The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log - Chapter 1

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 1

One day, a red crack appeared in Seoul airspace, plunging the world into chaos.

Monsters poured out from within, indiscriminately slaughtering people wherever they went.

However, in response to this strange phenomenon, people began awakening abilities.

They were called Hunters and began blocking the scientifically inexplicable crack phenomena—Gates—that appeared all over the world.

And among those Hunters, there was a Hunter above all Hunters.

The country that possessed the world’s number one ranked SSS-class Hunter was none other than South Korea.

-Signs of Gate rampage detected at Gangnam Station! Grade measurement impossible, converting to unclassified Gate!

Crackle-.

Yun Hana frowned at the radio transmission flowing through her earpiece.

Above Hana’s head, who had completely removed the annoying earpiece, a communication relay drone was circling around.

【SYSTEM】

【Skill ‘Shadow in Smoke (L-rank)’ activated – Facial recognition impossible】

Hana’s face in the video transmitted through the drone was blurry like crackling radio waves.

But no one found this problematic.

The reason was that Hana was the world’s only SSS-class Hunter, ‘1’.

“Wow, a Gate of this level would be at least S-rank, right?”

A modulated voice flowed from Hana.

It was an incredibly carefree voice, unsuited for such chaos.

But contrary to her casually spoken words, Hana took a deep breath and exhaled.

Though she had experienced countless Gates, somehow she had a bad feeling about today.

‘Don’t worry about it. It’s probably just needless concern.’

To shake off her stray thoughts, Hana deliberately stretched her body as if she had come out for a walk, then extended her hand.

【SYSTEM】

【Bound weapon ‘Clear Gunshot’ is being summoned.】

Tssssss─.

Electronic sounds rang out, cutting through the air.

Then golden particles gathered above Hana’s hand, overlapping one by one like digital fragments to form a weapon.

A body that seemed to fuse metal and crystal, a smoothly curved loading section.

In the center of the barrel where a wave core was embedded like a heart, blue patterns breathed with life.

Light rays spread over the silver luster, flowing like aurora before flashing at the muzzle tip.

In front of the Gate entrance, Hana firmly shouldered the rifle’s stock.

【SYSTEM】

【Skill ‘Mind Presser (L-rank)’ activated. Penetrating target’s heart.】

───Crack!

The moment Hana’s finger pulled the trigger, an explosive roar rang through her mind.

First shot.

The bullet struck precisely in the chest of a flying bird-like monster, shattering its upper body to pieces.

As blood and bone fragments scattered explosively in the air, Hana squinted.

Monsters that had lost their reason came rushing toward the entrance in a swarm.

From the glistening teeth of monsters with gaping maws, poisonous saliva dripped steadily.

Even the slightest touch from that sticky saliva would melt human skin completely.

And that wasn’t all. Even monsters with dozens of eyes circling in the sky.

Nightmares trying to devour the city rushed toward the Gate entrance in competition.

However, Hana stood her ground without showing any sign of retreat.

Her slender fingertip pulled the trigger again.

Click, bang.

With one shot, the hearts of three flying monsters were pierced simultaneously.

Screech!

A flying beast excited by its kin’s death spat black poison repeatedly.

【SYSTEM】

【Skill ‘Aiming Refit (SS+ rank)’ activated. Converting to automatic rapid-fire mode.】

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Continuous firing that made her right hand vibrate.

As Hana’s muzzle aimed at targets in sequence, dancing in a semicircle, bullet traces remained like trajectories, shredding the monsters.

Fragments of collapsing, screaming beasts scattered around Hana.

Having cleared the surroundings in an instant, Hana pushed the injured and fallen Hunters out of the Gate one by one.

“What, junior. Why are you here?”

Then she spotted a familiar face.

It was Seo Ganghyeon.

Though A-rank, he had tremendous potential that the Association was watching.

Hana helped up and supported the tall man who seemed at least two heads taller than her.

Having sustained considerable injuries, Kang Hyeon squinted his bloodshot eyes.

“…Then what about you, senior? Why are you here?”

“Seriously, you ate your respectful speech with rice.”

Hana glared at her junior who was older than her.

Of course, due to her skill, he couldn’t see Hana’s face.

“It’s because it’s me that I’m here. Just hurry up and get out, junior.”

“What about senior.”

Reaching the Gate entrance, Hana pushed Kang Hyeon’s back as he stood firm at the exit.

“I have to finish conquering the Gate before I leave.”

But no matter what Hana said, Kang Hyeon stubbornly grabbed Hana’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Junior, don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t trust you.”

The voice giving that brief answer had sunk quite low.

“You keep getting hurt here and there and coming back, turning people’s insides upside down. How can I trust you.”

Saying this, Kang Hyeon reached out his other hand toward Hana’s shoulder.

“Ugh.”

Hana bit her rolled lip at the sharp pain.

Blood was flowing from her right shoulder, though she didn’t know when she’d been injured.

“See this. Seriously, you never think about the people who worry about you. Our selfish senior.”

For a moment, Hana was at a loss for words.

Kang Hyeon seemed either angry or perhaps sad.

Getting hurt was routine for Hunters, so she couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way now.

But before she could resolve this question, right then.

Crash-!

With heavy trembling, a boss monster that had soared into the sky began charging straight toward the two of them.

“Get out, right now!”

Hana almost reflexively pushed Kang Hyeon out of the Gate.

As their intertwined hands separated, Kang Hyeon’s eyes widened.

“Senior-!”

Deliberately ignoring Kang Hyeon’s call, Hana quickly tried to raise her gun.

“Huh…? Why is this happening?”

But suddenly her limbs wouldn’t obey, as if caught by invisible strings.

Her heart sank. This was the first time she’d experienced such a sensation.

【Warning! System error detected】

【Unidentified external energy interfering with user abilities. User movement is restricted.】

【Time remaining until bug fix: 10 seconds】

“Ugh, external energy? What does that-.”

“Roaaaaar!”

Hana, who had been desperately trying to activate her weapon, winced at the boss monster’s roar.

And without a chance to respond,

Thunk──!

The boss monster’s horn pierced through Hana’s back in an instant.

“Huk!”

A deflating metallic sound flowed from Hana’s mouth.

The horn that had pierced through to her abdomen was pulled out from her back, causing blood to pour out.

Her vision swayed as if the world was spinning.

【SYSTEM】

【Fatal injury detected: Liver rupture. Spinal damage. Wounds are critical.】

【SYSTEM】

【Bug fix complete. Skill usage restriction lifted.】

【Bound weapon ‘Clear Gunshot’ is being summoned.】

Hana raised her hand, which had started moving again, and gripped the gun.

She could feel her life force rapidly fading along with the blood gushing from her abdomen.

However, if she gave up like this, more people might be sacrificed. Hana pulled together her consciousness that was trying to blur.

Though the sensation in her fingertips dulled and her vision was stained with blood, she moved her finger on the trigger, squeezing out her last strength.

Bang-!

【SYSTEM】

【Boss monster deceased. Gate stabilization initiated.】

“Haa, haa…”

Hana gasped for breath.

It had been an overwhelming difference in power.

If not for that strange bug earlier, she wouldn’t have been hit by such an attack.

“Let’s get out for now.”

Questions about the bug flooded in, but Hana tried to regain her body’s balance.

However.

【Energy levels abnormal. Explosion will proceed in 60 seconds. Escape from the Gate immediately.】

“Ah.”

The damn Gate wouldn’t give her a moment’s rest.

Hana frowned.

With a probability of one in ten million, there were cases like this. Cases where Gates would go berserk on their own.

Moreover, perhaps from losing too much blood, her eyes kept trying to close.

Just as Hana’s eyelids were about to fall, a shout came through the still-open entrance.

“Senior, hold on! I’m coming in right now…!”

It was Kang Hyeon.

He was struggling desperately, pushing away the Hunters blocking him to re-enter the Gate.

“So snap out of it, don’t close your eyes! Don’t die!”

【Warning! Time remaining until Gate explosion: 31 seconds】

【Predicted explosion radius: 12.7km】

Hana forced her eyes open and dragged her unmoving body to lean against a wall near the entrance.

And click, she loaded another bullet.

“Haha, I guess I’m really selfish…”

Hana, who had been looking at Kang Hyeon beyond the entrance for a moment, put strength into her fingertips.

“I’m sorry, junior. But there’s no other choice.”

If the Gate collapsed like this, all of Seoul Center would be blown away. She couldn’t let that happen.

Hana stood up, suppressing the pain.

Staggering as she turned around, she aimed the gun barrel precisely at the entrance.

Bang-.

【SYSTEM】

【Skill ‘Energy Conduction (L-rank)’ activated. Gate entrance modification initiated. Autonomous blocking mode activated. Entrance is being sealed.】

Kwaaaaaaaang!!

The Gate entrance instantly contracted from the energy that exploded from within.

The connection between the Gate and the outside was completely severed.

Good. Now the city would be safe.

But the energies that had lost their destination expanded at a terrifyingly fast speed above the Gate.

The internal explosion had begun.

Cough.

Hana wiped the blood that had flowed back to her lips with the back of her hand.

Along with that, the inside of the Gate was instantly engulfed in explosion.

At that moment, she thought she heard a scream shouting “Senior!”

Her ears were ringing from the explosion, so she wasn’t certain.

Hana’s body, hit by flying explosion debris, floated up and was mercilessly slammed into the ground.

“Wow… That hurts like hell…”

Through her fading consciousness, warning sounds began to ring incessantly.

Ding-! Diring-!

【SYSTEM】

【Warning! Evacuate immediately! The Gate will explode! User survival probability less than 1%!】

【SYSTEM】

【Warning! User’s remaining life force: 2.8%】

【User remaining life force: 1%】

【User remaining life force: less than 0.3%】

Red lights urgently flashed on the system window.

【SYSTEM】

【Emergency intervention initiated.】

【System uses ‘core authority’ for user survival.】

【Warning! System accepts critical loss. Converting system’s core fuel to user’s physical energy.】

【Side effects: Partial loss of system functions / Possibility of user memory loss.】

Inside the Gate covered by explosion, thick dust settled and in the silence, the system screen flickered and went out like a blown fuse.

It was then, in the silence that seemed like it would last forever, that a cute notification sound rang out with a ding!

【SYSTEM】

【System window is updating.】

.

.

.

【Update completed.】

【SYSTEM】

Waaah. Please get a hold of yourself! ;ㅅ;

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————