Debut match. In other words, it means he’s debuting in an S-rank Gate. He must have gained experience going through other Gates before, but S-rank is S-rank.
People think high-rank hunters can easily conquer high-rank Gates of A-rank or above, but the reality is different.
Usually, to attempt an A-rank Gate, you need to be at least a 5-Circle hunter. That’s the bare minimum; in fact, most hunters who safely conquer A-rank Gates are 6-Circle. For the higher S-rank Gates, you need to be 7-Circle to be comfortable.
To begin with, 7-Circle itself is not a common rank. Combining all the hunters in our country, would there even be 300?
Conquering Gates is never easy to begin with, but from A-rank, it becomes difficult on a different level. The number and quality of monsters that appear change overwhelmingly, and in cases like S-rank, it’s common for there to be a boss that could easily destroy an entire region.
Even Yebrica was like that. Although the power of its main body wasn’t that high, wasn’t the place where it was completely destroyed by sandstorms?
But no one would think this Yoo Seon-je’s debut match will fail.
Yoo Seon-je, a genius of a different caliber who has never missed first place at Babel Academy. And the name Sirius, ranked first in Korea’s guild rankings.
With these two combinations, failure simply can’t be expected.
Although Yoo Seon-je’s rank is 5-Circle, it’s only because he lacks achievements; in reality, he’s 7-Circle or above.
But overturning everyone’s expectations, that debut match ends in a huge failure.
The Gate conquest fails, and all of Sirius’ first-string members mobilized for Yoo Seon-je’s debut are completely wiped out. The price for the failed conquest was horrific. This incident drops Sirius’ ranking by four whole places. Considering that up to 5th place is considered a major guild and below that is treated as small to medium, you can imagine how big a blow it was to Sirius to be pushed down to 5th place.
The government even takes away Sirius’ ownership of that S-rank Gate for reasons like ‘failed conquest’ and so on.
And that seized Gate is successfully conquered by a second conquest team made up of other guilds.
It means there wasn’t a problem with the Gate itself.
It’s common for conquest teams to be backstabbed, but this was the death of an S-rank rookie being pushed by the guild that boasts first place in Korea’s guild rankings, no less.
Jin Yeon-hwa of Sirius doesn’t easily shake off this incident. Because Yoo Seon-je was the pillar that would open the brilliant future of Sirius she dreamed of.
But Jin Yeon-hwa wasn’t foolish enough to obsess over what was lost. She quickly turns her eyes to find someone to open Sirius’ second act.
That’s how she finds a Chinese rookie who just graduated from Babel Academy.
The problem is that rookie is a spy who came to eat away at our country.
Thanks to that, all our country’s technology and artifacts are leaked, almost causing the country to really collapse?
Anyway, to prevent all that, Yoo Seon-je needed to survive. In the first place, Yoo Seon-je is an S-rank hunter overflowing with potential to the point where it would be strange for him to die here.
He reached 7-Circle at just 21 years old. It means he’s someone with enough potential to aim for 8-Circle.
If properly nurtured, he’s someone who will definitely be helpful.
To me, who knows the destruction of this world, Yoo Seon-je is one of those who must be saved.
As the cause of his death was clear, the timing for my intervention was also clear.
‘The problem is it’s different from the time I knew.’
Still, if it’s Seol Rok-jin, he’ll make a move somehow. His reason for targeting Yoo Seon-je wouldn’t have changed.
One way or another, I have no choice but to join that conquest team.
—Why does your expression look like you’ve bitten into a bug?
I smiled slightly at Ray’s words.
“Do I look like that?”
—Yeah, like someone being dragged to a slaughterhouse. You’re the one who said that guy must be saved, so why do you look like you don’t want to go?
Honestly, he wasn’t someone I particularly wanted to save.
“It’s because that guy is quite rude.”
* * *
“Ah, this time I’m in the same group as that bastard and Seon-je?”
“It’s really going to be annoying.”
“Ha, if I knew this would happen, I should have just been last in the school.”
“Hey! Say something that makes sense. How could you be last in school beating that guy?”
“Well, being last isn’t an ordinary thing either, right?”
In this virtual Gate conquest, I ended up in the same group as Yoo Seon-je, who was first overall. The reason is as those guys are gossiping. Because I was last in the school.
From the moment the group assignments were announced, I expected this kind of backstabbing. Actually, it wasn’t even surprising. I’ve been subjected to this kind of treatment for the past two years.
In fact, although those guys wouldn’t believe it if I told them, I wasn’t happy about being in the same group as Yoo Seon-je either.
The best talent and the worst dunce in this academy in the same group. It’s not even funny. What on earth am I supposed to do?
A team can only function when the levels somewhat match. Putting together team members with such mismatched levels isn’t consideration.
It’s telling me to realize my place and quit.
Or to just ride the bus without doing anything.
Either way, it’s not a welcome proposal for me.
I didn’t intend to just coast through this exam like the other guys said. Rather, the opposite. I plan to do my best to produce results in this exam.
If I somehow manage to do my part in this virtual Gate conquest, the way people look at me might change somewhat. I didn’t intend to live with the nickname ‘half-wit’ forever. Somehow, I’m going to rise up.
For that, I buried myself in the library for days, going through materials. Of course, monsters likely to appear in the virtual Gate…
Information not in the library, I found out by asking people around. Because I’m someone with a lot of bad rumors in Babel, there weren’t many people willing to easily tell me information, but I found out somehow anyway. Whether by making deals, or threatening, well, various methods.
There was quite a bit of bleeding for this, but it didn’t matter anyway.
If I don’t get information even like this, I really won’t be of any help.
The information I organized like that was as much as 150 pages. This should be quite helpful for the conquest. No matter what kind of Gate comes out, no matter what kind of monsters appear, I’m confident.
I also came up with conquest strategies tailored to Yoo Seon-je’s abilities that I’ve seen so far. I also planned how I would assist Yoo Seon-je.
With my abilities, all I could do was assist, but still, I came up with ways to conquer the Gate much more comfortably.
I stood in front of Yoo Seon-je carrying all those materials. The guys standing next to Yoo Seon-je made displeased expressions looking at me.
Well, that’s natural. A disgrace to Babel like me came to see Yoo Seon-je, called the light of Babel.
“Hey, Yoo Seon-je.”
Just calling his name made my heart pound like crazy. One of the guys standing next to Yoo Seon-je opened his mouth at my words.
“Who do you think you are…”
But Yoo Seon-je raised his hand. Yoo Seon-je slowly looked at me. Those cold blue eyes in a face so perfect it drew admiration looked at me.
“Why did you come looking for me?”
“Didn’t you hear? We’re in the same group this time.”
“I heard that much.”
Yoo Seon-je’s face was still cold. Even I, who had taken deep breaths many times before coming here, felt intimidated for a moment. The kids next to him raised the corners of their mouths, snickering at me being ignored.
But there’s no giving up. I forced a smile and said:
“Of course I came because of the virtual Gate practice this time.”
I opened my mouth, unfolding the materials I had prepared for Yoo Seon-je.
“I heard from the seniors roughly what might come out this time, and picked out the expected monsters…”
“Not needed.”
“What?”
I was taken aback for a moment, but soon agreed. Maybe such strategies aren’t necessary for Yoo Seon-je with his overwhelming power. So I needed to explain. That these materials are needed not for you, but for me.
“That might be true for you, but ordinary people need strategies. If I’m going to do anything there…”
“So, what I’m saying is.”
My words were cut off by Yoo Seon-je again.
“Is there any need for you to do anything there in the first place?”
“What?”
“You’re not any kind of force for me. Even if you bring such… materials. What can you do?”
My breath caught at those words. It’s something I’ve heard countless times. You’re a disgrace to this Babel Academy. In the end, you won’t be able to do anything. You’ll be useless if you enter a Gate, so why don’t you just drop out?
Still, I was an awakener, and I tried in my own way. Somehow trying to find gaps to be of help somehow.
“Still, if we do this, this way…”
I turned the pages with trembling hands. There were things written about how I would somehow help Yoo Seon-je inside that Gate. For example, approaching monsters and sticking iron stakes into them…
“Why should I follow your strategy?”
Yoo Seon-je said that flatly. Slowly moving his gaze to the page I had opened, the corner of Yoo Seon-je’s mouth raised slightly.
“In the first place, what reason is there for me to ‘consider’ you and listen to what you say, move according to your wishes? I can just beat everything as it comes. As you say, if I stick iron stakes, yes, my lightning might get a bit stronger. But the time waiting for you to stick those iron stakes?”
Yoo Seon-je’s words stabbed my ears.
“There’s no ‘need’ for you to stick iron stakes. If one hit isn’t enough, two hits. If two hits aren’t enough, three hits. My lightning will be a hundred times faster than your iron stakes.”
Words wouldn’t come out.
That’s right.
In the first place, all the strategies I had come up with only had meaning if Yoo Seon-je moved according to my intentions.
If Yoo Seon-je excludes me, doesn’t give me time to intervene, and just sweeps away monsters with his talent…
I wouldn’t get even 1 point of contribution.
But so what?
It would be of no concern to Yoo Seon-je.
“I don’t need you.”
After saying that, Yoo Seon-je brushed past me.
Laughter rang out around me.
“Serves you right.”
“Acting like you were something.”
I’ve never acted like I was something. Not even once, with this lacking talent, I just wanted to somehow, even just once, properly do my part.
“Were you trying to lie to Seon-je with your talent? Like, ‘Seon-je, I think I can be helpful to you~’?”
“Haha! That’s funny.”
At those words, I bit my lip hard. I didn’t use a talent like that.
The one who hates the talent of lying the most is me.
It’s not like I wanted to have this kind of talent. If I could have had a different talent, I would have thrown away this lying thing long ago.
Three years have passed with only me unable to do anything in this academy where everyone else is moving forward.
I looked at the report in my hand.
My two weeks of effort.
“It’s not possible for someone like me, is it.”
A corner of my heart ached coldly. My eyes turned red.
“Don’t cry.”
I tell myself. If I cry here, it feels like the years I’ve endured trying to do something somehow will all crumble, so I tried hard to hold back my tears. Right, it’s not something to cry about. Are you crying over just this?
I comforted myself well.
“That guy was always rude.”
So I blamed him.
“It’s not like I didn’t know he was that kind of guy. In the first place, it would be strange for someone with his personality to cooperate with me. Right, you live life alone anyway.”
I’ll just try somehow in this group project too.
Still, all the monsters that will come out in that Gate are in my head, right? Somehow, even if it’s just one. If I can take down even one with my own strength, maybe everyone’s thoughts will change.
But I couldn’t do anything in that group project. As Yoo Seon-je said, he didn’t ‘need’ me. Everything ended before I could even intervene.
I didn’t do anything, but our group got first place.
People gossiped that I was lucky, and the teacher called me in and scolded me, saying I should have done something no matter what.
They say my attitude of trying to coast along without doing anything was detestable. So unlike Seon-je, my score would be cut. They asked why I didn’t try to do something, but I didn’t say anything to the teacher who said that.
Recalling the past memories, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“What’s the use of acting so great. In the end, you just got backstabbed and died.”
Damn it all, this time Yoo Seon-je ‘needed’ me.