“Finally done…” Byung-Ho slumped against the stone walls near the entrance of the gate.

Sweat dripped from his body as he caught his breath. After a few seconds of relaxation, he stood up and emptied the sack he carried here. The Hallway near the Portal had a few piles he crystalline rocks.

Essence Stones, one of the prized items found in Gates. Most of the light reflected off the stone’s smooth surface. But inside, the specks of colors shimmered as a dim glow surrounded it.

‘When dense Magic energy is trapped in one place from where it can’t escape it takes the physical form of a heavy stone that is mixed with the elements in the air. Inside Gates, these conditions line up near the boss room which emanates a ton of energy.’ He repeated the lines in his head to remember them. Byung-ho wanted to learn more about it from Do-Yun about the Gates. But, they had a job to do, so he only got a brief explanation.

That is why, he moved his tired steps down the hallway with empty sacks. Following the arrow markings he stuck to the path he had tread multiple times now. What tired him out weren’t the repeated journeys back and forth that took two hours, nor was it the weight of the Essence Stones. The thing that stressed him out the most was the fear of triggering Traps.

‘With Hyung, we didn’t trigger even one of them.’ A wry smile appeared on his lips as he saw the occasional arrows strewn along the path.

The first time he triggered one on his way to the entrance alone, he nearly had a heart attack. Thankfully, his barrier made it in time when he heard the similar sound of the arrow cutting through the air. Since then Byung-Ho had to be extra careful which took extra concentration.

“You’re back. Take some rest and we’ll enter the boss room.” Do-Yun said as he entered the ending cavern.

The only thing left in this Gate now was the Boss Room. Do-Yun wasn’t interested in mining the Essence Stones at all. But, Byung-Ho took up mining and gathering upon himself. Otherwise, this would be a loss if they just left it as is.

Do-Yun didn’t mind his decision either. And now he was about to meditate to increase his Aura control in the meantime. But, he soon raised an eyebrow when Byung-Ho stood in front of him.

“Hyung, I am fine let’s finish the raid.” He wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.

He didn’t plan on slowing down the process any further. Transferring 60 kilograms of stone didn’t take anything out of him physically. On the way back Byung-ho’s mental strain had recovered considerably because he didn’t trigger any more traps.

“You sure?” Do-Yun raised an eyebrow.

“Yes Hyung, my recovery is fast because of high Vitality.” He gave a thumbs-up with a serious tone.

“Alright then, let’s end this.” Do-Yun didn’t ask anymore and opened the Boss room door.

The stones on the ceiling and floor lit up the dark room as they stepped inside. This area was three times larger than the hall they fought the ant army in. The room still held a circular shape, but aside from plain stones bricks, and tiles, there was nothing else of note aside from the Boss.

In the middle, the giant ant roused up. Its body was larger than a full-sized bus, it moved around with the help of multiple legs connected to it. Her snapping jaw could crush two cars at the same time, as the grey exoskeleton shone under the light from the luminous stones. As soon as the antenna atop her head caught their presence, it rushed toward them with a piercing screech.

“H…Hyung…” Rooted in disbelief Byung-Ho pushed the words out. This was the Boss of a Green Gate so the bar was high, even the wolf from before had incredible speed.

However, this didn’t make sense at all.

“Isn’t it too slow?” Byung-ho’s confused words hung in the air.

A normal Human can beat that monster in a race. Its body was too heavy for the thin legs. This raid would be a piece of cake for anyone. All they had to do was attack with full force, by the time that ant turns they can run around and continue the attack. However, that wasn’t all true.

“Even if she is a young Queen don’t take her lightly. That exoskeleton will shrug off about 60% of the damage from Physical and Magic attacks. And if we get caught in her jaws after we run out of energy it will crush us into paste no problem.” Do-Yun said examining the exoskeleton.

Since the shade of grey was lighter, this Ant Queen should be in the middle of her maturing stage. Even then facing her would prove to be a big problem for most at this stage.

“But Hyung’s attack can do the damage, right?” Byung-Ho asked putting his shield up. If the Ant Queen had that much attack then he’d need to be on his toes. However, if the damage wasn’t enough then they’d be getting nowhere which would be the worst outcome.

“Well, the normal attacks won’t put a dent in her. But, I got just the move to deal with her.” Do-Yun would be sticking to his plan, and that was to force his way through.

‘If I had a weapon that could conduct Aura this would be easier. But, it is quite the thing to ask for in a world that has barely figured out the energy system.’ He winded up his right arm with a sigh.

To an Aura user, weapons were important as they served as the conduit to release the attacks. Using bare fist with Aura turned out to be more wasteful and the types of attacks he could do were limited too. Even then, the only hope for getting a weapon that he can use would be from the tower, till then he’d have to do without one.

‘It is time to reap the fruits of the time I spent training.’ He smirked.

Standing next to the thorax of the Queen Ant, Do-Yun took a stance. He took a deep breath through his nostrils. The Aura rings around his heart spinning at full force sending aura through his body. But his right arm contained most of it. The muscles in his arm strengthened further as his bones became tougher with aura running through them.

Aura Methods came with more than breathing techniques and meditation advice. The ones who made Aura Training Methods often recorded their combat moves and insights they’ve gained throughout their lives. This is what made Aura Training Methods more valuable the higher their ranks were, as they were made by legendary Sword Grandmasters and Martial Saints. The Aura Method Do-Yun used now also contained combat moves from its creator.

However, the Queen’s next move made his lips turn into a smirk. In that short time, the Ant Queen deployed her skill. She knew there was no way to keep up with him in speed as he blitzed near her. So, she went for her last resort. The grey exoskeleton turned metallic in color. He could feel the thick Magic Energy running through it. This skill increased her defense by three times.

‘This is an unexpected jackpot.’ Undeterred Do-Yun sent his hand toward the exoskeleton. His outstretched fingers made contact with the cold shell first.

Aura gathered at the tips of his fingers. With a twist of his wrist, he created a vortex of aura that shot forward to crush everything.

Argon’s Aura Heart Method. Chapter 1: Combat Moves For Newbies. 1st Move: Dragon Claw Twister.

With a thundering bang, the screaming air kicked up dust throughout the room.

“Ugh!” Byung-Ho put his hands in front of him.

He could follow Do-Yun till he rushed to the side of the Queen Ant. But, he didnt catch anything after that. The result of the first attack was this. From last time he understood losing sight would put him at a severe disadvantage.

He rushed forward and called for his shield to prepare for a surprise attack, as even if the Queen Ant was slow she too made no noise when moving. Soon he could see her silhouette through the dust

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When the dust settled he would rush ahead to gather the Queen Ant’s attention. That way Do-Yun could land a few more of these attacks to end the monster.

But when the dust came down, his mind stopped working. In front of him, the Ant Queen lay on the floor motionlessly. The metallic shell has lost its gleam as her entire midsection was strewn across the floor and onto the wall to the left.

Argon’s Aura Heart Method had Four Chapters. Aside from the introduction which contained meditation and breathing techniques, the other three chapters each had three moves.

‘Moves of this level are often intermediate level moves of S rank Aura Methods. However, that Draconic bastard made it an entry-level move because of his high standards.’ Do-Yun smiled clenching his numbed fingers.

Even with the endurance training he did this took a toll on his bones and Muscles. The amount of Aura that his arm had to endure would’ve broken it in pieces if wasn’t familiar with the move.

‘Try Harder! Is what you’d say, wouldn’t you?’ Do-Yun shook his head and picked up the shard from the Ant’s shell.

It had lost its metallic sheen, it made him sigh. When a Monster dies using a skill that strengthens it, there is a chance that effect stays on after its death.

‘It might be because the Ant Queen was still not mature. Well, whatever.’ He walked to the absent-minded Byung-ho and struck him out of the shock. They didn’t have a lot of time to do this.

“Get the sacks now and get to gathering.”

“Ugh, uh yeah, Gathering! Gathering?” The confusion wore off only for more to arrive.

Didn’t they get the Essence stones? Was there anything else they needed to gather? Seeing his confusion Do-Yun pointed at the shards of the Ant Queen’s exoskeleton on the floor.

“That is an important resource so gather as many pieces as you can in the next 10 minutes.” Even if not strengthened, this exoskeleton had its uses.

“Oh, are we not gathering all of it?” There would be many left behind if he only had 10 minutes. If he got 20 to 30 more minutes he would be able to gather even more. And more than half of the ant’s body remained too.

“The amount of the commodity determines its price,” Do-Yun smirked. It was time to cast the second net.

[The Time before the Gate Closes...... 1 Hour.]

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“Welcome back sir! Everyone what are you standing around for handle the items bring some water!” Upon his exit from the Gate, Do-Yun was greeted by the over-enthusiastic Beom.

The soldiers in the base moved about to handle the essence stones. Byung-ho wanted to help but he couldn’t find a moment to step in, the soldiers were clearly instructed on how to handle the items from the Gate. There was a 100-page instruction manual that arrived at every Squad who watched over Gates, and if they didn’t follow it they’d be penalized. One of the rules was to not let the Awakened who entered the Gates deal with the products after the raid was complete.

“I’ll handle this on my own.” Do-Yun stopped the hands of the soldier who went for the sack over his shoulder.

“I-I see,” The soldier moved back. He had to take that according to the rule, but he couldn’t push because of the dark black eyes staring into his soul.

“You aren’t turning that in, Sir?” Beom asked.

“Nope, also don’t worry I have permission to keep things if I need them.” Do-Yun smiled as the soldier from before hurried away.

“Thanks for looking out for me. Anyway, can I take it?” Beom took out his phone with a big smile that matched Do-Yun’s.

“Sure.”

After Beom took the picture he said his goodbyes to the two and escorted them to the barricades. As they turned on the empty street and the barricades left their view Byung-Ho spoke up.

“Can we really keep things like that?”

Yesterday it didn’t look like they could keep anything for themselves. They got paid for the total materials, so it wasn’t all that bad but a clear line was drawn and they had to follow it.

“Hmm, I dunno,” Do-Yun shrugged.

He didn’t ask Ji-Hu about the specifics, but he didn’t care. If he wanted something from the Gates, he’d keep it. Being in contact with the Government was cool and all, but he had his motives.

“Don’t worry it wouldn’t get us in trouble. He’d understand why I did this.” He added noticing the look on Byung-Ho’s face.

This gave him some relief as getting into problems with the Military wasn’t ideal. Especially when they controlled the Gates and the entry point to it. But Do-Yun didn’t consider these things. After considering his options he confirmed his other move.

“Now then, let’s go to the next Gate.” The sun hung above their head so they had plenty of time.

“Which one are we going Hyung?” Byung-Ho scrolled through the Gate file on his phone. There were a few Gates close to them that were close to the Break, these must be their prime targets.

“The Gate on Hong-dae Street,” But, his guess turned out wrong.

This place was in Mapo and certainly near. But even if the Gate there was Green, it had appeared only 3 days ago. A little further from it was another Green Gate in So-Gang University which was set to break tomorrow morning.

“So, why are we going to a Gate that has so much time left? Is that what you are thinking?” Do-Yun asked.

“Hyung… I…” Byung-ho wanted to explain but he shook his head.

“Don’t worry I understand why you think that we should go for the Gates that are near the break date. Another Break incident would be terrible, especially with higher rank Gates.” Anyone with a normal brain could figure out why they should prevent such a situation.

And Byung-Ho didn’t want to see another article that stated the death count with interviews of people who lost their families to the tragedies. More so if they could’ve prevented it.

“Byung-Ho, why do you think Ryu Ji-Hu formed this partnership with me?” Do-Yun asked.

“To team up with a strong and Righteous Awakened, and close Gates that are near Break, right?” Byung-Ho became uncertain when he noticed the smile on his face.

“Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with me being Strong and Righteous. I ended up with that Hero title with luck and people who had time on their hands because of work closing down for a while. The real reason this partnership formed was because I am an unaffiliated Awakened who wants to raid the Gates without asking for money or benefits. For lack of better words, a complete madman. This is the proper opportunity for him to shoot down others who are vying for control.” Do-Yun yawned.

“What?” Byung-Ho couldn’t make the connection, the understanding he had about the situation got turned upside down.

“Like you said the current agenda should be to clear out the Gates that are about to Break. However, that is the concern for people who care about the safety of the civilians. Those who want gates can turn their eyes to the ones that have plenty of time before Break happens. So, while the Army deals with the gates that are near Break, we are free to clear any other that we want.” Do-Yun knew what Ji-Hu wanted from the moment the partnership formed.

With the volatile time right after the simultaneous Break that sent the City in a panicked state. Ji-Hu needed to restore the faith of the people in the Government and the Awakened Squad. For that, he planned to not let another Gate Break happen and focused on Gates that were close to that condition.

However, if he did that others would use this to demand the other Gates using various excuses and reach. So, Ji-Hu decided to deal with them in a way that would bring more advantages to his side.

“You’ve heard the saying The greater the risk, the higher the reward, right? Currently, that is what Gates are viewed as right now.” Do-Yun didn’t deny that statement was an apt way to describe this entire phenomenon.

“So, are we…?” Byung-ho’s question received a firm nod.

“Right now we are reducing the reward for people who are willing to take the risk at other’s expense.” They wouldn’t be able to make their moves if the Army and its affiliates deal with the Gates swiftly.

“Isn’t this a dangerous job then?” Byung-Ho looked worried, but not for himself.

Crimes committed by the Awakened had been on the rise since abilities appeared. This became one of the main reasons governments around the world recruited other Awakened. But so far the results haven’t been that good as these people were spread thin with various other tasks aside from dealing with the superhuman criminals. So, people who were ready to use the civilians to get control over gates wouldn’t shy away from unsavory methods like these.

“Told you, High-risk high reward. And you will also get a reward for helping probably.” However, Do-Yun didn’t care for anything else.

“Probably?” Byung-ho’s concern grew.

“That’s how risk works. So, let’s hope we get a reward this time.” Do-Yun laughed.

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After Do-Yun and Byung-Ho left, soldiers started to pack up everything as the order to fall back arrived. Many trucks came and another squad came to help them move the Gate materials and the barricades as the Gate itself vanished in thin air like it first appeared.

As the busy soldiers moved around, silence dominated the main tent. Beom paced around the area trying to make a phone call. He had tried two times, but no one answered.

However, the third time became a charm.

“Hello? Hello Mr. Park! It is me Beom Yeong!”

Beom Yeong? The confused voice came from the phone.

“Sergeant Beom Sir, we met at the opening of Jade Pharmaceuticals last week. Song Chin-Hae is my cousin, sir.” Beom continued merrily.

Mr. Song Chin-Hae’s cousin… I see. So, you are that Mr. Beom. My apologies, there are a few other people I know with the same name so I couldn’t recognize you instantly. Park spoke in a polite tone.

“No worries sir, it must be hard for you too to maintain so many connections for the family.” Beom too spoke in a similar speech. But the time for pleasantries ended.

So, Mr. Beom what is the reason behind the call?

“I’ve got a tip on the thing Young Miss wanted, Sir.”

Please do continue.

Hearing that Beom’s lips twisted up in a smirk. The Fish had taken the bait, all he had to do was reel it in.

"Some rare materials came out of the Green Gate in Mapo, not even the military knows of them."

Let us meet in person and speak of this. I'll send someone to your location right away.

"No need sir. I'll come directly, I know the address of your office." Beom said.

Very well.

As the phone disconnected Beom couldn't contain his smile. He had to put his on silent as his SNS blew up after he uploaded the photo he took with Lee Do-Yun. It started slow, but as soon as netizens confirmed the identity of the one next to him. Waves of people poured in after. Likes surged as his followers increased at breakneck speed. Right now, he understood what it felt like to be a big star.

"Such a lucky day, Huhu!"