Chapter 15 : Yi Sun-sin’s Three Gates (3)

Myeongnyang Gate was a gate that had never been conquered since its discovery.

All of Korea’s top hunters had challenged it, but no one had ever cleared it. It was an unconquerable gate.

Eventually, even the government designated Myeongnyang Strait as a restricted area and abandoned it long ago.

That’s how it was…

[ Myeongnyang Gate has been conquered. ]

[ Conquest Rating: SSS ]

[ Conqueror: Connector ]

The announcement that Myeongnyang Gate had been conquered was broadcast to all hunters across the Korean Peninsula.

It was only natural that chaos erupted.

The media quickly reported the breaking news that Myeongnyang Gate had been cleared, and HuntWeb was flooded with discussions about it.

[ Did you see the announcement? They say Myeongnyang Gate has been cleared! ]

ᄂ No way, wasn’t that place underwater? How did they clear it?

ᄂᄅᄋ Do they have gills or something?

ᄂ But who is Connector?

ᄂ Isn’t it Han Yujin? That guy is a total Admiral Yi Sun-sin fanboy.

ᄂᄂᄂ Just now, the association posted an official announcement. It’s not Han Yujin.

ᄂ ??? Then who is it?

ᄂ It has to be Cheonmuwon.

Korea’s top-ranked hunters were suspected to be the ones who had conquered Myeongnyang Gate.

However, no hunter stepped forward to claim responsibility for the conquest.

Because of this, every major institution in Korea was desperate to find the one who had cleared Myeongnyang Gate.

“Have you still not found out who conquered Myeongnyang Gate?”

“I’m sorry. We’re still investigating.”

Baek Seorin, the guild master of Samdocheon, wore a puzzled expression.

‘How in the world did they clear it?’

She was more curious about how Myeongnyang Gate had been cleared rather than who did it.

And for good reason—Myeongnyang Gate wasn’t the kind of gate that could be cleared just by brute force.

If that were the case, she would have conquered it long ago.

But even she, a world-renowned S-rank mage, found Myeongnyang Gate impossible to clear.

Because Myeongnyang Gate wasn’t on land—it was underwater.

And clearing an A-rank or higher gate usually took at least ten hours.

Holding one’s breath for that long was impossible, no matter how strong an S-rank hunter was.

On top of that, Myeongnyang Gate had immense magical pressure that crushed the body.

Before even finding the boss, one would either drown from lack of air or be crushed by the pressure—there was no other outcome.

That was why even a hunter-dominated country like Korea had no choice but to leave Myeongnyang Gate untouched.

Yet, that very Myeongnyang Gate had been cleared.

At first, everyone thought it was the work of a well-known S-rank hunter.

They assumed the nickname ‘Connector’ was just a joke.

But surprisingly, not a single high-profile hunter stepped forward to claim responsibility.

That could only mean one thing.

A new talent had emerged!

And if that talent was capable of conquering Myeongnyang Gate…

‘We must find them at all costs.’

That was why every institution in Korea was in a state of emergency, desperately searching for the conqueror.

“The conqueror is probably still inside Myeongnyang Gate. Monitor the entrance carefully. The moment they come out, bring them in immediately.

We absolutely cannot let the association take them.”

The top guilds, including Samdocheon, as well as the scouting teams from the association, set up camp at the entrance of Myeongnyang Gate.

Reporters from broadcasting stations also gathered, busy filming the scene.

All to capture the moment when the conqueror of Myeongnyang Gate would emerge.

But even after an hour, two hours… the conqueror did not appear.

While all of Korea’s attention was fixated on the entrance of Myeongnyang Gate…

“Ahh, that feels great.”

I stepped out of the shower, drying my wet hair with a towel.

The moment I entered Myeongnyang Gate, seawater had engulfed me, soaking me completely.

I thoroughly wiped my body, which had felt sticky from the salt, and finally felt refreshed.

After drying my hair with a dryer and changing into fresh clothes, I grabbed a cola from the fridge and took a long gulp.

“Ahh, now that hits the spot.”

Leaning back on the sofa, I turned on the TV while sipping my cola.

[ Yes, this is a live report from the scene at Myeongnyang Gate. ]

[ Right now, a large number of scouts have already gathered at the entrance of Myeongnyang Gate… ]

No matter which channel I turned to, all they talked about was Myeongnyang Gate.

Not just TV—YouTube and HuntWeb were the same.

Everyone was waiting for the conqueror of Myeongnyang Gate to emerge from the entrance.

To witness with their own eyes the arrival of a new star who had cleared an unconquerable gate.

‘I feel a little bad.’

Since I had entered and exited the gate from my room, I had no reason to go all the way to Myeongnyang.

But people who didn’t know that were staring endlessly at the gate entrance, waiting for me to come out.

I felt a sense of pride at the attention, but at the same time, I was relieved.

‘It would be exhausting if people found out.’

Becoming famous might feel nice, but it would definitely bring trouble.

Especially for a hunter.

People expected well-known hunters to step up whenever a gate appeared.

That was simply how Korean society worked—if you didn’t comply, you were criticized.

Having seen Baek Seorin risk her life every day to clear gates and still get criticized, I had no desire to deal with that kind of fame.

Who in their right mind would risk their life?

It’s better to just live peacefully.

“Well, at least the money is rolling in.”

I grinned as I looked at the chunk of mana stone sitting in the corner of my room.

Clearing Myeongnyang Gate had earned me more than just skills.

I had obtained a high-quality mana stone weighing a full kilogram.

Converted to cash, it was worth nearly 30 million won.

“This is why being a hunter is worth it.”

I should send some money home.

Dad injured his back recently and hasn’t been able to work.

Without hesitation, I transferred 5 million won to my mom’s account.

Almost immediately, my phone rang.

─Jeosun, where did you get 5 million won to send?

“I’ve been doing well with the shop lately.”

─You’re not sneaking into gates and messing around again, are you?

“No, don’t worry.”

My mom, Lee Eun-ha, had always disapproved of me hanging around gates ever since I was with Samdocheon.

She constantly worried that her only son might get hurt chasing money inside a gate.

─You saw the news, right? They say Myeongnyang is extremely dangerous. Don’t even think about going near it.

─Mom! Stop worrying. There’s no way a coward like my brother would ever go to Myeongnyang.

Through the phone, I heard the voice of my younger sister, Choi Seoyeon.

“Hey, I’ve actually been to a lot of gates, okay?”

─Yeah, right. You were probably just carrying luggage.

This brat—ever since she became a high school sophomore, she’s been getting more and more mouthy.

“You don’t want your allowance, do you?”

─You know I worry about you, right?

“Say ‘please.’”

─…Please.

“Bye.”

─Ugh!

I hung up and sprawled out on the sofa.

“Man, I’m exhausted.”

I pulled off a big one this time—might as well take it easy for a while.

“That’s turning into a mess.”

I clicked my tongue as I watched the TV.

[ Is it really possible to clear Noryang Gate? ]

[ We will do our best. ]

[ We didn’t summon the guild master to the National Assembly just to hear that. Answer clearly: yes or no? ]

[ The people are watching. Can Noryang Gate be cleared or not? ]

The guild master of Star of Dawn’s, who had been summoned to the National Assembly, was going through a tough time.

If there was any place causing more chaos than Myeongnyang Gate, it was Noryang Gate.

The media was trying to keep things quiet, but the fact that Noryang Gate was on the verge of going berserk was an open secret among the entire nation.

The lawmakers were using that as an excuse to yell at the guild master right to his face.

‘He’s gonna get punched at this rate.’

I had no idea what gave them the confidence to shout like that in front of a guild master when they weren’t even hunters.

It was while I was absentmindedly flipping through channels.

[Star of Dawn’s is searching for a water-attribute artifact from the Imjin War to conquer Noryang Gate.]

[If you possess one or know its whereabouts, please contact Star of Dawn’s immediately.]

A water-attribute artifact from the Imjin War?

Now that I thought about it, I did pick up something while conquering Myeongnyang Gate.

「Anwi’s Worn Hwandao」

Artifact Grade: Epic

• It seems like it could be useful for conquering certain gates.

‘Its durability is trash, though…’

I should sell it.

I called the number displayed on the TV.

[There are currently 8 customers ahead of you in the queue.]

“Guess I’ll call back later.”

As expected of a major guild. Their phone lines were completely jammed.

While Choi Jeosun was trying to call Star of Dawn’s, a secret meeting was taking place at a Chinese restaurant in Daerim-dong, Seoul.

“We must ensure that the Noryang Gate conquest fails.”

“Don’t worry. Anticipating this, I’ve already bought up all the water-attribute artifacts. Kim Ha-yoon won’t be able to get one even if she tries.”

“Well done.”

A-rank hunter Lee Tae-jun smiled in satisfaction.

As the second team leader of Star of Dawn, he was once a frequent guest on TV.

However, ever since Kim Hayun’s rise, his fame had plummeted.

And he wasn’t happy about it.

‘So what if she conquered a few gates?’

Just because she had cleared more gates, Kim Hayun was always the center of attention.

Sure, Lee Tae-jun had gotten into some trouble—drunk driving, getting into arguments with women at clubs—but he considered those to be minor incidents that most hunters experienced.

In terms of skill, he was second to none.

But that was all about to change.

Kim Hayun would fail to clear Noryang Gate.

Wouldn’t that mean a gate outbreak, making the situation dangerous?

‘That’s even better.’

There might be some civilian casualties, but if he stepped up and took down the monsters, his reputation would skyrocket.

And he had already made all the necessary preparations.

“I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Wang Wei.”

“Haha, don’t worry. In exchange, any artifacts related to Admiral Yi Sun-sin that come out of Noryang belong to China.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to bring them out myself.”

Lee Tae-jun had struck a deal with Chinese representatives in exchange for fame.

Meanwhile, at that very moment—

“Oh, I got through.”

“I have an Imjin War artifact I’d like to sell. Yes, it’s water-attribute.”

Choi Jeosun was in the middle of selling his artifact.