Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Encounter with the Unknown - 1
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We arrived at the 'Songdo Anomalous Phenomenon Occurrence Zone' in Incheon, where this Anomalous Phenomenon—tentatively named 'Black Hole'—had appeared.
The first thing to greet us as we stepped out of the car wasn't reporters or Awakener Association staff.
It was a dust storm thick enough to block our vision.
There was no time for a briefing.
Anyway, I'd already gotten the rough explanation from Yoo Euisul on the drive here.
With that, Yoo Euisul and I entered the Anomalous Phenomenon Occurrence Zone.
"Cough, cough, hack..."
The more steps we took, the thicker the dust became.
What the hell happened here?
Yoo Euisul spoke in a casual tone as she glanced at me coughing pathetically.
"Oh right, I forgot to give you a mask."
"Cough, cough... How are you fine, Euisul? Doesn't your throat hurt?"
"It does."
"Then how..."
"Stop whining and tough it out. Why's a sturdy girl like you making a fuss over this? Anyway, no time—hurry up and follow."
I felt like humanity was draining away from her.
There's a limit to being cold—tough it out with grit? What kind of bullshit is that?
...All I could do was hope a Fervent Devotee's lungs were as tough as their skin.
Solving an Anomalous Phenomenon could be compared to a game's time attack.
Generally, resolving one quickly had no downsides.
But delaying it was definitely bad.
The best example was that Anomalous Phenomenon that turned the Han River into Styx water.
At first, it only contaminated a tiny section, barely visible to the naked eye.
Yet that contamination spread across the entire Han River in just one day.
If we hadn't had an item that could purify water and an Awakener who could use it properly, that black hand polluting the Han River...
...might have reached the Pacific Ocean.
That was why Yoo Euisul was in such a hurry.
The current Anomalous Phenomenon 'Black Hole' was being left unresolved.
If we kept putting it off... the radius of its gravitational pull might expand over time.
It didn't take long to reach the epicenter of the Anomalous Phenomenon from the entrance of the Occurrence Zone.
The dust grew thicker.
Visibility faded more and more.
Now I somewhat understood why Yoo Euisul had commented on my outfit.
Dust had invaded through the fluttering skirt, caking my thighs long ago.
Even seeping through the tight button gaps, it had covered my cleavage in grime.
It was an indescribably gross foreign sensation.
Every step made my breasts jiggle.
The dust that had snuck inside my underwear seemed to dance along with them.
Meanwhile, Yoo Euisul wore a full-body special combat suit, so no dust got inside hers.
...Maybe I should just come out to the world as who I am and get one of those suits myself.
It was seriously uncomfortable enough to consider it.
I wasn't someone with the endurance to grit through this discomfort like Yoo Euisul said.
So.
Time to borrow a god's power.
Not with grit, but with faith.
"O God, great Reflecting Myriad Stars, please remove this dust from inside my bra, brush off the dust stuck to my thighs, and also..."
"Praying all day and night won't fix it. Just endure. Tough it out."
"It will fix it, though?"
"...What?"
Really.
I felt the discomfort ease a bit after praying.
Surprisingly, Reflecting Myriad Stars seemed willing to grant my prayers if they were reasonable.
They gave me the divine garment when I asked.
Protected me from going insane when I asked.
The dust wasn't completely gone, but it was definitely better than before.
With no lie on my face, Yoo Euisul looked utterly baffled.
And then she spoke.
"The god you believe in... seriously..."
She stopped abruptly.
Halting in place, she continued.
"Stop."
Yoo Euisul quietly drew her sword, 'Iron Sword No. 3'.
Nothing was visible to my eyes yet...
But something was ahead.
Then Yoo Euisul.
Raised her sword vertically.
And swung it down.
Screeeeech!
Yoo Euisul's sword let out a scream that tore at my eardrums.
With the air-splitting whoosh, the dust enveloping us was sliced.
Not blown away by sword wind—no, the dust itself was literally cut.
As the dust was cleaved.
Our view slowly cleared.
"Oh... fuck."
I was stunned by the sight before us.
It was a massive crater—300 meters radius, 600 meters diameter—that made me wonder if a meteor had crashed here.
I couldn't even guess how deep it had pierced into the earth.
If I had to estimate.
At least 15 stories of a high-rise building deep.
I already knew why this had happened, from Yoo Euisul.
300 meters to reach the Anomalous Phenomenon.
300 meters back.
In that 600-meter round trip, it had sucked in everything around with gravity, creating this crater.
"...Just to check, how many minutes did it take you to go and come back?"
"Ten. Cutting through the gravity slowed me down."
"Uh... so in those 10 minutes, this massive hole formed?"
"Yeah."
"It'll take us at least five more minutes to reach the center."
"Yep."
"..."
"Let's go."
"W-Wait, stop!"
"What? What's the problem? We're short on time."
As I panicked, she tilted her head.
"Everything from one to ten is a problem! How do we get down there, how do we reach the center, and also..."
"Ugh, shut up with the nagging! Close your mouth before you make me lose focus too."
"B-But we need at least some plan! You said it yourself—this Anomalous Phenomenon isn't something to rush headlong into!"
"That's why I made a plan."
"What plan? I didn't hear it!"
"I clear the path, you check the Anomalous Phenomenon info, tell me what you find, we resolve it. Done. Got a better one? Spit it out."
"..."
"Nope?"
"...Yeah."
"Let's go."
Unfortunately, I couldn't argue with Yoo Euisul's plan.
Simple as it seemed, it was the perfect, precise way to resolve an Anomalous Phenomenon.
No matter what, the bare minimum condition was me reaching the center.
And to get there, Yoo Euisul had to clear the way.
Fine, let's do this.
If I die, Reflecting Myriad Stars loses out too.
...They'll at least keep me from dying.
So.
"How do we get down?"
"With an item."
Yoo Euisul rummaged in her pocket and pulled out something like a bead.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, she yanked my waist toward her.
"Eek...!?"
It happened so abruptly that an embarrassingly cute squeak escaped me.
Soon, I was tightly held in Yoo Euisul's arms.
Yoo Euisul looked at me—at my body—and spoke as if displeased.
"...Way bigger than I thought, you."
"Huh?"
"Shut up. Hold on tight."
Then she activated the item.
"Kyaaaaah!"
I didn't know what item it was.
But sensing something ominous, I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed.
"Kyahaaaaah!"
"What're you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Open your eyes."
"...Oh."
We were already down.
Did it take 0.1 seconds?
Item power, indeed.
"From here, one step forward and the Anomalous Phenomenon moves. Stay sharp. Lose your balance, slip, or let go of my back, and you're dead."
"Y-Yes!"
Before arriving, I'd heard the explanation from Yoo Euisul in the car.
The moment we stepped forward.
The Anomalous Phenomenon would mercilessly dig into the ground.
The ground we stood on wouldn't be pulled by gravity.
Yoo Euisul would slice away all the pulling force around us.
But ahead wasn't safe.
As we moved, it would keep sucking everything toward itself in real time.
Like descending stairs.
I pictured it in my head.
...Something like this setup.
Be careful not to slip—that's what she meant.
The instant I slipped, as Yoo Euisul said.
My body would get sucked straight into the Anomalous Phenomenon for a party with its guts.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
I fully grasped this Anomalous Phenomenon's danger.
Good, now.
I nodded to Yoo Euisul.
She swung her sword with earth-splitting force and shouted.
"Going!"
From behind, Yoo Euisul looked just like a apostle of justice from a novel or comic.
The moment she swung, we entered the Anomalous Phenomenon's range.
And.
And...!
...
...
...
"It's fine?"
Nothing happened.
What?
Did another Awakener resolve it while we were gone?
As I let out a deflated sigh, Yoo Euisul spoke firmly.
"Not good—stay focused. This is..."
"Ah, variable!"
Right.
A variable appeared.
The feared scenario had occurred.
In the short time Yoo Euisul came to fetch me, the Anomalous Phenomenon had changed.
Now, neither I nor Yoo Euisul could predict how it would act.
We approached the Anomalous Phenomenon slowly.
Yoo Euisul swung her sword nonstop to prevent any surprises as she advanced.
I trailed right behind her, drenched in cold sweat.
About ten minutes passed.
We reached right in front of it.
Yoo Euisul said to me.
"Check the info, then fall back immediately. Best to retreat for now."
"...Gulp."
I reached out a trembling hand toward the Anomalous Phenomenon.
Definitely.
The unknown is far scarier than the known.
This must be that unique terror of Anomalous Phenomena.
I cautiously extended my hand to the Anomalous Phenomenon.
Then, as Yoo Euisul said, backed away sharply.
And.
Checked the info.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Fervent Devotee,] 1. With you 2. a conversation 3. to have 4. I hope "Ah... hell."
Chills shot up my spine in an instant.
What is this?