Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Explorer II: Shin Noah
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“A-ryeon-ah. Hold the elevator door open for a moment.”
“Huh?”
“This guild leader has something to check out.”
I immediately climbed up the elevator wall. Sim A-ryeon let out a “Eek!” like she’d spotted a giant spider, but I casually ignored her.
I channeled aura into the edge of my hand, then sliced through the ceiling like it was soft tofu. Zzzzzzt—sparks flew from my hand like a welder’s torch.
It wasn’t long before a neat hole was punched through the elevator ceiling. This was the power of a skilled aura user.
“G-Guild Leader. What are you...?”
“Shh. Don’t make a sound and just wait.”
I poked my upper body out from the elevator with an “Urgh!” It felt like a scene from Mission: Impossible.
“Hmm.”
The wind was biting.
The view outside the elevator was pitch black. Part of it was the lack of lighting, but even accounting for that, it was unnaturally dark.
To be more precise, it was “shoddy.”
There was a rope attached to the elevator car, but that was it. No speed governor rope, no car door drive mechanism—none of the essentials you’d expect on an elevator.
All things considered, for an elevator operating in the “Tower of Sauron,” the whole setup was far too makeshift. A skyscraper like this, and the elevator pod didn’t even have a sleek, aerodynamic curve?
‘Jackpot.’
The imagery that birthed this anomaly’s parent entity hadn’t come from experts.
It stemmed from ordinary people in this hotel—average Koreans, to be exact—with their vague preconceptions and stereotypes.
‘Dodged the worst-case scenario.’
I smiled faintly.
This made things easier.
“Urgh!”
Thud. I dropped back down from the ceiling.
Sim A-ryeon, whom I’d told to hold the door, had apparently given in to curiosity and was peeking her head out.
“Guild Leader. P-People are alive and well out there....... My god, their clothes aren’t even wrinkled. Perfectly pristine....... Eek. Our shoe prints have totally messed up the carpet.......”
At that moment, the gazes of the “existences” gathered in the hotel lobby snapped toward her. Pitch-black eyes turned to Sim A-ryeon in unison.
“Eek.”
“Quiet.”
I immediately clamped my hand over Sim A-ryeon’s mouth as a scream threatened to escape. I whispered urgently into the ear of the startled, muffled “Mmph!”
“Don’t talk carelessly. And try not to make eye contact if you can help it. Those staff, the other guests—they’re all anomalies.”
“Mmph?!”
“More precisely, they’re parts of the anomaly. Fragments, or terminals, as it’s better put. There’s a high chance the entire hotel is one massive anomaly—a Void. Draw their attention, and the ‘whole hotel’ will focus on you.”
“Mmph. Mmph-mmph......?”
“Of course, if you were an awakener who could wield aura as naturally as breathing like me, you could smash right through. But our goal right now is exploration, not extermination. We need to figure out how this Void operates in as much detail as possible and record it. It might even help humanity. Got it?”
“......”
Nod. Sim A-ryeon timidly bobbed her chin up and down. Her palm was slimy with saliva, but I ignored it.
“Now, I’ll show you how a seasoned awakener explores a Void. While they’re around, don’t say a word. Just stare around blankly with wide eyes, no matter what I say. Can you do that?”
Nod.
“Good.”
I released Sim A-ryeon’s mouth, and we walked together to the check-in counter.
Step. Step. With every step I took, the anomalies—or terminals—tracked me with identical strides, their eyes fixed unwaveringly.
A normal person—say, a rookie with little experience against anomalies—would find it hopeless from here.
But who am I? A regressor who’s tangled with anomalies as enduringly as the East Sea and Mount Baekdu.
I approached without so much as a blink.
Creeeak—
The staff member behind the counter parted their lips. Their mouth was an endless abyss of black. No tongue visible past the teeth.
It mimicked a human.
—Good day. Welcome. Do you have a reservation with us?
“Good morning.”
Halt. The staff froze in unison.
Undeterred, I spoke fluently.
“I have a reservation at this hotel. I’m a travel vlogger. Could you check me in?”
—Uh, uh. Um?
Their confusion was plain. Of course it was.
Because I was speaking German.
High-end hotel counter staff can handle English, and even Japanese or Chinese with relative ease. But German, French, Spanish, Russian? Without prior prep, instant response is impossible.
Naturally, this native Korean anomaly shared the average Korean’s sensitivity toward foreigners. In other words, it crumbled helplessly.
—Ah. Um, sorry, sir. Could you speak English? Reservation? Reservation, please?
“Ahem. In this global age, relying solely on English?”
—Pardon?
“I’m sorry. I can’t speak English. Deutschland. Germany. Okay?”
—Ah, Germany. ...What do we do? This guest seems German. Ah, sorry. Please wait a moment, sir.
At my perfect German pronunciation, the anomalies shrank like scolded children, flustering about.
Sim A-ryeon watched me like someone witnessing a giant hamster doing a handstand.
It might seem silly, but this “I don’t speak Korean, oh and English neither” ploy worked wonders in Voids. Especially in ones mimicking intact buildings like the Tower of Sauron.
The anomalies whispered among themselves.
—Can’t reach the person in charge?
—No. They’re not picking up.
—Of all times....... We need to at least ask if they have a reservation, but communication’s impossible.......
—Okay, okay. Let’s stay calm. Guide them to the lobby sofa first. Can’t keep the guest standing. And bring out the welcome tea.
If this were a real hotel, they’d respond swiftly.
But I’d bet these anomalies were facing their first German guest since inception.
A foreigner-handling department? No way they’d prepared that far. Of course no one picks up their frantic calls.
—Sir? Please? Would you come this way for a moment?
“Hm? What?”
—Ah, just for a bit, sit here on the sofa and wait. Yes. Phone. No connection. Yes. Sorry.
The staff deployed every body language trick to convince us. I sat on the sofa with a slightly offended expression, but signaling no intent to make a fuss.
“My, my god.”
The moment the staff stepped away, Sim A-ryeon huddled close and whispered.
“Guild Leader....... What just happened?”
“It’s a tactic that’s virtually unbeatable against anomalies mimicking humans—limited to the Korean Peninsula.”
Of course, it only works exceptionally well in Korea. Never try it in the Netherlands; too many fluent foreigners there.
“Y-You speak foreign languages too?”
“Of course. English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian—most languages are no problem. What’s perfect memory for if not this?”
“Wow....... I thought you were just into geezer stuff like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but you seem like a whole different person now.......”
“......”
This brat. Without me, she’d have banged on the glass doors and crossed to the afterlife before even boarding the elevator....... Void newbie.
Anyway, no dungeon was a problem once you knew how to handle it.
I pulled a camera from my travel backpack. A Polaroid—instant photo camera that spits out pics right away.
“Huh? Why the camera all of a sudden......?”
“Don’t worry. This thing’s a treasure, despite appearances. Got it as thanks from those magical girls in Japan last time.”
“......?”
Model: Polaroid OneStep (Land Camera 1000), released in 1977.
Normally needs SX-70 Time-Zero film, but luckily, this camera’s a kind of anomaly itself—no film required.
Click.
I snapped the hotel lobby. The chunky lens head flashed. Soon, a white film strip emerged.
“You take it. No screaming.”
“Huh? What is— Eek!”
No surprise. The lobby in my camera was far from the luxurious scene before our eyes.
Marble floors blanketed in dust. Shattered lights and porcelain scattered everywhere. Even corpses hanging from the counter beyond.
“Gasp, eek....... Hic.......”
Right by our sofa—where the staff had guided us—a soldier-clad corpse gaped with bulging eyes. Sim A-ryeon hyperventilated.
“Cool, right? This is a real treasure. The ‘Spirit Camera’—pretty famous anomaly in Japan. I’d been eyeing it forever, finally snagged it after clearing the Inunaki Tunnel for those magical girls. They’ve got two more Nikon F-series cams doing the same, yet they whined like it was priceless.”
“Guild Leader, eek. Guuilild Leeeader........”
“Sigh. Don’t freak out. It gets fun after a while. The thrill of testing how well those idiots can fake being human?”
“No one in the world enjoys anomalies like you do, Guild Leader......!”
As I teased Sim A-ryeon, the hotel brought out welcome tea.
Soon, someone who seemed like the manager appeared, desperately mixing English and gestures.
—We’re truly sorry, sir. We currently have no way to accommodate you.
“Hm.”
My chin tilted up 20 degrees; the staff’s drooped 20 in response.
—If you wait just a bit longer, we’ll figure something—
“Hmm.”
Here, I quietly shifted my internal dilemma from “exterminate” to “hold off.”
Most anomalies would show their true colors by now.
But these seemed genuinely committed to hotel operations. In other words, as long as we didn’t drop our “guest” act first, they wouldn’t abandon theirs.
Pass.
“It’s fine. Okay, okay. I’ll just wander around sightseeing. Handle it then.”
—Pardon?
“Here, hold my backpack. This is my phone number. Okay?”
I handed over the bag after pocketing essentials. The staff caught on, beaming with “Ah, okay! Thank you so much!”
They courteously escorted us to the elevator. We rode comfortably back to the first floor.
Sim A-ryeon, trembling since the spirit photo, spoke up.
“Um....... Guild Leader, is it really okay to just leave like this?”
“Probably.”
“B-But earlier the door wouldn’t open?”
“Unlike before, the hotel side permitted our exit this time. They might’ve blocked us if we’d said we were leaving for good, but I hinted we’d return.”
“Ah. So you left the backpack on purpose......?”
“Yep. In Void exploration, quickly grasp the space’s character and adapt to it. Even in dangerous Voids, if you follow the rules properly, they won’t attack first... about 50% of the time.”
“That’s half!”
Exactly why you build the power to smack them if they do. Tsk tsk.
The elevator opened on the first floor. On a whim, I snapped a photo of it too.
“Hm.”
“W-What came out......?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
In the developed photo of the first floor: corpses piled like mountains.
Humanoid shapes with half-eaten heads—twenty or so near the glass doors. About a hundred more plastered to the glass, clawing at it with palms.
The chandelier-like fixtures in my eyes? Just a fest of hanged corpses in the photo.
“Let’s get out.”
“Y-Yes.......”
As expected, the glass door swung open easily. Whoosh—harsh outside air rushed into my nostrils.
Sim A-ryeon collapsed.
“S-So scaryyyyyy......! Scary! Guild Leader, please! Don’t drag me into stuff like this; it’s bad for my heart!”
“Here’s the first-floor pic. Souvenir.”
“Souvenir? What— Aaaahhh!”
Sim A-ryeon fainted flat.
Frankly, I was satisfied. That’s why hanging with her is fun. Great reactions.
Though my satisfaction halved the next day after seeing the crap posted on SG Net.
-Goryeo Jang: Stomped my mark at “that tower” in Gangnam, Seoul lololol.
-Goryeo Jang: This the famous dungeon? Looked; nothing but trash. Awakeners strutting around, dying in this kiddie pop dungeon?
(79th-floor lobby photo)
(1st-floor elevator photo)
-Goryeo Jang: Took certified shots with my spirit power item. Check if your mom or dad’s in there lololol.
Naturally, Goryeo Jang Villain’s “certified shots” were the Polaroids I’d given Sim A-ryeon.
Reactions poured in like an inferno.
-Anonymous: Where’s this?
└Lit Girl: Obviously Sauron Tower.
└Anonymous: ?? This dude raided Sauron Tower solo and came back fine?
-[Three Thousand]Historian: What the hell is with Goryeo Jang Villain? This ego-shattered aggro king a hidden master for real?
-[Baekhwa]High School 6th Year: Hueeeeng. >_<;;
-Anonymous: Kyaa lololol it’s Sasgodreojangham lololol
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Most intriguing.
Hm.
I glanced at Sim A-ryeon fiddling with her phone on the guild lounge sofa.
“Heh, hehehe.......”
Sprawled out, she looked utterly blissful.
Maybe true anomalies are like that?
4
Epilogue.
In the very next loop, I grabbed Seo-gyu from Busan Station via takeout, then researched the Tower of Sauron online.
Civilization hadn’t raced toward doom for long yet. Easy to snag hotel voucher image files from the net.
I forged the voucher with that image.
Why? What? Barcode’s a mess, but anomalies can’t scan it anyway, right?
Thus, armed with this voucher (top-tier Presidential Suite, 145㎡, meals included, regular 1-night rate 8 million won), I solo-visited the Tower of Sauron again.
Result?
“Yes, your reservation checks out. Mr. Undertaker. We’ll serve you with the utmost hospitality.”
“Oh......”
Incredibly, it worked!
That night, I enjoyed a high-end restaurant dinner for the first time in ages, then soaked in a bath overlooking Seoul’s stunning nightscape.
Wherever I went in the hotel, staff smiled warmly and treated me kindly.
‘Total honey pot.’
Next morning, I snapped a photo of the breakfast on the table as a test.
Click—
I savored my seaweed soup while waiting for the film. Finally, I looked at the developed shot.
“Hm......”
What was in that photo? I won’t reveal it here.
Just note that if bringing someone next time, pick someone with an iron stomach.
Oh.
Obviously not Sim A-ryeon.
- Explorer. End.