Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Ruin Predator's Legacy
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Borgo was furious at the fact that, no matter how much time passed or how many gateways he broke through, he still couldn't catch up to Kang Seol.
“How could this happen?”
“It seems that bastard prepared thoroughly before charging in. Maybe even Kuza was his underling.”
“Kuza, that scum, serving someone else? The one who wouldn't submit even to me, Borgo?”
“Well...”
The aide couldn't bring himself to tell Borgo.
That all of this was something Borgo had brought on himself.
The ruin map had originally been obtained by Kuza, and it was Borgo who had coveted it. Forcibly seizing someone else's possession was bound to bring disaster eventually.
What was the true duty of a ruin hunter?
Not plundering others' belongings, but uncovering the secrets of ruins and claiming treasures as rewards.
But Borgo was different.
Plunder took precedence over exploration, and he commanded an organized band to steal the lives of the weak.
In short, he was little more than a murderer masquerading as a ruin hunter—a killer who had long forgotten the thrill of conquering ruins.
“Seventeen dead, thirteen left.”
That was likely why he found himself in this mess.
And yet, he refused to see it as divine punishment for his depravity, viewing it merely as another twist in his tumultuous life.
Just a phase that would soon pass.
“Thirteen's plenty to catch that bastard.”
“But...”
“Didn't you hear me?”
“...Understood.”
They had now reached the fifth gateway that Kang Seol had passed through.
The aide spoke up.
“No doors anywhere, Borgo.”
“Kirjin said there was a trap here, right?”
“He said stepping carelessly on the floorboards would cause problems.”
“Hmm... So how do we break through?”
“One moment.”
The aide recited Kirjin's interpretation from the parchment.
“Walk with your eyes closed. As many steps as the distance of your heart to Izmo Kan.”
“Primitive phrasing. Makes me feel like it's been ages since I last hit a ruin. So, what's it mean?”
“Exactly as it says. Walk the correct number of steps blindfolded. But...”
“We don't know how many steps.”
“Yes. Though we can guess it's somewhere between five and ten.”
“Typical half-assed interpretation from Kirjin. If that fool had made it this far, I'd have sent him first.”
Borgo scanned the surroundings, his eyes fierce.
For some reason, everyone subtly avoided meeting his gaze.
He jerked his chin at one man.
“You.”
“Me? Did you call, sir?”
“You go first. Five steps.”
“B-but...”
Shing—
Borgo drew his hand axe.
No one present was ignorant of what that gesture meant.
“Open your mouth again, and your arm's next to fly.”
“......”
“Walk.”
Borgo's eyes glittered with madness.
By the time he finally cleared the fifth gateway, their numbers had dwindled by four more.
And as he relentlessly pursued Kang Seol's traces through gateway after gateway, the group shrank further. At last, when he was nearly upon Kang Seol, only a single soul remained at his side.
His loyal aide.
“Borgo... maybe we never should have set foot in here.”
“Don't get above yourself. The Great Forest ruin belongs to me, Borgo—all of it. We can replace the dead a hundred times over with the treasures here.”
“Is that really all?”
“Yes. That's all.”
Dragging his feet, blood pouring from his severed finger, Borgo refused to yield. His venom dragged everything around him into ruin—perhaps himself included.
With bloodshot eyes, he approached the final gateway.
“Kirjin left no special notes on this one.”
“Useless scum, even in death...”
Having weathered countless trials to reach the ruin's edge, Borgo resembled a raving lunatic.
“Almost there now. In the end, I'll have that bastard.”
[Passed the seventh gateway of the Hall of Temperance.]
[Passed the eighth gateway of the Hall of Temperance.]
[Passed the ninth gateway of the Hall of Temperance.]
[Um, sorry to interrupt, but can I swallow now?]
Why even ask ㅡㅡ
So damn presumptuous!
You make me wanna swallow!
Everyone's too locked in... chat's dead quiet...
How tf does he know the ruins this well? Leaked exam vibes.
You need answers for leaks to matter.
Shadow Summoner passing as ruin hunter no cap shocked
??? : Waah I'm baby ruin hunter.
Kang Seol pressed onward, shattering gateway after gateway.
The more gateways he cleared, the calmer he grew.
And yet, his heart raced all the same.
The final gateway drawing near meant he was closing in on someone.
'Jiriak. You there?'
Ruin Hunter Jiriak.
Kang Seol's second horse—a short-lived one.
Even so, he was clever enough to conquer all nine gateways of this ruin through sheer wits, despite his meager stats.
His traces lingered in memory.
A sturdy frame over two meters tall, a scruffy beard, frequent dopey grins, a lover of children and plants.
A man with a painful past he'd shaken off, resilient to the core.
That was Jiriak.
A horse Kang Seol had meticulously designed and set loose.
'Jiriak's definitely here.'
The traces of his first horse, Snowman, had remained pristine on the cliffs of Pointed Rock Mountain.
So Jiriak's would endure here at the ruin's tenth gateway.
Step.
Step.
Dazzling radiance erupted from every direction.
The ninth gateway gleamed entirely in gold—no visible treasures worth pocketing, of course.
Kang Seol spotted the breakthrough without even searching.
'Mirrors.'
Four massive golden mirrors dominated the vast chamber.
With his strength, he could grunt and tweak their angles at best—moving them wholesale was out of the question.
The frames seemed fixed in place.
Kang Seol gave the mirrors a quick once-over, then spied a door tucked in one corner.
His heart thundered.
'There.'
He approached as nonchalantly as he could. Choices recognizable only to him scrolled into view.
But Kang Seol ignored them. A weightier matter demanded focus.
“...Jiriak.”
A towering skeleton sprawled on the floor, gazing skyward.
A corpse lay before the door.
Vermin and insects had likely devoured the flesh long ago—bones alone remaining felt inevitable.
Kang Seol knelt to inspect the skeleton.
He had died here.
The uncanny sensation from discovering his first horse rattled Kang Seol anew.
[‘Jiriak’s’ inheritance begins.]
“Urgh...”
The inheritance triggered the familiar headache. This time, the visions flashed far more vividly than before.
Whoosh—
— Haha! Jiriak's invincible! Check these guns! Remember me, you punks—this guy's gonna crack every ruin secret in the world!
A script line from Jiriak bragging to the tavern drunks.
Oddly, Kang Seol had only encountered those words via game scripts from beyond the board. Yet now, it played like an old video—Jiriak's form and mannerisms vividly transmitted.
'What is this...'
Zing!
— Grab my hand! Jerin! Don't let go! I swear I'll kill you if you do! Hold on! Please... hold on!
The moment a ruin trap claimed his comrade.
“Argh!”
In that instant, Kang Seol was Jiriak.
— Izmo Kan's number... eight steps. Eyes closed, dodge the trap! What a slick setup!
Jiriak pressed on.
Lost another comrade at the sixth gateway.
By the seventh, he walked alone.
— Sand's a bit crunchy, but not a tough trap, eh? Right, guys? Huh? Please... say something... don't leave me alone.
Descending into madness, conquering the ruin solo.
He reached the tenth gateway at last.
— Last one...
Clank—!
His vision blacked out in a heartbeat.
Vision trickled back.
But his blood felt like it was drying up from within.
— Needle... poison dart? Haha... wrong door... figures, ugh.
In his final moments, he gazed at the ceiling.
— Painting? ...Mirrors? Ah... got it, me! Nailed it. Izmo Kan bends light!
Through fading eyes, he uttered his last words.
— Hey... wish someone'd peek beyond for Jiriak... no one...
Tears welled in Kang Seol's eyes.
Messages flooded his sight.
[Inherited ‘Jiriak’s’ will.]
[Inherit the ability of the deceased.]
[Inherit Ruin Predator.]
[You have inherited Ruin Predator.]
[Probability of discovering hidden ruins +10%. You can detect secrets and traps within ruins more easily than others. First to conquer a secret ruin? +30% rewards.]
[Vocation: Things to Reclaim content updated.]
No way! Why give that?!
Fr, why's the summoner snagging Ruin Predator trait?
But y'all just spectators—why rage?
‘Cause we're immersed! Rage justified!
Chat's a mess! Spam lol only!
lol
lol Vocation straight honey.
Kang Seol clutched his head and rose.
Poof...
Miraculously, Jiriak's bones crumbled to dust and scattered.
Kang Seol salvaged the least damaged muffler from his garb and wrapped it around his neck.
“I'm late, Jiriak. I'll see what's beyond, as you wished.”
Had he spotted the door's trap sooner—or scanned the room more keenly—could the outcome have changed?
A question that had haunted Kang Seol since losing Jiriak.
But how was a player to know a horse's inner thoughts?
From that day, he'd pored over every detail of the Hall of Temperance.
Another horse might one day face this ordeal.
And from then on, he granted the Insight talent to every horse he created.
That held true even after he himself plunged into the Eternal World—Pandea.
As he drew near the door, a message appeared.
[Insight activates.]
[Doesn't seem like a normal door.]
Silent, Kang Seol turned and headed for the mirrors that had snagged his eye moments before.
At the center, choices materialized.
[These mirrors are surely the key to passing the gateway. The frames won't budge, but you can adjust the angles. What will you do?]
1. Tilt the first mirror left.
2. Tilt the first mirror right.
3. Aim the first mirror at the ceiling.
The mirrors' angles could shift left, right, or upward. Four in total.
'The answer's set in stone.'
Kang Seol fully recalled Jiriak's memory. The last sight: this gateway's ceiling.
Creak. Creak...
He angled every mirror toward the ceiling. Faint beams converged above.
A serene goddess's face was etched into the ceiling—her identity plain to guess.
Rumble...
The gateway groaned ominously.
Kang Seol voiced the words Jiriak should have spoken ages ago.
“Izmo Kan, we offer the light of all creation to you.”
Rumbbble...
Zzzzzap!
The goddess's visage cracked wide. A colossal swarm of bats poured forth.
The ceiling descended slowly, centered on Kang Seol.
A late truth: in the final gateway, adventurers looked not forward, but up.
“Thus, open the path.”
As the ceiling settled fully, a message appeared.
[Passed the final gateway of the Hall of Temperance.]
[Time limit expires or select reward to conclude the adventure.]