A Gate from Belhart
"Every location I've marked is a New Age branch."
After Do-ha returned from the dinner party, Han Jeong-soo — having firmly decided which side he stood on — brought over a map with every New Age branch carefully marked.
"Whoa… these bastards have one in every region?"
Canteas, looking on from the side, let out a hollow laugh. He had half-expected it, but there really was a branch in every region — even in sparsely populated rural towns.
"In a month, I'll inform you of any relocated branch positions."
"A month from now?"
"As you saw in my office, Do-ha-nim, I already ordered the branches to relocate. By now, the original buildings should be completely empty."
"Can't you just call them and demand the new locations right now?"
Canteas eyed the map. The guy was the regional manager — couldn't he just issue another order?
"Once I give an order, I never reverse it. If I contact them within a few days and walk it back, some of them will start getting suspicious."
"He's right. We'll just deal with it in a month."
Do-ha nodded at his words. He had already told them to keep their heads down for a while, so there shouldn't be any major incidents in the meantime.
"But if you only get reports once a month, doesn't a lot of information slip through the cracks?"
"Yes, that's correct. Which is why I dig up branch intel on my own before the official reports come in."
"On your own? Isn't that a hassle?"
"It is, but it's actually safer and better that way. I can cross-check the official reports against what I've found myself."
"Then what about the headquarters location?"
"I can tell you the previous headquarters locations."
"Why only the previous ones?"
"Well…"
Han Jeong-soo scratched his head. The truth was, no one knew the current headquarters location. New Age headquarters constantly changed positions.
"Whether they relocate as a group or teleport everything wholesale, they move. Because of that, even some of the executives don't know the real headquarters."
"Then who does know the current New Age headquarters location?"
"The elder-level members know."
"How many elders are there in total?"
"Ten in total. Four of them are SSS-rank Awakened."
"There are four SSS-rank Awakened among them?"
At those words, Do-ha's eyes widened slightly. Setting aside the hunters known as Cheon-oe-cheon, there were still that many SSS-ranks out there?
"I don't know all of their names, but I do know one."
"What's the name?"
"Kairo Verdan. If you ever run into someone by that name, look carefully at his appearance. He has a small scar just below his jaw. For some reason, even magic can't remove it. And be careful — his power is said to be extremely… alien. Max, who's Cheon-oe-cheon and ranked tenth among hunters, nearly died fighting Kairo once. He only survived because other hunters were there at the time."
"Got it. Thanks for the heads-up."
Kairo Verdan… Do-ha had no idea when or how they might meet, but he found himself looking forward to it.
Max is Australia's Cheon-oe-cheon… and even someone like him struggled against this guy…
The sheer scale of New Age was far larger and more sprawling than he had expected. An organization of this size was nearly on par with the Demon God Cult.
"Have you ever heard of the Demon God Cult?"
"I've heard of it. But isn't that just a rumor? Even within New Age, the Demon God Cult is treated as common gossip…"
"The Demon God Cult is dangerous, so be careful. If you ever spot anyone with this mark, tell me immediately."
Do-ha showed Han Jeong-soo the Demon God mark saved on his phone. If New Age fell entirely into the Demon God Cult's hands, it would be a catastrophe.
"By the way… did you really overwhelm Heracles?"
Having read the articles, Han Jeong-soo couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. To dominate the next Cheon-oe-cheon — a man who could tear battleships apart — without taking a single scratch…
"What's so impressive about crushing a moron like that…"
Do-ha dug a finger in his ear as he spoke, and Han Jeong-soo let out a hollow laugh. Heracles was not someone you could casually dismiss like that.
"If headquarters contacts you, let me know."
"Yes, I'll report it immediately."
"How do you even contact headquarters, though? Do you only receive calls one-way?"
"No. I can send messages to headquarters. I can initiate contact — they just have to pick up on their end."
"Well, that's the same as a regular phone call."
Still, being able to reach them at all was something. The branch members could only receive calls one-way, so they always had to wait in frustrating silence.
"Shall I… try contacting them?"
"No. Not right now."
They needed to clean up the Korean branches first and contact headquarters afterward. Reaching out now might only raise suspicion.
"Excuse me for a moment — I need the restroom…"
"Sure. It's right by the front entrance."
"Yes."
Han Jeong-soo rose from his seat. At that moment—
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
His phone started ringing.
"Headquarters?"
"No. The Association."
"Go take it. You're still a dispatch team manager — you've got a job to do."
"Thank you."
Han Jeong-soo gave a light bow and answered the call as he headed for the restroom. Most of these calls were just requests to send more Association personnel, so there was no real need to listen in.
A few minutes passed.
The door creaked open.
"Do-ha-nim, I need to head into the Association. Something enormous has come up…"
"Something enormous? Did a Gate Wave hit or something?"
Do-ha tilted his head at Han Jeong-soo's expression. What could have him looking so shaken?
"A Gate of a type never seen before has appeared on Mount Macha, near Soyosan Station. The Association is requesting additional personnel for the Gate site."
"Is it a dangerous situation?"
"No — if anything, it's closer to good news. They're saying it's a Gate that leads to another dimension."
"Oh… is that so?"
It was surprising, but not particularly special. The dimension where dwarves lived, the dimension where elves lived — Earth was already connected to other dimensions.
"Wonder what race it'll be this time."
Canteas, sprawled on his side with his chin propped on one hand, toyed with the map in a thoroughly unimpressed mood.
"They said the race is human. From a dimension called Bel…hart? Something like that…"
Han Jeong-soo trailed off mid-sentence, his mouth snapping shut. The moment the word Belhart left his lips, why had both of their expressions changed so drastically?
"D-did I say something wrong…?"
"…What did you just say? Which dimension?"
"From what I heard over the phone, a dimension called Belhart."
Do-ha and Canteas stared at each other in stunned silence.
What on earth was going on…? Belhart and Earth were connected?
"Belhart — you're sure? Absolutely sure? You didn't mishear?"
Canteas was the first to recover, bolting upright from his seat.
"The person who came through said it was Belhart."
"The languages shouldn't even be compatible. You're saying the human who came through said 'Belhart' with their own mouth?"
Canteas's suspicion was entirely reasonable. When he himself had first been summoned because of Do-ha, he had spoken in the language of the Belhart world. Only afterward had he learned Korean through translation magic.
"I don't know the details, but apparently the person who came through used a language they'd heard before, projecting it through magic. Something about how the guy used to mutter in that language sometimes, so they tried it…?"
"…Do you know the name of the person who came through?"
Do-ha's expression had gone rigid.
There was only one person who spoke like that.
"Emilton. She introduced herself as Emilton Deyrot."
"My apologies. This is all I have to offer…"
Association President Kim Hee-jae set a cup of green tea before the seated Emilton. He had debated between coffee and a soft drink, but since she was from another dimension, he settled on something safe — green tea.
"Ah, thank you."
Emilton smiled and took a sip.
"Is it to your taste?"
"Yes, the aroma is lovely."
"I'm glad. I was worried it might not suit someone from another dimension."
"Our dimension is a place where people live too, you know."
She had already taken stock of her surroundings on the way here. One look was enough to tell her this was a dimension inhabited by humans as well. The only real difference was that scientific technology was far more advanced.
"What kind of place is the Belhart dimension? This is our first time meeting someone from another world…"
"It's a beautiful place. Though there have been quite a few headaches lately."
"Ah, yes — no matter which dimension you go to, problems always seem to arise."
The Association President smiled and nodded.
Is she really from another dimension?
There was no sense of dissonance at all. It felt no different from conversing with someone from a foreign country he was meeting for the first time.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Yes, come in."
The door to the Association President's office opened, and Manager Han Jeong-soo entered.
"Ah, Manager Han."
"Mr. President. We've dispatched hunters around the Gate perimeter, but I was told not to allow entry…"
"Yes, that's correct. Lady Emilton here specifically requested that no one enter the Gate."
"It's still unstable, so I blocked entry — there's no telling what kind of accident might occur."
"Ah, I see."
Han Jeong-soo nodded at Emilton's explanation.
"Also, Mr. President — a guest has arrived."
"A guest?"
"Yes."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a masked Do-ha stepped into the Association President's office.
"Who…"
"Do— I mean, this is Mr. A."
"Mr. A?? But why a full mask today instead of just a face covering…"
At the manager's words, the Association President looked slightly flustered. The man had donned a full face mask that completely concealed his identity — not a half-mask or a simple covering, but a full mask.
"Mr. A?"
Do-ha simply nodded without a word.
— I came just in case of any unforeseen incidents. Please don't mind me and continue your conversation.
— Ah, yes.
Hearing the telepathic message, the Association President answered naturally and returned to his seat.
"My apologies for the interruption mid-conversation. I oversee all operations, so…"
"I understand. In our dimension, the people at the top are always busy as well."
Emilton smiled as she spoke, and Do-ha simply stared at her in silence.
Emilton… it really is you.
A considerable amount of time had passed since his disappearance, yet her face was unchanged. She was a mage, so it wasn't as though she had undergone Rejuvenation — and yet she still looked exactly as she had in her youth.
Several hours later, Emilton returned to the Gate at Mount Macha.
"You really didn't need to see me off."
"Not at all. You're a guest who has visited our Earth, after all."
The Association President smiled at her words. A meeting like this was a bond of its own — how could he send her off alone?
"Then I hope we meet again soon."
"Yes. I only came through on our Emperor's orders, but… I do hope this leads to an exchange between our worlds."
Then—
— Mr. President. Would it be possible for me to speak with her alone for a moment?
— Excuse me??
The sudden request left the Association President thoroughly startled. The man who had sat in complete silence for hours — why now?
— I'm not looking for a fight. I just have a few questions.
— Ah…
— Don't worry. I would hardly harass a guest from another dimension.
— That wasn't my concern.
The Association President nodded and looked at the staff nearby.
"I have something to discuss, so Association personnel, follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
"Mr. A. Would you mind seeing our guest off?"
Do-ha nodded. The Association President had steered the situation with remarkable naturalness.
Footsteps faded into the distance.
"Mr. A… was it?"
Do-ha nodded.
"What a peculiar name. Are you always this quiet?"
He nodded again.
"Pfft."
As Do-ha kept nodding, she burst out laughing.
"You, of all people, being quiet… isn't that a terrible lie? Even when you fought enemies, you were always running your mouth and taunting them."
Do-ha said nothing.
"It's been a long time, Your Majesty."
At Emilton's words, Do-ha removed his mask.
"How did you know it was me?"
"I spent over forty years with you. I could recognize you by the sound of your breathing alone."
She shrugged.
"You come out too, you bag of bones."
With a rush of displaced air, Canteas teleported into view.
"I knew it was you, you madwoman!"
"Who are you calling a madwoman, you worthless pile of bones even a dog wouldn't bother chewing?"
As Canteas appeared via teleportation, Emilton rushed forward and threw her arms around him.