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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 12
'No way. Leave my brother to study for the civil service exam while I go traveling?'
'No, that's not what I meant.'
'What else could it mean?! There's no other way to interpret it!'
'I-I'll just go get some fresh air! Okay?'
'Don't tell me you're still hung up on that and want to go into some Tower or Gate or something?'
'Of course not. Do you think I'm that stupid?'
Inside the taxi.
Vroooom.
I chuckled, recalling the conversation from yesterday.
Maybe telling my brother I'd leave him to study for the civil service exam while I went traveling was a bit too much.
If Siyeol had to handle the National Assembly audit while I went to a hotel buffet...
He'd probably come at me with a knife, wouldn't he?
Maybe Wolha's reaction was actually quite mild.
But regardless, I need to distance myself from him.
It's for my sake, but also for his.
As a Ranker myself, I know.
How much Rankers look down on ordinary people.
If necessary, they wouldn't hesitate to carpet bomb the entire neighborhood I live in.
He probably wouldn't want to get involved with me and end up getting hurt.
"We're almost there."
The taxi driver spoke up.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked out the window.
In the distance, green smoke and thick fog were engulfing the reservoir and several hills.
Unlike normal fog, it didn't clear even at midday and was so dense you couldn't see an inch ahead.
A Rank 2 Gate in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province.
'The Ghost Princess's Castle.'
It had been lingering there for months, just a few kilometers away from the city hall and apartment complexes.
As if feeling tense just by looking at it, the taxi driver gulped and asked—
"It's so eerie just looking at it. I hope it's being controlled properly, right?"
I intentionally responded in a cheerful tone.
"Yes, it should be. That's what I told them to do."
The whole way here, I tried to give off the impression of someone working for the government, from my speech to my attire.
"Oh, I see. You must be a high-ranking official then."
"Just an errand boy."
"Haha. If there's any trouble..."
I know that for ordinary people, Gates are the embodiment of fear.
I needed to reassure him.
"It's nothing serious, so don't worry too much."
Gates are one of the symbols of the Aitel era.
The white towers soaring in the capitals of each country, the Awakened with colorful halos above their heads, and the Gates.
Of these, two directly harm humanity: the Towers and the Gates.
Of course, the Towers lean slightly more towards the light than the shadow.
Once a floor is successfully cleared, it becomes friendly to humans, and climbing the floors and achieving feats grants both individuals and the nation large and small rewards.
On the other hand, Gates are simply darkness, horror stories filled with tragedy.
From their creation to their disappearance, they harm humanity through three stages: absorption, emission, and collapse.
If a Rank 1 or 2 Gate appears, an entire country could genuinely disappear overnight.
Places with weak administrative power like Africa or South America, or places with vast wilderness like China, India, and Russia, suffered the most damage.
And that place, 'The Ghost Princess's Castle,' has already entered the second stage, 'emission.'
* * *
"Have a good day."
"Thank you."
I got off in front of the city hall.
The taxi disappeared around the corner.
I took off the cheap name tag necklace I was wearing and shoved it into my pocket.
I also messed up my hair a bit, which had been neatly styled to look harmless.
Of course, I didn't pretend to be a government official for the sake of that taxi driver.
It was in case that taxi driver posted something on a community site.
An unidentified Hunter was heading towards the Ghost Princess's Castle.
The moment such a post appeared, the Hunters who were keeping an eye on things would start moving.
I sincerely wanted to avoid that.
I walked towards the reservoir that had been encroached upon by the Gate.
Until I left the urban area, I didn't feel any problems, but the moment the large buildings disappeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
[Warning! No Entry]
The road leading to the reservoir was completely blocked by barricades.
Layers of safety tape fluttered in the wind.
But even without such warnings, no one would want to enter that path.
The temperature was different, the wind was different.
The temperature seemed to be at least 10 degrees lower than the surroundings, and the wind felt like a clammy tongue licking my skin.
Multiple layers of sacred ropes, large and small talismans, and steel pillars engraved with spells could be seen everywhere.
It was a seal.
The officials of the Gate Management Department of South Korea had collaborated with Awakened from guilds to seal off this entire mountain.
It was a solid seal that ordinary people couldn't enter even by mistake.
But I'm not an ordinary person.
With the help of my Constellation, I broke through the anti-personnel boundary magic meant to keep out drunkards and YouTubers.
【Your Constellation 'Sunny' has successfully defended against the mental magic 'Ah, I remember that promise.'】
【Successfully defended against the mental magic 'Ah, I need to use the bathroom.'】
【"Don't worry about such trivial things."】
I also breached the barrier meant to deter Awakened who were illegally entering the Gate for incomprehensible reasons, if they were in their right mind.
【Entering the Eight Trigrams Sealing Formation for High-Ranking Awakened.】
【"Because I'm still here by your side, watching over you."】
【Your Constellation 'Sunny' points to the Gate of Life.】
I even crossed the seal that confined the Ghost Princess.
【Would you like to cross the 'Artificial Samdocheon'?】
【Beyond the Samdocheon is not 'this world.'】
【The government of the South Korea, takes no responsibility for any incidents that may occur to individuals who enter beyond this point without permission.】
The last place I had to cross was the guard post.
Guild Hunters subcontracted by Seongnam City were stationed in the watchtower inside the Artificial Samdocheon, monitoring any abnormal phenomena occurring in the 'Ghost Princess's Castle' 24/7.
Of course, there's no chance of getting caught.
This Gate should have been closed more than a month ago, and the personnel should have been withdrawn.
The chaos in the industry caused by my death is severe.
There's no way the handover of the management of this Gate was done properly.
I want to applaud those Hunters just for showing up to work, for their sense of responsibility.
As expected, I was able to reach the bottom of the watchtower without any interference.
I eavesdropped on their conversation for a moment.
"...So when's this place closing down?"
"Wasn't Baekya supposed to come and close it? But with him gone, it's up in the air."
"There's no way anyone would take over..."
"They say all the Rankers and high-ranking guilds are suspicious of each other and on edge."
"There's even talk of a civil war."
"Tanks were rolling into Seoul? Heh heh."
"You think this is funny?"
"So, is this seal really safe? I've been having nightmares every day lately."
"You don't trust the seal made by the Magic Tower?"
"No, but we've never left an uncleared Rank 2 Gate open for over a month, have we?"
It was 100% as I expected.
Leaving their anxious voices behind, I walked into the thick fog.
"Hey, didn't something move just now?"
"Must be a false alarm. We weren't told anyone was coming today."
Green smoke rose from various spots.
The bark of all the trees, big and small, had turned white as if they had been bleached, and they were crumbling away.
Their bare branches swayed as if they were screaming.
Perhaps if Hunters specializing in Spirit Summoning had come, they might have actually heard the screams.
I walked deep enough that the watchtower was no longer visible.
In the distance, I could hear the sound of waves from the reservoir.
【"I can strongly sense the presence of the dead."】
【Your Constellation 'Sunny' advises caution.】
I nodded.
Yes, Constellation.
I think so too.
I could see a translucent green figure flickering among the trees.
【'Ghost (D)' has appeared.】
At the same time as the Aitel System's notification sounded...
Whoosh!
The figure lunged towards me.
"-----!"
A snake-like tongue darted out from between its four long, green fangs.
* * *
Typically, ghost-type monsters are considered difficult to deal with, regardless of their rank.
This is because physical attacks are ineffective against them, rendering the majority of Awakened, who are physical types, useless.
There are consecrated bullets and swords, but it's impossible for 'everyone' to have them 'always' and in 'sufficient' quantities.
There are also cases where allies fight each other due to 'possession' or 'bewitchment.'
If a group of ghosts were to pour into a city and start possessing Non-Awakened people en masse, resolving the situation would become increasingly difficult.
Therefore, for Awakened, ghost-type monsters are enemies that are tiring just to imagine.
Usually, that is.
【"That's right! That's my contractor!"】
【Your Constellation lets out a refreshing cheer.】
But not for Baekya.
"Come."
He swept both hands grandly, like a veteran conductor leading an orchestra.
Red mana surged, and the white halo above his head blossomed into a radiant red mandala.
【Law of Light】
Fwaaaaaah!
A white light surged forth, engulfing the Ghost.
"---, ---!"
The ghost let out a shrill scream, its entire body contorting.
The translucent green form melted away like cotton candy caught in the rain.
Baekya smiled serenely and walked deeper into the forest.
Originally, the power of flames was closely associated with purification and dispelling evil.
Moreover, Law of Light was a power that could even twist the laws of the world.
He could burn ghosts as he pleased.
Ding!
【'Ghost (D)' has appeared.】
【'Wraith (C)' has appeared.】
【... has appeared.】
【The number of hostile entities is overwhelmingly large. Please be careful.】
As if to rebuke his arrogance, Aitel notifications popped up explosively.
"---, ---!"
Ghosts in green hoods, Wraiths like corpses draped in rags, Banshees with their mouths gaping open to their stomachs.
Countless ghosts rose from the ground, from the sky, and from between the trees.
Swoosh
The forest, once filled with white fog, seemed to be overflowing with green ghosts.
But Baekya looked at the ghosts not as enemies, but with eyes that saw a jar full of sweet honey.
'In this world, there's something called synergy that can't be overcome by numbers.'
【"I'll support you, so go wild. You need to relieve some stress too, don't you?"】
'Are you sure?'
【"Do you know who I am? Even as a 7th Stage Ascendant, I can provide some mana support."】
【Your Constellation 'Sunny' will bear 20% of your mana consumption.】
【"I'll finally get to see a more dynamic scene after a long time."】
Being chosen by a Constellation and having the 'Ascension Level' displayed on the status window meant that.
Even now, at the 7th Stage, I could communicate with my Constellation and receive various support and assistance in battle.
'Thank you, Constellation.'
Now, there was nothing to hesitate about.
'Just like in the old days.'
【Law of Light】
Fwaaaaaaaaaah!
Beams of white light shot out explosively from Baekya, their numbers so great that it looked like a hemispherical force field was expanding.
"----!?"
"---, ---?"
The ghosts touched by the light scattered like fireflies and crumbled.
The spirit energy generated from the ghosts' demise transformed into mana.
And that mana flowed directly into Baekya's body.
Aitel messages filled one side of his vision.
【Mana increased by 1.】
【Mana increased by 1.】
【Mana increased by 1.】
If it were before, he would have flicked his hand irritably to dismiss them, but today, he welcomed them with a satisfied smile.
'This is it.'
Perhaps his smile was provocative?
【Phantom (B) has appeared.】
【There is a significant rank difference with the hostile entity. Please be careful.】
An entity powerful enough for Aitel to send a personal notification appeared.
Swoosh.
The Ghosts and Wraiths parted to both sides, as if to welcome the Phantom's procession.
It was an impressive figure, with a medieval-style cloak and a masquerade mask covering its eyes.
Just as the high-ranking ghost was about to reveal its true form...
"Spit out your mana!"
Fwaaaaaah—!
The Phantom's head was erased as if bitten off by the light of Law of Light.
Baekya walked past the falling Phantom towards his next opponent.
'Completely annihilating a B-rank is still too much, but this much is nothing.'
White lights soared up.
Aitel notifications once again filled his vision.
【You have hunted a high-ranking entity with a significant rank difference.】
【Skill (Passive) 'Underdog (C+)' acquired.】
【Attack power and armor penetration are increased by 10% against enemies 2 or more ranks higher.】
Baekya had rarely encountered enemies stronger than himself in his life.
'They're giving me all sorts of things.'
He briefly felt a strange sense of wonder at the unfamiliar skill.
【Warning! Warning! Warning!】
【'Ghost Ship' has appeared.】
Rumble!
A medieval-style sailing ship emerged from the reservoir.
It was a translucent green ship, like the other ghosts.
Its sails were tattered, but the deck was filled with ghosts wielding cutlasses.
[TL/N: Cutlass— a type of saber, a slightly curved sword.]
【"Looks delicious."】
【"I'll support you one more time. Just for 10 minutes, 25%."】
【Your Constellation 'Sunny' licks their lips.】
"Thank you, my Constellation."
But neither the Constellation nor the contractor showed any fear in their eyes.
The red halo above Baekya's head buzzed, as if expressing his exhilaration.
"I'll reach C-Rank today."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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