Chapter 13. Gate Raid (1)
Sunday evening.
While lying in bed after wrapping up his day, Kim Suho received a text message.
Team Leader Lee (Association): Hello, Hunter Kim Suho. This is Team Leader Lee Yowon. I'm contacting you because the results are out.
Team Leader Lee (Association): Please call me after you check this message.
Kim Suho: Team Leader, I’ve seen the message.
Team Leader Lee (Association): After reviewing the footage, we’ve concluded that a solo raid is feasible. Could you come to the gate at 10 a.m. on Monday?
Kim Suho: Yes.
Team Leader Lee (Association): I’ll bring the contract then. I might be a bit late, so please wait for me if so.
Kim Suho: Understood.
Kim Suho: By the way...
Team Leader Lee (Association): See you tomorrow.
Team Leader Lee (Association): Ah, yes. Go ahead.
Kim Suho: ...Are you working right now? Even though it’s Sunday?
Team Leader Lee (Association): ...See you tomorrow.
Monday, 10:00 a.m.
Standing at the gate entrance, Kim Suho glanced around for a moment and then walked over to a nearby bench.
“Let’s see.”
Sitting on the bench, he set down his backpack and began checking his raid supplies one by one.
He planned to proceed with the raid immediately after signing the contract.
There were four days left until the Gate Break of the Ghost City.
Since sudden changes could occur, gates were typically raided three days before a potential break.
“Let’s see... Appraise.”
Name: Corn Salad Grade: E Description: A dish made from corn empowered by the King of Plants, Mandragora (Cham-ma). Effect: Detoxification (D grade or lower)
The monsters appearing in the Ghost City gate were Specters and Living Armors. A dish with a detox effect wasn’t especially useful for this raid, but Kim Suho brought the corn salad as a lunch side dish.
What mattered was mana recovery.
The corn, infused with mana, helped restore depleted mana.
“What’s important is...”
Next to the kimchi in his lunchbox, he appraised the Sweet Potato Vegetable Fritter.
Name: Sweet Potato Vegetable Fritter Grade: E Description: A dish made mainly from sweet potatoes empowered by the King of Plants, Mandragora (Cham-ma). Effect 1: Increases max mana by 0.1% Effect 2: Slight increase in mana efficiency (Duration: 10 minutes)
Unlike steamed sweet potatoes or candied ones, this dish had multiple ingredients, which resulted in two effects.
“Weapons...”
Kim Suho looked at the longsword and dagger at his waist.
The longsword had cost 999,000 won, and the dagger 499,000 won—both bought from the Hunter Association.
Right after defeating the Living Knight, he had searched the castle and collected swords and armor, which he sold along with mana stones.
Shhhk.
After checking the blade, Kim Suho slid it back into the sheath.
Its mana conductivity wasn’t as good as the old sword he had found in the Ghost City, but unlike that fragile blade, this one had better durability—essential for the raid.
“All ready. Now…”
All that was left was Team Leader Lee Yowon’s arrival.
Since she had messaged she’d arrive no later than 10:30, Kim Suho slung his backpack over his shoulder and summoned them in order: Sarang, Charming, and Soma.
—Nyaaang!
Sarang landed on Kim Suho’s head.
—Maa! —Ma!
Charming and Soma perched on his shoulders.
They hadn’t been summoned inside the gate. The Ghost City gate appeared in a park in the center of a shopping district.
“Whoa.”
People resting in the park near the gate brightened their eyes.
The men watched the summons from a distance, wide-eyed. But thanks to the summons’ cuteness, the women were more proactive—naturally pulling out their phones and approaching Kim Suho.
“Hello!”
“Ah, hello.”
“What are their names?”
Like someone walking a dog, the greetings and questions felt oddly familiar.
Kim Suho glanced at his summons with a peculiar expression.
They didn’t seem to mind the attention.
“On my head is Sarang, left shoulder is Charming, right shoulder is Soma.”
—Nyaaang. —Maa~ —Ma!
Sarang lazily lifted a paw in greeting.
Charming waved both arms with crescent-moon-shaped eyes.
Soma put a fist over his left chest and bowed slightly.
“Wow, wow. Can we take photos?”
“Of course.”
Click click click click.
It wasn’t burst mode—but the shutter sound didn’t stop.
Five women took solo shots of Sarang, Charming, and Soma, group shots including Kim Suho, and even selfies with the summons.
“Excuse me, oppa?”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if we post these online?”
“I don’t mind. But could you blur my face if possible?”
The issue was the crops with effects, not the summons.
“Don’t worry!”
With bright smiles, the women began editing their photos.
“How’s this?”
“…Whoa.”
The woman on screen and the one in front of him were technically the same, yet quite different.
She was a little slimmer in the photo. Her skin looked brighter, her jawline more defined, and her eyes slightly larger.
—Maa. —Ma….
Charming and Soma seemed equally amazed, looking back and forth between the real woman and her photo.
“Well, the lighting was bad, so I just bumped up the brightness a bit. Right, Charming, Soma? Nothing really changed, right?”
—Maamaa —Ma!
Shaking their heads side to side, Charming and Soma gave their verdict. The woman pouted slightly.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
It wasn’t a woman this time, but a man’s voice. Kim Suho turned to see some college-aged guys awkwardly smiling and holding up their phones. He gave them permission to take photos too.
30 minutes.
The photo session lasted until Team Leader Lee Yowon arrived.
“Final 3 minutes for photos!”
At Kim Suho’s call, everyone raised their phones, and the summons struck various poses. They’d seemed uninterested at first, but once they saw the crowd’s reaction, they warmed up to the idea. After one woman showed them her photo and asked for a pose, they began acting like true models.
Click click click click!
“Yes! That’s it! Thank you all!”
“Thank you!”
As more people gathered, Kim Suho politely asked that he’d like to end the session once the person he was waiting for arrived, and the bystanders respected his request.
When the people bowed toward Kim Suho, the “models”—his summons—returned the bow as well.
Eventually the crowd dispersed, though many stayed nearby, watching from benches or afar.
“Apologies. I’m very late.”
“Not at all. You said you’d arrive by 10:30 at the latest, and you’re here exactly on time.”
With a warm smile, Kim Suho greeted Team Leader Lee Yowon, who bowed back and pulled two copies of the contract from her briefcase.
“This is the gate raid contract. Once you infuse it with mana, it will be complete.”
Kim Suho injected mana immediately.
“Ah, Hunter Kim Suho.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Are you planning to start the raid right away?”
“Yes. Time is short, and gate instability could escalate again.”
The first change had occurred. A week later, the second change. Not only did monster strength rise, but the Gate Break also accelerated.
Then the day after the second change, the third happened—monsters grew stronger again, and the Gate Break came even sooner.
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I plan to proceed carefully.”
“Carefully?”
“Yes. I’ll start from outside the fortress, wipe out every monster, then take down the gate boss, and finally destroy the gate core.”
“…You’re trying to level up before facing the boss, to lower the raid’s difficulty.”
Kim Suho was currently level 14.
If he took his time and hunted everything, he could reach at least level 16, maybe even 17.
“Understood. Please contact me once the raid is complete.”
Sparring with the Cham-ma Swordsman, Soma, hadn’t just improved his defense, evasion, and mana control.
“Wow!”
His ability to sense others’ mana—his detection skill—had improved as well.
Slash!
Kim Suho took down one.
Slash!
Soma took down another.
The two swordsmen had hunted two Dark Specters.
Sarang launched fire arrows and fireballs to suppress others.
‘Given Soma’s abilities…’
Soma was highly capable—he could take on two at once.
‘So three at a time.’
Kim Suho would handle one, Soma two.
And Sarang and Charming?
Sarang handled suppression and escape prevention.
Charming was increasing mana recovery speed.
There was a method to maximize Charming’s abilities—purify the ground and lure monsters there—but Specters rarely stepped onto purified land. So that was abandoned.
“Guys, let’s pick up the pace.”
The summons agreed.
Kim Suho rushed in again, aiming for the Specters that Sarang had distracted.
“Soma, take the sky.”
—Ma!
Soma kicked off the ground and soared into the air. His target: the Specter dodging Sarang’s weakened spells rather than fleeing.
Slash!
Soma unleashed a blade wave, slicing the airborne Specter in half. Then, while descending, he swung his wooden sword—now imbued with sword energy—at another nearby target.
That Specter turned into a regular gray ghost. At that moment, Sarang, having spotted its weak point, loosed an arrow and destroyed the core.
“Hyup!”
On the ground, Kim Suho handled another Specter.
With a quick twist of his body, he barely dodged an attack, then drove his sword into the Specter’s body as it passed by.
It reverted to a normal Specter, and Kim Suho adjusted his blade, destroying the core.
Three down. Then three more.
In less than 30 seconds, they had hunted six.
After confirming Soma returned to his shoulder, Kim Suho began chasing the next group by sensing their mana.
Hunt after hunt.
Breaks?
Walking counted as a break.
Hunger from energy loss?
Ignored.
He’d eat before fighting the gate boss.
“Whew.”
The city was vast.
At times, he used help from Sarang or Soma to track the Specters.
Pausing to catch his breath, Kim Suho pulled out his phone.
“5 hours 36 minutes.”
That’s how long it had taken to hunt all the wandering Specters in the city.
“Since I entered just past 10:30…”
It was already 4 p.m.
Whether the Living Knight had respawned—or a new one had appeared—was unknown. But he had to be ready for that fight too.
“Best case, I finish by 11 p.m. Worst, around 1 a.m.”
Putting away his phone, Kim Suho began walking again.
His destination: The Fortress.
Where the Living Knight, the Gate Core, and the Gate Boss awaited.
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