Chapter 16: The First Authority and the Familiar Face

#16

As the boat’s noise faded, the setting sun cast its glow upon the sea. Dokyeom slowly walked along the path, watching the light burnish the water’s surface.

Finally, tomorrow, he would face the Gate he had so relentlessly sought.

Tomorrow marked the true beginning. All narratives would shift, all characters set into motion. Whether he liked it or not, it was inevitable.

“He’ll come too, won’t he?”

Having read Dokyeom’s novel, he knew the man would surely appear.

Suddenly, a small convenience store emerged beside the main road. Dokyeom crossed, entered, and grabbed a single ice cream bar. Fearing someone might snatch it, he quickly tore open the wrapper and bit into it.

The crunch was satisfying. He munched on the ice cream, resuming his walk along the main road.

Just twenty steps.

Dokyeom halted abruptly. His gaze fell upon someone watching the sunset over the sea. A corner of his mouth quirked upward, an unbidden smile. He crunched his ice cream again.

‘See? I was right.’

It was a young man, his face swept by the fluttering wind. His profile, visible through soft brown hair, was pale and delicate. He remained strikingly handsome.

Despite his small stature, Dokyeom knew he was an adult. He appeared pitiful and innocent, yet Dokyeom knew him to be weaker than anyone.

Crunch—

It was Ju Uiryeong, that bastard. The one who had stolen this world stood at the bottom of the stone steps leading to the beach, his gaze fixed on the distant sea, bathed in the encroaching sunset. At the end of his inscrutable stare lay the shimmering blue light of the Gate, dancing upon the water.

“Yes, I knew you’d come.”

Of course. With the very first ‘Authority’ located there, how could you not?

Dokyeom finished his ice cream, turned his back, and headed once more toward the convenience store.

Tomorrow morning, 6:30 AM.

It was the time for the post-operation Hunters to meet, familiarize themselves, and transport equipment. Dokyeom, as a dispatched Hunter, was scheduled to join this meeting.

It was an early hour. Thus, to ensure he joined on time, he needed to return home quickly.

Before that, he needed to fill his inventory.

****

7:00 AM.

The world, still imbued with the scent of dawn, remained steeped in deep blue hues. A chilling air lingered deep within his lungs before exhaling. The faint salty, briny wind was so piercing it evoked early winter rather than May.

Chug-chug-chug-chug—!

Braving the frigid wind, Dokyeom, alongside the laborers, piloted a boat laden with equipment toward the Gate shimmering faintly on the sea’s surface.

Three boats ferried laborers back and forth from the shore. Even so, the total crew comprised only eighteen people. Among them, the seemingly cocky post-operation team leader constantly gulped down water, as if perpetually parched, even while on the boat.

“Alright, alright! Everyone, let’s quickly move the materials first!”

As soon as they reached the makeshift dock attached around the Gate, the team leader spat as he urged the people on. Dokyeom, joining their ranks, swiftly carried materials onto the buoyancy tanks.

After three such trips, hauling shovels, pickaxes, and whatever else was needed, and sending the boats back to shore, it was already well past 8:30 AM.

“Team Leader, it looks like the raid team is slowly arriving.”

“Damn it, they’re early!”

The team leader, perched on a buoyancy tank, grumbled, veins throbbing at his temples. Some laborers, aware Dokyeom was from the Sahyeon Guild, wore apologetic expressions.

Chug-chug-chug-chug—!

In the distance, two boats sliced through the water, rapidly approaching the Gate. Dokyeom gulped down mineral water, his gaze fixed on them.

At the bow of the lead boat sat a man with long, upturned eyes. It was Instructor Lee Sanghyeon, the Hunter who had invited Dokyeom to the hotel last night.

The boat swiftly docked beside the makeshift pier. Fifteen people, including the instructor—no, a total of sixteen, including someone in an ivory knit, stepped off the boat in sequence.

Dokyeom stared intently at the person in the ivory knit. Lee Sanghyeon treated him with such deference, practically fawning, as he helped the man off the boat. One look was enough to tell the man was impeccably presented.

Bright brown hair, shimmering in the sunlight. It was Ju Uiryeong, that bastard.

“Mr. Ju Uiryeong, please step here. Carefully… Yes, haha, you’re doing great.”

“Are you truly sure I can join without saying anything? No matter how I think about it, I feel I should inform the Guild. If something were to go wrong for you later, Instructor, how could I ever face you? Then I’d be the only bad one.”

“Well, I’m telling you it’s fine. I appreciate your concern, but it truly is alright. It’s under my jurisdiction, and the Gate’s rank isn’t that high, so there won’t be any dangerous situations. Moreover, even if they are trainees, they are Hunters trained by our Guild, so I can guarantee their skill.”

“Right? Indeed, everyone looks so fit and strong. Especially you, Instructor. How did you get a physique like that?”

“Oh, my physique? Haha… Well, all A-ranks who use their bodies are at least this good. Especially since I tend to manage myself quite well.”

‘They’re really putting on a show. Is this a picnic?’

Dokyeom watched Lee Sanghyeon and Ju Uiryeong exchange pleasantries as if they were frolicking in a flower garden, his expression like he’d swallowed sewage. Others seemed to feel much the same.

[‘Orias’, the demon of ‘Lemegeton’, throws a fit, claiming spacetime is shriveling.]

The post-operation team leader, who had been silently observing their antics, seemed equally cringed. He choked on his water, coughing violently.

“Uh, that person… isn’t that Ju Uiryeong, the Hunter from the ‘Woo Hwa Guild’?”

Then, from among the laborers, someone whispered, pointing at Ju Uiryeong. Everyone’s gaze shifted to Ju Uiryeong, clad in his pristine knit. From that moment, their expressions changed, and they began to acknowledge him, one after another.

“Oh, oh, I saw that person on TV! What was it, a teleporter? That Hunter who uses spatial movement, right?”

“A-rank! That person is an A-rank!”

“He looks like he’d fall over if you touched him. What kind of A-rank is that?”

“No, he’s famous as a safety officer, isn’t he? He goes into Gates and rescues people quickly. There’s been a huge buzz about him lately.”

This time, it was Dokyeom who choked. Coughing violently, he spat out the water he’d been drinking, then wiped his mouth, eyes wide with surprise.

‘What? He’s been on TV already? What is with this bastard?’

Once his name was known, everyone craned their necks, eager to catch a glimpse of Ju Uiryeong. The commotion only ceased when the team leader, unable to bear it any longer, rose combatively.

“Listen here, Hunters. Do you know what time it is, dawdling like this? I don’t know what kind of nerve you have, showing up long past your 8 AM appointment! Can’t you see the people waiting here since dawn because of you?!”

Lee Sanghyeon’s gaze instantly hardened upon seeing the team leader, who bellowed angrily, pushing out his round belly. His eyes, cold and dismissive, narrowed down at the team leader.

“It’s true we’re late, but your words are rather harsh, aren’t they? As you can see, we had someone join us midway. This isn’t for my own benefit; it’s all for the raid. Let’s not humiliate people so much, especially coming from a C-rank Hunter.”

“Joining or not, let’s just have the meeting. How many hours will the raid take? If you can’t clear it today, we’ll have to stay here overnight, so let’s discuss things like overtime pay first. And let me tell you upfront, I don’t care about ranks or anything like that, so don’t even think about throwing your weight around in front of me.”

A fleeting look of contempt crossed Lee Sanghyeon’s eyes as he regarded the team leader. However, in the Hunter industry, where time was gold, being late was an inexcusable blunder. By schedule, the raid team should have already finished their meeting and been well inside the Gate.

The original schedule had been pushed back by an hour, solely due to Lee Sanghyeon’s arbitrary decision.

“Ah, the meeting. Yes, of course, we must have it. Let’s do it. It’s a matter of money, after all, and how important that must be to you workers who live day by day.”

Lee Sanghyeon’s lips twitched as he spoke. The team leader’s jaw clenched, veins bulging at his temples. Ju Uiryeong, meanwhile, frowned, glaring at his shoes, apparently displeased that they had gotten wet when he stepped down into the water.

‘What a truly excellent team, right from the start.’ Dokyeom watched the spectacle from behind the others, as if observing a fire. It was a lovely, breezy day with ample sunshine. Beside the buoyancy tank where Dokyeom sat, the seawater gently rippled.

Though the water was too murky to see clearly, the shadows of fish occasionally flitted across the edge of his vision. When he dipped his hand in, the chilling cold of the seawater attacked his skin.

As he swirled his hand, creating currents, the team leader’s rough shouts suddenly erupted from the front.

“What kind of bastard is this?! What?! If you don’t like it, leave? Leave?! Is that what you say to workers who’ve been waiting here since dawn?! Who are you, you son of a b*tch!”

[‘Orias’, the demon of ‘Lemegeton’, looks on uncultured, wondering why they’re all making such a fuss.]

‘Let them be. It’s only temporary anyway.’

Yes, it was only temporary. Dokyeom tilted his head back, gazing at the pristine sky. The cloudless expanse was astonishingly clear. Suddenly, the memory of that dawn, when they had gathered for introductions, brushed through his mind.