CH 15

The starlight scattered in the pitch-dark space, the universe drawn by the icosahedron planetarium floating in the air. There were stars everywhere in the black space. The stars shone, and the Milky Way flowed.

Would it be like this if you went into space and saw the stars?

I was amazed to see countless stars appearing and disappearing every second.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

The crimson irises through the starless darkness.

I spat out the words I wanted to say the most right now toward I Really Like, who popped out from behind me, “Can I report you to the police?”

“All of a sudden?”

“I’m reporting a kidnapper, so I don’t think it’s sudden.”

I Really Like scratched his head in embarrassment. It took an instant for his well-groomed black hair to become a magpie’s nest.

“I wanted to be more polite, too…”

“You wanted to?”

“Ban Seojun was nearby, so I had no choice.”

I Really Like shrugged lightly and sighed as if he was genuinely sorry.

Was Ban Seojun nearby? I didn’t see him. If I can’t see it, it’s not close.

I opened my eyes and took two steps away from I Really Like.

He looked puzzled but soon clapped his hands as if he suddenly thought of something.

“Are you upset that I didn’t say hello officially? I didn’t do it because you’re an old face. Should I say it now?”

“Yes? I’m not an old face. I was an ordinary person who awakened just yesterday. I don’t know anyone like you.”

“Why are you like that, God of War-nim? We met once before. I definitely said hello back then, but with a greatsword in your hand, you said I should just die if I said such a crappy greeting. The one who wears the majesty of all things, the one who faces the great ruler of old, swallows the power of the seven evils and stands on the seventy-two gods-”

“Agh! Aagh! Uwaaah!!!”

This trash greeting!

The greeting from Paradise mad cultists!

I swung my fist at I Really Like, who was spouting creepy things.

With the body strengthening of S++ class, my fist that exceeded the limits of ordinary people and monsters cut through the air, creating a strong wind.

However, the crazy madman’s subordinate, I Really Like, didn’t care about my struggles and continued to talk, “The one who connects the fragmented dimensions and sits on the supreme throne, the one who will stand against the miracles from outer space, the one who will save the universe…”

“How far does that greeting go?”

“We’re almost there. Your third servant, Yoo Juha, greets the King of Dimensions, who is greater and more glorious than anyone else.”

“Are you done?”

“Yes,” I Really Like, who had gotten down on one knee and bowed his head, raised his head, and answered.

I was sick and tired of the strange nickname of King of Dimensions.

“Does this guild brainwash you like that?”

“No.”

“Then who told you about that?”

As I Really Liked raised his head and stretched his back, I looked away and pondered.

The starlight from the planetarium melted away like snow when I was near I Really Like.

The hazy crimson eyes glowed alone in the black darkness.

“Do you know how dimensions are formed, Your Highness?”

“I’m not a highness.”

“… Your Majesty.”

“Not a majesty, either.”

“Finger King-nim.”

“I’m not Finger Technique.”

“⋯”

I Really Like eventually shut his mouth as if he had nothing more to say.

Satisfied with my iron wall, I turned on the messenger again.

I was going to call someone and say something about the nasty person who wouldn’t even show his nose after summoning me.

“Dimensions can be likened to stars. A dimensional system is a collection of countless stars.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I just want to meet the guild leader here.”

“I am like an NPC standing at the gateway. If you listen to everything I say, you can meet the guild leader.”

“Did the guild leader order this?”

“Yes,” I Really Like answered firmly and nodded.

I felt sorry for him a little bit.

He goes around doing weird things because he’s obsessed with a cult.

How difficult it must be to say such a strange greeting to someone who is not even the religious leader of one’s religion.

I decided to listen to his bullshit with an open mind. In fact, Polar Night’s message has been nagging me.

“Tell me.”

“I told you that a dimension is a star and a dimension system is a collection of stars. Just as humans have twins, stars sometimes have twin stars. And since it is a split in two of a star that should have been one, the two stars want to become one.”

He raised the index finger of his left hand and the index finger of his right hand and intertwined the two. I nodded to urge him to continue.

“The dimension of the Seven Kings that is currently invading our dimension is the twin dimension of our dimension. Interference between stars is originally completely blocked, but because that star and our star are twin stars, they were able to interfere exceptionally with us. However, even twin stars are distinctly different, so they are subject to great interference whenever they enter our dimension. Thus, they devised a better way. What do you think it is?”

“Hmm. Gate?”

“That’s right.”

He made a heart by connecting two index fingers and smiled like a kindergartener who got the answer right.

The story that I didn’t really want to know continued for a long time after that.

“The army of the Seven Kings creates avatars whenever they come to our dimension. Avatars can only be made by betting one of the things they have, and the bigger the bet, the less interference they get. So, a weak entity can come over with a little thing, such as a claw or a piece of skin, but a strong entity of the level of an army commander can only come over with something comparable to the power of a king. That’s what Your Highness has.”

“The fact that avatars are created and passed on means that no matter how much we kill them, they are not really dead.”

“That’s right. We are still repeatedly annihilating the divisions we destroyed during the war, right? How can they form an infinite division when they are not even game data? It’s because we only killed avatars.”

It certainly made sense to me.

So, the loot we get from killing monsters is what they bet when they came to our dimension?

They lose their bets when the avatar dies, and we pick up what they lose.

Somehow, unlike in a game, the rewards vary.

In a game, the same type of monsters drop the same loot upon being killed, but in a dungeon in reality, the loot obtained by killing monsters is different even if they’re the same type.

Some left tails, some left equipment, some left characteristics, and some left the entire body.

Best of all was new characteristics. Characteristics or attributes could only be obtained through awakening and hunting.

“The gates are sparse now that the kings are fighting each other, but the special gate will appear again soon.”

“Can you be sure?”

“Yes, because the rate of fusion of stars is accelerating. Over time, they will be less interfered with and will become closer to humans. Monsters that take human form will increase, and monsters that want to talk to humans will appear. And there will be a war. A very big war.”

The rotating icosahedral planetarium invariably drew the stars.

I stared at it for a long time floating in the air, then moved my gaze back to him.

Introducing himself as a gateway NPC, he was yawning sleepily.

“My mission ends here. I’ve told you everything I had say.”

“How could you say something unilaterally and end the conversation? I also have a question.”

“Tell me.”

He sounded calm as if he had expected it. I asked while replying to a message from Polar Night, “How do you know about this? Even the Hunters Association headquarters and dimensional scientists may not know this.”

“The Hunter Association headquarters would already know. And we heard about it.”

“Is everything you said true? That there will be a war in the future?”

“Yes. That’s what I heard, but it’s true.” Blinking his eyes as if he were sleepy, he nodded.

How can you be so sure of something you only heard? You didn’t even see it yourself.

He has a talent for not gaining people’s trust even after telling them the most incredible and unbelievable things.

If he plays a mafia game, he’ll be the first blood.

“It may be hard to believe, but you better believe.”

“How can I believe something a person who’s obsessed with a cult religion says?”

“It’s not a cult. It just looks like a cult because it’s always one step ahead.”

“Then, what was the greeting you said earlier? That was completely cult-like.”

“I learned it is natural for a servant to serve and praise his king.”

“I mean, so why are you doing that to me? Hunter-nim, you have to do it to the cult leader. You have a guild leader.”

Oh, I’m so frustrated that I can’t talk. I can manage once or twice, but it’s so frustrating having to repeat it again and again.

This is why you shouldn’t engage in pseudo-religion.

I’m not sure why I’m being dragged into a place like this to enjoy some kind of wealth and fame and subjected to language torture.

I calmed down by pressing down over my heated eyes.

Is it possible to fight off this heresy by flipping over Buddhist scriptures with the experience of attending temples in the past?

No, it’s not an ordinary heresy, so it’s impossible for me to eradicate it.

As expected, I have to bring a real monk.

I thought that sooner or later I would have to find a monk, a shaman, a church, or a cathedral.

If this cult starts going around with the “Monsters are life in the end. We should not kill a living monster to live” kind of logic, then Paradise will cause a lot of damage.

Mom will tell me to quit being a Hunter.

A small spark fired by Paradise will kill innocent Hunters.

I looked around, pledging to express my strong support for the cult-clean campaign, wanting to find the exit door.

“There’s no entrance here.”

I Really Like, who stood there blankly and blinked, said as he watched me banging my head against the wall in a dark space.

I quickly turned my head and said in a moment of resentment, “You should’ve told me earlier.”

“I thought I wouldn’t have to tell you because I’ll take you out anyway.”

Does that make sense?

I grabbed the back of my neck after seeing him who has a talent for raising people’s blood pressure.

Sooner or later, if I collapse from rage, it’s all because of that person.

“Then let me out. I want you to send me back to where I was.”

“I think that would be difficult. The guild leader told me to bring you.”

I Really Like approached the shiny planetarium and grabbed it.

The starlight circling the room disappeared, and before long, a perfect night arrived.

Dark crimson eyes shone alone in the black darkness.

I kicked the wall of the room to escape this damn situation. Then, with a bang, a large hole was made on one side of the wall.

A hole that took up more than half of the wall blew a bone-chilling air.

The strong wind filled the space, and the snowy field, shining white in the sunlight peeking through the holes, was blindingly dazzling.

No. What is this…

“… This is Antarctica.”

The ground sank again with a flickering sight.

I was reminded of a message from a while ago as I listened to that crazy psycho bastard’s nonsense.

[Polar Night] ▶ You can’t break down the wall.

I mean, if you’re going to recruit someone, you should take them to the guild building. Which madman brings them to Antarctica?

I clenched my fist as I swallowed the double desire about to come out of my mouth.

I will kill someone and go to jail today.