The First Gate
The entrance to the Player Association was in total chaos.
“What exactly is a Gate?”
“Please, just one comment on how the Player Association plans to respond to this crisis!”
“I heard the Association President headed to the Blue House. Is this related to the current situation?”
There were hundreds of reporters alone. The thick wall of people made it nearly impossible to even enter the building.
“Wow, this is even worse than during the promotion match, isn’t it?”
Lee Jiyoung scanned the barricade of journalists with a pale face.
“The promotion match, huh…”
Ping Lei gave a bitter smile beside her. Despite constantly going on about national prestige and the dignity of the Middle Kingdom, it seemed he still couldn’t shake off that day’s defeat.
Well, that match had completely changed his fate. It was only natural.
“Special Task Force Member Yu Jinho, this way please.”
A voice came from behind us. It was Team Leader Han Suchang.
“Why over there…?”
“Shh. If you draw the reporters’ attention, both you and I are finished.”
Hmm. It was a rather extreme way to put it, but I had to agree.
Our group slipped away from the journalists’ eyes and moved to the back. Han Suchang led us toward the Association’s annex building.
“Originally this place is only used for external events, but given the circumstances, I hope you understand.”
“Well, understanding is the least of it.”
An unexpected figure was waiting for me inside the annex.
“Why is the President here?”
“Kahaha. After seeing the entrance, you still ask that?”
A perfectly fitting response to a foolish question.
I gave a wry smile and sat down across from the Association President.
“And the people behind you?”
“You already know, don’t you? They’re my team members.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’d recommend them for the Special Task Force either.”
“They’ve agreed to lend their strength for this incident.”
Lee Jiyoung and Kim Youngsoo might be one thing, but the other two weren’t even Korean citizens. They didn’t meet the requirements for Special Task Force membership.
The President let out a light remark to ease the tension before speaking again.
“I’ll be direct. I need you to investigate the Gates.”
“Isn’t that a bit too straightforward?”
“I’ve determined there’s no time to beat around the bush.”
The President opened his hand. In his palm was a round object about the size of his hand. Its exterior was white, while the interior displayed something like an X-Y coordinate grid dotted with red points.
“It’s a Gate Radar.”
“Correct. His Excellency the President has entrusted it to me.”
I wondered if he realized this small device was a treasure that would dramatically elevate the Player Association’s influence in the future. From the President’s expression, it seemed he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Unless one had experienced the future like I had.
“May I take a look?”
“By all means.”
I received the Gate Radar. Its detection range covered the entire country. Every administrative district within ‘Korea’ could be searched.
I quickly scanned the locations, recalling my memories from before the regression. The places where failing to stop a Gate Break early on had caused massive damage were…
“We’ll clear this one first.”
“Gwacheon. It’s not far from here, so that seems reasonable.”
The Paradise of Night Gate. It had spawned near an elementary school and apartment complex, causing massive civilian casualties when it broke. Among the Gates currently displayed on the radar, it was also the closest to its critical threshold.
I needed to clear it both to prevent a future tragedy and to have solid evidence when handing Gate information over to the Player Association.
If I was going to tell them about the Gates, I needed proper justification, didn’t I?
“Even the smallest details are fine. Bring back any information related to the Gates.”
It was worth having one foot in the Player Association after all. In the future, the Gate Radar would become a powerful ‘carrot’ capable of controlling players.
By becoming a member of the Special Task Force, I had gained the ability to stay one step ahead of other players in terms of information.
“May I ask for one favor?”
“As long as it’s within my power.”
“Please lend us one of the Association’s helicopters.”
It looked close on the map, but the area had heavy traffic. We needed to shave off every possible second.
“I was worried when you said you had a request, but that’s nothing major.”
“I’ll have the helicopter prepared right away,” Han Suchang whispered quietly from the side.
Thankfully the President wasn’t a stubborn man.
“Then we’ll depart immediately.”
“I wish you good fortune in battle, Member Jinho.”
The President nodded with a solemn expression.
On the way to Gwacheon.
“We will also dispatch Association agents to Gates nearing their critical threshold.”
Han Suchang had moved on to support other teams. Although he was in charge of the Special Task Force, with only me as a member there wasn’t much for him to do. He really was the type to take on extra work.
After heading northwest from Bundang for a while, we soon arrived at the Gate’s location. Police officers who had been dispatched ahead had already set up a police line and were controlling access.
“I’m Yu Jinho from the Player Association.”
“Yu Jinho? You mean that…!”
Fortunately, the police didn’t stop our group. It was convenient not having to explain everything in detail.
“Looks like Master’s fame came in handy this time.”
“You’ll become famous soon enough too.”
Although overshadowed by my name, Lee Jiyoung had also become quite well-known since the promotion match. Her rare barrier-specialized ability was impressive. The only reason she hadn’t received scouting offers from multiple places was the fatal penalty of being unable to learn emission-type magic.
After slipping past the police line, a blue, hemispherical wormhole came into view.
A Gate. This was my first time seeing one in this life.
Bronze rank or below. It was a Gate that even Iron or Unranked players could enter. Since the hurdle was set at Bronze, the difficulty should be adjusted accordingly.
Kim Youngsoo swallowed nervously, apparently having the same thought.
“A dimensional shadow. I have no idea what might come out.”
“We’ll find out once we go in.”
I replied casually and walked toward the Gate. The team members followed without hesitation. It was one thing for the other three, but even Kim Youngsoo—who clearly looked nervous—didn’t hesitate at all. I quietly suppressed my surprise and entered the Gate.
You have entered Paradise of Night.
Type: Closed Gate
You cannot exit until all monsters inside the Gate are defeated.
Death inside the Gate is death in reality.
The moment we crossed the blue wormhole, a completely different landscape greeted us.
A ruined city. The atmosphere was similar to when starting a mission in the Tower of Babel.
But—
“M-Master, did you see that?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“It says we actually die…”
Lee Jiyoung looked around with trembling eyes.
That’s right. This was the crucial difference between the Tower and Gates.
The Tower of Babel didn’t carry the same weight of death. If the pain became soul-crushing, the Tower would block it. Even if you failed or died, you could retry as long as you had attempts left.
Gates were different.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
I spoke briefly and deployed my Thorn Hide. Monsters were rising from piles of broken concrete.
“Grrraaah.”
Undead with bodies half-replaced by machinery. So-called cyborg zombies.
First the chimera ghouls on the 19th floor, and now this. Lately I’ve been running into a lot of modified undead, haven’t I?
“It’s a bit different from the Tower, but what we have to do is the same.”
I looked over my team. Expressions of bewilderment rose on everyone’s faces except Karla’s. It was perfectly understandable. A Gate that had suddenly opened, an environment similar yet different from the Tower, and real death on top of it all. Too many variables had appeared at once. Just understanding the messages that appeared after entering the Gate was probably enough to make their heads explode.
However—
“For now, follow my orders precisely.”
I spoke in a stronger tone than ever before.
Originally, I had considered clearing the Gate alone. It would have been much simpler than explaining everything. But my final decision was to move with the team.
“Understood. If it’s Team Leader’s orders.”
Kim Youngsoo began taking out his puppets one by one.
“Master, please give us your instructions.”
Lee Jiyoung looked at me with eyes mixed with fear and determination.
“Team Leader, does that mean no special training once we get out of here?”
“Deal.”
“Then I’ll have to put in some effort.”
Ping Lei gripped his twin blades as if ready to charge at the cyborg zombies at any moment.
Legion Command buff applied.
Morale greatly increased.
Pain resistance applied.
Centurion is commanding. Morale skyrocketing.
Kim Youngsoo’s ability truly shone when moving as a team or guild. With the overlapping morale buffs, a spark of vitality returned to everyone’s eyes.
Cyborg zombies, huh.
In my previous life, these things had been released in densely populated areas and spread a virus. Their numbers had grown explosively. After a Gate Break, there had been more zombies created through infection than monsters spawned by the Gate itself.
That tragedy—
“Won’t happen anymore.”
I muttered in a voice so quiet no one could hear, then charged forward.
Fierce Charge
“Grrraaaah!”
One cyborg zombie reached for me with its swaying body. Clang!
When I struck the metal plate covering its chest, the impact sent the cyborg zombie staggering.
“This thing’s ridiculously tough.”
I frowned. A fist mark was dented into the steel plate. Even with power amplified to 200%, I hadn’t dealt a fatal blow.
“Grr…”
Not only that, the stun duration was reduced by 50%. Being undead gave them high resistance to body-stiffening status effects.
“Aim for the parts that aren’t mixed with machinery.”
“As ordered.”
Karla stuck close to my side and swung her scythe in a wide arc. Slash!
The head of the cyborg zombie caught by the crescent-shaped blade flew into the air. There had been a metal plate on its neck too, but she had skillfully avoided it.
“If I want to skip special training, that is.”
Blazing Sword & Praying Mantis Sword
The two blades, infused with inner energy, carved into the cyborg zombie’s flesh. Squish!
Rotten blood poured from the long wound. The cyborg zombie, whose heart had been destroyed in a single strike, collapsed to the ground.
“That frog-like bastard was the same. Truly repulsive.”
Snap!
Nyx flicked her fingers. The power of Polar Night spread across the ground before twisting into a spiral and shooting upward.
“Grrraaaah!”
“Grrraaah?”
The cyborg zombies impaled by Polar Night struggled with their limbs restrained, but couldn’t withstand the power that pierced all the way to their hearts and collapsed.
“For someone who raised the beacon of war, this is rather pathetic.”
“I was checking how the team members would react.”
“Hehe, if that’s true, then prove it with your actions.”
Oh? This goddess is provoking me?
Half of what she said was right, but the mechanical parts of the cyborg zombies were tougher than expected. If I kept holding back, that guy Ping Lei would definitely mock me endlessly.
“Then I’ll show you my real power.”
Light Shredding Finger
I concentrated inner energy at my fingertips and stabbed deeply into the cyborg zombie’s metal-protected chest. When I had struck with Fierce Charge, it had only left a dent, but the spot hit by Light Shredding Finger now had a fist-sized hole.
“Grr…”
The cyborg zombie slammed its head into the ground. The effect was clear, but it consumed quite a bit of inner energy.
A ruined city. There were many zombies to defeat, and our group was small. Well, inner energy wasn’t the only power I could wield.
“Everyone, manage your stamina carefully while fighting.”
To make sure the team didn’t lose their composure, I charged toward where the cyborg zombies were gathering and drew their attention aggressively.