After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite
chapter-14

The Ogre in the Pocket (3)

A week has passed.

-Hello, Jeong Si-woo. This is Kang Jun-ho, a hunter from the Explorer’s Eye. We contacted you because it is determined that the crack (pit of evil spirits) is suitable for a tour as it has a low risk and simple internal structure.

As I expected, the Explorer’s Eye contacted fairly quickly.

The address attached below the text was also a place that I knew well, so I applied without hesitation.

I thought about it while listening to the subtle metal sounds from my body.

Since the Explorer’s Eyes sent me some basic equipment, even if I didn’t ask them to, my armament was better equipped than ever.

Of course, the equipment was of a lower quality than the training swords I carved myself.

I wasn’t going to use it yet. I could get to my destination faster if I didn’t waste my attention with some annoying equipment.

* * *

“Cracks classified as pits are widespread. Everyone has experienced it several times. The ‘pit of evil spirits’ that we will attack today has a rather unusual structure among those cracks …”

Even though I came in early, several hunters were already gathered for the briefing when I arrived.

I snuck behind them and started reading the information and listening to the briefing conducted.

This was my first big event since I came back to the past.

Beginning with this incident, the precursors of the ‘disaster,’ the momentum for the world to perish, occurred bit by bit.

For a while, the cracks were quiet, but the hunters and guilds remained vigilant. The pit of the evil spirits caused the Explorer’s Eye guild to suffer quite a fatal blow.

The hunters gathered here are all third-class.

Of course, even the 3rd class hunters of the Explorer’s Eye had excellent power.

However, their power was not good enough to handle the pit of evil spirits.

As far as I can remember, a team of at least second-class hunters was needed to deal with the monsters without casualties.

“The basics are like other pit cracks. There are no forks or dead ends. It’s a simple structure where you only have to go down. Of course, the monster population is higher than in other cracks, and they tend to be aggressive.

“…”

“So, in general, cracks in pits tend to go through with a level 4 risk. However, this place is a so-called ‘honey crack’ that has been judged as lower risk, possibly risk 5 or even 6. Do you know why?”

Yes, and because of that judgment, two teams of third-level hunters in the Explorer’s Eye are wiped out without a trace.

“The species of monsters that inhabit this place are evil spirits. They take ten times more damage with the Holy attribute, and they do not attack first.”

“…”

“Most of the dangerous monsters attack upon seeing humans, and they are not as vulnerable. But evil spirits are completely the opposite. It does not make a surprise attack, and our attacks will deal ten times more damage. They are just going to be prey and boost our performance.”

Several hunters giggled.

I remember the faces of those who were smiling and looked at them sadly.

No ‘honey crack’ existed in the world.

Even the low-risk cracks are a danger for the general public, and dozens and hundreds of casualties occur within five minutes of the hunters being dispatched.

They weren’t looking at it as something to get rid of but as a means of making their day.

A hunter with such a mindset will eventually be swallowed up by monsters.

Whoo.

A sigh escaped me.

The man continued his briefing.

As soon as other hunters heard the word honey crack, they started boasting about their personal equipment and talking about which bar to go to after the hunt today.

While I was thinking about how to improve, I was watching them.

“Oh, Jeong Si-woo, you came early.”

Someone tapped on my shoulder.

“Good morning. I am Kang Jun-ho. Today, I will be by your side and explain basic attack information. I will help you observe the hunters safely.”

He was a warm man who set a good impression with the people.

“Alas. Yes.”

“Please tell us immediately if you have any issues. There are no talents these days on our Explorer’s Eyes… Scouts are very interested in cadets.”

“Haha, that’s an honor.”

When I said that politely, Kang Jun-ho laughed hard.

“I think departure will take some time. Meanwhile, may I show you the hunting preparation site? Oh, or if you want to listen to the briefing, you could keep listening. It might help you with your studies.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I didn’t know what it was, so I was just standing there. Please show me around.”

I shook my head as I replied.

I didn’t need to hear more of that poor briefing. It was as if elementary school students released the surveyed data.

“Ah. Yes, I see. Do you know what that tent is? People think that this is a place where hunters stay, but in fact, it blocks the outside from being affected by erosions from the ‘crack.’”

I’d rather listen to these sensible words.

“Wow, it’s really amazing.”

I acted as if I was hearing this for the first time.

Time quickly passed as I listened to a story that was not interesting.

* * *

“We’re going to follow a little more slowly from the back positions.”

“You must be in the same position as the porter.”

The inside of the crack was very dark.

As it was a pit-type crack, there was only one passage downhill. Still, the darkness and the eerie sounds coming from all around created an unnerving atmosphere.

Of course, the hunters in the Explorer’s Eyes, who had experience attacking numerous cracks, were never frightened by such an atmosphere.

Eight hunters who were veterans in the third class stepped forward without hesitation.

As we advanced, a lot of information was briefed without disturbing the group’s formation.

It was completely different from the advancement that Kim Hyun-Cheol recklessly led in the actual evaluation.

However, though I was satisfied with the 3rd class hunters, my eyes were too alert because of past experiences.

“There is one evil spirit.”

“Yes, I saw it.”

“I saw it too.”

Something transparent came floating from the dark into sight.

“Let’s not get too close. Let’s focus on using the dealers’ long-range firepower. With the streets so far apart, I don’t know how many of them will come out.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

In response, the wizard standing in the back chanted a spell, and the archer next to him pulled a bow and waited for the next order.

There was a gold light shining in the wizard’s hand, and a soft light hovered in the archer’s arrowhead.

Both of them seemed to be equipped with the magic and equipment of the Holy attribute.

“Shoot.”

Whoo.

The light-spotted mass left the wizard’s hand and flew away, and the arrow followed.

“Kiee-ae-ek!”

The light halo that struck the transparent body exploded and gnawed at it.

The evil spirit screamed like it was being torn apart and turned its head toward us. It was soon destroyed by the arrows that followed.

The tumultuous scream stopped quickly.

It was a neat attack.

“All clear! Okay, let’s go slowly like this.”

The foremost man picked up the green mana stone from the ghost and again made progress.

The hunters’ skills were very good for the third-class.

Dealers neatly defeated the monsters without any minor mistakes, and the tankers continued their briefing and changed positions in every situation to keep the allies tight.

“The hunters of the Explorer’s Eyes are famous for their tidiness.”

“Yes. I have never seen them make a mistake.”

Kang Jun-ho smiled softly and continued to explain.

Hunting continued for a long time.

Within an hour or so, the hunters killed 40 to 50 demon spirits, and they kept the mana stones quite well.

“Hey, can we go a little faster?”

“Yeah, that’s alright.”

The atmosphere was quite relaxed, and they started talking about which bar to go to when the hunting was over.

This situation is the most dangerous…

The moment the tension is released…

Just one mistake can ruin everything…

I pondered while staying alert.

And.

“Hey, there’s another evil spirit.”

Another monster has been found.

“Let’s go as before. Dealers’ firepower at a time …”

His face suddenly froze mid-sentence.

“That… Originally, was it really that big?”

Thud… thud…

The crack began to vibrate.

“Wait a minute, is it getting bigger? Isn’t that coming over here?”

“What. Why is this? What are you talking about?”

Vibrations are not uncommon in a crack.

However, they cannot occur in cracks where only monsters of the ghost race appear.

“Everyone, change your formation! The crack analysis is wrong, quickly, go to defense formation!”

Large species.

Ogres, golems, giants – they were single predators that could wipe out hundreds of humans.

At the same time, the knowledge I saw in the past came to my mind.

<Evil Spirit Pit>

[Unlike other pits, it has monsters of the ghost race that do not preempt.]

[Because of the nature of the pit crack, more monsters inhabit it than in other cracks, and it has a very simple internal structure.]

[But because of two peculiarities, it is one of the dangerous dungeons classified as ‘Level 3’.]

Kugugugung …

As the vibrations grew more violent, a massive shape gradually began to appear in the dark.

“Kaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It was a huge Ghost Horse, roaming around the crack.

Parts of its body were rotten and torn, and its bones and muscles were visible. Maggots were quivering in its eye sockets.

From its muzzle, black smoke spurted out unceasingly, and the air around it cooled.

It was the boss monster protecting the crack’s core.

Pug-!

With a loud sound, something past me and rolled over the floor.

“Oh… Woeek!”

I turned to see a man at the forefront, lying on his face, vomiting blood with his shield crushed.

The bullet-proof armor was cracked. The man sat down after trying to stand several times.

“Argghh… What is that …”

I immediately turned my head towards the direction they were looking at. I listened to their panicked shouting.

At the same time,

[‘View information’ is activated.]

[Based on the record of the Akashic record, the target information is read.]

.

.

.

[Name: Ghost Horse]

[Ghost Horse, a powerful monster on the battlefield, was born surrounded by evil spirits. The horse’s instinct for freedom was more powerful than the instinct to protect the core of the crack. Even though it is a crack boss, it moves freely inside.]

[The power of evil spirits combines with the Ghost Horse, all physical attacks are ignored.]

[The power of evil spirits combines with the Ghost Horse, all magic attacks except Holy attacks are reduced by 70%.]

[The power of evil spirits combines with the Ghost Horse, and its physical ability increases incredibly.]

[Risk-3 grade]

The Ghost Horse has terrifying abilities.

Information about the boss monster filled my head.

After checking the information, I shifted my eyes again to see how the seven remaining hunters were coping after losing one tanker.

“You’ve brought a lot of holy water, right? Spray it as much as possible!”

Even in a risky situation, he was coping well.

The Ghost Horse slowly retreated, leaving the street empty.

“Just be careful when jumping from a distance. Your direct attack ability is not that strong!”

The analysis was also pretty fast.

I nodded once, looking at them.

Again, this level seemed to be able to cope well even with third-level hunters.

Then again…

There were two peculiar things that made this pit of evil spirits unique. The second point was why they were wiped out.

“Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Oh, uh…?”

Suddenly piercing screams came from everywhere.

It was the cry of evil spirits that I heard earlier, but this one was a little different.

It wasn’t the cry of one or two evil spirits.

“What…”

[Pits of evil spirits tend to have more monsters than other cracks.]

A score of transparent ghost bodies appeared from all sides.

[The population of evil spirits is deadly in the pit crack.]

20? 30?

The unit was not prepared to face this many, at the same time.

Just like ants swarming out of an ant nest, evil spirits swarmed out through the walls.

“Uh…?”

The hunters were frozen in fear and despair.

[Statistically, there were 200 times more monsters than the standard crack.]

The ghosts circled around them as they stuck tight in the center.

“Cadet… Don’t be nervous. The hunters of the Explorer’s Eye are proven, veterans. We never lose our composure …”

Words rushed out of Kang Joon-ho, and though he sounded confident, his expression betrayed his fear.

I took a ‘training sword’ out and prepared for battle.

[The inscription of Blue Forge No. 39 shines.]

[The sword has great holy power.]

[All attacks of the sword are changed to ‘Holy Attack’.]

[Inflicts 10x damage to ghost enemies.]

The stamp had changed its type as I took it out.

“How can I get through this?”

“Can we retreat? Can you see the escape?”

“There are too many evil spirits! If you touch the evil spirits while trying to retreat, they will think that we have attacked, and they will all attack us back!”

“Fuck, then what do you do? I can’t defeat a ghost town with this firepower!”

“Cadet Jeong Si-woo… Don’t move quickly …”

I looked ahead.

[It’s an improved version.]

The training sword turned a soft golden color.

It was not a situation that could be reversed with only one piece of equipment that was strengthened by Holy attributes.

[That’s why you should have asked me before we left.]

“…”

[Did you expect this to happen? I know that the Akashic record has no prophecy function … It’s incredible every time you do that.]

My expression remained unchanged.

“Cadet Jeong Si-woo…?”

Kang Jun-ho uttered my name, but I didn’t answer him.

It’s a less dire situation than I expected. This much … I can get out of this.

I was looking at a notification window that appeared in the corner of my view.

[Compensation for successful communication with mythical beings]

[Roulette]

[Category: Item]

[→ One time]

[For your amazing achievements, Akashic Records presents ‘Great Things’.]

[→ Link randomly for 3 minutes to one of all beings asleep in the Akashic record.]

[→ You can link with ‘Minimum D-Class’]

[This skill is not tied to the current level of Akashic Records and the penalty of the user.]

Only

[→ When used, the item will disappear.]

“Kaaaaaaaaaaah!”

An intense roar seemed to crush the area, and the hunters shrank momentarily.

I simply put my hand on the notification window in front of my eyes without any fear.

[Use ‘Roulette’.]

At the same time, a large white roulette wheel appeared in front of me.

[Let your destiny be with luck.]

[You could become a myth or a legend.]