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n

nThere were eight people, both boys and girls.

nAlthough they had different nationalities and ages, they all had a hatred for monsters, and all dreamed of becoming hunters.

nEver since they were kids, instead of toys, they had knives, and ever since they could hold a pen, they were holding guns.

nAnd, they have never regretted embarking on this path.

nFifteen years later, all seven were scattered after the death of one girl in the group.

n‘I want to be a singer.’

n‘I want to work in business.’

n‘I want to work at sea.’

n‘I…”

nEach had a higher dream and ambition than the last, and everyone achieved great success in their respective field.

n

n

nExcept for me.

nWhen they were at the top of their field, I was still a F-Rank hunter.

nSo I was reluctant to contact them, and we inevitably grew apart.

nExcept for one person, Taylor Nine, who, like me, remains a hunter.

n“…Long time no see?”

nShe was the most familiar face to me because she often came to Korea.

nAt my ungrateful words, she dropped the beer that was dripping and jumped up from her seat.

nSuddenly, she stared at me suspiciously with her golden eyes.

n“Y-you…What the hell? Teleport? No, not teleport…Punk, don’t tell me you’re a Dimensional Returnee?”

nDimensional Returnee, a person who has returned after falling into another world.

nDimensional Returnees are known to be capable of using new types of powers completely different from Earth, called ‘unorthodox’ by people.

nIt is said that Dimensional Returnees could wield ordinary swords or use their barefist to exert tremendous power without the use of aether.

nFor some reason, most of them chose to live in hiding.

n“Dimensional Returnee…I guess it’s something like that. Or maybe Dimensional Traveler would be more correct?”

nBecause instead of just coming back, I went back and forth between dimensions.

n“W-what, crazy punk. What really happened while I was gone?”

nI was going to tell her everything.

n< I hope you don’t tell anyone about the protagonist hunting contract. >

n< It’s only a simple request, so you can tell her if you want. >

nThe Client asked for a favor.

nShe didn’t pressure me not to speak, but simply requested.

nSo I decided not to.

nIn the first place, it would be funny telling someone about a contract where I had to kill people.

n“I can’t tell you any more than that.”

nHearing my answer, she seems to have mixed feelings as she stared at me for a long time.

nSeeing the unrealistic scene of me, an ordinary person, appearing out of thin air, what would a normal person think?

nBut there were many incomprehensible things in this world, and when people had useless curiosity about him, she was always the one to stop it.

nShe says it’s out of consideration for others.

nSeeing me reluctant to speak, she didn’t push it.

nI think in many ways, that’s what I’ve always liked about her.

n“Kid, you’ve grown in my absence. Have you gotten taller?”

n“I’ve always been taller than you.”

n“Hm…”

nStaring at me, she soon calmly smiled.

n“Yeah, well. What does it matter if you’re a Dimensional Returnee or a Dimensional Traveler?”

n‘All that matters is that you’re alive.’

nHuh, maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I heard her saying something.

n“Anyways, punk…Do you know how long I’ve been here waiting for you?”

n“How long?”

n“I’ve been staying here for almost three weeks. I thought you weren’t coming back at all, you bastard.”

n“Huh.”

nSo what have you been doing in my home for three weeks?

nSomehow, the apartment was filled with her stench, the stench of a lonely man.

nIn addition, from the looks of it, there was trash everywhere.

nShe didn’t clean up after herself at all.

n“I’m shaking looking at this pigsty.”

n“Ahaha, yeah. You should have cleaned up like usual.”

n“Bastard, this is all your doings.”

nI said, while tapping on a beer can that rolled near my feet.

n“Anyways, what are you doing in my home? You’re still bizarre as always, hanging a ribbon on your panties.”

n“This…”

nShe was barely dressed.

nA white sleeveless shirt and black panties.

nShe looked down at her panties, then up, and soon her eyes became serious.

n“The ribbon is the point. It’s damn pretty.”

n“…Aren’t you going to wear pants over it?”

n“So? What’s wrong if it’s inside? And, can’t you still see the red ribbon ?”

nWhat?

n“I originally wore this to show you. Why else would there be a ribbon?”

n“Huh.”

nIt’s definitely bull**, but it’s a little plausible.

nSo I couldn’t refute it.

n“Never mind. Just tell me why you’re here.”

n“Why else. I came because I missed you.”

n“Is that all?”

n“Uh…about 3%?”

n“Oh come on.”

n“Also. Huhu, this sister came to see you, the least you could do is be grateful.”

nLooking at the half eaten food on the floor, I don’t feel grateful at all.

nI slowly took off my combat uniform and hung it on the hanger, changing my clothes without qualms.

nWe’ve fought on the battlefield together and practically knew everything about one another.

nShe glanced at me changing my clothes, tilted her head, then spoke.

n“Oho. There’s something strange about you.”

n“What now?”

n“Your muscles are strange.”

n“What?”

nCome to think of it, I’ve only been to the hospital once since I became a ‘protagonist hunter.’

nAt that time, I didn’t even understand the skill properly.

nWhat if the abilities I absorbed from the protagonists harmed my body?

nI never thought about it at all…

n“Your muscles have become a piece of art.”

n“…?”

n“No, really. Look. Do you know how much you’ve changed? It’s crazy. Seriously, your muscles have gotten so much toner. Though, your face is still smudged.”

nSaying so, she snorted, leaving me speechless.

nTaylor always had a pretty face, so if I tried to argue about our appearances, I would lose unconditionally.

nIn the meantime, she clinged closer and closer to my upper body, examining it with a serious expression.

nI saw myself in the full-body mirror too, but honestly, I don’t see the difference at all.

nHow could she tell the difference?

n“For old times’ sake, can I touch it?”

n“No.”

nI lightly pushed her away, then spoke.

n“Anyways, if you’re here, then it means there’s a pretty good case, right?

n“That’s right.”

nFor Taylor Nine, a S-Rank, to come to Korea, it must have been a good case.

n“Was it settled after three weeks without me?”

n“As expected, you were somewhere strange, weren’t you? You didn’t even watch the news?”

n“I don’t know, so tell me.”

n“A ‘deformed’ dungeon appeared off the coast of Incheon.”

nI frowned after hearing it.

nDeformed dungeon.

nIt’s a dungeon that’s hard to rank because it was impossible to measure.

nDungeons weren’t common sense in the first place, but a deformed dungeon deviated so much from what people knew and had studied about dungeons.

nEver since monsters appeared 30 years ago, deformed dungeons have always caused quite a commotion.

nI can’t believe it appeared in Korea this time.

n“What’s the progress on the dungeon so far?”

n“Not only the Hunter Association of Korea, but also guilds from foreign countries came to support in many different ways. But **, none have been able to even enter.”

n“What? Does that make any sense?”

n“I don’t know. I have no **ing clue either.”

nShe shook her head with a sunken expression.

n“You don’t have superpowers, but you’re a little smart, aren’t you? So I came to ask if you want to work with me.”

nIn this world, ‘hunters’ are unconditionally considered superhumans, no matter the ranks.

nEven if I took it for granted.

nFor example, if you’re going to take three hunters, who would you rather take?

nA F-Rank hunter or a high Rank hunter?

nIt’s also the case that no matter how knowledgeable a F-Rank hunter is and how well their brain works, it’s more useful to take a person with superpowers that can fire lasers out of their hands in cases of emergency.

nHowever, if you’re a superhuman at the peak.

nLike the case with the S-Rank hunter, Taylor Nine, who would rather take brain over brawn because she has the ability to cover the other roles alone.

nShe came to me from time to time.

n“But first, we can’t even get in. These crazy bastards, I guess they’re planning to force a ‘time over.’”

nIf a dungeon isn’t cleared in time, the inside and outside world will synchronize.

nBut what if the environment inside the dungeon is worse than Earth?

nIt means the environment of Earth will be greatly damaged.

nI don’t know about normal cave type dungeons, but in most cases with high rank and deformed dungeons, the ecosystem was destroyed after synchronization.

nIn other words, we may have to give up part of the sea off the coast of Incheon after ‘time over.’

n“The Korean government would not have allowed it.”

n“Of course. But what can they do? Nobody can even enter.”

n“Didn’t the Cooperative of International Anomaly organization come in? They’re experts on this stuff.”

n“They’re here. They’re losing hope too. Actually, this sort of thing is normal.”

nYes, deformed dungeons were often impossible to enter, and even if it was possible, the traps inside were difficult to understand, so it was rarely cleared.

nI’ve also seen a few deformed dungeons in the past, but I wasn’t able to break through any of them.

n“…To be honest, I don’t know what will change if I come.”

n“I know. It’s impossible to even enter the deformed dungeon, so it’s mostly frightened little chickens crowding the place. I know you won’t go in anyways, so just come to fill a spot. And I’m so annoyed with the sightseeing cowards that every time I see them, I swear to god, I just want to strangle them.”

n“You still have a nasty temper.”

nI was considering whether to go or not.

nDeformed dungeon.

nI never went unless I had 1st-Grade equipment.

nIn the first place, even A-Rank dungeons were too much for 2nd-Grade equipment.

nThe same was true with my E-Rank physical ability.

nMaybe it won’t matter if I’m commanding from the backline.

nBut, I’ve wasted too much bullets from the mega shooter this time that my wallet is tattered.

n“If you go and show your face, you’ll get paid, and if the dungeon opens, you can take a bus home. That would kill two birds with one stone.”

nRight, there was nothing to lose.

nNext day.

nSeodam and Taylor Nine headed to Eurwangni Beach in Incheon.

nThis place was famous for being quite popular throughout all four seasons.

n30 years ago, when a deformed dungeon appeared, it ‘time over’ and the environments synchronized, leading to the mysterious existence of the ‘silver corals.’

nJust because a dungeon synchronizes with reality doesn’t mean all outcomes were bad.

nEurwangni was one of the places that had a positive outcome, seen by the fact that nature became cleaner and beautiful natural forests grew.

nCurrently, not a single civilian can be seen at Eurwangni Beach, which was developed into a tourist attraction.

nDozens of reconnaissance drones were hovering over Eurwangni, and many soldiers and military helicopters could occasionally be seen.

nThere were so many temporary barracks near the beach as well as accommodations everywhere that Seodam wondered if there was a need to build such high quality barracks.

nFeeling the chilly sea breeze, Seodam pulled up his collar.

nThe problem was that the 3rd-Grade aether coat had no heating function at all.

nTaylor Nine was dressed very lightly, compared to him who was cold.

nBlack hot pants short enough to reach her hips, a fluffy blue baseball jumper, and a blue baseball cap.

nThere was also a silver baseball bat hanging from her back.

nSeodam knew that although it looked like she was going to play baseball in a neighborhood somewhere, that outfit and even the baseball bat were actually 1st-Grade or the higher ‘named’ grade.

nMost aether clothes were uniform in appearance, but sometimes named-grade looked ordinary.

nPerhaps her clothes have temperature controls that are several times better than Seodam’s.

nThough, it was easy for S-Rank superhumans to control their own body temperature without it.

nHut!

nThe Soldier saluted when they saw the F-Rank and S-Rank hunter certificates.

nRather than focusing on Seodam, the focus was on Taylor Nine, which is presumed to be for other reasons and not because she is a S-Rank.

nEven if she didn’t have superpowers, her presence would have caught people’s attention.

n“Ah, there are so many bugs. They’re not even going into the dungeon.”

nTaylor grumbled when the hunters looked at her.

nChewing bubble gum, her face was full of discontent, partly because of the order of no smoking on the scene, but also because of the hunters who showed their faces.

nFrom time to time there would be a hunter who tried to get close to her.

n“Can you ** off? Son of a bitch, what are you looking at?”

n“Are you trying to hit on a girl in this situation? Are you a hunter or a rabbit? Do you still want to keep that thing down there or should I cut it off?

n“Who the ** do you think you are to call me by my name?”

n…They were all blocked by her impenetrable wall, and scurried off.

n“Oh, look at the black pill bugs over there.”

nAt Taylor’s words, Seodam turned his head.

nThere were dozens of hunters with the Lost Day armband, and three were S-Rank hunters.

nAlthough these S-Rank hunters are treated like celebrities in Korea, the oldest hunter of them all, Taylor, also known as Ahn Huigon, saw them as mere bugs.

n“Hey, are you ready to blow up the image of those cheaters again?”

nRecently, Lost Day has been plagued by their involvement in the mutant issue.

nTaylor Nine found the situation funny, but knew their image would soon recover.

nBecause Yoo Haram, the guild master of Lost Day, was one of the only three SS-Rank superhuman in Korea.

n“Those bastards, one day I will crush them…”

n“Why are you angry? They haven’t done anything to you.”

nSuddenly, Taylor’s face twisted like that of a demon with the expression of ‘what nonsense is that?’

n“Those **ers screwed you over, yet you don’t look upset. Aren’t you angry?”

n“What, of course I’m pissed.”

nIt’s not that Seodam wasn’t angry.

nIt’s that there’s nothing he can do right now, so he’s just waiting for the right time.

nWhile walking with Taylor to the entrance of the dungeon, Seodam took out his phone when it suddenly vibrated.

nIncoming Call – Celeste

n“Huh?”

nCome to think of it, the call history can be checked after returning to Earth.

nSeodam, who was wondering if he should answer the phone, soon shook his head.

nHe can’t do it near the dungeon because he doesn’t know when an anomaly would happen.

nWhen he was about to reject the call.

nHe saw something strange.

nMissed Calls – 56

n‘…What is it?’

n‘…What?’

n‘…No, nevermind.’

nMost of the missed calls were from Celeste.

n‘Did I forget to return something I borrowed from you?’

nHe didn’t think so.

nHe was wondering if he should call her, but Seodam soon turned off his phone.

nBecause he has arrived near the entrance of the dungeon.

n“That’s a little…strange?”

nDungeons have always appeared at different locations, but they were very similar.

nThe entrances were like a black hole, with a split at the entrance so you could see the inside of the dungeon.

nHowever, in front of Seodam at this moment is a huge floating door, a first for him.

n“So that’s the deformed dungeon. It’s my first time seeing something like this. Wasn’t the last time on a paddle boat?”

n“Oh, that? You almost fell to your death.”

n“Shut up.”

nAs soon as Seodam tried to get a closer look at the door, which was floating in the air like a mirage, soldiers and agents from the Cooperative of International Anomaly organization approached him.

n“Excuse me, but can you state your business?”

n“Get out of the way, he’s going to open the door.”

n“Hey, what…”

nSeodam looked at her with a ridiculous look, but Taylor giggled indifferently.

n“Oh it’s hunter Taylor Nine. Thank you for your hard work today as well.”

n“Uh. Have a nice day.”

nFortunately, the agents understood that her words were a joke.

nTaylor Nine used to scold everyone here everyday asking when she could enter the dungeon, and somehow that unexpectedly created a good image among the people here.

nWhile other hunters were just sightseeing, she acted as if she would smash the dungeon to pieces if given the chance.

nThere was no one who hated a S-Rank hunter doing their job.

n“So. Do you have any idea?”

nTaylor asked Seodam without much expectation.

nIn the first place, even an organization specializing in this kind of thing couldn’t do anything, so she thought it was even more impossible for a hunter.

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n

nThat was the case with Seodam who was about to shake his head.

nBut then, a message appeared in his mind.

n< This leads to the world the fallen Julexa Empire’s Magic Palace. >

nJulexa Empire?

nAt this question, another message appeared.

n< This world has already finished its ‘Epilogue’, and ‘Protagonist’ does not exist. >

n“Huh…?”

nBlinking his eyes, Seodam stared at the huge door.

nPeculiar patterns that seem to have some principle behind them, familiar yet different from what he remembers.

nYes, it was unmistakably a magic circle.

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