CHAPTER 80
The Swordsman Who Steals Souls**

In front of a red portal on the 2nd Floor, Ma Doo-sik wore a grim expression.

“It really won’t let us cross to the 3rd Floor.”

“This is the fifth one, Mayor,” said one of the Hunters Ma Doo-sik had brought with him. He was an experienced A-class Hunter from the Bureau.

“Is there really no way?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a situation like this…”

They had already found and tested five red portals. All of them had failed.

They tried pouring mana into them and using every ability and spell their Hunters possessed, but nothing worked. The door to the 3rd Floor remained firmly shut.

Hunters had never possessed the ability to interfere with portals in the first place. No such power had ever been discovered, past or present. Therefore, opening a closed portal was impossible.

‘Why?’

Why had the portals suddenly closed?

Was it a natural phenomenon? Or was it a conspiracy, born of someone’s intent?

Either way, the situation was urgent. Many Hunters had recently entered the 3rd Floor, including many from Seoul.

“Let’s find the sixth one. There might be one that still works.”

“Understood.”

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Ma Doo-sik and the Bureau Hunters searched for the next portal. Low-level undead like skeletons attacked them along the way, but they were no match for them.

The other demi-human races seemed to be avoiding them, as they didn't encounter any. They did, however, run into many Hunters from other countries, who, like Ma Doo-sik, were investigating the anomaly.

They exchanged opinions and shared information with everyone they met. But the more they shared, the more hopeless the situation seemed. The others had found out just as much as they had: nothing.

“What are we going to do…?”

He felt a sense of powerlessness similar to what he had felt during the Ireland incident. The circumstances were different, but the feeling of being unable to do anything was the same.

“Mayor, we’ve found the sixth portal.”

“Ah, good. We found it quickly.”

Good luck? A bitter smile formed on his face as he used such an expression.

Ma Doo-sik squinted and approached the portal. As expected, it remained inactive, no matter what they did.

The situation was growing more serious by the day. The story of the missing Hunters had already spread widely throughout society.

The gate to the 3rd Floor was closed. The exit seemed to be closed as well, as not a single person had returned. While some were seen returning from the 4th and 5th Floors, not one had come back from the 3rd.

| “My dad, my dad is in there!”
| — “Can’t you tell us what’s happening? Why isn’t anyone giving us an explanation?!”

The TV news showed citizens weeping and protesting. The Hunters trapped on the 3rd Floor were someone’s family, someone’s friend.

The grief and anxiety of those left behind slowly spread throughout society.

Now, very few Hunters even dared to enter the 1st Floor, fearing that it too might suddenly be sealed.

Amidst all this, Jinwoo was preparing to enter a Gate alone.

“My glove… it’s a bit torn. Do I have a spare?”

He planned to go into the Gate. Not to fight, but to re-establish contact with the God of the Moonlight Forest.

First, he would look for a red portal leading to the 3rd Floor. After that, he planned to find the Altar of the Moonlight Forest on the 2nd Floor and make an offering.

According to the news and the internet, the altars on the 2nd Floor were also inactive. Still, he needed to check for himself, just in case.

If his connection with the God of the Moonlight Forest remained severed even after that, then he had no other choice.

‘I’ll go to Belen Village.’

He would return to the world where the Elves lived and find the World Tree. The World Tree was a being that existed not only in the Spirit Realm but also in that world.

Even if he couldn't hear her voice on Earth or in the Gate, he would surely be able to hear it there.

“Got my outer coat.”

He checked his attire and the items in his inventory. The inventory was such a convenient ability that it tended to fill up with all sorts of things, requiring periodic organization.

Fortunately, Jinwoo was diligent about keeping it tidy, so it was in decent shape. He sold off monster corpses as he got them and didn't hold onto monster equipment.

The inventory was also good for storing trash, so that needed to be cleaned out often as well.

‘To be honest, it’s not like I’m short on space, even with a little trash.’

Still, it was where he kept his weapons, food, and water. Having trash in there just didn't feel right.

“Good.”

His preparations were complete. He had more than enough food and a full supply of water. His equipment was in perfect condition.

Jinwoo closed his eyes and stepped into the Gate.

[1st Floor: Primeval Forest]
[Find the blue portal. If you wish to return.]

‘First, the portal to the 2nd Floor.’

If he wanted to head straight to Belen Village, he only needed to find a blue portal.

But there was an order to things. Before going there, he needed to assess the situation on the 2nd Floor himself.

Jinwoo ran at full speed and quickly found a red portal. He used it to ascend to the 2nd Floor.

The 2nd Floor, the Underground Labyrinth. It was a dark and quiet maze, but Jinwoo somehow felt a commotion.

He couldn't hear any actual noise, but the atmosphere was turbulent. He could also sense an unusually large number of blue flames.

‘Most of the monsters on the 2nd Floor were undead without flames.’

While high-level undead sometimes possessed souls, low-level skeletons and zombies did not. He had been quite surprised by this when he first arrived on the 2nd Floor.

But now, he could feel a great number of flames. It meant that the floor was crowded with beings that weren't monsters.

‘They must be Hunters who came to investigate. Mayor Ma Doo-sik is probably here somewhere, too.’

Thanks to them, it was easy to figure out where a red portal would be. A place where the flames were gathered and stationary—that was likely where they were investigating a red portal.

Indeed, by heading toward the cluster of flames, he easily found one. The assembled Hunters were a mix of Caucasians and black people; they seemed to be European Hunters.

They glanced at Jinwoo before turning back to their own conversation.

They seemed busy, and Jinwoo was in a hurry himself, so he didn't bother to speak to them. He simply placed his hand on the red portal.

‘Normally, this would take me to the 3rd Floor.’

But it didn't. Just as he’d heard, the 3rd Floor was definitely sealed.

After checking two more red portals, Jinwoo began searching for the Altar of the Moonlight Forest. Both portals were the same as the first. No reaction.

‘The altar isn’t easy to find.’

The altars were harder to locate than the portals. This was because Hunters paid far less attention to them.

However, they didn't completely ignore the altars. Occasionally, one or two Hunters would be investigating them, and by following their flames, Jinwoo was able to search for the gods' altars.

The only problem was that with thirteen—no, twelve—gods, even if he found an altar, he still had to beat the 1-in-12 odds.

‘Found it.’

Fortunately, he discovered the Altar of the Moonlight Forest on his seventh try. In a tranquil room covered in vines and leaves, the altar stood alone.

It looked as if a piece of the Moonlight Forest's temple had been cut out and placed here.

‘This one… no reaction either.’

He placed a doll he had bought at a toy store on it, but nothing happened. When an offering was made, a light was supposed to flare up and the offering would disappear, but there was nothing.

Dead silence. After watching the doll for a moment, Jinwoo picked it up and put it back in his inventory.

‘Time to go to Belen Village.’

To speak with the God of the Moonlight Forest, with the World Tree, he had no choice but to go there.

He had already located a blue portal while searching for the three red portals and seven altars.

Jinwoo headed to the nearest one he'd found, gripped the Ego Sword at his waist, and jumped into the portal.

“I’m counting on you.”

—Kiiing!

With a confident cry that seemed to say, "Leave it to me," Jinwoo's and the Ego Sword's souls drifted through the dimension.

Two different forces pulled at them from different locations. Jinwoo deliberately severed the pull on his own soul, and they were naturally drawn toward the force pulling on the Ego Sword.

Soon, the scenery of a forest village unfolded before him.

It had only been a short time, but it was a familiar village that his eyes had already grown used to.

“It hasn't changed a bit.”

Nothing in Belen Village had changed. As it was a village of long-lived Elves, it was unlikely any changes would occur in such a short period.

The only difference was that the parts of the village destroyed by the Black Knight had been fully restored.

‘Though I guess that’s a pretty big change.’

Jinwoo chuckled and headed toward the village. Returning here naturally made him think of Mari.

Would she be happy to see him after so long? Or would she have forgotten him? He’d heard that children forget quickly.

—Clang!

At that moment, Jinwoo's expression hardened.

He had heard a sound that had no place in this peaceful village. The sound of steel striking steel.

It wasn't the sound of a craftsman forging iron, but the sharp clang of weapons colliding.

Belen Village was peaceful.

Other than the one-time attack by the Black Knight, it had always been a tranquil village, both in the past and present.

It was a rural village located on the outskirts of the kingdom, the farthest point from the royal palace, the heart of the kingdom.

Therefore, it was inevitably far removed from strife, conflict, and the complex political squabbles of the haughty High Elves.

And yet.

“What is the meaning of this?! The Dark Elves and the White Elves are supposed to be allies!”

The village elder was protecting the villagers, confronting the leader of a group of bandits. They were a band of Dark Elves. Behind the elder, the helpless villagers trembled.

A few of the younger ones held weapons, but they were nothing more than fruit-picking shears or fish-gutting knives.

The bandit leader sneered and pressed his sword to the elder’s throat.

“Hmph, what do I care? All I have to do is collect souls for the King.”

“The Queen will not stand for this when she finds out!”

“And what if she doesn’t? Isn’t your queen a weak coward who hasn’t left her palace or shown her face in hundreds of years?”

The elder’s face turned red with anger.

“How dare you insult Her Majesty!”

“Oh my, getting angry now, are we? Aren’t you afraid of this blade?”

“I’m not afraid of some pathetic piece of metal!”

“An old crone like you with one foot in the grave might not be, but I bet the young ones behind you are.”

Faced with such a blatant threat, the elder couldn't move rashly.

As he said, she didn't care if she died. But what about the young ones with so much life ahead of them? And the even younger children?

Elves were always prepared to die. They believed their souls would return to their mother, the World Tree.

But not like this. Because they believed in reincarnation after death, they cherished the act of dying even more.

It was a process of organizing one's life and preparing for the next. She could not let that sacred process end in such a violent, broken way.

‘Their goal isn't treasure, but the souls of the villagers.’

If they had come to plunder money and food, she could have just given it to them. But these men were here to steal souls. Negotiation would be useless.

The elder’s expression hardened with resolve. She gave a subtle glance to the young villagers on either side of her, a signal to evacuate the children if possible.

“Where do you think you’re looking?”

The bandit leader noticed her signal and strode forward. He raised his sword and swung it down without warning. The sharp steel blade looked like it would sever the elder's head at any moment.

Just then, a sword flew in from the side and knocked the bandit leader’s weapon away.

All eyes turned to the sudden intruder. The elder and the villagers saw hope in the familiar face, while the bandit leader...

His eyes narrowed, then widened, his mouth falling open.

“It’s the swordsman who steals souls!” he shrieked, his voice filled with terror.