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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A New Superstar
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West Yeouido was in a state of utter chaos.
It was to be expected. A Gate had burst open in the middle of Yeouido, right next to the National Assembly Building. Fortunately, since it was prime real estate in Seoul, the area was packed with buildings reinforced by densely embedded Magic Stones, so there was little significant damage aside from the broadcasting station.
But it was still a major incident.
The collapse of the broadcasting station building had resulted in quite a few casualties. One person was dead, and seventeen were injured. Five were missing.
Moreover, those five hadn't been crushed by the building; they had been sucked into the Dungeon and disappeared.
“Is Team K here yet?”
“They haven’t come out of the Sangam District Dungeon yet, sir.”
“Is the Sangam District what matters right now?”
The command post set up in front of the broadcasting station. It was 1 a.m., but the place was teeming with people, most of them from the Gwanghwamun Seoul Branch.
In their midst, Seoul Branch Chief Lee Eun-ju rubbed her forehead and clicked her tongue.
“It’s been ten hours since the Dungeon opened. At this rate, neither I nor the Yeongdeungpo Station Chief will escape reprimand.”
“I have no excuse, ma’am.”
“If they can’t enter within thirty minutes, you can consider Team K disbanded.”
“We are doing our best. One of our station’s employees is among the missing, so we are doing our absolute…”
“Enough with the ‘doing our best.’”
“I’m sorry.”
The person tacking on ‘no excuse’ and ‘I’m sorry’ to every sentence was Jeong Yu-jin, the Mapo Station Chief. The Sangam District Dungeon, where Team K was currently located, was under the Mapo Station’s jurisdiction, and they had completely lost contact with the team.
With her unusually thick eyebrows that gave her a stern impression, she gritted her teeth the moment she stepped out of the command tent.
“Kwon Wook, that crazy bastard. I cut him slack normally, so he should at least pull through at times like this, shouldn’t he? Where is he?”
“He said he’ll be here soon…”
Just then, a clear, cheerful voice cut through the flustered official’s words.
“The crazy bastard is here!”
Jeong Yu-jin shot a fierce glare in that direction. The Hunter Agency officials, gathered due to the disaster, began to murmur. It was only natural.
Kwon Wook.
The most popular male S-rank Hunter in all of Korea was standing right there. Having awakened nearly a decade ago, he was now thirty-two—still a young age—and enjoyed immense popularity.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of his handsome face, tall stature, and slender physique. As a former idol, he had a good sense of style, and his personality was gentle and affectionate.
But at this moment, that beaming smile was nothing but an irritant to Jeong Yu-jin. The station chief roared.
“Have you lost your mind? Get ready to go in, now!”
“Yeees, yes.”
Look at him, so relaxed in front of the Gate. Chief Jeong Yu-jin’s insides were boiling. Perhaps because he had just come out of the Sangam District Dungeon, his gear seemed to be fully equipped already.
Just then, the parents who had been anxiously waiting on the other side pushed past the officials and ran forward.
“Mr. Kwon Wook! It’s you, right?”
“Please save our child! Our Hui-yeon, she’s wearing a purple school uniform! A plaid skirt and a bob haircut.”
“Su-gyeong was wearing pink sneakers!”
The man, without letting his smile fade, expertly soothed the parents.
“Yes, ma’am. I was briefed on my way here. I’ve also seen the photos you sent, so…”
Other officials quickly restrained the parents.
“Ma’am, sir, you need to calm down so Hunter Kwon Wook can enter the Gate quickly. This will only delay the rescue operation.”
At those words, the parents hastily backed away as if nothing had happened. But a desperate plea was etched on each of their faces.
In the meantime, Chief Jeong Yu-jin approached Kwon Wook and whispered through gritted teeth.
“Are you smiling right now? Can’t you see the cameras over there? What are you doing, grinning in front of the parents?”
“Oh, come on, Chief. Why are you being like this? You know that looking relaxed helps reassure the public.”
“Five people are missing!”
The tall young man, having served as the Hunter Agency’s promotional model ever since his awakening, knew how to flash a perfectly trustworthy smile. He tilted his head, still smiling.
“It’s not front-page news, anyway.”
“A Gate opened in the middle of Yeouido and you’re saying it’s not front-page news?”
“You know it’s not.”
Kwon Wook shrugged.
“It takes at least ten deaths to make the front page.”
In other words, after being the Hunter Agency’s poster boy for ten years, he could see exactly what criteria the media used for their stories. Since this happened in the middle of a broadcasting station, they’d all be reporting on it with glee.
However, the coverage would likely be about another station’s lack of safety awareness, or whether it was acceptable for a Gate to open right in front of the National Assembly.
Kwon Wook knew all too well that there would be a flood of reports criticizing disaster safety management laws or the national crisis system, rather than focusing on the dead.
But it was hard to blame him. Jeong Yu-jin herself was the one who had raised Kwon Wook to be this way.
Besides, Kwon Wook probably felt it was unfair to be yelled at the moment he arrived. The Sangam District Dungeon was S-rank, and his Team K had been in the process of clearing it for a year.
No matter how skilled the S-rank Hunter leading the charge, a government-led clearing—which involved meticulously extracting every possible byproduct and hunting down every last monster—was bound to progress slowly.
And in the middle of that schedule, a Gate had suddenly opened in the city. In truth, arriving in just ten hours was something of a miracle.
So, Jeong Yu-jin said no more and simply wrinkled her nose.
“Damn bastard. Go on, go greet her.”
“Hello, Chief! Team K has just arrived. I am so sorry for the delay!”
Before Chief Jeong Yu-jin could even finish her sentence, Kwon Wook was already inside the tent where the Seoul Branch Chief was, bowing deeply. Lee Eun-ju could be seen giving him some sort of instructions.
It was then.
Rumble…
At the same time, a system message appeared in the vision of every Hunter present.
[Dungeon clear has been completed.]
[The Guerrilla Gate is closing.]
[Time Remaining: 04:59]
Chief Jeong couldn’t believe her eyes. The Dungeon clear was complete? Just ten hours after it opened? Did that even make sense? Flustered voices echoed from all around.
“What?”
“Is that possible?”
It was the same inside the command post tent. When Yu-jin entered, it was filled with people staring into the air with dumbfounded expressions.
“Chief!”
“Yes.”
Chief Lee Eun-ju, who had also been staring into space with her chin in her hand, looked toward Chief Jeong Yu-jin.
“The missing employee from the Mapo Station, what was her name again?”
The woman was sharp as a tack. A cold sweat trickled down Chief Jeong’s back. Chief Lee Eun-ju had already calculated the most likely scenario for what had happened inside.
“It’s Kang Ha-ra.”
“Kang Ha-ra. Was she on citizen support duty?”
“She’s originally from the Magic Stone Management Division.”
“Good.”
Rumble…
Another thunderous sound echoed from within the Gate. Chief Lee Eun-ju pushed aside the tent flap and went outside. The inside of the Gate was swirling.
A small smile touched Chief Lee Eun-ju’s lips.
“I would love it if a new superstar has just been born.”
Those who belatedly came to their senses stood before the Gate with oxygen tanks, preparing for its collapse. Ambulances also began to park in front of it in unison, anticipating the appearance of the missing people after the Gate disappeared.
Amidst the confused Hunter Agency officials, the paramedics mobilized for the rescue operation watched the Gate with tense expressions. A total of five ambulances were parked in front of it. But there was no telling how many of them would actually be heading to the hospital.
[Time remaining until Gate collapse: 02:45]
“Oh! There, over there!”
As the Gate blurred, faint silhouettes appeared. One of the paramedics shouted in delight.
A cluster of figures. *Please, please.* Everyone clasped their hands and prayed fervently.
The first to emerge was a large man. It was a face familiar to the public.
“Anchor Yoon Se-heon!”
Completely disheveled, his face caked in dirt. His back was soaked in blood, and he was holding tightly onto three young girls.
The paramedics let out a cheer. Three of the five missing people were girls who had just started middle school, and no one had expected them to return alive.
The parents watching from the back also screamed with joy and rushed past the safety line.
“Su-gyeong!”
“Kim Hui-yeon!”
“Oh, Seo-yeon!”
The children, looking dazed, soon burst into tears as they were embraced by their parents.
The paramedics grinned and approached Yoon Se-heon, placing an oxygen mask on his face. It was a precaution, in case he had inhaled any toxic gases inside the Dungeon.
Even as he put on the mask, the man looked around.
[Time remaining until Gate collapse: 00:13]
Only when the Gate was about to collapse did another faint figure appear. It was a silhouette huddled on the ground.
Sir, take a deep breath. Breathe in deeply. Try to breathe. Open your eyes wide. Even as a paramedic quickly checked his condition, Se-heon couldn’t take his eyes off the figure.
“Ms. Kang Ha-ra! Are you Ms. Kang Ha-ra? Ms. Kang Ha-ra! Open your eyes, Ms. Kang Ha-ra!”
A paramedic who had run to the figure flipped open Kang Ha-ra’s eyelid, checked various things by touching her body, and then shouted.
“I’ve confirmed Ms. Kang Ha-ra’s breathing!”
Only then did Se-heon realize he had been holding his breath the entire time.
He finally managed to take a deep breath. The paramedic patted his back, urging him to breathe. “Good job. Now breathe quickly. Short breaths. In, and out. That’s it.”
Se-heon took three shallow breaths, and the other person squeezed his shoulder, telling him he did well.
Wee-ooo-wee-ooo—an ambulance siren blared as it departed. The sight of the dust-filled sky over West Yeouido was so welcome it brought tears to his eyes.
