Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Mutated Gate
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"Miss Ro-ha, what are you doing?"
"There's no way that's possible... That erosion shrugged off attacks from S-Rank Hunters."
"I just want to give it a try."
When I said I'd examine the eroded land and try to restore it, Cheon I-ryeong and the others expressed concern right away.
They said the erosion from the Breaking had intense demonic energy.
But demonic energy wasn't much of a threat to me.
"Please cover me for a bit."
"If that's what Miss Ro-ha wants... Keep watch on the surroundings! Intercept any monsters approaching us thoroughly!"
Lee Jae-hoon and the close-range Hunters guarded my side, while Cheon I-ryeong and Seol A-yun led the ranged Hunters in slaughtering the incoming monsters.
I stood before the blackened land, brush in hand, and overpainted the writhing ground stained with demonic energy.
But as soon as my blue mana mixed with the demonic energy, it turned a murky gray, then pitch black and died.
The phenomenon known as demonic erosion.
An incurable curse that killed the earth, eroded Hunters who tried to conquer gates, and corrupted their minds.
Then how about the new Eraser I'd acquired.
The mana I poured in vibrantly blue condensed at the brush tip, and the erosion it touched crumbled with a passt—scattering away.
The murmurs died down as the erosion chipped away bit by bit.
"It's really... the erosion..."
Eyes wide, forgetting even to breathe, fixed on my fingertips.
Beneath the tar-like petroleum residue of the ground, barren wasteland earth covered in soft brown soil was revealed.
Wherever my hand reached regained its original color, one step.
I stepped toward the source of that curse.
"Miss Ro-ha! What in the world is...?"
"Purification...! This is purification!"
It required intense concentration, so I just nodded without replying.
The mana draining from my body was considerable too.
Still, I kept advancing one step at a time toward the land slowly regaining its form.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kwaaang!"
"They're swarming! Don't let them get close!"
"Just trash mobs! Hold the formation!"
As we pushed toward the inner gate, the monsters started charging.
An endless horde poured in, evidence of how many had leaked into the forest until now.
But we had two S-Ranks here.
C-Grade monsters at best just flew in like moths to a flame and burned away.
"Don't use me as an incinerator, okay?"
"I thought you liked that. It's convenient too."
The wall of fire conjured by Cheon I-ryeong.
Any that tried to bypass it or leap over trees using them as footholds were hurled back into the flames by Seol A-yun's psychokinesis.
Watching the two bicker amid the monster wave actually put me at ease.
S-Ranks, as expected. Reliable.
"Miss Ro-ha, don't push yourself too hard."
"I'm fine. More than that, there are more monsters than I expected."
"They've been steadily leaking out since the erosion burst. Most got blocked by the barricade and piled up inside the forest, I guess."
"So this could have happened anytime?"
If the monster numbers overwhelmed the barricade's function, it was no different from holding a live bomb.
Unless you cleared them out periodically like cleaning...
"Usually, overflow monsters come in small waves, but nothing the barricade couldn't handle. It was pretty sturdy... We'll need a proper investigation."
Where Cheon I-ryeong's gaze landed were heavy firepower mounts like the K6 heavy machine gun and K15 light machine gun.
But the perimeter was surprisingly clean, with few spent casings—a bit suspicious.
It meant the heavy weapons had been neutralized before the wave.
Neglect in maintenance? Dereliction of duty?
Too many dead from the wave for that.
Then... not the erosion, but sabotage from inside?
What could they gain from something like this?
Even if they wanted civilian casualties, this low-grade containment zone would be quelled quickly by incoming Hunter support.
...The association support that arrived.
Were they targeting that? Nam In-ho?
Too grand and heavy for revenge against Zeus Guild betrayal.
Maybe the Federation's influence...
No, at least not that.
No person would do such a thing.
No matter how much bad blood between association and Federation, there were lines that must not be crossed.
Contrary to my tangled thoughts, my hands kept erasing the erosion.
Soon, a red-glowing gate came into view.
The devil's maw that had lost its original blue light, spewing monsters.
As we neared the gate, monsters surged like the entire forest was crashing in, but Cheon I-ryeong's elongated Hellfire scorched the withered forest and all.
"Lady Ro-ha. Getting any closer is dangerous."
"She's right. The gate's unstable, so we have to be careful."
Seol A-yun and Cheon I-ryeong blocked my path, on high alert as we reached the gate's doorstep.
But we'd come this far—turning back felt regrettable.
This thing was the root cause, after all.
Erasing the erosion meant nothing if we couldn't resolve it.
[Close the Mutated Gate.]
🎁 Reward: Skill
Right on cue, the quest gave me the answer.
An objective saying even if unstable, it was fully resolvable.
Quests always meant something absolutely achievable.
"Can you give me a moment?"
"...If anything goes wrong, I'll grab just you and bail, Miss Ro-ha. If this thing blows..."
Her trauma made her eyes uneasy, hands trembling faintly—I clasped them to reassure her.
The fine vibrations slowed to a stop from the warmth.
"It'll be okay. Trust me?"
"...Of course."
Strength filled our clasped hands.
I gave a small nod and smile to Cheon I-ryeong, who finally showed a faint smile, then stepped forward again.
Eraser once more.
It erased the oozing black demonic energy, but couldn't stop the leakage.
This wouldn't do.
The gate itself didn't erase either.
Dumping mana recklessly seemed risky—the immense power within was extremely unstable.
Couldn't resolve it from outside.
Only way was to enter.
But even I hesitated to reach into the unknown no one had entered.
"Miss Ro-ha, you have a way, right? Whatever it is, I'll go with you."
"Same here."
"Me? Well, I'm in the position to dive if you say dive."
Cheon I-ryeong and Seol A-yun placed hands on my shoulders.
Lee Jae-hoon tossed light banter to lighten the mood.
"Ha, you'd think I was the villain. Chief Secretary doesn't have to come in, you know?"
"Then you'd sulk and ignore me."
"S-Sulk? Who?"
"Pfft!"
Laughter burst out even in a life-risking situation. These tangled bonds gave strength—no need to agonize when I already knew the answer.
"Clear out the surrounding monsters completely, then we'll go in and close the gate. Just the four of us inside."
"Got it. Whatever Miss Ro-ha does always works out amazingly... There'll be an answer this time too."
"Hard to explain, but I have a feeling. It won't explode or anything."
"Good. Close this, and we'll be the world's first? We can rub it in Scarlett's face then."
Seol A-yun flinched at Scarlett's name.
Both US S-Ranks, so they knew each other.
Moments later, leaving the fully cleared containment behind, Lee Jae-hoon led, followed by Seol A-yun, Cheon I-ryeong, and me—we entered.
"Inside's pretty normal. Aside from the monster numbers."
"A bit stronger than same-grade monsters, but manageable."
"Let's head to the center slowly for now."
With the three forming a triangular formation around me, we advanced.
Toward the plain's center dotted with low forests here and there.
Plenty of wolf-like monsters inside too, but just post-meal stretches for these three.
We advanced cautiously, clearing monsters without rushing for any surprises—and something came into view.
A pitch-black sphere.
"What is that...? Anyone seen something like it?"
"Dunno, first time for me. Gates usually end with wiping monsters or killing the boss."
Even Cheon I-ryeong, who gate-dived like meals, didn't know.
It existed like a black sun, emanating demonic energy.
"Extremely ominous. The aura it's giving off is no joke. Lady Ro-ha, how about pulling back here?"
"No. Let's take a proper look."
Urging the highly wary group past the alien, foreboding thing, we drew near.
Sharp demonic energy stabbed my skin like needles.
"...It's pulsing."
"Feels like a slime core."
"Demonic core..."
The thing we dubbed the demonic core showed no reaction even as we approached.
Just spewing demonic energy, existing passively.
No ego in the core? That was a relief at least.
I drew close, gazing into the black hole-like center.
I knew at a glance it didn't belong to this world.
The source from which demonic energy leaked.
Eerie lack of presence despite existing.
If anything, a rift connected to another dimension.