Chapter 68 — An Unfamiliar World
Chapter 68 — An Unfamiliar World
Translation: GodTL
How long had I been unconscious?
The moment I came to, I immediately sat up and scanned my surroundings.
The Gate that had swallowed me was an extraordinarily rare Extra Gate—one that was even classified as EX-rank.
So really, no matter what bizarre situation I found myself in now, it wouldn't be strange at all.
It was a combination of factors practically guaranteed to breed unpredictable variables.
But what if—just what if—
this place was the Dragon's Lair, as those Hunters had so casually mentioned?
Or perhaps a labyrinth riddled with deadly traps, or even a nightmarish danger zone...
Yet when I finally opened my eyes and took in my surroundings, I realized my expectations had been completely off the mark.
What kind of Gate is this?
To my surprise, the place I'd woken up in was the interior of a log cabin.
True, in an Extra Gate, you could never predict what might happen—but even so, I'd never heard of a single Hunter experiencing anything like this before.
Which was why, at this very moment, I was utterly bewildered.
This isn't the time to panic.
I'd briefly lost my composure out of sheer confusion, but right now, finding a way out of this place took priority.
I pulled up the notification window to check this Gate's clearance conditions.
[Rank: EX
Clearance Condition:? ]
Strangely, though, the notification didn't specify what the clearance condition was.
Unlike before, where at least part of the condition would be displayed, this time there was absolutely nothing written.
What the hell?
Don't tell me...
Am I trapped in this Gate?
I shook my head violently.
"That can't be..."
The very idea of a Hunter being permanently trapped inside a Gate made no sense.
Even if a Hunter failed to clear a Gate for some reason, standard Gates wouldn't trap them inside unless they died in there.
If a Gate remained uncleared for too long, an exit would eventually open due to the Gate Break phenomenon.
But.
This was an Extra Gate—one that Hunters weren't even supposed to enter, a Gate that theoretically shouldn't exist.
The thought that this might be a Gate that defied all known logic sent goosebumps crawling across my skin.
"No, that's... impossible."
I couldn't be stuck here forever.
Somehow, I had to figure out the nature of this Gate and find a clue to escape.
To find that clue, I decided to step outside the room.
But before that—who knew what might be waiting beyond that door? If something was out there, I had no way of knowing whether it would be hostile or friendly. Just in case, I needed to arm myself first.
I opened my Subspace and retrieved the Dragon Bone Sword and several defensive artifacts.
"At least this is one small mercy."
Given that my Subspace had failed to open a few times before, I'd been worried—but thankfully, this time it worked without issue.
Once armed, I sharpened my senses to their limit, swallowed hard, and slowly pushed the door open.
Creeeak—
As the door swung open, I detected no immediate signs of life.
No people, no monsters, no one at all.
Holding my breath, I began surveying the area to figure out where I was.
The presence of clothes and food like bread suggested someone had been living here until recently.
In that case, the first order of business was to find that person—whoever they were.
I needed to locate them to figure out exactly where this place was and why I'd woken up in that room.
Just as I was considering whether I should step outside and wait for the owner—
Creeeak—
The door swung open again, and I found myself face-to-face with a woman who appeared to be the cabin's resident.
"Geprtzkhdebit?"
The moment our eyes met, her expression softened with relief, and she began speaking to me.
But the language she used was one I'd never heard in my life—I couldn't understand a single word.
Given that she might be a being from another dimension, this was probably to be expected.
However, something else had already caught my attention.
Those long, pointed ears...
...An elf?
If elves really existed, they'd probably look exactly like this.
Not just the elongated ears, but the green-tinged hair and strikingly beautiful features—
everything about her appearance screamed elf.
"Gesmit' ra vambob?"
She kept speaking to me, but since I couldn't understand a word, I retrieved a universal translation artifact from my Subspace and put it on.
Then—
"Adventurer, can you understand me now?"
Finally, I could comprehend what the elf before me was saying.
From the looks of it, she'd also realized that what I'd taken out was a translation artifact.
"Yes. I can understand you now."
"What a relief. By the way, Adventurer... would you mind putting that sword away? I'm afraid I might get stabbed by accident..."
Since she didn't seem intent on harming me, I quickly stowed the Dragon Bone Sword back into my Subspace.
"My apologies. Waking up in an unfamiliar place made me prepare for the worst. I realize now that was rude of me."
"Not at all. I completely understand."
The elf smiled warmly and waved her hand gently.
"Ah, come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Estelle. As you can see, I'm an elf. And you are...?"
"I'm Min-jun."
"Min-jun... is it?"
Estelle repeated my name with slightly clumsy pronunciation.
"Judging by your name, are you perhaps from another continent, Adventurer?"
"Not another continent—another dimension. In the world I come from, elves don't exist."
Estelle's pupils shimmered with unmistakable shock at the mention of another world.
"An otherworlder? Good heavens."
Her voice had also grown incomparably louder than before.
"By the way, Estelle, where exactly is this place?"
"This is the City of Exiles—Elysium."
Naturally, it was a name I'd never heard before.
"Ah. If you meant to ask not about this city but about the world itself—we call this world Pangaea. Though I don't know what name it goes by where you come from."
Pangaea.
Pangaea.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, when I spoke with Sia before, the name of the dimension she had lived in after her reincarnation was definitely... Pangaea, wasn't it?
If so, then this place—could it be—
The home dimension where Sia had lived as a Dragon?
What kind of absurd coincidence is this?
The moment that realization struck, a shiver ran down my spine.
"Um, Min-jun? Is something... wrong?"
"N-No, it's nothing."
I hastily waved my hands at Estelle's question.
"Well, given that you've come from another dimension, you must still be disoriented. I imagine you have many questions too."
"...Yes, that's right."
Why had I ended up in the very dimension where Sia had reincarnated? And how was I supposed to return to my original world?
My head was already throbbing.
"It might be best to take some time to rest and gather your thoughts. If anything comes to mind, feel free to ask me anything."
There were so many questions swirling in my head that I didn't even know where to begin, but for now, I decided to start with the first thing that came to mind.
"By any chance, do you know the circumstances of how I was first found?"
"One of the guards stationed at the city gates discovered you unconscious in front of the gate and brought you here in a hurry."
So I had passed through the Gate, lost consciousness immediately, and collapsed right at the city gates.
Just that much was enough to tell me how abnormal this Gate had been.
What kind of Gate even does this?
"By the way, Min-jun."
Suddenly, Estelle's gaze lingered on the ring on my finger.
"That ring you're wearing—is it made from Dragon bone, by any chance?"
"Yes."
"If you don't mind me asking, who gave it to you?"
"My girlfriend. And see, I also have this necklace made from Dragon bone. But—how did you know the ring was made from Dragon bone?"
Even if she could guess the rest, how had she pinpointed that?
"We're more sensitive to the presence of Dragons than most. The founder of our village was a Dragon, you see. So naturally, my eyes were drawn to it."
"The founder of this village... was a Dragon?"
I was so stunned that my voice rose without thinking.
Me—the only human on Earth capable of wielding a Dragon's power—ending up in a city founded by a Dragon?
This couldn't be a coincidence.
"Yes. That's why there's a statue in the city center dedicated to them. Would you like to see it? I could show you around the village as well."
It was an offer too intriguing to refuse.
I followed Estelle outside.
The moment we stepped out, a landscape utterly unlike Earth's unfolded before my eyes.
Houses built in architectural styles rarely seen in Korea, roads paved not with asphalt but with stone.
Looking back, I could see the massive walls enclosing the city, and—whether it was just my imagination or not—even the air felt distinctly different from Earth's.
And the residents?
Their hair and eye colors varied wildly, and among them were races that clearly weren't human.
Humans were the most common, but there were also elves like Estelle, as well as what I assumed were dwarves.
Beyond them, I spotted beastfolk and a few others whose races I couldn't even begin to guess.
Dazed by the unfamiliar sights, I walked in a trance, while the residents stole glances at me—likely because my clothing stood out so much.
After walking for some time—
"We're almost there. That's the statue I mentioned."
Estelle pointed toward a statue standing in the city center.
Though we were still some distance away, the statue was so massive that its shape was clearly visible even from afar.
The closer we got, the more details emerged.
According to Estelle, even the villagers didn't know exactly when it had been erected—it was that ancient. Yet, whether due to meticulous upkeep or something else, it bore no signs of age.
If anything, the nearer I got, the more overwhelming its grandeur became.
And at the same time—
The closer I approached, the harder my heart pounded—thud, thud.
This sensation—
It was exactly the same as what I had felt right before being sucked into the Gate.
"Are you... alright?"
Noticing me staring wordlessly at the statue, Estelle tilted her head in concern.
If I was feeling the same sensation as back then—
As absurd as it sounded—
Could it be that this Dragon statue had intended to pull me into this world from the very beginning?
But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.
"Why... why does that statue feel so familiar...?"
Logically, I was seeing it for the first time today, yet I couldn't shake the sense of recognition.
"Perhaps there's a similar statue where you're from?"
"That's impossible. Then why would I feel this way...?"
I didn't know why I felt this way, but one thing was certain—
That statue was the cause of this entire situation—and at the same time, the key that might allow me to return to Earth.