## Chapter 208 – 208. Ancient City (3)
#208. Ancient City (3)
Four hours into conquering the gate.
As planned, we were clearing out the monsters while circling the outer areas.
Fortunately, contrary to our worries, the frequency of monster appearances gradually decreased.
As the party’s tension slowly eased, we were able to reach the north gate, the planned site for our third base camp.
Having already set up base camps twice, we quickly deployed various supplies and began to subdue the surrounding monsters.
However, in the process, an unfortunate incident occurred: Seo Ho-hyun, one of the party’s sub-dealers, was injured.
It didn’t seem like a serious injury, but it appeared difficult for him to move right away, so we decided to have a late lunch and rest.
I pretended to meditate while scanning the surroundings with magic detection and Detection.
Detection, which scans the terrain, didn’t pick up any particular problems. It was just a city with traces of being old and prosperous everywhere.
‘…What is this?’
However, as I increased the range of my magic detection, I suddenly felt a sense of unease.
There wasn’t a single monster in sight.
Even if the city was large and we had subdued quite a few monsters on our way here, there shouldn’t be this few.
I briefly considered whether to tell the party about this, but in the end, I chose not to.
I’m currently playing the role of a 2nd Circle mage who has exhausted all their magic power.
If such a guy was searching the surroundings with magic, someone might suspect me.
Song Min-ha, who went out for reconnaissance, would find out anyway. There was no need to take the risk of stepping forward.
Besides, it didn’t seem like there was anything that would be a problem right now.
As I quietly continued my search, that’s when…
‘Hmm?’
The magic detection, which had been stretching out, was blocked at a certain point. The same was true for Detection.
It was as if some kind of measure had been taken to prevent anyone from peeking into the castle.
Just in case, I tried to heighten my senses, but as expected, my senses couldn’t reach that far.
I decided to put my uneasy feelings aside and focus on resting.
It’s a sickness to work too hard when I’m not the only one who came into the gate.
“Oppa, what are you thinking about?”
As I opened my eyes to stretch, Noel smiled and spoke to me.
“Oppa” was a public title. It would be weird to call me “Master” outside.
Besides, I was older than Noel anyway. Only by a year, though.
“Just wondering what kind of boss will come out of the gate?”
Considering the low magic power level for a B-grade gate and the number of monsters we’ve subdued so far, the boss couldn’t possibly be strong.
At most, it would be a B-grade.
If it’s a B-grade boss that could appear in this city theme…
“I think it might be a Nighthelm or a Chorus King,” Kim Yu-jun said, sitting next to me.
Nighthelm and Chorus King.
Both were fairly well-known boss-level monsters in the undead category.
Nighthelm is a knight-type monster wearing a black helmet, and Chorus King is a monster made up of fused, corrupted souls, specializing in curses and mental attacks.
They were somewhat ambiguous to appear in a B-grade gate, but considering the gate’s magic power level, it was a plausible hypothesis.
“You’re very knowledgeable.”
“Haha, if I want to make a living, I need to know this much. Of course, it’s just my guess, so I recommend not blindly believing it.”
As I was focusing on his words, someone else started talking.
“Hehe, so humble. Hyun-woo, did you know? This guy graduated from Korea University with a degree in Demonology.”
“Korea University?”
Before I knew it, my head turned towards Kim Yu-jun. I had also attended Korea University until recently.
“Ahem… This guy is talking nonsense.”
“That’s amazing.”
Unlike the Gate Support Department I attended, the Demonology Department boasts an extremely high competition rate.
Wasn’t the competition rate 150:1 last year?
“I did drop out, but it’s still helpful to use what I learned at university, even if it was for a short time, so I’m grateful.”
Hunters’ average lifespan is short, but leading a raid team entirely composed of B-grades in his late 20s is impressive.
“But hyung, how long are you going to keep talking in that weird tone?”
“…I’m going to kill that bastard.”
“Agh?!”
Was it because my body was warm and my stomach was full?
The party members relaxed and enjoyed their rest.
“Noel, do you not use social media? I feel like you’d be super famous.”
“Social media? What’s that?”
“Huh?!”
Noel was talking with Lee Ha-yan, another female member of the party.
The party’s main dealer was a beast-person, not a human. And a member of the Ox Clan, famous for their natural strength.
“You have a phone, right…?”
“Nope?”
“?”
I heard that they are physically outstanding, with an average height of 175cm even for women.
Of course, she wasn’t quite that tall, but Lee Ha-yan also seemed quite tall for a woman. Maybe around 170cm?
Above all, as expected of the Ox Clan, she had quite large breasts. Her clothes were thick, so I didn’t know the exact size, but it was clear that she wasn’t inferior to Noel sitting next to her.
To have a similar chest size to an Ox Clan member…
Usually, Rabbit Clan members are known for having small chests, so Noel seemed amazing.
Then, a question suddenly arose.
[Would you like to use Unicorn’s Gaze on the target?]
[Y/N]
I heard that Lee Ha-yan is a 25-year-old, two-year veteran hunter.
With a pretty face, a great body, and excellent abilities, is she a virgin?
I can’t say I have no ulterior motives, but the feeling I have right now is closer to simple curiosity.
[Y]
[Lee Ha-yan
Status: Virgin]
‘Oh.’
She’s actually a virgin. I honestly didn’t expect it. Virgins are rare in today’s society.
I’ve used the skill every time I’ve met a pretty person, but only a handful of them were virgins.
I was wondering if I should ask for her number later when…
“Oppa, Oppa.”
Noel called me with a bright smile, as if she liked the new title.
“Can you buy me a phone?”
“A phone?”
“Yeah, I feel bad for always borrowing yours, and I want to try this thing called social media.”
Social media?
I looked at Lee Ha-yan, wondering what she was talking about. When our eyes met, Lee Ha-yan gave me a strange look.
It was as if she was treating me like a cheapskate.
‘…How absurd.’
The reason I haven’t bought Noel a phone is because she doesn’t have an identity, not because I’m stingy with money.
“I was planning to buy one tomorrow anyway.”
“Really?”
Seeing Noel so happy made me feel guilty.
‘I should get her a debit card when I buy her a phone.’
It would be annoying for her to ask me every time.
Noel seemed to be in a good mood about the phone, and she stayed close to me, chatting about this and that.
In particular, she said she wanted to go to an amusement park when we got out of the gate.
‘An amusement park…’
For the record, I’ve never been there either.
The destination for my high school field trip was an amusement park, but I couldn’t go in the end. The field trip fee had to be affordable to even consider going.
Fortunately, support for field trip fees started after I graduated, so my siblings were able to go.
I hadn’t thought much about it until now, but going with Noel alone seemed pretty good.
“Should we go tomorrow?”
“Really?”
I’d be skipping work for another day, but that was okay.
…Probably?
Anyway, after that, we spent a peaceful time chatting about trivial things.
So much so that I briefly forgot that this was inside a gate.
Knock knock.
But as soon as I had that thought, I heard a knock from outside.
The party members’ fierce energy covered the base camp. Ready for battle, they each gripped their weapons and remained vigilant.
“…Jajangmyeon.”
Kim Yu-jun, holding an axe with a bluish aura, said the password.
-Cigarette. Open the door quickly, I’m hungry.
The voice that came from beyond the door was Song Min-ha’s, who had gone out for reconnaissance.
Only then did the party members relax one by one and put down their weapons.
-You didn’t eat all of our portions, did you? We were starving while doing reconnaissance?
Kim Yu-jun, who hadn’t let his guard down until the end, also subsided at the voice of Cha Seung-hyun, which followed.
The party members began to move busily to welcome the two who had returned from reconnaissance.
“What, why are you so late?”
Among them, Lee Ha-yan, who seemed close to Song Min-ha, smiled brightly and approached the door.
Squeak.
As the doorknob turned and the door opened.
“…Huh?”
Swoosh-
Black energy surged through the gap in the door.
“C, close it!”
Kim Yu-jun rushed over in a panic, but the evil energy had already filled the base camp.
At the sight, the party members hurriedly raised their magic power.
Evil energy is literally the energy of the dead.
It is extremely poisonous to the living, and undead monsters emit evil energy just by being there, killing the earth and causing ordinary people to fall ill.
Of course, hunters and mages with magic power can resist evil energy, but there is a limit.
If exposed to high concentrations of evil energy without raising magic power, they will inevitably suffer internal injuries.
“Cough…!!”
“Ugh…!!”
“Hng?!”
The party members coughed up blood and collapsed one by one due to the evil energy that surrounded them. It was because their reaction was slow.
Beyond the wide-open door, nothing could be seen due to the thick evil energy.
Thump-
Nevertheless, the presence was definitely felt.
The ominous magic power made my skin crawl.
Someone walked into the base camp.
“T, to think you’re all gathered here so harmoniously, h, h, how commendable…!”
An intense sense of rejection swept through my body, warning me of danger.
The grotesque voice that pierced my ears was utterly repulsive.
The face revealed under the shabby robe was barely maintaining a human form and was utterly miserable.
“He, hehe…! Th, that’s great, that’s great!”
The distorted features, as if melted, the half-crushed eyes, and the stench emanating from the black, rotten teeth revealed whenever he laughed were all disgusting.
But no one in this place pointed out his appearance.
The unwanted sense of unease and the inverted pentagram tattoo drawn on the man’s forehead.
“A demon worshipper!”
The moment the man’s identity was revealed, tremendous murderous intent covered the surroundings. Before anyone could stop them, the party members rushed towards him.
Kwaaaang!!!
A huge roar and a storm swept through.
