The incident being what it was, people had swarmed around the school like a hive of bees.
"My son is in that school!" "Get out of the way!" "I need to see for myself what happened!" "Oh dear, oh dear!"
Without the desperate efforts of the police and the Association to maintain control, the crowd that had gathered would have already turned the scene into utter chaos. Reporters who had rushed over the moment they heard the news were busy clicking their shutters.
"Hey—isn't that Sung Jin-Woo!" "Get a shot!"
Jin-Woo dodged their gazes and quietly approached a person who appeared to be an Association official. The official's body went rigid with tension upon seeing Jin-Woo. That was how bad Jin-Woo's expression was.
"Sung Jin-Woo, Hunter sir..." "Where is my younger sister?" "Miss Sung Jin-Ah has been transferred to Seoul Ilshin Hospital along with the other students." "..."
Jin-Woo gave a heavy nod and turned away. The official, watching him, involuntarily swallowed hard. *Gulp.* Per the Association's instructions, the first thing he'd checked upon arriving here was the condition of student Sung Jin-Ah. Fortunately, she was unharmed. Other than some abrasions around her neck and wrists, there was not a single injury to be found. Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who had rescued her, surely knew this.
'But even so, he looks this depressed...'
If he himself hadn't arrived in time—what would have happened to his sister? The official shuddered at the thought. It was truly a relief. While the official was feeling relieved, Jin-Woo took out his phone with a heavy heart.
'Mother will have heard the news by now.'
Many students had been attacked by the magical beasts. Naturally, receiving this news would be devastating for her.
'Before that happens, I should let her know Jin-Ah is safe first.'
As he was about to dial with that thought in mind, an unexpected voice came from behind.
"We've already sent our staff to Hunter sir's mother. She's probably on her way to the hospital in our vehicle right about now."
Jin-Woo turned around.
"Mr. Chairman."
Go Gun-Hee stood with a face every bit as dark as Jin-Woo's. Even though he bore no personal fault, he seemed to feel a sense of responsibility as the head of the Korean Hunter's Association for failing to prevent the disaster. In the midst of that, Jin-Woo expressed his gratitude for Go Gun-Hee having also seen to his family. Go Gun-Hee shook his head.
"It is we who should be grateful."
Seventeen students. The fact that even that many had been saved from among those still remaining at the school was entirely thanks to Jin-Woo.
"I keep finding myself in your debt, Hunter sir."
Jin-Woo smiled bitterly. If he could have arrived instantly through Shadow Exchange, more students might have survived. That sense of regret brushed past him. Go Gun-Hee could faintly read what Jin-Woo was feeling from his expression. But he shook his head.
'Now is not the time to be sentimental.'
Was there not something he needed to say? Go Gun-Hee raised his head.
"Are you going to the hospital?"
Jin-Woo briefly recalled the Gwangalli Gate, then erased it from his mind. His mana had remained constant. That meant the ants, Beru included, were clearing the Dungeon with ease.
'Well... they're not just any soldiers—they're Beru.'
So there was no need to worry about the raid right now.
"Yes." "Then let's take our vehicle." "That won't be necessary." "Please. I also have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Thinking it was just a polite gesture, Jin-Woo had been about to refuse, but the Chairman's earnest attitude made him nod.
"Understood."
Following the Chairman's lead, Jin-Woo climbed into the back seat. Even though it was a large sedan, the back seat felt tight with the broad-shouldered Go Gun-Hee and Jin-Woo sitting side by side. Woo Jin-Chul, in the driver's seat, sent a greeting through the rearview mirror. Jin-Woo returned it with a nod. As the car slowly began to move, the Chairman hesitated, then spoke.
"...It's possible that this incident was predicted."
A grim face. Jin-Woo was taken aback.
'So the Association knowingly let a preventable incident slide?'
Just before his puzzlement turned to anger, the Chairman took out his phone and showed the screen. A chart was displayed.
"This is the rate of increase in Gates generated in Seoul over the last six months."
The data points, which had been forming a gentle curve, spiked sharply upward near the present.
"And this is the global statistics."
If the Chairman hadn't said so, one might have mistaken it for the same chart. The two charts were that similar in pattern.
"Gates are increasing exponentially worldwide."
The Chairman's face was dark.
"But that's not the only strange thing."
Putting the phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket, the Chairman continued.
"Lately, people have been lining up at the Association to confirm their Awakener grades."
Gates producing magical beasts were increasing, and the number of Hunters blocking those Gates was also increasing? As if to maintain some kind of balance? Seeing Jin-Woo's interested expression, the Chairman spoke in a somber voice.
"Something is beginning to change..."
It was still only a personal opinion, though. Go Gun-Hee ended his lengthy explanation with that nuance.
"That is my thinking."
Jin-Woo nodded. It was certainly interesting data. Anyone looking at it could tell something was about to happen. But there was nothing Jin-Woo could do about it immediately based on this. The Chairman was in the same boat. Moreover, if it was just data and opinions, a phone call would have sufficed. He wouldn't have carved out time from a busy schedule to request a meeting just for that.
"So what you actually want to say to me is..."
As if he'd been waiting, the Chairman reached down and lifted the briefcase he'd placed by his feet, pulling out documents.
"Japan, the United States, China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and even from the distant Middle East."
All the so-called powerful nations were enumerated.
"These are official requests from countries seeking contact with Hunter Sung Jin-Woo. You've probably also had several unofficial approaches through back channels."
He recalled the incident with the Hunter Management Bureau agents but chose not to mention it.
"In truth, the Hunter's Association has no authority to block them. We are simply protecting your information at your request."
Jin-Woo listened in silence.
"All decisions rest with Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's own choice... but I have a premonition that if you leave, our country will be unable to adapt to this change."
Instead of answering, Jin-Woo turned his gaze out the window. Lost in thought, he could see the large buildings of a major hospital coming into view in the distance. It was the hospital where Jin-Ah was admitted.
"We will provide every possible convenience."
Go Gun-Hee put the documents back into his briefcase and asked with a tense expression.
"So—won't you stay?"
* * *
The Knights' assault squad had followed the ants to the entrance of the boss room. Jung Yun-Tae watched the ants begin to file into the boss room, his eyes going wide.
"Hyung, shouldn't we stop them?" "...I don't have the confidence."
Confidence that he could persuade the monsters to halt the raid here and instead spend time collecting the magical beasts' corpses and mana crystals. Park Jong-Soo sighed.
'Let's just call it here.'
A change of perspective. This Gate had been entered for the sole purpose of showing that the Knights Guild was still operational. As long as they could demonstrate clearing an A-rank Dungeon—the highest-tier one at that—without a single member falling behind or getting injured, that would be enough.
'And without Hunter Sung Jin-Woo at that.'
What happened inside a Dungeon was unknown to anyone else, after all. Even if those ants killed the boss, people would remember the Knights' name—not recall the summoned creatures that Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had called and then left behind. Once the boss died and the Gate closed, there'd be no way to verify anything. And given Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's personality, he didn't seem like the type to go around blabbing about it. As that thought crossed Park Jong-Soo's mind, a smile crept onto his face.
'Every cloud really does have a silver lining, doesn't it?'
But then. The Hunters at the rear grew noisy.
"Boss—something big is coming from behind!" "Yeah. I can hear it too." "Huh?"
Park Jong-Soo tilted his head and walked toward the back. He could indeed hear the footsteps of many.
'Has the recovery team already come in?'
The Knights Guild's seasoned recovery team members wouldn't just barge into a Dungeon without any orders. Just as that thought was crossing his mind—
"Gah!"
Park Jong-Soo's eyes went wide. The undead magical beasts that the ants hadn't devoured were reviving and pouring forward in a mass.
'No way...?'
For a brief moment he wondered: had the ants known and eaten them precisely because of this? But faced with an unmanageable number of magical beasts, Park Jong-Soo shouted urgently.
"Everyone—get into the boss room!"
The only hope lay in the summoned creatures that Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had left behind. Without even a moment to check what was inside the boss room, the assault squad charged straight in. Once all the Hunters had entered, Park Jong-Soo strained his neck veins.
"Seal the entrance!"
Jeong Ye-Rim used the skill 'Holy Wall' to seal the entrance connecting the boss room and the passage. Bang—! Bang—! The sound of the Death Knights at the front striking the invisible wall was deafening. Sweat beading on her forehead, Jeong Ye-Rim turned to Park Jong-Soo.
"Boss! I can't hold this for even five minutes!" "I know."
By now, Park Jong-Soo and every member of the assault squad had already finished their combat preparations in case the wall broke through. But watching the undead magical beasts swarming beyond the wall like insects, he doubted whether they stood any chance.
"Before that, we can only hope the summoned creatures kill the boss-class monster and break through for us."
Park Jong-Soo turned to look at the ants facing off against the boss, filled with desperate hope. Please let it be an easy boss, he prayed.
'Good God.'
His eyes went wide. The monster facing the ants was one he knew all too well from hearsay. A pale-faced mage draped in a tattered robe. An Arch Lich—said to stand at the apex of the undead. The worst kind of undead-type magical beast.
'An Arch Lich, of all things.'
Park Jong-Soo's face darkened. He had been hoping the summoned creatures would kill the boss and come help them, but their opponent was an Arch Lich. It would actually be more realistic for them to take out the undead first and then help the summoned creatures. At that moment, Beru took a single step toward the Arch Lich. In response, the Arch Lich summoned over a dozen Death Knights in a ring around the ants, surrounding them.
"Kieeeeee—!"
Beru bared his teeth and extended its claws.
'...?'
The Arch Lich recognized the black steam that endlessly rose from Beru's entire body. Its hollow black eye sockets seemed to widen for an instant.
"The Shadow Legion?"
The Arch Lich's mouth produced the language of the magical beasts. Understanding the words, Beru retracted its claws. The Arch Lich, sweeping its gaze over the ants behind Beru as well, asked in a bewildered voice.
"Why is the King's direct unit attacking us?"
*Kekeke.* Beru let out what sounded like a mocking laugh, then placed a hand over its own chest.
"We were chosen by the King."
Then that same hand pointed toward the Arch Lich.
"You were not."
As if it couldn't believe what it was hearing, the Arch Lich's voice filled with fury.
"That cannot be! I will report to the King myself...!"
But before the Arch Lich could even finish its sentence, Beru appeared before its eyes.
'...!'
The Arch Lich's shoulders flinched. Beru was a high-class magical beast that the master of an S-rank Dungeon had created by consuming its own life force. Even if its stats had dropped slightly upon becoming a shadow soldier, there was no way the master of merely an A-rank Dungeon—the Arch Lich—could be Beru's match. As the Arch Lich stood frozen in shock, Beru plunged its hand into its chest. *Thwack!* The hand pierced clean through the chest along with the pendant hanging from the Arch Lich's neck.
"Gah!"
The hand emerged from the Arch Lich's back, the pendant clutched in its grip. The pendant was the Arch Lich's heart. For Beru, once a supreme-tier magical beast, detecting where an enemy's life force was being supplied from was no difficult task. The Arch Lich shook its head.
"No... no...!"
But paying no heed to the enemy's wailing, Beru squeezed the pendant in its fist. *Crunch.*
"For someone about to die, you sure talk a lot."
With Beru's final words, the Arch Lich's body crumbled to the ground.