave me 100.000 Won just for payment when I¡¯m not doing anything for them.¡± Deep in Ji-woo¡¯s heart, he knew the money was not from the Demigod guild. But knowing the nature of Hwang Eun-bi¡¯s personality, that gave him a job after so much trouble for the sake of his mother. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t reject it and epted the money. He calcted it based on the gift Eun-bi gave him that the fee for a porter must be pretty big even though it was only part-time. ¡®I mean if I can work at the Portal Gate as a porter again and the payment gets estimated between 500.000 to 1 Million Won. That¡¯s better than working for 8 hours in a convenience store that only earns me 56.000 Won.¡¯ Ji-woo smiled helplessly. ¡°In the Portal Gate, time works differently from here.¡± He sat on the ground in an alley, around an area close to the convenience store where he previously worked. He took out a box of ck menthol cigarettes and picked up one, then lit it up. Hsup, Phusshh¨C He smoked cigarettes. ¡°Heh, in the Magical World, I smoke something different. But this one is not badpared to that.¡± Not far from the ce where Ji-woo was smoking. There was an older man who walked to where he was and smoked just like him. ¡°Young man, don¡¯t look sour. You¡¯ll look more like a beggar with it, especially with your long hair.¡± Hahaha¨C The older manughed after teasing Ji-woo¡¯s appearance. ¡°Ah, sir. It¡¯s okay. Wanna sit here?¡± Ji-woo moved a bit to the side to give space to the older man to sit and smoke like him too. ¡°Oh, sir? People here usually call me Ahjussi. You¡¯re not Korean, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Pardon? S-sir¡­, I mean Ahjussi. I¡¯ve been gone for a long time from here. So, I¡¯m still adjusting to the lifestyle.¡± The older man smiled and didn¡¯t mind if Ji-woo was calling him Sir or Ahjussi. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Both are the same. My name is Lee Ik-jun. You can call me mister Lee.¡± ¡°Ah, alright, mister Lee. I am Kim Ji-woo.¡± ¡°So, what happened that made you make that kind of expression, young man?¡± Mister Lee asked while smoking. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have a job.¡± Hahaha¨C Ji-wooughed after confessing. But mister Lee didn¡¯t respond to Ji-woo¡¯sugh and kept a straight face with his cigarettes. ¡°I have a job here as a porter. You know guild porter, right?¡± Ji-woo was surprised that he got an offer as a porter again. The biggest reason he tried to stay away from guilds and dungeons was not to avoid his family getting in trouble. As long as they did not cross the bottom line, he was cool with it and still could protect his family. But his soul was the one that hindered him from working with the guild. In the Magical World, Stormrage had told him before. His soul would make him addicted to fighting. Like God of War, that wanted to keep battling, and Ji-woo was the same as that. He even liked all sorts of fighting, as long as there was an opponent for him. That was one of the reasons why Ji-woo got called the cursed soul there. From the moment he fought, everything didn¡¯t have any value anymore for him. It included living being life. However, Ji-woo was too urgent to earn some money. What his mother collected was not sufficient since the living cost for three people was more expensive. He gritted his teeth. ¡°I take the job, mister Lee. You can text me the time and ce, and I will surelye.¡± ¡°Hoo, quite an ambitious young man, are you. Isn¡¯t it? Let me remind you, a porter job is risky. That¡¯s why it¡¯s easy for the job to be a vacancy.¡± ¡°I worked as a porter before, mister Lee.¡± Mister Lee stared at Ji-woo with a thoughtful expression. ¡°That¡¯s good. Then¡­, I will call you or text youter after telling my leader about you.¡± They exchanged phone numbers on the spot, and mister Lee left Ji-woo alone in the alley. Ji-woo did not worry about being deceived. Since he was poor, who would want to rob him? Want to kidnap Ji-woo then sell his organs? Ji-woo didn¡¯t worry about that either. With his cursed soul, he could smoothly run away. ¡°It¡¯s cheating having this cursed soul when I return here.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s cursed soul had blocked all kinds of Mana from entering his body as a price to maintain his physique. It also enhanced his strength and agility. It was like having a body that wouldn¡¯t shrink and rot at old age, but it didn¡¯t mean Ji-woo was Immortal. He could still get sick from the disease. Haha¨C ¡°Yo, It seems like it¡¯s inevitable in this life to run away from fights or battles. I only hope I can resist the urge tomit carnage.¡± If the worst-case scenario happened, Ji-woo just let it go and sweep all the Portal Gates and clear dungeons all over the Korean penins. Ji-woo smiled bitterly and looked at the night sky. ¡®Stormrage, wish me luck this time with the cursed soul.¡¯ ¡°Be good to me, The Nullifier.¡± Chapter 15: Sphere Chapter 15: Sphere In the morning, Ji-woo helped his mother to bring the necessary thing to their street food ce. Then, Ji-woo left his mother with an excuse for working at a Construction Site. Initially, his mother disagreed with him. But it was just after Ji-woo promised that he would only work there once. Only then did his motherply. He said he only worked for 7 hours because he promised the manager toe this morning. In the end, seven days inside the dungeons was only 7 hours on Earth. Ji-woo took a bus to reach his destination, and it took about 15 minutes on the road. ¡ª- ¡ª- Ji-woo arrived, and mister Lee greeted him. ¡°Ji-woo~si,e here. Let me introduce you to my co-worker.¡± Mister Lee then led Ji-woo to walk toward their guild bus. ¡°Alright, everyone. This one is Kim Ji-woo. The one that I told you guys before.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Hai, Kim Ji-woo~si.¡± Ji-woo then greeted them one by one while bowing. There were fewer porters this timepared to when he was with the Demigod guild. There were five porters, including Ji-woo and mister Lee. Before they went inside the bus, a D-rank hunter came to Ji-woo. ¡°I am the leader of this squad, Park Jae-jin. Thank you for willing to work in the Ganjang guild as a porter. I will treat you fairly.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji-woo bowed. Afterward, the hunters went to the bus. And before the porters went too, they came to Ji-woo first. ¡°Hey, Ji-woo~si. Your name suits a girl, and with that long hair, it¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt inside the Portal Gate, Agassi.¡± Hahaha¨C The other portersughed, hearing the joke from their co-workers. All of the porters had the same age, except mister Lee. They were happy when they had another rookie joining the team. Importantly, a newbie like Ji-woo, who wasn¡¯t much older than them. Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind this kind of thing and did not bother to respond to it. ¡°Enough! The rest of you, get on the bus! The other three porters stopped their teasing and went to the bus. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ji-woo~si. They usually have a good manner.¡± Of course, Ji-woo understood why they treated him differently. Currently, in the hierarchy of these people, he was at the bottom of chains. Well, wherever a part-timer was working. They always got treated as an outsider. Even in a guild, there was no difference in treatment either. In the bus, Ji-woo folded both his arms and sat far at the back. Alone. Not long after the bus left for its destination, a hunter walked toward the back where Ji-woo was sitting. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si?¡± Ji-woo tilted his head, confused by someone that he didn¡¯t know calling his name. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, you did not recognize me? It¡¯s me, Jung Tae-ha. We¡¯re in the same ss in high school, remember?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to think hard and recall his memory. So, he just answered nonchntly. ¡°I can¡¯t recall. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jung Tae-ha frowned and didn¡¯t like being cast away since he was the one that took the initiation to greet Ji-woo first. Jung Tae-ha could immediately recognize Ji-woo because Ji-woo¡¯s face was not get covered by his long hair that got tied to the back of his head. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay not to remember me. Are you the new porter? Good luck, the pay is not bad for a porter. Enough for you to live.¡± Hahaha¨C ¡°Give me your phone number. We might have a ss reunion. It¡¯s been a long time since we did not meet you.¡± Many of Ji-woo¡¯s high school friends didn¡¯t know the news about him missing because the Portal Gates appeared together when he disappeared. They didn¡¯t have time to think about the outcast student like Ji-woo. Jung Tae-ha took out his phone. He thought to embarrass Ji-woo while meeting their high school alumni friends. As for Ji-woo, he didn¡¯t want to give his phone number at first. But he didn¡¯t want to act so pettily against his so-called friend. Ji-woo gave his phone numberzily, and Jung Tae-ha saved the number then put back his phone. ¡°I¡¯m a D-rank hunter now. Thus, you can ask me for money, and I will loan it to you with low interest as much as you want. Hahaha¨C ¡°See ya, friend.¡± Jung Tae-ha left Ji-woo at the back while smirking at him, thinking about the n with his other friends when they meet upter. Ji-woo only sighed and shrugged. He never took this kind of act as a significant thing. And always toss it back to the garbage. ¡®Kids that don¡¯t know about heaven and earth.¡¯ Theet¨C They stopped, and all of the hunters and porters got off of the bus. Ji-woo could see a Portal Gate that was bigger than the one he had encountered before. ¡°This is tier-2 Portal Gate, first time?¡± Asked mister Lee. ¡°Yes,¡± Ji-woo answered and nodded at mister Lee¡¯s query. Ppak, Ppak¨C Park Jae-jin pped and gave amand before entering the Portal Gate. ¡°Alright, everyone. I give you 5 minutes to prepare and gear up.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± All of the hunters and porters answered at the same time except Ji-woo and mister Lee. The others spread and took out the necessary things that they needed. While Ji-woo was wearing the Artifact suit again after being given by mister Lee, he asked about the tiny house. ¡°Is it okay to let our belongings here in that small house? And let a¡­, non-hunter oversee it?¡± When Ji-woo first came to the Portal Gate, he didn¡¯t ask Eun-bi about this because he put his stuff inside her car and did not worry about it. But now Ji-woo was curious why that tiny house used to put their stuff, guarded by an ordinary human, not a hunter. Mister Lee looked at Ji-woo with a face full of confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you work as a porter before? Why didn¡¯t you know about this?¡± Ji-woo lowered his head, feeling embarrassed. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask them before because I put my stuff in my friend¡¯s car.¡± Mister Lee smiled. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. There are many surveince cameras around here.¡± Ji-woo knitted his brows. ¡°What if that camera got destroyed and the guard got killed?¡± Hahaha¨C Mister Leeughed at Ji-woo¡¯s words. ¡°That thing has a Magic spell protection from an Apex-rank hunter. Unless they are at the same rank, they can¡¯t even leave a scratch at it. And who dares to rob the hunter¡¯s belongings?¡± ¡°Dunno, maybe a hunter wants to rob us?¡± Ji-woo gave another possibility while shrugged. ¡°Huh?! That¡­, I never saw a hunter getting robbed outside of the Portal Gate. Also, we are at tier-2 Portal Gate. There are no valuable things that are worth to be stolen.¡± Ji-woo realized his worries were too much. ¡°Yeah, mister Lee is right.¡± Five minutes had passed away. ¡°Now, gather here. We have 17 D-rank hunters and five porters. Let¡¯s do it like we usually do.¡± Zap, Zap¨C One by one, all of the Ganjang guild squad entered the tier-2 Portal Gate. Zip, Zip¨C The dungeons type this time was a Cave. Not a jungle-like tier-1 Portal Gate from before. The breeze was so chilling that it felt like it could stab their skins. But the hunters were not affected that much by this. Meanwhile, the porters were the ones that were suffering a little bit. Since Artifact suits could only block the Mana impact when entering the Portal Gate. It didn¡¯t mean it could prevent air from entering through the Artifact¡¯s armor and touching their skin. One of the hunters near the porters used his Magic spell to light a fire with his hands. The dark cave brightened and warmed the surroundings. ¡°Mister Lee, you seem not nervous at all.¡± Ji-woo asked after looking at mister Lee¡¯splexion. ¡°This is normal. I¡¯ve been with this Ganjang team for a long time and know their hunting style in the dungeons. ¡°C-rank hunters and above can¡¯t enter tier-1 and tier 2 Portal Gate. With that condition, a guild has a safety measure to counter it. ¡°That is to observe the area first and kill when the monster or creature in the dungeons is alone. ¡°Or separate them to be alone then kill. Don¡¯t make those creatures stick together, or all of us will be in trouble. ¡°The squad already has so much battle experience. So, the chance they make a mistake is low.¡± Ji-woo, too, knew about high-rank hunters who couldn¡¯t enter the low-tier Portal Gate. ¡®This damn Portal Gate is like telling the weak to enter high tier dungeons, but not permit if a high-rank hunter enters the lower tier dungeons.¡¯ ¡°There is a Magic Crystal and Magic Stone at the front, and it looks like nothing is around.¡± One of the hunters reported back to Park Jae-jin. ¡°Call the porters to collect the Magic Crystal and Magic Stone.¡± All the porters then do their job of gathering and picking it up. There were five Magic Crystal. Each crystal had the size of a kitty; One Magic stone had the size of an adult cat. Their weights were the same, and both of the shapes were oval too. When they were busy collecting Magic Crystals and Magic Stones, it turned out that there was an object that caught Ji-woo¡¯s attention. ¡°Eh? ¡°This¡­¡± There was an object that Ji-woo picked up with a perfectly symmetrical round shape. It glowed with dark and silver colors inside it. Mister Lee looked at Ji-woo and shifted his eyes to the object. ¡°Ah, that thing?! You don¡¯t need to pick it. It¡¯s useless.¡± Ji-woo flinched after hearing what Mister Lee had just said. ¡®You say this thing is worthless?!!!¡¯ Mister Lee couldn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo was still holding the object when he had already told him that it was not relevant. He sighed and told Ji-woo the object¡¯s name. ¡°That thing is called Sphere.¡± Chapter 16: Broodmother Chapter 16: Broodmother ¡°Huh? That Sphere is useless, is not worth a single penny, except you meet a collector of antique.¡± ¡°Why is this thing useless? ¡­, I mean this Sphere?¡± Kim Ji-woo corrected his words. Ji-woo was surprised to see an objectmonly seen in the Magical World. The Sphere was something a Mage used the most. And the Sphere had many advantages too. Such as being used as material for an item or weapon. Even the Greatsword of Stormrage used Sphere as one of theponents to create it. Next, mister Lee exined to Ji-woo, ¡°Well, it¡¯s understandable you didn¡¯t know because the Sphere got regarded as a rare thing in the dungeons. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have Mana like the Crystal and the Stone. Except for that beautiful color inside the Sphere that blended and moved around it. Where is the value of the Sphere?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know whether to be sad or happy because the Sphere was useless for the hunters based on mister Lee Ik-jun¡¯s words. In truth, Ji-woo knew precisely why the Sphere didn¡¯t feel like it had Mana. It was because a Sphere was an object that would block Mana from inside. So, it wouldn¡¯t let it leak to the outside. Because of that, they couldn¡¯t feel the Mana. Since the inside already had solid protection. The Rare Mana from Sphere was different from the Mana blessing that hunters had inside their bodies. The Mana Blessing was something impartial when it came to the hunters for the first time. It was the same as a white paper that still didn¡¯t have any writing on it. The hunters must first learn and understand the Mana in their bodies. Only then could they use Mana to perform various kinds of magic spellster. Meanwhile, the Rare Mana in the Sphere was the same as the paper with writing on it. The Sphere Mana had its attributes. Mana like that shouldn¡¯t be handled carelessly without knowing its traits. For example, the one in Ji-woo¡¯s hand had ck and Silver colors on it. It meant the Mana rted to something like a Strong Iron Vessel thing. Then, the Sphere was able to be used with anything associated with those attributes. After remembering the Sphere, Ji-woo tried looking to his left and right. But, didn¡¯t find another one. Later Ji-woo hoped there would be another Sphere along the way. ¡°Then, mister Lee. I can take this back with me, right?¡± Since Ji-woo knew how to use Sphere, he didn¡¯t mind taking it. Mister Lee sighed, ¡°It¡¯s okay, but I don¡¯t know how much the price from a collector will offer for the Sphere and where you can find such a collector for it.¡± He then shrugged. Ji-woo put the Sphere to his porter bag and suddenly felt ire thinking back what mister Lee just said to him. ¡®Except for the colors, this thing doesn¡¯t have anything worth to be sold. But why can such a thing attract a collector of antique¡¯s interest?¡¯ Ji-woo mumbling. ¡°Perhaps, there is more information that mister Lee didn¡¯t know?¡± Ji-woo then shifted his gaze and looked at all of the people inside the cave. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, high-ranked hunters know how to use Sphere?¡± Ji-woo expected the squad at the cave didn¡¯t know anything because they were low-rank hunters. It was terrible news for Ji-woo. He thoughting to Earth with his soul was a guarantee for his and his family¡¯s safety. But now, the Sphere had appeared. And the possibility of high-ranked hunters knowing the use of Sphere was high, making Ji-woo anxious. In the Magical world, an object like a Sphere was one of the several reasons why Ji-woo couldn¡¯t be the most mighty warriorpared to the others. Of course, the Rare Mana still didn¡¯t affect Ji-woo, but the Spheres made for items and weapons were troublesome for him. Some inhabitants of the Magical world know how to use the Sphere to deal with Ji-woo¡¯s cursed soul. ¡®Damn it! I want my true strength back. And I need those two weapons back to me! Since Sphere exists here, that means I have the chance to revive them.¡¯ Ji-woo had confidence that as long he had them. Even if high-ranked hunters use the Sphere as items or weapons, they couldn¡¯t easily defeat him. ¡°And I need three more of this Obelisk Sphere.¡± Ji-woo knew the Sphere name. ¡°What did you mumble about, Ji-woo~si?¡± Mister Lee asked Ji-woo since he kept standing there and not moving anywhere else. ¡°Pardon? Ah, nothing Mister Lee.¡± ¡°Thene here. There is another Magic Crystal and Magic stone ahead.¡± ¡°Alright, mister.¡± Ji-woo then walked forward and collected the Magic Crystal and Magic Stone. He didn¡¯t find another Sphere after looking around at the spot. He then wanted to continue walking but was stopped by mister Lee. ¡°What happened, mister?¡± ¡°Seems like leader Park Jae-jin has some clue about the cave.¡± Ji-woo was fascinated after seeing how detailed and careful the low-rank hunters¡¯ squad handled the low-tier Portal Gate. ¡®He seems to always send a scout first before moving. No wonder we have not encountered anything so far.¡¯ Mister Lee then said with a solemn tone. ¡°Those who have Mana blessings are lucky.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Ji-woo was confused about why mister Lee said something like that. ¡°The mana blessing will make you live longer than the average person. Because Mana is like a second vein that flows through your body and maintains its vitality status.¡± Mister Lee Smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why when hunters exhaust their Mana pool to the point of emptiness. They¡¯re tired and weak.¡± Ji-woo showed a profound expression that looked like he was thinking about what mister Lee had just said. But, truthfully. Ji-woo was cursing his soul. ¡®You f**k*ng soul b*st*rd. You know I¡¯m longing to have the Mana flow inside me. But instead, you chose to live with me. Make me be able to feel the Mana but can¡¯t have it!¡¯ Ji-woo¡¯s feeling was the same as a kid that had money to buy candy, but the kid couldn¡¯t eat it. Know how tormented that feeling was? ¡°That¡¯s why I envy the hunters, Ji-woo~si.¡± Ji-woo stopped his thought. ¡°Yeah, me to sir.¡± After the situation was quiet for a few minutes, Park Jae-jin took themand and told them about the n. ¡°Okay, fours of you guard the porters.¡± ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim!¡± ¡°And the rest will follow me deeper. This time our prey is Spiderlings, be careful with their webs.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After dividing their duties, Ji-woo thought back to his first time in the dungeon. Squad 7 should be able to handle the ck Wolf problem with ease. However, due to the panic caused by the poison and the sudden attack from the wolves, they find it difficult to regroup. Ji-woo then shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to dwell on the past. ¡ª- ¡ª- The rest of the Ji-woo groups sat on the ground to rest a little bit when the porters had already separated from Park Jae-jin groups. Their group didn¡¯t dare to use the fire to light up the area, only used small light from an Artifact item. The artifacts were about the size of a golf ball. Mister Lee gives it to each of them, the porters. They could warm their hands and could light up their surroundings a little. It had been 10 hours since they were inside the dungeons. And these tier-2 Portal Gate dungeons were the same as the tier-1 Portal Gate. Ji-woo felt the dungeon was not the real thing based on the Mana he felt in all parts. But he couldn¡¯t tell why he had an assumption like that. Ji-woo threw away such thoughts. ¡°Mister Lee, how can we go out from these dungeons?¡± Ji-woo asked. ¡°It¡¯s called the owner of the dungeon. After being killed, thest person to cause harm or rather, the person who killed it has the authority over the dungeon.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s face got puzzled. Mister Lee immediately cleared Ji-woo¡¯s confusion. ¡°Simply, the Portal Gate¡¯s will be the room door that can get opened with your thoughts.¡± ¡®Ah, is that why thest time we went out so suddenly because I didn¡¯t specify it in my mind? I was just in a hurry to go back at that time.¡¯ Ji-woo shook his head, then asked another question to mister Lee. ¡°What if the person in authority doesn¡¯t want toe out? Or maybe they died together with the dungeon owner at the same time?¡± ¡°Then find the small bead that always drops after the dungeon owner is dead. It is the size of a chicken egg. When you crush the bead, everything that came through the Portal Gate will be back from the Portal Gate.¡± ¡°Ah, a bead¡­¡± Ji-woo spoke like he just got enlightenment. Hehehe¨C Mister Leeughed lightly looked Ji-woo¡¯splexion. ¡°You seem interested concerning the Portal Gate. Want to be a hunter in the future? Well, you can ask me. I know a lot about this. I worked as a porter in the Ganjang guild for three years. ¡°But, only if you get the Mana blessingster.¡± Ji-woo could only smile awkwardly and recognized, asking too much about the Portal Gate. Ji-woo wanted to ask about how to determine the owner of the dungeon. Yet, he decided not to ask it. ¡°If the Spiderlings is the current opponent for the leader Park group, then the owner must be the Broodmother.¡± ¡°Hmm? Mister Lee, how do you know about that?¡± Ji-woo was shocked hearing mister Lee, who seemed to know more about the Cave dungeon. Hehehe¨C ¡°There is a Portal Gate NeverPage on the inte. Tsk! Even though I¡¯m old, I still know how to surf in the digital world. Still, my experience is better than that inte thing too.¡± Mister Lee teased Ji-woo as a young man who was familiar with the technology. But, he didn¡¯t even know there was little information about Portal Gates on the inte. That information got shared by hunters who managed to clear the dungeons in the country of South Korea. Many creatures and all kinds of dungeon information got shared through this site. The hope was to make it easier to close the Portal Gates in their own countries. Of course, in the world, there were simr websites too. That got held more info regarding the lower tier Portal Gates. Chapter 17: Trust Chapter 17: Trust Twenty-three hours after entering the Portal Gate, the hunt proceeded slowly. When they explored the cave and found some beasts, the porters would be moved to a safe ce and had some hunters to protect them. Then the rest would hunt the Spiderlings. So far, the Ganjang guild team has collected 7 Magic Crystals and 2 Magic Stones. And the good news was. They still had their squad members intact, not losing a single one. The Ganjang guild members seemed to be able to stay in the dungeon for quite a while. Along with the food supplies they prepare for survival. They look ready to fight the Broodmother at ater stage. Kim Ji-woo was impressed by the Ganjang guild performance in the dungeons. He even wondered whether this tier-2 Portal Gate was weaker than the tier-1 Portal Gate from before. But seeing their messy clothes was very different from when they first entered the Portal Gate. Ji-woo knew the Spiderlings were not easy opponents. Although, the injuries that hunters had right now weren¡¯t critical or severe. And when they were exhausted from fighting the Spiderlings, they preferred taking a rest rather than using the Magic Crystal to replenish their Mana. Despite the time they took, it was longer. It was better than using and throwing away the profit from Magic Crystal and Magic Stone. It was also the reason why they spent almost a day. But still not reaching or meeting the Broodmother. Park Jae-jin gave his order to the squad. ¡°In 20 minutes, we will move deeper from here.¡± Some of them were still resting, while others started to prepare. The Ganjang guild squad, second inmand, walked toward Park Jae-jin. ¡°What is the circumstance?¡± Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t immediately respond to it. He still looked toward the cave¡¯s passage which was quite huge in front of him. Park Jae-jin then shifted his gaze to the squad. He looked at hisrade that was still waiting patiently at the side. ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be Magic Crystal and Magic Stone anymore from here on. This cave setting is not good. I want to end this hunt faster than usual.¡± There were four hunters on Park Jae-jin¡¯s side. Plus, his second-inmand hunter, hearing the opinion from their squad leader. All of them had their experience of hunting in any environment in the dungeons. So, after hearing their leader¡¯s judgment, they agree on it. ¡°Hyung~nim, take care of us like usual.¡± ¡°We believe in you, Hyung~nim!¡± Hehehe¨C Park Jae-jin smiled, appreciating the trust his fellow hunters showed to him. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Then all of them moved as instructed. Deep to the broader passage that seemed to where the Broodmother Den was. While they walked in the passage, they saw some of the small webs in the surrounding. Park Jae-jin then stopped the squad and told the scout to check it at the front. Kim Ji-woo at the back knows why they stopped and tried to take a peek at the passage. Ji-woo¡¯s sense to Mana had a broader range than many hunters here. So, He could feel an enormous Mana ahead of them. ¡®There no hunters Mana here could bepared to that huge Mana.¡¯ Ji-woo swept his gaze to the hunters in the foreground. He then smiled and muttered some words. ¡°Well, if all the D-rank hunters here have great teamwork. That thing should not possess any threat at all.¡± Hosh, Hosh¨C There was a sound of gasping in the dark passage heading their ce from the front. Then, they saw a silhouette of a human from there. Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t idle either after knowing it was their hunter that came back from scouting. ¡°Catch your breath first, and then talk about the details.¡± The scout hunter did the long inhale and exhaled instantly. ¡°There is the Broodmother at the front, And the Spiderlings too.¡± ¡°The Spiderlings? How many?¡± ¡°Around five of them, I can¡¯t get a clear glimpse since the Broodmother Mana Presence is pressuring me.¡± Park Jae-jin put The frog-mouth helm on his head. Then reassured the hunter scout. ¡°You did well. Now, let us take care of the rest.¡± Almost all the hunters were gearing up their items and weapons to prepare for a battle. Ji-woo, who was in the group of porters, could only stay by the side and wait with the two hunters who would be left behind. Thebat group needed as much as possible of manpower that they could have. That was why they only let two hunters for the porters. Honestly, Ji-woo wanted to see how they fought against the owner of the dungeon, Broodmother. But, he didn¡¯t want to interfere in their assignment like before. After all, Ji-woo believed in this group of D-rank hunters. He sure they could get the job done, especially with Park Jae-jin¡¯s leadership. From Ji-woo¡¯s perspective, Park Jae-jin¡¯s talent to takemand and lead was not bad. Of course,pared to the General from the Great War in the Magical world, Park Jae-jin could still be considered an infant. Albeit, Ji-woo was a General too in the Great War. He, not one of the General roles that lead an army. He was a Solo General under the directmand of Supreme Commander Stormrage. And about Park Jae-jin¡¯s strength as a hunter. Ji-woo didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him. Park Jae-jin¡¯s eyes were the same as a veteran warrior that already experienced tons of critical conditions. Ji-woo then looked toward mister Lee. He saw there was no hesitation and worry in mister Lee¡¯s eyes. It showed how much trust mister Lee had for his Ganjang guild squad in this Cave dungeon. Ji-woo smiled subtly and thought, ¡®I need to have some trust in the hunters. In the end, they are the ones that have been fighting for six years. When I¡¯m not here.¡¯ Ji-woo¡¯s skepticism grew from his experience living the life of a general without his own troops for 20 years. Everything needed to get done with his own strength. Before asking for help, try with your own first. If you ask for help first before trying, you tend to be useless andzy. You couldn¡¯t be sure supports would always be avable for you. That was Ji-woo¡¯s ideology after living in the Magical world. But, after witnessing their coordination, Ji-woo decided to put an expectation on the Ganjang guild squad. ¡ª- ¡ª- At the end of the passage, The hunter¡¯s group that Park Jae-jin brought was reaching the Broodmother Den. The ce was dark, but they brightened it with Artifact items. Surprisingly, What awaited them in the nest was not something they had already expected. There were manyrge webs around the ce. But still no sight of Broodmother yet on their vision. Kicik, Kicik¨C There was the sound of Spiderling moving toward the hunters. ¡°Prepare!¡± Park Jae-jin shouted out to his squad members. Park Jae-jin trusted his hunter scout information and had the confidence to fight them. There was no need to y hide and seek anymore. Kicik, Kicik¨C There were five Spiderlings lined up at the foremost. Each of them was about the size of an adult dog. On the side of Park Jae-jin, they use (A) formationyout. Blocking the entrance plus securing their path of escape in case of emergencies happen. Park Jae-jin stood at the front line. All of a sudden, they saw a big beast crawling behind the Spiderlings. A beast with eight legs, its movement was soundless over the webs. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C The beast opened its mouth. Park Jae-jin and the rest instantly knew the beast was the Broodmother. Before they reacted to the arrival of Broodmother, they heard something in their ears. Hwa, Hyaa¨C The Broodmother uses its ability, Insatiable Fear. It let lose a wicked cry, inflicting fear on their mind. It made the hunters tremble. And their legs felt weak. Even some of the hunters fell to their knees. Park Jae-jin¡¯s face turned ugly after sensing the Broodmother¡¯s Insatiable Fear. He knew that if he didn¡¯t do anything quickly. The squad hunters would get haunted by their fear. Park Jae-jin put forward a shield with the left arm. That shield was the same size as his upper body. ¡°Shield of the King!¡± Weng, Wing¨C A bright white light appeared from the shield and expanded further, pushing the Spiderlings back. It even put Insatiable Fear to stop affecting the hunters. ¡°Stand up! And Fight!¡± Park Jae-jin shouted anothermand to the hunters. Had the Insatiable Fear gone from the hunter¡¯s mind, they recovered and immediately stood on their feet on the ground with an attacking position. The Broodmother then made a move. After seeing the Spiderlings backing off by the shield. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C Chiit¨C The Broodmother opened its mouth and spat a fluid that hardened on contact into a poisonous and sticky mass. The fluid contained both venom and spider silk in liquid form. Park Jae-jin got caught off guard by the Broodmother¡¯s spit. He didn¡¯t have a chance to avoid it. Instead, he defended it with the shield. Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t expect that the Artifact weapon¡¯s shield ability, Shield of the King, wouldn¡¯t work anymore. The silk from the Broodmother spit was sealing the Mana on his shield. Unless Park Jae-jin removed the silk, it was just an ordinary lump of iron. Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t have any other choice than to abandon the shield and only use the sword. ¡°Go!¡± Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t want to let the Broodmother take the initiative. So, hemanded them to attack together, with some hunters at their back, ready to use the Magic spells. The Spiderlings were not afraid anymore because the light of the shield had disappeared. They charged to the front too. Chapter 18: End Game Chapter 18: End Game The hunters knew the webs were giving the Spiderlings and the Broodmother an advantage. The webs gave an increase in movement speed and improved the regeneration while in its vicinity. The hunters recognized it because they had previously hunted the Spiderlings. And felt that the advantage of webs was not such a big deal since the hunters, in the end, still could kill the Spiderlings. However, the difference they were facing right now was the Broodmother. From fifteen hunters on the spot. Five of them got forced to fight against Spiderlings in a one-by-one situation. While ten of the hunters included Park Jae-jin, confront the Broodmother. The unfavorable conditions put pressure on Park Jae-jin and forced him to change his strategy. ¡°Make the Broodmother busy a little bit, don¡¯t let it know I¡¯m missing from the formation.¡± Park Jae-jin gave his authority to the squad hunter second inmand. Four hunters with fourrge shields covering their body push their way to the front and hold the Broodmother¡¯s legs to restrict its movement. ¡°Do it now!¡± Two hunters were ready to unleash their magic power. ¡°Trozo de Magic of Ice!¡± ¡°Schalen Magic of Water!¡± Chink, Chink¨C Shrass, Shrass¨C Three of the sharp chunks of ice appeared above the Broodmother. And also, the water came out from below, covered the ground under the Broodmother. It made it couldn¡¯t move and easily got restrained by the tanker hunters. Wosh, Dang¨C That chunk of ice fell, hit the Broodmother. When the collision crashes, the four tank hunters immediately back away while maintaining their shield in front of their bodies. The ground got crushed from the impact of the shock wave. A cloud of dust covered the Broodmother area. Looking at this attempt from hisrade hunters, Park Jae-jin smiled and knew it didn¡¯t affect the Broodmother. But, it was enough to buy him a little time to slip away from the Broodmother. Park Jae-jin moved to another battlefield then entered the domain of Spiderlings¡¯ fight. The Broadsword he wielded activates its ability. Park Jae-jin moved faster than before. Cirp, Cirp¨C ¡°Thunder Roar!¡± Cracks of lightning appeared on the Broadsword. Crat¨C Keuhk, Keuhk¨C One Spiderling instantly died, and it didn¡¯t have a chance to regenerate because of the lighting paralyzed effect. Cirp, Cirp¨C ¡°Thank you, Hyung!¡± A voice from The hunter that faced the Spiderling that just got killed by Park Jae-jin. Cirp, Cirp¨C Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t have time to respond. His fast move, shing the Spiderlings, came to a halt. He then pulled his back and raised one leg a little bit. Then he turned with his other foot that was still on the ground to face the other Spiderlings. After turning around, the legs were raised, stomped to the ground. And made Park Jae-jin leap forward faster with the following burst of lightning on its way. Daar¨C Ziert, Ziert¨C Crat¨C Keuhk, Keuhk¨C Another Spiderling died without even being able to retaliate. The Spiderling¡¯s advantage with the webs was useless because of the Broadsword¡¯s ability, lighting paralyzed. Cirp, Cirp¨C ¡°Hyung!¡± The hunter was d for Park Jae-jin¡¯s help in killing the Spiderlings in his front. Park Jae-jin with The frog-mouth helm on his head, looking at the two hunters that he helped. And he nodded at them. The two hunters understood the meaning and nodded back at their leader. Park Jae-jin wanted to create a situation where they fight five versus three, favoring the hunters. And with 30 seconds away from the dungeon owner was enough to let Park Jae-jin kill two of the Spiderlings. But sadly, this window of time was not enough to distract the Broodmother. Park Jae-jin couldn¡¯t leave his other group of hunters facing the Broodmother for too long without him. Triszz, Booom¨C Suddenly, a big shock wave brushed the wind to the side of Park Jae-jin. He had a bad feeling about that. ¡°I go! Regroup as soon as possible!¡± Park Jae-jin hoped the five hunters could kill the remaining three Spiderlings faster and join the other hunters to fight against the Broodmother. Right now, he was desperate to have all of the hunters that were avable in the den. ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim.¡± Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t want to waste any moment and quickly used his lighting move to reach the Broodmother spot. The ground he was using to stamp his feet cracked. Daar¨C Ziert, Ziert¨C Park Jae-jin could see the hunters getting pressed by the Broodmother¡¯s ability again, Insatiable Fear. Hwa, Hyaa¨C The wicked cry this time forced all the hunters in front of Broodmother to fall on their knees. Now, Park Jae-jin didn¡¯t have his shield anymore to deflect the Insatiable Fear like before. He had no choice but to try to push his way to get close to Broodmother and hit it head-on with his Broadsword. However, Park Jae-jin¡¯s footsteps got forced to stop on their own. He fell on his knees like the other. He still held onto his Broadsword to support him from falling to the ground. Park Jae-jin gritted his teeth. Inside the frog-mouth helm, his ears start to bleed. ¡°Huarrggg!¡± Park Jae-jin shouted out loud. He charged again with the lighting move with such harsh conditions. Daar¨C Ziert, Ziert¨C Park Jae-jin held his sword tightly with both of his hands. Cirp, Cirp¨C The Broodmother senses a dangering close to it. Stopped its Insatiable Fear and jumped off from the current spot to the wall. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C Park Jae-jin¡¯s move couldn¡¯t hit the Broodmother, but his purpose to stop the wicked cry got aplished. The Broodmother did not want to let the hunters recover and pose any threat to itself. It wants to kill all of them. Hywaaaa¡ª The Broodmother cried out in a piercing tone. Abruptly, a gradation of coercion in Mana was getting huge between the Broodmother and the hunters. The Mana Presence from the Broodmother caused suffocation to the one that had arge discrepancy in Mana. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s almost like the Broodmother is going berserk at this point.¡¯ Park Jae-jin stood in front of other hunters at the moment. All of them recover a little bit from the Insatiable Fear. ¡°Tsk, so noisy.¡± Park Jae-jin then looked to the side and spoke to one hunter, ¡°Make it quiet. It¡¯s time to end this game.¡± The hunter put the palms of the hands together in front of his chest. ¡°Fimethart Magic of Fire!¡± Hfoosh¨C The hunter spat fire from his mouth towards the Broodmother. The Broodmother wasn¡¯t happy with the fire and jumped back to the ground. Park Jae-jin then heard the hunter¡¯s voice from afar. ¡°Hyung! We here!¡± ¡°We are done with the Spiderlings. So, we can help to end the game.¡± Park Jae-jin smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this beast!¡± Now, with fifteen hunters ready to fight. Park Jae-jin¡¯s confidence skyrocketed in defeating the Broodmother faster. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C The Broodmother opened its mouth and used another ability, Spider Bite. The Broodmother¡¯s showed a violent lust for vital fluids. Its teeth have venom that could cripple the hunters. The venom was the same as its spit from before. At this time, the Broodmother¡¯s appearance got changed. Its body color originally was ck and red. Now, it became full red. However, it was not enough. Even a domineering Mana Presence couldn¡¯t make the hunters back off. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C ¡°Stand on your feet!¡± The hunter¡¯s sheer willpower didn¡¯t waver and had a firm resolution to fight. ¡°Annihte!¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- Kim Ji-woo, in a safe ce, could know the situation in the Broodmother den. Even though he couldn¡¯t see it directly, he could still feel the Mana from them. ¡®There is a twenty-one entity. Fifteen of it are the hunters from Park Jae-jin¡¯s side, and the rest must be the Broodmother and Spiderlings, perhaps?¡¯ Ji-woo shook his head. It had been an hour since they separated. And now, the porters started to be restless. The two hunters that stay behind begin to worry about the frontline. ¡°Mister Lee, rx. We need to trust them. Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡± Mister Lee nced at Ji-woo, then back to look down at the ground. His forehead was already sweating so much that it seemed like he needed to take off the artifact suit helmet to cool off. To be the truth, Ji-woo himself didn¡¯t have confidence when he said that word. Because now, the gap between Mana was too far apart. At first, Ji-woo feltposed after-felt there were five small Mana disappear. Since the Mana, he felt was different from the hunters. He was sure that they had done well on the hunt. Yet, a moment ago, before Ji-woo spoke to mister Lee. The Broodmother huge Mana getting bigger and widen its gap from the hunters in there. After that, Ji-woo began to worry too. Some people might think Mana was unnecessary for a battle as long as they had more experience in fighting. But, having enough Mana could increase the survival ability of its owner. If someone had unlimited Mana, any fighting strategy would get broken. Any tricks up the sleeves wouldn¡¯t work anymore. And if Broodmother used that Mana to increase raw power or use magic spells. The hunters didn¡¯t stand a chance even though they had a lot of fighting experience. It was useless. Ji-woo was thinking about how to help without showing his capability in this End Game situation. Showing off an ability carelessly without a perfect n was a stupid move for Ji-woo. Chapter 19: Impregnable Wall Chapter 19: Impregnable Wall The tremors from the battle in Broodmother¡¯s den could be felt even more at where the porters and hunters waited. The cave seemed to shake on every part of it. Kim Ji-woo then suggested they go to the Park Jae-jin squad and try to help them if they could after looking at mister Lee and the hunter¡¯s face. The two hunters and mister Lee agree. But, the three porters didn¡¯t want to go at first. But, since it was a four versus three situations. The other porters didn¡¯t have any choice. In the end, all of them then went to the Broodmother¡¯s den. The porters and the hunters on Kim Ji-woo¡¯s side didn¡¯t want to rush to the Broodmother den, even though they worried about their squad members. Ji-woo, too, didn¡¯t urge them to move faster either. Considering he could feel the Mana from the den, he knew the situation was not dangerous yet. ¡°We will be fine, mister Lee.¡± Ji-woo kept assuring mister Lee of their circumstances since earlier. He felt grateful and owed a favor to mister Lee. Since helping him to find a job again. Although, it was just a part-timer. Mister Lee was d that Ji-woo kept trying to calm him, and he felt rxed while in this uneasy condition. ¡ª- ¡ª- In the Broodmother den, the battle between the hunters and the Broodmother was a deadlock. But, it was clear if this continues for an hour, the hunters will lose miserably. On the side of hunters, even though they didn¡¯t suffer any casualties. The damage caused by the Broodmother was enough to make them feel pain all over the body, and the fatigue, reaching a new high for them. It was because their low Mana pool gets almost emptied. Mana was one of the essential factors here. The Broodmother¡¯s body didn¡¯t suffer any deep wounds. Its durability was better with the support of its Mana that huge. The stamina was still good enough tost for longer too. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°This damn beast is sturdy!¡± ¡°How many times it took our hit, some of them even hit the mark. But, it seems not enough.¡± The Broodmother body might have strong resistance against the Magic. It was why Park Jae-jin now tried to change his n again. Rather than focus on harassing it with many Magic spells attack. He wanted to focus on physical strength. ¡°Now, the Magic spells only should get used to distract or help other hunters when they are in trouble facing the Broodmother. ¡°Or you can boost our overall power with the enhancement whether on the body or the weapon.¡± Park Jae-jin¡¯s resolved to fight the Broodmother with the same style it used to fight against them. So far, the Broodmother did not use any Magic spells despite having huge Manapared to the hunters. It either the Broodmother didn¡¯t want to use it because it was not in a dire situation. Or the Broodmother didn¡¯t have any Magic spell except the ability like Insatiable Fear and Spider Bite. Park Jae-jin¡¯s opinion fell to thetter. So, he decided to invest all of their remaining Mana in physical strength. ¡°Now!¡± Along with a shout-out from Park Jae-jin, the hunters familiar with fighting conserve their Mana as much as possible. And only use it if they need to defend or attack the Broodmother. On the other hand, the Spellcaster hunters use their Mana left to give the frontline hunters Buff. ¡°Go!¡± Der, Daar¨C Many hunters jumped their way to the Broodmother side. Their movement speed was increased by fold. Not only that, the weapon the hunters wield had the enhancement too. The Spellcaster Hunters knew that if they upgraded their weapons with elemental spells, they wouldn¡¯t be able to injure Broodmother. So, they used their Mana to boost weapon endurance. Teng, Ting¨C Sreet, Creet¨C Some of the hunters¡¯ Broadsword, hitting the Broodmother¡¯s left and right sides, tried to crack its body defense. Meanwhile, the other hunters used their spear and arrow to try piercing them. But, Park Jae-jin still used his lighting Magic along with other hunters Buff on top of it. His speed was faster than the hunters that had already doubled their movement speed. Not only that, Park Jae-jin¡¯s overall agility got increased too. His Broadsword sh couldn¡¯t be seen anymore by the Broodmother. ¡°Hyaa!!¡± Zert, Zert¡ª The Broodmother couldn¡¯t handle so much pressure at once, with so many hunters attacking itself. It tried to run away and evade the attacks. But, every time it wanted to move, the Broodmother action got caught by the tanker hunters that used their shield to seal the movement. Hywaaaa¡ª The beast cried out the pain from getting hit by so many hunters¡¯ attacks. But, it still was not enough to break the impregnable wall of the Broodmother body. Hosh, Hosh¨C Park Jae-jin almost ran out of his Mana, and his stamina got dropped. However, he insisted on keeping what they were doing now. Right now, the difference in Mana showed how important it was to have arge amount of Mana capacity when fighting one another. Park Jae-jin and co had limited options and could only do the offensive right now. Hoping the defense would break at any moment. While Park Jae-jin and the other hunters still onught the Broodmother. Ji-woo and the others were getting close to the den entrance. ¡°It seems like we reach the entrance. Let¡¯s take a look first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two hunters talked to each other and put the porters at the back. Ji-woo wanted to take a quick look because he didn¡¯t know why Broodmother didn¡¯t move when he had plenty of Mana, whereas the Hunter¡¯s Mana was getting less and less over time. Ji-woo then heard the hunter that took a look inside the entrance shouted their squad leader¡¯s name. ¡°Park Jae-jin~si!¡± Park Jae-jin was surprised to hear his name got called in this kind of situation. ¡°You guys?! Why are you here? Just stay back. We can handle this.¡± The hunters didn¡¯t know whether they could trust Park Jae-jin or not after looking at the fight that seemed to be in a stalemate. But on the leader¡¯s side, they seemed exhausted while the Broodmother kept defending its body. Park Jae-jin shifted his gaze back to the Broodmother and gave anothermand. ¡°Try to get its eyes!¡± Teng, Ting¨C Sreet, Creet¨C The hunters shifted the focus of their attack to the Broodmother¡¯s eyes. But, it immediately covers the eyes from the attack. Suddenly, Ji-woo spoke to the two hunters at the entrance with a low voice. ¡°Go, help Park Jae-jin~si and others. With additional fresh hunters, that thing wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it any longer.¡± The two hunters were surprised hearing Ji-woo on their back and thinking about what he said to them. It was really tempting to finish that Dungeon Owner faster. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will be fine here. There seem no monsters around here.¡± Ji-woo knew that they were safe now around the entrance. No other beast would dare to get close to the Broodmother den. Even if there were Spiderlings left, all of it should be out to protect the Broodmother. The two hunters understood this too. ¡°Just go, help leader Park to kill that beast.¡± It was the voice of mister Lee, who was at Ji-woo¡¯s side. The two hunters looked at Ji-woo and mister Lee¡¯s eyes. They instantly nodded at their idea. ¡°Alright, but if there is some danger in here,e inside and get close to the spellcaster hunters. They are not doing the frontal assault. So, they can protect you if something happens here.¡± Ji-woo and mister Lee nodded back to assure the two hunters. The three porters that did not agree with them toe before didn¡¯t dare to get close to the entrance and stayed still at the back of Ji-woo and mister Lee. Park Jae-jin looked at the two new hunters that wereing to the battlefield. He was confused why they still wanted to appear while leaving the porters behind. But, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to think about it. ¡°Use your Mana to enhance your strength and agility. Both of you will be heavy hitters here.¡± One of the hunters used a spear, and the other used an ax. They jumped to the Broodmother after confirming the task from Park Jae-jin. ¡°Haa!!¡± Zwish, Zwish¨C Deug, Bang¨C Incessant spear attacks and heavy hits from the Axe created an explosion shock wave from the center collision. The two new hunters chose to target the eyes covered by the Broodmother legs. But, the newbo attack was not enough to breach the defense. The Broodmother was still in good condition and tried to break through the imprisonment strategy from the tanker hunters with their big shield. Ji-woo just saw the fight that happened and sneered. ¡°Tsk, this Broodmother wanna do the attrition.¡± Ji-woo then picked up a small rock on the ground. He backed off a little bit and now stood behind mister Lee that still looked at the battlefield. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ Ji-woo stretched his hand to throw the small rock, and the veins bulged in his hand. Wooshh¨C Bang¨C The small rock collided with one of the Broodmother legs and instantly turned into dust. But, it was enough to break the bnce of the Broodmother, making it fall to one side. The legs that used to cover Broodmother eyes now moved from its spot. The odd asion didn¡¯t slip away from Park Jae-jin¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t know why the Broodmother fell, but he saw the eyes didn¡¯t get covered anymore. ¡®Chance!¡¯ ¡°The eyes! Attack its eyes, now! Quick!¡± All of the hunters heard the scream from Park Jae-jin and used all of their Mana left to attack the Broodmother¡¯s eyes. The hunters could feel from Park Jae-jin¡¯s voice. It might be their one andst chance to kill the Broodmother. Chapter 20: Complicated Chapter 20: Complicated All of the hunters that had some strength left were charging toward the Broodmother and targeting its eyes. Fshaa, Fshaa¨C Keuk, Kheuk¨C Kim Ji-woo could feel the Broodmother Mana was decreasing at a rapid pace along with its weak voice. Hosh, Hosh¨C Park Jae-jin clenched his fists. He was d everything was over now. Even if he lost the Magic Crystals and Magic Stones, as long as they could close the Portal Gates without losing the hunters and porters, he was happy with it. Nothing could be better than clearing the dungeon with all the members who were still alive. The porters that scared to get close before. Now, walk in a hurry to the entrance after hearing the cheers. Mister Lee pat Ji-woo¡¯s shoulder on the side. He was smiling and loosened up the tension since they cleared the dungeon. ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°First time we hunt dungeons like this!¡± ¡°We are strong! We can kill a beast like the Broodmother!¡± Ji-woo knew the hunters were capable of ying the beast. But, he doubted they could win away unscathed from the Broodmother. Of course, Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind the result. He was just d the hunt on this time in the dungeon didn¡¯t meet any trouble. ¡°Jae-jin Hyung! There is Mana Core beside the Dungeon Bead! Hurry!¡± ¡°For real?¡± Park Jae-jin was shocked to hear that there was Mana Core from the Broodmother drop. He walked toward where the hunter shouted at him. The shape of Mana Core was like an ore. Park Jae-jin held the Mana Core with both of his hands. Ji-woo at the entrance couldn¡¯t see what they were doing. But, he could feel there was an enormous Mana at where Park Jae-jin stood. ¡®Is that the Bead? I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Ji-woo didn¡¯t know from where the gigantic Mana wasing. Mister Lee then pulled Ji-woo and invited him to gather with the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go and join them.¡± Both of them joined the crowds. ¡°We got a great harvest this time around.¡± ¡°Yeah, with 7 Magic Crystal and 2 Magic Stones. We are rich!¡± Hahaha¨C The ce was full ofughter. The hunters were proud of what they got this time. It was worth being exhausted. Actually, just the Magic Crystal and Magic Stone alone were not enough to make them feel happy like that after clearing the dungeon. It was the Mana Core that made them more happy than usual. They forgot thating back alive from the Portal Gate should be the most precious thing. Mana Core was worth 30 million to 50 million Won in the market. The potential profit from this hunt was around 115 million Won. Aside from the hunters and porter¡¯s monthly pay from the guild. They could get a bonus of about 1 million to 2 million Won each person. Maybe, it was a small amount for the current cost of living. But who knew, maybe next time. The Ganjang guild members go to the Portal Gate again. They could get a huge harvest from the dungeon. Ji-woo was speechless looked at their reactions. ¡®When they¡¯re in a state of despair, they hope to make it through alive. But having crossed the obstacle safely, they expected to get more than they have.¡¯ In the Magical world, this situation was the same too. Of course, it wasmon to be happy to have the unexpected. But because of that, people sometimes became greedy and forgot what was important to them. So, they would throw away their life for something that was not worthy of their life so freely. Be grateful, and don¡¯t eat anything more than you can chew. Ji-woo shook his head, and Park Jae-jin immediately told the hunters to be quiet. He picked up the Dungeon Bead. ¡°Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Park Jae-jin destroyed the bead in his hand. Creak¨C Zip, Zip¨C One by one, all of the Ganjang guild squad got transported back to the real world. Zap, Zap¨C They were standing outside the Portal Gate. All the hunters and porters turned their heads and looked at the level-2 Portal Gate, where the Mana was slowly starting to dissipate. They watch until it fades. Pong¨C The gatekeeper from the shrine house came to greet and bow at them. ¡°Wah, it¡¯s only 2 hours, mister Park congrattion on sessfully closing the Portal Gate here. Then my job observing this ce is done too. Thank you.¡± Hahaha¨C Now, the gatekeeper could go back and get his payment since the Portal Gate was closed. Unless there was another Portal Gate, show up around the ce. The guard wouldn¡¯t get needed anymore. In the end, it was Ganjang guild private property. They hold the management in the area. The Ganjang Guild bought the expensive Portal Gate rights from the Hunter Association. And now they were reaping the harvest from the dungeon to make up for those initial losses. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si, thank you. We will contact you through mister Leeter.¡± Park Jae-jin tapped Ji-woo¡¯s shoulder after thanking his work for the squad as a part-timer. Ji-woo nodded his head, agreeing with Park Jae-jin¡¯s order. The porters now took off their artifact suits while waiting for the guild bus to pick them up. Ji-woo gave back his artifact suit to mister Lee. This time without missing anything like the previous incident. ¡°Thank you, mister Lee.¡± Ji-woo bows his head to thank mister Lee. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m grateful to you for working as a part-timer with us. Ah, right, give me your bank ount. I will transfer the payment after arriving at the guild headquarter.¡± Then Ji-woo gave his ount number to mister Lee. Not long after, the bus came to pick them up. And, all of the Ganjang guild people go on board. On the way, inside the bus. Ji-woo¡¯s high school friend approached him again like earlier at the seat on the back. ¡°See? Nerd, This is a D-rank hunter.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind getting called a nerd because that was how he was in high school before he came to the Magical world. Of course, Jiwoo had no ns to clear up the misunderstanding that he had changed from before. It was not worth his time for scum like Jung Tae-ha. Was 30 years in that world was not enough time for someone to change their personality? Of course, it was enough. There were even some people that changed in one day under some particr circumstances. Hehehe¨C Jung Tae-ha grinned at Ji-woo. He wanted to show off his achievements as a hunter in front of his former high school friends. ¡°You¡¯re lucky for taking this part-time job. Even though it is not much, you still can expect to get some little bonus from the Ganjang guild.¡± Ji-woo, with his, didn¡¯t care attitude, nodded. He was toozy to care about Jung Tae-ha. ¡°You not forget my offer from back then, right? And came when I told you toe to the gathering of high school alumni.¡± Ji-woo nonchntly nodded again at Jung Tae-ha. Jung Tae-ha got irritated by azy attitude from Ji-woo. But, he couldn¡¯t make trouble on the bus. Because it seemed mister Lee felt attached toward Ji-woo and leader Park was in a good mood after clearing the dungeon with the excellent result. Jung Tae-ha didn¡¯t dare to mess around, thinking about those two possibilities. He then left Ji-woo with a sneer. Ji-woo didn¡¯t respond to it. It was such a waste to confront a little kid that still didn¡¯t grow up yet. Then Ji-woo got off at the previous stop. While the Ganjang guild bus continued to the headquarter. ¡®I hope it¡¯s enough to support mom a little bit.¡¯ Ji-woo knew he might not get much from this work. After all, he was just a part-timer and a porter, not a hunter. ¡ª- ¡ª- Noon, at the Street food stall, Ji-woo was back to his mother¡¯s ce first. At the stall ce, Ji-woo saw Hwang Eun-bi talking with his mother. ¡°Oh, Ji-woo~si. Where have you been?¡± Eun-bi asked him while waiting for her food. ¡°Ji-woo~ya, you back. Did you eat already? Wait, Eomma will cook some for you.¡± Ji-woo sighed at the two women in front of him. One was asking where he was, the other was asking about food. ¡°Not from anywhere, just strolling around.¡± Ji-woo answers it indifferently. Eun-bi red at him after hearing the reply. ¡°Did that re really necessary? You might admire me in the future if you keep looking like that.¡± Eun-bi acted like she vomited and did the Merong thing to Ji-woo. Ji-woo shrugged, looking at overreacting Eun-bi on the side. He sat and asked his mother about Kim Ji-won. ¡°Mom, how about Ji-won?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother answered while cooking the food. ¡°She is still in school.¡± ¡®This brat is going overboard to make mom worry like this. It seems like I need to talk with herter.¡¯ When Ji-woo came, he saw his mother keep looking at the phone. It was happening in the morning too. He was sure his mother worried about Ji-won. ¡°Imo, you need to scold Ji-won without mercy. So that she is self-aware and not acting naughty anymore.¡± Ji-won turned his head to look at Eun-bi, didn¡¯t knowing that she knew his sister too. Ji-woo¡¯s mother wiped her hands on the apron. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She just had a bad day. That¡¯s why she acted like that. Imo is sure she will be fine.¡± ¡°Imo pampered Ji-won too much.¡± Eun-bi still didn¡¯t realize she got stared at by Ji-woo on the side. ¡°Say, how much did you know about my family?¡± Aaa¨C Eun-bi was surprised by a sudden question from Ji-woo. ¡°You just startled me. Can¡¯t you please tell me first if you want to talk to me?¡± Ji-woo got dazed hearing Eun-bi¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t know how this logic could exist. ¡®Even if I tell you first, you still will be surprised. How can I do that without shocking you?¡¯ Ji-woo then tapped Eun-bi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me if you want to speak.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know what he should do now. He felt like headbanging to the wall was the right choice. ¡®Talking to a woman is alwaysplicated.¡¯ Chapter 21: Nightmare Chapter 21: Nightmare ¡°So, What do you want to talk about with me?¡± Apparently, Ji-woo wanted to ask about his sister. But, changed to some casual talk. ¡°Where do you live?¡± ¡°Around here, 5 minutes walk.¡± Ji-woo knew Hwang Eun-bi must be living not far from his mother¡¯s stall since she always came with just a walk. Also, it took 10 minutes to walk from the Street food stall to Ji-woo¡¯s house. Both Ji-woo and Eun-bi¡¯s ce were in the opposite direction. That was why they never met on their way back and forth from the street food stall. ¡°Why asking?¡± Ji-woo sighed helplessly. ¡°Just asking.¡± Eun-bi stared at Ji-woo for a moment, then asked her doubt. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ji-woo shrugged. Although Eun-bi didn¡¯tply with Ji-woo¡¯s answer, she wanted to inquire more but got interrupted by Ji-woo¡¯s mother. ¡°Eun-bi~ya, here your Gimbap and Odeng. Take it.¡± ¡°Ah. Yes, Imo.¡± Eun-bi abruptly took out her money and paid for her food. ¡°Don¡¯t tease Eun-bi too much Ji-woo~ya. She was Eomma¡¯s chat partner here.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother smiled and reminded Ji-woo to treat Eun-bi better. ¡°Um? Yes, mom.¡± Ji-woo casually answered his mother. ¡°Imo, I didn¡¯t get teased.¡± Eun-bi awkwardly denied it. Eun-bi¡¯s answer made Ji-woo and his mother look toward her. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m just joking, Eun-bi~ya. Ji-woo~ya, can you take her home?¡± Now, Ji-woo was taken by surprise listening to his mother¡¯s words, while Eun-bi got flustered by Ji-woo¡¯s mother¡¯s request. ¡°Ah. No need, Imo. I can go back by myself.¡± Eun-bi tried to reject it and lowered her head because she was embarrassed. ¡°See, mom? She will be okay. She¡¯s not a kid.¡± Ji-woo refused it immediately. However, his mom still insisted on him doing it. ¡°Mother wanted to visit her house a long time ago but didn¡¯t have a chance for it. So, you can do it in exchange for me.¡± Ji-woo took this urrence to convince his mother to take a rest. ¡°Alright, I do it, mom. Later let¡¯s visit her house together. And mom needs to take a break from working first.¡± His mother only waved her hand to indicate Ji-woo for just doing it and not bothering with her working schedule. And for Eun-bi, she didn¡¯t say any words. And obey what Ji-woo¡¯s mother asked for it. She already thought of Ji-woo¡¯s mother as her mother. So, she rarely refused Ji-woo¡¯s mother¡¯s wish. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Imo, I go back first. Thank you, Imo. See you tomorrow Imo.¡± Eun-bi smiled happily while saying goodbye to Ji-woo¡¯s mother. When they walked, Eun-bi spoke first. ¡°Sorry, it must be ufortable walking me home since we¡¯re not close.¡± Eun-bi tried to apologize to Ji-woo. But, Ji-woo just nodded and waved his hand. That kind of act from Ji-woo was the one that Eun-bi didn¡¯t like the most. ¡°Utter jerk!¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t care for being called like that. However, that made Eun-bi curious about Ji-woo. ¡°Why do you look like someone that doesn¡¯t really care, whether you get asked or used?¡± ¡°Because an answer or an exnation is not the end.¡± Eun-bi got confused. ¡°See it now?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ji-woo sighed, ¡°When get asked, a simple answer would never be enough. It will lead to another question. And if I do a long talk to exin and the other side is not happy with the answer. They will change the words and ask another question with the same meaning. Endlessly.¡± Eun-bi couldn¡¯t refute it because it was like what Ji-woo said. Some people were never getting enough with a simple answer. Sometimes they would keep asking questions until it satisfied them. If the answers don¡¯t match with what they were hoping for it. Then a lengthy exnation was meaningless. ¡°But¡­ But¡­, that¡¯s how you make a conversation. And also, if you didn¡¯t exin, how can the other understand your meaning?¡± ¡°A conversation should not be a source of offense. And you are really an idiot, didn¡¯t I say that a moment ago? Even if I exin, if the other side is not happy with it, it will be a waste of time to talk.¡± Ji-woo ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot!¡± ¡°This is what I mean, the conversation that can lead to conflict. You are angry at the words that I said.¡± ¡°That¡­ That¡­, you are going overboard with your words!¡± Ji-woo sighed again, ¡°That¡¯s why, in the conversation, people need to keep the boundary and not cross the line when talking. Speak when it¡¯s necessary. And stop if the other didn¡¯t want to answer or respond to it. Don¡¯t force your ego.¡± Eun-bi lowered her head. She felt like being lectured by an elder. ¡°I thought I was just talking to an older person.¡± ¡°In fact. I am old.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean? Didn¡¯t your age is 23?¡± Ji-woo wanted to say he was 47 years old. But that was in Magical worlds. Not on Earth. ¡°I¡¯m old. Older than you, for sure.¡± Hmmph¨C Eun-bi was speechless at Ji-woo. Just because the age gap was two years, she was being treated like a teenager by Ji-woo. ¡°I¡¯m 21 years old. I¡¯m not a kid! Heh!¡± Eun-bi talked back at Ji-woo and did the Merong thing to him. Ji-woo just smiled at Eun-bi behavior. On their way back, Eun-bi kept talking, and Ji-woo sometimes answered it, sometimes not. But, Eun-bi already knew Ji-woo a little bit. So, she didn¡¯t mind it anymore. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s my house. Next time,e visit me with Imo.¡± ¡°Alright. Did you live alone? Is it okay?¡± ¡°Tch! Who dares to rob a hunter house? I¡¯m a D-rank hunter, don¡¯t you remember?!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It didn¡¯t mean Ji-woo wanted to judge something by appearance, but the appearance really showed that Eun-bi was just like a young woman. It made him forget that Eun-bi was the same rank as the squad leader of the Ganjang guild from earlier. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Bye Ji-woo~si. Take care and be careful on your way.¡± Ji-woo turned back and walked away while waving his hand up in the air. ¡ª- ¡ª- 04.00 PM, Ji-woo¡¯s phone vibrated. He checked, and that was the notification text from his bank ount. ¡°This is not bad. The payment is really different from the other jobs.¡± Ji-woo just got his payment from part-timer porter work. The payout was 1.1 million Won. Hebined with the money Eun-bi gave to him. The amount reached 1.2 million Won. Of course, it was still low. But, it was enough for a while and let Elijah take 1 or 2 days off from work. ¡®Should I keep going to the Portal Gate?¡¯ Ji-woo began to hesitate again about the dungeons. Even though the work this time around went smoothly. So far, the Nullifier that worried him was not showing a sign of being back to its old self. ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s do it like before.¡± Ji-woo had thought. In order to work at the Portal Gate, he needed to be stronger or at least retrieve back his true strength like his former self. But, great power came with great responsibility. Such transcendent power would undoubtedly drag him onto the world stage. In his previous life alone, his true strength couldn¡¯t save some of hisrades in arms and couldn¡¯t defeat the Underlord. How about this life now? Where he still didn¡¯t know how great the world¡¯s most capable hunter was. And he also didn¡¯t grasp how the creatures at tier-6 Portal Gate were. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to act rashly without information. Unless, indeed, the situation forced him to do so. However, Looking at his current situation, Ji-woo honestly didn¡¯t need to force himself to do that. His family was not in danger, although they were short of money for living. Ji-woo, too, wasn¡¯t interested in bing a hero. It was because it was exhausting being dictated by people. What he could do; What he couldn¡¯t do. Too much restriction on his freedom was the most annoying thing for him. Ji-woo wanted a quiet life in this time with his family. He would try to work like everyone else. And if he didn¡¯t have any choice, he would pick a part-time job as a guild porter again like before. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- {¡­ ¡°Help! Help us!¡± Arrghhh¨C Kyaaa¨C Eeerrghh¨C In the middle of the night, in a small vige. There were many screams and cries for help from any other direction of the vige. The wooden house was on fire, and the ground was shattering. There were several human corpses in the vicinity. Strangely, there was a demon¡¯s dead body and beasts¡¯ corpses mixed with it. And someone was sitting on it happily atop a pile of demons, beasts, and human corpses. Hahaha¨C ¡°Hey, why are all of you running around. Came back here, watch the show.¡± The person smiled broadly. ¡°Geez, if I¡¯m not going easy on them, it will end too fast. If I show mercy, they run away from me.¡± Hehehe¨C Another man walked from behind and approached the man that sat at the top of demons, beasts, and human corpses. ¡°Magina¡­ ¡° The man who was sitting on top of all the corpses looked back. ¡°Oh, Stormrage, you are here. You arete. You shoulde from the beginning and see their despair. It is a beautiful sight.¡± Hahaha¨C Stormrage shook his head. ¡°Your joy is not matched with your tears, Magina.¡± Magina¡¯s bloodied face got washed a little bit from the tears. Hhshs, Huahahahaha¨C ¡°Stormrage, Help me. It feels good for me.¡± Huahahaha¨C Magina keptughing while shedding his tears. Stormrage sighed, his heartache so much seeing his sworn brother be the devil like that. ¡°I know it¡¯s not you, the one that killed the human from this vige but stillughing and no sympathy after seeing their dead body. You need some beating, brother!¡± ¡°Pdin Hellreaver!¡± Stormrage summons his Greatsword. A tempered steel double-edged, two-handed sword appeared in the air. ¡°Woah, the strong opponent is what I¡¯m hoping for it. Compared to these ants, the pleasure of fighting you is enjoyable.¡± Huaha, Huhahaha¨C Whileughing and grinning, Magina pleaded to Stormrage with his tears. ¡°Brother, save me.¡± Hahaha¨C Stormrage closed his eyes for a moment and muttered some words. ¡°An existence and the Obedience that walks upon the bloodshed of theirrade and enemy.¡± Haaa¨C Stormrage jump with his Greatsword and close the distance in the blink of eyes¡­, } ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- In the middle of the night, at Ji-woo room. Uawahhh¨C ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a nightmare?!!¡± Chapter 22: Calamity: The Beginning Chapter 22: Cmity: The Beginning Two days had passed since the nightmare. ¡°Morning, mom.¡± Ji-woo greeted his mother. Only both of them were at the table for breakfast. ¡°How about Ji-won?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother sighed, ¡°She just left earlier after changing her clothes.¡± Actually, Ji-woo knew his sister was at home since early this morning. But, he didn¡¯t want to talk with his sister in the house when their mother was around. Right now, Ji-woo could see how troubled his mother was because of Ji-won¡¯s behavior. He couldn¡¯t imagine how much his mother suffered all these years. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s take a break from the food stall. And go visit Father¡¯s grave with me.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother stopped what she was doing after hearing her son¡¯s request. She didn¡¯t give any response and remained silent. Ji-woo kept looking at his mother back, waiting for the answer. His mother then moved, brought two bowls of rice, and put it at the table. ¡°I want to go with you, but Mother can¡¯t just take off from the food stall.¡± ¡°Mom, I have some money after working many part-time jobs these few days.¡± ¡°Mother knows. However, you can keep it yourself first. We¡¯re not in an urgent situation for money.¡± Ji-woo exhaled. He knew his mother was a strong-willed person. When she decided on something, she would do it. Thanks to that, his mother and Ji-won weren¡¯t chased by thugs from loan people. Her mother always paid her monthly dues on time without beingte at all. Ji-woo looked at his position now, smiled awkwardly. ¡®If Stormrage saw me like this, what would he say?¡¯ In the Magical world, Ji-woo was a cold-hearted person. No one could tell him to do something he didn¡¯t want to. Even Stormrage sometimes found it difficult to talk and advise him as a close friend and sworn brother. Yet now, Ji-woo had just be an obedient puppy in front of his mother. ¡®He might beughing on the floor if he sees how obedient I am in front of my mother.¡¯ Ji-woo shook his head helplessly. ¡°Mother will give you father¡¯s cemetery address. And if you have a bit of money, buy some necessary items while you go there. It¡¯s been a long time for me to visit your father too.¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± After they ate breakfast, Ji-woo helped his mother bring some stuff to the food stall. Then Ji-woo departed and took a bus to visit the cemetery. ¡ª- ¡ª- A young man with a ck and white suit also had cheap watches on his left wrist at the cemetery. Kim Ji-woo sat on his knees in front of the graveyard. On the tombstone, there was Kim Kang-woo¡¯s name written on it. Ji-woo bowed his head to the ground deeply twice. Afterward, he looked at the grave without speaking a word. Under the bright sunlight and warm breeze. A long-time reunion between the father and the son. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t hold back his tears anymore. ¡°Father¡­ I¡¯m sorry for visiting you sote. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t take care of Mother and Ji-won. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ been missing for six years. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ father pass away because of me¡­ ¡° Ji-woo lowered his head. He wipes away his tears. ¡°Father, I bring Gimbap from mother and Soju here. I hope father still likes it even though it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Creak¨C The sound of the tombstone cracked surprised Ji-woo, who was still mourning his father. Ji-woo turned to worry, and at the same time, tried to disperse such thoughts with ame joke. ¡®Father is angry with me? Or father didn¡¯t like Soju anymore? Ha¡­, I really hope it is not a bad omen.¡¯ Ji-woo threw away his worry and began to clean up the grave a little bit. ¡°Father, give me the strength and wisdom to take care of Mom and Ji-won. From now on, I won¡¯t let them have such hardships again.¡± Ji-woo got up and bowed at his father¡¯s graveyard. He then left the Gimbap, Soju, and bucket of flowers around his father¡¯s tombstone. After that, he left the cemetery. ¡°I will visit Father frequently in the future.¡± Every word that Ji-woo said in front of his father¡¯s grave carried guilt and burden with it. And every word that came out from Ji-woo¡¯s mouth was hurting his heart too. ¡ª- ¡ª- Ji-woo¡¯s next n after visiting his father¡¯s cemetery was to go to Ji-won high school. He couldn¡¯t tolerate his sister¡¯s attitude anymore. Ji-woo didn¡¯t like seeing his mother be restless. In fact, he was fine if his sister was acting cold and med him for everything that happened to them when he had gone missing. But that was if Ji-won only did it to Ji-woo and didn¡¯t take her anger out on their mother. Too bad, Ji-won¡¯s character has changed due to difficult circumstances. So, even Ji-woo back and acted like a brother to her, it wouldn¡¯t change her overnight. Ji-woo got off at the bus stop near the high school. While walking toward the ce, surprisingly, Ji-woo saw Ji-won in the alley beside the convenience store. ¡®Didn¡¯t she supposed to be at the school at this time?¡¯ Ji-woo looked at his watches and thought why Ji-won could be seen there instead of at the school. Ji-woo, slowly getting close to the alley. He then saw a bunch of teenagers wearing a high school uniform in there. The alley wasn¡¯t deep and had a wall at the end. ¡°Kim Ji-won?¡± All of the teenagers turn their heads in the direction of Ji-woo¡¯s voice calling his sister¡¯s name. ¡°Ahjussi, who are you?¡± ¡°What business did you have here, Ahjussi?¡± ¡°Go away, Ahjussi. You will get hurt if you stay here.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know whether tough or not in front of them that kept calling him Ahjussi. There were five boys and two girls in the alley. But in the midst of that, Ji-woo still could recognize his sister on the back. ¡°Ya, Kim Ji-won. Come here. We need to talk.¡± Ji-woo called his sister¡¯s name while massaging his temple. ¡°Tch, I don¡¯t know you. Go back to where you belong, Ahjussi!¡± Ji-woo really became speechless about his sister¡¯s attitude. ¡°Get out of here, Ahjussi.¡± ¡°Did you want to get beaten by us? Huh?¡± Five boys walked up to the front and closed their gap with Ji-woo. Ji-woo could only sigh, ¡°I¡¯m her Oppa, and this is a family matter. Please move aside, thank you.¡± But, the five boys didn¡¯t give their way to Ji-woo and blocked him from getting close to Ji-won. ¡°Do you think we are scared of you, Ahjussi? Just because of your appearance like a thug and have long hair.¡± Ji-woo frowned, ¡®What¡¯s the rtion with thugs and long hair? Did kids nowadays can only utter some bullsh*t from their mouth?¡¯ ¡°Ah, whatever. Let¡¯s do this with your kid¡¯s ways. The faster, the better.¡± Ji-woo unbuttoned his ck suit and put both of his hands at the pants pocket. Hahaha¨C The boysugh at Ji-woo. ¡°This Ahjussi is fun¡­ ¡° Duag¨C Before one of the boys finished his speech, he fell with his front body on the ground. Ji-woo hit him with his knees. ¡°Too much talking.¡± ¡°B*st*rd!¡± The other four then went toward Ji-woo. They wanted to gang upon him. However, Ji-woo could easily evade their catch. Daag¨C Another boy fell with their back after getting kicked by Ji-woo on the legs. ¡°Overconfident.¡± Ji-woo still had the time to mock them. Hyaarhhgg¨C The three boys screamed out and charged at Ji-woo. One of the boys tried punching Ji-woo, but he ducked in. And let the boy slip away at his back. Ji-woo then front kicked the second boy that came after the first that tried punching him. Buag¨C Now, three of the boys were on the ground groaning their pain. Arrghh¨C Uugghh¨C Ergghh¨C Of course, Ji-woo was still holding back. If not, the kids would not live anymore after getting hit by him. It was just the tip of the iceberg of Ji-woo. The other two boys now scared shitless while looking at their three friends on the ground in agony. They didn¡¯t dare to move. ¡°Ya, Kim Ji-won. Did you want to do this in a hard way?¡± Ji-won trembled to see the events unfolding in front of her. She didn¡¯t believe his brother, a nerd and an outcast in high school could fight like that. But, Ji-won obeyed and unsteadily walked over to Ji-woo. ¡°Your friends are fine. Just let them be like that for an hour.¡± Ji-woo turned and walked in front of Ji-won while speaking in a high tone. Ji-won followed from behind unwillingly. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- At the foot of the mountain. 1.3 miles away from the city and the bustling ces. Mana fluctuation began to appear. Trrst, Trret¨C After 15 minutes, some people were passing by and saw the Mana fluctuation. ¡°That¡­ That¡­, the Portal Gate isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°It is! Call Hunters Association.¡± ¡°Quick!¡¯ However, before those people could call the relevant personnel from Hunters Association, something happened to them. Dadump¨C Arrghh¨C The people that saw the Portal Gate felt pain all over their bodies and fell to the ground. The Mana impact affected them since their distance was less than 75 meters. In the end, these people were not a hunter or ordinary people that got trained to be a gatekeeper. Even though they felt the pain, it was not enough to make them lose consciousness. But if they stay there, it might be fatal for any of them. They try to get away while crawling. Chapter 23: Calamity: The Red Gate Chapter 23: Cmity: The Red Gate ¡°We¡¯re stationed in this area again today.¡± ¡°This is unavoidable. We, the soldiers, need to guard around the city. Rotation consumes too much time.¡± ¡°I know¡­ but it¡¯s just the two of us here.¡± The soldier knitted his brow. ¡°If we cover up all of the South Koreannds, you might be crying alone at this time.¡± Hahaha¨C ¡°Well, at least it is not a remote area.¡± The soldier whoined about their position was d they weren¡¯t stationed in a ce far away from the crowds. It seemed like today would be another peaceful day for the two soldiers that patrol around the area. Until¡­, Arghh¨C ¡°H-Help¡­¡± ¡°He¡­lp¡­¡± The voice asked for help surprised the soldiers. They quickly acted and rushed in the direction where the sound wasing. ¡°What happens?¡± The soldiers then looked through these people¡¯s bodies. Their bodies trembled. Blue veins appeared all over their bodies. It was visible from the parts that were not get covered by the clothes. ¡°Mana impact?¡± They knew what it meant if these people got hurt by Mana¡¯s impact. There was a Portal Gate close near them! ¡°T-There are two people left behind¡­ they lose consciousness because of the pain.¡± Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°I c-can¡¯t hold a-any longer¡­ ¡° The two people, who had just arrived, finally fainted. Their fingers were dirty and sore from crawling, dragging their bodies to reach the crowd. ¡°Call the Hunters Association! I take the Artifact suit and go to help the other civilians around the Portal Gate plus checking the circumstance.¡± The other soldier nodded and immediately took out the emergency phone to call the Hunters Association. Afterward, the soldier wearing an artifact suit arrived at the scene in a Military jeep without a cover at the top. He got out of the car and saw the two people who were lost consciousness a bit far from the Portal Gate. The soldier approached the civilians lying on the ground to check on their condition. ¡°I¡¯m d it didn¡¯t threaten their lives.¡± The soldier sighed in relief. Thus, he shifted his gaze toward the Portal Gate. ¡®It¡¯s condensed. How long has it been formed?¡¯ The soldier tried to calcte how long the Portal Gate had already appeared. When he came toward the ce, he thought it was still in the process of Mana density. It took the soldier almost 10 minutes with the military jeep because of the terrain. Based on the distance, the people that crawl their way to reach them take approximately 40 minutes. That makes the soldier amazed at their effort. ¡°But, now¡­ Hunter Association must be aware of the Portal Gate.¡± Even if one of the soldiers didn¡¯t notify the Hunter Association, they should know the existence of a Portal Gate that had already got formed. Trrst, Trret¨C The soldier was frightened by another sound from the front of him. Then the soldier recalled the phenomenon called Mana fluctuation after looking at the Portal Gate. ¡°Is there another Portal Gate that will appear? Impossible!¡± Suddenly, the answer appeared in front of the soldier amid his confusing thoughts. ¡°Holy sh*t! What the f*ck!¡± The soldier uttered curse words, the Portal Gate, which had been calm just a moment ago, instantly became more vicious. Even the artifact suit couldn¡¯tpletely block the Mana impact. The mana fluctuation of the Portal Gate turned from blue to red and shattered the surrounding ground. ¡°Damn it! I have a hard time breathing. It is terrible!¡± The soldier hurriedly picked up the two civilians on the ground. One person was clutched on the right shoulder and put into the military jeep. Then he continued doing that with the other person. ¡°F*ck! What the heck?! The tier-2 Portal Gate changed to Red Gate!¡± The soldier counted himself unlucky today, dragging two unconscious civilians, and there was a Red Gate on his back. He needed to go back to hisrade soldier and report about the Red Gate. The city and the bustling crowd needed to get evacuated as soon as possible! Yarrghh¨C ¡°Damn!¡± The soldier continued to curse on the road while driving the military jeep back, running far away from the danger. Meanwhile, the Red Gate got formed. It didn¡¯t take a long time for it to condense. It was different from the average Portal Gate. Zap, Zap¨C Fufufu¨C ¡°What a wonderful world humans had. But not long, we will turn it into a bloodbath.¡± A human-shaped body showed up in front of the Red Gate. But, her body was blurred and transparent. She wore a ck robe at the back and wielded a crescent moon weapon on the right hand. Zap, Zap¨C Another thing shows up again in front of the Red Gate. This time was a beast. Zap, Zap¨C Rrggh, Rrrr¨C Zap, Zap¨C Another one. And another one. In the end, countless beasts had appeared around the Red Gate. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C Fufufu¨C ¡°My dears, time to hunt. Go! Spread the fear and chaos whenever its feet go. And I shall bring the cmity in this world.¡± Rrggh, Rrrr¨C Tump, Gsrek¨C All the beasts in the area moved and ran in all directions. Fufufu¨C ¡°Now, where do I start?¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- Brem, Broom¨C The military jeep stopped hastily. The soldier got off the car and found his otherrade. ¡°Why are you in a hurry? What happens? Did the civilians die?¡± The other soldier asked hisrade thate by the military jeep with sweat all over his body. Even his military uniform was wet. ¡°No, it¡¯s a Red Gate.¡± ¡°What!¡± The soldier trembled in fear, hearing the Red Gate. The Portal Gate¡¯s existed for so many years. The horror from the Red Gate was still lingering in many people¡¯s hearts. Suddenly, the soldier fell to his knees. He remembered his otherrades who died because of the Red Gatest year. But the soldier, who was still sweating with worry, lifted and grabbed his fellow soldiers¡¯ shoulders to stand up. ¡°Listen, bring the two civilians on the military jeep to the hospital that has a hunter healer along with the two civilians from here. Got that?!¡± ¡°But.. But.. How about you?¡± ¡°Someone needs to evacuate these people. Take this car key. Go!¡± ¡°Impossible! You can¡¯t survive the Red Gate if you do not run now¡­¡± The soldier who tried to stay behind at the ce was furious at hisrade¡¯s words. ¡°F*ck*ng sh*t! If not us, soldier. Who is the one that protects our people?! We are thest defense here!¡± ¡°We are not hunters!¡± ¡°Yes, but we are the soldiers! South Korean army that the people are proud of it. It is our job to protect everyone from a disaster, not just the hunters!¡± The soldier who wanted to run away fell silent after being shouted at by hisrade. ¡°And did you think the hunters are the god incarnations?! They can¡¯t just show up here in the blink of an eye. They too need time toe here.¡± The soldier then halted his speech for a short time after uttering some words about the hunters. ¡°By the time the hunterse here, we don¡¯t know what this ce will be. How many people will turn into the prey of whatever creature that pops out from that Red Gate.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The soldier knew what he did was wrong and apologized while lowering his head. ¡°Get a hold of yourself and do your job! Give me the emergency phone to the Hunters Association.¡± The soldier gave the phone to his friend and took the car keys. They took the two civilians to the military jeep, where the other two had already been there. Both of the soldiers nodded their heads. Brem, Broom¨C The soldier drove a military jeep and went to the nearby hospital to bring four of the people that got hurt by the Mana impact. The soldier that was left behind began his evacuation. He was going left and right to tell the people and yelled the warning notice. ¡°There¡¯s a Red Gate nearby, about 1.3 miles away. So please take shelter and evacuate from here as soon as possible. Don¡¯t go towards the foot of the mountain!¡± The soldier then called for help from his army base and told the Hunters Association about the Red Gate appearance. The people who heard the soldier¡¯s announcement started to move and were busy searching for a safe ce to stay. At the moment, even though the soldier was alone. He tried his best to keep the people moving without causing turmoil in the crowd in an orderly manner. But¡­, Alone. The soldier. He was alone. In the end, the soldier couldn¡¯t keep the people from panicking about the situation. Chaos broke out. People started running in all directions ignoring their surroundings. The soldier could only do what he could do, for now. He was waiting for the reinforcement plus the Hunters Association personnel toe. When he had called earlier, the soldier had already emphasized that he desperately needed a hunter from a nearby ce toe and help to stand guard around the site. It had already passed 30 minutes since he returned from the Red Gate. The soldier was sure that the monsters or beasts from there had made their move. ¡°Anyone, please help us!¡± Chapter 24: Calamity: Army and Hunters Chapter 24: Cmity: Army and Hunters Seoul, Hunters Association¡¯s headquarter building. Dok, Dook¨C Chairman Yu frowned, hearing a knock on his door. ¡°Come in!¡± Chief Yoon rushed to the room, leaving her breathless. Hosh, Hosh¨C While Chief Yoon still tried catching her breath, Chairman Yu cut her off before she could say any words. ¡°If you want to talk about the Portal Gate in Mapo, Chief Lee is already on his way to go there. So, you should¡­¡± Before Chairman Yu finished his sentence, Chief Yoon interjected, ¡°It¡¯s a Red Gate.¡± Hearing the Red Gate from his subordinates made Chairman Yu speechless. He looked as if he didn¡¯t know what to do about the sudden information. Chairman Yu just silent for a moment and immediately asked Chief Yoon. ¡°The one at Mapo?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°How about Chief Lee?¡± ¡°I told him on the phone about the current situation, but it looks like¡­, our people are stuck in a traffic jam, and it will take about 20 minutes to reach the city.¡± Bam¨C The angry Chairman Yu hit the table. However, it didn¡¯t make Chief Yoon scared to report more information to him. She then told Chairman Yu the story about the four pedestrians that discovered the Portal Gate. And also about the soldier that noticed the Red Gate. Chairman Yu massaged his forehead with one hand, and his face looked grim hearing the details. ¡°30 minutes of the Red Gate without any hunters at the scene? And with only a soldier?!¡± Chief Yoon gulped and tried to ease Chairman Yu¡¯s rage. ¡°As of now, reinforcements had arrived in the city. Two helicopters, one main battle tank, and 73 soldiers have got dispatched by the ROKA.¡± Even with the help of an army, Chairman Yu was still not happy with the circumstances. Without the presence of the hunters. The army stood no chance against any creatures that came out of the dungeon. ¡°I will call the Commissioner-General of the National Police Agency to help clear the traffic toward the Mapo-gu. Tell Chief Lee about this. ¡°Let¡¯s trust the army for the evacuation. We focus on handling the Red Gate. ¡°One more thing! Try contacting solo hunters or any guilds close to the ce to help the civilians of Mapo and the army. It¡¯s an emergency!¡± Chairman Yu didn¡¯t want to waste a lot of time. So, he used whatever options were currently avable. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Chief Yoon¡¯s purpose foring asking for help from the Chairman got achieved. Because, except the Chairman of Hunters Association, no one could have the authority to contact high-ranking officials from the government. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- Mapo District, Seoul. ¡°Looking at this endless sea of people, it will take a long time for the evacuation to get done.¡± Now, with the help of helicopters and battle tanks, 70 more soldiers were being added. They could stop the panic andmotion that was happening everywhere. ¡°How long have you been back from the Red Gate?¡± The armymander asked the first soldier who was at the scene and witnessed the red gate. ¡°Nearly 1 hour, sir!¡± The soldier reported while saluting themander. Themander tried thinking of a n in this kind of situation where he knew it was impossible to defend against the creatures from the Red Gate. At the same time, he had to stay and protect their own people, even if he needed to sacrifice himself and his subordinates. ¡°Since you got stationed here. You should know the area around here. Take 40 soldiers with you and make something like a garrison between this city and the Red Gate. ¡°And Take this two-way portable radio. With that, all of the soldiers will follow yourmand aside from me.¡± The soldier was shocked hearing hismander¡¯s order. But, he understood how dire the situation they were in currently. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldier saluted themander and left to carry out the order. However, his arm got grabbed by themander. ¡°I¡¯ll send one helicopter to give you a broader view from above. ¡°Hold as long as possible. After the evacuation isplete, I wille to you with other helicopters and battle tanks.¡± The soldier nodded his head. He then went toward the direction of the mountain while picking the soldiers on his way. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡°Ah. Yes, Chief~nim. I¡¯m on my way right now. ¡°Pardon? Ah, there are two other hunters nearby? Ah, right. Thank you! Tut, Tuut¨C Hwang Eun-bi got called by Chief Yoon of Hunters Association, telling her the critical situation about the city. On the other hand, Eun-bi stopped her steps. She had trouble moving forward because everyone tried to stay away from the downtown while she wanted to get there. ¡°Hunter~nim?¡± Suddenly, a soldier asked Eun-bi in the midst of people. ¡°Yes?¡± The soldier was lucky to see the gear Eun-bi was wearing. That was why he asked if she was a hunter or not. ¡°This way, hunter~nim. My superior already told us the detailed operation. We will give you the fastest road to get there.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± As Eun-bi moved away from the crowd, she followed the soldiers. She ran toward the emptyne that the soldiers had cleared, for when something unexpected happened. The road was narrow. It only fits two people. Nevertheless, Eun-bi started running and left the soldiers behind. She couldn¡¯t care about that anymore since the Red Gate was the most urgent case. On her way, she looked at the long line of people that seemed like there was no end to it. Eun-bi started to worry about Kim Ji-woo¡¯s mother. She picked up the phone and dialed Ji-woo¡¯s phone number. Tet, Teet¨C There was no answer from Ji-woo¡¯s phone. ¡®Imo, I hope you are fine!¡¯ Eun-bi increased her speed and ran as fast as she could. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- Ji-woo kept staring at his sister that had her head lowered. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say?¡± Kim Ji-won shook her head. She was still scared about Ji-woo fighting her friends. She still couldn¡¯t believe her quiet and nerdy big brother could be like that. ¡°Good, now I¡¯m the one that¡¯s talking here.¡± Ji-woo and Ji-won sat in front of the convenience store. There were two seats and a table avable for the customer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Ji-won, who was still lowering her head, answers evasively. ¡°I-I don¡¯t k-know¡­ what are you t-talking about.¡± Thud¨C A sound from Ji-woo hit the table startled Ji-won. Ji-woo sighed, ¡°I understand why you act like that toward me. In the end, I am the one that causes all of the trouble for our family. But why do you act like that too against mother?! Did your head lose some screws?!¡± Ji-won couldn¡¯t ept being lectured by Ji-woo. She raised her head and stared back at his brother. ¡°Did you know how much mother is working and suffering to just earn some money for both of you?¡± Ji-won rage burst out, and she began to talk back to Ji-woo. ¡°You have no right to speak to me like that!¡± Ji-woo frowned, seeing his sister angry with him. He also understood why she said he didn¡¯t deserve to say such a thing. ¡°I know I¡¯m the one that makes mother suffer and father die because of me too.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to say my father is yours!¡± Ji-won kept refuting back at Ji-woo. Her eyes now started to be red and watery. She tried to hold back her tears. Ji-woo saw his sister¡¯s eyes and could feel her emotion. He actually didn¡¯t want to talk about his father. However, he needed to convince Ji-won that their mother and father weren¡¯t the reason why she was suffering. Ji-woo wanted to shift that hatred toward him alone for now. He clearly knew that changing Ji-won¡¯s attitude couldn¡¯t be done in a single day. It was not like Ji-woo was on an assassination mission that could getpleted in an hour. It was not the same! ¡°Alright, everything is my fault, okay? Now, what mistake did mother have? To make you act like that towards her? Tell me!¡± ¡°T-That¡­ Eomma¡­, she¡­ ¡° Thud¨C ¡°Tell me!¡± Ji-woo yelled at his sister. Ji-won could only lower her head without answering Ji-woo. ¡°Listen¡­ I¡¯m fine with you ming me for everything. Still, you can¡¯t act like that toward her. Mother is always there for you. Without mother, can you imagine how you will live before?¡± Ji-won replied with her teary eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you!¡± Ji-woo felt helpless right now. He then shrugged and got up, giving thest lesson. ¡°Okay, only vent your anger on me, not on mother. If you still act like that and make her worry about you, I wouldn¡¯t be lenient even though you are my sister.¡± Ji-woo felt that Ji-won had reached her limit, and it seemed like she would no longer care about any words he said. That¡¯s why Ji-woo only gives up momentarily and would try it again in the future. He left while looking at Ji-won that lowering her head at the table, probably her eyes still red. (BREAKING NEWS! We just got the news that there is an outbreak from the Red Gate at Mapo-gu. Because of thete report and response, the situation has be more dangerous now. It¡¯s get expected that the city would fall as there were no hunters currently on the site. There is only an army with a small number that takes the role of defending the city, ¡­, ) Ji-woo shivered to hear the news and stopped his track. ¡®The address¡­ That is close to my mother¡¯s ce!!!¡¯ Chapter 25: Calamity: Hellhounds Chapter 25: Cmity: Hellhounds Kim Ji-woo clenched his hands. His bad premonition had be more substantial. Suddenly, Ji-woo saw his sister standing in front of him, blocking the view of the television from the convenience store. Because of the concern he had for his mother¡¯s safety, Ji-woo wanted to return quickly. And let his sister there, away from the cmity. But, Kim Ji-won¡¯s voice stopped him from turning around. She stuttered and trembled while pointing at the television. ¡°O-Oppa! ¡­, E-Eomma! ¡­, w-what s-should I do??¡± Sob, Sobs¨C Ji-won finally couldn¡¯t hold back the tears anymore and burst into cries after hearing such an incident. It happened near her mother¡¯s house and food stall. Ji-woo¡¯s forehead creased and showed a dejected expression instead of saying any words to his sister. Both of them were worried too much about their mother that they couldn¡¯t think calmly. Even Ji-won forgot her quarrel with her brother from a moment ago. Ji-woo only hoped that everything was fine and that nothing happened, all the while thinking about his mother¡¯s current state. Ji-woo steeled his heart and tried to assure his little sister with a solemn face. ¡°Mother will be fine. No, Mother is fine! I¡¯ll make sure everything¡¯s all right! You. Just stay here. I will go back to bring Mother out of there.¡± Hiks, Sobs¨C Ji-won got hups trying to hold back her tears. ¡°B-But¡­ It is dangerous¡­ ¡° Ji-woo held his sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just this time¡­ This time¡­, trust me! Leave everything to me.¡± Ji-won nodded her head. Her face, while trying to hold back the tears, made Ji-woo feel grief. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t bear seeing his sister cry silently like that. He then hurriedly turned over and ran toward the road, taking a taxi. But in just 5 minutes the taxi moved, the car was stuck in a traffic jam. ¡°Sir, is there no other way around here?¡± Asked Ji-woo impatiently. From the first time he got into the taxi, he didn¡¯t stop shaking his legs in the back seat. ¡°Of course, there is none! Why would you want to go to Mapo-gu? There is an outbreak, young man. It¡¯s risky!¡± The taxi driver didn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo wanted to go to that deadly ce. Even for him, he didn¡¯t dare to get close and only promised to drop Ji-woo near Mapo District. ¡°The road is getting cleared by the police to make it easier for the hunter. That¡¯s why there is traffic jam everywhere in the direction to Mapo-gu.¡± At the same time, the taxi driver finished his words. He heard the car door get mmed at the back. Jleg, m¨C The taxi driver was shocked and looking at the rear. There was no one, only a few papers of money at the back seat. ¡°Ah, all is good as long as you pay. Thanks, kid!¡± Meanwhile, Ji-woo was already away from the taxi. He then took out his phone to use the GPS function to direct him toward Mapo-gu. ¡°Damn! My phone is off. How should I go there?¡± Currently, Ji-woo was on a tiny road, where there were no people to be seen to be asked about the route. Ji-woo stopped his movement. He couldn¡¯t be running carelessly without knowing the way. He looked right and left, moved one step, then stopped, moved, and stopped. He kept continuing to do that for almost 1 minute. ¡®Wait, wait! I need to calm down. I¡¯m getting impatient right now.¡¯ Ji-woo closed his eyes for a moment and tried to control his breathing rhythm. Huu, Fuu¨C Ji-woo nned to use his advantage to track down the Mana. If the Portal Gate and hunters gather there, then there must be a Mana influx in the area. As long as he could trace that Mana, he would find a way back. Ji-woo held his chest with one hand. ¡°Be nice to me, Nullifier. Help me this once.¡± Then Ji-woo folded his hands. Zasp¨C Ji-woo¡¯s color of eyes changed to dark blue. Everything he saw turned into white and ck threads. ¡®Not enough! I need to expand the Null Eyes range!¡¯ Hmmph¨C Blood oozes from Ji-woo¡¯s nose and mouth, but he didn¡¯t care about it. He kept forcing the eyes¡¯ ability to trace the Mana. He knew using the technique when he still had not recovered his true strength yet was a wrong move. Ji-woo¡¯s expression changed, and he clenched his teeth fiercely, trying harder. ¡®Gotcha!¡¯ Ji-woo found the blue threads between the ck and white fibers. The distance was 2 miles away from where Ji-woo was standing. Hosh, Hosh¨C Ji-woo¡¯s eyes color was back to normal. But, his breathing was heavy now. He wiped the blood on his nose and mouth with the long sleeves of his ck suit. Hehehe¨C ¡°Troublesome. And¡­, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt this excited¡­ ¡° Ji-woo stopped his words and closed his mouth. ¡®What the hell did I¡¯m talking about?¡¯ He then shook his head. ¡°This is not the time for that. I need toe as early as possible.¡± Huu, Fuu¨C Bush, Swossh¨C Ji-woo was running at full speed and jumped in between after managing his breath and the little fatigue he had because of the Null Eyes. He avoided the crowd¡¯s ce while moving around. Ji-woo didn¡¯t care at all in case if someone saw him, even if he got caught in someone else¡¯s phone or satellite or so whatever. When a family was in danger, no one would have time to do something irrelevant. ¡®Please be safe!¡¯ ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- The temporary garrison created by the army was finally destroyed and swarmed by the beasts of the Red Gate. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°It¡¯s impossible to fight against this thing!¡± ¡°This is the end!¡± ¡°They are too strong!¡± All of the soldiers were hopeless after seeing the beast¡¯s strength. Some of them even shed tears because of fears. But, few soldiers mustered their courage and spoke loudly to their otherrades. The few brave soldiers took their rifles with thest ammunition. ¡°We are thest defense here before it reaches the city. ¡°If the beast wreaks havoc while the evacuation isn¡¯t over yet. Many people will be their prey. ¡°And after this city falls, our family might be the next prey it will hunt.¡± The soldiers that fear the beasts grit their teeth and clench their fists with the mention of family. Then the remaining soldiers picked up all of their avable weapons as theirst resort. ¡°Fire!¡± Drut, Drudrut¨C Tar, Tarataratar¨C The sound of guns and rifles¡¯ non-stop firing could make others think this was a one-sided battle. But instead, the soldiers were the ones that got massacred. The beast¡¯s movements were faster than their bullet. Even if the bullet hits the beast, it didn¡¯t hurt the beast too much. Tump, Grsek¨C Sreet¨C One of the soldiers lost his arm after getting bitten by the beast. Arrgghh¨C ¡°Die b*st*rd!¡± The soldier that lost his arm held his pain and kept firing the gun in one hand. Der, Drer¨C ¡°S*n*v*b*tch!¡± Many other soldiers had a simr situation. Some soldiers lost their limbs. But, some other soldiers only receive a bit of wound from the beast w. The beast¡¯s bite was really lethal for the soldiers. Half of the soldiers at the temporary garrison were already dead. The condition of their bodies was worsepared to the corpses of hunters capable of fighting such beasts. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The beast¡¯s size and shape were almost the same as an adult lion. Its mangled ck fur and glowing red eyes. Its agility and strength were 2x times better than a lion¡¯s. Its body durability was even better with the Mana. The soldiers that lost half of their original number couldn¡¯t defend the garrison anymore. Some of the beasts shifted over their way and went to the city. Tump, Grsek¨C Rrggh, Rrrr¨C ¡°For f*ck sake!¡± The soldiers felt despair when they saw a few beasts go through their garrison and ignore them. ¡°I¡¯m proud to fight alongside you,rades!¡± ¡°We already did our jobs.¡± Wosh, Woush¨C Tump, Grsek¨C The soldiers were ready to die and wanted to fight to the bitter end. But, suddenly, there was the sound of several footstepsing toward the garrison. ¡°Blizzard seals, Magic of Ice!¡± Zug, Zrug¨C A wall of ice formed along the road blocked the entrance to the city. But, it wouldn¡¯tst long enough to hold back the beast. ¡°Some of you that are still breathing, retreat! We take it from here! Go back, now!¡± The remaining soldiers left began rxing their tension after knowing it was the hunters that wereing. The two hunters that came for the reinforcement were C-rank hunters. And their artifact weapons were Wizardry Staff and Battle Axe. The soldiers that had wound over their bodies now began to feel the pain. When they battled with the beast before, the adrenaline was high, and they couldn¡¯t grasp the pain at that time. Ughh¨C Some of the soldiers howled their pain while retreating. The hunter that heard the groan couldn¡¯t help shaking his head. ¡°I thought, I want to help you guys relieve the pain by freezing the wound. But¡­ ¡° The other hunter interjected, ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury time for that.¡± ¡°Yeah, because it¡¯s fu*king Hellhounds.¡± Chapter 26: Calamity: Vengeance Spirit Chapter 26: Cmity: Vengeance Spirit ¡°We need to hold the Hellhounds for about 10 minutes before the reinforcements from Hunters Association and other guildse.¡± ¡°Or we can try to exterminate them.¡± ¡°Heh, I want to do that too. But with this kind of number¡­, let¡¯s survive first.¡± Haha¨C Both of the huntersughed helplessly. They saw countless Hellhounds try to break the ice wall. The C-rank hunters would have no problem if they only faced one Hellhound. However, to fight against such a bunch of beasts would require tremendous Mana and stamina tost long until the end. The hunters also had other concerns, such as not knowing how the Red Gate situation was. Had the creature stopped appearing or not? What about other beasts that went the other way? What about the beasts sneaked into the city? There was no exact number of how much the creature would pop out from there unless the Red Gate got closed to stop it. That was why the Red Gate was so problematic. In order to close the Red Gate, they had to either kill all the creatures that came out of it or find and kill the Dungeon Owner as soon as possible. If the hunters couldn¡¯t ughter all of them, they would need more hunters to divide in terms of isting the Red Gate and searching for the Dungeon Owner at the same time. With so many hunters were mobilized for just one Red Gate. It would ignore the other Portal Gates that needed to be taken care of it. The Red Gate also usually took a long time to get cleared. Teng, Crenk¨C The ice wall got broken, the Hellhounds rushed their way toward the two hunters. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C Wosh, Woush¨C The Hellhound¡¯s mouth opened, and ready to bite the two hunters. ¡°Frost Arrow, Magic of Ice!¡± Cing, Scing¨C A bunch of ice arrows show up in the air and pierce through the three Hellhounds. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The other five Hellhounds jumped against the hunter that used ice magic after seeing its kind died from the arrow. Tump, Grsek¨C In the middle of its jump, arge Axe weapon got swung from the side. Haa¨C Dret, Bang¨C When the Battle Axe hit the Hellhounds, it caused a small shockwave in the middle of the collision. The attack was enough to kill the five Hellhounds that jumped and threw them away to the ground. However, the hunters didn¡¯t get rxed and were not happy about it. Even after killing eight Hellhounds. Because it seemed the Hellhounds quantity didn¡¯t decrease at all. ¡°We need to fight while moving. And lure those beasts to the opposite side of this ce.¡± ¡°From the information the soldier gave to us, the direction in the front will lead to the Red Gate. Let¡¯s go there.¡± ¡°Make a huge ice wall here.¡± The hunter nodded. He put his arms to the front. ¡°Blizzard wall, Magic of Ice!¡± Zug, Zrug¨C An ice wall formed bigger than the previous one. The Hellhounds shrunk their head a little bit, shocking because of the wall. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The glowing red eyes of Hellhounds stared at the two hunters while gritting their teeth. ¡°Go!¡± The hunter that only used the Magic spell ran to the front, leaving the other hunter behind. The Hellhounds noticed the movement, immediately ran, and jumped toward the hunter that was running. But, before its bite and w could touch the running hunter. The hunter on the back that wielded the Battle Axe disappeared from his spot. And he showed up close to the hunter that was running on the front. ¡°Battle Rage!¡± The hunter used its ability. His swing of the Battle Axe was faster with less power from earlier. But, it was sharp enough to cut down two Hellhounds at the same time. Haa¨C Zrut, Zruut¨C Zrut, Zruut¨C The other Hellhounds saw their kind heads got chopped and didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, they bare their sharp teeth. Rarggh, Rrghh¨C Tump, Grsek¨C Wosh, Woush¨C The Hellhounds reacted violently and ran toward both of the hunters. ¡°Run! Let me take care of the rear. Don¡¯t carelessly use Magic spells. Save your Mana for theter fight when we reach the Red Gate.¡± The hunter at the front nodded. He began running to the foot of the mountain. The hunter with the Battle Axe followed from behind while tempting the Hellhounds to pursue them. He made sure the hunter on the front was safe until they arrived. On their way behind, the hunter continued to fight, swinging the Battle Axe at the Hellhounds. He kept his distance from the beasts that tried to approach him or the hunters in front of him. The temporary garrison now felt empty without anyone there. But regardless of the hunter¡¯s ns. There were several Hellhounds who didn¡¯t chase after them and were still staying on the scene. The beasts instead of going in another direction. And it looked like the Hellhounds tried to enter the downtown. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡°Arcane-fire st, Magic of fire!¡± Brust, Boom¨C One Hellhound was dead by the burning of fire. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°There are Hellhounds everywhere. I hope the evacuation isplete.¡± Eun-bi gazed in the direction where she wasing from it. Eun-bi was in no rush to go to the Red Gate field. She wanted to try to look around the city. If there were still people who weren¡¯t on the evacuation route yet. All of a sudden, there was a voice calling Eun-bi¡¯s name while her moving around. ¡°Hwang Eun-bi~si?¡± Eun-bi got shocked by hearing the voice and stopped her track. She was familiar with the call. She then turned her head to the left side. ¡°Imo?!¡± Eun-bi quivered after seeing Ji-woo¡¯s mother was still in the area. At the same time, she was d that Ji-woo¡¯s mother was okay. Earlier, Eun-bi went to Ji-woo¡¯s mother¡¯s food stall first. But seeing the ce was closed. She thought Ji-woo¡¯s mother was in the evacuation and safe. ¡°Imo, why are you still here? Didn¡¯t there an announcement about the evacuation?¡± ¡°There are still many people here that need help to move.¡± Eun-bi saw there were a few people that were older than Ji-woo¡¯s mother. She took several steps back and observed the ce. The ce was a small restaurant that usually used to hang out. Ji-woo¡¯s mother saw a puzzled expression from Eun-bi and tried to exin to her. ¡°When they announced the evacuation, there was amotion around here. Imo told them to wait inside first because it was dangerous. And it seemed they were having a hard time getting into the street with so many people huddled and pushing one another.¡± Eun-bi understood why Ji-woo¡¯s mother helped them. But now, she was bit her own lip with a grim face. There was something that Eun-bi was worried about and hoping not to happen. Tada¨C What people hope for it sometimes would note true. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C Four Hellhounds were getting close to Eun-bi and the other. They slowly walked while ring with their red eyes. As a D-rank hunter, Eun-bi should be capable of handling it. But, she had already used her Magic spells earlier. So, she had a bit of fatigue. And only half of the remaining Mana left. ¡®Can I do it?¡¯ Eun-bi then shouted to the people behind her back. ¡°Go and stay inside the ce. I will take care of this. And don¡¯te out until I call it!¡± ¡°Be careful, Eun-bi~ya!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother then led the others to go back to the small restaurant and closed the door. There were around eight people, plus Ji-woo¡¯s mother, in the room. Eun-bi clenched her fist. Szup¨C Both Eun-bi hands got covered with fire. She then made a wall of fire in front of the small restaurant. She took measures if the Hellhounds might bypass her and go toward those people inside the restaurant. Cakl, Burss¨C Of course, the wall of fire was small. If it was too big, it could burn the whole building instead of protecting it. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The four Hellhounds moved at the same time. They were running toward Eun-bi. ¡°Arcane-fire st, Magic of fire!¡± Each of Eun-bi¡¯s hands summoned a fireball with high-density elements. She then threw the two rounds of mes at the Hellhounds. Brust, Boom¨C Brust, Bam¨C One of the fireballs missed its target, but the other fireball hit one of the Hellhounds. It burned the beast until it stopped moving. Rarggh, Rrghh¨C The remaining Hellhounds were gotten angry, and their red eyes stared fiercely at the hunter. Suddenly, something flew away andnded in the middle of Hellhounds and Eun-bi. Bang¨C The ground shattered, and a ring of shockwave brushed the wind to the surrounding. Swooshh¨C A human-shaped body appeared after the cloud of dust was gone. It wore a ck robe at the back and wielded a crescent moon weapon on the right hand. Fufufu¨C ¡°I don¡¯t know why only a few Hellhounds are here. They should be swarming all over this ce already.¡± She didn¡¯t understand why the countless Hellhounds from the Red Gate weren¡¯t flocking and massacred everything in the city yet. Eun-bi saw the creature and immediately knew the identity. ¡°Spirit?! Y-You¡­, the Dungeon Owner isn¡¯t?!¡± Eun-bi tried her best to stay calm in front of a creature with a Mana presence greater than hers. The gradation of coercion in Mana made her unable to move a finger, and the pressure made her tremble. Fufufu¨C ¡°Amusing, human. You know about me. Now while waiting for my dears toe, let me y with you.¡± Eun-bi didn¡¯t know whether she could be alive or not with there still three Hellhounds and a Spirit in front of her. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C ¡°It is an honor for you to die by my hands. ¡°Because I am the Vengeance Spirit, Etherzalle!¡± Chapter 27: Calamity: Impudent Chapter 27: Cmity: Impudent ¡°Magic of fire, Arcane-fire st!¡± Eun-bi kept throwing the fireball towards the Spirit and the Hellhounds. But, only the Hellhounds that got affected by it. The Hellhounds couldn¡¯t get close to Eun-bi or the small restaurant either because of the fire. While Etherzalle didn¡¯t even bother to evade the fireball, Brust, Boom¨C There was fire everywhere around the area where Eun-bi was fighting. Luckily the tiny restaurant was still good even though there was a big fight in front of it. Thanks to Eun-bi¡¯s efforts that kept the building intact amid the mes. But, it used up almost all of her remaining Mana. The cloud of dust and smoke from the fire had covered the ce. It was like a kind of mist that blocked the vision. Fufufu¨C ¡°Fire is nothing but a trifle. You disappointed me, human.¡± Etherzalle¡¯s silhouette was apparent in the middle of that cloud of dust and smoke in there. Eun-bi was surprised, despite throwing so many fireballs and almost emptying her Mana pool. The Spirit seemed not to take any damage from it. ¡®I am no match for her!¡¯ What Eun-bi was worried about now was the safety of the civilians in the small restaurant, should she fall into the Spirit¡¯s hands. The reinforcement still had not arrived yet, and Eun-bi didn¡¯t think there would be another hunter close to her. Because earlier, she had got told that the other two hunters had gone to the temporary garrison. Suddenly, Etherzalle¡¯s red eyes glowed and let lose a piercing scream around. It damaged the ground nearby and pushed a shock wave toward where Eun-bi was. Waaa¨C The cloud of dust and smoke that enveloped the area vanished. And the mes were gone as if they had never happened before. Zwossh¨C Sruukk¨C Eun-bi got thrown away to the small restaurant and collided with the door. The small restaurant itself got damaged by the screams. All the window panes got broken, and the walls in the room got cracked too. The people and Ji-woo¡¯s mother inside the ce were getting knocked back and lost consciousness. Dust was flying everywhere covered the restaurant building, which had be cracked and almost crumbling from the scream attack. Etherzalle waved her left hand and all the dust blocking the vision vanished without a trace. She saw Eun-bi on the ground, struck down by the wreckage of a slightly destroyed building. Hellhounds saw the surroundings as harmless, came closer to the small restaurant. But, it got stopped by Etherzalle. ¡°My dears, It¡¯s not your turn yet. Back off.¡± Etherzalle spoke with a stern voice. Iing, Ieingg¨C The Hellhounds shrunk back and didn¡¯t dare to move forward. The words that Etherzalle said carried away the Mana presence that stopped the beasts from moving. Thus the Hellhounds could only obediently stay at the back. Etherzalle grabbed Eun-bi¡¯s neck with her left hand and lifted it in the air. She smiled and revealed her right hand that wielded the crescent moon shape weapon. Fufufu¨C Etherzalle stabbed the two sharp points from the crescent moon weapon to Eun-bi¡¯s abdomen. Jleb¨C Urghh¨C Eun-bi spurt out some blood from her mouth. Etherzalle then let out the grip on Eun-bi¡¯s neck and pulled out her weapon. Sret¨C Duag¨C Eun-bi fell to the ground while holding her bleeding stomach. She then used thest bit of her strength to crawl toward the small restaurant door and then leaned back against it. Fufufu¨C ¡°It¡¯s not fun. You are far too weak, human. Guess, taking this ce down will be easy.¡± Uhuk, Uhuk¨C Eun Bi was coughing up blood, and her condition was not good now. Her eyes were dim, and her face felt lifeless. But, Eun-bi still intensely stared at the Vengeance spirit while biting her lip even though she already got a severe wound from Etherzalle. ¡°Anyway, why is it still quiet? Where are all of you?¡± Etherzalle turned her back and looked at the Hellhounds. Right now, she didn¡¯t understand why there were only a few beasts had appeared. Where were the hundreds of Hellhounds that came with her before? Did all of them die? Impossible! If the Hellhounds only had a small number, it might be happening. But, that countless Hellhounds had numbered about 400 beasts. ¡°Did someone like this girl appear? The stronger one? Tch! It seems like I need to check it myself.¡± Etherzalle then floated in the air, even though it was not high. She rushed toward the direction of the Red Gate. Wusshh¨C The three Hellhounds got up and ground their teeth with their red eyes ring at Eun-bi and the small restaurant behind her. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The Hellhounds, at a slow pace, got closer, knowing there was no threat anymore that could harm them. Eun-bi was still leaning on the broken door. She put her left hand on the ground while her right hand held her stomach. She wanted to use the little bit Mana left as ast resort to kill the three Hellhounds that wanted to hunt the people inside the small restaurant. ¡°mes Eruption, Magic of fire!¡± The Hellhounds flinched at the spark on Eun-bi¡¯s left hand. Suddenly, mes outburst came from the ground where the Hellhounds were standing, incinerated in the vicinity. Bwosshh¨C Zhrrush¨C But¡­, Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The Hellhounds¡¯ shadow was noticeable in the middle of mes. The three of them then jumped over the fire and showed how lively they still were. Eun-bi was bbergasted. She could not believe that the spell did not kill them and only inflicted minor wounds on the beast¡¯s body. Actually, Eun-bi low Mana could be the reason why the output of the Magic spell was weak. Rarggh, Rarrr¨C Kek, Kekh¨C The Hellhounds opened their mouths, and the sound of their sharp teeth got heard. It was as if they were starving and ready to jump on Eun-bi at any moment. The hopeless situation made Eun-bi cry in the middle of the death door. ¡®Imo and the other¡­ I can¡¯t protect them.¡¯ Eun-bi closed her eyes and spoke with a shaky voice, plus the tears of regret from her eyes. ¡°Please¡­ Please anyone¡­, protects these people behind me.¡± Eun-bi didn¡¯t know the condition of the people inside the restaurant. She only convinced herself that they were fine. Weng¨C Eun-bi, hearing the sound, try open her eyes. The blurred vision of her eyes showed a man silhouette in front of it. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know who you are¡­ B-But, please¡­, save the people inside this building¡­ ¡° Hosh, Hosh¨C Eun-bi spoke with a low tone, and her breathing was unstable. The man got closer to Eun-bi and put his hand over the forehead. ¡°You did well. Take a rest for a while.¡± Eun-bi felt rxed by the hand and closed her eyes again, and it seemed like she didn¡¯t have any more strength to move. The fact that Eun-bi didn¡¯t recognize the man¡¯s voice made him sad and knew her condition. The man was Kim Ji-woo. He came faster than the hunters that were supposed to arrive as reinforcements as soon as they could. But, Ji-woo pushed his body limit to the maximum. It made him overheat and emitted smoke from all over his body. His suit and pants got torn in several parts too. Even his hair tie was gone, leaving his long, wavy hair loose. ¡®If only I have Mana, I might be able to give her some strength to hold on for a moment and bring her to the hospital that had a healer.¡¯ Ji-woo clenched his fist. If only he had Mana. If only. On his way, beforeing here, he had already suppressed his anxiety and feelings of anger. However, now seeing Eun-bi in such a state. The anxiety and anger changed into a rage. And Ji-woo already gave up on any resistance toward the Nullifier. The rage piques the interest of Ji-woo¡¯s cursed soul. Since earlier, Ji-woo had already been excited about the outbreak even though he worried about his mother¡¯s safety. Yet, he could still conceal it. But, the moment he saw the Hellhounds, the addiction of battling kicked off. Ji-woo started not caring about human well-being. The Nullifier overthrew all of Ji-woo¡¯s sorrowful feelings. It made him wear an excited and happy face about such a tragedy. Hehe¨C Ji-woo subtlyughed the same as when he was in the Magical world in the small vige while he was still a Captain squad of the army, not a General yet. Ji-woo¡¯s sorrow feeling got overtaken didn¡¯t mean his conscience got taken too. It was like he knew when something severe happened, he needed to show sympathy for it. But, his feeling showed a different reaction. Rather than being sad, he utterly didn¡¯t feel anything at all. Even if he saw innocent people die in front of him. So what? He would feel it was not his business while his mind told him it needed to show empathy. That was how Ji-woo got tortured before until he retained his true strength. Nevertheless, Ji-woo didn¡¯t get tortured anymore from that. Now, he already knew the experience and only felt ufortable with that. ¡°Yo, a bunch of sh**ty dog. If only just three of you here isn¡¯t enough.¡± Rarggh, Rarrr¨C Kek, Kekh¨C The Hellhounds didn¡¯t feel any Mana presence from Ji-woo. So, it was brazenly showing their teeth and anger toward him. Chapter 28: Calamity: Mixed Emotions Chapter 28: Cmity: Mixed Emotions It wasn¡¯t the first time Ji-woo had experienced the Nullifier control. So, he wasn¡¯t surprised and scared anymore. Ji-woo¡¯splexion didn¡¯t change, the same as before. But actually, he suppressed the urge to be excited about the outbreak. Imagine a horde of monsters surrounding him in every other direction. The battle wouldst for long enough to satisfy him. Of course, that was if the beasts or the monsters could keep up with Ji-woo¡¯s strength. Ji-woo wanted to check on his mother as soon as possible. But, he worried about bringing a mess inside the small restaurant if the three hellhounds chase him in there. Sigh¨C ¡°Only three¡­ ¡° Sho, Sho¨C Ji-woo waved his hand to the Hellhounds in front of him like shooing a pet. Ji-woo still had time to joke even though the atmosphere there was less thanfortable. The state of his mother, who was still unconscious. And his acquaintances dying before his eyes. However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t wear any contrite expression. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The Hellhounds stretched their legs, ready to bounce on Ji-woo at any moment. Suddenly, the beast target was vanishing from the scene. Shewsh¨C The Hellhounds were puzzled. Zreet, Busshh¨C Ji-woo appeared beside them and killed one of the hellhounds by swinging his right hand back and hitting it in the head. The blood of the dead Hellhound sttered everywhere. Its body was still twitching even though losing its head on the ground. The other two Hellhounds quivered to see their kind die mercilessly. Ji-woo stared in boredom with half of his upper face covered in blood from a in Hellhound. His clothes also got sshed with blood from that beast. The two Hellhounds were scared now. They didn¡¯t know how Ji-woo killed it. It only saw the body on the ground scattering the blood here and there. Iing, Ieingg¨C Tep, Teep¨C The Hellhounds jumped and ran away from Ji-woo. Degg¨C Zreet, Busshh¨C But just a millisecond after its leap, one Hellhound died with its body split into two between the upper and lower part, where the other one got caught on Ji-woo¡¯s right hand. The Hellhound body that split was twitching too. The same as the one from before. Its muscles stiffen with fear and die immediately after doing the tense movement. Fwaahh¨C From Ji-woo¡¯s mouth, a hot smoke came out. ¡°Haa¡­ Not good, I overdo. My body still needs the cooling down, huh?¡± Ji-woo felt the overheat on his body while looking at his left hand that tore apart the Hellhounds. Iing, Ieingg¨C The Hellhounds on Ji-woo¡¯s right hand let out a pitiful sound like asking for mercy. Its legs and body didn¡¯t dare to move because of the pressure Ji-woo did on its head. Ji-woo, not bothering by the cried out from the Hellhounds. He gripped his right hand. Creekk, Busshh¨C A Hellhound fell to the ground without a head, and blood dripped from Ji-woo¡¯s right hand. Now, all of the Hellhounds on the spot got already cleaned up by Ji-woo without leniency. After taking care of the Hellhounds, Ji-woo went toward Eun-bi¡¯s body at the shabby door. He walked like a god of death while drenched in blood in his ck suit. Ji-woo saw Eun-bi¡¯s body on the ground. His eyes felt empty. But, his mind and heart were in turmoil. The anger that Ji-woo had ovepped with the excitement of the fight. That was why he tried to suppress the two feelings. Therefore, he reacted dully to this dire situation. When Ji-woo looked through Eun-bi¡¯s body, he identally saw the condition inside the small restaurant. Ji-woo saw his mother lying on the floor unconscious, along with small and light bruises around the arms and faces. The other people inside there have the same condition too. His body trembled, and it shook him to the core. Ji-woo took a few steps back with fear. The bloody face that killed the Hellhounds without mercy now showed a despairing look. Ji-woo pped his own face with both of the hands that were still shaking. ¡°Get a grip! It wasn¡¯t like my first time to experience it.¡± Ji-woo then cleaned up his bloody face with the ck suit that he took off. He then threw away the messy and dirty ck suit to the ground. Leaving only the white cloth that has a bit of blood on it, left on his body. Actually, Ji-woo wasn¡¯t someone that could kill living things easily, even though they were wicked kinds. But, having endured a tough time in the Great War, he was used to the spiral of death. Now, after back to his original world. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to show this ruthless side of him to his mother and felt ashamed of it. Regardless she still fell unconscious and didn¡¯t see it. ¡°Let¡¯s check on Mother and the other condition first. After that, move them to a better ce than here.¡± Ji-woo casually spoke while holding his other shaking arm. His mother and the other inside the small restaurant were fine and didn¡¯t have any fatal injury, just lost consciousness and had light bruises. Chiit¨C A military truck stopped at the small restaurant. The soldiers that arrived at the scene tried to understand the circumstance while looking at the aftermath. ¡°This¡­ What happens?!¡± A soldier asks hisrade. ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡± Those soldiers stared at Eun-bi¡¯s body at the door and headless Hellhounds around the area. Ji-woo looked at the soldiers, who caught a glimpse of the scene from inside the room. He ignored those two and went toward the door. Then, the soldiers were surprised to see a mane out from the small restaurant while holding a rather elderly woman in arms. One of the soldiers quickly pointed his gun that he held to Ji-woo. And the other soldiers gave an instruction toward Ji-woo that walked passing Eun-bi at the shabby door. ¡°Don¡¯t move! Sir, put down the women and state who you are. Now!¡± However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t stop at such amand and kept walking toward the back of the military truck. The soldiers, seeing their order get ignored instantly, turned grim. The one that held the gun wanted to shoot Ji-woo on the spot. Suddenly, the air felt chill and pierced the skin of the soldiers that were close to Ji-woo. The rage caused by the fall of Eun-bi and his injured mother, coupled with the excitement of the battle from the Nullifier, made Ji-woo eager to fight the outbreak. There was no way Ji-woo didn¡¯t let out such a frightening atmosphere near him with such abination of emotions. The soldiers became stiff and couldn¡¯t move because of the pressure from Ji-woo. Every step that Ji-woo took. It felt like a grim reaper was walking by held their hearts, terrifying them of death. Ji-woo put his mother at the back of the military truck. Then, he went back to the small restaurant to pick up Eun-bi on the ground, carrying her the same way as his mother. The soldiers could only watch Ji-woo bring so many people to the back of the military truck from inside the small restaurant. Ji-woo looked at the people who got settled on the truck. For now, he could confirm the danger was gone. Since Ji-woo could feel there was extensive Mana shing a bit far from where he was standing at the moment. He was sure there were no beasts or any creatures close nearby. If not because this was not the first time Ji-woo encountered such an urrence. He might ignore everything and immediately jump up to the battlefield. Ji-woo sighed and saw where the Portal Gate might have started. He then spoke to the soldiers that stood still like a statue. ¡°Take these people to a safe ce and take care of them. Also¡­, call the Demigod guild, tell them the D-rank hunter Hwang Eun-bi has fulfilled her duty protecting the city from the outbreak.¡± The soldiers nodded their heads repeatedly. Weng¨C Ji-woo jumped pretty fast from the ground, leaving only the dust behind him. Hosh, Hosh¨C The soldiers were relieved after Ji-woo¡¯s existence disappeared from their sight. One of the soldiers broke the silence, ¡°Huahh, I feel like my neck will be tearing apart if I made some movement.¡± The other soldier gulped. ¡°He should be a hunter, right?!¡± ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but¡­ Even the S-rank hunter that I¡¯ve met before doesn¡¯t have this kind of fearsome aura with him.¡± The soldier that got asked was answering after a short break. Their doubts were understandable. So far, a hunter had always put on their gear suit or carried an artifact item and weapon whenever they encountered a creature from the Portal Gate or went hunting in the dungeon. There was no armor gear and no items either on Ji-woo. He didn¡¯t even seem to have or carry any weapons at all. His appearance didn¡¯t look like a hunter¡¯s. He only wore white clothing and ck pants. ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Additionally calling the Demigod guild too¡­ ¡± The other soldier reminds them about the guild matter. The two soldiers looked at the back of the military truck. There were unconscious people and a hunter covered in blood on her suit of equipment. ¡°This Portal Gate thing¡­ ¡°We lose ourrades-in-arms while defending and protecting the people. ¡°These people¡­ That has Mana blessing too¡­ ¡° When people¡¯s expectations and hopes for something were too big, it made them forget about the possibility of failure that might ur. If everything were not going like what they hoped for, it would put them into misery. And¡­, Giving up and not believing in hope would bemonce for these people. Chapter 29: Calamity: The Fallen Chapter 29: Cmity: The Fallen The two hunters who lured the Hellhound back to the Red Gate had really worked hard to the fullest. Luckily both of the hunters had a goodbination. One was a spell caster type, and the other was abat style type. Even though usually thebat type was not a frontliner. But, the C-rank hunters had a big artifact weapon. So, he could be a semi-tanker to handle the aggro from the Hellhounds, and the spell caster took care of the Hellhounds that wanted to overtake them in the pursuit. After the long run, all of them arrived at the final stage, the Red Gate. The ce was quite spacious because it was at the foot of the mountain. Even with so many Hellhounds there, it was still not crowded. Hundreds of Hellhounds filled the area around the Red Gate. They stood baring their teeth to the hunters. And the hunters like ants in the middle of locusts if viewed from the sky. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C ¡°Let them get stuck here.¡± The spell caster hunter nodded his head. He pressed the hands¡¯ five fingers to the ground. ¡°Magic of ice, Namdaemun Gate!¡± Drrdrr, Zrhuuk¨C The field was shaking, making all the living things above it sway around, and a 7-meters tall ice gate appeared. It formed like a defensive wall for them. The spellcaster hunter then jumped andnded at the top spot of the ice gate, a Red Gate behind the hunters and hundreds of Hellhounds at the front. The hunters want to do a battle with a counter-attack strategy with the Hellhounds. Thebat hunter defended and fought at the ground with his Battle Axe. And the spellcaster hunter on top of the ice gate observed the beast¡¯s movements and attacked when the opportunity arose. However, the spell caster already used a tremendous amount of Mana to summon the ice gate. On top of that, both of them already ran all the way to the Red Gate. Could theyst long enough until the reinforcement wasing? On the battlefield, even though it was just a tiny bit of fatigue. It could be a deciding factor between triumph and destruction. Every little thing couldn¡¯t get ignored when the hunters fought with their own life on the line. ¡°Alright, with this ice wall. We can fight all of those beasts!¡± The hunter below the ice gate tried tofort the spellcaster above at the top spot, who got throbbing from exhaustion after casting a big magic spell. Hosh, Hosh¨C The spellcaster hunter rubbed his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand and took a deep breath for a moment. Fuu¨C As long as there was no unexpected thing happening in the middle of the sh, the two hunters were sure they could survive and took care of these hundreds of Hellhounds. Rarggh, Rrghh¨C Tump, Grsek¨C The hundreds of Hellhounds ran and jumped disorderly toward the hunters at the ice gate. Wosh, Woush¨C The earth shook. Drrrt, rrrt¨C ¡°Here theye!!!¡± On the passage at the bottom of the ice gate, thebat hunter was ready with his artifact weapon, Battle Axe. Waiting for the beast, Bang! A ring of shock waves suddenly burst from the collision at the ice gate passage. A bunch of Hellhounds got thrown away from there. Thebat hunter swung his Battle Axe to the Hellhounds and won with overwhelming strength despite a horde of beasts jumping at him. Thanks to the ice gates, it reduced the impact of the Hellhounds up to 70%. Hence, only a small number of them could fit at the passage and give an advantage to the hunters at the same time. ¡°Good!¡± The spellcaster hunter felt they had a chance to dispel all of the Hellhounds after seeing the crash. Thebat hunter¡¯s face showed a joyful expression seeing there was hope after the sessful first confrontation. He gripped the artifact weapon tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s carry on!¡± With that, the hunters maintain the fight without much suffering while killing the beast at the minimum cost. The spellcaster hunter could still handle it, even though some of the Hellhounds were not targeting the passage and instead tried to jump to the top spot of the ice gate. The situation stayed the same for quite some time. After a while, the Hellhounds did not rush towards the ice gate as aggressively as before. They just stared at the defensive wall that seemed imprable. It was flexing their body on the spot, not going anywhere close to the hunters. This unforeseen urrence made the spellcaster hunter at the top realize something. He could get a small glimpse of what was happening from all of the Hellhounds that were not moving because he had a broad view from the top. ¡°Crap! ¡°I think they have the anxiety of running back to the city?!¡± Thebat hunters in the ice gate passage below the spellcaster hunters were surprised to hear those words. The hunters realized that there was a possibility the Hellhounds might go to the city again since nothing could hold them back here at the foot of the mountain. The ice gate¡¯s purpose was solely for defending and increasing the hunters¡¯ survival rate from fighting the beast, not to captivate them in one ce. There was some movement at the back crowd of Hellhounds. Even though it was a little bit of change, as long as the hunter¡¯s eyes could see it, they knew what they were concerned about was going to happen. The hunters were hesitant and sweat buckets with this unexpected development. Far different from what they nned. It didn¡¯t matter how much the hunters rack their brains to think of the solution for that. It was a situation where anything became useless. It was inevitable. But¡­, Drut, Drut¨C Ratatatata¨C Suddenly, there was the sound of a full-auto assault rifle firing its bullets around the crowd of Hellhounds at the rear, far away from the ice gate. ¡°What happened?!¡± The hunters were surprised to hear the rifles buzz. They could see a cloud of dust scattering over the area in the distance. A helicopter that caused all of this had just gotten seen flying low. The height was a bit higher than the ice gate. A f**k*ng helicopter showed up in the middle of the fight between the hunters and the Hellhounds? What could that thing do to these kinds of beasts from the dungeon? Nothing! However, even an ant could hurt the giant elephant with its tiny appearance. Although the bullet couldn¡¯t do much to the beast, it didn¡¯t mean it was totally useless. It could hurt them and inflict a slight bit of wounds if the Hellhounds kept tanking the bullet with their body. Also, it restricted the Hellhounds¡¯ movement and kept them in check. Making the beasts couldn¡¯t go anywhere else. The hunters didn¡¯t know what was happening. But, they knew it was a good thing after seeing the soldiers were the ones that were firing the rifles from the helicopter. ¡°It seems like they retain the backline for us. Those soldiers!¡± ¡°Yeah! They are capable of holding the beast there.¡± The hunters were d they had some help from the soldiers. ¡°Let¡¯s taunt the Hellhounds to make them interested in the ice gate again!¡± The spellcaster hunter nodded his head at the idea to aggro the beast back on them. Thebat hunter went forward, leaving the passage of the ice gate with his Battle Axe when the Hellhounds got distracted by the rifles from the helicopter. ¡°Battle Hunger!¡± The Battle Axe became heavier, the ground where he was standing cracked. Thebat hunter swung his artifact weapon in a bit of slower motion than usual. The swing gesture contained such a tremendous force of Mana. Bang! A slight tremor shifted the Hellhounds¡¯ attention away from the helicopter. More than a dozen Hellhounds fell prey to the Battle Axe. Even the ground got crushed by the mighty swing of thebat hunter. Rrggh, Rrrr¨C The Hellhounds took the bait. Now, their eyes were full of rage toward the hunters. Thebat hunter immediately ran back toward the passage after seeing the provocation was a sess. To slow down the chasing, the spellcaster hunter cast some magic spells on the Hellhounds. ¡°Magic of Ice, Rain of Arrow!¡± Zret, Shew¨C A small chunk of sharp ice popped out in the air and began showering against the beast. It was enough to damage the Hellhounds. The soldiers in the helicopter sigh in relief, seeing the Hellhounds being handled easily by the hunters. ¡°Nice! We keep firing at the back.¡± ¡°Yes,mander!¡± The Commander of the army only came with one helicopter. He couldn¡¯t bring the other helicopter and the main battle tank to the Red Gate. He needed to make sure to leave enough protection for the evacuation site beforeing to the battlefield. The Commander even left his vicemander and 30 soldiers behind with only bringing six people in the helicopter. They were only the Commander, the pilot, and the copilot. Plus three other soldiers with the rifles. The helicopter itself was not an attack aircraft type. So, it didn¡¯t have a built-in weapon. ¡°For precautionary measure, let us fly higher and keep the gap from the ground.¡± Dang! Suddenly, the helicopter got jolted from getting hit with something before the soldiers could respond to their Commander¡¯s order. ¡°Cman¡­ der¡­ ¡° ¡°What¡­ ¡° All eyes automatically turned to the right side of the helicopter after the soldier shouted. There was an abrupt change in the air, making all of them quiver in fear. ¡°Human¡­ How dare¡­, to my dears¡­, ¡° A creature with red eyes glowing spoke furiously with a grim tone. Chapter 30: Calamity: Peerless Chapter 30: Cmity: Peerless Her right hand wielded the Crescent Moon weapon, and her left hand held onto the outside of the helicopter. The vengeance spirit from the Red Gate, Etherzalle. ¡°Human!¡± Etherzalle low stern voice was caused everyone in the helicopter to bleed from their ears. Arghh¨C Akhhh¨C The pilot and copilot instinctively took off their hands from the cyclic control to cover their ears from the pain. The helicopter became unstable. It started to shake, then spin at a slow pace, and finally fell to the ground. Weng, Kaboom! The Hellhounds didn¡¯t even bother to take a look despite themotion at the back. They kept chasing thebat hunter that ran to the ice gate. While everything seemed fine to the hunters on the ground, it was not the same for the spellcaster hunter that stands at the top of the ice gate. He clearly could see what was happening toward the soldiers on the helicopter that had just fallen. ¡°W-What w-was¡­ that¡­ !?¡± The spellcaster hunter was murmuring with a terrified state. No one except him, witnessing the entire shocking event of the fallen helicopter in the blink of an eye. The spellcaster hunter wanted to help the soldiers. But, since the distance was far away at the back of the Hellhounds horde, his magic spell couldn¡¯t reach them. However, after the helicopter crashed to the ground, the spellcaster hunter swallowed hard and trembled with fear. He began to feel the difference in Mana between them and the creature that infiltrated the helicopter from before. Of course, he couldn¡¯t tell the exact gap between them in Mana difference. Yet, he was still sure they couldn¡¯t beat the creature. Although, two versus one situations might urter on. The dust cloud soon subsided around the fallen helicopter. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°Akh, my leg!¡± ¡°Ughh, It¡¯s hurt!¡± The soldiers cried out in agony. Luckily, all of them inside there were still alive after the unexpected incursion. Well¡­, eventually, that good thing wouldn¡¯tst long enough. Fufufu¨C ¡°Now time for the bloodbath, human!¡± Etherzalle spoke in a sinister tone along with a mischievousugh. Causing the soldiers frightened and making them remember their ears¡¯ pain previously, ignoring the current wounds from the fallen helicopter. All the soldiers¡¯ had an uneasiness when they saw Etherzalle. A spirit being that filled with a vicious aura around her. Powerful enough to suffocate them. The Crescent Moon weapon on Etherzalle¡¯s right hand started swinging around inside the fallen helicopter. She ughtered people as smoothly as chopping tofu. Swoosh, Zret¨C The blood of the soldiers that got cut was sttering everywhere inside the helicopter. ¡°Keuhk!¡± ¡°Arghh!¡± The soldiers were in hopeless condition faced the Spirit creature. They couldn¡¯t even touch or wound her. An ordinary against Mana, they were notparable. Almost everyone in the helicopter died except for themander, who only lost his left arm after getting shed with the Crescent Moon weapon. Buarhhgg¨C Themander vomited blood. Apart from that, blood was alsoing out of the ears and eyes. Plus the severed left arm. It was miserable shapes of him. Hosh, Hosh¨C ¡°F-Fu** you, m-monster!¡± Buarhhgg, Uhuk¨C Themander tried to speak even though he had lost a lot of blood while coughing. He despised all these creatures that attempted to invade the human world. His eyes dimmed. Then gathered all hisst remaining strength to shoot at the Spirit creature with an M18 pistol. Creack, Dors¨C Point-nk shot on Etherzalle¡¯s head. Teng! Yet, the fast bullet easily got deflected by Etherzalle. Jleb¨C Etherzalle stabbed two sharp points from the Crescent Moon weapon to themander¡¯s neck. But not deep enough to separate the head from the body. Thus, streams of blood poured out of themander¡¯s mouth. What Etherzalle did to themander put him into despair. He looked at her in full anger because this slow death was the worst end for him. Fufufu¨C ¡°That eyes, human. That is what I¡¯m looking for.¡± Etherzalle smiled widely, seeing the stare from the human. Themander¡¯s gaze was full of vengeance from the unfair death. Fufufu¨C Sret¨C Etherzalle pulled out the Crescent Moon weapon from themander¡¯s neck. Letting him die, struggle till his final moment. ¡°Humans are too fragile.¡± Suddenly, Etherzalle shifted her gaze to a ce that seemed to give the Hellhounds a hard time. She then walked away, leaving the bloody helicopter, casually going to the ice gate. On top of the ice gate, the spellcaster hunter didn¡¯t have time to worry about the other matter after the helicopter crashed. He needed to support the other hunter to defend and kill the Hellhounds as much as they could. ¡°Magic of Ice, Rain of Arrow!¡± Zret, Shew¨C A few small chunks of sharp ice popped out in the air and began showering to the ground. It was enough to kill one or two Hellhounds. Even with the spell hunter¡¯s efforts to help, thebat hunter in the passageway of ice gates had not an easy encounter with the Hellhounds. ¡°Ah, darn it! What happened at the back there?! Why did these Hellhounds be more aggressive than before?!¡± Thebat hunter¡¯s sight was getting blocked by a bunch of Hellhounds that jumped respectively on him. So, he didn¡¯t know the helicopter had copsed already, despite hearing the st when running back to the ice gate earlier. Zrut, Tang¨C Thebat hunter was hitting in an unconventional move with the Battle Axe to repel the Hellhounds. Sometimes it hit the Hellhounds¡¯ bodies. The other time, it could only hit their ws or their teeth. Although, due to the wild beast¡¯s mob. Thebat hunter could not control his attack and manage the surroundings any more. Thus, he only tried his best to persevere. Luckily, he had Mana spare left more than the spellcaster, causing his stamina not to drop at a fast rate. The hunters expected the Hellhounds would be more ferocious the more time had passed. However¡­, ¡°Huh??¡± The Hellhounds swiftly stopped pushing forward and backing away from the hunters. It made them confused with the beast¡¯s unusual behavior. While the Hellhounds gradually withdraw. The beasts open up a path in the middle. Separate them into two sides, setting up a line directly to the ice gate passage. There was something about these odd urrences. And the spellcaster hunter was the first one that understood the purpose behind the Hellhound¡¯s action. ¡°W-We can¡¯t b-beat¡­ T-That m-monster.¡± The spellcaster hunter stuttered while watching at the open spot between the separated Hellhounds. He recalled the helicopter incident from before. Confused, thebat hunter immediately asked his temporary partner. ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± Suddenly, both of the hunters were shivering. They could feel the Mana presence bigger than them getting closer. The spellcaster hunter, who had almost run out of Mana, was got overwhelmed with ease. At the same time, unlike him, thebat hunter could still withstand that kind of pressure. Thebat hunter gripped the Battle Axe firmly with both of his arms. And he released the Mana presence too. Even though it was not strong enough, he didn¡¯t want to get intimidated by the enemy, trying to fight with everything he had. Fufufu¨C ¡°Another weakling. Instead, this time is stronger than that girl.¡± Etherzallepared the two C-rank hunters in front of her to the D-rank hunter that she killed back then. Thebat hunter fell for Etherzalle provocation. He roared and instantly used his artifact weapon ability. Hyaaa! ¡°Battle Hunger!¡± The Battle Axe became heavier, covered with a blue light. The light was a boost from his Mana presence to increase the weapon damage output. Hop¨C Thebat hunter jumped on toward Etherzalle. ¡°W-Wait!¡± The spellcaster hunter was surprised by thebat hunter¡¯s abrupt movement. Tep¨C Etherzalle was performing the same move as thebat hunter. Yet, rather than thebat hunter taking the initiative. It was Etherzalle who closed the gap by jumping in alignment towards thebat hunters. This situation certainly shocked thebat hunter. But, he still maintained his action, hitting the vengeance spirit with the Battle Axe. Bang! The Battle Axe and the Crescent Moon weapon colliding. It was causing a shockwave strong enough to shatter the Namdaemun Gate. Some of the Hellhounds that were close to the collision got thrown away from the strong wave. The two hunters also received heavy blows and were sent flying backward, leaving a series of marks on the ground during the thrown. Meanwhile, Etherzalle, who was also on the scene, was perfectly fine. She stood still without suffering any injuries. Etherzalle was smiling with her zing red eyes. The hunters stood up from where they had got blown away. Even though they were injured, it didn¡¯t make them lose consciousness. The spellcaster hunter was heavily wounded in his left arm and could no longer move his hand. Meanwhile, thebat hunter¡¯s left eye was the one that got damaged. Additionally, almost all over their bodies got bruises too. Fufufu¨C ¡°Go to the afterlife, human!¡± The hunters¡¯ plight was undoubtedly in danger. They fought a peerless creature who could defeat them with absolute ease. It was a zero chance of survival moment. Chapter 31: Calamity: Unknown Chapter 31: Cmity: Unknown ¡°I-It¡¯s absurd to face that m-monster, w-w need to r-run.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The spellcaster hunter didn¡¯t have any courage left facing the vengeance spirit. His left arm was injured, which came from a st of simple exchange between thebat hunter and Etherzalle. Just that alone was enough to inflict the horror of death in the spellcaster hunter¡¯s mind. On the other hand, thebat hunter rejected the idea of running away. He knew it was useless to escape against such a creature that didn¡¯t even get any scratch in that risky encounter. That monster was only ying around by not killing them quickly. Surely, Etherzalle could kill them faster. But, why do an unnecessary thing to end her pleasure? If she could keep continuing to y with the hunters. Fufufu¨C ¡°Human. The road to hell is not easy. You need to suffer first.¡± Etherzalle¡¯s wicked smile showed up after scaring them with her words. The spellcaster hunter¡¯s legs felt limp hearing the speeches. It made him copse to the ground, shivering with fear. Thebat hunters shouted on the side that was not far from the spellcaster. ¡°Don¡¯t surrender!¡± Tep¨C Etherzalle instantly appeared in front of thebat hunter, attacking him with her left hand. Degh¨C Fortunately, Etherzalle¡¯s ws were sessfully get blocked with the hunter Battle Axe. ¡°Not bad. To be able to stop my hand.¡± Fufufu¨C Etherzalle swiftly maneuvered the Crescent Moon weapon to stab thebat hunter¡¯s neck. Thebat hunter gasped as the weapon wasing at the blind spot on his left. He couldn¡¯t pull the Battle Axe out of Etherzalle¡¯s grip to block the Crescent Moon weapon that was reaching him. Then¡­, ¡°Magic of Ice, Frozen Cage!¡± Ziing¨C Neither Etherzalle nor thebat hunter expected the appearance of a pir of ice, which simultaneously froze the hand and the crescent moon weapon, thus stopping the charge. Etherzalle shifted her face to the left side and squinted her eyes. She looked toward the shaking spellcaster hunter that had just cast the magic spell on her. Thebat hunter saw the opportunity to break off from the shackle. He immediately took action. ¡°Battle Counter!¡± The ability could propel those that close to the owner through the Battle Axe¡¯s rotating sh motion. Usually, it got used to knocking back the horde. Woohng¨C Etherzalle was surprised that her grasp got forcefully released. However, even that counter-attack managed to release the pressure on the hunter. It still wasn¡¯t enough to injure Etherzalle at all. Since Etherzalle disappeared, the moment the Battle Axe almost smashed her. The hunters were taken by surprise, seeing Etherzalle gone from their sight. ¡°Where is it!¡± Both of the hunters looked around them to find Etherzalle whereabouts. ¡°Behind.¡± Thebat hunter was terrified after hearing Etherzalle¡¯s voice. He instinctively swung his Battle Axe to the back. Zhruuk¨C Before thebat hunter could turn his body, Etherzalle¡¯s left hand had already thrust his heart from behind. Uhagh¨C Thebat hunter coughed while bleeding from his mouth. Finally, he did not have any more strength to hold his artifact weapon, the Battle Axe, and let it fall to the ground. Dang! On the other side, the spellcaster hunter put down his resistance and left his fate to Etherzalle. He sat resignedly watching the other hunter die. There was nothing the spellcaster hunter could do right there. He only hoped that the Hunters¡¯ reinforcements were on standby in the city. Ready to fight these creatures from the dungeonter. Etherzalle wanted to pull her left hand out from thebat hunter¡¯s body. Instead, it was stuck and couldn¡¯t get out. Thebat hunter held Etherzalle¡¯s left hand with both of his hands. He was not letting her go. ¡°Still have the tenacity to fight me? What a waste.¡± Etherzalle slightly shook her right arm to break the ice pir, which was freezing the hand. Treek¨C Swoosh, Zret¨C Etherzalle shed the head of thebat hunter with Crescent Moon¡¯s weapon. Then, taking off her left hand. ¡°You.¡± Etherzalle then stared at the spellcaster hunter after throwing away the headless corpse. ¡°You spoil my fun. Then, let¡¯s kill you too.¡± Etherzalle walked casually to the spellcaster hunter that didn¡¯t move at all. He just sat there with his head down, hopelessly. ¡°It¡¯s time to massacre the humans in that earlier ce. Since all the obstacles here are gone now.¡± When Etherzalle approached the spellcaster hunter, it seemed like there was amotion going on behind her. There was a Hellhound that was running fast as if being chased by the god of death. Even the spellcaster hunter lifted his head and tried to take a look. ¡°What¡¯s this ruckus?¡± Etherzalle couldn¡¯t help and shift her gaze too. Both the spellcaster hunter and Etherzalle were dumbfounded at what was happening before their eyes. Iing, Ieingg¨C Tep, Teep¨C They saw the Hellhounds dashed in all directions frantically in a terrified state. It was unimaginable the hundreds of Hellhounds retreating in that kind of manner. Etherzalle wrinkled her forehead. ¡°Come¡­ Back¡­!¡± She spoke in a low voice, but it filled with exasperation. She was also confused by the reason. What could terrify the Hellhounds like that? The spellcaster hunter puzzled too and had thought whether other hunters had reached the city and came to the Red Gate. What made those Hellhounds run in horror? On the other hand, amidst the chaotic scene, which caught the attention of the spellcaster hunter and Etherzalle. A human silhouette emerged from there, seemingly dragging the helpless Hellhound with its hand. As if answering their confusion over the cause of the Hellhounds¡¯ fear. ¡°Tsk, they run away now.¡± That human was Kim Ji-woo. He clicked his tongue,menting the reality was not what he expected it to be. He appeared in a white shirt that had turned red, drenched in the bloodshed from the Hellhounds. It might be like someone who ughtered hundreds of Hellhounds based on the blood. But in truth, Ji-woo had only killed a bunch of Hellhounds on his way. It was the way Ji-woo killed the Hellhounds that made blood stter all over his clothes. His cruel act of tearing apart the Hellhound with only his bare hands might be the reason that terrified the beasts. The spellcaster hunter didn¡¯t understand why a mere human could be there nonchntly. On top of that, he held the Hellhound in his hand. ¡®Who is he? Is that blood all over his body?¡¯ In fact, the spellcaster hunter couldn¡¯t sense any Mana from Ji-woo, as well as the ordinary attire. It made him doubt that Ji-woo was a hunter from the beginning. Ji-woo, after looking left and right at the surroundings. Instantly destroyed the Hellhound head with his hand. Creekk, Busshh¨C Actually, Ji-woo wanted to kill all of the Hellhounds on the spot. However, the n became useless as the Hellhounds scattered in all directions. No matter how fast Ji-woo was, he couldn¡¯t catch all of them at once. If he chased the beasts one by one, it would take a long time. So, Ji-woo abandoned the idea of exterminating the Hellhounds and instead focused on the creature that could be the key to closing the Red Gate. ¡°How dare you, human!¡± Etherzalle was enraged seeing the Hellhounds got killed. Ji-woo heard those words and turned his attention toward the origin of the voice. Etherzalle let out her Mana Presence to show Ji-woo the difference between their powers. Ji-woo was unfazed by something like that. No matter how much Mana Presence the others had, it would be useless in front of him. ¡°Killing you is as easy as squeezing the ants, human.¡± Etherzalle walked toward Ji-woo, closing the distance. Even though she wanted to kill him, she didn¡¯t want to rush it. Every step Etherzalle took had enough strength to leave a trail on the ground. If ordinary humans were anywhere near that power, they would get knocked down. Ji-woo, who saw it all, just looked at Etherzalle with his icy cold gaze, natural cid expression. Tek¨C Out of nowhere, Etherzalle halted her step abruptly. Her eyes now show a glimpse of fear. After a moment, she red at Ji-woo fiercely. ¡®He doesn¡¯t have any Mana on him and is full of openings too. Yet my instinct, ring a danger signal at me!¡¯ ¡°WHAT ARE YOU?¡± Ji-woo tilted his head at the weird question. But also find it amusing. So far, he never thought of his existence as something else other than a human. And someone asked him, what was he? Ji-woo smiled subtly. ¡°Well¡­ Just a human?¡± He answered while shrugging. ¡°You¡­!¡± Etherzalle couldn¡¯t believe it. How could she, the vengeance spirit, get frightened to death by a human. She stopped her Mana Presence and used Mana to channel her full strength. ck smoke covered Etherzalle¡¯s entire body. Haaa! Etherzalle roared and made the area around her shake. She then mmed her left-hand fist onto the ground. Dagoom¨C ¡°Dark Space!¡± Shadows surfaced and spread from Etherzalle¡¯s feet. It extends far, reaching Ji-woo in front and the spellcaster hunter in her back. A cold shiver went down the spellcaster hunter spines that were inside the shadows range. The Dark Space made him lose all of his five senses. He felt miserable and despaired. In the end, he passed out not long after. Etherzalle smirked. It was her trump card. An area that could make her enemy blindpletely. Bing an easy target to be killed by her. ¡°I shall bring an end to your magic.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s voice and his fine condition startled Etherzalle. Chapter 32: Calamity: Late! Chapter 32: Cmity: Late! Etherzalle couldn¡¯t ept the reality. She was a Spirit being that could get considered more sturdy than most of the creatures from the dungeons. Assuming the opponent was mightier than Etherzalle. The Dark Space would cover that weakness. Wanted to beat the Dark Space? The only choice was to get out of the shadows range. But, it required more effort if someone aspired to do it. And Etherzalle itself wouldn¡¯t let that happen and would chase them. Considered the shadows would always follow Etherzalle, wherever her feet go, creating an independent domain under her control. Getting out of the shadows range was almost impossible. Yet, there was a human in front of Etherzalle. A harmless human! Still okay inside the Dark Space? Unbelievable! Etherzalle was seething with anger. The human was able to scare her off. Also, the trump card, Dark Space, didn¡¯t seem to affect him either. ¡°You¡¯re not human!¡± Kim Ji-woo got chuckled while hearing Etherzalle rambling about his existence. Somehow, Ji-woo was a little bit in agreement with those words that Etherzalle was uttering. He didn¡¯t have Mana, couldn¡¯t be called a hunter. There was no Mana, nor could he be called a human because he was darn powerful. ¡®I need to be careful. That human is not simple.¡¯ Etherzalle didn¡¯t dare to underestimate Ji-woo. She was wary of his mysterious power. Ji-woo stuck his left hand into his trouser pocket. His right hand then made a e here¡¯ gesture towards Etherzalle. ¡°Come. Entertain me.¡± Boom¨C Etherzalle dashed with her full power, shattering the ground, attacking Ji-woo with her left-hand ws. Of course, she didn¡¯t put an end to the Dark Space and kept using it. Ji-woo stopped the strike precisely by grabbing Etherzalle¡¯s wrist. Etherzalle gnashed her teeth, tried to release her hand from Ji-woo¡¯s grasp. However, Ji-woo immediately threw Etherzalle up into the air. Etherzalle was astonished by how easily she got thrown away. It proved that Ji-woo was not an ordinary human. His strength alone was sufficient to convince her about the instinct earlier. Etherzalle didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she knew she couldn¡¯t kill that human. She nned to retreat and was sure that the human couldn¡¯t kill her either. Thep¨C Ji-woo leaped into the air on top of the Etherzalle. Then, moving the heel of his foot down and kicked her in the head. Duag¨C Kaboom¨C Etherzalle fell so hard and demolished the ground. At the same time, Ji-woonded from above with a surprised expression. ¡°Amazing, I kick as hard as I can and still alive? It turns out your body is very durable. ¡°Better than those dogs from before.¡± Etherzalle kneeled on the ground after falling by blocking Ji-woo¡¯s kick. It turned out to be the worst for her. Her hand felt like it was going to get destroyed when she received the kick. Etherzalle stared wide-eyed, with disbelief on her face. In a matter of seconds, her judgment of Ji-woo changed multiple times. From the weak to the undetermined, then to the too strong, andstly to the impossible topete. Etherzalle was displeased at being overpowered. Her expression alone was probably enough to kill a weak-willed person. Meanwhile, Ji-woo starts to show his disinterest. He was looking at the Spirit with contempt. Etherzalle, who lost her sanity, charged at Ji-woo again. It could be called a desperate attempt from her. Boom¨C Hwossh¨C Duuarg! The close distance fight between Ji-woo and Etherzalle caused an explosive collision. It got followed by arge shockwave that had strong winds to sweep away everything around them. Hereafter, the dust cloud covered the area, making it hard to see everything precisely. Swoosh¨C Swossh¨C Inside the cloud of dust, there was the sound of sharp weapons swinging around. Not long, Ji-woo and Etherzalle wereing out from the dust cloud. That reckless move seemed like it worked. Cut marks from sharp weapons were visible on several parts of Ji-woo¡¯s body. On the other hand, Etherzalle didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯s outperformed him. After all, the cut isn¡¯t deep. She even thought that Ji-woo was just deliberately getting scratched. In a few more exchanges, Etherzalle stopped her useless effort. She only stayed on her spot and was frustrated. As a vengeance spirit, Etherzalle got gifted with monstrous physical strength. A trump card of the Dark Space along with Mana enhances her raw power. She was a peerless creature among the High Grade. And now, In front of Her. Etherzalle was rendered helpless and even ridiculed. By none other than a human, who did not have Mana like her. Ji-woo was not surprised to see Etherzalle stop her attack. It was an obvious trick to let her sh him. Deep inside, he hoped she would keep going until it made him excited. Nheless, ¡®Where is the thrill? Where is the adrenaline rush? Why is there nothing!¡¯ Ji-woo wished with hundreds of Hellhounds and a strong creature. It would be enough to lift up his mood. s, all of them were not sufficient for Ji-woo. In the very next moment, Ji-woo, who had been about a few meters away from Etherzalle, closed the distance between them in an instant. It happened in a sh. Bang! Ji-woo used an extremely agile, close-range punch with very great force, making it virtually inescapable. Etherzalle was thrown violently backward after being hit in the abdomen, leaving a trail on the ground on its way. Etherzalle could hold back her breakdown while holding it with her left hand despite being tossed so hard. She felt numb all over her body from that one hit alone. It was a critical matter for Etherzalle because her body had a very sturdy physique. Since it was not easy to tear the body apart, she had to endure the endless pain. Like she wanted to die, but she couldn¡¯t die. Meantime, Ji-woo picked up the Battle Axe weapon that no longer had a master and appeared before Etherzalle once again. Upon seeing that, Etherzalle, unfamiliar with Ji-woo¡¯s speed, could only react reflexively. She instinctively raised her Crescent Moon weapon to block the iing attack. Ji-woo charged forward with the Battle Axe on his left hand, targeting Etherzalle¡¯s head. Dang! From the impact of the shockwave from the two colliding weapons, there was a loud thud. Etherzalle was lucky to survive the Battle Axe sh, even though it cost her the Crescent Moon broke into a dozen pieces. And again, she was blown away due to Ji-woo¡¯s immense strength. Obviously, the Battle Axe that Ji-woo was using had the same fate as the Crescent Moon weapon. One of the edges from the dual-headed Battle Axe got broken too. This time, Etherzalle couldn¡¯tnd well after preventing a sh to her neck. After the bounce stopped, her body trembled from the pain she received from Ji-woo¡¯s few hits earlier. Etherzalle, a Spirit being, had her own pride over the human kinds. Although, the opponent was mightier than her. She never ran with her tail between her legs. ¡°Human!!! You will never defeat me even a million¡­ ¡° Cough, Cough¨C Ji-woo advanced toward Etherzalle and choked her throat, stopping the gibberish words she uttered. ¡°You should be grateful for being weak so that you won¡¯t suffer for a long time,¡± Ji-woo said casually with his t facial appearance. Ji-woo knew. The reason he might be able to end this outbreak sooner. It was because the vengeance spirit didn¡¯t live up to his expectation. Thus, he could control his emotions back from the excitement of the fight that Nullifier presented. If not, it could be a long-drawn sh between them even though Ji-woo was still more powerful than the other. Sometimes being weak and dying first isn¡¯t a bad thing. At the very least, it wouldn¡¯t endure unimaginable pain during the process. Suddenly, Ji-woo shifted his face to the left side while still holding Etherzalle with his right hand. He heard something like the sound of running footsteps toward him. He saw there were three men that got closer. Ji-woo knew they were hunters, just from their gear and Mana that they had. The three hunters that just came halted their footsteps. What appeared in front of them was very confusing. They clearly didn¡¯t feel Mana from Ji-woo. Yet, the hunters saw a human without Mana with a creature from the dungeon struggling to escape that human grip. Hrious! Because of that absurd situation. Especially Ji-woo¡¯s white shirt and long, wavy untied hair that had drenched in blood. The hunters began to contemte whether the man in front of them was human or not. In six years of Portal Gate appeared. There was no such human that was capable of fighting against the creature from the dungeon without Mana. Not even once! The hunters were quiet and vignt for unknown circumstances. They were on alert for fear that some unexpected things might happen. ¡°Late people can just stay still in their ce.¡± The hunters were bbergasted at Ji-woo¡¯s erratic words out of nowhere. They didn¡¯t know if it was a mockery or a warning for them. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± ¡°???¡± Chapter 33: Calamity: Aftermath Chapter 33: Cmity: Aftermath Etherzalle realized she would die if she didn¡¯t run away from the human in front of her after she struggled to try to escape from Ji-woo¡¯s hands. Etherzalle then saw Ji-woo move the artifact weapon. He put one of the edges from the dual-headed Battle Axe that was still intact around her neck. Ji-woo didn¡¯t have any reason to prolong the fight. He wanted to go back and check on his family as soon as possible. Well, It might be a different story if Nullifier was still in control of his emotion. Etherzalle became even more aggressive in her attempts to stay away from him after learning that she was at death¡¯s door. She wed at Ji-woo¡¯s right hand with sharp fingers, but it couldn¡¯t inflict any deep wound at all. ¡°If I don¡¯t have Nullifier, this hand has already been cut a moment ago.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s right forearm had slight cut marks from that. Even though it was not deep, it was still bleeding a little. Nuarghh!! Etherzalle roared as loud as she could when Ji-woo prated her neck with the Battle Axe. Zreet¨C The head was falling and rolling to the ground. Ji-woo stared at the headless body for a while and then threw it away. He sensed the Mana on the Red Gate slowly dissipated. The hunters and Ji-woo turned their gaze to the Red Gate, which was starting to disappear. Pong¨C The three hunters just watched without words and gulped, remembering the scene where Ji-woo cut the vengeance spirit head with ease. It was like the first time seeing a one-sided battle in their lifetime. One of the hunters immediately snapped back to reality and asked something to Ji-woo, despite being amazed by how Ji-woo killed the creature. ¡°Is there any other creature here?¡± ¡°No, the only one left is the Hellhounds that are spreading all over the area,¡± Ji-woo replied with his icy cold gaze. He knew the hunters should understand their job since he had already killed the dungeon owner. At least, the Red Gate threat was gone. Suddenly, Ji-woo threw the Battle Axe on his left hand toward the hunters. ¡°Watch out!!!¡± One of the hunters was shouting. Boom¨C The Battle Axe was stuck on the ground in front of the hunters. It made the area filled with clouds of dust. Uhuk, Uhuk¨C The three hunters coughed from the dust cloud in front of them. They waved their hands to dispel the dust fumes and also to make the vision around them clear. Ji-woo was running as fast as he could and left no traces for them to trail him when the hunters were busy dealing with the cloud of dust. After a bit of time, the hunters could see their surroundings better. However, Ji-woo was already out of their sight. ¡°What the hell did he do that for?!¡± ¡°Maybe to warn us not to chase him?¡± ¡°Enough, let¡¯s go back and report the situation here.¡± ¡°Do you want to report about the beasts? Do you trust the person that just walked away?¡± ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± The other two hunters looked at each other. They shrugged and agreed to return to the city, preparing for their next move. ¡ª- ¡ª- Chief Lee arrived with his team. They rushed to the border between the city and the forest road leading to where the Red Gate appears. The Monitoring division personnel that Chief Lee brought were busy themselves fixing the temporary post that got ruined. On the way Chief Lee and others advent, there were no beasts spotted. Of course, that was just a small area considering the scale of the Mapo district. Not long, the three hunters join Chief Lee aftering back from the foot of the mountain. They were bringing information about the Hellhounds and the Red Gate that closed. They also reported about Ji-woo, but Chief Lee thought it was not necessary. The Hellhounds that scattering was not a trivial matter. It was impossible for Chief Lee to handle it with only a few Monitoring division people. He then called Chairman Yu and reported the circumstances. Anyhow, Chief Lee didn¡¯t expect Chairman Yu to go straight to the field. Even though he only reported it and did not ask for his superior toe. Chairman Yu came with a few high-rank hunters apanied by a military helicopter. All of the Monitoring division personnel slightly lowered their heads with the arrival of Chairman Yu. Chief Lee then greeted Chairman Yu. ¡°Sir, thank you foring. How about the meeting with Shadow guild, Demigod guild, and Artates guild headmasters?¡± Chairman Yu just waved his hand, telling Chief Lee not to beat around the bust. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter. We need to immediately make ns on how we will take care of the remaining beasts that roam around the Mapo district.¡± Soon, all the hunters in the temporary outpost held a strategy meeting and made a ground n. Hunter with a team of five. One tanker, twobat-type hunters, one healer, and another scout or assassin type of hunter. The teams consisted of C-rank and B-rank hunters from various guilds and some independent hunters. The total of hunters in the mission for chasing the Hellhounds was around 200. Also, a few A-rank hunters and 2 S-rank hunters include Chairman Yu from Hunters Association, on the spot to oversee the assignment. It was possible to gather such rank hunters because of Chairman Yu¡¯s emergency call to all the guilds in South Korea. At the same time, to prepare if something wrong might happen in the process. Although, the rtionship between the Hunters Association and the guilds was not good. If the matter rted to their country, the guild would take a step back and voluntarily cooperate with the Hunter Association. After all, the dispute between them was about money and profits, not national security. It took them two days one night topletely eradicate all of the scattering Hellhounds across the Mapo district. In the end, the hunters¡¯ painstaking efforts were not in vain. Now, Mapo district condition was temporarily safe and under control. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- An article about the Mapo Red Gate incident on NeverPage with the most views and clicks had a hot discussion in thement section. The article wrote about how the Mapo incident became a heavy loss since the first year of Portal Gate appearing in South Korea. It recorded about 5300 casualties of 2 hunters, 43 military soldiers, and 1112 ordinary people died; 73 hunters, 103 military soldiers, and 3967 ordinary people were injured. It caused all of the avable hospitals in the Mapo district to be fully packed. Some patients were even sent to the hospital outside the Mapo district since they couldn¡¯t handle those thousands of patients. It also poked at how the Hunters Association waste at responding to the disaster. Praising the soldiers for the first one arrived in Mapo district,paring humans with Mana blessing and ordinary humans. The need to always be vignt in dealing with Red Gate issues. The importance of having many high-ranking hunters. Those problems came up, thanks to the rumor about the Red Gate formed from tier-2 Portal Gate. The creature that came out from there should be Low-Grade ones. But that time, there was a High-Grade one, and as the dungeon owner too. On the other hand, the article also mentioned how grateful they were for the hunters that cleaned up the aftermath. If they relied solely on the military army, it was impossible to hunt down the beasts. ¨C Anon: Return my tax money! -L Anon: Are you an idiot? HA is not 100% under government management. HA got money from selling the right of the Portal Gate, not from our country tax. One more thing, this article is about the victim of the Mapo incident. Not about your tax! ¨CL Anon: F*ck off! They still have government support from it. So? ¨C Anon: What use do we have hunters. If they couldn¡¯t protect ournd? ¨C Anon: When will we close all the Portal Gates if it¡¯s like this! ¨C Anon: Anyway, Thank you for the hunters and army. ¨C Anon: These are all Hunter Association¡¯s responsibilities! ¨C Anon: Pray for Mapo-gu. -L Anon: +1 -L Anon: +99 ¨C Anon: My condolences to the army. ¨C Anon: The government should buy an Iron Man suit to kill the monsters with our money, not steal that into their pocket. -L Anon: ROFL, did you think we are in MCU? -L Anon: Kekekeke ¨C Anon: I wish we have 100 S-rank hunters that pop out of nowhere. -L Anon: In your dream! -L Anon: +1 The article amassed tens of thousands ofments and trended on the NeverPage site. It created an awareness of how terrifying the Portal Gate was. The public began reminiscing about the first year of Portal Gate because of the Mapo district unfortunate event. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- At the hospital. Where Kim Ji-woo¡¯s mother currently stays. In the room of six beds, Ji-won¡¯s mother upies one of them. Ji-won sat beside her sleeping mother. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was standing at the opposite side of Ji-won. Ji-woo wound all over the body from the Crescent Moon weapon already healed in a matter of hours before since it was just some scratches. However, his right forearm got bandaged because of Etherzalle ws. Ji-woo looked worriedly at his sister and mother. Although they were fine, no one knew how the future would unfold. The ident might happen againter on. ¡°Ji-won~ah, stay with mother for now. Oppa wants to go to father¡¯s ce for a bit.¡± Ji-woo walked toward the room door, and Ji-won still didn¡¯t give a response. These past three days, when both of them take care of their mother. Ji-won never cared about Ji-woo. At least, his sister was not cursing Ji-woo anymore like before. Ji-won behavior toward her mother had changed too. She was almost with her mother for 24 hours a day when sometimes Ji-woo was busy taking care of hospital administration matters. Luckily, all of the victims from the Mapo-gu incident had free of hospital fees. Ji-woo closed the door and walked into the corridor with some thought. ¡®Sigh, my destiny has been sealed.¡¯ Chapter 34: The Path Chapter 34: The Path Kim Ji-woo took a bus to visit his father¡¯s ce. On the bus, Ji-woo recalled everything that happened on the day of the cmity that fell upon the Mapo district. First, when Ji-woo used Null¡¯s eyes. He was slightly exhausted, as well as bleeding from his nose and mouth. Second, Ji-woo overheated his body, even though it was not causing harm to him. He was still not sure if it was good or bad for the future. Both of those strange experiences had never urred even once before in the Magical world. Ji-woo itself was not sure about the cause. He could only guess the reason. It might happen with the difference in physique build or might be the full power of the Nullifier. Only both of those were not the same for his current condition from the past life. Either way, Ji-woo preferred thetter part and to find his full strength back as the solution. Furthermore, Nullifier couldn¡¯t easily invade his emotions every time a fight breaks out. Not long, Ji-woo arrived at the cemetery. His appearance was different from the other day he came there. Before, he only wore a ck and white suit. But now, he only wore a simple hoodie and long pants. Under the bright sunlight and warm breeze, Ji-woo sat on his knees in front of the graveyard. Kim Kang-woo, his father¡¯s name engraved on the tombstone. Ji-woo bowed his head to the ground deeply twice. Afterward, he looked at the grave and spoke about his purpose. ¡°Father, I came again. I am sorry for letting mother get hurt. If only at that time¡­ ¡° Ji-woo silence for a moment. ¡°If I had it, I coulde faster and save Mother. ¡°No! There should be no excuse. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Ji-woo clenched his fists. ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry about us anymore. I will create a safe ce, enough for mother and Ji-won to live. I promise! ¡°When they know how capable I am. Those people will search for my information, undoubtedly exposing Ji-won and Mom in the process. It¡¯s impossible to keep it a secret when the world knows who I am. But, I will make sure nothing can happen to both of them.¡± Carelessly revealing his strength was not a wise move. Ji-woo knew that, especially since he didn¡¯t know how strong the high-rank hunters and creatures from the Portal Gate were. However, Ji-woo¡¯s true strength could give him some confidence. Like, he could defeat any obstacle that would stand in his wayter on. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m d I can speak to you about this. I wille againter. Goodbye, father.¡± Ji-woo got up and bowed at his father¡¯s graveyard. He then left a bucket of flowers in front of his father¡¯s tombstone. He walked away from the cemetery with determined eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not my strength that invites chaos, but chaos forcing me to get back my full power. I don¡¯t have a choice, even if it means I might be the most powerful being in this world with a bunch of envious eyes wanting to kill me. I will still choose that thorny road. From the beginning, my path was already the bloody one.¡¯ ¡ª- ¡ª- At the hospital after Ji-woo came back from the cemetery. He watched some news about the Mapo incident and Hunters Association in the main lobby. On the scene, camera shlights could be heard and seen, taking a picture of Chairman Yu from Hunters Association. The press conference got held to inform the public about the Mapo-gu condition. Plus, assured them about the safety of South Korea. Although, such a thing had already got shared by any media that covered the incident. The Hunters Association still needed to release an official statement at the end. (¡°Good afternoon, citizens of South Korea. I¡¯m Yu Dong-Chul, Chairman of the South Korea Hunters Association. I¡¯m standing here right now to tell you about the current Mapo-gu. We have already swept across the district and cleaned up all the creatures from the Red Gate. Thus everything is safe and under control now. The residents can go back to their original home, and the victim already gets the treatment. The only left now is to build several buildings and facilities that got destroyed by the incident. We hope the government will cooperate to speed up the recovery of the Mapo district. That is all and thank you.¡±) The sh of the cameras started again as Chairman Yu left the podium. However, Chairman Yu suddenly stopped beside the tform, confusing the reporters and journalists. Out of nowhere, Chairman Yu bowed 90 degrees and made a speech. (¡°I am extremely saddened for Mapo-gu and apologize to all of you who put their hopes in the hunters. This incident falls heavily on my responsibility to carry the safety of our country as the Head of Hunters Association.¡±) Chairman Yu left the press conference room feeling guilty but still showcased the aura of the leader. The reporters and journalists were taken aback by this sudden action, thus forgetting to do their jobs. (¡°F*ck!! I forgot to ask the Chairman!¡±) (¡°Da*n it!!! I will get an earful from my superior for this!¡±) (¡°Sir! Sir!¡±) (¡°Chairman Yu, wait!!!¡±) The bodyguard stopped the reporters and journalists from chasing further. Ji-woo then looked away and shook his head. The news he had just seen showed how heavy the responsibility for the many human lives rested on the shoulders of a leader. He understood what a leader was, as he followed the Supreme Commander Stormrage through the Great war before. It was a position that couldn¡¯t be changed or given to any other person without the quality. It was not about strength. It was about a person who could carry the burden of many people. That person was also easy to trust too. It made the other person think, with that kind of leader, anything would be possible. Ji-woo stopped his thought and then continued his way toward his mother¡¯s room. ¡ª- ¡ª- Meanwhile, at the main conference room of the South Korean national assembly building, ¡°Haish, that old man! We told him to hold a press conference not to bring up the government¡¯s name, as we should not get dragged for the incident. Yet, he instead asked us for help. Ungrateful bas***d!¡± ¡°S**t! How can he talk like that?! Saying like we are not doing anything!?¡± ¡°We will get criticized more if we don¡¯t help him to do what he said in the press conference.¡± One of the Officials on the opposite side interjected. ¡°His words are not wrong.¡± ¡°What! He is a mere chairman from an association. He doesn¡¯t have the right to give an order to the government!¡± ¡°Yeah, we should have fired him.¡± ¡°You need Mr. President¡¯s approval for that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What now? Bunch of you want to hire a few S-rank assassin hunters to kill Chairman Yu? Or are some of you capable of moving an Apex-rank hunter to do the job?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Um¡­ No?¡± ¡°Then, shut up! Just do your job properly!¡± The room became gloomy and quiet. For some sluggish officials, Chairman Yu¡¯s words were a little bit difficult to implement. ¡ª- ¡ª- After the news of the press conference, Ji-woo returned to the room. He and his sister prepare for the hospital discharge process. They would leave early in the evening. Despite going back to their hometer, Ji-woo probably would still be busy taking care of Eun-bi matter. He even asked help to mister Lee Ik-jun, the porter from the Ganjang guild. A few days ago, when Elijah woke up for the first time, Ji-woo was already back from the Red Gate and changed his clothes, was waiting in the room with his sister. Kim Ji-won didn¡¯t know what happened to his mother and Eun-bi. On the other hand, Elijah still remembered the thing that happened before she lost consciousness. She asked Ji-woo about what happened to Eun-bi and her whereabouts. Ji-woo started telling his mother about the ident. Not long, his mother couldn¡¯t help crying after hearing the story from Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to hide anything from his mother. But now, he regretted seeing his mother feel guilty for being able to live because of Eun-bi. Before, she said his mother was like a mother figure for her. That was why he understood why Eun-bi could go that far to save his mother. Ji-woo felt sorry about Eun-bi. Even though they only had known each other for a few weeks. Eun-bi was the first person that offered him a job when he wanted to help his family. Eun-bi was also the one that apanied his mother during his disappearance six years ago. Therefore, Ji-woo decided to let his mother rest more. And he would handle all matters rted to Hwang Eun-bi¡¯s funeral. He even went as far as asking for help from mister Lee. He didn¡¯t know how to prepare a funeral because of staying for a long time in another world. Eun-bi was an orphan. So, she didn¡¯t have any rtives. Only Elijah was the one that Eun-bi listed as a close acquaintance in her smartphone. Even the insurancepany named Lee Elijah as someone that would inherit everything from Eun-bi. If there something happened to her. After all, she was a hunter, a job where the risk of death was high. The funeral will take ce tomorrow. The faster, the better. Chapter 35: Another Sky Chapter 35: Another Sky Seoul, at Hunters Association¡¯s headquarters. Chairman Yu and Chief Lee talk about the rescheduled meeting with the top three Guild Headmasters. But, it was not easy, considering Artates guild headmaster was an Apex-rank hunter. Because of the Mapo-gu incident, the Artates guild headmaster couldn¡¯t go anywhere without a prior appointment. The order came directly from Mr. President after he heard the news about the Red Gate. Many high-rank hunters and Guild Headmasters had to be on standby in case of an emergency. Also, they couldn¡¯t enter the Portal Gate in the meantime. That precaution was to use to avoid the disaster happening again in South Korea. There was no guarantee that tier-5 or tier-6 Portal Gate wouldn¡¯t change to a Red Gate at a random time. The President of South Korea had some authority over the Hunters Association. However, it was still Chairman Yu who was the one that held the final decision. And Chairman Yu understood Mr. President¡¯s worry, thus decided to follow the order momentarily since that order wouldn¡¯tst for a long time either. The hunters needed to go to the dungeons and close the Portal Gate as soon as possible. If they didn¡¯t enter the Portal Gate, it would only increase the total number of Portal Gate that South Korea has, and the country would be in a dangerous state. ¡°Looks like Mr. President is a bit excessive in handling this problem. Right, Sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal. Except for the first year of Portal Gate. There was no incident that canpare to current Mapo-gu.¡± Chief Lee nodded his head and agreed with Chairman Yu¡¯s opinion about the order. Even though Chief Lee didn¡¯t experience the first year of Portal Gate, he knew how bad the situation was for South Korea at that time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not that difficult to reschedule the meeting with Shadow guild, Demigod guild, and Artates guild Headmasters. We only need to choose the date for it.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Chief Lee responded in confusion. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hold a formal meeting. We can meet in secret.¡± Chief Lee gulped while looking at how firm his leader was about the meeting. After all, he knew the purpose of the meeting. If the president knew the context, he could still tolerate it. On the other hand, the government officials wouldn¡¯t like it if they found out about that thingter. Chairman Yu assured Chief Lee that the secret meeting wouldn¡¯t bring them any trouble. In the end, Chief Lee gave up on persuading Chairman Yu and coincided with his decision. After that, both Chief Lee and Chairman Yu talked about the unusual Red Gate creatures from the incident. They conclude it was a serious matter now. Chairman Yu then orders Chairman Lee to notify all guilds that have Portal Gates, to put some hunters on guard and keep an eye on all of them there. And while they were discussing the abnormality of the Red Gate, which at the same time possessed both High-Grade and Low-Grade creatures. The order also referred to the Portal Gates that don¡¯t have an owner yet. ¡°If this became the new pattern of the Red Gate. We got our hands on a tightrope. South Korea didn¡¯t have enough hunters to close the Portal Gate. And get ready for the Red Gate simultaneously.¡± Usually, Red Gate formed from low-tier Portal Gate only has Low-Grade creatures. Butst time, a High-Grade creature came out from Red Gate that formed from tier-2 Portal Gate. Somehow, the nature of the Red Gate had changed this time. The Hunters Association needed more time to discuss the matter together. With the other Division Chiefs and other guilds headmaster. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- The hospital that held Hwang Eun-bi¡¯s funeral was different from where Elijah was getting admitted. The hospital provided holding a funeral, transforming the mortuary into a funeral hall to allow the incineration. Nowadays, instead of burial, cremation, which has a shorter period for the body to decay, was a moremon practice. Honestly, the procedure was pretty simple. Even mister Lee was surprised before when Ji-woo asked him for help for the funeral. If some of Ji-woo¡¯srades from the Magical world knew he was asking help from someone. They would be rolling on the floorughing their a** off. Nheless, the real reason for asking mister Lee for help was to take over Ji-woo¡¯s position as the one who received the guests. And also the one that could apany them in conversation. For this task, Ji-woo was the worst person tond the role. He would rather have a conversation in his mind than speak with the other. Actually, Ji-woo was not someone that couldn¡¯t start a conversation. He was just the type that didn¡¯t want to talk too much. Particrly to anyone that he only met or the strangers. Not long, people started to show up at the funeral, and mister Lee received the visitors with a well-mannered attitude. He began to converse with the people that needed to wait for their turn. They want to bow twice to the deceased and once to the mourner. Elijah and his sister were the ones receiving words of condolences from the visitors. Most of the visitors came from Demigod guild members and a few of Eun-bi neighbors. There were several faces Ji-woo was familiar with it. From when he was doing work as a porter for the first time on tier-1 Portal Gate. Park Jung Nam and Jun Ji Hoon were members of the same team as Eun-bi in Squad 7 of the Demigod guild. And also, Im Taek-won, the one who reprimanded Ji-woo for losing their artifact helmet in the dungeon. Ji-woo sighed lightly after seeing the three hunters. Even though they were less friendly with him, they took care of Eun-bi very well. Suddenly, Ji-woo saw two people behind those three. A man and woman. He recognized the man because he got a glimpse in the hospital before, where the Demigod guild Squad 7 got treatment from poison. He was Jung Hyun-don, an A-rank hunter of the Demigod Guild Main Team. On the other hand, the unknown woman caught Ji-woo¡¯s attention a little bit. His sense of Mana was far better than the hunters. Thus, he could tell the difference between them precisely. The woman had a big Mana pool than all of the hunters at the funeral. And bigger than Ji-woo had ever seen since he wasing back from the Magical world. It was notparable to E-rank and D-rank hunters that he saw before. Even Hyun-don was not close enough to that woman¡¯s Mana pool. Like pens of the same size but had different capacities of ink inside of it. If only the disparity shouldn¡¯t be enough for Ji-woo¡¯s interest. That was because the woman¡¯s Mana made Ji-woo think of someone who has the same amount of Mana in the other life. Someone who was strong enough and got recognition from him. Ji-woo snapped from his thought when Hyun-don introduced the woman to mister Lee. ¡°This is our vice headmaster, Seol In-ah~nim.¡± Seol In-ah bowed slightly towards mister Lee. Mister Lee then bowed as well and greeted the vice headmaster of the Demigod guild while shaking hands. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± All the Demigod guild members already learn about the rtionship between Ji-woo¡¯s family, mister Lee and Eun-bi before theye. Since she was the Demigod guild member, mister Lee needed to cooperate and share the details for the funeral with them. Ji-woo wanted to refuse at first. Then realized it was part of the guilds¡¯ treatment of their hunters and agreed with it. Ji-woo¡¯s face twitched. ¡®Did that mean the headmaster is stronger than her?¡¯ Above the sky, there would be another sky. Ji-woo had predicted this, but seeing the reality before his eyes still made him a little surprised. He tried researching previously and gathering news as much as he could to know about current world affairs. In the NeverPage site, the information was limited. Portal Gate and hunters data only up to tier-4; E-rank to S-rank. Plus, the report about High-grade creatures was scarce too. Ji-woo understood after searching back and forth on the inte. Confidential intelligence was something that shouldn¡¯t be spreading around carelessly. Especially something essible to the public. It needed to be filtered so as not to cause trouble for the rted individual or group. Ji-woo suspected that there must be somewhere else, which they had all the information he needed. Only an idiot believed all of the data was avable on the. Seol In-ah felt the intense stare from Ji-woo and looked at him back in the eyes. Ji-woo immediately bowed apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seol In-ah only shook her head. Mister Lee thought the atmosphere between them had be awkward. Then, he immediately took the initiative to invite visitors toe to convey his condolences and sympathy. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside vice headmaster~nim.¡± Hyun-don asked Seol In-ah toe in with the others. They walk past mister Lee and Ji-woo at the entrance of the funeral hall. ¡®Looks like I can¡¯t cking around.¡¯ Ji-woo smiled wryly without looking back at the Demigod guild members. He wanted to make sure everything went as he nned and wished a mishap wouldn¡¯t happen. Chapter 36: Eyes Chapter 36: Eyes Hsup, Phusshh¨C Ji-woo smoked cigarettes on an emergency and evacuation exit staircase with a window opened to let the smoke out. Creek, Bam¨C The sound of the door to the staircase drew Ji-woo¡¯s attention. He was surprised to find mister Lee was the one that wasing. Mister Lee smiled, ¡°I already asked one of the Demigod guild members. He said this group was thest one to visit the funeral. That¡¯s why I cane here for a short time, and you can rest easy about your mother too.¡± ¡°Mister Lee can talk with them.¡± Ji-woo meant mister Lee could chat with the Demigod guild hunters while sitting and eating various delicacies and soju. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just a porter. They wouldn¡¯t mind me that much.¡± Mister Lee took out his cigarette pack and smoked like Ji-woo. He then opened his mouth again. ¡°Although it¡¯s an unfortunate thing. It¡¯s better to die outside the Portal Gate. There is a chance the body wouldn¡¯te out, even after the Portal Gate is closed.¡± Ji-woo puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t mister Lee say everything that came from outside the Portal Gate wille back after the dungeon owner dies?¡± ¡°That only works if you have Dungeon Bead. Sometimes the dungeon owner didn¡¯t drop that thing when you go to a higher Portal Gate, and the hunters didn¡¯t have a choice to only leave with the remaining people that we¡¯re alive.¡± Ji-woo knew that they could still leave the dungeons without Dungeon Bead. But, it was the first time he knew there were some different rules between the two options. ¡°What if the one that kills the dungeon owner and Dungeon Bead choices are not avable?¡± ¡°You will be forced out without having time to look around and have no time to get the belongings of the dead person to bring back to our world. In other words, you have no control or whatsoever. ¡°Well, to put it simply. Leaving with the Dungeon Bead far better than any other way.¡± Ji-woo became more suspicious on the Portal Gate. Dungeons that might get created from Mana; Portal Gate have a restriction on hunters. Also, the rules to leave and close the Portal Gate. Ji-woo then shook his head, putting the problem on hold. Currently, he didn¡¯t have much evidence to prove his theory. He wanted to take it easy since he had priority over the Portal Gate concern. He stopped his thought and continued listening to mister Lee. ¡°They had always lived their life dancing on death¡¯s edge. It isn¡¯t unusual for them to die inside the dungeon without getting back to our world or die outside because of the Red Gate. That is the fate of the hunters since they got Mana blessings. We, humanity, can survive thanks to their effort in closing the Portal Gate and Red Gate. And I want to help them with whatever I can, even though it¡¯s only a little.¡± It was fascinating seeing someone so passionate about hunters when that person itself was just an ordinary person. Ji-woo admired that part from mister Lee. Mister Lee then smiled at Ji-woo. He knew Ji-woo must be interested in the Portal Gate, especially after mister Lee knew about Eun-bi¡¯s matter. Mister Lee was sure Ji-woo would stay in the circle of the hunter¡¯s world. Thus, he decided to help Ji-woo if neededter on. Mister Lee didn¡¯t think that Ji-woo would be a hunter. But, Ji-woo had a different n. He wanted to recover his true strength so thatter he could face the unknown. He might as well be a hunter, though he didn¡¯t know how since he had no Mana at all, and also, it was the only job that suited him to make money. ¡°I know a lot about that stuff, more than the inte. After all, this old man is a survivor from the first year of Portal Gate.¡± ¡°First year of Portal Gate?¡± Mister Lee was silent for a moment, then began to talk about the issue. ¡°It was the year of the Catastrophe. That year had the highest total casualties in the whole world, including South Korea. At that time, there were only have tens of hunters.¡± Ji-woo listened intently after seeing mister Lee turn gloomy. ¡°There is no Portal Gate. Instead, Red Gate is the one that appears countlessly. ¡°Creaturese out from there, scattered all over the ce. ¡°My family is also the victim of the incident. My wife and son died before my eyes. ¡°I was angry and tried everything to kill them, but it was all in vain. I ran away, feeling hopeless. I thought the world would end, and no one had hope. ¡°Until the hunters who were deemed useless became heroes who saved humankind and the world. I envy their courage and strength to eradicate those creatures. ¡°Hunters who have passed the first year, almost all of them are still alive today, and some be the strongest hunters. Mostly, all of the Guild¡¯s headmasters in South Korea are hunters from that incident. ¡°Meanwhile, only a few people like me are still around, the ordinary one that chose to work with the hunters. The other, they are either scared or already dying because of the trauma.¡± Mister Lee closed his eyes after talking about the bitter experience that he had. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and also for your loss, sir.¡± Ji-woo felt guilty after hearing the story. It must be hard for mister Lee to ovee all of that. He knew, too, how difficult to move on when he first encountered the ce called war. A ce where bloodshed, the dead, the surrounding destruction, and the loss of precious people were natural. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It happened years ago. We only need to close all of the Portal Gate to bring peace for this world.¡± Mister Lee patted Ji-woo on his back. ¡°I go back and check the funeral hall.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I will follow shortly.¡± Ji-woo was delighted to get to know mister Lee. It was better to get help from someone he knew than a stranger. After all, he was a poor man who had limited resources. The beggars couldn¡¯t choose their food. ¡ª- ¡ª- All of the visitors left the funeral ce. Seol In-ah asked about Ji-woo to Jung Hyun-don on their way back. ¡°I¡¯m curious about that young man.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Hyun-don was confused by his vice headmaster. ¡°Didn¡¯t the report say he was working as a porter with us previously?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Hyun-don shifted his face toward Im Taek-won. ¡°Huh? That young man? He¡¯s just a porter and not good at work. There¡¯s nothing strange about him.¡± Seol In-ah didn¡¯t inquire more from Jung Hyun-don and Im Taek-won. Those both hunters only thought of Ji-woo as an ordinary person. It was different for Seol In-ah. She had an eye for judging people¡¯s character. She¡¯s sure Ji-woo wasn¡¯t simple, through his eyes. The eyes were familiar with bloodshed. Now, the biggest mystery was, Seol In-ah didn¡¯t feel a tiny bit of Mana from Ji-woo. Was it possible to have those eyes without being strong? Impossible! Even the serial killer that Seol In-ah saw before didn¡¯t have that kind of eyes. She remembered, only some hunters have those kinds of gazes. A hunter that already killed hundreds of thousands of creatures. A hunter, not an ordinary person. ¡°Do the background check on him.¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± ¡°Pardon?!¡± Both Hyun-don and Taek-won were shocked by their vice headmaster¡¯s request. ¡°That¡¯s an order. ¡°Do it secretly and only report directly to me. Also, don¡¯t make a mistake!¡± Hyun-don and Taek-won look at each other, gulped. They then nodded at Seol In-ah, agreed with the order. Seol In-ah left with a car, leaving behind those two hunters. Both of the hunters still think it was not necessary to check on Ji-woo. They were confident, nothing special woulde out from digging the young man¡¯s information. Well, an order was an order, especially if it came from their Guild superiors. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- One week has passed since the Mapo-gu incident. Somewhere in the United Kingdom, Edinburgh. In an abandoned factory. There was a little light that lit up the room. Also, at the long table, some people were sitting like they were waiting for something. ¡°What¡¯s our mission next?¡± ¡°How long will we stay in the UK?¡± Some of them made a fuss about their situation. ¡°Be quiet. Let the boss finish the phone call.¡± One person sat at the opposite side of them thatining pointed at the end of the room. There was a man that seemed to have a conversation over the phone. ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°Tch. So much pain in the *ss!¡± After a while, there was a woman¡¯s voice speaking in the midst of silence. ¡°Hey, did you know South Korea has had an incident recently?¡± It piqued the interest of the other people inside the room. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°There is no news about that. How did you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking.¡± Everyone around the long table turned their eyes to the man standing at the end of the room. That person turned around and walked toward the long table, then made a speech. ¡°The time hase. ¡°From now on, we don¡¯t need to move together anymore and wait until that Portal Gate appears. ¡°Of course, you can do whatever you want and wait for mymand. Just don¡¯t die before our task isplete.¡± The man¡¯s icy cold gaze was simr to Kim Ji-woo¡¯s eyes. The Existence and the Obedience that walked upon the bloodshed of hundreds of thousands of massacres. ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°You guys heard that? He told us not to die.¡± Hahaha¨C Gagaga¨C ¡°Stay connected to each other.¡± ¡°Bye, see ya.¡± All of the other people around the long table get up and look at the man that just spoke. They didn¡¯t feel scared and intimidated by the man¡¯s eyes. It was because they, too, have the same kind of eyes. The eyes that prove the hundreds of thousands living being dead in their hands. Chapter 37: Bargain Chapter 37: Bargain The Red Gate abnormality got discussed by all the Hunter Association in the world. Because this past week, it urs in their own country. It happened suddenly, and the Association didn¡¯t have much time to discuss or research the abnormality. Thus, all the Hunters Association in the world agree to put the Red Gate as a high-level threat above tier-6 Portal Gate. Because of its irregr pattern, Red Gate was considered a headache for the Association. They didn¡¯t know the creatures until it came out to decide which hunters needed to go first. All of the Hunters Association couldn¡¯t just throw high-rank hunters every time Red Gate appeared. They need high-rank hunters to close Portal Gate that already existed for a long time on theirnd too. If the Hunter Association didn¡¯t close the Portal Gates. A Red Gate would likely rise from the neglected ones. It was the same as paying debt with another debt. Again, the root of this problem pointed at theck of hunters in each country had. Also, they suffered from the hunters that died on the hunt and the massive Portal Gate that kept appearing. The world did not know about the news. Some people worried about the chaos and panic that citizens would cause if they knew the Red Gate threat was above tier-6 Portal Gate. It only got shared within the Hunter Association¡¯s personnel. And also, the report was being shared with all Guild headmasters from each country. ¡ª- ¡ª- In Seoul, South Korea. Hunters Association¡¯s headquarter building. Chairman Yu finally had a meeting with Shadow, Demigod, and Artates guild Headmasters after discussing the Red Gate abnormality with the other. The meeting also happened officially since the situation was back to normal. And the hunters could do their usual routine now. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d reduced their alert against the Red Gate. Currently, most of the Portal Gate already had several hunters. Along with a gatekeeper standing guard around the ce. Chairman Yu sat at the end of the office meeting table near the building windows. The Chairman was also together with Chief Yoon, who stood beside him. Inside the room, there were two other men. Both of the men were younger than Chairman Yu. But, only a bit older than Chief Yoon. Calm atmosphere apanied by the Chairman¡¯s light knocking at the meeting table. Creek, Ngee¨C Suddenly, everyone in the room heard the door of the room open. Chairman Yu frowned upon seeing the one that wasing was a woman. Even Chief Yoon tilted her face in annoyance. ¡°Tch!¡± Meanwhile, the other two men showed expressions of dissatisfaction with that person¡¯s presence. ¡°Where is Hyun-bin?!¡± ¡°Why are you here?!¡± The woman stared at the two men in front of her. ¡°Please, address the Headmaster with formality.¡± One of the men didn¡¯t like the woman¡¯s attitude. He burst out his Mana presence instantly. ¡°Oi, girl! Dare talk to me like that!? You don¡¯t have the qualification to order me around. ¡°No! You even don¡¯t have the privilege of asking a favor from us!¡± The room began to tremble slightly due to the Mana presence of the high-ranking hunter. However, the woman did not flinch at that. She just casually walked and sat at the chair. ¡°You!!!¡± The man that used his Mana presence seemed to want to jump at that woman. He likely wanted to teach her a lesson. The room felt like it was going to copse at any moment due to vibrations. ¡°Calm Down, all of you!!¡± Chairman Yu raised his voice while lifting his left hand to stop Chief Yoon from joining in the middle of the quarrel. The man quickly erased his Mana presence and sat down on the chair, grumbling. ¡°You too. We¡¯re here not to fight.¡± Chief Yoon bowed her head slightly and took a step back after getting reprimanded by Chairman Yu. ¡°I go straight to the point.¡± Chairman Yu looked around the room with his focus on the three people sitting in front of him. He sighed and massaged his forehead. Gathering these three Guild representatives was very troublesome. ¡°First, can you make a final decision over your guild, Seo Ji-soo~si?¡± Chairman Yu asked the woman. Ji-soo stared at Chairman Yu without answering, and the other two men looked at the Chairman too. All three of them want to hear the context before giving their words. Chairman Yu understood the silence that they gave to him. ¡°This is a notice. It will work as of today. ¡°I will lower the selling price of the Portal Gate ownership rights. It only applies to tier-1 and tier-2. For these two-tier types of Portal Gates. We will no longer sell it to the Shadow, Demigod, and Artates guilds. ¡°Also, for tier-3 to tier-6 Portal Gate, they will have an auction system for ownership rights that will take ce at Hunters Association.¡± Thud¨C There was a sound of the table getting hit. The two men immediately disagreed with the regtions. ¡°Hyung~nim, are you crazy?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡± Both of the men showed their dissatisfaction over the matter. At the same time, Ji-soo calmly reacted. ¡°Shadow and Demigod Headmasters, let the Chairman finish his words. I¡¯m sure there is more to it since Chairman Yu chose to invite us for a meeting rather than sending someone to tell us about it.¡± Both of the Guild Headmasters sneered at Ji-soo even though they agreed to thetter part. They both stopped their objection. Seeing the three of them want to listen and think in a cool-headed state, Chairman Yu decided to continue his talk. ¡°This arrangement can¡¯t be undone, whether you want it or not. Even if you want to fight with the Hunters Association, I will still hold this order.¡± Chairman Yu paused for a moment to see the reactions of the three people. He didn¡¯t want to say more if they were still in anger. It would only make all the words spoken go to waste. Ji-soo, Shadow, and Demigod Headmasters didn¡¯t interrupt this time. Instead, watching Chairman Yu with a solemn face. ¡°I know it¡¯s sudden, and this conclusion is definitive. Therefore, I would like to negotiate the condition with the three Headmasters to agree with the enforcement of this rule.¡± Shadow and Demigod Headmasters shift their head to Ji-soo. Because not only did they need to agree with the auction system. The guilds would also not have tier-1 and tier-2 Portal Gate anymore from here on. The discussion required the consent of the Guild headmaster. Ji-soo didn¡¯t rush to give them a response. She was calmly tapping fingers on the table. ¡°What¡¯s the offer?¡± Ji-soo threw another inquiry against Chairman Yu¡¯s proposal rather than assuring them about the decision. On the other side, The two headmasters from Demigod and Shadow guilds be spectators between Ji-soo and Chairman Yu. Although, they didn¡¯t like the Artates vice headmaster. They need to admit how capable the woman was to handle the negotiation. After all, there were no guilds that didn¡¯t want to get more benefit in any circumstance. It made Chairman Yu lose his ground to negotiate. And could only follow along with those three guilds headmasters and representative demandter if they weren¡¯t happy with the exchange. Chairman Yu could lower the Hunters Association loss if the three of them spoke their condition first. He sighed. ¡°The three guilds will take priority when the auction of Portal Gate takes ce and have a 5% discount there.¡± Of course, the three of them didn¡¯t like the offer. It was a tremendous loss for the guilds. Even though low-rank hunters could go to the higher tier of Portal Gate, they still need tier-1 and tier-2 Portal Gate for new members. ¡°Hyung~nim, it¡¯s bulls***!¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazier than earlier!¡± Chairman Yu knew it was not a good bargain for the three guilds. So, he gave another reason why that became a silly offer. ¡°Hunters Association. No. It¡¯s me. ¡°I want to import Magic Crystals and Magic Stones to South Korea. I will use it to cultivate low-level hunters who have a talent for the future. Thus, I need a lot of money for that. ¡°It can get used to training some low-level hunters from your guilds as well. That¡¯s if you¡¯re willing.¡± Shadow and Demigod Headmasters contemting the condition, they still respect the Hunters Association. And didn¡¯t want to force too much of it since it would be good for South Korea to have more high-ranked hunters. However, the loss made the Headmasters feel sour about the term. ¡°Five tier-3, three tier-4, and one tier-5 for each of us. Also, the auction discount increased to 20%. ¡°We don¡¯t need the priority. The other guilds can¡¯tpete with us in terms of wealth.¡± Both of the Headmaster¡¯s faces glow up after hearing Ji-soo bargains. It was good for them, and at the same time, it seemed like it didn¡¯t make the Hunters Association suffer too much. That was what they thought. But, it was different for Chairman Yu. This exchange made his heartache for the resource. ¡°10%.¡± ¡°25%.¡± ¡°15%.¡± ¡°30%.¡± Chairman Yu had the urge to vomit blood. He quickly sealed the agreement, worried they might not ept it if he pressed any further. ¡°It¡¯s a deal! Five tier-3, three tier-4, and one tier-5 Portal Gates and auction discount of 20%. ¡°Both of you don¡¯t have anything to say, right!?¡± Chairman Yu red at Shadow and Demigod Headmasters that smiled happily and nodded about the deal. ¡ª- ¡ª- At the lobby, on the first floor of the Hunters Association building. Chief Lee held a paper note that seemed written of an address. He hesitated whether to visit the address or not. When Chief Lee heard the report about how the High-Grade creature dies, he thought of the young man he first met at the tier-2 Portal Gate before. Both of the young men have the same characteristic. Both have long wavy hair and didn¡¯t have Mana. On the other hand, after being busy over these past few weeks. Chief Lee¡¯s thinking if it was worth it to find the young man now. ¡°Should I meet him first?¡± Chapter 38: Perhaps E-rank? Chapter 38: Perhaps E-rank? Ji-woo¡¯s mother got better and stayed at home for a while, as their food stall was still under reconstruction. It was quite costly to repair the food stall, around 6-8 million won. Luckily Ji-woo¡¯s mother still had some savings for that. (note: 8 million won = around $7200) On the other hand, Hwang Eun-bi¡¯s inheritance got donated to the neighborhood around Ji-woo¡¯s mother¡¯s food stall, except for funeral expenses. Ji-woo felt that his mother was overreacting to the inheritance. But, he also couldn¡¯t go against his mother¡¯s will. After all, the one who understood and the closest to Eun-bi was his mother, not him. To be the truth, Ji-woo felt sorry if they used the inheritance. The one who had to help his family first before anyone else was him. However, because he only had 1 million won on hand, there was not much he could do with that amount of money. In the end, he reluctantly felt bitter about the inheritance that got donated by his mother. There were monthly living costs and debt interest, added with Kim Ji-won¡¯s tuition fee this year. It would burden her mother to handle all of that alone. Of course, Ji-woo had many options to earn money, either in a good or bad way. Ji-woo could work at a convenience store or a construction site since those ces didn¡¯t require a history of education in terms of employment. It was just that it took a lot of time before it was enough. Work as a thug or a bodyguard for rich people? Ji-woo¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t like that job. Let¡¯s say, Ji-woo robbed a bank and lied to his mother about where he got the cash. His mother wouldn¡¯t believe it until Ji-woo could prove where the money came from it. Ji-woo¡¯s current situation was reallyplicated. ¡®It seems like I started fearing my mother more than the Underlord.¡¯ Ji-woo thought while smiling wryly. The figure of his mother always crossed his mind and made him worry if he caused trouble. Thus, stopping him from doing anything reckless, even though he had so many options. Why did Ji-woo think of other jobs instead of hunters, unlike his initial n? The reason was due to him still unsure about how to bypass the Mana detection from Hunters Association. Mana Detection got used to determine the amount of Mana and the rank of hunters. After that, they would create a hunter ID based on the information. And use it in the daily affairs of the hunters. Ji-woo needed that Unique ID to be a hunter. Only then could he join a guild, or if he wanted to work as a solo hunter and earn a sry. Ji-woo already knew the pros and cons between Guild and going independent. Bing a Guild member meant having a higher sry. Meanwhile, an independent hunter was a bit poorer than the Guild¡¯s hunters. And then, Ji-woo decided to go to the Demigod guild first before getting his Hunter ID. He just wanted to show that he could beat some of their hunters and hoped he would get epted into the Guild with that n. ¡°Mom, I wanna go out, taking a walk around the neighborhood.¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯te backte, Ji-woo~ya.¡± ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± Ji-woo was making an excuse to go out. Then, He saw a middle-aged man approaching him and slightly bowed when Ji-woo came out of the gate of his house. ¡°Hello, did you remember me, Kim Ji-woo~si? We met in Seoul before.¡± Ji-woo just stared at the middle-aged man without giving any response to the greeting. ¡°Ah, sorry for disturbing your time. My name is Lee Jae-suk, Chief of the Monitoring division from Hunters Association.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have no interest whatsoever in the Hunters Association,¡± Ji-woo nonchntly replied while bowing to Chief Lee. Chief Lee got taken back by those words, and he even saw Ji-woo walking away from him. Panicked, he took out a small, palm-sized device from his pocket. Then, it got directed at Ji-woo, who was slowly leaving him behind. Biip, Biip¨C Chief Lee was surprised to hear the device and saw the light emitted from it. Ji-woo also heard the sound and stopped his movements. He looked back at Chief Lee, who was holding the device from which the sound came. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Ji-woo spoke informally to Chief Lee with a bit of annoyance. Meanwhile, Chief Lee didn¡¯t hear Ji-woo at all. He was still in a state of shock after hearing the device ring. A devicemonly used to detect Mana from new hunters. Clearly, he didn¡¯t feel a tiny bit of Mana from Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t get an answer from Chief Lee and came closer to him. All of sudden, Chief Lee was shouting at Ji-woo. ¡°How can you have Mana?! I didn¡¯t feel anything from you. Did you have an artifact item that can hide Mana?!¡± Ji-woo stopped his track and frowned hearing the words. He was looking around toward the gate of his house, worrying about his mother hearing the fuss. ¡°Can you spare some of your time for me? I want to talk to you about something. Just the two of us.¡± Chief Lee suggested, understanding why Ji-woo was looking around. Ji-woo looked at Chief Lee with his remarkable icy cold gaze. ¡°Follow me,¡± Ji-woo said. He was interested in why Chief Lee said he had Mana and decided to inquire more from him. ¡ª- ¡ª- Before long, both Ji-woo and Chief Lee arrived at a nearby coffee shop. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si, I¡¯m sorry for taking your time for an unclear reason and shocked by this. Then, I will exin¡­¡± Ji-woo raised a hand toward Chief Lee, signaling to stop talking. ¡°First, where did Chief Lee get my address? How do you know my name? Hunters Association shouldn¡¯t have information about ordinary people. ¡°Last, from what I remember, we don¡¯t know each other. So, what business does Chief Lee have with me?¡± Ji-woo was already prepared for his private life to get exposed after bing a hunter. However, not for now. Which, he still didn¡¯t know how to obtain hunter ID with his cursed soul. ¡°That¡­¡± Chief Lee had a hard time answering Ji-woo¡¯s question. The Hunter Association didn¡¯t have the privilege of ordinary people¡¯s matters. Especially Chief Lee got the address from an acquaintance in the police department. That was not ording to the rules of the organization. What Chief Lee was doing now wouldn¡¯t be a problem if the matter was about the hunters. ¡°I-I got the address and information from my friend in the police station where you were there before. ¡°I know, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. But after hearing the appearance of the person who killed the High-Grade creature being simr to you, I immediately tried to confirm it. If that¡¯s true, then you might be South Korea¡¯s hope to close all the Portal Gates.¡± Chief Lee spoke without enthusiasm while justifying himself. Ji-woo never expected that someone would connect the Mapo-gu incident to him because of the simrity of style. It must be because a human who didn¡¯t have Mana could kill creatures and also be able to go near the Portal Gate. Prominently with his long wavy hair, which was very unusual for South Koreans. Ji-woo twitched his face, ming his hair instead of the Nullifier. He also felt a trace of disappointment from Chief Lee¡¯s voice. ¡°And it looks like Chief Lee guessed all of that wrong, doesn¡¯t it.¡± Ji-woo smiled. Chief Lee lowered his head. It would be a lie if he said no. At that moment, when the device in Chief Lee¡¯s hand rang. All of his hopes got shattered, and it became a pipe dream to clear all the Portal Gates in the entire country. ¡°Care to tell me a bit more?¡± Ji-woo also wanted to know about the ident earlier. Once again, Chief Lee took out the device from earlier. ¡°This is a Portable Mana Detection from Hunters Association. It was used for new hunters and let us scout them before the Guilds. ¡°Merely, it¡¯s for low-rank hunters. Or more, to be exact, it¡¯s used for people who just got Mana¡¯s blessing. This device capability is not enough to be used for someone of a higher rank or a lot of Mana.¡± Ji-woo fell into deep thought. He expected the device noise might indicate he had Mana, which he still thought was impossible. He was someone that could sense Mana better than the hunters. Howe he couldn¡¯t sense Mana inside him at all? The Nullifier was an absolute existence within Ji-woo¡¯s body. Not even Rare Mana from Sphere could infiltrate it. ¡°Usually, the light emitted is fixed. However, for Ji-woo~si, the light continued to flicker indeterminately.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ji-woo asked, knowing the gist of what was discussed by Chief Lee. ¡°It might mean an unstable Mana. Also, the light is dim too, which indicates it¡¯s the lowest¡­, ¡°N-No, I mean you just a new hunter.¡± Chief Lee abruptly changed his words while avoiding Ji-woo¡¯s gaze. ¡°It seems like, from the Hunters Association system, I should be an E-rank. And on top of that, the lowest one, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hahaha¨C Ji-woo couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter anymore. Chapter 39: New Policy Chapter 39: New Policy Ji-woo wanted to leave right away because of the nonsense Chief Lee was talking about it. And he then nned toin to the Hunters Association about his home address. Before he even got up and left, Ji-woo realized his obstacle had a solution. Currently, the chance of getting the hunter ID was in front of him. He didn¡¯t know what fault the portable device had to mistake him for someone that got Mana¡¯s blessing. Anyway, that worked for Ji-woo¡¯s ns. He could think of the cause why it could detect Mana from himter after his money shortage got settled. ¡®Who cares being called the weakest or the lowest-ranked hunter.¡¯ Ji-woo grinned while thinking about the problem that would get resolved without him having to bother. He further ruled out the issue of unofficially obtained home addresses. After all, he could be considered as a new hunter now. The investigation that Chief Lee did was still within the scope of the Hunter¡¯s Association¡¯s work. At the same time, Chief Lee experienced the opposite of that happy asion. His expression was sour andckluster. Ji-woo was really different from what he thought. The reason Chief Lee was disappointed in Ji-woo was not that he has Mana. But, his Mana was a far cry from someone that Chief Lee hopes to save the world. He abandoned his original idea to find out and confirm that Ji-woo was the same person who killed a High-Grade creature. ¡°Chief Lee, based on that portable device, I should be eligible for getting a hunter ID, right? ¡°What schedule does Chief Lee have after this? If Chief Lee returns to the Hunter Association, can Ie together?¡± Chief Lee was stunned by this sudden turn. He couldn¡¯t understand why the young man in front of him acted like he didn¡¯t know he had Mana. Likewise, and shamelessly asked for a ride to the Hunter Association¡¯s office. His impression of Ji-woo drastically changed from a simple and polite young man to a shameless one. A very unpleasant sight to behold! Chief Lee, who was feeling sad, helplessly let Ji-wooe along. He also felt sorry for doing something unnecessary about his home address. ¡ª- ¡ª- Seoul, Hunters Association¡¯s headquarter building, At the lobby. One of the front desk clerks called Chief Lee, who had juste from the entrance. ¡°Later on 09:00 PM, we will announce and broadcast the new policy. All of the Division Chiefs need to attend the conference.¡± Chief Lee replied while trying to lift his mood. ¡°Troublesome, Chief Yoon alone should be enough to handle all of that reporters and journalists.¡± The front desk clerk was sweating bullets hearing the words, worrying if Chief Lee didn¡¯t want to show up tonight. ¡°Aii, sir. Please don¡¯t say something like that. The appearance of Division Chiefs is needed. Chairman will throw a tantrum if no one handles reporters and journalists¡¯ vicious mouths.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just joking. It must be hard on you. Thanks for the work. You did well!¡± Chief Lee said sarcastically. That made all the work seem like only all the Division Chiefs could handle. Of course, facing the reporters and journalists was not an easy task. Hunters Association had to be careful of their words. Media was dangerous. It could turn the good into a bad one. Although the Hunters Association was not scared of the country, they needed support from ordinary people. They need to show a better side of the organization as the hope of humankind. The front desk smiled wryly and changed the topic after seeing Ji-woo standing near the entrance. ¡°Your acquaintance, sir?¡± Recalled Kim Ji-woo made Chief Lee feel down again. ¡°Maybe yes, maybe no. ¡°Ah, right. Can you tell the Management division to forge a new hunter ID? These are the information and his resident identity card.¡± Chief Lee asked. And he gave a piece of paper containing Ji-woo¡¯s necessary data and ID cards to the front desk clerk. The front desk clerk was puzzled and troubled with the request. ¡°You can¡¯t, sir. Whether it¡¯s an acquaintance or family, they need to go through the procedure first. Sir, please don¡¯t be like this. It is illegal soliciting.¡± Chief Lee squinted his eyes because of the front desk clerk overreacting. ¡°Don¡¯t be exaggerated. I¡¯ve already tested him with the Portable Mana device before.¡± Then put the device on the desk. The front desk was embarrassed by his misunderstanding. Bow his head multiple times to Chief Lee. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry, but still, he needs to go to the Mana detection room for it.¡± Chief Lee waved his hand. ¡°No need, this is enough. Just do what I said. I will talk with Se-hyunter.¡± ¡°Ugh. Alright, sir. I do it as you said.¡± The front desk clerk takes the paper and Ji-woo ID. After an hour, the new hunter ID was ready. ¡°Ji-woo~si, take this. You can join a guild or go alone as a hunter now. If there is any problem regarding the hunter thing,e to Hunters Association. We¡¯ll be here to help you.¡± Chief Lee thought to recruit Ji-woo to the Hunters Association. But, his mood affected his interest in his work. And decide to let go of Ji-woo. He only wished Ji-woo could survive in the Hunters world outside there. Well. Hope would not get called a cruel thing if it were so easy to make it happen. ¡°Thank you, Chief Lee.¡± ¡°Ah, right. How long since you got Mana blessing?¡± ¡°A few days ago?¡± Ji-woo answered ambiguously. It was made Chief Lee frustrated dealing with Ji-woo. He felt like talking to an empty shell. ¡°Whatever, be careful on your ways back.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind Chief Lee¡¯s unenthusiastic attitude. On the contrary, he was grateful for everything. Meanwhile, Chief Lee looked at Ji-woo back, leaving the building. Although, Ji-woo was not what he was hoping to be. He was still willing to offer help. Chief Lee knew the hurdles of the person who just got Mana¡¯s blessing. They need to know how to fight and the risk of losing their own life. They also need to learn and understand how Mana works in their bodies. And how to be stronger and able to kill Portal Gate creatures. In summary, the newborn hunters needed to get used to many unusual things as they stepped to the superhuman threshold. It was getting dark, Ji-woo taking the bus to go back. On his way home, he kept looking at the new hunter ID that he had just received earlier. There was a trace of Mana in the hunter¡¯s ID card. Ji-woo found it fascinating. How well the people on earth have adapted to the world with Mana, knowing how short time this world has started to have contact with it. Suddenly, Ji-woo¡¯s face turned solemn. He spoke in a grim tone. ¡°There is something amiss on this,¡± While waving the hunter¡¯s ID card in his hand. Ji-woo stared intensely at the card and found out the problem. ¡°S**t! Today, I have a n to cut my long wavy hair. Now, what should I do? Sigh, I should have cut my hair first before.¡± Ji-woo smiled wryly. Earlier, before Ji-woo stepped out from his house. He was nning to go to the barbershop. Then got interrupted by Chief Lee, and his mind started focusing too much on how to solve his money problem. Now, Ji-woo had useless worries. If he cut his hair and looked different from the ID card, someone might think the hunter ID was fake. ¡ª- ¡ª- 09:00 PM, Hunters Association¡¯s headquarter building. At the conference room that Chairman Yu used before. Four people were standing behind the podium. Facing countless reporters and journalists that filled the ce. There were only four divisions in the South Korean Hunter Association. Even though the Hunter Association did well to conform to any changes, it was still premature. After all, the portal gate happened several years ago and not tens or hundreds of years ago. The majority of reporters and journalists could only make a living if they created a controversial article. So, after hearing the Hunters Association want to announce a new policy, they immediately swarmed the headquarters, thinking that would be a piece of good news. The one that spoke was Chief Yoon Soo-ah. She talked about the new arrangement like what Chairman Yu discussed with the other top three Guilds. Some of the reporters and journalists were happy with the change. It would give a chance for the medium and small-size Guilds to develop and grow stronger. Maybe it could turn South Korea into a Superpower Hegemony like the United States, Germany, and China. However, other reporters and journalists had different thoughts. They take that as an authority challenge for the officials by the Hunters Association. They know that lowered prices must meet disapproval on the government side. It was sure to cause tension between the two sides tomorrow. While Chief Yoon was speaking, the other three Chiefs in the back looked quiet and just stood still. ¡®Don¡¯t get surprised. Talk with your mind. It is my telepathy ability.¡¯ ¡®We knew!!¡¯ Both Chief Lee and Chief Yang replied at the same time. ¡®Ah, right. It¡¯s been a long time since I saw both of you. Forgetting that we are a colleague.¡¯ Chief Yang and Chief Lee frowned but didn¡¯t move their head to the left side. ¡®Well, I only wanna say that we should let Chief Yoon handle this matter. She wouldn¡¯t have a hard time against those reporters and journalists.¡¯ Chief Lee responded. ¡®And standstill here like a statue?¡¯ ¡®Nah, we will be frustrated answering one by one the unreasonable questionster. So, it¡¯s better to let Chief Yoon talk with them.¡¯ ¡®Fu**** weirdo!¡¯ Chief Yang just cursed out of nowhere. ¡®Calm down!¡¯ Chief Lee tried to ease the conversation. While Chief Joo only smiled subtly on the side, staring at the reporters and journalists who were slightly frightened to open their mouths in front of the Witch of Fire. Chapter 40: Preliminary Chapter 40: Preliminary Last night, an announcement from the Hunters Association made many government officials have a relentless night. They were busy trying to call the rted personnel to inquiry more about the new policy. They also try calling some of the hunters from Shadow, Demigod, and Artates Guilds. To make them reject the arrangement. However, in the morning, the public favor fell heavily supporting the new policy. It made the government quiet and not voice any rejection toward the Hunters Association¡¯s new rule. Silently epting the money dividend from tier-1 and tier-2 Portal Gate would get reduced from before. It didn¡¯t matter how influential the government was in leading the country. If citizens united to voice their opinions, the government could onlyply with the public¡¯s wishes. Especially now, the era of hunters. Making ordinary people with high social status disced and fell from the top of the hierarchy of society. Despite all the media outlets broadcast about the new regtions as well as the government¡¯s response. All That meant nothing and didn¡¯t affect Ji-woo¡¯s life at all. Currently, Ji-woo was already an official hunter and could work to earn his bit of money. He needed partially 10 million won at hand to have a short break. And start to pursue his true power. And only a Guild fitted the criteria as a ce to work with it. Bing a lone hunter required a lot more effort and patience. It took hundreds of millions won to be able to buy a Portal Gate. And even then, if a low-rank hunter bought a Portal Gate, it would raise suspicion. In the end, a lone hunter could only wait for a call from the Hunters Association to close the portal gates or be a mercenary for the Guild that was short of hunters. ¡°Good morning, mom. Where is Ji-won?¡± Ji-woo asked while looking around the ce. ¡°She already goes to the school after eating breakfast.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother answered while preparing Ji-woo breakfast. Nowadays, Kim Ji-won has behaved nicely. She hadn¡¯t missed breakfast since the incident that happened to her mother. She also never yelled at her mother anymore. Although, she rarely came out of her own room when she was home. She also never stayed outside overnight and always came back in the evening. Even though it was not a long conversation, Ji-won sometimes talked with her mother too. But, Ji-won¡¯s actions toward her brother wereplex. Shepletely ignored him, like he didn¡¯t exist at all. Well, somewhat, she was not cursing him like usual, and it was still better than before. When Ji-woo¡¯s mother turned back and put the breakfast on the table, she noticed something. ¡°Where are you going today? Dressed neatly. You¡¯ve even cut your hair.¡± Ji-woo wore a blue long sleeve shirt and gray pants. His outfits were like someone going to a job interview. Ji-woo didn¡¯t respond to it and waited until his mother sat on the opposite side of him. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to apply for a job.¡± Ji-woo spoke without looking at his mother. ¡°Where? What is the job?¡± Ji-woo was quiet for a moment. Then replied, ¡°I will tell you when I get the job, mom. No need to worry. It is not a strange or obscure job.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother frowned. ¡°Are you sure? Can you handle it, Ji-woo~ya? It hasn¡¯t been that long since you came back here. Eomma is scared you get scammed. ¡°If you worry about our finances. Eomma can still work and earn a living. Also, the food stall will be ready in a few days.¡± Ji-woo sighed and got up from his seat after eating a bit of breakfast. ¡°Mom can rx and put some trust in me. I will be fine.¡± He said with a subtle smile. Ji-woo¡¯s mother closed her eyes and prayed. She only hoped that everything was fine, nothing more. ¡ª- ¡ª- Ji-woo stopped in front of the Demigod Guild headquarters and got off the bus. He used to go everywhere by bus as transportation. It was cheaper than a taxi in Ji-woo¡¯s own financial circumstance. Ji-woo walked over and wasn¡¯t surprised to see many people at the entrance to the building. He already felt the Mana from those people when he got off of the bus. Ji-woo then looked around from behind, trying to figure out what was happened. After a few minutes of looking around, he was getting impatient. Fortunately, one of the people who looked like a member of the Demigod Guild came to him. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sorry. Are you here to be a member of the Demigod Guild?¡± Ji-woo nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Lee Dong-hyun, the Demigod hunter. I will help you with the procedure. Can I see your hunter ID, please?¡± Ji-woo took out and gave his hunter ID to Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun looked back and forth at Ji-woo and the hunter¡¯s ID card. The picture was different from Ji-woo¡¯s appearance in front of him. The ID picture had Ji-woo with long wavy hair. Where Ji-woo, in front of the Demigod member was had short hair with long 4/6 bangs parted hairstyle that invoked an air of mystery as it slightly covered the eyes. With this style, Ji-woo looked a bit cool and mysterious without going over the top. Thankfully, Ji-woo¡¯s face still clearly showed in the hunted ID picture. Ji-woo¡¯s proportional body, coupled with casual style and a new hairstyle, made him look like a model. Dong-hyun then shot him with envious eyes while giving the hunter ID back and registration form to Ji-woo. He was also a handsome man but shorter than Ji-woo. ¡°What happened?¡± Ji-woo then asked Dong-hyun about the crowd. At the same time, wait for Ji-woo to fill the form. Dong-hyun looked at the crowd and replied. ¡°It¡¯s because of the new policy. These E-rank and D-rank hunters think there will be no chance anymore in the future to join South Korea¡¯s top three Guilds other than today. So, they are rushing toe here. The other two Guilds should have the same situation too.¡± Ji-woo gave back the registration form after filling it in. Dong-hyun received the form and saw the confused look from Ji-woo. He knew that Ji-woo definitely didn¡¯t watch the news on the way here. He tried to describe it a little bit. ¡°We don¡¯t have tier-1 and tier-2 Portal Gate anymore from hereon. That means Shadow, Demigod, and Artates Guilds are not necessarily needed to recruit E-rank or D-rank hunters. They only need to nurture their Guild¡¯s members rather than invest in new lower-ranked hunters. ¡°Or the three Guilds might have a new requirement as C-rank as the minimum of hunters that can join uster.¡± The reason Dong-hyun bothered to exin to Ji-woo was to emphasize that neers like them didn¡¯t really matter to the Demigod Guild. The top three Guilds were the foundation of hunters in South Korea. Their standards were, of course, high, putting quality over quantity first. ¡°Oh, right. Our Training Center is over there. The next step will get informed at that ce. Err, K-Kim Ji-woo~si can go and wait first.¡± Dong-hyun continued after finding Ji-woo¡¯s name on the registration form. ¡ª- ¡ª- The Demigod Training Center was not far away from the headquarter building. Ji-woo abruptly stopped his steps at the entrance of the Training Center. The entire building seemed to have got enveloped in Mana from within the walls. Although, he felt it faintly. It was very unusual for Ji-woo not to be able to feel it properly. Especially as someone who was sensitive to Mana. ¡°Interesting. I think the Mana that covers this whole building serves to make it sturdy and not easily broken. It is the perfect ce for hunters to practice. Hmm, how much does it cost? It must be exorbitant.¡± Ji-woo also wondered what material might have this kind of attribute. At first, he thought about the Obelisk Sphere. However, it would take hundreds of thousands of Spheres to build a ce of this size. And he doubted if there was one kind of Sphere that has much of the quantity. Ji-woo then knocked on the wall and smiled wryly. ¡°Well, at least the current me can¡¯t destroy this construction for sure.¡± Ji-woo continued his steps going inside the Training Center. There were already many hunters who seemed to have the same purpose as him. He estimated that the number of hunters wishing to join the Guild would reach 200. After seeing the many hunters who had gathered. Made Jiwoo remember the first time he joined the army in another world. Back then, he was just a clueless teen who was still confused about where in the world he was living. At that time, Ji-woo and many other young men assembled to get tested. Which child had the potential to be a troopmander, Of course, Ji-woo failed the test. He still didn¡¯t know about the Nullifier¡¯s existence within him. So, he just thought that his body was powerful and fought by relying on physical strength alone. s, that was not enough at all. Suddenly, Ji-woo stopped reminiscing about his past. He realized that all the hunters in front of the Guild headquarters earlier were heading to the training center. ¡°This is not like what I thought, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chapter 41: Elimination Round Chapter 41: Elimination Round Not long, all the hunters that wanted to join the Demigod guild gathered inside the Training Center. The structure of the Training Center was somewhat unique from other simr buildings. Not far, when entering through the entrance, there was a staircase leading to the lower ground. The lower ground looked like a ce to hold the battle drills. Whereas the floor the hunters entered first was used to see that area below. ¡°Now, let¡¯s move on to the next round, where it will determine whether you qualify to join the Demigod guild or not.¡± Many of the hunters that chatter around shut their mouths hearing the words. For some of them, it was necessary to maintain their focus. All eyes of the hunters turned to the Demigod guild members who appeared above them. Seol In-ah took the lead, followed by several Demigod A-rank hunters not far behind her. When Seol In-ah appeared, the neer hunters unknowingly raised their guard. Mostly, their expression, in particr, turned grave when they saw her. It was because the pressure and presence Seol In-ah gave off were simply too powerful. Although Seol In-ah did not exude any Mana presence, the neer hunters couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous for some reason when standing in front of her demeanor. Faced with that feeling, ordinary people would most likely think nothing of it. However, like hunters who got Mana Blessing, they already honed their intuition beyond that of ordinary people. Anyone capable of making them feel nervous definitely wasn¡¯t an average person. Only those who had experienced countless harsh battles and training would develop such a temperament and aura. Of course, that was something that wasn¡¯t too surprising for Ji-woo. Who had been at that level a long time ago and was used to meeting strong people that even Seol In-ah had not been able topare to them. ¡°I¡¯m Demigod Vice Headmaster, Seol In-ah. Because of the new policy from Hunters Association, we don¡¯t have any choice except to resort to this kind of evaluation. It means all of you will have to fight each other and determine the winner as a candidate that will join the Guild. ¡°Also, in the future, the Demigod guild wouldn¡¯t ept any lowly rank hunters anymore. Since they only waste resources and take too much time before they are ready for the high-tier Portal Gate.¡± Seol In-ah spoke harshly with her hands sped behind her back. Many of the hunters paused for only two seconds before ring up in anger, their veins throbbing. To think that they were get considered useless and a burden! Utter humiliation! However, when neer hunters want to voice out their dissatisfaction and want to make trouble. Seol In-ah let out her Mana presence. She demonstrated dominance and taught the crowd that they were nothing for her simply because they were stronger than ordinary people. The neer hunters present suffocated and suddenly felt a burst of pressure. They couldn¡¯t help feeling heart palpitations. It onlysted for a moment, and Seol In-ah withdrew the high pressure of Mana Presence, which made several hunters sighed in relief, and the mood was veryplicated. They thought they were the strongest creatures in the world. But reality silenced their daydreams and presented the truth that they only squeaked in front of high-ranking hunters. Ji-woo didn¡¯t get flustered. Instead, he observed his surroundings and found a few hunters that were calm and didn¡¯t get agitated by the mocking. Luckily, since the Mana presence was short, those hunters were capable of enduring adversity. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t ept what I said? Then show us your talent and strength! What we need is the best of the best, not a bunch of losers that only chase for fame and wealth! ¡°Oh, no need to hold back. This Training Center is far better than a shabby cottage where kids can easily crush.¡± Seol In-ah words made those neer hunterse to realize what ce they were standing right now. Its Demigod guild, one of the strongest Guilds in South Korea. The top three Guilds never set their eyes on average hunters. They were the representatives of South Korea¡¯s valor. That was not a ce like a hotel where people could stay and go as they pleased. On the other hand, that was also a motivation for some neer hunters to join the Demigod guild and pass the test. The top three guilds could be said to be a symbol of the countries strength. They also had and controlled many dungeon resources, whether Artifact weapons and items, Magic Stones, or Magic Crystals. Seol In-ah then looked at Ji-woo amidst the crowd on the lower ground. She was still curious about him. Nevertheless, she also felt that it would be a waste if she continued to pursue the matter. The two then exchanged nces for a short time until she sauntered over while leaving the Training Center. The information from Jung Hyun-don and Im Taek-won about Ji-woo was not helpful either. There was nothing worth mentioning about Ji-woo other than his missing ident that seemed strange for Seol In-ah. But it was also unclear and did not exin why she felt there was something on Ji-woo that made her wary when they first met before. After their Vice headmaster left, several Demigod Hunters stepped forward in her stead. These hunters wore special suits that were simr to Seol In-ah attire. The unique uniform had the Demigod guild emblem on the back. When they appeared, they gave off an auraparable to their Vice headmaster, although not as fierce and strong as her. ¡°We will begin the Single Elimination round now. You can see on the left side your seed in a bracket.¡± There was an LED screen appearing on the left side of the neer hunter. Simr to a sports stadium scoreboard in general. Actually, the neer hunters feel not fair about the Elimination round. However, remembering the Demigod Vice headmaster¡¯s words, they gritted their teeth and resigned to their fate. ¡°All of you can prepare first before we start in a few minutes.¡± The Demigod hunters wearing suits with their Guild crests on the back went down the stairs and cleared the middle part of the lower ground. The neer hunters move and prepare for the fight. A few of them wear their hunter¡¯s gears, artifact weapons, and items. It drew envy from the other neer hunters. After all, they were just newborn hunters. So, not all of them had the meant to own such hunter stuff like the others. Ji-woo went to the upper floor since it was better to watch the battle from above the lower ground. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si, you want to fight with that clothes?¡± Dong-hyun walked closer and spoke to Ji-woo. Ji-woo understood what Dong-hyun meant by his clothes. Of the hundreds of hunters who were going to take part in the Elimination round, only he was wearing something like someone going to college. While the others almost all looked like they were going to hunt. Despite all of that, Ji-woo didn¡¯t feel bothered at all. Although, many of the hunters looked at him because of what he was wearing. ¡°You¡­ ¡°How long have you been a hunter, Ji-woo~si?¡± ¡°A few days ago, I guess,¡± Ji-woo answered nonchntly. Dong-hyun twitched his eyes. ¡°Look, I know you feel strong after receiving Mana Blessing. I have seen people like you many times. In the end, they couldn¡¯t do anything. Why? Because they were too full of themselves and didn¡¯t heed any advice from anyone. ¡°I tell you something, hunters of the same rank usually fight equally. So Artifact weapons and items are the things that determine whether to lose and win in the fight. ¡°Understand?¡± Ji-woo looked at Dong-hyun in confusion, then chuckled at the words. He was not an arrogant brat from yesterday afternoon who had just gained power. He knew his own capacity, not meant to underestimate the hunters. However, within the training center room there, no one could beat him. And also, fighting between equally strong people was not determined only by such things. Quick-witted and experience were also decisive factors in determining victory. Focusing on tools too much will make someone be dull in the actual death and life fight. Ji-woo shook his head then said to Dong-hyun. ¡°Thank you for the hassle Lee Dong-hyun~si, but not to worry. I can handle everything.¡± Dong-hyun sneered on the side and walked away. ¡®Huh! Ignorant fool! Act cool and mighty. Let¡¯s see if you canst this first roundter!¡¯ Soon, the first match of the first round of Single Elimination started. Ji-woo was interested in that match because of one of the hunters. That hunter was capable of resisting the intimidation from the Demigod guild Vice headmaster. Two hunters were standing in the battle arena. ¡°The battle! ¡°Begin!¡± Tep, Tep¨C Both of the hunters jumped at the same time. Boom! Their collision in the middle caused a small shock wave that blew away the wind. One of the hunters was thrown out of the cloud of dust and mmed against the wall. The battle thatsted only a few seconds left the other hunters watching the match dumbfounded. ¡°What the f***!¡± ¡°Holy s***!!¡± ¡°Someone, Tell me what happened there!¡± Chapter 42: Battle Royale Chapter 42: Battle Royale The Training Center became quiet after the unexpected first match of the first round. All the neer hunters thought the fight wouldst for a few minutes. But, few seconds? No one predicted the oue would be like that. All the hunters suddenly became busy talking about the fight. Some of them barely caught a glimpse of how the other hunters had lost. Some didn¡¯t even know what happened at all from that fight just now. Despite all themotion, the Demigod hunters who were overseeing the fight were not surprised or discovered it was an extraordinary thing. ¡°The winner of this match is Lee Tae-han!¡± The Demigod hunter who acted as the referee in the fight concluded the first match. Lee Tae-han, then leaving the arena. On his way back, he apologized to the referee. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m going overboard with my own strength.¡± The referee was confused by the sudden apology. He looked at the wall where the previously defeated hunter had got thrown. He immediately understood the meaning and lowered his sunsses a little bit, followed by a chuckle. ¡°Kid, do you think we were startled and amazed by your actions? Hrious. ¡°We let you do whatever you want because we can stop it if you decide or force you to kill another hunter in order to win the match. Even now, our healers can heal that hunter back to how it was before with ease from such injury. ¡°Everything that happens in this ce is still under control. Remember! We are the Demigod guild.¡± The referee spoke with a pressure that was simr to Seol In-ah. Although, it was not that strong. Since the distance was close between him and Lee Tae-han, the effect was still unbearable for a lower-rank hunter. Copse-like oppression suddenly crashed into the hearts of Lee Tae-han. Hisplexion changed, instinctively tense, nerves tighten. And within the body, the cell furnace frantically pumped out energy, like a feral cat facing an enemy and blowing up its hair. The referee put back his sunsses and pat Lee Tae-han¡¯s left shoulder with his right hand. ¡°A cocky young bastard with a talent that still has not yet seen the world. Not bad, I like you.¡± Capable of using to use two types of Magic as an E-rank hunter could be considered a genius. However, in the Demigod guild, those hunters were countless. For the top Guilds around the world, what mattered was how the hunters could use their Mana efficiently. Especially the mastery of spells, not how many types of Magics they could cast. What use was the hunter who could cast various kinds of Magics if they couldn¡¯t master one of them after being taught and trained in the Guild? The Demigod guild resources would get wasted on losers if they nurture such hunters. At that moment, the suppression went away like low tide, and the high pressure from the referee, who was also an A-rank hunter, disappeared immediately after being released. Lee Tae-han left the arena with his head lowered. No one was aware of Lee Tae-han and the referee¡¯s conversation except Ji-woo. Even though he didn¡¯t clearly hear what they were talking about it. He only noticed Lee Tae-han was showing off to the referee with how he could use two types of Magic at once to end that fight. Lee Tae-han used lightning to boost his speed and gave him an early advantage when he initiated. It coupled with the mes covering his hands to increase his attack power and get the maximum damage from the Magicbination. ¡°This should be a little interesting,¡± Ji-woo spoke with a hint of anticipation while his left hand held his chest. Even though he was interested, he was a little worried about Nullifier. Not careful, then he could be an emotionless machine warrior wreaking havoc. Moreover, Ji-woo hates the most when his emotions get controlled by the Nullifier. bzzzzzzzt¨C Suddenly, Ji-woo¡¯s smartphone vibrated. He looked at the number, not knowing who it was, quickly hung up on the call. He then stared at the smartphone, assuming that he would get called again, but it didn¡¯t happen. Ji-woo put away his smartphone and continued watching the battle. However, after Lee Tae-han¡¯s fight, there were no matches that were interesting and able to make him get excited. On the contrary, it got more and more boring as the thing progressed. ¡°This test can¡¯tst more than two days. We need to prepare a lot for tier-3 and tier-4 Portal Gates that nned for the 50 hunters team project between E-rank to B-rank hunters.¡± ¡°Yeah. What a waste of time on this. Even though the first one was not bad, that alone is not impressive enough. Are we unlucky because of the new policy? So, only getting a newborn and talentless hunter now? Tch!¡± Ji-woo heard the disgruntledments of the Demigod hunters next to him. He realized that they didn¡¯t regard thepetition as a serious matter for the Guild. And they have a limited amount of time and may decide to stop it if itsts longer than two days. Obviously, Ji-woo couldn¡¯t let thetter happen. From Dong-hyun¡¯s previous words, it was sure that the Demigod Guild no longer had low-tier Portal Gates. It might be Ji-woo¡¯s only chance to strike gold. The higher tier of the Portal Gate, the more profit the hunters could get. Ji-woo reluctantly sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡± He thought of several ways and had one solution to end the test quickly. Soon, the time for Ji-woo¡¯s first-round match hade. The hunter who was his opponent was a woman. He smiled and instantly opened his mouth before the referee started the fight. ¡°Wait. Can I speak first?¡± The referee was silent for a while, then nodded, agreeing to Ji-woo¡¯s request. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wipe the floor with every single one of you separately. That just fu***** annoying. ¡°Why not all of you get down here and finish this with Battle Royale.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s words make the other neer hunters shocked. The referee frowned behind his sunsses. The other Demigod Hunters were bbergasted. Even Dong-hyun won¡¯t get spared from that. Almost all of them thought Ji-woo was crazy. A freak in casual clothing among the neer hunters wearing their gear, he loudly dered a challenge to everyone at once. That freak head must lose some screws! ¡°Are you looking down on me?¡± The woman¡¯s expression sank, and a dangerous light shone in her eyes stared at Ji-woo. ¡°No, no, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not targeting you.¡± Ji-woo kept his smile, ncing around, before slowly stating. ¡°I¡¯m saying that all of you here are all weaklings!¡± All of the neer hunters inside the Training Center were outraged by the words. Meanwhile, the referee took out his smartphone after considering what Ji-woo said and went to the side a bit far from Ji-woo and the woman. He called the upper echelon of the Demigod guild reporting the situation. Many hunters voiced their dissatisfaction at Ji-woo¡¯s strange and arrogant attitude. ¡°You are the one who is weak here!!¡± ¡°What the fu**?!¡± ¡°Pull yourself together!¡± ¡°You overestimated yourself, as*****!¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯m scared of you?!!¡± ¡°Bas****, know your ce!!¡± A few of the Demigod hunters want to drag Ji-woo away from the battle arena because of causing the uproar. Before the Demigod hunters make their move, the referee came in between Ji-woo and the women, raising his hand to stop the Demigod hunter¡¯s action. ¡°How about this. All of you fighting here, and thest ten hunters standing will be the ones who get epted into the Demigod guild. You will not worry and waste time for the second round, the third round, or many more rounds left after that. ¡°This whole lower ground will be the spot for the battle. You only get disqualified when you surrender or get knocked out.¡± The referee finished his word and indicated to other Demigod hunters on the lower ground to move out. Immediately, all of the Demigod hunters at the lower ground disappeared and reappeared on the upper floor. The referee¡¯s words seemed to stimte the neer hunters. Their faces immediately turned ashen. Although that way could lessen the time, the Battle Royale would force some hunters to team up with the others to get that limited spot. Hunter that alone or didn¡¯t have the numbers to make up a big team would have a disadvantage in the battle. On the other hand, that also means that the Demigod guild did not care about them. They only want to finish that as soon as possible. The neer hunters couldn¡¯tin their frustration directly at the referee and turned their anger towards Ji-woo. Who was the one that created thatplicated situation while uttering some bulls*** words earlier. The woman in front of Ji-woo clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as well. The Battle Royale should happen after her fight with him. She didn¡¯t like to get treated as a weakling. ¡°If I can¡¯t pay back this humiliation and make you kneel before me. I am not Ahn Yu-jin!¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about the woman in front of him. He was only concerned about his n to end the useless test. The battle would save Ji-woo a lot of trouble. Especially his provocation would make the hunters lose their guard and take him lightly. So, Ji-woo could beat them the moment they let their guard down. With that, many Demigod hunters would think he won by luck and would not catch their attention. Ji-woo was willing to go to the trouble of using that method because it was still too early to show his strength. He didn¡¯t want the others to find out his strength before getting more information about the hunters and Portal Gate. Otherwise, Ji-woo could easily beat them even if they didn¡¯t underestimate him and gang upon him. Chapter 43: Crazy Girl Chapter 43: Crazy Girl Ahn Yu-jin, who was angry at Ji-woo for avoiding their fight, immediately burst out her Mana. ¡°Magic of Fire, Sun Ray!¡± The mes covered Yu-jin¡¯s entire body and shone brightly. She then exploded and released mes in the surrounding circle. The hunters that were close to Yu-jin had a hard time opening their eyes. They were dazzled by the sunlight and could only shout to warn the other hunters. ¡°Watch out!!¡± Weeng, Boom! Several hunters, who did not have time to react, were immediately blown away and copsed from the small explosive wave. They even have some burn marks on their bodies. The demigod hunters that were watching from the upper floor were surprised. The Battle Royale had just begun, but Yu-jin was already using an AoE spell right off the bat. Even Ji-woo was shocked. He never expected someone to make such a shy move at the start of the battle. However, it went ording to Ji-woo¡¯s n, as all the attention that was originally still on him was now getting diverted. With that, he could rx without the hassle of stepping in to beat the hunters and getting one of the ten slots avable. The hunters who were far away from Yu-jin were silent and couldn¡¯t move. They still weren¡¯t used to these kinds of fighting atmosphere. Neither of them thought that one hunter could beat multiple hunters in one strike. They believed a battle like that had to be determined by numbers. And that situation became an opportunity for hunters who could react quickly. Suddenly, the hunters who had not gotten caught up in the chaos of Yu-jin AoE¡¯s spell released their Mana presence. Those hunters acted toward the one who still didn¡¯t wake up from the shock. Meanwhile, the Demigod hunters on the top floor immediately took action to get rid of the hunters who had lost in the Battle Royale. So as not to hinder the continuation of the fight. For A-rank hunters, the fought between low-rank hunters was easy to interfere with it. So that what they did hardly bothered the neer hunters¡¯ movements. Those Demigod hunters acted like housekeepers doing their job clean and fast. Soon, every hunter downstairs got into a fight, be it one by one or a team fight. And there was a team versus one hunter that urred at the same time as themotion too. ¡°It was like seeing a battlefield. Well, think of it as an exercise for the dungeon the neers will be hunting after this. Because we won¡¯t be going to tier-1 or tier-2 Portal Gates anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah, high-tier Portal Gates is no joke.¡± ¡°Agree with that. That¡¯s where the issues of death and life will influence their decisions in the dungeon.¡± Even though the Demigod Hunters didn¡¯t feel interested in the battle, they still hoped that whoever joined themter would be prepared for whatever lies ahead. Tier-3 Portal Gates and above was noughing matter for lower-rank hunters. Away from the crowd of fights, the one who was the source of the Battle Royale, Ji-woo, slowly and surely, had already started moving to avoid the spotlight. However, Bwoosh! Ji-woo felt the heat from behind his body, quickly turning around. He saw a small burst of fire heading his way. When the strike was about to hit him, he then brushed off the attack with his palm easily and dispelled the mes in the air. Ji-woo was bbergasted. He moved his hands out of habit. When he nned for the Battle Royale, he didn¡¯t want to block Hunter¡¯s Magic spells with his body. The elemental power created from Mana would get nullified by him, and it might make the Demigod Hunters interested in him. Apart from that, Ji-woo was also annoyed. Ahn Yu-jin, a hunter who used a self-exploding spell to start the Battle Royale, was now in front of him as an opponent. It meant the attention that went away previously was back again to him. What¡¯s more, if he defeated her, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of the Demigod guild mark on him for quite a while. Faced with uncertainty, Ji-woo breathed out lightly. In the Magical world, it was easy to avoid the spotlight. Since Stormrage was the center of attention, Ji-woo had an easy time doing whatever he wanted. Unlike Ji-woo, Yu-jin, who was in a rage, didn¡¯t think much of how Ji-woo could dispel her magic spell and continue her attack. ¡°Magic of Fire, Phoenix spirits!¡± Yu-jin spread her arms, and three phoenix-shaped mes appeared above her head. She then threw it at Ji-woo carelessly. Boom, Boom¨C Ji-woo effortlessly evaded the impending assault. Yu-jin squinted her eyes and got irritated by the result. All of her attacks were unsessful. Ji-woo dodged past the other hunters who were busy with their fight. But only those hunters got hit by that three phoenix-shaped mes while he slipped away unscathed. Yu-jin continued to chase Ji-woo, and he only avoided it while making the other hunters take a barrage of attacks for him. Every time Yu-jin attacked Ji-woo, one or two hunters would fall wrongly because of being dragged down in her chase. On the upper floor, the Demigod hunters talk about the battle. ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t watch that Crazy girl fight?¡± ¡°Not interested. That girl opponent kept running away and took cover behind the other hunters. If it weren¡¯t for this Battle Royale, that kid would have been wiped out in a matter of time by her.¡± ¡°Then, which fight did you watch now?¡± ¡°Over there, that kid has an interesting ability, the Darkness Element.¡± The Demigod Hunter replied while pointing at the spot he was watching. Light and Darkness were two rare Elemental powers in the world. These two elements were unique because they had many different types of magic spellspared to other Elements. ¡°It seems like our Guild will have a new Rising Star.¡± Many Demigod Hunters had watched that hunter with the Darkness Element fighting another hunter. He summoned a Shadow creature and fought without lifting his hands from his pants pocket, letting that thing fight in his stead. The Shadow creature rendered the offensives of other hunters useless. Even when they struck with an artifact weapon that could pierce the Shadow¡¯s defenses, they were still unable to withstand the creature¡¯s counterblow. At that rate, the hunter with Darkness Element was untouchable. He seemed to have confirmed one in ten avable slots for joining the Demigod guild. On another note, In terms of how many hunters had fallen into their hands. The Darkness Element hunter was second only to Crazy Girl. Yu-jin had identally defeated more than 30 hunters on her way to catching Ji-woo. And the Darkness Element hunter only defeated more than 20 hunters. Meanwhile, Ji-woo himself was at the bottom of the scoreboard as a hunter who had never beaten anyone. Currently, the remaining neer hunters in the Battle Royale numbered around 70 people. The rest were Ji-woo, Yu-jin, Tae-han, the Dark Element hunter, some individual hunter, and team hunters. The battle was nearing its end. All of a sudden, Yu-jin stopped the chase. The other hunters realized she¡¯d stopped, quickly moved away from her, afraid of getting hit by the Crazy girl¡¯s careless attacks. It was also made Ji-woo get flustered. After being chased for a long time, then it got done? But, the reality was not over yet. Ji-woo felt the Mana flow in Yu-jin¡¯s body, elerating. ¡°Magic of Fire, Supernova!¡± Yu-jin trembled, and her eyes turned to illuminate golden color. Her skin was like a stone burning by high-temperature mes, and she began to hover above the ground. Zaapp, Hwossh¨C Yu-jin¡¯s entire body turned into a searing sun that scorched the other hunters and radiated intense heat over arge area. Several Demigod Hunters wondered if they needed to stop Yu-jin¡¯s actions or not. ¡°Should we stop that Crazy girl, Hyung~nim?¡± The referee raised his hand, ¡°No need. Be prepared when things get dangerous. Focus on the hunter who is close to the girl and do what you guys should do.¡± ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim!¡± On the lower ground, the hunters closest to Yu-jin were unable to endure the heat anymore. And because they couldn¡¯t get close to stop her, they cried out in agony. Arrgghh¨C ¡°F**k, my whole body almost got burned! I give up!¡± ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡°Help!!¡± The Demigod hunters get tasked with handling the situation, immediately move to a lower ce, and rescue them from there. After the rescue, the referee ordered the B-rank hunters to make shields, blocking the heat from reaching the upper floors. Meanwhile, the hunters who were some distance away from Yu-jin had nothing to worry about it. Even though they were injured and passed out, it wouldn¡¯t endanger their lives. The wind pressure from Yu-jin grew stronger and stronger, slowly pushing the remaining hunters away from her. Yu-jin, who had been floating for a while, began to glow gradually until her body was too bright. Twip, Kaboom! Yu-jin exploded, and the shockwave reached the entire lower ground ce, hitting all the hunters there. Following the explosion, a thick cloud of smoke covered the whole area. Nobody knew the oue, except the Crazy girl, who might for sure be the only winner of the Battle Royale. The referee used his ps to disperse the cloud of smoke. Paak¨C Woosshh¨C But what the Demigod hunters saw after the area got cleared was something they didn¡¯t expect. Even the neer hunters that out from the battle dumbfounded watched from the upper floor. Chapter 44: Demigod Guild Chapter 44: Demigod Guild When Yu-jin transformed into a burning sun and scorched the surrounding area, many hunters immediately gave up because they could not stand the intense heat. Meanwhile, the hunters who chose to stay in the battle tried to stay as far away from Yu-jin as they could, enduring the pain. The Darkness Element hunter also threw away his arrogance and tried to endure the scorching heat. The Shadow creature took a spot in front of him to block Yu-jin¡¯s searing sun with its hand and body. But that wasn¡¯t enough. Even with his Mana being poured into the Shadow creature to regenerate. It slowly continued to melt again and again. Ji-woo was also in the same situation as that hunter but with a different oue. ¡°Hhm?!¡± Ji-woo sensed something was amiss and immediately knew what the problem was. He then leaped backward closer to the walls of the Training Center like the other hunters had done. Even though the scorching sun couldn¡¯t cause any harm to Ji-woo, his clothes were affected by that as they were especially not made for battle. It almost burned his entire outfit. Luckily he acted fast, so his pants were still intact. Ji-woo smiled wryly. He could be said to be half-naked now with parts of his shirt burned and gone. The other hunters didn¡¯t have time to look at Ji-woo and try their hardest to survive the attack. However, the hunters¡¯ desperate defenses didn¡¯tst until the end after Yu-jin¡¯s scorching sun exploded and released even more powerful shock waves across the fields. Ji-woo was shocked, worried that the shockwave would destroy his pants too. He leaned his upper body forward and right leg to the back. He put both hands to the front and split the crashing waves with his fingers. Soosshh¨C The aftermath of the explosion caused the entire lower ground to get covered in a cloud of smoke. The Demigod hunters didn¡¯t know the result and expected Yu-jin to be the sole survivor of the Battle Royale. Contrary to the predictions, they gaped in shock when they saw the other hunters left standing other than Yu-jin in there. ¡°F**k!¡± ¡°What the heck!?¡± ¡°How are those two still standing after such an explosion?!¡± First of all, the Darkness Element hunter still able to hold his ground was within an eptable range. After all, he was a rare hunter with a unique ability. But, Ji-woo and Tae-han? Everyone on the upper floor couldn¡¯t wrap their minds about how the two of them had managed to stand on their feet after a terrifying wave swept through the other hunters. And more importantly,pared to Ji-woo, Tae-han survived in a more sorry state. There were almost bruises all over his body. Only Ji-woo had the leisure to catch a glimpse of how Tae-han blocked the intense heat and the shockwave. Tae-han used fire as a shield. Even though the mes weren¡¯t strong enough, he continued to endure them. That was why he had many injuries all over his body. And fortunately, he was wearing clothes that were strong enough against the scorching sun. Otherwise, his fate would be the same as that of a shirtless Ji-woo. ¡°That bast*** must be cheating!¡± ¡°Screw that wimp!!!¡± Some Demigod hunters show their disdain toward Ji-woo. The referee frowned, seeing his guild members acting like petty losers. ¡°Shut up! Just do your job. Go, pick up those copsed hunters in there.¡± The other Demigod hunters were startled. ¡°Y-Yes, Hyung~nim.¡± ¡°Yes, Hyung!¡± The referee¡¯s mouth twitched. Why worry about the group of neers? If they were ipetent, then they wouldn¡¯t survive hunting in the dungeon. There was no need to make a fuss about a trivial matter like that. Let the Portal Gate decide their fateter. The referee shook his head then jumped to the lower ground, greeting the four neers who would join the Demigod guild from here on. ¡°Let me introduce myself. My name is Cha Tae-hyun. Vice leader of Demigod guild Main team. ¡°Ahn Yu-jin~si, Kim Gi-tae~si, Lee Tae-han~si, andstly, Kim Ji-woo~si. Congrattions for joining us.¡± The referee smiled. He already knew their name. ¡°There is no kind of ceremony to wee the four of you here. We have a tight schedule. So for now, go back ande here tomorrow morning to integrate the hunter ID with the Demigod guild database and begin the training with the other.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Of the four hunters, only Tae-han gave a bright and enthusiastic response to Tae-hyun despite getting injured. Meanwhile, Yu-jin kept staring resentfully at Ji-woo. And Gi-tae was just standing there like a supporting characterpleting the Demigod four neers. Tae-hyun smirked and turned around, leaving the four of them. He didn¡¯t care too much about their attitude. He understood these neers wouldn¡¯t give him a bit of respect unless he showed who was in charge with his strength. However, he didn¡¯t have any ns to entertain them anytime soon. Letting them do whatever they want first and allowing conflicts between fellow guild members would increase their high sense ofpetitiveness. That was as long as they did not cause problems for the guild. After all, a ce where only the elite of the elite gather would have fiercepetition. The four neers nced at each other, and then the three of them turned their gaze toward Ji-woo. The other three seemed to have a tacit understanding that the weakest and cowardly among them was Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about the petty stuff. He shrugged and left the three of them as Tae-hyun did. ¡°Our fight is not settled yet!¡± Yu-jin folded her arms, snorting coldly. She really wanted to beat up Ji-woo, who left her indifferently. But she changed her mind. After all, they were in the same guild. So she could continue their battle whenever she wanted. At the door of the Training Center, when Ji-woo was about to leave. He got offered a in white shirt by Dong-hyun. Ji-woo considered politely turned down the offer. However, he thought it would be strange to walk around shirtless on the street, especially at night. He then chooses to ept it. ¡°Thank you. I owe you one.¡± ¡°Eiii, there¡¯s no need. Think of it as senior taking care of his junior.¡± Hehe¨C Dong-hyunughed awkwardly. He never thought that Ji-woo would qualify as a guild member. That was why he was now trying to be nice to him. Because of the four hunters who became a new member, Ji-woo seemed to be the easiest to be an underling who could get ordered around. Ji-woo himself knew why Dong-hyun changed his attitude toward him. Therefore he emphasized that it was a debt that he would pay off at ater date and say goodbye to Dong-hyun, leaving the Demigod guild base. In the end, Ji-woo bought new clothes, pants, and shoes on the way home, costing him hundreds of thousands of won. Now, Ji-woo had another pressing problem. Hunter gear, especially clothes that get modified ording to his physique. He could not fight enemies that used Mana with his ordinary clothes. ¡®Sigh, another problem that requires money to solve it.¡¯ Tilili, Tilili¨C Suddenly, Ji-woo¡¯s smartphone rings. It was a call from a previously unknown number. He still didn¡¯t remember who it was, then immediately declined the call. And it didn¡¯t ring again, just like before. ¡°This is the second time today.¡± Ji-woo tilted his head. It was not the time to think about the call. There were several other things that needed to get done first. ¡ª- ¡ª- In the morning, there was a rare asion at Ji-woo¡¯s house. The family of three was having breakfast together for the first time since Ji-woo returned. Ji-woo¡¯s mother was delighted to see her children eating together after all the time, despite the awkward silence of their breakfast moments. Kim Ji-won, who saw her brother¡¯s new appearance for the first time, nces at him from time to time. Ji-woo¡¯s short hair with 4/6 long bangs parted slightly covered the eyes caught Ji-won¡¯s attention. Especially with a clear difference from his previous long wavy hair. Meanwhile, Ji-woo, who was aware of his little sister¡¯s gaze, teased her without turning his face to the side. ¡°Is this Oppa getting too handsome that makes you keep staring at it, Ji-won~ah?¡± Ji-won was surprised and embarrassed after being caught by Ji-woo. Her face flushed. ¡°Humph! No!¡± Ji-won then quickly finished her breakfast and headed to school. Ji-woo shook his head, watching the shy Ji-won leave hurriedly. On the other side, his mother smiled happily at the behavior of her two children. ¡°Now, how was the job that you talked about yesterday, Ji-woo~ya?¡± Uhuk, Ugh¨C Ji-woo coughed after hearing the question from his mother. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter when I get the job, mom. The notification will be out in a few days.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mother cast a nce at him. ¡°Actually, what job is it that makes you wait to be epted or not to disclose it?¡± Ji-woo could only smile ufortably at his mother. He didn¡¯t want to talk about his job until he got the money as an official hunter. ¡®The day after tomorrow, I might be able to go to the Portal Gate again.¡¯ Chapter 45: The Day Chapter 45: The Day Ji-woo finally had the leeway to go outside after giving his mother an excuse. He went to the Demigod headquarters, where he was the only e out of the four neer hunters. Yu-jin nced at Ji-woo. Her hatred for Ji-woo only grew as time passed. Of the four of them, she was the only D-rank. The other hunters were E-rank. All because of Ji-woo¡¯s suggestion. If Battle Royale didn¡¯t happen, Yu-jin was sure she would beat all the hunters and be the absolute winner. Not letting any hunters join the Demigod guild. Though the difference between E-rank and D-rank wasn¡¯t huge. Yu-jin still had her pride as someone in a higher rank than her peers. She should have been able to wipe out all the contestants in the previous Battle Royale. Ji-woo noticed Yu-jin¡¯s sharp gaze at him. But he didn¡¯t really care about that. He assumed it was just a brat who was still sulking because she couldn¡¯t beat him yesterday. On the other hand, Dong-hyun, as someone who assigned the task of handling the new guild members this time, asked for their hunter ID and had them wait in front of the Training Center. When the four of them stopped at the Training Center, Yu-jin approached Ji-woo. It made Tae-han flinch. Even though he survived Yu-jin¡¯s scorching sun, he knew how strong she was. Because of that, he was worried that a fight would suddenly break out, and he might get hurt if not careful. ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble here. We¡¯re just new recruits.¡± Tae-han tried to talk to Yu-jin calmly. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Tae-han shrugged, acting tough at Yu-jin¡¯s harsh tone. He stepped a bit away from Ji-woo and Yu-jin. Meanwhile, Gi-tae only looked at them with his arms crossed. Again, as the supporting character on the side. Yu-jin looked up at Ji-woo¡¯s face. ¡°You ¡­ You¡¯re lucky because of the Battle Royale. If our fight goes as it should, I¡¯ll beat you to a pulp!¡± Yu-jin clenched her fists. She hated being looked down on by any man. Ji-woo wanted to say that Yu-jin could ask for a fight whenever she wanted. However, he discarded such thoughts. If, Ji-woo beat Yu-jin with a half-assed attitude. She would keeping back for a fight unless he defeated her with absolute strength. But that was tantamount to revealing his power too early to others. Ji-woo didn¡¯t have time to take care of and add other problems to his already list of obstacles. Not long, Dong-hyun came with their hunter ID. ¡°All of you are officially members of the Demigod guild now. ¡°Also, the four of you will join the tier-3 and tier-4 Portal Gate hunt the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll brief you guys a little about our guidelines and rules in the dungeon.¡± Gi-tae and Tae-han didn¡¯t have any experience with Portal Gates. So, the two of them didn¡¯t know much about dungeons. Dong-hyun exined about hunters custom on the high-tier Portal Gates. The people who hadpletemand and responsibility for the hunt were the leaders. A team usually consisted of 20 hunters. The team then would get divided into two groups in the dungeon, with the leader and vice leader acting as the captain of each group. However, this time it would be a little different. Since E-rank and D-rank hunters would participate, the number of hunters increased to 50 in one team. Furthermore, 50 hunters was a hassle if it got split into two teams. In a dungeon, it was better to move with a small party. Moving around inrge numbers was as good as telling those creatures in the dungeon that an enemy wasing. So, from now on. The Demigod Guild would likely use the method of dividing groups of more than five units for a team of 50 hunters. Hunt in the dungeon slowly, and at the same time, train their lower rank hunters. All of that numbers without counting the porters within the team. It was reasonable considering that not all hunts require porters. For the Guilds, the primary objective of hunting was to close the Portal Gates, even if they incurred a loss. Alternatively, the hunters could also pick up a Magic Crystal or two themselves upon exiting the dungeon to cover the loss a little bit. Dong-hyun finished exining the rough ns for the Tier-3 and Tier-4 Portal Gate. Those dungeons would be the debut ce for these neers. After that, he sent document files to each of the new hunters in front of him. ¡°I gave a little information about the dungeon of the high tier Portal Gate. It¡¯s better than the inte. You can read it and ask me if there is something you don¡¯t understand.¡± The four of them took out their smartphones and read the file. It contained information about the environment of the dungeon and the types of creatures. Although sometimes, the situation was not precisely the same. At least, that information could make them a bit prepared about what they were dealing with it. Yu-jin and Ji-woo thought the matter could be put aside and read at another time. ¡°Dong-hyun~si, shouldn¡¯t we be better off training with other guild members? Time is limited, and these documents could get taken care ofter.¡± Dong-hyun frowned. ¡°You neers won¡¯t be able to get along with the team with the limited time. So, the four of you only need to ept our arrangement, don¡¯tin too much.¡± ¡°We still have time tomorrow. It should be enough for us to practice a little.¡± Yu-jin answered unhappily. ¡°The four of you only need to watch and learn from us in the dungeonter. And one more thing, the day before the hunt, it is a day off here. The team leader ordered it so the hunters could rest their bodies and minds. So that they would enter the Portal Gate with a better condition.¡± Yu-jin¡¯s mood turned sour. She wanted to join any squad to prove her worth in order to get nurtured from the Guild and join the Main team as soon as possible. She was someone with high self-esteem and a thirst for power. She wanted to show that women could also be the strongest hunters. Which still got dominated by men. And now? Even though Yu-jin knew she was just a new hunter in the Demigod guild. She didn¡¯t want to get treated like a child who needed to be cared for and disparaged. ¡°I¡¯ll just go back!¡± Yu-jin then left because the matter of registering the hunter¡¯s ID was over, and it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything important enough to keep her stay. Shortly after, Gi-tae and Tae-han also follow her to leave. Of course, Dong-hyun couldn¡¯t ept the attitude of these neers. However, He couldn¡¯t get angry at them. Hierarchy with power as a system was a rule by which the strong and the weak had differences in respect. Dong-hyun sighed and looked at Ji-woo, ¡°Did you see that? Hunters with strength and talent can do whatever they want.¡± ¡°But, you don¡¯t have to worry. A talentless and weak hunter like us can be stronger too if we help each other. You can count on me for this.¡± Ji-woo chuckled, hearing the words. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dong-hyun~si. I¡¯m not interested in that kind of thing. Thank you for the offer. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji-woo politely declined the invitation and gave a slight bow to Dong-hyun. He left the Demigod guild headquarters like the other three neers. Even though he was the type to look down on the weak, he still gave them the bit of respect they deserved as someone with good intentions offering to help. Ji-woo was pleased with the circumstance, where there was no schedule and only needed toe on the day of the event. He didn¡¯t care about theck ofmunication or encounters with other hunters. After all, he didn¡¯t have any sense of belonging toward the Demigod guild. And most importantly, they did not get in the way of his original n. Tilili, Tilili¨C On the way back, Ji-woo¡¯s smartphone rings. It was a call from that unknown number again. It was the fourth time in thest two days. Feeling a little annoyed, he finally decided to ept the phone call. ¡°Finally picked up! F***ing b**tard! It¡¯s me, Jung Tae-ha. How dare you ignore me. You should be grateful I gave you my number and called you.¡± Ji-woo frowned and didn¡¯t say a word. Tae-ha was puzzled. ¡°Nerd? Ya, Kim Ji-woo? Say a word, darn it! ¡°Heh, are those words scaring you?¡± Hahaha¨C ¡°F**k off.¡± Ji-woo replied nonchntly. ¡°Hah?!¡± Tae-ha was dumbfounded at the word, feeling he heard something wrong. ¡°F**k off.¡± Ji-woo immediately hung up and blocked the number after finding out whose it was. He no longer cared about his high school life and had no interest in reminiscing. Ji-woo returned home in thete afternoon. He then helped his mother clean the house a little and read the document files from Dong-hyun in his spare time. The next day, Ji-woo was just busy helping his mother reorganize their renovated and repaired food stall. Finally, the time where Ji-woo would go to tier-3 and tier-4 Portal Gate had arrived. Chapter 46: Tier-3 Chapter 46: Tier-3 In the morning, Ji-woo still had time to help his mother get ready at home for the necessities. That would get brought to the food stall that had got tidied up beforehand. While preparing the goods, Ji-woo¡¯s mother asked. ¡°Ji-woo~ya, do you think the notification about your work wille out today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, mom. But, I think today we will have good news.¡± Ji-woo answered with an awkward smile, trying to cover up his lies. And his mother smiled back at him. ¡°If it¡¯s a good thing. Then it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What is Ji-won gonna doter alone?¡± ¡°I tell her toe to the food stall if she is bored at home.¡± Kreak¨C The sound of a room door opening distracted Ji-woo and his mother. ¡°I can do whatever I want. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Ji-won came out of the room and spitted out some harsh words to Ji-woo, even though the tone was a bit friendly now. Ji-woo shrugged, uninterested in responding to his little sister¡¯s taunting words. Ji-woo¡¯s mother tried to soothe the mood. ¡°Ji-won~ah. Your Oppa is only worried about you.¡± Ji-won shut her mouth after being reminded by her mother and only watches as her mother and brother prepare to go outside. Ji-woo¡¯s mother came out first, then Ji-woo immediately followed. Before Ji-woo went and closed the door from outside, Ji-won spoke some words to her brother. ¡°Umm, why bother cutting your hair when you look more shabby than before.¡± Ji-woo softly giggled. He knew his sister was getting rigid from trying to fix their rtionship, which made her scrutinize him rather thanpliment him. ¡°Is not ¡®You¡¯ It¡¯s ¡®Oppa¡¯ Remember the manners when talking to adults.¡± ¡°You ¡­ You are still a child, not an adult!¡± Ji-woo gave her a subtle smile, leaving the house. He didn¡¯t want to force Ji-won to be nice to him right away. He just wanted their efforts to happen sincerely without coercion. Ji-woo went with his mother to the food stall. Then he continued to the Demigod guild because he would start his job today as a hunter in the dungeon. ¡ª- ¡ª- The Demigod guild headquarters was very crowded, with more than 100 hunters in front of the building. Not long, all the hunters quickly moved and formed two teams of 50 each. ¡°I refuse this appointment!¡± Yu-jin didn¡¯t ept that she got assigned to the team that went to tier-3 Portal Gate instead of the team that went to tier-4 Portal Gate. Besides, she got partnered with the only one, Ji-woo. The person she hated the most to the bone. Meanwhile, Lee Tae-han and Kim Gi-tae go to the tier-4 Portal Gate team, a ce which she dreamed of it. Ji-woo, Gi-tae, and Tae-han just watched on the side as Yu-jinined to Dong-hyun about the division of the team slots. Yu-jin had never been at a Portal Gate above tier-3. ording to rumors, the higher the tier of the Portal Gate, the more resources one could get for hunters, even though the risk of death was also high. That was why she was eager to go to tier-4 rather than tier-3 plus Ji-woo on it. ¡°It¡¯s an order from Tae-hyun~nim for this hunt. You can¡¯tin or deny it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Dong-hyun tried to convince Yu-jin of the arrangement, but to no avail. She was still persistent in moving to the tier-4 Portal Gate team to the end. If not resolved before they go or enter the Portal Gate. Dong-hyun surely would get scolded by the team leader if he was unable to control these new hunters. ¡°Dong-hyun~ah, let me handle it from here on.¡± Dong-hyun was taken aback by the voice and a pat on his shoulder when he was still in the middle of thinking of a way to persuade Yu-jin. ¡°Ah, yes, Hyung~nim.¡± Yu-jin turned her gaze toward the man who made Dong-hyun take a step back. ¡°It has been decided by me and approved by the Demigod Vice-headmaster.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t ¡­¡± Before Yu-jin could finish her sentence, Tae-hyun pressed his left hand to her left shoulder. ¡°Young Miss. You seem to have forgotten where you are right now.¡± Tae-hyun leaned closer to Yu-jin and whispered. ¡°It¡¯s Demigod.¡± The pressure from that one hand was able to make Yu-jin tremble in fear and unable to move. She could only grit her teeth and obey. ¡°F-Fine.¡± A few days of not seeing other high-ranking hunters made Yu-jin forget what kind of ce the Demigod guild was in South Korea. The title of Top guilds was not just for a disy. Those guilds were the frontline hunters if the country experienced a Portal Gate disaster and a symbol of the state¡¯s sovereignty in the world. How could a hunter like Yu-jin act as if she was someone important in such a ce? Perhaps for other guilds, Yu-jin was a valuable hunter. But for guilds like Demigods, Artates, and Shadow, hunters like Gi-tae were the most important of all talents. Even a hunter possessing spell mastery was still not enough to match a hunter that owned unique elements. ¡°Good.¡± Tae-hyun then stepped away from Yu-jin and shouted at all hunters who would be participating in the hunt. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Yes, Hyung~nim!¡± Team 2 and Team 3 respond simultaneously. And there were two ck luxury buses ready to take those two teams to hunt. Demigod team 2 consisted of 13 E-rank hunters, 15 D-rank hunters, 8 C-rank hunters, 7 B-rank hunters, and 6 A-rank hunters. Plus, Tae-hyun, as their supervisor who went with them to tier-4 Portal Gate. Tae-hyun could only choose the Demigod Team 2 over Team 3 since A-rank hunters got restricted from entering the tier-3 Portal Gate. The two teams headed to different ces due to the location of the Portal Gate, which was far between tier-3 and tier-4. The bus Ji-woo was in had a calm atmosphere. It was probably because the distribution of hunters in team 3 was bnced. It consists of 11 E-rank hunters, 17 D-rank hunters, 12 C-rank hunters, and 10 B-rank hunters. The Team 3 leader was confident they could finish the hunt and close the Portal Gate smoothly with such a lineup. Dong-hyun, who was also in team 3, approached Ji-woo in his seat. ¡°Ji-woo~si, you don¡¯t have any artifact items, such as armor or anything simr? I mean, you want to enter the Portal Gate with just this outfit? ¡°You don¡¯t have an artifact weapon or item at all?¡± Dong-hyun had been observing Ji-woo from the very beginning. He had never seen Ji-woo take out anything rted to the hunters¡¯ gear they usually wore. Ji-woo shifted his face, looked at Dong-hyun. ¡°I don¡¯t have any. And there¡¯s no rule that says you can¡¯t go to the Portal Gate with only these ordinary clothes. Am I right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Dong-hyun answered subconsciously before pping his forehead and noticing something wasn¡¯t quite right. k¨C ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not what I mean. You know how dangerous a dungeon is, right? Hunter¡¯s gear, such as items that can increase our survival or weapons that allow us to kill or defend against those creatures, is crucial. ¡°Here, I give you this.¡± Dong-hyun took out leather clothes from his backpack and gave them to Ji-woo. There were traces of Mana from that item. Allowed the outfit to be stronger than ordinary clothes. However, Ji-woo noticed that the leather clothes were not well made even though they looked good. He looked at the other hunters andpared their artifact items to the leather clothes in his hands. The making was different, and the characteristics were apparent. One seemed to be made by humans on earth, while the other style looked like it was from another world. Six years of the Portal Gate was too short a time for humanity to develop. Even though it could craft artifact weapons and items, it didn¡¯t quite reach the level of Magic items from the dungeon. Ji-won didn¡¯t refuse the leather outfit. He needed an item that couldst a little longer. Because he no longer wanted to waste his pocket money on clothes like in the Battle Royale because ordinary clothes were not suitable for fighting. ¡°Thanks. Ah, right. Here, the in white shirt you gave mest time. Sorry, I¡¯m just returning it now.¡± Dong-hyun was surprised that the shirt he gave to Ji-woo got returned to him. He wanted to leave a good impression on Ji-woo by giving the jersey. ¡°No. No. You don¡¯t need to return that to me. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± However, Ji-woo still insisted on returning the shirt to Dong-hyun. He already appreciated Dong-hyun¡¯s help and intent. It would be onerous for him if the clothes became a gift and did not get returned. Dong-hyun let out a deep sigh. In the end, he gave up his intention of rejecting Ji-woo. ¡°Finally, we reached tier-3 Portal Gate.¡± Ji-woo shifted his eyes to the bus window, looking at the outside after hearing Dong-hyun¡¯s words. He saw Portal Gate with a 3 meters radius that had more extensive than any Portal Gate he had seen before. Chapter 47: Double Owner Chapter 47: Double Owner Demigod Team 3 was getting ready. Jang Do-cheol, as Team 3 leader, reminded his team members to double-check the weapons and items they would use in the dungeon. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Team 3 members answered loudly in unison. Do-cheol smiled at their enthusiasm. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of this Portal Gate!¡± Zap, Zap¨C One by one, Team 3 hunters enter the tier-3 Portal Gate. Ji-woo, who was behind, watched as they disappeared before his eyes. ¡®Suddenly, I feel not so sure about this.¡¯ Ji-woo was unsure of his existence with the Portal Gate. A door to a dungeon that could restrict the hunters based on their Mana capacity. And Ji-woo was a creature not endowed with Mana. He was worried that the Portal Gate would reject him and make everything he had nned so far in vain. Ji-woo¡¯s belief in daring to join the guild and enter the Portal Gate stemmed from an incident when he lost his Artifact suit helmet in the previous dungeon. Ji-woo knew that the Portal Gate could hurt ordinary people and would not allow anyone without Mana to enter it. The fact that he was unharmed and not thrown out of the dungeon at that time. It made him think it was possible that the Portal Gate just thought he was an invalid existence because he had no Mana but could not get injured by Mana. Like a single line of code in a program, whether it was in it or not didn¡¯t make any difference. Not long in waiting, it was finally Ji-woo¡¯s turn to enter the Portal Gate. ¡®Let¡¯s hope it works out like what I thought.¡¯ Ji-woo walked slowly and then closed his eyes. Meanwhile, his left hand made the first contact with the Portal Gate. Zap¨C It was beyond Ji-woo¡¯s expectations. Everything went as simply as through an ordinary door. There were no obstacles at all. Zip, Zip¨C ¡°Hey, are you okay? Is this your first timeing to the dungeon? It¡¯s normal to get scared.¡± Dong-hyun didn¡¯t know about Ji-woo¡¯s experience with the Portal Gate. That was why he asked after looking at Ji-woo stand still with eyes closed. Ji-woo, after hearing Dong-hyun¡¯s voice opened his eyes. He looked at his hands and the surroundings, ignoring Dong-hyun. The somewhat barren forest,bined with the ruins, made the hunters feel uneasy. Even Ji-woo, who got used to the various atmospheres of the battlefield, felt ufortable with the dungeon. ¡°Gather around me.¡± Do-cheol wanted to work out a n with his team members. He also knew that the dungeon was probably the most dangerous among the tier-3 Portal Gates he had ever entered. The environment of the dungeon seemed very simr to the description of the Demon Ape realm. ¡°All of you must get flustered by this ce. Don¡¯t worry, luckily I have ess to the Demigod repository, so I might know what we¡¯re dealing with at the moment.¡± All of the Demigod Team 3 members breathed a sigh of relief. Their confusion and nervousness disappeared at once. Well, everyone was afraid of what they didn¡¯t understand and didn¡¯t know. So, the hunters¡¯ reactions to getting scared were normal. Even so, Do-cheol did not show a relieved face when he saw the members finally calm down. He then continued his words. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the dungeon owner this time around is the Demon Ape.¡± The hunters wore puzzled expressions. Since they didn¡¯t know the environment, they automatically didn¡¯t know the dungeon owner too. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Demon¡­?¡± ¡°Leader, you mean Ape like that, our Ape?!¡± Do-cheol narrowed his eyes, speaking solemnly. ¡°However, I also do not haveplete information about this. All of you except neers should know about the idents that urred in Africa and Southeast Asia in 2020.¡± The hunters tried to rack their brains to think about memories of the past. Shortly after, some of them began to remember an uproar event that happened at that time. Portal Gate closed with only one hunter surviving. Absurd! How could a hunter get out of the Portal Gate alone? Moreover, those hunters were the lowest rank in the team. It was the rarest case in the world. Even six years after the Portal Gate existed, only those two events had one hunter survive from each dungeon. Some of the hunters looked at each other, nodded. ¡°We remember both of them. But, what has that ident got to do with this dungeon? Don¡¯t tell us. Only one hunter will survive from this team too?! Just like those cases?!¡± The faces of the other hunters turned gloomy, and the atmosphere became tense at the words of their teammates. Do-cheol shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. The possibility why there were only two cases around until now. Probably because the hunter¡¯s team that faced the same type of Portal Gate got wiped out in the dungeon. That¡¯s why information about this ce is limited. ¡°And those two hunters who survived were the lucky ones. Hence, the worst-case scenario is that we won¡¯t be able to get out of here.¡± Assuming the situation turned out to be like that. How unlucky the Demigod 3 team was to face such terrifying pressure. ¡°So, from now on. I want all of you to follow my orders strictly!¡± All the hunters swallowed hard and nodded at the stern request of their team leader. The hunters realized that they might die in the dungeon. Although it was hard to believe, they chose to follow their team leader¡¯s orders for a glimmer of hope of survival. Do-cheol then arranges for six to seven hunters to form a group. It was leaving only 15 hunters, including him, staying behind. Do-cheol ordered the five groups to go in all directions within one hour. And they had toe back when the time was running out without any excuse. He also emphasized that they shouldn¡¯t engage in any form ofbat on their way through the area when they meet those dungeon creatures. Check, survey and report! All groups immediately set out to carry out their duties. For Do-cheol, time will be of the essence. It even if he and his team get forced to stay for a long time. He needed to know their odds in the dungeon. The sooner, the better, to put together some ns. ¡ª- ¡ª- Meanwhile, the other side of the ruins. Where the light only illuminated a few parts of the underground. There was a sound of heavy breathing from the corner of the ce, dark, no light at all. Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°Ukn¡¯zal, it looks like we have guests.¡± A rough and heavy voice could get heard, filling the entire underground area. After the voice echoed the underground, a pair of white eyes got seen from the corner of a dark ce. ¡°Bring the Smilodon with you. Lead those guests to me.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- A half-hour after the scout operation began. The Hunters of Team 3 who stayed behind were hiding under the trees and resting. Do-cheol didn¡¯t want to cause a mess before his reconnaissance group returned. On the other side, Ji-woo felt like something still not quite right, despite knowing what the Team 3 leader had worked on, ¡°Team leader, what happened to the two survivors of the Portal Gate that you talked about earlier.¡± Jiwoo asked straight away. Of course, he could not overtly ask the team leader if there was anything he was hiding. Do-cheol was confused by the sudden question that came out of nowhere. Regardless, he answered it. ¡°They get brought in by the International Hunter Association to deal with their trauma and try to extract as much information as possible. But in the end, the fear they experienced was too great that no crucial clue could get obtained.¡± Ji-woo continued to stare at Do-cheol even though he had heard the story. Do-cheol frowned. ¡°What??!¡± ¡°Ah, nothing. Sorry to interrupt your time, leader~nim.¡± In truth, Do-cheol had been hiding an important secret about the dungeon from his teammates. Double Owner! ording to the report that Do-cheol read, it mentioned that the dungeon would have multiple owners. Those two hunters were lucky because their team had many high-rank hunters. And could kill the dungeon owners at the expense of almost the entire team. However, even a team with such a lineup was close to being wiped out. Then, what about Demigod Team 3? With a bnced mix of low and high-rank hunters? Their chances were close to zero! Do-cheol didn¡¯t want to scare his team members to death and decided to hide it. In the middle of his contemtion, he suddenly heard a call for him. ¡°Team Leader!¡± ¡°Hyung!¡± ¡°Hyung~nim!¡± Do-cheol was relieved that the groups returned safely. ¡°Good. What¡¯s the situation? Wait! It looks like one more group haven¡¯t returned yet.¡± On the side, the other hunters that were waiting with Do-cheol started to feel restless. Even Dong-hyun, Yu-jin, and Ji-woo were worried about the current situation, seeing that the returning groups seemed to be having trouble. Do-cheol could only hope nothing wrong happened and that one group was onlyte toing back. One hour in the dungeon and Demigod Team 3 already in a pinch?! Chapter 48: Survival Chapter 48: Survival Do-cheol clenched his fists and frowned. ¡°There is still time before a one-hour deadline is up. Everything will be alright. ¡°So, now. What do you guys get in the way.¡± The captain of each group prepared their speech. Not long, the first group reported the information they got. ¡°We can only go for 200 yards from here before we find the beasts stand in our way. It¡¯s the Three-tailed Sabertooth, with armor around their body. And, there are seven beasts blocking our path. Since we can¡¯t go further anymore, we decided to return with limited information. There are no other creatures except those beasts.¡± The second group continued afterward. ¡°We¡¯re in the same situation too, leader~nim. Only, the number of Three-tailed Sabertooth are eight on our side.¡± And that went on to the third and fourth groups. All of them have the same situation. Even the number of beasts was not that different, around seven to eight. Do-cheol didn¡¯t have any information about the Three-tailed Sabertooth. So, he didn¡¯t know how strong the beast was against his team members. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for thest group toe back here. If the circumstance is the same for all of you, we can take a step back and tackle that one herd of beasts with our numbers to find out their strength first.¡± All the hunters on the spot agree with Do-cheol. They also only had the confidence to fight such beasts with their numbers. All of sudden, ¡°Hyung~nim!!¡± Do-cheol and the hunters were shocked by the screams in the middle of the deserted barren forest. After looking at the direction the voice came from, they realized that this was thest group they were waiting for it. ¡°What happens?!¡± Do-cheol saw that the group looked like it was in a miserable state. Hosh, Hosh¨C The hunters from thatst group were struggling to breathe. They seem to run with their lives on the line. ¡°W-We got caught by several Three-tailed Sabertooths on our way. We tried to avoid shes. B-But in the end, we had no choice and had to fight our way back here. ¡°We lost two hunters whileing back here. I¡¯m sorry!¡± Do-cheol bit his lip in anger. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not your fault. It was mine for not realizing that there was a chance the beasts would be stronger than our group. I was too hasty.¡± Do-cheol was about to ask the group about what had happened to them when he suddenly stopped, his expression turning grim. Ji-woo was also frowned upon and looked in the same direction where Do-cheol¡¯s gaze got directed. The enemy wasing! ¡°We don¡¯t have time to be discouraged. Prepare for a battle!¡± All the hunters got frightened from hearing Do-cheol¡¯s warning. They instinctively get ready and put up fighting stances. Soon, the hunter¡¯s eyes could see a cloud of dust in front of them. They also hear the sound of the beasts. Grrr, Rawr¨C The Sabertooths with ck eyes and white fur covered in soft ck and maroon color shade armor emerged from the cloud dust. The beast¡¯s tails were also wearing the armor-like their bodies. And the size was the same as an adult pr bear. The Sabertooths numbered about 45, which surrounded the hunters in almost a circle. Even though the hunters had the advantage of trees capable of blocking the movements of such big beasts, it was only beneficial for a short period of time when the battle broke out. The hunters¡¯ expressions were solemn and somewhat horrified after seeing the dozens of Sabertooths baring their fangs. Meanwhile, Do-cheol just looked around. He was searching for a way to get out of the beast¡¯s siege. And there was only one chance, which was the space behind them. The path that did not get blocked by the Sabertooths. Ji-woo knew what the team leader was thinking. He quickly stopped him before giving orders to the other hunters. ¡°Do not! It was likely a trap.¡± Do-cheol, not happy and confused by Ji-woo¡¯s words, asked. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°When those beasts spotted us. It¡¯s not immediately attacking. Instead, they stopped and only watched. ¡°Why? What are they waiting for? With their speed and ambush, we can get surrounded easily. Why not do it and leave that path empty?¡± Ji-woo voiced his excuses while pointing toward the empty road thaty behind them. He gave his opinion out of consideration for the first team he had joined since bing a hunter. Either Do-cheol chilled his head and thought about what Ji-woo said or insisted on going down that road knowing there was a chance it might be a trap. It was up to Do-cheol to decide. As for what choice his team leader chose, Ji-woo didn¡¯t care. He already said what he wanted to say. Going against the Three-tailed Sabertooths head-on was not an option! Thankfully, Do-cheol could put his mind at ease after the previous mistake of his orders, which resulted in two casualties on his team. He didn¡¯t want to rush and act carelessly at the moment. ¡°Alright. You can go back to Dong-hyun over there. I can handle this. ¡°Ah, right. What¡¯s your name? Are you the new recruit?¡± Do-cheol asked before Ji-woo turned around and left. ¡°Yes. My name is Kim Ji-woo.¡± ¡°Ji-woo~si. Thank you!¡± After being reprimanded by Ji-woo, Do-cheol had already formted his n to escape the Three-tailed Sabertooth herd. Do-cheol wanted to take advantage of a hit-and-run tactic. After seeing the beasts just pacing back and forth, he was sure the Three-tailed Sabertooths would only force them back without attacking at full force. Even with their n, they had the opportunity to catch those beasts off guard and kill it. He then gathered the captain from each group. Ji-woo returned to Dong-hyun¡¯s side and nced at Do-cheol. He hoped that the n that had got prepared went wellter. And he thought to help a little like when he did with the hunters of the Ganjang guild. ¡°What! Move to the right side!?¡± ¡°Slowly!? While keeping our guard up?¡± Some of the hunters didn¡¯t understand Do-cheol¡¯s n. Why bother dealing with the beasts when the road behind them was empty? And there were no enemies at all. They should be able to escape easily. However, the other hunters held their trust in Do-cheol and prepared to carry out orders without questioning. ¡°As I said before. You must strictly follow my instructions! As long as the Dungeon Owner is not here. We can escape this encirclement!¡± In the end, all the captains from each group nodded their heads. After all, Do-cheol was their Team 3 leader. Themand must get carried out. Whether some of them like it or not. Do-cheol covered up his nervousness and took a long breath. ¡°Go!¡± The other Hunters ran to the right side but at moderate speed when hearing the signal from their team leader. Grrr, Rawr¨C The Three-tailed Sabertooths immediately charged toward the hunters due to the sudden movement. Meanwhile, Do-cheol, having started his n, burst out his Mana presence. He wanted to try to slow down the beasts after seeing them run. Hyaaa! Do-cheol mmed the ground with one foot in front. He was abat-type hunter who wasn¡¯t familiar with using any Artifact weapons. Instead, he relied on Artifact items and his enhanced physical strength to fight creatures from the dungeon. Bam, Duarghh! Thend shook, and the surrounding ground cracked! Eing, Rawr¨C The Three-tailed Sabertooths stumbled while chasing the hunters due to the uneven ground from the impact of Do-cheol¡¯s stomp. It was not enough to shatter the ground. Do-cheol extended his attack of distraction. Arge chunk of rock from the cracked terrain lifted in front of him. Tha, Taa¨C Do-cheol punched that rock several times with his right hand, and the shards flew toward the beasts. Tenk, Teng¨C However, it was not enough to hurt those beasts. The rock fragment couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on the Three-tailed Sabertooths armor. Do-cheol knew that too. So he didn¡¯t think about it too much and immediately left those perplexed beasts with a maximum speed. Soon, he caught up to his teammates. Suddenly, Do-cheol leaped from behind the hunters. He jumped pretty high and instantlynded in front of them. Not stopping there, he then charged forward at the three-tailed Sabertooth that was blocking their path. ¡°Assault of Mnevis!¡± The Do-cheol¡¯s armor shone. His whole body erged slightly, and his muscles tightened. The silhouette of a Sacred Bull with blue light appeared and covered his upper body. Duarghh, Kaboom! The explosion was causing a cloud of dust, and it was visible from the ce where the hunters ambushed earlier. Grrr, Rawr¨C Surprisingly, there were still 20 other three-tailed Sabertooths that hadn¡¯t chased the hunters yet. Behind those beasts, a six-meter tall creature with four arms crossed spoke in a rough and heavy voice. ¡°Hm, troublesome. Ukn¡¯zal wouldn¡¯t like this! Hhss, Hruagh¨C The six-meter creature breathed heavily. ¡°Go! Chase and force them to the underground!¡± Grrr, Rawr¨C Teep¨C Those dozens of Three-tailed Sabertooths immediately carried out their orders and ran at full force to catch up with the hunters. Now, with the addition of those beasts. The Three-tailed Sabertooths chasing the hunters numbered around 65. The number easily exceeded Demigod Team 3, and, also the difference in strength was increasingly unmatched. Chapter 49: Hope Chapter 49: Hope Do-cheol managed to secure the path where the Three-tailed Sabertooths were blocking earlier. But, the other Sabertooths who were behind had caught up with them. ¡°Prepare for the fights!¡± Krash¨C Grrr, Rawr¨C The hunters stopped running and got forced to fight back. Do-cheol felt doing a battle while running away was such a hassle for them. ¡°Magic of Fire, mestorm!¡± A B-rank hunter mmed both his palms against the ground. And huge mes gushed out, stopping dozens of Sabertooths from advancing. The barren forest in front of him turned into a ze of fire. ¡°Magic of Water, Aqua bullets!¡± In another ce, small water balls rained down on the Three-tailed Sabertooths, slowing the beast¡¯s movement speeds. The other hunters couldn¡¯t idle either. Every B-rank hunter was busy with a Sabertooth or more. On the other side, C-rank hunters needed a few of them to match a Sabertooth, while D-rank hunters required dozens to handle one of the beasts. An E-rank hunter could only be a support for other hunters. Even the whole E-rank hunters jump at the Sabertooth. They still couldn¡¯t fight the beast toe to toe. After a while, the seemingly bnced brawl didn¡¯t calm Do-cheol in the slightest. He worried so much about his teammates that it affected his own fight. When the battle started, the hunters were probably evenly matched with the Three-tailed Sabertooths. However, as time passed, the overall strength of the hunters decreased drastically. Meanwhile, the beasts still maintained their good condition. The Three-tailed Sabertooths Mana vitality didn¡¯t diminish in the slightest! Do-cheol¡¯s heart shrank at the realization. The n didn¡¯t work out as he had hoped. The difference in their strength was too apparent. And Dong-hyun, as the supporting role, could only stare at how the other hunters shed with the Three-tailed Sabertooths. It had been a chaotic situation from the start. As the lowest rank hunters, their presence became very insignificant in that case. The mostmon textbook for Guilds and Hunters in the world when hunting in a dungeon was to separate dozens of beasts or creatures into smaller groups. Then fight them with overwhelmed numbers. With that, the chance of surviving and closing the Portal Gate rises to a 90% sess rate. However, upon seeing the battle before his eyes, different from usual, Dong-hyun got scared shitless! Standing beside Dong-hyun, Yu-jin helplessly bit her lip because the battle was out of her reach. She tried beforehand to fight against a Sabertooth. But her attacks couldn¡¯t do anything at all. Grrr, Rawr¨C Suddenly the situation drastically changed. A Three-tailed Sabertooth escaped the hunters¡¯ defense and prated their formation. One of the hunters shouted a warning to their teammates. ¡°Get down!¡± Dong-hyun snapped out of daydream because of the alert. With how fast Sabertooth was moving, there was no way Dong-hyun could avoid it. He unconsciously moved his arms to cover the head out of fear while Yu-jin gritted her teeth to hold back her own fear and tried to fight back because she was standing in the same ce as Dong-hyun. ¡°Magic of Fire, Phoenix wings!¡± mes rose across Yu-jin¡¯s two arms, forming therge, long wings of the phoenix. She wanted to block the attack from Sabertooth with it. A hunter who gave them the warning earlier got dumbfounded by the actions of those low-rank hunters. ¡°Move! You can¡¯t fight it head-on! Da*n it!¡± The hunter wanted to save Dong-hyun and Yu-jin but couldn¡¯t catch up because of the distance between him and the beast. Grr, Ruaawr! The Three-tailed Sabertooth roared. Both Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could feel tremendous pressure from the roar. Especially Yu-jin, she knew her efforts wouldn¡¯t be enough to withstand the beast¡¯s attack. Duag, Boom! A simple flying kicknded on Sabertooth¡¯s body, and the beast was blown away and flung onto the ground. ¡°Pull yourselves together! We¡¯re on the battlefield!¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin couldn¡¯t hear Ji-woo¡¯s words in amazement, seeing the fast and powerful Sabertooth got thrown away so easily. But, Yu-jin denied the strength he showed. ¡°I-Impossible!? How can you do that!? Luck!?¡± Yu-jin couldn¡¯t understand how Ji-woo could kick Sabertooth that was clearly stronger than her, with ease. Ji-woo didn¡¯t answer at all. He didn¡¯t have the luxury of talking to Yu-jin at that point. He was busy observing the brawl. Meanwhile, Do-cheol in the Sacred Bull form holds the bite of Sabertooths on both of his forearms. Haaa!! Do-cheol threw the two Sabertooths away. Thanks to his armor¡¯s ability, he was able to hold Sabertooths¡¯ fangs with his arms. Three Sabertooths were facing Do-cheol at this time, including the two he threw earlier. He had been using his full strength since the start of the battle. But none of the beasts have died yet. Run? Could not! Keep fighting? No hope! What options did Do-cheol have? He could only submit to fate. The previous B-rank hunter who used overwhelming fire to push back dozens of Sabertooths reached his limit. ¡°I can¡¯t hold it anymore!¡± Grrr, Rawr¨C Dozens of Sabertooths emerged from the mes, and their entire body gave off hot steam. The beasts didn¡¯t get hurt at all after being burned for quite a while. The Sabertooths¡¯ durability was arguably due to the soft ck and maroon color shade armor that the beasts wore. An artifact item capable of increasing the endurance of the wearer. ¡°Magic of Water, Chaos wave!¡± Fpashh¨C A stream of water came from behind that B-rank hunter. The beasts that were still hot immediately hardened in the cold water. It made the Sabertooths¡¯ movements stop after a few seconds of being sshed with the water. The voices of other hunters came out from behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Do-cheol hyung~nim now! These things wouldn¡¯tst long enough. They will be able to break throughter!¡± Ji-woo, who oversaw the battle, also realized the toughness of the beasts came from the armor they wore. Soft ck and maroon were the colors he was familiar with it. Armoire Sphere! It was not a surprise for Ji-woo if the dungeon creatures knew how to use their own Sphere. ¡®How much Mana does that armor have to be this sturdy?!¡¯ Even Ji-woo, who was sensitive to Mana, didn¡¯t know the exact amount the armor had. It proved Sphere was such an extraordinary item against him. The Armoire Sphere had simr attributes to the Obelisk Sphere. Only the method was different. And this one got sturdier with Mana while maintaining its weight. It was the perfect material to get used for making armors or any otherbat tool with its endurance-enhancing attributes. Then all artifacts wouldn¡¯t get damaged easily. ¡°Hyung! We can¡¯tst long if this continues. We need to find a way to separate ourselves from these beasts.¡± The B-rank hunter from before impatiently asked for a n for the grim situation to the Team 3 leader. After the other two hunters arrived, the three of them with Do-cheol quickly knocked the beasts away for a moment. It gave them quite some time for a chat. Do-cheol also wanted to get out of the battlefield. It was just that he currently had no solution to escape from the Sabertooth horde. Suddenly, Ji-woo approached and spoke amidst the hopeless situation. ¡°I have a n. No, this cannot be called a n to be precise. It is only a temporary solution for all of us.¡± The three hunters were taken aback by Ji-woo¡¯s words. The mouths of the other two hunters twitched. The two of them were displeased with how Ji-woo was interfering with their affairs. ¡°Who are you? It is not a trivial matter. Get back to where you are!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry! We can take care of it.¡± However, in contrast to the two hunters, Do-cheol instead wanted to hear Ji-woo¡¯s advice with a bit of hope. It was because of his previous impression of Ji-woo when he got reprimanded about the beast¡¯s trap. ¡°No. Let¡¯s hear it out first. Now, whatever it is, it might be a help in a situation like this.¡± The other two hunters wanted to object but got stopped by Do-cheol. Since their team leader had already spoken, the two of them could only follow obediently. Ji-woo then started giving directions on what they needed to do while convincing Do-cheol about the n. Persuading the team leader equaled having control over all hunters on Team 3. It was too much of a hassle if Ji-woo needed to convince each hunter one by one with that short amount of time. Especially with his personality, he definitely wouldn¡¯t do something like that even if the world was falling apart. After hearing the arrangement, aside from Do-cheol, the other two hunters became speechless. They wanted to hit Ji-woo for acting arrogantly. But at the same time, they were relieved to have a little hope. Do-cheol gasped as he stared at the young man in front of him in a leather outfit that resembled a military ker vest. He doubted the n would seed, but he was also worried about the condition of his team members if they didn¡¯t take that step. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a selfish leader and easily agree with your dangerous n. Thank you, Ji-woo~si. I hope you¡¯re alright and catch up with uster.¡± Do-cheol took a deep breath, suppressed his heartache, and decided to go with Ji-woo¡¯s intentions. He then left with the other hunter. Ji-woo just nodded with his expressionless face. For him, whatever the team leader thought, it didn¡¯t matter. Because, in the end, he proposed the n ording to his convenience. ¡°You can hide now. And keep your distance so as not to be hurt by my strength.¡± ¡°Alright. Hereafter you use the Magic spell. I will immediately take your spot.¡± Ji-woo and the B-rank hunter have started the n against the Three-tailed Sabertooths. Chapter 50: Its Showtime Chapter 50: It''s Showtime The other hunters stopped their intense fight after being instructed by their team leader. It was clear the Sabertooths did not continue the fight either. The beasts just circled the hunters, blocking the escape route. The B-rank hunter nodded at Ji-woo. ¡°Magic of Fire, Inferno st!¡± The Sabertooths who were rxed were immediately taken aback upon seeing the sudden burst of fire. The entire battle area got engulfed in mes. ¡°Now! Follow my lead!¡± Do-cheol didn¡¯t want to waste the opportunity and opened a path through a wall of fire with his Sacred Bull form. The other hunters quickly followed their team leader. Most of the hunters only thought about their own safety at the moment. So, they didn¡¯t care about how and what happened, but only to run first. The rest, think about itter. Even though the Sabertooths were being distracted, they still knew that the hunters were trying to escape. Grrr, Rawr¨C However, before the beasts gave a chase. The B-rank hunterunched another attack to make the Sabertooths keep staying behind and not going anywhere else. ¡°Magic of Fire, Inferno smash!¡± The B-rank hunter jumped between the beasts and the hunters. Then he ended the move by mming both hands on the ground, separating the two groups. The area that previously got burned was shook and cracked. It was making it difficult for the beasts to stay still. On top of that, every rift got sted with colossal mes. With those two attacks, the hunters would have a few seconds to widen the distance with the Sabertooths before they regained their footing and then chased the hunters. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si!¡± Ji-woo showed up and knew it would be his turn now after hearing the call from the B-rank hunter. ¡°Keep running! And don¡¯t get caught by them. I wish you good luck!¡± The B-rank hunter bid farewell while running away, leaving Ji-woo alone as a distraction. It would give the hunters a little bit of time to catch a break ande up with a n to deal with the beasts. It was not easy to convince Do-cheol about leaving Ji-woo alone with the Sabertooths. Fortunately, the circumstances forced the team leader to follow Ji-woo¡¯s idea. Ji-woo also knew about their worries. In the eyes of Do-cheol and the rank B hunter, he was just a helpless low-rank hunter. A hunter with a crazy idea. Who wanted to hold the Sabertooths alone while running and kiting them around. That made them not quite sure if Ji-woo could survive by luring the beasts. At the same time, Do-cheol felt guilty for letting Ji-woo do the job instead of himself as the leader. Do-cheol wouldn¡¯t have brought high-rank hunters with him to hide and escape if it weren¡¯t for worrying about the Dungeon owner who hadn¡¯t appeared yet. Do-cheol respected and was d that Ji-woo helped him. Even though they didn¡¯t know each other, he hoped Ji-woo would be fine and prayed for his safety. ¡°Good. There are no restrictions anymore, and I can do whatever I want now.¡± Ji-woo stretched his neck and shoulders. He didn¡¯t care about what other people thought. If it weren¡¯t for the trouble waiting for him, it was likely that Team 3 didn¡¯t survive. He wouldn¡¯t bother doing everything for these hunters. When Ji-woo was involved in Team 7 Demigod¡¯s ident, he had already considered what troubles woulde to him if a team of hunters got wiped out in the dungeon. Ji-woo had confirmed again with Do-cheol at the start. How troublesome it would be if there a low-rank hunter became the only survivor from the dungeon. Especially in a team from a big guild like Demigod. Using the excuse of being lucky that the team made sacrifices wouldn¡¯t work for the people in a Hunter¡¯s Association or a big Guild without further investigation. It meant the person involved would get disturbed until both entities were satisfied. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want that to happen. He lived on Earth now, not the Magical world anymore. Where he could do whatever he wanted. He couldn¡¯t just randomly kill or beat people when something happened. He preferred to avoid troubles as much as possible for his family. ¡°First, let¡¯s get rid of this big fire. So, it doesn¡¯t spoil my clothes.¡± Even though Ji-woo was wearing a ker vest from Dong-hyun, the shirt underneath was not an artifact item. It was only ordinary clothes that could tear easily with casualbat. Let alone hit by the magic spells. k, Whoos! Ji-woo pped his hand once, and then the fire was immediately extinguished, leaving the ground scorched. Sabertooths felt the wind pressure sweep away the mes. That caused the beast¡¯s attention to turn to Ji-woo. And they then attacked without wasting any time because they had to chase after the hunters immediately. Killing a single human-like Ji-woo wouldn¡¯t spoil their lord¡¯s n. ¡°Better than the dogs of that Spirit creature.¡± A devilish grin split Ji-woo¡¯s face, showing the teeth that gleamed in the flickeringmplight. Naturally, the Nullifier was starting to control his emotions as he would be fighting without restraints at this time around. Grrr, Rawr¨C A Sabertooth charged from behind. Ji-woo easily dodged it while jumping backward by putting one hand on the beast¡¯s head. The Sabertooths in front of Ji-woo then increased their speed and attacked vigorously. However, he avoided the ws, the bites, and the jump by the beasts with zigzagging backward nonchntly, kiting them around. Suddenly, Ji-woo noticed several dozen Sabertooths noting to him. They looked like they were changing direction towards the hunters. Boosh! Ji-woo jumped to the side. And in the blink of an eye, closed the gap with the beasts that wanted to chase the hunters. ¡°If you guys leave here, then the hunters will think I¡¯m dead or something. That shouldn¡¯t happen, right?¡± Bang! Ji-woo threw a fast punch at Sabertooth¡¯s body which then fell and hit several other beasts. The loud sound of crashing onto the ground stopped the momentum of the remaining Sabertooths from pursuing the hunters. However, the Sabertooths weren¡¯t scared at all because of that. The beasts swiftly attacked Ji-woo fiercely. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Ji-woo was impressed to see the beasts were still charging after seeing his strength. When Ji-woo was within striking distance with Sabertooth, he jumped into the air, rotated until he was facing away from the opponent, and then kicked back with his left foot. Duag, Bam¨C Not done yet, another two Sabertooths came from the right and the left sides. Ji-woo spun 180 degrees and quickly used his right elbow and left knee to hit the two Sabertooths simultaneously. Duag, Ttak¨C Bam¨C In no time, Ji-woo had already defeated three Sabertooths conveniently. Grrr, Rawr¨C Another Sabertooth jumped at Ji-woo without letting him rest. But he didn¡¯t need that kind of rest with his physical vitality. Ji-woo quickly followed up by jumping slightly higher than the beast, dodging the attack. Then he fell with a crushing blow to that Sabertooth¡¯s head. Haa! Bang! Even the ground crumbled at the same time the beast fell. Shortly, a small cloud of dust covered the area a little. Ji-woo stood with the blood of the Sabertooth in his right hand while the beasty beneath his feet. The rest of the Sabertooths didn¡¯t feel scared even after seeing their kin dead, utterly lifeless on the broken ground. The beasts even got more vicious and wild in attacking. Ji-woo¡¯s eyes lit up, seeing the fierce assaults of the beasts aimed at him. Grrr, Rawr¨C ¡°Come!¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- Meanwhile, Do-cheol and the other hunters were already far away from the Sabertooths. They were currently taking a break after running with their remaining strength, trying to survive. ¡°Not a single Sabertooth is after us.¡± Do-cheol clenched his fists. The fact that none of the beasts followed could be because Ji-woo did his job wlessly. However, even though everything was going smoothly ording to the n. Doubts about Ji-woo¡¯s ability to survive were bing increasingly apparent. Do-cheol fully knew the strength of the Sabertooths ever since he had fought with them before. An E-rank hunter like Ji-woo should be unable to survive for a second against those beasts. Sabertooth¡¯s raw strength and agility surpassed the likes of C-rank hunters and below. It got coupled with an Artifact item such as armor that could strengthen the wearer¡¯s endurance. The beast was already on par with an A-rank hunter. !!! Do-cheol noticed an enormous Mana presence in the air, falling at an rming speed toward the hunters. ¡°Move away!¡± Kaboom! Do-cheol and several other B-rank hunters were able to avoid the crash. And the rest were thrown in all directions from the impact, causing a cloud of dust in the vicinity. The other hunters were also aware of such an enormous Mana presence when it was about to fall. However, they couldn¡¯t react quickly to avoid that collision, resulting in heavy casualties among the hunters. Do-cheol¡¯s expression turned ugly. He realized that the creature before him now was the Dungeon Owner of the tier-3 Portal Gate. ¡°Humans, you guys bring me trouble.¡± Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°I, Demon Ape, Az¡¯kal. Shall bring death to you!¡± Ugh! Akh! As the creature¡¯s voice resounded, all the hunters felt a tremendous amount of pressure dawned upon them. Chapter 51: Demon Ape Chapter 51: Demon Ape Do-cheol group of hunters only had half of their strength after the previous battle with the Sabertooths. Some of them even exhausted their Mana already. And now, the owner of the dungeon, the Demon Ape, was right in front of the hunters. Come out of the tiger¡¯s mouth, into the crocodile¡¯s mouth. The six-meter creature named Az¡¯kal had white fur and white eyes. Az¡¯kal was also wearing armor simr to those Sabertooths. It looked dazzling in soft ck and maroon color shade. Az¡¯kal stood with a domineering aura with its four hands. The upper arms get crossed, while the lower arms rx at the sides. Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°Block the area, Smilodons.¡± Grrr, Rawr¨C Sreek¨C The Sabertooths, numbering about 20, appeared and surrounded the hunters. Do-cheol, who previously was still hoping to survive from this dungeon, immediately lost his will in an instant after witnessing the asion. And almost all of the hunters thought this was their end too. Fights with another 20 Sabertooths. Plus, the Dungeon owner, Demon Ape, with the hunters¡¯ current state, was impossible. It guaranteed they would not be able to preserve their lives. With just the Demon Ape¡¯s jump blows alone already killed one or two hunters while several others got injured from the impact. Even though all of the B-rank hunters were still alive, they did not fare pretty well either. Do-cheol and the other hunters who were still holding out looked at this in dismay. They felt a sense of pressure, and fear surfaced in their hearts uncontrobly. Some of the hunters even doubted whether they really were inside a tier-3 Portal Gate dungeon or not. As far as the hunters¡¯ experience at the tier-3 Portal Gate, they never meet or fight a creature with power above their team leader. It was always equal or slightly better, nothing close to an A-rank hunter. Now, however, the hunters encountered creatures like a Sabertooth whose individual strength was slightly below B-rank. Where the Demon Ape wasparable to an A-rank. Was this really a tier-3 Portal Gate?! Despite the hunters¡¯ confusion and fear, only Do-cheol knew the reason. It was a dungeon with Double owners! An abnormal Portal Gate, which information was scarce for most hunters around the world. No one knew how dangerous this ce was, even for Do-cheol himself, who had essed the Demigod guild repository beforehand. Do-cheol had predicted that this would be a tricky hunt. But, he did not expect that the enemy¡¯s strength was far above them. ¡®Where are the other Dungeon owners?! Damn it!¡¯ In this precarious situation, Do-cheol still had time to worry about something else. It was because he had onest way to survive this ordeal, even though not all hunters would persevere. Boom! Do-cheol was taken aback by the Demon Ape¡¯s sudden movements while busy contemting an escape from the abyss of death. Az¡¯kal bent his knee joints then jumped very fast enough with hisrge body as he swung his two right hands towards the C-rank Hunter, who couldn¡¯t move due to intense fear. ¡°I shall bathe in your blood.¡± Kaboom! An overkill! The scene where a C-rank hunter died so easily made the hunters¡¯ legs turn to jelly. Az¡¯kal looked at the left side, then jumped again. Boom! ¡°Another one. ¡°Hhem!?¡± Dang! Sreet¨C Before Az¡¯kal couldnd a dual punch, Do-cheol, in the form of a Sacred Bull, banged the creature with his left shoulder. Do-cheol managed to knock back the Demon Ape, preventing another deadly attack froming for his teammates. He also looked around, seeing the response from the Sabertooths. Fortunately, the beasts did nothing and only served as a barrier even though their lord got hit by it. ¡°Stand up and fight! You¡¯ll be dead meat if not doing anything!¡± All B-rank hunters raised their heads with their team leader¡¯s encouragement. Right now, only a lineup of hunters like them could match the Demon Ape¡¯s strength. Even so, they were somewhat skeptical whether or not to be able to do that. Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°O, people. What a futile struggle.¡± Getting knocked back by Do-cheol hardly did any damage to Az¡¯kal. He only got pushed back some distance from his initialnding site. That was all. Boom! Az¡¯kal leaped toward Do-cheol, and a dual punch drifted swiftly. Do-cheol saw the iing attack, tried to defend with both of his arms. Kaboom! Almost the entire battle area shook, and the ce where Do-cheol was standing shattered, causing a cloud of dust. The other B-rank hunters didn¡¯t stand still and immediately charged toward the Demon Ape after seeing their team leader gets hit. ¡°Magic of Electricity, Lighting bolt!¡± The B-rank Hunter raised one hand in the air then made a motion like pulling a rope down. Bzzt, Brzzt¨C A thunderbolt descended from the sky, striking the Demon Ape. Az¡¯kal, who took the attack head-on, became paralyzed, reducing his overall dexterity. The six B-rank hunters, who came after the thunderbolt, got into a fight with Az¡¯kal. Despite having a disadvantage from the Magic spell. Az¡¯kal¡¯s four arms were still capable of handling six hunters in hand-to-handbat. The other three B-rank hunters were on standby at the side, waiting for the opportunity to cast their magic spells on the Demon Ape. One of them then approaches Do-cheol. Do-cheol got up with that hunter¡¯s help, but his ribs may break a rib or two. It caused him to cough up a little blood. Huuk, Huk¨C ¡°Hyung~nim, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Besides, the most important thing right now is to break this circle.¡± ¡°Like before?¡± The B-rank Hunter referred to Ji-woo¡¯s actions, which allowed them to break through a siege of over 60 Sabertooths. Do-cheol nodded. ¡°Simr, but many of us have to upy that Demon Ape.¡± The B-rank hunter was aware of what his team leader meant. Basically, the ten B-rank hunters had to fight tooth and nail with the Demon Ape. And also create an opening for other hunters to escape from these Sabertooths. Making the remaining hunters scatter and survive longer was the only option. Who knew maybe a miracle might reallye for those who were desperate enough. Do-cheol was also worried about the other Dungeon owners. However, this n was better than letting all Team 3 hunters stay and fight against the Demon Ape. They would surely die, especially if those Sabertooths join the fray. ¡°Hyung~nim. Miracles can happen sometimes.¡± Do-cheol smiles, though he didn¡¯t believe in such a thing. Suddenly, Do-cheol and the other hunters¡¯ casual chat was interrupted. Harrgh! Az¡¯kal¡¯s four arms spread out and broke the assaults of those six B-rank hunters. The hunters were blown away and thrown to the ground. Greg, Bom! The hunters, who were on the side, were shocked to see that their teammate¡¯s assault was unsessful. However, they didn¡¯t have time to panic. And prepare to attack quickly. They didn¡¯t want to let the Demon Ape dictate the course of the battle. ¡°Magic of Electricity, Lighting bolt!¡± On the other hand, Az¡¯kal would never fall for the same trick twice. He rotated 360 degrees to avoid the thunderbolt. Then he leaped, closing the distance with the hunter, who was casting that Magic spell. Boom! ¡°Preposterous!¡± ¡°Magic of Water, Starsea cage!¡± Wroosh¨C A stream of water gushed from the ground. The water formed like chains caught and stopped the Demon Ape¡¯s movements for a moment. Harrgh! Az¡¯kal broke the water chains with ease and hit the ground with his four hands. Kaboom! Akh! Argh! It shattered the surrounding ground and caused a powerful shockwave. It was enough to blow away those two spellcaster hunters. That small window, when Az¡¯kal attacked the spellcasters¡¯ hunters, apparently gave the previous six B-rank hunters some space to breathe. And that allowed them to attack the Demon Ape again. Before Az¡¯kal could do any critical hits on the spellcaster hunters, the six B-rank hunters hade and engaged him in an all-out brawl. Az¡¯kal couldn¡¯t persist chasing the spellcaster hunters now. Since these six hunters really pain in the ass on harassing him. He needed to deal with them as soon as possible. On the Do-cheol side, the B-rank hunter beside him called upon a C-rank healer to heal his team leader. Do-cheol, who was watching the battle, was displeased with the progress of the fight. The Demon Ape started overpowering the hunters who didn¡¯t have their full strength since the beginning. The Mana decreased drastically, and the hunters¡¯ stamina would follow along too. They couldn¡¯tst long enough to restrain the Demon Ape so that the other hunters¡¯ breakout n could happen. ¡°Mnevis, 2nd form!¡± Do-cheol¡¯s armor shone brightly, then disappeared into thin air. His entire body underwent an extreme transformation. Not only did he get bigger, but his body shape also began to be like the Minotaur in the legends, although not too simr. Unlike the previous one. Where the Sacred Bull¡¯s blue light form only covered Do-cheol¡¯s upper body. The healer was startled by the transformation. Kheuk¨C Do-cheol gritted his teeth and grabbed the healer¡¯s forearm, who stumbled in trembling. ¡°Keep healing me!¡± Do-cheol¡¯s internal organs fell apart due to insufficient Mana. Even if the healer could heal his body, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. The healer couldn¡¯t recover his vitality and Mana. The ability overloaded Do-cheol¡¯s mind and stamina in his current state. Without his full Mana back, he wouldn¡¯tst long in that form. ¡°Hyung~nim. You can¡¯t use this ability now!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Chapter 52: Dead Men Tell No Tales Chapter 52: Dead Men Tell No Tales Elsewhere, outside the Dungeon. At the Demigod guild headquarters. Cha Tae-hyun and the other hunters from Team 2 had finished and closed the tier-4 Portal Gate. ¡°Has Team 3 not returned from the tier-3 Portal Gate?¡± Tae-hyun asked the front desk clerk. ¡°Not yet, sir. Um, there¡¯s no notification either if they were done with the Dungeon, sir.¡± Tae-hyun left the front desk and walked to the entrance. ¡°Where are you?¡± Tae-hyun was on the phone with the gatekeeper. After inquiring about the circumstance, he rushed over to the level-3 Portal Gate because these two operations were under his supervision. However, when Tae-hyun reached the ce, he felt uneasy looking at the Portal Gate. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°You can be busy yourself. I¡¯ll handle it from here on.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The gatekeeper didn¡¯t actually have much to do. But in the end, he justplied and returned to the post. It was the hunters¡¯ business, not something an ordinary person could bother with it. Do-cheol took out his phone and called someone. ¡°Leader~nim. Can you make a trip to the tier-3 Portal Gate here?¡± There was no answer for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m not in Seoul right now. What happened?¡± Do-cheol told his team leader about the Team 3 situation. Team 3 shall be able to close the Portal Gates within the same timeframe or maybe faster than usual with 50 hunters in one group. But, as of now, it looked like Team 3 wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of the Dungeon any time soon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just worrying too much?¡± ¡°Leader~nim, this is for precaution.¡± ¡°Alright. It will take quite some time.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± ¡ª- ¡ª- Inside the tier-3 Portal Gate dungeon, Do-cheol had stabilized his transformation thank to the C-rank healer. ¡°You two can go and join the two of them. Just open a path for our team hunters to escape and keep those Sabertooths busy.¡± Do-cheol gave his orders while pointing at the two spellcasters. ¡°With myself and those six hunters. I will be able to keep the Demon Ape here.¡± The two hunters nodded at Do-cheol. Want it or not. They had to do it even if their lives were at stake. Meanwhile, Az¡¯kal had taken control over the course of the battle. The six hunters could no longer hold him in ce. Hargh! Duag, Bok- Bang, Bang! Az¡¯kal threw fast punches with his four hands. Like a machine gun bullet that went out without stopping, destroying the defense and counter-attacking the six hunters. ¡°Death!¡± It was only a matter of time when some of these hunters would die at Az¡¯kal¡¯s hands. Thud! Az¡¯kal was surprised that someone blocked his punch. ¡°Get ready for the follow-up attack!¡± It was Do-cheol who blocked Az¡¯kal¡¯s punch with his arms above his head. He shouted to warn the nearby hunters. Because he knew Az¡¯kal had the momentum at the moment and was likely to continue his attacks without giving the hunters time to rx. And it hade true! Az¡¯kal dropped down into a one-handed handstand position and spun once to kick the opponent hard in the ribs with his heel. Buog! Do-cheol held up his left arm, assisted by his right arm to block the attack from the left side. It was a good thing that Do-cheol withstood the kick with his Sacred Bull¡¯s 2nd form. Otherwise, the ribs wouldn¡¯t get saved at this time. But, a sessful defense wasn¡¯t enough to keep him from being thrown away. The other six hunters were also didn¡¯t just stand idly by looking at their team leader. They squeeze out their remaining strength to jump at the Demon Ape again. However, this time it was a different story from before. Right now, it was an easy task for Az¡¯kal to repel the encirclement of these six hunters. Az¡¯kal unleashed his Mana presence andunched swift attacks on the hunters. The Demon Ape¡¯s strength had now gotten elevated by one level from before. Meanwhile, the weakened hunters had be vulnerable targets for him. Buog, Deng¨C Bang, Bang! Several hunters could block the attacks. Some others took a direct hit from the mighty blow, causing severe injuries upon them. And with this turn of events, it got halved the overall force of the hunters. There were only four hunters who were still able to stand up and fight. Even then, with a much-reduced strength. ¡°Keep fighting!¡± Boom! Do-cheol ran toward the Demon Ape, followed by the other four hunters. Az¡¯kal did the same. He rushed over and collided with the hunters. Bang, Kaboom! The ground shook and crumbled. A cloud of dust covered the surroundings. On the other side, the three spellcaster hunters couldn¡¯t bear to watch the battle of their team leader and the other teammates with the Demon Ape. They were only focusing on the opportunity to break through the siege. ¡°Magic of Fire, Incinerate st!¡± Grrr, Rawr¨C The B-rank hunterunched a concentrated beam of fire to rapidly heat up a target to the point of being able to get slightly melt the ground. The big mes caused the Sabertooths to sidestep and open a path for the hunters. ¡°Go, now!¡± All the hunters, except the ones who fought the Demon Ape, ran with all their strength. Grrr, Rawr¨C The Sabertooths saw the escape and charged at the hunters. But, before they caught up, another hunter chimed in. ¡°Magic of Water, Submerge!¡± The Sabertooths, who tried to chase the fleeing hunters, were swallowed up by the water bubbles, stopping the beast¡¯s movement. However, whether Incinerate st or Submerge, it could only hold the Sabertooths for a moment. Grrr, Rawr¨C A Sabertooth charge at one of the spellcaster hunters, ¡°Fu**! ¡°Magic of Fire, Spiral mes!¡± The hunter used the swirling fire shield to reduce the crash damage from the beast. Buog, Deng¨C The hunter only suffered bruises from being thrown to the ground. And Sabertooth, knowing the encounter was not connected, continued the attack. Another spellcaster utilized an AOE magic spell to stop Sabertooth froming to his teammates. ¡°Magic of Electricity, Thundergod¡¯s wrath!¡± Bzzt, Trzzt¨C A series of lightning struck the beasts that were near that hunter. It also had a paralyzing effect, giving the spellcaster hunters a moment of breathing. All of the Team 3 hunters who were still alive had fled from the battlefield, leaving behind only 10 B-rank hunters against 20 Sabertooths and the Demon Ape. Outyed both in number and strength! Tep, Tep¨C There was the sound of footsteps running in the arid forest of the Dungeon. In some ce quite far from the battlefields by the Hunters and Demon Ape. Slowly, the sound of the footsteps faded away. ¡°What?! Why stop!? We have to keep running and find a ce to hide. Who knows, maybe some reinforcements wille from outside if we wait. Hurry!¡± Dong-hyun tried to persuade Yu-jin to keep running. ¡°You can go alone. I¡¯ll be back there.¡± Dong-hyun couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°Are you crazy!? Why do you want to go back there? You can¡¯t do anything to those beasts and that Demon Ape.¡± Dong-hyun then caught Yu-jin¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to run from here as far as we can and hide. We are only an ant in the battle of the elephants.¡± Yu-jin brushed off Dong-hyun¡¯s grip. ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you, and I¡¯m not a coward. Even an Ant also have their own role in a battle! Go! Leave! I¡¯m not a kid. I can decide for myself!¡± ¡°Damn it! Get a hold of yourselves! I do this because I don¡¯t want their sacrifice in vain! Both Dong-hyun and Yu-jin looked at each other silently. ¡°Fine! Do whatever you want!¡± Dong-hyun ran as fast as he could until Yu-jin couldn¡¯t see his back anymore. ¡°Just because she¡¯s a D-rank hunter, does she think she¡¯s omnipotent?! A hunter, who could defeat and kill those creatures?! Hah! Crazy!¡± Dong-hyun grumbled as he ran. Suddenly he tripped and fell. ¡°Ouch¡­ What the heck!?¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s face had turned ghastly white at that instant. There were two Sabertooths before his eyes, lying on the ground without any movement. He also saw that ck liquids were flowing under the corpses of those two beasts. ¡°I-It looks like it¡¯s n-new!?¡± Dong-hyun gulped. ¡®There is no one capable of killing these beasts. Even for our team leader. Are there any other powerful beings besides the Demon Ape? No, no. No creature could be stronger than the Dungeon owner here, and they wouldn¡¯t kill their allies, would they?¡¯ Thought Dong-hyun as he crawled backward, wiping the ground with his butt. And before long, his back touched the tree, and he quickly stood up, running to a more spacious ce without many dry trees. However, instead of increasing his speed while running, Dong-hyun slowed down and stopped. Creak¨C Dong-hyun identally stepped on and broke a tree branch on the ground. Even though Dong-hyun was a low-rank hunter, he knew what was ahead of him. One look, all was clear. The human-like creature that he saw held the Sabertooth with one hand at its height must be the reason why these beasts¡¯ corpses were lying on the ground. The creature that held the Sabertooth, who was some distance away from Dong-hyun, closed the distance between them in an instant. It happened in a sh. As if it had teleported, the creature appeared before Dong-hyun. And immediately choked his mouth and then lifted him off the ground. That creature spoke, ¡°Dead men tell no tales.¡± It was at this moment Dong-hyun knew¡­, he fucked up! Chapter 53: One-Sided Chapter 53: One-Sided Kim Ji-woo, who fought against 60 Sabertooths, had no trouble at all. Every hit he made always resulted in death for the Sabertooths¡¯ side. Even so, the Sabertooths didn¡¯t budge one bit. The beasts continued to attack Ji-woo fiercely. Until thest one left, Ji-woo then held thatst Sabertooth with one hand at his height. Surprisingly, all of Sabertooth¡¯s corpses were still intact. Nothing like what had happened to the Hellhounds before. Hehehe¨C Ji-woo grinned like a devil. ¡°Amusing. Not every single one of you got ruined.¡± Next, he got rid of the Armoire Sphere armor from the Sabertooth¡¯s body. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s see if you can still be intact after taking my hit.¡± Huahahahaha¨C Creak¨C Ji-woo heard the sound and didn¡¯t turn his head. Instead, he closed the distance with Dong-hyun in an instant. As if it had teleported, Ji-woo appeared before Dong-hyun and immediately choked his mouth and then lifted him off the ground. Dong-hyun was pale and scared. His hands frantically tried to remove the strangle. His legs were also swinging here and there indistinctly. He really wasn¡¯t in a state to thinking straight. Even though he was in a dangerous situation before, that experience was different from the current one. Now, he was absolutely on the brink of death. Ji-woo smirked, ¡°Seeing what you shouldn¡¯t have seen.¡± Bak¨C Ji-woo released his grip, letting Dong-hyun fall to the ground, trembling. Cough, Cough¨C Dong-hyun choked and tried to run away in fear. But he realized that his body couldn¡¯t move when Ji-woo squatted down in front of him. There was an aura emanating from Ji-woo that made Dong-hyun unable to move. A characteristic that was distinct from the Mana presence that the hunters usually showed. The Mana presence usually got used in several ways. One of them was to oppress the other party with something like natural forces. A kind of aura that exerted pressure with something like an invisible hand. And it made it difficult for the opponent to breathe due to the difference one level higher in life gradation. However, Ji-woo¡¯s aura didn¡¯t make Dong-hyun suffocate. On the contrary, it controlled his fear and caused his body not to move as he wished. It was the same as when an ordinary person had a gun pointed at the head or a knife in the throat. ¡°It will be quick.¡± Ji-woo smiled as he swayed his hand. Dong-hyun, scared shitless, closes his eyes. He felt that Ji-woo, who was usually bored and expressionless, couldn¡¯t possibly smile that wickedly. The one in front of Dong-hyun was like a person who enjoyed a massacre. It was entirely disparate from the person that he had known. Duag¨C Dong-hyun was startled by the sound and opened his eyes. He saw Ji-woo holding his right wrist with his left on the cracked ground. Ji-woo¡¯s face gradually turned solemn. He stood up and then walked past Dong-hyun, who was still sitting on the ground. At the same time, Dong-hyun realized the fear that had engulfed him earlier had gone. He immediately tried to get up, but his legs gave out. ¡°Take it easy for a second. You¡¯re just too tense.¡± Dong-hyun was surprised to hear Ji-woo¡¯s voice from behind. He thought Ji-woo had given him mercy. But, instead of being scared after finding out that Ji-woo didn¡¯t leave him. He felt Ji-woo had returned to being himself. Someone who was easy and looked weak had almost no presence. It really gave off a different vibe than before. ¡®Screw it!¡¯ Dong-hyun didn¡¯t know what was going on with Ji-woo. Whether it was dissociative identity disorder or so whatever, it didn¡¯t matter. All he needed to know was whether he could get away from Ji-woo safely or not next. There was no guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t die if the choking incident happened again. After a while, Dong-hyun was able to stand up and face Ji-woo¡¯s back, who had been silent after his previous words. Unable to stand the awkward silence, Dong-hyun almost blurted out his thoughts of wanting to leave. Unfortunately, the memory of Ji-woo smiling like a devil makes him wait obediently. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Lead the way.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to borate his words and turned his head to Dong-hyun at the back while holding his trembling right hand. Dong-hyun flinched and spoke subconsciously. ¡°Roger!¡± There¡¯s only one reason why Dong-hyun was running alone in this dangerous dungeon without the other hunters. Demigod Team 3 was in deep trouble and possibly on the verge of copse! Ji-woo couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. He had to prevent Team 3 from being wiped out. Although for him, it was not necessary to save everyone. Dong-hyun wasn¡¯t sure where Ji-woo wanted to go. He only thought about the battlefield, where the Team 3 leader fought the Demon Ape. Whether it was true or not, he could only resign himself to the fact that Ji-woo didn¡¯t exin much. The idea ofining was very unwise. ¡®D*mn it! Why am I so unlucky!¡¯ Meanwhile, the direction of the battle was predictable between the high-ranked hunters and the Demon Ape with his minions. Even with Yu-jin¡¯s help, the results didn¡¯t change one bit. When Yu-jin came, the hunters who were dealing with the Sabertooths had headaches. She could support the three B-rank hunters and give them a moment to breathe whenever a Sabertooth got out of crowd control. But, the three hunters needed extra work to protect her too. A burden and dead weight! On the other hand, Az¡¯kal quickly obliterated the sessive attacks of the seven hunters that were fighting him. One hunter died, and two huntersy on the ground, unable to fight anymore. Another three hunters were on theirst legs, leaving only Do-cheol fighting the Demon Ape. Do-cheol was also lucky. If not for his transformation, it would be impossible to hold on against such a powerful creature. The Demon Ape, Az¡¯kal, was a dead-end for the hunters. Every time they attacked him, several swift punches woulde to knock them back. Moreover, his physical resistance was something that was imprable. So, any exchange that took ce would only hurt the hunters, not him. ¡°O, human. Only you are left with the strength to fight. The three of them are already on their knees and waiting for me to finish them off.¡± Boom¨C Az¡¯kal jumped at full speed and grabbed Do-cheol¡¯s waist with his two upper hands. He rotated Do-cheol 90 degrees above his head and then mmed Do-cheol¡¯s back into the vicinity. Kaboom! The ground shook, and the tremors reached the hunters who were fighting the Sabertooths. The three B-rank hunters knew what had happened to their team leader despite the distance between them. ¡°Go there! Get the team leader out of here. That¡¯s all you can do.¡± Yu-jin nods while biting her own lip. She felt being weak was infuriating. There wasn¡¯t much she could do to help. Grrr, Rawr¨C A Sabertooth escaped the crowd control and attacked one of the B-rank hunters. Since Yu-jin wasn¡¯t around, the three hunters didn¡¯t have time to close the gap. Argh¨C Sabertooth¡¯s attack was sessful. That beast bit the hunter¡¯s right arm and tried to drag him away from other hunters. However, that hunter wouldn¡¯t let the Sabertooth have its way. ¡°Magic of Fire, Ignite!¡± A burst of fire shot out from the left palm toward the hunter¡¯s right side. That magic spell not only made Sabertooth release its bite but also swept away the hunter¡¯s right arm. A group of Sabertooths also attacked them because the hunters¡¯ teamwork to crowd control the beasts were no longer possible. ¡°Magic of Water, Gush!¡± A hunter released a big wave of water that swept away what was in front of it. ¡°Magic of Electricity, Arc lighting!¡± Hurls a bolt of lightning that leaps through the water, amplifying the damage of Gush. Swoosh, Brzzt¨C ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. My arm isn¡¯t bleeding.¡± The wounded hunter¡¯s eyes were dim, and his stamina got drained because of that despite saying he was fine. Luckily he cut his arm with fire, so it didn¡¯t cause any bleeding, so he could stand up and remain conscious. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re able to continue the fight, we¡¯d better attack these beasts now.¡± ¡°No. Both of you can go to help that girl to get our team leader out of here. I would give you all enough time for an escape.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± ¡°Get your head on straight!¡± The damage and paralysis effects on the beasts began to get neutralized. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the Sabertooths started chasing the hunters again. Casting the same Magic spell with paralyzing effect on the beasts as before was no longer effective. It was because these beasts would have a self-created resistance increase when the ability hit them. So, the more often they get hit, they would be immune to it. The wounded hunter grabbed the other hunter¡¯s cor. ¡°Stop wasting time! Just go!¡± ¡°Fine. You fu**er!!¡± The two hunters gritted their teeth and left the wounded hunter alone. The three of them had a tacit understanding with the intention of surviving in the dungeon longer. A big Guild like theirs would usually send one more team as reinforcements if the guild thought something was wrong. The three hunters had held these creatures long enough for their Team 3 hunters to disperse and survive. Now, it was their team leader¡¯s turn to be saved. ¡°Son of a b**ch! Let¡¯s go to hell together! ¡°Magic of Fire, Gate¡­ ¡° Boom¨C Seesh, Crit¨C ¡°Holy s**t!¡± The wounded hunter was astounded by the arrival of a hunter in red crimson armor and a short sword, shing through Sabertooth as smoothly as slicing tofu. Every cut he did behead those beasts mercilessly. Chapter 54: Lee Dong-hyun?? Chapter 54: Lee Dong-hyun?? Ji-woo and Dong-hyun arrived near the battlefield. It was a bit far, but enough to be able to see two different fights at the same time. ¡°What was w-we doing h-here?¡± Dong-hyun couldn¡¯t understand Ji-woo¡¯s intentions. Even if Ji-woo was able to defeat the Sabertooths who were here, the Demon Ape was on apletely different level from the beasts. It was a suicide mission toe against the Dungeon Owner. Ji-woo turned around and looked at Dong-hyun. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Relief was visible on Dong-hyun¡¯s face. ¡°Then, may I ¡­¡± But before he could finish his sentence, Ji-woo chimed in. ¡°Take off your armor. And give me your sword too.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Dong-hyun widened his eyes at those words. He didn¡¯t know whether to cry or not from being robbed so tantly and still didn¡¯t dare to retaliate. ¡®Why do I have such bad luck!¡¯ Ji-woo took off the Ker vest that was soiled with the ck liquid of the Sabertooths and ced it politely in front of Dong-hyun. It made Dong-hyun stare at him with a nk expression. ¡°Don¡¯t want to get out of here?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes as he reached out. Dong-hyun swallowed hard and immediately took off the armor and gave it to Ji-woo along with his sword. Ji-woo unceremoniously put on the armor, starting with the cuirass, pauldrons, bracers, and greaves. Even though he and Dong-hyun were of different heights, theplete armor suits him well. Next, Ji-woo checked the weapon. It was a short double-edged sword. The de widened near the tip. ¡°Not bad. Throw me the helmet too.¡± Dong-hyun became speechless. He then threw the helmet that was on his waist. Everything got extensively looted by Ji-woo, the Red Crimson armor plus a helmet with its pointed cheek guards and extended nose guard, like an M-shape. ¡°Th-These artifact items and weapon got bound to m-me. Y-You can¡¯t use it.¡± There was usually a binding contract that made a person the sole proprietor. So, only the owner could use the full power of these types of artifact items and weapons. Ji-woo shrugged, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He was going for such a hassle, not because of the abilities of the items and weapons. But to cover up his identity and clean up the mess as soon as possible. And what about Dong-hyun, who was witnessing the battle with the Sabertooths previously? That was not a big problem. The words of a low-ranking hunter would have no credibility with it. Ji-woo had just taken a few steps toward the battlefield when he suddenly stopped and looked to his left. He looked at the ruins in the distance while frowning. ¡°You better not go anywhere and stay here, hiding. It¡¯s for your own good. But, it¡¯s up to you if you still insist on going.¡± Dong-hyun, who secretly wanted to leave, halted his steps. He still thought Jiwoo couldn¡¯t beat the Demon Ape and would meet his demiseter on. So, he wanted to go from this burial ground immediately. ¡°Why?¡± Boom¨C Ji-woo ignored Dong-hyun and quickly leaped forward. ¡°Darn it! He always says whatever he wants and leaves me clueless.¡± Even though Dong-hyun was irritated with Ji-woo, he still followed the advice and hid well in that ce. In the end, his fear of Ji-woo couldn¡¯t topple his annoyance. Meanwhile, Ji-woo emerged prominently between the wounded hunter and the Sabertooths. His powerfulnding caused a cloud of dust and visibility to narrow. Thus, only the sound of swords getting swung and shed could get heard for both parties apart from him. However, the dust cloud slowly began to dissipate. And the surrounding area became clear, to the point that the wounded hunter could see the beasts getting ughtered with ease. ¡°Holy s**t!¡± Of course, the Sabertooths wouldn¡¯t like someone meddling in their business. They ferociously attack Ji-woo in an even more gruesome manner. Yet, Ji-woo handled the beast¡¯s aggression without much trouble. When two or more Sabertooths charged, Ji-woo dodged with the slightest movement. He then pushed one beast aside and shed the other in the neck. And if there were another one, he would use raw strength to hit or kill that Sabertooth. Ji-woo shed one at a time, not because he couldn¡¯t cut many at once. But due to consideration of the durability of the weapon used by him. The short double-edged sword was nothing more than a sharp object, which was slightly better in quality than an ordinary sword. It didn¡¯t matter if it was tied to someone else or not. The Mana in the weapon, which gave the artifact an ability, could not get used by Ji-woo, who had his cursed soul, the Nullifier. Grrr, Rawr¨C There were five Sabertooths going to Ji-woo simultaneously. First, Ji-woo dodged the attack of one beast by shifting to the side while cing his right side in front. At the same time, he swung the short sword in his right hand, slicing another beast¡¯s face from the chin. Continuing on, Ji-woo caught another Sabertooth attacking with his left hand without turning his head. His grip was strong enough to hold Sabertooth¡¯s head. He then spun the beast around and mmed it into the other two Sabertooths that charged towards him. In the blink of an eye, several Sabertooths died while others fell to the ground. The surviving beasts rose again and attacked Ji-woo relentlessly. Ji-woo decided to change his fighting style. He was trying to preserve the short sword for another battle with the Dungeon owner. Haa! Ji-woo roared andunched a straight cross punch with his left arm at Sabertooth¡¯s head. Then he moved to the back row and hit another one in the stomach with his knee. Not done yet, he stepped aside and dealt blows to the other beasts as well. Next, Ji-woo made a duck-stepping motion into a back kick to another Sabertooth¡¯s body and hit the other¡¯s head with his right elbow. Lastly, he passed the other two Sabertooths, who leaped through the air and reluctantly made a single swing to sh at the two beast heads. Bang¨C Seesh, Crit¨C Twenty Sabertoothsy on the ground. Some of the beasts had no heads, and the rest were unbroken with ck blood oozing out of their eyes and mouths. Ji-woo flicked the short sword at the ground to wipe away the ck liquid on the weapon. The atmosphere became so calm as if there had never been a battle in that ce. ¡°Y-You¡¯re one of u-us, aren¡¯t you?¡± The wounded hunter couldn¡¯t believe his eyes seeing the powerful beasts killed within minutes by someone who looked like a hunter. But, he couldn¡¯t sense the Mana from that person during the fight just now. Ji-woo didn¡¯t respond. And only waved to the back to say goodbye and walked away. Elsewhere, Dong-hyun, who was hiding, was also astonished and scared. Previously, he had only seen Ji-woo standing among Sabertooth¡¯s corpses. But now, he witnessed how strong Ji-woo was and how he beat the beasts. ¡°He¡­ wasn¡¯t an E-rank hunter?¡± On another battlefield, the Demon Ape fought Do-cheol until his transformation didn¡¯tst long, and he returned to his human form. He got wrecked to the ground because of this one-sided battle. Az¡¯kal grabbed Do-cheol¡¯s right leg and lifted him off the ground upside down. Yu-jin and the other two B-rank hunters, who were also there, felt that the opportunity to save their team leader hade. Az¡¯kal had already noticed that there were three hunters close to him. But, he acted the opposite. To him, some insects were not worthy of his attention. ¡°Troublesome. Now I have to search the entire dungeon to catch the remaining humans.¡± The helpless Do-cheolughed sarcastically. ¡°Sooner orter, you will die, and I will haunt you from the world of the dead!¡± Cuh¨C Do-cheol spat and shouted at Az¡¯kal, ¡°Kill me!¡± ¡°Ungrateful!¡± Az¡¯kal was furious and threw punches from his upper and lower arms. ¡°Now!¡± Two B-rank hunters stepped forward and tried to block the attack while Yu-jin jumped in to save Do-cheol. Az¡¯kal stopped his attack midway and changed the trajectory of his punch by swinging his two left arms towards the two B-rank hunters. He also used his lower right hand to punch Yu-jin, stopping the rescue attempt on Do-cheol. Fortunately, the three hunters were still alive with only a few wounds on their bodies and threw up some blood from their mouths. Nevertheless, they couldn¡¯t do anything more with such injuries. On top of that, all of their Mana got drained away now. ¡°Fools.¡± Az¡¯kal¡¯s upper right hand changed from holding Do-cheol¡¯s right leg into squeezing the hunter¡¯s whole body. ¡°No!!¡± ng! There was a loud sound as the short sword shed through the Armoire sphere bracer on Az¡¯kal. It was Ji-woo. The one that cut off the Demon Ape¡¯s hand, even though the cut was rough and not as smooth as on Sabertooths in previous fights. ¡°Lee Dong-hyun?!¡± Yu-jin¡¯s unexpected call buzzed in Ji-woo¡¯s ears. His n was only to get seen as Dong-hyun, not to converse with the others. Chapter 55: 2 vs 1 Chapter 55: 2 vs 1 Ji-woo initially aimed for the Demon Ape¡¯s neck but decided not to do it, considering the possibility that the Dungeon owner¡¯s defense was more robust than the beast¡¯s. The short sword might not be able to prate it. There were other concerns too. That was, if he cut off the head first, Az¡¯kal would probably tighten his grip on reflexes and kill Do-cheol. So, he chose to cut off the hand instead, practically saving the leader of Team 3, and at the same time, probing the Demon Ape¡¯s endurance and armor. Ji-woo hit the nail on the head. One side of the short sword became blunt after the sh. He changed the position of the short sword in hand into a reverse grip. Meanwhile, the other hunters, who look in awe, ask Yu-jin about Ji-woo. ¡°Did you know that hunter?¡± ¡°H-Howe Team 3 have a hunter capable of cutting that Demon Ape hand?¡± Yu-jin just stared at the back of Ji-woo that wore the Red Crimson armor, ignoring the question. At first, she was sure the one in front of her was Dong-hyun. But, after pondering for a moment, she realized she didn¡¯t know Dong-hyun that well. She wasn¡¯t so sure about the height. On the other hand, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone who wore the Red Crimson armor other than Dong-hyun. After all, artifact items and weapons were usually bound to the hunters through Mana. Unless the owner died, it could not get fully used. ¡°I¡­, probably?!¡± Yu-jin didn¡¯t know what to say and went along with their concurrence. The hunters cast a puzzled look at Yu-jin, hearing a vague answer. They all then stopped the discussion and focused on the fight between the two. Now, they still haven¡¯t escaped the danger yet. Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about the hunters behind him. He also tried not to speak because apart from the height, he really had a different voice from Dong-hyun. Az¡¯kal turned grim while holding his right upper arm, which got injured because the hand got cut off. He couldn¡¯t ept being hurt by someone weaker than him. Howe someone without Mana could contest him, the Demon Ape? ¡°Outrageous!¡± Az¡¯kal instantly burst out of his Mana presence. Making the hunters that close to him feel suffocating and kneel down. Boom¨C Az¡¯kal dashed toward Ji-woo at full speed,unching a double punch with his left arm. Ji-woo dodged the attack by ducking his head and twisting his left leg to hit the left side of Az¡¯kal¡¯s face with the back foot. Bang! Az¡¯kal was thrown and bounced a few meters away. The ground and several dry trees got crushed on his way. Ji-woo approached the Demon Ape¡¯s severed hand and kicked it toward Yu-jin. He slowly walked over and confronted Az¡¯kal, who got slumped on the ground. Yu-jin and the other two B-rank hunters were still gaping at the sight of the Demon Ape getting hit with ease. When the handnded in front of them, they jolted in surprise. It was pretty huge as it was basically part of a six-meter tall creature. ¡°This¡­,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just standstill. You two, get the team leader out of this hand. I¡¯ll bring some hunters lying there, over here.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Yu-jin and the B-rank hunters tried to squeeze out their remaining strength to move the fingers from the Demon Ape¡¯s severed hand. Meanwhile, another B-rank hunter carried his teammates, who were still alive and unconscious. He kept them away from the battle of the Red Crimson hunter and the Demon Ape. On the new battlefield, Ji-woo crossed his arms in front of him. He then pointed the tip of the short sword with a reverse grip at Az¡¯kal, who was leaning on the ground in pain. Az¡¯kal spat some ck blood from his mouth and then looked at Ji-woo with anger. He had already suffered considerable damage just by losing one hand coupled with a powerful kick in the face. An existence strong enough to fight against several B-rank hunters got reduced to a miserable state with only two strikes. Unbelievable! ¡°You think it¡¯s over!?¡± Az¡¯kal spoke with a smirk, despite the injury. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes and answered indifferently. ¡°I know there is another oneing here.¡± Boom¨C There was a loud banging sound that got heard by the hunters around the area. Ji-woo looked behind Az¡¯kal and saw another creature attacking with a double strike to his left. He could easily dodge the iing attack. But¡­, ¡°Hmm!?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t expect Az¡¯kal to be able to move and clutched his leg, preventing his escape. Inevitably, he had to take the hit while blocking with his left arm. Bang! Ji-woo got thrown some distance to the ground, and the impact shook the surroundings. Hhss, Hruagh¨C ¡°I was wondering why you took so long. On the way, while searching, I found many corpses of Smilodon scattered on the ground and then arrived at this ce. What happened?¡± Az¡¯kal tried to get up with a battered body. ¡°Ukn¡¯zal, forgive me. It is my fault.¡± Az¡¯kal lowered his head slightly. The one in front of him was another Demon Ape, who had the same physical appearance as him. However, Ukn¡¯zal wore an Armoire Sphere armor that was more majestic than Az¡¯kal¡¯s. It made him look powerful and more terrifying than all the creatures in this Portal Gate dungeon. Kaboom! An explosion ured from where Ji-woo got thrown. All the chunks of dirt and rocks flew everywhere. Thus, causing a cloud of dust in that ce. Ukn¡¯zal and Az¡¯kal quickly turned their gazes in the direction where Ji-woo had fallen. ¡°Oh my. Didn¡¯t expect to be hit by a weakling.¡± Ji-woo emerged from the cloud of dust with steam all over his body. His mouth also emitted hot fumes as he spoke. He then looked back at the two Demon Apes and grinned devilishly like before. ¡°Heh,e. Bring it to me!¡± Ji-woo gestured his hand to the two Demon Apes and taunted them to attack him simultaneously. Ukn¡¯zal didn¡¯t strike immediately after looking at the state of Az¡¯kal. Moreover, still being able to survive his double punch meant this existence was a strong one. He didn¡¯t want to underestimate Ji-woo. ¡°Try to recover your strength and attack when the opportunity arises. I¡¯ll buy you some time to rest.¡± Ukn¡¯zal knew he might not be able to kill Ji-woo alone. But, he still had the confidence to fight Ji-woo on an equal footing or overpower him a little bit. So, in order to kill Ji-woo, he needed Az¡¯kal to regain some of his power and catch Ji-woo off guard. Ukn¡¯zal did not like to beat around the bush with powerful enemies. To him, as long as he could kill anyone who interfered with his mission to protect the Dungeon. Whichever method got used, it didn¡¯t matter. Boom¨C Ukn¡¯zal burst out his Mana presence and charged at Ji-woo with full speed. It was faster and powerful than Az¡¯kal. Ji-woo dodged the Demon Ape¡¯s four-armed attack with ease and let itnd on the ground as he jumped as high as Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s head and hit with his knee in the face. Ukn¡¯zal fell backward and hit the ground hard. His nose was bleeding, oozing ck liquid, but it wasn¡¯t enough to defeat him. He got back up and started throwing swift punches like auto-firing from a machine gun. Ji-woo didn¡¯t dodge the attacks and instead chose to retaliate by returning the blow. He matched the speed of four arms with just two of his hands. The surrounding ground shook and crumbled. Even Dong-hyun, who was far away from the fight, could feel the thrill of a fierce battle. However, far from being fierce, it was actually a one-sided fight between Ukn¡¯zal and Ji-woo. Every time the blows collided, only Ukn¡¯zal get suffered, causing his knuckles to bleed somewhat. He didn¡¯t expect Ji-woo could match him and even be superior in terms of physical strength. Ukn¡¯zal clenched his teeth and continued throwing punches despite the pain. Ji-woo¡¯s smile gradually disappeared from his face. He was starting to feel bored. Also¡­, his body heat was too high right now. This situation was the same as during the Red Gate incident. Az¡¯kal, who already recouped his a bit of strength, saw the opportunity and quickly appeared behind Ji-woo. ¡°Fools.¡± Ji-woo moved forward swiftly, dodging Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s attack andunching a straight kick into the Demon Ape¡¯s abdomen. Ukn¡¯zal got thrown far to the ground. And then¡­, Within seconds, Ji-woo turned around and returned the short sword position from the reverse grip to the usual one. Az¡¯kal was shocked and immediately put up a defense with his four arms. Haa! Shessh, Zhessh¨C Ji-woo shed at Az¡¯kal mercilessly. Even though the cut wasn¡¯t deep, he did it so many times that there were many sh marks on the Demon Ape¡¯s body. Even the armor had a few scratches on it. Az¡¯kal endured Ji-woo¡¯s barrage of shes until he was kneeling on the ground with so many cuts and drops of ck liquid all over his body. The two edges of the short sword also became blunt and cracked in the end. Ji-woo stopped his attack and looked at the dying Az¡¯kal with an icy cold gaze. He subsequently turned again towards Ukn¡¯zal, who copsed on the ground. ¡°I told you beforehand to strike together. And this is the result of not heeding my advice.¡± Chapter 56: The Godly Doctor Chapter 56: The Godly Doctor Whenever there was an intriguing fight, the Nullifier would take over Ji-woo¡¯s emotions. And it would always prolong the battle even if he was powerful than the opponent by many folds and could end the fight faster. That was why Ji-woo used the idea of provoking the Demon Apes, wanting to bet whether a two-on-one fight would take ce or not. If that did not happen, it would bore Nullifier and put him in control of his emotions again. Ji-woo¡¯s bet was right on target. Now, he was in control of everything and decided to finish the battle as soon as possible. Also, his body was in an overheated state, not suitable for a long fight. One had fallen, and the other was still alive. Ukn¡¯zal couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. He knew Ji-woo was strong but didn¡¯t expect to be able to kill Az¡¯kal effortlessly. ¡®Why does his aura¡­, cause an unprecedented fear in me?¡¯ Ji-woo¡¯s gaze caused Ukn¡¯zal to feel suppression in his heart. He knew he had experienced this before. Ukn¡¯zal smiled while sweating profusely. He didn¡¯t expect to meet someone as strong as some of the Commanders and Generals under the Great Warlock that he met before. Ji-woo shot a confused look toward Ukn¡¯zal that smiling out of nowhere. Boom, Creak¨C Ukn¡¯zal made a huge m into thend with his four hands, causing the ground to be torn apart slightly all the way to where Ji-woo was. Ji-woo¡¯s expression changed from bewilderment to surprise in just a second because of Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s sudden movement. He then moved one foot and stomped it onto the ground, stopping any further splits. However, Ukn¡¯zal had already appeared in front of Ji-woo andunched a punch. He shouted as loudly as he could while putting all his strength into the blow. Even the ground shattered in a two-armed motion aiming at Ji-woo. Kaboom! Arge cloud of dust appeared, covering the surroundings. And then two entities were seen going to the sky,ing out of the dust cloud. Ji-woo blocked the powerful blow with his right foot. Not allowing his opponent to attack him further, he rammed his head into Ukn¡¯zal, followed by a left leg kick to the neck. Ukn¡¯zal bounced to the ground at a fast speed. Ji-woo, who was still in the air, moved his right hand that held the tattered short sword. He was holding the hilt of the weapon tightly. And he threw it at the Demon Ape with such force that it caused a shockwave. Boom, Kacha! Ukn¡¯zal crashed to the ground with a bang. And it looked like he was able to withstand the follow-up short sword aimed at his head. Even though both edges of the weapon were blunt, the tip was still sharp. Anyhow, Ukn¡¯zal paid a heavy price to block the attack. His four hands get pierced by the short sword. And it nearly thrust his throat. His current state was too weak to move his hands and remove the short sword even though the weapon was broken and cracked. Even if it was for a while, fighting Ji-woo was quite taxing for the Demon Ape. Especially his vigor, which got drained a lot. Only to keep up with Ji-woo¡¯s strength. Ji-woonded on Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s chest while staring at the tattered short sword that locked Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s four arms. He knew the weapon was just a piece of metal in his hand. No matter how much power Ji-woo used, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill a dungeon owner with one move. ¡°I admit. You are strong, human. But, in front of my Lord¡¯s Commanders and Generals, you are nothing but dust!¡± Ukn¡¯zal spoke loudly while ck blood spurted out of his mouth. He wanted Ji-woo to know that he was not invincible in this world, just for defeating the Demon Apes with ease. ¡°So noisy.¡± Ji-woo twisted his right palm to strike and thrust the short sword deeper into Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s neck. The short sword shattered into pieces after piercing Ukn¡¯zal¡¯s neck into the ground. The hole from the throat to the nape of the neck was also quiterge because the sword was basically not sharp anymore. It was just a blunt object after getting used to piercing through the Armoire Sphere¡¯s armor defense earlier. Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about the Demon Ape¡¯s words. He knew no matter where he was. There would always be someone stronger than him. But that didn¡¯t mean he was afraid. He still had his trump card: the true power of Nullifier. Even though he currently didn¡¯t have it yet because he couldn¡¯t find the Spheres that matched his cursed soul. He had a chance to revive his true strength the first time he saw the Sphere in the Dungeon. It was also the reason why he wasn¡¯t too worried about returning to the battle despite trying to stay away from it after returning home. That was the only way to be able to make money to help his family¡¯s financial debt. Ji-woo was still confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone with the true power of Nullifier. Although, he did not know and had no information about how strong the highest-ranking hunters or High-Grade creatures of the Portal Gate were. Weeng¨C Ukn¡¯zal and Az¡¯kal¡¯s bodies emitted white light. Then the two lights fused and turned into a Dungeon Bead and fell into Ji-woo¡¯s hands. Usually, it fell beside the Dungeon owner. But since the Portal Gate, this time had a Dual Owner. It headed toward Ji-woo instead. Now that it was all over, Ji-woo began to feel his body weigh down with exhaustion. And then it was immediately followed by the expulsion of enormous steam from his entire body. It also caused him to pant heavily as the fumes dissipated. ¡ª- ¡ª- The Demigod guild Main team leader finally arrived at the tier-3 Portal Gate, where Tae-hyun was waiting. Tae-hyun bowed respectfully. He didn¡¯t expect the Team leader woulde without a car. ¡°Did the Vice-headmaster know about this?¡± ¡°Of course, she knows. How do you think I coulde without making a big fuss on the way here? Where I have to jump from building to building to save time. I have to ask In-ah¡¯s permission for that. So, she could anticipate and take action if any problems ariseter with the government.¡± Tae-hyun felt both ufortable and guilty. He asked for help only as a precaution and didn¡¯t think it would trouble the Guild. It would definitely cause him to get scolded by the Vice-headmaster of the Demigod guild until his ears bled after everything had settled. ¡°I summoned five B-rank hunters from the Main team to enter the Portal Gate. They can observe the situation or help Team 3ter.¡± ¡°Ah. Alright, Hyung~nim.¡± A Portal Gate usually could still be entered by other hunters even though someone had entered. No one knew how to determine how many could enter the Portal Gate. The only way was to try to check it directly. If the hand could prate the Portal Gate, then it could still be entered. But when the hook stopped, it was like touching the wall. It might be mean because the number of hunters reached the limit or the hunter¡¯s Mana was too big than the Portal Gate could allow. And the tier-3 Portal Gate had restrictions on A-rank hunters. So, at the highest, only B-rank hunters could enter the Dungeon. As for hunters below B-rank, all could enter the tier-3 Portal Gate without any obstacles. Zip, Zip¨C Unexpectedly, the Team 3 hunters finally came out after two hours. And the tier-3 Portal Gate slowly faded away. Tae-hyun got surprised and d the team was able to close the Portal Gate. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just worried for nothing. Everything is¡­¡± However, Tae-hyun was only halfway through his words when he saw the state of the Team 3 hunters. He then ran over and approached along with the Main team leader. ¡°I was running to find a hiding ce. What happened!?¡± ¡°Where are we? Are we in the real world?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not in the Dungeon anymore!?¡± Tae-hyun heard the confused words of the Team 3 hunters as he scanned them. He couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. Many hunters died, and some of them also lost their limbs. Suddenly, a hunter shouted amidst the confusion. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Leader Oh! Please help Do-cheol hyung! Here! He¡¯s not breathing!!¡± Tae-hyun turned his attention after hearing the loud voice and instantly remembered about Leader Oh. He then looked back and found the person in question was not there. Leader Oh appeared before Do-cheol, who was lying on the ground. He raised his right hand, and a blue light wrapped around it after checking Do-cheol¡¯s pulse on the neck and wrist. ¡°Give me some space.¡± Leader Oh gave instructions, and the surrounding hunters retreated. He then pushed and ced his right hand against Do-cheol¡¯s left chest. Uhuk, Uhuk¨C A momentter, Do-cheol coughed and opened his eyes after having his heartbeat stopped previously. The incident took some hunters by surprise. The deade back to life! However, for some hunters who already know Leader Oh, this was not surprising. Many high-ranking hunters knew the nickname of the team leader, The Godly Doctor. Oh Dal-soo, the S-rank healer of the Demigod guild. The one and only high-ranking healer in South Korea. Bringing the dead back to life was easy for him. However, not all of them could get resurrected from the dead. For example, someone who had died within a certain period of time was an impossible task for him. Chapter 57: Calm after the Storm Chapter 57: Calm after the Storm Ji-woo went straight to Dong-hyun after resting his body for a while, ignored Yu-jin and the other B-rank hunters. He handed the armor set back to Dong-hyun along with the Dungeon Bead he had held. He also shamelessly asked for the ker vest again. Dong-hyun, who was still amazed by how easily Ji-woo defeated the Demon Apes, became confused by that request. Anyhow, he still gave the ker vest back to Ji-woo and wore back the armor set without any questions. He also didn¡¯t waste too much time to get changed and immediately crush the bead. Ji-woo started to distance himself from Dong-hyun the moment they got out of the dungeon. Since Dong-hyun with his armor would be the most eye-catching thing after the story unfolded. And he also hadn¡¯t noticed Ji-woo isn¡¯t around him anymore with the fuss about the state of the Team 3 leader. Do-cheol¡¯s pulse was already weak as Yu-jin and the other hunters pulled him out of the creature¡¯s severed hand. And it got weakened as time went by, and gradually the heartbeat stopped. Luckily the S-rank healer, Oh Dal-soo, was there. He was able to save Do-cheol in time. But unfortunately. That was not the case with other hunters who have been dead longer than Do-cheol. Dal-soo shook his head. Informed Do-cheol, those other hunters besides him couldn¡¯t get saved anymore. It was Dal-soo¡¯s limit as an S-rank healer. Even though he was called the Godly Doctor, he couldn¡¯t revive someone after a certain amount of time had passed. Right now, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to toy with the death and could only restore the conditions of the dead hunters who had lost their limbs to their original state. It was the right thing to do to return the fallen hunters in good conditions to their families or acquaintances. Do-cheol stood up with the help of another hunter and then walked haphazardly toward Dong-hyun. He had heard from other B-rank hunters about the incident after he lost to the Demon Ape. Dong-hyun suddenly got nervous and sweated all over his forehead, seeing not only Do-cheol but Tae-hyun and Dal-soo wereing to him as well. Meanwhile, Ji-woo watched what was happening from the other side. He was waited to see how Dong-hyun responded to the situation. Anyway, whatever Dong-hyun said to the hunters. Ji-woo would help and try to prevent him from being dragged into the interrogation even though his true identity might get revealed to the hunterster. After all, it was his decision to save Team 3 from the Demon Apes despite knowing the risk that he would get exposed earlier than he expected. Actually, Ji-woo had thought of abandoning Dong-hyun to keep his secret a little longer. He was not a saint, nor was he a hero or a savior. Sacrificing one or two people for his own sake was amon thing for him. But considering the favor that Ji-woo got from Dong-hyun until now, he decided to repay all of it at once and take responsibility for his own actions. Do-cheol and a few B-rank hunters bowed slightly to Dong-hyun in gratitude for saving Team 3 from the Demon Ape. They wouldn¡¯t mistake Dong-hyun for someone else since he was the only one who wore the Red Crimson armor. Dong-hyun tried to look back and only to find out that Ji-woo wasn¡¯t there. He immediately panicked while nced here and there, looking for Ji-woo. In the next moment, his and Ji-woo¡¯s eyes met. He gulped when he saw Ji-woo¡¯s icy cold gaze with a natural cid expression. Dong-hyun returned his gaze to the hunters and reluctantly epted the gratitude. He then also bowed awkwardly at Do-cheol and the others. Either because of the fear of Ji-woo or something else held him back from telling the truth. The incident between Dong-hyun and Ji-woo happened in seconds. So almost none of the hunters noticed Dong-hyun¡¯s panic and strange behavior except for Dal-soo. Dal-soo had used his God Eye ability when Do-cheol approached Dong-hyun. This ability made him have x-ray eyes that could see the structure of living things. So, he could tell that Dong-hyun¡¯s heart was beating fast and irregrly. Even the tightened neck muscles and dted pupils did not escape his observation. Those things make Dal-soo suspicious about the overall situation. He whispered to Do-cheol to give instructions to take care of the matter quietly at their headquarters first. Dal-soo then put aside the issue of Dong-hyun¡¯s odd behavior. He needed to hear the entire story from Team 3 first to decide if there was a problem or something hidden from this hunt. Dal-soo also couldn¡¯t let the hunters who were confused about their situation wander around. It was because themotion he caused while headed toward this Portal Gate would surely attract the attention of the other guilds. Especially Shadow and Artates guilds. Right now, the incident was better to get discussed in a smaller scope. The knowledge rted to the Dungeon¡¯s Dual Owner was too valuable to be a piece of public information. It could be a chance to gain something from other guilds if they managed the intelligence very well. However, Ji-woo knew that Dal-soo had watched Dong-hyun when he nced at him earlier. Thanks to the big difference in Mana, Dal-soo really stood out from the rest and was clearly perceived by him. For simpleparisons, E-ranks to A-ranks were the same as grades one through six of elementary school. No matter which ss they were in, they were still in the same ce. However, the S-rankers were in a different league than those hunters. They were like at the level of high school students. Not only separated by one degree but also separated by a whole field. Yet, there was another hunter besides Dal-soo who knew what Dong-hyun did to Ji-woo without him knowing. This hunter had been watching the two of them ever since they came out of the Portal Gate. So, that hunter knew something was off. In the end, Dal-soo, Ji-woo, and that hunter didn¡¯t do anything or confront each other until they returned to the Demigod¡¯s headquarters with Team 3. The Demigod Guild was fortunate enough to only lose dozens of hunters as a loss inside the Portal Gate that had Dual Owners. If thatpared to the previous two cases, each of which had only one survivor. Team 3 hunters who didn¡¯t know the real story were allowed to go home. Previously the higher-ups had told them that the ones who defeated the Demon Ape were Do-cheol and several other B-rank hunters. They also didn¡¯t know anything about the Red Crimson hunter. On the other hand, Ji-woo left the building after receiving a thank you from Do-cheol for his role as the one who distracted the Sabertooths to give Team 3 a chance to survive. He was also unsuspected about how Ji-woo could do it. After all, for such a situation, all that was required was nimbleness. Tae-hyun had told him beforehand how deftly Ji-woo dodged Yujin¡¯s barrage of attacks in the Battle Royale test. But Ji-woo didn¡¯t go home right away and instead stood waiting in front of the headquarters entrance. After a while, Dong-hyun came out with Tae-hyun. ¡°Dong-hyun~si, thank you for your cooperation. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Taehyun bowed slightly toward Dong-hyun then went back inside. Now, all that was left was how the Demigod guild managed the information regarding the Double Owners. In a moment, they would get some calls from other guilds. On the other hand, Dong-hyun was surprised to see Ji-woo at the entrance as he walked out in sorrow. ¡°J-Ji-woo~si?! Why are you here? ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary to them. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Dong-hyun gulped. Although, Ji-woo, who was in front of him, had the vibe of someone that was easy to trample on. He still treated Ji-woo with courtesy for it. ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t care about that. How about you?¡± ¡°They wanted me toe to report every day starting tomorrow until further notice. They also confiscated my Crimson armor set.¡± Dong-hyun answers glumly. Ji-woo had guessed that the Demigod guild wouldn¡¯t easily believe anything Dong-hyun had told them. It didn¡¯t matter what really happened inside the tier-3 Portal Gate. The Demigod Guild themselves would determine the truth after they investigated more. The fact that they got held onto Dong-hyun¡¯s armor already indicated that they didn¡¯t want rumors about the Red Crimson hunter to spread before they verified it. People with authority tend to believe their own eyes rather than the words of others. But, it also proved they weren¡¯t fools who could get tricked easily without preparation. Ji-woo patted Dong-hyun on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. It¡¯s better than having them interrogate you for 48 hours straight. Isn¡¯t it? Cheer up. I¡¯ll give you a new swordter in exchange for your short sword that got destroyed while I was using it.¡± Dong-hyun answered hastily. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to, Ji-woo~si.¡± Ji-woo smiled on the side. He knew Dong-hyun was adamant that he was the one that took action in the dungeon since Ji-woo hadn¡¯t got questioned by the Demigod guild. And that made him have a good impression of Dong-hyun. On a floor in the Demigod guild building, a pair of eyes watched Ji-woo from the room¡¯s window. Keep an eye on every move without missing the slightest detail. Chapter 58: Tired of Living Chapter 58: Tired of Living Ji-woo was going home after parting ways with Dong-hyun at the bus stop. On the way, he thought about the next steps needed to ensure the safety of his family and his mother¡¯s debt. In the end, he decided to take a short break from hunting with the guild. It took too long to collect the money he desired even though he got paid quite a lot. Ji-woo¡¯s n required a lot of money. In addition to paying debts, he also needed it for his purposes. For example, buy a factory to forge his weapons and items. In another inclusion, he likewise aspired to form a small agency whose job was to gather all intelligence from all over the ce. Since he had already decided to dip his hands into the bloodbath, he couldn¡¯t do it half-heartedly. The surroundings were quiet, and there was no one around there. All of a sudden, screamse from the alley where Ji-woo was walking. ¡°Let go of my hand! If not, I¡¯ll report it to the police!¡± Ji-woo, who was deep in thought, stopped in his tracks after hearing a familiar voice. He looked to the right side in the night. The dim light from the streemps gave vision to where the screams wereing from it. ¡°Let it go!¡± The screaming girl continued to struggle to free herself from the man¡¯s grip. ¡°Speak of the devil! The nerd is here. What a coincidence!¡± The man¡¯s voice turned the girl¡¯s attention towards the street outside the alley. The two then saw Ji-woo, who was standing some distance away from them. ¡°Tsk, girl. Look. Your Oppa is here now. Sigh, if only you had done what I said earlier to summon him. We wouldn¡¯t have a hassle like this, would we?¡± ¡°O-Oppa!? Ji-woo Oppa!?¡± Kim Ji-won¡¯s voice trembled. Her eyes became red and teary with fear as she tried to get away from the man that dragged her. ¡°Hey, nerd. How dare you hang up and block me!? You ungrateful bastard!¡± Tae-ha was dissatisfied with how Ji-woo treated him like nothing. Even though he was already kind as the first one that greeted Ji-woo, he didn¡¯t like the nerd acting like he was important. Someone who had always got ostracized dared to look down on him, Jung Tae-ha!? Hahaha¨C ¡°Have you lost your mind!? Dare to ignore me!¡± Tae-ha thought Ji-woo was terrified now that he had seen him just stand still and did not give any response, even when his sister was on the verge of tears. However, before Tae-ha could yell at Ji-woo again, he suddenly felt a sharp sense of coldness and a wicked fear downing upon him. It gave him goosebumps, and his whole body shuddered. Ji-woo, who stood doing nothing at the front of the alley, gave off an aura that was stronger and more terrifying than the one he showed at the Portal Gate earlier. His eyes widened, and he red at Tae-ha in anger. Tae-ha loosened his grip, and Ji-won was finally able to move freely. But instead of running away, she trembled and fell with her butt to the ground. The aura that Ji-woo emitted was not limited to Tae-ha alone. Even Ji-won could feel it. It happened because of the enrage that suddenly surged inside Ji-woo that made him lose control of his powers for a moment. And it didn¡¯t take long before Ji-woo could suppress his rage despite the veins still bulging on his forehead and hands. The aura of fear dissipated immediately, and both Ji-won and Tae-ha subsequently could catch their breath. ¡°Ah, where are my manners when someone is talking? I¡¯m so sorry about that. ¡°Ji-won~ah, you can go back home now and don¡¯t have to worry about what¡¯s here. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Ji-woo spoke with his icy cold gaze, natural cid expression. ¡°Y-You, f-fu*king nerd! Who do you think you are that can do whatever you like in front of m-me!¡± Tae-ha managed to get a hold of himself. He convinced himself that his previous fear was just an illusion. The pressure he felt from the aura was much more tremendous than Ji-won since Ji-woo had the power of the Nullifier as opposed to Mana. So, the hunters would feel more threatened than ordinary people when facing Ji-woo¡¯s aura directly. ¡°Kim. Ji. Won. I said ¡®NOW¡¯!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s loud voice startled Ji-won and Tae-ha. But the two had different reactions. Ji-won quickly stood up even though she was still scared and shaking, while Tae-ha just froze on the spot. Ji-won ran breathlessly out of the alley into the street. And before she turned to her right side, Ji-woo said something tofort her sister while smiling. ¡°Everything will be fine. I¡¯ll be following you home soon. You can trust this brother of yours.¡± Ji-won could only nod while sobbing. Ji-woo¡¯s words made her hesitate, whether to report to the police or just run away without doing anything. But she knew. If she got involved in this, then the situation would be moreplicated for her brother. By the time Ji-won left, Ji-woo¡¯s expression had drastically changed. The smile and eyes that showed affection disappeared in an instant. Instead, he looked at Tae-ha with cold, sunken eyes and said. ¡°I saw a bruise on my sister¡¯s wrist, and you are going to pay for it. There¡¯s no path of return from here on.¡± Tae-ha grits his teeth. ¡°F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! I-I¡¯m a D-rank hunter, d-don¡¯t mess with me if you dare!¡± He then swiftly cast a magic spell. ¡°Magic of Fire, re eruptions!¡± Ji-woo instantly disappeared and left an afterimage of where he was standing. Haaa! Zreet, Dheg¨C Tae-ha¡¯s left hand fell to the ground. It got a clean cut on the forearm as it got sliced by something sharp. He didn¡¯t expect Ji-woo to appear in front of him in the blink of an eye to thwart his magic spell by hitting him with a fist. A punch strong enough to cut through the forearm like a sword shing through the flesh and the bone. ¡°Aaargk¡­¡± Tk¨C Tae-ha¡¯s scream of pain had stopped because Ji-woo choked his mouth. Mhhm! Mhm! ¡°Shhh. Don¡¯t make a fuss. My ears hurt to hear it.¡± Ji-woo lifted Tae-ha off the ground with his grip and looked like he saw an insignificant insect. ¡°Say, you are a pathetic and disgusting bastard, aren¡¯t you? Previously, if you had heeded my advice to f*ck off. You wouldn¡¯t have lost a hand like you are now.¡± Ji-woo released his grip andunched a casual punch in Tae-ha¡¯s stomach. Duag! Uhuk, Uhuk¨C Tae-ha fell to the ground. He was in misery and was holding his stumped left arm while coughing from suffocation. He then raised his face while kneeling. ¡°What! Did! You¡­¡± Paak! Paak! ¡°Be quiet,¡± Ji-woo said after pping Tae-ha in the face back and forth. ¡°You..¡± Paak! Paak! ¡°I told you, quiet.¡± Ji-woo once again pped Tae-ha¡¯s cheeks to make him shut his mouth. The ps made Tae-ha like a frightened child in the corner. He bit his lip while enduring the pain. Currently, Tae-ha couldn¡¯t digest what was happening to him. One thing was for sure, the nerd in front of him was much stronger than the hunters he had ever known. And Ji-woo was not like the nerd he remembered from high school either. Ji-woo crouched down in front of Tae-ha. He just stared into Taeha¡¯s eyes without saying any word, causing stillness in the night. Tae-ha grew increasingly uneasy with the silence as he immediately opened his mouth and stammered. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I-I won¡¯t bother¡­ No, no. I will get out of your life and act as if this has n-never happened at all. So please, s-spare my life.¡± However, Ji-woo¡¯s reaction to Tae-ha¡¯s plea was downright ridiculous. He just showed a devilish grin on his face, enough to make Tae-ha shiver. The devil who had shown his smirk at Dong-hyun before appeared in front of Tae-ha now. k! Ji-woo suddenly covered his mouth with his right hand, removed the devil¡¯s arrogant look. ¡®Oops! Not good. I just had an envision, in which I separated this brat¡¯s head from the body, snapping it with both of my hands.¡¯ If Ji-woo killed Tae-ha in that way, it would be difficult to clean up the mess without the help of a third party. He also noticed the side effects of the Nullifier were getting worse. It was the second time this had happened outside of fighting and got triggered by the rage. Duagh¨C Ji-woo hit Tae-ha on the tip of the jaw. The blow wasn¡¯t too hard, but enough to knock Tae-ha unconscious. He then stops the bleeding on Tae-ha¡¯s arm by tying it up using Tae-ha¡¯s shirt. Ji-woo carried Tae-ha¡¯s body on his shoulder and also did not forget about the severed hand. Luckily, jumping between buildings at night wouldn¡¯t attract attention. Ji-woo decided to throw Tae-ha into the Portal Gate he saw on the way to the tier-3 Portal Gate earlier. That Portal Gate still didn¡¯t have a lookout house for the gatekeeper since its new property that recently acquired by the Demigod guild. Ji-woo had no interest in letting a troublemaker like Tae-ha roaming around. People like that would likely be bound to make trouble again in the future when they got forgiveness. After clearing things up, Ji-woo finally returned to his home. His clothes were a bit dirty, and there were a few bloodstains. But, as long as no one was paying close inspection and not in a brightly lit ce. It would not be visible. ¡°Huh!? ¡°What are you doing here? Are you not going home? Where¡¯s mom?¡± Ji-woo saw Ji-won standing some distance away from their house. He noticed Ji-won was shaking and didn¡¯t dare get close to him. But, he only smiled faintly. ¡°Heh, right. Your Oppa is scary. So you have to be nice and show some respect to me if you don¡¯t want me to scold you. Okay!?¡± Ji-woo tried to joke and pinched Ji-won¡¯s cheek. ¡°Aaa¡­ Auch! It hurts! Oppa, let go!¡± Ji-woo released his pinch and walked toward the house while making a gesture for Ji-won to follow him. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Ji-won just nodded while holding her cheek that got hurt from being pinched. Her uneasiness was washed away by Ji-woo¡¯s actions. She was d that the one in front of her was still her brother despite the incident earlier. Chapter 59: Danger Chapter 59: Danger On the next day, in the morning. At the top floor of the Demigod guild building. There were four hunters sitting in the room opposite the middle-aged man, the headmaster of the Demigod guild, Cho Gang-ho. ¡°How are the situations?¡± Seol In-ah answered quickly. ¡°Many have asked about themotion, wanting to know what happened to us since the Godly Doctor himself was moving in a public ce in broad daylight. But, I managed to put down their pressure. So there¡¯s no need to worry, sir.¡± ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Gang-ho asked the other hunters in the room about the knowledge of the Dungeon¡¯s Dual Owners. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it. After all, we can¡¯t know what kind of dungeon is in the Portal Gate.¡± In-ah interjected before the other hunters gave their opinion. However, Gang-ho did not immediately change the topic and patiently waited for the others. Dal-soo didn¡¯t open his mouth while only Tae-hyun and Do-cheol gave their opinion on the matter. ¡°Agreed with In-ah~nim. It doesn¡¯t deserve to get ssified as important information. For the guilds below us, it might mean something. Meanwhile, big guilds like Shadow and Artates would only think of this as a piece of junk.¡± ¡°But, with this intelligence, at least everyone will be able to reorganize their hunters who will enter the Portal Gate above tier-2. It¡¯s notpletely in vain. Information about the type of beast, environment, and dungeon owner is also useful.¡± Based on Do-cheol observation, Team 3 needed more than 50 hunters with only B-rank and C-rank hunters in it, excluding E-rank and D-rank hunters. It was the only formation that was safe enough to face a dungeon with the possibility of a Dual owner. Gang-ho shook his head. ¡°As Tae-hyun said, Shadow and Artates probably won¡¯t need it. Those two guilds aren¡¯t short on manpower. Their member ratio of high-ranking hunters exceeds ours. ¡°In-ah, you can manage matters regarding Dual owners. If anyone asks, try to make a deal with them. Otherwise, leave it on our guild repository server.¡± ¡°Alright, sir,¡± In-ah replied and stood up, left the room. ¡°You and Do-cheol can make new arrangements for Team 2 and Team 3. We can¡¯t let our Portal Gates idle in the meantime.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Tae-hyun and Do-cheol also left the room. Only Dal-soo and Gang-ho remained in the room. ¡°Dal-soo~ya. We have to assemble the Vanguard team as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Hyung~nim!? What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡± Dal-soo was taken aback by the statement. The Demigod Vanguard Team had been out of operation for a long time. As time went on, the strength and ranking of the founding guild hunters increased more and more. So, there were fewer Portal Gates they could enter. As well as with many hunters joined and took care of the lower Portal Gate. They forgot about the existence of a team under the headmaster¡¯s leadership. And they also were busy taking care of the guild¡¯s affairs. ¡°It¡¯s been a year since we got the tier-5 Portal Gate. It¡¯s time to reap what we bought. And strengthen the guild with the harvest we¡¯ll get from that ce.¡± Dal-soo put on a doubtful face. ¡°We don¡¯t have a high chance of closing that Portal Gate. We only have 3 S-rank hunters!¡± ¡°Then how long are you willing to wait!? We can¡¯t go on like this. We have to take the risk. You, you know how abundant the resources of higher tier Portal Gates are, right?¡± Dal-soo contemted. He knew what they would get from a high-level Portal Gate if they seeded. It was a shortcut to increase the strength of the talented hunters and the overall strength of the guild. High-quality weapons and items. Magic Stones and possibly Mana Cores could also leapfrog their wealth twice as much as they had. High risk. High return. Dal-soo helplessly agrees with Gang-ho. What could he do? The headmaster seemed to have been nning this for a while. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Two or three weekster.¡± Dal-soo nodded and left, leaving Gang-ho alone in the room. In that span of time, he should be able to carefully select the hunters who would be able to survive and fight in the tier-5 Portal Gate under the lead of the Demigod headmaster. Outside the room, Dal-soo wasn¡¯t surprised to see In-ah already waiting for him. ¡°What did you know about Kim Ji-woo?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about him. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you.¡± Dal-soo replied casually. In-ah then crossed her arms and said, ¡°Jeez! There¡¯s nothing strange about him. His daily activities are monotonous. Only between his mother¡¯s food stall and this ce. So, I told Hyun-don and Taek-won to stop following him.¡± Dal-soo stared at In-ah for a moment, then nodded his head. ¡°Why are you interested in him?¡± ¡°I told you when I get something about himter.¡± Said Dal-soo while walking away from In-ah. ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡°Good morning, Ji-woo~ya and Ji-won~ah.¡± Elijah was d that her children didn¡¯t quarrel since they woke up. It was the first time Ji-woo, Ji-won, and their mother had eaten together at the same table. Though Ji-won still hadn¡¯t had much to say with them. Ji-woo started to talk about his job as he promised some time ago. ¡°I work as a hunter now. Here¡¯s the proof.¡± He spoke while taking out his hunter ID and cing it on the table next to his te. There was no response from Elijah and Ji-won. They just stopped eating and stared at Ji-woo¡¯s hunter ID. Thud¨C Ji-won was the first to react. She stood up after hitting the table and went straight to school without saying anything. Ji-woo was speechless by his sister¡¯s antics. However, he didn¡¯t go after her and decided to talk to herter. Meanwhile, Elijah still didn¡¯t give any reaction. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Eomma doesn¡¯t like your job.¡± And continue with breakfast. Ji-woo smiled wryly and followed to finish his breakfast too. Even on the way to the food stall, Elijah didn¡¯t say a word at all. When Elijah and Ji-woo arrived, they were surprised to see someone was waiting. ¡°Hello, who are you? Why are you standing here?¡± ¡°Ah, hyung eommonim? I¡¯m Ji-woo hyung Junior. My name is Lee Dong-hyun. Nice to meet you, eommonim.¡± Dong-hyun bowed and greeted Elijah politely while shaking her hand with both of his hands. ¡°Ah, yes. Nice to meet you too. Don¡¯t be so formal. You¡¯re Ji-woo¡¯s co-worker. So, calling aunty is enough.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t do it, eommonim. I feel bad if that¡¯s the case. Ah, right. Let me help prepare the food stall.¡± Today, Ji-woo became speechless two¡­, no, three times in a row. First because of his mother and sister earlier. Now, it was Dong-hyun¡¯s turn to make him like that. Even though Ji-woo didn¡¯t know why Dong-hyun wasing, he was pleased that Dong-hyun chose to go to the food stall instead of his house. Elijah, Ji-woo, and Dong-hyun had finished tidying up the food stall. And then Ji-woo pulled Dong-hyun away from his mother. ¡°Why are youing here?¡± ¡°I just happened to be passing by. Oh, yeah. Want to go to the guild with me, hyung~nim?¡± Ji-woo chuckled. ¡®It turns out that this nonsense about coincidences was just to make me apany him to report.¡¯ But, he refused the invitation. He had to ease his mother about the hunter matter first. How could he go to the Demigod guild in this situation? ¡°I¡¯m busy. You¡¯ll be fine alone. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Dong-hyun answerednguidly and left the food stall after bidding Elijah farewell. Ji-woo tried to talk with his mother. But to no avail. He decided to take a break and go to his father¡¯s cemetery. He told his mother about it. He then saw his mother not say anything and just sighed at him. He reassured his mother that he was not going anywhere rted to the hunter. Ji-woo had promised to visit his father¡¯s graveyard whenever he had time. Since he thought he might not be able to do it again in the future. On the way to his father¡¯s graveyard, Ji-woo saw a person of the same height as him heading out of the cemetery¡¯s inner area while walkingzily. The man was a bit bulky and wore sunsses. However, the closer the distance between Ji-woo and the man. The more Ji-woo became anxious. He felt something was amiss. When Ji-woo passed the man, he suddenly sensed time flowed at a different speed. He felt sluggish and short of breath. Out of nowhere, he subconsciously made a small leap forward like he was dodging an attack. The jump made the man stop in his tracks. He looked back and lowered his sunsses slightly with his finger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, brat!?¡± Ji-woo woke up after hearing the voice and perceived danger from the man¡¯s gaze. He had sweat on his forehead, and his hands were shaking. ¡®Darn it! If I fight him now. To take a limb alone from that man will undoubtedly put my life on the line for it.¡¯ Chapter 60: A Disciple? Chapter 60: A Disciple? Ji-woo knew how low his chance of winning against the man in front of him would be if a fight broke out between them. Now, after he carefully looked at the man again, he felt a faint trace of Mana. The thickness of Mana inside the man¡¯s body was monstrous, even if it seemed like it got suppressed. Ji-woo¡¯s eyes were full of vignce, and stormy waves suddenly surged inside his heart. Just now, he could sense a very sinister auraing from the man after that momentary contact. It was like a crouching python that seemed to be ready to strike and tear him at any time. He felt familiar with that kind of Mana. But at the same time, he couldn¡¯t recall what kind of Mana it really was. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± The man raised his voice slightly. Ji Woo gulped. ¡°Nothing. I think I¡¯m just overreacting. Sorry for my rudeness, sir.¡± The man felt a lot of time wasted on something useless. He did not prolong the matter and adjusted his sunsses. He didn¡¯t know why Ji-woo acted like that, and he didn¡¯t think much of it either. After all, the opposite side didn¡¯t provoke or start a fight with him. Ji-woo clenched his fists. He had never imagined meeting someone of that caliber in a mere cemetery. His choice was right to pursue full power. Only with Nullifier¡¯s true strength could he have the confidence to stand at the top of the hierarchy among these hunters. After exiting the cemetery¡¯s inner area, the man¡¯s burner phone rang. He then received the call as he continued walking. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just bored. The others have left. Just me and Gluttony. Well, in the end, he decided to leave too, going to Germany.¡± An English-speaking female voice came over the phone with a Japanese ent. The man frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know that. What I want to know is why are you calling when it¡¯s not something important!?¡± ¡°Tch! Why!? I can¡¯t do that!? You¡¯re the same as Gluttony. Boring! I don¡¯t want to be alone. Ah, right! Are you in South Korea? I¡¯ll visit you.¡± The man kept walking even though he didn¡¯t like the woman¡¯s n. But, he abruptly stopped his steps again as he did before. He kept the phone away from his ear, ignoring the woman¡¯s talk. He looked back at where the cemetery¡¯s inner area was. ¡®That youth from before. I felt a simrity through our eyes. Yet, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no Mana in that brat¡¯s body.¡¯ The man fell into deep thought. He remembered the look on Ji-woo¡¯s face when the strange behavior urred. Such a face was only showed up when you encountered something dangerous. ¡®Is that brat treating me as a danger!? It shouldn¡¯t be possible. He couldn¡¯t sense Mana if he didn¡¯t have Mana itself. Furthermore, no one can sense my Mana if I hide it, and no one can conceal their Mana from me either.¡¯ The man had his own pride as someone that reached the pinnacle among the hunters. People who could fight him on an equal footing only counted on one hand in this world. The man threw away his thoughts, feeling it was nothing. And he continued on his way in a foul mood after realizing the woman had hung up the phone. ¡°This woman is so troublesome.¡± He wasn¡¯t happy with how the woman behaved even though he said they could do whatever they wanted. Maybe only a few knew their faces, but they were all definitely high-tier hunters. He didn¡¯t want problems to arise while they wereying low. The man knew why only a few people recognized their faces. It happened because their existence was rted to the truth or the actual urrence of the first year Portal Gate. So, their information got restricted by International Hunters Association for the irrelevant people, whether it was the hunters or the public. The man also had no interest in telling the world about it. It was just a trivial matter that didn¡¯t need his attention at all. The atmosphere at the cemetery was as calm as ever. Not long after the man left, Ji-woo went back to his mother¡¯s food stall after visiting his father¡¯s graveyard. On the way, he kept thinking about that brief and strange encounter. Ji-woo was sure he had felt that sinister Mana in the Magical world before. A rare Mana, which was wicked, coercive, and most importantly, discarded one¡¯s empathy for living beings. It was slightly simr to his Nullifier. Its discrepancy with the Mana of the hunters he had encountered so far. Which was tranquil, flowed like water within the body, and in harmony with nature. However, he could only recollect that much despite having rendezvoused with it before. That was a shame! Ji-woo returned to reality when he saw his mother¡¯s food stalling into the picture. He then put the man¡¯s Mana problem aside. He needed to convince his mother about bing a hunter first now. ¡°Mom, you can rest and visit dad¡¯s grave or take a trip with the three of us. I have some money. So, Mom can rx for a bit.¡± Elijah looked at her son after hearing the sweet talk. ¡°Eomma doesn¡¯t want you to work as a hanter or danter, or whatever it¡¯s called. Eomma can still earn money for our living expenses without letting you do anything dangerous. We can eat, and Eomma can still pay off our debt diligently every month.¡± Ji-woo fell silent at his mother¡¯s firm disapproval and distaste for the job of a hunter. He knew he couldn¡¯t rush to persuade his family. He needed to take it slowly. Sometimes something forced would not end very well. Elijah also knew her son hadn¡¯t given up on working as a hunter even now, seeing that he didn¡¯t answer or confirm his agreement with her. Later that night, Ji-woo tried to convince his mother and sister once again about working as a hunter. The answer was the same as before,plete refusal from his two family members. There was not a trace of hesitation either from both of them as they expressed their disapproval. The next day, Ji-woo and his family had a quiet breakfast with no chatter about the hunter job. He knew it would be annoying to talk about it all the time. He believed his family would change their minds over time despite being rejected several times. Ji-woo, as usual, helped his mother bring some necessary necessities to the food stall. However, he did not stay and instead returned to his home. He still needed to look up some information on the inte for his further ns and tried to contact mister Lee Ik-jun for his help. When Ji-woo was back home, Dong-hyun visited the food stall and apanied Elijah for an hour. They talk about various things to pass the time. The followed two days, everything went the same way as before. Ji-woo still got a rejection from his family, and Dong-hyun continued to visit the food stall. In those two days, his family had softened a bit because of his determination to work as a hunter. And he also knew that Dong-hyun came to visit his mother¡¯s workce with the purpose of seeking for him to learn how to fight. Ji-woo refused Dong-hyun¡¯s request to teach him something. He didn¡¯t want to have another homework on his list. He also had no reason to help Dong-hyun since he had already returned the favor by saving Dong-hyun and Demigod Team 3 from the Dual Owners. The fourth day after the revtion of Ji-woo¡¯s job as a hunter, Dong-hyun came to the food stall as usual while Ji-woo took his time to make a call after helping his mother arrange the stuff. And then Elijah started asking him about his work with Ji-woo. He answered happily. ¡°To be honest, it was our first time working together inside the Portal Gate. However, as soon as we entered, we met with disaster. All the hunters were not optimistic about getting out of the dungeon alive. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until Ji-woo hyung showed up. He defeated all those monsters and saved the team. I was able to live thanks to hyung¡¯s power. If he wasn¡¯t there, our team might be get wiped out.¡± Dong-hyun showed delight on his face. He felt fortunate to know how strong Ji-woo was. And he didn¡¯t find it strange discussing the topic with Elijah without knowing Ji-woo didn¡¯t even tell his family about it at all. Meanwhile, Elijah was startled and scared after hearing Dong-hyun¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t believe Ji-woo would do such a thing. She knew that her son had changed a little, but not so drastically. A timid, weak, and kindhearted child be a powerful and violent person. Shortly, Elijah¡¯s worry eased a bit after thinking carefully about what Dong-hyun had said. Her husband, Ji-woo¡¯s father, always taught their son to do a good deed and help people in need even if it was limited. Although somewhat changed, Ji-woo was still the child Elijah knew. On the other hand, Ji-woo returned to the food stall after confirming his meeting with mister Lee sometimeter. He saw Dong-hyun talk with his mother. That day made the fates of Ji-woo, Dong-hyun, and mister Lee Ik-jun intertwined for the future. Chapter 61: Training Chapter 61: Training Elijah sighed when she saw her son return after making the call. She then looked at Dong-hyun. ¡°Dong-hyun~si, looks like you need Ji-woo for something, right? Just ask. Aunty is sure he¡¯s willing to help as long as he can.¡± Dong-hyun got taken back by Elijah¡¯s words. His face turned red with embarrassment. He quickly tried to refute the notion. ¡°A-Aunt. I-I¡­ It¡¯s not like that. I came here to visit the food stall because Aunt¡¯s food is delicious and it¡¯s cheap. Also, Aunt can drop the formalities with me.¡± Elijah smiled as she shook her head. At first, she didn¡¯t want to interfere with her son¡¯s matter. She suspected it had something to do with the hunters. However, the past few days have been very cheerful for her. It was probably due to Dong-hyun apanying her like how Eun-bi used to be. And after she knew that her son did a good thing and helped others from harm. She was happy with it. In the end, she decided to meddle and asked Ji-woo to help even though riddles were buzzing in her head about her son¡¯s situation. Ji-woo, who just returned to the food stall, heard his mother¡¯s words and put on a stern expression. The next moment, he told Dong-hyun to give him some space to talk to his mother. Elijah knew what Ji-woo wanted to talk about and interjected her son first. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Eomma doesn¡¯t know what he wants from you, and he¡¯s never asked me for any help either. ¡°But, that child likes to talk about you. Eomma can feel he has high hopes for you. So, when Eomma saw his troubled face. As a person he looks up to, I think you¡¯re the only one who can help him. After all, your father always taught you to do good things for anyone. Anywhere and anytime.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s something rted to my job as a hunter?¡± Elijah closed her eyes for a moment as she indisputably sighed. She looked at Ji-woo and was ready to deliver her decision. ¡°You are the same as Eomma. We decide to do something. We will not give up no matter what. We are the stubborn type. Not like your gentle father. ¡°There are a lot of things that Eomma doesn¡¯t know about you, and I know you have your reasons for that. ¡°Eomma will not oppose it anymore, though as a mother, it will be difficult to let her son venture against dangers. Still, since you have something to help others, keep being kind like your father. At least, it will ease some worries if you do.¡± Ji-woo was d that his mother softened up and let him do whatever he wanted. At the same time, he felt his heartache, knowing his mother¡¯s struggle to let him work as a hunter. Also, the many secrets he had, made him feel like he treated his mother like an outsider. ¡°Thank you, Mom. When the time hase, I won¡¯t hide anything from you anymore. For now, everything that I do wouldn¡¯t bring any harm to Mom and Ji-won for sure!¡± Ji-woo could only promise about the goals he did for the family. Not the other one. To be kind like his father meant he had to show mercy under any circumstances. Whether it¡¯s in a precarious situation or not. And it was impossible for him toply. Elijah was pleased to hear that. She smiled, and her eyes resembled the shape of a crescent moon. An eye smile, like most other Korean women, had. ¡°Tell Dong-hyun to keeping here. It¡¯s great when he¡¯s here because he is more talkative than you do.¡± Huhu¨C Ji-woo was speechless after hearing his mother giggled, joking about him not being a chatty person. He turned his back and helplessly answered with a hum. ¡°Um.¡± After getting a little ck about his work matter, Ji-woo decided to take Dong-hyun along to see mister Lee. He nned to teach some of the knowledge he had in a short period of time. He had no intention of teaching Dong-hyun with all the time he had. It needed to get finished as soon as possible. ¡°Come with me.¡± Dong-hyun was confused by Ji-woo¡¯s orders but followed him from behind anyway. Ji-woo changed the location to meet mister Lee and told him about the new ce. They would meet at the foot of the mountain, where the Red Gate of the Mapo district previously appeared. The area was usually for hiking. But since that ident, it had be confined to only that small field. It¡¯s the perfect ce for a temporary training ground. There was no one around, and there was no need to worry about damaging the surroundings. Dong-hyun knew his request to be taught had got granted. He kept pestered Ji-woo with pleasantries on their way until Ji-woo had enough and hit his head lightly so as not to utter useless words. Ji-woo was still thinking about how he would teach Dong-hyun. They both had different foundations, one with the gift of Mana and the other with a cursed soul, Nullifier. He didn¡¯t understand much about Mana. Luckily in the Magical World, he often saw Stormrage practicing. Even though Ji-woo always acted deaf whenever Stormrage spouted words about Mana. He could still remember some knowledge of it. In the end, he decided to teach the basics first. How to fight could be learnedter when Dong-hyun was able to manage his Mana proficiently. ¡°Before we proceed. I need to know how a bunch of you guys learned about magic spells.¡± ¡°Huh!? Hyung, you don¡¯t know? It¡¯s a Skill Page. Hyung, how do you learn magic spells if you don¡¯t have one?¡± Ji-woo squinted his eyes and made a hand gesture that indicated he wanted to hit Dong-hyun again. Dong-hyun, who saw the motion, immediately exined without any questions in his words. ¡°Skill Pages are items that allow hunters to use magic. When the crumpled sheet gets torn apart, all the information about the magic spell in question will instantly flood the brain. Of course, each Skill Page only has one spell in it.¡± Ji-woo smirked with a mocking face. ¡®Those items only provide methods for manipting Mana in order to borrow the power of nature. That¡¯s not what allows you to use magic. What a bunch of amateurs! No wonder they can only cast suck magic with such poor Mana control and flow.¡¯ Ji-woo at least knew some basic knowledge about that, even though he was not an expert on Mana. There was no need for such external items to perform magic. Mana alone was enough. That¡¯s why it was called a blessing for those who receive it because it would make them like gods who could control nature. ¡°However, there are rumors that Apex-rank hunter and ArchMage are able to create their magic spells without a Skill Page. They are also able to reconstruct that item as they wish.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s face returned to his usual icy cold gaze, not surprised to hear the rumors. Well, this was what he called a tricky opponent. Hunters, who could do their own magic spell, definitely had a good grasp of Mana. For Ji-woo, unless he could gauge all of the strength of the hunters that stand at the top hierarchy with certainty, he would not reveal his existence so clearly. ¡°Do you know more about Apex-rank and ArchMage?¡± Dong-hyun just shook his head and replied. ¡°No. Everything about them is known only to a few top-ranked hunters around the world.¡± Ji-woo also shook his head and sighed. He put the matter aside for another time since it could be solved when he already had his own private intelligence agency as he nned. He then began the training and told Dong-hyun to do what he said. Dong-hyun was dumbfounded when he heard the instruction. ¡°Eh, Why do I have to use Mana Presence until my Mana gets depleted!? Hyung! You only need to teach me a martial art that can kill Portal Gate creatures.¡± Ji-woo lightly hit Dong-hyun on the head and gave further orders, ignoring Dong-hyun¡¯s protests. ¡°Shut up. If you can triple the amount of time, you can stay in that state. I¡¯m considering teaching you how to be stronger. Let alone the Portal Gate creatures. Even those high-ranking hunters will be nothing in front of you.¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s eyes lit up at those words. He clenched his fists about the hope of bing powerful and surpassing those high-ranking hunters. ¡°You have two days. Remember! Only two days. You can think of it as a test. If you fail, then that¡¯s your destiny.¡± Dong-hyun was not discouraged by Ji-woo¡¯s words. He quickly used his Mana Presence to start his training. Ji-woo, who was in front of Dong-hyun, was not fazed by it. He stood still, observing the Mana change and flow through Dong-hyun¡¯s body. Not long after, Ji-woo got a text message informing him of mister Lee¡¯s arrival. He told Dong-hyun to keep doing what he was doing. While he would receive and bring a guest to where they were now. Chapter 62: The Broker Chapter 62: The Broker Mister Lee had some rtionship with Ji-woo. So, after he heard the seriousness when Ji-woo asked for help, he came without hesitation. And even though he didn¡¯t know the context either. When Mister Lee arrived, Ji-woo brought him to met with Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun stopped his training and greeted Mister Lee politely. ¡°Are you an independent hunter or a member of a guild, Dong-hyun~si?¡± ¡°I am a member of the Demigod guild, Mister Lee. Also, Mister Lee can drop the formalities with me. Since you are an acquaintance of Ji-woo Hyung.¡± Mister Lee was startled hearing the name of the Demigod guild. He then threw a confused look at Ji-woo. He hoped for an exnation about the current situation of how both Dong-hyun and Ji-woo could know each other. ¡°I have be a hunter now, Mister Lee. And I am part of the Demigod guild too.¡± ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t expect that, and congrattions to you, Ji-woo~si. ¡°Demigod is one of the top 3 guilds in South Korea. You are lucky to be able to enter such an amazing ce. You can grow stronger in no timeter.¡± Dong-hyun chimed in the middle of Ji-woo and Mister Lee¡¯s conversation. ¡°Well, Ji-woo Hyung is already strong. Even C-rank or B-rank is no match for him anymore.¡± ¡°Huh!? Wow!¡± Mister Lee was bbergasted hearing Dong-hyun¡¯s words. Most of the hunters, when they received Mana Blessing was always started from a low rank. It was a rare case if they had an abundant Mana from the get-go. Ji-woo was not happy with the speech and told Mister Lee to go first to talk about their matter elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mister Lee. He¡¯s just exaggerating. Shall we find a ce to sit down and talk further?¡± Mister Lee nodded and left them. After all, his purpose ining was to help Ji-woo. About Ji-woo being a hunter could be askedter on. Ji-woo followed behind while saying a few words to Dong-hyun with his icy gaze and natural cid expression. ¡°Keep doing what you were doing before. Also, don¡¯t open your mouth carelessly if it¡¯s not necessary.¡± Dong-hyun gulped and bowed. ¡°Y-Yes, hyung~nim!¡± He looked at the back of Ji-woo that left him alone on the spot. And he then continued his training in earnest. A bit far from Dong-hyun¡¯s ce. Mister Lee sat down on the bench and began to ask. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? There seems to be a serious problem when you called me.¡± Ji-woo expressed his intention. He wanted to buy the Portal Gate in order to make a lot of money. And he wondered if Mister Lee could help him with it. It was because the Hunters Association would not allow any individual to purchase a Portal Gate. But, that doesn¡¯t hinder any broker from existing. The broker was able to manage the Portal Gate from the hands of the guild or even the Hunters Association itself without their knowledge. The guilds sometimes couldn¡¯t clear all the Portal Gates they had already bought. Either they didn¡¯t have enough hunters left to hunt in the dungeon. Or they were worried that the Portal Gate might turn into a Red Gate if it wasn¡¯t closed as soon as possible. At the Hunter¡¯s Association. Sometimes, there were people who wanted personal gain. And they were able to bribe the staff managing the Portal Gate¡¯s data to manipte it so it wouldn¡¯t get discovered. The number of Portal Gates was reduced or not. No one noticed. Because every day, there were always one or two Portal Gates that appeared. At first, Mister Lee offered to lend Ji-woo some money if he needed it urgently. However, the idea got politely rejected by Ji-woo. He contemted it for a moment and gave Ji-woo an answer. ¡°I have someone I know as a broker. Anyway, you should know what it means to buy from a broker, isn¡¯t it Ji-woo~si? You only have one day to close the Portal Gate immediately after buying. It is to eliminate any trace of illegal transactions. A Portal Gate that is gone would not attract the attention of the Hunters Association.¡± Ji-woo just nodded, indicated he knew and understood all of the terms. Meanwhile, Mister Lee sighed. He doesn¡¯t know how Ji-woo would close itter. But, he remembered that Ji-woo and Dong-hyun were from the Demigod guild. Mister Lee felt reassured about it. He took his phone and dialed the number with Jee Seok-jin¡¯s name on it. A 40-year-old man who had four years of experience as a broker and also had connections everywhere. Jee Seok-jin was Mister Lee¡¯s old friend from the same hometown. In fact, Mister Lee wrongly guessed that Ji-woo would use the Demigod guild to help him close the Portal Gate. It was Ji-woo¡¯s n all along, and he had to carry it out himself. Mister Lee, who was still on the phone, shifted his face and spoke to Ji-woo. ¡°There is currently one Portal Gate avable. In Gongju City, about 3 hours from here. A tier-2 Portal Gate priced at 30 million won. It¡¯s cheap since the construction for the gatekeepers hasn¡¯t started yet.¡± Ji-woo was silent for a few seconds and answered. ¡°Can I pay less than that? In exchange, I will pay more when the Portal Gate closes. And the goods from the dungeon are sold too.¡± Mister Lee hung up after talking to his friend for a bit. ¡°Sure. Just transfer the money.¡± Ji-woo was surprised by the quick response. Then Mister Lee informed that the broker was his friend. So, Mister Lee was the guarantee for that transaction. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Ah, right. Does Mister Lee know how to find hunters with unique abilities? The low ranking ones are fine too.¡± Mister Lee tilted his head at the request. This time he was really confused with Ji-woo. What was the purpose of Ji-woo needed something like that? Was he nned to build a guild and invite those hunters? ¡°What¡¯s for?¡± ¡°Just.¡± Mister Lee took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t want to force his curiosity. ¡°I gave you the broker¡¯s contact. He knows about that sort of thing too. You can contact himter, or I can introduce you twoter after the Portal Gate get closed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mister Lee.¡± Ji-woo lowered his head. He was d Mister Lee could help him. His n finally started to run smoothly. ¡°Alright, now that¡¯s over. I will go back first. See you again after the Portal Gate closes.¡± Mister Lee parted ways after finishing the discussion. And Ji-woo returned to Dong-hyun¡¯s ce afterward. He saw that Dong-hyun was tired from overusing his Mana Presence. Dong-hyun, whoy on the ground with his dim eyes, took out Magic Crystals from his trouser pocket. He wanted to utilize it to replenish his Mana. However, it got stopped by Ji-woo before Dong-hyun could use it. ¡°If you want to refill your Mana with those things. Your training will get wasted. It will also take up a lot of your time.¡± ¡°But, if not with these Magic Crystals. It will take longer than when I used it.¡± ¡°I can teach you how to exploit those things efficiently for your own benefit.¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s eyes brightened after previously dimming when he heard something interesting. Like children were waiting for something good and knew it woulde soon. He kept nodding his head, urging Ji-woo to teach him. Ji-woo told Dong-hyun not to felt it directly with his hands. And instead, put one Magic Crystal some distance away from him. Next, Dong-hyun sat on the ground and began to meditate. He needed to absorb the Mana from the Magic Crystal little by little. It would force Dong-hyun to stimte his body to adapt to Mana more quickly. It also wouldn¡¯t waste a single Magic Crystal in one go. Yet, after a few minutes, Dong-hyun quickly gave up andined about the method to restore his Mana. ¡°I can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s impossible! How can I make that thing give out Mana to my body without being held!?¡± k! ¡°Ouch!¡± Ji-woo came closer and hit Dong-hyun¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t let your mind wander. Remember the sensation of Mana flowing around your body when you cast a magic spell or when you sense the Mana of another hunter. Then memorize that trait perfectly. After that, it will be easier from there.¡± Dong-hyun grumbled while rubbing his head. ¡°Easier said than done. Hyung is strong. So, it¡¯s not hard for you to do that. Also, if my head keeps getting hit, I will be a fool.¡± Ji-woo frowned and made a hand gesture that implied he wanted to hit Dong-hyun again. Dong-hyun instantly made a hand stop motion to prevent Ji-woo from doing so. ¡°Wait! Wait! Don¡¯t! Hyung, please! Mercy on me. ¡°I do it. I will do it!¡± Dong-hyun started focusing his mind. He slowly restored his Mana along with the rhythm of his breathing with sweat all over his forehead. Ji-woo also saw Mana surrounding Dong-hyun¡¯s entire body. A bright blue light emanated from it. He smiled and felt it was worth teaching Dong-hyun a bit of his knowledge about Mana from the Magical world. Slowly but surely, 2 hours had passed. And Dong-hyun was fully recovering. Even though he was not a genius, he was still not a bad student at all. ¡°Amazing!¡± Chapter 63: Loot Chapter 63: Loot Ji-woo smirked. The method he taught to Dong-hyun was simple and easy. But sadly, when Dong-hyun tried for the second timeter, he would have a hard time doing that again. Dong-hyun started to use his Mana Presence again. The Mana Presence he had was not very strong as he was only a low-rank hunter. So the surroundings were not get damaged at all. There were only small cracks under his feet. This time, Ji-woo struck up a conversation because it didn¡¯t disturb Dong-hyun¡¯s concentration to waste the Mana. ¡°Ah, right. I remember that hunters can grow stronger and increase their rank when consuming Magic Crystals or Magic Stones. Why isn¡¯t there any change at all even though you always use those items?¡± Dong-hyun doesn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at those words. He sometimes got confused with Ji-woo. In his eyes, Ji-woo asionally seemed like an expert but other times like an ignorant fool as well. There was also a time when Ji-woo looked really strong and then looked weak at the same time. It was really troublesome to guess what kind of person Ji-woo was. To Dong-hyun, Ji-woo¡¯s existence was like a puzzle that would never get solved. ¡°Hyung. You only use these things when you¡¯re not exhausting your Mana. Also, when absorbing Mana directly from Magic Crystals or Magic Stones, you can¡¯t stop halfway until you reach the threshold. If that happened because we couldn¡¯t deal with the heavy burden of mind and body that felt due to the Mana surge, we would have to start all over again. ¡°Hyung, Magic Crystals, and Magic Stones are expensive. If you do it carelessly and fail, how much capital is needed to cover the loss? ¡°A Magic Crystal costs around 1-2 Million won in any other ce. To improved from E-rank to D-rank, it takes hundreds of those things. So, the estimate should be about 50 Million won for the reserve fund. ¡°That¡¯s if you fail only once,¡± said Dong-hyun with a sedate face like a teacher talking to a student. Haha¨C Ji-wooughed lightly. He didn¡¯t expect the hunters was poor despite being paid quite a lot. It turned out that their consumption was so high. Not to mention other artifact items and weapons for hunting in the dungeon. ¡°Then, you definitely don¡¯t have much money, do you?¡± Ji-woo threw bait at Dong-hyun. ¡°Ey, Hyung! You can¡¯t underestimate me that much! I have 25 Million won in my savings. That is quite a lot for an E-rank hunter like me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Dong-hyun was bewildered by Ji-woo¡¯s strange reaction. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Ji-woo shamelessly asked. He doesn¡¯t need to be polite with Dong-hyun anymore in exchange for him teaching Dong-hyun a little about Mana. ¡°WHAT THE¡­ ¡°Ouch!¡± Dong-hyun eximed while holding his head that had got hit by Ji-woo¡¯s light smack. ¡°Don¡¯t swear arbitrarily.¡± ¡°Hyung, please don¡¯t exploit me!? My Red Crimson set is still being detained by the guild. And I need new armor to enter the dungeon until it returns. How could you do this to me!?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about it. I will return the money in 3 days. Stop being so dramatic.¡± Dong-hyun intently gawked while sulking. He acted like a kid who was angry with an adult. In reality, he didn¡¯t dare to refuse and just wired the money to Ji-woo. He wanted to focus on his training first instead of thinking about his current savings. A momentter, Dong-hyun began to meditate again like earlier, after his Mana got depleted. He tried to recover within 2 hours. However, this time Dong-hyun had a hard time doing it. Heined to Ji-woo. About why he still couldn¡¯t draw Mana from the Magic Crystal despite half an hour of meditation. ¡°Give me the remaining Magic Crystals. I exin while putting these things down.¡± Ji-woo then ced another 5 Magic Crystals on the ground, in the same way as the first. Its position encircled Dong-hyun as the center. ¡°You always recover Mana by resting or from these Magic Crystals. So you never feel the need to acquire Mana without the help of items or let it retrieve on its own. It is why your body is still unable and unustomed to this, even though you have experienced it once. ¡°You¡¯ve never done this before. It¡¯s a fresh feeling for you. That¡¯s why you can do it in 2 hours. But, because you¡¯ve got a little used to it, subconsciously, the focus bes on this thing. Not on your surroundings. It also makes you impatient as a result of previous sesses. And eventually, you start making a fuss when you can¡¯t absorb even a tiny bit of Mana in just half an hour.¡± Dong-hyun reflected on himself. He admitted to being impatient since it was pretty fast in the beginning. He wanted to be strong like Ji-woo, causing his head to get filled with greed. ¡°This is not something you can master in one go. You are not a genius. You can get through this only with a heart of steel and hard work. Don¡¯t be quick to whine just because something isn¡¯t going the way you hoped it would. ¡°This is when you have to make Mana truly a part of you. You are the one who controls Mana. Not the other way around.¡± Dong-hyun nodded solemnly. This time with 6 Magic Crystals in practice. He could replenish his Mana within 5 hours. Even though it was quite a long time, it helped him be proficient at Mana mastery a little bit. It was getting dark, and Ji-woo parted ways with Dong-hyun. He thanked Dong-hyun for the money and told Dong-hyun to train by himself until the deadline. There was nothing Ji-woo could teach Dong-hyun as long as he hadn¡¯t controlled the Mana in his body very well. Tomorrow, he also had to go to the Portal Gate that he bought from the broker. The next day, Ji-woo told his mother that he was going to the city of Gongju. Elijah agreed with a bit of trepidation. She could only pray for the safety of her son. Ji-woo then got on a bus with an inter-city route. Last night, he already transferred the money to the Broker, Jee Seok-jin. Seok-jin, the Broker, sent the Portal Gate location after getting his money from Ji-woo. He also said he would not meet at the venue because this kind of business was better to proceed without face to face. He also warned that low-tier Portal Gates without Gatekeepers were prone to get hijacked by the hunters not affiliated with the guild. Ji-woo would get robbed if he did not quickly take care of the Portal Gate. Actually, as a Broker, whether or not a client loses was none of Seok-jin¡¯s concern. But since Ji-woo was an acquaintance of Mister Lee, he was kind enough to share a bit of caution. Arriving in the city of Gongju, Ji-woo immediately activated the GPS and headed straight to the Portal Gate. The low-tier Portal Gate was small in size. Round with a radius of 2 meters. So, if it appeared in an area away from crowds or cities, it would be hard to find. When Ji-woo arrived at the ce, he was pretty surprised because the atmosphere was very peaceful. There were no people at all. He thought that there might be hunters who would try to enter the unguarded Portal Gate. However,e to think of it, no hunters would dare to intrude. The percentage rate for closing the Portal Gate was lower if their numbers were insufficient. It made sense since independent hunters were in the minority. On top of that, there was also a Mana restriction, so high-rank hunters wouldn¡¯t be interested in Portal Gates they couldn¡¯t enter. ¡°Tier-2 Portal Gate. It should have any items that can sell, and the result should probably exceed the money I borrowed from yesterday. ¡°Well, let¡¯s check it first.¡± Zap, Zap¨C Ji-woo entered the Portal Gate and emerged in the dungeon. Zip, Zip¨C The environment this time was a bit strange. A vast dense forest, and uniquely there was only one mountain in the middle. The hill was very arid and barren in contrast to the fresh forest below it. Ji-woo looked around and decided not to rush it. He wanted to extort all the items avable in the dungeon. He had no problem walking around and spending a few days there. As long as he can maximize his revenues, why not? Meanwhile, outside the dungeon, There were three D-rank hunters and four C-rank hunters standing in front of the tier-2 Portal Gate. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure. My friend from that guild gave information that this Portal Gate is already in the hands of a Broker. So, we won¡¯t have any conflict with them if we go in there.¡± ¡°Good! Time to loot!¡± The eyes of these seven hunters brightly shone like they were in front of a treasure. Sometimes opportunity would cloud people¡¯s judgment which would lead to their own demise. Chapter 64: Watching Chapter 64: Watching Ji-woo pacedfortably in the dungeon for 6 hours straight. As yet, he had not encountered any creatures at all. However, it didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest. In his journey through the dungeon during that time, he only got 3 Magic Crystals and 1 Obelisk Sphere. It was still far from his expectations. Those items only amounted to around 3 Million won if they were to get sold. That count excluded the Sphere itself since Ji-woo does not know the assessment of it. Ji-woo¡¯s n this time was to prolong his stay until he could dredge up all the valuables that were worth the money in the dungeon. He also asionally observed the surrounding, which he found was strange. So far, the dungeons that Ji-woo had entered. All the environments had Mana threads in the structure and shape, like a vein that animated the ce. From his experience in the Magical world, a dungeon was generally a natural one rather than an artificial one. But, even though it looked like a fake, it wasn¡¯t an illusion either. Apart from these dungeons. Creatures and items like Magic Crystals and Spheres were real. Not like it got created by someone. Ji-woo felt like someone deliberately created this dungeon-like ce with a purpose. If he had the chance, he wanted to interrogate the creatures about their objective. Who and why did these creatures bother to build such a massive dungeon like this? It was also for Ji-woo¡¯s interest, as he was worried that a Portal Gate might appear near where his sister and mother were. Even though he wasn¡¯t the type of hero who wanted to save the world, he admitted that his overall n required him to close all the Portal Gates. At the very least, he needed to ensure that South Korea was free from this disaster. On the other hand, the seven hunters from earlier entered the dungeon and appeared in a different ce from Ji-woo. ¡°Boss, isn¡¯t this a bit weird? There aren¡¯t any creatures here.¡± A C-rank hunter who was called a boss answered after a moment of silence. ¡°I also do not know. However, one thing is clear. If we get to the Dungeon Owner¡¯sir, we can get rich. ¡°A dungeon will always have a Dungeon Owner in it. And the spot where it stays while waiting in this ce is usually a treasure trove. Where mostly a lot of Magic Crystals, Magic Stones, artifact weapons and items are regrly scattered in there.¡± Another hunter chimed in. ¡°Boss! Following you have never gone wrong! But, how can we find the Dungeon Owner¡¯s ce?¡± ¡°We¡¯re lucky now. I¡¯m 100% sure. The Dungeon Owner is inside that mountain. It¡¯s impossible to be wrong!¡± The other six hunters nodded. They were fortunate this time. While no dangerous creatures were approaching, they could slowly search for items on their way to the mountain. ¡°Still. Be careful. On the way there, get whatever items we can get and be on alert in case we run into any creaturester.¡± Both Ji-woo and the seven hunters spent their time peacefully on their way to the mountain while gathering items they could get their hands on along the way. Due to the considerable distance from where they each appeared after entering the Portal Gate, it took them about two days to arrive at the foot of the mountain. The seven hunters climbed up a bit and found a cave that seemed to be heading into the mountain. Meanwhile, Ji-woo, on the opposite side, decided to circle the area instead of going up. Those seven hunters finally found their in question after a long time exploring the cave. There were no creatures in that ce. So, they feel relieved. They then looked around and saw a bunch of Magic Crystals and Magic stones scattered on the ground. ¡°Boss! We are rich!¡± ¡°Yeah! F*ck! 1, 2, 3, ¡­, there are 12 Magic Crystals and 5 Magic Stones here!¡± ¡°Be quiet! Lower your voices and quickly put those things into the duffel bag.¡± There was other stuff besides Magic Crystals and Magic Stones. Those were artifact weapons and items. Although, its value was lowerpared to other things. But, the quality was still far better than those made by the Hunters Association or humans. Thus far, everything had gone smoothly for these brave hunters who had entered the mountain. They were not scared of confronting the Dungeon Owner with a small number. Unfortunately, sometimes things that go smoothly were a sign of the calm before the storm. Drrzt! The ground where the hunters were standing rumbled. Suddenly, the seven of them got frightened because the tremors came from the opposite direction of the cave entrance. Boom! Ji-woo was surprised when he heard a bursting from the mountain. He turned around and saw arge creatureing out from within the mountain. ¡°Um, interesting. Thest few days, there has been no sign of any creatures in the entire forest. And now, there¡¯s a big Centipedeing out of the mountain. Why?¡± Ji-woo focused his eyes on the creature whose initial width was 10 meters wide, which moved its top like it wanted to throw something away. It wasn¡¯t long before he found the reason. He pondered why there were hunters inside his Portal Gate. At the same time, he also felt a huge Mana suddenly overflowing at the summit. He tilted his head left and right. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter why they are here. The fact that this ce is mine remains unchanged. I paid for it. Let¡¯s say you guys are out of luck where you shouldn¡¯t be.¡± He then found a rock the size of a chair and sat there, watching the fight between those hunters and the Centipede. He had no interest in meddling. Whether they had good or bad intentions, he didn¡¯t bother to think about sparing them at all. ¡°Boss, it looks like this creature is quite strong. With this size and durability, it is undoubtedly a Dungeon Owner!¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right! Even our weapons can¡¯t prate deep into the body. Do you have any explosives items?¡± ¡°I have several such talismans.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. I held that thing for a few seconds.¡± The hunter shared the talismans with the others. They prepared to attach it to the Centipede when their boss cast the restrain magic spell. ¡°Magic of Earth, Pir of Dire!¡± Drrzt! Six sturdy pirs of enormous size emerged from the ground and locked the movement of the Centipede. ¡°Now!¡± The other six hunters jumped up and stuck the talisman on the Centipede¡¯s body and then flew away from it. Kaboom! The talismans immediately exploded in quick session upon activation. The explosion contained a powerful fire that would not dissipate even after the time of the st had passed. The seven hunters saw the Centipede that had stopped moving with its upper body on fire. Smoke also covered a small part of the mountain where the hunters and the beast were fighting. Kiieenghhh! The Centipede roared and moved aggressively towards the seven hunters. The movement was so fast that it was able to diffuse the zes on its skin. ¡°Sh*t!¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± The seven hunters were surprised, and instead of retreating, they chose to advance with the same intention as the Centipede. The six hunters leaped up with their weapons, ready to sh with the beast while the boss of the hunters prepared a grand AOE magic spell. The march of the six hunters got thrown off because the Centipede mmed its front against the ground very hard. Its strength could not get matched by several D-rank hunters and C-rank hunters with such arge body. However, the boss, the C-rank hunter, was ready with his magic. ¡°Eat this sucker! ¡°Magic of Fire, Radiance mes! ¡°Magic of Electricity, Current Arc!¡± Kiieenghhh! Wossh! A small fireball entered the Centipede¡¯s mouth when it screamed and a momentter was followed by a stream of lightning. Kaboom! A powerful st erupted from the mouth of the Centipede. The explosion was enough to scorch the forest around the foot of the mountain. The seven hunters gathered in one ce. They all had several wounds on their bodies and were in quite a tired state. They then stared at the ce where the extensive fire was still raging from a distance. Suddenly, they heard apuse from behind them. They turned around and saw Ji-woo sitting on the rock, pping his hands. ¡°Good idea! A bunch of you couldn¡¯t pierce through the skin and then chose to attack the inside. But sadly, that wasn¡¯t enough. That giant bug didn¡¯t weaken in the slightest. Its Mana was still as great as before.¡± ¡°Who are you!?¡± ¡°How can you be here!?¡± ¡°Who am I? I should be the owner of this ce if we exclude the Dungeon Owner. Also, all of you can be here. Why can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Hey, b**tard! Be careful with your words!¡± ¡°Brat! Seeking death!¡± ¡°Is not b**tard or brat. It¡¯s Ji-woo. Kim Ji-woo. ¡°Your God of Death!¡± Ji-woo smirked and squatted down on the rock. Now, he nned to finish them off by himself instead of watching. He changed his mind after looking at the duffel bag those hunters were carrying. He couldn¡¯t let the bag got destroyed because of the carelessness of the hunters. Chapter 65: Engulfed in Flames Chapter 65: Engulfed in mes Ji-woo got off the rock. He stood in front of the seven hunters while putting his hands behind his back. Several hunters gritted their teeth and wanted to jump straight at Ji-woo. However, it was interrupted by a sudden movement from the direction of the burning area. Kiieenghhh! The Centipede cried out loud an overwhelmed sound and created waves of wind that blew across the forest. ¡°What the f*ck!?¡± ¡°That thing is still alive!?¡± Ji-woo closed their gap from a distance, ignoring the rampaging Centipede before those hunters could react to the situation. Hended a crushing blow on one of the hunters. Bang! The hunter, who got punched by Ji-woo, was flung low and crashed on the ground far away. The other six hunters got confounded by the action. Then, all of them shifted their gazes to Ji-woo. ¡°B*st*rd! What have you done!!?¡± ¡°Magic of Earth, God Hand!¡± The boss responded by casting his magic immediately. A giant-shaped hand emerged from thend and directed a punch to Ji-woo. The other hunters also didn¡¯t stay still and gripped their weapons, attacking Ji-woo simultaneously. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Good, making use of the numbers.¡± He praised their choice of battle. But, it was not enough to do anything to him. Duarg! The stone-shaped hand got crushed by Ji-woo¡¯s right punch. He thus kicked the hand-shaped stone debris to fly towards the other hunters who charged on him with weapons in their hands. ¡°Argkh!¡± ¡°Kuuh!¡± The hunters¡¯ attacks stopped midway. After a while, all the hunters strike at Ji-woo again, and it bes a full-fledged brawl. They got driven by anger despite being slightly injured by the debris. They didn¡¯t bother using any magic spells for closebat. They had also forgotten the Centipede. The six hunters fought Ji-woo intensely. But, Ji-woo was only toying with them, dodging every assault with ease. ¡°Well, Let¡¯s settle this quickly. That giant bug will being here shortly.¡± Haaa! Ji-woo kicked the hunter in front of him in the stomach. He then twisted his body tond another kick on the other hunters on his back. Not finished yet, he disappeared and appeared behind another hunter andnded another blow on the hunter¡¯s head. The remaining hunters did not give up and were not frightened even after seeing theirrades got beaten so easily. They continued to attack with killing intent. However, the scuffle did notst long as the Centipede crashed down to where the fight was taking ce. Boom! The other three hunters were likely to get dragged down by the onught due to the slow reactions. Meanwhile, Ji-woo quickly jumped back to avoid the collision. ¡®It¡¯s not easy. The size of this insect is quiterge. Should I test the skin¡¯s durability first?¡¯ Ji-woo hopped his right foot lightly on the ground and hovered for a moment, then disappeared with an explosion on the spot. He moved in full force and decided to strike the Centipede¡¯s face. Kiieenghhh! Ji-woo gripped his right hand so tightly that the veins were visible on his forearm. Next, he punched the giant insect really hard and caused a shockwave in the air. Haaa! Bang! The Centipede was thrown violently and crashed into the bottom of the mountain. ¡°Huh!? Dead? I didn¡¯t expect that!¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t expect the Centipede¡¯s head to explode from the blow. He had thought the insect would have an astonishing endurance that could withstand his attacks. But he couldn¡¯t rx just yet. There was one arrow shrouded in mes shooting towards him before he wasing down from the air. Ji-woo caught the arrow smoothly, and the mes dissipated. However, due to the immense power that the thing possessed, he slightly got pushed back the moment hended. Afterward, he checked the item and was surprised that the material was sturdy, and he couldn¡¯t destroy the arrow itself. The arrows came from the direction the Centipede fell. It was fired at full speed by the creature that overflowed its Mana earlier when Ji-woo observed the Centipede¡¯s fight with the hunters. Ji-woo drew closer to the mountain. And he found that the creature was already standing on the carcass of the Centipede. The creature was a hybrid. Abination where the upper part was a human and the lower part was a spider. That individual had six spider eyes as well as six spider legs with only two human arms. The top was saturated with reddish-yellow skin, while the bottom got saturated with dark yellow. It was a color that blended perfectly with the fire element that the creature showcased when it shot the arrow at Ji-woo. ¡°I apologize for letting you die such a miserable death, Kheilos. But rest assured. I will kill that human to make an offering to you.¡± The hybrid creature then snapped its fingers, and a small Fire Spirit appeared. She put the Fire Spirit into the Centipede. Ji-woo frowned when he saw that. An elemental spirit was like a soul that could live once it got created. The ego was also capable of using the attributes of the primary element it got made of it. The body of the Centipede that got possessed by the Fire Spirit began to shine brightly. After a second, the entire carcass got enveloped with mes. It started to move even though it had no head. Suddenly, the zes that spread throughout the insect¡¯s body gathered at the missing top. Kiieenghhh! The Centipede that looked like a nasty giant insect a moment ago was now like a ferocious fire beast that could fly and rampage through the forest. Moreover, the head of the creature had no living parts and only had a fire-shaped head. ¡°Go, Kheilos!¡± The Undead Centipede charged at Ji-woo with a full-throttle while the hybrid creature stood in Kheilos¡¯ mes head. ¡°As Queen Mother, Arakhne. I will take your head. Kneel before my bow! O, human!¡± Arakhne¡¯s bnce was not disturbed even though the undead Centipede moved roughly. She raised the bow and pulled the string with her left hand. Out of nowhere, two fiery arrows appeared. Those arrows then got fired at Ji-woo. The two arrows had greater power than before. At this moment, the trees the arrows passed were burning. And the ground where the Undead Centipede was moving was scorched. It caused the surroundings to be dark and full of smoke. Ji-woo stomped his feet one by one with a heavy sound, making a deep pit in the floor. He spread his arms and stretched them backward with all his might. He subsequently swung his arms forward to produce a loud pping. And at the same time, he also made quite a powerful wind-wave from it. Woosh! The wind waves were able to extinguish the fire that burned the forest. The cloud of smoke that covered the area also subsided. However, the wind pressure from Ji-woo was unable to stop the two fiery arrows, and it was only enough to change its trajectory from him as the target. The Undead Centipede then released fire mixed along with poison with its mouth at Ji-woo. Likewise, with Arakhne, she immediately pulled the bowstring again tounch another fiery arrow. This time, Ji-woo didn¡¯t n to dodge Arakhne and Kheilos¡¯ attacks. He chose to go forward and pierce through the stream of toxin mes. Since he had the Nullifier, the Undead Centipede¡¯s burst couldn¡¯t do anything to him. And he would effortlessly go through the breathing and enter the insect¡¯s mouth. Arakhne was surprised how Ji-woo didn¡¯t back down and instead chose to go into a spurt of toxic mes directly. ¡°What¡¯s that human doing!?¡± The flustered Arakhne suddenly lost her bnce as the Undead Centipede moved erratically. She fell and luckily was able to set up the cobwebs beforending on the ground. She stared at the Undead Centipede, who was moving like it was getting tortured. Kiieenghhh! The Undead Centipede cried out in pain as it emitted enormous fire and poison from its mouth. The giant insect¡¯s entire body also got enveloped in hellish mes. The moment of the Undead Centipede¡¯s outrage stopped. All the mes on its body were gone, and the mes-head disappeared too. The Centipede¡¯s carcass fell to the ground, and Ji-woo emerged from there while holding the Fire Spirit on his left hand, causing the creature to vaporize. Ji-woo seemed fine after experiencing the poison fire of the Centipede. There were no signs of wounds all over his body. Only the clothes got worn out. Meanwhile, Arakhne gaped at the sight of the Fire Spirit struggling to break through from Ji-woo¡¯s grasp. The Fire Spirit tried to burn Ji-woo with its most extraordinary fire. Ji-woo then got engulfed in mes. However, he ignored it and strangled the Fire Spirit until it evaporated, leaving only the smog. It made Arakhne stumbled in the cobwebs upon seeing how dominant Ji-woo was against her summon. ¡°Why? Surprised I wasn¡¯t hurt at all? ¡°Magic is futile.¡± Ji-woo smirked and walked towards Arakhne while submerged in mes like the Fire Lord approaching a pitiful soul. Chapter 66: Irrational Chapter 66: Irrational The mes that engulfed Ji-woo¡¯s body dissipated after a few steps. Next, he dashed again and showed up before Arakhne. The Queen Mother was shocked. Instead of being scared and retreat, she chose to be offensive. She instinctively used the current cobwebs at this time to stop Ji-woo¡¯s movement. And then jumped andnded with her legs to captivate the immobile Ji-woo. The action was sessful so far. However, Ji-woo just looked nonchnt at Arakhne¡¯s quick exertion. Arakhne, on the other hand, surprisingly finished wrapping up the very calm Ji-woo. She held Ji-woo with her six legs and pointed her bow at his head. ¡°I was scared for a moment there. Turn out it¡¯s going to be this easy. You¡¯re running out of luck, human!¡± Arakhne grinned. She felt confident in her practical victory over Ji-woo. She concluded Ji-woo past actions of killing Kheilos and the Fire Spirit was just a stroke of luck. She pulled the bowstring, and an arrow appeared. A great me also showed up within it. ¡°Die!¡± Suddenly, a hand came through the wrapping web before the fiery arrow was released and grabbed it. ¡°I told you, magic is futile.¡± ¡°Impossible!!!¡± Arakhne¡¯s six eyes widened at the sight of her wrapping web got broken so easily. Also, the arrow¡¯s mes dissipated when Ji-woo held onto it. ¡°This bow is a bit special, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ji-woo broke the wrapping web and tried to grab Arakhne¡¯s bow after throwing the arrow. However, Arakhne resisted and wanted to back away from Ji-woo. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t able to do it. She struggled to break free because of Ji-woo¡¯s tight grip. She had no choice but to remove her hands from the bow and use her mouth to grab it. The two avable hands managed to force Ji-woo to break away from the bow. Ji-woo scowled at how frantically Arakhne wanted to separate him from the bow. Arakhne¡¯s two hands were able to rival the pulling force of his one hand. The weapon would end up falling to its original owner if he didn¡¯t do something to it. He then quickly let go of the bow and instead grabbed one of Arakhne¡¯s arms. Zrret! Both Ji-woo and Arakhne separated in opposite ways. They stood and faced each other from a distance. Their circumstances were very different. Ji-woo¡¯s left side clothes look worn and almostpletely gone. He looked like a beggar with that half-naked appearance, except his face was still fresh and handsome. Meanwhile, Arakhne didn¡¯t look very well. Her right arm was missing, and purple blood was dripping from it. ¡°Is it necessary to sacrifice an arm in exchange for that bow?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t expect Arakhne to go that far only to save the bow. He acknowledged that the weapon was unique since it could summon other things unrted to the elements. But, it also led him to conclude that hybrid couldn¡¯t do anything without the bow. Arakhne ignored Ji-woo and clenched her teeth. She then shouted a loud, piercing voice towards the sky. The color of her eyes changed from pitch ck to scarlet. mes began to wrap around her lower body. Furthermore, she emitted an extremely powerful Mana Presence, causing the field around her to vibrate and rubble to levitate with the zephyr. Ji-woo noticed the Mana fluctuation in the hybrid. It rmed him a little bit. Arakhne jumped and spun in the air while releasing her cobwebs. This time the webs were shrouded in mes and enclosed Ji-woo as the center, like making a birdcage. She also made cobwebs as a foothold above the ground. So, she could aim at Ji-woo urately. ¡°Geez, you earless creature.¡± Arakhne wasn¡¯t discouraged even though she realized magic might really not work with Ji-woo. She continued to increase her Mana Presence until she reached her maximum strength. ¡°Heh, don¡¯t ever think you can leave this ce intact, human!¡± Arakhne held the bow with two legs and pulled the string with her left hand. After that, countless arrows cloaked in mes appeared above her head. It was enough to create a giant shadow on the ground with those tiny ck dots. ¡°D*mn it! I might end up being nakedter.¡± Ji-woo was more worried about his clothes. Rather than what those pieces could do to him after seeing the countless fire arrows. It was annoying for him to have the need to dodge the arrows even though he was actually able to use one hand to erase the magic before damaging his clothes. The problemy in that strong bolts that he could not destroy. The material was sturdy, and the sharpness was able to graze him. It could even cut his skin if he tanked the arrows too much. Arakhne released the bowstring. And those fiery arrows shot at Ji-woo, who was inside the fire webs cage. Boom, Boom! The fiery arrows caused the ground to quake and got damaged. The debris and cloud of dust were everywhere, covering the nearby area. Ji-woo sometimes redirected the arrows to the ground or caught them with his bare hands. However, the arrows seemed like never-ending bullets that rained down at him. He then quickly took countermeasures. He lowered his body while blocking his head with his hands amidst the countless arrows were grazing and cutting through his skin. Raaarrghh!! Ji-woo straightened his body and roared. It created a powerful shockwave that extinguished the mes in the arrow and was enough to make those arrows stop in midair and fall. The shockwave also sted Arakhne away even though she had a firm foothold in her cobwebs. Not only that, even the rest of the trees surrounding Ji-woo and Arakhne were swept away by the shockwave. The environment became like a barrennd in the circle of battles that took ce. It was in contrast to some of the other parts of the dungeon that had fresh forest. The dust cloud finally subsided after a moment. Arakhne was finally able to get to her feet after getting thrown quite a distance while bouncing several times on the ground. She then caught her breath. She tried to find where Ji-woo was. But only to find it was behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this meaningless fight. I don¡¯t want to let Nullifier mess with me. Right now, I¡¯m almost simr to his rambling fighting style out of habit.¡± Zrret! Arakhne that in confusion from not knowing what Ji-woo meant, suddenly saw her vision spinning before she could turn her head. Meanwhile, Ji-woo expressionlessly just stared at Arakhne¡¯s head which was spinning in the air at the snap of his hands. The headless Arakhne also just stood up and twitched. Finally, the body fell at the same time as the head fell to the ground. Ji-woo sighed, but his breathing was heavy. His arms, shoulders, and neck were shaking. It was due to the previous roar taking a toll on his physical strength. It was akin to before when he used the Null Eyes. And when he ran at full speed to the Red Gate. Those two events caused tension throughout his body. ¡®It happened again. I need to build some muscle mass and gain True Strength first to see if this can get solved or not.¡¯ Ji-woo spected about the limitations in some of his abilities. It could have been due to his different circumstances on earth and his time in the Magical world. He looked at the surroundings as a result of the battle. Next, he needed to search for the remains of the previous hunters. He wanted to find the duffel bag those people were carrying since it had many valuables from the dungeon. ¡°Huh!?¡± Ji-woo looked at the corpse of the Dungeon Owner. Unexpectedly, it left a Mana Core other than a Dungeon Bead. If hebined everything he¡¯d gotten so far, the profit reached almost 100 Million won. It was by far tripling his initial cost. He then calmed down and caught his breath. The shaking in some parts of his body was gone. He searched at some of the ruins and finally found the duffel bag after a few minutes of looking around. However, Ji-woo¡¯s movements stopped before he checked the inside of the bag after he felt the edge of a sword on his neck. ¡°Haha, good. That monster is dead, and now the pile of money has umted into one spot. Brat, be a good boy and give it to me. I¡¯ll let you live.¡± It was the boss hunter who seemed to be the only survivor. He threatened Ji-woo to let go of the bag and hand over all that was left. Ji-woo tilted his head while the edge of the sword was getting pressed against the skin of his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t move!!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand your logic. Have you lost a few screws in your head?¡± ¡°What!!?¡± Ji-woo quickly turned and hit the hunter¡¯s hand that wielded the sword with his left elbow. The long metal de detached and turned to point at the hunter¡¯s chest, which he then struck with his right palm. Srret! Tugk¨C The hunter fell to the ground sideways and spat out blood. He was in pain as he stared intently at Ji-woo, unable to utter any words. ¡°Has greed clouded your judgment enough to cripple your rational thinking!? That monster died by my hands. And you should know the difference between our strengths from that. What an idiot!¡± Chapter 67: Forging Chapter 67: Forging It was a long day for Ji-woo. He took out a new outfit from the duffel bag to change his barely shaped one, though he didn¡¯t know why there was a hoodie and pants in it. For shoes, he took them from a dead hunter. He only took those, not the artifact items or weapons they were wearing. The quality of the objects was not up to his standards. So, he just threw it aside. Only the Dungeon Owner¡¯s fiery bow was able to pique his interest, and he decided to take it with him. Ji-woo chose to exit the dungeon without using the Dungeon Bead. Since he was the one who killed the Dungeon Owner, he had the right about the exit. If he used that item instead, those corpses would definitely follow him out as well. As mister Lee said before, all those who came from outside the Portal Gate would be able to return with the Dungeon Bead. While without it, only living beings from outside could leave. Ji-woo got 5 Obelisk Spheres, 1 Mana Core, 17 Magic Crystals, and 5 Magic Stones as the harvest of the dungeon. The total was estimated to be around 95 million won. That was if he sold it at the lowest market price. He might earn more if he knew how to bargain or found the right ce for it. Ji-woo preferred to go back with the train this time rather than the bus. While waiting, he pondered about where to sell those items. He knew about Magic Crystals and Magic Stones prices. But not about the Mana Core. The inte had only a bit of information for it and only mentioned it was expensive. Ji-woo went to Seoul first beforeing back home to Mapo. The ce he visited was the Hunters Association. There was an armory shop on the 13th floor. ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡± The shop assistant bowed respectfully despite how ordinary Ji-woo looks. Every hunter who came to the shop would buy or sell magic-rted items. So, it was their standard operating procedure to serve anyone who came without discriminating. Ji-woo scanned the room. The ce had a huge space. However, it does not match with theck of items on disy. There were only about a dozen artifacts, and some of them clearly got made by an amateur. ¡°Yes. Can you appraise this one?¡± Ji-woo took out the Mana Core from the duffel bag. The shop assistant had the necessary knowledge to run the shop. So, she knew about the Mana Core. She smiled and answered Ji-woo¡¯s request. ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary Mana Core, sir. There¡¯s nothing special about it. And if you n to sell it to us, we can offer you 25 million won.¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes and red at the female assistant. Mana Core obviously had more Mana than Magic Stone. And information about the price of the Magic Stone was known to him, which was around 10 to 15 million won. The price should be at least double the maximum price of the Magic Stone. The shop assistant continued to smile even though Ji-woo kept staring at her without saying anything. Before long, she began to sweat coldly on her temples. She wanted to express refusal to raise the price but canceled the idea after some thought. ¡®Why does this man seem to be putting such unusual pressure on me? I feel like I¡¯m standing in front of a giant.¡¯ The female assistant then gulped and rearranged her words. ¡°S-Sorry, sir. If you don¡¯t like the price, how about 35 million won? We can¡¯t go any lower than this. With a heavy heart, sorry if it offends you.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Yes!!?¡± The woman was astounded. She thought Ji-woo would demand more. Hunters who usually stop by the shop to sell a Mana Core frequently asked for around 40 million won. Since the highest price that item managed to hit was 50 million won while the lowest was 30 million won. So, the average price was what most of them always use. At that price, the shop could only make a small profit from it. ¡°And I also want to sell this one and this one too.¡± Ji-woo took 1 Magic Stone and 1 Magic Crystal, cing them on the table apart from the Mana Core. He didn¡¯t want to sell the remaining items because he had a use for them. However, the woman doesn¡¯t respond, causing Ji-woo to knock on the table to wake her up. ¡°So, what is the total price of these three items?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. All of these three should be about 48.2 million won. Ugh. Ehm, how about that, sir?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The woman breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sir, may I have your hunter ID card? I apologize for the inconvenience. However, it¡¯s a requirement for every transaction made in the shop.¡± Ji-woo just nodded and gave his hunter ID to the shop assistant. ¡®Wow, I almost forgot I had another ID like this.¡¯ The transaction gotpleted after a few minutes. And he received a notification about the money transfer too. The woman¡¯s first impression changed after the transaction was smoothly processed. She thought Ji-woo was kind, and she ventured to ask because of that. ¡°Sir, are you interested in selling that bow?¡± the woman asked, pointing at the fiery bow beside the duffel bag. From the moment Ji-woo entered the shop, the weapon had caught her eyes. It was able to make her ignored Ji-woo¡¯s mysterious appearance with a hood that slightly covered his forehead. ¡°No. This bow is not for sale. Bye, see yater!¡± Ji-woo wasn¡¯t surprised by the shop assistant¡¯s attitude. It was normal not to act arrogantly and look down on customers if looked at the shop¡¯s state. There was already a short supply to the hunters in need. Items and weapons of good quality and suitable for the user¡¯s use were scarce. The desire to increase their strength with Magic Crystals and Magic Stones was also very high. So, it was proper to treat someone who came to sell good items with kindness and courtesy. However, Ji-woo knew this type of business would thrive because the hunters had high demand but had low supply. His n to raise massive sums of money could get aplished through that. He also started thinking about leaving the Demigod guild at another time. On the way back, Ji-woo bought another new shirt and threw away the one he used. His appearance in front of his mother was necessary to reassure her about his job as a hunter. At home, Elijah greeted Ji-woo in the usual way. She was d her son didn¡¯t get hurt in the slightest. But, Ji-won acted opposite to her mother. She sulked and ignored her brotherpletely. Ji-woo ignored his little sister¡¯s tantrum for the moment and went to his own room. He currently had 6 Obelisk Orbs, 4 Magic Stones, and 16 Magic Crystals. And not to forget about the fire bow, which became his first collection. He wanted to forge some items first with these limited resources. And for sure, he would use the 4 Obelisk Spheres to start his ancient training. He also transferred Dong-hyun¡¯s money back and told him to meet the day after tomorrow. The money he had left was 25 million won. It was still little and far from enough for his ns to keep his family safe, even though that much money should be enough to pay off his family¡¯s debt, maybe a quarter of it. In the morning, Ji-woo, as usual, helped his mother carry the necessities to the food stall. After that, he went to found a factory to try forging the items he wanted. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find any factories in South Korea simr to the ones cksmiths used to forge things. He had no other choice but to do it the hard way. He visited andfill site, a ce where the fire usually burns. Ji-woo talked to the person in charge. He asked for a small secluded ce with fire equipment, separate from the one they used to incarnate the garbage heap. He got what he needed with an upfront payment of 2 million won for two days. It was because the equipment was not from an actual cksmith¡¯s tool. So, the time it took and the method were slightly different, especially with the heat that only reached a maximum of 1300 degrees Celsius. Ji-woo began the forging, alone in a small basement. He took out 4 Obelisk Spheres; 4 ankle and wrist weights. He held one Obelisk Sphere and stared at it. His grasp gradually tightened as time passed. Teng! Szuup! The Sphere shattered, and the silver-colored Rare Mana appeared and looked about to explode. But, it quickly got stopped by Ji-woo with both hands. Ji-woo was able to touch that Mana because of his soul, the Nullifier. Unlike the ordinary Mana that instantly disappeared when there was physical contact with him. He put the Silver Mana into a small incinerator. He then did the same to the remaining three Obelisk Spheres while watching the process inside the furnace. Suddenly, there was a magical energy leak inside the incinerator. It caused the small basement to tremble. Ji-woo deftly blocked the leak of magical energy with his hands. After sessfully controlling the situation, he then threw the ankle and wrist weights into it. The fire inside the equipment couldn¡¯t melt those stuff because of the Rare Mana. The fire in the incinerator would merge the Rare Mana with the ankle and wrist weights. It was the only method for the Obelisk Sphere. Clearly, other Spheres would require a different mechanism for it. Ji-woo also had no choice but to stay behind to oversee the merging progress. If his not scrutinizing, the magical energy leaked out would cause a big explosion, especially with the four Spheres in the incinerator. The merger process should take about 31 hours with a hot temperature of only around 1100-1300 degrees Celsius. Chapter 68: What is Fear? Chapter 68: What is Fear? At night, somewhere else around Seoul. In an abandoned subway station. The ce was no longer in use because there was a Portal Gate above it. The lights of the subway station were dim, and there were footsteps that broke the silence of the night. The sound of footsteps stopped after a while. A man who had just arrived stood in front of the man with sunsses. They could recognize each other with the help of the moonlighting in from the entrance stairs. ¡°Do you want to stir up arge-scale battle here!? Do you want to die that badly!!?¡± The man who had just arrived spoke in a rather loud voice. He then used his Mana Presence. Almost the entire section of the subway station shook, and debris floated around with powerful winds. The walls were cracked and broken. The ce might copse at any moment. The sunsses man raised his hand with his palm in the front. It made the other man¡¯s Mana Presence disappear before destroying the subway. ¡°Calm down. Do you want to tear down this ce!?¡± ¡°Why did you ask to meet? If the Hunters Association finds out you are here in South Korea. This nation will be a battleground!¡± The man didn¡¯t expect his Mana Presence would get dismissed in a casual manner. He gritted his teeth while holding back his anger. The sunsses man sighed. ¡°Okay, I know. I know. Why is it soplicated? Isn¡¯t that an easy thing for you? Those people watching at the airport are your people. How could HA possibly know I was here? Take it easy, my friend.¡± The man¡¯s veins protruded on his forehead. ¡°No need for small talk. What was your purpose for meeting!?¡± ¡°Well, I just wanted to give this to you.¡± The sunsses man smiled and tossed a stack of papyrus paper to the man across from him. The man frowned. ¡°Only this!? We don¡¯t need to meet over something trivial like this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been five years since I left South Korea. I need a ce to stay here. It should be closer to where you are. Or your guild is. That¡¯s better.¡± The sunsses man nned to settle down near that man¡¯s ce. He thought the Hunters Association¡¯s people would not know and would be unable to trace his whereabouts. The man nodded in agreement with the request. He wanted to end the meeting as quickly as possible, even though he didn¡¯t like got ordered around about it. Yes, it was risky. But, no one would suspect anything at all. That could be the reason for him to monitor the movement of the sunsses man too. The sunsses man turned around and spoke while emphasizing his words. ¡°That¡¯s thest Portal Gate Codex from me. There will be no more from now on. We are at the beginning of the Final Gate. Get ready and do your preparations well. I¡¯ll rip your neck if anything goes wrong!¡± The man engraved those words into his head. He knew the warning was genuine. The man in front of him was more powerful than thest time he saw him. Deep down, he knew he was afraid of the man despite being irritated by his orders to meet face to face and about the amodation. Now, they were entering thest phase of the Final Gate that would eradicate humanity. Any hunter who was in that objective would definitely need to n their next move carefully. The next morning. Ji-woo stayed up all night in a small basement. He had already told his family about it. So, it was all right to stay upte and note home. He also just called and informed his mother that he would bete went back home today. Ji-woo sat on a wooden chair, monitoring the forging. The room was almost full of dust. Whenever there was a magical energy leak, the room would vibrate, and he would suppress the Silver Mana from exploding. Of course, he always managed to control the situation, not causing any idents. But, he still needed another 10 hours toplete the merger. He doesn¡¯t forget to tell Dong-hyun about today¡¯s meeting, which would get postponed to thete afternoon. He also told Dong-hyun to meet at the same ce as before. It would be convenient for Ji-woo in the future if he had a factory or something simr to a smithy. There were many things he desired. For example, a battle armor or battle suit itself. He couldn¡¯t always fight and ended up getting naked after it. He also had to hire a cksmith or master forger for that. On the other hand, artifact items and weapons were a great business that could be his founding for his intelligence agency. It would cost him a lot of money to gather information in the world, more than the money he required to set up a factory or pay off debts. There was no reason for Ji-woo not to take the opportunity. He could craft good quality items and weapons with his knowledge of Spheres. Of course, his artifacts would be different from others. Because Ji-woo didn¡¯t know about the item-to-user binding spell or more to be exact, he didn¡¯t understand about the magic inscription. The atmosphere of silence and peace finally came after Ji-woo doing the same thing for the next 10 hours in the small basement. Ji-woo looked at the incinerator. There was no trace of Silver Mana anymore. Instead, only the weight of the ankles and wrists remained in the furnace, along with the mes still burning. He smiled and turned off the fire engine. He took out his things and left the basement. He immediately put the weights on his ankles and wrists without further ado. When he came out, the person in charge of thendfill site approached him. The person asked why the basement was shaking and calmed down after a while. Ji-woo ignored that person and continued to walk out. He had no obligation to answer. It was already dusk when Ji-woo arrived at the foot of the mountain. He could see Dong-hyun was waiting for him. Dong-hyun had a cheerful mood when he greeted Ji-woo. It showed that he had some results with his training tests. Ji-woo put the duffel bag on the ground and crossed his arms across his chest. He then told Dong-hyun to show him the results of his control over Mana Presence. In fact, Ji-woo was impressed by the fact that Dong-hyun¡¯s control over his Mana was much better than it was a few days ago. Dong-hyun¡¯s Mana Presence was also able tost longer than before. ¡°How about it? I¡¯m a genius, right, hyung?¡± ¡°Yes, whatever. Then, now. I forbid you to use this Mana Presence thing for an indefinite period of time. Or rather, I¡¯m telling you to abandon this audacious method. It will make your magical energy go to waste unless you can grow stronger or reach S-rank in no time. ¡°Also, Don¡¯t learn magic spells through that Skill Page thing anymore too. It limits your magic knowledge.¡± Dong-hyun was taken aback by Ji-woo¡¯s speech. He had already pushed his limits to train his Mana Presence. But, only to be thrown away, now? How could he digest that teaching? Ji-woo smiled subtly, looking at Dong-hyun, who was confused and lost. ¡°Why, you don¡¯t want to do it? You can withdraw from this training. I never forced you to obey my teachings either.¡± Dong-hyun had a headache at how mischievously Ji-woo teased him. He swallowed hard and nodded his head reluctantly. He wanted to ask the reason. However, he suppressed curiosity and tried to trust Ji-woo blindly. ¡°But, hyung. Can you show me your full strength first? I¡¯ve seen you fight before, but now I want to see it up close. I need to gauge the strength that I can achieveter by throwing away almost everything I learned so far.¡± Ji-woo tilted his head. ¡°Even though I said I could make you stronger. Achieving my power is a different matter.¡± He put down his arms and let out his Aura of Fear. This time without holding back anything to let Dong-hyun knew the difference. The moment Dong-hyun felt the Aura of Fear. He started to feel nauseous. Before long, without him noticing, he was already kneeling to the ground. He also got troubled to lift his head to look at Ji-woo because his instincts told him that it would be a dangerous endeavor. It was as if his eyes met Ji-woo¡¯s. It would be thest time he would saw the world. The Aura of Fear was different from Mana Presence. The Aura didn¡¯t damage an area like Mana Presence did with wind pressure, floating debris, and cracked ground. The Aura also didn¡¯t have an ability that increased physical strength as Mana Presence did. The only thing they had inmon was putting pressure on the people in front of the user. In just a matter of seconds, Dong-hyun was already hunched over on the ground. That was when he knew he screwed up if he dared to became Ji-woo¡¯s enemy. It also made him believe, no matter how strong he was in the future. In front of Ji-woo, he was just an ant trying to crawl back into the anthill. Even without such fear, Dong-hyun was never able to fight Ji-woo. The stronger Dong-hyun got, the more he knew how scary it was when magic doesn¡¯t work. Chapter 69: Basic of Mages Chapter 69: Basic of Mages Dong-hyun gulped and listened intently. Ji-woo¡¯s show of power was enough to remind him how terrifying Ji-woo was. Despite the fact, it was only the tip of the iceberg of Ji-woo¡¯s real strength. Basically, Ji-woo was like a natural enemy to the hunters with his Nullifier. The hunters were the ones who had the blessing of God to handle the power of Nature through Mana. The stronger they were, the more they depended on Mana. And when Mana was useless, it would devastate them. Like people inplete darkness, still able tough and smile because of the fire. However, when the fire dissipated, there was nothing left for them. There was only a sense of loss and despair waiting for them as darkness devoured their souls. Of course, there would always be exceptions. Everything would always have bnce to maintain the order of the world. People who had a great understanding of magic would be able to contest Ji-woo in a battle. In simple words, a powerful Mage or they got usually referred to as a Sage. It was because magic wasn¡¯t just about borrowing power from Nature. It was also a form of wisdom and knowledge. There was no limitation to it when it came to evolution. ¡°Alright. Now, I will teach and exin at the same time.¡± Ji-woo exined about Mana Presence. It was a poor technique used by low-rank hunters, even though it was nice to increase the overall strength more than what Mana had enhanced. To be more precise, a hunter with low Mana capacity. Not only did it drain Mana continuously to kept the explosive power intact, but it was physically taxing too. It was not great for the users. It would slow down their development as they only knew to expend Mana without learning to control it. Mana should flow like water in a calm and tranquil manner, not violent and chaotic. It is wasteful and inefficient. Ji-woo told Dong-hyun to learn about the short burst ability. It was the same concept as an ordinary person with a momentary explosive power to propel the car alone at a critical moment. Dong-hyun should treat his own Mana moderately since he was pretty good at controlling his Mana now. He had to use Mana as needed and only for a short period of time. Ji-woo then demonstrated how the intermittently released power works. He was standing in front of a tree. He clenched one hand and leaned it against the tree. Bang! Dong-hyun was startled by the sound. But, he was more surprised to see that the tree was okay and still standing afterward. Ji-woo shook his head. ¡°Look at the other side of this tree.¡± ¡°Hah!?¡± Dong-hyun was confused. However, he still walked away to see the other side of the tree. When he saw it, he was astonished by the result. The opposite side of the tree that Ji-woo punched was absolutely a mess. It was broken and damaged. There was a crack split from top to bottom. If it weren¡¯t for the roots that were firmly on the ground, the tree would have fallen like a human who had lost his ability to stand. Dong-hyun refused to believe it and used Ji-woo of tricking him. ¡°Hyung! Your strength is already extraordinary. What does that have to do with the technique!? It is absurd! ¡°Ouch!¡± Ji-woo hit Dong-hyun on the head as usual. ¡°Try it first andinter. Don¡¯t act like a kid.¡± Dong-hyun nodded his head repeatedly. He stood up and walked toward another tree. But, he got stopped by Ji-woo. ¡°Do that to the ground and use your Mana Presence forparison.¡± Dong-hyun let out his Mana Presence and punched the field as hard as he could. Bang! The ground shook and cracked. Dong-hyun was amazed at the result of his punch. He never expected to grow strong a little bit in the span of three days through Mana Presence training. ¡°Now, stop that and start feeling the Mana in your body. If necessary, close your eyes. Focus on one output, your hand. Release it as soon as you deliver the punch.¡± Dong-hyun closed his eyes and controlled his Mana efficiently. There was no change with his Mana flow. But then, the moment his punching motion became a reality. His Mana flow rapidly changed. Haa! Boom! It was different from before, where Dong-hyun was trying to hit hard. A bit of cloud of dust covered his arm. The field was not damaged and cracked like previously. However, it created a hole with the size of a fist and a depth of 30 cm. The result caused Dong-hyun to disbelieve he was the one that did it. The difference was clear with Ji-woo¡¯s teachings. The other one seemed dangerous on the surface, while the other one was deep and deadly. However, it was different from Dong-hyun¡¯s reaction. Ji-woo was not happy with the result. It was far from what he expected. It could be due to the rush, or Dong-hyun¡¯s control was still not perfect. ¡°I really am a genius! It is so easy! Hyung, you should teach me more!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡®Hah, brat! Let me show you what desperation is.¡¯ ¡°In that case, try it again.¡± Ji-woo incited Dong-hyun to do it again like earlier. Dong-hyun giggled. He was eager to show off in front of Ji-woo. He closed his eyes and controlled his Mana again. Suddenly, he heard Ji-woo¡¯s voice, which broke his concentration. ¡°Geez, what idiot would let his opponent have his own time to bring out his power?¡± Ji-woo jumped up andnded a light punch on Dong-hyun¡¯s chest. Not enough, he also sent out another kick and punch before Dong-hyun finally fell to the ground. Dong-hyun coughed and stared at Ji-woo. He couldn¡¯t believe Ji-woo did such a dirty thing to him. ¡°Hyung, you can¡¯t do that!!¡± ¡°Stop whining. Didn¡¯t you find it easy back then? ¡°Also, those creatures from the Portal Gate won¡¯t let you take a breath when the battle begins. You must keep moving and maintain your concentration. ¡°Do it again. I¡¯ll only use my legs from here on.¡± Dong-hyun wanted to refuse and asked for a break. But, Ji-woo immediately kicked him in the stomach. ¡°Ough!¡± Dong-hyun held his stomach in pain as he raised his hand to beg for mercy. ¡°Keep. Moving. Kiddo.¡± Ji-woo gave Dong-hyun instant rejection. He subsequently began his lovely teaching¡­, or beating. Each time Dong-hyun had enough time to concentrate. Kicks would alwaysnd on every part of his body to distract him, leaving him in a battered and miserable state. Hosh, Hosh¨C Dong-hyuny on the ground, gasping for air. Ji-woo stopped in his tracks after determining that Dong-hyun couldn¡¯t continue the training anymore. He walked away and got closer to his duffel bag. He took out a Magic Stone from it. Dong-hyun noticed the action. So, he sat down and asked Ji-woo. ¡°Hyung, what are you going to do with that Magic Stone? Where did you get it from?¡± ¡°Let me show you some magic.¡± Dong-hyun chuckled at Ji-woo¡¯s words. To begin with, he was someone with Mana, and magic was not something new for him. However, that belief instantly got shattered when he saw what Ji-woo did to the Magic Stone. Ji-woo tapped the Magic Stone three times to his left wrist weight. Zzing¨C Dong-hyun dropped his jaw when he saw the Magic Stone seemingly disappear and got absorbed into the wrist weight. At this moment, the questions of why and how filled his brain. He had never seen this urrence before. ¡°W-What happened!? Where did it disappear? Hyung, what are you doing?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t answer the question and instead swung his hand slightly to assess the weight on his left wrist. ¡°It weighs about 12 kg.¡± Ji-woo still ignored Dong-hyun. And he continued to do the same as before on the remaining 3 Magic Stones. Each ankle and wrist weight got filled with one Magic Stone separately. Now, he had a total weight of around 48 kg on his body. Dong-hyun, who didn¡¯t get the answer, became curious and drew closer to Ji-woo. ¡°Hyung, what is it? Did the Magic Stone get absorbed into the weight?¡± Ji-woo, again, doesn¡¯t answer Dong-hyun¡¯s inquiry. But, this time, he took off one of his wrist weights and threw it at Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun was confused by what Ji-woo was doing. Ji-woo also didn¡¯t say a word after throwing the weights. Next, he took out a Magic Crystal since all the Magic Stones already got used. He used the Magic Crystal precisely as he did to the Magic Stone. After a while, he then threw 4 Magic Crystals at Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun doesn¡¯t try to ask any more questions. He only does simr things as Ji-woo did. After that, he discovered the strangeness of having the Magic Crystal sucked into the weight in his hand. He immediately felt an increase in heaviness after the Magic Crystal disappeared. He then did the same for the remaining 3 Magic Crystals. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°It weighs roughly 20 kg now!¡± Dong-hyun eximed when Ji-woo already finished with the rest of his weights. Dong-hyun never knew Magic Crystals or Magic Stones could get used for items. In addition to its use as a refill and increase the hunter¡¯s Mana. Chapter 70: Back on Duty Chapter 70: Back on Duty ¡°Toss it back.¡± Ji-woo asked for his wrist weights back while Dong-hyun got still dazed in awe. He didn¡¯t expect the little trick that he did would surprise Dong-hyun so much. It should be amon thing in a world where magic exists. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t Daydream in the middle of practice.¡± Ji-woo took the weights back and woke Dong-hyun from his reverie with a light blow to the head as usual. It was a habit now to hit Dong-hyun when teaching him something. Ji-woo put the wrist weights in his hand. The total weight he carried reached 80 kg. Of course, That was still less than what he wanted. ¡°Let¡¯s continue our practice tomorrow. Ah, right. Want toe with me to the food stall?¡± Dong-hyun nodded in agreement to the invitation while massaging several parts of his body. His body ached with pain from being beaten by Ji-woo. The two then walked toward the bus stop. ¡°Hyung, isn¡¯t that way of training too old-fashioned way to be used anymore? Nowadays, who uses the weights? Ugh, it seems useless.¡± ¡°Old-fashioned or not. It doesn¡¯t matter. The important thing is that it can be useful for the person using or doing the training.¡± The fastest way to increase muscle mass was to rely on weights. And Ji-woo had just the right thing for it. An object whose shape did not change or became toorge. And more importantly, the substance could get increased as he wished. Dong-hyun just agreed nonchntly. He didn¡¯t continue to pester about that matter because Ji-woo¡¯s bow became his new interest. ¡°Hyung, from where did you get that bow? Was it the result of borrowing the money from me yesterday?¡± ¡°Some sort of.¡± It couldn¡¯t get entirely said that Dong-hyun¡¯s money was rted to it. Even though the Portal Gate got prepaid with it. The problem was that 25 million won was just a bit of moneypared to the bow¡¯s value. Ji-woo could estimate how much the Fiery Bow would cost if he wanted to sell it. Of course, it was extraordinary when viewed from the uniqueness of the weapon, which was able to summon the real arrows, whose material was much sturdy and sharp enough. Dong-hyun kept looking at the bow and asked Ji-woo about the name of the weapon. ¡°Huh!? I don¡¯t know.¡± Ji-woo stopped in his tracks after hearing the question. ¡°Howe? Hyung, you haven¡¯t made a contract with that bow yet? You should be able to figure out the weapon¡¯s ability and name when it¡¯s bound to the owner.¡± Ji-woo stared at the Fiery Bow aftering upon realization about the magical weapon. He forgot something crucial because he took a fancy with the bow. He clearly had no Mana in the first ce. And he also couldn¡¯t be bound with the weapon. That was to say. It was just an ordinary piece of weapon in his hand. It made Ji-woo feel irritated, and his expression became sour. The next time he had the chance. He decided to sell the bow and bought Magic Crystals and Magic Stones for his weights with it. Both Ji-woo and Dong-hyun continued on their way. Dong-hyun kept talking with him. But, it mostly got ignored all the way to the food stall. Elijah was happy to see her son and Dong-hyun visited the food stall. Ji-woo then helped her to clean up and get ready to close the ce. Dong-hyun also helped, and afterward, he offered to apany them home. But, Ji-woo refused the suggestion and told Dong-hyun to go back. The next day, it turned out that there was a call from the Demigod guild, and Ji-woo went straight to the headquarters. Ji-woo arrived at the headquarters. He went inside, and in the midst of the crowd, Dong-hyun came closer to him. There was an announcement that they would start their hunting activities again. Even though in the end, Dong-hyun¡¯s Red Crimson armor still got confiscated by the guild. Ji-woo also noticed Dong-hyun currently had several people monitoring him. In every corner, there was a hunter watching like an eagle locking on to its target. Surprisingly, Ji-woo didn¡¯t notice another pair of eyes staring intently at him in the crowd of hunters. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll focus on the tier-3 Portal Gate now. There are quite a few ready to enter. We need to squeeze our profits and close them as quickly as possible. So, for E-rank, D-rank, C-rank, and B- rank hunters need to be prepared, and a team will get formed with 50 hunters in it.¡± The Demigod Guild had 240 hunters as members. And about 200 hunters were B-ranks and below. So, they had enough hunters to attack three tier-3 Portal Gates simultaneously. ¡°The guild is currently in a period of reform. So, this is an opportunity for you to get into the team that conquers top-tier Portal Gates based on your performancester. So, do your best.¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The hunters cheered and were delighted with the words of promotion. That meant they had the opportunity to earn more money than before. The chances of them gotten items and weapons of better quality than before were also higher. The low-ranked hunters would not have the courage if they went to the top-tier Portal Gate alone. They couldn¡¯t afford to hunt in the dungeon without the help of higher-ranked hunters that were still within the threshold of the Portal Gate at each tier. But, that still didn¡¯t guarantee their safety. Tier-1 to tier-2 was considered low, and tier-3 to tier-4 was a transition to medium. Meanwhile, tier-5 to tier-6 got categorized as the most obstinate thing. However, it corresponded to high risk and high return. Those two tiers had a lot of valuables and had a total worth of over millions of dors. All the hunters appreciated the opportunity the guild had given them. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was on the back of the crowd with his icy cold gaze, typical cid expression, already showed his disinterest in the speech. He had started to lose interest in the guild because he could carry out the dungeon raids by himself without went throughplicated procedures. Currently, Ji-woo only stayed in the guild to honor thete Eun-bi¡¯s kindness to her mother. He also needed a means of information rted to hunters. It was because his intelligence agency had not yet get formed. Ji-woo yawned. He couldn¡¯t help but start a conversation with Dong-hyun to get rid of his sleepiness. ¡°Did you know any spatial items? Something rted to a dimensional space that can store anything.¡± ¡°Hah!? What are you talking about, hyung? Ah, right. You mean where you can put so many items into one bag?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know.¡± Dong-hyun answered casually and realized that Ji-woo was already giving him a re for making a joke. He flinched at the cue, where he would get hit again if there was no justification. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth again. ¡°Hyung, wait. Please wait a minute! I do have some friends. I can ask them. They might know about it. So please keep your hands away from any part of my body.¡± Ji-woo exhaled. He began to feel the need for a practical bag. In the previous Portal Gate, he was lucky there was a hunter carrying a duffel bag. Otherwise, he likely wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out all the loot from the dungeon. Spatial items were something moreplicated than average items that Ji-woo usually knew how to craft. The materials vary a lot. Even Sphere alone was an optional material for that type of item. If Ji-woo wanted to make his own spatial items, there were no guarantee other materials would be avable in the dungeon. Sometimes buying was better than making. Ji-woo and Dong-hyun went back after more than 2 hours of updating themselves about the news from the guild. Dong-hyun also had to continue his training. He couldn¡¯t waste time. Moreover, Ji-woo had already said if the practice took too much time. Then he would drop the course. Dong-hyun certainly didn¡¯t want that to happen. He himself had felt how fast the improvement with the training was. It was perfect for a hunter with limited Mana like him. So, he was eager to learn more from Ji-woo. Meanwhile, the Artates guild made a headline in South Korea by storm, at the same time as the Demigod guild preparing for their tier-5 Portal Gate and some of their tier-3 Portal Gate. The Artates guild was sessfully closing tier-5 Portal Gate in a span of 20 hours. The Artates guild¡¯s record time entered the world rankings. It had the same record as other famous guilds such as the Maverick guild, the Morpheus guild, the Marchen guild, the Exodus guild, and the Gaijin guild. Most of the top guilds in various countries took an average of 25 to 30 hours. Going any faster than that required extra effort, not to mention the casualties each guild would get when challenging a tier-5 Portal Gate. If that happened, it would weakened them. So, it was a difficult thing to do. That was why only those six guilds could get called the supreme among the top, ces where the world¡¯s famous and mighty hunters flocked around. Chapter 71: An Appraiser Chapter 71: An Appraiser A week had passed after Dong-hyun and Ji-woo got informed about the tier-3 Portal Gates hunt. Everyone was busy with their own schedule. Ji-woo decided to skip the guild¡¯s hunts and continued to apany Dong-hyun in training. In the meantime, he contacted Seok-jin about the Portal Gate business too. Unfortunately, the broker gave him a piece of sad news. Portal gates were currently scarce. The low tiers got reserved or bought by many small and mid-sized guilds, while the top ones got dominated by the big guilds. For now, no guilds had any intention of selling their Portal Gate properties any time soon. The Hunters Association had also not held an auction for the Portal Gate for so long. It caused the brokers to wind down their Portal Gate business. And it made them focus on selling valuable and confidential information. Ji-woo furthermore asked about the hunters with unique abilities with Seok-jin. And it got answered that the broker had 3 to 4 hunters with those criteria. However, the price for such information was a bit difficult for Ji-woo at this time. It cost Ji-woo about 40 million won, which actually put him in a pinch. He decided to sell the Fiery Bow the next day. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun kept went back and forth between the guild and the foot of the mountain for his training. He wanted to join the uing hunts. So, he had no choice but to work on both sides. He predicted Ji-woo wouldn¡¯t join the raids because he saw Ji-woo hadn¡¯te to the guild headquarters since the day of the announcement. Dong-hyun had made progress with his training. He was really good at using the short burst technique practically. It felt like a full-strength power that could get used frequently but still not drained his Manapletely. He was also getting used to Ji-woo¡¯s beating. ¡°You¡¯re better now. You only need a little experience. And it just so happens that there are hunts that will soon get carried out. With your current strength, you won¡¯t die in a tier-3 Portal Gate.¡± Dong-hyun shook his head. ¡°Well, even though I¡¯m stronger, I still simply get crushed by you, Hyung.¡± Ji-woo lightlyughed at Dong-hyun¡¯s nagging. A while ago, every time Dong-hyun got beaten, he couldn¡¯t even perform the short burst technique. Dong-hyun would get gloomy for a few minutes and filled with negativity, such as hopelessness and ipetence. But, that was all changed now. Even though Dong-hyun still got beaten frequently, he didn¡¯t feel hopeless. He was not depressed in the slightest. His sheer will got strengthened than before. He wasn¡¯t like a weakling anymore who was always like a loser whenever he had a setback. He wanted to learn and gain new knowledge. Ji-woo also taught Dong-hyun the basics of fighting. A minimal movement and action that could produce better results than fancy moves and techniques. Dong-hyun panted on the ground as heid down. ¡°Hyung, what do you mean by limiting my magic knowledge if learning magic spells through Skill Page?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you some easy magic spellster.¡± ¡°Huh!? Cool! Is that even possible? Teaching magic spells without items? Hyung, why don¡¯t you teach me now?¡± Ji-woo shrugged, ignoring Dong-hyun¡¯s request. His style of teaching was not by exnation but through practice. Or somewhat through¡­, beatings. He believed pain would be the most excellent experience for a person to learn. He also always got beaten by Stormrage while receiving all the basics beforehand. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for training for a few days. You should prepare to go to the Portal Gate.¡± ¡°Okay. Ah, right. You didn¡¯t join the hunt, Hyung? I didn¡¯t see you listed on any team for that tier-3 Portal Gates hunt.¡± ¡°Busy.¡± Ji-woo answered indifferently, and that made Dong-hyun gave him a suspicious look. He stared back and instantly hit Dong-hyun on the head. ¡°Ouch! Why is it always my head!¡± Dong-hyun eximed in aint but immediately ceased his displeasure. Because if it continues, another blow mightnd again on his head or any part of his body. Even if he was familiar for got beaten. The fact that the hit still gave him pain made him cry. Both of them separated their way and went back home. The day ended just like any other day. Finally, Ji-woo¡¯s peaceful time had returned. He woke up and got a surprise from his sister. Ji-won no longer pouted and started to talk casually with her brother, even though she still showed her displeasure about the job as a hunter. When she went to school, Elijah told Ji-woo the story about Ji-won¡¯s change in attitude. Elijah persuaded Ji-won by reassuring her every day that nothing would happen to Ji-woo. She also told Ji-won to believe and pray for the best for all of them. Elijah wanted Ji-woo to take care of himself. She knew about the hunter¡¯s job now after searching some of the information avable on the inte. Elijah was a little proud of his son for doing a good thing for the country. Although on the other hand, she thought about the dangers her son would live in it. Elijah ended up just treating the work the same as someone who served in the military. Ji-woo sighed. He patted his mother¡¯s hand and reassured her that everything would be fine. Nothing would happen to him. He then helped his mother as usual. After that, he wanted to sell his Fiery Bow. At first, he considered returning to the 13th floor of the Hunter¡¯s Association. However, he was embarrassed because thest time he was there. He clearly said the weapon was not for sale. In the end, he tried to ask Seok-jin if he wanted to buy a magical weapon. The broker told Ji-woo that their line of work was not suitable for the magical weapons and items. It was not the same as Magic Crystals, Magic Stones, and Mana Cores authenticity could get tested with the portable Mana Detection. Items and weapons needed to get appraisals from someone to find out their value. External tools were impossible for the task. It was not like in games, where you only tap on items or weapons, then information would appear out of nowhere. Fortunately, Seok-jin had an acquaintance of someone Ji-woo was hoping for it. He told Ji-woo to wait for the news as he called the person first. He would send the detailster if the deal happened. After a few minutes of waiting, Ji-woo got an answer telling him to go to an address. He just needed to inform the person who greeted himter that he knew Seok-jin, the broker. Ji-woo arrived at the ce. He introduced himself and talked about the broker. The person who greeted him agreed and allowed him to enter. The man¡¯s house was not too big. But, the inside was neat. After all, it was a house, not an apartment. The distance between neighbors was also decent. So, it was hard to overhear. The person was quite old, almost the same age as mister Lee. That person¡¯s name was Ma-no. A somewhat unique name for Koreans. Ji-woo sat down and informed his intention toe to Ma-no. He then took out the Fiery Bow. Ma-no unceremoniously took the weapon to the designated room. He put the Fiery Bow on the high table and spread his two arms above it. Ji-woo stood opposite Ma-no. He saw Ma-no¡¯s eyes and hands began to emit a blue light, lighting up the room. Even he was also dazzled because the light was too bright. After a while, Ma-no no longer glitters. He was sweating and looked breathless. ¡°Are you all right, sir?¡± Ji-woo asked. Ma-no nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to worry. It¡¯s because it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve appraised a good weapon. So, it takes a bit of my Mana.¡± ¡°d to hear that, sir. So, how was it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the living room first and talk about it over there.¡± Both Ji-woo and Ma-no went to the living room and sat down. Ma-no started to talk about what the Red and Gold colored armament shared with him. The Fiery Bow¡¯s original name was Golden Arachnia. It had two abilities. One of them was to assemble elemental fire bolts whose Mana got consumed from the weapon. And the other was to summon real arrows with fire covering it, even though Mana consumption would get based on the user. ¡°What a unique skill you have, sir.¡± ¡°Well, not everything can be seen through appraisals. Some items and weapons won¡¯t let me peek into them too much.¡± ¡°If I sell this one. How much will it cost?¡± ¡°Around 300 million won, I think? How about you offer it to Seok-jin? He might want it to since I¡¯ve already assessed the weapon.¡± Ji-woo nodded his head. Since it would be easy for him if someone could buy it as soon as possible, he had no reason to refuse. He asked about Ma-no¡¯s upation while waiting for the reply from Seok-jin. He expected Ma-no might work for a guild. Such a unique skill should be helpful for the hunters. Ma-no told Ji-woo that guilds only need appraisers when they sell or buy things. The hunters could bound the items or weapons if only to obtain the information themselves. ¡°Fortunately, I have this unique skill. That¡¯s why I can work in the Hunter Association¡¯s armory shop. And sometimes being a frence appraiser if those guilds need it.¡± Ji-woo gasped and almost rolled on the floor after hearing that. He never imagined he woulde into contact with the Hunter¡¯s Association again after he had tried to avoid them in the first ce. Chapter 72: Spar Chapter 72: Spar ¡°You¡¯re really handsome, young man.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you, sir. And this is the Golden Arachnia. The bow that sir Ma-no mentioned earlier.¡± Seok-jin was willing to buy Ji-woo¡¯s weapon. He became interested in it after getting an appraisal by Ma-no. At first, he bargained for 300 million won. But, Ma-no negotiated with him and finally agreed on 320 million won. Ji-woo was surprised when he first met Seok-jin. He thought he would be the same age as mister Lee and Ma-no. However, Seok-jin was younger. He was about 40 years old. ¡°You did the right thing. If this weapon is bound to you, it will get difficult to unbound itter. Because magical items and weapons will only be free when they have no master.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. The reason he didn¡¯t bound the bow was that he didn¡¯t have Mana. It could be a good thing for something that needed to get sold. But, a bad thing for something that you want to own. ¡°Anyway, why do you want to buy it now? Even though at the beginning, you said you didn¡¯t want to deal with magical items and weapons?¡± Seok-jin went silent while holding the Golden Arachnia. After a while, he opened his mouth. ¡°You know. I have a good impression of you and Ma-no put words for that weapon too. Besides, you¡¯re also Ik-jun hyung¡¯s acquaintance. So, I won¡¯t be hiding anything from you. ¡°If it only an ordinary magic weapon, I wouldn¡¯t bother. But it¡¯s unique. When Ma-no exined the bow to me, I realized that this bow might sell high if I sold it elsewhere. So, I n to resell it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take advantage of you. So, you can decide whether you want to continue this transaction or not. I¡¯m fine with whatever you choose.¡± Seok-jin looked at Ji-woo. The mood became heavy and dreary. Ji-woo knew what situation he was in it. He had met such a person several times in the Magical world. It was the way merchants usually did. He wanted to cancel it. And he was also curious about the ce Seok-jin mentioned, where magic items and weapons might sell for more than an average armory shop could offer it. However, he knew it would leave an unpleasant impression on the broker if he pushed it. It was a situation that couldn¡¯t get solved with muscles. So, it was okay to take a few steps back. That would build a friendly rtionship with the broker, and that was not a bad idea either. Ji-woo smiled, breaking the heavy atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m selling it to you, sir. Just treat it as a token of goodwill on my part. I hope you¡¯ll look after me in the future too.¡± Seok-jin¡¯s face turned gleeful at the confirmation. He thanked Ji-woo for that. ¡°If you need anything in the future, you can let me know. I will help as long as I can. Also, I will send you the intelligence about the unique hunterster.¡± ¡°Oh. You don¡¯t have to, sir.¡± ¡°No. No. Don¡¯t stand on ceremony. It¡¯s my token of gratitude to you in exchange for this.¡± Haha¨C Seok-jinughed while swinging around the bow. He was so excited and didn¡¯t realize that Ji-woo got a little clue about the price Seok-jin would get when he resold the weapon. If information worth 40 million won could get easily tossed around, that would mean the resale price of the Golden Arachnia was about 380 million won. Even then, the price might reach 500 million won under certain conditions. Ji-woo shook his head. It was not the time to worry about that. The most important thing for him now was to set up an intelligence agency. It would be his foundation to stand alone in the world of hunters and dungeons. It would let him know all sorts of things and stop making him look like an ignorant person. Therefore, he needed to attack the Portal Gate as much as possible. On the other hand, at the Demigod guild headquarters¡¯ Training Center. Dong-hyun and the other hunters trained themselves on thest day of training. Tomorrow, they would have a break. And the day after tomorrow, it was the day the tier-3 Portal Gates huntsmenced. The Training Center didn¡¯t get crowded as some hunters had already returned after the training was over. Dong-hyun in the corner was getting ready to head home. Suddenly, there were three hunters standing in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ve been diligent in your practice this time. You alwayse home earlier than the others. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°We also heard you asking around about spatial itemstely.¡± Dong-hyun sighed. He didn¡¯t have any friends in the guild. So, he casually asked some hunters when he was looking for information about spatial items. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just asking out of curiosity. That¡¯s all.¡± He answered short. ¡°Yes, we heard about it. Hey, did you find any treasure? Howe suddenly wondering about such luxury items? Do you want to buy it?¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t block my way.¡± Dong-hyun intended to ignore the hunters and head straight home. ¡°Don¡¯t leave in a hurry. How about we y a game? If you can dodge our punches for a minute, we¡¯ll tell you about the spatial items. I¡¯ll bet that my information is authentic and exclusive.¡± Dong-hyun stopped his tracks and stared at the three hunters. He could try his new technique by sparring with those hunters and at the same time getting information for his teacher. It killed two birds with one stone. ¡°Okay.¡± The three hunters chuckled. It was a battle between the E-rank hunters, and ording to them, Dong-hyun would always be at the bottom. Boom! A Mana Presence explosion urred, and the three hunters jumped at Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun still looked calm and assessed the attacks. ¡®Rx. Let Mana flow in serenity.¡¯ ¡°No hard feelings, okay!?¡± ¡°Sorry if I go overboard!¡± ¡°Try to defend this!¡± Dong-hyun saw the impending attack, directly applied his Mana to his legs. His Mana output was immense because it was focused. Thus, his speed increased even faster. He skillfully dodged the punches and kicks of the three hunters. ¡°Hah!?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that!?¡± ¡°What have you done?!¡± The three hunters were stunned when they realized that Dong-hyun was able to dodge their attacks. It was ridiculous. The three of them were clearly using Mana Presences, and their strength increased even more than Dong-hyun. How could Dong-hyun dodge those attacks without using Mana Presence? Was he not an E-rank anymore that his body got enhanced by the upgraded Mana? Dong-hyun smirked and tried to taunt those three hunters. ¡°Time is ticking. I think we can already see the winner of this game, can¡¯t we!?¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± The three hunters jump again simultaneously at Dong-hyun. They didn¡¯t bother to think about it and just kept throwing attacks at Dong-hyun until it hit. Dong-hyun was still able to maintain his Mana, which got channeled to his footwork. However, over time he was no longer able to dodge the attack perfectly. His evasion was already crippled, and several punches and kicks left marks on his clothes and skin. Fortunately, the time limit was about to end. ¡°Hey. Hey! Time¡¯s up!¡± Dong-hyun cried out the end sign of the game. The three hunters ignored it. They charged at Dong-hyun again. Now, their attack pattern changed from a full-brawl to a real hunters¡¯ fight. ¡°Magic of Fire, Fire Punches!¡± ¡°Magic of Wind, Air sh!¡± Dong-hyun gritted his teeth. He had to defend well against those two magic spells. ¡°Sh*t! Magic of Fire, me Touch!¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s hand got covered in mes. He then bounced the small fireballs that flew toward him to the ground. However, the second attack could not get avoided even though his footwork had got enhanced with Mana. He had no choice but to block it with both hands. ¡°Darn it!¡± Dong-hyun could felt his hands in pain and shaking. The sh of wind also left a red mark on his forearm. He didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the pain because the third hunter came at him from the left. Dong-hyun chose to hit back instead of just defending. The Mana that he channeled into the legs got pulled back. He concentrated and then gathered the Mana into his right hand. The third hunter threw a punch aimed at Dong-hyun¡¯s head. Dong-hyun ducked and evaded the blow sessfully with only a scratch on his left cheek. He twisted his right palm from below and hit the third hunter¡¯s stomach. Haaa! Bang! The third hunter flew over, past the two hunters who cast the magic spells earlier. But it wasn¡¯t enough to scare them off. It instead made the remaining two furious. ¡°Magic of Fire, Fire Eruption!¡± ¡°Magic of Wind, Air Burst!¡± It was abination magic spells attack. The fire burst became fast andrge toward Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun clenched his fists. He nned to fight fire with fire, even though the difference in output was big. He needed to try it first before knowing if he could do it or not. Suddenly, a phoenix-shaped fire element descended and halted thebination of magic spells attack. Kaboom! ¡°Enough! All of you better leave before I tell Tae-hyun sunbae about this.¡± The two hunters¡¯ eyes widened at the magic spell that countered theirbined attacks. When they shifted their face to the left, their faces turned green. They shouted a name in unison. ¡°Ahn Yu-jin!!¡± Chapter 73: Another Followers Chapter 73: Another Followers ¡°What? Wanna fight with me?¡± Yu-jin slowly went to the center between the two sides. Dong-hyun was no longer in a fighting stance. He stood up straight and massaged his still sore forearms while gasping for air. The two hunters also dropped their stances and gritted their teeth in frustration at having Yu-jin meddled in their business. But, before they left, Dong-hyun yelled at them. ¡°Remember the stakes! You b*st*rds! Don¡¯t forget to send me the informationter!¡± One of the two hunters looked at Dong-hyun with disdain and replied. ¡°Scr*w the hell out of you!¡± Dong-hyun narrowed his eyes and wanted to grab that hunter¡¯s cor. Anyway, he got stopped by Yu-jin. ¡°Stop it. Calm down!¡± Dong-hyun red at the two hunters until they left the Training Center. He then shook his head and turned around, ready to return home. Yu-jin stared at Dong-hyun¡¯s back and said a few words that piqued his interest. ¡°If you want to know about spatial items, I can tell you about it.¡± Dong-hyun stopped in his tracks and asked. ¡°What are the conditions?¡± Yu-jin shrugged her shoulders. ¡°There are no conditions. I can tell you now if you want.¡± Dong-hyun approached Yu-jin, and she began to share her knowledge with him. There were only two types of spatial items that humans possessed, Spatial Bag and Spatial Ring. However, they were much rarer than the ordinary magic items and weapons that humans produced. No one knew the exact number of those items. The information that spread around only mentioned the number was only a few. It might just be no more than the hands could count. The price of spatial items was also very high. But not to the point of skyrocketing to ridiculous numbers. Again, no one knew the exact amount for the price either. It should be in the millions of dors. ¡°Ah, right. There are also rumors that ArchMage and Apex-ranked hunters are the only owners of spatial items that the world currently has. So, if you have the idea of buying those items, better forget about it for now.¡± Yu-jin tried tofort Dong-hyun, thinking that he would get saddened by it. Contrary to what she thought, Dong-hyun just smiled after hearing the intelligence. Whether it was a rumor or not, it didn¡¯t matter to him. After all, it wasn¡¯t him who wanted that information. ¡°Thank you! I never thought you would be this friendly. I should have asked you earlier instead of going here and there asking the others.¡± Yu-jin flinched and went into full tsundere mode. ¡°Tch! Don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s just a matter of course. So, there¡¯s no need to overreact. Also, I want to talk to you about something. ¡°The Red Crimson hunter isn¡¯t you, right? I¡¯m sure it must be Ji-woo. That suit of armor won¡¯t be able to outwit me, admit it!¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you since exiting the tier-3 Portal Gate. You keep exchanging nces with Ji-woo while being questioned. That¡¯s when I realized that the body shape of the hunter wearing the armor resembles Ji-woo more than you.¡± Dong-hyun sweated profusely. Yu-jin¡¯s eyes were like the eyes of a snake staring at its food. One little mistake, and he would get bitten mercilessly. ¡°I-I don¡¯t. I mean, what are you talking about it? I don¡¯t understand. Sorry.¡± Dong-hyun gulped and bowed after making an excuse. He wanted to run away from Yu-jin immediately. ¡°Magic of Fire, Phoenix Spirits!¡± Unexpectedly, Yu-jin instead attacked Dong-hyun, who was rushing toward the exit of the Training Center. Dong-hyun turned around after hearing a magic spell got cast. He saw three phoenix-shaped mes heading toward him. He instantly used his Mana and channeled it into his legs. And he dodged the attack with ease. ¡°Are you crazy!? How dare you attack your seniors!?¡± Dong-hyun screamed hisint and tried to reason with Yu-jin. However, it didn¡¯t work. Yu-jin just jumped and threw a few punches and kicks at him. Dong-hyun, still tired from the previous spar, couldn¡¯t help but endure the attacks. Right now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run away from Yu-jin. So, he tried to use his Mana efficiently while dodging the attacks, although sometimes he needed to block them physically. Yu-jin got pushed back after exchanging a few attacks. She didn¡¯t expect Dong-hyun to match her attack so neatly. In the end, it made Yu-jin be a little bit serious. She prepared to cast a new tier of magic spell to test Dong-hyun¡¯s strength. ¡°Magic of Fire, God¡¯s Arrow!¡± Yu-jin¡¯s palms pped forward. Her hands shone, and a big fiery arrow appeared, enveloping them. Dong-hyun twitched at the sight of the magic. ¡®That¡¯s some serious shit!¡¯ ¡°Magic of Fire, mes Touch!¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s hands got covered in mes. He then pounced at Yu-jin as not wanting to let the magic get released. Yu-jin was surprised when she saw Dong-hyun even approached her. She bit her own lip and started pulling one of her hands back. Dong-hyun managed to close the gap and wrapped his hands that got covered in mes around Yu-jin¡¯s. Zap! Yu-jin¡¯s magic got neutralized, disappearing into nothingness. She was shocked by what happened. As it turns out, Dong-hyun was just as surprised as Yu-jin. He didn¡¯t think it would work with one try. It was the usual trick Ji-woo did to made his magic spell attacks didn¡¯t work. Dong-hyun asked Ji-woo to teach him because he never seeded in using magic in his training against Ji-woo. At first, Ji-woo said it was impossible. But then, he said there was a way to imitate the technique. It was basically only suppressing fire with fire. The reason Dong-hyun seeded was that his short burst technique got applied to the mes Touch. So, in that short time, the fire in his hands had more power than Yu-jin¡¯s God¡¯s Arrow. Dong-hyun pulled his Mana entirely from his hands after canceled the magic. Well, though, he became more tired and breathless than before. Yu-jin suppressed her shock and stared at her hand that got held by Dong-hyun, who was in a kneeling position. Like someone who was putting a ring on his partner. Yu-jin retracted her hand and asked. ¡°How did you do that?¡± However, there was no answer from Dong-hyun. It pissed her off at being ignored. Suddenly, she hit Dong-hyun on the head. ¡°Ouch! Why is it always my head! Oh??¡± Dong-hyun just blurted out his habit when he got hit by Ji-woo. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I said, how did you do that?¡± Dong-hyun answered subconsciously. ¡°Ah, that move. It was a trick from Ji-woo hyung.¡± He didn¡¯t realize that he was saying something suspicious and dered his rtionship with Ji-woo. ¡°Hyung!!? You¡¯re really close to him, aren¡¯t you!? To call him hyung when he¡¯s clearly your junior and even has the same rank as you.¡± Dong-hyun pped his mouth and corrected his words. ¡°Erm, t-that isn¡¯t what I m-mean.¡± ¡°What I said earlier about the Red Crimson hunter was true all along, huh. Tell me the full story. Otherwise, I¡¯ll report you to Tae-hyun sunbae. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be eager to know the truth. I also know that the armor set still got held by the guild.¡± Dong-hyun was speechless and on the verge of tears. He even foolishly contemted whether to tell the secret to one person or allow it to get revealed to others. On the other hand, Ji-woo returned and visited his mother¡¯s food stall. He hade after trying to find Magic Crystals and Magic Stones on the market. Unfortunately, after going here and there and contacting here and there, he only got 10 Magic Crystals. And with a higher price too. Around 1.5 million won per one Magic Crystal. Ji-woo previously only thought that the rare ones were only magical items and weapons. He then tried to find a way to contact ces selling such items overseas, but to no avail. He gave up and enjoyed what he had for a while. Ji-woo used 8 Magic Crystals to his ankle and wrist weights. Thus, the total weight he was carrying now was 96 kg. ¡°Hyung!¡± Dong-hyun was called Ji-woo. However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t turn around and didn¡¯t bother to look at him. ¡°Oh, Dong-hyun is here. And who is this girl?¡± Ji-woo straightened up after hearing his mother¡¯s words. He then turned around and frowned when he saw the woman who was with Dong-hyun. ¡°Hello, aunt. My name is Ahn Yu-jin. Dong-hyun and Ji-woo¡¯s friends. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh my! I never thought my son would have a female friend. Let me give you two some food. Wait a minute.¡± Ji-woo became speechless by his mother¡¯s remark. It indirectly taunted him, who never told a story or brought a female friend to meet her mother. Although, it was true. He also tried to recall the memory of when he had be friends with that crazy woman.o ¡°No need, aunty. W-We just wanted to meet Ji-woo h-hyung.¡± Dong-hyun stuttered and realized that Ji-woo had already given him a deadly stare all along. He gulped and approached Ji-woo to whisper his exnation. ¡°H-Hyung, I¡¯m s-sorry. I-I told her everything about the incident at the tier-3 Portal Gate rted to the Demon Apes. ¡°Ouch!¡± Dong-hyun was hit in the head again by Ji-woo. Yu-jin looked at the two of them as if asking for an acknowledgment of that past incident. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t help but p his forehead. Instead of solving an existing problem, he got a new issue on his list. Chapter 74: Warlord: Time to Hunt Chapter 74: Warlord: Time to Hunt Ji-woo dragged the two kids away and excused themselves from the food stall. At the coffee shop, Ji-woo, Dong-hyun, and Yu-jin went to the second floor and sat near the terrace. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes at Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Meanwhile, Yu-jin just stared back at Ji-woo. And Dong-hyun didn¡¯t know what to do there. Even when their Ice Americanos got served at the table, the stares continued. ¡°So, what was the purpose ofing to me? It wasn¡¯t just to admire my face, was it?¡± ¡°Tch! Shameless to the roof! Dong-hyun already told me about the event. You can¡¯t hide anything from me anymore.¡± ¡°I know that. So basically, what did you want to talk about with me? I¡¯m busy. Keep it short. And if you¡¯re not happy with it. Go to the guild and report it to them. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Yu-jin flinched because she couldn¡¯t get the upper hand in conversation with Ji-woo. Dong-hyun, on the other hand, just gulped and sweated profusely. He was surprised that Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about the secret and wanted to let Yu-jin reveal it to others. ¡°How did you kill those Demonic Apes? ¡°You¡¯re not an E-rank hunter, right? Who the hell are you? Ji-woo sighed at the barrage of questions. He told her to ask but what came out was not just one question. He then took out his Hunter ID and showed it to Yu-jin. ¡°Here. Kim Ji-woo, an E-rank hunter. Clear? As for the Demon Apes, I just killed it. ¡°It¡¯s over, right? I want to go home.¡± Ji-woo got up from his seat. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were taken aback by Ji-woo¡¯s careless attitude. They both thought the chat would get long, and there would be a rebuttal in the middle. What was that? Said yes, and admitted to the event? Yu-jin stood up and hurriedly grabbed Ji-woo¡¯s hand. ¡°Wait! Wait! Please, sit down first. What you said doesn¡¯t exin anything.¡± Ji-woo turned to look at Yu-jin. ¡°There¡¯s no need for an exnation. And, it¡¯s gettingte, and you guys should rest tomorrow. Don¡¯t underestimate the dungeon. Who knows, if you¡¯re not careful, your heads might fall off your bodies.¡± Dong-hyun repeatedly nodded while Yu-jin still didn¡¯t let go of her hand on Ji-woo¡¯s. Ji-woo stared at Yu-jin with his icy cold gaze and cid natural expression. ¡°Is your brain just a disy in your head? Think about it carefully. The answer to all of this is simple. I¡¯m stronger than anyone inside that tier-3 Portal Gate. That¡¯s all. Why is it so hard toprehend that?¡± Yu-jin widened her eyes, and her body trembled as she let go of Ji-woo¡¯s hand. She had expected such a thing but hearing it directly from Ji-woo made her feel inferior. In the previous guild entrance exam, Yu-jin was unhappy that her duel with Ji-woo got turned into a Battle Royale. But, it turned out to be luck that she identally got it. In the Battle Royale, Ji-woo actually avoided Yu-jin on purpose. Even though she had fought seriously and with all her might. Someone capable of killing those Demonic Apes should be able to deal with her quickly, even without breaking a sweat. When Ji-woo left the coffee shop, Yu-jin seemed downcast and disheartened, looking down at the floor. Dong-hyun came over from behind andforted her. ¡°Ji-woo hyung is strong. Maybe around A-rank or S-rank hunters? I don¡¯t know the reason why he¡¯s hiding that either. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t have any malicious intentions for it and chose not to leave us in the end. ¡°Don¡¯t be suspicious and curious about what happened. Just let it go. After all, maybe more than half of us would have to die to defeat those Demon Apes if it wasn¡¯t for Ji-woo hyung, who stepped in.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We need to rest before the tier-3 Portal Gate hunt begins.¡± Suddenly, Yu-jin raised her face and looked at Dong-hyun, who got frightened because of that. ¡°Fine, whatever the reason is, it doesn¡¯t matter. From now on, I will stick with you guys. I also want to learn the same technique as you.¡± ¡°What!!? ¡°Yu-jin~si, don¡¯t be like this. Please, throw away such an idea.¡± ¡°Hump! You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Dong-hyun felt like crying in protest about his imminent fate. ¡®I¡¯m not worried about you! I¡¯m worried about my head!¡¯ The conversation that got initially expected to be lengthy ended with the three Ice Americanos not get touched at all. The next day, Ji-woo got good news about the Portal Gate from Seok-jin. However, the process did not go smoothly. The broker informed him that the only avable Portal Gate was tier-4. Seok-jin asked to confirm whether Ji-woo was able to close the tier-4 Portal Gate or not. ¡°Well, I know you¡¯re from the Demigod guild. But it¡¯s a tier-4 Portal Gate that we¡¯re talking about it. Apart from being quite expensive, you also need a lot of hunters to hunt in that dungeon. Are you sure you want it? ¡°I know it¡¯s annoying to get doubted. And I also have no other choice. I have to make sure my client, who bought the Portal Gate, has a way of closing it. If you can¡¯t do that, I¡¯m sure to get in troubleter.¡± Seok-jin still had a misunderstanding about how Ji-woo did his job. He thought Ji-woo cleared the previous Portal Gate with his friends from the Demigod guild. ¡°I can promise you that I can take care of this matter and won¡¯t let you get into trouble, sir.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it like before. It costs 435 million won, and you can pay 300 million first.¡± ¡°Agreed. Thank you, sir!¡± Ji-woo felt grateful to Seok-jin. He knew the Portal Gate could get sold elsewhere and instantly got a full payment out of it. However, the broker chose to tell him first to return the favor regarding the Golden Arachnia. Unfortunately, the good news also brings bad news to Ji-woo. His hundreds of millions of won had dried up after only a day in his pocket. The advance payment and Magic Crystals had already cost him 315 million won. And he also bought hunter clothes which were of better quality than ordinary clothes. In the end, he only had 5 million won left in his ount. The money had got sent, and Ji-woo got a message about the location of the tier-4 Portal Gate. It would be a showdown between him and the Demigod guild hunters in their hunt at the Portal Gates. The next morning. There were threerge buses capable of amodating 50 people parked in front of the Demigod guild headquarters. The Main Team Leader, Oh Dal-soo, and Vice-leader, Cha Tae-hyun, would join as overseers. They would wait at each Portal Gate shrine along with the gatekeepers. And another supervisor was Jung Hyun-don, an A-rank hunter, a member of the Main Team. Among the crowd of hunters, Yu-jin found Dong-hyun and approached him. ¡°It turns out that Ji-woo really didn¡¯te. Do you know the reason?¡± Dong-hyun gave Yu-jin a confused look and then distances himself a bit from her. Yu-jin didn¡¯t give up and approached him again. ¡°Besides the trick from before, what else did Ji-woo teach you?¡± Dong-hyun had the urge to bang his head against the wall because Yu-jin stuck to him like glue. ¡°Listen to me, Ahn Yu-jin~si. We¡¯re not that close. Please, can you stay away from me?¡± Yu-jin turned her face to Dong-hyun. She wasn¡¯t offended by that. ¡°Ji-woo is strong, I admit it. You also showed significant improvement after being taught by him, right?¡± Dong-hyun patted his chest. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about that. We¡¯re going to hunt now. Don¡¯t let our thoughts wander around.¡± Yu-jin interjected. ¡°The current you won¡¯t die in a tier-3 Portal Gate as long as there are no Double Owners. However, the guild has given us guidelines when ites to an unconquerable dungeon. We only need to survive for three days inside, and they will send reinforcements next.¡± Dong-hyun sighed and was d. However, not because of Yu-jin¡¯s words. But, because the topic shifted from Ji-woo to the Portal Gate. He¡¯d rather worry about a tier-3 Portal Gate than thought about training with Yu-jin. He didn¡¯t know how Ji-woo would respond to it. One thing for sure was that his head would meet Ji-woo¡¯s hand more oftenter on if that happened. The time hade, and the hunters got onto the bus. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun turn out to be separated. Dong-hyun was on the team under Tae-hyun¡¯s supervision, while Yu-jin was on the group under Dal-soo. This time, each team only gathered around 40 to 45 hunters. All B-rank hunters from the Main Team were also get reserved at the headquarters. On another journey, Ji-woo took the KTX train to go to Busan. The location where the level-4 Portal Gate was. It took about 2 hours and a half to get there. The tier-4 Portal Gate got located in a small vige that had got abandoned due to Mana Impact. Ji-woo stood in front of the Portal Gate with the hunter gear suit and a duffel bag in his hand. ¡°Time to hunt.¡± Chapter 75: Warlord: Tier-4 Portal Gate Chapter 75: Warlord: Tier-4 Portal Gate Ji-woo got greeted with a rather dark scene and a chilly breeze. The knee-high grass stretches along the road. The trees were thin and tall, with wet leaves dangling from the tops of the trees. The lights entered between the gaps in the tall trees. The soil was also slightly muddy, and in some areas, there were swamps. The smell of dirt exposed to water was very sharp in the nose. It was a quiet and eerie environment. No one could guess what creatures would live in that dungeon. Ji-woo used his Mana sense to check the surroundings. And nothing was detected. He then walked over to search and looked around. After an hour of exploring the dungeon, Ji-woo found nothing. It was apletely different situation from before. There were no Magic Crystals and Magic Stones. The Spheres also had note into sight at all. It made Ji-woo wonder whether he was inside a dungeon or just an inhabited ce on earth. He decided to climb the small hill in front of him to observe thend. The hillside grass was short and slightly wet. The road became slippery, and anyone would slip if not careful. However, the small hill was still not high enough to ovee the height of the trees. So, Ji-woo couldn¡¯t pay attention to the surroundings very well. Ji-woo shook his head. There were no creatures, no beasts, and no magical items either. In simple words, there was nothing except the environment. Inevitably, Ji-woo must explore the vast dungeon. More spacious than the others he had visited. After all, this was his first time entering a tier-4 Portal Gate. Each Portal Gate would always have a different dungeon size for each level. The higher the tier, the wider the dungeon. And this time, the ce that Ji-woo entered was the size of the country of Denmark. Of course, it would take weeks if it was just a leisurely stroll. But with Ji-woo¡¯s current speed, two or three days should be enough to explore the core area of the dungeon. At another Portal Gate, in a dungeon, the hunt carried out by Dong-hyun¡¯s team was going smoothly. Although some suffered minor injuries, the situation was still under control. Dong-hyun also yed an active role whenever his team fought against the beasts. It was also the same on Yu-jin¡¯s side. The situation was safe and under control. Even though her team had several times fought against beasts. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun had better conditions in the dungeon. Magic Crystals and Magic Stones were there, albeit few. They also found some low-quality magical weapons and armors. Judging by the condition of Yu-jin and Dong-hyun¡¯s team, they might be able to close the tier-3 Portal Gates in about 1 hour in real-time. It was because the obstacles didn¡¯t seem challenging enough for them. ¡°You¡¯re better now. Did it because you trained very hard?¡± Dong-hyun blushed and replied. ¡°Ah. It¡¯s nothing, sir.¡± The team leader shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Look at the other E-rank hunters on our team. Some of them are out of breath while you¡¯re still moving vigorously without getting tired.¡± Hehe¨C Dong-hyun caressed the back of his head. His cheeks flushed red from thepliment from his superior. Something he would never get from Ji-woo while they were training. ¡°Huh!? My ears suddenly itch.¡± Ji-woo scratched his ear. He had been exploring the dungeon for a day and had not found anything. It felt like he was the only living being in there. He then lightly kicked a thick, broken tree branch on the ground. ¡®What a strange ce!¡¯ Zzzrt¨C On the spur of the moment, Ji-woo stopped moving and looked to the left side where the thick branch flew. He faintly saw a space glitch in the distance. He jumped and ran toward the ce. Ji-woo watched the small air space crack closely. ¡°O, human. Juste inside.¡± Kikikik¨C Ji-woo frowned at those words. However, he just went forward, passing through the gap of the air space. Inside the circr range, Ji-woo could still see the scenery outside. It was like a space that isted a spot from its surroundings. It created another dimension but was still in the same ce. It was the first time his Mana sense couldn¡¯t reach it. Or it might get rted to the Nullifier¡¯s True Strength as the cause. Ji-woo was surprised to see that there were two creatures inside it. Probably, the sources of the voice from earlier. Both were Trolls. However, they were different from what often got depicted in novels or movies. Where the trolls look shabby, dirty, hair disheveled, and had arge, fat build. The Trolls in front of Ji-woo exuded an aura of warriors. Those Trolls grinned, disying a haughty and arrogant attitude. Their physique was the same as Ji-woo in both height and weight. The Trolls wore fur leather pauldrons, fur leather vambraces, fur leather armor, and fur leather tasset battle armor-ted steel waist fauld belt. Their teeth were sharp. Their eyes were white and blue like humans. Their hairstyle was mohawks. The only difference between the two Trolls was the color of their skin. One was the Crimson color, and the other was the Emerald color. ¡°Initially, we just wanted to see without any intention to disturb. But, waiting is tiring and boring.¡± ¡°Right. Right. Good thing you passed near us, not the others.¡± The Crimson Troll chimed in. Kikikik¨C The Crimson Troll wielded a spear with a wooden shaft and a pointed head of steel. Meanwhile, the Emerald Troll held the Whirling Axe with a wooden handle. Ji-woo could see the quality of the weapon when he saw the magic inscriptions on the shaft and the handle. ¡®Are they Dual Owners? or not? Does that mean there are other creatures in the dungeon?¡¯ Ji-woo contemted it. He had been wandering around all day and had never seen any creature before. He tossed it aside and then let out his Aura of Fear while taunting the Troll. ¡°A creature of your caliber shouldn¡¯t be hiding in a dimension space like this. It¡¯s a disgrace to use such tactics. Am I right? ¡°Hehm!?¡± Bang! Kaboom! Ji-woo got hit by the Emerald Troll in the face. The speed of the Trolls was faster and caught him off guard. ¡°Your trick is unique and different from anything we¡¯ve experienced before. However, mere fear is nothing but child¡¯s y for us!¡± Said the Crimson Troll as he ced his spear behind his shoulder and rested his hands on it. The Emerald Troll shouted. ¡°Get up. Don¡¯t waste too much time lying on the ground under the rubble.¡± Hehe¨C Haha¨C Ji-wooughed. The Nullifier already got in him. And not long after that, he stood up and cleaned himself from the rubble of the ground. His hunter gear suit got slightly stained with mud due to the moist soil. ¡°Amusing! Creatures that depend on Mana dare to look down upon my existence!¡± Ji-woo let out a loud voice shattered the space circle that isted them from the outer area. He smirked after that. His devilish smile showed his excitement about the uing fight with powerful opponents. ¡°We are the greatest and strongest race. We don¡¯t rely on magic. O, human. How dare you underestimate us? The superior race! You are but a speck of dust!¡± Bang! Kaboom! The Emerald Troll flew away after getting kicked in the neck by Ji-woo. ¡°F*ck*ng sh*t. Talking too much!¡± Ptui¨C Ji-woo spat out a small amount of blood. It was from the Troll¡¯s punch earlier. The Crimson Troll didn¡¯t startle at the sight of hisrade got thrown. He was still smiling, enjoying the show with the previous pose. Ji-woo¡¯s veins bulged on his forehead. He was annoyed at being belittled by the Trolls. ¡°You two should havee to me. Or do you want to die that badly? By going one by one, huh?!¡± The Emerald Troll got up and looked at Ji-woo with a deadpan expression. He massaged his neck with one hand. ¡°Strong. That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s continue the fight.¡± ¡°F*ck! You trash creatures!¡± The Emerald Troll jumped up and swung the Whirling Axe, targeting Ji-woo¡¯s head. Ji-woo ducked to dodge and countered it with a kick to his side. But, it got blocked by the Whirling Axe. After that, hended a blow with his knee into Ji-woo¡¯s stomach. Ji-woo wasn¡¯t got pushed back and hit the Emerald Troll in the face with his right hand. Haa!! Kaboom! Ji-woo did not continue his attack at the Emerald Troll that got flung to the ground. He instead charged toward the Crimson Troll on the side. ¡°Ha!?¡± The Crimson Troll was surprised to see Ji-wooing to him instead of attacking the Emerald Troll. He had no other choice but to respond to it. Ji-woounched several punches, and the Crimson Troll managed to dodge them all. He thennded another punch that targeted the Crimson Troll¡¯s head. The Crimson Troll ducked and released a spear thrust from below. Ji-woo dodged thinly, and the thrust only cut his hair a little bit. He continued to circle backward and kicked the spear upward. It was followed by a punch to the Crimson Troll¡¯s chest and sent him flying deep into the ground. Ji-woo jumped up and was about tond another punch on the Crimson Troll¡¯s face. However, the Whirling Axe wasing to his head. He didn¡¯t have time to dodge and chose to block with both hands. Bang! Kaboom! Chapter 76: Warlord: Easy with Spear Chapter 76: Warlord: Easy with Spear The two Trolls looked at Ji-woo, who immediately got up after being hit by the Whirling Axe. ¡°I told you to sharpen that weapon. Look, it can¡¯t even cut those human hands. Pathetic!¡± ¡°Whatever!¡± Ji-woo could felt his hands shaking from the pain. He did not expect those two weapons to be powerful. The spear sharpness was capable of cutting through his skin while the Whirling Axe was sturdy as f*ck! ¡°Okay. Now. I have the attention of both of you. Next, it¡¯s my showtime.¡± The Emerald Troll unceremoniously jumped at Ji-woo, while the Crimson Troll ran to pick up his spear first before he also charged at Ji-woo. Ji-woo smirked and stepped forward as well. He moved his body slightly to the right side to dodge the Whirling Axe¡¯s massive swing by the Emerald Troll. He kicked the ground to add more power to his punch. The Emerald Troll defended with his right hand. However, the impact managed to send him flying backward and destroying several tall trees on his way. The Crimson Troll didn¡¯t stay still either. He thrust his spear several times with a faster speed when Ji-woo hit the Emerald Troll. Ji-woo managed to dodge the spear thrusts. However, his hunter gear suit didn¡¯t fare very well with it. Not only that, but the spear thrusts also left marks on his skin. He had a hard time closing the gap with the Crimson Troll because the pull and push movement from the spear was remarkably fast. On another note, the Crimson Troll was able to keep their distance and didn¡¯t let Ji-woo get close. In the meantime, the Emerald Troll joined the battle again. In a two-on-one situation, Ji-woo undoubtedly became passive. He solely moved and dodged the two Trolls¡¯ attacks simultaneously, unable to fight back. Every time he wanted tond a punch at the Emerald Troll, a spear thrust woulde at a rapid speed. It was the same the other way around when he tried to close the gap with the Crimson Troll. A swing with a blunt weapon would instantly get aimed at him. Kikikik¨C ¡°It¡¯s not bad to be able to match our attacks with difficulty.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The two Troll grins seemed forced even though they currently had the upper hand. It still hurt their pride to fight two on one. After all, their opponent was just an ordinary human, the lowest and fragile race. Ji-woo gritted his teeth and chose to hit back at the Whirling Axe with his bare hand. His fist bounced off the weapon, and he had little room to move. He also kicked the Emerald Troll in the leg and tripped him up. Of course, Ji-woo wouldn¡¯t have that luxury when it came to dealing with that Troll. A spear thrust wasing to his shoulder with rotation. He lowered his upper body to dodge. But he couldn¡¯t do it perfectly. His left shoulder got slightly cut, and he didn¡¯t let that wasted. He grabbed the spear before it got pulled back with his right hand and then followed by his left, ignoring the wound on his shoulder. The Crimson Troll gasped, seeing that the spear couldn¡¯t get pulled back. The Emerald Troll got up and jumped low to push Ji-woo away to release the spear. Ji-woo quickly jumped up and kicked the Emerald Troll¡¯s back. At the same time, he rotated the spear the same way and pushed it at the Crimson Troll. The Crimson Troll got shot in the stomach and flew. He bounced on the ground several times and destroyed several trees in the way. The situation changed in a matter of seconds. Ji-woo got the upper hand now with the spear in his right hand. He ignored the bleeding on his left shoulder. His right hand that punched the Whirling Axe earlier also felt hurt. It left a red mark on it, and the skin got torn a bit. The Emerald Troll cleaned up the mess on his body after falling to the ground twice in a short period of time. The Crimson Troll also got up and massaged his abdomen. The blow clearly hurt him. The two Trolls were no longer rxed. The human before them had proved, again and again, that he was a force to be reckoned with it. Now, it was their turn to grit their teeth. Ji-woo and the two Trolls looked at each other with killing intent through their eyes. The Trolls knew how determined that human was to win the battle for daring to sacrifice his body until it bled. They needed to fight with all they had. The Emerald Troll opened his mouth to converse with the Crimson Troll. ¡°Our Lord Warlock wouldn¡¯t be happy if something went wrong here. This ce is important to him.¡± ¡°I know that. But, more than that. I¡¯m more worried about the Savage Monger than the Warlock.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s beyond our expectations. We can kill that human easily. We only need to let out our full strength.¡± The Emerald Troll began the fight. He dashed at full speed toward Ji-woo. The Crimson Troll also followed behind. Ji-woo immediately changed his body position after saw those attacks. He moved his left leg to the front and his right leg to the back. Then stretch it, which made his upper body lower. His right hand moved to the back a little while holding the end of the spear and moved his left hand at the same level as his shoulder. Put the part of the spear tip in the palm of his left hand at the front. Ji-woo widened his eyes then the invisible spear thrust was released and directed at the Emerald Troll in front. The Emerald Troll¡¯s eyes pop out in surprise. He tried to dodge the notably fast thrust attack. But, the timing wasn¡¯t quite right to did it wlessly. So, he had to block the thrust with the Whirling Axe. Bang! The Emerald Troll flew backward at a tremendous speed. And the Crimson Troll stopped his movement after receiving a shock from the thrust attack. When the Crimson Troll looked back at where Ji-woo was. He found nothing. Ji-woo had disappeared. Suddenly, there was a spear thrust that came from behind. He quickly spun around to dodge the attack. It worked. But, his shoulder got cut very deep. He might not be able to use his left hand properly. The Emerald Troll returned to the battle area. His state was really worse. The Whirling Axe that blocked the spear thrust attack was totally crushed and shattered. His chest was also bruised all over it. Contrary to both Trolls¡¯ appearance, Ji-woo seemed quite fine despite his hunter gear suit almost torn apart with so many shes and cuts. The visible wounds that he had were only on the right hand and his left shoulder. ¡°Oh, my. Did your mouths get stitched up? You two seemed a lot more talkative before than now.¡± The Emerald Troll couldn¡¯t take the insult, charging again without giving much thought. The Crimson Troll also jumped. Ji-woo spun and advanced with the help of a spear thrust into the ground. He hit the Emerald Troll with his knee in the face. And then, gripped the Troll¡¯s neck with one hand. Haaa! Ji-woo threw the Emerald Troll toward the Crimson Troll, and the two collided. He took the opportunity and threw the spear forward. The Emerald Troll had time to move his head fast enough to dodge the spear and only got a scratch on the cheek. Meanwhile, the Crimson Troll was not as lucky as hisrade. The spear pierced his chest and fell to the ground. The Emerald Troll wanted to help pull out the spear. But, it got stopped by Ji-woo, who appeared instantly in front of him. Both Ji-woo and the Emerald Troll exchanged blows. However, most of the punches went to the Troll instead of Ji-woo. In the end, one Troll couldn¡¯t keep up with Ji-woo. He hit hard enough and made each blow to cause the Troll to spur green blood from the mouth. The Emerald Troll fell on his knees and thenid on the ground. Unable to move anymore, and his breathing was heavy. Ji-woo jumped up and delivered the final blow with his knee to the Troll¡¯s neck from above. He then looked at the body with an icy cold gaze and smiled. ¡°Heh! Trolls, Werewolves, Elves, Dragons, Demons, Beasts, or whatsoever. All is still below me, the Nullifier!¡± The ground cracked when Ji-woo said those words. Next, he headed toward that Crimson Troll in hisst breath. Kikikik¨C Huk, Huk¨C The Crimson Troll smiled and coughed up green blood. ¡°You¡¯re strong. ¡°Even though we failed to do our job here due to underestimating you too much. You still can¡¯t do anything with this ce. It¡¯s not supposed to get closed!¡± Ji-woo held the spear that was still stuck and moved it slightly. Huk, Huk¨C The Crimson Troll coughed again. Kikikik¨C ¡°You think it¡¯s over!? Huh!? This ce is under the surveince of the Savage Monger, Troll Chieftain!¡± Huak! Ji-woo prated the spear deeper and caused the Crimson Troll to die instantly, shutting the babbling mouth. He exhaled. ¡®Is it because of the weights? In the previous Red Gate ident, my body would give off steam after using a lot of my strength.¡¯ Ji-woo returned to where the previous dimensional space was. He tried to study its characteristics. After all, he needed to restart his exploration due to the spatial dimension. Chapter 77: Warlord: Magic Rune Chapter 77: Warlord: Magic Rune Ji-woo looked around the aftermath of the fight. He found traces of magguage on the ground. Even though he didn¡¯t know the words, he could still tell where they came from it. The thing on the ground that got used to create the dimensional space was different from the thing written on the item or weapon as a magic inscription. Magic inscriptions were words created to give abilities and overall quality improvements. Be it was durability, strength, and sharpness to the items and weapons. Meanwhile, the ones on the ground were called magic runes. The way it was written was also not the same as magic inscriptions. Magic runes required the user to master thenguage of magic. The most well-known one was Dragon¡¯s tongue. However, the one that Ji-woo found on the ground was Elf¡¯s tongue. Magic runes existed not because they were written but by speaking. Therefore one needed to be fluent in the pronunciation of thenguage. After that, the words would appear in the air and stick to the desired object. It could get used on items or weapons. But, itcked features like magic inscriptions. It had only one use, such as the space dimension. That created another isted space in the same ce and nothing more. Magic inscriptions and magic runes also had differences in Mana. Thetter could get performed by someone without Mana as long as one mastered thenguage of magic and was proficient in conversing with it, whether it was Dragon¡¯s tongue or Elf¡¯s tongue. Ji-woo didn¡¯t have any means to stop the magic by the magic runes. It was tricky magic that basically ignored thews of nature. The only way to solve it was to break the object. Even he was only able to destroy the spatial dimension from the inside, not the outside. Unconditionally, no need for Mana and without Mana. Ji-woo swept his hands clean. His exploration got restarted, and he needed to be aware of his surroundings. He couldn¡¯t rely on his Mana sense but his instincts now. He had already obtained some information about the dungeon, even if it was only a few. The Dungeon Owner was probably the Savage Monger, the Troll Chieftain, which was rted because he had just ended the fight with two Trolls. However, something was bothering him after killing the Crimson Troll. The dungeon should not get closed. What was the significance of this ce? Also, who was the Warlock? Suddenly, Ji-woo knocked on his own head. ¡®Well, let that thing too be the concern of the hunters.¡¯ After an hour, he was back in perfect condition, even though the wounds on his left shoulder and right hand had not healed. He massaged his neck and shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s nice to fight with weapons. Better than going full-brawl.¡± He reminisced about the past with his signature weapons. He nned to revive those des. But, it was necessary to wait until his pursuit of True Strength began. Ji-woo walked for another hour and finally found another space glitch. ¡°Just get out. Aren¡¯t you tired of watching and waiting!?¡± However, there was no response. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. He then stomped one foot on the ground, and a crack urred. It went all the way from his feet to where the space glitch was. Coincidentally, the crack broke the magicalnguage of the Elf¡¯s tongue written on the ground. The spatial dimension shattered, and three Trolls got revealed. The three Trolls had a simr appearance to the previous two Trolls. The only different thing was, the three of them were not wielding and using any weapons on them. Their Mohawks and armors really looked menacing. Ji-woo noticed the three seemed weaker than those two Trolls from before and coupled without weapons. The fight would get over soon. ¡°How did you know about that space? Were you already against our kind beforeing here?¡± The three Trolls were shocked and confused when they saw Ji-woo destroy the spatial dimension. Ji-woo definitely didn¡¯t have an obligation to exin. And he instantly disappeared, starting the battle. The three Trolls frowned and immediately set up their fighting stances. Bang! Kaboom! Ji-woo hit one of the Trolls really hard in the face and sent the creature flying far back. The other two Trolls didn¡¯t stay still either. They jumped simultaneously at Ji-woo, throwing multiple punches and kicks. The other Troll that got hit before joined the fray too. Ji-woo paid back the same. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. At first, the three Trolls managed to keep up with the exchange of blows. However, as time went by, the difference between Ji-woo and them was very dominant. Even if they block the punches from Ji-woo, it still hurt them. The three Trolls got pushed back. They choked and bled through their mouths. Ji-woo was much stronger than the three of thembined together. Ji-woo got hit several times by the Trolls too. But, all of those blows were far from the standard he could call hitting. Those three were not the same as the previous two. ¡°Time to finish this.¡± Ji-woo dashed and appeared in front of one of the Trolls. He smirked and threw a punch to the stomach. Then, he proceeded to another Troll and kicked him hard in the neck, and broke it. Kaboom! The one remaining Troll retreated, distancing himself from Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t let that happen. He closed the distance and grabbed the Troll¡¯s face to m into the ground. Bang! Three moves for three Trolls. Even though they were weak and didn¡¯t damage Ji-woo too much, those were still exceptional punches and kicks for him. Ji-woo still didn¡¯t get tired after fighting like that twice. He had high endurance and was lively despite his appearance, like someone that got beaten up. On the other hand, elsewhere in the dungeon. A Troll sat on a stone chair with his eyes closed. There were no other Trolls with him there. Zing¨C There was a magic rune circle that appeared in the Troll¡¯s hand. He opened his eyes and saw the magic rune in his palm. ¡°Heh. Tor¡¯zek will notice about this. Though, I didn¡¯t want to resort to this move. It¡¯s better than letting my soldiers get wiped out.¡± The Troll got up from his seat and clenched his hand, making the magic rune dissipatepletely. He knew about everything that was happened in the dungeon. And he decided to dispel the space dimension that was hiding his troops across thend. He made a miscalction about the intruder, who came into his realm. Some Trolls were no match for that human. The only way was to attack inrge numbers, or he himself must intervene. ¡°What a strange human. No matter how well I sense the area. I can¡¯t understand what he is. There¡¯s no trace of Mana from him.¡± The Troll took his helmet and ced it on his head. His helmet wasrge enough to cover the front of his Mohawk. He took out his weapons, two Axes of the Savage Monger. He also had three spears on his back. The current situation made Ji-woo bewildered. Out of nowhere, he could sense a group of creatures nearby. He then ran toward the closest one. There were a group of Trolls who had gathered and looked lost. But when Ji-woo showed up, they understood the purpose of dismantling the space dimensions. Dozens of Trolls attacked without further ado. Ji Wooughed heartily. ¡°This is it! This is what I was hoping for!¡± Boom! A big explosion urred. Clouds of dust and debris flew everywhere. The trees get crushed, left and right. There were two Trolls that were thrown away by Ji-woo. Ji-woo instead got three hits in the stomach and was sent flying back to the ground. He quickly got up and jumped at the Trolls. And he managed to kick two Trolls in the process. However, once again, Ji-woo took other punches, and he blocked those attacks. Even though it still sent him flying. The battle against a dozen Trolls ended in a back and forth between Ji-woo and them. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t get a good advantage over the Trolls. Their numbers totally made up for theck of manpower to match him alone. In the end, Ji-woo still came out as the top. The opposite side suffered casualties while he only got some minor bruises in several parts of his body. There was not a single Troll who used magic when fighting Ji-woo. And almost all of them also didn¡¯t use any weapons except the first two Trolls that Ji-woo fought earlier. Themotion of the fight between Ji-woo and the Trolls attracted other Trolls. The surroundings also couldn¡¯t sustain a battle of such caliber. The muddy and many trees that covered the ground werepletely swept away and made it almost like a barrennd. ¡°F*ck*r! There¡¯s no end to them.¡± It would get easier if Ji-woo had a weapon that could kill each of the Trolls in one move. A sword or spear would be nice for him. Unfortunately, such good conditions were not something that could fall from the sky in his favor. Ji-woo gritted his teeth and used all the strength he had. Right now, it was him versus dozens of Trolls. Chapter 78: Warlord: Valgard Chapter 78: Warlord: Val''gard Ji-woo had fought countless Trolls and still remained at the top, standing among the swarm of corpses after an hour of full-scale fighting. Ji-woo started to lose his breathing rhythm. His physique also piled up the fatigue. There were only a few Trolls left. Perhaps, he could end the battle soon. The Trolls wore grim expressions. Strangely, they were no longer ganging up on Ji-woo and just stood still, gritting their teeth. Ji-woo tilted his head, followed by a massage on his neck and shoulders. ¡°Have enough? That¡¯s weird. Aren¡¯t you all the best racepared to humans? Where was that arrogance from earlier? ¡°What a disappointment.¡± The Trolls still didn¡¯t take any action despite got mocked by Ji-woo. It was a sign that something was going to happen. He moved his legs, ready to jump and finish them off, but halted it abruptly when the sound of footsteps with tremendous Mana caught his attention. ¡°The fun is just about to begin. O, human.¡± Suddenly, There was a Troll came walked into the battlefield wearing a magnificent set of armor. The Troll was more menacing than the first two Trolls that Ji-woo fought in the beginning. The arrival of that Troll caused the other Trolls to scatter, surrounding the battlefield in a broader range. ¡°Savage Monger?¡± Kikikik¨C The Trollughed. ¡°Oh, that was the name when I began my journey to the top. Well, my two generals died at your hands, and that name must havee from them. Only the two of them dared to say that name among my troops.¡± Ji-woo showed a grave expression. The Troll was strong, much powerful than those two Trolls. ¡°I¡¯m themander of my army. The Master of the Savage Monger! The Warlord of Trolls, Val¡¯gard!¡± Val¡¯gard roared, and his eyes shed a blue light that overshadowed the dark blue color. His eyes were different from humans. Underneath the helmet, his eyes stand out in a deep blue, contrasting with the orange color of his skin. He spread out his hands that were holding the two Axes of the Savage Monger. He caused the wind pressure to push everything near him. Ji-woo was unfazed by the pressure. But, he could felt the chill atmosphere between him and Val¡¯gard. Val¡¯gard walked toward Ji-woo at a slow pace, showing his confidence to fight. His appearance was totally on a whole different level. The armor set had the sameposition as the others, but the material was solid steel, not fur leather. The blue and gold armor color matched his skin tone perfectly. Each hand wielded a one-sided ax, and on his back were three spears simr to the earlier Troll¡¯s spear. Ji-woo clicked his tongue and dashed at his fastest speed ever. He could not afford to underestimate the creature capable of making him feel worried. Val¡¯gard was caught off guard and blocked the powerful blow with his two Axes. Bang! Kaboom! The collision caused an explosion. ¡°Man. It¡¯s tough.¡± Ji-woo smiled awkwardly. Kikikik¨C ¡°Interesting.¡± Val¡¯gard pulled his left hand that wielded Savage Monger Axe swiftly and then swung it back at Ji-woo. Ji-woo jumped back as fast as he could. But, his chest was not safe from the cleave. It bled even though it was shallow. ¡°Human. You need to show me what you got. Just moving fast won¡¯t keep you safe.¡± Haha¨C ¡°Well. Will the other Trolls join uster on?¡± Val¡¯gard tilted his head. ¡°Why? Afraid it would happen? Don¡¯t worry, the Warlord of Trolls doesn¡¯t need such a thing.¡± Boom! Val¡¯gard closed the gap and appeared in front of Ji-woo. He swung his right Savage Monger Axe down. That was a close call. Fortunately, Ji-woo responded with a swift movement to the left, dodging the blow that slid to the ground. However, that was not the end. Val¡¯gard eventually kicked him in the chest. Ji-woo was blown away and bounced several times on the ground. He stopped his spinning body by gripping the ground. Val¡¯gard rested his left Savage Monger Axe on his left shoulder and spoke to Ji-woo. ¡°Human. You know what. Since I¡¯ve been here, not even once has my presence been required to clean up the intruders. ¡°My troops will always do the job, and I think it will be a good experience for them until it got boring and made me realize the truth. ¡°This is a special ce created by the Warlock. It¡¯s for the lord¡¯s purposes. The restrictions that you humans have was don¡¯t work here for us. So, no matter how many people you guyse here, their strength will be below ours.¡± Bang! Val¡¯gard was blown away after getting hit on the left side of his face. The sudden attack made him drop the Axes of Savage Monger to the ground. Ji-woo managed tond a punch after smoothly crossing the block that Val¡¯gard put up when he appeared. ¡°Is that why you used that cheap trick? Even though all of you here are already several levels above us, humans?¡± Val¡¯gard got up and wiped the green blood from his mouth. Kikikik¨C ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in killing them head-on without letting them feel despair when we kill them one by one in the shadows?¡± Ji-woo jumped. He tried to take one of the Axes of Savage Monger. Val¡¯gard saw that and took out one of the spears from his back. He tossed it quickly and excellently drew Ji-woo to back off from the Axes of Savage Monger. It even managed to injure Ji-woo¡¯s chest, making it a straight line down from the shoulder to the stomach. The front part of Ji-woo¡¯s hunter gear suit got slightly ruined. However, that was not without any gain. When Val¡¯gard ran toward the two weapons, he took the spear that got stuck on the ground. The front of Ji-woo¡¯s hunting gear suit slightly shattered. However, the injury was not without advantage. As Val¡¯gard dashed toward the two weapons, he picked up the spear that just stuck in the ground. He should be able to overpowered Val¡¯gard with the spear. The Axes against the spear. Val¡¯gard jumped up and tried to close the distance. But, Ji-woo kept him away with a few spear thrusts. He, who found it easy before, found it more difficult now. Did the spear make much of a difference? Logically, the Axe was a type of close-range weapon, closer than the spear, which was precisely capable of reaching some distances. Val¡¯gard gritted his teeth and tried to rush at Ji-woo again. As a result, it still didn¡¯t work. The spear¡¯s thrusts were more troublesome than Ji-woo¡¯s agile movements when fighting. His blue golden armor got slightly worn out as every sessful thrust of the spear would cause his armor to crack. Val¡¯gard stepped back and then jumped high into the air. He quickly descended and mmed the Axes of Savage Monger to the ground, some distance in front of Ji-woo. Kaboom! The ground shook, and it disturbed Ji-woo¡¯s footing slightly. Suddenly, Val¡¯gard appeared in front of him swung two Axes from above. He was taken aback and didn¡¯t have time tounch a spear thrust at close range between them. Ji-woo then used the spear to block the two Axes. Unfortunately, the spear wasn¡¯t enough to do the job, and one of the Axes manages to sh at Ji-woo¡¯s side in the same spot where the spear injured him earlier. The sh made a deep wound, and blood gushed out of it. However, Ji-woo was injured not without a counterattack. He pierced Val¡¯gard¡¯s left shoulder with the spearhead of the broken weapon. Both Ji-woo and Val¡¯gard retreated at the same time. Ji-woo held his right chest while Val¡¯gard didn¡¯t care about the spear stuck in his left shoulder. He didn¡¯t even drop the Axes of Savage Monger like before. ¡°What are you!?¡± The fact that Val¡¯gard still couldn¡¯t kill Ji-woo started to irritate him. He had been slowly exerting his full strength since the spear thrust strikes. Yet, the double sh he did earlier only made a small cut. It couldn¡¯t even inflict a fatal wound on an ordinary human! Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to waste his breath. He needed to regte his strength and stamina. Even though the wound wasn¡¯t critical, it still hurt him. His body had several injuries that couldn¡¯t get ignored anymore. ¡®Darn it!¡¯ Ji-woo clenched his fists and focused his remaining strength. It was now or never. Boom! He disappeared and jumped in front of Val¡¯gard. Val¡¯gard swiftly swung the Axes of Savage Monger from the left and right, aimed at Ji-woo¡¯s neck. However, in that small expanse, Ji-woo surprisingly blocked the two Axes with his hands. Val¡¯gard frowned at the reckless move. Unexpectedly, the shes got stopped, and a loud sound got heard. Ji-woo¡¯s defense paid off, and he kicked Val¡¯gard while holding one of the Axes of Savage Monger. Val¡¯gard flung and bounced several times on the ground. The punch should emphasize the surprise that Ji-woo managed to block his Axes shes. The Axes of Savage Monger was the powerful weapon that created the story of Val¡¯gard to be the Warlord of Trolls. The sharpness was extraordinary, and the weight was perfect, making the sh unstoppable. Val¡¯gard coughed and got up with one Axe of the Savage Monger. He was furious that his weapon got stolen and used by Ji-woo. ¡°Ungrateful b*st*rd!¡± Chapter 79: Warlord: Cataclysm Chapter 79: Warlord: Cataclysm Ji-woo¡¯s sess in blocking the shes of the Axes was because of the weights on his wrists. Despite the fact, the item was not something that would increase its sturdiness when injected with Mana. It still had resistance to sharp weapons or blunt weapons. However, it cost Ji-woo two Obelisk Spheres. The weights on his wrists broke as it blocked the Axes. Thanks to that, he now had a weapon to properly fought the Warlord of Trolls. Val¡¯gard held onto the Axe Savage Monger tightly. It was his favorite weapon in his arsenal. Allowing it to get stolen was uneptable! He took one of the spears from his back. ¡°Don¡¯t act like a strong person if you rely on weapons.¡± Haha¨C Ji-wooughed. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯sing from the mouth of a creature that doesn¡¯t even dare to fight bare-handed with me like other Trolls. It sure pleasing to my ears!¡± Harrgh! Val¡¯gard screamed and went forward at full strength. He threw the spear in his hand halfway. Ji-woo saw the trajectory better and easily dodged the spear. nk! The Axes of Savage Monger shed against each other caused a deafened sound. Val¡¯gard and Ji-woo¡¯s physical strength was about the same. He pulled back the Axe Savage Monger and swung it after at different angles in quick session. Ji-woo responded faster and jumped neatly over Val¡¯gard while also swinging the Axe Savage Monger aimed at the head. Val¡¯gard swiftly moved his weapon to ward off the attack by holding his Axe horizontally. He then twisted back andunched another attack while Ji-woonded from the jump. Ji-woo used the Axe Savage Monger to block the blow. Bang! He got pushed aside. And there was another attacking from Val¡¯gard. Ji-woo didn¡¯t stay still either. He counterattacked with a big swing from the side. Both he and Val¡¯gard were in a situation where they exchanged shes with Axes of the Savage Monger. No one could approach the duel of the fight. Ji-woo and Val¡¯gard put their concentration to the max. Neither of them could afford to make a single mistake. Those heavy Axes got swung around at a rapid pace like a meat mincer. Val¡¯gard¡¯s golden blue armor shattered bit by bit from the Axe¡¯s shes, and some of the cleaves also injured his body. Ji-woo didn¡¯t fare very well too. He fought without good gear and suffered more damage than the Warlord of Trolls. His entire body got almost covered in blood. There were many cuts on it. Thud! Ji-woo managed to stop the rhythm of the exchange of shes. Val¡¯gard¡¯s right arm bounced off. He didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and swung the Axe Savage Monger to the neck. Val¡¯gard didn¡¯t have time to use the Axe Savage Monger and chose to dodge the attack by ducking. It missed his neck and instead cut into the spear in his back. However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t end his offensive there. He hit Val¡¯gard in the face with his knee, making the Warlord of Trolls fell back to the ground. He continued to swing the Axe Savage Monger, using both his hands to add more power to the sh. The fallen Val¡¯gard did everything to move the Axe Savage Monger to block the attack. Zrret! Ji-woo¡¯s sh managed to cut off Val¡¯gard¡¯s right hand and even prated his right shoulder. Val¡¯gard was in pain and held the Axe Savage Monger that stuck to his right shoulder with his left hand. And he then kicked Ji-woo hard in the stomach. Kaboom! Val¡¯gard got up and panted heavily. The Axe Savage Monger that got stolen before was in his possession now. Even so, he could only use one of them. He looked at the ground where his severed right handid. His anger had subsided. His situation was worse than Ji-woo. His left shoulder got pierced by the spearhead, and his right shoulder was deeply injured. He no longer exuded the majestic aura of a great warrior. He held the Axe Savage Monger in one arm and felt like a worn-out soldier. Ji-woo stood up and wiped his face. He walked closer to Val¡¯gard. They are at the end of the fight. ¡°Human. It was a good fight after a long time for me. Let me give you a gift as apliment to your strength. ¡°My lord, the Warlock is in thest phase of his goal. It is to cross into your world. And when that happens, your humans stand no chance against us. Especially you!¡± Kikikik¨C Val¡¯gard suddenly swung the Axe Savage Monger from the left side. But, Ji-woo charged forward instead of evading the attack. He held his breath and punched with all his might. Duag! The punch hit Val¡¯gard¡¯s face, and his helmet got broken. He fell hard to the ground. Ji-woo didn¡¯t stop and unleashed a barrage of punches at Val¡¯gard in session. Val¡¯gard spat out green blood profusely. His eyes and body began to lose any signs of life. He had lost so much blood. Bang! Ji-woo delivered his final blow to Val¡¯gard¡¯s chest. There was no sign of movement from Val¡¯gard anymore, and his eyes looked nk. Ji-woo stared at Val¡¯gard as he gasped for air. It had been a long time for him to fight like that. Even though they looked equal, he still knew he was stronger. He solelycked a weapon to defeat the Warlord of Trolls. ¡®Ah. There¡¯s not much power left. It should be enough to deal with those Trolls.¡¯ Ji-woo shifted his face and observed the Trolls that surrounded the battle area. He wondered about what they wanted to do with him since theirmander got defeated. The Trolls got closer. One of them spoke with Ji-woo. ¡°We will fight you to the death.¡± Ji-woo was ready to fight again in his tattered state with those few Trolls. Suddenly, all the Trolls levitated into the air. ¡°I know problems arise after sensing the spatial dimensions has got deactivated.¡± A creature with a cloak and hood covered its face showed up. It was raised hand as if it was lifting something. It then used the other hand to make a wedge motion in the air. All the Trolls floating in the air were decapitated easily, and green blood spurted like light rain. Ji-woo gaped at the scene. The mysterious creature that had just appeared had a power that he couldn¡¯t measure with his current self. It seemed strange that he sensed so little Mana that creature emitted. But, it sent a shiver down his spine. It looked like seeing an endless hole. ¡°Now, I need to clean up the mess.¡± The mysterious creature raises its hand, trying to lift Ji-woo. However, nothing happened. It changed its ways and increased its strength. ¡°Dominator.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s eyes lit up. And suddenly, he felt a tremendous pressure in his chest and got blown away very far back. After the throwing stopped, he sat up and vomited a lot of blood. His eyes were dim and naturally didn¡¯t have much strength left. Fortunately, there was a white light that came toward Ji-woo and transformed into a Dungeon Bead. The mysterious creature appeared in front of Ji-woo. It began to act cautiously after seeing the Dungeon Bead. Ji-woo tried to gauge the intention of the creature since it even wiped out all the remaining Trolls. ¡°Are you the Warlock? Those Trolls can kill me. Why bother to kill them? In the end, you want to prevent me from closing this Portal Gate, right?¡± The mysterious creature tilted its head. ¡°Val¡¯gard is letting his mouth run off without thinking, huh? Talking about something unnecessary. Anyway, even though I don¡¯t care about this ce. It will give me a headache if it closes. This ce is a special door. And you must die here to clean up this mess.¡± Ji-woo could felt the sudden change in Mana flow with the mysterious creature. And he immediately broke the Dungeon Bead in his hand, preventing him from getting any further harm. Zap, Zap¨C Ji-woo, on the verge of death, still looked wary. He was worried whether the mysterious being could open another Portal Gate toe to him. But, after waited for more than 10 minutes, nothing urred. Ji-woo felt d and took a breath. He currently could felt the umtion fatigue that he had from inside the tier-4 Portal Gate. There were so many injuries, and he didn¡¯t have any strength left to move around. He closed his eyes and chose to lie down on the ground, resting his body. He didn¡¯t want to think about his heavy loss from the hunt in the dungeon. Meanwhile, the mysterious creature got thrown from the dungeon and appeared in a considerably different ce. It sighed. ¡°I¡¯m back. The Universe Gateway is still as strong as ever. However, this should open a few small doors to the human world.¡± What the mysterious creature said eventually really happened on Earth, the human world. Several countries had seen the emergence of several Red Gates in session. Meanwhile, in South Korea itself, 20 minutes after Ji-woo closed that tier-4 Portal Gate, four Red Gates across thend had appeared simultaneously. There was also the possibility that another Red Gates would appear in addition to these four. Chapter 80: Warlord: Chain Reaction Chapter 80: Warlord: Chain Reaction Seoul, at the headquarters of the Hunters Association. Chairman Yu paced back and forth within his own room. He waited for Chief Lee to assemble the Monitoring Team. The news about four Red Gates appearances made him get taken aback. Chief Lee then finally came to the room and made a report. ¡°We are ready to go, sir. Luckily, three of four Red Gates is guilds property, and the location is far away from the crowds of people. The other Red Gate we¡¯re going to is the same. Those four Red Gates formed from tier-1 and tier-2 Portal Gates. You don¡¯t need to worry, sir.¡± However, before Chief Lee left the room, Chief Yoon barged in and gave a sudden report to Chairman Yu. ¡°Chairman! Four more Red Gates have appeared. Two of them are near the cities of Busan and Incheon.¡± Chief Lee and Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes widened at the news. There were eight Red Gates in total. And they didn¡¯t have a lot of manpower to take care of all that. The Red Gates that appeared in the cities also had to get taken care of immediately. Otherwise, there would be many casualties and damage to infrastructure. Chairman Yu sighed. ¡°I will ask for help from the Demigod guild, the Shadow guild, and the Artates guild to send reinforcements to the unowned Portal Gates, which turned into the Red Gates. ¡°Chief Lee. You can go to Incheon first.¡± Chief Lee nodded and quickly went to the Red Gate in Incheon. Chairman Yu wanted to contact the three guilds but got interrupted by Chief Yoon. ¡°Chairman, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°What!? Just say what you want to say! We can¡¯t waste time.¡± ¡°Two more Red Gates have appeared. And that brings the total to 10. The new Red Gates are in Seoul, sir.¡± Chairman Yu was sweating profusely. It was the biggest crisis South Korea had ever faced. Ten Red Gates simultaneously across thend. Even though it was likely only low-grade creatures that came out, too many of them would exhaust the hunters. It would be hard to deal with it, especially if an incident like the one in Mapo repeated itself. One of the most stressful things about the Red Gate was that if the creatures spread all over the ce, the damage and casualties would get prolonged. Ridiculous casualties and unimaginable damage would make the country suffer. ¡°You should go too. And tell Chief Ma and Chief Yang to go to the Red Gates that are within reach other than the one in Incheon. I¡¯ll try to contact Chief Joo and go to Busan with himter If the circumstances allow. ¡°There will be hunters from other guilds who will help uster. Also, don¡¯t forget to send me all the locations of the Red Gates.¡± Chief Yoon nodded and left the room. Chairman Yu began to busy himself contacting relevant people who could help in such situations. The Demigod guild, Shadow guild, and Artates guild already got informed and agreed to lend their assistance to the Hunters Association. Chairman Yu also didn¡¯t forget to ask about the situation of the guilds that had the Portal Gate, whichter turned into the Red Gate. Elsewhere, in an apartment building close to the Artates guild. There were two men wearing suits in the room. One wore sunsses and the other not. They were the ones who had met at the abandoned subway station a few days earlier. ¡°You can settle here. Don¡¯t make trouble for me.¡± Suddenly, there was a phone call to the man without sunsses. He excused himself and picked up the call. The sunsses man nodded and walked towards the giant window. He looked through the window ss, seeing the hustle and bustle outside. ¡°I just got a call and was told about ten Red Gates appearing simultaneously. Do you perhaps know about this?¡± The man took off his sunsses and turned to face the man who asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was beyond my expectations too.¡± ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you seem surprised to hear this news?¡± The man who got questioned paused for a moment before answering. ¡°Well, because I know the cause. Though I¡¯m not really sure how it happened.¡± He then turned to look at the window ss again. ¡°Ma Dong-seok! Don¡¯t keep me in the dark!¡± ¡°Are you sure you can say my name openly? Your two hunters outside, can they know my name? You sure like to invite trouble when you tell me not to cause trouble.¡± The man clenched his teeth. Even though he always obeyed Dong-seok¡¯s orders, that didn¡¯t mean he could get treated like a subordinate who couldn¡¯t know their detailed ns. They were partners in crime! Dong-seok narrowed his eyes. ¡°This happened because one or more of the Core Portal Gates got closed. It caused a chain reaction to the Universe Gateway, causing the Red Gate to open erratically. ¡°What¡¯s that mean? I don¡¯t know about Core Portal Gate. Even the Portal Gate Codex doesn¡¯t mention that either.¡± ¡°Everything in the Portal Gate Codex is something to our advantage. Don¡¯t overthink about it. You can consider that Portal Gate as a special one. ¡°The final Portal Gate required these Core Portal Gates to form. The tiers of the Core Portal Gates are random. However, the creatures guarding them should be at the Apex-rank level, and there is a restriction on our side. That¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised someone can hunt in the dungeon from the Core Portal Gate. It is the first time this has happened since the Core Portal Gate first appeared five years ago.¡± ¡°Has the n been interrupted now?! ¡° ¡°No. And you don¡¯t have to worry about this. More importantly, If my prediction is not wrong. More Red Gates will appear. That old man from the Hunters Association will ask for your help.¡± ¡°South Korea will tten if more and more Red Gates appear! Are you crazy!?¡± ¡°Tsk. It¡¯s not under the control of me and also the other party. And you can rx about these Red Gates. It will only have low-grade creatures.¡± The man red at Dong-seok for a while. He then turned around, wanting to leave the room. ¡°Ah, right. Lent those two hunters to me. I need them to take me somewhere else.¡± ¡°To where?!¡± ¡°Busan. To check the Core Portal Gate over there.¡± The man knew it would be beneficial for him to let his hunters apany Dong-seok. That would give him more information that he didn¡¯t know about the Core Portal Gate. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± In another ce, at the Demigod guild headquarters. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin, who returned after closing the tier-3 Portal Gates, got flustered by the news of the Red Gate. The Demigod guild let their E-rank, D-rank, and C-rank hunters help the Hunter Association deal with the Red Gates. Meanwhile, their high-ranking hunters would overseer the situation and only act if it got out of control. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re on the same team now.¡± Dong-hyun didn¡¯t even bother to look. He was already familiar with Yu-jin¡¯s voice. Their hunt in the dungeon did not cause any significant injuries within the team. They were only tired as a consequence. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Ji-woo be here too? He had an obligation to help the guild in the matter of the Red Gate. With his power, it should be easy. Try calling him.¡± Donghyun gulped. In his opinion, the idea of calling Ji-woo without a prior appointment was the worst move. He knew Ji-woo¡¯s personality a little after training with him for almost two weeks. Ji-woo was usually pretty aloof and carefree about everything. He wouldn¡¯t bother about something that could get handled by others. He also didn¡¯t like other people matters than his own. His interest was above anything else. ¡°I heard that the Red Gate mostly only has low-grade creatures. We can handle it without Ji-woo hyung interfering. After all, there are a lot of top-ranked hunters here.¡± Yu Jin frowned. She had wanted to see Ji-woo in action ever since she decided to learn from him. She had not had the chance to witness his fought against the Demon Apes before. But, She didn¡¯t continue pestered Dong-hyun about Ji-woo. The two of them had to leave as quickly as possible to the designated Red Gate. South Korea had issued a state martialw, and civilians had begun to get evacuated to safe zones. Several high-ranking hunters would prepare to take care of the creatures that came out of the perimeter of the Red Gate. To prevent them from going somewhere with a lot of people. However, that sight was not only happening in South Korea. Many other countries were experiencing the same thing. Dozens of Red Gates appeared out of control. Only the United States, Germany, and China could keep everything under control because they were the Superpower Hegemony. The hunters had only two main jobs in the mission to close the Red Gates. One of them was not to let any creatures pass the hunters who surrounded the Red Gate. And the second was hunting the Dungeon Owner without further ado. At the same time, Chairman Yu and Chief Joo also received a new report in the helicopter. There were ten more Red Gates that appeared on top of the previous ten Red Gates. The situation was getting chaotic. All South Korean guilds needed to move their hunters for the solution, especially high-ranking hunters, who couldn¡¯t serve as reserves anymore. On the other hand, Ji-woo, who caused all of that, was stillid on the ground and losing consciousness. Chapter 81: Warlord: Redredane, Sanctum of the Dead Chapter 81: Warlord: Redredane, Sanctum of the Dead Somewhere different from the earth inhabited by humans. A dark with no light at all. There was neither the moon nor the sun. Its ground got covered in cracks filled withva, volcanoes erupted every now and then, and the¡¯s surface got filled with tons ofvakes and rivers. A ce called the Sanctum of the Dead, Redredane. The mysterious creature that defeated Ji-woo with ease flew toward arge stone castle. Hended at the front gate, and the guards let him pass through them. But, the mysterious creature got stopped by another being that had the appearance of a human with tworge fangs. ¡°Tor¡¯zek, stop! The Lord is busy and can¡¯t be bothered. Come back another time.¡± Tor¡¯zek took off his hood, revealing the pointed ears, dark-skinned, and white-haired appearance. A Dark Elf whose physique was slightly different from the usual skinny one. He was the same size as Ji-woo, just a little bigger. Tor¡¯zek looked at the creature that stopped him. He gazed at the two eyes that had four pupils. He then raised his hand in a gripping motion, and an invisible pressure was squeezing the creature¡¯s neck. ¡°I let you go after your bad attitude of calling my name directly because we¡¯re in the Great Warlock¡¯s circle. If it¡¯s anywhere else, consider yourself has already died, f*ck*ng dog!¡± Tor¡¯zek lowered his hand and walked into the castle hall. The creature knelt on the ground and choked upon being released. However, that human beast wasn¡¯t afraid just like that and intended to attack Tor¡¯zek. ¡°Bane, don¡¯t make a fuss. Let him in.¡± Bane nodded at the echo from within the castle hall. Both him and Tor¡¯zek walked together, entering the room. When they met the Lord of Redredane, they bowed and knelt down. ¡°The Lycanthrope, Bane, presents his presence to the Great Warlock.¡± ¡°The Emperor Necromonican, Tor¡¯zek, presents his presence to the Great Warlock.¡± ¡°Arise.¡± Both Tor¡¯zek and Bane got up and stood before the Great Warlock that sat on the steel throne. Even though they were both in a standing position, their heads lowered and stared at the floor. The Great Warlock had an imposing aura despite his appearance as not a great fighter. He got draped in a tattered robe, and his hooded robe got pulled low around his face. On his back, several mystical pointed trees towered like horns above his head but were no taller than the steel throne. His right hand also held a staff that was the same length as his body, called the Destion Scepter. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°One of the doors where restrictions got lifted with Eternal Mana has been closed.¡± The Great Warlock frowned and raised his voice. ¡°A blunder! You asked to be the overseer of those doors. And now you say one is closed? How could you be negligent!? ¡°Using the Eternal Mana again to lift the restrictions on other doors is tantamount to shortening Redredane¡¯s life span! Can you see how bad things are for us now!? This world won¡¯tst long! ¡°The final door wouldn¡¯t be as perfect as I hoped it would be if there were only six doors!¡± Tor¡¯zek closed his eyes as his head still lowered. ¡°That is the door where Val¡¯gard is the guardian. The one the Great Warlock rmended to me. He also dispelled my magic spell there.¡± Bane got angered by Tor¡¯zek¡¯s words for ming the Great Warlock for the cause. ¡°Audacious!¡± The Great Warlock also rose from his seat on the steel throne and used his hand to cast a magic spell on Tor¡¯zek. Ssh! Bwossh! Streams of water gushed from under Tor¡¯zek¡¯s feet, surging up to the ceiling of the castle. But, Tor¡¯zek didn¡¯t get elevated and had no trouble against the magic spell regardless of how strong the stream was. All he got was water soaking all his clothes. Tor¡¯zek also got attacked by Bane¡¯s ws from the side after the water streams stopped. Yet, it got blocked easily by him. He decided to end the conflict. Otherwise, the Great Warlock and Bane would continue their assault. Right now, there were important matters other than their dispute. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll be ready to ept whatever punishment you want to fall on me. O, Great Warlock.¡± Tor¡¯zek released his grip on Bane¡¯s hand and returned to his original position. He stood still and lowered his head. The Great Warlock also returned to his steel throne. He remained calm even though his expression was raging on his face. ¡°I stripped you of your position of overseer and ordered Redredane¡¯s seven Generals to take over those doors, not the others. ¡°Bane, you will be the guardian of the new door where I will lift the restriction with Eternal Manater. ¡°Both of you can be dismissed. I need to recuperate to use the Eternal Manater. Remember! It is ourst chance, and we need to hasten the process!¡± Both Tor¡¯zek and Bane lowered their heads and exited the castle hall. After leaving the castle, Bane separated from him. Tor¡¯zek used his hand and cast the magic of wind to dry his attire. He also called the other Generals¡¯ names. ¡°Lucifer.¡± Suddenly, the ground shook, and fissures filled withva opened. There was a Demon emerging from thatva fissure. The Demon was taller than Tor¡¯zek. He had two horns on his head and a short tail on the back. He also had two featherless wings and legs like a werewolf. He was one of the seven Generals of Redredane, the Doom Bringer, Lucifer. Just like the Necromonican Emperor, Tor¡¯zek. The fact that the two were of the same rank, Lucifer¡¯s attitude did not show equality toward Tor¡¯zek. It instead acted like it was in a lower position. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Call the others to exit from the unrestricted doors. The Great Warlock wanted us to be the guardians of those doors instead.¡± Lucifer clearly showed his dissatisfaction with the arrangement. But, Tor¡¯zek reassured him of the matter and told him to carry on with the task. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. However, we urgently need those doors to open the final door. From now on, we need to make sure everything goes ording to n. Pay attention to the other Generals of Redredane. I won¡¯t tolerate a single mistake again. Mess up. I¡¯ll kill them all indiscriminately!¡± Lucifer could feel the anger his sovereign was expressing. ¡°Nevertheless, how could a high-ranking human mage enter that door? Their world shouldn¡¯t have Eternal Mana like ours to be able to lift the restriction of Universe Gateway.¡± ¡°No, the Earth doesn¡¯t have that luxury to bypass the restriction.¡± ¡°How is that possible, my sovereign? Val¡¯gard is the closest candidate to be the next General of the Redredane. His strength is only slightly lower than ours.¡± ¡°There are unexpected variables thate into y. That human doesn¡¯t have Mana with him. Even my magic spells don¡¯t work unless I use the Magic manifestation.¡± Lucifer widened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. The Universe Gateway rules were absolute. Only creatures with Mana could traverse inside the doors. But now, Tor¡¯zek said a man without Mana entered the door and killed the Warlord of Trolls, Val¡¯gard. Did that make sense!? ¡°What happened, my sovereign!? Has the Universe Gateway changed!?¡± ¡°No. I still couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Even when that door bead gets destroyed, I am constantly gets thrown outside the Universe Gateway and back to Redredane.¡± Lucifer also knew about that rule. Now, their best n was to make sure the unrestricted doors would work. Other things couldeter. ¡°My lord, I will inform the others and immediately upy one of the unrestricted doors.¡± Lucifer bowed to Tor¡¯zek and turned into a gigantic me in the form of a Demon. He swiftly disappeared in front of Tor¡¯zek. ¡°Now, if I¡¯m not mistaken, there was a Dwarf in Redredane who was imprisoned from another world long ago. Maybe that Dwarf has something that I need.¡± On another note, the Great Warlock found the solution to their world demise a long time ago was the Universe Gateway. Aw that allowed them to travel across multiple universes. However, it wasn¡¯t as simple as crossing a bridge to arrive at the other side. The Universe Gateway would randomly open various doors of different sizes. It would allow the inhabitants of Redredane, the Sanctum of the Dead, to enter the human world. s, the Great Warlock discovered a problem. There was a restriction that didn¡¯t allow any creature to pass through that door. The size of the door would determine which creatures could enter based on their Mana. And it would take a very long time for the entire poption of Redredane to cross if they waited for the right door to appear. There was also the possibility that the door they were waiting for could not get opened. The Great Warlock then decided to use Redredane¡¯s Eternal Mana. Using it to open their own door through the Universe Gate was a risky move. Instead, he chose to use it to remove the restrictions of some of those doors. That would allow him to send even more powerful beings to upy the ce. And it also created a final passage that wouldpletely ignore the restrictions and immediately open a two-way door directly. Chapter 82: Warlord: Overkill Chapter 82: Warlord: Overkill Almost all countries around the world had their hands full because of the Red Gates urrences. The average number of Red Gates that appeared in each country was around 15. Even though all of those Red Gates only had low-grade creatures, there were still a lot of them. If one Red Gate could have hundreds of monsters, then ten Red Gates would definitely generate more than a thousand creatures that came out of it. So far, South Korea had only managed to close about two or three Red Gates. They were still far from sessful in easing public unrest. The random ce was also one of the reasons why the hunters still couldn¡¯t close all those Red Gates. Thend was vast, and the hunters had no means of transportation that could surpass helicopters or cars in terms of speed and capacity. The Hunters Association had no other choice but to ask for help from the many guilds. Fortunately, most of the Red Gates that appeared in the crowd or urban areas could get controlled thanks to that. In Seoul, the two Red Gates got ovee easily because of the Demigod and the Artates guilds. At one of the Red Gates, Oh Dal-soo demonstrated his skills as the Godly Doctor. The moment he arrived. He healed all of the E-rank and D-rank hunters that totaled almost about 100 hunters. He got apanied by Jung Hyun-don and Im Taek-won. ¡°Let us handle these beasts and the Red Gates. You all spread to all corners of the city. Check if any beasts escape from here and can harm the residents while heading to the evacuation site. ¡°And also don¡¯t forget to look for the Dungeon Owner. We need to close this Red Gate. So, it doesn¡¯t keep spitting out all the beasts.¡± All low-ranked hunters knew about the Godly Doctor and his face. They obeyed the order and left the three to handle the Red Gate. ¡°Death Thread!¡± Dal-soo spread his arms, and threads came out of all his fingers. He moved both hands to trap all the Silver Wolves that were baring their sharp teeth. However, the beast refused to be trapped and forcibly tried its way out by breaking through the thread. Unfortunately, that move instead sent them straight to their deaths rather than freedom out of the cage of strings. Every single Silver Wolf that had died left a trace of poisons in the air. As not to cause unexpected things, Hyun-don and Taek-won handle the toxins by using the magic of wind to dissipate them. Dal-soo utterly ughtered the Silver Wolves, even though they kepting from the Red Gate. Meanwhile, at another Red Gate in Seoul. It was totally a massacre for the Red Gate creatures. The one who intervened was South Korea¡¯s strongest hunter. The top-ranked hunter, Kim Hyun-bin. The Headmaster of Artates guild appeared with a stunning appearance. His heavy white armor emitted an overwhelming aura that could threaten anyone who nced at it for too long. The heavy armor consisted of cuirass, pauldrons, bracers, greaves, and a helmet. All of that made Hyun-bin resemble a Holy Pdin,bined with the Great Shield and Great Sword in each hand. Not enough with that, the S-rank hunter, Seo Ji-soo, also made her appearance behind the Headmaster. She had light and tight blue armor that showed the outline of her body, in contrast to Hyun-bin¡¯s attire. It made all the hunters on the spot unable to take their eyes off such a magnificent sight. The beasts that came out of the Red Gate were the ck Bears. They measure up to 4 meters high, and their ck fur was as hard as steel. The Dungeon owner, Earth Spirit, also couldn¡¯t go anywhere else after Hyun-bin arrived. Basically, all the creatures were trapped the moment they came out from the Red Gate. Hyun-bin stomped the lower end of his Great Shield into the ground when the Earth Spirit and ck Bear wanted to make a move. And sword-shaped golden lights appeared in the air and instantly rained down on the creatures, piercing everything in its path. No being could withstand such a powerful magic attack. The Red Gate began to disappear after the creatures got ttened. Closed the Red Gate in a few seconds undoubtedly showed a bit of an Apex-ranked hunter¡¯s capability. Ji-soo drew closer to Hyun-bin and spoke in a low tone. ¡°Headmaster, should we go to other Red Gates in other cities too?¡± ¡°No. Our job is not to babysit those guilds and Hunters Association. They can handle the other Red Gates. ¡°Also, let the other hunters clean up the aftermath here. For our S-rank hunters, tell them to go back to headquarters and just wait there. There¡¯s no need to meddle with these Red Gates anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, Headmaster.¡± ¡°How about the Shadow guild? I didn¡¯t know their situation.¡± ¡°Oh Dal-sik and Jo In-sung directly took care of each of the Red Gates that appeared in Itaewon.¡± It felt like overkill to ask Shadow guild and Artates guild Headmasters and Vice Headmasters to handle those Red Gates, which only had low-grade creatures on it. In fact, B-rank and A-rank hunters were enough to take care of it. However, those steps quickly need to get taken to stabilize the situation. So that people didn¡¯t panic. And public facilities were not destroyed by the creatures that attacked cities or public ces. ¡°Ah, right. Where is Jo-hyun? I haven¡¯t seen her since we departed from the headquarters.¡± Ji-soo sighed. ¡°She¡­went to Busan.¡± Hyun-bin frowned, confused by the reason. ¡°Jo-hyun went there after hearing the initial news of this incident. That was when the Red Gates had yet to appear here.¡± Hyun-bin nodded and walked away from the scene, along with Ji-soo following behind him. On the other hand, in Busan. The small vige where Ji-woo came out of the tier-4 Portal Gate. The atmosphere was pretty calm. Even though in some parts of the city, it was hectic because of the Red Gate. Ji-woo opened his eyes after resting for more than three hours. He looked up at the sky, remembering what had happened to him. Not long, everything came back to him. He got up and saw his body had some bandages over his wounds. He then turned his gaze to the left after realizing someone was watching him. ¡°Did you do this?¡± Ji-woo pointed at the bandages and asked the woman sitting on the ground. The woman nodded her head. ¡°Um!¡± Ji-woo bowed and thanked the woman. He wanted to buy some clothes on his way backter. His hunting gear suit got worn out. Thanks to the bandages, his wounds were not visible, and he looked uncluttered. ¡°What are you? Why isn¡¯t my magic working on you? Even injecting Mana into you doesn¡¯t work.¡± Ji-woo squinted his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t your question a little impolite?¡± The woman was surprised to get reminded of her inappropriate behavior and immediately apologized to Ji-woo. ¡°Ah, pardon my impoliteness. It can¡¯t be helped since you¡¯re fascinating. Are you a hunter? I¡¯m also a hunter from the Artates guild, Bae Jo-hyun.¡± Jo-hyun held out her hand for a handshake. But, Ji-woopletely ignored her. ¡°I already apologized. Why are you ignoring me?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry seeing Jo-hyun asking for his attention. In the end, he chose to let her ask him something in gratitude for the bandages. He exhaled. ¡°So, what do you want to ask me? What is it that intrigues you?¡± Jo-hyun¡¯s eyes lit up at those words. ¡°How could you be a hunter without Mana? You don¡¯t have Mana, right? I can¡¯t feel it inside you. I touch you here and there while bandaging you and also to check it. But, there is none at all. How is that possible??¡± ¡°Does touching my body feel good?¡± Jo-hyun, who looked at Ji-woo with deep appreciation, subconsciously nodded her head after being asked back. However, she soon realized that something was wrong with her nod. He shook her head even harder to deny it. ¡°No! No! I¡¯m not touching your body. I¡¯m just b-bandaging your w-wounds!¡± Jo-hyun instead got stared at by Ji-woo with an expression of disbelief because of the stuttering. It made her cheeks blush. She shifted her head to the side. ¡°I-I am n-not a p-pervert.¡± Haha¨C Ji-wooughed and said goodbye to Jo-hyun. His mother must have been worried about him since there was no news. ¡°W-Wait! You haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡± Ji-woo stopped and turned around, ready to answer but stalled because someone else hade to where they were. ¡°Hey, Bae Jo-hyun. Why are you here? Let¡¯s go back to Seoul. The Red Gate here is closed. Huh? Who is he?¡± Jo-hyun looked back and forth between the man who just came in and Ji-woo. ¡°Ah, Min-ho~ya. I came here because of the Mana explosion that I felt when we were looking for the beasts. And I found this man lying on the ground with so many wounds. So, I helped him. Ah, right. He is also a hunter just like us.¡± Min-ho sneered. ¡°Were you injured by a beast? Don¡¯t wander around and try to hunt the creature if you¡¯re still weak. Don¡¯t be a burden, understand?¡± Ji-woo was speechless by those words. The two hunters were perfect for showing what youth was. Arrogant and rude. Chapter 83: Warlord: Intertwine Chapter 83: Warlord: Intertwine Ji-woo didn¡¯t want any longer to bother with those two kids. He said hisst words to Jo-hyun. ¡°Thank you for the bandages. I¡¯ll return this favor in the future if fate allows it.¡± Ji-woo bowed and walked away from Jo-hyun and Min-ho. Jo-hyun wanted to interject but got stopped by Min-ho¡¯s loud voice. ¡°Go home, brat! Don¡¯t get too cocky and wander around just because you¡¯re a hunter!¡± Ji-woo chuckled and walked away, leaving Jo-hyun and Min-ho behind while waving his hand in the air. He didn¡¯t mind insults and rude behavior. It still hadn¡¯t crossed his bottom line because he could ignore it. Jo-hyun stared at Ji-woo¡¯s back with an expression of missing something fascinating. The fact that Ji-woo had no Mana and her Mana injection failed was really interesting. Just like when she first learned about magic. And knowing something new had always caught her eye since she was a child. Jo-hyun smacked Min-ho on the back and reminded him of his manners. ¡°Could you be a little nicer when you say something? Your words are so rude to that man.¡± ¡°Be gentle when you hit me! Also, that man? He¡¯s just a brat!¡± Jo-hyun snorted on the side. ¡°I don¡¯t think so! I think he¡¯s the same age as us.¡± Min-ho didn¡¯t have anything to retaliate and just grumbled beside Jo-hyun. The two then left the ce where the level-4 Portal Gate had existed before. Even though neither of them knew and only Jo-hyun noticed the Mana explosion because the Portal Gate was closed. Things that never happened before. After all, it was indeed an unusual Portal Gate. Jo-hyun and Min-ho met a middle-aged man who came to a small vige before they returned. Min-ho stopped the middle-aged man who was wearing sunsses. ¡°What are you doing here, sir? You should not be here and go to the evacuation site instead. There are Red Gates everywhere. It¡¯s dangerous out here.¡± The middle-aged man was Ma Dong-seok. He came to the abandoned small vige to inspect the tier-4 Portal Gate. He looked around for a moment then asked Min-ho. ¡°Were the two of you the ones who closed the Portal Gate that was here?¡± ¡°Huh!? What are you talking about it? There is no Portal Gate here. Well, civilians get prohibited from roaming under the current situation. Go to the Busan evacuation site.¡± Min-ho was unable to sense the Mana in Dong-seok. And he tried to push Dong-seok away. But, Dong-seok didn¡¯t budge. He was confused as to why he couldn¡¯t move an ordinary man. However, different from Min-ho, Jo-hyun had a better perception of Mana. Even though it was faint, she clearly sensed the Mana from the middle-aged man in front of them, and the man was probably a hunter. ¡°Min-ho~ya. Stop it! I think that guy is a hunter. ¡°Sir, pardon our impoliteness. We are from the Demigod and the Artates guilds. I am Bae Jo-hyun, and this is Choi Min-ho. May I know who you are, sir?¡± Jo-hyun bowed and showed her courtesy to Dong-seok. Min-ho also took a step back to observe the middle-aged man. There was silence for a moment, and Dong-seok finally broke the silence. But with his strength and pressure. Jo-hyun and Min-ho came to their senses after they saw and felt Dong-seok¡¯s Mana Presence. The two people present were suffocating and suddenly felt a burst of pressure. They couldn¡¯t help but feel their heart pounding because of the high pressure of life gradation. Min-ho, in particr, as an A-rank hunter, tried to withstand such a Mana Presence might be too much for him. In fact, he and Jo-hyun struggled to hold their ground against that powerful Mana Presence. ¡°Kids. I¡¯m the one that is asking. Not the other way round. Did the old guys from your guilds not teach the two of you manners toward someone older?!¡± The ground cracked, and debris was floating around with the severe wind pressure. Both Min-ho and Jo-hyun couldn¡¯t handle the pressure any longer and fell onto their knees. ¡°I said. What are you guys doing to the Portal Gate over here?! I¡¯m really in a foul mood right now. Maybe I should start a bloodbath with your lives.¡± Jo-hyun cast a magic spell despite being under pressure. ¡°Magic of Fire, me Burst!¡± A big burst of fire shoots toward Dong-seok. However, he just raised his hand, and the enormous mes instantly tamed in his hands. He yed with the big fire and then split it into his hands and turned the res into two sword shapes. Dong-seok withdrew his Mana Presence and kicked Jo-hyun far back. That attack was enough to make her lose consciousness. Min-ho was furious and didn¡¯t stay still after the Mana Presence was gone. He jumped andunched a lightning punch toward Dong-seok. Dong-seok shed the mes-shaped sword to collide with the lightning punch. Boom! Min-ho was thrown further than Jo-hyun and fell deeper to the ground. His entire body got covered in wounds and blood. One strike. And that was enough to overthrow an A-rank hunter to nothing. Dong-seok sighed. ¡°It looks like I got the answer I was hoping for it. The two of them have nothing to do with the Portal Gate here. With just this much strength, it¡¯s impossible to close the Portal Gate and exit the dungeon.¡± Dong-seok got lost in thought. He expected the one that closed the Portal Gate had already left, and these two hunters didn¡¯t seem to know about what was there. The two were unlucky to be there, and he saw them at the scene, causing the misunderstanding. ¡°Since the situation is like this, should I kill the two of them now?¡± Suddenly, there was another voice that interrupted Dong-seok¡¯s action. ¡°Sir, please show some mercy. It seems they are not rted to the Portal Gate here. Both are important hunters in their respective guilds. Especially Miss Jo-hyun, she is our S-rank hunter.¡± ¡°If they died, the Demigod and Artates guilds will try to find their body and the cause of their death.¡± Dong-seok turned around after hearing those words and looked at the two hunters who apanied him from Seoul earlier. He took a deep breath and replied with an even more terrifying aura. ¡°Demigods or Artates, I can tten them if I want. Do you two think I¡¯d be afraid of that!? The two hunters felt their lives got threatened even without Dong-seok¡¯s Mana Presence. They sweated profusely and immediately knelt to the ground. ¡°Sir, we didn¡¯t mean it that way. Please, spare our lives!¡± Dong-seok then got distracted before he could make a move. He reached his hand into the pocket of his ck coat. And he took out a small, transparent ball. After he stared at it for a moment, he let everyone go. ¡°Go and bring those two kids back with you guys. I¡¯ll be backter on my own terms. I have my own business.¡± The two hunters gulped and immediately took Jo-hyun and Min-ho. They quickly left the small abandoned vige in a hurry. Alone, Dong-seok raised his hands and created a small half-sphere spot with the Earth. Within it, the darkness that enveloped him instantly got dispelled as the transparent ball glowed red and gave rise to the figure of a Dark Elf. ¡°One of the unrestricted doors is gone.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Tell the others to guard and monitor the other doors from your side. I don¡¯t want another ident to happen!¡± ¡°Alright. Then what about the other one?¡± ¡°Just wait. The Great Warlock will lift the restrictions on another doorter. And I¡¯ll let you know when it gets done. ¡°Also, I caught a glimpse of the person who caused this n to get dyed. His appearance and height are the same as yours, only slightly thinner. More importantly, he has no Mana at all.¡± Dong-seok frowned. That person must be Asian because the impression was the same as him. However, the thing without Mana was a bit difficult for him toprehend. Universe Gateway was absolute. No creature without Mana could wander inside the Portal Gate. ¡°Is that possible!?¡± ¡°I just asked a Dwarf, and he said there is an existence cursed with Mana. That human power is equal to or above us in general, even though the one that I beat inside the door is weaker. However, no one knows about the future. It¡¯s better to be careful than not. ¡°Try to find that human. Kill, if necessary! I have a bad feeling about the existence of that human. An uncertain variable.¡± ¡°Yes. I will remember that.¡± Dong-seok put the transparent ball back into his coat after the Dark Elf¡¯s projection disappeared. He erased the small earth half-sphere spot. And then, he contacted the others and told them the current situation. He alsomanded them about the new task of supervising the Portal Gates, whose location he would announceter. Now, Dong-seok and the others¡¯ vacation was over. They needed to speed up the stalled final gate n. It also meant the fate of humanity had just got dyed. But, it was still on their demise path. The intertwined between the two worlds would cause the Earth to copse. Chapter 84: Warlord: Lucky or Unlucky Chapter 84: Warlord: Lucky or Unlucky Ji-woo was wandering the Haeundae district while looking for new clothes to rece his shabby clothes. His duffel bag got left in the dungeon. And his smartphone also got damaged due to the battle with the Trolls. Luckily, the wallet was still good. So, it wouldn¡¯t get difficult to go anywhere. Ji-woo suffered a considerable loss from not being able to bring anything from the dungeon. And it gave him a bit of a headache. He still had 135 million won in arrears to Seok-jin because of the tier-4 Portal Gate. However, the money he had now was only 5 million won. ¡°Huh? Why there aren¡¯t shops open?¡± Ji-woo finally realized the emptiness of the district after walking around for about 15 minutes. Not a single human got seen along the way. Suddenly, a Military Jeep stopped beside Ji-woo. A soldier got out of the SUV and approached him. ¡°Sir, things are still notpletely safe. Pleasee with me to the evacuation site. It¡¯s very dangerous here.¡± Ji-woo swiftly took out his hunter ID and showed it. The soldier gasped and immediately saluted while apologizing. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re just doing your job. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and there¡¯s no need to apologize. ¡°Ah, yes. Can you tell me what¡¯s going on here?¡± The soldier nodded and exined the state of the district. There were two Red Gates that appeared in Busan. One in Haeundae and the other in Dongnae. However, even though the Red Gate did not pop out everywhere in South Korea. The status of martialw and evacuation of the entire poption still got enforced. It was also a precaution due to the presence of 20 Red Gates. Everything would only return to normal if the Hunters Association dered it safe. Ji-woo was quite surprised to hear that. He immediately thought of his family¡¯s situation and asked the soldier to lend him a smartphone. Luckily, Ji-woo was able to contact his family. Elijah and Ji-won were fine at the Mapo district evacuation site. His mother had previously tried to reach him several times and had gone unanswered. He could only say there were things that made him unreachable beforehand and would exin in more detail when he returned home. Ji-woo returned the smartphone to the soldier and decided to help. He also asked the soldier if he could lend clothes that he could wear. He wasn¡¯tfortable going around with bandages all over his body. Ji-woo finally followed the soldiers to the evacuation site while checking the situation. He then left for Dongnae district after getting new clothes and making sure that the Haeundae district was safe for the time being. The Red Gate in the Haeundae was closed. That was why Min-ho and Jo-hyun didn¡¯t look rushed and panicked. And ording to information, the Red Gate in the Dongnae still couldn¡¯t get resolved due to the difficulty of finding the Dungeon Owner. It was a bit chaotic in the Dongnae district. There were no casualties for the hunters on the premises who handled Cerberus. However, some were seriously injured. Since the Dungeon Owner had not got found, the Cerberus continued toe out from the Red Gate. Even Chairman Lee of the Hunters Association was already having a hard time after continuing to fight the beasts for nearly an hour. Ji-woo asked to get dropped off halfway, and he thanked the soldier for what he did for him. He was strolling along and found a dark spot in arge alley between the buildings. ¡°Come out. Let¡¯s not waste time on each other. I can feel your killing intent and Mana from earlier.¡± The sound of heavy footsteps could get hearding out from that dark area. The appearance of a Demon came into sight. A creature with three horns, four arms, and two werewolf legs. ¡°O, human. You¡¯re seeking death!¡± The Demon jumped and charged toward Ji-woo. However, none of the Demon¡¯s consecutive attacks were able to touch Ji-woo. Ji-won shifted his body to the side when the punch came. And he then used rotation tond a kick on the Demon¡¯s neck. Kaboom! ¡°It would be bad if these new clothes get ruined again. All the shops in Busan are closed.¡± The Demon got up and wiped the blood from his mouth. The kick was enough to make him tremble with pain. It also sent a warning to his head that Ji-woo was dangerous. He could die at any moment. He gulped and thought of running away. But, Ji-woo didn¡¯t give the Demon a chance to move and immediately appeared in front of the creature. Zrrat! The Demon¡¯s head was decapitated after it got flicked by Ji-woo¡¯s hands. The body shook and fell to the ground. As soon as the Demon died, the Red Gate in the Dongnae district disappeared. Ji-woo sped his hands and wanted to leave the scene. But, it got stopped by something that caught his attention. ¡°Huh!? Are my eyes hallucinating? Is that a Spatial Bag?¡± Ji-woo approached and picked up the worn-out bag. He opened it and put his hand in it. Haha¨C ¡°An unlucky day might turn into a lucky day. It really is a Spatial Bag!¡± Ji-woo was happy after confirming the Spatial Bag and hurriedly checked what was inside. But contrary to his expectations, the Spatial Bag was empty. There was nothing there. That was a sad thing but also a good thing for him. The Spatial Bag would definitely sell for around billions of won. That could cover his losses for today¡¯s expenditure. ¡®But, why does this Devil have a Spatial Bag? Didn¡¯t Dong-hyun say it¡¯s a rarity? Something like this should belong to a powerful being. No?¡¯ Ji-woo exhaled. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s think about thister. I¡¯m tired now. I have to go back. Busan should be safe by now.¡± There were so many things he had to do. Resting at a time like that was the right choice. Chief Lee and Chairman Yu, who were on the spot, did not find it strange that the Red Gate was closing. That meant the hunters who were on the Dungeon Owner¡¯s hunting mission were sessful in their task. Next, they only needed to clean up the surviving Cerberus. The ughter task was a piece of cake as there was the presence of an S-rank hunter. Meanwhile, the news about the S-rank hunter, Bae Jo-hyun, and the A-rank hunter, Choi Min-ho got injured had reached the Hunter Association. They also ryed the story to Chief Lee and Chairman Yu. It became a serious problem because those Red Gates that all appeared had only low-level creatures. Those creatures wouldn¡¯t be able to harm any high-ranking hunters. That meant an unknown enemy was lurking around. That made Chief Lee and Chairman Yu rush back to Seoul. Jo-hyun and Min-ho most likely needed the Godly Doctor to heal them. Chief Lee and Chairman Yu also want to know the details. They then left the matter in Busan to the rest of the Hunters Association¡¯s personnel. Jo-hyun and Min-ho were still losing consciousness when they arrived in Seoul. The Godly Doctor rushed over and immediately healed the two of them. The Demigod guild Headmaster was there to watch the healing process. And the other Demigod S-rank hunters were also there. Cho Gang-ho and Seol In-ah discussed in a corner the causes of Jo-hyun and Min-ho¡¯s injuries. Meanwhile, on the side of the Artates guild, only Seo Ji-soo and two other hunters, which brought those two injured hunters back to Seoul. ¡°Where¡¯s Hyun-bin? Why only you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss. Our Hunters here have informed me of the circumstances. And based on my judgment, our Headmaster¡¯s presence is not required here.¡± ¡°An A-rank hunter and an S-rank hunter were injured. We¡¯ve made sure all the Red Gates that appear don¡¯t have any high-grade creatures. I wonder what happened!¡± Ji-soo didn¡¯t even flinch at Gang-ho¡¯s question and answered calmly to rece his guild members. ¡°We don¡¯t know either. When these two hunters found Jo-hyun and Min-ho, they had already lost consciousness and had several wounds all over their bodies.¡± ¡°Then we can only wait for Jo-hyun or Min-ho to wake up and tell us the story!¡± The two hunters have already discussed the incident with Dong-seok. And he told them not to say anything and let Jo-hyun and Min-ho tell it themselves. He wasn¡¯t worried about getting caught. After all, he had a new schedule now and couldn¡¯t stay in South Korea for long due to the tier-4 Portal Gate incident. He would probably leave the country in two or three days. In the end, neither Jo-hyun nor Min-ho knew Dong-seok¡¯s name. Even the two hunters who brought Jo-hyun and Min-ho back to Seoul don¡¯t know his name. Dong-seok was also sure the hunters in South Korea couldn¡¯t track him down. The information was limited unless the hunters who knew him a little wanted to share it. He also had no reason to be afraid of just a country like South Korea. They didn¡¯t have an ArchMage that could counter his power. Chapter 85: Warlord: The End that No one Expected Chapter 85: Warlord: The End that No one Expected The 20 Red Gates that appeared out of nowhere in South Korea had reduced by more than half their number now. There were indeed some casualties. But, the number was less than 100 peoplebined between the civilians and the hunters. The Hunters Association responded better to the incident than when Mapo¡¯s Red Gate urred. It allowed them to minimize the loss. Whether the civilians, the hunters, or the public infrastructures. It was a relief to only suffered that much loss despite the state of the 20 Red Gates. It also needed to get emphasized because there were only low-grade creatures. Thus, it was enough with C-rank and B-rank hunters to deal with it. Although, in the end, many high-rank hunters had got deployed from the guilds by Hunters Association¡¯s request. However, the good results were not enough to relieve the hunters¡¯ anxiety. That was because what happened to Jo-hyun and Min-ho raised a thousand questions. The Hunters Association, the Demigod guild, and the Artates guild also wanted to know what was really happened. The incident was not only known to those people, even the Shadow Guild and several other guilds knew about the situation. They rushed over to the two hunters¡¯ treatment area, which was in the Hunters Association building. The closest ce after traveling from Busan rather than to the Demigod guild and the Artates guild. Many big names were present in the Hunter Association. They mostly were S-rank hunters. And the hunters ranked below them were told to go home and get on guard against the problem of the Red Gate, which had not entirely resolved. Dal-soo came out from the room, where he treated both Jo-hyun and Min-ho. ¡°They are fine now. Just need to rest. Maybe for 12 hours. But, speaking of this incident, their injuries are a bit severe. If they get neglected for a day, their lives may be in danger. ¡°I also inspected their wounds, and there¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary except for Min-ho¡¯s hand. ¡°There are traces of Magic Manifestation.¡± Chairman Yu and Seo Ji-soo were the only ones who flinched at those words, while the others were confused and clueless. Dal-soo looked at Chairman Yu and got the affirmation to exin. ¡°A magic technique that only high-ranked hunters can master.¡± ¡°What do you mean high-ranked hunters?¡± Dal-soo used one of his fingers to point to the ceiling. ¡°The highest. Apex-Rank and ArchMage.¡± The other S-rank hunters had never seen how an Apex-rank hunter or ArchMage fought. So, they didn¡¯t know what abilities a hunter of that rank had. All they knew was that their strength had reached the God realm. ¡°What¡¯s Magic Manifestation!?¡± Chairman Yu opened his palm and summoned a small fireball after hearing the question. Dal-soo looked at Chairman Yu, then used his hand to dispel the small fireball. The other S-rank Hunters were still clueless as f*ck even after seeing the demonstration. ¡°It¡¯smon to remove the magic of other hunters through mastery. In our case with Chairman Yu, he lowered his magic power, and I can dispel it despite not being proficient in fire elemental magic. In other words, as long as you are more powerful, you can easily undo the other hunters¡¯ spell. ¡°However, this does not apply to Magic Manifestation. It allows an Apex rank hunter and ArchMage not only to dispel the magic elements. But, it also to make them their own. And that magic cannot be gone by anything except with the permission of the creator or user. In a simple sentence, they became an elemental bender that doesn¡¯t limit to the primary elements. ¡°Those hunters don¡¯t seem to need to borrow the power of nature anymore. They are the embodiment of magic itself. That goes against the Mana Blessing method.¡± Ji-soo chimed in. ¡°That is why they are called True God Incarnations.¡± Gang-ho snorted. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t Hyun-bin be here? Not you?¡± ¡°Ehem! What did you find in Min-ho¡¯s hand?¡± Chairman Yu tried to stop the tension between the Demigod guild Headmaster and the Artates guild Vice-headmaster. ¡°The magical mes sword.¡± ¡°Will it affect his life?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t heal it instantly. The scar on Min-ho¡¯s hand can only heal after enough rest and periodic healing.¡± All the hunters present exhaled deeply. An S-rank healer couldn¡¯t fully heal an injury. Who could calm down after knowing that? ¡°Then does that mean the ones attacking them is Apex-rank hunter? Or ArchMage? How did they get here in South Korea without us knowing!?¡± Dal-sik, Shadow guild Headmaster interrupted. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a bigger threat than the Red Gates we¡¯re currently facing.¡± ¡°We still need to hear the story from Jo-hyun and Min-ho first before jumping to conclusions. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll order Chief Joo to gather information about suspicious people.¡± Chairman Yu assured everyone not to rush into deciding this matter. At the same time, he also showed caution so that nothing wrong would happen after the Red Gates ident. Dal-soo told everyone toe back to let Jo-hyun and Min-ho stay at the Hunter¡¯s Association for a while. He needed to treat Min-ho in the next few hours so that the wound on Min-ho¡¯s hand wouldn¡¯t have any effect after the treatment. Just as everyone had left the Hunter¡¯s Association building, Gang-ho and Dal-sik suddenly stopped their footsteps and turned to look at Chairman Yu. ¡°Hyung~nim. Don¡¯t you think that person is ¡®him¡¯?¡± ¡°I thought so too. Do you think he came back here??¡± Chairman Yu widened his eyes at those words. It was not because he didn¡¯t understand. But because he was fully aware of who the two men had mentioned. South Korea¡¯s greatest traitor, Ma Dong-seok. However, Chairman Yu originally wanted to reject the idea. Come to think of it, the possibility of Dong-seok doing that was very high. ¡°But, why? Even if he did it. It¡¯s not in his character to show mercy when fighting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Both Gang-ho and Dal-sik nod in agreement at Chairman Yu¡¯s counter-argument. The two then looked at each other and finally said goodbye to go back, exiting the Hunters Association building. On the other hand, Chairman Yu¡¯s expression was really grave. He picked up his smartphone and called Chief Joo. ¡°Find out about Ma Dong-seok¡¯s whereabouts. Stop everything else your team is doing and focus on this. You need to step in on this too.¡± ¡°Think about itter. I¡¯m not too sure about that either. But, I have a bad feeling about it. So please check it out.¡± In South Korea, very few know about Ma Dong-seok. Even in the top three guilds, only the headmasters had the information. As for the Hunters Association¡¯s side, only Chairman Yu and all the division Chiefs knew about it. There was no time to spare. The Hunters Association needed to do it all at once. The matter of the Red Gates, as well as Ma Dong-seok, required to get handled carefully. At the very least, the Red Gates could get guaranteed to be safe and under control so far. Only the events of Jo-hyun and Min-ho were uncertain. Chairman Yu could only hope that there would be no further trouble in these turbulent times. Meanwhile, Ji-woo returns with a flimsy outfit. None of the shops along his way home were open. After arriving at Mapo, he visited the evacuation site and then went home with his family. It was allowed because he was a hunter, and the situation got almost totally under control too. Elijah and Ji-won didn¡¯t notice that Ji-woo¡¯s body got covered in bandages because it was under the clothes. It was also thanks to the goddess of luck that Ji-woo¡¯s face and hands had no visible scars. So, a thousand questions did note to his ears. Ji-woo briefly described what happened and only gave the outline. Namely, he helped the hunters to solve the problem of the Red Gate. The smartphone that got damaged was also associated with that reason. Ji-woo returned to his room andid down, thinking about the ending he didn¡¯t expect. The Spatial Bagpared to an immense loss in earnings. It certainly wasn¡¯t a bad thing for him. Now, Ji-woo was just in a dilemma. Should he sell the Spatial Bag or not? On earth, such an object was indeed extraordinary. And it would be a shame if it got sold. Moreover, Ji-woo was unable to produce spatial items. ¡®I wish I had a cksmith. But, oh. Just forget it. I can¡¯t guarantee to be able to gather the materials if my sources are based solely on those dungeons.¡¯ Ji-woo then stared at the Spatial Bag and decided to pawn it to the broker. He needed money, and at the same time, he couldn¡¯t part with the Spatial Bag. He required that item in order to hunt in the dungeon while collecting lootfortably. ¡®Oh my! My life is destitute right now! How pathetic.¡¯ Ji-woo would start a relentless hunt in the dungeons until he had enough funds for him to do everything he had to do. He might as well use the Spatial Bag as coteral to buy those Portal Gates from the broker. Sometimes Ji-woo needed to be shameless once in a while. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea anyway, considered that all the lower-tier Portal Gates wouldn¡¯t present him with any challenges. Chapter 86: Raid Party Chapter 86: Raid Party The next day, South Korea was operating as usual. All civilians returned to their daily lives. But even so, the status of martialw was still not lifted at all. The Hunters Association still wanted to get careful post the Red Gates incident. They still had to scour the entire country and ensure that no more creatures from the Red Gates left. The interim report of the Red Gates incident recorded a total of 130 fatalities with a ratio of 7 to 3 between civilians and hunters. Yesterday, a total of about 43 military helicopters got deployed. And another two helicopters were from the Hunters Association. There 13 battalions with a total of 11000 soldiers were also dispatched to assist in the evacuation. And to check the surroundings of any area where the Red Gate was. The heavy equipment had K1A1 and K2 ck Panthers that totaled 113 tanks and another 97 military jeeps. Fortunately, all of that efforts yielded better results. And it could be said to be an improvement over the Mapo Red Gate incident. South Korea was one of the countries with a low number of victimspared to other countries that have experienced the same Red Gates incident. They were also somewhat coordinatedpared to several other countries, which until now we¡¯re still in a state of chaos. Ji-woo woke up and went to buy a new smartphone to rece the broken one. The food stall was not open today. So, he didn¡¯t need to bring the necessities with his mother. Ji-woo spent a long night resting and only this morning learned that South Korea was in crisis because of the appearance of 20 Red Gates. Yesterday, he only got a rough idea of the overall situation. And he only knew there was a lot of Red Gates, but not the exact number. Ji-woo was lucky his family was okay. But, there was no guarantee the next one would be fine. It made him a little hesitant about hunting inside the Portal Gate. Whereas a few moments ago, Seok-jin had asked about the tier-4 Portal Gate. Ji-woo then decided to call Seok-jin back and talk about the Portal Gate. He asked for additional time regarding the unpaid money and informed the broker that the tier-4 Portal Gate had no valuables. Seok-jin couldn¡¯t believe what Ji-woo said. It was tier-4 Seok-jin and Ji-woo both were talking about it! A ce where a team of hunters could make hundreds of millions of won in one go. Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind his words get doubted because he couldn¡¯t prove what really happened. After all, the purpose of his calling was only to talk about the unpaid arrears. In the meantime, he really had no n of selling the Spatial Bag. Like it or not, his intention to immediately umte wealth must get postponed. There might be an opportunity toe while resting and waiting for the situation of the Red Gates to subside. Ji-woo also needed self-reflection about his fight yesterday. It was a shameful fight. Even though it wasn¡¯t his original feeling that he felt, frustration came to his heart. He was too arrogant even though he was in a state where his True Strength had not yet returned. Ji-woo took a long, deep breath. ¡°Does the tier-4 Portal Gate have anything to do with the current Red Gates? That thing said that the dungeon shouldn¡¯t be closed. Also, I guess they were the masterminds of the Portal Gate. However, seeing their reaction and inability to crosse here, showing that is beyond the power of those creatures.¡± The fact the Red Gate appeared after Ji-woo closed the tier-4 Portal Gate confirmed the creature¡¯s statement. A being capable of making him cough up blood with just one hit. Anyway, Ji-woo actually got so much information about the Portal Gate and the creatures. However, the intelligence was iplete or unclear to him. But, one thing was for sure. The creatures¡¯ n to invade the Earth got settled, and it was just a matter of waiting when it would happen. Ji-woo only remembered the well-defined information and put aside the unconfirmed ones. The following schedule was to craft the Obelisk Spheres into the wrist weights. The previous ones that Ji-woo had got destroyed with the Axes of Savage Monger by the Warlord of Trolls. But, the idea got disturbed when he got a call from Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun asked if the training could continue under the current circumstances. He also had something to talk to Ji-woo about it. So, he suggested a meeting. Both Ji-woo and Dong-hyun meet as usual at the foot of the mountain. Anyway, they had to show their hunter ID to get past the danger zone perimeter beforehand. Ji-woo continued to stare at Dong-hyun, who was still throwing his face left and right, not opening his mouth the slightest since they arrived. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to get patient then hit Dong-hyun on the head as usual. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°So, what do you want from me?¡± Dong-hyun raised one hand to stop Ji-woo¡¯s further violence. Meanwhile, his other hand was in charge of rubbing his head which was still aching. He eximed. ¡°Wait! I just wanted to talk about something. Not asking for anything from you, hyung.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t take the bullshit. ¡°It turns out that you enjoy getting beaten.¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s eyes widened at those sinister words. He also saw Ji-woo¡¯s familiar hand gesture and immediately reacted. ¡°Hyung! Wait! Wait a minute. I¡¯ll exin directly without further ado. ¡°There was a friend who invited me to join their Raid Party to hunt in the dungeon. Then I asked him if I could invite one more person. And it allowed.¡± Ji-woo frowned. ¡°And that person is me!? You must be kidding.¡± Dong-hyun just lowered his head after got stared at by Ji-woo. ¡°When?¡± Donghyun was surprised. But before long, he smiled brightly at the question, which he thought had indirectly agreed to his invitation to join the Raid Party. ¡°Tomorrow!¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ecstatic Dong-hyun. He guessed that Dong-hyun wanted to enter the Portal Gate as soon as possible was because his training was practical at the tier-3 Portal Gate and the Red Gate before. Being confident and continuing the momentum was okay. But, being greedy was not very good. Dong-hyun must be eager to fight those creatures with his newfound strength. Although, he was still not strong enough to get acknowledged as an Intermediate Mage. However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t have any n to stopped and advised Dong-hyun. Regardless of he had to be willing to be a babysitterter. Since it also could be an experience for Dong-hyun if he met a setback in the dungeon. ¡®I will see his suffering in return for using me as a babysitter! ¡®Also, the tier of the Portal Gate must be high since he doesn¡¯t have the confidence to join without me.¡¯ ¡°What tier is the Portal Gate?¡± ¡°Tier-4 Portal Gate!¡± Ji-woo held his chin and fell into deep thought. He had concerns about a tier-4 Portal Gate given his current situation. ¡®What if the dungeon is the same as before?¡¯ Even if Ji-woo believed he could fight a creature as mighty as the Warlord of Trolls. There was no guarantee the creature that dealt him a crushing blow wouldn¡¯t be able to show up again. However, the chance of that happening was small. The fact that Seok-jin didn¡¯t believe what Ji-woo said earlier proved that a tier-4 Portal Gate was usually a ce that overflowed with treasures. Not the other way around. It was also Ji-woo¡¯s chance to enter the Portal Gate without paying a penny. And now he had a Spatial Bag, which meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about what items to get picked up as long as they had value. ¡°All right, we¡¯ll meet tomorrow. Just give me the address and time. I wille alone. So, no need to pick me up. And don¡¯t forget, lend me a suit of armor. I¡¯m broke, and I can¡¯t afford it.¡± ¡°Yeah, hyung! I¡¯d even dly buy it for you.¡± Dong-hyun answered enthusiastically. In the end, both Ji-woo and Dong-hyun part ways after sharing the address and time to hunt tomorrow. And Ji-woo used the avable time to create the new wrist weights. By the time that got done, he would be ready to go to the Portal Gate location. He also didn¡¯t forget to tell his family about his schedule. The next day, the wrist weights were ready. And Ji-woo gave one Magic Crystals to each of the wrists weights. So, the weight for the wrists was 4 kg. And the total weight of all with the ankle weights was 52 kg. Ji-woo left for his destination by taking the bus as usual. When he arrived at his destination, Dong-hyun greeted him and gave him the armor he promised. The Raid Party had 4 A-rank hunters, 10 B-rank hunters, and 15 C-rank hunters. Ji-woo was puzzled by theposition of the Raid Party. Dong-hyun was clearly still an E-rank hunter but got invited to such a lineup. Why? All the hunter¡¯s eyes also felt unfriendly to Ji-woo. Previously, Dong-hyun had told him that the one who had the party was a friend of his friend who invited him. The hunters in the party were hunters from various guilds. Some of them are also independent hunters. Chapter 87: Ma Dong-seok Chapter 87: Ma Dong-seok No one knew the reason. It could be because of friendship, or there was an ulterior motive in the invitation. Dong-hyun approached Ji-woo with a friend who invited him. From their gestures, Ji-woo sensed that they weren¡¯t close enough to invite each other to the Raid Party. ¡°This is my hyung in the Demigod guild. Kim Ji-woo.¡± Dong-hyun introduced. He said nothing about Ji-woo¡¯s hunter ranking. And luckily, his friend didn¡¯t ask anything about it either. ¡°Ah, yes. Kim Ji-woo~si. My name is Kim Seon-ho. Nice to meet you. Oh, yes. We have the same surname. So, I hope we can help each otherter in the dungeon.¡± Seon-ho assessed Ji-woo from top to bottom. He then bowed to Ji-woo politely. The other hunters also nodded their heads when they saw him. The atmosphere was friendly, but sadly it wouldn¡¯t be able to fool Ji-woo. Ji-woo sensed something odd when Seon-ho didn¡¯t ask about his rank and abilities as a hunter. That led him to believe that there was an ulterior motive for inviting Dong-hyun. Usually, in such raid parties, knowing the abilities of other members or new members was crucial. It was because good coordination was needed to survive together and ensure the sess of the hunt. Moreover, the dungeon they were about to raid was tier-4 Portal Gate, coupled with the numbers of hunters who were less than 50 people. The hunt could get categorized as suicide if it wasn¡¯t well prepared. Ji-woo usually always looked down on people who were weaker than him because of the contagious habit of the Nullifier. But after the incident with the Warlord of Trolls, he began to want to get more careful with every step he took. There were many x-factors that were unpredictable and may not be solved. His existence was not absolute like thews of the world. Seon-ho talked with Ji-woo for a few minutes before he returned to where the other hunters were. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun just stayed behind. ¡°Is he really your friend?¡± ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡± Dong-hyun asked, not understanding what Ji-woo was asking. ¡°Just forget it.¡± Ji-woo then put on the armor that Dong-hyun gave him earlier. It was the previous Ker vest he wore on the tier-3 Portal Gate. Dong-hyun quickly justified his actions. ¡°It is not only that, there are leather pants and a leather vambrace, right? That¡¯s better than just one item.¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Dong-hyun got hit on the top, and his hands were busy stroking his aching head. ¡°So don¡¯t just say you want to buy armor if you can¡¯t afford it.¡± Ji-woo finished putting on the ker vest and whatnot. He prepared to join the other hunters with Dong-hyun. Zap, Zap¨C One by one, the Raid Party hunters entered the tier-4 Portal Gate. What awaited them there was something Ji-woo didn¡¯t expect. On the other hand, in the Hunters Association building in Seoul. Chairman Yu massaged his forehead. Yesterday, an unexpected incident gave him a headache. Even now, he still felt uneasy and dissatisfied with the organization¡¯s performance in dealing with the Red Gate matter. Regardless of South Korea was one of the countries that did not suffer much loss in the case of the Red Gates. At least by the time the day was over, he would be able to give some assurance about the state of cleaning up the remnants of the Red Gates. And also the possibility of suspending the status of martialw in South Korea, indicating the situation was safe. Of course, it was only to appease the civilians. In fact, Chairman Yu wouldn¡¯t disband the search team and the perimeter guards for the next few days. Chairman Yu¡¯s distress got interrupted by Chief Yoon¡¯s presence in the room, who was about to give him a report. ¡°Most of the guilds is operating normally. It¡¯s just not as intense as usual. Now they¡¯re only hunting in one Portal Gate after previously always being in a capacity of two to three Portal Gates.¡± ¡°What about the frequency with which the Portal Gates appear? Has it increased because of the urrence of the Red Gates?¡± ¡°Nothing, sir. Everything is the same, which is seven to thirteen Portal Gates per day.¡± Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes looked haggard. He was too tired. The appearance of 20 Red Gates really scared the sh*t out of him. If the Red Gates were top-tier and with that number. The high-grade creatures that came out of it would be able to tten South Korea within a few days without a doubt. Even having an Apex-ranked hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the inevitable. ¡°Why did these Red Gates appear out of nowhere? And at the same time, only low-tier ones?¡± Chief Yoon couldn¡¯t answer the question and lowered her head. She felt helpless, even though the civilians called them people that got blessed by God but couldn¡¯t do anything to save their current situation. Even to wipe out the existence of Portal Gates across thend was incapable. ¡°Is there any news from Chief Joo?¡± Chief Yoon shook her head. ¡°There is no news from Senior Joo about Ma Dong-seok.¡± There was also the matter of Ma Dong-seok which made Chairman Yu and the other division Chiefs feel uneasy. ¡°Sir, are you sure he is the one that did this to those two hunters?¡± ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t so sure about this before. But now, my hunch is getting stronger. And it worries me if it turns out that he really is the culprit. ¡°There aren¡¯t many hunters with that kind of power. Forget about ArchMage even Apex rank hunters themselves are already unique existences that can¡¯t move without any notice between countries. Even though they can do whatever they want, the International Hunters Association has been keeping an eye on their existence. If those hunters wanted to create chaos as they pleased. ¡°And only that group possessed strength equivalent to Apex rank hunters. One of them was Ma Dong-seok. The one who most likely came to his hometown, South Korea.¡± ¡°Sir, do you think he came here to finish off Kim Hyun-bin? Just like they did to the French Apex-ranked hunter, Fizldir Lambert.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hope that¡¯s not the case.¡± Both Chairman Yu and Chairman Yoon looked outside through therge window. Ma Dong-seok was the one who betrayed them in the events of the Portal Gate¡¯s first year. At that time, there were no high-level hunters like in the current era. But even so, he was able to defeat dozens of hunters, including Chairman Yu, Cho Gang-ho, Oh Dal-sik, and Kim Hyun-bin. Unfortunately, he was unable to kill them despite being able to trash them. But, other hunters were not as lucky as them. The weaker ones were killed by him every time they tried to hunt down the Dungeon Owners. Many hunters didn¡¯t understand why Dong-seok was fighting with them instead of the creatures from the Red Gates. That caused many civilians to get mercilessly attacked by creatures that the hunters didn¡¯t have time to kill because they were busy with him. It took a lot of effort for the hunters to be able to drive Dong-seok away. They were finally able to deal with the creatures and closed all the Red Gates, bing the saviors for the citizens of South Korea. What Dong-seok did, made South Korea lose so many lives, be it, civilians or newborn hunters. The death toll reached 1 million out of a total poption of 50 million people. Fortunately, the information got locked by the Hunter¡¯s Association. And the government hides that figure from the public. So, not many people know about it and didn¡¯t get a sense of trauma and terror. After all, none of the civilians were aware of the death toll. It was because, at that time, the situation was very chaotic. They only assume and think there were casualties without knowing the exact amount. Suddenly, there was a phone call on Chief Yoon¡¯s smartphone. She asked Chairman Yu for permission and picked up the call from Chief Joo. She frowned after hearing the context, and her expression caught Chairman Yu¡¯s attention. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Sir, Ma Dong-seok¡¯s arrival in South Korea around two weeks ago has been confirmed, and his whereabouts are currently being tracked.¡± Chairman Yu straightened his back and rose from his seat. ¡°I need to call the avable S-rank hunters and Hyun-bin for this.¡± ¡°Should I call the other division Chiefs to prepare?¡± Chairman Yu contemted the idea. Apart from the S-rank hunters, other hunters would most likely not fare very well against Dong-seok. In the end, he told Chief Yoon to do it and called in some other hunters to secure the area after the tracking was sessful. He was just worried that Dong-seok was close to the crowd. Chairman Yu tried to minimize the casualties and keep the civilians away from any kind of danger. The hunters and Dong-seok would probably sh the moment they meet since he nned to arrest the traitor. He believed that Hyun-bin was capable of keeping up with Dong-seok now. Coupled with the other S-rank hunters, including himself, the chance of being able to hold off the traitor was pretty high. Chapter 88: Demolished Chapter 88: Demolished The sound of raindrops and cloudy weather made the atmosphere at Incheon airport a little frowzy. It was deserted and cold, hardly a sight of people wandering around. There was Chairman Yu and several other S-rank hunters in front of the airport. South Korean Apex-ranked hunter Kim Hyun-bin was also among the group. There were eight hunters in total with an extraordinary lineup. All the high-ranking hunters entered the airport waiting room and saw Ma Dong-seok sitting alone. There was no one else in the waiting area. Everyone had got evacuated, and Incheon airportpletely stopped operating. ¡°Did you need to do something unnecessary like this just to see me, Old Man?¡± ¡°Give up. There¡¯s no need for a fight. If you obey, I won¡¯t hand you over to the International Hunter Association.¡± Haha¨C ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve seen each other. I didn¡¯t know you could joke, Old Man. If you¡¯re hoping that Bin~ie can hold me back, you¡¯re wrong.¡± Ma Dong-seok got up from his seat. He didn¡¯t use his Mana Presence and only emitted killing intent. However, it was enough to crack the spot where he was standing and lift the rubble off the ground. Around five S-rank hunters use their Mana Presence and spread out to surround Dong-seok. ¡°Well. Now, I finally get to see how our Apex-ranked hunter fights.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± It was the first time that Cho Gang-ho and Oh Dal-sik could witness the power of an Apex-ranked hunter. ¡°If he can use Manifestation Magic. Don¡¯t use magic spells of long duration. Just use outburst magic. ¡°Also, it¡¯s better to focus the Mana on increasing physical strength and keeping our vitality as fresh as possible.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°I heeded your advice.¡± All the hunters on the South Korean sideunched their Mana Presence and broke the entire floor of the airport waiting room. Boom! Kaboom! A big explosion urred, destroying a part of the airport lounge. The dust cloud subsided because of the rain before it had time to obscure everyone¡¯s vision. At the time of the sh, Hyun-bin directly collided with Dong-seok with his Great Shield. And the other hunters cast their outburst magic spells at Dong-seok. Dong-seok didn¡¯t dodge or back off. Instead, he used an elemental barrier of Water and Wind magic, repelling all magic spells that came his way. It caused an instant explosion because of the block. But, the elemental barrier got shattered by Hyun-bin¡¯s Great Shield before the aftermath of the explosion receded. It also pushed Dong-seok back, widening the gap between the South Korean hunters and the traitor. Hyun-bin didn¡¯t want to let Dong-seok have time to recuperate. He nned to keep the pressure intense and exhaust the traitor. He leaped forward and closed the distance between them. He swung his Great Sword from the right side. The other S-rank hunters also didn¡¯t stay behind and charged toward Dong-seok together. Dong-seok clicked his tongue and used his Mana Presence to block the Great Sword¡¯s sh to his left. He also stopped the second strike from Gang-ho with his right foot. He then held Hyun-bin¡¯s Great Sword with his right hand and swung it at Gang-ho on the right side. Hyun-bin bumped into Kang-ho to the ground. Dong-seok roared and jumped at the rest of the hunters that were rushing at him. Chairman Yu cast a magic spell at him from the ground. Chairman Yu¡¯s hands shone and emitted mes that covered them. He swung his arms, and me whips shot out, extending toward Dong-seok. Dong-seok, still in the air, pped his palms, and Chairman Yu¡¯s me whips were gone. The mes instead headed toward his hand, and a medium-sized circle of mes got formed. He threw that medium circle mes at Chairman Yu, causing a small explosion. Hended on the ground but was met with sword thrusts by Dal-sik. He broke Dal-sik¡¯s top-ss sword with both forearms after dodging those attacks a few times in a rxed manner. And he delivered a kick on the stomach after it. Bang! The remaining four hunters got crushed by Dong-seok with ease. Their magic also got countered so hard that they couldn¡¯t put any real strain on Dong-seok. Every kick and punchnded wlessly to where it got meant to be. Not a single one got wasted. Dong-seok stood and looked at the hunters sprawled on the ground like a monarch after defeating his opponents. He then raised both his hands up. The earth shook, and the wet debris floated up. The rain stopped for a moment, and a tremendous thunderbolt came crashing down on him. Zrrt! Boom! Arge explosion urred. But, it got quelled by an enormous zing fire. The cloud of dust that appeared afterward was alleviated by the rain again. All South Korean hunters saw a frightening apparition after the dust cloud dissipated. Dong-seok appeared while wrapped in fire and lightning. His appearance was ferocious, like a hybrid beast on a rampage with mes enveloping his body and streams of lightning flickering around him. There was steam surrounding him as water from the rain bumped his shell of fire. The rain also made the lightning sparks radiate because of the water droplets. Dong-seok ran off with that fire and lightning form. It was terrifying when an S-rank hunter faced the impending attack head-on. It made his legs weak and powerless to dodge. Thud! Luckily, the attack that came from the form of fire and lightning got stopped. Hyun-bin¡¯s Great Shield blocked it with his light magic that made the shield shine brightly to repel the fire and lighting effect. Hyun-bin shed his Great Sword. But, that¡¯s not enough to push Dong-seok back. He kept swinging his Great Sword, and Dong-seok blocked it with his hands as well. They kept exchanging blow after blow like that until Hyun-bin cast powerful wind magic that burst out from the Great Shield. The magic was enough to hit and push Dong-seok back some distance away. ¡°F*ck*ng shit! Taste this!¡± Dong-seok hovered in the air with his arms outstretched. His fire and lighting form disappeared. Suddenly, above his head appeared hundreds of fire and lightning elements in the shape of a sword. Hyun-bin widened his eyes and instantly stomped the lower end of his Great Shield into the ground. He yelled toward the other S-rank hunters. ¡°Gather around me! Now!¡± Chairman Yu, Gang-ho, Dal-sik, and the other S-rank hunters came to their senses after hearing the scream. They all tried to move quickly, getting closer to Hyun-bin. A thin transparent shield appeared with Hyun-bin as the center. The protection was made of light magic and wasrge enough to amodate 12 people. Dong-seok raised one hand up and gestured down like pulling a lever. Hundreds of swords formed with the elements of fire and lightning rained down on the ground like a hail of arrows in the midst of war. Tzep, Tzep¨C Boom! Boom! Dong-seoknded on the ground after a minute of the strike. He stared intently at the light shield. The area around the protection got utterly destroyed, while everything inside it was fine. Chairman Yu asked, ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± However, he saw two S-rank hunters pierced by the swords on the right shoulder and left leg when he turned around. The two S-rank hunters gasped and seemed to be whimpering slightly in pain. Their eyes looked dim. They couldn¡¯t pull out the elemental sword because every time they touched it. It would hurt their hands. Chairman Yu looked between Hyun-bin and Dong-seok. He wanted to ask Hyun-bin for help. At the same time, he knew there was an enemy in front of them. They could not afford to look away in such a dangerous battle. But, the two hunters would probably suffer if they didn¡¯t get any help soon. It would also lead to the possible loss of two S-rank hunters. Hyun-bin could understand Chairman Yu¡¯s worried face. ¡°I can¡¯t help them. I might be able to pull it out. But, to treat it, you need a true healer for it.¡± He raised his Great Shield off the ground and stood in front of all the S-rank hunters. He couldn¡¯t let his guard down a bit because he was the only one who could keep up with Dong-seok. ¡°So annoying! I¡¯m still in a foul mood. How about all of you just die here today by my hands!? That¡¯s not a bad idea either.¡± Dong-seok took a step forward, and Hyun-bin tightened his grip on the Great Shield and Great Sword. Out of the blue, a private nended at Incheon airport that was already half destroyed. Both Dong-seok and Hyun-bin shifted their attention toward the private ne, wondering who had the gall tond in the tattered airport. A woman with blonde hair and a body like a model showed up when the private ne door opened. She descended the ne stairs and stood up straight. The blonde woman had Divine Rapiers on each side of her waist. She then spoke fluent English. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. We don¡¯t have much time. There¡¯s something more important than this trivial matter, Pride.¡± Chapter 89: The Underground Maze Chapter 89: The Underground Maze Dong-seok gritted his teeth and roared, bursting out his Mana Presence and causing a terrific shockwave. The surrounding area was swept away by the intense wind pressure. Woosh! Hyun-bin quickly stomped the lower end of his Great Shield again into the ground. It was to block the shockwave that was crushing some part of the airport. The blonde woman also raised both her hands to block the shockwave. She cast a magic spell with the magguage, Elf¡¯s tongue. Then, a sky-blue round shield appeared. It protected her and the private ne. Incheon Airport nearly got wiped out after the shockwave. Even the wet ground and the rain had dried up and stopped for a moment. On the South Korean side, fortunately, no one was hurt by it. It was the same with the blonde woman with the private ne. Dong-seok turned left and walked away from Hyun-bin and the other hunters. He was already in a bad mood due to the tier-4 Portal Gate incident. And he was now ganged up by South Korean hunters, which increased his annoyance. He nned to assuage the anger by killing the hunters when the blonde woman came and reminded him of their mission. Inevitably, he had to swallow his mounting anger! Chairman Yu, who saw what happened, got up and tried to chase after Dong-seok. But, he got stopped by Hyun-bin. ¡°Hyung~nim, we also have another important matter. We can¡¯t go after him carelessly.¡± Hyun-bin shifted his face, leading at the two S-rank hunters that sat in slight pain and exhaustion from getting pierced by the elemental swords. Chairman Yu saw that too and gave up on blocking Dong-seok¡¯s departure. It was purely his fault for overestimating the strength of someone who was on par with an Apex-ranked hunter. He was overconfident that Hyun-bin could beat Dong-seok, who in reality could only keep up without being able to suppress the traitor at all. Even S-rank hunters were just a burden and couldn¡¯t help anything in an Apex-level battle. Unfortunately, that was the reality, a fight in apletely different realm, where people outside of it were just the spectators. ¡°Do you really need to go this far to cause a ruckus in your country?¡± The blonde woman asked. Dong-seok didn¡¯t stop in his tracks and got on a private ne, ignoring the question. The blonde woman followed closely behind. On the private ne, Dong-seok turned around and moved his hand at the blonde woman before they sat down. The woman wanted to rebuke but was a little toote and ended up getting strangled by Dong-seok. ¡°Don¡¯t say something you don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t like other people interfering in my business. Even though we are people with the same goal, it doesn¡¯t mean we can get along. Got that!?¡± Dong-seok tilted his head and spoke in English with a Korean ent. The blonde woman struggled but managed to loosen the grip on her neck a little bit by grabbing Dong-seok¡¯s hand. ¡°Calm down a bit. Fighting here is unwise. Let me apologize to you, boss.¡± She replied with an awkward smile. Dong-seok retracted his hand and sat facing the window to his right. He looked at Hyun-bin from there, after the private ne turned and until it took off. Hyun-bin also stared back and just stood still in his ce with the other S-rank hunters on the spot. The battle between S-rank and Apex-ranked hunters was far different from that of A-rank and S-rank hunters. At least in the case of A-rank hunters, they could solely increase their numbers, then they would be able to keep up with an S-rank hunter. Whereas with an Apex-ranked hunter, no matter how many S-rank hunters gathered, they still wouldn¡¯t be able topete. The reason was the Magic Manifestation that made the difference. In terms of magic usage between the two different ranks. Chairman Yu exhaled deeply. Just as expected, Apex-rank hunter and ArchMage called people in the realm of God were not aughing matter. Meanwhile, within the tier-4 Portal Gate, the Raid Party had explored some dungeon area whose environment was like a desert. As far as they walked, not a single Magic Crystal or Magic Stone got found. It fitted perfectly with the dull atmosphere. Ji-woo also looked around, checking if there was a space glitch like in the Warlord of Trolls¡¯ ce that could hide presences. But fortunately, there were no such signs at all. ¡°Hyung, what is that shabby bag? Why take it to a dungeon? That bag will definitely tear when you put Magic Crystals or Magic Stones in it. It¡¯s better to use this bag of mine.¡± Ji-woo almost rolled over in the desert after hearing those words. He became speechless because the Spatial Bag got treated like a ragged bag. ¡®I don¡¯t think he has seen a Spatial Bag before.¡¯ Ji-woo had no interest in telling Dong-hyun about it and refused the offer about the bag. And not long after, the Raid Party finally found the underground maze. The hunters in the party entered thebyrinth without a second thought. The leader of the Raid Party named Jung Joon-yong nodded his head at Seon-ho. They had expected the underground maze to have multiple paths when they entered. There were five paths in the maze. Joon-yong ordered the other hunters to check those entrance paths, including Dong-hyun and Ji-woo. Only the A-rank hunters did nothing and just stood there watching. ¡°Where did you get that kid?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my ssmate.¡± ¡°Wow, I thought you didn¡¯t have any hunter friends from the same school anymore. Are you sure he doesn¡¯t know about your other hunting buddies?¡± ¡°No need to worry. He¡¯s a bit shunned, so no one will bother to call him. He¡¯s also a loner and won¡¯t dare to contact anyone else.¡± ¡°He is the perfect hunter! He also brought other hunters to our Raid Party. ¡°So that makes the numbers match. We have five new hunters joining this dungeon and five maze paths. ¡°One new hunter in each group. That should be enough to guarantee our safety.¡± Both Joon-yong and Seon-ho grin at each other. He then divided the group into four with six hunters each, while thest group had seven hunters. Ji-woo and Dong-hyun were separated and didn¡¯t end up in the same group. They obeyed the division. After all, they were just additional hunters in the Raid Party. The three new hunters also got noticed by Ji-woo. It was because the three of them didn¡¯t seem familiar with the other Raid Party members at all. It was an awkward interaction. However, he could see there was a boundary between the new members and the old members who already knew each other. He initially thought they were the only E-rank hunters who got a bit ignored, but the three C-rank hunters were the same. The division of each hunter in the group also did not go unnoticed by Ji-woo. It made him specte a bit about what the original Raid Party hunters were nning. Ji-woo looked at Dong-hyun, who was still smiling broadly on the side without knowing what would happen at ater stage. If his spection was correct, that would be a real test and a good experience for Dong-hyun to know about the real world of hunters. Ji-woo shifted his face back to the entrance path in front of him and sighed. He didn¡¯t worry about the dungeon anymore because he could currently sense Mana almost throughout the maze. The groups then proceeded to enter each path, and there was no time limit. They only have one rule. If they encounter a creature that could not get killed or the route was a dead end. Then, that group must return to the starting ce of thebyrinth. All those groups really struck gold. The three groups instantly found three Magic Crystals and one Magic Stone each after a few minutes of entering. While the other two only got one Magic Stone each. The maze was like an oasis in the middle of the desert. In the group where Ji-woo was, he didn¡¯t get the loot. The other hunters didn¡¯t say anything about the share either. He didn¡¯t think much of it and continued to walk again ahead of the others. Ji-woo stopped in his tracks after walking for five minutes. He could sense Mana better and knew there was a magic trap in front of him. ¡°Hey, newbie! Why did you stop!? Keep moving!¡¯ A hunter came to Ji-woo, who didn¡¯t take another step forward. Ji-woo shook his head. And put on a face like an innocent person who did not know what was in front of him. He said while pointing at the wall. ¡°On the wall over there. I saw ten Magic Crystals. I don¡¯t know whether to take it or report it first.¡± ¡°F*ck*ng r*t*rd! Just that matter makes you get confused! Idiot!¡± The hunter went ahead and stood in front of a wall that had ten Magic Crystals in it. He tried to pull it out. But it didn¡¯t work. He then summoned another hunter to help him. There were two hunters in front of the wall, trying to take out the Magic Crystals. They couldn¡¯t add any more people because the path in that section was a bit narrow and could only fit two people. Ji-woo smirked as he watched those two hunters seed to pull out one Magic Crystal. Suddenly, Tszeet! Chapter 90: Tricked Chapter 90: Tricked Argh! Hargh! Thud! The sound of the Magic Crystal falling to the floor signaled that the magic trap had begun. The two hunters that managed to take out one Magic Crystal immediately got pierced with blue elemental arrows from the ceiling. Their bodies were electrocuted and shaken, then fell to the floor foaming at the mouth. Their faces also showed signs of poisoning as their skin color turned purple. The other four hunters who were behind Ji-woo got bbergasted. They rushed to get closer and to find out what was going on. But, they suddenly stopped their steps just like that. They instead confronted Ji-woo, and one of them grabbed him by the cor. ¡°What the f*ck has happened!¡± ¡°What did you do!?¡± The hunter kept shaking Ji-woo by the cor. However, it had no effect. Ji-woo continued his innocent act and feigned ignorance about what was happening. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. T-They just went over there and suddenly fell to the floor! I-I swear!¡± Ji-woo said while trembling and stuttering. The hunter released his grip and stared at the spot where the two hunters had died horribly. He looked back and forth between the corpses and the Magic Crystals on the wall. He didn¡¯t know how many Magic Crystals were on the wall because the path didn¡¯t have much light. ¡°Hey, newbie! Go over there. Check the corpses and take out the Magic Crystal by yourself.¡± Ji-woo acted wlessly by gulping, showing his frightened state. He reluctantly nodded his head and went to the ce where the Magic Crystal was on the wall. Of course, he was still acting. After all, the magic trap had been guessed by him from earlier because his Mana sense was better than most hunters. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s foam in their mouths and a little bit of electrocution on their bodies. Em, their faces look pale and purple too!¡± ¡°F*ck this newbie! Why are you speaking informally to me! Am I your friend, huh? Also, don¡¯t shout in the narrow streets. I can hear you clearly from here!¡± Ji-woo nodded his head repeatedly like a child getting orders. He took the sword from the hunter¡¯s corpse and stabbed it into the wall without the other four hunters noticing because he had his back toward them. So, his actions were not in sight at all. Then, he broke the sword¡¯s hilt to avoid getting caught and allowed the de to sink into the wall. What Ji-woo did was cut off the mechanism of the magic trap that connected the Magic Crystal to the blue arrows in the ceiling so as not to trigger it. Ji-woo still had his back to the four hunters and began to remove the Magic Crystals one by one from the wall. Four of the nine Magic Crystals on the wall got stolen by him. He tapped the Magic Crystal three times to his left wrist weight. Zzing¨C He did one more to his left wrist while the remaining two Magic Crystals were for the weight on his right wrist. ¡°What sound is that!?¡± The hunters heard the sound of Ji-woo tapping the Magic Crystals. ¡°Nothing, senior. It was just the sound of Magic Crystals falling to the floor.¡± Ji-woo lied and pretended to squat like he took all the Magic Crystals but only picked up the one that fell at the start because of the two dead hunters. There were six Magic Crystals in Ji-woo¡¯s hands, and he brought them over to the four hunters. ¡°What happened? How could you be okay when they both died there?¡± Ji-woo tilted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, senior. Should I die there too?¡± The hunters averted their faces from Ji-woo¡¯s gaze and clumsily replied while diverting the conversation. ¡°Erm. Anyway, right. Where¡¯s the Magic Crystal? Give it to us. I¡¯ll share it with youter.¡± Ji-woo stretched out his hand and handed over the six Magic Crystals. The four hunters were not aware that they got mocked by him. He knew they nned to use him as cannon fodder from the beginning when they entered the path. Unfortunately, the hunters used the wrong people to take advantage of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to keep going. Leave the corpses alone. We¡¯ll get them when we get backter. Hey, newbie. Lead the way again like before.¡± Ji-woo took a deep breath, acting like someone who was exhausted. The group walked for another half hour but found nothing. Ji-woo also felt disappointed that there were no more magic traps or anything worth the money. There were no Magic Crystals or Magic Stones either. The group then found a stone door. Ji-woo was get ordered to check and open the door. He walked to the door and tried to open it while acting like a weakling. Ji-woo sat at the door after struggling to open it. The hunters saw no traps and immediately advanced toward the inner room. It was a room that was quite spacious and at the same time as the end of the path. There were many artifacts of good quality and some Magic Crystals as well as Magic Stones. ¡°Hey, newbie. Come here. Take out the Magic Crystals on the wall and the Magic Stones on the stone tform over there.¡± Ji-woo got up and massaged his neck and shoulders while the four hunters were busy looking through the weapons and armors in the room. ¡°You will regret this.¡± ¡°Huh!? What do you mean, newbie!??¡± The room vibrated, and the door instantly got closed as Ji-woo took out one of the Magic Crystals. ¡°What the h*ll!¡± ¡°What is happening!?¡± ¡°Calm down! Stay on your guard.¡± Amidst the panic of the hunters, seven small sandstorms were appearing in the room. A sandstorm had the same size as a hunter. Before long, seven mummies got formed from the sandstorms. The hunters were flustered for a moment and took out their weapons and wooden shields. The battle began with four hunters versus seven mummies. Meanwhile, Ji-woo, on the other hand, as the cause of the magic trap got triggered, just watched while taking out the rest of the Magic Crystals. He used it for his wrist weights. The ten Magic Crystals finally got swallowed by the Obelisk weights on Ji-woo¡¯s wrists. He now had a total weight of 80 kg on his body. It slowly returned to the weight that previously was borne by him. He also took three Magic Stones from the stone tform along with two golden armor and stuffed them into the Spatial Bag. He then took two daggers from another stone tform and would wield the weapons instead of putting them in the Spatial Bag. The four hunters were already busy dealing with the seven mummies and forgot about Ji-woo¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Magic of Fire, mes Ring!¡± The seven mummies were caught by the rings of fire, restricting their movement and burning their linens. It creates an opportunity for other hunters to jump in and y them in the head. However, even though the seven mummies lost their heads and burned on the floor. Their Mana could still get felt by the hunters. It made them restless. And they didn¡¯t know what was wrong. ¡°Magic of Fire, mes Explosion!¡± Boom! Boom! The seven mummies on the floor exploded in a small explosion in the room, causing wind pressure inside. But, that was not enough to ease the hunters¡¯ worries. Suddenly, the wind from the small explosions returned to the spot where the mummies were burning on the floor. The hunters¡¯ eyes widened in surprise and prepared to strike again with another magic spell. Nevertheless, Ji-woo appeared behind one of the hunters and spoke in a cold tone while thrusting his two daggers into the neck. ¡°Thanks for the guidance, senior.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s voice distracted the other three hunters from the mummies. And saw theirrade get stabbed in the neck and struggle while spitting blood from the mouth. ¡°What is this!?¡± ¡°What are you doing!?¡± ¡°Are you crazy!?¡± Euraggh¨C Errgg¨C The mummies came back to life and were fiercer than before. The hunters contemted fighting against Ji-woo and those creatures simultaneously. ¡°Too much hesitation.¡± Instead, Ji-woo took the initiative and controlled the pace of the battle. He swung the dagger in his left hand to aim at another hunter. But it got blocked. The other two hunters want to jump in and attack Ji-woo but get interrupted by the seven mummies. ¡°Magic of Water, Bubble Wrap!¡± ¡°Magic of Electricity, Current Arc!¡± The seven mummies get wrapped out in small water circles, followed by streams of lightning. The two magic spells caused smoke and steam to heat up in the room. Thus, the cloud of dust blocked the vision of everyone inside. One of the hunters then used another magic spell to dispel the dust cloud. ¡°Magic of Wind, Wind ze!¡± The room was clean again from the smoke, and the surroundings were clearly visible. The two hunters thought it was over. They even thought Ji-woo was dead at the hands of their friends. In fact, they instead saw their friend get stabbed with a dagger over the head by the newbie. The two hunters got furious, and their eyes became red. One of them charged forward and shed Ji-woo with the sword. Ji-woo spun around to dodge the sh and then ducked before finally stabbing the hunter in the chin from below. Thest hunter flinched and quickly cast a magic spell. ¡°Magic of Electricity, Current Arc!¡± Chapter 91: Tomb Chapter 91: Tomb Ji-woo used his hand to block the small lightning current spark. The magic attack seemed to vanish when it came into contact with his hand. The hunter that cast the magic spell was surprised to see his magic neutralized. ¡°Who are you!?¡± The hunter asked. But only to be met with a dagger thrown into his forehead. He then fell without knowing what happened and who Ji-woo was. Ji-woo appeared in front of the corpse and took out the dagger. ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to ask that now? Sigh. The unknown is scarier than the known. It¡¯s basic in terms of survival to know your circumstances first. You guys underestimate low-ranking hunters too much.¡± Euraggh¨C Errgg¨C Ji-woo turned around and looked at the seven mummies. ¡°Alright, now it¡¯s your turn. However, all that uses Mana will eventually disappear by my hands. Even though you bunch of undead seem immortal.¡± Ji-woo tightened the grip on his two daggers and disappeared from the sight of the mummies. Those undead creatures were shocked and confused while ncing left and right, looked for Ji-woo¡¯s whereabouts. Euraggh¨C Whoosh! The six mummies turned in the direction of the voice and saw Ji-woo appear and stab one mummy in the chest, which instantly disappeared into the dust of sand. ¡°Look. I told you. Created from Mana and will be gone without it.¡± What Ji-woo stabbed in the mummy¡¯s chest was a red stone that was the source of the undead¡¯s Mana. It made it easier for him to know the weaknesses of these creatures. Unlike the hunters whose Mana flow urred throughout the body, the mummies only concentrated in one point, particrly on their chest, where the red stone was located. Euraggh¨C The remaining mummies cried out and charged at Ji-woo. Ji-woo swiftly ducked and dodged the attacks. He also neatly used the daggers in his hands to pierce the mummies¡¯ chests one by one until they all turned into dust. He wiped all the sand dust all over his clothes after all the cockroaches were gone. He smiled widely from ear to ear. The room was actually full of treasures. Ji-woo stuffed all the items and weapons into the Spatial Bag. He also took out nine Magic Crystals and one Magic Stone from the dead hunters. The three Magic Crystals and the Magic Stone were from the moment they entered the path, while the remaining six Magic Crystals were from the magic trap earlier. Moreover, he already had two Golden Armor plus two daggers in his hands. In addition, there were two Golden Helmets, four Golden Vambracers, and four Golden Greaves. It made twoplete sets of Golden Armor of the Egyptian God. Ji-woo walked toward the door while examining it. He kicked the door as hard as he could, but nothing happened. The door didn¡¯t budge at all. He sighed and tried to sense the Mana operating the door. Before long, he found the source and walked to the center of the room. Ji-woo tapped the floor with his fingers and then lifted the stone tile. He saw another red stone, but it was slightlyrger than the one in the mummy. Ji-woo picked up the red stone and crushed it. The item had no value from the moment it separated from its original ce. It was only useless stone shards. The door to the room opened, and Ji-woo walked out. ¡°Okay, now. I need to take another path to have a look after going back from here. My Mana sensing ability can¡¯t prate this stone wall anyway. So, I don¡¯t know how the other is. Well, Dong-hyun won¡¯t die fighting those high-ranking hunters.¡± On the other hand, Dong-hyun and the other five hunters from the Raid Party had no trouble on their way. They were just unlucky because apart from getting the Magic Stone at the beginning. They didn¡¯t find anything elseter on. ¡°Looks like we got a pathetic path. There is nothing here.¡± ¡°Yes. Should we go back and go at another pathway?¡± The group of six hunters saw a small bridge made of wood after walking for a while. It was about 30 meters long and could only fit one line when it passed. The bridge spanned over a ravine with no end in sight. At the end of the bridge, there was a prettyrge area and a huge tomb surrounded by torches for the light. There were also two golden weapons, which were a spear and a bow. The ce was quite tempting to get visited. Joon-yong and Seon-ho agree toe forward. In the end, Dong-hyun got chosen to be the first person to walk the narrow bridge. The six hunters walked slowly and carefully on the bridge. Even though there was no wind inside, their bnce was arduous to maintain. Moreover, the wooden bridge swayed with every step the hunters made. Of course, they wanted to jump, but the force of a strong push would cause the bridge to break and the other hunters to die. Donghyun gritted his teeth. ¡°We have to be faster. This bridge won¡¯t be able to hold the six of us when we get to the middle. Just look at it now. The bridge bends like this even though we¡¯re not in the middle yet.¡± ¡°Shut up! Keep walking.¡± ¡°Hey, Dong-hyun~ah, just keep going. Don¡¯t act like a smart person.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Seon-ho then pushed Dong-hyun from behind, signaling him to keep walking. It almost made Dong-hyun fall into the abyss under the bridge. Dong-hyun got angry. However, he didn¡¯t dare to show his dissatisfaction. He continued on his way and then heard the sound of the bridge creaking. The sound also made other hunters wary. ¡°Hey, idiot! Be careful when you walk!¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s heart sank. If he continued to stay on the bridge, he would definitely fall. He didn¡¯t have the ability to fly or the skills he could use to soar through the air. He clenched his hands and used a jump on the bridge to the tomb area. It made the bridge shake uncontrobly. The hunters were taken aback and swore at Dong-hyun while running. They couldn¡¯t use it to jump like Dong-hyun anymore because their footing was not as stable as before because the bridge was swaying. ¡°Ungrateful b*st*rd!¡± You son of a b*tch!¡± ¡°F*ck*ng stupid!¡± ¡°How f*ck*ng dare you to do this!¡± Suddenly, the bridge broke in two. Seon-ho and Joon-yong ran as fast as they could and made it to the tomb area by jumping before the bridge dangled against the wall. There was one more hunter other than those two. Who also survived and managed to reach the edge of the cliff. Meanwhile, the rest of the hunters fell along with the broken bridge. Seon-ho went to help the hunter that was hanging on the cliff, while Joon-yong grabbed and lifted Dong-hyun by his cor. ¡°Why did you do that!? Do you want to kill us? They died because of you!¡± Dong-hyun wanted to say sorry. But, he instead got hit by Joon-yong. He fell on his knees and held his stomach while in pain. Joon-yong raised his hand and wanted to cast a magic spell on Dong-hyun. However, he dropped the idea and looked at the huge tomb. He also looked at the two stone tforms that held the spear and the bow. He shifted his gaze back at Dong-hyun and continued to hit. He kicked Dong-hyun in the face and knocked him to the ground. Dong-hyun got punched and kicked in a row. He just shrunk and used both hands to cover his head from the blows. He was angry and wanted to strike back but remembering what he did, he became uneasy and felt that he deserved to get beaten. Seon-ho walked up to Joon-yong and told him to stop. He pointed at the stone tforms and the huge tomb with his face. Joon-yong only intended to hit Dong-hyun without any intention of killing him. It was because he still needed a trap tester to check the tomb and the tforms. The maze-like ce was famous for having many treasures as well as many traps. There was a hunter who could get repatriated. Why bother putting their lives at risk? Use everything avable for your own benefit. ¡°Hey! Dong-hyun~ah, get up. Take a look at that tomb.¡± Donghyun got up. His face and some parts of his body got bruised. However, he didn¡¯t mind it and did what they ordered him to do. He approached the tomb and circled it. The tomb was five meters long and one meters wide. There were also many engraved writings that Dong-hyun didn¡¯t understand. It was not that it got written in Egyptian. But, it was thenguage of magic, Dragon¡¯s tongue. Of course, Dong-hyun didn¡¯t know about that. He continued his examination by touching the tomb and trying to lift the lid. His efforts yielded no results. Joon-yong then told him to check the stone tforms that held the bow and the spear. Meanwhile, it was the turn of the three of them to look around the tomb. Once again, there was nothing wrong with the stone tforms, the same as the huge tomb. Dong-hyun found arge red stone as he strolled between the stone tforms. He touched it and picked it up. Suddenly, the area shook, and the lid of the huge tomb shifted. Chapter 92: Pharaoh Chapter 92: Pharaoh ¡°Finally. Now, I can sense Mana better from here.¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t find a reason why the wall could block his ability to sense the Mana. However, when he stood in front of the five paths at the entrance of the undergroundbyrinth, the ability worked very well. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Dong-hyun uses this path.¡± Ji-woo looked at the other four paths. He was not sure of how Dong-hyun was because a massive Mana was clouding his sense ability. As for the other three paths, he confirmed that there were several fatalities. He then contemted which pathway to enter first. For Ji-woo, helped the hunters that were not the original members of the Raid Party wouldeter ording to the circumstances. He was also sure that Dong-hyun wouldn¡¯t die even if he fought several high-ranked hunters. What Dong-hyun needed to do was use his Mana efficiently and dodge the attacks well and smoothly. He was more interested in taking the loot of the underground maze. However, the presence of the massive Mana was pretty concerned because it disturbed his Mana sensing ability a little bit. That made Dong-hyun¡¯s situation uncertain. Suddenly, the underground maze shook quite violently and blew up everything there. The walls and floor fell apart. Ji-woo¡¯s eyes widened, and his face fell. He ran out of thebyrinth and went to the surface. Of course, he was actually strong enough to hold it in. He would not get hurt by the explosion and the flying debris. But, it was a different story if he got buried, and it would be a hassle to get out of it. The underground maze shattered into pieces. And what was even more surprising was that several hunters survived the explosion. Dong-hyun, Seon-ho, Joon-yong, five other B-rank hunters, and seven C-rank hunters survived the destruction. The three newbie C-rank hunters were nowhere to get seen. Kaboom! The mazepletely crumbled and copsed. The entire area became wrapped by a thick andrge cloud of dust sand. Ji-woo covered his nose and mouth from the cloud of dust. Immediately, the dunes shook, and a giant creature emerged from the ruins of thebyrinth. The being was the same size and shape as an average dragon. It only didn¡¯t stand on four steps. The creature stood on its two legs and shouted upward. The entire body of the giant being got made of gold. Even the wings were the same. The golden dragon then spouted fire and scorched the sand around it. It also caused the cloud of dust and sand to disappear in an instant. Some surviving hunters could not escape the torrent of fire and got burned to death without a trace. Seon-ho, Joon-yong, and the five other hunters have nowhere to run anymore. Joon-yong then kicked Dong-hyun hard to the side. He needed bait to distract the golden dragon. He cast a magic spell and aimed it at the giant creature. ¡°Magic of Lighting, God¡¯s Thunders!¡± In Joon-yong¡¯s hand came out three massive thunderbolts with tremendous power. He threw it hard at the golden dragon and then ran away, leaving Dong-hyun alone in that spot. The other hunters also ran away from there. Boom! Boom! The golden dragon got hit by the fierce lightning strike. However, it was not enough to knock him down, much less to injure the giant creature. The golden dragon turned in the direction the attack wasing from and saw Dong-hyun sitting down in fear staring back at it. The golden dragon took a deep breath and started spitting out mes that were smaller in size. But, it was hotter and more powerful than before. Luckily, Dong-hyun was able to escape the torrent. He ran from the opposite direction of Seon-ho and Joon-yong. Unfortunately, Dong-hyun¡¯s escape didn¡¯t go pretty well. He got stopped when the golden dragon jumped andnded in the middle of his stride. The ground sand shook, causing him to fall, and it was difficult to get back up again in a short time. In that short period of time, the golden dragon spat out its fire again at Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun closed his eyes while shedding tears. He surrendered himself to get scorched by the golden dragon¡¯s torrent of mes. Bang! Suddenly, the golden dragon fell onto the sandy ground after getting kicked in the face. ¡°You know Dong-hyun~ah. You look so pathetic now. You should continue to show your determination to the end even if you have to lose your life. Instead of closing your eyes and staying on that spot, getting scared.¡± Dong-hyun opened his eyes and looked at Ji-woo. He felt relieved but at the same time felt very guilty. He had trained hard under Ji-woo. He had to keep his resolve from then to the end. He wanted to be strong because he wanted to stay alive. At least dying in trying still showed his intention to live, while giving up meant already dead before dying. Dong-hyun clenched his fists and stood up. He rubbed his face with the back of his hand. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes were red. He had to show his determination. He must be strong. His will to live must be able to make him survive. ¡°Here are the daggers. Aim at the chest. No need to worry about the dragon¡¯s magic. Let me take care of it.¡± Dong-hyun nodded and caught the daggers while Ji-woo stood at the front to lead the final attack. The golden dragon rose and screamed while letting out a breath of fire. The giant creature then took a deep breath and spat out a big, zing fire. Ji-woo jumped up and used both hands to neutralize the destructive fire, which instantly dissolved upon contact with him. Hended and held the golden dragon¡¯s mouth. He then mmed the giant creature into the sand with a bang. Dong-hyun followed bynding a few shes of the dagger on the golden dragon¡¯s chest. He didn¡¯t attack for too long and retreated after using the short burst technique. The golden dragon tried to get up but was not given a chance by Ji-woo. The creature screamed in pain as Ji-woo ravaged one of the creature¡¯s wings ferociously. Ji-woo finally collided with the golden dragon that went berserk. The two of them pushed each other with their hands. However, he was at a disadvantage because his footing was the sand. Meanwhile, the golden dragon had no problem because its big feet and the sand didn¡¯t prevent the creature from using its raw strength. The dragon also didn¡¯t let the opportunity pass and let out its hot mes to shoot at Ji-woo. Ji-woo could handle the mes. But, the clothes wouldn¡¯tst long enough if it continued. ¡°Do it now! Pierce the dragon¡¯s chest!¡± Ji-woo yelled, and Dong-hyun instantly appeared under the golden dragon, stabbing the two daggers into the creature¡¯s chest. He knew that the defense in the golden dragon¡¯s chest was always weak when it spouted fire. That was why the golden skin was powerful before. But it was brittle now. The burst of fire at Ji-woo stopped, and the golden dragon stood upright in pain. It let out a hoarse breath of fire while holding the chest pierced by the small weapon. The golden dragon then lit up and turned into a big fire. And it transformed into a wind of sand at the end. In the ce where the golden dragon disappeared, there was a mummy with less linen than usual and five meters tall. The undead¡¯s face was also uncovered and showed the thin dead skin that forms the bones of the facial skull. It was the pharaoh of the tomb, the guardian of the underground maze. ¡°Humans¡­ Deserve¡­, to¡­, die!¡± Pharaoh took off his linen and revealed his emaciated body covered in fragile dead skin. He then turned into a fire element, and all the sand around him turned intova. Dong-hyun got pushed back by the heat pressure of the fire element pharaoh. And he also endured the heat of theva. Ji-woo saw the skin on Dong-hyun¡¯s hands slightly burned from holding on to his position. ¡°Throw me the daggers. I¡¯ll finish that off.¡± Dong-hyun tossed the two daggers at Ji-woo. His skin was peeling a little. ¡°Everything¡­ Must¡­, incinerate!¡± The pharaoh shouted in a piercing voice. However, Ji-woo appeared from behind and thrust both daggers into the pharaoh¡¯s chest. ¡°No. You¡¯re the one who has to die here.¡± The pharaoh fell to its knees. The undead turned its head and red at Ji-woo. The undead did not understand why the human was able to withstand the heat and touch the body of the fire element. Ji-woo stared back while his face got held by the pharaoh. ¡°It won¡¯t be able to hurt me. Magic is futile.¡± The pharaoh faded and vanished. The Dungeon Bead finally fell into Ji-woo¡¯s hands. But, before, he wanted to destroy it. Seon-ho, Joon-yong, and five other hunterse out of their distant hideout. ¡°Heh! How lucky you two are to be able to defeat the dungeon owner. Good. Good. It¡¯s not in vain that we invite you to join. Now, hand over the Dungeon Bead and obey our orders.¡± Ji-woo and Dong-hyun looked at the seven hunters with different thoughts. Chapter 93: First Time Chapter 93: First Time Ji-woo looked disdainfully at Joon-yong and his gang, while Dong-hyun felt worried about the situation. He turned his face toward Dong-hyun. He sighed and threw the Dungeon Bead at Joon-yong. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Ji-woo felt a little regretful and apologized to Dong-hyun. What he did was probably too far from what he was supposed to teachter on. But, he believed it was necessary. Dong-hyun got shocked. And so were Joon-yong and the others. They didn¡¯t think it would end so effortlessly. Especially Dong-hyun, he was a little familiar with Ji-woo¡¯s strength and temperament. If it was that easy to make Ji-woo submit, something must be wrong. Seon-ho and Joon-yong looked at each other as if they understood what they wanted to do from now on. ¡°Good. At this rate, it won¡¯t be a problem to let you two live. Now, the two of you get tasked with finding valuable items from the ruins of the underground maze.¡± Dong-hyun gritted his teeth and showed his unwillingness to get ordered around. He had been holding back his anger since he got beaten before. He knew he was guilty of causing the other hunters to die on the wooden bridge. But, the treatment of Joon-yong and the others had gone too far. They were hunters, which meant death and life in the dungeon should bemonce. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the victim. Remember what you did to us earlier in the tomb.¡± Seon-ho replied. Dong-hyun bit his lip. It left him speechless. At the same time, he was also annoyed with himself for his guilt and caused him to be indecisive. All because he was still unaware that he had got used as a trap tester by the Raid Party the entire time. In the end, Ji-woo and Dong-hyun searched the ruins of the underground maze asmanded by the Raid Party hunters. Joon-yong, Seon-ho, and the five other hunters just searched by looking around and watching the two do the work. They got three Magic Crystals and one Magic Stone. Ji-woo and Dong-hyun got also found the spear and the bow from the tomb. And all of that, they gave it to the Raid Party hunters. ¡°This is enough, isn¡¯t it!?¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s anger and guilt made him focus only on getting out of the dungeon without thinking about anything else. Seon-ho smiled. ¡°Haha. Yes. Yes. But sadly, this wasn¡¯t enough. It really annoys me every time I think about what you did that caused all this to happen. If you hadn¡¯t messed things up, we could have gotten all of this without losing any party members.¡± Joon-yong chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s why you two have to die here to assuage our anger.¡± ¡°Are you guys crazy? Why should you kill us!?¡± However, the Raid Party hunters ignored Dong-hyun¡¯s words and instead attacked the two of them, who were on opposite sides. Joon-yong and Seon-ho only stand by and let the other five hunters attack the two low-ranking hunters. Three B-rank hunters and two C-rank hunters were more than enough to deal with two E-rank hunters. Dong-hyun widened his eyes and tried to take a few steps back. He didn¡¯t have any weapons, and only a new armor set got purchased because the Red Crimson armor set still got held by the Demigod guild. He didn¡¯t have enough money to buy a weapon. So, he had no choice but to try to dodge and fend off the hunters¡¯ attacks that wield swords and axes with his bare hands, although it was not direct blocks. Meanwhile, Ji-woo did not immediately act aggressively by attacking the three hunters who were after him. He just dodged the hunters¡¯ attacks casually without much hassle at all. And sometimes, he parried with his daggers. He even nced at Dong-hyun and Joon-yong from time to time. All of those events had been in Ji-woo¡¯s calctions and ns from the moment he threw the Dungeon Bead at Joon-yong. He wanted to know what Dong-hyun did when it came to humans. Would his determination be the same as he faced the golden dragon previously? Or did he not even feel any threat from the humans in front of him? Ji-woo wanted to teach Dong-hyun that the threat of Portal Gate creatures and hunters was the same. They were equally dangerous. He knew that was crossing the line when considering their rtionship. In fact, he should only have taught Dong-hyun to use his Mana better, nothing else. Ji-woo didn¡¯t know why he did it. That might be because he felt a connection to Dong-hyun, making him want to point out that sometimes humans could get more dangerous than those monsters from the Portal Gate. More precisely, when you were in the environment of thew of the jungle, your hands would inevitably get wet with the blood of others, whether it was from the strongest, the equal, or the weakest. As Ji-woo expected, Dong-hyun dodged and sometimes hit back at the hunters without any killing intent. It would be a long battle from here on. That was because only with him and Dong-hyun dead did the Raid Party hunters stop. Ji-woo rolled his eyes and did the same as Dong-hyun did to the hunters that lunged at him. They managed to fend off the hunters that tried to kill both of them. Well, it looked like Ji-woo miscalcted something about Dong-hyun. No matter how well Dong-hyun learned what he taught, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill the hunters in front of Dong-hyun. At most, it was only enough to make them get battered. Ji-woo took a deep breath. ¡®Did I make a mistake? Dong-hyun won¡¯t dare to kill these hunters at this rate.¡¯ ¡°Are you sure your friend is an E-rank hunter? It doesn¡¯t look like that to me. How can he defend against B-rank and C-rank hunters?¡± ¡°Err, I¡¯m not sure about that either. He should be E-rank. Is he hiding something? Or does he have an item that can increase his strength in an instant?¡± Joon-yong frowned at Seon-ho¡¯s answer. It was good to have fun. But, if there was another unexpected event, such as at the tomb. That would make the Raid Party suffer more losses than it currently had. ¡°Huh. I think this will go ording to my n. However, it turned out to be far from what it should have been.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s voice broke the ongoing fight and turned all the attention to where he was standing. Seon-ho, Joon-yong, Dong-hyun, and the other two hunters gaped after seeing what happened. Ji-woo stabbed his two daggers into the hunter¡¯s neck from behind. Whereas the other two hunters just stood still and couldn¡¯t move, unable to do anything to him. The two hunters were flustered by how fast Ji-woo moves, knowing that one of them died in his hands. ¡°Y-You¡­ Who are y-you!?¡± ¡°How can y-you do t-that!?¡± Two hunters who were still in fear and confusion got killed by a dagger thrown to the head where the other got stabbed by Ji-woo in the heart with the palm of his right hand pressing the tip of the dagger¡¯s hilt in the left hand. Ji-woo pulled out the weapon in his left hand and took the other one that stuck in the head of another hunter with his right. The blood dripping from the two daggers made him look like a serial killer. ¡°Why are you all making faces like that? Wanting to kill means ready to get killed, right? Is it wrong?¡± Joon-yong and Seon-ho really couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of their eyes. They couldn¡¯t understand how a low-ranked hunter had the power to suppress them when not even a trace of Mana got distinguished from Ji-woo. Neither of them knew how it happened. If Joon-yong and Seon-ho thought about it, they might not get an answer. So, they chose to intervene directly. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun just stared at Ji-woo without knowing what to do. It was the first time he had witnessed Ji-woo kill a fellow hunter. Previously, Ji-woo¡¯s ferocity got only seen when he ughtered the Sabertooths long ago. His hands didn¡¯t stop shaking from the fear that surged into his heart. To him, killing humans and Portal Gate creatures was definitely different. He just thought simply that the evil ones were monsters, not humans. It was appropriate that the evil must get killed. Joon-yong and Seon-ho charged with full speed. But, Ji-woo just disappeared right in front of their nose. Both of them looked around and found nothing. Suddenly, Ji-woo appeared behind the two hunters who were fighting with Dong-hyun. He shed the daggers and decapitated the two hunters smoothly. The blood of the hunters sttered on Dong-hyun¡¯s face. It frightened him and made him fall to the ground. Joon-yong gritted his teeth and cast a magic spell hastily. ¡°Magic of Fire, Hellfire Dragon!¡± He swayed his arms backward, and an enormous fire enclosed them. He then swung both arms back forward, and a big dragon-shaped me shot out at Ji-woo. However, it didn¡¯t do anything at all. ¡°I¡¯m tired of saying it. But, the magic ends here.¡± Ji-woo then emerged unscathed. Chapter 94: Being Himself Chapter 94: Being Himself At the same time Joon-yong cast his magic spell, Ji-woo also threw one of his daggers vigorously to passed through the magic. Seon-ho took extra effort to block the dagger from injuring Joon-yong. Luckily, the weapon only scratched their cheeks. Meanwhile, Ji-woo had no trouble at all with the fire magic. He utterly dispelled the mes in the shape of a dragon with his hands. Ji-woo looked at Seon-ho and Joon-yong, whose cheeks were dripping blood from the cut. Their expressions were both grave and confused. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Are you hiding your Mana?¡± Ji-woo instead shifted his gaze to Dong-hyun instead of answering the questions of the two hunters. Dong-hyun put on a frightened face. He shuddered to see Ji-woo kill five hunters in a matter of minutes. In his entire life, he had never been in a situation where he had to kill or see a kill between hunters. In his days with the Demigod guild, he only knew how to exterminate the Portal Gate creatures. Nothing else but that. Ji-woo rxed his posture and patted his left shoulder with the back of the dagger¡¯s de. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. What matters is whether I die here or the two of you will be the ones that die.¡± ¡°Nonsense!!¡± ¡°Heh, nice bluffing!¡± Ji-woo stopped his mockery and attacked both Seon-ho and Joon-yong. Seon-ho struck back with an intense swing of the sword. Meanwhile, Joon-yong behind him cast a magic spell. ¡°Magic of Lighting, Paralyzed Arc!¡± Joon-yong put his hands on the ground and shot thin streams of lightning that passed through Seon-ho and headed straight for Ji-woo. The streams of lightning managed to hit Ji-woo through his legs. Joon-yong and Seon-ho grin at the sight, thinking they¡¯ve managed to hold back Ji-woo¡¯s movement. But contrary to what the two of them thought. Ji-woo kept speeding toward them, and the streams of lightning vanished in the blink of an eye. It took them by surprise. Ji-woo then swung the dagger in his left hand at Seon-ho, who stopped in surprise. He shed into the neck, and Seon-ho¡¯s head fell to the ground, unable to respond to the attack. Joon-yong woke up from his shock and immediately used his sword to fend off the dagger¡¯s attack that came at him. There was a sharp sound of steel shing against each other. He managed to get past Ji-woo¡¯s attack and thought he had escaped a catastrophe. He turned around and instead got weed by a dagger flying into his head. Ji-woo, in an instant, cleared up the troublemakers. He then picked up the dagger he threw at the beginning and pulled another one on Joon-yong¡¯s head. He wiped the blood on the two weapons on the Ker vest. Now, everything that could stand in his way was gone. It was time for him to take the dungeon loot. He put the two daggers in the bag. Three Magic Crystals and one Magic Stone were also included, along with the other items. His Spatial Bag contained two sets of Golden Armor suits, 12 Magic Crystals, five Magic Stones, two Daggers, one Golden Spear, and the Wooden Bow. Ji-woo was lucky with the results he obtained, having tasted the bitterness of going bankrupt overnight previously. ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go back.¡± He said to Dong-hyun, who was still shaking on the ground while holding the Dungeon Bead. Dong-hyun tried to keep hisposure and got up from the ground. He forced a smile and tried to act as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by the killing. ¡°Yes, hyung.¡± Ji-woo, with an icy cold gaze, stared at Dong-hyun for a moment. Then returned his face to the Dungeon Bead and destroyed it. Zip, Zip¨C Both Ji-woo and Dong-hyun came out of the tier-4 Portal Gate. He believed that the higher the level of the Portal Gate, the more profit one would get. He only considered the previous tier-4 Portal Gate to be an anomaly. And didn¡¯t want to bother about it. Ji-woo massaged his neck and shoulders. He decided to bring the Ker vest back to clean the blood and bid his farewell to Dong-hyun. ¡°I¡¯m going home. I¡¯ll return this Ker vestter after I clean it. See youter.¡± Ji-woo preferred to leave Dong-hyun alone than exin why hemitted the murder. He was not interested in justifying whatever he did to other people. However, that didn¡¯t mean he thought what he did was wrong. He just did what he felt had to get done, just that. After all, what Dong-hyun went through wasn¡¯t as bad as when it was the person who killed a human for the first time. It usually caused to vomit and feel disgusted with what that person had done. ¡°Hyung, thank you very much foring because of my invitation. And also for saving me. Sorry for making it difficult for you.¡± Dong-hyun bowed and felt grateful to Jiwoo. He didn¡¯t ask why Ji-woo killed those hunters or his friend, who couldn¡¯t be called a friend. He didn¡¯t want to get curious about it. Ji-woo stopped in his tracks and turned his face to Dong-hyun. ¡°Are you able to keep your faith because you¡¯re so strong? Or, are you so strong because you always keep your faith?¡± ¡°Hyung, what do you mean?¡± Ji-woo asked about Dong-hyun¡¯s determination and possible philosophy toward humans. That was because when faced with Portal Gate creatures, Dong-hyun¡¯s spirit could get pumped, but when faced with fellow hunters, he was like a pushover. Dong-hyun ended up getting nervous and was asked a question without an exnation. And after being silent for a while, he honestly answered. ¡°Strong because of my faith?¡± Ji-woo shook his head at Dong-hyun¡¯s answer and continued to speak. ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide your fear. Just because you don¡¯t stutter when you speak doesn¡¯t mean you can stop your hands from shaking. It¡¯s obvious.¡± Dong-hyun got startled and sped his hands together to stop the shaking. Ji-woo took a deep breath and said. ¡°Our situation is neither. Faith? Philosophy? Those things don¡¯t matter in life or death situations. We are strong because of the will to survive.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be crazy if we only thought about surviving without thinking about anything else?¡± ¡°We survive because something is holding us back from falling into the pit of insanity. Something precious like family, friends, partner, or whatever we think is important. It¡¯s to keep us sane enough to move on with our lives.¡± Donghyun lowered his head. He still believed that humans should not kill other humans. But, he didn¡¯t want to refute what Ji-woo said. In fact, he survived because he wanted to live. He didn¡¯t want to give himself up again, like when he was about to get scorched by the golden dragon. ¡°Although, I could just beat them up and let them live. But, I don¡¯t like to let the seeds of trouble growing in the future that will trouble meter. There is also no guarantee that my family as a priority is far from these seeds if I have mercy on them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to agree with me if your heart and mind are against it. Just do whatever you want. But, one thing you need to remember. This is the real me, and I¡¯m fine with my rules.¡± Ji-woo then walked away from Dong-hyun while waving his hand. He didn¡¯t expect to exin and try to justify himself in front of his junior. It was probably out of guilt for attempting to get Dong-hyun to kill those hunters who were about to kill them. Ji-woo cleaned his clothes in theundry ce before going home and meeting his family. He already had ns for tomorrow. At home, Ji-woo took a shower and had dinner with his mother and little sister afterward. He also had private time with his little sister to talk about his job as a hunter. ¡°I¡¯m afraid something will happen to you, and it will make Eomma suffer as she did to ourte father,¡± Ji-won spoke sullenly. Haha¨C Ji-wooughed lightly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Even though I can¡¯t promise you anything, your brother is strong. So, nothing will happen to me.¡± ¡°Oppa, how did you be strong and be a hunter? Did this happen a long time ago? The one with your friend who pulled me into the alley?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems like it¡¯s been a while. But I just signed up to be a hunter. For now, it¡¯s a job I have to do. I can take care of you both like when I was at the evacuation site.¡± ¡°So, what happened to that friend of yours? Did you two fight?¡± Ji-woo got up from his seat on Ji-won¡¯s bed. He came closer and pinched Ji-won¡¯s cheek. ¡°Ahh! Oppa! It hurts!¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t fight. It was just a misunderstanding. That friend already apologized to me. ¡°Go to sleep. You have school tomorrow. Also, you don¡¯t have to worry about housework. Your Oppa can help Eomma a little.¡± Ji-woo smiled and turned off the lights in Ji-won¡¯s room. Even though it was a little, he was happy to be a big brother to his sister. Chapter 95: Partnership Chapter 95: Partnership On the 13th floor of the Hunters Association Headquarters, Ji-woo just strode into the store while waiting for the shop assistant toe. Since he came pretty early, the assistantdy was still not ready and had to change first. Ji-woo had already used up all of his Magic Crystals and four Magic Stones beforeing to the Hunter Association building. The weight on both wrists was 76 kg, the same as the weight on both ankles. So, in total, there was 152 kg carried by his limbs. Ji-woo still didn¡¯t feel the weight of the wrist and ankle weights. Not if the load had not touched the 1000 kg figure. He then thought about how much it would cost to reach that figure. However, he woke up when a voice greeted him. ¡°Ah. Dear customer, I apologize to keep you waiting.¡± The shop assistant bowed her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s my fault foring too early when the shop is still not open yet.¡± Ji-woo also bowed back to the woman. He actually arrived at the same time as her and was met at the entrance of the shop. ¡°What do you need, dear customer? Do you want to buy something or do you want to sell?¡± Ji-woo came to the shop without his Spatial Bag. So, there were only two big duffel bags in his hands, which contained the items he wanted to sell. Even Dong-hyun still didn¡¯t know about the Spatial Bag because the distance between Ji-woo and Dong-hyun was a bit far whenever he used the item. The incident where he killed the hunters was also one of the reasons why Dong-hyun didn¡¯t focus on noticing it. Unexpectedly, appraiser Ma-no came to the store before Ji-woo stated his purpose. ¡°We have a guest. Oh!?¡± Ma-no was surprised to see Ji-woo again so soon at the shop. It made him think that Ji-woo might want to buy magic items with the hundreds of millions of won obtained from the Arachnia Bow. ¡°Kim Ji-woo~si, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Mister Ma-no¡¯s acquaintance?¡± ¡°No, Ji-hye~ya. I¡¯ve only met Ji-woo~si once when he wanted to do a weapon appraisal.¡± Ji-woo smiled wryly at the mention of weapon appraisal. He had previously told Ji-hye that the Golden Bow was not for sale. Luckily, Ma-no didn¡¯t mention selling the weapon to his broker friend. ¡°So, shall we talk about the business now?¡± Ma-no invited Ji-woo to sit down. Meanwhile, Ji-hye just stood on the side, watching the two of them. Ji-woo put one of his duffel bags on the floor while the other was on the table. He had already shown his intention to sell some items to the shop. He took out two daggers that had the color of blue diamonds and asked the price. The daggers were not important to him. Even though he was a dual-wielding user, the weapons were not his cup of tea. He also took the Wooden Bow out to get presented on the table along with those weapons. Ma-no liked it when someone wanted to sell their artifact weapons or items to the shop. It could increase the number of their products and attract the hunters to check their catalog of magic equipment. Of course, not all weapons or items could get sold. Only the attractive ones to the hunters had good values, whether in price or interest. Ma-no¡¯s eyes sparkle at the weapons on the table. One nce, and he knew they were weapons of good quality. Such weapons were what hunters usually look for it. Even Ji-hye, who didn¡¯t have any appraising abilities, could tell the value of those weapons. She had a knack for judging items based on appearances. However, the good thing was not without a big question that hit the two people from the shop. Why? Almost all hunters would choose to keep those weapons rather than sell them. Even if it got sold, it was usually in a particr ce that could increase the selling price many times, as in the ck Market. On the other hand, Ji-woo could feel that he got stared at by Ma-no and Ji-hye. He knew what those gazes meant. But, that left him speechless in the end. The weapons he wanted to sell were of no use to him. First, the quality was far from what he wanted from an armament. Second, he didn¡¯t have Mana. So, how would he be able to use the weapon¡¯s abilitiester on? It was just a scrap of metal in Ji-woo¡¯s hands. So, what was the point of keeping or using it? Now, the options left were only to sell it. If it got given for free, it would irritate him because he had been in trouble because of it. Ji-woo exined by saying that he was notfortable having a lot of stuff, and the weapons didn¡¯t suit him too. Ma-no and Ji-hye didn¡¯t continue their suspicions any further when they saw Ji-woo painstakingly exined. They didn¡¯t even ask how Ji-woo got his hands on those kinds of weapons. ¡°Would you like me to appraise it first, to know the exact price? I promise you to give the best price you can have from these.¡± Ji-hye bustled herself when she heard Ma-no wanted to do an appraisal. She thought the price would jump more than he had calcted. So, she needed to prepare the money that got required for it. Ji-hye got shocked when she came back and heard what Ji-woo said to her and Ma-no. ¡°No need for that. I just trust the eyes of an appraiser. You can name the prices for me. These two daggers and one Wooden Bow.¡± Ji-woo was not interested in the abilities of the weapons. It wasn¡¯t like there was any use, even if he knew about it. Just like the previous Golden Arachnia, which had the unique ability to summon real arrows with excellent steel. Ma-no swallowed his saliva while Ji-hye just gaped at those words. ¡°Sir, are you sure about that!? I can tell you that these weapons are good.¡± Ji-hye asked excitedly while wiping the drool dripping from her mouth. ¡°You could tell? You really are a good observer.¡± Ji-woo knew that Ji-hye was just a human, not a hunter. And that surprised him because Ji-hye could see the quality of an item or weapon just by relying on observation. ¡°She has a talent for it. That¡¯s why I chose her to work here and teach her about appraisal without Mana.¡± Ji-hye blushed at being ttered by Ma-no and Ji-woo. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to get an appraisal?¡± Ma-no asked again. ¡°Think of it as my goodwill to discuss a partnership with this shopter.¡± Ma-no and Ji-hye get confused when they hear that and ask for more details. ¡°May I know, what partnership do you mean?¡± Ji-woo ignored Ma-no¡¯s question and interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s state the prices of these weapons first. We can talk about thatter. I¡¯m not in a rush.¡± Ma-no nodded and immediately named his prices for the three weapons. ¡°These two daggers cost 195 million won, and 70 million won for this Wooden Bow.¡± He spoke while looking at Ji-woo. He was afraid the two prices were too far from Ji-woo¡¯s expectations. ¡°Deal. Ji-hye~si, you can transfer the money now to my ount. And here¡¯s the hunter¡¯s ID and my bank ount number.¡± Ji-woo smiled while providing the necessary necessities for the transaction. Meanwhile, neither Ma-no nor Ji-hye were used to the ease of negotiating with the customers. Moreover, Ji-hye, who had previously served Ji-woo when selling items, was just as unfamiliar as Ma-no. Ji-woo tapped the table lightly, bringing Ma-no and Ji-hye to their senses since neither reacted to him. Ji-hye then went to the counter to register the store purchases and transfer the money to him. Ji-woo talked about the partnership with Ma-no as he put another duffel bag on the table. ¡°Inside here are several items thate together to form the Golden Armor set of the Egyptian God. And I have no intention of selling them to you guys. Instead, I want you to sell the armor set to anyone at a high price. In a dividend of 90% to me and 10% to the shop.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t have market channels. So, it would be tough to manage and carry out trading transactions. After all, it was a troublesome thing. Ma-no pondered for a moment. It was not an easy decision. But, he agreed to it. After all, Ji-woo had already said he didn¡¯t want to sell to the store. So, there was no point in negotiating further. He didn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo wanted to do that. But, on the other hand, it was beneficial for both parties. If he insisted on buying it from Ji-woo, the price he offered would be the maximum one based on Ji-woo¡¯s current attitude. And that wouldn¡¯t give him any advantage at all. ¡°Since you agreed to this deal, then I will go and let you take care of the rest. d to work with you. This will be the start of the many partnerships I will have with this store.¡± Ji-woo smiled subtly. He got up and shook Ma-no¡¯s hand, who was still flustered by what happened. Chapter 96: New Items in the Store Chapter 96: New Items in the Store ¡°Hey, did you hear? There¡¯s a new item at the Hunters Association¡¯s headquarters on the 13th-floor shop.¡± ¡°Yeah. Yeah. New stuff as usual, which is like a brittle log that once used breaks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. This time, I heard some news. There is a stupid hunter. Who is willing to sell a good quality set of armor to the Hunter Association¡¯s shop. That¡¯s why many hunters are looking into it and are now heading to the Hunter Association¡¯s headquarters.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a scam? It¡¯s just fake news spread by the shop. You see, magic items of good qualitye from dungeons or the ck Market, not from that crap Hunter Association shop.¡± Several hunters in various guilds started to talk about the hot topic that was spreading. However, it was not of much interest among high-ranking hunters. It was because those magic items were only suitable for hunters below B-rank and so on. Even some B-rank hunters felt the items and weapons now being sold by the Hunter Association¡¯s shops weren¡¯t that great. But, that still didn¡¯t dampen the interest of the hunters who had money saved up and were in need of new magic items to hunt in the dungeon. Meanwhile, at the Hunter Association building, in the shop on the 13th floor. The room, which was quiterge, looked a little ustrophobic, unlike usual. It was like being in an auction. To be on alert, Ma-no had previously asked for help from the Hunter¡¯s Association, and one B-rank hunter and two C-rank hunters came to guard. But apparently, that wasn¡¯t enough to control the situation. ¡°Hey! Stop pushing!¡± ¡°Ack, Damn! Who stepped on my foot!?¡± ¡°All of you! Stop moving! It¡¯s already cramped!¡± ¡°You son of a b*tch! Who smacked my head!? Come here, fight with me!¡± ¡°Bunch of r*t*rds!! Do you all want a battle to happen here!?¡± Themotion heated up and overwhelmed the three guards, unable to take care of the hunters anymore. If a fight broke out, the 13th floor would definitely copse. Even though it got made to be durable against the attacks of magic spells, the room wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it if there were dozens of them. Luckily, Ma-no swiftly calmed the hunters down. ¡°Guys, please calm down. If not, then I¡¯ll have to call Chief Yoon toe here if you guys are still unruly.¡± Ma-no¡¯s voice was pretty low, and almost no one could hear it. However, mentioning Yoon Soo-ah¡¯s name was enough to cause a chain reaction among the hunters. ¡°Eh! Chief Yoon!?¡± A hunter blurted out the name subconsciously. Then, it got followed by the hunter who was behind him again. ¡°Yoon Soo-ah~si!?¡± ¡°Chief Yoon!¡± ¡°The Fire Witch, Soo-ah~si!?¡± And it continued until all the hunters realized what was happening and chanted Chief Yoon¡¯s name with their mouths. No one wanted to confront the secretary of the Hunter Association¡¯s Chairman. To get scolded by Chief Yoon was tantamount to allowing the hunters¡¯ ears to suffer for the duration of her wordsing out of her mouth. Didn¡¯t ept it and wanted to challenge Chief Yoon to a fight? Forget it, among the crowd of hunters present in the shop. There wasn¡¯t a single B-rank in sight. How could they dare to face an A-ranked? They really were in a hurry to die. What was more, Chief Yoon¡¯s fire magic got known to be extremely powerful and ruthless. There were only a few people who could match her fire magic power among the circle of A-rankers. Thanks to that, the three hunters that guard the shop had the convenience of controlling the hunters who were present only to see the items or buy them. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for everyone¡¯s enthusiasm. But, due to the situation getting out of control. I¡¯ve decided to auction off these three items. So, I¡¯d like to apologize to some hunters who came a step earlier than the others.¡± Ma-no bowed his head and asked the hunters for the understanding of the impromptu rule he adopted. In order to fulfill the expectations of other hunters. Which, either to find out about the capabilities of the weapons and items or who really wanted toe to buy. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the right choice. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Our pockets are pretty full. So, we are ready to throw the money at the bid.¡± Haha¨C ¡°Thank you for the understanding. Chief Yoon will be happy when she sees the reportter.¡± Meanwhile, some of the hunters in question wanted to express their disapproval. But, they once again twitched when they heard Chief Yoon got mentioned. Finally, all calmed down, and the three-guard hunters helped arrange the seats for the hunters. Ji-hye also helped provide chairs for them to sit down. There were about 17 to 21 hunters that came and were sitting. They waited to see the magic items. The news that circted and from the store only mentioned the item¡¯s name without stating the price and what capabilities the weapons had. The problem that made a scene was thement from Ma-no, the appraiser, that made the hunters curious. Ma-no said that the magic items were the best the Hunter¡¯s Association store has ever owned. Excellent qualities and abilities that would make other hunters envious if they knew about it. Ma-no and the three-guard hunters brought the three tforms to ce in front of the hunters. The three tforms got covered by cloth, so all the hunters couldn¡¯t see the shape of the item. ¡°The first item is a weapon for long-rangebat. A bow.¡± Ma-no then tugged at the cloth covering the first tform, and the Wooden Bow on disy charmingly appeared to the hunters¡¯ eyes. Some hunters gaped at the beauty while the others did not understand why the Wooden Bow was considered a good weapon and needed to get auctioned off. Ma-no understood the gazes of the hunters. Anyway, he was still happy to exin to make the clueless hunters have a little bit of knowledge about the Wooden Bow. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a weapon made of wood. However, I need to exin that the wood used here is not an ordinary magical one. It is from the wood of the tree of life. A tree that is said to be the source of immortality. ¡°Not only that, you can see there are letters of magguage all over the arc. And it¡¯s an Elf¡¯s tongue.¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Not many hunters understand about the Elf¡¯s tongue. Anyhow, they understood thenguage of magic. It was because all the Skill Pages they had seen or used to obtain magic spells had inscriptions that were not thenguage of their world. And only appraisers know about magic spells on the Skill page. So, it was no wonder Ma-no put it that way. The name of the Wooden Bow was Eldarin. It had the ability to summon unlimited wooden arrows and increase the user¡¯s uracy in archery. The best thing was when the magguage letters on the bow got activated. It would create a Magic Rune that could allow the user to have additional Mana separate from the body. However, Ma-no didn¡¯t exin Eldarin¡¯s abilities to the hunters first. He gave them the choice of whether the bow¡¯s abilities needed to be revealed in a public ce and heard by many. Or only disclose the name of the weapon and start the auction right away. Many were curious about the bow¡¯s abilities. But, it got outnumbered by those who wanted to start an auction and leave the weapon¡¯s abilities known only to its owner. ¡°It begins with 70 million won, and the increment is 2 million won.¡± Ma-no started the bid with the price offered to Ji-woo. Previously, after he did an appraisal of the magic items, he told Ji-woo how much money he might get if Ji-woo did the assessment. Ji-woo brushed that matter aside and told Ma-no not to worry about it. Therefore, Ma-no promised to give the best results when selling the Golden Armor setter. ¡°72 million won!¡± ¡°80 million won!¡± Before long, the price had risen to 100 million won. At that price, some hunters had begun to hesitate to bid again. That was because there were still two more tforms that hadn¡¯t get opened and shown yet. In auctions, it was customary to disy mediocre items first. Then, the good and unique stuff at the end. The hunters need to save a lot of money to stay until the end of the auction. Who knows, maybe the best things would fall into the hands of the one who grits its teeth. ¡°120 million won going once!¡± ¡°120 million won going twice!¡± It seemed that Eldarin got valued at 120 million won with no one interested in raising the bid further. Ma-no then tapped his hammer and validated the final price. ¡°Sold! Eldarin, 120 million won.¡± The three guards then lift the tform of the Eldarin Bow, apanied by Ji-hye, to continue the transaction with the hunter who won the item. Ma-no was also quick to remove the cloth covering the second tform to proceed with the event. It showed two daggers with blue diamond color to the hunters. ¡°The daggers of time, Xapoc.¡± Chapter 97: Wealth Chapter 97: Wealth ¡°Wow, daggers of time? What does that mean!?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with time?¡± ¡°Why is the weapon named like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the name Xapoc or Lapox. The important thing here is the word of the time. Please exin further, Mr. Appraiser.¡± Ma-no smirked. His aim to arouse the interest of the hunters was currently sessful. That meant the price would definitely soar higher than he had expected. ¡°Everyone, calm down.¡± Ma-no calmed the crowd. He once again offered them the choice of whether or not the weapon¡¯s abilities needed to get revealed. Now, most of the hunters were in aplicated and pinched situation. They knew the daggers would fork out a lot of money from them. At the same time, they needed to grasp the capabilities of these weapons in order to find out the highest bidding price. The mention of the word ¡®time¡¯ was intentional by Ma-no. It was like a hint to the hunters that the dagger¡¯s abilities would be rted to time. Of course, there were some hunters who got the clue and understood what it meant. But still, they were curious, what ¡®time¡¯ abilities were capable of being utilized by those weapons. Ma-no was also surprised and envious of the abilities of the weapons when he finished his assessment. The two daggers were a pair of weapons that wouldn¡¯t work without one of them. In order to use its abilities, it was necessary to use both. One of its abilities was to return the time to the previous 30 seconds. And it looked like an OverPowered skill. It only applied to a small area around the user. Actually, it was enough for a hunter that missed the attack and then seeded in the second trial under the same conditions. Even Ma-no estimated that the ability could match that of an S-rank hunter. The downside of the skill was that it didn¡¯t restore the user¡¯s condition. For example, the Mana used to use the ability would not replenish when the time returned to the previous one, while the other power was to cover that weakness. The ability was to make the user return to its initial state. For example, Mana would return to adequate as if it had not to get used at all, and any serious injury would heal within a few seconds. It worked only on the user without stopping or rewinding the time. It was efficient without having to go through the same thing twice. ¡°The open bid is 195 million won, and the increment is 5 million won.¡± More than half of the hunters snapped their eyes after hearing the starting price of the daggers. They had thought it would be high, but it wasn¡¯t that expensive. ¡°220 million won!¡± The hunters got surprised by the new numbers. They had not yet recovered from the initial price shock. And another hunter gritted his teeth. ¡°240 million won!¡± ¡°What the f*ck!?¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know the exact abilities these daggers possess. Why are some of you going crazy over the bid!?¡± The opinion of the other hunters did not affect the others, who wished to own the daggers. ¡°300 million won!¡± The new offer entirely left all the other hunters speechless. The price was very unreasonable for them. After all, the capabilities of those weapons were unknown. It could be a trick of the appraiser by giving the hunters catchy words to cover up the weapon skills, which might be crap. ¡°Oh, my lord!¡± ¡°F*ck*ing madd!¡± Ma-no continued the auction even though the hunters were shocked and in the middle of digesting the situation. ¡°300 million won going once! Twice!¡± ¡°Sold! Xapoc Daggers, 300 million won.¡± The three guards and Ji-hye did their jobs the same as before. Especially for Ji-hye, she was delighted with the benefits they got. It could be a fund to improve the quality of the goods in the store and make them prosperous in the future. She knew about the abilities of the three auctioned items because she had previously get told by Ma-no. And she didn¡¯t forget to thank and felt grateful to Ji-woo as their benefactor. Ma-no smiled. ¡°Now. We havee to the final item in this sudden auction.¡± The hunters looked at each other. They tried to intimidate the other to give up from trying to bid for thest item. Suddenly, all of the hunter¡¯s eyes turned to gold as Ma-no tugged at the cloth covering the third tform. ¡°This is an armor set that has extraordinary abilities for the owner or user. This set is called Demi-Amun Armored. Of course, I can¡¯t share the knowledge of what this armor set can do. All I can say is, it¡¯s an item that destroys the ranking system among the hunters.¡± The hunters¡¯ eyes lit up and forgot about the restraint of their own money to bid. It seemed some hunters would dare to risk their entire fortune in one such auction. Ma-no¡¯s words gave the hunters a hint about the ranking system, which was likely rted to breaking the ranking gap between hunters when fighting. The hunters¡¯ guesses were right on target. The Demi-Amun Armored¡¯s ability increased the user¡¯s strength by twice what the user currently had. Meanwhile, the other skill it had, was a transformation that could lift the user¡¯s power many times over. If an E-rank hunter used that skill, he could match a B-rank or even an A-rank hunter, while the A-rank became as strong as the S-rank one. ¡°We will start with 150 million won, and the increment is 10 million won.¡± ¡°160 million won!¡± There was a bid even before the huntersmented on the initial bid price and the increment. And even then, there was no sign that it would stop there. ¡°170 million won!¡± ¡°180 million won!¡± ¡­ ¡°210 million won!¡± ¡°230 million won!¡± The offers grew more intense as time went on. Thest auction item got joined by almost all hunters present. Therefore, the increase in bids was not too high. But, it continued to rise. ¡°280 million won!¡± ¡°310 million won!¡± It was a number that only a few hunters present at the venue could match. So, the people bidding were only about three now out of a total of 21 hunters. The hunters, who had no money or couldn¡¯t afford to bid anymore, could only see the final result of the auction. ¡°350 million won!¡± The price stopped at that figure, and no one seemed to want to put another bid on the table. ¡°350 million won going once!¡± ¡°350 million won going ¡­,¡± Before Ma-no dered the winner, another bid echoed through the room and broke the silence. ¡°390 million won!¡± The hunters were amazed by the sky-high figure. After all, the hunters present in the shop mostly were low-ranked hunters, just a bunch of E-rankers, D-rankers, and C-rankers. ¡°Sold! Demi-Amun Armored, 390 million won.¡± ¡°Congrattions! And thank you to all who attended and adhered to the order of our shop.¡± The auction had ended after Ma-no dered it. All the hunters went home with different feelings. Some were happy, sad, surprised, and amazed by the Hunters Association shop. Those three items were really the best things ever got sold, apart from the ck Market ce, which was said to be inessible to just anyone. Even the International Hunters Association could not overthrow the existence of the ck Market. It was because there were severalrge guilds that supported the entity. So, it could run and function as an underground ce for rich hunters and wealthy businessmen. Ma-no nned to call Ji-woo to tell him about the Demi-Amun Armored. He was happy with the store¡¯s revenue. But, he also knew that the prices were achievable because of the auction event. And that situation couldn¡¯t happen all the time due to the policy of the Hunters Association. There would also be opposition from several guilds and independent hunters because the price was too high from what it should be. ¡°Hello, Ji-woo~si. It¡¯s me, Ma-no. I¡¯ve already sent 351 million won to your ount. I thank you for your choice to sell those items to us. And again, thank you for your generosity despite knowing the value after I appraised those items.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I also need to thank you for your help in selling my stuff, sir. It must have been tough. You¡¯ve done a great job, sir.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. In the future, the partnership between us will continue if Ji-woo~si wants to sell or buy something from us.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Now, Ji-woo had a total of 618 million won in his ount. And without further ado, he informed Seok-jin and paid his 135 million won debt for the previous tier-4 Portal Gate. With the remaining 483 million won that Ji-woo had, it was enough to carry out other ns on his list. He intended not to buy the Portal Gate for the time being. He chooses to continue Dong-hyun¡¯s training and pay off his family¡¯s debt and interest. He was also deciding when to sell the golden spear and another set of golden armor. (note: 483 million won = around 413k USD) ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a few days before grinding the dungeon again.¡± Chapter 98: Debt Chapter 98: Debt ¡°I got word that there was amotion downstairs yesterday? Did something happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sir. No big deal. The artifact item and weapon shop is just holding an impromptu auction.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s new. What happened?¡± Chief Yoon then started to tell the report about the events that happened yesterday at the 13th-floor shop. Chairman Yu listened to while in doubt because what he heard seemed impossible. It the five years since the Hunters Association existed and the item and weapon shop opened. There had never been a time when they had been able to sell at a quality worthy of a mid-to-high ranked hunter. Most of the items in the shop were only for E-rank hunters, and the usual estimated price was around 10 to 30 million won. Not more and sometimes less than that. But, even though it was a fancy thing for the shop, it was still nothing to be excited about. Chairman Yu decided to let the two people who run the shop handle it. Profits would also not get shared with the Hunters Association. And there was no intention of knowing where the items came from. ¡°How are things with the other two S-rank hunters? Also, is there any progress on Min-ho and Jo-hyun?¡± Chief Yoon found out about their battle with the South Korean traitor. Many felt the encounter was bnced. But she honestly thought it wasn¡¯t equal at all. Multiple hunters against one unofficial hunter, it was clearly not the same. Even those who ganged up suffered injuries instead. If it not for Hyun-bin, all S-rank hunters would have died. And the Hunter¡¯s Association would lose the figure of a leader. It was a risky move to pursue a traitor based solely on his past strength. It made Chief Yoon realize that the power level of the South Korean state was far below the standards of other superpowers. Those countries had guilds capable of holding back dozens of Red Gates formed from tier-5 Portal Gates, let alone an unofficial hunter like Ma Dong-seok. It was an era where being weak was a sin. Chief Yoon also couldn¡¯t imagine that if the traitor decided to wreak havoc in South Korea, would they be able to survive and defeat him? She tightened her grip. Now, what they needed were hunters who could climb thedder of high ranks. The hunters rose from the lower sses to the top in no time. ¡°Min-ho and Jo-hyun¡¯s condition has gradually recovered, and now they can carry out their normal activities as usual.¡± Chairman Yu was still sitting in his chair with a solemn expression, waiting for the follow-up report from Chief Yoon, who was dragging her words. ¡°For¡­, those two S rank hunters, their current condition is good. But, they are still unconscious. The Godly Doctor advised that their condition will return to normal after a few days¡¯ rest.¡± The Chairman nodded at the report then massaged his temples. Dong-seok¡¯s strength was beyond his expectations. Comparing Dong-seok to Hyun-bin, Chairman Yu felt the two were a bit equal. But, his feelings were more suggesting that Dong-seok was a little stronger. Chairman Yu felt threatened though unsure about Dong-seok¡¯s purpose ining to South Korea. Not to mention the threats from the Portal Gate and the Red Gate that constantly tormented his country. All of that sometimes made Chairman Yu feel hopeless. He thought that God gave Mana only to make them suffer and would never have peace. In fact, the world already had the strongest hunter, the ArchMage. However, the Portal Gates still appeared. Chairman Yu took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s about time we hold an auction for the unmanaged Portal Gates. Those guilds sure can¡¯t wait to continue hunting and increase their experience and strength. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing for us to have the guild¡¯s strength increase a lot. After all, it¡¯s not hard to ask them for help even though our principles are basically different.¡± Chief Yoon nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Hunter Association wanted to continue with its operations despitetely having so many hassles and problems. They had no other choice but to do what they usually do even though the situation was different. It was because they didn¡¯t understand and know anything about Portal Gates. So, they couldn¡¯t do much about it. Elsewhere, Ji-woo, as usual, helped his mother carry food stall necessities. The situation andmunity activities have returned to normal. Ji-woo didn¡¯t stay long at the food stall and told his mother that he was leaving. He didn¡¯t say where he was going, just said somewhere, and it wouldn¡¯t take long. He didn¡¯t go by taxi or bus. But only take a walk around the neighborhood. Not long after, he arrived at a 3-story building at the crossroads of the alley. He entered and came to the room on the 2nd floor. Ji-woo opened the door and saw two bulky men sitting on the long low couch. The two big men then stood up and wanted to hold Ji-woo off but were stopped by the man sitting behind the desk with theputer. ¡°You morons! Don¡¯t scare our customer right off the bat! The two of you stand by the door.¡± The man got up from his seat and walked over to Ji-woo, offering to sit down and immediately discuss his needs. ¡°Wee to our ce, young man. How can I help you? We can lend you whatever money you want at low-interest rates. How? ¡°That¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it!? We also have a good reputation.¡± The man also poured and gave a cup of coffee to Ji-woo. But, Ji-woo seemed unconcerned and spoke in a low tone. ¡°Lee Elijah, ID. xxxxxxx. What is the total debt and interest of that person?¡± The man frowned. He knew Elijah very well. The problem was, who was the young man who came, suddenly asking about Elijah¡¯s debt? ¡°Who are you?!¡± The two bulky men sensed the unease from their boss¡¯s tone of voice, rushing over to Ji-woo. ¡°The two of you, calm down! Go back to where you stand.¡± The man stopped the two of them and looked at Ji-woo intently, waiting for an answer. Ji-woo sighed. At first, he didn¡¯t want to exin. But after he saw how these people were still able to restrain himself with his rxed attitude, he decided to be more polite. ¡°I am her son, Kim Ji-woo. I havee to pay the debt in full and the interest.¡± The man was shocked in disbelief at Ji-woo¡¯s statement. ¡°Are you really her son? Didn¡¯t you disappear six years ago?¡± This time, Ji-woo was the one that got surprised. He didn¡¯t expect the man to know about his family situation. The man understood Ji-woo¡¯s gaze and exined himself. ¡°I knew your mother when yourte father came to me to borrow money as funds to look for you who was missing. Then the car ident happened, your mother was alone with your sister without any rtives to help. ¡°It was a difficult situation for them, and finally, your mother came to me to borrow more money. I was hesitant at first, but thinking about their condition, I decided to help and give the money without being returned except for the money that yourte father borrowed earlier. But your mother refused and insisted on borrowing the money with interest. I had no other choice but to ept it. ¡°From then until now, no problems have befallen them. Your mother is also diligent in paying the debt installments along with its interest.¡± Ji-woo got up and bowed his head to express his gratitude for the small favor from the loan shark. The man then waved his hand, indicating it was nothing. ¡°Then how much is the debt with its interest now?¡± The man stared at Ji-woo for a few seconds and answered. ¡°71 million won. Not too much, is it? Like I said, your mother is very diligent in paying it.¡± Ji-woo took out his smartphone and processed the money transfer. ¡°Does your mother know about this?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s why I need you to keep it a secret, sir.¡± The man smiled wryly. ¡°What shall I tell your motherter? You put me in a tight spot, young man. Well but, I¡¯m d you¡¯re back. You can even pay off your mother¡¯s debt. And she won¡¯t be suffering anymore.¡± Ji-woo got up from his seat and shook hands with the man. He was also grateful that his mother owed a pretty good loan shark. If not, then his family¡¯s life was definitely worse than it already was. Ji-woo returned home. He was looking for information about industrial real estate. He wanted to know how much it would take to buy a factory. After Ji-woo gathered the data about industrial real estate, he called Ma-no. He wanted to sell the set of Golden Armor and the Golden Spear. He needed to squeeze everything he had into money. He also didn¡¯t forget to order a Portal Gate to Seok-jin. Fortunately, now the broker had a lot of stock and could set aside some for him. Seok-jin already had faith in Ji-woo. So, he didn¡¯t mind letting Ji-woo order some Portal Gates and only pay in advance, not in full. He also believed Ji-woo could close the ordered Portal Gates. So, he¡¯s not worried about it. Chapter 99: I Bring An End to Magic Chapter 99: I Bring An End to Magic In the morning, Ji-woo went about his usual routine. Surprisingly, he met Dong-hyun and Yu-jin at the food stall. Elijah was happy to see her son had some friendsing. It made the atmosphere of the food stall lively. She was already familiar with Dong-hyun and had met with Yu-jin before. Unlike Elijah, Ji-woo put on a slightly frustrating face about the arrival of Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. He understood why Dong-hyun came. But, Yu-jin? He wasn¡¯t close at all to the point where they could visit each other¡¯s families. However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to spoil his mother¡¯s happy mood and went along with the two hunters to prepare the food stall. After they finished, Dong-hyun, with a troubled look, asked him to speak in private. Ji-woo agreed and stepped away from the food stall, leaving Yu-jin with her mother alone for a while to chat. Before Dong-hyun could speak, he was the first to open his mouth. ¡°This is shocking. I thought you didn¡¯t dare to see me again and decided to stop continuing your training.¡± Dong-hyun swallowed his saliva. He understood what Ji-woo meant by those words. However, he was not petty just because of the difference in philosophy. He convinced himself with the terms that the ones Ji-woo killed weren¡¯t innocent humans. As long as he had known Ji-woo, no crime had ever gotmitted. ¡°Hyung! Eei, how can you say something like that to your junior.¡± Dong-hyun replied with an awkward chuckle. He chimes in again before being lectured by Ji-woo. ¡°Ah, right. About the training. When are we going to resume it?¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. ¡°We can do it today. But after that, you will get an assignment from me. Also, what¡¯s wrong with that girl? Why is sheing with you here?¡± Dong-hyun wanted to ask more about the assignment but got tense when asked about Yu-jin. It happened because of him. But, he had no other choice due to being constantly forced by Yu-jin. ¡°I d-don¡¯t know about it, h-hyung.¡± Dong-hyun stuttered and nced at Ji-woo. He also subconsciously observed the movement of Ji-woo¡¯s hands, worried that his head might get sacrificed to vent the annoyance. Ji-woo didn¡¯t keep pressuring Dong-hyun. Instead, he went back to the food stall. Dong-hyun rubbed his chest in relief to see Ji-woo walk away after hearing his bullsh*t excuses. He then followed Ji-woo¡¯s footsteps from behind, back to the food stall. Ji-woo told Dong-hyun to go and wait at the usual ce, which was at the foot of the mountain. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin left after saying goodbye to Elijah. Ji-woo also went home first, then followed the two of themter. Ji-woo told the two of them to leave. He felt that what they might be talking about didn¡¯t need to be heard by his mother. He was also worried that his mother would get used to asking him for something. That was why he didn¡¯t like it when someone he met or just came to his family. At the foot of the mountain, Dong-hyun continued to grumble all the way. He expressed his displeasure, followed by Yu-jin. Although, Ji-woo was still silent on that for now. There was no guarantee his head would survive if their situation had not to get rified or rectified. On the other hand, Yu-jin nonchntly faced Dong-hyun¡¯s protests all the way to the destination. For her, as long as she could get powerful, putting on a thick face was normal. There was nothing to be ashamed of such an approach. ¡°Let¡¯s get the facts straight. I didn¡¯te because of you. I came alone to seek Ji-woo¡¯s training. That and this are different, got it?¡± Dong-hyun pped his forehead, unable to deal with Yu-jin. He felt his logic was no longer working. ¡®This woman is so unreasonable! Did you know that my head is at stake in this matter!? Fine! Just do whatever you want!¡¯ Dong-hyun grunted on the side. And before long, he saw Ji-woo wasing. He waved a hand to say hello and noticed the battered bag Ji-woo was wearing was the same as before in the desert dungeon. The shabby bag hung from Ji-woo¡¯s left shoulder to the waist. Like a college kid who came to campus with a neat style. Everything was perfect, face, body shape, and casual clothes except for the bag, which didn¡¯t look like trendy college kids¡¯ bags these days. However, Dong-hyun didn¡¯t dare mention it or criticize Ji-woo about the bag, given the current circumstance. It was because Yu-jin¡¯s problem was still not settled yet. Yu-jin stared at Ji-woo from the moment he came into sight before her. Even when Ji-woo stopped his tracks in front of her, her gaze never shifted even after her eyes blinked. Ji-woo scanned Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. One looked calm but seemed to be about to explode at any moment while the other was restless and kept his head down frequently. He shook his head and broke the silence. ¡°You. Show me what you¡¯ve trained before. And how far it¡¯s progressed without my supervision. ¡°And you. What business are you looking for? Didn¡¯t I clearly say before that we are not close and know each other? This is the second time you have appeared in front of me. Do you really have a crush on me?¡± Dong-hyun widened his eyes when he heard what Ji-woo said, so much that he forgot what he was about to do. Meanwhile, Yu-jin was taken aback by those words. Previously, she had also got treated the same way. She gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t want to back down just because she got that kind of attitude. Power was her goal! ¡°No! I just want to be taught and trained as you did to Dong-hyun. Nothing else! Also, I don¡¯t have a crush on you! You¡¯re not my type! Stop dreaming!¡± Dong-hyun twitched after hearing Ji-woo get yelled at by Yu-jin. He had a strange feeling when it happened, like he was satisfied but also worried at the same time. Ji-woo frowned. He then turned his face toward Dong-hyun, who suddenly whistled and did some incoherent kung fu moves, acting like he didn¡¯t see or hear what just had happened. Yu-jin wanted toe up with another excuse to convince Ji-woo. But instead, she got apletely unexpected surprise. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll teach you the same way I taught Dong-hyun. There¡¯s only one rule. My words are absolute. Is that clear?¡± Dong-hyun was the first one to react with sudden eptance. ¡°Eei! Hyung! You can¡¯t do that. This is discrimination. How can you ept it? Is it because she¡¯s a woman? Ey! This isn¡¯t right!¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Ji-woo casually spoke. The words were like thunder into Dong-hyun¡¯s ears. His pupils constricted, and his heartbeat was faster than usual. He then gulped ufortably after seeing Ji-woo¡¯s hand gesture. ¡®That¡¯s his usual beating hand move. F*ck! I¡¯m screwed!¡¯ ¡°Okay. It looks like I¡¯m the one who needs to get closer.¡± It felt like destiny got already set for Dong-hyun. He immediately worshiped on the ground, begging for forgiveness. ¡°Hyung! Hyung! Wait! It¡¯s just a misunderstanding. I don¡¯t even remember what I said earlier. I must be out of my mind! Aigo, this mouth of mine!¡± Dong-hyun pped his mouth and pleaded while correcting his words. Yu-jin, who was on the side, also nced at Dong-hyun with a sharp gaze. She was initially surprised by Ji-woo¡¯s response. But, her mood turned sour at those words earlier. However, Dong-hyun was oblivious to Yu-jin¡¯s deadly stare at him. Even if he was aware and knew, he was more afraid of Ji-woo than Yu-jin. The existence of those two people was unequal to him and had vastly different levels. ¡°Tch! What an idiot!¡± She crossed her arms over her chest and sneered at Dong-hyun¡¯s action that sucked up to Ji-woo. Ji-woo canceled what he wanted to do and let Dong-hyun go, telling him to do a short burst technique until his Mana runs out. He then turned his face back to Yu-jin. ¡°So? Are we clear?¡± Yu-jin bit her lip and nodded to confirm her determination to train under Ji-woo. ¡°Good. Now, cast all your magic spells on me. You don¡¯t need to hold back. You also don¡¯t have to worry about the surroundings. Just let it all out.¡± Yu-jin squinted her beautiful eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t train as he did?¡± While pointing at Dong-hyun. ¡°No. It¡¯s only for people with a small Mana capacity. You, who have six times his Mana, aren¡¯t fit to learn about that.¡± Yu-jin clicked her tongue and instantly let out her Mana Presence. She was ready to make Ji-woo swallow his own words. Dong-hyun sensed Yu-jin¡¯s Mana Presence, pausing his task for the time being. He smirked at the side as a spectator. ¡®Soon. That woman will surely cry when she sees all her magic gone without a trace. Ji-woo hyung¡¯s technique is second to none. I¡¯m even traumatized if I want to cast magic in front of Ji-woo hyung.¡¯ Dong-hyun shivered at the thought. Chapter 100: The Crack Chapter 100: The Crack There was no particr reason why Ji-woo decided to let Yu-jin join the training. If one needed to be nitpicky, it was because the practice wouldn¡¯tst long. He was a person who had no Mana, and his knowledge of it was also limited. Teaching them one or two ways wasn¡¯t too hard. After all, they wouldn¡¯t bother him much since he was the one who arranged their meeting scheduleter. ¡°Magic of Fire, Phoenix spirits!¡± Yu-jin spread her arms, and three phoenix-shaped mes appeared above her head. She then threw it at Ji-woo in a hurry. She didn¡¯t stop with that and used another magic spell. ¡°Magic of Fire, God¡¯s Arrow!¡± Yu-jin¡¯s palms pped forward. Her hands shone, and a big fiery arrow appeared, enveloping them. She shot three fire arrows in session behind the Phoenix spirit. The magic spells were enough to send heat all the way to Dong-hyun, who was some distance away from Ji-woo and Yu-jin. However, Ji-woo casually used both hands to dispel those magic spells effortlessly. The magic spells vanished without traces the moment it had contact with him. Yu-jin narrowed her eyes while Dong-hyun had an ¡®as expected¡¯ expression on his face. She wanted to open his mouth to ask how Ji-woo could do that. However, she gave up her intention and tried another magic spell that she was good at. The result remained the same. Ji-woopletely obliterated the magic spells without breaking a sweat. Yu-jin didn¡¯t understand what was going on. No matter what kind of magic she used, they were all useless. What really confused her was the way Ji-woo got rid of all the magic. The method was much different from what Dong-hyun did before. ¡®How could he do that?!¡¯ Dong-hyun neutralized Yu-jin¡¯s magic by using the same element like that. But, Ji-woo didn¡¯t do that at all. Even Mana could not be felt from him, whether he was doing a parry or just standing still. It was Yu-jin¡¯s first time dealing with Ji-woo so closely. Previously, she was not focused on what Ji-woo was doing because she was too irritated by his cowardly running attitude. The truth about the tier-3 Portal Gate didn¡¯t necessarily make her recognize Ji-woo. Yet, she couldn¡¯t do anything to Ji-woo in the slightest. On second thought, her challenge to a duel in the previous Battle Royale seemed like a joke. Maybe she couldn¡¯t win at all, seeing all her magic not working. She then gritted her teeth and insisted on thest resort. ¡°Magic of Fire, Supernova!¡± Yu-jin trembled, and her eyes turned to illuminate golden color. Her skin was like a stone burning by high-temperature mes, and she began to hover above the ground. Her entire body turned into a searing sun that scorched the surroundings and radiated intense heat over arge area. Dong-hyun couldn¡¯t stand the scorching heat, quickly retreated, and moved away from Yu-jin. On the other hand, Ji-woo jumped into action and closed the gap with Yu-jin. He couldn¡¯t let the magic finish its channeling. Not only would the surroundings get affected, but his clothes would also end up burned. Ji-woo hit Yu-jin in the stomach hard enough, enough to knock her out. Dong-hyun, who saw that urrence, showed his dissatisfaction. ¡°Wow! Totally heartless. Hitting a woman mercilessly like that.¡± ¡°Make up your mind. Didn¡¯t you say before I had discrimination when letting her join the training? And now you¡¯re saying I¡¯m heartless!? ¡°You seem even more presumptuous even though you¡¯ve seen me kill those hunters before.¡± Dong-hyun jolted at those words from Ji-woo. He immediately shrank his back and lowered his head. ¡°Come here. Pick her up, and lean her against the tree.¡± ¡°Yes~~~,¡± Dong-hyun answerednguidly. He moved his body like he was pulling a heavy object. The purpose of that brief exchange was to show Ji-woo¡¯s strength was undeniable. He had to confer his dominance. He knew Yu-jin still looked down on him even though she knew the story about the Demon Apes dungeon. Only then would Yu-jin really listen to what he had to say. It would also make it easier to teach her a little about magic and Mana. Ji-woo and Dong-hyun then continue training. He pointed out the shorings of the short burst technique utilized by Dong-hyun. Mana usage was still inefficient. Another problem was, retracting and restoring Mana still took a bit longer than it should have. After that, Dong-hyun got forced to have a spar with Ji-woo. He reluctantly did so, as he also had no choice. Dong-hyun lost, battered, and pitifully. He massaged the part of his body that got bruised from Ji-woo¡¯s beating. Ji-woo originally wanted to tell Dong-hyun to deliver the golden spear along with the set of golden armor to Ma-no. But, he changed his mind because of Yu-jin. He then assigned Dong-hyun to stay with Yu-jin until she woke up and left both of them behind. Dong-hyun was more obedient now that he had got beaten by Ji-woo. His mouth wasn¡¯t as chatty as before. A few minutes after Ji-woo left, Yu-jin woke up from her dream. She was bewildered after remembering what was happen to her. She looked at Dong-hyun with a face demanding an exnation of what happened after she passed out. How could she wake up under the tree alone with him? Dong-hyun recounted what happened while massaging his neck and shoulders due to the lingering pain all over his body. ¡°How could he do that? Did I lose in just one hit? Is he an S-ranker!?¡± Dong shrugged at Yu-jin¡¯s question. He didn¡¯t know how Ji-woo could dispel their magic spells. He also didn¡¯t ask more because Ji-woo didn¡¯t tell him either. Yu-jin couldn¡¯t gauge how strong Ji-woo was. She knew that she was no match for Ji-woo, but losing so quickly was beyond her expectations. Even an A-ranked would have to go to great lengths to beat her. If it was that easy, shouldn¡¯t Ji-woo be an S-rank hunter? Yu-jin admitted the truth of Ji-woo¡¯s power. She felt perfectly subdued and lost her will to doubt him. Now, she didn¡¯t want to get taught just a trick or two. She hoped to get guided to get strong like Ji-woo. ¡°You better get a hold of yourself. Don¡¯t bother Ji-woo hyung anymore because he¡¯s already willing to ept you in this training. Keep everything between us a secret. One more thing, don¡¯t talk about hunters in front of the hyung¡¯s family.¡± Yu-jin just stared at Dong-hyun. She didn¡¯t understand why the rules were like that. Anyway, she didn¡¯t want to bother with it and only thought about training. ¡°Ji-woo hyung is scary. Scarier than magic.¡± Elsewhere, Ji-woo arrived at the front door of the artifact item and weapon shop on the 13th floor of the Hunter Association¡¯s headquarters. He took out the two things and handed them to Ji-hye since Ma-no was not there. He had already informed Ma-no before he came. And the deal was the same as before, a dividend of 90% to him and 10% to the shop. He also got told by Ma-no that the sales might not be as fantastic as before due to regtions regarding auction procurement. Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind it and let Ma-no handle everything. He strolled inside the shop, looking for armor items. He knew the material wouldn¡¯t suit him, but he didn¡¯t have much choice. He needed it to enter the next Portal Gates. He bought one tier-3 Portal Gate and two tier-2 Portal Gates. It cost him 345 million won for those three Portal Gates. And now, he had just bought a leather armor item of almost the same quality as Dong-hyun¡¯s Ker vest for 30 million won. That left Ji-woo with only 37 million won in his ount. Those three Portal Gates were better off having a lot of loot that could return his investment more than the initial cost. The next day, Ji-woo got summoned to the Demigod guild headquarters. The summons was not the same as before where they entered the three tier-3 Portal Gates. The hunters there were only about 40 to 50 people. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun were also there. Ji-woo became a spectacle because of the two hunters. If it was just Dong-hyun, they still understand since he was the lowest in the guild. But, Yu-jin? She was a D-rank hunter. Why follow an E-rank hunter? That didn¡¯t make sense! He also didn¡¯t expect that Yu-jin would act almost the same way as Dong-hyun. The only difference was the attitude. One was busy looking for attention, and the other looked indifferent as if she didn¡¯t care. The guild nned to train all those present hunters in preparation for entering the tier-4 Portal Gate. And there would also be a test to join the team that would enter the tier-5 Portal Gate. The reactions were mixed. Some hunters were happy. Some were worried and scared because the top-tier Portal Gates was extremely dangerous for those C-ranks and below. And there was Ji-woo, who didn¡¯t care at all. He dropped a bomb that made all hunters¡¯ eyes fall on him. ¡°Can I ask for a vacation or maybe skip this training?¡± Chapter 101: At Odds Chapter 101: At Odds What Ji-woo said were basically words that never came out of the hunters working in the guild. There was no such thing as a vacation or skipping training for hunting in a dungeon. It was a funny thing as well as a very unusual thing. Instantly, all the hunters¡¯ eyes that present turned to disgust to see a hunter acting like a coward. There was no such thing as a holiday in the guilds. The holidays only exist if there were no activities to enter the Portal Gates owned by the guild. In addition, they must always be on standby. Off because of illness? Very funny. People who got blessed with Mana would never get sick. That was why they got called God¡¯s chosen people. Several Demigod hunters that gave the briefings to the hunters also looked at Ji-woo with contempt. A few hunters in the crowd sneered at Ji-woo. ¡°Hey, r*t*rd! Why don¡¯t you go back and sleep on your mother¡¯sp at home.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Little kids should just y on the yground and suck on candy.¡± ¡°What a disgrace!¡± Haha¨C The huntersughed and mocked Ji-woo with satisfaction. They know Ji-woo became a member of the Demigod guild because of the test. However, Ji-woo was still an inexperienced neer to them. It only increased their displeasure with neers by acting cowardly. ¡°Hey, kid. This isn¡¯t child¡¯s y we¡¯re doing here. You¡¯re part of a guild and need to do what we tell you to do. You think we¡¯re civil servants who can ask for a day off at will, huh!?¡± Dong-hyun was displeased with the hunters¡¯ attitude. He wanted toe forward to defend Ji-woo even though he didn¡¯t know his hyung¡¯s reason for asking for a day off and not joining the training. Meanwhile, Yu-jin, on the side, thought the hunters¡¯ reactions were normal. She also didn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo asked for leave to avoid the training. Weren¡¯t all hunters eager to fight the Portal Gate creatures? After all, there would be money that the hunter got in every hunt. ¡°You, stay behind. Don¡¯t stir things up. My problem, my business. Take a few steps back.¡± Ji-woo said to Dong-hyun in a small voice. Dong-hyun wanted to refuse the order but got met with Ji-woo¡¯s serious gaze that turned to him. He gaped and reluctantly obeyed what Ji-woo said. Yu-jin also followed along like Dong-hyun did. She recognized Ji-woo¡¯s strength and would train diligently under him. But, that didn¡¯t mean she felt close enough toe to Ji-woo¡¯s defense. Her rtionship with Ji-woo was that of teacher and student, nothing more. It was purely a business rtionship! Although, on paper, Ji-woo seemed to be getting nothing from training her. On another note, Yu-jin was actually a little worried about what would happen to Ji-wooter. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want the two of them to get associated with him. It was because he was the one that started it. So, he had to take care of it, no one else. He opened his mouth with his icy cold gaze, natural cid expression. ¡°Geez. Isn¡¯t that a harsh word to say? Well, I¡¯m fine with that. I¡¯ll take it as a farce, and then that means my vacation application gets approved. Where should I continue this? At the front desk?¡± All the hunters were not happy to hear what Ji-woo said. Suddenly, a hunter came to him and grabbed him by the cor with one hand. ¡°Hey, moron! Where did you put your brain!? What we meant was that you can¡¯t take a day off. If you¡¯re scared, that¡¯s your business. If you¡¯re afraid to die, that¡¯s your business too! ¡°Either way, you can¡¯t back down. This is a primary task on the part of the guild. Unlike the previous three Portal Gate hunts. Understand?¡± However, Ji-woo didn¡¯t give a damn about the guild anymore. He became a member because he passed the test. He didn¡¯t owe anything to the Demigod guild. He even considered saving them from the Demon Apes as a favor that he bestowed to the guild. Ji-wooughed lightly, and it made the hunter who grabbed his cor frown. Then he kicked the hunter in the right ankle and mmed the left face to the ground, knocking him unconscious. Bang! ¡°Alright. It looks like my vacation needs some action to get it.¡± All the hunters were shocked by the incident. Even Dong-hyun and Yu-jin widened their eyes at that. Neither of them expected such a thing to happen. Ji-woo ignored them all and went to the front desk instead to ask where he could take care of the holiday thing. ¡°Bastard!!¡± ¡°What did you do!?¡± Several hunters moved quickly to stop Ji-woo¡¯s steps. Undeniably, a fight had taken ce. Ji-woo, whose hands were still in his trouser pockets, calmly and casually responded to the attacks that came from the hunters. He dodged very smoothly and neatly. And he responded with a kick. Some were to the face, to the stomach, to the body, and the neck. Some got thrown at other hunters in the crowd, and some fell straight to the floor. They all immediately fell unconscious because of one kick from Ji-woo. The other hunters were astounded at the events unfolding before their eyes. But that didn¡¯t hinder them from going to Ji-woo. The Demigod hunters who witnessed the quarrel immediately intervened to disperse them. However, before they could do so, Ji-woo had knocked several hunters unconscious from his kicks. Luckily the fight only involved raw strength because the hunters were still aware that the battle area was the headquarters of their own guild. If it involved magic spells, the chaos would definitely get out of hand and be more brutal than it was. Several Demigod hunters drew a line between the hunters who were brawling with Ji-woo. And a Demigod hunter appeared before him to drag him aside. He was grabbed by the cor again, and surprisingly a punch came to his stomach. ¡®Oh my! Talking about the different treatments. Amusing!¡¯ Ji-woo slipped his body through the punch and released the grip. He thennded a 360-degree rotation kick at the Demigod hunter that came at him. That Demigod hunter crashed into the wall of the room and was unconscious. The hunter fell to the floor and left a crack on the wall. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun, who just looked at the side and were casual when Ji-woo kicked the other hunters, gaped at the sight of a senior member of the guild who got thrown against the wall. That would certainly make the problem moreplicated and bigger than it already was. The other Demigod huntersposed of B-rank were angry with Ji-woo¡¯s actions and attacked him blindly. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun dropped their mouths, and their hearts shrunk, seeing the scale of the fight. The hunters who attacked previously were also surprised by the senior hunters jumping at Ji-woo. They were still trying to digest how an E-ranker could make an intervening B-rank hunter unable to do anything. The Demigod hunters who attacked Ji-woo were furious and intended to use the magic spells. They lost their rationality in anger and didn¡¯t think about who they were dealing with. Either an ordinary human or an E-rank. Whatever! Ji-woo took his hands out of his pockets and started to get annoyed. He intended to release the Aura of Fear to show them who was in control. Not only them but the other hunters would also be considerably affected by the aura. With hunters with such ranks, all hunters would probably kneel on the floor because of that. Unexpectedly, the Demigod hunters and Ji-woo¡¯s actions got stopped by blue transparent threads that tied several parts of their bodies. ¡°Enough! Don¡¯t cause trouble here.¡± It was the Godly Doctor who hade to mediate their fight. The Demigod hunters were unable to move at all, bound by the blue threads. Meanwhile, Ji-woo also did not move in his ce. He looked at Dal-soo and took a deep breath. He moved his body and lowered his hands. Instantly, the blue threads on his body disappeared without a trace in the air. Dal-soo narrowed his eyes, not expecting the medical thread to get dispelled smoothly. The Demigod hunters were also bewildered to see that. ¡°You guys go back and take care of the other hunters. Let me take care of this.¡± Dal-soo withdrew his blue threads from the Demigod hunters and let them take care of their n. He walked over to Ji-woo. ¡°How dare you make such a fuss in the guild. The punishment is expulsion from the guild or paying a fine.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Ji-woo nonchntly walked away from Dal-soo, leaving the shocked Yu-jin and Dong-hyun there. It was his own business, and the two had nothing to do with it. Dal-soo, with a grave expression, looked toward Ji-woo that left the room without caring about the consequence. He wanted to restrain Ji-woo but stopped because he had other intentions. After all, he also didn¡¯t want themotion at the guild headquarters to be a scene and create a messter. He also realized that Ji-woo was not just a simple E-rank hunter. There was something more there. Chapter 102: Three Portal Gates in Succession Chapter 102: Three Portal Gates in Session The abandoned duo, Yu-jin, and Dong-hyun end up being targeted by the hunters because of their frustration with Ji-woo¡¯s actions. It was because they seemed close to Ji-woo in the beginning. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun could barely contain their anger anymore at the taunts from the hunters. But, before things escted into a fight, Dal-soo broke them up. He asked several B-rank hunters to manage those unbridled hunters. Thanks to Dal-soo, the atmosphere in the room was under control, and it was calm again. Although there were still some hunters who sneered at Yu-jin and Dong-hyun, the briefing process continued smoothly. In fact, Dal-soo already knew about the fight between the hunters and Ji-woo beforehand. He didn¡¯t intervene, thinking that the B-rank hunters could handle the situation and just observing it by the side was enough. It was also his chance to observe Ji-woo. He wanted to find out the truth about the Demon Ape dungeon that happened a few weeks ago. The Demigod guild had asked Dong-hyun many times, and the answer was still the same. And based on his previous observations, Ji-woo seemed to be rted to Dong-hyun, who Demigod thought was the Red Crimson hunter. ording to him, Dong-hyun didn¡¯t have the strength to match that one Demon Ape, who was able to toy with several B-rank hunters. Unexpectedly, Ji-woo was able to knock out a B-rank hunter with just one easy move. That made him inevitably have to step in to separate them and stop the fight before it turned into a battle between magic users. And what just happened solidified his theory that the likely hunter of the Red Crimson might be Ji-woo instead of Dong-hyun. The biggest questions now were how strong Ji-woo was. Could his full strength really match that Demon Ape? That fight just now should show that Ji-woo was not a low-level hunter, but why E-rank? What trick did he use to hide his Mana? Either way, Dal-soo, the Godly Doctor, couldn¡¯t detect it. Dal-soo¡¯s face was calm, but his heart was racing at the thought of how Ji-woo could get rid of the blue threads. There was no sign of Mana use when Ji-woo did that. It certainly left him shocked and confused at the same time. He took a sharp breath and began to follow Ji-woo using stealth techniques. The technique was different from the one usually used by assassin-type hunters. One important thing was he covered his Mana flow. So, it would be hard to detect when he moved. It was time to get to the bottom of the Double Owners ident. On the other hand, Ji-woo felt a bit apologetic about rejecting the guild assignment. But, it couldn¡¯t get helped since he had Portal Gates that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. He had no sentiments toward the Demigod guild. So whether he got expelled or not, it didn¡¯t matter to him. Whatever happened next, he was ready to face and take care of it. Ji-woo got on the bus after leaving the Demigod guild headquarters. He went elsewhere instead of returning home. Before long, he arrived at one of the tier-2 Portal Gates that he bought earlier from Seok-jin. The broker got surprised. It because the first time that Ji-woo paid in full for the Portal Gate. Usually, he always paid upfront first and gave the restter after he closed the Portal Gate. Anyway, it was a good thing for Seok-jin because he got the total money first. Zap, Zap¨C Ji-woo entered the Portal Gate and appeared in a jungle-like dungeon. Zip, Zip¨C He looked around for a moment and was surprised that there was an attack from the beast horde. Not only that, but he also thought that there was a Dungeon Owner right off the bat along with the beast horde. It was a bit of a surprise for him. Usually, in the dungeon he went, he would meet those creatures at ater time. Ji-woo curled his lip upward. ¡°It¡¯s a warm wee. Not bad. Come on!¡± In the end, dozens of beasts got killed by Ji-woo in less than half an hour. His guess about the Dungeon Owner was also correct. And it was immediately got killed by him without much ado. Ji-woo started to feel irritated after killing all those creatures. He tried to use Mana sense to cover arge area. But, the result was not what he expected. No more Mana was detected in a radius of about 2 kilometers with him as the center. It meant he would spend time exploring the dungeon, collecting loot without any disturbances and attacks from any creatures. That would definitely be very boring! However, he didn¡¯t have any choice for the sake of investment return. An hourter on earth, Ji-woo came out of the Portal Gate with a pretty decent result. Two Magic Stones and 13 Magic Crystals. Right, that was all. No valuable items or weapons could get sold from the dungeon. Ji-woo took a deep breath and took out 12 Magic Crystals from his Spatial Bag as well as two Magic Stones. He used it all for the weights. The current weight on the wrists were 88 kg, while the ankles were 112 kg. The total was 200 kg of the total weight that Ji-woo¡¯s body bore. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache at the thought of the tremendous expense required for the weights. That didn¡¯t include anything else. Ji-woo clicked his tongue and rearranged hisposure. He decided to go to another tier-2 Portal Gate. After that, if everything went quite well, he should be able to take care of the tier-3 Portal Gate as hisst for the day. Three Portal Gates a day? No problem. The time difference between the dungeon and the earth was huge. He would at most spend about three to four days in the dungeon, which was the equivalent of three or four hours on earth. Once again, Ji-woo managed to conquer another tier-2 Portal Gate within an hour or two. Loot this time a little better than before. Three Magic Stones, 11 Magic Crystals, and one Skill Page. Apart from Magic Stones and Magic Crystals, the benefits of the Skill Page alone ranged from 40 to 799 million won, depending on what grade the item was. He knew that the Skill Page got written in thenguage of Magic, Elf¡¯s tongue. But sadly, he only knew what it was. He didn¡¯t know what it meant or how to read it. Ji-woo smiled wryly and thought. ¡®I should have studied Elf¡¯s tongue or Dragon¡¯s tongue before. Oh, what a shame. Who knew it would get needed now on earth?¡¯ Well, it was no use crying over spilled milk. He shook his head and then used up all the Magic Stones and the Magic Crystals that he had. It was better to use it for his purposes than to buy it. Even though he didn¡¯t earn more money from his dungeon hunting, at least he didn¡¯t make a loss from it. The increased weight on the wrists were 124 kg, while the ankles were 148 kg. The total weight borne by Ji-woo was 272 kg. The weight that Ji-woo was now carrying was starting to show its effect. He already felt a slight resistance to his movements. He believed that when his true strength returned, his body would not feel burdened. Subsequently, he went to thest one, the tier-3 Portal Gate. However, before entering the Portal Gate, he stopped his steps and turned around to speak, aimed behind him. ¡°How about youe out and stop sneaking around. Following me this far is my tolerance toward you.¡± However, there was no response at all. Ji-woo frowned and stomped one foot on the ground to shake it. Suddenly, someone jumped to avoid the crack that was approaching where he had been hiding before. It turned out to be Dal-soo. He red at Ji-woo scornfully. ¡°How did you know!? Hunters below S-rank won¡¯t be able to detect this technique of mine.¡± The Dal-soo technique was able to cover the flow of Mana, pulse, and heartbeat. That made him very difficult to detect. Only two or three S-rankers were able to distinguish such stealth abilities. And Ji-woo was able to detect it in the first ce? ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a simple hunter. A Spatial Bag and weights capable of absorbing the Magic Stones and the Magic Crystals. Too suspicious. Also, you¡¯re not an E-rank hunter, isn¡¯t it? ¡°But, howe you were able to enter a low-tier Portal Gate? High-ranking Hunters won¡¯t be able to enter carelessly because of the Mana restriction?¡± ¡°Who are you!?¡± Ji-woo just stared for a moment before opening his mouth. ¡°Dead men tell no tales.¡± Dal-soo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Even though the answer had nothing to do with it, he understood what Ji-woo meant. He had seen too much of something he shouldn¡¯t! And very likely, a fight would break out at any moment. ¡°Boy! Don¡¯t be arrogant just because you can grasp one of my abilities. I still have a lot that will let you know what it means to fight an S-rank hunter!¡± Chapter 103: S-rank Hunter? Chapter 103: S-rank Hunter? Dal-soo let out his Mana Presence, and both hands emitted blue lights. He jumped low toward Ji-woo. He tried to paralyze Ji-woo with the touch of his hand. It was the same ability he used when he revived the leader of Team 3, Do-cheol. He could make the internal organs work again and vice versa. Ji-woo easily dodged Dal-soo¡¯s catch. He even taunted Dal-soo with a smirk when he did that. ¡°Look here. I don¡¯t mean to be rude. But, following me from the start from the guild headquarters, isn¡¯t that too much? ¡°Also, I don¡¯t like my business being meddled all the time. There were also two bastards watching me almost every day before. Did I worth that much to be spied upon?¡± Ji-woo ducked his head to avoid Dal-soo¡¯s grip and kicked him straight in the chest. Dal-soo managed to hold off the kick with both hands. But, he got thrown back because the blow was strong enough to push him away. ¡®He¡¯s strong. I have to give my all if I want to beat him.¡¯ He thought. Then, he dispelled the blue lights in his hands and magnified his Mana Presence. His body and muscles became erged. Ji-woo¡¯s body shape would get covered whenpared to him. Dal-soo attacked Ji-woo at twice the speed of before, and his jump caused a small explosion on the ground. Ji-woo slid to the side to avoid the blow that came from above that got aimed downward. Kaboom! The ground shattered and cracked from the missed blow. Ji-woo jumped lightly to the back, avoiding the cracks that could throw his bnce off. ¡°Now, I¡¯m a little worried that, if further damage urs. Will the tier-3 Portal Gate get affected, such as disappearing maybe?¡± Haarg!! Dal-soo roared at Ji-woo¡¯s words and chased after him tounch another blow. Once again, Ji-woo dodged the blow with ease. There was no challenge at all from any of Dal-soo¡¯s attacks. Regardless, he would have had to expend a bit of his strength to counterattack like before. Twice, three times, four times, and so on, Dal-soo¡¯s attacks still didn¡¯t work. Just being able to touch Ji-woo¡¯s clothes was the best thing for him. He even had to feel numbness in his hands every time he had to block Ji-woo¡¯s kicks. ¡®Darn it! This is getting out of nowhere!¡¯ Dal-soo jumped back and sped his palms together. ¡°The Ghosts of the Dead!¡± Drrt, Creek¨C Drrt, Creek¨C The ground shook, and cracks opened around Ji-woo and Dal-soo. 13 Green translucent humans emerged from that. Ji-woo raised one of his eyebrows. ¡®Undead?¡¯ It was different from the usual undead creatures. The ones that got summoned by Dal-soo using the form of Mana, not solid like the mummies from the previous tier-4 Portal Gate. It also meant that the green translucent humans would disappear the moment they made contact with Ji-woo. And sure enough, the thirteen translucent creatures dematerialized when they tried to attack Ji-woo. The incident certainly made Dal-soo flustered and couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes. He wondered about how it happened or if his eyes were okay. ¡°What¡¯s that? How did that happen?? Impossible!¡± Ji-woo responded by shrugging his shoulders. Dal-soo, amid confusion, shouted. ¡°What are you? No Mana! No sh*t, whatsoever! How could you do that? You¡¯re higher than S-rank?¡± He reduced his Mana Presence and spread his arms. ¡°Life Death Threads!¡± The next time, blue translucent threads shot out from his ten fingers. Ji-woo just watched with a cold gaze and a calm, natural expression. He then took a deep breath. ¡®Let¡¯s show him the difference.¡¯ He decided to stand there and wait for the blue threads¡¯ attack toe. Dal-soo nimbly moved his wrists as well as his hands to control the blue threads. Those blue threads were fiercer and sharper than before when he used them at the Demigod Guild¡¯s headquarters. The soil and the few trees that were there all had cut from the blue threads. Dal-soo intended to show that the blue threads were quite dangerous and could cut through what they had wrapped around. But, he reduced its power when the strings got to Ji-woo. So, he managed to catch Ji-woo because he didn¡¯t mean to kill him. ¡°You¡¯re strong. I admit it. You seem to be on par with an S-rank hunter. But, now you can¡¯t do anything. Drop your resistance. It¡¯s to no avail. You can¡¯t move anymore.¡± Contrary to the situation, Ji-woo was able to move his body with ease, and the blue threads wrapped around his body vanished from sight. ¡°What!!?¡± Dal-soo widened his eyes. It was already beyond his understanding of magic. Those threads were the most formidable strands that even all S-rank hunters couldn¡¯t break or dispel in the blink of an eye. ¡®Apex-rank? No! No! It was impossible! Since earlier, he didn¡¯t even use Mana or magic spells. There is no absolute indication that can show his level. I need to calm down and think clearly!¡¯ Dal-soo pped both cheeks with his hands to wake up from the ordeal. Unknowingly, his legs trembled when facing Ji-woo. However, he clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on both hands. He didn¡¯t expect stealth tailing to be such a mistake. Suddenly, Ji-woo disappeared. And in an instant, shortened the distance between him and Dal-soo. He was now in front of Dal-soo and swung his right arm. Dal-soo, who was still in shock and a little scared, had no chance to dodge or block the attack. He resignedly epted the blow while gritting his teeth. The strike hit him in the stomach and sent him flying backward while he backslid on the ground. Ji-woo then appeared in the direction where Dal-soo was about tond, stopping the crash by putting his foot on Dal-soo¡¯s shoulder. After stopping, he kicked Dal-soo up and followed, who also jumped high to match their height in the air. Ji-woo spun 180 degrees in the air and performed a back kick to Dal-soo¡¯s neck. Kaboom! Dal-soo fell andnded hard on the ground, making a deep pit on it. Ji-woonded on the side and stared at the sprawling Dal-soo. He considered whether or not to kill Dal-soo. Although the information gleaned from him was almost non-existent. However, those odd things were likely to be enough to attract the attention of other hunterster. Hemented about the pros and cons, deciding to let Dal-soo live. ¡®Sigh! This happened because of the headquarters incident. If I didn¡¯t act impulsively like that, this person wouldn¡¯t have followed me all the way here.¡¯ Ji-woo thought. He then entered the tier-3 Portal Gate, leaving Dal-soo unconscious and injured on the ground. Zap, Zap¨C Zip, Zip¨C Ji-woo entered the Portal Gate and appeared in a mountain cave-type dungeon. The creatures he encountered this time were Spiderlings and Broodmother. It was different from what he had confronted with the Ganjang guild back then. The difference lies in the strength of each creature which was clearly mightier and had vast Mana than its predecessor. Meanwhile, outside of the Portal Gate. Dal-soo woke up and felt sore all over his body after almost an hour. He caressed his entire body and checked for any fatal wounds. He also immediately began to heal gradually and quickly. He almost fully recovered after that. Right now, he just felt tired, and his body was a little heavy to move. He stared at the tier-3 Portal Gate and pondered while sitting on the ground. He began to analyze everything from the moment he started following Ji-woo. He knew for a fact that he had gained nothing along the way. But, instead of getting information, he got endless surprises. Ji-woo¡¯s figure became more and more mysterious. It was like digging a hole that had no end. Dal-soo closed his eyes and hit his thigh. ¡®I live. Why didn¡¯t he kill me? I know I know nothing about him at all. But, at least, I¡¯ve seen and understood a little of his secret.¡¯ He didn¡¯t understand why he was still alive when he knew that much. Commonly, only death would await him. Not only did he not die, but he was also pretty healthy with no serious injuries. He didn¡¯t quite grasp the situation. But, the thought drifted toward the mystery that Ji-woo had. The strength that Ji-woo had clearlyin in the S-rank. Dal-soo put aside the notion that Ji-woo might be the equivalent of an Apex-ranker. But, he figured Ji-woo might be somewhere in between S-rank and Apex-rank. At that moment, there was confusion that apanied the conjecture. That was how Ji-woo was able to enter the tier-2 and tier-3 Portal Gate. The Mana Restriction of the Portal Gate was so strict that even Apex and ArchMage rankers couldn¡¯t get past it at all. They would get tly rejected by the Portal Gate. It was one of the two biggest mysteries he deduced from Ji-woo. And thest one was about Mana. From the guild headquarters to this tier-3 Portal Gate, Dal-soo didn¡¯t feel the slightest Mana from Ji-woo. How was it possible to have such power without Mana? Was there an item capable of hiding Mana in such a way? That was not quite right. If Ji-woo used a magic spell or let out his Mana presence, Dal-soo might lose before the fight began. Zap, Zap¨C Suddenly, some noises interrupted Dal-soo¡¯s contemtion. Chapter 104: The True Magic Chapter 104: The True Magic Dal-soo stared at the Portal Gate that started to fade away. There was a young man in front of it, massaging his neck and shoulders. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re still here. Then, see youter.¡± Ji-woo waved his hand and walked away from the flustered Dal-soo. He didn¡¯t care about what Dal-soo knew. He had already prepared for it. ¡°W-Wait!!¡± Dal-soo tried to stop Ji-woo, who had almost left him behind. He wanted to know the reason why he was left alive. He also needed to confirm whether what happened in the Demon Ape dungeon was Ji-woo¡¯s work. Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind the questions and answered leisurely. ¡°There¡¯s no particr reason. Not that we¡¯re fighting to the death at all. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m teaching you a lesson for following me all day. ¡°For that, yes. The Red Crimson Hunter is me. So, the guild should return the armor set to Dong-hyun. He¡¯s suffering from it because having a hard time finding a new set of armor for his hunt.¡± Dal-soo clicked his tongue and opened his mouth again. ¡°Why are you hiding the truth? Now, why do you seem unconcerned whether people know or not? Your decision to let me live might turn the tide against you. I could have opened my mouth for something worthy.¡± Ji-woo wasn¡¯t angry and instead looked at Dal-soo like he was looking at a moron. He was not interested in exining the difference between his past and present attitude regarding his identity. He gave a pretty simple answer. ¡°You only have one Apex-ranked hunter. The rest are S-ranks and below. That means, even if my enemy is this country, it still can¡¯t bring me to my knees.¡± Dal-soo wanted to say a word of arrogance at Ji-woo¡¯s im. But, he quickly got stopped by his sudden realization that he, an S-rank hunter, couldn¡¯t even do anything to Ji-woo. He couldn¡¯t even force his opponent to go all out. It was a statement that some S-rank hunters were no match for Ji-woo at all. ept it or not, the facts already got written in his head. Because of those words, Dal-soo now considered whether Ji-woo was already on par with Hyun-bin. ¡°So, what do I have to worry about? Even if your mouth loses here and there, out of control, it¡¯s fine. After all, if I get too irritated, I just have to separate people¡¯s heads from the bodies of those whoe to bother me. Like I said earlier, this country can¡¯t stand against me.¡± Dal-soo shivered at what Ji-woo said. It was a threat warning to those whoe to Ji-woo for his identity matters. He gulped and continued his inquiry. ¡°Who are you!? Why did you join our guild?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t respond and walked away, leaving the ce. Dal-soo, however, gritted his teeth and stepped forward to catch up. Ji-woo stopped in the street and turned around. ¡°Sir!? You really want to take that sign of mercy off you, don¡¯t you?¡± He spoke while giving off an Aura of Fear. Dal-soo¡¯s movements suddenly stop in ce. At first nce, there was no apparent problem with him, but sweat was dripping from his forehead. His breath and vision were still natural. But for some reason, he felt a solid pressure of fear overwhelm his heart. It was different from the pressure from the Mana Presence, which made the opponent feel heavy and breathless due to the difference in life gradation. And the most prominent thing about that fear was the Mana flowing in his body became chaotic and hard to control, as if it wanted to get away from Ji-woo. In the next moment, he felt enveloped by darkness. All of his senses were blurry. It felt like Mana no longer existed in him. He widened his eyes and wanted to scream, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m causing harm to the guild. Don¡¯t get too involved in my business and get out of the way if you don¡¯t like me not answering your question.¡± Ji-woo then withdrew the Aura of Fear. And instantly, Dal-soo touched his whole body like he felt something was missing. He wiped the sweat on his forehead while looking at Ji-woo¡¯s back that left him on the spot. Ji-woo¡¯s harvest at the tier-3 Portal Gate was extraordinary in terms of quantity. There were 19 Magic Crystals, 9 Magic Stones, and two Red Broadswords. If hepared it to the price of 280 million won, it would mean that he already had almost half the money with the Magic Crystals and Magic Stones alone. The rest depended on whether the two broadswords could sell high or not to determine whether he lost or profited for the tier-3 Portal Gate. (note: 280 million won = around 237k USD) On the other hand, he didn¡¯t care about that. He intended to use Magic Crystals and Magic Stones for his purposes rather than being sold. Even though it might cost him materially, it didn¡¯t matter. There were still things he had in the Hunter¡¯s Association shop that had not turned into money yet. Overall, the money problem could get managed for the time being. The matter Ji-woo could handle with his current situation was to keep entering the Portal Gate until he found the Sphere he was looking for. It would also increase his finances, which would indirectly strengthen his funds for creating an intelligence agency. One paddle, two-three inds passed. The next day, Ji-woo, as usual, helped his mother and met with Yu-jin and Dong-hyun at the food stall. Elijah was thrilled to see the two of them again, whereas Ji-woo scowled on the side. He had told Dong-hyun and Yu-jin toe to the foot of the mountain first, to wait for him there. Ji-woo took a deep breath. He, Dong-hyun, and Yu-jin excused themselves to Elijah after helping prepare the ce. At the training ground, Ji-woo stopped Dong-hyun¡¯s short burst technique practice. He wanted to equate what he would teach next with Yu-jin. He emphasized that the magic spell had to get mastered without having to get chanted. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin shared that view, but Dong-hyun protested that it was something only high-rank hunters could do. ¡°Ouch!¡± Yu-jin got surprised when she saw Dong-hyun get hit by Ji-woo on the head. From their movements, it seems that they were used to doing this. It looked veryfortable even in front of a stranger. ¡°Why do I always get hit in the head?¡± Dong-hyun grumbled about his head but suddenly jolted from being red at by Ji-woo. ¡°With Mana, you are able to create miracles. Your magic will be better because you make it yourself. Spell that matches your characteristics as well as your Mana capacity. ¡°The way you two use magic will probably lead you to your deathter.¡± Yu-jin narrowed her pretty eyes and Dong-hyun once again opened his mouth as if unhindered to refute Ji-woo before further exining. ¡°How could that be?¡± Ji-woo shook his head. These two hunters were really clueless about how they handled Mana. ¡°If someone stops you from casting a magic spell, how are you supposed to use your Mana? Use it to increase physical strength? What if it¡¯s not enough and it requires you to use a magic spell instead. What will you do?¡± Yu-jin and Dong-hyun had nk expressions that showed that they were still thinking about how to solve the problem, and there was no solution actually. Ji-woo smiled wryly. ¡°Magic is vast and has no limits. It only takes a little creativity from you. Then, magic will get created. And Mana exists to make that happen. Don¡¯t get stuck in one way. It can¡¯t get shackled with narrow thinking.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin sighed. They then eximed at the same time. ¡°How!?¡± ¡°Feel your Mana carefully and thoroughly. Feel its every flow in your body. Then, cast an image of the magic you want to create and use. ¡°Use nature in harmony and adjust the Mana required for the magic.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin closed their eyes after being guided by Ji-woo. They try to do what they hear. ¡°Woah! Hyung! I didn¡¯t make it!¡± ¡°Ouch!!¡± Another hit on Dong-hyun¡¯s head. ¡°Did I say it would be easy? All I¡¯m saying is a foundation to get there, not a shortcut to it. You need to do it over and over again. You also need to stop thinking about the magic spells you learned from the Skill Page.¡± Yu-jin and Dong-hyun began their independent practice while being watched by Ji-woo. Their movements looked strange because of the magic that didn¡¯te out at all after they did the magic spell posture. ¡°Remember to feel your Mana first!¡± Ji-woo sometimes yelled at them every time he sensed the flow of Dong-hyun, and Yu-jin¡¯s Mana became a little bit irregr. ¡°Try to use the magic spell from the Skill Page. Then hold the magic in your hands. Then move it ording to what I said before about magic without chanting.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin¡¯s eyes brightened at the advice. It was the same concept as elemental bending. Of course, it didn¡¯t work right away. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin have tried many times and have failed too. Suddenly, there was a burst of uncontrolled fire. ¡°Oh, I did it!¡± Dong-hyun¡¯s face turned green with an envious look at Yu-jin. He was sulking because he should have been the first one. Meanwhile, Ji-woo on the side didn¡¯t get impressed at all. It was still far from the actual implementation of magic. Chapter 105: Determine Chapter 105: Determine ¡°No need to get sulky.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m better than her at controlling Mana!¡± ¡°Sure. I can feel your Mana flow really getting messed up every time you try to rush it.¡± ¡°Ouch!!¡± ¡°Be patient. Nothing is instant. Yu-jin being able to do that doesn¡¯t mean she is even doing what I meant earlier. You two are still far from what I thought.¡± Dong-hyun lowered his head while touching it. He felt ustomed to the pain from Ji-woo hitting him. Although he expressed displeasure with Yu-jin¡¯s results, deep down, he thought it was normal. It was because Yu-jin was a D-rank hunter, one level above him. ¡°It feels weird. But at the same time, it¡¯s something new for me.¡± Yu-jin got taken aback when she saw mes gushing out of her hands. It also made her realize that doing magic spells without getting chanted was possible for her, a low-rank hunter. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Alright, keep practicing like that. However, you two have to remember not to rely on that method. You should actually be able to use magic spells without chanting them. So, interspersed with without using magic spells from the Skill Page.¡± Dong-hyun replied in low spirits, while Yu-jin just nodded vigorously. Ji-woo then told them to practice on their own because he had some business to do. ¡°Ah, right. Yesterday, why did you want to withdraw from the training and the hunt at the tier-4 Portal Gate, Hyung?¡± Dong-hyun asked. Yu-jin heard the question that caught her interest by bringing her ear closer. Ji-woo shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no specific reason for that. I¡¯m just busy. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°But, this is the tier-4 Portal Gate we were talking about! Do you know how big our chances are to get the finest quality weapons or items? Moreover, the payoff would, without a doubt, get doubled. And I¡¯m sure you need it.¡± Yu-jin chimed in. She thought of Ji-woo in a situation where he needed to earn some money for his family. Dong-hyun understood why Ji-woo wasn¡¯t getting the hype with the tier-4 Portal Gate. They had gone to one before, though the experience had been a bit extreme for him since Ji-woo went into a killer modest time. A joyful asion turned into a nightmare. He was initially happy that his friend was taking him hunting. Moreover, the ce was a tier-4 Portal Gate. However, he didn¡¯t resent and me Ji-woo for what was happening there. He was sure Ji-woo did everything for a reason. Anyhow, he also wanted to know why Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to go to the Portal Gate and leave the training. Moreover, it would be a test to join the new team for the tier-5 Portal Gate. Meanwhile, Ji-woo chuckled at Yu-jin¡¯s words. Yes, if he was in the past. He would love to join them, especially for the high pay. That would pique his interest. But now? The amount of millions or tens of millions won was not a big thing for him. He hunted at the Portal Gate himself without having to share the loot with anyone. His current scale was in the hundreds of millions and would hit the billion won mark in the near future. As for the team that entered the tier-5 Portal Gate, he preferred to use his time to hunt another Portal Gate himself. Even if it was below that Portal Gate tier, at least the profits didn¡¯t need to get shared anywhere. He currently wanted to revive the Nullifier¡¯s True Strength, so he was not curious about the tier-5 Portal Gate. Even though he looked down on all the hunters in South Korea, it didn¡¯t mean he dared to stand out too much. He still didn¡¯t know the strength of the hunters from other countries, let alone the Apex-ranked and ArchMage that he had never met. Another thing that worried him was the person he had met at his father¡¯s cemetery long before. Even though it could not get confirmed whether the man was a foe or just a casual visitor, the current him couldn¡¯t fight that person. ¡°Just. Not interested.¡± Ji-woo replied with a subtle smile and left the duo behind to continue their training. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun were surprised and astonished by the answer. They both have the same perception of Ji-woo, who was a person who needed money. On the other hand, if Ji-woo passed the test, he would easily blend in with other high-rank hunters in the new team, and getting to know them would open the door to bing stronger. Also, what that tier-5 Portal Gate had to offer might just surprise him. Elsewhere, at the Demigod guild headquarters, Dal-soo just daydreams in his chair, seemingly lost in thought. That Dal-soo¡¯s nk look expression caught In-ah¡¯s attention. She came to him and asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I saw that you were only daydreaming. Is there a problem with Choi Min-ho¡¯s recovery?¡± However, there was no answer from Dal-soo. In-ah frowned seeing that. She then got closer and hit his shoulder. ¡°Ah. Oh. Yes? I agree with it.¡± Dal-soo woke up, uttering some gibberish. He then looked at In-ah on his side and realized his mistake. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry for that. What did you say In-ah~nim? I seemed to be spacing out before.¡± In-ah red at Dal-soo like she was checking him out. ¡°What are you thinking? It makes you engrossed with something all day. Is it because of Min-ho?¡± ¡°Well, Min-ho¡¯s recovery is going pretty well. Tomorrow he will be able to do everything as usual.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s weighing on your mind? Is it a guild matter?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. No big deal.¡± Dal-soo answered with an awkwardugh. In-ah was silent for a moment then turned away, leaving Dal-soo in his seat. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s up to you, Sunbae. I¡¯m off to attend to other matters.¡± ¡°Junior Seol, What do you think of Kim Ji-woo~si?¡± Dal-soo suddenly asked something that made In-ah stop in her tracks. She turned back and looked at Dal-soo. ¡°Nothing, just a newd. Why? Did you get anything about him? Care to share with me?¡± Dal-soo shook his head. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just curious what you think of him.¡± ¡°Well, there was an impression from him that I couldn¡¯t forget after our first meeting at the guild members¡¯ funeral. Through his eyes, I feel he¡¯s a dangerous person, but at the same time, I don¡¯t feel any Mana at all to support my opinion that he¡¯s our equal. ¡°Even when he took the guild test, I still couldn¡¯t sense his Mana. But in fact, he¡¯s an official hunter. That means he has Mana that was probably get hidden due to some magic item.¡± Dal-soo pondered about the possibility that Ji-woo didn¡¯t have any Mana at all. Of course, the usibility of a magic item hiding Mana still existed. But, after hearing In-ah, he was almost 100% sure that Ji-woo didn¡¯t have Mana. The question was, where did Ji-woo¡¯s powere from without Mana? Did it have something to do with Ji-woo being able to freely enter the Portal Gate? Despite being on par with or above S-rank hunters who could only enter the tier-5 Portal Gate? Out of nowhere, Ji-woo¡¯s existence suddenly became mysterious. Something beyond Dal-soo¡¯s logic. ¡°You know something about him. Don¡¯t you, Sunbae!?¡± Dal-soo lowered his head to look at the floor and put on a solemn face. He considered sharing his experience yesterday with the others. But, as In-ah said earlier, Ji-woo might be dangerous. That meant he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill people who peeked out of curiosity, especially those who wanted to find out openly. Dal-soo was probably someone who got used to life and death. But, he didn¡¯t want any sacrifices to be in vain. Ji-woo¡¯s previous words also had some truth in them. It was this country still not strong enough to do anything against him. Dal-soo finally decided to keep his mouth shut and try talking to Ji-woo first. He didn¡¯t want to act hastily and rashly. One misstep, hundreds of hunters¡¯ lives might get wasted. He needed to confirm a few things with Ji-woo. First, Dal-soo wanted to know if Ji-woo was an enemy or an ally in the fight against the Portal Gate creatures. The second and third were, what was Ji-woo¡¯s purpose in joining the Demigod guild and his overall n here. Depending on the answerter, it will determine the fate of the hunters in South Korea. Dal-soo also thought of insurance, knowing what he was about to do might get him killedter. He needed to tell one hunter about this. Someone who could be trusted and knew how to handle situations like this. The head of the Hunter Association, Yu Dong-chul. At least if he died, Chairman Yu would know that the person he was investigating was dangerous to the safety of the hunters. ¡°Nothing. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m just asking. There¡¯s no particr reason for that.¡± Dal-soo answered In-ah with a smile. In-ah knew Dal-soo was hiding something within that smile. But she couldn¡¯t force him to spill it. The only way she could find out was by secretly investigating behind his back. Chapter 106: Upcoming Events Chapter 106: Uing Events ¡°What¡¯s with the armory shop? Lately, I¡¯ve been hearingmotion about the finest weapons getting sold there. Even some small guild headmasters who know me ask to be linked to the shop and have their orders booked. What a surprise!¡± Chief Yoon bowed to Chairman Yu after she entered the Hunter Association¡¯s headroom. She put the americano on the desk and continued to read the reports her division staff hadpiled and put together beforehand. ¡°There are two new items in the shop in addition to the three items that get sold through the auction event the other day. Three of these items are sold on a deposit system from the seller to the shop. If they get sold, there will be profit sharing between the seller and the shop.¡± Chairman Yu chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s new. Usually, they buy and sell Magic Crystals and Magic Stones more often. It is because the quality of goods and weapons is only suitable for D-rank hunters and below. ¡°And now, these new items are capable of attracting the attention of both C-rank and B-rank hunters. No wonder they¡¯ve been busy contacting me. That¡¯s because, in the ck Market, these items will get valued at high prices. So it¡¯s no wonder they were fighting over it when the shop shared about it. Prices are much more affordable if what¡¯s get reported in the data is true.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Even though the ie is only from the distribution of the seller and the shop, it can get considered quite a lot, especially if the transaction happens more frequently. So the shop can be said to be profitable in terms of marketing and revenue.¡± ¡°What about the client? Do we know his identity?¡± Chief Yoon shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know for a while, sir. Master Ma-no doesn¡¯t want to make the provider feel ufortable by disclosing the information before he asks his permission first.¡± Chairman Yu tapped on his desk with the fingers of his right hand while his left hand was busy massaging his temples. ¡°Leave it as it is. There¡¯s no need to pressure Ma-no to reveal the identity of the one who entrusted the goods to the shop. Let¡¯s keep it as it is so that the provider feelsfortable doing business with us. Also, tell Ma-no if anyone asks or anything. with him about provider information. He can use my name to put pressure on those people.¡± The Hunters Association was happy if there were items of good quality and could increase the overall strength of the hunters who bought them. In the ck Market, most buyers wereing from wealthy guilds, especially those with sponsors. It caused prices to spike, and hunters with average capital were unable topete. Not to mention the membership fee that must get paid annually. Hunters Associations in several countries, including South Korea, have previously protested against the existence of the ck Market. But, they and the International Hunter Association couldn¡¯t do anything in the end because the guilds behind it were those from America, Germany, and China. They couldn¡¯t keep poking around the dragon¡¯sir if they didn¡¯t want to spark a civil war between the hunters. ¡°Speaking of the International Hunter Association. What did they say about that traitor?¡± Chairman Yu straightened his back and exhaled deeply. He thought back to the incident where they had basically got utterly beaten by Ma Dong-seok. It was a fact that they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the traitor guilty if they couldn¡¯t detain him. ¡°In a week, the inspection team wille here. The International Hunters Association told us to cooperate with their investigationter.¡± ¡°Then what about the woman who picked up the person? Did they tell us the information?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the traitor of the United States, Jenny Gray. They just said her name and no other info other than that. They don¡¯t like it when we sniff out their traitor and tell us not to dig any further. They say it¡¯s their business.¡± Chief Yoon rolled her eyes, displeased with the attitude of the US Hunters Association. ¡°Tch! Stubborn! We have to share what we have in order to catch those traitors. They¡¯re one of the most important threats against the Portal Gate creatures.¡± Chairman Yu agreed with Chief Yoon. All Hunters Associations should help each other more often to catch those people. Moreover, their individual strength was definitely on par with Apex-ranked hunters. Currently, only ArchMage could defeat them. Sometimes, he got tired from all of it. Like, the never-ending Portal Gates and humans with Mana Blessing who betrayed the ordinary people. About items and weapons that were never enough to arm the hunters in their task of repelling the creatures of the Portal Gate. He turned around and faced therge window, having a look outside. He thought about when the era of peace for humanity woulde. He felt sad whenever he thought of the hunters who didn¡¯t want to fight but just died to protect their country. ¡°Oh, right. What about the auction? What did they say?¡± ¡°They asked for a dy of two weeks to raise funds topete with the Demigods, Artates, and Shadow.¡± Chairman Yu was silent for a moment then replied. ¡°ept that.¡± Chief Yoon nodded her head. She would reschedule the time for the auction and tell the other guilds to prepare for it. The Hunters Association wanted to reduce their stock of Portal Gates as soon as possible. The money from it then would get used to improve some hunters, the ones with the potential to reach higher ranks. ¡°We¡¯ve also secured a source that can supply us with any quantity of Magic Crystals and Magic Stones as long as we can afford them.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°South Africa.¡± Chairman Yu gave his approval. So far, there were good and bad things going on. That at least didn¡¯t discourage him about the hope of wiping out the Portal Gates. He believed that one day. There would be a time when South Korea would not have to live in fear, and the Portal Gates would no longer exist in theirnd. On the 13th floor of the Hunter Association building, Ji-woo came to hand over two Red Broadswords to the armory shop. Ma-no greeted him along with Ji-hye. ¡°Ah, Ji-woo~si. What business did youe here for it? Wasn¡¯t the money for these items already being sent to you yesterday?¡± Ma-no said while ncing at Ji-hye to confirm what he just said. Ji-woo smiled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve received it, 490 million won. And, I¡¯m here on other business. As I said before, there will be many opportunities for us to work together.¡± Ma-no smiled broadly at those words. He believed Ji-woo would put some more stuff in the shop. So far, the quality has always been top-notch, no doubt about that. Ji-woo took out two Red Broadswords from the duffel bag and gave them to Ji-hye. After receiving it, she immediately moved the weapons and prepared them to get ced on the two tforms for disy. She also had to prepare the information to pass on to the hunters. However, Ma-no restrained Jihye from doing that. ording to him, they no longer need to inform the hunters of the store¡¯s new items and just let them get disyed on the tform. Let it fall into the hands of those who got destined to own those things. And Ji-woo agreed with that. He wasn¡¯t in too much of a hurry because he had 527 million won in his ount. After all, since there were already two times where the shop sold magic items of good quality, the hunters would know that there was a new item in less than 24 hours. It was because some hunters must have had theirrades or men watch over the armory shop. Some people wanted to know whether items with that quality would be avable again in the future. Some wanted to grasp the origin of the client that put the things on sale. ¡°Looks like it will be difficult to visit this shop in the future, Sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your inconvenience, Ji-woo~si. I make sure your information doesn¡¯t spread to others and is only avable within the scope of the Hunter¡¯s Association. Which I guarantee won¡¯t bother you. ¡°I will also prepare or hire new employees who are ready to pick up and deliver items from or to your ce if there is something you need.¡± ¡°No need to bother, sir. I have people I can order. So there¡¯s no need to do that.¡± Ji-woo smiled sinisterly, remembering the figure of Dong-hyun, who should have be the errand boy for him. Ji-woo bowed to Ma-no and Ji-hye. He then went back. Arriving at the bottom floor, he saw several hunters with sharp eyes like eagles watching the movement of him getting out of the elevator toward the exit. Heughed sarcastically. Who didn¡¯t know they got stared at when they looked at them like that? Anyway, he guessed that some of those hunters must have realized that he was the one who supplied the items to the armory shop. For him, it didn¡¯t matter. Everything could get arranged as long as they didn¡¯t make a fuss and annoy him. However, there was also the possibility those hunters didn¡¯t care about it. They might not connect it with the identity of the provider who brought the goods to the store. If that was the case, then the goddess of luck really was there for him. Or perhaps, the hunters were too stupid and didn¡¯t notice it at all. His usual appearance was far from the impression of a person capable of providing such magic items and weapons. Chapter 107: Not Getting the Answers Chapter 107: Not Getting the Answers Ji-woo exited the Hunters Association building, and just as he wanted to go to the bus stop. He saw Dal-soo getting out of the car and walking toward him. He frowned, and with his icy cold gaze, he opened his mouth first in a slightly irritated tone. ¡°I really mean what I said before. It seems like if there is no blood, no one would believe me.¡± Dal-soo closed his eyes then bowed in front of Ji-woo. ¡°I apologize for the sudden visit. But, I have my reasons. If you will allow me to exin.¡± He slightly acknowledged Ji-woo¡¯s strength. Even though he had not convinced fully, he didn¡¯t want to make the other person emotional, and a fight broke out. After all, in a hunter environment, only power had the right to dictate the attitude of others. Ji-woo sighed sharply and walked to the car. Dal-soo¡¯s appearance would undoubtedly have attracted the attention of many hunters around the ce. He didn¡¯t want any unnecessary attention toe to him even though he had already started showing who he was. It needed to get done sequentially and not instantly revealed to the public. Not before his mother and sister had special protection that he designedter in the future. Dal-soo followed closely behind. He knew what he was doing was bound to annoy the other party. But, he had no choice. It was the perfect ce to test whether Ji-woo could get talked to or not. And if a fight were to happen, at least a public ce would attract people. It would make other hunters aware of the threat a Ji-woo poses to their existence. Chairman Yu still had no info about Ji-woo. It was because Dal-soo was still withholding his intelligence and would only send it 24 hourster. If within 24 hours he still didn¡¯t know what Ji-woo¡¯s goal was and he got killed, then that information would reach Chairman Yu by itself. Ji-woo and Dal-soo didn¡¯t say anything in the car. Even when they reached their destination and got out of the vehicle, the atmosphere was still solemn. Earlier, Ji-woo took out the Spatial Bag from his duffel bag and used it while leaving the duffel bag in the car. ¡°Tier-3 Portal Gate?¡± Ji-woo thought he was familiar with the Portal Gate but couldn¡¯t remember what made him feel that way. Throwing that aside, he turned and faced Dal-soo. ¡°Now, what do you want to talk to me about? I clearly said before not to meddle in my business.¡± Dal-soo remained silent for a moment and looked at Ji-woo. He sensed how terrifying Ji-woo¡¯s gaze was now looking at him. If there was even the slightest mistake, his head was sure it wouldn¡¯t be in its ce anymore. However, he steeled his heart and boldly asked for Ji-woo¡¯s little understanding of his questions. ¡°I want to ask you a few questions, and I know that I can¡¯t force an answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Ji-woo shifted his face between the tier-3 Portal Gate behind him and Dal-soo. He chuckled. ¡°Heh. Want to bribe me with that Portal Gate to let you question me? You¡¯re too brave.¡± A disappointment appeared on Dal-soo¡¯s face. What else could he do if the other party didn¡¯t want to? He could only consider it a failure and hope Ji-woo didn¡¯t get offended by his ways. ¡°I ept it. Not a bad idea either. Alright, you can ask me anything with a limited amount of time. Better hurry before I change my mind.¡± There was no reason to turn down such an offer. It was better than being bribed with money alone because Ji-woo needed Magic Stones and Magic Crystals more than that. In addition, he alsocked the Spheres. So, money was worth nothing more than a Portal Gate to him. Meanwhile, Dal-soo got flustered at those words. He thought he would get rejected. Why did it seem so easy? There was no debate or displeasure from the other side. But, he didn¡¯t waste such an opportunity and woke up from his shock, immediately asking a question. ¡°Why did you be an E-rank hunter when your strength is definitely on par with S-rank?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe there¡¯s something wrong with the evaluation device.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Ji-woo raised his hand and gestured for Dal-soo to pause his questioning for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s the answer. ept it or not, that¡¯s your business. If I say skip it, then pass it. If I say ABCD, it¡¯s ABCD. Don¡¯t ask a simr question just to find out more about it. ¡°Next.¡± Dal-soo helplesslyplied with it. He then took a deep breath. ¡°Do you not have Mana, or do you have a magic item that can cover it. So, other hunters don¡¯t feel it?¡± ¡°Amusing. But, pass. Next.¡± Dal-soo got an unclear answer and gritted his teeth. ¡°Why did you join the Demigod guild?¡± ¡°I just want to know how the hunter environment works. Also, I am indebted to a D-rank hunter from the Demigod guild. ¡°But, that debt was paid off at once when I saved Team 3 from the massacre. So now, I have no thoughts of staying in the guild.¡± Dal-soo didn¡¯t think much about Ji-woo wanting to leave the Demigod guild. ¡°Who is the hunter?¡± ¡°Thete Hwang Eun-bi. You must know her if you dig up a little information about me in the guild. You can easily find out about her rtionship with me. Next, Last question.¡± ¡°What exactly is your goal?¡± Ji-woo definitely wouldn¡¯t tell the truth. ¡°No need to worry. I have no intention of going against all of you hunters. I just want to enter the Portal Gate. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if every Portal Gate was closed and you guys didn¡¯t lose a single life? I¡¯m not interfering with your business either because I didn¡¯t steal the guild property.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But, there are some hunters who are not happy about that. For them, the way to be strong is to loot dungeons. So Portal Gates are important to them, regardless of whether that means they hope Portal Gates will continue to exist in this world. And make humanity miserable.¡± ¡°Well, fair enough. But that¡¯s none of my business. If I want to enter my own Portal Gate, then no one will be able to stop me. Even if it means spilling the blood of those who want to mess with me.¡± Dal-soo shivered at those words because Ji-woo emphasized them when he said them. Ji-woo smiled but not in a joking way. ¡°In simple words. If you don¡¯t mess with me, we¡¯re good.¡± Ji-woo turned and walked toward the tier-3 Portal Gate, leaving Dal-soo behind as he digested the answer. Zap, Zap¨C Zip, Zip¨C Ji-woo looked through the dungeon¡¯s surroundings. It was a wend but had lots of tall trees, like in a swamp. He took out a magic leather armor from his Spatial Bag and put it on. He honestly didn¡¯t like getting wet. But, it couldn¡¯t be helped. He himself couldn¡¯t guess the dungeon environment of the Portal Gate. Especially with an unprepared event like this, there wasn¡¯t much that he could do. He also needed to take into ount the weights that were on his wrists and ankles, which now had reached a total of 400 kg. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he could get into trouble in battle if something unexpected happened. Ji-woo found two Obelisk Spheres after walking for a while on the wet grassy ground. It had been a long time since he had obtained a Sphere when he entered the Portal Gate and explored various dungeons. ¡®So far, no creatures have been seen. And I didn¡¯t find any Magic Crystals or Magic Stones. These two Spheres are all I got.¡¯ Suddenly, he heard the sound of bones cracking nearby. He then looked around, and there were bone creatures emerging from the wet ground. Their appearance was exactly like a human skeleton but with light armor covering some parts of the bone, such as the chest and waist. Moss also covered some sections of the bone. It reinforced the wet bone impression of the creatures. Not only that, but the human skeleton creatures also had their own weapons of the pure wooden spear. There were ten of them against Ji-woo. The skeletons took the initiative to attack first to control the rhythm of the fight. Their movements, however, weren¡¯t fast enough to make Ji-woo let go of the four weights. Ji-woo jumped up and kicked the skeleton in the head, crushing its bones. However, the remaining bones of the body that were still intact could still move and throw the wooden spear at him. He dodged the throw and wasted no time striking another skeleton with his elbow. This time, he actually smashed all the bones so as not to let it move again. The other skeletons thrust the wooden spears continuously. The attacks forced Ji-woo to back away until his shoulders hit a tall tree. And the branches of the tree tied him to the trunk, stopping his movement. Hahaha! ¡°Bingo!¡± Ji-woo heard a familiar voice and saw where it came from. There was a human figure who did not have a left hand. ¡°Jung Tae-ha!!?¡± Chapter 108: Chrono and Darkness Chapter 108: Chrono and Darkness Ji-woo finally realized why he felt familiar with the Portal Gate in the first ce. It turned out that was where he dumped Tae-ha before. He didn¡¯t expect the bastard to be alive and look fine even though his left hand was missing. Ji-wooughed heartily. Even though he was still in a state of being held captive, and in front of him were thrusts of the wooden spears aiming for life. ¡®What the hell is that!? Did he suddenly go crazy because he was going to die!?¡¯ Tae-ha couldn¡¯t understand what Ji-woo was doing in the midst of such a deadly situation. But he didn¡¯t care about that and curled his lips upward. ¡®Who f*ck*ng cares about that. Dead! Just die already!¡¯ Tep, Tep¨C The thrusts with the eight wooden spears driven by the skeletons hit the tall tree that held Ji-woo earlier, but Ji-woo himself wasn¡¯t there. The skeletons were surprised to see the wooden spear only pierced the tree trunk and did not hit the target. Even the blood marks or Ji-woo¡¯s torn clothes didn¡¯t get spotted in that ce. Tae-ha was as confused as the skeletons. The tree that could move its branches was a magical nt that could catch any hunter that came into the dungeon. Nothing could ever escape the clutches of those branches. Even weapons or magic items would be useless. Suddenly, Tae-ha had a hunch that something severe might happen to him, and it reminded him of when Ji-woo severed his left hand with a quick and neat punch. He shivered and sweat all over his forehead. Ji-woo then showed up from above while the skeletons moved their heads left and right, searching for him. Hended on the skeleton head with his hand and then twisted his body while kicking his legs at the other skeletons. In an instant, the eight skeletons shattered onto the wet ground. Ji-woo was totally ruthless and shattered every bone that could possibly keep the creatures moving or merging into a new entity. He looked up at the tall tree instead of Tae-ha. He could take care of that bastard and put an end to a seed of trouble he didn¡¯t expect was aliveter on. ¡°Interesting to see a magical object that can move on its own.¡± The tall tree responded to those words by moving its own branches and attacking Ji-woo in front of it. Ji-woo parried and dodged the attack effortlessly and while walking closer to the tree. It was definitely an overbearing way to walk casually in front of danger. And yet, he still didn¡¯t get injured at all from it. What a means to tell the onlooker that the danger was not dangerous. He finally arrived at the front of the tree that was still continuously attacking him with its branches. He saw eight wooden spears and then struck one of them with his palm to prate deep into the tree trunk. The tall tree seemed in pain and instantly went berserk using its branches, swinging around it erratically. If there were branches that came into his way, Ji-woo would duck or jump to dodge it and hit the wooden spears until all of them struck into the tree trunk. The tall tree stopped the frantic swaying of its branches and used it to caress its trunk. Ji-woo moved his right leg to the back and lowered his body a little bit. He clenched his teeth, and veins bulged from his forehead. He roared, then swung the kick from the right side at the tree trunk that got prated by the eight wooden spears. Kaboom! The tall tree snapped and fell to the ground. Ji-woo stared for a moment and turned his face in the direction where Tae-ha was. However, the movement suddenly stopped because something caught his attention. He saw a glowing ball near a fallen tree in azure and white. It was a Sphere that he knew its function. Rnegyr Sphere! Ji-woo¡¯s eyes widened when he picked up the Sphere. ¡®Why is this here? Does this tree use it? Eat it? Or just being there?¡¯ He shook his head. ¡°This is not quite right. This Sphere does not serve to give power or make things strong and good.¡± Ji-woo knew that the Rare Mana in the Rnegyr Sphere was the main ingredient in making the most unique and extraordinary magic item. The Teleport Scroll! A life-saving item that even the Underlord or the Supreme Commander Stormrage couldn¡¯t stop. In the Magical World previously, only three Portal Scrolls had got created sessfully. It was because the Rnegyr Sphere was extremely rare. Even rarer than the Dragons. However, the excitement should get extinguished in an instant when Ji-woo realized that only a Grandmaster cksmith capable of making such items. What was more, he couldn¡¯t write Elf¡¯s tongue and Dragon¡¯s tongue, which got used to determining the teleport position. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s keep it for now. Though I don¡¯t know if it will be used or not in the future.¡± Ji-woo put the Rnegyr Sphere into his Spatial Bag along with other items inside it. ¡°You¡­!? You¡­! What are you!! How could you s-still live and break that magic tree? ¡°None of the previous h-hunters had survived the trap. All die without exception!¡± Ji-woo looked at Tae-ha, who was shaking and still where he was before, watching what happened. ¡°I will notment on your behavior of siding with these dungeon creatures to kill your fellow countrymen hunters. Because in a moment, I will take your life!¡± Tae-ha was scared to death at those words. His fear of Ji-woo was back again after previously having ovee it by killing the hunters who came to the dungeon. He would have almost peed his pants if the hundreds of skeletons hadn¡¯t risen from the wet ground. Ji-woo narrowed his eyes when he saw hundreds of skeletonse out and lunge at him. ¡°What party do I have now!¡± The hundreds of skeletons jumped at Ji-woo and attacked him brutally. He got submerged in a sea of bones that almost covered the entire ground in the area. Tae-ha mustered up his courage and grinned even though his legs were still shaking. ¡°Eat t-that sh*t! These hundreds of skeletons from Commander Tagka¡¯s army are invincible!¡± But, that arrogance did notst long enough. The hundreds of skeletons turned into thousands of useless bone fragments and got thrown everywhere irregrly. That scene made Tae-ha drop his jaw, and his legs finally gave up. He fell, slumped to the ground without any strength left. He muttered somest words while trying to get up. ¡°Ready to k-kill. It means also r-ready to get killed.¡± Hehe¨C Tae-ha helplesslyughed when he saw Ji-wooing toward him, followed by dozens of skeletons. There were two wooden spear thrusts aiming at Ji-woo¡¯s back. However, he quickly disappeared, and the two thrusts hit Tae-ha, who was sitting in a motionless manner. Tae-ha spurted blood from his mouth. It was the retribution that came to him for his actions of guiding and trapping the hunters. Helped the dungeon creatures to secure their ce. The hunters got tricked by him because of his trauma due to Ji-woo and the need to ovee it. So, the Dungeon Owner offered him cooperation in exchange for letting him live. And to the skeletons, Tae-ha was nothing more than a tool for their mission of killing anyone who intended to close the dungeon. Ji-woo ran back to the skeletons, who had pulled the wooden spears from Tae-ha. He jumped up andnded both knees on the heads of the two endoskeletons. He also didn¡¯t stop there and just smashed the rest of the bones until they were no longer functional. He quickly moved to the remaining skeletons and demolished thempletely. He then looked around after cleaning up those creatures. Yet, the Dungeon Owner still didn¡¯te out even after he crushed the hundreds of skeletons. He stopped exploring when he sensed a big Mana wave near where he was standing. After walking for a while, he saw a lizard man sitting on a muddy throne full of moss and wet leaves. Ji-wooughed lightly. The Lizard Man was still able to calmly sit on that throne when the skeleton army got obliterated by him. Unbelievable! ¡°O, human. You have finallye to wee this divine being. Worship me, and I will spare you.¡± Bwahahaha¨C Lizard Man¡¯s words caused Ji-woo tough unconditionally. ¡°I didn¡¯t know dungeon creatures could joke. I thought you guys could only kill. Hrious!¡± Hahaha¨C Blood vessels protruded on the bald Lizard Man¡¯s head. He was angry at being disrespected by Ji-woo. ¡°Insolent! This Tagka won¡¯t let you live!¡± Tagka snapped his fingers, and two Spheres appeared on both handles of the muddy throne. He put a hand into one of the Spheres while the other side faced Ji-woo. ¡°Behold my power, human!¡± However, Ji-woo was neither surprised nor afraid of it. Instead, he smirked. He knew what power the Lizard Man meant. The Rare Mana that he could sense from it was something he was familiar with it already. It was the Chrono Sphere and the Darkness Sphere. Chapter 109: Integrate Chapter 109: Integrate ¡°Kneel!¡± Tagka shouted the word while his hand motions were like holding Ji-woo from afar. Ji-woo chuckles while clutching his stomach. Tagka was confused, and it made him fix the position of the hand holding the sky blue and amethyst Sphere. He tried the magic spell again after adjusting his hand position on the Sphere. Ji-woo kindly opened his mouth for the Lizard Man to stop the futile attempt. ¡°Alright, Put that hand down. You won¡¯t be able to extract or drain any Mana from me. It¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°Impossible!!¡± Tagka was wide-eyed at what Ji-woo said. It fit with what he was doing. Usually, Rare Mana could not get used if it had not broken the Sphere. But, Tagka was a little different. He was a distant descendant of a Dragon Ancestor. Thus, the blood that flowed in his body was able to attract and use Rare Mana from the Sphere. It was because Dragons were sacred creatures in magic. In particr, Dragon¡¯s tongue was a magguage that got known to be very powerful. So, all things rted to magic spells would be easy to use or learn by the Dragons or their descendants. Tagka itself was not much different. Even though it only had a few Dragon genes. He was still considered their descendant. That was why he could use Rare Mana, and that was arguably his most powerful ability. However, Tagka¡¯s hidden ability to drain the Mana of magical creatures didn¡¯t work at all against the human in front of him. How did it happen? This ability was his trump card in a battle. Even the other beings, who were stronger than him, wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything once he drained their Mana. ¡®Then how can that human be okay? Moreover, he knows what I want to do. No! It must have been just a bluff. I have to do it again. This human is strong. I know because it can defeat hundreds of my skeletons. It is the only way!¡¯ Tagka tried to convince himself of the incident. He was sure it was just bullsh*t. He then straightened his hand to the front again while the other hand was busy rubbing the sky blue and amethyst Sphere. Ji-woo hummed in amusement. It didn¡¯t matter how many times the Lizard Man did that, even if thousands of times. It still wouldn¡¯t work. How could one drain his Mana when he had no Mana in the first ce? Before long, Tagka started sweating profusely after 30 seconds of nothing happening to Ji-woo. Even Ji-woo was standing healthy and upright in front of him. Not falling to the ground on his knees and feeling short of breath or any reaction that showed Mana was gone from the human body. Tagka then lifted the sky blue and amethyst Sphere with both hands. He brushed it like someone who was begging for mercy while kneeling. He stared intently at the magic item. Ji-woo sighed. He didn¡¯t want to watch theedy scene any longer. ¡°Let me put an end to this farce.¡± Tagka was shocked to hear that and raised his face toward the front. But only to find that Ji-woo closed the distance between them in an instant. Ji-woo appeared in front of Tagka andunched a kick to the neck, which he did while his left foot was still on the ground. His right leg came from the right to the left side of Tagka. Kaboom! Tagka got thrown and rolled on the ground, leaving marks as far as he got blown away. Ji-woo raised his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t expect the Lizard Man could surprise him in such a situation. He smirked after seeing that only the sky blue and amethyst Sphere was left on the muddy throne while another Sphere of denim and ck color was in the creature¡¯s hands. ¡®That creature let go of the Chrono Sphere only to take the Darkness Sphere when it gets kicked. Interesting!¡¯ Tagka got up in a staggered state while holding a round object that fitted perfectly in his hand. He also spat out dark red blood from his mouth. ¡®One more hit. And I will be dead for sure!¡¯ Ji-woo also didn¡¯t stay still and dashed again toward Tagka. The Spheres he needed were right in front of his eyes. It meant no need to beat around the bush anymore to integrate it with the Nullifier. Tagka couldn¡¯t move anymore and just waited for the attack toe. A single blow that had yet toe into contact with him was able to make him feel how powerful the punch was. Kaboom! Ji-woonded his powerful punch but only to hit nothing, and only the denim and ck colored Sphere was there, where the Lizard Man stood before. However, he was not surprised and waited in front of the Sphere. After tens of seconds, Tagka reappeared right above the denim and ck Sphere lying on the ground. Now, Tagka was the one who was surprised when he saw Ji-woo still in front of him. Ji-woo acted like he had been waiting for him and knew that he would appear again in the same ce. ¡°H-How did you know?¡± Ji-woo smirked. ¡°Because I¡¯ve used it before.¡± Tagka gulped and immediately got strangled by Ji-woo in the neck. He coughed then got lifted by Ji-woo above the ground. ¡°You were unlucky this time to meet me. Your ability to drain Mana is brilliant. Unfortunately, I¡¯m a being that won¡¯t be able to possess Mana, which means I have no such thing at all, to begin with.¡± Ji-woo wrecked Tagka¡¯s neck and knocked the creature to the ground after no more movement that showed any signs of life. Tagka¡¯s body emitted white light. It then turned into a Dungeon Bead after the Lizard Man¡¯s body disappeared. Ji-woo picked up both the denim and ck colored Sphere along with the Dungeon Bead. He went back to the muddy throne and took the blue sky and amethyst Sphere with him. He thought about integrating the two Spheres with the Nullifier in the dungeon. It was because the time difference with the outside world is vastly different. That could be an advantage because what he would do was quite tiring and painfulter. Ji-woo put the Dungeon Bead inside the Spatial Bag and took a deep breath. He needed to make sure nothing could happen when he integrated the two powers into one. He wanted to use Null Eyes again after the first time using it a long time ago. Then he sped his hands together. Zasp¨C Ji-woo¡¯s color of eyes changed to dark blue. Everything he saw turned into white and ck threads. The ability almost allowed him to be able to see the whole dungeon. Hmmph¨C Blood oozed from Ji-woo¡¯s nose and mouth, but he didn¡¯t care. He continued to force the ability of those eyes to check his surroundings. He knew using the technique when he still hadn¡¯t recovered his true strength was harmful to his body. Ji-woo¡¯s expression changed, and he clenched his teeth fiercely, trying harder. ¡®Good!¡¯ He had already made sure there was nothing left in the dungeon that could pose a threat to him. Hosh, Hosh¨C Ji-woo¡¯s eye color returned to normal. However, his breath was heavy. He wiped the blood from his nose and mouth with his long sleeve. ¡°Geez! It still gives me a burden even though I¡¯ve increased my endurance with the weights.¡± He sat on the ground with his legs crossed. He held both Spheres in each hand. He didn¡¯t want to rest because of the weight his body was carrying at the moment. However, he would be in more pain than this once the process started. So, it was better to umte them all together. ¡°It¡¯s the time to merge with me, Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere!¡± Ji-woo sped his hands tightly, even to the point that his veins bulged out. Before long, both Spheres shattered, and the Rare Mana of the two objects exploded and became chaotic in midair. He put both his palms forward and seemed to be pulling the two Rare Mana together. ¡°Come to me!!¡± The two Rare Mana seemed to answer the call and swiftly entered Ji-woo¡¯s palms simultaneously. Swoosh¨C Ji-woo couldn¡¯t sense the two Rare Mana that went inside his body. But, he could feel the pain already struck all over his body. He bit his lip and fell to the ground. He groaned in pain until he had to hit his head on the spot. He twitched as he rolled to left and right. And finally, unable to hold it in any longer, he screamed so loudly that the entire wend was swept away by a violent shockwave. The ground shook and cracked quite a lot. The shockwave almost caused the wends to dry up. Meanwhile, outside the Portal Gate, Dal-soo stood waiting for Ji-woo toe out. He didn¡¯t believe what the two of them had talked about earlier. But, he could sense that Ji-woo was not after humans or hunters. Dal-soo took a deep breath. Even when he was sure Ji-woo wasn¡¯t a threat to the hunters. He wasn¡¯t even sure if that was a good thing or not. ¡®Let¡¯s discuss thister with Chairman Yu first. Anyway, what¡¯s going on? It¡¯s been almost 3 hours now, yet the Portal Gate isn¡¯t closing?¡¯ Zap, Zap¨C Suddenly, Ji-woo came out from the tier-3 Portal Gate and fell on his knees. The Portal Gate dissipated, and Dal-soo came close despite being taken aback by that sight. Ji-woo was the one who could beat Dal-soo, an S-rank hunter, with ease. But look at his condition now. He got battered, and blood was visible all over his body. Was there a notably powerful being in a tier-3 Portal Gate? What creature could do this? Chapter 110: Acquired Chapter 110: Acquired It took two whole days for Ji-woo to integrate the Spheres with the Nullifierpletely. During that time, he had to endure the pain his body had to suffer from the amalgamation. Not to mention the blood that spewed from his mouth could amount to several liters of volume. Ji-woo lost consciousness after going through the two full-day processes. When he woke up, his whole body ached. He tried to get up and found his chest hurt. After checking, there were purple bruises on it. Then, a little blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He finally got to his feet with difficulty. He was truly exhausted, and his breathing rhythm was still irregr. Even the weights that only weighed 400 kg in total made it difficult for him to move. Previously, his body didn¡¯t feel heavy because of it. Ji-woo smiled wryly. The True Power would not return to him immediately just because he integrated the Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere within him. It would take time for Nullifier to fully refine the two Rare Mana and bring out the pinnacle of his existence. Only Chrono and Darkness werepatible with the Nullifier of all existing Spheres. The Rare Mana of the two Spheres had the attributes corresponding to the Nullifier characteristic. It was suppressing Mana. The two could not getbined with Mana. The Rare Manas would eliminate or swallow ordinary Mana if they were met and put together. The Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere were rare items, but not as rare as the Rnegyr Sphere. The two Spheres got rarely used because they were impossible tobine with Mana. That was why only the Nullifier Soul could use those two items. However, Ji-woo was quite surprised that a creature like the Lizard Man could use those Rare Manas. Usually, the Mages were very disgusted with the two Spheres. Even if Ji-woo knew that the Lizard Man was a distant descendant of the Dragon n, he still didn¡¯t expect that the two Spheres would get used by Mana users. The Dragons were arrogant beings and had pride in their magic, so not a single Dragon had ever used auxiliary equipment to enhance their magic spell. It was taboo for the Dragons. He took out the Dungeon Bead from the Spatial Bag and crushed it. He fell on his knees after exiting the dungeon. He saw Dal-sooing over to him and didn¡¯t expect to get waited. Ji-woo¡¯s condition was so awful that it made Dal-soo bbergasted. ¡°What happened?! Are you okay!? Let me heal you.¡± Ji-woo chuckled at those words. He then calmed down Dal-soo, who panicked at how bad he was. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss. There¡¯s no need to worry. Just rx a bit. After a few hours¡¯ rest, I¡¯ll be fine again.¡± Dal-soo was skeptical at Ji-woo¡¯s reassuring words. He was an S-rank healer. The wound Ji-woo had sustained impossible he couldn¡¯t heal. He alone was able to revive Team 3 leader Do-cheol from the momentary death. Let alone curing Ji-woo, it was an easy thing for him. Ji-woo did not turn down the idea and let Dal-soo do whatever he wanted to do. It was amon thing that people never believed in anything until they experienced it for themselves. Instead of going back and forth between refusing and offering, it was better for him to be quiet and wait for the resultster. Half an hourter. Dal-soo sweated profusely on his forehead. Almost half of his Mana got used up to cast a healing magic spell on Ji-woo, which so far has had no results at all. He could feel Ji-woo¡¯s body was really not okay. But, every time he cast a magic spell, there was no sign that Ji-woo¡¯s body condition was improving. He didn¡¯t know what to do, and his confused face got seen by Ji-woo. Even so, he still tried the healing magic spell even though he didn¡¯t know why the magic wasn¡¯t working. Ji-woo stopped Dal-soo¡¯s futile attempts. There were no healing magics that could work on him. It really was a waste of energy. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s stop this. It¡¯s never going to work. Just let me rest and clean myself up.¡± Dal-soo sighed and realized it was not working. He wanted to ask the reason why he couldn¡¯t use the healing. And he also wanted to know what happened to Ji-woo. But, before the questions got asked, he had already been rejected. Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to exin and told Dal-soo with a simple answer. The magic didn¡¯t work, and nothing dangerous happened inside the Portal Gate. No further inquiries were allowed. Dal-sooplied with it and helped Ji-woo to get up. He offered to give him a set of new clothes and a ce to rest at the Demigod guild¡¯s headquarters. Ji-woo refused the offer and cleaned the blood along with a few specks of dust all over his body. After a while, his appearance looked better than before. However, his clothes were still notpletely clean. He thanked Dal-soo for his help and about the Portal Gate. He told Dal-soo nothing he could give to the guild since he didn¡¯t get much loot in the dungeon. Dal-soo didn¡¯t think much of it because it was basically an exchange for Ji-woo to talk to him. He offered to drive Ji-woo home and got epted. But, Ji-woo had no intention of being driven home. He ended up getting off at theundry because he wanted to wash his clothes. He thanked him for the ride and told Dal-soo if there was a Portal Gate he or the guild wanted to throw away, they could call him. Also, in the future, if Dal-soo or the Demigod Guild needed emergency assistance, he might be willing to help them out a bit. To kill is to kill; Helping is helping. Even though Ji-woo was an existence that kills mercilessly, he still knew how to help and return a small favor to the other party. Ji-woo recalled what happened inside the tier-3 Portal Gate while waiting for his clothes to get clean and dry. The dungeon this time was quite pathetic in terms of loot. There were no Magic Crystals or Magic Stones. There were no valuable magic items and weapons that were worth the money. Did Ji-woo have to carry the muddy throne full of moss and wet leaves, putting it in the Spatial Bag? Well, he didn¡¯t really need to be that miserable because he was pretty well get amodated with the money that he had in his ount now. The loot only consisted of five Spheres. There were two Obelisk Spheres, the Rnegyr Sphere, the Chrono Sphere, and the Darkness Sphere. On top of that five objects, Ji-woo¡¯s Spatial Bag had one Skill Page, three Magic Crystals, and one Magic Stone. He nned to let Yu-jin and Dong-hyun check the Skills Page first before he decided whether to sell it or not. He thought of giving them something after going through quite a mentally draining practice. Ji-woo did a hand sped motion like stretching a few times. His body was still pretty weak, and it would take some time for him to recover to his previous state. He really couldn¡¯t be cured by healing magic spells, but Nullifier had a simr ability. To be precise, it was a passive ability that could heal wounds and fatigue on its own. The only difference, it was not as practical and instant as healing magic. The process could take a day or more, depending on how severe Ji-woo¡¯s condition was. The downside was, he couldn¡¯t regenerate fatal wounds like a severed limb. He took a deep breath. His breathing rhythm returned to normal, and his body felt a little lighter than before. However, his face was still slightly sweaty and looked pale. On the other hand, all those things were not without satisfactory results for him. He already possessed Nullifier True Strength, though it was not quite there yet. In the past, it took Ji-woo a month after absorbing the Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere to use his full power. He hoped this time it would be faster than before. The sooner, the better. And the things he needed to worry about would only get counted on his fingers. He was even confident that he could beat the man he met at his father¡¯s cemetery without putting his life on the line. Ji-woo returned home. Luckily there is no one at home because Ji-won is still at school while her mother is still at the diner. Otherwise, his pale face would be the source of questions that worried both his family. He showered and then went to bed to rest as much as he could. Elsewhere, on the 13th floor of the Hunters Association headquarters, the armory shop became packed with a group of hunters who heard the news of the two Red Broadswords. A few hours after he two weapons got disyed on the tforms, even though the store did not share the information. Ding! The elevator on the 13th floor opened. There are several hunters in it. ¡°Sir Godly Doctor, do you also want toe down here?¡± ¡°No. I have a business on the top floor.¡± Chapter 111: Its Tough Chapter 111: It''s Tough ¡°What business did youe here for it? It is quite surprising. You could have called me instead of bothering toe here, Dal-soo~ya.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hyung~nim. It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Dal-soo then stopped his words. He looked at Chief Yoon, who was also in the room. Chairman Yu understood the gesture and told Chief Yoon to wait and close the door from the outside. Now, only Dal-soo and Chairman Yu got left in the room. He sat in front of the desk, opposite Chairman Yu. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth again. He started talking about his experience with Ji-woo. He didn¡¯t cover up all the events that had happened in the slightest. He spoke ording to what he saw, heard, and felt. Chairman Yu listened while frowning. The story he heard was like something that made no sense at all, especially on the part of a hunter who could defeat an S-rank. But able to casually enter a tier-3 Portal Gate without causing any Mana restriction. Being able to beat an S-rank meant at least the opponent was of the same rank. And the Portal Gate that could get entered was only tier-5 and tier-6. No hunters could enter the Portal Gate below that tier, no matter what method got used. The existence of such a Portal Gate was absolute. The rules of the Portal Gate they already knew had never been wrong. Apex-ranked Hunters and ArchMage had already tried to break through the Mana restriction before. But as a result, those two sses that others referred to as people from the God realm couldn¡¯t do anything to the Portal Gate. How could Chairman Yu believe that story!? Dal-soo knew that what he was telling was hard to believe. Thus, he assured Chairman Yu that he had no intention of making things up. Chairman Yu tapped the desk for a moment then called the Management Division to inquire about Ji-woo. As already mentioned, Ji-woo was just an E-rank hunter. And no doubt, the assessment came from the Hunters Association who gave the hunters their ID license. He wanted to know the process. How could a hunter with strength that could defeat an S-rank be able to have such a mismatched license ID? It was the job of the Hunters Association to register hunters correctly and ording to reality. It got done to ensure that the data on hunters belonging to a country was urate. It could also help to adjust the situation in the event of a Red Gate. On the unimportant side, the hunter ID could serve to facilitate recruitment for small and medium-sized guilds. Chairman Yu raised one of his eyebrows. The reports he heard from the call were vague and iplete. ¡°Chief Lee carried out the assessment. What¡¯s more, it only used the Portable Mana Detection.¡± Chairman Yu passed on the information he heard to Dal-soo. ¡°In the meantime, that¡¯s all we have. Chief Lee is currently unreachable due to a field survey. You know yourself how troublesome a Portal Gate can be. If it shows up somewhere and no one knows its whereabouts.¡± It couldn¡¯t get helped. Dal-soo could only wait now. He couldn¡¯t conclude or think about his next move if he didn¡¯t know the story from Chief Lee¡¯s side. ¡°So, what do you want me to do? Honestly, I still can¡¯t believe what you¡¯re saying. As long as I don¡¯t see it in person, I think it¡¯s just an obscure fairy tale from you.¡± ¡°Nothing. Just keep this a secret between the two of us. I know it¡¯s hard to believe. But, one thing I ask if Hyung~nim tries to find out about this is not to spy on him.¡± Chairman Yu stared for a while at Dal-soo. He wanted to make sure that Dal-soo was really serious. He sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that. ¡°Also, let¡¯s say the story is 100 percent true. Isn¡¯t that a good thing? A strong hunter and able to enter the lower-tier Portal Gate would be the ultimate breakthrough for us. It would be beneficial for South Korea. Why are you feeling worried?¡± Dal-soo smiled wryly at that statement. ¡°Hyung~nim, he¡¯s a different individual. It¡¯s not like us who think about the fate of ournd. He¡¯s almost the same as most hunters out there. Their interests are above everyone else¡¯s.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if that was the situation?¡± ¡°Huh!? What do you mean, Hyung~nim?¡± ¡°We only need to make the survival of the country one of his interests. The problem is solved. Isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t have to worry that he will be a threat again.¡± Dal-soo got taken aback by the suggestion. He didn¡¯t think about it beforehand because he was too focused on Ji-woo¡¯s existence. The phenomenon where Mana could not get traced at all on Ji-woo made him unable to think calmly. However, before long, Dal-soo shook his head in disapproval. ¡°No matter how hard and far I imagine the idea in my head. It¡¯s still a difficult thing to do. It¡¯s harder than tackling a tier-5 or tier-6.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Dal-soo took a quick breath. ¡°That¡¯s because he has the power to look down on South Korea as a country that has a superpower fighting force.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say at the start he was below Apex-rank and above S-rank?¡± ¡°Do you remember when I said the darkness dawned upon me while trying to stop him from leaving? It was at that moment that I felt that his strength was beyond measure. Not by the standards of our hunter power system. ¡°Until now, that feeling sometimeses to me for a moment. It felt like the Mana in my body came alive like it had life and was screaming hysterically in fear like it wanted to run away from him.¡± Chairman Yu still thought it was an unbelievable thing. He suspected Dal-soo was exaggerating the story too much. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s wait for Chief Lee toe and tell us the story. We¡¯ll know what it¡¯s liketer. ¡°Oh, right. You don¡¯t have anything else to do today, do you?¡± ¡°Nothing. The guild affairs are almost all taken care of by Miss Seol. And Junior Choi and Bae are doing well. The two S-rank hunters have also recovered.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Chairman Yu then asked the other staff to bring two iced americanos to the room while he and Dal-soo waited for Chief Lee to arrive. The two of them chatted about the armory shop, which had suddenly be bustling. Those few days were indeed the busiest days for the shop. There were good quality weapons and items, which weremensurate with C-rank hunters and above. No wonder many tried to find out and swarmed the ce. Dal-soo was happy to hear that there was a supply of items and weapons for the hunters. Moreover, the quality was promising. He did have the same principles as Chairman Yu. They were people who prioritized the survival of mankind over profit. Chief Lee finally arrived at the Hunter Association headquarters after about two hours. He immediately got summoned to Chairman Yu¡¯s room. Once in the room, he then recounted what happened the day he detected Ji-woo¡¯s Mana and gave the hunter¡¯s ID card to him. Chairman Yu looked at Dal-soo after hearing what Chief Lee had to say. Meanwhile, Dal-soo just sat pensively, thinking about something. Chief Lee, who was also in the room, looked confused and didn¡¯t understand why he had to talk about Ji-woo. He looked at Chairman Yu and Oh Dal-soo in turn, waiting for further instructions. However, what he got was instead told to leave the room and continue his activities as before. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Chairman Yu asked Dal-soo. Dal-soo tilted his head slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll try talking to him to do a reassessment for the hunter rank.¡± Chairman Yu rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you still want to push the theory about him having no Mana at all? Isn¡¯t that overreacting? ¡°I¡¯m also a little suspicious of the test results. That¡¯s because, basically, we rarely use Portable Mana Detection for assessment hunters. But reassessing? Are you sure about that?¡± Dal-soo nodded his head and made Chairman Yu exhale deeply. ¡°Fine. Just tell me the timeter. And I¡¯ll book the room for a reassessment with the Mana Detection Core. It¡¯s really not that easy to clear the area since it¡¯s the supervision of the Management Division. I¡¯m not an exception to that.¡± It was the only way to know whether Ji-woo had Mana or not. The Mana Detection Core was an impartially urate machine and could detect Mana better than the hunter¡¯s senses. At least it would give some knowledge about Ji-woo to them. The problem was how to ask Ji-woo to do the reassessment. In bribes with a tier-3 Portal Gate alone can only be rewarded a few questions. What if Ji-woo got told to do that? Should Dal-soo sacrifice another top-tier Portal Gate? The Demigod Guild would certainly not be happy about that. Moreover, Seol In-ah. He would definitely discuss the matter with the guild headmaster, Cho Gang-ho. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s tough!¡± Chapter 112: Skill Page Chapter 112: Skill Page The next day, Ji-woo went about his routine as usual. The situation now was much better than yesterday. But, still not quite in good condition. At least he wasn¡¯t pale and tired so that his body did not feel heavy anymore, just a little sore in some parts of it. Ji-woo sat across from his mother¡¯s food stall, watching her tidy up the sales. The debt problem already had been resolved, even though his mother still didn¡¯t know about it. Now, the tricky thing was to get her mother to rest. Ji-woo¡¯s stubbornness came from his mother. So, he knew how hard it was to change his mother¡¯s mind. Previously, Ji-woo intended to buy a new house if the money had reached billions. However, he changed his strategy. He nned to make the home a solid fortress by setting up several defense mechanisms if the Red Gate outbreak urred. His knowledge of the Spheres could get used for that. However, in order to ensure its durability was as desired, the requirement of a cksmith expert was remarkably significant. He didn¡¯t know if humans on earth already had the same abilities as cksmiths in other wizarding worlds. Of course, if the items and weapons that the Hunter Association had been the best made by a cksmith here, then there was no hope for Ji-woo could maximize the use of the Spheres. If he only relied on himself, there would be only one or two defenses he could make to protect his mother and sister. Despite all that, Ji-woo rxed a bit about his family matters. It wouldn¡¯t be long before his peak strength would return. And when that happened, as long as he was by his family¡¯s side, then nothing in this world could make him worry. Ji-woo looked at his mother and felt that the life he was living now was much better than before. At least, moments of calm and peace like now were frequent, even though the world was in chaos. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was in his thoughts, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin came over. The two hunters were on break from training for the tier-4 Portal Gate. So, Ji-woo asked them toe and continue the training. He wanted to finish the practice with them as soon as possible. And that practice was thest he could teach. He didn¡¯t understand much about Mana, and what he taught was all the knowledge he had. In this aspect, Stormrage had better skills as a teacher. He was the one who taught Ji-woo to fight and use the Nullifier well. On top of that, he was abat mage whose level was at the pinnacle. That meant his Mana understanding was equivalent to that of a Sage. A spiritual person who had dedicated to magic spells and a pinnacle Mage. Ji-woo had thought that if Stormrage were in his position, he would want to take as many students as possible and teach them to be the best warrior mages. Deep down, he thought that only a person with the qualities of a leader could lead Dong-hyun and Yu-jin to get more powerful than they were. ¡°Hyung, what are you thinking here?¡± Dong-hyun asked, while Yu-jin on the side looked at Ji-woo with a disinterested expression on her face and chimed in. ¡°Right. Shouldn¡¯t we go to the training ground instead of here?¡± Ji-woo chuckled, watching the two hunters showing such interest in the training. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving in a moment.¡± Ji-woo wanted to see his mother a little longer. He felt thattely, he had been busy with Portal Gate and money matters, spending a little time with his family. Dong-hyun sat next to Ji-woo, keeping himpany, while Yu-jin walked to the food stall and talked to Elijah. Ji-woo sighed when he saw the action of the two people. People couldn¡¯t get judged by their appearance, nor could they get judged by first impressions. Look at Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. When they met Ji-woo for the first time, the two of them had different impressions than now. Dong-hyun, in the past, acted know-it-all and a little arrogant, in contrast to current him, who was timid and had no confidence. On the other hand, Yu-jin, who had always got obsessed with strength. And looked down on those weaker than her, now spoke cheerfully and softly to Elijah. Life was full of surprises, and no one knew what the future held. Ji-woo got up from his seat and took the two kids to the training ground after excusing themselves to Elijah. Dong-hyun opened his mouth, raving about Ji-woo¡¯s clothes before the practice began at the training ground. Ji-woo looked too casual. And on top of that with a ragged bag, making it even worse to look at it. He couldn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo was so happy to wear that shabby bag. Of course, that bbering mouth of Dong-hyun wouldn¡¯t get off the hook and get the lovely hit on the head by Ji-woo. Ji-woo then took out a Skill Page from the Spatial Bag. He understood why not many could recognize the Spatial Bag since it was rare in this world. The action made Dong-hyun and Yu-jin drop their jaws. They were both shocked and realized the shabby bag was a Spatial Bag. A rare item that was highly coveted and sought after by wealthy hunters around the world. Rumors circted on the streets that the price of the Spatial Bag was 5,999 billion won. But, all hunters knew that it was only the starting price. If there were items, the price could sometimes go up to double the initial price. Some have even offered up to five times that figure. (note: 5,999 billion won = around 5,1 million USD) Both Dong-hyun and Yu-jin reevaluate their opinion of Ji-woo being poor and desperate for money. They think that if Ji-woo wanted to sell the magic item. There might be a hunter willing to offer up to 50 billion won for it. It was enough to make Ji-woo and his family live well. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin had the same thought. ¡®No wonder he has no interest in going to the tier-4 Portal Gate. The money made from hunting in the dungeon is nothing but speck dustpared to the money that he would get earned from the Spatial Bag.¡¯ ¡°What are you two staring at!? Here. Take a look at this, see if any of you arepatible with it. Then, you can have it.¡± Ji-woo tossed the Skill Page, and Dong-hyun caught it unconsciously. Yu-jin snapped out of her shock and looked at the Skill Page in Dong-hyun¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t know how Ji-woo got to have all that stuff out of nowhere. She thought Ji-woo was strong and only knew how to fight without being interested in magic items. ¡°Ah, right! Did you ask about Spatial items earlier because of Ji-woo?¡± Dong-hyun woke up from his engrossment after hearing Yu-jin¡¯s question. He also wondered if the Spatial Bag got bought by Ji-woo because of his information. Suddenly, heined to Ji-woo. ¡°Hyung, where did you get the money to buy stuff like that? Aren¡¯t you, poor? ¡°Ouch! My head!¡± ¡°Stop spewing nonsense. I didn¡¯t buy it. I just picked it up on the street.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin couldn¡¯t believe what they heard. Nonsense like that, no one wanted to believe it. Did Ji-woo think the Spatial Bag was a leaf that could get picked up on the street? Ji-woo smiled wryly at the two disbelieving expressions. What he said was true and not made up. He got the Spatial Bag while assisting in exterminating the creatures from the Red Gate that roamed the city of Busan long ago. Wouldn¡¯t that be considered the same as picking up things on the road? ¡°It¡¯s up to you what you think. It¡¯s definitely not like that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s not like that!?¡± Dong-hyun speaks while holding his head which hurts from being hit earlier. ¡°Who can believe that?! You have to do better if you want to lie. At least a little believable story.¡± Yu-jin voiced her disbelief. ¡°Okay. Focus on the item. That¡¯s a Skill Page. Isn¡¯t it? Can you use it?¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin sneer and turn their attention toward the Skill Page instead of the Spatial Bag. Surprisingly, they were able to find out what the Skill Page was about just by channeling a small amount of their Mana. It was a magic spell rted to the lightning element. ¡°But Hyung, I don¡¯t know which ss this Skill Page is in.¡± Yu-jin nodded. ¡°Right, only an appraiser knows which ss this item belongs to.¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± ¡°Basically, Skill Pages can be used by all hunters of all ranks. The only problem is whether a hunter¡¯s Mana is sufficient to execute his magic spell or not. If Mana is not enough, then the Skill Page is useless, and money gets wasted.¡± Dong-hyun nodded in agreement with Yu-jin¡¯s statement. He also added another information with it. ¡°That¡¯s why the Skill Pages get separated by ss by the appraiser. From ss-1 to ss-7. Depending on how much Mana gets required for the magic spell of the Skill Page.¡± Chapter 113: Poor Condition Chapter 113: Poor Condition Ji-woo wasn¡¯t interested in the magic spell from the Skill Page. So the information was useless to him. However, it never hurts to know. The more things he knew, the easier it would be from here on out. He was a person who had the principle that intelligence was better than absolute power. Even those that sound useless are just waiting for the right time and ce to be used. ¡°By the way, you two don¡¯t want it?¡± ¡°Hyung, it¡¯s not like that. But, it¡¯s better if this is given to the appraiser first to know the full details.¡± Dong-hyun exined with a wry smile. ¡°Ji-woo~si, where did you get this stuff from it? Don¡¯t tell me it got picked up from the street just like the Spatial Bag?¡± Ji-woo chuckled at the different enthusiasm. One wanted the item but needed to know the details first, and the other just wanted to know about where it came from. ¡°It¡¯s from the dungeon at Portal Gate tier-2. Then, where did you take it for the appraiser to examine?¡± ¡°I can ask an appraiser who has close ties to the Demigod guild.¡± ¡°When did you enter the tier-2 Portal Gate, Ji-woo~si? Do you have a team outside the guild?¡± Hearing the question, Dong-hyun became interested and put his ear close to hear Ji-woo¡¯s answer. He also wanted to know what Ji-woo was doing. Almost never participated in Demigod guild activities anymore. Ji-woo found it amusing looking at Yu-jin¡¯s persistence to investigate his activities. He could guess that Yu-jin was more interested in the secret of his power. Dong-hyun probably didn¡¯t mind or care too much about Ji-woo never using Mana. However, Yu-jin was different. She could feel that something was amiss with Ji-woo, who never used Mana, and it felt like there was no Mana in his body. Unfortunately, Ji-woo had no intention of satisfying Yu-jin¡¯s curiosity. He immediately switched the topic to practice. ¡°How about sparring with me? Two on one, not a bad deal. No? I wonder how perfect you guys are at using magic spells that no need to get chanting. Was there no progress, or was it just a waste of time from the beginning?¡± Dong-hyun was absolutely excited to hear that. He was a person who had little self-confidence. So if he could show progress in training, then it would increase his confidence. Unusually if Ji-woo gave a littlepliment, it would mean a lot to him. Of course, Yu-jin wasn¡¯t easily distracted. But, she also knew not to force her curiosity. It could get done slowly. Ji-woo smiled, seeing the two of them take a position to start the debate. Actually, he just wanted to test his recovering self. In the meantime, he was far below his usual strength. Coupled with the weight on all four parts of his body, it made him lose more than half the strength he had before fusing the Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere with the Nullifier. That was one of the downsides of recovering his True Strength, apart from taking a little time to return to his peak effectively. ¡°Go all out, show me what you got. Think of it as a real battle when you face off against the Dungeon Owner. No need to hold back. Here, I¡¯ll make you think hard about how to survive.¡± Ji-woo was really serious in training this time. He took a few steps back and picked up a rather long tree branch from the ground. He then cleaned the tree branches from short and small twigs and leaves. Yu-jin didn¡¯t find it strange to see Ji-woo picking up a tree branch as a weapon. He thought Ji-woo wanted to get a little bit serious with the spar. Dong-hyun, however, got taken aback by the action. To defeat Ji-woo when he was not using anything was an impossible task, now a tree branch as a weapon? What a cheater! Needless to say. Dong-hyun certainly didn¡¯t dare voice his displeasure and disapproval about the tree branch. ¡°Why are you just standing there? Afraid of a tree branch? Or do your legs feel washed out and weak abruptly?¡± Yu-jin gritted her teeth, and Dong-hyun clenched his fists. The two of them then immediately showed their progress with magic that didn¡¯t need to get chanted. Dong-hyun put one hand forward and burst mes toward the ground where Ji-woo was standing. On the other hand, Yu-jin pped her hands together, and a fireball the size of a basketball shot swiftly at Ji-woo. Ji-woo became speechless at the poor coordination between the two hunters. Just because he said he wanted to test their progress in magic without the need to cast an incantation, the two of them immediately started using it. It was the same as pulling a trump card straight off the bat and telling the opponent to counter it. He used his left hand to dissipate the fireball from Yu-jin and then jumped to avoid the mes from Dong-hyun. Both Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were surprised by how quickly Ji-woo performed the sequence. And now, all of a sudden. Ji-woo was right in front of Dong-hyun while positioning his left foot for a kick. Dong-hyun got knocked back at once without having time to block with his hands. Seeing what was happening, Yu-jin swiftly prepared to cast another magic spell. However, Ji-woo quickly moved to where she was and pressed the tree branch into her right shoulder. She ended up getting thrown off just like Dong-hyun. ¡°You idiot. I did say I wanted to see the ability. But, that doesn¡¯t mean it should get used carelessly without preparation. Should I teach you how to fight? Or, your brains aren¡¯t working?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s insults did wake Dong-hyun and Yu-jin from their carelessness. Magic without chanting should be a hidden ability to get used in an emergency. They should have fought as usual first without having to use magic spells to know the opponent¡¯s movements. When the opportunity arose, then used the magic, whether chanted or not orded to the conditions. In battle, observing and measuring the opponent¡¯s abilities was a must. If not taken seriously, then death would embrace their shoulders. Dong-hyun pped his face. ¡®Right! I have to learn to fight in situations where I have to deal with the Dungeon Owner.¡¯ Yu-jin was the first to jump at Ji-woo. This time, she didn¡¯t use any magic spells and tried to fight with her bare hands. Dong-hyun followed closely behind. He tried to match his attack with Yu-jin. He couldn¡¯t afford to stack their attacks carelessly. Ji-woo dodged easily but not very smoothly. The effects of the weights were starting to get felt now. With his not yet fully fit state, regardless of his movements were fast. It was also because Dong-hyun and Yu-jin increased their physical strength with Mana when they did not use it for magic. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun attack aggressively and sometimes cast magic spells. They learned to only use magic without chanting in favorable situations. Not the other way around. Meanwhile, Ji-woo kept dodging, and he started to sweat all over his body, including his forehead. Instead, every time he dodged Dong-hyun and Yu-jin¡¯s attacks, he would smack the tree branch in his right hand mercilessly. It caused many red marks, almost all over the two hunters¡¯ bodies. Ji-woo really didn¡¯t discriminate in that sparring. Man or woman, still get hit from the swing of the tree branch. Suddenly, Dong-hyun, who fell, got up quickly and attacked Ji-woo¡¯s left leg. Ji-woo, who reflexively evaded, realized he was making a mistake. Yu-jin jumped in the direction with a kick. He dodged in midair, but it turned out to be their n to corner him. Ji-woo, who had not yetnded on the ground, couldn¡¯t help but withstand the magic attacks of the two hunters, which in theory should be able to defeat him. However, because they were magics created by Mana, the double attack got wasted. He then swiftly advanced towards Dong-hyun and Yu-jin afternding on the ground. He attacked with a tree branch and barged at the two of them without a break. Yu-jin was lucky because even though she got hit with a stick, she held back and blocked it with her hand, so the pain wasn¡¯t adequate. As for Dong-hyun, he took a full blow, and the red marks on his face almost made him unrecognizable. They both ended up falling to the ground in pain and unable to get up again. Dong-hyun didn¡¯t hold back from the pain he was in and rolled left and right while rubbing all the red marks on his body. On the other hand, Yu-jin tried to endure the pain by holding her hand tightly. At the same time, Ji-woo got covered in sweat, and his breath was slightly out of rhythm. The sores on his body from before became even more painful. In the end, he caught his breath and then took a deep breath while standing in ce. Surprisingly, he also needed a little rest, just like Dong-hyun and Yu-jin, whereas he was the one who taught them a lesson throughout the sparring. Chapter 114: One Week Chapter 114: One Week Truthfully, Ji-woo still couldn¡¯t gauge his current strength yet. So, it made it hard for him to control it. He wanted to try swinging the tree branch to the ground with all his might but worried that it would make him faint in front of Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. He didn¡¯t want to show a weak side while he always ground them to the point of mocking them too. He walked over to where Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were sitting on the ground, enjoying their crushing defeat, which was to get expected. ¡°Not bad. At least you guys can adapt in the middle of a fight. However, if this is a real battle, you guys would have died in the first ce while recklessly using chantless magic.¡± It was the first time that Dong-hyun had experienced it. After previously just a regr practice where Ji-woo just gave directions without being silent and counterattacked. Yu-jin also noticed that she often fought without thinking about her advantages and weaknesses. She charged boldly and blindly, trying to overpower the opponent with the area of effect magic spells since she had arge pool of Mana among her peers. In the end, Ji-woo helplessly shook his head. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin¡¯sck of fighting experience is easy to notice. He knew he couldn¡¯t force them to be experts in a short period of time. Even one year wouldn¡¯t be enough if they didn¡¯t train directly in the dungeon. He ended the sparring session and gave some advice to Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Like using Mana efficiently and not just using magic spells without a clear purpose. Lastly, he also told them how to use magic without chanting suitably. And also the advantages of the technique. It was, being able to create their own magic spells without relying on the Skill Page. That way, the magic spells they have would match their respective styles. Ji-woo wished Dong-hyun and Yu-jin good luck on the tier-4 Portal Gateter. He wanted to rest before starting the dungeon raiding again like before. On his way home, he got a message notification that 270 million won had got sent to his ount from the armory shop of the Hunters Association. Now, he had a total of 797 million won in his savings. The Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop that sold the two Red Broadswords earned and raised their reputation with hunters in the Seoul city area. The shop on the 13th floor was quite attractive to hunters, especially the C-rank and B-rank ones. They were looking forward to new magic items and weapons that were ready to get sold again. At night, Ji-woo took his mother and sister out for dinner while he had free time. At first, his mother refused, but because his sister insisted, the family of three finally decided to have dinner. They go to the restaurant in the Namsan tower. Arriving at the ce, Ji-woo and his family went up to the top floor. And the table where they ate was side by side with arge ss window that showed the surrounding scenery that looked beautiful at night. Ji-won was certainly happy about that. As for Elijah, even though she didn¡¯t look happy, she seemed to be enjoying the sight and rxed a bit because of it. ¡°Ji-woo~ya, is this all the result of your work?¡± Hearing what Elijah said, Ji-won¡¯s ears immediately moved closer and urged Ji-woo to tell her about her brother¡¯s work. Ji-woo reluctantly talked about the hunter¡¯s job. However, he was picky about what words could get said and which parts got omitted from the narrative. He needed to beautify the story so that his mother and sister would not worry and forbid him from doing the work. Elijah felt happy because what Ji-woo was doing could be beneficial for saving so many people. On the other side, Ji-won felt what her brother was doing looked cool. Elijah, Ji-won, and Ji-woo have dinner in a rxed and carefree atmosphere. He was d that his mother and sister could chuckle and smile wildly in the midst of the threatening danger of the Portal Gate. He looked outside while enjoying the scenery and thought, indeed, a peaceful world was the only one suitable for his family. The three of them finally went home with happy smiles on their faces. One week had passed after that peaceful moment. No chaos and danger were happening around the district. Ji-woo¡¯s days passed as usual with nothing to stand out. Sometimes, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin came to ask for advice on magic spells. Ji-woo couldn¡¯t really give much advice about it. So, he only spoke casually. Dong-hyun then said that he wanted to increase his rank and asked Ji-woo to be his supervisor. He was afraid that if there was a problem in the process. He then would suffer a Mana deflection that could cause him to lose half his Mana capacity. Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind the request, and it made Yu-jin also interested in asking him for help. It turned out that Yu-jin¡¯s request was the same as Dong-hyun¡¯s. It could be because the two were getting more proficient in magic without chanting and wanted to make magic spells themselves. Hence, they wanted to increase their respective Mana capacity. Ji-woo also discovered that the Skill Page, previously given to the two hunters, was ss-2. So, it could get used by Dong-hyun. And Yu-jin wasn¡¯t interested because she focused on developing her own magic spell that Ji-woo talked about a few days earlier. The day that the Demigod guild hunters would depart for the tier-4 Portal Gate had arrived. All preparations were ready. The Demigod Guild was sure they wouldn¡¯t suffer casualties in the dungeon. It was also the first time since Dong-hyun and Yu-jin trained with Ji-woo to be together on the same team. Previously, during the events of the two tier-3 Portal Gates, they got separated. This time Dong-hyun put on his Red Crimson armor set that the guild had returned. Without knowing that Ji-woo yed a role in the return of the item. The number of hunters who would join to enter the dungeon at the tier-4 Portal Gate increased to 65 people. The additions came from A-rank hunters. No half-hearted, among them some names were familiar in the Demigod guild. Such as Cha Tae-hyun, Choi Min-ho, Jung Hyun-don, and Kim Eric. All of the A-rank hunters on the team were from the Demigod Guild¡¯s Main Team. Some hunters were nervous because it was their first time entering a tier-4 Portal Gate, while others were normal because they got used to it. Surprisingly, Ji-woo also came to see Dong-hyun and Yu-jin¡¯s departure. Of course, not in a ce where many people could see. He just watched from afar. ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± Ji-woo stood some distance away from the hunters who were preparing to depart for the tier-4 Portal Gate. He opened his mouth as if he was talking to himself. But then there was a reply from someone who appeared from behind him. ¡°I just happened to see youing on the way here.¡± It¡¯s Dal-soo. Quite a coincidence, considering that no one could sense the presence of Ji-woo, who did not have the Mana. ¡°You look fine now,¡± Dal-soo said, referring to Ji-woo¡¯s previous state, right at the tier-3 Portal Gate, where he got covered in blood and bruises. Ji-woo didn¡¯t respond to those words and just silently looked at the hunters. His current situation was much better. One week was enough time to recover as before. His body did not feel heavy, and his breathing was normal. Even the weights on his wrists and ankles became imperceptible. Well, that was also because it weighs only 400 kg in total. What wascking was only his True Strength which would likely return within three weeks or so. Dal-soo then looked at the hunters just like Ji-woo. He had gotten used to Ji-woo¡¯s carefree attitude. The question answered depended on if the person asked was willing to answer. Dal-soo opened his mouth again after the hunters had already departed from the Demigod guild headquarters. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. They will definitely be safe with Tae-hyun as the team leader.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. Just get to the topic you want to talk about.¡± Dal-soo smiled and massaged the back of his neck awkwardly. ¡°There are two things I hope you can fulfill. The first is to re-evaluate your rank in the Hunters Association. I¡¯ve asked Chairman Yu to vacate the test grounds for you.¡± Dal-soo purposely said the first thing first without moving on to the second part. He wants to know Ji-woo¡¯s reaction, knowing he¡¯d told someone else about it. He had prepared some excuses in case Ji-woo got angry. He was surprised that there was no response. In his opinion, no answer meant that there was still a chance that Ji-woo would. ¡°Secondly, I would like to invite you to join the Demigod Guild¡¯s Vanguard Team in the hunt at the tier-5 Portal Gate, Ji-woo~si.¡± After the second request, Ji-woo turned and faced Dal-soo with his icy cold gaze, cid natural expression. Chapter 115: Requirements Chapter 115: Requirements ¡°I refuse.¡± Dal-soo sighed and closed his eyes at the expected answer. He wished to get Ji-woo on board for their expedition in the dungeon that the Vanguard Team wanted to raid. The Demigod Guild only had three S-rank hunters, which meant it was still not at the safe limit to hunt in a tier-5 Portal Gate. The existence of Ji-woo would surely increase theirbat power. And the chances of them being able to close the Portal Gate with very few casualties were very high. As for the re-evaluation, since there was no absolute answer, Dal-soo had high hopes and still had a chance to find out a little about Ji-woo¡¯s strength. If Ji-woo exceeded his expectations and turned out to be an Apex-ranked, then without a doubt, South Korea¡¯s position would rise internationally. There were only five countries with more than one Apex-ranked hunter. South Korea would be sixth if Ji-woo indeed one of them. So, what was the benefit of being one of the strong countries in the current era of hunters? One would have privileges in trading high-end magic items and weapons. They would get prioritized by sellers who want to sell those things in bulk. Even those greedy sellers who only think about profits in all transactions could provide concessions and were willing to get paid in installments. For only to get a favor from those countries. It was like a testament to the credibility of the superpowers. Many would believe that if the world were in the middle of chaos, only those countries could survive the catastrophe. It was also an attraction to mercenary hunters or small guilds from poverty countries to be part of them. However, Ji-woo¡¯s presence would absolutely invite the jealousy and greed of some individuals or guilds. High-rank hunters usually always had preferential treatment and were often disliked by lower-rank hunters or among their peers. Also, the oddity of Ji-woo that could enter all tiers of the Portal Gate would be a valuable asset for a guild. Dal-soo looked at Ji-woo. ¡®Although he is now in the Demigod Guild, he doesn¡¯t seem too interested in guild activities.¡¯ He knew he couldn¡¯t do anything if Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to and prepared to turn around but got stopped by Ji-woo¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t mind joining the team for a tier-5 Portal Gate in exchange for a few things.¡± Dal-soo stopped in his tracks and looked back at Ji-woo. ¡°Sure. Just tell me what you need.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t answer right away and just stared at Dal-soo. Before long, he opened his mouth, revealing what he needed in exchange for the favor. ¡°100 Magic Crystals, 50 Magic Stones, and two Portal Gates of any tier. Also, if any Spheres the guild acquires in the dungeonter, they eventually will be mine. It doesn¡¯t matter how many they are.¡± Dal-soo widened his eyes, hearing the condition. If converted into money, it was more than half the price of a tier-5 Portal Gate. It was pretty reasonable considering the odds obtained in the dungeon and the increased safety of the hunters. The only problem was that it was not money but in the form of goods. Magic Crystals were still better to ask for as a condition, but Magic Stones were quite tough to provide. That was because not many people were willing to sell those items. ¡°Deal. We¡¯ll be going to the tier-5 Portal Gate in two weeks. See youter that day at the Demigod guild headquarters.¡± Dal-soo agreed without hesitation. Both items only needed time to prepare. If necessary, the broker could get ordered to do the task. Tough didn¡¯t mean it was impossible. Hundreds of millions of won were easy for S-rank hunters and above. For them, what was difficult was to spend the money, but the desired item was scarce or not avable. The Demigod Guild had many spare Portal Gates. Clearly, one or two more given to Ji-woo wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Dal-soo. He also didn¡¯t think much of the Sphere either because he didn¡¯t know what it was for and why Ji-woo needed it wasn¡¯t his priority. Now, with Ji-woo definitely on the list of hunters in Team Vanguard, he could choose the other hunters calmly and leisurely. At the very least, his prediction of them sessfully closing the Portal Gate was up by about 10 percent. The hunters have rarely entered the tier-5 Portal Gates. It was because of the danger, and it was different from lower-tier Portal Gates. The size of the dungeon was like that of a city in developed countries. That also meant the number of creatures was quite a lot more than usual. In South Korea, during the seven years of the Portal Gate, only three times have hunters ever entered the tier-5 Portal Gate. Two of them ended in failure, and one seeded with high casualties. As for the tier-6 Portal Gate, only once did the hunter enter it. And the result was unsatisfactory, aka no sess at all. That was why the tier-5 and tier-6 Portal Gates needed preparation to be able to close sessfully. It couldn¡¯t get done halfway. Previously, there was fresh news that came for the hunters and the people in South Korea. The Artates Guild managed to storm the tier-5 Portal Gate dungeon with few casualties. That made them one of the guilds with the best record and could be considered the best guild in the world among several other guilds. This news certainly made the head of the Demigod guild even more excited to enter the tier-5 Portal Gate after previously having nned for it. And Dal-soo got assigned to take care of recruiting hunters with the skills needed in the dungeon. ¡°Am I asking too little? Anyway, it¡¯s good for me. The more Portal Gates I have, the more my wealth will grow.¡± Ji-woo tilted his head while looking at the back of Dal-soo walking in the distance. What was meant by wealth was money and magic items which definitely got needed for his n. His goal was to make the country of South Korea free from the Portal Gate and began by making the Mapo district free from those threats. It would start when he had sufficient funds and left the Demigod guild. That would happen after the tier-5 Portal Gate. It was the only way he could ensure the safety of his family. However, Ji-woo needed to postpone his ns because the price of a factory cost billions of won, especially one that was in the same area as an office building. He shook his head and walked away from where he stood to observe Dong-hyun and Yu-jin earlier. Just thinking about it wouldn¡¯t solve it. He better called Seok-jin and asked if there was a Portal Gate avable. Time was money. And it could be an activity to pass the time while waiting for the Nullifier to refine Rare Mana from the Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere. On the other side of the universe, in Redredane, the Sanctum of the Dead. The Lycanthrope, Bane, was talking to the Great Warlock inside therge stone castle. ¡°The new door already has the restriction lifted. You can go over there and take care of it, Bane. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord. This subordinate of yours will not disappoint.¡± ¡°How about Tor¡¯zek?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been obedient these past few days. He never once expressed his displeasure despite having to go in and out of that unrestricted door.¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s good. But, why does your face look displeased with that?¡± ¡°Milord, Lucifer is too close to Tor¡¯zek to the point that I feel the Doom Bringer is no longer your subordinate.¡± Bang! The Great Warlock hit the handle of the steel throne hard. He was angry at Bane¡¯s words. The Seven General Redredane were the most powerful subordinates of the Great Warlock who should only obey him. He could take that as treason from General Redredane, Tor¡¯zek. However, he couldn¡¯t just express his anger. Moreover, if he really had to behead Tor¡¯zek under the pretext of treason, then the army under him would not remain silent. The Great Warlock didn¡¯t want a civil war between the creatures that lived in Redredane to happen. It would cause theirbat power drastically to drop before they could take over a new world to inhabit. He tried to suppress his anger and told Bane to let the matter go. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I will kill Tor¡¯zek if he dares to disobey me!¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Bane bowed his head and left the room, leaving the Great Warlock alone. Elsewhere in Redredane, Tor¡¯zek stood in front of the unrestricted door that he needed to protect. The door was simr to the Portal Gate on earth. And the size was big, the same as tier-6. Before long, a creature with a hood came carrying a dwarf toward Tor¡¯zek. ¡°My lord. I brought what you asked for from Redredane prison. No one knows about this, and you can do as you please.¡± ¡°Good. Leave it here. You can go back to the prison.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The creature with the hood left Tor¡¯zek and the dwarf alone. Tor¡¯zek then red at the dwarf while asking. ¡°From where you came from, is there a creature that can match a Mana user without Mana?¡± The dwarf gulped and replied while stuttering. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Chapter 116: Unforeseen Danger Chapter 116: Unforeseen Danger The next day, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin arrive with news of the tier-4 Portal Gate. Ji-woo was speechless when the two of them talked about it at his mother¡¯s ce. Luckily, Elijah didn¡¯t really listen to that because she was busy with her own business preparing the food stall. He didn¡¯t understand why Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were so excited about their sess in the dungeon raid. Coming so early to tell him about it, which he himself wasn¡¯t interested in knowing. But, what could he do? He was no longer a General in the great war, who had to keep an eye on his back from assassin attacks. He no longer needed to push the people around him away so as not to be dragged into death. You could say he had lost his fangs as a fierce fighter who only thought about killing. It was also probably because there was his biological family that made his heart soft a little. He couldn¡¯t always put on a serious face that craved blood all the time. Thus, it scared his family instead of protecting them. Or, maybe because the situation on earth was considerably peaceful despite the cmity making him rx and lower his alertness. Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter as he was prettyfortable with the way things were now. The Portal Gate clearing would proceed as it should, and the Mapo district would get free from the threat. ¡°Alright, you two. Calm down a bit. Don¡¯t bother if you guys don¡¯t help.¡± Ji-woo then dragged the two hunters aside after helping his mother with the chores. He ends up listening to Dong-hyun¡¯s long story, while Yu-jin only adds a few words to the narrative, despite putting on a bored face throughout. Sometimes he found it funny to watch Yu-jin talk about what they went through in the dungeon. The naughty woman could get excited too, thought Ji-woo. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin¡¯s bberingsts until noon. Ji-woo then rose from his seat. He felt that being a listener was more tiring than fighting. After the two hunters said goodbye, Ji-woo said that training could get done without him. There was already nothing he could teach Dong-hyun and Yujin. So, there was no point in training together. However, he made concessions if the two of them wanted to spar with him. He would dly amodate the request. Ji-woo didn¡¯t return to his house and went elsewhere. After talking to Dal-soo yesterday, he called Seok-jin on his way back, asking about the avable Portal Gates. Incidentally, there was one ready, and that was a tier-4 Portal Gate. But, that one was more expensive than before, and Ji-woo had to spend 470 million won for it. This time the ce he came to was Jiri Mountain. Pretty quiet even though the area was one of the famous ces in South Korea. Ji-woo walked for a while and finally saw the tier-4 Portal Gate, which had a radius of 4 meters. He then found a small wooden house that he had seen before. Seok-jin informed him that the Portal Gate got neglected, and the price was a little high since there was a shrine for gatekeepers. At first, Ji-woo was indifferent about it because he didn¡¯t feel anything strange. It wasn¡¯t until he heard Seok-jin¡¯s exnation that he understood why he didn¡¯t find the ce odd. The concept was the same as the artifact outfits the porters wore when they entered the Portal Gate. The shrine got made to counter the Mana impact of the Portal Gate in a small area. And the gatekeeper was able to do his job without getting hurt because of it. ¡°No wonder it costs more. Sigh.¡± Ji-woo then walked to enter the Portal Gate. But, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked back and found nothing. He shook his head and continued on his way. Zap, Zap¨C Not long after Ji-woo entered, a woman appeared from the bush. The woman had a slim body and the same height as him. Her slender waist was gorgeous and seductive. No man could turn away their eyes when they saw that impressive body figure. ¡°Strange. Did that brat know I was here when he looked back? I almost erased my Mana presence. And in this state, no one should be able to detect it. Hm, interesting.¡± The woman came closer to the tier-4 Portal Gate and spoke fluent Japanese. ¡°I guess I should go in. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been in a dungeon anyway. It¡¯s been pretty boring out here anyway. Tch, don¡¯t care about Pride. Even if he¡¯s mad, he won¡¯t be able to do anything to me.¡± The woman stared at the Portal Gate for a moment then sped her hands together. A bright red light appeared out of nowhere, and a wooden staff fell into the woman¡¯s hands. She spun the wooden staff a few times with one hand, and then she grinned. ¡°This is going to be fun, Soul Destroyer!¡± Zap, Zap¨C Zip, Zip¨C Ji-woo was surprised when he first set foot into the dungeon. The environment felt foreign but at the same time soothing. The trees and nts that look fresh, as well as the flowers that were blooming, make the ce seem like not an area suitable for fighting. He strolled leisurely around the area like he was on summer vacation to enjoy the scenery. Before long, he could already sense several Mana entities wandering around aimlessly. But, he still did what he did. He did not panic and did not rush to approach the creatures. Grrwr! Suddenly, There was a grizzly bear that was two times bigger than Ji-woo. The grizzly bear stood with its two legs like a ferocious beast ready to chew anything in front of it. The silver armor that the being wore by the grizzly bear looked very menacing and emitted the death aura. However, Ji-woo just stared at the grizzly bear with his icy cold gaze and bored expression. He didn¡¯t feel any threat at all. The grizzly bear roared and dashed forward, attacking Ji-woo when it saw no reaction from him. Surprisingly, the attacks were fast, and every sh with the ws was enough to damage the surroundings. But, in every strike from the grizzly bear came, Ji-woo would dodge andnd a counter with a punch to some part of the beast¡¯s body. The attacks got stopped. And the grizzly bear went limp, then falling to the ground. Ji-woo approached the bear, who was unable to do anything. Next, he stomped his foot hard on the beast¡¯s head, ending the life of a Portal Gate creature. Not long after, another grizzly bear arrived. It was probably due to hearing the screams of the dead beast earlier. However, Ji-woo had no problem responding to the creature¡¯s attack. The grizzly bear swung its long right-arm fast and hard. Ji-woo dodged by jumping toward the grizzly bear¡¯s right andunching a powerful left-handed punch at the beast¡¯s head. Bang! The grizzly bear fell to the ground, and blood dripped from the beast¡¯s ears, eyes and mouth. Not far away, two grizzly bears were running fast toward Ji-woo ferociously. Ji-woo dodged the beast¡¯s first attack by turning sideways a little. And he immediately continued to attack the grizzly bear that was behind the previous creature. But unfortunately, Ji-woo¡¯s movement stopped because the grizzly bear that passed before had managed tounch a second attack. And the beasts he was about to strike alsounched an attack. So, he had to withstand the two strikes at the same time. Ji-woo used both hands to block the scratches and caused him to bounce far back. Kaboom! Clouds of dust and debris flew everywhere by the explosion that knocked him to the ground. The two grizzly bears think they have won and manage to kill Ji-woo. However, in reality, he appeared above the head of one of the beasts. ¡°It ruined my clothes and made me shabby.¡± Ji-woo then swung his right hand hard andnded a fatal blow on the creature¡¯s head. The other grizzly bears didn¡¯t stay silent at that and ended up attacking mercilessly. Ji-woo jumped off the dead grizzly bear to dodge the ws of the remaining beast. He spun in the air andnded his hands on the head of thest grizzly bear. And he twisted it to break off whilending on the ground. He took a quick breath as the four creatures died so simply. However, his expression immediately turned ugly when he sensed the overwhelming Mana Presence near his area. He felt how powerful the Mana Presence was, even though it wasn¡¯t around him. He turned his gaze to the ce where the Mana Presence wasing from. Inwardly, he wondered whether the Mana user was friend or foe. Ji-woo contemted whether he should go to that ce or stay away from it. Boom! Suddenly, there was a tremendous and vast explosion. There was fire and electricity in the air surrounding the st. Ji-woo could sense that some Mana entities vanished instantly, disappearing into the air. He guessed it was a herd of grizzly bears that died simultaneously in the explosion. But, despite knowing the creatures got killed by it, he still hesitated to approach until he finally raised his face to look up at the sky. A woman was levitating in the air and covered in fire and electricity while holding a wooden staff. ¡°Oh my! I found the boy!¡± Chapter 117: It Seem Equal Chapter 117: It Seem Equal The woman engulfed in the mes and electricity flew toward Ji-woo andnded on the ground nimbly. ¡°Hey, sweetie! At least I found you.¡± Ji-woo smiled wryly at the words that came from a woman¡¯s soft sweet voice despite her appearance like a nasty fire goddess. Those words got said with a soft voice that must be pleasant to hear if the eyes were closed. Unfortunately, Ji-woo couldn¡¯t speak Japanese. So, he didn¡¯t understand what the woman was saying. ¡°You¡¯re interesting. You can kill these creatures effortlessly. But I don¡¯t feel the slightest bit of Mana in you. How did you do that? What are you?¡± The woman returned to her original form, dispelling the mes and electricity that covered her body. The woman was Ohara Momoka, the one who was supposed to meet Ma Dong-seok. However, the n had to change because one of the Portal Gates, which was the key to the final one, got closed. Dong-seok ordered the others to guard the essential Portal Gates in those other countries to avoid any unforeseen troubles like the one in South Korea. Themand was not a problem for the others. But, Momoka instead sulked and ignored the order. All of those things ruined her vacation ns and put her in a foul mood. Dong-seok had no other choice but to let Momoka stay in South Korea. However, the bottom line was not making noise while there. Otherwise, he would have intervened himself to kill Momoka directly. It was indirectly a threat to her and a warning to stop ying around and do her job correctly. Of course, the threat had little effect on Momoka. She had never once taken such a warning seriously. On the other hand, she also knew his goals were the same as Dong-seok and the others. So, she didn¡¯t intend to neglect her duties for long. Today was the day she was supposed to leave for Russia. But it didn¡¯t because Ji-woo¡¯s presence on Jiri Mountain caught her attention. Unexpectedly, a pack of grizzly bears ran toward Momoka and Ji-woo. Neither of them panicked and were still staring at each other. Momoka then swung her left hand in the air without turning around. And a great ze appeared out of nowhere and scorched those dozens of beasts on the spot. The colossal mes zed fiercely as if they almost devoured the other side of the area where Ji-woo and Momoka were standing. There were no grizzly bears left. Even the silver armor that the beasts wore was scorched and melted when hit by the magic. More importantly, it was magic without chanting. It signified that Momoka was a top-ss hunter. Not only that, even her Mana was many times more than Dal-soo and In-ah. ¡°You really are something, aren¡¯t you!? Not even startling at the sight of that kind of magic. Aren¡¯t you surprised that I can wipe out those beasts so casually?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t answer and watched Momoka closely. He could faintly feel a familiar feeling with that kind of Mana before. Before long, he remembered the incident at the cemetery, where he met a man with ck sses. That man and the woman in front of him had the same type of Mana, which was chaos, not serenity like other hunters. ¡°Tch. You even dare to look at me with such disgusting looks. Is it the first time seeing a beautiful woman? Is it because my cleavage is too seductive?¡± Of course, Ji-woo still hadn¡¯t opened his mouth because he didn¡¯t know what Momoka was talking about it. He was also hesitating whether to attack her or try tomunicate first. ¡°What a dirty brat!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s eyes widened when he saw Momoka had closed the distance between them andunched a kick to his face. Kaboom! The movement was fast and agile, leaving Ji-woo no time to respond. He then got thrown backward while rolling on the ground. ¡°Oh? Still alive. It¡¯s surprising. Mana is not detectable at all but has power above S-rank hunter? Heh, who would believe this if I opened my mouth?¡± Momoka could feel the impact of her kick, and Ji-woo didn¡¯t die from it. That must have stunned her considerably, which meant that Ji-woo was a hunter above S-rank. ¡°Apex-ranked? No. No. That level is not this weak. Boy! Get up. I know you¡¯re still alive.¡± Haaa! Ji-woo screamed, and bits of dirt flew in all directions. He appeared after the dust cloud faded away. His appearance was slightly shabby, and blood flowed from his head in line with his left eye. ¡°Right. There¡¯s no need for philosophy or trivial talk here. Just fight without hesitation. There¡¯s no need to understand what this sl*t is talking about it! Misunderstanding or not can get solved by death!¡± Ji-woo threw his Spatial Bag aside and attacked Momoka. The speed with which he was using made her raise her eyebrows. It was fast, almost the same as her! He threw a punch at the woman¡¯s face in retaliation for the initial incident. She calmly raised a wooden staff, and a red translucent shield appeared. Even so, his punch still went through, and Momoka got pushed back a few meters to the back. Momoka frowned. ¡°How could that be?!¡± The red transparent shield could block any physical attack and return it to the attacker with double the original input. Moreover, she also had to get knocked back by the blow, and the wooden staff slipped from her hand. That meant Ji-woo¡¯s raw strength was no joke. She moved her hands like she was rubbing a ball and arge round me appeared, enveloping Ji-woo in it. Not only that, but electricity also appeared around the giant fireball. And thest was water which then wrapped the former two elements into one. Not long after, an explosion urred, and hot smoke covered the area where Ji-woo and Momoka were standing. Woosh¨C Ji-woo instead broke through the hot smoke and threw a kick toward Momoka¡¯s stomach. Momoka, who got surprised that the three fast round cage magic had yielded nothing, was flung and drooling when she got kicked by Ji-woo. However, she didn¡¯t get thrown far and got up right away. She put her hand forward and turned her palm to the sky. Spherical earth, the size of a tennis ball, appeared in her palm. And it was instantly covered by fire and made it likeva. She threw theva ball at Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t dodge the magic and put his palm forward to block it. And when itnded on his palm, theva ball vanished out of nowhere. He didn¡¯t just stand there and continued his attack on Momoka. This time, Momoka didn¡¯t mess around in her fight with Ji-woo. She blocked the kick that got aimed at the head with her left hand. Thenunched a counterattack with a fist toward Ji-woo¡¯s chest. Ji-woo used his left hand to hit Momoka¡¯s right elbow, who threw a punch with her hand, aiming for his chest. Yet, Momoka changed the trajectory of her hand from a straight punch to an uppercut to hit Ji-woo¡¯s chin. Ji-woo got hit from below, and his teeth grind from enduring the attack. s, it was not the end. He got another one in his nose with Momoka¡¯s kneending on it. He spun around andnded on the ground with his feet despite receiving two heavy blows in the face. Anyway, the situation was the opposite. Momoka was angry, and veins bulged on her forehead in spite of her sess in hitting Ji-woo in the face. Meanwhile, Ji-woo just stood there wiping the blood from his nose and mouth without any expressions. ¡°You ignorant brat!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about it. Stop opening your mouth. You d*mn b*tch!¡± Both Momoka and Ji-woo didn¡¯t understand each other¡¯s words. No matter how loud they shouted at each other, the result was the same. They didn¡¯t understand what each other was talking about it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. It seems like all magic doesn¡¯t work on you. So now, the choice is either to fight with raw strength or, Manifestation of Magic.¡± Momoka moved her right hand, and the wooden staff returned to her grasp. She held the wooden staff with both hands and raised it forward at the level of his head. Dozens of long mes arrows appeared above the wooden staff and pointed at Ji-woo. ¡°Magic Manifestation, Arrow Bolts!¡± All those long fire arrows shot toward Ji-woo. And as Momoka guessed, it worked. Ji-woo was no longer holding the magic with his palms or doing body resistance like before. He tried his best to dodge the dozens of fire arrows so he wouldn¡¯t get hit at all. All the long fire arrows that stuck to the ground because they didn¡¯t hit Ji-woo didn¡¯t disappear and were still stuck firmly there. It made Momoka not stop to summon the long fiery arrow. The magic continuously appeared and shot at Ji-woo. ¡°Tsk!¡± Ji-woo clicked his tongue and ducked to avoid another fiery arrow. He then rushed to close the gap with Momoka while neatly dodging each arrow. Momoka smirked and lured Ji-woo to approach by reducing the speed of the fiery arrows shooting at him. Suddenly, a fiery arrow appeared in front of Momoka and shot toward Ji-woo, who was already approaching her. But instead of going through Ji-woo¡¯s head, the fiery arrow got caught with his left hand and continued hitting Momoka on the cheek with his right hand. Chapter 118: Magic Shall not Prevail! Chapter 118: Magic Shall not Prevail! Momoka, who fell to the ground, didn¡¯t feel any significant pain from the blow on her face. She looked sternly at Ji-woo, who was still holding the fire arrow. Previously, she had treated how Ji-woo was able to disperse the magic as part of a trick. And now, the fire element created through Manifestation Magic was held by someone who didn¡¯t use the ability. Magic that went through Manifestation shouldn¡¯t be able to get neutralized or erased like ordinary magic. Even an ArchMage couldn¡¯t do that. Magic Manifestation was the highest maniption ability of all existing elements. Ji-woo threw the ming arrow to the ground. He knew the magic couldn¡¯t dissipate as usual when it made contact with his body. That was why he dodged those attacks. Meanwhile, the fire arrow that Ji-woo threw was still burning and not extinguished. The ground also got scorched because of it. Commonly, hunters would use magic and form it from the elements of nature. However, the magic spell did notst long. And would disappear as if to signify that what got borrowed from nature would return to nature. But, that was not the case with magic that used the Manifestation Magic ability, which wouldn¡¯t disappear unless the user allowed it or died. It was like making magic without anyws of nature at all. Act like a god who created something out of nowhere. ¡°So, you can¡¯t get hurt by magic? Whatever form it takes?¡± Hahaha! Momokaughed while getting up from the ground. He admitted Ji-woo was a being who wouldn¡¯t get hurt by any kind of magic in any form. He also attributed it to the oddity of Ji-woo not having Mana. It made sense since magic required Mana, and Ji-woo didn¡¯t have Mana causing the magic might not work on him. Ji-woo rolled his eyes, displeased at the antics of Momoka, who continued to talk even though the two didn¡¯t understand each other. He charged with full speed, creating a cloud of dust behind his trail. Momoka saw the iing attack, curling her lips. She burst out her Mana Presence and slid to avoid Ji-woo¡¯s punch to his left side. She then hit back with the wooden staff to his stomach. Ji-woo bounced to the ground. Surprisingly, the counterattack was even more painful than before. ¡°Cute boy, who doesn¡¯t know himself. Just because you have a little strength, already feel arrogant and equal to me? How funny. Let this big sister teach you a valuable lesson.¡± Ji-woo got up and wiped the blood from his mouth. Momoka really irritated him to the fullest now. It was because he couldn¡¯t understand a single word every time the woman opened her mouth. ¡°Retarted bitch! Keep on uttering gibberish, and I¡¯ll kill you in a minute!¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t think much of it and charged again toward Momoka. His dash caused a small explosion on the ground where he had been standing before. Momoka smiled gently and increased her Mana Presence again, thus, pumped her overall strength to new highs. She knew what she had to do. She used the Mana she had for meleebat power because all magic would be useless against Ji-woo. She ducked her head to avoid the punch and struck Ji-woo in the stomach again with her wooden staff. But this time, Ji-woo didn¡¯t get pushed back and held the hit pretty well. Ji-woo then grabbed the wooden staff and pulled Momoka closer, trying tond a knee hit on her face. It didn¡¯t work because the knee strike got blocked with Momoka¡¯s right hand. Ji-woo continued the attack with his left hand despite the situation that he and Momoka had clutched each other. However, Ji-woo¡¯s third attempt still didn¡¯t pay off when Momoka opened her mouth and shot a fireball from it. Ji-woo gritted his teeth and endured the attack. Anyway, he got full-blown to the back and rolled several times on the ground, leaving some marks on his way there. Momoka stretched out her right arm, and a fiery sword appeared in her grip. The wooden staff was also covered in electricity and formed a spear on it. She was really solemn and wanted to kill Ji-woo once and for all. She not longer ying around and was curious about Ji-woo¡¯s existence, which was full of mystery because he didn¡¯t have Mana and could enter the Portal Gate. Ignored the absolute rules of the Universe Gateway! She also categorizes Ji-woo as a threat to their ns just based on those weird things he had. She couldn¡¯t let an unforeseen factor undermine her desire to see the world fall into ruin and misery. Ji-woo rose from the ground for the second time in a row. He ignored the blood in his mouth. But instead, he held his chest, which got hit by the fireball. It was a Magic Manifestation, and he couldn¡¯t totally dissolve it. His armor got charred on the chest, and there were red marks on it. However, he couldn¡¯t rx and instantly got himself together. A spear thrust came swiftly, aiming for the part of his head. He overtook to the side and was lucky to dodge by barely scratching his skin. Even though the Magic Manifestation wouldn¡¯t work on him, the sharp-edged part would still be able to injure him. It was like a high-quality weapon. And it could get crafted at will and also appear in the blink of an eye. That was very sneaky and sleazy! Unfortunately, his n to close the distance with Momoka got shattered after the mes sword came from his left. He was motionless and couldn¡¯t help but block the sh if he didn¡¯t want his head to get targeted. He raised his left hand, supported by his right, to make a solid defense. Bang! Momoka was surprised that Ji-woo was able to block the swing of the mes sword. More importantly, she could feel the attack didn¡¯t get connected and did not cause a mortal wound to him. ¡°Tch! Cockroach or what? So hard to kill!¡± She grumbled and attacked again, leaving no room for Ji-woo to breathe. On the other hand, Ji-woo got crushed to the ground again like the previous two for the third time. His appearance was shabby, and dust was all over his body and clothes. His left hand that blocked the mes sword dripped blood onto the ground. There was a cut but not deep in Ji-woo¡¯s forearm. He spat his saliva to the side, not discouraged by the blood. He was ready and weed Momoka¡¯s attack with open arms. Then, he nimbly and swiftly caught the swing of the fire sword from above his head that wanted to sh from top to bottom. He blocked the sh with both his palms and further roared to muster a bit of strength to break the mes sword in two. But, Momoka didn¡¯t just throw the opportunity away, where Ji-woo¡¯s hands were not free. She thrust the electric elemental spear in her left hand into Ji-woo¡¯s right thigh. It broke through, and Ji-woo tried to endure the pain by gnashing his teeth. His two hands quickly grabbed Momoka¡¯s shirt and pulled her closer to him. He mmed his forehead against Momoka¡¯s head. Momoka fell with her eyes closed because the impact was quite painful and made her forehead red, with bruises. She let go of the electric elemental spear on Ji-woo¡¯s thigh. Ji-woo then took out the electric spear and used it to attack Momoka, who fell on the ground. The electrocuting effect didn¡¯t work on him. He kept his movements even though his thigh got pierced and blood was dripping onto the soil. However, Momoka swiftly raised her right hand, and the electric spear stopped mid-strike. No matter how hard Ji-woo pushed the electric spear, the result was the same. It didn¡¯t move one bit. It was because Momoka was the user of the Magic Manifestation. Thus, she was able to control that form of magic however she pleased. Meanwhile, Momoka managed to get up and motioned her right hand. It made the spear slip out of Ji-woo¡¯s grip and back into her hand. Ji-woo also didn¡¯t fluster and kept charging at Momoka. She retaliated against his melee with countless electric spear thrusts. Ji-woo stopped in his tracks and used both hands to block the spear¡¯s rapid thrust. He had no chance to dodge and was unable to approach Momoka further. In just 30 seconds, the area where Ji-woo was standing and defending already got stained with blood. His clothes and skin were scratched and torn irregrly. He finally got pushed back from his original position. Thest thrust of the spear managed to tear down Ji-woo¡¯s defenses. Eventually, His hands fellnguidly. His body was wide open now without any protection. Momoka didn¡¯t say much, immediately stabbed the electric spear into the part where Ji-woo¡¯s heart got located. Ji-woo stood motionless and spurted blood from his mouth. When Momoka drew the spear, blood dripped from his chest and mouth until he finally fell to his knees and then copsed to the ground. ¡°Heh, what have I told you before? Brat, you¡¯re dead! Ugh, my forehead hurts so bad!¡± Momoka dispersed the electric element on her wooden staff and massaged her neck. Suddenly, she heard the voices of two people saying the same sentence. ¡°Magic shall not prevail!¡± Chapter 119: The Origin Chapter 119: The Origin ¡®This can¡¯t go on! I need to break through this barrage of thrusts!¡¯ Ji-woo thought as he tried to step forward, enduring the cuts and scrapes on his body. He didn¡¯t have an option to retreat. It was because when he ran away, the woman would not stop chasing him. He refused to admit that the woman was more powerful than him. But in fact, every single step got taken, the defense would get a more intense barrage of spear thrusts. And the electric element made the spearhead exceptionally sharp. He couldn¡¯t hold on for long, and finally, a thrust of the spear grazed his hand and shoulder at the same time. The cut was quite deep, and it knocked down his defenses, then his hand went down on its own as it had no more energy after being used up to prate forward. Jleb! Ji-woo¡¯s eyes widened, and a handful of blood spurted from his mouth. He fell on his knees and copsed to the ground not long after. ¡®I-I can¡¯t fall here. I can¡¯t die! I promised my family! Nullifiers! Help me!¡¯ Ji-woo¡¯s vision became blurry, and his eyes slowly began to dim. He felt further and further away from his consciousness. Slowly but surely, deep in his subconscious, he seemed to see a vige with his own eyes. It was like a dream but felt real. Ji-woo knew it was only in his mind, but it was as if he couldn¡¯t get out of the memory. There were about 300 residents, who all had some pattern all over their bodies in the vige. Everyone¡¯s figure was great and healthy. Their eyes have a characteristic sky blue color that distinguishes them from other humans. However, those residents live on the run. It was because their presence never got epted by anyone or ce. Their existence was said to bring disaster. Where they were, Mana which was a gift from God, would not exist. They were all shunned and pelted with pebbles so that Mana was present in the lives of people who were different from them. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was the elderly, women, or children. All got unfairly treated and abused arbitrarily. Inevitably, the residents decided to leave the vige and look for a new ce to live. But that night, a cmity befell those 300 residents. Their vige got burned, and everyone got killed. Each corpse had its head chopped off and arranged into a pile like a tomb. Everyone whomitted that massacreughed while watching the fire that scorched the vige without guilts or sins. They believed that they had eradicated the demons that were blocking Mana from being present in their lives. And soon, God would bless them with it. Not long after the perpetrators of the massacre returned home, a viger with some pattern on his body and blue eyes came to the scorched vige. His body trembled at what had happened, and tears of blood spilled out uncontrobly. He knelt before a pile of skulls that were still hot from being scorched. He screamed with all his might, unable to contain the sadness and anger. He hit his head on the ground 299 times while wing at the soil with his bare hands. After that, he rose from his worship and stood up straight, looking in a direction, which was the direction of another human residence not far from his vige. He hugged his body and wed his shoulders straight to his chest. It shattered his clothes and damaged the patterns on his body that had be a symbol of his tribe. He walked far, day and night, without stopping. Ji-woo, who saw such a scene, also clenched his fists in anger. But, what could the audience do? Nothing, other than just seeing the tragedy from start to finish. The wandering man who had walked hundreds of kilometers had finally met a Sage. A supreme mage was unaffected by the man¡¯s curse. The man was intrigued because the Mana that would disappear if he got close to him didn¡¯t happen. The supreme mage could perform any magic even when he was near and touched by the wandering man. Ji-woo felt familiar with the appearance of the Sage. He thought he had seen someone simr to that supreme mage. The wandering man begged to be taught magic but got no response. For a year, he begged but tly got rejected by the supreme mage because Mana was not a gift for people like him. Hearing that, the wandering man was furious and did not ept that his tribe was said to be unblessed. The supreme mage sighed and endured the man¡¯s insults and blows gracefully. Not long after, the wandering man regained hisposure as he wept bitterly. He said that he and his tribe should not have been born if they didn¡¯t get blessed. The supreme mage dismissed the statement by saying that every life has its own role. No matter strong or weak, bnce in the world would always exist. In the end, unable to bear to see the man¡¯s misery, the supreme mage took out two Spheres from his Spatial Ring. It was the Chrono Sphere and Darkness Sphere. The magic stuff was said to be trash in the eyes of magicians. The supreme mage said that these two Spheres would give the wandering man the strength to survive. But, on the other hand, it might also kill him. That was a double-edged sword. The wandering man didn¡¯t mind and took the two Spheres. His path was at a dead end, either living for his own ends or dying with sorrow. He then thanked the supreme mage and asked his name. The Sage said that his name was Jonathan March. Ji-woo was surprised to hear the name and wondered if the supreme mage had something to do with Stormrage. What was more, he just realized that their stature was simr between the Sage and Stormrage. The wandering man returned to the vige that had no traces after two years of his absence. He held the two Spheres and broke them without hesitation. Two Rare Mana flew through the air and entered the wandering man¡¯s body without warning. The man groaned in pain for three days straight until he finally calmed down. Not long after, he opened his eyes and felt an immense power in his body, even though it wasn¡¯t from Mana. The wandering man clenched his hands together and vented his anger by running towards the ce where the humans who ughtered his tribe lived. He retaliated bymitting the same massacre. Everyone died with their heads separated from their bodies. However, after the massacre, the wandering man¡¯s anger did not subside. His hatred grew even more toward the Mana users. He screamed and went elsewhere,mitting murders that had nothing to do with his revenge. Everyone got terrorized by a sadistic killer who could not get defeated and killed by any magician for months. Even the royal soldiers and swordmasters couldn¡¯t do anything against the killer. The supreme mage must finally step in to restore peace to theirnd. However, he was saddened to learn the identity of the killer. He felt guilty and responsible for the cmity that befell many innocent people who died. If the Sage knew the wanderer¡¯s story, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to give the man that power. Revenge was not the answer to problems. The supreme mage killed the wandering man, stopping the murderous madness that had been going on for months. He must nullify the soul. And say that one day, there would be a human who can use the cursed soul properly. And hope the wandering man rested in peace. Ji-woo, who saw all these events, took a deep breath. He had the idea that the memories that existed seemed to indicate the origin of the Nullifier. Suddenly, the wandering man¡¯s soul stood right in front of Ji-woo, who was only there acting as a spectator and should not get seen by anyone. ¡°Hatred and strife, death and destruction, despair and regret, sorrow and loss. These are what I carry with me when I die. And you as the bearer of my soul must not die before the timees. You must feel and suffer as I perceived. ¡°Begone!¡± Ji-woo felt pain in his ears when he heard the wanderer¡¯s screams and immediately woke up in the real world. He then opened his eyes which turned dark blue and floated above the ground. ¡°Magic shall not prevail!¡± Ji-woo spoke in a heavy tone and reverberated two voices from his mouth. Momoka, who heard the strange voice and words, turned around. She was surprised to see Ji-woo hovering above the ground. ¡°Impossible! Your heart has got pierced by the electric spear! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re dead!¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t react. Around his body began to emit strong winds that swirled like a circle. The wind even put pressure on Momoka. The surroundings shook, and the ground debris got lifted into the air. ¡°Filthy Mana User, submit to me so that death doesn¡¯t touch your neck.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s two voices were overbearing and oppressive. However, Momoka didn¡¯t understand the words and cast a powerful magic spell that could be stronger with the wind. A tremendous fire burst out and pounced as if it wanted to devour Ji-woo into it. Ji-woo, who got devoured by the explosion of the enormous fire, emitted a powerful shockwave and swept through the surroundings. The ground beneath him shattered, and debris flew everywhere. Momoka was no exception. She got pushed back even though she had used the invisibility magic shield to block the shockwave. Chapter 120: The Tables have Turned Chapter 120: The Tables have Turned The wind from the shockwave that swept the area around Ji-woo abruptly returned to him forcibly. It made Momoka, who had got pushed back, get pulled forward. She couldn¡¯t apprehend the current situation. Even the matter of Ji-woo being alive still left her confused and wondering how. Anyhow, to avoid being pulled forward, she stuck her wooden staff into the ground and used earth magic to create a boulder to block the suction. Suddenly, the sucking wind stopped. The atmosphere was calm and quiet. Momoka frowned. She briefly tried to peek while leaning against the boulder, only to find that Ji-woo wasn¡¯t where he floated before. She reflexively looked left and right while trying to sense the presence of Mana around there. She looked back at the front, behind the boulder, after finding no trace of Ji-woo. ¡°From this moment, none shall withstand me!¡± Momoka didn¡¯t know the words the voice spoke. But, she knew it was Ji-woo and immediately turned her face andunched a punch with her right hand nimbly. Ji-woo also reacted quickly and raised his right arm to ward off the blow. The right arm continued to circle the head once and then hit Momoka¡¯s stomach with the palm. The blow was so powerful that the boulder also shattered because Momoka got thrown violently. Kaboom! Momoka crashed heavily onto the ground and left a deep pit. She tried to get up and sit up, coughing up blood several times. She became angry, and veins popped out of her temples when she saw the blood on her hand. She stared with fury and hatred at the still hovering Ji-woo. Ji-woo didn¡¯t float as high as before. So, it was veryfortable descending to the ground. Momoka took advantage of the opportunity and summoned dozens of fire arrows mixed with electric elements with the Magic Manifestation technique. Previously, it had managed to get Ji-woo in a pinch. So, there was no reason not to use it. Without further ado, she immediately shot dozens of arrows with thebined part. Meanwhile, she enveloped her wooden staff with the electric element on the spot. ¡°I shall bring an end to magic!¡± Ji-woo¡¯s two voices resounded, exuding an overbearing and oppressive aura. The ground shook, and he raised his arms forward at the level of his shoulders. ¡°The curse of my soul, Nullifier!¡± Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in front of Ji-woo¡¯s palm. And it immediately condensed into two weapons. It was a dual sword with one sharp edge. It was his power to project weapons, such as two small twin swords with the same shape. The overall length of one weapon was about 49 cm, with a de width of 11 cm. One sword color was sky blue and amethyst, while the other sword was denim and ck. Ji-woo grabbed the two short swords and rebuked all those mixed element arrows, repelled them to the ground, and broke it into two. He did so effortlessly and didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. Momoka narrowed her eyes. ¡®To be able to break an arrow in half requires a Magic Manifestation for it. But, the boy was clearly devoid of Mana. How could he do that? What he is?!¡¯ She bit her lips and stretched out her right arm, and a fiery sword materialized in her grip. She had a bad feeling about this. Her nervousness hadn¡¯t gone away since Ji-woo got up again. On the spur of the moment, Ji-woo appeared beside Momoka, who just got up from the ground and swung a sword with sky blue and amethyst color in his left hand. Momoka was clearly taken aback by the surprise attack and didn¡¯t expect Ji-woo to close their distance in an instant. There was no sign that Ji-woo was running toward him, Even though they were pretty far apart. And Ji-woo¡¯s appearance seemed to have appeared in a blink out of nowhere. She had no other choice but to parry with the fiery sword in her right hand. She didn¡¯t even have time to set up a barrier to it. Bang! The mes sword instantly broke into two, and Momoka got thrown far away from where she stood before. Kaboom! A tremendous rumble urred where Momoka got thrown. She immediately got up on her knees, spewing handfuls of blood onto the ground. Her right shoulder and stomach hurt so much every time she made any movement. Unbelievable! It was not easy to beat her. Even an ArchMage couldn¡¯t y around like this if they fought. However, she was now suffering a lot from just the boy¡¯s two attacks. What was f*ck*ng sh*t tale was that? Momoka¡¯s right hand still trembled from the pain. She stared at Ji-woo, who was a bit far from her. Ji-woo just stood there without any movement and emotion on his face. It was as if the woman he had beaten up meant nothing anymore. ¡°I warn you. And now, I shall kill you.¡± Ji-woo jumped this time instead of blinking like before and swung the sword with denim and ck color in his right hand. Momoka clicked her tongue and used the electric elemental spear to ward off the sh in resignation. Thud! It was the sound that signaled that her spear parry was sessful. Ji-woo fell silent at that, while Momoka swiftly enveloped her body in mes and flew away from him, taking advantage of the luck of the block. Momoka floated in the air with mes all over her body like a unique fire element beast. She wondered why she was able to block the sh. ¡®I know now. The one on the left was a sword capable of breaking Magic Manifestation, while the one on the right was not. It¡¯s probably just an ordinary weapon. So, it¡¯s not capable of destroying my electric spear. ¡®Well. Now I only need to be wary of the sword in his left hand. And everything will be good.¡¯ Ji-woo, who looked at Momoka, who was only floating in the air without doing anything, tilted his head. Not long, he jumped with full force, causing the ground to shatter. Momoka had anticipated that. She instantly dispelled the electric element and used her wooden staff to counter Ji-woo¡¯s attack. She then dispelled the mes in her body. ¡°Soul Destroyer, Nightmare!¡± Both Momoka and Ji-woo immediately fell to the ground in different positions. One fell on her two feet, and the other knelt down as if he was sleeping. ¡°Finally! I can¡¯t do it if the distance is too far. That¡¯s why I waited for you to get close. And I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t use the ability that can appear in an instant again. But now, I will kill you even if it has to be hundreds of times!¡± Momoka lowered her head and took the sky blue and amethyst colored sword in Ji-woo¡¯s left hand. She retreated far back quickly while holding the weapon in her right hand. She felt ufortable being around Ji-woo. Thus, she nned to kill Ji-woo remotely with Magic Manifestation. Unexpectedly, she felt Mana rapidly get drained from her body. Her eyes immediately fell on the sword in her right hand. Blood vessels were visible in that hand. She realized that her Mana had got sucked into the weapon at an rming rate. She panicked and immediately tried to remove and throw the sky blue and amethyst colored sword. But, no matter how much effort she put in, the weapon couldn¡¯t get separated. She even threw the wooden staff and tried to release the sword with both hands. In the midst of her panic and fear, Momoka turned her face to where Ji-woo was. But instead, she got surprised that Ji-woo was in front of her eyes, stabbing denim and ck colored sword into her stomach. She coughed up blood and didn¡¯t do anything after that. It was because her Mana also got drained at the same time. So, the energy she had was already at the limit. ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t get sleep by that!? It didn¡¯t work?¡± Ji-woo took the sky blue and amethyst colored sword from Momoka¡¯s hand, ignoring her. Hahaha¨C Momokaughed while feeling helpless. From the first year of the Portal Gate until now, she had never weakened. Instead, she was getting stronger to the point of being able to match the ArchMage. But why would a boy like Ji-woo appear out of nowhere and have powers that go against Mana? That was not fair! Momoka¡¯s eyes started to dim, and because her Mana was running low, she didn¡¯t have much strength to retaliate anymore. The catastrophe began when Ji-woo got resurrected. She mustered the remaining strength she had and made a desperate move by taking out the Dungeon Bead she had from the start before fighting Ji-woo. In her head, there was only escaping as an atonement for her weakness. She was no longer able to think clearly at the moment of her death. Scretzh¨C Ji-woo shed Momoka¡¯s neck with the blue sky and amethyst colored sword without giving much thought about it. He then pulled out the denim and ck colored sword from her stomach. ¡°Manaes from God and shall return to God.¡± Chapter 121: Wrath: Four Red Gates Chapter 121: Wrath: Four Red Gates Momoka miscalcted to think the other swords weren¡¯t as important as the others. The Dual Swords especially got made from Nullifier by matching the Rare Mana characteristics of the two Spheres. The sword that Momoka didn¡¯t pick up was the one that gave Ji-woo the ability to open the dimension of space. That was why he could appear in the blink of an eye without any sign of running or jumping. Even though the distance to change ces in an instant wasn¡¯t far, it was sufficient inbat. The only drawback was that the ability couldn¡¯t get used in a row. There was a cool down to be able to use it again. Momoka should have disarmed both weapons regardless of the direct impact of one of the Dual Swords. Well, in the end, it took his life. Even if the two swords got taken from Ji-woo¡¯s hands, he still had no chance of winning. Ji-woo was at his pinnacle. It didn¡¯t have any downsides at all, even though the power got used by force. He looked around and then saw Momoka¡¯s head on the ground. Not long after, he floated again like before. The surface trembled again, and the debris rose into the air. A gust of wind raged around the area. Teng, Teng¨C The Dual Swords fell to the ground along with the debris. After them, Ji-woo was thest one that came down to the soil, kneeling. His eyes got reverted to normal and were no longer dark blue colored ones. Hosh, Hosh¨C Ji-woo was breathing heavily. He was sweating all over his body. Everything that happened could not get said to be his doing, but he was aware of what had happened. It was the first time he got possessed by the Nullifier. His cursed soul should have neither ego nor the ability to take over the body. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m on the verge of death?¡¯ Ji-woo got up, still gasping for air. He nced at the Dungeon Bead that Momoka had dropped while contemting his next move. If he used that item, Momoka¡¯s unraveled body and head woulde out with him. That was the only way out since he wasn¡¯t the one who killed the Dungeon Owner. It was a different story if the Dungeon Bead didn¡¯t exist. Then, he would be able to get out in a few moments after the Dungeon Owner and the creature¡¯s killer also died. He turned and looked at the Dual Swords. He raised both his hands and put his palms forward. ¡°Long time no see.¡± He smiled subtly. ¡°Diffusal de and Shadow de, return!¡± Zip, Zip¨C The Dual Swords disappeared into the air. Ji-woo then went to retrieve the Dungeon Bead and went to find the Spatial Bag he had thrown earlier. After some time, Ji-woo came out of the dungeon, and he saw Momoka¡¯s body and head not far from his position. It was a really awful sight. However, he had gotten used to it. He was considering whether to leave it or to clean it up. Suddenly, before he could decide what to do with the woman¡¯s body and head, his breath hitched, and he fell to the ground. He groaned in pain while holding his left chest. His body instantly shrunk and was as skinny as bones. His clothes became too big, and the weights loosened too. In that instant, he immediately fell unconscious on the spot without knowing what was going on. When he was in pain earlier, Ji-woo had time to conclude that it happened because his true strength got forced to perfection before the time came. It was why he got that bacsh probably. And it caused him to doubt whether the peak power had really returned or was it just that one time. Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers from Jiri mountain, there were dangers that the hunters and the Hunters Association were unaware of it. Seoul, Mapo district. A sparkle of Mana fluctuation hade into sight amidrge crowds and in an urban area. Several people noticed it immediately. ¡°Th-That¡­, isn¡¯t that the sign of a Portal Gate that usually gets reported on tv?¡± ¡°That s-seems true.¡± ¡°We h-have to run from here.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no wait. RUN! NOW!¡± The people ran screaming and banging on local doors or walls along the way. The panic soon turned into chaos and caused riots in the streets. The crowd was jostling away from where the Portal Gate would appear. Mana Impact was not a trivial matter. There were cases where ordinary humans died because of it. Luckily, there were some people who could still think a little calmer and called the police and the Hunter¡¯s Association about the incident. The police and the Hunters Association responded quickly and did so ording to the procedure. However, unexpectedly, incidents like the one in Mapo district also urred in three other areas. It caused the Hunters Association to get baffled by the sudden turn of events. Inevitably, Chief Lee immediately mobilized all personnel in his division to go down to the field to monitor the situation. What they needed to pay attention to was the possibility of it turning into a Red Gate. That the four points were in four districts at once, which meant they were close tomoners. The threat of injuries increased dramatically than usual. Chief Lee only took about 12 minutes to get to the Jongno district because it was not far from Seoul. Everything was under control now, and the police have also brought order to the crowds crammed into the streets. Yet, it was not that simple. Chief Lee¡¯s face twitched when he saw the Mana fluctuation in front of him. It was true that a Portal Gate appeared, but the problem was, it would soon turn into a Red Gate. ¡°Bring my gear in the car here. You all need to change gears too. ¡°And how are things in the other three districts?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know yet, Chief. We¡¯re still trying to reach them now.¡± Soon, the Mana density grew thicker, and the size increased as well. Chief Lee clicked his tongue when he saw that. Now, he could predict what they would deal withter. And with a heavy heart, he took a deep breath. ¡°Tell the police to evacuate people out of the capital city of Seoul. And also ask the army to put a blockade in this district. I don¡¯t want anymoners within a kilometer radius.¡± The personnel knew the meaning behind Chief Lee¡¯s orders. They saw the Portal Gate, which was about to turn into the Red Gate. Its size was a radius of 4 meters. It was practically equivalent to tier-4. And that meant the creatures that woulde out were high-grade ones. Other low-ranked hunters and possibly B-rank hunters wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with those creatures unless they moved in a team of 10 to 20 hunters of equal rank. Only then did they have a chance to fight. Before long, the news reached Chairman Yu¡¯s ears. However, the report stated it was more dangerous than just a tier-4 equivalent of a Red Gate. Four districts, four Red Gates. And on top of that, all of them were equivalent to a tier-4 Portal Gate, meaning it would be the high-grade creatures they would faceter on. The roles of A-rank and S-rank hunters were needed there. As for the Apex-rank, Hyun-bin. Chairman Yu was still considering where to put South Korea¡¯s strongest hunter in such a pressed condition. The situation was moreplicated than the previous 20 Red Gate cases. The four districts got located around the city of Seoul. Undoubtedly, Seoul would get isted from the outside when the soldiers put up a blockade on the four districts. For safe evacuation, the Hunters Association, soldiers, and police had to transport people to the borders of the capital city of Seoul in order to reach other areas. That was a difficult thing considering Seoul had a poption of around 9 million people. If only one Red Gate appeared, Chairman Yu wouldn¡¯t have bothered about it. However, in reality, there were four, and it was clear that the creatures they would face were on par with their high-ranking hunters. And a fight that was definitely inevitable would cause environmental damage. If the evacuation was not timely and the hunters failed to contain the high-level creatures. It got predestined that the victims suffered by South Korea would exceed the Mapo incident not long ago. Chairman Yu immediately rushed over and mobilized all his members until they almost emptied their headquarters building. The guilds that got contacted were also immediately moved, especially those based in Seoul. On the other hand, it benefited the hunters even though the four Red Gates appeared in the middle of each district, causing chaos. It was because they would automatically get to the scene faster than usual. Chairman Yu departed in the helicopter they had purchased from the Portal Gate¡¯s sales revenue after deducting the costs for construction repairs and expenses for the victims of the Portal Gate disaster. He boarded with three other hunters in it. He massaged his temples on the way. ¡°Has South Korea provoked God¡¯s wrath to get hit by this disaster in a row?¡± Chapter 122: Wrath: Isolation Zone Chapter 122: Wrath: Istion Zone The Red Gate in Mapo district was already in a state of battle. The high-level creatures that appeared were white wolves. The beast¡¯s height was 1.5 meters and 3 meters long. Each white wolf weighs 230 kg. The beasts were also wearing golden armor that looked gleaming. Not only that, but the golden armor also emitted a sinister aura. Fortunately, in the beginning, the lineup of the hunters had got arranged. If there were now E-rank and D-rank hunters, they certainly wouldn¡¯t budge against the sinister aura and the grinding of the teeth of the white wolves, which sounded unpleasant. There were no S-rank hunters in the ce for the time being. It consisted of only A-rank and B-rank hunters. Meanwhile, C-rank hunters stood guard at a considerable distance. The total hunters at the Red Gate were approximately 50 people from various medium guilds and the top three guilds. They originally nned to directly kill the creature that came out of the Red Gate. But, the reality was bitter. The white wolves that came out were not just one beast, but dozens of them. And the number reached 13 white wolves. Overall, it was 50 against 13. On paper, it was a situation where the hunters outnumbered the beasts. But in reality, the 13 white wolves couldn¡¯t get managed with just two hunters. On the record, all three hunters were A-ranks, a minimum of three hunters for one beast. That meant it would take at least 40 hunters of A-rank for it. Unfortunately, their formation wasn¡¯t that fancy. There were only 10 A-rank hunters in ce. Inevitably, the lineup was four or five hunters for that one white wolf. One A-rank and one B-rank while the rest got filled by C-ranks. A fight finally broke out, and sure enough, the scale of the damage was greater than fighting the creature from the case of the 20 Red Gates. At least, the buildings and roads in the Red Gate area with a radius of 30 meters got destroyed. Traces of magic hade into sight everywhere. The hunters couldn¡¯t fight while holding back. What they encountered were not just ordinary beasts. Those creatures have tremendous power and speed. Moreover, with the glittering golden armor, all the magic that got cast was unable to prate the defenses of the white wolves. But that didn¡¯t mean the hunters were in a slump against the beasts that looked very strong. They could still hold on to their ground even at a disadvantage. The weapons and magic items that the hunters had could substitute magic spells that didn¡¯t work on opponents who had strong defenses. Moreover, high-ranking hunters usually used the best quality armor and magic weapons in their battles. ¡°We can¡¯t hold out much longer. We need at least one S-rank hunter here as a ymaker to control the rhythm of the fight.¡± Shortly after, the A-rank hunter shouted hisint. Suddenly, a white wolf broke through the defense and pounced on the leg of one of the hunters with its sharp teeth. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°F*ck it! We were careless! Bring the wounded to the back. Don¡¯t let him bleed to death and take care of him. The Godly Doctor could regenerate a stumped limb.¡± Two C-rank hunters and one B-rank hunter came to repel the white wolves that had entered the defense of their formation. Meanwhile, the A-rank hunter who was busy giving the instructions was surprised when he noticed a white wolf swooping down on him. ¡°Sh*t! He quickly used lightning magic to restrain the beast¡¯s advance. However, it didn¡¯t work because the white wolf¡¯s golden armor counteracted the paralyzing effect. That kept the creature¡¯s pace from being slowed down. As a result, the A-rank hunter¡¯s left arm had to get bitten to avoid the white wolf¡¯s fangs targeting his head. The A-rank hunter knew he couldn¡¯t waste the opportunity because the white wolf was in such close proximity. He directly plunged his broadsword into the lower part of the neck, which was not protected by the golden armor. ¡°Attack where the armor isn¡¯t covered before this beast breaks my arm and retreats! ¡°Now!¡± The A-rank Hunters ordered other hunters to attack with their magic weapons. Not with magic spells. Even though he sacrificed his left arm to be bitten by the beast, that didn¡¯t mean he gave up on his life. The four hunters immediately reacted after hearing and seeing the situation. Meanwhile, the white wolf began to realize that its bite would be a trap if it didn¡¯t retreat immediately. The A-rank hunter caught a glimpse of the beast¡¯s movement, instantly twisted the broadsword that still got stuck in its neck. The white wolf endured the painful cry and tried to release its teeth without intending to force the hunter¡¯s arm to break. The beast managed to escape while groaning a little and letting the broadsword stuck in its lower neck. Jleb! Two swords and a spear seed pierce the white wolf in the uncovered part of the golden armor. The beast realized it had received a wound that could hinder its movement, so it gave up its intention to return to the other white wolves near the Red Gate. The white wolf waved its body, and all the hunters got thrown back. The beast opened its mouth and gritted its fangs. The appearance of the creature looked ferocious with the weapons stuck in its body. Aurggh! Scretzh¨C The white wolf¡¯s howl didn¡¯tst long when an A-rank hunter appeared beside him and instantly severed the beast¡¯s head through the sword stuck at the bottom of its neck. ¡°Where are you taking my broadsword? You d*mn dog.¡± The A-rank Hunter then flicked the mes with his broadsword, and the white wolf¡¯s head on the ground was instantly scorched. It ignited the fury of the other white wolves, and they immediately bared their sharp fangs. The battle continued, and slowly but surely, the hunters gained the upper hand. One by one, the white wolves died at their hands, although some were injured and injured to get that result. Now, all that was left were the three white wolves of the 13 beasts. But, that was not the end of a victory that woulde true. Dozens of white wolves came out again from the Red Gate. That was right, therein lied the terrible thing that the Red Gate had. There was no limit to the creatures that woulde out as if it were a door that connected directly to the den of the beasts. The key was the Dungeon Owner, who hadn¡¯t been present in the fight. The A-rank hunters who were there let out their long breaths. Of the 50 hunters, only 30 were able to continue the battle. Many of the rest were seriously injured, and two or three people had died already. It was a grim situation on the hunters¡¯ side. On the other hand, at the evacuation door to get out of the Mapo district, the crowd was still visible and jostling to get out of the war zone. This time the entire Seoul area had got blocked by the army. Only hunters on duty could enter and exit the istion area. There was a thick metal wall that rose above 11 meters from the ground. Every 3-meter interval to the side, there was a machine gun hanging on every wall. That was not all. Several hunters were also guarding the istion wall. It was to suppress the entire area that was in a fighting situation. So as not to spread to other cities. There were four points that became the exit of the istion zone. They were next to the district where the Red Gate was. It was to speed up the evacuation. The Hunter¡¯s Association also ced their Apex-ranked in Seoul to immediately purge all creatures from the Red Gates. They also put one S-rank hunter at each evacuation door. For this incident, only 9 S-rank hunters could be present in Seoul, including Chairman Yu. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were seen at the evacuation door helping the police and soldiers to control the panicked people who wanted to get out of Seoul. ¡°Have you seen Ji-woo hyung¡¯s family?¡± Yu Jin shook her head at Dong-hyun¡¯s question. They originally wanted to go to the Mapo district but were ordered not to approach the Red Gate area. It was because they were only E-rank and D-rank. Even though they were pretty strong and capable of fighting both B-rank and A-rank hunters equally, their Mana capacity was still below average. And that was not the time to be fighting just over ranking issues. ¡°Can you call Ji-woo?¡± This time it was Dong-hyun who shook his head. ¡°Since then, my calls haven¡¯t gone through.¡± They were both worried about Ji-woo¡¯s family, especially since Ji-woo couldn¡¯t get reached and they didn¡¯t know where he was. ¡°How about your family?¡± ¡°I have no family in Seoul. My mother is in Incheon.¡± Dong-hyun answered. ¡°Same. My older sister is also in Daegu.¡± Looking at the endless crowd, the restlessness of the two of them grew in their heads. ¡°I hope everything is okay.¡± Yu-jin nodded at Dong-hyun¡¯s hope. The scale this time was big and more severe than the previous two events, namely the Mapo Red Gate and 20 Red Gates across the country. Chapter 123: Wrath: Outwitted Chapter 123: Wrath: Outwitted Chairman Yu frowned when he saw the state of the District Mapo Red Gate from the helicopter. He looked down, and there were about 70 white wolves in golden armor dominating the battle. Meanwhile, the situation of the hunters was very pathetic. Only about 20 hunters were still able to fight, the rest were injured, and two people died on the spot. Chairman Yu immediately jumped from the helicopter without much ado. The other hunters who were with him also jumped in without asking the pilot tond the transportation. Kaboom, Boom! One S-rank, one A-rank, and two B-ranks came as fresh reinforcements, and theirnding caused a cloud of dust and drove some of the beasts back to the area near the Red Gate. ¡°If you¡¯re injured or tired, step back and find a healer. I take the lead from here on out.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Many of the hunters present answered in unison to Chairman Yu¡¯s orders. Now, fighting against the dozens of white wolves would get easier with an S-rank hunter in front of them. ¡°Try to a quick kill on them. We¡¯re fighting numbers, and we can¡¯t linger on one beast. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll restrain their agile moves. ¡°Go now!¡± The white wolves, who saw the hunters came toward them without hesitation, gnashing their teeth and fangs simultaneously. They prepared to attack those piles of thin flesh with their ws. Suddenly, the legs of the white wolves, who were at the forefront facing the hunters, didn¡¯t move at all. All the beasts at the forefront got frozen by the ice and stopped their movement for a moment. Although it only held back the white wolves for a short time, the hunters who charged at the beasts first were able to make the most of the opportunity. It was enough to kill about ten white wolves with that action. The hunters could target the parts that weren¡¯t covered in golden armor and end it cleanly. The other white wolves did not stay silent and immediately reacted by flocking to jump at the hunters. Chairman Yu immediately responded swiftly, not wanting to let the hunters get hurt while he was in charge of the battle. He cast wind magic that pushed back and thwarted the beasts¡¯ counterattack. The white wolves got taken back when they saw the battle surprisingly became more difficult than before. Even though they were just beasts with limited thinking, their instincts in fighting could sharpen their brains to realize what was wrong in their actions. The white wolf saw Chairman Yu standing behind the hunters. Their brains and noses pointed to him being the mastermind controlling the flow of the fight. They divided their numbers evenly, and dozens ran toward Chairman Yu while the others confronted the hunters. That was the right choice to maximize the advantage of a higher number against an opponent with a smaller number. However, even that was just a simple solution that didn¡¯t anticipate the opponent¡¯s strength. Chairman Yu wasn¡¯t even flinched by the dozens of white wolves. He raised his left hand, and several fire spears shot out from the ground, piercing the beasts from under the parts of their bodies that got not covered by the golden armor. He did that while also restraining the movements of the white wolves who were facing the other hunters. Only the presence of a single S-rank hunter was able to turn the situation of the hunters who were overwhelmed by the high-grade Red Gate creatures around. The number of those beasts got drastically reduced in just a few minutes. Chairman Yu nned to kill the remaining tens of white wolves in one hit with vast magic. After he made sure everything went smoothly and without any further casualties. But suddenly, there was one creature that came out of the Red Gate. The creature¡¯s appearance was that of a white wolf but stood on two legs rather than four like other beasts. The white skin and gray fur blend seamlessly and make the creature stand out from the rest. Very simr to a werewolf, but with a 6-meter tall stature and a bulky body. The magical energy radiating from the werewolf was enough to make Chairman Yu divert his attention from the beasts. The beast¡¯s Mana was definitely higher than an A-rank hunter, though slightly below an S-rank. Chairman Yu acted quickly by killing as many remaining white wolves as he could as he ran to the werewolves that had just exited the Red Gate. He was sure the creature was the Dungeon Owner. It would be a quick solution to the current crisis if the Red Gate could be closed as quickly as possible. The white wolves that couldn¡¯t dodge Chairman Yu¡¯s attack got pierced by sharp ice chunks that rose from the ground. He continued by letting out a massive fire that almost enveloped the Red Gate, targeted at the werewolf in front of it. The werewolf smirked, seeing the great fire about to devour him. Boom! A tremendous st urred, and a shockwave of wind shot out from the center of the explosion, pushing back the hunters and white wolves that were in the vicinity of the Red Gate area. Meanwhile, the werewolf, who became the target, managed to dodge smoothly without getting the slightest wound. The creature¡¯s movement was faster than the beasts. Chairman Yu narrowed his eyes at the werewolf¡¯s behavior after easily evading the magic and then took no action after that. The creature kept ncing at the Red Gate as if it didn¡¯t feel threatened at all by Chairman Yu¡¯s presence. Chairman Yu was unwilling to give the Red Gate any more time to remain standing high on their ground. The longer it took, the more damage and the possibility of casualties would also get worse. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the white wolves because there were only three left. The hunters would definitely be able to ovee that number even without an S-rank on their back. Chairman Yu wrapped his hands in the dense fire. He drove up to the werewolf, intending to end the Mapo district¡¯s troubles and move to another area. The werewolf still wasn¡¯t worried about Chairman Yu¡¯s impending attack. ¡°Oh, human. Good effort. But, I¡¯m not so stupid as to die in vain after being able to traverse to this world.¡± The werewolf was aware from the moment he appeared that his strength would not be enough to defeat Chairman Yu. He was able to sense a considerable difference in Mana between them. Even though he could dodge the magic attack earlier, it didn¡¯t mean he was strong or on par with the S-rank hunter. The werewolf chose another strategy instead of having to directly fight the humans, who had more Mana than him. For him, the main goal was to stay alive as long as possible to keep the door open, allowing his kind to cross here. Chairman Yu didn¡¯t expect the werewolf¡¯s arrogant statement, and sure enough that his attack got dodged. The blow missed by a strand of hair, and he intended tounch his next attack. However, something unexpected messes it all up. Hundreds of white wolves burst from the Red Gate and overwhelmed Chairman Yu. On that spur of the moment, he lost sight of the werewolf in the crowd of white wolves. Chairman Yu clicked his tongue and immediately sparked fire from his hands. It caused a violent explosion of fire near the Red Gate area. Fire and a cloud of dust enveloped the area. And Chairman Yu¡¯s shadow was seen rising out of the cloud of smoke. ¡°Expand the defense area. The number of beasts has already reached hundreds. Spread out and wait for reinforcements to arrive.¡± Chairman Yu was in a dilemma in making a decision. He bit his lip in frustration. He had no other choice but to stay behind and try with his full strength to kill all the white wolves that were present now. Chairman Yu couldn¡¯t run and chase after the Dungeon Owner, the werewolf. He couldn¡¯t allow the remaining hunters and the wounded to face those hundreds of beasts. On the other hand, it also meant that closing the Red Gate would get dyed. And the most worrying thing was the possibility of a werewolf wandering around. And it would make it harder to find them from now on. While Chairman Yu was busy at the Mapo district¡¯s Red Gate, the other three areas were also experiencing the same thing. The Dungeon Owners immediately fled the moment they exited the Red Gates. It made theing creatures unstoppable and continued to grow. The four Red Gates had brought out more than 800 creatures so far. If it was not closed soon, then the number was likely to continue to grow. And what was more was the beings were high-grade ones. Even an Apex-ranked hunter, Hyun-bin, was unable to solve the problem. That was because those Dungeon Masters surprisingly had the ability to hide their Mana. Moreover, they were also fast with their feet. That made the tracking difficult. If one day the Red Gate was able to operate. It was the same as stating that Seoul, the capital of South Korea, wouldpletely get paralyzed. Obviously, the hunters were outwitted by the Portal Gate creatures this time around. Chapter 124: Wrath: Idiotic Plan Chapter 124: Wrath: Idiotic n Exactly four hours had passed after the four Red Gates opened. And in that time span, the number of monsters that came out had reached 1600. Meanwhile, there were only 200 hunters ready in the field. That included nine S-rank hunters and one Apex-ranked hunter. The damage was still under control and could still get minimized in the area of the four districts alone. Hyun-bin left Yongsan district¡¯s affairs to Jo-hyun and went after the Dungeon Owner himself. However, the result was fruitless. The Dungeon Owner¡¯s Mana hiding ability was too good. Hyun-bin, as an Apex-rank, also had trouble tracking down the creature¡¯s whereabouts. On the Yongsan district side, the creatures that overwhelmed the hunters were the Devil Baboons. They were the same size as humans. However, what set the beasts apart were theirrge bodies and their wearing red armor. Even though the creatures fought without any weapons, their attacks were even more severe than the white wolves in the Mapo district. Every hit from the Devil Baboon required extra effort to be parried or blocked. If it managed to prate, then the bones and internal organs of the hunters would get quite severely injured because of it. The S-rank hunter, Bae Jo-hyun that got assigned the task by Hyun-bin, also had a hard time pushing back the Devil Baboons. Red armor had a high level of immunity to all magic elements. So, killing those beasts required teamwork with hunters who have sharp magic weapons. It was a truly tiring endeavor. It was because every time the hunters managed to get close tounch a deadly attack, the Devil Baboons would immediately throw heavy blows at them. Luckily, Jo-hyun was always there when it happened. She used great magic that was able to thwart the fierce hits from the beasts. Again, numbers y an essential role in the fight. The hunters were utterly overwhelmed by the beasts whose blows could shake the surrounding ground in just one swing of an arm. Meanwhile, the Monkey King, the Dungeon Owner of the Red Gate in Yongsan district, had long since fled from the scene. The creature¡¯s speed was too fast even though it was clearly below Hyun-bin¡¯s level. It seemed the situation in Yongsan district was worse than Mapo district. Elsewhere, in Jongno district. Chief Lee, along with the head of the Demigod guild Cho Gang-ho was also having trouble dealing with the endless army of skeletons from the Red Gate. Destroying the skeletons was not aplex matter for Gang-ho or Chief Lee. However, the sheer number of them made it impossible to y in one hit. Moreover, Chief Lee and Gang-ho fought while saving the low-ranking hunters from dying in vain. And what was even more troublesome was the necessity to eradicate the bones until they were not left at all. If not, then the remains of those bones would fuse to form a new skeleton. In the end, being scorched was the only way. Gang-ho ultimately chose to go after the Red Gate Dungeon Owner himself. He made his decision after an hour of observing and battling the skeleton soldiers. Those creatures did not have great strength or solid defense. So, the A-rank hunters should be enough to lead the team to hold off the skeleton troops. The only problem was that a seemingly unlimited number came out of the Red Gate. It would be dangerous if the hunters were exhausted. But, the solution was clearly to close the Red Gate as fast as Gang-ho could. The owner of the Dungeon was an Undead Knight from hell who rode a fire horse. Unlike the Werewolf and the Monkey King, the creature¡¯s strength was almost on par with an S-rank hunter. But that baffled Gang-ho. If the Undead Knight decided to fight alongside the skeleton troops, then the possibility of hunters losing was pretty high. In fact, the Dungeon Owner had run away from his minions instead of following that idea. What was the reason? To leave the Red Gate open any longer? Wouldn¡¯t it get morefortable if the hunters lost and there was nothing to prevent the Red Gate creatures from invading the humans? The situation in Jongno district looked easier than Mapo district and Yongsan district. On the other hand, it was even moreplicated than those two areas. Meanwhile, in thest ce, Dongdaemun district. There were two S-rank hunters present, namely Seo Ji-soo and Seol In-ah. The two of them were deputy heads of the Artates and Demigod guilds. They got confronted by the beasts that had the ability to fly. It made the situation moreplicated and intricate than the previous three districts. Most magic spells were unable to reach a certain height to reach the Demonic Bats. And to make matters worse, many beasts hade out of the hunter defense perimeter for the Red Gate. It left the two S-rank hunters with no luxury time to pursue the Dungeon Owner, the Night Hunter. Those beasts flying in the sky of Dongdaemun were notably intricate to kill. It gave the hunters a headache from steadily escaping and exiting the district zone. As a countermeasure, both Ji-soo and In-ah would go outside and hunt down the escaped Demonic Bats while the remaining hunters would deal with the flying beasts near the Red Gate. The four ces didn¡¯t seem to show any signs that the matter would get resolved in a short time from the current state of affairs. But, unless the high-ranking hunters managed to find the Dungeon Owner before things got out of hand. It was a stalemate for the next hour. Several hunters all over Seoul were already showing signs of giving up after fighting for more than four hours. And there was no indication that the Red Gate would get close soon. In the Mapo district, Chairman Yu gritted his teeth. The Silver Wolves were endlesslying out of the Red Gate. Meanwhile, the hunters¡¯ reinforcements that came were notparable to the number of creatures that came out of it. Chairman Yu looked at the hunters, who were sitting and lying down, exhausted and injured. Chairman Yu had just got informed by his personnel that the number of creaturesing out of the four Red Gates was estimated to be around 2000. And new reinforcements for the hunters were on their way. Helicopters from the Hunters Association and the army got deployed to take the new hunters to the istion zone. ¡°What about the other S-rank hunters? Are anyone on their way here and the other three ces?¡± ¡°There is, sir. Oh Dal-shik~nim, the headmaster of the Shadow guild, is on his way here. Meanwhile, Jo Pil-suk~nim and Cho Jin-woon~nim went to Dongdaemun-Gu, because the flying beasts were not easy for Seo Ji-soo~nim and Seol In-ah~nim to handle. Andstly is Han Tae-so~nim, he is heading to Yongsan-Gu.¡± Chairman Yu nodded his head at his personnel¡¯s report. Currently, each exit to the evacuation site got guarded by one S-rank hunter each. Near Mapo was Oh Dal-soo, near Yongsan was Jo In-sung, near Jongno was Kwon Ji-yong, and near Dongdaemun was Lee Dong-hae. With that, all the S-rank hunters from South Korea¡¯s top three guilds were all in the field. And the remaining four other S-rank hunters who weren¡¯t from the three guilds were outside of Seoul. Two of them refused to help while the other two were busy with their respective guild affairs. Chairman Yu understood that. He knew some S-rank hunters were hard to ask for help. For them, personal interests were more important than a country. He didn¡¯t care about that matter, as long as those S-rank hunters and their guild did notmit crimes against other hunters or ordinary people. He could still tolerate it. It was because the rule was not to riot under the supervision of the Hunter¡¯s Association in exchange for a guild permit. To help when asked was solely not an obligation. Chairman Yu mustered all his Mana to exterminate the white wolves wearing gold armor while waiting for Dal-shik¡¯s arrival. Meanwhile, in a building near the Mapo Red Gate and the exit to the evacuation site, it looked like some hunters were looting valuables and money. ¡°Hyung~nim, are you sure it¡¯s okay to do this? What if the Hunter¡¯s Association finds out?¡± ¡°You idiot! It¡¯s precisely at times like this that our opportunity exists. The Hunter Association won¡¯t know because they are busy taking care of those monsters. This time ispletely different from the previous Red Gate incident.¡± Suddenly, the hunter who was leading the looting group was startled as he looked out the window. He saw a werewolf walking down a small alley behind the building. ¡°We¡¯ll follow that creature.¡± ¡°Hyung~nim, why are we looking for death? It¡¯s better if we only take these things.¡± ¡°Stupid! Can¡¯t you see what he¡¯s carrying? It¡¯s a Spatial Bag worth billions!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°But how do we steal it? We¡¯re just lower-rank hunters.¡± Haha¨C ¡°Nearby, there is a ce where hunters gather. We follow him and let them fight. When the opportunity arises, then we take it from the creature.¡± ¡°Good idea, Hyung~nim!¡± ¡°Brilliant n!¡± Chapter 125: Wrath: Regain Consciousness Chapter 125: Wrath: Regain Consciousness Sure enough, the situation in the four districts was even more chaotic than before. Regardless, they had killed hundreds of creatures that hade out of the Red Gate. The S-rank hunters that served as the pirs of leadership in four areas were finally exhausted. The death toll from the hunters had already started. The reinforcements that got expected were not able to match the number of those creatures. The situation was getting out of control. And the hundreds of Red Gate creatures were starting to get out of hand. The beasts had already begun to disperse and leave the hunter¡¯s defensive perimeter. At every exit to the evacuation site, slowly but surely, panic began to emerge. Police and Army are really tired of taking care of everyone who wants to get out of the istion zone. Time had passed for more than 6 hours, but the entire poption of Seoul had not got evacuated yet. At the exit near the Mapo district, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin finally meet Ji-woo¡¯s family. Elijah and Ji-won get to thest line of the crowd to get out. At first, the schoolchildren had top priority, and Ji-won got the chance to get out of the istion zone. But, she refused and went to her mother¡¯s food stall after Ji-woo didn¡¯t pick up her call many times. Ji-won arrived in a panic. Fortunately, Elijah tried to calm her daughter down. She also made an effort to call Ji-woo as Ji-won did. But, there was no answer at all. ¡°Did you two see Ji-woo? Auntie couldn¡¯t reach him since.¡± Elijah asked with a worried and sweaty face. And Ji-won, who was beside her, was at the end of her tears because the crowded residents caused panic. Both Dong-hyun and Yu-jin shook their heads helplessly. They immediately pull Elijah and Ji-won aside to avoid being pushed by the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sure Ji-woo Hyung is fine. Maybe, he¡¯s trapped outside and trying to get in here.¡± Dong-hyun tried tofort Elijah. ¡°Yes, auntie. Ji-woo~si is a strong person. I¡¯m sure nothing bad will happen to him.¡± Yu-jin chimed in. ¡°Is that so? Aunty doesn¡¯t really know how she usually works. Aunty is just worried about not being able to contact her.¡± The usual nonchnt Yu-jin approached and grabbed Elijah¡¯s hand. She gently patted the hands a few times to calm the restless Elijah. She then looked at Ji-won and caressed her hair while muttering some words. ¡°Everything will be fine.¡± Teng, Boom! Out of the blue, car explosions urred not far from the exit. All ordinary people reflexively lowered their heads and covered their respective tops and those closest to them. The hunters who were there also immediately reacted. Some jumped and stood at the end of the evacuation queue. The debris and fire from the car explosions were swept away by them, and no one got hurt. Dozens of white wolves paced leisurely towards the people near the exit. The beasts looked very rxed while gnashing their teeth and fangs. The hunters also gritted their teeth, looking at the tens of those beasts. It got considered a severe matter, as almost all the top-ranked hunters got sent to the Red Gate in the four districts. Meanwhile, those at the exit consisted of only C-rank hunters and below. It was a sincerely unfavorable situation. Kaboom! A dusty explosion broke out between the white wolves and the hunters. In an instant, the dust cloud disappeared because of the wind magic, and the figure of the Godly Doctor appeared. ¡°You guys take care of the evacuation process as soon as possible. Let me take care of these creatures.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The hunters immediately gave an answer and rushed to take care of the remaining people. The white wolves wearing golden armor also moved when they saw the movements of the hunters. However, the beasts¡¯ advance got stopped by Dal-soo. Dal-soo utilized the blue translucent threads to lock in all the movements of the white wolves, including the necks of the beasts. ¡°Life Death Threads!¡± At that moment, all the white wolves fell to the ground after being killed by the blue thread. The beasts died by being dismembered in parts not protected by the golden armor. Dal-soo then dispelled the blue translucent threads after sessfully killing the white wolves in an instant. He wanted to turn around to look towards the exit of the istion zone. But, there was a voice that kept him from doing that. ¡°You¡¯re too fast to rx, human.¡± Dal-soo tried to see where the voice wasing from. Instead, he got greeted by dozens of other new white wolves. He widened his eyes at the number. That was almost double the previous amount. He clicked his tongue. His blue translucent threads would not be able to withstand and kill all those beasts. But even so, he still tried it. He spread his hands, and from his fingers came the blue thread from before. In the end, he managed to catch some of the white wolves, while the others nimbly avoided the blue threads¡¯ ambush. Without thinking, Dal-soo immediately killed the captured beasts and tried to take care of the rest. Unexpectedly, he got attacked by a creature that was quiterge before he could kill those white wolves. The blue translucent threads could not stop the creature, and he chose to fend off with both arms. It turned out to be a Werewolf, and its feetnded firmly on Dal-soo¡¯s arms. ¡°Not bad, human. However, my target isn¡¯t you.¡± Dal-soo realized something was not making sense. The Werewolf¡¯s foot that on him was not actually an attack but rather to gain a foothold. ¡°Sh*t!¡± Dal-soo wanted to grab the Werewolf¡¯s leg. But, it was toote. The Werewolf leaped swiftly towards the exit and finallynded on the blockade wall. The creature hung on its ws and looked at the human below. ¡°So they isted the doorway. No wonder I didn¡¯t find a single human along the way.¡± The Werewolf smirked. With him there, it was no doubt that the ce would get attacked by white wolves. The creature¡¯s smell was typical among white wolves, so it was no wonder they knew where the exit was. In other words, the Werewolf himself directed the beasts toe to where he was. The Werewolf knew that he would stand no chance of winning if he fought a hunter like Dal-soo. But, it was a different story if he had a lot of human shields. The creature had been in hiding for a long time, waiting for the white wolves to escape from the ce of the Red Gate. So, it was time to wreak havoc with theirrge number. If there indeed a threatening danger,ter on, the Werewolf would not hesitate to run away again. ¡°W-What is that!?¡± ¡°Th-That on the wall is a Werewolf!?¡± ¡°That creature is h-big and s-so scary.¡± Dal-soo clenched his teeth and wanted to rush over there. But then, his movement got stopped by the swarm of white wolves. Looking at the massive beasts, he couldn¡¯t understand where they hade from or how they had escaped the Red Gate¡¯s defensive perimeter area. The hunters were swiftly looking for a position to confront the Werewolf after they handed over their previous affairs to the police and soldiers. They couldn¡¯t help but profusely sweat as they faced the Werewolf¡¯s Mana Presence. The Mana difference between them was too huge. And it caused the hunters to have a hard time breathing. ¡°Hyung~nim, will this go ording to your n?¡± ¡°Yeah, Hyung~nim. There¡¯s the Godly Doctor over there. He¡¯s an S-rank hunter. We¡¯ll die if we mess with the Demigod guild. We¡¯d better go back to where we were before and only loot what¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Shut up! You useless bastards! Learn to be patient. This is only the beginning. When the situation gets worse, the opportunity wille to us. Just wait calmly!¡± The other hunters looked at each other after hearing their leader¡¯s words. They had no other choice and shrugged their shoulders, showing their intention not to protest further. ¡°Try to use your head a little and see the situation.¡± The contraband hunters then took a sneak peek, trying to understand the situation as their leader said. And, they still didn¡¯t understand what it meant. ¡°A bunch of idiots! There¡¯s a chance those beasts and the creatures will kill each other with the hunters over there.¡± ¡°So what?¡± The leader then beat up his subordinate hunters and exined the matter. ¡°Aigo! Don¡¯t you guys have brains? That means a lot of magic items and weapons will get obtained when they finish killing each other. Especially the God Doctor and that creature. They both have expensive items for sure!¡± The contraband hunters, who realized the possibility, immediately lit up their eyes. This time, they would really get rich with loot after the battle was over. On the other hand, elsewhere in the Jiri Mountain area. Ji-woo regained consciousness and opened his eyes, facing the sky. ¡°How long have I been lying down?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s state surprisingly returned to normal. His body was no longer shrinking, and his breathing had stabilized. Chapter 126: Wrath: Escalated to War Chapter 126: Wrath: Escted to War The number of white wolves was already in the hundreds at the exit to the evacuation site. That meant, in the original ce where the Red Gate got located, it would get even more overflowing than the exit ce had. Dal-soo, who should be able to control the situation, seemed to have a hard time helping the other hunters. Actually, hundreds of beasts were not aplex matter for him. Moreover, their level was still on par with A-rank hunters. However, because the creatures kept oning like an endless stream, it left him with no other choice but not to back down. He was also worried about the side of the hunters at the Red Gate. Undoubtedly, the number of those beasts was three times more than where he was. Hunters ranked C-and below managed to lead the Werewolf away from the crowd of people. Meanwhile, the police and soldiers were still busy getting those people out. Some of those officers wanted to immediately close the istion zone door without regard for the remaining people. It couldn¡¯t get helped. The firearm machines on the blockade wall didn¡¯t work at all against the beasts. Moreover, it shot from a high position downwards, aiming straight at the white wolves¡¯ golden armor. So, the creatures looked like they were immune to bullets, leaving the officers in fear and panic in their hearts. The increasingly tense and depressing atmosphere made some people impatient in the queue. The pushing and shoving situation urred again, this time more chaotic than before, to the extent that the officers in charge had to use physical means to calm the crowd. However, that did not make the people obedient and calm despite the light blows from the police and soldiers. It was not enough to overthrow the people¡¯s fear of death. Some even ran away from the exit and rushed to find a hiding ce, far from the monsters. But even so, the soldiers and police did not give up so easily. They were still trying to get these people out as soon as possible. Military trucks were also ready outside the exit to transport the residents away from the istion zone. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin separate from the group of hunters who were dealing with the Werewolf. It was because one or two white wolves had escaped the Godly Doctor. ¡°Attack as usual. When those beasts dodge your magic spell, I will hit with magic without chanting.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Dong-hyun said. Even though the two of them had previously encountered beings from a tier-4 Portal Gate, they still felt a little nervous, especially with the civilians behind them running for their lives. ¡°Magic of Fire, mes Bolt!¡± Two fireballs with a diameter of 30 cm flew towards the two white wolves. Those strikes were absolutely too weakpared to the attacks of S-rank hunters. Even the speed was notparable, and the two beasts easily dodged while still running forward, aiming for the civilians. But, that was what Yu-jin was after. Weak attacks and Dong-hyun¡¯s conspicuous presence would render the beasts oblivious to their surroundings for a moment. Yu-jin¡¯s palms pped forward. Her hands shone, and two small fiery arrows appeared. It was the simplified version of God¡¯s Arrow. She focused on condensing the fire element so that its pration was powerful. The two small fire arrows were not designed for the two white wolves. Yu-jin knew her limits and didn¡¯t overdo it. If she greedily attacked the two beasts, her two small fire arrows would not be enough. On the other hand, if she used four magic summon, the magical energy emitted would make the white wolves wary. Thus, her existence would immediately get discovered, and the element of surprise would only disappear because of it. Rather than taking the risk that it might fail, it was better to use a guaranteed way of getting rid of one beast. And sure enough, the white wolf that got positioned closer to Yu-jin was shot by the two small fiery arrows. One hit the lower neck of the beast and the other to the right hind leg. The lone white wolf that was still alive was startled and immediately twisted around, charging toward Yu-jin. ¡°Magic of Fire, Supernova!¡± Yu-jin herself swiftly used her magic spell, and her eyes turned to illuminate golden color. Her skin was like a stone burning by high-temperature mes, and she began to hover above the ground. Zaapp, Hwossh¨C Yu-jin¡¯s entire body turned into a scorching sun and radiated intense heat towards the beast. Her whole body got enveloped by an extreme fire. Even the ground and some of the vehicles near her started to melt. However, it did not affect the beast wearing the golden armor. It kept speeding and pounced on Yu-jin. Yu-jin gritted her teeth and managed to catch the white wolf¡¯s forelegs while holding back the fangs that wanted to devour her head. Suddenly, her body shook, and the mes on her body burned brighter and brighter. That, of course, also increased her temperature and firepower. The white wolf that should have the advantage in raw strength was powerless to pull or push the front paws out of Yu-jin¡¯s grasp. The fire that became hotter made the beast even more erratic and wanted to run away from Yu-jin. But, it was a wasted effort. Yu-jin¡¯s grip managed to crush the white wolf¡¯s front legs due to the help of the fire that started to melt the part. In that dire situation, Yu-jin delivers the final blow. She opened her mouth and roared while releasing all the mes in her body to burn the white wolf to the ground. Boom! There was a big fire explosion. Luckily, Dong-hyun was there and used magic without chanting to create a wall of fire. So, the st didn¡¯t hit the civilians behind them. Clouds of dust and debris scattered in the air after the fire explosion. Dong-hyun nimbly got into it and got Yu-jin out of it. ¡°Are you alright? You managed to kill two beasts at once that are on par with tier-4 Portal Gate creatures. You¡¯re strong, Yu-jin~si.¡± ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating too much. Beat me. I¡¯m too tired right now. That magic is almost draining my Mana. I need to recharge it as soon as possible.¡± Yu-jin then sat on the ground to rest. She took out a Magic Crystal from her trouser pocket. Even though that one wasn¡¯t enough to replenish her Mana, it was enough to restore a quarter of her capacity. Dong-hyun, who saw that, also took his two Magic Crystals from his pocket and handed them to Yu-jin. ¡°Use these two. At least, it¡¯ll be enough to restore half your Mana.¡± Yu-jin looked at Dong-hyun with narrowed eyes. ¡°What are you doing? All of a sudden, like this? Did you take the wrong medicine this morning, huh?¡± Hahaha¨C Dong-hyunughed awkwardly with his eyes closed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°The magic, in the beginning, didn¡¯t use much Mana, so I didn¡¯t need these. And it would be better if you had it because your magics was Area Of Effect. It will be more usefulter than my magic, which is just for targeting.¡± Currently, Dong-hyun was being stared at by Yu-jin tensely. It ended up leaving him at a loss for what to do. However, Yu-jin sighed and took the two Magic Crystals. She knew how important it was to restore Mana as quickly as possible and restrain the beasts¡¯ advance along with the Werewolf on the other side. If the hunters managed to hold off the creatures until all the citizens got out of the door and away from the istion zone. Then, their job got concluded. After that, they could use kiting tactics while keeping their numbers small without worrying that there would be casualties on the side of ordinary humans. While absorbing the Mana from the Magic Crystal, Yu-jin stared at the Werewolf. Dong-hyun also did the same. ¡°We have to focus on that creature over there. The Werewolf must be the key to all this.¡± ¡°I think so too. We must do everything in our power to bring down that creature. With the two of us and other several hunters facing off against it, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll seed.¡± Dong-hyun then turned his gaze to Yu-jin. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Followter when you¡¯ve filled up your Mana.¡± Yu-jin nodded to Dong-hyun. She wanted to quickly absorb all the Mana from the three Magic Crystals. So, she could immediately help the others. It was getting dark, and the atmosphere was tense in Seoul, as seen from a collection of smoke and fire clouds that came into sight from a distance of 5 km outside the istion zone. The situation escted to the scale of war. The number of creatures from the four Red Gates had already reached around 7300, including the dead. As for the hunters, there were a total of about 2000 people in Seoul right now. That also included those who got injured as well as dead. The incident had reached the internationalmunity. Even some neighboring countries were discussing sending reinforcements to South Korea. Chapter 127: Wrath: The Development Chapter 127: Wrath: The Development In the other three districts, the situation was not much different from that in Mapo. The hunters were unable to stop the creatures that almost never stoppeding out of the Red Gate. Also, no matter how powerful the S-rank hunters were, they wouldn¡¯t be able to control a situation on tens of thousands of scale. It got coupled with having to fight in a state to protect other hunters from the attacks of the beasts. That was a difficult circumstance. ¡°Hyung~nim, this isn¡¯t going to work. I just came here to help, and a quarter of my Mana is gone. If this continues, the remaining options are to retreat or perish together with those creatures.¡± Dal-shik grumbled beside Chairman Yu. The development of the Red Gate situation was totally beyond his expectations. That was not to say that S-rank hunters had never dealt with the Red Gate possessing high-level creatures before. It was just that, what they were now facing was not one, but four at once. And their fighting power was so divided that there weren¡¯t enough people to keep the beasts at bay. And also, with Dungeon Owners being hard to find, adding to the lineup of problems for those hunters. Meanwhile, Chairman Yu and Dal-shik were resting to catch their breath, while other hunters held off the white wolves to stay near the Red Gate. Yes, it was true. The S-rank hunters were resting, and the lower-rank hunters were holding back the creatures. It was a unique and rare sight. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s a new reporting.¡± ¡°Later. We must focus on keeping the beasts at bay. By now, many have escaped from this ce.¡± The Hunters Association staff, who was about to report the situation, looked troubled by Chairman Yu¡¯s answer. However, he had no other choice but to ignore the order. What he was about to say was very important. Even so, contrary to the status of superiors and subordinates. ¡°Sir, the exit to the evacuation site from Mapo district must get closed without hesitation because of the flood of white wolves.¡± Chairman Yu immediately turned his head to look at the Hunters Association staff cynically. ¡°What did you say!? On whose orders!?¡± The Hunters Association staff swallowed hard. Nevertheless, he had to report thetest situation. Only Chairman Yu had the highest authority there. ¡°Oh Dal-soo~nim is having a hard time dealing with hundreds of white wolves, causing chaos there, and the blockade is at risk of being prated by these beasts if it is not closed soon. In the end, Mr. President, who got evacuated from the Blue House, ordered to shut the Seoul area until all The Red Gates were closed. ¡°The order applies directly to all officials and hunters under the direction of the Hunters Association.¡± ¡°D*mn it!!¡± Hearing that, Chairman Yu was instantly furious, and his veins were visible on his temples. He was angry not because of Mr. President¡¯s decision but rather the inability of the hunters to deal with the problems in Seoul at the moment. Mr. President¡¯s decision got taken, of course, out of consideration to save as many lives as possible from Seoul. He couldn¡¯t hesitate to make a judgment and sometimes needed to be cruel. If it was not closed, the residents on their way to the evacuation site might be victims of the beasts that had escaped the istion zone. As the leader of the country, Mr. President must think about the survival of his people. He couldn¡¯t take the risk of sacrificing everyone who had got rushed to the evacuation site. However, it also showed how weak a country was against the crisis it faced when it needed to sacrifice some for the safety of the majority. Many people think that all problems could get the best solution and get a happy ending. In fact, in reality, it was different. It was not a novel or a film that could get changed with just a pen. It was a situation where one had to make decisions as quickly as possible if didn¡¯t want to have an immense loss for a country. It was the leader¡¯s job to make decisions in critical situations and not dream in broad daylight. So to hope that all problems got solved in the blink of an eye. And Chairman Yu, who also knew the burden of a leader, knew very well what Mr. President was carrying on his shoulders. ¡°Oh, yes. The report also mentions that a werewolf has got seen with the white wolves that escaped from here.¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Ehm!?¡± Both Chairman Yu and Dal-shik got taken back to hear that the Dungeon Owner of Mapo¡¯s Red Gate was suddenly there. Chairman Yu had previously ordered several hunters to track down the werewolf and report back if they had found the creature. Meanwhile, he tried to restrain the beasts from staying at the Red Gate¡¯s area. Knowing the solution was in sight, he immediately acted without much ado. ¡°Dal-shik~ah, I¡¯ll leave you here alone. I feel I need to help Dal-soo to keep the exit safe. And also, this is a chance to close the Red Gate.¡± Dal-shik nodded his head, agreeing with Chairman Yu¡¯s arrangement. He alone would not get killed by the beasts. It was just that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep all the white wolves in ce. Chairman Yu also knew that doing so would allow some beasts to roam the Mapo district. But closing the Red Gate was the top priority right now. Stopping the flow of Portal Gate creatures would reduce the risk of fatalities. Either from the hunters¡¯ side or the civilians. In the Yongsan district, the situation was quite precarious for the hunters. The death toll had reached around 40 people. Thebat power of the Devil Baboons was remarkably lethal. One hit from the beast was devastating enough. No hunter could directly block it. However, dodging the beasts¡¯ attack was also tough since their movements were pretty agile even though their bodies wererge. Bae Jo-hyun, as the only S-rank hunter in there, had been struggling to face and kill the Devil Baboons. Her Mana had already got drained by half, but the number of the beasts had never decreased. Sometimes, it felt like it was multiplying even more. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t the guild master found the Dungeon Owner yet? After all, it had been hours since he had gone looking for the creature. ¡®If this continues, I won¡¯t be able to survive in this ce.¡¯ Jo-hyun tightened her mouth and continued to use fire magic to fight the Devil Baboons. The magic with fire element often got used by hunters because of its great damage and was suitable for the crowds of beasts. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t long before an S-rank hunter from the Shadow guild came as reinforcements. At least, it could lighten Jo-hyun¡¯s burden to fight and hold back the Devil Baboons, even though one was not enough. On the other hand, in the Jongno district, many areas far from the Red Gate got burned to the ground. Clouds of smoke rose high into the sky. Chief Lee and Gang-ho were already separated when the fire started. The only one capable of casting fire magic in the district was the Dungeon Owner. It was because the skeleton soldiers could only swing their scrap swords and use their battered wooden shields. In that ce, the hunters did not have any casualties. However, all of them were already exhausted and began to make mistakes that caused some of them to get shed by the scrap sword. As for Gang-ho¡¯s side that crashed into the fire, there was no doubt there would be a great fight with the Undead Knightter. The Red Gate in the Jongno district seemed to be closing soon before any casualties urred. That was if the development followed based on such a situation. At least, that could be a sign things were starting to get a little better. Meanwhile, on the Dongdaemun district side, the Red Gate area had been abandoned by the hunters. Along with Seol In-ah and Seo Ji-soo. All the hunters focused on the exit to the evacuation site. It was because they could take advantage of the blockade wall, which was 11 meters high. The Demonic Bats would surely be easier to reach with a somewhat high position. At the exit, the door was not closed at all despite the President¡¯s orders. It could get said that there were a total of five S-rank hunters on the blockade wall. Besides In-ah and Ji-soo, Lee Dong-hae from the Shadow guild and Jo Pil-suk and Cho Jin-woon from the Artates guild were also there. Because of that, all the officials in that ce have the confidence to deal with the flying beasts. After all, the Demonic Bats were able to pass through walls easily. So, the police and soldiers focused on getting the civilians out rather than closing the door to prevent the beasts from going outside the istion zone. Earth, lightning, and ice elemental magic were the most widely used by hunters to prevent the flying beasts from leaving the ce. The sound of machine guns also sounded non-stop above the wall. Even in this district, it looked like they could handle the situation with ease. Chapter 128: Wrath: The Start of the Massacre Chapter 128: Wrath: The Start of the Massacre The battle situation between the Werewolf and the low-ranked hunters was notably unequal. Half of the hunters were dead and injured. Amid the tense atmosphere, Dong-hyun walked forward in front of the hunters, facing the Werewolf. ¡°Please support me from behind. I will be the one at the forefront against that creature. Attack whenever the opportunity arises.¡± The remaining hunters were confused and surprised by what Dong-hyun said. ¡°Do you think this is a joke!?¡± ¡°Get out of the way, you snotty kid. You¡¯ll die if you act arrogant.¡± Before the hunters finished booing Dong-hyun, the Werewolf suddenly attacked quickly. The hunter was startled and stumbled backward. Luckily, there was a C-rank hunter who was able to keep up with the Werewolf¡¯s speed. Dong-hyun also didn¡¯t stand still and helped the C-rank hunter fend off the creature¡¯s ws. The other hunters immediately responded to the movements of Dong-hyun and the C-rank hunter. They immediately lunged at the Werewolf. When the magic attacks came, Dong-hyun managed to push the Werewolf back a bit. He and the C-rank hunter nimbly fled backward, away from the creature. Boom! A great fire exploded, and a cloud of smoke enveloped the area. It was actually an advantage for the Werewolf. He did not hesitate to attack the hunters in smoke blindness. The hunters would have a hard time tracking him amidst the smog, while he was able to know the whereabouts of each of the hunters with his nose. The Werewolf¡¯s sense of smell was better and sharper than the white wolf¡¯s. It was also more effective than sensing the Mana of every hunter in the vicinity. On the other hand, the hunters had difficulty knowing and predicting the creature¡¯s movements because of his fast and agile movements. Dong-hyun realized what was going on, jumped right into the cloud of smoke without a second thought. The C-rank Hunter also did the same. He used the abilities of the Red Crimson armor. The technique would make the armor ignite and would increase the owner¡¯s fire elemental magic. Basically, it was like amplifying the magic. He then let out the fire to envelop his broadsword. That was the new weapon he currently had. The short sword from long ago had shattered in Ji-woo¡¯s hands. And until now, he didn¡¯t get it as Ji-woo promised. On the other hand, the C-rank hunter used his wind element magic to clear up the surrounding area a little bit. He wasn¡¯t very proficient with the wind element. So, he couldn¡¯t dispel the thick and immense smoke all at once in a single magic spell. As the surroundings started to be a little clearer, the hunters felt a little relieved. However, they immediately got presented with a shocking and unbelievable sight. Dong-hyun could follow the Werewolf¡¯s every move quite perfectly. The battle between the two of them seemed to show a fight between two equal Mana users. However, Dong-hyun, who was fighting head-to-head, knew that he wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit equal to the Werewolf. Each time the creature dodged, he had to vigorously use his footwork to keep up with the creature¡¯s movement. And when he tried to fend off the Werewolf¡¯s attack, he had to draw the Mana he was using on his legs into his arms. He kept doing that, and it weighed heavily on his body. The stunned hunters immediately gritted their teeth. And promptly look for opportunities and apertures to attack the Werewolf. They know after watching for a while, the fight was out of bnce. Even though Dong-hyun didn¡¯t receive any damages on him, he had only been on the defensive without being able to counterattack. The Werewolf, of course, remained agile in the face of all the attacks of the hunters. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was abined magic attack or a physical attack. All of them could get avoided and blocked easily. Only this time, he felt that dealing with the hunters was not as easy as before. Any Werewolf ws that flew towards the hunters who were out of position or away from the other fellow hunters were invariably unsessful. It constantly got blocked or parried by a broadsword that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The Werewolf then realized that the broadsword belonged to the hunter wearing the Red Crimson armor. The hunter was also the difference between the previous fight and the current one. He grinned and gnashed his teeth and fangs. Knowing the root of the problem, then the solution was to just pull it out. The Werewolf let out light smoke from his mouth and moved, disappearing from the hunters¡¯ sight. Not a single hunter was aware of where the Werewolf had gone. However, Dong-hyun, who was already getting tired, had a good sense of Mana thanks to controlling the flow of Mana in training with Ji-woo and Yu-jin. He had goosebumps all over his neck and realized at that moment that the Werewolf was behind him, with high speed aiming for his neck. Dong-hyun clenched his left fist and gripped the sword in his right. He put all his strength and Mana into the footwork. The moment the ws touched his skin, he immediately made a full circle and shed at the Werewolf¡¯s hand. Teng! Due to theck of Mana and the strength in Dong-hyun¡¯s right hand, the sh was imperfect and blocked by the ws. Dong-hyun¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the Werewolf¡¯s head sticking out,ing closer to him. Arrghk! Dong-hyun cried out in pain. His left shoulder got bitten by the Werewolf, and the wound was deep and fatal. He immediately bit his lip and thrust the broadsword at the Werewolf¡¯s neck. The Werewolf released his bite before ripping off Dong-hyun¡¯s left shoulder. The broadsword¡¯s sh managed to have a shallow cut on his neck. It all happened in a short time, and the other hunters could only stare at it. They couldn¡¯t react at that speed. Ciit, Boom! Suddenly, there was a small explosion of deadly fire where the Werewolf was standing. All the hunters¡¯ eyes automatically turned to the person who caused the small fire explosion. Chairman Yunded on the ground smoothly and silently. He immediately acted and stretched out his hands which got wrapped in mes. And instantly, his hands had the same elemental ws as the Werewolf¡¯s original ws. He then drove unceremoniously in the direction the creature was escaping from the previous small fire explosion. The Werewolf, who was running, was surprised to see Chairman Yu quickly closing the distance between them. When he saw the fire elemental w swinging from his right, he immediately raised his arm in a defensive stance. Kaboom! The Werewolf crashed heavily onto the ground. He wanted to scream out his pain, but there was no time for that. Chairman Yu, again, appeared in front of him with a swing of the fire element w. The attack was agonizing for him. Burn marks were visible on his right arm, which warded off the first attack. This time the Werewolf managed to dodge the fire element w¡¯s attack even though he got a scratch on the chest in the process. His instincts immediately screamed danger in his head. Sessfully dodging meant he had to flee the ce immediately. Chairman Yu certainly wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen. He jumped up, was about to close the distance with the Werewolf, andunched his strike of fire elemental w again. Unexpectedly, the Werewolf released dust from his hands and fell into Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes, stopping the attack. However, he did not use the opportunity to strike back. He knew Chairman Yu¡¯s strength was above him. So, it was futile to attack as it would only serve himself directly into the tiger¡¯s mouth instead of eating the deer. Blind for a moment did not mean incapable. The Werewolf swiftly ran towards the exit in the area. There was Yu-jin on guard. She originally intended to join Dong-hyun and the others. But since a white wolf or two had arrived, she had no choice but to stay. The closing of the exit was unexpected, and she had no time to protest. She immediately ordered the remaining civilians to find a temporary hiding ce because it was dangerous to stay there. The presence of Ji-woo¡¯s family that apparently hadn¡¯t left the istion zone was also made her anxious. And it caught her off guard instead of not being aware of the appearance of the Werewolf beside her. Kaboom! Yu-jin was hit hard to the side by the Werewolf¡¯s swift attack. The civilians, who saw the Werewolf¡¯s presence, trembled and frightened until their legs felt weak like jelly. The Werewolf extended his left hand and wanted to take Ji-won with him. However, he got Elijah instead of the little girl. Meanwhile, the other civilians just watched and fell on their butt, seeing the event. Auuooo!!! The Werewolf screamed and threw Elijah to the ground. He then tried to grab Ji-won, who got scared and cried on the floor. He wanted to use hostages to escape from the area. However, his hands were only halfway there when he felt a murderous aura seep into his head. ¡°Tired of living, eh!?¡± A human voice got heard along with the opening of the exit of the istion zone. Chapter 129: Wrath: Instant Death Chapter 129: Wrath: Instant Death Previously, Ji-woo was rxed and wanted to take care of Momoka¡¯s body and head. But, when he checked the phone, he had stored it in the Spatial Bag earlier. He was shocked to see the news circting on the inte. And the dozens of missed phone calls from Dong-hyun, Elijah, and Ji-won made him even more worried. He left in a hurry and left the body with his head apart behind. At first, he had a hard time finding transportation to go to Seoul. It was because the current situation was dangerous for civilians to go anywhere until martialw got lifted. Ji-woo was about to make a big fuss since he was in a hurry. Then, a soldier on duty to keep the order in this turmoil situation came up to him. The soldier tried to calm Ji-woo down and managed to calm things down because he said only hunters have a special treatment to get anywhere at a time like this. In the end, Ji-woo went with a military vehicle. All the way to Seoul, there was no traffic jam at all. So the time taken was not as long as before. Ji-woo was not allowed to enter when he arrived at the blockade of the Mapo district. It was because the police and soldiers were scared to open the door. They were panicked and frightened because of the civilians¡¯ scream, knowing the monsters already at the exit. This time Ji-woo had no intention ofpromising again. No matter a human or a Portal Gate creature, blocking what he was about to do meant death. ¡°Move,¡± Ji-woo said casually. But, he gave off his killing intent as he walked towards the exit. In that instant, all the police and soldiers were sweating on their foreheads and gulping hard. They all felt the wind graze against their faces and necks every time Ji-woo got closer to them. There was a soldier who unknowingly almost made the mistake of using his rifle and aiming at Ji-woo. Luckily, personnel next to him held the gun and shook his head to indicate not to do that. They all know Ji-woo was a hunter, and it was better not to stir up further tumults. Instead, the police and soldiers pointed their guns at the exit. It was in preparation in case any beasts escaped by that door. Ji-woo, who was walking in a hurry, was suddenly surprised to hear the sound of crying from someone he knew. He immediately squeezed the steel door and opened it as if he was about to enter the house. However, it could get seen from the veins that showed on his hands and forehead, indicating the anger that got suppressed strongly. When it got opened, a frightful scene appeared in his eyes. Ji-won cried, sitting on the ground while Elijahy far away with a lot of dust and dirt on her body. ¡°Tired of living, eh!?¡± The Werewolf, who heard those words, stopped his hand and suddenly trembled all over his body. Ji-woo¡¯s killing intent undoubtedly gave him a vision of his death. What the Werewolf didn¡¯t expect was, it sent his spine to shiver because of it. Also, his beast instinct was no longer screaming to run away from danger but resigned himself to just dying. ¡®This is d-different from that human who beat me so easily before.¡¯ The Werewolf didn¡¯t know how to express Ji-woo¡¯s presence in front of him. Like dealing with the Great Warlock? No, it felt different. His Mana churned like it was about to explode. Yes, it was the Aura of Fear that Ji-woo indirectly gave off without any restrictions. At this moment, he seemed to want to berserk and rip out the hearts of all living things in front of him. The gloomy silence didn¡¯tst long when Chairman Yu arrived at the venue. With other hunters as well as the beasts that escaped from Dal-soo at the same time. However, the crowd did not change the gloomy atmosphere because all of them who had just arrived were affected and felt Ji-woo¡¯s Aura of Fear. All living things have different reactions. By the side of the white wolves, they were like tame dogs whimpering on the ground and not daring to move. As for the low-ranked hunters, they were shaking and covered in sweat. On the other hand, Chairman Yu was sweating hot and cold as he struggled to move his body. Despite the different reactions of these living beings, there was one thing they definitely felt inmon. That was the feeling where their Mana wanted to disappear from their bodies. The civilians who were there also felt a tense air from Ji-woo. However, they were not wholly affected by the Aura of Fear because they had no Mana. Those people and the beasts were like mannequin statues while Ji-woo walked towards Ji-won, who looked at him quietly and sobbingly. His sister¡¯s eyes were puffy and red from the tears that were pouring down. ¡°Stop crying and walk out. Wait for me there, while I will bring Eomma to you.¡± Ji-woo said to Ji-won while patting his sister on the head. And pointing outside the blockade where the soldiers gape at the sight through the gap in the exit. ¡°U-Uum!¡± Ji-won replied with a grunt and stammers. She wanted to ask how her mother was doing to her brother. But now, she didn¡¯t feelfortable being around Ji-woo because of the gloomy atmosphere that radiated from her brother. She finally stood up and instantly ran towards the police and soldiers outside. The civilians also then followed Ji-won¡¯s action to get out of the ce. Auuooo!!! The Werewolf managed to howl after rubbing both his shoulders with his ws after feeling tormented by Ji-woo¡¯s pressure. ¡°Who allowed you to do that?¡± Suddenly, the Werewolf fell to his knees with his hands on the ground as Ji-woo finished saying those words. Not only the Dungeon Owner, the white wolves, low-ranked hunters, and Chairman Yu also had the same situation. They fell on their knees and hands to the ground as if they were worshiping a monarch. Ji-woo then swiftly jumped to Elijah¡¯s ce. He cleaned the clothes and wiped the dust on his mother¡¯s face. He picked up his mother and walked towards the exit that had got vandalized. The Werewolf, the white wolves, the low-rank hunters, and Chairman Yu were having a hard time moving their bodies, and slowly but surely, fear had entered their heads. Ji-woo leaned his mother against the blockade wall outside and told Ji-won not to go anywhere. He also ordered the police and soldiers to only be on guard and not to do anything else. He then went back inside while closing the broken exit so that people outside could not see what he was about to do. ¡°Magic is an abomination. ¡°The curse of my soul, Nullifier!¡± Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in Ji-woo¡¯s palm. Then two short swords with one-sided des appeared. One was sky blue and amethyst, and the other was denim and ck. Ji-woo strolled while surrounding the people and beasts. He walked with a domineering aura while carrying the Diffusal de on the left and the Shadow de on the right. ¡°Why should my family get dragged into this? If anyone wants to die, tell me, and I¡¯ll dly grant it.¡± Chairman Yu tried to open his mouth to speak but couldn¡¯t at all. He did not understand what was going on and who was in front of him. ¡®Who¡¯s he? From thenguage and stature, like a native Korean. Hunter? What rank? Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡¯ Even the low-ranking hunters tried to stand up amid their inexplicable fear. But soon, they would see why they had to stay on the ground andprehend the fear. Ji-woo stopped in his tracks beside the group of white wolves. Next, he swung the Diffusal de slowly. ¡°Begone.¡± Szzrut! In an instant, the head of a white wolf got smashed to pieces, with blood sttering everywhere. Everyone there flinched while widening their eyes in shock. What had happened? Some people thought so after seeing what Ji-woo did with just one swing of the short sword. Meanwhile, the white wolves who were close to the incident immediately went to extremes. They all groaned in fear and ran in all directions, away from the demon of all demons. Turn out it was a waste. Before the beasts had moved more than 2 meters away, Ji-woo had swung his two short swords and moved many times in the blink of an eye. As a result, all the white wolves died with their heads crushed horribly. All the corpses of the headless beasts fell. And their blood had soaked the ground as if there was a red carpet on which Ji-woo stood. Ji-woo, who was standing there motionless, was covered in the beast¡¯s blood. His tattered clothes caused by the battle with Momoka were no longer visible because of that. ¡°Who¡¯s next? You? You? Which one? Who wants to die. Raise your hands. Don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡± The Werewolf heard that, forced to bite his tongue and lips to awaken all his senses with pain. And it worked. He swiftly jumped away from Ji-woo And managed to widen the distance in an instant. ¡°Ji-woo~si!?¡± Suddenly, Ji-woo, who was ready to kill the Werewolf, stopped after hearing his name got called. Chapter 130: Wrath: Join the Battle Chapter 130: Wrath: Join the Battle Ji-woo turned his gaze to Dal-soo, letting the Werewolf out of his reach. Dal-soo was digesting the scene before his eyes. First, all the hunters were falling with their knees and hands to the ground. Next, there was not a single white wolf in sight. And just now, the Werewolf who was supposed to be the Dungeon Owner escaped effortlessly. What kind of situation was that? Dal-soo looked at Ji-woo in confusion. He wanted toe closer and ask what was happening. However, his body suddenly reacted, not wanting to go near it. To be precise, his Mana was in chaos. He then swallowed hard, not knowing what to do. Ji-woo acted nonchntly and pulled his Aura of Fear back. All the hunters present were finally able to move their bodies and shake off the fear haunting their minds. Dal-soo felt that the anxiety was gone, rushed over, and asked what the situation was. Unfortunately, before he could get an exnation, Chairman Yu immediately rushed over to ask him to chase the Werewolf together. It was for the mess to quickly get resolved. Chairman Yu had a thousand questions he wanted to ask about Ji-woo¡¯s presence. However, he put all that aside because the more important thing right now was to kill the Dungeon Owner and close the Red Gate. Meanwhile, the low-ranking hunters subconsciously took a step back from Ji-woo. Some of them nned to join the Werewolf chase, while the rest didn¡¯t have the guts to do anything. Those hunters thought it unwise to do anything without Ji-woo¡¯s permission. And sure enough, the Aura of Fear came back into their minds and started to make their bodies seem to lose control. ¡°With whose permission can you do whatever you want? Just because I let you stand doesn¡¯t mean your lives are back in your hands.¡± Chairman Yu and Dal-soo immediately fell to their knees as soon as Ji-woo finished speaking. ¡°I need Mr. Dal-soo toe with me. The others can get out of here.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t care about anything other than his family. He knew Dal-soo was a true healer. So, he intended to heal his mother, who had fainted and seemed heavily injured outside the blockade. Dal-soo managed to stand with his hands on his knees. The Aura of Fear this time was not as oppressive and burdensome as before. ¡°Wh-what f-for?!¡± He answered with difficulty. Chairman Yu also finally managed to stand up after struggling with all his might. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know w-who you are. But, we have to go after that c-creature. We can¡¯t let this d-destruction continue.¡± Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. It was not that he didn¡¯t understand Chairman Yu¡¯s intentions. But, since he knew the situation very well, he let the others go and only told Dal-soo to stay. Right now, he was in a state of tension between letting out his anger or thinking logically. He walked over to Dal-soo and Chairman Yu. Without realizing it, the Mana of the two S-rank hunters became violently turbulent. ¡°Heal my mother outside first.¡± He demanded Dal-soo while pointing at the exit with the Shadow de. He also cast away his Aura of Fear. Chairman Yu, who had control over his body again, wanted to vent his anger. But, he immediately got stopped by Dal-soo. ¡°Hyung~nim, let me stay here. You can chase the Werewolf with the other hunters. I¡¯lle as soon as possible. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Hyung, if you stay here any longer, that Werewolf will go far from here and cause the Red Gate tost long enough to let out thousands of creatures. ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want that to happen.¡± Chairman Yu bit his lip. He knows he¡¯s wasted a lot of time trying to chase the Werewolf with Dal-soo. He wanted to kill the creature as quickly as possible. But, it hindered what he wanted. Dal-soo then nodded his head, signaling for Ji-woo to lead the way to Elijah¡¯s. Suddenly, hundreds of white wolves came flocking violently towards the exit. All the low-ranked hunters were shocked and immediately prepared to fight. Chairman Yu also clenched his teeth at that. It meant the Werewolf chase would get dyed again. Dal-soo also stopped in his tracks and looked back at the crowd of white wolves. ¡°Go. Just outside the exit, you will find civilians who have not yet left for the evacuation site. ¡°And all of you, get out of here and go after the Werewolf.¡± Ji-woo walked in front of the low-ranking hunters and Chairman Yu. He stood with his back to everyone and faced the beasts¡¯ attacks head-on. He couldn¡¯t use the Aura of Fear because it would also have an impact on the hunters. Chairman Yu understood what Ji-woo meant. He also didn¡¯t need to worry if Ji-woo wanted to intervene because it had got proven before that dozens of white wolves got ughtered in a few seconds. He swiftly left and ran in the direction the Werewolf was fleeing. On the other hand, the low-ranked hunters were still confused and didn¡¯t move anywhere. Ji-woo then shouted along with the first swing to kill the leading white wolf with the Diffusal de. ¡°Go! Now!¡± At that instant, the low-ranked hunters gasped and rushed to the direction Chairman Yu left. Ji-woo¡¯s scream and the sh that crushed the beast¡¯s head were enough of an rm to tell them to move their bodies immediately. Ji-woo could finally vent his frustration freely and without any more burden on his shoulders. He then roared and was able to stop all the white wolves¡¯ movements for a moment. He then moved nimbly with his two short swords while ughtering the beasts mercilessly. When one white wolf died, the next one would follow without pause. The Diffusal de and Shadow de were like ying weapons bathed in the blood of the beasts. And the person who used it was like a bloodthirsty demon. Meanwhile, on the outside, when Dal-soo opened the door, the police and soldiers recognized him immediately. It made things easier. He immediately prioritized Elijah, who was unconscious there. He healed Elijah casually as the injuries sustained were not life-threatening. He also watched the other civilians, checking if anyone had injuries and needed healing after Elijah. While he was there, he could feel the massive Mana dissipate drastically in no time. He was involuntarily amazed by that. Keep in mind that those beasts were high-grade creatures. Which meant, even though S-rank hunters were still stronger than them, killing hundreds in a matter of minutes was impossible. Ji-woo, whopleted the task, was already within the expectation. But, Dal-soo still found it fascinating. He felt as if the Portal Gate was no big deal. And with Ji-woo¡¯s presence, South Korea would no longer be in danger. Of course, he believed the death toll from both the hunters and the civilians would exceedingly get reduced if coupled with their Apex-ranked hunter. ¡°It¡¯s finished?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s voice woke Dal-soo, who was in a trance while healing Elijah. However, for the police and soldiers there, the speech gave a sense of reassurance. Regardless, they didn¡¯t know whether the monsters were still alive and causing chaos or not in the istion zone. ¡°O-Oppa!?¡± ¡°Um, it¡¯s me. How is Eomma?¡± Ji-won was still nervous about confronting Ji-woo, even though her older brother¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t all that scary. Ji-woo had previously cleaned his clothes from the blood of the beasts, but unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t immacte. At least, he looked decent enough and didn¡¯t terrify everyone there. ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll be conscious in a few moments. And I checked the other civilians, and no one was seriously injured. It¡¯s best if they all get escorted to the evacuation site. Even though there are no S-rank hunters on guard, the security is pretty tight there. ¡° Ji-woo took a deep breath. He knew what Dal-soo just said was true. He wanted to go with them to the evacuation site and leave the Seoul Red Gate matter behind. ¡°Go inside again. There are two hunters you need to heal.¡± Dal-soo nodded in agreement with the request. However, he did not immediately go inside to attend to his duties. Instead, he begged Ji-woo for help. ¡°Ji-woo~si, can you lend the hunters your power?¡± Ji-woo heard Dal-soo¡¯s plea. But, he ignored it because he wanted to be with his family. Out of nowhere, his clothes got tugged by Ji-won. ¡°O-Oppa, y-you can help them. I will apany Eommater. T-They seems to be short of officers.¡± This time, Ji-won¡¯s plea left Ji-woo speechless. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Dal-soo with slight irritation. Surprisingly, Dal-soo got very nervous because of Ji-woo¡¯s gaze. ¡°They don¡¯t need me. They can handle this on their own.¡± ¡°B-But, who knows, with Oppa¡¯s presence, the catastrophe in Mapo district can disappear, and we can go home.¡± Ji-woo took a quick breath and couldn¡¯t help but stay in the istion zone while his family would get taken to the evacuation site. He walked towards the door with Dal-soo. He then spoke in a low tone. ¡°I warn you. If you ask anything in front of my family again, I won¡¯t hesitate to wreck your neck. And you¡¯d better give them tight security. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind being an enemy the hunters must kill.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s words sent chills down Dal-soo¡¯s spine. Chapter 131: Wrath: Sweeping Mapo District Chapter 131: Wrath: Sweeping Mapo District ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll be fine at the evacuation site.¡± Dal-soo tried tofort Ji-woo. Ji-woo, with his icy gaze and casual, cid expression, did not care in the slightest about it. He instead threw a bombshell question that hit Dal-soo¡¯s remark. ¡°What if a Red Gate appears near the evacuation site? The one with a size of 4 meters or 5 meters radius? Is that within the expectations of the Hunters Association?¡± Dal-soo got taken aback by Ji-woo¡¯s words. There was no preparation for it because the rarity of the Red Gate appeared several times in a row. But, on second thought, the possibility of that happening was there. Why not think about it and prepare for it? Was it because of the human habit that only acted when additional problems arose? Prevention was better than fixing. In the end, those words were just decorations for most people. ¡°In a war, all possibilities must always be open. And preparations for these things must always get ready. One simple mistake can destroy an entire army of war in the snap of fingers. ¡°If in such situations, you are still considering the costs and difficulties of preparing, then you must get prepared to bear all the risks.¡± Ji-woo took a deep breath. That was the thing he got worried about right now. However, he knew that if the situation became real, he would not hesitate to leave Seoul or the hunters behind, having a hard time dealing with those high-grade beings. Dal-soo also sighed and then squatted to the ground. There were Yu-jin and Dong-hyun there, lying on the ground unconscious. Yu-jin was just unconscious and not severely injured, having received only a sudden attack from the Werewolf. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun was a little critical as his Mana was running low, and it was hard to maintain his vitality. The wound on his shoulder was also quite fatal because it was close to the area of his heart. Well, all that was not an arduous task for the Godly Doctor. ¡°I¡¯ll go towards the Red Gate and clean up the white wolves on the way there. You go take care of that Werewolf with the others.¡± ¡°Hm? Then what about the two of them? Is it okay to only leave them here?¡± Dal-soo didn¡¯t understand Ji-woo¡¯s intentions. Wasn¡¯t he the one that said always to get prepared in all circumstances? Wasn¡¯t there a chance that the high-grade beasts could injure or kill Yu-jin and Dong-hyunter? It was cold-hearted to leave the two hunters that Dal-soo thought were with him. ¡°You¡¯ve healed them both, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes. I did. But, why?¡± Ji-woo approached and squatted down in front of Dong-hyun. Next, he smacked Dong-hyun on the head with little ado. Dong-hyun instantly woke up with his eyes wide open and holding his head with both hands. ¡°Ouch! ¡°Why did my head get hit again? What did I do wrong?¡± But then, Dong-hyun realized who was the one that hit his head after he straightened his back. He immediately bowed and apologized to Ji-woo. ¡°Ah, Hyung~nim. Sorry, I raised my voice. I meant nothing.¡± As soon as Dong-hyun finished saying that, he grasped what was going on. He quickly caressed his whole body and checked if the Werewolf¡¯s bite wound was still on his left shoulder or not since he didn¡¯t feel any pain any longer after waking up. In the meantime, Yu-jin also got awakened by Dong-hyun¡¯smotion at the side. She immediately got up and asked what was going on. She asked Ji-woo about Elijah and Ji-won with great concern regardless of her own situation. On the other hand, Dal-soo just crouched down at the scene before his eyes in amusement. Ji-woo¡¯s heart got softened by the actions of Yu-jin and Dong-hyun. They both worry and take good care of their families. And he felt indebted to it. However, he needed to stop the two of them from overreacting. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Red Gate. You can go with Sir. Dal-soo to look for the Werewolf. Or do something else. That¡¯s up to you. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. See you twoter.¡± Ji-woo jumped up and ran at a moderate pace. On the other side, both Yu-jin and Dong-hyun looked at each other and nodded their heads. ¡°Senior Oh, we are going to the Red Gate, too. We hope you will allow it.¡± Dal-soo didn¡¯t mind about that and permitted them. After all, Ji-woo was there, so he didn¡¯t have to worry one bit. But as Yu-jin and Dong-hyun¡¯s back faded from his sight, he felt uneasy about Ji-woo going to the Red Gate. He ended up also going to the Red Gate first before looking for the Werewolf. Ji-woo smirked, sensing Dong-hyun and Yu-jin already behind him, following along. ¡°You two just spread out.¡± ¡°Hyung~nim, why do you say that? We just wanted to help a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ji-woo~si. We¡¯re sure we won¡¯t be a burdenter.¡± The two huntersin at Ji-woo¡¯s words, telling them to separate. ¡°What I mean is for you to spread out and lure the white wolves that roam to my ce. It will make it easier to kill the beasts gathered in one ce without having to run around. ¡°So you can focus your Mana on footwork rather than attack. What you have now won¡¯t be able to defend against the dozens of white wolves.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin blinked their eyes after hearing Ji-woo¡¯s exnation. They immediately parted with no further questions. Suddenly, a white wolf lunged at Ji-woo behind a narrow urban alley after the two hunters had left his side. However, he didn¡¯t even nce at the beast. He solely swung his right arm, and the creature mmed into the ground, instantly dying. Such situations get repeated several times, and Ji-woo not got bothered and bored on his way to the Red Gate. He didn¡¯t even need to summon Shadow de and Diffusal de for such trivial matters. When he arrived at his destination, he did not act immediately but saw the situation first. The number of white wolves was three times the number that came to the exit of the istion zone before. There were about 20 hunters that held back hundreds of those beasts. Surprisingly enough, they could defend against nearly 30 times their number. That too could get said to be thanked to one S-rank hunter, Oh Dal-shik, the Shadow Guild Headmaster being the pir there. Unfortunately, the situation of the hunters was snug and urgent. They were on the edge of the abyss and could die at any moment. Instantly, the hundreds of white wolves ambushed the hunters in unison. Dal-shik bit his lip. It was a difficult situation. He could have dodged or resisted the attack, but the other hunters wouldn¡¯t be so lucky. Out of nowhere, from the hunter¡¯s right side, the white wolves who were jumping with their fierce teeth got knocked straight to the ground. Not just one, but a whole one in the front row of the group. Kaboom! It was Ji-woo who swiftly appeared beside the herd of beasts and delivered one hard and fast blow. It caused one white wolf to get hit directly and collide with the other white wolves. That surprised all the hunters. Apart from Dal-shik, were there other hunters with such power? ¡°This is not the time to get stunned. There are still hundreds toe before you.¡± As soon as Ji-woo finished his speech, the hundreds of white wolves behind the first line that he had killed came more ferociously. And they didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of fear, even after witnessing the blow that killed dozens of them. However, Ji-woo immediately reacted with a swift movement and killed each of the white wolves, with one attack continuing to the other beasts until the surge of the creatures stopped. The hunters who got told to get ready became speechless at what Ji-woo was doing. It didn¡¯t stop there. They were even more dumbfounded after hearing what Ji-woo said next. ¡°You guys just got out of here. It¡¯ll be easier if I take care of them all. Just go. And start chasing the Werewolf, who is none other than the Dungeon Owner.¡± However, those words got misinterpreted by several hunters who were in a state of exhaustion and on edge. They seem to have lost their memory of how Ji-woo killed the white wolves so quickly and boldly raised their voices at him. ¡°Brat! Who do you think you are? How dare you tell us to leave as if we were a burden here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You just came here and dared to say such nonsense! Just get out of our way!¡± Ji-woo picked his ear. ¡°Oh my. You guys are so noisy.¡± He then raised his hand to block Dal-shik¡¯s magical attack. The magic spell, of course, immediately dissipated when it came into contact with his palm. ¡°For a little brat, you have no manners at all. Toe and tell your seniors to leave is like telling the burdens to disappear. You need to get taught a lesson after we take care of the beasts.¡± Ji-woo squinted his eyes when he heard Dal-shik¡¯s words. He understood they got exhausted and on the verge of death. However, losing the ability to think logically in this kind of battle was fatal. That was because every decision would impact the future course of the war. Chapter 132: Wrath: Currently Under Control Chapter 132: Wrath: Currently Under Control The situation at the Red Gate in the Mapo district really looks astonishing. Actually, at a nce, there was nothing strange about the scene where the hunters were fighting the white wolves. However, upon closer inspection, Ji-woo looked ostracized by some hunters, even though they were both fighting the beasts. It was as if he had forgotten that just a moment before, those hunters were on the verge of death. But now, they were acting childish, not epting being treated like a burden. What Ji-woo said earlier didn¡¯t really mean that, but he had no problem if they interpreted it that way. In the fight, Ji-woo handled all the white wolves that moved aggressively. He was more like the one who cleaned up the ones that the hunters missed and ended up being the one who killed the beasts the most. Meanwhile, the hunters could only kill three or four, except for Dal-shik. He himself took care of the white wolves almost as smoothly as Ji-woo did. ¡°Hey, snotty brat, who are you? Which guild are you from?¡± No matter how displeased Dal-shik was with Ji-woo¡¯s earlier words, his eyes would not turn blind to see what Ji-woo did to the white wolves. It wasn¡¯t a strength that belonged to an A-rank hunter. At least Ji-woo was in the same rank as Dal-shik. That was, ording to his observations. But he knew all the South Korean S-rank hunters, and Ji-woo¡¯s face was clearly new. That was why he asked such a question. However, Ji-woo ignored the question and nced behind him while attacking the white wolves that came at him. ¡®Hey! He was so arrogant just because he had that much power. He thought he was the only one who could turn his head while killing these wolves? I also could! What a show-off brat!¡¯ Suddenly, the movements of the dozens of white wolves just stopped, and Dal-shik instantly seized that chance by killing them with one fell swoop. He didn¡¯t expect that there was a hunter who could stop the movement of the beasts, making it easier for him to attack the beasts. He turned to the side, thinking that Ji-woo was the one helping him. But, that expectation immediately got dismissed by Ji-woo, who shrugged his shoulders with an expressionless face. Dal-shik frowned, and soon Dal-soo appeared before him. Come to think of it, only one hunter in South Korea had the blue invisibility thread ability, and that was the Godly Doctor. ¡°I came just to take a look.¡± ¡°What!? Why? With you here, we will clear up those hundreds of white wolves that keeping out of the Red Gate in no time. You saw for yourself there, didn¡¯t you?¡± Dal-shik got taken aback by Dal-soo¡¯s statement. He hoped that Dal-soo woulde as reinforcements and help him withstand the beasts¡¯ onught. Dal-soo looked in the direction where Ji-woo was standing. And answered Dal-shik¡¯s words. ¡°With me here.¡± He shook his head to stop and then continued. ¡°No. We are all useless here. Those streams of beasts will not stop as long as the Red Gate is not closed.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We should all spread out and quickly leave this ce to find the Dungeon Owner. Chairman Yu and dozens of lower-ranked hunters are currently on the hunt.¡± Dal-shik showed his displeasure. ¡°Heh! Your words are almost the same as that little brat over there. If we all leave, who will take care of these beasts? Do you want them to spread out and chase the civilians outside the blockade walls? Isn¡¯t it?!¡± Dal-soo then pointed at Ji-woo. ¡°That little brat you¡¯re referring to is the one who will take care of this ce.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Since when are you able to joke? This isn¡¯t the time for that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m really serious about that,¡± Dal-soo answered with a solemn expression and tone. Dal-shik narrowed his eyes. With Dal-soo being so serious about his statement, he couldn¡¯t help but want to get angry about it. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to argue over matters like this. Why don¡¯t you just believe what I say? If there are civilian casualties because of this, I¡¯ll be the one responsible for it. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Fine! I don¡¯t know your n is a suitable solution or not. But, if the situation gets out of hand. It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Dal-shik couldn¡¯t help but agree with Dal-soo and clenched his teeth. From everything Dal-soo had said, he only recognized the part that they didn¡¯t have time to fight and should close the Red Gate immediately. Pada akhirnya, Dal-soo berhasil menyuruh semua pemburu yang ada di Gerbang Merah untuk mencari keberadaan Pemilik Penjara bawah tanah. ¡°I¡¯ll leave all this to you alone, Ji-woo~si. I¡¯m sorry for this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is better for me. While I¡¯m taking care of the beasts here, I¡¯ll leave as soon as the Red Gate closes. You guys take care of the aftermathter.¡± Dal-soo nodded and agreed with Ji-woo¡¯s n. He had no problem with that. With Ji-woo in front of the Red Gate, he was sure that not a single beast would escape his reach. It was also the first time he had felt the presence of one person capable of taking the ce of a hundred hunters. It was a solution for the Hunter Association¡¯s weakness, which alwayscked people to keep its civilians from cmity. Everything would be perfect as he imagined if only Ji-woo would lend his hands every time a Red Gate appeared in South Korea. Not long after, all the hunters had left the Red Gate. And Ji-woo had to move back and forth to clean up the hundreds of disorganized white wolves. ¡°Sigh. This is more troublesome than I thought. Let¡¯s end this parade quickly.¡± ¡°The curse of my soul, Nullifier!¡± Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in Ji-woo¡¯s palm. Out of nowhere, two short swords with one-sided des appeared. One was sky blue and amethyst, and the other was denim and ck. ¡°Alright. Diffusal de and Shadow de, it¡¯s time to banish the magic from here.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and he moved quickly towards the white wolves. Every swing of his arms would cause the heads of the beasts to shatter. He smiled gently, and the veins on his forehead were visible as he ughtered the white wolves. Now that he was alone. He didn¡¯t need to hold back anymore and freely let go of his exasperation. ¡°Hyung! I brought dozens of white wolves roaming the district here. Now, what¡¯s next?¡± Ji-woo finds out about Dong-hyun¡¯s arrival. And when he heard the scream, he immediately left the white wolves that were close to the Red Gate. He then headed towards Dong-hyun quickly. ¡°Get down.¡± Dong-hyun got surprised and widened his eyes at what Ji-woo said. But, on reflex, he immediately lowered his head as ordered. Ji-woo swung the Diffusal de in his left hand. And several white wolves that were charging at the front got shed mercilessly. It didn¡¯t stop there. He then swung the Shadow de up and down, causing a burst of shock waves at the rest of the white wolves that got lured by Dong-hyun. Kaboom! Dong-hyun, who saw that, was so shocked that he had goosebumps. It was the first time he had seen Ji-woo fight with two short swords. And with just one look, he could tell the quality of the two weapons was top-notch. He gulped and wanted to ask what he should do next. But Ji-woo swiftly jumped over his head. When he turned around, he saw hundreds of beasts rushing towards him. ¡°Go. Find the white wolves that roam around and bring them here like before.¡± Dong-hyun immediately nodded vigorously and left the Red Gate area. Ji-woo, who ran towards the hundreds of white wolves who were also charging at him, roared and spread his arms. He increased his speed nimbly and instantly pushed the beast horde away like he was deflecting a bullet from a machine gun. The bodies of the white wolves that got crushed by Ji-woo¡¯s two short swords fell to the ground in session. And within ten minutes, he slew hundreds of those beasts so that none remained and turned the Red Gate area into a sea of blood. He then sat opposite the Red Gate and looked at it thoughtfully. ¡°None shall hinder me from making this ce free of the Portal Gates!¡± On the other hand, Dal-shik asked Dal-soo about Ji-woo on their way to find the werewolf. ¡°What was that just now? Is he an acquaintance of yours? What rank is he? Is he a member of the Demigod guild? ¡°I can feel that little brat is quite strong despite not being able to sense Mana from his body.¡± Dal-soo chuckled when he heard Dal-shik¡¯s inquiry. One breath and several questions havee out. ¡°I know him, that¡¯s true. However, we are not close to each other. As for his rank, I don¡¯t know myself. And, he is indeed a member of the Demigod guild. Perhaps for now.¡± ¡°Hm!? How do you entrust something to someone you don¡¯t really know!? So reckless! ¡°Wait! You said earlier he¡¯s a member of the guild, but only for now? What do you mean?¡± Dal-soo took a deep breath and gazed ahead, not wanting to exin any further about Ji-woo. What was important now was that everything was under control. Chapter 133: Wrath: Still A Long Way To Go Chapter 133: Wrath: Still A Long Way To Go Yu-jin with dozens of white wolves in tow went to the Red Gate. Surprisingly, the area got deserted, and there were no beasts as far as her eyes could see. There were only the carcasses of the headless white wolves that filled the ce. After approaching, she could see Ji-woo sitting in front of the Red Gate. Ji-woo also looked in the direction she came in. ¡°Ji-woo~si?¡± ¡°Get down.¡± Yu-jin¡¯s reaction was the same as Dong-hyun¡¯s. She was utterly clueless about it. But, in the end, she stillplied with it. She immediately jumped over Ji-woo, who was moving towards the white wolves crowd behind her. Ji-woo immediately shed at the leading white wolf, proceeding to the second white wolf with a swing of the Shadow de. He continued gashing the third, fourth, fifth, and so on until dozens of those creatures fell to the ground. It was all happening in seconds. However, Yu-jin was not surprised by that. Even though it took a while, the S-rank hunter could also kill dozens of those white wolves. Apart from that, there was something else that caught her attention. Ji-woo¡¯s two short swords that were sky blue and amethyst and denim and ck were like high-quality weapons in her eyes. She tried to sense the Mana of the two weapons but to no avail. On the other hand, she felt that both of them possessed unusual Mana. ¡°What¡¯s next? Are all the carcasses of these beasts you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°You can gather those roaming beasts here again like before. Or just wanting to stay here is fine. Do as you feelfortable.¡± Ji-woo dropped the Diffusal de and Shadow de to the ground, stuck firmly after giving advice to Yu-jin. He then sat down as before, gazing at the Red Gate meaningfully. Yu-jin, who saw the event, got curious why Ji-woo left his two weapons. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your two swords will get taken by other hunters? They are like expensive weapons.¡± Ji-woo waved his hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. No one in this world can use both except me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, too. Usually, magic weapons got tied to their wielders. And to let it go, that means either killing you first. Or you unbound them yourself.¡± Ji-woo shrugged his shoulders. He disagreed with what Yu-jin said, but he didn¡¯t borate further. His twin des were no ordinary magical weapons. First, they both weigh 300 kg each. Andst but not least, both swords are detrimental to Mana users. The Diffusal de would suck the Mana of the person holding it, while the Shadow de would turn off the user¡¯s Mana. Yu-jin squinted her eyes and looked at the Red Gate. She sighed. ¡°The Red Gate is still not closed. I wonder what the fate of the other three districts has been so far?¡± The Mapo District had indeede out of its critical period with Ji-woo ughtering hundreds of those white wolves. However, the situation of the other three ces was still in a predicament. The hundreds of beasts from the Portal Gate that the two S-rank hunters couldn¡¯t contain made 40 percent of Seoul¡¯s area almost filled with those creatures. And sure enough, the situation of the three districts was really terrible. The number of beasts in each Red Gate surged to three thousand. It was beyond the expectations of the hunters there. It turned out that the creatures they killed could not make the numbers decrease. And the two S-rank hunters in each of the Red Gate also got surrounded by those thousands of beasts. It caused them to get exhausted soon. The number of victims who fell on the hunter¡¯s side was almost a thousand. That means nearly half of the hunters currently in Seoul have died fighting the Portal Gate creatures. Meanwhile, the number of casualties on the civilian side was still unknown or not yet calcted by the Hunters Association. Right now, it was a gamble for time, which district could close their Red Gate first. That was because automatically, the S-rank hunters who yed the most as reinforcements would go to other neighborhoods that had not got resolved. Only after all the Red Gates were closed would they be able to stop the advance of the remaining beasts. Yongsan district with Devil Baboons and the Monkey King. Jongno district with Skeleton Squad and the Undead Knight. Dongdaemun district with Demon Bats and the Night Hunter. No one knew which one would be able to close the Red Gate between those three ces. It was night, and slowly but surely, the tense atmosphere in Seoul had lessened. It seemed to begin from the Mapo district. Ji-woo had crushed the white wolves that came out of the Red Gate. All that got left were the white wolves that roamed around long ago. For the Werewolf, it was only a matter of time. It was because by now, the hunters, who had spread throughout the district, had found the creature. There were three S-rank Hunters, such as Chairman Yu of the Hunters Association, Oh Dal-shik of the Shadow guild, Oh Dal-soo of the Demigod guild. Such an arrangement was too luxurious for the Werewolf. It was because Chairman Yu alone could render the creature powerless. And it was definite that the Dungeon Owner could not escape again this time around. However, the Werewolf refused to fall without taking three or four hunters with him. In the end, Dal-shik and Chairman Yu delivered the final blow. Meanwhile, Dal-soo recovered the hunters, who got injured and nearly died because of the Dungeon Owner. ¡°Why did you two wander all the way here? What about the Red Gate area? What happened to those white wolves?¡± Dal-shik didn¡¯t open his mouth and pointed at Dal-soo when he heard Chairman Yu¡¯s question. Dal-soo calmly approached and exined. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about it. I can guarantee that the beasts in the Red Gate area have got razed to the ground. The problem now is our division ofbor for this ce. And surely some of us will have to go to other districts too.¡± Chairman Yu frowned at that. ¡°Does this have anything to do with that young man?¡± ¡°Oh? Hyung~nim, do you mean that snotty kid Dal-soo knows?¡± Dal-shik asked. Chairman Yu didn¡¯t respond to Dal-shik¡¯s question and waited for Dal-soo to open his mouth. ¡°We can talk about thister. What¡¯s important is the other three Red Gates.¡± Chairman Yu then nodded. It was because Dal-soo had made sure not to worry. Thus, he decided not to press the matter. ¡°Soon, a helicopter from the Hunters Association will arrive here and bring some hunters to provide assistance to the other three ces. ¡°Me, Dal-soo, and the A-rank hunters will be leaving Mapo-Gu. Meanwhile, Dal-shik and other B-rank hunters and below are exploring the entire area. To make sure the remaining white wolves don¡¯t roam freely when the blockade walls get lifted. ¡° ¡°Alright.¡± With that, it spared the Mapo district from the catastrophe and only needed to clean up the remnants of the white wolves that were spreading in the area. Now, it was only a matter of time before the cmity disappeared from the other three ces. Any district where reinforcements from Mapo district arrived would definitely give the hunters that fighting there a chance to breathe. On the other hand, Ji-woo got up from his seat after the Red Gate disappeared. He picked up the Diffusal de and Shadow de that stuck on the ground. He took a deep breath and then sped his hands together. ¡°Null Eyes!¡± Zasp¨C Ji-woo¡¯s color of eyes changed to dark blue. Everything he saw turned into white and ck threads. The ability almost allowed him to see a five km radius from where he was standing. Not long after, he saw a stack of blue threadsing towards him from two directions. Other than those two. There were no Mana users within his Null Eyes range. He then stopped using his Null Eyes, and instantly his body heated up and emitted steam. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel as tired as before. However, the body heat is still there. It seems the Nullifier¡¯s True Strength isn¡¯t fully get synchronized yet. Or perhaps, my physical body still hasn¡¯t reached that peak power threshold yet.¡± Ji-woo tilted his head while thinking about the possibility. In the end, he didn¡¯t bother too much about it. Now, his n to raise unlimited funds must continue. He sighed. ¡°If only there one skilled cksmith who would work for me. Then building a factory or warehouse for weapons and magic items would be easier. Of course, it would be quicker for me to have funds for an intelligence agency by selling those items.¡± He looked around the surroundings full of weapons and magic items from fallen hunters. The armor of the beasts was quite tempting to sell. However, that only applied to people who knew where to sell them. Literally, who wanted the magical armors from those beasts? Ji-woo currently had information rted to hunters limited to South Korea only. The world was still vast, and there was still a long way to go for him. So was the peace of mankind. Chapter 134: Wrath: At The End of The Skirmish Chapter 134: Wrath: At The End of The Skirmish Dong-hyun came at the same time as Yu-jin. The two of them were luring a crowd of white wolves behind them. Ji-woo was no longer waiting for them toe towards him like before. Now, the Red Gate had ended. He didn¡¯t need to upy the ce any further. He ran to Dong-hyun first. Dong-hyun got surprised but swiftly moved to the side. So as not to stop the momentum of Ji-woo, who was about to attack the beasts. Ji-woo shed the beasts roughly, even though the two short swords had very sharp des. However, all of those beasts died with their heads smashed into pieces. It was like they got hit by a blunt object. He deliberately attacked using excess strength in his wrists and shoulders. He intended to give a sense of helplessness towards those beasts who caused the riots and put his mother and sister in trouble before. Finished with Dong-hyun¡¯s side, he headed towards Yu-jin. He did the same as before. The white wolves were incapable and looked like nothing, having died in one swing. Yet, they were beasts categorized as high-grade creatures that would give S-rank hunters a hard time. Ji-woo suddenly stopped his attack and left thest two white wolves alive. ¡°Eh!?¡± ¡°Hm!?¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin got surprised to see that strange behavior. They had no idea what Ji-woo was up to, who didn¡¯t clean up the rest of the beasts. ¡°I¡¯ll let these two beasts live and get out of here. Now, it¡¯s up to you two whether to kill them or let them roam around the district freely.¡± Ji-woo smiled subtly and immediately jumped high after unsummoned the Diffusal de and Shadow de. ¡°What!?¡± ¡°But!?¡± Before Dong-hyun and Yu-jin knew what it all meant, Ji-woo had disappeared from their sight. Meanwhile, the two white wolves neglected immediately fled from the two hunters. ¡°Sh*t! They ran!¡± ¡°I know. There¡¯s no need to shout. Let¡¯s go after those two beasts. We can¡¯t leave the Mapo district under threat for much longer.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin finally go after the two white wolves. During the chase, Yu-jin asked him about Ji-woo¡¯s intentions. ¡°Why do you think Ji-woo didn¡¯t kill the two white wolves and instead had us take care of them?¡± ¡°I do not know.¡± ¡°Hum! Why do you put up with people who like to order arbitrarily?¡± ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Hearing those words, Yu-jin shot Dong-hyun a very sharp and cold gaze. Dong-hyun, who felt the sharp gaze was like being hit by a lightning bolt that shot out of Yu-jin¡¯s eyes into his face. Being so ufortable, he finally turned his face away and immediately changed the subject. ¡°Look, there are the two white wolves. We can¡¯t fight head-on. We need to attack them by surprise.¡± He said. Yu-jin clicked her tongue while showing her displeasure with Dong-hyun. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun himself swallowed hard. He felt like he suddenly had a new enemy besides the beasts. It sent chills down his spine. Elsewhere, Ji-woo was already far from where he came from. That was because he had no intention of leaving the Mapo district immediately. He wanted to stroll around the area where he felt remnants of the beasts still there. He arrived at a building close to the blockade wall. He walked while observing his surroundings slowly. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a beast gnawing on a human. He didn¡¯t know if it was an ordinary human or a hunter because he couldn¡¯t sense the Mana from the corpse. But if one looked at the attire, then that white wolf was tearing up a hunter. The beast stopped gnashing its sharp teeth and looked at Ji-woo after noticing someone wasing. The white wolf then bared its two fangs. Disyed ferocity with its eyes and was wing at the floor. Ji-wooughed helplessly at that. It wasmon for him to get underestimated because the beasts usually relied on Mana sense to sharpen their survival instincts. So, seeing a creature far below his standards dare to approach with the intent to pounce on him was amusing. But before Ji-woo finished off the white wolf, he sensed the presence of a hunter nearby. He also knew the hunter was hiding and watching his movements. More precisely, the hunter was looking at the situation between Ji-woo and the beast. He shrugged his shoulders, showing that he didn¡¯t care about the hunter. He immediately attacked the white wolf by swinging his right hand below and hitting the beast¡¯s chin. The white wolf immediately flew up and fell to the floor with blood pouring from its eyes, nose, and mouth. Ting, Pwosh! Ji-woo saw a magic item thrown near him and gave off a bright light in a moment. ¡®Oh? Paralyzing spell? This is a rare magic item.¡¯ He, who was closing his eyes due to the bright light, then fell to the ground as if he was asleep. Not long after, the hunter who had been stalking came out of his hiding ce and approached where Ji-woo and the white wolf were. ¡°It almost broke my heart when this boy suddenly came here. I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time to get the chance to pick up the bag. Well, even though it¡¯s a bitte, I finally got what I wanted.¡± ¡°My heart almost stopped when this brat came here all of a sudden. You bastard!¡± The hunter grumbled as he kicked Ji-woo once on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting a long time for the opportunity to pick up the bag. Well, although it¡¯s a bitte, I finally got what I wanted. Hehehe.¡± The hunter was the leader of the hunters¡¯ group that plundered the wealth of the civilians before. Previously, when their group got massacred by the Werewolf, he ran with all his might away and was the only survivor from that event. But then, he followed the Werewolf that had fled from the hunters¡¯ siege at the exit. And he didn¡¯t get frightened and saddened by the tragic deaths of his fellow hunters. All that was in the hunter¡¯s head was the temptation of the Spatial Bag. So, he didn¡¯t care about anything and continued to follow the Werewolf. Luckily, when there were several hunters who managed to catch up to the creature, the Spatial Bag fell because they were fighting while running. It was like gold suddenly falling before the hunter. Plus, the Werewolf and the hunters went away from the item. All that was left was a wounded hunter. That was an easy thing to deal with it. Unfortunately, as he approached, a white wolf came savagely and fought the injured hunter, who was ultimately defeated and torn apart by the beast. When Ji-woo arrived, the hunter stopped his movement to cast his secret magic item. The paralyzing spell only could get used once and for just one person. All would get paralyzed by the magic item, whether high-grade beasts or top-ranked hunters. So, whoever died between Ji-woo and the white wolf didn¡¯t matter to the hunter. ¡°Hm!?¡± The hunter was surprised when he saw Ji-woo¡¯s bag beside his waist. The bag was simr to the Spatial Bag that was near the corpses of the previously wounded hunter. The hunter¡¯s eyes immediately brightened after observing for a while. Two Spatial Bags! Without a doubt, he would instantly be loaded! Notably, if he managed to sell those two items on the ck Market. He couldn¡¯t imagine how many people would bid for the two magic items. ¡®It¡¯s worth using that paralyzing spell!¡¯ ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s take the Spatial Bag that was over there first. Then take the one this boy has.¡± The hunter did not find it strange that Ji-woo had a Spatial Bag because he was so happy to get unexpected fortunes. He picked up the Werewolf¡¯s Spatial Bag and turned around, about to grab the one that belonged to Ji-woo. But instead, he got surprised to see Ji-woo¡¯s back facing him. ¡°Y-You! How could that be!? You shouldn¡¯t be able to move because of the spell, right!? W-What¡¯s going on?¡± Ji-woo stretched his neck and then turned to face the hunter. ¡°Put that thing down, and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± ¡°How dare you say that! This thing is mine!¡± The hunter tried to shrug off but got faced with Ji-woo¡¯s expressionless cold gaze, and it was tough to remain calm. He gulped and sweated all over his forehead. ¡°Oh. So, it was your thing that fell and was left here? Not the dead hunter? Why are you only showing up now? For fear of the white wolf?¡± The hunter bit his lip, not knowing what to say. ¡°Don¡¯t y around too much. We know it¡¯s not yours. Why sneak around if it¡¯s yours?¡± Ji-woo chimed in. ¡°You d*mn brat!¡± The hunter immediately took the sword on his waist and stepped forward, wanting to stab Ji-woo. Ji-woo sighed quickly and snapped the hunter¡¯s hand, holding the sword with both of his hands. Then, the weapon got released and rotated once. Until the tip of the sword got pointed at the hunter¡¯s neck. And Ji-woo took the weapon, immediately severed the neck without hesitation. ¡°I have given mercy. Why do you still want to die?¡± Chapter 135: Wrath: What the Other Side Wants Chapter 135: Wrath: What the Other Side Wants Ji-woo pushed the headless corpse with his finger and fell to the floor. And pay attention to the Spatial Bag that was beside the corpse. ¡®Isn¡¯t a spatial item a rare magic item? Why is it here again? Moreover, in a public ce like this!?¡¯ This was the second time Ji-woo had found the Spatial Bag after he previously obtained the magic item during the 20 Red Gate incident. Was the Spatial Bag a leaf that could get found easily and anywhere? In the end, Ji-woo took the Spatial Bag and went around the Mapo district. Two quite expensive magic items were in his hands. Meanwhile, he himself only needed one. If it had been a Spatial Ring, he would definitely have kept it without thinking or considering selling it. The Mapo District was certain to be safe from the Red Gate and especially from the threat of those beasts. The remaining dozens that might be wandering around would definitely get exterminated before the blockade got liftedter. Meanwhile in the Yongsan district, Jo-hyun and Tae-so have the reinforcements of two S-rank hunters. It was Chairman Yu and Dal-soo. Dal-soo was chosen because he is a true healer. In that war situation, the presence of a healer was very important. Moreover, his rank was the highest in the country of South Korea. With four S-rank hunters, facing those thousands of Devil Baboons was manageable. And coupled with a few additional A-rank hunters, they were able to take care of it. The things that made the S-ranked hunters having a hard time killing the Devil Baboons was the creature¡¯s raw strengthparable to them. The beasts really knew how to use their advantage against the hunters. The Devil Baboons never use a magic spell even once before. But, their Mana used to go all out and invested in their physical strength. That was why the casualties in Yongsan district were quite highpared to Mapo¡¯s. Even Jo-hyun and Tae-so were only able to kill a few of them. Now, with Chairman Yu and Dal-soo restricted the beasts¡¯ movement, Jo-hyun and Tae-ho finally have an easy time to delivered the deadly blow. Meanwhile, it took the four S-rank hunters longer to kill all of the beasts in the Red Gate¡¯s area. In the end, the number of Devil Baboons decreased drastically after such a harsh long battle between those S-ranked hunters and the beasts. ¡°I will go to the Yongsan district exit. The three of you, try to stay here longer and wait until the Red Gate is gone. With this kind of number, it will be easy to handle.¡± Chairman Yu told Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, and Tae-so. Next the four S-ranked hunters splitted into two teams. Ones stayed and fought the remaining Devil Baboons near the Red Gate while the others were to check the possibility of breaching. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Hyun-bin. Sooner, he will handle the Dungeon Owner.¡± Jo-hyun nodded her head to what Chairman Yu had said. Eventually, those words were not just empty words for her. It was not just a merefort thing to make her not worry. But, she believed her guild headmaster would be able to kill the Dungeon Owner for sure. And not long after Chairman Yu went toward the Yongsan district exit, the Red Gate faded away and the three S-ranked hunters delighted when they saw that. With that, two Red Gates that brought unimaginable damage to Seoul were gone. Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, and Tae-so could rx a little bit seeing the number of those beasts wouldn¡¯t get increased anymore. They quickly exterminated the rest of the Devil Baboons. When thest of Devil Baboons had fallen, all of the hunters that were present near the Red Gate cheered up to the sky, expressing their joy to be able to sessfully defend and kill all those beasts. However, there was no rest for the hunters. Dal-soo immediately ordered them to scatter around the district to spot if there any Devil Baboons were roaming and luring in the city. The three S-ranked hunters also apanied those hunters when surveying the area. They couldn¡¯t let the lower rank hunters carelessly fight the Devil Baboons, even though their number was not as many as before. Devil Baboon¡¯s individual strength was really unmatched against several A-rank hunters. Since the Red Gate disappeared, It was unnecessary to let the lower hunters die one sidedly. Chairman Yu arrived at the Yongsan district exit. He saw that In-sung was there. ¡°Did any beasts breach the blockade?¡± ¡°No, Hyung~nim.¡± ¡°How many were here before?¡± ¡°There were only dozens of theming here.¡± Chairman Yu frowned upon hearing those words. It meant the remaining Devil Baboons were still inside the city. They were lurking around or hiding for an opportunity? ¡°There were no casualties, right? Whether the hunters or civilians? ¡°No.¡± ¡°Leave the exit with those hunters on the back. And we will go toward the Jongno district.¡± In-sung narrowed his eyes after hearing Chairman Yu¡¯s order. ¡°How about the Devil Baboons? If dozens of them wereing here, those hunters and the blockade would not be able to hold them.¡± ¡°Dal-soo just told me that the Red Gate has disappeared. Then, he, Jo-hyun and Tae-so explore the area to exterminate the remains of the beast. If my opinion is correct, then what Dal-soo and the others did is right. In my opinion, those Devil Baboons don¡¯t know how to get out of the Seoul blockade.¡± In-sung showed his confusion and inquiry furthermore about what Chairman Yu said. ¡°In Mapo, the white wolves only came to the exit because they were herded by the Dungeon Owner. And you just said there were only dozens. You know how many there were when Dal-soo and I came? A thousand! And Jo-hyun said there were hundreds who had already escaped the Red Gate¡¯s defensive perimeter.¡± It was indeed a strange thing after hearing what Chairman Yu said. Hundreds of beasts escaped, but only dozens came. That meant, there were others, who didn¡¯t go to the exit and were either hiding or were running amok elsewhere. It could be that the Devil Baboons were traps or they didn¡¯t even know about blockades at all. However, the beasts that possessed intelligence were the ones that could speak. And the ones with different Mana from the usual beasts. So, thetter theory seemed correct. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Hyun-bin is here. If the Red Gate is gone, it means he¡¯s already killed the Dungeon Owner and is still in the Yongsan area.¡± ¡°Three S-rank hunters and one Apex-ranked hunter. I guess that¡¯s enough to deal with the rest of the Devil Baboons, who can¡¯t even rely on their numbers anymore.¡± That was right, In-sung was too oblivious to the presence of Hyun-bin, their Apex-ranked hunter. Finally, he and Chairman Yu swiftly made their way to the Jongno district and met with Chief Lee. They also know that Gang-ho attacked the Dungeon Owner alone.In fact, that being was thought to be the strongest among the four Dungeons of the four Red Gates. After a few moments of watching the war between the skeleton army and the hunters, something was missed. It was true that those skeletons always died easily. However, the number of those skeletons ording to Chairman Yu was the highest as far as he came to provide assistance after the two districts. And with the numbers that were dozens more than the hunters. Now, began to be able to give sword cuts to the hunters, including Chief Lee. However, Chairman Yu unceremoniously also directly annihted the skeletons. He also sent In-sung off to catch up with Gang-ho, the headmaster of the Demigod guild. Chairman Yu felt uneasy at the thought of Gang-ho¡¯s one-on-one battle with the Undead Knight. Previously, he had received reports about how powerful the fire magic was. And from that, the watchdog hunters who reported the reports said that magic and raw power were on par with S-rank hunters. It was an enemy that at least two S-rank hunters had to face, ording to Chairman Yu. The Dungeon owner was a troublemaker and in the Dongdaemun district, there were problematic beasts. Those were the Demonic Bats. At the Dongdaemun district¡¯s exit, there were five S-rank hunters. However, they could not reduce the number of those beasts. Fighting in the air was very difficult for the hunters. Moreover, the situation was night, the more difficult it was to aim at the beasts. They needed a hunter who could restrain the Demonic Bats¡¯ pace or movement. The five hunters were ferocious attacker types who have a lot of magic with painful damage. However, no one knew magic about restraining and stopping movement. As a result, when their attacks didn¡¯t work, they had a hard time dealing with the enemy. Meanwhile, the Night Hunter was just observing the fight between the Demonic Bats and the hunters with the highest Mana pool in there. So far, he knew a way to make those hunters fall on their knees. It was worth using those Demonic Bats to circle around the Dongdaemun district exit rather than go outside and chase the weakling humans. The inhabitants of Redredrane, the Sanctum of the Dead, have long upied the Universe Gateway to cross over to earth, but have never seeded in conquering the world. In fact, literally, the creatures from Redredrane were good Mana Users and have been familiar for hundreds of years. Chapter 136: Wrath: The Last Two Chapter 136: Wrath: The Last Two Elsewhere, away from the Red Gate battle, Gang-ho had an intense fight against the Undead Knight. Their magical outputs were so high that they caused the surrounding environment to get severely damaged. The two high Mana users¡¯ battle had be a sea of fire within a one-kilometer radius. Where in every second, a burst of fire with a booming sound was shrieking out of nowhere. On the field, Gang-ho could ovee the Undead Knight in magical power. But, that advantage got dismissed by the Undead Horse. It was like fighting a fellow S-rank hunter but with two entities. An Undead Knight with physical strength and an Undead Horse with magical power was an excellentbination. On paper, the battles were equal, but Gang-ho was battling an enemy whose Mana capacity was twice his. ¡°I acknowledge your strength.¡± Said the Undead Knight, Nazzej. ¡°Omo! Should I be happy that it¡¯s like flying to the moon because of the praise of a creature that invaded ournd?! Don¡¯t get your head up high!¡± Gang-ho dashed towards Nazzej at full power and let out striking mes along the way. The might of the fire was so great that it burned the ground and several nearby buildings with it. Nazzej was not get daunted by it. His eyes zed brightly. He also mustered all his physical strength and swung his Mace right at Gang-ho¡¯s thrust. The collision caused a vast fiery shockwave that swept through the surroundings. The buildings that initially still stood stronger despite being on fire instantly disappeared from the view. And there was only barrennd remaining within the one-kilometer radius. Clouds of dust and debris from buildings also immediately enveloped the area after the devastating collision. Not long after, Gang-ho¡¯s silhouette came into view. His charge got blocked. There was an Undead Horse on the left, cing defenses with a fire shield that came out from its mouth, while an Undead Knight blocked with a Mace on the right. Gang-ho gritted his teeth and intended tounch another attack. But, it got interrupted by the Undead Horse. A jet of dense and massive fire shot out from the Undead Horse¡¯s mouth. The magic managed to knock Gang-ho back. Nazzej did not waste the opportunity. He jumped to Gang-ho¡¯s right while swinging his Mace. Thud! Gang-ho acted swiftly, putting his right arm up and blocking the attack with a small me shield. Surprisingly, Nazzej¡¯s attack with his Mace turned out to get bounced back even though it was the creature¡¯s golden opportunity against the S-rank hunter. Now, it was Gang-ho¡¯s chance to counterattack while Nazzej got knocked back. But, sadly, the Undead Horse didn¡¯t let its master take any fatal hits by directly attacking, leaving no chance for him to close the gap with Nazzej. It was a failed attempt once again! Gang-ho then began to lose his ground against the undead duo. The stalemate situation slowly shifted towards the Undead Knight and the Undead Horse. Boom! Another high explosion urred in the battle area. The fire that extinguished earlier reappeared, burning the ground around it. A collection of smoke clouds rose high into the sky, causing the ce to get darker than the darkness of the night. There were only lights from the fires that illuminated the surroundings. Inside the cloud of smoke, the dull sounds of Mace that got repelled were get heard. Along with shes of firelight from magic spells from within the smog. Haa! Gang-ho roared into the sky and let out a burst of mes to counter Nazzej and the Undead Horse¡¯s barrage of attacks. The magic spell also caused a shockwave that swept away the previous mes and smoke that covered the area. The cloud of smoke had dissipated. The battle area had already got destroyed. The ground was no longer t. And there were many pieces of rock around it. Small fires still remained and burned everything that could get burned there. Gang-ho breathed heavily. His battle armor got tattered, and several bruises on his skin were visible on it. Nazzej and the Undead Horse were no different from him either. They both suffered some damage from the exchange of attacks in the haze earlier. However, the two beings from the Red Gate had vitality and didn¡¯t look worn out at all. Suddenly, the mes on several parts of the Undead Knight and Undead Horse¡¯s bodies zed violently. The Undead Horse opened its mouth, and a huge fireball appeared in an instant in front of it. The ball-shaped fire rotated in ce slowly. Gang-ho that stood across from the two Red Gate creatures could feel the pressure from the fireball. He wanted to stop the magic spell but got distracted by Nazzej¡¯s presence. The Undead Knight¡¯s sudden increase in Mana Presence made Gang-ho feel there was no way to interfere with the magic spell that the Undead Horse performed. ¡®F*ck! It¡¯s getting out of control now! I didn¡¯t expect to get pushed to the edge by creatures who were actually still not my equal. Whenever there is an opportunity tounch a deadly attack, others wille to disrupt it.¡¯ Gang-ho clicked his tongue and grumbled about it. In the meantime, the fireball began to increase its rotation. The density of the mes got so thick that the ground beneath it started to melt slightly. Nazzej then dived low towards Gang-ho from the left. The move managed to take Gang-ho by surprise and distracted him from the fireball. But that only made Gang-ho toote to react to the magical spell¡¯s attack from the Undead Horse. The fire in front of the creature¡¯s mouth instantly shrunk in a small size with a fast rotation. It red and shot towards Gang-ho at a tremendous speed. There was no time to cast a magic spell to counter the fireball. The only way was to dodge with all his avable Mana and put it into his footwork. It seemed like it was an easy task for him. He managed to avoid the devastating fireball attack by only barely getting hit. Boom! The thunder of the magic spell emitted an ear-piercing explosive sound. The mes from the magic soared high into the sky and created a small hole quite deep in the ground. Unfortunately¡­, ¡°Taste my Mace!¡± Gang-ho was startled to hear the Undead Knight¡¯s voice. He instinctively moved his right hand to guard against the blow. Bang! This time, Gang-ho got a direct hit from the weapon. And he was thrown a few meters to the ground. All the while rolled on top of it. Nazzej smirked and lowered his legs to make another jump towards Gang-ho, who was still in a flung state and hadn¡¯t stopped yet. The Undead Knight decided to muster all his strength for that one final blow. This time, he was aiming for the head of the S-rank hunter. He and the Undead Horse couldn¡¯t wait to rage across the city of Seoul after this one obstacle got removed. ¡°Die with honor at my hands, O human!¡± ¡°Magic of Ice, Heaven Iceberg!¡± Nazzej, who was one step away from sessfullyunching a deadly attack on Gang-ho, was suddenly trapped in a rtivelyrge chunk of ice in mid-air. Neigh! The Undead Horse cried out and lifted its forelegs after seeing its master confined in the ice and falling to the ground. The mount swiftly sped toward the chunk of ice and let the mes in several parts of its body burn bigger and fiercer. Gang-ho, who was near the iceberg, was also saved from the scorching heat of the Undead Horse by the person who cast the ice magic spell. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Thanks for the rescue. But, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m in good shape.¡± Gang-ho replied as he regted his heavy breathing. ¡°Where did you get hurt?!¡± ¡°Apparently, one or two of my ribs got broken after parrying that creature¡¯s Mace head-on.¡± The hunter who was on the side carrying Gang-ho starred scornfully. ¡°No need to worry, Dal-soo is in the Yongsan district close by. You won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°You brat! Your tone ispletely disrespectful towards this old man. I¡¯m the same age as your guild headmaster!¡± The hunter felt like his ears were about to burst at Gang-ho¡¯s loud ramblings. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m sorry, sir. Satisfied? We should think about how to get rid of that bundled Dungeon Owner.¡± Gang-ho wasn¡¯t happy with the insincere apology from the Shadow guild hunter. In the end, he paid no heed to that. After all, he couldin to Dal-shikter about the subordinate once the Seoul crisis was over. ¡°Tsk! I can still fight. These wounds are nothing. With the two of us here, those Undead creatures won¡¯tst long.¡± Gang-ho said as he stared at the cluster of mes encircling the ice floe along with the Shadow guild hunter, Jo In-sung. Not long after, the iceberg melted in an instant, and Nazzej was free from the trap. ¡°Another human with the same power as the others.¡± Nazzej could feel In-sung¡¯s Mana emitting. And it was the same as when he fought Gang-ho in the beginning. So, he knew the equality of those two humans after staring intently at the two of them. He then observed the state of the Undead Horse beside him. The mes in several parts of the Undead Horse began to dim. It showed that the creature had used too much Mana to melt the iceberg that trapped its master. Nazzej had no other choice but to use his secret skill. You could say it was thest fire he would light this time. It couldn¡¯t get helped. He had no other choice. ¡°The Knight of Chaos, Phantasm!¡± Gang-ho and In-sung gaped at the sight of the Undead Knight instantly bing five creatures after the ze of rays. Chapter 137: Wrath: The Struggle Chapter 137: Wrath: The Struggle Nazzej gritted his teeth, and sparks shot out of his mouth. The mes around his body were also zing fiercely and emitting an unusual heat. The Undead Knight then mounted the Undead Horse. The mes in several parts of the Undead Horse that were previously dim now burned brightly and grew big. As if it had found a new source of life. The incident took Gang-ho and In-sung by surprise. The two of them reflexively expended their Mana Presence and prepared for battle. However, they couldn¡¯t even get closer because the fire and light got bigger and brighter from where the two creatures were. Even the wind pressure from the magic energy source could not get underestimated. It was prominent from the state of the two S-rank hunters, who were slowly getting pushed back from their starting positions. ¡°Let¡¯s hit them!¡± Gang-ho screamed, calling for some action to disorder the Undead Knight and his mount. ¡°OK!¡± In-sung answered and prepared tounch his magic spell attack. Gang-ho mustered his Mana to use magic while being pushed back from the wind pressure. He then seeded in casting a small fireball in his left hand with great difficulty. In-sung also managed to cast his magic spell. His left hand turned into ice. He was the first tounch an attack by bursting a jet of ice towards the Dungeon Owner. It was then get followed by a fireball from Gang-ho. Kaboom! A massive explosion apanied by a giant cloud of steam from the confluence of fire and ice enveloped the entire area within a one-kilometer radius. The ground there also shook, causing kes of dust and rocks to fly everywhere. Gang-ho and In-sung use their arms to block the debris. They also enhanced their physical condition with their Mana to withstand it. A moment after that, In-sung jumped back and used wind magic to clear the area of the vapor mist. However, what appeared before the eyes of the two hunters was something they didn¡¯t expect at all. There were five creatures, each riding an Undead Horse. ¡°What¡¯s that!?¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± The overall magic power of the five Undead Knights wasn¡¯t as strong as he was before the merger. However, each being that rode those Undead Horses was no illusion. It got ascertained from the Mana that Gang-ho and In-sung feel in the five creatures. Even though the five Undead Knights were weaker than before, they were still opponents to get reckoned with. It was because their strength was still above A-rank hunters. ¡°I will fall along with the lives of both of you.¡± The five Nazzej spoke simultaneously and echoed into the ears of the two S-rank hunters. The five Undead Knights then let out hot steam from their mouths. Suddenly, the five creatures disappeared from where they were. Even so, Gang-ho and In-sung were still able to follow the movements of the Undead Knights. They nimbly move andunch attacks rather than defend. ¡°Wrap your arms with magical elements. Those Maces are a pain in the *** to deal with.¡± Gang-ho said, giving In-sung advice. In-sung nodded at the suggestion and immediately used a magic spell to cover his arms with the fire element. All hunters who had reached S-rank were able to use various magic essences. And this time, he chose fire over ice to fight the Undead Knight. Without a doubt, ice was not very good against those creatures. At the same time, a series of small explosions immediately urred in several parts of the battle area of the supernatural beings. Five against two. It was an obvious situation to behold. Unexpectedly, the five creatures could push the two S-rank hunters to the corner. Gang-ho and In-sung didn¡¯t expect that the raw strength of the five Undead Knights could match them. That made the two of them change their way of fighting at once. In-sung swiftly dispelled the fire magic on his arms and used ice magic to give the two of them an opening to keep their distance. In an instant, an icy avnche hit the five Undead Knights and pushed them back slightly. The two S-rank hunters finally gained space after a brush and damage-packed exchange of attacks. But it wasn¡¯t long. The avnche melted due to the heat emitted by the creatures. The Undead Horses raised their forelegs and spat outbursts of mes in session. The attack turned out to smoothly get neutralized by Gang-ho with a burst of fire from both hands eventually. It was just as he had predicted. The magical energy of those Undead Knights was a drastic drop from their current form. Hence, the two of them nned to fight with magic spells. Gang-ho and In-sung have already experienced how powerful the physical strength of the Undead Knights was. So, they chose not to confront the creatures head-on. On the other hand, long-rangebat would give them an advantage as the two S-rank hunters had better magical power than the current Undead Knights. This incident might be due to the condition of the Undead Horse, which was almost depleting its Mana. Thus the merging and summoning of the four Nazzej selves were imperfect and intact in terms of magical energy. As a result, the Dungeon Owner¡¯s trump card was not as strong as it should be. Gang-ho and In-sung continue tounch their magical spell attacks. However, the five creatures did not budge and didn¡¯t get knocked back at all. They were even able to close the distance bit by bit. It was also thanks to their innate magical element, fire. When the distance between them was only a few meters away, Gang-ho let out an enormous burst of fire from both hands. The magic immediately took care of the five Undead Knights at once, holding them back in ce. Meanwhile, In-sung swiftly turned around to look for opportunities to attack the creatures from the other side. In-sung managed to get behind the Undead Knights andunched an ice magic attack before the creatures reacted to his approach. Actually, he wasn¡¯t sure if his magic would have much effect in a fight against a creature whose innate nature was the fire element. Surprisingly, the sharp chunks of ice that rose from below the Undead Knights managed to topple that one incarnate being. Meanwhile, the other four managed to dodge because the Undead Horse moved quickly when its belly got scratched by the ice magic. But unfortunately, the four of them have to get hit by Gang-ho¡¯s fire attack for suddenly dodging to the other side. They bounced far back while crashing to the ground several times, leaving marks in their path. In-sung returned to Gang-ho¡¯s side after jumping and dodging the creatures¡¯ fall. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect ice magic to be able to eliminate one incarnation of such a creature.¡± Gang-ho was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth. ¡°It could be because their magic resistance is low. Mana users with lower magic energy also don¡¯t have a high magic defense.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± In-sung replied. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± Gang-ho wanted to continue the attack before the Undead Knights rose again. Out of the blue, it turned out that the two of them were actually attacked by the four remaining creatures instead. It startled the two S-rank hunters. Without having time to use any magic spells, the two had to withstand the fierce attacks of the Undead Knights¡¯ Mace weapons. Plus, from time to time. The Undead Horses also attacked with magic spells. Even though they were weak, the magics were still annoying to endure. Both Gang-ho and In-sung¡¯s arms suffer from multiplecerations to their skin. Blood was already starting to pour though not much. Their bodies were in a state of fatigue from withstanding the magic spell attacks head-on. The sudden attack caused the stamina and Mana of the two S-rank hunters to get drained at a rapid pace. It was arduous to separate or widen the distance between the two sides. The Undead Horses moved very well to close the gap. They even could interfere with the magic spells that Gang-ho and In-sung were about to cast. The meleebat was truly unlucky conditions for the two S-rank hunters. Gang-ho sweated profusely on his face. He gritted his teeth and decided to take in the attacks from the four Undead Knights. Consequently, he managed to cast a magic spell and wrapped his entire body in fire magic. But instead, two Mace strikesnded on his chest. Adding to the deep wound he had previously suffered. Thanks to that, In-sung also got a chance to use his magic spell. He then used fire magic to help fend off the Maces¡¯ attack. The magic instantly enveloped Gang-ho¡¯s body, which was already covered by the fire element before. That would multiply the existing fire magic power. Hyaaa! Gang-ho then screamed and exploded the mes that were on his body. In-sung¡¯s fire magic also sted with it. Boom! Unfortunately, the blow-up wasn¡¯t enough. One of the Undead Knights nimbly escaped the attack and appeared in front of In-sung. The mes in some parts of the Undead Knight and Undead Horse zed ferociously. It got followed by a Mace¡¯s attack, which was fast and also carried a tremendous amount of magic power. ¡°Watch out!!!¡± Gang-ho eximed. However, he didn¡¯t have the chance to do anything. The Undead Knight¡¯s attacks connected. In-sung, who didn¡¯t have time to use a magic spell to block it, had to let his left hand shatter to fend off the blow from the Mace that got aimed at his head. Chapter 138: Wrath: Closed Chapter 138: Wrath: Closed In-sung stumbled upon receiving the dangerous attack. He gritted his teeth while enduring the pain of the wound in his left arm. His left hand could no longer function properly for now. His bones got crushed, and his flesh got torn apart. Even though it wasn¡¯t cut off, it was basically dead weight for him. Such a wound would only be a hindrance in the life and death battle that was currently happening. But at certain times, it could also get used as an opportunity to win. It depends on how it got utilizedter. The Undead Knight, who saw his opponent fall to the ground, immediatelyunched another attack. But, it didn¡¯t work like before. Gang-ho managed to cast a magic spell. A stream of cold water hit the creature and its mount, pushing them away from In-sung. The attack caused the Undead Knight and Undead Horse to emit hot steam and inflict significant damage on them. Suddenly, the mes in several parts of the bodies of the two creatures zed fiercely again. It seemed as if the water magic attacks didn¡¯t have much effect on it. The three Undead Knights and the other Undead Horses that got hit by Gang-ho¡¯s st earlier had risen and moved towards the two S-rank hunters. In-sung and Gang-ho looked at each other while giving a tacit understanding of what they do next. In a second, the two nodded. Gang-ho rushed towards the three Undead Knights. Meanwhile, In-sung was still kneeling on the ground, holding his left arm and being the target of the Undead Knight, who injured him earlier. A seemingly hopeless situation would usually have a predictable oue. But this time, even under such circumstances, In-sung was already prepared for the impending attack. That behavior made the Undead Knight think that the human had given up and barged straight ahead. He assumed that he had managed to drag one human Mana user down. However, unbeknownst to the creature, a pir of sharp ice chunks aimed nimbly at the head of the Undead Horse from his right side. The Undead Knight was taken aback by that. But unfortunately, the sharp ice pir extended further into his head in the blink of an eye without giving him time to dodge. In-sung heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the enemy had lost. The sharp ice pir that was on his left arm started to evaporate. And revealed his broken left hand. He then turned his gaze towards Gang-ho, who was fighting the three Undead Knights at once. The battle was fierce. Gang-ho looked like he was fighting to the death with the three creatures. Sure enough, closebat was notfortable at all. Initially, Gang-ho¡¯s choice to fight the three Undead Knights was long-rangebat. However, the three creatures swiftly dispersed, causing him a bit of trouble to confine the three of them in one ce. Left with no other choice, Gang-ho ended up having to fight head-on. Of the exchange attacks, almost half got connected to his body. However, he tightened his mouth that was already dripping with blood, and continued to attack non-stop. One Undead Knight swung his club andnded right on Gang-ho¡¯s left shoulder. The Undead Horse also let out fire magic at the S-rank hunter. Yet¡­, ¡°Heh! I finally got you. It¡¯s not for nothing that I have to endure this attack head-on.¡± Gang-ho¡¯s shoulder must have badly gotten injured from Mace¡¯s attack. But, in exchange, he could restrain the creature¡¯s movements. He also managed to block the fire attack from the Undead Horse with fire magic from his hand. Gang-ho swiftly used his other hand and grabbed the hand of the Undead Knight holding the weapon. He immediately used water magic at that very moment. The water immediately spread and enveloped the creature¡¯s entire body and his mount. In an instant, water spikes shot out from the Undead Knight and the Undead Horse simultaneously. The two remaining Undead Knights didn¡¯t have time to aid the others. It was because they got blocked by In-sung in mid-way. Unfortunately, the S-rank hunter wasn¡¯t in good shape, and his strength had already drastically reduced. One creature managed to pass and rush to Gang-ho. ¡°Hyung! Watch out!!¡± ¡°Rather than worrying about others. You should focus on what¡¯s in front of you.¡± In-sung was surprised to hear those words. He immediately used fire magic, trying to put some distance between them. But it didn¡¯t work. He instead got hit quite hard in the chest by the creature¡¯s Mace. He bounced far back while spitting blood from his mouth. Gang-ho, who turned his head at In-sung¡¯s warning, was also got hit by the Mace on his left. Luckily, he was able to raise his arm to defend. However, that only made the wound worse because of the injury on the shoulder earlier. The two S-rank hunters had already fallen and were on the verge of defeat. They are not fighting at full strength because their Mana consumption got already depleted in the beginning from dealing with the Red Gates that appeared from noon. The two Undead Knights approached leisurely with their mounts. ¡°Humans, you guys are strong. But to my surprise, you guys were able to kill three out of five of me. It is my sacred skill that overwhelms Val¡¯gard. A troll who got praised as the next candidate to join the Generals of Redredane. Impressive.¡± Gang-ho and In-sung were a bit far from each other, heard the same thing at once from the Undead Knight in front of them. Both of them bit their lips respectively saw the bitter result. They were already at their limit and weren¡¯t sure if they could continue fighting. They didn¡¯t have the strength anymore to run away. How about continuing to fight? It was an impossible task. The situation looked bleak and hopeless. ¡°My Great Warlock. I¡¯m sorry this subordinate of yours was unable toplete the task.¡± The two Undead Knights spoke, and the Undead Horse raised its forelegs. Neigh! Gang-ho and In-sung, who hear and see this are confused. They don¡¯t understand what it means. Not only that, what happened after that made them both even more shocked. Puff! The two Undead Knights suddenly lit up violently and disappeared in an instant. Out of nowhere, all those creatures evaporate into the air. Unperceived to the two S-rank hunters, the skill used by Nazzej was an ability that was dangerous if used beyond the max limit or in a state, not at full power. Back at Gang-ho and In-sung, they were still astonished in the direction in which each of the Undead Knights disappeared. No matter how fast they racked their brains, they still couldn¡¯t find an exnation for it. ¡°Hey! Do you know what¡¯s going on!?¡± ¡°I was the one who wanted to ask you that too.¡± Like that, the Red Gate in the Jongno district finally dissipated, causing the swarm of skeleton army toe to a halt. Meanwhile, somewhere else close to the Dongdaemun district. The darkness of the night didn¡¯t prevent the two Mana users from meeting and interacting. ¡°The Red Gate won¡¯t close if you don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was prepared long ago for times like this.¡± said the Night Hunter. Kakaka¨C ¡°But, shouldn¡¯t your leader be the one who came to me? Why would you? I don¡¯t really know your members. We would have almost fought if you didn¡¯t mention my Lord¡¯s name earlier.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but Ma Dong-seok isn¡¯t here anymore because some trouble has urred. So, I got asked to take care of this should a creature as youe out of the Red Gate.¡± The Night Hunter tilted his head. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. My business is only what my Master, Emperor Necromonican tells me to do.¡± The Mana User in front of the Night Hunter smirked. Even though he joined hands with the creatures of the Portal Gate, it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t despise the monsters. The audacity that he was a human who possessed the Mana Blessing was the best of ordinary humans and Portal Gate creatures. It was his absolute arrogance. The Night Hunter didn¡¯t mind the hunter¡¯s attitude. After all, even if he was not satisfied with it, he could not retaliate. It was because the difference in strength and Mana was apparent between them. ¡°So, what about the Red Gate?¡± The Night Hunter did not answer the hunter¡¯s question. He walked instead, widening the distance a bit. He then stuck his right hand with sharp nails into the left chest. Szreet! At that moment, a spheroidal blood clot got pulled out with that hand. The Night Hunter then kneaded the globr blood clot until it disintegrated and evaporated. ¡°Done.¡± The hunter frowned. ¡°What do you mean!?¡± He originally wanted to continue his displeasure. But after sensing the creature¡¯s Mana got decreased a lot. He asked further. ¡°What happened?¡± Kukuku¨C The Night Hunterughed disdainfully. ¡°That one just now is a Key of the Door. Its only function is to close it.¡± The hunter narrowed his eyes. The Key in question was the Dungeon Bead which usually got used to exit the Portal Gate. It was because the Redredane creatures referred to the Portal Gate as the Door and the Dungeon Bead as the Key. ¡°That means the Red Gate has disappeared? How did that happen?¡± The Night Hunter didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t want to say that the secret was his unique existence. Simply put, he was the only one who could cheat the Universe Gateway. Chapter 139: The Next Step Chapter 139: The Next Step The catastrophe of the four Red Gates had ended when the sun rose the next day. However, the blockade walls that stood since the beginning to quell the disaster had not got removed yet. Areas close to Seoul still look deserted. The military forces were still busy going back and forth in the Seoul area. That meant the situation was still in the clearing and confirmation stage. Until the Hunters Association dered that there were no Red Gate creatures left. They also need to check the Portal Gates in Seoul. If any had any signs of wanting to change to the Red Gate, or maybe there was another Red Gates besides the previous four. The soldiers and hunters outside of Seoul had also cleaned up the creatures that broke through the blockade walls. It was notplicated and tiring because it was not up to hundreds. The Hunters Association also participated in the extermination. In the Mapo district, Ji-woo was looking at the state of his mother¡¯s house and food stall. Initially, he wanted to immediately catch up to the emergency shelter where his mother was now. However, he changed his mind and decided to stay and stake out the entire Seoul area for the night. He looked around and decided not to interfere. He knew that the hunters who were fighting the creatures could handle it. As for the casualties suffered by the hunters, that was none of his business. Even so, he had several times helped some residents who had not yet had time to leave Seoul and were in danger from those creatures. ¡°How lucky. The house and the food stall are fine despite themotion going on in this district.¡± Ji-woo shook his head at the coincidence. He did not mind if he had to spend money to renovate the two ces. But, he felt grateful that there was no need. Even though he had hundreds of millions of won, he was still somewhat poor by his own standards. He sighed. His activities were nothing but hunting inside the Portal Gate and training Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. In truth, though, there was nothing more he could teach the two hunters. Because basically, he wasn¡¯t a Mana user after all. However, after the two incidents that happened to his mother, Ji-woo gave up his intention to stop training Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. He wanted them to be able to protect his family, even if he wasn¡¯t around. For that reason, teaching them to get stronger was finally part of his n. The two hunters onlycked fighting experience. When that got fulfilled, he was sure they would thrive. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could experience fighting in any condition and situation with him as a practice opponent. ¡°The tier-4 Portal Gate that I bought earlier didn¡¯t produce any results at all. But, because of that, too, I was able to gain full power faster than I thought. Though, I don¡¯t know if there will be any side effects or not. It still emits steam when I push it too much, given the state my body is in it. The possibilities are still there.¡± Ji-woo had gotten no results several times when he bought the Portal Gate. If it happened that often, his desire to earn a lot of money from the dungeon would be useless. Getting money from one source could be annoying at times, especially if there was a situation that made things chaotic. On the other hand, these problems didn¡¯t bother him because he had surprisingly obtained quite a valuable item in this world. The Spatial Bag. Ji-woo now had two Spatial Bags. He was perplexed about what to do with the other item. Items that got recognized as rare items by the hunters didn¡¯t really matter to him. For now, having one was enough, as he only needed a particr storage item for his belongings. The thing that made him the most ufortable with the Spatial Bag was that it was tooplicated to get carried on the shoulder to go everywhere. Even in a battle, sometimes it was even more difficult because of its size. Even though the material was quite strong, he couldn¡¯t predict whether it would survive in the future in a battle that was at his full power scale. Out of nowhere, Ji-woo felt two Mana approaching him. But, he already knew who it was without looking back. ¡°Ji-woo Hyung!? What are you doing here? Not going to auntie¡¯s ce?¡± ¡°Have you been here since leaving the Red Gate ce before?¡± Ji-woo chuckled at the different questions that Dong-hyun and Yu-jin asked at the same time. ¡®It seems the two of them never had anything inmon with each other.¡¯ He thought. ¡°Just checking. How was your pursuit of the White Wolves?¡± Hearing Ji-woo¡¯s question, Dong-hyun blushed and didn¡¯t know how to exin. But, Yu-jin had a different reaction. She believed that Ji-woo could direct him if she told about her experience with the White Wolves. ¡°They¡¯re strong. The White Wolves¡¯ fangs and ws are sharp. Plus, the speed of creatures with four legs is usually quite fast. It makes them extremely dangerous, even for A-rank hunters. If I had to go head-to-head, I¡¯m not sure I could win at all. Did you¡­,¡± Yu-jin opened her mouth and then hesitantly continued her words. Ji-woo then immediately chimed in. ¡°Of course, they are strong. The White Wolf¡¯s Mana alone is ten times that of you two.¡± ¡°Eh!? Is that true, Hyung? But I don¡¯t think those creatures are powerful.¡± Yu-jin immediately gave Dong-hyun a death re from the side after hearing his words. He felt that way and didn¡¯t know what was wrong. In the end, he just swallowed his saliva. ¡°They are strong, it¡¯s true. But those of you who think these creatures are not as strong as they say are stronger than you were in the past.¡± ¡°Really? But I feel like my Mana never increased at all.¡± Ji-woo was speechless at Dong-hyun¡¯s ramblings and interrupted with his words. He turned swiftly and waved his hand at Dong-hyun. Dong-hyun, who saw that, also swiftly used both hands to block. Well, it definitely didn¡¯t go ording to his n. ¡°Ouch! Why was my head getting hit? What did I do wrong?¡± ¡°You deserve it!¡± Yu-jin sneered. Ji-woo actually wanted not to make a fuss about it. However, he unconsciously got irritated every time Dong-hyun did that. He didn¡¯t even understand why Dong-hyun was still like that despite being hit by him so many times. Anyway, he then continued. ¡°In a life and death battle, many factorse into y. It¡¯s not just about Mana. Fighting experience, attack timing, weaknesses and advantages, and many other things count. ¡°You guys confronting that creature in whatever way it is has proven that you are already stronger. And are aware of the meaning of survival. Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. Throw away the thought of fighting a duel, and justice is a matter of respect. That kind of thing in a world where the strong triumphed over the weak was pointless. That doesn¡¯t apply at all. ¡°Besides, to be honest, what you guys did was below my expectations. I think you guys are capable of taking on these creatures in a one-on-one situation.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin lowered their heads and pondered their actions upon hearing this. On the one hand, they understood this because they also felt that the white wolves were not very strong. However, they themselves didn¡¯t know what they werecking, which caused them tock the self-awareness to engage in one-on-onebat. Ji-woo sighed. What he said was not meant to demoralize Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Moreover, they had seeded in killing creatures whose Mana was more prominent than them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to mope. That¡¯s just my expectation. Don¡¯t make a fuss about that. What youck is only battle experience. Of course, it¡¯s about Mana too. But, that can get taken care ofter.¡± Yu-jin lifted her face and looked at Ji-woo expectantly. Surprisingly, Dong-hyun also behaved the same way as her. Ji-woo smiled awkwardly at the two of them like puppies sweetly sitting, waiting for their master¡¯s orders. ¡°Okay. We can continue training at another time after all this Red Gates mess is over. Shortly, I will go to the emergency evacuation area. How about you guys?¡± ¡°We should at least be on patrol for the next few hours. That¡¯s to make sure that Seoul ispletely get cleared of the Portal Gate creatures.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Hyung, no need to worry. All the Red Gates are closed. Soon everything will be back to normal.¡± Ji-woo then chuckled and waved his hand to part with Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. On the way, Ji-woo was contemting his next step. He was reluctant to hunt in another Portal Gate in this current circumstance. But on the one hand, it would make his ie be stagnant. And instead, make it difficult for him to take care of his family. Only the Spatial Bag could get used at times like this. The thing to consider was how and where to sell the rare item? He knew that a Spatial-type item would bring chaos when it became avable on the market. He was sure that the top-ranked and wealthy hunters desperately needed something like this one. Chapter 140: A Sinister Plan Chapter 140: A Sinister n ¡°Hello, Ji-woo~si. Long time no talk. How are you? You must be busy taking care of the remnants of the Red Gate creatures in Seoul with the Demigod guild.¡± ¡°Oh yes, Mister Jee. I¡¯m fine and not busy. Everything¡¯s settled. So nothing to worry about it. Yourwork is great. To be able to have news like this one so quickly.¡± Ji-woo felt strange when Jee Seok-jin suddenly called him. He was the one who usually called to take care of the Portal Gate matter. ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s an easy thing for me. Before, I didn¡¯t want to dwell on this call. So, let¡¯s get straight to our business.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± Ji-woo had no problem with the politeness of Seok-jin¡¯s way of speaking. Getting straight to business was something he wasfortable with from the start. ¡°I heard the good quality magic items and weapons that recently appeared in the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop were your doing? Is that true? Quite disappointing based on our rtively close rtionship with each other.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve traded on Portal Gates and magical items once before. Why don¡¯t you just leave it to me? Am I someone hard to trust for things like that? Huh?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s eyes widened after hearing those words. He didn¡¯t expect Seok-jin to act like that. The information problem about him being the source of the magic items in the weapon shop wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. He knew the risks from the start. But, controlling and forcing him to do something was the thing he hated the most. In the end, he just let out a short breath and tried to hold back his annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if that offends you, Mister Jee. But, shouldn¡¯t you be fine with matters like this? After all, the shop owner is an acquaintance of yours. That is Mister Ma-no.¡± Seok-jin¡¯s greed started when Ji-woo sold the Golden Bow to him. But, back then, he didn¡¯t think much of it and let it pass like the wind. After all, Ji-woo had also frequently bought hundreds of millions of won-scale Portal Gates from him. So, he put it in the back of his head. That was when Seok-jin started hearing rumors that new magical items and weapons had arrived at the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop. Moreover, those items and weapons were of good quality. He then immediately got angry and said, which idiot would sell or ask to sell stuff like that in an ordinary shop?! Seok-jin then mobilized his intelligencework to find out the whole situation. Because it wasn¡¯t just once and twice, it happened. If sold on the ck Market, the price of those items will soar slightly higher. What made the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shops inferior to the ck Market was that they did not receive special services to any party or entity. They wanted to serve all hunters fairly. The beginning of the establishment of weapons shops by the Hunter Association was with such fair and bnced rules for all hunters. That was why many goods sellers were not happy to put their goods in the weapon shop. Besides being difficult to find buyers, they also could not ask for above-average prices. Meanwhile, the Hunters Association wanted magical items and weapons to be affordable to all hunter-gatherers. It was so that humanity could survive and face the Portal Gate creatures that threatened their very survival. And the ck Market was existed, which was sponsored by some of the world¡¯s leading and big guilds. Particr services such as VIP customers and sellers were allowed in that ces. Transactions also vary, ranging from a cash or other valuable objects that wereparable to the items and magic weapons. Some also offer a personal service such as power and connection to the government. Seokjin finally found out the person behind themotion after spending quite a lot of resources tracking the source of the supply of magic items and weapons to the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop. That was where Seok-jin¡¯s greed started to overflow. He could earn a lot of money from sharing his profits with Ji-woo with such an amount of goods. He expected those items were obtained from the Portal Gate that he sold to Ji-woo. So, he felt it was appropriate to sell the item through him. ¡°Listen here. That¡¯s not the case. I asked why you didn¡¯t ask me first about these things? Just so you know, I can take care of it for you. Not only Ma-no. Considering our rtionship, you should prefer me over him.¡± Seok-jin wasn¡¯t interested in exining at length and only emphasized that he should be the choice for those items based on their rtionship. In reality, he wanted to profit from Ji-woo. He was sure that information about the ck Market was unknown to many people, especially Ji-woo. ¡°You got those things after all because I sold you the Portal Gate. Why don¡¯t we just cover this together? Isn¡¯t that a good idea? You have nothing to lose.¡± Ji-woo smiled subtly while still holding back his annoyance. He guesses that Seok-jin wanted to take advantage of him even though he didn¡¯t know-how. ¡°Fine. If I buy another Portal Gate from your ce, I¡¯ll leave the goods business to you.¡± Ji-woo answered without caring about manners. Seok-jin, who heard this over the phone, expresses his displeasure. ¡°Hey, brat. Aren¡¯t you happy with my proposal? You don¡¯t know yourself. Without me, you and your team wouldn¡¯t be able to buy a Portal Gate. Do you think a Demigod ss guild can scare me? Here, I¡¯m the one who helped you! You earned a lot of money thanks to me!¡± Seok-jin still thought that Ji-woo hunted in the dungeon from the Portal Gate bought from him with Ji-woo¡¯s own team or from the Demigod guild. Despite this fact, Ji-woo was always hunting alone. Ji-woo smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t rush into anger just yet. What a coincidence, now I have a good item that will surely please you.¡± ¡°Shut up! You little brat!¡± But, before Seok-jin continued his rambling, Ji-woo immediately chimed in. ¡°Spatial Bag.¡± Seok-jin instantly falls silent, organizing his thoughts to ept and process the word. But, he tried to calm down and stay calm. ¡°What did you just say!? What do you know about that thing!? Are you saying that you have a Spatial Bag? Are you kidding me!!¡± Anyhow, Ji-woo didn¡¯t say a word hearing Seok-jin¡¯s ramblings. Seok-jin, who wanted to continue in disbelief, began to feel the seriousness of Ji-woo¡¯s words when he heard the silence from the other side. He couldn¡¯t help but believe a little that Ji-woo really did have a Spatial Bag, as he said. ¡°You¡¯re not messing with me, are you!? Do you really have one?¡± ¡°I have. Just arrange the schedule. I¡¯lle to your ce.¡± Ji-woo answered while narrowing his eyes. ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯ll forgive your impoliteness for this. There¡¯s no need to worry. Stuff like that is expensive, and you¡¯ll definitely get billions of won from itter.¡± Next, Seok-jin continued with a serious tone. ¡°But, if you lie to me, I¡¯ll make sure you pay the price.¡± Ji-woo wanted to swear after hearing the threat. However, he didn¡¯t do anything because he had his own ns for this ignorant person. He started to realize that humans would try to chew more than they could by nature. ¡°Well, how dare I do that? No need to worry.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send a message about the schedule. Don¡¯t forgetter you have to bring the Spatial Bag. You didn¡¯t mistake the item for a fake, did you?¡± ¡°Rx. My Spatial Bag is real. I know what it looks like.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ji-woo then hung up the call and arrived at the emergency evacuation site. He saw his sister walking towards him. ¡°Oppa, why do you look sour?¡± ¡°Em? Does it look like that?¡± Ji-woo replied with a chuckle. Ji-won tilted her head, watching Ji-woo up and down. After a while, she shook her head. ¡°Anyway. Is Oppa okay!? Not hurt anywhere, right?¡± Ji-woo sighed and softened his heart, hearing that Ji-won was still worried about him. Although, it was clear that he was able to tten the monsters effortlessly. Well, a family was always like that. ¡°Your Oppa is fine. How about mom? Are you guys okay here?¡± ¡°Mother is resting. She is fine. Doctors and healers have examined her before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then. Then why don¡¯t you rest yourself?¡± ¡°I just woke up and wanted to find some food.¡± ¡°Well. Let¡¯s find something to eat together. I¡¯m getting hungry too.¡± On the way, Ji-won asked Ji-woo about the hunter. Even though she knew what the hunters were doing, she didn¡¯t know the details. More precisely, she wanted to learn more about Ji-woo as a hunter. It was because she was interested in knowing that her brother was a strong person and was able to fight the monsters. And Ji-woo happily talked about the hunter. Although in the end, he had to filter the words that could say and which ones could not. All of that effort was just to satisfy his sister¡¯s curiosity. Chapter 141: Starting to Get Exposed Chapter 141: Starting to Get Exposed At the Demigod guild headquarters, Dal-soo had finished his treatment of Gang-ho and In-sung. Apart from the two of them, many other hunters, who had severe injuries, stayed there for the time being. At first, Gang-ho refused to use his ce as a temporary ce to treat the injured hunters. But, at the urging of Dal-shik and Ji-soo, he finally did it. Only Dal-soo had the ability to do that. A-rank healers didn¡¯t have perfect regeneration abilities. So, seeking help from the Divine Doctor was the only option. It was due to therge number of victims who lost their limbs in the battle of the four Red Gates but still survived. Gang-ho was upstairs, standing facing therge ss window. He wore a patient gown, and no bandages got wrapped around his body to cover the injury. It was because Dal-soo¡¯s healing abilities could heal internal and external wounds. Although, it was still within a specific limit. He was with In-sung in the same room. ¡°To set up a tent outside, just how many havee here to look for Dal-soo? It¡¯s such a pain. The Demigod Guild looks like a shelter with a view like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Who told you to do that?¡± ¡°Shut up! And you alone? What are you doing here? If it isn¡¯t for Dal-shik, I would have kicked you out!¡± In-sung shrugged his shoulders. ¡°My hand got broken. Only Dal-soo can heal it. So I had toe here because the Demigod guild didn¡¯t want to lend or let Dal-soo wander around to heal the injured.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Gang-ho sneered at In-sung¡¯s words. He was also still annoyed at how Ji-soo joined in with Dal-shik, giving long babbles to persuade him. Had Hyun-bin not been present at that time, he would have rejected their request outright. Gang-ho unknowingly started to create an invisible wall against Hyun-bin after firsthand witnessing the hunters¡¯ fight at the Apex level. Fighting at that Apex caliber wasn¡¯t really that extravagant for him. But, the level of use of magic made him realize that the distance between him and Apex-rank was huge. Especially, Magic Manifestation. Gang-ho couldn¡¯t even sense the elemental magic when it got cast by that technique. So far, hunters could usually distinguish elements of nature with their Mana. What was real and what was artificial. But, in Ma Dong-seok¡¯s fight with Hyun-bin, the elements he was usually familiar with became foreign and hostile. It was as if the Mana Blessing that existed to connect him to nature had merely disappeared. From that moment on, Gang-ho knew how strong Hyun-bin was, and he didn¡¯t dare to act like usual, even though he was older than the Apex-ranked hunter. He couldn¡¯t help but be timid around Hyun-bin. Suddenly, a hunter entered the room and reported to Gang-ho. ¡°Headmaster, there¡¯s Chairman Yu downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh, Hyung? What¡¯s he doing here? Fine, I¡¯ll be down soon.¡± ¡°Er¡­, Chairman Yu didn¡¯te to see you, Headmaster. But, to meet Senior Oh. I¡¯m here because Senior Seol told me to tell you.¡± ¡°Eh? Sorry?¡± The hunter could only bow apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Headmaster. I don¡¯t know the details. I just got ordered to inform you of this. Not anything else.¡± The hunter then excused himself, leaving Gang-ho confused. Meanwhile, In-sung didn¡¯t care about the affairs of the Demigod guild. ¡°Oh, well. I can ask In-ahter.¡± Downstairs, Chairman Yu was standing waiting for Dal-soo to finish tending to the wounded hunters under a makeshift tent in the forecourt of the Demigod Guild¡¯s headquarters building. In Seoul, the situation got better, and currently in the final check to see if there were any Portal Gate creatures left. After that, the blockade walls would get removed. And the Seoul area would get essible from the outside again. Even so, the state of martialw didn¡¯t get lifted from South Korea yet. The damage suffered by the Seoul area was enormous in terms of infrastructure. Fortunately, the number of casualties from ordinary people could count in the thousands. That was because they had time to evacuate Seoul¡¯s poption of 10 million people. But unfortunately, the death toll from the hunter¡¯s side was too high. The figure reached more than two thousand hunters. Even though South Korea only had around seven thousand to eight thousand hunters. It could get categorized as a massive loss. The victims from ordinary people could be quiterge because they exceeded the number of casualties from the Red Gate incident in the Mapo district long before. That alone did not count with the victims who were only injured. However, Chairman Yu¡¯s arrival was not to discuss the matter. Since it had already happened, he couldn¡¯t do anything more about it. Presenting hunters was not like creating or modifying the Spell Pages that Apex-rankers or ArchMage do. Chairman Yu could only tidy up the current situation and maximize national security with the rest of the hunters. It was a n that he would discuss with the other division Chiefs of the Hunters Association at ater time. ¡°Hyung, what are you doing here? Can¡¯t talk on the phone? Even though it¡¯s crowded here, I¡¯m not too busy and avable to chat on the phone.¡± Dal-soo said as he walked over to Chairman Yu. Chairman Yu threw away the thoughts that weighed him down and sighed sharply. There was a problem he needed to solve first. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. There¡¯s something we need to talk about.¡± Dal-soo frowned. ¡°Is this about the young man who takes care of the Red Gate in Mapo district?!¡± Chairman Yu ignored Dal-soo¡¯s words and continued walking into the building. Dal-soo saw what he did and could only sigh, then followed from behind. In one room, Dal-soo immediately sat on a chair, facing Chairman Yu, who was standing facing him. ¡°Hyung, have a seat. Talking about Ji-woo~si doesn¡¯t need to be in a serious atmosphere. Sit down. Sit down.¡± Dal-soo said invitingly. ¡°Who is he? Of the four Red Gates in Seoul, only the one in the Mapo district has the least number of reports. Only a few remained after the Red Gate disappeared of the thousands of White Wolves. Do you think that makes sense? ¡°In the other three districts, even after the Red Gate disappeared, there were still hundreds and thousands of Portal Gate creatures. We¡¯ve already mobilized more than ten S-rank hunters. And it will take hours to reduce that number.¡± Dal-soo blinked his eyes while taking a deep breath. ¡°Hyung, I know what you¡¯re worried about it. You must be more concerned about whether Ji-woo is a threat or not than what happened at the Mapo district¡¯s Red Gate.¡± Dal-soo did not continue his sentence to observe Chairman Yu¡¯s response. After a few moments of silence, he finally exined Ji-woo¡¯s position. ¡°He is not a hunter who has the consciousness to save humans from extinction like most of the others. But, one thing is for sure, he is also not a threat to other humans and us.¡± Chairman Yu snorted. ¡°How can you be sure of such a thing? Are you acquainted with him? I can tell you are not close to that young man from the way you speak. Don¡¯t ramble on in vain! We are talking about serious matters. ¡°You know that we have just got hit by the disaster of losing thousands of hunters, right? The threat from the Portal Gate and unofficial hunters like Ma Dong-seok still exists. I don¡¯t want any trouble or other threats to existing besides the ones already there!¡± ¡°Hyung, lower your voice a little. Do you want everyone in the Demigod guild to hear about this?¡± ¡°I bet you don¡¯t know about this. The person that recently supplied magic weapons to the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop was named Kim Ji-woo. Isn¡¯t that name ringing a bell in your ears? Moreover, this information has also spread widely among the brokers. Sooner orter, the presence of that young man will get exposed and attract the attention of many people.¡± This time, Dal-soo got tense hearing that. Even though he didn¡¯t know much about Ji-woo, he knew thatmotions were a nuisance to Ji-woo. It was inevitably made him worry if it would be a bad sign for the future. Chairman Yu loosened his back and said. ¡°Just tell me everything you know about that young man named Kim Ji-woo. You know I still appreciate you bying here instead of visiting or investigating directly about him, right?¡± Dal-soo broke into a sweat at those words. He awkwardly smiled as he chimed in. ¡°Doing an investigation against Ji-woo is apletely unwise act.¡± ¡°Heh! I admit he¡¯s a strong hunter. Being able to take care of the White Wolves overwhelms the A-rank hunters. But isn¡¯t it an exaggeration to say things like that as if he¡¯s stronger than us? Don¡¯t makeup stories. You speak as if you¡¯ve been beaten badly by that snotty brat.¡± ¡°Yes. It did happen.¡± Chairman Yu got taken aback hearing Dal-soo¡¯s reply. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said that I had indeed fought him before. Even though I wasn¡¯t getting battered, I was badly defeated in terms of hand-to-handbat or in terms of magic.¡± Chapter 142: Too Good to be Real Chapter 142: Too Good to be Real ¡°Are you serious about that!? You¡¯re not drunk, right? Talking about fighting with him, and the result is a crushing defeat!?¡± Chairman Yu eximed. But, after looking into Dal-soo¡¯s eyes, Chairman Yu realized that Dal-soo wasn¡¯t joking or making up stories. Although, he didn¡¯t know whether the story was true or not. He finally chose not to interrupt and listened further. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just say your story is true. And if he¡¯s really as strong as you describe. Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as you saying that the youngster is an Apex-ranked hunter? That kid suddenly seems toe out of nowhere. ¡°How long have you known him? I should have checked the hunter¡¯s data at the Hunter¡¯s Association beforeing here.¡± Chairman Yu regretted his carelessness. He then picked up the phone and called the staff in the management division. Dal-soo, who saw that, did not stop Chairman Yu¡¯s actions. He was confident that the information held by the Hunters Association was not that different from that of the Demigod guild. Not long after, Chairman Yu, with a look of confusion and disbelief, red at Dal-soo, who was sitting on a chair. But, before he opened his mouth, Dal-soo interrupted first. ¡°I know he¡¯s only get listed as an E-rank hunter. But the truth is, he¡¯s powerful, as I said earlier. I¡¯m not kidding about this. I didn¡¯t dare to say he¡¯s on par with Apex-ranked hunters, but what was clear was that even a few S-rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to match that young man. ¡°Right now, he¡¯s still indifferent. However, he has a temper. So I don¡¯t want to turn the situation into an internal fight here. At least for the Hunters Association¡¯s benefit, it¡¯s better not to investigate or interrogate him. Let alone go to where he lives. I strongly discourage it.¡± ¡°How scared are you of that young man!?¡± ¡°Hyung, you¡¯ve never experienced fighting him. So, you don¡¯t know how useless we S-rank hunters are in front of Ji-woo¡¯s presence.¡± Dal-soo then began to talk about his experience from the first meeting with Ji-woo. He didn¡¯t go into many details of their fight and about the Portal Gate Ji-woo entered. He only focused on the fact that Ji-woo was really strong. Honestly, he sometimes felt that Ji-woo wasn¡¯t as strong as an Apex-ranked hunter. But every time, he remembered his crushing defeat. Somehow, the Mana in his body became irregr. Even though it wasn¡¯t a big thing, fear came uninvited into his mind. Inevitably, it made Dal-soo put abel on Ji-woo. That was a hidden danger! ¡°Hyung, you know how I imagined his strength after our fight? Even with ten S-rank hunters, I still don¡¯t see Ji-woo¡¯s defeating.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating the young man too much?¡± ¡°What I said is arguably still underestimating him. Of course, what I say is only my personal opinion this time around. But the previous one was purely from my observations after meeting that young man.¡± Chairman Yu fell into deep thought. In fact, he still had a hard time epting Dal-soo¡¯s words about Ji-woo. Based on the data from the Hunter Association, Ji-woo had not been a hunter for long. He understood that the concept of hunters growing stronger existed, but going from E-rank to S-rank in a few months was impossible. Not to mention S-rank to Apex-rank. It was not a trivial matter and a mere theory alone. The two ranks have a very different system from the rankings below them. ¡°I¡¯m trying to approach and persuade Ji-woo to lend a hand if we or South Korea are in trouble. Hyung, you saw what he could do, right? Just one person can make up for the shorings of several S-rank hunters. Coupled with losing thousands of hunters, being able to guarantee him helping us is a good thing. All Hyung needs to do is leave this matter to me.¡± Seeing Chairman Yu wavering, Dal-soo revealed a little about Ji-woo. ¡°I can guarantee that as long as Ji-woo is willing to lend his power, any tier of the Portal Gate will get crushed easily.¡± Chairman Yu was astounded, listening to what Dal-soo had to say. At that moment, he was digesting the meaning of the sentence. No matter how hard Chairman Yu racked his brain, the concept of being able to conquer all tiers of the Portal Gate was absurd. The Mana Restriction couldn¡¯t get crossed even by an ArchMage, let alone a lower rank hunter. How could that be possible? From the moment the Portal Gate appeared, Mana restriction had been acknowledged and tested by all organizational factions. And the result was the same, impossible to prate. No matter how much Mana one had, it couldn¡¯t get used to breaking through the restrictions of the Portal Gate. Was this another story that felt like crap like before? Chairman Yu didn¡¯t want to believe everything, but it was too good to ignore it. ¡°You¡­, you¡¯re not talking nonsense, are you!? Even the International Hunters Association never said anything like that at all. You understand what it means to be able to crush all tiers of Portal Gate, right?! You¡¯re sure you mean that that youngster can enter all of it? Not a team but a hunter?!¡± Chairman Yu asked in shock and confusion. Dal-soo could only nod, assuring Chairman Yu that he was serious about it. The n was to either sweet talk or negotiate with Ji-woo for favors. At least, if all went well, South Korea would have the trump card to ovee the current Portal Gate crisis. Well, it was a situation without considering the problems that might ur. Given Ji-woo¡¯s unconcerned attitude, it was hard to imagine the n seeding so smoothly. ¡°This is crazy stuff. So, for you know, I still have my doubts about all of your words. No matter how good our rtionship is, I can¡¯t just believe it all. ¡°But, I¡¯ll leave this to you. And I¡¯ll try my best to keep the information hidden for as long as possible. Regarding the issue about the weapon store that had a source that supplies items, I¡¯ll also try to suppress it for as long as possible. ¡°Instead, I would like to see with my own eyes everything you said earlier. You must understand my position as the leader of the Association. It is not easy to do this without witnessing firsthand. If indeed that young man is able to help us manage the Portal Gate. I will stand with you and support that young man with whatever I have.¡± Chairman Yu¡¯s decision to follow a n with an unknown source might seem like a foolish move. But, it also signified how desperate they were for the problem of the Portal Gate, which was constantly there and took many lives. People who got hit by despair were usually easily swayed by hope for which there was no certainty. Look foolish? Yes, it was true. But, people who were not in the same situation would never know how it felt and could only scorn it. ¡°Hyung, thank you. I¡¯ll also try to talk to him to re-evaluate the rankings. That way, we can attract mercenary hunters to work with us.¡± Chairman Yu sighed. ¡°Before that, we need to prepare measures in case any guilds want to pull Kim Ji-woo to their side by force. He then saw Dal-soo contemting something and knew the S-rank healer had some sort of countermeasure to it. He then urged Dal-soo to share his thoughts. ¡°Hyung, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Also, thank you for trusting me.¡± For Dal-soo, he believed he could keep Ji-woo interested and gain favor in the process. Namely by giving ess to the Portal Gate to Ji-woo. With the help of the head of the Hunters Association, it was possible. That way, he might be able to dissuade Ji-woo from being interested in the other guilds. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me? Well, it¡¯s up to you. Don¡¯t get excited just yet. It¡¯s just a n. Before I see it in person, I¡¯ll just do things the way it is. Hopefully, he does have the powers you describe.¡± It was a glimmer of hope even though it sounded fake to Chairman Yu¡¯s ears. Hearing that from one of the people he could trust increased the credibility of the story a little bit. He didn¡¯t think it would be Apex-ranked. It was too good to be true. Ji-woo proved to be strong, and getting an S-rank certification alone was plentiful. Moreover, the main point of the youngster was being able to enter the various tiers of the Portal Gate. That alone was beyond the knowledge of mankind, who knew about magic. That made him very confused because the ArchMage, who was the highest-ranked due to his magic and high elemental attainment alone, couldn¡¯t even do that. ¡°Alright. Let me know what¡¯s next. I entrust this matter to you.¡± Chairman Yu said goodbye and left the room, leaving the Demigod guild headquarters. Dal-soo also got up from his seat and was about to follow behind. However, his steps halted when In-ah stopped him at the door. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t forbidden the guild members to stop by on this floor. What you were talking about would have been overheard by the crowd. A careless mistake that you usually did not make. Actually, what are you nning to do?!¡± Chapter 143: Useful Coincidence Chapter 143: Useful Coincidence ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised by what I said. Was this part of your n? What¡¯s really going on in your head!? ¡°From the moment you were in this guild, I¡¯ve disliked it. You have too much contact with the people in the Hunters Association. You show too much favor to their side over the guild that raised you. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Guild Headmaster¡¯s pride towards you as an S-rank healer. I would have insisted on kicking you out of here!¡± In-ah said at length. She had initially onlye after dealing with the Demonic Bats. And she saw the sight of Chairman Yu¡¯s presence in front of the building. She then reported the matter to Gang-ho and came closer to their room. Dal-soo understood In-ah¡¯s reaction. He was indeed more concerned with the affairs of the Hunters Association than the Demigod¡¯s guild. For him, wealth or being strong was not just self-gratification. Whatever he did was for the safety and survival of the South Korean nation in the midst of this cmity. So you could say he didn¡¯t really get along and was not familiar with any guild people, including his own guild. He even entered the Demigod Guild because it was the only way to be strong at that time. And Chairman Yu understood the reason. ¡°You talk as if I¡¯m a traitor here. I still know myself, and my gratitude for the Demigod guild is still there. However, the sense of nationality is also there. So, I have no intention of leaving or betraying the guild. And also, I have no intention of neglecting the affairs of the state either.¡± Dal-soo sighed and continued on his way. ¡°Move aside. I¡¯m going out. We¡¯ll talk another time. Your current emotions don¡¯t allow you to speak rationally.¡± When Dal-soo walked past In-ah, she immediately opened her mouth, ignoring Dal-soo¡¯s words just a moment before. ¡°Is what you said about Ji-woo true? You¡¯re not delirious, are you?¡± Before, when Chairman Yu and Dal-soo walked together, she followed by keeping their distance and eliminating her Mana Presence. At first, In-ah just wanted to say hello for a bit. But, just as he was about to open the door, he overheard a conversation talking about Ji-woo. At that instant, he then immediately vacated the entire floor area and did not allow the guild members to stop by. In-ah certainly heard from the beginning of the conversation to the end. And she really couldn¡¯t believe what she had heard. What nonsense were Chairman Yu and Dal-soo talking about that E-rank hunter!? Dal-soo answered while shrugging his shoulders. ¡°That depends on your perception.¡± He then walked away, leaving In-ah standing at the door alone. And In-ah, who only got such an answer and reaction, just red at Dal-soo. Dal-soo had his reasons for letting In-ah overhear their conversation. As for the concern that In-ah would do reconnaissance on Ji-woo, it didn¡¯t worry him in the slightest. In-ah and Chairman Yu have different personalities. Chairman Yu was a less stubborn person. As long as it was not rted to the survival of the people and hunters of South Korea, he would give up easily. While In-ah was a stubborn person to the end, no matter how hard she got reprimanded, she would continue to pursue it until the end. That was also the reason why she was still having trouble with Dal-soo¡¯s rtionship with Chairman Yu, even though Gang-ho didn¡¯t really care about that. So, there was no point in telling In-ah not to do anything about Ji-woo. Dal-soo let the matter go because he was sure that In-ah wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble. It was because of In-ah¡¯s habit of always doing private things alone. In-ah wouldn¡¯t ask people to find out what she wanted when her curiosity was at its peak. In fact, she himself would step in and take care of it directly. She was also not the type to do things in a sneaky way. So, it reassured Dal-soo that Ji-woo¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t get bothered in the process. That was because In-ah was basically an S-rank hunter. Almost all hunters have the instinct to fight, and that didn¡¯t exclude Seol In-ah from it. Especially after hearing about the Mapo district¡¯s Red Gate and the battle with Dal-soo, In-ah must have been curious about Ji-woo¡¯s truth. In-ah was also not the type to open her mouth easily if the information was unconfirmed or iplete. Otherwise, Ji-woo¡¯s strangeness without Mana would have reached Gang-ho¡¯s ears long before. Of course, it was all just Dal-soo¡¯s belief in an S-rank hunter named In-ah. That in itself did not guarantee that there would be no problems in the process. So, he would still be watching In-ah¡¯s movementster on. He wanted to ensure there was no misbehave happened. One day had passed after the events of the four Red Gates at four points of the Seoul Metropolis area. The blockade wall that stretched across Seoul had got lifted. And ess in and out could get done now. Even the presidency and his cab have returned to the blue house. However, the status of Martial Law still had not to get removed because the capital of South Korea was in the stage of repair and recovery. One of the homework that gave the government a headache was how to recover a quarter of the fighting power that had been lost. They were afraid that if something simr happened. The restrictions would no longer work. And the Red Gate cmity would spread throughout the country. The government and the Hunters Association had already mobilized the funds at their disposal to fix things. However, to hire a sufficient number of mercenary hunters, the funds were not enough. So, at mostter, they could only hire dozens of hunters. Even then, only among B-rank and A-rank hunters. Meanwhile, Ji-woo and his family were finally able to return home. Luckily, the house and the food stall did not suffer any damage. Elijah did not go out to sell as usual because she felt inappropriate in the current environment. Ji-woo, who saw his mother busy helping the neighbors clean up their house, finally stepped in to help. Ji-won was no exception either. After that, thest one was their own house. At noon, Ji-woo, Ji-won, and Elijah¡¯s busy day were finally done. Ji-woo and Elijah rested while Ji-woo went outside. He reasoned to check the neighborhood. On the way, he got a call from Dong-hyun and ended up meeting him not far from the area. When they meet, Ji-woo bes speechless when Dong-hyunes along with Yu-jin. Even though, on the phone, there was no talk about training or mention of Yu-jin. ¡®They¡¯re like a set. Inseparable like a lovebird still in love.¡¯ Ji-woo chuckled at the thought. Unfortunately, Dong-hyun was the type of person who talked a lot. So, he often shed with Yu-jin over trivial matters. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we were going to practice. Why did youe to me?¡± ¡°Hehe. Hyung, you said I coulde.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. But, you two came together. Which means there¡¯s something you both want. And that rtes to me.¡± Yu-jin sighed in dissatisfaction. ¡°You are rambling too much. Even though you can tell Ji-woo~si over the phone, you still insist on saying it directly. But, now what!? Let me do the talking!¡± Dong-hyun immediately restrained Yu-jin and swallowed his saliva quickly. ¡°Wait! Leave me to do it by myself. You promised to let me tell Ji-woo Hyung about it.¡± Ji-woo frowned at Dong-hyun and Yu-jin talking like that. But, he remained silent and didn¡¯t interrupt, waiting for the continuation. ¡°Hyung, there¡¯s a rumor that the person who supplies magic weapons at the Hunter Association¡¯s armory shop is named Kim Ji-woo. That¡¯s¡­, not you, right Hyung?¡± Dong-hyun asked again, knowing that the rumors were true. In fact, Ji-woo¡¯s photo had be widespread among brokers and some hunters, who were interested in good quality magic items. Yu-jin joined in. ¡°Some of them will probably do bad things to your family, even though they can¡¯t do anything to you.¡± She knew that Ji-woo was not someone to deal with easily. But, it was a different story if the target was Ji-woo¡¯s mother and sister. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin had also previously been worried when they heard the rumors, and as soon as they were done with their business at the guild, they came to Ji-woo. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Calm down both of you. Oh yeah, shouldn¡¯t the hunters be busy with the aftermath of the four Red Gates? Do they have time to do such things? Amusing.¡± ¡°Hyung! This isn¡¯t the time to rx. We need to evacuate Aunt and Ji-won somewhere else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ji-woo~si,¡± Yu-jin said while nodding. But, Ji-woo instead smirked casually without any pressure and irritation on his face. ¡°Nothing will happen to my mother and Ji-won.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin gave Ji-woo their confused looks when they heard such a response. Ji-woo smiled subtly. ¡°Anyway, I have work for you two.¡± Yu-jin and Dong-hyun were even more confused by that. ¡°Spread the information that this person named Kim Ji-woo will offer a Spatial Bag. This is the date and the ce.¡± Ji-woo then took out his smartphone and texted the two hunters about the details. Chapter 144: Magic Items Commotion Chapter 144: Magic Items Commotion Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were bewildered by Ji-woo¡¯s request. They didn¡¯t expect Ji-woo to openly admit the rumors instead of choosing to lie low until the situation subsided. It didn¡¯t make sense to them. No matter how strong Ji-woo was, an individual couldn¡¯t deal with the cunning ways some perpetrators would use for taking advantage of him. The matter might not be so big that it caught the attention of many S-rank hunters for now. But, almost all the brokers, who dealt a lot with magic items, were interested in Ji-woo¡¯s existence. And many B-rank and A-rank hunters, who had a lot of money, wanted to find out about Ji-woo too. In the end, Ji-woo managed to force Dong-hyun and Yu-jin to spread the information. He didn¡¯t reveal much about the Spatial Bag. So, the two hunters thought he had no other choice but to sell his magic items to please everyone who wanted to search him for good quality magic items. Without knowing, he had two Spatial Bags under his sleeve. Of course,ter, it was just an item that many people would fight for. At the very least, the Spatial Bag had the privilege that could intrigue everyone rted to the world of hunters and Portal Gates. ¡°Hyung, is this going to be okay!? Spatial Bags are the most sought-after magic items. Not only in South Korea but all over the world. This will undeniably have you hounded by even more people than you already have.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Don¡¯t worry. This is actually a good thing.¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Dong-hyun expressed his inability to understand the situation. ¡°Ji-woo~si, what do you mean it¡¯s a good thing!? You know what you¡¯re doing, don¡¯t you!?¡± Meanwhile, Yu-jin tried to question the good things about the n to sell the Spatial Bag and the trouble that woulde to Ji-woo after that. ¡°Just enjoy the showter. Go, the sooner the news spreads, the better.¡± Ji-woo couldn¡¯t wait for the d-day show he was preparing. It would also be an opportunity for him to show who he was. There was no reason to y it safe anymore. He was ready for any eventuality. On the other hand, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin finally set off while spreading the information through their contacts with anonymous names. They werepletely confused by all of that, let alone seeing the context of Ji-woo¡¯s message. The allotted time was only one day, which meant there would be amotion around Ji-woo or his family. They also didn¡¯t understand why the ce was something thatmon. But, at the same time, they understood why Ji-woo chose that ce. When Dong-hyun and Yu-jin had left, Ji-woo¡¯s expression changed drastically from smiling and rxed to t and gloomy. ¡°Even though it¡¯s an impromptu n. But, it¡¯s not that bad for me. ¡°Now, I need to go home and stay on guard all day until tomorrow. Things are already like this. It¡¯s not impossible if those ignorant people have sent people to scout my ce.¡± And sure enough, as expected, when Ji-woo was a few meters away from his house, he already felt two or three hunters stalking his house. Also, there was another hunter that followed his movements since he parted ways with Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. ¡®Fools! Seoul is still recovering due to the huge number of casualties, while they are instead busy dealing with magic items. Tired of living, it turns out.¡¯ Ji-woo was not a generous person when it came to the lives of living things, specifically if his family life got disrupted. However, Ji-woo chose to go home to check on his mother and sister. When he entered the house, he saw his sister was watching TV while her mother was preparing food for lunch. Ji-woo decided not to do anything first and observed the development of the situation further. The family of three then spent time happily and chatting until they lost track of time. Meanwhile, he still didn¡¯t let his guard down in the slightest despite rxing with his family. Elsewhere, the information shared by Dong-hyun and Yu-jin spreads quickly and widely. This time, the S-rank hunters and several A-rank hunters who got initially disinterested immediately showed their interest. Without a doubt, the Spatial Bag was too good a magic item to be ignored. Instantly, information about Ji-woo became the second hottest item on the menu after the Spatial Bag. But unfortunately, information about Ji-woo was surprisingly difficult to ess. There was only preliminary information that had previously got spread. And unexpectedly, data about Ji-woo became an expensive item with a figure of tens of millions of won in the market. In the headquarters of the Hunters Association, in Chairman Yu¡¯s room upstairs, Chief Yoon came to reporting. ¡°Sir, calls to our ce are pouring in asking if the rumors are true. The Demigod guild, Shadow guild, and Artates guild are also trying to find out about it. What should I do? Should I turn down their inquiries?¡± Chief Yoon wasn¡¯t surprised by the Demigod guild, who also asked for the information. Although, the rumors said that the hunter who had the Spatial Bag was a member of the guild itself. Such of item was too good to be given to their respective guilds. Chairman Yu, who was sitting and massaging his forehead, answered. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just say if the truth of the rumors is in the process of confirmation. There will further notice when everything is clear.¡± ¡°Is it okay about this?¡± ¡°No need to worry. I will take responsibility. Oh yes, what about the data with the name of Kim Ji-woo? It has been deleted from the server, right?¡± ¡°Yes, and the data is just printed and put into a ssified file category.¡± ¡°Good. You can go back to your ce and let me know if anything else happens other than usual.¡± Chief Yoon nodded. However, she seemed hesitant to turn around and leave the room. Chairman Yu saw that and opened his mouth. ¡°If you still have something to say. Just say it. We¡¯re busy with a lot of things. Besides, the aftermath of the four Red Gates hasn¡¯t got fully addressed.¡± ¡°Those rumors¡­, is there any chance it¡¯s true? The Spatial Bag is an exquisite magical item. There are less than ten in the world alone. If it¡¯s true, how will the guilds in neighboring countries react? Master, I¡¯m just worried that this will bring trouble to our country. All Spatial magic items got only sold on the ck Market. Only that ce has the power to quell the riots that ur during the auction process. As for us?¡± Chairman Yu took a deep breath, trying to calm Chief Yoon. ¡°It¡¯s still a rumor. Nothing is certain for now. It could be fake, right?¡± Chief Yoon was silent for a moment and then spat out words that Chairman Yu couldn¡¯t refute. ¡°But, there is a possibility that the rumors are true. And are we prepared if that happens?¡± Immediately, silence descended upon the room. However, not long after, Chairman Yu gave his response. ¡°Go back and do as I say. I¡¯ll find out if the rumors are true. After that, we¡¯ll talk about how to deal with itter.¡± Chief Yoon nodded and bowed. She finally left the room and rushed back to her ce. Chairman Yu immediately called Dal-soo to ask if the rumors were true. ¡°What do you think? I didn¡¯t expect something crazy like this to happen the day after talking to you about that young man.¡± Dal-soo didn¡¯t respond to Chairman Yu¡¯s words. ¡°I think the rumors are true. I know he has the Spatial Bag.¡± ¡°What!? Are you sure about that?! Then, is it true that the ce to be used is the Hunters Association¡¯s weapon shop? How unreasonable! How dare that kid y picky ces without my permission!?¡± ¡°Hyung, that¡¯s only my opinion. For more details, let me find out. In an hour I¡¯ll let you know about this. There¡¯s a lot of excitement here too. Even Gang-ho Hyung told everyone to find out.¡± ¡°Well, Kim Ji-woo is a member of your guild. Of course, there will be moremotion than others.¡± Dal-soo then hung up and rushed to call Ji-woo. But, the call didn¡¯t connect at all because Ji-woo turned off his smartphone. That didn¡¯t discourage him. Because he knew there were two hunters to ask about Ji-woo. Namely Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Only he knew the rtionship between the two hunters and Ji-woo. Suchmotion took ce in various ces until the evening. Meanwhile, at Ji-woo¡¯s residence, the atmosphere seemed peaceful. Ji-woo, who had been aware of the presence of the stalkers since this afternoon, became even more ufortable when it got dark. He then used the Mana sense. And yes, the number of scouts increased from four to 13 hunters. Among the thirteen hunters, two were in the small courtyard of the house, and one was on the roof. ¡®Isn¡¯t this too bold!? Haha! I know they only think I¡¯m an E-rank hunter because of the trivial information they got from the Hunter¡¯s Association. But, it¡¯s too reckless to approach without anyone finding out more.¡¯ The hunter on the roof tried to find out what was inside. ¡°Since this afternoon, I¡¯ve had a hard time feeling Kim Ji-woo¡¯s Mana. Even this close, I can¡¯t feel it.¡± After a moment of silence, he continued. ¡°I intend to kidnap the hunter or his family. However, with so many eyes around this house also lurking, it¡¯s hard to do that.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± The hunter was surprised to hear the sound and wanted to turn around. However, his neck got held by a hand, and he couldn¡¯t move at all. ¡°W-Who are you!?¡± ¡°Your god of death!¡± Chapter 145: Cleaning Up the Night Before the Event Chapter 145: Cleaning Up the Night Before the Event Ji-woo wanted to show whoever sent people to watch his movements was the wrong move. He swiftly went to the roof and grabbed the neck of the hunter who was lurking there. ¡°Y-You want to create amotion here!? There are a lot of hunters watching over you! So, you better think twice about doing something to me. Even though we¡¯re not from the same source, they won¡¯t hesitate to attack if something goes wrong here.¡± The hunter tried to bluff Ji-woo. He was still shaking because no matter how hard he tried to escape Ji-woo¡¯s grip, he couldn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t understand why an E-rank hunter could have such extraordinary physical strength over him as a C-rank hunter. However, Ji-woo was not interested in prolonging the situation and wanted to immediately clean up the garbage that was watching around his house. Ji-woo snapped the hunter¡¯s neck with one hand, and instantly, the hunter died. The situation became thrilled. And there was almost amotion when the other hunters, who were hiding while watching, moved and rushed towards him. Ji-woo, who didn¡¯t want any damage or noise, quickly used his Aura of Fear. He wanted to make those hunters hesitate and get afraid to use their Mana. So, the magic wouldn¡¯t happen. Several hunters who were already halfway up to Ji-woo suddenly felt a bad feeling and realized their Mana was being turbulent. Suddenly, they stopped their movements, and sweat poured down each of the hunters¡¯ faces. They feel they got embraced by the shadow of death, begging them to go to the afterlife. Ji-woo nimbly snapped the necks of the hunters one by one. He didn¡¯t want any blood stter around his house because it would be difficult to clean by himself. So, he killed them in a smooth and fast way. Meanwhile, the hunters who didn¡¯t move and were still watching were shocked and frightened to see Ji-woo kill some of the hunters with ease. The experience of spying on them kicked in and threw a warning in their heads. Run! No matter how arrogant the spy hunters were, they would instantly know if something was wrong with their surveince. They had to get out of that ce as soon as possible. An E-rank hunter or a beggar, if able to kill an above-average ranked hunter in a convincing manner, would definitely be a dangerous person. There was no need to question and wonder. To run away was the right choice. Only fools were not aware of such a thing. Ji-woo watched the hunters run, grinning. ¡°Smart move. But¡­¡± The remaining hunters weren¡¯t anywhere near Ji-woo¡¯s house while watching. So, the distance was there before they widened the distance furthermore. ¡°Nullifier!¡± Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in Ji-woo¡¯s palm. Two short swords with one-sided des appeared on each hand. One was sky blue and amethyst, and the other was denim and ck. It was the Shadow de and Diffusal de. No matter how fast Ji-woo¡¯s movements were, he wouldn¡¯t be able to close such a distance in an instant just by relying on the speed of his feet and jumps alone. He needed the abilities of the des. Although, it was pretty sad for the Ji-woo. He had no choice if he wanted to keep the neighborhood quiet. Ji-woo immediately disappeared from where he was standing and immediately appeared beside one of the hunters who ran away. The hunter was dumbfounded. ¡°How did you appear by my side!!?¡± But, Ji-woo didn¡¯t say anything. He instead threw the Shadow de in a distant direction. And hit the hunter¡¯s chest with his now idle right hand. The hunter was knocked to the ground and died from a heavy blow to his heart. The noise wouldn¡¯t wake up the people around it because it didn¡¯t require a lot of strength to prate someone¡¯s physique, who wasn¡¯t sturdy, to begin with. Ji-woo then spun around and jumped at another hunter close to where he was. The hunter that Ji-woo went to next was as stunned as the previous one. ¡°D*mn it!!¡± The hunter instantly used a magic spell, wanting to push Ji-woo back. He was still in his right mind not to dare to confront Ji-woo after witnessing the death of the hunters in an instant. ¡°Magic of Wind, Stormwind!!¡± But, before the shock of the wind came out and hit the surrounding area, Ji-woo had already raised his hand and tempered the magic. The hunter, who was in shock, was hit by Ji-woo¡¯s sharp kick to the neck and fell, dead in an instant. Not wanting to waste any extra time, Ji-woo suddenly disappeared and appeared in the distance, where the Shadow de was. There, another hunter was also surprised by his sudden presence. Ji-woo immediately smacked his forehead to the hunter¡¯s and then squeezed the hunter¡¯s neck. After that, he discontinued his pursuit and picked up the Shadow de stuck in the ground. ¡°Tsk!!¡± Ji-woo clicked his tongue. He had to admit that he couldn¡¯t take care of the rest of the escaped hunters without making some noise. And also, it was an annoying thing for him to kill while thinking about the cleaning situation. ¡°Well. It¡¯s enough to give them an early warning.¡± Ji-woo smiled gently. He also wasn¡¯t surprised if someone didn¡¯t understand the situation and instead dispatched a higher-ranked hunter than before. It was natural since he basically only killed D-rank and C-rank hunters at this point. Now the only problem was his family. He had two options so far. One, staying beside his mother and sister without leaving their side for too long, left Dong-hyun and Yu-jin to take care of the Spatial Bag matter. While the second, he reversed their respective roles. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin apanied his family and went with Ji-woo wherever he went. Clearly, in a slightly different ce so that he could do what was needed. It might be too much trouble, but it would also be a ce for Ji-woo to show who he was if he was the one who intervened directly. In doing so. It would serve as a grave warning to those who think about messing with him and his family. Of course, he also knew that such a threat wouldn¡¯tst for long. But, when the time came, Ji-woo believed he already had enough wealth to execute his n to protect his mother and sister. Ji-woo then took a deep breath. He had to clean up the scattered dead bodies before it freaked out the people around him and his family. The situation was different from when Jiwoo took care of Jung Tae-ha. One person¡¯s body is not difficult to move. But, now there were dozens of dead bodies he had to get rid of before morning. ¡°In the Magical World, things like this don¡¯t need to be taken care of because the situation of strewn corpses is amon thing. Well, sometimes it¡¯s also not troublesome because there are subordinate soldiers who take care of the aftermath.¡± Ji-woo then put all the dead bodies in one ce and stacked them. He then plunged the Shadow de into the ground in front of the pile. ¡°Now, I need to find the position of the closest Portal Gate from here.¡± But suddenly, Ji-woo didn¡¯t want to use his Null Eyes. There was a fitting ce to dispose of the pile of corpses. After all, the fleeing hunter would report what had happened at his residence. So, it was pointless to go to the trouble of covering up and eliminating his tracks. Ji-woo pointed his right hand at the Shadow de on the ground. ¡°Open!¡± A small portal appeared above the Shadow de. Inside that dimension, there was a small dark ce that seemed endless. Ji-woo threw all the dead bodies into the dim extent. It worked almost simr to the Spatial items. The difference was that the dark dimension couldn¡¯t hold anything for a long time. In just a matter of minutes, everything in there would get thrown out by itself. ¡®I don¡¯t really like using this skill. It¡¯s too ufortable when this dimension shows up.¡¯ Ji-woo himself didn¡¯t really like that dimension. He had felt entering that ce out of curiosity. However, as a result, he felt like the connection with Nullifier was thoroughly cut off, and his body became weak for no reason, just like that. Meanwhile, after all the bodies entered, the dimension was then closed when Ji-woo withdrew his hand and picked up the Shadow de from the ground. He then threw the weapon high in the air towards the Red Gate of the Mapo district, which got included in the disaster section of the Four Red Gate of Seoul. He also didn¡¯t have too much time because all the corpses would get spit out if he didn¡¯t hurry. Ji-woo jumped up and followed the Shadow de that was flying fast in the air. He reached for the weapon then threw it again further away. This time, he didn¡¯t jump after the weapon. Instead, he disappeared and appeared directly beside the Shadow de. He then grabbed the ck and denim colored weapon and threw it onest time to the ground. In those three throws, Ji-woo managed to cover a distance of tens of kilometers and arrived at his destination. When the Shadow de plunged into the ground, instantly dozens of corpses burst out of the dark dimension and immediately scattered on the ground, right where the Red Gate had previously opened. Chapter 146: The Main Event Chapter 146: The Main Event On the next day, Ji-woo turned on his smartphone, and there were tons of missed calls and messages. However, he didn¡¯t care about any of that. He called Dong-hyun to his house. When Ji-woo opened the gate of his house, he was again speechless, seeing the lovebirdse in a set. He also didn¡¯t understand why Dong-hyun always came with Yu-jin when he met him. But, Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind it or was interested in knowing Dong-hyun¡¯s reasons. ¡°Ji-woo~si, are you sure about today¡¯s event at the Hunters Association¡¯s venue!?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Hyung. It¡¯s a shame to sell the Spatial Bag. It¡¯s a rare item, but I also understand why you should sell it. It¡¯s dangerous to own such a rare item without experiencing any misfortune along the way.¡± Ji-woo smiled helplessly. ¡®I don¡¯t know what to do with these two kids. They worry too much without seeing what happens first.¡¯ ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys hear about something at the Mapo district¡¯s Red Gate ce before?¡± Ji-woo asked about the dead bodies that got ced there. Surprisingly, the two hunters didn¡¯t talk about it when they met him. ¡°Huh!? What news? Did something happen in that ce? I didn¡¯t know about it.¡± Yu-jin then chimed in agreement. ¡°No news this morning from that ce. It has got confirmed that it is safe and there are no problems. Do you know something, Ji-woo~si?? Suddenly asking something like that.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Ji-woo answered while shaking his head. He did not understand why the news of the bodies didn¡¯t get exposed. Even though he clearly abandoned the corpses in order to make the news before the event, he prepared. ¡°Or maybe you mean the rumors? Yesterday, Senior Oh called and asked about the Spatial item information and about you, Hyung. And finally, I just answered because he said he knew and knew about you.¡± ¡°Senior Oh also asked me the same thing. Only he knows the rtionship between the three of us. So, I thought to be honest about the rumors. In the end, he will be the one to help you in the Hunters Associationter, Ji-woo~si. You can trust Senior Oh. He is a trustworthy person. I¡¯m sure of that.¡± ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Ji-woo acted nonchntly. For him, it didn¡¯t matter if the situation was prepared or had been taken care of by someone else. He chose the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop because the beginning of his identity got exposed there. He could throw the Spatial Bag into the crowdter on and let things get messy. And let amotion break out over the magic item. That way, those people would not focus on him anymore and only focus on the object. However, Ji-woo wanted to show what consequences would be if it annoyed him. That was why he bothered toe and appear immediately after making up the rumor. In addition, the one-day deadline also made people who heard the talks didn¡¯t have time to draw up any solid ns against him. ¡°You two, stay here until the event is over. Let¡¯s say I¡¯m indebted to you two for looking after my family for a while. I¡¯ll definitely payback for it at ater date.¡± Ji-woo said while bowing. In that regard, he did not feel arrogant at all. He knew he was asking for help from others because of his limitations. There was no time to be superior even though Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were weaker than him. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were surprised to see Ji-woo¡¯s attitude. They never saw Ji-woo lower his head for help. Even yesterday, when Ji-woo asked to spread the rumors, he still acted like a boss. But, it also made the two hunters realize that family was something he couldn¡¯t tolerate in terms of security. ¡°Hyung, you don¡¯t have to be like this.¡± Dong-hyun didn¡¯t feel good about refusing. He originally wanted toe to the Hunters Association¡¯s armory shop because he wanted to see who was interested in the Spatial Bag. But, he also knew this moment was indeed a critical one for Ji-woo and his family, at least until the Spatial magic item was sold or changed ownership. Yu-jin also sighed. Seeing Jin-woo act like that, she knew that the request was meaningful. But, she also couldn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo was making things worse. Although, he could have chosen to lie low for a while instead of going high by exposing the Spatial Bag. ¡°Everything will get finished before the evening.¡± Dong-hyun and Yu-jin couldn¡¯t help but follow what Ji-woo asked them to do. They wanted to express their concern but didn¡¯t when they saw the determination in Ji-woo¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, at the Hunters Association. Chairman Yu was in his room with the S-rank hunter, Dal-soo. ¡°You know how troubled I have been fromst night until now, right?! Starting from dealing with the rumors to the dead bodies of hunters that appear out of nowhere. This is the same as endless trouble.¡± Chairman Yu expressed his displeasure with the development of the situation. All the division heads were busy taking care of the people who came to the armory store. Almost all South Korean S-rank hunters were present there. Not only that, all the well-known brokers who have connections to the ck Market also show their presence. Not to mention the high-ranking mercenary hunters they hired. Of course, it made the atmosphere even more intense. It was arduous to control the situation. Luckily, the hunters from the Demigod Guild, the Shadow Guild, and the Artates Guild were willing to help the Hunters Association manage the order. So that the chaos andmotion that seemed to be about to ur got restrained, and the situation was still rtively calm. Meanwhile, B-rank and A-rank hunters had to be willing to stand in front of the shop because the ce was packed. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect those things either. But, it¡¯s still within my estimation.¡± Dal-soo said. Chairman Yu frowned. ¡°I know you warned me about following Kim Ji-woo, and the death of those hunters proves your words. However, I don¡¯t see anything to be wary of here. I admit he is indeed powerful since the Mapo District Red Gate incident the previous days.¡± Dal-soo shook his head. ¡°Those tens of hunters are still a triflepared to what I¡¯m afraid will happen if Ji-woo is really upset.¡± Chairman Yu snorted. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re always exaggerating about Kim Ji-woo when your mouth talks about him. You know that if I and the others werete in dealing with the bodies, there would be big news all over the broadcasting channels. And the government will start auditing me again on that.¡± Dal-soo wanted to dismiss the statement, but Chairman Yu immediately raised his hand to stop him from saying anything. ¡°I know. I understand. What you¡¯re saying is still an understatement of what a Kim Ji-woo can do. I know that. Anyway, the hunters who died didn¡¯t really matter. They weren¡¯t officially registered hunters with the South Korean Hunter Association either. ¡°I believe they are mercenary hunters of brokers or entities that are interested in Spatial goods.¡± ¡°Hyung, aren¡¯t you interested in the Spatial Bag? In this World, there are only seven items. Plus the current one, there are eight.¡± Dal-soo tried to divert the conversation. There was nothing more to discuss the dead hunters. Based on Ji-woo¡¯s characteristics, all of them would surely die unless they took one step back to surrender. More precisely, if they didn¡¯t go watch over from the start or just for a little while, certainly their lives would get spared. ¡°I¡¯m certainly interested in magic items like that. However, looking at the people present there, my chance of could touch the magic item fell to 0%. ¡°Money and power, I can¡¯tpare to some of the people there. Nor will my authority affect them. So why bother pursuing the Spatial Bag? ¡°I¡¯m actually more worried about how long the peace willst when the person in question is present or when the magic item gets shown in front of everyone.¡± Suddenly, a staff member rushed into the room. ¡°Sir, an E-rank hunter named Kim Ji-woo came and forced his way into the building.¡± Chairman Yu stood up straight and ordered the staff to let Ji-woo in and got directed through the back door of the weapon shop. ¡°Hyung, let me take care of Ji-wooter when he¡¯s in the shop.¡± ¡°OK.¡± Chairman Yu and Dal-soo then rush to the 13th floor first, leaving the staff behind. Dal-soo and Chairman Yu stepped foot on the 13th floor. Initially, they wanted to make their way through the back door. But then, they found the crowd standing and making a fuss. They finally joined in to find out what was going on. They found a somewhat surprising sight when they arrived at the front door of the store there. Dal-soo and Chairman Yu clearly see Ji-woo tantly standing at the end of the crowd inside the venue. Chairman Yu couldn¡¯t understand why Ji-woo dared to appear without any preparation from the Hunters Association. But, then hear something shocking into their ears. ¡°Here, the Spatial Bag that caught your attention.¡± Chapter 147: Unusual Auction Chapter 147: Unusual Auction All the eyes of the people present were on the Spatial Bag that Ji-woo was holding up. Some didn¡¯t realize or couldn¡¯t tell whether the bag was original or not. Meanwhile, some others could recognize the magic item right away with just one look. However, Chairman Yu had no time for that. He was more worried about the uproar that would ur due to the disy of the magic item without any preparation and security. Sure enough, there was a movement of several hunters who wanted to seize the opportunity and snatch the Spatial Bag directly in front of the crowd. ¡°Damn it! I need to stop that!¡± ¡°Hyung, you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just look at the few people in the front row there. They didn¡¯t move even though they saw this happening before their eyes.¡± Chairman Yu stopped in his tracks when he heard Dal-soo¡¯s suggestion. He just realized that some of the brokers and hunters who were near Ji-woo didn¡¯t react to what happened. Meanwhile, Ji-woo, who was also aware of the efforts of several hunters who wanted to steal the Spatial Bag tantly, smiled disdainfully. ¡®Looks like some people here are aware I¡¯m not just any E-rank hunter. Well, what happenedst night must have been of use to those in the know. Even though news of the hunter¡¯s corpses didn¡¯t spread.¡¯ Ji-woo casually positioned his upper body back a little, and the first hunter who was about to snatch the Spatial Bag missed it. He then swiftly caught the hunter with his left hand on the neck and knocked the hunter to the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this pointless game.¡± Ji-woo nimbly dodged all the ambushes of the hunters and threw them all to the floor one by one. Seeing that there were three hunters lying unconscious under Ji-woo¡¯s feet, many hunters present were amazed by it. However, there were also those who felt nothing when seeing that. In the end, the hunters were only C-ranks and relied on sneaking abilities. So, there was nothing special about the incident. The hunters who were stalking Ji-woo were also C-ranks. So? The brokers and hunters who were casually watching weren¡¯t surprised at all. If the owner of the Spatial Bag was not as strong as some of the escaped hunters reported. They would have sent reinforcements to harass the Ji-woo residencest night. In fact, they were silent even though seeing Ji-woo show off the magic item at the beginning already proved they were wary of the owner. They want to wait and see further into the situation to determine how they might behave. Ji-woo was also aware of the attitude of those people. ¡°Want to wait and see instead of testing the water, huh? Fine. Now we can move on to the main event. This is an original Spatial Bag item. If anyone wants to check it out, pleasee forward. But, this only applies to those who can afford this magic item. Remember that. ¡°This can be called an auction. But, the transaction does not have to be in the money. As long as your offer is attractive to me, then I will give it on the spot. If you don¡¯t want to be heard by others, you cane to me and say it. ¡°But, keep in mind, hidden offers like that will not get prioritized until I hear other offers.¡± Almost everyone present felt strange and not very happy with Ji-woo¡¯s rule. Some of them didn¡¯t even know it was an auction. So, they did not prepare any funds when they came to see the magic item. They feel Ji-woo was too arrogant. But, in the end, no one wanted to make a fuss yet. On the other hand, among the many brokers who were present with their mercenary hunters. There was one broker who looked familiar. It was Jee Seok-jin. Seok-jin had been trying to contact Ji-woo since the night before. But, his call didn¡¯t go through at all. He was also one of the brokers who sent a hunter to watch Ji-woo¡¯s movements. But unfortunately, after getting news several times, he immediately lost contact with the hunter. He wanted to send another hunter but received warnings from other broker friends not to do so unless he had arge reserve of A-rank hunters. Chairman Yu and Dal-soo, who saw all that happened, were speechless. But quickly, Dal-soo advised them to get closer to Ji-woo¡¯s spot and prepare for the auction. Ji-woo had no problem with that. Ma-no also approached him to help with the auction, but he politely declined. He thanked Ma-no and the weapon shop for offering to help. But this time, he needed to deal with the people searching for his information. Before moving behind where Ji-woo was, Dal-soo stopped and asked him something. ¡°Could you spare your timeter when this event is over?¡± Dal-soo didn¡¯t want to waste time warning Ji-woo about the magic item up for auction. He knew Ji-woo wouldn¡¯t change his mind. So, he better think about the future. Ji-woo chuckled. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re always asking for something every time you open your mouth.¡± Although he answered in informalnguage, he agreed to Dal-soo¡¯s request. ¡°Thank you. Instead, I¡¯ll give you a piece of advice. Some people here are quite challenging to manage and deal with. So, if there¡¯s a suitable offer, it¡¯s better to just give it straight away without prolonging the process.¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t answer and turned back to the audience in front of him. He just waved his hand at Dal-soo. ¡°And please don¡¯t make any unnecessary fusster.¡± Dal-soo said onest time before finally turning around and walking to the back of the spot. He joined Chairman Yu, Ma-no, Ji-hye, and several other hunters. Meanwhile, the division chiefs of the Hunters Association were on guard and standby in several ces inside. ¡°How? No offer? Should I just cancel this event?¡± Ji-woo didn¡¯t mind if the event got canceled. He was prepared if anyone nned to steal the Spatial Bag rather than buying it through the auction. But suddenly, there was a familiar voice that took Ji-woo by surprise. ¡°Six billion won!¡± At first, Seok-jin wanted to offer a deal that he could sell the item for a fantastic price on the ck Market. However, he soon realized that he was among the brokers who also had ess to the ce. Some even had higher privileges than him. So, he immediately dropped the idea and blurted out the offer. ¡°Another?¡± Ji-woo replied with a subtle smile. He didn¡¯t think of this auction as it should be. He thinks of turning down the offer if nothing appeals to him. Of course, what Ji-woo said made some brokers and hunters unhappy. They immediately stood up and wanted to show their dissatisfaction with Ji-woo¡¯s attitude towards the auction. Ji-woo, who got already prepared for themotion to break out, was surprised when he saw that there were several hunters taking care of the situation. ¡°Sit down. There¡¯s nothing to fuss about here. If you¡¯re not satisfied, just go home. We¡¯re dealing with a Spatial item. It is not just any magic item. It¡¯s up to the owner how to organize the process. If you want, shut up and obey. If not, get out of here.¡± It was an S-rank hunter named Ji-soo, Artates guild Vice-headmaster. Besides her, there were also Gang-ho, In-ah, Dal-shik, and several other S-rank hunters from the Demigod guild and the Shadow guild. Because of that, the dissatisfied audience immediately became silent and sat back down to their respective ces. ¡°Six billion won and some good quality magic weapons.¡± Gang-ho bargained. All night he read Ji-woo¡¯s information. He was not angry even though he knew it was a member of his guild. He understood the action and let the matter pass. Ji-woo chuckled and was speechless at the offer. Magic weapons were totally useless for him. ¡°Okay. Anything else?¡± However, he didn¡¯t reject it outright and continued his auction. Gang-ho scowled at that. He felt offended by the chuckle. Even so, he didn¡¯t get angry right away and crossed his arms while waiting for the others. Several other S-rank hunters seemed hesitant to make an offer. Meanwhile, Ji-soo and In-ah have their own business. In-ah was not interested in the auction. She only focused on Ji-woo. And from the beginning, she tried to feel the Mana from the young man. However, the results were in vain. Meanwhile, Ji-soo wanted to pay attention to Ji-woo¡¯s reaction to the other offers andter made her own offer based on it. At such times, the brokers finally started to make their bids. But this time, the offer was concealed. So, no one knew about it. Ji-woo, who received several offers from the brokers, shook his head. The average bid was not much different. It was between six billion to seven billion won only. And all offer ess to or be a regr member of the ck Market. Some of these brokers must think that their offer was definitely sufficient and attractive for Ji-woo. ¡°Well, the others?¡± The remarks then jolted several brokers who made hidden offers. They realize that their proposal wasn¡¯t enough to sway Ji-woo. It was also possible that their offers were not different from others or precisely the same. The brokers then looked at each other while gritting their teeth. Chapter 148: Showing One Might Chapter 148: Showing One Might The brokers certainly didn¡¯t dare to bid higher because they still wanted the maximum profit from the spatial item. On the other hand, the hunters were still considering what offer could make them get the magic item. Dal-shik suddenly made an attractive offer. ¡°Seven tier-3 Portal Gates.¡± Almost everyone in the audience got shocked and stared at Dal-shik. Seven Portal Gates of such a tier were not worth the Spatial Bag. However, no one knew how much a Portal Gate was worth due to its dungeon. Most people still viewed the Portal Gate as the best item and had more value than other magical items. Ji-woo got quite tempted by it. However, considering the scarcity of magic items in this world, he felt that the number was too small. ¡°Well, another one?¡± Ji-woo¡¯s response set off a chain reaction in the audience. The hunters in the Shadow guild were getting displeased with his carefree attitude. Meanwhile, the hunters from the other guilds clicked their tongues, knowing the seven Portal Gates couldn¡¯t attract the owner. Seok-jin was reminded of his experience while the others were thinking about what to offer. He knew that Ji-woo frequently had been buying tier-4 Portal Gates recently and had set it up as a new offer. ¡°Five billion won, three tier-3 Portal Gates, and two tier-4 Portal Gates!¡± Seok-jin shouted, and a vein showed on his forehead. It was the highest offer he could make. If it got rejected too, he didn¡¯t know what else to do. On Ji-woo¡¯s side, he thought it was a good offer and was by far the best of the lot. But, again, he felt it was less than he expected. To him, the tier of the Portal Gate was not a problem. However, what interested him was the number. Seok-jin, who saw Ji-woo was about to refuse and wanted to pass his offer, immediately took further action. ¡°Plus the ck Market.¡± This time, what Seok-jin said caught Ji-woo¡¯s attention. ¡°Please, borate.¡± Seok-jin gritted his teeth. He felt annoyed at Ji-woo, ying around with him. That was especially with an attitude that seemed reluctant to get satisfied with what had been offered so far. ¡°All about the ck Market. I will share it with you.¡± Ji-woo had expected there would be a ce that handled unique and quality magic items other than what most hunters could afford. And he just found out it was the ck Market based on what the brokers had previously told him personally. ¡®Erm. Interesting. I do need a lot of information about the hunter and the circle in this world.¡¯ The rest of the audience started racking their brains, and some began to give up when they saw Ji-woo contemting while massaging his chin. They gave up because they had nothing more to offer topete with the ck Market issue. And also with the Portal Gate. It was a shame, but what could they do? There, the brokers were holding on to their advantage in Ji-woo¡¯s odd auction. The hunters from the top three guilds of South Korea alone did not have ess andplete information about the ck Market. Even Chairman Yu, sitting at the back, clicked his tongue when he heard about the ck Market. He was displeased with the ce¡¯s existence, as it made magic items unavable to most hunters. Well, he couldn¡¯t do anything about it either. Although many illegal transactions and violent idents took ce on the ck Market, all of them were simply against the rules of the Hunters Association. Broadly speaking and in general, the ck Market was a legitimate ce in the eyes of the world. As for the brokers possessing Portal Gates, Chairman Yu didn¡¯t bother to deal with them. Even though he didn¡¯t like state property got traded for personal gain. It was the government¡¯s problem, not the Hunter Association anymore. If they also have to take care of that while being limited in staff. The affairs of the disaster that befell the country may get neglected because of it. Meanwhile, Dal-soo, who had been watching the events from the start, suddenly got an idea about the negotiations he would have with Ji-woo. He then whispered to Chairman Yu, who was next to him. Chairman Yu frowned when Dal-soo finished. He then red at Dal-soo with displeasure. ¡°Hyung, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough if I only say, please believe me. Rather than that, how about we see the resultster?¡± Chairman Yu sneered. ¡°It¡¯s up to you!¡± Dal-soo smiled awkwardly at Chairman Yu¡¯s displeasure. But he had to do that. That at least boosted his confidence that Ji-woo would agree to his proposalter on. On the other hand, Ji-woo shook his head and was about to take the deal. However, another broker offered simr but higher bids in terms of value. ¡°Seven billion won, five tier-4 Portal Gates, and the ck Market.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Oh my god! I didn¡¯t hear wrong, did I!?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dreaming right now, hearing such offers.¡± The audience was excited to hear thetest offers. Not only was the number higher, but the tier of the Portal Gate was also high by a fair amount. Not to mention when ites to information on the ck Market. Of course, it was an offer that couldn¡¯t get turned down. The audience¡¯s eyes shifted to Ji-woo from the broker who made the offer. Seok-jin couldn¡¯t do anything else either. The bid he made earlier was already all the assets he had. After all, the broker who just gave an offer was a person who had more power and wealth than him. So, he could only remain silent, sitting in gloom for failing to get the Spatial Bag. Seok-jin then left the weapon shop on his own, feeling he couldn¡¯t contest it anymore along with his mercenary hunters. ¡®You damn snotty brat! Just watch outter. I will pay back all this at ater date. How dare you toy with and lie to me!¡¯ Seok-jin said while tightening his grip. Meanwhile, Ji-woo sighed and opened his mouth. ¡°Well, is there anything else? Oh, yeah. For the ones who can¡¯tpete. Can you guys get out of this room? There¡¯s no use for you here either.¡± Ji-woo¡¯s words this time have crossed the line and are too arrogant. Several hunters stood up from their seats and expressed their hatred for Ji-woo¡¯s disrespectful attitude. However, they didn¡¯t go any further as the S-rank hunters at the front still looked calm and sat in silence. ¡°Heh! Hey, brat. I understand you¡¯re arrogant because of spatial items. However, your attitude is too much. Aren¡¯t you afraid of having the item stolen? I know you¡¯re not just any E-rank hunter, able to subdue the previous three C-rank hunters. But, are you sure you can withstand the attacks of an S-rank hunter?¡± Dal-shik vented his frustration at Ji-woo¡¯s attitude and started to stand up from his seat. ¡°So?¡± Ji-woo replied nonchntly. Dal-shik was speechless at Ji-woo¡¯s reaction. Even the veins pop out on the forehead. ¡°Listen to this, brat! How about you hand over the Spatial Bag with an offer of five billion won and three tier-3 Portal Gates? Counting that you¡¯re a member of the Demigod guild, at least you¡¯re giving favor to me, a friend of yours guild headmaster. You¡¯re a hunter and should prefer people from the guild.¡± Some brokers weren¡¯t happy to hear what Dal-shik had to say. The broker that bidding earlier wanted to refute but stopped when he heard Ji-woo speak. ¡°I refuse.¡± Everyone present was shocked by Ji-woo¡¯s ruthless rejection of an S-rank hunter. Moreover, he was a member of the guild. He shouldn¡¯t be acting so high in front of his seniors. ¡°Hey, Gang-ho! You should teach your members some manners towards elders!¡± ¡°Brat. You shouldn¡¯t treat your elders like that.¡± Gang-ho replied, agreeing with Dal-shik about Ji-woo¡¯s attitude. Suddenly, Dal-shik cast a fire magic spell. And In-sung, who was at the side, cast an ice magic spell. ¡°What!?¡± Gang-ho got taken aback by the exaggeration. Chairman Yu was also surprised and wanted to rush forward to stop the incident. But, Dal-soo held his hand. ¡°Hyung, sit down. There¡¯s no need to worry. You two don¡¯t need to panic either.¡± Dal-soo spoke while calming Ma-no and Ji-hye. The brokers, who saw the fight about to break out, became bbergasted. Their mercenary hunters swiftly advanced in front of them to protect their masters. Meanwhile, the hunters and the division chiefs of the Hunters Association rushed to take care of the situation. But, contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations in the room, except for Dal-soo. A breakout did not ur at all. The fire and ice magic dissipated as Ji-woo swung his left hand forward, blocking both attacks. Dal-shik and In-sung should have been surprised. However, they didn¡¯t think any further and tried tounch magic attacks that were bigger and stronger than before. ¡°Calm down.¡± Ji-woo opened his mouth along with his Aura of Fear. Everyone, or rather the hunters, who possessed Mana could sense the sudden chilly atmosphere. Even Dal-shik and In-sung stopped their movements in the middle. All the hunters widened their eyes and trembled all over their respective bodies. Some of them even fell to their knees in sweat. Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were no exception. They both felt the same way as those hunters. And Dal-soo discerned that the nightmare hade again uninvited. He painstakingly maintained hisposure. But, the reality was different. Chapter 149: An Offer Thats Hard to Beat Chapter 149: An Offer That¡¯s Hard to Beat Chairman Yu tried to lift his face. He seeded after a lot of effort. He wanted to stop what Ji-woo was doing. ¡°Th-it¡¯s the same as b-before! Kuh! W-What the hell is this!!?¡± Dal-soo then chimed in after seeing Chairman Yu struggling to get up from his seat. ¡°H-Hyung, just stay still. N-No needs to d-do anything.¡± On the other hand, the brokers, most of whom were ordinary people, could feel the tension in the room. They also became anxious seeing their mercenary hunters shaking and unable to do anything. Dal-shik also managed to lift his face to look at Ji-woo. ¡°Kid! W-What have you done!?!¡± In-sung, on the side, expressed his anger too. ¡°You b-bastard!!¡± Gang-ho also felt something unusual in his body. He couldn¡¯t exin what fear was running through his heart and mind. But one thing was for sure. The Mana he usually used to make magic feel alive and like it was trying to escape from his body. It was a bizarre experience and a first for him. In-ah and Ji-soo run into a situation not much different from any other S-rank hunter. However, the two women responded to the situation differently and were calmer than the others. In-ah managed to secure her Mana flow, and there was no chaos inside. It made her free from trembling, but fear still welled up inside her head. She seemed to get a whisper, given a warning that she would die if she took a single step. Meanwhile, Ji-soo was in better shape. Her Mana flow was typical, and there was no fear at all. Either in her heart or inside her head. However, it all reduced her stamina and Mana. She had to counteract the invisible aura. Sweat was pouring down her cheeks, and she had no interest in moving as it would drain her Mana even more. Ji-woo then opened his mouth after seeing the atmosphere return to calm even though it felt heavier than before. ¡°Why does everything have to be solved by magic? We can talk about all this, can¡¯t we? After all, what I said and what I refused is still in line with the purpose of this event, which is to sell or offer this Spatial Bag. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to using seniority based on age. We live in a superpower environment. Senior or junior doesn¡¯t apply in the forest of strong and weak. ¡°Calm yourselves. There¡¯s no need to be angry. If anyone wants a fight with me, you can schedule it at another time. However, now isn¡¯t the time for that. Also, as thisdy said before, this is my magic item, which means it¡¯s up to me how to sell it.¡± Ji-woo then withdrew his Aura of Fear after lecturing them all. It wasmonce that the owner of a unique magic item would, of course, get supported by an ability that made them dare to show it to many people. Only an ipetent person would dare to unt such an item without any preparation at all. In Ji-woo¡¯s case, he was way above S-rank hunters long before he even got his true strength. So, he knew in Korea. Nothing could threaten his existence. Even if an Apex-ranked hunter interfered, he didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit discouraged. He believed his true strength was the highest power in this world. For an unknown power outside South Korea, Ji-woo himself had anticipated it by giving a deadline of one day. In such a short time, those people couldn¡¯t have time to prepare ande to their country to attend the auction of the spatial item. As soon as the Aura of Fear disappeared, all the hunters were suddenly able to move their bodies freely. Ji-soo and In-ah let out their breaths. It was quite a lot of mental consumption of each of them. Meanwhile, Dal-shik finally got freed and didn¡¯t standstill. He still couldn¡¯t ept the impoliteness and the arrogance. He emitted his Mana Presence, and a blue light instantly enveloped his entire body. The armory shop room instantly shook, and everyone got slightly jolted by it. Dal-shik¡¯s hands give off dense mes. But, before he shot the magic. Instantly, Ji-woo had appeared in front of him and held both of Dal-shik¡¯s hands, leaving the Spatial Bag on the spot. The dense mes disappeared, and the Mana Presence subsided. That took Dal-shik by surprise. The room also stopped shaking. In-sung, who was also beside him, swiftly used magic after seeing the incident. His right hand swung from below, and chunks of ice rose from the floor. It was about to trap Ji-woo from below. However, Ji-woo also quickly used his left foot to hold In-sung¡¯s hand down, stopping the ice floe from rising. ¡°I told you guys to calm down. We can continue this activity another time. All right!?¡± Ji-woo replied with a straight face. His deep and heavy tone kept the room calm even though the ce almost got damaged. In-sung could feel the death threat from Ji-woo¡¯s eyes on him. It prevented him from continuing what he wanted to do and made him remain silent in that position. Dal-shik was alsopletely unable to move his body. He couldn¡¯t even escape Ji-woo¡¯s grasp. ¡®This boy¡­, so strong!¡¯ On the other hand, Ji-soo didn¡¯t expect Ji-woo to be able to hold off two S-rank hunters so easily. She admitted Ji-woo was strong based on the aura she didn¡¯t understand earlier. But to face Dal-shik and In-sung simultaneously, she couldn¡¯t do that either. In-ah was not surprised by that and finally confirmed Dal-soo¡¯s story was true all along after seeing what Ji-woo did. But, that alone was not enough to make his curiosity subside. The absence of Mana in every action Ji-woo took made her watch him with rapt attention. ¡®What¡¯s the secret to his power due tock of Mana in him!!? But, how could that be!?¡¯ On the other hand, Chairman Yu swallowed his saliva when he saw Ji-woo holding Dal-shik and In-sung together. ¡°Dal-soo~ya. Is this what you mean by some S-rank hunters being nothing in front of that youngster?! At this rate, he¡¯s the closest to bing an Apex-ranked. However, I can¡¯t feel the slightest bit of Mana from him. Do you know why? Is it because he doesn¡¯t need Mana to deal with two S-rank hunters!?¡± Dal-soo smiled wryly at Chairman Yu¡¯s words. It was something he didn¡¯t know the answer to. He didn¡¯t even have the slightest clue that could exin where Ji-woo¡¯s power came from. ¡°Hyung, more than that. Isn¡¯t it more important if this kind of power gets owned by South Korea? With Ji-woo and Hyun-bin present, the problems of Portal Gate and Red Gate will be easy to solve. The number of casualties and damage can get minimized.¡± Hearing those words, Chairman Yu woke up to Dal-soo¡¯s original intention. Getting Ji-woo to give his hand when they needed it was the right thing to do. Chairman Yu sighed quickly. ¡°Dal-soo~ya. I¡­, believe in you. Do whatever it takes to make him want to help out in the future. But, I ask you one thing. Make him want to do a re-rank check in the Hunters Associationter. Promise me this one, and I¡¯m willing to give you my fullest support from here on.¡± Dal-soo was relieved and nodded his head, agreeing with Chairman Yu¡¯s request. ¡°Okay, Hyung.¡± Returning to Ji-woo¡¯s spot, he began to open his mouth after a long silence approached the room. ¡°Have we reached an agreement here? We¡¯ll save the matter of bickering for another time, while now we¡¯ll settle this spatial item issue as soon as possible. That¡¯s clear!?¡± No one gave any response to Ji-woo¡¯s words. They were just stunned by Ji-woo, who was still holding Dal-shik and In-sung while saying that. Ji-woo released his grip on Dal-shik and let his left foot off In-sung. He then turned away from the two hunters. He walked casually to where the Spatial Bag was. Dal-shik and In-sung could only grit their teeth and hold Ji-woo¡¯s humiliating treatment to heart. They returned to their seats and clenched their hands. ¡°If no one makes another offer. I¡¯ll end this event. Thest offer is good, but not enough for me to let go of this magic item.¡± This time, what Ji-woo said did not make the audience feel insulted. They feel Ji-woo had what it took for someone to possess such a rare magic item. No one dared to voice overbearing and haughty words to Ji-woo. Instead, they were thinking about what offers were attractive and worth the Spatial Bag. ¡°Seven billion won and ten tier-3 Portal Gates!¡± Ji-woo raised one eyebrow. A remarkable number of Portal Gates. He had no problem releasing the Spatial Bag to the woman who voiced the proposal, Seo Ji-soo. That was If there was no other offer. But not long after, there was a new offer that toppled Ji-soo¡¯s offer. ¡°Ten billion won, ten tier-3 Portal Gates, and the ck Market.¡± It was an offer from a broker who previously bid. This time, he elevated what he had to offer. Meanwhile, Ji-soo could only click her tongue at that. ¡®Damn it! ck Market ess is a tough offer to beat.¡¯ Chapter 150: Piece of Cake Chapter 150: Piece of Cake ¡°My name is Kim Young-chul. It seems the information circting on the streets isn¡¯t urate at all. No wonder dozens of C-rank hunters got wiped outst night.¡± Young-chul was the broker who offered ten billion won, ten tier-3 Portal Gates and added the information about ck Market and its ess in theplete offer. ¡°None of my business. Those hunterse knocking on death¡¯s door. I only fulfill their wishes with pleasure.¡± Ji-woo replied with a chuckle. He was amazed to see Young-chul. ording to him, the impression he got from the meeting was different from Seok-jin¡¯s. With Seok-jin, Ji-woo felt fake friendliness and greed in the broker¡¯s every word and action. As with Young-chul, he sensed arrogance and pride in the broker¡¯s tone and gesture. Particrly with seven A-rank foreign hunters by Young-chul¡¯s side as bodyguards. That in itself already distinguished the two of them as brokers. ¡°Those are terrible wordsing out of a young man. Well, arrogance is often attached to the image of young people. So it¡¯s only natural that you think and act like that. But you need to tone down your attitude if you still love your life. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, your head might separate from your body out of nowhere. Here¡¯s a little advice from me as an older person with more experience than you. Don¡¯t think badly of me. It¡¯s for your good.¡± Young-chul advised Ji-woo while handing him a card containing ten billion won and several piles of paper containing the possession of the Portal Gate. Ji-woo was quite surprised to see that. It was different from what he used to do together with Seok-jin. As for the words Young-chul just said, he didn¡¯t care about it. Young-chul, who saw Ji-woo¡¯s surprised face, smiled slightly and immediately exined. ¡°As far as I know, you¡¯re a member of the Demigod guild. Right? Indeed, this kind of thing ismon. But, seeing your reaction, it seems Ji-woo~si has dealt with a broker before. Considering that brokers usually provide Portal Gates illegally because they don¡¯t qualify as an entity that owns state property. It¡¯s the same with an individual. And, of course, you¡¯ll be busy taking care of this yourself with the Hunters Associationter. ¡°Unless you hand over these ten Portal Gates or dere them to be the possession of the Demigod guild. It would be difficult to keep hold of this property without a lengthy process with the Hunters Association¡¯s people. The possibility that you fail to take care of it is also there, and the proposal to own the Portal Gates will get rejected. ¡°Anyway. Then howe a broker like me can legally own Portal Gates? It¡¯s because I¡¯m a ck Market VVIP seller. I have a guarantee as an entity that can possess Portal Gates. ¡°Besides money, I am also dered an individual capable of hunting in dungeons although not one endowed with Mana. It is one of the benefits obtained from the ck Market. Also, this is the power and authority of that ce towards the Hunters Association. Not only in South Korea but globally.¡± Young-chul exined at length with his superior smile. He wanted to show that the ck Market was both a ce and an organization above the Hunters Association in every way. Ji-woo also carefully digested the information he just got in his head. ¡°I thank you for broadening my horizons. But, why are you telling this? I think it¡¯s too much detail if you only want to exin about the Portal Gate¡¯s legal possession papers.¡± Young-chul took a leisurely breath and opened his mouth again. ¡°I want you to consider me as a suitable intermediary to sell magic items. Information about the source that provides good quality magic items in the Hunter Association¡¯s armory shop is already there. Who doesn¡¯t know about that? ¡°Even if you have previous broker connections, they can¡¯t getpared to me. You can confirm this to Chairman Yu and a few other S-rank hunters. They know that I¡¯m the only ck Market VVIP seller in South Korea. ¡°Just so you know. I also have business with Chairman Yu indirectly. How about it? Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient for us to work together? Rather than with the low-level brokers out there, I¡¯m the best choice.¡± Young-chul continued and handed Ji-woo a USB containing information about the ck Market. He also gave a ck gold business card to Ji-woo. Ji-woo received the items and studied the ck and gold card. He could feel the magic embedded into the card. Well, it was not surprising because in this world alone. They could make magic items even though their quality was below average. But he still found it interesting. It was probably because this world was getting more and more simr to the previous world he was in. Especially in terms of the use of magic, Ji-woo felt nostalgia in his heart because of it. Ji-woo then handed over the Spatial Bag he got from the Mapo district¡¯s Red Gate incident, whose dungeon owner was the Werewolf. ¡°This is the magic item. Sorry to interrupt, but are you sure you won¡¯t get robbed in the middle of the day because of this thing?¡± Young-chul¡¯s eyes widened at Ji-woo¡¯s words when he received the Spatial Bag. He thenughed a little loosely because of that. ¡°Hahaha! Who do you think you¡¯re worried about? I¡¯m a ck Market VVIP. Who dares to rob me? You¡¯re so funny, Ji-woo~si!¡± ¡°Well, good to hear that. Thanks for the deal this time. I¡¯ll consider future affairster. Also, sorry about your C-rank hunter who had to die for nothing watching over mest night.¡± Ji-woo got up, about to leave the room Ma-no provided to finalize his deal with the broker. He knew about hunters watching his movements because, among the dozens, there was one who was not Korean. And seeing theposition of Young-chul¡¯s bodyguards, he estimated that a C-rank hunter fromst night was this broker¡¯s subordinate. ¡°Hah! No need to worry. It doesn¡¯t matter to me. They¡¯re just C-rank hunters, and see youter! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll contact me again in the future.¡± When Ji-woo disappeared from Young-chul¡¯s sight, his face, which was initially full of smiles and joy, vanished in an instant. ¡°Use that Magic Rune. I¡¯m about to make a call.¡± Young-chul said in English. One of the A-rank foreign hunters behind Young-chul walked to the center of the room and took out an object filled with magic inscriptions. The hunter then ced the magic item on the floor and triggered it with his Mana. Before long, the magic inscriptions that seemed to be in Dragon¡¯s Tongue spread across the floor and walls. It even covered the ceiling of the room too. That Magic Rune had a function to block any sound from outside or from within. It was suitable for having secret conversations without wanting anyone to know. Moreover, the hunters had a sense of hearing above ordinary people. Talking in any ce without such a thing was very dangerous. Even though Young-chul had the confidence of being a ck Market VVIP member, that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t afraid of death. Many ck Market secrets couldn¡¯t get known to the public. And if it leaked, it was inevitable that he would lose his life just like that. Young-chul then used his smartphone. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me. Smuggle four S-rank hunters into South Korea. It is important. I have a Spatial Bag. We can show it off on the ck Marketter.¡± He didn¡¯t want to be caught by the Hunters Association entering S-rank hunters without notice. From S-rank to ArchMage, they had special obligations and permits to enter each country. And this also applied to entities like the ck Market. Although, it was just a formality that many did not follow it. However, the International Hunter Association heeded the rule as an important matter because they needed to monitor every move of the world¡¯s high-ranking hunters. And things would get extraordinarilyplicated if caught viting it. The worst possibility would be civil war if the hunter came from a big guild or massive organization. Before long, Young-chul hung up after speaking in English. And ordered the hunters to pull out of the ce. They also didn¡¯t forget the Magic Rune on the floor and deactivated them before leaving. Meanwhile, Ji-woo decided to give 300 million won to the weapon shop aspensation where he¡¯s holding an impromptu event. He also didn¡¯t forget to apologize to Ma-no and Ji-hye. Ji-woo also briefly spoke to Chairman Yu. He also apologized for the rumors and bowed, paying his respects and gratitude. He immediately said goodbye and promised to take care of the matter of the Portal Gate ownership another day. He hurried to go home because he was worried about his sister and mother. Meanwhile, what was happening earlier at the Hunter Association¡¯s armory shop had been broadcast live on the streaming tform. Yu-jin was in the small yard of Ji-woo¡¯s house, watching the incident on her smartphone. ¡°Yu-jin~si, what are you watching? Auntie told you toe inside and offer some food.¡± Dong-hyun asked as he approached. However, his steps stopped when he heard Yu-jin¡¯s surprising response. ¡°Watching Ji-woo hold off two S-rank hunters at the same time alone.¡± ¡°What!!?¡± Chapter 151: Speed Up The Process Chapter 151: Speed Up The Process "Don''t talk nonsense!? Ji-woo Hyung is offering the Spatial Bag. Why does he have to fight two S-rank hunters!?" Dong-hyun was just surprised to hear what Yu-jin said. He knew Ji-woo was up to the S-rank hunter. But he didn''t understand why there should be a fight when Ji-woo''s activity was only to show off the Spatial Bag. "What an idiot!" Yu-jin snorted at Dong-hyun''s remark. Disyed a rare magic item would definitely invite a feud if there were a misunderstanding or disagreement. It was one of the fundamental things in the hunter environment. So, hearing Dong-hyun sound like that, she couldn''t help but think it was stupid. Dong-hyun quickly refuted it. "I''m not stupid. I was asking! Can you choose your words wisely!? Every time you open your mouth, you always hurt me." "Don''t be ridiculous! It''s only natural that there''s a fight going on. Do you think the cheap stuff that''s on disy?! That''s a Spatial Bag, not a leaf!" Dong-hyun felt his ears were full of Yu-jin''s harsh words and finally put an end to their conversation. "Fine. Fine. We know that nothing will happen to Ji-woo Hyung. So, we don''t need to rush to find out what happened there. What matters are Aunt and Ji-won, and so far, it doesn''t feel like hunters are lurking in this area. But, only to be sure, we''ll stay here until Ji-woo Hyunges and tells us to leave." Yu-jin didn''t reply and just gazed at Dong-hyun with a strange look. "What?" Dong-hyun asked, feeling awkward to get stared at it. Yu-jin shook her head. "Nothing. I''m just curious, have you ever wanted to know the power of a Kim Ji-woo? Let''s be honest here. You and I have never once seen him perform magic. And we ourselves have never felt the Mana of him either. Aren''t you curious about that?" Dong-hyun scratched his cheek while smiling wryly. "Yeah, curious. But, if Ji-woo Hyung doesn''t want to talk about it. What can we do? You know that every time we spar with Hyung, we always lose inadequately, even though we don''t get beat up by him. So, it is better not to poke the beehive. Otherwise, we ourselves will get stungter." "Tch! You coward and obedient ve!" "You''re an obedient ve too." Not long after Dong-hyun said those words, Yu-jin''s punch finallynded on his head. "Ouch! Why did I get hit!? What did I do wrong!?" Yu-jin stared hatefully and rushed into the house, leaving Dong-hyun in the small courtyard. "What''s wrong with her?! Is she in a bad mood? So sensitive. Argh! It''s annoying to deal with her." Dong-hyun said as he rubbed his aching head from the previous blow. "What were you talking about just now!!?? Hurry up and get in here!" Hearing Yu-jin''s loud voice, Dong-hyun immediately straightened his back and responded spontaneously. "I didn''t say anything, madam! Yes, here Ie!" Luckily at Ji-woo''s house, nothing unfortunate happened, unlike the Hunters Association''s armament shop. Elsewhere, where Ma Dong-seok had lived before, the Night Hunter who had lost half his strength was lounging on a chair. In the room, there was not the slightest light to illuminate. It was pitch ck even though it was still day. "What''s next? Are you just going to stay here?" The Night Hunter put his upper body forward. "You are too curious about our ns. Just shut up and obey the orders thate." He spoke to the hunter who came when the Red Gate in the Dongdaemun district was still not closed. Even in the dark, the two could tell each other''s position from their respective Mana. "Your tone is annoying. Hey, monster! You''re too weak right now. I could have killed you if you weren''t careful." The Night Hunter was quite nervous to hear that. He didn''t dare to face the hunter, who was in the same room as him, and hastily cleared up the misunderstanding. "Calm down. You actually have a bad temper. I mean, I don''t know the details of your works myself. The one who knows is your boss named Ma Dong-seok." "That person isn''t my boss. Also, not knowing what we should do doesn''t mean you don''t know what the other side is nning, right?" The Night Hunter was shocked to hear that and was instantly enraged. He used his Mana to try to suppress the hunter. Even though his strength got drastically reduced, he still managed to show an imposing manner towards the hunter. "O human! I am weaker than you, is true. But, that doesn''t mean I will betray my Lord, the Necromonican Emperor! Even if I have to die, I won''t do that!" The hunter narrowed his eyes, staring at the Night Hunter in the darkness. This time, he realized his boundary line. He knew Portal Gate creatures couldn''t get cornered all the time. So, he finally gave up on suppressing the being. "Forget it. I''ll leave you here. Please don''t cause trouble while you''re here. If there''s a fight, I won''t be able to help you at all in front of the crowd." The hunter was about to leave the room. But, he got stopped by the Night Hunter midway. "Could you check the Spatial Bag that''s been the talk of the day?" "What''s with the magic item? It''s just a Spatial Bag. Not a Spatial Ring." "There are two important items in it. A Communication Orb and a Magic Rune. Just check to see if it''s still there or not." The hunter was silent for a moment, then asked again. "How do I know it''s the Spatial Bag you''re referring to it? Don''t tell me it''s because of the Red Gates incident recently. So, you attribute it to the presence of spatial items with it?" "I''m not sure about that either. However, the timing is too good to be a coincidence. Just check it out. It won''t be difficult for you guys." "Tsk! Whatever!" The hunter replied curtly. He walked out, leaving the Portal Gate creature alone in the darkness. While outside, the hunter called his guild members and received information about the Spatial Bag event. "Damn it! Why should I agree to it!? It''s going to beplicated because the one holding the magic item now is Kim Young-chul." The hunter was silent while hitting his feet lightly on the floor repeatedly. He looked through the contact list on his smartphone and made another call. "I don''t have ess to the ck Market. This matter is better-taken care of by Dong-seok." The hunter exined what had happened after his call got connected, everything from the beginning since he met the Night Hunter. In the end, Dong-seok agreed to take care of it. That took the hunter by surprise, as Dong-seok was willing to take care of it without much fuss. He himself found it troublesome. But the other side epted it without further ado. It was very odd and quite a relief for him. ''How loyal is he to those Portal Gate creatures? Geez! He''s so low, selling himself only to gain his current power to those uncivilized beings!'' Thought the hunter as he spat on the floor. Like that, South Korea felt peaceful again even though it had just got hit by a disaster. However, the ns that happened in the dark went ording to their respective plots. It moved slowly and as if it was sure to reach its destination towards the destruction of the world and the merging of the two universes. At the same time, back at Ji-woo''s ce, he was finally home. Everything looked fine and as usual. On the other hand, Elijah knew something was going on with Ji-woo. However, she did not ask it because she felt the time was not wise for their gathering. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun made the house atmosphere a little noisier than usual. Especially Dong-hyun, who was the talkative type. Ji-woo was also quite happy to see them gathered at one table. He almost forgot Elijah and Ji-won''s misery when they were alone after seeing Dong-hyun talking to his mother and his sister with Yu-jin. He closed his eyes then pinched the bridge of his nose. ''I need more money, and above all, I need a grandmaster cksmith of magic items!'' Ten billion won was not enough to work on Ji-woo''s ns. The establishment of an intelligent agency was practical for gathering essential information. It also allowed Ji-woo to know the opponent''s movements that could threaten his family. The establishment of a factory manufactured magic items that would be a passive ie for his finances. It also created objects for the safety of his family. Those ns required funds with more than hundreds of millions of US dors. The quickest way was for Ji-woo to stop ying it safe and go all out from now onwards. He had to bet his family''s safety on how quickly hepleted the ns. It was better than walking away from attention and taking slow steps. But, the safety of his family was also at stake in it. After all, making money as a hunter was still a slow and time-consuming way.. That was what he did not expect when he initially nned to take the job. Chapter 152: Obtrude Chapter 152: Obtrude The next day, everything went as usual. The martialw status had got lifted from South Korea after several days of ensuring Seoul and its surroundings were safe. They also managed to catch up and clean up the remaining Portal Gate creatures during that time. Now, it was time to clean up and recover the damage they suffered, whether financially or the country''s overall strength. It also included the living situation of the ordinary people and public infrastructure. On the other hand, news about the Spatial Bag got widespread among hunters and brokers in South Korea. The video clip of Ji-woo''s could keep up with two S-rank hunters also spread widely and became a hot topic in all South Korean guilds. The hunters and brokers wonder if Ji-woo was an S-rank hunter or an Apex-ranked hunter. The former was not umon, considering one hunter managed to touch the rank limit every year. Meanwhile, thetter was rare and influential news if it became a reality. Six years after the appearance of the Portal Gate, South Korea only had one Apex-ranked hunter. And that wasn''t enough to make hunters and brokers believe that the country was safe from the Red Gate threat. If South Korea had two Apex-ranked hunters, then the country''s name would have good credibility in the world. Magic item transactions would get processed smoothly, and inviting other countries'' hunters would get easier. A safe country, of course, would bring prosperity in this time of misery. That was what most people in the world believed. It was an era where it was not money that determined the status and face of the country. But, how high-ranked were the hunters and how many there were. Not having a single Apex-ranked hunter could get categorized as a low-ss country. And it was predicted to get crushed at any moment by the invasion of the Red Gates. At the same time, the news did not go unnoticed by ordinary people. "The young man''s face is not too ugly. Strong and handsome enough. That''s great as a new South Korean icon." "I agree!" "Hey, girl. Don''t be happy just yet! We don''t know if this video is real or not. After all, we''ve just got hit by a disaster. Why should we bother with this?" "Right. We''d better clean up our ruined ce so we can work as usual again." "Aigo! Don''t be tacky! How pathetic you are. What are you doing yourself watching the video? You can only talk about other people, but you are the same. Hum!" "You brat! I was just saying, don''t get excited just yet. If it''s true, that''s great. We can feel safer than ever before against those monsters." The reactions of the people could be said to be varied. Some like it, and some doubt it. Well, they were just ordinary people who could only hope for help from the hunters. They didn''t really care about the news of the hunters as long as they could feel safe. Meanwhile, several guilds also took the initiative to recruit Ji-woo to their ce without any shame. Even though it was clear that their resources were below the top three South Korean guilds, however, they were still stubborn. It was, of course, gave Ji-woo a headache. Ji-woo had no other choice but to move his mother and sisterst night after Dong-hyun and Yu-jin left. He bought an apartment house for 1.7 billion won in the Itaewon neighborhood, Yongsan district. Elijah and Ji-won didn''t understand at first why they had to move away for a while. Ji-woo finally exined reluctantly. He told them that he had sold a magic item for billions of won, so many people were looking for it. So, in order not to disturb his mother and sister, he bought a new ce. Of course, it was all an excuse made up by Ji-woo. Otherwise, Elijah and Ji-won wouldn''t be willing to move, much less ept him buying such a luxurious ce instead of renting it. This time, Ji-woo couldn''t make things suspicious anymore. His mother had sensed that there was something odd about his behavior these past few days. If he had to go on a rampage, killing people who came and disturbing the peace of his family, it would be hard to avoid the attention of his mother and sister. Also, it was too time-consuming because he could only do it at certain times. Ji-woo temporarily didn''t want to do that pointless activity. He desired to take the matter of possession of the Portal Gate first to the Hunters Association. Only then did he send a warning via the re-evaluation of his rankter. If the forewarning didn''t work, he couldn''t help but do it in vain to kill them one by one as an example to those out there who dared to look for him. In the meantime, at the headquarters of the Demigod guild. Gang-ho was rubbing his forehead at Ji-woo''s information as a member of his guild. No matter how many times he read it, he still couldn''t understand what was going on in Ji-woo''s mind. "From what we saw yesterday and in this video, this kid is definitely not an E-rank hunter. Moreover, Mana can''t get sensed from him. That certainly makes him not simple." At Gang-ho''s words, Dal-soo smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He knew enough about Ji-woo but didn''t think it was appropriate to reveal it. Meanwhile, In-ah, who was with the two of them in the room, was also silent, even though she had little information about Ji-woo. To be more precise, news that she had yet to confirm. She then looked at Dal-soo. Dal-soo noticed In-ah''s gaze. But, he just shrugged his shoulders, indicating that it was up to the Vice-headmaster about Ji-woo. In-ah quickly turned to Gang-ho and opened her mouth. "Headmaster, how about I just investigate the hunter named Kim Ji-woo?" Dal-soo wanted to give advice on the investigation. But, it turned out to get a surprising answer from Gang-ho. "No need. Leave the kid alone. People with such powers usually have entric personalities. After all, he''s a member of our guild. Don''t make him feel ufortable." "Alright," In-ah replied while clicking her tongue. Dal-soo pped his forehead. Gang-ho''s decision to let Ji-woo out was bound to end badly. That was because only he knew that Ji-woo was already disinterested in the guild. Even if it were not written or not official, Ji-woo would quit being a member of the Demigod guild sooner orter. And that was indisputable. "What''s wrong!? What are you doing?" Gang-ho noticed Dal-soo''s strange behavior. "Oh, nothing," Dal-soo awkwardly answered while shaking his head. Gang-ho then shifted his face to In-ah. "In-ah~ya, I''d like you to take care of the Vanguard team''s training for these few days. We''ve dyed our hunt for a tier-5 Portal Gate too long." "Suddenly?" In-ah asked while frowning. "I want us to enter the Portal Gate next week. The list of hunters that will make up the team is on Dal-soo. You can take it from himter." Dal-soo just stayed silent at that. He knew of Gang-ho''s n for a long time because he was the one who put together the hunters'' list in the Vanguard team. He wouldn''t get surprised if Gang-ho rushed to enter the tier-5 Portal Gate even if the situation wasn''t that great. In-ah took a deep breath. "Our guild is suffering losses because of the four Red Gates. Wouldn''t it be better if we built up the lost power instead of hunting?! Not only the Shadow guild and the Artates guild. But, we also lost quite a lot of hunters!" Gang-ho then knocked on his desk. "In-ah~ya, I told you the list is already there. And the hunters that were there are all still alive. Dal-soo himself confirmed that." "You don''t have to worry and just do some training based on the information about the tier-5 Portal Gate dungeon in our repository. It will help us prepareter." "But, Headmaster!" "I''m sure we''ll get some unexpected stuff in the dungeon and be able to recover some of our lost strength." In-ah sighed. "Okay then. I''ll leave first." She answered with a heavy heart. She then walked out of the room while reminding Dal-soo to send her the list of hunters on the Vanguard team. Dal-soo also got up from his seat and was about to leave the room. However, he got stopped by Gang-ho. "Put Ji-woo in the Vanguard team. I think we need his strength at the tier-5 Portal Gate. With that, at least the chances of us seeding in conquering the dungeon are higher than before." Dal-soo turned around and answered with a serious face. "In this regard, I cannot promise you anything, Headmaster. Even though he is a member of our guild, he might refuse my invitation. Like what Hyung said, he might have an entric personality. So, it''s hard to be sure. I apologize in advance for that." Gang-ho raised his eyebrow. "Why would he possibly decline the invitation? He''s a member of our guild. He should know his responsibilities. This and that differs in his personality. So, don''t confuse the two." Dal-soo seemed to be in a pinch because of Gang-ho''s request because, on the other hand, he knew what kind of person Ji-woo was. Chapter 153: Curiosity Killed The Cat Chapter 153: Curiosity Killed The Cat In the end, Dal-soo had to obey Gang-ho''s orders. As for the trouble that would follow, he thought about itter. The safety level of the Demigod guild members, which increased with Ji-woo''s presence, was essential. It wasn''t only the Demigod guild who were busy taking care of their business and talking about Ji-woo. The Shadow Guild was also in a simr situation. "Besides, why did you guys make such a fuss yesterday? It''s just embarrassing in the end." Replied Dong-hae, the S-rank hunter. He was one of the hunters who didn''t attend Ji-woo''s show. To him, no matter how rare and precious the Spatial Bag was, it was not a magic item that was practical in a fight. Instead, it could sometimes hinder movement in closebat. It also happened in several other countries. They had received information about the presence of the Spatial Bag. But, the news was not too shocking. And it only applied to brokers who wanted to make a lot of profit, whereas the top-ss hunters were more interested in the Spatial Ring. "Yesterday, you weren''t joking. Right? Who is this young man? Demigod guild''s new S-rank hunter?" Tae-so''s voice came after Dong-hae. They couldn''t believe what happened in the video. If they were indeed on the same level, the battle should have escted into a fierce one. But, in reality, Dal-shik and In-sung were held back easily without breaking a sweat by a young boy who still looked wet behind the ears. How could it be!? Hearing the words of the other two S-rank hunters, Dal-shik and In-sung, could only bite their lips. The Headmaster and Vice-headmaster of the Shadow Guild, one of the best in South Korea, couldn''t beat the snotty brat in a two-on-one situation. It was quite an embarrassing thing to see. The Shadow Guild felt like a stepping stone for Ji-woo to be famous and establish his power in front of the people. Of course, it made Dong-hae and Tae-so unhappy about it. "Should we teach that kid a lesson? Let''s just say it''s a spar between seniors and juniors. Gang-ho Hyung~nim will definitely understand that." "No need. Let''s see how it goes first." Dal-shik replied to Tae-so''s suggestion. But, Dong-hae was dissatisfied with that and opened his mouth in annoyance. "Since when do we have to take a step back when ites to the Demigod Guild!? Those are the hunters who are always behind us! Why suddenly be such cowards!?" "Shut up!" This time Dal-shik voiced his displeasure at the endless talk between his guild members. "There''s no need to get heated about this. I also have no intention of letting this matter pass. That child needs to be taught manners in order to respect his elders. Let''s calm down first." Dong-hae and Tae-so finally calm down while grumbling. In-sung also tightens his grip. They want to pay back the humiliation the Shadow guild received from Ji-woo. Although, they were only nning to teach Ji-woo a lesson without any intention of killing him. Meanwhile, the Artates guild was not much different from the two previous guilds. They were busy discussing yesterday''s events. And there was one female hunter who didn''t talk about Ji-woo''s fight with Dal-shik and In-sung. She instead went to see Seo Ji-soo, the Vice-headmaster of the guild. "Unnie, I''ve met this young man before," Jo-hyun said. Hearing these words made Ji-soo not continue her work. She was actually dealing with the matter of the losses suffered by the Artates guild in the battle with the four Red Gates. She was arranging which team could carry out a dungeon hunt in a situation of reshaping their power. Jo-hyun then recounted the beginning of their three-way encounter with the Demigod guild''s A-rank hunter, Choi Min-ho. Ji-soo frowned when she heard that. It was rted to what happened to Jo-hyun and Min-ho long ago. She became interested due to the use of Magic Manifestation. ''Are the two of them rted? The man who attacked Jo-hyun was confirmed to be Ma Dong-seok. And it just so happened that Kim Ji-woo was there before.'' Surprisingly, curiosity had arisen in Ji-soo''s heart about who this Ji-woo really was. Coupled with the strangeness of Mana, it became an intriguing reason to investigate. "Jo-hyun~ah, what was your first impression of that young man named Kim Ji-woo? He''s your age, right? What do you think? Especially about Mana. Even though you''re not a pure healer, you still have some sensitivity about Mana, don''t you?" Jo-hyun was surprised by Ji-soo''s question. She didn''t have much of an impression of Ji-woo and only thought of him as just a passing hunter. But, on second thought, Ji-woo might look like an ordinary hunter. Anyhow, the absence of Mana made the young man different from the others. "I think¡­, he looks like a good young man. However, his carefree attitude makes him look like a person with no manners. He doesn''t look like a strong hunter either. Anyway, he doesn''t make us feel threatened at all. "About his Mana, I also don''t really understand. But, what was certain was, there wasn''t the slightest Mana from him. That''s what I feel." "Is that true?" Jo-hyun then replied by nodding her head repeatedly, sure of what she said. What Jo-hyun said was clearly different from what Ji-soo felt yesterday. The aura that Ji-woo disyed was something that overwhelmed her. Not threatening!? What a load of bulls**t! Ji-soo could only shake her head. "In that case, is it possible that there is no Mana in Kim Ji-woo due to the use of Magic Manifestation?" She tried to connect Ji-woo with Ma Dong-seok. Jo-hyun instead tilted her head at Ji-soo''s question. "Ai, I don''t think that''s possible, Unnie." She replied. But, it was not long before she changed her mind. "Eh? But I''m not sure about that either. Maybe yes or maybe no. Unnie, you can ask senior Oh about this. He might know more about this." Ji-soo was disheartened to hear that for a moment. But, upon hearing Dal-soo''s name, she immediately opened her eyes wide. ''Right! Oh Dal-soo. I noticed that he always sticks with Chairman Yu and looks close to the young man named Kim Ji-woo. He must know something!'' Meanwhile, Dal-soo was in front of Ji-woo''s house after visiting Elijah''s food stall. He found no one was there and tried to make a call to Ji-woo. Fortunately, the call is connected. "Oh! Hello, Ji-woo~si. Sorry to disturb your time. It looks like you''re on vacation with your family. I hope this doesn''t mess up your rxing schedule." ¡­ Dal-soo became awkward and could only chuckle at the absence of a response from Ji-woo, even though the call did not get closed. "Forgive my impoliteness¡­" Before Dal-soo continued his speech, Ji-woo interrupted him mercilessly. "Get to the point. Don''t beat around the bush." "Ji-woo~si, do you still remember our agreement regarding the tier-5 Portal Gate? You certainly haven''t changed your mind, have you?" "Why ask? Isn''t it past time?" "That''s because the hunting operation will take ce next week." Ji-woo was silent for a moment then continued. "You''re asking this because my name is not get included in the team that will enter the tier-5 Portal Gate, right? So, you want to know if I still want to or not." Ji-woo believed he hit the mark hearing Dal-soo said nothing. He had expected this because Dal-soo was closer to the Hunters Association than the Demigod guild itself. That meant, when Dal-soo made a deal with him well in advance, it was only between the two of them without any formal written agreement. Dal-soo certainly didn''t want the Demigod guild to know about Ji-woo''s capability. On the other side, he also wanted an additional strong hunter that could conquer the tier-5 Portal Gate. Thus, it was led him to the decision he made a long time ago with Ji-woo. "You must think of me as just something that doesn''t need to get disclosed even when we''re in the dungeonter. But, since yesterday''s show revealed what I can. You want to confirm the deal one more time so you can write my name on the team roster officially." Dal-soo was speechless, hearing what Ji-woo said. He was greedy about it. Even when Ji-woo''s strength had been seen in the eyes of many people. He still wanted to cover it up. Therefore, he insisted not to write down Ji-woo''s name and not reveal his and Ji-woo''s agreement to Gang-ho. But, what was there to say!? The Demigod guild Headmaster had spoken, and he also wanted the safety of his guildmates. So, there was nothing to hide anymore. "The deal will still happen. I will also make sure all the Spheres found by the team will get handed over to you." "No need." Ji-woo stopped Dal-soo from speaking further. "Cancel the deal." "But¡­!" "No need to worry. Listen to me to the end. "I''m still going on the hunt for that tier-5 Portal Gate, and I don''t need the things in the deal. Instead, I want this as the exchange for my withdrawal from the guild.. That should be something you can handle easily." Chapter 154: Re Evaluation Chapter 154: Re Evaluation Dal-soo didn''t understand Ji-woo''s reason for canceling their deal involving 100 Magic Crystals, 50 Magic Stones, and 2 Portal Gates of any tier. However, Ji-woo''s following request was more troublesome than providing the magic items. Such a tant leave would get more problematic to deal with than having to negotiate subtly and gradually. Leaving the guild was moreplicated than quitting being a Hunters Association worker. Whether the guild provided resources or not, a hunter couldn''t just stop without the Guild Headmaster''s final decision. That was the code of ethics for hunters with guilds in the world. South Korea was no exception either. Getting in and out of the guild was not a child''s game that could get decided arbitrarily. "I''ll try to discuss this with the Guild Headmaster. Give me some time. I''m sure I''ll be able to give you a satisfactory answer." Ji-woo frowned at that. He concluded that parting ways with the guild might not happen based on what Dal-soo had said. He then replied with harsh words. "Looks like I''m too soft to be asked for help so many times before. I don''t care about our deal or your safety. It''s none of my business. "Again, listen here. I''m neither a patriot nor a savior of humanity. Do you think I''m doing charity work?! You ask, and I make conditions. That''s how we should do business. Nothing is free in this world." Ji-woo immediately hung up the call, much to Dal-soo''s surprise. But, Dal-soo also realized he forgot a little about Ji-woo''s nature. He knew that he was asking too much without daring to give much. He could only grit his teeth and make up his mind without asking Gang-ho''s concern. Dal-soo texted that he agreed to Ji-woo''s terms. What would happen with Gang-hoter was still within his scope of control. But, without Ji-woo, hunting in the tier-5 Portal Gate had a low survival rate. There was even a higher chance of them getting wiped out than they seeded in conquering the dungeon. Dal-soo also didn''t know why he could trust Ji-woo so much. All he knew was, Ji-woo had a power he couldn''t digest. And without realizing it, it slightly made him believe Ji-woo could fight various kinds of creatures from that foreignnd. Moreover, Ji-woo''s ability to enter all tiers of the Portal Gate made him more confident than he should have been against someone he didn''t know. Strange but True. But that was what was happening to the Godly Doctor. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was busy with his day, preparing a n that he would execute soon. Some unknown numbers tried to contact him, but he immediately added them to the list of banned numbers. He didn''t care whether it was critical or not. He was already starting to feel ufortable with the surge of iing calls and messages. Ji-woo then called Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Tell them about the training they would be doing. The sparring between the three was scheduled for tomorrowte afternoon. The day passed with their busy lives without any prominent events happening. The hunters and reporters did not get Ji-woo''s silhouette. The top three guilds became aware of the E-rank hunter, Kim Ji-woo. The Hunters Association was busy assisting the government in Seoul recovery. Everything went as most people expected. The next day, where many eyes had been looking for his whereabouts, Ji-woo unexpectedly went to the Hunters Association building. Well, he also didn''t think he could hide from those people''s pursuits and attention for long. The incident caused a stir in Seoul again. The guilds, who were still confidently recruiting Ji-woo, immediately set off for the Hunters Association. The reporters, moreover, would storm the building like flies that came to its food. In half an hour, the ce would get packed without a doubt. Chairman Yu heard the news that Ji-woo was on the first floor, in front of the reception desk. He immediately came down from his room upstairs. Not only him. But, the three-division chiefs of the Hunters Association also came down,ing over to Ji-woo. The news also reached Demigod guild, Shadow guild, and Artates guild. However, the reaction of the three guilds was not as intense as yesterday when they saw Ji-woo''s video with Dal-shik and In-sung. Only Dal-soo, Ji-soo, In-ah, and Jo-hyun leave for the Hunters Association. Dal-soo, who was in shock, immediately called Chairman Yu. "Hyung, what''s going on?" "Dal-soo~ya, I don''t know what''s going on either. I''m currently on my way downstairs. My subordinates told me that Kim Ji-woo is going to re-evaluate now." "I see. Alright. I''m on my way there too." Chairman Yu hung up the call and hurried in his steps. When the lift opened, he immediately saw the appearance of a young boy in casual clothes and short hair with long 4/6 bangs parted hairstyle as it slightly covers the eyes. At first nce, Ji-woo only looked like an indifferent youth and didn''t feel the threat from his presence. However, Chairman Yu had already twice felt the aura that Ji-woo was showing, so he knew it was just an illusion that his eyes thought Ji-woo was harmless. "Wee to the Hunters Association. Pardon us for the hassle." Chairman Yu said, breaking the somewhat tense atmosphere. Since the staff and hunters of the Hunters Association on the spot kept their distance from Ji-woo. Moreover, there were three division chiefs behind him present. Lee Jae-suk, Yoon Soo-ah, and Yang Se-hyun. "I heard you want to do a re-evaluation, right?" Ji-woo sighed. "Right. But, I have to admit it''s a bit excessive if everyone has toe to wee me here. Isn''t that right, Mr. Lee?" The current evaluation situation and circumstance were different from the first one. Upon which at first, Chief Lee only used a Portable Mana Detector. And now, they inevitably have to use the Main Mana Detection Machine, which could sense Mana with a broader andrger capacity. Jae-suk awkwardly replied, "A-Ah, that''s not true, Kim Ji-woo~si. This is normal, especially since we assumed you were an S-rank hunter. So, it''s not an exaggeration." But, inwardly, he was grumbling. ''I still can''t sense Ji-woo''s Mana, but how was he able to withstand two S-rank hunters? Very strange.'' Jae-suk was the one who used to believe that Ji-woo was a savior of the world. However, due to the absence of Mana and the result of the Mana detection not meeting his expectations, he dropped the idea into the trash can. Chairman Yu, who saw the simple interaction, was startled and remembered what Chief Lee had said in the past. ''Chief Lee used to also say about a young boy who had no Mana and did not get injured by Mana Impact. It turns out that it was Kim Ji-woo? Meaning, Mana is missing on Ji-woo? Ah, maybe I''ll find outter in the evaluation session. Let''s not linger here.'' "How about we go straight to the evaluation room? Chief Yang here will help you while in the room." "Good," Ji-woo replied casually. Chief Yang then guided Ji-woo to the Mana evaluation room. Meanwhile, Chief Lee would stay in the lobby for the uing hunters or reporters. Just now, those people have beguning to the entrance. Two or three people had already been insight. Meanwhile, Chief Yoon would join Chairman Yu in the evaluation room to look. Once the group entered the evaluation room, Chief Yang and his staff were busy setting up the main Mana evaluation engine. Suddenly, Ji-woo frowned when he saw Chief Yang carrying a Mana Core that cost 50 million won to the engine. "What''s the Mana Core for?" Chairman Yu swiftly responded to Ji-woo''s question. "Main Mana Detection Machine works differently from the Portable Mana Detector." Chairman Yu exined that the Portable Mana Detector did not require Mana input to work. It was mainly for lower-rank hunters. On the other hand, the main engine needed Mana intake to make the detection uracy was valid for the hunters. It was because of how significant ranking was as a hunter''s value. That was why the Main Machine required Magic Crystals, Magic Stones, Mana Cores, or simr magic items that provided Mana to make the engine work. Whereas in Ji-woo''s case, Mana Core got used because he got thought to be an S-rank hunter. In addition, there was a possibility that he would also be the next Apex-ranked hunter after Hyun-bin. So, the Mana consumption would be estimated to be so high that a few Magic Stones wouldn''t be enough. On the other hand, the four S-rank hunters who had rushed to the Hunters Association came simultaneously at the front door. Dal-soo and In-ahe apart in their cars. Meanwhile, Ji-soo and Jo-hyun came in one car. "Why did youe here? Is it because of Kim Ji-woo?" Say In-ah. Jo-hyun was about to answer those words but got stopped by Ji-soo. She then pulled Jo-hyun over to the evaluation room. "Tch! You b*tch!" Dal-soo shook his head at In-ah''s attitude. "Don''t curse. We''re being watched by a lot of people here. If Ji-woo was what you''re here for it. You''d better go to the evaluation room right now." In-ah could only click her tongue at the side and walk into the room.. Dal-soo was also following behind her. Chapter 155: Confusing Everyone Chapter 155: Confusing Everyone The Main Mana Detector emitted a bright blue light, illuminating the evaluation room. Chairman Yu and Chief Yoon had serious faces watching the process. Meanwhile, Chief Yang and his staff were busy controlling and monitoring the main engine. Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, In-ah, and Dal-soo, who just came into the room, witnessed what happened. Ji-woo was in front of the machine as if being baptized by god because of the blue light. He stood up straight and felt the Mana Core starting to erode. After a while, he shook his head. He still didn''t feel anything in his inner body that should be there to check his Mana capacity. The reason Ji-woo bothered to get re-evaluated wasn''t because he wanted to pursue the privileges that the top-ranked hunters had. However, he desired to know why the Portable Mana Detector dered him an E-rank hunter and possessed Mana. He also thought it had something to do with the Portal Gate he could enter even though there was a Mana restriction at each tier. Ji-woo only wanted to know how this world and the Portal Gate determine his existence. In the Magical World, Ji-woo''s existence was not unusual. Many creatures were strong without having Mana. Some were with Death Energy or Spheres. Those two things were examples of how one could get powerful and fight a Mana user without it. Moreover, Death Energy clearly didn''t exist because it came from the negative auras of the dead that chaotically merged with the beasts to be a forbidden hybrid. Apart from that, many other things had the same situation as Ji-woo. After a few minutes, Chairman Yu was the first to notice the strangeness of the Mana measurement process. He got followed by Chief Yang, Chief Yoon, and Dal-soo, while the other three, namely In-ah, Ji-soo, and Jo-hyun, have not been sensitive to the situation. That was because the three women were rare and not very familiar with the Mana detection process of the main engine. Dal-soo approached Chairman Yu and opened his mouth. "I still don''t feel the Mana from Ji-woo." "I know. It doesn''t matter how good a magic item can hide Mana or use its own technique to cover it. Mana will definitely get felt when evaluated. Even ArchMage can''t conceal their Mana when detected with the main engine. Moreover, Apex-ranked and below it. "That''s because the rule is to check Mana against Mana. Especially if we estimate that Kim Ji-woo is an S-rank hunter equivalent, Mana should have started emitting around Ji-woo''s body from the start." Dal-soo nodded his head, agreeing with what Chairman Yu said. He was already familiar with the evaluation process with the main engine. So, what was going on with Ji-woo was surprising. Five minutes had passed since the main engine measured and detected Ji-woo''s Mana capacity. It was way too long than it should have been, which generally only took three minutes even for an ArchMage. All the Main Mana Detection Machines in the Hunters Association were of the same quality worldwide to avoid ranking measurement errors. So, the possibility of the machine having the error was non-existent. But just in case, Chief Yang and his staff became more busy paying attention to the engine. They worried if there really was a problem there. It finally got noticed by Ji-soo, then followed by In-ah and Jo-hyun. They start to feel the strangeness happening on where Ji-woo was standing. There was no Mana at all! The three women only felt the presence of Mana that was getting thinner and lessened. But, it was not from Ji-woo''s body. "It''s been too long. What happened!?" "Very strange!" "Why hasn''t the notification sound been heard yet?!" Suddenly, the Mana Core used in the main engine gotpletely drained. And instantly, the blue light shining on the object dimmed, bringing the room''s brightness back to its original state. Of course, this was not amon urrence. All the hunters in the room widened their respective eyes, except for Ji-woo. They couldn''t believe what they were witnessing. Chief Yang was the first to break the awkward silence. He felt it happened because of his fault. "Ah! I''m sorry! I''ll be right away¡­" Beep! The sound of the main engine once again took everyone by surprise. Even Ji-woo got shocked, not knowing what was going on too. "T-This i-isn''t¡­, what''s r-really going on!" Chief Yang''s voice immediately woke up the audience that got still dumbfounded by the incident. Chairman Yu and Chief Yoon approach the main engine, followed by Dal-soo. Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, and In-ah also follow behind them. All eyes were on a small LED screen on the side of the Main Mana Detection Machine. They saw a dose of blue light that almost filled the small LED screen. Leaving only one bar missing, so the LED screen was notplete. Chairman Yu frowned. He knew what the LED screen that was almost full meant. He then looked at Chief Yang with a face full of questions. Meanwhile, Chief Yang himself didn''t know what to say. Dal-soo took his eyes off the small LED screen and looked at Ji-woo in surprise. Meanwhile, Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, In-ah, and Chief Yoon have still glued their eyes towards the LED screen. The women in the room were surprised and did not expect the results disyed on the small screen. But then, their attention was immediately diverted when they heard Ji-woo''s voice near them. "How did it go? Can you guys update me on the situation? And what are you guys doing around this machine?" Chief Yang, who seemed hesitant to put into words because of being stared at by Ji-woo, couldn''t immediatelye up with an answer. Instead, it was Dal-soo who started the conversation. "The results are out. You are dered an Apex-ranked hunter." No one was surprised anymore at Dal-soo''s words. They already knew what meant the small LED screen was. They couldn''t help but take a deep breath, trying to calm and digest the strange incident. But, unlike the reactions of the other hunters, Ji-woo tilted his head while raising one eyebrow. During the evaluation earlier, he estimated that he would get dered to have no Mana. And now? He was instead named an Apex-ranked hunter. Did that make sense? That obviously didn''t answer the mystery he had in mind. ''It is the best tool to use that urately checks the rank of hunters. But, dering me a Mana user!? What a joke!!'' Chairman Yu opened his mouth and questioned Chief Yang about what really happened, while Ji-woo thought about what might have happened. "Things like this never happened, did they? The Mana Core got used up until it got drained, and the results came out at the end." "T-That''s right, sir! Based on the avable information, when the main engine gets used to measure an ArchMage, one Mana Core usually gets depleted. And the results won''te out because the measurement hasn''t getpleted. Then it will take another three Mana Cores to re-measure an ArchMage." Chief Yang replied. Chief Yoon chimed in on Chief Yang''s statement. "But now, the result hase out with one Mana Core drained, which shouldn''t have happened." "Well, that''s how it is. And from all the records of the Hunters Association around the world. The results alwayse out without having to use up the resources. And when the resources get used up, you need to add more to get the results. Tsk! It really shouldn''t be the case." Chief Yang panicked and moved his head left and right, looking at the main engine. He had to deal with it to the end as the chief of the management division. Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, and In-ah heard the conversation. They sensed that there was something odd about Ji-woo''s evaluation. Meanwhile, Dal-soo tried to get closer to Chief Yang to calm him down. But, his steps got stopped because of Ji-woo''s voice. "I want to ask for something. Can you help me with that? I want to do another evaluation now. However, this time it''s enough to only use one Mana Stone. If required, I will transfer the money for it." Ji-woo, who saw that the hunters did not give an answer or response, asked again, "Can''t?" Chairman Yu then nodded at Chief Yang, ordering his subordinate to retrieve a Mana Stone. He was also curious about what had happened. The new Apex-ranked Hunter was definitely great news for him. However, he wanted to confirm and understand the situation. "You can, and you don''t have to spend money on it. Please wait a moment. In the meantime, may I ask you a question?" Ji-woo felt there was no harm in answering the questions that would get asked. After all, it was pretty boring for him in the crowd of hunters. "Well, go ahead. But I''m not obligated to answer it, am I? If I don''t think it''s necessary." Chairman Yu wanted to reject it. However, he got nudged by Dal-soo into following Ji-woo''s wishes. He then sighed. "I can''t sense Mana from you. Is it because of the magic item or your own ability to hide it?" Ji-woo found the question amusing. However, he didn''t mind teasing the curiosity of those hunters. "Neither.. Also, that''s the wrong question." Chapter 156: Unknown rank Hunter Chapter 156: Unknown rank Hunter What Ji-woo said had revealed the secret and exined who he was among the hunters, although not directly and in detail. In the end, it was up to the listeners how to interpret what he said. Chairman Yu was naturally dissatisfied with the short and ambiguous answer. He tried to ask for further exnation, yet Ji-woo didn''t budge in the slightest to exin. Ji-soo and In-ah also seem to be asking Ji-woo about the Mana. But, their intentions got stopped when Chief Yang came with a Mana Stone in his hand. "Are you sure one is enough? You were just evaluated with one Mana Core all the way through. Surely this one Mana Stone won''t be enough. So, just in case, I have a few Mana Stones here." Chief Yang said while patting a bag beside him. That contained several Mana Stones in it. Ji-woo asked Chief Yang to continue the evaluation process as he requested earlier. He then moved to the front of the Mana Detection Main Machine. Before the engine started, he then put off the four weights on his wrists and ankles to the floor. Ji-woo had a bit of an idea about how these tools could measure and state the presence of Mana on him. And to confirm the theory, he needed to release the Mana-infused wrist and ankle weights while the main engine activated. Dal-soo noticed what Ji-woo was doing and was confused by it. He also found out that Ji-woo used weights like the ancient people''s training. Of course, such a thing would not attract the attention of the other hunters. They may not think much of it and think it weighs only about 40 kg to 50 kg at most. So, it was not a big deal. ''Does these things have any effect? At most, 10 kg per item. So, a total of about 40 kg in total. Such weight has no effect even for an E-rank hunter.'' However, when Dal-soo approached and was about to check the weights. He was surprised by the weight it held. In addition, the presence of Mana in the items also amazed him. ''The h*ck!? One of them is probably around 100 kg, and there are four, the total is up to 400 kg!? Is this some bullsh*t!?'' For Dal-soo, the weight of 400 kg to carry out daily activities was not a problem. Nheless, even if it were to use when fighting against an A-rank hunter, he had no confidence in winning. ''How can this thing have Mana? I only realized when I held it. Is this the secret of his power? But this still doesn''t exin the absence of Mana. Also, is this kind of training useful!?'' Dal-soo''s mind immediately got flooded with a bunch of questions about Ji-woo. He felt that what he knew about the young man was nothing. However, his daydream instantly awakened when he saw the blue light from the main engine start to sh and illuminate the evaluation room like before. All the eyes of the people in the evaluation room were once again on Ji-woo. And the same thing happened again. Mana Stone got depleted after five minutes of operating in the main engine. And during that time, the machine did not give or disy any results on the small LED screen. However, it was precisely the situation that Chief Yang and the others had predicted. What happened was ording to the protocol. The subsequent resource needed to make the main engine work again when the Mana item used was not enough to measure the Mana of a hunter. After all, Ji-woo was dered an Apex-ranked hunter before. Of course, it would take dozens of Mana Stones to finish evaluating him. "As I thought. It''s a good thing I brought more than one Mana Stone. How¡­" Beeps! Suddenly, the main engine beeped, and a small LED screen disyed a light bar, indicating the result of the measurement earlier before Chief Yang finished his sentence. "What!?" All the hunters present, apart from Ji-woo, eximed in their surprise, who again did not expect something unexpected. They still couldn''t believe what they saw on the LED screen. Some even went to the point of rubbing their eyes like fools, unable to acknowledge the reality. On the other hand, Ji-woo knew the oue by watching the hunters'' reactions. And that would prove his theory was correct or at least the most usible ording to him. "So, what''s the result now? "The result? That''s not what matters now. Wait! Why are you asking like that as if you already know the result has changed from before!?" Dal-soo asked curtly. From the question, it was clear that Ji-woo had an exnation for what had happened in the evaluation room and had a grasp of the circumstance. "Ji-woo~si, did you expect this kind of oue?" Chairman Yu also added. Ji-woo shrugged his shoulders as if to show he didn''t know. However, the spoken word is not the same as the action. "Sort of it." ''What the hell!? What is he talking about it? Just like a fool. Although, he looked mysterious and a little cool before. Just say you know it or not. It''s easy. why did you have to do something so confusing?'' Jo Hyun thought. ''What the hell!? What did he want to say? Yes or no, really!? You freak!'' In-ah also had almost the same opinion as that woman beside Ji-soo. "Now, the results reveal you''re a C-rank hunter. If you know, can you exin why? Everyone here is confused and doesn''t know what''s going on. However, you''re the only one who''s calm. And doesn''t seem confused at all by all of this." Ji-soo said. Meanwhile, Chief Yang, who should have announced that, was too busy with his mouth open. He wasmenting the main engine in disbelief at what had just happened. Ji-woo''s theory about it was the same as when he hypothesized about the Portal Gate letting him in at all tiers. The hunters were like codes in aputer program. Because the code was following the rules of the running program, then everything worked as it should. Then what about Ji-woo? He could also get called a code. So, it could be the same frequency as the program. However, the difference was that Ji-woo was a Null code. Code that did not affect a program. But, because it was still a code even though it was different. The program left it alone. Either it was there, or it was not in it. That was why the Portal Gate of any tier let Ji-woo in. It was because he was a hunter even though he was the unknown one. Portable detectors or main engines were the same. They think of Ji-woo as an unknown hunter. Thus, he was ranked based on the ability of the measuring instrument. That was why Ji-woo asked for a re-evaluation with one Mana Stone, which had less Mana capacity than a Mana Core. ''So, I''m still considered the same as a hunter, huh? Interesting.'' Ji-woo sighed, causing the audience to hold their breaths, waiting for his exnation of what happened. "It''s tooplicated to tell. How about we end this? I have an event this afternoonte. Oh, yeah. Where should I send the money for this evaluation? Along with the costs of Mana Stone and Mana Core that got used?" Ji-woo''s words made all the hunters in the room disappointed. Chairman Yu and Dal-soo rejected his decision. "We would understand your situation better if you would exin what happened. This is too confusing. Is it Apex-rank, or is it only C-rank?!" "Ji-woo~si, there''s no need to worry about costs. Instead, can you exin what happened?" Ji-woo raised his hand to stop Chairman Yu and Dal-soo from asking further. "This is why I want to pay for all these services. If I don''t pay, I feel pressured to return the favor by answering your questions when I don''t want to talk about them." Chairman Yu and Dal-soo immediately felt wrong when they heard Ji-woo''s words. But on the other hand, they also want to know why this happened, especially what rank Ji-woo had. Jo-hyun and Ji-soo did not respond to what Ji-woo did and said. They also couldn''t force their curiosity just like that. They didn''t want a long debate that turned into a dispute or fight to urter on. But, In-ah was not happy with that, coupled with her curiosity, she exploded and protested to Ji-woo. "How arrogant of you! Just being able to hold back two S-rank hunters already makes you feel proud. Your attitude is too disrespectful to your seniors in this room!" Ji-woo chuckled at the woman''s rambling. He stopped his steps, wanting to leave the room, and opened his mouth. "You guys only have fangs but not dare to bite at all. And if you''re not happy with what I''m doing. What do you want? Force me? Beat me? Or what!? "No need to beat around the bush. Prove to me that you can do that. Come. Instead, I''ll give you advice. Even if all of you in this room fight me, I''ll be the only one leaving this room." Some of the hunters, who were there, got provoked and wanted to argue with Ji-woo. However, they immediately got stopped by Dal-soo. He could tell how serious Ji-woo was with his words from those eyes. "Calm down, you guys! And you too, Seol In-ah!" Ji-woo wanted to use the Aura of Fear. Anyhow, Dal-soo managed to keep the situation from turning into a frenzy. He finally shook his head and continued walking out of the room after taking the weights. "Ji-woo~si, how about your hunter card? Do you want to make a new one? If you want, what''s your rank?" Ji-woo then answered Dal-soo as he continued to walk.. "Unknown." Chapter 157: Greed Is Still There Chapter 157: Greed Is Still There "This.., what''s next, Chairman Yu?!" asked Chief Yang, who didn''t know what to do. He felt that two evaluation tests weren''t enough and wanted to do it again until he got a definite ranking result. However, he couldn''t do anything because Chairman Yu only stood beside Dal-soo. Chairman Yu turned his head and looked at Dal-soo. He also didn''t know what to do with Ji-woo. Honestly, he was not happy with Ji-woo''s reckless attitude. If Dal-soo wasn''t there to calm things down. He''d have joined In-ah to lunge at Ji-woo all at once. In the room, all the hunters still underestimate Ji-woo apart from Dal-soo. The fight with the two S-rank hunters might look extraordinary to most hunters and ordinary people. However, it couldn''t get called a proper fight. They thought that the two S-rank hunters were only temporarily held back and had not yet unleashed their full strength. So, it was unclear whether Ji-woo was capable of repelling two S-rank hunters or couldn''t at all. Particrly with the absence of Mana in Ji-woo, which made the hunters unable to measure how strong Ji-woo was. Dal-soo then touched his chin, thinking about something. The rest also did not move from the room, especially Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, and In-ah. They wanted to question Dal-soo, who took over from Chairman Yu in the first ce when things got to do with Ji-woo. Seeing Dal-soo in thought, Chairman Yu ordered Chief Yoon toe out and check on the situation. He also told Chief Yoon to hold Ji-woo in the lobby for a while until everyone in the evaluation room left. "Let this matter go. We can do nothing about Ji-woo. Instead, create a new hunter ID card and delete Ji-woo''s data that is in the Hunters Association''s database." Chairman Yu frowned at this. He didn''t understand what Dal-soo meant. "Can all of you leave this room? I would like to have a one-on-one talk with Chairman Yu." Dal-soo asked his request to everyone in the evaluation room. Chairman Yu nodded his head to Chief Yang, signaling his subordinates to leave along with the staff from the management division there. Meanwhile, Ji-soo and Jo-hyun inevitably have to leave. They have no other choice but to wait for Dal-soo to finish outside. However, In-ah was the only one whoined about it. "You''re still a member of the Demigod guild. What do you want to talk to Chairman Yu about it? What are you nning to do!!?" "This time. Wait outside. I''ll answer any questions you guys askter. But please. Let me take care of this first." Dal-soo answered sternly. In-ah gritted her teeth. She still wanted to insist on staying in the room and hearing what Dal-soo had to discuss with Chairman Yu. But suddenly, her hand got pulled by Ji-soo. "We''d better get out. It''s not good to stir things up where we don''t know anything here. I don''t care about your nster, but at least don''t make a fuss now. Calm your head." "Tch!" In-ah reluctantly left the evaluation room. At least, she agreed with what Ji-soo said. She didn''t understand what was going on. And it was better if things didn''t get moreplicated and chaotic. Now, only Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were in the room. Dal-soo took a deep breath. "I want Kim Ji-woo to be the secret weapon of South Korea. This way, at least, we will get prepared for the threat from hunters, who threaten the state of our country because we have something under our sleeves." "Exin more." "Create a new Hunter ID card with Unknown-rank. However, the data must get separated from the main server. So, this is not known to the International Hunters Association." Dal-soo then exined that the new card would work as usual. The card would contain Ji-woo''s name and his Unknown-rank. However, the data would only get put in the South Korean Hunters Association''s database. So, the International Hunters Association would not know about this odd thing. "Then what if the others look? They must be confused by the Unknown rank. Moreover, if used overseas, it will automatically not disy any data. And requires confirmation from the Hunter Association here to continue the activities to be carried out." Dal-soo shook his head. "It doesn''t matter. It''s just a formality. We don''t know Ji-woo''s true strength. And we can''t just decide on his rank. Whether it''s S-rank or Apex-rank, both of that will alert some of the world''s big guilds and the International Hunter Association." "Wouldn''t it be great if it spread widely?" "Like I said earlier. I want him to be a secret weapon. That would make people who have evil intentions against South Korea off guard." "But still, there''s a lot more good stuff when we announce it." "Not really. It could be disastrous for us." Arbitrarily announced Ji-woo could be something that brought destruction to South Korea. If they recalled the case of the French Apex-ranked hunter, Fizldir Lambert, they might be the next target of Ma Dong-seok''s group. In the end, Chairman Yu told Chief Yang to take care of the new hunter ID card. Ji-woo''s data that was on the primary server got deleted. And thetest data only listed names and ranking. On the other hand, information about his family and address no longer got included at Dal-soo''s request. After the new card got finished, he handed it to Ji-woo. "This is your new hunter ID card, Ji-woo~si." "Your data in the Hunter''s Association has been deleted. So there''s only your name and rank." Dal-soo added. Ji-woo smiled at that. Good effort. But it was pointless now. Almost everyone already knew where he lived, and information about his family was already on the streets. But he didn''t mind it. "Well, thanks for that," Ji-woo replied as he handed over his old hunter ID card. "Oh, yes. Can I ask you something?" Chairman Yu was taken aback by that request made to him. And he nodded, allowing Ji-woo to continue the question. "Why is the news of the hunters who died a few days ago at the former Red Gate of Mapo district not avable to the public?" Chairman Yu answered quickly. "I don''t want to make things worse because we''ve just got hit by the cmity of the four Red Gates. After all, some of those hunters did not officially get registered with the Hunters Association. So, instead ofplicating the situation with those who take care of such hunters, we chose to keep it quiet." "What''s wrong, Ji-woo~si?" Dal-soo asked. Ji-woo sighed. "Judging by your reactions. Of course, you know it was all my doing. I did that to serve as a warning to those busy stalking my house and family. "And thanks to that. Only the people directly involved know the consequences while others like the reporters and hunters from other guilds in front of this building still dared to approach and find out about my whereabouts." Chairman Yu and Dal-soo then turned their attention to the entrance of the Hunters Association building. There, they saw a crowd of reporters and hunters jostling to enter. Meanwhile, Chief Lee and his staff were busy holding back and managing the situation to avoid chaos. "I''m sorry for what happened to you. I''ll try to tell them not to intrude on your private life." Chairman Yu bowed apologetically for feeling guilty for causing Ji-woo''s family life to get disrupted. "No need. That seems troublesome. Let me take care of it." Dal-soo straightened his back at Ji-woo''s words. "Ji-woo~si, you didn''t mean to kill or beat them up, did you?!" Hearing that, Chairman Yu was also surprised. "Ji-woo~si, sorry if I''m being rude. But that''s already too much. I can''t let you kill them over trivial things." "It depends. Well, trivial in your eyes doesn''t mean it''s simple for me. Well, it''s up to you, about how you want to do it. But, as I said earlier, I''m not responsible if something happens to people who are busy wandering around the house or my family. Don''t tell me I didn''t warn you guyster." Ji-woo then walked casually to the entrance of the building. He didn''t care if anyone lunged at him to talk or want to do business. He could just have pushed them back a long way. Inevitably, Chairman Yu finally went to the entrance and directly advised the hunters and reporters. He gave a stern warning to them and did not hesitate to deliver strict punishments to those who vited it. He even spoke of his authority to emphasize the seriousness of his words. Ji-woo chuckled at that. ''It''s very effective if a chairman does the talking. The hunters and reporters didn''t follow me after that. This way, I canfortably use the bus instead of a taxi.'' Eventually, the hunters and reporters dispersed from the front of the building, as did Ji-woo. Chairman Yu then returned inside and into the lobby. Where Ji-soo, Jo-hyun, In-ah, and Dal-soo were still waiting. "You''d better have a good exnation and reason to be able to make me submitpletely in front of a young person like him." Dal-soo shook his head at Chairman Yu''s statement. "That''s not important. Now, you can ask any questions about Ji-woo.. And I''ll answer to the best of my knowledge." Chapter 158: Doubtful But Its True Chapter 158: Doubtful But It¡¯s True "If no one wants to ask the question, I''ll be the first then. Does Ji-woo really have no Mana?" In-ah was the first to open her mouth after Dal-soo allowed them to ask. "I do not know." In-ah raised one eyebrow. She didn''t expect it to get answered so quickly and simply. But, she knew how serious Dal-soo was by those words. They were in an important discussion and had no time for jokes. "Does it have something to do with Ji-woo''s power? You''re the only one who''s ever fought face-to-face with him of all the people here. Can you tell me more about this?" Ji-soo was about to ask a question. But she stopped when she heard what Chairman Yu said. She immediately looked at Dal-soo, wanting to listen to the story too. Dal-soo sighed first. "I did fight with Ji-woo, and the result was that I lost badly." "How badly injured were you after that fight!?" Ask In-ah. She knew that Dal-soo once fought Ji-woo when she overheard at the Demigod guild headquarters. But, she didn''t know the details. "Worst." In-ah is surprised to hear the answer. ''Didn''t he say he truly lost but was not beaten so badly by Ji-woo? Why say it is the worst? Did he have internal injuries?'' However, Dal-soo swiftly straightened out his words. "Bad in another sense. We hunters are used to using Mana to perform magic spells. But, at that moment, all of my magic got rendered useless by Ji-woo. No matter what kind of magic I used, they were all put off by him. To be precise, he dispelled the magic as if there had been no magic from the start. "My Blue Thread Magic isn''t working as well as it should either. "That''s not magic against magic. The magic disappears out of nowhere without any trace. Not only that, Ji-woo''s physical strength is far above ours. His power and speed can''t get matched at all. "I feel like I''m being toyed with by him. He doesn''t even sweat a bit when subduing me like that." Dal-soo then looked at the four S-rank hunters with a look of horror on his face. "I can tell from you that you still don''t believe it and underestimate him. Because the fight with the Shadow guild hunters onlysted for a moment. Without any indication of who was the victor and who was more powerful. "But, I, as a person who has fought Ji-woo, really don''t rmend you pick a fight with him, especially a deathmatch unless you are tired of living. "Do you remember the aura that got released at yesterday''s event? It''s still pretty weak. I''ve experienced it at close range, and it was terrible. It''s like I''m back to being an ordinary human even though I''m used to Mana. I can''t exert any strength. Mana can''t get used. It is like they are alive and refuse their master''s request. "I''m not saying this to scare you. This is so that we don''t lose the existing S-rank hunters for acting foolishly by instigating Ji-woo. "He''s an unruly person. However, he''s not as bad as you think based on his attitude, as long as we don''t get into trouble with him. Everything will be fine." Of course, there were still those who doubted Dal-soo''s words. No matter how true someone said, it was not easy to believe, especially if they haven''t experienced it firsthand. But, Dal-soo didn''t have time to bother and take care of that. The important thing was that he had already said what had to be said. The rest depends on the fate of each. "Senior Oh, do you know what happened today?" Jo-hyun asked. "Sorry, I didn''t know about that." Ji-soo rubbed her chin and said, "So, there''s a chance he can be as strong as you say without Mana, right? Is he on par with an Apex-rank? I know we did an evaluation earlier. But that result ispletely useless. I want your opinion, who has known Ji-woo longer than anyone else here." "Yeah. That''s possible. So far, I''ve never seen him perform magic. So, one can assume he''s powerful without Mana. However, to dere Ji-woo to have no Mana at all is difficult. That''s because many factors have to get considered in drawing such a conclusion. "As for Apex-ranked matters. I can''t be sure of saying that. But, for the time being, just assume he''s an Apex-ranked hunter. That''s because, as far as I know, 10 S-rank hunters won''t be enough to match Ji-woo''s strength. " Ji-soo sighed as she closed her eyes. "And thest. Is he a threat to the hunters? The Guilds? Or the human race? Can we confirm that Ji-woo has nothing to do with those Portal Gate creatures?!" she asked after opening her eyes and looking at Dal-soo. In-ah, Jo-hyun, and Chairman Yu also agree with Ji-soo''s question. In addition, there was nothing they could get anymore because, in the end, the person got asked was not the intended person. Whether Ji-woo''s case was very strong or not, it was up to each of them to take Dal-soo''s words as truth or not. "He''s not a threat to us. All he wants is the safety of his family. Nothing to do with hunters, guilds, humanity, or even Portal Gate creatures." "So, Senior Oh means, he doesn''t care about the safety of mankind?" "Right, Jo-hyun~ah. But he''s not a bad person. He only puts his interests first." "He¡­, selfish!?" "Maybe not," Dal-soo replied. He also initially felt Ji-woo was a selfish person. But, when one thought about it, that was untrue. Ji-woo had several times helped him even though his family was in danger before. That alone showed Ji-woo still had empathy even though he had an attitude of indifference towards others. In the end, In-ah, Ji-soo, and Jo-hyun say their goodbyes. They have their own business, and Ji-woo''s problems could get put aside first. Chairman Yu spoke to Dal-soo as he watched the three S-rank hunters exit the building. "You know, I did something a little outrageous to the hunters and reporters before. I told them that I would put anyone on a cklist if they interfered with Ji-woo''s activities." "That is the best." Chairman Yu was silent for a moment at Dal-soo''s words. He then also agreed with that. "You''re right. Considering the dozens of hunters who died before, I think Ji-woo is serious about killing them if theye to his house. "Honestly, I feel uneasy about his presence. It''s different from you who thought he would be a secret reinforcement for our country when the Red Gate disaster struck." Dal-soo swiftly replied to the statement. "Ji-woo has ten tier-3 Portal Gates. Right? It would definitely be troublesome dealing with ownership matters with the Hunters Association side." "Well, that''s true. So, what do you want to say?" "What if Ji-woo is given conditions? If he can close those ten tier-3 Portal Gates within three days. Then the ownership issue will get dropped." Chairman Yu frowned. "You''re not joking, are you!? He''s all alone! How could he close ten Portal Gates in three days?!" "Hyung, trust me. It will answer some of your questions and will calm you down a bitter." Dal-soo answered while narrowing his eyes. Chairman Yu had no other choice. He took a deep breath and said. "Fine! I''ll have Chief Yoon tell Ji-woo about it. However, I''ll be there myself to see how he closes the Portal Gates." "Of course. I''ll be there with you too, Hyung." "Tsk! Whatever!" Dal-soo smiled gently as Chairman Yu left, returning to the upstairs room, muttering in annoyance. He also had to go home because the affairs of the tier-5 Portal Gate needed to get carefully prepared. Meanwhile, Ji-woo felt that peace had returned to his life after taking the bus to do his activities. He didn''t know what Chairman Yu would use to subdue the hunters and reporters. The important thing was that he wasn''t swarmed by those flies anymore. It also meant that Elijah and Ji-won could go home earlier than Ji-woo expected. On the other hand, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were already at the foot of the mountains used for training, standing, and waiting for Ji-woo. "You''ve been here for long?" "Ah. Not really, Hyung." Dong-hyun answered while bowing. "Then shall we start now?" "What do you mean? Now?" Asked Yu-jin, who was surprised by Ji-woo''s attitude of asking for direct sparring without further ado. "There''s no reason to dy. You guys are already getting used to sensing Mana and using it. So, the matters of magic spells and other simr things are in your hands. What youck isbat experience. And by sparring with me. I''m sure you guys will get used to what is calledbat, particrlyter if you have to deal with Portal Gate creatures, who are much stronger than the White Wolves. "Put on your magic gear and weapons. Try tond a wound on me. Or maybe try to make my face look up at the sky or kiss the ground." "Hyung, are you sure about that!? It''s a little dangerous if we have to use our magic weapons." Yu-jin didn''t say anything or react the same as Dong-hyun. She instead went straight to the spot she put her bag earlier. She then put on her hunting gear. It started with magic armor and magic weapons. Dong-hyun was confused by what Yu-jin was doing.. But, in the end, he also did what Yu-jin did. Chapter 159: One Of The World Famous Guild Chapter 159: One Of The World Famous Guild Dong-hyun and Yu-jin initially want to refrain from using magic spells for fear of damaging the environment. But, as time went on, they realized they wouldn''t be able to touch Ji-woo at all if they didn''t put all their might into it. Yu-jin was the first to use magic with high damage expenditure. She used her bow magic weapon and fired several fiery arrows with negligible damage to make Ji-woo move from his spot. She then put the bow around her waist and pped her palms, releasing arge, swift burst of fire at Ji-woo, who was dodging. Dong-hyun didn''t stay still either. He used the wind magic from his palms to amplify the damage output from Yu-jin''s burst of mes. The two hunters got used to magic without chanting like most S-rank hunters and above. So, the fighting style of the two of them was slightly more efficient than usual, which should take about one second to cast. But, the big explosion didn''t happen at all. That was because Ji-woo instantly annihted the magic attack with his left hand. The massive fire seemed to be swallowed up by the earth. Ji-woo was impressed by their fighting style, which he thought was capable enough to deal with real-life and death situations. He also felt their decision not to go all out from the start was a pretty good choice. Meanwhile, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could only click their tongues seeing their magic attacks damped by Ji-woo efficiently. Even though they got used to Ji-woo''s abilities, their hearts still hurt every time they see their magic disappear without a trace. Of course, that didn''t discourage the two hunters. They knew it was only just getting started. They also didn''t need to pretend they were taking the sparring leisurely. After all, everything was useless in front of Ji-woo if they didn''t use all their strength. Including some tricks under their sleeve. Dong-hyun nimbly moved and appeared behind Ji-woo, who was still slightly suspended in the air and was about to descend to the ground. He swung his broadsword swiftly and with all his might. He did that with the intention to kill Ji-woo because he knew, without such determination, it would be impossible to touch Ji-woo even to make a scratch on Ji-woo''s body. And again, Ji-woo smoothly ducked his head to avoid the sh. This time, he twisted his body in the air and threw a kick with his right foot, aiming for the left side of Dong-hyun''s head. Dong-hyun stammered, raising his left hand in preparation for Ji-woo''s kick. He knew the attack would clearly get connected to him even if a defense was in ce. But, at least, he wanted to avoid direct injuries to his body, to minimize the pressure his body would take from it. Bang! Dong-hyun bounced and crashed to the ground, even though he had already reduced the impact of that attack. So, the damage wasn''t hurtful. "Do you think I''ll go easy on you? Dream on!" Suddenly, Ji-woo felt fire magic aiming at his back after mocking Dong-hyun. He turned around and thinned out a few fiery arrows like he was putting out a small fire. "If you decide to fight using a long-ranged style. At least you have a countermeasure if an enemy closes the distance easily because your location gets discovered." Yu-jin squinted her eyes and didn''t take Ji-woo''s words to her head. She instead pulled her bowstring and was about to shoot another fiery arrow to keep Ji-woo busy while Dong-hyun got up from the crash. Ji-woo smirked. "Like this." He immediately moved very quickly and closed a considerable distance with Yu-jin in no time. That caught Yu-jin off guard. Yu-jin, startled by Ji-woo''s sudden appearance, panicked in making a decision. Should she back off? Or did she have to keep shooting fire arrows even though she didn''t have time? "I told you before. Every decision in a fight must have a countermeasure." Ji-woo still went easy on Yu-jin. Unlike Dong-hyun, who got kicked, he just pushed Yu-jin in the stomach so that the female hunter was thrown far behind her, rolling on the ground. "Here''s a piece of advice for the both of you. Keep moving even if your attacks manage to hit your opponent. This way, you''ll be prepared if anything unexpected happens. "Moreover, if your attacks don''t work and you still don''t move and just standstill. That would show how slow you are in making decisions." Dong-hyun got up from the fall and started to let his main engine run, which was his mouth. "Hyung. The theory is easy. The practice is difficult. Moreover, the opponent is you. Every attack always fails and takes us by surprise." On the other hand, a huge fireball flew towards Ji-woo in the middle of Dong-hyun''s speech. Ji-woo brushed off the fireball with his right hand, and the magic dissipated. Just then, he found Yu-jin jumping at him with a bow and about to shoot a fiery arrow. He was impressed by Yu-jin''s choice to use the bow at close range. That meant the female hunter had started to get used to adapting in battle. The fighting style was flexible even though the weapon was the one used for long-range. And most importantly, Yu-jin was better at expressing herself with actions. In stark contrast to Dong-hyun, who relied on his mouth at every opportunity. Yu-jin curled her lips and released the bowstring from her tug. A fire arrow got shot within a point-nk range. However, Ji-woo quickly shifted his head to the right and praised Yu-jin. "That''s good." Yu-jin clicked her tongue and was about to throw a kick at Ji-woo. But instead, Ji-woo grabbed her leg and threw her to Dal-soo was. "What!? Ouch!!" Dong-hyun screamed in pain as he endured Yu-jin''s weight falling on top of him. He didn''t expect that Yu-jin and Ji-woo were busy fighting each other while he was lecturing. And what was worse, he got dragged into the incident as well. "Argh! Can we stop for a moment to take a breath? Did you not hear what I said earlier?" Yu-jin got up from the ground and then punched Dong-hyun''s head. "Ouch!! Why did you hit my head?" "You idiot. We''re in sparring, not ss debate. Your mouth is useless inbat. Otherwise, why are we learning magic spells without chanting if we have to talk too much?" "Well, that''s¡­," Dong-hyun felt embarrassed when Yu-jin mentioned magic spells without being cast. But, he still had the pride of not admitting his mistakes. "But sometimes the mouth can also save us in battle!" "Do you want to die!?" Yu-jin yelled while moving her hand, showing a motion like she was about to hit Dong-hyun again. Dong-hyun jolted when he saw the movement. "No! No! I still want to live! So, what should I do now?" He said while covering his head with both hands. "Keep attacking Ji-woo relentlessly. Don''t let him pause for a moment. Even if you have to get beaten badly by him, you must continue your pressure. Got it!?" Yu-jin gives instructions in a whisper. Dong-hyun swallowed his saliva. The n sounded like a path to death. He wanted to say no firmly. But, his guts shrunk when he saw Yu-jin''s piercing gaze. "F-fine," Dong-hyun said reluctantly. He felt like crying, remembering the part where he had to keep fighting even though he had to get beaten by Ji-woo. Just thinking about it already made him feel pain in his heart, especially when it happenedter. His body would probably get traumatized by it. The two hunters thenunched their attacks simultaneously, and the sparring continued for the next several hours. In the meantime, in Nagoya, Japan. 12 S-rank hunters gathered inside a traditional house with tatami floors, sliding doors, and wooden verandas circling the home. "It has got confirmed by our hunters in South Korea. It is Ohara Momoka, the traitor of Japan." Said one of the S-rank hunters named Sando Akira to one more hunter in the house beside the 12 S-rank hunters, who were there. The hunter in question was the head of the Gaijin guild, Yoh Akuma. "What happened?" Akira then continued his information. "Momoka was found dead on Mount Jiri. The head and body are separated. But luckily, both parts are intact." "Good. It doesn''t matter if the traitor lives or dies. What we need is her body. As long as it doesn''t crumble, we''ll get the secret of the group''s strength." "Should I steal it directly from the hunters there? Now Momoka''s body and head are on their way to the South Korean Hunters Association." Akuma shook his head. "No need. Our goal is the secret of the strength of the hunters in that traitor group, not a war. I will go there myself." "Aniki, you don''t have to bother going there. Just a few of us taking the traitor''s corpse is enough." Said an S-rank hunter named Yagami Kaemon. "No. Even if you 12 went there, the three South Korean guilds could match that number. If there is a dispute, you would be in a pinch. After all, they have an Apex-ranked hunter. All of you couldn''t handle that." All the S-rank hunters in the room lowered their heads. They agreed and did not raise any doubt further. "Oh, yes. Do you have any information on who did that, Akira?" Asked Akuma about the person who killed Ohara Momoka. "I don''t have one, Aniki." "All right then. Get ready to go.." Akuma didn''t dawdle about it. Chapter 160: Ruining Other Plans Chapter 160: Ruining Other ns Dong-hyun and Yu-jin sitnguidly, helplessly exhausted in front of Ji-woo after several hours of non-stop sparring fromte afternoon untilte at night. The result was unquestionable, certainly an easy victory for Ji-woo. However, in this practice, he opened his mouth more to give directions to the two hunters. He talked about the shoring they both had. Of course, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were not in the same situation. "Hyung, I''m only an E-rank hunter, and I''ve only had a fewbat experiences since I''ve only been a hunter for one year. So, of course, it can''t getpared to a D-rank hunter." Dong-hyun replied, not wanting to get scolded by Ji-woo at the longest. Yu-jin took a nce at Dong-hyun then sneered. "Hmph! Idiot!" Dong-hyun felt like he was building up his resistance by being called a fool that Yu-jin used to throw at him. He felt mentally suppressed by the female hunter while physically he had to take a lesson from Ji-woo. These two were the worst things that happened to him during his quest for strength to be a worthwhile hunter. Well, no pain, no gain. Dong-hyun then looked all over his body. Hepared all the bruises of the punches and kicks that Ji-woonded on him with Yu-jin. As a result, he immediately showed his displeasure. "Hyung, this is really unfair. Why am I the only one who always gets hit and kicked by you? Why is she just being pushed and thrown? This is discrimination!" The bruises all over Yu-jin''s body weren''t too deep and visible because they were all just marks from being knocked and dropped to the ground many times over. Ji-woo chuckled at this. "Discrimination? That''s practically true. As you said, your abilities are different from Yu-jin''s because you''re just an E-rank hunter. That''s why you get punches and kicks instead of being pushed back. Not fair? Then be strong as soon as possible and surpass the limits of D-rank hunters." Ji-woo spat out his nonsense words to reverse Dong-hyun''s protest. The real reason he beat up Dong-hyun was because of the E-rank hunter''s slow reaction every time he finishedunching an attack. Either it worked or not. And most of all still relied on his mouth in the middle of the fight. It made Ji-woo feel irritated. But, despite being beaten so many times after being advised, Dong-hyun still didn''t show the slightest improvement. As for Yu-jin, although not entirely able to follow Ji-woo''s directions, she already seemed to have improved a bit as the sparring went on. "Go home and look back at today''s sparring in your heads. If necessary, do a simtion of the battle earlier in your head. So that you can digest and get something that can increase your strength. "It''s a shame. Isn''t it? If it''s get battered like this, but still don''t get anything at all. Hahaha." Ji-wooughed at Dong-hyun and Yu-jin''s plight as he walked away, leaving the two hunters first. He also told them to rest for a day, and the sparring would resume at ater date. Ji-woo still had a lot of business to take care of it. But, the main thing was to check the surroundings of his house first before letting his mother and sister return to their house. Arriving at home, Ji-woo found that there were still two or three hunters roaming around, plus several reporters around his house. ''Well, yeah. It''s hard to believe until they feel the consequences themselves. It has be the nature of human beings. OK. Let''s just do it the easy way.'' Ji-woo nimbly moved and overthrew the three hunters. Some had their arms and legs broken before they lost consciousness due to being beaten by him. He did all of that to serve as a warning. After all, an A-rank healer would be able to heal such injuries. So, everything was under control. Ji-woo then took the three hunters and appeared before the reporters while saying in a threatening tone. "Take these three hunters to the Hunter Association. Tell the staff there that these three hunters are thieves. And the one who broke their arms and legs was Kim Ji-woo. Is that clear?!" He said thest words in a slightly high-pitched voice that made the reporters startle with fear. The reporters had no other choice and left as per Ji-woo''s orders. They didn''t have the guts to ask questions and raised dissatisfaction. It was because they saw the injuries the three hunters had sustained. It inflicted fear upon them. In the meantime, in California, the western United States. Ma Dong-seok was walking on the beach near a vi. He wore casual clothes and shorts apanied by sunsses under the hot sun. Then, he was followed by a beautiful woman with blonde hair and a slender body, wearing a bikini and sunsses,ing over to his side. There was no one else there besides him and the woman because it was a private area. "How?" Dong-seok asked in English. "Everyone has been informed. Steven to Alexandria, Egypt. Adolf to Stuttgart, Germany. Yiyi and Zuwei to Guangzhou and Changsha, China." Dong-seok interjected. "Then, you just stay here. I will be the one that goes to Moscow, Russia. As for thest Portal Gate, I will let you know when I get news from the other side." "We''recking people." Jenny, the blonde-haired woman, said to Dong-seok while shaking her head. "What do you mean?!" Dong-seok got taken aback by Jenny''s statement. "I just got the news that Momoka was found dead in South Korea. This news is authentic and already confirmed. Also, when I got this news, Japanese Apex-ranked hunter Yoh Akuma was preparing to head to South Korea. It gets foretold he wanted to im the body. For further details, it is currently not avable." Dong-seok narrowed his eyes and instantly released his Mana Presence without restraint. Sand dust flew everywhere. Even the seawater got pushed back from the beach and vibrated like a tsunami. "Who did it?" Jenny could only shake her head again to answer the question. Momoka''s incident was odd because of some mysteries behind the deaths of their members. The first was an unknown killer, not even the slightest clue. The second was why a Japanese Apex-ranked hunter would bother going to South Korea to im the body. Dong-seok''s veins were visible on the forehead. Previously, the Special Gate had closed unexpectedly. Now, one of their members died inexplicably. Of course, those things made him very upset. Not because of the members'' sense of togetherness and kinship, but because their ns started to go haywire little by little. What didn''t go well might continue to be a failure? No! Absolutely not! Dong-seok tightened his grip. He refused to think that the n would fail just because two mistakes had appeared in the process. He then sted his red-colored Mana Presence. Jenny used her invisibility shield as not to get pushed back by the explosion from Dong-seok''s Mana Presence. The coastal area immediately becamend, and seawater formed a semi-circle of the spot. Jenny sighed and opened her mouth. "We''re lucky we''re in California and on a beach away from the crowds. If we''re in Washington or New York, I''m sure someone will report our whereabouts because of you." "It doesn''t matter. Back then, maybe the ArchMage was something we couldn''t possibly beat." "That''s true. But even now, it would take four to five of us to face off against one ArchMage." "No. I can deal with them in a one-on-one situation." Jenny squinted her eyes. "Did you get anything new from those creatures? It must be true! Howe you''re the only one who got a rise in strength!? What about us!?" She instantly used magic, and an elemental water sword appeared in her hand. She then shed the magic sword. Dong-seok covered his hand with fire and parried the sh. Instantly, the two magics disappeared and evaporated into the air. It caused hot smoke around the two people who were unofficially Apex-ranked equivalents. "Keep your head cool. Why should you be angry about such a small thing!?" "Bullsh*t!" "My power did increase. However, it wasn''t because of those creatures. I increased it myself." Dong-seok tried to exin before Jenny used her magic again. "Liar!" "Then, how about we just give it a try now? You''ll know after fighting me whether the strength increases due to external factors or not." Jenny fell silent hearing that. She bit her lip and turned around, returning to the vi. She was frustrated about it but couldn''t do anything about it. She knew that she was no match for the man, and if his strength increased now, it would mean that it would be impossible to exchange blows. Dong-seok stared at Jenny''s back. He was actually lying as he did get help from the Dark Elf. To be more precise, he got a magic item. An item that could summon figures with immense power. It was even said to be capable of killing an ArchMage. However, activating the object was too troublesome. That was because great power required great sacrifice. In the end, Dong-seok never wanted to reveal the secret to others.. After all, it became his trump card now. Chapter 161: Come At The Right Time? Chapter 161: Come At The Right Time? On the other side of the earth, the next day, at Gimpo Airport, South Korea, the arrival of the 13 hunters caused quite a stir. Even though the hunters wore ordinary suits like office workers, it still didn''t hide their fighter atmosphere. And that made the regr people at the airport focus their attention on them. Until finally, some realized who the hunters were. And among them, some reporters were on duty there. "What are they doing here? Not just a few but all thirteen of them at the same time. What''s going on here?!" "The Pirs of The Sun. The Juusan-nin of Gaijin. But, there was no notification from the Hunters Association that they wereing. What happened!?" "Are¡­? Are they going to make a fuss here?" "Don''t speak carelessly!" "Who cares about their purpose and reason foring here! What''s important is that we get new material ready to be made as freely as we can to be controversial news!" The reporters were overjoyed to hear this. They were then busy typing anything that could make their articles interesting, along with photos of the hunters. In the end, no one dared to disturb the hunters. Even the airport security guards didn''t dare to search them further or inspect them too much. And amid this helplessness, the Gimpo airport had made a report to the Hunters Association. At the arrival gate, the Gaijin hunters came, and there was a young man who greeted them in Japanese. Near the young man were three ck cars ready to transport the hunters. Each vehicle has its own driver, just like the young man. "Akuma~san, we are ready to take you all to the destination." Akuma nodded his head. "Let''s depart." On the other hand, the South Korean Hunter Association had been busy sincest night. They know about the body and head of a suspected traitor from Japaning to their ce. Chairman Yu finally confirmed that the corpse was Ohara Momoka after the body arrived this morning. One of the people who betrayed humanity and caused a great defeat to the world in the event of the first year of the Portal Gate. At the same time, he also received information about the arrival of the Japanese sole Apex-ranked hunter at Gimpo airport. "Master, why didn''t the Japanese Hunters Association give us advance notice? Does this mean the Gaijin Guild is moving of their own ord?! What are they actually here for it?! How annoying." Chief Yoon said. Chairman Yu sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Is there any other reason for them toe here if it wasn''t for that body!? Speaking of coincidences, that''s the only thing that could make theme unannounced." "But, it''s our jurisdiction to take care of this!" Of course, Chairman Yu also knew this. But, what could he do? It was a guild with an Apex-ranked, plus 12 S-rank hunters behind the man. The Shadow Guild, the Demigod Guild, and the Artates Guild should also have received information about the incident at Gimpo airport. But, no one responded at all and bothered to send their S-rank hunters to the Hunters Association. Chairman Yu already knew the attitude of the guilds would be like this. That was why he couldn''t do much, even though there were hunters from other countries entering the territory of his authority without asking permission first. The guilds were only interested when their interests got disturbed. And for the matter of whether the Hunters Association would sh with any guilds was none of their business. Fortunately, Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, and Ji-yong informed that they woulde to meditate, just in case a dispute broke out. They also wanted to examine Ohara Momoka''s body. They wondered who could kill a member of Ma Dong-seok''s group. In addition, the Demigod guild''s A-rank hunter Min-ho also followed behind the three S-rank hunters toe. That way, the lineup would be four S-ranks and four A-ranks. Not bad, but not enough to match The Juusan-nin of Gaijin. Even supposing the Hunters Association had 12 S-rank hunters and one Apex-rank from the South Korean guilds to match the number of Gaijin guild hunters that wasing, it would still be unequal. Are the titles of The Juusan-nin of Gaijin and the Pirs of the Sun only for disy if they could get matched by the sheer number of hunters?! What a joke! They were one of the best guilds in the world. It was far above the Artates guild, named the strongest one in South Korea. Forget for a moment about the Apex-ranked hunter, Yoh Akuma. The twelve S-rank hunters alone were a unique existence. It was because apart from mastering the four primary elements. Each possessed the abilities of rare elements, such as darkness, light, life, and many others. That was why they were able to close a tier-5 Portal Gate without much trouble and loss. They were even five hours faster than the Artates guild''s record of 20 hours. Japan was one of the countries with a low percentage of the tier-5 Portal Gates existence. Even the Japanese Hunters Association gave a low price for a tier-5 Portal Gate because the sess rate of the Gaijin guild was 100%. They beat countries like Russia and Egypt, which had two Apex-ranked hunters to be equal with the world''s top guilds. Besides, the Gaijin guild only had 50 members, far less than the Artates guild''s 300 members. Thatparison should already show the difference in thebat power of a country, not to mention an entity. So, it was better if the dispute didn''t break out at any time. That was because only the South Korean side was at a disadvantage. Not long after, an employee notified Chairman Yu of the arrival of the Gaijin guild hunters. In addition, Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, Ji-yong, and Min-ho also arrived after those hunters. Chief Lee and his staff were busy taking care of the reporters and hunters who hade to see themotion so that no one got seen left in front of the entrance. Meanwhile, the Gaijin guild hunters stood opposite Chairman Yu and the others. "You know what we''re here for, don''t you? Let''s not prolong this matter." Akuma said, starting the conversation. And the young man who greeted him at the beginning then tranted his words to the South Korean side. However, before the trantion finished, Chairman Yu replied directly in Japanese. "You guys came without permission. Also, the body is within my jurisdiction. So, I can''t hand it over to you without proper procedures ording to the rules of the International Hunters Association." Drrrt! Suddenly, Chairman Yu''s smartphone vibrated after he finished saying his intentions. Akuma then said casually. "Pick up the call." Chairman Yu narrowed his eyes when he heard Akuma''s words and saw the name on his smartphone. He picked up the call and answered in Japanese. "Yes. Yu Dong-chul is here." "Hey! Can you just hand over the traitor''s body? I know the rules of our Association must get obeyed. But you know it yourself, don''t you? We don''t have to follow everything! After all, in two days, right. In less than 24 hours, the International Hunters Association will take over the affairs and bring the body to their headquarters! "That body is the one who betrayed my country! It''s only right that ites back here, whether alive or dead!" Tuut! Chairman Yu hung up the call even though the conversation wasn''t over yet. He knew and understood what the Chairman of the Japanese Hunters Association was feeling. Chairman Yu closed his eyes then pinched the bridge of his nose. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Akuma with a tired expression. Akuma also looked back at Chairman Yu''s eyes. And before long, he ordered his members to scatter, looking for Momoka''s body in the building. The incident left Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, Ji-yong, Chief Yoon, and Chief Yang confused. Was the phone call that Chairman Yu just received so influential that the hunters were free to move? Chief Yoon acted recklessly out of nowhere by stopping the Gaijin guild hunters from moving around. She subconsciously covered her hands with fire because she was in a state of anger and had to face off against an S-rank hunter. However, the incident urred without any understanding between the two parties and caused magic to get used unknowingly. Chairman Yu saw that and immediately wanted to stop Chief Yoon''s rash actions. Akuma also used his magic to restrain his hunter before a fight broke out. "Oh, looks like I came at the wrong time. Should Ie back another day!?" In an instant, those words caused silence and panic among the hunters on the South Korean side. The Japanese hunters were also surprised and widened their eyes, looking in the direction where the voice came from it. It was Ji-woo. He then looked around. The hunters on the South Korean side began to sweat. On the other hand, the hunters from the Japanese side, even though they didn''t move, still showed fearlessness in their eyes as they stared at him. Ji-woo chuckled at the difference in determination between the two sides. The Aura of Fear was not an aura that suppressed people through suffocation or exerted pressure in the gradations of life.. The aura only evoked fear in the mind of the affected person. Chapter 162: Acting Like A Brat Chapter 162: Acting Like A Brat Ji-woo noticed that the Japanese S-rank hunters were familiar with life and death situations. Therefore, the Aura of Fear had little effect on them and only temporarily halted their movements. More precisely, those hunters must have often faced situations where they were near death and managed to survive the ordeal. And it would indirectly shape their determination. Such an experience was, without a doubt, the best training a fighter could get. But, even though it had little effect on people who had such experiences, Ji-woo had no intention of dispelling his Aura of Fear. He shifted his face to the left to look at the man who was slightly taller than him. He could feel the man''s immense Mana. ''It''s the same as the man with the sunsses in the cemetery and the woman on Mount Jiri. They are almost equal to each other. But, to be honest, the man with the sunsses is stronger than that woman and this man.'' Ji-woo was watching andparing the three people in his head. He was impressed that the magic in the man''s right hand in front of him was still there and didn''t disappear. The man was Yoh Akuma. "Hey, brat. Stop this skill of yours. I know it''s your doing." Akuma opened his mouth. Unexpectedly, his hand was shaking slightly. Not only him. All the hunters in the area also started to tremble. It was probably because the Mana in their bodies were getting fed up with Ji-woo''s presence using that aura. Ji-woo didn''t understand Japanese and didn''t give any response. He continued to let his Aura of Fear haunt the lobby. Even if he understood Akuma''s intentions, he still wouldn''t dispel that aura so easily. Akuma, who saw Ji-woo doing nothing and looking rxed, became slightly annoyed. A vein popped out of his forehead. He moved aside and stood opposite Ji-woo head-on. He did feel the Aura of Fear, but that alone wasn''t enough to make him stop moving his body. Also, even though his Mana was a bit chaotic, he could still use magic if he had to fight. "Are you deaf?!! Stop this act of yours!" Akuma eximed, and blue mes appeared, enveloping his hands. Chairman Yu mustered all his strength and tried to stop a fight from breaking out. "S-Stop! P-Please restrain y-yourselves! D-Don''t fight in this p-ce!" He couldn''t help but speak English. He couldn''t utter Korean while others didn''t understand and vice versa. It was very inconvenient if he had to talk at length where his situation alone was arduous to pronounce the sentence because of Ji-woo''s aura. The situation changed very quickly. The three A-rank hunters among the S-rank hunters, the Apex-rank hunter, and Ji-woo were finally fell on their knees. The fear they experienced was already burdensome to ovee. Dal-soo also joined in. "I-If you fight, this p-ce won''t be able to h-hold it! P-Please, calm y-yourselves!" He didn''t have time to think about whether his words were understood by Akuma or not. What he prioritized was that Ji-woo put off his aura first. However, Chairman Yu and Dal-soo''s efforts ended in vain. Akuma was already too intimidated by Ji-woo''s presence and the strange aura that messed up his Mana a bit. He got enraged and didn''t care about the business he came to the Hunters Association anymore. All he thought about was wanting to quickly push back the young man in front of him to get away from him. The corners of Akuma''s mouth curled upwards and released his Mana Presence without thinking about his surroundings. He didn''t even care about his own guild members. The floor and walls of the ce started to shake, and all the S-rank hunters also ended up falling on their knees, including the Gaijin guild members. Ji-woo''s Aura of Fear and Akuma''s Mana Presence were like deadly nightmares for the hunters. It was the worst experience they ever had. Suddenly, Ji-woo stepped forward and patted Akuma''s right shoulder with his left hand. Otherwise, the Apex-ranked hunter used his magic and made the ce fall apart and inevitably injure the people there. In that brief moment, Akuma''s Mana Presence instantly disappeared without a trace, causing the floor and walls to stop shaking. The hunters there also got freed from the pressure. And Ji-woo also finally let off his Aura of Fear, putting away the fear from their minds. Akuma was not aware of what was happening. He had sweat dripping down his forehead as he widened his eyes. ''How did my Mana Presence just disappear?!!'' He did not understand the process of that incident. All that remained were the two blue mes in his two hands were still burning. It was a Magic Manifestation ability, so Ji-woo''s Nullifier would be ineffective. "Let''s not destroy this ce. Sorry, it seems I overdid it earlier." Ji-woo said apologetically. It was because he felt a little guilty. If he didn''t prolong his Aura of Fear, Akuma certainly wouldn''t get intimidated as his Mana wouldn''t get disturbed. And what just happened didn''t happen. Ji-woo then removed his hand from Akuma''s shoulder and walked a little towards the sofa chair in the lobby waiting area. "Hey, brat. Trante what I just said to your boss." Said Ji-woo to the young man near the Apex-ranked hunter. "Ah! Yes!" The dazed young man woke up and answered reflexively. He got up after sitting on the floor because he had previously felt the pressure from Akuma''s Mana Presence. But, aftering to his senses and standing up, he didn''t know what to trante because when Ji-woo spoke, he was still in shock. He nced at Ji-woo butpletely got ignored. Ji-woo continued walking and reached the couch. He sat down and looked at the crowd with an ice-cold gaze, cid expression. The hunters from both sides also looked back at Ji-woo, who was quietly sitting as if nothing had happened just now. Akuma withdrew the blue mes from his hands. His gaze was sharp, like an eagle stalking its prey, and there was tension between him and Ji-woo. The Gaijin guild hunters noticed Akuma''s disposition and discontinued their search for Momoka''s body. They instead approached their guild Headmaster. They considered discussing whether or not to act against Ji-woo. Chairman Yu saw that and swiftly opened his mouth. "Ohara Momoka''s body is on the second floor. My subordinates will guide you to the room. Please follow him." He then nodded to Chief Yang, indicating to guide the Gaijin guild hunters to the Japanese traitor''s remains. The Gaijin guild hunters paid no heed to the information even though Chairman Yu had spoken in Japanese. They kept getting closer to Akuma. "Go. Do as Chairman Yu says. We can''t linger here. Don''t you dare argue and do as I say!" The hunters stopped their steps and immediately carried out what they got ordered to do. Some followed Chief Yang from behind to retrieve the body, while the others stayed by Akuma''s side. Dal-soo, Jo-hyun, and Ji-yong also go to the second floor to see the body before being taken to Japan. Meanwhile, Chairman Yu, Min-ho, and Chief Yoon were still in the lobby. Min-ho himself also had a slight impression with Ji-woo because of their meeting in Busan. ''Who exactly is that boy? How dare he act recklessly in front of those Gaijin guild hunters!'' But then, something dawned on him as he thought of Ji-woo. ''Was the aura from before the boy''s doing?'' Meanwhile, Chief Yoon had regained herposure and drew closer to Chairman Yu. "Pardon my reckless behavior. I only didn''t like them acting arbitrarily without any orders from you, sir." "It''s fine. It was my fault for not exining anything." "But, sir. Are we just sitting around watching them take the body? If we look into it, maybe we can find out information rted to Ma Dong-seok''s group." Chairman Yu sighed. "The one who called me earlier was Chairman Fukumoto of the Japanese Hunters Association. Please understand a little of their feelings. If we were in the same situation, of course, we would act like them too. "The traitors from the events of the Portal Gate''s first year were people whose sins could not be paid for. "So, whether they live or die, the traitors should get returned to their country of origin. At least, it will relieve the feelings of the rtives of the victims or the families of the victims who died because of the events in the past," Chief Yoon lowered her head down. She sighed after hearing what Chairman Yu said. At the same time, she also felt a little ufortable about it. "I will apologize directly to themter, as well as for my actions earlier." "No need. Anyway, Kim Ji-woo~si came here because the message I ordered you to send, reached him, right?" "That seems right, sir." Chief Yoon said. Yesterday, he sent an encrypted email from Chairman Yu addressed to Ji-woo. So, he didn''t know the details. Chairman Yu tilted his head. He''s contemting whether to leave Chief Yoon and Min-ho with the Gaijin guild hunters to continue talking about what''s in the encrypted email with Ji-woo or not. "You tell Ji-woo~si to wait a bit while I apany the hunters from the Gaijin guild. Once that''s done, I''ll continue the conversation with himter." "Yes, sir." Chairman Yu didn''t dare let Chief Yoon apany the Japanese hunters.. It was because Chief Yoon had a temper, and he didn''t want any more misunderstandings to happen. Chapter 163: Ready To Sweep Chapter 163: Ready To Sweep The hunters tasked with bringing Momoka''s body had arrived at the lobby. "Aniki, we have it. However, there is nothing but the body of this traitor. The magic items in her possession didn''t found at the crime scene. So, nothing remains." "It does not matter." Akuma then drew closer to Chairman Yu, leaving the other S-rank hunters on the spot. And he didn''t need an interpreter because the person in front of him understood and could speak Japanese. "The unpleasant first meeting between us. I want to apologize for this. I was in a hurry because I was worried that the other members of the traitor group would stop me. And waiting for permission would take all day. Not to mention the International Hunters Association that would take over this matter within 24 hours." Chairman Yu blinked his eyes, showing a tired face, and sighed. "I know that. However, it still vites my authority. You must know that we have just gotten hit by a cmity here. So, strict rules must get put in ce, and every hunter who enters the country must have a permit. If not for the sentiment from the events of the first year of Portal Gate that we experienced together, I won''t let you guys do something like this." "I know. Again, sorry for our actions." Akuma said while bowing. "Yes, never mind. Go. I will not apany and escort you. I''m too busy for now." Akuma turned around and was about to leave, but the movement stopped, and he asked Chairman Yu a question. "Who is that young man sitting over there? If so, what rank hunter is he?" Chairman Yu was neither surprised nor unmoved by Akuma''s question. He didn''t answer and just stared back at Akuma with a solemn face. Chairman Yu was initially still skeptical of the rumors about Ji-woo. However, after seeing what happened earlier when Ji-woo casually stood before Yoh Akuma, who used his Mana Presence, he began to believe and hope like Dal-soo. Akuma reached the rank of Apex earlier than Hyun-bin. So, Akuma was above Hyun-bin in terms of experience and magic power. And being able not to fall on his knees in front of such a strong hunter had shown Ji-woo''s ability a little. Although, it was unknown whether Ji-woo could keep up with Akuma or not. It made Chairman Yu change his attitude. He didn''t want to talk about Ji-woo to strangers. He believed that Ji-woo would be their secret weapon for survival. After all, information about Ji-woo was confidential for now. So, there was nothing he could say to Akuma. Akuma chuckled. "Heh! It looks like I crossed the line. Fine then." He then walked away towards the lobby door. The S-rank hunters followed in the footsteps of their guild Headmaster from behind. When he passed Ji-woo, he opened his mouth. "You guys go first in the car." The S-rank hunters were confused by Akuma''s sudden words. But, they allplied without much question. Akuma then slowed his footsteps. He stopped right at the entrance before he was about to leave the building. He asked something in simple English without turning his head or turning around. "What''s your name?" Ji-woo was sitting on the sofa with his back to Akuma, answered in simple English without looking back. "Kim Ji-woo." Even though neither of them was fluent in English, Ji-woo and Akuma understood short and basic conversations like that. Akuma raised the corner of his mouth, and Ji-woo also smirked at the same time. The two of them knew in the future. Their paths would get intertwined. Whether in being friend or foe. Only time could answer that. Meanwhile, Jo-hyun, Ji-yong, and Dal-soo have nothing to gain from the body. They only came to one conclusion after examining the body momentarily. It was a quick kill and a one-sided fight. First, the bruises from the fight were not very visible. Second, with no indication of how thebat took ce, the neck had got separated from the body in a fine cut. It made the three hunters wonder who the culprit was. All the members in Ma Dong-seok''s group have extraordinary strength. They were people who knew magic from the very beginning of the Portal Gate. The speed with which they increased strength was also unusual. That made them a dangerous and unpredictable threat. And now, someone killed a member of the group with ease. Who? ArchMage? It might be. However, an ArchMage would require a bit of effort to kill someone of equal strength to an Apex-rank hunter. It didn''t match the condition of Momoka''s body. But, if not the ArchMage, who else had the power above the Apex-rank? In the end, it became unsolved for the three hunters. Which, of course, they would still share the information with their respective guilds. Well, speak of the devil. The culprit that made those people rack their brains was sitting leisurely on the Hunters Association''s lobby sofa. Unknown to him, the corpse that the Gaijin guild hunters just brought was his doing. Jo-hyun and Ji-yong say goodbye to the Artates guild. At the same time, Dal-soo chose to stay and nned to chat with Ji-woo and Chairman Yu. Min-ho, who was only there as a disy because he wanted to follow Jo-hyun, finally chose to return to the Demigod guild. Even though he was still curious about Ji-woo, he didn''t dare act too much in front of his senior, Oh Dal-soo. Chairman Yu and Dal-soo sat on the sofa, facing each other three-way with Ji-woo. Chairman Yu had ordered Chief Yoon and Chief Yang to continue their work activities. That was because the content to get talked about getting known only to him and Dal-soo. Meanwhile, Chief Lee left the Hunters Association building and carried out his regr field monitoring. "I''m guessing that you epted the offer I made regarding possession of the Portal Gate, right?" "That''s not a bad offer, is it?" Dal-soo chimed in. "That''s better than having to spend a lot of time dealing with useless documents in establishing ownership. It''s a win-win situation. Those Portal Gates might turn into Red Gates if left for too long." Ji-woo was taking a sip of his ice americano, which was served at the beginning when Chief Yoon told him to wait. "Taking care of such a thing might take a while, however, if I close all ten tier-3 Portal Gates in one day. What are you going to do to me? You can''t charge me with possession, can you?" Chairman Yu coughed. He couldn''t shake off what Ji-woo said. The possession of the Portal Gate was there to find out who would be responsible if something ominous happened from it. However, if the Portal Gate closed in such a super short time, then the ownership case would not proceed. In the end, what the Hunters Association wanted was the Portal Gate to close as quickly as possible. Dal-soo was speechless. But on the one hand, he was also surprised that Ji-woo could take care of ten tier-3 Portal Gates in one day. In the world, no one would be able to do that. Not Unless they had ten teams to enter the Portal Gates simultaneously. And Ji-woo was alone, as far as he knew. Ji-woo chuckled and tried to lighten the mood when he saw the expressions of the two S-rank hunters. "I''m kidding. There''s no need to take it so seriously. I agree with the offer. And we can do itter this afternoon or evening. Well, tomorrow morning at thetest. It''s because, in a few days, I have business with the Demigod guild. So, the sooner this ispleted, the better." Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were surprised by Ji-woo''s statement. They thought Ji-woo would do it after the next few days or next week, not today. "Are you sure you want to do that today? Don''t you need to get ready first?" "I''m sure you want to do it alone?" Ji-woo smiled slyly. "Why are you suddenly so worried? Wasn''t that offer given to me to test my strength? Isn''t it?" Dal-soo and Chairman Yu couldn''t help but smile awkwardly. They did intend to test Ji-woo with the offer and also wanted to know a little about Ji-woo. "I''m sorry if that''s too overbearing or arrogant," said Chairman Yu. Dal-soo, who heard Chairman Yu''s words, was slightly surprised by the change in attitude. However, he also understood if he rted it to the incident at the beginning when Ji-woo stood face to face with the Japanese Apex-ranked hunter, Yoh Akuma. Ji-woo waved his hand. "It''s fine. I came even though I knew because I wanted to. Also, I want to have the privilege of the Portal Gate." He found it too much of a hassle to deal with brokers about it. Wouldn''t it be better if he bought it directly from the Hunters Association? Chairman Yu looked troubled because of Ji-woo''s request. It was because their Apex-ranked hunter alone didn''t have such privileges. It wasn''t the same as him giving something special to a VVIP member from the ck Market. He was worried about the bacsh he would receive from some guilds if he decided to give the privilege to Ji-woo. Ji-woo knew why Chairman Yu didn''t immediately respond to his request. So, he had no intention of suppressing too much. "There''s no need to make it a burden. Just think about it. We still have time." He then got up from his seat and said, "Two o''clock this afternoon, we''ll meet at the first tier-3 Portal Gate." Chapter 164: Spend Time Leisurely Chapter 164: Spend Time Leisurely Before Ji-woo came home from the Hunters Association, he stopped by the weapon shop on the 13th floor. He intended to buy all the stock of Magic Crystals and Magic Stones the shop had. Ji-hye could only offer 17 Magic Crystals and 8 Magic Stones to Ji-woo. It was because that was all the shop had. Ma-no ordered Ji-hye to fulfill Ji-woo''s request. It was a form of apology that information about Ji-woo as a supplier of magic items sold by shops got widespread. So, they were willing to offer without holding anything back. They were even ready to present it without being paid a penny. Ji-woo refused and paid the shop anyway. He took out 117 million won for it and said goodbye to Ji-hye. After that, he used the Magic Crystals and Magic Stones to his wrists and ankles weights. Thus, the weight he was carrying now reached 536 kg in total. In the afternoon, 2 o''clock, Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were the first to arrive on set. They arrived just in time and mourned the tier-3 Portal Gate that was about to be entered while waiting for the person in question toe. "Dal-soo~ya, is it possible that you know what business Ji-woo is referring to with the Demigod guild?" Dal-soo sighed at Chairman Yu''s words. "That''s a tier-5 Portal Gate. I need Ji-woo~si in the Vanguard team. Hyung, you know yourself that if Gang-ho Hyung~nim has already decided to enter the Portal Gate, it will be hard to stop." Chairman Yu made a face as if he understood what Dal-soo said about Gang-ho. "Yeah, I understand that. No wonder you asked Ji-woo to join. With just three S-rank hunters, it''s impossible to hunt in a tier-5 Portal Gate dungeon." "The way you talk has changed, Hyung. You talk as if youpletely believe that Ji-woo does have the power I said before. Is it because of what happened to Ji-woo and Akuma this morning?" Chairman Yuughed awkwardly and did not refute the statement. "Well, that too. But, now I wonder if one person really has the power to take care of a tier-3 Portal Gate." "Believe me. I''ve seen him enter a tier-3 Portal Gate before." Dal-soo tried to convince Chairman Yu. He knew that it was perplexing to believe that a person of equivalent strength to an Apex-ranked hunter could enter a lower-tier Portal Gate. Having someone of that immense power and could enter all tiers of the Portal Gate was basically cheating. "Well, have you guys been waiting long? Sorry, I''m ten minuteste. The bus took a while." Not long after, Ji-woo came in his casual clothes, like the style of a college kid. It got coupled with a sling bag which was none other than the Spatial Bag. Dal-soo couldn''t help but wonder why Ji-woo still preferred to use the bus instead of buying his own car when he had the money for it. Moreover, he and Chairman Yu wonder why Ji-woo got dressed as he was when he was about to fight with the creatures of the Portal Gate. "Ji-woo~si, is that your fighting suit?" "Are you sure you''re going toe in like that?!" Ji-woo raised his arms and looked all over his body. "Is there something wrong with this? What I''m wearing shouldn''t be a problem, right?" He didn''t understand why the two S-rank hunters were making a fuss about what he was wearing. "Well, that''s true. But, still. Those things will help you in your fight with those creatures." But then, Dal-soo noticed the bag Ji-woo was carrying. "That''s the Spatial Bag. Isn''t it? So you have two magic items, after all. It''s no wonder you want to sell the other one." He was initially surprised that Ji-woo was willing to sell the rare magic item before. As it turned out, Ji-woo had another one. Chairman Yu was surprised to hear that. Two Spatial Bags was undoubtedly a fantastic amount for such a rare magic item. "Ah, is your hunting gear in there? Well, you can use itter in the dungeon. It''s a nice and practical magic item indeed." However, Ji-woo disagreed with what Chairman Yu said. No matter howfortable the Spatial Bag was, it was not as practical as the Spatial Ring. Nor was he interested in exining further about his hunting gear and his opinion on the Spatial Bag. "Okay, I''lle in." Ji-woo then walked over and entered the tier-3 Portal Gate without any trouble. Zap, Zap¨C Chairman Yu was astonished to see that with his own eyes. The cheating he had thought of at the beginning was actually happening before his eyes. ''Doesn''t this mean there won''t be a Portal Gate that Ji-woo can''t enter? And with the strength seen since at the auction and this morning. At least tier-1 to tier-4 isn''t a problem for him.'' Chairman Yu''s face brightened at the thought. South Korea''s chance topletely close all Portal Gates with tiers 1 to 4 was at least possible. And it would also make South Korea have a fighting force of hunters that would not get reduced by dying in a dungeon. Thus, the preparations for the Red Gate would get easier to deal with by having a sufficient number of hunters. Although, that wouldter lead to shes between the guilds, who also wanted to profit from the Portal Gate. Magic items and Mana items were the most sought after by the hunters. If Chairman Yu let Ji-woo take care of the Portal Gates, then that thing would be the envy of the hunters. And there was only one solution for it. It was the privileges like those of ck Market VVIP members. That was the only thing that could make the hunters not oppose that the Portal Gate got owned by a hunter. For the hunters who were displeased and questioned his decision, he didn''t care about it. At least, he could ask Ji-woo not to kill those reckless hunters if they do something stupidter. Dal-soo looked at Chairman Yu''s face. He knew what the leader of the South Korean Hunters Association was thinking. ''Too naive. Ji-woo is not an easy person to ask for help.'' He shook his head. He didn''t want to spoil Chairman Yu''s mood, who got overjoyed at the possibility of them eradicating the Portal Gate cmity. The two S-rank hunters casually waited at the first tier-3 Portal Gate while chatting casually. Both have high expectations of Ji-woo. But, after an hour and thirty minutes of time have passed, Dal-soo and the Chairman frown on their faces. That meant Ji-woo had been inside the Portal Gate for more than a day. "Hey, nothing''s wrong. Right? Don''t you think this is too long for someone who can hold two S-rank hunters and can withstand the pressure of an Apex-ranked Hunter''s Mana Presence!?" "Hmm¡­, seems like everything is fine¡­, maybe!?" After talking like that, Dal-soo and Chairman Yu finally spend another hour and a half waiting. They started to get restless and panicky like a parent waiting for their child to arrive. "What I''ve seen these past few days is just a trick? Why did he spend 3 hours in a Portal Gate, and on top of that is a tier-3 one!?" "Damn it! We can''t go in to check. Should I call Team 3 of the Demigod guild?" In the midst of the panicked Dal-so and Chairman Yu, suddenly a sound got heard from the direction of the Portal Gate. Zap, Zap¨C "Yep, here I am." Dal-soo and Chairman Yu immediately stopped their movements when they saw Ji-woo was fine, exiting the tier-3 Portal Gate. Even Ji-woo''s condition was too good to say that there was a problem in the dungeon that it took more than 3 hours to get closed. "What took you so long!?" "We thought something was going on in the dungeon! Are you all right, Ji-woo~si? Should we stop this event for today?" "What are you guys talking about? Ah, I forgot that I had to enter another Portal Gate besides this one. So, I spent some leisurely time in the dungeon. Sorry." Ji-woo then walked past the two hunters. Meanwhile, Dal-soo and Chairman Yu were still confused as they looked at the dissipating Portal Gate. "Why are you still standing there? You don''t want to go to the next Portal Gate? Well, fine then." Ji-woomented how he had to take another bus to go to another Portal Gate. On the other hand, Dal-soo and Chairman Yu then rush to Ji-woo''s side. "That''s not it. We''re still going to the second Portal Gate." Dal-soo replied as he took his car keys out of his pocket, which Chairman Yu chimed inter. "If I may know, why did it take you more than three days there, Ji-woo~si?" "Ah, that? I just wanted to increase the profits of the Portal Gate. So, I was busy going around the dungeon to pick up anything useful." Chairman Yu was busy ncing here and there, searching for the items in question until he became aware of the Spatial Bag''s existence. ''Oh, right. This kid has that magic item.. Surely, what he got in the dungeon is in there.'' Chapter 165: Being A Teacher Is Tough Chapter 165: Being A Teacher Is Tough Ji-woo invaded the second tier-3 Portal Gate within two days of the dungeon time. Two hours of outside time. It was the fastest time for him to close the Portal Gates. After all, he intended to fill the Spatial Bag with all the items from those dungeons. Thus, it caused him to spend quite some time searching around. Dal-soo and Chairman Yu didn''t mind that. Because in the end, it was pretty fast, and Ji-woo was doing it alone. Around 10 p.m., time then passed like that. Ji-woo sessfully managed four tier-3 Portal Gates and proved to Chairman Yu that he was an individual with the credibility to close the Portal Gate. That was convincing enough for Chairman Yu, of course. But, he still gave Ji-woo a statement before making a final decision. "I don''t know how easy it is for you to deal with the Portal Gate creatures in the dungeon. However, seeing as your condition is still perfect. And it only takes an average of 2 hours of each Portal Gate. I''m certain tiers 1 to 4 won''t be a problem for you. "Tiers 5 and 6 are not as easy as the tiers below. Moreover, you are alone with no certainty or rity as to whether you have a hidden team or not. That makes it difficult for me. Therefore, your privileges will exist but are temporarily limited in tiers 1 to 4 only. "In the future, those privileges will change as you demonstrate that you are capable of handling tier-5 and tier-6 Portal Gates. "I''m sorry. I need to make sure everything is in order to avoid anything that we don''t expect to happen." Ji-woo shook his head. He understood Chairman Yu''s position and why he still couldn''t fully believe it. A leader had a heavy responsibility and should always question anything. Even if it was something he knew and was fully aware of it. "It''s okay. At least, the privileges weren''t tly get denied. Well, I''m sure I''ll get permission to have a tier-5 and tier-6 Portal Gate in the future. "Besides, sorry, we can only manage four tier-3 Portal Gates today. If only I didn''t busy looking for items, maybe we could take care of six Portal Gates today." Dal-soo then chimed in. "It''s fine. It is your Portal Gate. You can do as you wish, Ji-woo~si. We''re just here to make sure that possession of all ten Portal Gates to you alone isn''t a problem." Ji-woo smiled and turned to Chairman Yu. "Oh, right. For this matter of privilege, what should I do? Do I need to go to the Hunters Association again?" "You don''t need to do anything. We will update the privilege in the Hunters Association''s database. So, the card will provide information about it." Not long after, Dal-soo, Chairman Yu, and Ji-woo parted their ways. The two S-rank hunters also informed Ji-woo that they wouldn''t be monitoring his activities, closing the rest of tier-3 Portal Gates anymore. On the way home, Ji-woo grunted about his loot today wasn''t paying off. He didn''t get any magic items, only Mana and Sphere items. Currently, he had 57 Magic Crystals, 20 Magic Stones, 4 Obelisk Spheres, 3 Armoire Spheres, and a Rnegyr Sphere in his Spatial Bag. That was not to forget the remaining around 8.2 billion won. That was Ji-woo''s wealth now. It looked like a lot, but it was still a little for his ns. ''Well, money will never be enough until we say it''s enough.'' In Ji-woo''s room, he used Magic Crystals and Magic Stones for wrists and ankles weights. He spent 52 Magic Crystals and 16 Magic Stones, increasing the weight of the four instruments to a total of 832 kg. It was a very frightening weight. Ji-woo himself had also begun to feel that the movement was a little heavier than usual. In the middle of the night, Ji-woo texted Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. The message told the two hunters to meet in the morning at the foot of the mountains as usual, with no rity on why they had to meet. The next day, Ji-woo left the house and headed to the foot of the mountains. There, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were already present. Even though they didn''t know the agenda of the meeting, they each carried their bags containing the hunting gear. "Wow, I don''t know what possessed you to be quick-witted like this?" "Hyung, you usually call us here only to practice. Nothing else but that. So, we must have brought our armor and magic weapons." Ji-woo became speechless at Dong-hyun''s words. He also couldn''t deny it because it was true. ''This kid sometimes spouts sensible words.'' "Alright. That''s why I invited you guys to hunt for today at the Portal Gate." Dong-hyun tilted his head and asked further. "Where to hunt? Does the guild have a new schedule for us?" Yu-jin opened her mouth and answered Dong-hyun''s question calmly. "We will enter Ji-woo''s Portal Gate." Dong-hyun pped his hands as if he was getting enlightened. "Ah, right! Ji-woo Hyung has a lot of tier-3 Portal Gates!" "Ji-woo~si, has ownership of the Portal Gate been taken care of? We''ll get into trouble with the Hunters Association if we enter the Portal Gate without addressing this matter first." Yu-jin asked. "No need to worry. The matter of ownership has been taken care of. Today we will be entering some of those Portal Gates. So, prepare your stamina and stay alert, even if it''s only tier-3. You don''t know what will happen in the dungeon if you take it lightly. It will be a good experience for you." Yu-jin wanted to ask further but abandoned the idea. She knew managing possession of the Portal Gate for an individual who didn''t have a promising organization behind was difficult. It took weeks, and the results were not necessarily satisfying. "Of course! Ji-woo Hyung, you are the best for this." Dong-hyun didn''t bother thinking about it as Yu-jin did. For him, the important thing was to enter the Portal Gate and increase his fighting experience. Moreover, there was Ji-woo. He did not need to worry if an ident in the dungeon urred. Ji-woo and Dong-hyun were ready to leave before Yu-jin opened her mouth again. "Ji-woo~si, if we both didn''t bring our hunting gear. What would you do? Not going to the Portal Gate? Or telling us to go back to our respective ces and get it?" Ji-woo stopped in his tracks. It was an interesting question for him. "Neither. You will still enter the Portal Gate with minimal equipment. Even if you don''t bring anything, then that''s how it is." "Isn''t that too dangerous? You could have told us beforehand so we could get prepared." Dong-hyun felt that the conversation between Yu-jin and Ji-woo was heading towards an argument. He swiftly tried to lighten the mood. "Yu-jin~si, that''s enough. You don''t need to get confused. I''m sure Ji-woo Hyung just forgot to tell us because he was tired." On the other hand, Ji-woo turned around and looked at Yu-jin. "Look around us. There are many Portal Gates. When they turn into the Red Gate, is there any advance announcement so the hunters can prepare? "We''ve been hit by the Red Gate disaster several times, and it all ended badly. Because the hunters didn''t get prepared, and even acting fast was still slow. "Under these circumstances, if you''re didn''t get prepared for everything. How can you survive? "You''re in a situation where you have to prepare to die even in your sleep. Whether you''re wearing hunting gear or not, the circumstances won''t fit you. Nor will it wait for you to get ready. "You either die because you''re weak, or you survive because you''re strong. There''s no such thing as dying because you weren''t prepared or living because you got time to prepare. Time waits for no one." Yu-jin bit her lip. She wanted to apologize if her question offended Ji-woo. But, that got hindered by her pride. She felt her question was not wrong at all. Thus, she decided to shut her mouth. And it was the same as Ji-woo''s way of thinking. He didn''t feel offended or angry. He just wanted Dong-hyun and Yu-jin to realize that there woulde a time when the two of them would have to fight without their magic items. So, if Yu-jin apologized for that, it wouldn''t be necessary. At the tier-3 Portal Gate, the three of them went straight in without further ado. Ji-woo told Dong-hyun and Yu-jin to do whatever they wanted. Meanwhile, he would explore the entire area of the dungeon. He gave the two hunters advice to do their hunting first to gauge how capable they were fighting against the tier-3 Portal Gate creatures. If things get tough, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could think about working together. However, if thebination of the two of them still couldn''t solve the problem or defeat the creatures. They were forbidden to seek Ji-woo''s help. They were required to keep trying their best and sharpen their brains in a critical state. Dong-hyun wanted to ask what if they got hurt or almost died. Ji-woo then exined that he woulde to them if indeed they were on the verge of death.. But, if he thought they weren''t going to die, then he wouldn''t intervene at all, even if they had severe injuries or broken bones. Chapter 166: Its A Golem Chapter 166: It¡¯s A Golem In the dungeon, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin surprisingly didn''t experience any trouble at all. Only the two had to deal with the creatures at the tier-3 Portal Gate. They didn''t think they would be able to do that. Although, it usually required a team of 30 to 50 hunters to do that. Indeed, at first, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin had difficulty taking care of the creatures and beasts on their own. So, they decided to do it together. And as a result, without Ji-woo''s help, they were able to kill dozens of these creatures and beasts. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was busy exploring the entire dungeon area. Sometimes he would take the time to check on Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. He just needed to deviate from his path and use his Mana sense, so it wasn''t too inconvenient. Ji-woo was quite impressed with the abilities of the two hunters. What stood out the most was that the two of them never allowed themselves to be in a pinch. Whenever there was a situation where the number of the beasts and creatures would be excessive, they would separate themselves. They would rejointer after the number of enemies had decreased since those monsters had to scatter to chase the hunters fleeing in two separate ces. In addition, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin''s ability to use magic spells without being cast was pretty practical for stealth attacks. It saved them several times from being overwhelmed by the number of creatures and beasts they faced. However, it was not all without ws in the eyes of Ji-woo. The main thing that prevented the two of them to conquer the dungeon with only themselves was the weak damage from their magic spells. And also the limited Mana they have. So, magic spells with arge area of effect were not possible for the hunters. The solution to that was to increase their Mana capacity. It could get through an increase in rank. Or have the help of magic items that increase their Mana or enhance their magic spells. "Well, that problem can get solvedter. The important thing is those two can gain experience and increase their stamina." Said Ji-woo. Not waiting too long, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin finally meet the Dungeon Owner. It was a small creature wearing an oversized robe, so the creature''s appearance wasn''t visible to the naked eyes. The hood even covered the creature''s face. The body size was about the size of a 12-year-old child. It made the being not feel scary or mighty at all. Ji-woo, who was also there, noticed that Dong-hyun and Yu-jin seemed to be lowering their guard by seeing the creature''s outward appearance. ''Geez! Just now, I was happy that they handled the dungeon situation calmly and smoothly with just the two of them. And now? They have forgotten the dangers that exist at all times. It seems that if things go well. It can foster a sense of overconfidence in both of them. Tsk!'' "Don''t just stand there and stare. Start formting your way of dealing with the creature. Don''t get fooled by its cute appearance. That little thing has four times more Mana than the two of youbined." Dong-hyun and Yu-jin came to their senses when they finished hearing Ji-woo''s words. But, it was toote. A massive me suddenly rose from the feet of the two of them. The fire was so big and fierce that an area several tens of meters away was also burned. Ji-woo moved to a nearby hill because of the fire. He then sat cross-legged. He wasn''t going anywhere anymore because he had explored the dungeon area after two days of wandering around. All the loot was in the Spatial Bag. Meanwhile, the little creature floated in the air and was the same height as the hill where Ji-woo was. Ji-woo realized that he got stared at by the little creature. "Just carry on. Don''t mind me. They''re both still alive down there." He said while waving his hand. The little creature ignored what Ji-woo said and intended to use a magic spell. However, its focus got diverted because the massive fire devouring the ground shrunk and disappeared without exploding. Dong-hyun And Yu-jin were alive. But they were in pretty bad shape. Some burn marks were visible on their skin that didn''t get protected by their armor. "Woah! I almost died!" "You idiot! Don''t exaggerate! We won''t just die with fire like that. But, if we are toote to use fire to fend off the fire. Our injuries won''t be this light." Ji-woo smiled wryly. He couldn''t understand why the two hunters still had time to talk about useless things. ''Also, why does Yu-jin suddenly have the same style as Dong-hyun now? Wasn''t she the more closemouthed type and moved quickly to attack? Was she get influenced by Dong-hyun?'' Suddenly, the ground where Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were standing shook, causing cracks all around. Not long after, several magma creatures came to the surface. It was the same size as the two hunters. "Summoned creature?" Yu-jin blurted out her words. However, the magma beasts attacked the two of them swiftly before Dong-hyun could chat with Yu-jin again. The creatures'' heat was so high that the ce became drier than before, which had been devoured by fire. On the other hand, it turned out that the creature used a summoned creature because it wanted to take care of Ji-woo. The Dungeon Owner raised both his hands up, and the sleeves of his robes got pulled down. The color of the creature''s arms was visible, which was green. Ji-woo saw the magic incantation process and chuckled. He understood that the little creature was not happy with humans. And try to take care of all three of them at once. At the same time, a strong thunderbolt descended upon Ji-woo, who was sitting on the hill. However, he didn''t panic in the slightest and tilted his head. "You monster. You''re eating more than you can chew." Ji-woo raised his left arm, and the thunderbolt shed with the palm of his hand. Instantly a bright light shone and dazzled the hill area. Unfortunately, the little creature''s efforts were in vain. Ji-woo didn''t get injured at all. Even his arm had no trace of getting struck by a bolt of terrifying lightning at all. The little creature looked angry, and its cloak floated up. Meanwhile, Ji-woo was not interested in doing anything and let the Dungeon Owner do as he pleased. However, it became a fatal mistake because the little creature suddenly got hit by fire arrows and fire shes from below. It was Dong-hyun and Yu-jin''s attack that had ovee the magma beasts. "Hehe! You arrogant bastard! You shouldn''t distract yourself while fighting." "That''s right! The summoned creatures are easy to deal with. Just water and wind and they disappear into piles of stones." Ji-woo became speechless at the chatter of the two hunters. He began to feel that Yu-jin was bing more and more like Dong-hyun. And that was a bad sign for him. Kiekh! The little creature''s angry scream caught the attention of the three humans. In addition, its appearance was also starting to show because its robe had a lot of torn marks from previous magic arrows and magic shes. "Huh!? A goblin? But howe it can fly?" "A sorcerer?" A small creature and a bald head. Along with a sharp nose, especially the green skin color. It alsobined with the massive Mana capacity and all the magic spells that had got cast. It was a goblin sorcerer. It was a crucial thing for Yu-jin and Dong-hyun. Now, the two of them knew that the Dungeon Owner was weak in closebat. Yu-jin and Dong-hyun didn''t have to think of many strategies or ns to deal with the goblin sorcerer. All they needed to do was suppress the little creature until it had no chance to use any magic to attack the two of them. The goblin sorcerer would forget to widen his distance with Dong-hyun and Yu-jin when under such pressure. So, a closebat situation would get created. And sure enough, when that situation urred, the goblin sorcerer was beaten several times by the two hunters mercilessly. Luckily, the little creature always had time to use his shield magic to reduce the damage he suffered. The goblin sorcerer gritted his sharp teeth. He then stuck his right hand into his chest, and green blood sttered out. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin get surprised by that. They thought the creature gave up andmitted suicide on the spot. "The little creature''s Mana hasn''t disappearedpletely. Don''t put your guard down." The two hunters clenched their fists after got reminded by Ji-woo. They prepared to attack while watching what the little creature was about to do. But, before the attacknded. The goblin sorcerer stomped his palms onto the ground that got stained with green blood. The ground shakes and throws Dong-hyun and Yu-jin off bnce. Bright light also emanated from where the goblin sorcerer was. Boom! A massive and powerful explosion urred, causing a plume of dust to cover the area. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin covered their faces. So, they didn''t get hit by the gust of dust. They then waved their hands to wipe the dust off so they could see what was going on. And Ji-woo, who was on the hill, told them about it while sitting nice and resting his cheek on the palm of his right hand. "It''s a Golem." Chapter 167: Not The Time To Shine Chapter 167: Not The Time To Shine ''Golem¡­,'' Ji-woo predicted that it would be a tough fight. The goblin sorcerer seemed to be using his trump card, watching the little creature disappear after the Golem appeared. An attempt from despair was sometimes the mostplex thing to ovee. Now, Ji-woo wanted to see how Dong-hyun and Yu-jin would fight the giant creature. He had already helped them a lot by reminding them to stay alert. It was more than enough. In the end, he was not a babysitter for those who wanted power. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin were surprised to see the Golem rather than the goblin sorcerer. But, they regain theirposure pretty quickly. "I don''t sense Mana from the creature. What do you think?" "I don''t feel any Mana from the Golem either. However, it can be a distraction like a goblin sorcerer at the start." Dong-hyun coolly said as if he was analyzing the situation. In fact, after saying that, he shamelessly looked up at the hill where Ji-woo was. He hoped to get helped again like before. However, Ji-woo only stared back at Dong-hyun with his cold gaze and usual cid expression. In the end, he was kind and helped a little with reciting the word watch out with his mouth. Dong-hyun''s mouth fell open, not understanding what Ji-woo said. He felt frustrated and wanted to ask what the words were. But, it got hindered by a sudden attack from the Golem that he and Yu-jin didn''t expect. Kaboom! Dong-hyun took a direct hit from the Golem and fell, tumbling multiple times on the ground for several meters. Meanwhile, Yu-jin managed to make a fire shield to reduce the impact of the blow. But, she still got knocked back because of it. The Golem attacked again without any intention of pausing to make room for Yu-jin and Dong-hyun to rearrange their positions. Yu-jin knew that the Golem was heading for her, and she was about to use her magic spell to strike back. Unfortunately, the Golem''s speed was beyond her expectations. The Golem''s movement was speedy. Despite it having arge stature, it was agile like a cheetah. Yu-jin clicked her tongue and used fire magic as best she could to get away from the Golem''s attack. The n seeded in keeping her away from the Golem. But, she had to fall and get pushed to the ground quite a distance away. Again, the Golem didn''t stay still and started attacking Dong-hyun, who just got up, brushing off the dust and dirt on his armor from thest blow that knocked him to the ground. Dong-hyun gritted his teeth. He used long-range fire shes with his sword. However, it was all useless. The fire shes were unable to scratch the Golem''s hard body. At the same time, the Golem was already in front of Dong-hyun and brandishing his big arms. The hunter had no other choice but to try to sh with his sword. He instead got bounced back because the attack collided with the Golem''s punch. Yu-jin didn''t stay still either. She used magic spells with greater power than usual. "Magic of Fire, Phoenix spirits!" Yu-jin spread her arms, and three phoenix-shaped mes appeared above her head. She then threw it at Ji-woo in a hurry. She didn''t stop with that and used another magic spell. "Magic of Fire, God''s Arrow!" Yu-jin pulled the bowstring. Her hands shone, and a big fiery arrow appeared, enveloping the magic weapon that she was using. She shot three fire arrows in session behind the Phoenix spirit. Boom, Boom¨C The attack directly hit the Golem''s body and exploded a fierce fire. A sweaty Yu-jin thought her attack had seeded after seeing the explosion of mes. However, what happened next broke Yu-jin''s hopes. The Golem screamed and threw its hands on the ground. In that instant, the soil shook and cracked everywhere. The massive fire explosion also immediately disappeared in the gust of wind waves from the Golem''s blow. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin, who were far apart, got affected by the Golem''s crash. They couldn''t hold their stance and flew backward. In that situation, Yu-jin managed to use the bow to keep herself from getting pushed back and rolled on the ground. She bit her lip and hovered above the ground. "Magic of Fire, Supernova!" Yu-jin swiftly used her magic spell, and her eyes turned to illuminate golden color. Her skin was like a stone burning by high-temperature mes. She intended to melt the Golem. Meanwhile, the Golem didn''t care about the heat of the fire that Yu-jin was radiating. It still advanced and moved towards Yu-jin rather than Dong-hyun as intimidated by the me form. The creature struggled to reach as it got pushed back by the pressure and heat of the fire that Yu-jin emitted. Anyway, the Golem was still advancing, approaching Yu-jin despite the great difficulty. Step by step, the creature was only a few meters away from closing the distance with Yu-jin. Dong-hyun also helped from a sufficient distance to avoid being exposed to the scorching heat of Yu-jin''s fire. He threw small fireballs to shake the Golem''s footing. The efforts of the two hunters yielded nothing. The Golem''s body was still intact and only slightly scratched. It didn''t show the slightest sign of melting from the fire attacks that Dong-hyun and Yu-jin use. The Golem finally arrived in front of Yu-jin while continuously increasing the mes in her body. It was like a volcano that was erupting and ready to explode. The giant creature didn''t care about the hot temperature that could melt the soil and rocks around it. It then spread its tworge arms and hugged Yu-jin tightly. Luckily, Yu-jin could withstand the onught with her magma shield and fire. She also opened her mouth and spoutedva at the Golem in front of her. Not long after, Yu-jin shone even brighter, and her body shook violently. Boom! There was an enormous explosion with smoke rising into the sky. The area around it was filled with smoke and dust, blurring the view and obscuring vision. The earth shards flew and fell everywhere. The hill where Ji-woo was sitting casually watching also shook. "Tsk! It turned out they ran into an enemy they couldn''t face with their current strength." Ji-woo got up and pped his palms hard towards the front. The thick cloud of smoke and dust that covered the area below him instantly disappeared due to the wind wave from his pping. The area finally got cleared again. And the results of the massive explosion were visible. The Golem didn''t melt in the slightest. One could say it didn''t suffer any injuries. It just changed color from what was previously light silver to deep ck. The creature looked like a giant shadow that could stand up rather than stick to the ground. Meanwhile, Yu-jin''s condition was quite serious. The Golem''s crush made her body ache. And her Mana almost got depleted because it got used continuously since entering the Portal Gate. Her eyes also looked dim, but her expression still looked ferocious. Dong-hyun jumped andnded in front of Yu-jin, like a knight on horseback helping his queen. Although, the action looked cool. In reality, he was biting his lip due to the hopeless situation. He wanted to scream for help to Ji-woo but didn''t dare if that might incite the Golem to move to his ce. "You two have already shown what you can do. There are still a few tier-3 Portal Gates after this. I don''t have the luxury of seriously having you guys injured. We don''t have healing items or a healer either." Out of nowhere, Yu-jin and Dong-hyun heard a voice from the Golem''s back. They know it was Ji-woo''s voice. At least, it made the two hunters relieved and could breathefortably. On the other hand, the Golem was shocked and shouted while moving the body. The creature wanted to release Ji-woo from behind its back because it couldn''t get done with its unreachable hand. "The magic should perish, Nullifier!" Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in Ji-woo''s palm. Two short swords with one-sided des appeared. One was sky blue and amethyst, and the other was denim and ck. Ji-woo shed the Shadow de in his right hand, and the creature''srge head fell to the ground without further ado. However, it wasn''t enough to kill the Golem as its body was still moving. The headless Golem was then about to m its back on the ground so that Ji-woo would also get blown away. Ji-woo stabbed the Diffusal de right into the spot where the Golem''s head was severed from its body before they hit the ground. He evaded the crash by jumping backward while the headless Golem copsed to the ground. "That should be enough," Ji-woo said while patting his shoulder with the blunt side of the Shadow de. Dong-hyun, who watched the scene without blinking, didn''t expect it to end so quickly. It was not even 30 seconds. "Hyung, are you sure it''s over? Are you sure the Golem won''t move again?" Suddenly, the head and body of the separated Golem turned into white light and flew into Ji-woo''s hand, answering Dong-hyun''s doubts without words. Chapter 168: The Importance Of Magic Items Chapter 168: The Importance Of Magic Items Ji-woo decided to cut off the head of the Golem to stick his short sword into the center of the gigantic creature''s Mana. He had known that the Golem lived based on the Mana flowing in its body since earlier. The only way to kill that giant creature was topletely eliminate its Mana. And that could only get done with a unique weapon made of Nullifier. A weapon with the characteristic to absorb Mana as long as it was stuck or touched, the Diffusal de. Not long after, the Dungeon Bead fell into Ji-woo''s hands. He then picked up the Diffusal de, lying on the ground because the Golem''s body had disappeared. "Hyung, we need to get out of here quickly and find a healer. Yu-jin''s injuries are pretty serious. Her stamina and Mana are at their limit too." "Calm down. Don''t make a fuss. Yu-jin is just exhausted and almost out of Mana. Here." Ji-woo replied while throwing 2 Magic Crystals and 2 Magic Stones at the two hunters. After he made the two weapons disappear. Dong-hyun got flustered to see Magic Crystals and Magic Stones scattered before his eyes. On the other hand, Yu-jin immediately took a Magic Stone to replenish her Mana. She also kept her distance from Dong-hyun and Ji-woo to meditate in order to recover quickly. Ji-woo exined. "Instead of spending time resting outside and looking for a healer. It''s better to stay here for a while. The difference in time is 1 hour with one day. So, make the most of this time. That''s because, when we get out of this dungeon, we will go straight to the next level-3 Portal Gate." Dong-hyun nodded his head and grabbed a Mana Stone as well, wanting to refill his Mana quickly. "Hyung, why do you think we couldn''t defeat the Golem? Was it just because we weren''t strong enough? Was it because we didn''t have enough Mana? So, we didn''t have magic spells that had massive and deadly damage. Ji-woo Hyung, please tell me what I have to do to be strong as quickly as possible." Dong-hyun spoke while holding the Mana Stone in both hands. He sat on the ground and stole a nce at Yu-jin, who refilled her Mana while meditating to recover her stamina. It was the first time he feltpletely useless. He didn''t have the slightest chance to make the enemy feel threatened since he started studying under Ji-woo, and his strength increased. Dong-hyun usually didn''t feel that way because it was always Ji-woo, who always handled the fighting matters. Whether the situation was critical or not, Ji-woo would invariably solve the problem with ease. It was the same at the tier-4 Portal Gate a long time ago with a friend who invited him. And the difference with now was that Ji-woo didn''t intervene in the first ce so that the two hunters could feel how difficult and dangerous a tier-3 Portal Gate was. Luckily, Ji-woo finally intervened. If he got even a littlete, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin would definitely get killed by that Golem that they couldn''t hurt a bit. Dong-hyun also understood a little why Ji-woo always said that everything that happened to them was in their hands. They were the ones who determined their own destiny. In this era of superpowers, being weak was indeed a sin. Ji-woo sighed at Dong-hyun''s muttering. He could sense the desperation of the young hunter. "Simply put, it''s because you guys aren''t powerful. That''s all. "And there''s no practical way to be strong. Even luck doesn''te all the time. You can''t expect great power toe to you out of nowhere. You need to work for it." Dong-hyun lowered his head and said, "Hyung, I know that. But I''m not a talented person. Even with 100 years of training, I wouldn''t be as strong as you. Even bing an S-rank hunter is still impossible for me." Ji-woo closed his eyes briefly. He wasn''t really someone in a position to say things like that. He was neither a person who had talent in learning nor a genius inbat. Basically, he was the same as Dong-hyun. What Ji-woo currently had was nothing more than the possession of Nullifier. Luck, like a Nullifier, couldn''t get predicted, let alone timed. Standing still and hoping for something uncertain was worse than trying, even though it didn''t show any results. Time and luck were not something that would wait ande to someone just because that person was hoping. Those two things would only happen in people who try to make it happen. Not for the desperate. Ji-woo could only tell Dong-hyun to keep trying relentlessly and not to think about giving up. That was because he also had something that could make the young hunter strong in a short time, even if artificially. "Actually, there''s a solution for you. However, I don''t think this is a good method. It will make you rely on something rather than your own hands. Well, when you think about it, that could also get called your own strength." Dong-hyun instantly raised his face after hearing that and saw Ji-woo with a cheerful look, full of hope. "What is it, hyung?" "There is no absolute power. Many ways can get taken to be strong. It was whether a natural or an unnatural way. But apart from that, there is one way that does not have such a philosophy. They are magic items. "True or not. Magic items will always be neutral when they are made or finished. Whether it got made by evil method or not. Even when the magic items get made, it still gets considered neutral. They will only get considered bad when used for something bad anyway." "Hyung, can you get straight to the point? You know I''m not good at things like that." Dong-hyun replied. Ji-woo clicked his tongue. He got dumbfounded looking at Dong-hyun, that was still feeling down because he was weak a moment ago. But, now interrupting his speech halfway as usual. "Ouch!! Why did my head get hit? Ah, right. It was for cutting you off. Right, Hyung? I''m sorry." Dong-hyun apologized while slightly bowing because he was sitting on the ground. Ji-woo felt amused by Dong-hyun''s reaction. "Alright. The point is magic armor and magic weapons. Those things can increase your strength." Dong-hyun tilted his head. "Hyung, it''smon knowledge. So long as good-quality armor and magic weapons exist. Or rather, those of the upper tier. Of course, it will make the user stronger. The problem is, lower-rank hunters won''t be able to wear stuff like that." Magic armor and magic weapons got categorized into three grades. The first was the regr. It was usually suitable for E-rank and D-rank hunters due to the endurance in the presence of Mana. The second was the fine quality. It was usually suitable for E-rank to A-rank hunters. In addition to their durability, these items have their own magic spells apart from the magic spells of the user. The third was the upper tier. Items in this category were as rare as Spatial Bags. There was usually an ego with arge Mana and a form. Simply, weapons or armor in this category were animated items. Therefore, these items will choose their own users, not the other way around. Ji-woo shook his head. "There are better armor and magic weapons than that. Items made with the Sphere. You don''t need a binding, and there are no conditions for wearing it." "Wow! Is there really such a thing? Ah, it must be expensive. "Anyway, who said Sphere is useful, Hyung? It''s just an antique that has good blending colors in it." Ji-woo felt speechless with Dong-hyun. "We''ll think about it another time. You don''t seem interested in it." "Ey, Hyung! Don''t be so angry. I believe. I believe. Don''t be angry." "You seem to have forgotten what it feels like to get beaten to a pulp." In the end, Ji-woo hit Dong-hyun on the head once again and told the young hunter to absorb the Mana from the Magic Stone quickly. Twelve hours passed, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin finally recovered their Mana and stamina. But, Yu-jin was still not in a perfect state. It was because Mana couldn''t cure fatigue. Ji-woo crushed the Dungeon Bead. And then, they proceeded to the next Portal Gate. This time, Ji-woo decided to let Dong-hyun and Yu-jin deal with all the Portal Gate creatures except the Dungeon Owner, which he would take care of himself to save time. Moreover, one experience of being toyed with by the Dungeon Owner was enough for the two hunters. If it happened again and again, Dong-hyun and Yu-jin would probably get traumatized by it. Furthermore, their condition decreased every time they finished with one Portal Gate. Ji-woo managed to close five tier-3 Portal Gates at the end of the day. Even then, at thest Portal Gate, Ji-woo was the one that closed it alone because Dong-hyun and Yu-jin''s fatigue had reached the limit even though their Mana was full. Ji-woo purposely left one tier-3 Portal Gate unattended because Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could no longer continue the activities. The loot itself was 71 Magic Crystals and 34 Magic Stones. It got counted separately from what got given to the two hunters.. In addition, there were several Spheres that he had obtained. Chapter 169: Tier 5 Portal Gate Chapter 169: Tier 5 Portal Gate "Sir, regarding the Portal Gate auction, when are we going to spread out the invitations?" "Hold it for now. Tomorrow the Demigod guild will enter the tier-5 Portal Gate. Let''s wait for them to finish or wait for another five days or so." Chief Yoon didn''t understand why Chairman Yu would dy the event just for the Demigod Guild. On paper, the Demigod Guild was indeed one of the three big guilds in South Korea. But, it shouldn''t make the Hunters Association dy something for them. Well, if it got connected with Ji-woo''s presence in the Demigod guild. Then it would make sense. Ever since the Red Gate incident throughout Seoul, Kim Ji-woo''s name appeared out of nowhere, causing a stir among information seekers and sellers. Not only that, the news and auction about the Spatial Bag owned by the young man also surprised many hunters. But, what surprised Chief Yoon was that Ji-woo was just an E-rank hunter. How could a lowly hunter like that withstand the pressure from various parties regarding the Spatial Bag? In addition, Chief Yoon also got taken aback by Chairman Yu''s attitude of letting Ji-woo use the weapon shop without his consent. Chief Yoon was certainly bewildered by that. But, she finally realized why an E-rank Hunter like Ji-woo could live and sound without any troubleing to his door. She already experienced Ji-woo''s strange aura that almost brought all hunters to their knees beforehand. Ji-woo''s existence was very mysterious. Chief Yoon knew that his E-rank was a lie from that one incident. And that prediction was confirmed when she saw Ji-woo manage to stand on his two feet before the Mana Presence of an Apex-ranked hunter, Yoh Akuma. Wanting to know about Ji-woo would identally get met with an oddity. Namely, the absence of Mana got felt by him. It wasn''t just Chief Yoon. Even everyone who had met him since his name started to stir up would clearly feel the strangeness. Did Ji-woo not have Mana? That was certainly a question that often arose in the heads of those hunters. Unfortunately, they didn''t have a definite and clear answer so far. "Ah, right! Sir, you''re not thinking about joining the Demigod guild to that tier-5 Portal Gate, are you?" Suddenly, Chief Yoon dawned upon the possibility. "I did that. But, as the head of the Hunters Association, I can''t do that. So you don''t have to worry." Chairman Yu chuckled. He knew his responsibilities as a leader. He couldn''t just wander around without something clear and a definite goal. Going to the tier-5 Portal Gate just out of curiosity about Ji-woo''s actions couldn''t be a justification for him. The long-awaited day had arrived, the hunters in the Vanguard team had prepared in front of the Demigod guild headquarters. Gang-ho, In-ah, and Dal-soo stand at the very front. They were the three S-rank and pole hunters of the guild. A far less numberpared to world-ss guilds. Forget thatparison for a moment. Even with the Shadow guild and the Artates guild alone, their number of S-rank hunters was far behind those two. Previously many had asked to confirm if Gang-ho was really ready to enter the tier-5 Portal Gate. Even Hyun-bin joined in, trying to remind that it was quite a high risk. Gang-ho replied with determination. He was confident he could take care of the tier-5 Portal Gate. Some attribute it to Ji-woo''s presence which causes the guild Headmaster to get assured that he could close it. Speaking of the devil, Ji-woo finally came. He was thest one the Demigod guild hunters had been waiting for it. Many guild members were busy whispering and talking about Ji-woo''s presence when they saw him walking towards the crowd of hunters on the Vanguard team. The guild member''s assessment of him had changed somewhat since Ji-woo''s video with the two S-rank hunters spread. Of course, not everyone believed that and wanted to test Ji-woo in person. In the end, the hunters were just all talk, no actions. The hunters on the Vanguard team were no exception to this prejudice. Some still look down on Ji-woo and couldn''t believe that the video was real. Even In-ah and Min-ho, who met and witnessed what Ji-woo did, still have doubts in their hearts. Gang-ho was no exception. His decision to get Dal-soo to add Ji-woo to the Vanguard team was more or less get influenced by his desire to test the young man. Only Dal-soo got convinced by Ji-woo''s strength and presence. "Thank you for inviting me into the team. Hopefully, it will be good cooperation for thest time." Ji-woo said as he bowed and nced at Dal-soo. At first, Gang-ho wanted to return the gesture and threw pleasantries at Ji-woo. However, he frowned upon hearing the next part. "For thest one? What are you talking about!?" Dal-soo approached and opened his mouth before things got heated, especially after seeing Gang-ho and In-ah''s expressions. "We can talk about thatter. Let''s focus on what''s in front of us. A Level-5 Portal Gate. This is something that needs our full concentration and attention." Gang-ho and In-ah moved their gazes to Dal-soo. They wanted to ask and wanted to know what Ji-woo meant. However, when reminded of the tier-5 Portal Gate, they couldn''t help but keep quiet and talk about it after they finished in the dungeon. "Let''s go," Dal-soo said. The Vanguard team finally departed and arrived at their destination. Gang-ho once again reminded his guild members to check their preparations before entering the tier-5 Portal Gate. Zap, Zap¨C This dungeon had an area equivalent to Seoul. It really was a vast area and quite unique by having two opposite mountains. The environments were fire and icends. And the Vanguard team hunters appeared in the middle of it. Zip, Zip¨C "Wow! The f*ck!? One side of my body feels cold, and the other is warm." "That''s right. To be able to prate our body''s resistance means that the temperature is extreme." "You could say being in the midst of this fire and ice is good. I can imagine if we got close to one of those mountains. Then the temperature wouldn''t be as friendly as this." The closer they got to the center of the volcano, the hotter they would feel, even for an A-rank hunter. Likewise with the other icebergs, the closer they got to the center, the temperature would immediately drop to a level where A-rank hunters could freeze. However, that wasn''t a problem for the Vanguard Demigod team. They knew not to underestimate a tier-5 Portal Gate dungeon. So, many magic items got prepared. Among them were armor and cloaks with fire resistance and frost resistance. Without further ado, Gang-ho then divided his team of 50 hunters into five groups. They have to explore the area around them for a while. Even if they encountered Portal Gate creatures, they were only required to take necessary action, then return to their original ce instead of fighting. Dal-soo originally wanted to let Ji-woo be on another team that didn''t have an S-rank hunter. But, he changed his mind after seeing several hunters with doubtful and disdainful looks at Ji-woo. He didn''t want conflict within the team to happen. To be precise, he didn''t want any hunters to get beaten by Ji-woo while they were still in the dungeon. In the end, Ji-woo joined Dal-soo''s group. Even if the cement didn''t pretty evenly allocate, it didn''t matter. They were still in the stage of exploring the area. Not in hunting mode. Ji-woo initially felt normal until he became slightly ufortable because several hunters were bothered by his presence. ''Well, well. Those brats would have immediately emunicated me if Dal-soo~si wasn''t here.'' Ji-woo smirked. Even though he wasn''t bothered by it, he was ready whenever the hunters did something stupid and jumped at him. He would happily open the door of death for them. Ji-woo sighed and used his Mana sense to check the area around him. After a while, he already had the positions of the creatures near Dal-soo''s group. "There are seven creatures near us within a 30-meter radius." Of course, the hunters that doubted Ji-woo sneered with disdain while Dal-soo just nodded his head. Not long after, Dal-soo was finally able to feel the existence of the seven creatures. Next, Dal-soo ordered some hunters to peek at the creatures'' positions and forbade them to engage. Ji-woo didn''t bother to help. It was because Dal-soo himself didn''t say anything to him. And also, his current state was somewhat different from before. He had increased the weight of his four instruments to a total of 1384 kg. So, if he wanted to fight with the creatures in the dungeon, of course, it wouldn''t be smooth and quiet. On another note, to move as usual was definitely not a problem for him. Anyhow, it was a difficult task for Ji-woo to fight and expect fast movements like his previous ones.. On the other hand, it would also be an opportunity to solidify his full strength in a tier-5 Portal Gate with such difficulty. Chapter 170: Tier 5: No Excuses Chapter 170: Tier 5: No Excuses To be the truth. There wasn''t a single hunter who wasn''t nervous about being in a tier-5 Portal Gate dungeon. Everyone on the Vanguard team was currently feeling intense tension. Luckily, no one made a mistake. After exploring the area for about 12 hours, everyone returned to their original ce and reported their findings so the team could prepare for their next steps. In their conversation, everyone agreed that there were two types of creatures in the dungeon with them, just like two mountains and two environments. The creatures in the ice section were Undead Knights in white armor, while the creatures in the fire section were Undead Knights in red armor. Both have attributes ording to their respective areas. The Mana possessed by those creatures was already on par with S-rank hunters, and some surpassed them. On the other hand, When the hunters thought about what n they would use to conquer the dungeon, Ji-woo just looked around at it. In the first ce, he had never turned off his Mana sense to find out how many creatures there were and where the Dungeon Owner was. But, it was of no use at all. Even if he had to use Null Eyes, it could only cover a 5 km radius. That was not enough for an area as big as Seoul. Ji-woo wiggled his fingers. ''This will be a chance to see how far I can go with a heavyweight like this.'' After a while, Gang-ho finally decided to split the team into two groups. Their job was to hunt in silence until they found the Dungeon Owner and then regrouped to take care of the creature as quickly as possible. The cement of the hunters this time was also the same as before. Gang-ho and In-ah were in one group, and the rest were A-rank hunters. Whereas, Dal-soo and Ji-woo''s groups have a mix of A-rank and B-rank. Several hunters with unique elements were also initially considered to join the Vanguard team. However, the n was changed by the guild Headmaster because he felt hecked confidence in bringing in those hunters that were far below B-rank. "Okay, let''s go now and be careful." Gang-ho and the others head to the ice section while Dal-soo''s group to the fire section. On the way, Ji-woo looked again at theposition of the hunters in Dal-soo''s group and was speechless because of that. Dal-soo noticed that, asking Ji-woo what was wrong. "I know there is some intention to test me in this dungeon, but it should get done better. A formation like this is the same as telling my face that everything will be taken care of by myself." Dal-soo smiled awkwardly, "That''s not true. I''m sure everything here wille in handy when dealing with these creatures." "Sure, and that time hase. They''reing." "What!?" Suddenly Dal-soo felt an intense heating from the front. He ordered all the hunters in his group to get ready to fight and try to fend off the magic attack but was interrupted by Ji-woo''s voice again. "Not just one. Two moreing after." Dal-soo widened his eyes and wanted to ask what Ji-woo meant. Just in time, the answer was right before his eyes. Two Undead Knights with mes in their armor leaped up and swung their swords at the same time as the fierce burst of zes struck. Dal-soo gritted his teeth and yelled at the other hunters. It really wasn''t the time for jokes. The Mana he felt from the three beings was terrifying now that they were close to him. "The rest of you take care of the two sword-swinging creatures! I''ll take care of the one in front." Dal-soo wrapped his hands in magic energy and was about to jump forward. But, he got stopped by Ji-woo. "I take care of the one in front. You and the other hunters take care of the other two creatures. Be careful." Ji-woo said with a reminder. He knew that Dal-soo was in a panic because the three Undead Knights facing them had Mana above an S-rank hunter. Dal-soo immediately went after the other hunters to take care of the two Undead Knights. Meanwhile, Ji-woo darted forward and stopped the intense burst of mes, which was about to hit the group. It was an easy thing for Ji-woo to stop the magic attack. The instant his hand was pointed forward and met the intense me, at that moment, the magic disappeared. There was no creature to be seen after, but Ji-woo knew where the Undead Knight was. He moved quickly and found the creature. Unfortunately, his speed was not like before. He had to receive a sword swing attack from the Red Undead Knight. Even though he could react, his movements couldn''t keep up. Ji-woo couldn''t dodge and only raised his right arm to block the sword sh. Bang! "F*ck!" Ji-woo was thrown backward and tumbled several times on the ground until he finally stopped himself. He didn''t have time to look at the injuries sustained and charged directly at the Red Undead Knight. "Ragh!" Ji-woo shouted while throwing a punch at the creature''s face. The Red Undead Knight must have been hit and pushed back by that. Unfortunately, his blow damage got quite reduced because the creature had time to block the attack with the sword. Ji-woo clicked his tongue. ''Bastard! Just a thousand kilograms alone, my strength got reduced by almost half. This is annoying!'' Bwosh! Out of nowhere, fireballs flew towards Ji-woo, and he swiftly dispelled all the magic attacks with ease. "Heh! Easy! Is there anything more powerful than this!? Get it all out! Don''t be half-hearted." The Red Undead Knight just stared at Ji-woo calmly without being affected by the provocation. He then tilted his head and instantly jumped with fire thrust on the ground. Ji-woo''s eyes widened and prepared to dodge the shes of the Red Undead Knight that came at a fast speed. He managed to duck from the strongceration but couldn''t avoid the creature''s kick thatnded on his stomach. He was again knocked to the ground for the second time even though the fight had begun. "You damn creature! It can''t talk. But it turns out it has a brain instead." Ji-woo realized the Red Undead Knight''s gaze earlier was an observation. The creature noticed that magic spell attacks were useless against him after those two attacks. The Red Undead Knight immediately attacked with only his sword and other physical attacks with that kind of conclusion. The result? Incredibly perfect. Ji-woo couldn''t do anything at all. He had thought about removing the weights on his wrists and ankles. But then, he dispelled the idea. In the first ce, he used those instruments to improve his physique. Not used for the practice, it meant that the original purpose was in vain. ''I don''t want to admit it. But, this has to be done until it reaches my limit. Full power will note outpletely if the vessel is not strong.'' Even though his full strength was back, Ji-woo still realized that his power wasn''t exactly the same as his time in the Magical World. And he could only think about the physical differences he upied. "You''re strong. I have to admit. And I have no excuse for this humiliation. "The magic ends here! Nullifier!" Zap, Zap¨C Two pieces of light emerged in Ji-woo''s palm. Two short swords with one-sided des appeared. One was sky blue and amethyst, and the other was denim and ck. "It''s time to dispel the magic that surrounds us, kids!" Ji-woo threw the Shadow de at the Red Undead Knight while running. The creature initially intended to parry it with its sword. But sensing the terrifying sensation of the de, the Red Undead Knight immediately changed his mind. He ducked his head to dodge, but at that moment, Ji-woo suddenly appeared above him, holding the Shadow de that got thrown earlier. "Surprised!?" Ji-woo immediately swung the Shadow de, and the Red Undead Knight had to resist it head-on. The creature immediately crashed to the ground beneath it, and the sword used to block cracked slightly. Ji-woo did not waste the opportunity. He threw the Diffusal de at the fallen creature. However, the Red Undead Knight managed to dodge the Diffusal de and widened the gap with Ji-woo. Now, he was in trouble. Previously, he predicted that closebat would favor him until Ji-woo''s two strange swords appeared. The moment Red Undead Knight blocked the sword sh, he could feel an unusual weight from it. Even though in terms of speed, it didn''t change much. He couldn''t help but feel wary of it. Ji-woo started sweating. Whereas before, he was still unaffected by his surroundings. he then summoned the Dual de. But that didn''t help at all. The weight of the instruments reached thousands of kilograms, plus swords weighing 300 kg each. It was frankly a tremendous challenge for him. On the other hand, Ji-woo also felt a little tense from it. He smirked. He thought it would be interesting to fight those creatures and the Dungeon Owner. Ji-woo''s fighting spirit felt unstoppable. Whether he was at a disadvantage or not, he didn''t care. He didn''t want to make that an excuse. A fight was just a fight. Chapter 171: Tier 5: Easy But Not Easy Chapter 171: Tier 5: Easy But Not Easy The Red Undead Knight tilted his head. In addition to the heavy swing of the sword, the way Ji-woo suddenly appeared above him was also a mystery. It was like going from ce to ce by tearing space in the air. The Red Undead Knight wanted to know the pattern of the technique, but Ji-woo attacked again. It was the same as before. Ji-woo threw the Shadow de at him. Anyway, he wanted to choose not to dodge and brushed the de aside. But, before the Shadow de got blocked, Ji-woo suddenly appeared and took the weapon with his right hand and shed at the Red Undead Knight. Bang! The Red Undead Knight was taken aback by that and could only hold on at a disadvantage. He had to block the de from above and bend the other knee to support the defense. He even used the fire magic emanating from his entire body to try to push Ji-woo back. "F*ck! Do you think this is enough!? Dream on!" Ji-woo refused to back down and kept the Shadow de pressed against the Red Undead Knight''s sword. He didn''t care about the fire magic that was burning and swallowing the two of them. It wouldn''t hurt him one bit. The worst result was that he had to get naked because his clothes were charred. But, thinking about the possibility of being naked suddenly made Ji-woo change his mind. He swiftly swung the Diffusal de at the Red Undead Knight and extinguished the fire magic at that instant because of the blow. Bang! Boom! The Red Undead Knight crashed heavily onto the ground. The state of the sword he wielded became even worse than before. Regardless of the situation, he still ignited fire magic on his body and shot mes from his legs to get away from Ji-woo with the help of the magic''s eleration. Ji-woo didn''t catch up because his current speed wouldn''t be able to keep up with the creature''s movements. Shadow de''s ability to tear space was also on cooldown. So, he couldn''t close the distance in an instant. "So troublesome!" Ji-woo got lucky that the clothes he wore were a ker vest like the one he usually wore in dungeons. It could at least withstand the arrow fire from the creature for a moment. Otherwise, his clothes would have to get reduced to ashes in that split second. The Red Undead Knight nced at the sword in his hand. The two times he resisted Ji-woo''s shes, the cracks had almost broken the weapon. He only had one chance with the sword. Whether to defend or attack. It could only get used once until it got crushed. Then, the Red Undead Knight ignited mes all over his body again and wrapped the sword with it. Like it or not, that would be his final attack. In addition, he also knew the secret of Ji-woo changing ces. So, he was sure he would win against Ji-woo in the conclusive strike. And again, Ji-woo threw the de at the Red Undead Knight. The creature must have felt sick of having to get attacked in the same way for the third time. When Ji-woo''s de drew near, he dodged easily and kept his sights focused on the weapon. It was because he knew that Ji-woo would appear where the sword was. Not long after, the Red Undead Knight noticed something strange. The de was getting further and further away from him. But, Ji-woo didn''t appear either. "Peek a boo!" Ji-woo suddenly appeared to the right of the Red Undead Knight, who was still staring at the thrown de. The creature had no time to get surprised and broke Ji-woo''s n. He instantly swung his sword, which got wrapped in fire magic. Kaa!! The Red Undead Knight shrieked his anger and was about to spit fire from his mouth. Zreet¨C Unfortunately, the creature''s head had already separated from its body before the mes burst out. The sword that got wrapped in fire magic also melted away as the head rolled to the ground. The Red Undead Knight instantly turned to ashes and disappeared into the wind. "Fool." Ji-woo walked away to pick up the de he threw earlier. It was the Diffusal de. Meanwhile, the one used to sh the creature''s neck is the Shadow de. Also, it was because the Undead Knight was too focused on the Diffusal de. He didn''t notice the Shadow de flying towards the creature after the first de. That was why he could appear all of a sudden. Ji-woo then returned to where Dal-soo and the others were. He was sure they must be in trouble too. The situation of Dal-soo and the other hunters was okay as they had no casualties while facing off against the two Red Undead Knights. On the other hand, they had to pay a heavy price for the condition with serious injuries suffered by more than half of the hunters in Dal-soo''s group. The stamina and Mana of the hunters already got used up by half, and the condition of the two creatures still looked solid. All hunters in Dal-soo''s group were also sweating profusely from the hot environment. Even for the size of an S-rank hunter like Dal-soo, the temperature could affect his body. Apart from his drastically deteriorating body condition. He was the only one that had more Mana left than the others. "Get ready! It''sing!" Dal-soo screamed breathlessly. He used his blue string of threads to restrain the movement of the two Red Undead Knights. But it didn''t work at all. In the event that he tried to restrain the movement of the two creatures simultaneously. He would be the one being dragged away due to the difference in strength between them. Dal-soo could only use a single thread or two threads to slow the movement of the Red Undead Knights instead of holding them both back. Even though it wasn''t practical, it was enough to give the A-rank and B-rank hunters a chance tounch the attacks. However, the Red Undead Knights swung their swords with ease, and all of the hunters'' magic attacks got swept away, vanishing in midair in an instant. And before the hunters retreated, the two creatures had closed the distance and beat them all. Dal-soo approached and tried to repulse one of the Red Undead Knights. The two of them exchanged fist blows, and as a result, both of them got knocked back. However, Dal-soo had to take a follow-up attack from the other Red Undead Knights. He ended up being hit and knocked to the ground. The Red Undead Knights stood side by side and positioned their hand that wasn''t holding the sword forward. Before long, a fireball with a fierce spin appeared in each of their hands. The two fireballs then shrunk to an incredible density of fire. Boom! The fireballs exploded and shot towards the hunters, who were trying to get up from their fall. Dal-soo wanted to withstand the attack but had no chance. Suddenly, two des got flung past the bursts of fireballs. Meanwhile, Ji-woonded and dispelled the st with both hands. The fireballs evaporated, and only smoke remained. Ji-woo disappeared and no longer stood where he was to fend off the bursts of fire magic. At that instant, the Red Undead Knights were surprised that their magic attacks were dealt with so easily and only then noticed that two des were flying towards them. One of the Red Undead Knights managed to deflect the de to the ground and leaped aside. Another Red Undead Knight was about to do the same but didn''t because Ji-woo suddenly appeared behind the de and swung the weapon violently. Screet¨C The Red Undead Knight''s arm holding the sword was cut off and fell to the ground. He then acted swiftly and jumped to the side. Ji-woonded and picked up the Diffusal de stuck in the ground. He didn''t continue, knowing his speed wouldn''t be enough to make his attack sessful. "Not bad." Ji-woo wanted to use his Aura of Fear but wasn''t sure if he could control it. So, it didn''t affect the hunters behind him. He didn''t expect the effect of the weights to affect his concentration level because he had to feel pressured by the weight he was carrying. The Red Undead Knights tilted their heads, staring at Ji-woo with curiosity and confusion. Ji-woo was not happy with the two creatures'' gazes. "To hell with that! Whatever the circumstances, you guys are still a hundred years too early to match me!" Boom! Ji-woo jumped with all his might and swung his des at the two creatures. The Red Undead Knight, who had lost an arm, dodged quickly and took the sword in the severed hand. Surprisingly, the Red Undead Knight who had resisted the initial attack could withstand Ji-woo''s sh. That was because he instantly wrapped his sword with fire magic inyers when he noticed Ji-woo''s violent swing. Of course, sessfully fending off Ji-woo''s attack was not without consequences. He had to get pushed back a few steps, and his arm also felt a tingling pain. Ji-woo had no intention of stopping and continued swinging the des. The Red Undead Knight with one arm also took part in that fight. Whereas Ji-woo continuously swayed his two des. The two creatures had to defend and attack in session to stay bnced and not get pushed into a disadvantageous position. Meanwhile, the hunters could only watch and let their jaws open to witness Ji-woo''s action pressing the two Red Undead Knights with his shes. Chapter 172: Tier 5: Bring It On! Chapter 172: Tier 5: Bring It On! It didn''t take long for the Red Undead Knights'' swords to shatter as they had to withstand the violent swing of Ji-woo''s des. No matter how manyyers of mes wrapped around the swords, it was only a matter of time for Ji-woo to destroy them. One Red Undead Knight finally fell to his knees and tried to resist the de sh that came from above. He didn''t have any weapons to block and only used his hands, apanied by a bundle of fire, to restrain Ji-woo''s sword. Ji-woo kept pressing the Diffusal de into the creature while tightening his teeth. However, that left him exposed and easily attacked by the other Red Undead Knight. The Red Undead Knight took advantage of the opportunity and threw a punch with his one arm. The attacknded sessfully. Yet, Ji-woo refused to back down and took the hit head-on with his face, despite having to bleed from his mouth. "Don''t f*ck with me!" Ji-woo said and swung the Shadow de. He managed to sh the only remaining arm of the Red Undead Knight. Meanwhile, the other Red Undead Knight that got suppressed with the Diffusal de was already starting to weaken, and the de shed at the creature''s shoulder. And when the weapon touched his body, his Mana rapidly decreased. Until the mes zing in several parts of his body disappeared, and he finally died because there was no Mana left. The armless Red Undead Knight showed his fear of humans for the first time. He immediately got up and ran away in a hurry. However, Ji-woo did not let that happen. He threw the Shadow de at the creature and appeared instantly, shing the Red Undead Knight''s head with the Diffusal de. Dal-soo was the first to close his mouth after seeing how Ji-woo eradicated the two Red Undead Knights in a few minutes. Surprisingly, he had a different reaction to the hunters who were there. The hunters were amazed that Ji-woo managed to take care of the two creatures, while Dal-soo was confused because Ji-woo looked a little troubled to eradicate the Red Undead Knights. If one looked closely, Ji-woo himself was bleeding from his right arm and mouth. ''Is it because it''s a tier-5 Portal Gate? However, those creatures are not as strong as Apex-rank hunters and only slightly stronger than S-rank hunters.'' Dal-soo thought. It made him wonder if Ji-woo wasn''t in good shape to fight. Ji-woo then looked over the hunters who were staring at him in amazement. "How long do you want to lie on the ground? Get up and move, this ce is already too noisy, and soon the monsters in red armor will be crowding here." Ji-woo''s words immediately woke the hunters from their daydreams and began to prepare to leave the ce. However, reality said otherwise. Almost half of them had trouble moving around like usual and needed help. They had to spend some time recovering their state first, whether Ji-woo liked it or not. Magic items such as Healing Potions, Magic Crystals, and Magic Stones got used the most. In addition, Dal-soo also performed healing. So, they could move ces as soon as possible. Ji-woo opened his mouth and made the atmosphere tense again while the hunters were busy recuperating. "You guys just go to the other side and help those who are there. Let the ones here be my business." The hunters, who heard that, were clearly not happy with Ji-woo''s tone. They knew that they had a hard time dealing with the Red Undead Knights. However, that didn''t mean they could get sent off at will by someone new to the Demigod Guild. Moreover, they were the hunters of choice for the Vanguard team. Their pride was definitely too high to lose to reality. Even Dal-soo also felt sour about the words because he seemed to get considered thoroughly useless. Dal-soo, with his icy cold gaze, continued. "There are dozens more creatures like the one in red armor ahead of us. I''m not a babysitter. There''s no time to save your asses one by one." Several Hunters clenched their fists and were about to retaliate at Ji-woo. However, they swiftly got stopped by Dal-soo. "Don''t do anything reckless. Save your strength and prepare to catch up with the guild Headmaster''s group." "But, Hyung!" "That''s an order!" Finally, the hunters were ready to leave the volcanic environment. And they were about to head to the iceberg environment. They could only grit their teeth at the harsh reality. Their opinion of Jiwoo was a strong hunter, but that didn''t discourage them. They only felt amazement, not fear, from the previous incident. It was why they still had a bit of ball to think of beating Ji-woo. Dal-soo wanted to say something several times. But, in the end, he didn''t. He then turned his back on Ji-woo and left a bag filled with magic clothes and Healing Potion. "Do you think the Guild Headmaster group is in a better situation than us?" Dal-soo stopped in his tracks when he heard those words from Ji-woo. "What do you mean?!" "Just those two creatures in red armor alone are giving us trouble here. What if it''s more than that attacking the other group?! "These creatures possess a level of intelligencemensurate with their strength. They can learn your magic attacks with almost precise deductions in just a short time. "The group that is in the iceberg environment will certainly find it difficult and overwhelmed even though there are only two enemies." Dal-soo was surprised and widened his eyes. He wanted to hurry over to where Gang-ho and the others were. "One more thing. I have a hunch we''re in a dungeon with Dual Owners." Ji-woo continued without turning his body to face Dal-soo, getting faster in his steps. Dal-soo moved quickly without telling the other hunters why. However, it was enough to surprise the hunters. In the end, they then follow in his footsteps without much question. It was too coincidental when viewed from two mountains, two environments, and two types of creatures. Moreover, everything in the dungeon was always rted to the two elements. It was fire and ice. It would be strange if there were only one Dungeon Owner. On the other hand, it was also for Ji-woo to optimize his training. He already felt excited and wanted to face all the creatures in red armor at once. Ji-woo nced into the bag. "If I face two or three of those creatures. Then I don''t get any results. In order to push my limit, it must be at least ten or more creatures simultaneously." He then took a magic armor of higher quality than his Ker vest. The magical armor has a fit size, not a bulky one. So, he wanted to wear it even though it wasn''t his style. "This ce must get rid of magic, Nullifier!" Zap, Zap¨C Two lights emerged in Ji-woo''s palm, and two short swords with one-sided des appeared. One was sky blue and amethyst, Diffusal de. The other was denim and ck, Shadow de. Ji-woo threw the Shadow de forward, far high into the air. He then appeared in an instant after the de reached a certain distance beforending on the ground. Kaboom! Ji-woonded heavily after grasping the Shadow de. The ground area where hended got crushed, and cracks appeared irregrly. He nced here and there and opened his mouth. "Seriously!? Stop analyzing me! Come out and face me head-on." Several Red Undead Knights appeared a moment after Ji-woo finished speaking. Somee out of the ground, and otherse out of theva. There were seven Red Undead Knights who had the same strength as the previous three. ''Well, the numbers are less. But, it doesn''t matter. I have time by my side, and no burden is holding me back.'' "Haaa!" Ji-woo roared and drove off without further ado with his two des. The Red Undead Knight, who was the target, wasn''t surprised at all because Ji-woo''s speed wasn''t great. He then prepared to receive the attack with his sword. The other six Red Undead Knights also didn''t stay still and leaped towards Ji-woo. Unexpectedly, Ji-woo swung the Diffusal de and Shadow de at the same time. Bang! The Red Undead Knight immediately got smashed to the ground, and his hands were shaking violently. The sword that resisted the double strike got cracked immeasurably. He didn''t expect Ji-woo''s attack to turn out to be heavy enough to withstand. The six Red Undead Knights, who were carrying out their attacks on Ji-woo, were not surprised and did not stop their movements. Ji-woo threw the Shadow de at one of the Red Undead Knights. But it got avoided easily. He then blocked the first attack of another Red Undead Knight with the Diffusal de. He seeded. But there were five swords swinging at him. Suddenly, Ji-woo disappeared from the six Red Undead Knights'' sights. And their attack was unsessful. They were confused and tried to find where Ji-woo was. Until they finally see the fallen Red Undead Knight at the beginning, looking somewhere. They eventually follow the direction of the gaze and find Ji-woo there. Ji-woo smirked with his two des on his left and right shoulders. "Bring it on!" Chapter 173: Tier 5: The Other Groups Chapter 173: Tier 5: The Other Groups Ji-woo was still able to outperform the seven Red Undead Knights. The swing of the des was hard enough and capable of repelling the creatures so that he had time to take turns facing each other. Unfortunately, that didn''t totally give him the advantage. Ji-woo couldn''t finish off a single creature even though he kept repelling them. At every opportunity, the other Red Undead Knights would approach and disrupt the flow of his attacks. That led to a stalemate situation against the seven beings. However, even though the battle dragged on for a long time, the one that took the most damage was the seven Red Undead Knights. Meanwhile, Ji-woo, despite suffering several cuts from the swords of the creatures. He still looked strong, and there was no sign of being overwhelmed. Now, three of the seven Red Undead Knights had lost their swords as they shattered against the heavy swing of Ji-woo''s de. "If you guys want to call for reinforcements, just do it. I won''t try to stop that. "But otherwise, entertain me." Ji-woo said while making a e here'' gesture with his finger while his hand was still holding the Shadow de. The humiliation certainly didn''t affect the Red Undead Knights. They were not the type to get easily provoked and attack carelessly. On the other hand, they agree that Ji-woo was not just any human they could deal with without ganging up. One didn''t need to bother to go anywhere to just call for reinforcements. Just explode the battlefield, and the rest of the Red Undead Knights would swarm in an instant. One Red Undead Knight then charged towards Ji-woo while the others followed after. Ji-woo raised one eyebrow when he saw the advancing Red Undead Knight was the one who had no weapons. ''Does my de swing feel light!? Very funny! To let the ones who go first are the creatures without weapons.'' "I''ll let you guys taste despair!" Boom! Out of nowhere, the Red Undead Knight, who went first, instead let out mes all over his body and blew up the area. The massive explosion covered arge area and caused a cloud of smoke to rise upwards. The incident could even get seen from where Dal-soo''s group was. The hunters saw the high smoke for a moment, stopping them in their tracks, but knowing that Dal-soo wasn''t flinched by the incident, they continued on their run. It also became an eye-catcher for the Red Undead Knights scattered in the volcanic area. And that automatically made the creatures approach inrge numbers. Like the ants were trying to loom the sugar. "Crazy!" Ji-woo eximed while checking his armor, which turned out to be okay. He was surprised by the sudden burst of a tremendous fire. However, he wasn''t worried about his safety but his armor instead. Suddenly, Ji-woo turned back and swung the Shadow de, which shed the chest of the Red Undead Knight who appeared behind him to attack. He didn''t stop there and plunged the Diffusal de into the wound. The Red Undead Knight felt his Mana get absorbed uncontrobly. He twitched and tried to remove the de from his chest while terrified. But, it was all in vain. The other Red Undead Knights also arrived to attack Ji-woo. Four creatures were swinging their swords. But, Ji-woo managed to dodge by leaving the Diffusal de stuck. Two sword-less Red Undead Knights attacked Ji-woo with massive fireballs that had no effect at all. The magic attack was dispelled efficiently by Ji-woo. Meanwhile, the Red Undead Knights saw theirrades writhing in pain, trying to remove the strange de. No one wanted to hold the sword out of fear because they felt a drastic decrease in Mana. In the end, they let their deadrades disappear and rush to attack Ji-woo again. The Red Undead Knights then averted their eyes only to find Ji-woo had disappeared from his ce. On the spur of the moment, Ji-woo appeared amid the six Red Undead Knights and swung the Shadow de swiftly. However, four of the six creatures managed to jump back to avoid Ji-woo''s attack. Meanwhile, the other two didn''t have time to dodge and lost their heads in one fell swoop. Ji-woo took the Diffusal de and nned to continue his pursuit of the four remaining Red Undead Knights. However, he stopped in his tracks when he realized and saw that dozens of new Red Undead Knights had arrived. Ji-woo didn''t flinch in the slightest, seeing the situation of one against dozens of creatures with a strength slightly above S-rank hunters. He even smiled widely from ear to ear. "F*cker! Took all of you long enough to gather! Now is the time for destruction!" Ji-woo roared and made the Red Undead Knights intimidated by his passion. The creatures, of course, immediately attacked simultaneously without much ado. He also used the Aura of Fear. Although, it didn''t have much effect. It was enough to slow the movement of the Red Undead Knights by instilling a hint of fear to disrupt their ferocity. On the other hand, it was a real test for Ji-woo to push himself to the limit in a situation. Whereas his strength and speed greatly got reduced due to the weight of his wrists and ankles. He needed to pass the ordeal to develop one further stage of his existing strength. Meanwhile, in an iceberg environment, Gang-ho''s group proved to be struggling to fight with just one White Undead Knight. The hunters managed to hunt down and iste one of these creatures. So far, their n was going well, especially with Gang-ho and In-ah as the vanguard, who took care of the White Undead Knight''s attack. But not long after, to defeat that one creature was aplex matter for the hunters. The A-rank hunters used elemental fire magic with destructive damage. However, it did not affect creatures whose magic used the element of ice.e Gang-ho and In-ah also didn''t stay still, trying to attack. But it still got blocked by the White Undead Knight because his sword attacks were always dangerous. It left the two S-rank hunters with no chance to counterattack other than defending. Gang-ho nced at In-ah and nodded as if they had a tacit understanding of it. He used water magic and wrapped his sword with it. In-ah also did the same as him. The two S-rank hunters jumped and charged at the White Undead Knight. The two of them simultaneously also emitted fire magic from their other hand. The White Undead Knight responded to the fire magic aimed at him by stomping his feet, and a block of ice shot out, extending rtively high from the ground. Kaboom! The smoke explosion urred due to the collision of the ice blocks and the bursts of fire. However, the two S-rank hunters'' attacks didn''t stop, even though their field of vision got narrowed by the smoke. Teng, Teng¨C The sound of swords shing with each other got heard, and soon Gang-ho and In-ah emerged from the explosion smoke. The White Undead Knight also jumped backward, arising out of the cloud of smoke. At least, the two-on-one battle was even. Now, it was only how Gang-ho and the others could use their numbers against that White Undead Knight. "The two of us will restrict the creature''s movement, and you try to attack at all times. Wrap your weapons with fire magic and use water magic to open gaps when you want to advance ande backter." Gang-ho whispered. Some of the A-rank hunters then dispersed and informed the other hunters of the n. Gang-ho and In-ah attack again by wrapping their swords in water magic. The White Undead Knight responded and took the two S-rank hunters'' attacks head-on. The two swords with water magic enveloped sessfully restrained by the creature. However, the two S-rank hunters didn''t let their attacks halt. Gang-ho retreated his sword. And let In-ah keep the White Undead Knight''s sword alone. He then swung the weapon from above, and the creature got forced to restrain it with the other hand because the de couldn''t get used to parry. The White Undead Knight managed to resist even though his arm armor got prated. At that moment, he realized an additional attack wasing from behind. The first was the fireball attack that made an imprint on his back. It got followed by several hunters jumping with heavy weapons wrapped in water, about to hit him. The White Undead Knight let out an avnche with his body. And Gang-ho interfered with that by casting water magic and making the ice avnche melt. In-ah also did the same as her Headmaster guild. This incident made the detention of the White Undead Knight loose. He finally could move his sword again and swung violently to knock In-ah and Gang-ho back at once. The White Undead Knight managed to escape and immediately turned around to attack the hunters who had already jumped at him. Just before the White Undead Knight''s attack could injure the hunters. Several visible blue threads suddenly wrapped around the creature''s arms and legs, stopping the movement and swing of its sword. Gang-ho and In-ah were surprised by that. However, they did not intend to waste the opportunity.. They immediately closed the distance with the White Undead Knight and shed at the creature''s body simultaneously. Chapter 174: Tier 5: Regroup Chapter 174: Tier 5: Regroup Dal-soo''s group arrived just in time. And with one additional S-rank hunter, killing the White Undead Knight was a breeze. The White Undead Knight knelt and evaporated into the air. Gang-ho and In-ah''s attacks were enough to make the creaturepletely helpless after its movement got restrained by the Godly Doctor. "What happened?! Why are you guys here?" "What happened there?!" Gang-ho and In-ah rushed to Dal-soo and asked about the situation. They only separated in about 15 hours. So, there was no way Dal-soo''s group had already taken care of all the creatures with powers slightly above those S-rank hunters and then caught up with them. In-ah was the first to notice Ji-woo''s absence and predicted a situation where Dal-soo''s group should run away and leave Ji-woo alone. But, she didn''t open her mouth to interrupt and waited for Dal-soo''s real exnation. Dal-soo himself didn''t speak right away and looked around him first. He saw that it didn''t seem like they had any casualties and felt a little relieved. However, that feeling was only temporary. He remembered what Ji-woo said and started to reveal the reason he caught up with Gang-ho''s group. "Are you sure that boy can handle it? Even for me, and In-ah, fighting one such creature is very difficult." "But, it''s true. If you don''t believe me, Hyung can ask my group members. They all witnessed how Ji-woo defeated the two creatures in a few minutes." "What Senior Oh said is true, guild Headmaster. We saw it." However, there were those who did not conform with the statement and tried to downgrade Ji-woo. "He''s probably lucky that the two creatures are already exhausted from our attacks. So, it can get easily defeated by the boy." Several hunters in Dal-soo''s group feel something wrong with their ears when they hear those words. And the hunter returned the gaze of hisrades with contempt. "What!? Was what I said wrong!?" Dal-soo pped his forehead and was about to drag the hunter away for speaking disparagingly. However, he got stopped by Gang-ho. "Enough! Now, what do you think we should do?" Gang-ho asked Dal-soo. He wanted to hear the Godly Doctor''s opinion because it involved aplete change of ns. Regarding Ji-woo, believe it or not. It was not an important thing to take care of. After all, Gang-ho also wanted to know if Ji-woo''s boasting was just bullsh*t or true. Alive, meaning that his boasting was ording to his strength. No, then such was the fate of a loser. "I want to talk to In-ah and Gang-ho Hyung. The rest, stay away and recharge yourselves. There''s still a long way to go." All the hunters near the three S-rank hunters finally moved away and tended to their wounds. "Hyung, it''s good that none of the Vanguard team members died. However, this situation won''t go smoothly like this all the time. We might not be lucky this time." "Calm down. Why are you talking like that? I know we''re at a level-5 Portal Gate. No one thought it would be easy." Dal-soo shook his head and said solemnly. "Dual Owner." It took Gang-ho and In-ah by surprise. What they just heard was more difficult to ept than the story of Ji-woo defeating two tier-5 Portal Gate creatures. "Are you sure!? How do you know? Don''t make it up without proof!" Gang-ho was clearly displeased if it was just an estimate without any concrete evidence to back it up. Dal-soo exined what Ji-woo said earlier about the two elements. In-ah and Gang-ho listen intently, and over time, it was undeniable that the likelihood of a Dual Owner situation was high. "Fire and ice¡­," "It''s ridiculous." Gang-ho and In-ah were bewildered. But, they couldn''t help but get a little convinced by it. Gang-ho looked at the two mountains back and forth, assessing the situation. He needed to consider the strength of those creatures and estimate the power of the Dungeon Owner. "The possibility of Dual Owners does exist. However, it''s better not to worry about that for now. And focus on exterminating those creatures first. If we can eradicate all the creatures that exist in this dungeon, our chances of survival are also high, even if Dual Owners do appear." Gang-ho nned to continue his hunt as before. And by limiting the creatures that get faced with only three. No more than that. It was because the Vanguard team had regrouped. Thus, he felt confident that they could take on such a number at once without endangering the entire team. The key to survival was patience. "Hyung, three is too much. Two should be enough. Even though it will take a long time, it would be best if we all could survive. We will lose a lot if we have to race against time and lose a few hunters in the process. Then the Demigod guild will fall from its status as the top three unions of South Korea." Dal-soo preferred a safer situation than a risky one. So, he wanted Gang-ho to consider the possibility of them losing manpower if they were not careful. However, Gang-ho didn''t care about Dal-soo''s words and rejected them outright. "If we continue to be in the safe line, when will the Demigod guild expand and overtake the Shadow guild and the Artates guild? The hunters and we ourselves will not grow stronger either if we continue to y it safe. We are hunters, and death will always be by our side at all times. We can''t run forever." Dal-soo lowered his face and closed his eyes. What Gang-ho said was not wrong. It could be because he was too worried about things that may not happen. So, he didn''t dare to step forward. He needed to put his trust in his guildmates. The Vanguard team without Ji-woo continued their hunt after resting for about an hour. The Mana capacity of the hunters was also almost all full again. However, it cost them a lot in terms of Magic Crystals and Magic Stones, especially since the hunters on the team were A-rank and B-rank. Since in a calction had more needs than E-rank and D-rank hunters. Not long after, some hunters spread out in a small circle, checking the surroundings of the Vanguard team. Gang-ho took the lead with vignce towards the Dual Owners. So, he didn''t have the slightest sense or thought to underestimate any existing situation. And the group that circled the area returned. They lure two White Undead Knights to gang up on. Gang-ho and In-ah certainly get prepared for that. Coupled with having Dal-soo control the two White Undead Knights, everything went smoothly. Unfortunately, the Vanguard team could only outperform the two White Undead Knights for the first five minutes. After that, things really took a 180-degree turn for the hunters. Whenever the three S-rank hunters were about to finish off one of the White Undead Knights, the others would quicklye to mess it up. That could happen because dozens of other hunters could not restrict the movement of that one White Undead Knight, causing an imbnce in the battle. Those A-rank and B-rank hunters needed to rack their brains to think of a way to allow them to keep up with just one such creature.. Otherwise, the Demigod Guild''s Vanguard team would get wiped out in the dungeon. Chapter 175: Tier 5: Adversity Chapter 175: Tier 5: Adversity Gang-ho gritted his teeth and let out huge mes from all over his body. The snow environment around his feet slowly melted away. He couldn''t hold back his strength just for fear of massive explosions causing other creatures toe. His team members could die if he fell into indecision. He pped his palms together, and a sh of fire shot out, separating the two White Undead Knights. He then jumped up and pushed back one of the creatures, separating thebination of the two White Undead Knights. In-ah also jumped into action and followed the other White Undead Knight not to disturb Gang-ho. Dal-soo rushed to her aid. They needed to kill one such creature immediately. The A-rank and B-rank Hunters also followed In-ah and Dal-soo''s footsteps. They couldn''t let their guild Headmaster fight a single White Undead Knight for long. The White Undead Knight, who saw dozens of hunters rushing towards him, immediately raised both hands and summoned dozens of small, sharp ice blocks. He quickly showered them with the magic. The hunters gritted their teeth and continued forward, undaunted by the ice blocks that were rapidly descending to the ground. "Keep moving and suppress the creature!" Shouted In-ah. She stopped and twisted her arms upwards, emitting swirls of fire to fend off the blocks of ice. Dal-soo led the charge and closed the gap with the White Undead Knight. He sped his hands together, and ten blue threads flew out, grabbing the creature''s body. "Hurry up and do it!" Dal-soo himself couldn''t hold the White Undead Knight''s movements back for long. However, the hunters did not have the leisure to rush towards the creature. The ice blocks that In-ah intended to block managed to trouble the hunters. The swirls of fire were unable to destroy the magic attack. The ground got shaken by the impact of the ice blocks. The hunters'' footing was unstable, and some wobbled while running. That cost them heavily since not all could avoid it nicely and smoothly. Those ipetent hunters had to receive non-trivial injuries. Some got thrown by the ice blocks crashing to the ground, while others were directly affected by the ice chunks. The injuries they suffered weren''t too severe, as almost all of them managed to fend off with weapons or magic. That caused a dy in attacking the White Undead Knight that Dal-soo was holding back. Inevitably, he lost in the tug of war and was dragged away by the creature. The White Undead Knight, who managed to drag Dal-soo closer, immediately swung his sword with both hands. Dal-soo covered his hand with magic and deflected the sword sh head-on. Bang! The loud crashing sound indicated that Dal-soo didn''t get shed. However, the price he had to pay to withstand the attack with his hands was intense shaking. It got estimated that he could not use his arms for a moment. And it became an opportunity for the White Undead Knight to finish off the separated S-rank hunter. Dal-soo, who was vulnerable, was the right target to reduce the fighting power of the hunters. Luckily, several hunters were able to arrive in time before the Godly Doctor was seriously injured or even lost his life at the hands of the White Undead Knight. The White Undead Knight didn''t stop his advance and kept his intent on attacking Dal-soo. He let out a torrent of snow from his body to repulse the hunters, who were striking in a swarm. However, the avnche could only take care of the A-rank and B-rank hunters. Because in an instant, In-ah managed to appear in front of Dal-soo. And she swung the sword from above at the advancing White Undead Knight. Bang! The loud crash of the two swords caused a shockwave, and the windswept across the area, causing the torrent of snow to dissipate before inflicting significant injuries on the other hunters. Meanwhile, the White Undead Knight, who rebuked the heavy swing of the sword, had to kneel on one knee to withstand the powerful impact. In-ah bit her lip until it bled a little. She had put all her strength into the swing and could only pin down the White Undead Knight. Not discouraged, she immediatelyunched a burst of fire through her mouth, trying to scorch the creature to the ground. But that was enough. The hunters, who had previously gotten distracted by the avnche, managed to approach andunch a barrage of attacks at the White Undead Knight, who got suppressed by their Guild Vice Headmaster. Even though various weapons already settled into the White Undead Knight''s body, the wounds suffered were not enough to make the creature fall. In-ah was also exhausted from sting mes from her mouth. She was worried that the White Undead Knight would continue his movement. So, she shifted her sword stance and swung it swiftly to aim for the creature''s neck. The White Undead Knight immediately abandoned his sword to withstand the sh. His kneeling position made it impossible to repel with weapons. The option to dodge wasn''t even avable because the weapons that stabbed him had restricted his movement. Zrreet! In-ah''s sh hit the White Undead Knight''s neck. But s, the cut was not deep. The creature''s hand managed to halt the sword and stop the neck from being cut. The White Undead Knight also didn''t expect his state to get reduced to the point that it couldn''t withstand the sword sh perfectly. That means the attacks from the other hunters were quite effective even though they didn''t inflict any mortal wounds on him. Raargh!! The White Undead Knight gripped the sword tightly with both hands while crying out in frustration. The hunters didn''t care about the White Undead Knight''s screams and approached to inflict further damage on the creature. However, Dal-soo had a different opinion because he felt the Mana points on the White Undead Knight''s chest were denser and more concentrated. "Don''t! Get away from that creature! It will explode!" Dal-soo''s scream immediately made all the hunters, and In-ah gasped. Everyone then abruptly stopped their movement and tried to retreat as fast as they could. In-ah clicked her tongue. Inevitably, she had to let go of her sword and retreat as quickly as possible from the White Undead Knight. On the other hand, Dal-soo clenched his teeth, thinking that his warning was toote. He had a bad feeling from the White Undead Knight''s actions. And sure enough. As the concentrated point of Mana shrunk and disappeared, the White Undead Knight exploded white light, and the snow on the ground around the creature froze and spread rapidly. Dal-soo had no other choice. He forced his still sore arms to perform magic. He then used the blue thread in his right hand to tie it backward, out of reach of the freeze. Meanwhile, the blue lines in his left hand pulled In-ah along with him for a quick retreat. Dal-soo and In-ah fall backward, far from the position of the White Undead Knight. The bad news, the other hunters, who tried to escape, froze in a ce not far from the creature. The two S-rank hunters gaped, unable to believe what had happened. Several hunters got caught by the spread of the frozen explosion. Dal-soo immediately rushed over to those hunters. He checked the condition of several members of the Vanguard team. Meanwhile, In-ah could only hold back her uneasy feeling.. And she made up her mind to go to Gang-ho''s ce instead of staying there. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!