61 Chapter 60 (1/2)
In front of the Red Gate.
Baek Yun-Ho's expression remained gloomy. Ahn Sahng-Min provided a short summary on who Seong Jin-Woo was, but his anxiety level hadn't decreased by one bit.
”In the end, that's all speculation, isn't it?”
”Yes, sir. You're right.”
Ahn Sahng-Min readily accepted that assessment. It was true that he didn't know anything about Seong Jin-Woo, after all.
'But, if the boss checked Hunter Seong Jin-Woo out with his own eyes, he'd have changed his mind right away.'
There was something different about Seong Jin-Woo.
And the fact that he couldn't adequately describe that with words frustrated Ahn Sahng-Min to no end.
Baek Yun-Ho's gaze shifted back to the Red Gate.
”In the end, the only person I can believe in is Kim Cheol….”
It was then.
”Sir, there won't be any problems with Hunter Kim Cheol, I assure you.”
One more person butted in among the group of Baek Yun-Ho, Ahn Sahng-Min, and Hyun Ki-Cheol. The gazes of three men automatically shifted in that direction simultaneously.
It was Ju Seong-Chan, Chief of the First Division of the White Tiger Guild.
He scanned the three people in front and spoke in a proud voice.
”I've been training Hunter Kim Cheol quite strictly, so he could be ready for all contingencies.”
Originally, the initial training of new recruits was left to the Second Division, but the First Division would be in charge of the Awakened ranked A or higher.
Those promising individuals who were scheduled to enter the ranks of the main combat force soon got to enjoy a different starting point from everyone else.
Seeing Ju Seong-Chan's confidence, Baek Yun-Ho's expression softened slightly.
”How were Hunter Kim Cheol's grades?”
”They are excellent, sir. Just his combat capabilities alone, he'd not fall behind anyone from the current members of the Guild's main combat force.”
”Is that so?”
A smile managed to return to Baek Yun-Ho's lips.
Kim Cheol was a rank A. Even among high ranked Hunters, he was a talent that must be held on to.
If, as the leader of this raid team, he commanded the rank B Hunters well and managed to clear this Gate…!
There would be some losses among the rank C Hunters, but from the White Tiger's perspective, the survival of high ranked Hunters came first.
'It's a relief that Hunter Kim Cheol's abilities are top-notch….'
The weakened sparks of hope regained some life again.
Ju Seong-Chan managed to calm the boss man down and narrowed his eyes at Ahn Sahng-Min, clearly in derision.
”From what I heard just now… A rank E Hunter who might have gone through a Re-Awakening process, was it? You were saying something about that….”
Ju Seong-Chan snorted dismissively.
”My Hunter Kim Cheol should prove to be more effective than someone like that, a Hunter with no proven qualities.”
Ahn Sahng-Min's expression hardened. He was being looked down on here. However, he didn't raise his voice and let anger take over him.
'Let's just wait and see who's correct at the end of the day….'
The four men shifted their gazes at the same time over to the Red Gate that had trapped their Hunters.
Wuwuwu…
The crimson light oozing from the Gate seemed especially more ominous than ever before.
”I'm guessing you're not a rank E. Am I right?”
The female Hunter asked Jin-Woo quite openly.
Jin-Woo opened his mouth in response.
”Well, then. Let me ask you something as well.”
”Of course.”
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Kim Cheol and the Hunters gathering around him. They were busy planning their next move before they got going.
”You guys, you're supposed to be new recruits, yet how can you be this calm?”
”The first thing we've been taught is that 'Anything can happen inside a dungeon', you see.”
….Anything could happen inside a dungeon, she said.
Jin-Woo knew this fact better than anyone here, actually.
”Every one of us has been trained properly. Especially that Kim Cheol over there. He even received a special training regime, too. He's scheduled to join up with the White Tiger's main combat force.”
They didn't fear dungeons, because they had received prior training.
Jin-Woo could only be flabbergasted by that revelation. And then, almost right away, he realised that all of these people were no different from Hahn Song-Yi.
She said that they had been sufficiently trained or whatever, but just what kind of uses would that have here? They were simply showing off without realising how terrifying a dungeon could become.
'Knowing something and experiencing it are two different things.'
More so, when your fragile belief of you knowing everything about dungeons develops just a tiny little crack – it'd all come crashing down like a dam with a hole getting swept away by the deluge of water.
Building up one's confidence took a long time, but breaking it down only took a single moment. He could see the fate in store for Kim Cheol's team already.
They might look okay from the outside, but in the end, they were all helpless noobs.
”You still haven't answered me, though.”
”Excuse me?”
After hearing that, Jin-Woo's gaze shifted back to the strange woman.
”My question. You haven't answered it yet.”
The question about whether he was a rank E or not.
She seemed to be a rather tenacious customer, this woman.
”Why should I tell you that?”
He replied in a blunt and a bit curt manner, but the female Hunter, Park Hui-Jin, was now crying out in elation and clenched her fist. Inwardly, of course.
Park Hui-Jin had met many people in her life and she immediately knew what Jin-Woo's response meant.
And that would be his unbridled confidence.
'Yes, I didn't see it wrong!'
There was another thing that gave her even more assurance; while she was being trained back in the White Tiger Guild, she had often witnessed the movements of many high-ranked Hunters.
However, Jin-Woo's hand just now….
She had never seen anyone move as quickly as Jin-Woo's hand catching that arrow.
'I mean, all I could do was to barely confirm what just happened, even with my eyesight!'
She used to be a top-tier athlete before becoming a melee-type Hunter through her Awakening, so she was pretty confident of her dynamic vision.
Park Hui-Jin's eyes began sparkling.
'This guy, he's at least rank A.'
Or, even higher than that….
In order to ascertain a more definite answer, Park Hui-Jin asked him again.
”Don't be like that now. Can't you tell me, please?”
”Don't feel like it.”
That was the end of their conversation. Jin-Woo turned his head away.
He definitely didn't feel like being in the receiving end of endless stream of questions, and also, Kim Cheol was walking closer to them as well.
Jin-Woo's eyes and Kim Cheol's met.
”We will….”
Kim Cheol's voice was harsh, low. Didn't matter what he was trying to convey here, he sounded threatening and menacing.
”….Be using the road.”
He didn't saunter over here just to declare which path they would be using, though. No, Kim Cheol's eyes were asking what Jin-Woo's group would do. Along with the hidden threat of 'Don't you dare follow us'.
'.....'
Jin-Woo scanned his surroundings once more, before reverting his gaze back to Kim Cheol.
”And we will be going through the forest.”
”…I'll wish you luck.”
'Well, you guys will be the ones needing that luck later on, though…'
Jin-Woo didn't mouth his inner thoughts, however.
”Sure thing. You too.”
With that, Jin-Woo's group headed towards the forest.
After ensuring that the group had completely disappeared into the forest, Kim Cheol began guffawing out uncontrollably.
”What a bunch of idiots.”
”Excuse me?”
”Look over there.”
Kim Cheol uncrossed his arms and pointed towards some trees.
Not just one or two, either – everywhere he pointed at, trees bore the scars that suspiciously looked like claw marks of potentially gigantic creatures.
”That…. isn't that?!”
”It's a bear.”
”An Ice Bear?!”
A bear-type monster, infamous among all the beast-type monsters as the most ferocious! Those claw marks were them marking their territory.
The Hunters in Kim Cheol's group saw those and clicked their tongues.
”Tsk, tsk….”
”It'd been better if they stayed put here and waited till the end….”
”Looks like innocent people will die because of a rank E taking the lead.”
”I mean, would that rank E have received any prior training like us?”
Kim Cheol stared at the forest and chuckled derisively.
'That's to be expected from a measly rank E.'