I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 191

191.

It was only about twenty steps, but the communication was cut off. It was a shame.

Then Baek Eun-hee shouted loudly towards them. “Hey, Maker! Are you okay?”

Maker, held by Reuben, replied in a disgruntled voice, “You’re asking that awfully late!”

“Haha, you’re fine!”

From the beginning, Maker was the target they were aiming for, so everyone assumed she would be safe.

Seo-ah stopped heading towards the American team and looked back, her heart still with Yoo Ji-an. When she made eye contact with him, he nodded. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

Even though they couldn’t move together, the thought that he was in the same gate eased her anxiety.

“I thought you said you weren’t lovers. Was that a lie?”

Seo-ah was startled by Jackson’s unnoticed approach and took a step back. “I have no reason to answer that, according to our agreement.”

“You’re not denying it.”

Seo-ah shut her mouth, surprised by the sudden rush of emotion from Jackson.

‘Why is he so angry?’

Jackson moved further from Yoo Ji-an’s team and gestured to Seo-ah. “Come this way.”

“It seems sufficient here.”

“I’ll release the restraints.”

“…….”

Yoo Ji-an’s gaze remained on Seo-ah.

Seo-ah sighed and approached Jackson.

[Skill ‘Gentle Sunlight’ is activated.]

The moment they were close, Jackson grabbed Seo-ah’s wrist with the restraints and pulled her towards him.

‘Gasp.’

She almost bumped into his chest.

Click.

The restraints were released. As she tried to pull her hand away, Jackson held her wrist tightly.

“……?”

Seo-ah stared at Jackson questioningly. Then, wondering if it was because of her skill, she turned off [Gentle Sunlight].

Jackson’s blue eyes seemed to look at her meaningfully before slowly releasing her wrist.

Seo-ah turned away and moved a few steps away from him.

‘Dangerous.’

Seo-ah rubbed her wrist, thinking about [Gentle Sunlight].

[Gentle Sunlight] was described as a skill that aroused favor in others. However, the form of that favor varied. Some saw Seo-ah as someone to protect, while others showed admiration or respect.

Occasionally, some people showed romantic feelings. It was burdensome, but manageable. However, the possessiveness she felt from Jackson’s [Emotion Transference] made Seo-ah feel uneasy and gave her goosebumps.

‘He really treats people like objects…’

In fact, it probably wasn’t just Seo-ah. Jackson had always taken the attitude of making the people he needed his own, or eliminating them if that wasn’t possible—in the past and even now.

A sharp tension spread between the two teams.

At that moment, the Japanese team arrived, approaching with a slightly faster pace upon seeing that the others were already there.

“Everyone’s here.”

A sleek, middle-aged woman approached and spoke. “My name is Shizuka, and this is Hitoshi.”

Shizuka was the leader of the Japanese team, her tone and actions conveying a military-like force. Shizuka was Japan’s representative S-Class Hunter, and Seo-ah had seen her on TV several times. Hitoshi, the young man next to her, was a Japanese S-Class Hunter who wielded the Sword of Flames.

Unfortunately, Japan had lost many S-Class Hunters during the previous S-Class Gate Break. Therefore, they currently only had three S-Class Hunters. One of them was said to be absent in preparation for a possible emergency.

Since an S-Class Gate had appeared in Japan, which was in such a state, the support of neighboring countries was essential.

The other two members of the team were foreign mercenaries: Dang Wei from China and Lilia, a support-type Russian hunter.

“Thank you all for coming. Please follow me,” Shizuka said, leading the way and explaining, “As you may be familiar with, let me tell you in advance. There are reporters outside this controlled area. The photo shoot will be short, and we will immediately plan the operation and enter the gate.”

Yoo Ji-an, walking next to Shizuka, said quietly, “I think there are too many people.”

At Yoo Ji-an’s words, Seo-ah looked around and counted. Four Koreans, four Japanese, and five Americans, totaling thirteen people.

Shizuka seemed to agree to some extent and looked back with a troubled expression. Then Jackson retorted sharply, “It’s an S-Class Gate. None of us here have ever experienced it. Shouldn’t we go with this many people for safety?”

Yoo Ji-an looked at Jackson blankly, then smiled silently and looked away.

To Seo-ah, it read, ‘I have experienced it, though,’ but it wasn’t the same in Jackson’s eyes. She could feel the inferiority complex rising in him. Seo-ah looked ahead to avoid eye contact.

‘I said it would be good to go peacefully, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to listen at all.’

As they left the harbor, they saw a buzzing crowd. The creation of an S-Class Gate was only the second time, and many people expressed interest and concern that both had been created in Japan.

During the first gate, they didn’t know the difficulty and tried to solve it within Japan itself, but eventually, a gate break occurred.

At that time, more than half of the Japanese mainland was devastated, and hunters were supported from various countries to barely manage the situation. Some of the hunters here were young at the time, some hadn’t awakened, and even if they had, they had never participated because the authorities didn’t allow it.

The press conference was quiet for a place with so many people. After Shizuka read the prepared remarks as a representative, they took one group photo and left immediately.

The reporters didn’t bother them anymore, knowing that clearing the S-Class Gate safely was more important than satisfying their curiosity.

When taking pictures, Seo-ah deliberately stood between the Korean team and the American team. Revealing that she was joining the American team now would definitely cause a stir.

Each team moved to the gate separately by car. Maker decided to stay at a hotel in Japan under the surveillance of Peter, Jackson’s escort hunter.

The S-Class Gate, which had initially only been felt as a presence, emitted such a strong magical power as they got closer that it gave her goosebumps.

It was so strong that goosebumps popped out on her skin. She became increasingly worried.

‘Is it really possible to clear it?’

Yoo Ji-an said he had cleared it twice in his previous life, so it should be possible. But experiencing it in person was on a different level than the A-Class Gate, which was just below it.

As they drove, a small, empty village appeared, and they stopped the car there.

It was the closest village to the gate, and the Japanese side had evacuated everyone within a 30-kilometer (18.6 miles) radius around the S-Class Gate in preparation for any situation. It seemed they were using the village as a base of operations.

The moment the car stopped and the door opened, Seo-ah froze.

“Hiss.”

The magical power thickly permeating the air made it hard to breathe. It seemed it wasn’t just her, as Jackson and Mila, who were getting out of the car behind her, also hardened their expressions.

Everyone gathered in the waiting room prepared by the Japanese Hunter Association, and Shizuka stepped forward to explain. “We will enter with time intervals between teams. This increases the probability that we will end up in different locations within the gate.”

Baek Eun-hee, leaning against the chair, interjected, “How do we communicate between teams?”

“Ah, we prepared for that.”

At Shizuka’s gesture, one of the staff members came over and put down three headsets. “These are items that allow long-distance wireless communication. Each team should designate one person to wear them.”

Baek Eun-hee for the Korean team, Jackson for the American team, and Shizuka for the Japanese team took the headsets. Since they could be worn and ‘hidden’ anyway, they wouldn’t get in the way during battle.

“It’s long-distance, but there are limits. According to our experiments, we have confirmed that there is no problem up to about 50 kilometers (31 miles). Beyond that, it is unstable.”

Those who received the headsets tested the wireless communication and then took time to confirm their respective positions.

But suddenly,

Thump!

“I can’t stand it. It’s so boring!”

Reuben, who had been sitting with a listless expression, slammed the table with his palm and jumped up. Everyone’s eyes were on him.

“Anyway, we don’t know what will pop out or what kind of map it is, so why don’t we just skip the strategy meeting? It seems like a waste of time.”

“But at the final boss…”

“Hey, am I wrong?”

Reuben put his arm around Seo-ah’s shoulder and leaned on her as if seeking agreement.