Chapter 13
When I close my eyes and open them, its a different world. How ridiculous
I didnt know this until now, but when I looked closely, I realized that this was the inside of some kind of building.
A high ceiling that feels like a mythical giant will pass by. And the white hallway.
The back and sides are blocked by walls, and the straight road points only to the front.
Is it really inside the gate?
How does a weak creature that cant even use fire magic overcome these difficulties?
Please save this alien
First of all, I dont want the worst case scenario of encountering a monster at a dead end.
I began to walk while trembling.
After some time, I finally arrived at some unusual place.
Uhm?
A square room with four crossroads.
The road ahead was blocked by a huge door that couldnt be pushed even with the strength of a man.
The remaining three roads are clear. For reference, one is the one I just passed by.
Theres something written there.
However, the thing that draws my attention the most is the monument that is stuck in the middle of the room.
I bent down to examine the mysterious monument.
At the same time, footsteps began to be heard from both sides of the passage.
Hiik!
There is another creature here.
Sometimes it is comforting to know that Im actually not alone. On the one hand, it is a source of fear.
So I flinched for a moment
Huh? These are the footsteps of Earthlings, right?
Tak, tak, tak.
Not long after, the main character of the footsteps appeared.
The one on the left is a large man who appears to be in his 30s.
While the one on the right path is a person with a neat impression who seems a little younger than Kiryeo.
Fortunately, one of the two is familiar.
Kang Changho?
Hmm?
I called his name without thinking. Then Kang Changho gave a light hand greeting.
Aside from why Kang Changho is here. Then theres one more person left.
Black hair, black eyes. Its typical.
While I was guessing who that person who appeared in the path on the right might be, Kang Changho suddenly came forward.
Ah, Jung Haseong!
He greeted the person standing on the other side warmly.
I heard youre in Singapore?
I returned home today.
But if the answer is that stiff, arent the two of them not that close?
Do you know each other?
I walked toward them and asked them a simple question.
However, the two people who were talking heard me and turned their heads in surprise.
No, whats wrong?
Hunter Kim Kiryeo. Im just asking, just in case, dont you know Jung Haseong?
Its my second week on Earth, do you get it?
Theres no way I can give that answer. I closed my mouth.
Then Kang Chang-ho laughed as if he saw something funny.
Haha! Do you see that? He really doesnt know you.
.
I guess you need to work harder on this. Look, the hunter in front of you is acting like he doesnt even care what Jeong Ha-seong is doing.
Who in the world is he to react this way?
As someone who doesnt know the situation, I had nothing to say, so I stood with my back to him for a moment, but as the mutual introduction continued, a cold sweat broke out.
Anyway, if you dont know each other, just calling each other by title is troublesome, so lets introduce ourselves in advance, shall we? Now, this is Jung Haseong.
.
He is ranked first in the Korean hunter rankings.
Shit.
You can hear people outside calling him a national hero, but since you dont know who he is, ignore that.
Hes a much greater person than I expected.
What if Im discovered to be an alien? Feeling worried, I glanced at the person named Jung Haseong.
But the other person just keeps a cold face and remains silent.
And Jung Haseong, this is Hunter Kim Kiryeo. His rank is F-Class.
Ah, hello.
Yes.
Jung Haseongs gaze stayed with me for quite some time.
And he asked a short question.
Are you two suddenly dragged to this place?
After seeing us nod, Jung Haseong seemed to be pondering for a moment and briefly manipulated the clock on his wrist.
Then surprisingly
Huh.
A square blue screen appears in Jung Haseongs vision.
It looks like a hologram, and anyway Im sure its made of light.
[Unidentified gate]
[Description: There is no gate information.]
[Grade: EX]
Could that be an analyzer too?
This is the technology of the Earth
I had no idea there was such a sophisticated looking analyzer.
I was amazed as I peeked at the screen, and Jung Haseong nodded his head as he read the words written there.
First of all, it is clear that it is inside the gate. The rank is Extra. Its troublesome.
What is EX-rank?
I took the device out of my pocket and tried to search for a word I didnt know.
But the cell phone didnt work properly; the screens were rainbow-colored and there was noise.
Oh my, I also came in without a protection case. If you dont get out quickly, your phone will be ruined due to interference.
From what Kang Changho said, it seems that it is difficult to use general electronic devices at the gate.
Then is there no way to contact Ahn Yoonseung?
I swallowed dry saliva and carefully placed my cell phone in my pocket.
There was silence for a moment.
Would you please come here? Theres something written on the stone tablet.
It was Jung Haseong who broke the silence.
Kang Changho and I followed the call and approached the object in the center of the room. The following was written on the strange sculpture there.
< It will become a symbol and key of true faith. >
The meaningful message
Is this a hint needed for the attack?
Looking at it, it seems that this place isnt just about defeating monsters.
I think the only way to proceed is through that door, so lets go first.
If I open my mouth for no reason, it will only be revealed that I have an empty mind.
I was forced to become a quiet person and followed Jung Haseong, and the next place I arrived was this room.
Its the same as before, right?
I escaped from the white room and found myself in another huge white room.
However, the detailed structure is different.
Only one exit. And something placed instead of a stone tablet.
Looking closely, I saw that it was a statue of a lions head with its mouth open.
It looks like there is a round opening inside the mouth.
Its just a hole big enough to fit a persons arm into.
Kang Changho, who was standing behind the statue, said something, but no one tried to put a hand on it.
Are you crazy enough to put your hand into the lions mouth? I feel uncomfortable because Im already inside the gate.
Hunter Kang Changho. Please help me for a moment.
Me?
But then.
Standing at the doorway to this room, Jung Haseong calmly asked for help.
It may not have been a big deal to him, but what followed was shocking.
The door cant be opened by my own strength.
S-Class Hunter, do you know about what kind of beings S-class hunters are on Earth?
These magicians, who had exceptional talent among humans exposed to magical power, boasted literally monstrous abilities.
But now two such S-Class Hunters have gathered together.
Crazy.
I cant believe he said he cant open the door.
A few minutes later.
After thinking about it, we decided that Jung Haseong would use explosive magic on the door as a last resort.
You cant open it with force!
So what should we do to open it?
As all methods failed, attention naturally focused on one place.
Dont tell me
We looked at the lion statue located in the center of the room.
This room is an empty plain, so the only thing worth trying is that lion statue.
Shall we destroy it?
Several attempts were made after that, but we were isolated without being able to scratch the lion statue or open the door.
Thats how 10 minutes have passed.
I came here without any preparation, so if its continued like this, the food
As I thought of Kim Kiryeos cause of death, I was sensitive to the approaching risk of starvation.
It seems that Jung Haseong also had the same thought. As if he had made up his mind, he took a step forward in front of the lion statue.
And then, he secretly put his hand into the hole of the lion statue
.!
At that moment, the lions eyes, which were white, turned red.
Soon, the heavy door that had not budged slowly opened.
Oh.
Its open.
But, huh?
Jung Haseongs expression looks strange when he takes his hand off the lion statue.
He looks somehowsurprised.
Whats wrong with you?
When I looked closely, I saw that his hands had red teeth marks, as if they had been bitten by an animal.
Jung Haseong said while showing the wound on his hand.
It sucked my blood.
What?
I was so shocked that I tried to pull my arm out without realizing it, but it wouldnt come off no matter how hard I tried. It would have been quicker to cut off my shoulder.
Fortunately, the amount of blood sucked is small. He moved on to the next room as if it didnt matter.
I somehow feel like a guinea pig in a huge laboratory. Everything is white.
However, the appearance of the next room was ridiculous.
.
.
Jung Haseong and I were at a loss for words when we saw the sight beyond the door.
Why? Thats because the same lion statue I saw earlier was stuck in the center of the room.
Does it mean to do that again?
I guess the gate maker was very impressed by Roman Holiday?
Ugh.
Anyway, Jung Haseong put his arm in without dragging his feet, as if he had no intention of staying in this dungeon for a long time.
The door opened again.
Phew, but thanks to him, Im somehow moving forward.
If you put your arm into the lion statue, the door will open.
Its easy and simple. Its a puzzle that even a rat can solve.
Oh, theres a lion statue in the next room as well. If we repeat the same actions, will we be able to get out?
Maybe thats why Im relaxed.
Hunter Kang Changho, I have something to say to you for a moment.
However, due to Jung Haseongs next few words, the atmosphere here began to flow with an air current that could explode at any moment.
Can you open the next room for me?
Why?
How much blood the statue takes in has changed.
.
The first time was fine, but the second time I felt a little dizzy.
Is that so?
And for these dungeons, the demands usually increase gradually.
Lets take turns.
He suggested in a polite tone. Kang Changho answered sarcastically.
Well, youve been doing well so far, but why dont you just take the lead until the end?
In response, Jung Haseong calmly said as if he expected it.
So youre uncooperative in the attack.
Dont you know my Hunter ranking?
Because Ive never been interested in useless titles that line up people based on the number of gate closings.
Whoosh. A sharp metallic sound rings out from somewhere.
This was the sound of Jung Haseong pulling out the sword he was wearing around his waist, and Kang Changho watched it loosely.
I ask one more time. Hunter Kang Changho, lets take turns.
If I dont want to?
Would you like to see if a severed arm can open the door?
Uhm.
At this rate, theyll start fighting.
Excuse me
I tried to stop them, but I held my breath at Hunters words that followed.
Jung Haseong, please consider my position too. What if I take turns opening the door and end up getting life-threateningly blood-sucked in my turn? First of all, you should give me the authority to choose the timing so that we dont end up being unfair to each other, right?
Yeah. Why didnt I think of this all this time?
Everyone in the room had slowly realized the significance of this gate.
This place has a structure where you can move forward by offering human blood. And the hole through which blood is collected is just big enough to fit one persons arm.
In other words, the solution to this dungeon is for one person to become a sacrifice.
I belatedly remembered how dangerous EX-Class was.
Yeah. I saw an article by chance. So, the survival rate statistics are probably around 60%.
In conclusion, there are no monsters here. However it was never a safe place.
Perhaps, as Kang Changho said, he could die by having his entire bodys blood eaten by a lion.
Then theres a small problem now.
Uhm.
I am now trapped in a gate that forces the sacrifice of one of the people I entered with.
What was the awakening rank of those people?