Chapter 394

But at this point, with no clear solution to the current dungeon either... all that's left is a precarious tug-of-war to keep things from exploding.

Wrath. Envy. And now, Gluttony.

Counting them one by one, this troublesome feeding box had only just revealed the third in the series.

Just as I'd thought back at the Association, the magic I intended to use against the Gisimche was still incomplete, so it really wasn't ideal for this body to intervene directly right now.

And according to the Earthlings, there were no fewer than seven representative concepts of sin in total.

Three as of today. Four more to go.

At this pace, it seemed like there would still be some breathing room. After all, it wasn't as though every slot had already been filled and the workload was piling up all at once.

"Hmm."

With those thoughts in mind, I slowly began wrapping up the day's schedule.

"Huh?"

But it seemed the prediction I'd just made had been far too optimistic.

It happened in the brief span of a few minutes as we were leaving the gym. Jung Haseong and I were walking down the hallway toward the exit of the rented space when the dark-eyed mammal trailing a few steps behind suddenly raised his voice.

"What?"

"No, it's just..."

"Did you get another call?"

"That's not it."

Tsk.

I straightened up and stopped walking. The soles of my shoes made a brief sound against the floor as I turned around.

What I saw was the nation's number one Hunter staring intently at his smartphone, deep in thought.

"England. Finland. And Russia."

"What?"

I wondered why he was suddenly listing those place names.

But a moment later, a fairly convincing hypothesis came out of his mouth.

"Hunter Kim. This could just be a minor miscalculation on my part."

"Got it. Just say it."

"I just looked up the coordinates of the third [Sin Classification] online."

"Mhm."

"Then I tried picturing the locations of the first Wrath [Sin Classification] and this newly revealed region in Russia together..."

"Why? What's strange about them?"

"Why does it feel like they're getting closer and closer to us?"

At that moment, faint wrinkles appeared on the forehead of the top-ranked Awakened.

He had unconsciously frowned.

"Hunter, imagine there's a globe in front of us. If we mark the locations where the gates have appeared so far, strangely enough, the coordinates seem to fall almost along a single straight line."

"Oh my."

"Could it just be my imagination?"

"Haseong, sorry to say this, but in the universe we live in, there really aren't that many things that happen without a reason."

The possibility that the origin points of the sin-themed gates were restricted to a single straight line.

And this wasn't some random thought from just anyone. It had come from Jung Haseong himself.

What's more, he was a Hunter with a career that could only be described as legendary.

'This is the intuition of a living dungeon encyclopedia who's cleared an astronomical number of gates.'

I immediately judged that his theory had considerable credibility.

'No matter how primitive this planet may be, I can't just dismiss the accumulated experience of a Hunter like that.'

But trust in the person aside, once a hypothesis comes to mind, the natural next step is to test it.

So as soon as the idea arose, we both turned our phones back on. One of us pulled up an app that could display Earth in 3D, while the other downloaded a simple world map, and together we checked the locations of the gates.

And what the process revealed was this.

"Uh-huh..."

"Yeah. Just like you said, it really is a straight line."

I barely managed to tear my gaze away from the phone screen.

"What's more, the gates are appearing on a perfectly straight line, without even a 0.1-centimeter or 1-degree margin of error."

The truth had finally come to light.

The [Sin Classification], unfolding like a film series one installment at a time, actually had a level of intentionality comparable to that of an adult.

"Oh my... damn it. I still haven't memorized Earth's geography, so I didn't even think to check something like this."

If the same thing had happened on Alphan, I would've noticed the direction faster than any of the mammals around me.

But the real problem was that there were still four types of dungeons left.

The spacing between them wasn't exactly uniform, so predicting their precise locations was impossible.

Still, if all seven dungeons were going to appear, wouldn't the line inevitably have to pass through the Korean Peninsula at least once?

"Damn it. At this rate, South Korea is 100% going to get caught up in this brainwashing-gate mess."

To be completely honest, until this point I'd treated the [Sin Classification] as just another incident happening across the sea.

If my current research happened to finish quickly, I could lend a hand. If not, then so be it.

I'd always taken it that lightly.

But now that the problem had entered my immediate living area, I could no longer arrogantly talk about helping only if I felt like it.

'What I've been pouring my heart and soul into is developing new magic. There's a chance it might fail, so I'd planned to disappear at any moment if things went wrong!'

But what could I do?

'At this rate, my escape route is basically blocked. Before things get out of hand, I can't afford to keep ignoring this. I absolutely have to succeed.'

At my age, I really should've learned by now that life never goes the way you want it to.

I pursed my lips at the bitter taste in my mouth and blinked a few times out of habit.

And about two hours after the truth was revealed.

'At this speed, the information couldn't have spread because of Jung Haseong's report. Did other experts on Earth notice the anomaly in the gate locations around the same time?'

By then, the unusual pattern in the dungeon formations was already being widely discussed online, and once the relevant information began circulating, netizens responded in all sorts of ways.

[Translation] News that the probability of the Sin Classification appearing in Korea is 95%... meanwhile, the situation in Japan... [jpg]

[GXG: Oh yeah, watching the chaos ww]

[JFCC: Koreans tend to have a very strong—perhaps excessively strong—'hungry spirit', so if one appears there, a 'stingy' gate would suit them.]

[tm3s: I feel bad for Mr. Jung living on the disaster-prone Korean Peninsula. I'll take him in as an immigrant.]

But I couldn't afford to relax just because of comments like these.

As soon as the calculations suggested that Korea would fall within the dungeon disaster zone, information like this began appearing on television as well.

[Follow-up Report] Meanwhile, Japan has an 80% chance of becoming the seventh country affected by the Sin Gate. [jpg]

[GXG: (´- `)]

The dangers had become visible to everyone.

By now, both online and within the Korean Hunter Association, countless people were asking whether anyone had any good ideas for dealing with the incident.

Even so, the frustrating truth was that I still had no intention of acting immediately.

'A normal feeding box would be one thing. But this thing is really crossing the line as a special gate. I need to use this opportunity to restore order...'

Entering and clearing the dungeon itself would be easy.

But from my position, aiming for long-term gains through the magic I'd prepared, I couldn't afford to act recklessly here and there.

"Damn it. Fine. It can't be helped. I'll give up what needs to be given up."

The fortunate part, however, was that there was a real delay between each dungeon's appearance.

In preparation for a possible disaster, every fifth-rank Hunter remained inside South Korea.

For the time being, that tense situation continued.

***

Tuk, tuk, tuk.

The sound of dripping water came from somewhere.

"By the way, I heard that leaving it like that keeps the pipes from bursting. Now that the winter temperature has stabilized, can I shut the water off completely...?"

Several hours had passed since I'd pulled an all-nighter, driven as though some tyrannical boss were standing over me with a whip.

For the past 60 hours, I hadn't had a single proper break, endlessly repeating nothing but experiments and research.

"Let me get out of the basement for a while and see some sunlight. I've finally become a normal Earthling."

But in the middle of that miserable stretch, I finally received some good news.

[●YTV News Live Broadcast Alert]

To be precise, it was news delivered at remarkable speed by a certain broadcasting station.

[Sin Classification Finally Cleared for the First Time—the first victory came from the 'Stingy' concept gate in Kazakhstan]

To be honest, no matter how great a magician I may be, I alone am not the protagonist of the world.

Sometimes, events move forward perfectly well without me stepping in.

"Huh? Surprisingly, the fourth box, which appeared relatively recently, was the first one cleared?"

However, the strategy revealed alongside the news of that victory was rather shocking.

The anchor explained the situation in concise terms, but the method used to deal with the brainwashing-filled feeding box was so extreme that one might worry it violated broadcasting regulations on violence.

.

.

First, let's establish a premise.

A trap that provokes stinginess appeared somewhere in a Central Asian country on Earth.

Furthermore, the greed induced by this trap isn't limited to money or property.

Let's say it forces people into a state where they refuse to share anything they possess with others.

Because of that, the fourth [Sin Classification] that appeared in Kazakhstan boasted an unusually high level of difficulty.

Hunters who entered the otherworldly space fell victim to the brainwashing and tried to conserve their stamina and mana in every possible way.

While the Hunters weakened themselves in that manner, the enemies inside the gate behaved in exactly the opposite way, caring for their nestmates with a more 'charitable' attitude than anyone else.

'These stupid Gisimche bastards... How did they understand Earth's combat system well enough to make such an unnecessarily overpowered monster?'

Ah, right.

I hadn't mentioned this yet, but according to information shared by the Kazakh authorities, the dungeon monsters displayed attack patterns completely opposite to the symbolic brainwashing effect.

Take the Anger Gate in England, for example.

While Hunters flew into rages and ran wild, the monsters gave off an unnaturally calm and composed impression.

"Normally, you can control a beast's aggression with loud noises or physical shocks. But at that Anger-stimulation gate, strangely enough, none of the usual methods worked."

No matter what anyone tried, the monsters showed no emotional fluctuations at all.

They responded to attacks strictly according to predetermined patterns.

Because of that unusual trait, the feeding box was much harder to break through than usual.

Do you know how Kazakhstan, which entered the incident relatively late, managed to clear the [Sin Classification] so quickly on its own?

"Is this the raid strategy?"

An S-rank Asian Hunter discovered that the various brainwashing effects of the [Sin Classification] could be completely reset by sufficiently intense pain...

And for reference, the wording wasn't exaggerating how intense it had to be.

"Every time their will started to waver inside the dungeon, they supposedly drove a knife into the back of their own hand to bring themselves back to reality. No, this mammal... I've never even seen their face before, but suddenly I feel a strange sense of kinship with them as an Alphan."

Are they insane?

They're not some martial artist undergoing ascetic training.

What kind of primitive solution is this?

"This is human abuse. Even a village dog can recite poetry after three years—do you really think I, an intelligent being, still haven't learned something that obvious?"

But surprisingly, the strategy had proven incredibly effective.

Above all else, the fact that Kazakhstan's [Sin Classification] was the only one successfully cleared served as proof.

"Hmm."

Still, no matter how effective it was, deliberately driving a knife into your own hand was far too extreme for most people to imitate.

"I'm fine with it, but ordinary Earthlings couldn't do that."

After looking up more articles on my phone, it seemed the person who had successfully carried out Kazakhstan's strategy was a former soldier already known for their exceptional willpower.

But whether someone was a former soldier or even an active-duty servicemember, that strategy wasn't something that should be recommended lightly.

So every country found itself struggling with the same dilemma.

They had at least discovered a method that could definitively close the gate.

But was it really right to solve the problem through such extreme means?

And on top of that, could anyone even enforce such instructions on those monstrous S-rank individuals in the first place...?

'Inside the [Sin Classification], the brainwashing keeps accumulating, so stabbing the back of your hand just once isn't enough to solve the problem. That's another headache.'

Various discussions continued.

And to be honest, neither they nor I had much time left. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

'The Anger [Sin Classification], which appeared first, is already approaching the limits of what humans can endure.'

The longer Earthlings remained exposed to a particular gate, the more intensely agitated they became.

For reference, how had that trait been discovered?

About ten hours earlier in England, an A-rank team had collectively ended up in a psychiatric detention facility.

They were a group of Awakened primarily responsible for managing the [Sin Classification], and after a trivial argument, they suddenly caused major property damage.

That was the trigger.

Through that incident, the Awakened realized just how persistent the [Anger] state was.

And the moment they recognized that their emotional condition was abnormal, they caused another uproar.

In other words, they began screaming that the effects might become permanent and rushed straight to the hospital.

'Uh... this is really just my personal thought, but those British Hunters would probably be healed immediately by the magical mechanism if they stabbed themselves with a knife. If I said something like that out loud, they'd realize I'm an alien instantly, wouldn't they?'

Moreover, because of the way the dungeons were appearing along a specific route, South Korea was only a short time away from being directly involved.

"Hmm."

For a brief moment, I'd been pleased to hear that the Earthlings had managed to deal with [Sin Classification] on their own.

But judging by the way things were unfolding, it looked like this matter was still going to have to pass through the hands of a great magician at least once.

"Alright. After this, it'll be the last one anyway."

I nodded and placed my phone back on the desk.

"And besides, I've already finished all the magic I intend to use..."

A feeding box that torments humans endlessly and even forces them to injure themselves just to clear it.

But now, the Gisimche's rampage was over.

I, someone confident in pest control, had just finished developing the insecticide I intended to use for the time being.

***

But what on earth is going on?

"Huh?"

Just one day later.

In fact, while someone was still holed up in the basement, the fifth [Sin Classification] had already appeared on Earth.

It was simply that one of the previous gates had been cleared quickly.

That meant Kazakhstan's gate and another gate somewhere in Mongolia had been active at the same time.

However, given the route along which the dungeons were appearing, the upcoming sixth [Sin Classification] was inevitably going to become our problem.

Rather than leave the country at such an awkward time, it was better to stay put and wait patiently for our turn.

That was why I'd remained in South Korea until now.

And about 24 hours later, exactly as predicted, the [Sin Classification] appeared somewhere near the western part of the Korean Peninsula.

"What is this?"

However, even though I was an S-rank Hunter representing South Korea, I still hadn't set foot inside the gate.

I was pretty sure they had the concept of territorial waters here too.

But suddenly, every article was full of unfamiliar terms like continental shelf claims and whatever else.

It was because China had suddenly raised objections regarding the raid rights for the sixth [Sin Classification].