Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: That Distinct Feeling of Realization
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The distinct feeling that hits you when you realize everything's gone to shit.
The city didn't even have a proper name. According to the guide, it was just called "Gate Frontier City" or "the village in front of the Gate."
Truth be told, it was more the size of a provincial town's downtown or a county seat than a full-fledged city. Then again, before the Gate appeared, this had been nothing but an empty plain. The fact that even a village this size had sprung up in the meantime was practically a miracle.
Just because the town was small didn't mean there was nothing to see. Every visible thing screamed with an alien culture.
Actually, forget the culture. It was entertaining enough just watching the faces of the townsfolk passing by.
Going beyond the handful of representative otherworlder races you'd seen back on Earth, every kind of species was mixed in here.
There was a guy whose face screamed "That's a werewolf!" at first glance, and stocky little dwarfs, along with all sorts of other races.
Tae-jin's interest peaked when he spotted someone with long white hair and animal ears perched on top.
Definitely a beastkin! He never thought he'd see one in the flesh!
But when he sidled up for a sneaky side-glance, Tae-jin couldn't help but feel disappointed. The hair was long, but it was a guy, not a girl.
Beastkin men held no value for him. What Tae-jin wanted was a girl with perky, twitching ears.
With a pang of regret, he rejoined the tourist group and waited a bit. Soon, the guide led everyone out of the city. The vast plain they'd seen the day before stretched out before them.
There wasn't much to the tour itinerary. In the morning, they went as far as a spot where a massive rocky mountain came into view, then turned back. And even that was quite a distance.
But no one complained. The sheer majesty of the plain was enough to wipe away any dissatisfaction in an instant.
If the wind picked up even a little, nameless pale purple flower seeds would rise into the sky all at once. If the whole world were covered in blue dandelions, that's what it would look like.
Everyone lost themselves in the breathtaking sight of what looked like the sea rising into the heavens.
Unfamiliar animals roamed around the tourists, and every now and then, otherworlders would approach from afar to say hello.
Sometimes, intimidating orcs or other races would creep closer, weapons in hand.
But the moment they spotted the armored vehicles circling the tourists or the soldiers nearby, they all adopted an extremely humble demeanor and quietly vanished.
The guide spoke up.
"If you ever have to travel far away later, be careful. You won't be able to wander around so carefree like this. The locals here know full well the power of modern technology, so they act peaceful like that. But there are plenty of rough folks in other regions."
It was a simple story. These people would normally be violent by nature, but tanks and armored cars had spread humility, brotherhood, and peace to one and all.
One woman raised her hand and asked the guide.
"What about mages? Yesterday while we were drinking, a mage came by and showed off some magic. Can't mages just smash armored cars or whatever?"
The Elf Guide smiled as she replied.
"There might be some mages like that somewhere, but not around here. This Great Plain belongs to the Kaiso Kingdom, and even the fireballs from the kingdom's court mages couldn't pierce an armored car, or so they say."
"Well, the mage we saw yesterday only did stuff like fire sparks or levitating glasses."
"Magic isn't all-powerful like in novels, after all."
She must have been one of the people the mages had wandered around showing tricks to yesterday.
The important part came next. Something had happened after that. It was on the tip of his tongue, that weird feeling.
It felt like they'd been walking for three or four hours, but the sun was still high in the sky.
Every time Tae-jin gazed out over the plain, his heart stirred. It felt like the glorious adventure of his childhood dreams lay just beyond those fields.
If he ventured out there, an unknown world awaited. Tae-jin knew his own personality was dry and cynical.
But this plain had the astonishing magic to inflate that dried-up corner of his heart anyway.
The wind blew again, and nameless seeds fluttered purple into the sky.
The breeze swept over their heads once more, and the floating seeds danced serenely. The sea in midair rippled with waves.
Everyone stared at the sight in a daze. Even the Elf Guide, who claimed to have lived on this plain for long years, wore the same entranced expression.
An elf's face from his memory floated up. Tae-jin figured his own face looked just as dopey. Who wouldn't in a strange new world, dropped in all alone? He finally understood that feeling, belatedly.
The tourists didn't get to explore many different spots. There simply weren't any proper cities around Gate Frontier City.
If the morning was for viewing the rocky mountain, the afternoon might be a trip to see a little stream or something. That was it.
Yet no one had any complaints. It was more than enough on its own. Walking through it felt like strolling in a dream, not a plain. In nature that transcended reality, a day or two felt far too short.
The trip was brief. On the evening of the third day, the tourists left Gate Frontier City and headed toward the Gate. The area around it was packed with countless soldiers, a handful of officials, and more otherworlders than all of them combined—people hoping to naturalize in Korea. More kept gathering even now, those seeking citizenship.
Mages were among them. A group in robes was clamoring in one corner. A curious tourist asked.
"Those people shouting in the corner—are they mages, right?"
"Yes. The government isn't granting entry permits to mages, priests, or dangerous races, is it? They're protesting, demanding naturalization for themselves too."
"Is there always this many people gathered?"
"This is actually few. There are way more during the day. And it's growing every day. The moment they get approval, they're itching to cross the Gate even a second sooner."
The conversation was short. Then, a human who had been heading off to fill out naturalization papers was grabbed by soldiers. The atmosphere turned tense.
"What's going on over there?"
"Looks like a mage got caught trying to pass as a regular person for naturalization. Happens every day."
"How'd they spot him?"
"They say skilled mages can recognize each other. I don't know the principle. I'm no mage myself. See those two mages standing by the Gate?"
The tourists followed the guide's pointing finger. Two mages stood there with legs spread wide. As the crowd's eyes turned to them, they startled and assumed grave expressions, stroking the ends of their beards preemptively.
"Ah, those mages are the ones sniffing out the infiltrators?"
"Exactly. They're supposed to be highly skilled. Top five in the Kaiso Kingdom, they say."
"Those mages don't want to cross the Gate themselves?"
"More than anyone, but they can't just go whenever. Instead, they request Korean goods as payment. All the machines they want to have and study, supplied freely."
As if hearing the guide, one mage proudly pulled out a smartphone and held it up.
There were no communication facilities in this world at all, so it was just a fancy brick that couldn't connect to the internet or make calls.
But the bushy-bearded mage gazed at the smartphone with rapture, as if it were the world's greatest treasure.
Time passed, and dusk settled in. The Gate's blue glow deepened.
The brighter the Gate's light, the more stable its condition. For the tourists' safety, the guide was waiting until it reached peak stability.
Tae-jin felt the mages' glances flick toward him occasionally, but he didn't think much of it. Just as he found mages fascinating, they probably found tourists equally intriguing.
When the Gate's color turned a deep ocean blue, the tourists began moving under the guide's lead. At that moment, the two mages called over a nearby officer and whispered something.
'They must have something to report.'
Tae-jin stepped forward with a twinge of regret. He wanted to soak in this scenery just a little longer.
It'd be nice if he could stay in this world even one more day.
As he walked toward the Gate with the group, the officer who'd been listening to the mages approached with two soldiers in tow and grabbed Tae-jin's shoulder.
"Fuck, you got caught last time too—why pull this shit again?"
Tae-jin panicked. What the hell was this about?
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"Korean? Nice try. You've been studying Korean hard in the meantime, huh? Or is it some new kind of magic?"
Tae-jin shook off the hand on his shoulder.
"No, seriously, what's going on? At least explain."
The officer's expression turned serious.
"Hold up. Just a few questions."
"Sure, sure."
"Tae-jeong tae-se."
"Moon-dan-se."
"Did military service?"
"Yep. Army."
"Service oath!"
"Our resolve!"
"Remember last year's Korean Series winning team?"
"Lotte swept the playoffs for the win. Incredible."
"Not using disguise magic? We see through you. You know that, right?"
"What the hell is this magic crap?"
The officer looked puzzled and called over one of the two mages by the Gate—the one with the bushy beard.
"Mage, you said this guy's a mage?"
The mage fiddled with his beard and spoke. Whether through translation magic or something, the words embedded directly in Tae-jin's mind.
"He's a mage, for sure. I was a bit unsure earlier, but Belric said the same."
The other mage must have been Belric.
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll bet my smart-phone on it. For real."
The mage thrust out his brand-new smartphone proudly as he spoke.
The situation was getting messy.