Chapter 579. The Day Nemesis Falls (8)

“But on the other hand, a person can sometimes get nervous because they're afraid someone they know might not return safely from a dangerous place.”

I am beginning to understand how this civil servant feels bit by bit.

“I'll say it again, I trust Hunter Kim Giryeo.”

She conveyed her opinion while looking straight into someone's fierce eyes.

“If it's you, Hunter-nim, I'm sure you can even end the era of the [Dungeon Shock].”

Certainly. I didn't reach the status of a Grand Archmage by playing games, after all.

“Anyway, to think I really won't have to see those gates that ruined my family ever again.”

I had forgotten, but she was a person who, until just a few years ago, had drifted through clerical work due to [Dungeon Phobia].

“Now the phobia has mostly disappeared, but still, I always felt stressed whenever I saw those noisy passages.”

“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi….”

From her mouth, obvious statements soon poured out.

“Just thinking about those demon lairs completely disappearing from the world makes me feel refreshed.”

“A blessing in disguise, then.”

“Still, people who are attracted to artifacts sometimes support the Dungeon Shock.”

“Right?”

“According to what you said, Kim Giryeo-ssi, items were ultimately like cheese on a mousetrap, right? Then the result would have been bad anyway, even if one were too greedy for that technology.”

I nodded and said.

“That's right. Besides, in fact, there's no need to look into the distant future.”

“Hmm.”

“Just as you were worried, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, right now is the very moment that the iron frame of the trap is being slammed down.”

In any case, the gates were no longer something to be considered in terms of liking or disliking.

“Still, no matter how urgent the situation was, looking back now, it bothers me a bit that we weren't able to properly inform people in advance that the gate phenomenon is going to be smashed to pieces.”

Seonwoo Yeon's gaze somehow turned soft.

“Even after calling them inferior, do you sometimes feel a sincere sense of apology toward mammals?”

I said to her,

“Of course.”

Hearing this answer, the other party even wore a smile as she replied.

“I see.”

“Honestly, what does this person take an alien for?”

“Anyway, though someone like me can't represent humanity, in any case, I am truly grateful to you, Kim Giryeo-ssi.”

What exactly was this civil servant grateful for?

“Because you stepped forward and decided to eliminate the danger of the dungeons.”

Ah. That was it.

"For now, don’t worry about other things, and Giryeo-ssi, please just return safely."

Seonwoo Yeon explained the part she had been curious about on her own.

"Oh, and once you finish the job and come back, how about I treat you to a meal this time?"

"Does that mean you're buying me a meal?"

"Yes."

By now, even as an alien, I clearly knew what Earthlings meant by a lavish treat.

"Since you aren't even a public official, Hunter Kim Giryeo, it's fine for you to choose an expensive restaurant."

If I played my cards right, that Earthling would likely buy and offer up beef or whatever else.

"Oh."

That was welcome news indeed. However, I had no choice but to disclose the problem I had been putting off at this point.

"Uh... I'm happy you're making such a good offer."

"Haha."

"But what should I do? Actually, once I head out for this job, I might not be able to return properly."

"What?"

The B-rank Awakened, who had been taking out and checking her blood donation certificate again, suddenly lost the strength in her hands.

Slide.

Consequently, I picked up the certificate Seonwoo Yeon had dropped on the ground and continued.

"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi. First of all, don't worry too much."

"How can I not worry when you say..."

"To be clear in advance, it's true that the 'monster' we will face is in an extremely weakened state."

"...."

"I've already taken measures so that it won't even be able to put out a fourth of a fourth of a fourth of its original power."

I ended up continuing the conversation in a somewhat slumped posture.

"But on the other hand, the fact that the enemy is near death is a dangerous factor in itself..."

"Why are you speaking negatively about the fact that the gate master is on the verge of death?"

"If that fellow decides to risk death and shatter its own body to use a technique, it will naturally cause significant damage."

"Gasp."

"There's a saying that even a mouse is scary when cornered, but in this case, we are the tiny mouse and that side is the cat. There's a bit of a difference in weight class, after all..."

As we talked, the atmosphere of the ground we were standing on changed. Until just a moment ago, the surroundings had been blindingly bright. Now, the ceiling of the Earth had grown gloomy. The Meteorological Administration was right. Since it was about to snow in Korea, clouds had gathered around.

The sky, turned somber, caught my gaze. But since now was a time to focus on the conversation, I looked down again and spoke.

"—But anyway, even the truly serious problem isn't something like that."

"Yes?"

"To use a metaphor, I'm in a state where I've prepared Sarin gas to prevent a human from leaving a specific area."

"Ah, that... poison gas? Something like that?"

"But the problem is, this kind of substance is usually bad for the blackmailer, too."

Seonwoo Yeon, having understood the situation instantly, wore an expression as if her spine had chilled.

"Because, in fact, I'm not much different from the enemy entity."

As I just said, unfortunately, Earth's mana was generally fatal even to a mage who had properly migrated.

"If I peel off even a single layer of this meager skin, I am immediately judged to be of the same species as the owner of the gate."

The genuine mages, of which there were few on Earth, fundamentally attracted mana well.

"My soul is not free from the immune response shown by your world."

I couldn't consciously change traits accumulated through long evolution. However, if a soul that mana naturally flock to makes a mistake in an area full of Earth's mystical particles, well, the result is obvious.

"Then, as a result, does that mean even you can't recklessly use extra lives in a specific area, Giryeo-ssi?"

"Mmm."

"You said that, originally, you could freely be born anew as long as you had a corpse. But you're saying it'll be a big trouble if your soul escapes right now...."

"Yes."

Roughly, the situation was like this.

"So when that great gate owner appears, I have to face the enemy alone without even receiving help from Kang Changho."

Still, things were a bit better for this Grand Archmage. I have a relatively high level of understanding of the soul, so even if I accidentally lost my body, I could protect myself for a very short while.

However, if someone with poor magic control—and who wasn't a field worker to begin with—faced the same crisis, the result was bound to be completely different.

'Any alien other than me will be finished right then and there if they are seriously injured inside the artificial island.'

The thoughts that followed were matters that even the lead engineer himself had readily admitted.

'No matter how many spare bodies are kept on standby, a mage suffers fatal damage during the process of [Soul Transfer].'

Squeeze.

For the first time in a long while, I massaged the bridge of my nose with my index finger and thumb.

'Still, the probability of body-swapping being successful... isn't exactly 0%, but if the composition of the soul is damaged, I don't know what kind of aftereffects might come...?'

One way or another, the digression was long. But anyway, the important conclusion was the report that Kang Changho would be of no help even in the final battle. Because of the traits explained so far, the engineer wouldn't even come near the prepared artificial island.

'Is the only help I can receive at most a few non-living things like golems?'

Moreover, even for one with excellent magic skills, there were many worries just the same. First, I felt like I could at least move my soul over a short distance. So, I had even buried a coffin containing a corpse in advance in the ground of the artificial island prepared by Earth's Awakened....

'Should I offer a brief moment of silence for the nameless Awakened?'

Common sense-wise. A magic master with the [Soul Transfer] technique would look extremely suspicious engaging in battle with an S-rank corpse buried nearby.

'Damn it.'

The corpse I buried was going to look like a 100% spare body even to someone passing by on a train. Of course, the ancient mage I would soon meet was no fool, so my precious new S-rank shell would likely be eliminated the moment it was discovered.

'It brings tears to my eyes.'

Until now, it was no different from having multiple lives. How did I end up driven into such a dangerous situation?

"...Hunter Kim Giryeo."

It was at that moment when I was lost in deep worry.

"Do you happen to have any regrets?"

An unusual question popped up from the side.

"Pardon?"

I raised my head as if surprised by the sudden remark. However, the Earthling before me, despite being of a race that reveals emotions through their expressions, instead conveyed her words with a face calmer than ever before.

"I originally thought of this matter as a normal 'hunt.'"

The gaze of humanity, a mix of white and black, turned toward me.

The restless reaction of the B-rank Awakened is interesting.

'Perhaps because she's the daughter of a farming family, Seonwoo Yeon is fundamentally very interested in magic that improves physical strength.'

It was right in the middle of spending such a fun moment in daily life.

"Um, excuse me, Hunter Kim Giryeo."

However, the timing was not right to keep trading banter. Daily life was barely being maintained through the efforts of many people. Right now, it was clearly the eve of a massive disaster. Seonwoo Yeon quickly turned back to a serious topic.

"By the way, I'm also a staff member at the Association, so I know most of the statements made during the meeting using [Justitia]."

"Yes."

"You said you plan to fight the boss-level monster while keeping it trapped on an uninhabited island, right?"

"Yes. And since that monster is definitively the entity that is the owner of the gate, once this single affair is over, everything will finally return to normal."

To be more precise, the point where the enemy would be trapped hereafter was an [Artificial Island] created by the combined efforts of psychics who could manipulate earth and rock. But regardless, the fact that an uninhabited terrain would be used remained the same.

'This makes it easy to select a location, and even if a major battle breaks out, it won't damage Earth's vegetation.'

I nodded, acknowledging all the points.

"I see."

Seeing this, Seonwoo Yeon seemed to have more questions left. With a calm face, she offered a few more words.

"Then, um, have all the traps to catch the source of the gate already been installed on the island?"

It was such an obvious thing that I actually didn't know how to answer.

"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi. Are you checking the progress like this because you don't trust me right now?"

Thump.

I tossed out a remark while standing cross-legged. At that, the person in front of me was startled and hurriedly began to wave her hands.

"No! It's absolutely not that I'm prying because I don't trust you, Hunter-nim."

Soon, her sincere feelings came out.

'It's just... I'm so worried that I keep reconfirming without realizing it.'