"…I really don't know if this is the right thing to do…."
Yun Seul-a was in a car, heading toward the newly appeared black Gate.
"You are doing very well."
And beside her, as if it were only natural, was Hyeonseung.
"Are you sure you're really all right…?"
"I told you I am. Should I show you one more time?"
He had kept explaining that while it was true he was a Gate survivor, he truly had no mental illness or anything of the sort, and in the end, he had proven it, which was why he was able to go with her like this.
And the method of that proof was…
"Gate! Gate! Gate! Gate! Gate!"
To keep talking about Gates on his own.
And to show that even then, his mind remained perfectly sound.
Of course, the method of proving it made him look even more insane, but after he repeated it several times, Yun Seul-a had acknowledged it.
That Hyeonseung was different from other Gate survivors.
"Please stop… doing that. Anyway, I'm taking you because you said you know a lot about black Gates. You mustn't try anything else, all right?"
"Don't worry."
Hyeonseung answered breezily, as if to say that, at least, she need not worry about.
If things went as he expected, there would be no time for him to try anything else even if he wanted to.
Because near the Abyss Gate, there would be rankers who had been summoned just like him.
Monsters from the first floor of the Abyss would be cleaned up in an instant even if Hyeonseung did nothing.
Before that cursed energy had any chance to spread.
'And if I see someone who looks like that bastard Sirbert, I'll give him a piece of my mind.'
Since he had returned to Korea, the man should be somewhere nearby as well.
If he heard the news that an Abyss Gate had appeared, he would surely come running at once.
'Whatever the reason, deliberately not clearing the Abyss? That's madness.'
It was not a decision anyone in their right mind could make.
If even a small amount of that energy were released when no countermeasure against the cursed energy had been prepared, things would spiral out of control.
Only a madman would make such a judgment.
"But how did you really know a black Gate would appear? There was no precedent for this…."
"Mm… just instinct? I suppose you could call it intuition?"
He gave Yun Seul-a a vague answer.
As expected, she looked unconvinced, but what could he do?
A world related to Bentair.
Abyss Gates, and so on. Explaining all of it would be too long and too difficult to believe, and there was no particular reason he needed to explain it, either.
"Let's go for now. Nothing much will happen."
"Is that also intuition?"
"Well, something like that."
Though Yun Seul-a did not understand at all, she faithfully drove toward the black Gate.
For one thing, just as Hyeonseung had said, a black mutated Gate had appeared, and as a team leader of Korea's greatest guild, she had a duty to go there.
After they drove a little farther, they saw a military unit blocking the road with barricades.
Unlike the other cars turning back, Yun Seul-a drove the car right up to the barricade.
"Due to the appearance of a Gate, you cannot proceed any farther from here… Huh? Yun Seul-a?"
The soldier, who had been reciting a mechanical line, checked Yun Seul-a's face and, startled, gave a brief salute.
"Your registration card… Yes. Confirmed. Is the person beside you also a member of the Taeryong Guild?"
"He's affiliated."
"Yes, ma'am. Please wait a moment."
As she watched the soldiers hurriedly move the barricade aside, Yun Seul-a asked.
"I understand there's still quite a distance to the Gate occurrence site… Why are you already restricting access?"
"We're only doing as we're told, so I don't really… Ah, from what I heard in passing, it was an order from the Taeryong Guild Master."
"…Nam Taemin?"
For someone like Nam Taemin, setting up a restricted zone would be nothing.
But he was not the type to do things without reason, which was why Yun Seul-a was surprised.
Did even Nam Taemin think this Gate was dangerous?
No, if that were the case, something felt strange.
"You may pass now. Good luck!"
As they passed through the restricted zone and entered inside, the sense of incongruity grew even stronger.
"There are… no people."
The reason was that, as if the place had become a ghost town, not a single person could be seen.
"Even if it's a restricted zone, there shouldn't be this few people."
If it were an ordinary Gate, they would not restrict such a wide area.
They would restrict only the minimum area necessary so as not to interfere with daily life, and people from public institutions or other Awakened would come and go frequently.
But what about here?
They had restricted such a vast area, and yet they had not encountered even one person.
At this level, was it not practically an emergency evacuation order?
And the one who had given that order was none other than Nam Taemin…
"You said they don't usually restrict things to this extent, right?"
"Yes. They say it was an order from our Guild Master, Nam Taemin… but I don't know why."
It was a mutated Gate, yes, but aside from the color, no other anomaly had been discovered yet.
That was what Yun Seul-a found questionable, and Hyeonseung likewise had doubts about the current situation.
"Nam Taemin. Nam Taemin, huh…."
It was certainly a name he had never heard before.
When the man had apparently been active as the first Awakened, the savior, or whatever else, Hyeonseung had been in the world of Bentair.
And yet.
'This is strange.'
An inexplicable sense of déjà vu came over him.
The Abyss Gate should be appearing for the first time, and yet the order this person called Nam Taemin had given seemed as though he understood the danger of the Abyss Gate precisely.
Completely clearing away civilians who had no immunity to Abyss energy, and restricting a wide area so the energy could not spread.
Then waiting in front of the Gate and killing every Abyss monster the moment it emerged.
This was the way to prevent even the slightest bit of energy from leaking out, and judging by Nam Taemin's response, it was perfect.
'Is it… coincidence?'
For now, he had no choice but to think so.
Because it made no sense that someone named Nam Taemin would know about Abyss Gates.
As they each sank into their own thoughts and continued on, they arrived near the Abyss Gate.
When the two of them got out of the car, several people with the same emblem engraved over their chests gathered around them.
"You're here, Team Leader."
All of them, their expressions far from good, were members of Taeryong.
"It really is… a black Gate."
As Yun Seul-a looked up at the black Gate ominously undulating, unexpected words reached her ears.
"I'm sorry to say this when you've only just arrived… but I think you need to turn back."
"…Pardon?"
"It's the Guild Master's order. Just in case, all remaining guild members are to withdraw outside the restricted zone as well."
That was why the others' expressions had been so strange.
And soon, Yun Seul-a's expression became the same as theirs.
"Just in case… we should withdraw? Not stay, just in case?"
"Yes. We couldn't understand it either, so we asked several times, but his answer was the same."
"…Where is Nam Taemin now?"
"Right in front of the Gate."
Yun Seul-a immediately strode toward the Gate.
Behind her, the guild member's voice could be heard.
"We kept trying to talk to him too, but it was no use… For now, we'll wait outside as ordered."
With that, the Taeryong guild members each got into their cars and headed outside.
To the very end, their faces were full of incomprehension.
In contrast, as Hyeonseung walked forward, a certain conviction gradually etched itself onto his expression.
'He told them to withdraw just in case…'
If he were a normal person, he would have called more people just in case and made thorough preparations.
But when it came to the energy of the Abyss, gathering many people was more harmful than helpful.
And so Hyeonseung became certain.
'Nam Taemin. He knows about the Abyss Gate.'
That was not the only strange thing.
'The rankers… not a single one of them has come.'
Of course, perhaps they had been blocked by the soldiers controlling access and could not come.
But were rankers called rankers for nothing?
Deceiving the eyes of ordinary people like that and getting inside should have been nothing to them, so why was not a single one in sight?
…Something was strange.
With that thought, he headed toward the Gate and heard Yun Seul-a's voice.
"Do you think that makes any sense? You’re going to stop a Gate Break by yourself?"
A colossal Abyss Gate, tall enough to reach the fifth floor of an apartment building.
Yun Seul-a was shouting beneath it.
And facing her stood one man.
'So that's Nam Taemin.'
He was tall and well-built, with neatly slicked-back hair that matched his sharp eyes, giving him a cold, composed air.
…As expected, a man he had never seen before.
"Hah…. This is why I told them not to report to you, Yun Seul-a."
"What are you… No, forget it. Stop doing something stupid and call the guild members back right now! You said a Gate Break could happen at any moment!"
From Yun Seul-a's perspective, it was utterly incomprehensible.
A Gate Break was about to happen any moment and monsters would come pouring out, so he was telling her to leave.
"You… There’s a limit to how much you can look down on people."
That was why she was angry.
Who had been the first to recognize Nam Taemin's potential and extend a hand to him?
Had it not been Yun Seul-a herself?
It was Yun Seul-a who had supported Nam Taemin financially when he had lacked funds, who had helped him unite with the first Awakened to form a guild, and who had built connections for him with various people in power.
In other words, if not for Yun Seul-a, no matter how strong Nam Taemin was, he would not have obtained fame and authority so easily.
And yet, what had Nam Taemin done after Yun Seul-a awakened and entered the Taeryong Guild?
He had seated her in the purely honorary position of team leader and given her absolutely no chance to distinguish herself.
Even so, his attitude toward Yun Seul-a had not changed, so from Yun Seul-a's perspective, it was not merely absurd—it was infuriating.
…Just like now.
"Just because people keep telling you you're strong, did you actually go insane? What if you try to stop a Gate Break alone and fail?"
"I told you, that won't happen."
"That is seriously narcissistic of you. Get a grip."
"Hah… Seul-a."
Nam Taemin, who had been about to say something, turned his gaze behind Yun Seul-a.
He had spotted Hyeonseung standing there blankly.
"You… don't tell me you brought an ordinary civilian…?"
And in that moment.
Saaaa—
A sound resembling the blowing of wind.
But Nam Taemin and Yun Seul-a, who had both lived through the Cataclysm, knew all too well what it meant.
"The Gate Break is…!"
The disaster in which the Gate shattered and the hundreds of monsters within came pouring out.
It was the sound of that beginning.
-Kieeeee!
-Kieek!
Monsters began to pour out through the Gate rippling with black light.
Their appearances were different from other monsters from the start.
Hard-looking black skin, sharp claws and teeth.
There were many types as well: flying monsters, bipedal monsters wielding weapons, and even large monsters visible behind them.
Their numbers were too great, and their species too varied.
There was absolutely… no way the people here alone could handle them.
That was what Yun Seul-a thought, and she tried to make the most accurate judgment possible in the current situation.
"I'll draw their attention from the other side first, so…!"
Until Nam Taemin stretched his hand toward the Gate.
"Tsk…. They're only from the first floor."
He extended his hand while muttering words she could not understand.
And then.
Puh-uhk—
Dozens of monsters burst apart at once.
"…."
Yun Seul-a had no choice but to freeze in the exact posture she had taken to charge forward.
Dozens of monsters that had appeared with a powerful oppressive force were crushed as if something had smashed them flat, and in an instant they turned into blood.
Of course, the Gate continued to spew out monsters.
Dozens at a time.
But the moment they pushed their heads out was also the moment they died.
-Kiek…?
-Kieeeeeek!
The instant they appeared, they all burst apart.
As if they themselves had become fireworks, they exploded wildly, creating a festival of blood.
The one turning beings that should originally have been a disaster into mere pools of blood was none other than Nam Taemin.
"What… is this…."
Yun Seul-a murmured in a daze.
She had heard that he was strong.
She had known it from what she had been told.
She had seen it with her own eyes as well.
But she could swear that he had never been this powerful.
'All this time… he was hiding his strength…?'
What kind of absurd sight was that?
Even without revealing the full extent of his power, he had been judged Korea’s best.
But this overwhelming display he was showing now… what on earth was it?
It was as though he were warning the monsters.
This place was his domain, so they should not even dare think of crossing over.
Nam Taemin was not being arrogant.
He had merely stated the obvious.
After all, if the other Awakeners had remained, they would only have gotten in the way.
‘The difference… is this… great…?’
When Yun Seul-a had awakened, the entire mass media had shouted her name.
Her awakening ability and her level had both been outstanding.
She had thought that Nam Taemin’s refusal to give her an opportunity was also a form of keeping her in check.
Because she had believed that, with just a little more time, she would be able to catch up to Nam Taemin as well.
But.
‘What an utterly ridiculous delusion that was…’
A flying monster so enormous it seemed to swallow half the Gate crossed over, letting out a piercing shriek that sounded as if it might tear the air apart.
But in an instant, that shriek turned into a scream.
Before even half its body had crossed over, it was bent sharply in two, and by the time the rest of its body emerged from the Gate, it was already a corpse plummeting to the ground.
The monsters died as if an absolute hand existed in empty air.
The instant they crossed the Gate, they were torn in half, compressed into tiny lumps, or had their necks snapped.
Even as blood poured down like rain and the corpses of monsters piled up, Nam Taemin merely stood there aloof, his neat clothes unstained by even a single drop of blood.
And so Yun Seul-a despaired.
Because he was far too distant.
Because she had been overwhelmed by this unreal sight.
Because no matter what she did, she could never produce a scene like this.
The slaughter numbered in the hundreds, but the time it took was short, and the blackness of the Gate began to fade.
The number of monsters emerging from the Gate decreased, and their quality seemed to rise even further, but to Nam Taemin, it meant nothing at all.
“Kueeeek!”
With the scream of a large monster as its final note, the Gate completely lost its light and began to crumble.
“…He really did it.”
He had truly stopped a Gate Break all by himself.
And he had done so with ease against monsters that looked far stronger than any that had appeared so far.
Without getting even a single drop of blood on himself.
“Ha…”
Even though she had only been watching, Yun Seul-a felt all the strength drain from her body, and she was about to sink down right where she stood.
“Hey, you bastard.”
At the completely unexpected curse, her eyes widened, and she looked around.
* * *
At first, I hadn’t thought much of it.
‘Whoa. He fights refreshingly well.’
Abyss monsters were crossing over through the Abyss Gate.
Every single one of them looked vicious on the outside, but in the end, weren’t they just low-grade monsters from the first floor?
Watching them get hunted down the moment they appeared made my body itch for no reason, and I found myself thinking about whether I should use Thunder Emperor and drop a single bolt of lightning on them… stupid thoughts like that.
[Hidden Trait: Violence Is Not Allowed! (Patience: 12 / 1000)]
‘…Oh. So holding back like this raises my Patience too.’
I was even admiring the new fact I had discovered.
But as time passed, the sense of déjà vu I had been feeling since earlier only grew stronger.
‘That guy, Nam Taemin… I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere…’
A mysterious man who knew far too much about the Abyss Gate.
Military might strong enough to place him in the upper ranks among Rankers.
And Nam Taemin’s skill, which I was certain I had heard of somewhere before.
—Just like you said, he really was a possessor.
What suddenly came to mind was the memory of the day Jason had passed me that information.
—You know, that professor from the academy.
My mind combed through the past while my eyes took in the sight of Nam Taemin in the present.
—Apparently, the imperial family awarded that professor a medal along with a title.
That title was.
—Master of Psychokinesis.
An authority on psychokinesis, one who could freely manipulate everything within his domain.
—Silbert van Ernhem.