Chapter 2 (2/2)

Whenever a Gate appeared, the Association would request her as a healer, and of course, Jinwoo would always find himself sitting or lying down next to her in treatment in their Raids . .

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“You’re hurting, right? Please hang in there . ”.

“You look familiar… are you from that time…?”.

“You got hurt again?”.

“Seems like I see you again and again . ”.

“You said your name was Jinwoo? Are you… alright?”.

“Do you ever think maybe the Hunter-life isn’t for you…?”.

“ . You’re here again . ”.

“Hold out your arm . No, not there, you can mend that with just bandages, the other arm . ”.

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Surpassing his gratitude, he now felt apologetic to her . .

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“ . ”.

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Seeing his silent face, Juhee felt bad about her rant and calmed down . .

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“Are you really sorry?”.

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“Of course . ”.

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After some thought, Juhee looked at Jinwoo at her side, with corners of her mouth rising ever so slightly,.

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“Well… maybe you could treat me to a meal sometime . ”.

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It was not a response he expected . Shocked, Jinwoo looked at Juhee’s face, now showing a mischievous smile . ‘A girl…’ He remembered Juhee was 20 going on 21 . If she had cut her long hair into a proper length and put on a school uniform, she’d be a fitting image of a student . Imagining her in a uniform, his face blushed . .

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Seeing his delayed response, Juhee blew air into her cheeks and pouted . .

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“Do you… not want to eat with me?”.

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It was then . .

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Suddenly, a commotion rose from the vanguard of the party . .

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“This is it!”.

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“The boss room!”.

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Jinwoo and Juhee turned their gazes forward . .

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There stood a giant door signaling the end of the tunnel . The Hunters gathered before the door . .

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“To think there was a door at the end of the tunnel . ”.

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“Do you think this was always here?”.

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“First time I’m seeing something like this… . ”.

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“Do . do you think it’s dangerous?”.

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As they quietly whispered back and forth, the Hunters became uneasy . After all, their lives were on the line; they had to be careful . But too much care may impede progress, Mr . Song thought . .

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“So you guys want to turn back after all that? To go back empty handed?”.

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He placed his hand on the door . .

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“You’re free to go back . I’ll go alone . ”.

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Mr . Song was a C-Rank Hunter with 10 years of experience . If it wasn’t for the fact that he was past 60 years old, he could’ve probably raided under a large Guild . .

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So when such a veteran Hunter spoke with confidence, the uneasiness of the other Hunters slowly disappeared . .

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“Now that I think about it,” One of the Hunters spoke of a rumor regarding Double Dungeons, “I heard that Double Dungeons have some crazy treasures . ”.

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“Yeah, I heard some mid-level Guild once found a Double Dungeon and shot straight to a large Guild status!”.

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“And wherever magic beasts may appears in a Dungeon, they should all be the same level generally…”.

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And so the Hunters thought, what if this Double Dungeon contained a phenomenal treasure? And what if the magic beasts beyond this door were the same level as before?.

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‘Can’t let that old man take all the treasures by himself . ’.

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‘Mm, of course . ’.

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‘Forget just postnatal, I could probably pay for a big private school, pay for the mortgage…’.

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And just like that, the Hunters’ understandings became one . Even Jinwoo renewed his determination . .

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‘I can’t just return with a E-Rank magic core . At the very least, a D-Rank, no, just even one more E-Rank is good enough . ’.

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It didn’t have to be a magic beast either . .

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‘If we find treasure beyond that door…’.

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It was a standard agreement that any treasures or artifacts found in a Dungeon would be divided evenly amongst party members . This was different than the case where magic core from magic beasts would only go to the members who helped take a target down . .

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‘If I can score big right here, I can rest easy for a bit…’.

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Seeing his determined face, Juhee asked from his side,.

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“Is that really the face of someone who Hunts as a ‘hobby’?”.

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Jinwoo shrugged,.

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“Who would risk their lives for work these days? But for a hobby, that’s another story . ”.

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“ . What?”.

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As Juhee put on an incredulous expression on her face, Mr . Song started pushing the door open . .

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creak~.

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Through some unknown mechanism, the giant door opened easily as the 60-year old man pushed . .

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Bang.

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The wide open door revealed a large interior, and the Hunters entered pushing past each other . .

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“We should go too . ”.

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Not wanting to fall behind, Jinwoo took Juhee’s wrist and went forward . .

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“Ah…”.

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With redness creeping onto her face, Juhee followed him . .

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As the Hunters’ first steps fell onto the ground, the numerous torches that filled the walls of the area lit up, brightly illuminating the interior . .

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“Hmm? The light went on?”.

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“First time I’m seeing that . ”.

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“Something’s… different . ”.

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The Hunters surveilled their surroundings . It felt like the interior of a large temple . Like an ominous temple that would be hidden away deep underground, the floors, the walls and even the ceiling was covered in moss . Some Hunters shuddered and noted,.

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“Something feels wrong . ”.

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“Doesn’t it feel like we’re being watched?”.

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The more fearful Hunters fell to the rear, while the stronger Hunters headed deeper into the room . .

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“Tsk . Don’t say such things . ”.

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“Let’s just finish up here and go back . ”.

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The interior was incredibly large . A wide area in a dome shape . It was comparable to multiple olympic fields being put together . No, perhaps bigger . At the same time, it paradoxically felt cramped . The reason was simple . .

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“That that thing…”.

“That’s not the boss, is it?”.

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At the end of the room, something whose size surpassed reason and logic sat upon a grand and enormous seat . It could only described as a massive Statue of God[1] . .

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“My god[2] . ”.

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“Whoa…”.

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They could not help but be amazed . .

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Jinwoo himself compared the statue’s size to America’s Statue of Liberty[3] . ‘If the Statue of Liberty sat down, it would probably look like that . ’ Although the Statue of Liberty is female, and this one was clearly male . ‘No… This thing’s bigger…’.

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The Hunters gathered before the statue could not help but gulp repeatedly . They stood in fear, wondering if the Statue of God was the boss of this Dungeon . .

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“ . ”.

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But the Statue did not move . .

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“Phew~”.

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Mr . Song also sighed in relief . .

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“Alright, let’s spread out . ”.

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With renewed confidence, the Hunters spread out, investigating the giant room . .

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“I don’t see any magic beasts . ”.

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“Right?”.

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“Forget magic beasts, I don’t even see a single bug . ”.

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Compared to its well-lit interiors and enormous size, the room of the Statue of God was rather plain . Adorning its walls were countless torches, illuminating the room . In front of the torches stood statues slightly larger than the average man, forming equidistant points of a circle . .

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“Beautiful . ”.

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“It’s like a work of art . ”.

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Each statue held something different in its hands . Some held weapons, some books, others held instruments or torches . .

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“It’s like…” Mr . Kim started describing,.

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“Decorations in a temple . ” Mr . Song finished his sentence . .

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“Hmm?”.

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Mr . Song found something at his feet . .

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“This is… a magic circle[4]?”.

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At the center of the temple room, there was a magic circle that he had never seen before in his life . .

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“Mr . Song, there’s something written here . Can you come take a look at this?”.

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A Hunter called out to the Raid’s leader, finding a statue that stood out from the rest . Leaving his observation of the magic circle, Mr . Song headed towards the Hunter . One by one, all the Hunters in the room gathered before the strange statue as well . .

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Of all the statues in the room, this one was the only one with wings . It was holding a stone tablet . What caught the Hunters’ eyes were the words written on the stone tablet . .

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“It’s Runic[5] . ” Mr . Song spoke after analyzing the tablet . .

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Runes . A form of text that could be found in Dungeons, it was something that could not be found elsewhere on Earth . Only the Hunters who Awakened[6] as Mage-class could interpret them . .

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Mr . Song read the first line of the tablet:.

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“ ‘Commandments of the Cartenon Temple’[7] ” .

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Jinwoo listened to Mr . Song’s reading of the tablet with a serious expression . But then suddenly, someone grabbed his arm . .

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Turning around, he saw Juhee looking at him with a pale, fear-stricken face . .

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Translator’s Notes:.

[1]: “Statue of God” (신상 [神像]; Shin-Sang): “God” Shin + “Statue” Sang.

[2]: “my god…”: Just an “omg”, not specifically saying that the statue was his god . .

[3]: “Statue of Liberty”: Heel-to-Head Height: ~111 feet . .

[4]: “Magic Circle” (마법진; Ma-Beop-Jin): “Magic” Ma-Beop + “Circle” Jin.

[5]: “Runic” (룬 문자; Rune Mun-Ja): Rune (in English) + “Text” Mun-Ja.

[6]: “Awakened” (각성; Gak-Sung): Terminology used to describe the phenomenon where humans awaken special powers . Those that awaken obtain specific repertoire of abilities and skills fitting to a certain class (Fighter, Mage, Healer, etc…).

[7]: “Commandments of the Cartenon Temple” (카르테논 신전의 규율): The korean word for “commandments” actually is closer to an uncommon way of saying “rule”, but I’ve translated as “commandment” for a minor story purpose later on . I couldn’t find a direct translation for “Cartenon”, so this is just a pronunciation choice . .