Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: SS급 비명헌터-75화
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Gentleman's Workshop
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The corridor was shrouded in the same eerie silence as before. Thanks to the 'Bird That Heeds Daytalk,' I crossed it without making a single footstep, reaching the living room undetected. Warm sunlight streamed through the large windows, bathing the space in a crimson glow.
Screech, screech.
'Here he comes.'
Footsteps of the 'gentleman' echoed from the end of the corridor and the stairs. Leaning on the stair railing, he thudded down and stared straight at me—or rather, in my direction.
Since the gentleman was blind, as long as I didn't make a fuss, I could slip by unnoticed. I held my breath and pressed myself as close to the ceiling as possible.
Clink.
He hadn't noticed me yet. He turned toward the kitchen and pulled a pretty teapot from the cupboard.
'Well, aren't you casual.'
Watching him prepare for tea time so nonchalantly nearly made me burst out laughing. Keeping my eyes on him, I continued toward the stairs. Getting caught would mean being chased, but worse, the gate's location would shift again.
'The One Who Lights the Path' pointed higher than the second floor. Climbing the stairs diligently led to an even more dilapidated hallway than the floors below. The wooden doors were rotten, and dust blanketed the floor in a white haze.
Whirr.
Glancing down at the ring, it pointed to the very end of the hallway—where anything could pop out.
Workshop
Workshop?
The room 'The One Who Lights the Path' indicated had a wooden nameplate engraved with 'Workshop.' I cautiously turned the doorknob sideways, opening it just enough to slip inside.
"Whoa, what the hell is all this...?"
Miniature houses crammed every wall in a dense display. On the central desk sat a half-finished carriage miniature, as if someone had just been working on it.
'A monster with hobbies, huh.'
As if entranced, I stepped further in and stood before the display cases, staring blankly at the works inside. Up close, they looked even more real.
Ah, not the time. 'The One Who Lights the Path' said the gate was here...
Following the arrow, I scanned for doors, but only the display case glass met my eyes.
Whirr.
Suddenly, it reacted fiercely toward the right display case.
Do Not Touch.
'Is this the gate?'
It didn't look like the one I'd opened earlier. Well, in a dungeon where gate locations kept glitching and shifting, it wasn't impossible.
Click.
Ignoring the note, I touched the display case door and waited for the gentleman to appear.
Too cramped in here to fight properly, maybe.
"...Why no reaction?"
Unusually quiet. Normally, touching a gate spawns the boss monster instantly, but nothing happened. I groped every nearby display case door, leaving handprints, yet no sign of the gate.
I wiped my dusty, grimy hands roughly and stepped back from the case.
The ring couldn't be faulty; I must just be missing the gate...
"Hm?"
Peering closely inside, one miniature house stood out among the rest—its front door gleaming brightly.
It was the gate I'd opened before.
Humm, humm, humm.
Holding the ring near the door to confirm, the arrow's tip locked precisely on it, reacting intensely.
'Better summon it quick before it shifts again.'
Click.
Gripping Ego, I touched the miniature house's front door—the gate—with my other hand.
Krunch!
The gate dropped right in the middle of the workshop. The desk with the carriage model split in two, wooden shards flying everywhere.
Screech, screech, screech.
The old wooden floor began creaking in protest. Aiming Ego at the doorway, I waited for him to enter.
Thud, thud, thud.
Furious footsteps grew louder, and the workshop door flew open.
"Kiyaaaaaaa!!"
"Tch!"
The gentleman shrieked at the sight of his shattered miniature right before him.
Kaboom!!
Dozens of display cases enveloped him in an instant, sharp wooden shards raining toward me.
Vrrrooom—
Holding the trigger long released a sonic wave, shredding the shards into tiny fragments that pattered to the floor. A few I missed flew at my head, but I deployed a shield to block them.
Bang!
Crouching and firing, sonic bullets demolished the display case wall, engulfing the gentleman's position.
"Keeeyaah!!"
"Ugh!"
Crash!
He burst through the cases, slamming his staff into my shield. It shattered precisely around the staff's size, like glass hit by a bullet.
Krunch!
I flung the punctured shield aside to disrupt his balance, then uppercut his chin with Ego's grip. Bones cracked as half his face caved in. Before he could counter, I shifted Ego to shotgun form and blasted him into the opposite wall. Finally gaining some distance, I caught my breath.
'Not to be underestimated.'
A two-rank power gap is nearly insurmountable. Yet he'd pierced my shield and withstood my attacks to some degree.
Swish, swish.
"Wait, what the—?!"
Suddenly, his form blurred and vanished completely.
Kaboom!!
A massive explosion echoed from the first floor.
Whoooosh—
A fierce wind howled too. The only reason for wind inside the mansion—where I'd never heard it before—was one.
He'd gone after Hunter Cha Do-yun.
I bolted out, using 'Bird That Heeds Daytalk' for speed. Kicking off the air, I descended the stairs in one leap. Reaching the first floor where Cha Do-yun was, the hallway was already a battlefield.
Bam!!
"Hunter Cha Do-yun!"
He was hurled into the corridor wall, a sharp staff aimed at his throat.
Crash!
I fired, shattering the staff with sonic bullets. Cha Do-yun coughed on the floor, while the disarmed gentleman stared at his hands before turning to me.
"My works! My works!"
Smarter now, or just enraged, he charged while speaking. I aimed at his tattered body and pulled Ego's trigger.
Bang!
A white bullet pierced his head, vibrating the air violently. His bony hands, reaching for my throat, flailed aimlessly.
[One Who Steps on Karma]
[Karma has been cleared.]
[Achievement greatly increased]
[Achievement: 90%]
[*To further increase achievement, you must ■■ the ■■ of the ■■ga ■■.]
The status window confirmed his death by clearing the karma. The garbled last line was a shame, but most memories felt restored.
'Finally, a breather...'
Stab—
"Huh?"
A fleshy puncture sound pierced my ears. Following his body downward slowly, a pitch-black blade protruded through him. Its tip hovered right before my heart.
Half a foot separated our lives.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart raced. Nausea rose like blood reflux, vision spinning.
Startled? Fear of death?
No, something simpler.
Crumble.
As his body turned to dust and vanished, revealing the 'spirit' clearly, the reason crystallized.
[One Who Steps on Karma]
[*To further increase achievement, you must ■■ the ■■ of the ■■ga ■■.]
'It's familiar.'
"Ji-ui!"
Clang.
Se-bin, owner of this sword—who hadn't shown her face until now—grabbed my shoulders. Ignoring the spirit I'd tossed aside, she bent down to check me over.
'She's shaking...'
Even after confirming I was unharmed, Se-bin's hands trembled.
"Didn't get stabbed. I'm fine."
I pried Se-bin off and placed a hand over my heart. Naturally, no wound.
The 'One Who Steps on Karma' mission reacted. It meant this was definitively part of my memories.
"If the only memories I can't recall right now are the traitor and my childhood friend, that's plenty of possibility."
Ego's words resurfaced.
I turned to the spirit rolling on the floor.
Had I been stabbed by that sword before?
Only inscrutable black energy swirled around the blade.
Outside the gate, a few reporters who'd heard about the isolation, ambulances, and the Chairman waited. Hunter Lee Jun-su was loaded into an ambulance immediately, and even Cha Do-yun and Choi Jin-hyuk—who pretended to be fine—were pushed inside by the Chairman.
"I'm gonna make you owe me big, got it?"
"Y-yeah, yeah. Just go to the hospital first."
Cha Do-yun kept talking to me until the ambulance doors shut, looking frustrated.
'...Good.'
In the previous timeline, Hunter Cha Do-yun had been swallowed by the dungeon and died. Now, barring major variables, he'd reach Hell Path unscathed.
Relief washed over me. Tension easing, a short breath escaped through my teeth.
"Thanks, Hunter Shin Ji-ui. It's all thanks to you."
The Chairman wedged between Se-bin and me, patting my shoulder. I nodded awkwardly, and a low chuckle reached my ears.
'...But why didn't the Chairman notice this?'
His 'Heaven's Decree' had never been wrong. Even without exact time or place, he should've sensed an incident like this...
"This gate will naturally dissipate soon."
"Naturally?"
"Yeah. Heaven's Decree showed it vanishing that way."
"...I see."
I wanted to ask why he hadn't foreseen Cha Do-yun's near-isolation, but held back. In the timeline I knew, the Chairman had devoted everything to protecting hunters and the nation.
'For now, just watch.'
"Anyway, good work both of you. I'll head out first."
Glancing between Se-bin and me, the Chairman boarded the limo, which drove off down the mountain path.
'Is it really over?'
A lingering unease gnawed deep in my chest. I'd saved Cha Do-yun's team, cleared past karma, regained most memories—yet something felt off.
"Shall we go too?"
"...Ah."
Seeing that face—like divinely sculpted—I pinpointed the unease.
'It was the memory of Se-bin's sword stabbing me.'
I didn't recall the exact situation yet. But one thing was clear: Se-bin's sword had been aimed at me.
'Is Se-bin really the traitor?'
Otherwise, why would she point a blade at me? Could be an accident, but with my memories of her gone, banking on optimism was unwise.
Thud.
"Does it hurt anywhere?"
Se-bin pressed her hand to my cheek, face worried.
'How can I not hope, seeing this face.'
Her kindness, her warmth, our bond blocked cold logic. Maybe my memories were wrong, or the status window glitched—thoughts flooded my mind.
My childhood friend who'd never hurt me. Yet in some timelines, her very existence felt suspect.
Rustle.
Stepping back from Se-bin, crunching leaves tickled my ears. She glanced between her wandering hand and me, then shoved both into her coat pockets. Her expression was neutral, but her slight unease was obvious.
"No, I'm fine."
I rubbed my face dry with one hand, lightly covering my left eye.
'Maybe this'll recall a bit more about Se-bin.'
Raising my gaze slowly, the 'Regressor's Right Eye' began pulling memories of Se-bin.
[Kang Se-bin]
[My precious childhood friend]
Of course. Nothing new...
Crackle—
Noise erupted around Se-bin.
[■■■■!■■■%@#■■@■■■■]
My stomach churned; I wanted to close my eyes. But biting my lip, I kept staring at the garbled text repeating over her.
[Why on earth?]
And finally, the reality I didn't want to accept thrust itself before me.
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