Chapter 35
The Association President brought everyone who had been in the measuring room up to the top floor, to his office.
This was because the room was heavily engraved with anti-eavesdropping, anti-tracking, and anti-intrusion wards.
“Can I get everyone’s promise that what I’m about to say will not leave this room?”
“Hm~? Now I’m getting scared of what kind of story this is going to be.”
“Girl, just spit it out already. What is it?”
“Yeah, go on.”
“Hansebyeok, what on earth are you dragging this out for…?”
Unlike the three S-Ranks who only looked curious, Park Woo-jun’s voice carried concern.
“I promise this will remain confidential. What is it?”
The Association President quieted everyone down and asked on behalf of the group.
“To be honest, I’m still not certain what this ability is. But it felt wrong to just ignore it.”
“Then what is it that you’re hesitating to tell us?”
“Insight… I experienced something similar to that.”
Se-byeok didn’t mention <Server Administrator>, but instead slightly revealed the skill she had recently obtained, <Cleopatra’s Insight>.
She didn’t say the name or details, but just the word “Insight” was enough to seize their complete attention.
“Insight abilities are always valuable. Is it a passive?”
Se-byeok gave a short nod.
Since all her <Spear of Dawn> active skills were flashy offensive ones, it would’ve been hard to fake something else.
But if she claimed it was passive, no one could prove otherwise.
“Tell us more. What exactly did you see that made you hesitate?”
At the mention of Insight, all three S-Rank hunters stiffened.
Kim I-han, in particular, narrowed his eyes, showing a hint of caution.
It reminded them just how tremendous an ability it would be to freely see another’s status window.
There was no need to antagonize them and make things awkward.
“It looked like… a Gate.”
So Se-byeok mixed truth with lies.
Yes, she had Insight, but she made it sound like what she saw through it weren’t people’s systems, but events from the future.
“I’m not certain myself. But I glimpsed it in a dream.”
She spoke as though, since it was a passive, she had no control over when or how it happened.
“I saw an enormous Gate forming in the waters off Busan… so huge it couldn’t fit in one glance.”
“……”
“What?! Girl! Is that true?!”
Lee Pado jumped up in excitement, grabbing Se-byeok’s shoulders and shaking her.
“Please calm down, Hunter Lee.”
“Calm? When this girl saw it too! I told you, something’s wrong with the East Sea!”
He let go of Se-byeok and thumped his own chest with his fist, raising his voice.
“President, didn’t I tell you already? The waves of the East Sea have changed!”
Lee Pado had complained about this to the President multiple times in recent days, but since the President hadn’t believed him, he had been frustrated. Now that someone else backed him up, he was overly excited.
That was the very reason why he had even left Yeongnam—a rare occurrence for him—and come all the way to Seoul.
“First, please calm down, Hunter Lee. Shouldn’t we hear the rest of Hunter Han’s account?”
Barely calming himself, Lee Pado sat back down. He was still snorting hard, but he waited for her words.
“I’ve been seeing it every night since the day I awakened. At first, I thought it was just a nightmare, but if it’s repeating every single night, I feel like there must be something to it.”
“A massive Gate, huh…”
“If there really were such a thing as an S-Rank Gate, I thought it would look like that.”
The President stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“You know that an S-Rank Gate has never appeared before, don’t you?”
“Yes. But in a world where measuring devices, said to be unbreakable, are shattering… isn’t anything possible?”
“Could you tell the timing from the dream?”
“The timing… Ah! There was a banner hung on the beach!”
“What kind of banner?”
“A banner for a Children’s Day event.”
“Then May. If it was an announcement banner, it could even be late April.”
He looked gravely serious.
“Girl! Are you sure it was Busan?”
“I think I saw the Gwangan Bridge.”
“See! What did I tell you!”
“But the aura of the Gate seemed to stretch beyond the East Sea, toward the Pacific.”
“Right?! The sea to the east has been strange! Even my summons have been making a racket!”
From the way he mentioned “the kids,” it seemed that not only his instincts, but also his summoned beasts had felt something off in the sea.
If the disturbances in the Pacific could be felt from Busan’s waters, then Lee Pado’s animal-like senses were indeed extraordinary—at least when it came to the sea.
“So, there really is something there…”
When it had only been Lee Pado’s claim, it hadn’t seemed important.
It was hard to understand what he was even talking about, and it had sounded like he was just jealous of the subsidies recently given to Dangun Guild, trying to demand his own share.
But now that Hunter Han Se-byeok was saying the same thing, it no longer seemed like a ploy but genuine truth.
“I had actually thought of waiting until the time came to confirm it myself.”
She had intended to verify whether a giant Gate really appeared, and only then share her ability once she was sure.
“But if that Gate is real, I don’t think we can afford to just wait.”
“You’re right. Well said, Hunter Han.”
The President reassured Se-byeok, who looked uneasy.
“If not for you, I would have brushed aside Hunter Lee’s words again. You’ve humbled me multiple times today.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I meant that you did well.”
“When I said it, you wouldn’t listen…”
Lee Pado grumbled, though he seemed satisfied that his words were finally being taken seriously.
“For now, we’ll just keep this knowledge among us. If you learn anything more, report it.”
“Yes.”
He patted her shoulder lightly, as if to say she had done enough.
“Hunter Lee. It seems we need to visit Busan and have a deeper discussion.”
“Come on down! I’ll treat you to the best sashimi.”
So, a plan was made to visit Busan in preparation for the possible Gate.
“Hunters Kim and Hwang, please be on standby from late April to early May.”
“Yes.”
“I’d also like to be part of that ‘deeper discussion.’ Could you save me a seat?”
Unlike Hwang Tae-san, who had responded curtly so far, Kim I-han seemed eager to be more involved.
Likely so he could gather more information and use it for public attention.
The President hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ll contact you.”
Neither a yes nor a no—an ambiguous answer.
“Captain Park, as always, I’ll entrust the Association to you while I’m away.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. President!”
With that, the President wrapped up the matter.
“Well then, it’s time to face the reporters.”
There were still plenty of hurdles ahead.
* * *
Every live news channel, every HunterTube stream, even the overseas Hunter Associations’ monitors were all showing the Korea Hunter Association building.
Se-byeok’s house was no different.
“Oh, it’s starting.”
Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the sofa, Han Se-jin spoke to the child sitting on his lap as he sliced fruit.
“Glutton, turn up the volume.”
“’Kay.”
At his words, Si-hoo, who was nestled against Han Se-jin’s chest eating the apple he had just cut, grabbed the remote control.
【Newsroom: …if she really is an S-Rank, then this would mark the first birth of an S-Rank in Korea in nine years. For all of Asia, it’s been six years. Isn’t it thrilling just to imagine?】
【Newsroom: Exactly. Remember how humiliating it was when China produced a new S-Rank six years ago? This time… Ah! Just a moment, the President of the Association is coming out now! Let’s connect to the scene!】
While the anchors were speculating whether the rumored Supporter was truly an S-Rank, and if so, what kind of title she would receive, a live connection from the scene came through.
The camera spun and showed the Association building.
The front doors opened, and led by President Yoon Byung-geun, all of Korea’s S-Ranks walked out one by one.
Click-click-click!
The mad flurry of camera shutters was so intense that the entire screen flashed white.
As security guards held the press back and set up the podium, the anchor filled the audio.
It was Won Bo-ram, JMTC’s reporter, who always covered Hunter-related news.
【Won Bo-ram: As you can see, President Yoon Byung-geun is preparing to speak. But the Supporter we’ve all been curious about is nowhere to be seen.】
The screen cut back from the anchor to zoom in on the S-Ranks gathered in front of the building.
【Won Bo-ram: Seeing not only Seoul’s two rivals but also Busan’s pillar gathered here… it’s truly moving. Doesn’t it stir your patriotism?】
At that moment, the camera caught Kim I-han leaning slightly toward Hwang Tae-san.
【Won Bo-ram: Oh! What are those two saying to each other? Let me read their lips!】
Won Bo-ram was famous for being excellent at lip-reading.
Not just naturally skilled—it was one of her awakened abilities.
She too was an awakened individual, albeit non-combat type. One of the skills under her C-Rank title <Obsession with Reporting> was lip-reading.
