The Gate's Cruel Joke

My body had become strange, you know.

'The Hunter Overpopulation Phenomenon.'

This was a social issue that had surfaced from the surface after the formula for 'awakening' was discovered, with too many hunters being born.

It was so serious that it couldn't be compared to problems like low birth rates or aging society, and when I first heard about it, I didn't understand it well.

After all, I thought, 'If there are many people to deal with the gates, isn't that good?'

But reality wasn't like that.

Just like the world's truth that too much is not good, as most people became hunters, polarization became severe, and even small problems grew in scale as the targets changed.

“But….”

Why did it have to explode when they gathered all the albas?

That is, I despaired at the fact that the money I had saved over the past three years had become pieces of paper.

The reason was due to the phenomenon mentioned earlier, but more precisely, because of this, 'intentional' awakening was legally prohibited.

“I….”

In other words, it became illegal to give money to an awakener and pierce their magic bloodline.

“How many nights and days did I work without rest for this day…!”

With this fact, I fell into despair, and naturally, memories of the past days came to mind.

“I had survived three years just by going to the convenience store in the early morning, doing dishes in the morning, and then sleeping a little while attaching doll eyes at night, and returning to the starting point…”

But now, it was forbidden by law.

What am I supposed to do now?

“…Should I look for a job now?”

No, I couldn't even do a job.

After all, a hikikomori like me wouldn't be able to live a social life, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠working part-time was hell for me.

So, I barely managed to save money and even contacted the awakener.

“…Let's get the money back first.”

I called the person I had commissioned to organize the situation.

Ring ring-.

Ring ring-.

“……”

But why was I suddenly so anxious.

[Recently, due to the 'Awakening Prohibition Law', many hunters who had promised a relationship and received tuition fees have been committing crimes by fleeing. The government is…]

The needless anxiety made me recall the article I saw during the day, and soon a voice message concluded the situation as if this was my story.

'The current number is not a number. Please check again.'

In the end, not only had the three years of preparation become a bubble, but I had also been scammed in this legendary situation.

“Hah, hahaha…”

Surprisingly, laughter came out. It is said that when a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠person is too desperate, they laugh, and it seems to be true.

“Ah, no. Thinking about it, the latest phone came out last week, right? Heh, since hunters have a lot of money, they probably changed their phones. So they just forgot to contact me.”

The next stage of insanity is reality denial.

“Ah, no, this is all because of the damn society…! After all, they gave out support funds indiscriminately, so everyone wanted to be a hunter?”

The next is anger.

“Please extend it for just one more week. Please, since I'm begging like this, please extend it for just one more day. Please.”

After anger, begging.

That is, in the one-room apartment with only a narrow footprint, the desperate struggle of a twenty-four-year-old youth continued, and the end of that pathos led me to an unexpected place.

Sniff-.

“Hah, I'm dead.”

Sniff-.

“Thinking about it, isn't it enough to just catch a weak one?”

Choke-.

“Puhah, isn't it enough to just catch it?”

Eventually, when I came to my senses for a moment, I saw the familiar green alcohol bottle and the flickering gate.

The gate. This word literally connects the space with anomalies to reality, and seeing it in reality was the first time.

I don't know if it was because I drank the alcohol, but the sluggish, dragging feeling was like…

“It looks like a black hole.”

At that moment, I thought about whether I should turn back now, but I quickly shook my head.

“After all, my life is ruined, what is there to be afraid of.”

Thinking about it, isn't it possible that the gate is a lie about hell?

“Then, of course.”

It turns out that the anomaly was shabby, and maybe only the hunters were sucking honey.

So, after being scammed, should I become rich?

- With that thought, I reached out my hand to the gate.

Whoong-.

When I reached out to the gate, the aura that was already flickering began to shake.

Light poured out and illuminated the dark alley like morning.

“Ugh…!”

But thinking about it, the gate could only be entered by those who had awakened, right?

Didn't they say that ordinary people going near it wouldn't react at all?

…I don't know.

Because my eyes were dazzling, I had many thoughts for a moment, but now I had no choice but to leave my body to the light.

After all, my life is ruined, somehow it will be okay.

So, the bright light gradually disappeared, and my vision slowly closed.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Kung-!

“Hah…!”

Eventually, when my eyes suddenly opened, I felt sweat.

In addition, my body felt like growth pains, and my head was a bit dizzy.

With that headache, I looked around and saw the alcohol bottle.

“…Hah, I should have drank moderately.”

I drank to the point where the film would break.

I realized that I had overdrunk while the events of just now came to mind.

“But strangely, my head feels refreshed.”

No hangover is rare.

Moreover, it seems I found the house well for a drunk person….

“…I thought it was.”

Where am I?

It wasn't my room.

In the vision that returned intact as if the sentence was complete, there was an unfamiliar background.

If I pick one by one, there was no bed, the most expensive furniture, and no used computer, which was treasure No. 1.

And no closet that I had received for free from the Hongdangmu store, and the floor of some dark basement was all there was.

“Hahaha…”

I finally understood the situation.

“Yeah, it's good that it turned out this way.”

Somehow, the texture on my fingertips had been unfamiliar since earlier.

After all, I had been drinking so much and wandering in front of the gate, so dying was natural.

It was good that it didn't hurt, but it was a bit empty.

“Anyway, really….”

Really….

“…Was it a good thing?”

No, it couldn't be.

I didn't want to die, I just didn't want to live like that.

Even though I had been locked in the room for my whole life and finally came out.

“But, not only did I get scammed, but dying like this….”

I had no resentment at all. How did it end up like this after everything was gone.

Was it because I became a secluded single due to my timid personality?

Or from when I gathered all my assets to become a hunter?

I didn't know, but when the tears flowing on my cheek touched the floor, an unbelievable thing happened.

Whoong-!

“W-what…!”

“What is this…?”

What is this?

My mouth couldn't close at the sudden event.

I was just crying pathetically, but the surroundings became very bright, and an unknown voice came.

“No, it's not like a voice….”

There was no voice at all.

It felt like the letters themselves entered my head and were read.

With that fact, the existence called 'status window' flashed to mind, but no matter how I shouted, that window didn't appear.

“Then, what really happened.”

Startle-.

While thinking about the content just read, there was an instant sense of alienation that made my body tremble.

“A-, a-.”

So, belatedly checking my body, but it was already too late, and an enormous strange point began to be discovered.

“W-why is my voice like this?”

The first thing I realized among them was that the voice was not mine.

It's hard to believe, but if I have to use a metaphor, it was like the voice of a young girl.

The unique liveliness and energy felt exactly like that.

Next was the hair.

Yeah, the voice can take a break for a moment, but the hair was really strange.

“Why did my hair become so long….”

The lengthening was the second, and it became completely white.

In the middle, not only was it well groomed, but it was comfortably tied.

“No way, because of that message just now.”

It's an unbelievable sound, but seeing that the clothes had also changed, it might be that.

After all, it said it formed a protective gear suitable for the original appearance, so it was probably that.

“…But, it's really soft.”

Is the girl's body originally this light?

It was a feeling that couldn't be compared to usual, very light.

There was a sense of emptiness, but since anomalies at the gate are common, and since I can return anytime I leave, the task to do now was set.

“First, I have to get out of here.”

So, I immediately tried to find the exit, but suddenly the post I saw in the gallery came to mind and I stopped my steps.

“Speaking of which, I heard that in the case ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of 'natural awakening', the appearance sometimes changes a bit.”

Of course, I hadn't heard that it could change this much, but anyway, this is awakening, right?

“The status window still isn't coming out.”

Just in case, I called again, but it was picky.

But there was definitely a change.

Even if temporary, the body had changed, and an unknown message lingered in my head.

So, the task now was to find the exit after that and head to the Hunter Association.

Once I go there, I can solve this anomaly and check if magic power is detected, so I had to hurry.

Fortunately, finding the exit was not difficult.

It was thanks to always watching 'Surviving in the Gate' algorithm videos on YouTube before bed.

“It really looks like a fluorescent light.”

So, I reached out to this object that looks like a fluorescent light?

I recalled the method to exit the gate and reached out without hesitation.

Whoong-.

However, just like when things go well, a variable occurred.

“What, why is this?”

The object that goes out like this became unusable.

“No, I was told that anything would work if I just leave.”

Shake shake-.

“So, throw me out…! You're not a fluorescent light at all. Why are you only getting bright…!”

So, I shook the innocent object mercilessly, and this time, some wave came out and I fell.

“Ugh, what was that just now….”

“W-what, materialized?”

As a result, the characters that had only been read in my head until now began to appear right in front of my eyes.

“No way….”

Did I really awaken?

At this point, I could see that it was really the case.

Magic power? I felt something like that.

Also, although the grade wasn't visible, a skill was born, and now I could see the status window.

“But….”

“This seems ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a pretty useless thing, you know.”