12
12 - The 0th Floor
The motorcycle roared powerfully as it passed through the collapsed toll gate and onto the highway.
Buwaaaaaaaang-!
The motorcycle ran, making noise that would have drawn reports if it were in the city. Of course, there wasn't a single person, let alone houses, outside the barrier, so there was no chance of being reported.
The speed was as fast as the noise, and the tilted signboard and building-like structures that had just been visible quickly fell far behind.
Holding tightly onto Shartia's waist so he wouldn't fall, Jin-woo shouted at the top of his voice.
"Shartia! Is it okay to go this fast?"
"What's wrong with a place where there's no enforcement!"
"It's not about enforcement, it's about safety...... Uwak!"
Deolkeong!
As soon as the words came out, the motorcycle lurched greatly. It had caught on fragments of broken asphalt and bounced into the air.
Jin-woo, who experienced the dizzying sensation of flying through the sky for a moment, lowered his body's center of gravity as much as possible in preparation for landing. Kung!
"Ahahahahaha! Doesn't this relieve stress!?"
"I'll die trying to relieve stress!"
The motorcycle continued running for quite a while. The road that remained only as a trace of the past was broken and full of holes everywhere, making it far from a place where one could ride comfortably.
Nevertheless, rather than slowing down, Shartia was pulling the throttle in the opposite direction.
How long had they been riding? When his buttocks began to ache from the shock of the unfamiliar vehicle, the motorcycle finally stopped.
A drawbridge that had stopped in a raised position. Below, there were only traces of what had once been a river, but no flowing water.
On top of it, Shartia stretched her waist and shoulders, enjoying the rare afterglow, while Jin-woo rubbed his tailbone and sighed.
"Good work. Please have some canned coffee."
"I'll drink it well. Oh, don't you have anything cold?"
"There's no cold coffee, but I'll give you orange juice instead."
Shartia took the hot canned coffee that had just been pulled from the inventory and handed him slightly frozen orange juice instead.
Only after opening the can and drinking nearly half of it in one shot did Jin-woo let out a big breath and calm down.
'This is sweet, sour, and delicious.'
Perhaps because it was a New York beverage, all the labels were in English. Jin-woo couldn't read it all with his limited knowledge, but he could roughly see the words ‘100% fresh fruit’.
Fresh fruit juice rather than juice full of artificial ingredients was so delicious, it was moving.
While admiring the collapsed world outside the city like that, Jin-woo asked.
"Is motorcycle riding your hobby?"
"It's a hobby activity that combines practical benefits. I go around looking for places that are still intact. When I find them, I also plant trees and seeds."
For that purpose, a vehicle with good mobility was essential. Not only motorcycles, but also off-road four-wheel drive vehicles were stored in her inventory.
Indeed, befitting an S-rank Hunter with long experience and active work, she seemed to have all sorts of things prepared. It was like a treasure vault.
"It's similar to studying foreign languages."
"It's a very important task for me."
"As expected of an S-rank Hunter, you have a different perspective. Someone like me is only interested in getting by day to day."
"I'm not doing this out of some great sense of mission either. I just couldn't endure without being absorbed in work like this."
Her tree planting had begun as a form of escape.
An escape from the reality where no matter how many achievements she accumulated, the New York Hunter Management Bureau wouldn't acknowledge her, and where she couldn't even join a decent party due to ostracism within the industry.
Of course, things were much better now.
"Well, I somehow got S-rank recognition too, and now it's just work I do because it's rewarding."
"It's good to have something to pour your passion into. Even better if it's something as great as reviving the Earth."
"It's not that grand...... It's just tending to a few trees."
Shartia answered with a slightly embarrassed expression.
No matter how much ostracism she had faced, it wasn't that she had never heard words of praise.
Those who hated her were industry people, conservative politicians, and businesspeople from New York, but among unrelated citizens, there were those who were grateful to her.
Those who had inherited the trees and gardens she had planted and tended often sent letters with photos enclosed, and reading them was one of her sources of satisfaction.
She had not lived a life that was only difficult, either.
'I'm a bit embarrassed over something so trivial......'
Still, the praise she heard from Jin-woo was a little more embarrassing than usual. Ever since she had recognized that Jin-woo's past life was an Elf and that he was in the same situation as her, she had been paying attention to his every move.
When she glanced sideways, Jin-woo was looking up and finishing the canned juice she had given him.
Her gaze flowed to his bobbing Adam's apple and thick forearms. Jin-woo's body, which had freely entered construction sites and distribution centers like his own home, was well-built with healthy, practical muscles.
The well-forged basic physical strength was also an important factor in Jin-woo's ability to wield a sword like that. If he had had a frail body, there would have been limits no matter how much mystical help he received.
"Shartia."
"Yes, yes!?"
Looking puzzled at her, who was startled by being suddenly called, Jin-woo immediately got to the point.
"About Elves, how much do you know? Or rather, do high-ranking Hunters have all the memories and experiences of their past lives?"
"Ah, that's not the case - there are individual differences. I have almost no memories of my past life, but instead, I know quite a lot about common sense and knowledge."
Shartia, who had entered explanation mode, slightly moistened her throat with canned coffee.
"Elf society is what you'd commonly call a monarchical system."
"The kind with kings and nobles?"
"Yes. Like human history, they also have various kingdoms and various families, but all nations are matriarchal societies headed by queens. The heads of families are also women."
"I see."
"Elves are usually born with superior Magi and vitality in females, which is why conducting wars and governing nations are mostly women's roles. Conversely, Elf males are exceptional in emotional aspects, so they're said to be active in areas like music and literature."
After that, he heard many things. Most of it was precious information that would be hard to obtain from books, and since she was telling it as someone with an Elf past life, it felt more real and concrete.
"What? Their lifespan is eight hundred to a thousand years?"
"You can roughly think of it as 10 times that of humans, and the standard for adulthood is also around 200 years old. Instead, adult Elves hardly change in appearance for over 700 years, then aging begins around 800 years old, and they prepare for death."
"What kind of scale is that......"
In the human world, it was a period that wouldn't be strange to contain the entire rise and fall of nations, yet that was just one person's lifespan.
"Instead, Elf society is said to have little change and be leisurely to that extent. You could say it's relaxed in one way, or you could say it's stagnant in another way......"
He heard many such things.
The history and nations of the planet where Elves live. Heroes and prestigious families who made names for themselves in history. A religious system centered on a monotheistic-like existence called the World Tree, and so on.
When he had heard all the basic common knowledge, Jin-woo asked what he was really curious about.
"Do Elves also act whimsically?"
"Of course. They all have egos and personalities."
"Actually, I experienced something strange......"
Jin-woo told her in detail about what had happened in the first Gate.
From encountering an Elf while catching fish at a stream on the first day without knowing anything, to receiving the white jeweled sword at the end.
"This sword was also received from that Elf. When I came to my senses, it was stuck in front of me."
"They just gave you a sword like this?"
Shartia's eyes widened.
The previous actions were already incomprehensible, but to leave behind what was obviously a treasured sword made it even more impossible to understand.
She thought about what could have happened in her own way, but there wasn't much she could say.
"Well, I had a similar experience during my first awakening. An Elf who saw my abilities mistook me for a kin and just let me go."
"A mistake?"
"Isn't Jin-woo's case also that kind of case? I'm not certain, but......"
Unfortunately, it didn't feel like a clear answer. Even the person speaking seemed dubious about the reason.
The Elf who let her go was just someone who passed by briefly, but the Elf who stalked Jin-woo had continuously followed him for days and days.
While one might be mistaken briefly, it was impossible to continue being mistaken for such a long time. Her case and Jin-woo's case were completely different.
"I'm sorry. I brought you here confidently, but couldn't give you the answer you wanted."
"Not at all, I learned a lot. There were many interesting stories."
Although his curiosity wasn't resolved, he had heard many other stories. Various tales about the race called Elves that he couldn't know from library books alone.
Shartia smiled, saying that was fortunate, and threw the finished can into her inventory. It was more convenient to collect trash together and dispose of it all at once.
"Shall we go back then?"
As she stretched her waist and prepared to return, Jin-woo spoke to her.
"Can't we stop by one place before going?"
A little distance away, there was a black flame detected by his senses.
***
Jin-woo gripped her waist again and sat on the motorcycle, hunched low.
If there was one thing he realized while traveling from Seoul to the drawbridge, and from the drawbridge to the location where the black flame was, it was that black flames weren't as numerous as he thought.
'I thought there would be many cores since the outside is full of black earth.'
That wasn't the case. When he asked why, she said it was because it was near a major city.
'Certainly, the Hunters of the past would have desperately tried to block Erosion if it appeared near Seoul.'
Not only Seoul, but also the vicinity of other foreign cities was said to be somewhat clean. If you were looking for places with really many cores, it would be better to look in secluded places rather than near major cities.
Places like the Chinese frontier, Russia, Australia, or Africa, where population density was low compared to land size.
Naturally, the farther you got from cities, the more dangerous and ferocious monsters swarmed. It was best not to even think about going alone.
"Places like Antarctica and other polar regions are said to have many cores too, but those are remote areas that are hard to even set foot in, so it's better to give up!"
"I see!"
Shouting to avoid being drowned out by the motorcycle's exhaust sound was making their throats hoarse.
Fortunately, neither Jin-woo nor Shartia had bad hearing, so there was no problem understanding each other.
The motorcycle carrying the two people arrived at a location following Jin-woo's navigation. It was a large-scale flower garden where greenhouses used to be lined up in the past, but now they were all torn down and only traces remained.
Under a broken tree, a placard reading ‘Flower Delivery Specialist Duri Flower Garden 1515-1234’ lay forlornly.
Kaeng kaeng!
There were quite a few monsters there - dwarf-like monsters with short, blunt dog heads.
The hungry monster pack that had been wandering around looking for prey discovered Jin-woo and Shartia and charged at them.
Kyaaaaaa!
Having the body of a small dwarf while running on all fours was quite threatening. Saliva was dripping and spattering from their wide-open mouths, and a stench that could rot your nose was flowing out.
Seoseok-
He sliced the frontmost one from the crown of its head to its crotch.
"Wow."
Shartia let out a small exclamation. Not only the clean and powerful swordsmanship, but Jin-woo's action without any hesitation was also an eye-opening element.
It was rare for a novice Hunter who had awakened less than a month ago to be this calm in front of monsters. Originally, it would be normal for someone at the one-month mark to run away at the mere sight of a monster's fur......
Two, three, four.
Jin-woo cut down all the dog-headed dwarfs that charged consecutively. While rhythmically unleashing sword strikes, Jin-woo asked.
"Do these guys bring in some money if I sell them?"
"No. The teeth and hide are all trash, so disposal costs would be higher? At best, the magic stones would sell, but with this level of quality and size... About 300 dollars."
"300 dollars is a bit less than 500,000 won. That's quite expensive though?"
Shartia was talking about 300 dollars like it was pocket change, but from Jin-woo's perspective, it was quite a large sum.
Thinking that 500,000 won would be deposited into his account with each sword swing, his blade work naturally became lively. He swung his sword with the mood to hum a tune.
'200, 250, 300......'
In his mind, numbers were going up in increments of 50. The number finally stopped at 1650. In terms of count, that was thirty-three.
Around them, only dead dog-headed dwarfs remained, and nothing else was left.
"This must be the core."
"It's an ominously shaped rock."
After cutting down all the monsters and finding the black flame, there was a house-sized rock.
It wasn't just any rock, but a twisted and hideous rock like obsidian mined from hell, and inside it, black flames could be seen flickering.
Jin-woo raised his sword.
Kiing-!
He also split that rock in two.
"This works."
"A-amazing."
Not only Shartia but also Jin-woo were surprised that a house-sized rock split in two with a single sword strike.
He thought it might work, but he didn't expect it to be cut this easily.
'This is getting scary.'
It felt like he had obtained some demonic power. He wondered if it was okay to become strong this easily.
He wouldn't have his soul collected later or anything......?
[ A fragment of a past life surfaces. That sword shall be like solid rock. ]
Once again, the message of ability awakening appeared without fail.
While he was at it, Jin-woo immediately tried using the ability. Then, bumpy rock fragments stuck to the sword and solidified firmly.
"What's this?"
"Isn't that just a club?"
Shartia's impression was exactly the same as Jin-woo's impression. This way, he couldn't even use the blade - wasn't it just a blunt weapon?
Bung- bung-
He swung it a few times and also struck a rotten tree lying nearby.
Kwajik-!
......The feel was good. The heavy impact gave a refreshing feeling.
"Well, there will be times when a blunt weapon is needed, too."
It was definitely better than having nothing. When he withdrew the ability, the hardened rock fragments fell away with a hudutuk sound and returned to the original sword.
He examined it to see if the blade had been damaged, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.
"Have you finished your business?"
"Yes. Let's go back. I don't feel any more cores, and the sun is gradually setting."
"Get on."
Shartia, who had gotten on the motorcycle first, tapped the back seat. Jin-woo received a helmet, put it on, and sat in the back seat.
"Please drive safely."
"I'll do it within reasonable limits."
Buwaaaaaaaang-!
An exhaust sound no different from before echoed through the abandoned flower garden.
***
They finished their drive outside the city and returned safely.
Since major cities nearby regularly conducted monster exterminations, there were relatively few dangerous elements.
Still, the reason they could really return without any incidents was probably because Shartia, an S-rank Hunter, had accompanied him.
Rather than accompaniment, she had been the driver, though.
"Thank you for the hard work driving."
"Not at all, it was enjoyable. Then I'll see you next week."
"Wait a moment, the magic stones......"
"Just use them for whatever you need."
He had thought to discuss the distribution of magic stones, but Shartia coolly gave up her rights and left.
As expected of an S-rank Hunter. Her magnanimity was also exceptional.
'Shadow's corpse and two tooth daggers, plus the magic stones extracted from the dog-head dwarves, come to about 16 million won......'
The profit from just one day was considerable. He heard that scales from Shadow's corpse were expensive materials, and that alone would bring a four-digit amount. Shadow's magic stone was also separate.
Since it was a regular monster and not a boss, it wasn't an amount that would make you gasp like the black bear, but it was still plenty.
Making thousands in a single day was something the past Jin-woo couldn't have even imagined.
For several days after that.
A brief, peaceful daily life continued.
There was no particular schedule until next week, and the next Gate was still about 3 weeks away. Usually Gates - though with some variation - opened on roughly monthly cycles.
The time in between was for resting, handling personal affairs, or maintenance, and in Jin-woo's case, he spent most of it on eating, sword practice, and sleeping.
He could have gone out to explore for black flames outside the city again, but he prioritized exploring his two newly acquired abilities: Shadow Sword and Rock Sword.
Building internal strength was important in everything.
While spending his days like this, seeming busy yet leisurely.
[ The trial of the 0th Floor shall open. ]
[ Death is inevitable, and destruction is destiny, so carry out that destiny with your own hands. ]
"Huh? A special Gate?"
A special Gate that opened irregularly, not a periodically opening Gate, had opened.
Among them, the '0th Floor' that appeared this time was a place known for having high difficulty but giving considerable rewards to all Hunters who cleared it.
Jin-woo immediately took out his smartphone and called his contact person.