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The error range of the Gate alarm system was a radius of 1 km. This meant it wasn’t yet possible to pinpoint precisely where a Gate had been created.

However, even with this error, it drastically reduced the damage to regular citizens as those in the warning zone could be evacuated.

Citizens were bewildered by the new text message they had never seen before but quickly evacuated when the siren sounded.

This resulted from the Monster Disaster Response Simulation Training, which was conducted on the 15th of every month, an exercise which began after the cataclysms had started.

The citizens actively participated as they had all directly experienced the damage caused by monsters.

Yoo So-eun thought it was fortunate as she reported to Director Koh Tae-wook.

“Mr. Byeong-gi sent us the Gate location.”

“He’s really mysterious. Does he have a foresight skill too?"

Thanks to Lee Byeong-gi's information, the Hunter Management Bureau was able to predict the path through which monsters could enter the city and then deploy troops to block them.

“Ghouuul!”

“Crururuk!”

From the Yangjae Citizens' Forest area to Gangnam-daero, monsters poured out of a pitch-black Gate.

They had to go through the portal and break the Summoning Stone, but the number of monsters that came out was beyond imagination.

It proved too daunting to fight them back while maintaining their defensive line.

As Director Koh Tae-wook had predicted, the monsters were moving out of the civilian control zone and into the city.

They instinctively followed the scent of humans.

“Did you reach the Association’s executives yet?”

"No."

Director Koh Tae-wook's expression became serious. Yoo So-eun saw that expression and had an ominous feeling.

Except for Director Koh Tae-wook, they had lost contact with all Top-Ten rankers.

However, she soon shook her head.

They must have entered the Gate. Mr. Byeong-gi is also there....

Yoo So-eun continued with her report.

“The number of monsters coming out of the Gate is way more than we thought. Besides…”

“What?!”

Koh Tae-wook's eyes widened as she reported that the missing hunters had turned into Ghouls.

She said that each guild was hesitant to attack because the Ghouls were wearing the same clothes as their comrades and other hunters who had known the dead were getting in the way of their attempts to take down the monsters.

They were already losing this battle, but the situation was growing worse.

“This isn’t the time for me to be idly watching and receiving reports from here.”

Director Koh Tae-wook radioed elsewhere.

He intended to hand over command to the deputy director of the Management Bureau and step forward himself.

“S-Sir!”

Despite Yoo So-eun calling out to him, Koh Tae-wook headed for the battlefield without hesitation, and she followed.

Baaaaaang-

“Ouch!”

Her ears tingled at the sudden loud noise.

“Sonic boom?”

It was similar to the sound made when a fighter plane broke the sound barrier, but there were no reports of planes sortieing nearby.

Besides, this sonic boom hadn’t come from the sky.

Yoo So-eun stopped following Director Koh Tae-wook and turned to look for where the sound had come from.

Glancing over, Yoo So-eun saw a fast-moving black object.

Her eyes widened.

Every time the object moved, leaving afterimages trailing behind it, the rotten blood of Ghouls and Monsters sprayed in the air before the monsters themselves broke into pieces.

“It’s Byeong-gi Oppa!”

“Mr. Byeong-gi!”

Woo Seol-ah and Seol Myeonggeun shouted.

“That afterimage is Mr. Byeong-gi?”

"Unnie! What are you doing here?”

Woo Seol-ah asked as she noticed Yoo So-eun’s presence on the battlefield.

“I heard a loud noise, so I came to check the situation. But is that really Mr. Byeong-gi?”

"That's right. The only person who moves like that is Byeong-gi Oppa. He moved like that at the Peace Gate the other day.”

"Ah, manager. This is the first time you've seen this, huh?"

Seol Myeonggeun asked.

He eagerly described the scene he had seen in the Peace Gate.

However, Yoo So-eun's eyes were focused on the black object that moved brilliantly through the monsters, so Seol Myeonggeun’s

explanation didn’t reach her ears.

She remembered the sight of Byeong-gi soaring into the sky last night.

She had never heard of a hunter with flying skills. And what kind of movement was this now?

What on earth is Mr. Byeong-gi?

He was designated as a Hunter of Interest, so she knew all his personal information, but there was nothing special in his records before he Awakened.

Yoo So-eun thought back to their first meeting in Hyehwa-dong and their second meeting at Gangnam Station, and this unknown attraction and favor she felt for Lee Byeong-gi.

Claiming to be monitoring a Hunter of Interest, she had gone to Lee Byeong-gi's house countless times to confirm that strange attraction.

The more time they spent together, the stronger her attraction to him grew. But Lee Byeong-gi seemed to feel nothing in return.

He didn't even seem interested in Yoo So-eun.

With her pride slightly hurt, she kept hitting on him half-jokingly and half out of spite, but in the end...

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

Yoo So-eun was shaken from those thoughts by Lee Byeong-gi's cry. He stopped right in front of the BnS Guild and her team.

Yoo So-eun's heart began to beat wildly, and that strange feeling grew stronger.

It wasn’t unpleasant, though.

“Sergeant Seol! I think Byeong-gi Oppa is trying to do something.”

Not only Woo Seol-ah, but Seol Myeonggeun also seemed to sense he was about to launch a big attack.

Yoo So-eun thought the same.

All three of them had heard Lee Byeong-gi tell them to get out of the way previously just before he launched a big attack.

His eyes are the same as back then.

It was the terrifying look she’d seen on Daeseong Mountain.

The gathered hunters quickly stepped back as Seol Myeonggeun radioed each guild.

“Electric Pika!”

Pajijijijijik-!

“Kweeek!”

“Kwooooooooh!!”

A hundred dazzling lights emanated from Lee Byeong-gi's body and fried the monsters.

At the same time, a dark aura began to form around the bizarre-looking weapon he held.

“Sword Aura! No, it’s beyond that!”

“It’s black and all-encompassing… and beautiful!”

Seol Myeonggeun exclaimed with astonishment, and Woo Seol-ah made a strange noise as her face went red.

Yoo So-eun had seen an Aura before.

When she had heard about it from Seol Myeonggeun in the past and wondered what it was, Koh Tae-wook had shown her.

However, Lee Byeong-gi’s Aura was more pronounced. And besides, it was still growing from his blade.

“Go!”

As Lee Byeong-gi waved his blade and screamed, the energy grew into the shape of a Dragon.

“M-My God.”

She had never seen or heard of anything like that before.

Gwoooooh-

It sounded like the Black Dragon roared.

“Kyaah. The CEO is so cool!”

“I liked the Pikachu’s million-volt attack earlier.”

“I think he looks cooler when he uses bones….”

The members of Team Seolhwa also had a few words of comment, but they seemed to have different points they were surprised by.

Yoo So-eun’s eyes fluttered, and she grew dizzy at the sight of them jumping around.

Her pride was hurt for some reason.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeek-

RUMBLE!

Lightning and thunder flashed in all directions, followed by a deafening explosion.

Once the roar died down, the watching hunters whispered among themselves. They were all talking about how Lee Byeong-gi's power was unbelievable.

The tightly clustered monsters ahead of him, and the monsters that the hunters gathered behind him had struggled against, had all vanished once the destruction cleared.

There were quite a few casualties on their side, but he had managed to wipe out the Undead without a single wound to show for it.

"Ha! If I had moved, I would have been swept away."

Director Koh Tae-wook had reached Yoo So-eun before she knew it. His tattered appearance indicated that he had fought a tough battle.

His top was completely torn, almost to the point of being undressed, and the warhammer he held was stained with rotten blood.

Seeing Koh Tae-wook's colossal body and bulging muscles reminded Yoo So-eun of the green monster from a movie she watched as a child.

“After all, it’s impressive!”

He shook his head as if it was absurd.

However, Yoo So-eun was worried.

She remembered how he had vomited blood after using a similarly powerful skill during the Daeseong Mountain Gate incident.

“There are still many monsters left. I'll go see Mr. Byeong-gi."

"H-Huh? Okay.”

Director Koh Tae-wook wore an absurd expression behind Yoo So-eun as she ran off.

Why am I like this?

She would never have done it if she had acted like the usual Yoo So-eun.

Coincidentally, Lee Byeong-gi was already speaking to Lee Seong-jin.

At that moment, a system notification popped up.

<SYSTEM: Beginning summoning of boss monster Feral Ghoul ‘Sehun'.>

<SYSTEM: 30 seconds left until Sehun is summoned.>

<SYSTEM: 29 seconds remaining.>

"Sehun?"

She thought back to the person from the Heaven’s Way Guild that went missing with Choi Yooseong at the Gangnam Station Gate.

"No way!"

For some reason, she felt Lee Byeong-gi might know about the missing hunters who turned into Ghouls and the Boss monster named Sehun.

Maybe she could find out something before he got rid of the Boss.

Her steps quickened.

“Mr. Byeong-gi, wait a minute… Kyaaaaaaa!”

Baaaaaaaaang!-

A large shockwave was created when Lee Byeong-gi launched himself upwards, and Yoo So-eun was thrown back.

“Miss So-eun, are you okay?"

Lee Seong-jin, his hair a mess from the shock wave, helped her.

“What did Byeong-gi say?”

“Well, what he always says. He asked me to take care of the remaining monsters.”

Yoo So-eun watched Lee Byeong-gi head off with melancholy.

Pow! Pow, pow, pow, pow!-

Sehun made a loud noise as it attacked Lee Byeong-gi.

She worried as it momentarily shook Lee Byeong-gi, but before she knew it, the Boss monster, Sehun, crumbled under his enormous

power.

Well, there's probably no information to be obtained from a monster that can't speak.

***

Sehun was a reasonably tricky opponent, befitting a level 70 Named Boss.

I was surprised at how quickly the wounds caused by the Demonic Dragon Skywrecker regenerated. Even his severed arms grew back.

But while his wounds regenerated, mine were still intact.

The moment he collapsed, I was hit by the Maggot Hatch skill.

I blocked it using Enhancement, Mana Shield, and even my blade. Still, the skill's effect resulted in explosions as the maggots burst like napalm.

The title of Two Hearts immediately applied to regenerate my lost energy, but I was hurt quickly before it went into effect.

I suffered several thermal burns to my left shoulder, where now the bone underneath was visible.

I would have been in big trouble if I hadn't created distance with the Heavenly Demon Replication.

[Are you okay?]

“Only when this happens do you cut off my senses... Is that supposed to be consoling?”

[Looking at you complaining, you must be alright. It was pretty powerful though. You wouldn't have been able to take it with just Strong Body Energy.]

“If I had known it, the damage could have been reduced.”

[I'll have to work on your strangely twisted perception when this is over.]

The Heavenly Demon griped that I became abnormally strong due to the effects of the system skills and martial arts.

But when compared to those who trained in martial arts using the standard methods, I had too many weak points. I also lacked knowledge about my martial arts.

Even if the Heavenly Demon shared his memories in the Tutorial Dungeon, it was only fragments, so it was confirmed that I didn’t properly understand the depth of martial arts.

In other words, I was just about, or slightly beyond, the middle stage.

[But he’s still alive.]

He said the Undead was alive... It felt weird, but like the Heavenly Demon said, magic power continued to flow from Sehun.

It was getting weaker, though.

“Kekekeke. Indeed, amazing.”

Sehun's huge, rotten head rolled on the ground laughing.

[Ha. This guy even talks.]

I was totally shocked. I'd never heard of Ghouls being able to speak.

Would this guy also be banned from talking? It wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Looking at him, though, it seemed clear the Gate Managers already controlled the Heavenly Way Guild.

“Who are the Gate Managers?”

That's what I was most curious about.

“On the day of His advent, the world will be reborn. Kekeke!”

Boooom-

Instead of responding to my question, Sehun left me a thought-provoking remark, and then his head exploded.

Putrid blood and brain matter rained down as I pondered the situation.

“Advent? Him who?”

[At least it seems you now know what the Gate Managers are up to.]

“…”

The system notification window to announce the Boss’s death rushed past.