68
068 ― Whining
The airplane, which had been unstable as if encountering severe turbulence, finally arrived in the airspace above Gimpo Airport.
It was fortunate that the attack occurred near the airport; otherwise, they would have had to make an emergency landing on the ocean surface in the middle of the sea.
"We're landing! Everyone, please fasten your seatbelts and follow the instructions!"
This was not a normal landing. Severe shaking was expected, so all passengers sat in their seats and prepared for impact following the crew's instructions.
Like turtles, everyone lowered their heads and pressed them against their thighs. After confirming all passengers were ready, the crew members also took their seats and assumed the same position.
Kuwoong—!
The airplane touched down on the runway. The captain tried to land as smoothly as usual, but the loss of balance was unavoidable.
Kuguugugugugung!
While entering the runway and reducing speed, something went wrong with one of the wheels. The wheel that had been overloaded due to the loss of balance collapsed.
Naturally, the airplane shook violently and veered off the runway. Fortunately, Gimpo Airport's runway was equipped with devices prepared for such accidents.
Deliberately installed foam concrete and lightweight materials that break easily to reduce the airplane's speed.
The airplane advanced roughly, breaking through the installed structures like corn stalks. However, the speed definitely decreased, and thanks to the dispersed impact, the inside of the airplane remained safe.
Inside the finally stopped airplane.
The passengers who slowly raised their heads could see the tree branches that were gently embracing them.
It was the tree that Shartia had spread to protect the passengers in preparation for any eventuality.
Those trees quietly shrank and were retrieved into Shartia's hands.
Only then could the passengers realize the fact that they had survived safely.
"Uwaaaaaaaa!"
"We're alive! We're alive!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
They cried and embraced their families, friends, or lovers, and continuously expressed their gratitude to Jin-woo and Shartia, who had saved them.
"Heuk! Heuuk!"
The crew members who had somehow tried to remain calm in the sky also couldn't hold back their tears at this moment. They, too, had just been enduring their fear.
—Hurry! Move quickly!
—Get the ambulance ready! Prioritize the rescue of passengers!
Outside, the emergency vehicles that Ma Du-sik had prepared rushed over in droves to attempt the rescue of passengers.
Contrary to the worries outside, there were no fatalities or serious injuries among the passengers. The most serious injury was just a bruise from hitting a shin against an armrest during the chaotic moment.
Under the guidance of rescue workers and crew members, passengers exited the airplane one by one. Shartia and Jin-woo watched this from the very back.
"Good work, Shartia."
"You too, Jin-woo."
Both wore expressions filled with relief. It was a disaster that couldn't have been resolved if either one of them had been absent.
Shartia alone would have had difficulty removing the enemy clinging to the airplane, and Jin-woo alone wouldn't have been able to reinforce the airplane full of holes even after defeating the enemy.
After all passengers had disembarked, only the two of them remained.
The captain approached them as the last to remain. He removed his hat and requested a handshake from both of them.
"Thank you. Thanks to both of you, I was able to maintain my 30-year accident-free record."
Although he spoke in a playful tone, sincerity was contained in his eyes. While shaking hands, Jin-woo said he had aged ten years, and Shartia translated and conveyed those words.
***
There was much to handle. All passengers had to be transported to hospitals, and repairing the broken airplane and collapsed equipment would be quite a headache.
But it wasn't Jin-woo or Shartia's job. When the two came down from the airplane with peace of mind, they could hear tremendous applause and cheers.
The surviving passengers and rescue workers who had come. Reporters who had rushed to cover the story. Among them, a man with a bear-like build came running helter-skelter toward them. It was Ma Du-sik.
"Hunter Kang Jin-woo! Hunter Shartia!"
His footsteps were remarkably light and agile, not matching his build, appearing swift and nimble. As expected of an S-rank Hunter. Having rushed over in one breath, when he saw Jin-woo and Shartia.
"Keuheuk!"
He suddenly embraced both of them. Although Jin-woo was also tall, he was no match for Ma Du-sik, so the two ended up looking like they were being hugged by a bear.
"What are you doing!"
"This is a bit..."
Shartia pushed him away with a hwak, and Jin-woo fell away together. Ma Du-sik, who alone had a different temperature, scratched his head awkwardly.
"Since both of you returned after accomplishing such great things, I couldn't help myself..."
Although Jin-woo and Shartia had been this happy earlier, their emotions had already subsided. There was no one to respond to Ma Du-sik getting excited by himself at this point.
Ma Du-sik, who was coughing and scratching the back of his neck, spoke to the two.
"Could I possibly hear about the accident? I need to inform the citizens and New York about the circumstances of the accident."
"Of course."
In a meeting with Ma Du-sik and the officials, Jin-woo explained about the accident. Even though he was explaining, there wasn't much to say at length.
An Erosion suddenly appeared and clung to the top of the airplane. And it tried to crash the airplane by stabbing and shaking it wildly. The two of them stopped and eliminated it.
The story was soon organized and conveyed to reporters, and they began writing official articles following the breaking news. Since they were all veteran reporters, articles began to be published immediately.
The story was soon organized and conveyed to reporters, and they began writing official articles following the breaking news. Since they were all veteran reporters, articles began to be published immediately.
—Airplane accident attacked by Erosion, fortunately, no casualties.
—New York flight crash crisis. Safe landing thanks to two Hunters' efforts.
—Seoul-affiliated Hunter Kang Jin-woo. Overcomes disaster once again.
Jin-woo's handling of Ireland was just a month ago. At a time when the heat from that incident hadn't completely died down, another disaster occurred and was resolved.
Although it didn't have as much buzz as Ireland, it was still a major incident where over 100 people nearly died. The impact was sufficiently large.
Jin-woo was busy with the aftermath of the incident, together with Shartia and Ma Du-sik. Answering his questions and reporters' questions, and somehow ended up doing interviews.
"What would you like to do? If you're returning home, I'll have you taken there."
After finishing all urgent matters, Ma Du-sik made the proposal. Ma Du-sik himself couldn't leave this place due to the remaining incident cleanup, but he could have his secretary escort Jin-woo and Shartia.
"Yes. I'm planning to go back. Since I've returned after a long time, I should go and rest."
"Me too."
Both Jin-woo and Shartia spoke in exhausted tones. Especially Jin-woo wanted to rest quickly due to various incidents occurring consecutively. He couldn't even remember when he had last rested comfortably.
"Understood. Manager Kang, please escort these two."
"Please come this way."
With all the troublesome matters finished, Jin-woo could finally return to his long-missed home after such a long time.
***
After washing up cleanly, Jin-woo buried himself in bed. Although he wasn't physically tired, he still felt sleepy.
After sleeping soundly for a full day, he finally woke up. Drinking coffee with drowsy eyes and checking his smartphone, sure enough, the news section was plastered with yesterday's articles.
Most were articles reporting the accident, and some places had broadcast interviews with Jin-woo or Shartia. There were also articles inviting experts or other Hunters for their opinions.
Nothing particularly caught Jin-woo's eye in the articles or comments. While skimming through them smoothly, one article caught his attention.
—Internal situation during the accident revealed.
It was a video taken and uploaded by one of the passengers during the accident. It was a shaky video with poor focus, but Shartia's activities were clearly visible.
And the video ended with Jin-woo thrusting his sword toward the airplane's ceiling.
└ As expected, S-rank is S-rank. He instantly took control inside the airplane.
└ It's frightening to think what would have happened if Shartia hadn't naturalized to Korea, if she were still a New York Hunter and hadn't been on that airplane.
Since the video mainly featured Shartia's activities, it was full of talk about her.
But among them was a comment with unusually many replies. It was the best comment, with three to four times more replies than other comments.
└ What's with Kang Jin-woo's sword strike? They say he cut the Erosion with that, but the airplane ceiling doesn't seem to be cut at all?
Below it were countless replies. At first, there were many comments saying it wasn't visible due to the shaking video, but as you scrolled down, it changed.
They realized that Kang Jin-woo's sword had cut through the airplane ceiling to slice only the enemy outside.
└ This is almost at a magic level?
└ Actually, isn't Kang Jin-woo a mage rather than a swordsman?
└ That can't be. Didn't you see the video of him cutting Ireland's heart? A mage couldn't make sword strikes like that. Even the movements in this video are insanely clean.
Hunters who used swords went wild once again. Following the video of cutting Ireland's heart, this was the second video of Kang Jin-woo's swordsmanship being revealed.
Even with just the previous video, quite a few people had analyzed it and gained small insights. To have another video of such caliber come out...
The relevant article and video had already spread overseas, and the place showing the most enthusiasm was Hong Kong, where the majority used swords.
└ As expected! That video of cutting Ireland's heart wasn't a coincidence.
└ Even those who doubted Kang Jin-woo's swordsmanship will be convinced by this. Once might be a coincidence, but twice is inevitable.
└ Now, everyone understands how Kang Jin-woo brought down the Sky Temple that Lin Shenlin was protecting. Even Lin Shenlin would be unable to perform such feats!
Regardless of nationality, everyone who used swords was excited. Kang Jin-woo's name had already spread widely due to Ireland and the 3rd floor incidents, but it had spread a bit more among Hunters who used swords.
At that moment, Jin-woo was lying in bed, wiggling his feet after moderately checking the articles.
'The ability I gained this time.'
The ability gained from cutting down the Erosion outside the airplane. He was thinking about it.
[ A fragment of a past life surfaces. That sword shall pierce the enemy like thorns. ]
He had already tested it once in the yard. But he wasn't particularly impressed.
Because it wasn't much different from the ability to shoot sword energy obtained from defeating the Black Knight.
'For gaining a new ability, it's not very nutritious.'
If he used the Black Knight's ability for thrusting, it would be the same as the ability gained this time. Though called a new ability, it wasn't actually a new ability.
'It's not unusual for abilities to be of little use.'
Jin-woo had gained many abilities so far, but not all of them were used at the right time and place. For example, Rock Sword. It was an ability to gather surrounding rocks and change the sword into a blunt weapon, but it was an ability with little use.
Actually, at this point, most abilities weren't very useful. Rather than mediocre abilities, just one sword strike was more powerful, and with just the Black Knight's ability or Kanok's lightning, he could handle most situations.
'Now, absorbing flames gives more tangible results.'
In the past, when he was still weak, one decent ability was more important than growing his own flames.
But now it's different. Now, rather than awakening abilities, absorbing flames to grow his soul or raising his body and mind through enlightenment, was a better path to becoming stronger.
"Good."
He decided what to do. There was still some time until the next Gate, and he had no intention of rushing into a Gate this time.
Having stayed in the 3rd floor for quite a while, this time he planned to rest properly on Earth. However, resting didn't mean he would really just play.
'Let me consolidate my foundation before going.'
He planned to go outside the city to look for remaining Erosion cores or newly appeared minions that had been reported. In other words, to find black flames.
***
He didn't depart immediately. Since he had come home after a long time, he planned to rest completely thoroughly.
However, he didn't forget to prepare for going outside. Among them, the most important core was.
"I need to get a license."
Getting a car or motorcycle license.
Having immediately looked up a driving school, he registered at the school and learned the written and practical tests. The test was still ahead, but it was already as good as passed.
Since all his senses and physical abilities already surpassed humans, he wouldn't have trouble with something like driving.
Next was the issue of purchasing a bike or vehicle... Thanks to the compensation from New York, he could even get a sports car with tremendous speed, but that didn't seem right.
Outside the city, well-paved roads were rare, and most areas were rough terrain. With a low-bodied sports car, the places he could go would be too limited.
'Come to think of it, Shartia also used to carry vehicles or motorcycles in her inventory.'
Shartia, who no longer entered Gates, instead explored outside cities around the world, planting and tending trees and vegetation. She was like a senior who had mastered off-road.
There seemed to be much advice to hear about vehicle types or precautions outside the city. Jin-woo took out his smartphone and made a call.
Before the turururu sound could ring twice, Shartia answered the phone.
—Jin-woo?
"Yes, Shartia. Did you rest comfortably?"
—Of course. How have you been in the meantime?
"This time I studied a bit to get a license for the first time in a while."
—Oh my, a license?
When Shartia asked curiously, Jin-woo told her about his plan to go outside the city. After hearing the story, Shartia spoke with a noticeably elevated voice.
—Me! I want to go together too!
"Shartia too?"
—Everything is better when it's two people instead of alone. And outside the city can be dangerous.
Although not as dangerous as Gates, outside the city was also a world where monsters roamed around. Moreover, since Jin-woo planned to search for Erosion cores or minions, it was even more dangerous.
If she, an S-rank Hunter, accompanied him, Jin-woo would feel reassured, too.
"Good. Let's go together."
—Yay!!
At the momentarily ear-splitting voice, Jin-woo slightly moved his smartphone away from his ear. When her excitement eventually subsided, he talked about the main point of the call.
"This time I'm thinking of purchasing vehicles and bikes for off-road use. Could I possibly get some recommendations?"
—Couldn't you just take my car?
"That might work this time, but there might be times when I go alone later."
—Later, you could just contact me then too...
"Pardon?"
—Ah, no, I understand. Then, shall we meet once to talk about cars? How about this weekend?
"That sounds good."
Having made the appointment, they hung up. The license test was next week, and the appointment was on the weekend, so there was free time until then.
Having already finished eating, Jin-woo took popcorn and cola and sat on the sofa. Since he had decided to rest this time, he planned to rest full-time.
"I wonder if there's anything interesting."
He turned on the TV and put on Netflix. When he was busy working in the field before, watching Netflix was his only pleasure.
After dragging his tired body home and somehow washing up, it was routine to put on a decent movie and fall asleep while watching.
Since outdoor activities mostly cost money, watching YouTube or Netflix at home was the cheapest hobby he could afford.
'I haven't been able to watch much since becoming a Hunter.'
After awakening and going in and out of Gates, he hadn't watched much. Because in the time he could watch such things, he would swing his sword one more time or search for one more piece of Gate information.
Of course, he didn't completely stop watching, and occasionally watched movies, but it was difficult to watch long-season dramas.
'Oh, season 2 of this came out. I stopped watching this one after two or three episodes, but it's already finished.'
Looking around once, there were sequels to series he had enjoyed watching and new works that looked interesting.
If necessary, he could re-watch classic masterpieces he had seen before. Timeless masterpieces don't get boring even when watched two or three times.
After finishing a movie and a full season of a drama in one sitting, Jin-woo went to refill his popcorn and cola. And while looking for the next thing to watch.
'Ah, this.'
He saw something very familiar. It was a children's animation that he had never seen before, but looked familiar.
It was the original animation of the series that God had liked most among the offerings he had dedicated to the God of Moonlit Forest in the 3rd floor. Not just liked, but was crazy about.
'I should go to the department store once. I need to buy dolls and toys from this series whenever I see them.'
How great it was that he could easily pump contribution points just by buying some toys. While chuckling, Jin-woo was flipping through screens when he felt something from his chest.
Suddenly wondering what it was, he looked and found that the blessing of Moonlit Forest, similar to a glass orb that he had received in the 3rd floor, was still there.
[ The God of Moonlit Forest whines. ]
[ Don't skip it... ]
He was first surprised that the blessing remained even after leaving the Gate, and secondly surprised by the sight of it whining to watch that.