Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods

Mingliang Gate was a gate that had never been cleared since its discovery.

South Korea’s top hunters all challenged it, but none managed to clear the impossible-to-clear Mingliang Gate.

It had been a long time since the government declared the Mingliang Strait off-limits and washed their hands of it.

Clearly, that was how things were… until…

[Mingliang Gate has been cleared.]

[Clearance Grade: SSS]

[Clearer: Connector]

An alert about the clearance of Mingliang Gate was broadcasted to all hunters on the Korean Peninsula.

Of course, chaos ensued.

The media broke the news of Mingliang Gate’s clearance as an urgent bulletin, and HuntWeb was flooded with nothing but talk about Mingliang Gate.

[Did you see the announcement? They say Mingliang Gate got cleared?!]

└ No way, wasn’t that underwater? How did they clear it?

└ For real tho, do they have gills or something?

└ Wait, who even is “Connector”?

└ Isn’t that Han Yoo-jin? He’s obsessed with Yi Sun-sin.

└ Nah, just saw an official notice from the Guild. It’s not him.

└ ??? Then who?!

└ Probably someone from Cheonmuwon.

Among the domestic high-ranking hunters, those of Cheonmuwon were rumored to be the ones who cleared Mingliang Gate.

However, no hunter came forward to claim responsibility for clearing Mingliang Gate.

Because of this, every agency in South Korea was frantically searching for the clearer of Mingliang Gate.

“Still no clue who cleared Mingliang Gate?”

“I apologize, we’re still investigating.”

Guildmaster Baek Seorin of Sandouchon wore a puzzled expression.

‘How the heck did they clear THAT thing??’

She was more curious about *how* Mingliang Gate was cleared than *who* cleared it.

After all, Mingliang Gate wasn’t the kind of place where sheer strength alone could get you through.

If that were possible, she would’ve cleared it herself long ago.

Even her, a world-class S-rank mage, couldn’t manage to clear Mingliang Gate.

Because it wasn’t located on land—it was underwater.

And A-rank and above gates typically took at least 10 hours to clear.

No matter how strong an S-rank hunter might be, holding your breath for that long was simply impossible.

Not to mention, Mingliang Gate also had magical pressure crushing down on your body.

You’d either drown from lack of oxygen before reaching the boss room or die crushed by the magical pressure.

This was why Korea, a hunter powerhouse, had no choice but to leave Mingliang Gate untouched.

But now, Mingliang Gate had been cleared.

At first, everyone assumed it must’ve been the work of a well-known S-rank hunter.

The name “Connector” was probably just some joke nickname they threw out there.

Surprisingly, though, none of the named hunters came forward claiming responsibility for clearing Mingliang Gate.

Which meant only one thing:

A new talent!

And if this new talent was skilled enough to clear Mingliang Gate…

‘We HAVE to recruit them.’

That was why every single organization in Korea was on high alert, scrambling to find the clearer.

“The clearer is probably still inside Mingliang Gate. Thoroughly monitor the entrance. Grab them the moment they come out. Absolutely don’t let the Guild snatch them away.”

Famous guilds like Sandouchon, along with scouts from the Hunter’s Guild, gathered around the entrance of Mingliang Gate.

Reporters also swarmed the area, busy filming the scene.

All waiting to capture the emergence of the person who cleared Mingliang Gate.

But even after one hour passed, then two… the clearer didn’t appear.

*

Meanwhile, as all eyes in South Korea were glued to the entrance of Mingliang Gate…

“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

Having just finished showering, I was drying my wet hair with a towel.

Thanks to being drenched by seawater the moment I entered Mingliang Gate.

After thoroughly scrubbing away the saltiness clinging to my body, I felt much better.

I dried my hair with a hairdryer, changed into fresh clothes, and gulped down a cold cola from the fridge.

“Man, THIS is the life.”

While drinking my cola, I leaned back on the couch and turned on the TV.

[Yes, I’m live at the scene of the hot topic right now—Mingliang Gate.]

[Already, numerous scouts are gathering at the entrance of Mingliang Gate…]

No matter which channel I switched to, it was all about Mingliang Gate.

Not just TV—Neetube and HuntWeb were the same.

Everyone was waiting for the clearer of Mingliang Gate to emerge from the entrance.

Waiting to witness the appearance of this new prodigy who cleared an “impossible-to-clear” gate.

‘Sorry, but I kinda feel bad about this.’

Since I entered and exited the gate right from my room, I didn’t need to go all the way to Mingliang.

But people who didn’t know that were helplessly staring at the gate entrance, waiting endlessly for me.

On one hand, it made me feel accomplished, but on the other, I was secretly relieved.

‘If they found out, it’d be such a hassle.’

Sure, becoming famous might feel good at first, but it inevitably leads to annoying situations.

Especially if you’re a hunter.

People always expect famous hunters to step up whenever a new gate appears.

In Korean society, that was seen as normal—and if you didn’t comply, you’d get criticized.

I’d seen Guildmaster Baek Seorin risking her life daily to clear gates, yet still getting flak for it.

So I didn’t want any part of that fame nonsense.

Who in their right mind risks their life like that?

Living peacefully is way better.

“Still, gotta admit, the money is insane.”

Looking at the chunk of mana stone sitting in the corner of my room, I smiled contentedly.

Besides gaining a new skill, clearing Mingliang Gate also netted me a kilogram of high-quality mana stone.

That’s roughly 30 million won—a huge sum of cash.

“This is why I hunt.”

I should send some money home.

Dad’s been unable to work lately because of his back injury.

I casually transferred 5 million won to Mom’s account.

My phone rang immediately.

-Seojun, where did you get 5 million won to send over?

“Things are going well at the shop, so I sent it.”

-Don’t tell me you went running into another gate again?

“It’s fine, stop worrying.”

Ever since I started hanging around Sandouchon, Mom, Mrs. Lee Eun-ha, has been unhappy with my interest in gates.

She was constantly worried that her only son would get hurt trying to make money.

-Didn’t you see the news? That place called Mingliang is super dangerous. Stay far away from it!

-Oppa! Are you even listening? You wouldn’t dare go somewhere like Mingliang, right?

Through the phone, my younger sister Choi Seoyeon’s voice chimed in.

“Hey, I’ve been through plenty of gates, alright? Show some respect.”

-Ha, sure. Bet you were just carrying supplies or something.

Look at her, acting all smart now that she’s in high school sophomore year.

“You wanna lose your allowance?”

-Do I?

“Try me.”

-I will.

“Later.”

-Ya!

After hanging up, I sprawled out on the couch.

“Man, I’m beat.”

With one big job done, I should relax and take a break for a while.

“Looks like they’re in trouble too.”

Glancing at the TV, I shook my head.

[Is it true that Noryang Gate can be cleared?]

[We’ll do our best.]

[We didn’t summon you here to hear excuses, Guildmaster. Please answer clearly—yes or no.]

[The citizens are watching. Can Noryang Gate be cleared, or can it not?]

The Guildmaster of Dawn Star Constellation was having a tough time in front of Congress.

Noryang Gate was causing even bigger chaos than Mingliang Gate.

Though the media avoided mentioning it, everyone knew the open secret that Noryang Gate was on the verge of going berserk.

The congressmen were yelling at the Guildmaster as if they had some authority.

‘They’re gonna get slapped soon.’

What gives them the guts to yell at a hunter like that?

Just as I idly flipped through channels…

[Dawn Star Constellation is currently seeking water-element artifacts from the Imjin War era to clear Noryang Gate.]

[If you possess or know the location of such items, please contact Dawn Star Constellation immediately.]

Imjin War water-element artifact?

That reminded me—I obtained something during the Mingliang Gate run.

==

「Ancient Hwandou of Tranquility」

Artifact Rank: Epic

─Seems useful for clearing certain gates.

==

‘The durability is shot, but still…’

Gotta sell it.

I dialed the number shown on TV.

-Currently, there are 8 customers ahead of you.

“Guess I’ll call back later.”

Figures. Big guilds always have tons of calls.

*

While Choi Seo-Joon was calling Dawn Star Constellation, an undercover meeting was happening at a Chinese restaurant in Seoul’s Dalim-dong.

“We must ensure the failure of the Noryang Gate clearance.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already bought up all the water-element artifacts. Kim Ha-Yoon won’t be able to obtain anything.”

“Well done.”

A-Rank Hunter Lee Tae-Jun smirked satisfactorily.

As the second team leader of Dawn Star Constellation, he used to be a frequent face on TV.

But ever since Kim Ha-Yun appeared, his fame took a nosedive.

‘What’s so great about clearing some gates anyway?’

He was always overshadowed by Kim Ha-Yun due to her higher gate clearance count.

Of course, Lee Tae-Jun caused plenty of scandals himself—like drunk driving or brawls at clubs—but he thought those were trivial issues that most hunters dealt with.

His skills were unmatched, after all.

But that chapter was coming to an end.

Kim Ha-Yun would fail at clearing Noryang Gate.

Won’t monsters wreak havoc if the gate goes berserk?

‘Even better.’

There would be some civilian casualties, sure, but if he stepped in to defeat the monsters, his reputation would soar.

He had everything prepared for that exact scenario.

“I trust Wang Wei fully.”

“Haha, don’t worry. Besides, any Yi Sun-sin relics from Noryang Gate belong to China.”

“In that case, rest assured. I will definitely bring them back.”

Lee Tae-Jun traded his fame with a Chinese representative.

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

“Oh, finally got through.”

“I have an Imjin War artifact to sell. Yep, water-element.”

Choi Seo-Joon was selling off his loot.

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