Chapter 234. The Silent One

Rumble... Crash! Clatter.

The dishes tumbled down in line with the slant of the shattered table. I gazed down at the budae jigae spilling onto the floor and opened my mouth slightly. Of course, Jung Haseong didn't intentionally destroy the object, so he opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised.

The silence was brief. The top-ranked hunter half-rose from his seat, flustered, and began to bombard with questions.

"Health issues? Did you get injured during a dungeon raid or something? Or is it an illness?"

"H, huh?"

"Just how seriously are you hurt that an S-rank Hunter would say they can't work anymore? And why are you only telling me this now? Don't tell me it's elixir-level? Is it that critical, that you'd actually need something like that?"

Umm... This feels like something really serious just happened...

Was it the word "retirement" that caused the problem? Or was it the mention of health issues?

As soon as a specific keyword came out of my mouth, Jung Haseong raised his voice, as if he had suddenly become a different person.

Indeed, up until now, Earth has rarely had a food chain suited for top-tier Awakened ones. S-rank individuals usually only suffer injuries that can be healed with medicine. Since the magical evolution of viruses and bacteria has yet to catch up, Earth's Awakened beings temporarily enjoy perfect immunity to diseases.

"An S-rank Hunter being seriously ill is a certainly rare condition under normal circumstances."

Soon, the main cause of the shock was revealed. By this point, even the most oblivious person couldn't help but figure it out.

That first-class hunter would never use the excuse of health as an excuse. I don't know what the word "elixir" means in this context, but if things continue like this, the national hero will be capable of doing something beyond imagination. Therefore...

"Moreover, someone who says they're sick shouldn't be attending classes...? This isn't something that should reach Hunter Esther, it should start with my lecture immediately."

By the time the restaurant staff rushed over due to the continuous commotion, I quickly opened my mouth to calm the other person down.

"Calm down! It's not that serious."

"Yes?"

"It was just something I said because I've been really tired lately... It's like when office workers say they want to quit their job every day."

It was already summer outside, so the weather was always so muggy that it made you feel exhausted.

"The weather is hot and my body is tired, so I impulsively imagined quitting this damn hunting job. But... what's with the reaction...?"

"Really?"

"Retirement was a joke. A joke. Now that I think about it, I think I chose my words poorly. I'm sorry."

The other person took a step back, looking bewildered. Soon after, the restaurant staff arrived at the room, and thanks to the presence of two S-rank hunters with financial means, compensation for the broken items proceeded smoothly.

"..."

A few seconds later, Jung Haseong's face, which had been quietly picking up the broken pieces of the dishes instead of the staff, began to stiffen. He must have started to reflect on things by himself and realized something was off, which likely caused his expression to sour.

"He must have realized that I made that comment to distance myself from him."

He's not stupid either.

"Hmm."

Now, what should I do from here on out? It was impossible to criticize his skills to prevent my disciple from leaving, or to use illness as an excuse to quietly step away. But even in this dire situation, I simply remained calm and thought about what I should have for dinner.

"I don't know anymore... now..."

If it comes to that, I might as well just openly admit that all the promises I've made until now were lies and get burned at the stake. After all, in this filthy world, nothing ever goes the way I want it to. What's the point of coming up with a meticulous plan using glucose and struggling?

***

About eight hours since the attempt to break the team promise spectacularly failed and I returned to my daily life.

Today, it's drizzling outside. However, despite the weather I prefer, there was no positive change in my mood. As I mentioned a few days ago, in fact, I no longer had the strength to devise any schemes in my mind.

I guess this is why one shouldn't meddle with things like pupae or cracked eggs. Who would have thought Jung Haseong would cling so stubbornly to collaborating with his former enemy like this?

"Maybe my remaining life expectancy isn't 9 years, but just 3 months..."

I was about to feel a sense of emptiness.

Tiring.

Suddenly, an alarm rings on my phone.

[Hello, Hunter Kim Giryeo. I am Shin OO, the newly appointed president of the Hunter Association...]

A long text message filled the screen from top to bottom. I instantly thought of phishing scams when I read the first sentence, as I had just seen an article about such scams in the news recently. But after taking a moment to calm down and inspecting the screen more closely, it seemed like this was genuinely a message from the president of the Hunter Association. After all, the official contact information for the Korea Hunter Association was listed in the sender's details.

"What's the Hunter Association contacting me for?"

The new association president mentioned that the Hunter Association is currently facing difficulties due to the recent phenomenon of a newly opened gate. Apparently, they urgently need to find an awakened individual with analytical abilities. The monsters in this new dungeon employ a very unique form of attack, so the association feels the need to identify the monster's abilities quickly before more hunters get hurt.

"Hmm."

[Hunter Kim Giryeo, not only do you possess the [Appraisal] skill, but as an S-rank Hunter, your physical abilities are also exceptional, with high resistance to various attacks. If you are willing, we kindly ask if you could visit the site and observe the new gate for a short time. Of course, if you agree to help, financial compensation will be provided...]

The message is written in a rather polite tone, but the problem lies in the fact that the most important piece of information in this lengthy message is wrong. I only possess the unique intuition and knowledge typical of an Alphauri, which is very different from the way appraisal hunters view matter. Plus, I'm not even an actual S-rank hunter.

"I don't really feel convinced."

I originally planned to ignore the association president's request.

"-- Tiring.

However, after seeing the next message, my mind changed.

[And below are the basic characteristics of the new dungeon. Please be cautious if you encounter similar phenomena during the exploration of other gates.]

Right. With this kind of information, there's no way I, as an Alphauri, could just ignore it.

***

Is there anyone here who frequently has nightmares? Or perhaps someone who enjoys watching horror movies?

This might be a story limited to the individual known as Kim Giryeo, but based on my interpretation, it seems that in the inhabitants of Earth generally derive feelings of fear from deviations from familiarity.

For example, the caregiver slicing kimbap in the kitchen suddenly twisting their neck 270 degrees to look behind them. To express it more traditionally, their main nightmare would be something like a figure in a burial shroud crawling out from a dark well. Egg ghosts, red masks, zombies—these are the protagonists of the horror stories created by Earthlings, and they almost always draw upon the human skeleton as their mold. Of course, insects, the deep sea, and other uniquely terrifying elements can also be found, but humans seem to favor these more traditional themes when it comes to fear.

First of all, people are easy. Imagine if someone close to you—your family, friends, partner, or colleagues—suddenly lost their ability to speak human language and started exhibiting strange behavior. The emotion that an Earthling would ultimately release upon witnessing such a sight is the very fuel that an intellectual parasite would most delight in.

.

A few minutes later, I responded to the agency's summons and arrived at the scene in question.

"Hunter Kim Giryeo!"

"We've been waiting for you!"

According to the message from the new Association President—someone I've never even seen in person—the enemies in this bluish new gate were said to cause a status effect that could only be described as "possession."

Possession.

Honestly, with this much foreshadowing, anyone could've guessed it by now—but the bizarre phenomenon in this dungeon was caused by none other than the Gishinche, those external usurpers. The gate phenomenon itself was a disaster they triggered, so it feels a bit off to speak this way when they're the root of all evil. But anyway.

'A gate creature that can communicate with humans, and an EX-rank dungeon that demanded the corpse of a sorcerer.'

Now, I will explain the characteristics of the Gishinche. The recent changes observed in EX-rank feeding grounds were, in fact, a kind of prelude to disaster. When Gishinche—the masters of a gate—arrive on a new planet, they exhibit a three-phase behavioral pattern based on what they call the standard of occupation according to their own standards.

To summarize, cutting out all the unnecessary parts, Earth may have just entered what's known as Occupation Phase 2. When Gishinche land on a planet, the first thing they do is gather information about what their hosts hold dear. Once they have learned enough about the planet's native culture, the Gishinche then begin to feel a certain instinctual temptation.

『 They want to see the divine food-spirit (heart) they create up close. 』

It's like a drunkard so obsessed with alcohol that they fall into a pot of rice wine. The more the Gishinche understand the planet, the more they crave the bodies of its natives. And that previously mentioned EX-rank scenario gate was proof that they had successfully absorbed Earth's language system. The corpse request discovered by Brooklyn in the EX-gate they became highly unstable and fragile to take interest in the physical form of Earthlings. And so, the information they needed was finally gathered.

"It's time."

But unlike the Alphauri, they couldn't easily make use of others' corpses. This was because they were more mental concept-based beings, and by their nature, they found it difficult to handle actual flesh and bone.

What they ultimately chose was mental infection. In other words, they literally cause possession, much like what shamans experience here. By doing so, they can relive the emotions stored in the body from the person's perspective, making the act of possession feel incredibly addictive to Gishinche.

『 Blinded by greed, abandoning safety. As expected, the entire species is foolish. 』

But possessing the body of a living person is like breaking into someone's home. It is even possible to do that without causing any trouble? The possession phenomenon of the Gishinche naturally leads to strong resistance. So, to give an example...

"Before we proceed, let me clarify. The association was planning to send its own personnel to investigate and clear the new gate. But midway through the dungeon, one of the investigators suddenly showed abnormal symptoms, is that correct?"

"Yes. To mention the noticeable signs, the person 'absolutely refused to speak'."

"Didn't their movements become a bit awkward as well?"

"Ugh, that's right. Their walk was like something out of an exorcism movie."

"But the creepiest part is that they continued the raid with a perfectly normal face until the team properly questioned them. But looking back, the time that the usually chatty staff member kept quiet felt way too long."

"Roughly speaking, these are the kinds of side effects that show up. I quietly observed as the people from the Hunter Association gave their statements one after another. And soon after, I began to think.

"They said they tried pouring status ailment cleansing potions on the affected investigation team member, but there was no response."

After hurriedly dragging their teammate out of the feeding box, they found that—before long—the person returned to normal, just like that.

"Hmm."

Given the circumstances, it seems highly likely that this is the work of the Gishinche's possession.

"Do you think the named monster we encountered earlier was the cause, then? It did use some kind of flashy skill, but no one actually got hurt by it."

"That could be... possible, but anyway, I think I'll have to see it first."

I kept a calm expression on my face as I leisurely clasped my hands behind my back.

Wait, why am I so calm in the face of an incident involving Gishinche, a cosmic-level traveler? Well, it's because there's no immediate reason to panic. If they're only reached Stage 2 of the invasion, their growth is bound to slow down, whether they like it or not.

The 'possession' phenomenon... it's actually, ironically, extremely disadvantageous for the Gishinche. It's like an animal that has shed its shell and is now exposed, with only its vulnerable insides showing. When Gishinche possess a host, they become highly unstable and fragile. There's no need to harm the body directly; just shaking the mind enough can cause the Gishinche to perish almost instantly.

"Phew."

This is why, even though I've seen them use magic, I never call them sorcerers. Honestly, when it comes to their abilities related to creation, they're almost amazing, but because of their greed, they never utilized everything.

The Gishinche are not sorcerers; they are simply creatures that act on their desires. Unlike Earthlings, they are a race that I can never acknowledge. That one thing has never changed, no matter how much time passes.

"Hmm."

But the problem is.

'Stage 2. It's already Stage 2...'

Next, the event that will unfold is this. Once the Gishinche have fully enjoyed the energy of their host through various dungeons and possession acts, they will begin preparing for the full-scale [Descent].

Right. The real problem lies in that third stage. Even the Alphauri thought it wouldn't be much before that [Descent] event, but then suddenly, the southern hemisphere went to chaos, and I had to step in.

'Thinking about how I worked day and night without rest back then brings tears to my eyes.'

F*ck. Seriously, why observe things in unverified lands just because aliens are fascinating? Those incompetent, damn upper-class bastards should have been thrown into lava long ago.

'Fine, whatever.'

I quickly calmed down my breathing, which had become rough due to the flashbacks, and returned to the present.

This is getting a bit long, but—to summarize, while the Gishinche's possession phenomenon isn't an immediate threat, I enjoyed the Gishinche that descended to the land one, which means it's worth showing up this brazenly? It doesn't add up. Just wanted to confirm whether their critical weakness still held true on this planet. There was no need to get close. Just perching gate signaled that they had begun to take interest in the physical form of Earthlings. Gishinche in the pre-possession phase are usually sluggish and instinct-driven, making this one of the best chances to observe them.

"Hmm."

But now that I think about it... there's actually a pretty high chance this isn't the work of the Gishinche. They've grown to feed a much larger catastrophe down the line, which means it's worth showing up this brazenly? It doesn't add up. Compared to my time, it's way too soon to assume Earth's already entered Stage 2. The whole dungeon shock period only happened recently.

'If this isn't the work of the Gishinche, then it's probably that white worm's doing. The symptoms are just so similar, it's hard to tell them apart.'

While the association staff were handling the entry permits over the phone, I placed my hand on my mouth and fell into deep contemplation. However, despite the many thoughts that passed through my mind, my conclusion remained unchanged.

'I need to check it myself.'

It's annoying, but for this new gate, the archmage must step in for a moment. Of course, it's for my own safety. By observing the ability to speak human language and started exhibiting strange behavior. The emotion that an Earthling would ultimately, by understanding its hunger, I can even predict the level of dungeons that will appear in Korea in the near future.

'I'll assess the situation, and if the atmosphere seems off, I'll head overseas right away.'

What exactly is the danger waiting in that dungeon? The Gishinche? The white bug? Or is it just a new monster using some kind of special magic?

Tuk.

I took my first step, letting my mind wander through various possibilities.

"Ah."

However, just before entering the dungeon, a promise flashed through my mind.

'Now that I think about it...'

The Knight's Oath! I almost forgot about it completely. Well, since my body was not affected by the penalty at all, it was natural that I didn't feel nervous.

Beep beep beep.

I picked up my phone and dialed the number, doing it with the ease of familiarity. Normally, in situations like this, I would have sent a quick message to handle things, but after the last time when the contractor threatened to smash my head like some journalist if I did that again while on a flight back from China...

"Hello? Hunter Kang Changho?"

The call connected shortly after. I reported the classification and exact location of the dungeon, as always, into the microphone. Then, just like usual, a cheerful voice came from the other side of the receiver.

"~ You can't."

Huh.

Author Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)