NOVEL ONLINE FREE Ch. 5
The Gateway Zone was a kind of tutorial area, artificially created by the
It consisted of three different Gates.
All three Gates were modeled after regions that actually existed in the Upper-Dimensional Plane, and the first was a place based on the ‘Orc Mountains’ located in the northern part of the Upper-Dimensional Plane's continent.
[You have entered ‘Gateway Zone: First Gate’.]
[Checking the trial assigned to the ‘First Gate’.]
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[Trial: Orc Hunt]
■Overview: In the northern continent of the Upper-Dimensional Plane, there exists the ‘Orc race,’ a species of Magical Beasts that forms one of the pillars of the War against Demons. They are the ancestral Magical Beasts of the monsters known as goblins that appeared in the Lower-Dimensional Plane, possessing a similar appearance but with greater strength and physique. Assassinate them and prove your qualifications as a Hero.
■Clear Condition: Obtain an Orc's token and reach the end of the Gate.
■Difficulty: [Unranked]
■Time Limit: 5 hours.
■Reward: ‘???’
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‘…It’s been a while. This place, too.’
I wondered if this is what it would look like if you just covered the skyscrapers of Teheran-ro in Gangnam with trees.
The space that appeared before my blinking eyes was a forest lined with trees so massive that the word ‘huge’ couldn't begin to describe them.
“Hah… Fucking hell, this is so annoying. The War against Demons or whatever, who the hell do they think they are, pulling this shit.”
“So sleepy…”
“…Excuse me? Everyone, let's start with introductions.”
I wasn't the only one transported to this space.
There were three other people near me.
One was a man in his underwear, cursing and kicking a stone on the ground.
Another was a man in pajamas, dozing off with his eyes barely open and his head bobbing.
And the last one was a woman in a relatively normal one-piece dress.
They were all pretty familiar faces.
All three of them were A-rank Hunters in the Lower-Dimensional Plane, and there weren't even 200 A-rank Hunters in the country.
They were faces I'd seen around in an already small industry.
If anything.
“The one in his underwear is Hunter Choi Kang-hyuk of the CK Guild… and the one in pajamas holding a pillow seems to be Hunter Oh Chan-young of the Ace Guild… If it’s not too rude, may I ask your name?”
“I’m Seo U-jin. You probably don’t know me since I was a B-rank from a mid-tier guild.”
It was me who was unfamiliar to them.
“You’re Hunter Kim Sia, right?”
“Ah, yes… I’m Kim Sia, from the Hangang Guild.”
I clearly remembered these three because they were the ones who had undergone the Stairway Transcendence with me in Korea before my Regression.
Each of them was considered a top-tier A-rank, so even without this, as someone who was in the industry, they were people I couldn't help but know.
“For now, I assume you all heard the same explanation I did. It seems the recent ‘High-Rank Hunter Disappearance Cases’ are related to this. I’m just as flustered, but… you all see this, right?”
Hunter Kim Sia said, pointing to the empty air.
She seemed to be referring to the trial information visible in the system window.
“So, it looks like we need to hunt that monster called an ‘Orc’ to get out of this situation… Did anyone get any more information from that ‘Acolyte Priest of the Order’? In my case, a simple strategy guide…”
As Kim Sia tried to calmly assess the situation, the guy in his underwear(?) over there scratched the back of his head and spoke.
“Information? What for? Kim Sia, you’re Hunter Rank 38, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes… for now.”
“And Oh Chan-young here was around 25th, I think.”
His gaze turned to me.
“That runt over there said he’s B-rank, so we don’t even need to check his ranking.”
I almost let out a snort at his arrogant tone, but I managed to hold it in and just shrugged my shoulders.
The reason Choi Kang-hyuk cut Kim Sia off to say that was simple.
“Then I’m the strongest one here, right?”
He was starting by establishing a pecking order, just as he had always lived.
He was a Hunter with a tyrannical disposition who valued hierarchy based on power above all else, more than team atmosphere or raid efficiency.
“Let’s just listen to the strongest person. Aren’t we all more used to that anyway?”
“But…”
Kim Sia tried to object, but Choi Kang-hyuk cut her off and said firmly.
“If you don't like it, fine. I can just move on my own.”
“……!”
“But… you and Oh Chan-young, isn’t it hard to raid alone without any hunting gear?”
This was the very reason Choi Kang-hyuk had seized control in my past life as well.
He was a tanker-class Hunter with an Innate Ability that strengthened his physical might.
Oh Chan-young and Kim Sia, on the other hand, were Hunters with buffer-type Innate Abilities, if one had to classify them.
No matter how outstanding Kim Sia’s healing ability and Oh Chan-young’s buffing ability were, it was absurd to compare them to a tanker-class with only their own physical strength and no hunting gear.
Although his ability was simple in its application, in a bare-handed situation like this, there was no Innate Ability better suited for survival than a tanker's.
With a confident expression, Choi Kang-hyuk pounded his chest and said.
“The great Choi Kang-hyuk will carry you. You two just stick close behind me and focus on buffing and healing.”
“……”
“And you, B-rank runt, if you want to come along, look around and see if you can find anything to eat.”
It was a statement that could have been quite offensive, but no one objected to his words.
Of course, the three of them had different reasons for not objecting.
Kim Sia had decided to observe the situation and not step forward for now.
I didn't object because I already knew how it would end for him.
“…So sleepy.”
And Oh Chan-young didn't seem to have a single thought in his head.
“Follow me. I’ve got a feeling this is the way to find them, whether it’s that Orc monster or the end of the Gate.”
When a mood of general agreement formed, Choi Kang-hyuk nodded in satisfaction and pointed toward the deepening forest.
“Still, I think it would be better to at least prepare a little by gathering strategies and information… It’s not like we’ve ever met this Orc monster before.”
“Cut the crap and just follow. I read something about it being a goblin ancestor. It’ll just be a bit stronger or bigger than that.”
“……”
“I’ve snapped the necks of hundreds of goblin chieftains. What’s there to worry about?”
And so, despite Kim Sia’s attempts to dissuade him, Choi Kang-hyuk stubbornly set off.
The rest of us could only follow.
After walking for about ten minutes.
The distinct, unpleasant cry of a monster echoed from not too far away.
- Grr-lak.
It was a much heavier, deeper tone than the characteristic ‘keek-’ of a goblin.
Choi Kang-hyuk turned his head in that direction and grinned.
“There it is.”
His voice was brimming with confidence.
His tone perfectly revealed his mindset, which saw the orc beyond as mere prey.
…Actually, it was only natural.
He had made a living out of it, and as mentioned before, an A-rank Hunter was not a common rank.
Below, he would have been welcomed and praised wherever he went.
‘…Looking at him now, he’s kind of cute.’
Of course, that was a story that only applied in the Lower-Dimensional Plane, an attitude he could only show because he had no grasp of the Upper-Dimensional Plane yet.
Probably soon.
Yes, the moment he faced that orc, he would realize it.
Just what kind of place the Upper-Dimensional Plane was.
And within that Upper-Dimensional Plane, just how pathetic and shabby the name ‘Choi Kang-hyuk’ was.
* * *
Choi Kang-hyuk.
He had lived a life that suited his name, ‘Strongest.’
Even before the Rifts opened, he had shown exceptional talent in athletics since elementary school.
After awakening with the first Rift, he not only reached A-rank using his Innate Ability
Of course, it was difficult to call him the ‘strongest’ in the entire Hunter world, but in most situations, he ‘was’ the strongest.
Therefore, Choi Kang-hyuk thought.
This time, too, there would be no problem.
He had been transported in his underwear without any hunting equipment, but his ability wasn't some pathetic power like Kim Sia's or Oh Chan-young's that relied on gear.
It was an outstanding Innate Ability that could exhibit the same performance with his bare body.
He had never seen an ‘Orc’ monster in person, but based on the description in the window, he judged that if it was an ancestor of the goblin, it would be no problem.
If it was only a little stronger than that, he might struggle a bit without a strategy, but in terms of absolute strength, he would naturally have the upper hand.
[
[Muscle Up: Temporarily enhances overall physical strength, including muscular power, endurance, reflexes, and agility.]
‘Crack-’
This Innate Ability, which strengthened his overall physical power during battle, would undoubtedly show its strength this time as well.
“…Huh?”
…Or so he had thought.
- Grrr-luk?
Choi Kang-hyuk’s body froze as he came face to face with the orc.
“What is…”
The reason was very simple.
“……”
Dark green skin, much darker than a goblin’s.
A colossal height that looked to be at least 3 meters.
Massive muscles that looked to be in a different league from a goblin’s at a single glance.
A giant axe as tall as a person.
He was overwhelmed by the orc's strength, which was palpable from its appearance alone.
His combat sense, accumulated over years of hunting and fighting monsters, was screaming warnings inside his head.
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘Run away.’
‘This is an opponent you can never, ever defeat in a fight.’
It was on a completely different level from any monster he had ever faced.
He knew without even having to attack.
The moment his fist touched that massive body, his strength enhancement would mean nothing, and his right arm would be torn off completely.
“Th-th-this is no goblin…”
He stammered and looked back, but the others were in a similar state of panic.
The B-rank runt had seemingly already bolted and was nowhere to be seen.
Kim Sia had collapsed to the ground, and even Oh Chan-young was staring at the orc, his normally squinted eyes wide and round.
Everyone here was overwhelmed by the orc’s power.
Thud-!
The orc took a step toward Choi Kang-hyuk.
With the heavy footstep, the orc's right arm, holding the axe, was raised.
“N-no…”
Thud-!
Seeing the approaching orc, he desperately wanted to run, but for the first time in his life, Choi Kang-hyuk was realizing what it meant to be ‘unable to move.’
No matter how hard he tried to lift his feet, no matter what signals his brain sent, his legs, stiff with terror, wouldn't move.
Thud-!
Watching the approaching orc, Choi Kang-hyuk struck his unmoving legs.
Thwack- thwack- SMACK-!
“Move… move. You piece of sh*t—just move!!!”
As he struck and squeezed his legs with all his might, a little sensation returned, but by then, it was already too late.
“Sa…”
A dark shadow fell over him, and before his eyes, the orc was in a stance, about to bring its axe down with both hands.
“Save…”
And so.
Whoosh-
Just as he watched the axe descending toward his body, resigned himself to his fate, and squeezed his eyes shut.
Puk-!
Suddenly, a gruesome sound of flesh being pierced echoed.
At first, Choi Kang-hyuk thought his own body had been struck by the orc's axe.
However, he soon realized that wasn't the case.
“……?”
He felt no pain in his body, and though it was an attack he was sure would have been an instant kill, his mind seemed to be relatively clear.
Following the question mark that popped into his head, he heard a not-unfamiliar voice.
“Hey, it'd be a problem if you wet yourself.”
“……?”
“Especially for someone who only has a pair of underwear.”
As Choi Kang-hyuk cautiously opened his eyes, the orc was still standing before him.
…However.
Two things were different from a moment ago.
One was that the orc was foaming at the mouth, the whites of its eyes showing.
And the other was.
“If you wet yourself there, you don't have a change of clothes. I'd rather not see you running around naked.”
Seo U-jin, the B-rank Hunter he thought had run away, was standing on the orc's shoulder, having plunged a hunting dagger into the crown of its head.
“…Even the orc is wearing clothes, you know.”