Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Meanwhile.

As the phenomenon reoccurred, a dark shadow loomed over Kang Yoon-soo’s days. Only now was everyone barely getting their act together amidst this situation.

The newly formed black gate in the sky gave no clue as to what disaster it might bring. Thus, Kang Yoon-soo could do nothing but grind his lips together.

Having lived as a hunter, he had witnessed many sacrifices.

What had been a rare occurrence just a few minutes ago, with someone dying from a monster attack, had been commonplace in the past. That was a time when resources like weapons and potions were significantly scarcer than they are now.

As a result, each hunter was invaluable, and the void left by one was significant.

Even awakening as hunters in the early days was rare, and vacancies weren’t filled immediately.

Filling those vacancies fell upon existing hunters, and thanks to them, not many fell due to exhaustion.

Kang Yoon-soo had experienced such a past.

So, in the pursuit of improving hunter rights and conditions, he contributed even though it didn’t suit him. That was his life’s work.

But…

“If it’s going to be like this… I should’ve just lived my life.”

The black gate in the sky. It emitted a level of mana he had never felt before. It also instilled a suffocating sensation and a fear that stole all hope just by looking at it.

Kang Yoon-soo knew nothing about the black gate, but he could sense one thing.

“…I should say my farewells in advance.”

The moment that black gate, currently closed, opened, he had a gut feeling that the end would begin.

So, he pondered whether he should bid farewell to those dear to him in advance. It was about expressing gratitude for being by his side all this time.

“Haha… My heart has indeed weakened a lot.”

Back then, even if a comrade died beside him, he never had such thoughts.

He gritted his teeth and fought fiercely, vowing to survive. Yes, he had to do so back then to survive.

For a moment, Kang Yoon-soo reminisced, wearing a bitter smile. He was still living with the ghosts of the past clinging to his ankles. That’s why he continued investigating from outside instead of entering the gate.

He was afraid of death.

Knowing that everyone dies was an unchanging truth, yet he was afraid of death. It was because he had encountered so much death from a young age.

“I’ve never been so unsettled before.”

While he had been alone, sinking deep into the quagmire of memory, he had never been this shaken.

Unlike Kim Chok, Kang Yoon-soo was at the pinnacle of hunters. If he showed signs of wavering, those beneath him would waver too.

This was not an attitude befitting a leader in command.

Yet here he was, engaging in such despicable actions. Knowing this, he felt disgust towards himself.

That was when it happened.

With a bright light, the apparitions of two figures appeared.

It was a very familiar mana to Kang Yoon-soo, an apparition.

“Huh? I thought everyone would be gathered… Where did they go?”

It was Seo Yeon-oh.

And behind her stood a blond, somewhat blurry figure.

Seo Yeon-oh gestured silently for the person standing behind her to wait for a moment and approached Kang Yoon-soo.

“Mr. Yoon-soo, where is everyone? Could you call them? It’s an emergency.”

“…Ah.”

Seo Yeon-oh casually mentioned how beautiful the moon was last night. In her demeanor, Kang Yoon-soo sensed an unfamiliar tranquility.

Thinking back, Seo Yeon-oh had never feared death even in the face of danger. Instead, she tended to throw herself into resolving the situation at hand, even at the risk of her own life.

This was evident even when facing a lich. Usually, when facing a life-threatening situation, most people would prioritize their safety, no matter how crucial the mission at hand.

But Seo Yeon-oh didn’t.

She focused on resolving the immediate issue at hand, regardless of the consequences.

Hence, he had a vague belief that she would somehow resolve this situation as well.

Would Seo Yeon-oh manage to resolve it somehow?

Just as she had always resolved things in unconventional ways, perhaps she would also clear this utterly ominous black gate.

Whether this was faith, or a form of evading responsibility born out of fear, he couldn’t tell.

Kang Yoon-soo himself was someone who would risk his life if necessary, if there was even a slight chance that doing so would save his loved ones.

Seo Yeon-oh looked at Kang Yoon-soo without a response, tilting her head slightly. 

“Hey? Mr. Kang Yoon-soo?” 

Her voice called out to him, but he just stared back at her.

“…Looks like you’re quite shocked.”

She finally murmured, furrowing her brow. She even waved her hand in front of his eyes.

Seeing her maintain her usual demeanor even in such a serious situation, Kang Yoon-soo let out a breathy laugh. Whatever thoughts he had inside, Seo Yeon-oh would never know even if she died and came back to life. Even if she did, she would simply brush it off, saying, ‘Well, that’s just how life is.’

Kang Yoon-soo realized that this was a great comfort.

Death was still frightening, and the situation was very grim, but if Seo Yeon-oh was there, Kang Yoon-soo wouldn’t waver anymore.

“…I’m fine, Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Well, that’s a relief. There are more moments of confusion waiting for us ahead. So please bear with it for now. We’ll go crazy together when the time comes.”

“But I don’t want to go crazy.”

“Come on.”

Seo Yeon-oh looked at him as if asking if he was kidding. He chuckled softly in response. Then, he quickly sent out a call signal.

“I’ve called them, they’ll gather here soon.”

“People who are good to go crazy together?”

“Yes, Ms. Yeon-oh.”

Kang Yoon-soo and Seo Yeon-oh looked at each other and burst into laughter after a long time.

* * *

And 10 minutes later, after Kang Yoon-soo sent out the call signal, everyone gathered in the office, just like the group that had gathered there before. After scanning the gathered individuals, I quickly got to the point.

“Well, I’m sure you all have a lot of questions. Let me explain everything first before we start.”

I don’t know why there’s so much to explain lately. It must be because of the messed-up state of the world.

I explained to them, as Allen had told me, about the “Final Apocalypse” and what would happen when it opened.

As everyone listened to all of this, their expressions in the office turned grim. They had all expected it, but… knowing the date of their death for sure was still a different feeling.

“Oh, and the person behind me is… well, he’s the high-level system administrator. Since he knows about the ‘Final Apocalypse,’ feel free to ask him any questions later. For now, please listen to what I have to say.”

The astonishment on their faces now replaced their previous stiffness. There was a reaction like, ‘There’s a system administrator on our side?’ But I understood their hearts, though now was not the time to be shocked.

“So, the ‘Final Apocalypse’ is said to open as early as tomorrow or within a week. But Allen says if we exert our efforts, we might secure a week.”

I glanced at Allen, signaling him to explain what came next. He then slowly began to speak.

“On our end, we’ll do our best to prevent the gate from opening. However, we’re still bound. As I’ve said, a week is the maximum we can hope for.”

Everyone nodded gravely at Allen’s warning.

“Oh, and when the ‘Final Apocalypse’ opens, there will be simultaneous gate saturation phenomena. It’s when the mana energy in the air reaches its maximum, and they say we can’t prevent it.”

“…Then we’ll have to gather our elite forces.”

“For now, I have to go. There’s something I have to do there. And… Mr. Tae-il too.”

He was the only human capable of withstanding the Black Dragon’s attack.

Jung Tae-il nodded as if he had expected it. It was strange that he, as Arvani’s contractor, didn’t come to the place where I was going in the first place.

Anyway.

“For now, Mr. Tae-il and I are fixed, and the rest will be put in after we’ve arranged the personnel. We’ll need to supplement or redistribute personnel to compensate for the two who will be missing.”

It was important to confront the Final Apocalypse, but we also had to protect life outside. That’s the only way to prevent the Final Apocalypse.

“Now that I’m done talking, let’s discuss our plan.”

As soon as I finished speaking, except for Jung Tae-il and Allen, everyone else engaged in a serious discussion, exchanging opinions fervently.

There were heated debates, with Han Seung-hoo insisting he had to go and those capable of ranged attacks should stay on the side with more enemies, fiercely argued by Kang Yoon-soo.

It took about a day to come up with a rough estimate of the personnel, and then we spent time discussing what to do in the Final Apocalypse.

And so, a week later.

The time Allen had foretold had arrived.