Let's Do One Job (2)

Trilling— Trilling—

In the busy afternoon right after the lunch rush when work was piling up, Baek Seol-yeon's phone buzzed with its vibration.

Even as she hustled through her tasks, she glanced at the screen. The name 'Yang Jia' was displayed.

"Ah, right."

In the midst of the chaos, she wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear, answering while keeping at her work.

"Yes, yes. Have you arrived?"

Her question was met with a clear, childish girl's voice from the other end.

[Uh, y-yeah… But is this really the place? There are some sketchy-looking people hanging around. You said I'd be alone?]

Oh right. She hadn't mentioned anything about Gates. It was such common knowledge these days—even three-year-olds knew it—that she'd overlooked it. Kindergartens taught about Gates.

How long has it been since she went outside?

Gates tore open space dozens of times a day. Even without watching the news, just stepping out could plunge you into Gate-related chaos.

"Well… Gates aren't exactly personal spaces. But those people won't harm you, Jia. They're probably just here to mine some mana stones. No need to worry too much. If you're unsure, ask the driver. He'll explain most things."

It was a lie. Inside a Gate, other humans were rivals and competitors. Murders happened over single mana stones.

But Baek Seol-yeon didn't tell her the truth for a simple reason: orders from above to test her real power. They knew she was strong—her ridiculous mana reserves proved that. To draw out her true nature required certain triggers. First: an unexpected ambush.

The Association's assassins. And second, the Association's assassins. At dawn yesterday, the government had leaked her info to the Magic Association. If their predictions held, the Association would send elite killers. That was trigger two. Contrary to what she'd told Yang Jia, the Association nurtured an assassination unit in the shadows. Their mage-killing skills were unmatched. An Association assassin could definitely force her hand.

"Haa…"

She sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. It was a reckless plan, full of obvious flaws. The stress was immense. Orders were orders, but she hated so much about it. Open defiance wasn't an option. Lost in frustration, she zoned out briefly. Her phone wallpaper caught her eye—a photo from a year ago with Yang Jia. The elf looked haggard yet hilariously grumpy, half-dragged outside.

"Seol-yeon! Help over here! Hurry!"

"Ah, coming right now!"

But work didn't wait. She jumped up and dashed toward the voice.

"Um, how do you actually raid a Gate?"

I'd boasted big, but I'd never even been near a Gate, let alone raided one. Algorithms are scary. They call the internet an ocean of info, but to me, it's a curated pool—just my interests, filtered perfectly. Gate stuff? Never showed up. I wasn't that curious anyway.

And that damn woman, Baek Seol-yeon, hadn't told me squat.

Just said to ask the driver on the way, then hung up.

She sounded busy, sure, but I'm freaking tense over here too. Scared, even.

"Excuse me?"

I raised my voice to the driver. He finally responded.

"Ah, Gate raiding? Nothing special. It's more like farming. You go in, avoid the weird-feeling monsters, grab all the purple-glowing items in your bag, and come out."

The driver uncle said it like it was no big deal.

I'd prepped via streams, so I knew the basics, but watching and doing are worlds apart.

"Ah, almost there. Put on the mic and camera gear."

The navigator chimed arrival. I peered out the window. An abandoned old town—looked uninhabitable.

"This Gate's 'low' difficulty, so not as tough as you think. Probably."

Probably? What was that ominous 'probably'? Still, my hands moved on autopilot, donning the headgear. A small mic near my mouth, camera under my chin.

This setup probably hid my face.

"We're here. Looks like that's it."

The driver pointed to an derelict commercial building. He checked it against his watch, then turned to me.

"Gate generation in about ten minutes. Stay inside for now."

He left me in the car and scouted alone. People milled about—mostly solos, armed with close-range weapons and pistols at their waists.

But not standard machetes and guns. The blades and barrels glowed faintly blue.

Magitech tools.

Those rumored magitech tools, apparently. Monsters inside Gates only die to mana.

Humans have little mana total, so they engineered weapons to channel it efficiently.

Not surprising. Even Yggdrasil's humans did that much.

But these packed more punch—gunpowder, was it? Insane power. A mana-coated bullet punched holes in Gate monsters.

Thud!

The driver returned from recon, catching his breath.

"Bad vibe for a low-rank Gate. Be careful."

"Ah, got it…"

I'd heard: Gates are deadly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even skilled mages die on one slip-up.

Terrifying. Hope it skips me.

"Time. Good luck. Return to the car—I'll wait."

"Thanks."

I got out and headed to the building as indicated. Some were already lurking, waiting.

"Hmm…"

They spotted me, glanced at my gear, then ignored me.

The equipment probably deterred them. Unsure, I slipped inside, up to the second floor, eyeing them warily.

Here.

Instinct screamed. Upstairs, in what was once a clothing store, massive spatial mana pulsed.

Riiip—!

As expected, space collapsed—a Gate yawned open, filled with purple haze, environment unknown.

"Gulp…"

Tense as hell, I hurled myself in. Vision flickered wildly, then stabilized: a dim corridor like the outside ruin. Moldy concrete stench.

"H-Here's… oh right, stream first."

Baek Seol-yeon's advice hit me—start broadcasting on entry. I hit the red button under my chin.

Beep—

Whatever, it meant live.

Humm—

Eyes shut, I focused, scattering mana. My spatial mana crept along the ground, probing for motion and mana signatures.

Hummm—

Purple spatial mana pinged multiple movements, smacking my head. Long time no use—headache. Eight signatures. Two more than outside.

Monsters, huh? Sigh. Scary.

I pulled out my phone, opened the stream chat.

As expected, tons of viewers already, fresh start.

"Ah, hi everyone. Streaming from inside a Gate today."

I skimmed incoming chats. Some regulars from last time.

Hard to reply. Managing chat inside a Gate? No way.

But someone was moderating.

Baek Seol-yeon, by the nick. Good—handle the chat properly, please.

I scanned chat once more, then looked around. Nothing special. No signs of life. No entry point visible.

"Hmm… everyone. How do I get out of here? First Gate for me."

After a pause, I tossed the question into chat. Flood of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠responses.

Scout advice—heeding it, I stood and poked around. Most curious: outside view.

Through the window, endless pine forest stretched to the horizon. Camera auto-tracked as I moved.

Hunter viewers reacted.

New info. Nice scent. Fits the vibe oddly, but good is good. And streaming—gotta engage.

"R-Really? Shall I?"

I flung the window wide. Chat exploded.

Too late—stream delay. Window already open when I saw.

"W-What do I do?"

Panicking, stamping feet. Getting scary. Even low-rank Gates kill hundreds yearly. Underestimated?

Consensus: close it. As I reached—

Whiiiirrr—!

Pinecones launched from the forest, hurtling at me. Insanely fast. Hit before I could close.

My choice: shut eyes. Viewers' reactions to me freezing? Scary, but unavoidable.

Humm—

Eyes closed, I lightly scattered spatial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana. Incoming pinecones lost momentum midair, pattering down harmlessly.

BOOM!

They exploded on the ground. Building shook from the blast.

Viewers who'd witnessed it live spammed my chat in unison.