Chapter 96: Verification of Doom (2)
Sa-hyeok and Jang-hoon raised their heads towards the direction of the voice.
A man stood at the top of the slope.
A wooden staff in one hand, a pure white robe hanging down to his knees.
But the man’s face was not clearly visible.
It was because of the halo shining brightly behind his head.
Because the light was shining on him from behind, his face was shadowed.
Sa-hyeok asked Jang-hoon.
“Is that Sung In-su?”
“Yeah. Judging by his voice, it’s that b*stard.”
Sung Jang-hoon’s older brother, Sung In-su.
Thud
In-su descended the slope towards Sa-hyeok and Jang-hoon.
For a moment, it felt like a celestial being descending to the human realm.
As he approached, In-su’s face finally came into view.
Neatly trimmed hair, a gentle face with slightly drooping eyes.
And as expected of Jang-hoon’s brother, their features were quite similar.
In-su spoke, looking at Jang-hoon.
“How have you been, my brother?”
“A Hunter’s life is always the same.”
After greeting Jang-hoon, In-su turned his gaze towards Sa-hyeok.
“We have an unexpected guest here. You are Hunter Min Sa-hyeok, right?”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Village Head Sung In-su.”
“Nice to meet you too. For your information, I’m also a C-rank Magic-type Hunter, just like Sa-hyeok-ssi.”
“Oh, is that so?”
In-su and Sa-hyeok shook hands lightly.
In-su said.
“My hands are a bit rough, aren’t they? It’s unavoidable when you work in the fields, haha.”
As they shook hands, Sa-hyeok observed In-su’s demeanor.
Sung Jang-hoon and Sung In-su.
Although they resembled each other in appearance, their aura was completely different.
Jang-hoon had a somewhat rigid and rough, typical warrior-like presence.
On the other hand, In-su exuded a generally gentle and soft atmosphere.
His slightly drooping eyes and soft voice enhanced his amiable demeanor.
After the greetings, In-su spoke.
“So, why have you two Hunters come to this humble place?”
Sa-hyeok replied.
“We’ve come to ask about the destruction.”
Sa-hyeok went straight to the point.
In-su said.
“Destruction…… Is that some kind of figurative expression?”
“No, I mean it literally. The story related to the destruction of the world.”
Twitch
In-su’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“……This isn’t a conversation to have out in the open. Let’s go to my house and talk in detail.”
Jang-hoon and Sa-hyeok followed In-su up the slope.
At the end of the narrow slope, a vast farmland unfolded.
And streetlights were visible here and there.
The light that had looked like a halo behind In-su’s head earlier was actually the light from the streetlights.
After walking for a while, they saw people working in the fields.
They greeted In-su warmly.
“Good morning, Village Head-nim!”
“Good morning to you all, too.”
Everyone they met on the way to In-su’s house greeted him warmly.
In-su responded with a bright voice.
Seeing this friendly scene, Sa-hyeok became curious.
Why did Jang-hoon dislike In-su so much?
[Hyung-nim.]
At that moment, Bang-ul-i, hanging around Sa-hyeok’s neck, spoke.
‘Why?’
[Did you see the staff that Village Head is holding?]
A black wooden staff with three orbs embedded at the end.
Sa-hyeok said.
‘Yeah. Why?’
[That’s
‘……Wow.’
[The robe he’s wearing…… is worth 300 million won.]
‘It’s almost like an apartment is walking around.’
[And Hyung-nim, why are there so many CCTVs here?]
‘Huh? Really?’
Sa-hyeok glanced around.
He could see CCTV cameras sparsely installed on each streetlight.
‘Aren’t they just for security?’
[There are more CCTVs installed here than in the busiest areas of Seoul.]
‘Hmm……’
Whirr-
At that moment, two low-flying drones passed overhead.
Sa-hyeok and Jang-hoon instinctively raised their heads to look at the drones.
In-su said.
“Those drones are used for pesticide spraying. Agriculture is also evolving with the times.”
But Bang-ul-i and Sa-hyeok had a different opinion.
[They seem a bit small to be used for pesticide spraying.]
‘Don’t they?’
[I think they might be used for surveillance.]
‘Surveillance……’
They soon arrived at In-su’s house.
The house was located on high ground.
In a position overlooking the entire
The house was three stories high.
Although it was quite large, it didn’t stand out too much thanks to its design that blended harmoniously with the surrounding environment.
While In-su was opening the door, Sa-hyeok subtly opened the zipper of his backpack with telekinesis.
And he slipped Bang-ul-i inside the bag.
He wasn’t hiding Bang-ul-i inside the bag.
He was attaching Bang-ul-i to the drone inside the bag.
Sa-hyeok whispered.
‘Search everything. The CCTVs, the drones, everything.’
[Yes, sir.]
The drone carrying Bang-ul-i quietly ascended into the sky.
No one noticed Sa-hyeok launching the drone.
Just like that, Sa-hyeok and Jang-hoon followed In-su into the house.
The inside of the house was incredibly spacious and inhumanly clean.
To exaggerate a little, it felt like a place where the concept of dust itself didn’t exist.
It felt more like entering a model house for promotional purposes rather than a house where people lived.
As Sa-hyeok, Jang-hoon, and In-su sat around the living room table, a young woman brought teacups.
They were teacups filled with warm apple tea.
In-su said.
“This is tea made directly from the apples grown here. Try it.”
A moment later, another woman came and placed a tray of cookies and a basket of apples.
After that, another woman they hadn’t seen before was busily moving somewhere with a laundry basket.
Jang-hoon asked In-su.
“Are they housekeepers?”
“Housekeepers? What a rude thing to say. They are my wives.”
“Ah, are they your sisters-in-law? But which one of the three?”
“All three.”
Sa-hyeok almost spat out the apple tea he was sipping.
Jang-hoon’s reaction was similar.
“……What nonsense are you talking about?”
“It seems inappropriate to call it nonsense when talking about someone else’s family matters, my brother.”
“No, in this day and age, polygamy? What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean by this day and age?”
“What?”
“Do you think the era before and after the Gate incident is the same?”
“……”
“The times have changed. And the new era requires new laws and customs to match it.”
In-su looked at Sa-hyeok and said.
“Honestly, you must be a little bewildered, right?”
“Yes, well.”
“I welcomed all my wives after the Gate incident. It was part of a way to protect those who lost everything to the monsters.”
“Ah……”
“I’ve been rambling on. So, Sa-hyeok-ssi, you said you had something to say about the destruction?”
“Yes. I heard that In-su-ssi was aware of the world’s destruction early on.”
“……Did you hear it from Jang-hoon?”
“Yes.”
In-su looked at Jang-hoon with narrowed eyes.
Jang-hoon said sullenly.
“What? I didn’t bring it up first. This friend figured it out on his own, so I told him.”
“He figured it out on his own……?”
In-su asked Sa-hyeok.
“How did you know that this world is scheduled for destruction?”
“I entered a dungeon and saw a large amount of text engraved on the wall. I found out while deciphering it.”
“Was the history of the Ukvaron Empire also written there?”
“Yes. There were also words like Black Gate and monsters.”
“Black Gate…… It seems like we saw similar murals.”
In-su mentioned the word Ukvaron, and Sa-hyeok mentioned the word Black Gate.
Both words were proper nouns that only appeared in the historical texts of the Ukvaron.
Sa-hyeok and In-su confirmed that they had seen almost the same text.
Sa-hyeok said.
“Did you also find out through the mural, In-su-ssi?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a mural, but an inscription. I found it in a dungeon about two years ago.”
“Text engraved on a stone tablet?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see that stone tablet?”
“No. It was too heavy to carry out of the dungeon.”
“Then, even if it’s just a picture……”
“Why don’t you go inside the dungeon and check it yourself?”
“What?!”
It was strange.
In-su had checked the inscription two years ago.
Then there was no way that the dungeon containing the stone tablet would still be accessible.
If it hadn’t been cleared, a dungeon leak would have occurred and the Gate would have been closed, and even if it had been cleared, the Gate would still be closed.
Of course, Sa-hyeok had the
But there was no way In-su could know that.
That’s why Sa-hyeok felt strange.
He was suggesting that they enter a place that couldn’t be entered.
In-su said.
“I know my words might sound strange.”
“Yes. Because the Gate would already be closed.”
“But not all Gates are destined to be locked.”
“Are you perhaps talking about a Root Gate dungeon……?”
In-su smiled and nodded.
Unlike ordinary Gates that float above the ground, Root Gates are rooted in the ground.
Root Gates do not close even after being cleared.
Because monsters, including the boss, respawn after clearing.
Therefore, Root Gate dungeons can be cleared multiple times.
However, as the number of clears increases, the monsters weaken, and the magic stone yield decreases.
Then, when the magic stone yield reaches zero, the dungeon structure and the types of monsters change, a phenomenon called ‘reset’.
Sa-hyeok asked.
“But doesn’t the dungeon structure change when a reset occurs? Then the stone tablet would have disappeared……”
“Even after experiencing several resets, that stone tablet remained in the boss room. I also find that part fascinating.”
“So, to see that stone tablet, we have to clear the dungeon once?”
“That’s right.”
“We don’t have that much time. If you could just show us the picture data……”
“Everything has a price, Sa-hyeok-ssi.”
Sa-hyeok was momentarily speechless.
In-su continued.
“You are asking me for information, Sa-hyeok-ssi. Of course, I can give it to you. As long as you pay the price.”
“Are you asking me to lend you my strength as payment?”
“Yes. Please clear the dungeon once with our Hunters. After that, you can freely view the stone tablet inside the dungeon. And when you come out, I will share all my research data with you.”
“What star-level dungeon is it?”
“It’s a 3-star dungeon. It shouldn’t be difficult with Sa-hyeok-ssi’s skills.”
Then Jang-hoon spoke up.
“Hey, Hyung-nim, this isn’t the time to dilly-dally.”
“Jang-hoon-hyung, we can clear a 3-star dungeon in no time. And since we’ve come this far, it’s better to see the real thing.”
“……Okay, then let’s go in together and……”
At that moment, In-su interrupted.
“No, Jang-hoon, you and I should talk outside.”
“What? Why?”
Sa-hyeok said to Jang-hoon.
“It’s okay. Hyung-nim, stay outside. I’ll be out soon.”
“Hey, you……”
“More than that, In-su-ssi, let me ask you one personal question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone about the impending destruction, even though you knew about it?”
In-su picked up an apple from the basket and said.
“Spinoza said, ‘If the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant an apple tree.'”
“Why are you suddenly talking about philosophers……?”
“But in fact, Spinoza never said such a thing. However, everyone thinks this unidentified quote belongs to Spinoza.”
“……?”
“In the end, the important thing is not the truth. It’s the ‘words’.”
“Words……”
“The people here were abandoned by society before the Gate incident, and after the incident, they lost their loved ones to the monsters. Should I have told these people, driven to the edge of a c*iff, the cruel truth about destruction?”
“But covering it up won’t prevent the destruction from happening.”
“At least they can be happy until the destruction comes. Sa-hyeok-ssi, can you avoid the destruction?”
“No. I don’t know. But we can struggle.”
“Struggle, huh.”
Clank
In-su took out a thin black rod from his pocket and placed it on the table.
It was the key to the Root Gate dungeon.
“Then try it, that struggle.”
