Crisis Terminated
Among the citizens of the Republic of Korea living in the present era, few have experienced war or any large-scale emergency on par with it. Even as a nation technically in a state of ceasefire, it's been over half a century since we directly clashed with North Korea, and after the Gate incident erupted, each side was too busy sorting out their own territories to pay much attention to the other. Moreover, following Australia's great catastrophe—where they failed to conquer a colossal gate and lost their capital entirely—countries around the world poured even more resources into gate assaults. But Korea had surpassed its neighbor Japan to become a hunter superpower, and it had never once felt the threat of a failed gate conquest.
It was true that high-difficulty gates popped up frequently in Korea, but the hunters' skill levels were even higher. So while other nations reeled from this new natural disaster, Koreans could barely grasp how dangerous it really was. That went for Baek Seol-yeon too, someone who had spent most of her life with gates and was still, strictly speaking, working on gate-related matters.
But inside the rattling black Korando bouncing along the unpaved road, Baek Seol-yeon felt something was off the further they drove. Artillery batteries lined up, barrels aimed at the same point somewhere ahead. People scurrying about busily. And a tank battalion blocking the road. Tension so thick it was hard to breathe hung in the air. Rolling down the window let in a pungent, fishy stench of gunpowder mixed with mana.
Screeech!
The Korando, barreling at full speed, slammed to a halt at the scene. Baek Seol-yeon and the two other Elf Management Bureau staffers piled out. They were all bureau elites. Even they, though, hesitated as they stepped from the vehicle, lips twitching. Cold sweat seemed to bead on their skin.
Rooooar—!
The gate was rampaging, spewing out tremendous energy. Just standing there made her head throb from the surging power. Machine-gun nests were set up facing the gate head-on. Gunners checked their weapons while assistant gunners hauled ammo nonstop from vehicles to positions. Behind them loomed the tank battalion, and further back, the artillery batteries—all aimed squarely at the gate. It was a clear declaration: anything that came out would be obliterated.
That's when it happened. A squad approached the Korando she'd just exited: one captain and four sergeants. All wore necklaces embedded with purple gems. The captain's eyes were slightly bloodshot at the edges. He held his squad back and approached the bureau staff.
"Are you from the Elf Management Bureau?"
"Ah, yes. Here—our IDs."
Baek Seol-yeon and the other two flashed their badges. The captain meticulously checked each one against their faces before gesturing for them to follow and turning away.
He led them silently, without so much as a glance back. Their destination was the command post.
"Captain Lee Jung-mok reporting. I've brought the bureau staff. Permission to enter?"
A voice replied from inside. "Send them in. Jung-mok, you go rest."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Jung-mok stepped aside. Baek Seol-yeon entered first. Inside, a colonel tapped the table with his finger, eyeing them. The staff took their seats. Coffee cups were set before each of them.
"Welcome. I called you here for advice. I hear three elves went inside."
The colonel's reason was simple: assessing combat potential. What were the odds that the elves—or the assault team—could break out of a gate with anomalies on their own?
"Well... um."
The male staffer to Baek Seol-yeon's left spoke first. "The one I manage is a woman to begin with. She doesn't even enter gates much. She did recently get her license from the bureau and Hunter Association... but sadly, her odds of escaping something like that are basically zero."
It was regrettable. Then the staffer to her right chimed in.
"There's one mage on the assault team. But she's only A-rank... In a gate spewing that kind of insane energy, survival odds are..."
More grim news. Even if an S-rank mage had gone in, could they really survive a gate like that? Baek Seol-yeon, who'd seen countless gates, couldn't guarantee it herself.
But for some reason, she felt a surge of confidence right now. Yang Jia's in there. The archmage, Kenis the All-Knowing. The idea of her dying just didn't compute.
"The gate will probably be conquered."
Baek Seol-yeon declared it with full assurance. All eyes—two staffers and the colonel—snapped to her. Just as the colonel opened his mouth to ask why...
Ruuuuumble...
The roar of energy from the gate outside began to fade. The command post flap burst open.
"Brigadier!"
It was Captain Lee Jung-mok from before, panting hard from sprinting over.
"The—the gate's been conquered!"
The colonel bolted outside, forgetting the staff. Baek Seol-yeon followed.
The monstrous gate's energy was dying down, and someone emerged from within. Soldiers held their machine-gun nests, awaiting orders. Artillery and tanks kept their aim locked.
"Ah..."
Out came elves. Two female elves with pointed ears. The bewildered elves waved at the soldiers to prove they weren't monsters.
"Lee Ga-eun-ssi!"
One staffer called her name first. Lee Ga-eun spotted him from outside the gate and waved back. Her eyes were half-lidded, body swaying—she couldn't stand straight from severe mana poisoning, her face ashen. A soldier rushed over, waving a device around her. A mana scanner.
"...It's conquered. Confirmed."
The inspector nodded. They weren't monsters. Only then did the gunners ease off their triggers.
Yang Jia-ssi...
Yang Jia was piggybacked on Lee Ga-eun's back, sleeping soundly. A nearby radioman reported up the chain via 999K radio.
[0133 hours. As of now, assault team's successful conquest terminates super-gate defense operation. No further anomalies expected. End transmission.]
The greatest gate disaster in Korean history ended before it could even begin. Thanks to Yang Jia, the archmage Kenis.
I woke up soon after dozing off. Of course, that meant enduring all sorts of annoying tests at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. From modern medical scans like MRI and CT to magitech machines proving my innocence.
Baek Seol-yeon stuck by me the whole time.
"Tch. I'm fine without all this."
"They're just being cautious. A gate conquest failure in this little country would be game over."
I hated the hassle, naturally. It took a week of irritating tests before the military let me go. What a shitty experience. The only upsides were the tasty burgers there and the cheap PX.
"Let's get outta here."
We were heading out with Baek Seol-yeon when a familiar vehicle approached in the distance. The same one from my first gate run. A familiar face hopped out.
"Long time no see, Yang Jia-nim. We'll take you back to the bureau. Hop in."
The driver grinned like he'd won the lottery. Once inside, Baek Seol-yeon dropped a loaded comment.
"You'll have some good news waiting at the bureau."
I had no clue what "good news" everyone was on about, but if they were handing out gifts, a new phone for my busted one would be nice.
Lost in trivial thoughts, we arrived at the bureau. The vibe was off right away.
Soldiers?
Military personnel were milling around the bureau grounds. And as I stepped out, their eyes locked onto me. Feeling the weight, I followed Baek Seol-yeon inside with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
In the room where I'd traded the elf and mana stone before, three soldiers sat: major, colonel, brigadier general, in order. I wasn't an expert on Korean ranks, but weren't those high up? Why were they all here together?
Before I could ponder, Baek Seol-yeon headed their way.
Wait, what? Why there?
Bolt?
The weird urge to run crossed my mind, but I followed quietly. As we entered, all three stood and bowed 90 degrees to me.
"We are truly grateful, Archmage Yang Jia. And deeply sorry for the unpleasant week you endured."
Their words rang crisp and military-precise, echoing in the meeting room. It was so formal I felt awkward, not sure how to respond.
The brigadier general spoke first.
"This gate incident nearly backed Korea into a corner—a historic first. You stopped it, Archmage Yang Jia. To express our gratitude..."
What followed was a barrage of massive rewards and perks. I half-tuned out, but the highlights stuck: the Mage Association couldn't touch me anymore, and the military promised sponsorship.
After the commotion, they shook my hand and left. Then Baek Seol-yeon turned to me.
"Yang Jia-nim, the bureau and association aren't showing much interest right now because of me. I filed a downplayed report. Said the anomaly diminished your abilities and clarified your limits. As long as I block it, the nation won't come knocking anytime soon."
"Downplayed? Why?"
She gave a wry smile, her weary eyes meeting mine.
"China and India are already running unethical experiments on spatial mages. Even if the state or military seems friendly, they're not."
She knelt to match my eye level, hand on my shoulder.
"Just a week ago, an elf skilled in spatial magic vanished in Yanbian. Mage disappearances happen here too. Culprits unknown, but likely state ops. Spatial mages are strong, but not invincible against a whole nation. I... want you to stay that internet-loving girl for as long as possible."
For some reason, it felt like tears were welling in her eyes. They weren't, though. Rising, she continued.
"So the bureau can't do much more right now. Sorry. But still..."
She trailed off, pulling something from her bag. Unwrapping it revealed the latest smartphone model.
"A phone's within my personal budget."
I laughed and replied.
"Buy me a Nintendo Switch 2 too. I wanna play Wild Woods. Looks fun."