Chapter 80: End Cave

“That place? Where is that?”

Don’t they have to tell me where to go?

—End Cave.

Click.

With those words, the Artifact’s call cut off.

‘Are these bastards messing with me…’

My fist clenched on its own from irritation.

‘End Cave, my ass.’

It was obviously a trap. But even so, I couldn’t just not go.

The fact that they mentioned two people… meant that not only Claire, but Mr. Luca was there with her too. They were holding them hostage, weren’t they.

‘But why End Cave of all places?’

End Cave is an S-Rank Gate that hasn’t been cleared yet. What were they thinking, setting a trap in such a dangerously reckless place?

Anyway, they knew who I was. Maybe they chose that location just to provoke me.

“Hoo.”

I took a few light breaths to calm myself down. Then I manipulated the Artifact.

“Mr. Marcel.”

—Yes. Did you make contact well?

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

—…Is there anything we can help with?

“No, it’s fine.”

—…If something truly difficult comes up, please tell me. I’ll do my best within what I can manage.

“I appreciate the thought. But it’s fine.”

I understood Marcel’s feelings. He probably didn’t want to be a burden, or wanted to be of some help to me.

But sorry to say, if Mr. Luca and Claire couldn’t even handle them, having Marcel there wouldn’t help much — or he’d just end up taken hostage too.

“You know my skills, Mr. Marcel, right?”

And more than anything, I didn’t want to drag those two into this.

—Yess…

“So don’t worry, and just stay with Deneb today. You can go out somewhere, I don’t mind. We should be celebrating yesterday’s victory together, but something came up. Sorry I can’t be with you.”

—…Yes. I understand.

With those words, I cut off the Artifact’s call.

‘Their target is me.’

With Mr. Luca and Claire already taken hostage, they probably wouldn’t bother going after those two.

I knew where End Cave was.

…How could I forget that place?

* * *

A place far from the city.

Once, this too was part of the city, but after the Gates appeared, the sun stopped rising here, and the ominous atmosphere drove everyone away — now it was an empty land, silent as if haunted.

Step.

I stepped onto that land.

‘Long time no see.’

Lately, it felt like everywhere I went, I was thinking “long time no see.”

Well, I had been holed up in my room doing nothing for a while. But after my body changed, I really experienced all sorts of things. Sometimes I acted alone like before, but this time I cleared Gates with companions or joined as a mercenary for other guilds… Well, I still took up almost all the weight, same as before, but I think my mindset was a little different.

How should I put it — I had more leeway now. Back then, I only ran straight for the top.

But lately, I had no reason or need for that. Aside from the debt, there was nothing really bothering me. And even that debt — Mr. Luca wasn’t pressing me, so I didn’t need to pay it back urgently… Maybe Mr. Luca would have waited for me my whole life, even if I never repaid it.

‘Well, that doesn’t mean not paying it back isn’t shameless.’

I know my personality is shitty, but that doesn’t mean I’m ungrateful. Without Mr. Luca, the me before my body changed wouldn’t have been able to climb that high. And after my body changed, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far either.

‘…Come to think of it, it was all because of Mr. Luca.’

Wasn’t the body change itself his fault?

Before my body changed, it was Mr. Luca who helped me make contact with the Association regarding the End Cave clearance.

Maybe that’s why he felt responsible and helped me to the very end.

It was me who accepted the Association’s terms in the first place, but… Mr. Luca must have felt a sense of responsibility.

‘…Well, I guess even a shitty S-Rank Gate has security.’

As the figures standing guard came into view, I stopped walking and lowered my posture to hide.

Slowly raising my head, I saw the massive Gate, blending into nature and taking the form of a cave.

S-Rank Gate, End Cave.

Three years had passed, but that Gate was still spilling green light from within.

‘Amazing.’

A Dungeon Break still hadn’t occurred.

—…I hope you don’t die. No matter what accusations you hear.

Come to think of it, I did hear something like that.

I never thought it’d be his last words, though…

I know why a Dungeon Break hasn’t happened in this Gate.

Someone made a sacrifice.

Of course, since there’s never been a case like this before, explaining it to anyone else would just sound like a wild fantasy… but I’m certain. I firmly believe that this Gate hasn’t suffered a Dungeon Break because of his sacrifice.

If that sacrifice hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been branded a murderer. But a Dungeon Break would have occurred, and there would have been massive casualties.

Jihyeok asked me once. Why didn’t I reveal that at the hearing?

‘What’s the point of revealing it? They wouldn’t believe me anyway.’

Even if I claimed that his sacrifice was why the Dungeon Break didn’t happen, probably no one would have believed him.

If I’d been someone who’d built up a lot of good deeds, there might have been a few people who believed me, but as an active Hunter, I’d made too many enemies. In fact, at the hearing, the only people on my side were Mr. Luca and Jihyeok.

In the first place, if I’d succeeded in clearing the Gate, there wouldn’t have been any problem. But I failed, and a non-Awakened person got caught up in it, and everything fell apart.

‘…Iris.’

I muttered the name of the non-Awakened woman who was with me back then.

She was a woman of unknown identity, but I felt a pull toward her.

It wasn’t just romantic feelings. She was… actually very special. She saw through everything that was going to happen. Even her own death.

‘That goddamn woman…’

Damn it all, Iris had foreseen my failure from the start. She ran toward the boss with those last words about hoping I wouldn’t die, and thanks to the time she bought, Jihyeok and I managed to escape from End Cave.

I walk forward slowly.

The place where I was destroyed.

The Gate that Yoschuko Verdiol last entered.

Back then, three of us went in, and two came out.

But this time, I have to go alone.

And I have to rescue the two of them.

‘Ugh…’

Maybe because I’m nervous about something I don’t usually do, a little nausea rises up.

‘I never thought I’d come back here.’

Even as I think that, my hands are trembling strangely.

Without a word, I grab my trembling hand with the other.

I know why I’m shaking.

Facing a place where you failed is never easy.

Even just passing by it makes me shudder and get goosebumps.

To be honest, I’m scared.

Even before End Cave, I’d nearly died plenty of times.

When the two of us tackled an S-Rank Gate alone, there were many close calls where a single mistake could have meant death.

But I wasn’t that shaken. I had confidence. Even if I nearly died, I was sure I wouldn’t. I told myself I could get through a hardship like that.

But End Cave was different.

Dread. Terror.

It was the first time I’d felt that since starting my life as a Hunter.

The boss of End Cave was on a completely different level, even among S-Rank Gates.

‘I’m not here to clear the Gate. I won’t even run into the boss.’

I let out a deep breath. Today, I’m not here to clear End Cave.

I’m just here to wipe out the bastards holding hostages in End Cave… and rescue those two.

No matter how impressive those guys are.

Even if Vasquez awakened the ability to control Demon Beasts, and the others are some kind of incredible powerhouses.

They won’t be able to do anything about End Cave’s boss. This is a place where even S-Rank Hunters have died in droves. In my opinion, Vasquez would die the moment he laid eyes on it.

So those bastards probably didn’t go into the Boss Room either. Besides, Iris sealed the Boss Room, so they couldn’t enter anyway.

‘I wonder if there are any Demon Beasts left.’

All the Demon Beasts that appeared in End Cave were S-Rank, and since each individual was S-Rank, they were incredibly strong. They weren’t the common trash mobs you run into in lower Gates; every single one was as strong as a Boss-Rank. Even the first one we took down, Eblis, could probably cut down dozens of A-Rank Gate bosses.

The Five Great Guilds tried once as a united front.

Jihyeok and I tried once.

And then the Five Great Guilds united again for another try.

There were three total attempts to clear it.

Since we didn’t run into any Demon Beasts when Jihyeok and I escaped, maybe only the boss is left.

Or maybe Karelin and her group already took it down.

‘…Guess I’ll go.’

I cast a stealth spell first, then slowly approached the Gate, avoiding the guards’ line of sight.

It wasn’t as hard as I thought. Probably because no one had entered in all these years, the guards had gotten lax.

‘…Hoo.’

Standing in front of the Gate, I felt a little conflicted.

Once I step inside, maybe I won’t be able to come back.

Actually, I’ll probably have to fight Karelin and her organization before I even get to the Demon Beasts in End Cave.

If they’re waiting here, they’ve got some nerve.

‘I’m ready.’

I slowly reached my hand toward the light flowing from the Gate. The moment my hand touched the light, I felt something pulling me in, and my body was sucked straight into the Gate.

* * *

Luckily, I didn’t lose consciousness. No matter how many times I blinked, all I could see was darkness.

[ Flame Element — Fireball Lv.1 ]

I stretched out my right hand and conjured a Fireball to light up the area, revealing a straight path stretching ahead.

‘I’ve never seen this path before.’

Even though I’d been here once before and remembered where the entrance and exit were, the path stretching out in front of me felt completely unfamiliar.

But there was no other way, so I carefully took one step at a time.

[ Stealth Lv.4 ]

Just in case, I cast my highest-level stealth spell too. This place might be used as a hideout by Karelin’s group.

Since this Gate had been abandoned for so long, no one would be coming through here — it was the perfect place to hide. And there’s no way the guards outside would come in.

‘Maybe the guards are in on it too.’

I was walking as carefully as I could, keeping my guard up, when—

*Step.*

‘…!’

I heard footsteps that weren’t mine.

I immediately dismissed the Fireball. Then I pressed myself against the wall and walked step by step, muffling my sound as much as possible.

After about ten steps, I saw a figure sitting in a chair through a gap in the cave wall.

I moved a little closer to see who it was, and barely managed to cover my mouth before a sound escaped.

‘Mr. Luca…!’

It was Mr. Luca.

Mr. Luca was…sitting in that chair, his entire body drenched in blood.