I came for Healing, but a Gate Appeared

Chapter 25 : Smile, hero.

Smile, hero.

Ian caused a gust of wind to lift himself up off the ground.

Riding the wind, he approached the ceiling.

Just like earlier, he tried to put his eye to the crack and look into the space beyond.

"Ah!"

At that moment, he was startled by the tainted air that rushed sharply into his eyes, and Ian ended up falling down.

Even with a protective shield around his body, the tainted air was powerful enough that he could feel it.

"Wow, that's intense."

The space beyond the crack exuded a wicked energy.

A warning light went off in his head.

This further deepened his suspicion that each floor of the Tower might be in a completely different dimensional space.

And those dimensions weren't all as peaceful as Praeri.

Still feeling the chill down his spine, Ian rubbed his eyes.

"I miss the fresh air of Mount Jiri."

He muttered this and was suddenly surprised.

'Huh? I miss the air of Mount Jiri, not the pure prairie?'

A laugh unintentionally escaped him.

Maybe it was a thought influenced by Ian. Even so, it didn't feel bad.

'Your feelings are now my feelings. Look at that, I've become a Mount Jiri person.'

Either way, he wanted to breathe fresh air as soon as possible.

He needed to get out of this space filled with tainted air and return to Earth's environment.

Ian swept his gaze around the slime nest once more.

He couldn't say he had seen the entire space, but he now knew enough about the environment of the Tower's first floor.

For the other floors, it was better to explore them gradually. The environment might not be friendly, so he needed to prepare.

"That's enough for today. Let's get out of here."

There was also his appointed time to meet Jeongnam and Haeyeon again, so it was time to return.

Ian headed for the lower exit.

Riding the shrub branches down, he organized the findings from today's exploration in his mind.

First, even the first floor of the Tower would not be easy for Earthlings to access.

It was a relief. Even if hunters set out to conquer the Tower, he didn't need to worry too much for a while.

Moreover, it'd be even harder for hunters to cross the slime nest to reach the other floors or Praeri fields connected to the Mount Jiri portal.

"Even if they somehow manage to get into the Tower, it'll only be trouble for them. They'd better be careful..."

He couldn't help but worry for the hunters who hadn't even started the conquest yet.

From what he'd observed so far, humans on Earth loved and coveted the abilities they gained from Praeri's energy.

So, there was an expectation that even greater things awaited within the Tower.

But on the first floor, the slime nest, there was nothing to truly lure humans in.

On the contrary, everything from the ladder of slime fluids to the pervasive tainted air in the nest would be harmful to hunters.

"They'll get sick. They had better be careful."

Ian worried in advance for the hunters who would enter the Tower in future.

"You could die of illness before you get any powers."

Of course, this generous concern extended only so far as the hunters didn't make it from the slime nest to Praeri fields.

'Don't cross into my territory. Please don't trample messy footprints all over Praeri fields.'

On those rich prairie fields, many resources and a blessing-like environment awaited.

Humans were sure to covet them.

But if they did, Ian, the rightful owner of Praeri, couldn't just sit back.

He'd have to think more about how to respond.

There was still time. It wasn't as if hunters would immediately find a way to cross over.

"I should be the one to find a way first."

Ian decided to figure out a method to make his way from the stable prairie lands near the Mount Jiri portal to this slime nest.

If he worked from that side, it wouldn't be difficult. He'd just need to widen the crack.

He wondered if he should put up a barrier at the Tower entrance, but the scale was too small.

The Seoul portal was much too large. To completely seal that gate with a barrier would require an enormous amount of energy and a lot of time.

'That's not all.'

The Tower straddling the inside and outside of the gate was clearly something unusual.

'It doesn't seem like just a dimensional travel portal. It's more like a real rupture between dimensions has happened...'

Even if Ian had lived a thousand years, he didn't know everything in the world.

He wasn't an expert when it came to space, dimensions, or portals.

In those fields, he deferred to experts. Mostly the knowledge of astronomers and engineering mages like Parito.

'But something's wrong with the dimensional travel portal Parito made. That must mean even he doesn't know what's happening.'

Let alone Ian. Dealing with this Tower—a dimensional overlapping space—required the utmost caution.

For now, he had to proceed on the assumption that he truly knew nothing, except for the first floor.

From now on, he'd have to study one floor at a time.

"Let's see... Looks like my stay on Earth will be a bit longer."

Fixing the dimensional travel portal wouldn't be easy, let alone dealing with dimensional rifts and worrying about other dimensions encroaching on Earth.

It meant Ian's vacation was going to be extended.

'Not a bad thing. It's been so long since I've been on vacation.'

As always, with his habitual positive thinking, Ian wrapped up today's exploration.

After descending to the ground, Ian considered cutting back the shrub branches but decided to leave them.

"You guys, just let yourselves grow here. Prosper and flourish. You all have to guard this place."

From the apartment all the way to the Tower, he filled the shrubs with Praeri energy, picturing their vines vigorously spreading.

He had also scattered detection seeds within the shrub vines.

Now, if anyone approached, information would be sent to Ian.

At the very least, he'd be able to keep track of the number of people approaching and those who had entered the Tower.

It would also allow him to coordinate his own entry from the Mount Jiri portal into the Tower to avoid running into hunters.

'That hunter named Kim Sanghyun from earlier is sure to come for the challenge. It'd be awkward to suddenly bump into him inside then...'

Ian quickened his pace. The time for his appointment with his companions was fast approaching.

He walked a ways out of the restricted zone before finally catching a taxi.

Leaning back in the seat, he looked out the window.

The sky was being painted with the colors of dusk. It was clear and beautiful. There was no pollution left anywhere.

'Nice. There may not be enough woods and fields, but even a city isn't devoid of nature. The great outdoors is everywhere.'

He had achieved all the purposes of his trip to Seoul.

He had purified the pollution, explored the Tower, and even introduced herbs and mushrooms to the government officials.

There were extra gains too. By joining the unexpected hunt, he got to observe hunters up close.

'From now on, I'd better keep my ears open for news about hunters. They'll play all kinds of roles on Earth going forward.'

People who could either help or hinder Ian. Therefore, all the more reason to know them well.

The existence of the Tower felt deeply unsettling.

He still couldn't forget the tainted air he'd smelled when trying to peek through the crack earlier.

What dimension lay beyond?

Although Ian had lived as the master of a great farm and as a lord, that wasn't the only role he'd held.

A thousand years had not been all peaceful times.

There had been ages of war, when beings from other dimensions invaded.

At times like that, warriors became the most important figures. On Earth now, that role would fall to the hunters.

Ian too, inevitably, would form ties with them.

He would be at the front.

'What can I do? If the trouble gets bigger, I'll have to solve it. After all, all this happened because I took a vacation...'

The days he'd spend on Earth ahead unfolded before his eyes like a kaleidoscope. As if he were reliving a time he'd already experienced.

* * *

"Alright, smile. Hero."

Haeyeon brought up her phone camera and gave a broad smile herself, as if to tell him to copy her.

"Really, could you please stop calling me Hero?"

Ian grumbled.

"Oh, right. Sorry, hero. No, I mean—Hunter Ahn Bin!"

"I don't care for the title of Hunter either..."

"So what should I call you, then? This is for the official channel video, I can't call you oppa."

"Oppa? That's even more out of the question. Hunter is better, then."

"Okay! Got it. I'll start filming now. Hunter, please smile!"

Haeyeon twirled her finger in the air, signaling that the camera was rolling.

Ian forced a smile and even waved his hand.

"We're heading back to Mount Jiri now."

He said as Haeyeon directed, but he felt incredibly awkward.

He quickly turned his head away. Haeyeon, too, turned the camera and started filming the scenery outside.

Their group was heading home in Jeongnam's car.

Haeyeon had insisted on capturing the ending of their Seoul expedition on film, so Ian was cooperating.

"Today was quite a memorable day. Our Mount Jiri hero... no, the Hunter came all the way to Seoul. And then a monster appeared at the express bus terminal. We rushed straight to the scene."

Haeyeon paused her narration. When Ian looked back, she explained,

"I'm going to insert edited footage here. I don't just insist on going live, you know. If you only go live, the channel's quality drops."

It wasn't something he was particularly curious about, but she explained it anyway. Then she picked up her phone again and filmed the scenery.

"Something amazing happened today. As soon as the Mount Jiri hero—Hunter and Hao arrived on the scene, all the pollution in the area disappeared. Some say it was a coincidence, but I don't believe that."

Ian glanced at Haeyeon again. He tensed up, thinking she was about to reveal secrets live on air.

But her next words went in another direction.

"A coincidence? No, it was destiny! The destiny of Mount Jiri's Hunter! Not just to defeat monsters, but to sweep away all pollution as well."

If she was sincere, her prediction was off. If this was all for show, it was embarrassing.

Ian buried his face into the corner of the seat, dreading the return of Haeyeon's camera.

'Please stop filming!'

He clearly conveyed this with his hands and mouth.

Haeyeon nodded quietly. Then she continued her broadcast alone.

Ian turned his gaze outside and fell into thought.

The unusually red and dark sunset was now fading to dusk. The car was speeding down the highway out of Seoul.

He wanted to return to Mount Jiri soon.

There was so much to do when he got back. He had to experiment with the many new ways to use Earth's energy, and he had to open up the road from inside the Mount Jiri portal all the way to the Tower.

'So much to do.'

Ian's heart pounded.

Did you know how much could be done with just a single wind?

A breeze grows plants, a gust drives away pests, a storm becomes a weapon, and an even greater wind is a disaster and the birth of a new world.

Winds that protect, winds that cut like blades, winds that move, winds that immobilize, winds that shake the earth...

If you know how to use the energy of nature, all of these can be achieved with just the tips of your fingers.

With a single mental image, drawn in your mind.

'I can't wait to try.'

He wanted to conduct all sorts of new experiments using Earth's energy in Earth's atmosphere.

It reminded him of his childhood. Learning to use Earth's energy brought back memories of training with Praeri energy as a child.

That's why he was excited.

To run all those experiments, he'd need a quiet place. But there were far too many people in Seoul. There was no gap.

On top of that, the energy of nature was weaker than in Mount Jiri. Too much artificial energy was mixed in.

'Mount Jiri is the perfect place.'

Come to think of it, he'd fallen in just the right spot.

'In the fresh, great nature of Mount Jiri, I'll grow herbs and mushrooms and enjoy interacting with people too.'

When he entered the Tower, the sinister energy had weighed on his mood, but once outside, he felt cheerful again.

"... Shall we say our last goodbyes to our Mount Jiri hero Hunter?"

Haeyeon said this and signaled to Ian.

It was time to smile again.

"See you again at Mount Jiri!"

Ian gave a broad, genuine smile as he said goodbye. This time it was a true smile, because he was truly happy.

"Yes! The next episode will come to you from Mount Jiri again. Dear subscribers, today and tomorrow, please keep loving our Mount Jiri hero Hunter!"

Haeyeon chimed in brightly, and finally put her phone down.

Their car raced along the highway by night.

To Ian, the road looked bright the whole way.