Chapter 40 The Witch’s Interest

The boss of the Red Gate, the Ice Golem, was defeated.

The battle with the Ice Golem didn’t take very long.
Now the entrance of the gate will soon open again.

Accordingly, numerous magic stones poured out from the remains of the Ice Golem.

But it seems impossible to take them since we don’t have the equipment and manpower to carry them.

This is why Red Gates are problematic.

Gates that appear suddenly in unexpected situations.

There’s no possibility of subjugation, and even if you do subjugate it, it’s difficult to take the profits.

It truly couldn’t be a more useless gate.

Well, anyway, there’s no room to regret.

Now I just need to take Park Jin-ha and An Se-ah and exit the gate.

But.

“I… I’m sorry.”

An Se-ah was begging me for forgiveness.

She was begging while sobbing as if she had done something terribly wrong.

I couldn’t help but be very confused by this situation.

What wrong have I done that she’s begging like that?

Anyone who sees this might think I’ve abused an animal.

“Are you okay? Can you stand up?”

I gently approached An Se-ah, showing that I had no intention to harm her.

“Hieeek…”

For some reason, An Se-ah trembled more and more as I approached, but I still approached her.

An Se-ah is a [Beast Transformed] human.

I’m not that unfamiliar with genetically modified humans like An Se-ah.

According to my information, you should think of them as dogs in human form.

So, there is one good method to calm a frightened dog.

Pat, pat.

I patted her hair once to reassure her.

Usually, if it’s a dog, they like having their head patted.

An Se-ah isn’t an animal, but it seems like she should be treated like one.

“Hmm…!”

Feeling my touch, An Se-ah initially stiffened her body as if frightened and shed a slight tear,

But soon she gently opened her eyes and had a relieved expression that nothing had happened.

“Are… you not going to eat me?”

“Why would I eat you.”

But still, An Se-ah looked at me with untrusting eyes as if she was frightened.

She hadn’t completely lowered her guard yet, but by this point, it seems conversation is possible.

“Can you walk?”

I can’t just leave An Se-ah behind.

I gently asked An Se-ah, not to frighten her.

Shake, shake.

An Se-ah shook her head vigorously instead of answering.

It seems she can’t walk.

“Here. Get on my back.”

I sighed slightly looking at such an An Se-ah.

And I turned around and offered my back.

“What are you doing not getting on?”

An Se-ah hesitated at first, not knowing what to do when she saw my back, but with my words, she gently climbed onto my back.

First things first, we need to escape from this place.

After carrying An Se-ah like that, I retraced the path I had come.

And after walking for several dozen minutes like that.

“Haa… Haa…”

Park Jin-ha breathing heavily.

I could also see Park Jin-ha, who now looked really close to her limit.

“Si… Si-woo.”

“Jin-ha. Let’s get out now.”

I carried Park Jin-ha as well, and then we went outside the gate.

“Phew…”

I felt it getting rapidly warmer.

It was winter weather outside too, but the feeling now was as if it had turned from winter to summer.

That’s how extremely cold the inside of the dungeon was.

“Hero!!!”

There was a woman wearing a nun’s habit with blonde hair running from a distance as we came out of the gate.

It was Reytana.

“Reytana, why are you here?”

“I rushed over as soon as I heard the news that the Hero was trapped in a Red Gate.”

I looked at Reytana with a face that wasn’t particularly welcoming.

But Reytana, disregarding me, showed a bright puppy-like smile.

“Hey. Reytana. Anyway, let’s first take Park Jin-ha to the hospital quickly.”

“Yes. Hero.”

Well, it’s not particularly bad. Right now we’re busy.

I handed Park Jin-ha, whom I had been carrying, to Reytana, and Reytana handed her to her secretary who was nearby.

In this way, Park Jin-ha was safely transferred to an ambulance that was nearby.

‘How on earth…’

Witch Min Seo-jin.

She couldn’t help but be perplexed by this situation.

Because everyone survived from inside the Red Gate.

‘Everyone came back alive?’

Min Seo-jin had expected only two possibilities.

Either everyone dies inside the Red Gate, or only An Se-ah survives—she had only thought of these two possibilities.

Because the dungeon inside the Red Gate was not a difficulty that just two S-class hunters could overcome.

The Hunter Association had judged it to be at least an SS-class or higher large gate.

Naturally, such a gate would require about a dozen S-class hunters rushing in to barely clear it.

If not that, then only an exceptional monster like Yoo Eun-ha could subjugate it alone.

But for everyone to survive from such a gate, this was very bewildering.

Even if this gate was cleared, it wouldn’t be because of Park Jin-ha.

Min Seo-jin knows Park Jin-ha’s status very well. Although she’s S-class, she’s a girl who just recently rose to S-class, and it’s impossible that she could have easily subjugated a Red Gate.

Moreover, the Park Jin-ha that Min Seo-jin saw now was being loaded into an ambulance. Her face was red and her leg looked broken.

Those weren’t injuries from combat.

She had been sick even before that, and Red Gates aren’t easy enough to clear with a body like that.

So did An Se-ah awaken her power and clear the Red Gate…?

Min Seo-jin had such a thought, but it didn’t seem like that either.

An Se-ah’s awakening is like a double-edged sword.

If she awakens, even if she barely defeats the Red Gate boss.

As soon as she awakens, she cannot control her reason and goes on a rampage.

There are no exceptions. Because she’s that kind of beast from the beginning.

But, now An Se-ah showed no trace of awakening.

The Red Gate wasn’t subjugated by An Se-ah.

“Witch Guild Master. Please take An Se-ah here.”

While thinking about that, the person in question approached and handed An Se-ah over to Min Seo-jin.

“Kiiing…”

And An Se-ah, as if terribly frightened, hid behind Min Seo-jin.

Seeing that, Min Seo-jin felt as if the sun had risen from the west.

White ears and tail, An Se-ah in the state of [Beast Transformation].

No one can control such an An Se-ah.

When the skill is manifested, An Se-ah’s personality becomes arrogant and insolent.

Even if it’s the Witch herself, An Se-ah never follows her.

She’s literally like an untrained fierce beast.

But…

What is this situation now?

An Se-ah’s appearance was far from a fierce beast, more like a gentle dog.

No violence is felt from An Se-ah.

The genius girl who received the genes of ‘White Fang’ was trembling before a man named Lee Si-woo.

“Si-woo. What on earth happened inside the gate?”

Min Seo-jin couldn’t help but be curious despite her bewilderment at this situation.

It seemed like things that only she didn’t know kept happening.

“… How exactly did you clear it?”

“Well, it’s simple. I caught the boss and cleared it.”

To her perplexed question, Si-woo answered plainly as if it was nothing special.

He answered too simply, but this wasn’t a simple matter.

From the beginning, this was a situation that didn’t make sense.

“You who were just a retired A-class until a few days ago… how…”

The evaluation of the man named Lee Si-woo had been made long ago.

Retired A-class Si-woo, a man who once did well but has B-class level skills after retirement.

Putting everything else aside, looking just at his ability as a hunter, he was just one of many common people.

That’s why Min Seo-jin didn’t accept Si-woo into the guild.

Because such hunters could be found anywhere.

But.

For such a Si-woo.

For Si-woo, whom she had rejected, to subjugate a Red Gate, she couldn’t understand.

It’s too soon to say he’s gotten stronger since it’s only been a few days since she rejected him.

In just about a week, during this time, Si-woo didn’t seem like the Si-woo she used to know.

“Huhut. Still can’t grasp the situation?”

Reytana was seen smiling gently and joining the conversation in this incomprehensible situation.

Reytana slightly clung to Si-woo’s arm beside him and smiled at her.

“How on earth…”

“Witch, you really are someone who can’t keep up with trends.”

And that smile soon turned into a sneer.

It was like a look towards an ignorant person.

A face that seemed to say ‘Still don’t understand?’

“Well, anyway, I’m tired. I’ll be going. Please take care of the aftermath, Witch Guild Master.”

And so Si-woo and Reytana left.

And An Se-ah and Min Seo-jin watched them the whole time.

“Se-ah. What happened inside the gate? Did Si-woo really subjugate it?”

Min Seo-jin, who still couldn’t believe it after they left, questioned An Se-ah.

Nod, nod.

And to that question, An Se-ah nodded her head vigorously.

‘What… is it true…? What on earth… is his identity? Is he really just a retired A-class hunter…?’

And at that sight, Min Seo-jin’s expression showed clear signs of bewilderment.

The true identity of the man she had rejected from joining the guild just a few days ago…

Min Seo-jin became too curious.