▶ Chapter 6. World Rank No. 1 (2)
Well, I guess it really was a boss. It managed to leave behind one whole syllable.
That indifferent thought crossed my mind just as several lines of text appeared before my eyes.
Instead of reading them, I pushed them aside and checked the time.
3:39 a.m.
The time it took me to finish everything was...
Exactly four minutes and twenty seconds.
I smiled in satisfaction, then used my mana to move the air and quickly swept all the monster materials and Mana Stones into my Inventory.
This part is kind of annoying.
Still, every single one of them was worth money, so I couldn't afford to leave even one behind.
I hurriedly checked the situation outside the barrier.
Whenever a new Gate appeared or something abnormal happened to an existing Gate, the Hunter Association immediately dispatched Hunters and staff members.
In the first case, they couldn't know until someone reported it, so sometimes it took more than ten minutes.
But in the latter case, there were CCTV cameras near existing Gates, so I heard it usually took around three minutes.
It's already been three minutes, so I figured some Hunters would have arrived.
And sure enough, not one but two people had just reached the barrier.
Those people are...
Han Yonghwan.
An SS-rank Healer and the Guild Master of Wish Guild.
Han Junggeun.
An SS-rank Swordsman and the Vice Guild Master of Wish Guild.
They were the eldest and second eldest of Wish Guild's three SS-rank brothers.
Both looked like they had rushed over immediately after waking up, judging by their pajamas.
Looks like Han Yonghwan sleeps without a shirt.
His upper body was completely bare.
His muscles looked as though they had been carved from stone.
Why don't I feel anything looking at him?
Han Yonghwan was famous for being so handsome that even actors couldn't compare to him, yet I felt absolutely no interest.
Actually, I felt kind of uncomfortable.
The assistant manager who sits next to me once said seeing a male relative shirtless made her feel disgusted.
Maybe this was what she meant.
As for Han Junggeun...
He had a huge, rugged body that reminded me of a terrifying bear, yet he was wearing luxurious silk pajamas.
They even had the design of a formal suit, and every single button was neatly fastened.
Han Junggeun checked his phone and said,
“Looks like the third wants to come too.”
“Tell him no. One of us has to stay behind. Dongju should stay and look for the youngest—”
Han Yonghwan's words suddenly stopped.
Because I had removed the barrier I created.
Be careful!
Of course, I was using Stealth at full strength, but there was no telling what might happen.
Fortunately, the two brothers didn't seem to notice me.
They simply stood frozen in place.
Because the seal that had been blocking the Grade 9 Gate was gone.
And yet—
There was nothing left in its place.
“A Break should have happened for sure...!”
“It did happen. The footprints left behind by the monsters prove it.”
“Hyung, then... don't tell me...”
“That's right. Someone destroyed the seal and dealt with a Grade 9 Gate Break in less than five minutes.”
“How...?”
“There isn't a single existing Hunter who could do something like this.”
“Then did a new Hunter appear?”
“Yes. Probably an SSS-rank.”
Han Yonghwan's eyes gleamed.
“They'll appear on today's updated chart. We need to offer recruitment immediately. Judging from how secretly they're acting, I don't know if they'll accept, though.”
Han Yonghwan was as sharp as the rumors said.
I wanted to listen to more of their conversation.
But I couldn't.
Several Hunters were flying toward the area from all directions.
They're slower than the two brothers. Or maybe they only started coming after confirming that the Break didn't spread?
Either way, the more Hunters gathered here, the higher the chance that I would be discovered.
I began moving away slowly.
My Stealth was extremely strong, but someone with particularly sharp senses might still detect my presence.
That was especially likely for physical-type Hunters.
I carefully watched Han Junggeun, Korea's strongest physical-type Hunter and a Swordsman-class Hunter, as I moved farther away.
≪Flight≫
Once I had put about a hundred meters between us, I flew into the sky while maintaining Stealth.
Then I glanced back.
Only now were the other Hunters arriving in front of the two brothers.
Han Yonghwan. Han Junggeun.
Something had gone wrong with the seal of a Grade 9 Gate.
They must have assumed a Break had occurred.
Even though they were SS-rank Hunters considered among the strongest in the country, there was no way they could stop a Grade 9 Gate Break.
They came here prepared to die just to buy everyone else enough time to evacuate.
They really were admirable people, just as I'd always heard.
Memories of the people who had fought beside me in my previous life came to mind, and my chest stirred slightly.
But what did he mean by that?
“Dongju should stay and look for the youngest—”
Dongju must have meant the third brother, Han Dongju.
Didn't they lose their parents and youngest sibling to a Gate seventeen years ago, leaving only the three brothers behind?
Since Han Yonghwan hadn't finished his sentence, I couldn't know exactly what he meant.
Still, it was strange.
I guess their youngest sibling is alive.
I landed somewhere about a twenty-minute walk from my apartment.
While maintaining Stealth, I carefully checked my surroundings as I walked.
