Ji Cheol-Hyun, team leader of the Hunters Association's fourth Gate-specialized team, was waiting in front of the Gate. There were thirty minutes left until the strategy meeting. He should already have arrived at the village hall to prepare for the meeting, but he was still lingering by the Gate to receive the final scouting reports from the Hunters active inside.
With his eyes closed, he greeted the group of Hunters who emerged from the Gate. "Good work."
Team Four's Hunters weren't the only ones inside the Gate. There were also those from FC Guild, which was the guild officially designated the Gate defense guild in the Hwaseong region of Gyeonggi Province.
Ji Cheol-Hyun received the final reconnaissance report from Hunter Kim Min of the FC Guild.
"Although we still have some time before the Break is estimated to take place, please do not enter the Gate anymore. Take the time to get some rest," Ji Cheol-Hyun told Kim Min.
"Understood. Take care."
Kim Min rubbed the back of his neck, twisting it from side to side, then went on his way.
"You've worked hard as well, Team Four. Make sure to get sufficient rest," Ji Cheol-Hyun said.
"Got it," the Hunters responded.
After thanking the subordinates who were still present, Ji Cheol-Hyun made his way down the hill. He turned to a staff member from the Strategy Department and asked, "Have they all gathered at the village hall?"
"Yes. They have all arrived and are waiting."
Taking out his smartphone, Ji Cheol-Hyun checked the time and slowly walked on while reviewing the reconnaissance report in his hand.
"Four types of monsters..."
Ice Wolf, Ice Tiger, Ice Goblin, and Ice Troll.
"So there are five packs of wolves, each pack numbering about thirty, fifteen tigers, a hundred goblins, and thirty-two Ice Trolls for a total of..."
"Two hundred ninety-seven, sir."
"That's more than we expected."
It was a larger count than anticipated. If a chaotic skirmish broke out, casualties could be high.
Ji Cheol-Hyun quickened his pace, but found his path blocked by a wall. Rather than walk around, he invoked his skill, Transparent Shield, to force a path straight through. He scooped up snow from the ground, scattered it over the invisible shield, and marked its position—so the Association employee trailing him could follow without stumbling.
Effortlessly scaling the wall, Ji Cheol-Hyun suddenly remembered something. "Come to think of it, I heard that Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok also entered the Gate?"
"Yes, sir. According to our check, he went in to use his Discernment skill and identify weaknesses. But due to time constraints, he could only confirm the weakness of Ice Trolls."
The Ice Trolls were estimated to be Level 63. Having absorbed dark mana, however, their physical abilities would lead one to assume that they were Level 68 monsters.
"Weakness, you say..." Ji Cheol-Hyun muttered.
There were thirty-two Ice Trolls in total. Since the upcoming Break was approaching, the big priority was eliminating the Ice Trolls, the most dangerous type of monster.
"How many have we hunted so far?"
"There were a total of seventy-five, and we have hunted forty-three so far," the staff member reported.
"It first appeared on the fourteenth... No, that's not right. The fifteenth, so it's been nine days?"
"It's actually been eight days, sir."
They had hunted forty-three trolls over the course of eight days, utilizing their sheer number advantage and some traps.
"Let's hear Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok's thoughts after we share the scouting reports," Ji Cheol-Hyun said.
"Understood. We'll ask Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok to share the intel he's gathered."
Having arrived at the town hall, Ji Cheol-Hyun slowly shifted his gaze away from the report and looked at the Hunters who had gathered for the meeting. "I apologize for being late. The final scouting report..." He paused mid-sentence, his eyes sweeping the surroundings in a quick glance.
The employee from the Strategy Department also froze on the spot.
In the midst of the assembled Hunters, a strikingly attractive woman with red hair was lowering her head in embarrassment, her face flushed as red as her hair.
"Oh? Oh... G-Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?" Ji Cheol-Hyun stammered.
Despite the confusion caused by the afro wig and bushy beard, the man in the costume was unmistakably Kim Ki-Rok.
"Yes, that's correct. It's me, Mister Kim, Kim Ki-Rok of the DG Guild."
"Uh... r-right," he replied.
Better to ignore this.
Possibly tapping into his long experience in society, Ji Cheol-Hyun activated the "skill" Ignore, useful for survival in a professional environment, and took a seat at the table.
Meanwhile, the staff from the Strategy Department had yet to master this skill. He was doing all he could to keep his expression neutral, biting his lower lip so hard one might fear it would draw blood.
Taking a long breath in and out, the man who was called upon walked to the front, where the beam projector's light shone on the wall. "Hello. I am Jang Bo-Hyun from the Strategy Department of the Hunters Association." Nodding in greeting, employee Jang Bo-Hyun habitually scanned the meeting attendees. When his eyes met Kim Ki-Rok's, Kim Ki-Rok smiled and waved his hand, just as he had done to Ji Cheol-Hyun.
Jang Bo-Hyun jerked his head away with almost violent speed. He inhaled deeply, exhaled even more deeply, then stared resolutely at a spot on the ceiling.
With an iron will not to look in that direction again, he launched into the briefing. "Now, based on the last reconnaissance, let's begin our final operation planning session for the Gate's current condition and our response strategy in the event of a Break. First, let me explain the contents of the meeting."
Generally, it would be appropriate to conduct a meeting while making eye contact with the attendees. However, Association Staff Jang Bo-Hyun looked straight ahead at all times throughout the session.
Of course, everyone understood why. They were also trying to hold back laughter after seeing Kim Ki-Rok's getup that resembled a particular famous person.
Some people did not know who he was dressed up as, which was understandable, for that person wasn't as well known in this time. The friends and colleagues, determined to take down their oblivious colleagues with them, showed them pictures of whom Kim Ki-Rok was spoofing.
"As expected, we estimate a hundred fifty Ice Wolves from Level 57 to 58, fifteen Ice Tigers between 59 and 63, a hundred Ice Goblins at 55, and lastly, thirty-two Ice Trolls at around 62 to 63 will emerge from the Gates, totalling to two hundred ninety-seven monsters."
At that moment, "Mister Kim" raised his hand.
Trying valiantly not to look at him, Jang Bo-Hyun took a deep breath. "Yes. Hunter Kim Ki-Rok?" He gave him the floor while staring straight ahead at a wall.
"Using Discernment, I was able to confirm that the Gate clear condition was the subjugation of the Ice Troll Lord, making it a hundred and ninety-eight monsters."
"Thank you. Let me correct that. There should actually be thirty-three Ice Trolls. The one with 'Lord' in its name is estimated to be Level 68, and after absorbing dark mana, effectively Level 73."
Next, I'll explain which guild is responsible for which zone in the event of a Break. We've assigned areas based on the average level of each guild's members, and I ask for your cooperation," Jang Bo-Hyun said, his eyes still drifting away from a certain table on the left. After finishing his explanation, he turned toward Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun.
Ji Cheol-Hyun understood exactly what his eyes were asking. "Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."
"Yes, Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun."
When Kim Ki-Rok abruptly whipped his head around, Ji Cheol-Hyun almost flinched. "Ahem! I heard through a report that you've visited the Gate to confirm the Ice Troll's weakness."
"That's correct. I visited the Gate as soon as we arrived at this rural village, famous for Deoksoon Grandma and her dog, Soondeok, introduced during the show called 'Seven O'Clock My Hometown'[1]."
Seven O'Clock My Hometown? Grandma Deoksoon and Soondeok the dog? What was he talking about?
"And I used Discernment on the Ice Troll. Please take a look at these."
Kim Ki-Rok stood up from his seat. Step by step, he slowly moved toward Jang Bo-Hyun and cleared his throat. "Ahem! Ahem. Let's begin then."
Begin what? When people looked at him with puzzled expressions, Kim Ki-Rok started snapping his fingers on beat.
"Receiving information, receiving information on trolls~♪"
Standing next to him was Jang Bo-Hyun, who had shut his eyes tightly.
"Everyone in the guild meeting, information was received and heard, here in the meeting room~♪ Meeeeeting roommmmm, roommmmm~♪"
Someone muttered subconsciously to Kim Ki-Rok's singing, which seemed to inspire him further. Pointing to that person, he said, "I'll stop here because I haven't memorized the lyrics completely. Now, let me explain about the information I have received from Discernment. Ice Trolls are born in snowy mountains where blizzards rage, and they only receive half the damage from ice-related abilities and magic. So, what is its weakness? None~♪ No confirmed weaknesses~♪ No weaknesses as their mana resistance is very high~♪ Specialized in ice and water, so conventional attacks won't work~♪"
Kim Ki-Rok stopped snapping his fingers and calmly spoke again, "Now, you may ask, since this is a humanoid monster, wouldn't the heart or brain be their weakness?"
He resumed the snapping. "Even if they suffer, from a major injury~♪ As long as there is enough mana, they can regenerate~♪"
"P-please!" Ji Cheol-Hyun's mouth was contorted as he tried his hardest to hold back a laugh.
Kim Ki-Rok stopped singing and asked, "Oh, yes. What is it, Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun?"
"So, you're saying they have no weaknesses?"
Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Yes, well... Although the Ice Trolls had a high affinity to ice and water♪ And that makes them weak to lightning~♪ Thanks to their strong resistance to magic~♪ They have no—"
"Weakeness~♪" someone mimicked.
"Ha ha ha—cough! Akk!"
After about 10 minutes passed and everyone calmed down, Kim Ki-Rok spoke up again. "But, there is a way to create a..."
"Weakness~♪" People followed along.
"Yes. All thanks to our DG Guild's Beautiful Mother, Hunter Lim Yun-Ju."
"She's in her mid-forties, but she's a beautiful mother, hence the name."
"Hunter Lim Yun-Ju is a skilled Potion Brewer. She can concoct healing potions, sure, but also offense potions. She's brilliant at it. She recently whipped up a fascinating new potion," Kim Ki-Rok boasted.
"What is it?" Ji Cheol-Hyun asked.
"A sleep potion," he answered.
"And our DG Guild's representative high schooler, Hunter Cha Min-Ji."
A representative high schooler? How many representatives does this Guild have?
"Hunter Cha Min-Ji is a Scroll Maker. She can produce one-time use scrolls that emulate certain magic or abilities. It means she can produce scrolls that prevent noise, for example. And lastly..." Kim Ki-Rok's gaze landed on Ji Cheol-Hyun. "Team leader Ji Cheol-Hyun."
"Yes, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."
"You possess a skill that summons a transparent shield, which can't be easily seen or sensed until it collides with something, correct?"
It didn't take long for Ji Cheol-Hyun to grasp the idea: put the Ice Trolls to sleep, place them on the Transparent Shields, and lift them high in the air to isolate each one and eliminate it safely.
His eyes grew wide, and Kim Ki-Rok offered a confident grin and nod. "Exactly. How does that sound?"
"What do you... mean?" Perhaps due to the atmosphere earlier, someone else responded to his question out of turn.
With a grin, Kim Ki-Rok finally uttered the words he had been waiting for. "Capturing Ice Trolls."
"It's very easy, and it uses very few Hunters.[2]"
A Hunter murmured in a low voice, "He actually said the line..."
1. An homage to a famous Korean TV show where they dive into the lives of those living in the countryside. ☜
2. A quote of Bob Ross. ☜