Chapter 399

Just before the conversation properly began, a sense of impending tension hung in the sea breeze.

I thought he would definitely have changed his number, considering I had contacted him through the same one before, which was why I opened with that greeting... but there was no need to dwell on such preliminaries.

For the record, there was no time to waste today, and this was a moment when I needed to minimize the time spent on conversation somehow. So I boldly skipped all the formalities. What I needed right now was neither logic nor persuasion—it was provocation.

"Please save me!"

Having seized his attention with that opening, I immediately followed up.

"Right now, the citizens of Seoul are in mortal danger. The seventh [Sin Classification] appeared far outside our predictions, and it would take too long to explain everything, so I'll summarize the key point: the gate that appeared in our capital is expected to 'break' in about the time it takes to cook a cup of instant noodles."

Of course, at that moment, I delivered the sentence faster than ever before—quickly, yet with precise articulation of the meaning. Such linguistic technique could rival that of a mage who specialized in [Wordcraft] spells. Yet I had no time to feel proud of it; I hurriedly adjusted my grip on the phone and continued.

"Ugh, this situation is really complicated and exhausting."

On one side of my mind, I was thinking about how to phrase my words as effectively as possible. On the other, I was double- and triple-checking the destination coordinates for the teleportation spell.

Scribble, scribble.

"Good thing I stashed this away inside the Pride Castle."

I held up the minion's magic stone that I had secretly picked up. To be honest, it was the result of a bad habit I had developed back in my F-rank days unconsciously resurfacing. But since I had picked up something like this anyway, I could at least use it to draw a makeshift magic circle.

Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.

"The material isn't soft, so it's not really suitable for this."

The civilians aboard the ship were currently staring at me with expressions that seemed to ask, "What is this person suddenly doing on the deck?" They simply did not dare speak up because I was an S-rank hunter. But right now, I had no time to concern myself even with those looks.

I attempted a magical aid that strayed as far from a perfect circle as possible—so much so that it looked more like a doodle—and immediately returned to the call.

"So, I'm sorry, but could Hunter Kang Changho go there in person and buy us some time, even if only for a little while?"

I was asking him to enter the seventh [Sin Classification].

"In other words, you're asking me to be a human buffer."

The other person understood my point perfectly.

[If a living human remains inside the feeding box, the space does not collapse.]

The proposal I had just made was nothing less than a declaration that I intended to exploit that fundamental characteristic of the gate.

"That's an inhumane request, isn't it?"

From Kang Changho's perspective, that reaction was only natural. Using a gate on the verge of breaking as a sacrificial plug had long been criticized from all sides as an outdated form of human sacrifice. Still—given these exceptional circumstances—would it not honestly be worth trying?

Kang Changho was an S-rank Awakened physical-combat mage. But the target was an A-rank hunting ground affected by Sloth.

No matter how notorious a [Sin Classification] might be, it could not overcome the inherent difference in rank. The speedrun-style strategy I had just successfully executed was evidence supporting that point.

Moreover, according to what had been revealed while dealing with the Wrath, Greed, and Lust gates... the otherworldly dimensions of the Seven Sin Classifications only exposed a person to their effects for about ten minutes, and nothing catastrophic happened within that span. That amount of time was not enough for anyone's condition °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to deteriorate seriously.

"Once the [Spatial Leap] I'm preparing is complete, I'll reach land faster than the White Bird team that left ahead of me."

Five minutes remained until I could set foot on the capital's ground. Using the archmage's instincts to locate the gate would take thirty seconds. Then I would immediately sprint toward the destination in my second Awakened body and physically reach it within ten minutes.

"The dungeon break deadline is shorter than that, but if a mammal enters midway and resets it, we'd effectively have ten minutes plus a little extra..."

I calculated the total amount of time it would take me to reach the site and once again presented the same argument into the microphone.

"I'm only saying this because I'm confident you won't get hurt in there. If Hunter Kang Changho's life were truly at risk, I would never have suggested something like this."

That said, I knew we were in the middle of an urgent situation. But one thing bothered me so much that I could not simply let it pass.

"No, but why is the call quality so bad... Can you hear me clearly?"

Relay installation, satellite communication—anyway, everything had been set up according to Earth's methods so that calls could go through even from the ship. Still, could something be wrong simply because we were at sea? But really, having a little water around should not interfere with the signal this badly, should it?

"There's way too much crackling noise."

The moment I reflexively voiced my doubts, the hunter surnamed Kang replied in a calm, even tone.

"Ah, that's because I'm out for a walk right now. The wind noise is getting picked up by the speaker."

Well, some people really had it easy.

That was the first thought that came to mind when I heard him speak.

But the more I thought about it, the more that single phrase—"out for a walk"—carried an unexpectedly important implication.

"Wait, you're already outside? You're not at home? Then... you're not in Seoul right now, are you?"

No answer came through the phone speaker.

So I spoke again, impatience filling my voice.

"I sincerely hope you at least have one [Shroud of the Underworld] to get back to Seoul. Anyway, the situation right now is really bad. That's why I'd personally like to borrow Hunter Kang Changho's strength, and I sincerely apologize for breaking my promise not to interfere. Still, if you help me this time, I'll grant one of your requests in return!"

Having explained the circumstances and made my request, it was now time to offer a suitable reward.

"Of course, I can't accept anything too unreasonable. But I've made promises with Kang Changho more than once before. He'll surely understand those limits."

An S-ranker who had once submerged an entire gate underwater and dropped a massive floating island from the sky.

If someone like that were to stand in for you somewhere like a temporary part-timer and grant you a wish in exchange... of course, most people would gladly welcome the opportunity.

"Besides, taking on a one-time task like this falls completely outside the scope of any work-related trauma."

I cautiously added another point to reinforce my argument.

[If the capital collapses, wouldn't you, as one of its residents, naturally suffer as well?]

I hoped the hunters here had grown up decently enough that they would not want to antagonize a national hero, and so on and so forth.

This was something anyone could infer simply from what a certain Awakened had said in the past.

Kang Changho, despite enduring all kinds of inconveniences because of his low hunting rank, was a Korean who had never left this country.

I tried persuading him under the assumption that the [Sin Classification] incident unfolding in Seoul would inconvenience him as well.

"So you know you broke your promise."

But the response I received was unexpected.

Promise.

He was the first to bring up the unspoken non-aggression pact that had quietly formed between us.

"You're telling me to 'go into the dungeon' immediately after blatantly ignoring my repeated warnings not to contact me... You really do manage to be rude in a different way every single time."

Honestly, I'm actually quite gentle for an Alphauri.

"But you've misunderstood something. I honestly don't care if Seoul falls apart."

At that moment, my eyes instinctively widened at the words that came through the receiver.

"I admit I've acted in ways that could easily be misunderstood. I simply prefer familiar surroundings. But if unexpected inconveniences keep happening..."

"What?"

"Then I'll just emigrate. Emigrate."

A shocking statement from an S-rank hunter born with a golden spoon in his mouth—second only to Esther in terms of domestic real estate holdings.

"Hey, you brat. Don't you care about housing prices?"

It was then that a sense of foreboding rose within me.

Just as the cold judgment in my chest had predicted, he ultimately rejected the proposal.

"Besides, in this day and age, who would believe a promise made only with words?"

He even offered a fairly convincing argument.

That was the last thing I heard.

Next came the sharp crack of the signal cutting out through the phone speaker.

Above all, the mechanical static that had persisted throughout the conversation vanished completely, making the situation perfectly clear.

"He hung up first."

Today, it was obvious that my number had been blocked as well—there was no chance of calling back.

"Damn it!"

If I had known it would come to this, I should have used my trump card—Threaten!—from the very beginning.

That atelier-like place of his...

Maybe if I had acted like a thug and forced him to help while I was still asking nicely, the result would have been better.

"As expected, we've run out of time. Even if I'd managed to persuade him properly, it would've been difficult to get him moving within six minutes anyway."

A brief flash of self-doubt.

"The capital is simply destined for a dungeon break. Better accept reality and focus on preparing for it."

I tasted the bitterness of failure as I continued constructing the [Spatial Leap] spell.

I could only hope this would not turn into something far worse, but honestly, what else could I do?

***

Wusung...

[Time is short, so please cross on the next signal.]

The roar of countless car engines.

The voice prompts from pedestrian traffic signals, and so on.

The familiar noises of a bustling city filled the surroundings.

Amid that clamor stood a modern Asian capital where towering skyscrapers had firmly taken root.

Seoul.

Yet despite the familiarity of the scene, those everyday sounds carried an overwhelming sense of chaos.

Bang!

Baaang!

"Turn on your blinker! Does it cost money or something?!"

Defying the experts' predictions, the Castle of Sloth appeared after an unprecedentedly short interval.

Moreover, the warning that it would erupt in only a few minutes had already been broadcast to the citizens.

Of course, human lives took priority over property values.

The people living among the skyscrapers immediately began evacuating, trying to put even a little distance between themselves and the disaster.

"No, it had been quiet for a while. January's already over, so what's with all this commotion?"

"Oh my. So—"

News broadcasts, radio, and every kind of public audio system had been mobilized to report on the situation.

On the enormous electronic billboard mounted on the wall of a building, an announcer calmly delivered updates in real time.

Yet even with all those warnings, there were always a few people who ended up letting their guard down.

"Hey, but I saw on the news that the dungeon that appeared there makes people lazy. I'm unemployed anyway, so it shouldn't matter if I get a little lazier. Wouldn't staying in my room and resting solve the problem?"

"What are you talking about, you lunatic? Hahaha! Shut up and get in the car, quickly."

Compared to something like Wrath, the effect of Sloth seemed much weaker.

Yet from an expert's perspective, opinions like that were surprisingly difficult to accept.

The [Sin Classifications] that had appeared so far tended to apply their respective concepts to living beings in an aggressive manner.

And because the gates had been created by non-humans in the first place, predicting them perfectly was nearly impossible.

Take eating, drinking, or even breathing, for example.

If humans became so lazy that they found even the acts necessary for survival bothersome, what would happen then?

"Tsk, tsk."

A hunter who fully understood the risks clicked their tongue every time they overheard the carefree chatter around them.

"They should be starting the engine instead of standing around talking like that—"

But no matter how frustrating it was, what could this small group possibly do?

"Everyone! The dungeon's magic measurement results are in!"

"What score?"

"What's the score, then?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it's definitely top-tier, but it exceeded the A-rank upper limit by about twenty points."

"What the—? Then by international standards, it's technically S-rank, right?"

New facts continued emerging at the scene.

Just as the archmage had instinctively warned, the current [Castle of Sloth] had developed differently from the previous gates.

A system that could arguably be called unrivaled was soon discovered.

As if monsters had meticulously "sharpened their blades" in preparation for war, the tirelessly diligent creatures stood lined up in perfect order, eyes wide open as they waited.

"This..."

Bird-like beasts that, in the darkness of night, could almost be mistaken for humans.

The weapon-wielding monsters appeared to be variants of a certain gate creature known as [Blind and Nest].

Their magical power was far higher than that of any previous [Sin Classification].

Inside, bird soldiers swarmed as though ready to burst out at any moment.

Who in the world would dare enter a nest filled with monsters like that?

"That gate is set to break in just a few minutes. Honestly, even knowing that, there's no way to stop it. Any team that enters would be in danger within seconds, and no one's going to stand their ground if they're going to take a bullet to the head first."

The more information came in from the initial exploration team, the more chaotic the atmosphere at the site became.

Murmurs.

They had gathered because a major crisis was imminent, but the hunters on site trembled with anxiety, wondering whether they would be able to handle it.

"E, everyone, please calm down. The people who went to the 6th [Sin Classification] are already on their way back to Seoul."

"When... when?"

"If they're coming all the way from the 6th Classification, that's more than 200 kilometers. Even with [White Bird], a few minutes won't be nearly enough!"

And it was not as though monsters were the only problem.

Once people entered, it was obvious that they would gradually become lazier.

It was no joke.

Their combat power would plummet.

So another high-ranking official from the Association was sweating profusely, agonizing over how to handle the situation...

Vrooom.

At a time like this...

And of all places, who in the world would ride a motorcycle into such a crowded plaza?

"Whose brat is stupid enough to ride his motorcycle up onto the sidewalk?"

At the sudden roar of the motorcycle, one of the hunters raised their phone, clearly intending to photograph the license plate in front of them.

"If I report this, I'll practically win a gift card."

But just as the phone's camera application finally loaded, the nameless hunter caught sight of the approaching stranger's face.

"Hmm?"

The moment he recognized the person framed on his screen, he immediately lowered his phone.

"Huh?"

And so, rather than looking through the electronic screen, he faced the situation with his own eyes.

For someone like that, traffic etiquette was far too trivial an offense to bring up—this man already had far heavier stains on his record.

To be precise, that kind of Awakened had now appeared right before him.

How could anyone possibly fail to react?

"W, who called that hunter here...? No, more importantly—how on earth did he even get here...?"

Soon, the sound of the motorcycle being pulled over onto the sidewalk was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Click, click, click, click, click.

In addition, the shutters of the reporters gathered at the disaster site began snapping.

The clicking was so sharp that it almost rang in the ears as they frantically took photographs.

The man who had ridden fully onto the sidewalk did not even bother telling the nearby crowd to move aside.

He simply walked forward, as though naturally expecting the path to clear on its own.

"H, Hunter Kang Changho?"

South Korea's third S-rank hunter came to a stop directly in front of a middle-aged civilian.

As soon as he spotted the site manager dealing with the press, he gestured with one hand and said,

"I'll take care of this gate."

No greeting.

No small talk.

Just a blunt proposal.

In a way, it was shocking.

"Is that okay?"

"No, well... uh..."

"Or are you just going to let it blow up?"

"No! Please take care of it."

But in any case, there were not exactly many other options.

Before anyone could even begin questioning the peculiarity of the situation, Kang Changho continued, adding something even more startling immediately after that half-hearted permission slipped out.

The truth was, he had no intention of acting as some temporary stopper to delay the dungeon break.

If he was going to enter the [Castle of Sloth], he intended to make full use of its guaranteed epic system.

In short, what the S-rank hunter declared was this:

He was going inside to clear it completely, so everyone else could stop worrying.

"Really?"

If it was that purple-haired mutant, there was no telling when he might change his mind.

No one could fathom the true depths of his thoughts.

Yet just as one of the high-ranking officials began relaying various details out of sheer caution, Kang Changho spoke again.

"I heard the situation is urgent in more ways than one, so I can't exactly spare the time for a long explanation right now..."

Unlike when he had merely been speaking over the phone, this time he spoke with the restrained assertiveness he had kept hidden before.

"As you all just heard, I'll be the one clearing that gate from here on out. But personally, I don't like anyone tagging along on my raids. So when the other hunters arrive, make sure you tell them exactly what I said."

"H, how?"

"If anyone else enters that gate, I'll kill them."