I Have Awakened, but Mosquitoes Are My Enemies

Gate Evolution (4)

Kang Doo-sung sighs inwardly when Jun-young told him that he has become a F rank Hunter.

“Are you not awake yet?”

“Go ahead and eat, son, and drink some cold water first.”

Kyung-sun pointed at a cup of cold water that was on the table.

He told him to Drink cold water to refresh himself.

They don’t seem to believe it at all.

“Brother, last time you said you had awakened and become an S-rank hunter, but this time you’re only an F-rank? This time the scale is too small.”

Jun-seok giggles.

Kang Doo-sung nods.

“Yeah.Next time, if you’re going to dream about being a hunter, at least be an A rank hunter. What’s the point of being an F rank hunter when it’s only a dream that’s not even real? It’s like having a dream about being a chaebol, but you’re not the son or grandson of the chaebol, you’re not even the friend of the grandson, you’re just a relative of the friend, and you’re barely making ends meet.”

“What kind of analogy is that, what’s the connection between a hunter and a chaebol?”

Lee Kyung-sun scratches her head, and Kang Doo-sung smiles wryly.

“I’m just saying that you should dream big.”

“What’s wrong with being an F rank hunter? I can dream of that.”

Suddenly, the conversation shifts to not ignoring F-ranked hunters.

“Huh.”

I knew it would be like this.

It’s a normal reaction.

Who would believe me if I said that I became a F rank Hunter out of nowhere?

In fact, as Joon-seok mentioned, Joon-young did mention before that he had awakened as an S-ranked Hunter while he was still half asleep.

Of course, he quickly came to his senses after drinking cold water.

With a track record like that, it’s understandable that everyone would be sceptical.

‘In that case, I just need to show them the proof.’

This is the reason why, after awakening, I went to the ward office after awakening without telling anyone.

Just as Jun-young was about to pull out the temporary Hunter licence that he’d received from Kwak Sang-woo, the head of Hunter Management.

“I’m back.”

The front door opens and Eun-ah, the youngest, walks in.

She’s just returned from her part-time job, and for some reason, she’s completely upset.

“Ouch! It itches! I feel like I’m going to die! There are so many mosquitoes out there.”

The back of her hand is swollen and bruised.

“Did you get a mosquito bite? Don’t scratch it like that, put some medicine on it.”

Kyung-sun took the medicine for mosquito bites and handed it to Eun-ah.

“I’ve already applied it, but it’s only swelling even more.”

Eun-ah applied the medicine that she bought at the drugstore, but the swelling didn’t go away.

Kang Doo-sung walked over and looked at Eun-ah’s hand.

“Eun-ah, you must have been bitten by a mosquito from the gate.”

” Gate’s mosquitoes?”

“They’re saying that there are dangerous mosquitoes coming out from the Gate lately. They are more dangerous than regular mosquitoes, so you need to be careful. It should heal in about a day. Even Dad got bitten by those and had a tough time.”

Just then, Jun-young walked up to Eun-ah.

“Show me your hand where the mosquito bit you.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Junyoung rubbed the back of her hand with his finger.

Swish.

The swelling on the back of her hand, which looked like a bee sting, instantly disappeared.

The family’s eyes widened at the sight.

“What?”

“What just happened?”

“Huh? Did I see it wrong?”

Eun-ah was the one who was most surprised.

“The itch disappeared like a lie. How did you do it, big brother?”

“I used an ability called Rub if Bitten.”

“What’s that?”

” It’s an ability to heal mosquito bites.”

“How can you do that with just your finger?”.

Junyoung wiggled his index finger and smiled proudly.

“Because I have awakened.”

” What, awakened? Hmph, don’t be ridiculous.”

Junseok, who was next to him, stared at Junyoung’s finger.

“Somehow, I think he’s telling the truth, Eun-ah, you saw it too. He used his finger to heal the wound on the back of your hand.”

“I saw that, but I couldn’t believe it. Did Big Brother really get awakened?”

Then Kang Doo-sung asked in surprise.

“Jun-young, so what you said earlier was not a dream, but real?”

“Yes, I’ve become a F-ranked Hunter. It’s not a dream, it’s the truth.”

Jun-young then shows his temporary Hunter licence to Kang Doo-sung.

——————–

【Name】 KangJunYoung

【Hunter Rank】 F

【Attributes】 None

【Special ability】 None

【General ability】

-Rub if bitten (verified)

-Mana Mosquito Net ( Verified )

【Temporary Certificate】. This certificate confirms that the above person is an F rank Hunter.

-Hunter Management Division, Disaster Safety Bureau, Gwangjin-gu Office

——————–

“It’s a temporary certificate.”

“My official hunter’s licence will be issued in a month, but due to an urgent mission, a temporary licence was issued.”

“Oh my God, it’s real. My son is a real Hunter!!”

Lee Kyung-sun looked at the Hunter licence that Kang Doo-sung was holding and cheered.

“Give it to me, Mom. Wow! It’s real!”.

” Wow! Big brother is a Hunter now?”

Jun-seok and Eun-ah started cheering.

Kang Doo-seong exclaims with a hearty smile.

“Jun-seok, order chicken now! Let’s have a family chimack party tonight!”.

[TL : “Chimaek” is a term in South Korea. It refers to the act of enjoying fried chicken and beer together.] 

“Half fried, and half seasoned?”

“Let’s go big! One fried, one seasoned.”

“Hee hee, of course,Dad”

That’s right.

That should be the reaction.

‘This is the normal reaction.’

It’s exactly the reaction that Jun-young imagined.

* * *

At that time, at the Children’s Grand Park Gate.

It was confirmed that the gate had evolved from a disaster level 7 to a disaster level 6.

“What’s the current situation, Chief Kwak?”

“We’ve cleared out all the monsters that came out during the outbreak. I’ve since ordered to increase the number of permanent defence troops to match that of a disaster level 6 gate.”

“Are there any damages to the outer wall?”

“No. There is no need to worry, the barriers were built to withstand disaster level 5 monsters in the first place. There are a few areas that have been slightly damaged, but not enough to affect the defences and repair work has been ordered immediately.”

In front of Kwak Sang-woo, the head of Hunter Management, were Oh Jin-tae, director of the Korea Disaster Management Agency, and several senior officials from the National Guard.

“I heard that there is a significant damage on the south side of the gate,” 

“There are a total of 10 victims. There are no injured, all of them are dead.”

“Have you identified all the victims?”

“Three Hunters and seven Special Forces members who were on the south side of the gate at the time. Unfortunately, we are unable to recover their bodies.”

Oh Jintae then asked with a puzzled expression.

“Is there a reason why it’s not possible to recover the bodies?”

“What’s the problem? Team Leader Yu, what kind of monster did you say it was?”

Kwak Sang-woo looked at Yoo Jong-soo, the head of the gate management team who was standing behind him.

Yoo Jong-soo quickly replied.

“They were all eaten by a 2-star vampire.”

“Eaten?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Jong-soo briefly explained what kind of monster the 2-star vampire was.

Oh Jintae frowned.

“So what happened to that monster, are you sure it was dealt with?”

“It was last confirmed that it went back into the gate.”

“Doesn’t that mean it could come out again?”

“Not unless there is another outbreak.”

You never know when a gate is going to flood.

Periodically sending in Hunters to clear out the monsters inside the gate can reduce the frequency, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

That’s why we’ve built so many external barriers around the gate.

In addition, a permanent defence force of Special Forces and Hunter Standbys is essential.

“That 2-star vampire, I just went in and took it out, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

A woman’s voice was heard.

It was none other than Kwak Hye-nada.

Kwak Sang-woo was delighted.

“Oh, Hye-na, is that true?”

“Yes, Uncle. I don’t think there will be another outbreak for a while, but you never know. So, I went inside the gate for a while to figure out what kind of evolution the gate has undergone.”

“You went inside the gate all alone?”

“Of course, going deep inside alone would be dangerous, so I just briefly surveyed the entrance area and returned.”

Kwak Hye-na said as if it was no big deal.

“Then what about the vampire?”

“It was a bit weird. It only took one punch to kill it.”

“Only one punch? What do you mean by that?”

“Someone had pretty much killed it already, and when I found it, it couldn’t even put up much of a fight.”

At that moment, Yoo Jong-soo, who was standing next to her, spoke with a sorrowful look.

“Looks like the sacrifices of the Hunters and Special Forces members weren’t in vain.

“There must have been at least one B rank hunter among them, and if they were C rank hunters, there must have been at least ten of them, to make a 2-star vampire to that level.”

“But among the deceased there were only one D rank and two D rank hunters”

Kwak Hye-na looked puzzled.

“In that case, it’s impossible. They would have a hard time dealing with even a 1-star vampire, let alone a 2-star. The weapons of the special forces members are almost ineffective against high-level monsters.”

“But there were no other Hunters there at the time.”

“There were no survivors at all?”

“Unfortunately, they were all killed. Ah, we did get a report of one Hunter who witnessed it, but he’s just an F-rank Hunter.”

“An F rank Hunter?”

“He’s someone Ms Kwak knows quite well. 

He is That mosquito net hunter we saw at the ward office earlier——.”

“Oh, and Mr Kang Jun-young? Is he okay?”

“He’s a very lucky man. It’s a miracle that he was able to escape.”

Then Kwak Sang-woo said with relief.

“I’m glad to hear that he’s safe, although I was the one who asked him for his cooperation because of the mosquitoes, I was honestly worried.”

“You’re right. If I had known about the Grade 6 Gate Evolution, I would have never brought him with me.”

It was Yoo Jong-soo who first requested Jun-young’s cooperation.

“But he was quite helpful, he caught the bloodsuckers that had dug into the heads of the Special Forces members and treated their wounds.”

” You mean with that ability rub is bitten?”

“Yes. It’s a really strange ability.”

At that moment, Kwak Hye-na looked at Yoo Jong-soo with a surprised expression.

“Wait a minute.. Did the people who were bitten by those insects develop any kind of madness?”

“That’s right, but how do you know that without even knowing about them?”

“Oh my God, that’s a terrible insect called a cerebral bloodsucker, and if you don’t act fast, it will take away your reason and turn you into a monster who’s only obsessed with eating, just like a zombie.”

For a moment, Yoo’s expression hardened.

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard of it. But aren’t those terrifying bugs that only appear at gates of disaster level three and above?”

He had never imagined that such a terrifying bloodsucker would appear at the gate of the Children’s Grand Park, even though it was a disaster level 7 gate, and now a disaster level 6.

“Team Leader Yu is right, Hye-na, there is no way such a terrible bug can appear here. It must be something other than a cerebral bloodsucker.”

Kwak Sang-woo said firmly.

That’s because he knows how dreadful they are.

If left unchecked, they can turn the entire city into a lair of zombies.

If a person who is controlled by a cerebral bloodsucker bites another person, they too become a zombie.

Luckily, it hasn’t occurred in Korea yet, but there have been reported cases in China and Japan which have caused a lot of panic.

“No, I don’t think so, and I want to believe it’s not the case either.”

Kwak nods.

“Still, it’s wrong to assume that cerebral bloodsuckers only appear in disaster level 3 and above gates, because I killed one in a level 5 gate not too long ago.”

“Still, this is a level 6 gate, do you think they’ll come out of it?”

Guo Shangyu said that, but he couldn’t hide his unease.

“It’s easier to deal with star monsters than them.”

After all, they could always gather stronger hunters.

However, bugs like the Cerebral Bloodsucker were not only hard to see with naked eye, but they were also extremely dangerous monsters that could bite even high-level Hunters in an instant if they weren’t careful.

“Just in case, I’ll organise a team to enter the gate as soon as possible. The Cerebral Bloodsucker is a bug that digs itself into the brain, so if we fail to get rid of it, we will have no solution.” 

“Are you saying that it’s a 5-star ranked monster?”

“‘They don’t always have to be five-star, there are also 2-star and 3-star Cerebral Bloodworms, but their danger is the same.”

Kwak Hye Na said nervously.

” What’s more, fighting against vampires is very tiring. Especially when it comes to treating the symptoms of a Cerebral Bloodsucker bite,so an A rank Healer is a must.”

“I see. If the bug is indeed a cerebral bloodsucker, we need to eliminate the danger in advance, so I’ll report to the higher-ups and ask for assistance.”

Kwak Sang-woo’s expression hardened.

He hoped it wasn’t true.

But what if it is?

In the worst case scenario it will affect not only Gwangjin-gu but all of Seoul.

That’s because cerebral bloodsuckers are that dangerous.

“But didn’t the mosquito net hunter catch them easily with his fingers, Team Leader Yu?”

“Yes, sir. I saw it myself, and it was amazing. With One swipe of his finger the madness was gone, and he was killing them like it was nothing.”

Then Kwak Hye-na’s eyes lit up.

“I think we’ll definitely need Kang Joon-young’s help with this one, Uncle.”

“Right. I understand. Team Leader Yoo, contact Mr Kang right away.”

Yoo Jong-soo nodded.

“Okay, but I’m not sure if he’ll want to come. After seeing people get killed by a 2-star vampire, I don’t think he’ll want to go anywhere near the gate for a while.”

“Why don’t you call him for now?”

“I did, but he’s not answering, so it seems like my suspicions are correct.”

Kwak Sang-woo let out a long sigh.

“You shouldn’t just jump to conclusions. It’s possible that his phone is in his room and he’s talking to his family in the living room or eating a meal and doesn’t realise that he’s receiving a call.”

“I know that the chief is really positive about everything, but this couldn’t be the case.”

“Well, that’s not true. It’s an emergency situation for us, but who knows, Mr. Kang Junyoung might be having a Chimaek party right now. After all, he became an F-rank hunter, so wouldn’t his family be celebrating?”

“No. Would you put chicken in your mouth after seeing a corpse? I don’t think so. I think we should give up on calling him today——.”

Zeeeee!

Just then, the smartphone in Yoo Jong-soo’s hand vibrated.

His eyes widened.

“Huh? It’s Kang Joon-young?”

“What did I tell you? Go ahead and answer.”

Kwak Sang-woo was pleased.