16 chapter - D-Class Gate (2)

The moment we were assigned a D-Class Gate, I issued a summoning order to the party members and set the meeting time for 11 AM.

Fortunately, Seong Yohan lived near Lee Yuna’s place, so I didn’t need to pick her up.

All I had to do was pick up Hong Soo-ah, who lived nearby.

Thanks to that, I had some extra time to take a leisurely shower and gather the necessary equipment for the Gate raid.

In the back seat of the car, instead of people, there were five blue carry-on cases occupying the space.

‘I packed all five D-Class Gate Raid Kits.’

Inside were various items such as gas masks, penicillin, first aid kits, and mountaineering ropes.

The kits were stocked with essential items, selected based on the common environments and monsters that appeared in D-Class Gates. Each kit cost over ten million won.

The reason the kits were so expensive was that every single item inside had to be treated with mana stones.

Gates wouldn’t allow non-mana-infused objects to pass through.

Together, the five kits cost a whopping fifty million won, but it wasn’t unmanageable.

Since I had already completed business registration, I could easily get a loan, and I didn’t have to pay for the kits all at once.

‘Thank goodness for leasing.’

I only had to pay a deposit of one million won per kit and a monthly usage fee of 250,000 won.

After using them, depending on the condition of the kits upon return, I might have to pay additional fees or even get some money back.

‘I hope I won’t have to use this.’

A single handgun and a set of bullets.

Unfortunately, there was no place that leased firearms, so I had to spend a hefty 15 million won.

Ironically, the bullets were more expensive than the gun itself.

‘Did I get ripped off?’

It was true that Hunters made more money compared to other jobs, but the expenses were just as astronomical.

Still, being stingy on these things would be the height of stupidity.

My life was on the line.

There wasn’t a single thing I could afford to skimp on.

‘Yeah, this is an investment.’

Unlike the relatively safe F-Class Gates, D-Class Gates were rife with diverse and dangerous threats.

If I wanted to survive, preparing thoroughly was the only option.

Preparing for a D-Class Gate raid was never-ending.

It hit me how reckless it had been to throw myself into that Rapid Corrosion Gate back then.

‘Just because it’s a forest doesn’t mean it’s safe.’

Maybe ignorance really was courage back then.

I only knew the general features and strategies for the monsters that appeared in D-Class Gates.

But actually preparing for a raid like this was something I had never done before, so there were still many things I was unfamiliar with.

‘Well, it all worked out in the end, so that’s a relief.’

After one final check of all the equipment, I got into the car.

“Good to see you, Soo-ah.”

Hong Soo-ah silently bowed her head in greeting and tried to get into the back seat.

But that seat was completely packed with kits.

She had no choice but to sit next to me in the front.

“Hot day, huh? It’s like full-blown summer now.”

“……”

An awkward silence settled between us.

Since she wasn’t responding, I had no choice but to close my mouth and focus on driving.

‘Might as well listen to some music.’

Just as we were nearing the destination—

“Hey.”

Hong Soo-ah spoke up.

I hadn’t expected her to start a conversation, so I responded a beat too late.

“Huh? Did you just call me?”

“…Yeah.”

“What is it?”

Hong Soo-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“A while ago, a Rapid Corrosion Gate appeared near my house. I heard it was extremely dangerous because the corrosion rate was abnormally fast. But they said a D-Class Hunter volunteered to go inside alone.”

The traffic light turned red, and I stopped the car, glancing over at Hong Soo-ah.

She was staring straight at me as she asked,

“Was that really you?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Why would you…”

“At the time, I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) was the only Hunter who arrived at the scene. If I didn’t go in to slow down the corrosion rate, things could’ve gotten really dangerous.”

Hong Soo-ah’s eyes trembled.

She spoke with a confused expression.

“So you… risked your life for others? Really?”

“It wasn’t that noble, really. There were other benefits, and most importantly, I was confident.”

Looking back now, it was nothing but baseless confidence, but at the time, that was how I felt.

I thought I could handle a D-Class Gate solo.

‘If Choi Changshik could do it, there’s no way I couldn’t.’

But reality was harsh.

Had the blood not seeped into my right eye by sheer luck, I would’ve been dead for sure.

“I was reckless, yeah. But I gained a lot in return. It wasn’t a losing trade.”

While figuring out how to use my skills, I’d obtained strength several times greater than before.

Now, I could probably clear a D-Class Gate solo with ease.

‘Unless some special case pops up.’

From D-Class onward, there were monsters completely immune to physical damage.

With my skillset that pumped up physical abilities using mana, there was no way to deal with those types.

‘No way those things will appear in my first raid… right?’

Just as a wave of unease washed over me—

Honk! Honk!

A car horn blared from behind.

The light had turned green without me noticing.

As I refocused on driving, Hong Soo-ah spoke up again from the passenger seat.

“Are you really the Choi Changshik I knew?”

I let out a small laugh and replied,

“I told you, I don’t remember anything from back then.”

“…If you ever do remember, let me know.”

“Of course.”

Asking me to let her know if I regained my memories—

I could easily guess what she was thinking.

‘If I remember, she’ll get her revenge, huh?’

Unfortunately for her, there was no chance of me ever regaining those memories.

After all, I was never Choi Changshik in the first place.

There were still twenty minutes left before 11 AM, but everyone had already arrived.

I handed out a carry-on case to each party member.

Lee Yuna, who received her case, asked,

“What’s this?”

“A D-Class Gate Raid Kit. It’s packed with essential items for the raid.”

Lee Yuna opened the kit slightly and looked inside. Her eyes widened.

“There’s this much stuff we need?”

Im Jin-sol butted in to answer in my stead.

“You never know what might pop up in a D-Class Gate. Even with all this, it still feels lacking. These are the cheapest budget kits, anyway.”

Im Jin-sol was still as blunt as ever.

This time, Seong Yohan, who had been quietly listening, spoke up to defend me.

“They may be budget kits, but they have all the essentials. The party leader will probably switch to better ones once the party stabilizes. Isn’t that right, leader?”

Everyone’s eyes were now fixed on me.

I replied, feeling as if I had to explain myself,

“The party funds aren’t exactly overflowing right now. Once we’re more stable, I’ll definitely get better ones.”

Of course, I had no such plans.

Premium kits cost a fortune, and they weren’t available for lease either.

“If everyone’s ready, let’s head out.”

The Gate’s exact location was the rooftop of an apartment building.

I showed my Hunter ID to the Administration Bureau staff controlling the area.

After confirming my identity, the staff member nodded and provided information about the Gate.

“The internal environment of the Gate is a cave, but we couldn’t pinpoint any specific monster types.”

Hearing that, I quietly switched on my headlamp and said,

“I’ll go in first.”

Without hesitation, I stepped into the Gate.

‘Hmm?’

The moment I entered, I felt something was off.

‘Why is it so bright?’

Usually, the inside of a cave-type Gate was pitch black.

But here, I could see without the headlamp.

And sure enough, there was a cave entrance nearby.

‘What the hell.’

On top of that, the surrounding cave area was entirely sealed off.

It was barely deep enough to even be called a cave.

‘A cave, my ass.’

So, the outside environment is the main focus here rather than the cave itself.

All of this could've been figured out with an endoscope camera.

How sloppy were they to just glance at this and conclude the internal environment was a cave?

‘Damn civil servants.’

Some people make full use of endoscope cameras to identify the monsters residing within Gates, but then there are slackers like this guy.

Honestly, there are probably more slackers than competent ones.

“Huh? Why is a cave this bright?”

“There’s an entrance over there. Looks like the main environment of the Gate isn’t the cave but outside.”

It was Im Jin-sol and Seong Yohan.

Both of them had decent Gate raiding experience, so they immediately noticed that something was off.

And Hong Soo-ah, who had more D-Class Gate raiding experience than anyone else, was already a step ahead.

“…Looks like a monster’s nest.”

She shone her flashlight toward a far corner deep inside the cave.

There, nestled in the corner, was a nest surrounded by dried-up feces.

Lee Yuna asked,

“A nest? Does that mean it’s a bird-type monster?”

“Seems like it. And one that’s almost the size of a person.”

We examined the nest closely.

The nest was in relatively good condition. It was about the size of a small bed.

“Judging by the state of the feces, it seems like it was actively using the nest until recently. It probably got startled by the Gate’s appearance and ran away.”

Lee Yuna asked again,

“So, you’re saying the monster could come back here?”

They say words can become reality.

“Enemy sighted! At the cave entrance!”

It appeared.

The creature was slightly smaller than a human, its entire body covered in black feathers, and it had a massive beak that stood out.

Peep—Peep—Peep!

Its cry was somewhat cute, but its actions were anything but.

“It’s coming!”

The creature charged straight at us.

I stepped forward with my sword raised, ready to intercept it.

“Aim!”

A blue target marker appeared on the creature’s head as it charged forward.

Swoosh!

The arrow missed the target slightly and struck the creature’s beak.

Screech!

But the arrow merely bounced off the beak.

“No way!”

The fact that the arrow, made of steel, bounced off meant that the beak was extremely tough.

Under the light, the creature’s beak gleamed ominously.

Even at a glance, it was clear how dangerous that beak was.

‘Dodge, then go for the neck.’

Just as I was concentrating all my attention on the beak—

Thud!

“Gah!”

The creature’s kick slammed into my abdomen.

I had completely let my guard down and was thrown backward. The creature’s beak was descending toward me, aiming for my face.

In that split second, I rolled to the side to avoid it.

Crash!

“……!!”

The beak lodged itself halfway into the rocky ground.

Regardless of its power, the fact that the beak was embedded in the ground meant that this was my chance.

I quickly got back on my feet and swung my sword, slashing at the creature’s neck.

Its body swayed for a moment before collapsing to the side.

The creature’s head remained stuck in the ground.

“Oppa!”

Lee Yuna ran over, her face pale, and inspected me.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

The kick was definitely powerful, but as someone with a physical enhancement-type Trait, it wasn’t enough to cause serious damage.

“Man, that scared the crap out of me. Thought the party was gonna get wiped out on the first raid,” Im Jin-sol joked.

I shone my headlamp over the monster’s corpse and said,

“Does anyone know what this monster is?”

Its legs were long like an ostrich’s, and its beak was unnaturally hard.

At least within the scope of what I had studied, I’d never seen a creature like this.

“Uh… I don’t know,” Lee Yuna said.

She had just recently become a Hunter, so it was natural for her not to know.

“Never seen it before.”

“Same here.”

Seong Yohan and Im Jin-sol both shook their heads.

The only one left was Hong Soo-ah, who had the most D-Class Gate experience among us.

Everyone turned their gaze to her.

“…It seems to be a previously undiscovered monster.”

Unlike F-Class Gates, D-Class Gates and higher sometimes had monsters that had never been encountered before.

“So then…”

“Oh my god! Did we just hit the jackpot on our first raid?” Im Jin-sol exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement.

In cases where a previously undiscovered monster appeared in a Gate, the funding provided for the raid could increase by three to seven times the usual amount.

Such Gates were considered to have high academic value.

On top of that, the corpses of newly discovered monsters fetched a high price.

“Still, the first priority is to get a proper strategy in place. We need to learn as much as we can about these creatures.”

What did their habitat look like?

What were the primary dangers?

Where were their weak points?

How could they be best dealt with?

The more detailed the report, the higher the funding we’d receive.

“Let’s head outside and start by scouting the habitat.”

“Yes, boss!”

I suddenly realized how casually I had been speaking.

“Ahem. Sorry. Got a bit excited and started talking informally.”

“I don’t mind at all, boss! You just hit the jackpot on the first raid!” Im Jin-sol said with a grin.

She was the one who had started calling me “boss” since earlier.

“I’m fine with it too. Feel free to speak comfortably,” Seong Yohan added.

“……”

Hong Soo-ah said nothing, but in this case, her silence could be taken as agreement.

“Alright, then. Let’s keep it casual. First, let’s leave the kits here and do a light reconnaissance outside.”

Leaving the kits next to the nest, we made our way toward the cave entrance.

And the moment we stepped outside, the previously light-hearted atmosphere froze over.

“This is…”

A cliff.

We were positioned right in the middle of a cliff, with no end in sight above or below.