Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

Chapter 41: One Extra (1)

The next day, Kang Yu dressed up in the armor he received from the Red Rose Guild and headed for the Level B gate.

‘How uncomfortable it is to take public transport… I think I need a car,’ Kang Yu thought, frowning as he took the train to his destination.

Kang Yu didn’t exactly need an imported car that cost millions of won like Young-ju’s, but having a car at all would be nice.

‘When I’m done today, I’ll have to ask them to pick a car for me.’

Knowing how valuable he was to the Red Rose Guild, he figured they’d provide a car for free. Pleased by this thought, he got off the train.

— Well…

Kang Yu searched online to see what monsters would be waiting for him at this gate ahead of time.

‘There are quite a few of them.’ There was more than just one monster species in the level B Gate.

This Gate had all kinds of monsters ranging from level D to level B, including elite monsters.

‘The main representative of this gate is the Minotaur.’

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They say it looked like a crossbreed between an Orc and one of the elite level A monster species.

Although it was just one of many creatures in the Level B gate, its strength could not be underestimated. The Minotaur is so strong, it is treated as a gate boss whenever it appears in the Level C gate. For this reason, it was best not to treat it as though it were an ordinary monster like a goblin or orc. Hunting the Minotaur alone was not wise.

‘Well, I’m not interested in that creature at all.’ Kang Yu didn’t come here to hunt the Minotaur.

He had come here for a creature from Hell whose death could give him a much bigger reward.

— Huh? — As he approached the Gate, he overheard the heated discussion between the Players and guards, and frowned.

— No, what’s the problem? There are over five people in our party. Why can’t we come in?

— You think this place is so easy to go into?!

The Players standing in front of the entrance were engaged in a yelling match with the guards at the entrance.

‘What’s going on?’

Not only were there Players, but there was a crowd of people with cameras and microphones gathered in front of the entrance.

Kang Yu walked closer towards the turmoil.

— An unidentified monster has appeared at this gate and is being checked. We hope you will be able to understand the delay.

— No, it’s not even the boss! What kind of unidentified monster is this?

— We cannot provide any information on it at this time. However, ten Players have already been killed at his hands. For your safety, the entrance will be barred until the end of the inspection, — said one of the guards at the entrance. So this was why many Players were stuck outside.

‘An unidentified monster, you say?’ Kang Yu grinned.

If they were calling it an ‘unidentified monster,’ it was easy to guess which creature was involved.

‘Hellcats must be raging at the Gate.’ Otherwise the Players wouldn’t be blocked from entering.

‘But what kind of creature is it?’ In Hell, from the First Thousandth Circle to the Ninth Thousandth Circle, there were quite a few monsters.

Among them were creatures capable of trespassing territories and threatening the Greats.

(Editor’s Note: Reminder – the “Greats” aka the Seven Great Demons)

However, Hell’s creatures do not cross borders on purpose often, so skirmishes are quite rare.

— De… ten people…

— So many people have died…

— Are they really that dangerous?

A wave of anxiety ran through the crowd once they learned that ten Players had died because of the monster.

News of Player deaths in the Gates was common, but it was not the norm in Level B gates and above.

And for this number of Players to die… It was unheard of.

— Tell us more!

— The citizens are worried!

As soon as the crowd got into a panicked state, the journalists got down to business.

— At the moment, we’re not ready to provide detailed information on the creature. All we know is that it looks like a lion, but has five paws. He has never appeared at the Gates before.

The guards have made it clear to all the reporters that they had no other information.

‘Looks like a lion, but with five paws…’ Kang Yu considered the guards’ words carefully.

As far as Kang Yu knew, there was only one hellish creature that matched that description.

‘Boer.’

It was one of the strongest Devourers in the Second Thousandth Circle of Hell.

‘As I expected, the creatures of the Second Thousandth Circle of Hell are beginning to appear.’ To some extent, this could be considered proof that the higher the level of a Gate, the stronger the creatures from Hell would be.

— If it’s a Boer… — Kang Yu recalled everything he knew about this creature and thought about the number of victims again.

‘If 10 victims have been killed, it most likely appeared at the Gate two days ago.’

The Boer had one feature that made him different from other creatures.

He doesn’t eat more than five victims a day.

No matter whether they are small or large, he eats five victims a day, and then he will not initiate combat first, being in the digestion phase.

That’s why it’s not difficult to calculate that he must have been at the Gate for two days, if he had only killed ten Players.

‘If it’s really him, it’s simple.’ The Boer is a creature that doesn’t require complex manipulation to hunt.

All you have to do is feed a Boer five other monsters so that he stops initiating combat. In this state, it would not be difficult to catch him.

‘Maybe I should sneak in.’ Kang Yu did not hurry towards the troops guarding the entrance.

He wasn’t going to use the Power of Oblivion as he had done last time to sneak in.

‘There’s no need to be so secretive.’ Kang Yu smiled a bit and pulled out his smartphone, then hit the dial once he found the right contact.

— What is it?

He heard Chae Young-ju’s familiar voice.

— I have a request for you.

— You have a request?

— I want to go to the Level B Gate, but the government is conducting a check here…

— Are you already at the Level B Gate right now?

— That’s right.

— Is that why you’re asking me to give you access to the entrance?

— Yeah. You can do that, can’t you? You have a good relationship with all kinds of high-ranking people in the government.

— Oh… — Putting the phone at a distance for a bit, she took a deep breath before responding. — Do you have to go in there? —

— I have important business to attend to.

She stayed quiet for a while, and then she clicked her tongue and continued quietly:

— This is not a cheap favor.

— Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.

— Yes, yes. Of course. You’re not going to die at the hands of that unknown monster, are you?

— If I were such a weak person, you wouldn’t be sponsoring me.

Even though Young-ju didn’t say anything out loud, Kang Yu could hear her swearing at him inside her head.

— Wait a bit. There’s a government officer there, right? Give him the phone.

— Okay. — Kang Yu slipped through the crowd of reporters and gave one of the military officers his phone.

— Again, the Players aren’t allowed to enter…

— Red Rose Guild Commander Chae Young-ju is on the line.

— What…? — The officer, concerned, immediately took the phone from Kang Yu’s hands.

The reporters were staring at Kang Yu with distrust and confusion in their eyes.

— Chae Young-ju…? Is he talking about that Chae Young-ju?

— Who is that person to Chae Young-ju? Was there a Player like that in Red Rose?

Ignoring the crowd’s noisy murmuring, the officer continued talking to Young-ju on the phone.

The soldier called a few more places and warily heaved a sigh.

— Oh Kang Yu… We got permission for you to enter the gate. You, as a member of the research team, have the right to study the creature and attack if necessary. You will be obliged to provide any and all information you get to the government. Do you consent?

Kang Yu, hearing that he had access to the gate, smiled widely.

— Of course. I will do a thorough study so that the people can sleep without worrying about this unknown creature, — Kang Yu proclaimed clearly without hesitation.

— Woah!

— Hurry… take a picture of him!

The journalists, smelling sensational news, pointed their camera lenses at him.

— If a member of a Guild has the right to enter, so do we! — At that moment, six people, pushing the journalists aside, came forward.

Five guys and one girl. All of them, looking at Kang Yu with disgust, moved to the entrance.

— I’m Kang Seon Soo from the Mir Guild!

— The guy that the Guild actively supports?

— It’s only been three months since he became a Player, and he’s already reached the Level B Gate?

It seems there was someone famous among them, making the crowd go wild.

The man named Kang Seon Soo, with his hair tucked into a ponytail, sauntered towards Kang Yu.

— So you’re the one who’s sponsored by Red Rose? — He looked at Kang Yu from head to toe, a nasty sneer curled on his lips.

He met Kang Yu’s eyes with an impertinent look.

— It must be you, since you have their high-end equipment.

Kang Seon Soo walked around Kang Yu with a smirk.

— What’s going on? Shouldn’t you have a bunch of teammates? Isn’t that part of their sponsorship?

The corners of Kang Yu’s lips twitched into a lazy smile, and he calmly replied:

— I’m much more comfortable hunting alone, so I don’t need the support of their teammates.

— Huh. I heard you hang out at the Level C Gate… Does this gate look like a Level C gate to you?

Where did this guy hear that from? He seemed to know quite a lot about Kang Yu.

Rumors of Young-ju personally offering to sponsor him must have spread quickly.

Kang Seon Soo deliberately kept picking on Kang Yu:

— You’re not all that special. There are people like you everywhere.

Kang Yu’s stretched smile began to fade away.

Seon Soo’s jokes were hurting his pride.

— It seems that you want to become famous by catching this unknown monster. Since when is it possible to be so self-assured when you only have four ranks?

‘Seon Soo.’

— Huh? Can’t you talk?

‘What’s wrong with you, Seon Soo?’

— Ha-ha-ha! Suddenly you’re acting dumb?

‘You’re dead, jerk.’

Kang Seon Soo, encouraged by Kang Yu’s silent behaviour, wrapped his hand around his neck.

— How’s that? You wanted to go on a walk in the gate, right? I’m taking care of you, I won’t let you die a dog’s death in there.

There was heavy silence.

Kang Yu’s serious expression changed to a smile and he nodded.