Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: First Gate (1)
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In the car heading back to the guild after the press conference, Hyun-woo confessed that his words had been a lie, leaving me feeling utterly disconcerted, my thoughts drifting far away.
"Is it really alright to lie like that...?"
"As long as I don't admit it, it's fine. Anyway, do you have any plans for today? If you'd like to rest, I can drop you off at the dorm."
Hyun-woo asked me calmly as he drove.
"Hmm... I have nothing more to do, but I'm not particularly in the mood to rest."
"I see. In that case, let's head back to the guild together."
Several dozen minutes passed in the car.
Even while driving, Hyun-woo busily took calls, handling guild business.
I sat quietly waiting, and soon the familiar scenery came into view.
We had arrived near the guild.
Hyun-woo drove into the underground parking lot, parked the car, and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"You did great today. The reporters shouldn't hound you too much anymore."
"Hmm. You've all worked harder than I have. Thank you for looking out for me."
As I said that and got out of the car, Hyun-woo stepped out as well and came over to my side.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Hyun-woo bent down and slipped his arms under my armpits, lifting me up.
"Wh-what are you doing? Put me down...!"
"There are probably reporters waiting outside. We need to show them we're on good terms, just like in the press conference."
With that, Hyun-woo carried me into the elevator and up to the guild lobby.
In the lobby, we saw Jeong-woo, heavily armored and heading out.
And just as Hyun-woo said, reporters must have been lurking, because I heard camera shutters clicking from afar.
"What, you're back already? But heh—since when did you two get so close?"
"Don't tease... it's embarrassing."
Jeong-woo, clad in silver plate armor with a sword and shield strapped to his back, had a stern expression that instantly turned into a smirk when he saw us step out of the elevator.
Looking around, not just Jeong-woo, but nearly everyone in the lobby was smiling as they watched us.
Feeling my face heat up, I signaled for him to put me down by lightly kicking my legs back and forth. Hyun-woo bent down and set me on the floor.
To dispel the flush on my cheeks, I cleared my throat, and the onlookers let out soft chuckles before returning to their work.
"It was a necessary act... Anyway, where are you off to, Jeong-woo?"
"Me? To work. Clearing a gate in Ilsan."
Come to think of it, I'd heard explanations several times, but aside from the gate I'd been trapped in, I hadn't seen one with my own eyes.
I'd thought it had transferred me to Earth, but it hadn't.
Recalling the flower field where I'd slept for so long, I suddenly grew curious about gates.
"May I come along?"
"You too? I only put my name on the entry list... Is that okay?"
Jeong-woo glanced at Hyun-woo and muttered questioningly.
"We can just add her name later. She seems bored, so take her with you."
"Alright, then. Got anything to prepare?"
I shook my head, and Jeong-woo motioned for me to follow as he got into the car ahead of me.
I quietly trailed behind, pondering the gate characteristics he'd explained the day before.
A door connecting to an unknown space that twists open in midair. A phenomenon still under active research.
They called them gates, and no one knew exactly why they appeared.
One thing was certain: mana beasts inside lost their reason and attacked everything, and if the gate wasn't closed within 72 hours, the space would collapse, unleashing the beasts into the outside world.
Reviewing what I'd studied, I waited quietly for our arrival. Unable to bear the silence, Jeong-woo teased me.
"You looked comfy back there. Want me to carry you when we get there?"
"I told you, it was circumstantial. Why are you always so playful? You need to toughen up your personality a bit."
My mild scolding made the driver up front chuckle softly.
"Hey, I was just joking... Don't laugh, mister..."
"Sorry, kid's just too cute."
Treated like a child again.
I'd scolded him with all the dignity I could muster, yet the treatment was so shabby.
Back in Elantara, no one would dare.
"I am no child."
"Right, of course~ So mature. My bad again."
The driver laughed and corrected himself as I grumbled.
After that, he and Jeong-woo bantered back and forth while driving.
About an hour later, we arrived at a remote mountain spot.
Civilian access was prohibited near gates, so we parked below and hiked up.
After a bit of walking, we saw the blue-shimmering gate blocked by suited personnel.
Their name tags marked them from the Hunter Management Bureau.
"Ah! Jeong-woo, you're here?"
A neat bob-haired woman spotted Jeong-woo from afar and hurried over.
"Yeah, So-yeon, long time no see. This one begged to come along, so I brought her. That's okay, right?"
"Ah! White Wolf's new S-Rank...! She's a minor, but it's fine with a guardian present. If you two could just sign the paperwork over there."
Under So-yeon's guidance, we signed the 'Minor Gate Entry Permit' and got approval to enter.
"Alright, you're good to go. Gate entry time: 14:07... Wishing you both safe travels!"
We nodded and stepped toward the gate, walking inside.
"It's a B-Rank gate, so nothing too dangerous. At worst, some orcs?"
"Aren't you an A-Rank hunter? Sounds pretty dicey."
"No...! I'm not just an A-Rank!"
I ignored Jeong-woo's shout and surveyed our surroundings.
It felt like a completely separate space from the outside; even the mana density in the air was different.
A lush green forest and dirt path stretched ahead, while two moons glowed overhead despite it being daytime.
Now that I'd entered, it was clear.
This was not Earth—it was another world.
"Jeong-woo, something's coming. A group of things a bit smaller than me."
I tugged at Jeong-woo's pants—he was pouting like a sulking child—and informed him of what I'd detected.
"Huh? Oh... Yeah, I see them now. Goblins."
After a few dozen seconds, they entered Jeong-woo's sight too.
He drew his sword and shield from his back in an instant, ready for battle.
"You just watch. I'll prove it."
"Yes, I'd like to see what an A-Rank hunter can do."
"Not just A-Rank—!"
As Jeong-woo yelled at me shield-first, the goblin pack charged.
Slightly smaller than me, with green skin and crude wooden clubs and stones in hand.
I watched from behind Jeong-woo, arms crossed.
A couple of goblins glanced my way when they got pushed back, but they cowered and rushed him again.
About two minutes passed. The goblin corpses bore only sword wounds, their life extinguished.
"See? I'm strong."
"Hmm. Not bad. Mind if I try that shield?"
"Huh? Why the shield... Ack—"
As Jeong-woo hesitantly raised his left arm, I controlled my strength and punched the shield.
"Why out of nowhere... Hey! Wait—!"
A few more times, I struck the shield with precisely measured force.
"Okay... My bad. I won't tease anymore, please, just once... for real."
"A man shouldn't falter so. One last time—get set."
"Urgh...!"
Jeong-woo lay sprawled on the ground, breathing raggedly.
Scuff marks scarred the dirt ahead where he'd been pushed back each block.
"Huff—huff—why'd you do that all of a sudden...?"
"You've rested enough. Get up. Let's switch roles this time."
"What? Fine... whatever with you."
Jeong-woo sprang up from lying down in one fluid motion and gripped his sword two-handed.
"Here I go?"
In response, I raised my right arm overhead in a guard.
His sword flew at me, reflecting light—yet upon contact, Jeong-woo's arms were repelled, not mine.
"Get it now?"
"Wh... What? You're just strong, that's all."
"So dense... Try again."
After three more blocked attacks, Jeong-woo seemed to realize something and paused, standing lost in thought.
"I adjusted my mana output to match your attacks. You rely too much on the shield."
"But... That's why we have skills."
"You mean the light from that shield?"
Jeong-woo nodded at my question.
Apparently, hunters manipulated mana through things called 'skills.'
"That's why you're only A-Rank. Did you see how I defended?"
"Uh... You smacked my sword away on the downswing."
"Mana. Don't just wrap it around the shield for hardness—use it to break their stance. Think of mana as a third arm and block again."
Jeong-woo nodded grimly, shield up.
When I struck next, mana burst from the shield, pushing my hand back.
"It... worked?"
"Exactly. That's how you handle mana."
With repeated practice blocks, his proficiency visibly improved.
Even blocking more forcefully than before, his feet barely dragged.
"Whoa, this is a whole new world... Was Iron Wall Shield a waste?"
"Once you gain more experience, using it together could be good. Now, let's move to real combat."
I gave Jeong-woo's back a light push as he marveled at his shield, urging him onward.