WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Surviving as a B-Rank Hunter ◈
Chapter 24
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There were people like that. People skilled at talking to others, good at joking around, and quick to pick up on another person's mood or tension. You could say they had high social intelligence.
Dohyeon had never considered himself one of those people. It might be wrong to expect that kind of social ability from someone who had entered dungeons instead of living a normal social life since before adulthood.
In that sense, Dohyeon found this middle-aged man, who was speaking to him with a smile, a little uncomfortable.
“You seem quite calm for someone standing before a dungeon entrance. Are you experienced?”
“...No, not particularly.”
“Is that so? This dungeon pattern was Kowloon Walled City, right? Ah, honestly. It's the perfect dungeon to trigger claustrophobia.”
Come to think of it, plenty of dungeon patterns besides Kowloon Walled City were like that. Narrow, dark, and dangerous. So the man's words were probably just filler to keep the conversation from dying.
Then a man in a fluorescent safety vest came over with a clipboard, wrote something down, and spoke.
“I'll confirm both your names again. Mr. Kang Dohyeon?”
“That is correct.”
“Mr. Jo Gyeongtaek?”
“Yes, I'm Jo Gyeongtaek.”
“Please sign here, each of you.”
It was one of the issues with dungeons that had undergone full-scale management long after their gates opened. They wanted to keep track of hunters entering and leaving.
On Dungeon Forum, people claimed the government did it to squeeze taxes out of them somehow. The government, meanwhile, claimed it was to find out what dangerous items hunters brought out of dungeons.
Both were true to some extent. Of course, that did not mean the government had actually succeeded in controlling dungeons. It was merely a show put on so they could claim they were making an effort.
Dungeons could not be controlled. The more power and authority tried to control them, the more complex and bizarre they became. They seemed to want only the hunters who entered them, and the hardships those hunters endured.
After Dohyeon finished signing and stood before the dungeon gate, he paused at the presence beside him and turned. Jo Gyeongtaek was grinning at him.
“...What is it?”
“I don't usually say things like this, but you seem like such a decent fellow, Mr. Dohyeon... Ah, it is alright if I call you Mr. Dohyeon, right?”
What was he trying to say? Dohyeon raised an eyebrow at Jo Gyeongtaek. Receiving that look, Jo Gyeongtaek shrugged.
“You seem to be solo too, Mr. Dohyeon. How about we go in together and watch each other's backs? It's been a while since I last entered a dungeon...”
“What makes you trust me enough to suggest that?”
“Trust? What trust? You're alone too, so I thought I'd ask. One-on-one. Two equal hunters keeping their boundaries, watching each other's backs, and coming out with Vanaskelium. People used to do that a lot.”
Dohyeon's eyes narrowed. Jo Gyeongtaek was right. During the early days of dungeons, quite a few solo hunters explored them that way. Even without fighting other people, dungeons were chaotic and terrible enough.
To improve their chances of survival in such places, it was more efficient to explore if hunters at least did not point their weapons at one another.
Of course, that was an old story. From before every dog and cow could slap on a B-rank hunter badge.
It was an unspoken rule that hunters nowadays, who mostly fed on tainted information from Dungeon Forum and the internet, did not trust. Naturally, even experienced hunters often watched one another warily and withdrew rather than follow that rule, or formed teams of their own.
Dohyeon stared silently at Jo Gyeongtaek before turning away.
“I prefer being alone.”
“Wait.”
Without even listening to Jo Gyeongtaek's full reply, Dohyeon walked into the dungeon.
Bright light and a nauseating sensation like drifting through empty space washed over his entire body. Then darkness filled his vision.
“...”
Dohyeon lowered his stance, aimed his crossbow ahead, and held his breath. The surroundings had changed. He gave his five senses time to adjust.
He slowly exhaled. He counted in his head. One, two, three.
The darkness filling his vision faded. Dim light seeping in from somewhere illuminated an old, filthy rectangular concrete corridor.
A musty smell brushed his nose, and faint whispers tickled his ears. It was the landscape of Kowloon Walled City.
Footsteps and coughing drifted from locations he could not identify. It was Kowloon Walled City's trap, sounds that became auditory hallucinations if you paid them too much attention.
Ignoring them, Dohyeon surveyed his surroundings and began moving slowly. The tightly enclosed rectangular concrete corridor soon came to an end.
The moment he rounded a corner, a space full of countless windows, corridors, doors, and gaps appeared before him. The true landscape of Kowloon Walled City welcomed him.
Careful of sounds and presences, Dohyeon began his proper exploration, moving quickly but without rushing.
Amid the endless tangled concrete rooms and corridors were narrow gaps like split wounds, with sky beyond them. Nothing could be seen past it.
Only bright outside light flowed in from there. What lay beyond that sky? The outside world? Or another dungeon?
After glancing up at the sky, Dohyeon aimed his crossbow ahead and opened a small door.
Inside was an apartment that looked as though real people might live there. He could see a bed, desk, wardrobe, and clothes strewn about. He entered slowly and searched it, but found no other threats.
There was nothing noteworthy in the bedroom. There were clothes scattered around, but they were closer to rags, so he did not bother picking them up.
Further inside was a kitchen. When he picked up an item from a kitchen drawer, a message from Yggdrasil appeared.
[Ceramic Kitchen Knife: Sharp and sturdy. What it cuts will differ depending on who holds it.]
[Triple Knife Sharpener: A tool that hones a blade. Or a tool that kills a blade. The one holding its handle will decide.]
They probably would not have a high Vanaskelium reaction. Still, the tools themselves were useful. Knives could always fetch a fair price unless they were complete trash, and knife sharpeners were useful for their grinding stones and whetstones.
He wrapped the blade in a dishcloth lying nearby and put it in his bag. The bag was not merely spacious. It was empty. He still had plenty of items left to collect.
Leaving the apartment, Dohyeon walked through Kowloon Walled City's labyrinthine corridors, remaining alert as he tried to distinguish the auditory hallucinations from real sounds.
He frowned slightly. An eerie threat pressed on him, as though someone were watching from the dark windows, rooms, and black gaps between rooms.
There could not really be someone watching him. He must have been focusing too much on the sounds. Hallucinations, auditory delusions, and paranoia were beginning to bloom. Dohyeon gave a short, broken exhale and gradually loosened his focus on his hearing.
“...?”
As he continued the breathing technique and moved down the corridor, Dohyeon stopped short. He had discovered a massive drawing covering one side of a concrete wall.
It had been roughly painted in some dark-red pigment. A round circle, surrounded by densely written runic script. Dohyeon frowned and read the writing.
[Can you read runic script?]
“Bits and pieces. If you enter dungeons with Yggdrasil and Odin, you need at least that much common knowledge to be a B-rank hunter.”
He could not read it smoothly. He could only grasp the rough context. In any case, the writing on the wall praised Odin and wished for his blessing.
This was ominous.
Dohyeon moved close to the wall and inspected the dark-red pigment. Just as he had feared, it was blood. More precisely, blood mixed with human bodily fluids. It was worse than mere blood.
It looked like human paint made by putting a person through a press and squeezing them dry.
After staring at the symbol and runic script, Dohyeon turned to check his surroundings. There were no other traces. It was unclear whether someone had written it or whether it was an Anomaly that had originally been inside the dungeon.
“...”
Still, Dohyeon considered it more likely that a person had drawn it than that it was a dungeon Anomaly.
The runic script written there wished for luck and blessings in the hunt. It was like ancient hunters painting murals before a hunt to pray for success.
Then footsteps reached Dohyeon's ears.
They were not auditory hallucinations. Careful, rustling steps. Real human sounds, different from Kowloon Walled City's false noises.
Dohyeon quickly lowered his stance and hid behind a rectangular concrete pillar standing to one side. He then peeked only his head around it to identify the owner of the footsteps.
“...”
[Well. We meet again.]
The figure moving warily with a crossbow aimed like a rifle was the middle-aged man named Jo Gyeongtaek, who had exchanged greetings with him before entering the dungeon.
Seeing him, Dohyeon considered things for a moment. Jo Gyeongtaek was walking straight in his direction. If he kept hiding behind the pillar, they would discover each other eventually.
There was no telling how that man would react when it happened.
After a brief thought, Dohyeon let out a short whistle.
“...!”
Startled, Jo Gyeongtaek stopped and aimed his crossbow toward the whistle. Standing behind the pillar, Dohyeon casually held out a hand and waved it.
Seeing the hand, Jo Gyeongtaek spoke quietly.
“Who is it?”
Dohyeon poked his head out from behind the pillar. Jo Gyeongtaek's expression brightened the instant he spotted his face.
Taking off his sunglasses, he greeted him enthusiastically.
“Oh! Mr. Dohyeon!”
“...”
How much had he even seen of him to be that happy? Dohyeon felt the same small discomfort he had felt before entering the dungeon, but he slowly stepped out from behind the pillar. Even while smiling brightly, Jo Gyeongtaek's eyes swiftly swept over Dohyeon's condition.
Dohyeon noticed that look, and a glint appeared in his own eyes.
Jo Gyeongtaek lowered the crossbow he had been aiming. He gave a faint smile and tilted his head.
“This must be fate. Meeting again like this in such a vast dungeon. Shall we introduce ourselves again? I'm Jo Gyeongtaek.”
He slowly approached and held out his hand for a handshake. Just like outside the dungeon.
Yet his eyes continued studying Dohyeon's hands and stance. He was checking whether Dohyeon might attack first.
Dohyeon took the offered hand.
“As I said before, I'm Kang Dohyeon.”
“Then I'll be direct, Mr. Dohyeon. May I make the proposal from before we entered the dungeon again?”
The proposal that two solo hunters watch each other's backs. Holding his hand, Dohyeon considered it briefly before nodding.
“Let's do it. Whoever finds and picks up an item gets it.”
“While one person picks something up, the other stands watch.”
“Good.”
“Which direction were you moving in, Mr. Dohyeon?”
“From over there to here.”
When Dohyeon explained the direction he had entered from, Jo Gyeongtaek nodded.
“Then let's continue that way.”
With that, he took the lead and began moving. He showed Dohyeon his back.
“...”
Dohyeon silently watched that back, then quietly followed behind.
After that, the two moved so similarly it was as if they were copying each other. From their eye-to-barrel alignment, keeping their crossbows and gaze in line, to their quick but unhurried steps as they checked for dangers.
After passing through a short corridor, they came to a staircase. Jo Gyeongtaek, who was in front, chose to go up, and the two arrived on a new floor.
As Jo Gyeongtaek was about to pass an apartment door, Dohyeon lightly tapped his shoulder. Jo Gyeongtaek stopped and merely glanced back without a word, while Dohyeon pointed at the door instead of speaking.
That gesture seemed enough for Jo Gyeongtaek. He immediately pressed himself beside the door. Dohyeon naturally took position in front of it, and once Jo Gyeongtaek confirmed that he had his crossbow aimed, he opened the door.
Dohyeon entered through the open door with his crossbow raised, scanning the interior as if cutting it apart. Right, left, then deeper inside, checking even blind spots hidden by beds and sofas. Jo Gyeongtaek followed immediately behind him, watching Dohyeon's back.
Once they confirmed there were no threats, it was time to gather resources in earnest.
This apartment was somewhat better stocked than the room Dohyeon had searched earlier. There were no proper artifacts here either, but they found sturdy clothes that could be worn after washing, as well as electronics like a broken watch and a faulty radio.
Since they were nothing special, it was easy for Dohyeon and Jo Gyeongtaek to divide them. Dohyeon took the clothes, while Jo Gyeongtaek took the electronics.
As he put the clothes into his bag, Dohyeon casually spoke while looking at Jo Gyeongtaek gathering the radio.
“You were a soldier.”
“Hm? Ah, yes. I was. Was it that obvious? I thought I had lost most of my military bearing since it has been so long since I was discharged.”
Jo Gyeongtaek said so with a smile. Looking at him, Dohyeon thought that he had not lost any of that military bearing at all.
He was not merely talking about his face or manner of speech. Soldiers had movements unique to soldiers. They resembled those of seasoned hunters, but they were not entirely the same.
Jo Gyeongtaek's movements strongly carried the scent of a soldier. He was not a hunter. No, perhaps he had entered dungeons a few times. But he was fundamentally different from hunters who had made dungeon exploration their livelihood.
At a glance, Dohyeon could have assumed that a former soldier had entered dungeons to earn money after leaving the service. But he could sense that Jo Gyeongtaek had another purpose.
What could it be?
Having gathered their resources, the two left the apartment. Their movements afterward were much like before. Though they had never properly worked together before, they moved in perfect sync, as if they could read each other's minds.
The two quickly checked four more apartments. There were no artifacts, but they filled their bags until they grew heavy with modest resources.
By the time they had finished gathering resources from the fourth room, Jo Gyeongtaek suddenly staggered.
“...Are you alright?”
“Hm... I've focused too much on the sounds. The auditory hallucinations are getting worse. I think I need to rest for a moment...”
Dohyeon looked around the room. This room had too many windows. It was open on all sides and not a good place to rest. Dohyeon moved ahead and whispered.
“I'll take the lead until we secure a safe area.”
“Hm. Thank you.”
With Dohyeon in front, Jo Gyeongtaek followed behind. Despite his strained expression, he had not lost the same tactical manner as before. If anything, that manner became clearer as his nerves grew more tense.
Then, as Dohyeon walked through Kowloon Walled City's concrete corridor, he suddenly stopped. Instead of asking what was wrong, Jo Gyeongtaek quickly dropped to one knee and watched every direction except straight ahead.
Only after confirming there was no other threat did he whisper toward Dohyeon's back.
“What is it?”
“...I think we're in a fucked-up situation.”
“What?”
Jo Gyeongtaek asked blankly, then raised his head slightly to look ahead of Dohyeon. His expression stiffened as well.
There was a corpse. A corpse lying facedown, its hands and feet bound. Its ribs had been spread wide open across its back.
The skin and muscle on its back had been stripped away, and its ribs had been broken from its spine and spread wide like wings.
Like an eagle's wings.
The Valkyrie's whisper brushed past Dohyeon's ear like a requiem.
[A false god and a false rite have been recreated upon a false world. Though it is an ivory tower of mirages piled atop falsehood, the corpse hanging from its highest spire alone is true... Only the hand of the believer shall prove reality...]
Hearing that whisper, Dohyeon muttered as well.
“Those insane fanatic bastards...”
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