Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Void Hunter, Cheonunhyojadong (1)
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0.
“That makes sense, but why do they call it [Phantasmagoria]?”
At Do Ye-jin’s question, Shin Tae-yeop spread a map out on the desk.
“This is the old map of Cheonunhyojadong.”
“Old? As in outdated?”
“Yeah, outdated. Cheonunhyojadong didn’t just get Heteromorphs—it pulled in architecture from other worlds too.”
……What?
Park Ji-won stammered as he opened his mouth.
“So…… you’re saying our world’s city got mixed with a city from another world?”
“Exactly.”
Shin Tae-yeop snapped his fingers toward Park Ji-won with a whistle.
“You’re about to see a landscape where modern buildings are jumbled up with medieval ones. It’s gonna be seriously bizarre.”
“That’s why the old maps are useless.”
“Yeah. Recon teams are still updating maps nonstop, but…… we took heavy casualties conquering Sajik-dong. We’re short on numbers.”
That’s why the First Hunting Squad was being deployed. It was then that Ryu Hyun-ji cautiously spoke up.
“Um…… but is it okay to let Ye-jin act alone like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ye-jin, you’re special…… You were attached to the First Hunting Squad before, right? To protect you…… We’re total newbies compared to those guys.”
Park Ji-won snickered at that.
“No need to worry about that.”
“Why?”
“I heard Do Ye-jin went through Subordinate training. If things get dicey, she’ll save our asses.”
Shin Tae-yeop was the one who shot back at Park Ji-won’s confident words.
“Do Ye-jin won’t become a Subordinate.”
All eyes turned to him in an instant.
“Unless every single one of us here dies, that is.”
“……?”
“It’s because her power usage is too unstable. There were times she couldn’t control it.”
He was relaying exactly what Seo Hwa-yun had said on the last day of Subordinate training.
“And the only ones who could rein her in during that state are Lead Hunter Uncle or Do Su-jin Sis, but neither’s here.”
“Then shouldn’t we go with those two?”
“Where we’re headed is the rear guard. Where they’re going is the front lines. Our goal is intel gathering. Theirs is extermination.”
Shin Tae-yeop spoke as if to say not to worry.
“Where those two are headed is a brutal battlefield only for real veterans. Like the Grand Library. How do you think you’d handle that?”
Heo Cheon-gyeom, who’d been listening silently, suddenly piped up.
“So we’re heading to the outskirts to train noobs?”
“Yep. Like a game, pretty much.”
Shin Tae-yeop glanced at the clock tower’s clock, then said,
“Alright, time to move out. If we cross paths with the main force, it’ll just get messy, so squads like ours need to head out first.”
The way out of Muak-dong to Cheonunhyojadong. Straight through Inwangsan Park Path.
“Once we pass this gate, it’s the Inwangsan Park entrance.”
So saying, Shin Tae-yeop handed out workshop-made gas masks one by one to the squad members lined up in uniform and full gear.
“Everyone, put them on quick.”
“W-Why……?”
The answer sent a chill down their spines.
“The plants in Inwangsan Park are all mutant flora. They spew poison mist even Hunters can’t withstand.”
They passed the gate, and a nightmare filled the gas mask goggles.
This world was truly desolate and bleak.
Nothing like the days of his childhood, walking this park path with his mom.
The world lay dead in shades of ash.
Ashen dust scattered across the path.
On the left downhill side, mutant plants shook massive roots like octopus tentacles, eerily.
A dead world, devoid of any trace of life.
Damp, rough air particles.
Even filtered once through the gas mask, the fishy tang tormented their lungs.
“We’re sticking to the right side of the path. Do not stray left.”
After issuing the order, Shin Tae-yeop pulled a hunk of jerky from his bag and tossed it toward the mutants.
Goosebumps erupted all over in an instant.
A mutant branch snatched the jerky with baffling speed, then tore it apart.
Grrrrk grrrrk grrrrk……
And it laughed grotesquely.
The other mutants laughed along. One. Another. Yet another.
“Unless you want that.”
The squad nodded in unison. Black & White giggled.
They continued along the park path.
A chain-link fence ran along the right side. Unlike the high walls on the left, visibility was open.
“Whoa, check that out.”
“Cheonunhyojadong.”
Through the fence, the distant city came into view.
[Phantasmagoria], Cheonunhyojadong.
A city where modern apartments rose opposite a grand medieval cathedral.
“Doesn’t it kinda smell like the sea?”
Ryu Hyun-ji sniffed inside her gas mask. It did. A salty sea scent wafted from the city.
An oppressive, eerie saltiness clogging the mind.
“Why would a city smell like the ocean? River fishiness, maybe……”
At Park Ji-won’s words, Shin Tae-yeop replied,
“Nobody knows yet. Like I keep saying, Cheonunhyojadong’s still not fully explored.”
1.
It was true.
Cheonunhyojadong was uncharted territory. Every environment was worlds apart from other Nightmares.
“Ah…… ahahah…… ahahahah…….”
At the edge of Cheonunhyojadong.
A Heteromorph they encountered at what used to be a [CU] convenience store was proof.
Shattered sign.
Scattered food and daily goods haphazardly.
And in front of it.
Someone sprawled on the ground, sobbing.
For a split second, they thought it was human.
The ragged-clothed skeleton looked just like any Earthling……
But……
No living Earthling would be that emaciated or rotting away.
“It’s a Pilgrim. Don’t mess with it.”
Shin Tae-yeop, walking ahead, warned them. Do Ye-jin wiped cold sweat from her forehead.
“Pilgrim?”
“That’s what the Soul Stone says. Heteromorphs in Cheonunhyojadong are all special. Wanna see?”
“Yeah.”
Shin Tae-yeop pulled a Soul Stone from his pocket and handed it over.
[Soul Stone acquired: Heteromorph, ‘Pilgrim’]
As the info window popped up, so did the tooltip.
……A man’s desperate wish?
Just some personal reason could destroy a whole world?
“Check out that mug.”
As she stared at the info window, Heo Cheon-gyeom’s voice came.
“Fucking disgusting. I’ll stomp that rotten head.”
“No.”
Shin Tae-yeop’s voice was firm.
“Pilgrims are non-aggressive Heteromorphs. They won’t attack unless you strike first.”
“So it’s easy to kill them?”
“If it were that simple, it wouldn’t be a Nightmare Zone. If attacked, they enter berserk mode.”
“……?”
“By the way, that Soul Stone? Rare material. Same grade as the old ones. Get it now?”
Heo Cheon-gyeom, who’d gripped his sword hilt eagerly, backed off sheepishly.
「Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.」
「Scaredy-cat. Idiot. Hehehee.」
Black & White teased him, hopping around in front.
“You little shits!”
While Heo Cheon-gyeom chased the nimble Black & White, Do Ye-jin handed the Soul Stone back to Shin Tae-yeop.
“Why’s it crying like that?”
“When your world ends, that’s how you cry.”
Shin Tae-yeop’s evasive answer hinted he knew more.
“But it’s praying through the tears? Who to? You said the light’s completely gone.”
“That’s what we’re here to find out. Like I keep saying, we know way too little about Cheonunhyojadong.”
Fair enough…… Now that they were here, it was clear.
Cheonunhyojadong was vast. Too vast.
No wonder <Association> HQ had unusually ordered squad-by-squad searches.
“Ji-won. Any Heteromorphs nearby?”
Shin Tae-yeop turned and asked.
Park Ji-won and [Bloodline Tracking].
The boy, who’d tracked nearby Heteromorph movements with blood from his palm, shook his head.
According to Shin Tae-yeop, Park Ji-won’s unique skill was top-tier recon, praised by most Hunters.
“Nope. Nothing nearby. No traces of movement either.”
Searches continued like that.
Park Ji-won detected threats, then Shin Tae-yeop entered otherworldly buildings and emerged with junk.
Books, stone tablets, statues, etc.
- All of it could be clues.
She remembered Shin Tae-yeop saying that…… And right then.
“Everyone, down!”
Shin Tae-yeop shouted urgently.
They hit the dirt almost reflexively.
For 2, 3 seconds, nothing happened.
Was Shin Tae-yeop pranking them?
Right then, the hairs on their backs stood on end.
Something appeared in the starry sky.
A demon from legend.
That was the first impression. No other words fit.
Too far to see clearly, but the humanoid body, flapping wings, and tail were unmistakable.
“What the hell is that?”
Whispering to Shin Tae-yeop, he swallowed dryly before answering.
“New type I’ve never seen…… Was there something like that?”
……A type even Shin Tae-yeop didn’t know?
It scanned around as if searching, and Shin Tae-yeop shushed them.
Heart pounding with tension.
Only heartbeats sounded until the demon crossed the sky. As they finally stood, they jumped again.
“Hyung, bro!”
Park Ji-won cried out in shock.
“Bro, found it.”
“Found what?”
“Hunter. It’s a Hunter. Come see. Looks injured…… Staggering.”
The terror of the situation made their hearts shrink.
They went back to check.
Park Ji-won’s blood had formed a human shape.
A female Hunter in <Association> uniform.
Her, barely dragging her collapsing body into a ruined building across from camp.
“Uh…… what do we do?”
After a long silence.
Ryu Hyun-ji mumbled hesitantly.
Shin Tae-yeop, deep in thought for a while, finally spoke.
“I’ll go check. You all wait here.”
“I’ll go too. It’ll be safer that way.”
Do Ye-jin didn’t want to lose anyone helplessly again. She was a Nightmare Hunter with some experience now.
“Already defying orders……”
Shin Tae-yeop sighed at her resolute voice. Worried he’d refuse.
“Fine. Let’s all go. That new Heteromorph showing up again worries me anyway.”
Thus, the entire First Hunting Squad entered the building.
In order: Shin Tae-yeop, Do Ye-jin, Park Ji-won, Ryu Hyun-ji, Heo Cheon-gyeom.
Shin Tae-yeop moved a flame 10 meters ahead as they climbed the wooden stairs.
Blood drops trailed each step.
Chilling…… Injury that bad? What the hell did she run into?
Eerie cold mixed with thick blood stench.
Creaking wood underfoot amplified tension tenfold.
Suddenly, Shin Tae-yeop froze.
“What?”
“Found her. Over there.”
The female Hunter was crouched in the corner of the second-floor hallway.
As the group approached, she drew her blade and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Don’t come closer, don’t…… Please…….”
Overwhelming terror on her face.
It was so intense, cold sweat soaked their own backs.
“I won’t come again. Please…….”
Shin Tae-yeop raised both hands to show no hostility.
“You’re safe now.”
“D-Don’t screw with me! Please, please, spare me, please.”
“Calm down. We’re with the <Association> too. Here to help. So calm down. Lower the blade first…….”
He moved the flame forward, illuminating their uniforms clearly.
“Ass-Association?”
The effect was immediate.
“Yes. <Association>. See? These sharp uniforms.”
Shin Tae-yeop flashed a grin. He had a knack for easing minds.
“R-Run. Now.”
Just as she seemed to relax, her voice turned horrifying.
“Run? From what?”
“I-It, it’ll come soon…… We have to run!”
[Pilgrim’s Soul Stone]
[Description Summary]
― 1: A sturdy yellow Soul Stone.
― 2: Remnants of a fool who served the final light.
[Usage]
― Hand it to the Star Messenger to imbue the raw power into flesh or weapon.
Reason is one facet of humanity. Without light, reason vanishes.
This world axis fell to one man’s desperate wish long ago, and the final light faded in the process.
But how, exactly.
Could Pilgrims cling to a shred of reason, weeping and praying.