At the gate control center, personnel are selected and deployed based on the gate's security level to ensure sufficient force can be applied if necessary.
In simpler terms, since the Namsan Gate is classified as a C-level gate, personnel with the necessary skills (B-level) are pre-positioned to handle any potential incidents.
Of course, exceptions can occur.
If a hero who does not match the gate's rating intentionally causes trouble at the gate, the personnel already deployed will request additional personnel from headquarters if they deem the situation uncontrollable.
In such cases, personnel of a higher rating or heroes from collaborating guilds will be dispatched.
However, this is merely a manual guideline, and such situations rarely occur in reality.
This is because intentionally causing chaos at the gate results in severe penalties that make it difficult for heroes to continue their activities.
"...Hink!"
Nam Do-seok couldn't believe his eyes.
A man in shabby clothes was mercilessly beating his fellow agents.
"This is your last warning. If you leave now, no one will get hurt."
At that moment, he had only thought the man was completely insane.
"I should have reported this to headquarters!"
When he lightly twisted the wrist of his colleague wearing a combat suit,
He should have realized that the man was far from ordinary.
Underestimating the overwhelming numbers and the man's shabby appearance was a fatal mistake, and the fact that no hero had ever caused trouble at the gate before had made them complacent.
Crack!
"AAAH!"
With a horrific sound, his arm broke into an odd shape, and his colleague screamed and trembled.
Shiver.
Standing alone, Nam Do-seok felt the three-section staff in his hand trembling and unconsciously took a step back.
'Come on, you brutal bastard…'
How many people could twist a human limb into such a grotesque shape without even blinking?
Nam Do-seok couldn't help but feel afraid of the man in front of him.
"You there."
The man, who had mercilessly beaten down his comrades wearing high-grade combat suits with his bare fists, glared at Nam Do-seok with eyes more terrifying than those of an ordinary monster.
"…Me? Me?"
"Who else is there?"
Nam Do-seok flinched at the man's slightly furrowed expression.
"No matter which gate you go through, you'll come looking for me, right? You'll say it's trespassing or something like that."
"...What?"
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir! That's right! If an unregistered hero enters the gate without permission, the control center is automatically notified, and agents waiting nearby are dispatched."
"Hm."
The man let out a short snort and frowned.
"What about registered heroes? Are they okay?"
"Yes. As long as they don't commit any illegal acts inside the gate, agents won't be dispatched."
"What about the Fissure Zones?"
"Fissure Zones are uncontrollable areas beyond our management."
Abnormal phenomena occurring worldwide, and the entirely different lifeforms known as monsters that exist there.
Such places where these abnormal phenomena occur are called Fissure Zones.
The Gate is a place where Fissure Zones are perfectly controlled to contain monsters, and where hunting is conducted to obtain byproducts. It was colloquially referred to as a "farm."
"However, Fissure Zones are strictly controlled by the Hero Association, so they cannot be entered or exited as easily as the Gate."
Additionally, the number of Fissure Zones is not very large.
In an era where the number of fissure zones converted into Gates determined a nation's power, the Hero Association had taken control of all fissure zones that had emerged within South Korea and was pouring all its efforts into converting them into Gates.
Nam Do-seok, who answered without being asked, harbored the hope that he would not receive the same fate as his comrades.
But it was a futile hope.
The man never broke his word.
"Aaah! Hey! You bastard! I'll kill you!"
The man ignored Nam Do-seok's screams as he twisted his legs and calmly walked out of the gate.
* * *
Seoul Special City, Geumcheon-gu, Gasan Digital Complex.
Once a national industrial complex, it has now completely transformed into something else.
Especially for heroes, it has become the most important and popular hotspot.
We buy monster byproducts at the highest prices!
Monster byproduct specialist company Muda!
Kim Young-cheol, Assistant Manager: 010 1212 3434
Specialized company for magic stones, Stone MAN!
Selling at the lowest prices in Korea and buying at the highest prices!
Park Cheol-woon, Manager M: 010 5656 7878
TH Group subcontracting specialist TOPENG!
Sales of magic weapons officially ordered by TH Group have begun!
Take this opportunity to purchase them at a low price!
Robotic Life Sciences, a specialized manufacturer of combat suits!
Lower-tier combat suits on sale at a huge discount!
Mid-tier combat suits on sale at a clearance discount!
High-tier combat suits, which are in such high demand that we can't keep them in stock, are available in limited quantities!
From monster byproducts to magic stones, magic weapons, and combat suits.
The Gasan Digital Complex, now known as the "Hero Complex," was a place filled with items that would pique the interest of not only heroes but also ordinary people.
Among the business cards scattered haphazardly on the ground, a man picked up one.
It was for a company called "Stone Man," which specialized in buying and selling magic stones.
-Hello?
A low, deep voice came through the phone.
"I want to sell some magic stones."
-If you're selling magic stones, we offer a pickup service depending on the grade and quantity. To use the pickup service, you must have at least ten magic stones of medium grade or higher…
"Where should I go?"
-Come to Stone Building B, Room 309. The exact location is about 250 meters from Exit 5 of Line 7. Our employee will be there...
Click.
The man hung up the phone and looked for the subway station, then headed straight for Exit 5 of Line 7.
He easily found Stone Building B and immediately entered Room 309.
"Welcome. What can I help you with?"
As the customer entered, the man sitting at the computer briefly lifted his head.
Despite the sparse surroundings—a computer, a large safe, an iron desk, and an old leather sofa—the man didn't bat an eye. He placed the backpack he was carrying on his back onto the desk.
"I'm here to sell all of this."
The young man, who looked to be in his early to mid-20s, spoke in a casual tone, which was somewhat irritating, but the man, who was used to dealing with heroes, smiled and replied.
"You've come to the right place. We buy magic stones at the highest prices in Seoul, no, in all of South Korea, so you won't lose out. Now, let's take a look at the magic stones first."
When he opened the zipper, the first thing that hit him was the foul smell of monster blood.
"Damn it! They should have at least wiped it off!"
Even as he cursed under his breath, the man couldn't help but smile at the sight of the large number of magic stones.
"I'll sort the magic stones and give you a price. Would you like some coffee? Or maybe a soft drink?"
"Either one."
The man sitting on the sofa replied curtly, and the man, without hesitation, took a can of soda from the box under the desk and handed it to him.
Click.
While the man was drinking, the man took the magic stones out of his backpack and began sorting them, wiping each one with a towel.
After finishing the sorting with skilled hands, the man wiped the monster blood off his hands with a wet tissue and said,
"There are twelve low-grade magic stones, sixteen medium-grade magic stones, and five high-grade magic stones. We purchase them at the same official market price as the Gate Center. The commission is 40 percent of the purchase price. The price of the magic stones here is..."
The man tapped the calculator and immediately gave the price.
The total price of the magic stones is 9.1 million won.
The purchase fee is 3.64 million won.
As a result, the man will receive 5.46 million won.
"We will proceed with the purchase."
The man countered.
"You said it's the most expensive in South Korea? Yet you're taking a 40 percent commission? Are you trying to scam me?"
"What are you talking about? As you may know, the standard commission in this industry is 45 percent. Even companies claiming to offer lower rates start at 43 to 42 percent. However, we only charge 40 percent. Isn't that enough to claim the highest price?"
"That's your problem. Take 5 percent."
"What...?"
The man looked confused, and the man gave him a look as if to say, "Don't ask me again," and finished his drink neatly.
"Hey! Sir, this is problematic. We're the ones buying, not you. If you're not satisfied, you can just leave. But no matter where you go, you won't find a company that will buy it for a higher price than us."
"Really? I'll find out when I go."
As the man stood up as if he had no intention of staying, the man frowned.
"Sir."
"Why?"
"You have to pay for the classification work, and you also have to pay for the drinks."
The man laughed derisively at the other man's reply.
"Really? How much?"
The man twisted his lips and replied.
"My hourly wage is a bit high. In other words, I'm a skilled worker. So you have to take that into consideration. The labor fee is 300,000 won, plus 10,000 won for the drinks, and as you can see here, the customer brought the stone so dirty that we couldn't even use the expensive towels as rags. That comes to 350,000 won."
Hearing the amount, the man looked at the man with a smile still on his face.
"Do I look like I'd pay that much for that?"
"No, but you have to pay."
As soon as the man finished speaking, the shop door opened.
"You called us? What's going on?"
Three burly men entered the shop.
Each of them was spinning a dagger around like a toy.
They had been called as soon as the fee issue arose.
"Sir, these gentlemen are skilled heroes. They're C-class… no, almost B-class. So it wouldn't be good for you if a commotion breaks out. Will you pay the fee, or… sell the magic stones and pay a 60% commission?"
"It's gone up by 20%?"
"We have to pay them their fees. As I said, they're highly skilled workers."
The man smiled slyly, and the other man sat back comfortably on the sofa and spoke.
"I'll lower the commission too. Take 1 percent off, and bring the remaining 9,009,000 won. No, keep the 9,000 won as a tip."
The man shrugged his shoulders in disbelief at the man's words.
"Guys, it seems like our guest isn't in a good mood. Please do your best."
"There's a surefire way to deal with someone who doesn't understand."
The men laughed menacingly, making a sound like they were clenching their fists.
Regardless, the man remained calmly seated on the sofa.
"He can't understand a word we're saying and has no sense of the situation. Don't just sit there and get beaten to a pulp. Get up and fight back."
"If you can, try to get him up."
The men couldn't take the man's oddly unpleasant tone any longer and approached him.