The Next Day
Min-Jae got ready for the raid, dressed in his usual outfit—a simple black hoodie, dark jeans, and sneakers. He looked at himself in the mirror briefly and nodded. 'Perfect.'
After taking breakfast, he drove out and picked up Han Semi from her place. She was now officially part of his team.
It wouldn't have been possible before—the guild wouldn't have let their only A-Rank healer switch from B Team, especially when she likely wouldn't be needed on Min-Jae's team at all. But recently, the Hunters Guild had hired another A-Rank healer who was assigned to B Team, making the transfer possible.
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Min-Jae reached the raid location about thirty minutes later. The gate shimmered in front of them—a moderate-sized blue portal, designated as an A-Rank gate. According to the briefing, it was just meeting the A-Rank threshold, barely above B-Rank.
A small group of hunters was already waiting—two C-Rank hunters and four D-Ranks, along with the mining team standing off to the side with their equipment, preparing for their work. They greeted Min-Jae as he arrived.
Min-Jae parked and stepped out, Han Semi following behind him.
The hunters greeted them immediately.
"Hunter Min-Jae! Good morning!"
"Morning, Hunter Han Semi!"
Min-Jae nodded in acknowledgment, scanning the group. 'Why do we even need a mining team?' he thought. 'The D-Ranks and C-Ranks could have done the mining work themselves. But whatever.'
He walked over to the group and spoke up. "Alright, everyone. Here's the plan. You all stay outside. Han Semi and I will enter and handle the gate."
There was a moment of surprised silence.
One of the C-Rank hunters blinked. "Wait, just the two of you?"
"Yeah."
Another hunter, a younger guy with short brown hair, looked both relieved and uncertain. "Are you sure? I mean, we're happy to help if—"
"It's fine," Min-Jae said casually. "Just wait here. We'll be back soon."
One of the D-Rank hunters, an older man with a cautious expression, spoke up hesitantly. "But... what if something goes wrong? It might turn out bad."
Min-Jae turned around toward the gate, waving dismissively. "It won't."
'It's not like I'm the main character or something, where I walk in and the gate suddenly turns out to be red, or an A-Rank turns out to be S-Rank, or sometimes a Double Dungeon,' he thought, shrugging off the concern.
Han Semi gave him a look but said nothing.
The two of them walked toward the gate. The other hunters watched, still looking unsure but ultimately relieved that they didn't have to go in.
Min-Jae and Han Semi stepped through the shimmering blue portal—
—and the moment they crossed the threshold, the gate flashed red behind them.
They landed on hot sand, the air immediately dry and scorching. The sky above was a harsh, cloudless expanse of pale blue, and endless dunes stretched out in every direction.
Han Semi looked around, then back at the gate—which was now glowing an ominous crimson.
"It's a Red Gate," she said, her voice calm but tense.
Min-Jae stood there for a moment, staring at the red portal.
'Guess I am the MC then,' he thought.
Before either of them could say anything else, a low rumble echoed across the desert. The sand in front of them began to shift and ripple.
From beneath the dunes, creatures emerged.
Massive scorpions, each the size of a car, their black exoskeletons gleaming in the harsh sunlight. Their tails arced high above their bodies. A total of five of them.
Han Semi took a step back instinctively. "Scorpions..."
He didn't move, but his mind was already working, analyzing, forming a plan.
"Yeah. I see them."
The scorpions screeched, their stingers poised to strike.
Min-Jae let out a long breath.
"Well," he said, "this just got interesting."
"Of course it's interesting for you. You'll take them down in seconds," she replied, taking another step back as if to give him space to do his work.
"Well, I will not."
"What do you mean?" She turned to look at him.
"Well, you're an A-Rank healer, right? Then your combat skill should be at minimum... C-Rank?" he asked.
"I've never taken part in combat. Why are you asking me that?" Her eyes narrowed, already anticipating what was coming. Min-Jae just looked at her with a "you know what I mean" expression.
"No. No. Nope. I have a magic technique, but it's simply to hold off opponents, not for taking down magic beasts like that," she clarified.
"Come on, these beasts are C-Rank at best. You can do it."
As he said this, the scorpions closed in. He simply waved his hand, using telekinesis to shove them away a good distance without causing any damage.
Han Semi let out a breath. "I'll try. But if I fail, you take care of it. And also... I just don't want to be standing around useless."
"That's the spirit."
She walked forward a bit—not much, just enough to position herself. The scorpions, obviously not ones to stay put, moved forward again. Their speed was slower than most beasts, but they were persistent.
Han Semi raised her hand, and a faint green glow began to emanate from her palm. The air around her stirred, picking up speed.
"Wind Gust!" she called out.
A sharp burst of wind shot forward, striking the lead scorpion and knocking it sideways into the sand. The creature screeched, its legs scrambling to regain balance.
"Not bad," Min-Jae said from behind her, arms crossed.
She didn't respond, focusing instead on the next scorpion. She swept her arm in a wide arc, and the green glow intensified.
"Cyclone Strike!"
A swirling vortex of wind formed in front of her, expanding rapidly. It caught two of the scorpions in its path, lifting them slightly off the ground and slamming them back down with force. The wind shredded parts of their exoskeletons, leaving visible cracks.
The remaining scorpions hesitated, their stingers raised defensively.
Han Semi was breathing a bit harder now, but her eyes were focused. She clenched her fist, and the wind around her gathered again, this time more concentrated.
"Piercing Gale!"
A concentrated blade of wind shot forward like a spear, striking one of the scorpions directly in the head. The force punched through its exoskeleton, and the creature collapsed, motionless.
"One down," Min-Jae commented.
The other scorpions screeched in response and charged.
Han Semi gritted her teeth and raised both hands. "Wind Barrier!"
A wall of swirling green wind formed in front of her, slowing the scorpions as they tried to push through. Their claws scraped against the barrier, but they couldn't break through.
She held it for a few seconds, then released it with a sharp exhale. The barrier exploded outward, sending the scorpions tumbling backward across the sand.
She stumbled slightly, catching her breath.
Min-Jae stepped forward. "Alright, that's enough. You did good."
"I'm not done yet," she said, stubbornness clear in her voice.
"You're getting tired. Let me finish it."
Before she could protest, he raised his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the remaining four scorpions were seized by telekinesis and crushed from the inside. They collapsed into lifeless heaps.
Silence fell over the desert.
Han Semi stood there, still catching her breath, then looked at him. "You could've done that from the start."
"Yeah. But where's the fun in that?" He smiled slightly. "Plus, you needed the practice."
She shook her head, but there was a small smile on her face. "You're annoying."
"So," Han Semi said, looking around at the endless dunes. "What now?"
Min-Jae scanned the horizon, but before he could answer, he turned back to her. "You didn't look like someone who hasn't trained for combat. You seemed like a trained combatant."
Han Semi brushed some sand off her sleeve, avoiding eye contact for a moment. "Well, after you told me you'd have your own team and were going to recommend my name... I just thought, if I'm going to be completely useless as a healer—since my healing abilities won't be needed—I should at least contribute something." She paused. "So I asked Gina to help me. She's a mage. Lee joined too. So... I trained for a few days."
Min-Jae raised an eyebrow. "You trained for a few days and you're already that good?"
"I wouldn't say good—"
"You took down a C-Rank beast on your first real combat. That's more than most hunters can say. Though, I have never heard them say much." He crossed his arms, a slight smile on his face. "Seriously. You did really well for just a few days of training."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "It's not that impressive..."
"It is."
"Stop," she said, laughing a bit nervously. "You're making it sound like I did something amazing."
"You kind of did."
She shook her head, but the smile stayed on her face. "You're really not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope."
She laughed again, this time more genuinely, then met his eyes. "Thanks. That actually... means a lot."
"Don't mention it."
There was a brief, comfortable silence between them.
Then Min-Jae glanced around the desert again, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "You know, since we're stuck in a Red Gate anyway..."
Han Semi looked at him warily. "What are you thinking?"
"Practical training."
"What?"
"We're stuck here until we clear the boss, right? Might as well use the time." He gestured toward the dunes. "There are going to be more beasts. You'll get real combat experience, and by the time we get out of here, you'll be as good as a B-Rank combatant. Maybe better."
Han Semi stared at him. "You want me to fight... in a Red Gate."
"Under supervision, obviously. I'll step in if things get dangerous."
"You said you didn't want to be useless, right?" He gave her a reassuring look. "Trust me. You'll be fine. And you'll come out of this way stronger than you went in."
"Okay. Fine."
Min-Jae turned toward the horizon, where more shapes were beginning to emerge from the sand in the distance. "Come on. Let's see what else this place has for us."
Han Semi took a deep breath, steadied herself, and followed.