It’s a strange story, but I am a ticking time bomb.
No, this isn’t me saying I’m in any real danger.
However, from the perspective of the government or the nation, I can’t argue if they treat me like an unstable nuclear bomb.
I’m the first person to return with a previously unheard characteristic called ‘Malicious Devourer,’ so it’s understandable that the government wants to isolate me or impose various travel bans.
Despite all this, I’m still a Seongnyeo.
As long as they don’t try to throw me in prison, I hoped to be understanding about it.
But I never expected to board a plane with the excitement of an ordinary person going on an overseas trip.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to travel abroad for at least three or five years, so getting to taste in-flight meals less than six months after my return was quite a happiness.
For starters, the complex matters were resolved swiftly with just a few phone calls.
When the Hunter Association contacted me about receiving an unofficial request from the Elf Kingdom, they confirmed my identity and fast-tracked most of the complicated immigration processes. Thanks to that, I had to head to Incheon Airport less than three days after passing the third ethics audit and receiving my passport and ID.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, really.”
Of course, my sister Yeonhwa came to the airport with a face full of concern when she heard the news.
“Unnie, you can’t take off your shoes on the plane. I arranged a charter flight through Yeonju Unnie, just go that way and board.”
“Your family must be really rich?”
“My grandmother has been a Hunter for over 60 years. Compared to that, I’m just a fledgling who just started earning.”
Even hearing that Yeonhwa’s family is one of the richest in Korea didn’t give me a clear understanding of how wealthy they are.
As soon as she heard I had to leave, Yeonhwa immediately pulled up a flight list on her smartwatch and sent it to me. It turned out all those planes belonged to the Yeon Family.
Not just one charter plane, but enough to fill a whole page! Wow… It was quite scary to think that the goofy person I was close with was actually a true lady of high standing.
“But is it really okay for you to treat me so well? Accepting a whole plane feels like it’s stirring my conscience a bit…”
“It’s nothing. Thanks to my grandmother’s abilities, she rarely has to fly. Usually, she lends out the planes to people working in the Yeon Family or her acquaintances.”
Well, she is one of the strongest Hunters… If the Earth had been under some kind of empire or autocratic regime like the ‘previous world,’ Yeonseo Unnie would probably be considered an emperor like Menelapie.
It wouldn’t be strange to say that Yeonseo lives modestly compared to her fame and abilities.
“I want to go too, but unfortunately, only you have been granted entry to the Erosion Dungeon where the elves are located.”
“I heard that when Hunters go, many trainee personnel from the Association usually follow…”
“The elves are quite reclusive. Unless you’re the one performing the request, access for outsiders is generally blocked.”
That made sense; elves have beauty and elegance deeply engraved in their genetics. In the ‘previous world,’ there were those who tried to enslave elves. Though the elves I was about to meet aren’t the same as those from my world, it wouldn’t be strange that there have been attempts to exploit and traffic them here on Earth.
If it were the case that some elves are actually kidnapped and used as playthings at this moment, it wouldn’t be odd for them to have a closed and hostile attitude toward humans.
“By the way…”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve ordered plenty of in-flight meals. Since you’re the only passenger besides the crew and pilots, just eat as much as you want.”
“…..”
Before I could even say anything, Yeonhwa brought up the in-flight meals.
It’s a bit embarrassing, but she figured out my behavior patterns already…
Please don’t ask why I’m obsessed with what in-flight meals taste like.
Just the prospect of in-flight meals has been a dream for me.
I still can’t forget the winter vacation during my second year of high school when I traveled to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia with my parents.
The transparent, blue sea was great, and the tropical fruits and unique tourist spots of Malaysia were also beautiful, but one of the happiest things for me was the in-flight meal.
The menu wasn’t anything fancy.
Ham, potato soup, buttered bread that was cold, salad, and orange juice.
It wasn’t a lot and was quite a simple meal.
Although my family, who shared that experience, and my parents are now long gone, my first in-flight meal remains a deeply impressive and delicious memory.
A menu that wouldn’t tug at my taste buds much outside would still have a wonderful flavor and atmosphere just from being eaten on a plane.
“Thanks.”
As I tried to pat Yeonhwa in appreciation, I thought it might not be appropriate to pat a 20-year-old and just gently patted her shoulder.
“……”
“I’ll be back.”
“…Be careful.”
Even though there was a hint of regret on Yeonhwa’s face, I felt regret too.
But we’re not at that level yet, right?
Or are we? I can’t tell…
And so, it was my first time going overseas after my return.
I don’t know the destination.
The location of the Elf Kingdom in the Erosion Dungeon is classified information, and unless you have access to some, even S-grade Hunters don’t know where it is.
All I know is it takes about seven hours by plane and that I am not allowed to look outside except for the pilot who was dispatched by the Hunter Association.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t tell whether the Elf Kingdom is in the Pacific, Japan, maybe in Russia, or Southeast Asia.
I’m not even certain if it genuinely takes seven hours; they might be intentionally taking a convoluted route, so it could be the Elf Kingdom is actually in Korea, who knows.
Regardless, it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t see the scenery fading away as the plane took off.
With such thorough confidentiality, it’s clear that elves harbor considerable hostility toward humans.
“Hehe, in-flight meals.”
Even though the usual selection is just two meals, Yeonhwa seemed to have bought dozens of options for me to not get bored during the trip.
“Hehe, this is delicious. More, please.”
“…..A, yes. Understood. Hunter Isia.”
The flight attendant dispatched by the Hunter Association was trying hard to hide her horror at the sight of me not stopping to eat since I stepped onto the plane.
But I was really famished.
I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before just to enjoy the in-flight meals.
And I’ve only eaten 32 of them so far—if she looks at me with such an expression already, I’m bound to get hurt, right?
“Hey, do you want to eat with me?”
The startled attendant turned to me.
“Oh, no thank you…”
“No need to be polite. I’m the only passenger, after all?”
“I’ll eat later. It’s fine. There’s a separate in-flight meal for the crew.”
“Oh? Then, um… munch munch…”
Next was bulgogi udon, a sandwich, along with milk and chicken salad.
For me, it seemed a bit on the smaller side, but the combination was genuinely rich.
I noticed there was also in-flight food made from edible monster meat, and after this, I should try that.
“Ugh, I’m full…”
I only managed to eat 60 because I was so rushed.
The good news is that there are still plenty of in-flight meals remaining that Yeonhwa had prepared.
This isn’t a one-time opportunity, so I thought to pause the breakfast-lunch combo here and check the details of the request.
“How magnificent is this request that they would specifically ask for an S-grade Hunter?”
As I activated the AI drone, a stream of information from Yujin and the Hunter Association splashed before me.
The letter from the elves that Yujin gave me didn’t contain much.
Chaos Ant outbreak, S-grade Hunter needed.
A reward will be given.
Duration of the request: unpredictable.
I didn’t even summarize it into three lines.
That was truly all the content there was.
Adorned with small leaves and twigs, it had the elegance of elves, but the actual content was an inadequate response.
The information dispatched from the Association was a lot, but most of it was trivial information that you could quickly find in the Hunter Wiki.
The general history of the elves differed significantly from the elves I knew.
Although the elves living in a different world from mine, their tribal characteristics seemed relatively similar.
The World Tree was present, and their physical beauty remained intact.
“The content of the request… is the overflow of Chaos Ants…”
According to the information from the Hunter Wiki, the Chaos Ants range from C-grade to B-grade monsters, just as their name suggests.
However, a single Chaos Ant can grow to a terrifying size of three meters in length and two meters in height, with colonies that surpass ten thousand individuals.
During the first Great Rift, around 1.7 billion Chaos Ants reportedly emerged in Texas.
At that time, the United States had to consider abandoning Texas and deployed strategic weapons to barely handle the Chaos Ants, but some of them survived; they say they continue to build forces across the country, necessitating regular clean-ups.
Regardless, as long as even one queen survives, those things can reproduce indefinitely.
The violence stemming from their numbers is not to be underestimated, and given their population, occasionally A-grade variants have been found among sporadic abnormalities.
However, as I explored the historical narrative, it was clear that the elves on Earth are not the elves I was familiar with.
“The World Tree burned down, so they fled to Earth…”
The World Tree, as far as I know, is the ancestor and mother of all elves, serving as their spiritual support and akin to a sole deity.
If the World Tree had burned down, there would have been elves that would have completely lost their minds or gone crazy, so it’s remarkable that they managed to escape to Earth.
According to the Wiki, the elves are currently devoting their entire race to nurturing a small seed of the World Tree, seeking a stable life on Earth, while those remaining in the kingdom are painstakingly growing it.
In that situation, if Chaos Ants began to overflow near the World Tree, it would be an emergency for the elves, to say the least.
Moreover, the World Tree isn’t intact. Its seed is trying to grow after being burned once, so it could be an even more serious situation than I thought.
“But how did the elves manage to cross over from the ‘previous world’?”
Creating a hole in the world or piercing dimensions are fundamentally realms beyond comprehension. Logically thinking, no miracle or magic should be able to allow transitions between dimensions, yet the elves fled as an entire race to Earth.
If the elves possess a method to create holes in their world… could I possibly meet Menelapie or Teresa again?
‘No, let’s not get my hopes up…’
It seems that the elves being able to migrate to Earth was likely due to the exceptional calamity of the World Tree being destroyed.
Well, I can’t really know the details.
To begin with, if we’re talking about common sense, my return was not something normal either, and the very concept of monsters and dungeons is far from ordinary.
If I were to question the intricacies behind the elves arriving in the world, I’d have to ask them directly. But considering that these elves are adrift like the denizens of a parallel world due to the World Tree being burnt down, they probably won’t answer a sensitive question like that easily.
I came here simply to fulfill a request. If I came for that reason, then that’s all I should do…
“But before being a Hunter, I’m a Seongnyeo, right?”
Though I’m a Mangja Seongnyeo, it’s hard for me to turn a blind eye to those in pain and suffering.
I’m filled more with worry than expectations, but since I’ve come this far, I should help as best as I can…
Thud
‘What was that?’
Suddenly hearing noise from the ceiling first startled my tentacles at my waist.
At the same time, feeling the plane’s speed noticeably slow meant I had to get up.
Someone boarded. Onto the plane.
“Isia Hunter? Is there something you need?”
“HOLD ON TIGHT.”
“Excuse me?”
Bang!
With that declaration, the plane door was ripped off, and someone came barging in.
Thank goodness I had set up a sanctuary all over the plane ahead of time.
Otherwise, when the door opened, due to the vast difference in pressure, even if I were to hold on, the attendant might have flown out.
The plane I boarded due to Yeonhwa’s kindness could become a tragic affair if such an unforeseen accident occurred.
Three elves came rushing in through the ripped off plane door.
A green-haired one, a blonde one, and uniquely, an elf with red hair.
All were young but had the beautiful, elegant appearance characteristic of their race.
Though I had no idea where those elves came from or how they tore open the door of the flying plane, they boldly aimed their arrows and swords at me.
In the midst of this incomprehensible situation, the attendant beside me began to visibly tremble with a pale face.
“Don’t move, human!”
“Hi, kyaaah!?”
“……..?”
Aren’t elves hijacking planes now?!
As for the plane, nothing much was going wrong.
My miracle-created Orphan’s Sanctuary balanced the pressure inside the plane.
Moreover, the pilot dispatched by the Hunter Association appeared to possess some sort of awakening ability related to mechanics and repaired the torn door of the aircraft in no time.
The sight of a door made of steel resuming its melted form like a living organism was quite a spectacle.
And what became of the elves, you ask?
Gahhh!
Heek…!
Ouch…
They all collapsed after being struck by my tentacles.
Such fragile beings.
No need to use a miracle here.
Unfortunately, my miracle tends to have considerable breadth and is suitable for the annihilation of large armies.
Using it in such a confined aircraft might injure me, as well as the elves, the pilot, and the attendant.
Seeing them now, they all looked quite young.
Being elves, one shouldn’t impose human standards on their appearance, but even considering that, these elves looked younger than they should.
Attempting to hijack a plane is quite bold for such younglings.
“Ouch, let go of this…!”
“This monstrous wench!”
“How dare a vile creature invade our airspace…!”
Airspace, huh?
These elves seem to have a degree of understanding and adaptivity to the modern era…
By the way, even though the elves’ language differs from that of humans, thanks to the language pack provided by the Hunter Association, there was no issue with communication.
“Um, I don’t quite understand what you’ve been saying, but it’s bewildering for us that you barged in here and broke the aircraft door.”
“Bewildered?! It is you who intruded upon the airspace of our forest!”
“Exactly! What are you doing in our mother’s territory, human?!”
The male elf binding my tentacle glared at me with malice, and the younger female elf next to him nodded along.
Mother refers to the World Tree, I guess?
But what the heck is going on…?
I definitely came upon receiving a request and intended to visit the land of the elves, but the welcome I received was not what I anticipated.
The elves I knew were generally loving of nature and many were peaceful, yet these elves seem incredibly hostile and aggressive toward humans.
Moreover, even while being knocked out and bound by my tentacles, they struggled against me, stirring an urge to burst with rage.
“…….Ugh…!”
“Yikes…!”
Noticing my killing intent, the fervor that was previously brimming in the elves slightly subdued.
“Um, it feels like we need to have a conversation.”
“Dialogue? With a vile human?!”
“There’s no need to talk with such a filthy, despicable creature! Just kill her!”
“Wait, we just exchanged greetings, and now you’re talking about killing?!”
At least they’re treating me as a human?
At last, it seems I have an excuse not to kill them right away.
“Let me introduce myself properly. I am Hunter Isia from Korea.”
“Hunter?! That dirty mercenary?!”
“What is a filthy human like you doing here?!”
“…….”
Please, just let me finish speaking about my situation, you little brats.
Gah!
Ah!
It hurts!
Apparently, I unintentionally squeezed my tentacles out of anger.
Thank goodness the elves seem to have realized that with just a flick of my fingers, I could take their lives.
The struggles they displayed earlier significantly decreased.
“First things first, how did you make your way onto this plane?”
“………”
The three elves remained quiet, turning their heads away from me, clearly unwilling to speak.
“If you don’t answer nicely, I may just decide to engage in a more… intimate conversation with you. I’m okay with that right here.”
“…N-no! That’s not it! I’ll tell you! I’m scared!”
Finally surrendering, the young elf cried out, trembling.
Seeing as she was terrified enough to speak, I released the tentacles binding the elves.
They looked at me with suspicion, clearly unsure if I would truly let them go.
“Alright, who are you? Are you guards from the Elf Kingdom?”
“…Y-yes…”
“Your speech is quite terse.”
“Th-that’s correct… We were just patrolling the borders of this land…”
What they’re saying isn’t a lie.
It seems they aren’t pirates attempting a hijacking after all.
“How did you enter a plane flying at this high altitude?”
“We used wind spirits and storm-eagles during our patrol…”
Considering the elves’ abilities, it isn’t implausible at all.
Being a race known for their longevity, their average abilities far exceed those of humans. So using wind spirits to board a plane could very well be achievable.
“However, I came here because I received a request from the Elf Kingdom. I thought everything had been cleared with the higher-ups…”
“We haven’t heard anything like that…”
“Exactly!”
“You humans who invaded our mother’s airspace are to blame!”
It seemed that my momentarily terrified expression prompted them to regain some confidence again.
How could it be?
In my eyes, these rascals truly believed that they were justified in their actions. They genuinely thought that we were the ones who were wrong for intruding into their territory.
‘These villains are novel, I must say…’
It seems that things are already pretty rocky.
Hah… But what would you have me do? If there’s a misunderstanding, we should resolve it through dialogue, and if there’s pain, we should embrace it.
When there are two parties that neither lies nor misleads, all that’s left are misunderstandings that need to be unraveled through words.
If words can be exchanged, we can understand one another.
Violence can serve as a means of defense and a last resort…
“Um, Isia Hunter?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
At that moment, as I was sorting things out, an attendant trying to tidy up the messy plane made eye contact with me.
However, their expression didn’t look good. What now?
“Um…”
“Speak.”
What could possibly be worse than being hijacked by elves?
“The in-flight meals… they’ve… all flown away?”
“………………………..”
Crack!
“Yikes…!”
“Wh-what are you seeing us for!?”
Forget what I just said.
I will resign my status as an intellectual and human for today.
…These damn bratty elves!!!
