Chapter 54: Class Reunion (1)

Normally, Gates occur randomly.

But the disaster agencies forecast disasters as if they were giving weather reports.

Still, just like sometimes it rains even at a weather bureau picnic, not all of their forecasts are accurate.

Depending on small environmental conditions, or sudden variables, a Gate can appear out of nowhere.

These are usually called non-indicative Gates.

Wiiing!

I told the Director and the other center staff to evacuate the building.

And immediately triggered the fire alarm.

The blaring alarm resounded through the building, and people inside started looking around, one by one.

“It’s a Gate! Everyone, evacuate the building!”

“Uh, isn’t that Lee Hyunbin the Hunter?”

“No way! For real!”

Even though I told everyone to run, there were people pointing their phones at me, snapping pictures.

Seriously, have they never heard of portrait rights?

Whatever. More importantly, a Gate is about to open right here!

There’s no time.

It was as unstable as an over-inflated balloon, looking like it would burst with just the prick of a needle.

“This is real! Please evacuate! Hello? This is Lee Hyunbin. A non-indicative Gate has occurred, so send backup—”

Just then, darkness swept over us.

“What the—? Someone, turn on the lights!”

“Jung Hyunah! Jung Hyunah, where did you go?!”

Voices of civilians echoed in the dark.

Somehow, the noise from the fire alarm I’d set off had ceased.

[The Gate has appeared.]

[You have entered the Doppelganger’s Forest.]

[Doppelgangers mimic human appearance and steal memories.]

[Find the Doppelganger.]

[The Doppelganger is absorbing sacrifices and storing power to descend.]

When the sudden message appeared, the civilians started babbling whatever came to mind, trying to make sense of their confusion.

Once inside the Gate, even ordinary people are forcibly connected to the System, so they can see status messages.

In other words, the chance of an Awakening greatly increases if you get swept up in a Gate.

The instinct of survival. That’s what it is.

It’s been a while, Doppelganger.

These guys are the very definition of troublesome monsters.

They perfectly copy the appearance and behavior of the person they steal from. Even their memories are the same, making it almost impossible to find them.

And on top of that, they’re strong monsters.

Usually, a Hunter would need a Party to barely take one on, but if it hides its identity and pretends to be an ordinary person, it’s tough to deal with.

“What is this place?!”

“A Gate? Damn it, a Gate?! Why me? I’m not even a Hunter!”

“No way. Is there any Hunter here?!”

The people caught in the non-indicative Gate were panicking.

The familiar scene of the shopping center had vanished, replaced by the bleak, chilly air of a gloomy forest.

Night birds cried, and grasshoppers played their symphony.

I scanned the group with Insight—confusion, anger, fear, that’s all I saw.

Is there really no Doppelganger here? Or are they just such good actors?

“Everyone, please.”

I calmly called to the people.

Naturally, all eyes turned to me.

A few people seemed to recognize me, letting out an “Oh?” as they looked at my face.

Yeah, I’m not the person I used to be.

After resolving the disaster and earning my S-Rank, a lot more people recognize me now.

“Hey, isn’t that Hyunbin?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Suddenly, people I don’t even know started pointing and speaking to me informally.

Some looked like couples around my age.

And more people in the back stood up, looking delighted to see me.

“What the—? You finally showed up! We tried to contact you so many times.”

What?

I couldn’t understand their reactions.

No wonder.

I’m trapped in a Gate with my former classmates.

There were about twenty people who’d been sucked into the Gate.

“Mister, you came because of the reunion?”

“No.”

Karin, as usual, was saying unnecessary things beside me.

“I get it. You’re not unemployed anymore, and you want to show off to everyone now.”

“I said no.”

She’s been watching too many cheesy dramas.

“Hey, you could’ve at least said whether you’d come or not. Everyone was really hoping you’d show up.”

“Who are you…?”

The guy next to me, pretending to be all friendly, looked hurt by my words.

I really don’t remember him, so what can I do?

“I’m the Class President.”

“Oh, I see.”

Every class has a President. So, maybe he’s right.

The woman next to the Class President spoke to me.

“Seriously, it’s good to see you. You suddenly stopped coming to school, and everyone was really worried.”

“Is that so?”

“Why are you being all formal? We’re fr-i-ends.”

I’m not sure I should say this, but…

Did I even have friends in high school?

Honestly, I don’t even remember most of them. And judging by the smell of alcohol instead of perfume, it looks like they’ve been day-drinking.

“I thought you disappeared because of that thing.”

“That thing?”

The brown-haired woman in a short skirt said, and I tried to remember what “that thing” was.

“I never even got an answer from you.”

“Answer?”

“Yeah, you confessed to me.”

“Me?”

I don’t even know her name, and I confessed?

I stared at the woman who claimed I’d confessed, digging through my memories.

Now that she mentions it, something’s coming back—

[Hey, this guy likes you.]

[Ugh, no way! Stop it, you crazy bastard!]

Oh, right. Now I remember.

A confession? Don’t make me laugh.

Back then, one of the guys asked me what I thought about her.

I thought saying I wasn’t interested would cause trouble, so I just said, “She’s not bad.”

After that, they teased me about liking her, and the brown-haired girl was openly disgusted.

Then those two started dating.

“You’re so fake, changing your tune just because he’s higher-ranked, huh? You used to call him a total loser, and now—what, trying to trade up? You think a porter and a dealer are the same?”

“When did I ever? Are you crazy?”

I remember the guy with the short buzz cut. He was the school bully who dated her.

He’s thirty now but still acts like a punk. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere else.

“What, are you trying to switch now that his rank’s higher? Think you can compare a porter to a dealer?”

“What? You’re just a B-Rank, aren’t you?”

Ah, now I remember where I saw him.

“What guild are you in?”

I should be able to speak informally, right? We’re the same age.

“Huh?”

He shut his mouth at my question.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just curious.”

“He’s with KF Hunters.”

Someone else answered for him. He must brag about it a lot.

“There was a B-Rank Hunter in that guild?”

“…”

As far as I remember, there’s no B-Rank Hunter there. It’s a guild ranked below the top 50.

Lower-ranked guilds mainly do Magic Stone recovery work.

No sane guild would waste a B-Rank just picking up Magic Stones.

“Oh, the results haven’t been delivered yet. I’ll be getting my B-Rank soon.”

I snorted.

“So, all that swagger was just for show, huh.”

“Jeong Jiwoong, you’ve been a punk since school, always hanging around bullies. Guess some things never change.”

The murmurs made the bully’s neck flush red.

His B-Rank was a lie. At best, he’s probably D Grade. Judging by his walk and his aura, he’s nowhere near a top Hunter.

In any case, both the bragger and the ones mocking him seem equally worthless to me.

I addressed the gathered crowd.

“As you all saw in the System message, you’re now inside a Gate, just like you’ve heard about.”

Once my classmates stopped chattering, things began to flow more smoothly.

The people who’d been panicking now started to focus on me and calm down.

I’m famous, I’m a Hunter, and I’m someone they can trust.

“H-how do we get out of here?” someone asked nervously.

Of course, that’s what everyone wants to know.

“You just need to destroy the core that created the Gate. Like the message said, if we take down the Doppelganger, it’s over.”

Everyone tensed up.

We’d been dragged into an unknown place, and one among us was a monster. People started spreading out, keeping their distance from each other.

“There’s no need to separate. Just sit in a circle.”

[The Elf Squad has begun pursuit to hunt the Doppelganger.]

A message popped up.

Thanks to epic fantasy movies, everyone’s familiar with Elves—beautiful beings who live in the forest for over a thousand years.

When the message said the Elf Squad would track the Doppelganger, everyone looked relieved.

They’re going to be so disappointed.

Elves in movies are nothing like Elves in reality.

“Give us a Buff.”

“Sure.”

It’s been ages since I hunted in a Party with Karin.

As I pulled out my weapon from my Inventory, people looked uneasy.

“Storage.”

I spoke the command, but nothing happened.

“Storage.”

I tried again, but still no response. What’s going on?

Is it because this Gate is another dimension, so Inventory Technique can’t be used?

[Unauthorized Protocol.]

[Connection failed.]

Too bad.

“Director, please gather everyone and keep them together.”

“Alright, don’t worry.”

The only saving grace is that the Director is among those summoned here.

The Director was a promising Hunter, but for reasons he wouldn’t share, he retired and opened a gym.

I think I have a good guess what those reasons might be.

Suddenly, the bushes rustled and people with bows emerged, one by one.

Long ears. Androgynous features, impossible to tell if they’re male or female.

People gaped in awe at the sight of the Elves.

They said something to us in a language as elegant and fluid as French, murmuring among themselves, and then a message popped up.

[Trackers who fail to identify the Doppelganger will be killed for verification.]

People blinked, unable to believe the message before their eyes.

The Elves, full of obvious hostility, drew their bows and fired.

Shwik!

When an arrow struck a nearby tree, people finally screamed.

[Escape from the Elves’ attack. They will kill everyone and use you as food.]

Everyone froze at the message.

In fact, Elves in this world are nothing like their glamorous looks. They’re hideous monsters.

They love human flesh.

“We—we need to run!”

“Where to?!”

“But there’s an S-Rank Hunter right there.”

“That guy’s just a porter!”

Leaving the panicking people behind, I grabbed my primary sword and dashed forward.

Arrows from the Elves whistled past where I’d just stood.

The Elf tried to track me with their eyes, but I was already gone.

“Hello there.”

The Elf I greeted didn’t have the chance to reply.

A head dropped to the ground. I gently laid the still-standing body down to rest.

Another Elf, furious, swung their sword at me. I blocked it with my No. 1 sword—the Longsword—and slid down, cutting swiftly.

Pushik!

Another Elf down. Three left.

‘Guess I’ll let Karin catch a ride on the bus this time.’

If I want to make her a perfect healing machine, this much is a must.