Chapter 52: Hunting at the Level S Gate. (1)

Hwarang's Third Squad...

Unlike the 1st and 2nd squads that were each protecting Suwon and Pohang, they were in charge of investigating crimes committed by players.

'Was she in charge of the Third Squad?'

KangWoo stared at Baek HwaYeon, who had bright silver hair.

It was weird for an Asian to have silver hair, but because of her beauty, it didn't feel weird.

'She's probably strong.'

He looked at her with his eyes narrowed.

At first glance, she looked really frail, but there was no way that was actually the case.

He could feel a sense of dignity from her expressions and how she acted.

She looked like one of those people that wouldn't break.

He wasn't sure what level she was at, but he felt that she was probably among the strongest.

"Hmm, it seems like there was a guest. I'm sorry for interrupting you... Is he the person you're supporting?" Baek HwaYeon asked while looking at KangWoo.

"Yes."

"Is he part of the Red Rose Guild?"

"No. He isn't part of our guild. Hmm... It's more like an alliance."

"Woah. To think you'd give such huge support to a player that isn't part of your guild. That's surprising."

"He's someone worthy."

Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo with interest.

She extended her hand toward him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the captain of Hwarang's Third Squad, Baek HwaYeon."

"I'm Oh KangWoo."

"Oh KangWoo...?"

After hearing his name, Baek HwaYeon frowned a bit and tried to remember where she'd heard that name.

"Ah! You're that young man I met in front of the C-rank gate!"

It seemed like she finally remembered having seen KangWoo previously. She grabbed his hands while her eyes shone.

Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

"Have you two met before?"

"Yes. He was a very polite and just young man. Haha. Chae YeonJoo, you have a good eye for people."

"What...?"

After hearing what Baek HwaYeon said, Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo with an expression that made it seem like she'd just eaten something disgusting.

KangWoo a polite and just young man? That was nonsense.

There weren't that many people in the world whom those two words didn't seem to match.

'What kind of scam did he do?'

Chae YeonJoo looked at him with suspicious eyes.

KangWoo scratched the back of his head while making a silly smile.

"Haha. You're over flattering me. I'm overwhelmed by Ms. Baek HwaYeon's positive view of me..."

"Bleh."

"What..."

"No, I just felt a bit disgusted."

Chae YeonJoo shrugged her shoulders and turned her head to Baek HwaYeon.

"I don't agree about him being polite or just, but he's definitely someone skillful."

"Hmm, I see."

Baek HwaYeon sat down while nodding.

Chae YeonJoo turned her head to KangWoo and asked.

"So, what were you trying to ask?"

"Hmm..."

KangWoo took a glimpse at Baek HwaYeon. Chae YeonJoo noticed and spoke.

"You don't need to worry about HwaYeon. She has a deep relationship with us."

"Hmm. Well, if you say so. Then I'll just say it—I want access permission to the S-rank gate."

"What...?"

Chae YeonJoo was surprised at the unexpected request.

She looked at KangWoo with narrowed eyes.

"Are you planning to hunt in an S-ranked gate?"

"Yes. Didn't I tell you that I got a summoned monster? It would be dangerous if I were alone, but I'm okay now that I have a summoned monster."

"Oof..."

Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

He didn't seem to be exaggerating. The KangWoo she knew wasn't someone who would try to do something impossible.

If he said he could hunt, it was because he could do it.

"You know what monsters appear in Suwon's S-rank gate, right...?"

"Giant ogres, mountain giants, wyverns, and..."

"El Quero."

Chae YeonJoo named all of the monsters that appeared inside the gate.

"Even if you hunt there, don't go near the lake. Understood?"

"Yes, I know."

* * *

KangWoo nodded.

The giant lake that covered half of the S-rank gate...

Surprisingly, there weren't many monsters living inside the giant lake.

The reason for that was the monster named El Quero that Chae YeonJoo had just mentioned.

It was a monster that looked like a stingray, and its size reached 30 meters.

It had thousands of poisonous stingers on its fins, and it radiated high-voltage electrical currents through its body.

Because El Quero had eaten most of the monsters within the lake, those that couldn't walk out of the water hadn't survived.

The only monsters left in the lake were those El Quero didn't consider food.

It looked beautiful on the outside, but in reality, the lake of Suwon's S-rank gate was a place where one single predator had devoured most of the monsters that'd lived within it.

"Oof. Okay, then I'll ask them to convert the temporary access permission to an official one. You'll be able to enter it tomorrow."

"Thank you."

KangWoo's eyes shone after hearing that he'd be able to enter the gate the next day.

"W-wait!"

Baek HwaYeon, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, shouted in surprise.

"S-rank gate? What are you talking about? He was in a C-rank gate until a few days ago..."

"Ah... You see."

Chae YeonJoo sighed.

Just like Baek HwaYeon had said, until a few weeks before, KangWoo was a player who'd hunted in a C-rank gate.

But now...

"He's a monster who can even enter S-rank gates."

Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo in disbelief.

She knew he was talented.

She thought that maybe he would be able to surpass Baek KangHyun, Korea's most talented player.

But maybe he had more potential than she'd thought.

His growth rate was unprecedented.

'The only one I can think of is First Lady...'

First Lady, Grace McCarbin.

She was the first person to awaken as a player and was ranked 1st in the world.

'No, he's growing faster than Grace.'

It had been only a month since he'd awakened as a player.

He had become as strong as a national ranker in just a month.

Even if First Lady had grown fast, it wasn't as fast as KangWoo.

'How much of a monster will he become in the future?'

She looked at him, half excited and half worried.

"Well, things happened, but you can believe me when I say you can trust this guy's skills."

"Hmm. Even so, an S-rank gate is..."

Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo, confused.

The S-rank gate was a place that even national rankers were wary about hunting in alone.

Of course, the monster El Quero was the biggest reason why people avoided going there, but the other monsters that appeared in it were also quite strong.

'Did he awaken an S-rank attribute on the third Awakening?'

Baek WhaYeon asked herself while looking at KangWoo.

'No, even if he has an S-rank Attribute, it's impossible to go from C to S in just a few weeks.'

That meant that he may have awakened an Attribute with a higher rank than that.

"It seems like you've grabbed an amazing player..."

"Well, I'm not sure if I have grabbed him or he has grabbed me, but oh well..."

Chae YeonJoo smiled bitterly and shrugged her shoulders.

She looked at Baek HwaYeon and spoke.

"Then I'll be going."

After they finished talking, KangWoo stood up.

He had already talked to her about Echidna's ID and an S-rank gate access permit.

Since he had already solved both things, there was no reason for him to remain there.

'They seem to want that too.'

KangWoo turned to Baek HwaYeon.

"Be careful. The S-rank gate is a very dangerous place. I went a couple of times. I almost died once because the attention of many monsters became centered on me."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After saying that, KangWoo walked out of the office.

Tap-

As KangWoo walked out of the office, there was silence.

Chae YeonJoo looked at Baek HwaYeon, who was sitting in the place where KangWoo had been.

"So, what happened?"

"Something related to the Demon Cult."

After hearing the words "Demon Cult", Chae YeonJoo frowned angrily.

A strong killing intent emerged from her body.

"Did you get evidence?"

"No, not yet."

"Oof..."

Chae YeonJoo sighed in disappointment after hearing Baek HwaYeon's answer.

"But this time, there's a good chance we'll be able to."

"Can I look forward to it?"

"Do you remember I told you that one of our agents had successfully infiltrated the Demon Cult?"

"Ah, yes."

"Last night, agent Kang DongHoon secretly sent me a message. He told me that he had evidence, so he would set up a meeting point and pass me the video."

Chae YeonJoo's eyes shone after hearing Baek HwaYeon's words.

"He got a video with evidence?"

"Yes."

"Then can't he just send the video as a file? There's no need to meet him and put both parties in danger, right?"

"The pieces of equipment used to transfer data are being strictly monitored, so we can't do that. You also can't send or receive messages from inside the Demon Cult."

"They're terribly thorough..."

"Since they do things like that..."

Baek HwaYeon frowned as if just thinking that was enough to make her unpleasant.

The crazy people who kidnapped players and used them as offerings...

Even that was only one of the many things they were trying to do.

HwaYeon didn't even know what other secretive plans they had.

"Did the agent infiltrate the main base?"

"No, it's just a branch. We don't know where the base is. We aren't even sure if the main base is in Korea."

"Don't tell me... Are they an organization with branches all over the world?"

"Judging by their size, there's a good chance that's the case."

"Oof..."

Chae YeonJoo sighed.

"Just what are they trying to do...?"

To think that a cult full of crazy people who used living players as offerings was an organization present worldwide.

She couldn't believe something like that was happening in the 21st century.

"Nothing has been revealed exactly yet. This is just my guess, so don't be too hasty."

"So, where's the meeting place?"

"Suwon."

"Suwon?"

"I'm meeting up with him tomorrow near Hwaseo Station."

There wasn't anyone in Korea that didn't know about Suwon Hwaseo Station.

It was where one of the two S-rank gates in Korea was present.

"I want to ask for your guild's collaboration. I want to meet him as discreetly as possible... But there's still the chance that something may happen."

"Okay."

Chae YeonJoo didn't doubt for a second and nodded. Things related to the Demon Cult were her current priority.

"I'll go."

"Is it because of that kid...?"

"..."

Chae YeonJoo frowned at Baek HwaYeon's question.

"Don't talk about her."

"I'm sorry... Understood. You coming will be very reassuring."

Baek HwaYeon softly tapped Chae YeonJoo's shoulders while smiling bitterly.

"Suwon Hwaseo station...?"

Chae YeonJoo thought of KangWoo, who had said he would go hunt in the S-rank gate.

'I'm sure I won't meet him there, right?'

The only thing they had to do was receive the video file from the agent.

There was no way for him to somehow get involved.