Ch 105
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 105
They say this is the world's largest portal, and indeed, the entrance is quite massive in size.
Since it's designated as a special restricted area, there are quite a lot of soldiers in military uniforms, whether they're Self-Defense Forces or regular military, around the portal.
"Sir, cars can't enter beyond that point ahead as it's a restricted area."
"Then please take me as far as you can go and drop me off there."
After driving for about 2 more minutes, the taxi stopped. I paid the fare and got out.
As I approached the barricade, two soldiers came over telling me it was a restricted area and to turn back, but I showed them the documents I had prepared in advance and passed through.
Seeing it up close, it really is enormous.
I had researched it online before coming, and they say it's a whopping 10 meters in height and 50 meters in width.
I took a few photos for submission to the school and entered the portal.
Perhaps because the entrance is so wide, I didn't feel that characteristic nauseating sensation when entering the portal at all... Wow, I had seen photos on the internet while researching, but seeing it in person is truly amazing.
The endless expanse of sand desert is spectacular, but there are quite a lot of buildings and even asphalt roads laid out.
No, this isn't the time to be admiring the scenery like this.
I need to catch a flight at 7 PM, so I need to return to the airport by 5 PM at the latest.
I took out my phone from my pocket to check the time - it was 12 o'clock.
From what I confirmed on the way here, the airport isn't too far from this place, but still, I don't have that much time.
I headed toward the building directly visible in front of me, as the soldier I met at the entrance had instructed.
Upon entering, it feels similar to an airport immigration checkpoint.
Except that everyone is uniformly dressed in military uniforms.
"How may I help you?"
"I'm a faculty member from the 1st Hunter School in Korea, and I came for a preliminary survey for a school trip scheduled for June."
"I see. Could you please show me your passport and permit documents?"
I handed over the documents and passport.
While they had checked roughly outside earlier, here they examine quite thoroughly.
"According to the documents, three people were supposed to come. Why did you come alone?"
"Ah, my companions weren't feeling well. We took a bus from Tokyo early this morning, you see."
"A bus? It must have taken quite a long time to come from Tokyo to Nagoya by bus."
"Yes. It took about five and a half hours."
"You could have used the bullet train for convenience. It's a bit expensive, but it's much faster."
"I know that too, but the students will be traveling by bus during the school trip."
"Ah... You're working hard. Everything has been confirmed."
He returned my passport and documents and also gave me a tag.
When I asked what it was since it contained a blank yellow paper with no writing on it, he said it was a visitor's pass.
If it's a visitor's pass, they should at least write "visitor's pass" on it - it lacks sincerity.
He said I must wear it around my neck at all times inside the portal, so I put it on immediately.
"So where should I go now?"
"Just a moment. Over there, yes... Yamada, could you come here please."
"What is it?"
"This person is a faculty member from the 1st Hunter School in Korea who came for a survey, and since he needs to go to the Black Temple, please guide him. You can follow this person."
"Ah, yes. Please take care of me. I'm Kang Shin-hyeok."
"Your Japanese is quite fluent. I'm Yamada Yasuo."
Ya, Yasuo? Somehow it's a name I don't want to get close to...
Come to think of it, he even looks exactly like someone who caused me a lot of pain in my previous life...
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no, nothing."
I followed Yasuo outside the building.
"Could you wait here for a moment? I'll go get the car."
I answered that I understood and waited for about 5 minutes.
A compact minibus stopped in front of me.
I wondered if he brought this kind of vehicle because he was picking up other people too, but Yasuo was alone in the bus.
When I asked why he brought this kind of vehicle, he said he deliberately brought it because it's the type of vehicle students will use during their school trip.
I appreciated the thoughtfulness, but being a minibus, the ride comfort wasn't very good.
While receiving brief explanations from Yasuo, we drove for about 40 minutes and arrived at the Black Temple.
Besides our bus, there are several other vehicles visible.
He said they're probably linguists researching the inscriptions inside the temple, and while there used to be really many people in the past, most gave up so the numbers have decreased significantly.
"I see."
"Then I'll wait here, so please go and take a look."
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"I'm Christian, so I can't enter places like that."
"Christian?"
"That's a joke, I'm actually a bit tired. The temple is somewhat spacious, but it has an open structure, so you won't get lost."
"Alright. Then I'll be back quickly."
Since he said he was tired, I didn't insist further.
It wouldn't matter much if he came along, but it would be more comfortable going alone.
"No, no. Since you'll have to do other work when you return anyway, take your time and look around thoroughly. And if you look at the entrance area, you'll see a signboard. Take a look at that."
I said I understood and got off the bus.
I took a few quick photos from the outside and immediately headed into the temple.
As Yasuo had mentioned, when I reached the entrance, I could see a signboard explaining the temple's structure.
Looking through it, it says the basement is only open in the morning, but that doesn't matter.
My destination is the 3rd floor.
As described in the original work, whether you go left or right, there are stairs that can take you to the 3rd floor.
The left side was closer, so I went up to the 3rd floor via the left staircase.
Unlike other places, the 3rd floor has no letters carved anywhere.
Instead, in the very center, there's a statue so severely damaged that it's impossible to tell what it originally was.
The statue is attached to the floor as if it sprouted from it, and despite being severely damaged, there are no access restriction lines or anything set up around it.
This is because this statue has been in this condition since it was first discovered.
Of course, even if it's an already damaged statue, since it was discovered in a portal, it should be managed in principle.
However, this statue, like the temple, is made of Black Ore, so there's no need to manage it.
The Black Ore of the Black Temple boasts truly incredible durability.
Not only Sword Energy and Aura Blade, but even the Hellfire of S-rank magicians, which is known to have superior destructive power compared to Aura Blade, cannot destroy the Black Ore.
Far from destruction, it doesn't even leave scratches and absorbs everything.
The Japanese government tried using scientific tools like plasma cutters as a last resort, but that also failed.
Thanks to that, this statue's name is also the very un-statue-like "Invincible Sandbag."
The information on the signboard also includes text saying it's fine to attack it as much as you want, along with content about giving a reward of a whopping 10 billion yen - over 100 billion won in Korean currency - if you can bring even just powder, not fragments.
In the original work, Lee Ji-sung boldly takes on the challenge after seeing the information, but fails, and Kim Do-hyun similarly fails.
However, Lee Ji-sung suggests to Kim Do-hyun, ‘How about we try attacking together?’ and with their combined attack, while they don't destroy the statue, they succeed in making a very small scratch.
I'm alone, not two people, but I'm confident.
While the 2nd-year protagonists are quite strong, they can't be called the strongest.
Although they get stronger as the story progresses, the level of the 2nd-year protagonists is only at the top of A-rank or at best, the beginning of S-rank.
But two people working together accomplished what even the Vice Principal, who is quite high-ranking among S-rank Hunters, failed to do?
It's a complete setting error.
Actually, when I was reading the original work, I was about to write a comment saying this didn't seem right, but I saw that the author had already provided clarification and the situation was resolved.
***
[hogupig: Hello. I'm author Hogu Pig who is serializing 'I Became a Delinquent Inferior Student at Hunter School.' Many readers are pointing out the part where Kim Do-hyun and Lee Ji-sung work together to scratch the Black Ore as a setting error, but that part is not a setting error. Do-hyun and Ji-sung use Internal Energy, not Magic, unlike other Hunters. And the setting is that Black Ore is strong against Magic but somewhat vulnerable to Internal Energy.]
[Seonwoo: If that's the setting, then why didn't Kim Do-hyun or Lee Ji-sung leave scratches when they tried alone? Just apologize nicely and make corrections. Because you stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the setting error, you keep making more setting errors.]
[Mandu Ghost: Even I, who's a die-hard Hogu Pig fan, can't take the author's side on this one. The reply is much more logical than the author.]
[Game Loser Blames Others: For real LMAO]
[hogupig: It's because the kids are still weak. If they were S-rank Hunter level, they would have succeeded alone. If you keep reading, related content will appear.]
***
Honestly, it wasn't a clear explanation.
But since I've had quite a few similar experiences while writing, it's not incomprehensible.
Anyway, according to the author's setting, I should be able to do it alone.
I'm an S-rank Hunter, a Supreme Master.
Still, not being careless, I drew up my Internal Energy to its fullest and created Hand Gang, then struck the statue with it.
THUD!
The moment I felt the heavy impact, my vision changed.
Of course, I wasn't flustered.
I already knew from the original work that this would happen when you scratch the statue.
A purple sun hangs in the sky, and the fields are densely packed with black grass I've never seen before.
And on the hill visible ahead, there's an incredibly massive tree with no visible end.
The Demon Realm Tree.
When you read fantasy novels, you occasionally encounter something called the World Tree.
It varies slightly by novel, but it's generally called the homeland or mother of elves, and elves cherish it. Sometimes it has consciousness like a person despite being a tree, and it's usually portrayed as a benevolent being that supports the middle world.
In most fantasy novels, the World Tree gets corrupted by demonic energy or has some problem that the protagonists solve.
So there's even a joke saying 'The World Tree's passive skill is getting corrupted by demonic energy,' but the Demon Realm Tree I see before me now wasn't created by the World Tree being corrupted.
In this novel, the Demon Realm Tree is a tree that originally existed in the demon realm...
Suddenly, the ground began to shake.
Is it finally starting?
Destroying the statue was just a condition for coming to this place - the real trial is separate.
The vibrations gradually intensified, and soon the ground split in half.
Lava erupted from the split gap, and it revealed itself.
THUD!
Its muscular body is similar to an Ogre, but both the color and size are completely different.
Just looking at the torso, it seems to easily exceed 20 meters, and it has three large heads attached.
It reminded me of Cerberus, the guardian of hell from Greek mythology, but considering the human-like shape and size of the heads, it seems closer to the Sphinx in Egypt.
Actually, this creature is like the Sphinx... A murky voice echoes in my head.
—I am Kainakan, guardian of the Demon Realm Tree. Those who do not receive my permission cannot go to the Demon Realm Tree.
I already knew from the original work, but a monster that speaks... No, it's not even speaking.
A monster that directly transmits thoughts into your head - how truly fascinating.
"How can I receive permission?"
—If you correctly answer all three questions I pose, I will not stop you. However, if you are wrong, you must forfeit your life... Will you take the challenge?
"I accept the challenge."
In the original work, the protagonists couldn't solve the problems and ended up fighting this creature.
They struggled quite a bit, but naturally, it's the protagonists who win.
So I could just fight from the beginning instead of bothering with questions, but there's no need to create unnecessary hardship for myself.
I know the answers.
—I will pose the first question. This devours everything. It turns solid stone to powder, and no metal can resist it. It kills powerful emperors with great strength, destroys hearts, and even grinds down high mountains. What is this?
"Time."
—You are a clever human. I will pose the second question. This can revive the dead and can make you laugh or cry. It is born in an instant but lives forever. What is this?
"Memory."
—The final question. Some fear this and try to hide, some try to run away, but eventually, as time passes, you must meet this being. Even you will someday...
"Death."
—How, how did you answer without even listening to the explanation...
It seems quite flustered.
Maybe I should have listened to the full explanation?
While the author didn't separately reveal the answers, readers wrote all the correct answers in the comments.
Things like time are such famous riddles that I already knew them.
"Can I go now?"