Chapter 57
“Wha—how can you say that so easily?! And you're supposed to be a hunter?! You can't just say stuff like that!”
“You're no different.”
“W-what?”
“You've survived twice now thanks to that hunter. What's so wrong with what I said? I'm just saying we should follow the will of the man who saved your lives.”
“……”
“I'm not the one speaking up for him—you're just too spineless to say it to his face, so you're venting on me instead, right?”
“……”
Oof.
Hitting them with those brutal truths?
Just as the mood was turning awkward, relief arrived in the form of a savior.
“Alright, alright, I get where everyone's coming from.”
Choi Kangshik calmed the crowd's tempers.
“But my little bro here ain't the type to throw you all into the fire. He's got a plan, right? We've trusted him twice to get this far— what's one more time?”
“……Yeah, fair enough.”
“Just trust him one last time. I'm the porter, remember? Once we clear the gate, I'll pick up every last mana stone and make sure the spoils get split fair and square!”
People averted their eyes at Choi Kangshik's sheer brass.
A moment later.
One by one, they began nodding.
Phew.
I let out a sigh of relief from behind my Surprise Texture Mask. The biggest headache had been neatly resolved—and ironically, it was Namgung Hyuni who provided the opening.
Professor Kim had stayed silent the whole time, exercising his right to remain quiet. He just kept staring at my profile with those piercing eyes.
Scary.
Back in college, his stares used to make me sweat bullets like I'd just showered in ice water. The man knew exactly how to wield the pressure of silence.
Even now as a hunter, a decade later, that quiet gaze had my back soaked again...
Pretend I don't notice.
“Let's split up!”
Under Choi Kangshik's affable lead, the group formed into threes.
Standing before the doors, the hallway anxiety faded.
They were lined up.
Clap!
Mephistopheles clapped his hands.
《Impressive—even the galaxy's finest intellects resolve conflicts without a drop of blood! Keep that unity through the final trial, and may you all return alive!》
His empty encouragement turned my stomach.
《Enter!》
We yanked the doorknobs in near unison.
Right before stepping into the apartments proper.
“……”
I shot Mephistopheles a sidelong glare. He'd sent some meaningful vibe my way.
I'm waiting.
I warned the Ruler with a thought.
I'll make you end up just like that golden goblin.
This time, even the Surprise Texture Mask probably couldn't hide my rage.
I followed Professor Kim and Choi Kangshik inside and shut the steel door. The entry chime jingled to announce our arrival.
I didn't let my guard down. Mephistopheles's sly grin still gnawed at me...
“Whoa?”
Choi Kangshik, first through the door, let out an exclamation. He didn't even kick off his shoes before bolting to the balcony window.
“Check out this view, man.”
He wasn't wrong—the scenery outside was spectacular. Across the river, a glittering cityscape sparkled on the far shore.
The interior was sleek and luxurious too. Furniture and fixtures were impeccably arranged, like a model home in one of Seoul's priciest apartments.
“So this is the kinda place I'm moving into?”
Choi Kangshik was practically glowing with excitement. Who could blame him? Even my shrunken lungs expanded at the sight. As the would-be resident, he had every reason to geek out.
But...
Something's off.
Wasn't the canal in the new Geomdan development supposed to be that wide?
It was absurdly huge.
No new city would dig a canal that massive without astronomical costs. Everyone and their dog would be lining up to live there.
That's no man-made river.
Besides, this was inside a gate. It wouldn't mirror reality perfectly. It was twisted, for sure.
The gate was messing with us.
“Bro! When I move in, I'll throw a massive housewarming!”
Choi Kangshik's excitement had short-circuited his judgment. I nearly burst out laughing. How could anyone be that optimistic?
That's how he rallied the civilians at Hangju Bridge, though.
Assess the situation first. I toed off my shoes at the entryway and took a step—
“……Th-this is……”
Professor Kim's lips trembled. The man who'd been stone silent since entering the gate was suddenly shaken. My loosened nerves snapped taut.
He stood like a totem, eyes fixed beside the TV. Mine followed involuntarily.
An A4-sized frame.
Inside, a couple bathed in the worldly glow spilling from the balcony, adorned like jewelry.
I squinted for a closer look—and my pupils dilated like saucers.
A cozy couple's photo.
One of them was...
Knock, knock.
Jingle, jingle.
The chime rattled with the knock.
—...You're in there, right?
A voice followed.
—I'm all better now. So open the door, please...
The kind of voice that could lull anyone into drowsiness.
A hazy middle-aged woman's tone.
Unfamiliar to me.
……But.
“D-dear……”
It seemed to be the professor's wife.
……No way in hell.
—You're in there, right? Open the door, please...
Faint, barely audible.
Yet that soft, coaxing tone sent chills down my spine, my hackles rising.
Classic Abyss Gate creepiness.
Suppose—just suppose—the voice's owner was human. This was a ∅∅-grade Abyss Gate.
Rules here were absolute. Even the Ruler governing the gate had to obey them.
No exceptions for the Ruler either. That's why we'd swallowed our anger and followed orders.
Otherwise, why split into threes?
That thing wasn't human.
Impossible.
Simple deduction.
Maybe my brutal past life had made me overly cold.
But still.
“D-dear... Is that really you?”
—Of course it's me. It's so cold out here. Open the door, dear.
“……O-okay.”
An earthquake hit Professor Kim's pupils. His body shuddered like a lightning-struck pine.
If my college buddies saw the prof's human side like this...
They'd check the window first—half-joking that the sun might rise in the west.
The professor was the coldest, most cynical—borderline sociopathic—in my book. Not personal bias; all my peers agreed.
And yet...
One step.
“I-I'll open it right now.”
Two steps.
—It's cold, dear.
“……Yeah. Can't have you out there when you're not well...”
His eyes dulled, luster gone, as he shuffled forward.
Step.
Passing me.
Step.
Forgetting his shoes entirely, toward the door.
He grabbed the knob—
“No, Professor!”
I seized his wrist.
For several seconds, he kept pushing forward. Reason completely paralyzed.
What the hell kind of strength...!
Since becoming a hunter, my stats had skyrocketed beyond compare.
Don't move.
All I could manage was a moonwalk in place. Like the professor was a magnet of equal force, the steel door pulling him hard.
Drag him back like this?
No.
Mess up the force, and his right arm would pop like a radish.
Even now.
—Dear... Hurry... Open the door, please...
“Coming, coming!”
—Who's in there? I hear voices... You hate even bringing in delivery boxes, and now you invite guests...?
Damn that freak!
The more it urged, the heavier the professor felt—like a thousand pounds.
Riiip.
His shirt shoulder tore. Threads snapping.
Shoulder tendons will shred soon.
“Huh?!”
Choi Kangshik peeled from the balcony window and looked our way.
Finally noticing our tug-of-war.
“Bro!”
He launched at the professor like a bee, then hugged him tight like a butterfly folding wings. He twisted his waist excessively from behind, using the professor's forward momentum against him.
Their combined trajectory arced backward in a reverse parabola. The whole thing played out in slow motion, like a wrestling move.
Crash!
The frame toppled from the TV stand.
“Guh!”
The professor's head hit the floor, leaving a strangled groan as he passed out. His hat flew off too.
Luckily, no obvious trauma.
“Man, looks like a monk but what kinda power... Bro, you okay?!”
“……Yeah.”
Truth was, no.
I couldn't stand right away after my ass-plant. The constant tension-release cycle left me drained.
—...Dear...?
Worry dripped from the voice.
Even AI couldn't fake that well.
Couldn't lie there forever.
With Choi Kangshik's help, I stood.
“You get the idea now. What this final stage is like.”
“Y-yeah.”
Choi Kangshik swallowed dryly.
Mephistopheles's explanation was simple.
Don't open the door.
A perfect clear condition.
As if it'd be that easy.
Visible only to you: The key to clearing the 3rd floor is a battle against yourself.