The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 32

“What is that, Vice President?”

 

“Oh, this? Is it your first time seeing it? It’s one of the quite useful items these days. It’s an item that makes the abilities of high-rank Hunters unstable.”

 

He glanced sideways at Lee Haechan’s personnel file spread out on the table.

 

“It’s a good thing I made a move in advance.”

 

* * *

 

“The clear message popped up, so why isn’t the exit showing?” 

 

Following Yoon Taegyeom, Choi Kwon also searched every nook and cranny inside the gate.

 

However, the familiar light of the exit was nowhere to be seen. 

 

The scenery inside the Gate began to gradually distort, as if looking into water. 

 

The outlines of the buildings blurred, and the boundaries of the ground collapsed.

 

The entire space shook as if writhing.

 

“This is strange…. Unless possessed by something, there’s no way we wouldn’t be able to find the entrance like this—ah!” 

 

At that moment. 

 

A puzzle piece snapped into place inside Choi Kwon’s head with a click. 

 

He suddenly shouted.

 

“Right! That S-rank Hunter!”

 

Choi Kwon’s gaze cut through the air and headed toward one spot.

 

It was the spot where Lee Haechan, who had already disappeared, should have been standing.

 

“That guy called Lee Haechan or whatever, he used to be in the same guild as me. Now I remember. Come to think of it, doesn’t that Hunter have a skill like this? I think there was something like delirium or perception distortion?”

 

At Choi Kwon’s words, Yoon Taegyeom frowned.

 

“Wait. Then this current situation, could it possibly be Hunter Lee Haechan’s doing?”

 

As soon as those words fell, the black lines attached to Kanghyun’s heel began to crack with a crackle crackle sound.

 

The fissure, starting with a hairline crack as thin as hair, spread in an instant, connecting all the way to beneath Yoon Taegyeom’s and Choi Kwon’s feet.

 

As the black lines spread out like that undulated, the ground heaved as if turning over the soil.

 

In an instant, Yoon Taegyeom and Choi Kwon suddenly stopped moving and stared blankly into space.

 

Sensing the threat, Kanghyun grabbed Hana’s hand as if protecting her.

 

It was an instinctive action that came out without even realizing it himself.

 

And almost simultaneously with Kanghyun intertwining his fingers with Hana’s, a system warning window blared.

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

<Skill ‘Nightmare in Illusion (S- rank)’ manifests.> 

<The users’ nightmares are manifested as illusions.> 

<Release Condition: The caster stops channeling the skill.> 

 

Discovering the warning window, Choi Kwon pointed his finger habitually.

 

“Right. Isn’t that Nightmare in Illusion skill also that b*stard Lee Haechan’s skill?”

 

But finishing those words, Choi Kwon’s face distorted. Yoon Taegyeom, who was beside him, was the same.

 

Like a person who had fallen into a deep, unpleasant dream.

 

“Ugh…”

 

A groan leaked from Choi Kwon’s throat.

 

A short curse also flowed from the mouth of Kanghyun, who was standing beside Hana.

 

“…Damn it.”

 

The focus gradually blurred from Kanghyun’s gray eyes, which had been clear until a moment ago.

 

“Seo Kanghyun-ssi? Are you okay?”

 

To Hana, whose hand was held by Kanghyun, that change was felt all too clearly.

 

And soon, the surrounding scenery cracked like shattering light, turning the world upside down, and Hana was dragged straight into Kanghyun’s nightmare just like that.

 

Along with the system window text popping up before her eyes.

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

<Interference from a skill of a lower rank than User ‘Yoon Hana’s’ mental defense skill has been detected. Automatically blocking the external mental interference.> 

 

Hana opened her tightly shut eyes.

 

When she did, the scenery had turned around completely once again. 

 

At a glance, it looked like the same ruined city as before, but there was a decisive difference.

 

The gate entrance was floating in mid-air.

 

Furthermore, Hunters sprawled out everywhere were groaning and tossing about.

 

For a moment, it was a sight so vivid she forgot this was created by an illusion.

 

Hana was watching that scene, as if observing it from a step away.

 

Turning her gaze, a soot-stained station nameplate reading ‘Gangnam Station’ caught her eye in the distance.

 

Below it stood Seo Kanghyun, looking younger than he did now.

 

His protective gear was half-torn, and with soot and blood tangled everywhere on his skin, Seo Kanghyun was struggling with other Hunters.

 

“Let go.”

 

The Kanghyun in the illusion said through gritted teeth.

 

The Hunters holding onto his arms shook their heads with startled faces.

 

“You can’t! Going back into the gate now is a suicidal act!”

 

“Let go!”

 

Kanghyun twisted his body.

 

“Sunbae is trapped in there right now!”

 

His voice was already cracked.

 

It was a sound intertwined with anger, fear, and desperation.

 

“Hunter Seo Kanghyun! ‘1’ isn’t trapped, she remained there voluntarily.”

 

“So what?”

 

Kanghyun’s eyes shone coldly.

 

“The sacrifice of the few for the many is inevitable.”

 

“You spout bullshit quite colorfully.”

 

Kanghyun spat out lowly.

 

There was no laughter, nor trembling.

 

It was a voice with only anger remaining.

 

“The sacrifice of the few for the many? What the hell is that.”

 

Roughly shaking off the arms holding him, Kanghyun dashed close to the gate entrance.

 

Then, as if following that gaze, the surrounding scenery also changed with a swoosh.

 

Before she knew it, her vision, which had been observing the situation from a step away, overlapped with the vision of Kanghyun in the nightmare looking at the gate entrance.

 

Right before his eyes, the interior of the gate shining white was fluctuating unstably.

 

A faint silhouette could be seen inside it.

 

Kanghyun reflexively reached out his hand towards that silhouette.

 

“Sunbae! Grab it! Damn it. I said grab it!”

 

But because an explosion had begun inside the gate, a blinding light flashed, and the interior flickered white.

 

Hana was watching that scene, holding her breath.

 

Hana narrowed her eyes without realizing it.

 

Between the gap of the closing gate, Kanghyun reaching out his hand, and the silhouette of Hunter ‘1’ standing inside.

 

The moment she struggled to confirm ‘1’s face, an alarm sound struck Hana’s ears.

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

<ERROR! ERROR!>

<Reward not authorized.> 

<Initiating higher-level interference.>

 

Clang!

 

In an instant, along with a sharp sound like breaking glass, the scenery shattered into pieces.

 

The nightmare was forcibly torn apart.

 

“Ugh—!”

 

Hana’s body, popping out into reality, staggered.

 

Her vision darkened for a moment, then returned.

 

What was that?

 

Hana was dazed for a moment by the sensory input that had been abruptly cut off. 

 

The insides of her ears felt like they were ringing, and her heart was beating a beat faster than usual.

 

After taking a few deep breaths, her sense of reality slowly returned. 

 

“What I just saw… is that Seo Kanghyun-ssi’s nightmare?”

 

Coming to her senses, Hana looked back at Kanghyun standing next to her.

 

And inhaling a breath, she froze just like that.

 

Kanghyun was still holding Hana’s hand. But his gaze was fixed somewhere far away.

 

The focus in his gray eyes was blurry, and beneath them, transparent moisture was quietly flowing down his cheek.

 

“…Huh?”

 

Hana was startled.

 

He was crying.

 

Seo Kanghyun was.

 

Flustered, Hana scrambled about, then pulled the sleeve of her loose shirt and began to wipe Kanghyun’s face.

 

Then, a low and dry voice was heard.

 

“…Are you planning to peel off someone else’s face entirely. It hurts, so could you do it gently?”

 

On Kanghyun’s face slightly revealed beneath the shirt, faintly reddened traces remained wherever it had been wiped.

 

Hana froze just like that, then startled once again and quickly pulled her sleeve back.

 

“I, I didn’t see a single thing. Really!” 

 

The words tumbled out without head or tail. 

 

Kanghyun’s face, revealed again, was no longer crying.

 

However, although the moisture gathered around his eyes had disappeared, dampness still remained at the corners of his deep eyes like a lingering scent.

 

“They say a strong denial is an affirmation.”

 

“A-ahem.”

 

“What happened? Did Yoon Hana-ssi release the status abnormality?”

 

“I think I did it, but I don’t exactly know how it happened. An error sign suddenly popped up and the illusion broke.”

 

Hana cleared her throat for no reason.

 

Meanwhile, Kanghyun took a breath and then said.

 

“The illusion suddenly broke, you say.”

 

Kanghyun didn’t ask further.

 

He seemed puzzled, but he looked as if he was just quietly accepting those words.

 

Hana shifted her gaze.

 

A short distance away, Yoon Taegyeom and Choi Kwon were still standing with dazed faces.

 

“Uugh… My precious hair…”

 

Choi Kwon was holding his head and mumbling.

 

“Nonsense. To think the cherry tomatoes are sold out…!”

 

Yoon Taegyeom was looking for cherry tomatoes with a very serious expression.

 

Hana was momentarily speechless seeing that sight, then made a judgment.

 

‘…Hmm. It doesn’t seem like a very serious nightmare.’

 

Perhaps sharing the same thought, Kanghyun also moved to find Lee Haechan rather than waking the two people up.

 

“Let’s find the caster first. We have to get out of here before it’s too late.”

 

It had already been more than 10 minutes since the subjugation was completed. At this rate, they might end up in a situation where they disappear along with the gate.

 

As if to gauge Lee Haechan’s location, a red light frosted over Kanghyun’s right eye.