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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Time Ripper's Return
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Chapter 67
Here in the Sonulli wasteland, colossal stone statues, each capable of moving on its own, stood in rows.
Each one brandished a massive weapon—a spear or a sword—and closed the distance to Kang-jun.
“Why are there so many?”
But they were simply pierced through, one after another, by the dark, ethereal spears floating behind Kang-jun’s back.
*Pwoooosh-!*
Soon, a Colossus at the front of the formation crumbled into a cloud of stone dust and scattered in the wind.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!*
Yet, dozens more Colossi still surrounded Kang-jun, their murderous intent palpable as they advanced.
“There’s no end to them.”
Kang-jun muttered softly and drew upon his mana, causing the ground to tremble violently.
*Rumble!*
Like the surface of a stormy sea, the ground rippled as the earth’s crust shifted.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Dozens of massive coffins burst from the ground, their lids creaking open as the ‘Ancient Giants’ strode out.
*Thoom, thoom, thoom, thoom, thoom—!*
The giants were several times larger than the Colossi that had occupied the Sonulli region.
These were the same monsters Kang-jun had fought a desperate battle against in the Cataclysm-grade gate that had appeared in Insadong, Seoul.
But now, resurrected as Kang-jun’s faithful servants, the Ancient Giants were mere weapons, their sole purpose to annihilate the enemy as commanded.
“I’m confident in a numbers game, too.”
As Kang-jun watched the Ancient Giants fell the Colossi one by one, he frowned slightly.
“Hmm…”
It was because he had detected a clear, albeit minuscule, trace of divine power emanating from the Colossi.
“Loki, was it…?”
The power was similar in nature to that of Loki, the divinity from the Asgard constellation he had encountered before.
However…
It was subtly different from Loki’s divinity—a power of a similar yet distinct context.
“In any case, there’s something here.”
If this gate was also the result of interference from a being called a god…
Then he was certain this was not a problem the reclamation team could handle.
Kang-jun glanced back the way he had come.
“By the way, what’s taking them so long?”
Even though he was leading the way, practically sweeping the path clear of Colossi…
The reclamation team seemed to have barely left the vicinity of Sonulli, their initial deployment point.
“You guys might have all the time in the world, but I’m in a hurry. I need to finish this today and get back…”
Kang-jun immediately pulled out his phone, opened a map app, took a screenshot of his route, and sent it to Bong-gu.
If the reclamation team simply followed the path he had cleared, they should be able to reach New Delhi without taking any significant damage.
“Hah…”
Kang-jun took a deep breath, about to rejoin the fray to pick up the pace.
*Ting-!*
Suddenly, a clear notification sound rang in his ear, and a system message appeared before his eyes for the first time in a while.
[The divinity of the Asgard constellation, ‘Guardian of the Underworld with Mismatched Sides,’ reveals hostility towards you!]
“Just as I thought,” Kang-jun muttered, stretching his arms wide before responding softly.
“See, I knew there was something.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kang-jun lunged at a Colossus, shattering it with a single blow as he mumbled to himself again.
“Just wait patiently.”
He then added.
“I’ll be there soon to smash your head in, too.”
How much time had passed since then?
Meanwhile, the reclamation team had just finished a fierce battle with a few Colossi that had appeared out of nowhere.
“I knew it would be difficult, but I never expected to struggle this much right from the start…”
The monsters that had all but conquered Southeast Asia were on a level beyond imagination.
Just four of them.
Despite fighting only four Colossi, the reclamation team had suffered a major blow.
Although there were no fatalities yet, the number of injured was already rising.
“Is this the power of the New Delhi Cataclysm-grade gate that swallowed an entire continent…?”
Kang Seong-hyeon trailed off, sweeping his sweat-drenched hair back.
“I can’t walk…”
Her mana depleted, Seol Eun-bin collapsed to her knees. Go Du-yeol hoisted her onto his back, grumbling.
“You’re utterly pathetic.”
“Wow, this is comfy!”
“Be quiet before I drop you.”
Yun Hui-su, the Swift Sword, also looked exhausted as she stared down at her sword and muttered under her breath.
“The blade is completely ruined…”
The other Hunters were equally drained from the chaotic battle.
Just then, Bong-gu, who had been checking a text message on his phone, looked at Kang Seong-hyeon and spoke.
“I think it would be much safer to detour to the left from here.”
“What?” Kang Seong-hyeon shot back at Bong-gu’s confident tone.
“That’s a mountainous region, so travel will be difficult. Besides, deviating from the planned route could cause confusion…”
Bong-gu replied again in a polite tone.
“If you follow the route I suggest, we can minimize casualties on the way to New Delhi.”
He then added.
“So please, just trust me this once.”
He was receiving real-time updates on Kang-jun’s route, which was why he could speak with such confident authority.
Yun Hui-su, the Swift Sword, tied her battle-tousled hair back tightly and stared intently at Bong-gu, her question sharp.
“Is one of your awakened abilities a detection-type skill?”
“Something similar…”
“In that case, it might be best for you to take command of our movements from now on.”
At her words, Kang Seong-hyeon nodded once and shouted to the other Hunters of the reclamation team.
“From this point on, Kim Bong-gu will be in charge of navigation!”
Unlike the reclamation teams from other countries, who were dispatched solely for subjugation, this team had another objective: entering the New Delhi gate.
‘And we’ve already had one person go missing.’
Hadn’t they already experienced an unexpected situation right after arriving in Sonulli, with the non-combatant who accompanied Bong-gu as his manager disappearing?
In times like these, a flexible approach to the operation was crucial to minimizing future losses.
And so, the reclamation team’s Hunters were able to move toward New Delhi with surprising speed, dealing only with the few Colossi that Kang-jun had left behind.
“Are you alright?”
Noticing something off about Yun Hui-su’s gait, Bong-gu approached her with a concerned question, intending to support her.
*Smack—!*
But Yun Hui-su slapped his hand away with all her strength, her eyes glaring as she whispered a low warning.
“If you tell anyone about my injury, I will kill you first.”
“But…”
“I have no attachment to my life anyway.”
Finishing her sentence, she added in a voice filled with rage.
“So please, just pretend you didn't see anything.”
She then forced herself to walk a few more steps, acting as if she were fine to hide her injury.
“Besides, you’re hiding something yourself, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean, I…?”
“Your manager went missing, yet you seem completely unfazed.”
At her words, Bong-gu couldn’t hide his bewilderment, stammering, “Th-that’s…”
“It must be because you’re certain he’s alive.”
Yun Hui-su’s eyes narrowed.
“The Cataclysm-grade gate in Insadong. I saw your manager enter that place alone.”
“Hunter-nim…”
“Back then, it was just a suspicion, and I assumed I had seen wrong, so I had no choice but to let it go without further questions. But not now.”
Yun Hui-su added a warning.
“Even if I have to stick a few cold blades into his body, I’ve become very curious to hear what secrets he’s hiding.”
As Bong-gu stood there, lips parted but unable to form a reply, she delivered her final ultimatum.
“If you keep your mouth shut about my injury, I’ll return the favor by suppressing my curiosity until this reclamation mission is over.”
At her words, Bong-gu’s expression instantly darkened.
‘Which means…’
He knew it meant that once this mission was over, she would begin a full-scale investigation into his ‘Hyung-nim.’
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
A man was kneeling on the ground.
A single sword lay across his lap.
He had long, wildly overgrown hair and a thick beard.
Though his appearance was haggard, his eyes were sharp and clear.
He was ‘human.’
But he had now mastered a level of swordsmanship that transcended human limits.
He had grasped the true essence of the weapon known as the sword…
And had reached and defined the ‘principle’ that existed at the ultimate point.
“You’ve become quite useful now.”
The words came in a low tone from the ‘Death Knight’ in ornate armor standing before him.
“It is all thanks to you, Master.”
The Death Knight looked down at the man, its crimson gaze glowing, and replied softly.
“To have absorbed my teachings to this extent in a mere year and a half is your own achievement.”
It then added.
“It seems I must return now.”
With that, the Death Knight mounted the phantom steed that had been waiting patiently by its side.
The man slammed his forehead to the ground with a loud “thud!” and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Thank you for everything—!”
The Death Knight before him was not only the savior who had rescued him but also a great master who had guided him to a level he could never have reached on his own.
“If I may be so bold, may I ask for my master’s name…?”
At his question, the Death Knight gripped the reins of its phantom steed tightly and answered in its characteristically chilling voice.
“My name is Nazgûl.”
After the brief reply, the Death Knight pulled hard on the reins and spoke suggestively.
“If you ever return to your home dimension, a place called Earth, and happen to encounter a being called ‘Immortal,’ be sure to relay these words.”
At that, Jeong Yun-chan muttered.
“Immortal…”
It was the name of the one his master had been searching for.
He had been saved in the first place thanks to Immortal.
He owed his very salvation to this ‘Immortal.’
His master had taken him in for the simple reason that they shared the same home world.
“What message should I deliver to him?”
Nazgûl replied.
“Tell him that this ‘Nazgûl,’ who has sworn eternal loyalty to you, earnestly prays that you have reached the Earth you so longed for.”
And again.
“That I pray for your happiness.”
As Jeong Yun-chan nodded several times, Nazgûl gazed into the distance, deep inside the gate, and asked in a quiet tone.
“You called this place a ‘Gate,’ did you not?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Though I do not know what that is…”
Nazgûl continued.
“This place is not a ‘Gate.’”
“Then…”
“This is the entrance to the Underworld.”
Finishing his sentence, Nazgûl looked into the distance and added.
“I was examining all the underworlds in the Abyss to confirm whether he had truly entered eternal rest.”
Then, in a tone laced with relief, he continued.
“Fortunately, it seems he has not passed on, so he will surely be able to reach the dimension called ‘Earth’ one day…”
Jeong Yun-chan slowly nodded and replied.
“If the day comes when I meet this ‘Immortal,’ I will be sure to convey your will, Master…”
Nazgûl nodded and looked at Jeong Yun-chan.
“To do that, you too must escape this place alive and return to your home, Earth.”
He then added.
“I would like to open a path for your return myself, but unfortunately, it seems further intervention is impossible.”
This place was one of the many underworlds in the Abyss.
For a long time, the absolute being that managed this realm…
Had been watching him, wary of his interference.
“Although your achievements are great, whether you can truly escape this underworld…”
At Nazgûl’s words, Jeong Yun-chan once again showed his respects and replied.
“Was it not thanks to your excellent teachings, Master, that I was able to achieve so much?”
“Indeed…”
“I believe there is nothing I cannot accomplish by combining the skills I have honed with my innate ability.”
“Yes…” Nazgûl replied once more, then whipped the reins and added in a low voice.
“It may be a difficult request, but please, survive and keep your promise.”
With those final words, the phantom steed let out a loud cry and, with Nazgûl on its back, soared high into the sky in an instant.
*C-c-crack—.*
A tear appeared in the dimension, and through the rift, the faint image of a massive structure resembling an ancient European castle shimmered for a moment.
“I have been away for too long…”
Nazgûl and his steed began to spin like water going down a drain, and were finally sucked through the rift.
“Thank you…”
After bowing deeply to his master’s retreating back, Jeong Yun-chan stood up again.
“The time has come…”
Though he didn’t know how much time had passed on Earth, he had spent a full two years inside this gate.
No…
Considering the time he had reversed using his innate ability, he might have spent closer to a decade here.
It was precious time.
Thanks to his encounter with his master, he had not only reached a level he had never even dreamed of, but had also made tremendous achievements.
“With this power…”
He was confident he could protect his home dimension, Earth, and its people.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The Colossi, which had not dared to approach due to his master’s presence, now began to appear one by one.
“It is time to move forward again.”
He had spent a long time in the Cataclysm-grade gate, but he had only ever lingered near the entrance.
The Hunters dispatched to clear it had fled without even being able to handle the Colossi guarding the entrance.
There was no telling what other monstrous creatures inhabited the deeper parts of the gate.
And he had no way of even guessing what kind of boss monster awaited him.
“I am different now.”
Jeong Yun-chan muttered to himself and tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.
In a flash, with a soft *shaa!*, his figure vanished, and the nearby Colossi began to shatter into pieces.
Time Ripper, Jeong Yun-chan.
The man known as his country’s undisputed top Hunter, who had never once failed to clear a gate.
His long training was finally over, and he had begun to move once more to conquer the Cataclysm-grade gate in New Delhi, India.
