I Tamed the First Rank Chapter 40

HoshiMiya
Sep 14, 2024
7 min read

Updated: Aug 7

Even when he wasn’t an official hunter, if he came across an incident like a bank robbery on his way, he would clean it up as if he were throwing away trash, because that’s the kind of hunter he was.

Hyeon Gyu-ha shrugged his shoulders.

“I only work solo. And my top priority is Master’s safety.”

“I hate taking orders from that crazy bastard too, so why don’t you just take the lead, Lee Hye-yeon-ssi?”

“You’re not saying you’re going to completely abandon the civilians, are you?”

“Hmph. Annoying tasks like that are none of my business.”

Temporarily assigned as the leader, Lee Hye-yeon checked the strength of the total number of people.

There were around forty ordinary people and low-level awakened individuals who were practically the same as ordinary people, as well as two S-class, two A-class, one C-class, and three D-class Hunters. There was no need to worry too much about how to direct them.

“The other hunters, including Jin-hyeok and I, will protect the civilians here, so you two can explore the east and west separately. Once we know the location of the dungeon boss, we can split into teams again. If you can capture it, just kill it right away.”

“Who’s going east and who’s going west?”

“It’s not important, so let’s just play rock-paper-scissors.”

“I’ll take the west. Since Yoo-shin’s hometown is Kaesong, he has liked the west since a long time ago.”

“……?”

While people made expressions like ‘What are you talking about?’ Yoo-shin carefully interpreted Hyeon Gyu-ha(’s words).

“I think it’s because Kaesong is located west of Seoul.”

“Gyu-ha is clearly something else for saying stuff like that, but you’re also amazing for understanding him.”

“It’s the loving bond between a Master and his pet.”

“Mind your own business. Anyway, be careful out there.”

Before Lee Hye-yeon could even finish her instructions, Gong Tae-seong strode toward the main stadium on the east side of the playground, holding a sword in one hand.

“Are you going to follow Gyu-ha too?”

“Being next to Gyu-ha-ssi is safest.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true…… but shouldn’t you put away the pajamas?”

“Ah.”

Realizing his mistake, In Yoo-shin returned the hamster pajamas with a slight blush. Hyeon Gyu-ha openly showed his disappointment as he stored them away into his inventory.

“…… Let’s wear them when we get home.”

Hyeon Gyu-ha sullenly wiggled his pinky finger, and In Yoo-shin quickly hooked their fingers and stamped the seal of promise. Only then did he smile brightly. It was a strange smile since his entire face lacked shadows, but he still looked handsome to In Yoo-shin.

“Ah, wait. In Yoo-shin.”

Choi Jin-hyeok traced the attribute artifact tattoo etched near his Adam’s apple with his finger. As the noble family crest-like tattoo glowed, blue mana gathered in a spherical shape at his fingertips. It was about the size of a ping pong ball.

“This is poison. If you infuse it with mana and throw it, it will explode, so use it when you’re in danger—although, I don’t think you’ll need to use it since Hyeon Gyu-ha is here.”

“Thank you!”

In Yoo-shin nodded in surprise. As a man of few words, he hadn’t spoken much, so being specially taken care of was both unexpected and heartwarming.

Park Seung-gi, who had been drooling as he filmed the surrounding area, shouted belatedly.

“If there’s danger, hide behind Hunter-nim no matter what!”

In Yoo-shin followed Hyeon Gyu-ha towards the west side. Before entering the main building, he turned around to look back.

The colorless, lifeless world composed entirely of black and white was filled with colorful beings devoid of shadows. As if the separate dimensions were the result of forcibly twisting together, the sight of them induced a primal revulsion.

A blank, pristine white sky, devoid of sun, moon, stars, or clouds, gazed down upon them.

“Be careful.”

Hyeon Gyu-ha caught In Yoo-shin just as he was about to trip over a loose cracked tile. The piece of pavement that In Yoo-shin kicked flew into a deep, crevasse-like crack in the ground. It was such a deep chasm that the tile, which had been bouncing as it fell, made no sound when it finally hit the bottom.

With In Yoo-shin tucked under his arm, Hyeon Gyu-ha leaped effortlessly over the split ground, landing directly at the entrance to the main building.

In Yoo-shin touched the exterior wall of the building, which was mint-colored until recently. Some of its rough, worn-out surface had crumbled. Incongruous as if the background had been edited to black and white, leaving only his apricot-colored hand, the scenery was unfamiliar.

The glass door at the entrance to the main building was shattered into pieces, and half of the stairs had collapsed. The once smooth stair railing was now covered in peeling paint and dark red rust.

“Seems like they didn’t cut corners in the construction process. It looks fairly sturdy. I don’t think there’s any danger of it collapsing.”

Even if the building were to collapse, Hyeon Gyu-ha would make sure we stayed safe. In Yoo-shin carefully climbed the stairs while holding onto Gyu-ha’s sleeve.

The outdoor area, where the sun didn't rise, and the indoor area, devoid of any light source, were equally bright. Feet that couldn’t even cast shadows steadily walked down the silent corridor. The elevator was half-open and stopped on the first floor. He pressed the button just in case, but there was no response at all.

“I wonder if the gate broke loose just as the elevator was about to reach the first floor and open its doors?”

“It could have happened the moment the door was about to close.”

There was a building directory posted next to the central staircase. Although the film was peeling and damaged in several places, it was not difficult to discern it. The building had one basement floor and three above-ground floors.

Hyeon Gyu-ha lightly tapped the directory with the back of his hand as In Yoo-shin took a picture with his phone, just in case.

“We can look at the basement first, and then make our way up. Is that okay?”

In Yoo-shin nodded in agreement, and the fingertips that ran through his hair were gentle.

Fortunately, the stairs leading down to the basement were not badly damaged. Descending the stairs in long, swift strides, Hyeon Gyu-ha surveyed his surroundings and, leaning over the railing, clicked his tongue.

“The basement is ruined.”

In Yoo-shin followed along quietly and peeked his head out from the side. A black liquid, like spilled ink, was sloshing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Looks like it’s flooded. But surprisingly, even though the water is pitch black, it looks quite clean, doesn’t it?”

It was very transparent, almost like Grade 1 water. Water was the most essential thing for survival. If I were in a pinch, couldn’t I just scoop up some of this water and drink it? Hyeon Gyu-ha shook his head as if he had read his thoughts.

“You shouldn’t drink it. It looks like normal water on the outside, but you would never know if it had been contaminated or mutated somehow. The boss mob might be in the basement, so let’s look around first.”

There was a parking lot and an electrical room in the basement. Holding In Yoo-shin, Hyeon Gyu-ha floated down into the flooded basement, and amidst the sudden silence posed a question.

“What do you think will cause the destruction of the world?”

“Nuclear war? Environmental pollution? Or maybe a meteorite strike, like when the dinosaurs went extinct……”

“All of these are possible, as Yoo-shin-ssi said. It could be the start of an ice age, or maybe zombies will appear, or perhaps it’s the doing of a mad archmage, or maybe God will wash everything away with a flood.”

“You’re saying that we shouldn’t drink the water because we don’t know why the world inside the gate was destroyed?”

“Very smart.”

With a somewhat pleased smile on his face, Hyeon Gyu-ha left the machine room and slowly flew through the parking lot.

“If there was long-term profitability like other gates, there might be research to find out the cause of the destruction, but erosion gates are a one-time dungeon. If you’re lucky, you’ll die immediately, but if you’re unlucky, you might turn into something like a monster.”

“So, an instantaneous death is considered lucky, huh……”

“Since we came in without protective gear, we’ll have to undergo various tests even after we clear this. But at least it seems like there’s no zombie virus in the air.”

After saying that, Hyeon Gyu-ha gently narrowed his eyes.

“I’d gladly let Master’s teeth sink into me if you become a zombie. It would be my pleasure.”

“…… I’ll be careful not to turn into a zombie.”

As hazy waves spread across the still water, like a lake deep in the mountains, Hyeon Gyu-ha stretched out his arm.

The black mist that seemed to be rising in the distance burst with a bang, unable to withstand the pressure of the air pressing down on it. The pitch-black water greedily sucked in the remains of the mist, and then became quiet again.

“Is that a monster?”

“Although we lump them together with monsters, they’re a bit different. They don’t have crystal cores. Plus, their physical bodies are pretty weak.”

Even after killing more than ten monsters, the dungeon boss did not show up. The two of them exited the underground and returned to the surface. Despite their spending a considerable amount of time exploring the vast underground, the landscape within the building remained unchanged, greeting them with its desolate appearance.

They first checked out the central information desk. The computers that required electricity were turned off, but a laptop, which ran on battery power, was still running.

In Yoo-shin gently pressed a key on the laptop keyboard. A character seemed to appear in the work program's monochrome input window, but then the very key he touched crumbled to dust.

“Its durability has weakened a lot.”

“Can such a destruction really happen?”

“……”

Hyeon Gyu-ha was generally kind to him and provided detailed explanations, except for the few secrets he kept hidden. So when Yoo-shin asked this question casually, it was strange that Gyu-ha’s answer was delayed.

In Yoo-shin’s eyes widened in surprise as he raised his head in confusion.

***

Editor M: IYS: Are those monsters? HGH: No, they are different. next paragraph: Anyway, the monsters—

HM: In Yoo-shin has the best fun of his life while I’m just lying on my bed and rotting….

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