Chapter 47: The Gate (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: The Gate (12)
A heavy silence hung between us as we ate a late breakfast after a round of morning sex.
“...Hey.”
“Huh?”
Just when I thought I'd die from the awkwardness, Choi Hyena spoke up, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
“Last night was an accident. Once we get out of the gate, forget everything.”
Even as she said it, I could see her face turning redder and redder as she recalled the events of last night.
Seeing her eyes tremble, it was obvious who would be the one unable to forget.
“So, what about when you said to me, 'Darling, I'm so tired, can't we rest for just a little bit?'”
“Kyaaaah!!”
Thwack! I was hit by a spoon Choi Hyena had thrown.
“Forget it! Forget it! I said forget it!!”
As payment for my big mouth, I had to endure her furious kicks.
After two rounds of kicks, she seemed to have calmed down a bit. She cautiously picked up her spoon and continued eating in silence.
“By the way, what about the Wendigo?”
“...It's asleep.”
Choi Hyena explained that she was currently in a temporary contract with the Wendigo.
She said she didn't know how she, someone with no aptitude for being an elementalist, had managed to form a contract with it.
“Still, it won't attack us like last time.”
I don't know about that. Judging by its reaction at dawn, I don't think it would have attacked us even without a contract.
“Are you going to form a formal contract?”
“I'm not sure. I'm a complete novice when it comes to spirits... It would be great if I could form a formal contract, but I don't know if it would agree so easily...”
In the first place, elementalists were extremely rare.
To give some perspective, there were fewer than thirty elementalists in the entire country.
As such, very few people delved deeply into the study of spirits, and it wasn't exactly a required field of study. So, even for someone like Choi Hyena, born into a prestigious magic family, she was never taught anything about spirits.
“Anyway, a temporary contract is still a contract, right? Can't we borrow its power until we escape the gate?”
“...I don't know about that either. It seems like neither of us knows the terms of the contract. Well, maybe the other side does, but even if it agreed to lend its power, it would be impossible without paying a corresponding price.”
“But we have something to offer as payment.”
“What's that?”
I proudly pointed to my lower body.
“...You're probably the only human in the world who's had relations with a spirit.”
“She seemed to be loving it.”
“...That was my body!!”
Smack!!
*
There was one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was that there were only two days left until the gate opened. The bad news was that with the appearance of the Wendigo, the probability that this was a B-rank gate or higher had gotten fucking high.
It didn't matter since we weren't going to fight the boss, but if another B-rank magical beast appeared, one of us could really die.
I can't just hide in the shelter until the gate opens.
The gate opening meant a Gate Break would occur, and all the magical beasts inside would pour out onto Earth at once.
Of course, countless skilled individuals would be thoroughly prepared for it on the outside, but the problem was us.
To minimize combat during our escape, we had to periodically clear out the magical beasts around our shelter.
I had considered the tactic of waiting for all the monsters to leave and then slipping out into the "empty house," but Choi Hyena stressed that it was a truly insane idea.
—The outside world must be in an uproar right now because of a B-rank or higher gate that suddenly appeared in the middle of a city.
Choi Hyena singled out the best method to handle a Gate Break in this situation while minimizing damage to property and lives.
A full-force firepower projection.
I'd seen it on the news from time to time.
Mages and hunters would surround the gate and, the moment it opened, unleash a simultaneous barrage of attacks to reduce the number of monsters right at the start.
If our escape timing was too early, we'd be turned to ash by that firepower. If we were too late, we'd be spotted by the boss-level monster and killed for sure.
In the end, the only way for us to survive was to get out of the gate one step ahead of the other magical beasts.
The people outside would know we were trapped in here.
Besides, with Choi Hyena's presence and Grandma Choi Young-ok's influence, we'd probably have a grace period of at least a few minutes after the gate opened for us to get out.
We had to aim for that window.
However, a Gate Break was the disaster that the public feared most.
No matter how influential Grandma Choi Young-ok was, she wouldn't be able to buy us much time.
We had to be first. The probability of dying would increase exponentially after the other magical beasts got out.
It was a death marathon where we had to reach the finish line before anyone else if we didn't want to die.
“Still no answer from the Wendigo?”
“Haa... I guess not.”
It was safe to say the Wendigo was our key card for this escape.
With Choi Hyena's inexperience as an elementalist and the flimsy tether of a temporary contract, she wouldn't be able to draw out the full power of a B-rank magical beast, but for now, that was more than enough.
If the Wendigo could just draw the attention of the other magical beasts while we escaped, it would make things much easier.
The problem was, I didn't know if this damn sow of a Wendigo was still sleeping or just intentionally ignoring her, but it wasn't responding to Choi Hyena's calls.
And it had been almost two hours.
“Can't be helped. Let's wait until this evening, and if it still doesn't work, we'll have to break through on our own.”
“...No, if it doesn't wake up by evening, I'll force it awake.”
“You can do that?”
“I think I can manage it somehow.”
Seeing Choi Hyena's confident expression, I decided not to press further.
There was something more important to deal with.
“Five o'clock, approximately 200 meters.”
“Confirmed.”
As soon as I finished the briefing, Choi Hyena collected herself and began preparing her magic.
Thump— Thump—
Ten seconds, then thirty seconds passed. Beyond the growing vibrations, a massive monster revealed itself.
“Is that an Ice Troll... Isn't it a little too big?”
It was a C+ rank magical beast, known to be larger than a White Yeti and more ferocious than an Ice Bear.
Incredible strength, excellent regenerative abilities, and a hide resistant to physical attacks. It was undoubtedly a tricky opponent.
However, unlike higher-rank monsters like ogres, its hide didn't have strong magic resistance, which made it nothing more than a walking target for us.
After confirming the creature's position, direction, and speed, I gathered my magic power just like Choi Hyena.
The water element had the disadvantage of being the weakest among the elemental systems in terms of raw power, but it had the advantage of being versatile enough to adapt flexibly to various situations.
In contrast, the fire element lacked the fluid versatility of water, but its destructive power was undeniably among the best of the elemental systems.
[Thought Acceleration]
As I used the new skill, everything around me—the objects, the environment, everything else—slowed down dramatically.
The snow falling from the sky, the breath misting from my mouth, even the movements of my own body.
I finally understood what "Thought Acceleration" was.
In a moment where everything slowed down, I alone could think at my normal speed.
‘It can cut my magic casting time by nearly half... This is a Rare-grade skill, so is Weakness Insight really Epic-grade??’
Now that I had "Thought Acceleration," I could perform at twice, or even more than twice, my usual level in combat.
[Fire Spear]
The magic I was currently deploying was the same spear of fire I had used in the underground dungeon.
Of course, its power and speed were on a completely different level now. The current Fire Spear was emitting enough heat to melt all the surrounding snow.
My increased magic power, the longer casting time, and my improved condition thanks to satisfying my sexual urges last night all contributed.
“If it regenerates even after I blow its head open, I'll give it some credit.”
I launched the spear before Choi Hyena's spell was complete.
Water and fire were polar opposites, so launching them together would only serve to diminish the power of both spells.
KWAANG!!
The spear of fire tore through the air at incredible speed and embedded itself right between the Ice Troll's eyes.
—Kuaaaargh!!!
The Fire Spear exploded on impact.
I was surprised by its considerable power, but the title of a C+ rank magical beast wasn't just for show; it couldn't be taken down with a single spell.
However, I had definitely inflicted significant damage.
[Aqua Rage]
The finishing blow was Choi Hyena's.
Thump—
Struck by a laser of high-pressure water, the troll collapsed, its brains scattering everywhere.
Afterward, we collected the magic stone and proceeded to hunt the approaching magical beasts one by one.
We continued until the sun set.
Another day in the gate passed, but the Wendigo still remained silent.
*
Only a day and a few hours remained until the gate opened, but our schedule for the final day was not much different from usual.
Hunting the magical beasts around the shelter and checking the path to the gate.
After dealing with a considerable number of monsters today, we finished our routine and returned to the shelter.
Despite having safely passed another day, no conversation flowed between us.
Part of it was exhaustion from hunting, but the bigger reason was that the sight we'd witnessed earlier refused to leave our minds.
Choi Hyena, in particular, seemed deeply shocked.
While hunting as usual, we felt the ground tremble and rushed up a hill to survey the area.
—W-what is that...?
—...You've got to be kidding me.
There, not too far from us, we saw it: a horde of monsters, well over a hundred, marching in orderly ranks toward some destination.
It was unbelievable that so many magical beasts were gathered together, and even more so that they weren't attacking each other.
It defied all my common sense, but Choi Hyena explained it was due to the boss individual's dominion.
I finally understood why the news broadcasts showing the front of a gate scheduled for a Gate Break were always swarming with so many hunters.
This was a disaster.
A disaster that could easily wipe out an entire city if not stopped.
“...Do you think we can make it back alive?”
Choi Hyena, who was lying with her back to me, had shoulders that were trembling slightly.
I quietly pulled her into an embrace.
Normally, a fist would have flown my way, but Choi Hyena said nothing, simply letting herself be held in my arms as she tried to sleep.
When the sun rose, we would have to break through that army to escape.
I didn't show it, but I couldn't help but feel a little scared myself.
*
Late in the dead of night.
KRAAAANG!!!
“?!”
“Kyaa?!”
A massive earthquake struck.
Roused from a deep sleep, we scrambled out of the tent.
And we couldn't believe our eyes.
“...What the hell is that now.”
A small mountain was moving, and its glowing blue eyes were fixed on us.
“An... an Ice Golem... It's a B-rank boss individual...”
The moment I saw its colossal form, I couldn't even fathom the thought of fighting it.
Even if it were a stationary punching bag, I doubted I could defeat it.
While I was still dumbstruck by the sight, it began to walk again.
KRAAAANG!!
It had only taken a single step, but it felt like a massive earthquake had occurred.
In a snowy, mountainous region like this, an earthquake of this magnitude would naturally be followed by another disaster.
RUUUUMBLE—
An overwhelmingly massive avalanche, impossible to describe with words, revealed itself.
It was a sight to behold—the snow covering an entire mountain range was sliding down all at once. The spectacle snapped me back to my senses.
“Hey!”
Snapping out of it a moment before she did, I grabbed the still-dazed Choi Hyena's wrist and ran. Only then did she seem to come to her senses and start running on her own.
We pushed our magic power to the limit and ran with all our might in the opposite direction of the avalanche, but considering the adverse conditions of our feet constantly sinking into the snow and the fact that an avalanche can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h...
“Fuck!!”
KWAANG!!!
There was no way for us to escape that pure white wave.