Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Became the Last of the Giant Clan
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The Otherworld.
More precisely, the alternate dimension known as the異界, or Other Realm.
The world existing within the gates still defied precise definition even now.
All that was publicly known was that it was another dimension, separate from Earth, and that entering it required passing through a gate of C-rank or higher.
And right now...
"......"
Kang Hyuk swallowed dryly as he gazed through the coffin at the scene of that Otherworld.
Boom!
Volcanoes erupting in the distance.
Two suns hanging in the sky.
Grotesque plants.
And finally...
Kraaaaaargh!!!
The ogres and orcs he'd just hunted made it clear this was no illusion.
He froze for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.
'......I see.'
His eyes gleamed.
"Now it all fits. Why there was an ogre in the Gangwon-do dungeon, and why that S-rank gate in Seoul used this coffin as its conduit."
He curled the corner of his mouth upward.
"For whatever reason...... this coffin is functioning as a gate."
A C-rank gate that allowed entry into the Otherworld, no less.
In other words, with this coffin, he could open a gate anytime, anywhere.
'That's why there was an ogre in the Gangwon-do dungeon, and why an S-rank gate appeared in future Seoul. With something like this, arbitrarily opening gates isn't impossible.'
Having thought that far, Kang Hyuk broke into a broad grin.
'An unexpected windfall. This might force a major revision to my future plans.'
His goal in this life was crystal clear.
Revenge against the five who unleashed an S-rank gate on South Korea, and preventing that catastrophe.
And now, he'd uncovered the cause behind one of those goals: the outbreak of that S-rank gate.
'I've taken a big step toward uncovering their secrets. With this, I can burrow right into them using the coffin as my entry point.'
Of course, it wasn't confirmed yet.
He needed to judge and decide more carefully.
But discovering a clue to one of the riddles that had eluded him even unto death was a massive gain nonetheless.
Mewoooo~
Meanwhile, Black let out a cry.
This baby Black Wyvern was soaring through the air in this space, utterly delighted and at a loss for what to do.
Like it had returned home, it cried out in pure joy with its characteristic wail.
"You like it, Black?"
Mewoooo!
"Me too. But we have to head back now."
At those words, Black tilted its head.
Kang Hyuk raised his right hand.
Mewoo!
From the ogre hunt earlier, his right wrist was mangled and broken.
The damage was lighter than expected, but it was still an injury.
Hunting more ogres and orcs with a wound like this carried too much risk.
'So, time to retreat for now.'
With that thought, he turned around.
'To uncover the secrets of this place, I need to hunt those ogres. But with this injury, I can't fight properly.'
Unlike entering the Otherworld through a gate, the portal from the coffin remained open.
'One fortunate thing: normally, to exit an Otherworld gate, you have to destroy the "stele" maintaining it. But this coffin's portal seems to allow free entry and exit whenever I want.'
Meaning he could come here anytime he desired.
That realization made Kang Hyuk's eyes shine.
'Which means I can make extremely good use of this coffin.'
Hunters grew stronger by absorbing soulstones.
Soulstones were obtained by hunting monsters.
And now, he held the key to the monsters' home—the Otherworld.
'If I hunt ogres fully prepared...... and farm soulstones, I can achieve unprecedented growth speed. If so...... my growth will shatter all common sense.'
Even now, reaching his current level required eight long years.
But if he utilized this Otherworld well, he could halve that time—and reach even greater heights.
'An unplanned variable, but exploiting variables is skill in itself. So...... I need to investigate and use this coffin more.'
Finishing his thoughts, Kang Hyuk smirked.
At the same time, memories surfaced.
The five worst criminals who had shattered future South Korea.
'In my previous life, you used my goals to manipulate me. But.'
His eyes flashed.
'This time, I'll turn your schemes against you. Thoroughly.'
After wrapping up the incident, Kang Hyuk exited the dungeon.
He safely evacuated the unconscious Tyrant Guild members outside and watched over them until they woke.
"Uh, huh?"
"How......"
"Are we alive?"
The bewildered Tyrant Guild members stared at one another.
Then they turned to their guild master, the last to awaken: Ha Seok-jin.
"Master. Are we...... really alive?"
He nodded with a dazed expression.
"We're alive......"
"How are we alive?"
"I thought we were dead the moment we faced that ogre......"
Ha Seok-jin muttered.
"A mysterious figure appeared out of nowhere...... blocked the ogre's fist head-on and saved us."
The guild members fell silent at his words.
They tilted their heads at him.
"......What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Are you still dreaming?"
"Why would someone like that show up here? Blocking an ogre's fist head-on means at least A-rank hunter, and no A-rank would come to a backwater like Gangwon-do!"
At their vehement reactions, Ha Seok-jin clamped his mouth shut.
He recalled the hazy final moments before passing out and shook his head.
Their words made sense upon reflection.
'Right...... it must've been a hallucination. Even if that figure was a hunter, how could they face an ogre's fist directly? We must've all been hit by some massive illusion magic and passed out.'
Then he glanced at the collapsed tunnel.
The orc dungeon they'd entered just hours ago.
'Or...... maybe an unknown ancestral god sent a warning to live right. So......'
Collecting his thoughts, Ha Seok-jin stood.
"Everyone."
"Yes?"
"Let's keep this incident under wraps."
The guild members' eyes widened.
"You're not going after that Chinese guy?"
"Luck smiled on us once, but chasing that fluke twice is idiotic."
"......?"
"This is beyond what we can handle. If that ogre was real...... we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Realizing his intent, the guild members' eyes bulged.
"So we're keeping quiet about it. Sometimes in life, you have to pretend not to know the truth."
Then one cautiously asked.
"But what about the debt?"
"That......"
Ha Seok-jin shrugged.
"We'll pay it off steadily. Better than getting eaten by an ogre, right?"
The guild members exchanged looks.
Then nodded.
It was certainly true.
Watching from afar in hiding, Kang Hyuk chuckled softly.
"Pretty wise guild master after all. Right, Black?"
Mewoooo!
In response, Kang Hyuk shouldered the coffin.
"Alright, let's head back. We've got a ton to do."
He left Gangwon-do behind.
"So much that time's gonna be tight."
After treating his right hand injury, Kang Hyuk returned to the association for work.
He immediately sensed countless gazes pouring his way.
"......?"
Everyone he passed stared at the bandage on his right hand.
He knew what their questioning looks meant but pretended not to notice.
Entering the 1st Team office after a week away, his team members greeted him.
"Team Leader Oh!"
"You're back."
"Hello...... sir."
"Team Leader, um......?"
All four approached with greetings.
Spotting his right hand, their eyes widened.
"Oh, your right hand? Are you hurt?"
To Lee Hwan-seung's question, Kang Hyuk gave a casual reply.
"I injured it a bit during training over my vacation."
"......Training?"
"Yes. It's not a big deal."
Lee Hwan-seung scratched his head.
He eyed the injury again, then shrugged.
"Feels weird hearing you got hurt, Team Leader. You aced your first real battle perfectly, and now this in training? What, did you collapse a mountain or something?"
Kang Hyuk chuckled at the joke.
Then waved it off.
"You keep hyping me up, but I'm still learning. Just a hunter with one field op under my belt."
The three shrugged and returned to their seats.
But Kang Na-eun stayed put.
"Kang Na-eun-ssi?"
"......Team Leader."
"Yes."
"Shall I get you a coffee?"
At the sudden offer, Kang Hyuk tilted his head.
But he didn't refuse.
"Sure. Let's grab one."
They left the office and fed coins into the vending machine.
Clunk!
A plastic cup emerged, and hot Americano poured out.
Staring intently, Kang Na-eun suddenly spoke.
"I've got a question."
"Go ahead."
"You said...... I'd look good with a bow."
"Yes."
"What were you...... no. Why'd you say that?"
His eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Dunno. Just got that vibe...... so I said listen if you feel like it, right?"
"But......"
"Have you actually tried shooting one?"
She stiffened at that.
The flicker of emotion on her face and body language made Kang Hyuk chuckle.
"N-no, I mean...... I was just curious why you'd say that......"
"I said take it or leave it, but you took it to heart."
"......Well, how do you just ignore someone's words?"
"Fair enough. Then keep practicing—consider it a sucker bet."
He bent down, took the coffee, and handed it to her.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll handle a bow better than a spear."
She accepted the cup.
Then glared at him, brows furrowed.
"You're so sly, Team Leader."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It's not."
"That's why I'll take it as one."
They returned to the office side by side. That's when Kang Hyuk checked his smartphone.
-Item prep complete. Kang Hyuk-ssi~!
A message from blacksmith Park Je-woo.
Kang Hyuk smirked.
"Kang Na-eun-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Gotta head out early today for right-hand treatment."
Her gaze shifted over.
"Oh...... um...... does it hurt?"
"Nah, it's a scheduled appointment."
"Got it. Sick leave clock-outs are fine as long as you report—I'll handle it."
She hesitated, then added.
"......Get better."
"Thanks."
Back at his desk, he cleared backlog reports while muttering.
'Faster than expected.'
He glanced at his nearly healed hand.
This Rare item, worth 3 billion in market value, had accelerated his recovery far beyond expectations.
Not fully healed yet, but by week's end, it would be.
'No more delays after that.'
He pictured the coffin slumbering in his home bunker, eyes gleaming.
'By week's end, I'll enter the Otherworld and unravel all its mysteries.'
Time passed in that fashion.
"H-Headquarters Chief!"
The Harbang Guild, responsible for the Jeju Seogwipo City gate.
"Th-this is......"
Harbang Guild's headquarters chief, Kang Tae-sik, swallowed dryly as he muttered.
"Yeah, that's right."
His body trembled as he stared at the red gate blanketing the entire Geumoreum area.
"A D-rank gate. A Red gate, no less."