▶ Chapter 41. A Certain Hypothesis (2)
Han Yonghwan and Han Junggeun tightly shut their mouths.
They were definitely trying to hold back their laughter.
I seriously want to hit him.
I glared at Han Dongju, and even though the administrator should not have been able to see my expression, he somehow looked frightened of me.
Then I quickly entered the gate.
[Notification: You have entered the Jellyfish Den, Rank 7, Permanent Gate.]
A series of mission-related messages appeared.
While reading them, we immediately started moving.
First, Han Yonghwan cast his healer skills on us.
Then Han Dongju attacked the monsters with various items so our attacks would work more effectively.
I stunned or knocked down the monsters.
Finally, Han Junggeun completely finished them off with Excalibur.
It took exactly one hour.
[Notification: Mission complete.
This Permanent Gate will close in 10 seconds. At that time, everyone inside will return to the original world.]
[Mission contribution results are as follows.
1st. Han Junggeun, approximately 84 percent
Reward: 1 Random Draw Box, Rank 8, 7 Inventory Slots
2nd. HunterAnham, approximately 7 percent
Reward: 3 Random Draw Boxes, Rank 7, 3 Inventory Slots
3rd. Han Yonghwan, approximately 5 percent
Reward: 1 Random Draw Box, Rank 7, 2 Inventory Slots
4th. Han Dongju, approximately 4 percent
Reward: 1 Random Draw Box, Rank 7, 1 Inventory Slot]
[Rewards will automatically be placed inside your inventory.]
“Wow! A Rank 8 box! It’s almost exactly the same as last time! The rewards really are both better and more plentiful!”
Han Dongju was extremely happy, saying that their hypothesis had been proven.
“Are we opening it now?”
“Hmm, no. The seventh is only a few days away. Let’s open it then.”
The same thing happened at the Rank 7 Permanent Gate we visited next in Geoje.
The rewards were very similar.
“We finished much faster than expected. It is a little early, but let’s have lunch.”
We decided to eat famous Tongyeong dishes like Chungmu gimbap and sea urchin bibimbap.
Thanks to Han Yonghwan renting out the entire famous restaurant, we were able to eat comfortably and enjoy the food.
We ordered separate fried chicken for Seven and Twelve.
“HunterAnham, there is something I would like to discuss.”
After the meal, while we were having potion, iced Americano, and honey bread, Han Yonghwan spoke.
“What do you think about recruiting a buffer?”
Someone immediately came to mind.
But I kept my mouth shut.
“Do you remember Hunter Mundal, whom we met during the Rank 9 Sudden Gate in Gangneung?”
“Hmm, yes.”
“She originally operated only overseas, but recently returned to Korea. She requested to join Wish Guild. We interviewed her a little while ago, and we decided to recruit her.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Hunter Mundal is skilled enough to be called the world’s best buffer. We have worked together on several missions overseas before, and she is trustworthy. Her ranking is also high.”
“Yes. I looked her up after meeting her last time, and that seemed to be true.”
Mundal had only worked in foreign countries until now, but her nationality was Korean.
That meant she belonged to the Korean rankings.
Korean Rank 1 and World Rank 1, HunterAnham. That was me!
Korean Rank 2 and World Rank 9, Han Yonghwan. The eldest.
Korean Rank 3 and World Rank 21, Han Dongju. The third brother.
Korean Rank 4 and World Rank 31, Han Junggeun. The second brother.
Mundal was Korean Rank 5 and World Rank 32, directly below Han Junggeun.
“World rankings are determined according to contributions to world peace. Hunters with high world rankings are generally trustworthy. Of course, quite a few of them have personalities so strong that they end up causing strange incidents.”
Han Yonghwan seemed to remember all the times he had suffered because of those hunters.
His normally calm face suddenly crumpled like a crushed can.
“Hunter Mundal also has a little of that side to her, but inside gates, she is excellent. She is also very good at keeping secrets. And because she has worked widely overseas, she has many connections. She may be able to help us when we clear foreign gates in the future.”
I welcomed the idea of having a skilled buffer join us, but,
What if she figures me out even when I’m using the Hidden Power item?!
That worried me.
“I’ll think about it for now.”
“Yes.”
We set off again.
The third location was Hamyang.
The fourth was Gunsan.
After taking a short break while eating snacks Han Dongju had brought, we went to Boryeong for our fifth gate.
By the time we finished there,
“I’m Level 32, and my total experience is 694,710 points.”
There were 25,290 points remaining until the target, Level 33.
After doing all that, we ate a huge dinner, returned to Seoul, and rested.
Then the next morning, we met again and started clearing Rank 7 Permanent Gates from early in the day.
After Sejong, we entered a gate in Anyang.
“I’m Level 33....!”
Just as Han Yonghwan had calculated beforehand, Han Junggeun reached the target when he killed the twenty-fourth monster.
That was when Seven, whom we had intentionally kept outside the inventory, suddenly changed.
Huh?
Until now, Seven had been a baby penguin small enough to fit in one hand, with fluffy gray feathers.
But now,
“Whoa, he got huge?!”
Just as Han Dongju said, Seven had grown to around seventy centimeters tall, about the size of a real penguin.
His gray baby feathers were completely gone.
Now he had smooth black and white feathers, and the faint marking under his chin had become clear.
“He was cuter as a baby.”
The moment Han Dongju said that with disappointment,
