〈 Chapter 1063 〉 1063. Spirit’s Atlantis
Thursday, July 1st.
I’ve reached a date I never experienced before the reset.
The Light Origin Sect didn’t exist. Han Harin was perfectly alive, and the public outcry that had rocked South Korea and criticized the Korean Hunter Association suddenly went silent.
‘When we captured Thorn Mask, there was an uproar… but it was only temporary.’
The media went berserk because Thorn Mask turned out to be someone from within the association.
If we hadn’t caught Thorn Mask at all, things might have been different. But the association successfully captured him, and interest in Thorn Mask faded after just a few days.
Bae Ji-eun, who resolved everything after capturing Thorn Mask, skyrocketed as a top-tier talent. The South Korean public now viewed her as both beautiful and competent, an image that would surely help her career advancement.
‘It does feel strange not having future info starting today.’
My days of coasting on foreknowledge are over.
This was slightly different from using canon info in the game world. Canon info relies on knowledge and data I never personally experienced.
‘And if I tried to reset again? Ugh, sounds like such a hassle.’
I imagined resetting back 30 days. Dealing with the Light Origin Sect and solving all those events again. And then explaining everything to Han Harin once more. Just thinking about it makes me tired.
Woooom. Woom.
My smartphone vibrated. Glancing at it, it was Han Ayoung.
‘Did she finish her dungeon run today? I thought it’d take a few more days.’
I answered the call.
“Hello? Ayoung-sshi. Did everything go well?”
“…Harin told me everything.”
“Ah. I was going to tell you, but Harin beat me to it. How much did she tell you?”
“Everything. Including how you reset 30 days ago. It’s hard to believe, but Harin isn’t the type to joke about something like this… and for some reason, it feels like something you could pull off.”
Han Ayoung’s tone was serious. There wasn’t a hint of suspicion. I felt slightly relieved that she trusted me so easily—no need to work extra hard to convince her.
“…Thank you, Yoojin, for saving Harin.”
“It was only natural. Harin is my girl. Of course, you’re my girl too. If something similar happened to you… I would have tried to save you too.”
“Really? Even if it’s just flattery, it sounds nice.”
“It’s not flattery—it’s genuine.”
“…Hmm. If you were here, I might have kissed you.”
Regretting that she wasn’t physically present, I licked my lips.
“Didn’t hear anything about you returning yet. Are you still abroad?”
“Yeah. Looks like I’ll return the day after tomorrow, take a week off, and then head to Europe.”
“You’re super busy too, sis. By the way, did you hear about Suwol Guild?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think?”
Unlike Han Harin and me, Han Ayoung might have different thoughts about Suwol Guild since she’s been part of it for quite a while.
“I’m pretty disappointed. And… this whole thing made me certain. Suwol Guild isn’t a place I want to stay long-term. Something will definitely blow up eventually.”
“So no regrets about leaving Suwol Guild?”
“Not really. Though I did get a lot of support from them, I can probably get the same elsewhere if I join another guild. Still, quitting right now is impossible. There are contract issues, and Suwol Guild won’t let me leave easily either.”
“I guarantee you, it’ll happen sooner or later…”
“Looks like Jigo Suwol Guild ain’t gonna do so hot, huh.”
I declared with steely resolve.
“But, sis. You’re gonna be in Korea for a week, right?”
I casually inquired.
Already my loins were tightening at the thought of spending the week with Heukbyeotjangbo.
•••
[Selected God’s Atlantis.]
[Commencing recreation.]
[Entering the world of God’s Atlantis.] Upon arrival, I glanced around.
It had been about three days since returning from hell.
Initially, I planned to use a spatial teleportation scroll to head straight back to Eiplan Legion, but I changed my mind. I decided to boost my stats before heading back to the Legion.
「Entered Zone 4,344: The Rag Laboratory.」
「Unauthorized entry.」
「Zone attributes reduce living being’s stats by 20%.」
Zone 4,344, The Rag Laboratory.
This zone already had a ruler, but this ruler didn’t fully control it. They hadn’t properly cleared the area but instead traded influence for dominion over the zone.
‘So basically, they negotiated their way into rulership. The system recognized it.’
Therefore, Zone 4,344 was unofficially conquered.
‘Not many people know this though. The ruler of Zone 4,344 is the Black Pillar Alliance (Heukjumyung). They’re a criminal organization akin to Heltene.’
Black Pillar Alliance (Heukjumyung).
While not as powerful as Heltene, they’re still a significant criminal force. Most of their exiles are Chinese, arrogant types who don’t hesitate to engage in human trafficking—real scumbags.
‘Zone 4,344 is just one of the areas they control. Even if I messed with them, they wouldn’t be able to respond immediately.’
The Black Pillar Alliance made too many enemies by clinging to their Sinocentric ideology even in Atlantis, eventually collapsing under the weight of their own hubris. As a result, despite being depicted as a major criminal group in the original story, they barely got any screen time.
‘I learned about this zone through the setting book.’
Looking around, Zone 4,344 appeared to be an ordinary village on the surface. A village where around 500 people lived. Its appearance evoked classic Chinese wuxia stories. The villagers wore clothes similar to traditional hanfu, though their hair colors varied wildly, creating a surreal vibe.
The villagers briefly glanced at me then went about their business, clearly used to outsiders.
Pretending to be familiar, I wandered around the village, focusing on the alleys.
‘There it is.’
Deep in an alley, a wooden plank lay on the ground. I approached and lifted it up. A dark hole appeared below. Not quite a sewer but definitely giving off bad vibes—a damp-smelling hole that felt ominous.
Without hesitation, I jumped inside.
Around 3 meters deep, faint light emitted from lights embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the surroundings. It was humid, and iron bars surrounded me, resembling a prison. Most of the cells were empty.
Clang!
A sound came from above. The plank slid back into place, sealing the hole. No sign of anyone else. Somehow, the plank sealed itself automatically—not surprising given the nature of this world.
‘This humidity is annoying.’
I continued forward.
Ssssssss…
I turned my head. Inside one of the barred cages, a cobra reared its head, flicking its tongue menacingly as it glared at me with predatory eyes.
‘You dare glare at Lord Human?’
I kicked the cobra’s cage with my foot, shaking it violently.
Sssssssss!
The cobra lunged toward me, but the bars blocked its path. Its venom fangs gleamed wickedly, extending to about 20cm—definitely no ordinary animal. Likely some kind of monster I wasn’t familiar with yet.
Suppressing the urge to kill it outright, I reminded myself that creatures locked in cages were considered property here. Causing trouble before starting would be unwise.
I gave the cobra a mocking laugh and moved on.
Boom! Boom!
Another cage rattled nearby. Inside, a snake coiled beside what looked like a baby giraffe. Both were playfully bumping their heads against the bars. Their curious gazes followed me as I…
The floor was not the target.
There was a little rat.
That rat tossed its dead comrade into the iron cage. The snake and giraffe devoured the dead rat in five seconds flat.
“Screech. Scritch scritch.”
The rat bowed its head in greeting to them and then vanished. It seemed like it was saying, “Here’s an offering, so please take good care of us.”
“Hmm… if we’re talking about humans, is this like human sacrifice? I’ve seen everything now.”
As I went further, I saw even more bizarre animals. A monkey that harmed itself, an otter that slammed its head into walls, a goat that ate jaguars—everything was just plain weird.
But every time I passed by, the animals glared at me with killing intent in their eyes. If it weren’t for the iron bars, they would’ve definitely lunged at me.
“I’ve arrived.”
Finally, an iron gate appeared at the end. I opened it and walked inside. Another corridor appeared, filled with doors. Just as I was looking around, one of the doors opened, and a man stepped out. On his back was a quiver and a bow, and in his hand, he gripped the ear of a rabbit. But this wasn’t an ordinary rabbit—it had sharp front teeth and a snake for a tail.
Our eyes met. The hunter grinned slyly and asked,
“Judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to be a hunter… Are you a guest?”
“No. I didn’t bring any money.”
“Hooh. So you’re a challenger, huh? Well, don’t die.”
The hunter began walking ahead casually. This worked out well—I wouldn’t have to check each door one by one if I followed him.
The hunter stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor. It looked much heavier than the others. He pushed hard and opened it.
It was another dim place similar to where I entered, but this space was wider. There was a sofa, and about thirty people were present. Fifteen were armed and waiting, ten were hunters, and the remaining five looked like staff members.
One of the employees caught my eye.
She had pink hair, pale skin, and black eyes. She looked to be in her mid-20s.
I naturally approached her.
She wore a sexy pink cheongsam, D-cup breasts accentuated as the dress clung tightly to her body. Her short skirt revealed firm, white thighs. She had a curvy figure, and her panties strap peeked from the side.
“Welcome. I haven’t seen your face before. Are you here to challenge?”
She smiled as she asked. From the vibe, she seemed to be the manager here.
“Yes. I’ve come to challenge.”
“You’ve arrived at the perfect time. There are only 30 minutes left until the challenge begins. May I ask your name?”
“Must I say it?”
“If you don’t wish to, that’s fine. However, you’ll have to bear any disadvantages that arise.”
“What kind of disadvantages?”
“Hmm… too many to count if I start listing them. What will you do?”
Her lips drew my attention. They were pink. Even her tongue, when she slightly parted her lips, was pink. She was entirely pink-themed. I’d be disappointed if her privates weren’t pink.
“…I’ll accept them.”
“In that case, I’ll call you Number 62. Is that okay?”
“Number 62? Does it have any special meaning?”
“It’s the number of guests who haven’t revealed their aliases. You’re the 62nd. For reference, only three people who didn’t reveal their names have survived.”
“Does Black Bamboo Alliance kill those who don’t reveal their names?”
“Of course not. Nine out of ten died because they failed the challenge. They were all posers.”
“And the remaining one-tenth?”
“They faced disadvantages.”
She smiled faintly.
Her hands kept moving. She was writing about me on a piece of paper. Number 62. Sturdy build, black hair, etc. By the way, I wasn’t hiding my appearance—I was using my real face. I’m the guy who returned from hell. I’m not weak enough to hide. Even if I become a target of Black Bamboo Alliance, I don’t care. I’ll beat them.
“Oh, right, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Lei Mei. Since there are 30 minutes left until the challenge begins, please wait over there.”
Lei Mei.
I remembered her name. She wasn’t in the original story or even the setting book.
