Chapter 7

I'm Taking Command from Now On (1)

“...”

It took Cha Yunha and her manager several seconds to react to my unexpected intrusion.

“...Hey, wait a minute! Mr. Baek Dohyeon!”

Before Cha Yunha could even respond, her manager stepped between us and pushed me away.

“What do you think you're doing? Don't approach Yunha without permission!”

An extremely rude reaction for someone meeting me for the first time.

He was probably wary of my notorious reputation.

Of course, from my perspective, there was no reason to antagonize him unnecessarily.

Ultimately, I would have to bring her over from Black Sword, but there was no need to make them wary of me already.

I replied as politely as possible.

“Oh, excuse me. But I simply couldn't overlook this.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

I pointed at the black oxygen mask Cha Yunha was wearing.

“I can hear air leaking from Ms. Cha Yunha's mask. I think there's a crack somewhere.”

“...”

The manager frowned and glared at me for a moment before saying,

“...Stop talking nonsense and leave.”

A mocking smile spread across his face.

“This is the latest German-made oxygen mask, specially ordered by Black Sword for Ms. Cha Yunha. Besides, I personally checked it for problems before bringing it here.”

“Can't you hear the sound coming from the mask?”

“...What sound are you talking about? I can't hear anything.”

“Ms. Cha Yunha?”

“Yunha. Just ignore him and—”

“...Actually, I have been hearing a strange sound from the mask for a while now.”

“! Yunha?”

Cha Yunha removed her mask and examined it with a peculiar expression.

“A faint hissing sound, like something is slowly escaping. At first, I thought it was the sound of air being generated by the runestone inside the mask, but now that I think about it, it does seem strange. My previous mask never made this kind of sound.”

“...”

As though he couldn't believe it, the manager snatched the mask from Yunha's hand and held it against his ear.

“...!”

After listening intently for quite some time, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Uh, um...”

“Looks like you can hear it now, too.”

At least we could finally have a proper conversation.

“I think you should get a spare mask from the association. Their standard-issue equipment is quite reliable, you know. It's domestically manufactured, after all. Isn't that right, Director?”

“Ah, huh? Y-yes. Th-that's right?”

“Sorry for interfering. I'll be on my way, then. Oh, and one more thing.”

“...”

“You shouldn't be checking equipment at the site right before it's used. You should have thoroughly inspected it with specialized testing equipment before bringing it here. Actually, you wouldn't even have needed to go that far. If you'd simply tried wearing it yourself, you would've discovered the problem with the strap connector long ago.”

“...!”

“I trust you didn't just inspect it visually.”

“...”

Grit.

I heard the faint sound of him grinding his teeth.

Had I been too meddlesome?

But I simply couldn't let it pass.

A manager responsible for an S-rank hunter, and one belonging to a top-tier guild like Black Sword at that, had neglected something as fundamental as an equipment inspection.

Equipment was a hunter's lifeline, and ensuring its reliability was the responsibility of the manager and the guild.

...Of course, there was no need to provoke him any further.

“Director Kim, shouldn't we arrange a replacement mask for Ms. Cha Yunha?”

I redirected the conversation toward the director to change the subject.

“Uh... Yes! Of course! Ms. Yunha, this way!”

Director Kim looked back and forth between me and the manager before hurriedly leading the two of them toward the temporary storage area.

“...”

As he passed me, Cha Yunha's manager glared at me with an ominous look in his eyes.

Ha. I can't even get a word of thanks for doing a good deed.

Well, I suppose that's just how the world works.

I watched the three of them walk away and was just thinking about returning to the command tent to observe the raid.

At that moment, Cha Yunha turned her head slightly toward me.

“...?”

Our eyes met, and after hesitating for a moment...

She lowered her head slightly in my direction.

“!”

I was briefly surprised, but I soon returned the gesture with a slight bow and a smile.

Cha Yunha then turned forward again and left.

“...Looks like I'm lucky.”

It seemed I'd unintentionally managed to earn some goodwill from her.

The association's command tent served as a kind of operations room, where personnel monitored the Gate raid team's situation through screens and issued appropriate instructions.

Leaning against the tent wall, I examined the interior.

First, there were several large screens connected to drone cameras accompanying the raid team and action cameras worn by some of the hunters.

On a large table in front of the screens were radio communication devices designed specifically for Gates.

Association employees wearing headphones sat in front of the radios.

Seated in the center was the female association employee who had conducted the earlier briefing.

Judging by the atmosphere, she was probably in command of this operation.

“The raid team entered the Gate ten seconds ago. Establishing communication in three, two, one...”

One by one, the screens lit up.

They displayed the other dimension beyond the Gate.

A barren landscape filled with nothing but sand filled the monitors. This Gate led to a desert-type planet.

The drone cameras showed a blue portal in the middle of the desert and the hunters who had just emerged from it.

“...Then we'll begin the operation. Raid team, respond.”

-This is team leader Cha Yunha. Communications are clear.

The female employee who had conducted the earlier briefing communicated with the raid team through the device on the table.

“Good. Everyone, are your masks properly secured? Are they all functioning correctly?”

-Yes, no problems.

“Confirmed. Before proceeding with the raid, we'll briefly review the operation.”

The female employee's briefing went as follows.

This Gate was rated Level 3 on a five-level danger scale.

The minimum requirement for clearing a Level 3 Gate was a raid team of at least ten hunters, including at least one A-rank hunter or higher.

Since this raid team consisted of sixteen members and was led by S-rank hunter Cha Yunha, they were expected to clear it without major difficulties. However, they were not to let their guard down.

According to the advance team's investigation, this other dimension had desert terrain inhabited by poisonous snake-type monsters.

Therefore, they were to advance while remaining alert for surprise attacks from monsters emerging from underground.

Their objective was a mana core located 900 meters ahead of the entry point.

The objective of this raid was the same as that of any ordinary Gate.

Destroy the mana core, the power source connecting the other dimension to Earth, and return through the Gate before it closed.

...For a supposedly 'brief' briefing before the operation, that seemed a little long, but I'd let it slide.

“—That's all. Any questions?”

-...None. Everyone understands their assignments.

“Good. Then begin the raid.”

With that, the raid team on the screens began advancing.

The hunters' formation was textbook.

Cha Yunha, the leader responsible for providing fire support in all directions, stood at the center. Two melee tanks were positioned at each of the four cardinal directions, guarding against threats from every side.

Just inside those positions stood one damage dealer with a relatively short attack range.

The remaining three hunters were a priest, an archer, and a mage, all moving near Cha Yunha.

Yun Sol was positioned directly behind the tank at the very front.

For a while, the raid team continued advancing slowly in formation without incident.

I turned my attention away from the screens and examined the other people inside the command tent.

Aside from the association employees, all the outsiders except me were the hunters' managers.

Apparently confident that the raid would proceed smoothly, the managers chatted quietly among themselves without appearing particularly nervous.

Ah, socializing. I know how to socialize, too.

But since I didn't know anyone here, I had no choice but to hide my loneliness, turn my attention back to the monitors, and put on a serious expression as though I were concentrating.

...It also gave me an excuse to avoid making eye contact with Cha Yunha's manager, who had been sending hostile glares my way for some time.

About three minutes passed like that.

“Contact incoming! Ground movement detected twenty meters to the northwest!”

-Confirmed.

Something hidden beneath the surface cut through the sand as it approached the raid team—

“Poison Snake confirmed!”

An enormous ocher-colored snake emerged.

-Engaging in combat.

Their first battle. However, the fight ended rather anticlimactically.

-Look over here!

When the four tanks unleashed taunting shouts infused with mana, the snake turned its attention toward them.

The Poison Snake immediately slithered across the ground, opened its mouth wide, and lunged at them.

-Hah!

But at that moment, Yun Sol darted out from the side and landed a lightning-infused punch against the side of the snake's head.

While the snake staggered from the impact,

Shing.

Cha Yunha finished activating her ability, and the snake's head froze solid.

With its head encased in a massive block of ice, the Poison Snake collapsed onto the sandy ground.

-Target eliminated. We'll continue advancing.

“As expected of Cha Yunha. She can freeze something like a Poison Snake with a single gesture.”

“Ah... I wish an S-rank like that would join our guild.”

The managers watching the operation expressed their admiration for Cha Yunha.

“Well, something like that isn't particularly difficult for our Yunha.”

Her manager puffed up with pride as well.

“Cha Yunha aside, who's that lightning-type ability user? Her movements aren't bad. Her offensive power seems pretty impressive, too.”

“That's Yun Sol, who was recently promoted to B-rank. She's already quite famous because her looks went viral on social media. And that incident last time made her even more well-known.”

“That incident?...Ah.”

Ah, why bring that up again?

Why drag me into things when I'm just sitting here minding my own business?

After that, the raid proceeded smoothly.

One, two, or sometimes three Poison Snakes continued launching scattered attacks against the raid team, but under Yunha's command, every one of them was cleanly defeated.

As they continued advancing, the raid team finally reached its objective.

A massive green crystal, as large as a house, glowed in the middle of the desert.

The mana core. The power source that generated the Gate connecting the other dimension to Earth.

Why did such a thing exist in another dimension? Had it formed naturally, or had someone deliberately installed it? And if someone had installed it, what was their purpose?

Despite extensive research, its true nature had yet to be revealed.

...At least, 'not yet.'

Anyway, one thing was certain: destroying that core would close the Gate.

Therefore, the raid team's objective was to destroy the mana core to prevent monsters from crossing into Earth, then return before the Gate closed.

-We'll destroy the mana core.

Cha Yunha summoned an enormous ice spear above the green crystal and dropped it.

Crash!

With a sharp cracking sound, the crystal shattered into countless fragments and lost its light.

“Destruction confirmed. Calculating the remaining time until the Gate disappears.”

The female employee briefly examined a monitor beside her.

“Estimated time until disappearance: thirty-eight minutes. Excellent work. You may now return.”

At this point, both the personnel in the operations room and the hunters seemed convinced that the mission had succeeded.

Ordinarily, the journey back after reaching the mana core was much easier.

After all, they'd already cleared out the monsters along the route.

The raid team began returning toward the Gate while maintaining their formation, their expressions noticeably brighter. Some were even chatting among themselves.

Only Cha Yunha remained on guard, continuously watching their surroundings.

“...”

Ah, I just got a feeling I didn't like.

Perhaps it was an ability I'd developed after spending so much time on battlefields in my previous life.

Whenever I got a bad feeling, something usually went wrong shortly afterward.

And right now, I had a bad feeling—

At that very moment, the sand in front of the raid team suddenly bulged upward.

“! Everyone, watch ou—”

Before the female employee could finish speaking, the creature burst through the sand and revealed itself.

Gray skin marked with purple stripes, and a fully spread hood extending from either side of its raised head.

“A-A Gigant Cobra?!”

The enormous cobra flicked its tongue once with a hiss, then lunged at one of the tanks with lightning speed.

It moved so quickly that reacting was nearly impossible. The tank hadn't even managed to raise his shield before the cobra's fangs were about to pierce his head—

-Watch out!

Thud!

At that moment, Yun Sol shoved the tank aside with all her strength.

She then launched a lightning-infused punch toward the roof of the cobra's wide-open mouth, but...

Squelch!

-Aaagh!

The snake and Yun Sol cried out simultaneously as they separated.

The snake twisted in pain before diving back beneath the sand.

And Yun Sol...

-Ms. Yun Sol, are you okay?!

Yun Sol had failed to dodge completely, and the cobra's fang had pierced her shoulder.

-Argh...

Clutching her heavily bleeding shoulder, Yun Sol sank to the ground.

A purple discoloration began spreading outward from her wound.

-The antidote!

-Y-yes!

The priest hurriedly ran over behind Yunha and pulled a large syringe from her inventory.

It contained an antidote supplied in advance by the association to counteract Poison Snake venom.

The priest injected it into Yun Sol's shoulder, but...

-...It's not working!

She immediately followed up by casting a Cure spell on Yun Sol's wound.

-My magic isn't working either! At best, it's only slowing the spread of the venom...!

-...Then keep casting it for now! Everyone else, remain on guard!

While the priest focused on treating Yun Sol, the others continued watching for the cobra that had disappeared underground.

The personnel in the operations room panicked as they watched the scene unfold.

“A Gigant Cobra?! That's an elite monster that only appears in high-difficulty Level 4 Gates!”

“What on earth happened?! What was the advance team doing that they managed to miss a Gigant Cobra?!”

“P-please calm down! We'll work out a countermeasure as quickly as possible...”

The managers, growing frantic because the hunters under their care were in danger, began confronting the association employees.

Other employees hurried in and out of the tent, contacting people elsewhere.

“...They say it'll take at least fifty minutes for the other hunters coming as a rescue team to arrive here...”

The report delivered by an association employee who rushed into the tent struck everyone like a bolt from the blue.

Everyone went pale.

“...Then doesn't that mean the people already inside have to resolve this situation themselves?”

“H-hey! Do something, anything!”

“Please, wait! Everyone, calm down!”

Only after the employee in charge of the briefing shouted repeatedly did the commotion finally subside.

“Hunter Cha Yunha, can you hear me? What's your current situation?”

-Yun Sol is currently unable to participate in combat. The priest is slowing the spread of the venom with Cure, but she'll be in danger if she doesn't receive proper treatment soon.

“What about the Gigant Cobra?”

-We're currently on guard, but we haven't been able to detect its movements. No... To be precise, so many creatures have gathered around us that it's difficult to distinguish the cobra from the others.

“What do you... Ah.”

The situation shown by the drone cameras on the monitors was hopeless.

The hunters stood in formation, maintaining their guard. Around them, more than ten creatures writhed beneath the ground as though the sand itself were alive.

The cobra and the other snakes had completely surrounded the hunters.

-...I don't think we'll be able to force our way through.

The female employee bit her lip.

“W-what should we do? The way to deal with a Gigant Cobra is, um...”

“What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Move aside!”

At that moment, Cha Yunha's manager suddenly stepped forward, shoved the female employee aside, and snatched her microphone.

“Yunha, can you hear me?”

-Manager?

“If you're alone, you can escape, can't you?”

-Pardon?

“You've defeated a Gigant Cobra by yourself before. Even with the other monsters around, someone of your caliber should be able to escape easily. It's only the other hunters who are holding you back. Isn't that right?”

-Wait a moment. What are you...

“Get out of the Gate, even if you have to leave everyone else behind. Nearly ten minutes have already passed. At this rate, the Gate will close.”

-...

“Wait a minute, Mr. Park Taesik! What are you saying...?”

Ah, so Cha Yunha's manager was named Park Taesik.

“Be quiet! What else are we supposed to do when there's no other option?! If this continues, they'll all be wiped out! At least those who can survive should be allowed to live! And strictly speaking, isn't our Yunha in danger because of the weaker hunters?!”

“Y-you bastard! You're trying to save only your own hunter...!”

“Am I wrong? If Yunha can't get out of the Gate because of the hunters you're responsible for, are you going to compensate us?!”

The other managers gathered around Park Taesik.

They began physically struggling with one another.

...

...Hmm. Can't be helped.

I quietly walked over, gently pushed the tangled managers apart with both arms, and stood in front of the communication device.

“Uh, huh? What are you doing?”

“Everyone, shut up for a moment. Can you hear me, Ms. Cha Yunha?”

-Is that you, Mr. Baek Dohyeon, this time? What on earth is happening over there...?

“We don't have time. Just answer my questions clearly.”

-...All right.

“Ms. Cha Yunha, what do you want to do? Would you rather escape on your own, even if you're the only one who makes it out? Or... do you want to return safely together with all the other hunters?”

“Mr. Baek Dohyeon! What are you saying to Yunha right now...?”

“I told you to shut up, Park Taesik.”

“Urgh.”

When I glared at him, he flinched and finally closed his mouth.

“...My apologies. There was an interruption. So, what's your answer?”

-Isn't it obvious?

-Of course, I choose for everyone to return safely.

“An admirable attitude.”

-Do you perhaps... have a way?

“Yes.”

-What kind of...

“From now on, I'll take charge of directing the raid team. As long as you follow my instructions, everyone can survive.”