The delightful gate-clearing camp with the Noah members finally ended after a grueling fifty-two hours. The members, who had sacrificed three and a half days, collapsed into sleep the moment the gate was cleared, a truly pitiful sight. They were so exhausted they couldn’t even make it home, sleeping right there on the ground. Even Geon-joo cast a sympathetic glance their way.
Yet, Sa-yoon, without batting an eye, returned on the fifth day with a bright smile, woke the still-sleeping members, and headed for another gate. Having lost even the energy for a passionate outburst, they could only let out dying groans of despair.
“He’s really crazy.”
“…I always thought I’d die in a gate, not from overwork.”
“I’m of a similar opinion.”
“I was on the fence, but is he actually trying to kill us in a gate?”
Sa-yoon scoffed at their comments.
“Oh, such drama queens. Looks like you’ve still got some fight left in you. Want to go another round?”
“Crazy bastard.”
His smiling words were infuriating, but since Sa-yoon was the one leading the charge in every gate clear, no one could express more than a simple complaint.
And so, as they endured a schedule that the term ‘forced march’ couldn’t even begin to describe, and as many, including Geon-joo, began to wonder whether they should be killing Sa-yoon or clearing the gate, the day of the decisive battle arrived.
The Unity Games were just around the corner.
“Hmm…”
Sa-yoon, having gathered all the Noah members, including Jaehee and Geon-joo, at the Association, was lost in thought. Lined up like people awaiting a verdict, they watched Sa-yoon’s finger tap the table like a judge’s gavel, their haggard faces shivering. Their expressions seemed to say, If you’re going to sentence us to death, just get it over with.
But Sa-yoon’s words were unexpected.
“The Unity Games are tomorrow, so we’d better rest today.”
“Huh?”
“Huhhh?”
“…Whoa.”
The members, stunned by the unexpected declaration of rest, soon huddled together, voicing their disbelief. Sa-yoon’s lost his mind. This is all part of some evil plan. There’s no way that mudskipper would ever be so kind. It’s a trick. All sorts of denials of reality flew about, but as Sa-yoon remained silent, a faint hope began to bloom in each of them.
Could it be true?
Sa-yoon watched them as they slowly began to rejoice, a deep smile spreading across his lips.
A day like this calls for rest.
Considering their condition, it was better to give them a day off and then pressure them to die if they lost at the Unity Games, rather than squeezing every last drop of strength out of them until the final day. He watched the members, who were delighting in their first break outside of sleep since the training began, with the heart of a wicked boss. Jaehee, who seemed to have seen right through him, sighed.
“You’re whipping an already running horse to make it run faster.”
“It’s good if they run faster.”
“What will you do if the exhausted horse collapses?”
“Feed it a potion and get it back on its feet.”
At the completely unpersuadable remark, Jaehee shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. Woof! The bark from Rai, who was next to him, sounded suspiciously like a curse, but Sa-yoon chose to ignore it.
***
[Welcome to Korea.]
[The Korean Hunter Association wishes for a Unity Games full of blessings, with no injuries and no fatalities.]
It was finally the day of the Unity Games.
Sa-yoon, riding in a car driven by the Association President himself, got out at the venue and was slightly surprised. The area, which had been a barren wasteland due to unrepaired gate saturation damage, had been completely transformed. The stadium, built in cooperation with creation-class hunters, was reminiscent of the ancient Colosseum, circular in shape. It looked quite sturdy, having been built with a large amount of gate-internal rocks that were both durable and shock-resistant. The protective devices and barriers for the audience seats were also of a high grade.
Seeing the effort that had gone into preventing any safety accidents, he clapped the Association President on the shoulder and let out a teasingly impressed whistle, which made Min-cheol puff up with pride.
“Wait in the ready room. The other teams will be arriving soon.”
Ho-cheol, who had guided the Noah members through a back entrance instead of the main one teeming with reporters and people, left the ready room corridor, saying he had something to do. Sa-yoon entered the roughly 700-square-foot ready room and let out a dry laugh.
“The scale of this is something else. Is it because it’s a world-class event?”
The hunters participating in the Unity Games were likely the top-tier hunters that any country would want to recruit. Seeing that they were being treated accordingly, Sa-yoon re-evaluated Min-cheol, who he had thought to be something of a miser. He sat down with Jaehee and Geon-joo on either side of him and looked at Mi-jeong. It was time to hear about the Unity Games.
“It’s quite a mood-lifter, seeing three handsome faces lined up like this.”
Mi-jeong, who had spoken playfully with a smiling-eyed grin, seemed to be in better condition than usual, likely from the full day of rest.
“The Unity Games are largely divided into four events. The opening is a friendly match. This one doesn’t focus on winning or losing, but on providing a spectacle for the audience and the participating hunters. You have one minute to display a flashy technique, and it’s scored based on difficulty, power, and artistry. Each team sends one representative. Before you two came, Dong-ju always did it for our team.”
Bae Dong-ju?
Sa-yoon, who had looked surprised, glanced at Dong-ju and then nodded.
Well, Taeseok and Ho-cheol are physical fighters, and Yi-han and Mi-jeong’s skills are mostly dark, so to put on a flashy show, Bae Dong-ju, who handles water, would have been the best choice. Seeing his understanding expression, Mi-jeong looked around at the other hunters, calling for volunteers.
“Anyone want to do the friendly match?”
“…”
“Or any recommendations?”
The members, who had been quiet when she asked for volunteers, now raised their hands here and there. As if they had planned it, the recommendations were unanimous.
“Why don’t we have Mr. Sa-yoon do it?”
“Sa-yoon would be better than me.”
“Honestly, it’s pretty much decided who’s going to do it.”
At that, Sa-yoon shrugged and accepted the proposal. Participating in the friendly match didn’t disqualify him from the other events, so it wasn’t a bad idea to establish dominance in the opening match.
Mi-jeong continued her explanation.
“The second event is a duo match. Each team sends out two members to spar. This one also has the biggest score for winning or losing, but since the synergy between the duo is also scored, it’s important that people who work well together participate. Until now, it’s always been me and Yi-han, and we decided that if there were no other volunteers this time, we would do it again.”
There were no volunteers. The participants for the duo match were naturally decided, and Mi-jeong sighed, her expression saying, I knew it.
“The third event is the martial arts match. Well, it’s obvious who’s going to participate in this one.”
She was referring to Taeseok and Ho-cheol. Ho-cheol laughed heartily, and Taeseok cleared his throat once. Mi-jeong, who had been folding her fingers one by one with each event introduction, folded her ring finger and looked around at all the team members.
“And the final event, the team battle. This is the most important one. It has the biggest score. If the friendly match is worth 10 points, the duo match 20, and the martial arts match 20, the team battle is worth 50. That means that if you do well in the team battle, a comeback isn’t impossible.”
In effect, the preceding matches were all just for show; the team battle was the main event of the Unity Games. Mi-jeong perched on the sofa and crossed her legs.
“The team battle is also divided into two parts. One is a gate clear time attack, and the other is a tournament-style team spar. The time attack is worth a maximum of 25 points, and the team spar is worth a maximum of 25 points, for a total of 50. Which team you’ll be sparring against will be decided by a draw before the team battle. Any other questions?”
At Mi-jeong’s question, Geon-joo raised his hand, but a sudden roar of cheers erupted from outside. The scream-like cheer made Sa-yoon and Jaehee turn their heads. The Noah members, on the other hand, ignored the external noise with familiar expressions.
“Looks like the other teams came in through the main entrance.”
Unlike Noah, who had come in through the back to avoid the commotion at Mi-jeong’s suggestion, the overseas teams had apparently used the main entrance and been swarmed by the waiting reporters and spectators. Thinking they were just asking for trouble, Sa-yoon nudged Geon-joo, signaling him to ask his question. Just as Geon-joo asked about the difficulty of the gate they would be clearing.
“……!”
A sudden, heavy pain seized his heart. As if struck by a hammer, with every thump, a pain that felt like it would shatter his diaphragm shot through him. Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes and held his breath.
What the fuck.
He had endured all sorts of penalties through the system, taken various poisons, and experienced their side effects, but this was the first time he had ever felt a pain like this.
“Gah!”
He finally let out the breath he was holding with a groan. Jaehee’s eyes widened. His pupils constricted as if he had seen something, and his eyelids shot up. He rushed toward Sa-yoon in a panic.
“Mr. Sa-yoon!”
His hand gripped his shoulder.
“Hyung!”
Geon-joo, also startled, turned to Sa-yoon, and the other Noah members, sensing something was wrong, got to their feet. Several pairs of feet rushed toward him. He knew he should say he was fine, but his voice wouldn’t come out. Sa-yoon scowled and clutched his chest. A cold sweat broke out. He felt a pain as if his heart itself were shriveling.
Why the fuck is this happening now?
A curse came to mind, and Sa-yoon’s face contorted as he hunched over. His vision blurred. Sensing he was about to pass out, he gritted his teeth and held on to his consciousness.
Ting!
A notification rang. A chilling premonition invaded his body.
“…”
His trembling eyes focused on the blue window.
+++
+++
[Proof – The 183rd Step for the True Evil of Humanity]
‘Use a gate saturation to cancel the Unity Games.’ Condition: Use an SS-rank gate saturation. Reward: 10,000 Karma Penalty for Failure: Increased probability of death for a close associate. Time remaining: 3 hours
+++
Sa-yoon’s pupils wavered.
Beeeeep—!
A ringing sound, as if something had gone wrong, slammed into his brain, making his mind go hazy. Sa-yoon clamped his hands over his ears, his face twisting. He closed his eyes, but ting, ting!, the notification sounds continued without a break. He couldn’t breathe. A stuffiness filled his nose, and a sharp pang shot through it, raising the pressure in his eyes and cutting off his breath. As his hands and feet went numb and then began to tremble, Sa-yoon let out a choked sound and pitched forward.
“Ah…”
The ringing in his ears was deafening. The headache, which had subsided for a while, now lingered, persistently following him.
Ting!
A sound different from the others gently enveloped his ears.
Someone firmly caught his falling body. Sa-yoon, recognizing the familiar warmth and scent, relaxed his tension and fainted.