Chapter 77

SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

A net of light that is so delicate that it is hard to notice if you don’t look closely.

I’ve seen something like this before.

The monster who was about to attack Ash was startled.

“Geuwoooo…..”

It screamed and twisted its body, but the net of light tightened around the monster’s body more tightly.

Thud! The giant fell to the floor.

The particles of light formed a certain shape, and soon a man appeared in the air.

Slightly long black hair, a coat wrapped around his tall body, white cheeks, and pair of black eyes that were filled with light.

I called out his name with happiness.

“….Yoohyun-ssi!”

Tak! Ki Yoohyun, who landed on the floor with a light gesture, looked around and asked.

“This … what is this situation?”

I’d like to know too…….

Teleportation? Or a summon? He said it was a crime prevention bell, but I didn’t expect that Ki Yoohyun would suddenly appear.

Anyway, thanks to him, I was still alive. I was so glad and grateful to the extent that I wanted to shed tears.

I explained that I came to Yongsan with Ash and was attacked by a monster. After that, I’m trapped in this space all of a sudden.

“And….”

Ash was still calm. He still has the expression that seems to be saying “only this body will be dying” right away. However, I can’t let him say that again. I spoke in a low voice.

“The monster is targeting Ash.”

Ki Yoohyun’s expression turned serious in an instant.

“Ah, that’s why something different from the past happened.”

He murmured those words, it seemed that he has a guess.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea to get out of here and go to the evacuation area.”

I agreed. People in the evacuation area could be in danger, and vice versa … those people might also put Ash in danger.

“Yes, then…….”

At that moment, the fallen monster screamed and rose.

It became even bigger by merging its body with a new monster that rose from the ground. The limbs stretched out in a bizarre direction and were hideous. It tore the net and tried to attack Ash again with incredible blindness.

“….I handled it poorly.”

Ki Yoohyun, who was not at all panicked, immediately beckoned to the monster. The moment the net of light tied the monster stronger and tried to make it stop breathing, something caught my eye.

It was hard to see because it was wrapped in black mucus, but a piece of cloth was wrapped around the monster’s body.

A piece of cloth? No, it’s clothes.

The monster was dressed in a mess of torn clothes.

But I think I’ve seen that gorgeous design that reminds me of a peacock somewhere….

Such unusual clothes, where did I….

I grabbed Ki Yoohyun’s hand in a hurry. The reason of my action was because I found something inside the monster’s translucent body. Something wrapped in mucus that looks like a human being.

Surprised, Ki Yoohyun stopped using his skills. I barely moved my trembling lips.

“Yoohyun-ssi, that’s … have we seen it before.…?”

I remembered. When I went to the tutorial dungeon, I ran into a Hunter named Jijon.

Obviously, he … he was wearing that unusual outfit.

No, that was a long time ago. Maybe I just saw it wrong. That … that monster couldn’t have swallowed a person….

Tiling!

Then, a system window appeared in front of me.

[You’ve acquired the person’s information.]

[Name: Kim Jihoon (Hunter Name: Jijon)

Grade: C

Class: Inspection

Details: (More)]

The flashing system window in front of me pointed exactly to the fallen monster. Looking closely, a body, which was originally human, was entangled in black mucus.

“Thi-this monster ate human … No, it was merged. How did this happen….”

Without answering, Ki Yoohyun looked at the monster. A silent stare ensues. It seemed like he was reading the information by using a skill or something. After a second, he sighed briefly with a solemn face.

“….Ah.”

I could tell just by that reaction. He obviously saw the same content as me.

I’ve never heard of a monster that swallows people and makes them part of its body.

Besides, why is that monster trying to kill Ash, not anyone else?

What’s that black gate in the sky?

“Ugh…..”

The extreme tension made it difficult to breathe. While I was exhaling a short breath, there was a hand holding my shoulder. It’s Ki Yoohyun.

“Rieul-ssi, calm down.”

“How can I calm down now….!”

“Look this way.”

Tak, Ki Yoohyun caught my attention by snapping his fingers.

Fine particles of light moved in the air, creating a square space. The prison of light wrapped around the monster, it gradually decreased and eventually shrunk to a size that fits the body.

Wriggling, the monster tried to escape the prison of light, but the prison was solid.

“I understand the situation. I know what Rieul-ssi is worried about. Still, you don’t have to decide everything now.”

“…….”

“First, I made a simple barrier. The black monsters are looking for the boy’s presence, but they won’t be able to break through the barrier. There is time before the Gate in the sky is fully opened. So for now, calm down.”

As I looked up at the sky, a system notification popped up. The time decreased in real time.

[Gate of The Faceless One █████

Time Remaining until it’s fully open 05:27:10]

Let’s calm down. He’s right.

Yeah, whatever that monster was originally, I can’t know or solve everything. The work that requires force is the domain of a Hunter who is stronger than me.

So let’s just think about what we I do now. What I can do now….

The most important goal is for me and Ash to go back safely. There are several things I don’t understand about this situation. However, rather than understanding the situation, this goal is more imporant.

I finally calmed down when I narrowed down my goal.

When I cooled my head, I could see the situation more calmly. Thanks to Ki Yoohyun, I avoided a life-threatening crisis right away. I might find a way out of this.

Then, I noticed the system window blinking in the corner of my view. I checked the contents by selecting (More).

[Details: Family Relations – Mother, Younger Sister (Kim Jina).]

What? The person who fused with this monster was Jina’s brother?

I had heard that Jina had a troublesome Hunter brother before, but I didn’t know it would be this Hunter.

But why does the system window show this information to me?

This question was resolved as soon as I saw the following notification.

[Warning!

Target: If the cursed person dies, it may interfere with the progress of the quest in the future.

Please pay special attention.]

“……!”

Notification with clear intention. A warning sign that sounded almost like a threat flashed red.

Wait, what this means is … that man is still alive.

And the system doesn’t want that man to die. That’s probably why it stimulates my conscience and compassion by informing me of his family relationship.

‘I know that, but…….’

What do you want me to do?

As if responding to my question, a series of notifications came up.

[Warning!

The power of The Faceless One █████ is active.

It will be deactivated when the following conditions are met.

Would you like to check the quest chain?

Yes / No ]

Of course, I chose [Yes].

[Main Quest: Stop The Chaos!

It’s a big problem.

The power of The Faceless One █████ has been activated by the imitation of ‘Shining Trapezohedron‘.

At this rate, the chaos spreading through the city cannot be stopped.

Stop the Gate opening and save the city.

Rewards: Gate Extinction. Monsters in the city disappear.

Ether-Wiki Update

Cafe Rieul (E) Grade increased

???

Time Limit: 05:11:10]

[There are two ways to clear this quest. Please select the method you want to proceed.]

The Death of the Incarnation, Asmodeus (Difficulty: Easy) ☜ Recommended Seal the Gate (Difficulty: Special Hard)]

“Crazy….”

The curse popped out of my mouth reflexively. However, when I felt the gaze of the two people standing next to me, I quickly swallowed the back words.

Who the hell is the Incarnation Asmodeus?

I didn’t even have time to think about that question. The explanation was immediately added.

[※Hint: Please note that the Incarnation Asmodeus is currently using the name of Kim Ash (17 years old).]

……what?

Of course it’s number two. I have no intention of choosing number one no matter what.

[Once selected, it cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.

Route 2 is not recommended as it is very difficult. Are you sure you want to proceed like this?]

I’m sure!

This system window showed the same content three times before moving on to the next one as if it finally understood my meaning.

1. Protect the Incarnation

Target: When the Incarnation, Asmodeus, dies, the quest will fail.

Protect the target in a safe place.

Hide the Target in a safe place: (Incomplete)

Note: One additional person can be granted the right to enter the space.]

….hide him in a safe place for now.

“….Yoohyun-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“Is there any way to get back to our store from here?”

Translator’s Corner:

After reading a bunch of rofans with useless ML, Ki Yoohyun feels really refreshing T__T he took that ‘one call away’ very seriously—