Here's an Opportunity
Chapter 67: Ice Troll (1)

Chapter 67: Ice Troll (1)

Gates had appeared all across the country.

Even a quiet rural village deep in the mountains, home primarily to elderly residents, was no exception. Though far from urban centers, information flowed freely in this day and age, so the villagers were well aware of Gates and monsters.

The elderly residents reported the Gate, and the Association immediately dispatched personnel to investigate and register it. Once a Gate's appearance was formally registered, Hunters arrived to scout and raid it, while Association employees came to manage the Gate.

After spending considerable time and effort investigating, they concluded that the Gate covered a vast area and would be difficult to clear quickly. One major corporation sent trucks loaded with various supplies to prepare for a long-term battle, making the once quiet rural village unusually noisy.

Then, on December 23, enough Hunters showed up that one might call it a small army, and the village residents evacuated to a hotel rented out by the Hunters Association.

"There sure are a lot of people." A man stepped off a bus with a small, adorable girl and surveyed the scene.

According to the Association's warning, a Break would soon occur. The Hunters inspected their equipment, ready to jump into combat at any moment.

A mobile stall, converted from a container truck, sold whatever goods one might need yet could pack up and flee at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Association employees roamed the area to ensure no villagers remained behind.

A Hunter gasped as they saw Kim Ki-Rok step out of a bus. The other Hunters in the area followed his gaze to look at the DG Guild members pouring out of their bus.

"Wow! Feels like seeing a celebrity," said one Hunter, dazzled by Lee Ji-Yeon's looks.

"It's Ji-Hee! That's Ji-Hee!" squealed a female Hunter, smitten by her cuteness.

"Wow! It's Mr. Big Eater!" Another Hunter clapped excitedly at the sight of Jeong Man-Kook.

Blushing, Lee Ji-Yeon hid behind a fellow guild member, while Kim Ji-Hee latched onto Kim Ki-Rok with a bashful smile.

"Dong-Wook," said Jeong Man-Kook.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I feel like having some acorn jelly rice[1]."

True to his nature, Jeong Man-Kook was already thinking about food.

And, of course, some people stared at the one responsible for all the chaos.

"It's the Crazy Bastard."

"Ah, must be because I watched that livestream. Just looking at him pisses me off."

Murmuring voices rose at the sight of Kim Ki-Rok.

"I expected they'd dislike me, but not to this extent. It's rather disheartening," he remarked.

"Then why are you smiling?" Yoo Seh-Eun asked.

"Aren't I always smiling?"

"Ah... yes..." Shaking her head, Yoo Seh-Eun discreetly put some distance between herself and Kim Ki-Rok.

"Ms. Seh-Eun. Where are you going?" he called after her.

"I wonder."

Among the three Gates left uncleared, DG Guild had agreed to help defend a C-Class Gate. Unlike other guilds, DG Guild arrived at the village on December 23, just before the Break was predicted to happen.

No sooner had word of their arrival spread than a breathless Association employee came running. "Ah! I'm sorry for being late!"

Kim Ki-Rok matched the employee's bow with his own. "Oh, don't worry about it! You must be extremely busy yourself."

Rumors about him were well-known, yet seeing it all in person was a unique experience. The employee offered an awkward grin and guided DG Guild to a couple of houses on one side of the village.

"Please use these as temporary lodging. That house in front of you and the one next door."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Since everyone had to depart on short notice after participating in an operation organized by the Association, this is the least we can do."

"No need to thank me. Ah, by the way..."

"Yes, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?"

"Where is the Gate located? I did read the info sent by the Association while we were on the road, so I don't need the full report. Just point me to its location."

"I see. Then that should suffice. Do you see the hill over there?"

The Gate had appeared outside the village, not within it. Turning his head in that direction, Kim Ki-Rok saw people stacking bags of earth and dousing them with water, while an Awakened with ice skills froze them to form a protective wall.

"So the Gate is beyond that ice wall?"

"Yes, exactly. And regarding the strategy meeting for the Gate defense... let me see..." The staff member pulled out a smartphone to check the time. "It's at 4 p.m., so that's in three hours."

"Will the meeting take place in the village hall?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"That's correct."

"Got it. Then I'll see you at the town hall then."

As soon as the employee left, Kim Ki-Rok glanced around at his guild members. "Alright, let's split up by gender. The men can rest in the old house on the right, and the women can rest in the house in front of us."

After sorting out the accommodations, Kim Ki-Rok grabbed Ji-Hee from under her arms and lifted her high into the air. "Ji-Hee, you'll be going with your Unnies, okay?"

"Yeeess." With a bright grin, Ji-Hee stretched out her arms, and the red-haired beauty, Lee Ji-Yeon, came over and took her in a hug.

"Should we just rest here until you call us?" asked Lee Ji-Yeon.

"Yes. There's more time left than I expected, so feel free to show Ji-Hee around the countryside."

"What about you, Guildmaster?"

"I feel that the information gathered by the Association is a bit lacking, so I'm going on a little scouting trip."

"You're going alone...? Or you and one other person?"

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "No. I plan to take Dong-Wook as well. I'll be able to use Discernment without being detected by monsters if I'm high in the sky."

That approach did sound safe enough, yet Lee Ji-Yeon still looked worried. "Please be careful."

"Understood."

After Lee Ji-Yeon left with a waving Ji-Hee, Kim Ki-Rok went to find Nam Dong-Wook. It wasn't hard. He hadn't gone to the temporary lodging but was instead chatting with three other male Hunters by the entrance.

"Think we can pull this off?" one was saying.

"C'mon, of course we can! We're Hunters, aren't we?" another shot back.

"They're Hunters, too, y'know," a third person pointed out skeptically.

"Dude, we've got this! Who are we? We're handsome Hunters, man! Handsome!"

Seo Lee-Ha, looked conflicted. He was a promising rookie who could manipulate shadows with a skill called Shadow Control. Turning to the other male Hunters, he asked, "Hyungs, are we handsome?"

"Objectively, maybe we're not top-tier, but I'd say we're above average," replied Dong Sung-Min, a young, twenty-five-year-old with glasses. He had awakened in the military, been discharged, worked as a solo Hunter, and eventually been recruited by Kim Ki-Rok. He used a skill called Curse of Illusion, which projected illusions to enemies.

"Dong-Wook, if we're banking on our looks, we should at least bring that guy along, right?" Boo Seung-Tae—a Hunter at the same age as Nam Dong-Wook—joked while tapping his sheathed sword against the back of his neck. He was an enchanter who could generate elemental aura through his skill, Nature's Blessing."

At that moment, Kim Ki-Rok walked over. "Ah, our DG Guild's four points—East, West, South, North. The Four Cardinal Guardians."

"Guildmaster, come on..." one of the four, Seo Lee-Ha, groaned. She was worried that the weird nickname would stick.

Dong Sung-Min had already given up. "Too late. Our video is already up on the internet."

"But my name is Boo, not North[2]. And I'm telling you, that nickname sounds like a curse[3]."

"Guildmaster."

"Yes, Mr. Nam Dong-Wook, our Vermilion Bird of the South?"

"I'm kinda worried that people will just call me the South Vermillion Bird at this point[4]..." Nam Dong-Wook sighed, letting it go. "Anyway, about that incredibly handsome guy behind you—I'd like to talk with him, get to know him better. May I borrow him for a moment?"

The good-looking young man standing behind Kim Ki-Rok came into view.

Kim Ki-Rok answered evenly, "Are you referring to Mr. Lee Chil-Sung?"

***

Ten hours ago, Kim Ki-Rok had finally returned to the guild building as dawn broke. He had spent the night writing a report about the criminal cleanup operation, negotiating their rewards, and participating in a meeting on the upcoming Gate defense.

"Trendy song, trendy song... Fun music, let's all smile~♪[5]">https://www.MeTube.com/watch?v=AlW0fKWsrzE[/ref]" As Kim Ki-Rok passed through the entrance of the DG Guild headquarters, his humming suddenly halted.

"Hmm?" He saw a group of guild members in the first-floor lobby sitting on a sofa with two visitors he didn't recognize. Nobody seemed to know each other; they were just sitting there in silence.

"Ah, Guildmaster," one of the guild members said as soon as Kim Ki-Rok approached, and they all stood up. The handsome young man also carefully laid down the sleeping boy who had been dozing on his shoulder, then got to his feet.

"You've come to our guild instead of the Association for the antidote, right?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"That's correct," the handsome Hunter replied.

Upon hearing his confirmation, Kim Ki-Rok turned to the guild members on night duty. "These are acquaintances of mine. You can all get back to your tasks."

"Yes, sir. Good work out there."

"You too. Thanks for holding down the fort."

Once the night-shift guild members headed off to the duty room, Kim Ki-Rok led Lee Chil-Sung and his younger brother into the Guildmaster's office.

"What do you plan on doing once your brother regains consciousness?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"I plan to turn myself in," Lee Chil-Sung answered simply.

"As far as I know, you never committed any major crime."

"Aiding and abetting is still a crime. But I don't intend to just go to prison. I plan to negotiate with the Hunters Association. In exchange for a pardon, I'll join the Association's Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team."

Since it wasn't a severe crime, that idea stood a fair chance.

"What if you were already pardoned?"

Lee Chil-Sung stopped in his tracks. "Excuse me?"

Kim Ki-Rok rummaged around his desk drawer, searching for something. He turned his gaze to Lee Chil-Sung. "You've been pardoned. You never directly committed any serious offense. Even the Hunters chasing you were merely subdued, not killed. The Association took into account your circumstances—how you were driven to crime—and concluded that you're unlikely to reoffend. They consider you a talented Awakened with a bright future, so they decided to wipe Black Mask's criminal record."

Lee Chil-Sung looked at him in disbelief.

"Of course, I was the one who requested it," Kim Ki-Rok admitted.

He found the potion he was looking for, then plopped down across from Lee Chil-Sung. "Black Money won't release anything about your past as Black Mask. Sure, if you start hunting down Awakened criminals, they might reveal it as a form of retaliation, but for now, consider that an unlikely scenario. Likewise, if you don't deliberately antagonize them, they won't bother stirring up that hornet's nest."

Lee Chil-Sung turned to look at his younger brother lying on the sofa, sound asleep.

"The Association won't press charges, and the Awakened criminals will not bother you unless they are provoked first," Kim Ki-Rok continued.

Lee Chil-Sung tensed up, sensing that whatever was coming next was the real reason Kim Ki-Rok had done all this.

"Meanwhile, our DG Guild operates its own dormitory. We also charge very low rent for Hunters coming from other provinces. If you sell one or two mana stones to the guild, you don't even need to pay monthly rent." Kim Ki-Rok handed him the potion and continued, "So, let me ask you again. Once your younger brother wakes up, what do you plan to do?"

Lee Chil-Sung wasn't foolish enough to miss the point. Slowly opening his mouth, he gave the answer Kim Ki-Rok wanted. "I'd like to join DG Guild and work as a Hunter."

1. Acorn Jelly Rice is generally eaten cold during the summer ☜

2. Boo (부) sounds close to Book (북), which is the Korean word for north. ☜

3. The Four Cardinal Guardians in Korean (사방신) sounds like a slur. ☜

4. This is a wordplay on his name "Nam," meaning south, and South Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Cardinal Guardians in East Asian mythology. ☜

5. ☜