Chapter 11
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 11: Dual Gate (3)
The inside of the Gate looked extraordinary to anyone.
Trees and grass dyed black, fog spread all around obscuring vision, and the creepy cry of a snake heard through the fog.
Roaming around the forest in a situation where vision couldn't be properly secured was akin to a suicidal act, and perhaps the expedition team captain also knew this fact well, as he immediately ordered a retreat.
"We'll be satisfied with having checked the internal environment for this time and retreat."
The expedition team also nodded at his words and turned their bodies to exit the Gate.
And right then, a variable occurred.
[You have entered the Forest of Hatred.] [A key is required to escape the Forest of Hatred.] [Gather fragments of hatred to complete the key and escape the forest.] [Fragments of Hatred 0/3]
"A condition is required to escape?"
All the Gates that had appeared so far allowed free entry and exit.
That's why all the expedition team naturally thought they would be able to leave, and because they thought entering this unidentified Gate would also allow free entry and exit.
However, that natural common sense was broken.
In order to escape this unidentified Gate, a condition had to be met.
[Hatred begins to fill the forest.]
"What does this mean?"
"I don't know. Still, it doesn't look like a good meaning."
"Damn it. How did this happen..."
While the expedition team trembled in anxiety, I alone had a different thought.
'What's that? Is that a fragment of hatred?'
Ever since entering the Gate, I saw three points shining in purple.
At first, even I didn't know what they were, but checking the escape condition, it seems those might be the fragments of hatred.
I moved my tail, poked Shin Su-ah's side—who was looking at the current situation seriously—to draw her attention, and asked.
"Did this happen in the future too?"
"...Yes. But a Gate with an escape condition attached isn't supposed to appear until 4 or 5 years from now..."
"The future is already twisted. Relying too much on memories of the future isn't good."
"I know that, but..."
"And you're lucky this time."
"Pardon?"
"Fragments of hatred. My eyes can see where they are."
I'll only know for sure after checking, but the probability that those purple dots are the fragments of hatred is roughly 99.99%.
It was when I turned my head to inform the expedition team of this fact as well.
"So does it make sense to enter such a dangerous place without checking!"
"Did I know a condition would suddenly appear to escape the Gate? If you were that anxious, you should have stopped us before entering!"
"Isn't making that decision the expedition team captain's responsibility!"
Seeing them raising their voices and pouring out their emotions at each other, I realized something had gone wrong.
"Don't tell me hatred filling up means..."
"It seems it was meant to provoke people's emotions."
"But I am perfectly fine, though."
Just as she said, while the other people were gradually turning strange, Shin Su-ah alone showed no emotional agitation.
Considering the difference between Shin Su-ah and the other people, this is...
"It's highly likely because I am attached next to you."
"Lord Nidhogg. Could you detach yourself for a moment?"
"Yeah."
To check if she was really fine thanks to me, I got off Shin Su-ah's shoulder and distanced myself, and not long after, she scrunched up her face.
"Certainly, after Lord Nidhogg distanced himself, I am gradually feeling an unexplainable annoyance."
"It really was thanks to me. Then... how about this?"
Instead of getting back on Shin Su-ah's shoulder, I injected my power into her body.
Then, her scrunched-up expression returned to normal.
It seems the annoyance caused by the Gate's debuff has disappeared.
But the real problem starts now.
We had to stop the Awakened who were gradually raising their voices and acting as if they would draw their weapons at any moment.
"Everyone, please calm down! Right now, you are all under the influence of the Gate! If you calm your excitement as much as possible and receive Lord Nidhogg's protection..."
"Who are you to lecture us, a low-ranking Awakened who was crawling on the floor just a few days ago!"
Shin Su-ah tried to persuade them with words, but no one in the expedition team even pretended to listen.
Ignoring her words and busy fighting each other, the sight of the expedition team was so pathetic it made me wonder if these were really high-ranking Awakened, no matter how much it was the influence of the Gate.
It seems I have to step in.
"Step aside."
"Ah, yes."
If the stage of persuading with words has passed, there's no choice but to use force.
Still, they are somewhat high-ranking Awakened, so they wouldn't die from just this.
I inhaled deeply and exhaled all at once.
-Rooooaaaar!!!
Along with a resonant shout, an intangible force washed over them.
Fear.
One of the signature skills representing dragons. I say that, but it's nothing more than a skill that suppresses purely with power.
Since it's not the main body, the power was greatly reduced, but it was enough to calm down a dozen or so humans who couldn't even keep their wits about them due to the Gate's influence.
"Gah!" "Uuurgh..."
Rolling their eyes back and frothing at the mouth, the expedition team collapsed ungracefully on the ground.
"It would have been better if you had just done enough to wake them up..."
"Ahem. It's hard to control the power since I haven't used it in a while."
I thought they'd be fine since it wasn't the main body, but to think they couldn't even withstand this.
This isn't my fault, it's the weak humans' fault.
Feeling awkward as if I had done something wrong, I stood there, and Shin Su-ah approached the collapsed expedition team, took out something like a rope from their gear, and tied them together.
"What are you doing?"
"We can't just leave them like this. We have to bring them along even if it's like this."
As she said.
We can't just leave the expedition team behind like this.
Especially considering the snake's cry we heard from the forest as soon as we entered the Gate.
Therefore, while securely tying the expedition team with the rope so they'd be easy to drag along.
We noticed something strange.
"One is missing, though?"
The number of people who entered the Gate and the number tied with the rope don't match.
Checking the faces of the expedition team one by one, we quickly figured out who was missing.
"Baek Yeon is missing, though?"
"Oh... this is bad."
It's Baek Yeon, of all people.
Baek Yeon, who was originally overflowing with hatred toward monsters.
What would happen if she, under the influence of the Gate, had hatred injected into her?
I can't think of anything particularly good.
Wouldn't she have become something like a slaughter machine tearing and killing monsters by now?
"We need to find her quickly before she causes trouble..."
Boom!!
Right on cue, a loud noise rang out not far away.
Our gazes headed toward the direction the sound rang from, and I extended my vision to pinpoint the location where the loud noise occurred.
"Monsters! Die!!"
-Hiiiiisss!!
There, I saw Baek Yeon holding a spear and charging at a giant snake-like monster.
Contrary to the expectation that she would have become a slaughter machine tearing monsters to death, her eyes were rational, and each technique she used was sharp rather than reckless, making it hard to be sure if she really had gone crazy consumed by hatred.
Furthermore, whatever happened as she was consumed by hatred, dense death energy was wrapped around her body, and the same went for the spear she was holding.
When I explained Baek Yeon's current situation to Shin Su-ah, her expression turned serious.
"A Fiend..."
"What's a Fiend?"
"It refers to a being that has been corrupted by the aura inside a Gate and deviated from being human. I don't know how corrupted she is yet, but if her eyes turn black, it's already an irreversible stage."
"Her eyes haven't turned black or anything."
"Then we must hurry and save her. Because once a being fully becomes a Fiend, the only method is to kill them."
Nodding at her opinion, I was about to set off immediately, but the Awakened collapsed on the ground caught my eye.
"Phew."
Since we couldn't leave them behind either, having no choice, I gathered the Awakened in one place, grabbed the rope, and flew low in the air.
And after telling Shin Su-ah to follow, I began flying toward the place where Baek Yeon was fighting.
"Gah!" "Ugh!" "Keck!"
There were minor accidents of the Awakened tumbling on the ground and bumping into trees or getting struck by rocks as they were dragged along, but since they are high-ranking Awakened despite looking like that, their bodies must be sturdy, so I dragged them mercilessly and flew.
By the time the Awakened, tied together in a row like dried fish, were covered in dust, we arrived at the scene.
Setting the Awakened down on the ground and looking at Baek Yeon, she was already killing the giant snake and delivering a finishing blow.
Stab!
"Die. Die. Die. Die. Die!"
"...She hasn't really gone crazy, right?"
"Probably... not?"
On the outside, she looks like a total lunatic.
Baek Yeon, completely covered in snake blood, turned her head and looked this way.
"Monster..."
"You're talking to me right now, aren't you?"
"Given the circumstances..."
"Die!"
It seems she really has gone crazy.
Baek Yeon charging at me without even recognizing who I am.
The spear drenched in blood shone sharply, and the surface of the spear was filled with a sticky death energy.
"Lord Nidhogg!"
Reacting to Baek Yeon's attack, Shin Su-ah draped the standard Valkyrie armor over her entire body, raised her sword, and blocked the attack.
"Get out of the way! You're hindering me from killing the monster!"
"Lord Nidhogg is not a monster! Get a grip on yourself. Ms. Baek Yeon!"
"Bullshit...!"
Despite efforts to calm her down, the tip of Baek Yeon's spear sharply aims at my body.
What's important here is that she is exclusively targeting 'me'.
Despite being in a state corrupted by the death energy inside the Gate, her attitude of not trying to attack a human.
Perhaps she hasn't completely gone crazy.
"Move out of the waaaay!!"
As Baek Yeon grabbed the shaft of her spear and swung it widely, the death energy rushed out like a typhoon and blew Shin Su-ah far away.
"No!"
"Die!"
The scream-like voices of the two women rang out, and Baek Yeon's spear shot out in a straight line, aiming for my head.
The moment her spear collided with my forehead.
Crack!
"Huh?"
"Well, obviously my head is harder."
I raised my front paw and flicked the crown of her head as she stood there blankly with her mouth open, holding her shattered spear.
Whack!!
"Ack!"