Chapter 484. Temporary Alliance (2)

The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

"No, I have absolutely nothing to do with anything the extremist faction did..."

The first thing I said was to clarify that I had no connection to this kidnapping.

"I didn't even know there were Awakened like that in South Korea to begin with. I came here simply with the intention of clearing a gate."

Next, I explained the circumstances to show that I had come here purely as a Hunter, with no ulterior motives.

"I had absolutely no idea you were inside here. I only barely confirmed the report that a strange gate had appeared."

"What?"

As I calmly continued speaking, the other person's breathing gradually steadied.

"So please, calm down."

"Ahem. Hmm."

"I'm not involved in anything like your kidnapping, Congressman. So from here on out, let's relax and focus on getting out together."

He seemed to have calmed down to some extent, so it was time for the next step. I asked for his permission and moved toward where he was.

"Here, take my hand and get up."

Swish.

Of course, by the time I confidently reached out my hand to the human who was slumped awkwardly on the ground, a certain thought suddenly occurred to me.

"By the way, why was this person lying on the floor in such a strange position?"

But I never expected I'd get the answer to that question in this way.

Thud!

Just at the moment our hands were about to meet. The other person hastily pressed something hidden near their spine onto my forearm.

Slap.

Making a sticky, persistent sound as it clung, it was none other than an artifact. Black in color. To describe its surface form further, it roughly resembled a "bean beetle," a creature commonly found in Korea's ecosystem.

"The size is completely different, though."

As for the artifact's main capabilities... Despite its dull appearance, it was actually quite impressive. This dark, shell-like material was capable of a tremendously powerful [Explosion].

"So what am I supposed to make of the fact that they just stuck a weapon like this—something only Hunters usually use—onto my body?"

I felt a bit taken aback. While I was lost in thought, the Earthling got to their feet and quickly stepped back.

"Phew, this b*stard!"

The person, having attached the dungeon-grade explosive, shouted loudly as they retreated.

"Right from the start, so much hypocrisy. You were behind this whole thing, weren't you! After years of staying quiet, the moment I actually stir up public opinion using the name Kim Giryeo, everything goes to hell, huh? And you still expect me to trust you?"

"Hmm."

"Besides, you already knew I was in politics before I even said a word! You just called me 'Congressman' with your mouth! Every single one of your actions screams it, you bastard!"

"Th-That's just because I've seen the news a lot, so the face looked familiar..."

"Anyway, do you really think you can treat people like nothing? How dare you!"

This might never have happened if I had given the other person sufficient reason to trust me first.

"Looks like the frightening appearance of my skin caused another incident."

For a brief moment, I almost misunderstood the other party. However, what he went on to reveal was actually somewhat different from the logic I had assumed.

"And sorry to say this, but even if you're not the leader of those extremists, it doesn't change anything. That weird-looking thing explodes if the host so much as takes a few steps."

"_""

"Those thug bastards strapped something like that onto me because they wanted to kill me. Oh, and that thing—it's strong enough to send Awakened people straight to their graves too, so don't even think about moving for now."

"_""

"Or you could just make a run for it and die."

"_""

"Anyway, if I walk out of here with you, what kind of headlines do you think will come out?"

"Headlines?"

"Nothing but praise for Hunters again, obviously. And why should I go out of my way to give joy to Awakened who dared to threaten a politician? You know that perfectly well—so why on earth are you going along with this so obediently?"

Unbelievable. It seemed the other person was simply rotten to the core by nature. A human who would fire up every kind of self-justification just to dump the danger that had befallen him onto someone else.

"Hah."

From my standpoint—having decided to enter the gate for the sole reason that there was a human inside—the situation felt thoroughly complicated. The choice made by a certain official in the [Fairy Kingdom] Gate suddenly seemed unusually unique. But setting past recollections aside, since an Archmage had already entered the dungeon and smashed through all the doors, it was understandable that, from an ordinary person's perspective, they might feel confident enough to try escaping on their own.

So that's probably why he was moving around so freely.

"Wait a moment."

Just as the person was about to approach the broken rear door, I called out and stopped them, then showed them this scene.

Crack!

I crushed the dull artifact with both hands. The aggressive destructive force unleashed by the object passed by harmlessly as I stood still, ignoring it.

Fsshh!

The high-temperature blasts triggered by the destroyed weapon swept quietly across my skin. Since the shell itself fragmented and flew like a grenade, this explosion would definitely trouble even B-rank Hunters. But that didn't apply to me.

I even endured the series of explosions with my eyes wide open, locking my gaze directly with the human in front of me.

"_""

"_""

A cold, tense atmosphere lingered for a while. Moreover, the conversation that followed did little to warm the mood.

"Come to think of it..."

"_""

"When an S-rank Hunter enters a gate, the state keeps records unless there's a special reason."

"_""

"So even if you, Congressman, were to get out on your own, a rescue team would inevitably have to enter the dungeon afterward. And yet, in this environment, I wondered how you could so boldly attach a bomb and leave."

"_""

"Looking at it now, this was a time-bomb, wasn't it? For the record, I only realized that a little late thanks to my [Appraisal] skill. But it seems you knew from the start, Congressman."

Since the kidnappers had explained how dangerous it was, he must have believed them without question and attached the artifact.

As for me—an S-rank Hunter—I didn't die. I didn't even suffer a scratch. I simply stared straight ahead, completely unscathed. From the mammal's perspective, this must have been an incredibly chilling sight. Unsurprisingly, the politician's expression changed to one of fear.

"No, I... I... it's because I have a family... I just... I just went a little crazy thinking I had to get back to them..."

The mammal began to make excuses. First, talking about his children. Then, moving on to explain how he had struggled and worked hard growing up in difficult circumstances. It was a rather tedious story.

"What a bunch of useless words."

Since I wasn't emotionally moved at all by his string of explanations, the mammal squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

"Aaaah! F*ck, fine—then just kill me. While you're at it, go ahead and kill someone!"

The politician, overwhelmed by unbearable stress, had fallen into complete despair. But just as the mammal finally began to shed tears—

Step, step.

I calmly walked up to him and spoke.

"Please, calm down."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, all of this happened because of the special circumstance of a civilian being kidnapped. How could I possibly take your precious life so recklessly?"

"What?"

"Don't worry. Ordinary civilians don't have any resistance to anomalous phenomena, so it's only natural to act like that when you're frightened. I understand that perfectly."

What followed were, quite literally, impeccably magnanimous words. I showed no anger toward the man who had so blatantly stabbed me in the back.

"It's really all right."

"Uh, um."

"Also, I only rushed to break through the entrance. I didn't dismantle the numerous traps I passed along the way, so it's actually quite dangerous for you to wander around in here on your own, Congressman."

"Gasp."

"So from now on, please trust me again and follow me."

His voice was calm. And even without an expression, that famously terrifying S-rank Hunter went so far as to cover the frightening features around his eyes with a gentle smile. From my actions and words, the choice was obvious. I had fully decided to spare the human standing before me.

"At the very least, while we're inside this dungeon, I'll make sure you survive."

However, that choice carried a hidden intention. Because I, a mage from Alphauri, only appeared patient and restrained on the surface—when in truth, inside, I had already snapped.

Explosion.

As expected, there really was no other word that could capture my immediate outrage.

"You filthy b*stard! I absolutely will not let this go!"

Come to think of it, the expression "you don't reuse living creatures" is also commonly used on this planet. Well, that arrogance—trying to prune another planet's gene pool—really doesn't sit well anywhere.

"Damn it!"

I was bad-tempered by nature. Like all Alphaurians, I was several times more aggressive than Earthlings. Stronger, too. And though I borrowed the outer shell of a mammal for my skin, the countless warped tendencies within me had remained almost symbiotically unchanged.

And recently, this twisted magician had learned a shocking truth about the gates. While working tirelessly, I had also suffered undeserved pain at the hands of mammals who had nothing to do with me. I moved a car so it wouldn't get crushed by a monster, and they turned around and sued me, claiming it got scratched instead. They hurled insults just for fun, openly using the three characters of Kim Giryeo's name.

And now, in a situation where all of my body's potential had already fully awakened—so much so that I couldn't even reach a third awakening through stress—having to face such a thoroughly selfish beast head-on...having come face to face with such an outrageously selfish beast, how could anyone in their right mind possibly remain calm?

"On top of that, you bastard—you've been throwing money around every single day outside just to get articles written stirring up controversy about Hunter Kim Giryeo. Every. Single. Day."

Hatred swelled up inside me.

"No. This won't do. This human—somehow, no matter what—I really do have to rescue him in perfectly healthy condition!"

In my heart, I wanted to get even with the person who backstabbed me right then and there. But first, let's get one thing straight. As I entered the dungeon, I had already caused several miracles.

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① Activated a special severance spell that completely blocks and conceals all actions carried out inside the gate.

② Destroyed the barrier wall of an EX-rank gate.

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Because I had been freely using such high-level sorcery, it meant my mana reserves were currently low. Of course, since a gate—a separate world—is ultimately formed from Earth's magic, I could rely on the core if necessary. However, the immense power generated by a core usually brings side effects the moment it's used. So in the end, only one option remained for me.

First, I would have to get out safely somehow, let my magic recover naturally, and plan for what came next.

"I'll have to knock some sense into this useless creature."

With my magic this low, I couldn't dole out the kind of pain that would satisfy me. So I chose to retreat—for now—with the intention of properly teaching him a lesson later. A blood vessel near the temple of this borrowed body twitched briefly at that moment.

"Come to think of it, even if this hadn't been a real bomb incident, this human was still someone who deserved to be taught a lesson. He was the one who spread the false rumors first, yet he had the nerve to lash out at me, furious that he was being cursed at for no reason."

It wasn't the time to reveal my anger yet. I quickly brought the twitching vein under control and began playing the role of the kind-hearted hunter.

"Th-then, Hunter Kim Giryeo. What you're saying is... that you're not actually angry right now?"

"Yes!"

"Huh?"

As I kept coaxing him gently, the Earthling finally began to relax, little by little.

"That moment—when you completely let your guard down—will be the day of your funeral."

Just before attempting my bloody revenge, I even asked the Earthling who had helped stir up anti-superpower sentiment to formally introduce himself.

"Oh—by the way. I'm sorry to ask since my memory isn't coming back clearly right now, but may I ask your name, Congressman? Since we've met like this, it'd be nice to at least know each other's names before we start escaping."

"M-my name? All of a sudden? Uh, I—I'm Oh Youngin."

OK. Then, even the full name to be engraved on a gravestone, should the need arise, had been safely collected. All that remained now was to truly clear this bizarre dungeon.

"So this is a temporary alliance from now."

In order to discipline this politician once we were outside, I intended—for now—to rescue him without so much as a hair out of place.