NOVPUB
Chapter 117
[Facade Island]
Facade, known as the smallest republic in the world, was an island in the Pacific Ocean. It was a tiny independent nation, with one of the smallest populations among the member states of the United Nations, and was only about as big as the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Despite its size, Facade was quite a wealthy country. The island itself was made of phosphorite, produced by an accumulation of guano, or mineral-rich bird and bat dung. Simply mining the vast amounts of phosphorite ore buried in the island bed brought in immense earnings. Profits were even higher because the island’s small population was not expensive to sustain.
However, when the Great Cataclysm occurred, the nation’s size became a problem. A smaller population naturally meant a lower number of awakened hunters. When gates appeared on the island, it was critically short of the only force capable of stopping them.
Finally, it happened: a dungeon break. The island was swiftly overrun by the blue mist, with no chance to resist. It had become a field-type dungeon.
The President of Facade, knowing that he was a step behind, spent a huge amount of money to hire foreign hunters as mercenaries. Unfortunately, the situation had already become irrevocably dire. Suddenly, ordinary citizens with low to no mana aptitude began transforming into mist burns and rampaging. The day of the dungeon break marked Facade’s downfall.
“Back then, information about mist burns and mana aptitude hadn’t yet spread globally.” Laura was briefing Suho on the situation as they flew to Facade in Thomas’ private jet. “That’s how Facade completely vanished as a nation. There are still a few survivors living there, but essentially, they’ve become refugees in their own country.”
“The president is still alive, though I’m not sure if it’s good luck or bad,” Thomas remarked as he leisurely watched the clouds go by with his arms crossed.
Suho looked over at him. “Did the president awaken as a hunter?”
“He did. He was lucky in that regard. But the first thing he did was kill his own family, who had turned into mist burns... So, that’s bad luck right there.”
Suho decided it was best not to ask any more questions. It was indeed a tragic situation.
Laura pushed up her glasses and continued, “That’s why nowadays experts say the most dangerous thing about a dungeon break isn’t the magic beasts, but the blue mist emanating from the gate itself.”
Suho nodded in agreement. He had learned through experience that magic beasts were no more than refugees drifting through the dimensional rift. Of course, their inherently savage nature led them to instinctively attack and prey on humans, but the more fundamental problem was the blue mist.
A conversation Suho once had with Beru and Rakan’s Fang suddenly came to mind.
“This blue mist is extraterrestrial magic. It’s used to forcefully breach dimensional barriers and create rifts in the world.”
“Correct. Due to this mist, the sanctuary I was in ended up drifting through a dimensional rift and connecting to Earth.”
“In the end, what these beings from outer space want is to spread this mist worldwide and trigger a massive rift. They want their army to create a massive hole, large enough to cross dimensions.”
Yesterday, I saw magic beasts soaked in blue mist spreading the contaminated area as they moved. Suho’s face was grave as he recalled how the swamp area expanded in real-time.
It was fortunate that so many hunters were nearby at the time. If they hadn’t resolved the situation quickly, it would have led to the formation of one of the field-type dungeons he had frequently encountered. At least those dungeons were securely encircled with barbed wire, and precautions were taken to prevent magic beasts from escaping, ensuring the area did not expand further. Lately, there were also efforts to use the power of mana stones on the wire to prevent beasts from approaching as well. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
But Facade was surrounded by the sea, and it had already begun to erode before such specialized barbed wire could be developed.
“We’ve arrived,” the pilot announced.
Shortly after, the private jet finally landed on the coast of Facade. As the plane door opened, Suho was greeted by a piercing chill.
Gasp!
“W-we here?” Rio Singh, who had been sprawled out sleeping in the seat next to him, felt the cold and pulled up his eye mask.
“Why did you bring this hunter?” Laura asked Suho, gesturing to Rio. “Are you working with the Asura Guild?”
“I’m help Suho. As interpreter.” The Indian hunter introduced himself confidently. He was still a bit clumsy with Korean, having learned it not long ago, but he was fundamentally a scholar fluent in four other languages.
I can’t let Sung Suho be snatched away by the Scavenger Guild, he thought. A knowledge of English was essential to work with the Scavenger Guild, which was mostly composed of Americans, but it was a language that Suho himself did not know.
Rio had been persistently requesting to be included in the expedition team for this reason. After all, if we’re with Thomas Andre, our safety is guaranteed. I’ll just focus on interpreting and ensure Sung Suho continues to rely on my help. His eyes gleamed with the belief that his plan was foolproof.
However, there was another problem. Members of the Scavenger Guild had already arrived and were setting up camp as they waited for Thomas Andre.
“Guild Master!”
“He’s here!”
The call echoed throughout the encampment. As if to prove they deserved the name “Scavengers,” each hunter had a fierce look and a large physique. They crowded around Thomas.
“Thomas! Why are you so late— Oof!”
“Quiet, you lot.” The old guild master kicked the one who had run up first. With a menacing gaze, he slowly turned to look at each of the guild members, smirking. “Are you cold?”
“How could you ask us that?!”
“How could you leave elites like us out here to freeze?”
“We could be making more money running another dungeon right now!”
“We’re dying out here!”
There was a clamorous uproar as if the hunters had been waiting for the chance to complain. Every face was filled with dissatisfaction. Still, they were slightly more tempered than they were when they first ran over, likely concerned Thomas would give another one of them a kick.
“Who are the kids, boss?” one of the members asked, pointing at Suho and Rio. The two seemed quite small, especially sandwiched between the towering figures of the Scavenger hunters and their guild master.
More of the members joined in.
“What? You made us wait just so you could bring these guys?”
“They look pretty weak, don’t they?”
“Maybe... They’re emitting around B-rank mana, aren’t they?”
“So what? Even with B-rank mana, what use would those scrawny bodies be here?”
The Scavenger Guild members, who had already been there for days, frowned as they scrutinized Suho and his companion.
Despite receiving such glares, the Korean hunter was unfazed. What are they talking about? He didn’t understand a word of English, but from their expressions alone, he could sense the unwelcoming atmosphere.
“Boss, did you really make us wait in this cold for them?”
“Ah, come on! What is this bull— Ouch!” Another guild member’s grumbling was interrupted by a kick from Thomas.
Their reactions weren’t unreasonable. The beefy hunter who had just been kicked stood up, genuinely angry. “Boss, I’m not kidding. This is your first time here, right? They’ve got to be strong to keep their stamina up in this cold. We’ve been feeling our stamina drain for three days.”
“That’s right. It’s this cold, and we’re not even inside the dungeon.”
Indeed, the private jet had landed on the outskirts of the field-type dungeon where the erosion had not completely reached. Essentially, they were right at the edge of the barbed wire, if there had been any. But even here, the area had transformed into a frigid wasteland, as if they were in Antarctica. The island had turned into a glacier.
“Bringing these guys into the Glacier Dungeon will just be more trouble for us. I’ve never seen guys like that make it back alive.”
“What do they do, anyway? They’re obviously not tanks. Maybe they’re damage dealers?” One guild member glanced at the sword in Rio’s hand and chuckled. Then his gaze moved to Suho. “And why is this one weaponless? Is he a mage or something?”
“Um...” Thomas Andre appeared to struggle slightly with the question.
It didn’t really bother him that he had left his hunters in the cold for a few days. Despite their whining, they were by no means weak. They had been busy hunting magic beasts in the vicinity, each carrying out their own roles. But since Suho was the reason they were kept waiting, introducing him seemed quite awkward.
Fortunately, Laura stepped in at just the right moment. “This is Hunter Sung Suho from Korea. He is a C-rank summoner.”
“Huh?”
“A summoner?”
“Tell me she didn’t just say that.”
The introduction had clearly made them even more bewildered.
Eventually, one of the giant Scavenger members was unable to hold back any longer and strode toward Suho. Towering over the young hunter, he looked down with disdain and gritted his teeth. “A summoner, you say? What do you summon, kid? How about some fire moths to help with this cold, huh?”
Suho’s poor English skills were proving a problem. It was impossible for him to understand the man’s angry pronunciation.
Rio, who was nearby, quickly interpreted. “Suho. You can summon?”
“Summon? Ah, right.” At that, Suho took out the key to the Shadow Dungeon. “Come out, Esil,” he said, inserting it into his shadow.
Swoosh!
“Did you call me?” Esil appeared.
The onlookers’ looks of disdain turned into ones of shock.
“A person?!”
“He summons people?!”
“Wh-what on earth is this?!” Thomas Andre was equally stunned.
Esil had been staying in Suho’s Shadow Dungeon during their plane trip to circumvent any travel visa issues. Although Jinho had somehow managed to obtain the hunter registration she needed for her guild application, Esil was fundamentally a demon. Getting a visa issued was a rather complex and troublesome matter.
“S-Suho? You summon people? Like familiars?” Even Rio, who had seen Esil in Egypt, was utterly bewildered when she suddenly popped out of Suho’s shadow.
Esil recognized the Indian hunter as well. “What’s this? Isn’t this the man I saw at the pyramid last time?”
“You... you colleague? A summoning? Person?” Rio’s mind was getting more and more muddled.
This is a big problem, he thought as a sense of crisis overwhelmed him. He was no longer the only interpreter.
