Joon-seok and his party exited after clearing the gate.
A black car stopped in front of the gate.
The door opened…
A man stepped out—black coat, cold expression.
Joon-seok's eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing here… Baek Do-hyun?"
Baek replied directly, in a calm tone—
"Mr. Lee sent me."
"He has an urgent matter to discuss."
"Get in the car. We're going to the guild."
Joon-seok stayed silent for a few seconds.
Urgent matter…?
Then he turned back.
"Mr. Ryu, Mr. Park… you guys go ahead."
"I've got something to do."
"We'll meet again in the future."
Ryu Jinwoo nodded.
"Alright… take care, Mr. Kang."
Then his gaze shifted to Baek.
"Can I ask something…?"
"That guy behind you… he's Baek Do-hyun from Silver Lion Guild, right?"
Joon-seok answered directly,
"Yes. You recognized him correctly."
"But you're also B-rank… I've never seen him before?"
Ryu let out a slight laugh.
"No… I've only heard the name."
"This is my first time seeing him."
He waved his hand.
"Take care."
Ryu and his party left.
"Let's go," Baek said in a short tone.
"No time."
Joon-seok got into the car.
After some time—
The car stopped in front of the Silver Lion Guild building.
Both of them entered.
Inside, the usual hustle was going on—
people were busy working.
Some girls noticed them and started whispering.
Joon-seok ignored them.
They took the elevator directly to the upper floor.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Ahead of them—
Lee Hyun-jin.
That same heavy presence.
The entire atmosphere of the room changed instantly.
Looking at him, Joon-seok thought—
Do they always look this strong… or is it just pressure he makes me feel…?
"Congratulations," Lee Hyun-jin's voice came.
Cold… full of authority.
"For clearing the A-rank gate, Mr. Kang."
"Thank you," Joon-seok replied shortly.
"But you said it was urgent… please tell me what it is."
A second passed.
Lee Hyun-jin's expression changed.
Eyes narrowed.
Eyebrows slightly raised.
And in the very next moment—
BOOM.
A terrifying aura pressure was released.
Joon-seok's body reacted instantly—
THUD!
He dropped straight to his knees.
Baek Do-hyun also flinched—
barely able to stay standing.
Joon-seok's throat went dry.
His breathing became heavy.
His legs locked up.
Eyes widened.
What… is this pressure…?
Sweat began dripping down his face.
The glass panels in the room started cracking.
Several objects fell.
People on the lower floors panicked—
the entire building slightly shook.
Joon-seok forced out his voice—
"What… is happening… Mr. Lee…?"
"What are you doing…?"
Baek Do-hyun also spoke up—
"Sir… what is going on…?"
"Stop this!"
One second—
Two seconds—
And then—
Silence.
All the aura pressure suddenly disappeared.
Everything returned to normal.
Joon-seok and Baek Do-hyun slowly stood up while coughing.
Lee Hyun-jin looked at them and gave a small smile.
"Sorry… I got a bit carried away with emotions."
"For that… I sincerely apologize."
"It's okay," Joon-seok replied directly.
"But… what happened that made you so angry?"
Lee Hyun-jin's expression immediately turned serious.
His eyes narrowed.
"You must have seen the news…"
"In the past few months, the frequency of Gates has been increasing."
"Yes," Joon-seok nodded. "I saw it a few days ago."
"Good," Lee Hyun-jin said slowly.
"Then it should be easy to understand."
"The number of Gates is increasing."
"Guilds and the Association are both struggling."
"There's a shortage of hunters… and the Gates that are appearing are high-rank."
"Sending low-rank hunters into them is almost suicide."
A brief silence filled the room.
"But…" his voice grew heavier,
"that is not the main issue."
"The main issue is the pattern."
"11 years ago, the exact same thing happened."
"For a few months, Gate frequency increased…"
"And then—"
"The world's biggest disaster Gate opened."
The connection immediately clicked in Joon-seok's mind.
…Could it be the same?
The Khaos Gate…
Lee Hyun-jin said directly,
"We believe… that Gate is about to open again."
"The exact timing is unknown…"
"But… it's soon."
"We need to prepare… for the Khaos Gate."
Joon-seok said quietly,
"I thought so…"
"This… is the Khaos Gate."
Lee Hyun-jin's gaze locked onto him immediately.
"What?"
"How do you know about this?"
"This information is top secret… I just told you."
Joon-seok replied in a calm tone,
"When I was in the A-rank dungeon…"
"I killed the boss… and before dying, he said something."
"'Khaos is coming.'"
A short pause.
"At that time, I didn't understand…"
"But now everything is connecting."
Lee Hyun-jin exhaled slowly.
"…If even an A-rank boss said this…"
"Then it's 100% confirmed."
"The Khaos Gate… is going to open."
The room grew heavy with silence.
"We need to be prepared."
"That's why I called you."
"When that Gate opens… the world's top hunters will come here."
He asked directly,
"Do you… want to join them?"
Joon-seok stayed silent for a few seconds.
This… would not be a normal fight.
Then he answered directly,
"When the Gate opens… I'll decide then."
A faint smile appeared on Lee Hyun-jin's face.
"You really are like Min-jun."
Joon-seok said nothing.
"Anyway…" Lee Hyun-jin changed the topic,
"You cleared an A-rank Gate."
"And you joined the Silver Lion Guild."
"So… a gift."
"Mr. Baek… bring it."
Baek Do-hyun immediately left.
Joon-seok stood quietly.
A gift…?
What are they going to give?
After a while, Baek returned holding a paper.
Lee Hyun-jin signed it…
and handed it directly to Joon-seok.
Joon-seok looked at it—
And his eyes froze.
20 million won… cheque…
"This—" he immediately said,
"No, Mr. Lee… I can't accept this."
"This is too much."
Lee Hyun-jin replied directly,
"You are my best friend's son."
"This is the least I can do."
Joon-seok stayed silent for a while.
Then… slowly took the cheque.
Lee Hyun-jin looked at him.
"You must be very tired, Mr. Kang."
"Go and rest."
"Yes…" Joon-seok nodded slightly.
"I've been out since morning… it's almost night now."
"Mr. Baek," Lee Hyun-jin said,
"Take Mr. Kang home."
"No," Joon-seok replied immediately.
"I'll go myself."
Lee Hyun-jin nodded slowly.
"Alright. Be careful."
A short pause.
"And yes… you are a target."
"You probably already know that."
"Yes… I know," Joon-seok replied directly.
Then he turned around… and left the building.
The night was settling in.
Joon-seok was walking toward his house.
…Someone is following me.
He could clearly feel it.
But he didn't react.
He just kept walking… as if nothing was happening.
When he reached home, he rang the bell.
The door opened.
Seo-yeon was standing there.
"Joon-seok!" she said happily.
"You're back! Where were you since morning?"
"I was so scared…"
Joon-seok walked inside silently.
Han Soo-jin was cooking in the kitchen.
"You're back…" she said, turning around.
"I kept calling you so many times… you didn't pick up."
"I was really worried."
Joon-seok placed his hand on Seo-yeon's head.
"Sorry…"
"I made you both worry."
"I was busy with a Gate… and some work for the Silver Lion Guild."
"That's why I was late."
"I won't do it again."
Han Soo-jin gave a small smile and went back to cooking.
Then—
"Idiot!" Seo-yeon started hitting him.
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
"What?" Joon-seok asked.
"You promised!" she said angrily.
"You said you would help me study!"
"But you didn't even come!"
"Alright…" Joon-seok raised his hand.
"I'll help after dinner."
"Really?" her eyes sparkled.
"Yes."
"Okay!" she immediately became happy.
All three of them sat down for dinner.
After a while—
Joon-seok casually said,
"Mom… I joined the Silver Lion Guild."
Han Soo-jin stopped her hand.
"…What?"
"The Silver Lion Guild… one of the top guilds in South Korea?"
"You joined them?"
"Yes."
"And the Gate they gave me… I cleared it too."
A short pause.
"They also gave me a 20 million won cheque."
"WHAT?!"
Seo-yeon and Han Soo-jin both shouted together.
"20 million won?!"
"Yes."
Han Soo-jin was still in shock.
"Joon-seok… what are you going to do with that much money?"
"I want to buy a new sword," Joon-seok replied directly.
"My old one… broke during a fight."
Han Soo-jin slowly nodded.
"Alright… if you need it, then buy it."
Dinner ended.
Joon-seok went to Seo-yeon's room.
She was sitting with books.
"Let's go," Joon-seok said, pulling a chair.
"Let's study today."
He patiently started explaining—
wrong… right…
step by step.
Seo-yeon listened carefully.
,Later that…
Joon-seok entered his room and sat directly on the bed.
The fatigue was now clearly visible in his body.
…But there was one more thing to do.
"Why not… check swords online," he muttered softly,
"maybe I can find something good and cheap."
He got up… turned on his PC… and opened the Hunters Weapon website.
The screen lit up with countless weapons—
Spears… daggers… axes…
But he only needed one thing.
A sword.
He directly opened the sword section.
And the next moment—
"…What?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"40 million… 60 million…?"
Every sword was overpriced.
Out of his budget.
Joon-seok kept scrolling… until he finally found a section—
Under 20 million.
There were a few options.
But after one look… he immediately shook his head.
"No…"
"These are low-grade."
"If I use my full power…"
"This will break too… just like my old one."
He stared at the screen for a few seconds.
Then—
"Forget it."
"I'll go myself tomorrow."
He turned off the PC.
"Seoul…"
"South Korea's biggest weapon district."
"Maybe I'll find something worth it there."
"Busan has limited options… that's why most hunters go there."
He lay down on the bed.
Looking at the ceiling… his eyes slowly grew heavy.
But his mind—
was still active.
Last night's shadow figure… who was it?
Who is following me…?
What is this system…?
Faceless being…?
And… my father… where is he?
A short pause.
His gaze deepened.
…And the biggest one—
The Khaos Gate.
"…There's too much to solve," he said quietly.
"I don't have time to rest."
Silence filled the room.
After a few seconds—
His breathing stabilized.
He fell asleep.
To be continued…