Gate (3)
"...A time regressor."
A time regressor. A being who relives time that has already passed.
Il Lena Cartesia was exactly that.
"As expected, you really do have a sharp mind."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You know what to do. Don't tell anyone else. Just act the way you always do, and report to me if anything happens."
"Understood."
The Saintess before my eyes had no reason to lie to me. She held the overwhelming position of power right now. It seemed perfectly possible to eliminate Cheonghwa herself, just as planned.
"...What did the future you saw look like?"
"Hmm... what I saw was..."
Il Lena wondered where to begin. The Second Elder Gate incident? The wreckage of a shattered colossal tree crashing into downtown Seoul?
Or perhaps—
The image of a man with blue hair stabbing a sword into Hwanhyeon's chest.
"...What exactly are you trying to figure out?"
Memories I didn't really want to dredge up.
"If you know the future, you can prepare accordingly..."
"I don't think I could handle just listening to what you say."
"...Never mind. The Saintess must have her own reasons."
"Oh, I'm starting to trust you."
"...I'm not trusting you out of choice. There's simply nothing else I can do. Don't mistake that."
"Yes, yes. Whether you do or not..."
Il Lena smoothly deflected the topic.
"Was the matter of us two doing it alone finished?"
"Yes. I still need to keep an eye on Cheonghwa, but... for now, it's probably better to let her live. If she died suddenly, Hwanhyeon would probably be sad."
"Then I need to find the master..."
"No, that's not allowed. There's still work left to do."
What Il Lena wanted to accomplish in this gate wasn't just deciding Cheonghwa's fate—there were two more things.
"Can you see that on the floor?"
"The floor... are you talking about that grass?"
"Pick all of it up. It's valuable material."
Cheonghwa looked at a plant she had never seen before. An unidentified grass whose true nature hadn't even been revealed yet, and she was supposed to collect it because it was supposedly good material.
"I have no knowledge of this, but..."
"Ah, it hasn't been made public yet. I'll give it to Hwanhyeon, so take good care of it."
"..."
Cheonghwa pulled the grass.
Pulled it again.
...Kept pulling it.
"...Aren't you going to do it?"
"Oh my, should I be pulling grass during a time like this?"
"Grrk...!"
She was furious.
For her, the one who was supposed to inherit the next generation of the Blue Dragon Hall, to be seen pulling grass at the whim of a human—
...Though, of course, the master's orders were a different matter.
"But Cheonghwa, you're wearing the Academy uniform even on weekends? I could never wear that because it's uncomfortable."
"I used to enjoy wearing hanbok too, but... lately I only wear this outfit. Isn't that outfit uncomfortable for you, Saintess?"
Cheonghwa was bothered by Il Lena's attire. The people from the Vermillion Bird Hall always showed off their exposure, saying it was hot, and she was used to that, but there was no reason for Il Lena's outfit to be like that.
"Oh, this outfit? It's the style Hwanhyeon has liked since before I regressed. He told me to cover up a bit when I went out, but... my body reacted honestly."
"Really?"
"Even the first time we had sex, I wore this and he immediately took me. I was taken right away."
...So Hwanhyeon likes outfits like that? I remembered the incident with Yu Ryun's seduction—how he immediately fell for it during work hours.
'If I wear revealing clothes too... would Master like me more?'
Cheonghwa's worry deepened.
**********
I had fucked up.
That was the conclusion I reached after much deliberation.
I had fucked up.
An A-rank gate. Being suddenly transported to a place like this... with my current state, I could only die.
"I'm going to die... I'm going to die..."
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Jinyul was beside me. The problem was that she seemed to have fallen into a panic from facing the same situation.
"Jinyul! Snap out of it!"
"A-rank... I can't handle something like that..."
-Auuuuu!!!
"Hiiiick!!"
From the winding tunnel ahead came the howl of a wolf. Every time that sound reached my ears, my body grew colder.
First, I needed to somehow deal with Jinyul, whose mental state was wavering.
I reached my hand toward Jinyul's cheeks.
"Jinyul, Muharin Jinyul."
"Ughh... yes...?"
"Are you a bit more composed?"
"Y-yes... ughh..."
"The other guys are probably transferred here too, so let's prioritize reuniting with them first. If we stay like this, it'll only get more dangerous."
"I'm... I'm sorry... I'm too weak... I don't know if I can survive..."
"..."
Now that I thought about it, I had never seen Jinyul fight.
"It's fine. You should be able to open up to the Fourth Constellation just like the others, so there won't be much of a difference."
"...No... I... I've only opened up to the Third Constellation..."
...Emergency.
Jinyul was weaker than I thought.
"...Anyway. That means we have to rejoin the others even more urgently."
"Ughh... I understand..."
Fortunately, Jinyul found her courage. Thanks to that, the two of us started heading toward the other side of the tunnel.
"Huuuh... it's chilly..."
"An ice cave... do you think the others are here too...?"
"...That's what I hope."
That was our only hope.
If there was no other team, it would mean the two of us would have to clear an A-rank dungeon—
No matter how I thought about it, there was no answer.
"..."
"..."
I always felt it, but being alone with Jinyul was quite awkward.
Then—
-Crack!
The sound of ice breaking came from ahead.
"(Shh!)"
I lowered my stance and perked up my ears. If it was just a crack in the ice, I'd be relieved, but... there was still a high chance it was a monster—
"W-who's there!!! Cheonghwa!!! Seolhye!!!"
...Jinyul.
What are you doing?!
=Grrrrrrr...
Unfortunately, what appeared before us was an ice wolf, slightly smaller than a Glubbhound.
[B-rank Monster, Frostrain's juvenile form encountered]
The creature bared its fangs and glared at us.
"...We're fucked."
"I'm... I'm sorry... because of me again..."
"Move!"
The ice wolf, Frostrain, circled us horizontally, shifting its position. Along its trajectory, ice rose up and gradually clumped together.
'What is that?'
In that instant, the sharply clumped ice was hurled at us.
-Shuuuung!!!
"It's dangerous!"
[Northern Constellation 2nd, Ushin (Ox Host) Opened]
-Ting ting ting!!
Black mist flowed from Jinyul's body. The mist enveloping us around deflected the launched ice.
"Thanks, Jinyul."
Before I could even respond, the creature lunged at us with its jaws wide open.
The cold, sharp breath grazed my face. My breath seemed to freeze instantly, and a biting chill settled into my throat.
-Gwang!
Before I could draw my sword, I instinctively twisted my body and rolled to the side. But I couldn't dodge completely.
A sharp sensation grazed my left shoulder, followed by searing pain.
Red blood dripped onto the ice.
"M-Master!"
Jinyul rushed forward urgently.
"I'm fine… I can still hold on."
The creature paused for a moment, exhaling frosty breath through its white fangs.
Its eyes glowed blue, and in that light, our movements were reflected clearly.
=Grrrrrr...
A chill ran down my spine. Frostrain wasn't simply a charging monster.
At its feet, frost crept outward in a circle.
The ground froze over, and if I placed my foot even slightly wrong, I'd slip.
"Jinyul, be careful. It's about to..."
Before I could finish, the surrounding air gradually grew sharper.
Ice crystals rose into the air and quickly clumped together, this time forming the shape of a solid spear.
-Shuuuung!!
"I'll block it!"
[Northern Constellation 3rd, Yeseo (Female Host) Opened]
Something with a clearer form than the mist surrounded us and deflected the ice spears.
The ice shattered with a crisp sound and rained down onto the ground.
"Thank you!"
"It's not over yet...!"
The creature lowered its body and, as if sliding, closed the distance in an instant.
Its cold claws swept horizontally.
-Kang!
I blocked it with my sword, but the impact made my arm go numb. I pushed it back with force and slid the creature to the side.
But in that instant, another ice spear erupted from behind.
"Behind!"
I twisted my body at Jinyul's warning, but a sharp shard of ice grazed my side.
Cold blood seeped into my clothes.
"Grrk...!"
The creature didn't miss its chance.
It opened its mouth again, and a torrent of white frost exploded outward.
The aura was so cold and heavy that it was like my lungs were freezing.
"Jinyul, now!"
Jinyul expanded the mist, and the cold current split before us.
I grabbed the sword that emerged through the gap.
[Hwanguk Sword Method 1st Form, Jeolcheon (Severing the Heavens)]
I took a short breath and twisted my waist deeply, channeling my power.
A flash-like slash cut through the air.
-Pop!
The sword edge severed the wolf's front paw. Blood and ice burst simultaneously.
The creature howled in pain and retreated, but its gaze remained fierce.
"I'm going all the way...!"
It charged again. This time it twisted its body to target my side.
I raised my sword horizontally to block, and used the recoil to thrust it into the creature's scruff.
[Fire element (?) activated]
-Chweoaeok!
As the sword sank deep, a biting cold like frost erupted outward.
My body stiffened for an instant, but I gritted my teeth and pulled the sword free.
The creature collapsed weakly.
A moment later, I was the only one left gasping for breath. Frostrain was already cold and still.
Ice shards and blood were smeared across its face and clothes.
"...Phew. It's over."
I lowered my sword and leaned on my shoulder. The pain was severe, but it seemed the bones weren't broken.
"I'm... I'm sorry... because I called out so loudly... did you get hurt a lot...?"
Jinyul looked at me with worried eyes.
"My shoulder and side... this much is fine."
I gave an awkward smile and nodded. At best, I'd only been grazed, and the fire element should heal this wound well.
Yet Jinyul couldn't raise her head, consumed by guilt.
And so we once again took a step into the cold, endless ice cave.