# Chapter 28
“Monster generation is fast, and they continuously reproduce, so there are many specimens to process. You can leave the monsters you’ve caught, but please mark their locations on the electronic map.”
What Jade handed over was a Naru assault team’s gate watch. Taesung, who had already finished preparing, was staring intently at Lee Hwan.
Unlike before, there was no malice in his gaze, and somehow Lee Hwan’s heart raced just standing there receiving it.
Taesung with his hair up. The gate. The familiar device, and the team.
As he strapped the device to his wrist, Lee Hwan suddenly felt like he’d returned to the past.
* * *
Before the Wave, gates that were divided among private companies each had their own names. Depending on the company, they were marked with alphabets or distinguished by the company names.
However, some gates had resources that were too scarce for the effort required, so no one wanted to take them. In these cases, they reverted to the Hunter Association and were managed with hunter membership fees—semi-forced—and corporate donations—with cumulative amounts per company publicly announced on year-end broadcasts.
The newly assigned names were properly documented officially, but among hunters, they were informally called by their region and type—animal, plant, insect, and so on—to avoid confusion.
There were a total of five gates on Ganghwa Island, and the only one transferred to the Hunter Association was this Level 2 animal-type gate that Lee Hwan entered today.
‘Squirrel fur… it’s tough but stiff, and not very warm, so it’s cheap.’
The only obtainable resources were squirrel hides with no commercial value except for industrial use,
‘The bones and teeth are hard but can’t compete with alloys. And the organs are just garbage.’
The rest yielded only pocket change even after thoroughly extracting everything.
‘The hawks are quite useful, but their numbers are so limited?’
The reason hunters still frequented the gate was, of course, for the ferrets.
Their sturdy pelts were quite popular for clothing, and their musk, which oddly smelled like fruit, acted as a pheromone that attracted monsters, making it useful for group hunting.
But Taesung wouldn’t form a private team just for such simple and common materials when he didn’t want to leave a record.
That left the native plants inside.
Just as Earth’s plants developed their own toxins to avoid being eaten, some plants in the gates caused confusion in monsters’ immune systems.
However, using them didn’t kill the monsters, and it was more efficient to launch another weapon attack than to leisurely burn them or blow up their powder, so they weren’t particularly welcomed.
Well, there was some demand for various research purposes.
But if that was the goal, he could have called for a mana resonator or hunter, without needing to pressure Kang Dongha to bring Lee Hwan.
What exactly were they hiding?
“If you’re ready, we’ll depart.”
Just then, Jade’s bland voice rang in Lee Hwan’s ears, waking him from his long contemplation.
Taesung was still looking at Lee Hwan. His eyes were calm, but there was something persistent and meticulous about them.
Soon, though, he turned away to do a final equipment check before taking the lead.
“Yes, let’s go. Departure.”
Lee Hwan stroked the handle of the brand-new dolpeung strapped to his back and followed behind.
* * *
The inside of the gate was as clear and refreshing as a daytime forest. With each step, the sweet smell of grass and damp soil rose to tickle his nose.
Lee Hwan kept staring at Taesung’s back as they walked. He barely checked his surroundings or what was under his feet, but by watching Taesung’s movements, he could roughly tell where there were rocks and which trees to avoid.
He shouldn’t be spacing out in a gate, but he kept stupidly looking at him. Even when he tried to focus on examining the surroundings, his eyes were drawn back to the front as if pulled by magnetism.
‘This really… reminds me of old times.’
When there was no hunter to act as a tank, Taesung always took the lead as leader. Then Lee Hwan would walk behind, preparing his ability for any surprise attacks.
That back he used to watch while walking had finally returned after dozens of days since the regression. Like someone offering food samples to prevent Lee Hwan from collapsing from exhaustion.
So he could taste it and find the strength to keep going.
It was very unprofessional, but Lee Hwan kept getting lost in sentiment before battle. To make matters worse, Taesung’s suit today looked similar to one from some future day.
‘Damn it.’
Eventually, Lee Hwan squeezed his eyes shut then reopened them, trying to ignore his movements. His heart, which should have been firm, kept melting softly, making even his tension disappear. If there hadn’t been someone in front of him, he would have banged his head against the wall to snap out of it.
The first battle began after walking for about 10 minutes.
Chirr-chirr, kirruk!
A familiar cry was heard, and a monster squirrel with blood-red eyes peered at them curiously.
Then it quickly scampered away behind them.
Chiruk!
Kirrur-
Kieek-!
Suddenly, a pack of squirrels emerged from somewhere, threatening with their front teeth. Their stiff fur looked rough and dirty.
‘No matter how you look at it, they’re just giant sewer rats, but they call them squirrels just because their tails are a bit bushy…’
Lee Hwan grumbled internally, displeased with the visuals before him.
Kieek!
There was no more time to waste. The attack was swift and fast. As an unusually large squirrel made a sound like a signal, what must have been over a dozen monsters sprang forward.
They were the size of rice sacks, baring yellowish front teeth with dripping saliva.
Hwaaak-
Taesung didn’t miss his timing and skillfully created flames. A wall of fire suddenly rose between Taesung and the squirrel pack.
Keeeeee!
In an instant, the entire front line of squirrels burst into flames, and their loud death throes echoed through the forest. The pungent smell of burning meat and fur spread thickly around.
The burning creatures ran around wildly, spreading the fire, and the forest soon became pandemonium.
‘Kang Taesung’s fighting style hasn’t changed much.’
But monsters will be monsters; despite seeing their kind dying, the remaining ones showed no signs of fear. Pakhwak! Several squirrels lunged forward, instantly leaping up to Taesung.
Tadatang!
Pueong-!
Pubeong!
Simultaneously, small bullets fired from the dolpeung altered their trajectory and flew in, bursting the creatures. Along with a terrible smell, charred flesh fragments flew everywhere.
‘Hiss…’
They would have barely been injured anyway if they had made contact, but the resulting fragments and flames didn’t even approach Taesung. Lee Hwan’s spatial control perfectly blocked even the fragments as he tensed his hand with perfect timing.
Once again, squirrels swarmed from all directions, but they slipped on Lee Hwan’s space and fell, scratching the ground. When all the monsters suddenly tumbled, Taesung’s attacks momentarily paused.
He glanced back at Lee Hwan, forgetting they were in combat. Lee Hwan hastily suppressed his ability, dimming the light in his eyes.
Shit. He wasn’t some nocturnal animal. While this light was good for style, it was often an obstacle during ambushes. Even though he knew his expression was hidden behind the mask, Lee Hwan furrowed his brow and gave Taesung a reproachful look.
‘Kill the monsters, you idiot.’
Somehow understanding this, Taesung turned his head back and this time detonated fire in the center of the squirrel pack.
Hwaaak- Pueong!
Kirrururur Keeaak!
‘C-class explosion…’
He was using a skill he had brought back through regression.
Lee Hwan smiled unknowingly. This too was so similar to his pre-regression handling. At this rate, he could easily provide support.
As if he’d been waiting, Lee Hwan fired bullets again, causing frequent explosions around the edges of the squirrel pack. As the group gradually clustered toward the center, Taesung created another explosion, followed by a whirlwind in the same spot.
Lee Hwan’s space constricted them, and as the wind ignited, a cremation ceremony began.
Kiiiiii!
Hwaaaak-
After supporting the flames one last time, Lee Hwan exhaled deeply and withdrew his ability.
“Phew…”
Though brief, it was a perfectly synchronized battle. So much so that telekinesis couldn’t even intervene. Like wearing clothes that fit perfectly, the mental sensation of everything clicking into place was incredibly satisfying.
He was so content that a long shiver ran down his nape. Lee Hwan felt goosebumps all over his arms under the suit. It was as if his fractured mind was healing, piece by piece, through this long-missed harmony.
Lee Hwan caught his breath and lowered the gun barrel. Taesung was still before him. He finished confirming the kills and slowly turned his head.
A hint of satisfaction touched Taesung’s lips. This guy who hadn’t offered a single question or greeting before entering. Then his eyes gleamed with a different light. It was a captivating kind of light.
“…What should I call you?”
For a moment, Lee Hwan forgot his situation and started to smile back, but the mask catching on his cheekbones brought him back to his senses.
“Uh…”
Then he realized that despite this welcome response, he had nothing to say immediately.
“…”
What should he call him? Well, Taesung used to call him Joo Lee Hwan.
But somehow, saying this name now seemed like it would royally screw things up. Should he ask to be called by a nickname instead? Like Jade?
While he had imagined scenarios of Taesung splitting his skull, he had never anticipated something like this, so he couldn’t think of any suitable nickname.
Lee Hwan stuttered for a moment before unconsciously blurting out a familiar, common Korean name.
“Ki… Kim Jeongshik?”
Simultaneously, the smile vanished from Taesung’s face. The friendliness that had been spreading across his expression instantly froze.
Lee Hwan wanted to hit himself on the head.
Dolpeung (돌펑) – A type of weapon/gun
