The Salt Beach Gate
Vwooom—
Beyond the car window stretched a cool expanse of open sea. Climbing onto Yeongjong Bridge really did feel like the start of an overseas trip.
“The engineering of this world never fails to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it.”
A massive bridge pier filled Ingrid’s retinas.
“A structure without a single scrap of mana supporting this much weight…”
“Is it really that impressive, magic user?”
“What would an iron-headed oaf like you know?”
“Gah!”
Sir Isra raised her voice. The driver at the wheel glanced back.
Sorry about that, sir.
I pressed a finger to my lips, warning my two summons to keep it down. Sir Isra lowered her tone and continued with forced composure.
“Ahem. Look at this iron steed. Does the driver truly understand its workings as he pilots it?”
“Well…”
“The world turns just fine even if no one knows everything. That is enough.”
“Hmph. An iron head like you may be satisfied with that, but a witch like me is not.”
“Then analyze it to your heart’s content.”
“Who said I wasn’t already?”
Ingrid whipped her head around and stared fixedly at Yeongjong Bridge.
Oh. Looks like Sir Isra took that round.
“So then, where exactly are we going that requires the airport?”
“Not the airport. We’re taking a boat.”
An uninhabited island a little ways off Incheon. This wasn’t a raid assigned by Mir Guild—we were heading out at the request of the Rift Management Agency.
Remote or hard-to-reach locations never attracted much interest. In exchange for their privileges, the major guilds were periodically assigned these unpopular gates.
“About thirty minutes remaining to our destination.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
Yeondu jumped at the driver’s announcement.
“Already?”
“Why so tense? It’s not like this is your first gate raid.”
“Because Uncle’s observing!”
“I’ve watched your training plenty of times. I know what you can do.”
“Knowing you’re going to see me in a real fight makes me so nervous, ugh…”
Kid. Getting worked up over something so unlike you.
I wasn’t particularly worried. This was the talent that the Continent’s Greatest Sword had personally acknowledged.
“I’ll be munching popcorn while I watch, so give it your all.”
“Popcoooorn?”
The Death Blacksmith, synchronized with my subspace carrier, had vastly expanded my storage capacity. I’d stocked plenty of spare food. Even during the Tower of Chaos runs I’d pulled out snacks now and then. After all, we do this stuff so we can keep living, right? Hunters assigned to large-scale gates actually packed emergency rations as standard practice.
“Some of us are so nervous our stomachs are churning!”
“We’ve known each other longer than a day or two—what’s there to be tense about? Just take it easy.”
“You’re the worst, Uncle.”
Yeondu jerked her head away.
Brat. I was trying to loosen her up and she sulks on me.
“My Lord was too harsh.”
“This does seem to be Master’s fault.”
【I’m on Great Lord’s side, I am.】
【This humble monk. Invokes the right to remain silent.】
Every summon except Zaug turned their backs on me.
Unbelievable. They can’t even grasp my deep intentions and just shut me out!
Zaug, you’re the only one I can count on!
【I trust you’ll share the snacks with me as well, sir.】
So you only took my side because you had your eye on the free food, huh.
Tch. I really need to choose who I trust more carefully. The guy still hasn’t regained his living appearance and can’t even taste anything, yet he always tries to crash every meal.
【Miss Yeondu appears to have loosened up somewhat.】
Sir Isra’s thoughts reached me through the bond.
Good. If my sacrifice managed to take a little weight off Yeondu’s shoulders, then it was worth it.
【Even so, the popcorn remark was a bit much, I daresay.】
Sir Isra. Are you really going to keep picking at that?
The harbor at the western tip of Yeongjong Island. Wangsan Marina was the kind of place yachts and small cruise ships came and went.
Flap—
A salt-laden wind swept across the vessel flying Mir Guild’s flag.
“Whoa. I’ve only ever seen something like this in movies.”
A small cruise ship that could hold about twenty people. Mir Guild staff were bustling back and forth with luggage, busy with departure preparations.
I was strolling along, taking in the sights, when a Mir Guild hunter strode straight toward us. Yeondu whispered a heads-up.
“That’s our team’s raid leader.”
Yeah. Looks the part.
His shoulders were squared with tension of a completely different flavor from Yeondu’s.
“You’re the observer?”
“Park Minho.”
“What?”
“Don’t drop the honorifics on a first meeting.”
Haaah.
Look, I don’t exactly have warm memories of Mir Guild, okay? During the gate-clearing competition their raid leader had gone red-eyed and practically radiated killing intent. I planned only to observe this time, not participate—but if they started baring their teeth from the jump, things would get awkward.
Shiiing—
A well-honed blade slid free of its scabbard.
“You stand before my Lord. Show proper respect.”
Whoa there. Sir, that’s going a little far, don’t you think?
Aura wreathed the blade and scattered blue light in every direction.
“H-h-h-h-h-h! I-I-I’m so sorry!”
The Mir Guild hunter scrambled backward at top speed. Sir Isra returned her sword to its sheath with elegant poise.
“Hahahaha! Well? I have thoroughly chastised the one who dared slight my Lord.”
“Nice work. Real nice.”
“I have elevated my Lord’s honor—now praise me.”
“Praise, my foot. That’s Yeondu’s workplace colleague.”
“Ah—ahhh!”
Tsk tsk. Today’s star is Yeondu, not me. What are you even doing?
“This iron head’s shortsightedness—allow this maiden to apologize in her stead.”
【As a fellow summon, I am ashamed, Great Lord.】
【Master. Deeply regretful.】
Every summon except Sir Isra offered apologies.
“I merely acted out of loyalty!”
“To cast Master’s honor into the dirt… You’re disqualified as a knight.”
“I-I… I… Iiii…!”
Sir Isra crumpled right where she stood.
Just stop. Sir Isra’s life points are already at zero!
“It’s fine, Sir Isra. He and I don’t get along anyway.”
“Kh… Miss Yeondu. Is that true?”
“He’s always yapping about how he’s going to beat me—so annoying.”
“Hah! Hahaha! Behold, magic user! I, Sir Isra, have driven away the princess’s troubles!”
She was slow to fall but lightning-fast at getting back up.
“Go get ready. I’ll wait here.”
“You can look forward to today. I’m going to show you tons of cool moves!”
Yeondu joined her guild with a face full of fighting spirit. Watching her, I suddenly felt a strange dissonance. I rubbed my chin with my right hand and muttered without thinking, “Something’s off.”
“Master, is something bothering you?”
“I thought President Baek was trying to recruit me.”
“That was the Court Minister’s conjecture, yes.”
“Look at this atmosphere.”
The air was razor-sharp. The wary, cutting senses of the Mir Guild members and their staff pressed against my skin so clearly I could almost grab them.
“Perhaps they are simply tense before entering a gate?”
“If recruitment were the goal, the normal response would be a friendly attitude.”
Sir Isra’s expression went blank for a moment.
“That… is persuasive!”
Was there any real reason Mir Guild would specifically call me in as an observer? It couldn’t possibly be just because they lacked combat power and needed Yeondu’s guardian.
“Perhaps what the Court Minister first suggested isn’t the case after all.”
“They lack the strength to harm my Lord.”
Sir Isra shook her head immediately. A single glance had been enough for her to size up every hunter who would enter the gate with Yeondu.
Well, whatever. If they’ve got an ulterior motive, it’ll show inside the gate.
I’d already texted President Baek that I was going in as an observer.
“Ta-da!”
Fully geared up, Yeondu beamed. She wore leather armor optimized for rapid movement, a short sword hanging at her hip. She looked exactly like a sleek black cat.
“You’re looking at me like I’m Nabi, aren’t you?”
For the record, Nabi was the cat they kept at her house.
“Whoa. You read my mind?”
“Seriously? A cat? Looking at how cool I am right now!”
“That agile outfit is pure cat energy.”
“A leopard or a jaguar! There are cooler options, you know!”
While I was humoring Yeondu’s complaints, the raid leader who had fled earlier—still pale—returned.
“If you’re here to observe, please come with us.”
“Fine by me.”
Now he remembers his manners.
I had no particular desire to talk down to him, so I matched his register.
D-rank, huh. Before I met Sir Isra, this difficulty level was something I couldn’t even look at. Even if I’d thrown every creaking zombie I had at it, they wouldn’t have been enough. Remembering that I now barely gave such a rank a second glance left me feeling strangely nostalgic.
A short, quiet laugh escaped me.
“For an observer this should be ridiculously ea—”
The raid leader’s grumbling mouth clamped shut like a clam.
“Sir.”
“Understood.”
Keep your hand off the hilt. You’re not about to take anyone’s head off.
Inside the gate lay a sandy shore where waves rolled in endlessly.
“A false landscape.”
Ingrid was right. Thanks to Origin of Magic, I could tell the place that looked like a horizon was distorted. An ocean with a visible horizon? A little farther inland and we’d hit the edge of the gate.
“Krrrrr.”
Several crabs—black and orange mottled—burst up from the sand. Each was roughly the size of a bull. Foam boiled from their mouths and burst with a series of pops that made my ears ring.
“Formation A!”
The self-proclaimed raid leader bellowed, and the fight began.
Clang!
Clash!
Massive pincers met weapons and sparks flew.
Crackle-zap!
BOOM!
Magical impact sounds erupted all around.
Yaaawn. Boring.
Being Mir Guild, these should have been promising talents in the hunter industry. Yet none of them registered in my eyes. Probably because my yardstick for measuring a hunter’s strength and talent had been recalibrated against my summons.
“Sir’s eye for people really is sharp.”
“?”
“Even without the summons, they couldn’t hurt me.”
My own specs didn’t lose out even when compared to warrior-type hunters of the same rank. Heavenly Martial Body had elevated my physical ability that much. The same held true for magical combat. Origin of Magic doubled my mana, and while the number of spells I knew was still limited, my casting speed and power were far superior.
I’d felt the atmosphere was strange, but maybe I’d just been oversensitive.
With a lighter heart, I watched Yeondu’s performance.
“Yaaah!”
Swiftness
Leaving a blue afterimage, Yeondu lunged and thrust her short sword. The blade slid precisely into the gap between the crab’s shell plates. Green blood gushed up, and the creature’s eyes drooped shut.
“I can feel the fruits of her training.”
Sir Isra nodded in satisfaction as well. Movement that completely outclassed the carefully selected Mir Guild hunters! With her natural talent refined by Sir Isra’s instruction, she looked as if she would have no equal within her rank.
No wonder that raid leader’s jealous.
I stayed ready in case I needed to step in, but they cleared all the way to the boss monster without any major crisis.
Slash!
“It’s over.”
Yeondu sat astride the collapsed boss monster and smiled brightly. With that level of skill and talent, a B-rank promotion shouldn’t be far off.
“How’d I do, Uncle?”
“You were amazing.”
“Put some soul into it when you talk.”
“I’m serious. You could’ve handled this without the rest of the raid team.”
“Heh… hehehe. I got praised!”
Her delight stood in stark contrast to the rotting expressions of the Mir Guild raiders. This kid really has zero social awareness.
I’d confirmed the gate clear was finished.
“I’ll head out first.”
I had no looting rights for the monsters anyway, so it was better to leave. Those guys kept throwing me pointed looks—exiting early was just good manners.
Without hesitation I stepped toward the blue rift. The instant my foot crossed the threshold—
Twitch—
The senses honed by Heavenly Martial Body sounded an alarm.
Transformation
Before thought could form, my body reacted on pure instinct. The stone I had forged into a ring shape transformed into a sword, and my right hand closed around the hilt and swung on pure reflex.
Claaaaang!