CHAPTER 69 Red Gate

I like to ask for forgiveness that this chapter wasn't an R-18 Chapter

I am Sorry.

...

"Don't look back – the past is exactly where it belongs."

Scarlet Witch

....

"Hello."

Han Songyi bowed her head. They were exchanging greetings when a large musclehead split off from the Hunters and came over.

"Can we get going already? We're not here for a picnic. It's almost nine."

Without waiting for their response, the man returned to the Gate. I could tell he was not an ordinary man. I turned to Hyun Gicheol.

"Who was that?"

"Ah, he's an A-rank new recruit who just entered the Guild. When we informed him about you and the student, he was annoyed. Said something about a Dungeon not being a playground..."

"A-rank?"

Hyun Gicheol nodded. The fact that the man was an A-rank would explain the presence I felt. I asked another question.

"What's the level of the raiding party?"

"One A-rank, seven B-ranks, four C-ranks, for a total of twelve members."

"You're taking an A-rank and B-ranks for just a C-rank Gate?"

"Well, even if their rank is high, they're newbies. It's to give them a taste of what the Dungeon is like."

Hyun Gicheol spoke with pride. Once they completed their Raid today, he added that they would be placed in official high-level Raids going forward.

"Still, an A-rank and seven B-ranks are a bit too much... that would have been a normal thought if I didn't know what was in front of us: a red gate, and most of them will die today."

Well, who cares? I will just have more shadows.

My eyes changed. In fact, I'm sure this was the real reason why Ahn Sangmin let him tag along so easily. The chief wanted to show off the elite new recruits of Baekho to me, to show me the value of the Guild. However, contrary to Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol's expectations, I looked over at the raiding party with disappointment in my eyes.

There was nothing special about any of them.

But I shook my head.

"Eh, I'm sure once she sees what it's like there, she'll realize the truth."

The truth of how powerless an E-ranker was in a Dungeon. That should be enough.

"When are we going in?"

Not realizing my true intentions, Han Songyi impatiently asked when they would start the Raid. Turning to my side, I saw that her face was filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Let's see how long you can keep that up."

I laughed in my head and turned to Hyun Gicheol.

"Then, we'll be going as well."

"Ah, yes."

Hyun Gicheol looked around, then leaned in and whispered to me.

"Er... If Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim steps up, the Raid will be over in a flash. Could you please just stay in the back and watch?"

"Well, it's going to change."

"Yes, I'll do just that."

I would resume the Raids with Yoo Jinho tomorrow, so I decided to bring Han Songyi here.

"I don't want to show off the Shadow Soldiers in front of her."

If the girl saw me easily taking down magic beasts with my shadows, her delusions might worsen. Han Songyi and I went before the Gate. Unlike the A-ranker, some of the other Hunters greeted us with a smile.

"Hello."

"Pleased to meet you."

As the purpose of the Raid was not money, having more people was a good thing. They took turns introducing themselves. When it was the A-ranker's turn,

"I'm good."

He turned and entered the Gate first.

"Let us go as well."

Baekho's new recruits entered the Gate one by one. Han Songyi stopped before the Gate and turned to me,

"What about you, ahjussi?"

I crossed my arms and replied,

"I'll see you go in first."

With a face filled with nervousness, the girl nodded and entered.

'Hmm.'

I lightly sighed then stood before the Gate. Turning around, I saw Hyun Gicheol waving to me and cheering.

'...'

I turned back to the Gate.

... 

*3rd Person POV.*

Something was wrong.

'...?'

The Gate was rippling and trembling nonstop.

'Unless someone is in the process of entering or leaving, it should stay still like a black curtain.'

But right now, even though no one was entering or leaving, the Gate was rippling like someone had disturbed the surface of a lake. Something was different. Jinwoo placed a hand on the Gate. The surface of the Gate clung to his hand like a sticky substance and started crawling up his hand.

"Yes, this is..!"

Jinwoo sharply turned his head and met Hyun Gicheol's eyes. The employee also realized something was wrong. Jinwoo shouted at the man,

"Call your main Hunters, right N-"

Before Jinwoo could finish, he was sucked into the Gate.

"W-what was that?"

"D-deputy Hyun!"

Hyun Gicheol ran to the Gate. The three other Baekho employees also went up behind him. In front of the Gate, Hyun Gicheol was panicking in terror.

"No... no way!"

The Hunters weren't the only new recruits here. The employees standing behind him were also new hires. Of course, they would be confused about what was happening. They looked at Hyun Gicheol like deer in headlights.

"D-deputy! The Gate is turning red!"

As if a drop of blood fell on the surface of the water, the Gate's surface was quickly turning red. Hyun Gicheol ignored the employees and quickly made a call.

Click.

- "What is it, Gicheol?"

"Chief! It's a Red Gate! The new recruits just entered a Red Gate!!!"

- "What?!"

Ahn Sangmin's voice became serious.

- "What the hell?! How did a Red Gate come out of a C-rank Gate?!"

Hyun Gicheol looked up at the Gate that had turned completely red. The rippling had already stopped. The deputy gulped.

"I... I don't know, but it's definitely a Red Gate."

- "What?!!!"

...

"A Red Gate? How did this happen?"

Baekho's Guildmaster Baek Yoonho immediately came to the scene after receiving the news. Hyun Gicheol, the man in charge of the training, had a dark expression.

"That's..."

"Let me take a look."

Baek Yoonho walked past the employees, who were practically preparing for a funeral in their minds, and walked up to the Gate.

'It's really a Red Gate!'

Baek Yoonho's face hardened.

Red Gates. It was a terrifying phenomenon observed in random high-level Gates. Instead of taking you to a small and confined Dungeon, it would connect to an entirely different world, complete with its own environments and lifeforms. Once the Gate solidified in its red color, no one could enter or leave until the boss was taken down or a Dungeon Break occurred.  It was completely closed off from the outside.

Baek Yoonho placed a hand on the Gate. It was definitely blocked.

'This is not good.'

There was nothing they could do. Unlike other emergencies, help could not be provided to the ones inside, nor did the exit stones work inside. Baek Yoonho turned to Hyun Gicheol,

"Was this not a C-rank Gate?"

"It was."

"Did you confirm with the Association?"

"We did, but... They were unusually adamant that this was a C-rank Gate."

"Those fucking sons of bitches!"

Baek Yoonho swore loudly. The Red Gates were a phenomenon limited to high-level Gates. It would take you to an entirely different world on the other side, and they said the magic power seeping out was only that of a C-rank Gate? It was unthinkable bullshit. The Gate in front of him was at a minimum, a B+++ rank. If they were unlucky, it could be an A++ rank. If they were really unlucky, something above that... S-

Meanwhile, there was a reason why the Association could stubbornly deny any wrongdoing.

"Should we measure it with our own devices?"

At Hyun Gicheol's question, Baek Yoonho shook his head,

"No, Red Gates stop seeping magic power after solidifying. It's impossible to measure it now."

And this is why the Association could deny everything. It was impossible to remeasure a Red Gate, so there would be no evidence that they had messed up their initial measurements. Regardless, the rank of the Gate was not important right now,

"How many of our own went in?"

"Twelve, sir."

'How many were high-rankers?"

"The A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol-nim took the lead, and seven B-rank Hunter-nims below him."

"One A-rank and seven B-ranks..."

"Do... Do you think the recruits will be alright?"

Baek Yoonho shook his head.

"We can consider them dead. If we're lucky, the A-ranker and a few B-rankers might come back alive."

If they were lucky.

The composition of the party that went in would have a difficult time clearing the easiest of B-rank Dungeons. Anything beyond that was impossible. Without a miracle, the possibility of the new recruits coming back alive was slim. Baek Yoonho's face darkened. Reading the mood, Hyun Gicheol carefully spoke up,

"Er... So... there are two others that entered with our new recruits."

Baek Yoonho raised his head. Did a passing high-ranker tag along out of curiosity? That indeed would be a miracle! Baek Yoonho's voice became louder,

"Who was it?!"

"He's the Hunter that's been on my sights recently."

The reply came from their side. Both Hyun Gicheol and Baek Yoonho turned their heads to face Ahn Sangmin. The division chief was drenched in sweat and panting.

"Sorry for being late. There was a little traffic."

Because he lived the furthest away from the scene of the incident, Ahn Sangmin had arrived last. The man glanced at the Gate. The phenomenon that was like a door to another world was now an iron wall, cutting everyone off from the other side. Just looking at it made it hard for an ordinary person to breathe.

'But if it's Hunter Sung Jinwoo...'

The man who had triumphed over incident after incident. That man just might be able to surpass everyone's expectations here. Baek Yoonho quickly approached Ahn Sangmin,

"He's a Hunter that Chief Ahn had his eyes on?"

"Yes, sir."

Ah, Baek Yoonho remembered the whispers around the office.

'Now that I think about it...'

Lately, people were talking about how Chief Ahn was coming and leaving the office in a hurry. As expected, it was for the recruitment of a new Hunter. The man's eyes were never wrong.

'Could it be...'

The fires of hope lit up in Baek Yoonho's chest.

"What's the Hunter's rank? A? Or maybe B?"

It couldn't have been S. There had only been 10 S-rank Hunters born in South Korea; every single one of them knew each other. But Ahn Sangmin shook his head!

'My god!'

The hardened face of Baek Yoonho relaxed in an instant,

"Are you telling me an S-ranker went in with them?"

Ahn Sangmin calmly replied,

"No, sir. He's an E-ranker."

Baek Yoonho looked like he had swallowed a bug.

...

*Jin-Woo Pov*

I was surprised.

'So this is the other world that they talked about?'

I just dimension hopped.

This was his first time seeing it, but I had read up on the Red Gates on the internet in the past. They all used the expression of being "sucked in." I agreed. When the Gate seemingly grabbed onto my hand and pulled me in, all he saw for a moment was darkness, and it felt like I was sliding down a tunnel.

'Holy!'

When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of a forest covered in snow.

"Where are we?!"

"I don't think this is a Dungeon."

"The Gate is gone!"

The other Hunters looked around and could not hide their panic. While they were in chaos, I calmly looked around with narrowed eyes.

'I don't sense anything around. Should I use Arcane Eyes?'

No, I don't think there is a need for it.

I was fully aware of the situation, so it wasn't a problem, and I am sure I can take most things that the world could throw at me. The first thing that he analyzed was the trees. Giant evergreens, impossibly large to be found in their country, covered the landscape, reaching high into the sky. The tops of the trees were stacked with snow. He lowered my gaze and met someone else's eyes. It was the A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol, who had also been surveying the surroundings.

...

...

Then we stared down at each other, then looked away. Han Songyi approached me and lightly tugged on my clothes.

"Excuse me... Something went wrong, right?"

Her eyes were filled with fear. The confidence she displayed outside was completely gone. Suddenly, my hand shot toward her face.

'...?'

The girl's eyes widened.

Grab!

The arrow I caught lightly trembled as if angry at not hitting its target. The target was Han Songyi's forehead.

"Ah, ah..."

Realizing what just happened, Han Songyi's face turned pale, and she realized how close she was to her death. However, the scream that rang forth did not come from her.

"Kiyaaaaah!"

"U-uwak!"

Thud.

Blood seeped out of the Hunter's mouth as he fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his temple. A crimson flower bloomed on top of the snow. The Hunters began to moan in fear. The two arrows had flown toward them at the same time. Thanks to that, most of them did not see me catch the other arrow.

But it's not like I care if they see or not.

"Over there!"

"It was them!"

A B-rank Hunter pointed toward A faint spot on top of a distant tree. Long before he pointed, my and Kim Cheol's eyes were already looking in that direction. There were two people standing on top of the trees.

'Or rather, they certainly aren't people.'

White hair. Skin as pale as snow. Silver eyes. And the trademark of their race, pointed ears.

Because of their fair beauty and the fact that you could only see them in high-level Dungeons, they were quite famous among the magic beasts.

'Elves,'

Or more specifically,

'Ice Elves.'

Also known as the Hyakki or Ice Slayers.

...

I am sorry that this wasn't an R18 chapter.

.....

So world travel has started to the Akame Ga Kill.

I am currently writing it.

Now to confirm the plot points Esdeath is part of the Harem and other are Shadows.

Now if can suggest me some good shadows both humans and danger beasts it would be great help.

Thanks