Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Forced Entry into the Black Gate: Seol Euna's Worry
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-Shiiiiiiik
A massive roar began to echo as the gate shifted to a dark hue.
Black Gate.
Of all the timing, right after all the students had entered. A Black Gate phenomenon had occurred.
"Wh... what's going on...?..."
Yang Hangil surely knew about Black Gate phenomena. The dumbstruck look on his face was just denial, a refusal to accept reality.
"No way... that can't be... A Black Gate here, of all places...?..."
Yang Hangil clawed at his hair in agony.
"A couple of deaths won't be the end of it... What... what do I do?"
Then, Yang Hangil bolted away without another word.
'Crazy bastard for real.'
He looked insane running off like that, but rationally speaking, it might be the right call. There was nothing Yang Hangil could do about a Black Gate anyway. The sheer miasma blocked all entry.
'But I can get in.'
What sealed off a Black Gate was miasma. And I could absorb it.
'Damn... I didn't want to feel this disgusting sensation again.'
The last time Seol Euna got caught in a Black Gate, I'd forced my way in using the exact same method.
The process was simple. Suck out all the miasma flowing from the gate and vent it. That forcibly tore open the sealed space. Straightforward and effective. Of course, no one but me could pull it off.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath and reached for the gate.
"J... Juwon?"
Seol Euna called out to me.
She stared with wide, confused eyes, wondering what was happening. I gave her a quick rundown, time being short.
"After the students went in, the gate turned into a Black Gate. If we don't get in fast, they'll all die. The dungeon inside is probably B-rank at best right now, but A-rank or worse at the low end. Safe to assume at least A-rank."
As I reached for the gate again, Seol Euna grabbed my arm.
"Wh... what are you planning to do? Don't tell me it's what I think... Like with the Death Knight, absorbing the miasma and venting it?"
"Exactly."
I stated it firmly, but she tried to stop me.
"That's... too dangerous, Juwon. Even absorbing the Death Knight's miasma looked risky. This massive amount could straight-up kill you...!"
Even as she spoke, Seol Euna realized she was wrong.
'Wh... why am I saying this?'
She knew it too. No one but Choi Juwon could resolve a Black Gate. Waiting around for guild reinforcements wouldn't force it open.
Logically, having Choi Juwon drain the gate's miasma was the rational way to save everyone. But staring at the viciously swirling miasma, she couldn't shake one fear.
'What if something goes wrong and Juwon dies?'
The miasma pouring from a Black Gate was on another level from ordinary monsters. Incredibly thick, sticky, and bizarre. Like peering into an endless sinkhole.
Seol Euna was scared. Worried sick that Choi Juwon might come to harm. Unconsciously, she'd prioritized his safety over the dozens trapped inside.
"It's fine. I've done it before."
Seol Euna fell silent. She had survived her Black Gate only because Choi Juwon had pried it open and saved her.
Choi Juwon thought to himself.
'Helmont Academy students? Who cares what happens to them. But my disciples... I hand-picked them from millions, poured every resource into their growth. If they die, I might never find talent like theirs again.'
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
Kang Eun-byeol, the Hunter Association president's daughter. If she died, I'd make an enemy of the association president.
I already had plenty of foes. Adding the Hunter Association would make things irreparable.
And one more loose end.
'Park Hye-yeon.'
Looking into her eyes dredged up memories of that day I was abandoned by my own disciples. After that, I'd received help from countless people and comfort from Seol Euna, which pulled me from despair and set me back on track.
But Park Hye-yeon? She'd had no one. If she did, a talent like hers wouldn't have stalled at B-rank mage by her age.
'She's getting under my skin.'
Frail body, eyes burning with venom. An attitude like she'd drop dead content once revenge was done. If her life ended here, unfulfilled, it wouldn't sit right with me.
'Did living together a few days make me attached?'
Useless thoughts. I shook my head.
'To crush the Magic Tower and Baal Guild, I need my disciples. Saving them is just practical.'
With that, I placed my hand on the gate.
Far more warning windows than when I took down the Death Knight. I ignored them all and cast with my other hand.
"Gahhhhh!"
Even spamming Recovery every second, my body felt like it was ripping apart and burning.
'N... no...'
My mind grew hazy. An overwhelming urge to pull away hit me.
'G... get it together...'
-Whooooom
Miasma flooded in harder, eyes bloodshot. Veins bulged grotesquely on my forehead, organs swelling.
'F... fuck...'
I ignored the windows and kept sucking in miasma.
'No... more... body can't take it.'
Judging that, I thrust my hand skyward.
-Piiiiiiing-!
The condensed miasma mass shot skyward from my fingertips. It rocketed up endlessly for over thirty seconds.
Then
-Kwaaaaaaaaaboooooom-!
-Kugugugugugug-!
As if a global earthquake had hit, the ground quaked violently amid an absurd roar. The sky blackened completely.
'Th... this is Black Gate miasma...'
Seol Euna stared, dumbfounded.
High-tier magic like Meteor couldn't even compare to this power.
If I'd aimed that at people or buildings instead of the sky, they'd have vanished without a trace.
-Kwaaaaaaboom-!
The miasma explosions repeated in midair.
Losing herself in the spectacle for a moment, Seol Euna snapped back and checked on Choi Juwon.
"Fuc...k..."
Choi Juwon, body in ruins, was desperately draining the remaining miasma from the gate.
His face had lost all vitality, skin ashen and flaky like a sick man's.
'Even when he came for me... he went through all that...'
Her heart tore watching him. Despite the ordeal to breach her Black Gate back then, he'd never once bragged about it. She admired him more, her fondness deepening.
-Tadadak
Seol Euna rushed to his side.
"J... Juwon, absorb mana from me!"
Choi Juwon was pulling ambient mana from around him, but it wasn't enough for the massive Recovery spam.
So Seol Euna offered herself up willingly, ready to give every drop of her mana. As Luster Guild leader, her magical prowess and mana reserves were top-notch.
Especially her mana pool—nothing like the thin stuff from plants, earth, or air. Mana from living beings, particularly circle-wielding humans, was far more efficient.
"Thank y..."
Choi Juwon couldn't even finish before grabbing her arm.
-Whooooooom
Her mana flooded into him in an instant.
"Th... that's enough now..."
As he tried to let go, Seol Euna gripped his hand tight.
"Take... as much as you can from me."
He started to refuse, but she pressed on.
"You'll have to fight inside too. Going in like this puts you at a disadvantage. Using me to max recovery is the rational choice."
She knew it well—as a top guild leader, she'd be little help in a Black Gate. Not dragging him down would be lucky. Having survived one, she understood perfectly.
So this was her best move: give Choi Juwon all her mana.
"Thank you..."
Choi Juwon finally kept absorbing from her.
'Nngh...'
Seol Euna endured the pain of mana drain to her limit.
Just before blacking out, she whispered to him.
"S... since I helped... when you... come back safe... grant one... wish of mine..."
Choi Juwon looked at her.
"Got it."
-Thud
Seol Euna collapsed. Choi Juwon plunged into the now-clear gate.
-Whooooom
The moment he entered, it resealed with miasma.