Chapter 153
"Let's end this charade! Now, shall we fight in earnest?"
"You intend to go further?"
"What a foolish question! If I had meant to end things so tepidly, I wouldn't have spared your life that day!"
A blue protective aura rises around Baek Mujin's body.
The whites of his eyes curve like crescent moons as he smiles, but the aura he emits is sharp enough to cut through skin.
"I see you intend to settle this once and for all."
Lee Seongjun mutters quietly, fixing his gaze on Baek Mujin.
'As I suspected... a master of the Manifestation Realm.'
To be precise, he was a master on the verge of reaching the peak of the Manifestation Realm.
In fact, the aura Baek Mujin was emitting right now was more intense and profound than any being Lee Seongjun had encountered since returning to Earth.
'It won't be easy to face him half-heartedly.'
Lee Seongjun's expression hardened as he drew upon his internal blood energy.
At the same time, an unmistakable madness began to bloom on Baek Mujin's face.
"Hahaha! Excellent posture! Let's have a grand time, shall we?"
Baek Mujin lets out a thunderous roar as energy explodes from his entire body.
In response, Lee Seongjun draws up his red blood energy even more fiercely.
The two energies clash in mid-air as they vie for dominance.
Boom!
The shockwave from their intense power struggle causes the entire building to shake, unable to withstand the impact.
As Lee Seongjun and Baek Mujin stand at the center, their gazes cross in mid-air, making it seem like a fight could break out at any moment.
Screech!
A massive ringing assaults their ears.
Naturally, both Lee Seongjun and Baek Mujin shift their gaze towards the sky beyond the window.
"...?!"
Neither could say who moved first.
As if by agreement, both men turned their attention to the sky outside the window.
Lee Seongjun's brow furrowed as he confirmed the scene before his eyes.
"A Gate?"
The swirling red current in the sky was undoubtedly the appearance of a Gate.
However, its size was far different from what was typically known.
Unlike normal Gates that were only large enough for two or three adult men to pass through, the Gate in view now was massive enough to cover the vast sky over Seoul.
'...It's overwhelming.'
The Gate opened with a ringing loud enough to make even Lee Seongjun, a master at the peak of the Manifestation Realm, dizzy.
He had expected it to be extraordinary, but this far exceeded his imagination.
Of course, it wasn't just the size that was enormous.
'What on earth is inside?'
The energy flowing from the Gate felt sticky and viscous, causing an extreme sense of discomfort.
Even Rethar, who had led the army of corpses, hadn't exuded such an unpleasant aura.
In other words, whatever was inside was harboring an even greater negativity than Rethar.
'This doesn't bode well...'
As Lee Seongjun was observing the Gate with narrowed eyes, Baek Mujin, standing right beside him, licked his lips and spoke.
"With this scale, measurement itself would be impossible."
Lee Seongjun nodded slowly.
Even he, Lee Seongjun, couldn't accurately detect the Gate's energy.
There was no way a mere machine could measure it.
This meant that the grade of the Gate that had appeared in the sky was none other than...
"Black."
A Gate classified as the highest danger level by current humanity had opened over Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
Naturally, Baek Mujin's brow furrowed.
"Damn it."
Just as he was about to engage in the long-awaited duel with Lee Seongjun, this unexpected Black Gate had intruded.
Of course, if he wanted to force a duel, there was no reason he couldn't.
But that would be meaningless.
'...We won't be able to fight at full strength while worrying about the Gate.'
How could one fully concentrate on a battle with an unknown enemy potentially appearing at any moment?
It meant they couldn't have a proper duel.
Even if he achieved victory, there would be a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.
'That absolutely won't do.'
In a life that had been nothing but tedium, there was only one person who made him feel alive and set his heart racing.
That person was Lee Seongjun alone.
Therefore, he didn't want to leave even the slightest regret.
'I want to purely test our martial arts against each other, sharing everything we have.'
For his own satisfaction and enjoyment, it was time to postpone the duel for a moment.
'It's disappointing... but it can't be helped.'
Fortunately, unlike before, he wouldn't have to wait impatiently, thinking only of Lee Seongjun.
'A Black Gate should provide considerable entertainment.'
As the highest classified Gate, he was certain it would offer no small amount of enjoyment.
It meant the wait wouldn't be entirely boring.
"It seems we should postpone our fight for now."
Lee Seongjun nodded at Baek Mujin's suggestion.
'...It won't become a future problem.'
Although Baek Mujin's actions so far had been somewhat bizarre, he had never resorted to cowardly or underhanded tactics.
He wasn't the type of person who would cause major issues if not dealt with immediately.
'For now, dealing with the Gate that opened in the sky takes priority.'
We don't know what might emerge from that enormous Gate.
If we're not careful, family and loved ones could be harmed.
We need to prepare as quickly as possible.
Having organized his thoughts on what needed to be done, Lee Seongjun lifted himself into the air.
"I have a lot to do... so I'll be going first."
After this one-sided announcement, Lee Seongjun immediately flew towards Yeouido, where the Korean Hunter Association was located, splitting the sky as he went.
* * *
As Lee Seongjun was flying towards the Hunter Association, splitting the sky, he took out the smartphone he had stored in subspace.
The smartphone vibrated as if it had been waiting.
Buzz, buzzzz-
Confirming that the caller ID showed "Vice President, Ko Taehyun," Lee Seongjun immediately pressed the answer button.
"Hunter Lee Seongjun?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Thank goodness. We couldn't reach you suddenly, so we thought something might have happened."
"Nothing happened to me."
He had no intention of hiding anything about Baek Mujin, but now was the time to focus on the Gate before them.
So Lee Seongjun immediately continued.
"More importantly, is there any information about the Gate?"
"As you might expect, the estimated grade is Black. While we can't make an accurate judgment due to the lack of data, based on the characteristics of the energy flowing out, it's safe to say that the danger level of the monsters inhabiting the inside is at the highest level."
It was an excellent assessment.
Even Lee Seongjun himself couldn't know exactly what it was, but he could be certain that beings with considerable unpleasantness were inhabiting it.
It could be said that the threat he had been instinctively wary of and preparing for had arrived.
'Still, this is a bit much...'
The massive red rift, the Gate spread out over the sky of Seoul, could be said to be by far the worst in terms of danger level among all those seen so far.
Was Ko Taehyun thinking the same thing?
His voice, which usually maintained a bright tone, had lowered.
"For now, we've issued a call to all guilds in Korea... but I'm afraid we can't guarantee support from overseas."
It was a response that could be seen as somewhat cold, but it could also be considered wise.
This was none other than a 'Black' grade Gate.
It could be considered the greatest calamity facing humanity at present.
Given that all the hunters sent for support could potentially die, it would be difficult to make a hasty decision.
Lee Seongjun could imagine the bitter expression on Ko Taehyun's face when suddenly...
"Is, is that true?!"
Ko Taehyun's voice suddenly became energetic as he exclaimed in amazement.
"Hunter Lee Seongjun, you truly are Korea's hero. Thank you so much."
"Pardon?"
As Lee Seongjun tilted his head at the sudden praise, Ko Taehyun's excited voice came through the receiver.
"The Cosmos Guild from America and the Aqua Guild from Japan have both expressed their intention to support Hunter Lee Seongjun!"
World-renowned guilds were volunteering to provide support.
A smile curved Lee Seongjun's lips at this incredibly good news.
* * *
At the headquarters of the Cosmos Guild, in the conference room.
The faces of the department heads gathered there at the call of James, the Vice Master who held the Master's authority in Victor Wiseman's absence, were filled with displeasure.
Some of them even expressed their emotions out loud.
"Saying we'll support Korea was too hasty a decision."
"It's a Black grade, the highest level of danger. Do you think Korea can handle such a Gate?"
"This is no different from going to die in vain!"
"It's not too late. Let's withdraw the support declaration now."
There were even some who raised their voices and showed somewhat aggressive behavior.
Considering this was a meeting convened by the acting Master, it could be said to be crossing a line.
However, James, the Vice Master, didn't impose any particular restraint.
He could fully understand the feelings of the department heads.
'...They're probably expecting Korea's destruction.'
The Black grade Gate that had appeared in the sky over Seoul was a calamity-level Gate that had destroyed even Canada, a country that had been among the ranks of major powers in the past.
It was natural to think that a small country in the East known as a minor power couldn't withstand it.
However, James Garner, who had been keeping a close eye on Korea recently, thought differently.
'The current power Korea possesses is enough to overwhelm Canada when it faced destruction.'
There are as many as two powerhouses who have reached the Ranker level.
'Yoon Minsu, Wi Jigang.'
Korea, which didn't have a single Ranker before, could be said to have achieved remarkable growth.
Moreover, all the key members of the Flying Dragon City who had been protecting Tianjin had naturalized to Korea.
Of course, it could still be said to be lacking compared to Canada, which had been among the ranks of major powers.
However, there was a clear difference between Canada then and Korea now.
'Unlike the Canadian hunters who were no different from a ragtag bunch, Korea is united as one.'
Unlike the guilds of Canada in the past, who tried to secure their own interests while unleashing their individual desires, they were looking towards a single goal as part of the same affiliation.
'Their mindset itself is different.'
This alone could make up for the difference in power compared to Canada in the past.
However, the biggest difference was something else entirely.
'Korea has Lee Seongjun.'
The hero who single-handedly stopped the army of corpses.
The man of miracles who makes the impossible possible.
A figure who is writing a new history of hunters by breaking existing common sense.
Having continuously collected information and observed, he could be certain.
'Lee Seongjun possesses strength and ability that is no less than Master Victor Wiseman, who has created numerous miracles.'
This meant that Korea would not face destruction from the Black grade Gate.