IDSTD 09

Chapter 9

Gate Shock (1)

Jeongwoo headed to the scene before even greeting his new coworkers.

It was an emergency dispatch using a helicopter instead of ground transportation.

The place they arrived at after crossing the sky was above Noryangjin, where a dark green Gate was being controlled nearby.

‘Third Gate.’

It was the heart of Dongjak District.

Gates were basically classified into three types depending on their nature.

First Gates, which poured out large numbers of ordinary monsters.

Second Gates, which produced a single powerful monster.

And finally, Third Gates, where both types existed together, but the monsters remained inside the world beyond the Gate.

Modern Gates operated around those Third Gates.

By predicting the signs of First and Second Gates, their occurrence was guided into the inside of Third Gates, bringing civilian casualties close to zero and creating a smooth combat environment for Hunters.

Thanks to that system, society had escaped the era when people suffered from sudden Gate phenomena.

But that did not mean this was a perfect safety measure.

It had only diverted the flow of water to avoid damage. Just as heavy rain could cause the water to overflow and create a flood, if the monster density inside a Gate became too high, they could all flow back out at once.

That phenomenon.

When the First and Second Gate monsters gathered inside a Third Gate burst out, it was called a Gate Shock.

It was the most realistic disaster that could occur in modern times.

“It’s clearly caused by humans. These days, the Shocks are.”

As Hojong said, it was a disaster created by human greed.

“The monsters inside Third Gates have to be cleaned out regularly. But you know how people are. How much of a boom is the monster material business these days? If we have to clean them out anyway, they might think it would be more profitable to create higher-grade monsters and kill them.”

“So they deliberately increase the Gate’s magic density. They want the monsters to grow because of the environmental pressure.”

“Exactly. If you mess up the control, it becomes a Gate Shock. Looks like you studied hard, Jeongwoo.”

“It’s what I’ll be doing from now on.”

“You’re dependable. Very dependable.”

Jeongwoo smiled brightly and asked.

“Our job is to manage and respond to those Gates, right?”

“Strictly speaking, we’re a firefighting service for Gates. We also handle inspections.”

The role of the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau was clear.

When the designated Hunter Guilds in each district made a mistake while managing their Gates, the Bureau was sent in to control the situation and deal with the accident.

It was a national organization and only a department under the Management Bureau, so its authority was not particularly large.

But during situations like this, things were different.

“From now on, we’re the ones in charge. This is your first field assignment, Jeongwoo, so watch carefully.”

“Yes, Director.”

Jeongwoo got out of the helicopter and stepped onto the ground.

The executives of the Guild responsible for Dongjak District froze when they recognized him and Hojong.

Hojong spoke.

“Gentlemen, how much were you planning to eat up by piling so many monsters inside? Thanks to you, I had to rush over here in surprise first thing in the morning.”

“It’s been a long time, Director. And it’s my first time meeting you, Hunter Shin Jeongwoo. So the rumors were true. You really joined the Disaster Countermeasures—”

“Is this really the time for greetings?”

At the casual, mocking remark, the Guild executive’s mouth twisted.

However, he did not show any other reaction.

There was one clause clearly stated in the highest-ranking section of the Hunter-related law.

[In the event of a Gate disaster, command authority at the scene shall be transferred to the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau.]

He seemed like a person rational enough not to ignore something like that.

“…I’m sorry.”

The executive lowered his head deeply.

Jeongwoo smiled awkwardly.

A little sympathy rose in his heart.

In fact, if one looked into why Gate Shocks had become so frequent during this period, the Management Bureau, which managed the districts, was often more at fault than the companies.

‘It was revealed later. The orders to increase the density were actually coming from the Management Bureau.’

There were monster materials intended for political lobbying.

The Management Bureau used companies that obeyed their orders as factories to produce those materials. They would first place such companies as the management Guilds for various districts.

After all, Guilds were ultimately just companies that had obtained business rights from the government.

They could not ignore the orders of the Management Bureau, which designated them.

Of course, the moment they became involved, they were accomplices.

But Jeongwoo had once held a team leader position at a small-to-medium-sized company.

So he could not help but sympathize with the position of a salaried worker.

Anyway, putting those problems aside, let’s look at the present.

“Give me a situation report.”

“Yes. Currently, inside the Gate…”

At Hojong’s words, the executive skillfully briefed them on the situation inside the Gate.

Among three Champion monsters competing for dominance, the monster that had been in first place caught and ate the monster that had been in last place, causing it to grow.

The monster that had been in second place naturally fell behind and became food as well.

The evolved Champion then changed the internal environment, accelerating the evolution of the entire monster swarm.

The magic density had risen exponentially, bringing the Gate to the verge of a Shock.

“That thing ate two A-rank Champions. It must be big.”

“It doesn’t show an S-rank indicator, but it’s definitely among the higher ranks.”

“Got it. Ah, right. Jeongwoo, you don’t have any actual combat experience yet, do you?”

“No. This is my first time since the day I awakened.”

“Then how about you handle this one? I need to see for myself just how strong a Natural S-rank is.”

At that moment.

“…I will enter with him.”

The executive who had been speaking until just before said it.

Behind him, all the Hunters at the scene turned their eyes toward Jeongwoo.

They were curious too.

The first Natural S-rank in South Korea.

A Hunter already among the strongest in the present, and someone destined to reach a completely unique position in the future.

They wanted to know how much power he possessed.

As attention suddenly focused on him, Hojong was the first to look annoyed.

“What’s with everyone? You’re making Jeongwoo uncomfortable.”

“…If it would not be disrespectful, I would like to request it.”

“Good grief, you’re making things difficult. Aren’t you, Jeongwoo?”

At those words, Jeongwoo unconsciously thought.

‘Ah, he’s doing this on purpose.’

Jeongwoo could sense what Hojong wanted.

His ordinary, worn-out government worker-like appearance made it look as if he was simply joking around.

But if you knew what Director Jin Hojong was really like and thought about his actions accordingly, things looked different.

‘He’s creating a stage.’

He was creating an environment where Jeongwoo could show his abilities in front of everyone.

He wanted people to see not only that the Shock was resolved, but also ‘how’ it was resolved and ‘how much’ power was used.

So Jeongwoo realized.

‘A test?’

No.

It was closer to a favor.

In the Hunter profession, Jeongwoo had already realized that something besides raw power was just as important.

‘Recognition and public support.’

Even being a national Hunter did not make one free from that principle.

Hunters in modern society were similar to heroes from old comic books.

In Hunter society, a person’s position was determined not only by how powerful they were, but also by how much the public desired and cheered for that power.

From Jeongwoo’s perspective, Hojong seemed to be trying to provide him with those elements.

‘Why?’

There had to be a reasonable reason for doing so.

When he tried to understand it while connecting it to the future he knew…

Perhaps.

‘He already knows about some of the Management Bureau’s corruption. So he’s looking for an opening? Creating a card?’

He even began to think that Hojong’s goal might already be connected to his own goal to some extent.

Whatever the case, the situation itself was gradually becoming a beautiful picture for Jeongwoo.

“Oh my. How did the reporters hear about this and already gather here?”

There were helicopters from broadcasting stations.

And below the nearby buildings, groups of people were pointing cameras toward the Gate.

Only then did Jeongwoo notice them.

Had Hojong really not known they would come?

‘No.’

Hojong must have known they would come and arranged this situation.

Jeongwoo was becoming certain of that.

Jeongwoo spoke.

“…Since this is my first entry, I think it would be good to receive some help.”

“Hmm, really? Well, you are a newcomer.”

Hojong picked up his radio.

“Giyoon. What about permission to enter the Gate? Huh? You already got it? Fast. Very fast.”

He turned off the radio and spoke.

“Permission to enter has been approved, so you can go right in. You know how to enter, right?”

“Yes. Hold my breath and enter, then remain still for fifteen seconds. I heard that’s the time needed for the internal environment synchronization.”

“That’s what the manual says, but you’ll probably be different, Jeongwoo. The higher your rank, the easier synchronization becomes.”

Jeongwoo nodded.

He took a deep breath.

Then he raised his concentration and activated his skills.

【[All-Ages Filter] is activated!】

【[Children Need Heroes!] is activated!】

【Slot No. 1! Teddy Bear Hero (S) has been summoned!】

Pop!

A human-sized teddy bear holding a toy sword appeared.

This was his first stage.

Since this was his first proper combat deployment, Jeongwoo was also thinking about testing the summoned creature to properly understand the extent of its power.

The voices around them grew louder.

“Gate coordinates locked! Two-way passage installation in 3! 2! 1! Installation complete!”

“Base camp connection complete! Internal density has reached the critical point! Calling protocol activated! Monster gathering preparations complete!”

A Gate on the verge of a Shock had extremely high internal magical pressure.

Normally, the most ideal way to break through the situation was to enter the Gate and kill the Champion that had become the center of that density.

That was why they would announce their presence inside the Gate.

Here.

There was an enemy coming for your throne.

Wooooooong—!

From the center of the dark green vortex, space began to open in a circle.

Beyond it, a new space began to appear.

The world inside the Gate.

A green sky and black ground.

Red veins of ore spread across it like cracks.

An ominous world existed beyond the Gate.

From the moment the coordinates were fixed, it became possible to observe what lay beyond the Gate, as if looking at a world on the other side of a mirror.

Jeongwoo spotted something inside.

‘So that’s the one.’

There was a huge creature slowly approaching the base camp.

It was a turtle-shaped monster roughly as tall as a ten-story building.

Its entire body was made of black rock, and its back was covered with hundreds of cannons that looked like artillery weapons.

Boom—!

Boom—!

The ground shook.

It was not alone.

“Monster swarm detected! The number escorting the Champion is… in the hundreds!”

It had brought an army.

Flying and walking monsters that had adapted to this area were gathering in huge black masses.

If the Shock occurred, those monsters would spread throughout Dongjak District and cause a disaster.

Jeongwoo moved his lips.

“I’m entering.”

“We will support you.”

The Guild executives stood behind Jeongwoo.

Jeongwoo took one step forward.

Swoosh!

His vision twisted, and he felt dizzy.

The Gate synchronization phenomenon.

But he adapted in an instant.

How long had it been since he had crossed over to explore the world beyond a Gate?

He put aside his brief nostalgic feelings and looked ahead.

The stuffy air.

The heat.

And the presence of the huge creature that created them.

“Bear.”

He was curious.

“For now, how about raising your output once?”

An S-rank summoned creature.

In other words, a being whose individual strength was guaranteed to be equal to that of an S-rank Hunter.

Jeongwoo wanted to know just how powerful such a creature was.

The monster army was coming.

But—

【[All-Ages Filter] is currently active!】

Ppyobobyobyong!

The moment they entered its range, the monsters began transforming one by one into huge stuffed-toy monsters.

Everything became a ridiculous and absurd animation.

In the very center of it all, Teddy Bear moved forward, making little popping sounds.

Jeongwoo looked at the red cape draped over the teddy bear’s back.

He looked at the toy sword in its hand.

Teddy Bear raised the sword high.

And swung it down.

Fwaaaaaaaaaang—!

A blazing flash shot forward and filled his entire field of vision.

Seeing that sight, Jeongwoo realized it once again.

He let out a hollow laugh.

‘As expected…’

It was an absurd amount of power.

The role of the Guild Hunters who had followed him had disappeared.

Once the coordinates of a Third Gate were fixed, it became possible to observe the situation inside from outside.

Outside the Gate, several helicopters were flying around the formed Third Gate, while countless cameras below the nearby buildings were trying to capture what was happening inside through their lenses.

The news that Jeongwoo had officially joined the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau had already been confirmed.

And news had also spread that, because a Shock was about to occur, he would be deployed.

Whether the Shock actually happened or not, this was the biggest scoop of all.

Every source the public cared about most was here.

Naturally, reporters from every existing broadcasting station had gathered at the scene.

Because of that situation, the shock was being conveyed even more strongly.

Those who had been raising their voices and shouting all stopped talking at once.

The reporters, the Hunters, and even the people watching from outside were left speechless.

In the middle of that silence, the reporter seemed unable to believe what had happened.

He even forgot what he was supposed to report.

He stood there with his mouth open before finally muttering.

[Hunter Shin Jeongwoo entered 3 seconds ago.]

In barely that much time.

[…The enemies that had been visible beyond the Gate have been completely annihilated.]

An accident that could have become a disaster had simply ceased to exist.

The first Natural S-rank Hunter in South Korea.

It was the moment the value of his power was revealed to the entire world.