Chapter 20 (2/2)

“That’s all for now. As soon as we enter, there will be an electric strike.”

Upon hearing that, Randy opened his sub-space without a word and took out an item.

“I have enough stock. We can all endure a day.”

Currently, the stock was sufficient. However, there was no such thing as too much equipment. It wasn’t just because one couldn’t go down the tower and back up again, but also because the items we had right now were virtually all that humanity had. Randy’s words contained such a heavy meaning. We could endure it for about a day from now on, but we had no choice but to endure it with our bare bodies if we were to need this item again.

Everyone knew the meaning, but they didn’t dare speak about it. They carefully distributed the items. This was so that they could use it right before the door opened. Angelica’s expression stiffened.

“Sorry, if I could have more detailed prophecies…”

I interrupted.

“No, Angelica. It is because of you that we were able to come this far in the first place.”

That was right. Thanks to Angelica, we were prepared in advance and were able to climb the tower at high speed.

“It’s done!”

Hibiki came to us after completing the Mana pattern. Behind her, blue mana began to circulate through the tightly closed door. We were now ready to open said door. Sweating, Hibiki began to spit out profanities.

“Damn, I’m going to break the Dimensional Bird’s egg or whatever with my own hands! Why does it demand so much work?”

The gate opened, and the Earth tutorial ended when we reach the 100th floor. We had come all the way here to break the Dimensional Bird’s egg there. When the tutorial was over, the egg was broken, and the dimensional storm raged. Our dimension would be swept away from the connected dimensional group.

It was a phenomenon that occurred because there was no dimensional bird to guide our world. It was as if a ship hit by a storm without the captain was lost from the fleet and disappeared into the remote sea. As a result, all the ropes connecting our ship and other ships would be cut off.

‘In other words, all dungeons will be closed.’

That was humanity’s plan. After the collapse of the SSS-class dungeon, most of the world’s governments collapsed, and civilization retreated. The hunters were leading the human race, and among them, five had gathered here. We had chosen the distancing of Earth or ‘severance’ in our expression. Yes, since we had made that choice, we all had to go up to the 100th floor and find the Dimensional Bird’s egg.

“···”

Huh? Wait a minute. No, wait a minute. Stop! I froze in the position I stood in. The feeling of incongruity, driven like a cold wave, turned into a sense of crisis and then into fear. Something was wrong. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. Everything that I saw stopped like a paused video. Someone’s familiar voice in my head spoke in an unfamiliar tone.

‘Too many had died that time. That’s all.’

The landscape in front of me shook and collapsed, and new scenes passed by. She put the Dimensional Bird’s Egg, which must be broken, into a sub-space. She had said that she would never break it.

“What’s up, grandpa?”

Nate looked at me. The smile that floated on his pale face was fragile, like a piece of glass that would break at any time. There was an elongated wound just under his chin. His bone was visible between the deeply cut gaps — the trace left by his attack skill, Bone Blade. Nate’s half-cut throat oozed blood like a waterfall. It poured out as if it would never stop.

When I got myself together, the hall we were in became a sea of ​​blood. Everyone fell, the bodies of my colleagues quickly becoming immersed in blood. And in the middle, Angelica stood alone, looking at me.

“···You!”

She was laughing with cold, twisted lips. Our eyes met, and I screamed.

“Angelica!”

Then the world came crashing down around me.

*

“Customer, we are here.”

I opened my eyes.

Waiting for an answer, the taxi driver looked at me through the rear-view mirror. I breathed out quickly.

‘It was an unpleasant nightmare.’

I managed to get up, pay the fare, get out, and used Stealth again. I began thinking to myself as I returned home while hiding.

‘Am I mentally exhausted?’

On the very day of Awakening, I trained with my mana all day, immediately entered the dungeon, cleared it for the first time, and even fought with the Optimus Guild.

‘No, it must be both my body and mind.’

Even if I were a Hunter, there was no way I wouldn’t be tired of this level of a run. Currently, my active Mana box was only about 600. Through training and combat, the limit had increased by 200 compared to the moment where I Awakened, and thanks to the mana absorbed from the cores, it was more than the limit, but with this mana, I couldn’t rebuild my body to my satisfaction.

Compared to ordinary people, all hunters were like superhumans, but the level difference was remarkable, even when compared to other hunters. In particular, if it exceeded a 30,000 active Mana box, which was the minimum condition for SS-class promotion, the person became closer to something beyond human understanding. Compared to that, I was still far away.

‘I had a nightmare because I was tired.’

I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking. An unresolved question lingered in my mind.

‘Why did Angelica have to do that?’

Why had she been acting for such a long time, and at the last moment, why did she try to overturn everything and lead humanity to a path of destruction?

‘I can’t understand her motivation.’

Why did she kill her colleagues? It was probably because others wouldn’t support her choice not to break the Dimensional Bird’s egg. Since it was a violation of her colleagues’ strong beliefs and goals, she couldn’t have suppressed it even with her brainwashing skills. If so, the question came back.

‘What was she trying to achieve by continuously connecting the Earth to the dungeons without breaking the Dimensional Bird’s Egg?’

Perhaps today’s report may give out clues. Even if I didn’t get to know the answer forever, I would change history so that it didn’t repeat itself.

‘I have arrived.’

I quietly entered the house. I walked to the hallway in front of my room without being noticed by anyone. I tried to open the door.

‘······!’

I heard an unexpected sound over the door. I soon noticed what was happening in the room.