Chapter 71
On a rooftop in bustling Seoul,
Baek Mujin sat alone, replaying the recent battle in his mind.
"Lee Seong-jun..."
Thump! Thump!
Just uttering the name made his heart pound fiercely.
'...It's been a while since I had such an enjoyable fight.'
As Baek Mujin recalled the recent battle, he rubbed the straight cut on his cheek with his thumb.
'To think there would be someone else who could wound me.'
It would be no exaggeration to say that in the past year, the times he had been injured in battle could be counted on one hand.
So being wounded was truly surprising in itself.
But the most surprising thing was that the current wound on his cheek was just the tip of the iceberg.
'...I didn't think I'd have to use능허답경 (Transcendent Space Step).'
Transcendent Space Step, a skill obtained through the system's power called class advancement.
As the name suggests, Transcendent Space Step had the ability to instantly leap through space itself.
Although it had restrictions like a 1km distance limit and a long 24-hour cooldown, the ability itself was so excellent that it could be called one of Baek Mujin's trump cards.
While he had been somewhat careless, the very fact that he had to use Transcendent Space Step was truly surprising.
'This is the third time I've used Transcendent Space Step in South Korea, after the Alliance Leader and Yoon Min-su.'
Licking his lips, Baek Mujin recalled Lee Seong-jun's final appearance.
'I wonder how long it's been since I felt this sensation.'
Lee Seong-jun's final move, that energy that dyed the world a seductive red, was truly a destructive force.
It wasn't for nothing that he stopped the fight midway.
'If I had seen that power, I wouldn't have been able to restrain myself anymore.'
Surely, he would have killed Lee Seong-jun, unable to control his excitement.
'That absolutely must not happen.'
Lee Seong-jun is a martial artist who had reached a much higher realm than this.
Naturally, a question bloomed in Baek Mujin's mind.
'If he could defeat an SS-rank in just 2 months, how far will he grow in a year?'
Although he wouldn't show such tremendous growth as now once he hits the wall called limits, he would surely achieve no small amount of growth.
'...I'm looking forward to it.'
Daring to predict, Lee Seong-jun's growth would bring unprecedented great pleasure.
Thump-! Thump-!
Just imagining it in his mind made his heart pound fiercely once again.
'I did well to endure.'
If he had killed him right away, unable to control his excitement, wouldn't he have missed out on this expectation and joy?
'Please... grow enough to satisfy my expectations.'
An uncontrollable mad laughter began to bloom on Baek Mujin's face as he imagined Lee Seong-jun's future appearance that would bring even greater pleasure.
* * *
Having left the school playground and returned to the now familiar neighborhood, Lee Seong-jun looked at the apartment building where he lived with his family as he walked.
Though it appeared completely flawless and solid on the outside, gloomy winds continued to swirl between the apartment entrances.
Lee Seong-jun's expression hardened as he looked at that sight with strange eyes.
"So what you see isn't everything after all..."
It had been a day of unexpected, unpleasant incidents.
The emotion Lee Seong-jun felt amidst these incidents was clear.
'I need even more power.'
He needed power strong enough not to waver even a bit, even if a mighty wind or typhoon were to strike.
Of course, he wasn't craving power just for personal greed.
With cold eyes shining, Lee Seong-jun recalled the fight from earlier.
'Battle Demon, Baek Mujin, SS+ rank hunter and Vice Leader of the Returnee Alliance.'
Though he held the position of Vice Leader, which could be seen as second-in-command, he was an expert evaluated to be on par with the Alliance Leader in terms of actual combat power.
A dark shadow fell over Lee Seong-jun's face as he recalled the information about Baek Mujin he had obtained from the association just earlier.
'If we fought head-on, I wouldn't lose...'
But simply winning wasn't enough.
'I need to overwhelm him.'
In the days when Lee Seong-jun was hailed as the Blood Demon and Demon God, ruler of the Thousand Continents, he had no weaknesses to speak of.
He had nothing he particularly needed to protect, so he had no fear of losing.
He could simply take back whatever was lost.
But life on Earth was different.
Family, the reason Lee Seong-jun returned to Earth and something that couldn't be exchanged for anything.
To protect such a family, he needed to have overwhelming power that no one in the world could challenge.
Fortunately, he didn't need to worry about the method.
'...I already know the way.'
He had the experience and memories as the Demon God that made even the gods of the Immortal Realm tremble in fear.
Moreover, there was the excellent growth aid called the Force system.
However, that didn't mean it would be easy.
It would undoubtedly require bone-scraping effort and a time of grueling endurance.
'But... I must do it for my own happiness as well.'
Steeling his resolve, Lee Seong-jun pulled open the front door.
"I'm home."
"You're back?"
"You're later than I thought."
"Nothing happened, right?"
As soon as he opened the door, the warm voices of his family welcoming him allowed Lee Seong-jun to reaffirm his resolve once more.
'I will definitely succeed, for the sake of a happy future with my family.'
He would enjoy the happiness he had grasped with difficulty after decades of yearning.
After all, that was the reason why the Demon God, Lee Seong-jun, had given up everything to return to Earth.
* * *
Seoul, Gangdong-gu, Godeok-dong.
The employees of Gate Management Team 4 were checking the generated gates one by one as usual.
Ahn Jae-wook, who had been spending a boring day repeating the same routine from morning to evening like a hamster on a wheel, stopped in front of one gate.
"Why is it suddenly acting like this?"
GEP-05, a device created by Sandra Block, a returnee hailed as the Great Mage from Germany, measures the amount of mana flowing from gates and determines their rank.
However, the numbers and letters appearing on the GEP-05's display were changing randomly.
'What on earth...?'
Given that it was made by Sandra Block, a returnee hailed as the Great Mage, it shouldn't have been possible for it to malfunction.
To be precise, it must not malfunction.
The rank of hunters entering depends on the gate's rank.
Higher-ranked hunters enter high-grade dungeons, while lower-ranked hunters hunt or raid low-grade dungeons.
But what if a measurement error led to a low-ranked hunter entering a high-grade dungeon?
They would surely meet a horrific death.
Furthermore, the employee who measured the gate's rank would lose their job.
Unable to lose the job he had gotten with such difficulty, the employee was repeatedly tapping and manipulating the device when...
"Is something wrong?"
Perhaps because it was taking longer than usual, Ha Min-jae, who could be considered his senior and was waiting behind, asked a question.
"Yes, it seems like the device is malfunctioning."
"What? Let me take a look, hand it over."
Ha Min-jae's eyes widened as he took the GEP-05 handed over by Ahn Jae-wook.
"T-This is...?!"
Ahn Jae-wook's mind filled with questions at Ha Min-jae's extreme reaction.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
"Problem? This is huge! We've hit the jackpot!"
It was natural for Ahn Jae-wook, who could be considered a new employee, to not know about the gate in front of him.
But Ha Min-jae, who had been working in the Gate Management Team for over 5 years, couldn't help but know.
This was because when Ha Min-jae first joined the Hunter Association, due to an incident that happened in Japan, it became a hot issue and he received continuous education about it almost every day.
'There's only one type of gate whose mana can't be measured by the GEP-05.'
Ha Min-jae, with a broad smile on his face, raised his voice.
"This is a Treasure Gate! A Treasure Gate!"
It wasn't just a gate with an impressive name.
It was a gate where one could obtain truly amazing rewards, treasures including at least S-grade skills or artifacts.
In fact, in the past, Takeuchi Ryoma, who was an SS-rank hunter, gained combat abilities comparable to SSS-rank hunters through rewards obtained from a Treasure Gate.
By clearing just one Treasure Gate, he gained power that surpassed two ranks.
Moreover, Takeuchi Ryoma wasn't the only one who experienced such a dramatic change.
All hunters who conquered Treasure Gates and received rewards obtained skills or artifacts that further enhanced their inherent abilities, becoming world-renowned hunters.
"A-A Treasure Gate?!"
Ahn Jae-wook's eyes widened as he finally understood the current situation.
"Yes! You'll probably get at least tens of millions of won as a discovery reward. Well done, kid!"
Ha Min-jae, patting Ahn Jae-wook's shoulder with a broad smile, took out the smartphone from his pocket and immediately relayed the news to the association headquarters.
* * *
Hunter Association Headquarters, Conference Room.
The key figures of the Hunter Association, those at the director level, were all summoned there.
Despite being incredibly busy dealing with countless tasks befitting their high positions, none of them complained about the sudden summons.
Rather, they couldn't hide their excitement, their eyes shining.
"A Treasure Gate..."
"Finally, one has appeared on our Korean soil."
It was a natural reaction.
In the past, a dispute over the ownership of a Treasure Gate in England escalated into a war between guilds, resulting in numerous casualties.
As a result, the World Hunter Association and national leaders had established international law stating that the initial ownership of a Treasure Gate belongs to the association of the country where it was generated.
This meant that the Treasure Gate that appeared in Gangdong-gu was currently owned by the Korean Hunter Association.
Since hunters, for whom strong power directly translates to authority and income, couldn't help but covet such a gate, each guild had already lobbied significantly to the key figures of the association who could be considered decision-makers.
To be very precise, lobbying had already taken place.
In fact, the directors affiliated with different guilds and factions were engaged in a battle of nerves even before the meeting started.
"Wouldn't it be best to raise the combat power of the most lagging guild to balance the power?"
"If they're going to fall behind anyway, there's no need to balance things that much since a new guild could take their place."
"I think it's better to definitively empower the existing dominant guilds and maintain a clear friendly relationship."
While avoiding direct mentions, they were engaged in a busy war of words to push for the guilds they were aligned with as much as possible. It was then...