Chapter 74

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 74: Exploding Dungeon Portals, An A-Rank Dungeon Appears (1)

Things started going awry three months later.

"Jiho-nim, a B-rank dungeon has appeared in LA."

"I've received word that a B-rank dungeon has also appeared in Melbourne, Australia."

"In Russia as well…"

Dungeon portals were suddenly increasing at an alarming rate.

In particular, there were a lot more B- and C-rank high-level dungeon portals appearing.

Even if C-rank hunters could somehow manage the C-rank dungeons, there was no one other than me capable of clearing the B-rank ones.

The leisurely life of enjoying overseas travel while heading to dungeons around the world every two weeks was no more.

Now, I was constantly flying around the globe on planes provided by the World Hunter Association.

"Where are we now?"

"We're currently flying over the Atlantic Ocean."

"Alright, so after LA, we’ll stop by Melbourne and then head to Russia, right?"

"Yes… Is that okay with you?"

"Well, what choice do I have? It has to be done."

The stewardess gave me a look of pity.

While the captain and crew switched shifts whenever we landed, I lived permanently on the plane.

At first, I leisurely traveled in the private jet provided by the World Hunter Association… but now, there wasn't even time for maintenance, so I flew in a different plane every time.

This time too, after clearing the B-rank dungeon in LA, the plane, the captain, and the crew would all change again.

Only I would remain the same.

Sigh.

I’m certainly doing a world tour.

Damn it.

What on earth is going on?

"Communication. Hermes."

[Oh, Jiho, what’s the matter?]

"Dungeon portals are popping up way too much on Earth these days. Do you know what’s happening?"

[Let’s see… Hmm, this level of increase should still be manageable. There hasn’t even been an A-rank dungeon appearing yet.]

Hermes looked at me as if wondering why I was complaining about something so trivial.

He continued to speak with a relaxed expression.

[I thought you were contacting me because an A-rank dungeon had appeared.]

An A-rank dungeon?

No way.

This guy is saying that when even clearing B-rank dungeons is barely manageable?

"What’s this talk about A-rank dungeons all of a sudden?"

[Haha. Remember during the Kevrian clear, Hades wasn’t at full strength?]

"That’s true."

[Since the one subdued wasn’t complete, there’s a chance some residual energy could summon A-rank dungeon portals.]

Hermes casually dropped this bombshell as if it were no big deal from Earth’s perspective.

[More importantly, your soul mediation is going really well, Jiho. If you keep leveling it up, it’s going to be incredible. Why haven’t you upgraded it yet?]

"I still need to gather SP for over 100 days. It costs 2.5 million, after all."

[Only 100 days? Haha. I’m looking forward to it.]

Instead of addressing Earth’s crisis, Hermes rambled on about soul mediation.

Wow, these guys really don’t care about Earth.

"Soul mediation aside… So there’s no way to stop these dungeon increases?"

[No. This level of increase is manageable. The real problem would start if an A-rank dungeon appeared.]

"If an A-rank dungeon appears, can’t you dispatch an angel?"

[The more we intervene, the more dungeons will appear. Jiho, I’m sure you can handle an A-rank dungeon just fine~]

In other words, they weren’t going to help.

Sigh.

I thought things would be a happy ending after defeating Kevrian.

But hearing all this talk about A-rank dungeons is filling me with a sense of foreboding that one will actually appear.

And gut feelings like these tend to be right...

"Jiho-nim, we’re about to land in LA."

"Alright. Let’s end the communication here."

[Okay. Good luck, Kim Jiho. Hang in there until more B-rank hunters emerge~]

Hermes waved cheerfully as I ended the communication in frustration.

Once the plane landed, I boarded a waiting helicopter to head to the dungeon.

B-rank dungeons often appeared right in the middle of major cities.

Judging by the helicopter heading towards the urban area in LA, this was one of those cases.

"We’ve arrived."

"Alright, let’s get going."

Following the interpreter’s words, I immediately activated spirit form.

My body, seated in the helicopter, suddenly plummeted toward the ground.

It’s fascinating every time.

Even in spirit form, I’m still affected by gravity.

I landed on the ground in a sitting position, then immediately reverted to my physical form.

"Jiho-nim, this way."

An American with striking blue eyes spoke fluent Korean.

Given that I’ve been living on planes without a single day off, this much effort is the least they can do.

I ran straight toward the dungeon he pointed at.

This time, it was an undead dungeon with a Death Knight.

Unlike Kevrian, it lacked divine power, so I burned everything to ashes with my phoenix fire and finished it in under a minute.

The Americans marveled as I emerged.

I could hear "Great!" being shouted from all directions, but there wasn’t any time to bask in the applause.

"Is the helicopter ready?"

"Yes, it’s prepared to take you straight to the airport."

"Let’s go, then."

Boarding the helicopter, I returned to the plane and set off for Australia.

Did I even stay on the ground for 10 minutes?

Sigh.

I can’t keep living like this.

This isn’t right.

I can’t go on living on planes.

If the number of dungeons increases further, even the speed of planes won’t be enough to handle it.

I looked again at the Return skill I received from Loki.

[Heimdall’s Return]

[Grade: S]

[Instantly teleports the user to a designated return point. Grants immunity to interference skills up to SS-grade. For every skill level increase, an additional return point can be set. At skill level 5, the user can travel between planets and gains immunity to interference skills up to SSS-grade.]

I hadn’t designated a return point for Heimdall’s Return yet.

To be honest, I’d been living leisurely over the past three months and hadn’t even thought about upgrading this skill.

Since the soul mediation skill gathers SP, I was prioritizing leveling it up first...

But with B-rank dungeons continuing to multiply like this, I need to create return points in various places around the world.

Ugh.

Upgrading an S-rank skill costs 300,000 SP...

It’s only 300,000 now because it’s level 1, but the cost might skyrocket at levels 2 and 3.

I hate wasting SP, but I need at least one more return point.

"Ugh… Let’s level it up."

My hand trembled as I hit the level-up button.

Upgrading Heimdall’s Return would only increase the number of return points by one.

But it costs 300,000 SP...

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Still, it’s for humanity.

Let’s do this!

[Heimdall’s Return skill has been leveled up.]

[One additional return point is available.]

[Stronger resistance to interference skills.]

[You can now return twice per day.]

Oh, I see.

It used to be limited to once per day.

I didn’t realize that because I’d been saving the return point and hadn’t actually used the skill.

Alright, time to test it out.

I thought about leveling up the skill again, but when I saw it now cost 600,000 SP, I decided to hold off for now.

If things get worse, I’ll upgrade it then.

After clearing dungeons in Australia and Russia, I returned to Korea.

I thought I might need to head out again, but strangely enough, no new B-grade dungeons appeared this time.

So, I had a bit of downtime and was able to go back home.

My new house was like a huge mansion built near Gwacheon, a gift from the World Hunter Association.

The house's most notable feature was a helicopter on standby, ready to take me to the airport anytime.

When I first received this palace-like house, I was thrilled.

But after actually moving in, I realized I hardly got to enjoy it because I was constantly flying out for missions.

It felt like they built this place to keep me ready for deployment at any moment.

As soon as I got home, I lay down on my bed.

"Let's set this place as a return point for now."

I activated Heimdall's return skill and designated my room as the return location.

One spot left.

I was pondering where to assign it when my phone rang.

It was Kang Shia.

After exchanging greetings, she started talking about asset-related matters.

I briefly listened to her concerns and then asked for her opinion about the return location.

"Where do you think I should set my return skill?"

[How about the U.S.?]

"The U.S.?"

[Yes. If you set it there, you can cover the entire American continent.]

"Hmm. I should set it there next time I go. By the way, is there anything new happening with C-grade dungeons?"

[There were a lot of casualties at first, but people seem to have adapted now. Everyone’s handling them fine. But people are more worried about the surge in B-grade dungeons. You just finished your flights after two weeks, right? Are you okay?]

Kang Shia asked about my condition with concern.

"My body isn't too tired. But if the intervals keep getting shorter, I don't think I can handle it alone anymore. That’s what worries me."

B-grade dungeons require B-grade Hunters to tackle them.

I tried bringing some C-grade Hunters equipped with B-grade gear, but they were no help at all.

They couldn't even handle the monsters at the entrance.

These were supposedly Earth's elites, so it was shocking.

[Still, there haven’t been any B-grade dungeons in the past few days, and even C-grade dungeons have been appearing less frequently. Maybe things are settling down...? Oh?]

Suddenly, Kang Shia sounded alarmed.

Why do you sound so uneasy?

[Jiho... Jiho, a navy blue portal has appeared in Taiwan.]

"A navy blue portal... Could it be an A-grade?"

[Yes... It’s emitting an enormous amount of mana. They’re urgently requesting help.]

"Ah, damn it. I’m on my way. Inform the Association that I’m heading out and ask them to prepare."

[Alright... Please be careful.]

Ah, crap...

Didn’t those elf assistants say that breaking the Kevrian would prevent this?

Seriously, you can’t trust those guys.

No wonder Hermes kept talking about A-grade threats.

sigh

The situation has escalated, so I have no choice but to go.

Checking my status, I saw my level was 120.

The additional abilities from the Order faction reached 80.

Since it’s A-grade, I need to prepare.

I allocated 10 points each to my stats and got up from the bed I had just laid down on.

Knock knock.

"Jiho-nim, dinner is ready."

"I’m heading out."

"What? Again? Couldn’t you at least eat before you go?"

"It’s an A-grade this time. Just enjoy the meal without me."

The middle-aged butler employed by the Association to manage my house looked at me with pity.

"Understood. I’ll await your safe return."

"Yeah. Take care of the house while I’m gone."

The delicious smell of food wafted through the air, but I ignored it and headed for the helicopter.

After taking a helicopter, then a plane to Taiwan’s airport, I boarded another helicopter immediately.

"Chomp chomp."

The interpreter looked at me with pity as I ate bread in the helicopter.

Why does everyone around me look at me like this, even though I’m Earth’s strongest Hunter?

Suddenly, a corner of my heart felt heavy.

"What’s the situation?"

"I’ll communicate and check."

The soldier activated the radio and began speaking in Chinese.

At first, his tone was casual, but his expression soon turned grim.

The interpreter’s face also grew tense as he listened.

I was about to ask the interpreter what was going on when I heard screams from the radio.

"What’s going on?"

"Someone came out of the A-grade portal. But they’re attacking people…!"

"Someone? What do you mean? We need to get there fast. Where are we now?"

"We’re almost there."

Just then, the world turned red, and my entire body prickled.

No, this... danger sense?

Something is attacking.

Something powerful enough to threaten me, even at B-grade.

I quickly activated the defensive skill I received from Hermes.

"Aegis Shield!"

Boom!

A massive impact echoed the moment I cast the skill.

Thankfully, the helicopter continued forward without issue.

"I’ll disembark first. It looks like the enemy is attacking. The rest of you, stay back."

"Y-Yes!"

I told the interpreter and immediately jumped out of the helicopter in spirit form.

From the sky, I could see a ruined city.

Torn-apart corpses.

And a legion of one hundred soldiers.

[Kill them. Kill all who live!]

[Curse all living beings!]

Soldiers clad in golden armor, holding round shields and long spears.

Their skin was corrupted black, and their eyes were cloudy.

Their equipment resembled that of ancient Greek warriors.

They were massacring humans, both civilians and soldiers.

The soldiers fired bullets, but the enemy shrugged them off, stabbing with their spears and slaughtering without mercy.

Some managed to shoot through the gaps in their armor, but the enemies moved as if unfazed, killing everything in sight.

“Damn it! Thunder God!”

Lightning surged from my hands, striking the chaotic soldiers.

[Graaahhh!]

Unlike bullets, the lightning was effective.

Though they tried to hide behind their shields, they couldn’t withstand the thunder and were shattered.

Revealing their golden armor beneath.

And that armor looked familiar.

"That... isn’t that Leonidas’ armor?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]