STC chapter 37

* * *

Ten minutes before 2 PM.

The shimmering rift in the air slowly widened, eventually blossoming open like a flower. The speed was almost like watching a high-speed camera.

“…Wow.”

I hadn’t frequented gates much, and it was my first time seeing one open up close.

As I let out a small gasp, Ryu Min looked at me affectionately and chuckled.

“Is it fascinating?”

“Yes, it’s my first time seeing it in person.”

I answered honestly, unable to take my eyes off the shimmering gate.

Soon, I heard the cool sound of metal. Ryu Min had summoned his long sword with his ability.

Che Goya was also ready to summon his creatures at any moment.

Just before entering the gate, Ye Ilhu, at the front, looked back at us and spoke resolutely.

“The most important thing is the team’s safety.”

It was a statement that didn’t match his usual personality.

I recalled a battle reference video I had seen before. It was from the staff-only site for Idea hunters.

There was a personal page where I once checked Kang Baram’s schedule, and the company intranet where announcements and battle reference videos were uploaded.

The promotional videos on the main site were edited to look good, so the general public didn’t know, but the battle reference videos showed a different side of Ye Ilhu.

In the previous battle, he had coordinated somewhat with Vice Guild Master Ryu Min, but in the videos, he moved independently in an astonishingly selfish manner.

[As long as you don’t get in my way. Don’t wander around in front of me.]

Just like he snapped at me during our first meeting, he treated the surrounding hunters like dirt.

He would rush ahead to decapitate the strongest monsters, then retreat without a word when only the weak ones were left.

Arrogant. Supreme egotist.

It wasn’t surprising that other hunters cursed him behind Ye Ilhu’s back.

But there he was, talking about the team’s safety.

When I looked at him in surprise, he raised an eyebrow in his usual disgruntled manner as if asking, ‘What?’

Just then, a rumbling noise came from inside the gate. It sounded like approaching thunderclouds or a beast growling lowly.

It wasn’t just us who were ready. An indescribable sense of pressure filled the air. If left alone, the monsters would move first.

“Let’s go in,” Ye Ilhu said, and we all stepped into the gate.

As soon as we entered, Ryu Min sent a recording drone high into the sky.

It seemed to be controlled by the headquarters, as Ryu Min didn’t have a remote.

I looked around. Strange, watchful eyes seemed to follow us.

‘So this is an A-rank gate.’

Previously, it had been a wasteland with a red sky and sandstorms, but this time it was a dense forest.

When I looked up, the leaves were so thick they almost blocked out the sky.

From above, a bird screeched, reminding me of Dukbong, whom I had left behind at our quarters.

Ye Ilhu, who had approached without me noticing, tapped me on the back and warned, “Stay sharp.”

“Huh? Oh, okay…”

He wasn’t picking a fight as usual. For the first time, he seemed concerned about a D-rank hunter like me entering an A-rank gate.

“I got it. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful not to cause any trouble.”

“…”

Ye Ilhu moved his lips slightly as if he wanted to say more but held back considering the situation.

“It seems these monsters are good at hiding. Let’s move.”

So, not all monsters were aggressive. It would be nice to get through without fighting.

Although it would be a lie to say I didn’t want to test my skills, I wasn’t keen on inviting danger.

We moved deeper into the forest, on high alert. Without any monsters in sight, it felt like an ordinary forest.

Birds flitted around, chirping loudly, and insects buzzed at our feet. With no immediate threat, Chunshik, summoned in a small size, perched on Chae Goya’s shoulder.

“You’re lucky, Baram,” Ryu Min said, chopping away branches with his sword.

We walked in single file: Ye Ilhu, me, Ryu Min, and Chae Goya, so I turned my head back to respond.

“Still, if we return empty-handed, the guild master won’t be pleased.”

The guild’s funds mainly came from gate by-products.

That’s why the central government and all guilds were eager to recruit high-rank hunters.

At my words, Chae Goya flinched. Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

“That’s true, but we can’t find what isn’t there.”

“True.”

The conversation seemed to ease the tension.

Ryu Min and I exchanged a few more words.

“Is this situation common?”

“No, especially not for an A-rank gate to be this quiet.”

Then, suddenly, the ground beneath us started to tremble slightly.

‘Huh?’

At first, I thought it was my imagination.

But it seemed best to check, so I stopped and tapped the ground with my boot.

When I stopped, the others did too. Chae Goya asked cautiously, “Why did you stop, Baram?”

On his shoulder, Chunshik flicked his long, thin tongue, hissing softly.

“No… It feels like the ground is moving. Did anyone else notice?”

Ye Ilhu and Ryu Min’s eyes sharpened at my words, immediately looking at the ground.

Soon, the soil started to heave as if something was trying to break through.

Ye Ilhu shouted, “Get back!”

Before his words fully left his mouth, Ryu Min pulled me into his arms.

I couldn’t immediately register who was holding me as the situation unfolded so quickly.

The sudden quake forced us to scatter.

Ye Ilhu quickly leaped onto a nearby rock, and Chae Goya, riding the now large Chunshik, maneuvered around the trembling ground.

“What’s happening? What is it?”

“It’s a golem!”

Everyone’s faces paled at Ye Ilhu’s words.

Ordinary monsters could be defeated, but golems, animated by magic, had to be destroyed at their source to be stopped.

They were much more troublesome to deal with.

Of course, we could temporarily halt them by disrupting the magic or binding them.

But we couldn’t just close the gate; we had to stop the golem itself.

‘There should be an ancient temple-like ruin.’

I recalled what I had read in the [Monster Encyclopedia: Master in a Day!] from the library.

The ground burst open, sending a cloud of dust into the air, revealing the golem with glowing red eyes.

It was enormous, towering above the treetops.

The small, watchful eyes that had been following us vanished in an instant.

“Damn it,” Ye Ilhu cursed quietly, his eyes fixed on the golem with a fierce intensity.

“What’s up with Ye Ilhu?”

Ryu Min sighed and explained, “Fire and earth don’t mix well. Ye Ilhu is at a disadvantage.”

I hadn’t studied elemental affinities enough to know that.

‘Oh, that makes sense.’

Even an SS-rank hunter like Ye Ilhu would struggle to incinerate a golem as tall as a five-story building in one go.

The golem, now fully upright, surveyed its surroundings. The nearby trees were uprooted and scattered.

Still in Ryu Min’s arms, I quietly spoke, “Ryu Min, can you throw me towards the golem?”

I shook my wrists, loosening up. I estimated the distance. It wasn’t impossible if I timed it right.

Ryu Min exhaled in disbelief, “What kind of crazy talk is that?”

“Listen, Ye Ilhu can’t take down the golem in one blow, right?”

Monsters typically matched the gate’s rank. So, this golem, despite its size, was likely just A-rank.

In contrast, my power was SS-rank.

A single decisive strike wouldn’t be hindered by the three-minute limit.

I clenched my fist, the leather of my gloves creaking.

“I think I can stop the golem.”

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*