Chapter 205
Do-Jun opened the balcony window and looked outside. The weather app on his phone showed a morning temperature of eighteen degrees Celsius—quite chilly. It seemed like winter was just around the corner.
Winter held a special significance for Do-Jun, as it was the season he came back to Earth from the Central Plains.
As he took a sip of his coffee, Do-Jun found himself wondering what kind of person he had been in the past. During his endless years of perseverance in the Central Plains, Do-Jun had transcended human limitations, achieving a level of strength beyond comparison. But in exchange, he had also lost much—most notably, his memories from his previous life on Earth.
In the early morning hours, a commuter on their way to work, still groggy, yawned widely as they headed toward the subway station. The scene was a quintessential glimpse into the busy life of modern people. Do-Jun found himself projecting onto that image. He, too, had once been an ordinary office worker, living a busy life on Earth. A mundane life on Earth.
Do-Jun was fairly satisfied with his current lifestyle.
His smartphone vibrated briefly, signaling an incoming text. Do-Jun opened the message.
Jung Young-Chul: Good morning, Supervisor Lee. Here is today's report: Behemoth will be deployed to the fourth floor of the Core starting at 9 AM. Please take note. Stay safe during your commute and be mindful of the large temperature fluctuations. Sincerely, Jung Young-Chul, Hunter’s Bureau Chief.
Do-Jun put his phone back in his pocket and sipped his coffee again. Today was his day off. He wondered how the construction was progressing.
***
The Water Serpent was classified as a catastrophe-rank monster. Although it was known as the entrance between the sixth and seventh floors of the Core, that was only because it had coiled itself around the passage long ago, blocking the way.
Originally, the passage between the sixth and seventh floors was a zone heavily influenced by magical energy, lethal enough to kill most adventurers who tried to pass through. The Water Serpent, however, swallowed adventurers, shielding them from the magic's effects, and then transported them to the seventh floor. In a way, it was providing a service to adventurers. However, if someone displeased it, they would be imprisoned and left to die inside its stomach cave.
Currently, the Water Serpent was silently repairing the entrance to the seventh floor, wielding a shovel.