章節 7: Chapter 7
Front, back, left, and right.
In order to secure all four directions, four people were the bare minimum required.
Jin-Woo himself, Ju-Hui, Mister Song and finally, Mister Kim. A single person leaving now would result in a gap within the field of vision.
Kim wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked urgently.
"Mister Seong, just what is going on here? Explain it to me properly."
"We'll make it as long as we wait here! Only until all the blue flames are extinguished!"
Jin-Woo spat out everything he had deduced so far. Kim nodded his head as his ears perked up.
Jin-Woo quickly ended his explanation and added one more thing at the end.
"Remember, everyone here can get out of here alive."
The laws of this chamber always left open a path for one's survival. The final law would not deviate from that. Jin-Woo was certain of no one else needing to die as long as the remaining people trusted each other.
"....."
Too bad, Kim's thoughts were quite different from the youth's. The older Hunter asked hesitantly.
"Look here, Mister Seong... you could be right on this one, but... could the door close shut instead when the timer runs out?"
"..."
Jin-Woo couldn't answer that one.
He came to his conclusion after considering several variables, but until the result was in, he couldn't be 100% certain of anything.
However, what Kim wanted was a definite assurance. Rather than an uncertain promise of everyone's survival, the definite survival of his own self had proved to be far more alluring in the end.
"I'm sorry about this, but... I don't think I can stay here anymore."
"Ahjussi!"
"Sorry."
With that parting word, Kim stepped down from the altar. He then ignored Jin-Woo's urgent calling and ran towards the door. He stopped and looked for a brief moment just outside the door, but Kim did not step back inside the chamber again.
Grit.
Jin-Woo gritted his teeth.
"God d*mn it!!"
He had saved the lives of others, but what he got in return was definitely not something like gratefulness or friendship.
His entire body shuddered from the pain of betrayal.
Just as he suspected, as soon as Kim had abandoned them, a gap within the surveillance had been created. It was impossible for three people to guard all four directions.
And so, the statues positioned in the blindspots began creeping closer to the altar.
Creeeaaakkkk...
Creeaakkk...
The encirclement of the stone statue was gradually tightening. Song took a look around and then, spoke to Jin-Woo and Ju-Hui.
"Both of you, you should leave now."
His voice was full of resignation. Jin-Woo looked at the old man.
"But, ahjussi....?"
"Just as Kim had said, I was the one who dragged us all in here. If someone has to remain behind, then it'd be only right that I'm the one."
"But, still!!"
"You two with a better future ahead of you should be the ones to survive today."
Song began smiling, then. He was thinking of these two young people's hearts as they would have to abandon him here.
"..."
Jin-Woo helplessly nodded his head. He was uncomfortable about this whole thing, but there was no time left to argue back and forth who should remain in here.
Song then tried to ask Ju-Hui to take care of Jin-Woo.
"Miss Ju-Hui, can you help out Mister Seong here for a bit?"
"Y-yes."
However, just as she was about to prop him up, Ju-Hui plopped down to the floor.
"Ah....."
Ju-Hui tried to get up, but then, tears began forming around the edges of her eyes.
"My legs... I, I can't move my legs...."
Both the expressions of Jin-Woo and Mister Song hardened in an instant.
Ju-Hui's current physical condition did look terrible even from a casual glance. Her lips were in the shade of pale blue, while her entire body continued to tremble ever so imperceptibly.
She was suffering from the side-effects of overusing her magic energy when she was already at her physical limit.
'Because she tried to heal my leg....'
Jin-Woo felt his chest tighten and couldn't say anything. However, they really didn't have any time left now.
Creeeeaaaakkkk.....
The stone statues were relentlessly approaching them without a moment of rest even now.
Jin-Woo shoved Song's hand away and plopped down to the ground himself. Seeing this, Song's eyes grew wider.
"Y-young man.....?"
Jin-Woo spoke up with a determined expression on his face.
"Ahjussi, please take Ju-Hui and get out of this place."
"I told you, I'll be the one staying behind."
"In that case, who's going to help Ju-Hui?"
It was pretty much impossible for him to take Ju-Hui, who couldn't even stand properly, and leave through the door within the time limit.
'Of course....'
There was the other choice of abandoning Ju-Hui behind, as well. However, Ju-Hui had saved his life several times already, and the only reason why she was in this state was because she tried to help him with all her might.
He definitely did not want to suffer the guilty conscience of abandoning such a person behind in this godforsaken place.
"There is no time left. Please leave now."
"..."
Song's expression remained hardened as he helped Ju-Hui up. She shook her head desperately while tears streamed down on her face.
"No, you can't... Mister Jin-Woo can still survive, you know? Let me...."
"I promised to buy you a dinner, didn't I?"
Jin-Woo pulled out the rank E magic crystal from his pocket and placed it in her hand.
"Please, use this and enjoy one on me. When I get out of here, I'll be coming around to collect the change, you see."
A smile formed on Jin-Woo's face, prompting Ju-Hui to cry out in anger.
"How can you crack a joke in this situation, Mister Jin-Woo?!"
It was at this moment that Jin-Woo signalled to Mister Song with a nod. The older man then lightly chopped on the back of Ju-Hui's neck.
"Ah...."
With that, Ju-Hui lost her consciousness. Song picked up the unconscious girl and placed her over his shoulder.
"....I'm really sorry about this."
"This is my choice, so it's fine."
Mister Song bowed his head to Jin-Woo.
With that goodbye, Song quickly left the altar.
Creeaakkk....
Creeeeeaaaaakkkk.....
During the time the three of them were chatting, the statues had arrived at the proverbial stone's throw away.
Jin-Woo got on his knees and took several deep breaths.
"Fuu-woo. Fuu-woo...."
He spotted the sword Kim had left behind next to him. So, he reached out and picked it up.
'Now that it had come down to this, I'll take at least one down with me.'
When he looked behind him, Jin-Woo saw Mister Song safely leaving through the doorway with unconscious Ju-Hui still perched upon his shoulder.
What a relief that was.
'Only I'll die here now....'
He wasn't doing this because of some noble determination to sacrifice himself or anything like that. No, there certainly was an element of him calculating the best possible outcome in his decision.
Even if he survived and got out of here today, he would have to live as a cripple for the rest of his life.
Obviously, carrying on as a Hunter would be impossible, then. And it was also questionable whether he'd be able to live normally as well. He was only a high-school graduate, and since he didn't have any discernible job skills, he simply didn't have too many options left to put food on the table.
'Mom's hospital fees... and my sister's school fees, too.'
If that were the case, then he might as well make sure his family would receive a better compensation from the Association, even if it was just a single cent more.
'Was the compensation paid out to the family members 300 million Won or 400, when one dies during a raid?' (TL: Between $267,000 and $356,000)
That was a huge amount for a worthless life of a rank E Hunter.
Creeaakkk....
Creeakk...
Clang.
Finally, the statues arrived.
The first one to arrive climbed up on the altar. Jin-Woo glared at it and lifted the sword up.
"Come."
Unfortunately, the expected attack didn't come from the front, but his back.
Stab!
A long spear penetrated into Jin-Woo's back and exited out of his chest.
"Keok!"
Jin-Woo spat out a mouthful of blood.
An unimaginable amount of pain rushed in like a tsunami wave.
"If you were stabbed a couple of inches higher, you'd have a hole in your heart by now!"
Ju-Hui's nagging he heard only a few hours ago slipped past his mind like a scene from a revolving lantern.
"U, uwaaaahck!!"
The stone statue lifted up the spear. Jin-Woo was lifted up along into the air, still pierced through by that spear. He only got to struggle for a brief moment, though – because the statue slammed him down on the altar.
SLAM!!
"Keok!"
Sounds of bones breaking could be heard from all corners of his body.
He shrunk away from the intense pain.
"Euh..... Euh, euh....."
As he began trembling, the stone statues slowly surrounded him. They formed a encirclement around him. Jin-Woo raised his head and glared at them, his entire being shuddering non-stop.
'I... I don't want to die like this.'
Now that he was facing his final moments, tears pooled on his eyes.
He recalled the faces of his family. He even recalled the face of Ju-Hui, her face full of anxiety and worry for his safety...
'I don't want to die...'
He didn't want to end his short twenty-four years of life in this place.
Step.
The stone statue wielding a sword took a step closer without a hint of emotion. Then, it raised its sword up high.
Even though he was shaking hard, Jin-Woo did not avert his gaze away from this b*stard.
Finally, the statue's sword slashed down.
Swiiiishhh....
'Only if, only if I had one more chance!'
Jin-Woo's eyes shot open wider.
It happened then.
*SFX for the statue's movements suddenly stopping*
As if someone had pressed the 'pause' button, the scarily-fast moving sword suddenly stopped in mid-air.
No, that wasn't actually correct; it hadn't stopped at all. It simply had slowed down so much that he ended up thinking that way.
One millimetre in one minute?
It was very slow, but the sword was still definitely coming down.
'Wha-what's going on here?'
Jin-Woo couldn't hide his astonishment.
It was then, a voice of a female he had never heard of before resounded within his head.
[Completion requirements for the 'Secret Quest: the Courage of the Powerless' has been met.]
Secret quest? Completion requirements were met?
Jin-Woo couldn't understand any of that.
'No, hang on a minute. Besides all that, where did that voice come from?'
Too bad for him, the voice ignored Jin-Woo's questions and continued on regardless.
[You have acquired the rights to become a Player. Will you accept?]
He had acquired a right? Accept what, exactly?
'Sounds like I'll be given something....'
He grew up dirt poor since his childhood, so he had never refused freebies until now. However, that was a story for when he was still alive. What use was there for free stuff when he was dead?
'…....'
When Jin-Woo hesitated and didn't answer, the voice in his head asked again as if to urge him on.
[There is not enough time left for you to make your decision. Your heart will cease functioning precisely 0.02 seconds after you refuse to accept. Will you accept?]
He couldn't tell whether he was hallucinating or not, but he still got to figure out that he was only a moment away from dying for good. He finally spotted countless other weapons headed in his direction, beside that d*mn sword, that was how.
Now that the things had devolved to such a degree, he might as well.
'….If you're giving it to me, then just give it to me already.'
There was no need to utter anything out at all. He simply thought about it in his head. Even then, the voice of the female replied to him immediately.
[Congratulations on becoming a 'Player'.]
FLASH!!
A blinding light suddenly wrapped around Jin-Woo's body – and at the same time, he lost his consciousness.
Part 6: Penalty
He opened his eyes.
He saw a white ceiling, and his nose stung from the odour of disinfectants. He also felt the sensation of a hard mattress against his back.
Jin-Woo immediately recognised where he was.
'A hospital?'
Ever since he met the rank B Healer, Ju-Hui, the frequency of him staying in one had decreased somewhat, but still, hospitals were familiar places for Jin-Woo, just as he'd be with a local convenience store.
So much so that, he even heard a rumour of there being a special seat reserved for himself at the Hunter's hospital, too.
Jin-Woo raised his upper torso up. He then placed his hand on his chest and felt the vibrations coming from there. His heart was beating without a problem.
'I.... survived?'
It wasn't only that, though. Unlike before, his entire being felt light and airy. He'd be feeling heavy-headed and fatigued whenever he woke up from a hospital bed.
But, it was a different story now. No, it was as if he had woken up in his own bed after a night of a good rest.
'What's going on....?'
This shouldn't have been possible when he thought back to the moments before he lost his consciousness.
A sword was falling on his head right before his eyes.
Even if he got lucky and the sword missed, he was still surrounded by countless scary enemies. Those d*mn things were strong enough to give the assault team formed solely from the rank A – no, rank S Hunters a genuinely hard time.
'But, I came out of that situation alive?'
Was he dreaming things, then?
Fortunately, there was a good way of confirming it for himself.
Jin-Woo pulled away the blanket covering him.
If that situation had been real, then his leg would still be gone, and if he had been dreaming, then his leg would be...
"You've finally woken up."
< Chapter 7 > Fin.
章節 8: Chapter 8
Jin-Woo was surprised by the weighty voice coming from the corner of the hospital room, and hurriedly turned his head to look.
"I apologise if we took you by surprise."
"Unfortunately, we are unable to wait any longer."
Two men kitted out in black business suits approached Jin-Woo's bed. The youth tilted his head and asked them.
"Who.... are you?"
He had never seen these two's faces before.
One of them with the close-cropped hair like a soldier and wearing a pair of sunglasses presented him with a business card.
"This is who we are."
Jin-Woo received the business card and read what was written on it.
'Woo Jin-Cheol, the section chief of the Monitoring Division, the Korean Hunter's Association?'
The Monitoring Division was the only department in the Hunter's Association with many strong Hunters in their payroll. Well, since this department was tasked with managing the country's Hunters so, quite obviously, they would employ many high-class Hunters to facilitate that purpose.
"What does the Monitoring Division want from me?"
Woo Jin-Cheol dragged a chair closer to the bed and sat down. The other man, who must've been his subordinate, stood behind him.
The unspoken pressure emanating from the two buff guys staring down in close vicinity was quite heavy. The story they conveyed was rather surprising, though.
"I was unconscious for four days?!"
"By any chance, do you remember what happened before you blacked out?"
"Yes, I do."
"Please tell us everything you can remember."
Jin-Woo told them everything truthfully, minus the strange hallucinatory words he heard before he lost his consciousness.
"And that's when you lost your consciousness... Is that all?"
"Yes. I open my eyes next, and I'm in a hospital."
Woo Jin-Cheol and his lackey exchanged meaningful glances. For some reason, they seemed to be troubled by Jin-Woo's lack of knowledge.
Actually, Jin-Woo was the one who wanted to find out what happened the most in this room.
"Just how did I get to this hospital? Did a large Guild participate and kill those d*mn things?"
"Well, actually...."
Woo Jin-Cheol awkwardly opened his mouth.
"By the time the agents of the Monitoring Division and the White Tiger Guild arrived at the scene after being briefed by the survivors...."
The White Tiger Guild was a super-massive Guild and also one of the top five in the country. The Association had recognised the danger, hence they requested the aid of such a huge Guild as the White Tiger Guild in the first place.
Just what did happen back there?
Jin-Woo nervously swallowed a dry spit.
"By the time....?"
"....Everything was 'gone'. The only thing to be found within that open space was you, Mister Seong Jin-Woo. There was not one trace of the god statue nor the stone statues."
"Come again?!"
Jin-Woo displayed a shocked, disbelieving face.
"It's hard for us to believe it as well. If there had been any inconsistencies in the testimonies of the survivors, or if we had failed to find the remains of the victims in the chamber, we might have suspected something fishy was going on."
Woo Jin-Cheol scratched his chin.
It'd been six years since he got ranked as an 'A' and started working for the Monitoring Division. He could confidently say that he had witnessed and experienced pretty much everything during his tenure. However, this kind of situation was a first even for him.
He had asked other Guilds as well as the Associations in other countries, but the end result was nothing worthy to speak about.
That was why...
"So, this is what we've been thinking...."
Woo Jin-Cheol carefully opened his mouth.
"There were powerful creatures in that chamber, without a doubt. But, they were taken care of by an unknown group, or an unknown person. Because, no otherworldly beings escaped from the Gate before it was closed, you see."
They had to consider all the possibilities. Even if the odds were low, they had to confirm them all. The head honchos of the Association deliberated, and then deliberated for some more, and finally came up with a theory.
Woo Jin-Cheol carefully studied Jin-Woo's reactions as he continued on.
"We… suspect that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo-nim might have gone through another Awakening."
Another Awakening!
Jin-Woo's eyes shot open wide.
Although extremely rare, there had been instances of a human who had awakened his or her abilities as a Hunter going through yet another Awakening.
Often referred to as 'Re-Awakening', those who undergo this process would normally become extremely powerful compared to before.
Originally, once a Hunter's rank was assigned at the beginning, it rarely changed. A Hunter's abilities were determined the moment one went through an Awakening, that was why.
However, it was a different story for those going through the Re-Awakening process.
Jumping past their own limitations to rise up from, say, rank C to A, or even from B to S, such things had happened before.
Woo Jin-Cheol nervously swallowed his saliva.
'Seong Jin-Woo.... If he went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S, no, maybe even exceeding that, then it's possible for him to kill those monsters all by himself.'
The god statue was said to have melted rank C Hunters with nothing but its eyes, according to the survivors.
If one were able to kill such a creature even while unconscious, just how powerful one could possibly be?
To prepare for this unlikeliest possibility, Woo Jin-Cheol labelled this incident as 'top secret' and made sure everyone involved would keep their mouths shut.
This was also the reason why Seong Jin-Woo found himself in a hospital room all alone, as well as being looked after by some of the finest medical practitioners in the nation.
Woo Jin-Cheol's chest began beating real fast.
'Could Korea finally have a Hunter on the level of an international powerhouse....?'
There were less than ten people in the entire world that could truly be described as a global powerhouse. But, what if Korea were to possess a powerhouse that were said to rival a nuclear warhead in terms of pure firepower?
Of course, confirming the truth of the Re-Awakening wasn't difficult at all. Didn't the wise elders once say to make hay while the sun still shines?
Woo Jin-Cheol signalled to his lackey.
"Bring it here."
Then, the lackey went to the corner of the room and began rummaging through a briefcase placed there.
"That is...?"
Before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Woo Jin-Cheol explained first.
"It's the device to measure your magic energy."
He added that, although this device had been miniaturised, its efficiency or accuracy did not fall short of the actual full-size measuring device located in the Hunter's Association.
"All you have to do is to place your hand on this magic crystal over here."
On top of a circular plate, there was a fist-sized magic crystal embedded in the middle. Its colour was pitch-black, as if it was a black hole that wanted to suck him in!
It was one of the highest quality magic crystals that cost as much as a billion won, not to mention that could only be found in monsters ranked A or higher. (TL: Almost $900,000)
When Jin-Woo stared at the magic crystal without saying anything, Woo Jin-Cheol formed a dignified, serious expression and spoke up.
"This is a necessary step during our investigation, so please, cooperate with us."
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
If he indeed had undergone a Re-Awakening, then his life would do a 180 in an instant. And they were going to test it out for him for free, so who was he to refuse?
Jin-Woo placed his hand on top of the black crystal and soon enough, warm rays of light oozed out from it.
Cold sweat drops formed on the foreheads of Woo Jin-Cheol and his lackey.
*SFX for a beam of light dissipating*
Not too long after then, the light surrounding the crystal dissipated.
Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly took off his sunglasses and confirmed the numbers.
Right away, a small earthquake rocked Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes.
"How can this be?!"
He rechecked the numbers, but it remained the same.
'How can....'
How could a person holding a Hunter licence possess the magic energy value of only 10?!
When considering the fact that the lowest average value for rank E – the bottom rank – was around 70 to 100, Seong Jin-Woo was no different from a regular person.
"Is it really a Re-Awakening? If it is, what could be my new rank now?"
Jin-Woo's hands were soaked in the sweat of anticipation.
Seeing the suspicious reactions of the two Monitoring Division agents, the result must've been somewhat beyond their expectations.
Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol was comparing the existing data on Jin-Woo with the new measurement.
'His first measurement returned the value of 12. Four years later, it's 10. It has decreased by 2, but it is within the margin of error.'
In other words, the magic energy measuring device was working fine. Instead, it was Seong Jin-Woo's magic energy that happened to be just illogically, nonsensically low.
It was a miracle that he had survived until now.
Woo Jin-Cheol rapidly realised that being here was a waste of time, so he got up from his seat.
"Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
Woo Jin-Cheol and his lackey quickly packed up to leave.
"Uhm, excuse me. Can you tell me what is...."
Just as Jin-Woo was about to ask, Woo Jin-Cheol bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, please give us a call anytime."
As if their rear ends were on fire, two men-in-black rapidly left the room as soon as they put away the device.
The hospital room that felt rather small suddenly became quiet and lonely.
"..."
Jin-Woo scratched the back of his neck.
'I guess that was a no, then.'
Well, if he thought about it, besides him feeling refreshed, there didn't seem to be any change to him at all. Even if he did go through a Re-Awakening, it'd still be difficult for him to kill all those statue b*stards, anyways.
'Maybe, you might have a chance against them if you were either the ultimate weapon, Hunter Choi Jong-In, or the rank SS Hunter Goh Gun-Hui.'
Of course, him speculating like this was meaningless, since he had never seen them in action before. There was always a thick veil of secrecy draped over the Hunters ranked S.
They were more like clouds in the sky to him, actually.
He thought up to here and inadvertently raised his head up. And that's when he saw 'it'.
'Huh?!'
He looked up without thinking, and then, saw 'words' floating in the air.
[You have several unread messages.]
***
".....?"
He closed his eyes and opened them again.
[You have several unread messages.]
The words remained floating up there without a single change. He shook his head hard a few times and even rubbed his eyes, but they were still there.
Jin-Woo massaged his aching forehead and lowered his head.
'It hadn't been a long time since I started hearing weird things, but now, I'm even seeing them, too....'
Could something in his head really be broken?
There was a condition called PTSD, after all. People who experienced a huge accident or a traumatic event usually suffered from this condition.
It was only a few days ago since he witnessed the deaths of many of his comrades, not to mention he himself nearly died as well, so it would not be so strange to hear or see weird things as a possible side effect.
'However....'
However, there were a couple of things that prevented him from dismissing this out of hand.
Jin-Woo's sight lowered to his leg – the leg that got cut in half by the shield of the stone statue was now all fine and dandy.
The voice he heard out of the blue inside the underground temple hidden within the depths of the dual dungeon; his completely-cured (?) leg; and now, those words floating in front of his eyes.
Too many weird things were happening all at once.
'What if....?'
There was a chance that all these things were not isolated events but linked to one another. When his thoughts arrived here, his aching head felt just a bit clearer.
'Okay, fine.'
Jin-Woo slowly raised his head.
Once the confusion in his heart died down and he felt calmer, he became quite curious about the contents of those so-called unread messages. There might be answers to his questions found within those messages, after all.
In order to confirm the messages, he reached out towards the words.
And his hand simply went past them.
'It's not touch-operated?'
It seemed that he got way too used to how a smartphone worked. He couldn't think of any other way to access the messages other than tapping on the 'icon', though.
While he was deliberating on the means to access the messages, he recalled the memories from the moments before he blacked out.
"Right. That happened."
Back then, he could only get his intentions across to that unknown voice by 'talking' to it.
'Just like back then, I should either form the words in my head or speak it out loud.'
Thinking that this must be the case, Jin-Woo then began to mutter the potential combination of words one by one.
"Confirm."
"Messages."
"Confirm messages."
"Check messages."
"Reading."
"I want to read."
"I want to look."
"Hey, show me already, will ya?!"
It was then.
".....Just what is it that you wish to see that bad?"
He felt a cold, probing stare coming from the side, so he turned his head to look. And, spotted his little sister in her school uniform looking at him from the gap of the half-open door.
"Uhm....."
Jin-Woo became speechless.
Her oppa, busy glaring at the ceiling while demanding someone to show something to him – he simply didn't know how to explain this one to her.
< Chapter 8 > Fin.
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