The One Who Saved a World Before Will be Best at Saving Another

Chapter 27

Pressing the buttons in order or having to follow a special rule to capture the core that protected the Erosion Zone was the kind of thing she meant. All of these together were called gimmicks.

The word “gimmick” was used differently in foreign countries, but in Korea the word was used when making boss raid guides for games.

Since Erosion Zone hunting was an area led by Korea, the entire world used the word gimmick in the same sense as Korea when it came to eliminating Erosion Zones.

For class 2 it might exist or it might not. From class 1 and above it always existed, according to Han Sang-ah’s explanation.

“You might not have graduated from the academy, but you should have the guide on your smartphone.”

“You mean that fifteen hundred-page one? I read it, I just don’t remember it.”

My goodness, if I had the talent to read that and memorize it all, I would’ve taken the civil service exam and become a level 5 government official.

I kept her advice in mind and threw myself into the hole leading to the Erosion Zone.

As soon as I entered, I was faced with the sad thing she had called a gimmick.

“What is this?”

On the back of my hand, pips like those on dice were drawn as if in a tattoo. The tattoo rolled periodically across my hand like it was alive, changing to another number.

“So what exactly is this supposed to be?”

And monsters appeared in front of me as if they had been waiting.

“What lovely sights you are.”

They were essentially corpses. Topknotted corpses with samurai half-shaved hairstyles, wearing men’s kimonos dripping with rotting corpse water, holding swords in both hands and approaching me.

“What’s with your teeth? Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so much candy.”

Their open mouths were full of blackened teeth.

Leaving aside the strange outfits, numbers floated above their heads. I could guess what I was supposed to do. For something called a gimmick, it was very straightforward.

To test my guess, I deliberately thrust my spear at the chest of a monster with the number six above its head when the back of my hand showed a three.

The spear slid through its body as if it touched nothing.

“A matching game huh.”

If the numbers didn’t match, I couldn’t land a valid hit on the monster. On the other hand…

When I raised my spear to block its counterattack, the impact was clear and solid.

“This is some real cheap crap.”

It seemed I was the only one who had to match numbers to attack. I’m starting to feel left out here.

“Hey, I don’t think I can burn this.”

The Erosion Zone’s gimmick didn’t feel like something the Paradoxical Flame could burn unless it became far more intense.

I’d burned almost everything except the absurd ones like time and space, so maybe this gimmick was a concept as hard to burn as those.

“Fine, come at me.”

About five corpse samurai crept closer with katanas in hand, then suddenly charged with a roar.

“…That’s actually a blessing in disguise.”

If I’d just charged in without thinking, it would have been troublesome. If the number on my wrist didn’t match the number above their heads, I couldn’t attack at all, and attaching the Paradoxical Flame wouldn’t be easy.

Was her name Kim Ji-hyun? If I hadn’t reinforced my meridians to the maximum when I fought that Taekwondo-piercing girl, I’d probably be half-dead now.

“They’re pretty good with a sword even as corpses.”

I’d already timed it. The number on my forearm changed every fifteen seconds. The numbers above the half-shaved samurai’s heads changed every three seconds.

“Got one.”

When the numbers matched, the spear tip wreathed in the blazing Paradoxical Flame touched the monster’s shoulder. The number soon changed, but the flame continued to burn without going out.

If a hit landed, any added effect stayed. If that weren’t the case, the changing numbers would mean the wounds healed instantly.

“Good thing there’s at least a shred of conscience… thank god!"

By this point, smashing five or so corpses was nothing, so they were destroyed in moments.

With a thud, a head was kicked clean off, and the remaining body was engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, I stared at the large Japanese castle in the distance.

“How many stories is that?”

It looked far away, but it was visible even from here.

It fits perfectly with the image of a Japanese castle, masked perverts running around calling themselves ninjas on the roof, pale-faced women playing shamisen…

“What did they call that? A hirajiro?”

I recalled hearing it somewhere.

“There’s an easy way that would cost me a lot.”

I could grab a big rock, attach the Paradoxical Flame to it, and hurl it at the castle. At my current output, I could attach the flame even to its durability.

Then, without controlling it, the flame would spread like a wildfire, burning the entire durability of the Erosion Zone including that huge castle.

The corpses’ flesh and guts would drip like ice cream left out in the summer, and their bones would snap in a breeze.

All good, except… once the flame became that large, I couldn’t control it at all. It would burn everything without discrimination.

“I might end up committing public indecency.”

The only thing the uncontrollable flame wouldn’t burn was me. Which meant it would burn my spear, my gifted shoulder guard, and everything I was wearing.

“There’s no reason to do that right now.”

Most of my gear wasn’t anything special except for being sturdy… but I liked these gloves.

And more than that,

“My share of the reward for clearing the Erosion Zone would probably burn too.”

Even if I destroyed the Erosion Zone, if all its durability was on fire, the flame would instantly spread to my reward.

“…I’ll only use it if I really run out of options.”

Taking the easy route would cost me too much.

“That’s how easy paths usually are.”

A class 3 Erosion Zone was small enough that the flame could easily spread by burning things like life force. This one was too big for that. It was limited to burning moving concepts like life force or strength.

It was roughly the size of a city.

Slinging my spear over my shoulder, I approached the castle.

“….”

Surprisingly, there weren’t many monsters on the way. Inside the castle it was completely empty. No sounds, nothing visible.

If my senses detected nothing, it meant the place was truly empty, at least for an Erosion Zone of this level.

“So that hooded soldier wasn’t lying.”

It seemed they had truly succeeded in controlling this Erosion Zone. Maybe they had pulled every monster out to attack Japan.

If not, there should have been guardians here. I quickly ran to the top of the castle.

Sliding open a door, I saw a few flickering candles and an old man in armor kneeling. A helmet sat beside him.

Was it called marudo armor? In Korean it translated to “ring armor.” It wasn’t anything amazing, just the ornate armor people imagined when they thought of Japanese armor.

“Well, old man, where are your kids? You’re guarding the house alone this late at night?”

Moreover, he wore a choker like a dog collar at his age. It was imbued with magic and had a distinctly unnatural design.

The structure was complicated. I couldn’t tell exactly how it worked. Maybe the Descendants of Dangun had put it on to control the Erosion Zone.

“Who are you?”

Unlike the others, his voice was normal, though gloomy. I guess wearing a collar like that would do that to you.

In front of where he knelt was a square sunken hearth on the floor.

“I’d wondered what they did with the people they took… so this was it.”

Above the hearth sat a cauldron the size of two oil drums, bubbling over the heat. Limbs and heads poking out of the pot made my stomach turn.

“Human sacrifice.”

Unlike the collar on the core in front of me, I could figure out its purpose immediately. And it was well-made.

“You throw people in and the corpses sleeping in this big tomb wake up, huh.”

“Corpses? They are loyal retainers who died fighting for me and swore to serve me even in death.”

Watching him stand, I replied in a mocking tone.

“Fine, I’ll call them loyal retainer corpses if it makes you happy. Serving a master with a dog collar even after death… their lives were pathetic.”

The man listened silently, then picked up his helmet and rose. At that moment, I felt his intent crash over me.

“Pick up your weapon. Your insolence will be tempered in steel.”

I dropped my playful expression immediately. This was no joke. This was the core of a class 2 Erosion Zone? The threat made my hair stand on end.

This bastard was the real deal.

“To subdue something like this alive and put a collar on it…”

The hooded guy’s skill wasn’t anywhere near that level. Sure, killing it might have been possible, but capturing it alive was another matter.

Was the hooded guy really that strong? It didn’t seem that way. Such a thing might have been possible if it was me twenty years ago.

“Insults are repaid with death.”

No number floated above his head. It meant no gimmick applied to him.

“Shut up and draw your sword.”

I answered in a flat voice, readying my stance.

“Very well.”

As he tried to put on his helmet, I launched my attack.

“Kehe.”

The spear I swung was blocked by the sword he drew in an instant, then knocked away as if it had been struck.

“You know nothing of honor I see.”

Black energy trickled down his sword like mist. In my ears, I heard faint hallucinations of a child crying, flames crackling, and buildings collapsing.

I would have to fight with everything I had. Even then, survival was uncertain. I might die.

“Try to block this blade.”

The moment he finished speaking, his sword was suddenly before me.

With that skill and strength, he could link at least eight attacks in the blink of an eye. I wreathed my spear in the Paradoxical Flame and prepared to defend.

The first strike was successfully deflected, but the impact still jolted through my body.

The second strike was blocked again, but my hands trembled from the shock.

The third strike was dodged, but my stance broke. I expected the fourth strike to be the real crisis.

It came. With my broken stance, I couldn’t block it.

I grit my teeth, imagining how to minimize the damage.

“…?”

But his attack was simple. Laughably, stupidly simple.

When I threw myself aside, the sword pressure sliced through where I had been standing. I dodged way too easily.

Fast and strong, but that was all. No follow-up combos, and the first strike seemed almost too simple, making me wonder if I’d missed something.

That couldn’t be right…

“Not bad.”

I stared at him with an incredulous look.

“What do you think you are doing right now?”

Five more exchanges followed.

“Do you have amnesia or something? What’s your deal?”

At first I thought he was holding back. But no matter how I looked at it, that wasn’t it.

“…During resurrection, much of my memory from life was lost.”

“I see.”

Only then, I was able to relax a little.