novelraw Chapter 138 : The One Who Calls Winter (2)
Chapter 138 : The One Who Calls Winter (2)
The One Who Calls Winter (2)
"Hello, this is reporter Jeon Do-jun from KDC. I am currently at the Han River."
"Right now, a mysterious tower has appeared on the Han River, and according to eyewitness testimonies..."
A tower of ice had abruptly appeared in the very center of the Han River.
Not only had it frozen the river, but it also lowered the surrounding temperature, and there were even signs of snow beginning to fall from the sky.
Since it was by no means an ordinary incident, journalists rushed to broadcast news about the ice tower.
"It might be a new type of dungeon or gate."
"As soon as we've assessed the situation, we plan to send hunters inside the tower."
The Hunter Association also held a press conference about the tower, assuring people not to worry, as they would take action as quickly as possible.
"The ice tower is huge. Are you sure that thing was made by a person?"
"Eyewitnesses say it was made by someone standing on the river."
"Why are there so many incidents like this these days? It's making me anxious."
Online communities were also filled with talk about this incident.
Most discussions centered around the huge ice tower on the Han River and the abnormal weather phenomena.
"Driver, please get to Yeouido Han River Park as quickly as possible!"
Soo-ah and I took a taxi to Yeouido Han River Park without even waiting for the premiere to end.
We left as soon as we saw the wave of news articles about the ice tower, mere moments after receiving the cold wave warning via text.
"That ice tower—do you think it's that man's doing?"
"I think it's very likely."
It made no sense that the guy who said he'd come back in two weeks had created an ice tower at the Han River.
'This is why you can't trust what demons say.'
If it turned out like this, instead of him coming to us, it looked like we'd have to go to him.
'He might have made a vow not to kill anyone, but...'
I had a rough guess as to why he had done something like this.
He clearly hadn't found his daughter's heart.
After checking magic realms around the world and failing to find it, there was a high chance he had decided to go see Damian.
'I don't know exactly what relationship Arvan and Damian have, but...'
Logically, they should be on the same side, but seeing Ardan's attitude, maybe that wasn't quite the case.
'If Damian has what Ardan wants, he's likely to follow along with his wishes.'
So, what would Damian ask of Ardan in return?
"Over there! That's where the people are gathered!"
Getting out of the taxi, we rushed toward the crowd.
Due to the sudden occurrence of the strange phenomenon, the area near the Han River was under control by hunters and police officers.
"Stop! You can't just go in there— Huh?! Hunter Lee Soo-ah?!"
One of the hunters blocking us noticed Soo-ah and his eyes widened.
After seeing me following behind Soo-ah, he hurriedly bowed his head.
"Ah, h-hello! Y-you're Manager Park Jung-woo, right? I've seen you on TV many times..."
"How is the situation right now?"
"Ah, yes! Since the appearance of the ice tower, the Association quickly sent dispatch messages, so the nearby hunters have gathered and are controlling the situation."
Not only that, but judging from the odd mood among the gathered hunters, they didn't seem to think this was any ordinary dungeon, either.
Even though they had gathered at the Association's request, in the end, these hunters all belonged to different agencies.
If the ice tower turned out to be some rare-material or rewarding dungeon, claiming it first would be the obvious benefit.
"Still, do you really think it's a dungeon? From the interviews, it sounds like some strange person made it..."
"Do you think it's possible for a person to build a tower like that? Clearly they're just mistaken."
As we got closer to the entrance of the tower, I could hear the hunters talking.
It seemed that most of the hunters thought of the tower as a special type of dungeon.
'Well, it would be hard to think otherwise—there's no way something like that would just appear in the middle of the river.'
But since the tower affected the climate itself, no one dared to enter rashly.
No matter how tempting the materials or rewards, if you lost your life, it would all be for nothing.
"Let our Mirae Guild scout ahead and check inside first."
As we drew near the gathered hunters, a familiar voice caught my ear.
A man with a lion-like mane of hair and a towering build thrust a massive greatsword into the ground.
"V-Vice-guildmaster Nam Ho-seung! What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"You all know that before an S-rank hunter arrives, an advance team needs to scout the dungeon first, don't you?"
Nam Ho-seung, vice-guildmaster of the Mirae Guild.
I'd run into him several times on Super Hunter K.
"Is there anyone here who is more confident than me at dungeon raids? Or anyone whose rank is high enough to defeat me?"
"Well, uh..."
At Nam Ho-seung's words, the other hunters couldn't quite bring themselves to answer and just closed their mouths.
Mirae Guild was a long-standing guild-run management agency.
And Nam Ho-seung, the vice-guildmaster, was a veteran among veterans as a hunter.
He was said to be as good as any S-rank hunter when it came to raiding dungeons.
"Please wait a moment."
"What? Who else...?"
As I pushed through the crowd toward the inner area, Nam Ho-seung, who had been scowling, saw us and his eyes widened.
"Ha! Well, if it isn't the star manager who's made waves in Korea recently!"
"Star manager...? In any case, it's been a while since Super Hunter K."
"Manager Park Jung-woo and Hunter Lee Soo-ah, huh."
He glanced between me and Soo-ah, smirking.
"Just checking, but are you planning to enter that ice tower?"
"Yes, that's why we're here."
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Was he trying to lay claim to the ice tower first?
'No, that can't be it.'
Nam Ho-seung wasn't a foolish man.
He was hot-tempered at times, but he would never pick a fight with me and Soo-ah just to be the first inside the dungeon.
Besides, the tower hadn't been confirmed as a dungeon yet, and who knew what kind of danger lurked within.
"Do you really think the higher-ups will let S-rank hunters be the first to go into that tower when we don't even know what it is?"
Almost as if reading my mind, Nam Ho-seung continued.
"Look at the sky. It's getting cloudy as if it's going to snow any minute. The temperature's dropping. This is a place capable of influencing the weather itself. There's no way this is an ordinary dungeon. Do you think the government will allow S-ranks in first with so little information? We don't know what danger is inside there."
So they would send in an "advance party" to check the interior, then send S-rank hunters in as reinforcements.
On the surface, things didn't seem as urgent as the 'Jeju-do Incident,' so they wanted to proceed step by step.
"... Then isn't Vice-Guildmaster risking himself? That makes it sound like you're volunteering to be the advance party, knowing it's dangerous."
"Manager Park, do you think there's any hunter here who is more fit to go inside first than me?"
I had no words to answer.
It was true that whoever had the best chances of survival should go in as the advance party.
It was just unexpected that Vice-Guildmaster Nam Ho-seung would take the role himself.
"Well, risky as it is, it could also be rewarding. Maybe, by pure luck, it won't be as dangerous as it looks, and precious materials could be found."
He said this as he signaled to the Mirae Guild hunters at his side.
They seemed ready; he meant they should head in.
"So, it's best for S-rank hunters to wait quietly here. For a manager, losing an S-rank hunter is more painful than anything else."
Mirae Guild had lost Shin Ah-yeon during a past rift incident.
Perhaps he was remembering that and giving me a word of warning.
'... His attitude is different from when I saw him on Super Hunter K.'
No, thinking back, Nam Ho-seung only made a scene at the start; from the middle onward, he hardly reacted at all.
Surely, being a vice-guildmaster of one of the top three guilds was no joke.
"This is a problem, isn't it?"
Watching Nam Ho-seung and the Mirae Guild enter the ice tower, Soo-ah muttered to herself.
"Looks like it."
Should I have mentioned there was a demon inside?
No, even if I had, it wouldn't have changed much.
They would have to confirm it for themselves, and S-rank hunters wouldn't be allowed inside until things escalated further.
'What do I do now?'
After Mirae Guild entered, association hunters began blocking the entrance, restricting access.
Just in case the Mirae Guild didn't return, they started selecting the next group of hunters in line.
Of course, Soo-ah wasn't included.
"We're sorry, hunter Lee Soo-ah."
"No, it's fine..."
Watching the two of us standing idly by, the hunters bowed, apologetic.
'Should I try to force my way in?'
That was an option, but only a last resort.
If I did that, there'd be no avoiding the controversy that would follow.
But if things stayed as they were, there was no telling what might happen to the Mirae Guild inside.
Even though I had made Ardan vow not to kill humans, there were plenty of ways to incapacitate the Mirae Guild without killing them.
'... Ah.'
Just then, a good idea came to mind.
"Soo-ah, it looks like this will take a while. Let's go rest in our car."
"Huh? The car? Didn't we come here by taxi...?"
"Well then, everyone, please contact me if anything comes up."
"Ah, yes!"
I cut Soo-ah off, covering her mouth, and greeted the hunters before leaving the area.
They looked at us strangely as we walked away, but didn't try to stop us.
'In the end, if I want to get inside, I'll have to break through by force.'
But I couldn't ask Soo-ah to do that.
So what should I do?
The answer was actually quite simple.
***
"... Still no word from inside?"
"No, not yet. Since it's a tower, maybe it's taking longer to check things out."
It had been about an hour since the Mirae Guild entered the ice tower.
The weather had gotten colder and the snow falling from the sky was only growing heavier.
At first, the hunters had been unconcerned, but by this point, even they were starting to feel anxious.
"Maybe we really should bring in Hunter Lee Soo-ah..."
"I told you, we can't do that. The higher-ups have to authorize S-rank hunters."
Since it was unclear when other S-rank hunters might arrive, all eyes among the hunters kept drifting to Soo-ah.
Especially since her signature blue flames seemed very likely to melt away such ice in no time.
"Huh?"
Then, one of the hunters seemed to spot something, his eyes wide in surprise.
"What is it?"
"Uh, over there..."
The hunter guarding the entrance lifted a finger and pointed at what he had just seen.
A man in a white hoodie and rough street clothes was walking toward them.
"Doesn't he look familiar to you?"
"What does?"
At his junior's words, the senior hunter let out a skeptical chuckle.
With his hood and mask, his face was impossible to see. What did he mean, familiar?
Plenty of people dressed like that.
Though, how an ordinary person passed through the blockade of hunters was certainly a mystery...
"Wait, what the..."
How did he get in here?
Just as that thought crossed their minds, several hunters began approaching the man in the hoodie.
"Mister, I don't know how you got in here, but—"
And then it happened.
The hunters reaching out for him suddenly froze all at once.
"...!!"
A tremendous magic power crushed the entire area.
Faced with this pressure they had never felt before, the hunters couldn't even think of moving.
They realized that the man in the hoodie—who seemed totally ordinary—was actually a monster who could easily deal with the likes of them.
"An... S-rank..."
The senior hunter, who had witnessed S-rank hunters fight before, blurted that out unconsciously.
He had felt this suffocating pressure before, during those battles.
No, perhaps this was even more intense.
But for someone working with the Hunter Association, it seemed impossible not to recognize such a hunter...
'Could he be...the awakener from the Jeju incident?'
The unidentified S-rank who closed an S-rank gate alone and subdued Shim Chunu at Sillim.
That man in the hoodie was clearly that S-rank.
His clothes were different, but there couldn't be more than one such person out there.
"S-ranks must be authorized by the higher-ups..."
The hunter barely managed a token protest, but the man ignored him, walking straight through the entrance of the tower.
Only when he had completely disappeared from view could the hunters finally begin to move again.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】