When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 39



Only Krnovel

39. Instigator of assault

The hunters advanced into the darkness.

Kim Jun-seok is supporting Song Tae-han, who lost one of his ankles, as he moves forward.

Although they exchanged harsh words when things got heated, they moved forward without saying a word.

Joo Ji-hye and Lee Ha-ye, who are walking ahead, are looking around with nervousness.

Kim Jun-seok, who had been injured, had not yet fully recovered, so he was left to support Song Tae-han.

Because the arm must be free to use its full power.

“Do you feel anything?”

“No, nothing.”

Lee Ha-ye shook her head.

“I can’t feel anything, not even a monster. This is the first time I’ve seen a gate this quiet.”

As a person with the ability to detect and heal, she showed her greatest strengths in particular with her outstanding detection ability.

Her unique constitution also supported his ability, and she was able to sense and sense her opponents no matter what obstacles were within an absolute distance.

But now I feel nothing.

Even though the inside of the gate is completely different from the environment on Earth, each has its own unique environment or ecosystem.

But now, not only was there no sign of life, but even the common sounds of water or wind were not felt.

Even though it is a gate in a cavernous terrain, it is a very heterogeneous situation.

“It was pouring down like that at first… Where did all those beetles go?”

Song Tae-han behind him mutters annoyedly.

A complaint that may sound strange in some ways.

But the feelings of other hunters were almost the same.

Since they were low on stamina and had injured people, at first they tried to avoid encountering monsters as much as possible.

I didn’t actually encounter any as I went along, and at first I thought I was lucky.

But as time went by, it only felt stranger.

I’ve been walking for hours now and I haven’t seen anything, not even a single monster.

Considering the large number of beetles and the size of the swarm that first emerged, it is surprising that they have not been seen until now.

‘The gate shouldn’t have been this wide… What on earth is this place?’

Joo Ji-hye’s face also began to look increasingly tired.

I’ve never seen a cave gate this wide.

Even though each gate is different, this was almost unprecedented.

“Something feels strange. I’m not even going in, I’m just going back to the exit. How can it take this long?”

“It’s not that I’m going in the wrong direction. But the terrain around me has been changing strangely lately, so I might be lost.”

“No matter how much I wandered around, this seems a bit much.”

“…Let’s hold on a little longer.”

If you keep going, there will come an end someday.

With that thought in mind, Joo Ji-hye moved forward, encouraging the hunters.

But things didn’t work out as easily as hoped.

Rather, a situation has arisen where it seems as if this makes sense.

“…A week has passed.”

dump!

The hunters didn’t hesitate to sit down.

More than a week had passed without encountering anything, without any fights for our lives.

No, to be exact, we set off on the third day of isolation, so it’s been about four days or so.

During that long walk, I didn’t drink a single drop of water, and all I ate was a piece of strawberry.

No matter how good of a hunter you are, you will inevitably collapse from exhaustion.

“I can’t… go any further.”

Two exhausted men lost consciousness.

They were injured and in poor health, so they couldn’t endure it any longer because they were hungry and overworked.

On the other hand, Lee Ha-ye and Joo Ji-hye are awake.

But I feel like I just want to faint like this.

“We… I guess this is how we’re going to die.”

“…”

“I didn’t die fighting monsters, but rather dying from thirst and hunger. What an unthinkable end.”

Lee Ha-ye leaned her head against the wall and laughed in vain.

It’s not that I’ve never thought about dying at the gate, but I thought I would at least meet a tragic end against a strong enemy or an incoming monster.

But the reality was truly absurd.

To wander endlessly in the utter darkness, only to die without anyone knowing the end.

Death was usually like that.

“…?!”

But at that moment.

Lee Ha-ye, who had her eyes closed listlessly, raised her head with a start.

In that terrible darkness.

Something huge was coming towards us.

“Something is coming.”

At her words, Joo Ji-hye instinctively grabbed her weapon.

Thinking of the unidentified monster lurking inside the gate, I should have gotten up and run away at any moment, but I didn’t have the energy to run away right now.

I just took a deep breath and lifted the sword with what little strength I had left.

Thud thud.

A sound approaching in the darkness.

Joo Ji-hye’s eyes widened at the silhouette that appeared through the thick darkness.

Not a monster, not an unidentified monster, but a person.

I had been thinking about that too, but I had no idea that I would run into that person in a place like this.

“Found it.”

Oh Hyeon-seong appeared walking through the darkness and smiled brightly.

***

Gulp gulp!

Albert caught the sphere of water he had created in the air with his hand and drank it.

They drink water as if they don’t want to miss a single drop.

What tormented the hunters the most was thirst, so they could not come to their senses in this situation when they encountered fresh water.

Was a single stream of water this precious?

As I drank the very cool and refreshing water, I finally felt like I was going to live.

He also opened the mouths of the unconscious men and poured water into them.

Then their complexions improved significantly.

“I… thank you very much. But where did you come from? It seems like this is the first time I’ve seen your face…”

Lee Ha-ye asked Oh Hyeon-seong cautiously.

Any hunter who entered this scene would have to be at least level 10, but it was embarrassing not to know the name of the person who gave him the water.

But it’s natural for her not to know.

“You said you didn’t care about that and were just looking for an exit?”

“Ah… yes.”

“But that’s not a good idea. It’ll take longer to get out from here to the entrance. And above all, you won’t be able to get out. There’s a barrier that repels magic. Ordinary high-ranking hunters won’t be able to come and go!”

“Then, how…”

“I’m going to destroy the core of the gate.”

Bam!

Oh Hyeon-seong struck Lee Ha-ye in the neck.

Then she collapsed without even making a sound.

“Oh, are you dead?”

“Would that be so?”

“Why did you suddenly do that?”

“I’m going to leave these guys here. But if they stay here with their minds still intact, it’ll only be painful. It’s better to leave them to sleep.”

He moved Lee Ha-ye next to the men.

He waved his hand and started walking away.

“In the first place… I won’t be able to hold my wits while going to the gate’s core. It’s not an easy journey.”

“Then what about me?”

“You can endure it. You are my disciple.”

Joo Ji-hye was startled by the words that came in so casually.

Her cheeks slightly blushed, she nodded and followed him.

I didn’t say that to make you feel better.

Even though it is a short-term course of one week, it makes no sense that someone who can endure his own training can’t endure this either.

He thought so.

You could say it’s a matter of pride.

“You guys made some pretty plausible guesses, but unfortunately you were wrong.”

“Huh? So this isn’t a time-distorting gate?”

“Yeah. The gate itself is nothing special. It’s just that the guy hiding in here is out of spec.”

“Ha, but it’s already been a week? There’s no other explanation for why there hasn’t been an eruption yet…”

“It doesn’t control time or manipulate space. Its specialty is twisting people’s perception. In short, it’s nothing more than an illusion.”

It’s not that time flows differently than outside.

I just made you feel that way.

“Then why can’t I still reach the entrance…”

“Yeah, you made me feel like I was wasting space. In reality, you guys didn’t even get very far.”

“After all that hard work…”

Joo Ji-hye was quite shocked.

“Then how do I get out of here?”

“You can’t get out, he’s already established himself, so there’s no way out.”

“Huh? Then it’s not like we can’t reach it? I thought you were saying we should go because there was some way…”

“No matter how much you twist your cognition, there is a limit to how much you can increase or decrease it. If you just keep walking, you will eventually reach it.”

“That… that kind of…”

In short, if you keep walking ignorantly, you will eventually reach it.

“But it wasn’t just an illusion. I felt like I was dying from real dehydration. I wasn’t going to starve to death while walking.”

“Your senses and body will probably feel that way, but just ignore it. You’ll know in your head that it’s not true.”

In the end, it’s about holding on with mental strength.

They walked silently through the dark passage.

We continue to walk through darkness that gets darker the further we walk.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

A series of eerily quiet, empty spaces.

I walk and walk, staring into the ominous darkness filled with thick turbid air.

All they were given was clean water, and they kept walking without even eating.

After about a week of walking like that, Joo Ji-hye’s cheeks had already become pale.

“I… I really think I’m going to die like this…”

“Don’t worry. Even if you’re a real hunter, you can fast for at least two weeks.”

During the days of the special forces, it was not uncommon for agents to go hungry for days on end or even have to control their physiological functions while traveling in the operational area.

There were several instances where Oh Hyun-seong went without eating anything for over a month.

I’m very familiar with this type of thing.

But it is impossible for Joo Ji-hye to get used to it.

Is it really ending?

Even though I knew it was a cognitive illusion, the pain I felt physically was definitely not an illusion.

What torments her the most, more than anything, is this environment.

As I continued to move through the darkness that had become so thick that I could no longer see an inch ahead of me, I began to think that this endless silence and darkness would continue forever.

I tried to overcome my physical limitations with mental strength, but the more I looked into this darkness, the more I reached my mental limit.

“Joo Ji-hye, come to your senses.”

“I’m sorry… I can’t do this anymore…”

“It looks into the hearts of humans and grows stronger by feeding on their negative emotions. Pain, anxiety, fear, frustration, it doesn’t matter. Don’t let it play with you.”

“Ha, but how…”

“If you’re a hunter, don’t be afraid of the unknown. If you’re feeling anxious, just look to me and follow me. I… won’t stop.”

At his words, Joo Ji-hye stared intently at Oh Hyeon-seong’s back.

Then I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.

Breathing heavily, shoulders shaking, and yet legs taking steps.

He too was hungry and tired just like her.

But he didn’t stop.

“… yes.”

Joo Ji-hye walked silently, looking at his back as he walked ahead.

Just looking at his back made me feel reassured for some reason.

It seemed like he was talking.

No matter how painful and difficult it is, you just have to keep moving forward without stopping.

If you keep walking, you will eventually reach the end.

Ugh.

I just kept walking, half-asleep, without thinking, and I had no idea how much time had passed.

Then finally the series of identical passages comes to an end.

A huge door stood in their way.

“…You’re going to have to get hit a lot.”

Kwaaaaang!

Oh Hyun-seong blew the large door away.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────