Chapter 20
I’ll translate the chapter into polished English and format every system-style passage as the required HTML blocks, keeping the narrative flow natural and complete.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 20
An S-class Gate.
In other words, it was called a disaster-class gate. A disaster, in this world, was what happened when the Contamination Rate climbed past a certain threshold.
And when it did, the scale of destruction was worthy of the name. If you thought about Russia losing half its land because it could not stop one, there was no need to explain how dangerous that level of threat was.
That was why people called an S-class Gate a disaster.
...Because it was that dangerous.
An impossible level of difficulty. That was what an S-class Gate meant.
So hard it was enough to make anyone panic the moment it appeared.
...What is this?
I had no choice but to stare at the message floating before me in bewilderment.
S-class Gate. A Colosseum Gate has appeared.
This gate is in Festival mode.
This gate does not affect the Contamination Rate.
We hope you enjoy the festival.
“Festival?”
I’d never seen wording like that before.
“It doesn’t even affect the Contamination Rate...?”
Did a gate like this really exist?
And then there was this.
Participation requires an S-rank, but spectators from A-class and above may enter the stands.
Even A-class hunters who weren’t S-rank were allowed in.
Had anything like this happened before? While I was puzzling over it and checking the network, I saw chaos unfolding.
It was utter bedlam. Apparently they didn’t know any more than I did.
“...What a mess.”
The gate was rising hotter than before. Everything about it was a problem.
In the midst of the pandemonium, an alarm went off.
Conditions have been met.
Would you like to enter the S-class Gate?
...
It was an entry prompt floating right in front of me. An S-class Gate. I had heard of them before.
The last one had happened years ago.
Back then...
...Wasn’t that the one Irene dealt with by herself?
I remembered hearing about a gate that the other S-class hunters had struggled with, only for Irene to smash it apart alone.
Hmm.
Was I supposed to go in? A space only S-class superhumans could enter. The fact that I was even allowed in felt strangely unreal.
So this is real.
My rank is absurdly high.
Just as I was taking that in, a chime cut in.
In the S-class Gate: Colosseum, display an overwhelming presence.
...
A quest had appeared. I frowned at it. So that was it, then—why it had been giving me nothing until now.
This...
It was strange. Right when all eyes were on Irene, an anomaly gate appeared of all things.
It’s like...
Like it was telling me not to steal the attention that should have gone to her.
No, that can’t be right.
It wasn’t as if the System would interfere just because Musin had said so.
Would you like to enter? (Y)/(N)
...
Staring at the button floating before me, I thought, An anomaly, huh.
I had a bad feeling about it, but my hand was already moving.
Clink.
I will enter the gate.
The difference in rank between the Regressor and the gate is severe.
Calculating the rank gap and adjusting the power multiplier.
The Regressor’s abilities have increased by 3,000%.
My vision blurred.
* * *
Successfully entered the Colosseum.
Waaahhh---!!!!
The shriek that pierced my ears made my eyes snap open. Something was everywhere around me.
This is...
It really was a colosseum. A gladiator arena, exactly the sort of place you’d imagine. That was what it looked like. It was filled on all sides with unknown humans, all of them roaring their approval toward me.
What is this?
Who were they? It was a bizarre place. Then—
“Interesting.”
Along with a cold current of air, a seductive voice drifted over. When I turned my gaze, I saw a luxuriously dressed woman with white hair standing there.
That person...
I knew that face.
Camilla Lilias.
She was a Russian S-class hunter, and until a moment ago she’d been active on the network under the name Aurora Princess.
She had been semi-transparent, but now she was becoming clearer by the second.
The Master of the North Sea has entered.
With those words, the now fully visible Lilias clicked her tongue.
“You call this an S-class Gate, and it doesn’t even raise the Contamination Rate? Then what exactly is the point of this?”
She frowned, clearly displeased.
“It is strange, yes.”
Before the moment had even settled, an old man stepped in. He appeared right beside her, dressed in martial robes with a sword at his waist.
The Seven-Star Swordsman has entered.
Ah.
I knew him too.
Chooki Genryu.
Like Lilias, he was a famous S-class hunter from Japan. He was one of those heavyweight superhumans who had been active for a long time, much like Baek Hyeonho.
And on top of that...
The people appearing around us were all famous faces.
That meant they were all S-class.
My body...
When I checked my own body, I saw that it was still transparent. Which meant—
...I’m becoming visible as the introduction appears.
The Hawk of Pantara has entered.
The Electric Mage has entered.
The Eclipse Moon Great Thief has entered.
The ancestor of fishers has...
Each one of them entered, their past lives displayed in sequence. Just as I had expected, they were all S-class. And then—
The Divine Sword Master has entered.
“What?”
“...The Divine Sword Master?”
Every head in the colosseum turned at once. The Divine Sword Master. Just hearing that name made everyone react.
...Divine Sword Master.
So did I. My fist tightened at the name.
So you came too.
The past life called the Divine Sword Master was already famous throughout the world. It couldn’t be helped. He was an SS-class superhuman.
“Hello.”
With that introduction, a young man appeared. He was handsome, tall, and sharp-featured.
Yu Jin.
An SS-class superhuman. Yu Jin.
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
Yu Jin smiled brightly as he greeted everyone, and the surrounding superhumans turned to look at him all at once.
“...Yu Jin. So you came.”
“Genryu. It’s been a while.”
Genryu recognized him and came over to greet him.
“So an SS-class showed up.”
“Then is that woman coming too?”
Lilias said sharply, anger in her voice. Everyone in the space seemed to understand exactly who the “woman” she’d mentioned was.
She must mean Irene.
Hale Irene. The strongest SS-class. Everyone tensed, wondering if she would come.
Then—
Chime.
The next introduction appeared.
The Divine Snake has entered.
The reaction that followed was varied. For one thing, it wasn’t Irene. A few people looked relieved by that, but—
“This is insane. That guy’s coming too?”
“Ah, of all people, that psycho...”
At the mention of the Divine Snake, there were people who seemed to dislike him even more.
Then—
“Hahaha!”
Someone appeared with a booming laugh.
“Ah, what is this? What’s all this?”
At the same time as his loud voice, a wind swept through the colosseum.
“A bunch of trash has gathered here, huh?”
Such a rude way of speaking. With his sly grin and narrow eyes, he made people’s expressions twist the instant he appeared, and I stared at him with interest.
Wow.
He might even be more famous than Yu Jin. Even though he came from a closed-off China, he was someone the entire world watched.
His nickname was the Madman of the Great Nation. China’s representative superhuman, and the single craziest bastard among superhumans.
Wei Ajun.
Wei Ajun, the Chinese SS-class superhuman.
“Ahahaha.”
He seemed to be having a great time, laughing with obvious delight.
Because of that, everyone kept their guard up around him. They hadn’t reacted quite so sharply when Yu Jin appeared, but when Wei Ajun showed up, the response was far more intense.
Then—
“...Come to think of it, the introductions seem to be going in order: the S-class first, then the next rank.”
Genryu offered a theory.
And the other S-class hunters agreed.
“Yeah. If they introduce all the S-class first and then the SS-class after that, maybe it’s in rank order?”
Rank order?
Come to think of it, that made sense. The S-class had been introduced first, and then the SS-class had followed right after.
Wait a minute.
But if that was true...
As I was thinking coldly about that, I suddenly flinched.
“...Then next is really that woman, isn’t it?”
Lilias said it like she was already fed up. And at that moment—
Wooooong.
Huh?
My body reacted.
Chiiiiiik—! Chiiik.
Electricity surged across the system window that appeared in the air. The glitching, static-filled System had left one final message among the crowd of superhumans.
Musin.
At that brief introduction, everyone’s eyes widened. Musin had appeared. That alone was shocking enough, but—
Musin descends.
The words on the floating display did not say he was entering.
They said he was descending.
Whoosh—!!!
Wind surged out from my body, and my transparent form began to take on substance. As my body fully appeared on the ground—
A change in the principles has occurred due to the difference in rank.
Please be cautious of the impact.
BAAANG—!!!
“Kugh!?”
“Ugh!!”
The wind swept through the S-class hunters and threw them back. Everyone’s bodies froze. They raised their arms to shield their vision and struggled against the shock.
When the sandstorm finally cleared away—
“Whoa. Look at that.”
“...”
The only people still standing there without a scratch were Wei Ajun and Yu Jin.
Everyone else had been pushed back a couple of steps, their stances broken. In that gap, the other superhumans were staring at me in stunned disbelief.
...Hm.
What was I supposed to do?
Why the hell is this happening?
I hadn’t done anything, but the System had gone and caused a scene on its own.
Thanks to that, all the attention had been dragged onto me in one shot.
And then—
Quest complete: Brand your presence.
You have displayed an overwhelming presence in the S-class Gate Colosseum.
As a reward, Presence Manifestation (S) and Synchronization Rate will increase.
Presence Manifestation (S)
Manifest the rank of your soul and display your presence.
Synchronization Rate increases by 2%.
Current Synchronization Rate: 7%
Huh?
The quest had just completed out of nowhere. So this was enough to count as displaying my presence?
“Interesting.”
Wei Ajun’s eyes lit up as he looked at me. I didn’t even have time to think about the quest.
His tongue slipped out of his mouth.
Eugh. Gross.
“Musin. So, you’re Musin.”
“...”
“Black mask. Black clothes. Exactly as I heard. Hey. Do you know who I am?”
Should I answer? I hesitated for a moment, and then—
“No, never mind. It doesn’t matter whether you know or not. I heard you’re strong as hell. Can you beat that annoying bitch Irene? Or what about me?”
Still smiling, he kept walking closer.
He talked a lot. But why did he keep approaching me? As I grew flustered by the way Wei Ajun kept closing the distance, something changed.
A killing intent is approaching from the front.
What?
The danger sense had flared, and I felt something from his hand. No way. Was he planning something?
Is he attacking me right now?
An SS-class?
“I’m also...”
He grinned and reached out with a strangely twisted hand.
“...fairly stro-”
Synchronization Rate has risen to 7%, and a skill has been unlocked.
Patcheonmu Second Form
Paryeolbando has been unlocked.
An attack has been detected.
Automatic activation success rate: 3%. Paryeolbando activates.
A difference in rank exists. Power increases.
Right before Wei Ajun’s fingertips touched me, my hand moved with the sudden flood of system messages.
I slipped inside his reach faster than his hand could move and drove myself into his chest.
Tap.
“Huh?”
My palm pressed cleanly against Wei Ajun’s chest. At the touch, his eyes went wide.
And then—
KWAGAGAGAGAK---!!!!!
With the disaster that burst from my hand, Wei Ajun’s body was ripped apart on the spot.