The Gate Next Door
Self-Destruct
- Explodes for the Queen.
- Can be used again once the mana of ■■ recovers.
- Available uses: 2/2
The number of available uses had gone up.
Probably because there were two Meonjis now—one use each, for a total of two.
“So if they blow up while fused, does that mean a bigger boom?”
I tilted my head, watching Meonji clump together and split apart over and over. The little furballs tilted their own fluffy bodies right back at me.
“Eh… whatever! I’ll figure it out when I try it later.”
Today had already been exhausting enough, so I stopped overthinking it.
When I settled down to sleep, Meonji split into two and nestled against both of my cheeks. It was a little warm for summer, but I could put up with that much for Meonji’s sake.
-Thud thud thud
“Hwaaaah~”
Someone pounding on the door dragged me awake. I let out a long, stretching yawn and uncoiled my whole body until my toes tingled. The stretch felt fantastic.
-Thud thud thud
“Who is it… this early…”
The semi-basement window was bright, so I could tell it was morning. I grabbed my ancient smartphone to check the exact time and—
“…Huh?”
There were over ninety-nine missed calls.
The phone’s speaker had gone mute ever since I’d accidentally dropped it in the toilet, so it was stuck in permanent silent mode. And right now another call was coming in from the same unknown number that had already blown past ninety-nine.
-Thud thud thud
“Ugh… seriously.”
Ninety-nine missed calls plus the relentless knocking. Irritation flooded in. Meonji bristled and hummed with the same annoyance.
“Hello…”
I answered in a flat, blunt tone and headed for the door.
“Hunter Han Doa! Are you all right?!”
The urgent male voice froze my hand on the doorknob.
“…Who is this?”
“Branch Manager of the Hunter Association’s Mapo Office! Right now, near Hunter Han Doa’s residence…”
The man who called himself the branch manager sounded rushed and worked up. Listening closer, the voice did sound familiar…
But how did he get my number? And what about my place?
“My house? Why? No—how do you even know my number and address?”
“…You filled all of that in when you registered as a hunter.”
His voice suddenly leveled out.
“Ah.”
Right. I had forgotten.
“…That isn’t important right now! A Gate has opened near Hunter Han Doa’s home! It’s only D-class, but since it’s right by your residence I contacted you urgently.”
He dumped the information in a rush.
“Uh… so you’re saying a Gate opened around my house?”
Gate.
An unexplained phenomenon—no one knew why or when they appeared. The only solid fact was that the monsters coming out of them were the same kinds that appeared from the Tower, and ranks were assigned based on the type and number of those monsters.
Just like clearing floors of the Tower, successfully stopping a Gate earned rewards based on contribution. Gamers liked to call the whole thing a raid.
“Yes! Right now, if there happen to be monsters nearby—”
-Beep beep beep
The signal must have been unstable; the call cut out abruptly. Come to think of it, the knocking had also stopped at some point. Soundproofing was a joke in a semi-basement. If whatever had been pounding on the door was a monster, it would have kept throwing itself at the wood. Monsters moved like their sole purpose was to kill humans.
Yet after I took that call, the knocking never resumed.
Then heavy footsteps rumbled. Just from the sound I could tell something massive was coming this way.
I reflexively scooped Meonji into my arms and scrambled away from the door. Meonji merged into one slightly larger fluffball, floated up in front of me, and bristled as if declaring it would protect me.
“Meonji…!”
The warmth lasted only a second.
-THUD!!!
A sound no door should ever make. The wood dented inward.
“Huh…?”
-KWA-AAAANG!
The door finally tore free and crashed onto the floor of my cozy semi-basement in a mangled heap. And what I saw next: two green-skinned figures.
One small goblin with a single white stripe painted on its forehead. And one hulking, muscle-bound orc flaunting thick tusks.
Anyone walking in on this scene might have thought they were looking at the start of some erotic doujinshi, the way the two of them made their entrance so violently.
“Meonji…”
I clutched Meonji tightly and pressed myself against the wall as the orc and goblin grinned and closed in. They raised their weapons high and started barking incomprehensible noises. It felt like living a nightmare with my eyes wide open.
Do I have to Self-Destruct…?
If Meonji exploded here, those two would go down for sure. One Meonji’s blast had been strong enough to send three goblins flying without breaking a sweat.
The problem was the location.
This was the house I planned to leave without looking back the moment I earned enough money… but until now it had still been my warm little nest, the place I’d only just started actually making real cash. I didn’t want to turn that warmth into pure heat.
Then run…?
I glanced at the bathroom mirror. A sleek, toned, pretty body stared back—with zero athletic ability to go with it. Even simple movements left me huffing and puffing; I’d already learned that the hard way.
Maybe someone will come help…?
All I heard was the orc and goblin panting in turns. No human voices anywhere nearby.
In the end, the only way out was to turn my nest into an oven.
They kept advancing slowly, drool dripping onto the floor as if I were already caught prey.
Once I decided to blow the place sky-high, my heart settled. Cheap house anyway. I’d pay it off easy once I started working as an S-rank hunter!
I locked eyes with the monsters in front of me. Nothing could stop Meonji and me once we’d let go of everything else.
“Two minutes… no, two seconds. We’re done.”
Meonji’s blast radius would reach every corner of the house no matter where it went off. Still better if it’s close.
I peeled Meonji off, split it into two, and hurled one straight at them.
Self-Destruct!
-BOOOOOOM!!!!!
The air seemed to compress and then detonate. The goblin, the orc, the sparse furniture, the pot, the walls, the ceiling—everything exploded right where it stood. The room was pitch black. Walls and ceiling had collapsed and looked ready to come down completely.
I scooped up the limp, stretched-out Meonji and scrambled up the stairs, barely escaping the building. The whole structure finally caved in and the surrounding area sank into rubble two hours after I got out.
The street was silent except for the creaking groans of the doomed building before it fell.
“I should head for the Gate first, right…?”
Ironically, the safest place once a Gate opened was right at the Gate itself. Guilds and hunters always raced there first to set up a defensive line, then cleared the monsters that poured out one by one. That was standard raid procedure.
If the line went up late, monsters that slipped past would roam free and the damage zone would balloon, so everyone poured their strength into holding that perimeter. The place with the biggest concentration of power—the open Gate—was the safest spot of all.
And even though I was an S-rank hunter… I had one huge problem.
Until Meonji recovers, I’m way too weak…!
A summoner who couldn’t use her summon. That put me on the same level as a regular civilian.
Self-Destruct
- Explodes for the Queen.
- Can be used again once the mana of ■■ recovers.
- Available uses: 1/2
Only one Self-Destruct left. After that my safety wasn’t guaranteed, so I wandered the streets looking for the open Gate. Using the noise as a compass, I eventually spotted a massive, rippling blue circle.
“Found it…!”
Monsters were still pouring out of it.
“So the boss hasn’t shown up yet…?”
A powerful boss always appeared at the end of a Gate. If monsters were still coming, that meant the boss was still waiting in the wings.
When I arrived, there weren’t many hunters holding the defensive line. But one figure at the front was single-handedly taking out three times as many monsters as everyone else, directing the fight.
“Are you a civilian? Come this way. We have a B-rank hunter here, so it’ll be over soon.”
He was geared up like a hunter. The woman leading the charge must have been the B-rank he’d mentioned.
“Ah, no. I’m—”
I was about to say I was a hunter too when the blue Gate turned blood-red. The signal that the end had come and the boss was arriving.
What emerged was a gigantic hand. Then a gigantic foot slammed into the ground, sending a heavy tremor through the earth.
“O… Ogre!”
Everyone froze at the ogre’s appearance, completely overwhelmed by its size.
“Get the civilians further back!”
The B-rank hunter shouted. That snapped people out of it and they scrambled to follow her orders. She and several other hunters charged the ogre.
But the ogre was as strong as it was massive. The hunters were being pushed back step by step.
I squeezed the soft Meonji in my hand. It was still stuck to my stomach, recovering. I looked down at the fluffy ball; it seemed to be looking right back at me.
I sprinted toward the ogre.
“Ah! Wait…! That’s dangerous!”
A hunter helping with evacuation tried to stop me from behind. Too late.
Hunters were already getting smashed by the ogre’s fists, slammed into walls or crumpling to the ground.
“A little faster…!”
I drove my feet harder into the pavement. The ogre’s fist swung at the B-rank hunter; even though she blocked with her shield she was driven backward. Its fist was still planted on her—meaning its head had come down low.
Now…!
I shot past her as she dropped to one knee and hurled Meonji with everything I had. The little ball cut through the air, flying with my throw plus its own desperate effort, straight at the ogre’s face.
Trusting in Meonji’s power, I roared from the deepest part of my chest.
“Self-Destruct!!!!!!!!!”
My shout was instantly swallowed by the blast. Even in broad daylight, Meonji’s explosion outshone the sun. The air itself detonated outward, shattering windows down the street in sequence. The ogre’s torso vanished in a spray of green blood that painted the concrete like grass.
“Meonji!”
I caught the shriveled, wobbling Meonji as it drifted down and stuck it back against my stomach. Both limp little fluffballs wiggled contentedly against my belly.
I turned and looked at the people. Everyone standing there was frozen solid. The B-rank hunter finally managed to find her voice; it came out trembling.
“You are……?”
I answered her.
“S-rank hunter. Summoner. Han Doa.”
Too many eyes were on me, so I kept it short. Even after hearing that, the crowd stayed locked in place.