#167
The red-rippling gate shook violently as if experiencing an error, then gradually became smaller. Watching the gate fade as if about to close, Yoon Pa-ran felt greatly relieved.
At least the gate opening here could be closed before it even began.
[The number of sacrifice candidates has drastically decreased.]
[The range of blessing is reduced.]
But his relief was short-lived as grim status windows followed.
[A Great Gate (incomplete) will open somewhere in Seoul.]
“…”
It was a partial success. A massive gate with an ominous name was still opening somewhere.
Were there four axes in total? If they had stopped the other two, could they have prevented this too?
“Huh?”
Feeling regretful, Yoon Pa-ran looked down at the ground while fiddling with the pauldron in his hand.
The stone fragments that had shot up from the ground with this item were scattered there. At first, he had naturally assumed they were [■■■ Fragments], but they felt somehow different.
Instinctively, Yoon Pa-ran reached out and grabbed one that had flown near the swing.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is… a [Broken Blessing Fragment]?”
“Blessing Fragment?”
Dan Joo-hyuk looked down at Yoon Pa-ran’s palm with a curious expression, apparently having also assumed these stones were [■■■ Fragments].
“Looking at it this way, the energy we’ve been fighting seems completely opposite to the Blessing Fragment.”
Yet the status window spoke as if the gate’s emergence was a blessing. It said the range of blessing was decreasing as the Great Gate’s range decreased.
What could it mean?
Examining the stone by turning it over several times, Yoon Pa-ran could better sense it. Two forces colliding like the opposite poles of a magnet.
Why these were buried together, and what it meant that they were exactly opposing forces remained unknown. Storing this information in his mind, Yoon Pa-ran looked up at the air again.
What now?
“Yoon Pa-ran.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve found the Great Gate’s location.”
Dan Joo-hyuk spoke softly while checking his phone. Yoon Pa-ran quickly leaned in to peek at his screen.
Dan Joo-hyuk willingly showed his phone. There were traces of desperate communications from the Gate Management Office.
One message contained an address in the Yongsan area.
“It seems to be right in front of Yongsan District Office.”
“Right in the center.”
Yoon Pa-ran’s face darkened again. Though it was fortunate they had protected the land near the orphanage, it was hard to feel relieved hearing that a massive gate had opened in the heart of Seoul.
From what he could tell, the Great Gate’s location was about an hour away from here. Even by car it would take that long, and considering the roads would be blocked with evacuation traffic, it would take even longer.
He worried that reaching there would be difficult in many ways.
“…Are you going?”
Dan Joo-hyuk asked in a somber voice.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yoon Pa-ran nodded.
“I have to.”
“…”
In truth, Yoon Pa-ran desperately wanted to check on his siblings first. But no matter how he thought about it, he felt as if the series of events was pushing him forward.
He was particularly concerned that these strange objects were opposing his power. There must be something he could do at the Great Gate.
Thinking of his siblings who would grow up here, he had no choice.
“I see.”
There was a faint sigh mixed in Dan Joo-hyuk’s reply. Yoon Pa-ran found this sigh curious, as he had expected Dan Joo-hyuk would naturally be interested in this situation.
Somehow they had become close enough that Dan Joo-hyuk’s chest almost touched Yoon Pa-ran’s knees. Conscious of this proximity, Yoon Pa-ran quietly looked down at Dan Joo-hyuk’s face.
Seeing his serious expression, Yoon Pa-ran strangely found himself at a loss for words.
[Trial of the Practitioner]
Resolve the Great Gate
Reward for success: Survival
Penalty for failure: ■eath
*Disciple of the Sacred God Special Privilege: A quick route to reach the Great Gate is provided!
As if to help Yoon Pa-ran escape this awkward feeling, his vision turned white again.
Given everything that had happened, the status window’s content was expected. From the beginning, this quest called “trial” wanted Yoon Pa-ran or Dan Joo-hyuk to resolve this situation.
However, what happened next was something even Yoon Pa-ran hadn’t anticipated.
“Look over there…!”
“Ah.”
The nearly vanished gate above the orphanage glowed white again. As if white lightning was bursting from within, a bright light suddenly embroidered the air.
Momentarily worried that the gate might be reopening, Yoon Pa-ran slowly rose as he recognized the familiar energy from that light. Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been kneeling on one knee before him, also stood up.
Something similar had happened at the Gumund Anomaly Gate they’d first experienced together. When white light resembling Sacred Energy had struck the safety zone statue.
Familiar with that energy, Yoon Pa-ran silently watched the sky. What appeared was a white gate, something he had never seen before.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a white gate…”
“It really wants to send us there.”
“Huh?”
“Since it mentioned providing quick transport, I think if we take this, we can reach the Great Gate.”
As if answering his words, the status window floating before them flickered faintly. Blinking along with it, Yoon Pa-ran slightly furrowed his brow.
The advertisement-like tone that suddenly appeared at the bottom of the status window was somewhat irritating.
“Yoon Pa-ran, I think you have a message.”
Dan Joo-hyuk tapped Yoon Pa-ran’s thigh as he spoke. Startled by the touch, Yoon Pa-ran quickly pulled out his phone.
“Pa-ran. We’ve safely entered the shelter with Hunter Kim Sin-cheol. You need to be careful too. Understand?”
Relieved by the news he’d been waiting for, Yoon Pa-ran’s face brightened.
“The bus arrived safely at the bunker! No one was hurt, and they’ve gone inside with Hunter Kim Sin-cheol.”
“That’s good.”
It was a moment when the one thing weighing on his mind was resolved. The bunker was sturdy, and with a reliable A-class hunter with them, the children should be safe.
So now, he just needed to resolve this incident.
“Let’s go.”
“…”
Yoon Pa-ran spoke in a firm voice, looking at the air. Though anxious about what might happen inside, the energy from the gate felt familiar.
Instead of answering, Dan Joo-hyuk silently retrieved equipment from the car. He seemed to always carry gate equipment in case of emergencies.
Naturally, Yoon Pa-ran’s equipment was there too.
Heavily armed for the final battle, the two soon stood side by side in front of the gate.
“Oh, right.”
Just before jumping into the gate, Yoon Pa-ran urgently spoke up, remembering what Dan Joo-hyuk had said earlier.
“Didn’t you say your skill was depleted?”
“…Yes.”
Considering the successive events, it seemed better for Dan Joo-hyuk to also have this power. Earlier, without Sacred Energy, he hadn’t been able to properly detect the buried item.
So Yoon Pa-ran seriously suggested:
“Shouldn’t we fill it up before going?”
“…”
Yoon Pa-ran’s gaze turned toward the orphanage building. Since the percentage didn’t fill well with just a casual charge, he was considering a space where they could do it quickly.
Though purifying that strange item earlier had been somewhat taxing, it couldn’t be helped.
As he considered ways to replenish the skill, Yoon Pa-ran’s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t noticed it well until now, but suddenly thought about how this power had many constraints in sudden combat.
“Alright.”
Dan Joo-hyuk said, slightly lowering his head. Reflexively looking at him, their lips accidentally touched, and Yoon Pa-ran slightly parted his.
The warmth that briefly explored his mouth before leaving felt oddly disappointing.
“Just this much.”
“Why…?”
Though it would drain him a bit, he had intended to give more skill. Even if he had to be carried to the Great Gate, it would be more efficient for Dan Joo-hyuk.
That amount probably wouldn’t have filled much.
“Shall we go?”
But Dan Joo-hyuk stepped back without further comment.
With the gate’s white light at his back and a slight smile on his face, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t strangely take his eyes off him, and dazedly nodded.
❖ ❖ ❖
The inside of the gate was surprisingly ordinary. Just a common cave-like formation stretching ahead.
Except that there were no monsters that should be inside.
“Nothing ahead either?”
“Nothing I can detect.”
Even Dan Joo-hyuk’s wide-ranging perception couldn’t sense any monsters. Though Yoon Pa-ran had thought it wouldn’t be dangerous, it felt awkward that it really was like a passage to somewhere.
“Let’s move faster.”
“Want me to carry you?”
“No thanks.”
Even in this situation, Dan Joo-hyuk made frivolous comments. Being lightly scolded by Yoon Pa-ran somehow released some of the tension he’d been unconsciously carrying.
He was wondering if perhaps Dan Joo-hyuk was trying to lighten the burden on his shoulders when suddenly the gate rippled.
“Ah!”
“Hold my hand.”
Feeling a sensation similar to the Linked Anomaly incident, Yoon Pa-ran reflexively grabbed Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand tightly. If he let go, they would be separated again.
The gate soon shook violently, causing an indescribable dizziness. It felt exactly like being trapped in a hamster wheel and shaken wildly.
“Kuk.”
“Come here.”
Dan Joo-hyuk grabbed Yoon Pa-ran’s waist and pulled him completely against his body.
In his already confused state, Yoon Pa-ran instinctively clung tightly to Dan Joo-hyuk.
A metallic sound like “keeing” brushed through his mind.
“…?!”
An ominous premonition swept over him like lightning striking his head. The steady flow of the gate suddenly scattered in all directions like noise on a screen.
Though clearly the same color as before, a status window appeared, giving an incredibly ominous sensation.
[Divine Wrath]
One caught in the Great Gaze, receive your trial.
*Searching for the Disciple of the Sacred God to engrave the mark.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
