Many Awakened crossed through Gates into the Otherworld. Naturally, the Otherworlders used their own unique languages—languages that could not be found anywhere on Earth. If we wanted to communicate with them, we had to learn those languages.
That was why Otherworld languages were now included among the elective subjects offered in Korean schools. Of course, there were far too many to teach them all, so the curriculum covered only the continent’s most common and widely used lingua franca.
Even so, very few students chose the subject. Finding a nineteen-year-old fluent enough to converse effortlessly with native speakers would have been rarer still.
There was a more fundamental reason for that.
No one needed to rack their brains learning an Otherworld language when a far easier means of communicating with Otherworlders already existed: translation artifacts created through Otherworld magic.
Lee Seonggi undoubtedly had one as well. Once the time was right, the Association would eventually issue them to us too. Of course, anyone with enough money could obtain a translation artifact whenever they wanted.
Perhaps that was why not a single person among the fifty members of Hunter Class 1 appeared to have seriously studied an Otherworld language in school.
Well, of course not. The more exceptional they were, the less reason they had to waste time learning such a complicated, headache-inducing language.
Either way, while the fact that I had spoken to the stall owner in an Otherworld language might be difficult to accept, it was not so absurd as to be impossible.
So I decided to be even more shameless.
“What? None of you learned it? Anyone who wants to become a great Hunter should at least be capable of basic conversation in an Otherworld language.”
“Who even studies Otherworld languages separately these days…? A translation artifact solves everything…”
“You’re right. But it’s still useful for at least one person to know the language, isn’t it? Especially in a situation like this.”
“Exactly! We’re really lucky Kim Daram is our Class Rep!”
Lee Hasol jumped in at just the right moment.
It was a little embarrassing, but he was always completely sincere.
Unable to find a response to Hasol’s declaration, Kwon Sua closed her mouth. A moment later, her face flushed red. Judging by her expression, she seemed to be reflecting on the fact that despite what she had said, she had never even considered learning the language instead of relying entirely on artifacts.
Sa Jeil, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.
“You must have had nothing better to do. One translation artifact lets you speak dozens of Otherworld languages without issue. You would have been better off spending that time…”
Sa Jeil abruptly trailed off.
Realizing what he had been about to say, I snorted inwardly.
So the bastard does know how to feel embarrassed.
“Better off doing what? Learning how to use my body? Then why did someone who supposedly spent his time so productively get completely demolished by me?”
“When did I ever—!”
He bristled as though he might charge at me at any moment.
His face turned crimson, but he showed no sign of actually coming closer.
Sa Jeil in his forties had been terror incarnate.
Sa Jeil on the cusp of twenty was merely ridiculous.
“Anyway, everyone gather around. According to this gentleman, Awakened usually buy most of the supplies they need here before setting out. Ask him what you should purchase, and he’ll be happy to help.”
“Class Rep, that’s awesome.”
“As expected of our Class Rep!”
“Kim Daram, you’re amazing!”
“Kim Daram, you’re handsome!”
“Class Rep, why did you buy that netting? Since you bought it, should I just get some too?”
The others approached me, each chiming in with a comment of their own.
Ahem.
I had originally learned the language to save every last coin I could on translation-artifact charging fees…
But looking back now, I was glad I had put in the effort.
Seeing the sour look on Sa Jeil’s face made me even gladder.
Thanks to my proactive interpreting, Hunter Class 1 was able to shop to its heart’s content.
First, I told everyone which supplies were absolutely essential.
“Take your time and look around. You can buy anything else that catches your eye. The village arranged this market for us, so you don’t have to worry about being overcharged.”
The others seemed to be growing accustomed to the situation. They began communicating with the Otherworlders on their own, mixing gestures with a few words.
The Otherworlders were delighted by the arrival of such big spenders and enthusiastically competed to promote their merchandise.
Watching them brought back memories of my previous life.
Back then, just like this time, we had begun our first practical deployment after two weeks of theoretical instruction. A senior one year above us—whose face I could no longer remember—had led us to Paraku Village, then shoved us in front of unfamiliar Otherworld stalls without much explanation.
Which class was I in back then…? Probably Hunter Class 49. We were practically the bottom-ranked class.
At any rate, none of us had bought anything.
We had only just stepped into the Otherworld, and the idea of purchasing goods on credit from people whose language we could not understand had made us deeply uncomfortable.
There was also the fear that if we could not pay, they might use the debt to hold us there.
And so we had departed for the monster gathering grounds without any supplies whatsoever.
There was never any reason to worry that much.
Of course, I could only say that because I had already experienced it once…
Was this why companies these days wanted entry-level employees with years of experience?
I swept my gaze over the stalls and bought anything that looked remotely useful: portable food, emergency medicine, insect repellent, powders for every imaginable purpose, even small folding chairs and a kettle set.
I stored all of it in my System Pouch.
Worried I might run out of room?
Fear not.
My System Pouch had a storage capacity of five full cubic meters.
In other words, it could hold a cube measuring roughly 1.7 meters on each side!
Lee Seonggi over there had probably never even seen one that large.
I was choosing a traditional Paraku Village carving as a gift for Mom when Kwon Sua approached me.
“Class Rep, is it really okay to buy this much? It’s all on credit. What are you going to do if we don’t have enough money when we get back?”
As she spoke, she was holding a teddy bear almost as large as her torso.
Apparently noticing my gaze, she hurriedly pulled out her System Pouch and stuffed the bear inside.
She always carried herself so maturely that I had never noticed before, but it seemed Kwon Sua had quite a fondness for cute things.
She simply couldn’t bear to leave an Otherworld teddy bear behind.
Pretending I had seen nothing, I answered her question.
“It’ll be fine. We’ll be paid according to the number of monsters we kill.”
“Really? But… what if we don’t manage to kill many?”
It was precisely the kind of concern someone as cautious as her would have.
I chuckled.
“That could happen. But Vice Class Rep Kwon, we’re Hunter Class 1. We’re the fifty highest scorers out of five thousand applicants! Have some confidence.”
Kwon Sua alone, with her emission-type Trait [Lightning Strike], could easily sweep away dozens of low-level monsters.
So relax, Vice Class Rep Kwon.
Stop worrying and enjoy the rest of your shopping.
Lee Seonggi did not rush us, allowing us to lose ourselves in shopping for nearly half the day.
By the time we left Paraku Village and reached the outskirts of the Para Mountains, darkness had already swallowed our surroundings.
“We’ll camp here tonight.”
Lee Seonggi stopped Hunter Class 1 and raised his voice.
“!!!”
Several trainees stared at him in shock.
Only then did they seem to realize that this Stage was not a single-day excursion but a long-term deployment lasting several days.
Their expressions soon relaxed, however, and they turned toward me with their thumbs raised.
Our System Pouches were filled with food and every kind of supply we had purchased in preparation for sleeping outdoors.
“Then I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”
After that brief farewell, Lee Seonggi vanished without a trace.
No one panicked.
On the contrary, Hunter Class 1 was filled with a strange excitement at the prospect of spending its first night in the Otherworld.
Sorry, Senior. I’m sure this is supposed to be part of the trainees’ initiation… but since I’m the Class Rep, I can’t exactly make only myself comfortable, can I?
I gathered the excited trainees, who had been chattering among themselves.
It was time to prepare for the night.
Even if we were still near the village and only at the edge of the mountains, we could not afford to underestimate an Otherworld night.
First, I needed to organize the night watch.
The monster gathering grounds lay beyond the mountains, approximately three days away. Since we would have to camp for three nights including this one, I divided everyone into watch groups so that all fifty trainees would take a turn.
Then I personally demonstrated how to prepare a sleeping area.
First, spread a thick waterproof tarp over the ground. Lay a blanket on top of it, erect the poles, and cover the whole setup with insect netting.
This netting was woven from the silver thread of Sky Cocoon Caterpillars, a species found only in this world, and naturally repelled pests.
It could even keep out Otherworld mosquitoes the size of a fist, allowing us to sleep in peace.
It might sound ridiculous, but plenty of trainees had dropped out after being bitten by insects before they even reached the monster gathering grounds.
While taking the first watch, I said,
“We’ll probably leave before dawn tomorrow, so keep quiet and go to sleep early.”
“Okay, Class Rep!”
*****
The next day, Lee Seonggi appeared before dawn and woke us.
Hunter Class 1 set out without breakfast. But without needing to be told, everyone pulled out the jerky and bread they had bought beforehand and ate while walking.
We headed deeper and deeper into the mountains.
Countless travelers seemed to have passed this way over the years, leaving a footpath through the thick vegetation.
We camped once more, rose the following morning, and continued onward.
“Why hasn’t anything appeared?”
“Even if a wild beast or monster showed up, it wouldn’t stand a chance against all fifty of us. They’re probably avoiding us.”
That was not entirely wrong.
Still, it was more accurate to say that the Sky Cocoon Caterpillar powder I had everyone scatter each morning was working exceptionally well.
Before long, our final night arrived.
At this pace, we would reach the basin where the monsters had gathered before noon tomorrow.
I confirmed that everyone had settled down and checked the watch rotation one last time.
Just as I was about to lie down, I heard a rustle behind me.
When I turned, Lee Seonggi was standing there.
“Hey, Class Rep. Got a minute?”
Instead of his usual half-formal manner of speaking, Lee Seonggi addressed me casually.
So the conversation he wanted to have was personal.
I welcomed it.
Building a private connection with my seniors could only benefit me.
I pulled two small folding chairs from my System Pouch and opened them, then offered him a carefully selected Otherworld snack.
“Sure. Have a seat.”
Lee Seonggi sat beside me, looking at me as though I were something fascinating.
He bit into the cookie I had handed him.
“I haven’t said much until now, but our young Kim Daram has been doing an impressive job.”
He was smiling, but there was an edge beneath his words.
I felt a slight pang of guilt.
Deliberately withholding information and throwing the trainees into practical situations was probably part of the curriculum.
Yet because of me, every part of the process had gone smoothly.
I decided to play innocent.
“Ah… have I?”
“Yeah. Last year, even Hunter Class 1 lost more than ten trainees before reaching this point. But your group hasn’t lost a single person. On top of that…”
Lee Seonggi looked around.
The trainees were all energetically preparing their sleeping areas.
“They all look to be in excellent condition.”
Hahaha.
That they did.
They certainly did not look like people who had spent three days and nights crossing the Para Mountains, which were infested with life-threatening insects and dangerous beasts.
Feigning ignorance, I answered lightly.
“The point of this Stage is to hunt monsters, isn’t it? As Class Rep, I’m glad everyone will get the chance to face them.”
Lee Seonggi flinched.
His smile vanished, and he continued in a low voice.
“So you did know. Our destination, I mean. I don’t remember ever telling you.”
“Ah…”
“You signed the same agreement as everyone else, promising never to reveal anything about the Association’s one-year training program. So you couldn’t have heard it from another trainee…”
While I struggled to think of an excuse, Lee Seonggi arrived at an answer on his own.
“Then again, you’re the trainee who placed first in the Hunter Selection Assessment. Someone from the Association’s upper ranks might have approached you privately and slipped you information.”
“Haha. Well, something like that.”
I muttered through an awkward laugh.
Lee Seonggi stared intently at me for a long moment.
Then his smile returned, and he patted me on the back.
“Anyway, I’m expecting great things from you, our number-one junior. Let’s make sure no one gets hurt tomorrow either.”
Lee Seonggi rose and dusted himself off.
“I’ll enjoy this. Thanks.”
After that brief farewell, he disappeared into the darkness.
What an agreeable young man.
For a kid, he seemed surprisingly thoughtful too.
I stared into the darkness where he had vanished, then lay down.
The next day, we crossed the mountains and reached a vast basin.
The basin was surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and not a trace of green could be found within it.
Across the dark, withered earth, which resembled a ruined wasteland, unidentified black slime creatures writhed and swarmed.
At the very center of the basin, a black portal the height of a person floated in midair.
At irregular intervals, the portal disgorged clusters of slime creatures like sewage.
Lee Seonggi brought us to a halt and pointed toward it.
“We’re here. That is the Gate connected to the Demon Realm.”