Chapter 139: The Next Step
Chapter 139: The Next Step
The catastrophe of the four Red Gates had ended when the sun rose the next day. However, the blockade walls that stood since the beginning to quell the disaster had not got removed yet. Areas close to Seoul still look deserted. The military forces were still busy going back and forth in the Seoul area.
That meant the situation was still in the clearing and confirmation stage. Until the Hunters Association declared that there were no Red Gate creatures left. They also need to check the Portal Gates in Seoul. If any had any signs of wanting to change to the Red Gate, or maybe there was another Red Gates besides the previous four.
The soldiers and hunters outside of Seoul had also cleaned up the creatures that broke through the blockade walls. It was not complicated and tiring because it was not up to hundreds. The Hunters Association also participated in the extermination.
In the Mapo district, Ji-woo was looking at the state of his mother’s house and food stall. Initially, he wanted to immediately catch up to the emergency shelter where his mother was now. However, he changed his mind and decided to stay and stake out the entire Seoul area for the night.
He looked around and decided not to interfere. He knew that the hunters who were fighting the creatures could handle it. As for the casualties suffered by the hunters, that was none of his business. Even so, he had several times helped some residents who had not yet had time to leave Seoul and were in danger from those creatures.
“How lucky. The house and the food stall are fine despite the commotion going on in this district.”
Ji-woo shook his head at the coincidence. He did not mind if he had to spend money to renovate the two places. But, he felt grateful that there was no need. Even though he had hundreds of millions of won, he was still somewhat poor by his own standards.
He sighed. His activities were nothing but hunting inside the Portal Gate and training Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. In truth, though, there was nothing more he could teach the two hunters. Because basically, he wasn’t a Mana user after all.
However, after the two incidents that happened to his mother, Ji-woo gave up his intention to stop training Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. He wanted them to be able to protect his family, even if he wasn’t around. For that reason, teaching them to get stronger was finally part of his plan.
The two hunters only lacked fighting experience. When that got fulfilled, he was sure they would thrive. Dong-hyun and Yu-jin could experience fighting in any condition and situation with him as a practice opponent.
“The tier-4 Portal Gate that I bought earlier didn’t produce any results at all. But, because of that, too, I was able to gain full power faster than I thought. Though, I don’t know if there will be any side effects or not. It still emits steam when I push it too much, given the state my body is in it. The possibilities are still there.”
Ji-woo had gotten no results several times when he bought the Portal Gate. If it happened that often, his desire to earn a lot of money from the dungeon would be useless.
Getting money from one source could become annoying at times, especially if there was a situation that made things chaotic.
On the other hand, these problems didn’t bother him because he had surprisingly obtained quite a valuable item in this world.
The Spatial Bag.
Ji-woo now had two Spatial Bags. He was perplexed about what to do with the other item. Items that got recognized as rare items by the hunters didn’t really matter to him. For now, having one was enough, as he only needed a particular storage item for his belongings.
The thing that made him the most uncomfortable with the Spatial Bag was that it was too complicated to get carried on the shoulder to go everywhere. Even in a battle, sometimes it was even more difficult because of its size. Even though the material was quite strong, he couldn’t predict whether it would survive in the future in a battle that was at his full power scale.
Out of nowhere, Ji-woo felt two Mana approaching him. But, he already knew who it was without looking back.
“Ji-woo Hyung!? What are you doing here? Not going to auntie’s place?”
“Have you been here since leaving the Red Gate place before?”
Ji-woo chuckled at the different questions that Dong-hyun and Yu-jin asked at the same time. ‘It seems the two of them never had anything in common with each other.’ He thought.
“Just checking. How was your pursuit of the White Wolves?”
Hearing Ji-woo’s question, Dong-hyun blushed and didn’t know how to explain. But, Yu-jin had a different reaction. She believed that Ji-woo could direct him if she told about her experience with the White Wolves.
“They’re strong. The White Wolves’ fangs and claws are sharp. Plus, the speed of creatures with four legs is usually quite fast. It makes them extremely dangerous, even for A-rank hunters. If I had to go head-to-head, I’m not sure I could win at all. Did you…,”
Yu-jin opened her mouth and then hesitantly continued her words.
Ji-woo then immediately chimed in.
“Of course, they are strong. The White Wolf’s Mana alone is ten times that of you two.”
“Eh!? Is that true, Hyung? But I don’t think those creatures are powerful.”
Yu-jin immediately gave Dong-hyun a death glare from the side after hearing his words. He felt that way and didn’t know what was wrong. In the end, he just swallowed his saliva.
“They are strong, it’s true. But those of you who think these creatures are not as strong as they say are stronger than you were in the past.”
“Really? But I feel like my Mana never increased at all.”
Ji-woo was speechless at Dong-hyun’s ramblings and interrupted with his words. He turned swiftly and waved his hand at Dong-hyun.
Dong-hyun, who saw that, also swiftly used both hands to block. Well, it definitely didn’t go according to his plan.
“Ouch! Why was my head getting hit? What did I do wrong?”
“You deserve it!” Yu-jin sneered.
Ji-woo actually wanted not to make a fuss about it. However, he unconsciously got irritated every time Dong-hyun did that. He didn’t even understand why Dong-hyun was still like that despite being hit by him so many times.
Anyway, he then continued. “In a life and death battle, many factors come into play. It’s not just about Mana. Fighting experience, attack timing, weaknesses and advantages, and many other things count.
“You guys confronting that creature in whatever way it is has proven that you are already stronger. And are aware of the meaning of survival. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Throw away the thought of fighting a duel, and justice is a matter of respect. That kind of thing in a world where the strong triumphed over the weak was pointless. That doesn’t apply at all.
“Besides, to be honest, what you guys did was below my expectations. I think you guys are capable of taking on these creatures in a one-on-one situation.”
Dong-hyun and Yu-jin lowered their heads and pondered their actions upon hearing this. On the one hand, they understood this because they also felt that the white wolves were not very strong. However, they themselves didn’t know what they were lacking, which caused them to lack the self-awareness to engage in one-on-one combat.
Ji-woo sighed. What he said was not meant to demoralize Dong-hyun and Yu-jin. Moreover, they had succeeded in killing creatures whose Mana was more prominent than them.
“You don’t need to mope. That’s just my expectation. Don’t make a fuss about that. What you lack is only battle experience. Of course, it’s about Mana too. But, that can get taken care of later.”
Yu-jin lifted her face and looked at Ji-woo expectantly. Surprisingly, Dong-hyun also behaved the same way as her.
Ji-woo smiled awkwardly at the two of them like puppies sweetly sitting, waiting for their master’s orders.
“Okay. We can continue training at another time after all this Red Gates mess is over. Shortly, I will go to the emergency evacuation area. How about you guys?”
“We should at least be on patrol for the next few hours. That’s to make sure that Seoul is completely get cleared of the Portal Gate creatures.”
“That’s right. Hyung, no need to worry. All the Red Gates are closed. Soon everything will be back to normal.”
Ji-woo then chuckled and waved his hand to part with Dong-hyun and Yu-jin.
On the way, Ji-woo was contemplating his next step. He was reluctant to hunt in another Portal Gate in this current circumstance. But on the one hand, it would make his income become stagnant. And instead, make it difficult for him to take care of his family.
Only the Spatial Bag could get used at times like this. The thing to consider was how and where to sell the rare item?
He knew that a Spatial-type item would bring chaos when it became available on the market. He was sure that the top-ranked and wealthy hunters desperately needed something like this one.