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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Hey. Impressive, Right?
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Starting from Sonauli, a border town between India and Nepal, Kang-jun reached his destination of New Delhi in just a few hours.
A long journey of eight hundred kilometers.
A distance that would have taken a full fifteen hours by car due to the poor road conditions, he had traversed in a matter of hours.
And this was despite his travel being somewhat delayed by encounters with a countless number of Colossal Soldiers.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck every time the dozens of giants, boasting immense statures, took a step forward.
Meanwhile.
As if it were his own living room, Kang-jun sat comfortably cross-legged atop the head of the giant leading the formation.
“Is that the Doom-grade Gate…”
In the distance, the sight of New Delhi’s famous landmark, the Akshardham temple—once a place bustling with tourists—began to come into view.
And…
His gaze naturally fell upon the massive rift hanging in the air above a shrine deep within the Akshardham temple grounds.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
Kang-jun realized that as he drew closer to the Doom-grade Gate, the density and concentration of divine power grew thicker as well.
“Let’s see…”
Kang-jun closed his eyes and focused his mind, spreading his magic out thinly and widely in the shape of a circle.
He intended to check the current location of the Reclamation Team, which would be following the path he had cleared.
“They seem to be following along better than I thought…”
Perhaps because they had been moving diligently without rest, the team had already reached a point just over a hundred kilometers from his current position.
Of course, their ability to move without such delays was thanks to Kang-jun having defeated all the Colossal Soldiers along the route ahead of them.
If they maintained their current pace, he estimated they would arrive here in an hour or two at most, but…
“I can’t afford to just sit around and wait.”
To attend his daughter Seol-i’s kindergarten entrance ceremony, which was just around the corner, he had to finish the job today.
“Besides…”
Judging by the divine power seeping from beyond the Gate, if he had to contend with those beings called ‘gods’ again…
“It might take a little longer than I expected.”
Muttering this to himself, Kang-jun lightly tapped the head of the giant he was riding…
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
At his signal, the giants, who had momentarily paused, resumed their steady march toward the Gate above the Akshardham temple.
Meanwhile.
The Reclamation Team, composed of twelve of the nation’s top-ranking Hunters, all looked utterly exhausted.
It seemed to be the aftermath of traversing a long distance in just a few hours, a journey that should have been split over two days according to their initial plan.
“Hah, hah…”
As their stamina began to run out, their pace had slowed noticeably.
Most of the members looked to be on the verge of collapse, and several had sustained serious injuries.
Furthermore, the magic-type Hunters were showing symptoms of chills due to Mana Overuse Syndrome.
“It seems pushing forward like this would be reckless. We’ll rest here for a bit before moving on.”
At Kang Seong-hyeon’s command, the Hunters of the Reclamation Team collapsed onto the sandy ground one by one, as if they had been waiting for those very words.
“Could those who need treatment please let me know?”
The 4th-ranked Hunter, Cho Min-jin, the Guide, who was well-versed in healing magic, began to check on the injured…
Bong-gu, who was not much of a help in terms of combat power, assisted Kang Seong-hyeon in distributing supplies.
“Have some biscuits and water.”
This was their state even after Kang-jun had swept through and cleared out the Colossal Soldiers on their path, allowing them to minimize combat.
For them, even clashing with the few Colossal Soldiers that Kang-jun had unintentionally left behind had been a grueling struggle.
“It’s finally coming into view.”
The 9th-ranked Hunter, Lee Hwi-geun, Hawkeye, who was clutching a long sniper rifle, spoke while staring intently into the distance.
At his words, Go Du-yeol, who was busy wrapping a bandage around his wrist, glanced at him and asked quizzically.
“Already?”
Lee Hwi-geun nodded in affirmation and continued in a calm tone.
“Although for now, I can only make out its blurry shape by activating my skill…”
He possessed the ‘Eagle Eye’ skill, which could enhance his vision enough to identify objects within a one-hundred-and-fifty-kilometer radius.
The fact that the Doom-grade Gate had entered his field of vision meant that less than one hundred and fifty kilometers remained.
The 23rd-ranked Hunter, Kang Ju-won, Divine Spear, thrust the long spear he was holding into the sandy ground with a *thud* and posed a rhetorical question.
“I’m quite curious to see what the Gate that turned an entire continent into ruins and claimed tens of millions of lives actually looks like.”
At his words, Hawkeye Lee Hwi-geun hesitated for a moment before carefully beginning to speak.
“It may sound paradoxical, but…”
He trailed off before adding.
“It’s beautiful.”
A solemn silence fell over the area.
“It’s just my personal impression.”
The massive rift, embroidered across the dark night sky, held a myriad of colors.
Moreover, it rippled gently and softly, as if flaunting its harmony of colors and aesthetic appeal.
It was a mesmerizing sight, reminiscent of a supernatural phenomenon like the aurora of the northern lands.
“Bullshit.”
Yun Hui-su, Swift Sword, who had been quietly receiving treatment from Cho Min-jin, suddenly spoke up, gripping the hilt of her chipped sword.
As she showed signs of trying to stand, the Guide, Cho Min-jin, frantically tried to stop her.
“Y-You can’t move yet-!”
“I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, you’re fine?”
Cho Min-jin pressed on.
“How did you manage to come all this way without showing a single sign of pain when all your ribs are crushed?”
To that, Yun Hui-su replied.
“This is nothing.”
And then she added.
“Compared to the pain she must have felt, this is…”
A solemn atmosphere settled over the group at her grief-stricken words…
“I’m really fine, so please go check on the other injured.”
“But…”
“Look, I have no problem moving right now, do I?”
When Yun Hui-su swung the sword in her hand swiftly to prove her point, Cho Min-jin reluctantly nodded.
“I’m going to get some air.”
With those words, Yun Hui-su began to walk away from the group, and Hawkeye Lee Hwi-geun spoke to her back in a respectful tone.
“It seems my remark was careless.”
Instead of replying to his sincere apology, she simply raised a hand without a backward glance, conveying her thoughts.
Presently.
Bong-gu, who had been observing the atmosphere, cautiously asked Seol Eun-bin, the most affable member of the Reclamation Team.
“Um, about Hunter Yun Hui-su.”
At his question, Seol Eun-bin nodded and replied.
“Yeah, what about her?”
Bong-gu licked his lips once before asking again.
“Is there some kind of story behind her?”
He had sensed it several times already, but he could see a fanatical obsession with killing monsters in her.
Not only did she volunteer to be at the forefront of every battle, but she also rarely held back, even when seriously injured.
It was as if she was desperate to kill monsters, acting as though it were her very reason for existence, her calling.
“There is.”
Seol Eun-bin answered curtly, her expression turning somewhat bitter as she added in a subdued tone.
“Of course, in this world, it’s much harder to find someone without a story…”
Trailing off vaguely, she glanced around before lowering her voice even further to continue.
“You know, she’s never once lost the ‘Number 1 Gate Suppression Score’ that the Bureau keeps track of, right?”
At her words, Bong-gu replied, “Ah, yes,” and answered cautiously, trying to recall his memory.
“I think I heard once that she suppresses any gate she comes across, regardless of its rank…”
The Bureau was known to calculate the Gate Suppression rankings based on the ‘quantity’ of gates cleared, not the ‘quality.’
Thanks to this, no one could catch up to Yun Hui-su, who cleared at least one gate a day, and sometimes as many as three or four.
“They say she lost her four-year-old daughter right before her eyes.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think she was trampled to death by a monster, or something like that…”
Seol Eun-bin stared at Yun Hui-su’s retreating back and added softly, as if to herself.
“That’s probably why she’s so fanatically obsessed with the act of killing monsters…”
Her voice trailing off, Seol Eun-bin whispered.
“She always seems so fragile, you know…”
Once again.
“It’s heartbreaking.”
Nodding, Bong-gu murmured under his breath.
“Four years old… she would have been around Seol-i’s age now…”
He could finally understand why she risked her life in the act of killing monsters.
The main driving force behind her actions was likely a dark emotion like hatred or vengeance.
Perhaps such self-destructive slaughter of monsters was her way of atoning and apologizing to her daughter…
In the midst of this, Seol Eun-bin’s passing words echoed in Bong-gu’s ears.
*It’s much harder to find someone without a tragic story in this world, isn’t it?*
Sadly…
She was absolutely right.
[You have entered the Gate, ‘Niflheim’s Entrance to the Underworld.’]
The moment he stepped into the Gate, the scenery before him changed completely.
“The Underworld…?”
It was a place where fierce blizzards raged endlessly, and the snow was piled high enough to half-submerge his ankles.
Moreover, it was a chill that went beyond mere cold; a frigid, sinister energy permeated the air, making it clear that this was an unsettling place, but…
“This is a nice spot.”
Kang-jun was enveloped in a refreshing feeling, as if he were taking a forest bath while strolling through a lush wood.
It was because the place was brimming with an energy similar in nature to ‘death,’ the very source of his power.
“Good…”
Without much thought, Kang-jun began to walk forward.
Although he couldn’t see an inch ahead of him due to the constantly swirling snow…
He could sense a vast amount of high-quality divine power in the distance.
Crunch, crunch…
Kang-jun strode through the blizzard, crossing the vast, snowy plains for a while.
Rumble-!
A massive roar echoed from the distance, and the entire ground began to tremble violently.
“Hm?”
Kang-jun paused his steps and stared silently in the direction the roar had come from.
How much time had passed?
Kang-jun’s vision began to expand, eventually reaching a cliff far in the distance.
A man was engaged in a desperate struggle atop a massive cliff that must have been carved by the combined forces of time, weathering, and erosion.
He appeared to be fighting alone against a dozen or so Colossal Soldiers…
While maintaining a precarious situation, he was calmly reducing the enemy’s numbers.
“Something’s familiar…”
After a moment of searching his memory, Kang-jun murmured, “Ah, right.”
“His swordsmanship is generally similar to that guy’s.”
Muttering his assessment of the man’s movements, Kang-jun tilted his head slightly and mumbled to himself again.
“Still, he looks familiar…”
A memory that had been submerged deep within his consciousness suddenly surfaced like a cloud of dust.
He realized that the man’s familiar features perfectly matched those of the ‘rescue target’ he had seen during the briefing.
“So he managed to stay alive.”
Kang-jun’s form vanished in an instant.
As Jeong Yun-chan swung his sword vertically, the Colossal Soldier’s body split cleanly in half like a block of tofu.
Booooom!
This was already the hundredth one.
Jeong Yun-chan cut down every Colossal Soldier he encountered, but they kept appearing as if they were multiplying.
“Hah, hah…”
To escape this place, he knew he had to defeat the boss monster located deep inside.
However…
Far from penetrating deeper into the Gate, he was struggling just to deal with the Colossal Soldiers in the outer area.
“I thought I had reached a great enlightenment, yet I’m still struggling with just this…”
Considering he couldn’t even handle a single Colossal Soldier alone when he first arrived, he had certainly made great strides, but…
“Dammit…”
In the end, it made no difference if he still couldn’t escape on his own.
Just then.
The dozens of Colossal Soldiers surrounding him closed in again with a thunderous noise…
“Hoo…”
Jeong Yun-chan was about to leap forward again, gripping the hilt of his sword with all his might.
Suddenly, something in the shape of a person dropped from the sky, instantly blocking his path.
Thud!
Jeong Yun-chan instinctively kicked off the ground to create distance, stepping back as he asked.
“Who are you!”
The one who had dropped from the sky answered.
“You’re in the way, so stay back.”
After speaking, he raised his magic, and dozens of spears made of pure black magic appeared behind him.
The spears, floating in the air, moved as if they had minds of their own, each one flying toward and piercing a different Colossal Soldier.
One strike.
Unbelievably, with just a single attack, the man had subdued the dozens of Colossal Soldiers that had given him so much trouble.
“How…”
His own pride and confidence in having reached a new ‘level’ now felt utterly insignificant and shameful in the face of such overwhelming power.
Why was it?
Looking at the man’s back, Jeong Yun-chan was suddenly reminded of a conversation he once had with his master.
“Master, could you please tell me more about this ‘Immortal’ you are searching for?”
“I was wondering if there are any distinct features that would allow me to recognize him at a glance…”
At those words, his master had muttered, “Features…” then suddenly chuckled as he explained.
“He will speak down to you upon your first meeting.”
“Pardon?”
“It will likely be condescending, mixed with profanity.”
At the time, Jeong Yun-chan had replied.
“I think it would be difficult to identify him based on that alone. Wouldn’t it be faster to describe his personal details or appearance…?”
What else had he said?
“The great ‘He’ would effortlessly behead any foe, then turn to me and ask with a playful tone.”
Ah, right.
“Although I still cannot fathom its meaning…”
“Yes, Master.”
“He asked the same question without fail every time.”
Jeong Yun-chan had pressed him at the time.
“What question was it?”
To that, his master had replied in a tone laced with a rare hint of amusement.
“‘Hey. Impressive, right?’”
Just then, the mysterious man who had dropped from the sky and annihilated dozens of Colossal Soldiers in one blow turned to him and casually asked a question.
“Hey. Impressive, right?”
At those words, Jeong Yun-chan’s pupils dilated for a moment.
Thud…
Jeong Yun-chan suddenly dropped into a deep bow and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I have awaited the day I would meet you!”
And then he added.
“Oh, great Immortal-!”
