Chapter 88: Gate Burning Conquered

The Second Gate Burning, which threatened all of humanity.  

The first to escape the Gate Burning crisis was, unsurprisingly, the United States, known as the strongest Hunter nation.  

As the Gate Burning situation calmed down in the US, they began extending support to their neighboring allies.  

And Korea?  

– Breaking news.  

– Just moments ago, the Hunter Association officially declared the end of Korea’s Second Gate Burning.  

– Korea is the third country worldwide to declare the conclusion of Gate Burning.  

This marks a significant step forward for Korea as a Hunter powerhouse.  

This achievement is thanks to the tireless efforts of all citizens, every guild, and all Hunters across Korea.  

– The Government, in consultation with the Hunter Association, has decided to…  

Korea stopped the Gate Burning purely by its own strength, without any external support.  

Being the third country worldwide to do so was something almost unbelievable for Korea, which had never been considered a dominant Hunter nation before.  

In fact, other countries were actively researching how Korea managed to end the Gate Burning so quickly.  

Meanwhile,  “Oh, delivery is starting up again here!”  

I was enjoying a peaceful stay-at-home life.  

All the Manticores that had appeared in front of the Vulcanus Guild building were defeated, and the Gate Burning situation had been brought under control.  

Only then could I take a proper rest.  

Sleep soundly and eat well.  

Especially the fact that deliveries, which had stopped due to the Gate Burning, were now possible again—it was such a relief.  

I ordered an extravagant variety of delivery food after a long time, and Hunter News kept pouring out articles nonstop.  

This segment will discuss how Korea managed to overcome the Second Gate Burning so quickly.  

–  Joining us as experts are Professor Lee Daeheon from Daehan University’s Hunter Department, and Hunter Choi Jongsu from the Hunter Association.  

“Ah, there’s even this?”  

An analysis.  

I perked up my ears even while eating delivery food and wondered if my name might come up.  

– First, Professor Lee, what do you think was the reason?  

–  “In my view, the recent ‘Ranking Battles’ played a significant role.”  

– Ranking Battles?  

– “Recently, not only the top ten Hunters but many others have been fiercely competing for rankings. This intense competition led Hunters to rapidly improve, enabling them to cope with the Gate Burning more easily. ” 

– Then, what do you think caused the Ranking Battles to intensify?  

– “I believe it was largely because of the ‘Vulcanus’ Hunter.  “

– The Vulcanus Hunter, who works as a Blacksmith Class, correct?  

–  “That’s right. Thanks to the items from the Vulcanus Hunter, rankings began to shift dramatically, intensifying the competition. ” 

“Because of me? Was it really?”  

As expected, my name was mentioned right from the start.  

It was an unexpected reason, but hearing my name even in this news made my shoulders puff up a bit with pride.  

However, that wasn’t the only time my name came up.  

–  What about you, Hunter Choi Jongsu? What do you think?  

– “There are countless factors, but I also point to the Vulcanus Hunter as the biggest reason.”  

– Ah! Vulcanus’s name was mentioned again! What’s the reason?  

“Eh?”  

Hunter Choi Jongsu, who was on the opposing panel, also mentioned my name.  

– “Everyone knows that during this Gate Burning crisis, Vulcanus Hunter’s equipment was distributed.”  

–  Yes! Of course. Many Hunters have pointed that out!  

– “That turned out to be a bigger help than expected. Just having Vulcanus Equipment nearly doubled combat effectiveness. “

– Doubled? That much?  

– “Yes. It was incomparable to other gear.”

– I see! I think it’s amazing too! But can just one Blacksmith really have such a huge impact?  

The host expressed doubt.  

That was a natural question.  

No matter how skilled a single Hunter was, it was unlikely they could handle the whole Gate Burning crisis alone.  

Even Han Yu-ra, Korea’s top Hunter and Sword Saint, did not clear more than ten Gates during this event.  

Granted, she was assigned the toughest and most powerful Gates.  

Still, could one Hunter’s efforts have had such a remarkable impact on Gate Burning?  

Even a powerful general cutting down a hundred enemies isn’t that eye-catching in a full-scale war.  

The host thought no matter how great Vulcanus was, he likely hadn’t had that large an influence on the Gate Burning.  

Then Hunter Choi Jongsu rebutted.  

– “Do you know how much equipment the Vulcanus Hunter supplied during the Gate Burning crisis?”  

– Hmm, I’ve heard Vulcanus Hunter’s production speed is fast. Roughly… a hundred sets? No, a hundred and fifty? Maybe something like that?  

The host answered with a sincere face.  

Choi Jongsu shook his head and replied as if that estimate was nowhere near correct.  

– “One thousand sets.”  

– ……What?  

– “Exactly one thousand sets.”  

– Y-You mean sets, not pieces? A thousand sets?  

– “No, a thousand sets is correct. Including weapons and basic armor. Vulcanus Hunter supplied as many as a thousand sets of equipment during the Gate Burning.”  

– My goodness……  

Thanks to that, the Hunter Association distributed the Vulcanus Equipment where needed, helping to block Gate Burning, then collected and redistributed it, efficiently curbing the crisis.  

“One thousand sets, huh?”  

I couldn’t quite remember.  

I didn’t have time to count the numbers while making the items.  

I just made whatever I could.  

Of course, I wasn’t alone.  

My reliable Production Team.  

Production 1, 2, 3 and Decomposition 1, 2, 3 helped me along.  

Come to think of it, the contract money was quite large.  

One thousand sets probably brought in more money than I expected.  

Well, money is something I have plenty of anyway.  

Since more money will keep coming in, I should buy materials from the Auction House soon.  

You can get Monster materials from Zone 5, but honestly, those materials max out at Rank 7.  

–  Without Vulcanus Hunter, accomplishing the feat of ending the Gate Burning crisis as the third in the world would have been impossible.  

No, it might have been impossible to stop it at all.  

– Was it really that big of a deal?  

– “Yes. As an executive of the Hunter Association, I am certain. For that reason, I want to take this moment to express my gratitude again to Vulcanus Hunter.”  

After the news, Hunter Choi Jongsu stood abruptly and bowed deeply toward the camera.  

Seeing that on TV made me feel strangely embarrassed despite the distance.  

Still, I couldn’t help but smirk a little.  

Well, I did work hard after all.  

Just as I was finishing my meal with a satisfied nod.  

– Vulcanus Hunter’s achievements are gaining attention!  

– Exclusively on Hunter News!  

– We managed to film battle footage of Vulcanus Guild!  

The next news report followed.  

Battle footage of Vulcanus Guild.  

That keyword caught my interest.  

The Vulcanus Guild that I carefully nurtured—paying their salaries, feeding them, crafting their gear.  

I often watched their battle footage with pride.  

Which team could it be?  

Team 1, systematically led by Park Sang-hyun, attacking Gates?  

Team 2, aggressive and boasting an overwhelming clearing speed?  

Or Team 9, recently gaining recognition?  

But could this really be called an ‘exclusive’?  

Vulcanus Guild was spread everywhere fighting monsters to stop the Gate Burning, so there shouldn’t be any exclusive footage.  

As I wondered about this, the announcer said.  

– This footage is of an Rank 7 Monster ‘Manticore’ that appeared right in front of the Vulcanus Guild building!  

“Uh?”  

And this video even includes Vulcanus Hunter’s battle footage!  

“They filmed that?”  

I hadn’t expected it.  

Not just any video, but a fight against a Manticore.  

Before I could even think, the news started playing the footage of Vulcanus Guild.  

Just as I suspected, the Manticore really appeared in the video.  

–  Although Vulcanus Guild is rapidly growing, the Manticore is an Rank 7 Monster!  

– Until this moment, I expected Vulcanus Guild to retreat.  

– Even Vulcanus Guild was thought to have difficulty facing a Manticore!  

In the video, the Vulcanus Guild members were pushed back by the Manticore.  

That was natural.  

The Manticore is an Rank 7 Monster.  

Normally, it’s beyond the level that Vulcanus Guild should handle.  

But the real show started after that.  

–  Here appears the Guildmaster and Blacksmith of Vulcanus Guild! The Vulcanus Hunter!  

– Ka-ruruk!  

The Manticore’s wings froze on screen.  

It crashed down.  

Vulcanus Guild didn’t miss the chance and rushed forward to finish off the dazed Manticore.  

The camera seemed surprised, shaking wildly before lifting toward the direction from which the arrow flew.  

Though Vulcanus’s figure was tiny from a distance, modern cameras have incredible zoom capabilities.  

Zooming in, the black-armored Vulcanus was clearly visible.  

Holding a black crossbow that matched his armor, Vulcanus was aiming at a new target.  

“Twuung!”  

An arrow was fired.  

“Pajijik!”  

The arrow scattered lightning as it flew.  

The Manticore hit by the arrow trembled as if struck by thunder, its wings stiffening and forcing it to fall to the ground.  

The following attacks were similar.  

Various attacks kept knocking the Manticore down.  

–  Isn’t that amazing?  

– Bringing down an Rank 7 Monster like the Manticore!  

– So easily!  

“Easily? How much did those materials cost?”  

The Manticore battle was quite a loss for me.  

I poured precious materials into making disposable arrows.

Naturally, it was a painful expense.  

Though it hurt me, the viewers didn’t know that.  

They just marveled at the thrilling footage of my arrows bringing down the Manticore.  

–  The Vulcanus Hunter, who has shown incredible growth, was able to develop so fast thanks to this overwhelming power, wasn’t he?  

No.  

Thanks to my assistants tirelessly running auto-hunting.  

Unaware of this fact, the excited host reported on me with enthusiasm.  

– The courage to not retreat even when facing a boss monster! Isn’t that awesome?  

No.   

If it had been me in person, I would have run away from even a normal Manticore.  

– Those arrows! Overwhelming the boss monster!  

No.  

Even the SSS-Rank Arrows couldn’t bring down the Manticore.  

If the team leaders hadn’t come at the end, Guild master 1 would have been finished.  

Well, thanks to my arrows hitting first, the team leaders were able to easily cut the boss monster’s wings.  

“Kugung!”  

– Did you see that? They brought down an Rank 7 Boss Monster!  

– The Manticore, regarded as one of the top Rank 7 monsters!  

– Vulcanus Guild and Vulcanus Hunter must be re-evaluated immediately.  

– Such combat ability for a Blacksmith Class!  

– We’re so looking forward to what’s next!  

The host kept hyping me up enthusiastically.  

The public reaction was huge.  

I was happy to be praised for crafting, but being misunderstood and overpraised for combat felt like I was lying.  

Should I explain?

Or just let people’s misunderstandings be?  

While I was troubled over this,  a message came from Nam Bora

– “Vulcanus.” 

Since the Gate Burning had just ended, I had planned to rest without accepting requests.  

I had also ordered a break for the Vulcanus Guild, including Nam Bora.  

What could be the matter that Nam Bora contacted me?  

“Yes?”  

Upon answering, Nam Bora said something unexpected.  

– “The Government wants to request… no, to ask a favor from you, Vulcanus.”  

Beyond the Hunter Association, now even the Korean Government was reaching out to me.