Chapter 7

Fate Stealer: The Hunter Who Sees the Future, Chapter 007

Chapter 7

As Han Soo-jung gracefully glided through the air, her movements elegantly decorating the sky, Song Jin-woo felt a sudden constriction in his chest.

'Compared to her, I...'

He was well aware that Han Soo-jung lived in a completely different world from his own.

But the movements she displayed now resembled the image he had always dreamed of.

He had always dreamed of being cured of his polio and freely exploring the world without any restrictions.

Although he had forgotten this dream due to the struggles of making a living, the ability to run freely without the cursed old crutches was his childhood dream.

Just like Han Soo-jung now...

'Damn it!'

Compared to the radiant Han Soo-jung, he felt like a useless prisoner trapped in a useless body.

An unbearable sense of powerlessness slowly tightened its grip on Song Jin-woo. It felt as if he would be consumed by the darkness and lose himself.

At that moment, a loud crack came from his clenched teeth.

'What kind of sentimentality is this now! Pull yourself together, Song Jin-woo!'

Slapping his face hard, the numb pain and the returning sensations brought him back to reality.

'There's no point in having foolish thoughts. It's a world I can never reach. I just need to think about my sister, one person.'

He had already dedicated his life to his sister, Song Hana. She was the only reason and the driving force for him to live in this bleak world.

'I should think of myself as already dead. A real corpse with a heart that doesn't even beat.'

Looking at the battlefield where all the monsters had fallen, Song Jin-woo moved again. His task now was to collect the items dropped by the monsters.

He only thought that he had momentarily indulged in sentimentality, which was unlike him.

Thus, he failed to notice the dark and ominous energy that had escaped through his nose.

The energy that escaped from Song Jin-woo hovered in the air for a moment before entering another person's nose.

Swoosh—

The person who received the dark energy began to have a wavering gaze, just like Song Jin-woo.

"We'll take a short break here. Porters, butcher the fallen monsters."

While the hunters were recovering their mana and stamina, the porters could not rest.

Song Jin-woo, in particular, seemed to be trying to shake off his distracting thoughts as he butchered the monsters with a frenzy.

A few minutes later.

"We're moving out now."

The group's journey continued.

They moved more cautiously due to the dangerous battles. Fortunately, they did not encounter any strong and troublesome monsters like the Minotaur.

Apart from a few instances where Han Soo-jung had to intervene to deal with magic-casting monsters, the journey was relatively smooth.

Continuing on, they eventually reached a magnificent and grand door that still held the glory of the past.

"Is this our destination?"

In response to Han Soo-jung's question, Manager Kim, who was standing beside her, rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small gem-like object.

Comparing it to the emblem on the door, he nodded and said, "The emblem confirms it's definitely here."

Manager Kim touched the door, checking something, and then placed the gem in a specific spot.

Click!

The gem fit into the door as if it had always been there. Then...

Rumble!!

The temple began to rumble, and the massive door slowly opened.

"We've made it. But this is just the beginning."

Han Soo-jung and the other hunters stared intently at the space ahead.

Song Jin-woo, who was not part of the party and thus did not share the quest, could not see it, but the others saw a transparent window floating in the air, displaying the quest notification.

"Let's go in."

Although they had thought the dungeon would be easy due to their low levels, the difficulty was higher than expected.

If there had been fewer hunters, they might have abandoned the expedition.

However, with the hunters' numbers and their nearly full health, the Han Young Guild members' skills were outstanding, so there was no need to fear without seeing it.

But an unexpected twist occurred, surpassing all their expectations.

Boom!!

As soon as all the players entered, the door closed, and an emergency alarm went off.

"What the hell!!"

People screamed upon seeing their appearances change.

"Green Zone?! A Green Zone in a place like this?!"

Suddenly, everyone's appearance changed from their game characters to their real-life forms.

The area where the rules of the Dimensional World apply is called the Red Zone.

In the game Dimensional World, when you connect or enter the Central Continent, you can use your in-game stats instead of your real-life abilities, and you can freely use the items you obtain in the game.

The Green Zone, on the other hand, is a place where the real-life abilities apply normally.

Of course, you can use enchanted items and some powers from the Dimensional World, but fundamentally, everything is ordinary.

A place where both the Red Zone and the Green Zone coexist is called the Yellow Zone.

This is a special area that typically appears in unique quests or dungeons, where you can use both real-life abilities and the Dimensional World system.

Some people can even combine the two powers to achieve incredible abilities.

In the Central Continent, which should be entirely a Red Zone where the Dimensional World system applies, the sudden appearance of a Green Zone was a significant event that could lead to the entire party's annihilation.

If the monsters they had previously encountered appeared in this state, it could result in a total wipe.

Everyone fell into a state of panic, but surprisingly, Han Soo-jung remained calm.

"Can we use communication devices?"

The hunter holding the radio checked the equipment and soon shook his head with a heavy expression.

"Then, what about return scrolls?"

A man had a stack of return scrolls, each worth hundreds of millions of won.

However, when he tore the scroll, nothing happened.

"...I see. Let's check our surroundings first."

Despite the crisis, Han Soo-jung remained composed.

It wasn't that she was fearless. She believed that since this was a Green Zone, it was part of the quest, and the players would not face challenges they couldn't handle.

As she expected, there were no signs of monsters around. Only a massive door, similar to the one they had passed through, stood before them.

Han Soo-jung, representing the tense group, approached the door and read the inscription.

"The Path of Courage."

Rumble~

As if her words were a spell to open the door, the thick door began to open on its own.

Creak~

When the door finally opened, they saw a scene of lava flowing like a river.

A wooden plank bridge, with no handrails, stretched across the canyon.

"What is this?"

In the distance, a massive door, similar to the one they had opened, was visible.

The only way to reach it seemed to be to cross the bridge, which made their legs tremble just by looking at it.

"Is this why it's called the Path of Courage?"

A few people stepped forward to look at the lava and shook their heads, retreating. The heat radiating from the lava was intense, even from a distance.

"Are we supposed to cross this?"

People stood in shock, realizing their situation. Some tried to open the door they had entered through, but it wouldn't budge.

While everyone was in poor condition, Song Jin-woo was in the worst state. Back in his real body, he could only stand with the help of his crutches.

As expected, Han Soo-jung was the first to move.

She slowly approached the bridge and checked the lava.

Thud! Thud!

After tapping the bridge with her foot, she looked at the others and said, "It's not as difficult as it seems. The bridge doesn't wobble, and it's wide enough."

Hearing this, people began to look at the bridge more closely.

When they overcame their fear and observed the bridge calmly, they realized it was wide enough to cross.

If it weren't for the lava below, they could even run across it.

"I'll cross first as a representative."

Volunteering, Han Soo-jung made Manager Kim exclaim in alarm.

"Miss! It's too dangerous! Send someone else first to check for traps..."

Manager Kim pleaded, but Han Soo-jung firmly replied, "I'm the leader of this group. I must lead by example in such situations."

Crossing a canyon with flowing lava is naturally terrifying, even for a brave warrior.

Han Soo-jung was afraid, but she gritted her teeth and took a deep breath.

"Still..."

Manager Kim shuddered at the sight of the flowing lava. He wanted to stop Han Soo-jung, but he lacked the courage to cross it himself.

"Here, take this."

Han Soo-jung handed her sword to Manager Kim.

The sword was the ultrasonic blade she had used to butcher the monsters.

The fact that the sword remained in the Green Zone indicated that it was an enchanted item.

Given its ability to cut a Minotaur in half, it was clearly not an ordinary sword.

Enchanting such a sword would cost at least several billion won in real money.

"Then, I'll go first."

Everyone watched Han Soo-jung cross the bridge, holding their breath in tension, but Song Jin-woo was lost in complex thoughts.

Unlike the others, he would have to cross the bridge with his crutches.

While the bridge was wide enough, the heat and the wind made it a daunting task.

As he was thinking, he saw Han Soo-jung wobble due to a sudden gust of wind.

"Whoa~!"

People who had been watching her wobble were startled and jumped to their feet.

Whooosh~

The wind was so strong that it was audible to the others. It was no wonder Han Soo-jung wobbled.

Fortunately, after the wind passed, she regained her composure and adjusted her stance.

Now, only about half the distance remained.

"Phew~"

The tension and anxiety were almost unbearable for the onlookers.

But Han Soo-jung, the one actually crossing, did not stop moving.

Slowing down or stopping now would only make her lose her balance.

Each step Han Soo-jung took felt like a year to the onlookers.

Finally, when Han Soo-jung reached the other side, people were still too tense to breathe properly. Only she let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew~"

When Han Soo-jung waved from the end of the canyon, people finally cheered.

"She made it!!"

"Unbelievable!"

Almost simultaneously, the canyon began to change.

The ground rippled, and the lava and the bridge disappeared, revealing a flat surface.

"Wow!"

"Only one person needed to cross!"

They had thought everyone in the group would have to cross, but fortunately, Han Soo-jung's success was enough to end the trial.

"Let's all cross!"

The solid ground had never felt so welcome.

Nearly a hundred people rushed to the next door.

"Surely, there won't be another trial like this?"

Everyone hoped not, but they knew that if it were just one trial, the Green Zone wouldn't have appeared.

"Proof of Strength."

When Han Soo-jung read the inscription on the door, it began to open, and, as expected, a new obstacle awaited the group.