CHAPTER 18
Hunting Spider (1) The conditions for a dungeon break in a gate are simple. Since the emergence of a gate, the magic inside begins to expand, eventually causing cracks in the gate. This is why dungeon breaks have limit times ranging from the first to the third stage. Preventing a dungeon break is surprisingly simple.…
Hunting Spider (1)
The conditions for a dungeon break in a gate are simple.
Since the emergence of a gate, the magic inside begins to expand, eventually causing cracks in the gate.
This is why dungeon breaks have limit times ranging from the first to the third stage.
Preventing a dungeon break is surprisingly simple.
Either clear the conditions required upon entering the dungeon to close the gate, or periodically clean the interior to remove the expanding magic.
The latter method is used when a gate is deliberately left open, like the one at Seoul Station.
However, since the explanation of gates is not yet perfect, exceptions always exist.
The gate that appeared at Cheongju Sports Complex was one such case.
"Hey, you bastards! Let's win this time!"
"If we lost 24:3 last week, that means we lost three times by 8:1, right? Now it's time to win! I saw it coming!"
In the middle of the stadium, watched by over 10,000 spectators, a gate emerged.
"Agh~ We could have won this time."
Leaving behind the disappointed audience, Association staff immediately began assessing the gate's rank.
The internal energy measurement classified it as Scarlet Rank. After registering the Cheongju Sports Complex Gate in the Association's database, a raid team was selected.
The selection process prioritizes local guilds first.
The team that can deploy the fastest gets priority, followed by the next eligible teams meeting a certain rank requirement.
For the Cheongju Sports Complex Gate, the KPP Guild, formed by local veteran hunters, won the bid and immediately entered the gate.
"Boss, this place…"
"I know…"
KPP Guild leader Kim Han-su and A-rank tanker Jo Ho-yeol observed the scene before them with mixed expressions.
A wasteland.
A barren city with sandstorms blowing through—a desolate world.
Gates like this exist in abundance. Hunters are used to such devastated landscapes, as if the world had been annihilated.
The problem was the civilization level of this gate.
"At minimum, modern civilization. Maybe… even more advanced than Earth."
Though in ruins, towering skyscrapers stood tall. Autonomous robots wandered the streets.
"This is amazing. A futuristic world inside a gate?"
"Well, we've seen fantasy and martial arts gates, so why not a futuristic one?"
The worlds inside gates varied immensely.
For dungeon-type gates, it was usually just about defeating monsters and a boss. Even field-type gates often had limited areas beyond a certain distance.
However, as a gate's rank increased, the environments became vastly more complex and diverse.
For example, in a fantasy-type gate:
Humans wielding swords and magic.Elves, goblins, and orcs as enemies.
In a martial arts-type gate:
Sects like the Murim Alliance, Demonic Cult, or Evil Factions fought against each other.Usually, the Evil Factions or Demonic Cult served as the antagonists.
Other types included apocalyptic, arcane punk, and steampunk gates.
「New Implant Release. Replace your useless body parts with machines.」
Jo Ho-yeol read a poster on a building wall, thanks to the hunters' perfect translation ability, which worked on both the gate's intelligent beings and hunters.
He turned to the guild leader.
"Boss, this is cyberpunk."
"Sigh…"
A so-called futuristic world—a civilization more advanced than Earth.
"This is going to be a headache. We need to rethink our strategies against monsters."
A highly advanced civilization means one thing: powerful firearms and energy weapons.
Hunters, who rely on individual combat strength, would struggle against an enemy that specializes in high-powered ranged attacks.
"For hunters, who have a large variance in individual combat ability, mass-produced units can be a nightmare. Our stamina has limits, after all."
"True, but since this is urban warfare, we can manage our stamina by moving between buildings to avoid getting surrounded."
Hunters were strong. Even a D-rank hunter surpassed normal human limits.
But ultimately, they were living beings—mere infantry—with physical limitations.
If the monsters here were a gun-equipped army, they would be a much greater challenge.
"Let's use that building as our base camp. It's tall enough for scouting."
The 58 members of KPP Guild entered a seven-story commercial building among the ruins.
They proceeded cautiously, clearing each floor in battle-ready formation.
Yet, all they found was desolation—nothing of value.
"Boss, check this out! These clothes are insane! They have holograms running through them!"
Hunter Park Hye-ri excitedly carried some clothing from a nearby store.
"Hye-ri, keep those. If they contain advanced tech, they might be valuable."
Despite the challenges of a high-tech civilization, there were benefits.
Advanced civilizations often held profitable loot—artifacts that, if analyzed properly, could be adapted for real-world use.
Governments worldwide were actively conducting technology excavation from such gates, hoping to reverse-engineer their secrets.
"Ho-yeol, see anything?"
"Not a damn thing. No NPCs, no monsters."
Something felt off.
Field-type gates usually had either NPCs or monsters.
"Where's the 'Jagd Spinner'? That thing seems like the boss."
As soon as they entered, a quest notification had appeared.
「Obtain or destroy the 'Jewel of Wisdom,' guarded by the Jagd Spinner.」
The KPP Guild's primary goal was to defeat the Jagd Spinner.
Whether they would extract or destroy the Jewel of Wisdom depended on its appraisal.
"But there's no sign of it."
"This is strange…"
The weather was awful, but an entire city being empty—without even a single monster—was unsettling.
"Well, at least we're not fighting a rebel army or a tyrannical government's military."
But then… what was the Jagd Spinner?
"Anyway, stay on guard. Let's form scouting teams and map the area—"
—THUNK.
Something whizzed by.
The guild members turned toward their leader—
"Han-su hyung?"
"Boss?"
From his navel to his head, his entire upper body had disappeared.
Only his arms and head hit the ground with a thud.
It took a moment for the hunters to comprehend the horror.
Their guild leader had just been killed.
"Sniper! Take cover!"
Jo Ho-yeol shouted as the veteran hunters immediately took cover, pressing against walls and storefronts.
"What the hell?! How did he not react?!"
Hunters were superhuman—far beyond normal humans.
Though Earth's conventional weapons were ineffective inside gates, hunters were not invincible against modern firearms.
Yet, Kim Han-su was an A-rank hunter—a main tanker with exceptional reflexes and defense.
And he had died instantly, without even reacting?
—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
A hail of gunfire rained down upon their building.
The sheer impact of the rounds shook the structure.
One hunter let out a choked gasp as his lower body was obliterated.
A 240mm hyper-accelerated cannon and 60mm autocannons continued their relentless bombardment.
The unseen enemy was watching—not merely defending, but hunting them one by one.
And then, at last…
The Jagged Spinner revealed itself.
A massive robotic spider.
With eight thick legs, glowing red sensors, and deadly precision weapons.
"…You're the Jagd Spinner?"
Jo Ho-yeol stared at the only "monster" in this gate.
Cheongju Gate.
1st Raid Team – KPP Guild (58 members).
No survivors.
Gate Boss Jagd Spinner.
Difficulty upgraded to "Red."
Cheongju Gate – indefinitely abandoned.