The Former Disciples Begin to Gather Again
Whether in combat or in games, the same principle applies: throw someone into the real thing without a strategy guide, and even vast capital or superior forces can still end in failure.
Take, for instance, a man in an age before agricultural knowledge who tried to grow tropical fruit like durian on Korean soil. To learn that durian simply could not be cultivated in Korea’s climate, he would have wasted nearly a full year. Only after digging the earth, spreading fertilizer, and enduring the long wait would he finally grasp that simple fact—something a modern person standing beside him could have told him in a single sentence.
That is the power of information. It can slash the time someone wastes to almost nothing, or drop the difficulty of a strategy to near zero.
The ease with which Leos had taken down the mantis-type mutant monster Lyard followed exactly the same logic.
The man had fought through countless Red Gate battles. He knew Lyard’s behavioral patterns and abilities cold, and he knew its weak points with perfect clarity.
Because companions only got in the way—and because he never wanted them hurt—Leos had always hunted Red Gate mutant monsters alone. He was a living strategy guide for every mutant that existed.
“Whoa… what even…”
Herisia stared at the Lyard sprawled on the ground and muttered under her breath.
“No way… are Red Gate mutants normally this easy to kill?”
Even as she asked, she already knew the answer was no. A three-meter bulk like that dying so easily was absurd. Yet watching it get butchered in under a minute left her unable to believe her own eyes, so the question slipped out anyway.
“Normally they don’t go down easy. First time I ran into one of these, the fight lasted over five hours.”
Red Gate mutants came in a limited number of types. With so few varieties, the same ones tended to show up again and again—and Lyard’s appearance rate was especially high. That was exactly why it had been labeled Low-grade. Encounter it often enough, clear it often enough, and killing the thing became almost trivial no matter how strong or huge it looked.
Leos twisted his sword deeper into the fallen Lyard’s abdomen, making certain it was not playing dead.
“Krk… krrrk…”
Just as expected, the creature still clung to a thread of life and let out a short death rattle. Only when it finally went still did Leos hurry into the cave and ask Herisia,
“You said Bendict’s inside, right?”
“Yes. The position I confirmed on Distance is right here.”
Leos ran, and only then noticed how damp his own hands had become.
Bendict. Once you’re out, don’t go running your mouth. One of these days you’ll meet the wrong person and get yourself killed.
Come on, hyung-nim. I survived meeting you. Who else is gonna kill me?
Quit the bullshit.
If I get in trouble, hyung-nim can just come save me, right? Listening to your stories, you cut monsters down like it’s nothing—whoosh!—and you smash people’s heads open with your bare fists. What’s there to be scared of when I’m next to you…? Aaaaah! Hyung-nim, my ear! You pulled it so hard last time it tore! Aaaaah…!
The time he had spent with that big idiot in prison had not been so bad after all. Back then he had just thought the man was a fool; now he found himself missing the way the guy charged ahead without a second thought.
Is he dead? Or still alive…
The Lyard he had just killed had been standing guard right outside the cave. That meant it had probably finished hunting and was resting. Leos hurried deeper inside.
“Haah…”
When he reached the far end of the cave he let out a hollow sigh. The big, simple-minded fool he had met in prison was not dead at all. Instead the idiot was crouching over a block of tofu, groaning like an invalid.
“What are you doing?”
At Leos’s question Bendict shot to his feet, sword in hand, and bellowed,
“Who goes there?! Who dares invade the cave claimed by me, Bendict?! Come any closer and I’ll kill you!”
Seeing the man flail in pure panic while raising his blade, Leos lifted his own sword as well.
“Wanna go a round?”
Only then did Bendict recognize Leos’s face. He instantly flung his sword to the ground, making it absolutely clear he had zero intention of fighting.
“Hyung-nim… hyung-nim, you came!”
Eyes glistening, he started toward Leos—then suddenly spun, dashed back to where he had been sitting, snatched something up, and raced back again.
“Hyung-nim, have some tofu.”
“Why tofu?”
“You told me before. In the place you used to live, people eat tofu when they get out of prison. It’s tradition. Why do they eat it again…? I forget that part, but you said you absolutely have to eat it, right?”
Leos studied Bendict’s face. The man was massive, yet his cheeks had gone hollow. The reason was obvious. Nearly two weeks had passed since the Red Gates began rampaging in earnest, and he had been holed up in a cave the entire time. Finding food would have been impossible.
Stupid bastard.
Irritation flared for no good reason. If he was hungry he should have just eaten the tofu he brought. What was so precious about that scrap of food that he would starve himself into this state waiting?
“Eat it already. If you’d been another day or two late I would’ve eaten it myself.”
“You should’ve just eaten it.”
“Ah… with the way things are now, once I ate it I figured I’d never find more.”
“Haah…”
Leos raised a hand to cuff the back of Bendict’s head, then let it drop. Even though the man was a convict who had committed murder, the reason Leos had grown fond of him was exactly this foolish side of him.
“Eat.”
Leos pulled jerky and all sorts of other food from his inventory and set them down. Bendict’s face crumpled with emotion and he started shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Hyu… hyung-nim! You’re giving me all of this? Even a dumbass like me knows how important food is right now! I, Bendict, haven’t done a single useful thing. I can’t just take something this precious. Let me at least wipe the dirt off hyung-nim’s feet after your long journey. Wait—there’s no water around, so I’ll just use my mouth— Aaaaah! Hyu… hyung-nim! You’re gonna tear my ear off—aaaaah!”
Leos yanked the ear of the babbling Bendict. The big man nursed the throbbing ear for a long while, then finally started stuffing food into his mouth. Leos spoke quietly.
“Eat plenty. There’s more where that came from.”
“Hehe, thank you, hyung-nim! I’ll never forget this kindness!”
Afterward Leos picked up the tofu Bendict had wrapped so carelessly in plastic. It had been stored too long; a foul smell was already rising from it. He knew without tasting it that it would be disgusting, but he took a big bite anyway. Watching him, Bendict grinned from ear to ear.
“Congratulations on getting out, hyung-nim!”
I looked up at the cave ceiling and answered,
“Yeah. I’m finally out.”
Even the countless disciples I had raised turned their backs on me, yet somehow a former convict and a community addict were the ones following me. Foolishly trusting, believing in, and staying by the side of a man who had never properly done anything for them.
It was the complete opposite of the disciples I had poured every ounce of my strength into teaching, only for them to betray me.
Alongside my revenge against the Empire, I set one more goal. As long as my strength reached, I would protect these people.
From now on I would live not for the Empire, but only for myself—and for the people around me.
Under the Empire’s conscription order, every former Gatekeeper began streaming back one by one. Among them the girl Sirna spoke up.
“Doesn’t it feel like forever since we all gathered, Belin? Not since the Headquarters was disbanded.”
“Yeah… it does.”
On Keltazar’s orders from the Imperial Shadow Group, Belin was once again concealing her identity and acting as a spy among the former Gatekeepers. Kozarik, once her colleague, was included as well.
Kozarik spoke with swaggering confidence.
“Even I think it’s been a long time. After Leos sexually harassed Belin and public opinion crucified him, the Gate Management Headquarters got dissolved right away. If that bastard hadn’t done what he did, we might still be operating. Right?”
Belin fell silent for a moment, then forced an awkward smile.
“Yes… those memories are horrible…”
“Belin, you’ve been through so much. If that man ever shows his face around here, we’ll drive him off for you, so don’t worry, okay?”
Sirna gently stroked Belin’s hair as she spoke. Belin only nodded.
More former Gatekeepers continued to gather until they all stood before Keltazar.
“Welcome, everyone. I am Keltazar, the newly appointed Director of the Gate Management Headquarters.”
Hiding his affiliation with the Imperial Shadow Group, Keltazar introduced himself. He briefly explained the Empire’s current situation and what the former Gatekeepers were expected to do. Only after the briefing ended did he ask,
“Any other questions?”
Sirna raised her hand.
“I heard a temporary Gatekeeper team was formed before us. Where are they now?”
“Good question. If you are Team Two, the ones formed earlier are Team One. Team One is composed entirely of knights with excellent combat experience. They have already been deployed to the field in order to calm public opinion as quickly as possible.”
“The field meaning…”
“Meaning they are smashing Red Gates.”
“Even if they clear the Red Gates, they can’t seal them, can they? When we were active, Leos was the only one who could seal every Red Gate.”
“Some Red Gates with weak mana signatures can still be sealed by us. When the energy is too powerful we cannot seal them, but we can slaughter every monster inside and prevent respawning for twenty-four hours. Clear Red Gates quickly enough and many areas become temporary safety zones for a full day. We dispatched the knights to test how many regions we can turn into safety zones within a single day. For the first run I ordered them to clear only ten.”
“Only ten?”
Sirna thought the number surprisingly small. At his peak Leos had once shattered twenty Red Gates in a single day. For an entire group to aim for a mere ten felt underwhelming.
I was thinking useless thoughts. So what if that man was skilled? He was still a scumbag who sexually harassed his own disciple.
Sirna shook her head and steeled herself. Misreading her reaction, Keltazar smiled and answered,
“That’s right—fully ten. They should be arriving any moment now. When the knights return and explain their strategies, make sure you follow carefully.”
—Knock… knock…
A rapping sounded from outside. Keltazar barked urgently,
“Enter at once!”
Expectation rose. How many Red Gates had the so-called knights of the Empire cleared in twenty-four hours? They had taken longer than planned, so they must have taken down at least twenty. That was what he believed—until the door opened.
—Thud.
The moment the door swung wide, a blood-soaked Terepion collapsed onto the floor.
“Le… Leos…”
He muttered as though screaming the name.
“You… you have to… bring that man… back…”
He could not finish the sentence. He blacked out on the spot.
The former disciples began murmuring among themselves.
“Wh-what just happened?”
“Did that guy just say Leos?”
“No way. A knight wouldn’t be saying Leos’s name.”
“He’s not dead, is he?”
Rage flared in Keltazar’s eyes as he stared down at Terepion. He turned to the aide standing beside him.
“Bring me every person involved and every scrap of footage recorded in the vicinity. I will confirm exactly what occurred myself.”
There had to be some mistake. Without a large-scale ambush or aerial assault, damage this close to total annihilation was simply impossible.