"A Red Gate? What do you mean?"
Baekho Guild's president Baek Yoon-Ho rushed to the scene the moment he received the call. Training supervisor Hyun Ki-Cheol's face was ashen.
"Well, it's just..." "Let me see it first."
Baek Yoon-Ho pushed past the staff — all of them wearing the grim look of a funeral procession — and stood before the Gate.
'It really is a Red Gate!'
Baek Yoon-Ho's expression hardened. What was a Red Gate? It was a terrifying place — once you entered, you were connected to another world, and there was no coming back until you either killed the boss or triggered a dungeon break. The moment you stepped inside, it was over. Once a Gate turned red, all external influence was completely sealed off. Nothing could get out, and nothing could get in. Baek Yoon-Ho pressed his hand against the Gate's surface. Just as he expected — it was solidly blocked.
'This is bad.'
There was no way to help the people inside now, no matter what they tried. Baek Yoon-Ho turned to Hyun Ki-Cheol.
"Wasn't it a C-rank Gate?" "It was a C-rank Gate." "Did you contact the Hunter's Association?" "Yes, but... the Association keeps insisting it was definitely a C-rank Gate..." "Those bastards!"
Baek Yoon-Ho spat out a curse. Red Gates only occurred in high-level Dungeons. How could the mana flowing from another world beyond a Gate only measure up to a C-rank Dungeon? It didn't make a shred of sense from the start. The Gate in front of them was at least B-rank. If they were unlucky, it could be A-rank, or even higher. And the reason the Association could be this brazen...
"Should we try remeasuring with our mana crystal meter?"
Hyun Ki-Cheol asked, but Baek Yoon-Ho shook his head.
"You can't measure anything from a Red Gate — no mana leaks out at all."
That was why re-measuring was impossible. There was currently no way to determine the exact rank of the Gate that had become a problem. And right now, the Gate's rank wasn't what mattered most.
"How many of our people went in?" "Twelve went in." "And how many among them are senior Hunters?" "A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol is leading the team, and there are seven B-rank Hunters." "One A-rank and seven B-ranks..." "The new recruits... will they be okay?"
Baek Yoon-Ho shook his head.
"Assume they're all dead. If they're lucky, maybe two or three from the A-rank and B-rank will make it out alive."
That was if they were extremely lucky, at that. Those were razor-thin odds. The members who had gone in were the kind who could barely clear the lowest tier of B-rank Dungeons. Anything above that was completely out of reach. Without a miracle, the chance of the new recruits returning safely was virtually zero. Baek Yoon-Ho's face darkened. Hyun Ki-Cheol, watching his president's expression, spoke carefully.
"Sir... actually, there's someone else inside besides our new recruits."
Baek Yoon-Ho looked up. Could it be that a senior Hunter happened to be passing by and got curious about the employee training and tagged along? A miracle — that's exactly what that would be! Baek Yoon-Ho's voice rose.
"Who is it?" "A Hunter I've been keeping my eye on recently."
The answer came from the side. Baek Yoon-Ho and Hyun Ki-Cheol turned simultaneously to find An Sang-Min, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
"Sorry I'm late. The traffic was terrible."
His house was far, which was why An Sang-Min had arrived last. He glanced sideways at the Gate. The crimson-hued Gate felt like the entrance to an iron fortress. Just looking at it took his breath away.
'But if it's Hunter Sung Jin-Woo...'
That man, who had overcome countless crises, might just produce a result that defied everyone's expectations. He felt that, vaguely and without any real basis. Baek Yoon-Ho hurried over to An Sang-Min.
"The Hunter Manager An has been watching?" "That's right."
Ah. Fleeting memories flashed through Baek Yoon-Ho's mind.
'Come to think of it...'
He'd been wondering why Manager An had been so busy running around lately. Sure enough, there had been a Hunter he'd been eyeing. Manager An's eye for talent was never wrong.
'Could it be...'
A spark of hope ignited in Baek Yoon-Ho's chest.
"What's this Hunter's rank? A-rank? Or B-rank?"
If it were S-rank, there was no way he wouldn't know. There were only about ten S-rank Hunters in all of South Korea. But then An Sang-Min shook his head.
'No way!'
The tension that had been locked in Baek Yoon-Ho's face instantly melted away.
"So you're saying an S-rank Hunter went in with them?"
An Sang-Min answered calmly.
"No. E-rank."
Baek Yoon-Ho's face twisted like he'd bitten into a bug.
***
Jin-Woo was stunned.
'Could this possibly be a Gate that transports you to another world?'
This was his first time seeing one in person, but he'd read accounts of the experience online. Everyone used the phrase "sucked in," and Jin-Woo agreed. After the Gate engulfed him, deep darkness fell, and he felt himself gliding toward somewhere.
'Whoa!'
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a snow-covered forest.
"Where is this?" "This doesn't look like it's inside a Dungeon." "The Gate is gone!"
The Hunters looked around, unable to hide their bewilderment. While everyone else was in a panic, Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings.
'No suspicious signs.'
Thanks to the System toughening him up, he could compose himself quickly even after being dropped into an unfamiliar place. The first thing he noticed was the trees. Massive conifers rarely seen in Korea were clustered densely, stretching toward the sky. He was thinking that the snow piled heavily on the branches looked precarious when he lowered his gaze — and locked eyes with someone.
It was A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol, who, like Jin-Woo, had been warily scanning the area.
'...' '...'
The two stared each other down for a moment before both looked away. Han Song-Yi, who had approached without notice, lightly tugged at the hem of his jacket.
"Um... something's wrong here, isn't it?"
Fearful eyes. The bold attitude she'd been putting on was nowhere to be found. Jin-Woo suddenly thrust his hand out toward Han Song-Yi's face.
'...?'
Han Song-Yi's eyes went wide. Thwip! The arrow caught in Jin-Woo's hand trembled in frustration, having missed its mark. It had been aimed straight for Han Song-Yi's forehead.
"A-ah..."
Once she finally grasped the situation, Han Song-Yi's face went pale. But the scream came from elsewhere.
"Aaaagh!" "U-ugh!"
Thud. A male Hunter with an arrow lodged in his temple foamed at the mouth and collapsed. Blood spread across the snow above him.
"U-uhh..."
The Hunters groaned. It had been a simultaneous shot — one aimed at Han Song-Yi, the other at the male Hunter. Thanks to that, nobody had caught the moment Jin-Woo snatched the arrow out of the air.
"Over there!" "It's them!"
A B-rank Hunter pointed at a tree far in the distance. But long before his finger ever pointed that way, Jin-Woo and Kim Cheol's eyes were already locked onto it. Two figures stood there.
'Two? No — two creatures.'
White hair, pale skin, silver eyes. And the pointed ears characteristic of their race. With their distinctive beauty and the rarity of only being found in high-level Dungeons, these were quite famous magical beasts.
'Ice Elves.'
Or White Fiends. Those who had never encountered them mostly used the term "Ice Elf," while every Hunter who had actually fought them called them White Fiends — saying that a beautiful name like "elf" didn't suit those things. Jin-Woo could guess why the senior Hunters gritted their teeth at the White Fiends.
'...They're laughing.'
The two had lowered their bows and sent a nauseating grin toward the Hunters. Like deciding which delicacy on the table to eat first.
'Was this the result of that deliberation?'
Jin-Woo's gaze sharpened. One arrow had landed on the far left. Another on the far right. It was no coincidence. The Hunter hit by the stray arrow was a man in his thirties who had recently awakened to C-rank — the weakest among the group besides Han Song-Yi. And the other arrow...
'Was aimed at Han Song-Yi.'
They had targeted the two weakest people.
'If not for the System, an arrow would've been lodged in my head first.'
The White Fiends' petty calculation irritated Jin-Woo. He held up his hand where they could see it and crushed the arrow. Crunch! Whether they took it as a challenge, the White Fiend who had fired the arrow drew a finger across its throat at Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo smirked. But his eyes weren't smiling.
'...I'll kill you with my own hands.'
In response to the magical beast's feeble provocation, Jin-Woo sent back a frigid stare instead of words. Shortly after, the White Fiends vanished from beneath the trees.
"Well, it seems they're not exactly welcoming us."
Kim Cheol finally spoke. As the only A-rank among them, the moment he opened his mouth, everyone's eyes turned to him as if on cue. He was, after all, the leader of this expedition.
"Some of you may have realized by now, but we're inside a Red Gate."
Kim Cheol spoke bluntly, dropping honorifics as if it were the most natural thing. Nobody complained, of course.
"That means nobody can come in here until either all of us die or a dungeon break opens the Gate."
Everyone let out a low groan.
"Mm." "Ugh..."
The realization that they couldn't count on a rescue hit them hard. Kim Cheol continued.
"If we stay here, we'll either freeze to death or get attacked by those things. I'm going to clear this place and get out, even if I have to do it alone. Anyone coming with me?"
Kim Cheol's fierce gaze and broad shoulders made him look especially dependable. The Hunters exchanged glances for a moment, then one after another voiced their agreement to join.
"Let's go together." "Count me in." "Let's get out alive." "I'll help too!"
But Kim Cheol shoved back the male Hunter who stepped forward to help.
"Ghk!"
He'd said he'd hold back, but this was A-rank strength. The male Hunter stumbled backward, grimacing at the pain rising from his chest.
"Not you." "What?" "And you, you, you, and you."
Kim Cheol pointed out several more people besides the man. Among them were Jin-Woo and Han Song-Yi. Jin-Woo's brow twitched. All five of them — C-rank or lower Hunters.
"I hate to break it to you, but I can't take you lot along." "What did you say?" "Do you even know anything about Red Gates?"
The man shook his head.
"Time passes differently here. One day inside is one hour outside. In the worst case, it could take months before we get a dungeon break or kill the boss. I can't afford to drag dead weight around in a situation like that." "Dead weight? That's what we are?"
The Hunters who had been named bristled in unison, but the moment Kim Cheol's eyes bulged, they all shut their mouths. Kim Cheol spoke as if doing them a favor.
"Don't be too disappointed. If we survive until we kill the boss, you'll get to leave safely too." "Still..."
The named Hunters sent pleading looks to the ones who had joined Kim Cheol's side, but nobody stepped forward. They were all too busy avoiding eye contact. Just then.
"Excuse me."
A female B-rank Hunter on Kim Cheol's team raised her hand.
'...?'
When Kim Cheol looked back, the woman pointed at Jin-Woo.
"Can I switch from his side to yours?" "...Do whatever you want."
Without looking back, the woman walked over to stand beside Jin-Woo. Kim Cheol looked back and forth between the woman and Jin-Woo, let out a snicker, then spoke loudly.
"There's one spot left, so I'll take exactly one more from over there." "M-me!"
The male Hunter who had been shoved away earlier rushed over, afraid Kim Cheol might change his mind. That was the normal reaction. Jin-Woo thought so too.
'This woman is the odd one.'
Jin-Woo looked at the woman standing beside him with a puzzled expression. When their eyes met, she spoke in a voice too quiet for anyone else to hear.
"That Kim Cheol guy — he didn't even see the arrow coming."
Being a senior Hunter didn't mean all your stats were high. An A-rank could still have low agility. Jin-Woo, who understood the stat concept, didn't think much of it.
"So?"
The woman gave a bright smile.
"You're not E-rank, are you?"