Chapter 74
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 074
Chapter Title: Spatial Ability User Kim Geuk - [3]
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Of course, no brilliant idea to resolve the situation popped into my head right then and there.
In the end, we called it a day and dispersed. I'd already achieved my goal of searching for the missing child, so there wasn't much else I could do but head home idly.
At home, I searched the internet for gate-related information.
It turned out to be more difficult than expected; there wasn't much material available.
That made sense. Plenty of countries were conducting gate research with talented spirit ability users like Baek Dam-bi secured, but those findings weren't released to the public. A simple Google search wouldn't yield the detailed info I wanted.
So, I ended up getting relevant information from an unexpected source: Naito, a non-awakener who's basically a has-been but still somewhat useful.
"Even though it's hard for things inside a gate to physically affect each other, it's not entirely impossible. They're called spirits, but they're not some ethereal souls that transcend matter completely, right?"
Naito's latest episode had been about searching for the missing Shin Mi-rae. He and his viewers seemed pretty invested in the case.
He'd posted on his YouTube channel asking for advice on the incident and relayed the info he'd gotten from his subscribers to me. With most of his audience Korean but a decent number of international viewers, it was something only Naito could pull off.
"Yeah, their physical state does seem somewhat preserved before entering the gate..."
"Exactly. Becoming a spirit in the gate doesn't strip away your clothes, watch, bracelet, or anything like that. And just like clothes that don't come off even as a spirit..."
"If the child and the monster were already fused tightly before entering the gate? That bond would persist even after both become spirits."
Having entered a gate myself, I had no trouble understanding.
"So, the bear cub was already biting the kid before they entered the gate? And since they both turned into spirits in that state, the bite holds firm?"
"Yep. Plus, spirits can pass through each other, but if the bear is covering the kid with its body, the kid can't escape. And if the child's limbs were broken, unable to move from the start, it wouldn't change even as a spirit—no way to break free on their own."
Putting together what Naito told me, the conclusion was simple: no known way to deal with that damn bear inside the gate.
Of course. If people could influence gate monsters somehow, they'd have done it ages ago—shoving dangerous ones out to sea or whatever.
I just reconfirmed there was no method, but that didn't mean I was ready to give up. Why?
Because I was a spatial ability user.
That very reason made it hard to dismiss the issue as something beyond my control.
Every awakener's ability has an essence tied to the trigger that awakened them.
For the force field exoskeleton ability awakened under stress, it's "walls of the mind."
It creates a solid barrier between self and outside, blocking physical impacts, radiation, other superpowers (maybe why I can't teleport force field users with me?), and all interferences.
And my teleportation ability's essence? "Escape."
I awakened wishing to flee this land while frustrated by my sister's imprisonment. So, that interpretation fit...
Then, couldn't my ability free that little kid trapped like in a prison of sorts?
The limits of my teleportation aren't fully known, so I'm constantly experimenting on my own.
I believe it has potential beyond what I've seen, and those future hallucinations I used to get frequently—though rarely now—might be tied to it.
Spirit ability users confirmed I have not three abilities, but two.
No future sight superpower, so the visions must stem from my current power.
And time and space are always mentioned together. The ability implanting future memories is surely...
It was a rest day with no hunting, giving me time for various attempts.
"Heading in..."
Today, Baek Dam-bi opened the gate to check on the Behemoth's status.
I followed her in and started experimenting.
Attempting teleportation inside the gate.
It wasn't easy. Using abilities freely inside a gate is tough to begin with. Force fields, for example, can't even generate inside. Makes sense—body composition and physics change drastically; nothing works like normal.
Still, since spirit ability users can open gates inside gates, ability use isn't impossible.
Believing that, I tried activating mine.
I spread my mental net. And... ah...
The nausea and dizziness hit so hard I nearly collapsed. Damn, even brain matter changes—how does this vertigo even work?
"You okay?"
Baek Dam-bi sounded worried, but I brushed it off and repeated the attempt.
Nauseous or dizzy, I kept spreading the net over and over.
With a "not gonna die" attitude, persistence paid off somewhat.
Finally, the mental net expanded inside the gate.
Worse dizziness than ever assaulted me, but I'd expected it. I clung to my senses, trying to interpret the incoming data.
Spirits...
The moment I detected those unknowable things, a thrill cut through the disorientation.
If my net caught them, my ability could affect them.
And if I could teleport here too...
Teleport as a spirit?
Even better, teleport with another spirit like I do with people normally? Problem solved instantly.
If teleportation works here, no more worries. Grab the bear crushing the kid and teleport it away.
I tried, but failed.
Kept trying—same result.
The dizziness from each attempt drained my focus too fast.
I had to exit the gate.
Outside, I kept brainstorming other methods.
We planned another rescue op and gathered personnel.
Among those I recruited was a cop I knew.
Back when I got an emergency call and cops dragged me to the ice ability containment facility during that suicide riot—the middle-aged ice awakener there.
He was a cop too, so he kept at it. Now he joined this op.
"You're really doing this for free?"
Jin Beom, the ice ability sergeant, nodded.
"Yeah. I'm a cop—can't charge for saving a citizen."
Missing persons from monster abductions are commonplace now, no big fuss. But Shin Mi-rae's case was so unique and gruesome it hit the news.
With public attention, Jin Beom stepped up eagerly.
"Uncle, still living at that facility?"
"The freezer? Yeah. Nowhere else to go..."
"That okay now? Can you handle it?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. Manageable now. No more roll calls since that day, and you're building apartments right by the freezer? Few years, I can move there..."
"Work life after? Cops swarmed for interviews—awkward?"
"Fuck... yeah, awkward. Total shit in every way."
After some chit-chat, we launched the op.
Bait strategy again.
Baek Dam-bi tried baiting before—lurking near the gate—but no reaction. She looks too strong; even as an ice awakener, monsters saw her as tough prey.
So, use another ice awakener as bait. Tough sell for a rescue, but Jin Beom volunteered.
He wandered alone at the spot while I waited 2km away with the team.
Monitoring via mental net, his radio crackled.
"Hey, gate! Gate's opening!"
When it fully opened and monsters charged out, I teleported us in with the team.
"Fire! Fire now!"
Baek Dam-bi, Naito, and sharpshooter hunters appeared with me before Jin Beom.
Bear monsters from the gate lunged at him. My rifle burst fire dropped them instantly.
No intense battle; bears down, Jin Beom joked.
"Man, now I get why brass freaked when you stormed Seoul with awakeners. Teleport a bunch into the National Assembly? No counter..."
But I couldn't celebrate.
Six bears inside the gate; only four came out.
And the one crushing Shin Mi-rae?
Nowhere in sight.
I sighed deeply, accepting the awakener's burden.
This attempt failed too. Incheon Duke has to handle it.
That afternoon, I followed Baek Dam-bi back into the gate.
Staring at the kid still pinned under the bear.
"Mommy..."
Hearing that tugs sympathy and drive to act.
But how long? Numbness might set in eventually.
No blood ties, and I have other things to do.
How much I'd commit amid my busy life? Even I don't know.
To preserve this resolve, I pondered practical reasons beyond fleeting pity.
What gains from rescuing the kid?
Successfully teleporting that fucking bear off the kid...
First, media praise. I know the "reckless outlaw" image from the power demo lingers. Success here restores positivity.
Beyond image, huge benefits emerge.
Teleport inside gates? Game-changer.
I could go anywhere undetected—North Korea, China, safe travel.
Drag gate monsters outside before they burst out.
Remove threats preemptively from those invisible bombs.
Teleport monsters to desired spots? Toss Deathclaws at hunters pre-hunt. Clear gate dangers first.
Monsters invading out? Reverse it.
Hunters invading gates.
Me making it possible.
Thoughts sorted, I resumed practice.
In the gate's endless purple astral realm, I attempted teleport again.