Chapter 76: Chapter 76

[Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 76: Catastrophe, and Another Chance

“What happens to the dungeon after a week?”

“Two B-rank dungeons have appeared in the meantime.”

That’s slower compared to the rate of one appearing daily.

At least that’s some relief.

“No monsters have come out yet?”

“They’re emerging from a dungeon portal near Calcutta. It seems you’ll need to head there quickly.”

“Understood.”

I immediately boarded the helicopter that had been prepared for me, heading for the next flight.

Kang Shia, who was seated beside me, wore a grim expression.

“With the appearance of the A-rank dungeon and the massacre that followed, the world is drowning in fear.”

“There hasn’t been such widespread loss of life before, has there?”

“No... When F-rank dungeons first appeared, the monsters were so weak that firearms could easily eliminate them. This is the first time we’ve seen entire cities destroyed.”

I heard that Taiwan, suffering severe losses, was experiencing riots as people ran out of daily necessities.

The fact that I didn’t emerge from the A-rank dungeon threw the world into a state of panic.

Without a way to deal with B-rank dungeons, the global leaders who chose experience points over angelic assistants were being heavily criticized.

It’d be nice if there were other Hunters who could handle B-rank dungeons besides me...

“What’s the current situation in Calcutta?”

“Hunters and the military are working together to defend it. The monsters are ogres, so modern weapons can handle most of them, but some ogres are manifesting as ethereal beings, and Indian Hunters are struggling to contain them.”

Not all B-rank monsters are capable of becoming ethereal.

Still, the situation doesn’t look great...

“We need to get there quickly.”

“Yes...”

We reached the airport, and I parted ways with Kang Shia.

There was no reason for her to accompany me to Calcutta.

Instead, I asked her to return to Korea, manage the situation there, and provide a report.

Once I was alone on the flight, I initiated a communication with Hermes.

“Connect to Hermes.”

[Ah, Jiho. What’s the matter?]

Hermes answered nonchalantly, his relaxed demeanor grating on my nerves.

“An A-rank dungeon has appeared.”

[An A-rank dungeon, you say? Hmm... It seems the time has come.]

Hermes spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“What do you mean by ‘the time has come’?”

[Yes, the timing has arrived once again. Mr. Kim Jiho, endure for 90 days. In three months, Olympus will intervene.]

Olympus will step in after three months?

At least that’s a relief.

There’s no way I can handle the entire world alone.

But three months... maybe I can hold out until then.

[How was the A-rank dungeon?]

“Leonidas appeared. He was cursing Athena.”

[Leonidas… Oh, the King of Sparta! You’ve encountered his Fragment of Chaos.]

“Is Olympus behind this?”

[Yes. After all, they were of Spartan origin.]

“What does Sparta have to do with anything?”

[The Spartans revered Heracles, a traitor who defected from Olympus. All Spartans inherently carried the potential for betrayal. To become warriors of Olympus, only fragments of pure Order were necessary. Athena worked hard to extract those.]

Hermes explained that the souls of Spartans were fragmented to prevent them from following the path of the traitor Heracles.

[The Fragments of Chaos extracted in this way are usually destroyed on the spot. However, some fragments occasionally emerge through dungeon portals.]

“Then... why was a week gone after I cleared the A-rank dungeon?”

[Time tends to progress by a week after clearing A-rank dungeons. We don’t understand the mechanism. It seems to involve the Realm of Chaos.]

“Does this happen with all A-rank dungeons? That’s a big problem.”

[The lack of capable Awakened individuals on Earth is a real issue. Everyone will rely solely on you, Mr. Jiho. Please hold out for three months.]

Three months...

Alright, I’ll endure for three months.

The appearance of A-rank dungeons marked a major upheaval for the world.

Dungeon portals and monsters became an undeniable threat.

A- and B-rank dungeons were appearing in the heart of major cities, forcing people to flee to the outskirts.

But as people moved, lower-ranked dungeons would follow them.

The rate at which dungeon portals were appearing was far too fast.

Smaller nations, unable to secure enough Hunter power, were descending into anarchy.

All of this happened in just 40 days.

I had only cleared four A-rank dungeons, which appeared every ten days, and the world had already changed so drastically.

The latest portal was in Madrid, featuring a dungeon with mostly dragonkin similar to the one I saw in Kevrian.

Not all A-rank dungeons, like the one with Leonidas, contained humans.

Some were populated solely by monsters.

Monsters like these were easier to deal with, but no fragments of Persephone emerged.

Without divine energy like in Kevrian, it wasn’t easy, but I managed to clear it without resorting to using spirit burst.

As I emerged from the dungeon, the soldiers watching me let out sighs of relief.

To them, if I didn’t make it out, they were as good as dead.

“Was everything alright while I was inside?”

“...Sydney has been destroyed.”

“Sydney? What happened?”

Australia has a strong Hunter force, doesn’t it?

“Another A-rank dungeon appeared. Sydney is now overrun by a lich and its undead army.”

“Another A-rank dungeon? Already?”

“Yes. It’s been reported that Sydney’s residents have all been turned into zombies...”

A-rank dungeons used to appear every ten days.

I had been barely managing to keep up with their timing, clearing them one by one.

But now they’re appearing before I can even clear the previous one...?

This is beyond catastrophic.

“...Let’s head to Australia. First, we’ll return to LA.”

With Earth’s worsening situation, I had no choice but to invest in Heimdall’s skill.

After returning to Los Angeles and setting up a return point in my home in Korea, I immediately flew to Sydney.

“Sydney is already lost. It would be better to focus on defending other areas...”

“It’s reported that the lich is advancing across Australia. Even if we destroy the portal, dealing with the already-released lich will be impossible. Let’s prioritize other critical regions...”

The U.S. government subtly suggested abandoning Sydney.

If we give up on the lich, Australia is doomed.

The undead army doesn’t need rest, and with the A-rank lich leading them, all of Australia will eventually fall.

“Which areas are the most critical right now?”

“B-rank dungeons are overwhelming forces worldwide. Even in the U.S., we’re struggling...”

“If we don’t suppress the lich now, all of Australia will be consumed by the undead. In 50 days, the gods will intervene, so let’s hold out until then.”

Faced with my insistence, the Americans eventually relented.

“Understood…” Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Fifty days.

Fifty days were our only hope.

“Phoenix, I’ll need your help. Handle the undead while I clear the dungeon.”

[I’m not sure if my power can reach the dungeon portal while you’re inside, but I’ll do my best.]

I asked the Phoenix to deal with the lich turning Sydney into an undead wasteland.

As I rushed through Sydney’s central district, the city was already a hellscape.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

The lich floated in the sky, overseeing the destruction, while the streets below were filled with zombies.

Judging by their attire, they were once citizens of Sydney, now wandering as the undead.

Ha.

If only there had been one more person capable of handling an A-rank dungeon, this wouldn't have happened.

It's frustrating that I can't summon Diana because I'm only B-rank.

My current level is 144.

Level 200 feels so far away.

Sigh.

For now, I need to clear this quickly.

It’ll likely take 50 days, rather than me reaching level 200.

Clearing the A-rank dungeon wasn’t too difficult.

[The Supreme Commander shall soon descend. Keh-heh-heh…]

The lich vanished with maniacal laughter just before its death in the A-rank dungeon.

So, they’re related to the Supreme Commander this time?

Come to think of it, I could try communicating with Hades.

Maybe I can negotiate using Persephone’s fragment?

“Contact Hades.”

[The other party has blocked communication.]

He blocked me.

Damn it.

There’s no choice.

When I emerged from the dungeon, Sydney was in flames.

When I was B-rank, there were at least soldiers stationed around the dungeon portals, but now that the city’s population is gone…

[Master, you’ve returned.]

The phoenix, now noticeably smaller, flew toward me.

“What happened?”

[There were too many undead. I used too much mana and ended up shrinking. I need to rest for a while.]

With that, the phoenix entered my forehead.

I stared at the burning Sydney for a moment before teleporting back to Korea.

“What’s the current situation?”

[Everyone is just running and hiding, counting down the remaining 43 days. Our country is faring slightly better than others.]

It had only been seven days, but the world was already falling apart.

Too many dungeons have appeared.

Another A-rank dungeon spawned in Japan, while B-rank dungeons now numbered in the dozens.

Lower-ranking dungeons were appearing even more frequently, flooding the world with monsters.

There’s no way the current hunters can handle this.

“No new B-rank hunters among humans, right?”

[No… Even David from the U.S., who was known to have the highest level, has fallen.]

Kang Shia reported the deaths of many high-level awakeners.

It’s hopeless.

We desperately need at least one more B-rank hunter, but instead, we’re losing the strongest among us.

In the end, we can only wait for time to pass...

Each time I cleared an A-rank dungeon, seven days would pass, and the world kept changing.

D-36 days.

Nations began collapsing one by one.

D-29 days.

After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Russia, they pointed their guns at me, demanding I deal with their B-rank dungeons as well.

Did they think firearms would work on me?

I just teleported away.

D-22 days.

After clearing an A-rank dungeon in the Middle East, I heard that Seoul had been half-destroyed by a B-rank dungeon.

Clearing the B-rank dungeon in Seoul, I was swarmed by people begging me to save Koreans first.

I went on to clear all of Korea’s B-rank dungeons.

I was exhausted.

D-15 days.

After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Africa, hunters tried to detain me.

Why not fight the monsters instead?

What are they even doing?

Frustrated, I teleported away.

International cooperation was already dead.

D-8 days.

After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Canada and returning, I received even worse news.

Two A-rank dungeons had spawned simultaneously.

One in Busan.

One in New York.

I chose Busan.

D-1 day.

With one day left, I avoided attempting an A-rank dungeon and focused on clearing B-rank dungeons everywhere.

I spent the next 24 hours like that, and finally, the promised 90 days from Hermes were up.

It had been an excruciating three months.

Inside the helicopter, I waited to see what the gods would do next.

Olympus, please.

Step in this time.

Seriously.

“You’ve done well.”

As if reading my thoughts, Hermes suddenly appeared across from me in the helicopter seat.

As always, he wore his trademark smile.

His physical descent to Earth sparked a flicker of hope in me.

“Are the gods going to intervene directly?”

“Well, you could say that…”

Hermes trailed off, looking at me, and then started speaking about something unexpected.

“Earthlings should be grateful to you, Kim Jiho.”

“To me?”

“Yes. We never expected a Soul Mediator to emerge among Earthlings. And your efficiency far exceeded our expectations.”

Why is he suddenly talking about Soul Mediators?

They should be dealing with the monsters swarming the planet!

“So, we, Olympus, and our allies in Asgard, have decided to give Earth another chance.”

“Another… chance?”

“Yes. We will provide more support for you, Kim Jiho, and work on discovering new Soul Mediators. Hahaha. You should thank me—I had to convince Zeus and Hera with all my might.”

Hermes continued speaking with a cheerful grin.

Another chance…?

He snapped his fingers playfully…

And the world stopped.

The helicopter froze midair.

The people inside, who had been startled by Hermes’s appearance, also froze in place.

In this frozen world, only Hermes and I could move.

And then, a message window appeared.

[The God of Time, Chronos, spreads his authority across the Earth.]

[The God of the Past, Urd, spreads her authority across the Earth.]

The God of Time.

The God of the Past…

It suddenly reminded me of when Diana reversed time.

Don’t tell me…?

“This time, make good use of the opportunity.”

“Yeah. This time, we’ll step in.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]