Millennium Ancient City

The Gate gradually materialized, and before long, an emergency alert buzzed on my phone, urging everyone to evacuate.

Looking around, the stadium was completely empty, save for me, Ah-young, and Gyuri.

"It's a relief we spotted it early."

If we had been late to notice and people had panicked during the evacuation, there might have been casualties.

"U-Um, Nix... what should we do?"

Honestly, neither of their skills was particularly outstanding. Keeping them with me when we didn't even know the Gate's rank? No matter how powerful I was, it could get dangerous.

"For now, wait at a distance. When the support team arrives, explain the situation to them."

"Understood."

Given the gravity of the situation, the two of them followed my instructions without question.

The mana radiating from the Gate felt incredibly ominous... It seemed this one would be dangerous too.

It wasn't quite at the level of the Great Forest yet, but if the mana continued to swell, it would easily match it.

"Whew..."

What kind of Gate was this? Could it be connected to the Other World, just like the Great Forest?

If it was... did that mean these Gates were opening precisely because I was here?

A flurry of thoughts swirled in my head.

No, it's probably just a normal occurrence.

The Gate gradually took shape, and before it could fully stabilize, hunters and the Gate Management Department arrived.

By the way, the guild that showed up wasn't the Murim Alliance.

It was a local mid-to-small guild. They didn't have any A-class hunters; instead, a party of ten B-class hunters had arrived as backup.

"Thank you for the prompt report."

"I only reported it because I happened to see it."

The government official set up some strange devices around the area while monitoring the Gate's status.

When I asked, they explained that these machines were designed to block the Gate's gravitational pull.

Apparently, they used mana stones to suppress the Gate's magical energy, preventing it from sucking people in.

Huh, so there were things they didn't teach at the Academy.

Then again, those devices were strictly government-use, and ordinary hunters would never need to handle them, so it didn't really matter.

About ten minutes after the equipment was set up, the Gate fully revealed itself, spewing mana into the surroundings.

However, the surging mana could not breach the barrier of the devices the officials had painstakingly installed.

Before long, the scattered mana was sucked back into the portal, and the Gate stabilized into its complete form.

So that movement of mana is the gravitational pull...? It seemed that anyone touched by that energy would be dragged straight inside.

"The Gate has fully manifested!"

"Everyone, on guard!"

Even though monsters wouldn't pour out immediately, tension filled the air.

The Gate was an Alien-type, and what was visible inside...

"Tsk..."

I knew this place.

Yet another familiar place had appeared.

To be absolutely sure, I would need to step inside, but it didn't look like I'd get the chance this time.

Judging solely by the glimpse of the interior visible through the portal... it was the fortress known as the Millennium Ancient City.

It wasn't human territory. It belonged to a demon-adjacent race known as vampires.

The Millennium Ancient City was the domain of vampires—monsters who had immediately aligned themselves with the demons when the Demon King appeared and threw the world into chaos.

Vampires, or bloodsuckers... They were a race that had always been hostile to humanity, and they had built this fortress as their own sovereign territory.

Vampires were broadly divided into two categories: the high-ranking True Bloods (or purebloods), and the subspecies subjugated by them.

My knowledge was a bit fuzzy, but True Bloods were a long-lived race similar to elves. They looked human but consumed blood as a luxury, which led to them being treated as monsters.

Because of this, they had terrible relations with humans and built their own fortress.

That was the castle known as the Millennium Ancient City.

At any rate, even the seemingly flawless True Bloods had a fatal flaw: they struggled to reproduce.

Just like humans, True Bloods had to mate with their own kind to conceive, but because conception was so rare, their population never grew.

Thus, they resorted to another method to swell their ranks: creating subspecies.

A subspecies was created when a True Blood drained a creature's blood; if the victim possessed the right aptitude, they would transform, gaining power comparable to a True Blood.

However, unlike True Bloods, they were entirely sterile.

The problem was that these subspecies could also create their own subordinate subspecies, just like True Bloods.

Of course, with each successive generation, the bloodline became more diluted and degraded, making them weaker. Still, they used this method to multiply their numbers and establish their fortress.

In any case, the Millennium Ancient City, once inhabited by those very vampires, was now visible beyond the Gate.

"Tsk..."

It's not like I can explain any of this to them...

Vampires wielded powerful dark magic and a unique form of magic called blood magic. They possessed outstanding physical capabilities, rapid regeneration, and a stubborn resilience that made them incredibly annoying to kill—most wounds wouldn't even faze them.

Fortunately, the subspecies had a few glaring weaknesses: they were highly vulnerable to sunlight and holy light.

True Bloods didn't share these weaknesses, making them exceptionally powerful, but their numbers were extremely limited.

To clear a place like that, you would need at least an A-class party.

"So we have to conquer a castle."

One of the backup hunters muttered, assessing the situation.

"What do you want to do? Are we heading straight in?"

"I'm not sure if we should go in with just our team..."

As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward me.

It seemed he wanted me to join them.

He probably figured that with my support, even their party could successfully clear it.

But regardless of his hopes, I belonged to the Murim Alliance. I couldn't just decide to cooperate with another guild on a whim.

Of course, it would be fine if the guild gave the green light, but...

Eventually, the government official approached me to gauge my thoughts.

"Ask my guild."

Ask the Murim Alliance, not me.

When I gave him that answer, his shoulders slumped, and he retreated.

Deciding there was no immediate danger, I headed back toward the stands to meet up with Ah-young and Gyuri.

"U-Um, what are you going to do?"

"Well, if the Murim Alliance decides to clear it, I'll step up. Otherwise, I'm just going to watch."

That wasn't how I truly felt, but I gave a safe, diplomatic answer.

"Don't you actually want to go in?"

For some reason, Ah-young asked that.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It just felt like you wanted to enter the Gate, Nix."

Did she actually read my mind? Or maybe I just failed to control my facial expression...

"Well, it's just a hunch... but I think it'll be too dangerous for the support team over there."

"I-Is it really that bad?"

They say you can roughly estimate a Gate's difficulty by the mana it emits, but it's never a perfect science.

The issue with this Gate, once again, was Magi.

The True Blood vampires of the Other World and their subordinates had received Magi when they pledged themselves to the Demon King.

Since their abilities were enhanced by demonic energy, you couldn't measure their true strength through standard mana readings alone.

Well, their inherent weaknesses remained, which made them relatively easy to subjugate back then...

During my second year as a Saintess, I had completely brought down the Millennium Ancient City in a massive subjugation campaign.

Since the Goddess symbolized light and the sun, they were a terrible matchup against me, who wielded her power directly.

It also helped that the Millennium Ancient City was located relatively close to human territory, making it an early target.

Although they were strong, they weren't formidable enough to produce anyone who could claim a spot among the Four Heavenly Kings.

In any case, once I began the subjugation of the Millennium Ancient City, some of the True Bloods abandoned their subordinates and fled.

I hadn't heard from them since, nor had I encountered them on the battlefield.

They were probably hiding out somewhere.

"So it's a dangerous Gate..."

"Yeah, something like that."

The government official seemed to have contacted the Murim Alliance, but it appeared they hadn't granted permission.

"Since it's late, you all may head home now."

They announced that the stadium would remain locked down until the Gate was cleared, and the raid itself would take place in a few days after they monitored the situation and gathered more information.

I wondered what I should do... I was slightly conflicted. Should I participate?

For now, I left the stadium to look for public transit to head home, but...

"Sis, are you okay?"

My younger sister had come to pick me up.

"Seohui? Did you come to pick me up?"

"Yeah, I heard a Gate appeared."

My heart warmed at my sister's concern.

"Fufu, thanks to noticing it early, nothing happened."

If we had been late to spot it and the devices hadn't been set up in time, we might have been dragged in by the gravitational pull...

"That's a relief."

Seohui offered to give Ah-young and Gyuri a ride as well.

"U-Um, are you sure we're not imposing...?"

"It's late, so going by car will be much faster."

The two of them looked deeply touched and slightly overwhelmed by her kindness.

On the way back, we talked about what had happened at the stadium.

"It's all thanks to you noticing it so quickly, Sis."

"Indeed."

"Do you think that Gate is dangerous?"

"Yes. It'll probably be on par with the Great Forest."

Seohui bit her nail while keeping her eyes on the road.

"That's worrying."

Since Ah-young and Gyuri were still in the car, I couldn't reveal the exact nature of the Gate.

After dropping them off, we finally returned to Seohui's apartment.

"So, that Gate is also..."

"From the Other World."

"Do you want to go inside?"

"Not particularly."

If it were any other Gate, maybe, but the Millennium Ancient City was a place I had completely purified, so there was nothing novel about it to me.

In any case, based on what we learned from the Great Forest Gate, we could deduce that the Millennium Ancient City was also a manifestation of its past self.

"So the monsters appearing there are vampires?"

"Yes."

Many of them are humanoid, though some are beast-like demi-humans.

"Do they actually drink blood?"

"Of course they do."

For True Bloods, it's more of a luxury... but for the subspecies below them, the more diluted their bloodline, the stronger their bloodlust becomes, making feeding an absolute necessity.

I don't know the exact reason, but that's how it is.

"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?"

"It certainly is."

But as long as people don't recklessly charge in, it should be fine.

"What's on your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mind?"

"I'm worried they'll cause an accident."

She was worried that some mid-to-small guild would insist on clearing it themselves, only to mess up and cause a massive disaster...

"Hmm, when you put it that way, I suppose it is a bit concerning."

When I cleared that place back then, I had purified it using the Goddess's power...

"It's a shame you didn't even get to watch the baseball game properly."

"Not really."

It was decent enough, and the unique cheering atmosphere was quite nice. But it wasn't something I'd get wildly passionate about.

"Is that so?"

"Do you like baseball, by any chance?"

"No?"

Then why did she even ask?

Anyway, as soon as we got home, I washed up and lay down. But since sleep eluded me, I ended up fiddling with my phone.

I searched the internet to see how today's incident was being covered...

"Hmm..."

It was being treated quite seriously.

With Gates appearing less frequently lately, especially in crowded areas, public complacency had been on the rise—right until this happened.

Many posts pointed this out, warning that everyone needed to remain vigilant.

And... there was also praise for me detecting the Gate so quickly.

Comments saying things like, "An S-class is truly an S-class," or "We got so lucky..."

Amidst those, there were also some sexually harassing comments.

Saying things like, "The guys who got to see her body up close must've been so lucky..."

Then, I stumbled upon a rather peculiar post.

It mentioned people who had gone missing inside Gates.

Since a Gate had opened at a baseball stadium, someone had written a post claiming that several baseball players had gone missing inside Gates.

It listed various names, specifying which teams they had played for.

I read through it, genuinely worried that so many people had gone missing... only to lose all my dumbfoundedness when I read the comments below.

Apparently, the author had just listed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠players who had quietly retired because they lacked the skill...

"Are you fucking kidding me...?"

I was actually worried, and it turned out to be fake news?

But among those players' names, there was one that made me flinch.

Kim Yujin...

The Hero's name was written right there.

Honestly, "Yujin" was a relatively common name, so it was probably just a coincidence.

Since Kim was the most common surname anyway, it had to be a different person with the same name.

"By the way, what is Yu Jin up to right now...?"

He was probably doing well.

I shouldn't have read that useless post...

Time to sleep.