Chapter 164
Suho considered publishing an article about the recent incident but decided against it.
After all, with the redevelopment gate expected to erupt soon, it wouldn’t be wise to bother Jo Jin-hwi with such minor news.
Suho handed over Kim Noah, Jang Seong-chun’s group, and all the animals they intended to trade to the Special Division officers who arrived shortly after.
He made sure to release Jang Seong-chun’s blood seal as well.
After all, he needed to be able to talk to undergo investigation.
As he was dragged away by the Special Division agents, Jang Seong-chun shouted in a voice filled with venom.
“You damn bastard! I swear I won’t let you off easy!”
“Sure, don’t hold back. I mean it.”
After waving goodbye to Jang Seong-chun, Suho then advised the officer on important matters to take note of.
For example, he warned them about Kim Noah’s abilities and instructed them not to engage in any plea deals based on them.
Shortly afterward, Suho received a call from Pi Seongyeol.
– Good work, junior.
“It was nothing. I just sat down to a meal that was practically prepared for me.”
– Heh, there are plenty of people who can’t manage even with everything set up like this. I’ll save the articles on this and release them sequentially, just so you know.
“Yes, understood.”
– Then please continue handling the rest of the files.
“Yes, senior. Goodbye.”
The call ended.
The Special Division personnel withdrew, leaving Suho alone at the scene.
After surveying his surroundings, Suho nodded thoughtfully.
‘With one case resolved, I should be able to relax for a while.’
Pi Seongyeol, infamous for breathing down people’s necks, was finally appeased with this case.
Since he’d managed to pass one task to Pi Seongyeol, things should remain quiet for a while.
In the meantime, Suho planned to visit a few sealed gates.
‘Shall we get going?’
He’d purposely chosen these files because there were a few nearby sealed gates in this area.
It was better to plan an efficient route whenever possible.
But more importantly, he could obtain ‘that item’ here.
After informing the local sealed gate management office that he’d be arriving soon, Suho boarded his concealed vehicle.
The sealed gate was not too far away.
Driving his parked car, he headed to ‘Incheon Maritime High School,’ located behind Wolmisan Mountain.
Abbreviated as ‘Maritime High,’ the sealed gate Suho intended to conquer was here.
Perhaps it was because of this?
He suddenly felt that Jang Seong-chun and Kim Noah were quite audacious.
‘These gutsy fools actually chose Wolmi Island as a transaction site, knowing it’s surrounded by soldiers?’
They’d used the strategy of hiding in plain sight.
The soldiers guarding the sealed gate were vigilant about the gate itself but didn’t patrol the surrounding areas as closely.
As Suho approached, the head of the management office was waiting at the entrance.
As soon as Suho got out of the car, the head greeted him warmly.
“Welcome.”
“Ah, yes, thank you for your hard work. I’m Ahn Suho from Special Management Team 2, the one who called earlier.”
“My name is Jung Ho-yeon. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Jung Ho-yeon, the head of the management office.
Unlike other sealed gate heads, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The reason the head here was a lieutenant colonel was because…this gate—known as the ‘Maritime High Gate’—was far more dangerous than others.
Surveying the surroundings of the Maritime High Gate, Suho spoke.
“This is the place, right? You weren’t able to build a square barrier due to the portal’s position, so you had to set up a fence instead?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was exactly as he described.
They hadn’t been able to construct a full square barrier around the portal and had only managed to set up a fence.
The reason was that the portal was awkwardly positioned near the shore.
Every attempt to enclose the entire area resulted in monster attacks and civilian casualties.
‘That’s why this place has a significantly higher danger rating than other areas.’
The only fortunate aspect was that due to the nature of the monsters generated from this portal, they didn’t cross the fence or enter the sea.
Suho nodded and said,
“I’ll clear everything by today. Please open the gate.”
“Oh, all today?”
“Yes, by today.”
“Are…you sure you’re okay with that? The area is vast, and the terrain is near the sea, so handling it alone might be quite challenging.”
“It’s fine. I brought along some precautions.”
“Precautions?”
“Yes, and if anything goes wrong, I can just retreat. I have that kind of authority now, don’t I?”
“Oh, of course. I just mentioned it out of concern.”
“Yes, I understand. But no sealed gate is without danger. So just open it. And please, no matter what, do not open the fence until I request it. Once I go in, you must trust my judgment completely.”
“…Understood.”
After Suho’s firm instructions, Jung Ho-yeon nodded and stepped back.
He indicated where Suho should stand and then started the access procedure via speaker.
– Opening the gate now.”
Once the announcement finished, the gate slowly opened.
The soldiers were on standby with firearms, prepared for any unforeseen situation, but thankfully, no issues arose after the gate opened completely.
Suho gave a light wave, walked through the gate, and as soon as he passed, it closed, sealing off the fence.
Watching Suho disappear beyond the gate, Jung Ho-yeon’s aide spoke.
“…Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“We have to trust him. He’s not just anyone—he’s the Sword God.”
“But even so, in there…”
“Enough. Don’t speak words that could bring misfortune. Just keep a close eye on the monitors, and if anything happens, open the gate immediately and initiate a rescue operation.”
“Yes, understood.”
The aide nodded with a worried expression.
Then—
“Huh?”
One of the sentries suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well…it’s just…he suddenly disappeared.”
“Disappeared? Who did?”
“T-The hunter. He was visible a moment ago, but as soon as he entered the mist, he vanished.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? How dense could the mist be there? Rotate the cameras.”
The area beyond the fence had a thin mist, likely due to the gate portal’s influence, though it wasn’t thick enough to obscure vision entirely.
However, when they rotated the cameras, they found that the sentry’s words were true—Suho had indeed ‘suddenly’ disappeared.
“W-What the…?”
Jung Ho-yeon, staring at the surveillance footage, was equally baffled.
The sentries and the aide looked to Jung Ho-yeon for guidance.
Jung Ho-yeon hesitated.
In the end, he decided on a single course of action.
“…There hasn’t been any specific request yet, so everyone hold your positions.”
“Yes, understood.”
Everyone at the surveillance station kept a close eye on the screen, anxiously awaiting Suho’s return.
Hoping, with all their hearts, that nothing would go wrong.
*
Meanwhile, the moment the gate closed.
‘Shall we begin?’
After taking a few steps forward, Suho activated a skill.
[ Mist Transformation activated. ]
The skill Suho had activated was none other than ‘Mist Transformation.’
Mist Transformation, which he had acquired from his newly liberated true blood, allowed him to turn into mist literally.
Looking at his transformed body, Suho murmured in awe.
“Wow… My body’s actually become mist.”
Mist Transformation was a signature skill commonly learned by high-ranking vampires.
There were many tales of vampires attacking people after transforming into mist.
And so, Suho decided to try utilizing Mist Transformation on this occasion.
Of course, Suho also had a powerful S-rank stealth skill, Monochrome Solitude, but unfortunately, Monochrome Solitude only worked on humans, rendering it ineffective against monsters.
‘It might work to some extent on weaker creatures, though…’
Suho glanced at the creatures near the gate portal.
– Dark Barnacle Lv.134
– Dark Barnacle Lv.138
– Dark Barnacle Lv.131
…
Dark Barnacles.
They seemed unimpressive based on their names alone, but their levels were at least in the 130s.
‘They may look weak, but they’re still 1-star monsters, so it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.’
Hence, he used Mist Transformation.
Moving like mist, Suho glided toward the portal.
Fortunately, the Dark Barnacles paid no attention to the mist-like Suho.
No, they didn’t even notice him.
It was a relief.
This spared him the hassle of dealing with them.
Of course, he could’ve hunted all of them down and entered the portal, but Suho didn’t see the need.
‘How much experience would I get from defeating them all?’
Besides, he didn’t want to reveal his combat skills unnecessarily unless there was a particular reason.
Thus, he chose the approach of slipping through as mist.
When Suho reached the portal, it happened.
[ Entering the gate. ]
[ Loading gate information. ]
[ God of the Enraged Sea ]
– Entry requirement: Level 110 to 150, at least two red stats.
– Maximum entry capacity: 7 people.
The gate information appeared.
The name was ‘God of the Enraged Sea.’
Suho knew what kind of place this was.
And he knew how troublesome it could be.
But he didn’t intend to avoid it.
Conquering this gate would save him a substantial amount in taxes, and there was also a rare dye he could only obtain here.
‘And I need that item to meet the giant in the current phase.’
Without hesitation, Suho entered the gate.
[ Entering the God of the Enraged Sea gate. ]
A notification appeared.
Simultaneously, his surroundings shifted.
Rumble! Boom! Crash!
With the scene change, Suho was greeted by the roaring storm and flashing lightning.
Wiping the rain from his face, Suho muttered,
“Phew, I found the right place.”
Suho stood on the sea.
On the deck of a massive, nameless ship.
Just then, a scream echoed from somewhere.
“Aaaaah!!”
“Everyone, watch out for the waves!”
Human voices.
They were unmistakably human voices.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Suho saw someone who looked like a sailor shouting warnings, while another person, already overwhelmed by the crashing waves, fell overboard.
Splash!
Splash!
“Aaaah!”
“Be careful!”
They weren’t players.
They were people who only existed within the gate, comparable to NPCs in a game.
‘Once you reach 1-star gates, natives start appearing.’
There were many terms for these beings.
Gate humans, NPCs, natives…
Suho preferred the term ‘natives.’
The theme of this place, the God of the Enraged Sea gate, was a ship on the brink of sinking amidst a stormy sea.
Not that it was like the Titanic.
The Titanic, at least, was a luxurious cruise ship that sank slowly, whereas this place would soon face an aggressive sinking due to the approaching ‘Sea God.’
Just then.
[ Boss monster has appeared. ]
A notification appeared.
At that moment, a huge shadow emerged from beneath the churning sea, and soon, a massive creature surfaced, dwarfing the ship Suho stood on.
It was the ‘Sea God,’ a giant octopus that the sailors feared so much.
At that moment, the Sea God shouted.
But then—
“Hahaha! The King has arrived!”
Huh?
Something seemed off about the Sea God’s behavior.