Chapter 9

Chapter 9
## Chapter 009

### Title: Alpha Erosion Core Inferno

I had a strong suspicion about what she was looking for. However, it was time for a reality check.

“Our mission on this island isn’t a search and rescue operation for hunters. How am I supposed to protect every lone wolf wandering around out there?”

Certain tasks are simply impossible. A single person has clear limitations. Furthermore…

“In this line of work, casualties are a mathematical certainty.”

That is the cold reality of the profession. Life frequently hits you with unavoidable catastrophes, much like a high-speed collision you never saw coming.

If you pull through, you’re lucky. If you don’t, your story ends right there.

“Yoo Chan-seok, let me ask you something. How would you feel if you were the one trapped in that spot?”

I gave Han Sang-ah a blunt, honest response.

“I’d be absolutely furious. I’d be cursing my pathetic luck and wondering why the universe picked me to suffer. I’d scream for help until my lungs gave out. Honestly, I’d probably be wetting my pants in pure panic.”

“But—”

I cut her off before she could continue her train of thought.

“Regardless of what I’m feeling or thinking… the result is the same: I die. I’m not interested in the emotional state of the people currently in danger.”

I was focused strictly on the conclusion. When you are caught in a scenario where death is the only logical outcome, no amount of internal reflection or terror alters the fact of your demise.

The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time we arrived at Hwaga Temple.

“The structure is still standing. It doesn’t look like any other hunting parties are camped out here.”

“That’s a small mercy,” she replied.

After hearing Han Sang-ah’s assessment, we dropped our gear and ate a hasty meal.

“It’s getting too dark to scout the perimeter effectively.”

“Well, at least their positions are obvious.”

Looking down from our vantage point, their flashlights made their locations glaringly apparent.

“That is incredibly reckless.”

I understood their reasoning; those bat-headed goblins from our first encounter weren’t exactly elite threats. The hunters likely assumed that even if they were spotted, they could handle whatever came their way.

While weighing our immediate goals, I sent out two cautionary texts via the messenger app to the various hunters currently working the Gyodongdo contract.

[This is Yoo Chan-seok from Team 8. Considering the strength of the creatures we’ve faced so far, please stop using lights indiscriminately—you are inviting a disaster.] [According to hunter Kim Min-je, who is with us, the Alpha Erosion Core might have already escalated to Rank 3.]

If they actually paid attention to my warning, we might avoid a situation where monsters harvest them like ripe fruit in a midnight orchard.

“Do you think they’ll actually listen?”

The messages were marked as read. Yet, the lights remained on. It’s human nature to do the exact opposite of what’s suggested for your own safety.

“I guess minimizing the body count is no longer an option.”

I boiled some water, prepped two cups of tea, and went to find Kim Min-je.

“Ah, hunter Yoo Chan-seok.”

“The temperature is dropping fast out here.”

I sat down next to him, passed him a warm cup, and moved straight to the point.

“You mentioned you’ve handled these types of contracts before, Kim Min-je. That means you’ve got some firsthand experience with Erosion Cores, right?”

He nodded slowly at my inquiry.

“I do, but what’s the occasion for asking…?”

I offered a small smile as I explained my reasoning.

“If I’m going to stick with this career, I’m bound to stumble into Erosion Cores just like Han Sang-ah has. I’d rather have the data now than learn the hard way later.”

The logic was simple—it’s better to go in with a map than to be blindsided in the dark.

“If there’s any Intel you can provide beforehand, I’m all ears.”

Kim Min-je nodded and began to explain the mechanics.

“Erosion Cores manifest as physical rifts or holes. Once you cross that threshold, you’re stepping into an entirely different dimension.”

A separate reality. That caught my attention.

“How different are we talking?”

“It varies. Sometimes you find yourself in a sudden wasteland… The last time I went in, it felt like an endless subterranean prison.”

Hunters who enter the rift have a thirty-minute window before the portal snaps shut behind them.

The stakes were getting higher, and my mind started mapping out the variables.

“Once you’re inside, there is no exit until the core itself is neutralized.”

He clarified that the ‘core’ wasn’t a literal object, but rather a high-tier monster reigning over the space.

“So, once the boss is dead, the rift opens back up to our world?”

He shook his head in correction.

“Not exactly. When the core entity is slain, everyone inside is automatically shifted back to the original coordinates of the Erosion Core’s entrance.”

It functioned like a forced recall. Once the source of power is gone, the Erosion Zone loses its stability and collapses, causing the monsters within to lose their physical forms.

That was the final piece of the puzzle I needed. I felt a surge of internal satisfaction.

My path was set. I was going straight for the Alpha Erosion Core of Gyodongdo.

“I appreciate the info. Also, I hope that sensor of yours is as good as you say.”

He looked down at the small device in his palm. It was designed to trigger a loud alert if any hostile entity entered its detection radius.

“It’s a reliable piece of tech. We won’t need to rotate for a night watch.”

Once the conversation ended, I bided my time until the dead of night. After confirming that Kim Min-je and Han Sang-ah were both sound asleep, I ghosted away from the temple, heading toward Insa-ri at the northern edge of the island.

I encountered a few wandering monsters during my trek, but I chose stealth over confrontation. I had already committed the map coordinates of the Alpha Erosion Core to memory during the briefing.

As I moved at a dead sprint, I suddenly skidded to a halt.

“Damn it.”

A feline the size of a Siberian tiger had a woman pinned by the neck, its heavy front paw crushing a bloodied, middle-aged man into the dirt.

Wait, a tiger-sized cat? No, that was literally just a tiger.

“You have a thing for cat treats too?”

I really should have brought some.

My dry joke prompted the massive beast to drop the woman’s limp body and calmly lick its paw clean.

It acted as if I were beneath its notice. But I know how felines work—when a new toy appears…

They feign boredom right before they strike.

It twisted in mid-air with impossible agility, closing the distance in a heartbeat and swinging a massive paw—a textbook predatory swipe.

The force behind it was enough to take a man’s head clean off.

“Cut the nonsense. Or should I say, the catnip?”

Expecting the move, I drove my spear toward its leg. It pulled back instantly, then brought its paw down on my weapon’s shaft with lightning speed.

The spear was pinned firmly to the ground, outmatched by the beast’s reflexes.

I let go of the weapon, lunged into its personal space, and threw a punch at its skull—but the target vanished.

“A shadow technique?”

My instincts and memories synchronized, projecting the worst-case scenario and generating a counter in a split second.

I spun around just as a massive shadow-claws erupted from my own silhouette on the ground.

Targeting that ethereal limb, I flooded my legs with mana and brought my heel down with maximum force.

There was a sickening crunch followed by a grinding sound as the shadow-paw was flattened under my boot. Dark flames immediately latched onto it.

A high-pitched, agonized shriek filled the air.

“Want to go for a run? Keep up.”

With one paw mangled, its mobility would be compromised. It wouldn’t be able to overtake me immediately.

“Hoo… ha…”

My breath was coming in heavy bursts as I raced toward the Alpha Erosion Core, the giant feline snarling in pursuit.

Directly ahead was a gaping rift, wide enough for several people to enter at once.

Seeing the beast charging toward me with black flames eating into its hide, I flashed a grin and leaped into the void.

“…”

I touched down in an open grassland. The sun was beating down from high above, and in the distance sat a cluster of crude, primitive dwellings that looked like something out of a prehistoric era.

Han Sang-ah had mentioned that lower-rank Erosion Cores aren’t massive; a full sweep usually takes a few hours.

But Rank 2 and above? Those missions could drag on for weeks or even a month.

“I had a feeling you’d be right behind me.”

As expected, the tiger leaped through the portal after me. I stood my ground while it kept its distance, eyes burning with malice as it tended to its scorched paw.

It was beyond furious.

“Bring it on.”

It was time to stop holding back. The Paradox Flame clinging to its fur was already draining its vitality.

The fire didn’t stop. Usually, if the flames grew too large for me to manage, I’d extinguish them and start fresh.

But these flames, fueled by the beast’s own stamina, had already grown beyond my direct manipulation.

It didn’t matter.

“We aren’t on Earth anymore, are we?”

The Paradox Flame has one major drawback: it consumes everything except me.

Those black embers drain the life force of any living thing in the vicinity.

When left unchecked, it turns into a runaway inferno.

“But in this place? I can let it rip.”

This was a perfectly contained environment. Once the core was dealt with, I’d be pulled out regardless.

“Kek… hrrrk.”

As I watched the cat struggle against the fire, I heard a sound from my rear.

“Well, look at this welcoming committee.”

Five or six massive, bat-headed humanoids standing over two meters tall were approaching, wielding stone bludgeons and wearing predatory grins.

Every single one of them was as powerful as the monsters I’d faced earlier.

The feline I’d been baiting suddenly lunged toward them, as if seeking reinforcements from its own kind.

“Idiots.”

Naturally, the stamina-eating flames on the cat immediately jumped to the nearby giants.

The uncontrolled Paradox Flame utilized its stored energy to rapidly incinerate the vitality of the entire group.

Six giants and one massive cat. Seven targets in total. As the flames devoured their strength, the resulting mana discharge began to thicken the very air around us.

My body began to crackle and hum as I absorbed the dense, ambient mana.

“Once everything turns to ash…”

The mana was saturating the enclosed dimension. The heavy atmosphere was actually making me more powerful by the second.

“Let’s see just how hot we can make this place today!”

I began to lure the flaming horde toward the primitive village, engaging them just enough to keep their attention.

More creatures began to pour out of the huts—not just the large bat-heads, but smaller bat-headed goblins as well.

“The more, the merrier.”

I channeled the Paradox Flame into my palm, seized a goblin by the skull, and launched it like a grenade into the thick of the pack.

Then, coiling the dark fire around my boots, I vaulted toward another target. I crushed its chest under my weight; it collapsed, unable to react to my increased speed, and began to burn before it even hit the dirt.

Using its falling body as a platform, I skidded across the ground, drove my spear into its midsection, and heaved it with all my might into the oncoming wave of monsters.

“Ha.”

The mana in the air was becoming incredibly concentrated, flowing into me and making my skin spark with energy.

“Let it all burn.”

The Paradox Flame was spreading everywhere now, transforming the entire field into a vast, shadow-black sea of fire.