Chapter 208: The Ancient City (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 208: The Ancient City (3)
Four hours into clearing the gate.
We moved through the outskirts as planned, dealing with the beasts.
Fortunately, contrary to our worries, the frequency of beast appearances continued to dwindle.
Just as the party's tension was beginning to ease, we reached the north gate, our third planned base camp location.
Having already set up two base camps, we quickly deployed our supplies and began subjugating the nearby beasts.
However, during this process, an unfortunate incident occurred: Seo Hohyeon, one of the party's sub-dealers, was injured.
It didn't seem serious, but he looked like he would have trouble moving for the time being, so we decided to have a late lunch and take a break.
Pretending to meditate, I scanned the surroundings with mana detection and detection magic.
The detection magic, which scanned the terrain, didn't pick up anything unusual. It was an ordinary city with traces of a long and prosperous history scattered about.
‘...What is this?’
But as I expanded the range of my mana detection, I felt a sense of unease.
There wasn't a single beast in sight.
No matter how large the city was or how many we had killed on our way here, was it possible for there to be absolutely none?
I briefly considered telling the party, but in the end, I chose not to.
I was currently playing the part of a 2nd Circle Mage who had exhausted all his mana.
If a guy like that claimed to have been scanning the area with magic, someone might become suspicious of me.
Besides, Song Minha would find out when she returned from her scouting mission anyway. There was no need for me to step up and take the risk.
And it didn't seem like there was an immediate problem.
Just as I was quietly continuing my scan…
‘Hm?’
My mana detection, which had been stretching out smoothly, was suddenly blocked at a certain point. The same went for the detection magic.
It was as if some measure had been taken to prevent anyone from peeking into the castle.
Just in case, I tried to heighten my qi sense, but as expected, it couldn't reach that far.
I decided to put my uneasy feelings aside and focus on resting.
I didn't enter this gate alone. Working too hard can be a sickness in itself.
“Oppa, what are you thinking about?”
As I opened my eyes to do some stretching, Noel spoke to me with a smiling eyes.
“Oppa" was the term for public use. It would be weird for her to call me Master outside.
Besides, I was older than Noel. Only by a year, but still.
“Just wondering what kind of gate boss will show up.”
Considering the low mana reading for a B-rank Gate and the number of beasts we had subjugated so far, the boss couldn't possibly be that strong.
At best, it would be B-rank.
Among B-rank boss-level monsters, one that would fit this city theme would be...
“I think it might be a Nighthelm or a Chorus King.”
Kim Yujun, who was sitting next to me, chimed in.
Nighthelm and Chorus King.
Both were fairly well-known boss-level beasts of the undead type.
A Nighthelm was a knight-type beast wearing a black helmet, while a Chorus King was a beast formed from a cluster of unholy spirits, specializing in curses and mental attacks.
They were a bit of an ambiguous fit for a B-rank Gate, but considering the gate's own mana levels, it was a plausible hypothesis.
“You're very knowledgeable.”
“Haha, this much is basic if you want to make a living. Of course, it's just my guess, so I'd recommend not taking it as gospel.”
As I was focusing on his words, another voice spoke up from a different direction.
“Keke, so humble. Hyun-woo, did you know? That hyung graduated from Hankuk University's Department of Magical Beasts.”
“Hankuk University?”
My head turned toward Kim Yujun before I knew it. I had also attended Hankuk University until recently.
“A-ahem... That guy and his useless chatter.”
“That's amazing.”
Unlike the Department of Gate Support I had attended, the Department of Magical Beasts boasted an incredible competition rate.
Wasn't last year's rate something like 150:1?
“You're making me blush. To be honest, I Awakened as a Hunter right before I was supposed to enlist. I was lucky. If not for that, I would've been dragged off to the military.”
Awakening as a B-rank Hunter was far more than just being "lucky.”
A Hunter's Awakening was when an ordinary person gained supernatural abilities without any warning.
Occasionally, some would Awaken mana along with it, and it seemed Kim Yujun was one of those cases.
“I dropped out, but I'm grateful that I can still make good use of what I learned in college, however brief it was.”
Although the average lifespan of a Hunter was said to be short, the fact that he was leading a raid party composed entirely of B-rank Hunters in his late twenties was incredible in itself.
“But hyung-nim, how long are you going to keep talking in that weird formal tone?”
“...I'm gonna kill this bastard.”
“Aack?!”
Perhaps it was because our bodies were warm and our stomachs were full.
The party members let go of their tension and enjoyed their rest.
“Noel, you don't use social media or anything? I feel like you'd be super famous.”
“Social media? What's that?”
“What?!”
Noel was chatting with Lee Hayan, another female member of the party.
The party's main dealer, she was a beast-kin, not a human. A member of the Minotaur tribe, famous for their innate strength.
“You have a phone, right...?”
“No, I don't.”
“?”
I'd heard they were so physically superior that even the women had an average height of 175cm.
Of course, she wasn't that tall, but Lee Hayan still looked quite tall for a woman. Maybe around 170cm?
Most importantly, true to her Minotaur heritage, her breasts were quite large. I couldn't tell the exact size because of her thick clothes, but it was clear they were at least on par with Noel's, who was sitting next to her.
To have a chest size comparable to a Minotaur-kin...
Rabbit-kin were usually known for being flat-chested, which made Noel seem all the more amazing.
Then, a question popped into my head.
[Use Unicorn's Gaze on the target?]
[Y/N]
From what I'd heard, Lee Hayan was a 25-year-old Hunter in her second year.
With her pretty face, excellent figure, and outstanding abilities, was she a virgin?
I couldn't say I had no ulterior motives, but the feeling I had right now was closer to simple curiosity.
[Y]
[Lee Hayan
Status: Virgin]
‘Oh.’
A real virgin. Honestly, I hadn't expected it. Virgins were a rare sight in this day and age.
I had actually used the skill whenever I met a pretty woman, but the number of virgins among them could be counted on one hand.
Just as I was debating whether to ask for her number after this was all over...
“Oppa, oppa.”
Noel, who seemed to have taken a liking to the new title, called out to me with a wide grin.
“Can you buy me a phone?”
“A phone?”
“Yes, it's a hassle to always borrow yours, and I want to try that social media thing too.”
Social media?
Wondering what this was all about, I glanced at Lee Hayan. Our eyes met, and she sent me a strange look.
It was a look that seemed to treat me like a cheapskate.
‘...This is ridiculous.’
The reason I hadn't bought Noel a phone until now was because she didn't have an official identity, not because I was stingy with money.
“I was planning to buy you one tomorrow anyway.”
“Really?”
Seeing how happy Noel was made me feel a pang of guilt for some reason.
‘I should get her a debit card while I'm at it.’
It must be annoying for her to have to ask me for everything.
Seemingly cheered up by the talk of a phone, Noel stuck close to my side and chattered away.
She especially wanted to go to an amusement park once we got out of the gate.
‘An amusement park...’
For the record, I had never been to one either.
My high school trip was to an amusement park, but I couldn't go in the end. The fee wasn't exactly cheap.
Fortunately, they started subsidizing the trip fees after I graduated, so my younger siblings were able to go.
I hadn't thought much of it before, but going alone with Noel sounded pretty nice.
“Should we go tomorrow?”
“Really?”
It would mean skipping out for another day, but that would be fine.
...Probably?
Anyway, after that, we continued to pass the time peacefully with idle chatter.
So much so that we almost forgot we were inside a gate.
Knock, knock.
But just as I had that thought, a knock came from outside.
A murderous aura filled the base camp. The party members, now in combat stances, gripped their weapons and remained on high alert.
“...Jjajangmyeon.”
Kim Yujun, holding an axe glowing with a bluish aura, spoke the password.
—Cigarettes. Open up, I'm starving.
The voice from beyond the door belonged to Song Minha, who had gone out to scout.
Only then did the party members relax one by one and lower their weapons.
—Don't tell me you ate our share too? We scouted on empty stomachs, you know.
Kim Yujun, who had remained vigilant until the end, also relaxed his stance at the sound of Cha Seunghyeon's voice.
The party members began to move busily to welcome the two who had returned from scouting.
“What took you so long?”
Lee Hayan, who seemed to be close with Song Minha, smiled brightly and approached the door.
Creeak.
The moment the doorknob turned and the door opened.
“...Huh?”
Saaaaa—
A black death energy surged through the gap in the door.
“Close it, close it!”
A panicked Kim Yujun rushed over, but the death energy had already filled the inside of the base camp.
At the sight, the party members hurriedly drew upon their mana.
Death energy (死氣) is, literally, the energy of the dead.
To the living, it's like a potent poison. Undead-type beasts can kill the land and inflict disease on ordinary people just by lingering in a place and emitting this energy.
Of course, Hunters and mages with mana can resist it, but there's a limit.
Exposure to high concentrations of death energy without actively circulating mana would inevitably cause internal injuries.
“Keoheok...!!”
“Uweeeck...!!”
“Keuk?!”
Engulfed by the death energy, the party members coughed up blood and collapsed one by one. They had reacted too late.
Beyond the wide-open door, nothing was visible through the thick cloud of death energy.
Thud—
And yet, a presence could be clearly felt.
The ominous mana was enough to give me goosebumps.
Someone walked into the base camp.
“T-to find you all gathered so n-n-nicely in a place like this... H-how admirable...!”
A powerful sense of revulsion, strong enough to set off instinctual alarm bells, swept through my entire body.
The bizarre voice digging into my ears was utterly repulsive.
The face revealed beneath the shabby robe was so ravaged it barely maintained a human form.
“Hee, heehee...! G-good, this is good!”
Distorted features that looked as if they had melted, half-crushed eyes, and a stench wafting from between the black, rotten teeth revealed whenever he smiled.
But no one here pointed out his appearance.
There was an undeniable sense of wrongness, and the inverted pentagram tattooed on the man's forehead.
“A demon worshiper!”
The moment the man's identity was revealed, an immense killing intent filled the area. Before anyone could stop them, the party members charged toward him.
KWAAAAANG!!!
A massive roar erupted as a storm raged.