That was the name of the area the Alpha team was in charge of.
However, it was too small to even be called an operational division. It had a radius of merely 100m, and there were only about three 4-5 star monsters within it.
Yoon Kang-cheol planned to expand the scope of Operation Division 02 once they have successfully defeated the three Whippers.
They would have taken over the remaining areas covered by the support team. The area at the center of the rift was large. Hunting there was no joke.
It was going to be foolish to hand it all over to the new team just to help them grow.
It was too risky for public safety. Of course, Yoon Kang-cheol understood it well.
That was why he placed other areas under the control of the OB-1 Team- the real âelitesâ of QR.
The OB-1 Team laughed hysterically when they heard of the Alpha Teamâs failure. Each of them could successfully head the other teams in the QR.
In fact, many of them were already household names in the industry.
Kang-cheol quickly dispersed about a half of them to take charge of the post-processing of the Alpha Teamâs operation. However, not every one of them was happy about it.
âWell, then, why did they send the Alpha Team out here if they couldnât handle the job?â one asked her colleague.
âWerenât there just three Whippers? Iâd say they were easy opponents. Itâs just that those Alpha Team members are too chicken.â
âAnd think of all the money the CEO invested in them. He should have used it to equip other teams instead.â
Unlike the OB-2 and OB-3 teams who were in charge of covering the Alpha Team, the OB-1 Team had just one goal.
It was to clean up any mess that would be caused by the Alpha Team. Staying in the center of the rift alone was hard work enough.
Now, on top of their task, they have to solve another teamâs problem, too.
A hunter in Team 1 kicked the corpse of a monster in front of him.
âWhatâs wrong with this Alpha Team? Now, we get to do more work because of them,â he said.
The carcass of a reptile a dozen pairs of legs and, at least, ten meters long fell over.
Scale Centipede-â â â ~â â â â â
âAh! You made the venom splash on me!â a junior hunter shouted.
âIt didnât bounce, man,â the first one said.
The junior hunter grumbled and picked up the scale centipedeâs body. The center was crawling with dozens of centipedes.
Scale Centipedes were the huntersâ most hated prey.
It wasnât difficult to catch them; however, they had no value whatsoever.
The poison they secreted damaged not only the soil, but also the huntersâ equipment. Their bodies couldnât even be used as fertilizer.
âIâd rather be facing cheap Gray Ants than theseâŠby the way, did you guys see Oh Yoo-Seong? He looked good in his gear,â a lady said.
âOf course, he does. He caught the first Queen Ant Iâve seen in three years,â a man said.
âItâs not as though Iâm insulting the CEO but, even if a rookie is so good, isnât he supposed to put a rookie through training for at least a few months, instead of allowing him to participate in the hunts?â
âWell, the CEO is an experienced hunter who knows how to manage the field. He knows what heâs doing,â
âJust because heâs a good player doesnât necessarily mean heâs a good manager.â
The complaints didnât stop there.
Like other organizations in the 2F4T, QR was run based on hierarchy rather than skill.
In other words, whatever the leaders said was what happened.
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The CEO had placed an untrained rookie in the frontlines while assigning seniors on side operations.
âStop, turn off all local broadcasts. Wait quietly. All officers remain alert and stop gossiping.â
Shin Yoo-hee, the Team 1 leader, silenced everyone as she pulled out an electronic cigarette.
She was a platinum-seal hunter. She also disagreed with the CEOâs recent decisions, but, as a manager, she had to act smarter.
The business of hunting was a dangerous one.
Even in âsimpleâ operations, hunters had to remain vigilant regardless of the monsterâs rating.
The possibility of death was high.
It was always at the forefront of her mind, even though she had already been in the industry for fourteen years. However, these days, she hardly had any motivation.
All that was left of her was the sense of responsibility for other peopleâs safety.
âTeam Leader Shin.â The voice came from her communication device.
It was Yoon Kang-cheol.
âYes?â she said as he removed the cigarette from her mouth.
âHow are you?â Kang-cheol asked.
âOh, Iâm fine. There have no casualties so far. How are the kids holding up? Anyone dead yet?â
There was sarcasm in her voice. She had been interested in watching the Alpha Teamâs performance, and she hadnât been disappointed.
Their performance had been utterly shameful.
Two 4-star, one 5-star.
Handling three Whippers was supposed to be easy â if they used their thinking faculties well enough.
âEverything is fine. Although, someone incurred some broken ribs,â Kang-cheol replied.
âHow?â Shin Yoo-hee asked in amazement.
She had heard a rumor that something big had happened earlier.
For hunters, âsomething bigâ was equivalent to death.
âOh Yoo-seong handled two Whippers. He even saved Kang Yoong-cheol.â
âThatâs great,â Yoo-hee said dryly.
She had never seen Yoo-seong â the rookie who had somehow managed to use the Blade. It was enough to be considered an impressive act, but she wasnât impressed.
Just like the sports industry, sometimes, people with out-of-the-ordinary capabilities appeared.
In the future, though, many of them would fail to meet the expectation from their younger days.
The future belonged to only those who were focused and persistent. She couldnât judge Yoo-seong, though. She had only heard of him a few times before the operation.
However, it was her opinion that Yoo-seong shouldnât be a part of QR yet.
The QR wasnât a good environment for rookies.
It would be better for him to grow through more difficult situations than following the flowery path QR offered him- just like other hunters had to do.
âI donât think you need us to support the Alpha Team anymore, then,â Yoo-hee thought out loud.
âNo. Oh Yoo-seong has sorted it out. I need you to do something else for me.â
âReally? What is it?â
As she looked ahead, Shin Yoo-hee hoped she was wrong.
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She didnât need Kang-cheolâs answer anymore.
A car was approaching them.
Yoo-seong was in it.
***
âThank you for the ride,â Yoo-seong said as he bowed slightly to the Alpha Team member that drove him.
âOh, itâs no biggie,â the driver said, laughing slightly.
The driver tried to remain calm as he stepped down from the car; however, he felt miserable. He drove the car away,
Yoo-seong turned and saw Shin Yoo-hee standing behind him.
âYou told the CEO that you wanted to come here?â
âThatâs right,â Yoo-seong nodded.
He waited for the Team 1 leaderâs response.
Finally, Yoo-hee spoke.
âDonât be a hindrance, will you? Stay away. By the way, why?â
âWhy what?â
âWhy did you want to come here, rookie?â
Yoo-seong refused to react with hostility to Yoo-heeâs words.
As the team leader waited for his response, she took a puff from her cigarette. She looked down so that the smoke wouldnât spread over Yoo-seongâs face; then, she blew out.
Yoo-seong glanced at Yoo-heeâs left hand, which was holding the cigarette.
The hand was scarred as though it had gone through a lot of injuries.
The thumb and the ring fingers have been cut off.
âI felt⊠it was not enough,â Yoo-seong said.
His words were a concise summary of what he felt after defeating the Whippers.
Unfortunately, the Whippers were too insignificant for automatic hunting to use all of his resources.
âI want to experience the center,â Yoo-seong explained.
It was the same thing he had told the CEO when he was asked what he wanted.
âIf you interfere with the people there, we will lose our direction. Isnât there something else you want?â The CEO pleaded.
Even though he was satisfied with Sung-wook, Yoo-seong knew that coming here gave Yoon Kang-cheol the hope of recruiting him.
Of course, he would refuse his offer, but he decided to explore QR more in the meantime.
âNot enough?â
âThatâs right,â Yoo-seong said, expecting another harsh response.
Surprisingly, Shin Yoo-hee just nodded her head.
âDo you know how to read positions? Weâre currently secured. I donât think there is any more incoming wave, but if there is, we will do whatever we can to maintain control. Watch our operations but donât interrupt my team position.â
âOkay. Is there anything else I have to do?â
âNot at all. You donât seem like a person who doesnât know his limits. If you were, you would be seriously injured or killed. But what do I care? Thatâs your responsibility, isnât it?â
âThatâs right.â
âGood. Letâs remember that,â Yoo-hee said.
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Before she turned away, she added:
âI know you are a talented person. Still, the people gathered here are better hunters than you.â
âI understand,â Yoo-seong said politely.
âYou can be offended, butâŠâ
Shin Yoo-hee licked her lips while choosing the right words.
âDonât hurt my team members,â she said and walked away.
âYes, I understand,â he said.
She had been the prettiest lady he had seen in a while.
âGood,â she said over her shoulders. Soon, she was back with her team.
Yoo-seong found a nearby building and settled in. Shortly after that, the cracks began to vibrate.
âOh, itâs dripping hard,â someone from Team 1 said, and everyone agreed.
When rifts open, a team enters it to shut it down, while the other teams dealt with the monsters that came out.
The Maruchan Team 2, one of the 4T, was already inside the rift.
From the level of the monsters that were coming out of the rift, everyone knew that their job inside wasnât an easy one.
For some reason, monsters continued to keep coming from the inside. The crack continued to vibrate â a sign that something was about to come out.
Yoo-hee wished that it would be the Maruchan Team that would appear this time and not another monster wave. Everyone watched in anticipation.
Soon, something like a small black dot came out of the crack, falling freely.
The OB-1 Team remained vigilant.
It could be a plant-like spore or a poisonous mass.
As the black dot kept coming closer, some of the hunters recognized what it was.
âOh, crazy!â
With a dull thud, the black dot fell just in front of the OB-1 teamâs formation.
Shock slowly filled the faces of the hunters.
The black dot was not a threatening object. However, it implied a threat.
âPrepare for raid formation!â Shin Yoo-hee shouted.
The black dot was the head of the Maruchan team leader.
It was half crushed and bloody. The expression on it was a pain-filled one.
Once again, the crack vibrated.
After that, the silhouette of a creature was revealed.
Shin Yoo-heeâs resolve strengthened as she stared at the silhouette.
Then, she turned her gaze to where Oh Yoo-seong went.
He wasnât there.
âThank Godâ, she thought.
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She could hunt without thinking of his welfare.
HoweverâŠ
He was already in action when she next spotted him.