Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Dilemma
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We boarded the tactical speedboat waiting at the Han River pier and headed straight out into the West Sea.
As we left the Han River behind, the sea, dyed a vivid purple, welcomed us.
This, too, was part of the erosion.
The hunter raid's composition was more impressive than I'd imagined.
Ten A-rank combat hunters.
Six B-rank supporters and special roles. Operators for on-site analysis...
And two conscripted counselors.
It was essentially the association's maximum available strike force they could mobilize on the spot.
And the core of it...
Two S-ranks.
Just knowing Lee Seo-ryeong and Jahwa-yeon were on the same boat probably gave the other hunters a sense of security.
But those two didn't look cheerful at all.
"......"
Jahwa-yeon's brow furrowed as she leaned against the speedboat's railing.
Her hair fluttered in the sea breeze.
Staring at the horizon, Jahwa-yeon murmured.
"......Ominous."
"Me too."
Lee Seo-ryeong, standing beside her, added curtly.
She crossed her arms, tapping her forearm with her fingers.
Soon, as the boat pressed on without slowing, its true form became visible to the naked eye.
In the middle of the West Sea.
A bizarre curtain enveloping a massive island like a dome filled our field of vision.
A gray, opaque wall—the scenery beyond it appeared distorted and hazy.
We had confirmed this before departure.
We would pass through this curtain.
At that moment.
- Crackle...
The onboard communication equipment spat out bursts of static.
"Forward 500 meters! Making contact with the curtain!"
The team leader's shout resonated through the mana-amplified air.
We all strapped ourselves to the support pillars, bracing for potential impact.
"Entering."
We rammed straight into the gray curtain.
"......"
However, contrary to expectations.
The curtain let us pass through without any shock whatsoever.
Just a sensation of cold chill brushing over our entire bodies?
The boat slid through smoothly.
- Clank!
Lee Seo-ryeong moved first.
- Hummm...
The moment we passed the curtain, she unstrapped herself and approached me.
She emitted green internal energy, swiftly scanning my body.
"......No contamination. You seem okay."
She let out a sigh of relief and looked up at me.
"Thank you."
I nodded and surveyed our surroundings.
The scenery beyond the curtain.
The island's interior was a city.
Snow piled up on the city streets.
No.
Not snow.
Gray ash had accumulated thickly, like layers of snow.
Half-collapsed high-rises came into view.
The Seoul I knew was no longer there.
- Thud!
The speedboat bumped into a guardrail along the flooded Gangbyeonbuk-ro...
Or what appeared to be a destroyed pier.
"......Disembarking."
With the team leader's trembling voice.
We set foot on the dead land.
- Squelch.
Muddy squelching sounds came from underfoot.
The asphalt was already saturated with water.
The first order of business upon landing was simple.
Secure a safe zone.
And set up a base camp.
We would extract all the Otherworlders from here, but this time it would be a prolonged operation.
"Everyone! Form up!"
The hunters moved in perfect unison at the team leader's command.
We walked about ten minutes from the pier to secure a safe zone.
The B-rank hunters set up simple tents and communication equipment.
The A-rank combat hunters formed a circular perimeter, planting detection sensors and magic engineering mines around the area.
I stood still.
Lee Seo-ryeong and Jahwa-yeon stood by my side, watching their actions.
- Humm!
A blue mana barrier expanded into a dome shape, creating a small safe zone.
This was the standard first procedure upon entering a dungeon or uncharted territory.
Base camp setup.
The operators were already unfolding their machines, attempting to contact headquarters.
We would start the mission after establishing comms with HQ.
Until then, we focused on vigilance and avoided rash movements.
I crossed my arms and stared at the scenery.
"......"
My gut churned unpleasantly.
Now that I was here in person, I could tell.
The ruined buildings and rust marks.
These weren't damage from crossing dimensions or botched transfers.
Entropy Earth had already been in ruins... when it came here.
And severely so.
"Healer."
At that moment, I sensed a presence beside me.
Jahwa-yeon looked up at me steadily with sunken eyes.
Without warning, she stepped right up close.
And then.
- Poof.
"......!"
Her small body burrowed into my arms.
Jahwa-yeon's face pressed against my chest.
Amid the fishy sea stench stinging my nose, a faint orchid fragrance wafted up.
"H-Heavenly Demon?"
I couldn't help but panic at the sudden action.
I felt the hunters glancing over.
But Jahwa-yeon ignored them, pressing her ear to my chest and whispering softly.
"Your heart... is screaming."
"......"
"Your insides must hurt terribly."
Without lifting her head, she reached around to my back and patted gently.
"I heard it's your hometown. How heartbreaking must it be to see your home turned into a haunted ruin."
I relaxed my stiffened body and whispered back to her.
"......Thank you."
She had quite the tender side.
The warmth from her embrace eased my mind a little.
But that peace didn't last long.
- Crackle!
Sudden static burst from the communication equipment.
"Argh!"
The operator wearing the headset screamed and hurled the gear away.
Black smoke billowed from the headset he had been wearing.
"What happened!"
The team leader rushed over, shouting urgently.
The operator, his face drained of color, pointed at the fizzing monitor and yelled.
"......S-Screams..."
"Speak clearly!"
His face ashen white, he pointed at the fizzing monitor with a trembling finger.
"Screams came through... and then comms cut off completely."
Every monitor screen was plastered with 'no signal' messages.
GPS linked to the outside, communication networks—everything was dead.
"No connection to the outside at all."
He muttered in a dazed voice.
This was the worst-case scenario we'd anticipated.
In dungeon raids, portals sometimes become completely isolated from the outside.
Whether comms or movement.
The manual was straightforward.
From now on, we operated under the on-site commander's independent judgment, not HQ directives.
Secure an independent survival route and hold out until reinforcements or rescue arrived.
If they noticed the lack of comms, the association would immediately request aid from nearby guilds and dispatch a rescue team.
Surviving until then was the top priority.
"......"
Fortunately.
The team leader was a veteran; he didn't panic and seemed to grasp the situation sharply.
"Everyone, independent operations commence as of now! Maintain formation and...!"
As the team leader, deep in thought, was about to issue orders.
- Drip...
The operator sitting on the ground slumped his head forward.
Dark red blood trickled from both his ears.
"......!"
I leaped forward on instinct.
I swiftly caught him and laid him on a cot.
"Medical team!"
Eardrums couldn't burst and bleed just from hearing screams.
I lifted his closed eyelid with my thumb to check his pupil.
"......Damn."
His pupil was clouded gray, and the veins in the sclera had all burst, turning it bright red.
Classic brain overload.
One of the symptoms of mental collapse.
...A high-level mental attack: embedding a spirit command in sound waves to strike the brain directly.
"G-Get back!"
The medical team hunters rushed over frantically, slapping healing packs on the operator's body and pouring potions down his throat.
But his complexion didn't improve.
It was questionable if treatment was even possible.
Mental collapse, unlike physical wounds, had clear limits for field first aid.
He needed immediate transfer to a hospital for precise care.
But right now, we were isolated.
Left like this, his brain would burn out.
That was when.
- Tap.
Lee Seo-ryeong silently placed her index finger lightly on his sweat-drenched forehead.
- Humm...
A clear energy was sucked into the operator's forehead.
His pained expression eased slightly.
His clouded pupil returned halfway to normal.
Lee Seo-ryeong slowly withdrew her hand.
"...Not a full cure. Just emergency treatment forcing his twisted qi and blood back into place."
I immediately checked his status as well.
Fortunately, we'd averted the worst.
But while we'd kept him breathing for now, without removing the root cause, the problem could flare up again anytime.
The moment he heard that, the team leader seemed to make a decision and shot to his feet.
"Everyone! Pack your gear! Operations halted as of now! Immediate withdrawal! Head to the boat!"
And.
A very rational call.
I nodded.
To sum up the situation.
Comms severed right on entry, enemy position unknown, and now a serious casualty.
We should head straight back to HQ.
No one raised objections.
We swiftly dismantled the equipment we'd set up and began packing.
And amid that frantic scene.
Two men standing blankly entered my view.
The rookie counselors.
"U-Uh..."
"B-Blood..."
They were completely frozen.
Having witnessed blood bursting from ears up close, it was no wonder they were shocked...
But this wasn't the time.
I approached them.
I picked up the communication gear on the ground and tossed it to Park Jong-ik.
- Thud!
"Urk?!"
The rookie staggered, the gear smacking his cheek.
Only then did his gaze turn to me.
"You need to get your head straight."
I barked at them.
"This isn't the academy. Zone out, and no one's saving you."
"A-Ah..."
"Want to live? Grab that and run."
I nodded toward the waiting boat.
"Y-Yes!"
My shout seemed to snap them out of it.
Tears welling up, they desperately shouldered the gear boxes and started running for their lives.
I get it.
Fear is contagious.
Bringing them into this deathtrap was nonsense to begin with.
I couldn't comprehend that decision.
But.
Survival instinct is contagious too.
They needed to snap out of it.
Get their bodies moving, or fear would devour them.
I nodded to Lee Seo-ryeong and Jahwa-yeon standing guard at my sides.
"Let's hurry."
We grabbed only the essential gear we could carry quickly and ran back toward the boat.
Far off, the pier's silhouette loomed faintly through the mist.
Just board the boat.
Even without comms, exiting the barrier would be enough.
That's what we believed.
"......Huh?"
The lead A-rank hunter suddenly let out a dazed sound and stopped.
"What're you doing! Get on board quick!"
The team leader panted up behind him and halted.
I, too, turned to follow their gazes.
"......"
Speechless.
"The boat......"
The speedboat, which had surely been securely tied.
- Whooo...
Was being swept away by purple currents, drifting from the pier.
"Grab it! The rope!"
The hunters reached out desperately, but it was no use.
The boat, engine not even running, floated terrifyingly fast toward the middle of the sea.
No.
This was.
"......Being sucked in."
I muttered blankly.
The entire surface glowed as a massive whirlpool formed on the water.
It was being pulled toward the center.
And then.
- Rumble...
The ground shook.
Vibrations starting from the ocean depths struck the land.
Finally, the whirlpool's center surged upward.
"......Ah."
A sigh escaped someone.
A whale?
Or a shark.
A size far beyond anything we knew.
Hundreds of purple eyes studded its lumpy hide.
- Shrieeeeeek!!!
A screech that made you want to plug your ears.
The overwhelmingly massive monster gaped its maw toward the now-puny-looking speedboat.
- Boom!!
It slammed its body onto the surface.
The speedboat vanished futilely into its jaws.
And...
- Splash.
With a massive spray of water, it vanished into the purple sea.
What remained.
Undulating purple waves.
And the snapped ropes, left alone on the empty pier.
Our path of retreat...
Was blocked.
No—devoured.
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