Chapter 164: Preliminary Preparations (2)

This was only a hypothesis, but given Kim Ki-Rok's track record, it was likely correct. As such, President Kikumoto used it as a pretext to smooth over negotiations with a particularly troublesome country.

In addition, representatives from the various nations who had attended Kim Ki-Rok's Discernment of the Gate each contacted their home governments to initiate plans for increasing the number of personnel their countries would send to the Gate. These reinforcements wouldn't be dispatched immediately, of course, but once a weak point was confirmed and deemed accessible to low-level Hunters, preparations were already in place to send them to Japan without delay. Naturally, this required prior negotiations with both the Japanese and Korean governments.

After three full days of doublespeak and haggling[1], Kim Ki-Rok and the S-Class Hunters from each country finally gathered in front of the Gate once more.

"Now then, I'm sure you've all put on your electronic interpreters, right? Can everyone hear me properly?" Kim Ki-Rok asked his audience.

The Hunters from the various countries nodded in response.

"In that case, let's get straight into our final briefing. Our goal for today's raid isn't to enter the factory. We're here to capture or kill some of the monsters wandering around the factory's outskirts."

He tapped a tablet, pulling up an image of the terrain.

"According to earlier reconnaissance, the mechanical monsters possess extremely high mana resistance, so don't be reckless when trying to capture them. Even if we can't take them alive, as long as their corpses are relatively intact, we can send them to the Yuashiel Dimension for analysis. The dwarves can help us understand them so there's no need to go overboard. If the monsters inside and outside the factory were different types, it might've caused issues later, but fortunately, that's not the case. Japanese S-Class Hunter Nakasone, who first entered the Gate and gathered this intel, confirmed that the monsters patrolling both areas are the same type."

Kim Ki-Rok then gestured to a section of the map. "We'll stay on the outskirts, close in on isolated groups, and take them down. Again, keep the corpses intact if possible."

"Also, all the Hunters participating in this operation are over Level 100... except for myself," he added with a faint smile. "Let's use this opportunity to test our various methods and gather data on what works best."

Kim Ki-Rok paused for a few moments to scan the Hunters and see if they understood his instructions. Some of the Hunters nodded, while others voiced their affirmation. The plan was simple: hunt monsters safely, then exit the Gate without injuries.

Returning the nod, he continued, "Nineteen Hunters will be participating in this operation to secure the mechanical monster corpses. Eighteen are over Level 100, so you'll be moving in groups of six."

"Does that mean you will be on standby or acting as a sentry, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?" Ji Seok-Hyun raised his hand and asked.

"That's right. I will be stationed at the Gate Entrance, keeping an eye on the factory with Discernment. I will also use this skill to examine the corpses as they are retrieved and relay any information to the other side of the Gate as necessary."

In some ways, this could be seen as almost parasite-like behavior from Kim Ki-Rok, leeching off others' experience from a safe distance, but given the usefulness and rarity of his skill, it was a reasonable strategy. At the very least, the Korean Hunters knew that Kim Ki-Rok would never choose the most convenient options for himself, only the most efficient. Everything he had done so far had already proven this to them.

Kim Ki-Rok gave one final piece of advice. "Ah, and as you may already know, the Patera Dimension is mostly covered by desert. The mechanical monsters will likely be hiding beneath the sand, so I recommend constantly using your mana to keep watch for them."

They weren't aiming to clear the Gate today. Gathering intel and returning safely was the top priority, so there was no need to twist themselves in knots over mana conservation.

"In that case, let's move out." With those final words, Kim Ki-Rok turned and headed for the Gate entrance, the S-Class Hunters following close behind.

As he stepped through the Gate, a burst of light made him shut his eyes. A moment later, a hot gust of sand hit his face, and he pulled up the mask around his neck to cover his mouth and nose. When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by a sandstorm.

Whether he looked left, right, or straight ahead, there was only sand in every direction. When he used mana to sharpen his senses, he could just make out the silver city in the distance, though it shimmered and warped in the desert's heat haze.

"We will not be approaching the city. Our search range will be limited to the area within thirty minutes' walking distance from the Gate. Please make sure to periodically use your mana to scan your surroundings as you patrol the area. If I detect any abnormalities from the city, I will contact you all immediately. So, please do not take off your translator or your radio just because it feels stuffy."

The S-Class Hunters all nodded at this final reminder and split off into groups of six. After watching them walk away, Kim Ki-Rok focused all his senses on the distorted silver city in the distance.

***

Back in the Yuashiel Dimension, the Continental Alliance had begun a counterattack and was slowly but steadily reclaiming the territory lost to the Black Kingdom.

Even with the high-ranking demons in seclusion and the outsiders from another dimension using their so-called skills to support the Continental Alliance, the recovery was slow. The Alliance still had to contend with mid-level and low-level demons, as well as the chimeras created by the Black Wizards. However, the one exception to this gradual recovery lay in the north. Only there did the Continental Alliance maintain the same front line as before. They had realized that reclaiming northern territory would lead to serious problems.

The only fixed Gate through which outsiders from another dimension could cross into Yuashiel was located in the Northern Border City. The further the front line was pushed back from the city, the more time it would take for the outsiders to reach the new front line—time better spent fighting the Black Kingdom's forces. That was why the Continental Alliance and the Hunters Association agreed to postpone reclaiming the Alliance's northern territories for as long as possible.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! There's no time!"

Although the Northern Border City was a place where all of Yuashiel's races, including elves, had gathered, seeing dwarves in such a hurry was enough to draw everyone's attention.

The Hunters arriving through the Gate, the merchants from the Yuashiel Dimension who had come to sell their goods, and even the knights visiting the city for various reasons all turned to stare at the swarm of dwarves racing toward the Gate.

"A different dimension that's connected to Earth, just like Yuashiel... and the monsters from that dimension,

huff...

"

At first, the dwarves hadn't been very interested in the task. They accepted it only because it was a request from their benefactor, but after examining the "photos" of the monsters from this other dimension, they quickly changed their minds. They had been asked to examine these new mechanical monsters, which looked like some form of golem with a metal body, something they had never seen before.

The old dwarf leading the group, Travis, turned and asked, "There's no way that was Magic Resistant Iron, right?"

"Yes, that definitely didn't seem like it," the dwarven craftsman following just behind him said with a nod.

Magic Resistant Iron, which in its natural form developed patterns like tree rings, was famous for its high mana resistance. The discovery of a metal with similarly high mana resistance piqued the dwarves' curiosity.

"A metal from another dimension, and not just that... a metal that's extremely hard and highly mana-resistant," Travis muttered to himself, excited by the potential of such a material.

Their first priority was to study the corpse and find out if this new type of monster had a weakness that could be exploited, but once that was done, they could begin their own research on the creatures.

Travis and the other dwarven craftsmen ran toward the meeting site near the Gate, where he quickly spotted a familiar face and raised his hand in greeting.

"Over here! Han Hae-kun!"

It was one of the Heroes who usually accompanied their benefactor. The young man hadn't participated in the operation to resurrect the World Tree or the escape from the mine, but he was a Hero their benefactor had personally introduced to Travis.

"Ah, Sir Travis. How have you been?" Han Hae asked politely.

"I'm doing well. So, where is the corpse?" Travis asked impatiently.

It seemed Kim Ki-Rok had warned Han Hae in advance about what to expect, as Han Hae took the dwarves' impatience in stride and immediately pulled out the subspace pocket containing the item he was to deliver.

"I haven't seen the corpse myself, but Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok warned me it might be a bit too big to fit inside your workshop," Han Hae said.

"Is that so? Then should we move outside the city?" Travis suggested.

"Ah... well, that's..." Han Hae hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Just as Travis began to frown in confusion, Han Hae bent down and quietly whispered, "If at all possible, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok requested that you examine and study the corpse right next to the Gate's entrance until you find its weakness."

"And why does he want us to do that?" Travis asked.

"Unlike the Yuashiel Dimension, the Patera Dimension we're currently exploring has been completely conquered by mechanical monsters, so the fate of their entire dimension depends on whether this next raid succeeds or fails," Han Hae explained.

"In other words, you want to draw the attention of the Heroes currently visiting Yuashiel toward the Patera Dimension," Travis quickly concluded.

Han Hae nodded. "Yes. Our Guildmaster asks for your understanding. Unlike Yuashiel, which is currently in a stalemate with the Black Kingdom, the other dimension can be saved once our operation succeeds."

As the high-level demons had gone into seclusion and the Continental Alliance had begun to recover lost territory, the mid-level demons, low-level demons, the Black Kingdom's Archwizards, and all their chimeras had gathered in the west, where the main thrust of the Alliance's counterattack was taking place, instead of the north where most of the Hunters were located.

Monsters still periodically pounded on the Northern Border City's walls and gates, but the elven warriors stationed there were more than enough to repel any assaults. So it wouldn't matter if the Hunters were drawn away from Yuashiel for a while. That said, Travis didn't have the authority to make that decision.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I'm just a craftsman, so it's not my call. After all, I'm not the one in charge of this Northern Border City," Travis said reasonably.

If they wanted to perform an autopsy on these mechanical monsters in public, they needed the permission of the high elves who truly ran the city. Just as Travis was about to say this to Han Hae, a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Sir Travis, I will allow it."

Travis turned, confirming that it really was High Elf Serena approaching, accompanied by her guard of elven warriors, before asking carefully, "Is it really alright with you?"

"As you may already know, Sir Travis, even if all the Heroes currently visiting Northern Border City were to leave for a time, we would still be able to hold out until their return," Serena reassured him.

It wasn't just the Hunters who had grown stronger thanks to the permanent Gate. The elves—or rather, the entire Continental Alliance—had also regained much of their lost strength through its benefits. And according to what Kim Ki-Rok had told Han Hae, this was only the beginning of their shared rapid growth.

Travis nodded in understanding. "Alright, I've got it. In that case, Han Hae-kun, please take out the corpse."

"Okay. But as I mentioned, the monster corpse is extremely large. So I would appreciate it if you could all give me some space," Han Hae requested politely.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around the Gate—including the dwarven craftsmen—stepped back to make room. Han Hae took out the subspace pocket from his belt, careful not to reach inside it directly. The corpse had been stored there by Kim Ki-Rok, who had followed the advice of Kayano Yukie, a Japanese Hunter with Teleportation abilities. Following that same advice, Han Hae held the pocket with its opening facing the ground and began infusing mana into it.

He had been told that all he needed to do was think of the object he wanted to retrieve while continuing to input mana. Han Hae might not have seen the mechanical monster in person, but he knew what they looked like thanks to the photos.

Soon, a huge magic circle appeared below the entrance to the subspace pocket, accompanied by a burst of light.

Han Hae yelped in surprise. "Wow! Just how big are these things?"

Could the magic circles that appeared when taking things out of a subspace pocket really get that big? As he stared in shock at the size of the magic circle, Han Hae's jaw dropped even further when he saw the size of the monster corpse that fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"That's insane!"

"Wow! So that's a mechanical monster!"

The gathered crowd also let out startled shouts at the sight of the huge corpse. News that an S-Class Gate had appeared in Japan and that Kim Ki-Rok had requested the Yuashiel Dimension's assistance to keep the raid as safe and quick as possible had already spread via the news and the Internet.

As the Hunters nearby stared slack-jawed at the huge monster corpse, which resembled a giant serpent, the dwarven craftsmen swarmed toward it like ants drawn to honey. They quickly examined the metal with their eyes, ears, and hands.

"Sir Travis, your guess was correct. This definitely isn't Magic Resistant Iron."

"Whenever we try to infuse mana into it, only about a tenth of the mana penetrates. The rest is expelled."

"

Hoooh!

My goodness. To think such a metal even exists."

"For now it seems impossible to use this metal to craft weapons or armor. It's extremely heavy, and based on our initial examination, its mana-rejection properties may interfere with all external mana use, including the wearer's, if used for armor."

Demonstrating their experience as craftsmen, the dwarves immediately began discussing how the metal might be used.

As their representative and an exceptional craftsman himself, Travis reminded them, "Such research can come later. Our first priority is to study both the outer shell and the inner body of this metal monster to identify any weaknesses."

After he set the example by suppressing his own curiosity, the other dwarves also refocused on their original goal. They first checked the outer shell, which would be the equivalent of skin on a human or monster.

"This is our first time encountering such a material. We should split into two teams, so we can examine both the outside and the inside of the monster at the same time," Travis decided.

Following his instructions, the dwarven craftsmen split into teams to begin taking it apart. Even in death, the monster's metal body retained its exceptional mana resistance, making it difficult to disassemble even with mana-infused tools. However, the dwarves were renowned as natural craftsmen for a reason. Relying solely on their expert manual techniques, they managed to strip away the outer shell and examine the internals.

"Whooah!"

The dwarves all let out awestruck exclamations, as if looking at a beautiful piece of art, before turning to Han Hae, who had been patiently waiting for further instructions.

"Han Hae-kun," Travis called out.

"Ah, yes?" Han Hae replied quickly.

Shaking his head, Travis continued, "So this is why Kim Ki-Rok asked us to examine the hide first."

"

Ha, hahaha...

yes, that's correct," Han Hae quickly agreed.

Kim Ki-Rok had asked them to focus their study on the monster's hide—or, in this case, its outer shell—to identify any weaknesses. After all, a mechanical monster's shell served the same purpose as the casing of a home appliance on Earth: protecting the fragile interior circuitry.

1. The original Korean text uses an ancient idiom that literally translates as "same bed, different dreams," the meaning of which is slightly complex. On one level it means looking at the same thing, but having different opinions, and on another level, it means acting the same way on the outside but having other thoughts on the inside. ☜