Chapter 10 …
“…That really surprised me.”
[ Gwanghwi, what is that sound? ]
Ttee-ee-ee-ee―. Ttee-ee-ee-ee―.
“Disaster alert message.”
[ Disaster alert message? ]
“It’s a notice sent when monsters overflow or when there’s danger in the country.”
[ Meteorological Agency ] 18:16 – Magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred 1 km southeast of Chungju, Chungbuk / Beware of falling objects, evacuate outdoors after vibrations stop, and be cautious of aftershocks.
“Chungju, Chungbuk… that’s here.”
Looks like a single tail strike from Luths shook the entire Korean Peninsula.
Luths, who checked the message with me, slightly turned his head.
[ Don’t worry, Gwanghwi. No one was harmed. ]
No one, he says.
Our guild office is built to withstand monster attacks.
Yet the floor was sunken, and the walls had cracks.
And this happened just a day after moving in.
There were even corpses…
[ Gwanghwi. That was really just a light tap. I think this world is just too weak. ]
“…”
I grabbed Luths and started poking him playfully.
[ Gwanghwi, that tickles. Don’t… ]
“You could have pressured them with Piero, human… no, divine dragon.”
Poke, poke.
What an absurd creature.
A tail hammer causing an earthquake…
I let out a hollow laugh.
[ Gwanghwi. I saw a future where that filthy human kills you. I saw him kill you and throw you to monsters as food. ]
What?
“…You could see the future too?”
[ Of course. I cannot know everything like a god, but I can see fragments. I am the god’s representative. ]
Huh…
This amazing creature.
The future, huh.
“…Amazing.”
[ It’s nothing special, Gwanghwi. You might also be able to see the future soon. ]
“Me?”
The future?
What is this now?
[ Orr’s ability is infinite, so it’s not certain, but the possibility is not zero. ]
Possibility…
Still, that’s something.
Just the fact that it’s possible is worth looking forward to.
It’s an ability I never had.
“Again? You see another future?”
[ Hmm. As that filthy human said, the strong humans who have only been observing until now will start to move. Gwanghwi, they will target you. ]
“…”
Strong humans…
He must mean A-rank or S-rank.
Since I survived when I should have naturally died in the dungeon, they are probably taking action personally.
[ To change human thoughts, I must enter an S-rank dungeon quickly. I cannot lose you, who is most precious to me, to such trivial humans. ]
S-rank dungeon…
By the way.
‘Most precious to me’…
Luths, you little…
Suddenly giving me such a touching line.
“Thank you for thinking of me that way, Luths.”
[ If you’re grateful, put more Churu and beef tripe in the inventory, Gwanghwi. ]
“…”
**
I placed the remains of the junior hunters into my inventory.
Strangely, even with a dead person right in front of me, it didn’t feel strange.
Maybe because of the black light surrounding the junior’s body, it felt like a monster, not a human, had died.
So, essentially…
It’s like a human who did evil was judged by the god’s representative?
Exactly that.
The only concern was possible friction with the hero guild the junior belonged to.
[ Gwanghwi, don’t worry. Nothing you’re worried about will happen. ]
“…Really?”
[ Yes. On the contrary, they’ll come to apologize when the time comes. We just need to wait. ]
“Hoo…”
**
Afterwards, maybe because he worried about me, Luths stayed in my arms, chattering nonstop.
[ Even among humans with black light, those who appear hazy must be approached cautiously. ]
“What’s different about the hazy ones?”
[ They take that form if they killed or intended to kill innocent humans. Our Orr can be tainted by them, like that filthy human earlier. ]
“Ahh…”
The deceased junior’s light appeared black with a hazy mist.
I wondered if my eyes were blurry today, but apparently not.
[ Even more dangerous are those with reddish light. ]
I haven’t seen reddish light yet.
[ Such beings are usually insane. Do not interact with them. ]
**
Click, click, click, click.
“There is an important announcement, so we’ve gathered you here at this late hour.”
Reporters typed on laptops,
and the event was broadcast live.
It means many people were curious about my movements.
“I know many hunters who value honor wish for me to step down as guild leader.”
Click, click, click.
“I am here today to put an end to this controversy.”
The chatroom exploded with messages at the speed of light:
└ Finally quitting as guild leader?
└ Resignation?
└ Gwanghwi Hunter, I respect you.
└ Don’t quit!
└ Stop shaming hunters and disappear.
└ He lasted so long.
└ Does he think leaving after causing this much trouble is fine?
└ But marketing was insane.
└ Writing a legend and disappearing.
Everyone thought I was resigning.
Click, click.
After gathering all eyes and expectations, I paused a beat.
“As the guild leader of Orr Orr Guild, I will enter an S-rank dungeon tomorrow. After returning, I will be recognized by all hunters as a rightful guild leader.”
The chatroom froze for a moment.
Click, click, click, click.
“Questions, please.”
**
“I’m Seo Ye-won from the world who only watches YouTube cats. You said you’ll enter an S-rank dungeon. Did you ask the cat for consent? Don’t you think this is animal abuse? And why did you dress a cat in a dog outfit? Don’t you think this could cause species confusion for the cat?”
“…”
I didn’t answer the reporter.
The journalist’s light…
It was the reddish light Luths warned about.
Now I understood why I shouldn’t associate with them.
A foreboding feeling that I should stay away.
“…Next question, please.”
“Why don’t you answer? Answer us! Are you ignoring the public and the cat?”
“Next question, please.”
“Go die in the dungeon with your cat!”
As the commotion continued, fortunately, they were dragged away by others.
“There was a brief disturbance. Next question, please.”
“I’m Lee Dae-geon from PBS. Which dungeon do you plan to enter?”
S-rank dungeons each had notorious names.
There were five in Korea:
Abyssal Dungeon
Dungeon of the Dead
Beautified Dungeon
Illusionary Dungeon
Greedy Dungeon
The one Luths and I chose:
“Abyssal Dungeon.”
Murmurs arose.
The Abyssal Dungeon lacked sunlight, had subzero temperatures, and extreme conditions.
To move, you must illuminate light,
but lighting up attracts monsters.
In other words, constant fighting begins the moment you enter.
This dungeon had killed countless hunters by freezing.
It was one of the most difficult S-rank dungeons.
Another reason it was infamous: time flowed differently.
One day in reality equaled a month in the dungeon.
**
└ He’s really going to the Abyssal Dungeon?
└ Can’t back out now. He’ll come back quickly.
└ Never seen an F-rank guild leader this crazy. S-rank dungeon alone? No raid team?
└ Only S-rank guild leaders make raid teams.
└ Wow, you can see the dungeon ahead.
└ Hey, hold the camera steady.
└ That’s the S-rank dungeon. Even on screen, it’s terrifying.
└ The dungeon gate looks like a black hole.
└ Wow, chills. Feels like watching a soldier knowingly going into war.
└ And he’s taking a cat in a dog outfit.
└ That cat must be Patrasche.
└ Hi. Koreans? What’s happening?
└ There’s a foreigner too.
└ I hate F-rank guild leaders, but this guy is impressive.
└ To make history, you must do this.
└ F-rank guild leader entering S-rank dungeon alone.
└ With a pet. Wow.
└ He’s crazy. Heading for death in an S-rank dungeon now.
└ That’s scanning the hunter certificate barcode, right?
└ Yes. Normal people can see it too. Amazing.
└ There was a foreigner above too.
└ Procedure complete.
└ Why am I so nervous?
└ Me too.
└ That blank expression…
└ Wow, this is insane. Even S-rank hunters enter with dozens of A-rank guild members.
└ Is he really going in?
└ Saying goodbye like it’s a friend.
└ Didn’t you know? He did the same in D-rank dungeon.
└ Last farewell.
└ Bye-bye.
└ Bye-bye.
└ Bye-bye.
└ Bye-bye.
└ …He really went in.
└ Chills watching him enter the gate.
└ Me too.
└ Damn, tears. Please come back alive.
└ He should be out soon. I bet a lot on that.
└ One minute passed. 30 minutes inside. Must be dead.
└ Five minutes. May the departed rest in peace. Also their… belongings.
└ Ten minutes. Is it like 300 minutes passed?
└ Just checked again. A day has passed.
└ Came before work. Condolences.
**
“This is the Abyssal Dungeon…”
Not dark at all.
I could clearly see S-rank monsters crawling,
because Luths’ Orr illuminated it like daytime.
“…But it feels barren.”
[ Naturally, there is no sun. ]
No monsters charged at us due to Luths’ light.
Unlike us, those monsters must be in darkness now.
Which means the dungeon’s difficulty is drastically lowered.
“…”
Of course, we initially chose this dungeon to exploit that.
The cold is a slight problem, though.
One property of light is warmth.
With Orr enveloping us, it felt like a slightly chilly autumn day.
‘This might be easier than I thought…’
[ Gwanghwi, this is the darkest place I’ve ever seen. ]
“Dark? Where are you going?”
[ Look. ]
Suddenly, the light vanished.
Luths’ Orr, illuminating everywhere, disappeared, leaving only my Orr. Only about a 1-meter radius was visible.
Pitch-black darkness.
If asked the deepest darkness, this is it.
“…How do monsters survive here?”
S-rank monsters were visible before, yet now I couldn’t tell where they were.
I think I hear crawling sounds.
I can smell animals too.
But… what’s this?
“Luths…”
[ What is it, Gwanghwi? ]
“My Orr keeps growing…”
[ What? ]
My Orr is subtly, continuously growing in real time.
