Chapter 51
Chapter 51
51.
Arachne's Labyrinth (5)
-It absorbed Divinity.
'Absorbed Divinity?'
-Affirmative. However, the situation isn't ideal to explain in detail right now.
'That's true.'
Lee Shin-hee and Seo Min-jae were currently looking at me.
-Tell them the truth. Just say you don't know the reason.
'Can I really say that?'
Since obtaining the 'Divinity Stone' from the Ruin Gate, only Uncle Cheolgi and I knew about Divinity.
The Gate report mentioned the mutation, but didn't go into detail.
That's because Divinity hadn't been revealed yet. I didn't feel the need to bring it up.
Important Gate information is sometimes controlled to prevent societal collapse.
'God and Divinity are enough reason for that.'
During the Gate incident ten years ago, all sorts of cults popped up, claiming it was the end of the world.
There was a high possibility of information being controlled.
Actually, I was worried back then. I thought I might be watched if I mentioned discovering classified information.
I thought they might keep an eye on me and find out about the items from inside the Subspace.
'Well, not anymore.'
It's different from when I was so worried. I felt it meeting Seo Woong often.
I know that the Korean Hunter Association will help me now, not do anything strange.
It wouldn't be bad to talk about it once.
I might get other information besides what Chunbae knows.
-It's a fact that will be revealed someday. Divinity appears more often than before once Encroachment reaches a certain stage.
'Really?'
-Just say that Han Hye's bracelet has the ability to absorb that Divinity. You don't know the purpose yet.
So, I told the others what Chunbae told me.
"Divinity?"
"I don't know much, but there's something like that. Maybe it's related to the paladins?"
"Oh? Then if the paladins can use Divinity, can we recruit them?"
Maybe? But Chunbae answered instead.
-It's difficult for paladins to use their power in a world without God. Divinity isn't something that can be supplied regularly either.
Of course, I changed it slightly for the others.
"I've never gotten Divinity before, so I don't know. It doesn't seem to come out often. There hasn't been any information about it until now."
"Is that so?"
"Maybe the higher-ups are controlling it."
Lee Shin-hee chimed in with a serious face. Even as a granddaughter of a chaebol family, information in this area wasn't open to her.
"Whether it's classified or not, won't they say something if we submit a report? It's 'Divinity' after all."
"Didn't you say it before? That the bracelet absorbed Divinity."
"I thought it was just a description because it was a bracelet used by a paladin. I saw it actually work for the first time today."
That's how it was glossed over. With Min-jae and Lee Shin-hee there, I wrote the report honestly.
If Divinity is really classified information, the Hunter Association might contact me.
"Well. I was thinking of grabbing a light meal..."
About an hour and a half had passed since we entered the Gate. It ended incredibly quickly.
We had filled our stomachs before entering the Gate, so we weren't really in the mood to eat anything.
"It's a bit awkward to eat."
"Then shall we go home early? We worked hard preparing for the Labyrinth Gate."
"I'm in!"
Lee Shin-hee and Seo Min-jae agreed.
"Let's get some rest and meet at the training center the day after tomorrow. You've worked hard."
"You've worked hard!"
"You've worked hard."
"Now talk."
Once it was just Uncle and me, I could talk to Chunbae comfortably.
-Do you remember that I needed Divinity when I woke up?
"Yeah."
-I need Divinity to keep running. It's a structure that converts Divinity into Mana, and if Divinity is lacking, it stops working.
"What?"
It stops working? As someone who didn't know, I couldn't help but be flustered. I thought it would keep going once it woke up.
Uncle also had a surprised look on his face.
"You should have said something sooner."
-I thought Han Hye was guessing.
Well, yeah.
Since I needed Divinity to wake up, it could be said that I needed Divinity to function.
"You could have said you needed it."
-I didn't think it was necessary. Divinity isn't something you can get just because you want it. Especially at a low level like now.
Come to think of it, that's true.
So far, I've only obtained Divinity from Gates mutated by the Space Master and Arachne's Labyrinth, which I cleared with a near-impossible speedrun.
"It's hard to get in normal situations."
-And I'm a Mana-efficient Magic creature. I can last a long time with a little Divinity. In Han Hye's world, you could say it's power-saving mode?
"That's possible?"
-Affirmative. If Divinity is lacking, I was going to go into a dormant state and only wake up when Han Hye needs me.
Come to think of it, Chunbae kept his words to a minimum in unnecessary situations. He rarely spoke first.
Maybe that's why.
-I got Divinity this time, so I'll be fine for a while.
I was a little surprised to hear that, but it didn't seem like a big deal. Well, I was surprised by the Divinity absorption, but there wasn't much else.
The conclusion is that Chunbae charged his battery?
"That's that, but what the heck is Divinity? And the Gods inside the Gates."
-That's a question that falls into an ambiguous boundary.
"You're not ready yet?"
-Similar.
Like when he said he couldn't talk about Encroachment in detail, it meant I lacked the qualifications. I hadn't been recognized yet.
Well, not much time had passed since then.
"What do I have to do to get recognized?"
-It's hard to say, but I hope you understand that it's not recognition. It's qualification.
Recognition and qualification. I don't know what the difference is. Do I need something like Divinity too?
I don't know.
Could I go crazy if I heard about Encroachment without that qualification? Why, there's the Cthulhu mythos, isn't there?
It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed. I thought I could learn more about God and Divinity.
I didn't ask more since he said I couldn't. Instead, I asked a different question.
"But about the Gate that came out this time. The Arachne and the God inside are from Greek and Roman mythology on Earth... what's that about?"
Chunbae said there were no Gods on Earth. However, the God I encountered in this Gate was a God from mythology on Earth.
"Does that mean there were Gods on Earth, but not anymore?"
-Negative. This is similar to the ambiguous question from earlier, but fortunately, it's something I can tell you about.
What is it? He said God and Divinity were ambiguous.
-Encroachment also uses the mythology of the world. It constructs things that didn't exist.
"Ah, in other words, it's reconstructed?"
-Affirmative, that's correct.
Indeed. Earth appeared in the last Gate as well. It was an area where Gates hadn't broken out in reality, but it was already in ruins.
Well, additional questions weren't resolved, but I got an answer to what I originally wanted to ask.
"Anyway, it was a pretty good Gate."
Uncle evaluated it like that, but I thought he was being very stingy.
"Pretty good? Getting a C-grade Skill and B-grade equipment from a level 21-25 Gate is like picking stars from the sky."
The key was that not just one person, but all the party members got it.
Even if we used all four Gate Priority Passes, it would have been a huge success with this much result.
"You should say it's a legendary Gate."
-Han Hye, this is Park Seo-woong.
Was it because I wrote the report honestly? Park Seo-woong called me directly in less than two hours.
-First of all, I'd like to say thank you for your hard work in clearing this Gate. The reason I'm calling is that I have something to tell you about Divinity.
It became clear through Seo Woong that they knew about God and Divinity on Earth as well.
However, I couldn't hear anything in detail. He didn't seem to know much either.
-Anyway, I ask you to keep it a secret.
The UN Gate Countermeasures Committee designated it as top secret. As expected, it was due to concerns about social unrest.
Rather than not telling me because there was a reason like Chunbae, it seemed like he really didn't know anything.
'Chunbae said it appears more often as the stage of Encroachment rises.'
Well, in a way, it was obvious. Chunbae had been with the previous and previous generations, so the breadth of information was different.
I thought I'd find out in detail someday. Whether it's Encroachment, God, or Divinity.
-And I have something else to tell you.
However, the story didn't end there.
-There's a Hunter cooperation request from Eastern Europe. It's a level 21-25 level-restricted Gate.
"Oh? Really?"
Currently, the levels of our party members were 24 for Seo Min-jae and 25 for the rest. I and Uncle had reached Lee Shin-hee's level.
So, I was thinking of doing any Gate before level 26, and a level-restricted Gate wasn't bad.
-They offered Elixir and B and C-grade Skill Secret Arts as rewards... but I don't really recommend it. Actually, I was going to cut it off at our level, but I'm telling you in case you feel bad.
I didn't know much about Hunter cooperation, so I didn't know that. I thought it wasn't bad.
-Also, the requesting country isn't far from North Africa and the Middle East, where Ubermensh mainly operate. There may be unforeseen concerns.
Ah, that's true.
Seo Seung-yeon had already told me to be careful. Maybe there was some information from above.
-It's hard to confirm, but there may have been some kind of connection. The reward isn't good enough to be a temptation, but maybe that's what they're aiming for.
"I understand what you mean."
Well, I could have Seo Seung-yeon attach guards to protect me, but it was a foreign country and it wasn't cost-effective.
"It's better not to do it."
-That's a good choice. Thank you for understanding. I'll let you know again if there's a good opportunity from a more reliable place.
Seo Woong spoke as if I had conceded, but that wasn't necessarily the case. It was a rational decision.
If a 'Skill Level-Up Ticket' was at stake, I would have asked the Association for protection and gone, but that wasn't the case.
-Woong!
As soon as Park Seo-woong's call ended, Uncle called me.
"Hye-ya, we set the opening date."
"Is it all done?"
"Yeah. It was a little late because of the fire facilities, but it's perfect."
The opening date of Yongyong Pork Belly, which I had been waiting for, was set.
"Should we start promoting it?"
"Promote it?"
"Why, there were some people looking for Yongyong Pork Belly after Uncle became a Dragon Knight."
Of course, Yongyong Pork Belly hadn't opened since the contract. But there were people who came because of its fame.
Even if it's Dragon fire, I thought people wouldn't flock to it unless we promoted it.
"I just did that."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I told an acquaintance reporter about Dragon Charcoal Pork Belly. The article should be out now?"
As soon as Uncle said that, Park Seo-woong called. I put the call on hold for a moment and answered, and Park Seo-woong seemed quite urgent.
"Han Hye? Is it possible to make a reservation for the opening day of Yongyong Pork Belly? The Association President wants to try it."
"Well. I'll ask Uncle. I'm not the boss."
Celebrity privilege, or not a celebrity? I was wondering if I should give the Association President a privilege.
Uncle hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"The Association President? We have to do that. We've received some things too."
The problem was that it didn't end there. Seo Seung-yeon called right away.
"Han Hye? Can I make a reservation? I'm going with San Oppa and the Guild members."
I quickly made eye contact with Uncle and communicated silently.
What? Shin Chang? Of course! That's what it was about.
"Of course."
"Oh, the Iron Wall Guild wants to go together too..."
And soon after, all the Hunters I knew called.
From Emergency and Recovery, who made connections at the Discharge-type Gate, to the students and instructors from the workshop days.
If it's like this with Hunters, what about the general public? The success of Yongyong Pork Belly was obvious without seeing it.
And the internet was naturally a hot topic. Not only Hunter Net, but also overseas, beyond Korea.
-What? Dragon Charcoal Pork Belly?
-OMG I have to go lol
-I'll definitely have to wait in line at dawn lol
-Breaking) All plane tickets to Korea are sold out lol