“Episode 5”
It seems like you’ve provided a passage in Korean. Here’s the translation:
“4:03
47
The candle was halfway melted. Calming my startled heart, I looked around relying on the faint light, and faint contours appeared.
The room, reminiscent of a medieval sanctuary, was cluttered with items as if it were a warehouse, yet neatly arranged in chaos.
Even the characters on the wall scroll trembled along with the flickering light.
Could it be a language from another realm? Even simpler than Latin, perhaps. The thought crossed my mind as my mouth moved involuntarily.
“[In honor of the sacrifice of the Great King]!”
Even though the characters were unreadable, I could read them.
A moment of joy surged. Could these characters be related to my lost memories? If so, recalling my lost memories might awaken me…
‘rsystem:: Unauthorized access detected!’
It felt like clarity was returning to my vision. I saw the status window clearly in front of me before being sucked into the gate.
_ Even if it’s just an error.
I wanted to grasp onto vague hope. It’s okay. I can survive. Whether I awaken in a moment of crisis or someone comes to rescue me…
Creak.
As I struggled to suppress my fear, I heard the sound of someone’s footsteps clashing against metal from somewhere.
Simultaneously, the scent of death grew stronger. I couldn’t breathe.
The meaning of that sound was clear. Something was approaching from beyond the door.
Gulping, the sound of swallowing saliva echoed loudly.
Pressing myself against the wall next to the door, I listened.”
“4:04
47
Please, let nothing happen…..!
Creak, creak. The footsteps from afar continued on and then abruptly stopped.
Did they notice? Or why did the sound cease? A few seconds felt like hours. Holding my breath, I peered through the gap in the door to the corridor.
There stood a headless knight.
Pitch-black armor, consumed by darkness, black sand smoke flowing from where the head should be, a helmet held in hand.
Their significance was clear. A knight of death. Dullahan.
For a Dullahan to be patrolling, the estimated grade of this gate was undoubtedly S-grade.
Only after the distant creaking sound faded away did a sigh of relief escape.
An S-grade gate? Even E-grade gates drastically lower the survival rate for civilians, let alone an S-grade gate.
Yes, it must be at least S-grade to cause such synchronization phenomena within the guild territory.
At that moment, a sinking feeling enveloped me.
I had left the paradise behind and returned. To find someone…. Who was I trying to find…?
Ah, family… I came back here to find my brother.
It would be lonely alone, so…
But if I were to die here like this.
…Would there be any meaning in coming back?
Without accomplishing anything, like this?
A strange sensation coursed through my entire body.
It was as if I was experiencing detachment from myself.”
“4:06
0. E
46
It felt like something other than my will was moving me…
Countless screams echoed in my head.
It was dizzying. Amidst the cacophony of mixed screams, instinct warned me. Yet, futile against my hand moving on its own.
As my hand grasped the doorknob, the candle extinguished with a flick. Along with the acrid smoke, the man who had been dreaming a nightmare screamed as he jolted awake.
“Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!” “Aaaahhhh-!”
My hand froze. With the disappearance of the screams, reason returned.
What was I just about to do?
The man who woke up amidst the clamor gasped for breath. Still seemingly unable to distinguish reality, he muttered something incoherent.
“Rather, destruction… Agree?”
“Are you awake?”
“W-what, where am I?”
“Where are you? Inside the gate. Don’t you know that as an awakened one?”
“Goodness. Don’t call me ‘sir’! But seriously, a real gate? Here?”
“Yes. And it’s an estimated S-grade gate. Would you like some information about it?”
“Gate information? What is this!”
The man, now fully conscious, babbled nonsense.
Isn’t he still not fully awake? Moreover, he seemed very amateur for a hunter. I had a gut feeling that he wouldn’t be helpful for survival.
Exhaling, I asked pointedly,
“Sir, are you a hunter?”
“4:13
46
booktoki338.com
“You knew?! Yet you don’t even know the basics!”
“What grade is this place?”
Before I could finish my sentence,
“You know less than a non-awakened like me, which seems concerning…
“W-what, what’s that! But aren’t you the strange one here?! How did you know this place is estimated to be S-grade?!”
“It wasn’t you, it was Park Hayoung. Dullahan just passed by. Dullahan is at least an A-grade monster. If that’s the lowest-ranking patrol, it’s estimated to be at least S-grade. Or it could be Unknown. Anything above S-grade is treated as Unknown…
“…I’m not ‘sir,’ I’m Kim Myeonghak. And Park Hayoung?”
“Y-yes, Park Hayoung. Is there a problem?”
“No, just…”
The expression on the middle-aged man, no, Kim Myeonghak’s face as he looked at me became subtle. Was there an issue with my name? As I pondered, he suddenly sighed. His gesture of rubbing his head seemed quite troubled.
“Alright. Dullahan passed by…”
“Do you know what Dullahan is?”
“Oh, I know! Isn’t that the headless knight?”
“…Can you please provide the gate information we just confirmed?”
My somewhat impatient tone made him squint. He soon relented and provided the information.
[The Forgotten King’s Black Tomb]
Grade: ???”
“Medicine uses numbers, huh?”
A red-tinted system window appeared in front of the man. An abnormal access, an error. It was indeed appropriate given the distortion of cause and effect.
As the man casually closed the system window, he sighed.
“Shin-ah, this is for you, so just stay quiet.”
His eyes, as he spoke slowly, were ominous.
Ranked first in South Korea, busier than the president, Cheon Shinwoo let out a short sigh.
As luck would have it, no one was there to witness as he shifted his sharp, piercing gaze. Just as he was about to move, someone entered the room.
“Guild Master, there’s a synchronization issue within the guild…”
“What’s the extent of the damage?”
“We’re currently assessing the number of personnel. There are currently an estimated total of 28 synchronized individuals, with 7 awakened non-combatants among them…”
“Thirty. With a mouse and… one non-combatant.”
“Pardon?”
The guild member, reporting on the unprecedented situation, was taken aback. Cheon Shinwoo, with a wry smile, chuckled.
“Any other known information?”
“Um, they’re currently checking. There’s no information available on the unbeaten gate…”
The face of the guild member reporting turned pale. The temperature around seemed unusually chilly. This indicated Cheon Shinwoo’s displeasure.
What could have made him so angry again? In the moment when the guild member trembled in fear, Cheon Shinwoo uttered a casual remark.
“Confirm gate information.”
Simultaneously, a reading information visible only to Cheon Shinwoo appeared.
[The Forgotten King’s Black Tomb]
Grade: S”
“Key Spawned Monsters: Dullahan, Death Knight, Ghost, ??? Boss Monster: ???”
As Cheon Shinwoo read the information, his eyes grew cold. With a self-deprecating tone as he muttered ‘Of all times,’ the guild member flinched again.
“The grade is S, with attributes of illusion, death, and darkness. Considering the appearance of undead monsters and the presence of illusion attributes, it seems that there are also ghost-type monsters capable of mental attacks. Although there’s no limit to the number of participants, it’s likely useless to have many. There’s a high chance of death if you go.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll go. Request for situation control and report to the association.”
Having said his piece, Cheon Shinwoo moved immediately.
Kicking the window made of tempered glass to shatter it, he plummeted from the 30th floor, leaving the guild members startled.
“He should be safe…”
Cheon Shinwoo’s last mutter, unheard by anyone, dispersed into the empty air.
“What on earth are you doing!”
My sudden action of covering his mouth startled Myeonghak. Despite my frantic attempt to cover his mouth again and make a ‘shh’ gesture, he remained oblivious and grew angrier.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“For heaven’s sake, just shut up if you want to live!”
“What’s… what’s going on?”
Even with my desperate expression, he simply looked around bewildered. Though the distant creaking sound was still faint, tension hung thick in the air.
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“For heaven’s sake, just shut up if you want to live!”
“What’s… what’s going on?”
Even with my desperate expression, he simply looked around bewildered. Though the distant creaking sound was still faint, tension hung thick in the air.
Doesn’t this person have any awareness at all? Did he forget that we’re in a gate?
“Monsters! Monsters are coming!”
My voice, lowered to its limit, was akin to a scream that echoed through the air.
Myeonghak gave me a puzzled look, wondering what the problem was.
What’s wrong with this guy? Just as I thought that, his expression gradually shifted from bewilderment to shock.
“Mon…!”
I hastily covered his mouth before he could shout again.
Only then did Myeonghak seem to calm down, nodding his head as he breathed heavily.
As much as I wanted to tell him to quiet down, I couldn’t force it upon someone facing death.
“If it’s monsters, then, uh, Dullahan?”
