The Crazy Women's Petty Catfight Inside the Gate
On the day of the A-Class Gate subjugation, we stood before an oval portal—the Gate—shimmering with an ominous purple glow.
“Be careful. Don’t let your guard down just because it’s A-Class. It could be a special type, though those are rare.”
Most Gates were ‘general type.’ You cleared them by defeating the boss monster guarding the core power source—the mana stone. But occasionally, ‘special type’ Gates appeared that required fulfilling specific objectives before they could be cleared.
Some forced you to relive traumatic memories on repeat, making you endure for three full days. Others turned the whole thing into an RPG, sending you farming for a ‘legendary weapon’ inside the Gate just to kill a boss that could only be damaged by that specific item. There had even been an incident in Japan once where…
“It’d be nice if we got one of those ‘you can’t clear it unless you have sex’ Gates. Don’t you think?”
“…That’s something only you want, Calathea.”
“Why not? With three of us it would be so much fun♡”
Just as Calathea said, Gates with such bizarre themes had existed before. Despite being a demonic realm humanity had never created, their interiors often felt strangely familiar. This had led to theories that the mana took shape from the collective fears or deeply held concepts shared by people living near the Gate’s appearance point.
After all, hunters could already manifest desired phenomena directly with their mana. It only made sense that negative mana could manifest phenomena humans didn’t want. Using humanity’s own ideas as weapons to antagonize them… it was evil in its purest form.
“…Enough chatter. Let’s head inside.”
I sent a message to the Hunter Agency staff that we were entering, gathered the survival gear we’d prepared for any unexpected situations, and finally stepped into the Gate alongside the prisoner unit.
The moment I did, a light wave of dizziness hit me, accompanied by the sensation of floating—
“…We’ve arrived.”
Before we knew it, we had been transported into the subspace within the Gate.
“Tsk. Too bad we didn’t hit the jackpot. How boring.”
“More importantly… this place really has zero sense of aesthetics.”
A purple sky with a single pure white moon and not a single cloud. Air so acrid it stung the nostrils with every breath. Jet-black earth stretching endlessly toward the horizon. In the middle of a landscape so ominous it couldn’t possibly be compared to the beauty of the real world’s nature, only a vast coniferous forest stood in lofty isolation.
If I had to give it a name, the Forest of Death would have fit perfectly.
“…Looks like we’ll have to go in there and clear it directly.”
“Is that really necessary? If you leave it to me, I can bombard the entire area from a distance.”
“How would you even know where the monsters are or what they’re doing in a forest that huge?”
“Simple. I just destroy every last one of those hideous things without missing a single one. It’s not particularly difficult for me.”
Audrey was already trembling with displeasure, pistol in hand, as if the complete lack of aesthetics offended her on a personal level. If I gave the order, she looked ready to grind every tree and every branch in that forest into splinters.
…Just what did ‘aesthetics’ mean to Audrey, anyway?
“That’s way too inefficient. Besides, this mission goes beyond the Hunter Agency’s request—it’s also part of your rehabilitation training. No shortcuts allowed.”
“Manager, do we look like eighty-year-old grandpas to you? How many weeks are you going to make us do this damn rehabilitation?”
“Hey, do you think I’m doing this for my own enjoyment? I’m being careful because I don’t want any of you getting hurt…!”
I had finally built a relationship where I could communicate with these crazy women to some degree. If I got complacent and one of them ended up injured badly enough to need months of rest, I’d have to drag another S-Class hunter out of prison—someone who might be losing their mind in there—and repeat everything from scratch.
It might even make our coordination worse. Rather than taking such ridiculous risks, proceeding slowly but surely and safely was infinitely better.
As long as I could keep these two safe like I had until now, we would definitely be able to clear Incheon’s S-Class Gate.
“Hmm…♬”
“……What’s with that reaction?”
“Nothing at all♡”
Suddenly Calathea gave me a seductive smile and clung to my arm. Beside her, Audrey—who had been radiating hostility toward the Gate—abruptly stopped and stared at me with those clear, piercing eyes.
“Aww, it really should have been a Gate you can’t escape unless you have sex. Don’t you think, Manager♪”
“Instead of spouting that nonsense, let’s clear this thing quickly and get out. You too, Audrey.”
“…Understood, Manager. Let’s do that.”
I wasn’t sure why she had suddenly become so obedient, but I hurried forward before the two of them could start rampaging again.
Stepping across the rustling black soil, I cautiously entered the forest that felt like a giant monster in its own right. The moment we stepped inside—
“Whoa, it got pitch black instantly.”
Darkness descended around us as if by magic. Whether it was my imagination or not, even my hearing felt muffled, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching us from within that black veil. It was deeply unpleasant darkness.
“Wait. I’ll get the flashlight.”
Even when I shone the flashlight I pulled out, it only illuminated about five steps ahead. On top of that, the densely packed trees left almost no room for the three of us to walk side by side….
“Hey, Manager. All that talk about no shortcuts aside, this much should be fine, right?”
“What are you—”
“Eii♡”
Calathea playfully thrust her fist forward. The next instant—
KWAAAAAANG—!
A roar like the sky and earth were collapsing erupted as the massive trees blocking our path shattered into fragments and scattered everywhere. The countless trees that had looked like an impenetrable iron wall vanished, allowing bright moonlight to pour down around us once more. The sight of trees lying pathetically fallen all the way to the horizon was now painfully clear.
“……….”
“How’s that? It’s fine, right? It’s fine, right?”
It really felt like I was freshly reminded of the reality of S-Class—monsters beyond all normal standards.
I awkwardly shoved the pathetic little flashlight back into my bag.
“I’ll handle the next part.”
Without needing instruction, Calathea and Audrey took turns clearing the way. In the heart of what had been a nightmarish maze of a forest, a highway just for us was rapidly forming.
Thanks to them, the subjugation time would be drastically shortened. At this rate, I probably wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—I could just play supervisor.
While walking along the path the two S-Class women had opened, lost in thought—
“Grrrr…!”
The sudden growl of a beast came from the left. The moment I whipped my head around, the horrific sight of the wolf monster leaping toward me having its head burst like a balloon filled my vision.
Red blood and flesh scattering. Bone fragments. Brain matter. And those hollow eyeballs slowly losing focus.
“Manager, are you okay? Did I do good?”
“……Yeah. Thanks.”
“Hmm, is that all I get? Just words?”
Calathea, who had pulverized the ambushing wolf monster with a single punch, strode right up to me and wrapped her arm around my neck.
“What do you think you’re doing in the middle of a subjugation?”
“Obviously I’m ‘justly’ claiming the price for saving the manager’s oh-so-precious life♬”
I tried to scold her in a strict voice, but Calathea ignored me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She pushed her face toward mine and forcibly pressed her lips against me.
“Manager, open your lips…♡”
This woman was going to drive me insane. She had already sealed her mouth tightly over mine and was mumbling her demand. She clearly had no intention of letting go until I complied, so I reluctantly parted my lips as she wanted.
Immediately, a long, snake-like tongue slid inside, flexible and hungry, twisting and tangling with mine.
“…Calathea, what exactly are you doing right now?”
“What does it look like…? I’m receiving a thank-you kiss from the manager, mmm, smack♪♡”
Calathea pulled her lips back just enough to show Audrey the way our tongues were slickly intertwining, then gave her a playful wink.
Audrey’s eyes immediately narrowed into a fierce glare. Since I was nothing compared to an S-Class, all I could do was awkwardly avert my gaze.
“Slurp, slurp, sluuuurp…♡ Ahm, mm— smack, smack, smooch♬”
Whether she was showing off or not, Calathea clung to me aggressively, turning the kiss into something that might as well have been oral sex. She only finally released my lips when Audrey—furious from waiting—had approached close enough to glare at us directly.
A thick strand of saliva stretched between our lips before snapping, evidence of just how intense the kiss had been.
“Haa… Maybe because you saved my life, the manager’s kiss was especially delicious this time? It was the best♡”
“Manager.”
“…There wasn’t anything like that.”
I was grateful she had saved me while I was off guard, and my heart had been pounding from the surprise attack, so I may have responded to the kiss a little more passionately than usual. But it wasn’t anything as dramatic as Calathea was making it sound.
Still, the way she wiped her wet lips with her thumb while wearing that deep smile must have convinced Audrey. The blonde madwoman’s lie seemed to have been swallowed whole.
“…Let’s just move forward. I don’t want to spend all day in a place with zero aesthetics.”
“Uh, y-yeah.”
Audrey roughly yanked my collar and took the lead once more. The subjugation resumed.
Following behind her, I kept my nerves sharp and my guard up this time. Sure enough, a low growl soon came from the right.
Good. This time—
“A truly trivial ambush, fitting for a mere beast.”
Before I could even turn my head, I saw the wolf monster with its entire head completely frozen solid before it could leap at me. Then, slowly, half of the frozen head slid diagonally and fell away with a wet sound, revealing the grotesque cross-section inside.
“……….”
“Manager, you saw that, right? I saved you this time.”
Whether I was shocked by the horrific, grotesque sight or not, Audrey had already closed the distance. She threw herself into my arms, burying her face deep into my neck with her eyes languidly closed.
Every time her rough, moist breath brushed and crumbled against my skin, a strange shiver crawled up my neck.
“Hey, Madness! What the hell are you doing right now?!”
“Since I saved the manager’s life this time… sniff, sniff… I’m claiming the price for that life like this— sss, haa…”
Audrey briefly lifted her face from my neck to give Calathea a coy look, then blatantly pulled me tighter, pressing her body flush against mine.
“Manager? Please give me a much deeper hug than usual. Quickly.”
“……Alright.”
I didn’t even know anymore.
As Audrey wanted, I hugged her tighter and gently stroked her hair.
“Stronger. Hug me like you’re going to break me… Yes, like this, right now…”
Apparently a normal hug wasn’t enough to show off to Calathea, because Audrey kept demanding more intensity. When I reinforced my arms with mana and squeezed her with real strength, her words began to break off.
“Sss, haa… Ssut, haaat… Mm, ut— sssup… Haaaaaaa…”
Her slender back twitched pitifully again and again. Both hands gripping my back tightened desperately as she poured labored, distressed breaths across my neck.
It was hard to believe this was the same cold, arrogant woman I knew. Her face was flushed, her body completely weakened.
Still, even if this had turned into some kind of competition with Calathea, did she really need to push herself this hard?
“……Madness. Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“Just a little longer… Mmm— I want to stay like this…”
“I have to kiss him later too! Hurry up and get off!”
Seeing Calathea huffing angrily, maybe it really was worth it.
“Manager, from now on I’ll protect you. Understand?”
“No, I’ll protect you beautifully, without leaving a single gap.”
“……….”
“……….”
“That’s enough. Let’s just keep moving, okay?”
In the middle of the strange tension crackling between them, we began advancing once more, pushing through the forest for the sake of clearing the Gate.