Folly of the Ignorant
I stood a short distance away with the Hero, deep in thought. "What should we do?"
"I don't know..." Yu Jin murmured. "Wouldn't it be better if just the two of us cleared it?"
But that carried its own set of risks. The Gate possessed incomprehensible elements, and both the Hero and I were severely weakened compared to our prime. With so many volatile variables, making a reckless move was far too dangerous.
"That's going to be tough for now," I said. "Unlike back then, we're much weaker." He no longer possessed his Holy Sword, and I had lost my connection to the Goddess.
"That is..."
"Yu Jin, you don't have the Holy Sword anymore, do you?"
"You're right..." he conceded softly.
The Holy Sword wasn't just some exceptionally sturdy blade. It was a cheat-tier artifact that granted a plethora of passive buffs just by holding it. While Yu Jin himself seemed to have grown even stronger than during our days in the other world, the absence of his signature weapon was a massive handicap.
I dragged him to a nearby cafe to clear our heads. Even though I had already had coffee earlier, the lingering frustration made me crave the icy, bitter liquid, and I kept gulping it down. "Ugh, this is so frustrating."
Yu Jin remained silent, staring into his cup.
"Hey, Yu Jin. What do you really think about this Gate?"
"Well... considering it's a trap that gave even us a hard time, I think a cautious approach is the right call."
And here he was suggesting we just charge in a minute ago. It seemed he had finally regained his composure.
"Don't you have a buff that grants mental resistance?" he asked.
"I do, but..." The problem was that even my divine buffs couldn't offer absolute immunity. "Ultimately, it all comes down to the individual's mental fortitude."
"But if they know what to expect and prepare themselves, wouldn't they be able to endure it?"
He had a point. "If we have no other choice, that's how we'll have to tackle it." But since a slip-up could lead to disaster, we would need to make meticulous preparations.
"What about purification?"
"Purification?"
He was suggesting we advance while actively purifying the charm and dream magic drifting through the air.
"I doubt that'll work. If it were that simple, we wouldn't have been caught off guard back then."
Back then, I had exhausted massive amounts of my Holy Power trying to protect our party, yet I still couldn't wake them from their slumber. The Succubus Queen's magic was not something that could be easily cleansed.
"That's true..." Yu Jin sighed.
It was incredibly frustrating. If we left that Gate alone, the body count would skyrocket. Even if a team of S-class hunters assembled, they would likely fail. Only Yu Jin and I possessed the specific experience required to conquer it. But what if we left it alone and a Gate Break occurred? Succubi and incubi flooding onto Earth? That would be a literal living hell.
The Succubus Queen, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was particularly dangerous. She was not just a powerful mage, but a brilliant, cunning strategist. If she broke free, she could subjugate Earth in the blink of an eye. She had tormented humanity relentlessly in the other world; if she was unleashed here, a true apocalypse would unfold. The insidious nature of succubus and incubus magic made it the perfect tool for pulling strings from the shadows.
Sigh. I drained my second cup of coffee and stared blankly at the ceiling. The helplessness of the situation was suffocating. We had to deal with it, but even if I threw caution to the wind and unleashed my full power, success wasn't guaranteed. It was infuriating. What angered me most was that even with the Hero standing right beside me, we were still backed into a corner.
"Here, eat something sweet and calm down." Yu Jin returned to the table, carrying a slice of cake and a fruit smoothie.
What a terrible pairing.
"You should've brought coffee, not a smoothie," I grumbled.
"O-oh. Should I go swap it?"
"No, it's fine. I was just saying that bitter coffee pairs best with sweet cake. Anyway, thanks."
As the sugary cake and sweet smoothie hit my tongue, the sudden rush of glucose finally soothed my frayed nerves. "Well... the Gate will work itself out somehow." Surely, if enough smart people put their heads together, they would find a way. "Yeah. Let's not stress over it too much."
We decided to leave the site in the hands of the Management Department for the day. However, Yu Jin looked incredibly reluctant to say goodbye.
"We're going to see each other tomorrow anyway," I pointed out. To deal with the Gate, we would have to meet up again. And given the sheer danger of the dungeon, his strength was indispensable.
"Oh, and Yu Jin, make sure you get your Hunter license today." Even if his official rank started out low, having that license would give us plenty of excuses to bring him along. We could register him as a porter or a support member to avoid raising eyebrows.
"I will," he replied.
Despite my reassurance that we would meet tomorrow, Yu Jin lingered, his feet practically glued to the pavement. Truth be told, I felt a similar reluctance—not just to leave him, but to leave that Gate unattended. I knew a Gate Break would take at least a few weeks to occur, but what if some reckless hunters decided to sneak inside? They would end up as nothing more than dried-up husks, their life force completely harvested by the succubi and incubi.
It was a worrying thought, but surely no one would be foolish enough to bypass the Management Department's security. And there was no way the authorities would bypass the Murim Alliance to hire some other guild to clear it, right? Not after I had explicitly warned them of the danger.
I gave Yu Jin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Well, see you tomorrow." I offered a gentle wave. Yu Jin reluctantly raised his hand in return. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Tomorrow. The word carried a strange, fluttering weight. I had always known the Hero would return to Earth eventually, but actually having him back in my life stirred up a profound sense of nostalgia. Anyway, what should I do when I get home? Seo-hee was going to be late tonight, and the mere thought of cooking dinner for myself was already exhausting.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Yu Jin still standing there, hesitating as he stole glances in my direction. Oh, for heaven's sake... His puppy-dog reluctance was so obvious it was almost painful. I figured the best thing to do was to vanish from his sight quickly so he could finally move. It was still a bit early, but maybe I should just grab some takeout on the way home.
The next day, when I arrived at the Gate site with my sister in the late afternoon, the atmosphere was chaotic.
"What's going on? Why is everyone so riled up?" I asked.
"I... I don't know," Seo-hee replied, looking equally bewildered.
We made our way toward the staging area where the Murim Alliance Guild members were gathering. The core members of the raid team, including Namgung Min and Ddaengjung, were huddled together in a tense circle.
"We're here," Seo-hee announced.
The hunters turned to look at us. "Ah, you've arrived," Namgung Min acknowledged.
Despite our arrival, the surrounding clamor didn't die down. "What is all this racket about?" I demanded, looking around. What on earth had happened?
"Amitabha... I am not sure if Benefactor Nix should hear this," Ddaengjung said with a strained chuckle.
What is that supposed to mean? Namgung Min kept his eyes closed, maintaining a grim, solemn silence. Look at him, trying to act all brooding and cool.
"So, spit it out. What happened?" I pressed.
"W-well, the thing is..." Another guild member finally gathered the courage to speak up. The news he delivered made my blood run cold with sheer irritation.
"So, let me get this straight," I said, my voice dropping an octave. "Even though I explicitly warned them of the danger, those idiots recklessly sent in an investigation team anyway?"
"Yes... Once they heard there were no monsters up to the castle gates, it seems they couldn't suppress their curiosity."
Unbelievable. So a group of Association investigators and hunters banded together and marched right into the Gate?
"And let me guess. They didn't make it back out."
The guild member stole a glance at my darkening expression and gave a tense nod.
"To make matters worse, the Management Department panicked and sent in even more hunters to rescue them."
Those absolute, brainless morons! I felt a sudden, violent urge to grab the nearest official and throttle them. No, I was definitely going to beat someone up today. I was going to find whoever authorized this brain-dead operation and break their nose.
"Without a mental barrier, they would've been sitting ducks," I snarled.
"Yes. According to our latest reports, thirty people entered in total. Not a single one has returned."
Thirty. Thirty grown-ass humans had just served themselves up on a silver platter to those damn succubi and incubi.
"God, this is so irritating!" Unable to contain my rage, I aggressively ran my fingers through my golden hair, messing it up completely.
"Sister?" Seo-hee called out, startled.
"I clearly warned them... those fucking idiots..."
Feeding that much human essence to succubi and incubi meant the monsters inside had just received a massive power boost. The Succubus Queen would be stronger than ever now, making our raid infinitely more difficult.
"Sigh..."
"Is it really worth getting this worked up over?" Seo-hee asked, looking as if we could just stroll in and rescue them.
"Seo-hee, there are succubi and incubi in that Gate. Those monsters feed on human life force. Thirty people were captured, which means thirty people just had their essence completely drained."
I paused, my expression grim. "And once those monsters absorb that much essence, they grow exponentially stronger. This is a massive disaster for us."
"Ah..." Several guild members gasped, the color draining from their faces.
"Dammit..."
"This is going to be a pain in the ass."
"We weren't even sure if our current roster could withstand their charm magic, and now this happens?"
Still, we couldn't just abandon the victims. Succubi and incubi rarely killed their prey instantly; they preferred to keep them alive as long-term livestock to slowly drain their life force. If we searched the dungeon, we would likely find them alive. This wasn't like the Millennium Ancient City where everyone was immediately slaughtered.
"So, what did the Management Department have to say for themselves?" I demanded.
"W-well, they said that if we initiate the raid..."
"They want us to find their people first?" I cut him off, my glare so intense that the guild member flinched and took a step back.
"Cease badgering the weak," Namgung Min finally spoke up, stepping between us.
"That's... fair enough," I muttered, crossing my arms.
"We merely need to perform our duty," he added in his usual dignified tone.
Easy for you to say. Still, I decided to head over and inspect the Gate. The area was heavily cordoned off, and a man in a sharp suit was pacing back and forth nearby, sweating profusely. One look at him and I knew...
"That's the bastard." I marched straight toward him, my boots clicking sharply against the asphalt. "Hey."
"What do you want?" The man scowled, looking me up and down. It seemed he had no idea who I was.
"So you're the piece of trash who ignored my warning and sent those people to their doom, huh?"
"Excuse me? What did you just say?" He bristled, clearly preparing to throw a tantrum.
"Am I wrong? I explicitly told you it was dangerous and to wait, but you went ahead and threw investigators and hunters into the meat grinder anyway."
The man's face contorted in anger. "Conducting a preliminary sweep to secure valuable resources is standard protocol!"
Listen to this absolute load of horseshit.
"Oh, is that so?" I decided I was done talking. Channeling a burst of Holy Power into my fist, I threw a straight punch.
*CRACK!*
With a sickening thud, the man was sent flying, rolling across the asphalt like a discarded tin can.
"Pfft, ahaha!" Watching the trash grovel on the ground instantly washed away my frustration.
"S-Sister?!" Seo-hee gasped.
The rest of the hunters stood frozen, too stunned to intervene. I wasn't about to let this opportunity slide. I strode over to the groaning man and delivered a swift, brutal kick right to his solar plexus. The impact lifted him off the ground before he skidded several feet away. The security guards and Management Department staff patrolling the perimeter gaped in absolute horror.
"If any of you want to stop me, feel free to step up," I announced, cracking my knuckles. "But I'll beat you to a pulp just the same."
Unsurprisingly, nobody moved a muscle. I walked back over to the man, grabbed him by his collar, and hoisted him up.
"Ack... cough, cough!" he wheezed, his face turning purple as he struggled for breath.
"Y-You... how dare..." He tried to squeak out a threat, so I simply slammed him headfirst back into the pavement. I had coated my hands in Holy Power, ensuring he wouldn't suffer any permanent physical damage, but the raw, agonizing shock of the impact was delivered perfectly. The sheer, unadulterated pain was too much for his pampered body to handle.
"What? Out cold already?" I grabbed him by the hair, lifted his head to confirm he had fainted, and tossed him aside like a sack of garbage. "Hey, you guys. Take this trash out of my sight." I pointed at the trembling guards.
To my amusement, not a single person from my guild or the Management Department stepped forward to defend him.
"I guess everyone was secretly wishing someone would do that, huh?" I remarked, walking back to our group. The hunters exchanged incredibly complex, awkward glances.
"What if that man tries to retaliate later?" one of the guild members whispered anxiously.
"Retaliate? Then I'll just give him a repeat performance."
"A repeat performance?"
I let out a wicked, low chuckle. "He only made such a brainless decision because he's never had to step foot inside a Gate himself, right? If he experienced it firsthand, he'd realize just how terrifying those monsters actually are."
Ah, now that I think about it... what a wasted opportunity. I shouldn't have just beaten him up here. I should have roughed him up a bit and then dragged his sorry ass straight into the Gate. I should have forced him to experience the consequences of his own sheer stupidity!
Before we moved out, I pulled aside a high-ranking official from the Management Department and told him that if the unconscious idiot woke up and asked who did this to him, he should tell him it was Nix Hemera. Let him try to get revenge. If that piece of trash dared to cross me again, I would gladly show him what divine retribution felt like.