Chapter 46
The moment I realized that Lorr had disappeared, I moved at once.
If a golem kidnapped Lorr…
The people left behind here from the Gate Management Office were either non-awakened civilians or non-combat hunters. They had no way to deal with a golem.
So… it’s better if I move quietly.
I went up to the third floor of the village hall and opened a rear window so I wouldn’t draw attention.
“Noona!”
At that moment, Daon called out to me urgently.
“You said we shouldn’t go outside…”
Daon clenched his small fists tightly. To reassure him, I deliberately spoke in a calm voice.
“I’m a hunter, so I’ll be fine.”
“You said it was dangerous! You could get hurt!”
“I won’t. Just wait here. I’ll bring Lorr back soon.”
Leaving only those words behind, I jumped straight out the window.
I ran through the village streets, silent as a grave, searching for Lorr.
“Lorr, where are you?!”
[Name: Lorr (Asphellor)]
[Race: Myth-grade Dimensional Dragon]
[Status: Help me!!!]
[Bond Level: ♥♥♥♥ (Lv. 4)]
[Current Location: Mountain path near Gyegwa Village]
I checked Lorr’s status window, but this alone made it hard to pinpoint his exact location.
Right—there was this.
The kids’ watch I had bought for Lorr!
Following the location displayed on the watch, I searched frantically.
Beep—beep—!
After running for a while, a sharp, piercing sound echoed from far outside the village.
That noisy, frantic sound—it was definitely coming from Lorr’s watch.
I immediately pulled out my magic bullet rifle and sprinted toward the sound.
By the time I completely left the village and entered the mountain slope—
I saw it: a black-clad golem, with Lorr in its grasp.
“…Lorr!”
The distance was too far.
Worse, even while holding Lorr, the golem was moving incredibly fast.
I accelerated even more, but it was only barely within the rifle’s effective range.
In the past, landing a hit from this distance would’ve been difficult.
But now—
It wasn’t just a feeling. It was certainty.
Then—!
“Lorr, don’t move!”
Without slowing down, I took aim and fired.
Bang! Bang!
With a heavy sound, the magic bullets tore through the air and pierced straight through the golem’s body.
Thud!
The golem collapsed, releasing Lorr from its grip.
I rushed over and scooped Lorr up from the ground.
“Lorr, are you okay?”
“Ueeng…”
Large tears pooled in Lorr’s eyes and spilled over.
I turned him around, checking him carefully from head to toe.
Only after confirming he wasn’t hurt did I finally let out a breath of relief.
“Whew… I’m so glad you’re okay, Lorr.”
“Ueeng… I was playing jacks, and then that thing suddenly kidnapped me.”
“You were scared, right? It’s okay now.”
As I gently patted his back, trying to soothe him, Lorr suddenly tried to act tough.
“Hmph! A mere mud doll like that is nothing! This great dragon wasn’t scared at all— hngyaaaak!”
At that moment, the golem lying on the ground twitched, and Lorr let out an ear-splitting scream.
It hadn’t been completely destroyed yet.
I fired again, aiming straight for the golem’s core.
Bang!
With the deafening gunshot, the golem lost all strength and crumbled apart.
Only then did relief finally spread across Lorr’s face.
Lorr was safe, and the immediate danger was over—but my heart felt strangely unsettled.
Why did it kidnap Lorr?
Just what was the true nature of that highly refined golem?
When I first encountered it, Yoon Sagyeong hadn’t panicked or acted surprised—he had merely frowned. He must have known something.
I wanted to ask him for more details, but he was currently inside the gate.
For now, I’ll just have to wait until the Unknown Gate is cleared.
“Lorr, shall we head back now?”
“Mm… wait. The chicken! What about the chicken?”
“The chicken? Don’t tell me—Kkokko No. 1 is here?”
“That bad mud doll stole the chicken, pyat…!”
Hop!
Lorr jumped out of my arms and ran toward a nearby thicket.
“Lorr!”
Chasing after him, I soon spotted brown feathers in the bushes.
“Gok… gok…”
Kkokko No. 1 lay collapsed weakly atop the brush.
According to Lorr, the chicken had tried to help him when he was kidnapped and had been kicked hard.
It must have taken a serious hit—there was barely any strength left even in its wing flaps.
“…Kkokko! Are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”
“Gok…”
“Chicken, get up, pyat!”
After staring worriedly at Kkokko No. 1 for a moment, Lorr placed his hand on the chicken’s wing.
Then—
“Gok… Kkokkiooo!”
With a sudden, powerful crow, Kkokko No. 1 sprang back to its feet.
Seeing that spirited 모습, it seemed to have regained at least some strength.
“Feeling better? Thank goodness. I was worried.”
“Thank you for saving me, pyat!”
Lorr spread his arms wide and hugged Kkokko No. 1.
Instead of pecking his hair, Kkokko No. 1 gently rubbed its feathers against Lorr’s arms.
Oh… could this be—
Reconciliation?
So far, the record between this valiant chicken and our household dragon stood at a solid 10:0.
Had it finally overcome its losing streak and made peace?
Feeling strangely touched, I pulled out my phone to capture this heartwarming scene—
“Kkokkio!”
“…Ueeng!”
Pluck!
Kkokko No. 1 suddenly leaped up and attacked Lorr’s hair.
And my phone screen vividly captured the moment Lorr’s hair was yanked out.
“Mnng! You wretched chicken, stop it!”
Lorr wailed as he flailed his hands, trying to pull Kkokko No. 1 off. But the chicken deftly dodged his small hands and continued its fierce assault on his hair.
Watching the scene, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Probably because of the relief of having rescued Lorr safely.
Suppressing my laughter, I was about to suggest we finally return to the village hall when—
[░░▒Danger░▓▍ to ‘Ashpellor’ detected]
“…!”
A powerful concentration of mana surged behind me.
I reflexively tried to shove Lorr and Kkokko No. 1 far away—
“Ugh… Lorr!”
But it was already too late.
Kwaaang!
With a thunderous roar, my body lifted into the air, then felt as if it were being dragged downward—
Crash!
Together with them, I fell off the cliff at the edge of the mountain slope.
Monsters swarmed right up to them.
Several at the front slashed out with sharp claws, but Yoon Sagyeong looked utterly relaxed.
Kraash!
His merciless blade cut through the monsters.
Pure white light burst from his sword, burning the rest to ash.
The countless monsters that had filled his vision vanished in a single attack.
Yoon Sagyeong observed the scene without emotion and continued walking.
“Ugh… huff…”
Han Yul lifted his increasingly heavy greatsword and finished off another monster, then gathered his breath.
I don’t want to admit it, but he’s strong.
Several hours had already passed since entering the gate.
Han Yul had fought fiercely as well.
If he said so himself, thanks to his master’s training, he believed he had performed at least at an A-rank level.
Yet that man, who kept unleashing overwhelming firepower nonstop, showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
Isn’t he basically a monster? Isn’t this cheating? Did he fake his rank?
This wasn’t the time for pointless grumbling. Yoon Sagyeong was already striding swiftly toward the next monster nest.
Han Yul panicked and spoke up.
“W-wait, huff… can we rest just a bit…”
“…? You’re tired? From doing what?”
Aaaagh—what an infuriating bastard!
“Hunter Yoon Sagyeong, let’s take a short break here,” Kim Cheol-woo added, looking just as exhausted.
“The gate detection device says there are still three days until the predicted runaway point. We have time, so wouldn’t it be better to conserve stamina and rest a little?”
At those words, Yoon Sagyeong paused.
Thanks to the relentless assault right after entering the gate, they had already cleared more than half of it.
As Kim Cheol-woo said, there was still plenty of time—
But—
“….”
The deeper he went into the gate, the stronger that inexplicable sense of unease grew.
That strange discomfort he had felt from the very moment he stepped inside.
No matter how many monsters he cut down, the mana pouring out of this gate never diminished.
As if the true source of power was hidden somewhere else.
“…Ha.”
If he just killed the boss and closed the gate, this unpleasant feeling would disappear.
“Stop dragging your feet and get up. We’re moving now.”
“Sniff… sniff…”
Ignoring Kim Cheol-woo’s whimpering, Yoon Sagyeong had already moved far ahead.
Darkness.
My consciousness was dragged deep inside.
And then—
“…!”
Something was there.
Beyond the darkness, a massive existence lay in wait, silently staring at me.
Overwhelmed by that tremendous presence, my head tilted without me realizing—
Ding!
[Emergency situation! The user’s mental durability is low.]
[There is a high probability of mental collapse due to …’s thoughts.]
[Activating emergency protection mode.]
[Temporarily applying the blessing ‘Mental Barrier’ of the Myth-grade Dimensional Dragon.]
