Chapter 144 – Rank S (Part One)

*Whoosh!*

A large metropolis. Yet, not a soul could be seen in the city center, where only a chilly wind swept through the streets.

The city, bustling with people just two days ago, was now mostly restricted and empty.

The reason was simple.

A massive, 40-meter-tall rift had appeared here.

It was the minimum precaution for an S-rank Gate, a “disaster” for humanity.

Although there was still some time before it activated, Awakened were positioned all around the massive Gate, standing guard.

Of course, they weren’t there to fight the S-rank Gate itself, but to prevent any troublemakers, like terrorists or Scavengers, from entering.

The importance of this Gate was too great to even bother explaining, so even some fairly high-level Awakened had been mobilized.

And one man, part of a group, exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke against the chilly wind.

“Hoo, an S-rank Gate…”

The middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes stared at the colossal rift.

He had faced countless Gates during his long career as a Hunter, but the one before him now radiated an eerie energy that was impossible to get used to.

“This is a depressing sight. In the movies I watched as a kid, America always took care of stuff like this.”

“Yeah, they’d blow up aliens left and right. Can’t they do something about these monsters?”

Their worries were fleeting, as the middle-aged men chuckled and chatted.

But a young man among them muttered with an indifferent expression.

“What are you old guys even talking about?”

He was only twenty-one.

Having grown up in a different era, he couldn’t relate to the Hollywood movies they were referencing.

“Kids these days have no manners. When your elders are talking, you should at least pretend to agree.”

“Leave him be. It’s not the first time we’ve seen kids born in the 2010s act like brats.”

“That’s just ridiculous…”

*Beep!*

A signal blared from the watches they were all wearing.

The three Awakened reacted instantly.

“That’s the withdrawal signal. Let’s get out of here, no dawdling.”

“Who was supposed to be handling this Gate again?”

“Aegis. Aegis. And their Alpha Team, at that.”

“Alpha Team? I’ve never heard of them.”

The young man interjected, puzzled by their conversation.

“You should try watching the news. It’s all over the TV.”

“Ugh, whatever, just explain it to me. I thought Aegis teams were letters, and Response Teams were numbers.”

“That’s how it was. Except for the big news that broke yesterday.”

“Right, they split off from the A-Team, didn’t they?”

“Split off? You mean Lee Soo-yeon and Jeong Jin-seong broke up?”

the young man asked in shock.

The news that the co-team leaders, who boasted incredible skill and synergy, were separating was stunning.

It was even more so for the young man, who was something of a fan.

But the other two Awakened shook their heads in unison.

“No, not like that. The original members are still there.”

“Then does that mean… the new team leader is…”

*Whirrr!*

A transport aircraft flew in and landed in front of them as they were leaving the site.

As the door opened with a gust of wind, the first person to step out came into view.

“K-Kang Il-hyeon.”

***

“This is the first time I’ve seen an area cordoned off this widely.”

Il-hyeon muttered as he scanned his surroundings.

He was standing on the rooftop of the city’s tallest tower to get a preliminary assessment of the area.

“It’s my first time, too. I guess this is what an S-rank Gate is like… I’m feeling a little nervous.”

Hyeon-seo said, standing beside Il-hyeon.

She had dealt with numerous Gates since joining the A-Team.

Having consumed a few cores along the way, her skills and experience had steadily grown, but the massive rift before her now was on a completely different level.

The thing, standing proudly between the skyscrapers, seemed to be surveying its surroundings like a living creature.

It had no visible eyes, but she could clearly feel its gaze.

And it wasn’t just a feeling, nor was she the only one who felt it.

“It’s watching us.”

Il-hyeon murmured.

The rift’s gaze, which had been scanning the opposite side, shifted back toward them.

“I had a feeling after seeing a few A-rank Gates recently, but looking at that massive thing makes it certain. It’s been watching us. Does that mean the monsters know we’re guarding this place? Or is some unknown entity observing us from beyond the Gate?”

“I’m not sure.”

Hyeon-seo shook her head.

She was well aware that she had been born from the core of a monster that came from a Gate like this one, but facing them always stirred an unpleasant feeling in her chest.

Like a thorn pricking a fragment of a memory she didn’t want to recall.

***

While Il-hyeon and Hyeon-seo were observing from the tower, the other team members were below, checking their equipment.

At the same time, they sipped cheap instant coffee, their breath turning white in the cold air.

“This one seems a bit dangerous, don’t you think?”

Astrid, with her pure white hair, said as she looked up at the Gate.

Marco turned his head and nodded in agreement.

Just facing it exuded a palpable sense of danger.

Moreover, no matter how much they tried to prepare or analyze this Gate, there was no information available.

It was to be expected.

Given the extremely small sample size of S-rank Gates compared to other ranks, it was difficult to even find a monster type that had appeared before.

If they were lucky and a monster making its second appearance showed up, it would be much easier to handle, but unfortunately, none of the three S-rank Gates that had recently appeared were such cases.

Each of them emitted a unique, previously unrecorded energy wavelength.

Ultimately, the only way to get any preliminary information on this situation was to rely on Gate analysis. Fortunately, a Gate that emitted such a colossal amount of energy also held a lot of information, making it easier to analyze.

First, the number of monsters to appear was just one.

It was an extremely small number compared to a typical case, but considering the Gate’s energy output, it was certain that the single entity would be a large-scale monster.

It was predicted that a beast matching the size of the Gate in the city center would emerge, with the highest probability being an insect-type monster with a thick carapace.

Of course, regardless of which it was, the level of a single monster emerging from an S-rank Gate remained unchanged.

“Got any advice? You were born way earlier than us.”

“Well…”

Seong-won shrugged at Astrid’s question.

Considering a normal human lifespan, it wasn’t that much earlier, but from her perspective—having been born only a few weeks ago—it seemed like a significant gap.

However, as a senior Awakened who had encountered far more Gates, he could offer an answer.

“Ah! There is one important thing on-site.”

“Really…? What is it?”

Astrid asked, her eyes sparkling.

Marco, who had been looking elsewhere, was also intrigued and focused his attention on Seong-won.

“To listen to your seniors?”

“Pahaha.”

“You jerk!”

At the anticlimactic response, Astrid threw her paper cup at him.

The cup flew toward his head, but Seong-won easily dodged it by ducking, and it sailed past him.

She had thrown it lightly, assuming he would naturally avoid it.

The problem was that there was a woman approaching from behind Seong-won.

“Gasp!”

The bit of instant coffee left in the paper cup splashed out, drenching the woman’s gray coat.

“Hm?”

“Oh… shoot.”

Astrid, completely unaware that someone had entered the area, rushed over to her in a panic.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you…”

“Oh, no. It’s okay. This coat isn’t very expensive anyway.”

The woman replied, brushing off her coat as if it was truly no big deal.

Marco stared blankly at the beautiful woman with calm, brown, bobbed hair who had appeared out of nowhere.

He hadn’t noticed her behind Seong-won either.

“This is a restricted area, so unauthorized personnel aren’t allowed…”

“No, wait… I’ve seen that face before.”

Seong-won muttered, wracking his brain.

Soon, her name came to him.

“Reporter Park So-yeon… is that you?”

“Yes, yes! That’s me. It’s an honor that you recognize me.”

Park So-yeon smiled brightly and nodded.

She was a freelance reporter who had met Il-hyeon a couple of times and was a well-known expert in reporting on Gates and the Awakened.

But Marco, who had no idea who Park So-yeon was, tilted his head.

“I don’t think I heard anything about a reporter coming…”

“Oh, really? I received clearance from Aegis, but I guess the message didn’t get passed down. Do you happen to know where Team Leader Kang Il-hyeon is? I’d love to request an interview with all of you if possible, but I don’t have much time…”

“The Team Leader is up there.”

Astrid pointed in Il-hyeon’s direction.

Park So-yeon’s jaw dropped as she looked at the tall tower.

“Should I take you up?”

Astrid offered.

With her flight ability, she could cover the distance in less than a second.

“Haha… it’s okay. You must be busy preparing, I couldn’t possibly trouble you. I assume the power is still on.”

Park So-yeon shook her head and headed toward Il-hyeon.

However, contrary to her thoughts, even after taking the elevator to the top floor, the rooftop where Il-hyeon was located was still quite a distance away, and the entrance was locked tight.

Having no other choice, Park So-yeon grunted as she clung to the wall and climbed up to the rooftop.

Although she wasn’t specialized in combat, she too was an Awakened, so it wasn’t too difficult.

Noticing the presence of someone climbing up, Il-hyeon turned his head just as Park So-yeon hoisted herself over the ledge.

“Il-hyeon! It’s been so long!”

“R-Reporter?”

Il-hyeon was startled to see Park So-yeon and stood up.

Perhaps because he had met her when he had just become an Awakened, his memory of her was quite vivid, and he could recognize her by her voice alone.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“A reporter is here to report, of course. I’m sure I got permission…”

“Ah… you’re right.”

As soon as she appeared, a belated message came through on his watch from Aegis HQ.

The timing was almost as if it had been planned.

Il-hyeon nodded, and the long scar on her face was the first thing that caught his eye.

“You have a scar on your cheek.”

“Haha, yes. The sites have been getting rougher these days.”

“I can imagine… they have.”

With high-rank Gates popping up like this, it was unlikely other places were any different.

In fact, compared to the neat business suit she wore when he last saw her, she now looked more like a war correspondent.

“I’ve wanted to see you, Il-hyeon, but I’ve been so busy. It’s really good to see you.”

“I’m glad you’re safe as well, Reporter.”

Il-hyeon greeted her warmly with a light hug and a handshake.

It was a strange feeling.

He was sure they had only met twice, yet she felt so familiar.

*Is this also a skill of a veteran reporter?*