“To attempt an Unexplored clear with people who have never even worked together once. It’s reckless.”

Taeseok, who had been listening to the story, offered his opinion.

Unexplored — An unknown. A name given to Gates that had never once been cleared, with almost no information available because no one who attempted to clear them had ever returned alive. Currently, there were a total of three such Unexplored Gates in the world.

Adelia’s Tomb was one of them.

“I agree to some extent. There’s a reason that Gate was named Adelia’s Tomb, after all. We will need preparation.”

Once Taeseok broke the ice, Mijeong also voiced the concern she had been holding back. Lee Han, Ho-cheol, and Bae Dongju all nodded in agreement. With five people having shown their reaction, the Association President’s gaze naturally fell on me and Geon-joo, the only two who had not offered an opinion. 

Hmm. 

I dragged my chair back and spun around once.

Hunters were generally crazy for fame and glory, which was why hundreds of S-rank hunters had thrown themselves at the Unexplored Gates over the years, hoping to earn the medal of having conquered one, only to fail. Adelia’s Tomb got its name because the famous S-rank hunter Adelia, who was called the strongest seven years ago, had died in that very Gate.

What were Adelia’s stats back then?

I seemed to recall hearing her total stats were evaluated at around S+-rank. Considering that was seven years ago, when hunters had not been around for very long, it was a phenomenal figure.

“What do you think?”

Geon-joo asked in a tiny voice, quiet enough that no one else could hear. His voice was almost a whisper, as if he were hesitant to even speak. I met his black eyes behind the mask and smiled, the corners of my eyes crinkling.

“Who knows.”

I had cleared countless unconquered Gates until now, but I had never touched an Unexplored Gate. There was opposition from Jongsik and Gyeongjin, and it was also because clearing two other unconquered Gates was more efficient than spending the time to clear one Unexplored Gate. After all, I went around conquering Gates not for fame, but for fortune.

As a result, even I didn’t know just how dangerous an Unexplored Gate was. However, considering that unconquered Gates were more than twice as difficult as other S-rank Gates, it was safe to assume an Unexplored Gate would be at least five times the average difficulty of an S-rank Gate.

Is it close to an L-rank?

Curiosity piqued, my gaze drifted towards Geon-joo. He blinked once as he saw me staring at him in the middle of my thoughts.

“What is it?”

I really need to learn something like telepathy.

I needed to get a skill that allowed for private messaging, or something like telepathy. I had wanted to tell him to compare the difficulty to the L-rank Gate he had cleared once we were inside the Unexplored Gate, but with the eyes of the other hunters on us, I just shook my head.

I went back to my thoughts. A Gate that was once the goal of all hunters had now become a place they all avoided. Given its notoriety, it was understandable that the members of Noah were hesitant to clear it.

Still.

“Isn’t that all the more reason to clear it?”

It was a statement that could be taken as either encouraging or mocking, depending on the listener. Taeseok, who disapproved of everything I did, automatically scowled as if on reflex, but I only looked at Min-cheol.

“It’s been ten years since Adelia’s Tomb appeared. If Noah clears an Unexplored Gate that no one has been able to clear for a decade, can you imagine the stir it would cause in the world? Your plan is to catch three birds with one stone, right? Doubts about our fame and skills, and keeping the overseas associations in check.”

Am I wrong?

At my taunting, added smile, Min-cheol, whom I had called ‘old man,’ lowered his gaze. I paid him no mind, grabbed the edge of the table, and leaned my body all the way back. The chair wheels rolled, moving me away from the table. I propped both feet up on the chair, my eyes curving into thin crescents.

“No one else could do it, so we have to be the ones to grab it. You didn’t call me here for no reason, did you?”

This is what you called me for.

My lips curved into a snake-like arc.

My reputation among the top-tier hunters was notorious. In such a situation, what could be the Association’s purpose in calling me back after they had opted to leave me alone, unable to control me? 

Bae Min-cheol, the President of the Association, wanted to show the difference in national power between the Korean guilds and those overseas. To be more precise, the higher-ups in the government above the Association wanted it.

This was a society where the number of S-rank hunters one possessed, and the ability to scout top-tier hunters, had become a direct measure of national power. When a single S-rank hunter could replace most modern military weapons, what was the point of worrying about weapon development and the like?

It was a world where hunters were deployed when war broke out. The Association and the government had dragged me into the light because of that change.

They wanted to earn the title of a global superpower by revealing my abilities to the world.

That’s why they had made such a reckless move with our very first mission.

And they had called me here to do it.

Because among the members of Noah, I was the only one with the personality to say yes when all the other hunters said it was impossible.

Lee Han had an easygoing personality, Taeseok had the mindset of a soldier, Bae Dongju was rigid and conservative, and Mijeong pursued stability. Ho-cheol liked stimulating and interesting things, but he knew how to save his own skin. Among these Noah members, the only one who was turbulent and reckless was me.

So cunning.

I felt like I understood the Association’s intention behind the member selection. As I smirked, Geon-joo, who had been observing me intently, spoke up in agreement.

“I think it sounds fine, too.”

“…”

When the youngest member, the one with the least to his name, voiced his approval, the remaining hunters’ eyes widened. In this kind of situation, there were generally two types of reactions.

“What does a little brat know.”

There was Taeseok, sneering, or…

“Haha. If the young ones are stepping up like this, how can I back down? Right, let’s give it a go. Isn’t it great? The moment we succeed, the whole world will be chanting our names.”

There was Ho-cheol, who, after a moment’s delay, jumped in with a hearty laugh. They either scoffed because he was young, or they felt spurred on by the thought of being outdone by a kid. Both were reactions I had seen before.

Brings back old memories.

The stage of Han Geon-joo’s growth and his background reminded me of the old days. When I had just come out of the Field and started my activities as a hunter, the world’s reaction was exactly like this.

Some scoffed because I was young, while others doggedly pursued me, trying to beat me. I had trampled on all those who sneered, ignored, and underestimated me to stand where I was today.

“Ha.”

And it would likely be the same for Han Geon-joo, who was smiling beside me as if this were all very amusing.

He’s anything but docile.

Thinking that he too had a bit of a brawler’s disposition, I gestured to Mijeong with my eyes. The woman flinched as she received my gaze.

“One year of exclusive first rights on all top-grade potion trades.”

“I think it’s a fine idea as well.”

So transparent.

Mijeong, a merchant to the bone, accepted the golden-egg deal, and the majority vote tipped in favor of proceeding. Bae Min-cheol’s lips curved into a pleased smile.

“It seems we are reaching a conclusion.”

His reaction showed he was very pleased that things were going as he had intended. Well, he couldn’t have backed down anyway. He had already announced Noah to the press and had likely already spread the word that their first move would be to clear Adelia’s Tomb. If he were to now say, “We’re canceling the clear because it might be dangerous for the hunters,” or “We will postpone the clear date,” it would be like serving them a feast to criticize.

Looking pleased to have avoided the worst-case scenario, he looked at Lee Han, Taeseok, and Dongju. Lee Han was the first to sigh and consent. Bae Dongju agreed on the condition that everyone be supplied with at least two hearthstones. The fact that no Awakened had ever returned alive from the Unexplored Gate meant either hearthstones didn’t work there, or they died instantly upon entry without a chance to use one. He was being meticulously cautious.

With things as they were, only Taeseok was left. Having lost his three allies, he ground his teeth and glared at me.

“Kwon Sa-yoon.”

“What, have you had a change of heart too?”

I deliberately provoked him to make it harder for him to answer easily. Taeseok trembled with rage. It was fun to watch. As I chuckled, someone tapped my thigh. It was Geon-joo. What, I asked with a look, but the man just turned his head away again as if nothing had happened.

What was that?

As I was puzzling over his incomprehensible reaction, Taeseok, having overcome his shame, reversed his opinion.

“Since the majority wishes it, I will follow, but one small misstep and we could all be lost. I hope the Association President will make a prudent decision.”

Such posturing.

I scoffed and tapped the table twice with my fingernail.

“Of all the teams that have attempted to clear Adelia’s Tomb so far, Noah is the only one composed entirely of S-ranks. Most teams with five or more members had A-ranks mixed in, and the largest team to challenge it with only S-ranks was a party of four. What do you think are the chances that this team, with seven S-ranks, most of whom are top-tier hunters, will fail to clear Adelia’s Tomb?”

As information not known to the public was revealed, everyone’s eyes turned to me. Receiving the spotlight-like gazes, I let out a small laugh.

“What are you worried about, Taeseok? If you’re that scared, you can go cry for your mommy in a corner of the Gate.”

“…”

“I’ll do the clearing.”

They all seemed to be making some rather amusing calculations, but the greatest power on this team was me. At my statement, which hammered that fact home, the hunters’ faces hardened as they fell silent. Min-cheol let out a satisfied smile. Following that, he began to explain the precautions and strategies for Adelia’s Tomb. Since there was so little information available, it was an explanation as hollow as a bean pod.

I let his words, which seemed to make no difference whether I listened or not, flow in one ear and out the other. Sensing the story was coming to an end, I stood up from my seat. Throughout the explanation, the Association President had said he hoped the team would clear the Gate stably, with the single strongest person taking the lead and the rest supporting them. It was painfully obvious who that one person was.

“Let’s go, Kwon Sa-yoon and his sidekicks.”

Oh, and with Mijeong-noona and the pretty boy, of course.

I said, glancing to my left and right before leaving the table. From behind me, I heard a mix of curses, sighs, and criticisms.

“You’ll get a knife in your back if you keep making enemies like that.”

Mijeong warned with a laugh in her voice as she followed me. I shrugged.

It would be nice if they stabbed and killed me. What’s the problem?

I really hope at least one of them succeeds one day, I thought. But…

I never thought that knife would be aimed not at me, but at someone else.

“Han Geon-joo!”

The moment we left the meeting room and everyone was about to get into their cars, a black portal opened behind Geon-joo, who was at the back of the group. Sensing the strange shift in the flow of space, I turned around. By then, a black hand extending from the portal had already wrapped around Han Geon-joo’s neck.

The man’s eyes widened, and the huge hand dragged him back into the portal. Geon-joo instinctively reached a hand forward. My own hand shot out desperately to grab his, but in that fleeting instant just as my fingertips were about to brush against his, Han Geon-joo, his face pale from being choked, fell backward and vanished into the portal. The portal, having swallowed a grown man, immediately snapped shut.

“…”

It all happened in less than a second. At the sight of the portal that had opened and closed in an instant, not only Team Noah but also the Association staff stared blankly at the spot where Geon-joo had disappeared.

The waiting reporters also stood dumbfounded for a moment before snapping out of it, their flashes exploding as they bombarded us with questions.

“What just happened?”

“Was that an attack from another guild?”

“Association President! Please answer the question!”

“Mr. Lee Han!”

KRA-KOOM!

An aura of frost exploded above the reporters’ heads.

“Keuk!”

The reporters caught in the blast tumbled to the ground, dropping their cameras. I ruthlessly stomped on a camera that had rolled to my feet and kicked the fragments towards them.

“Shut your mouths, you bastards.”

My head was throbbing.

The portal I had just seen was undoubtedly ‘Brit,’ the one-time-use connection portal that had been auctioned off for a high price three years ago. A portal that connects a designated coordinate with the user’s location. The fact that it had swallowed Geon-joo meant someone had used Brit to snatch him.

Whether they took him because they coveted him or to kill him, the important thing was the fact that they took him from right under my nose.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

Fucking hell, seriously.

I finally get the runaway bastard back, and now he goes and gets himself kidnapped.