Chương 137: Chapter 136: Crossing the Server: Earth, 2026, and the World of Hunters

The old steel door shut behind them. A cold gust of wind carried the smell of damp asphalt, car exhaust, and burnt coffee straight into all five of their faces. They were standing on the rooftop of a seven-story office building, looking straight down at the neon-lit Gangnam intersection deep in the night of 2026. Below them, thousands of cars and buses crawled bumper to bumper, horns blaring: Beep beep! Beep!

On the glass face of the skyscraper across the street, a massive LED screen — hundreds of square meters wide — played an ultra-HD ad: an S-rank Hunter in gleaming metal armor, blazing greatsword in hand, flashing a bright smile as he sprayed hair gel onto his head, a glowing energy drink can beside him. Evelyn braced both hands on the rusted iron railing, tipped her face up toward Seoul's hazy night sky, and took a deep breath.

"Car exhaust... terrible coffee... the smell of modern capitalism... my dear Earth, I'm home!" Astra stood beside her, eyes wide, staring at a glowing pink spoon-shaped sign on the corner across the street.

"Lucian... what is that?" Eleanor kept one hand on the hilt of her Royal Holy Sword, blue eyes fixed warily on the traffic streaming past below.

"These metal beasts have no legs and still move that fast? What kind of mana-stone powers them, Lucian?" Lucian stood at the edge of the rooftop, hands in his coat pockets, staring at the LED screen playing the hunter's hair-gel ad.

"Why is a guy with a sword getting paid millions of dollars to sell hair gel?" Ting! The Unified System V2. 0 panel appeared: [EARTH-SIDE ENVIRONMENT CHECK] Local date received from network: 2026 Public communications detected: LTE, GPS, emergency broadcasts No locally recognized identity credentials available [SYSTEM NOTE: OBSERVATION ONLY. LOCAL LAW AND PEOPLE REMAIN OUTSIDE SYSTEM AUTHORITY.] Lucian looked over the group's clothing: He was in his medieval ash-gray travel cloak; Eleanor wore her gorgeous royal cloak; Sylvia had silver beast-ears and a long silk gown; Astra was hauling a gilded greatsword the size of a door; and Evelyn was still in her grease-stained coveralls. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Take the stairs," Lucian said, turning.

"We need to find somewhere to exchange money and buy normal clothes right now. Dressed like a traveling opera troupe, we'll get picked up by the police for public disturbance." Ten minutes later. The bullion dealer weighed the declared small gold sample and slid over a receipt.

"Three million won. We can complete the limited cash purchase under the reporting threshold today; bring identification for any larger transaction." The group filed into an all-night clothing store: Lucian in a crisp black overcoat over a turtleneck sweater. Evelyn in an oversized hoodie and ripped jeans. Astra in a warm pastel-pink puffer jacket, still clutching her thirty-one-flavor ice cream box. Sylvia in a knit beanie pulled down over her silver beast-ears, wearing a long wool coat.

Eleanor in an elegant beige trench coat, her Holy Sword wrapped tight inside a long leather fishing-rod bag. The moment they stepped out of the shop, dozens of passersby and night-owl teenagers stopped dead in their tracks. Phones shot up all at once, camera flashes going off in rapid bursts.

"Whoa, look at that! Insane cosplay!"

"The blonde girl's gorgeous, like a living doll! Which guild is she debuting for?"

"Get it on TikTok, quick! This is going viral for sure!" Eleanor saw dozens of small black devices flashing light directly at her face, and her ears went red. Instinctively, she stepped closer, gripping the hem of Lucian's overcoat, half-hiding behind him.

"Lucian... this world has a lot of strange spirit-recording devices. Don't wander off." Lucian patted the back of her hand, still gripping his coat, and answered evenly.

"Relax. Street photography doesn't come with royalty fees here." WOOO... WOOO... WOOO! An air-raid-style alarm suddenly tore through the Gangnam night. Every traffic light at the intersection switched to flashing red. Public speakers mounted on the lampposts blared an emergency broadcast in unison.

"DANGER ALERT! A Rank-D Dungeon Gate has just appeared at the Gangnam intersection! All civilians are ordered to evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately!" CRACK! The asphalt at the center of the intersection split open into a swirling blue spatial vortex, three meters across. Ten green-skinned Goblins, clutching rusty daggers, leapt out of the gate, snarling and baring their fangs. Pedestrians screamed and scattered.

But on the sidewalk, fifteen meters from the Dungeon Gate, Lucian's group of five stood completely still: Astra was scooping another spoonful of strawberry ice cream into her mouth. Evelyn popped the tab on a can of soda with a hiss. Sylvia was carefully wiping a smudge of ice cream off the corner of Astra's mouth with a tissue. Lucian sipped a hot coffee, watching the scrawny green Goblins hopping around the intersection with mild interest. The fleeing crowd glanced back, muttering in disbelief.

"No way... what guild's cosplay team has the nerve to stand there eating ice cream in front of a Dungeon Break?!" SCREECH! A black armored SUV from the National Hunter Association slammed on its brakes, laying down a streak of black rubber, stopping right at the tips of Lucian's shoes. The door flew open. An agent in a black suit jumped out, mana-detector in hand, flashing his ID badge.

"Civilians, evacuate immediately! You haven't registered for a Hunter license, have you?!" The agent pointed the detector at Lucian, snapping.

"Gate Emergency Protocol! Secure the intersection and establish a perimeter!" Within minutes, a licensed Association response squad arrived, isolated the site, and confirmed that the crossing had stabilized into a monitored gate rather than an active monster break.