Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Beginning
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Kim Tae-jin was pretty quick on the uptake. He was sharp enough to get into a decent college without pouring every ounce of effort into studying.
With more dedication, he might have achieved even better grades, but Tae-jin wasn't quite that diligent.
He was your average guy—studied just enough and spent the rest of his time gaming.
But luck was always on his side.
While playing games, he discovered the one and only elf in the world and ended up as part of her entourage, landing a gig working at the National Assembly.
Though calling that lifestyle "work" felt like a bit of a stretch, given how laid-back it was.
And so, in the year Tae-jin turned twenty, a blue Gate appeared over some rice paddies on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
It wasn't like something out of a novel—no monsters pouring out to devour people, no sudden awakenings with fireballs shooting from hands.
The Gate simply shimmered quietly, becoming a spectacle for onlookers.
The whole society buzzed with excitement. This was only the second Gate to appear in Korea.
The first one had spat out a single elf before vanishing, but this one was much larger and more vivid than that initial portal.
What would emerge from this one? The nation was gripped by a mix of thrill, anxiety, and anticipation.
A few days later, something astonishing happened.
People began tumbling out from the other side.
Humans made up the majority, but elves, orcs, dwarves, lizardmen, and goblins—creatures straight out of novels and movies—stepped onto Korean soil through the Gate.
They all possessed intelligence and could communicate via the elf from the first Gate.
Their demeanor was cooperative; they seemed less like monsters and more like humans with strikingly unique appearances.
Rather than rushing headlong into the world beyond, the government meticulously investigated these otherworlders, gathering intel.
Five years passed like that. Having collected ample information from nearly a hundred otherworlders, the government sent soldiers through the Gate.
The world on the other side was friendly and cooperative toward the humans from Korea, and Korea had extended many favors to the otherworlders around the Gate.
Half a year after the soldiers crossed, tourism to the other side began.
Since it was an experimental tourism venture, the initial tours selected participants via lottery. The cost was affordable, too.
The only catch: tourists had to sign waivers acknowledging that safety from unforeseen incidents wasn't guaranteed.
Luck smiled on Tae-jin again, and he snagged a spot on the second tour group.
It was a group tour with limited freedom of movement, but the accounts from the first group were mind-blowing.
An utterly alien experience, incomparable to anything else—like stepping into a movie or novel rather than just overseas travel.
Tae-jin buzzed with anticipation as he awaited the travel date.
A few days later, he followed the guide through the Gate. Crossing brought a faint sense of dissonance, and in an instant, the world transformed.
It had been morning in Korea when they passed through, but the other side was cloaked in the twilight of evening.
The area around the Gate was an endless expanse of vast plains. Tall grasses, reaching past their knees, blanketed the wide-open fields, rippling in waves.
An unfamiliar scent of grass enveloped Tae-jin. When the wind blew, the grasses bowed in unison with a soft rustle.
Wind-swept grass was a common sight, but when it filled every inch of a horizon-spanning plain, it was a different story altogether.
It was truly overwhelming. The tourists stared blankly at the fields before snapping out of it.
Clap clap! The guide's applause rang out.
"Alright, everyone! You'll have plenty of time to take in the Great Plains tomorrow, so let's move before it gets too late."
The tourists followed the elf guide—who had come from Korea with them—toward the city interior.
Everything the first tourists had shared was spot on.
The streets teemed with non-humans you wouldn't see in Korea without turning on the TV, lined with bizarre architecture.
The buildings were low-slung, not built from reinforced concrete or bricks.
Their exteriors were rough and uneven, plastered with what looked like limewash, and instead of streetlights, small gas lamps hung along the roads.
Those gas lamps seemed to be off-the-shelf imports from Korea. Brought over by earlier crossers, perhaps?
Unfamiliar chatter filled the air around the tourists.
If anything, it felt like the locals were the ones gawking at the tourists, not the other way around.
Hearts pounded fiercely for all.
The guide spoke up.
"Do not wander outside the city on your own. If you're caught sneaking out, the guards will haul you in and hold you until the next day. And obviously, don't be rude to the locals. Communication barriers could make any issues hard to resolve."
It was all "don'ts," but Tae-jin and the other hundred tourists nodded. It all made perfect sense.
"Also, don't provoke unfamiliar non-humans like werewolves. Same goes for mages. They lack permission to cross to your world, so they might act sensitive toward you."
Tae-jin had heard this before. Mages, priests, and those with abilities defying modern science weren't allowed on Korean soil.
Public opinion back home was wary of letting mages in. Sure, some argued, "Just let them in and monitor them."
But the issue wasn't one surveillance could fix. Beyond bureaucratic limits, if a mage casually set a fire while passing by, good luck investigating the cause.
Most citizens didn't want people wielding evidence-less, unanalyzable powers— with alien cultures and values to boot—roaming freely in society. Maintaining the status quo was the prevailing view.
The elf guide continued.
"You all look so excited. Telling you to behave in your lodgings until morning? Yeah, no one would listen."
The tourists chuckled lightly. The elf pointed toward a street lined with especially many gas lamps.
"That's the night market up ahead. Perfect for a casual evening bite. You can even pay with Korean currency, so no worries. See you all tomorrow morning."
The guide clapped twice, and the group dispersed, chatting among themselves.
Tae-jin strolled leisurely toward the night market. Dusk had deepened, and mysterious food aromas wafted from the stalls.
The merchants came in all varieties: broad-shouldered orcs, squat goblins, humans who looked like foreigners.
He had no intention of crowding the entrance like the other tourists.
Instead, he took his time scoping out the whole market before settling at a shabby stall in the corner.
His reason for choosing it was simple: the owner was a beauty.
The owner handed Tae-jin a menu. Instead of otherworldly script, the dishes were listed in Korean, with printed photos beside each name.
Under the glossy, laminated menu was an unfamiliar travel agency logo. Makes sense—they must have helped prepare it.
Still, the menu offered little guidance. Ingredients, cooking methods, spices—all complete mysteries.
'Hard to guess the taste just from the looks.'
No helping it. Tae-jin ordered the most ordinary-looking item: skewers of some unknown meat.
They arrived quickly. The flavor hovered somewhere between "delicious" and "weird."
Like duck, but with an overpowering aroma. Spice? The meat itself? No telling.
To cut through it, Tae-jin ordered the beer pictured on the menu. Its color and look mimicked beer, and the scent did too.
But something was off. He sipped, pondering the difference.
He realized it soon enough: the alcohol content was way too high for beer.
Yet the flavor was excellent, pairing perfectly with the skewers—like it was brewed as a set.
'Finishing this might get me buzzed.'
Tae-jin eyed his half-empty mug, debating.
But with no schedule until morning, a little tipsiness wouldn't hurt.
He'd already paid, so down it went. He drained the massive mug.
His head swam pleasantly—not blackout drunk, just a nice buzz.
As he considered ordering more skewers, a grizzled brown-haired man plopped down beside him. Mid-fifties, maybe.
The man's eyes were blue, his wrinkled gaze kind. Crow's feet suggested he smiled often.
A faint grin tugged at his lips. His nose looked crooked, like it'd been broken once. His jaw was thick with beard.
Unremarkable yet memorable. But the standout feature was his outfit: a loose-fitting gray robe.
Simple, but loaded with meaning.
'A robe. A mage?'
Buzzed and unfiltered, Tae-jin stared openly at the newcomer, heedless of manners.
The man seemed equally intrigued. They locked eyes.
The stall owner tapped the table impatiently—order something already. Their gazes finally broke.
The man ordered just a drink, no food.
Tae-jin, gesturing invitingly, ordered him the same skewer he'd been eating and slid it over.
The man smiled, deep wrinkles forming at his eyes. Definitely a smiler.
He murmured slowly, then addressed Tae-jin.
"You seem to be from another world, huh?"
The words were utterly incomprehensible, yet their meaning rang crystal clear in Tae-jin's mind. A real mage, after all. Tae-jin froze in shock.