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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 2
The Gate Control Center assigns agents based on gate rank, ensuring they have sufficient force to handle threats.
In simple terms, since Namsan Gate is a C-rank, B-rank agents—those capable of serious action—are stationed there. Of course, exceptions happen.
If a hero above the rank of the gate causes trouble intentionally, existing agents will request reinforcement from headquarters. That’s when higher-rank agents or heroes from allied guilds arrive. But these are just procedural rules; such incidents are rare.
A hero causing trouble in a gate is typically penalized so severely they can’t function as a hero again.
“…Hic!”
Nam Do‑seok (the agent) couldn’t trust his eyes.
That shabby-looking man had just beaten down his fellow agents mercilessly.
“Last chance. Turn back now, and no one gets hurt.”
At that moment, Do‑seok dismissed him as a crazy lunatic.
He thought—
‘I should’ve alerted HQ then!’
When the stranger lightly twisted a suited agent’s wrist, that was the moment Do‑seok should’ve realized he wasn’t dealing with a normal human. He made the critical mistake of underestimating sheer numbers and elite suits while assuming no hero ever ran amok in a gate.
Crack!
“Aaaah!”
A monstrous snap echoed as a fellow agent’s arm bent in a grotesque, unnatural direction. He screamed, body trembling.
Do‑seok stood frozen, clutching his own baton, involuntarily stepping back.
‘What a brutal bastard…’
How many humans could twist another’s limbs like that without even batting an eye? He was terrified.
“You there.”
The stranger, who had just flattened high-ranking agents with bare fists, turned his murderous gaze toward Do‑seok.
“…M-Me?”
“Yeah, you. Who else would I be talking to?”
The man narrowed his eyes. Do‑seok flinched.
“You guys show up no matter which gate I enter. Always the same drill—unauthorized entry, right?”
“…Y-Yeah?”
“Knew it.”
“Y-Yes! That’s right! If an unregistered hero enters a gate, the Control Center gets alerted automatically. Then the closest agents are dispatched.”
“Hmph.”
The man let out a grunt, brows furrowing.
“So as long as a hero’s registered, you leave them alone?”
“Correct. As long as they don’t break any laws inside, there’s no reason for us to interfere.”
“What about the ‘Rift’?”
“Rifts are uncontrollable—outside our jurisdiction.”
These are the places where anomalies and monsters appear around the world. But once stabilized and contained, they’re turned into Gates—nicknamed “monster farms.”
“But Rifts are strictly managed by the Hero Association. They’re not like gates you can just walk in and out of.”
Also, there aren't many rifts worldwide, and countries are judged by how many they can turn into gates and control.
South Korea’s Hero Association controls every rift within its borders and prioritizes converting them into Gates.
Do‑seok didn’t even have to ask—his questions were answered.
He dared to hope his situation might be handled differently than his comrades’.
But it was just wishful thinking.
Because the stranger hadn’t broken his own rule.
“Kraaaarrrkk! Hey! You bastard…! You’re dead the next time I see you!”
With Do‑seok wailing behind him, his legs twisted grotesquely, the stranger simply walked out of the Gate.
＊ ＊ ＊
Gasan Digital Complex, Geumcheon District, Seoul.
Once a national industrial hub—now, it's something else entirely.
For heroes, it’s become ‘the’ go-to hotspot: part marketplace, part battlefield economy.
⋮
We buy monster by-products at top prices!
Monster By-product Specialist: MOUDA!
Contact: Deputy Kim Young-cheol - 010-1212-3434
⋮
STONE MAN — Your Magic Stone Expert!
Lowest sale prices, highest buy-back offers in Korea!
Contact: Manager Park Cheol-woon - 010-5656-7878
⋮
TOPENG — Official subcontractor for TH Group!
Now selling TH-issued Magic gear at unbeatable prices!
Limited time offer — stock up while you can!
⋮
Robotic Biotech — Combat Suit Specialists!
Huge discounts on entry-level suits!
Clearance sale on mid-tier suits!
Premium suits available—small quantity only, high demand!
⋮
Monster parts, mana stones, magic gear, combat suits...
The Gasan Digital Complex—now dubbed the ‘Hero Complex’—was overflowing with goods that appealed not only to heroes but even to regular civilians.
As business cards littered the street like autumn leaves, one caught the man’s eye.
“STONE MAN”, a company specializing in buying and selling mana stones.
He picked it up.
- Hello?
A low, gruff voice answered on the other end.
“I want to sell some mana stones.”
- If you're selling, we do offer pickup services depending on grade and quantity. You’ll need at least ten mid-grade mana stones or higher to qualify for—
“Where do I go?”
- Come to Stone Building, Block B, Suite 309. It’s about 250 meters from Exit 5 of Line 7. One of our staff will—
Click.
The man hung up mid-sentence, found the subway station, and made his way directly to Exit 5 of Line 7.
It didn’t take long to find Block B of the Stone Building, and without hesitation, he walked into Suite 309.
“Welcome. What can I do for you?”
The man behind the desk barely looked up from his monitor.
A big safe, an old iron desk, a worn-out leather couch—that was the whole setup. But the visitor didn’t seem to care.
He simply hoisted the backpack off his shoulders and dropped it on the desk.
“I’m here to sell all of this.”
The clerk—who looked to be in his early twenties, maybe mid-twenties at most—bristled slightly at the guy’s blunt tone.
But anyone dealing with heroes had seen worse.
Forcing a smile, he replied.
“You came to the right place. We offer the best buyback prices in all of Seoul—actually, the whole country. You won’t walk away feeling cheated. Let’s start by checking the mana stones.”
The moment the zipper opened, the stench hit. The iron tang of monster blood spilled out like a punch to the face.
‘Goddamn... At least clean them before bringing them!’
He swore silently while trying to keep his smile intact—because from what he could already see, there was a ’lot’ of mana stone.
“Let me sort them by grade and give you a price estimate. Would you like a coffee? Or something else to drink?”
“Anything’s fine.”
When the man replied curtly from the couch, the clerk didn’t hesitate. He ducked under the desk and pulled out a canned drink from a cardboard box.
Click.
While the man sipped his drink, the clerk began pulling mana stones out of the backpack, wiping each one down with a towel as he sorted them.
His movements were deft, practiced. Once the sorting was done, he wiped monster blood off his hands with a wet tissue and spoke.
“We’ve got twelve low-grade mana stones, sixteen mid-low grade, and five high-mid grade. We buy at the official Gate Control Center rates—same as the standard market price. Our commission is 40% of the total purchase price. So for what you’ve brought in…”
He tapped away on a calculator and read off the numbers.
Total value of the mana stones: ₩9.1 million
Commission fee (40%): ₩3.64 million
Net payout: ₩5.46 million
“Shall I go ahead and process the transaction?”
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t you say you offer the best rates in Korea? But you’re skimming 40% off the top? You trying to scam me?”
“What? Not at all! Maybe you’re not familiar with this market, but the standard commission in this line of work is 45%. Even the so-called discount dealers only go as low as 43%, maybe 42%. But ‘we’ only take 40%. That’s why we say we offer the best rate.”
“That’s ‘your’ problem. Take 5% and be happy with it.”
“…Huh?”
The man just stared at him—deadpan, clearly not in the mood to repeat himself.
Then he casually finished the rest of his drink.
“Sir, that’s not how this works. We’re the ones buying. You don’t set the terms. If you don’t like it, feel free to leave. But I guarantee, no one else out there will offer you better than us.”
“Oh? I guess I’ll find out for myself.”
The man stood up without a hint of hesitation. The clerk’s face soured.
“Sir.”
“What now?”
“You still need to pay for the sorting service. And the drink.”
The man let out a low laugh, like he’d just heard a dumb joke.
“Really? How much are we talking?”
The clerk smirked, tilting his head like he was giving a generous explanation.
“My hourly labor fee’s pretty steep—because I’m ‘high-end talent’, you see. So factoring that in… the service charge is ₩300,000. The drink? ₩10,000. And this towel here?”
He held it up.
“Ruined because you couldn’t be bothered to clean the mana stones. It’s basically a rag now. Towel’s worth another ₩40,000. So in total, ₩350,000.”
The man was still smiling as he looked at him.
“Do I look like the kind of idiot who’d pay that?”
“No. But you’ll have to.”
The words were barely out of his mouth before the shop door creaked open.
“You called us? What’s going on?”
Three burly men stepped in.
They spun combat daggers around their fingers like toys.
The clerk had summoned them the moment the argument over fees began.
“These gentlemen are top-notch heroes. Practically B-rank. Wouldn’t want to cause a scene, would you? So what’ll it be—pay the service fee? Or… sell the mana stones with a 60% commission?”
“So it went up by 20% now?”
“Gotta pay these fine gentlemen, you understand. Like I said, high-end talent.”
The man just leaned back into the sofa, totally unfazed, and spoke again.
“In that case, I’m adjusting ‘my’ commission too. Give me ₩9.009 million—keep ₩9,000 as a tip.”
The clerk rolled his eyes and shrugged dramatically.
“Gentlemen. Looks like our customer’s not the reasonable type. Please handle it.”
“We’ve got just the thing for guys who don’t listen.”
They cracked their knuckles, grinning as they approached.
But the man on the couch?
Still sitting, cool as ever.
“Not only are you hard of hearing, you’re terrible at reading the room. Don’t just sit there and get your face smashed in. At least stand up and fight.”
“Go ahead and make me.”
Something about his tone—so calm, so cold—got under their skin.
The hired thugs lost their patience and charged forward.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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