Episode 627. Gate of Hell (2)

Western United States.

Los Angeles.

“Kyaaak-!”

“Ugh, Ugh-aaah! Help, help me!”

Smoke and the smell of sulfur bloomed throughout the city. A chilling atmosphere permeated the air, and the bustling streets were filled with horrific screams. The darkness pouring from the Gate of Hell instantly swept across the continent. The monster attack was sudden, not just for ordinary people but for the hunters as well.

“Fuck. We should kill the bastards who said it was safe even when they could see the darkness beyond the horizon first. Bringing those assholes in as ‘experts’?”

“… Shut up. Now is not the time for that talk.”

“Here! We have survivors. Requesting support!”

A-rank hunters on the scene assessed the situation while evacuating civilians. Rescue teams searched for survivors everywhere, and the injured were transported to the rear for treatment at temporary hospitals. It was like dealing with a natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami, but the attack wasn’t over yet.

Boom! Boom!

Kiiiaaak-!

One-eyed giants whose steps shook the ground and gargoyles flying through the sky. Not to mention half-man, half-beast Minotaurs and demon soldiers with goat-like horns. The monsters that half-destroyed the city moved relentlessly.

“Prepare for battle! Mages, deploy your magic circles!”

“Magic doesn’t work on that monster! It just bounces off!”

“What the fuck. Are you just gonna die then?! Try something!”

It took more than ten A-rank hunters to deal with a single Hell monster. Considering most ability users are B-rank or lower, you could tell these Hell monsters were on a completely different level of strength compared to the monsters from dungeons and gates so far. The only fortunate thing was that they still seemed to recognize humans as living beings. They weren’t venturing outside the city yet. But no one knew how much time was left.

The darkness that spread from the Gate of Hell, covering the sea, had solidified into land, creating paths for the monsters to roam, and the pitch-black darkness reached the sky above the ocean. The attacks occurred simultaneously worldwide, leaving no time to prepare, and humanity suffered immeasurable damage. All nations declared martial law and gathered ability users to prepare for a national emergency.

As humanity naturally banded together, they discovered something strange. Major guilds, governments, and the Hunter Association had to establish emergency response plans to counter the monster attacks. Information was shared during this process, and strangely, there were countries with minimal damage.

“Why… is the damage only low in France and Korea?”

“Are there any commonalities between the two countries?”

[It’s the geographical reason of being at opposite ends of the continent.]

[A specific temperature or atmospheric condition is the requirement.]

[There are no prey for the monsters in those two countries.]

Etc.

Various reasons were suggested, but none provided a valid basis. It couldn’t be geographical, as all countries were attacked simultaneously. Even inland wasn’t safe. Places not bordering the sea were bombarded by flying gargoyles and giant birds of prey. Of course, the premise itself was flawed. Because Korea and France were also swarmed by a massive number of monsters. Yet, the damage was minimal, making it even stranger.

“Th-this… magic is working on the one-eyed giant!”

“That’s not all. The gargoyles’ activity has noticeably decreased. And the Minotaurs’ strength too…”

After videos of the monsters appearing in Korea and France were released, the impact was even greater. The Hell monsters, each a catastrophe, were noticeably weaker in Korea and France. Experts and scholars immediately resumed their analysis, and the reason was quickly discovered.

France and Korea.

And some parts of the United States.

With the answer practically spoon-fed to them, there was no way they couldn’t find the commonality.

“… The countries that destroyed the black pillars.”

Destroying the black pillars, which everyone had opposed. The monsters’ strength was related to that.

*

• Kuooooo!

A massive roar echoed between the buildings. The Hell monsters that appeared in the heart of Busan prowled between buildings as if searching for something.

• Keureureut. Keureuk….

Hell’s magic. What the monsters sought did not exist on this land. Of course, they could still fight without Hell’s magic. For example, Chiron overwhelmed humans even without Hell’s magic. But that was only because Liliana, who easily defeated him, was unusually strong; Chiron himself was considered quite powerful in Hell. The Hell monsters lacked that level of power. They were merely magic beasts running rampant in Hell. With Hell’s magic, they were akin to a catastrophe, but without it, they were just simple monsters.

Chwaak-

The neck of a gargoyle that crossed the sea fell off with ease. The half-man, half-beast Minotaur’s threat noticeably diminished.

“Aim for its wings!”

“Prepare the magic circle! On the count of three, fire!”

Korea immediately began initial suppression as soon as monsters appeared. This was the result of Lee Hoyeon running around for days, showing his sincerity to the higher-ups.

“Reinforcements aren’t here yet?!”

“They say they’ll arrive soon, soon!”

“Just hold on until the giant appears…!”

The emergency response teams waiting throughout the city resisted fiercely. What differentiated Korea most from other countries was its ability to minimize damage with just the emergency response teams. Even if they couldn’t defeat all these monsters, they could buy time for civilians to evacuate and reinforcements to arrive.

• Keureureuk!

Kwaaang-!

Just then, a giant one-eyed cyclops revealed itself between the buildings. Even weakened, it was too strong for the B-rank hunters on standby as emergency response.

Boom- Boom-

“R-run!”

“Damn it! The building’s collapsing! Run if you don’t want to die!”

As the one-eyed giant approached, a building it casually pushed collapsed. A massive shadow loomed overhead. The B-rank hunter on standby as emergency response squeezed their eyes shut.

“…… Huh?”

However, what fell overhead wasn’t the building, but a few pieces of cement. Carefully lifting their head, an unbelievable sight unfolded before their eyes. The entire building was suspended in mid-air, enveloped in blue magic.

• Kuoooo!

Chwaak-

The blue magic not only supported the building but also gouged out the one-eyed giant’s eyes. The giant, which B-rank hunters couldn’t even touch, met its end with a single spell. After the writhing giant fell. Lee Hoyeon, approaching from afar, extended a hand to the B-rank hunter.

“Are you alright? Can you walk back on your own?”

“Y-yes. I’m fine… I’ll get up myself.”

“You can head to the Association building and await orders. You know where the civilians were evacuated, right?”

Swoosh-

The B-rank hunter cautiously looked up. The shadow overhead shifted back and forth. Dealing with the monster is one thing… How could someone manipulate magic so well as to lift a whole building like that? They simply couldn’t comprehend it.

Boom-

Lee Hoyeon carefully set the building down. He blocked the dust rising from the ground with magic and tapped his smartwatch.

“This is Lee Hoyeon. Sector A cleared. Heading to Sector B.”

Thump. Thump.

Lee Hoyeon walked towards Sector B, seemingly unfazed by the hunters around. He was confident there were no remaining threats.

“… Can I become like that if I work hard too?”

“You know he’s only 20, right? Stop talking nonsense and grab your spellbook. We need to get that reward.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

The hunters on emergency standby watched Lee Hoyeon’s retreating figure before heading back to the Association. Fortunately, they knew their place.

‘With this, Korea should be able to fend them off without much damage.’

Lee Hoyeon felt relieved after confirming the monsters’ strength. Watching the news, each monster appearing overseas seemed as strong as Chiron. Immense damage had already occurred, and a state of emergency was declared. However, Korea and France suffered almost no damage.

[What’s this about only our country having no damage? Did Grandfather Dangun carry us?]

[I took a picture with a monster. Surprisingly manageable, why is the overseas freaking out?]

[The whole world is in chaos right now. Strangely, only Korea and France aren’t suffering damage. But be careful, monsters from overseas entering Korea would be dangerous.]

‘They’re all the same guys.’

Checking his smartwatch, he felt the huge gap between Korea and overseas once again. The monsters in Korea, handled by Academy cadets, weren’t a major societal issue.

“Now that the fire’s reached their feet, their brains should start working better.”

It was only a matter of time before the black pillars were revealed as the problem. Lee Hoyeon had things to do before that. Lee Hoyeon walked towards Sector B, spreading his magic. It was to deal with the remaining monsters in Sector B.

Swoosh-

He drew out magic from his body, shaping it into thin threads. Two cadets had come to support Sector B. Friends Lee Hoyeon knew all too well.

‘Eye-opening.’

Lee Hoyeon’s eyes glowed gold, and a sphere of magic appeared above his head. The monsters detected by his magic sense numbered thirteen. It was too bothersome to hunt them down one by one, so he planned to deal with them all at once.

‘Lightning Strike Talisman.’

The threads of magic spread out, attaching to the monsters, and an arc calculated the distance before firing lightning. The lightning that crisscrossed between buildings instantly struck the monsters between their eyes.

• Keureureureureuk!

• Ku, Kuoooooak!

This was magic that even the strongest among the monsters, the one-eyed giant, couldn’t withstand. The lesser ones were finished in one hit.

Kuung-!

Having annihilated the monsters in one sector in the blink of an eye, Lee Hoyeon approached familiar faces. The cadets assigned to Sector B were the twins Lucy and Lumi. Lucy, panting as if exhausted from using immense amounts of magic, was visible.

“Haa… Hu, hua…. Lee Hoyeon. I’m so tired. Feels like all my magic drained out.”

“You can still fight, Lucy. Why are you acting like such a baby?”

“Hehe. You caught me.”

Lee Hoyeon patted Lucy’s back and handed her the drink he brought. He didn’t forget to give one to Lumi, who blinked beside her.

“Gulp. Gulp. Puhah, ugh. I feel alive.”

“Th-thank you. Hoyeon-ssi…”

“Don’t drink too fast.”

Lee Hoyeon looked at the two and smiled. The Academy, which was planning to resume classes soon, ended up focusing on civilian support. There was Lee Hoyeon’s request, and it was indeed an emergency. He was in Sector A, and knowing that Lucy and Lumi were in charge of Sector B, he came because he was worried. Seeing the twins after a long time, they were still cheerful.

“But did you kill all the monsters around here?”

“Yep. Rest easy.”

“… Can I really rest easy here?”

“Rest is crucial. That’s how you kill other monsters.”

“That’s true, but…”

Lee Hoyeon checked his smartwatch again. The Hell monsters had begun attacking the world. It would be right to move immediately to reduce casualties, but Lee Hoyeon focused on minimizing damage in Korea. There’s a saying, ‘Fixing the barn after losing the cow.’ It means taking action only after something has happened, or in other words, only paying attention to the barn after losing the cow. He had experienced human selfishness many times and knew how to deal with it.

‘Everyone will probably come to their senses only after they’re screwed.’

His own task remained the same anyway. Focusing on reducing Korea’s damage and paying more attention to the heroines. He had taught them how to deal with monsters, so he planned to focus on Korea only until they begged him to destroy the black pillars.

Lee Hoyeon brushed off the dust clinging to his body and checked the other sectors.