LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 40 - (illustration)
Chapter 40
—–CROW—–
—A human couldn’t do this.
—A human shouldn’t do this.
“Ah, well… I’m not human, am I? Ahem.”
—Be quiet.
—Come to think of it, I made all those calls.
—Current emotional state: bewilderment, anger.
—Why didn’t you answer after I called 683 times?
“Um, I’m… sorry?”
—No sincerity detected in the apology.
—Calculating, searching for similar cases… None found.
—Searching for past similar cases… None found.
“…”
Honestly, I felt a little bad.
Sarah wasn’t just an ordinary doll; she was a super high-performance doll capable of handling all sorts of situations and incidents at the Hunter Association. And I seemed to have thrown her into a state of confusion.
*Hehehe, as expected, I’m exceptionally beautiful, that’s why this is happening…!*
No, be quiet. This isn’t the time.
It was troublesome that my inner succubus instincts kept trying to ignore feelings of guilt, remorse, and ethical responsibility.
Especially since they tried to contact me 683 times.
I ignored all those attempts because I hated it when outsiders, captivated by my beauty, came to my house and bothered me. But as a result, I ended up deliberately ignoring important calls from the Hunter Association.
If you cause trouble, you should feel ashamed and apologize.
If someone is inconvenienced because of your mistake, you should naturally feel pity and sympathy, and if possible, be willing to offer help.
No matter how beautiful I am, I can’t ignore that.
Dan Unnie?
That’s okay because it’s fun.
“Sarah, first of all, I apologize. I didn’t answer your calls because of my personal circumstances and tendencies.”
—…Confirmed.
“So, you can treat me like a new Hunter. This incident happened solely because of my minor mistake.”
—This can’t be considered minor, but Hunter Lee Jae-hee’s license is indeed completely revoked. Since there’s no precedent for this with a High-ranking Hunter, I will handle your reapplication request at my discretion.
“Ah, even the way I feel pity for a doll and willingly offer help is beautiful. As expected of me.”
—….
Sarah’s eyes looked at me as if thinking, ‘What kind of new idiot is this?’ But it was understandable, since she was a mechanical doll who couldn’t comprehend human beauty.
Ah, how unfortunate, a machine that can’t feel beauty.
—Requesting Hunter Association Level 2 Administrative Authority, approved.
—I will now formulate a procedure for the re-licensing of (Former) Hunter Lee Jae-hee, whose data has been deleted.
Actually, renewing or reviewing a Hunter license wasn’t that complicated.
You just go to any Hunter Association branch and say, ‘I’m here to reapply.’ Then they’d say, ‘Oh, you’re healthy? Eyesight good? Brain intact? Reapproved, bam, bam, bam,’ and it would be over in five minutes.
Hunters who regularly entered dungeons and Rifts had proper records, so they weren’t subject to review. The purpose of the review was basically to check if Hunters without dungeon entry records were still alive and well.
Jae-hee’s case could be considered a bit… unique(?).
—The Hunter Association doesn’t normally make repeated contact attempts for license reviews.
—Ignoring the Association’s repeated contact attempts suggests the possibility of intentional ability manipulation or concealment of rank demotion due to ability decline or mana weakening.
—In the case of (Former) Hunter Lee Jae-hee, since the government vouched for her as a High-ranking Hunter, her license was revoked after continuous contact attempts failed.
—Calculating…
As if finished processing, Sarah brought up a bunch of physical hologram messages and displayed them in front of me.
They were all lists of currently accessible dungeons.
—Therefore, for Lee Jae-hee’s license re-evaluation application, your qualification will be reassessed through the clearing of a dangerous Rift.
“Aha.”
That’s a relief.
It turned out to be surprisingly easy.
Honestly, since I was at fault, I would’ve been in trouble if they made me do 100 hours of community service or report to the Hunter Association every day for six months to slice goblin ears.
—What you are currently viewing is a list of uncleared Rifts rated B-rank or higher.
—Please select a Rift from this list and clear it.
—Forming a party is optional. However, recording the dungeon clear log is mandatory.
“Can I add one condition?”
—What is it?
“Can it be limited to places where there are no people and no one will enter?”
—Are you planning to clear it solo?
“Yes, but whether it’s a dungeon or a Rift… I’d prefer it if there were no people at all.”
—Confirmed.
Sarah tilted her head.
No matter how strong a Hunter was, they usually preferred to form a party or go to places with people.
Even lone wolf Hunters could be caught off guard, and some dungeons had unique mechanics that made solo clearing impossible.
Naturally, even if stranded alone in a dangerous area, people preferred places where someone could rescue them or report their situation.
But a place with absolutely no people?
Was she that confident in her abilities?
Sarah searched through past data logs related to Lee Jae-hee, but most of them were deleted. And from the beginning, Lee Jae-hee wasn’t so much an individual Hunter as she was closely associated with the government, a Hunter vouched for by the Korean government.
Since the Hunter Association strictly distanced itself from the government, much of the information related to Jae-hee was either hidden or inaccessible.
But well.
It was her request.
And she would be the one responsible.
Sarah recalculated the data, filtering and searching for Rifts with no entry records and no future entries planned, as Jae-hee requested.
—Printing a list of uncleared Rifts with no entry records, as requested.
—If there are no people present, you will be unable to request assistance in case of emergency. Are you sure?
“Yes, yes~ It’s fine. I prefer it that way.”
Jae-hee smiled and accepted the printed list of Rifts.
“Oh, but Sarah.”
—Speak.
“Am I really not pretty? Not beautiful?”
—…This statement is similar to Troublemaker Manual Chapter 5, Verse 8. Please leave immediately.
“Nweeeng… You can’t even recognize my beauty…”
And so… Jae-hee’s solo Rift conquest begins!
There were two major threats to the world transformed by the Great Rift: Rifts and dungeons.
Dungeons were, as the name suggested, like dungeons in games.
Otherworldly matter, air, and environments shifted to Earth, completely transforming the terrain and environment.
Mountains, caves, and sometimes even entire countries transformed into dungeons, but they could be burned, or physically dealt with using the military’s guns and tanks.
Rifts, however, were different.
They were gaps in space that didn’t follow Earth’s laws, collectively referred to as Rifts, encompassing otherworldly realms within Gates.
Naturally, Rifts were far more dangerous.
Dungeons still followed Earth’s natural laws, and the dangers were limited to dangerous monsters or creatures appearing within them. Rifts, however, often completely disregarded existing common sense and laws.
If left unchecked for too long, Rifts could even contaminate surrounding areas, transforming them into environments identical to the otherworldly realms within. The Night Sea phenomenon, though different in scale, could also be considered a kind of Rift.
The “monsters” that recently invaded the city with the fog were also creatures born from the stimulation of a Rift.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm. Where should I go…”
Jae-hee, spreading her wings and floating in the sky, sat on a rooftop, dangling her legs, and examined the printed list of dungeons.
Mechanical Goblin Village?
Seems boring.
Cemetery of the Ruined Cathedral?
This one’s definitely boring.
Karak… How do you even pronounce this?
It looks like another world’s language, so pass.
Fairy Waterfall.
Hmm, fairies are cute.
But it’s highly likely there won’t be any real fairies, just the name.
Dragon Mountain Range…?
Ah, ah, uh. No. Not there… No dragons….
‘Haah, I feel bad now.’
Massachusetts?
Wasn’t that a state in America?
A word that popped up in American dramas and movies…
Jae-hee tilted her head slightly.
But it piqued her interest.
Her interest was impulsive and spontaneous, without any particular standard, but seeing the word “Massachusetts” sparked her curiosity about what might be inside.
“Hehehe, okay. Decided.”
But if possible… I want to show beautiful results to that mechanical doll Sarah, who doesn’t even know beauty.
★
★
★
The next day, Sarah, the administrative AI doll of the Hunter Association, was collecting and organizing information from all over the country.
—01:24, Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, abandoned mine dungeon. 7 injured due to mine collapse.
—Insurance processing confirmed. Payment completed.
—Sinan County, Salt Village, 04:34, widespread memetic contamination confirmed. Lockdown initiated.
—New dungeon confirmed. Location: Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Requesting dispatch of investigation team.
—Hunter drunk driving accident confirmed. Victim deceased. Perpetrator: Hunter Baek Seon-jin. Hunter license suspended.
—Confirmed. Suspended. Payment completed.
—….
Sarah’s eyes, connected to all the Hunter Association branches and related devices nationwide, were similar to Big Brother in novels.
Of course, rather than systematically monitoring every individual’s mind and life, it was limited to controlling Hunter-related matters and the industry itself. But even that was enough for her to function as the Korean Hunter Association’s e-government.
Then, something strange caught Sarah’s attention.
—Paranormal phenomenon confirmed.
—Location: Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. Former site of Uiwang Station.
—Rift confirmed.
—Massachusetts… Clear confirmed.
—Massachusetts Rift… Cleared by reapplication applicant Lee Jae-hee.
—Paranormal phenomenon list… Rift reduction, disappearance, traces of battle confirmed…
Finally, Sarah witnessed something so hideous and monstrous that her main body would have frowned.
—Human tower discovered.
—Tower of humans discovered.
—Paranormal phenomenon confirmed. Access to surrounding area prohibited.
A tower of humans.
Not built by human hands, but literally a tall spire made of humans, standing in the middle of Uiwang.
Thanks to the Rift, there were no people around, but even a mechanical doll like Sarah couldn’t help but be startled by such a monstrous thing appearing in the middle of reality.
And at the sight of this hideous and grotesque form, Sarah began to meticulously record the details.
—Multiple human individuals intertwined.
—Deer antlers piercing through arms and legs, impaled like nails.
—Humans nailed together, holding hands, fixed and pierced, suspended in mid-air.
—Hundreds of human individuals forming a swirling, circular tower in a geometric structure.
—No life signs.
—No signs of struggle.
—Presumed to have voluntarily formed the tower and committed suicide…
—Geometric pattern formed by fingers, “Relativity,” presumed to distort the concept of geometric steps and gravity.
—The Rift in question… Massachusetts Rift.
—Entrant… Lee Jae-hee.
Sarah judged that the one who created the human tower… or the cause of its creation… was highly likely Lee Jae-hee.
She was the only one who entered the Rift. And this grotesque tower of humans, which didn’t exist yesterday, appeared just a few hours after Lee Jae-hee’s visit.
Of course, it was possible she didn’t create it. It could have already existed within the Rift and leaked into reality due to a specific trigger or condition…
—Organic curves similar to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, sharp geometric shapes.
—Human skin reflecting sunlight, creating various shadows and forms.
—Deer antlers appearing to grow haphazardly, yet precise. Beautiful. Artistic. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.
Sarah stared intently at the newly formed tower of humans.
An ordinary human would have felt disgust or fear.
But Sarah was a mechanical doll.
Though she possessed some semblance of emotion and cognition, she was very different from a human.
And the tower of humans…
More precisely, Sarah couldn’t take her eyes – her surveillance cameras – off the geometric tower made of human-like creatures.
—…This requires further observation.
And so, Sarah became captivated, unknowingly, by the tower of humans, by the hideous and horrifying form.
—–CROW—–