There's a Demon Inside That Gate
◈ A hammer of the thunder god, long forgotten and abandoned in the dwarves' lands. It once wielded the power of thunder, but now broken, it has lost that strength.
Asmodeus had brought back the gear after conquering the gate.
I flinched as I read the description of the Broken Thunder God's Hammer.
"Thunder power...?"
Thunder power meant lightning attribute, right?
They'd said electrical attribute gear was needed to tackle the gate on the brink of collapsing in Jamsil.
The Hunter Association president had even stepped up to procure equipment.
And right on cue, a hammer that could wield thunder appeared.
"It doesn't seem usable in this state, my lady."
But the hammer was completely rusted and wrecked.
It must have originally handled thunder, but now it was just a D- grade hunk of junk.
So rusted it didn't even look fixable.
"Didn't you mention needing electrical attribute items for that dangerous gate earlier, my lady?"
"Yeah. If it were in normal condition, this could've helped, but like this... it's pretty useless."
"Hmm... There might be demons among us skilled in blacksmithing or alchemy who could repair it..."
Asmodeus propped her chin, murmuring.
Apparently, some demons specialized in smithing or alchemy.
What if I summoned a new demon?
I checked my Demon Summon skill.
Demon Summon (E)
-Summons one of the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia from Hell.
-Cooldown: 30 days (26 days remaining)
-Max simultaneous summons: (1/1)
The Demon Summon cooldown had just over 26 days left.
Meanwhile, the Jamsil water-attribute gate collapse was less than two weeks away.
And even if I summoned a new demon, no guarantee it'd be one that could fix the hammer.
"Hmm... Then it might be difficult, my lady."
"No helping it. I wanted to help, though."
I'd hoped this lightning gear would come through.
Too bad we couldn't use it.
Even if we had electrical gear, delivering it would be an issue.
"As expected of Lady Lucy's boundless heart, vast as the sea! To ponder so deeply for ordinary citizens... How can the humans of this world not worship you, my lady? They are truly ignorant fools! Such a kind Lady Lucy... sob sob."
Asmodeus muttered to herself, wiping away tears alone.
She'd been quiet for a bit.
Then she hugged me, sobbing, How hard it must have been for her alone in this world... sob sob.
"I've always wondered—did that demon worship stuff really happen?"
"It was commonplace in the past, my lady. No need to go far back; a thousand or two thousand years ago, humans in this world worshipped demons, and demons were often summoned here."
Even up to the Middle Ages, demons had been active, she said.
Demon worshippers summoned demons, who granted wishes in exchange for payment.
"Now this world is fully in the angels' grasp, needing no demon aid, so hardly any demons come and go..."
Demon history was fascinating, anyway.
Unlike the image of demons as evil, they didn't seem much different from angels in their deeds—just scarier looks.
From what Asmodeus said.
"Hmm... Let's just eat something."
Her demon history lecture had made me hungry.
Glancing at the clock, evening had flown by.
More like late-night snack time.
The gate raid was done safely, and money worries were off the table.
Maybe order delivery with Asmodeus tonight.
"Wanna get delivery? You okay with that, Asmodeus?"
"Anything bestowed by Lady Lucy is a delight, my lady."
"It's your earnings anyway—pick something."
I showed her the delivery app.
"Hmm. Then, if I may be so bold, this humble one shall peruse the delivery foods of this world. Truth be told, I often order delivery in Hell too. Hehe."
Asmodeus snatched the phone eagerly, eyes sparkling.
She was always curious about this world's food.
"Oh! This one—this food, I wish to try, my lady."
"What is it?"
"It's called mala tang. It's even topping the real-time search rankings."
"Eww... mala tang?"
Sure enough, mala tang was #1 on the app's real-time searches.
This late at night, that many people ordering mala tang?
Come to think of it, night shift jobs always had the mala tang place packed.
Who eats that much mala tang so late?
Was there a late-night mala tang culture?
"Just from the photo, it looks perfect for a midnight snack. They say pairing it with this ku bao rou is divine."
Asmodeus swiped through reviews excitedly.
She really wanted it.
I'd never tried mala tang.
A real man sticks to pork stir-fry or soup rice.
Late-night? Ramen or chicken.
Mala tang as a snack? Unacceptable for a tough guy.
"Ah, does Lady Lucy dislike it? This humble one lacked tact. I thought our tastes aligned since you liked Yonsei milk bread before... I've committed a grave sin! Please, punish this one!"
I hadn't answered, so Asmodeus panicked, bowing her head to the floor.
This felt different from her usual teasing.
She thought I was mad for real.
"I'm not mad. Just never tried it, so I was thinking."
Felt bad after saying I'd let her pick.
Fine. It was her money anyway.
Mala tang once wouldn't kill me.
And honestly, the photo made my mouth water.
Never thought mala tang looked tasty before.
Why did it suddenly?
"Let's get mala tang. I wanna try it too."
"R-Really, my lady...?"
"Yeah, really."
"Lady Lucy is the best! Then, may I add ku bao rou and egg fried rice too?"
"Yeah, add it all."
"Yes!"
Asmodeus gleefully loaded up the cart.
I peeked curiously.
Mala tang let you pick ingredients.
I sneaked a glance and chimed in.
"They say you gotta add fentiao noodles and Chinese glass noodles..."
"All added, my lady. Meat too?"
"Double the meat. And lots of enoki mushrooms..."
"Lady Lucy, didn't you say you'd never had mala tang?"
"I-I've seen a few YouTube videos. They said the wontons are good too."
We bantered, filling the cart.
Total came to nearly 100,000 won.
Was it always this pricey?
But I was a high-earning hunter now.
Paid happily.
"Hope it comes quick! Thump thump. Thump thump."
Asmodeus stomped excitedly, making sound effects.
She was hyped.
"Hmm."
My legs fidgeted too, for some reason.
Just hunger.
A tough guy doesn't get excited for mala tang.
An hour and a half later.
"The mala tang is taking too long, my lady!"
"Right?! Over an hour—what gives?!"
I was stomping right alongside her.
What delivery takes this long?
Why so many late-night mala tang orders?!
Not mad about the mala tang.
Starving.
First time waiting 90 minutes.
Ding-
Phone chimed.
Rushed to check.
"Oh! Rider's almost here."
"Waaah! Lady Lucy best!"
"Rider best!"
We jumped for joy.
Vroooom-
Motorcycle roared outside.
Asmodeus flung open the window.
A bike approached in the distance.
"That's the rider, my lady!"
"Finally...!"
Food coming lifted our moods.
Hurry, but don't spill.
We watched anxiously as the bike neared.
But then,
Rumble...
The ground vibrated.
From stomping too hard? No, too strong.
Rumble...
Again.
Asmodeus's face hardened.
She pulled me into her arms.
"Lady Lucy. Come here."
"D-Did the ground just shake? Earthquake?"
"Not an earthquake, my lady. I felt a massive mana surge."
"Huh?"
Suddenly?
Nearby gate collapsing?
No—gate radar earlier showed none near home.
Hummm-
Another vibration, clearer.
Now I got it.
Not the ground shaking.
Space itself.
Specifically, where the rider was speeding on his bike.
Screee-!!
It happened then.
Air rippled hugely; space warped mid-road, something emerging.
A gate spawning.
Space distorts and vibrates on gate emergence.
Seeing it live, not just video.
Right in front of our house, no less.
Shocking, but not the point.
The gate's location...
-Wh-whoaaa!
Rider's scream from outside.
Unlucky timing—bike rushing right where space warped for the gate!
-Gaaahhh!
Bike flipped on the sudden gate.
Rider flung flying; bike crashed, spilling food boxes everywhere.
"Nooo, my mala tang!!"
"Kyaaaah!!"
Our mala tang too.
Flew with the tumbling bike.
Spun seven times mid-air, then splat on asphalt.
Container burst; red broth and glass noodles grotesquely soaked the road.
Gurgle...
Starving to dizziness now.
Rider hurt, bike wrecked, and worst—my mala tang...!
"Th-That wicked gate...! The enemy of mala tang! This one shall smash it!!"
"G-Go smash it now!!"
Asmodeus's eyes were bloodshot.
Me too.
90 minutes wait, and this?!
"Foe of mala tang-"
Asmodeus flung the window wide, leaping out.
But she froze mid-jump.
"...Lady Lucy."
Her voice iced over.
The chill snapped me alert.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
"That gate... it's no ordinary one."
"...Huh?"
I checked the gate radar.
"What the..."
My face hardened reading the gate radar.
No info readable.
"A-Asmodeus. Gate info won't load."
"The mana leaking from it is wildly unstable. But more oddly..."
Asmodeus swallowed hard.
"Problem?"
"From that gate... I sense Magi."
"Magi means..."
"Yes. There's a demon inside that gate, my lady."