"There are so many people!"
"Right. Is there some kind of festival going on?"
"It's way too boring for a festival!"
I looked around at the hundreds of tents positioned near the crater. They resembled the Mongolian nomadic gers I'd once seen on NewTube.
"Who's there?"
The people near the bonfire reached for their waists. They seemed to be standing guard.
"Hello."
I moved a little closer. I needed to show them quickly. The universally effective cuteness of chubby Momo and pointy-eared Kancho.
"A child...?"
"And there's a pet too."
Sure enough, the effect was tremendous. People immediately relaxed and took their hands off their weapons.
"Woof!"
"Ah! The raccoon barked!"
Kancho looked at me. I'd told him not to bark after he did it in front of Yoo Jin-hee and Mrs. Kim Min-ji. But he'd already forgotten.
"Are you a stranger?"
An old man walked out from between the guards and looked me and my friends over.
"Hello. I'm a traveler climbing the tower."
"Oh? With those little ones? And you're young yourself."
The old man stepped aside and tilted his head.
"Come in. We have enough food for two or three more."
"Thank you. Momo and Kancho too..."
"Why is the raccoon barking!?"
"Ow ow! I forgot! Let go of my ear! It's really going to rip!"
The Kancho-Momo duo were already rolling on the ground before I could stop them. It was a familiar sight to me, but somehow, it felt a little embarrassing in front of people seeing it for the first time.
"Oh my, the raccoon can talk too."
"Hey, you there! I'm not a raccoon, I'm a Yodel!"
"Even the way you get angry is adorably pathetic."
"What did you just say... Gyaaah!"
I quickly retrieved them, positioning Kancho on the left and Momo on the right, then followed the old man. If I left them alone, they might fight until dawn.
"My name is Katman, the chieftain."
"I'm Yoo Jin-hyuk. These are Momo and Kancho. So, what is this place?"
"A waiting area. We're waiting. For the path to open."
The old man pointed at the crater in front of us. Now that I looked, the entire crater was covered in a translucent barrier.
'Oh, what's that?'
I didn't even need to sense their presence. Two massive heads rose from the center of the crater. They looked incredibly fierce, like the dokkaebi or yacha from traditional Korean paintings. And if I could see them from here, that meant they were at least twenty meters tall, right?
"They're the gatekeepers. They block anyone who approaches before the path opens."
Ding!
[The clear condition for Floor 27 of the Mythical Tower has been updated!]
[Obtain the rightful qualification and pass through the giant crater!]
[When the barrier disappears and the path opens, the qualification will be granted automatically!]
'Oh? What a jackpot.'
[The path opens periodically every 400 hours! 372 hours remaining until the next opening!]
Jackpot retracted. I knew it was too good to be true. 372 hours? No way.
"Sir. Are you really going to wait here for 372 more hours?"
"Oh? How does a stranger know that? That's right. We still have to wait a few more days. That's why we prepared all this food. Would you like a bowl? It'll warm you up."
"I'm fine. We just ate."
"That kid doesn't look fine."
Drool was streaming down from the mouth of the Great Demon Empress, staring at the soup pot.
"Could I have two bowls, please? We have a lot of food too, so I'll share some. Momo."
"No, a stranger might have a lot of food, but... Kugh!"
Chief Katman's jaw dropped. Chubby Momo floated down, opened a door in midair, and pulled out a massive amount of food. Katman stared at Jin-hyuk and the two kids with trembling eyes. Just who were these guys?
"This is food from my region. I'll gladly accept the soup."
"If you add mussels to this, it's seafood soup!"
She skillfully opened a mussel shell and tossed it into the soup.
"Momotal! Give me one too!"
"I have leftover octopus from earlier too!"
I thought they were just going to have a simple bowl of soup. I was wrong. As expected of the Demon Empress. She never half-assed a meal, no matter where she was.
"But, sir. Are there monsters around here? I noticed a lot of guards on the way in."
"You must be new here. This area is the habitat of dire wolves. The moment you let your guard down, they'll take your food and even your people."
Katman pointed at the boxes stacked outside.
"That's why we leave them out in advance. They don't understand us, but it's a kind of transaction. A signal that they shouldn't touch us."
"Oh. So dire wolves have that much intelligence."
"I can't be sure, but there haven't been any attacks recently. Still, we keep watch just in case."
The old man let out a deep sigh.
"It's tough enough as it is with our food supplies being tight, but having to feed the monsters too is a real pain. If only the path would open sooner."
Katman let out another groan and stared at the firmly sealed crater. A nomadic tribe that traded with the city beyond the crater for necessary supplies. For these people who had to travel back and forth regularly, the dire wolves and the sealed path were a double-edged sword.
"Sir. Do you know where the dire wolves' habitat is?"
"No. I never dared to follow them. They're clever and rarely leave any traces."
"I see. Kancho."
Whoosh!
Kancho came running, his fur soaked with soup.
"Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho reporting! You called, sir!"
I leaned down, whispered in his ear, and patted his shoulder.
"Understood! I'll carry out the mission after I finish eating... Hey, you pig! Stop shoving your chubby head into my soup bowl!"
"Hurry up and go. You'll miss out."
"Roger that!"
Kancho ran off and drop-kicked Momo, sending her rolling away. I smiled and started walking.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to meet the gatekeepers for a bit."
A giant question mark formed on Katman's face. Meet who? The nearby tribe members also stared at Jin-hyuk with blank expressions. Couldn't they see them? Those overwhelmingly massive figures, bigger than most buildings.
"Don't go! If you upset them, you might not come back!"
"That's right! It's too dangerous!"
I smiled and gave them a thumbs-up.
"I'm pretty good at not upsetting people. So don't worry. I'll just ask them a few things, very politely."
I stretched and started walking. Kancho had said that the entire land was saturated with a scent similar to Marvin Rodriguez's. That's why I was confident. The crater that had existed for a long time and the gatekeepers who guarded it. They would have the answers.
* * *
In the center of the crater, the gatekeepers Mad and Odd were moving stones on a board.
"Stupid Odd. Don't you know you'll lose if you move it there?"
"Oh, damn it! I forgot again! How many times is that?"
"That's the 7,421st time. I win again."
They swept the board clean and set up the stones again. It was time to start another round of the game that had been going on for decades.
Thump! Thump!
They turned their heads at the vibration echoing through the barrier. He was so small that they couldn't see him without looking closely.
"Hello!"
Mad and Odd squinted. This happened once every few years. Reckless young tribe members who sneaked out to talk to them.
"Go back. It's not time yet."
"No matter how urgent your situation is, we can't help it. You have to wait until the time comes."
The two gatekeepers' eyes shifted to the center of the crater. The seed they were guarding was currently exposed, basking in the sun. They couldn't allow anything to enter or leave until the seed went back inside.
"Can't we just talk for a bit?!"
"You're too small for us to hear you properly. And we don't feel like listening anyway. So get lost."
Unlike Mad, who waved his hand dismissively, Odd showed some interest in Jin-hyuk. It made sense. All he did here was play stones while staring at Mad's ugly face. These occasional events were a welcome break.
Odd leaned down and gave a playful smile.
"If you come inside the barrier, I'll be your playmate."
"Stop your nonsense, Odd."
Mad said in an irritated tone. This barrier was set up by the Master himself decades ago, and even they, the gatekeepers, couldn't do anything about it. There was no way a tiny thing like that could get in.
"Does it matter what method I use? Even if the barrier might disappear?"
Odd and Mad looked at each other. Then.
"Wahahahahahaha!!"
"Kyahahahahahahaha!!!"
They burst out laughing, shaking the entire crater. Their days were filled with boredom and tedium. They couldn't remember the last time they'd laughed like this.
Mad wiped his tears and patted Odd on the shoulder.
"You were right this time, Odd. This is the funniest grain of sand I've ever seen!"
"I knew it! That's why I talked to him! I had a feeling he'd be fun!"
After laughing for a long time, Odd finally managed to speak.
"Go ahead, do your best. If you can get in, I'll grant you anything you want!"
"Oh! Really? That's great."
Odd and Mad started laughing again, not caring what Jin-hyuk said. Because of that, the two gatekeepers didn't notice. The presence of the full god, Kamela Sirin, who had manifested beside Jin-hyuk.
"Kamela. I got permission. He said I can tear it apart."
"Perfect timing. I've been wanting to try this."
Kamela smiled and reached into her bosom. The new divine artifact she had obtained from the Island of Artifacts, Famiran. The Fangs of Erosion.
Whoooosh.
Kamela exhaled the smoke she had deeply inhaled. It spread instantly, obscuring their vision. Through the smoke, the full god's voice leaked out.
"The pollution that wandered deep underground has descended and settled at the tips of the fangs. The hidden and covered shell will sicken, and the boundary that blocks the path will be tainted with denial. Nothing remains intact where the fangs have swept. Now, oh something that blocks my path..."
Hundreds of black hands materialized from thin air, layering themselves over the hand gripping the fangs. Kamela, her lips curled into a long smile, whispered lowly.
"Crack."
With that single word, the Fangs of Erosion plunged into the barrier. From that point, pitch-black cracks spread across the entire barrier. And a few seconds later.
CRAAAAASH!!!!
With a sharp shattering sound, the barrier exploded and collapsed.
A smile spread across Jin-hyuk's lips.
372 hours?
That had never been an option. He had no intention of waiting quietly.
Step.
He stepped past the shattered barrier.
Crater entry complete!
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T/N:
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