Chapter 38
Just a hypothesis.
But Seo Wonseok had long harbored the doubt.
Why had that hunter been burned alive, while Jeong Hamin remained free from the fairies' grasp?
It must have been because Jeong Hamin had urged that hunter to attack the fairies.
No issue there. Attacking monsters in an Abyss Gate was straight out of the textbook. He admitted the phrasing "tossed him in" had been a bit extreme.
'If it's not true, then whatever.'
Jeong Hamin glanced at Han Biyeol as he spoke.
"But Senior Han..."
"The Wild Boar struck first, so drawing my sword in self-defense doesn't count."
"Ah."
In the meantime, the wound had sealed shut in an instant. Seo Wonseok pressed the liquid dripping from his Potion Ring to the white deer's tongue.
Greenish grains like fireflies began flickering around the deer.
"Rest up a bit."
Seo Wonseok patted the deer's back and stood.
The three hid the deer in the underbrush and leisurely departed.
It happened at the same moment.
Ưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưưư!!!!!
A scream that shook the earth itself.
A tearing cry beyond what one person could produce—on the scale of an organization.
Kyarr! Kyarr! Kyarr!
The mischievous laughter that followed.
"......"
The hunters who attacked the white deer were surely facing retribution.
The Greenbelt Gate was only C-grade on its own.
'But the curse is A++.'
The curse implied disaster.
A natural calamity. Its incarnation was the Tinkerbells.
'This should put my mind at ease.'
His brother had aspired to be a veterinarian. Worlds apart from these primitives who drew blades at the first hunger pang.
Reassured, Seo Wonseok spoke.
"I think I know what to do. I've got a plan."
"......After hearing those screams?"
What the hell is this guy on about?
"Not that... I pieced it together, including the songs the fairies sang earlier."
Eheya diya, big grandma. Receive the blood, come receive it quick. Eheya, turn and turn. A blood flower blooms in that child's hand. Calf calf, turn it back. Pass on the smiling face. Cradled in grandma's arms. Bury from the toes first. Eheya, come hither. Big grandma calls. Heart beneath the roots. Twitching, breathing.
Reciting it word for word without a single mistake, Jeong Hamin froze.
"You memorized that whole thing after hearing it once?"
"......? Yeah."
Even back in college, he'd memorized everything raw without a smartphone.
"Seo Hunter's just... something else. Anyway, you're saying the key to clearing the Greenbelt Gate is in there?"
"Yes."
Though he needed confirmation.
"To verify it, we have to head there."
Jeong Hamin and Han Biyeol followed his gaze.
The spirit tree, Grandmother Tree, stood there.
Jeong Hamin snapped his eyes back to Seo Wonseok.
"Fine, going there makes sense. But monsters will keep popping up on the way. Waiting for them to attack first and countering will take forever and drain our stamina."
"It's fine."
Seo Wonseok picked up a stone and tossed it.
The quiet ground bulged. An orc-head-sized Venus flytrap gaped its maw and crunched the stone.
Crunch, crunch.
Burp.
It spat stone dust with a belch and sank back into place.
"......"
"......"
"We'll use the landmines to get there safely."
If the fairies' song was right, it would be tough alone. Needed at least three.
"Those things are really safe, right?"
"Yes."
At least for Seo Wonseok. For him.
The Greenbelt Gate was different from the previous COEX Gate.
COEX was a ∅∅-grade gate bound by rules.
Even with the variable factor of his brother, Seo Boseok, entering, the Greenbelt Gate's rank remained ordinary.
'Haven't sensed anything unusual yet.'
C-grade Abyss. No need to second-guess it.
What I had to keep in mind was this C-grade gate's aftermath. Namely, the A++ curse.
Couldn't tell these two scumbags, so I was the only one fretting.
'Unfair.'
Still, I'd share what I could before moving on.
Crossing the shadows pooled in the forest, I spoke to the two hunters.
"The fairy dust they sprinkle is probably omnidirectional. Not doubting your skills, but if it hits, you won't be able to move."
"Sounds about right."
"......"
Jeong Hamin agreed readily, while Han Biyeol kept his mouth shut and shuffled his feet.
Jeong Hamin added to my point.
"Two or three fairies? Manageable. But there are too many. If they swarm us, even I or Senior won't budge."
His brother might manage a twitch or two.
Didn't want to bruise egos, so skipped that.
I nodded gravely.
"From their behavior, they don't seem like intelligent beings individually."
"You mean like a 'gimmick,' right?"
Han Biyeol asked. I nodded again. No need for uncooperativeness in a temporary alliance.
"Kill as many as you want—they'll spawn infinitely. Wasted effort. Miss the clear window and..."
72 hours.
No, several hours gone. Publicly, less than two and a half days left.
'Fail to clear by then, and the area's obliterated.'
I'd just pieced together how the devastation happens.
'Pollen blankets Paju, locust swarms ravage everything, turning it to wasteland.'
Paju City, pushing smart agriculture, becomes ruins from that plague.
Locust hordes bring famine. Followed by plagues and mass hysteria. Citizens gripped by madness suffer catastrophe after catastrophe.
'That's the Greenbelt Gate I know as a regressor.'
The disaster's seeds keep growing. Even survivors lose hope, facing grim choices at the end.
'Themselves...'
......
Not because they were weak. The fairy powder leaked outside the Abyss. The primal fear dust shattered minds.
But.
Focusing on the Tinkerbells was a last resort.
'Finally figured the main pollen source.'
I tilted my head back, gazing at the massive tree dominating the surroundings. Withered and dying.
Looking at the tree, I told the two hunters.
"This is just my guess."
If we fail, it becomes the fated future. Only I see the status window, so explanations need justification. Frustrating.
"......Think of the tree's lifespan ending as the moment we fail to conquer this gate."
After that, Greenbelt Gate ceases to be a mere C-grade Abyss.
A++ Abyss. Worst after S-grade, strict ∅∅-grade, and Millennium Gates. Chest tightens just thinking about it.
"Keep eyes forward and we're there quick, right?"
"Yes. But as I said, the path's littered with all sorts of landmines."
Vine mines were tame. Deadlier toward the center. Bound to clash with Wild Boars en route.
"Tricky. Assassination ending's my specialty, not bonfire."
Loud and clear on the life-devaluing philosophy.
"You two won't see blood until we reach the tree."
"Seo Hunter handles it all? How?"
"That's classified."
Jeong Hamin narrowed his already sly eyes further.
Then shrugged.
"Fine, won't pry into your awakening. But separately, one question?"
"Sure."
"First time in this gate, yet you know it inside out. Me and Senior have plenty of Abyss miles, but... your instincts are on another level."
"Quit yapping!"
Han Biyeol barked.
I ignored him and made an excuse.
"Rolled undercover for a while."
10 years.
"......Undercover...?"
"Yes."
End of story.
Jeong Hamin and Han Biyeol exchanged glances like they were conversing. Ignored that too.
The Surprise Texture Mask proved handy again. Wearing it made him feel ice-cold.
I stopped abruptly.
"Think I've covered everything. Time to move. They're coming."
A narrow path flanked by trees. Beyond, glaring yellow eyes and a guttural wild growl carried on the wind.
Grrrrrrr......
One thought surged in Jeong Hamin's mind.
'Undercover... undercover...'
That single phrase scraped his tongue.
A competent, cool-headed hunter like this couldn't hide their light forever.
Korea's hunter scene was small. No matter how hard they hid, guilds' intel nets would've caught it early.
'No way.'
Jeong Hamin's mental hunter directory flipped rapidly. Stopped on one page.
A hunter skyrocketing lately. Active overseas mostly? Latest intel: solo-cleared Taiwan's A-grade Abyss.
'Sion.'
......Puzzle pieces clicked.
'Gate knowledge too sharp to be coincidence.'
Suddenly appeared, steamrolled the 64 Building.
'Yeah, matches. Seo Hunter is Sion.'
Currently ranked 98th.
Jeong Hamin figured Sion would hit single digits soon.
'Planning to make history in Korea?'
Haha, hahaha!
Jeong Hamin let out a feeble chuckle.
Snag the world's hottest commodity, Sion, and head to the top U.S. guild?
'Life set.'
But no direct proof yet. Just saw the insane 64 Building leaderboard.
'Today.'
Maybe now!
Get a glimpse of this stoic hunter's true power.
Grrr!
Perfect timing!
"Uh, Seo Hunter. Those monsters different from the deer, right?"
"You two know Wild Boar ferocity better than me."
They'd hit the mountainside path, facing three Wild Boars. Around mid-slope.
"Thought you were all merciful with monsters. Worried for a sec."
"How merciful with man-eaters...?"
"Just a figure of speech!"
"......Anyway, stay put."
Seo Wonseok stepped forward. The Wild Boars gouged the earth with hooves.
Snort, snort!
Snuffling steam from flared nostrils, signaling charge.
Seo Wonseok advanced. Emphasized to the two hunters.
"First blood from us starts a chase with the fairies. Avoid spilling any if possible."
"You said counterattack's fine if they strike first. Like Senior did."
"Body checks have limits. That's Plan B, not best."
"Then...?"
"Use the landmines."
"......? Landmines?"
Landmines you can't see buried.
Then a roar exploded. The impatient Wild Boars slammed the ground and charged.
Not that strong individually. But their intimidation rivaled orc progenitors.
Seo Wonseok felt his neck stiffen but shouted inwardly.
'Hemo!'
The next instant, before his feet. The narrow path bubbled like pre-eruption lava.
He'd flattened Hemo thin and long upon spotting the boar brothers. Laid it across their path like a black carpet.
New moon night— the two hunters missed the black path. No hunter eyes the ground facing monsters anyway.
In their blind spot, Hemo wriggled.
'Gotcha.'
Felt the bite through Hemo. As Seo Wonseok twitched his finger to stimulate the spot—
The punji stakes shot up in unison.