Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy - Chapter 83
Only Noblemtl
Episode 83: Tunnel Infiltration (1)
“You, who the hell are you guys!”
The gatekeepers, who had barely managed to pull themselves together, shouted. But strangely, the robed men did not attack them.
I suddenly thought that was strange, but my doubts didn’t last long.
‘They must be ignoring us… …!’
‘Damn it! Are you kidding me!’
‘You’re the type of people who enjoy watching the weak struggle. How evil!’
The gatekeepers swallowed their sighs, guessing as they did so. Because… … .
It’s embarrassing to admit, but the gap in skill between them and them was huge.
‘We can’t beat them.’
In fact, the gatekeepers were proud of themselves for being strong. It was because they were strong that ‘He’ had assigned them the role of gatekeeper of the Bateville tunnel.
But… … it wasn’t even a match!?
‘I couldn’t even brush the sleeves!’
As the gatekeepers desperately attacked, they leisurely evaded them. It was as if they could clearly see the attack path.
And what about the counterattack that came back? It was much slower and weaker than the expected power they had. It was as if they were deliberately controlling their power.
‘It’s like a fight between an adult and a child.’
The gatekeepers gritted their teeth. Their defeat was certain.
I don’t know what the authors’ identities are, but they are undoubtedly uninvited guests with impure intentions.
I was confident that I had been active as a gatekeeper for a long time.
“You wicked Lampasians! There is no door that will be opened to scoundrels like you!”
The gatekeeper, barely able to muster a voice, shouted desperately and quickly put his hand into his pocket. He felt a hard sensation.
If we destroy this ‘horn’ inside, a signal will automatically be sent to our ‘captain’ who manages the tunnel.
Then the captain will be able to defeat the authors. He is known as one of the strongest men in the North Continent. He is stronger than them by a different degree.
In that short time, the lives of the gatekeepers were uncertain… … but compared to the countless lives inside the tunnel, it was a small price to pay. It was lighter than a feather. It was a price I could pay.
“Wait, wait! I think there’s a misunderstanding here… … No, it’s the same. We’re not enemies.”
As the one in the lead shouted urgently, the strangers took off their robes.
Then the gatekeepers opened their eyes wide.
“You guys… … !”
Because the people in front of them were people they knew very well!
“Wow, I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this!”
“It is a great honor to meet you!”
The gatekeepers, who looked very nervous, shouted in unison.
They were so focused on the identities of the five people before their eyes that they seemed to have forgotten that they had been subdued.
“Huh? Do you know us?”
The largest of the five asked. The gatekeepers’ eyes lit up and they answered enthusiastically.
“Of course! How could I not know! The heroes of the same ‘Frauki’… …!”
Because they were hunters from ‘Frauki’ who passed after many years!
Golem Sorcerer, Batan.
The witch, Melissa.
Archer, Hake.
Natuia, the Spearmaster.
Martial arts, Frau.
And although it is not here… … even Tamur of Geosan!
The 616th Hunters have successfully demonstrated their skills and proven their qualifications in this year’s Hunter Exam!
The five people who were suspiciously wearing robes were them!
‘somehow!’
The source of the strength they were showing off became real. Because they were hunters.
“Since the Golden Generation of 10 Hunters, including the Emperor’s Special Hunter, five years ago, there hasn’t been a Hunter from Frauki, right? Then this year, you appeared like a comet! Whoa-! I can’t tell you how proud I am! Frauki’s pride!”
“We were on the edge of our seats watching the entire test broadcast! It was a shame that they surprised us at the last minute!”
“Although, in the middle of the test, the broadcast was cut off because of that damned guy, Zerap Gnaud, so I couldn’t watch until the end… … .”
“Tch! Of all people, I have to team up with a villain like Depicio. He deserves to be thrown into a hot pit of fire.”
But unfortunately, since then, no hunters from Frauki have been born.
That was a real shame… … This year, six Frauki compatriots, hunters, were born! Half of all the successful applicants were of their compatriots!
“Frauki? What is that, yay!”
“Huh? What did you just say, Mr. Batan?”
The largest man, Golem-caster Batan, was about to say something when he suddenly fell to the ground, grabbing his shin.
“… … It’s nothing, I guess. I guess Batan was tired. He came right after finishing his training.”
“I see. You must have had a hard time.”
Before the gatekeeper could even wonder, Melissa, the only woman in the group, smiled awkwardly enough to tell a puppet to go away.
“By the way, why do you guys come here?”
“Hold on, vacation, hake, hometown, visit.”
“Ah~ Natuya, I’ll tell you. This is my hometown, you know. I brought some of my friends here while I was on vacation for a few weeks. I owe them a lot, so I wanted to repay them.”
Following the stuttering Natuia and the babbling Hake, the martial artist and kangaroo man, Frau, spoke.
“Ahem. Anyway, our faces are like a guarantee of our identity. I guess this is enough proof. Can we come in?”
“Oh, that’s a valid point, but… … .”
The gatekeeper said in embarrassment.
“This is just a procedure, after all.”
“I would like to accommodate you, the heroes of Frauki, but what can I do as a lowly servant? I need a separate badge to prove your identity.”
“Isn’t the world a dangerous place? Please help me out.”
The gatekeepers stood on alert, as if they were happy to see us again.
Even though he has already been subdued once without being able to land a single blow, he seems determined to resist to the end.
As the atmosphere grew heavier among the five people who had such mysterious expressions that it was impossible to read their thoughts.
“Of course I will cooperate.”
chuck.
Led by Batan, they took something out of their bosom and showed it to me.
A flashy, square-shaped communications device.
‘Nexion!’
A cutting-edge artifact that is only permitted to ‘Hunters’!
Jiying-
As they tapped and manipulated the TokTok Nexion, a huge image appeared in the air right above them. A yellow star in the shape of a pointed polygon in the center. Six white stars surrounding it… … .
The seven stars shining brightly, illuminating the pitch-black darkness, seemed to symbolize hope in themselves.
It was a phrase representing the ‘World Hunter Association’!
[I hereby certify that the person before you is a member of the World Hunter Association.]
The gatekeepers’ eyes widened in shock.
There’s no doubt about it! That must be Nexion… … !
“How is it? Is it lacking?”
“No! That’s enough! Thank you for your cooperation.”
The gatekeepers opened the passage by striking the patterns drawn on the rock wall in the same strange rhythm as before.
“If you go straight along this road, you will come across the Batevill Tunnel. Come on in.”
“Hmm. Thank you. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Have a nice time!”
Leaving behind the politely greeting gatekeepers, the five rookie hunters entered the passage.
Knock knock knock.
Their new form completely disappeared, and rocks rose up to hide the passage.
“… … .”
The gatekeepers looked at each other and exchanged a mysterious look.
Meanwhile, the five hunters walked down the passage without saying a word, seemingly exhausted.
The inside of the passage, which continued in a straight line, was a long and narrow space where only two or three people could barely pass.
Knock, knock!
The darkness that had spread all around was brightly lit by the torches lined up on the wall.
Drops of groundwater dripping from the ceiling and moss growing here and there appeared grayish through the swaying flames.
“… … I think it’s okay to speak now.”
When they had walked quite a distance from the checkpoint, someone spoke in a cautious voice.
To my surprise, it was none other than Natuia!
“Even the most highly developed of the five senses of the water race won’t be able to hear it at this distance. Just in case, we’ve created a barrier.”
Accustomed to breathing underwater and communicating in aquatic language, he was unfamiliar with communicating through the oral medium of the obscure Lampas language.
So, Natuia, who used to communicate by listing words rather than making sentences, was now speaking Lampas very fluently!
“Then, shall we take a short break here? We still have a bit more to go before we reach the entrance to the Batavil tunnel.”
Frau, who always spoke passionately, spoke calmly and elegantly.
“Oh. Then can I tell you? What on earth is ‘Frauki’? I’ve been really curious about this guy for a while now. What is it? Is it related to Frau?”
Batan, who always displayed a solemn and serious attitude, was incredibly frivolous.
“… … ‘Frauki’ is a word used by the different races, including the Suin and the minority, to refer to themselves. To the Rampas, they are different races, but to them, they are no different from the same race. Don’t you know such obvious common sense… … Tsk! You idiot whose only thoughts are alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling.”
Melissa, who was always kind and affectionate, was speaking to me in a cold, even sarcastic way.
“I agree with taking a break~”
Only Hake was no different than before. The reason why this absurd situation occurred was… … .
-If you drink this potion, you can transform into someone else’s appearance! I asked Melissa in advance to make a potion that resembles your appearance.
Melissa’s transformation potion! After drinking it, the appearances of the party changed completely.
Gale is the golem magician Batan.
Sersia is a mermaid-type sorcerer named Natuia.
Yana is a fighter with Frau.
And Calix… … transformed into the witch, Melissa.
-This potion has strong instant effects. Normally, the effects would last for three days after it was made, but two days were wasted in the process of receiving the potion.
-The time the transformation will last is… …only one day! About 24 hours.
“If we subtract the time it took us to find the tunnel and come down, we have about 18 hours left.”
“Yes. You must find it in there.”
The Spero members, Yana, and Hake came to the tunnel for one reason.
‘Depichio!’
Why did they plot to attack the Hunter Association, and what did they plan to do with Clover Trading Company?
So… …what is the weakness that will raise up and then destroy Depicio!
What on earth is their purpose!
All the answers were here, in the Batavil Tunnel.
‘I don’t know why the answer is here, though.’
Elwin, that guy is so sure of what he says, so it’s probably true.
Because in my experience, there has never been a time when that guy’s actions were without reason.
Thump thump thump.
“This is… … the end!”
Gale, who had been wrestling with Nexion for a while, smiled with satisfaction.
This should have informed Elwin of our route and location.
Unlike video and communication devices that had extremely poor magical efficiency and could not even connect beyond a certain distance, Nexion was a cutting-edge magical communication device that could communicate with other Nexions anywhere in the world.
Despite the considerable distance, there was no problem in communicating with Elwin and the Spero unit on the ground.
“Little kid, what on earth is that guy up to that he wants to stay on the ground, huh?”
And what kind of extraordinary incident will they be plotting this time?
I’m worried about getting caught up in that grand plan, but on the other hand…
“An ordinary man like me would never have guessed.”
I was looking forward to it.