Chapter 83

083. Dimensional Invasion (2)

In Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.

Shinjuku is one of the three major secondary business districts in Tokyo and is also known as the largest secondary business district. However...

Currently, the streets of Shinjuku Ward are completely empty, as if the title of the largest secondary business district in Tokyo were a lie.

It was understandable.

A massive gate occurrence, large enough to gather all of Japan's A-class Hunters, had been detected in this Shinjuku.

All civilians had been evacuated, and at the center of Shinjuku, only seven A-class Hunters were waiting for the gate to appear.

Among them, Oozuchi Kunishi, who had just been recognized as an A-class Hunter in Japan, felt annoyed.

"Why does the gate have to appear in Shinjuku?"

He was one of the ten A-class Hunters in Japan and should have been deep in a dungeon, slaying monsters and advancing through the dungeon.

However, due to the gate occurrence detected in Shinjuku, he was here.

'Really, at times like these, I can feel how Japan is a country with a weak Hunter presence.'

The gate occurrence detected in Shinjuku, Tokyo, could have been handled by a single S-class Hunter.

Based on the detected gate occurrence, the level of the gate that would be created would be only A-class.

Even if the government called for Hunters, it didn't mean that so many A-class Hunters needed to be gathered to handle it.

However, Japan had to gather so many Hunters to deal with the gate.

The reason wasn't the noble-sounding justification that Shinjuku, with its high population, needed to be handled quickly and efficiently, but rather something else.

It was because Japan currently had only one Hunter who surpassed A-class.

Moreover, that one Hunter was currently in a dungeon, trying to obtain usable equipment.

That's why A-class Hunters from all over Japan, including Oozuchi Kunishi, had gathered in Shinjuku.

To deal with the situation where Japan's only S-class Hunter was absent.

Thus, Oozuchi Kunishi couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.

'If it were Korea or the United States, they wouldn't gather so many A-class Hunters but would call a single S-class Hunter to handle it.'

Thinking about this again, Oozuchi Kunishi felt a sense of discomfort rising.

The other Hunters nearby didn't seem much different, as sighs of frustration poured out of their mouths.

"Damn it! Why does Japan have so few Hunters but so many gates?"

"If they're going to use A-class Hunters like this, they should at least pay us more, not waste money unnecessarily."

"Enough, enough. Has the Japanese Hunter Association ever done anything right? This is a messed-up country."

They had all been dragged to Shinjuku like dogs, receiving meager compensation, all because of the Japanese government's one-word command that all Hunters must follow the national law.

Thus, it was inevitable that their dissatisfaction would burst out.

But that was only for a moment.

Rumble!

As soon as the blue cracks began to appear in the middle of the street in Shinjuku,

"Damn it...! It's a crack! Prepare for battle!"

The Hunters who had been grumbling on the street suddenly changed their demeanor and prepared for battle.

Despite their dissatisfaction, they were veteran Hunters who had climbed to the A-class level and had extensive combat experience.

In an instant, Oozuchi Kunishi and the other Hunters adjusted their stance and focused on the gate.

"......What is this?"

The blue cracks, no matter how much they stared, did not produce any monsters.

Usually, when a gate is newly created, a monster from the dungeon entrance would appear.

This was even more true for a sudden and high-level gate like this one.

But not even a single ant came out?

"Hey, this seems a bit strange..."

Just as Oozuchi Kunishi felt a deep sense of unease and opened his mouth,

"―Why are there so many bugs gathered here?"

A resounding voice, as if declaring to the heavens, reached his ears from beyond the gate.

Soon, a young man in blue martial attire walked out of the gate that had shown nothing before.

A curved sword was attached to his right waist, and a dragon pattern was embroidered in gold on his blue martial attire.

Moreover, his neatly tied back hair suggested that he was not an ordinary being.

The young man stared at Oozuchi Kunishi as if he were a bug.

Then, he scratched his chin with his left hand and frowned, as if he couldn't understand.

"Didn't this young master ask? Why are there so many bugs gathered here?"

His tone was so arrogant, as if he were really talking to a bug.

Perhaps because of this, those who had been stunned by the appearance of a person from the gate soon regained their composure and wore expressions of disbelief.

Then, a Hunter behind Oozuchi Kunishi frowned deeply and shouted in an angry voice.

"......What? What are you talking about? Hey, stop talking nonsense and explain why you're here―."

And that was the Hunter's last voice.

Crunch!

Oozuchi Kunishi heard a crushing sound and felt a hot liquid splatter on his back.

It only took a few seconds to realize that it was the blood from the Hunter who had just been talking, whose head had been crushed.

Thump, thump, thump...

Like ink dropped into a glass of water slowly spreading its color.

His body began to tremble like a leaf, starting from his blood-soaked back.

Oozuchi Kunishi immediately understood why.

This sensation was all too familiar to a Hunter who had rolled around in the dungeons.

"......"

Fear.

It was the emotion felt by a prey in the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

Generally, a prey in the presence of a predator exhibits one of three behaviors.

"Damn this punk, daring to do this to Shimura! I will never forgive you...!"

The first is to deny the fear and charge at the predator.

Crunch!

"It can't be...! I, I don't want to die! P, please save me...!"

The second is to be dominated by fear and flee from the predator.

Crunch!

"......"

The third is to give up on life, knowing how powerful the predator is.

"Leaving one behind, it's finally quiet now."

Oozuchi Kunishi fell into the third category.

Now, he was not only trembling but also clenching his teeth in extreme fear.

It couldn't be helped.

The young man who had appeared before him had instantly killed all the Hunters behind Oozuchi Kunishi.

Oozuchi Kunishi had never seen the young man move.

He didn't even know why the Hunter behind him had been crushed to death.

Whether the young man had used the sword at his waist or some other skill, he didn't know.

He only realized it later when he heard the sound of bodies falling behind him.

Of the seven A-class Hunters who had gathered in Shinjuku, six were dead within minutes.

"Now that only one bug is left, this young master will make a polite request."

The young man smiled gently, as if he had changed his mind and was showing favor.

"Deliver this message to the challenger Han Seungyun."

The predator, now wearing a human mask, made a demand to Oozuchi Kunishi that could not be resisted.

"Changcheon Sword Dragon Nam Gung Hyuk has come to avenge Baek Seon Hak."

To bring new prey.

***

After purchasing the Return Stone, I immediately took out a large number of items from my inventory.

I had to dispose of the items I had taken from Kim Seungjun during the 10th floor trial.

Additionally, I needed to confirm the abilities of the newly acquired items.

With that in mind, I gathered all the items I needed to dispose of and those I needed to test, and activated the Return Stone.

Then...

I found myself in a different space, not the waiting room of the tower.

"You have returned to the residence of challenger Han Seungyun."

It was the one-room apartment where I lived.

"Finally returned."

Since it was my third return, the feeling of coming back was no longer unfamiliar.

Getting up from the bed, I smiled bitterly at the items scattered messily around me.

With dozens of items, I was at a loss as to how to organize them.

"This will take some time to clean up."

Originally, I would have had to examine each item's performance and check the market price to dispose of them.

But that was when I was a Hunter without a guild. Now, I enjoy high freedom and all the benefits in the Silver Guild.

The time when I had to handle everything myself is over.

'I just need to contact Lee Hyeon and ask her to prepare for the bulk disposal of items.'

I found my smartphone amidst the pile of scattered items and turned it on.

As soon as the screen lit up, I was shocked.

[You have 132 missed calls.]

[You have 87 unread messages.]

My smartphone informed me that I had received countless messages and calls while I was away.

"What is this...?"

Frowning, I quickly checked the missed calls and messages.

Soon, I realized who was looking for me.

"Lee Hyeon?"

Most of the messages were from Lee Hyeon, and they had started just yesterday.

In other words, something urgent had happened in that short time.

I quickly began to read the messages Lee Hyeon had sent.

[Lee Hyeon: Mr. Seungyun, are you still in the tower?]

[Lee Hyeon: The Hunter Association has ordered all difficult-level challengers to gather.]

[Lee Hyeon: Almost all guilds are sending out the challengers they have contracted.]

[Lee Hyeon: If you don't gather, you might be in legal trouble, so it's best for you to come.]

The Hunter Association is gathering all difficult-level challengers?

It was hard to understand, but reading the messages below, I realized the seriousness of the situation.

[Lee Hyeon: ...When you return from the tower, please contact me quickly. It's a really urgent matter.]

[Lee Hyeon: It's related to interdimensional challengers and is classified as top secret.]

[Lee Hyeon: It seems a major incident has occurred in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.]

It appears that an incident involving interdimensional challengers has occurred.

But interdimensional challengers mainly invade the tower's floors.

Why would they be related to Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan?

As I felt a flash of insight, I recalled the message I received when I arrived at the 11th floor waiting room.

―A new category 'Dimensional Travel' has been added to the shop.

―Travel between dimensions is now possible.

That's right.

Dimensional travel doesn't mean traveling only from Earth to other dimensions.

It means that beings from Ares, Wulin, or Kalian can also travel to Earth.

With this realization, I immediately called Lee Hyeon without reading more messages.

Fortunately, my call to Lee Hyeon was answered within a few seconds.

―...Mr. Han Seungyun? Have you finally returned?

Her voice was filled with fatigue, but there was a faint sense of relief.

I quickly replied to her.

"Yes. I just returned."

―Phew, I don't know where to start... How should I explain this?

"The interdimensional challenger has appeared in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan."

―How did you find out!? This is classified information from the Hunter Association!

"That's not important. Just get to the point."

―...Right. To get to the point, the Hunter Association has gathered all difficult-level challengers in Korea.

"Why?"

―The Korean Hunter Association has decided to prepare for the incident in Shinjuku, and the Japanese Hunter Association has requested help from the Korean side.

"......?"

―Currently, an interdimensional challenger is still present in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.

"Are you saying they couldn't kill the interdimensional challenger?"

―As you know, Japan is a country with a weak Hunter presence. They have only one S-class Hunter and a mere 40 A-class Hunters.

"......"

―However, the interdimensional challenger that appeared in Shinjuku killed six A-class Hunters in a few seconds and left one alive to send a message.

Thus, the Japanese side, due to the significant power disparity, has requested external help.

But there was something I didn't understand.

"Then why not send Korea's S-class Hunters? Why gather the challengers?"

―That's the really important part. The interdimensional challenger that appeared in Shinjuku left one A-class Hunter alive and sent a message.

"......?"

―The survivor said that the challenger told him to bring a certain unknown Korean challenger and said this.

Taking a deep breath, Lee Hyeon continued.

And upon hearing her words, I felt a shock that made my heart stop.

―Changcheon Sword Dragon Nam Gung Hyuk has come to avenge Baek Seon Hak.

Changcheon Sword Dragon (蒼天劍龍) Nam Gung Hyuk (南宮赫).

The Wulin challenger that the Iron-Blooded Monarch warned about has come to Earth to find me, not in the tower.