Chapter 219

From the early days of the Great Cataclysm to the present, humanity had classified monsters and established a hierarchy based on its countless experiences with death and destruction.

Accordingly, the Grade of each Gate was determined by the Grade of the monsters inhabiting it.

However…

There are exceptions to everything.

Mutated Gates were one such exception. Having broken free from the boundaries established by humanity, they were, in every sense of the word, mutations.

Another variable had intruded into the space known as Gates—spaces that humanity still regarded as an enigma.

The worst kind.

A D-Rank monster could appear in an F-Rank Gate, and a B-Rank monster could appear in a D-Rank Gate.

That alone was a horrifying nightmare, but there was one even greater problem.

Rare Monsters.

As if running into an unexpected higher-level monster wasn’t bad enough, every one of those creatures possessed strength that surpassed that of other monsters of the same Grade.

The term Rare Monster was coined for the first time then.

And not long afterward, someone raised another question.

Then what about the Rare Monsters that appear in A-Rank Mutated Gates? Aren’t they too strong to be considered the same Grade?

For Hunters, A-Rank represented the highest realm that could be reached through a single awakening.

Among them, those recognized as especially strong were given the honorable Title of ranker.

The same issue applied to monsters. After countless arguments and debates in the relevant academic circles, a new term was born.

Named Monster.

True monstrosities that had broken beyond the boundaries of A-Rank.

Team Leader 1, the only one to return alive, had said that such a Named Monster was here.

In the very space where we stood—in the Wyvern’s Nest.

“Bullshit!”

Won Myunghoon shouted roughly as he seized Team Leader 1 by the collar.

“There’s no such thing as a Named Monster here.”

“I-I’m telling the truth. I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”

Team Leader 1 continued in a trembling voice.

“It was several times larger than an ordinary Wyvern. It was so huge that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, even with my own eyes.”

“Shut up!”

But the terror Team Leader 1 had received from the Named Monster was beyond imagination.

Despite being an A-Rank Hunter, he was so frightened that he looked like a seven-year-old child.

“That thing is on an entirely different level from the Wyverns we’ve fought so far. We need to run right now.”

“Kim Jonghun, you son of a—”

Grind.

Won Myunghoon ground his teeth, but that was all he did.

Although he had fallen short of expectations in every respect, he had once risen to the rank of ranker. As an A-Rank Hunter, he couldn’t possibly be unaware of what everyone here already knew.

Won Myunghoon was bullying Team Leader 1 only as a defense mechanism to conceal his own fear.

There must have been signs of a Mutated Gate already.

I knew that well, having experienced it myself three years ago.

The strangely low number of monsters that appeared. And the unusually generous amount of Magic Gems compared to the number of monsters defeated.

I hadn’t known about the latter. Handling the byproducts was the Star Guild’s responsibility, and even though this was a joint raid, Won Myunghoon was the commander who made every decision.

And that commander just took a giant shit.

This wasn’t a minor error in judgment.

The thing stalking us somewhere in that wasteland wasn’t an ordinary Wyvern, but a Named Monster.

“Goddammit…”

As Won Myunghoon spat out a harsh curse, Team Leader Choi spoke.

“Let’s calm down. In the current situation, our immediate withdrawal has to come first.”

“Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down in a situation like this?”

“I’m telling you to settle your mind and face reality.”

Team Leader Choi’s calm voice continued.

“Fortunately, we aren’t too late. If we turn around and retrace our path as quickly as possible, we can reach the jungle within an hour. But if we run into that thing in this wasteland…”

“Who doesn’t know that? Stop meddling.”

The cheerful and well-mannered gentleman was gone. At Won Myunghoon’s irritable response, Team Leader Choi’s eyes grew cold.

“That’s unfortunate. I didn’t expect you to take it that way.”

“Unfortunate? Just because we’re cooperating, you seem to think we’re really equals or something… Fuck, there’s no point in talking. Anyway, stop telling me what to do. I’m already in a shitty mood.”

They say that you can learn a person’s true nature when they are in a crisis.

In that sense, Won Myunghoon was exactly this kind of person. The only thing that left a bitter taste in my mouth was the fact that I had once considered someone like him an idol.

Won Myunghoon spoke to the Guild members with an anxious expression.

“Take only the Magic Gems. We’re returning to the Gate entrance as quickly as possible.”

There were two doors through which one could leave a Gate: the entrance used to enter it and the exit that opened after the boss monster was killed.

For now, choosing the former was obviously the right decision.

“Yes, sir.”

The preparations were finished quickly. The only problem was Team Leader 1, who remained deathly pale.

“What’s with that guy?”

At my mutter, Butler Kim answered. He had been keeping quiet a single step behind me the entire time.

“He’s been exposed to a monster’s Fear.”

“An A-Rank Hunter?”

“The opponent is a Named Monster.”

“Oh.”

“And a Grade is merely a measure of strength. It has nothing to do with how strong someone’s mental fortitude is.”

Even so, an A-Rank Hunter had been afflicted by Fear.

There were two possibilities. Either Team Leader 1 normally had a weak mentality, or the Named Monster was truly that powerful.

Personally, I’d prefer the former.

With that thought in mind, I approached Team Leader 1. I only meant to help him to his feet, but he flinched as if he had been burned.

“It’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you. You know me, right?”

“J-Jin Taekyung.”

“You’re still coherent, at least. Now pull yourself together and get up. Otherwise, you can keep sitting there and become prey.”

“Gah!”

Sometimes, stoking fear worked better than inspiring courage.

At the word prey, Team Leader 1 shot to his feet and looked around anxiously.

“T-the thing…?”

“It’s not here. More importantly, how did you survive?”

It was something I had wanted to ask for a while. But from the moment the words Named Monster had come out, nobody had been curious about anything else.

Team Leader 1 bit his lip.

“I had no choice.”

“…I see.”

He had run away. He had abandoned his team members.

But I didn’t condemn him. Not because I understood him, but because I didn’t think I had the right to.

Someone might have the right to curse him out, but not me.

Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Team Leader 1 began rambling incoherently.

“We were approaching carefully, but it saw us. Then it spread its wings—its black wings—wide…”

“Black wings?”

“Y-yes. It was completely black from head to tail.”

A memory suddenly surfaced. The screams filling the cave, and those enormous wings.

The Wyvern I had encountered back then had also been black from head to toe.

“A Black Wyvern.”

“No, it was different. It was several times larger and stronger than the Black Wyverns we’ve seen so far. That thing… it’s a real monster.”

Then it couldn’t have been the same creature I had encountered three years ago.

After the Sangdong Station Mutated Gate incident, I had been subjected to countless investigations. The investigative team dispatched to determine the truth of the incident had concluded that the creature wasn’t significantly different from an ordinary Black Wyvern.

Then where would that thing be now?

Monsters inside Gates respawn at regular intervals. By the time the investigators arrived, it had already disappeared.

Whenever I drank, I sometimes found myself thinking about it.

Where is it now? Did it die at the hands of another Hunter? If it’s still alive, will I ever have the chance to get revenge?

Now it’s possible.

As long as we were both alive, the day would come when we met again.

Me to it, and it to me. We had each left the other with an indelible memory.

But apparently, today wasn’t that day.

“Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

“Taekyung!”

The Guild members had finished preparing and were waiting for me. I had just started walking to rejoin the formation when—

“One eye.”

The single word that suddenly came from Team Leader 1’s mouth made my body freeze.

I slowly turned around. Team Leader 1 was pointing at one of his own eyes with a trembling hand.

“What did you just say?”

“Right. One of its eyes was damaged. As if something had stabbed it…”

“…”

A current ran down my spine. My mind went blank, and my fist clenched on its own.

Three years ago, I had charged at that thing prepared to die.

I had gathered every ounce of strength I possessed and unleashed One Annihilation—no, Stab with All My Strength—and the spearhead had pierced straight into its eye.

That had been my final act of defiance, and the only mark I had left on it.

It’s him.

I didn’t wonder how an ordinary Black Wyvern had become a Named Monster.

My skin, with every last hair standing on end, was the witness, and my pounding heart was both prosecutor and judge.

Everything that made me who I was shouted as one.

The unidentified Named Monster Team Leader 1 had described was the very creature that had given me an unforgettable nightmare three years ago.

We finally meet again.

I didn’t know what to call this feeling.

Fear? Joy?

My entire body trembled with an emotion I couldn’t identify.

And then, just as my senses—sharper and more taut than ever—began to mingle with the thick scent of blood—

—Kyaaaaaaaah!

I raised my head at the roar echoing from the distance.

On the horizon of the wasteland beneath the setting sun, wings dyed entirely black were flying toward us.

Goddammit. Goddammit. Goddammit!

The same curses kept replaying endlessly in Won Myunghoon’s mind.

The plan was as good as ruined. Now they were in a situation where they had to worry about their very lives.

A Named Monster.

The situation was as serious as it had been eight years ago—no, it was even worse.

Won Myunghoon had driven the Guild members to finish their preparations as quickly as possible and was just about to order them to set out when—

“It’s coming.”

The quiet voice that pierced his ears made his heart drop.

It was even worse because the voice belonged to Jin Taekyung.

“W-what does that mean?”

“Prepare for battle. Or run for your life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What else would I mean?”

There was something unfamiliar about Jin Taekyung’s steady gaze.

The person standing before Won Myunghoon was neither his biggest fan nor the foolish twenty-something who had grinned stupidly.

What is this feeling?

As Won Myunghoon flinched, a dry voice slipped between Jin Taekyung’s lips.

“Take everyone with you. I still have the necklace.”

“…What?”

What the hell was this bastard talking about?

As Won Myunghoon fell into confusion, Jin Taekyung curled up the corner of his mouth.

“Why are you so surprised? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“You little—”

“Myunghoon hyung. No, Mr. Won Myunghoon.”

Won Myunghoon stopped dead. It wasn’t because of humiliation, but because of the oppressive weight.

A pressure he had never felt before was radiating from Jin Taekyung.

“Whatever you did or were planning to do, I’ll let everything up to now slide. But…”

A glint appeared in the eyes that had darkened beneath his wildly tousled hair.

“Don’t bare your teeth at me again.”

“…”

“I’m done talking. Get lost.”

Won Myunghoon’s lips moved, but no words came out.

He stared at Jin Taekyung with an indescribable look in his eyes before roughly turning away.

He could feel the gazes of the Peace Guild members stabbing into the back of his head. They had only just realized that something had happened.

Those fucking idiots. How dare they…

But it didn’t matter.

Jin Taekyung and those ragtag Guild members would be dead soon anyway.

A short while later, as Won Myunghoon and the Star Guild members ran with all their might, a roar echoed from far away.