Gatebreaker: The Demon War Returns

Chapter 7: C-Rank Chaos and a Glimpse of the Past

The day of the C-rank gate arrived, crisp and cold. The abandoned industrial complex on the outskirts of Seoul hummed with a nervous energy. Two high schools, Sungjin High and the more prestigious Hwaseong Academy, had sent their top Awakened students for the joint training exercise. Professional hunters, identifiable by their hardened gazes and more advanced gear, stood at the perimeter, their presence a stark reminder of the true dangers involved.

Choi Hyun-woo stood among the Sungjin students, his expression impassive. The apprehension radiating from his classmates was almost palpable. Lee Ji-hoon, the scrawny freshman he'd spoken to, looked like he was about to vomit, his face a sickly shade of green. Hyun-woo felt a flicker of something that wasn't quite pity, but a distant understanding. He remembered that feeling, the knot of terror in the gut before facing a true horror. These kids, they had no idea.

Kim Da-eun stood a few feet away, her gaze meeting his. She offered a small, encouraging nod, and he returned it, a barely perceptible dip of his head. Their silent communication was becoming a comfortable rhythm.

The gate, a swirling vortex of purple and black, was larger than the D-rank, its mana fluctuations more erratic, causing the very air to crackle. A lead hunter, a burly man with a scarred face, stepped forward. "Alright, Listen up! This is a C-rank. We're expecting larger ogres, possibly some mutated goblins, and confirmed reports of lesser demonic entities. Stick to your assigned teams! Maintain communication! And do not, I repeat, do not engage a demon type alone unless absolutely necessary!"

Hyun-woo scoffed internally. Lesser demonic entities. They were just glorified imitations. He'd seen true demons, beings that could rip souls from bodies with a glance. These were just… bigger, uglier rats.

The order was given, and the first wave of students, Hyun-woo among them, entered the gate. The air inside was heavy, metallic, and reeked of decay. The industrial complex was a labyrinth of rusted machinery and crumbling concrete, perfect for ambushes.

Almost immediately, they were set upon by a pack of hulking goblins, their skin a darker green, their clubs studded with sharpened bone. They moved with a surprising speed, their guttural snarls echoing through the confined space.

"Form up! Defensive perimeter!" Mr. Lee yelled, his voice strained.

Hyun-woo didn't wait. He surged forward, a black blur. His bare fist connected with the lead goblin's face, a sickening squelch as its skull caved in. Blood and brain matter exploded, splattering against the concrete wall.

"Fucking pathetic," he growled, already pivoting. Another goblin swung its club. Hyun-woo ducked under it, then drove his elbow into its ribs, feeling the bones crack. The goblin wheezed, collapsing. He stomped on its head, crushing it with a finality that made the surrounding students flinch.

He moved through the chaos like a ghost, his movements fluid, deadly. He wasn't just fighting; he was clearing a path, a one-man wrecking crew. He saw a group of Hwaseong Academy students struggling with a particularly large, mutated goblin, its arms thick as tree trunks. Their mana blasts barely singed its hide.

"Watch out!" one of them yelled, as the goblin swung its massive fist.

Hyun-woo was there in an instant. He intercepted the blow, not with a block, but by driving his shoulder into the goblin's arm, dislocating it with a sickening pop. The creature roared in pain, its attack diverted. Before it could recover, Hyun-woo delivered a brutal uppercut to its chin, sending it flying backward, where it crashed into a crumbling wall, its neck snapping with a wet thwack.

The Hwaseong students stared, wide-eyed and speechless. Their faces were a mixture of shock, awe, and a healthy dose of terror.

"Don't just stand there, you weaklings," Hyun-woo spat, not looking at them. "Kill the rest of these ugly bastards." It wasn't a command, but a statement of fact, delivered with the cold authority of a veteran. He then moved deeper into the complex, drawn by a deeper, more unsettling presence.

He found it in a large, open chamber: a lesser demon. It was a grotesque mockery of the true demons he knew, standing perhaps ten feet tall, with leathery, bat-like wings and crude, clawed hands. Its skin was a sickly grey, and its eyes glowed with a dull, malevolent red. It snarled, a broken, guttural sound, and lunged.

"Grrr-awk! Meat! Kill!"

Hyun-woo met its charge with a snarl of his own. "You're no demon, you piece of shit. Just a cheap imitation."

He dodged its clumsy claw swipe, then delivered a series of rapid, devastating punches to its torso. Each blow landed with the force of a battering ram, denting its leathery hide, making it grunt in pain. He felt a familiar surge of cold rage. This wasn't vengeance, not yet, but it was a release. He grabbed the demon's arm, twisted, and tore it from its socket with a wet, ripping sound. The demon shrieked, a surprisingly high-pitched sound, and stumbled back, black blood gushing.

He then drove his bare foot into its knee, shattering the bone, and as it fell, he plunged both fists into its chest, tearing through flesh and bone, reaching for its mana core. He ripped it out, a pulsating, black orb, and crushed it in his hand. The demon convulsed, then went limp, dissolving into black dust.

He stood amidst the dissipating dust, his breathing even, his knuckles bruised but unbroken. The fight had been exhilarating, a fleeting taste of the power he once wielded. But it still wasn't enough. It wasn't the true demons. It wasn't her.

As he turned, he saw Kim Da-eun standing at the entrance to the chamber, her face pale, her eyes wide. She had witnessed the entire, brutal display. Her gaze met his, and for a moment, he saw not fear, but a flicker of something akin to understanding, a recognition of the raw, terrifying power that resided within him. He didn't look away. The steel wall was still there, but perhaps, just perhaps, she was beginning to see past it.