Monster Wave -1

I was a bit surprised by the effects of the abalone, but it seemed like I was the only one. Maybe Go Yeon-ju didn't know much about its true benefits either. As she'd said, there were hardly any people in Korea with the Observation skill, and even if there were, how many of them were gate owners close to her? There might be some, but from what she was saying now, it was clear she didn't know.

"This abalone sells for 100,000 won each, so I hope you buy a lot."

100,000 won per abalone. No mention of its effects at all. Just that it was from a gate, tasted great, and was a bit pricier than regular abalone?

"I'll take them all."

She looked at me in surprise at my words, then nodded.

"Then all the abalone today goes to Si-woo."

This wasn't an auction house anyway—it was just a casual gathering of acquaintances—so there were no complicated procedures. Her eyes sparkled as she approached me.

"Si-woo!"

"Yes."

"What's this about?"

"Yeah, there is. Why don't you show it to someone else with Observation?"

"I did. But they only said it tasted amazing."

Someone with Observation had seen it, but that was all they said. So either that person was lying... or their level was too low to see more. But the odds of lying seemed slim. My intuition told me so, and lately, that gut feeling had been spot-on. Which meant the Observation levels of gate owners in Korea probably weren't that high. Even for me, Observation was one of those skills that leveled up painfully slowly.

"Hmm... We'll need more research, but the description says it opens growth plates."

"R-really?"

"Yes. Does your gate have a lot of these abalone?"

"Yes, quite a lot. Especially since my uncle used to do abalone farming—he came over and started farming them."

"A professional, huh."

"Yes."

"What about you, Si-woo?"

"Heard my gate's an island?"

"Oh, right! It is. So you'll try farming them there?"

"Yeah. Thinking of experimenting with crossbreeding with other abalone too."

"Got it. I'll pack some fresh ones for you later."

"Thanks."

"What about the others...?"

"They just taste good."

"As expected."

Go Yeon-ju didn't seem too disappointed. She'd been a famous celebrity to begin with, and becoming a gate owner hadn't changed her life much. Selling gate products felt more like a side gig to her.

"But Si-woo."

"Yes."

"There's something I want to ask."

"Go ahead."

"Somewhere private."

I glanced around, and at her words, everyone stepped away. Then she cautiously spoke up.

"Have you heard of 'territory'?"

"Territory?"

"Yeah. It's a bit embarrassing, but the gate called me a lord."

A lord. She must have taken in territory folk like I did. In my case, it started with accepting Karak before my family, but for her, it was probably relatives.

"Yeah, same here."

"So what's this lord thing?"

"You don't read novels?"

"I do. I even looked up territory-building ones. But I still don't get it."

"One thing's for sure: outside, we're called gate owners, but the gate designates us as lords."

"True."

"And the area you entered is your territory."

"The area I entered..."

"Yes. Lords have a duty to cultivate and develop their territory. Otherwise, it'll get taken by another lord."

I shared a bit more. It felt better to give her this much info.

"Gate owners can't enter other gates, right?"

"In principle, yeah. It'd cause problems."

I didn't know exactly what problems yet. But my guess? Entering another gate might trigger a territory war.

"I see. But honestly, I don't want to be a lord..."

She seemed like a gentle soul by nature. Becoming a gate owner was the gate's choice, not ours. And Go Yeon-ju actually seemed stressed by it.

"We didn't choose to become gate owners. But are you thinking of just giving up?"

"Well..."

"If not, level up. At least enough to protect your territory."

Go Yeon-ju was only level 24. Not high by any means. Whether she'd leveled through hunting or other means, I didn't know. But she needed to level more.

"Got it. So what's your level, Si-woo?"

"Way higher than yours, probably?"

"I-I see. I heard I wasn't low."

"Really? To me, you're seriously lacking. You need more to protect your gate."

We chatted about various things before parting. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wasn't sure if danger would hit her, but better safe than sorry.

The party turned out better than expected. Park Sung-hwan and I decided to be like brothers going forward, and I sold all the wine. Got to see Mr. Choi's grin split his face too. Thanks to him, a boom hit our gate.

Specializing in anything makes money. Who'd have thought brewing skills could net billions? But seeing it happen showed everyone: dive deep into one thing, and you'll have financial security—even without a special skill like brewing.

People started obsessing over acquiring and developing various skills. I found it incredibly encouraging.

And the abalone. The elders teamed up enthusiastically to build the farm. Coastal monsters were crushed by the orc knights. Securing the coast was crucial.

We'd never felt the need to develop the coast before. Fishing was easy enough, and we lived plenty abundantly without it. But bringing back the abalone changed the elders' reaction. They weren't worried for themselves, but for their grandkids' height.

Then abalone that opens growth plates appears? This wasn't about money. Led by the village head, coastal development kicked off immediately. The elders studied abalone farming on their own, shuttling between the gate and Earth, creating the perfect environment.

It was fascinating how the territory ran itself. No need for me to micromanage—they handled everything.

About a month in gate time later, abalone farming succeeded. And the abalone from our gate...

The elders cheered in triumph. No more worries about grandkids' height. We held off selling it as merchandise for now. Bigger isn't always better—my height's already over 180cm; another 15cm would be trouble. Luckily, the option to stop at will. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That was my favorite part.

Either way, our gate had a new hit product. I banned kids from eating it until their growth stabilized.

The gate seemed to flow peacefully. But peace didn't last.

I'd just come out to Earth for work when I saw Dad watching TV with a grave face.

"What's up?"

"Look at that."

Dad pointed at the TV, and I turned to it. Breaking news was on.

Five gates gone, owners' fates unknown. Hunters inside also unaccounted for. Something was happening to the gates.

"Territory war?"

"Dunno. For a territory war..."

Something felt off. Five simultaneous territory wars? Unnatural. So what else could it be?

"What if the gates themselves attacked their owners?"

"The gates?"

"More precisely, the monsters inside. Dad's been reading novels lately, right? Monster wave? Maybe that's it."

I nodded at Dad's words. That made sense. If so, we needed to check our gate's safety.

"Gotta go in."

"I'll come too."

"No. Probably just me and Hoya. Our knight order's over 50 strong now."

"True. We're not like other gates."

Our knight order was mostly level ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠40+ orcs in mithril gear. No ordinary monster wave would faze us.

I told Dad and entered the gate. Then the alarm popped up.

"Huh? So monster waves happen per gate, but ours is safe because we hunt them regularly?"

Seon-woo, who'd come over, chimed in.

"Seems like it? I saw the news outside and came in..."

"Yeah. We always clear monsters anyway. But gates that don't? They're in for hell."

"That Go Yeon-ju okay?"

"Who knows. Not close enough."

We'd exchanged greetings and occasional texts, but not close enough for me to guarantee her safety. Though if I wanted to, maybe.

"Cheapskate. That's why you're single."

"And you?"

"Me? Meeting Si-yeon again."

I was shocked at Seon-woo's words. Thought he was a bro—traitor!

"Traitor."

"Suddenly?"

"Traitor!"

"Shut up and text Go Yeon-ju."

"Hmph."

I smacked the back of Seon-woo's head and headed out of the gate.