Duo in the Depths of Hell
Hongmaehwa's Seol.
Having received the Management Bureau Director's emergency request, she was so stunned by the details that she personally appeared in front of the Minotaur Gate.
"Are you insane?"
She stared at the gate entrance shrinking and vanishing bit by bit, then quickly prepared a spell of her own.
Scattering all sorts of magical tools across the rooftop below the gate, she compressed her mana to its limits into a sphere, levitated it into the air, and positioned it at the narrowing gate entrance.
"......"
Chanting an incomprehensible incantation, her pupils slowly faded away.
【Slaughter Talisman】
It was a method even she had never attempted before.
Slaughter Talisman was a spell that placed a heavy burden even on her.
Suddenly, the sphere she'd formed near the gate transformed into a square talisman.
- Ssssss...
Immediately after, a small talisman materialized in Seol's hand.
The character written on it was 'Cheon Seung-hyuk'.
"He's still alive."
She sent it to the Management Bureau.
That was all Seol could do at this moment.
The gate had already closed.
"No, seriously...?"
Cheon Seung-hyuk had entered the gate.
"Connection with the Management Bureau seems cut off!"
Ollie checked Cheon Seung-hyuk's pairing status from the operations room. That was why the Bureau had tried to stop him.
This really is a situation only Cheon Seung-hyuk can handle alone.
It was a gravely troubling matter.
Not because I doubted Cheon Seung-hyuk, but because the hellish landscape we'd seen via drone lingered in my mind.
I couldn't picture a single human entering that place and coming back alive.
"If Cheon Seung-hyuk dies, it'll be a huge problem. He's Korea's strongest fighter."
He was also my number one protector from danger.
"Let's find a way!"
"ROGER!" "Yes!!!"
First off, connecting to Cheon Seung-hyuk from our side wasn't easy either.
"There's one method that might work..."
Ollie seemed to have an idea, at least.
"What is it?"
"This operations room is a system tuned for supporting the Captain's sniper role. So..."
⊳ 1. Cheon Seung-hyuk
This was it—exploiting that angle.
Pairing directly with Cheon Seung-hyuk might be tough, but manipulating the system to pair with an 'unregistered ally' could work somehow.
"Uh... it's worth a shot!"
- Beep! B beep! B beep!
As Ollie activated three or four instrument panels at once and unleashed godlike typing,
- Whoooong...
- Pop!
"Ahh, it doesn't work after all... I'm sorry...!"
Forming Jenny's warp point based on the abstract concept of 'inside the gate' was confirmed impossible.
I needed to give her at least some clue,
"What if we could link Cheon Seung-hyuk's field of view to the operations room? Maybe we could even get coordinates that way?"
"I-I'll do it no matter what! Captain!"
Jenny's eyes widened, but honestly, even I thought it was a stretch.
From what we'd confirmed so far (though she wasn't entirely sure herself), Jenny's ability required a precise location and image to perform spatial distortion.
"Still, even just an image should work!"
We needed to focus on that. Then,
"Nice!!!"
"Oh?" "Eh?"
Ollie threw a joyful punch into the air.
It worked.
No coordinates, but the operations room link itself was possible. In other words, we could now spectate Player 'Cheon Seung-hyuk's' battle.
This could be useful for Jenny's agent duties going forward too.
Thanks(?) to this, we'd opened new horizons for ally operations room linking.
"Link it now." "ROGER!"
[LOADING...]
A black screen with a yellow loading bar in a box. If this failed, we'd be in deep trouble, so we all swallowed hard,
【Cheon Seung-hyuk】
The result: success.
"Ah, it worked."
Ollie gave me a look that said, 'I told you to trust me!'
Cheon Seung-hyuk's play footage began slowly rising on the operations room's large screen.
- Static... Static...
With scratching noises, the image gradually gained clarity.
"......"
A red screen.
- Kiririk! Kirik!
Monster cries echoing from all directions.
We were sharing Cheon Seung-hyuk's field of view right now,
But it wasn't the place we'd seen before.
Yet it was another hell.
It was like being in a red cosmos.
Cheon Seung-hyuk was charging through the air here and there, identifying surrounding enemies by touch alone, like a blind man.
He seems like someone without any fear.
By my standards, where life itself was fear, it was downright admirable.
- Kaaaaak!
- Slash! Slash!
Unaware we were watching, Cheon Seung-hyuk was slashing through enemies invisible in the crimson fog all by himself.
But pinpointing the 'real holy relic' was proving difficult. He had no choice but to engage in fierce combat and blindly search with his body.
The problem is, even Cheon Seung-hyuk is just human.
According to the hell we'd witnessed, the monster numbers were beyond what any individual could handle.
At this rate, he'd exhaust his strength soon and fall into crisis.
"Let's help him. We have to. Somehow."
Jenny understood my intent and focused on imaging with unprecedented tension.
- Whoooong...
- Pop!
"Ahh, I'm really sorry! It's my fault...!"
The problem was that the all-red footage offered no clear clues for Jenny.
From her perspective, it was like being told 'go to red!'
Isn't there some way?
Ollie and I racked our brains.
Clear image. Clear image.
"Ah, damn." "Sorry..."
Neither of us could think of anything. Then,
"Gasp!"
Jenny jolted. Like she'd thought of something.
"What is it, Jenny!"
"Uh, um... maybe..."
It was hell.
Constantly recalling his still-incomplete fundamentals, he swam through this red space using air-stepping.
The red fog inflicted real-time damage on Cheon Seung-hyuk. A toxicity not unlike Cartibes' mana.
And nothing was visible. But the overwhelming pressure from surroundings meant at least high-grade monsters infested the area.
...As if they'd lined up just to head to Seoul.
"Tch!"
- Slash! Slash slash!
Every time he searched around to detect the holy relic's aura, he encountered powerful monsters before taking five steps.
The vision obstruction was so severe that by the time he spotted them, their bodies were already touching.
- Kwaak!
A drake left claw marks on Cheon Seung-hyuk's left arm.
Just this much, huh.
Cheon Seung-hyuk didn't bother dodging the drake's attack. It wasn't leisure, but he wouldn't get hasty over a mere drake.
No hesitation or gauging. Having come this far, he intended to unleash his maximum power. Ignoring surrounding destruction.
Slash! He instantly drew his holy sword and cleaved the drake, but it didn't go down in one hit and charged again.
Simultaneously, a giant's hand gripped and crushed his entire body from behind.
But,
- Whoosh.
Cheon Seung-hyuk's figure, clearly there moments ago, vanished, reappearing atop the giant's head.
His slaughter sword came crashing down.
- Kooong...
A utterly basic downward strike, yet carrying the pressure of a mountain, bisected the giant's body and exploded nearby drakes.
No time. Search the surroundings as fast as possible and find the holy relic.
He immediately charged, slaughtering surrounding monsters.
- Splaat! Slash! Slash slash!
Advancing rapidly with momentum to kill everything he touched. Per MARK-67's report, a holy relic definitely existed inside the gate.
I can find it. I know the holy relic's aura.
Moreover, countless battles to survive the nameless 'Inexplicable Sword' had elevated his aura sense to a whole new level.
Death tightened around him in real time, and even finding the relic might not let him return—but unease aside.
If someone had to do it, it was Cheon Seung-hyuk.
[Unregistered Ally Cooperation]
Before entering, he'd even gotten a 10% buff from unregistered ally cooperation.
But beyond all that, Cheon Seung-hyuk's realm had entered the threshold of infinity,
- Kwoooong!
"......"
A pitch-black mana bomb exploded in his face. Mana of this magnitude meant,
A lich.
A high-to-top-tier monster, not easy to handle.
With vision obscured, he couldn't see its form clearly, but he knew.
- Kararak! Kruk! Giiik!
The lich was summoning countless undead. Already swarming with monsters, now additional summons.
Come at me all you want.
He subtly twisted his monotonous sword path, placing the surroundings under his dominion.
Shwaaak! Sword ki shot out in all directions, as if to erase the entire area. Layered slashing sounds rang out dozens deep.
But the lich kept firing mana bombs from somewhere.
I'll handle it all alone.
Connection with the Bureau was cut.
Inside the gate, no other hunters' help to expect.
【Holy Sword】 Ignition
- Chaaaang!
Through ongoing research with Yoon So-i, he'd slightly extended the ignition duration. No long fights anyway.
Beyond that, unique new techniques trained per Yoon So-i's guidance amid his growth.
【Sword of Judgment】
- Jjeeeeng!
The holy sword's radiance spread incomparably beyond basic ignition.
For an instant, the surrounding red fog dispersed far away as if exorcised.
Cheon Seung-hyuk's area was protected by the light.
Now it begins.
Linking Giant's Sword to Sword of Judgment. Taking an overhead stance, he maximized the holy sword's power with a monotonous downward strike forward—
- Kwoooong!
"......"
The impact sounded like an explosion, slamming his eardrums—who knew how many monsters were ahead. Then,
"!!!"
He'd just glimpsed it. As Sword of Judgment cleared the red fog in a straight line, faintly at the far end: the shape of a [Jackal Mask].
Found it!
- Kwoong!
Kicking space violently, Cheon Seung-hyuk charged straight. But it didn't go his way.
『The living one comes as sacrifice himself...』
"Kuh!"
A lich hidden below unleashed chains of darkness, binding him. The mana so dense it hindered movement to the target.
"Don't interfere."
A new attempt.
Grafting the mysteries of his still-incomplete 'fundamentals' onto Baekmoryeon, he erupted sword ki around him.
- Shwaaak!
Crude by his standards—unfit for open eyes—but its destructive power incomparable to prior Baekmoryeon,
『Kaaaaak!』
The chains shattered, a deathly scream from the lich indicating critical damage. But enraged, it summoned hundreds of undead at once.
Simultaneously, high-grade monsters swarmed toward Cheon Seung-hyuk as if to protect the relic.
"......"
The relic was right in front of him. But even maxing his aura sense, its energy was undetectable. That many monsters filling his surroundings.
"......Hoo."
Steadying his mind with a deep breath, Cheon Seung-hyuk overcame his rapidly depleting stamina, visualizing reaching the goal.
Yet the surroundings layered ever-thicker monster walls in real time.
"Groooar!"
Like a warrior roaring a battle cry, veins bulging across his body as he psyched himself up.
Focus all power in my legs and charge forward!
- Kwoooong!
He advanced with terrifying force. But,
- Kooong.
The monsters blocking the path—especially to the relic—were golem-like tanking boss mains. He killed 3-4, but his advance stalled.
As if waiting, the lich's chains bound him again. This time, attack-focused high-graders lunged at him en masse.
Just like high-rankers tackling a top boss. Only positions swapped.
"......"
- Thud! Thump thump! Kwaak!
Forced to take some hits as they poured attacks at insane speed like dismembering him, Cheon Seung-hyuk widened his eyes and drew on every ounce of strength.
I won't be held back here.
He was the man who'd always shouldered Korea's safety alone.
With the relic so close, desperation conjured one rival in his mind amid the urgency.
The guy who'd overturned battles with absurd destructive power in any situation.
"Tch!"
【Sword of Judgment】
Rallying his waning power, he infused extreme destructive force into the holy sword.
"I'll protect Korea. I can do it alone!!!"
Shouting, he swung to massacre the encircling boss mobs in an instant.
Then,
"!!!"
An overwhelmingly eerie sensation hit.
Even Cheon Seung-hyuk froze cell-deep at the 'vast external power'.
It neither attacked nor threatened him—
Just passed 'through' his body.
Immediately,
- Kwoaaaaaaaaang!
"!!!"
An explosion so massive even this hell had never heard.
But this roar—Cheon Seung-hyuk knew it.
He'd experienced it before.
......This message too.
- Can't we see Hunter Cheon Seung-hyuk on the screen?
It was Jenny's question.
Ollie's inspired storm of controls.
He'd pieced together an imperfect third-person view of Cheon Seung-hyuk.
Jenny opened new horizons in her own ability.
Thus, she locked imaging on 'Cheon Seung-hyuk'.
- Whoooong...
"......"
Success.
Jenny was so focused that even after succeeding, she kept her mouth shut and eyes squeezed tight.
Worried about breaking her concentration, we quietly confirmed success.
The spatial distortion, per our plan, would be behind Cheon Seung-hyuk's back. Precariously positioned so he wouldn't get sucked in.
I could see it too.
Korea's hunter, surrounded by monsters, veins bulging, desperately trying to handle it alone.
He had no idea we were spectating.
But my agents and I were watching.
How hard he was fighting in the unseen spot.
I'll make this count.
Up till now, the agents had given their all.
Now it was my time. I'd just established a technique's practicality in real combat, hadn't I?
[Contact Shot]
"I'm firing my sniper shot at you, Cheon Seung-hyuk."
It would pierce beyond him.
Allies wouldn't die,
Enemies would die. And,
...That sight would be a [Massacre].
"Let's duo once, Cheon Seung-hyuk."
Since you're in there,
Let's snag the real holy relic for once.