LTTH C10

Chapter 10

1. The Eternal Level 1?

“What did you say?”

Hansol couldn’t help but question the test results that he heard. No, it didn’t make sense.

“I told you there’s nothing wrong.”

“…Not even your level?”

“Yes, it’s still level 1.”

The emotionless response returned. Under normal circumstances, it would have been disappointing news, but not now. Hansol averted his gaze slightly. The status window floating before his eyes clearly displayed the number ‘15.’

‘Is this some kind of hallucination?’

No way. Not only the status window but also the skill window still showed Heal, Prayer, Light, and even Sanctuary Declaration. There was no way such a detailed hallucination could exist. Even if it were a hallucination, hadn’t he just used those skills perfectly on the battlefield?

‘…Does this make any sense?’

Either the Association’s examination was wrong, or his eyes had deceived him. Either way, one of the two must be mistaken. Otherwise, this made no sense at all. And he hoped it was the former. If all this were just a hallucination or a dream, it would be nothing short of tragic.

“Why was your mana fully restored in just ten days?”

“That part will need further verification. However, Chae Hansol-ssi, you are scheduled for another dispatch exactly thirty days from now.”

Was this man blatantly shameless, or did he really believe England was some other dimension? Either way, Hansol’s trust in the people of the Association hit rock bottom once again.

“…Is the examination over then?”

“Yes. You may go home. Please visit us again in a month.”

Leaving behind the man who was casually jotting something down in the file in his hand, Hansol stepped out of the Association. He needed confirmation.

The golden radiance that had wrapped his entire body due to the Sanctuary Declaration had long since vanished, and the buff Cache had provided, aiding his mana regeneration, had also ended without notice. Whether all of this ended simply because he returned to Korea or if it had been mere illusion would be proven by using the remaining skills.

“…The Gate.”

And the only place left for testing his skills was the Gate. Using skills outside the Gate was forbidden except in emergencies. He had to enter the Gate. And that, with a trustworthy person who could keep his secrets.

• Be careful, twice as careful! You must contact me when you return!

Unable to say that the task was an official deployment of the Association, Hansol had explained he might have to leave the party temporarily due to personal reasons. Mr. Jung, instead of complaining, insisted that Hansol must contact him once things settled down and not to forget. Perhaps that’s why Mr. Jung came to mind now.

Hansol relaxed his furrowed brow and browsed through the few saved contacts in his device before calling Mr. Jung’s number. The familiar ringtone sounded monotonously, and soon a welcome voice came through.

• Hey, Hansol! Did your mission end well?

“Yes, Mr. Jung.”

• Good, no injuries, right? It wasn’t anything serious?

“Of course not. I’m fine.”

Mr. Jung’s voice, heavy with concern, made Hansol smile naturally. Perhaps because he was an ally who understood the pain of having lost family. Among the steady party members for the past two years, Mr. Jung was the only one with whom Hansol felt close.

“Um… Mr. Jung.”

‘Could you come to the Gate with me just once?’

‘Can I rejoin the party?’

Though these were short sentences, the first was difficult to utter.

“Uh, well.”

• Yeah, just a moment, Hansol.

Hansol’s lips, barely parted, snapped shut again at the sudden urgency in Mr. Jung’s voice. Amidst the noise on the other end of the device, familiar voices faintly echoed.

• Jung! It’s about time we get going!

• What are you doing? How much time are you wasting getting ready?

Those were the voices of Mr. Jung’s fixed party members. Given the intermittent clanking of metal sounds, it seemed they were just about to enter the Gate.

Today wasn’t the day. He’d have to contact them again. The familiar voices sparked a small laugh from Hansol, who tried to hang up the call with a smirk. He surely would have, if it weren’t for the snide voices continuing like whispers.

• Well, it’s about time to send him off, isn’t it? We can’t keep running low-level Gates forever, right?

• That’s right. Who knows how long we can survive just with ‘healing?’ We really need a high-level healer.

“……”

Clearly, those voices belonged to two men who had always looked down on Hansol for joining Mr. Jung in the Gates every day. The smile faded from Hansol’s face, and his mind cooled. Being mocked and ridiculed by Association staff and researchers was a daily occurrence for him. But—

‘Still, we’ve been together for two years…’

Not just a day or two, but a full two years. Hearing such words from people who had been party members cut deeper than mockery or disdain from Association employees. But he couldn’t argue. …They said nothing but the truth.

As a healer who had eternally remained Level 1, Hansol could only work on low-level Gates, and unlike him, Mr. Jung’s party was steadily leveling up.

• I’m sorry, Hansol. We were about to enter the Gate and things are a bit hectic. Can I call you again later?

“…Yes, of course. Take care.”

Amidst the noisy chatter, Mr. Jung’s apologetic words returned once more. Hansol couldn’t bring himself to ask to be taken along. Now that he was a healer who could hold his own, it would be great if he could proudly say he could help. But the two voices that had haunted his ears just moments ago clung like afterimages, making his lips stay sealed.

“Sigh.”

With the monotonous beep, the call ended, and his restless eyes gazed skyward.

It was vividly blue. He thought it might have been better if he had never returned from England. At least there, he wouldn’t have to worry about wandering aimlessly without a place to belong. For Hansol, unlike other healers, that place had been neither a grave nor hell for healers.

“…Let’s go.”

Tomorrow, he’d check the Hunter recruitment site for another party to join. Entrusting his uncertain future, leaving the Association behind, he started walking while gazing at the rough surface of the asphalt beneath his feet.

“……!”

A choking smell hit his nose. The stench of a Break. The scent he had smelled before in England. Hansol frantically spun his head to trace the source.

‘Where is it?!’

If this had happened in England, he would have been unconcerned. But this was Korea. Korea was where Hunters gathered whenever a Gate Break occurred. And Hansol was standing right in front of the Association. If a Gate Break happened here—it was nothing short of hell.

His gaze, twisted in discomfort, finally stopped on one spot. Perhaps a fortunate misfortune. Some distance from the Association’s main gate, ominous dark red smoke swirled devilishly. But, it was different from a Gate Break. A circle, about the size of a soccer ball, started in the air a little above the ground and steadily expanded at a constant speed.

“A new Gate…?”

Lowering his gaze to the device on his wrist with wary suspicion. Typically, if a new Gate spawned or if a Gate Break was imminent in an area, the Association’s relentless alerts would sound off. But it was dead silent. The pitch-black device was maddeningly unresponsive.

‘A new Gate that the Association hasn’t caught…?’

“Damn it.”

“Ahhh!!”

“Get away!! Go inside the Association!!”

“Run!!”

Cries echoed from all directions. Natural disaster. A Gate the Association failed to predict was exactly that. Yet for Hansol, it was an opportunity. A Gate without an owner was up for grabs; any Hunter who entered and cleared it would gain ownership. Of course, clearing was not expected. But the chance to prove that what happened to him was not a hallucination had suddenly appeared before him.

“Over here! This way, please!!”

“Run! Hurry!”

The problem was that the Gate’s location wasn’t somewhere only Hunters frequented, but the front yard of the Association where many civilians came and went.

“Hurry, this way!!”

The Association’s gates flung wide open; staff waiting inside rushed out. They tried to guide civilians to safety, but no matter how fast their response, they couldn’t evacuate everyone caught in the Gate’s influence. Only about a third managed to flee. Dozens of people vanished, swallowed by the swirling red smoke in an instant. Naturally, no distinction between friend or foe was made in that smoke. Children, the elderly, buildings—everything disappeared. Hansol was among those people too.

As the red smoke enveloped him, even though his eyes remained wide open, he saw nothing. Hansol squeezed his eyes shut in the blackened vision before slowly reopening them. This was his first time being dragged into a new Gate, but the instant his surroundings flipped upon entering was no different from before. Hansol steadied himself through the familiar nausea, inhaling deeply several times and slowly looking around.