Chapter 56: The Creeping Verdant

Near Hamak Mountain.

“Why aren’t the guilds doing anything? They’re always boasting, but where are they now?”

“Calm down. You know Hunters prioritize profit over peace.”

“Didn’t the Association promise ample antidotes and healers?”

“How many would risk it? A Rank 8 Hunter’s in a coma.”

Healer-class Hunters treated those poisoned by the Gate’s gas.

Rank 6 Gate gas was potent.

Even outside, it was milder than inside but still deadly.

“Then a Rank 5 Hunter—”

“They’re calling the Sword Saint, but he’s on a Gate expedition and needs time to return.”

“So we just let this fester?”

Sometimes—rarely—this happened.

A Gate’s rewards were too low for its difficulty, delaying raids.

Rank 4 Hunters wouldn’t risk their lives, and Rank 5 Hunters prioritized Rank 5 Gates.

This Gate was an outlier.

Even Rank 5 Hunters hesitated due to the poison.

Meanwhile, the gas spread unchecked.

“Vulcanus Guild went in, so maybe wait—”

“I know they’re famous, but they’re barely Rank 5, right? Not emerging means they wiped.”

“They wore Vulcanus gear.”

“Even so, how do they beat Rank 6 monsters? No way.”

There was no solution.

As healers prepared to retreat from the spreading gas—

Whoosh—

“The gas is gone?”

“It’s really disappearing!”

The gas began vanishing.

Visible like light fog, it faded from the outskirts to Hamak Mountain’s peak, disappearing completely.

“What happened?”

“Someone cleared the Gate?”

“The big guilds haven’t arrived. Who?”

“There was one guild inside.”

“No way…”

What happened?

People stared at Hamak Mountain, breathless.

Soon, ten Hunters emerged from the entrance, once teeming with gas.

And they were—

“Vulcanus!”

“Really Vulcanus Guild?”

“It was a Rank 6 Gate…”

Vulcanus Guild.

Presumed wiped, they successfully cleared a Rank 6 Gate.

Hunter News reporters rushed to them.

“Park Sang-hyun! Did you clear Hamak Mountain’s Gate?”

Park Sang-hyun, Vulcanus Guild’s Team 1 leader, a rising “rookie” Hunter.

The reporter’s question was half-skeptical, but—

“Yes.”

“My god.”

Park Sang-hyun nodded.

Shocked reporters fired questions.

“We heard you just hit Rank 5! Were we wrong?”

“How did you withstand the gas?”

“Did you hide your level?”

“Say something!”

Unfazed, Park Sang-hyun removed his mask.

He breathed fresh air, free of the Gate’s stench.

Thankfully, the odor didn’t linger on him.

His hands, revealed from under the cloak, still wore the Scar of Sacred Flame.

Reporters hesitated at the sudden weapon reveal but soon spotted Vulcanus’ emblem.

Before more questions, Park Sang-hyun spoke.

“Thanks to Master’s gear, we cleared the Gate.”

Vulcanus’ name heated up Hunter News again.

Rank 5 Hunters clearing a Rank 6 Gate with Vulcanus gear’s exceptional performance.

That was the vibe.

Phew.

Hamak Mountain’s Gate was successfully cleared.

I only saw the gas on news, but it felt like it was creeping closer, making me uneasy.

Hearing the raid’s success was a huge relief.

“Good job, everyone. Take your time to rest; I’ll provide bonuses.”

• No, Master. Thanks to you, we gained priceless Rank 6 Gate experience.
• The team feels the same.
• Cameras make us feel like heroes; this is why we’re Hunters. We’re proud.
• All thanks to you, Master.

“Glad you feel that way, but rest for now.”

• Should we return the gear to headquarters?

“No rush, keep using it.”

• Thank you, truly, Master!

Park Sang-hyun’s voice carried deep loyalty.

“Ugh, need a break.”

Hammering relentlessly left my body aching.

I usually worked leisurely, balancing life, but today felt like a mad sprint.

Still—

“Making the guild was worth it.”

Investing heavily in the guild paid off, filling me with pride.

Park Sang-hyun’s final words stirred something warm, unlike anything I’d felt in games.

While resting, Nam Bora contacted me.

• Sending Gate rewards.

“Thanks.”

• Expect something good. It’s a Rank 6 Gate, after all.

Gate rewards.

Thanks to the Hunter Association contract, I could use nearly all rewards.

So far, materials were mediocre—Mummy Bandages, Orc Sinews, Pixie Wings, low-tier monster drops.

Understandable.

Vulcanus Guild was growing fast but limited to Rank 5 Gates.

“What’s this fuss about?”

Soon, items arrived.

True to their poison monster origin, they exuded a sinister aura.

I checked from a distance, uneasy about touching them.

[Sludge Crystal]

[Rotting Mucus]

[Toxic Blood]

Exactly the materials you’d expect.

Mostly Rank 6 materials.

Pretty useful.

The Sludge Crystal was rated Rank 5, perfect for poison-related gear.

“Gotta try it later.”

More materials, the better.

I’d passed sub-Rank 5 materials to Crafter 1 and 2, but these I’d use myself.

Especially the abundant drops from regular monsters, not just the boss.

Observing the items, I succumbed to sleepiness and collapsed into bed.

“Ugh, just a nap.”

Whatever.

I was exhausted.

The threat was gone; I’d sleep and deal with things later.

Yawn.

A deep nap cleared my head.

I meant to sleep briefly, but fatigue had piled up, and it was pitch-black outside.

Getting up to eat—

• Breaking news!

“God, always so dramatic! Everything’s breaking news!”

Hunter News’ urgent reporter’s voice.

Experience told me it was serious, but their constant urgency dulled trust.

Still, just in case, I glanced at the TV.

“What’s that?”

The screen showed a writhing mountain.

Not figuratively—the mountain’s plants and trees were moving, making it seem alive.

Mir Guild Hunters, caught on camera, frantically attacked the flora.

• A Gate Break at Chukhyang Mountain, Gyeonggi-do, remains unresolved after two days.
• The Break involves Rank 5 Gates, increasing in number.

“Like Hamak Mountain.”

Hamak’s issue was gas from a Gate.

Chukhyang’s was monsters from a Gate Break.

Different causes, but both problems spread from a mountain’s summit.

• Mir Guild is on-site to address the Gate Break.
• However, their focused attacks only contain the monsters’ spread, not defeat them.

“Mir Guild can’t handle it?”

Even for a Rank 5 Gate, Mir Guild should manage.

Examining the footage, I saw the issue.

Slash!

A Hunter’s clean slice cut a writhing vine.

As a plant-type monster, it was attacked with fire attributes.

Sprout!

A new vine grew from the cut, rapidly.

Despite continuous attacks, it kept regenerating.

“Fire doesn’t work?”

Plants’ weakness is fire—a basic fact.

Yet, it wasn’t working.

Maybe the fire was too weak?

Boom!

A mage finished casting, launching a massive Fire Bomb.

It should’ve been effective against plants, but—

Gulp!

A plant writhed, swallowing the fireball.

It burrowed into the ground, spewing black smoke.

It took some damage, but not enough for a weakness attack.

The news explained.

• Despite Mir Guild’s deployment for plant-type monsters, they’re barely affected by fire.
• Mir Guild is analyzing the enemy’s weakness.

Fire-resistant plant monsters.

I recalled Zone 3’s boss, a corrupted tree, weak to holy, not fire.

These plants felt similar.

Checking other channels—

“Wow, chaos.”

Other guilds faced similar issues.

Gate Breaks across Korea.

Even a Rank 4 Gate Break off Incheon’s coast.

Top Hunters, including major guilds, were out on Gate raids.

“That’s why they didn’t come.”

Now I understood why Hamak’s raid was delayed.

Without Vulcanus Guild, the gas might’ve reached my home.

Realizing Gate occurrences and strength were rising, a system alert sounded.

Ding.

Few triggered notifications at Vulcanus Forge—only five top-rankers, the Hunter Association, and Nam Bora.

As expected—

• Hello, Vulcanus.
• This is Mir Guild.

The Mir Guild, currently battling monsters on the news.

In this urgent situation, they contacted me.

• Apologies for the sudden request, but we urgently need your help.

They sought my aid to resolve Chukhyang Mountain’s Gate Break.