Chapter 17: Invaders from Outer Space (1)
"There's really a dungeon here."
A dimensional gate connecting to another dimension.
A miraculous portal leading to distant space, multiple dimensions, and other worlds.
There was a time when humanity believed they were the only intelligent life in the universe, as dimensional gates did not exist back then.
[The observable universe for humans is extremely limited.]
The gates and dungeons that appeared with the great upheaval taught humanity many lessons.
However, very little is known about them to this day.
What is common knowledge is...
[Dimensional gates universally transport hunters to places on the brink of destruction. These could be continents or countries at large, or cities on a smaller scale, all facing imminent doom. Success is achieved by preventing this destruction, and failure if not.]
Most quests involve preventing ruin, and upon success, hunters can obtain emblems and artifacts.
Surprisingly, time flows differently inside, so no matter how long one spends inside, no time passes in the outside world.
Hunters can return to their entry point, but dying inside means permanent death.
The difficulty level is displayed upon entry, so it is best to withdraw if it seems too dangerous.
Discovering a dimensional gate and reporting it to the Hunter Association can earn a substantial reward.
These are akin to instant dungeons.
"Money isn’t what’s important right now."
The reason for rushing here wasn't to claim a reward.
Clearing a dungeon brings immense rewards.
For the sake of preventing Earth's impending doom, it was preferable to clear it personally if possible.
[Are you planning to enter immediately?]
"Is there any special preparation needed? Let’s just go in."
The dimensional gate where he had previously obtained Nova and Genocide was originally six-star rated.
Thanks to Nova’s remarkable support, they barely cleared it, but without her, they would have perished.
Regardless, clearing a six-star rated gate proved that proper use of the surroundings made it possible.
Even if it was risky, he intended to clear it.
"Whether I die now or in ten years, it’s the same."
His resolve was firm.
Taking a deep breath, Hyeon Su-ho stepped into the dimensional gate.
*Vwoom!*
* * *
When he came to, he found himself in the middle of a city, not a red zone.
The overcast sky and smog between buildings, the dense fog, the high-rise buildings boasting their height with nothing else matching the surroundings, and the concrete pavement allowing no room for even a single weed...
It was an all too familiar scene.
"Did I really enter the dimensional gate? It just feels like... Seoul."
Nova immediately responded.
[Star coordinates confirm this is planet Earth. However, the geographical location is quite far from Korea.]
"Then where is this?"
[This country is called the United States of America, commonly known as America.]
"America?"
Hyeon Su-ho tilted his head in confusion.
"Never heard of that country. It must be a different parallel universe if it doesn’t exist on our Earth."
[Hacking into the satellites, I found that you are partially correct and partially incorrect.]
"What do you mean?"
[This is indeed a parallel universe. According to data analysis, this Earth is in a similar time period but without the emergence of hunters.]
"So, there was no great upheaval here?"
[Correct.]
The sudden appearance of mysterious monsters on Earth was the great upheaval.
Afterward, hunters with unique professions appeared to fight these monsters, completely transforming the world.
But on this Earth, humanity's era continued without the upheaval.
"So, what was wrong about what I said?"
[The United States existed in your Earth’s history too. It was once the richest and most powerful empire.]
"Such a country existed?"
[Yes, but it collapsed quickly when the upheaval occurred.]
"Why? If it was the strongest country, why did it fall so fast when others still exist?"
[Because they made a foolish mistake in fighting the monsters.]
"What mistake?"
[They used multiple nuclear bombs on their own territory.]
Monsters cannot be killed with conventional weapons.
Even the firearms Hyeon Su-ho used had bullets with monster bone tips.
The only viable method was to melt them with intense heat.
The United States made the worst mistake in history, resulting in the swift collapse of an empire believed to last for a millennium.
[People in this Earth haven’t discovered how to use mana. In fact, mana hasn’t even been discovered yet.]
"That’s... a bit strange."
[What do you mean?]
"You can’t sense mana, but... there's much stronger mana flowing here than on Earth."
He had felt a strong sense of discomfort since arriving.
At first, he thought it was simply because he had crossed a dimensional gate... but it was not that at all.
"Do you see this fog?"
The fog enveloped the entire city like smog.
I've heard that Europe often has this kind of fog, but this was something completely different.
"This is a mass of magic."
The solidified magic was mixed into the air, reflecting light.
This was the true nature of the fog.
"Is this world always like this? Do you have any information on it?"
Nova paused for a moment at Hyeon Su-ho's question before speaking again.
[Data analysis has revealed an anomaly. Approximately three hours ago, this city, Seattle, was completely cut off from the outside world.]
"What? What do you mean?"
[Both passage and information have been completely blocked. This city is currently in complete isolation.]
"What? Why?"
[An emergency order has been issued. I'm hacking into government agencies, but they are using proprietary lines, making external access impossible.]
This meant something serious had happened in the city.
Come to think of it, although it was still daytime, there wasn't a single person or car around.
It was probably related to this strange fog.
Just then, a quest appeared before Hyeon Su-ho's eyes.
《Dimensional Quest Initiated》
◆Quest
Into the Fog
(Difficulty ★★★★)
▷Objective: Escort Jane Reiner to her destination
"An escort mission. The difficulty is four stars..."
The usual baseline is three stars, so four stars meant it was somewhat difficult.
The difficulty of dimensional quests is relative, not absolute.
If the expedition team is strong, the difficulty decreases accordingly, and vice versa.
The difficulty was much lower than he had expected. He had anticipated at least five stars.
To take on a dimensional quest, it's common to form an expedition team of about 30-40 members.
Even with an EX-rank job and top-tier gear like Genocide, challenging it alone was madness.
He was undertaking such a mad challenge.
This was practically his only chance to turn back, but he had no intention of doing so.
"At least this place isn’t outer space... I won’t become lost in space."
Steeling his resolve, he spoke to Nova.
"Gather information about this place."
[I'm trying my best, but the fog is interfering with communication. The interference rate is rapidly increasing.]
Even the quest's name was "Into the Fog."
This weird fog was surely causing some kind of trouble.
To uncover the truth, he would ultimately have to dive in himself.
First, he needed to find Jane Reiner, the quest's objective.
"There's someone over there. Let's ask them."
No matter how capable Nova was, she couldn’t read people's minds.
In situations like this, traditional investigative methods were best.
Hyeon Su-ho approached an old man sitting on a park bench, staring blankly into space.
"Excuse me? Can I ask you something?"
Even in another country, communication was no issue.
Even on different dimensions and planets, the dimensional gate's mysterious power allowed natural conversation, like an automatic translator.
Even speaking Korean, the other party would understand it in their language.
As expected, the man turned his head in response.
But something was off.
"Keeek..."
The man only slightly turned his head, making a strange noise.
Hyeon Su-ho took a step back and observed him.
"This isn’t some kind of American cultural thing, is it?"
[No, it’s not.]
"I just had to ask."
The man’s odd behavior didn’t end there. It was just the beginning.
As he kept turning his head, his neck bones continued moving to impossible angles for a human.
Crack! Crack!
His neck turned beyond 180 degrees.
At that moment, the clothes he was wearing began to swell and then tear apart.
Riiiip!!
His clothes hadn’t swelled; his body had ballooned.
His muscles bulged, his hands elongated into sharp claws, and his face doubled in size with sharp teeth protruding.
The formerly frail old man, standing around 175cm, had transformed into a hulking figure over 2 meters tall.
[Keek! Keek!]
The monster let out a screech, spitting thick saliva everywhere.
Watching the entire transformation process, Hyeon Su-ho asked with a sour expression.
"Is this a characteristic of people in this world? I mean, having bodies that transform at will?"
[No, it’s not.]
"I just had to ask."
The transformation of the old man, now a monster, caused the bench he was sitting on to break under his weight.
Crack!
[The Law of Conservation of Mass is completely disregarded here.]
Nova's tone grew harsher, likely due to this contradicting her knowledge.
"If you can't explain it, it must be the effect of mana."
A world without hunters had produced monsters.
If the people of this world saw this, they'd be shocked to the point of fainting.
But Hyeon Su-ho was different.
Whiiiir!!
Hyeon Su-ho's weapons, Genocide and the Chainsword, were hidden in the form of bracelets.
He had concealed them to avoid alarming people, but given the current situation, that was unnecessary.
As the creature lunged at him, he summoned the Chainsword and swung it.
Vrrrr!!
The Chainsword, processed with monster materials and reinforced with mana stones, shredded the monster as if slicing through a radish.
[Keeek!!]
The monster, neatly bisected diagonally, fell to the ground in a grotesque heap.
Thud!
Swinging the Chainsword through the air to shake off the clinging fluids, Hyeon Soo-ho remarked,
"For such a grotesque appearance, it's surprisingly weak."
If the Chainsword hadn't been enough, he would have used his plasma rounds or lightsaber, but the Chainsword alone sufficed.
It felt like dealing with a level 1 or 2 monster on Earth.
But a monster was still a monster.
"Why on earth is this happening...?"
As he approached the monster's corpse for a closer look, something happened.
The creature, split in two, began to move again.
And not just the part with the head; both halves moved simultaneously.
Sharp spikes emerged from the severed edges, trying to grab Hyeon Su-ho.
"Eek!"
Luckily, with his quick reflexes, Hyeon Su-ho easily dodged.
The monster, now split in two, moved in a strange manner, targeting Hyeon
Su-ho.
"...What is this?"
Is it because it’s a creature from another world?
It was completely different from the relatively cute (?) monsters he used to hunt.
There were certainly various types of monsters, but this was beyond any hunter knowledge he possessed.
[No mana stones are detected in the enemy monster. It operates on a different mechanism than those on your planet.]
"A monster without a mana stone?"
This creature defied common sense.
More urgently, how was he supposed to deal with it?
"If I cut it into pieces, will the monster multiply?"
[We can't predict that with the data available.]
"Then, Bipo, you..."
Just as he was about to ask Bipo, who was floating nearby, for help, he saw several people rushing toward him from a distance.
At first, he thought they were more monsters, but fortunately, they still appeared human.
They were wearing masks resembling space suits.
Likely to prevent the fog from entering their respiratory systems.
"Get out of the way!"
The approaching individuals carried weapons filled with liquid fuel and aimed at the two-part monster.
And then...
Whoosh!!
A powerful jet of flame engulfed the monster.
[Keeek!!]
Covered in flames, the monster twisted in agony.
The creature, writhing like a mollusk, soon collapsed to the ground.
Its ballooned muscles melted, spreading a gooey mess all over the ground.
It seemed that fire was the monster's weakness.
The people who had suddenly appeared and torched the monster now turned to Hyeon Su-ho.
As he approached, they aimed their flamethrowers at him, wary.
"Stop! Don't move!"
Hyeon Su-ho raised both hands as instructed.
Even if the flamethrowers were used against him, he could handle it.
"Who are you? How are you here? Are you connected to the Foundation?"
Foundation?
At that word, Hyeon Su-ho pondered for a moment before responding.
"Isn't it customary to introduce oneself before asking someone else's name?"
Not sure if Earthly manners applied here, but still.
His words made the newcomers glance at each other.
Finally, a woman with bright blonde hair, visible even through her space suit, stepped forward.
"I am Major Reiner of the Earth Union Special Command. Identify yourself."
"Reiner? Could you be Jane Reiner?"
Jane frowned at Hyeon Su-ho's question.
"How do you know my name?"
Of course, he knew.
She was the key figure in the quest.
