#059
A rattling sound was heard. Looking to the side, Ji Taeuk was taking out supplement bottles from his bag and shoving various ones into his mouth.
“Want some?” Ji Taeuk asked. Eunseok was about to refuse but then nodded. Taking vitamins and supplements wouldn’t suddenly increase his stamina, but it couldn’t hurt either.
After swallowing a handful of various supplements with water, Ji Taeuk smiled contentedly. As a healing-type hunter, he seemed to pay extra attention to his stamina, which was weaker compared to other team members. Eunseok felt a sense of kinship with Ji Taeuk. Unlike the previous A-rank gate, this one wouldn’t be easy at all. Eunseok searched for information on the reported strange creatures while vowing to do his part properly this time as well.
Baekho Guild’s handling of affairs was swift and efficient.
As they got out of the limousine van, Baekho Guild’s tent was already set up. Inside the spacious tent were conference tables, chairs, and even temporary beds, all fully equipped.
Eunseok put down his duffel bag inside the tent and went outside to assess the situation.
The gate had appeared right next to a detached house complex. The area in front of the gate was bustling with Sehwa Guild members, various media outlets, and personnel dispatched from the Ability Management Bureau. Around the gate, soldiers were setting up barricades and building defense lines, seemingly preparing for a potential gate break situation.
Eunseok stared intently at the gate. It certainly had a similar size and color to the A-rank gate they had conquered previously.
“Ah, are you perhaps Guide Lee Eunseok?” A camera director and his crew who had just finished filming in front of the gate approached Eunseok and asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
There was no reason to deny it and run away. As Eunseok confirmed, he saw the red light on the camera turn on immediately.
“Guide Lee Eunseok. Currently, Sehwa Guild’s second attempt at conquest is taking longer. How likely do you think it is that Baekho Guild will need to enter the situation?”
“I don’t know much about such matters. Could you please turn off the camera?”
When Eunseok requested in a firm tone, the camera director gestured with a disappointed face. The camera light went off.
The Sehwa Guild members gathered to one side all turned their gazes toward Eunseok at once. Their murmuring glances were not particularly friendly. It was understandable, as Baekho Guild’s dispatch itself was a measure taken in anticipation of Sehwa Guild’s failure.
Just as Eunseok was about to return to the tent after checking the gate, he saw a black sedan crossing the defense line. It was Choi Hanseo’s car.
“It’s Choi Hanseo. Turn on the camera!”
The camera director, who had been looking at Eunseok with a disappointed face, immediately shouted and ran towards the car. The cameraman and staff followed behind.
The car door opened, and long legs stepped out. Choi Hanseo, who finally emerged, was dressed in a black shirt that fit his body well and black pants, just like when he had conquered the A-rank gate recently. He seemed to have dressed with the intention of moving around himself.
“Guild Master Choi Hanseo. Does the fact that Baekho Guild’s 1st Squad has already been dispatched mean that you consider Sehwa Guild’s failure probability to be quite high?”
A rather rude question was immediately thrown at him. However, Choi Hanseo stared at the camera with his usual relaxed and leisurely face.
“Baekho Guild’s dispatch today is a precautionary measure for any unforeseen circumstances. You can consider it to have the same purpose as the military building defense lines around this area. That’s all.”
After responding smoothly, Choi Hanseo immediately walked towards Eunseok. Ignoring the many stares focused on them, he put his arm around Eunseok’s shoulder.
“Why are you out here? It would be better to go inside and rest a bit.”
Choi Hanseo said affectionately. His tone was so gentle it almost made Eunseok’s skin crawl. However, he couldn’t bicker in front of people and cameras. Eunseok chose to quickly retreat into the tent, maintaining a nonchalant expression.
As they entered the tent side by side, the team members’ gazes turned to them. Eunseok tried to naturally break away from Choi Hanseo’s embrace and took a seat at the conference table. Fortunately, Choi Hanseo also sat down and casually crossed his legs.
For a moment, Eunseok felt the team members’ exploratory gazes. He hid his expression by opening a water bottle and taking a few sips.
“We’ll enter as soon as Sehwa comes out. Everyone, be well prepared.”
Choi Hanseo said leisurely. Everyone nodded and returned to what they were doing.
Ji Taeuk was the busiest of all. He packed as much water, energy bars, and potions as he could fit.
“Hyung. Let’s put some in my backpack too.”
Eunseok took out the backpack he had prepared from his duffel bag and opened the zipper. Before Ji Taeuk could refuse, he quickly added,
“Just in case we get separated for a while like last time, I think it would be good if I carried some too.”
At Eunseok’s words, Ji Taeuk hesitated for a moment before nodding. Considering the conquest might last nearly a full day, it was the right choice to pack as much water and energy sources as possible.
Eunseok packed an appropriate amount of water bottles and energy bars into his backpack. Of course, he didn’t fill it to the point of being too heavy. Nothing was more important than mobility. He added a few spare magazines on top and lifted it to check – it was just the right weight to carry around.
After finishing preparations, the team members spent time in their own ways while seated. Moon Bora was on her phone, Ji Taeuk was looking at something on a tablet, and Shin Jeongho and Oh Seongeun seemed to be listening to music with earphones. Han Cheolyong was reading a book on an e-book reader.
Eunseok leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, simulating the terrain he had read about in the documents. The initial terrain was not good. In a swamp area, a considerable amount of energy would be consumed just moving around. Needless to say, they would have to be careful not to get stuck in the swamp.
Climbing the rugged mountain afterwards would also consume a lot of stamina. Of course, for Eunseok, who was accustomed to swamps, mudflats, and mountain climbing, it wasn’t a big problem other than appropriate stamina management.
As he was lost in thought, he felt a gaze persistently boring into his face. Knowing who it was, Eunseok pretended not to notice, but the stare was so blatant and prolonged that he eventually had to turn his eyes.
“Do you have something to say?”
When Eunseok asked, Choi Hanseo smiled gently, his eyes crinkling. He hadn’t known that such a gentle smile could suit that face, but it was truly gentle… and a fox-like eye smile that could bewitch people.
“I do have something I want to say, but is it okay to say it here?”
Choi Hanseo asked, flashing his eye smile. His eyes slowly traced Eunseok’s lips. Just from that gaze alone, Eunseok vividly recalled the sensation of their deep kiss.
What was he doing in front of all the team members?
Feeling bewildered and embarrassed, Eunseok quickly lowered his gaze to his phone.
He was used to the endless waiting before operations. After a little over an hour had passed like this, there was a commotion outside the tent.
Eunseok immediately stood up and went outside the tent. People were crowded in front of the gate a short distance away.
“Looks like they failed,” Ji Taeuk said, standing right beside him. Indeed, as he said, hunters were coming out of the gate one by one. Their bodies were covered in green and red blood, and they were barely walking, supporting each other. Their expressions were deeply tinged with the gloom of defeat.
Shortly after, an employee from the Ability Management Bureau came running.
“Sehwa Guild has declared failure in their conquest. Is Baekho Guild ready to enter immediately?”
“Yes, we’re ready,” Han Cheolyong, who had approached at some point, replied.
“We don’t know how much time is left until a break occurs. Please conquer it as quickly as possible. We’ll maintain the defense line at maximum for now.”
The bureau employee requested with a grim face. Certainly, if a break occurred, the bureau would face severe criticism.
The group, after coming out of the tent to check the situation, all returned to the tent and started gathering their equipment and luggage. Eunseok put on the protective gear he had recently bought and moistened his throat lightly with a few sips of water.
As they finished preparations and stepped outside, people parted to make way for them. Beyond those people, the miserable sight of Sehwa Guild members receiving treatment was deeply etched in their eyes. Eunseok thought that this time would truly not be easy.
As they reached the front of the gate, team members took their positions to form a formation. The faces of those watching were filled with tension and desperation.
“Baekho Guild, fighting!”
Someone shouted from among the crowd. Then a few people echoed the same words, revealing their desperate hope for the gate’s conquest.
Han Cheolyong raised his shield and entered the gate. Eunseok, holding a pistol in one hand and the dagger gifted by Choi Hanseo in the other, stepped into the gate following the order.
