Chapter 370

“Um, Hunter Kim... I’m sorry.”

“What else?”

“Actually, I didn’t expect you to agree so easily, so... um...”

“Don’t you have the courage to go into the dungeon?”

“More precisely, I’m worried that I might become an unnecessary burden inside the dungeon.”

“Ah.”

Nods.

Upon hearing that, Kim Goryeo nodded in complete understanding. After all, back when he was still F-rank, he had often struggled with the very same concern.

“I’ve even been dead weight inside a dungeon myself!”

If he had not been trapped there with Jung Haseong, the [Minotaur] incident would have ended in absolute disaster.

But that was as far as his wandering thoughts went. True to his efficiency-oriented nature, the alien immediately got straight to the point.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already run the calculations in my head, and I decided it’ll be fine.”

“Calculations?”

“You coming along will definitely be more helpful.”

On the surface, it sounded like an incredibly considerate remark.

But the shocking truth behind it was soon revealed.

“Since the Turkey gate extracts emotions instead of ‘pain,’ there’s a fairly high chance it’s a scenario-type gate.”

The golden-haired man stretched his neck briefly.

“And by the same logic, if it’s scenario-based, the chances of the raiders being physically harmed should be low. Serious injuries or death would probably be unlikely anyway, so I might as well bring an Earthling along as a sample and observe the different outcomes.”

The schemer who had felt apologetic toward the other party just moments ago had already vanished—or perhaps this was simply the typical Alphauhn way of thinking.

Kim Goryeo sincerely reflected on all the empty boasts he had made until now, but that did not mean he intended to let the opportunity in front of him slip away.

After all, there was no danger of the Earthling being harmed.

He planned to turn his current crisis of repaying debt into an opportunity.

“Besides, I haven’t really focused on this side of things before, so I’m still a little unsure. I’ll carefully observe how Earth’s S-ranks use magic, and from now on, I’ll adjust my own abilities so I can use them as inconspicuously as possible.”

To reiterate, Kim Goryeo possessed a certain degree of confidence in himself.

Immunity to every form of mental attack that could occur at the level of Earth’s mammals.

And techniques such as nullification, capable of cancelling teleportation spells at the very moment of activation.

He was the perfect counter to the EX-rank threat that had thrown Türkiye into chaos—and, at least where a few companions were concerned, a futuristic magical being capable of protecting them almost completely.

“Come to think of it, if Jung Haseong comes along, do I have to split the 5 billion the Turkish couple offered? Ah, honestly, I’d rather keep that much for myself.”

With a few trivial remarks, the alien brought his solitary daydream to an end.

After that, they discussed their strategy for the trip overseas.

***

Good.

Now that the rough blueprint was complete, it was time to start earning foreign currency.

“Ah, so this is that foreign land!”

Türkiye.

Barely three years ago, it had been considered such a dangerous travel destination that the entire country was under advisory due to the abnormally frequent appearance of Red Gates.

But as time passed, that run of misfortune subsided, and as though disaster itself had been transformed into fortune, the number of S-rank hunters increased.

Now, the country had entered an era of stability...

“Let’s at least eat after we get some work done.”

Jung Haseong and I had arrived.

But unlike in Japan, there was no time wasted greeting celebrities or exchanging pleasantries.

“The wage negotiations were already settled beforehand anyway.”

I had already made full use of Earth’s invention known as the telephone to complete the necessary preparations.

For now, the fifty billion won bounty offered by the parents of a certain foreign S-rank had been secured entirely for myself.

“After all, I could’ve gone alone, but Jung Haseong insisted on coming along to gain experience. So he agreed without complaint that the payment would be calculated entirely in my favor.”

As for the separate travel expenses I had requested from the Turkish government, they amounted to a rather disappointing 1.5 billion won.

“Hmm.”

From what I had heard, the government here had circumstances of its own.

Apparently, Türkiye had a higher awakening rate among its population than many other countries.

But just before that could become an advantage for the nation as a whole, Hunter activity instead triggered inflation.

“So this was the place that became the prime example of economic shifts caused by Hunters...”

Well, anyway.

I was putting in a fair amount of effort, but it seemed the minimum guaranteed payment would only come to around that much.

Then again, if I tried to drain another country’s treasury too aggressively, it would only end up increasing taxes on innocent citizens.

Taxes.

Taxes.

Taxes.

At that moment, an unexpected surge of sympathy rose in my chest, nearly bringing protective tears to my eyes.

And finally, Jung Haseong and I stood before the very EX-rank Gate that had dominated newspaper headlines across the world.

“Have you checked all your equipment?”

“A hundred times over.”

That meant there was only one thing left to do.

Begin the raid.

Even though we had come by jet, several more hours had already passed.

What if the first raider, that S-rank hunter, had already starved to death?

On top of that, there was even a fellow Earthling trapped inside who needed rescuing.

So without hesitation, we stepped through the gate.

As expected of a feeding trap created by some grotesque gourmand entity, the place had an unusual property despite being a permanently open passage: any living creature that so much as brushed against it was immediately sucked inside.

Come to think of it, hadn’t the gate’s final name been decided in the form of a question—[Are You Happy!?]

“Every time, the gate management organizations in each country really have it rough. Personally, the most troublesome task for me was always assigning scientific names to newly discovered creatures.”

A few seconds later, before the white light enveloping my body had even faded, I snapped my eyes open.

I wanted to survey my surroundings as quickly as possible.

“Hmm.”

But the moment I entered the space beyond the gate, the first thing that struck me was—

“This isn’t a scenario gate.”

How surprising.

Ever since boarding the plane to Turkey, I had assumed this place would take that form.

“It extracts emotions in place of pain, yet there’s no narrative structure.”

This place differed fundamentally from Korea’s [Fairy Kingdom].

Ordinary monstrous insects tended to stage elaborate performances in order to draw out peculiar emotions.

But here, it simply peered into the hearts of those who entered and crudely recreated scenes that would stimulate their happiness.

A shortcut, so to speak.

“In a way, I suppose even these fragmented situations could qualify as a scenario-type gate...? I’m not sure.”

It was an ambiguous feeding box in every sense.

Anyway, I had entered the EX-rank gate, a place with such a bewildering mixture of elements that it was difficult to make sense of them.

And yet I still had no idea how to clear it.

“Hoho.”

A spell to repel hallucinations.

A spell to repel brainwashing.

As an Alphauhn soul, I was naturally immune, but I had also prepared a solid protective barrier for the expedition member accompanying me.

There was nothing to worry about.

“Mental effects become troublesome to deal with once they take hold, even for me. Especially things like the [Knight’s Oath], which require the subject’s consent. On Earth, the best option is to prevent them beforehand.”

I had brought more than enough insecticide to deal with these mind parasites known as Gisimche.

So what was there to fear?

“Jung Haseong!”

I quickly turned my head, intending to proceed efficiently.

Since I had already granted the hero’s wish, I had brought him along so that from this point onward we could truly operate as a team.

But something unusual caught my eye.

Normally, by now, the fellow hunter who had entered with me should have been standing right beside me—

***

A moment later, a warm hue filled Jung Haseong’s vision.

“So this is... the Turkey labyrinth that even S-rank hunters couldn’t escape.”

The instant Jung Haseong entered the dungeon, this was the scene that appeared before him.

A window shone so brightly that it reminded him of heavenly sunlight, while neat curtains fluttered gently in the breeze.

If he turned his head just slightly, he could even see a bed that looked soft enough to make him want to lie down immediately.

Contrary to its reputation as a dungeon, the place looked remarkably like a cozy family home.

“Huh? Where on earth did Hunter Kim Goryeo go...?”

But that was not the real problem.

Jung Haseong, who had entered the dungeon, realized that someone who should have been there was missing.

Inside this strange room that resembled a house, he was completely alone.

Yet even as he considered leaving to search for his missing companion, his mind was flooded with fresh information.

‘Wait a minute.’

The floor tiles were a slightly faded light-sand color, and the walls were covered in sky-blue wallpaper patterned with clouds—exactly the sort of design parents might choose for a child.

He was certain he had seen this place before.

“This is my room.”

This was the room he had once lived in.

‘And not just any room. This was the room I used when I was very young—so long ago that I’d almost forgotten it until now.’

For the moment, however, it was little more than the vague sensation of, This somehow feels like my room.

Jung Haseong frowned, unable to convince himself completely.

What made him especially uncertain was the mirror.

There was a wall-mounted mirror in the room, and several stickers had been attached to one corner of it.

One of them depicted an ambulance character from a children’s cartoon.

Even after seeing that sticker displayed so clearly on the mirror, Jung Haseong still could not reach a definite conclusion.

“There was a sticker like this in my childhood room?”

But just as the sudden appearance of such a familiar place began to unsettle him, an even more disturbing situation unfolded.

“Huh?”

A high-pitched voice suddenly came from beside him.

In truth, however, Jung Haseong had already sensed that something was wrong even before he heard it.

A familiar floral fragrance had appeared in the room.

It was not the scent of actual flowers, but a carefully refined synthetic perfume—the kind of fragrance that seemed to have been crafted with painstaking attention by renowned perfumers.

And as far as Jung Haseong knew, only one person used that scent.

“Son.”

It was at that moment that he began to understand why the survival rate of this dungeon was 0%.

Thinking, Of course it can’t be, Jung Haseong cautiously turned his head.

And there, exactly where he looked, stood a trap that was very nearly the worst possible thing he could have encountered.

“Our prince! What are you doing there all by yourself?”

An older woman suddenly appeared from one side of the room.

The moment Jung Haseong caught sight of her silhouette, he could only let out a hollow laugh.

After all, the last time he had seen this person, she had looked frail, her hair completely white after she had stopped dyeing the gray that kept spreading through it.

‘My hair has more gray in it than Mom’s now.’

Yet the woman standing before him possessed a healthy head of black hair.

She looked at least ten years younger.

“Well, that makes it painfully obvious you’re a monster.”

But perhaps, in a way, that was fortunate.

At least it left no room for confusion.

The gray-haired hunter prepared to activate a flame skill at any moment.

At the same time, he forced his mind into action.

‘Slap my own cheek. Inflict physical pain. And the most accurate and safest method—take medicine immediately.’

Before those instructions had even fully formed in his mind, his body was already moving.

He reached into his item box and pulled out a status ailment recovery potion.

“Gulp.”

Of course, the countermeasures he had just recalled would be useless against a perfect hallucination, something akin to a lucid dream.

But no status ailment that powerful had ever been reported.

And frankly, if someone really did fall victim to such a thing, there would be no way out anyway.

“Will this be enough?”

Jung Haseong carried out the safety procedure almost reflexively, then watched the situation carefully.

There was still a chance that the illusion might somehow be one of the companions who had entered with him.

He could not afford to attack recklessly.

“Son.”

He waited a moment for the medicine to take effect.

Then something even more absurd happened.

“Did you have a hard time getting home from school today? Come sit down and eat. Eat.”

“Huh?”

“Honestly, even though I told you to go out with your friends and even gave you some cards, you’re always just going to the convenience store...”

“Oh, my.”

“Did you eat instant noodles again today? I know they taste good, but skipping school meals and eating nothing but that is absolutely not allowed.”

It was the same conversation he had heard countless times in childhood.

Now it was playing out before him once again.

‘Are these phenomena being created from my memories?’

At that point, the hunter’s instincts immediately went on alert.

Still, for the moment, he decided to set that aside.

‘By the way, when is this potion supposed to start working? I need to find Hunter Kim as quickly as possible.’

For reference, even Jung Haseong, who had been a light eater since his school days, had foods he considered comforting.

Kim Goryeo knew that white rice and bright yellow rolled omelets were among them.

And yet when Jung Haseong followed the voice of his “fake family,” telling him to eat, and glanced toward one side of the room, he was startled to find the exact dishes he had just thought of sitting there.

‘That table definitely wasn’t there a moment ago.’

Now things were becoming ridiculous.

A dungeon that suddenly placed steaming hot stew in front of him.

Whatever the purpose of this EX-rank gate might be, it was exceptionally good at bewildering humans.

“And in a dungeon, of all places.”

But even after seeing the familiar table, Jung Haseong did not move an inch.

He did not sit down.

He did not pick up a spoon.

Nor did he consider sharing another meal with the mother he had recently only seen lying in a hospital bed.

‘When I was little, our family always bought kimchi. So there was never any homemade touch to it...’

Besides, stew like that was something he could easily make himself.

So Jung Haseong naturally gathered his magic as effortlessly as breathing, ready to incinerate the illusion created by the monster’s nest at any moment.

‘It’s been a while since I drank the potion, but nothing has changed.’

And yet, strangely, he could not quite bring himself to attack the thing that looked the most obviously fake.

Did that mean his mental fortitude was still lacking?

‘Then the method this dungeon uses isn’t a hallucination-type status ailment, but rather...’

Jung Haseong sank into thought.

Had the dungeon failed to account for the possibility that the adventurer might simply refuse to sit at the table?

Whatever the answer, something about the room felt subtly wrong.

The woman sitting at the table with perfectly dyed hair seemed almost like a luminous lantern in an old tale.

Her role as an illusion was obvious.

She existed to keep him—the human adventurer—trapped in that place.

But that was what made it strange.

Even after Jung Haseong understood all the technical details, for some reason he could neither destroy the fakes before him nor simply ignore them.

For a brief moment, he remained caught between the two choices.

“Mom... the way she was when she was healthy...”

Come to think of it, when the boss monster known as [Doppelgänger] had first appeared, there had been some discussion about it within the Hunter community.

‘There was a poll going around asking what people would do if a monster appeared that copied the appearance of someone close to them.’

The black-haired hunter’s expression softened faintly.

‘I’m sure I answered something like, “As long as I knew for certain it wasn’t really them, I’d kill it immediately.”’

So this was how different ideals could be from reality.

But there was no room left to hesitate.

No matter how warmly this place welcomed him, it was still a dungeon.

In other words, it was the lair of a monster capable of harming humans.

“Don’t rush in. Seriously—please, just don’t rush in.”

Jung Haseong finally began to move, gripping his sword tightly.

He opened a nearby door and stepped outside.

What greeted him was an endless wilderness, confirmation that he was still inside a dungeon.

In a situation like this, the most rational course of action would normally be to destroy anything that was unquestionably fake.

Still, Jung Haseong tried to justify his current behavior by remembering an EX-rank example in which swarms of fairies had appeared.

The bait—the figure of his mother sitting at the table—could be every bit as powerful as those fairies.

That was why he did not dare touch it recklessly...

‘Hey! By the way, doesn’t that thing seem to be following me wherever I go?’

But just as the illusion’s movement threatened to throw him off balance—

“It’s here. It’s here!”

Could this also be an auditory hallucination created by the gate?

The voice that followed was so unmistakably familiar that it was difficult to doubt.

It belonged to none other than Kim Goryeo, the man who had entered the dungeon with him.

“Huh? And what’s all this commotion? Hey, Jung Ha-seong, these are all fakes, so get rid of them immediately.”

“Ah!”

But there was no need to prove his identity in such a heartless manner.

Next appeared a golden-haired man—Kim Goryeo.

The S-rank hunter immediately activated his main attribute the moment he grasped the situation.

Within seconds, the same enormous wave that had once submerged an entire dungeon swept through the area, violently washing away the scenery formed from Jung Haseong’s memories.

“My, my room.”

“What are you talking about? Your apartment doesn’t have such childish interiors.”

And with that, the isolated structures collapsed like a fading dream, crumbling into meaningless ruins.