Chapter 3: An S+ Class gate?

“Ten cheeseburgers, three large fries without soda, and five vanilla sundaes. Relay the message to Mr. Bomin who just ran out.”

Cheon Areum spoke up, gazing at Yoon Seoyul, wanting to sit closer to him. Before he could move on his own, Yoon Seoyul noticed—and without a word, slipped off his coat and reached for him, pulling him down onto his lap. Cheon Areum settled there easily, his legs resting on either side of Yoon Seoyul’s thighs as he melted into the familiar hold. The coat was draped around him, enveloping his upper body completely, cocooning him so thoroughly that not even a strand of hair was left exposed.

Wrapped in darkness and warmth, Cheon Areum didn’t mind at all. He closed his eyes, resting his head against Yoon Seoyul’s chest, his breathing gradually evening out as he relaxed into the comforting scent of Yoon Seoyul’s pheromones. Yoon Seoyul’s hand moved in slow, steady pats along his back, and from above him came a gentle, low whisper—soft enough to be meant for Cheon Areum alone.

“Feeling nauseous?”

“Hm…”

Cheon Areum gave a quiet, absent-minded hum in response. From the small gap between Yoon Seoyul’s chest and the coat wrapped around him, he peeked out slightly, his face half-hidden as if the effort itself was too much. The sound came out faint and drowsy, more a vibration than a proper answer. Yoon Seoyul kissed him on the forehead before he tucked himself back in again, clinging closer, affectionately seeking solace in him. Hugging Yoon Seoyul, Cheon Areum tenderly rubbed into him, eyes closed, yet his awareness remained sharp—his energy still patrolling the room, silently surveying every corner.

After a considerable amount of minutes, Kim Bomin appeared, arms overflowing with bags, and carefully placed them on the table in front of them. Cheon Areum straightened slightly, ready to eat, as Yoon Seoyul adjusted the jacket he had draped over him—a jacket that was clearly too large for Cheon Areum’s frame.

He zipped it up, brushing and fixing Cheon Areum’s hair with his fingers, and only then fully removed the coat he had been using to conceal him. Cheon Areum slid into a new seat beside Yoon Seoyul, picking up a burger. In just three decisive bites, he finished a single burger. On his fifth burger, Cheon Areum glanced at the people with ruminative expressions and slowed down, urging them to start the meeting.

“I can eat and listen at the same time. If it doesn’t damage your sense of pride, you can continue with the meeting. It seemed to be something really important?”

Kim Bomin, out of breath, fanned his face, clearly not volunteering to begin the meeting. The chief of hunter operations and Head of Dungeon & Energy Analysis, Choi Yuna, both stared at Yoon Seoyul, keeping their lips sealed. Leaving only the executive director, who put on a stern glare and began to speak.

“Mr. Cheon Areum, are you aware of the state of the country?”

“Do I need to be? I mean, I do know about the new surge of S-Class gates, and there must be a new awakener that has caused it this time.”

Recounting what he had read in the book, this was the logic of the world: whenever a surge of new gates appeared, it meant a new awakener had emerged. It was the same as the age-old question of which came first—the chicken or the egg. In this case, the answer was clear. The awakeners came first, and the gates followed after, like eggs left in their wake.

“Yes. The last time it happened two years ago, it was when you reawakened as an S+ Class, Mr. Cheon Areum. The energy surges that cause this imbalance have been about the same as last time—that is, until two days ago, when Ms. Yuna reported a 20% increase in energy around Seoul, and just the next day, the number of S-Class gates doubled, causing all the teams from other cities to come here for assistance.”

That must be why Yoon Seoyul alone had to clear four gates yesterday, barely making it home at dawn and going out again early in the morning.

“Am I needed for backup?”

He had asked Yoon Seoyul the same thing, but he was refused instantly, as he had expected. Maybe that’s why Yoon Seoyul was against him hearing this. Han Myunhjin slightly shook his head.

“It’s not as simple this time. Today alone, the energy levels increased again by another 20%, but there weren’t as many S-Class gates today as there were yesterday. Ms. Yuna suspects that this is a sign of a new gate—an S+ Class gate. One we have never encountered before. Currently, the only residing S+ Class hunter in the country is you, Mr. Cheon Areum.”

“What am I needed for then?”

If that was true, he will have to enter the S+ Class gate, no doubt.

“What we need from you is for you to hunt this new S+ Class awakener who is refusing to be found out and register. The registration period is a week for new awakeners, and two weeks have passed, but we have yet to know anything about this new awakener, and that usually is never a good sign.”

Han Myunhjin looked him in eyes as he spoke with conviction.

“Mr. Cheon Areum, you are the only one capable of restraining an S+ Class awakener. The S+ gate can be cleared by gathering the masters of the top guilds, but for this mission, there is no one else.”

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