NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 184. The Road of Four Days and One Second
‘What a bolt from the blue.’
If you look at it that way, even though Red Gate and Blue Gate may look similar at first glance, their occurrence processes are quite different.
In the case of the red passages that occasionally vomit out monsters, the signs of their creation are clear enough that you can even predict their probability.
But this sapporo gate was so quiet that even I only noticed it right before it opened.
You could say it was sudden.
I guess this is probably because blue is a much more stable form than red.
“Three, my goodness! No, the odds are…. Does that make sense? This is the first time in my life that I’ve seen a gate appear right next to me!”
“That’s true.”
Esther stuttered and stammered, as if she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the subspace, and brushed away her startled chest.
Still, as expected of a leader of a guild, he recovered quickly. A few minutes later, the guild leader picked up the intercom on his desk and called the analysts downstairs.
“What is all this?”
“omg.”
“Wow, no matter what it looks like, it’s right there in the middle of the office… … .”
The personnel at the tower that arrived are busy investigating the mysterious gate. However, in the process, some rather disappointing information is revealed.
-Beep.
Then, one of the staff at the tower put his right arm inside the gate while holding the analyzer in his hand.
‘Oh, that way.’
By the time I pulled my arm out, the machine showed letters that made everyone relax, making all the guardedness seem meaningless.
[Unidentified Gate]
[Rating: F]
“It’s an F-class?”
“F?”
A difficulty level that even an ordinary person with no magical power can solve with just a club.
A low-quality hunting ground rated as having the lowest risk.
“Oh, what is it?”
The gate that appeared before us was none other than an F-class dungeon.
Well, it’s ridiculous that a fight broke out between people sitting and drinking coffee, so it’s ridiculous that a rare case like Class A would occur on top of that.
At that point, I should just go buy a lottery ticket.
“I worried for nothing!”
Esther took a deep breath, her voice seeming much more relieved.
And as the shock wears off, curiosity gradually begins to raise its head.
If you think about it, this gate is a safe zone with a risk level of only F, but the dungeon name is marked as [Unidentified Gate].
That means it contains an environment that has not yet been discovered anywhere in the world.
Or maybe someone had already discovered the dungeon and didn’t report the information to Pixie.
“Hmm.”
In either case, we, as the discoverers, have no choice but to have the upper hand in information.
“It’s a completely new dungeon.”
The curly-haired woman on one side of the office squinted her droopy eyes and began to ponder something, but after a moment’s wait, a new suggestion burst out of her mouth.
“You know, Mr. Kiryo.”
“yes.”
“This gate, of all places, was created in the middle of the room. It’s inconvenient, but we have to clear it quickly, right?”
“yes.”
“But I wonder if I really need to involve the Association in this matter. I already know because I’ve been entrusted with similar work before. Those people only investigated D-classes, but they kept the inside information to themselves, saying it was for the protection of Hunters or something. It’s so annoying, even though I’m the one who reported it.”
The corners of Esther’s mouth twitch upward.
“So this time, the tower will have to figure it out on its own. And if you don’t mind, could you help us explore the gate a little bit?”
“Me?”
“Our Mr. Kiryeo has much higher standards than others.”
Let’s ignore the association and secretly share information among discoverers.
Anyway, since this has nothing to do with government agencies, it’s a proposal I don’t particularly feel aversion to.
‘The problem is that it’s Sunday.’
As I said before, today is the weekend.
Besides, I was planning to refrain from going out this Sunday for another reason besides just getting some rest.
’11 o’clock in the morning.’
I take out my cell phone and check the current time.
But at that moment, a flat tone flowed in from the direction Esther was standing.
“First of all, since there might be something new discovered like reinforcement material, if we go back and forth in the direction of keeping the boss alive, it should take about 30 minutes.”
It’s so abundant that it’s overflowing.
If you become an S-class hunter, you can clear an F-class dungeon in less than 5 minutes if you run, not 30 minutes.
“Mr. Kiryeo, please. Give me exactly one hour and thirty minutes.”
“One hour and thirty minutes?”
“I thought it would be nice if we explored the dungeon for 30 minutes and then went to a restaurant together for lunch. Would that be okay?”
“… .”
“Of course I’ll calculate your hourly wage very well. The guild just happened to have some good magic stones!”
I will pay for your labor with magic stones.
For reference, this is a country where the minimum wage is around ten thousand won.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Besides, usually, a rich person who is kind enough to pay the hourly wage in magic stones would not try to split the bill for small amounts like a meal.
In the flow of the story, there is a high possibility that the other person will also pay for the meal that follows.
“… What are you thinking of for the menu?”
“yes?”
When I asked her what she wanted for lunch, Esther hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Uh, well? Oh, maybe something like a steakhouse or a Korean restaurant?”
Then what flows is someone’s refreshing acceptance.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
There’s a saying in this world that you should be careful who you buy beef from, but honestly, wouldn’t it be okay to close your eyes and be fooled once in a while for something like a free steak?
***
“It’s dark as expected.”
“And it’s wet.”
“All caves are like that. Well.”
“Oh my, be careful with the floor.”
“Why are there so many rocks?”
A little later.
We entered the dungeon after making simple preparations.
What I brought were Esther’s main equipment and an analog writing instrument.
Thanks to the monsters wandering around at the entrance, I was able to confirm once again that the dungeon was an F-class one and start. So, there’s no need to worry even if your luggage is light.
“There’s a monster 10 meters ahead.”
puck!
As I stood there quietly looking around the wall, it didn’t take long for a dull thud to reach my ears.
This was the sound of Esther clearing the obstacle in front of her.
They are beings that rise up through the dry ground, just like plants sprouting.
“By the way, I was looking forward to the new dungeon, but the monsters here look very familiar?”
The inhabitants of this place were none other than [Old Bones].
To be exact, it is a monster that occurs frequently in F-class, to the point that an example photo is included in the guidebook for new recruits distributed by the Hunter Association.
“Even if there aren’t any monsters, the dungeon structure is ordinary.”
Moreover, unlike the wind, this gate was a cave-shaped otherworld commonly found in various hunting grounds.
I don’t really want to think about it, but… .
An incident where I was almost robbed by criminals called frogs because of my twin guardian angels. Yes, if I had to compare this dungeon to the F-class gate I entered at that time, it’s exactly the same.
Red, dark, and with a ceiling that curves like the esophagus of an animal.
“hmm.”
The only difference is that the progression path is straight.
“What is this? There’s nothing to see.”
We explored a bit more just in case, but ultimately found nothing of note other than this structure.
“It’s a fountain.”
“It’s a bit small.”
“Why is this here?”
“Do you all understand?”
A carved fountain that looked like something I had seen in the White Labyrinth was suddenly stuck in the middle of the road. What the heck, this hodgepodge of leftover elements mixed together, what the hell is this?
“… … .”
“… … .”
Esther and I exchanged a brief glance.
No matter how I look at it, this dungeon seems like a sub-type of the common F-class caves. So I guess I’ll just waste my labor.
“It hasn’t been that long since I came here anyway, so should I just go back?”
“Yes, Mr. Kiryo. At this level, my secretary should be able to clear it while eating cup ramen.”
Opinions gather in an instant.
So we unanimously decided to give up the attack and leave.
It took about 10 minutes to get to this fountain, but considering the frequent stops for analysis, the return trip would probably take about as long.
Less than 5 minutes.
… that’s what I thought until just now.
‘uh.’
How many minutes have passed since then?
Esther and I were having a casual conversation as we walked back to the entrance, when I instinctively sensed that there was something unsettling about the atmosphere here.
To be exact, the brightness is strange.
If you’ve walked this far, you should be able to see the blue light coming from the gate, but isn’t the end of that long road still shrouded in dark shadows?
‘What the heck?’
A cold sweat runs down my spine.
It wasn’t just because I felt uncomfortable.
This one suddenly got its senses sharp to confirm a hypothesis, and as a result, it got some results.
“no way…….”
“Mr. Kiryeo?”
Knock knock knock.
I put my weight on my shoes and ran forward. But no matter how much I jumped, I couldn’t see the entrance I had come through.
No, what the hell! Wait a minute, if you look closely, it’s not just that the light isn’t visible.
“The passage!”
“omg!”
The woman who followed immediately swallowed her breath.
Shockingly, the entrance we came through was blocked by a red stone wall.
There is no longer a gate in that place.
chin.
I stood there in a daze, staring at the end of the cave blocked by a wall.
Damn it. It’s been a while since I’ve been to this damn temple, so why is the entrance disappearing now? This is ridiculous.
‘Could it be a characteristic of the dungeon itself?’
But I never expected that.
When Esther went in first, saying she would go check if the grade analysis results were correct.
The gate was clearly functioning normally when I hunted the monster at the entrance.
“Oh my god, what is going on?”
“I don’t know.”
“There’s no way someone outside would take the items… … No, there’s no way. This is obviously the top floor of our guild!”
Let’s calm down.
It’s not uncommon for an entrance to disappear, and it’s quite disconcerting, but we still have another option.
“There’s nothing I can do. Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to kill the boss and get out.”
Gate clear.
Thankfully, isn’t there an absolute condition in the other world that opens an exit?
“That’s right. Don’t panic and just calmly move forward with your attack.”
.
.
.
But after a whole 3 hours.
“oh my god…….”
We’ve finally discovered the last peculiarity this dungeon was hiding.
‘length…….’
An unidentified gate appeared in the main office of the tower.
Its identity is.
‘The road is never ending!’
A new type of dungeon with a very unusual length!
I once heard from Ahn Yoon-seung that the dungeons that the gates contain are getting bigger and bigger these days. A representative example is the dungeon called [The Deepest Place], which is divided into three floors.
However, this phenomenon only occurred in upper-level dungeons such as A- and B-class dungeons.
The low-level hunting grounds where weaklings hang out didn’t have such noticeable changes. It’s common sense in this industry that the F-class gates are small enough to make a round trip in an hour.
“Oh my god, I keep walking but I can’t see the boss.”
Esther said that and let out a light laugh as if trying to lighten the mood.
But this one didn’t feel like keeping time.
I’ve been trying so hard to figure this out, but I just got the dreaded search result: ‘The boss here is not within the Archmage’s range of awareness.’
Damn, how could something like this happen… … .
“You really picked the wrong day.”
Realizing the situation, I repeated a certain sentence.
He started to babble with a kind of anxiety, saying that it was unfortunate that the accident happened on a day like today.
“Why? Did you have something else to do?”
The S-class hunter reacted awkwardly.
She was walking ahead of me, so I couldn’t see her face, but judging from the tone of her voice, I thought she had a rather sad expression on her face.
“I’m sorry. I made a useless suggestion and wasted your time, Mr. Kiryeo.”
“… … .”
“Um, there. Now that it’s like this, how about we both run as fast as we can? How about a running race? If we, S-class, go fast, we’ll definitely be able to beat the boss… … .”
But then, the peaceful conversation suddenly stops.
At the same time, the regular sound of footsteps stopped.
What soon filled the cave was a truly unnatural silence.
“Mr. Kiryeo?”
Whoosh.
When she stopped hearing the sound of her companions following her, Esther tilted her head and looked back, which allowed me to make eye contact with them for the first time in a few minutes.
But it is still difficult to answer the call.
“A respected hunter?!”
Because blood was constantly flowing out of my throat, speaking was virtually impossible.
I covered my mouth in a hurry. But when the blood that had pooled in my mouth hit my Adam’s apple, I let out an uncontrollable cough.
Ugh. Creak.
Foamy vomit accompanied by the sound of boiling phlegm.
Blood dripping down his chin dripped endlessly, staining his collar. Unpleasant marks formed between his fingernails, and after a few seconds, even the blood vessels in his eyes burst.
“Cough.”
Yes, that’s right.
This was the true identity of the ‘slightly awkward shortcoming’ of [Sacred Tree Sapling].
But those born in Alphauri usually know how to resolve this situation. I told the sorcerer in front of me not to be surprised.
“…Okay.”
To be exact, that’s what I was trying to say.
But as soon as I opened my mouth to say that I was okay, I started vomiting blood again… … .