Chapter 96
Chapter 96
This Gate Domination system, from what I saw last time, worked like this.
Gates cleared over a set period get recorded in the system, along with their numbers and ranks.
Then, periodically, gates of the exact same level and quantity would open up in the opposing empire.
The cycle was about a week?
If our West Empire cleared 20 F-rank gates, that meant 20 F-rank gates would open in the East Empire a week later.
So, if we kept clearing them the moment they appeared like we were doing now, it would be hard to widen the gap in Gate Domination.
Why?
Because if we just let these minor ones slide by, the same minor ones would trickle back from their side, and this stalemate would drag on forever, wouldn’t it?
We needed a turning point to flip the situation.
There’ve been an unusually high number of gates in our territory this time, right? Probably the same in other territories too.
Yeah, my territory too—not just there, gates have increased overall.
Perfect timing.
Then after we clear this batch of gates, next time they send some over, we hold ’em.
Hold?
You mean hold position?
‘Hold’.
It meant waiting inside the gate for monsters to gather, then sweeping them all out in one go.
It was a hunting method mainly used by dealers like Shin Jae-heon who had AoE skills.
Of course, it required some prerequisites.
You’re saying we don’t clear the next batch of incoming gates, hold them, then process them all at once to push back? That it?
Yup, that’s it.
Won’t we run short on gate management personnel?
I’d thought of that too.
We clear the ones that look ready to burst any second from reports, and hold the ones that can last a few days, then clear them all at once.
The difference between the East and West Empires?
The East Empire’s knowledge of gates was lacking overall.
No matter how closely they watched a gate, they couldn’t accurately predict when it would burst.
But we in the West Empire had a team seasoned by gates.
It wasn’t comparable to Korea with its precision instruments, but we could at least calculate if a gate would burst within a few days.
That was enough.
Ah, so we hold while our Gate Domination is low, then flip it all at once?
Yep. We have to clear with at least 60% higher anyway.
I opened the sub-quest window.
Gate Domination 60% or higher advantage: Reward Level +3
A shiver ran through me as I read that irresistible line.
After all the hell I went through in that L-rank RP dungeon, I had to squeeze out every drop of reward, right?
How do you even come up with ideas like this?
So Yeri the hunter was looking at me with admiring eyes.
I shrugged.
Don’t underestimate a dealer’s brain!
Any place where you can pump out damage, that’s where a dealer’s mind spins at full speed!
Sounds good, but the issue is on-site personnel to handle the gates and real-time communication, right?
“Hmm…”
I instantly understood what Shin Jae-heon meant.
This world didn’t have cell phones or the internet—hell, not even TVs or radios.
The idea of holding and then diving into gates all at once nationwide was solid.
But how do you send the “Go!” signal across the whole country?
That was the problem.
Of course, I’d already figured out the answer.
We’ve got the Mage Tower, don’t we?
I turned to So Yeri the hunter.
“Huh? Me?”
Her eyes widened as our gazes met, then she burst out laughing.
She got what I meant.
The Mage Tower has firebirds, remember? Those!
You want me to play messenger pigeon?
Of course, sending firebirds to every territory nationwide was impossible.
But contacting just a few key territories would be enough.
Word spreads across a single territory within a day anyway.
Plus, nearby major territories could relay to others in a day or two.
So?
If the Mage Tower’s messages reached the pre-agreed key territories successfully, every promised team could dive into their gates simultaneously within a day.
But can we really coordinate that well?
Then Yian’s worried question popped up.
But I was confident about this.
Yes.
A dealer’s conviction always means something.
I continued in the now-silent chat.
It’s the plan from the Guardian Knight Order Captain with the most gate experience,
and if the Emperor, Pope, and Mage Tower Lord all approve, who’d refuse?
That’s what name value is for, right?
Wanna taste the thrill of power?
Then yeah, we’ll suddenly have gates clear out on our side and get some breathing room.
The East Empire will be in chaos meanwhile.
Ooh.
Everyone looked hooked.
What do you think? Great idea, huh?
We had to clear with Gate Domination at least 60% higher than the East Empire anyway.
Instead of ping-ponging small batches back and forth, if we held and then shoved a massive batch over at the right moment before clearing?
We’d snag top-tier rewards!
Yes.
Then there’s something we need to do in the meantime.
What? So Yeri and I exchanged glances. Shin Jae-heon’s messages came in rapid fire.
We need to plant someone next to the East Empire’s Crown Prince.
Ooh.
Yeah, slipping someone in during their chaos would be perfect.
Ah.
Yian reacted late, but she got it.
No way she’d forget, even after days of chaos.
Whose life the East Empire’s Crown Prince was after.
So we can slit his throat whenever the chance comes.
It was a brutal statement, but I agreed.
Of course, Yian would want to object. She always put the party first over herself.
But if we take out the East Empire’s Crown Prince, the empire might collapse before we clear the dungeon.
I knew she’d say that.
But?
Then we handle him right before clear.
That’s why we’re keeping him alive for a bit.
We smack him down before finishing the RP.
Our messages overlapped.
—Clap!
So Yeri and I, eyes meeting, high-fived.
It was an idea Yian’s healer brain couldn’t conjure; he went silent.
So first, get his head under our control and figure it out from there.
Damn, Shin Jae-heon gets shit done clean!
Wow, thrilling!
Revenge has to be thorough, right?
I was already buzzing at the thought of smashing that Crown Prince.
Shin Jae-heon had been busy ever since his multiple undercover trips.
Ivan Elethia von Carman, Emperor of the Carman Empire.
It was the consequence of taking on that overly grandiose role.
Separate from whether he hated the emperor position or not, it seemed to suit him well.
For one, the work wasn’t that hard.
He could even keep the hunter chat open on the side while handling state affairs.
Thanks to that, he could respond right away when messages came in.
And his work pace didn’t slow; for days now, he’d been finishing quickly and lounging back in his chair languidly.
“Hmm.”
He wondered why he’d been so focused lately.
It felt like it’d all been for this moment.
“……”
He raised an eyebrow, then pressed his forehead.
“Ha.”
He couldn’t help the hot breath escaping despite trying to hold it.
It was ridiculous.
He’d stopped working entirely and been staring for two hours at one line from Shin Yuri.
Wow, thrilling!
He should’ve laughed it off like usual, but he couldn’t.
His heart squeezed like it was being crushed.
It wasn’t hot out, yet everything around him felt scorching, his mind stuck on one thought—not his fault.
“……”
No, it was entirely his fault.
He knew it was just a casual remark, but directed at him.
Shin Yuri had said it to him.
“Ridiculous.”
Ridiculous or not, he couldn’t help overreacting. He couldn’t look away.
[Thrilling?]
He almost typed back asking, but stopped.
Forehead in hand, he bowed his head.
“Driving me crazy.”
Once he realized it, he was antsy.
He kept wanting to see her.
Kept wanting to hear her.
“Thrilling?”
For real? To me? Or something else?
Amid countless questions, one thought was crystal clear.
Would she say that to other guys?
His lips twisted. He desperately wished.
That sweet line was meant only for him.
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