Chapter 466. Unusual (3) |
Chapter 466. Unusual (3)
A new type of [Nuckelavee], its entire body glowing like an active volcano, has appeared.
"These Gaimche—have they completely lost their minds?"
It was just as the atmosphere had been disrupted by someone's offhand nonsense. Kim Giryeo adjusted the tie on his jacket and fell into thought.
"The original [Nuckelavee] that appeared in Hawaii caused an unprecedented number of S-rank casualties. In other words, I thought even they would have realized it was an enemy far beyond humanity's level at the time...."
The skin between his brows briefly furrowed, then quickly smoothed back into place.
"Could it be that the data collection during the Hawaii battle wasn't done properly?"
The exact cause hadn't been properly identified, but the situation itself was straightforward. The terrifying creature that had nearly traumatized the planet Earth was once again preparing to run rampant in the West. Started by this development, the United States moved to hold secret negotiations with world leaders.
"The 'Devil of the Sea' is extremely active. When it first appeared, it was merely a matter of luck that it remained on land.
"Once it starts swimming underwater, there will be limits to how much we can restrict its movement routes. Therefore, we ask that all nations cooperate promptly, starting from the dungeon's emergence stage.
At the stage of remote communications, fairly gentlemanly expressions were used. But if you translate what the United States said more plainly, it essentially meant this.
[If you don't provide support, we'll just release the Nuckelavee into the ocean]
From the alien's perspective, the request could almost feel like bullying by a superpower. However, the United States had long been a country that extended a helping hand to neutral nations with few Hunters. After all, if a powerful monster failed to be dealt with at its point of origin, the repercussions would inevitably be enormous.
Dungeon raid bounties awarded at the national level. Displays of international influence, and so on.
Whatever their original intentions may have been, the series of relief efforts carried out by the power did, in any case, save many lives.
"Since we've helped the world so much up to now, it feels like they're giving us a nudge—telling us to pitch in this time, too."
From the alien's perspective, the U.S. request seemed reasonable, and he lifted his head in acknowledgment.
"For reference, on page three of the documents distributed to you, there is an item list for the Nuckelavee sent by the governor of Hawaii."
Item list. At that mention, everyone simultaneously turned the A4 pages.
Magic stones imbued with such a vast amount of dungeon energy that they could easily cover a major city's annual energy costs. Rare torso armor whose design was impressive even by aesthetic standards. And top-grade magic potions so scarce they were rarely ever seen, among other things. The A4 sheet was packed with the names of treasures enough to make even the most hardened hunters drool.
"Of course it is."
It truly lived up to the status of an S-rank Gate Down phenomenon.
"A monster that was said to have blown apart the torso of an S-rank former pro wrestler with a single roar, and it coughs up high-quality armor and magic potions..."
But no matter how vast the treasure of gold and jewels might be, what meaning would it have if the guard protecting the storehouse were this strong?
"In the United States, they unusually allowed intervention at a stage prior to the Dungeon Break."
"Of course, at a very proactive level."
"It's somewhat better than during the Hawaii incident, but this time the gate appeared in a port city within the territory, so it seems there's a lot of concern."
In front, members of the Hunter Association were continuing their explanations. But at the moment when the voices of those humans briefly fell silent...
"Hmm?"
SsshK.
Kim Giryeo stopped his hand as he was turning the page.
[Confirmed Strategy Reward List]
[Nuckelavee - Mysterious Armor]
"What is this 'Mysterious Armor' written here?"
The one controlling Kim Giryeo's body was a mage scholar. So even when there was no mention of anything, he consistently checked Playwiki to verify information about Earth items. Yet despite all this effort, a word he had never seen before flashed by, and due to his scholarly nature, Kim Giryeo immediately asked about the part he didn't understand.
"Ah, that's..."
In response, the association employee with glasses answered skillfully.
"It seems we accidentally left out the notes when we rushed to print this. Mysterious Armor is a kind of... like a soft stone."
"Y, yes?"
"According to the American research team, it 'suddenly hardens when subjected to excessive impact.'"
"Yes."
"And it's said to be an item whose effects of enhancement skills like '[Enchant]' last for a very long time..."
The first peculiarity mentioned was a phenomenon that could easily be experienced by simply dissolving starch in water. But the archmage perked up at the second point that was brought up.
"When you say the '[Enchant]' lasted a long time, roughly how long are we talking about?"
"Three years."
It was like a wardrobe that contained the mysterious phenomenon of magic, and inevitably could serve as an exceptionally valuable magical material. Realizing the nature of this substance, Kim Giryeo lowered his gaze silently.
"However, as I just mentioned, Mysterious Armor has a bizarre form. Since the refining method hasn't been discovered yet, its practical use is said to be quite limited."
At the moment when the alien showed no sign of being pleased, the stories of the Earth's natives continued once again.
"Anyway, we've distributed all the documents on the dungeon's main rewards and monster patterns with this—"
"_ _"
"I'd like to ask the hunters here: if the aftermath of [Nuckelavee] were to reach Korea, would you be willing to face the monster directly?"
The association employee wearing glasses and a white coat added a few more remarks. The government is willing to invest a lot of money in this disaster for the sake of a better global environment. However, a hunter's life isn't something that can be treated carelessly like a national budget. They said they would never, under any circumstances, order a deployment that would put their own citizens in danger.
"The U.S. said that, but on our side, we won't intervene unless a Dungeon Break occurs."
The government's well-meaning intentions were soon fully conveyed to everyone. But in an atmosphere like this, what would happen if a daredevil suddenly appeared, eager to see a legendary [Nuckelavee] in person?
"From the standpoint of having dealt with hunters like Brooklyn Morgan and Enzo, I can't just stay idle, worried that some needless butterfly effect might occur."
The archmage finally recalled the expression for an unpleasant aftertaste.
"Just looking on while a gate that's clearly going to cause a massive accident slowly unfolds... feels a bit..."
Of course, there were other reasons besides.
"And after learning about that item called Mysterious Armor, it became even more tempting. To be honest, this proposal is already a huge win if I can just harvest the materials."
Kim Giryeo politely waved his hand in the direction of the Earthlings. Then he expressed his intention to participate as follows.
"By the way, is it possible to go there directly before a Dungeon Break occurs?"
"What did you say?"
"I just want to try hunting [Nuckelavee] at my discretion."
It wasn't the first time the fourth S-rank of South Korea had acted eccentrically. Could that be why? The Earth hunter who seemed most likely to be flustered instead stepped forward and began to support the claim.
"It'll be fine."
"Heuk, Hunter Jeong Haseong."
"It's not like he's some ordinary person—he's Kim Giryeo, after all. That hunter's information-gathering skills are top-notch, so in the end, he must have a plan behind his proposal."
"You really shouldn't go to the gate where [Nuckelavee] appears—" He expected the others to say that, but when strong support suddenly erupted, Kim Giryeo finally spoke up.
"Oh, Hunter Jeong Haseong, do you completely trust me now?"
However, the response he received was ambiguous.
"To be honest, not completely..."
SsshK.
Jeong Haseong, after a moment of hesitation, covered his mouth with the documents and spoke quietly.
"Actually, Hunter Kim Giryeo is one of the few acquaintances I have in this field. Regardless of any illness, my concern has naturally always been there."
"Why bring up the illness at a time like this?"
"I'm sorry."
"Please continue for now."
"However, considering the achievements you've shown so far, if one has any sense... I can't help but gradually come to trust Hunter Kim's abilities."
Someone briefly revealed a sense of their own helplessness. However, as their expression had brightened considerably in the meantime, Jeong Haseong's self-reproach remained mild. The national hero then lowered the documents, looked straight ahead, and spoke slowly.
"Moreover, it's not just Hunter Kim Giryeo. You can't restrain someone just because you're worried or anxious about them."
"Hmm."
"Mom said something like that recently, anyway."
"Did that come up while talking about your family's hunter activities?"
"More precisely, it came up while discussing whether to mobilize for a national disaster. My mom's ability isn't meant for investigative work anyway, so she never got a license."
Jeong Haseong wrapped up the casual talk among hunters and gestured to the people in front of him to continue the meeting. Then the association employee's voice echoed through the room.
"Hmm. So, anyway, Hunter Kim Giryeo, are you truly certain that you intend to participate in the raid?"
Kim Giryeo responded to this.
"Yes. And please convey my intentions to the area where the gate appears."
After all, the entity called [Nuckelavee] was a kind of special case. It would be rather unsettling if many humans died just because he was too lazy to act. Moreover, with the goals of data collection and material acquisition in mind, this was an opportunity he absolutely had to join. Having completed all his calculations, Kim Giryeo conveyed his intentions to the Hunter Association.
"Anyway, these Earthlings are really lucky."
A situation where an S-rank hunter representing the nation had readily stepped forward to offer help. In that case, there was no way the country involved with [Nuckelavee] would refuse, was there?
...
"Get lost!"
A few minutes later, the situation unfolded.
"That's f*cking bullshit! Who do you think benefits from us being told to take someone like that along?"
A person's furious shout burst out from the monitor of a laptop belonging to the Korean Hunter Association.
"Is this dungeon a joke?"
"Sir, calm down—"
"And you people from the South Korean government, don't you feel even a shred of pity for that hunter? That hunter couldn't even call for a single drop of water at the Swiss auction because he was sick while everything was going up in flames. You can't use someone like that—someone ill—as an overseas gate reconnaissance agent!"
On the screen that the Koreans were huddled around, staring intently, there appeared a figure like this.
A somewhat casually dressed American man, wearing a black oversized hoodie and color sunglasses that clearly seemed to be for fashion.
"You guys are really, really... terrible. Look at the expression of that fourth S-rank in the back!"
The man in the video call, clearly angry, kept raising his voice.
"His face... the cheekbones just stick out, and below the neck, he's all skinny with no flesh. It's terrible. Looks like the rumors were true—he's the weakling among the S-ranks."
He didn't know the details, but it seemed a serious misunderstanding had arisen.
"Don't even think about sending that b*stard. Replace him with Jeong Haseong immediately! Turn the screen back!"
For reference, the one panicking and voicing complaints like this was the United States' new representative S-rank hunter. Even before awakening, he had made a name for himself as a soccer star. After entering his thirties, he gained tremendous popularity by using his abilities to handle major Dungeon Breaks in the U.S.
But the important thing right now wasn't his fame. The moment he heard that the fourth S-rank hunter was coming to the U.S., he was completely appalled.
"I didn't think of this."
By not actively correcting the rumors that he was a has-been, it had come back to bite him as a backlash.
"Sure, it would've been best to pretend I had nothing for keeping flies away. But when joining a dungeon strategy team, the hunter's image is what matters most..."
However, this was a misunderstanding that could be easily clarified. Therefore, Kim Giryeo stepped forward and explained his abilities.
"Hunter."
"What the?"
"The story that I lost my abilities is greatly exaggerated. Just a few days ago, I even dealt with a very powerful S-rank light-attribute monster."
"Yes! So please don't doubt my combat abilities. After all, there were no problems in the first place, which is why I was able to return safely to hunting, right?"
For a moment, the conversation seemed to be flowing smoothly.
"What good is a superpower anyway? The fact is, your sight-shortenedness is also a huge problem!"
A remark came out that triggered the mage scholar's temperament.
"Haha. The speaker's going to blow out—your voice is pretty loud."
"If your abilities were that good, you should have captured it! And besides, that's your awakened attribute, isn't it? You're using a trivial attribute like water, just like that Chinese guy."
While the alien was finally keeping quiet, acknowledging his mistakes, the other party brought up an even more troublesome topic.
"Trivial, you say... Water is such an important skill attribute..."
"Normally it might be fine, but the [Nuckelavee] that appeared this time is different. Why do you think its alias is the Sea Devil? [Nuckelavee] basically has the ability to 'evaporate water.'"
The monster attribute created by the feeding box was actually of little importance to the archmage. The real concern, rather, was how to persuade the U.S. representative hunter, who seemed determined to enter the dungeon no matter what.