#9: Chapter 9 — A Cradle to Prevent Destruction

Sayros would not be developed until ten years later. Its invention was something that drastically increased Hunter survival rates.

‘I need to speed up the development of artificial intelligence, too.’

The more he thought about it, the more there was to do. Kwon Hae-joo’s growth and survival. Building large-scale shelters and recruiting escort personnel to prepare for the Nuckelavee. On top of that, overhauling the Hunter system, including Say, had to happen. He had a mountain of tasks to accomplish within a set time.

“It’s fine. There’s still… time.”

Nam Shin-hoo muttered anxiously. At the same time, he unclenched and clenched his palm, which bore fingernail marks. It was a habit he had developed since returning from his past life.

Would he make it in time before the Nuckelavee appeared? Would there be enough time to prepare so they could overcome the disaster that had wiped out humanity without losing a single person? Whenever anxious thoughts suddenly surfaced to torment him, he clenched his fist tightly.

“Excuse me, Hunter Nam Shin-hoo.”

The person cautiously poking his head out of the cave was one of the gatherer-class Hunters.

“Could I perhaps head down first? My house is just below, and I’m so worried…”

“It is dangerous to go down right now.”

“I know, but my wife is pregnant, so I can’t leave her alone. My parents are far away, and she’s by herself… There are no flames over that way yet, so wouldn’t it be alright?”

Shin-hoo turned his head, following the gaze of the gatherer who was looking toward the village with anxious eyes. The village lay to the south.

‘The south, huh…’

It was the direction that had been bothering him for a while. It looked quieter and more peaceful than elsewhere, yet the aura he sensed from it was the strongest.

“I fall far short of a Hunter like you, but I know how to handle basic combat.”

“Monsters are dangerous, but you could also be mistakenly attacked by other Hunters. Everyone is on edge during a search, so you must wait for now.”

“Sigh. I suppose there’s no choice then.”

Dropping his head, the herbalist returned to the cave. It seemed heartless, but it was an unavoidable call. If mistaken by Hunters actively searching for monster presence, a gatherer-class Hunter would lose their life in an instant.

Furthermore, Squad 3, which was assigned to the south, was led by Hae-joo’s younger brother. If an unnecessary accident occurred, it would only put Hae-joo in a tougher spot.

A forest was a place where it was difficult to distinguish between the presence of an ambushing monster and a human.

‘If a crack had to break out, open ground would have been better.’

To make matters worse, the dungeon’s location was terrible. If it were a forest near the village or open flat ground, he would have sent the gatherers down first.

“…Huh?”

What is this? Why am I suddenly so uneasy?

A strong feeling that he was missing something flashed through his mind. Shin-hoo rose from the rock. Then, as if possessed, he stepped forward and looked down toward the base of the mountain.

A dungeon deep in the forest, far from the village. Dense woods that made it hard to track each other’s locations, monsters whose presence was difficult to read, and guild members scattered in all directions, making backup requests difficult.

Even though it was a place and situation he had never seen firsthand, an odd sense of déjà vu washed over him.

“…”

An old report surfaced in Shin-hoo’s mind. Forgotten memories flowed back like an old reel of film spinning to life.

[Gyeongju, with its abundant plains, had its mountains separated from the city center. Because of numerous historic sites, vast areas remained undeveloped. Thanks to this, no civilian casualties occurred from the crack that broke out in the mountains.]

‘This text, this location. I’ve seen it somewhere.’

[By the time a request for backup was sent, it was already too late. The nearest Hunter guild and Hunter Association branches were far from the dungeon, and it took considerable time for reinforcements to arrive. Even after deployment, the dense forest hindered joining up with the main force. Thanks to the outstanding response of Guild Master Kwon Hae-joo, there were no civilian casualties, but unfortunately, one casualty occurred among the Hunters.]

The blurry past struck his retinas like a flashbulb.

[The sole casualty was Kwon Hae-joo's only younger brother, A-Rank Hunter Kwon Shin-joo, who was serving as one of the search squad leaders.]

“Damn it.”

This was the very dungeon where Kwon Shin-joo lost his life to an unfortunate crack accident. Shin-hoo gritted his teeth.

Back then, he had been keeping Hae-joo in check. To Shin-hoo, the death of that younger brother had been nothing more than an incident to click his tongue at and move past.

An ordinary accident that couldn’t be used in guild power games, nor one he felt any sympathy toward. It was an event remembered more for the annoyance of dealing with the aftermath than any desire to offer condolences. After sending a single funeral wreath, he had wiped it completely from his mind. It had slipped his mind so thoroughly that he had misremembered Shin-joo’s cause of death as a dungeon raid incident rather than a crack.

“Mr. Kang!”

Shin-hoo shouted toward the cave. It was one of the gatherer Hunters who had introduced himself as a veteran at the dungeon entrance. A moment later, Mr. Kang stepped out hesitantly.

“You mentioned you were a veteran, right? And that you know most of the people here.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. But earlier, I spoke a bit too casually…”

“Don’t worry about that. Take this.”

He placed a shield artifact into Mr. Kang’s hand. The glowing artifact was the size of a fist, and looking closely, its light shifted subtly depending on the angle. It was clearly a high-grade item, and Mr. Kang’s eyes went wide.

“It’s an S-Rank shield artifact. For three hours after deployment, no monster or Hunter below S-Rank can enter, so hold onto it tightly.”

“Huh? Ah. Giving something so precious…”

“I have somewhere I need to go urgently, so I’m counting on you.”

“A-all right. If anything dangerous happens, I’ll use it right away.”

“No. Use it right now.”

Mr. Kang almost jumped in surprise. Even as a low-rank Hunter, he knew the value of an S-Rank artifact. Even a B-Rank shield artifact cost hundreds of millions of won, but this was an item hard to come by even with billions. To use such a thing just to protect gatherer Hunters was unbelievable to hear.

“If you wait until you see danger to use it, it’s too late. Go inside the cave right now and activate it, and do not deactivate it until either I or Kwon Hae-joo arrives.”

“Still, using something this precious just to protect us…”

“Use it quickly.”

Shin-hoo pushed Mr. Kang on the back. After confirming that he went into the cave and activated the artifact, Shin-hoo turned around.

Time was running out. Kwon Shin-joo was someone who could not be allowed to die here. No one should die, but Shin-joo was especially important. He was one of the key factors that could anchor Hae-joo’s lifeline.

Shin-hoo kicked off the ground and ran. Finding Squad 3 wasn’t difficult. In the quiet forest, the presence of a clustered group shone brighter than a neon sign.

He lightly stepped on tree branches and vaulted into the air. Minor battles were taking place in directions other than the south.

So this is why Hae-joo and the other guild members missed it. They had no room to check on other areas while fighting their own battles, completely unaware that the quietest southern side was actually the most dangerous.

“Stay sharp, there might be monsters around here! Take turns throwing stealth-detection potions.”

From afar, the orders of Squad 3 Leader Kwon Shin-joo could be heard. Fortunately, combat hadn’t broken out yet. Shin-hoo gripped his weapon. At the same time, he fully released the presence he had been concealing.

A massive pressure blanketed the forest.

“Ugh!”

“What is this…”

The Hunters stumbled at the sudden, overwhelming aura. Watching the Hunters drop to the ground in inexplicable terror, Shin-hoo shifted his gaze.

The Hunters weren’t the only ones that reacted. For a split second, he spotted a patch of space shifting abnormally. That’s the spot.

Strength flooded the hand gripping his weapon. His spear shot toward the ground. Piercing through the empty earth and drilling deep underground, the spear detonated.

With a roar, dirt and dust billowed above the tall trees. Coughing in the hazy, obscured view, the guild members wiped their tears and looked up.

“What is going on? Uh… H-Hunter Nam Shin-hoo?”

“Get a grip. The main body is hiding underground.”

Coming closer, the nauseating presence of the writhing monster beneath the earth became unmistakable.

He had found it odd that the explosions were to the north while the presence was felt in the south, but upon arriving, he understood why. The monster that had escaped from this crack had burrowed into the ground, extending long roots through the earth. It was a plant-type monster whose thin roots spread across the entire mountain.

“With plant-type monsters, the roots are part of the main body, so watch the ground. Even if its reach is wide because of the roots, the actual core is small, so you just need to destroy the core.”

“To think it was this close without us knowing. Good heavens…”

“Stay focused.”

Shin-hoo clicked his tongue. Even after he explained the monster’s type and what to look out for, the Epic Guild members failed to assume a defensive stance. Standing there bewildered, merely gripping their weapons, they looked like total amateurs.

“If any Hunters can fly, take the members with weaker defenses and evacuate first.”

“What about the fight…?”

“I’ll handle that myself.”

Shin-hoo quickly scanned the area. He then spotted Kwon Shin-joo, standing frozen with his weapon in hand like the others. Even as the squad leader, he stood stiff as a stone, unable to even think about looking after his teammates.

“Especially you. Pull yourself together and get out of here quickly. It’s dangerous.”

Being singled out, Kwon Shin-joo’s face turned red. His shoulders trembled faintly.