Chapter 573: The Conspiracy Begins (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 573: The Conspiracy Begins (6)
From the dawn of the Hunter society to the present day.
Renowned scientists in every field have relentlessly continued their research on dungeons, each in their own way.
Some by choice, others out of necessity.
Because everyone knows.
Knowledge is power.
Rifts, dungeons, monsters.
And at the same time, the mysterious power granted to humanity.
They knew that only by understanding and utilizing these things more deeply could they survive.
Crisis is opportunity.
Wasn't it said that those who are willing to die will live?
Amidst the peril, the world also achieved dramatic progress.
New medicines and materials were developed from the herbs and minerals occasionally found in dungeons, and the mana stones obtained by killing monsters were used as a new energy source.
The resources discovered in dungeons became indispensable to modern society.
This is precisely why Hunters' salaries are excessively high compared to ordinary professions.
Of course, their research didn't only uncover benefits.
They also took on dangers just as great as the advantages.
Like the EX-rank dungeons that could erupt at any moment.
Or the cities destroyed and lives lost due to the occasional appearance of disaster-class monsters.
And even the outlaws who sought to satisfy their personal greed with their transcendent powers.
Thus, the Hunter society has continued on.
Good and evil.
In a precarious balance, not easily tipping toward what is beneficial or what is harmful.
But it was still precarious.
The survival rate of Hunters and the success rate of dungeon conquests had increased dramatically.
There were various measuring devices that could detect the signs of a rift in advance, and barriers prepared for any contingency.
They had thoroughly prepared for the signs of a disaster and its aftermath, but they still hadn't found a way to stop the disaster before it happened.
Why?
Because even after long years of research, almost nothing had been revealed about the true nature of rifts and dungeons.
On what principle did they begin to appear on Earth?
For what purpose?
Where in the world do these places called dungeons exist?
Do they even exist in reality at all?
The environment, the languages, the constituent materials.
They were so different from the world we live in that they didn't know where to even begin, struggling so much that uncovering even the smallest secret took years.
The slow progress was frustrating, but they were never impatient.
They had pride.
Pride in the fact that their research thus far had brought about a great transformation in the world.
And they were confident.
That though they were slow, they were heading in the right direction.
They were even motivated, determined to see the end of this research, whether it took years or even decades.
However, there was one thing they had overlooked.
[Emergency situation.]
Whether the cause is human, nature, or something else entirely.
A true disaster arrives without any sign or warning.
* * *
Atop a tall building.
The people walking on the ground below are utterly listless.
Their faces are worn down by the repetitive daily grind.
They might feel it's tedious and boring, but the man watching them had a different thought.
“How peaceful.”
That was peace.
War, battle, murder, slaughter, struggle, poverty, crisis, ordeal.
The listlessness that can only be enjoyed by those who have taken a step or two back from such things, even if not completely removed.
If that is not peace, what else could it be called?
“Foolish things.”
That was why the man found them so contemptible.
Peace.
Something that others desire their whole lives only to grasp it in death, yet these people enjoy it as if it were their birthright.
The way they dare to feel it not as peace, but as listlessness.
“It's sickening.”
To an unbearable degree.
They must be made to understand.
How many people have been sacrificed, and are still being sacrificed, for the peace they enjoy.
How precious and valuable the peace they enjoy right now is.
“You all must realize it.”
The method of granting enlightenment is not so difficult.
One simply has to snatch away the peace they take for granted and treat as trivial.
When their lives are hanging by a thread.
When the person next to them is brutally killed, and they watch before fleeing, and as they hide in the rubble of a collapsed building, not knowing when they'll be discovered, slowly calming their ragged breaths lest a single sound escape—then they will realize.
How precious their daily life was.
How grateful they should be for the devotion of those who face this terror every time.
That is why.
Why I decided to plan and execute this.
He murmurs softly into the earphone microphone clipped to his ear.
“Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes. We can begin anytime on your signal.”
All preparations were complete.
The process had been quite arduous, but that was all in the past.
The difficulty had only made the preparations more perfect.
Therefore, he was certain.
This disaster could never be stopped without any damage.
It will not end until they realize something.
No, I will not let it end.
Absolutely not.
Reaffirming his resolve, he issues the command to his people spread throughout Seoul.
“Begin.”
That one word was enough.
To summon disaster upon this world.
On the rooftops of skyscrapers across Seoul, people who had been on standby aimed massive muzzles.
“Fire.”
With the command, the massive muzzles flashed with fire, launching enormous projectiles.
Fwoom!
Bang!
Fwoom-fwoom-fwoom!
These were no trivial things like bullets or missiles.
The name of the fired projectile was Calling Signal.
It was a mechanical device that forcibly summoned rifts waiting to manifest around the world.
* * *
“Move, move, move!”
The Association employees scrambled out in response to the sudden emergency.
I walked through them, got into a prepared car, and received a briefing on the situation.
“Rifts have appeared all over Seoul. The current reported number is 51. Reports are still coming in steadily, so we don't know how many more will appear.”
My head spun.
Fifty-one all over Seoul.
And reports were still coming in?
No, more importantly.
“Why didn't anyone know before this? Don't distinct signs appear whenever a rift is about to form?”
Before a rift forms, it causes the mana concentration in the surrounding area to rise exponentially.
Seoul is packed with machines that measure this concentration.
So it was strange.
What were they doing until the rifts had already formed to be scrambling like this only now?
The employee in charge of the briefing wiped the sweat from his brow and said something shocking.
“Th-that's… they say these rifts showed no signs whatsoever.”
“……?”
“The mana concentration only rose after the rifts had grown large enough to be identified with the naked eye.”
“Is… is that even possible?”
The man shook his head, his expression dark.
“I don't know. This is the first time something like this has happened, so I heard the Association, the observation center, and all related departments are in an uproar.”
“Ha.”
What in the world was going on?
A wave of rifts appearing like this was a major crisis in itself, but it wasn't unprecedented.
It had happened once in the United States.
And once in China and Argentina.
Finally, it had happened a staggering two times in both Japan and the United Kingdom.
The sudden, mushrooming appearance of rifts had thrown entire nations into chaos.
They had suffered great damage, but not enough to shake the foundations of the country.
That was because they had known about the rifts' formation in advance through their measuring devices and had prepared quickly.
But the wave happening in Korea was clearly different.
Dozens of rifts appearing, deceiving even the measuring devices, and the resulting Dungeon Break.
It was obvious that the damage would be far greater than what the other countries had suffered.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Uwaaah!”
“R-run away…!”
“Don’t push! Aaaack!”
Pandemonium unfolded beyond the window of the moving car.
The monsters hadn't even appeared yet.
The world had been thrown into chaos just by the rifts opening and the beastly sounds coming from within.
I couldn't just drive past a scene like this.
I threw open the car door.
“Just keep driving. I'll follow along while I clean up the area.”
“Ah, yes…!”
I threw myself outside.
Before my body could be torn apart by the rapidly passing road, I chanted the incantation.
「Fly.」
Whoosh
My body lifted into the air.
I flew up and surveyed the situation.
“My baby! Where is my baby!”
“Hey, move forward, faster!”
“Aack! I told you not to push!”
A total mess.
No other word came to mind.
Selfish actions, with each person trying only to save themselves, not others.
I didn't think of them as pathetic or selfish.
Wasn't it natural?
The desire to survive in the face of the fear of death.
“Grandma, this way, quickly!”
“The baby is here with me!”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!”
And then there were those who, even in a life-threatening crisis, cherished others as they did themselves.
They are simply the noble ones.
There were two ways to resolve this chaotic situation.
Eliminate the source of the fear.
Or forcibly impose order upon them.
“The first option is out for now.”
Even for me, dealing with dozens of rifts at once is impossible.
That left only the latter.
Using my vast mana, I molded the ground around me.
Ruuuumble…!
Huge walls rose up, splitting the main road into multiple paths.
The width of the passages was just enough for one person to pass through comfortably.
After extending these passages all the way to the shelter, I added one more thing.
Reassurance.
[Ah, ah. Can everyone hear me?]
I used my mana to amplify my voice, making my presence known to them.
[This is S-rank Hunter Kim Do-jin.]
A means to quell the overwhelming fear, and a beacon of hope.
“H-Hunter Kim Do-jin…!”
“It’s really him!”
“We’re saved!”
“Hunter Kim Do-jin! Please get rid of those things quickly!”
A flood of cheers and requests.
I spoke to them.
[Yes, everything will be taken care of soon, so please follow these paths to the shelter. You can walk slowly, nothing will happen, so don't push or rush the person in front of you.]
I added a slight warning.
[If I see anyone acting selfishly, I'll remember your face and make sure you're punished, so please follow my instructions.]
I could see a few faces turn pale.
Ah, what a thrill.
If I'd said this in Son Si-woo's body, all hell would have broken loose the moment this was over.
This body is so much more convenient.
“Alright, this area is sorted out for now…”
Seeing the people calmly walking through the passages in an orderly fashion without disobeying my words, I turned away.
The chaos had only been partially resolved; it was still rampant.
Moreover, the sound of monsters' footsteps from beyond the rifts was growing closer and closer.
“What to do…”
My mind raced, trying to come up with the best response.
Then, a thought struck me, and I asked the Association employee through the window of the moving car.
“The barriers near the rifts seem slow to activate. Is there a problem?”
“Pardon? Ah, that… please wait a moment.”
Barriers.
With those, they could minimize the damage until the summoned Hunters arrived in their respective areas.
It was at that moment.
Ting!
A message arrived on the employee's smartphone.
His face, after checking it, was filled with horror.
“Th-this is terrible.”
“What now? What else could go wrong…?”
“The barriers… they won't activate…!”
“……!”
This was a true disaster.