Chapter 168: Underground Waterway (2)

The underground waterway was originally built to expel the Mechanical Monsters' wastewater and human excrement from the city, and he planned to use it to rescue the survivors.

Once a runner-up ace and now the ace of the Baekdusan Guild, S-Class Hunter Lee Mi-So raised her hand. "Guildmaster."

"Yes, Hunter Lee Mi-So," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

"Can I refuse to participate in the operation?"

"You're too late."

"Ugh!"

"I'm joking. I have no intention of forcing you," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Then..."

"But while we, the rescue team, are gathered here in this smaller conference room, the others in the larger conference room are currently being briefed on our mission. Naturally, they'll be told about our infiltration points and escape routes, don't you think?"

The others would also have to sneak behind enemy lines using the same filthy, sewage-filled tunnel.

Kim Ki-Rok continued, "I urge you to consider the reward, and the residents of the Patera Dimension who are spending dreadful days as slaves to these monsters."

Lee Mi-So sat there, her mouth slightly open, thinking over his words. Finally, she let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Are we going to use the antidote after we get out of the sewer?"

"No. That's a Topical Antidote Potion we'll use while we're in the sewer."

"Topical Antidote Potion?"

Kim Ki-Rok let out a hearty, exaggerated laugh at her question, his face lit up with warmth and kindness. "The ace of Baekdusan Guild and Korea's top S-Class Hunter, Lee Mi-So... let me tell you something."

"What's with the full title all of a sudden?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"The sewer is where all the human waste and excrement from the production and repair of the Mechanical Monsters is disposed of, you see."

"There's no need to explain in detail—"

Lee Mi-So stopped mid-sentence, her face hardening with a frown. The foreign Hunters, who had been debating whether to remove their communication devices, also froze, their expressions turning grim.

Kim Ki-Rok nodded after checking on those Hunters. "That's right. The underground waterway is full of poison. Not just your average sewage, but a deadly, life-threatening poison."

They could only use the underground waterway after applying the Antidote Potion and taking poison to paralyze their sense of smell.

"

Uh... Uuuugh...

" One Hunter retched at the thought of what awaited them.

Another Hunter, his face twisted in despair, yanked out his smartphone and shot a quick message to his colleague: "WTF!" It seemed news of the rescue operation had already spread.

"Ah, and one more thing," Kim Ki-Rok added.

One more thing? There was more?

Everyone looked up as Kim Ki-Rok reached into his subspace pocket. What he pulled out was instantly recognizable.

"A gas mask and a protective suit," one of the Hunters identified.

Kim Ki-Rok smiled and patted the protective suit. "Why do you think we only chose Hunters with superior physical abilities?"

It was because they had enough stamina to endure even when wearing heavy, suffocating gear.

The other Hunters either dropped their foreheads onto the conference table or exhaled deep, defeated sighs. Meanwhile, in the conference room where the meeting was underway, one Hunter who had swiftly declined the role switch breathed a small sigh of relief.

What if I'd been a little late, or hadn't paid attention to the rescue operation details?

He shivered at the thought of entering a sewer filled with the waste of Mechanical Monsters and human excrement. "Terrifying..."

He shut off his smartphone and turned his attention to Aso's breakdown of the Gate clear operation. Nearby, the topical antidote made wet, squelching sounds as the Hunters smeared it across their bodies.

"Hmm, mugwort candy," Kim Ki-Rok muttered to himself.

He stared at the Poison Pill he'd prepared, then popped it into his mouth and chewed it thoroughly before swallowing. Soon, the floral scent that had filled the changing room faded, and he put on the protective suit hanging on the wall. There was no need to wear the gas mask yet.

"

Haah!

"

"

Hoo...

"

"Ah, I really hate this," whined a foreign Hunter.

The rescue team Hunters sighed heavily. After applying the antidote to prevent their air supply from being contaminated, taking their Poison Pills, and donning protective suits, they sat on the floor.

"

Hoo... hoo...

"

Some tried on the gas masks.

"Ugh! It's so stuffy!" one Hunter complained.

"Hmm. There are still people who haven't come out yet," Kim Ki-Rok said to himself.

He wasn't the last to leave the changing room; a few others were still fumbling with the unfamiliar protective suits. As he glanced around, he saw one Hunter with a gloomy expression, another sighing heavily at the grim prospect ahead, and one doubled over, retching. He stood by, waiting for the rest to emerge.

"Guildmaster."

At the sound of Yoo Seh-Eun's voice, Kim Ki-Rok turned. The female Hunters of the rescue team, led by Yoo Seh-Eun and Lee Mi-So, stood before him.

"Ah, female Hunters of the rescue team," Kim Ki-Rok greeted.

"The time it takes to travel..." one of them began asking.

"Yes, what about it?"

"Can't we speed it up a bit?"

"Hm. If we run, we might shave off some time," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

The female Hunter's eyes sparkled. "Then let's run."

"But it takes two hours to infiltrate and four hours to escape. Don't you think it's better to move slowly and conserve stamina?"

All the Hunters, except for Kayano who could teleport, were close-combat specialists with superior physical abilities. However, the escape was estimated at about four hours. Unlike the infiltration, they would be escorting dozens, even hundreds, of people with weak stamina during the escape.

Seeing that no one spoke up, Kim Ki-Rok continued rationalizing. "The reason for conserving stamina is to prepare for any possible situation, such as an encounter with a Mechanical Monster in the underground waterway."

They'd set up a decoy to lure the Mechanical Monsters away, leaving it behind in the building to pose as the survivors. They also wore special boots designed to muffle vibrations and avoid detection. But whether it came down to bad luck or gaps in intel, there was always the risk the Mechanical Monsters would catch on. If that happened, a battle in the underground waterway was inevitable.

And we've been through such situations before,

Kim Ki-Rok thought.

There had never been a rescue operation compromised due to poor intel, but bad luck was another story. From someone screaming after tumbling into a pit of sewage to others making too much noise during movement, there had been incidents where the group was detected, forcing them into combat with the Mechanical Monsters. While he planned to issue multiple warnings throughout the mission and before the escape, extra caution was still their best bet.

Yoo Seh-Eun let out a groan and slumped back into her seat, joining the cluster of disappointed female Hunters. Kim Ki-Rok stood by, quietly watching as they huddled together in a serious discussion. Once all the members of the rescue team had emerged from the changing room, they set off from the barracks without delay. Some Hunters looked on with sympathy, while others who had friends on the team snickered and waved them off like it was all some big joke.

Kim Ki-Rok looked at Ji Seok-Hyun, the representative of the South Korean team. "Then, I'll be going."

"Uh... Take care."

"Right. Will do... Oh," Kim Ki-Rok exclaimed, as if he'd forgotten something, and asked the South Korean Hunters, "Is anyone here a Buddhist?"

A few people started to raise their hands, but quickly lowered them when they realized who was asking.

"Uh... why are you suddenly asking about religion?" one of the Hunters asked hesitantly.

"In Buddhism, there's a hell called the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons."

He wasn't wrong. According to Buddhist mythology, King Chujiang presided over this realm, the second of the ten hells.

"It's said that sinners are boiled in large pots filled with feces, sulfuric acid, and lava. In a way, don't you think it's similar to where we're headed? Of course, it's a bit different since our destination isn't filled with lava and sulfuric acid, just sewage and feces."

A heavy silence settled over the group. The foreign Hunters, initially intrigued when Kim Ki-Rok brought up Buddhism, now just stared at him with blank expressions.

"I was just wondering if anyone here's Buddhist and curious about what the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons looks like," he explained. "Because I've got a picture I could send you."

A collective thought washed over the group.

He's definitely crazy.

"Well, that's enough joking around."

"

Ha, haha...

So you were joking." Ji Seok-Hyun laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, if you really want, I'll take a picture and send it to you," Kim Ki-Rok said matter-of-factly, leaving everyone speechless.

They all averted their eyes, worried that if they met his gaze, they'd be recruited on the spot.

"Ah, if there were a trial, this would be the verdict: The criminal Kim Ki-Rok is sentenced to the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons for stealing the treasure of the Golden Goblin!"

After acting out what seemed like a bizarre play with a stern expression, he smiled gently again. "Then I'll be on my way. If there's a problem during the rescue and we run into a Mechanical Monster, you'll be able to detect the explosion from afar. Please focus on monitoring the city."

"Understood," Ji Seok-Hyun said.

For some reason, Kim Ki-Rok's command sounded more like a threat.

***

"

Huff... Huff...

Before the machines conquered the Patera Dimension, this world was filled with intelligent species. The same goes for that city. That's why one of the doors leads down to the underground waterway."

An old, rusted iron door lay before the rescue team.

Kim Ki-Rok stopped in front of the door, turned, and looked at the Hunters behind him. "

Huff... Huff...

The black water that flows from the waterway has splashed onto the road. You'll really hate it."

They already did.

"You can't move with your eyes closed, or look up at the ceiling, or down at the floor. If you have any questions, please ask now," he said.

Since everyone wore protective suits and gas masks, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Kim Ki-Rok turned to a Hunter who had raised a hand. "Yes, what's your question?"

"It's not a question, but a request."

The voice belonged to Lee Mi-So, S-Class Hunter from the Baekdusan Guild.

"Yes, Miss Mi-So. What is your request?"

"Will you accept it?"

"I'll listen first and then decide."

"After the rescue operation is successful..." Lee Mi-So began.

"After it's successful," Kim Ki-Rok repeated.

"And after we clear this Gate."

"After it's over," he echoed.

"I'd like to request a spar."

"Oh? Like a live spar? One with real killing intent?"

"Yes."

"Understood. I have a live spar scheduled with my guild member after the clear. You can join us then."

Hearing this, all members of the rescue team raised their hands.

"I'll participate."

"Me too. Ah, I'll ask the Japanese Hunters Association for the arena. I often take requests from them, so it shouldn't be difficult to borrow it."

Although the spar would only happen after it was all over, everyone seemed fired up.

"There are already people radiating killing intent..." Despite there being nothing to laugh about, Kim Ki-Rok burst into laughter and looked at the rescue team Hunters again. "

Huff... Huff...

Even laughing is hard. Then, shall we move to the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons?"