Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Multiple Gates (1)

It was a peaceful day.

As usual, he planned to finish filming by the afternoon, then review tomorrow's shoot and rest for the remainder of the day.

But now, Cha Jae-seok was moving toward an air-raid shelter together with countless people.

"Everyone, please stay calm and move in line!"

Jeju Island, where gates frequently occurred, had numerous air-raid shelters set up nearby to prepare for emergencies.

But there were so many people, and the facilities were quite outdated—that was the problem.

The frequency of gates occurring in Jeju had dropped, so management had become lax.

"D-Director, is this really okay?"

"There was definitely no gate alert this morning, right? Can a gate really appear so suddenly?"

The anxious staff kept asking questions, but Cha Jae-seok couldn't answer.

It was the first time for him as well.

"A-Ah-yeon-ssi! No, wouldn't Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim know something? I haven't seen her for a while, do you know where she went?"

Suddenly, they realized there was an S-rank Hunter among their group.

Though they had treated her like an ordinary actor during filming, now that they thought about it, Ah-yeon was an S-rank Hunter.

One of only six S-rank Hunters in all of Korea.

"If you're looking for Ah-yeon-ssi, she was called separately to the Jeju Hunter Association. Manager Park went with her, too."

The one answering a staff member was actress Jung Sun-hee.

She was trembling, her complexion noticeably paler.

"Sun-hee-ssi, are you alright?"

"There's no need to be so worried. They've requested reinforcement from Busan, and there are a lot of Hunters stationed at Jeju, so we'll be fine."

The other staff and Yeon Kyung-ho tried to reassure and calm the pale Jung Sun-hee.

But her pallor wasn't just because of the current situation.

'Don't tell me the Javelin Guild caused this?'

It was too much of a coincidence to be mere chance.

People who had talked like they were planning something in Jeju.

This sudden multiple gate incident.

Was it really just a coincidence?

If it was something the Javelin Guild did, targeting Shin Ah-yeon...

'No, that can't be. It's impossible to artificially make gates appear, isn't it?'

She tried to convince herself, but the unease remained.

They wanted her and Jung-woo's attention, to keep them from getting distracted or becoming suspicious.

Of course, Sun-hee's actions themselves were not very relevant to this incident.

All she had done was converse with Jung-woo and Ah-yeon.

But she did know that the Javelin Guild was "planning something."

Should she have mentioned it in advance if this incident was related to them?

But to whom?

Even if she said something, would anything change?

"Ah, manager Park!"

Just then, Jung-woo, who had left with Ah-yeon, appeared.

Sun-hee felt her heart thump loudly at his arrival.

"Where's Ah-yeon-ssi? Did you come back alone?"

Cha Jae-seok tried to control his emotions as he spoke, but his anxiety showed.

His eyes darted around quickly, as if searching to see if Ah-yeon was just behind.

"If you're wondering about Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim, she's moved to the gate outbreak area. I was told to wait in the air-raid shelter for now."

"T-Then what about us? Are you saying we should just tremble in the air-raid shelter without Ah-yeon-ssi?"

"This area's gate activity is weaker compared to other parts, so there shouldn't be any danger. Other Hunters will be dispatched here soon."

"I see..."

Only then did Cha Jae-seok look relieved at Jung-woo's explanation.

It seemed he thought there was no danger since the gate activity signal was weak.

"Actress Jung Sun-hee."

"Yes?"

Having reassured Director Cha Jae-seok, Jung-woo next called for Jung Sun-hee.

Seeing her unable to maintain her usual composure, Jung-woo smiled gently and spoke.

"Shall we talk for a moment?"

***

"This way, hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim."

While Jung-woo was returning to the air-raid shelter, Ah-yeon arrived at the Hunter Association in Jeju.

Already, many Hunters had gathered in the Association to await the briefing on the sudden incident.

"That's really Shin Ah-yeon, isn't it?"

"Why was Shin Ah-yeon in Jeju?"

Publicity about Ah-yeon's role in the movie hadn't gone out yet, so the Hunters who saw her just assumed she was here for sightseeing.

"Things looked bad, but if we have an S-rank Hunter, it's different."

"But from the look of it, even one S-rank isn't enough for this situation... Has there been any word on help from Busan yet?"

"No matter how fast, it'll take a day. Flights can't take off when gates appear, so even if they conscripted Hunters right away, if they come by boat, the earliest would be by dawn."

Hearing such conversations, Ah-yeon felt a new sense of reality.

Filming for the movie wasn't even finished, and she ended up involved in an incident like this.

'I wonder if Jung-woo oppa made it back alright?'

On the way to the Association, Jung-woo had no choice but to return at the Hunter Association's request.

Because it was an urgent situation, a manager couldn't get involved, and there was nothing he could do at the Association anyway.

If Ah-yeon weren't an S-rank Hunter, Jung-woo might have protested at the sudden call-up, but Ah-yeon was an S-rank Hunter.

S-rank Hunters enjoyed many privileges from the state, but also had strict duties.

When a national disaster occurred, they were required to cooperate unconditionally.

"Thank you all for gathering so quickly in this emergency."

Once most of the Hunters were gathered in the Association's conference room, ha Myung-soo, the President of the Jeju Hunter Association, entered the room. Gauging the number of Hunters present, he sighed, but realization dawned when he saw Ah-yeon, and his face lit up.

"Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim, you were truly in Jeju!"

"Ah, yes."

"It's truly miraculous! To have an S-rank Hunter in Jeju during such a disaster!"

Ha Myung-soo exhaled in real relief, pressing a hand to his chest.

He had just been lamenting why such an incident had to happen during his term as Association President, but with her here, the story changed.

If he handled this crisis well and increased his reputation, it might even be possible to serve another term as President.

"Not only do we have Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim, but also A-rank Hunters from the Javelin Guild in Jeju. Heaven must be on our side. Haha."

There were about thirty Hunters gathered in the Association now.

Among them, seven A-rank Hunters from the Javelin Guild.

While not as awe-inspiring as an S-rank Hunter, the presence of A-rank Hunters was still formidable.

They were, in fact, capable of handling the majority of existing gates.

'The Javelin Guild?'

At the Association President's words, Ah-yeon belatedly turned her gaze.

The seven A-rank Hunters from the Javelin Guild were huddled together, looking unbothered.

Other Hunters seemed reassured by their presence, but Ah-yeon felt otherwise.

'... I can sense demonic energy.'

She had grown used to "demonic energy" by now and could sense it distinctly.

They weren't demons.

Having met with the half-demon Hwang Yeon-ji often, Ah-yeon could tell for sure.

Even the quality of their demonic energy was vastly different.

'It's more like what I felt from Ju Ji-sang.'

Not only demons or half-demons; even combined, the seven were less than Ji Yeon-hwa, who had been eroded by the Demon's Heart.

But for their demonic energy to be this clear, it was safe to assume they were all using "ultimate magic stones" just like Ju Ji-sang had.

"But has the Javelin Guild always been big enough to walk around with this many A-rank Hunters at once?"

"They're very traditional. Maybe they'd been quiet all this time to train A-rank Hunters?"

Some Hunters sounded doubtful, but that was the minority.

Most didn't know about the existence of demonic energy, so they weren't aware of the odd feeling given off by the Javelin Guild Hunters.

'Come to think of it, Jung-woo oppa mentioned...'

Right before parting at the Association, Jung-woo had given Ah-yeon some warnings, as if he anticipated their separation.

"This incident might have been orchestrated by the Javelin Guild."

"You're saying the Javelin Guild caused the gate incident? Is that even possible?"

"Normally, it's not easy. But for ordinary people, yes, it would be impossible."

"Then...."

"But as you know, the Javelin Guild has demons among their ranks."

At his firm tone, Ah-yeon suddenly remembered what he'd said at the museum.

That the occurrence of gates and dungeons was a phenomenon created by the demon to terraform Earth.

If that was true, then the demons would have the means to create gates or dungeons.

"Ordinarily, they only manipulate phenomena so that gates appear naturally. Causing such large-scale 'resonance' to open multiple gates at once isn't easy for them either."

If it were easy, the demons wouldn't need elaborate preparations—they could wipe out Earth in a matter of days.

"How do they cause such phenomena?"

"I'll explain that later, given the situation."

"Oh, okay."

Regardless, the important thing was that the Javelin Guild likely had the means to cause "an incident like this," and it was highly likely that they had done so.

"It's not 100 percent, but if most of the Hunters sent by the Association are from Javelin or JM, you should be suspicious."

"But what's their goal? If it's just resources from the gates, there's no need to open gates on such a massive scale."

From Ah-yeon's point of view, it was incomprehensible.

If it was hard for them too to open so many gates at once, why would they go this far?

If the aim was resources from the gates, it would be safer and more profitable to quietly monopolize them with small-scale incidents.

"Could it be... something to do with that terraforming?"

"No."

Jung-woo curtly cut off Ah-yeon, who was speculating.

"Then what?"

She frowned and asked what he was getting at, and Jung-woo raised a finger, pointing straight at Ah-yeon.

"You."

At that unexpected answer, Ah-yeon couldn't respond.

And before she could ask again, Jung-woo was called back by the Association and left for the air-raid shelter with the film crew.

'There's no way oppa would say that without a reason.'

If, as Jung-woo said, the Javelin Guild was targeting her, then why?

Many possible reasons came to mind.

Forcibly claiming her because she was an S-rank Hunter, or killing her to weaken Unique's strength.

Either was plausible, but it didn't feel right.

If that was all, there would be easier ways without stirring up an incident like this.

'... Ji Yeon-hwa.'

Suddenly, she remembered Ji Yeon-hwa, who had gone berserk from the Demon's Heart.

And she recalled how the conquered overlord of the Demonic Zone's territory, who had ruled monster armies unleashed by a dungeon, had overlapped with the eroded Ji Yeon-hwa.

A monster ruling over land corrupted by dungeon erosion, commanding armies of monsters.

And soon, the armies of monsters that would pour through the gates.

She felt like she vaguely understood the reason.

***

"That's all the information I have..."

As expected, Jung Sun-hee didn't know much.

She hadn't even known that JM or Javelin were involved in the incident in Jeju.

All they had asked Sun-hee to do was gather information about Ah-yeon on set, nothing more, so it wasn't easy to connect her to this multiple gate incident.

'Shim Chun-hoo, the vice-guildmaster of the Javelin Guild.'

At least, it was fortunate that he didn't waste much time pressing Jung Sun-hee.

When he showed her the business card of Superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo, whom he'd gotten through Soo-ah's PR ambassador gig for awakener crime prevention, she seemed shocked and spilled everything she knew.

'Come to think of it, superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo and Vice-guildmaster Shim Chun-hoo have the same last name.'

It might be just a coincidence, but since that surname was quite rare, it gave him a strange feeling.

"Manager Park, when will Ah-yeon-ssi be back?"

Uncomfortable, Cha Jae-seok kept pestering him.

But no matter how much he insisted, he couldn't summon Ah-yeon here right now.

"She'll return as soon as the Association's request is over."

In other words, it meant she wouldn't return before this incident ended.

Cha Jae-seok seemed to understand that, biting his thumbnail in anxiety.

The camera director next to him shook his head and spoke.

"Director, hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim is an S-rank Hunter, isn't she? Plus, we're in an air-raid shelter, and there are plenty of other Hunters, so there's really no need to worry so much..."

"Everyone, take shelter inside the air-raid shelter!!"

At that moment—

A Hunter dispatched to guard the air-raid shelter shouted loudly.

"A gate is opening inside the air-raid shelter! We need to move quickly to a different one!!"

Of course, there was no rule that a gate couldn't open inside an air-raid shelter.

Gates appeared at random coordinates, regardless of location.

Some places just had lower frequencies.

The air-raid shelters were built in areas with a lower chance of occurrence, but this time, the odds had caught up to them and a gate threatened to open inside.

"A-A gate is opening?!"

"But this is an air-raid shelter!!"

People screamed and wailed, but no one dared risk going outside the air-raid shelter to evacuate.

Because out there, new gates were beginning to open in earnest.

In other words, from now on, we would have to move to another shelter while dodging the monster hordes pouring out from the gates.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
It is a crisis indeed.
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