After Ten Millennia in Hell

Clunk clunk.

'This is too uncomfortable. I should get a car.'

Kang-Woo frowned while taking the train to Uijeongbu.

He didn't need a billion-won car like Cha Yeon-Joo's, but he definitely needed one.

'Once this is done, I'll ask her to get me one.'

Kang-Woo got off the train while thinking that he should ask Yeon-Joo for an expensive car since it was free.

"Let's see…"

He looked up the list of monsters that appeared in Uijeongbu's B-rank Gate.

'There are many different kinds of monsters that appear there.'

A wide variety of monsters ranging from D-rank to B-rank elite monsters appeared in Uijeongbu's Gate.

'The top B-rank monster is a Minotaur, huh?'

A Minotaur wasn't as powerful as an Ogre, an A-rank elite monster, but it didn't fall behind in terms of physical strength. Minotaurs were comparable to boss monsters that appeared in C-rank Gates, so Players avoided hunting them without a party.

'Well, it's not my target this time around.'

Kang-Woo wasn't after the Minotaurs but the demonic beast that would give him even better rewards.

Mumble.

"Huh?"

As soon as he arrived at the B-rank Gate in Uijeongbu, Kang-Woo frowned. There was a commotion that made the Gate area seem like a noisy market.

"We're a party of five. Why aren't you letting us in?"

"Do you have any idea how long it took us to get here?"

The Players gathered in front of the Gate were complaining to the soldiers.

'What's going on?' Kang-Woo wondered.

In addition to the Players, there were people who looked like reporters holding cameras and mics in front of the Gate.

Kang-Woo walked toward the commotion.

"Access to the Gate is restricted due to the appearance of a variant monster. We appreciate your cooperation."

"So, this isn't about a boss monster? What the hell is a variant monster?"

"We have not been given details on the exact identity of the monster. However, ten Players have already lost their lives to this variant monster. For your own safety, please refrain from entering the Gate until we get the exact details."

The Players flinched after hearing the soldier's words.

'A variant monster, huh?'

Kang-Woo gasped in surprise. It wasn't hard for him to imagine what the variant monster was.

'It seems like the demonic beast is already running wild inside the Gate.'

If that wasn't the case, there wouldn't be a reason for Player access to be restricted.

'I wonder which one it is?'

There were more demonic beasts than demons throughout the Nine Hells, and some were even a threat to the seven princes of Hell. However, Kang-Woo hadn't fought against many demonic beasts since they didn't attack unless it was someone who had trespassed on their territory.

"T-Ten…?"

"Th-That many Players died?"

"Doesn't that mean it's a really dangerous monster?"

Another commotion arose among the Players after they heard that ten Players had died.

It wasn't uncommon for Players to die inside the Gates. However, Players who entered a B-rank Gate were above average, so it wasn't normal for ten Players of that level to die because of a monster.

"Please give us a bit more information about the variant monster!"

"The people are starting to get worried!"

The reporters rushed in with mics in hand as the Players withdrew in fear.

"We have not received details about its exact identity. We have only heard that it looked similar to a lion with five legs… It is a monster that has never been seen before," the soldier guarding the Gate entrance said.

He seemed troubled by the sheer amount of reporters surrounding him.

'A lion with five legs…' Kang-Woo's eyes lit up.

He knew of only one monster that matched that description…

'Buer.'

Buers were one of the strongest predators of the Second Hell.

'As expected, demonic beasts from the Second Hell have started to appear.'

With that, it was more or less confirmed that stronger demonic beasts appeared in higher-ranking Gates.

'A Buer, huh…?'

Kang-Woo then recalled the number of Players who had been killed.

'If ten Players have been killed, that means the Buer probably appeared two days ago.'

The Buer had a unique trait that made it different from other demonic beasts. It never hunted more than five prey per day. Regardless of whether the prey was large or small, it entered a state of Full Stomach after consuming five and didn't attack unless it was attacked first.

The fact that ten Players had died meant that the Buer had appeared in the Gate two days ago.

'If it's a Buer, it'll be easy.'

Kang-Woo was confident that he could win against the Buer with his current strength. However, there was an easier way to hunt this demonic monster. He just had to capture five monsters alive and throw them to the Buer, leading it to enter the Full Stomach state. Then Kang-Woo could hunt it at ease.

"Let's get going."

Kang-Woo slowly walked toward the soldier guarding the entrance. He wasn't planning to use the Authority of Blindness like before.

'I don't need to go through the trouble anymore.'

With a smile on his face, Kang-Woo took out his smartphone. He pressed a name on his contact list.

[What's up?]

Kang-Woo heard Yeon-Joo's familiar voice in his ear.

"I need you to do me a favor."

[A favor?]

"I want to enter a B-rank Gate, but the government is restricting entry."

[… Don't tell me you're in Uijeongbu?]

"I am."

[And you want me to pull strings so you can enter the Gate?]

"You can do it, can't you? After all, you have a good relationship with high government officials."

[Haaa.]

He could hear Yeon-Joo sigh.

[Do you have to go in there no matter what?]

"It's important."

There was a brief silence.

Then Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue. [This is gonna cost you a lot.]

"Don't worry. I always repay my debts."

[Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you do. You aren't going to die at the hands of that variant monster, are you?]

"You wouldn't be providing me with support like this if I was."

[…]

Kang-Woo felt like he could hear Yeon-Joo calling him a prick inside her mind.

[Gimme a second. There's a soldier guarding the entrance, right? Put him on.]

"Okay."

Kang-Woo approached the soldier and handed him the phone.

"Like I said, entry is currently restricted to all Players—"

"Cha Yeon-Joo of the Red Rose Guild would like to speak with you."

"… Pardon?" The soldier guarding the entrance took the call with an anxious expression.

The reporters looked at Kang-Woo with dumbfounded expressions.

"Cha Yeon-Joo…? No way, that Cha Yeon-Joo?"

"Who is he? Was there someone like him in the Red Rose Guild?"

Amid the noisy atmosphere, the call was carried out between the soldier and Yeon-Joo. After that, the flustered soldier guarding the entrance made some more calls and ultimately sighed.

"…You have been authorized to enter the Gate, Mr. Oh Kang-Woo. You will enter the Gate as a variant monster investigator and will be obligated to disclose information regarding the variant monster in the case of its subjugation. Do you agree to the terms?" the soldier asked.

After seeing that he was given authorization after just a few minutes, Kang-Woo smiled with satisfaction.

"I do. I will investigate the variant monster right away so that the people may rest easy." Kang-Woo spoke words he didn't mean.

"Wow!"

"Hey! Q-Quickly. Take a picture!"

The reporters who could smell the breaking news focused their cameras on Kang-Woo and took photographs.

"Since the Red Rose Guild received authorization, the same would naturally apply to us, correct?"

A group of six people suddenly appeared, splitting the sea of reporters. The party of five men and one woman walked toward the Gate while glaring at Kang-Woo.

"It's Kang Seong-Soo of the Mir Guild!"

"The rookie who has been given full support from the Mir Guild?"

"I've heard that it's only been three months since he became a Player. He's already hunting in a B-rank Gate?"

It seemed that one of the six members was famous, considering how much of a fuss the people around them were making.

Kang Seong-Soo, a young man with a ponytail, approached Kang-Woo. "Are you the one who's been getting support from the Red Rose Guild lately?"

He scanned Kang-Woo up and down. Kang-Woo's eyebrow twitched slightly when he saw Seong-Soo glare at him arrogantly.

"I guess it's true, judging from your Unique-grade equipment," Seong-Soo said with a smirk. Then he looked around. "What the hell? You don't even have a single party member? Is this all the support the Red Rose Guild can give you?"

Kang-Woo's mouth twisted slightly.

With a forced smile, he replied, "Haha. I prefer to hunt alone, so I haven't asked for party members."

"Hmph. From what I heard, you've been hunting in a C-rank Gate until recently… Aren't you taking B-rank Gates too lightly?"

"…"

Kang-Woo wasn't sure where Seong-Soo had heard about him, but Seong-Soo seemed to know quite a lot about him. It seemed like the news that Yeon-Joo was supporting him had spread quite fast.

At present, Seong-Soo was deliberately trying to pick a fight with Kang-Woo.

"Guys like you tend to die the quickest," Seong-Soo said.

Kang-Woo's smile was slowly disappearing. His patience was running thin as Seong-Soo continued to provoke him.

"It seems you're trying to get famous by killing the variant monster. Since when were Fourth Awakening Players so arrogant?" Seong-Soo asked.

'Seong-Soo,' Kang-Woo thought.

"Huh? How about you say something?"

'Don't do this, Seong-Soo.'

"Hahaha! What, did you become deaf?"

'Any more of this, and you'll die.'

It seemed that Kang-Woo's silence only made Seong-Soo more excited.

He put his arm around Kang-Woo's neck and continued, "How about you join our party and investigate together? Isn't it better than suffering a horrible death?"

There was a heavy silence.

A smile appeared on Kang-Woo's face, and he nodded.

"I'm not sure what to say to such generosity." Kang-Woo extended his hand toward Seong-Soo and requested a handshake. "Let us investigate the Gate together. To be honest with you, I was also a bit scared at the thought of going in alone."

He looked at Seong-Soo's party members with a kind smile.

Kang-woo needed five prey for Buer to enter the Full Stomach state.

'That just leaves one.'

The corners of Kang-Woo's mouth curved up.