9
09 - Sword Sound (劍鳴)
A little while ago.
Shartia was walking around the city, trying to get a better feel for the city called Seoul. First of all, there are many people. The crowds of people living busily gave the city vitality and made it overflow with energy.
Considering that there are many places where people are gradually disappearing and becoming ghost towns, Seoul seemed to have no such concerns.
'The barrier is also solid.'
The barrier protecting the city was also very well established. There was nothing that could be done about things appearing from the inside, but invasions from the outside could be blocked like an iron wall.
She didn't know how the Seoul Hunters' dispatch system worked when monster invasions occurred, but if the barrier was strong, things would work out somehow.
She could tell that the city was paying considerable attention to the strength of the barrier and the replenishment of magic stones. With this level, safety was a pass.
"Hmm......"
No matter where she looked, it wasn't bad. However, something was still lacking. Something that would immediately capture her heart.
There are many other cities that are just decent enough. Neighboring countries, Tokyo and Beijing, are at this level, and in terms of wealth, the Middle East is actually better. For cultural regions familiar to her, areas near Europe, like London or Paris, would be better.
'Are they all just similar?'
Now that she thought about it, there might not be any particularly outstanding cities. She might be searching for something non-existent due to unnecessary fantasies...... While wandering around with these various concerns, a building suddenly caught her eye.
Seoul Metropolitan Library. It was just an ordinary building with an ordinary library, but she didn't know why it suddenly caught her attention. She wasn't a scholar and had no intention of visiting a library, but when she tried to pass by, she felt a strange attraction.
'Should I take a look?'
Come to think of it, she also had the hobby of learning foreign languages. Rather than a pure hobby, it was something that combined practical benefits, and as someone who traveled the world growing trees and forests, various foreign languages were essential.
No matter which city she settled in in the future, she had no intention of stopping her pilgrimage, so it might be good to look at the library at least once. If foreign language dictionaries and such were well organized, that might become one attraction.
Actually, in an era where one smartphone can do everything, she wondered if that would be attractive...... She didn't know. Maybe she was just rationalizing her reasonless attraction to the library.
In the library she entered, she saw a man. He was tall and had distinct features that gave a not-bad impression. He had piled up books about different races and was struggling with them. When she took a glimpse, he was selectively reading only items related to Elves.
Why?
She was curious about the reason. So she spoke to him. As someone who traveled abroad frequently, she had no hesitation in speaking to strangers. She had more experience than anyone in grabbing locals to ask questions when she got lost.
"So who are you?"
The man asked with a slightly wary expression. It was a reaction where she could feel a wall, but it was actually good. Perhaps because her previous life was an Elf, her appearance had something particularly special about it.
Elven appearance wasn't simply beautiful but was said to be an element that held mystery in itself, and this characteristic seemed to have been passed down to her as well.
Because of this, there were so many men who hit on her at any time and place. Whether it was people who saw her Elven appearance and persistently approached her, or people who held disgust and hostility toward the fact that she was an Elf. She didn't like either side. This level of distance was rather comfortable and reassuring.
"I am......"
So to summarize. The first impression was not bad.
***
Erosion is a disaster that began to appear along with the emergence of Gates. Gates cause no harm to Earth. Ordinary people who haven't awakened can't enter them, and not entering doesn't have any effect on Earth.
But erosion was different. A phenomenon where otherworldly energy flows back and erodes Earth. Places engulfed by it are contaminated by otherworldly black energy and instantly transform into danger zones. And that….
"Kyaaaaaak!"
"Er, erosion! Run away!"
"Run away, but where to!"
Threatened both ordinary people and awakened ones without discrimination. The library and the surrounding area were eroded by black energy and transformed into a dungeon.
Baaaaaaang-!Bang! Crack!
The sounds of people panicking echoed to the ends of the sky, causing an uproar in an instant.
"Shelter! Please go to the shelter!"
"I'm C-rank Hunter Yu Seong-jin! I'll protect you, so please evacuate in an orderly manner!"
Erosion is a sudden disaster that no one knows when or where it will occur. In preparation for this, Seoul had countless shelters, some built underground and others designated as schools or gymnasiums. Fortunately, the designated shelter was included in the range of this Erosion. This very library.
"What's your name?"
"It's Kang Jin-woo."
"Jin-woob?"
"Jin-woo."
The foreign woman smiled apologetically. From her calm attitude, Jin-woo could tell that she was a Hunter. Moreover, a high-ranking Hunter who wouldn't be flustered by this level of Erosion.
"Seeing you draw a sword from thin air, are you also a Hunter, Jin-woo?"
"Yes. Though I haven't been awakened for long."
"Then you should be fine alone. Stay here. I'll be back shortly."
She placed her hand on the tinted black window. The unlocked window wouldn't budge no matter how much it was struck. It had been eroded by black energy, completely losing its original function and properties and becoming fixed. That window.
Crash-!
Shattered into pieces just from her touch. The woman who broke the window like that suddenly jumped out of the window. Jin-woo was startled by the sudden action, but was even more shocked by the next scene. A thick tree trunk that grew rapidly carried her up to the top of the library.
It didn't stop there. Several tree trunks sprouted around the library, wrapped around the library building, broke through it, and firmly bound together. The black energy surrounding the library tried to erode the tree trunks as well, but the gentle green energy dwelling in the trunks pushed it away.
In an instant, the entire library was wrapped in trees and vines, taking on the appearance of an apocalyptic forest.
'What is this?'
While Jin-woo was surprised by the scale he had never seen before, flowers bloomed one by one from various parts of the tree trunks. Not only in the lounge where Jin-woo was, but also in the reading rooms and offices where other people were. A voice flowed from the small white flowers that bloomed.
-I'm S-rank Hunter Shartia from New York. I've deployed a domain centered on this building, so please accept the people who are evacuating. Who is the person in charge?
The librarian in the director's office answered.
"I, I'm the director of this place."
-I'll leave this place to you. I'll go guide people here.
"Yes, yes!"
The municipal library was a place designated as a shelter. Therefore, a proper manual was prepared for situations like this. The librarian had people organize the interior of the shelter and welcomed the crowds of people coming in.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo peered at the outside scenery through the window that Shartia had broken.
"S-rank Hunter......"
Earlier, he couldn't hear her introduction due to the roar of the erosion occurring. Therefore, this was the first time he heard her name. S-rank Hunter Shartia. He didn't know her face, but he had heard the name before. The Druid of New York. The only woman in this devastated world who could change the world to green. He seemed to have seen such an expression in some columns.
'I thought it was exaggerated because it was so sensational.'
No. Looking at the cityscape spread out below, he realized that it wasn't an exaggeration but rather a column written with restraint.
Tree trunks extending from the library as the center wrapped around and destroyed roads, telephone poles, traffic lights, and such.
The eroded world wasn't real reality but a hidden world unfolded by otherworldly energy, so no matter how much was destroyed, it had nothing to do with real Seoul. Rather, the more it was destroyed, the better.
By destroying the hidden forms where black energy was condensed, it slowed the progress of Erosion and also had the effect of drawing monsters' attention.
-Groooooooo!
-Caaaawk! Caaaaa!
-Grrrrrheng!
Countless beasts born from the black energy bit, clawed, and caused chaos with the tree trunks. However, vines sprouted from the bitten tree trunks, wrapped around the monsters with teeth embedded, and strangled them.
Yelp! Yelp yelp!Growl!
Monsters that charged with great momentum instead became bound by vines and couldn't move a muscle.
Such scenes unfolded everywhere. On roads, in nearby buildings, in places where people gathered.
However, there were some clever monsters. Seeing their kin being counterattacked while attacking tree trunks, they carefully avoided the trunks and targeted people.
Since it was the heart of Seoul, people were everywhere you stepped, and now they were rushing to evacuate toward the library.
To the monsters' eyes, it must have felt like looking at a fishing spot that was half water, half fish.
-Growl.
Narrowly curved eyes that seemed to sneer captured the people hurriedly evacuating. Everyone was stamping their feet, but the paths leading to the shelter were limited, so they couldn't move quickly.
Among them, they searched for the youngest and most delicious-looking prey. The figure of a young human child being led by its mother's hand, not knowing what to do.
-Grooooong!
The monster's muscles exploded. It leaped up like a powerful spring being released and aimed for the back of its prey.
However. Grrrrrrrng! The next moment, a sharp tree trunk that sprouted diagonally pierced the monster and flung it far away.
"Huh?"
When the child turned around at the strange sound, there was already nothing but the tree trunk. Such scenes unfolded everywhere.
Thanks to this, people could safely evacuate to the library. There were people injured from hasty movement, but not a single person died from monster bites.
'Wow.'
Jin-woo was genuinely amazed. It hadn't even been 20 minutes since the Erosion began. In that time, Shartia had created safety and order in this wide area and pierced countless monsters.
"You waited properly."
Shartia, who had roughly finished her work, grabbed the upper window frame and returned to the lounge with a leap.
"Shartia. So that was your name."
"That's right. Have you heard rumors? About the Hunter who was an Elf in her previous life."
"In the column I read, they said she would become a hero who would save Earth."
"Oh my, do they talk about me like that in Seoul? That makes me feel good."
Shartia's eyes sparkled. She knew well that one column couldn't represent the opinion of the entire city. Still, after hearing only things like traitor to humanity or rebel in New York, hearing being a hero didn't feel bad. It seemed like Ma Du-sik's words weren't just lip service.
"If you wait a little, it'll be over. Erosion has a core, and you have to destroy it for the Erosion to end."
"If you can't destroy it......"
"You've seen a lot of black earth, right? This place would become like that, too."
If Erosion is left alone, it completely devours the Earth and transforms it into black earth. It transforms into a hidden world that is Earth but not Earth. No plants or animals can grow on land that has changed like that.
Even healthy humans die from being contaminated by magic energy if they enter black earth. So if erosion appears, the core must be found and destroyed without fail. If you want to defend even a little remaining human territory.
"My plants are searching, so please wait a little. I'll send you back to the original world soon."
"Whew."
With an S-rank saying this, it was incredibly reassuring. Could there be a safer place than this spot at this moment? However, there was one thing that bothered him.
Jin-woo's energy sense was picking up the presence of people around him. To be precise, he was feeling the blue flames that people carried flickering.
But in a slightly distant place. Judging by the location, somewhere between the back of the building and the road.
He felt a black flame.
Woong-
A sword sound rang out from the white jeweled sword he had been holding since earlier.