Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Invisible Pursuit
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Ever since those damn otherworlders arrived, gate incidents and breaks had skyrocketed exponentially, and eventually, the total number of gates multiplied several times over.
It was only later that we discovered they had tampered with monsters meant for their own world, Tellus, redirecting them to Earth. After leaking some information to us to gain our trust, those bastards roamed freely around Korea, manipulating gates.
Hunters spotted them at sites and killed them, but fierce resistance led to many hunter deaths. Even after they died, the gates kept increasing like a snowball rolling down a hill. Hunters pushed themselves to clear the growing number of gates and died in the process, trapped in a vicious cycle where more gates appeared. That’s how we met our end.
The recent gate breaks and the surge in monsters requiring more rescues were undoubtedly their doing as well.
After spotting Helen, I checked with Manager Yang about any issues with gate reset times. Each gate has a set reset period, and sure enough, there had been three incidents of resets happening earlier than scheduled. That had caused casualties among the porters left inside.
After the incident, the government hadn’t found any connections and simply issued a public notice warning porters and recovery companies to be cautious. If I’d known this in advance, I could have anticipated Helen’s group arriving, but what’s done is done.
My original plan was to level up more by the time they arrived, becoming a hunter with strong influence in the Awakening Bureau. Then, suggesting caution around the otherworlders would have been taken seriously.
But even though I’d earned the favor of Bureau Chief Baek Youngshin, as a mere B-Rank Hunter, saying they were the enemy wouldn’t carry any weight or evidence.
Since they’d arrived earlier than expected, I had to overhaul my plans completely.
The thought of sneaking in and killing them crossed my mind, but I dismissed it immediately. They were currently treated as honored guests from around the world—the otherworld delegation. Killing them without solid proof, only to get caught, could brand me as a traitor to Earth. I wasn’t willing to cover myself in filth to save the world. Besides, I had too much left to do to end up as a fugitive.
No matter what I did next, my low level would be a problem. I devised a plan and immediately put Nayeong and Sangheon through intensive gate runs.
“Pant… Pant… Bro, what the hell? Why are you pushing so hard all of a sudden?”
While they ran gates, I watched their backs during crises and had them chug potions like water to relieve fatigue. Even so, accumulated physical and mental exhaustion left Sangheon gasping, and Nayeong looked pale despite not complaining.
“Soon, there’ll come a day when I need your strength. Sorry, but trust me and follow my lead for now.”
They picked up on my serious demeanor. They also knew I’d been running gates at night without rest while they recovered, so they followed without further complaints. I was grateful.
During the grind, item and byproduct recovery wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t care. Leveling up was the top priority.
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Name: Lee Jiseok
Job: Unemployed
Level: 38
Strength 98, Vitality 95, Agility 87, Intelligence 43, Health 980, Mana 353
Skills: Regeneration B, Sturdy Body A, Resilient Mind A, Poison Resistance D, Keen Senses B, Tough Blood A
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A few days of intensive grinding raised my level by 3. The stats were already far superior to my previous life. It had been worth risking my life multiple times. Still, fighting an S-Rank Hunter was beyond me for now.
S-Rank Hunters typically ranged from level 46 to 50, with main stats averaging around 70. My stats looked higher, but S-Ranks got massive job bonuses boosting stats by tens of percent, and their skills multiplied their speed and power several times over.
Even Korea’s sole S-Rank Hunter, Jeong Mingi, surely had lower total stats than me. But his slash that severed a troll’s head wasn’t the work of mere 70 stats. It was nowhere near 100—maybe 150 or 200 to dodge or block. The other S-Ranks were similar.
The road ahead was long, but I didn’t have time to just grind levels. The world’s attention had been focused on them for days, but interest was waning. That would make it easier for Helen’s group to act, so I had to stop them first.
I pulled my suit over my head and climbed to the rooftop of the building next to the hotel where Helen’s group was staying.
In my previous life, as a small-time hunter, I only knew what was in the news and industry rumors. I didn’t know the exact method they used to redirect Tellus-bound monsters to us. So, I had to surveil them to find out.
Since they had to work in secret from Earthlings, I figured they’d move at night.
“Nothing unusual during the day?”
“Yes. We kept a close watch. All three were with Awakening Bureau escorts. No solo movements.”
I’d asked Manager Yu from the detective agency to handle daytime surveillance when they seemed unlikely to move.
“Good work.”
“But… why are you watching these people?”
“Manager Yu.”
“Yes?”
“Want to know? It’ll drag you in deeper, and you won’t be able to back out later.”
“I’ll just do as you say, quietly.”
No more questions.
After sharpening my senses for a long watch, my eyes caught something odd.
The hotel’s side door opened and closed, but no one emerged. It didn’t look like the wind; it moved like a person opening and closing it.
Focusing near the door, I spotted a faint ripple. Invisible to non-Awakeners, but clear to me. Narrowing my eyes, I made out the humanoid outline in the ripple.
I descended the building and followed. As it left the hotel, the ripple darted between buildings like flying—similar to how I used my suit’s float magic to leap lightly.
I tailed it without losing sight. The ripple alone might’ve lost it, but I’d caught the scent too, so no chance of escape.
It headed to a sparsely populated area, widening the distance.
I’d once tracked Nayeong’s kidnapper by footprints alone. Fewer people made tracking easier. I followed footprints, sounds, and scent.
As expected, it headed to a gate—a cleared B-Rank gate.
The Awakening Bureau official guarding it was glued to his phone. Night shifts at cleared gates were always lax like this. Once byproducts were harvested, it was mostly ceremonial.
Even without invisibility, they wouldn’t have noticed it entering.
It passed the official and entered the gate.
“Hello.”
I greeted the Bureau official buried in his phone.
“Huh? Hunter Lee Jiseok?”
“Oh, it’s Seokho. You’re on night shift today?”
Familiar face. From running so many gates, I recognized most field officials. I always fed them well while waiting or passing, so they liked me.
“Yeah. Nights pay better.”
Geum Seokho made a circle with his fingers and grinned.
“Tough job. Mind if I pop into that gate real quick?”
“Uh, it’s already cleared though?”
“Got a new item I want to test.”
“Ahh~ Go ahead.”
Nothing left to take anyway, and they just guarded against anyone being inside during reset. With my verified ID and ability to solo-clear even if it reset suddenly, no issue.
Inside the gate was an empty plain.
I tracked the freshest footprints. It was heading to the gate’s outskirts.
Even open-field gates had limits, like cave types. Boundaries were usually rocky mountains, with invisible walls beyond—impossible to cross.
Behind the rocks, I found it with invisibility off: Richard, the mage. He was setting up some complex device on the ground.
I memorized every action to see how it worked. Something emanated from his hand, but I couldn’t see it clearly.
Then, intense light shot from the device, hitting the rock wall. And a new gate opened inside the gate.
Monsters bound for Tellus clearly came to Earth through that. I had all the info needed—time to capture.
I lunged. Grabbed his neck from behind and slammed him down.
“Gurk!”
“From now on, answer only what I ask.”
Zzzzap!
As my words ended, lightning poured from the orb on his right hand. My skin burned from the shock, but that was it.
Boom!
I smashed his hand with my fist. The orb and hand bones shattered.
“Kaaaagh!!”
“What’s that? How do you cancel it?”
I pinned the writhing bastard immobile and demanded.
“Veria forever! Crunch.”
He shouted something incomprehensible, and something crunched in his mouth. He foamed and went limp.
“Damn it…”
He’d killed himself before I could extract info.
I collected the gate-opening device and all his items.
Then dug a hole and buried the body away from the site.
“Take care.”
“Yeah~.”
Geum Seokho, watching his phone, replied without noticing I’d entered empty-handed but exited with stuff.
* * *
I took the haul to Jaein’s workshop. At 3 a.m., I debated waking her or waiting, but she was still up.
“You haven’t slept?”
“Working on something.”
Lost in research, she barely slept. Creators could level up like hunters through endless R&D and crafting. Jaein’s non-stop work had transcended normal stamina.
“Can you take a look at these?”
I dumped the items from the cloak onto her workbench.
“What are these?”
“Seen the otherworld news?”
“Yeah.”
“These are theirs.”
“...You stole them?”
“No. Killed and took them.”
“...Why?”
Jaein swallowed hard.
“You know about the recent gate incidents?”
She nodded.
“These otherworlders caused them with this gear.”
I blended what I knew from my past life with my new findings and explained to Jaein.
“Then shouldn’t you report to the Awakening Bureau?”
“Evidence is thin. I planned to catch and interrogate, but this is all I have now. If I’d told you without proof, would you believe me? They’re the world’s honored guests.”
“Well…”
“We need to analyze this fast. I suspect over ten spots already have inner gates open. If we don’t close them soon, it’s irreversible.”
Jaein gulped loudly and nodded.