Chapter 235: The Taciturn (2)
Wait a minute, this isn’t usual.
“What did you say?”
– You can’t go there. Just don’t enter.
Seeing my confusion, the person on the other end reiterated their refusal firmly.
He blocked my entry into the new dungeon.
“Are you saying I can’t even bring my companions?”
– That’s right.
Why the heck did I get this response?
Kang Chang-ho usually didn’t give in about the hunter’s duties of contractors.
He hadn’t even refused participation in Japan’s Dragon Raid; it had been almost unheard of for him to stop anyone up to now.
Besides, I had just lied to him about being S-Class to explain the defensive power boost of the Divine Tree Sapling.
“But as I just mentioned, the difficulty here is only B-Class…?”
Is he still mad about the last time I left quietly during the Break event?
I recalled the Thornbush Forest incident where I jumped in to retrieve the bank robber’s corpse and adjusted my phone.
But the response I received was:
– Oh, are you seriously asking me that, our veteran Hunter?
Kang Chang-ho started the conversation in a dry tone.
– Look, new gates have a lot of unverified aspects, so it’s prohibited. If you recklessly enter thinking it’s just B-Class, strange phenomena could apply to S-Class too.
“Hmm.”
– Plus, you said you are S-Class last time. If you end up in a state of [confusion], who’s going to fix that?
“What…?”
– If you understand, do your best to avoid approaching this dungeon first, even if it breaks.
Though his voice seemed cheerful, I felt like if I were face to face with him, his expression might not be good at all.
However, upon listening closely, his logic had some odd points.
“Um.”
I unconsciously voiced the question that came to mind.
“But, if you thought that, shouldn’t you have stopped me during the Siren raid? That time too, the S-Class was unverified…”
Of course, Kang Chang-ho’s tone wasn’t much different from mine.
– No. At least during the Siren incident, there were plenty of A-Class Awakened fully equipped to deal with mind-control resistance.
“Oh.”
– If we hadn’t intervened at Mermaid’s Cove, an A-Class team from the major battles was supposed to succeed quite soon just by waiting.
Ah, I see.
‘Now that I think about it, this Earthling is quite informed.’
His information is impressive.
I understood his explanation without any difficulty.
But then, as if this wasn’t the end of his speech, a new sentence followed over the phone.
– Anyway, for that reason, this dungeon… what’s the name again?
“[Unknown Cave].”
– Right. Let’s postpone the handling of Unknown Cave. Also, moving forward, if any mind-affecting monsters appear, don’t recklessly engage. I know you’re strong in that area.
Honestly, being confident in front of monsters in a dungeon is just foolishness.
– Hmm.
I could hear the sound of the wind through the phone’s speaker.
I guessed my conversation partner made a dismissive scoff.
– By the way, I’ve thought about it for a while, but Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo really loves a disaster spectacle.
“Does it look that way?”
– It’s been several days since the big shot Brooklyn Morgan went missing, and you volunteer to enter an unproven gate?
The voice of my conversation partner gradually lowered.
The vibrations of that top-tier being’s vocal cords resembled the sub-bass of some large mammal.
– I guess it’s true that if S-Class doesn’t do anything, it really starts itching?
Listening quietly, it felt like my calf muscles might just go numb, a menace for its target through sheer vocal prowess.
– So that’s why you charge in headfirst whenever you find something dangerous and new?
“What?”
– Well, if you awaken to S-Class, your daily life becomes monotonous, doesn’t it?
Kang Chang-ho rare laughed out loud and then returned to joking mode.
– But no matter how much I think about it, this dungeon feels a bit off. Well, if you really must go, first stop by that gym I’m sending you the address for.
“Gym all of a sudden?”
– Nothing beats sports for stress relief. To tell the truth, I’ve been practicing kickboxing since school. While we’re on the subject, I’ll share some with Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo.
However, if he makes two jokes like this, someone might actually get hurt.
– And if you end up sparring without a mouthguard and lose those precious teeth of yours, no one will think about being bored anymore.
A terrifying proposition.
He showed an unexpectedly negative attitude about entering the realm that had seen possession incidents.
– Got it?
“No, uh…”
– And don’t call this an overreaction. You know what it means to get caught up in mental troubles, right?
“…”
– Given the self-awareness standard, your ten-year contract could be nullified entirely.
“…”
– Again, don’t enter this dungeon until other hunters verify its safety.
After droning on for a while, Kang Chang-ho broke off the call.
– Just remember that I am always watching out for you.
Click.
I stared blankly at the now-dark screen of my mobile phone.
‘Watching out for me?’
Wow.
I’ve used expressions like that my whole life, but I’ve hardly ever heard it from others; every time an Earthling said something like that, it felt refreshing.
But that’s that.
What should I do now?
‘Hmm.’
After our conversation, it seems that entering this gate recklessly could lead to serious trouble.
‘Hmm…’
I lifted my gaze and belatedly checked the association employees in front of me.
They were all non-awakened, so due to limitations in their hearing, they hadn’t overheard the conversation that just transpired.
But perhaps they sensed the hostile atmosphere, as everyone quickly shifted their eyes awkwardly.
‘So this is how it turns out.’
I swaggered in claiming I would investigate the gate and now it’s backfired.
But it’s not like I can help it.
In the past, I could assert dominance even with a self-exploding threat, but since an enhancement heart holder found a second sacrificial candidate, the hierarchy between contractors had settled.
By the way, if Kang Chang-ho is to be believed, my body is a ‘potential for further growth,’ isn’t it?
To let such a being die just because of pride seems far-fetched.
‘Could there be a mage here capable of foresight magic after all?’
I shrugged.
I snapped back to reality and conveyed my message to the association employees.
“Everyone, I’m sorry, but something urgent has come up, so I need to cancel today’s schedule.”
“Eh?!”
“Please call in another A-Class team with good morale to investigate this gate.”
Despite the sudden change in plans, my body language still exuded confidence.
Since it’s come to this, using a different approach is fine.
*
An hour later.
A Blue Gate in Seoul.
To prove this as a restricted entry zone, a line of bright orange plastic barricades stood neatly across the path.
But just a moment later…
Thud!
“Oh?”
One of the foldable barricades suddenly lost its balance and tipped over.
An employee of the Hunter Association, who was holding a tablet and drafting an email to his supervisor, immediately stood the fallen object back up.
What’s this? There wasn’t even any wind to knock it down.
“Did I place it wrong on a slope or something?”
He tilted his head, thinking of possible scenarios.
However, his guess diverged from reality. The fluorescent fence hadn’t toppled due to wind or slope, but rather due to a clear physical shock.
– Swoosh…
A creature that had maintained a transparent state until now released its magic as it crossed the blue passage.
‘Ah!’
Blond hair and heterochromia.
Isn’t that a familiar appearance?
‘Maybe it’s been slippery since it only rained a little while ago. I slipped and almost fell.’
Kim Gi-ryeo was currently using a concealment type of magic to illegally enter the gate.
That’s right.
He decided to ignore the contents of the Knight’s Pact he had discussed with Kang Chang-ho after much contemplation in order to achieve his goal.
‘Remember how I’m always watching out for you?’
Haha! What a funny line.
He doesn’t even know who is truly keeping an eye on him.
In fact, from the very first day the contract was signed, he was in a position to dash through gates without oversight at any time.
Yet, he hadn’t done so until now merely because he hadn’t the energy to use his invisibility magic.
Now his abilities restored, he had even set up an illusionary heap in his studio for hiding his movement while gathering corpses, so now there was truly nothing to worry about.
[Dragon’s Eye] would probably show Kim Gi-ryeo’s internal magic comfortably embedded in his residence by now.
Even if he came to break down the door and check his face, with the layered illusion spell, he could buy as much time as he wanted.
‘It’s darker inside than I expected.’
The man, whose sneer was filled with pride, soon proceeded with his dungeon exploration.
As he spread his palm, the light magic activated softly and naturally like a creature’s breath.
However, there was something strangely flawed about this ‘power’ conjured by the Great Mage.
This place was where a creature from another world had engaged in a frontal battle with the first Grand Mage of Alphauri…
So it was a nest possibly harboring the being.
Even if the soul might imply a difficult-to-distinguish concept, it’s still best to pay attention to such trivial details if it were feasible.
He walked through the cave along with a poorly structured spell mimicking the primitive magic of Earth.
“Hmm.”
When the waste of deliberately created magic began sprinkling like breadcrumbs along his path…
One-third of the way into another world.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
The blond man started mumbling with a deflated expression, tilting his head.
“Ha…”
He realized the identity of this gate barely shortly after entering.
With his eyesight equivalent to a vision of 1.2, it was hard for Kim Gi-ryeo to confirm it directly.
But if he closed his eyes and concentrated on the flow of magic, he could soon barely sense the shape of an enemy creeping toward him.
Glistening across his meticulously crafted ring, like cubic stones.
A tiny monster the size of a grain.
‘Right. That’s why I thought the news about possession sounded weirdly fast. Logically, it should take much longer than eight years to reach Stage 2 of occupation~’
In Earth’s tongue, it roughly resembled the name ‘Silent Bug,’ and was the protagonist of this situation.
In truth, this dungeon didn’t involve any direct intervention from Ki-simche, but merely bore witness to a misunderstanding-style monster that had appeared.
Silent Bug.
The name itself already implied its meaning, as it was primarily responsible for attached encoded behaviors on the rear skin of animals.
‘Seeing nature’s insects from my hometown makes me nostalgic.’
The sluggish creature observed the softly glowing magic stone embedded in the cave’s wall.
Upon closer inspection, a milky white bug was slowly crawling along the top surface of the stone.
Yet, Silent Bugs are extremely sensitive to changes in surrounding magic density. So, moving from this B-Class gate into the relatively thinner atmosphere of Earth…
‘So that’s why the Awakened who escaped the cave returned to normal. The monster couldn’t survive the environmental change and naturally died. The potion didn’t work because they continuously fell under a new illusion due to the cursed fate.’
What am I even saying?
With a small sigh, he slipped his hand into his pants pocket.
Now he no longer needed to awkwardly mimic a primitive sorcerer. Just a general scan indicated there was no Ki-simche entity lurking around watching for food here.
Resorting to his own methods, he planned to enhance his night vision and make a slick escape on his way back.
‘Hmm?’
But at that moment.
The alien Great Mage hurriedly canceled his spell he was forming.
A sudden warning light ignited within the keen senses embedded in his soul as new magic appeared very close to the gate.
He raised his thin skin and steadily opened his eyes wider.
‘This is…’
A Hunter.
S-Class Hunter Kang Chang-ho!
Damn it. What the hell? Plus, this dungeon is a direct linear structure with no place to hide?
