Chapter 18

18. A-Rank Crack

Porter. A porter was the one who collected magic stones and loot from monsters and carried luggage throughout the subjugation. It was an important role that shouldn’t be missed when subjugating higher-ranked cracks.

Sometimes some people denied the significance of a porter’s existence. Their theory was that there was no need to pay people a lot of money to move their luggage. However, that was what they said since they didn’t know.

‘New hunters who are ignorant of industry physiology often say things like that.’

In high-ranked cracks, the scale of the world beyond it increased dramatically. There were at most 150 monsters in C-rank cracks, but at B-Rank or higher, the default was 300.

The weight of a single magic stone alone was 50 or 60 kilos. In addition, if you add potions, etc., it wasn’t uncommon for them to exceed 200-300 kilos.

Hunters wouldn’t be able to achieve 100% efficiency unless someone took on the burden. In some cases, guilds would mobilize four or five porters, and experienced professional porters worked for as much pay as any hunter.

‘But 3 million won is too much for this job? If it’s an A-rank crack, isn’t it usually 1.3 to 1.5 million won on average?’

It wasn’t as if he didn’t like to get paid with a lot of money. It was because there was something about it that wasn’t right.

“Still, Gapyeong Station is just around the corner, and if it costs 3 million won to run as a porter for a day… Should I try it?’

Ko Byeong-gap clicked on the post. He was going to read the details in the meantime. However, only one phone number was left in the text. At that point, he thought, ‘Who’s playing this?’

It wouldn’t hurt to try, so he called the posted phone number. Five or six beeps passed, and the other party answered the phone.

– Hello.

The voice belonged to a young woman.

“Yes, hello. I contacted you after seeing the recruitment announcement on Hunternet. A-rank crack at Gapyeong Station…”

– How long will you be here?

“What?”

– Can you come in 30 minutes?

‘What is with this woman? I haven’t even said I’m going to do it yet.’

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She was a quick-tempered person. Ko Byeong-gap thought so.

“Yeah, I can get there in 20 minutes.”

– I’ll text you the coordinates, so please come over there.

The atmosphere felt like the woman would hang up soon. Ko Byeong-gap said quickly, “Ah! Wait.”

-Yes.

“I have a few questions before I go. First of all, you wrote 3 million won for the payment, is that right? And is it a guild-led subjugation, or is it a team-based subjugation? Do we prepare the supplies there? How many people will participate and the membership level…”

– It’s 3 million won per day. All you need is your body. Let’s talk about the rest when we meet.

“…”

– Are you coming? If you’re not coming, please tell me now.

“… I will go there soon.”

– Yes, please come quickly.

The woman hung up her phone without hesitation. Ko Byeong-gap looked into his cell phone and made a face as if he was about to die in shock.

“What was that?”

He had been a hunter for three years, and he ran a few times as a porter. Nevertheless, that was the first time that had happened.

He immediately went there. If he found a crazy woman there instead, he would refuse to do it. With that in mind, he drove toward Gapyeong Station.

It was a short walk away from Gapyeong Station. The coordinates the woman gave were in a remote mountainous area about 4 kilometers from Gapyeong Station.

It was quite far from the private houses, and there were only mountains and fields all around. When he parked the car in a vacant lot, he saw a group of people.

Something was off.

‘Aren’t they kids?’

There were four people in total. One was a tall woman, and the other three were children that looked as if they were just middle schoolers.

They all looked at Ko Byeong-gap in unison.

‘No way. I don’t think so.’

Ko Byeong-gap didn’t get out of the car in the meantime and called the number he called earlier. Suddenly, the woman outside took her cell phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear.

It was them.

– It’s you, right? Get out.

She clapped her hand as she said so.

Ko Byeong-gap got out of the car and approached the woman.

“Get ready—we’ll be right in.”

A woman in her late 20s. With her black hair cut short like a man’s, her impression was cold. Her voice was cold too.

Was it because of the unique beauty given to the top awakeners? He didn’t even feel the human beauty of her eyes.

As soon as he faced her, he could tell that she wasn’t a normal person.

‘This karma concentration… She’s at least S-class.’

He felt a greater sense of incongruity than when he met Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam at a restaurant a few days ago.

The kids around her were far from normal either. All of them were exuding monstrous Karma.

What kind of combination was that?

The woman opened the trunk of a luxury van that appeared to belong to her. There, she took out magic-engineered weapons that cost hundreds of millions of money per bag and gave them to the children.

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“Did you bring your backpack?”

“Yes.”

“Use this.”

She also handed a backpack to Ko Byeong-gap. It was a very large backpack.

All of a sudden, the backpack squirmed around him and stuck to his body. It was like a living creature. That, too, was expensive magical equipment.

“You just need to collect the magic stones. Make sure you don’t get caught up in combat.”

“Hang on. I’m having a hard time figuring it out. Is that all I’ve got to do?”

“Yes.”

He felt like he forgot what to say when the woman answered so plainly. There were many things he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t open his mouth easily.

“… Am I the only porter here?”

“I just need you to collect the magic stones. I’m sure it’s enough for you alone.”

“What’s your rating?”

The woman frowned slightly. Only then did she feel a little human.

“I’m S-class. You must be feeling it.”

That statement was true. He was definitely feeling it while he stared at the woman and the children.

A total of 450 South Korean hunters were classified as S-class. Ko Byeong-gap was familiar with some of them, but he was completely unfamiliar with that woman and the children.

“That… If you don’t mind, can I know your name?”

When Ko Byeong-gap asked, the woman let out a short sigh.

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“I’m Hana Kim.”

‘Hana Kim? Kim Hana?’

Ko Byeong-gap pondered the name Kim Hana inwardly, but no one came to mind.

Kim Hana spoke as he hesitated, “The porter we were supposed to be with today was unable to come out due to an unexpected circumstance. That’s why I’m hiring. There will be no danger. You can just collect the magic stone and receive a payment for the day. Is it hard?”

“No, it’s not that it’s difficult or not…”

“You can go back if you don’t want to.”

The woman’s attitude was firm. No, it was cold rather than determined. She was an icy woman, pure and simple.

Thousands of thoughts popped into Ko Byeong-gap’s head.

‘What should I do? Should I go back or not?’

His worrying didn’t last long.

“I’m Ko Byeong-gap. I look forward to your kind cooperation today.”

Three million won was a high price, wasn’t it? But as she said, all he had to do was do the job and get paid for it.

He judged that the woman and the children were strong S-class hunters. The woman didn’t think there was anything dangerous in that subjugation.

“Then let’s go. Kids, let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.”

‘Master?’

The children called Kim Hana their Master. Ko Byeong-gap questioned the title but didn’t speak on it. He swung his long sword before entering the craft. It was because it was a burden to enter the A-rank crack with only a backpack.

Kim Hana and the children didn’t seem to care much.

‘A-rank crack.’

As he stood in front of the crack, he swallowed his saliva without realizing it. He had only ever looked at them from afar, and it was the first time he would immerse himself in its body.

“Come in a minute after we get in.”

“Okay.”

Kim Hana and the children entered the crack. After he counted one minute, he threw himself into the first A-rank crack of his life.

* * *

‘This is an A-rank crack.’

Ko Byeong-gap looked up at the sky, mesmerized. The gray sky was full of ominous waves of power. The air was heavy, and the hairs all over his body rose just from standing still.

Kim Hana and the three children were waiting for Ko Byeong-gap. As soon as they found out that he had crossed, they moved on without delay. Ko Byeong-gap quickly caught up.

“When the battle begins, stay away from us. I’ll kill any monsters approaching Mr. Ko Byeong-gap. It would be more dangerous if you move around.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, what are the names of these kids?”

When Go Byeong-gap asked, the children looked at Hana Kim.

“… Do you need a full name?”

“Even for a day, we’re working together, and it’s better to know each other’s names.”

Ko Byeong-gap shrugged. Actually, he didn’t really ask because he was curious about their names. He just wanted to know if they were listed in the dictionary in his head.

Kim Hana spoke after a short pause. “This is Jane, Do Eun-ho, and Kang Han-cheol.”

Ko Byeong-gap and the children greeted each other with a slight nod. He didn’t know any of their names.

After a few minutes of walking, Kim Hana, who was walking in the lead, stopped the group.

“Jane to the front, Eun-ho to the left, Han-cheol to the right.”

“Yes, Master.”

“The time limit is one minute. Output limit is 50 percent.”

Kim Hana manipulated her watch. Soon the watch spitted out a ‘beep!’ mechanical sound.

“Start.”

Immediately after she spoke, a tremendous amount of Karma was released from the bodies of the children. It was so dense that it could be seen with the naked eye. Soon, bluish Karma covered the children’s bodies.

It was a Karma Barrier, a measure that separated the lower and higher hunters. A Karma Barrier had enormous resistance to attacks that didn’t contain Karma. It meant that even five magazines would be useless in even scratching the barrier.

Ko Byeong-gap instinctively backed down. As the S-Class awakeners truly unleashed their powers, the cells of his body screamed.

At that moment, they were the world’s top predators, and the monsters were the prey.

“Crrrr…” The monster showed up as if it sensed the Karma emitted.

Gados, a lizard-shaped monster with a height of 2.5 meters, had many thorns along its spine, and its claws were like a sickle. In addition to its four legs used for walking, it had two more, resembling those of a praying mantis.

It was a B-class monster. Ten C-class hunters would die against it, and there were 40 such monsters in front of them at that time.

“Gyaaaaah!”

The hordes of Gados rushed in all at once. Of course, they were also armed with karma barriers. To be honest, it was difficult for Ko Byeong-gap to even follow the movements of the Gados.

In such a situation, he didn’t know what to think when he looked at the bodies of the Gados that soared into the sky.

“Keeeek!”

The Gados died without being able to even guess. It wasn’t a fight or anything. It was a one-sided slaughter.

Kim Hana only stood next to Ko Byeong-gap and didn’t participate in the fight. Only the three children dealt with all the Gados.

Ko Byeong-gap watched the battle and forgot to breathe. Suddenly, there was a beep sound next to him. It was a sign that a minute had passed. There were still three or four Gados left. Kim Hana’s expression hardened slightly.

Jane blew a slash and shredded the last Gados.

“1 minute and 14 seconds.”

Kim Hana recited in a voice as cold as ice, and then the children were restless like puppies.

“Everyone get together. Byeong-gap, please collect the magic stones.”

“… Oh, yes.”

Ko Byeong-gap calmly began retrieving the magic stones. Meanwhile, the children gathered in front of Kim Hana. Ko Byeong-gap glanced sideways at them and pretended to focus on collecting the magic stones. Apparently, they were just talking about combat.

Kim Hana looked very uncomfortable. It wasn’t that she raised her voice, but it was clear that she was only yelling at the children. Ko Byeong-gap found it ridiculous.

‘What’s the matter? If you could catch 40 B-class monsters in 1 minute and 14 seconds, that would be awesome. Besides, they’re still kids. Damn, does that mean that the highest in the world are dissatisfied with even this?’

Ko Byeong-gap thought as he rummaged through the bodies of the Gados.

‘There’s still a damn long way to go,’ he thought.