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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 16: The Navigator and the Peculiar Spirit (5)
It was true that in the past, Yeonwoo had been caught up in the multicolored explosion after his team had been wiped out and he had been driven to the brink of death.
That explosion had engulfed him, and he had fallen into the Rune Continent.
‘Wait, didn’t that happen inside the field?’
He was just starting to harbor such a question when Mulhoe, as if she could read his mind, continued explaining naturally.
-According to the information embedded in me, the explosion that started within the field didn’t stop until it had completely obliterated an area of several hundred meters outside of the field.
“What was the cause?”
-It is unknown. The explosions that occurred all over the world created massive shockwaves... but perhaps because of that, the number of monsters began to decrease. Now, they only appear occasionally.
“They decreased? Not increased?”
-Yes, thanks to that, monsters stronger than that haven’t appeared. And then a few years ago, the Second Hellgate incident occurred. It was a rare event where auroras covered the skies across the entire world.
Yeonwoo, realizing the implication in her words, made a dumbfounded expression.
“So you're saying the Second Hellgate incident happened again, and the monsters that had decreased started increasing again only a few years ago?”
-It’s been about three years. And among the Hunters, there were changes as well. After the Overdrive incident, Hunters rarely awakened anymore, but at that time, a large number began awakening again.
“Hmph...”
-As a result, the Hunter system rapidly gained prominence alongside the Second Hellgate, thanks to the increase in combat-type Hunters.
“What about the Recon Hunters?”
-On the contrary, Recon Hunters have rarely awakened and are now considered rare compared to combat-types. Currently, the Recon occupies the lowest percentage among all the roles.
“Considering the number of Recons in the past, it shouldn't be that few, though?”
-Well... there are records of several large-scale accidents.
Though they were labeled ‘accidents,’ in truth, it was targeted killing orchestrated by someone’s scheme.
Ultimately, it meant that besides what happened to Yeonwoo, there were other insane acts aiming to wipe out Recon Hunters whether for political purposes, terrorism, or mere coincidence.
“Fucking bastards.”
Grasping the general state of things, Yeonwoo muttered with a look of complex emotion.
In the end, although 16 years had passed since the First Hellgate, the activation and development of the Hunter system had only started a few years ago.
As he quietly reflected, Yeonwoo suddenly realized there was one thing in her explanation that couldn’t be overlooked.
The global explosion event: Overdrive.
‘There might be a possibility, however slim, that I wasn’t the only human sent to another dimension. I should at least keep that in mind.’
From the beginning, the multicolored explosion wasn’t a teleportation spell, it was a calamity.
He thought it through in a complicated way, but either way, those people wouldn’t be able to return to this place, and even if they did, it wouldn’t interfere with what he was doing.
In fact, he had never heard of any Earth-born humans on the Rune Continent, so it was safe to assume no one else had crossed dimensions.
-Do you need more information?
As Mulhoe proudly placed both hands on her hips and quietly asked, Yeonwoo nodded.
Now that he had grasped the overall situation, it was time to ask about the primary objective.
Stuff like cores, monsters, and stats were just additional elements.
“Do you know anything about this?”
He took an item out from his inventory.
***
-Isn’t that just a stone?
A straightforward answer.
It felt like the kind of professional response you’d expect from someone dealing with information.
The stone in Yeonwoo’s hand was not just any ordinary rock.
Its name was Spirit Stone, a stone absolutely essential for Yeonwoo’s purpose.
“So I’ll have to find it myself after all...”
-I do sense a spiritual affinity.
Even though she was a Navigator, it seemed there was still a lot of information they hadn’t been able to obtain.
“It’s nothing special, just a stone imbued with a spirit’s power. And these are what I’ll be looking for from now on.”
At Yeonwoo’s calm voice, she made a confused expression.
“It’d be easier if I just show you, right?”
He immediately activated his inventory and showed her a small stone.
It was a high-density Spirit Stone that had been inside the box gifted to Yeonwoo by Artenis.
‘If I want to easily find Spirit Stones, I’ll have to use them for summoning spirits first. A Gnome might be appropriate.’
The Spirit of Earth had never been particularly fond of Yeonwoo, but since Spirit Stones were mostly composed of stone material, there was no helping it.
Letting out a deep sigh, Yeonwoo shook the gray stone back and forth in front of Mulhoe’s eyes before tossing it back into his inventory.
-Ah…
Mulhoe let out a small exclamation of regret.
“You feel like it has research value?”
-Well, I do deal in information. But we don’t research the data ourselves; we just speak the information recorded in our heads, so I can’t provide much.
It was an honest and clean response.
It confirmed that their existence was artificial, but since they had recognized that from the start, it didn’t seem to be an issue.
-More than that... Yeonwoo, what exactly are you? You know of things that Hunters don’t, and this ‘Reawakening’ I’ve never heard of it.
Confused by unfamiliar data, Mulhoe trailed off.
Yeonwoo looked at her calmly and spoke.
“I’ll tell you someday. More importantly, let’s get moving. We have a lot to do.”
-You mean... things to do?
“Yeah. For starters, I don’t have anything here, no money, no information. I haven’t even visited my sister’s grave yet. I also need to form a new Spirit Contract. I’ll set up a summoning circle once I find a space.”
-But... you’re a Recon Hunter, Yeonwoo.
“What’s that got to do with anything? Spirits aren’t a Hunter-exclusive power.”
He clicked his tongue and spoke, making her close her mouth.
Being like a newborn only minutes old, she seemed to be feeling the disconnect between the information in her head and the reality in front of her.
-There’s a discrepancy between the data recorded in my mind and the actual information. I’ll make corrections…
She looked tearful, seemingly thinking she was more useless than expected.
“I’m just a bit unusual. Don’t overthink it. Most Hunters fit the data you have.”
-Yes.
As she seemed lost in thought, Yeonwoo watched her for a while.
Eventually, she glanced at him sideways.
-Why... are you staring at me?
“What are you doing?”
-I’m breathing.
He almost lost his composure at the calm response, but to be fair, Yeonwoo wasn’t exactly normal either.
“Does it taste good?”
Truly, a conversation fitting for someone with a Navigator like that.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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