Chapter 43. Crush
They arrived at the scene.
As soon as they got out of the car, the cause of the disaster alert came into view.
“That’s quite large, isn’t it?”
“Wow, it looks completely red!”
Two gates standing symmetrically across a road from each other.
Unlike the gates they had seen before, these were drenched in bright red.
Commonly called the ‘Red Gate’.
Once it appeared, it would unleash monsters in a matter of minutes and then vanish into thin air.
“I hope the citizens have evacuated safely.”
Unlike the Blue Gate, which could lead to accidents if left unattended, the Red Gate was a 100% stampede trigger, making it quite a headache.
“Ugh, I hope the red doesn’t pop up in urban areas like this~”
But that was only true when there weren’t enough personnel to handle it.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
By the time the heavy footsteps of a beast echoed from beyond the gate.
Esther snickered and addressed those standing behind her.
“It’s time for our Guild Master to work, so you all just stay in the corner!”
The staff from the Korean Magic Tower quickly distanced themselves from Esther.
Kim Gi-ryeo, who had been unceremoniously dragged along, thought blankly.
‘Haven’t I come too far? At this rate, no one will be able to support Esther.’
Until that point, he had been underestimating the S-Class Hunters on Earth.
With Kang Chang-ho, and Jeong Ha-seong.
They weren’t able to exert their full power because they were stuck with him, an F-Class Hunter, in a narrow, confined space.
Grrrrrr…
Shraaa!
Grrgh, grrrk.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, please don’t get anywhere near our representative from now on. Got it?”
But today, he was about to find out the overwhelming presence of an S-Class Hunter without restrictions.
Thud, thud…
From both sides of the gates, countless monsters began to appear.
A headless giant picking up a log.
A little demon giggling maliciously.
Esther surveyed the advancing horde of monsters like a black wave, and leisurely took a step forward.
“I’ll start from the left. I’m left-handed after all.”
However, with every step she took, strange phenomena unfolded.
Hehehe, heeek? Ack!
The monstrous creatures that approached with murderous intent suddenly flipped over and collapsed.
Thud, thud.
Like a poisoned rat.
As Esther drew closer to the gate, the number of monsters shrieking only multiplied.
Kaah! Kaah!
Grrr…
A shapeless terror loomed over the streets.
Yet, only one person in attendance understood everything that was happening accurately.
‘This insane, it’s the real deal.’
A curse was a form of strong suggestion.
It could turn a healthy person into a sick one in an instant.
It could inflict pain on a doll by stabbing it with a needle.
All these phenomena could not happen without the brain being deceived.
‘That’s why cursed magic requires incredible concentration.’
Gi-ryeo felt the swirling energy around Esther and shrank back.
She was like a gigantic storm now that she had activated her magic.
These creatures that entered her influence would not be spared, cursed, and killed without a second thought.
‘So that’s why the staff ran away. Just brushing against her spell range would meant trouble.’
Rough and rugged magic power.
Even so, there was no hesitation in wielding her strength.
“Anything that obstructs my path will boil to death!”
As the sorcery flowed from Esther’s mouth.
Bang.
Countless little demons’ heads erupted simultaneously.
Bubbling.
Even the giant monsters with clubs were no different.
Esther’s curse skill swept away the monstrous army in an instant.
Thick black blood splattered like fireworks and soon soaked the road, creating an unreal scene.
Whoa!
“Ah, is that the boss?”
And at that moment.
A mournful howl echoed from beyond the two gates.
After all the minions were slain.
Esther confirmed the identity of the last monster and burst into laughter.
“Puhahaha! So, that’s why it couldn’t come out quickly!”
The boss of this Red Gate was none other than a bipedal beast.
But the problem was, they were not just large, they looked enormous.
“Isn’t that thing going to get stuck in the gate?”
Esther smirked while looking at the giant beast that seemed at least ten stories tall.
The monster had a square-jawed silhouette, making it look even duller and more foolish.
‘Huh?’
However…
Unlike the relaxed Esther, Kim Gi-ryeo felt a bit of a crisis.
After all, this kind of monster popped out of the right Red Gate.
EEEEE…
The second boss that appeared was none other than a massive hunk of scrap metal.
It was a mechanical beast similar to the one on the left side.
‘That’s not even a living being!’
Of course, curses wouldn’t work on such objects.
‘Did I come to watch this for no reason? That’s a complete weakness against cursed mages.’
But that was unnecessary worry.
“Ah~ the other side is a robot?”
Saying this, Esther immediately kicked off the ground and dashed.
In an instant, she closed the distance and smashed the machine with her fist.
Boom!!
A dull sound reverberated through the street.
Esther’s heavy strike dented the metal beak of the machine.
That’s the way it is. If magic doesn’t work, then overwhelming hardware from an S-Class can be used to pound it down.
“……”
Gi-ryeo quietly covered his ears while witnessing Esther’s hunt.
Kang! Kwang!
Just closing his eyes felt like listening to a building being demolished.
“Surely when our representative goes in, two A-Class Reds get dealt with swiftly.”
“When Esther Hunter is at headquarters, I feel oddly reassured!”
The guild members seemed to think the outcome was already decided and started chatting happily.
“Wait a second!”
But the next moment.
“What’s the problem?”
“Over there, look!”
A staff member from the tower suddenly pointed and began to shout.
Where they looked, there stood a middle-aged woman.
She was holding car keys and looking around…
“Civilians?”
The moment they spotted this, the atmosphere around them drastically changed.
“Oh no!”
“Crazy! It’s clearly a blocked road, why are they sneaking in here?”
C-Class hunters from the Magic Tower bolted out in shock.
And they grabbed the individual ruthlessly, causing a small scuffle in the process.
“What are you doing?!”
“Get off the road right now!”
“No, can Awakened people just lay hands on other people so freely? Let go! I just need to grab the car over there quickly!”
It seemed someone had come to move their belongings after seeing the Red Gate alert news.
The tower staff turned pale in unison as they saw the civilian.
“You should have moved that earlier! When did the alert go off?!”
Gi-ryeo was also sweating profusely, equally worried.
‘It’s not the monsters that are the issue right now.’
Hadn’t he just compared Esther to a storm?
The more enormous the inherent power, the harder it becomes to master delicate magic control.
So when Esther fought, she unleashed a wide-ranging curse that could engulf the entire area…
‘If a Non-Awakened gets caught in an S-Class spell…’
An innocent civilian might end up dead.
The Magic Tower Hunters seemed to have reached the same conclusion and immediately reached out to deter the newcomer.
But a situation they had feared occurred first.
“What? Why is a civilian here?!”
“Representative!!”
Having defeated the mechanical beast, Esther moved to the center of the road to catch the last boss.
The eye of the storm had shifted.
Thus, this left road was instantly ensnared in the magic’s sphere of influence.
Consequently, an evil S-Class curse was inches away from clawing at a civilian.
“Get that person to safety right now!”
Esther reflexively canceled all the skills she had activated.
She withdrew her magic to protect the civilian.
But that action triggered a huge backlash.
UUUUU!
The white beast howled and tossed its head back.
As the curse suppressing it vanished, it seemed to burst forth with the fury it had been holding back.
“Gyaah!”
“Esther!!”
Thud, thud, thud!
The boss of the Red Gate unleashed its unique ability.
Raining down its angular forepaw directly atop the S-Class Hunter’s head.
While Esther crossed her arms to protect her head quickly, it was not just a simple punch.
“What… what is this?!”
Boom.
By the time the beast’s hoof made a deafening sound.
A drastic geological change occurred in the land Esther stood on.
The ground trembled.
A sticky liquid started to rise.
Half of her lower body sank.
“Ugh!”
It was a swamp.
A purple swamp had suddenly formed in the city center due to the monster’s magic.
‘My legs are stuck!’
Esther found herself trapped in the middle of this swamp.
She was immobilized.
However, this crisis was unrealistically short-lived.
“Representative! The civilian has been evacuated!”
As soon as she heard the news that the visitor had vanished, Esther activated her curse again toward the boss.
What kind of monster could withstand the maximum output of an S-Class?
UUU, UUUU…!
The giant beast experienced a death-like illness, frothing at the mouth and panting before eventually collapsing with its tongue lolling out.
Thud…
Indeed, it was an overwhelming difference.
An S-Class was supposed to face no significant crisis in this battle.
“I’ve got it!”
The tower staff cheered.
Having had two A-Class Red Gates appear without any human casualties was a definite success.
“Wow, when that person entered, I really thought we were doomed!”
“What did that lady say when moving her outside of the control zone? She said she felt like her arm was broken from an Awakened person touching her!”
“Ugh~”
However, amid the conversations filled with relief, a small voice piped up from somewhere.
“Um…”
Everyone stopped talking and turned toward the direction of the sound.
“I think I’m sinking deeper…”
There, a woman was two-thirds submerged in the swamp. Hadn’t it been that bad just a moment ago?
“TV says when you fall into quicksand, lying back might help, so I just tried it. But somehow, it seems like I’m sinking more.”
Esther looked up at the staff outside the swamp with a sad face.
“What should we do? I think there’s a rescue rope in the trunk…”
“Ugh, well…”
But the staff also found themselves in a tough spot.
Because the swamp Esther was in wasn’t just a regular bog.
Bubbling purple sludge with faintly flowing green oil.
This substance had been sensationalized in various media three years ago, and now barely anyone was unaware of it.
‘A-Class monster’s poisonous swamp…!’
That was a potent toxin characteristic of gate creatures.
It was common knowledge among the people here that such a liquid color indicated toxicity.
Thus, the tower staff couldn’t act recklessly.
What if, due to the battle’s aftermath, the swamp’s deadly poison splattered everywhere, and someone accidentally stepped in it?
Just being exposed to fumes could also be dangerous.
‘I may be S-Class, and I do have poison-resistant gear, so I could endure.’
Knowing this, Esther could not move carelessly.
With her S-Class physical capabilities, she could certainly get out of the swamp but moving around could cause the poison to spread widely.
Esther silently fretted over the cleaning crew that would have to come after her.
“……”
Yet here, among the Korean Hunters, there was one person who was uniquely unaware of the news from three years ago.
“Hmmm.”
Gi-ryeo quietly thought to himself as he alternated his gaze between Esther, who was submerged to her waist, and the staff members who were just fidgeting around.
‘What on earth did these guys dislike so much about their boss to just stand by like this?’
He mistakenly thought the staff were avoiding Esther out of bad feelings…
Of course, he understood their perspective.
He also sometimes felt like throwing his boss in the swamp back in his hometown.
But that was that.
‘But isn’t this kind of a pity?’
He sympathized with Esther’s situation.
She hadn’t fallen into the swamp by her own fault; she’d ended up this way trying to protect a civilian who ignored the restrictions.
‘Alright, I feel like helping. Let’s give that wicked boss a chance.’
He resolved to step forward to assist Esther.
“Excuse me, um, staff over there?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Didn’t you say there’s a rope in the trunk? Can I borrow it for a moment?”
