Chapter 7
Chrrk, chrrk, chrrk………
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[Title: When Do You Think a Person Dies?]
[Anon]
When a bullet gets lodged deep in your heart?
No way! Technology's so advanced these days, they can save you from that somehow!
And if all else fails, just slather on some potions!
Then when you get an incurable disease?
No way! Technology's so advanced these days, they can save you from that somehow!
If it's an incurable disease they still can't cure, then may the departed rest in peace!
Then when you drink soup made from a poisonous mushroom?
No way… Wait, are you an idiot? Why would you eat that?
If your pet reindeer gave you one, then your time had come. You should've whipped out the doenjang and started making a nourishing stew, duh.
(Hunter Gallery user, ahem… anyway! image)
So the moment a person truly dies is…!
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(Supernatural phenomenon gross-out image)
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When you encounter… a supernatural phenomenon wearing human skin…!
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[Comments]
[You gross-out-image-posting bastard]
↳[Head Mod!!!!!!!! Heeead Moooood!!!!!!!!]
↳[You bitch, I just threw up the chicken I was eating because of you]
↳[Thanks to you, my eyesight's gotten worse and I had to get new glasses. I'd like to repay you—where do you live???]
↳[(Hunter Gallery user will find you and kill you emote)]
[What? Wasn't it when people forgot about you?]
↳[Are you taking a shot at me, when the only people in my contacts are Mom and Dad?]
↳[Are you taking a shot at me, when I'm a complete orphan and have nobody in my contacts?]
↳[A-ah, uhh…]
↳[(Hunter Gallery user, that's a bit much… emote)]
↳[(Hunter Gallery user wailing emote)]
↳[(Hunter Gallery user backing away, then scampering off! emote)]
'…I can't help upvoting this.'
Kang Yul quietly upvoted the supernatural gross-out post and left the Gallery.
Normally, he would've cursed up a storm and downvoted it, but Kang Yul now understood exactly what the post was getting at, so it didn't bother him much.
That's because…
Chrrk, chrrk, chrrk…
Kang Yul looked down at the bug… no, the Worm gnawing on the amber, then shifted his gaze to the information post displayed at the edge of his vision.
<Hunter Gallery - Information Archive>
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【Supernatural Life-Form - Worm】
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【Danger Rating: B ~ ?】
A giant annelid supernatural life-form found in various Gates.
It is characterized by a long body reminiscent of an earthworm and thousands of teeth filling its mouth.
No visual organs have been confirmed, and it is believed to perceive its surroundings through ground vibrations or some unidentified sensory organ.
▪ A Worm's appearance and ecology vary greatly depending on the environment of the Gate it inhabits.
Analysis of Worm tissue suggests that its body changes to adapt to its surroundings under the influence of its food and the density of mana.
▪ The length of observed specimens ranges from a minimum of about 45 m (the size of a 15-story building) to a maximum of about 300 m (estimated to be the size of a 100-story building).
However, the largest specimen was not observed in its entirety, so it cannot be ruled out that its actual length was even greater.
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。
。
'…This is insane.'
Kang Yul wasn't someone who swore often, but he couldn't help swearing at a time like this.
A supernatural life-form with a danger rating starting at B—Kang Yul was in such a desperate situation that he should be grateful just to still be breathing.
'A B rating means instant death the moment you encounter one…. '
Everything related to supernatural phenomena has a danger rating.
The scale starts at F, a rating that poses no problem for ordinary people and can even be helpful.
From there, ratings are assigned in ascending order, taking into account casualties, survival rates, difficulty of management, and other factors.
Among them, a danger rating of B is effectively instant death on contact. The chance of survival is so low that just making it back alive is said to use up a lifetime's worth of luck.
And yet, even among B-rated threats, Worms were a little special.
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.
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▪ A huge tunnel forms wherever a Worm passes.
It has been confirmed to consume rock, minerals, soil, and most organic matter, earning it the nicknames 'Gate Cleaner' and 'Gate Predator.'
If the ground sinks or large-scale vibrations occur, leave the area immediately.
However, no method of ensuring survival after being caught in a Worm's path has been discovered to date.
▪ There have been no reported cases of successfully capturing a live Worm.
There are no records of one being exterminated, either. A few carcasses discovered by chance have been recovered, but since none were intact, research has made little progress.
※ Tunnels formed by Worms are at very high risk of collapse.
Do not enter, even if it appears the specimen has already moved on, until the area has been confirmed safe.
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That's right.
An irregular whose danger rating is estimated to be at least B because its true level of danger is unknown.
That was the identity of the supernatural life-form known as a Worm.
And that was why Kang Yul was being careful even to breathe.
Chrrk, chrrk, chrrk…!
'Ah… That priceless amber….'
Kang Yul wanted to pull the Worm away from the amber, whose value was impossible to estimate. But his instinct to stay alive outweighed his greed for money, so he didn't dare.
At first, he thought, 'Maybe I can handle it somehow, since this Worm is only finger-sized?' But that thought didn't last long.
He remembered a record of a palm-sized 【Supernatural Life-Form - Fairy】 wiping out an entire country and disappearing, so he decided to just stay quiet.
Chrrk, chrrk, chrrk………
So Kang Yul could only watch the Worm's amber-eating show, unable to do anything either way.
The Worm gnawed away at the amber for about thirty minutes, stopping only after it had eaten every last tiny fragment, as if satisfied.
And at that moment.
Wiggle, wiggle-!
Whether it was because it was full or because it hadn't gotten enough to eat, he couldn't tell.
The Worm began moving, its body undulating as if it were exploring its surroundings.
It stopped dead-!
As if it had found something, it halted, reared up, and began moving its head—the end with its mouth—as though looking somewhere.
And that something was, of course…
…
Kang Yul.
At that moment, Kang Yul thought the inevitable had finally come. He was extremely careful with his movements and did everything he could not to provoke the Worm, but…
Wiggle…?
The Worm merely swayed from side to side as if Kang Yul were fascinating, forming a question mark with its body.
For a brief moment, the two life-forms regarded each other with curiosity and curiosity (fear), each thinking the other was an unknown life-form.
Wiggle!
The moment the Worm stretched its body out like an exclamation mark, a new notification window appeared before Kang Yul.
Ding-!
['Mountain-Eating Worm - Bakai' has taken a liking to you.]
['Mountain-Eating Worm - Bakai' will follow you.]
…
He had won the favor of a supernatural life-form.
And thanks to that favor, it was apparently going to follow him now… Kang Yul wasn't sure whether he should be happy about that.
After all, he had no idea whether a supernatural life-form's goodwill would be good for a human like him.
The same went for pets, not just supernatural life-forms.
What would you do if your cat brought you a rat or an insect as a gift?
"Our Nabi, thank you~!"
You'd think, 'Why'd you bring me something like this?' but pretend to accept it, then throw it away once your cat wasn't looking.
But what if that rat or bug was still alive and moving?
"Our Nabi, thank y—"
"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm a cockroach. I'm planning to wander around this house from now on."
"…D-dieeeee! Cockroach, dieeeee!!!"
"Ha ha, too slow. That was merely my afterimage, you know?"
The raid would start right away, accompanied by screams.
The same went for supernatural life-forms.
After all, there was no guarantee that a gift offered with good intentions by a supernatural life-form would necessarily benefit a human.
So, if at all possible, it was best to avoid receiving gifts from supernatural life-forms—or even earning their favor in the first place, but…
'…If it already likes me, there's nothing else I can do.'
It was a supernatural life-form with a danger rating of B, no less.
Rejecting its goodwill could lead to something even worse than accepting a gift, so refusing it wasn't an option.
'Do I have to prepare separate meals for it…?'
So Kang Yul would have to treat this tiny Worm like royalty from now on.
He was briefly worried that he might have to feed it minerals with every meal, when…
Ding-!
[You have met the conditions and acquired the class skill 'Gate Compendium'.]
'A new skill?'
A notification suddenly appeared, telling him he'd met the conditions and acquired a new class skill.
Could the condition have been making a life-form from a Gate follow him—and deciding to raise it?
If so, this skill might help with his current situation, so Kang Yul immediately checked its details.
Ding-!
[Skill]: Gate Compendium
You can check brief information about Gates you have observed.
The more of a Gate you explore, the more detailed the information you can check.
※ If your class is 'Gate Summoner', you can check the ﹝Special Features﹞ of life-forms encountered inside a Gate.
'Is this an exploration skill?'
Skills of this sort are said to show their true value when exploring a Gate about which no information is available.
Just like the Gate Gallery skill, this one would also make the Association or corporations go crazy if they found out about it.
'No, that's not what's important right now.'
Kang Yul pinched his thigh to pull himself together, then refocused on the skill window.
The part about checking information on a Gate wasn't useful in his current situation, so he skipped it.
He also skipped the part about receiving more information as he explored, and stopped at the ﹝Special Features﹞ mentioned at the very bottom.
※ If your class is 'Gate Summoner', you can check the ﹝Special Features﹞ of life-forms encountered inside a Gate.
The ability to check special features… He remembered that.
Also, when summoning a Gate, you can check the amount of resources obtainable from that Gate and its special features.
It was one of the abilities inherent to the Gate Summoner class, a kind of passive skill that let Kang Yul check the special features of Gates he summoned.
But now he could use it on life-forms he encountered inside Gates, too?
He didn't know exactly what principle or method made it work, but if it was possible, there couldn't be a more useful skill for Kang Yul right now.
'Do I just have to look at it?'
To test the skill's effect right away, Kang Yul stared intently at the Worm squirming on the floor.
And at that moment…
Wiggle- wiggle-
﹝Special Features﹞
: It likes the surrounding environment.
: It likes the being that woke it up.
: It wants to eat soft soil.
!
Kang Yul began to see what was in the Worm's heart.