79
079 ― In Belen Village
It was a blurry image. Instinctively, he knew it wasn't his own.
'Is this a memory from that bastard's flame?'
A portion of the God of Sky's black flame. What Jin-woo had absorbed wasn't simply power or energy. It was a fragment of the soul that formed the foundation of existence.
So even if he saw some memories, he wasn't surprised.
'The sky... Looks refreshing.'
The scene that unfolded before Jin-woo was an image of vast open skies. True to the name God of Sky, it was incredibly beautiful and azure blue. The scattered clouds visible here and there seemed like beautiful sculptures decorating this sky.
Not only was the scenery visible, but emotions were also conveyed. Under this sky, that being was rejoicing. It was enjoying freedom that no one could stop, that no one could bind.
Under this freedom, he trained himself to his heart's content and sought enlightenment. He simply found joy in purely focusing on raising his level.
But that joy didn't last long.
Bewilderment. Anger. Hatred.
Starting from a certain moment, such emotions gradually began to seep in.
―That sky is artificial.
He had gained too deep an enlightenment. Being the cream of the crop among his kind, more outstanding than anyone else, he continued to seek enlightenment without dying, even when his compatriots fell and returned to nature.
Thanks to that, he ended up knowing. The sky they had enjoyed was actually artificial, and he was never a free being.
He was merely a bound existence allowed freedom only under this sky.
The moment he realized this, intense anger enveloped him. He decided to leave the sky. To leap over this sky that was like a ceiling and instead dominate it himself.
―...... .......
Someone's admonishing voice could be heard. Was it the voice of one of his compatriots, or perhaps another being?
That voice didn't reach him. Only the sound was heard, but its content wasn't conveyed. Wrapped in such great anger and hatred, he couldn't understand that voice.
Thanks to that, Jin-woo couldn't hear that far either. Having finished his meditation, he exhaled ‘Hooo’ and gathered his energy.
'It's stabilized a bit.'
Thanks to repeated meditation for a long time, the flame stolen from the God of Sky was quite stable. It had stopped raging and now obediently complied.
What remained was the task of dyeing this black color blue, and that would be finished. That work also seemed like it would take quite some time.
'I won't be able to show animation for a while.'
Imagining the God of Moonlit Forest whining made him smile for no reason. But it couldn't be helped. Right now, digesting this flame came first.
And so Jin-woo secluded himself in his house and spent more than a week only in meditation.
***
―Yes, that's right. I met Kang Jin-woo for the first time this time, and he really fights well. Breaking the core of this Erosion was almost entirely his achievement alone.
Shin Do-ung appeared on the TV screen, saying something.
It looked like a current affairs program having a conversation with panelists about Erosion, and it seemed this Erosion had come up as a major topic.
―It's true. I was assigned the mission of breaking through monsters and reaching the core together with him, and while we broke through together, he broke the core all by himself. I was held back by that thing and couldn't even help properly.
Only comments that put too much gold on his face came out, making Jin-woo feel embarrassed. He had turned it on out of curiosity when Shin Do-ung appeared, but if he had known it would be like this, he wouldn't have watched at all.
He picked up the remote to change channels when he heard his last words.
―I can't stay like this either. I received a lot of stimulation.
He said this in a spirited voice. It was a tone that felt sincere.
While Ma Du-sik and Shartia had retired from active duty and no longer entered Gates, Shin Do-ung was still an S-rank Hunter who frequently entered Gates. He could be considered the only one among Seoul's S-ranks.
He must still be thirsting for growth. Jin-woo could understand that feeling at least.
Anyway, he changed the channel. Beep beep. As he raised the channel several times while turning, one children's channel passed by. Just then, the God of Moonlit Forest's favorite animation was being broadcast there.
'Come to think of it, I haven't shown anything recently, but there's been no word?'
Jin-woo lowered the channel again and fixed it on the children's channel. He watched it for about 3 minutes, but there was no usual reaction.
Normally, responses like 'The God of Moonlit Forest immediately takes a seat' or 'The God of Moonlit Forest can't take their eyes off it' would have come back.
'Must be busy with something.'
No matter how childlike, the other party wasn't really a child. A World Tree supporting an entire world. There would be plenty of busy matters.
Being alone for once, he somehow thought of alcohol. He wasn't particularly fond of drinking, but he felt like having a drink alone for some reason.
Jin-woo's house had several expensive bottles of alcohol received as gifts from here and there, but he left those and just went to the mart to buy a few canned beers.
Having eaten a lot of meat lately, he craved fish and took out a couple from his inventory. There were still some fish left that he had caught in the Spirit Realm some time ago.
Since he needed soup too, he cut up the fish and made spicy fish stew. Following the recipe exactly and tasting the bubbling soup, it was quite good. It was definitely tastier compared to when he first made it.
"Uutcha."
He brought the drinking table he had set up like this to the living room and found an appropriate drama to watch on TV. Taking a spoonful of soup and feeling the refreshing yet spicy taste, he opened the can as it was.
Chiiik―
Drinking the cold beer with water droplets forming on it felt like his throat was completely opening up. The cool taste contrasted even more after tasting the spicy soup.
Even though he had made it himself, Jin-woo ate up the spicy fish stew along with beer, quite satisfied with this dinner.
The drama he had on wasn't interesting, so he changed it midway. While looking for movies or variety programs and this and that, when he came to his senses, he had somehow turned to the children's channel from before.
He had eaten about half the spicy fish stew, and quite a few empty cans had accumulated. Feeling a pleasant fullness, Jin-woo propped his chin and blankly watched the children's cartoon.
It wasn't particularly very interesting, but it gave a sense of stability somehow. Since it had completely melted into his daily life lately, now not watching it felt empty.
After resting like that for a while, he cleared the drinking table. He stepped on the cans to throw them away and conveniently put the leftover spicy fish stew in his inventory. He planned to add ramen noodles and boil it for breakfast tomorrow morning.
He had leisurely rested alone for the first time in a while. In a satisfied mood, he washed and went to bed. He wasn't particularly drunk, but just in a good mood.
However, on one hand, he also thought it felt lonely. Had he become too accustomed to that being in this short time? Though it was short, from the 3rd floor, or going further back, since meeting in Belen Village, it had been quite a long relationship.
'I don't know.'
Jin-woo put away complicated thoughts and sought sleep. Being someone who slept well even on rocks or sandy ground, he could fall asleep instantly in such a soft place as a bed.
Even until then, no response came back from the God of Moonlit Forest.
***
In the morning, he went out to the yard and loosened his body. The yard that Shartia had decorated wasn't flashy but had a simple taste. At least it was much better than that previous desolate yard.
After doing tight stretching in the yard spread with green hues, he took out yesterday's leftover spicy fish stew and boiled it. He added noodles and put in a bit of ramen seasoning, too. Tasting it midway, it seemed a bit salty, so he added a little water.
Perhaps because the morning air was cool, today he somehow wanted to eat outside. He finished his meal at the small table in the yard with the well-boiled spicy fish stew and heated instant rice.
Feeling hearty fullness, he enjoyed the morning air. While doing so, the phone rang.
'Mayor Ma Du-sik?'
It was a contact from Ma Du-sik. The fact that it came so early in the morning meant it was that urgent?
"Is it news about Jeju Island?"
Had information already been gathered when it had only been about a week? Wondering, he answered, but it wasn't about Jeju Island.
―It's not good. It seems ominous somehow.
"What's the matter?"
―They say the portal leading to the 3rd floor is blocked.
Huh?
―The Hunters who entered the Gates that opened this time returned much faster than usual. When I asked, they were those targeting the 3rd or 4th floors, but since they couldn't ascend to the 3rd floor, they had no choice but to stay only on the 2nd floor and return.
"They can't cross from the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor?"
―That's right. They say the red portals discovered on the 2nd floor aren't working. I'm telling you this now, but... those Hunters who crossed to the 3rd floor last time also haven't returned.
He said there were some who returned quickly. But there were absolutely none who returned within a few days.
Since they had only not returned for only a few days, Ma Du-sik didn't think of it seriously either. But when this morning's report that 'they can't enter the 3rd floor' was added, only ominous imagination came to mind.
"Is it only our Hunters?"
―From urgent contacts, most other countries seem to be in similar situations. We'll need to investigate the exact situation more closely, though.
Since it wasn't a certain matter, he was being careful with his words, but Jin-woo clearly understood what Ma Du-sik wanted to say.
The point was that the passage to the 3rd floor had been blocked within the past few days. Both ascending from the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor and returning from the 3rd floor to Earth were all blocked.
'There must still be many Hunters on the 3rd floor.'
Even when Jin-woo returned, there were tremendous numbers of Hunters. From B-rank to S-rank, the grades were so varied that it was quite chaotic. Thanks to the God of War's instigation, something like an arena was even opened.
'Mahiri also wouldn't have returned yet.'
She said she would contact him immediately upon return, but there had been no contact yet. This meant Mahiri was also still remaining on the 3rd floor.
That 3rd floor was completely blocked? That many Hunters remaining on that floor were isolated, almost cut off from Earth. Even thinking simply, it was a tremendous crisis situation.
Both for those isolated there and for Earth, which had lost considerable power all at once.
―For now, we're investigating this side, so I'll let you know when there's progress.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
―Not at all. Well then.
Ma Du-sik must have been quite busy, too, as he quickly conveyed only the information and hung up.
He would already be having repeated meetings with the Management Bureau and continuously attempting conversations with other countries. Perhaps Ma Du-sik himself might enter the 2nd floor to look for red portals.
Anyway, there was nothing for Jin-woo to do. He had wanted to enter the 3rd floor again this time, but it wasn't urgent business, so there was no need to be anxious. He could quietly wait for the investigation results from Ma Du-sik or the Management Bureau.
'But why exactly......'
Why was the path to the 3rd floor blocked? Not just the path going, but the path returning, too.
Various mysterious things happened within Gates, so it wouldn't be strange no matter what occurred. But this kind of thing was a first.
No matter what mysteries a Gate possessed, until now, one law had been maintained. That was the point of not blocking those who wanted to ascend and not blocking those who wanted to return.
This was the first time abnormalities occurred in blue portals and red portals.
'......Is the inability to contact the God of Moonlit Forest also connected to this incident?'
Timing-wise, it matched exactly. Since he was meditating in a state of selflessness to digest the God of Sky's flame, he didn't know exactly at what point contact was cut off.
But at most it was a week, and there was no doubt it had been severed within that week.
'If contact hadn't been cut off, I could ask through there what happened on the 3rd floor.'
But that was blocked. A situation where contact was severed. It could be the result of some mysterious phenomenon, but it somehow felt like someone's intentional act.
If the severed contact was really intentional, it meant the 3rd floor's isolation itself was something someone had caused.
The culprit was unknown, but there were many suspects. It would be one of those many gods on the 3rd floor.
'It's all just speculation......'
For now, not a single thing was certain. With no way to obtain any information about the 3rd floor now, there was nothing even Jin-woo could know.
At that moment.
―Kiiing?
There was one thing that came to mind. It was about meeting the World Tree in Belen Village.