Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Crossing the Dead Sea (1)
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In the Aegis Guild headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul, the Gate observation room occupied an entire floor.
Amidst various electronic devices and mountains of documents, a young girl let out a deep sigh.
“This is insane, seriously.”
Harsh words escaped her small mouth.
The one muttering “insane” while rummaging through the papers piled before her was Anastasia.
“CrappyGame-bro, why on earth did you have to go into such a sketchy place?”
Stacks of documents were piled up in front of her.
All of them contained information related to dungeons.
Information she never would have obtained if not for her status as a ‘Hunter of the Scales,’ who had a close relationship with the Dungeon Management Bureau.
“I heard from my sister that it probably wouldn't be an ordinary A-rank dungeon, but…”
Asha murmured, her eyes scanning the document on top of the pile.
The Woodcutter’s Cabin.
A special dungeon that vanished 20 years ago, only to be rediscovered by Kim Hanul a few days prior.
At the very bottom of the document, the report from the time of its disappearance was recorded as is.
[The Woodcutter’s Cabin (D) - Dungeon disappearance confirmed due to mission completion]
[Total expedition members: 5. Returnees: 1, Deceased: 3, Missing: 1 ※ Returnee died during treatment after filing the completion report]
[Clearance report filed by: Pathfinder Guild]
Twenty years ago, the world had yet to recover from the chaos of the Great Cataclysm.
A time when the ranks of dungeons and gates changed several times a day.
A time when low-rank hunters were thrown into any situation, dying like cannon fodder.
It wasn't unusual for more than half of an expedition team to perish.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“Pathfinder…”
The guild they belonged to was the problem.
“Asha, what are you doing!”
Just then, a man with a hefty build stormed into the observation room.
“What’s gotten into you, holing yourself up in here for the past few days? Did you find a decent gate or something?”
Perfect timing.
Asha’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the Aegis Guild Master, Ma Dongpal.
“Chief.”
“Ahem, I told you not to use such informal titles in the guild. Back in my day, if you called your superior ‘Chief’ or whatever…”
“You know the Pathfinder Guild, right?”
Ma Dongpal, who was instinctively about to launch into a ‘back in my day’ speech, shut his mouth.
His round, puppy-like eyes sharpened for a moment.
“What, those fanatic goons who disappeared more than ten years ago?”
“Yeah.”
Ten years ago, Asha hadn't even Awakened yet.
But Ma Dongpal had been active back then, and he was a hunter who had contributed greatly to wiping out those ‘fanatic goons.’
“Why them all of a sudden?”
“They were completely crushed, right?”
“Crushed, you say. The crazy ones are dead, and the ones who were somewhat sane are all rotting in prison, so yeah, I guess so.”
The Pathfinder Guild.
For a long time, they were a criminal organization that had carried out various terrorist attacks against civilians and hunters.
“Tell me more, in detail.”
“Details about what? Why do you want to hear about psychos like them?”
The atrocities committed by the Pathfinder guild members were horrific.
They captured hunters for human experiments, sometimes killing them and disguising it as an accident.
They even raised monsters, kidnapping civilians to feed to them.
“They also deliberately caused dungeons to overflow at the cost of their own lives. Anyway, they were a bunch of complete lunatics.”
But a long tail is bound to be stepped on eventually.
Thanks to a joint crackdown by government agencies and several guilds that succeeded in uncovering their tracks, the Pathfinder Guild was dismantled, and all its members were thrown in jail.
And the Pathfinder Guild Master…
He uploaded a video to the guild’s YouTube channel and then vanished.
In it, he had left these words in a crazed voice.
—We have merely paved the way for our god’s descent.
Because of this, Pathfinder became associated with the image of a fanatical cult.
“The guild master spouted that kind of melodramatic nonsense and then disappeared. And the surviving members became drooling idiots right after they were caught. Couldn't even remember a single thing they’d done.”
Mass amnesia.
However, there was one thing they all remembered.
Which Divine Seat they had contracted with, and that the contract had been severed immediately after their guild master committed suicide.
“Must be a pretty capable Divine Seat. To have made multiple contracts with so many hunters.”
“I suppose so. And considering the things it made its avatars do…”
Ma Dongpal muttered while getting some brown rice green tea from the water dispenser in the corner of the observation room.
“It’s probably a Demon God type.”
“Not all who contract with Demon God-type Divine Seats are like that.”
“Not all Demon Gods are, but the ones who order dirty deeds are always Demon Gods. Just look at your Divine Seat or mine. Have they ever asked us to do anything sketchy? Mine just asked me for a dog food recipe the other day.”
Asha’s eyes widened.
“Whoa. That’s way too trivial.”
“That's what I'm saying. I wonder if it’s even a real Divine Seat… Hey, we can talk about it! What are you getting so embarrassed about, you old coot.”
After bickering with his own Divine Seat, Ma Dongpal slurped the hot green tea.
Then he looked at Asha again.
“So, I’m asking you, why are you suddenly asking about those fanatic bastards?”
It was the third time he’d asked.
That’s how puzzled Ma Dongpal was.
The Pathfinder incident had been closed more than ten years ago.
It was a cold case, a dead topic, with only the occasional YouTube video summarizing the events popping up.
Why was this foreign girl suddenly curious about it now?
“You know, things have been a bit chaotic in our line of work lately.”
Chaotic, she said.
It was true that a series of unexpected situations had occurred recently.
The ‘Ogre’s Sanctuary’ incident a few days ago was a prime example.
The Queen Ant Gate incident a few weeks ago was another one of those unexpected situations.
“I was thinking that maybe a few of them were the work of the Pathfinder Guild, or some group related to them.”
“…All of a sudden? Did your Divine Seat tell you that?”
“No, but read this.”
Asha handed the document in front of her to Ma Dongpal.
After a quick scan, Ma Dongpal scratched his sideburns.
“What about it? It’s a dungeon that disappeared after a perfect clear.”
“It reappeared.”
“Hm?”
“As an A-rank, one-person-limit, special mission dungeon. Isn’t that strange? A dungeon that vanished without a trace suddenly reappears. And according to my sister, this dungeon never disappeared. It was there the whole time.”
“Holy shit, no way. Even 20 years ago, the confirmation of a dungeon’s disappearance was handled directly by headquarters.”
“Someone must have hidden the dungeon itself. Or they did something to the people at headquarters.”
Bribery, hypnosis, blackmail, whatever it took.
It wasn't impossible for Pathfinder, a group that had committed far worse acts.
And that dungeon had recently reappeared.
“Tsk. I heard the Pungbaek Guild Master has been looking into something lately. Looks like things are really going south.”
Ma Dongpal muttered, crossing his thick arms.
“Anyway, this dungeon alone is a pretty serious situation. A D-rank dungeon that disappeared 20 years ago reappearing as an absurd A-rank one. Finding someone to enter it must be a real pain.”
“Someone already went in.”
“Huh? That guy’s got some serious guts. Even I’d be a little hesitant to be the first one in.”
“I think so too. Making people worry like that, seriously.”
“Who is it, someone you know?”
Asha nodded with a gloomy expression.
“Kim Hanul.”
“Wh-What the hell?”
A stream of brown rice green tea trickled from Ma Dongpal’s mouth.
“I can’t believe that guy. He ignored all my texts about going hiking, so what the hell is he doing in that remote mountain corner?”
“Anyone would ignore those texts. Only our guild’s hunters can’t.”
“Hey, don’t say that! You know how much my guys love hiking!”
Ma Dongpal retorted, a wounded look on his face.
“Anyway, that’s why I’m looking into various things. It all feels very unsettling.”
“Did he ask you to do this directly?”
“Not exactly like this, but I’m worried. He contacted me after he found the dungeon.”
“He contacted you personally?”
Well now, he didn't know how Kim Hanul and Asha knew each other, but…
What this meant was that Kim Hanul trusted the Aegis Guild the most.
This was an opportunity.
A chance for the Aegis Guild to score some major points.
He could already picture it.
The Aegis shield emblem on Kim Hanul’s suit!
Joyful weekend hikes with him, laughing all the way!
“Asha, my girl.”
Thud.
“?”
A thick hand landed on the Russian hunter’s shoulder.
When she turned, Ma Dongpal was giving her a bright smile and a thumbs-up.
“You’re really one of a kind. Let’s go for a cup of ssanghwa-cha soon.”
“No thanks.”
“What?! Aren’t you the girl who’d drop everything for ssanghwa-cha?”
Normally, she was the type to ditch an expedition to get her hands on the herbal tea.
But now, Asha wore a strange expression as she said.
“I’m going with someone else.”
* * *
Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands.
The moment I saw the undead legion stretching beyond the horizon…
A new message appeared before my eyes.
[Defeat the source of the undead with the black beast. The path to the source of the undead is perilous, and you may die at any moment. However, adventures are accompanied by fitting rewards. You will have a chance to obtain special rewards.]
“It’s suddenly on Hell Mode.”
The escort mission had instantly turned into an annihilation mission.
The problem was that it had become several times more difficult than a simple mission to escort the woodcutter.
Then again, it would be strange if an A-rank, single-entry dungeon was a walk in the park.
“Sage. What’s the rough estimate on their numbers?”
The Sage fluttered to the edge of the cliff and glared at the undead army.
Then it cautiously brought up a status window.
[The Sage informs you that the number of undead in the current dungeon is over 10,000.]
Ten thousand.
Of course, the vast majority I could see were zombies, the lowest rank among the undead.
However, the number was simply surreal.
Even 10,000 F-rank slimes, the weakest of all monsters, could reduce a small city to ashes.
And zombies were a rank higher, at E-rank.
[Furthermore, the Sage informs you that a being presumed to be the ‘source’ of the undead has been detected beyond the horizon. It also adds that these zombies do not possess mana stones.]
That meant the zombies weren't just simple monsters, but summons, or beings forcibly subjugated under another entity.
“Can’t you analyze that source?”
The source was probably a monster.
But just like with San-gun, the Sage failed to identify it through special analysis this time as well.
*Hoot.*
The Sage drooped with a sullen look, blaming itself for being particularly useless in this dungeon.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
Even if I knew its identity, the fact that I had to break through those zombies to get to it wouldn't change.
Therefore.
“Let’s go back, Sage.”
I placed the Sage on my shoulder and turned around.
“—?”
Then, I heard a cry from behind me.
Turning back, I saw San-gun wagging its tail from side to side, staring intently at me.
It was bewildered that I was leaving without taking any action.
I opened my mouth and spoke softly to the anxious creature.
“It’s going to take a lot of energy to clear out those corpses. I need to rest a bit before that.”
“—.”
Only then did San-gun let out a low cry, as if in relief.
This monster was certainly intelligent.
The fact that it understood everything I said was proof.
So I asked.
“What about you?”
“—?”
“Don’t you want to say goodbye to your little brother or your mother?”
San-gun’s red eyes narrowed.
This was a sort of confirmation test.
To see if it truly considered the woodcutter and his old mother as its family.
“—.”
It was a growl, one that sounded a little sad.
After letting out that single cry, it slowly lay down, its belly flat against the ground.
A sign of refusal.
However, it wasn't because it didn't want to see them.
“You’re worried you’ll scare them.”
“—.”
Perhaps because I had seen through its thoughts…
San-gun turned its head slightly to the side.
I understood one thing for certain.
This cursed beast, even now, having been transformed into a living corpse…
It genuinely cared for the woodcutter and the old woman.
“Alright, I’ll be back soon. You wait here.”
Truthfully, I still wasn't sure if I could break through the undead and eliminate the source.
But as luck would have it, I had just been dealt a card that was worth taking a gamble on.
* * *
The morning of the third day dawned.
“Mercenary-niiim! Wake up! We must depart at once!”
I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself up from the floor.
Paul had already finished his preparations, with his old mother on his back.
“Hehe, today’s the day I’ll finally get to meet Philia!”
I was about to say something to the grinning Paul but stopped myself.
I didn't know if Philia was a real person or just flavor text, but there were no other humans in this dungeon besides Paul and his old mother.
“I don’t know about that, but you and your mother should stay here. There’s something I need to take care of.”
“What? No, that’s…”
Paul looked troubled.
He wasn't going to listen to me.
When day breaks, the woodcutter moves.
That was his programmed behavior pattern.
If so, there was one way to stop an NPC like that.
“Then I’ll take the lead. Follow me.”
With those words, I stepped out of the cabin first.
Paul hesitated, then followed me.
But before he could step outside the cabin…
“Odolph.”
*Thud!*
“Uh, ack?!”
The log cabin’s only exit was blocked by a three-meter-tall behemoth.
“N-No! Mercenary-nim?! W-What is the meaning of this?!”
*Thump! Thump!*
A panicked Paul pounded on the door from the other side, but it was no use.
Not when a giant ogre was leaning against it.
That’s right.
The way to control an NPC’s movements.
You just had to trap them by blocking the path.
“M-Mercenary-nim?! Please stop joking around~!”
Paul’s panicked voice echoed.
*Thump! Thump!*
I was worried he might teleport or something, but thankfully, the system wasn't that sophisticated.
Or perhaps, it had even accounted for such an unorthodox approach.
“Alright, keep a good watch, Odolph.”
As I prepared to leave, Odolph, sitting with its arms crossed, spoke.
“Are you certain you will be alright, my Lord?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if it’s a real emergency.”
“Understood, my Lord. I shall await your call here.”
I nodded.
I probably wouldn't have to call for him.
As long as the card I had prepared worked as intended.
* * *
“—.”
San-gun was still in the same spot.
The metallic scent of blood had faded considerably.
I stroked the creature as it greeted me with a whine, then gazed down at the scene below the cliff.
“Disgustingly many of them.”
Now that the sun was up, I could more clearly see the hordes of zombies positioned all over the blackened, burnt ground.
They were slowly, steadily, making their way toward us.
A chill suddenly ran down my spine.
If those things reached this mountain and the woodcutter and his old mother were killed…
Would this dungeon overflow?
If it overflowed, zombies would pour out onto my family’s ancestral mountain.
My mother, my family home…
“I’ll have to put some real effort into this defense.”
I steeled my resolve.
Regardless of the rewards, San-gun, or the dungeon’s mission, I had to eliminate the source.
And I had already prepared a trump card for this.
[Iramatus’s Demi-Corpus cooldown is over. Please stroke the flawless skull!]
A 7-star Undead Lich.
This named Lich, who stands above all other undead, should be able to do it.
[Linking with 「Monsters Are Blocked by Monsters」.]
The Audience Chamber appeared, and the pile of bones in its corner zoomed into view.
“I’m counting on you.”
I carefully tapped the skull-shaped pixel with my finger.
[You have stroked Iramatus’s Demi-Corpus with a gentle touch!]
A ripple spread out.
[You have reached 100 affinity with Iramatus. Iramatus’s Demi-Corpus is activating!]
*Clatter!*
The skull and the pile of bones began to crumble, engulfed in a dark mist.
And then, the status window I had been waiting for appeared.
[The Undead Lich, Iramatus, has returned from death!]
I did it!
The black mist cleared, and a new monster pixel appeared in the Audience Chamber.
Iramatus!
A 7-star named undead…!
“…Huh?”
But.
Something was strange about the condition of the absolute ruler of the undead who had finally appeared.