WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Retuned Zenith wants to Rest ◈
Episode 18:
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The next day, Yoo Kangmin looked down at his newly issued hunter ID.
[Name: Yoo Kangmin.]
[Rank: D.]
His photograph was printed beneath it.
‘Simple enough.’
There were many benefits to being certified as a hunter.
For one, he could more or less explain the money he earned to his family.
And since hunters received various benefits, it would help with daily life as well.
“Master, over here.”
Yoon Seoha, who had arrived early, waved from ahead.
The gate stood in an empty lot on the outskirts. Inside the metal fence were temporary buildings for Association staff and hunters inspecting their equipment.
Beyond them, the gate shimmered with blue light.
It looked as though the air had been torn open vertically.
Yoo Kangmin studied its shape for a moment.
‘It’s definitely different from the thing that swallowed me...’
He had confirmed it upon seeing the gate he encountered after returning to this world, but the thing commonly called a rift and a gate were similar yet clearly different.
‘Then what in the world was that?’
What had led him into the martial world?
The question spawned more questions, but no clear answer came to him.
‘Well, I’ll look into that later...’
If he wanted answers, he had even more reason to enter a gate.
“Are we going in there?”
“Yes. Once we get a few safety instructions, we can enter right away.”
“Safety instructions?”
“Things like not completely clearing the gate.”
Entry-type gates allowed hunters to enter and leave whenever they wished.
What was even more astonishing was that each hunter who entered encountered a different environment.
Of course, those environments were suited to D-rank hunters, so the danger did not increase much.
What mattered was that they could not completely clear the gate.
Once they obtained the resources or items they needed, they had to leave the gate at the appropriate time.
“Human greed truly has no end.”
Yoo Kangmin clicked his tongue.
Even when humanity faced beings that threatened its survival, endlessly pursuing greed did not sit well with him.
“But perhaps that greed is why humanity could develop this far.”
Gates threatened humanity.
Yet humanity had not perished from that threat. Instead, it had used it as an opportunity to grow even stronger.
Perhaps that endless desire was the very foundation of the humanity gates had to face.
“Master.”
“What?”
“That’s all well and good, but could you say things like that after we get inside?”
As she spoke, Yoon Seoha pointed behind them.
The hunters waiting their turn were frowning at the two of them, or more precisely, at Yoo Kangmin.
Their expressions asked what kind of nonsense he was spouting.
“Ahem. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
An Association employee was checking entries.
“This is your first time entering today. You’re going in together, correct?”
“Yes.”
“May I see your hunter IDs?”
Yoon Seoha and Yoo Kangmin held out their IDs.
The same number was written on both.
“These are companion identification tags. Don’t separate while passing through the gate. If you get too far apart, you could enter different areas.”
“How close do we need to stay?”
“Holding hands will be enough.”
“I see.”
“As everyone knows, completely clearing a gate is prohibited. So if you happen to find the core, you must give up on clearing it immediately.”
Rustle.
The employee held out an information sheet.
“Please read through it.”
“...”
Yoo Kangmin glanced over the sheet.
Mana stones, ore, medicinal herbs, and monster by-products were neatly organized with photographs, along with collection methods and precautions.
“Good.”
“If you encounter an unidentified monster or anything inconsistent with the measured rank, return immediately.”
“Understood.”
Yoon Seoha listened seriously, as if she did not want to miss a single word.
“Now, please sign here.”
After signing, the two left the building.
“We’re finally going in.”
“I’m telling you in advance, I won’t intervene.”
“Yes!”
Yoon Seoha lightly tapped the sword at her waist.
It was a longsword rented from the Association.
“I want to know how far I can go on my own, too.”
“Good. Then I’ll watch closely.”
“I’m counting on you.”
The two stood side by side before the gate.
Up close, its blue surface rippled like water.
Yoon Seoha carefully grabbed Yoo Kangmin’s sleeve.
“What is it?”
“They said we’d get separated if we don’t do this.”
“You don’t need to hold on that tightly.”
“What if I enter wrong and end up alone?!”
“You were so confident just a moment ago.”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?”
Yoo Kangmin snickered and stepped into the gate.
His fingertips touched the blue surface.
Wooooong!
At that moment, a wave began to surge from inside the gate.
“Hm?”
As if resisting it, the qi of the Limitless Heavenly Origin Art began moving on its own.
Just as Yoo Kangmin tried to restrain it.
Flaaash!
A blinding radiance burst forth, and the two vanished.
Beeeeeeep!
Immediately after they disappeared, an alarm rang throughout the empty lot.
[Abnormal mana reaction detected. Abnormal mana reaction detected. Reassessing gate rank.]
Beeeeeeep!
A sharp alarm echoed across the lot.
The employee organizing the entry log jerked their head up.
“What?”
Rumble!
The ground shook instead of answering.
The metal fence surrounding the gate rattled.
The blue surface swelled, and all the measuring devices installed nearby emitted red light at once.
“Everyone, get back! Move away from the gate!”
The hunters waiting to enter hurriedly backed away.
Equipment bags toppled over, and a sword someone had dropped rolled across the ground.
Even the hunter who had looked disapprovingly at Yoo Kangmin moments earlier fled with a pale face.
“Check the readings!”
The field supervisor who rushed into the temporary building shouted.
The employee seated before the monitor could not answer.
The numbers on the screen were rising madly.
[D]
[C]
[B]
“B, B-rank...”
Before they could finish speaking, the display changed.
[A]
“...!”
The color drained from the field supervisor’s face.
But the increase did not stop.
[S]
Crack!
Plastic snapped from the radio clenched in the supervisor’s hand.
“Could the measuring device be malfunctioning?”
“The auxiliary devices show the same readings! All three of them...!”
Beeeeep!
The screen turned red.
The rank display vanished, and new words appeared in its place.
[Measurement limit exceeded.]
[Danger rank: Unmeasurable.]
The building fell quiet.
Only the alarm continued to shriek painfully.
“C-connect me to Association headquarters.”
The supervisor lowered the broken radio.
Their hand trembled as they picked up another.
“As of this moment, all entry is prohibited. Evacuate the personnel on site first, and block the surrounding roads too. Now!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Request the highest level of response from the Association. Tell them it exceeded the measurement limit. Make sure they hear that!”
The employees moved at once.
The supervisor looked out the window.
The gate that had been D-rank only seconds ago was now an S-rank gate.
They wanted to dismiss it as a measuring-device malfunction, but looking at the gate’s ominously rippling surface, they could not possibly say that.
It had become an entrance to hell.
“Have we identified the people who entered?!”
“Team Leader.”
The employee in charge of entry approached with a stiff expression.
“What?!”
“Just now... Two people entered.”
“Their ranks.”
“They’re both D-rank.”
“...”
The entry log the employee held out still bore signatures whose ink had not dried.
Yoon Seoha, and Yoo Kangmin.
The supervisor bit their lip.
They had to request a rescue team.
But they had no idea whether there would even be a hunter willing to enter that place.
“Fuck.”
The supervisor closed their eyes.
They could already picture themselves resigning after taking responsibility for the entire incident.
* * *
“Cough! Cough!”
Yoon Seoha covered her mouth and coughed.
As she breathed in, dust and a horrible stench rushed into her lungs.
It smelled like something had rotted away.
“So this is inside a gate...”
She looked around first.
The place was enormous and tall. She had to tilt her head all the way back to see the ceiling.
Thick stone pillars stretched through the darkness, and countless swords were embedded in the walls.
Rusty iron swords, swords with blades broken in half.
Beneath them were densely written characters she could not identify.
“What could this place be? I can’t believe somewhere like this exists. It’s amazing.”
“...”
Yoo Kangmin’s eyes were fixed on the massive stone doors before them.
Four characters were carved into them.
Martial Emperor’s Sword Tomb.
Yoo Kangmin narrowed his eyes.
‘Why is this here?’
The Martial Emperor’s Sword Tomb.
It was a place Yoo Kangmin could never forget.
‘Could I have returned to the martial world?’
The doubt lasted only a moment.
Yoo Kangmin immediately dismissed the possibility.
That could not be.
The Martial Emperor’s Sword Tomb had collapsed.
Thoroughly, all the way down into the depths of the earth, so no one could ever enter it again.
‘Because I destroyed it.’
Even if he had returned to the martial world, the Martial Emperor’s Sword Tomb could not possibly still exist in such perfect condition.
Yoo Kangmin slowly examined the qi around him.
‘It’s the same qi I felt from the gate. Then does it merely look the same?’
As countless thoughts ran through his mind, Yoon Seoha cried out in alarm.
“M-Master?”
“What?”
“The exit is gone.”
“What?”
When he turned his head, Yoon Seoha was pointing at the wall with an expression that looked as if she might cry at any moment.
“L-Look! The gate we came through is closed!”
“Hmm.”
Something was definitely wrong.
The danger lurking within this Martial Emperor’s Sword Tomb could hardly belong to a D-rank gate.
‘It should be appearing soon.’
Clink.
The sound of metal striking metal rang out in the darkness.
Yoon Seoha swiftly drew her sword.
“Something’s there.”
Shff.
A person walked out from behind a stone pillar.
“No, nooooo!”
No, it had once been a person.
Dried skin clung to its bones, and its ribs showed through its torn clothing.
A murky light flickered within its hollow eye sockets.
Its horrific appearance was that of the dead.
“Undead?”
Yoon Seoha’s voice stiffened.
It was not alone.
A corpse leaning against the wall pushed itself upright.
Another corpse that had been sprawled on the floor rose while bracing itself with a spear.
Clink.
Clatter.
Corpses clutching various weapons emerged from the darkness.
Yoon Seoha staggered back in horror.
“I-I thought this was a D-rank gate...”
There had clearly been some mistake.
As far as she knew, undead only appeared in gates of at least C-rank.
There was no way someone who was only D-rank could face them.
Of course, there would be no problem if her master, Yoo Kangmin, stepped forward.
“W-What do we do?”
So Yoon Seoha cautiously asked.
“What do we do?”
Yoo Kangmin answered with a satisfied smile.
“Fight them. They look like they’ll make good training material.”
“What?! Y-You want me to fight?”
“Yes. You said you wanted to know how far you could fight.”
“Th-That’s true, but they’re undead!”
“Honestly. You have learned the Sword Empress’s martial arts. Do you think her sword could not cut down dead corpses like those?”
“Urgh!”
“If you decided to learn her sword, you must become someone worthy of it.”
Wasn’t it said that a lion pushed its cub to the edge of a cliff?
Yoon Seoha nodded and slowly gripped her sword.
“O-Okay.”
Whoooom!
Why was that?
She had only gripped her sword, yet it felt as though her body and mind were settling.
“Fight well.”
As if they had heard Yoo Kangmin’s words, the undead around them rushed at Yoon Seoha.
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