๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ
“Oh dear, you seem busy. But I’ll have to impose.”
A young man with green hair walked out of the portal with a grin.
“Who are you?”
Siwoo asked, his sharp gaze never leaving the man.
“Me? I’m the friend of McJester that you’re holding.”
โ. . .Is the reason you came here not because of the Gate Heart, but to meet him?โ
“What? You know more than I thought?”
The man laughed, even clapping his hands.
Amusement and admiration.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Are you that curious about my name? It’s Crowel.”
Crowel said, brushing back his green hair.
“And if it’s okay, can I have that thing back? I’m supposed to deliver it, and if it gets damaged like that, I’ll get scolded.”
“Damn it. . . Cough! You’re late.”
Ryu Ji-hwan scolded Crowel in a dying voice.
โHeh heh heh. Since you can still talk, it seems you’re not dead. Now, will you let him go?โ
โI don’t see why I should.โ
Siwoo tightened his grip on Ryu Ji-hwan’s nape.
“Kugh! Keugh!”
“Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear. Do you want me to get scolded?”
Crowel brandished the three-section staff he had been carrying.
The blunt and solid end of the three-section staff came straight for Siwoo’s head.
Siwoo immediately pulled Ryu Ji-hwan’s head down.
“Ugh!”
Crowel pulled the three-section staff with all his might.
If he had reacted even a centimeter slower, Ryu Ji-hwan’s head would have burst.
“Are you good at fighting?”
Crowel continued, twirling the three-section staff like a pair of nunchucks.
โIt would be so much fun to engage in a hearty fight if only McJester wasn’t here.โ
“Why would I fight you?”
Siwoo took out Balmung with his other hand and aimed it at Crowel, his lips twisted.
“Demon race.”
In an instant, Crowel’s eyes widened, and a powerful magic poured out as if it would crush the temple.
Kuใ กใ กใ กใ กng!
Kik, kik, kik.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling shook precariously.
Crowel glared at Siwoo.
Despite the fact that he had released his magic, Siwoo’s posture and expression remained unchanged.
As if he had expected something like this.
Crowel took a deep breath and suppressed his magic.
“Hohoho. That was almost a disaster.”
“Not a disaster, you were about to make a mistake.โ
Crowel, who was about to retort, flinched and wiped his neck with his hand.
A few drops of blood were dripping from a very thin cut.
‘๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ?’
Crowel smiled at Siwoo, his face full of surprise and amusement.
โWhy are you smiling so wretchedly?โ
โHeh heh heh. It seems you truly despise the demon race.โ
โI have no particular reason to like them. And it’s not just me, my friend here really despises them.โ
Siwoo said, pointing to the small doll on his shoulder.
“You’re carrying a strange toy.”
ใ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฉ, ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐-๐๐ซ๐๐๐ใ
Crowel’s expression changed strangely as Pre spoke in annoyance.
“Half-breed, you say.”
Today, surprising things are happening one after another.
He sighed, wondering what to do.
Reason over emotion.
What is needed now is insurance against unforeseen circumstances, not the thrill of fighting to the death.
Crowel put the three-section staff back in his arms and smiled.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“Why with you?”
“I promise it won’t be a deal that will hurt you.”
Crowel’s face was devoid of humor, his expression now serious, unlike before.
Siwoo glanced briefly at Ryu Ji-hwan’s pathetic face and sheathed Balmung.
“Tell me the details of the deal first.”
“You’re meticulous.”
Crowel shrugged his shoulders.
“First. Iโll tell you the exact location of the Gate Heart.”
The Gate Heart refers to the heart that is the center and core of all Gates.
If this is destroyed, the Gate will no longer be able to produce demons.
In addition, the demons that have already been created will also lose their ability to use magic and lose their form.
It is like a cheat key in Gate Clear.
However, hunters did not necessarily aim for the Gate Heart.
There is only one reason.
It is because it is so difficult to find.
The government tried to find the Gate Heart by bringing in ten search hunters, but they failed every time.
Even if you know the approximate location, it is often in a maze, guarded by a boss monster, or in a place that is difficult for humans to approach.
“What’s the second?”
“The second is. . . . . . .”
Crowel hesitated for a moment whether to say it or not.
Anyway, there’s nothing they can do if they know.
“The drug business will end soon.”
“Why?”
โBecause I’ve finished experimenting and it’s gotten boring.โ
Crowel shrugged his shoulders.
“Judging by the fact that you said you’re finished with your existing ‘experiments’ and added that it’s boringใ ก are you having fun with your new ‘experiments’?”
“. . . . . . .”
“Also, the fact that you know the location of the ‘Gate Heart’ here means that you are at least closely related to the ใS-Rank Gateใ.”
Crowel broke out in a cold sweat at Siwoo’s repeated guesses.
This was not the kind of information he had been told to give out.
“Hey. Don’t try to guess everything here, making the person who told you feel uncomfortable.”
“Is that so? Okay, I’ll accept the deal.”
Siwoo threw Ryu Ji-hwan back at him.
In fact, Siwoo wasn’t very interested in Ryu Ji-hwan in the first place.
He had come across the Gate Heart through his mana detection and it just so happened that Ryu Ji-hwan was there.
He was rather grateful for this deal.
“Oh my. I’m hurt. . . .”
“So where is the Gate Heart?”
“Go down under that statue. This will guide you.”
Crowel threw something from his arms.
It was a small green beetle.
“Put some magic into it.”
As he was told, the beetle flew up and circled Siwoo.
Siwoo looked at it curiously for a moment, then kicked the statue and broke it.
“You can just push it. . . .”
โIt would’ve opened if you kicked it too.โ
โBy the way, could you heal this guy?โ
“That’s not part of the deal.”
Siwoo glared at them for a moment, then took a small potion out of his vest pocket and threw it to Crowel.
“You’re kinder than I thought.”
โIn exchange, give me that bag.โ
Siwoo pointed to the backpack that Ryu Ji-hwan had brought.
Whatever it was, the more evidence the better.
Moreover, he had noticed that Ryu Ji-hwan was taking care of the bag even during the battle, so he had wanted to take it.
Crowel nodded โAs expectedโ and handed the bag over to Siwoo.
“Thanks for the deal.”
โTell the clown that I will kill you next time I see you. Farewell, ‘half-demonโ.”
Siwoo greeted him briefly and disappeared into the underground.
Crowel kept his face blank for a while after hearing his greeting.
โHow did he know?โ
He smiled with one side of his mouth, his face truly strange.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
“Ugh, ugh, ugh. . . !”
The hunters were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
There was no one who had not shed blood, and no one who had not run out of magic.
Even so, half of the monsters remained.
“I’m sorry. . . We didn’t help much even though we joined.”
Choi Sung-il apologized to Do Kyung-hoo and the surrounding hunters.
Choi Sung-il, Lee Ye-ji, and dozens of hunters who had arrived late.
They were apparently delayed because they had to search for the missing Kim Eun-ju, but they had certainly done their part.
Do Kyung-hoo laughed and patted Choi Sung-il on the back.
“If you’re going to say something like that, die later than me.”
“No. . . Hunter Do Kyung-hoo, you can’t die.”
Do Kyung-hoo took a deep breath after wiping the blood from his sword.
His nose was burning from the smell of blood and the stench from the monsters’ entrails.
โEither Berserk or Mad Dog. It’s such a shame.โ
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“No, It’s just that there are some faces I’m going to miss terribly.โ
Do Kyung-hoo swallowed the last remaining potion.
A faint surge of magic gave him a little vitality.
โShall we. . . go out with a brilliant bang?โ
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Even if all the hunters here were to die on this low ground, it would be okay since there were the 2nd and 3rd low grounds.
‘๐พ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฟ๐๐-๐จ๐ค๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ก๐จ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ค ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐จ๐ค ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐.’
The only regret is that the promising hunters who will lead the Republic of Korea in the future will lose their lives here.
He glanced at the hunters standing around him one by one.
Gi Il-yeon, Kang Yeo-hwa, Choi Sung-il, Min Si-joon, Lee Ye-ji, Hwang Jeong-gu, Chu Ha-min.
“Hahaha. I’ll die first, so follow me.”
Do Kyung-hoo shouted without hesitation like a true warrior and threw himself at the approaching monsters.
If he dies while shedding blood, that is also the way of the sword!
However, The monsters stopped moving.
“Huh. . . What is it?”
The other hunters muttered in surprise.
The movements of all the monsters, which still numbered over a thousand, had stopped as if a pause button had been pressed, without even the slightest movement.
โIs there a magic like this. . .?โ
“No, this is not magicใ ก.”
At that moment, the monsters began to collapse one by one.
Whoosh.
The giant bodies of the monsters turned into a handful of ashes and crumbled into the wind.
Soon, it was possible to see that all the monsters that had filled the front had disappeared.
“What the hell happened?!”
“A miracle, a miracle!!”
โNo! Calm down, what if that’s also one of their tricks!โ
Different words came out from the hunters.
โCould it beโdid they just find the Gate Heart?โ
When someone asked, the people fell silent as if they had eaten honey.
“But who found it?”
“Could it be Hunter Kim Eun-ju?”
“No, I don’t think so. Hunter Ryu Ji-hwan is smart, so it’s probably someone like him.”
“Hunter Do Kyung-hoo! Did you give any orders to other hunters?”
Do Kyung-hoo glanced at Kang Yeo-hwa, Min Si-joon, and Gi Il-yeon.
Everyone had an expression that said they were thinking of ‘that name’.
“Hahaha. What orders. I just asked them to do what they usually do.”
Do Kyung-hoo wiped the blood from his face.
And for the first time since entering the Gate, he put his sword back in its sheath.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
The path guided by the beetle was not very smooth.
Fortunately, there were no traps or ambushes.
ใ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ง’๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ?ใ
Pre asked curiously.
“I made a deal.”
ใ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐?ใ
“. . . . . . Shut up and let’s go.”
Siwoo hated the demon race.
However, that didn’t mean he would go as far as to hunt and kill every single one he came across.
He simply followed the defensive rules of a hunter to protect his territory.
However, half-demons were a little different.
A hybrid born due to the demon race.
A being that is neither demon nor human, somewhere in between.
Because of that, it was not easy to kill them.
โOf course, I have a half-demon among my close acKwaintances, so thereโs that.โ
The place where the beetle arrived was a small, dark room that was not very wide.
In the center, inside the statue with two open hands, lay something pitch black.
Siwoo used [Takemikazuchi] to brighten the surroundings.
“What is this?”
It was a very black heart.
Even so, it was alive.
Thump, thump, thump.
Siwoo was a hunter who had often found and destroyed Gate Hearts.
So he could be sure.
This is not an ordinary Gate Heart.
โWhat in the world are those bastards doing, creating something like this?โ
He carefully lifted the pitch-black heart.
A slow heartbeat could be faintly felt from his fingertips.
The rotten smell vibrated, and an unidentified liquid dripped down from under the raised heart.
If there was one thing that he could tell for sure, it was that,
ใ๐๐ญ’๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐.ใ
Siwoo agreed with that.
And he gathered flames in his palm and burned the heart whole.
A foul smell wafted through the air.
The heart of the demon, which had become a black magic, scattered.
“I burned it all, so let’s go. Hmm?”
But there was a small jewel left in his hand.
ใ๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐.ใ
Siwoo read the inscription engraved in the center of the jewel.
ใEverything under ใPandemoniumใ.ใ