"No matter what, this truly isn't acceptable. If the Guild Master finds out……"
Despite the surrounding protests, Yun Seul-a only scoffed.
"Nam Tae-min? Tell him to go to hell."
Cold as she had been, when she looked at Hyeon Seung, she smiled brightly as if she had never been that way.
"We're leaving first. Anyway, there's an incredible person here, so there's nothing to worry about."
Pulled along by Yun Seul-a's hand, Hyeon Seung racked his brain to grasp the situation.
The three-line message he had seen just before the scenery changed.
Abyss raid failed.
Abyss monsters will appear in both dimensions.
And…….
[Logout is commencing.]
Logout?
Only then did it feel as though he had truly been inside a game.
But that it wasn't a game was immediately clear from the way he moved right now.
The two legs moving while being pulled by Yun Seul-a's hand were walking far too normally.
If that had been a game and he had only now returned to reality, he would have had to limp about like a cripple.
'That aside… a Gate, of all things.'
Glancing back, he could still see the Gate rippling with blue light.
And Hyeon Seung knew something that looked just like it.
'An Abyss Gate.'
The Gate that appears when the Abyss raid fails.
But that has an ominous black glow; it doesn't ripple with blue light like that.
Then what must he do?
Find the Abyss Gate and block it.
And find those damn bastards who returned to Earth like him.
'What the hell were these bastards thinking…….'
How could those who knew full well how dangerous the Abyss's energy was have failed the raid?
No matter how dangerous the Abyss was, it had only just begun—its first floor.
Meanwhile, the other rankers had grown enormously stronger over the past two years.
So if even one or two of them had entered, it should have been impossible to fail.
His anger surged at the certainty that they had aimed for something and deliberately didn't even attempt the raid.
'Just you wait until I meet these bastards.'
In truth, meeting them wouldn't change anything.
They were clearly infinitely stronger than him.
* * *
Going to her house with Yun Seul-a, he was able to hear roughly what had happened during the slightly over two years.
The Great Cataclysm.
The birth of the Awakened.
The existence of mana stones found inside Gates.
And the heroes called the First Awakened.
Among them, what Hyeon Seung was particularly interested in were, as expected, those called the First Awakened.
"Are the First Awakened really that strong?"
"Each one of them is on a level that can't even be compared to ordinary Awakened. Among them, the most famous one in Korea is Nam Tae-min. He's the Guild Master of Taeryong, the guild I'm in."
"Nam Tae-min, huh……"
Naturally, it was a name he was hearing for the first time.
Still, there were bound to be a few outstanding people in any field, so it wasn't particularly strange.
"They're overwhelmingly strong, but the reason so many people follow them to the point of near-deification is something else."
"Something else?"
"Yes. I told you that research related to mana stones is being actively conducted, right?"
Mana stones matched astonishingly well with research related to the abilities of the Awakened, and thanks to that, the very first thing developed was—
"The so-called level measuring device that measures the strength of Awakened."
This was the difference between Hyeon Seung and the Awakened here.
Level.
Because the concept of levels didn't exist, unlike him who had no level, the Awakened on Earth had levels.
"The level measuring device worked accurately on other Awakened, but strangely, it caused errors on each and every one of those called the First Awakened."
"Errors?"
"It showed 'Immeasurable.' They were already performing tremendously, and when all of them showed that, well, it caused an uproar. The chosen ones. The saviors."
Yun Seul-a's expression as she said this didn't look very good.
She didn't seem to like them, quite contrary to her explanation.
Anyway, while it was quite interesting, that wasn't what was immediately important to Hyeon Seung.
"So is it true that black Gates really haven't appeared yet?"
If an Abyss Gate appeared right away, he had to block it as quickly as possible before its energy spread.
But immediately after he said that, Yun Seul-a glanced at him with an expression full of pity, leaving Hyeon Seung unable to help but feel doubt.
"Those kinds of Gates… don't exist. We should hurry. Hyeon Seung, please don't think about anything for now and get some good rest. The details…… let's talk tomorrow."
"Huh? Ah, well. Yes, sure. But if a black Gate appears, you must tell me immediately."
"Yes. I promise."
Even in Yun Seul-a's tone as she answered, a deep sense of pity was felt, causing Hyeon Seung to tilt his head.
'……What?'
* * *
The place they arrived at by Yun Seul-a's car was a penthouse he had only ever heard of.
"……Wow."
Even the car they had ridden in was unusual, so he had wondered, and indeed, she was no ordinary person.
No wonder the other Awakened had been so intimidated.
"You can use this room here, and I'm in the room on the opposite side, so if you need anything, feel free to come tell me anytime."
But this woman was excessively lacking in vigilance.
The house was quite spacious, but still, they were fully grown adults of opposite sexes.
Not to mention, they were meeting for the first time today.
From the perspective of Hyeon Seung, who had returned so suddenly, this was something he was immensely grateful for.
He had no money, no house, and not even a phone.
He had no friends or parents, so if it weren't for Yun Seul-a's help, he would have been in quite a predicament.
But that aside, what was curious was still curious.
So he asked.
"I may not look like it, but I'm an Awakened. If you tried anything bad to me, Hyeon Seung, you'd be in danger. And as for why I'm helping you…… I'll tell you tomorrow."
She avoided the spot again with an ambiguous expression.
'……I don't know.'
Still, since she didn't seem to have any ill intentions, Hyeon Seung decided to gratefully accept Yun Seul-a's kindness.
And it was only the next day that he understood why she had avoided answering with such an ambiguous expression.
* * *
"Hyeon Seung. Don't be surprised and listen to me carefully."
"Yes."
The next day.
In front of Hyeon Seung, who had filled his stomach with modern food after a long time, Yun Seul-a sat facing him with a solemn expression.
"It's usually not good to tell a patient like this directly…… but you have to endure it! Only then can you fully recover!"
"Huh? Patient?"
Before Hyeon Seung could ask again, Yun Seul-a continued.
"Hyeon Seung…… you're a Gate returnee."
Ordinary people who haven't awakened cannot enter Gates.
However, there is exactly one exceptional situation: the moment a Gate is created. If one is there at that time, they get caught up in the Gate and disappear.
Ordinary people who disappear like that cannot be found anywhere in the world.
They aren't even found inside the Gate.
Then, really out of nowhere, an extremely small number of people return.
"Most of them go insane."
At first, they seem normal.
They laugh and chat.
As if they've lost their memories since they went missing.
But then, when those memories suddenly start returning bit by bit……
"Their minds collapse. They're paralyzed by fear, unable to communicate, screaming for someone to save them. They can't sleep at night, burning with fever, and eventually……"
They take their own lives.
"My younger sibling hanged themselves in front of me."
Since that day, there hadn't been a single day she hadn't regretted it.
If only she had been a little more delicate.
If only she had questioned a little more and watched over them. If only she had tried a little harder……
Couldn't she have saved her sibling?
Such regrets accumulated and settled heavily in her heart, which is why Yun Seul-a wanted to save this man at the very least.
If she worked and worked as she had endlessly imagined and pictured, and this man's mental illness was completely cured, wouldn't her heavy regret lighten even a little?
"……Don't worry. You can really get better, Hyeon Seung!"
"No, but I'm not like that……?"
"Or can you explain where you were for the past two years?"
"That's…… um……"
He was rendered speechless by Yun Seul-a's question.
Spending two years in another world, blah blah.
Would that even work? It would only convince them even more that he was a mental patient.
Seeing Hyeon Seung at a loss for words, Yun Seul-a spoke urgently.
"Stop. Don't force yourself to remember. We take it one step at a time!"
And immediately after.
Ding-dong— the bell rang, and shortly after, someone entered the house.
"You've come, Doctor."
A middle-aged woman smiling very kindly.
"It's been a while, Seul-a. How have you been?"
The woman holding a briefcase in one hand greeted Yun Seul-a with a smile, seeming to know her well.
And soon she turned her gaze to Hyeon Seung.
"Then this is……?"
The woman nodded in response to Yun Seul-a's solemn nod and sat opposite Hyeon Seung.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Son Soo-jung."
"Ah, I'm Lee Hyeon-seung."
Son Soo-jung's tone was very gentle and calm.
As if…… that of a teacher dealing with a young child.
"I've roughly heard about you, Hyeon Seung. Right now, the most important thing is to build a firm heart and an unwavering mental barrier, yes?"
"……Huh?"
"The mental barrier is nothing else. It's self-esteem. The heart that you, Hyeon Seung, love and cherish yourself."
"……."
Son Soo-jung rummaged through her bag and took out a small sketchbook.
"First, would you like to draw whatever you'd like here? Rather than other rigid examinations, this is a way to carefully and slowly approach your current mind."
She handed it over smiling, and he accepted it with a very displeased expression.
They had already determined him to be a returnee or something and were treating him like a future mental patient.
If he told them the truth that he had returned from a world inside a game, all that would come back would be pitying gazes and even more intensified counseling.
Things were getting twisted again.
'Ha…… now's not the time for this.'
He had to find the Abyss Gate and determine the locations of the other rankers.
But there was nothing Hyeon Seung could do alone here.
He absolutely needed the help of Yun Seul-a, who was at least favorably disposed toward him.
So, though he grumbled inwardly, his hand moved without hesitation and drew.
He didn't know about his current psychology or whatever; he just drew a scene he remembered.
A dim night. The faint sound of crickets. A quiet mountain village.
Floating in the night sky was a blue sun. And beneath it, himself.
The memory of the day he first used the skill 'Fire' was resurfacing through the drawing.
Of course, since his drawing skills were the worst, it was turning out like a child's drawing, but.
"……I'm done drawing."
Recalling that day's memory, he roughly scribbled a picture with colored pencils and handed it to the counselor. Upon checking the drawing, Son Soo-jung fell into great shock and muttered without realizing it.
"You want to…… destroy the entire world……?"
Hearing that muttering, Yun Seul-a covered her mouth against surging emotions and ran out of the room. Son Soo-jung, belatedly realizing her mistake, tried to manage the situation with a forced smile.
"Haha…… It's a very lovely picture. This represents your current state of mind, right? Um…… very delicate…… rich emotions……"
Hyeon Seung listened to those calmly spoken words of praise, offered as if consoling him, with one ear and scrunched his face into the deepest frown he could manage.
'Ha…… fuck.'
* * *
That foolishness didn't end there.
After the counselor Son Soo-jung left, a new person came in.
Something about being Korea's best hypnotist or whatever.
They said he was the best in this field and the best hypnotherapist or whatever, but Hyeon Seung didn't care and just lay down on the sofa in resignation.
He wondered if the man was really good at hypnosis, as he almost fell into a trance for a moment, but.
[Weak mental interference has been detected.]
[The trait—'Can't Live Without Swagger!' has been activated.]
The mental attack resistance of the forgotten sub-trait activated at the most random moment, breaking the hypnosis or whatever completely.
After that, well, he roughly pretended to be entranced and answered, and when asked what he had done for two years, he groaned in mock agony……
"H-hup!"
Yun Seul-a covered her mouth again and ran out, and that pointless act was wrapped up as well.
'……She thinks I have the same symptoms as her sibling.'
If he had known she would react so intensely…… maybe he should have just pretended to be happy.
Anyway, the treatment that started shortly after lunch was only finished when it was nearly evening, and Hyeon Seung and Yun Seul-a sat facing each other at the table again.
"I've decided…… to stop the hypnotherapy. But Doctor Son is coming tomorrow too, so that's fine, right?"
Yun Seul-a, who seemed to have been bothered by his act of anguish, said she had decided to cancel the hypnotherapy.
At her words that the treatment would continue tomorrow, Hyeon Seung let out a small sigh.
"I'm really grateful for your desire to help, Seul-a, but I'm not mentally ill."
"Everyone says that. That they're fine, that they're really okay."
"That's not it, I really am okay……"
"My sibling said that too. I believed those words without a shred of doubt."
Again, words failed him.
Yun Seul-a's sad gaze was the cause.
No matter what he said, even if he revealed the truth, he would ultimately be treated as a mental patient.
Yet there was no other way.
If it hadn't been for Yun Seul-a, he would have been tied up in some institution undergoing all sorts of investigations.
He wouldn't have been able to move freely or obtain the information he wanted.
No matter what misunderstanding Yun Seul-a had, being here was advantageous in many ways.
"……I understand. I'll do my best with the treatment, but in return, if you hear any news about black Gates, you must tell me immediately……"
The moment Hyeon Seung accepted reality and nodded.
Yun Seul-a's phone vibrated.
Checking the name on her phone, Yun Seul-a frowned.
Unlike when she spoke to Hyeon Seung, she answered the phone with a cold voice.
"What is it? Did that bastard Nam Tae-min say anything about yesterday?"
— Ah, Team Leader. That's not it.
— It's just that a new Gate has been discovered, and I thought I should tell you.
At those words.
— A black Gate has appeared.
Hyeon Seung's eyes grew cold.