Raid. The act of superhumans forming teams to attack high-level gates or boss-grade monsters.

This concept of raids had been fairly active even before the Gate Break. Especially for Guilds, whenever a gate of a level beyond their capabilities appeared in their jurisdiction, they would often form raid teams to subjugate it.

The Baekdu Guild, which had settled near Mount Baekdu, was no exception.

“Why the hell did an A-rank gate have to appear here of all places?”

Baekdu Guild's Guild Master, Seo Haneul, furrowed his brow deeply upon receiving the report of an A-rank gate emerging within their territory.

“So what are our chances of successfully attacking it?”

“Less than forty percent.”

Seo Haneul's brows furrowed even further at the strategist's report. He spoke again.

“Have we received any response from the Changwol Guild?”

“Well… They said they’ll consider it if we allow them to co-manage Baekdu Guild’s jurisdictional gates for the next six months.”

Seo Haneul let out a hollow laugh at the strategist's words.

“Ha… Those bastards are insane. They really want to suck us dry, huh?”

Seo Haneul had every right to curse. Letting them co-manage their jurisdictional gates for six months was practically the same as handing over their rights and interests on a silver platter.

“And if we let them take advantage of this once, we’ll lose our justification for managing our gate regions in the future.”

“That’s true.”

Requesting another Guild to attack a gate meant proving that Baekdu Guild lacked the ability to manage their own gate territory.

“Looks like we have no choice but to form a raid team.”

“We’ve already prepared the recruitment notice for the raid team.”

“…Already? You expected this to happen?”

“A competent strategist must always be prepared for all possibilities.”

Seo Haneul chuckled at the strategist Kim Minseong’s response.

“Hah… I really did hire a good strategist.”

“You’re just realizing that now? Isn’t it a little late?”

“Oh? Are you getting cocky now?”

“Come on~ If you react like this over a joke, it’s no fun.”

Seo Haneul knew that Kim Minseong’s lighthearted banter was his way of easing the tension in the situation.

“So, if we put together a raid team, what are our odds of success?”

“That depends on who we recruit… But we won’t fail.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“You seem overly concerned, Guild Leader. Our country has already successfully cleared an A-rank gate once.”

It was true. Korea had previously conquered an A-rank gate.

“That was… Wasn’t that the raid where Kang Hanil participated?”

Kang Hanil. Korea’s only 6-star superhuman and the nation's number-one ranked fighter. He had participated in that A-rank gate raid.

“That’s true, but… The overall average level of superhumans has risen since then. Besides, you’ve reached the 5-star+ level, haven’t you?”

Seo Haneul’s brows narrowed at those words.

Even though I’ve reached 5-star+, the gap between 6-star and 5-star+ is larger than most think.

Although he was the leader of a mid-sized Guild, Seo Haneul was still one of Korea’s strongest fighters. But having faced Kang Hanil before, he understood just how vast the gap was between a 5-star+ like himself and a true 6-star.

So he let out a groan.

“Ugh, Minseong. There’s a world of difference between me and Kang Hanil. It’s not just a single rank’s difference. Have you contacted him to see if he can join this raid?”

“Yes, but he said he has other commitments and won’t be able to participate. Is the gap really that big?”

“Yeah. Bigger than you’d think. If Kang Hanil can’t join… we might have to call off the raid.”

With a deeply concerned expression, Seo Haneul voiced his worries. Kim Minseong, however, responded calmly.

“Guild Leader, Kang Hanil barely contributed to the A-rank gate attack back then. He only stepped in to take down the final boss.”

It was true. During the A-rank gate raid in Busan, Kang Hanil had only intervened at the final moment to slay the boss.

“Back then, there were even fewer 5-star superhumans than now, and yet they cleared it without much issue. You don’t need to worry so much.”

“Hmm, you make a fair point. But you know, right? If the boss turns out to be 6-star+, we’ll be wiped out.”

“Jeez, Guild Leader, you worry too much. This is a light navy-colored A-rank gate, an A- grade. The odds of a 6-star+ boss appearing are extremely low. Don’t worry. Just like other A-rank gates, at worst, the boss will be 6-star. If you’re that worried, we can just recruit more mercenaries.”

“Ugh… Yeah. Maybe I’m worrying too much. Let’s proceed with the raid.”

And so, the recruitment for the raid on the A-rank gate near Mount Baekdu was finalized. This was the same raid Heo Sungshik had decided to join.

The gate shimmered with a light navy aura, signifying its A-rank status. A large crowd of superhumans had gathered before it.

“Whoa, there are sixty people?”

“Yeah. Twelve from our Guild and forty-eight mercenaries, making a total of sixty.”

“Phew, isn’t that too many?”

“Maybe… But this is an A-rank gate. Safety comes first.”

“That’s true.”

The gathered individuals were all here to attack the A-rank gate. The Baekdu Guild had recruited mercenaries for the raid, totaling about fifty people. Including their own members, they had formed a sixty-person raid team.

“I heard there are over twenty 5-star superhumans. The rest are all 4-star+. This will probably be easier than a B-rank gate raid.”

Most of them genuinely believed that. Even though this was Korea’s second A-rank gate, they thought the number of people gathered was excessive.

And they had good reason to think so. This wasn’t even a full-fledged A-rank gate, but an A- grade, noticeably weaker. Normally, a gate would be attacked by parties of four or five, or at most ten.

But this time, the raid team had grown to sixty. Even though many were below the recommended level, it was still an overwhelming number.

“But do numbers really matter if we’re up against an A-rank gate? Doesn’t that mean at least a 5-star+ monster will appear?”

“Yeah, that’s the concern. If a 5-star+ monster shows up, will the 4-star+ superhumans even be useful?”

It was a valid point. While 4-star+ superhumans could contribute against 5-star monsters, if a 5-star+ creature appeared, their usefulness was questionable.

“Still, isn’t it better than having too few people?”

“That’s true.”

While the Baekdu Guild members were chatting among themselves, mercenaries were being assigned numbers on one side.

“Alright… Next, Superhuman number 34, ‘Big Sir’.”

Sungshik heard his ‘nickname’ being called by the Baekdu Guild’s scribe and rose from his seat. He walked straight to the scribe, received his number tag, verified his identity, and signed various documents regarding raid participation.

‘I never thought I’d use the nickname Big Sir again.’

Sungshik smirked inwardly. Big Sir—it was the nickname he had used before his regression.

Superhumans often needed anonymity. That’s why the Superhuman Association issued ‘nicknames’ to them, allowing them to operate under aliases instead of their real names.

Instead of a Superhuman ID card, those who received a Superhuman Registration Certificate had their ‘nickname’ and ‘rank’ displayed on it. Many mercenary Superhumans used this certificate since they needed anonymity for various reasons.

Initially, there were concerns that granting anonymity could lead to abuse, and there was opposition. However, since each Superhuman Registration Certificate had an identification number, the Superhuman Association could track the movements of any Superhuman using it. In the end, it was anonymity without being truly anonymous, preventing its misuse for criminal activities.

‘Seeing this nickname again makes me nostalgic for before my regression.’

Before his regression, when Sungshik had used the nickname Big Sir, he had been a rising super rookie after discovering his talent late. It was during the Gate Break era, and even though it was a bit late, he had begun attracting attention on Superhuman Net.

‘I considered just using my real name.’

After his regression, Sungshik had resolved to live openly without hiding himself in any situation. Originally, he hadn’t intended to use a nickname. However, after the ‘Yongho Guild’ incident in Jeju Island, he had gained considerable attention. For now, he decided it was best to lay low.

‘Revolutionary Knights is also a factor.’

There was no avoiding concerns about Revolutionary Knights. If he were to encounter that man again, Sungshik could be in serious danger.

‘If this raid goes well…’

Then he wouldn’t have to keep avoiding that man any longer. As he looked at the dark blue, glowing gate, Sungshik’s eyes shone with anticipation.

Among the various dungeon zones that emerged from gates, which ones were the most avoided? While there were many different terrains, dungeons with extreme weather conditions were often ranked at the top.

“Damn it, an arctic region?”

The A-rank gate that the Baekdu Guild entered was one such area.

A vast expanse of white glaciers. A dungeon where snowstorms raged, allowing one to experience the bitter cold of the Arctic firsthand.

“Hey, no one said this was a freezing zone.”

From the start, mercenaries began voicing their complaints. They hadn’t expected this gate to be a special terrain area.

“As you all know, we can’t predict what terrain we’ll get. However, to prepare for such cases, we’ve brought heat packs. We’ll distribute them now.”

The Baekdu Guild had prepared heat packs. Since they couldn’t predict the terrain in advance, they had prepared essential items for all possible environments. This was considered the fundamental principle of raiding.

“Damn it, I’ve got my own heat pack. But still, I didn’t expect this dungeon to be this cold. Isn’t this dangerous?”

“That’s right—if we knew it was an arctic terrain, we wouldn’t have come.”

“Not sure if we can clear this properly.”

The mercenaries murmured among themselves. Seo Haneul understood what they were getting at.

“Once we clear this raid, I’ll increase your promised pay by 5%.”

“Alright, can’t back out now. Let’s do our best.”

Seo Haneul frowned as he heard the mercenary’s response.

‘Damn scumbags… They’re blatantly extorting us.’

Seo Haneul had every reason to feel that way. There were always people like this—those who would join a raid, complain immediately, and lower morale.

Their objective was clear: maximizing their own profit. By causing trouble at the start of a raid or party expedition, they could negotiate higher compensation.

It was disgusting, but there was no way around it. In situations like this, the mercenaries held the upper hand. If things didn’t go their way, they could simply stay in the gate’s safe zone and refuse to leave. When the gate’s entrance temporarily reopened, they could just escape.

‘There were a lot of guys like this back then.’

Before the Gate Break era truly began and humanity faced extinction, these kinds of people were everywhere.

While Sungshik sighed at the mercenaries’ grumbling, the raid finally commenced.

“Fire Wave.”

Fwoosh—

The raid team’s mage-class members simultaneously unleashed their 4th-circle ‘Fire Wave’ skill. The ice spirits, ‘Tinatin,’ charging toward the team, hesitated.

Following up, spells like ‘Fire Burst’ and ‘Fire Lance’ rained down, engulfing the ice spirits in flames.

“Gueeeeeh—”

The ice spirits let out chilling, eerie screams. As the ranged damage dealers entered cooldown, the melee damage dealers rushed forward.

“Kieeeeh—”

The ‘Tinatin’ spirits, despite their small size, generated numerous ice spears and launched them while charging. As monsters ranked 5-star+, their counterattacks were ferocious.

However, they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming numbers and firepower of the raid team. Among them, Seo Haneul’s performance stood out the most.

“Wind Severing Slash—”

Crack—

A massive whirlwind shot forward in a straight line, obliterating the ‘Tinatin’ spirits. Truly befitting someone who had reached 5-star+ rank.

“As expected, 5-star+ is on another level.”

“Yeah. With Seo Haneul leading from the front, it feels like we’re just along for the ride.”

Everyone expressed their admiration for Seo Haneul.

‘Not bad.’

Sungshik nodded as he observed Seo Haneul. He was a man who knew how to use his power efficiently and in the right places. His skills were proof of the immense effort he had put in to reach such a level.

In contrast, Sungshik was only exerting as much power as a newly registered 5-star Superhuman.

‘No need to push myself. No need to stand out.’

Among about twenty 5-star Superhumans, Sungshik was playing his role just enough to blend in.

‘I just need to clear the boss and gather as much Coldroot as possible from the boss room.’

His only goal was Coldroot. He planned to use it to create an elixir infused with ice properties.

In the meantime, all the Tinatin spirits were wiped out.

‘This is easier than I expected.’

It wasn’t just Sungshik who thought that. Everyone assumed that despite being an A-rank dungeon, it would be an easy clear. Because of that, no one realized—

That deep within the dungeon, the true master of this place was awakening.

“Grrrr—”