Woman's Complicated Feelings - Part 1
The gate had appeared right in front of Yongsan Station. If it broke here, an enormous horde of orcs would flood the surrounding area. It was a district teeming with awakeners, and the government would respond to a break, so actual casualties would likely be limited to damaged buildings. Still, the destruction of central facilities alone would have citizens branding the current administration incompetent in every way imaginable. That's why an emergency awakener team had been dispatched, including two 2nd gen awakeners among a total of three teams, all racing to clear the gate with just half a day until the break.
Seven hours until the break?
The sheer number of orcs made time feel tight, and the cleanup duration would vary based on the combat styles of the deployed personnel. If they pulled a Jeong Sang-hu and collapsed the gate interior to bury the monsters, recovery of byproducts would be a nightmare.
On the way to the gate, he'd received info on the team members, and one name made his expression sour.
"The Ice Witch is here."
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
True to her name, she was a female awakener who wielded chill. Ruthless in battle and infamous for her vicious frost, but black mages like them despised her for a practical reason: frozen corpses were a bitch to recover. Hell, if Go Yu-jin tried riding one of her rag golems, the cold could even damage it. It felt like they'd thrown her in out of desperation for this emergency gate, but this would screw byproduct recovery six ways to Sunday.
"The contract's already signed."
The government official emphasized it while eyeing him. They knew damn well and signed anyway. That's why they came to us—because it's a pain in the ass. He should've asked who was deployed beforehand. There was no reason for someone of her caliber to be here.
With a sigh, he said, "We'll remember this debt."
"Just fulfill the contract properly. We can talk after."
What a prick. He noted the name on the guy's civil servant badge. Jo Sung-bin. In a world where today's ally is tomorrow's blood enemy, you're way too cocky. There were always rude fools who knew the harshness of the world but never internalized it.
After locking eyes briefly, he moved on. Entering the gate, the first thing that assaulted his nose was the stench of rot.
Management's a mess. Too many close-combat awakeners?
There weren't even any intact orc corpses. Expecting time to be short and no leisure, he immediately scattered mana around him.
What spell would work best?
For gates with massive numbers, the smart play was Dead Rise to zombie-fy orcs and let them shamble out naturally. But with no intact bodies, he'd need to induce shape-shifting. That meant extra mana waste.
Modifying existing spells wasn't ideal—it highlighted operational limits—but Go Yu-jin would arrive soon anyway, so he shaped the mana he'd released.
Dead Rise was a relatively low-grade 3-circle spell, but its power scaled with mana input, making it a black mage favorite. Efficiency and capability varied wildly by modifications, so few used it the same way.
Here, he planned to reconstitute the zombies into a "slime" form.
He spotted the government official monitoring from behind, along with byproduct haulers prepping angles and vehicles. Output volume dictated transport logistics.
Glancing their way, he said, "Prep as many vehicles as you can."
"We'll decide that ourselves."
Arrogant prick. Looked like a government lapdog. Buddies, huh.
He wanted to breach the contract and pay the penalty, but the sum would be hefty, and it'd hurt the company image. We'll settle this unfair deal through dispute mediation later. For now, focus on the job.
The mana took form, sinking into the ground. A massive magic circle etched itself, and scattered orc chunks merged into huge slime blobs, sluggishly crawling forth. Hundreds of them.
Turning back to the official and haulers, he said, "If you can't haul it all, that's on you. Not my problem."
They looked panicked. With mana to spare, he blasted more, drawing another circle in a different direction.
"C-Couldn't you handle it all first before casting?!"
The official rushed up desperately.
"You said time's short. Better drag it all out—even if it piles up in Yongsan proper. Plus, bad intel's gonna cause delays. Worry about cleanup, not me."
"Is this how you're gonna play it?"
"Yep."
Gritting his teeth, the official pulled out his phone and stormed out. The hauler followed, dialing frantically.
Let's see how you handle this mountain of shit.
Go Yu-jin arrived a bit later than planned, but the scene left her stunned.
What the hell is all this...?
Vehicles hauled byproducts nonstop, but mountains of orc remains towered like hills, leaving her speechless.
As she hurried toward the gate, someone blocked her.
"President!"
The frantic government official pointed at the endless orc debris spilling from the gate.
"Can't you make him stop?!"
"Finishing faster is good, right?"
"Even so, this is too much!"
He wasn't wrong. But she'd gotten the full story en route.
"You threw in the Ice Witch without warning for an emergency deployment? Deal with it."
"We're sorry—a thousand apologies for that. But dumping and piling byproducts like this... public opinion will tank!"
"Do I look like I care?"
Shoving him aside, she eyed the disgorging debris and pressed on. The official trailed her anxiously, but she ignored him, entering the gate and spotting a man casually wielding immense mana.
Impressive... A total monster by any measure. Why does he think he's weak?
Black magic was pure talent. Magic itself was. Awakening meant nothing without aptitude or intellect to wield it properly.
She could use black magic too, but her external mana control sucked, limiting her to Golem Meister. It held her back, dragging teams down and causing friendly fire. Her "murderous impulses" were just an excuse. Self-doubt plagued every awakener, especially 1st gens obsessed with strength.
This guy showed 2nd-gen power that even 1st gens wouldn't buy— a rare case.
"Dragging out every last bit?"
"You're here."
Even mid-massive mana output, he replied casually. She whistled inwardly.
"Need help?"
"Just volume, not tough. Problem's the frozen chunks—handle those?"
"Tricky, but easier than all this. That enough?"
He nodded. Rolling up her sleeves, she glanced at him. Their eyes met; he looked puzzled.
"Something to say?"
"No... Actually, I wanted to ask."
"What?"
"Last night... It was good, right?"
Instant regret—what an idiotic question. Heat rushed to her ears.
Then, calmly: He nodded. "With you? No way it wouldn't be."
Her heart thumped. "Got it," she blurted, bolting toward the icy chill.
Geum Seong-chan scratched his head awkwardly. Needed a cooler line?
Late regrets faded amid the workload. He wrangled the giant orc-slimes pouring from the entrance, savoring the official's shit-eating grimace.
"Gate core destroyed. Clear."
Cheon Se-ah nodded to her teammate, withdrawing her frost. Emergency deployment or not, she wasn't thrilled about a gate unworthy of her skills. But government urgents offered tax breaks and perks, so here she was. Five hours in, core down.
"Break averted. Closure in under seven hours. Scout around for anything to grab before we go."
Affirmatives, and they scattered. Then—a massive mana surge jerked her head around.
This much mana? A 1st gen?
Couldn't ID by mana alone, but byproduct cleanup meant black mages. Another surge hit soon after; she couldn't ignore it.
"...Who'd they call?"
Curiosity piqued. She recalled Seoul's heavy-hitters for cleanup. One face flashed—a name. She headed for the entrance.
Not far in, a mana behemoth entered, approaching her direction.
Two of them... Figures.
She thought of the duo: one welcome, one not. Her face hardened.
Go Yu-jin... Always in the way...
Ice flowers bloomed in her heart.