n

n

n***

nRumble, boom, boom!

nThe sky rang with the sound of thunder as if it was angry.

nThe thin drops of rain grew thick again.

nOnce the barracks were made, Min Sung watched Ho Sung Lee from inside the spacious barracks.

nHo Sung Lee was making ramen for lunch inside the barracks.

n

n

nThe smell of ramen made him feel like they went camping.

nThe smell was unbelievable.

nMin Sung’s appetite surged, but he patiently waited.

nLuckily, it didn’t take long to make ramen, so he was able to eat soon enough.

n“It’s ready, Sir.”

nHo Sung Lee placed the pot of ramen on the table and set Min Sung up with a side plate and wooden chopsticks.

n“Shall I bring you silver chopsticks instead?” Ho Sung Lee asked.

n“No.”

nMin Sung immediately split his wooden chopsticks apart.

nAfter moving some of the noodles and added ingredients onto his plate, he scooped up the broth with a ladle.

n

n

nDrip, drip, drip, drip!

nWhile listening to the rain dropping onto the barracks, eating ramen inside the cold tent felt quite quaint.

nThe white steam was radiating from the ramen while the seafood inside the ramen gave off outstanding visuals.

nIt was no ordinary ramen.

nRamen depended on the atmosphere.

nRainy day.

nOn top of that, when eating it outside, it was a dish that was more than perfect for a meal.

nMin Sung lifted the noodles with his wooden chopsticks.

nThe hot steam was radiating in all four directions.

nMin Sung opened his mouth wide and inhaled the noodles completely.

n

n

nSlurp!

nThe noodles slurped into his mouth.

n“Huu.”

nHe breathed out hot steam from his mouth.

nThe scent of seafood and MSG flooded over him.

nIt was delicious.

nThe taste of the ramen in the cold outdoor air was explosive.

nOn top of that, he quickly drank the broth on his plate before it got cold.

nSlurp!

nThe spicy broth filled with hot peppers flowed through his lips and down his throat.

n

n

n“Kya…”

nMin Sung exclaimed as he picked up a piece of crab with his wooden chopsticks.

nIt was sliced up into quarters so that it was easier to eat.

nMin Sung put the crab to his mouth and chewed on it.

nThe soft meat of the crab slipped into his mouth.

nAt the same time, the ramen broth exploded in his mouth while he chewed on the soft meat of the crab.

nIt was a phenomenal taste.

nIt almost made Min Sung forget about the gate.

nMin Sung ate a shrimp as he transferred more noodles to his side plate and focused all of his attention on the ramen.

nThe noodles slopped around as if it was alive.

n

n

n***

nScreech!

nA dark sedan drove through the storm and arrived on site.

nThe driver quickly got out of his car and opened the back door.

nJi Yoo Kim got out of the car with a raincoat on.

nAnd when the driver attempted to hold an umbrella over her head, Ji Yoo Kim lifted her hand to signal that she was okay.

nThe driver bowed and returned to his car.

nJi Yoo Kim took a deep breath as she walked toward the gate where Min Sung and Ho Sung Lee were situated.

nA moment later, Ji Yoo Kim arrived at the barracks.

nHo Sung Lee, who was smoking a cigarette, spotted Ji Yoo Kim and immediately put out his smoke.

n“Commander Kim, you’re here,” greeted Ho Sung Lee.

nJi Yoo Kim nodded and approached him.

n“Where’s Min Sung?”

n“He said he wanted to patrol around. Please come inside.”

nHo Sung Lee pointed to the tent.

nJi Yoo Kim followed him inside.

n“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

n“Thank you.”

nJi Yoo Kim flashed a smile.

n“Don’t mention it.”

nJi Yoo Kim sat on the sofa. She rubbed her hands together and browsed inside the tent.

nMeanwhile, Ho Sung Lee handed her a mug of coffee and sat across from her.

n“Thank you.”

nHo Sung Lee smiled in response.

nShe drank coffee while listening to the rain.

nA moment of silence… And then Ji Yoo Kim stared into space and opened her mouth.

n“Once one thing’s over, another starts. There’s really no end, is there?”

nJi Yoo Kim showed a sad smile.

n“Let’s hope this is the last.”

nAt that moment…

nStep!

nThey heard someone approaching.

nWhen Ji Yoo Kim and Ho Sung Lee looked toward the entrance, Min Sung entered.

nJi Yoo Kim and Ho Sung Lee immediately sprang up.

n“You’re here,” Ji Yoo Kim greeted.

nMin Sung nodded in response. He took out a bottle of water to drink and then sat down in the empty seat.

n“Where were you?” Ho Sung Lee asked.

n“I went to check for any traces.”

n“Traces…?”

n“Traces of devils.”

nIn response to Min Sung’s response, Ji Yoo Kim’s face stiffened up.

n“So did you find anything?”

n“No.”

nJI Yoo Kim closed her eyes and sighed.

n“What a relief.”

nMin Sung stared into the distance with a stiffened face.

nAnd that face made Ji Yoo Kim feel anxious.

n“Is there a problem?” Ji Yoo Kim asked.

n“Yes. A big one.”

n“I did hear that a demon creature appeared and that it was much more powerful than last time.”

n“And even more devils will start pouring out soon.”

nMin Sung showed a look on his face that he had never made before.

nHe didn’t look as confident as he always looked.

nThere was a slight anxiousness in his face.

nThe entire world felt relieved regarding the monsters because of Min Sung.

nSo if Min Sung himself felt anxious, that meant that what was to come would be more horrifying than ever before.

nJi Yoo Kim didn’t want to believe what was actually happening.

n“I heard you don’t approve of setting up defense lines like last time. Why is that?”

n“Because there’s no use,” replied Min Sung.

nIt appeared that there was no use in setting up countermeasures against the invasion of devils.

n“We don’t have countermeasures either,” stressed Min Sung.

nJi Yoo Kim lost feeling in her legs and plopped down in her seat.

nShe then covered her face with both hands.

nA strange feeling was making her feel tingly all over her body.

n“Do we know of any gates that appeared in other countries?”

nJi Yoo Kim shook her head.

n“No, not yet.”

nMin Sung thought for a moment before explaining.

n“If this is actually a passageway and not a dungeon… it’s possible no more gates will appear.”

nIn response, Ji Yoo Kim’s eyes twinkled.

n“Then…”

nMin Sung nodded and looked at Ji Yoo Kim.

n“It’s highly likely that this is the only gate that’s open.”

nJi Yoo Kim gulped.

n“Even if that’s the case, if devils start flooding out, it’ll be hard for you to stop them on your own.”

n“Since we can’t expect the best-case scenario, we’ll have to prepare for the worst.”

n“What can we do? We’ll follow your orders, and the World Hunter Association will also help.”

nMin Sung sighed.

n“First, we must evacuate our country.”

n“We’ll ask for the help of the association. We’ll ask them for temporary immigration. When should I proceed?”

n“Tomorrow.”

nAfter Min Sung answered, he asked Ho Sung Lee to bring him a hot cup of tea.

nWhile Ho Sung Lee prepared the tea, Ji Yoo Kim stared at Min Sung with anxiousness.

n“It’ll take some time, but we’ll do it as soon as possible, and the Central Institute as well as the World Hunter Association will find a way…”

n“No. No need for anything else. Just prepare a magic stone.”

n“Magic stone…?”

n“That’s right. Secure as many magic stones as possible.”

n“Where are you going to use them?” Ji Yoo asked Min Sung with confusion.

nMin Sung tapped his pocket.

nIn response, Bowl crawled out.

nBowl then plopped back down on Min Sung’s thigh and fell back asleep.

nBut then…

n“Ssol, Repone.”

nIn response to Min Sung’s calling…

nFlap! Flap!

nThe sound of wings flapping could be heard.

nWhen Ji Yoo Kim looked in the direction of the tent’s entrance, the red dragon, Repone, flew in with Ssol on his back.

nJi Yoo Kim’s pupils dilated, and her face was full of surprise.

nRepone landed on the ground with Ssol still on his back, and Ssol flashed a smile before running over to Min Sung and rubbing his head on his leg.

nAs for Repone, he drank the water in a bowl nearby.

n“H-how…”

nJi Yoo Kim was unable to take her eyes off of the red dragon, Repone.

n“Is that a dragon?” Ji Yoo Kim asked in a shaking voice

n“Yeah.”

nMin Sung answered in a calm voice, but Ji Yoo Kim was unable to accept it so easily.

nIt was a legendary dragon.

nJi Yoo Kim slowly got up with a shocked face and cautiously walked toward Repone, who was drinking water.

nShe then stopped and looked back at Min Sung.

n“Can I see him from up close?”

n“I’m not sure. Be careful. He looks like a baby, but he’s a strong one.”

n“Oh…”

nJi Yoo Kim stayed silent for a moment before courageously approaching him and going down on her knees.

nRepone, who was drinking water, looked back at Ji Yoo Kim.

nAnd then…

n“Roar.”

nRepone made a small sound.

n“S-so cute,” mumbled Ji Yoo Kim with a flushed face.

nShe looked back at Min Sung.

n“This cute dragon is that powerful?”

nMin Sung nodded.

nRepone then walked over to a comfy cushion and curled up to sleep.

nJi Yoo Kim returned to Min Sung.

n“So you need the magic stones for Bowl and that small dragon.”

nMin Sung watched the dragon sleep after he drank some water and opened his mouth.

n“His magical ability is phenomenal, but he can’t understand my commands. Once I can control that guy…

nMin Sung turned to Ji Yoo Kim with an intense gaze.

n“Devils won’t be able to get out of his area no matter how many floods out.”

nJi Yoo Kim looked at Repone with an emotional face after hearing that he could be their only hope for saving humanity.

n“It all depends on that guy,” said Min Sung in a low voice with his eyes fixed on the sleeping Repone.

n