Chapter 4
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 004
Chapter Title: Dark Fantasy
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Two men slowly sidestepped, eyes locked warily on each other's movements.
Kim Woojin paid special attention to the gleaming arrowhead. It gave off a chilling glow, like the eerie light of a will-o'-the-wisp luring in its prey.
'Can't block that with a shield.'
He hadn't tested the arrow's power firsthand, but something told him it would punch right through.
An unexpected wrinkle, but it didn't matter.
Kim Woojin gripped his machete tight and shifted his weight forward. He'd roughly gauged it—now it was time to test it for real.
Just as he moved to act...
The light around the arrowhead suddenly flickered out. The old man lowered his bow. Seeing this, Kim Woojin voiced his confusion.
"......Old timer. Why'd you put the bow down all of a sudden?"
"Truth be told, it's a bit much for me. If we keep going, I'll end up seeing blood too."
Let's talk this out.
The old man made the suggestion as he sat down on the ground.
He'd apparently tried to scare off the intruder, but seeing Kim Woojin wasn't backing down, he'd decided to negotiate instead.
Kim Woojin had been raring for a fight, his blood pumping a little, but the tension fizzled out anticlimactically.
'Well... maybe that's for the best. Killing the old man would've been a hassle anyway.'
Kim Woojin had butchered all sorts of creatures in this world, but he'd never killed a human.
To be precise, he hadn't had the chance. Today was the first time he'd even met another person here.
So he hoped this rare encounter wouldn't end in a fight to the death.
"I'm Hector."
The old man abruptly gave his name. Taking it as an invitation to introduce himself, Kim Woojin replied readily.
"My name's Kim Woojin."
"Kim... Woojin...? That's a strange name. Hard to pronounce, even."
Hector furrowed his brow slightly. Korean names must sound pretty alien in this world.
"Call me whatever's easiest."
"I'll just go with 'Jin,' then. Look here, Jin. I'll let the unauthorized entry into my cabin slide—mud tracks and all—if you just leave my turf nice and quiet-like?"
Hector clearly wanted the stranger gone from his domain ASAP. He didn't seem keen on chatting long, so Kim Woojin got straight to the point.
Kim Woojin gestured toward the cabin behind him.
"There's a good book in there. Sell it to me, and I'll leave without a fuss."
"You mean the Demonic Realm Chronicles?"
"Yeah."
"No can do."
"......"
The flat refusal hit like a brick.
As Kim Woojin's face fell, Hector added an explanation.
"Listen, Jin. That book's not mine. It's borrowed—I can't just hand it over."
If he had to return it, he couldn't give it away lightly. After a moment's thought, Kim Woojin proposed a compromise.
"Then how about lending it for a bit? I'll skim it and give it right back."
"You've got some real thirst for knowledge. Going through all this trouble for one book... Fine, can't be helped."
Hector let out a deep sigh, stood, and headed into the cabin. He left the door open, signaling he'd be right back.
Figuring as much, Kim Woojin stayed put. But soon, an impatient voice called from inside.
"......What're you doing out there? Get in here."
He'd left the door open to beckon him in? Kim Woojin belatedly stood and walked toward the cabin.
Hector was sitting on the floor, fletching arrows. He glanced sideways to confirm Kim Woojin had entered, then nodded toward a book by the sofa's headrest.
"Sit there and read."
With that, Hector returned to his work, ignoring Kim Woojin completely—no words, no glances.
'Guy's got guts.'
Kim Woojin was close enough to cleave Hector's skull with the machete if he wanted.
Yet the old man's calm demeanor meant either he trusted Kim Woojin's character... or he was confident he wouldn't get jumped.
Inviting him inside was probably to keep an eye on the book and prevent theft.
'Whatever. Doesn't matter to me.'
No point stirring up trouble now. Kim Woojin picked up the book from beside the sofa.
[ Yurgis's Demonic Realm Chronicles. ]
The book he'd eyed earlier. Kim Woojin sat in the worn chair and opened it.
[ This chronicle compiles the writings and spoken words of Yurgis, Holy Knight of the Church Alliance, from his lifetime. If you plan to set foot in the Demonic Realm, master the knowledge within. ]
Unfamiliar terms jumped out from the first line.
'Church Alliance...?'
What was that?
Kim Woojin scratched his chin and sneaked a glance at Hector, who was busy with his own tasks.
'......Questions for later.'
He wanted to ask right away, but reading would surely bring up more. With zero background knowledge, it'd be nonstop.
Pestering Hector every time might get him booted for being annoying.
Better to read through once first.
Explanations for strange terms would pop up eventually, or he'd infer from context.
'Luckily, the backstory's pretty detailed.'
Kim Woojin read carefully. The gist went like this.
This world used to be pretty prosperous. Clean air, good sunlight, pure water...
But as always, human greed was the problem.
There was a kingdom up north.
Once mighty enough to be called an empire. But over generations, its power and influence waned.
The weakened nation lost territory accordingly—major domains and breadbaskets gone, pushed to the continent's northern fringe.
To reclaim lost glory, they needed new power. The king's gaze turned to ancient ruins in the north.
Relics of a forgotten age.
Deep underground lay a massive rift, clamped shut like a stubborn clam. Legend called it a gate.
A gateway to another world. Beyond it slumbered unimaginable power and universal truths.
Just legend, though—few took it seriously. The king ordered research as a desperate Hail Mary.
......And it paid off unexpectedly.
Excavations uncovered treasures and artifacts, and translating runes restored lost ancient magic.
The legends were true. Open the gate, seize the power beyond. The king poured fortunes into the research.
State-backed funding accelerated things. The secret project finished as the king's hair turned white.
The gate opened.
......And the catastrophe everyone knows began.
Beyond the rift: ash, mold, and grotesque monsters.
They swarmed into our world. Their invasion was unnaturally swift, as if they'd been waiting eons for the gate to crack open...
In just nine years, humanity lost the north.
The Demonic Realm spread like plague. Sensing doom, religious leaders united to form the 'Church Alliance'.
To halt the southward creep, the Church Alliance led humanity in building barriers.
It wasn't easy, but it worked. The alliance army barely held humanity's last bastion against the Demonic Realm.
Thanks to geographic advantages and the beasts' innate limits.
The farther from the rift, the weaker the beasts grew. Stronger ones especially shunned heading south...
"......Impressive focus."
The sudden voice snapped Kim Woojin out of it. He turned. Hector was watching him, holding something.
"Here."
Hector handed it over. Kim Woojin took it reflexively. A warm bowl in wooden dish: stew.
"......Why're you giving me this?"
"Can't starve a guest."
Hector grunted curtly. He plopped onto the sofa, bowl in hand, and shoveled it in.
Kim Woojin stared at his stew. Thick broth with unknown veggies and meat chunks. The savory aroma teased his nose.
'......Eat first, think later.'
He scooped a spoonful. Mild veggies, chewy meat. It tasted as good as it smelled.
Hector smirked at Kim Woojin's impressed look.
"You eat food from a stranger just fine. What if it was poisoned?"
Kim Woojin shrugged lightly.
"Call it fugu, then."
"Fugu? First I've heard of eating that."
"Heard it's delicious."
Kim Woojin had never tried it himself.
"Wild. People eating poison fish..."
Hector muttered, intrigued, and took another bite.
The small talk and stew loosened the mood. Kim Woojin seized the chance.
"Mind if I ask a few questions?"
"I'll decide after hearing them. Shoot."
Kim Woojin nodded at the book.
"This book—it's all real events? Too much feels like fantasy for straight history."
"Far as I know, yeah. It's cross-verified reliable info. Church Alliance published it themselves— they obsessed over accuracy."
"Got it."
Hector confirmed it.
Kim Woojin pondered. The contents were more alien than expected.
'Ancient magic, Holy Knights, empire...'
Unfamiliar, yet not.
'......Words I heard tons in games.'
Young Kim Woojin loved RPGs full of that stuff.
Reading the book felt like a game lore bible. Hard to buy as history.
But Hector vouched for its truth.
It sparked one possibility—like in those novels.
'Did I drop into a fantasy world?'
Wake up after a truck hit, in another realm...
And this wasn't your standard fantasy.
Swords and magic, rifts, apocalyptic disaster, humanity declining against invading monsters. All that added up to...
'......Dark fantasy.'