Chapter 307
In the tunnel leading to the underground dungeon in Jongno 3-ga, people in white protective suits moved busily. Uijae, holding a jackknife, went around rescuing people caught by the ivy vines, unable to move. Strangely, he was free from the vines, which seemed to pull toward him like octopus tentacles.
‘Well, the reason is obvious….’
The stupid vines probably see him as one of their kind. Uijae gave a crooked smile as he helped a struggling researcher back on their feet. His protective suit, much smaller than everyone else's, bounced up and down.
“J-nim, the preparations are complete. It's time to start.”
Uijae nodded and headed toward the dead-end wall. He brushed aside the white ivy and placed his palm on the wall. A tense voice shouted from behind.
“…Activating now. One, two, three!”
Whoooosh—bright white light poured out from the massive machine. The tunnel vibrated. Intense energy surged through his back. Uijae gathered the incoming energy and focused it through his palm on the wall. The wall he touched shook. The energy connected through his body to the wall started to form into a circular shape.
Just a bit more. Just a little more. Uijae gritted his teeth, focusing. The energy, gathering around his hand, ultimately failed to find a center and scattered with a pop. The entire dark tunnel lit up bright white before fading. A sigh escaped from behind. Uijae clicked his tongue and withdrew his hand. The researcher spoke in a defeated voice.
“Phase four, failure.”
“Is it still a lack of energy?”
“Yes. Using your body as a conduit does have an effect…. The energy definitely concentrated in one spot. This would help save the energy from scattering… but…”
“In the end, we still need to increase the amount of energy…”
“The energy source…”
“Modification…”
The researchers began talking amongst themselves in complicated terms. Uijae didn’t even try to understand and squatted down in front of the wall. The moment he showed interest, the whole research team would get excited and rush to explain, and that was something he absolutely wanted to avoid.
‘I really don’t want to get stuck in that endless loop of explanations again.’
He shuddered his shoulders.
The Pado Guild’s research team had tried multiple times to open the closed dungeon gates based on the theories they had developed. They kindly explained their theories to Uijae, but halfway through, the specialized terms piled up, and he let it go in one ear and out the other. In any case, the summary of their theory was as follows:
The entrance to a dungeon is a vortex of energy. There is only one entrance to a dungeon. What if you create an artificial entrance using energy where the original entrance was? According to the system's laws, wouldn't it recognize that as a new entrance?
About a year ago, they succeeded in regenerating the entrance of a small dungeon based on this theory. However, the West Sea Rift was practically impossible. When asked why, they sighed deeply.
‘It's just too massive.’
‘We tried, but... we just didn’t have enough power. The guild leader, the deputy leader, and other A-rank hunters gathered and tried, but it was impossible. We simply didn’t have enough energy.’
So, they set out to find a powerful energy source. However, without finding a proper solution, they took on the task of researching the Erosion Dungeon, and the entrance creation research was pushed aside.
The research team’s youngest member, who approached stealthily like a bandit, asked,
“J-nim, is there anything wrong with your body? Was there any pain while receiving the energy…?”
“There was no pain. I'm fine.”
“Oh! Thank goodness. It's the first time we've directed this much energy at one person, so I was worried.”
The bandit-like junior scratched his head while laughing. Uijae propped his chin and fell into deep thought.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.
“What kind of energy source do you usually use?”
“We use magic stones! To replace the entrance, we have to use something under the system’s laws.”
“What magic stone are you using now?”
“We buy B-rank and A-rank magic stones that come up for auction or on the exchange.”
“Does higher rank mean more energy?”
“Yes, that's right. But the really good ones don’t come up on the auction accessible to us; they only appear at auctions where rankers gather… The guild leader bought those for us. But now, since the guild leader isn’t here…”
“What about the deputy leader? He’s a ranker too.”
The junior sniffed and answered,
“The deputy leader… he’s a man of integrity.”
“Oh, right…”
So, Lee Sa-young is the corrupt one, huh? The junior muttered gloomily.
“I really wanted to get the magic stones from Tomato Market…”
Uijae couldn't suppress a cough. A memory he had completely forgotten climbed back up, uninvited. It was one of his many huge failures, so much so that it stood out. Uijae quickly changed the topic.
“I see. By the way…”
“Do you know about the Tomato Market magic stone incident, J-nim?”
I know, you idiot. I’m the one who posted it. Just change the subject quickly, and don't follow me. Uijae slammed the jackknife into the ground. The vines that had been creeping toward the youngest member of the research team suddenly lost their strength. He answered in a low voice.
“No, I don’t know anything about it.”
“Oh! I see. It's an interesting story. Should I explain it to you?”
I don’t need it.
Just then, a vibration rang out. Uijae shook his phone and answered.
“I need to take this call.”
“Oh, yes! I’ll get out of the way!”
The bandit-like junior hurriedly ripped off the ivy vines clinging to him and waddled away. Uijae sighed and pressed the call button. A mischievous voice came through.
—It’s me, Gyugyu. Hm~ You hung up without answering last time. I thought maybe you’ve been thinking it over?
Uijae stood up, dusting off his pants as he replied.
“Let’s meet. That was perfect timing.”
***
The meeting place Gyugyu had arranged was a Hunter-exclusive café that offered private rooms. It was said to be a space ensuring the privacy of Hunters, who rarely get to enjoy a cup of coffee comfortably. Judging by the guard’s calm reaction when shown Uijae’s Hunter ID, it seemed like they had been well-trained.
The guard led him to the deepest room among the many. After handing over the key to Uijae, the guard disappeared. Uijae unlocked the door and entered. A young man with light blue hair, staring out the window, turned his head. The smile that revealed his teeth wasn’t exactly pleasant. He extended his hand for a handshake.
“Wow, thank you for coming~ Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you’d actually show up.”
Uijae shook his hand lightly before crossing his arms.
“Let’s get straight to the point. I’m busy.”
“Really straight to the point~?”
Uijae nodded, and Gyugyu cleared his throat, lowering his voice. He clasped his hands together and spoke in a serious tone, without a hint of laughter, like a preacher.
“Let’s pray.”
What the hell? Did he call me here to preach? Uijae took a slight step back. Gyugyu let out a small laugh and waved his hand.
“See, you should have listened to the other explanations~”
“……”
“Well, going to pray is true. Can you sneak in? Can you act a bit?”
Sneak in? That’s my specialty. Acting? Don’t even get me started. Without hesitation, Uijae nodded. Gyugyu eyed the black mask with suspicion.
“…Wait a second. Can I really trust you on this?”
“If you don’t trust me, then why did you call me?”
“Answering so confidently like that makes me lose some trust~…”
Uijae asked with a hint of annoyance.
“Why did you contact me in the first place? If it’s a stealth mission, you could have brought someone else.”
Gyugyu, still smiling, replied without hesitation.
“I have no friends.”
“…What about comrades?”
“I don’t have any comrades either.”
“……”
Uijae bowed his head solemnly. Gyugyu, unfazed, continued.
“Also, J, this might be a place you’d be interested in. I think our interests align. What do you think?”
“Where’s the infiltration site?”
Gyugyu’s smile grew ominous as his lips curled upward. Uijae waited, tense, for his answer. Slowly, Gyugyu opened his mouth and spoke one word.
“A cult.”
A cult? Uijae frowned. Gyugyu chuckled and tossed a dice into the air before catching it.
“Apparently, there’s no one at the church nowadays. Everyone’s flocking to a cult that claims to cure mutations.”
“……”
“I can’t stand things like this~ I’m the son of a pastor. I thought it was time to flip things upside down.”
He extended his fist. Uijae reached out and found a note placed in his palm. Gyugyu grinned.
“If you're interested, come to this address.”
“Prophet speaks.”
A middle-aged man stood on the podium, spreading his arms. Countless people, dressed in white, clasped their hands and bowed their heads. Behind the man was a white cloth, and through it, a black silhouette could be seen. A soft voice emanated from behind the cloth.
“Welcome to those seeking salvation. You must have come after hearing about us from somewhere. You’ve come to save sick family members, friends, or lovers, holding onto even a straw of hope…”
Soft sobs could be heard from all around. The voice continued gently.
“I understand. I also admire your unyielding efforts…”
Beyond the back door, a hallway connected to the hall. Two large men, covered head to toe in white cloth, carried windows down the long corridor. Just then, one of them collapsed.
Thud…
The man on the left mumbled something unintelligible and looked around. But it was brief.
Crunch!
Something strong grabbed his head tightly. No matter how much he struggled or tried to turn his head, he couldn’t move. A distorted voice entered his ear.
“Stay still.”
That was the last thing he heard.
Crack.
His neck twisted unnaturally, and all strength drained from his body. Thud, the man collapsed onto the floor. The black silhouette, Uijae, swiftly dragged the bodies of the experiment subjects behind a column and hid them. He then threw the white cloth over himself. The cloth, seemingly designed to fit the wearer’s body, molded perfectly to his form. Although his vision was limited, it was a small sacrifice.
‘Better than not being able to see at all.’
This was good enough. Uijae hid behind the column, surveying his surroundings. Then, his eyes widened.
‘…Lee Sa-young?’
A presence nearby gave off an aura almost identical to Lee Sa-young’s.