CH 249

The Hell Gate area around the entrance constantly expanded as the material from the inside poured out. The seawater around it had completely solidified, so hunters could not land there either. However, within the grotesque area, no machine worked properly, and it was very difficult for some hunters to even keep their sanity within the area.

It wasn’t just a matter of supernatural strength, it was a matter of mental power. After all, who could easily set foot in that horrific place where limbs protruded from what was thought as a wall; mouths that suddenly appeared from the ground, cutting off their ankles before running away; and eyes twitching in the sky?

“We have to deal with it as soon as possible.”

Fortunately, the Hell Gate’s expansion was temporarily prevented thanks to Lacanthal, a magic engineer from another world who came to join the army on a high-speed boat together with Another League’s raid team. He installed a special device that looked like a power transmission tower on eight aircraft carriers which created a dimension screen upon activation, blocking the extension of the Hell Gate area.

“Of course, this is only a temporary measure. We must destroy all of those ‘plants’ to stop the expansion at once.” These so-called ‘plants’ weren’t living things, but they can’t be considered dead as well. Those bizarre substances which moved with their own will were slowly coloring the Pacific Ocean with Hell Gate’s substance, and destroying them could wipe out some of the realm. In other words, currently, the fight was on a stalemate. The Hell Gate can no longer expand further, but it was also impossible for the human army to enter either.

“Isn’t there any other way?”

“Well…” In response to the question of Murim Lord Seol Jungyeon, Lacanthal could only glance around. Large guilds had their own meeting rooms spread through the 8 ships, but Another League didn’t have it. It was simply because there was no room available. However, thanks to the active support from the UN, the operation control room of one aircraft carrier was transformed into a temporary meeting room for them.

However, even though it was ‘Another League’s Meeting room’ there were quite a lot of big names in attendance. Such as the three-stars commander in chief, General Robert, several SS-ranked hunters. masters of famous guilds, and 20-year old veteran hunters who were famous for their solo activities.

“There’s a way… And it is rather simple. Form a team consisting of only a few elite hunters and go inside. If we cut the plant on the inside first, the plant on the outside will also disappear, effectively destroying the Hell Gate area.”

Of course, it didn’t mean that whoever didn’t get chosen to enter the Hell Gate would not have the same risk as the one who entered.

“However, it’s also important to station some hunters on the outside to prevent the personnel who entered inside from being isolated.”

Therefore, the number of people participating in this operation would be a lot. In the plan, the guild members of Another League were the only ones who were supposed to enter the Hell Gate. But now things have changed a lot. If they did not reduce the area of ​​the Hell Gate manifesting on Earth by dispatching other hunters and the defensive line was breached, the Hell Gate area would immediately stretch out and the area might even reach inland. Which means, all available troops in this place had to participate in the operation.

“Hunters and soldiers with at least 10 years of experience in monster warfare should camp in the area.” A certain number of troops could not endure the sheer pressure emitted by the Hell Gate and its grotesque nature due to their lack of mental power, and most of the machines did not even work, so they needed an etheric dispenser and the experienced veteran hunters.

On top of it,

“Hunters with a rank of B or lower with no experience are practically useless.”

“Pardon?”

“That….”

At Lacanthal’s words, most of the people in the meeting room were bewildered. In fact, everyone should have fully agreed with what he said. After all, no matter how advanced the ether dispenser is, what can an F rank hunter do with it?

However, there’s one reason why they expressed their doubts like this. It was because of the involvement of Yoo Seodam, who had no superpower at all, at the last Hell Gate expedition 8 years ago.

“If you said that F-rank hunters will be useless, we might agree with you…”

“What I said was simply a fact. It is because hunters below B rank wouldn’t offer much help even when armed with various things.”

“Ha! Didn’t Hunter Yoo seodam enter the Hell Gate even when he’s only F rank?”

“That’s something I never thought made sense, myself.” Lacanthal sighed. “If it were me, I would never take an F rank hunter into the Hell Gate, lest I want to get everyone killed. At that time, the leader of the expedition was an SS rank hunter, and I heard that there were also many elite troops in the team he made. If he simply took Master Yoo Seodam just for him to be a porter, it would make more sense if he took a hunter with a physical strengthening superpower rather than him.”

Even so, the fact that the leader of the expedition dared to take an F rank hunter means that Yoo Seodam wasn’t chosen for his fighting prowess.

But then, it only makes another question buds on Lacanthal’s mind.

Why did Yoo Seodam agree to enter the Hell Gate?

Also, how did he come back outside without going crazy?

But whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter right now. What they need to do as of now had no relation with that reason, after all. And if they want to know the truth, they need to pave the way for Yoo Seodam to return safely first.

*

[Transfer complete.]

When I lose control of my mind, I sometimes dream of things. The contents of the dream are mostly nothing important, but sometimes, I re-experience the events I had experienced in the past. Such as the time when I first became a hunter, my very first monster hunt or when I formed a party with other children, whom the word ‘colleagues’ was more appropriate to use rather than friends.

Amongst those ‘colleagues’, Reina Ju disappeared into the very first great crack which appeared on Earth, and right now, I was dreaming about the times when I chased after her and entered Hell Gate.

Back in those days in Hell Gate eight years ago, there were brave colleagues, trustworthy leaders, and reliable comrades whom I could always trust my back with. However, most of them died, and all the remaining survivors went crazy.

‘Haha, Seodam. This is my wife. Didn’t I say that I wanted to introduce her to you every day? She’s a looker, isn’t she? Baby, are you shy? Come here.’

However, the truth is, the one he introduced wasn’t his wife, but a monster. No matter how many times I told him, he didn’t believe me. He asked me why I called her a monster and ended up shooting me. So, I had no choice but to kill him.

‘How long has it been since the last time I ate beef steak? As expected, the T-bone fits my palate the best.’

‘Did you know what white truffle is? It is said to be one of the world’s top 3 delicacies! Not everyone gets the chance to eat this thing. Seodam, would you like to take a bite too?’

It’s not food, it’s the body of the colleague I just killed. I begged them not to eat it, but they didn’t listen. So, I had no choice but to kill them too.

Some of my colleagues were killed by monsters, but most were killed by my hand. It’s not out of the ordinary, It’s just that when someone enters Hell Gate, everyone naturally becomes like that.

And… I was destined to be like that too.

‘Interesting… What are you?’

Until I heard ‘that voice’.

I didn’t understand it at first. I only thought I had become crazy just like my colleagues. Otherwise, there would be no reason why I heard auditory hallucinations. But there was one crucial difference between my mentally ill colleagues and myself. They were unaware that they were crazy, while I was aware that I was hearing hallucinations.

‘Calm down. It took me a really long time to understand your language. I’m really glad I managed to learn the language you speak. haha.’

‘Who the hell are you?’

‘Me? Well. If I had to call myself… I think I am the will of this world, which you’re calling ‘Hell Gate’? To be exact, I am ‘Hell Gate’ itself.’

‘The will of the Hell Gate?’

‘Yeah! That’s right. Interesting, right? I was surprised too. Because I didn’t even know I had a will until I encountered a conscious being like you. But now I know. And now, I even have a dream!’

I conversed with ‘it’ as if I was possessed. It said that he was originally an unfinished world wandering in the ‘blank story’, and he struggled to shape the world to complete himself and ended up in such a terrible state.

Hell Gate, a world in which there is no distinction between non-living and living things, even between others and oneself.

‘Now I can definitely realize my dreams. I will make a perfect world! It will not be a world where the story flows according to the will of the protagonist, but a world which is completely independent from the story.’

‘I don’t understand what you mean.’

Then, the will started to explain it to me. Each world exists for only one ‘protagonist’, and if the protagonist perishes from existence, the world loses its existence. Without exception, all worlds follow that principle. It even said that perhaps even his own world, this Hell Gate, would have ended up in that same state too.

‘So I stretched out my will to every world and established a concept of ‘completeness’. After all, the moment such a concept is established, the world quickly begins to run toward destruction. And I am building my own world little by little by absorbing the power of those destroyed worlds.’

‘What will happen if you do that?’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’’

‘It’ began to take shape little by little. It definitely appeared in front of me in a form that looked exactly like me, and said with a smile that was similar to mine.

‘A world where everyone can be the protagonist will be created.’

‘…!’

‘Don’t you think the world is unreasonable?  That it’s….unfair? Look at you. Unlike your friends, you don’t have any superpowers, connections, parents, and even your foster parents are dead. You were born poor, and will end up living like that until you meet your end.’

‘That…’

‘It’s because someone like you is just a background character that exists for the sake of the ‘protagonist’. Those guys are taking away all the fate and probability you could have had. But, what if you’re living in a world where ‘everyone is the protagonist’. You don’t have to go through such absurdity anymore. A world where you don’t have to live the way fate has decided. How is it? I can save you right here and now. And you can help me.’

‘Me? How…?’

‘That’s…”

That moment, I woke up from my dream.

“Huh!” My chest and my back were wet. Cold sweat was also dripping from my forehead.

Since when have I been sleeping? No, what was I doing up until now?

‘Ah… I forced a dimensional shift to the Hell Gate in order to defeat Monster 2…’

[The dimensional shift to Hell Gate has been completed.]

Yes. In the end, I succeeded in moving to the Hell Gate and defeating the monster.

“Haha…” I burst into laughter, as my heart felt relieved. But at that very moment, I sprung to my feet, I was startled by the sound of a loud horn.

“You crazy bastard! Why are you laying down in the middle of a crosswalk?”

“Huh?”

“Get out of there quickly!”

When the middle-aged truck driver roared with visible anger towards me, I unknowingly walked towards the side of the road. With the corner of my eyes, I could see people looking at me as I passed by.

Did I do something strange?

Wait, they were talking about my clothes.

“What? What kind of armor is that?”

“Is it cosplay?”

Something is strange. In modern times, thanks to the design of the ether suit which was full of individuality, my plain armor didn’t get much attention.

‘No… This place should be inside the Hell Gate, should it?’ The system also had already told me that I had successfully moved to Hell Gate.

But…

A tall gray building, flashing neon signs, crossroads as well as crosswalks, people in casual clothing of modern design and cars spewing fumes. No matter how I look at it, this place was undoubtedly ‘Earth’.

Pat-!!

“Can you please get out of the way?” Someone tapped my shoulder and passed by. I looked over the man’s head without realizing it, and I had no choice but to open my eyes wide.

『Park Seon Joo』

#Office_worker #Taken #Why_is_the_manager_already_angry_this_early?

My eyes darted wildy as I was surprised because I suddenly met a protagonist out of nowhere…

However,

He’s not the only protagonist in this place. Something which I never experienced before was happening in front of me right now.

『Kim David』

#Unemployed #KoreanAmerican #Handsome #I_want_to_appear_on_a_foreign_TV_program

『Kim Seok Kwon』

#Soccer_player #Father_of_two_daughters #I_love_you_Seyoung

『Seo Haneul』

#College_student #Self_made #Taken #Who_wants_to_have_a_drink_today?

A ‘protagonist hashtag’ was floating above the heads of everyone passing by. However, when I looked closely at each of them, they were all far too ordinary to be a protagonist. Some were ordinary office workers, some were ordinary college students, and some were just ordinary people.

A world where everyone was the protagonist even though they were ordinary.

‘Don’t tell me…’ I pedaled back as realization dawned upon me, However, just after a few steps, I was forced to turn back as my back hit something. What I saw there was surprising. No, it was an understatement. It simply made my mind go blank. 

Because,

『Protagonist Are Murdered By Me』

#Modern_time #Hunter #World_hopping

[You are the ‘protagonist’ of this world.]

I finally turned into a protagonist.

E/N: Ahhh!! I love it when the plot circles back to the main theme of the novel. Can’t believe there are only 8 chapters left till this novel ends. 

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