Chapter 88: The Will of the Gate
I had misunderstood the will of the gate. I thought it was the system's will. And that all systems shared the same will. I figured it was telling me to sell the gate-produced goods outside. But it turned out I was wrong.
My own gate doesn't convey any emotions to me at all. But that gate is unleashing its rage without filter. It's demanding to know who killed the gate owner it had chosen.
This sends me a profoundly alien emotion. I'd thought territorial wars would be driven by our wills. But gates were territories from the start, each one choosing its own lord. In other words, gates weren't beings with a single unified will from the beginning—they're individuals, each with their own.
And that gate's fury...
"Isn't there any way to stop it?"
At Team Leader Kim Mi-young's question, I shook my head. Even I couldn't imagine how to intervene with that gate's rage right now. It was pure, unadulterated wrath.
"It's pure rage."
"Pure rage?"
"Yes. There's no room for compromise. That gate is completely consumed by fury toward those who killed the proxy it chose."
"Then..."
"You should abandon this place. It won't end with just a gate mutation. Call in the military. Monsters will pour out soon. Oh, and if you're thinking of responding with missiles or something, you have to stop that. It could make things far worse."
Such a thing could happen. For instance, countries with nukes might resort to it. A nuke isn't just about raw destructive power. The real terror is the aftermath—the fallout.
Immense radiation. It takes an enormous amount of time for nature to cleanse it naturally. Just look at Chernobyl: even decades after the accident, that area hasn't fully recovered from being a dead zone.
Japan lied about Fukushima being fully restored and declared they'd dump the contaminated water into the ocean. Only brazen, shameless Japan could pull something like that. Their bizarre mindset is mostly incomprehensible to outsiders. So even if every nation opposes it, they'll do whatever they want. Just like always.
Anyway, Japan isn't my immediate concern. Will this gate's rage be confined to the plaza in front of city hall? Some outbreaks might happen in countries with nukes. What solutions would they come up with then? Could they trust themselves not to use their most reliable destructive force?
The reason I voiced concerns about missiles to Team Leader Kim Mi-young is simple. Missiles won't explode inside a gate mutation zone anyway—they won't function. But what about the monsters spilling out beyond it? Would giant beasts like trolls, minotaurs, or ogres survive a missile strike unscathed?
In novels, they often set it so mana makes modern weapons useless against monsters. But from what I've seen, that's not true at all. There are hardly any monsters a missile couldn't handle. Provided they've exited the gate zone.
The gate's own powerful barrier would render missiles meaningless—even if Missile Grandpa himself showed up. A non-functional missile is just a heavy tin can.
But outside? Missiles are terrifying weapons against monsters and people. If Korea sets that precedent, other countries will opt for it as an easy way to deal with monsters escaping mutation zones. And depending on the situation, they might even go nuclear.
Honestly, I just want to prevent that kind of disaster.
"But..."
"Weapons like missiles won't work inside the gate mutation zone anyway. Calling the military means using heavy arms to take down monsters that escape the zone. That gate will probably unleash its strongest monster soon, no doubt."
"Si-woo, could you handle that monster...?"
"Why should I?"
"Pardon?"
"Find the ones who killed the gate's owner. That might be the fastest solution. Throw the killer into the mutation zone. It could calm the gate's rage."
But they won't. Whoever killed the gate owner couldn't be a mere civilian. The mastermind behind it is likely someone with immense power—at least on Jeong Gi-hoon's level, or a pro-Japanese stooge.
Would they toss such a figure into a gate mutation zone? No. They'd trot out every excuse: human rights, private punishment, whatever. "If they're guilty, they should face trial," they'd say, refusing to shove the culprit inside.
In the end, they'd have to bear the consequences themselves. Back in the old days, this might've been simpler—in societies where sinners naturally paid for their crimes. Ironically, even the Joseon era in Korea wasn't that straightforward.
Nyaaang.
Hoya licked my face from my shoulder. Right. Maybe Hoya could fully sense that gate's rage. The fury of a pet losing its owner—or vice versa. Leo's case proves it: that dog was seething at those who killed Hakashi. That's what this gate is doing now.
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere without you. You were the one who left me first, remember?"
Hoya rubbed its head against my cheek in response. An apology, probably. Hoya might regret instinctively entering the gate out of curiosity.
Some people make that mistake. "Dogs and cats are wild animals originally—they'll survive if abandoned outside." Bullshit. Pets raised on homes and food provided by owners, suddenly thriving in the wild? It's like dumping a two-year-old toddler on the street and expecting it to fend for itself. Irresponsible madness.
Sure, real circumstances might make it impossible to keep a pet sometimes. Then what? You fight for it. At minimum, you work to find it a new home. Isn't that the bare effort owed for your family? Isn't that just basic decency?
Lost in those thoughts, Team Leader Kim Mi-young called me again.
"Si-woo."
"Yes."
"Is there really no other way?"
"It's the method that minimizes casualties. Though I doubt they'll ever do it."
I answered and approached the area triggering the gate mutation. Hoya didn't try to stop me from its perch on my shoulder. That meant it wasn't dangerous for me.
Reaching the mutation zone, I pressed my palm to the ground. I could feel it clearly. The gate's rage. It was exactly the kind you'd see from losing a beloved companion.
Maybe this gate particularly cherished the owner it chose. Mine never reacted this strongly.
— Lord of another gate, you are uninvolved in this matter. Do not interfere with my rage.
The gate seemed to be trying to tell me something with that deep groooaaaan. Focusing intently, I grasped its meaning. The system itself wasn't speaking, but I understood perfectly.
What could I do in this situation? Stop the gate's rage? That didn't seem wise. Even if possible, quashing it would just invite repeats—they'd think, "We can get away with it."
So even if I could, I wouldn't. I conveyed my will to the gate.
"Your rage is justified. But I don't want innocents dying in its execution."
— Lord of another gate, your opinion is reasonable. I shall endeavor.
Thankfully, even in its fury, the gate was capable of dialogue. With that, I ended the exchange and returned to Team Leader Kim Mi-young.
"First priority: evacuate anyone uninvolved. I can't stop the mutation. Order the evacuation now."
I wanted to add, "That'll prevent needless casualties," but held back. Who counted as innocent victims wasn't for me to decide.
"Si-woo."
"This didn't start with the gate's fault. Someone's greed led to murdering its owner. If they'd paid the price swiftly, this wouldn't have happened. Gates are supernatural phenomena. Whether humans adapt or not is our choice—but we bear the consequences."
"So you're saying Si-woo has to fix other humans' mistakes...?"
"Why? Do I have the duty? Or the authority?"
"That's..."
"Don't misunderstand. It's not your fault, Team Leader Kim Mi-young. The guilty must pay—that's how it ends."
She bowed her head at my words, recognizing my resolve.
"Any similar incidents abroad?"
"Actually, yes. In China, Japan, the US, Europe, Africa—it's happening everywhere."
"Human greed isn't unique to Korea, huh."
"No, probably not."
"How are they responding?"
"Military mobilization, from what I hear. We didn't want to go that far, so we asked for your help."
"They knew it could come to this, but had no choice, I guess. Our gate won't cause problems. Probably. And that gate's rage might not reach the worst-case scenario. The wisest move is bringing the target of its fury to it."
I left those words behind and headed home. I wanted to check in with my own gate back in the territory. Talk it over a bit.