Chapter 382

No one had expected things to turn out this way—

an S-rank gate had appeared within the country.

"Yes. I'll get ready and leave immediately. Please send me the exact location of the dungeon."

Honestly, news like this no longer sent a wave of fear through him.

Even so, Jung Haseong set down his spoon for the time being.

"If it were an ordinary rank, maybe it wouldn't matter... but hearing that an S-rank has appeared and still sitting here eating feels a little..."

It was hardly a pleasant situation, but what could he do?

Whether in ancient times or the modern age, if you wanted to eat—if only enough to survive—you had to work.

And since Jung Haseong's profession was, in essence, that of a hunter, he quickly composed himself and rose from the table.

Somehow, ever since becoming a Hunter, it felt as though what had improved most wasn't his skill, but the speed at which he ate.

***

About two hours later.

"I wasn't told there would be this many people on-site."

Jung Haseong arrived quickly at the otherworldly site in question.

However, there were far more awakened individuals gathered there than he'd expected.

"Ah. They're the same people I always see during the [Inevitable Malice] hunts."

They were presumably Esther's assistants.

With that, he'd more or less identified everyone present, so it was time to get straight to the point.

"Was it Director Seo who discovered the gate?"

"No. Some of our guild members happened to find it, and I came over earlier to take a look inside."

"What did you find during the initial investigation?"

"Everything here is S-rank, from the boss all the way down to the smallest minion. Like I said over the phone, this is definitely a top-tier difficulty gate."

An S-rank Hunter had personally confirmed the presence of formidable enemies.

Still, the Korean Peninsula hadn't exactly been free of such threats until now.

"S-ranks rarely have the kind of complicated gimmicks EX-ranks do. As long as something on the level of the [Nucklavee] hasn't appeared, we should be able to handle it somehow."

The evolved Imoogi.

Champagne Janus.

And the other S-rank monsters he'd encountered so far passed through his mind.

But it took only a few seconds for that complacency, born of experience, to shatter.

"There's one thing I didn't get the chance to mention over the phone."

A moment later, Seo Esther revealed something astonishing.

"Yes? What did you say?"

After carefully comparing the available data with the Hunter Association, they had discovered that the gate in front of them was identical to India's [Delhi 1614].

"You mean completely identical? The monsters inside, even the layout of the corridors?"

"Yes, completely. Do you think I'd lie about something like this?"

Jung Haseong's expression immediately darkened.

Although the situation had already been covered extensively by the media, the hunting ground that had appeared in India was far too significant to dismiss with the simple statement that it was "difficult."

"So how many monsters are there?"

The "monsters" he was referring to were the standard creatures inhabiting [Delhi 1614].

According to information distributed even among high-ranking awakened individuals, they were small and moved so quickly that they were barely visible to the naked eye.

Another notable feature of the unidentified creatures was their unusual tendency to swarm together in groups even denser than schools of sardines.

"Well... if you're asking for an exact number, that's a little hard to answer."

"Right. I suppose it would be."

"There are far too many to sit down and count one by one."

Simply put, the gate contained an almost unimaginable number of enemies.

"And there's a faint mist covering the entire place. Inside, it's practically impossible to track those white magical beasts with your eyes."

"So the only thing we can rely on is sensing them through magic power?"

At that point, a question occurred to Jung Haseong.

"I heard there are so many monsters that, from a distance, they look like a hazy cloud. So why hasn't a break occurred when there are that many of them?"

In truth, that question came only from his lack of knowledge about the enemy.

The nest before them was inhabited by creatures that mimicked ungulates such as pigs and camels.

It was never an insect nest to begin with.

What the Indian raiders had mistaken for magical beasts weren't even mimic-type artificial life-forms.

They were merely detached organ systems.

However, there was no scholar of magic present to explain that fact.

And so, the Korean Hunter continued his train of thought.

"The minions in [1614] fly in completely unpredictable directions..."

Jung Haseong's gaze deepened thoughtfully.

"I can call it a scratch because I'm S-rank, but if an ordinary person were even grazed by one, their bones would probably shatter. It could easily be fatal."

And on top of that, the enemies possessed small venomous stingers.

Anyone could see that the situation demanded an urgent response.

"Obviously, a toxin capable of paralyzing even an S-rank wouldn't end well for a non-awakened person."

If there was one fortunate thing, it was that this gate had appeared in a relatively isolated part of Korea.

On the other hand, that had disadvantages of its own.

Because the gate had emerged in a mountainous valley, valuable time had already been lost simply discovering it, deploying Jung Haseong, and dealing with everything else.

"The monsters must've multiplied quite a bit already, right?"

Seo Esther answered.

"It's somewhat different from normal reproduction, but... yes. Every time we observed them, their numbers had increased to a frightening degree."

At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if the white creatures emerged outside at any moment.

Naturally, the true concern was the worst-case scenario—a dungeon break.

Still, based on the average timing, they had more than sixty hours remaining.

"Hmm."

The country's number-one-ranked Hunter stood silently for a moment, thinking.

But before beginning the real discussion, there was something he needed to confirm.

"By the way, has Hunter Kim Giryeo boarded his flight yet?"

"Boarded? He arrived in the country ages ago. He's already at the gate."

"Yes. I see."

Jung Haseong had only just learned that Kim Giryeo had gone on a business trip.

"I never thought the day would come when I'd find out about an acquaintance in the industry through the news. It feels like I'm experiencing exactly what I used to do to everyone else, only in reverse."

Somehow, on his way to this domestic S-rank gate, he'd learned of Kim Giryeo's whereabouts through the news playing in the vehicle.

But waiting for him to return to the country didn't seem right either.

"It's obvious he went abroad intending to clear the gate again. In that case, it'll probably take him at least two days."

Filling an entire dungeon with water—

that monstrous method had clearly placed a considerable burden on the caster's body.

Jung Haseong, perceptive as ever, had noticed that.

And he quickly concluded that Kim Giryeo probably wouldn't use the same method when conquering the Indian gate.

"Hunter Kim Giryeo may look reckless, but in reality, he's always calculating everything meticulously..."

For a moment, a somewhat distorted impression surfaced in his mind.

"Maybe, in that sense, you could call him coldly rational."

And yet, like a cow stepping backward and accidentally catching a mouse, he somehow reached the correct conclusion about the other man's actions.

"So unless it's an immediate threat like the Beasts or that island that appeared in the sky, he'll prioritize managing his condition."

Kim Giryeo probably wasn't going to finish his business in India within a few seconds.

So then—

"I..."

After a brief silence, the country's number-one-ranked Hunter spoke.

"I don't think we can keep relying on Hunter Kim Giryeo forever."

"I feel the same way."

"Right now, it's only the two of us in the country, and calling in the Japanese Hunters who owe him a favor without his permission doesn't sit right with me."

"Bringing in overseas personnel is something that needs to be approached carefully in the first place."

Kim Giryeo was extraordinary enough to impress even other S-ranks.

And according to the shocking information he'd revealed recently, he might even hold a high-ranking government position.

"I just hope this doesn't come across as some kind of prideful posturing."

Even so, Jung Haseong decided not to depend recklessly on the blond genius.

It wasn't because of some incurable illness.

This was simply the modern age after the Dungeon Shock—an era where anything could happen.

He was merely preparing himself for that reality.

"Even Brooklyn, who worked as a healer and seemed like someone who would remain healthy longer than almost anyone else, died because of something no one could have imagined."

Admiration was one thing.

But fundamentally, a Hunter had to possess strength of their own.

"Then first..."

After considering the situation carefully, Jung Haseong made a suggestion.

"Why don't we at least clear out some of the monsters, like they're doing in India?"

Since the situation wasn't urgent enough to require an all-out assault immediately, he suggested entering the dungeon and killing the monsters near the entrance in advance to reduce the risk of a break.

"So you're saying we should at least enter the dungeon?"

"If you're uncomfortable with it, Director Seo, you can stay here. I can go inside and investigate alone."

Of course, monsters could never be fully understood simply by reading papers and reports written abroad.

Entering the dungeon personally was necessary for several reasons.

"Hmm. No, it's not that I don't want to go."

Fortunately, there were plenty of veteran Hunters present.

"I actually brought the guild members along because I thought we might end up doing exactly that."

"Are all of them resistant to your abilities, Hunter?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that now that the phenomenon called a curse has finally been classified properly, I've been able to acquire equipment that's much better suited to me. They still can't get too close, but as long as we're careful about the distance, it'll be fine."

Including Esther, one of Korea's strongest Hunters, the surrounding A-rank awakened individuals were all accomplished enough to be called prodigies in their field.

And so, after a brief discussion, they genuinely decided to enter the dungeon.

.

.

.

But why did things turn out like this?

"Hmm?"

At last, they experienced the [Delhi 1614] dungeon for themselves.

Jung Haseong and the other Korean awakened individuals crossed the entrance and stepped into the otherworldly interior.

"That's the highest-priority dangerous creature identified by the Indian government, right?"

"I heard that even though it's technically a regular monster, its abilities are unbelievably vicious."

Once they entered the long, labyrinthine corridors—reminiscent of something from an ancient myth—they quickly encountered the notorious new S-rank monsters.

Vwooooom.

Like bumblebees struggling to lift bodies too heavy for their wings, the creatures before them flapped frantically without pause.

"If you attack even one of the swarm, the entire group targets you. Their speed and attack power are tremendous, so if you get caught in the middle of their charge, even an S-rank awakener won't come away unharmed."

Even when isolated individually, they might look harmless at first glance.

But they possessed so many dangerous traits that everyone had resolved to hunt them with extreme caution.

That had been the situation—

until three seconds ago.

"What?"

"What just happened?"

"Is that... it?"

The instant they actually attacked the strange creatures, they were met with a result none of them had expected.

"They're weak?"

The swarm, so dense that it looked like a pale cloud, vanished beneath a single skill.

"Why are they this weak? These are definitely the same monsters that appeared in India, aren't they?"

Esther hurriedly compared the photographs she'd printed on special paper with the corpses scattered across the ground.

And naturally, the same bizarre result repeated itself several more times.

Whoosh!

Even accounting for the weakening effect of Esther's curse, the moment Jung Haseong unleashed an explosive fire skill, the enemies collapsed from the air like rain.

"Could extreme heat be their weakness?"

"I thought India had quite a few fire-attribute awakened individuals as well?"

For a while, everyone simply stood there in confusion.

"Ah."

But before long, the veteran Hunter Seo Esther came up with a possibility.

"In that case, maybe there's a threshold to how much heat they can withstand."

The fire-attribute awakened individuals in India were relatively limited in terms of maximum output.

But here stood a prodigy who had received direct instruction from an Archmage.

Awakened individuals capable of producing brilliantly colored flames were actually quite common in this world.

Most of them, however, merely manifested flames based on the image in their minds.

Jung Haseong alone could properly wield azure flames as a primal sorcerer.

So it wasn't unreasonable to conclude that his exceptionally high offensive output was making a difference.

"That could be it."

"But my curse hasn't seemed to work properly since earlier... Could all of these monsters be inanimate?"

By this point, some of the secrets surrounding the white "bees" were gradually beginning to reveal themselves.

Still, they weren't researchers.

They couldn't conduct a detailed analysis here, so they simply continued onward.

"Let's go as far as we safely can for now. If they're this easy to kill, we might as well at least get a look at the mid-boss."

"I agree. From what I can sense, this gate's difficulty feels... reasonably 'appropriate' for S-ranks like us."

Everyone present was a professional Hunter, and they had already arrived with their equipment and preparations complete.

That was another advantage.

Having easily eliminated the creatures classified as the highest-priority threat, their new objective became experiencing firsthand the attack patterns of the higher-ranking entities reported by the Indian raid teams.

"We already know the next monster isn't the final boss. So there's no need to go all out. If things become dangerous, we can always retreat..."

But soon afterward, inside one of the dungeon's chambers, they encountered something utterly absurd.

"Huh?"

To begin with, the hunt itself went surprisingly well.

The abilities of the Korean S-ranks turned out to be an almost perfect combination for conquering this particular gate.

The mid-level boss of [Delhi 1614] was a bizarre beast with four pairs of teats like a pig, an enormous jaw, a blue body, and a single eye embedded in its face.

It looked nothing like any living creature on Earth.

It was unmistakably a beast from another world.

In any case, since it was an artificial life-form created in direct contrast to machinery, Seo Esther's [Curse] weakened it significantly.

For an S-rank, its mental resistance is surprisingly weak.

At this rate, even ordinary hypnosis might work on it.

My curse is landing incredibly well!

In other words, while the Korean awakened individuals had merely been testing various attacks to uncover the enemy's weaknesses—

they accidentally succeeded in killing it.

"Wait. Hold on. What the hell is this...?"

For reference, this gate functioned in such a way that once the first boss was defeated, another creature of comparable rank immediately appeared, initiating a second phase.

Having already heard detailed reports about India's raid attempts, the Hunters tried to retreat at once.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

But things did not go according to plan.

Just as the beast, eager to begin the second round of combat, was about to appear, the purple crystal structure that seemed to control access to the deeper sections of the dungeon began to move.

A passage leading into a new area slowly opened.

Originally...

once the pair of rotating walls completed their movement, both paths should have remained accessible.

Path 1 leading forward.

And Path 2—the route they'd entered through.

Tick.

The curved wall suddenly stopped.

The entrance behind them—the Hunters' escape route—was left open by barely eight millimeters.

"It's heavy. Huh? Even when I put my strength into it, it won't move. What is this?"

What they didn't yet know was that the [Delhi 1614] gate contained a few minor defects.

Bzzzzzzzz—

A sound like a frayed electrical wire throwing sparks came from somewhere nearby.

The noise originated from the structure embedded in the dungeon wall.

Ordinarily, devices of this kind used magical objects as internal power sources for machinery.

Yet this dungeon—perhaps out of some bizarre sense of pride—had the peculiar habit of leaving such vital energy sources exposed, protruding openly where anyone could see them.