The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 37: 186-190, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Fwooosshh~~!!

A cold and piercing wind crashed against Malea's body. The sharp whistles of the wind were mixed with the eerie and bizarre laughter from the ghosts roaming around Malea. However, she didn't pay any attention to them.

-KEKEKEKEKEK

-KEKEKEKE

The ghosts on this floor had a tendency to cling to the living and invade their minds to break it down. They would try their hardest to break their target's will and mana so they could possess them or turn them into idiots. But such a trick had no effect on Malea.

After all, Malea's mind had long since departed from this world.

-Kekekeke

-Heh heh heh heh heh…

However, even after knowing the fact that their trick didn't work on her, the ghosts still constantly hovered around Malea, who was the only living person on this floor, and Malea was bound to stay here forever with them.

Malea, who had curled up in a fetus position in front of a reddish boulder, lifted her head slowly. It had been a year and a half since she was left here all alone. Her previous bright appearance was nowhere to be seen; it was all replaced by a wretched and desolate appearance which was far more pitiful than when she had lost her last classmate. It was not a stretch to say that Malea was barely alive.

For the first few months, Malea tried to console herself by saying 'There must be a reason why they left me here.' or 'They must have gone somewhere for a moment.' She even thought of chasing after them thinking they might have abandoned her to climb the tower by themselves.

However, no matter how long Malea waited, the Tutorial Tower did not announce that the 79th floor was conquered, which meant that Yoo Seodam and Aracelli were not climbing the tower.

Malea was lost. She couldn't find their traces anywhere. But, she was not alone, because even the fairies, who were ardently looking for them since they were the top climbers in the tower, couldn't find them anywhere. They searched every nook and cranny of the tower, leaving no stone unturned, but there was not a trace of them.

"…"

The gloomy scenery of the 79th floor was reflected in Malea's eyes which had lost its brilliance. She just sat there blankly, waiting without thinking, just like that, every day since they left.

Suddenly, however, the fairy in charge of the floor approached her quietly

-Challenger Malea~ Instead of wasting your time here~ how about making a 'wish' after conquering the top of this tower~?

"…wish?" Malea responded in a hoarse voice which sounded similar to the voice of the ghosts around her.

– That's right~ Don't tell me you've forgotten about that~? A Challenger who succeeds in conquering the highest floor in the tutorial will have their wish granted!

"…" Malea's forehead scrunched in confusion.

Now that the fairy told her about it, she remembered that there was such a thing. Until now, she had never thought about it simply because the reason for her climbing the tower was not to have a wish granted but to escape this wretched place.

If she could truly make a wish… Then…

"Can I wish to meet someone again?" Her eyes twinkled for the first time in a long time as she asked the fairy that question hastily.

-Of~ Freaking~ Course~! You can even wish for the world to run backwards~ So, it's a bit of waste to wish for something like that~ but oh well~ as long as your heart is satisfied with it~ It's a good wish~

Malea raised her head in hope. To be honest, she was getting tired of sitting idly and waiting for them in this quiet space. However, now that there was a way for her to meet them again…

She slowly got up from her seat.

-But~ there is one problem~

"What is that?"

-Because you have stayed on the 79th floor for too long~ Your soul now completely belongs to this place~

The fairy shook its head.

-Because of that, wherever you go, you will eventually return here, the 79th floor~

After that the fairy grumbled, saying, 'What did I tell you? You should've challenged the boss room sooner.' However, Malea simply left without paying any heed to the fairy's words.

But when she tried to walk ahead, suddenly, there was a metallic screeching noise. She felt that something was wrapped around her ankle. However, even when it was able to produce sounds and even if she could physically feel it's weight , it wasn't some kind of a tangible force she could break, rather, it was a supernatural force. The whole floor itself had become a shackle to tie down Malea's soul.

However, even with her knowledge of magic, she couldn't find a way to resolve it.

'I just have to endure.'

Malea hardened her resolve and forcefully dragged the chains with her.

Malea remembered that the fairy had told her that if a normal person stayed in this place for more than 100 days, they would be unable to leave it forever. And Malea, who had stayed on the 79th floor for over 500 days, was somehow able to drag her body towards the passage to the 80th floor.

"Ugh!" But, as soon as she took one step to enter the 80th floor, her mind turned upside down. All sounds vanished, as if the space itself had blurred around her. And a few moments later, she found herself in the middle of the 79th floor once again.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Malea nodded. This place was indeed just like how the fairy described it: 'a space which one could not escape even after death'. Because even after their death, their souls would be forced to wander in this space.

But from the moment she had decided to climb once again, giving up was something she wouldn't do. She would do her utmost and keep trying over and over again to reach the top.

She moved her feet once again, slowly yet steadily. As this floor was a floor without any challenges, she never thought that she would suffer this much pain on this floor.

As she reached the passage leading to the 80th floor once again, the same thing happened again; she was teleported to the middle of the 79th floor. After a few more tries, Malea's slow but steady steps eventually gained vigor, increasing their strength gradually. One step. Two steps. Five steps. And soon, she was able to jog. That jog turned into a sprint. With every lap, she was able to move faster and faster.

-Wa-wait! Challenger Malea~ If you keep doing that, your soul will be torn apart! Le-let's find another way okay..~!

Even the fairy was worried about her and tried to stop her from doing something so reckless again. But it was to no avail. It was because Malea, who was fully immersed in the challenge, couldn't hear any voice because of her extreme focus.

"Ah!" Malea suddenly exclaimed as she opened her eyes.

How come she had only been looking at the world with only her two eyes?

She thought as she looked up at the reddish sky above. That 'red' colour was only perceived as 'red' by her brain because of the wavelengths of light which entered her cornea; it was not real. That world beyond reality, where colour or substance did not exist at all. This was the world which was currently clearly engraved in Malea's vision.

Normally, people would be unable to see it, feel it, or touch it. If they were able to do so, they would eventually become the same as 'them'. That's why no one in this world was able to prove the existence of the soul. Those who saw them would have wandered around the world beyond in a form that could no longer leave a record in reality.

However, Malea was different, even while her soul was completely fused into the world beyond, she kept a firm grasp on her body which still had the resentment of 'longing' deeply etched within itself. That was why she was able to see, hear and feel her soul even though she was still a human. And thanks to that, it was now possible for Malea to grab the unidentified restraint and shake it.

'With my own power, I can never break this chain.'

However, it was possible to stretch this chain to follow her to the 100th floor.

And finally…

Ads by Pubfuture

[You have entered the boss stage on the 79th floor.]

[Good luck to Challenger Malea.]

She was finally able to 'start' the challenge. If she can start it that simply, the challenge would not be difficult. With that belief, Malea entered the boss room.

"Huh?"

As soon as she entered, she saw a familiar blue crystal ball laying on the floor. It was a 'Recording Marble' which was traded at an expensive price on the lower floor. But, different from what she had seen before, the crystal in front of her was certainly of high grade. It was capable of projecting holograms rather than just simply showing a recorded image.

Malea swallowed her saliva and reached her hand towards it. She tried her best to calm her violently beating heart.

Just before her hand touched the crystal, a man suddenly appeared in the air.

-Ah, ah, ah… can you hear me? Is this already recording?

The man's face, that familiar face which had become bluish because of the crystal's colour. No… should Malea say that she was more than just familiar to it, rather, she was too used to it?

Yoo Seodam, who Malea had been desperately waiting for, then touched something beyond the recording frame of the crystal before shaking his head.

-Are you sure you have set this correctly? It keeps flickering…

-I'm sure of it. You can just start now Professor…

A familiar voice and a familiar conversation. As soon as Malea heard those, tears welled up in the corner of her eyes.

"Yoo Seodam…"

Malea was aware, since it was a pre-recorded video, Yoo Seodam would not be able to hear or see her. But she still unknowingly let those words out.

-Huh? Why are you calling me? I'm right here…

"..!!!"

Yoo Seodam who was looking to his side, which Malea presumed to be looking towards Aracelli, suddenly turned his head towards her as if he could hear her voice. No, that's not all. He was also staring directly into her eyes.

"Hey, can you see me? What is this… Just how…"

However, before Malea could even finish her words, Yoo Seodam started to talk.

-Perhaps you're talking to me right now. But you know… I can't hear your voice. Sorry.

And then he bowed his head.

-First of all, let me apologize for leaving without any word… I know that no matter how many times I bow to you, it's of no use. Because for you, who has suffered through loneliness, it would have hurt a lot. I know it very well. Even I have lost a lot of partners till now.

"…"

As expected, Malea was right. Yoo Seodam knew her well and didn't just leave without any reason. However, even knowing that, she still resented him, hated him for doing so. But in the end, Malea pushed down all those feelings for his sake.

"Why…why, why did you do that…"

It was a recorded video, but stupidly, Malea asked him those words even though she knew very well that the answer would not come back.

-To me… the time I spent with you was a beautiful memory. It was such a fun time that I will never forget even if I try. However, I couldn't fully enjoy that happiness…

It was simply because Yoo Seodam remembered the end of 'Principal' Malea. At that time, he didn't understand the situation at all. However, after actually meeting her and making memories with the 'Young' Malea, he realized just how lonely and miserable the end of 'Principal' Malea he had met back at the magic academy was.

She had waited for a long time to relive the memories she had created with him. It was to the point where she even forcibly prolonged her lifespan. She endured all the loneliness, sadness and pain to meet the person she wanted to meet the most. However, at the end of that long dark tunnel, the only thing waiting for her was a man who didn't remember her.

It was an extremely tragic tale. Knowing such an ending, it was difficult for Yoo Seodam to accept it. Even more so after he met Malea in the Tower.

Yoo Seodam was aware that once set, the future cannot be changed. However, it was not an absolute rule. There was still a possibility for that fixed future to be changed.

Yoo Seodam, the moment you read a certain event on the diary, the future would be set to that event because the future has been observed by someone, which in this case, is you.

The system said so to Yoo Seodam. It meant that Malea's ending had been destined to be what he had witnessed back then. But, he was ready to take advantage of everything he had in his disposal after seeing the 'end'. And so, he decided to use the diary to his advantage.

-I know your future. No, I used to know your future. But now, I don't even know what you're doing, how you're standing, or what kind of stupid expression you're making.

Yoo Seodam decided to not read the diary until the end. He only read it up to the challenge on the 79th floor. Because if he read it to the end, it would mean that Malea's future will be the same as before, and he didn't want it to be like that.

The 79th floor, the Grave of the Howling Wraiths.

Shortly after they arrived in that terrifying space that could bind the soul of the Challenger, Yoo Seodam had a gut feeling. He felt that the 79th floor would open up the possibility of their true 'reunion'.

– But, one thing that I know is, you must have come all the way here despite being 'soul-bounded' to the 79th floor.

"Yes… that's right. I came here to meet you. So, please…"

He didn't tell her the reason he left her behind until the very end. Just why?

"Why… Why did you leave me here? Even if you can't tell me that… a Go…goodbye… So ple…"

-It was because it wasn't the right time yet.

"…!"

The hologram Yoo Seodam shook his head. But, he was still staring intently into Malea's eyes.

– Malea. I'm really sorry. We all know that apologizing hundreds of times is not enough. I also know very well that all of this happened because of my one selfish heart.

However, Yoo Seodam couldn't help but to do it since he didn't want to acknowledge Malea's ending. He wanted to change her ending, the ending where she, who had suffered a lifetime, was only able to meet him who did not even remember her.

Malea could not understand what Yoo Seodam was trying to say, but she still listened to him for a long time nonetheless. Tears trailed down from her eyes to her cheeks before dropping to the ground while she listened.

Then, after Yoo Seodam finished, Malea asked her in a tone mixed with sadness and hope.

"Ahjussi… Can we meet again?"

And, like a miracle, Yoo Seodam answered her question.

-Yes, we can.

When the projection came to an end, Malea clenched her fists tightly before picking up the crystal ball. No matter how many times she tried, the video refused to play again. But that's fine. It was still a meaningful memento he left behind.

Carefully placing it on her arms, Malea then raised her head. Eyes, which were once filled with tears that flowed like a wild river, had been replaced by those which carried a burning desire. A desire to meet them again, a desire to meet him again.

Although she resented Yoo Seodam for abandoning her and leaving, scolding him and demanding an apology was something she should do only after meeting him in person.

Ads by Pubfuture

For now, her priority was to climb the tower again.

"Challenge, start…"

-I understand…

From there, she started to climb the Tower again. She didn't need any companions, hints or cheats. Her own strength was enough.

She successfully reached the 80th floor, then the 90th floor, and finally, after an uncountable amount of time, she reached the 100th floor.

As soon as she stepped on the 100th floor, Malea made a wish to the 'God of Tutorials', which was bigger than the sky and smaller than a grain of sand.

"I want to meet him."

-I can't allow it.

However, when she woke up, she found herself in 'Cheonyeon Private Magic High School', which she originally attended before she was kidnapped into the Tutorial Tower.

"Huh?"

Why did she end up here when she wished to meet Yoo Seodam? Such a question bloomed on Malea's mind. But, as she thought that there must be a reason, she accepted it and decided to simply wait. In the meanwhile, she immersed herself in the study of magic. In particular, Soul Magic.

After some time passed, 'ghost story' began to appear in the school, but sealing them was not even a job for Malea, who had already lived in a space closer to the underworld for over a year. In the end, Malea, who became an authoritative figure in the field of Soul Magic ended up becoming the headmaster of the magic academy.

And, after a while. That man finally appeared.

When he came, that time was a really dangerous time for Malea. It was because her soul was beginning to fade and her presence was slowly fading to the point where it was difficult for her to even move her body.

And by the time she felt that her impending death was just one step away from her, the energy of a great ghost story suddenly ran rampant.

She hurriedly headed towards the direction where the energy came from.

"Who are you?"

There, the very man who she had been waiting for, was staring at her with a disinterested expression on his face.

An unexplainable feeling welled up in Malea's heart and filled it to the brim. She struggled to hide her expression behind her veil, and simply ended up smiling faintly.

"It's been a while, Yoo Seodam."

However,

"…Oh, Principal?"

The man did not remember her. As she knew that Yoo Seodam was a jokester, she quickly checked the truth. And turned out, it was true. The man she met after a long time was Yoo Seodam from the time before he met her in the Tutorial Tower.

On the brink of her death, she was reminded once again just how vast and wild the world truly was.

How could things turn out like this?

A feeling of despair engulfed her heart. It felt her entire life of lonely waiting had become meaningless. However, she decided to be as hopeful as possible. She tried to pretend to be happy, and she comforted herself by saying to herself that meeting like this, and seeing his face for one last time was enough. This was the ending befitting her long and lonely life.

For just 30 minutes, like a midsummer night's dream, Malea was able to forcefully smile till the end of her life while watching Yoo Seodam's face. She dreamt a sweet dream that seemed impossible to come true.

However, until the very end of her breath, she was unable to see Yoo Seodam's smile.

[79th floor, the Grave of the Howling Wraiths]

Immediately after losing her consciousness, Malea, who had quietly closed her eyes at the moment of her death, was able to open her eyes again. What greets her was a place from a long past, the 79th floor of the 'Tutorial Tower', where her own soul was bound.

"What's happening?"

In an unbelievable reality, she unknowingly touched her cheek and wrist. Although her existence itself was already disappearing, it seemed that this place had returned her appearance from decades ago, when she first climbed the 79th floor.

"Ah…?" At the moment of her death, was she dreaming once again?

As she was thinking about it, all of a sudden, dozens of fairies from the tutorial appeared before her eyes. They all looked confused as they circled around Malea.

– Hey, what's going ~?!

-The Challenger who had graduated from the Tutorial Tower appears here again…!

-That too, with the 'qualification to challenge'…

They talked amongst themselves. However, For Malea who already experienced this tower, she was well aware that they were communicating with the administrators. And at that same time, Malea also realized that she once again was given access to the Tutorial Tower's 'System'.

In other words…

'I can climb again?' She raised her head.

– Yes, yes! Administrators! Please do anything but that! Th…th..the bug report will be done immediately! I promise you it will never happen again!

The fairy who seemed to be the leader of the crowd crouched in the air and then stared at Malea with a resentful expression.

– Challenger Maleaaaaaaa!!! Why are you back here again?

"….Did you just call me Challenger? Am I really a Challenger? Can I climb the tower again?"

– Ah, ah, that…, that….

"Answer quickly!"

When Malea jumped up from her seat, the chains that bound her soul to this space broke into pieces. Malea's soul had become so powerful, it had reached a level where even the 79th floor could not dare to bind it.

In front of Malea, who exuded an overwhelming presence similar to those 'Administrators', the fairies started sweating profusely and could not even open their mouths.

After rolling its eyes for the umpteenth time, the leader of the fairies finally opened its mouth.

-Yes, yes. You can climb the Tower, but just this one time. Remember, this will never happen again!

"Okay. Once is enough."

It was then that Malea began to understand everything. From the very start, Yoo Seodam had known her fate. He also knew that she would meet that kind of end. And since he didn't want that to happen, he forced the future to change by letting the 79th floor bind Malea's soul so that she could return there once she died.

That's why, currently Malea was able to climb the tower again.

"So… If I climb to the top again, I can make another 'wish', right?"

-Ye…Yes, that's right~ So, quickly conquer the top and get out of the tower as soon as possible.

"Hmph, even if you don't tell me that, I'll still do so."

At some point, she had once again returned to being the young girl who had dreamed of hopeful dreams while climbing a giant tower decades ago.

"So, this time again, please take care of me."

[Successfully returned to the original world.]

When I regained my consciousness, I was already standing in the middle of a familiar room. The interior of the room, the sounds of passing cars and other noises which came seconds later assured me that I had returned to Earth.

I stared at the blue crystal ball I was holding tightly in my hand. It was crystal with a function of recording videos, just like a camera.

If all my plans came to fruition, Malea would still be alive after several decades and not meet her end just like last time. Thinking about her once again, I couldn't help but let a sigh escape my mouth. If the Yoo Seodam from two years ago knew that the current him was working this hard hoping to meet her again in the future, he would have laughed and called himself stupid. After all, for the me from two years ago, such a thing was considered useless.

Did I perhaps change a lot during my numerous trips to other worlds? If it was indeed the case, that is a good thing because taking care of your relationship with others is proof that you have spare time in life.

I took off all the armor pieces covering my body and put it in my inventory. After changing into my working clothes, I took out the textbooks I had received from Aracelli.

'I did my best to imitate the textbooks I studied when I was still a student at Vivienda Academy. But, it will be a lot less detailed than the original.'

Well, I couldn't complain much about it. Vivienda Empire was a place with technology far more advanced than Earth. Because of that, textbooks weren't written in physical format but rather in holograms or databases. There were no physical books she could pass on to me. However, due to her nature as a wizard, Aracelli could not simply forget the books and essays she either found or wrote. Fortunately, among the ocean of knowledge she couldn't throw away, textbooks were one of them, and she said that she had a lot of books that she had 'stored' in her head because she was exceptionally fond of books.

Yes. It was not 'memorized' but 'stored'. It seems that Aracelli gained an ability similar to my [Library of White Witch] when she reached the level of an archmage.

I must say that I was very lucky to have such a library in my head even though I wasn't an archmage.

[Magic Theory Understood Through Object-Oriented Principle!]

[Easy to Remember! Magic Plan]

[Magic is Design! Magic Blueprint -Basic Edition-]

[The Principle of The World Understood by Magic! Is The World Actually Perfect?]

Some of the books I received from Aracelli were way too advanced for the current Earth. And because of this, unfortunately, I had to put them to sleep forever in my inventory. For example, the 'Dark Matter Theory' which deals with unknown energy that exists in the universe and the 'Space-Time Travel Theory' which uses the energy of black holes. I even received a 'Theory of Everything' that deals with the origin of the world, which was several centuries more advanced than Earth's current civilization. As it was an advanced science, I didn't dare reveal it to the public.

But aside from those books, I was still able to acquire a lot of useful material about 'Magic Engineering' for Yekaterina from Aracelli even though it was not in great detail because it wasn't Aracelli's major. I hoped it would help Yekaterina to achieve the fusion between magic and science easier.

Putting down the textbooks I had inspected, I stared towards the air.

[You have killed a level 179 protagonist.]

[1790 days of lifespan has been paid.]

[Your current lifespan: 6307 days 9 hours 41 minutes]

It seems that the completion reward increased since Wigen, who entered the tutorial as an 'Overspec Irregular' like me and Aracelli and was already as strong as an S Rank superhuman before he entered the tower, became even stronger as he climbed the tower thanks to numerous unique items he acquired.

While I was there, I also looked for those items. However, I couldn't find any of them. It was probably because most of the items were reserved for the protagonists by the 'Protagonist Correction'.

[Your level has been raised by 3.]

[Level increases by additional 3 due to successful hunting of a protagonist of the worst difficulty.]

[You have acquired the skill 'Cold Gaze'.]

'Cold Gaze' skill. The explanation for this skill was simple. It helps you analyze everything in your surroundings better as you become even more calm.

And that skill was further strengthened when it was fused with [Soul-piercing eyes (C)].

[The skill 'Looking at All Things With a Cold Gaze (B)' has been created.]

In other words, with the newly fused skill, I would be able to look at the essence of that very thing. Of course, it consumes a lot of magic power, so I won't be able to use it often…

And after a long wait and countless hours of hunting protagonists in other worlds, one of my core skills finally levelled up.

[The skill level of 'Protagonist Hunter' increases.]

With this level up, I expected that I would be able to intervene more actively with the protagonist's story or I might have received a few convenient functions, but I was wrong.

As the level rises, only one sentence was added to the explanation.

[You will be able to jump on the flow of the story of the world.]

I couldn't understand the meaning at all, so I tried to ask the system.

But…

Is that so…

She became quiet after giving an unhelpful answer.

"Hmm…"

Something was very suspicious, but as there was no other way to find out, I decided to take it as it is for now.

–

Yoo Seodam

Ads by Pubfuture

[Level: 167]

Stats

[Strength 163]

[Strength 179]

[Agility 165]

[Energy 1]

[Mana 278]

Talent

[Swordsmanship S]

[Hunting D]

[Shooting S]

[Cooking D-]

[Intuition A]

[Quick-wit A]

[Insight B]

[Vitality SS]

[Others…]

Skill

[Protagonist Hunter Lv. 5]

[White Swordsmanship (S)]

[Sixth Sense (B)]

[Inventory (S)]

[Dharma Heavenly Wind God Technique (SS)]

[Concentration (SS)]

[Holy Conversion (F)]

[Ara-Sunyoung Mana Circling Technique (SS)]

[Library Of The White Witch(C)]

[Looking At All Things With a Cold Gaze (B)]

–

My level rose as much as a rat's tail really. The road to the SS rank was truly long and rough. If I could help it, I would like to leave to receive another quest right now, but unfortunately there's a lot of work left to do on Earth.

"Seodam-nim, I thought you wouldn't make it in time!"

"I'm sorry."

The date of the first magic lecture on Earth was getting closer. Even though I had experienced it for so many times, it was still surprising and fascinating at the same time how almost a year spent in the other world had only been two months on Earth.

Though, even after those big time-differences, I was still almost late.

No regrets though.

"By the way… the quality of these textbooks is amazing! Just in case you failed to return, I was also making temporary ones… But, they are incomparable to these textbooks! This book is so easy with it's explanation, to the point where it can be taught to kids who don't know anything about magic."

"Really?"

It seems like the textbooks Aracelli had prepared contain the basic principles of mana. However, this so-called 'basic' was still extremely difficult as it needed an extent of knowledge of someone on college level or higher.

"Besides, this… just what is this Seodam-nim…"

Yaketerina seems to have fallen in love instantly after she laid her eyes on the first few pages of [Blueprints of Magic Engineering] book.

"Unfortunately, it's very different from our technology, so I can't use it as it is… but the principle alone is enough to make my research easier."

"Um… that's good."

Unfortunately, research on magic or anything related to that was not my field, so it would have been of little use to me if I was the one who received it.

Ads by Pubfuture

Once again, I thought that I was really lucky to have Yekaterina.

"Uhhh… I want to read this right now, but I have to send it to the researchers first. Oh, Seodam-nim, do you know what? All the researchers in my lab recently became 3-circle magicians. All of them had almost no talent for superpower, but right now they are at a level where they can defeat even a C rank monster!"

"Oh… Isn't that great?"

I had no idea that the researchers would grow that fast. I haven't even seen their faces yet, but from the fact they were hand-picked by Yekaterina, I could infer that every single one of them must be smart and talented. Indeed, magic seemed to be a science which could only be taught to smart people.

"Based on this textbook, I have to change the order of the lectures scheduled for tomorrow a little. Wow, even elementary school students can learn magic! What if we… promote it like that? Wouldn't the response be amazing?

Yekaterina said so as she hummed and skipped towards her desk. Then, she started to write something down. I also picked up a pen to help her even a little, but just a few seconds in, my smartphone suddenly rang.

[Seol Jungyeon]

It was a call from Noonim.

Mirror World.

(T/N previously translated as 'alternate world', but I feel that it was not so apt, so I changed it. Sorry about that.)

It was an unknown world, which was not a dungeon, not a gate, nor a different dimension, and was detached from reality, However, this phenomenon could be found in many places on Earth.

As it was detached from reality, normally it did not cause much damage to the earth. However, in some cases when the influence of those Mirror Worlds grew powerful, it could interfere with reality. A representative example for the phenomenon those worlds caused was 'Poltergeist'.

However, several months ago, Mirror Worlds were something which could be cleared thanks to the suggestion made by Another League's Yoo Seodam. But Yoo Seodam didn't lead the operation himself. Rather, it was now headed by the New Murim Alliance who were in charge of cleaning such worlds.

"What… is this?"

in the northernmost land in Alaska, Seol Jungyeon looked at the devastated land that unfolded before her eyes.

The scale of the devastation could be said as small. In terms of gates and dungeons, it would be similar to the damage caused by an unattended D~C rank dungeon because there was only one building which was destroyed. However, what was worrying was that the entire building was covered with material from 'Mirror World'.

"M…my lord… Just what is that…"

"…"

Seol Jungyeon also looked at the building with confused eyes.

The building in question… no, could they still call it a building? After all, it had become a living creature after the Mirror World fused into earth. The 'lower body' of the building was rhythmically moving as gas could be seen from time to time just like when humans exhale CO2.

Inside the building, they could see a pair of eyeballs rolling around, proof that there was another living thing there.

"Should we engage, my lord?"

"We should. It's our duty to get rid of everything that seems dangerous."

Seol Jungyeon didn't know why something from the Mirror World had come to reality, but she felt that it seemed like an ill omen. That's why getting rid of it was the first priority.

With that in mind, she drew her sword and walked graciously towards the building-like creature.

"Kuoookkkk!!!!"

From the inside of the building, something that looked like a living creature jumped out and screamed. It was a terrifying creature with a weird head, seven arms, no legs. However, despite its horrendous appearances, Seol Jungyeon felt that the creature seemed to want to 'communicate'.

Seol Jungyeon stopped walking and tried to stop him.

However…

Fwooosh~!!

An energy missile fired by someone brushed past her side and hit the lower floors of the building.

Kurreung…!!

The building began to completely collapse. At that time, the creature from earlier eventually began to express its anger, and there was no choice for Seol Jungyeon to retaliate.

"…"

When her sword sliced through the creature's neck, an eerie feeling rushed towards her.

'What is this?'

Why is it so easy?

The situation ended instantly. It was only natural since unlike in the Mirror World which could only be entered by very strong people, here on Earth, there were many hunters who came along with the New Murim alliance to investigate. And their power was enough to kill the building-like creature.

Seol Jungyeon slowly looked at the 'corpse' of the building. The building was also huge, but since it had no offensive or defensive ability, it wasn't something which could give them any headache.

She then entered the building and walked around while looking for anything which was left behind. When she finally reached the highest floor, she could see something. However, It wasn't difficult to understand because it was just a picture.

In the painting, the 'end' in which all life died and disappeared was drawn. It seems that the painter drew it in a way that was easy to understand so that anyone who found it could understand it even if they died.

'They have some intelligence?'

No, if that is so…

'What did they mean by the 'end'?'

Seol Jungyeon looked at the top of the picture. The whole thing was covered with blood, as if they were trying to erase the wrong picture, but for Seol Jungyeon, those pictures seemed to convey the meaning of 'nothing' or 'empty'.

'I should contact Yoo Seodam.'

[On the 11th, the first 'Magic Lecture' will be held at the 'Taeguk Hotel' in Korea.]

[Magic, a study which can be learned by anyone from elementary school students to experts, is that really true?]

After realizing that the teaching materials Yoo Seodam gave her were extremely easy to understand, Yekaterina broadened the recruitment for the first magic lecture even more. Aside from the original level of college students and above, she also tried to admit young children in their early teens to the lecture. As a result, many people expressed doubts because those kids were only ordinary elementary school students who had just started to learn Hangul or addition and multiplication.

And when the day of the long-awaited lecture finally arrived,

Yekaterina stood gracefully in the middle of the stage inside the 'Royal Hall' of the Taegeuk Hotel, which is normally used to hold events such as orchestras and musicals.

The room capacity was 50,000 people. In other words, there were 50,000 students present in front of her. Although there were no blackboards here, because the room was not a classroom in the first place, Yekaterina was fine with it as she didn't need them for her first lecture. Though, replacing the blackboard was a digital tablet installed in every audience's desk.

Doing such a thing truly needs a lot of money, but she could still pull it off since numerous electronics companies flocked towards her with sponsorship deals when she said it was going to be used in the very first magic lecture. So in reality, Yekaterina did not spend a single penny on this.

"Nice to meet you everyone, my name is Yekaterina, a magician and the CEO of Another League."

Clap Clap!

Loud round of applause exploded as Yekaterina introduced herself. However, it didn't last long as everyone started to open their ears wide to what she had to say.

"I want magic to naturally melt into Earth's society. We want everyone, from the young kids to elderly to be able to learn and use it easily. Some criticized our dream as a pie in the sky. They said that magic was the privilege of the upper class, and they secretly blocked me."

Most of those present nodded as they knew that the identity of 'they' that was mentioned by Yekaterina was Avon and her Morian Guild.

"But I did not give up. And finally, after a very long process, I was able to create something like this."

Saying so, she moved to the centre of the stage.

"It is Guild Master Yoo Seodam who gave me everything to make this occasion possible."

Soon after, a curtain behind Yekaterina rose up and Yoo Seodam appeared from behind.

Dressed in a neat suit, he gave a quite intelligent look, completely different from his usual style. It was the result of spending a lot of money to change his hairstyle.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Yoo Seodam. I am from Another League."

Although there was a mixture of worries and tensions boiling inside, Yoo Seodam did a splendid job of not letting those expressions show on his face. After all, he didn't want it to ruin Yekaterina's long-awaited event.

"It is highly likely that all of you in this room have very little knowledge about magic. Even if we disclose our knowledge through the internet and media, there is a limit to what we can deliver through video."

He slowly looked around the crowd. The 50,000 in front of him were the chosen ones among nearly 7 billion people around the world. And, those chosen ones were currently listening to his words.

A certain overwhelming feeling soared within his heart.

"Some of you sitting here might have won dozens of certificates, or even got a Ph.D. under your belt. However, to teach magic to you… I will have to see you at the level of an elementary school student."

Of course, no one seemed to be uncomfortable even after hearing Yoo Seodam's statement. When learning an unfamiliar field, degrees weren't something relevant, it was only natural to start from the very basics.

However, they did not understand the true meaning behind Yoo Seodam's words.

He was really aiming for a strange phenomenon where elementary school students would learn magic faster than doctors and experts.

"Well then, first of all." Yoo Seodam stretched out his hand.

Truth to be told, Yoo Seodam's magic knowledge was only at the level of a middle school student. But that limited knowledge was more than enough to explain magic to the people in this place.

In addition, with the knowledge from Aracelli's textbook, it becomes even easier.

Paah!

Blue sphere materialized on top of Yoo Seodam's palm. Then he grinned at the audience.

"Let me explain to you about the source of mana."

The lecture was short. No, it was only the audience who said that it was short. Because from Yekaterina and my perspective, it was quite long. Even longer than normal since the whole lecture spanned around 4 hours.

Ads by Pubfuture

During that time, 3,000 people out of the 50,000 people awakened their 'mana'. In other words, there were 3,000 normal people who had awakened their 'powers' in just 4 hours!

In addition, the number of children among those 3,000 reached 1,800, which made me realize once again just how limitless the possibilities of magic were.

And after the lecture ended, Yekaterina approached the 1,800 children and threw a tempting candy by saying, 'You deserve to enter a magic school that only special children can attend, not an ordinary school.'

Not all 1,800 children would be able to attend the school due to various factors such as social, geographic, and political reasons, but even if only 10% of those children remained, Yekaterina could finally achieve her dream of making an 'academy'.

And, the location of the very first magic academy was in the Floating Garden of Spirits. It was a building made of white crystals which stood under the sky decorated by a shining star which shone all year around.

A lot of people had already visited the Floating Garden of Spirits. There is a sandwich shop, a fried chicken shop that everyone knew of just by hearing the name, and a lot of cafes and places to enjoy leisure activity inside.

It was only possible because the size of the Floating Garden of Spirits was quite large; it was about the size of a city. And because Yekaterina thought that Another League alone wouldn't be able to utilize all the free space, she decided to open it to the public

"Hello everyone. This is YTuber Hwayong. Today, I came here to answer the question of what Another League's hideout truly looks like……"

In addition, when a famous person known as a blunt reviewer Ytuber visited, the interest in Floating Garden of Spirits exploded even more. Now everyone knows about it.

That Another League Guild was something special!

Meanwhile, Yoo Seodam—the man who stood in the centre of a hurricane called Another League—was currently sitting still in his office while scrutinizing a drawing which was shown on a floating hologram screen in front of him.

"What a terrible drawing…"

When Ye Sa-hye said that, Ha Sunyoung nodded her head in agreement.

"So, like.. Uh.. it was painted by those guys from another world who came to Earth?"

"That's right. For now, I am investigating to see if there's a similar phenomenon anywhere else, but I think, this is the first time."

In the picture Seol Jungyeon sent to them, the words 'The End 'and 'Empty' were expressed. It was simple to understand the meaning as it wasn't written but painted in forms of pictures. In other words, whoever painted it was trying to communicate with people on Earth. But once they realized that it was impossible to do so, they opted to leave a picture instead.

"Isn't it more surprising that they had some intelligence? That's terrifying."

Taylor shuddered as she said so. Contrary to how she looked and acted, she couldn't even look at the monitor properly because she hated disgusting things.

Yoo Seodam stared intently towards the hologram screen without paying any attention towards the other.

The End.

It was something he knew very well; a phenomenon which happened once a protagonist finally completes all the stories and reaches the [Epilogue]. In fact, in the past, he'd been visiting those places a few times.

However, what confused him was,

'Why did you come to Earth and tell us about 'The End'?'

Were they asking for Earthlings to take their world as it was already destroyed? It would have been better if that was really the case, but no matter how hard Yoo Seodam thought about it, he was sure that it wasn't the case because they were also running away from their original world.

"Sigh…"

As all the women behind him started talking about something else, Yoo Seodam spoke into the air.

"Twin light. Show us something else."

-Yep!

Then, a light spirit appeared out of nowhere and replaced the grim picture with a happy content which announced the success of the Another League and the rise of their stock price. However, even with such news, Yoo Seodam's mood did not improve much.

'I'll have to visit at least one world soon…'

With that in mind, Yoo Seodam said to the system.

'Show me the list of recommended quests from last time.'

Understood…

『When I Woke Up In Another World, I Became The Teacher of The World's Strongest Saints, But I'm Only An Incompetent Commoner? So, I'll Make A Harem Filled With The World's Strongest Saint』

#Harem #Growth #Munchkin

#Saints #Hidden_Power

For some reason, the client showed only one request. From what Yoo Seodam remembered, there were originally a total of three quests, and since he had cleared one of them, there supposed to be 2 quests left.

'Where's the other one?'

Ads by Pubfuture

The world has been destroyed not too long ago.

'WHAT!?' Yoo Seodam's expression hardened as he heard those words.

Then, the system quickly followed up after hearing Yoo Seodam's bewildered tone.

It's not your fault. In the first place, every world is constantly running towards destruction and I made a contract with you to stop it. What you've done so far is more than enough.

'…'

It was definitely a world Yoo Seodam had never seen or been to. He only knew it by name at most. However, when he became aware that the world had been destroyed, his head kept throbbing and aching for some reason.

Then, suddenly, an alarm sounded across the room.

-Master Yoo Seodam. Someone is coming and asking to meet you.

"What? Who?"

-That… l'm sorry, we are unable to confirm his identity.

Then, behind Yoo seodam, Ye Sa-hye got mad and shouted.

"You! Were you just about to let someone in without confirming his identity? Ask him to leave now."

-Ah, ah… that, that… He keeps saying strange things such as that he knows Master-nim's secret…

Secret? That was absolute nonsense. But, Yoo Seodam, who became interested in the man's identity, nodded his head.

"Bring him in."

"Yes? Gilma-nim, why would you let such a suspicious person…"

"Originally, in a Drama, if you let such suspicious people in, things will go well. So, bring him in."

-I understand.

After an awkward reply, the staff member from earlier did not contact them anymore, then began to escort the suspicious man to the waiting room.

Meanwhile, Yoo Seodam went to the waiting room in advance and sat on one of the sofas. And when the suspicious guest finally entered through the door, Yoo Seodam's eyes twinkled.

What he saw was a very odd guy wrapped in hats and brown coat reminiscent of the Wild Wild West era. Sound of metal clashing against each other could be heard whenever he took a step and at the same time, a thick smell of gunpowder wafted from him.

Touching his wild unshaved beard, the man grinned and looked at Yoo Seodam.

"Are you the owner of this guild?"

His voice was low and sticky, reminding Yoo Seodam of someone who had phlegm. But, there was power in that deep voice.

"That's right. And who might you be? And what do you mean when you say you know my secret?"

But instead of answering, the man pulled a cigarette from the depth of his pocket and lit it. The brand of the cigarette was something Yoo Seodam had never seen on the Earth.

"Building up a guild with technology from another world that doesn't exist on Earth… You are writing your own story, right?"

And then the guy looked around.

Taylor and Ha Sunyoung were standing behind Yoo Seodam just in case. At first, Yoo Seodam told them that it wasn't necessary, however they argued that they needed to do so because in case the guy was a bad guy, they could quickly intervene.

"Hey, are those girls behind you your girlfriends?"

"…don't talk nonsense."

"Do you know? I am not speaking in Earth language right now."

"What?"

When Yoo Seoddam was taken aback by his words, the guy grinned and revealed his yellow teeth.

"The language of the Earth is so inconvenient. In particular, your Korean is very difficult to learn compared to other languages." The guy puffed a pungent cigarette smoke. "So, I just spoke in the language of my hometown."

"…"

"And you understood me."

The man rubbed a cigarette on the table and put it out.

"You, just who are you?"

That very same question was also what Yoo Seodam wanted to ask him.

Actually, it wasn't hard for me to guess the identity of the man in front of me.

'Dimension traveler…'

Then, the most important question was why did a dimension traveler come to Earth?

I was aware of the fact that dimensional travel could be done even if you were not a 'protagonist'. Moreover, above the man's head there was no hashtag unique to protagonists, and in the first place, a protagonist no longer exists on Earth at all. In other words, the man in front of me was able to travel across the dimensions on his own just like Aracelli.

As soon as I got to that point, the thought that he was a dangerous person disappeared from my mind.

Well, I also thought about the possibility that the man was another 'Protagonist Hunter.' But again, the system had said that there was no Protagonist Hunter other than me, so I put that thought aside too.

"You are from another world. You have worked hard to come this far."

A guest from another world needed to be treated kindly first no matter what their identity was. I mean, didn't they travel across dimensions?

With the current Earth's science and technology, dimensional travel was something which could be achieved in a few hundred years time. Well, if the 'Protagonist's Correction' came to play, it would be possible to do right now too.

"Hmmmm…. I see you are someone who can be reasoned with words. Then, let me get straight to the point, are you also someone from another world?"

At that moment when I tried to answer with the truth. That I am someone from Earth who was able to travel between dimensions;

The system interrupted my thoughts.

Can you please give a different answer?

As soon as I heard her words, I turned back and looked at Taylor and Ha Sunyoung, who were waiting in the back. Disgruntled, Taylor pouted her lips but she still walked out of the room together with Ha Sunyoung as she couldn't help it.

"Yes. I will tell you the truth." After a while, since no one was listening, I acted as if I had turned more serious and hardened my expression as hard as I could before continuing, "I am also from another world. I am not from Earth."

And blatantly told a lie.

Then the man nodded his head with an 'of course' expression plastered on his face.

"Of course you are… Because there are a lot of strange things about you, not only one or two."

Perhaps the man was currently thinking about many achievements Another League had made. After all, development of magical civilization, setting up a base in another dimension, and merging magic and science were things which couldn't be done without knowledge from another world.

"Buandurk is the name of my hometown. It was a small world that was only about the size of America on Earth, but it was a world where wars to occupy that small piece of land had not ceased for thousands of years. I was a veteran there. Name is Bersok. It means absolute wall."

"I See…"

"Where is your hometown?"

After thinking about what I should say next, Aracelli came to mind.

"My hometown is Vivienda Empire. It was a world full of dreams and romance with the sole goal of reaching Godhood by relying on human knowledge. In fact, the level of magic there was very close to the power of the Gods in this world."

"Aha…"

Bersok listened to me and nodded his head. It seemed that he had never heard about Vivienda Empire, but it didn't matter that much.

"Then… it seems that your world has also perished."

"Yes?"

Bersok puffed another round of cigarette smoke. It quickly filled the reception room, but as the room was equipped with a high-performance air purifier, the smoke soon vanished completely.

"Because the world has perished, why not run away to another world and live there, right?"

"…"

I didn't even know how to respond to his statement, so when I stayed silent even after several seconds passed, Bersok continued the conversation, "We are lucky. Those guys who can't even travel through dimensions can't even run away from destruction."

"That's… true."

"I moved across the dimensions, visiting countless worlds, running again and again and again. No matter how far away I go, 'destruction' always came to the worlds I was in. One star, one world. Everyone is dying just like that."

That was a story I knew well. The cause of it was probably the protagonists. Bersok stubbed the cigarette into the ashtray and smiled in dismay.

"But, running away will soon become impossible too."

Ads by Pubfuture

"Impossible?"

"Don't you know? Destruction is approaching this world even now. And… there is no more place to escape. Here, Earth is the last world."

"WHAT!?!?"

Suddenly, the world seemed to have stopped for a moment as those words came crashing down onto me.

Earth is the last world?

What does that mean?

"Do you know that other otherworlder aside from you who have fled to this place are living in hiding? They are enjoying their last rest before the destruction comes here too."

"…"

I found out that the fact that worlds continue to perish, and the last Maginot Line was Earth, pretty baffling. In other words, Earth was one of the dimensions located at the very end of the many dimensional systems.

(Note: Maginot Line can be interpreted as the last line of defense that was made to withstand everything)

Now I know why Aracelli said, 'Earth is too far for me to come.'

'Is it true that all the worlds are starting to perish?'

I threw a question into the air.

Yes….

The system answered.

It was a situation where nothing but sighs could come out from my mouth.

"By the way, Mister Nobleman from Vivienda…. As a foreigner, shouldn't we be mutually supportive of each other?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Looking at you, you are living well even though you are not from this world… You have a lot of money and you are living with beautiful people. Like I said, I know your secret. so-"

"Give me a fortune, okay?"

For a moment, I was stunned and laughed out loud. Judging from the system's reaction, there was no lie in his words. But, to think the reason he brought up such a serious topic was just because he coveted my fortune…

Of course, I was aware that money was the most valuable thing in the world. After all, there was a time when I also lived in sadness because I didn't have any penny under my name.

But in the midst of talking about the end of the world, he dared to blatantly make such an outrageous request to me?

"By my secret, are you talking about the fact that I came from another world?"

"That's right. So, as a fellow otherworlder, let's have a good time together, shall we?"

"Fellow otherworlder, huh? Do you want to be treated like me?" I smiled softly. "What you and I have in common is only the fact that we come from different worlds. That's all. Our hometowns are different, and moreover, my world has not yet been destroyed."

"…what do you… WHAT?"

"And… It seems that you just did a little bit of background check on the subject because you have just arrived on Earth…"

I tapped the table in front me. Then, the posted articles related to me floated on top of the table. And, amongst them, there was an article which said 'Yoo Seodam of Another League is studying dimensional movement?'.

"Uh, uh…?"

"Your threat is useless to me. Is that the only thing you know?"

It was true that my heart was pounding a bit at first since I thought that maybe he knew my secret about being a 'Protagonist Hunter', but if that 'alien' man had only this much information, there was no reason for me to play along with his words.

"So, go away!"

Bersok's expression turned sour and he slowly stood up from his seat.

'Analyze that man's energy waveform.'

I tapped the keyboard hidden under the table, and an invisible scanner scanned Bersok's body.

"I'll leave him to you. The number of aliens hiding on Earth are considerable, can you handle them all alone?"

"If they are only at the level of that asshole… There wouldn't be any problem." (Note: He's talking to Smiling Shadow)

Ads by Pubfuture

As Bersok left Another League's hideout, I instructed Smiling Shadow to tail him. I was only able to give him such a mission because his stealth skills were at a level that could deceive even a person of a higher level than himself, moreover, it was difficult to detect him even with scientific equipment.

And now, I was left alone in the office.

'All the worlds are perishing.'

Slowly, one world at a time, they all were heading towards their destruction. It might be something which happens naturally because a 'disaster' which anyone couldn't respond to took place. But, my gut feeling was telling me that it was certainly something that someone—presumably a being with overwhelming power—committed with evil intention. Otherwise, the word 'protagonist' wouldn't always be put in the same breath as destruction of the worlds.

The question was, just who?

Just what kind of being could designate a human as a protagonist and bestow all the blessings to them?

And, how could they destroy the world with just such a simple yet terrifying act…

"System… What do you think?"

I don't know everything either. Sorry.

Or maybe you just don't want to answer.

"You said that not every dimension has a protagonist. Why is that?"

That's because, in those worlds, people who were not a protagonist were able to overcome things which could only be overcomed by a protagonist.

"Overcoming it by themselves?"

Yes… It is a phenomenon similar to [Series Discontinuation] which is common these days. At some point, the protagonist will no longer be able to use the powers that they got from the 'probability' and the world will still proceed according to the original providence, but at the end of the story, the destruction will be avoided.

And the client did not dare to show me such a world. Even if the protagonist still exists, they were protagonists who didn't have to be hunted.

"Across all worlds, are you the only one who can interfere with probability?"

Yes, maybe it will be just you and me.

If so, I have more questions.

Just who was the system who had the power to face those who wanted to destroy all the worlds?

As for who I am, it is impossible to tell you right now.

"I'm sure that is the case."

But…

The system hesitated for a moment, then she spoke slowly,

If you enter the Hell Gate… I can tell you about me.

"What? Why Hell Gate suddenly…"

But!

Before I could even ask, she cut me off.

I personally… hope that you won't have to go there. I hope you enjoy a little more of a leisurely life like now where you hunt protagonists from other worlds. A life where you selfishly succeed and are always happy, one where you don't have to worry about dying…

Somehow, I found her words to be sincere, but accepting it was another matter altogether.

"Don't talk nonsense. I only became a Protagonist Hunter because I wanted to enter the Hell Gate."

…..

Even if I give up on everything, Hell Gate was one thing I wouldn't be able to give up on.

On the other hand, Bersok, who failed to get anything from Yoo Seodam, went to Busan and was currently walking in a back alley.

In the first place, the reason why he came to Yoo Seodam was because he wanted to live a better life on Earth. His current life is miserable due to the fact that he could neither adapt to the culture of this Earth nor could he speak their language properly.

"Damn it." He cursed. Even if he wanted to overpower Yoo Seodam with his strength, his current power was not enough. The battery of the magic engineering weapon he used was almost exhausted to the point it was impossible for him to even hunt a monster.

As he walked around, a terrible sight of the intestines, flesh, bones and blood vessels tangled and wriggling hidden inside the coat came to his sight.

It was something that one day would have been his 'child'. However, shortly after exposure to 'destruction' of his world, his soon to be 'child' and his wife had fused into his own body.

The 'destruction' was simply that terrible. Someone who hadn't seen it directly wouldn't be able to understand it.

"Tch… Whatever! Anyway, it will soon come to this world too."

He murmured and walked away like a drunkard.

Bersok, a man from the Buandurk dimension, told Yoo Seodam;

'There are more otherworlders.'

Those words were a pretty big hint for Yoo Seodam. If Bersok hadn't told him that, perhaps Yoo Seodam would have treated him with respect rather than being rude and perhaps, he might have even given him some money to live well.

However, as the result of the energy detection, Yoo Seodam found out that Bersok and the other dimensional travelers were nothing special, so there was no need for him to play along with Bersok's tricks.

– Master. I will now report the results of tracking Bersok's destination.

"Put it on the screen."

Rather, it was better to use him like this.

[Location: Afghanistan Iran]

"Hmm… it's a strange place to pass by."

Since Bersok did not have any ID, it was obvious that he must have entered the country illegally. However, from what Yoo Seodam knew, it was nearly impossible to cross Afghanistan to travel to Iran. But then he thought, maybe it was possible for Bersok was able to do that because of some sort of special skills that he possessed.

"Iran. What a headache…"

Yekaterina murmured next to Yoo Seodam. It was natural for her to sigh like that. After all, their current goal, which was to uncover the hiding place of the otherworlders, turned out to be in a problematic location like Iran.

"It's one of the most dangerous places in the world."

Since the outbreak of the Great War more than thirty years ago, Iran had continuously waged wars against its neighboring countries. However, they didn't start a war for supremacy or something like that. The war was waged to escape the monsters which ravaged their nation… But that was not important, the important thing was that Iran is a dangerous country which destroys anything in its surroundings/anything it touches.

And even after all that, they still failed. Their nation is still being devoured by monsters. Ever since this disaster befell upon them, people following the same faith of Islam gathered together to take control of the situation. Even after all their attempts to stay united and defeat all the monsters, there were still a total of five uncleared SSS class dungeons situated there. It was because of this, Iran was classified as the world's most dangerous country.

Well, apart from this, Iran was also a significant place in its own right because it was the first place where the hunters emerged from.

After the Great War, there were only a few 'Hunter Training Centre' in the world. Unlike the General Hunter School found everywhere else around the world, Iran did not give their 'students' any theoretical knowledge. Children who were barely ten years old were handed a special modified gun and directly thrown into the harsh and real world.

It went without saying, the graduation rate of these Training Centres was around 1%. Most of the kids were expelled because they either died or were crippled. And even the 1% who graduated would immediately escape from Iran at the first chance they got.

"It's a terrible place…"

"Don't be too harsh. I graduated from there."

"What!?!?" Yekaterina yelped as she stared at Yoo Seodam with her eyes bulged out.

"Did I not tell you? I was raised in an orphanage after I lost my foster parent. And then somehow, I ended up in Iran."

"I…I didn't know…" Yekaterina said with a look of genuine surprise. She never knew that Yoo Seodam was raised in the most dangerous country in the world.

Well, back then, even Yoo Seodam didn't know that he was going to be sold to a distant land. When he recalled that distant past, a familiar face passed his mind.

'Yoo Haram…'

The guild master of Lost Day, and the man who Yoo Seodam once thought of as his own family member because they grew up together in the same orphanage.

Yet, that very man was the one who sold him to Iran.

"Still, it's not really a bad place."

It was true that Iran was a place where blood was spilled every day. However, ironically, because of the same reason, Yoo Seodam had managed to form bonds with people he could trust his back to. Taylor Nine was one of them. And although that woman is no longer in this world, he had also found Reina Ju there, the person who was like a real parent to him.

"It makes sense for otherworlders to hide there. You can easily live there without any ID."

"Then… are you still planning to meet them?"

"I should."

Only by meeting them would he be able to know more about the 'End' of the worlds.

However,

"Seodam-nim… you know that Iran has always been hostile towards Korea, right?"

Ads by Pubfuture

17 years ago, when I first became a hunter, I wandered around Iran freely. Well, freely was not the most correct word to use since there was no such thing as peace here. Every single day was akin to hell/ filled with pain and anguish.

Back then, Iran's power was pitiful. Just for one mere E rank monster, dozens of people would have to be gathered. And even after that, more bullets would be found buried in the flesh of their fellow hunters rather than the monster.

I started hunting at a relatively late age compared to other kids. It was around when I could be considered to be in middle school. Since I started so late, I had no choice but to be pushed back by other hunters who were of the same age as me. Because of that, I had to work hard and endure every misfortune that came my way with help of my eight most precious comrades.

Then, one day.

All my comrades begin to leave one by one.

They began to chase their own dreams, goals and ideal futures.

At that time, I was still only an F rank hunter. There were very few places I could go with that status.

However, one person reached out to me.

Ironically, it was Yoo Haram, the same person who threw me into this hellhole.

'You have hardened your bones as a hunter. You would be useful.'

He offered me a way back home, a place where I would no longer have to worry about getting killed by monsters in my sleep. A place where I could eat good meals in good facilities. The place where I was born, Korea.

When I heard that I could go back to that place, I happily shook his hand and became his dog.

"That was already a few years ago…"

After that day, I never even thought of going back to Iran. And now, Iran has become a place where one could no longer go just because they wished to. It was a place embroiled with dangers from both monsters and humans. The intricacies of politics between high-ranking officials were too complex for anyone to casually intervene.

I wonder what will Iran do if they come to know that the Guild Master of Another League, the most famous person in Korea, wants to enter their country? It would be nice if my plane didn't explode before landing.

I spent several days thinking about how I could set foot in Iran once more. At the same time, Smiling Shadow was wandering around Iran and digging up the tracks of all otherworlders, including Bersok.

It was possible for them to silently enter Iran because of their skill, but it was impossible for me to do the same. This was because of Iran's Supreme Leader Rahvar. Even an SS rank hunter cannot escape his gaze because of his detection ability, which was the most powerful superhuman ability on this planet.

According to word on the street, the capital of Iran, Tehran, was tightly wrapped in Rahvar's aura. With his aura, he was able to monitor everything and anything that happened in Tehran. On top of this, he has also set up detection systems for hunters in several places. The moment he would sense the energy of an unfamiliar hunter within his range of aura, he would immediately dispatch Iran soldiers to subdue the said hunter.

Although his ability sounded powerful, in exchange for this power, Rahvar had to give up on his mobility.

'There must be a way…….'

The moment I felt completely helpless because of the lack of solutions, my smartphone started vibrating violently.

[Korea's Hunter Association's Branch Manager, Kim Soo-jong]

Hunter Association? Why are they calling me all of a sudden?

"Hello? This is Yoo Seodam of Another League."

-Hello Hunter Yoo Seodam, this is Kim Soo-jong from Korea's Hunter Association. I'm really sorry for calling you all of a sudden. But, if you have some time to spare, could we meet you?

If he's someone from Korea's Hunter Association, he must have considerable power in his hands, Yoo Seodam thought. Even though Yoo Seodam didn't know why the man called him, he still quickly said to the man,

"I have time, when should we meet?"

The meeting with Kim Soo-jong was decided right away since I did not have anything to do at the guild. We decided to meet at a cafe in Gangnam.

"We recently identified a group of people with suspicious abilities. I came here to ask Hunter Yoo Seodam about it since we believe that you are a specialist in this matter."

Kim Soo-jong simply skipped all of the pleasantries and went straight to the main problem.

"Suspicious abilities? What kind of abilities specifically?"

"It's hard to classify it into one thing. Some of them transformed their bodies into beast-like creatures, while some had extremely pointy ears and could control plants…"

"Oh…."

After saying those words, Kim Soo-jong pulled out a tablet from his bag and showed me a hologram of the 'Special Abilities' they found. In one video, I could see people using magic which was different from the magic I knew while in other videos, people were using mugong-like techniques which were different from the mugong I knew. And the most troublesome of them all were those who used superpower-like abilities which were far more ferocious and destructive than the ones I knew.

"They used some kind of an unknown energy, as it was neither ether nor essence. There is no way to find out what these are with only the skills of the Hunter Association…" Kim Soo-jong said with a sigh.

Currently, on Earth, there are two energies that are used by superhumans to utilize their superpowers. First is ether, which is utilized after being injected into one's body, and the other is essence, or mana, a power of nature itself. But just because there were only two energies present on Earth, it does not mean that the same was the case for the whole universe. There are countless worlds out there, with countless different races and technologies. Some worlds might specialize in science and technology based on gravity, while others might deal with dark matter, which is hailed as the origin of the universe. It is similar to how Earth specialized with electrical energy before the formation of ether.

In other words, it might be a fairly mysterious technology from the Earth's point of view but could be the norm on their home dimension.

'Well… It's strange to me too, to be honest…'

…

Though, I was familiar with their identities as dimensional travelers.

Ads by Pubfuture

For that reason, I decided to use this situation to my advantage…

I relaxed my posture and spoke as clearly as possible, just like a specialist, while holding a useless black ballpoint pen in one hand.

"They are 'Sub-humans'"

"…Sub-humans?"

"Yes. They are like humans but not humans."

"That…."

"Do you see that beast? That's a werewolf. That's an elf, and that one there is a dwarf."

"Huh? That can't be…"

"Branch Manager, trust me, I know them."

I was quite unsure about my theory too to be honest. But it doesn't matter. What matters the most right now is sounding like a specialist.

"When were they first discovered?"

"The first case was several years ago, but… At that time, I simply chose to ignore it. However, there has been an increase in their numbers recently."

"Hm…"

Especially recently… It was such an ominous thing to hear.

"And most of them are spotted on the borders between Iran and Afghanistan. It is not affecting the society right now, but who knows what will happen if they run wild with powerful abilities and intelligence."

Saying so, Kim Soo-jong dragged his tablet and showed me the scene of a horrific massacre.

"This was taken in Iran."

The scene showed catastrophic damage to the surroundings. Looking at the picture of corpses, I concluded that the victims were bounty hunters. If they could do that much damage, it was clear that their powers were significantly strong.

'Well, it's only natural since they are existences that managed to travel between dimensions by themselves.'

Even Aracelli, who lost all her power while crossing dimensions, had achieved an amazing feat of attaining 9 circles as a mage.

Of course, not all otherworlders studied dimensions like Aracelli. Like in Lee Dong-jun's case, the only reason he could travel between dimensions was because he discovered an object related to dimensional movement. Or in Bersok's case, he was able to travel between dimensions even though he is weak, as he possessed a device from his home dimension which allowed him to do so.

Or…

It is possible that, through sheer luck, they were sucked into a dimensional rift and transported here.

Even though the chances of it happening were extremely low, it would not be strange to find someone who experienced it on Earth since there were so many dimensions in this universe.

Maybe, most of them came here unintentionally…

And if that is the case, it means that they have no control over their destination or passengers. In such cases, they are more likely to run wild compared to Bersok who come here voluntarily.

"This issue is greatly troubling Iran. It is to the point where Rahvar has personally asked the Hunter Association for help."

"Well, they used to do that often."

Iran was a place with a good defensive capability. But, that was offset by the countless incidents that often took place there. This was an expected outcome for a place where five SSS rank dungeons had been left unattended.

"That's why, the Hunter Association will send some agents to secretly infiltrate Iran. Rahvar had also given us his permission."

At his words, my eyes lit up.

'This is it!'

However, without knowing my thoughts, Kim Soo-jong exhaled a deep sigh filled with disappointment.

"Of course, we can't send Hunter Yoo Seodam there since we know you are a busy person…"

But I'm not…

"But, can you spare us some time to brief the agents we're going to send?"

I have a lot of time.

"Kuhum!" I coughed. Then, I put on a determined expression on my face and looked at him.

"The situation is serious. So many casualties… If we leave it like this, we don't know what they will do again in the future."

"Yes. We must uncover the identity of that mysterious group."

"Hunters are people who cut down monsters for the general populace, sacrificing their own flesh and blood. Seeing this with my own two eyes makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"That means…"

"I will participate in this mission myself."

Then, Kim Soo-jong grabbed my hands with bright eyes as if he was moved. This is a very burdensome thing to experience since he is an uncle who looks ten years older than me.

"As expected of Hunter Yoo Seodam!!!"