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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: System Error
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Chapter 35
“Huh? Why?”
“What? You don’t have a name?”
A look of disappointment immediately crossed Seora’s face. To think she would never see this beautiful man again was a great shame, but she couldn’t press him for a name he didn't have, knowing full well it would be rude.
“But what can I do if I want to see you again? Are you sure we can’t? Is there really no way?”
As Seora pouted and grumbled, the man watched her with a faint, curious smile. He looked troubled, as if pondering what to do.
The man slowly approached.
Up close, he was much taller than she had expected. She had to tilt her head back quite a bit, but he didn’t feel intimidating.
His elegant fingers gently touched her shoulder. In that instant, an unreadable emotion flickered in his deep green eyes.
<…But perhaps it’s better for both of us if we don’t meet again.>
“Huh?”
With only those words, the man pushed Seora backward. Her eyes widened and she reached out, but her hand couldn't touch the man with the enigmatic smile.
The floor behind her should have been carpeted, but her falling body plunged into water with a splash.
Through her fading vision, it seemed the man’s full lips had spoken those words.
Seora’s consciousness quickly sank deep beneath the surface.
* * *
“Gasp!”
Seora’s eyes flew open.
Though she had only woken up from sleep, she coughed for a long while, as if she had just been dragged out of the water after nearly drowning.
Why? Why was it so hard to breathe? Did she have a dream?
“…Ah.”
A dream. The word brought everything back.
The mansion of jewels and the dazzlingly beautiful man. The person who had looked at her with an inscrutable expression.
Seora let out a soft gasp. It was truly a sight she would never forget, even in her dreams.
“Ah, what a waste. He could have let me look a little longer. Just because I snuck in, did he have to push me like that to wake me up?”
The thought alone was so disappointing that she clawed at her blanket. Even though it was just a dream, the lack of certainty that she would ever see such a handsome man again was a terrible loss.
“Ack, you scared me!”
As Seora thrashed her arms and legs around on the bed, she shot up at the sudden sound of an alarm.
Wait a minute. Why was an alarm going off now? The only alarm that rang in the morning was…
“Is that my morning alarm? D-does that mean I woke up a whole minute early…?”
She’d gotten off work late yesterday, and now she was waking up a minute early?
The disappointment vanished, replaced by a wave of indignation, and Seora flopped back onto the bed.
“Dear stunningly handsome, nameless man, you could have let me sleep for just one more minute…”
A face like a sculpture gets you anything, huh?
Well, I guess it does…
Seora let a single tear roll down her cheek, carrying her sorrow with it.
* * *
A hard, ore-like substance covered everything in sight. Plants grew here and there, but they couldn’t hide the desolation of this land.
The five unidentified planets hanging in the sky and the multicolored ores scattered below were no longer beautiful.
Jarim had been looking at this scenery for too long.
Truly, for far too long.
“I’m sick of it.”
A monotone voice escaped her chapped lips.
Jarim pressed herself deeper against the giant ore she was leaning on. Her body, which had once been buried in soft beds, was now accustomed to this hard texture.
Just as her eyes, which seemed to have absorbed the desolation of this land, were about to close.
【An error has occurred in the system of 'Planet—Earth'!】
At the system message that appeared before her, Jarim shot up.
“In the Earth system…?”
The messages continued.
【Warning! A problem has occurred with the dimensional gate due to the error!】
【Warning! Please correct the error!】
【Warning! Please correct the error!】
【Warning! Please correct the error!】
【The error has not been corrected. The dimension is twisting!】
【The dimensional gate connecting 'Planet—Earth' and 'Plan■■—Va■■■■r' is being forcibly opened!】
【Gate creation complete.】
“…Ah.”
In that moment, Jarim clearly felt it. A strange wave of magical energy emanating from somewhere in this vast place.
It wasn't a mistake. It couldn't be. A gate connecting this place to somewhere else had truly opened.
“Finally.”
Life slowly began to return to her face, which had been as still as an ancient tree.
Ah, the moment she had waited for for so, so long had finally arrived.
* * *
The strange call came into the Association right after lunch, around the time drowsiness was at its peak.
Do Junyeong, who had managed to stay sharp even during this dreadful hour, furrowed his brow at the call from a dispatched employee.
“Did you say the dungeon’s rank cannot be measured?”
—Yes! Even the mana detector is acting strange. The gate is an ordinary blue color, but… something feels wrong. I think you need to come see for yourself.
“I’ll be right there.”
Do Junyeong immediately reported the matter to Association President Song Hanna and decided to request assistance from the guilds.
First, since the rank was unmeasurable and potentially dangerous, they needed S-Rank Hunters, specifically those whose headquarters were nearby and could be dispatched immediately.
Thus, Do Junyeong called upon Han Su-eon of Cheongrang, Jeong Hoyoung of Chasa, and, most importantly, the healer Yoo Su-eun.
“Shouldn’t the L-Rank be handling this kind of thing?”
Yoo Su-eun, who had rushed over in accordance with her agreement with the Association, grumbled as soon as she arrived. It was a valid point, and Han Su-eon nodded in agreement, but Do Junyeong shook his head.
“Hunter Kang Sejun is currently dealing with a gate that appeared in Daegwallyeong.”
“Tch, lucky him.”
The four S-Rank Hunters stood before the gate. Normally, they should have been able to feel the dungeon’s mana flowing through the gate by now.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“This really doesn’t seem ordinary. Measure it again.”
At Jeong Hoyoung’s gesture, an Association employee hurried over and held the mana detector up to the gate. At that moment, a startling message appeared before their eyes.
【War■■■g! ■■ssessment of this ■■ngeon's r■■k is imp■■■ible!】
Everyone’s eyes widened at the string of broken characters.
“This is really weird.”
In the twelve years since the Upheaval, countless dungeons had appeared and disappeared, but they could swear they had never seen a text string like this. The same was true for Do Junyeong, who read the weekly reports from the World Dungeon Organization, the WDO.
This meant that whatever was happening inside was likely no ordinary matter.
The four of them checked their equipment, ready for battle at any moment.
“Let me repeat. Our objective is to survey the situation inside and reorganize a proper raid party later. Unless a special situation arises, we will avoid combat as much as possible.”
Clearly stating that their purpose was exploration, not conquest, Do Junyeong entered the dungeon with the other three. The dungeon’s name appeared before their eyes.
【You have ent■■■d the ■-Rank Dungeon 'Tomb of the ■■ar Va■ka■■'.】
* * *
And around that time.
【Administrator: (｡ﾟ´Д`ﾟ｡)/(._. )】
Seora, who had been happily dozing off during a rare work-free afternoon, was jolted awake by a sudden message from the Administrator.
A crying emoticon being comforted. It was so ominous that a chill ran down her spine just looking at it.
*What is it?*
Seora stared blankly at the Administrator’s message with trembling eyes.
*When was the last time Administrator-beth comforted me?*
Right, it was when she had blown off an S-Rank magical beast’s head in one shot and earned the very repulsive nickname, Headbang…
The day she met the guy who had supposedly regressed five times!
*Ugh! Liza-Liza-nim. W-what is it this time?!*
【Administrator: (✖﹏✖)】
*You’re saying it has nothing to do with you, Liza-nim?*
【Administrator: __φ(．．;)】
*That emoticon is weird. Does it mean you did it or you didn’t? Use your words!*
【The System Administrator protests that it was not their doing.】
【Probably.】
“…”
A chill ran down her spine. A sense of foreboding stabbed her heart like a dagger.
What could it be this time? Surely it wasn’t another regressor-level problem. She wanted to believe it wasn’t. Even though the Administrator had only ever comforted her that one time, she wanted to believe this time was different.
【Administrator: (¬_¬);;】
But Elizabeth-ssi betrayed that belief. Seora’s face turned pale.
*I need to get an exorcism!*
Just an exorcism? If it could solve this misfortune, she was fully prepared to dance on blades herself. She pleaded, hoping Jeong Hoyoung would find a skilled shaman soon.
* * *
【You have ent■■■d the ■-Rank Dungeon 'Tomb of the ■■ar Va■ka■■'.】
The four people who entered the dungeon stiffened as the broken system message appeared.
“It’s a relief that we’re not being met with a flurry of blind blades, but we can’t let our guard down either,” Han Su-eon whispered, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“A tomb, huh? Has there ever been a safe dungeon with that word in its name?”
“Never, not once.”
A dungeon’s name reflects its characteristics. For example, the Rank-2 Dungeon ‘Viper’s Cradle’ was named as such because it was where the boss magical beast would be born.
So, what about a dungeon named ‘tomb’? Especially one whose rank couldn’t even be displayed.
“We’ll have to be careful this doesn’t become our tomb.”
The dungeon was a field of ore, with rock fragments scattered everywhere. But not a single one was intact.
Some had their cut surfaces exposed, others were destroyed by an external force, and still others bore marks as if something had been slammed into them.
“One thing is certain. This is a tomb of ores.”
Jeong Hoyoung, who excelled at tracking, followed the traces left on the ore fragments. Her expression was grim.
“The cross-sections aren’t clean enough to be from a sword, but there are no signs of a blunt weapon either. A peculiar trace is left on most of the ores.”
“Most of them, you say. Then it’s highly likely a single individual created this scene.”
“One person smashed this many? Damn, we’re jinxed.”
Yoo Su-eun grumbled that they shouldn't have come. Just then, Han Su-eon, who had extended his wide-range detection ability upon entering the dungeon, put a finger to his lips and whispered.
“Shh. I feel a presence.”
The four of them immediately crouched down, hands on their weapons.
Unlike them, the enemy had no intention of hiding its presence, rushing toward them with a terrifying aura. It was close enough for them to see with their own eyes.
The four of them stared wide-eyed.
“Did someone sneak past the gate before we came in?”
“No. The gate was completely sealed on my orders.”
“Then what the hell is that running towards us! Is it a humanoid monster?!”
Yoo Su-eun pointed at the enemy as if to stab it.
It was a woman. Pale skin, tall stature, flowing red hair, and golden eyes staring straight at them.
The approaching enemy was not a monstrous creature like those they had seen before, but clearly had the form of a perfectly normal human.
