LIGHTNOVELWORLD #004
#004
Like most status screens, it was a skill with particularly little information. Even the last line that made him feel dirty every time he looked at it.
Still, one effect was certain.
As he put his will into it, the skill activated weakly. As soon as a faint light, invisible to others, frosted over his sword, Yoon Pa-ran swung it widely.
Graaaargh…!
Unlike before, the monster howled loudly and faltered. It meant Yoon Pa-ran’s sword was landing proper hits.
He nimbly dodged the black blood showering down from above. While the monster hesitated, having lost sight in one eye and affected by the Sacred Energy, he aimed for its legs this time.
After persistently targeting weak points like this several times, the A-rank monster collapsed to the ground.
“Haa, haa…”
It took quite some time to take down one. If he had continuously used the Sacred Energy skill, it would have been faster, but he didn’t overuse it.
He just wiped the blood splattered on his face, realizing that he had once again gotten used to this foul blood smell.
“Ugh!”
“Damn it!”
Looking around, most B-rank hunters were struggling similarly. Even groups of five C-rank hunters could only manage to tie down a monster’s feet.
Except for Dan Joo-hyuk alone.
He had already floored almost all the monsters that initially rushed at him. Even while repelling the various monsters attacking relentlessly, he wore a slight smile.
The sight of him smiling while slashing really made him look like a madman.
“Shit, the aggro shifted!”
“Hah…”
Just then, a loud shout erupted from where the C-rank hunters were struggling.
A monster suddenly swung its blade-like arm at a hunter standing a bit apart. This time, it was a monster resembling a giant mantis.
Quickly assessing the situation, Yoon Pa-ran activated his Stream of Destruction skill again. This time, with a bit of Sacred Energy mixed in.
“H-help… I’m hit!”
Despite the considerable distance, the water stream successfully struck the back of the monster’s oddly shaped head.
Although it was a skill empowered by Sacred Energy, no one noticed due to the chaos.
“Leave the one that went to Yoon Pa-ran, block again! You bastards, the back is open!”
A hunter who seemed to be a veteran shouted at the top of his lungs. The C-rank hunter who nearly died from the blind attack nodded slightly towards Yoon Pa-ran.
Yoon Pa-ran nodded back briefly before retreating to create distance. The monster he had just hit with the water stream was approaching him, burning with hostility.
As the distance widened, he fired his skill at the monster’s leg joints this time.
Kweeeeek!
The monster lost balance and rolled on the ground ungracefully. Not missing the opportunity, Yoon Pa-ran immediately leaped onto the monster.
With an even weaker Sacred Energy coating his blade than before.
Grrrk, kuk!
The fact that he had such a skill was a closely guarded secret.
But he couldn’t just save it and die, so he learned to use it inconspicuously like this.
“Shit! Hold on! I said hold on!”
Just then, Dan Joo-hyuk, who had finished off his share of monsters, ran towards the back.
From the beginning, the C-rank hunters had only one role: to buy time until Dan Joo-hyuk could kill the monsters he had gathered with his provocation skill.
Glancing at the red trails left behind like afterimages following Dan Joo-hyuk’s movements, Yoon Pa-ran turned his gaze to the opposite direction.
It had been a disgustingly tiring day.
❖ ❖ ❖
Before another day passed, the gate was successfully cleared.
“Ugh, I’m dying.”
“Still, we finished early.”
Hunters poured out of the gate that had turned gray. People emerging from a space that had been rippling like a painting in mid-air was surreal, but everyone acted as if they were used to it.
The circular gate floating about 1 meter above ground was a phenomenon that couldn’t be explained by the laws of physics. It clearly existed there, but it couldn’t be touched or destroyed by ordinary means.
Some hunters sprawled on the ground as soon as they crossed the gate back to reality.
“Healing skill! Any hunters with healing skills?”
“This way, please, Hunter!”
As soon as they observed the gate turning gray and deactivating, the Gate Management Office sprang into action. To welcome the returning hunters and organize the gate byproducts they brought back.
Dan Joo-hyuk was the last to come out of the gate.
Behind him, the gray gate began to ripple ominously. A deactivated gate, emptied of all living beings, would repeatedly collapse like this before disappearing.
“Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk. Thank you for your hard work. Any notable occurrences?”
A government official from the Management Office who had been waiting for Dan Joo-hyuk quickly approached.
However, as the distance closed, the official’s complexion gradually turned pale. It was due to the unique wavelength innately possessed by S-rank hunters. From what he’d heard, it was an aura that seemed to overwhelm the surroundings.
Even seeing this reaction, Dan Joo-hyuk just smiled faintly and recited mechanically:
“No reusable resources were discovered. No hunters remain inside.”
He could reduce the wavelength if he cared to, but he didn’t bother.
As the exhilaration from combat subsided, everything was quickly becoming bothersome.
“Th-thank you again th-this time. We can leave the gate to close on its own now.”
The official replied as if coughing. Although he seemed to be struggling to endure being near Dan Joo-hyuk, he hesitated as if he had something more to say personally.
Whether that was the case or not, Dan Joo-hyuk pretended not to notice and moved on.
He felt a lingering, regretful gaze on his back, but he wasn’t curious about what the official wanted to say.
“Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk. I’m from Karma Guild. Please spare us a moment of your precious time…”
“This is KMK Broadcasting. Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk, regarding this gate…”
There were several more attempts to catch Dan Joo-hyuk’s attention afterward. Each time, he just smiled perfunctorily and kept walking forward.
Nothing he heard piqued his interest. It wasn’t an unusual state for him. The motivation that had somewhat functioned inside the gate had plummeted back to the ground after just a few steps.
The smile he habitually wore on his face felt especially heavy today. It became more so as more humans approached and their numbers increased.
The curse that had appeared as soon as he awakened was sharply pricking his mind.
Just as he was thinking it would be nice if all the buzzing voices around him would disappear…
“Dan Joo-hyuk!”
Someone who had rushed over urgently blocked his path.
It was A-rank hunter Kim Sin-cheol.
“Whoa. Hey, you bastard. Why are you exuding such a murderous aura?”
Kim Sin-cheol, who had turned pale, scolded Dan Joo-hyuk.
“Ah.”
Only then did Dan Joo-hyuk stop and stroke his chin once.
It seems his thoughts had gone a bit too far. This too had been a frequent occurrence in recent years, so he didn’t think much of it.
“This way, to the temporary headquarters. Let’s go.”
Dan Joo-hyuk nodded readily and followed Kim Sin-cheol.
Kim Sin-cheol was someone Dan Joo-hyuk had known since he was about ten years old. The annoyance still hadn’t subsided, but he had to show some sincerity, if only for Kim Sin-cheol’s parents’ sake.
When Dan Joo-hyuk entered the gate, another gate had opened nearby. So the Gate Management Office had set up a temporary headquarters at the midpoint between the two gates.
The inside of the spacious tent serving as the temporary headquarters was bustling.
On one side, they were sorting out the magic stones and monster byproducts brought by hunters on waterproof sheets. On the other side, hunters needing healing skills or potions were lying down, groaning.
Among the injured were some from Dan Joo-hyuk’s attack team, but he didn’t even glance at them.
“Oh my aching body. We had a jungle terrain gate this time, so it was tough.”
While filling out the necessary paperwork for the raid leader at the temporary headquarters, Kim Sin-cheol joked around.
His complexion hadn’t returned to normal yet, but Dan Joo-hyuk knew Kim Sin-cheol was trying his best in his own way.
Above all, Kim Sin-cheol had a unique skill that could interact with plants. This meant he could have been quite useful in a jungle terrain gate.
“Still just a B-rank gate though.”
“You bastard. Must be nice being S-rank, huh?”
When Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately criticized him, the tension visibly drained from Kim Sin-cheol’s face.
However, Kim Sin-cheol awkwardly lowered his hand to the documents, which he had raised as if to playfully hit Dan Joo-hyuk’s shoulder. Although he pretended to be signing something urgently, Dan Joo-hyuk’s keen eyes clearly saw that hesitation.
As this wasn’t the first time it had happened, Dan Joo-hyuk just chuckled and ran his hand through his hair.
At that moment, a pale face entered the corner of his vision.
When he turned to look reflexively, it was Hunter Yoon Pa-ran.
“…”
Kim Sin-cheol, who had followed Dan Joo-hyuk’s gaze, frowned slightly. Although the distance was considerable, Kim Sin-cheol also recognized Yoon Pa-ran.
He was still struggling, his insides twisted from enduring Dan Joo-hyuk’s killing intent earlier. His stomach ached involuntarily at the thought of possibly having to restrain Dan Joo-hyuk again.
Lowering his voice, Kim Sin-cheol asked Dan Joo-hyuk:
“Was Yoon Pa-ran in the same gate as you?”
“Yeah.”
Until Kim Sin-cheol blocked his path, Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t paid any attention to his surroundings. Especially despite people from the media persistently clinging to him.
The fact that he was now persistently following Hunter Yoon Pa-ran’s movements with his gaze seemed ominous.
Finally, after swallowing dryly once, Kim Sin-cheol asked Dan Joo-hyuk. He didn’t particularly want to stir Dan Joo-hyuk up, but he had no choice because if he left this guy alone, his parents’ worries would only increase.
“Did you two fight again?”