Do You Trust the Gate? (Revised)
When I placed my order for the materials to build Golem Model 2, I realized I had overlooked one crucial thing.
“Why hasn’t it arrived yet?” I muttered. “Overseas shipping!”
[The purchase page even says that.]
“Damn… how did I miss that?”
[According to what Ian’s mom once told me, “The kid has a bit of a bad sense of timing.”]
Hm… Dolmaeng-i…
It seems like it already knows way too much.
[Even so, it hurts Ian’s eyes. No, wait—that’s probably just me.]
“Tch…”
Anyway, overseas shipping means it’ll take anywhere from a week to two weeks.
If it’s too long… there’s even a creepy urban legend that the package could be floating in the middle of the ocean forever.
“For now, let’s call Mom and test the equipment. We need to secure the autonomous right to enter the gate.”
[Wouldn’t it be easier to just hop in her car?]
Sure, riding in Mom’s car would be convenient, but time attacks would be a nightmare.
Thirty minutes, an hour—how many people are going to have me glued to their nose?
I have to somehow get the autonomous gate-exploration right and stay inside for a while.
“Mom should go out and make friends, right? There’s that saying about each person fending for themselves.”
[In this situation, I know that phrase is used for disasters and crises.]
Our Dolmaeng-i is no longer supporting me in a single sentence.
Amazing. Truly amazing…
“You’re the best. Let’s go see Mom…”
I entered the house to receive my mother’s permission.
I happened to find her gracefully sipping tea in the yard, looking every bit the elegant lady from a wealthy household.
No, wait… since she’s so young, should I call her “unnie”?
Right at that tense moment.
“Thud”
I hadn’t done anything wrong, but it felt like I had to kneel in apology.
Even though it was just grass, the performance of the knee-protection gear I’d tested for the first time was outstanding.
My knees didn’t hurt at all.
“Pfft! Suddenly? Why?!”
Huh? But did that force really make her spill her tea?
Mom’s composure shattered in an instant.
“My lord.”
“Ian… if you’re going to do it, you should do it properly. A young lady, not a gentleman.”
Ah? Isn’t “young lady” what men say?
“Yes, this young lady has one request.”
“Why can’t you just speak normally instead of that historical drama tone? It doesn’t suit me at all.”
I thought I was doing it well, but apparently not.
Anyway, that historical drama tone doesn’t matter today.
The main issue is securing permission for a full-scale gate expedition.
“Mother, this young lady and Dolmaeng-i have significantly improved our equipment’s safety. Please grant us much more exploration time.”
“All right.”
What? Just like that?
“Eh?”
“Why?”
If she’s approving it this easily, I’m surprised.
“You were working hard on the equipment and showed it to Dad, right?”
“Probably because I was standing right next to them.”
“Dad even recorded it and watched together.”
“Oh?”
Of course, watching Dolmaeng-i swing the axe and fire magic missiles looks pretty intense.
Even though I heard about it online, I still couldn’t keep up…
And the point is, once Dolmaeng-i enters the gate, its output skyrockets, so it gets much stronger.
“I hear you’re making more golems?”
“Yes. I ordered a base model, but overseas shipping means it’ll take a little longer.”
So while we wait, we’ll search for nearby gates and gather a bit more mana stone.
Just like last time, if I hope it’s nearby, I’ll end up looking like a thief.
“First condition.”
“This young lady is listening.”
“One: don’t get hurt. If there’s any dangerous situation, avoid it at all costs.”
“Of course. We’re only expanding golems to wait at the entrance anyway.”
“Stop talking and just listen.”
“Yes.”
Right now it’s just me and Dolmaeng-i, so I can run around.
Later, once I have more, I’ll hand them over to the kids for exploration and only come running if we find mana stone.
“Two: no overnight stays.”
Hm? I wasn’t planning to sleep out anyway, but when I go down to the provinces later, I’ll stay in a hotel, right?
“Three: bring three or more friends.”
“Eh?”
Do you mean make three or more golems?
“Just to be sure, I’ll clarify: golems and robots are excluded.”
Whoa? What?
Where are my friends besides the golems?
This is getting problematic.
“Um…”
“Don’t make excuses. Instead, I’ll give you a bit more time—two weeks? You should be able to make them before the delivery arrives.”
“Really?”
“You have to.”
It feels like a strict no-leave rule.
Hm… these conditions are too harsh?
Honestly, it’s almost impossible.
I don’t get along well with beings other than golems.
“Three is too many! Please reduce it!”
“Yeah. No.”
“Wow… this really seems impossible…”
“You should have made friends in the first place! You’re well-built—why are you stuck in the workshop like a corner-dwelling moldy fungus?!”
What? Calling a person a moldy fungus?
Roughly… maybe I should just go outside and make friends with anyone? It might work out faster if I try flirting with some guys, right?
“Don’t even think about flirting with anyone’s face. I’ll have to verify them when you bring them home.”
“Ah! Ah! Ah! Really! Where is that even possible?!”
“Here.”
I’m going insane…
I’ll do what I can and just say I couldn’t if it doesn’t work out.
“All right, I’ll try.”
“Good. Starting is the most important part. Our daughter can do it! Good luck!”
“Why me…”
Encouraging someone after killing them? That’s too much.
“How are we getting to the gates? Will Mom drive us?”
“No. I’m going to check the subway or bus stops nearby.”
I’m sulking.
I really wanted her to reduce the number of friends!
“Um… that’s not bad. I can’t always take you, and public transportation gets crowded, so maybe you can make friends there? Let’s see how many people we can meet.”
“Ngh…”
No choice… I guess I’ll just ask her to drive me in the car.
Damn it!!!
…
As expected, the subway republic.
In Seoul and Gyeonggi, gates were plentiful in almost every subway-accessible area.
Even the bus routes a bit further away were a big help.
“There really are a lot of gates in Seoul and Gyeonggi?”
[Yes. Right now there are 672 just in the Seoul-Gyeonggi area. Nationally, there are about 2,000, and there are many places not far from home.]
Dolmaeng-i knows the internet better than I do.
It unfolded the map and checked the routes, then even applied for the passes.
So far, we’ve been riding the subway to explore gates with Dolmaeng-i for several days.
“Clank clank”
The subway rumbling was unusually loud today.
—Who’s that person?
—They sure are weird.
—Be careful. Could be a strange person.
—By the way, where do you even buy those shiny billiard-ball helmets? Do you polish them every day?
With so many people around, Mom’s hope of making friends here was unrealistic.
The outfit drew eyes, but everyone was just gossiping like I was a bit… crazy.
“Ha… life…”
[Covering most of your face with goggles and a mask means no one will recognize you next time. Please don’t take them off.]
“I know that too. I know…”
Dolmaeng-i…
Is it because I’m embarrassed?
But Dolmaeng-i draws stares too, and it doesn’t even know.
—Monologue again? Is it really a crazy person?!
—Wow. I even tried to say hi. Almost got in trouble. Is it a ghost?!
Dolmaeng-i has a communication module, so we can talk via mana communication.
It’s really convenient.
But to others, it just looks like I’m talking to myself. Heh heh…
—Next stop: Imma. Imma Station.
I was debating whether to switch cars, but luckily we’d reached our destination.
Today’s destination was Seongnam.
It must be a pretty populated neighborhood.
A lot of people were getting ready to get off.
“Clunk clunk”
As I stepped off, I saw that there were quite a few hunters riding the subway.
They carried heavy weapon cases that clanked loudly—probably storing swords, axes, and bows.
There were many complaints about people carrying weapons around outside gates.
Anyway, the rule is not to open the cases.
“Okay. Let’s go too.”
[What if we make weapon cases like those people? They stand out too much.]
We’re just carrying them…
Honestly, they’re so small that no one calls them anything but toys…
A single adult-sized axe the size of my palm and a mana stone that fits in my hand at my waist.
“When we get back, let’s make one.”
[If possible, make it look cool.]
“Can’t you trust me?”
[No. Just give the permission. I’ll make it.]
“…”
Does that mean it’s even better at this than I am?
Is that so? Dolmaeng-i is definitely good with computers. Maybe I can leave it to it?
Either way, it’s convenient for me.
I’ll just watch and see how well it turns out…
We started walking with the other hunters, clanking along.
After getting off the subway…
[Straight ahead.]
“Th-that’s right! I knew that too!”
I must have forgotten, but I definitely looked at the map.
So we were heading toward the gate.
—Hey! I know that person!
—Who?
—The one with the pink helmet.
—Why? What’s that person doing?
—The gate-digging girl, don’t you know?
—Ah! The one who digs the ground with a robot! Why does it look completely normal from here?
No matter where we go, we become the subject of gossip.
But those people don’t know that in these few days, if I find a mana stone, it would take them a whole year to gather as much.
My gate exploration isn’t that impressive.
First, I’ll go in and check if there’s mana stone nearby. If not, just train mana.
It took three years to make a 1st Circle…
A month or so of constant practice should be enough for 2nd Circle.
Even without mana stones, I’m gaining plenty while training.
“But why do people keep gossiping as if I’m the only one?”
[Ian is quite famous.]
“I’m famous? Then why do they all avoid me?”
[Famous for avoidance. Yesterday the nickname “Gate Nuisance Girl” was added.]
Ah? Even bad reputation makes someone famous?
But this has some controversy.
Did I cause trouble for someone else?
Not even hunting—just digging holes and leaving?
“Why am I a nuisance?”
[We had an accident where someone fell into the hole we dug. Thankfully, no serious injuries.]
Thinking rationally like a mage…
“That’s unbelievable. The hole was pretty big—how could you fall in without noticing? Were you out on a picnic without monster alerts?”
[There’s a possibility, but if there hadn’t been a hole from the beginning, you wouldn’t have fallen.]
I provided the cause, so am I at fault…
“From now on, I’ll bury the dirt properly…”
[Good idea.]
While walking and chatting with Dolmaeng-i, we reached the front of the gate.
The refreshing feeling of crossing the gate was now familiar, and no goosebumps appeared.
We moved to a quiet spot to gather mana and search for mana stones.
“Do you trust the gate?”
“Who are you?”
“Hahaha. You have a nice face.”
Were you insane? How could your face be visible?
“Our surroundings are surrounded by crossroads.”
“Um… that’s true…”
Did they really know about mana?
Well, there could be sensitive people.
“During the event period, we’re giving basic martial arts for free!”
What… what is this?
It’s not magic, it’s martial arts?