The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 67

“Wh-what is this!”

It wasn’t ordinary snow.

The moment he realized that fact, the gently falling snow turned into a blizzard and began pouring down.

Just as the falling snowflakes were about to touch Hana’s body, a large hand swiftly pulled Hana’s body to the side.

“Ms. Yun Hana. Please be careful.”

The culprit who pulled Hana was none other than Kang Hyeon.

Flames burst out like an explosion from the tip of Kang Hyeon’s sword as he protected Hana from touching the blizzard.

Then massive flames spread out in a circle centered around Kang Hyeon.

Like a protective barrier.

The flames formed a sphere and wrapped around them in a circle.

Like wearing an umbrella, they could temporarily avoid the swirling snow.

However, the blizzard showed no signs of stopping.

Far from stopping, it only grew more intense.

Unless they stayed inside the flames continuously.

Otherwise, remaining at the summit like this was tantamount to suicide.

They needed to retreat for now and come up with countermeasures, whether that meant getting proper equipment or something else.

“It seems we’ll need some preparation.”

At Kang Hyeon’s words, the Vice-Chairman of Taesan finally gritted his teeth and raised his voice.

“Let’s go down for now!”

* * *

Hana and Kang Hyeon came down to the temporary building used by the Taesan Guild at the foot of the mountain.

The air inside the building was heavy and oppressive.

The Guild Leader’s absence.

That fact alone had already brought the atmosphere on Taesan’s side down to rock bottom.

Moreover, groans of pain could be heard from here and there.

The skin that had started freezing at the mountain peak wouldn’t thaw easily.

“A-aren’t we going to die from frostbite at this rate?”

A B-rank Hunter examining his frost-covered arm made a tearful face.

In the midst of all this, only Kang Hyeon stood with a calm expression.

The Vice-Chairman, who had been watching him, cautiously interjected.

“Um… I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier, but who is this person?”

Hana belatedly offered greetings to the Vice-Chairman.

“Sorry, I’m late with introductions. I’m Yun Hana. I’m a Hunter affiliated with Haechi. For now, at least.”

“For now?”

The Vice-Chairman asked back with curiosity, then extended his hand.

“Anyway, thank you for coming all this way. You too, Hunter Seo Ganghyeon.”

“Not at all. But how did that Gate appear? Huh?”

Hana smiled and tried to clasp hands.

But a large hand intervened and intercepted the handshake.

The culprit was Kang Hyeon.

Both Hana, who had her handshake stolen, and Taesan’s Vice-Chairman, who was suddenly caught by Kang Hyeon’s large hand.

Everyone was flustered, but only Kang Hyeon remained composed.

“I was curious about the same thing. It didn’t seem like an ordinary Gate.”

“Oh, ah… well, you see.”

With his hand still caught by Kang Hyeon, the Vice-Chairman hesitated and glanced at Hana.

He seemed to be checking if it was okay to discuss this in front of another Hunter.

However, as if he had made up his mind, he took something out from his chest and placed it on the table.

“Have you ever seen something like this?”

Hana and Kang Hyeon simultaneously turned their heads toward the table.

“Oh! This is…?”

And they immediately recognized the object the Vice-Chairman had presented.

It was an artificial Gate core that looked like a seed.

Hana frowned at the Gate core that had appeared yet again without fail.

What the hell, why is this showing up here again?

Hana lightly nudged Kang Hyeon’s arm.

“Seo Ganghyeon, this is the one we know, right?”

“It seems so.”

Kang Hyeon, who had been looking down at the core emanating an unsettling energy, nodded briefly.

When both of them reacted without hesitation, the Vice-Chairman’s eyes clearly changed.

“You both know about it…! Then have you perhaps seen this as well?”

The hesitant look of someone who couldn’t gauge how much to explain had already disappeared.

The Vice-Chairman hurriedly searched his chest and took out another object, placing it on the table.

A pattern made of metal.

The shape of a crack running through a broken circle was also something Hana was familiar with.

It was what she had seen when researching materials not long ago.

Kang Hyeon also silently narrowed his gaze.

Those who worship the evil god.

It was the pattern they used.

“You seem to recognize it.”

The Vice-Chairman’s speech noticeably quickened.

“Then do you also know about those who use this pattern?”

He wiped his face with his dry hands, took a breath, and continued speaking.

“Our Guild Leader was tracking the forces related to this pattern. In secret.”

It was a briefly summarized sentence, but the weight contained within it was not light.

“Why did only Taesan know about this?”

“We couldn’t be certain who among the Hunters might be connected to them.”

The Vice-Chairman continued with a troubled expression.

“Most importantly, even the Association Chairman ended up in that state overnight while pursuing them.”

As if the image of the Association Chairman lying in the hospital room flashed by, his expression briefly hardened.

“After that, we had no choice but to be even more careful.”

“Then why are you telling us this fact that you kept so carefully hidden?”

“Because the Gate that appeared at Mount Seorak Summit seems to be a Gate created by the Demon Worshippers’ forces.”

The Vice-Chairman frowned as if somewhat uncomfortable.

Now that she looked, he too had been hit by snow, with frost forming around his neck area.

“A few days ago, our Guild Leader caught traces of a connection between Damian Park and those forces.”

“And.”

Kang Hyeon continued the sentence.

“The Gate burst shortly after that.”

The Vice-Chairman nodded.

“That’s correct.”

Hana and Kang Hyeon’s gazes briefly crossed.

They were both thinking the same thing.

‘It seems like that Damian person or whatever is definitely a Demon Worshipper.’

As expected.

Popcon had identified him correctly back then.

He wasn’t carrying the artificial Gate core for research purposes, but to use it like this, that bastard.

The Vice-Chairman nodded repeatedly.

“That’s right. So we believe that Gate was created using this artificial core. This isn’t the first time either.”

At his carefully added words, the surrounding air sank once again.

“Haven’t the frequency of Gate appearances noticeably increased recently?”

Someone could be heard swallowing.

“That’s also likely to be the same method.”

Artificial Gates.

Intentionally created disasters.

The weight of that fact pressed down slowly but surely.

The Vice-Chairman placed both hands on his thighs and wiped away the cold sweat from his palms.

“So we judged that we couldn’t handle it with our strength alone. That’s why we requested help.”

After pausing for a moment, he carefully added.

“Above all, since Hunter Seo Ganghyeon was especially close to ‘1’, we judged it would be appropriate to tell you.”

The moment those words fell.

Kang Hyeon’s cynical eyes turned coldly dark.

“Why is that name coming up now? Don’t tell me—.”

“That’s right.”

The Vice-Chairman answered firmly.

“We believe there’s a high possibility that those forces were also involved in the Gangnam Station Gate incident.”

Crack.

The sound of grinding teeth rang out clearly.

Hana unconsciously glanced at Kang Hyeon.

Tendons stood out prominently over his tightly clenched fists.

‘By ‘1’, they must mean that missing Hunter, right?’

Since it was a person no Hunter could be unaware of, Hana had also seen them on the news.

‘So Seo Ganghyeon was close to that ‘1’. Anyway, this is quite a complicated situation.’

Evil god followers.

Conspiracies.

And even the Association on top of that.

With such tremendous things entangled together, Hana’s neck slowly shrank like a turtle’s.

He wondered if it was okay for him to be involved in such a situation.

He had just come to pick strawberries.

‘Is it really okay for me to be here?’

* * *

After finishing their discussion.

Hana and Kang Hyeon came out of the building.

Both their gazes simultaneously turned toward Mount Seorak Summit.

Dark clouds were still thickly spread above it.

The blizzard showed no signs of stopping, raging fiercely as if it would devour the entire mountain.

It was a breathtaking sight even from a distance.

Moreover, the condition of the Hunters who had been hit by the snow was gradually worsening.

The frost formed on their skin wouldn’t melt easily, and was actually slowly spreading.

Even knowing the full story, they would need to enter the Gate to resolve anything.

But in the current situation, entry itself wasn’t easy.

Even Kang Hyeon’s trusted ability couldn’t open the Gate entrance.

Since everyone had witnessed the fire being extinguished the moment it touched the snowball’s surface, breaking through from outside seemed hopeless.

The Vice-Chairman who had followed Hana out wore a troubled expression as he kept rubbing his face.

“How… isn’t there any other way?”

His voice was getting lower and lower.

“If the entrance doesn’t open like this… and that Gate ends up disappearing…”

His words trailed off.

As if he didn’t even want to imagine it, his fists trembled.

The surrounding air sank once again.

Unusually, even Kang Hyeon couldn’t answer immediately.

That’s when it happened.

Without any warning, a system window suddenly appeared right in front of his nose.

Literally right in front of his nose.

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