Challenging the Gate (5)

The magic beast died shortly after.

The mana stone inside its body dissolved and seeped out.

Perhaps because I had delivered the final blow, a significant amount of mana flowed into me as well.

It was a good thing, but it wasn't without its downsides.

Because of this, it was painfully obvious that the final strike had been mine.

Well, it's not like I did anything wrong.

Awakener registration is mandatory, but registering as a wizard is not. I hadn't broken any laws.

I could reveal it at any time; I was simply holding back for a greater payoff later.

It was a gray area that only existed because no one had ever actually done this before, but hey, it wasn't illegal.

As time passed, the others slowly began to stir.

Even if it was an A-rank beast's skill, the attack had been an ultra-wide-area one.

Its power was dispersed enough that even E-rank hunters could get back up after some time had passed.

"..."

However, even though everything was wrapping up nicely, one problem remained.

The prime example was the person currently sitting next to me, glaring holes into my side.

Honestly, it wasn't like I had nothing to say, but I felt her intense stare was a bit much.

"Fortunately, everyone is waking up. It's a miracle. Usually, when a gate escalation occurs, it's common for the death toll—not just casualties—to exceed seventy percent."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In most cases, there are no high-rank hunters around. And many low-rank gates didn't start out that way; they were high-rank gates whose grades gradually degraded over time, making them easier to overlook."

"A classic case of safety insensitivity."

"It's also a manpower shortage. Gate escalations are rare, but there are far too many low-rank gates to prepare for every single one."

The surrounding people gradually stood up, and police officers along with a few hunters were entering through the gate entrance to handle the aftermath.

They helped the fallen low-rank hunters to their feet and escorted them out. Some, seemingly unwilling to spend another second inside the gate, bolted straight for the exit.

The situation was resolved without escalating to the absolute worst-case scenario.

Under normal circumstances, it was a moment worthy of a celebratory toast.

Yet, a strange tension lingered between the two of us.

Neither of us had done anything wrong, but we eyed each other like people harboring guilty secrets.

"So, what exactly was... that just now?"

Ultimately, it was the one seeking the truth who broke the silence. Han Yeseo cut straight to the chase, demanding an explanation for what I had shown her earlier.

Filtering this through a wizard's logical processing, I arrived at three possible options:

1. Play dumb and deny everything.

2. Just come clean and reveal that I'm a wizard.

3. Cook up another excuse.

Obviously, Option 1 wouldn't fly. She had already seen the mana flowing into me; playing dumb would only deepen her suspicion that I was hiding something.

Option 2? There would be no turning back from that. The human brain is incapable of un-knowing a truth.

That left Option 3. Objectively, it was the most suitable choice.

Even if Option 3 failed and the truth was exposed, I could always fall back on Option 2. It was better to try Option 3 first before resorting to Option 2.

I pulled out the excuse I had prepared beforehand.

"That just now... was my unique ability. I don't really know how it works, but it usually triggers without any warning signs."

The excuse I came up with was a unique ability. It was a cover story I had kept in reserve, and even now, it struck me as incredibly convenient.

Everyone has a unique ability. But they are all completely different.

Even if they look similar, the details vary, and they can evolve over time. Furthermore, while it's certain these abilities exist, many hunters don't even know what theirs are.

I was curious about my own unique ability too. But since it wasn't something I could control at will, I just left it alone.

This made it easy to gloss over. I could claim it was a unique ability, but that I didn't know the activation conditions, and that it had triggered by chance, saving our lives.

It was a plausible excuse, given that there were unique abilities out there that granted massive firepower in exchange for extreme constraints.

"A... unique ability?"

"Yes. I can't control it properly. Sometimes it works when I try to use it, and sometimes it doesn't. That's why I was awake earlier and wanted to help, but I didn't know what the trigger condition was. I struggled for a long time before it finally fired... I'm just glad it worked!"

I had decided to hide the fact that I was a wizard for the time being, but I never assumed it would stay hidden forever.

Situations where I absolutely had to use magic, like just now, could arise, and this world was full of variables.

Slip up and get caught? I wasn't some non-wizard who failed to account for such scenarios. That was why I had prepared this excuse well in advance. Having factored in every possible variable, it was bound to sound convincing.

And the most convincing circumstantial evidence for this excuse was that I had no reason to hide it. If I possessed a special power, why wouldn't I make it public?

Because I was a villain? If so, I could have just run away midway through. There was no reason to save Han Yeseo. And if I were a villain, there were plenty of better options—like attacking Han Yeseo directly.

What about the actual truth—that I was a wizard? To date, there had never been a case of a wizard awakening without being detected during the initial evaluation.

It wasn't even a consideration. And unless someone was playing the long game like me, there was no reason not to reveal it immediately.

There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is a famous Sherlock Holmes quote: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." How do you deceive someone who knows this maxim? Simple. You just make the truth look impossible.

To her, the excuse I crafted would seem far less impossible than the actual truth.

"I... see. In any case, thank you. If it weren't for you, Sowol, many people would have died. At that moment, the magic beast was heading toward the others. If you hadn't been there..."

"Well, as long as it's resolved, that's all that matters."

Han Yeseo seemed convinced by my explanation.

"Ah! Since we've been through this together, do you want to exchange numbers? And how about we take a photo?"

Now, it was time to reap the benefits of dragging her into this. Part of the reason I accompanied her into this gate was to get close to her.

Despite the twists and turns, I had more than enough justification now. Exchanging numbers and taking a commemorative photo shouldn't raise any eyebrows. Besides, girls love taking proof shots. It wouldn't look suspicious at all.

"Ah, sure. Here's my number. Shall we take one here?"

"Sounds good."

Fortunately, Han Yeseo agreed immediately, and we took a commemorative photo right then and there.

Click—

"Hmm, I think it turned out well. Send it to my number too. Oh, and can I post this on Insta?"

"Ah, not yet, please. Since... I'm still only an E-rank, if people find out I took a photo with you, Yeseo, I heard there might be malicious comments. For the same reason... I'd appreciate it if you could keep it a secret that I helped defeat the magic beast..."

"Ah... there definitely are people like that. I understand. I'll just keep this in my gallery then."

"Yes. Well, I'm quite tired, so I'll head home now. See you next time."

"Sure."

Just like that, I succeeded in building a connection with Han Yeseo. My mind began to map out my next steps.

I needed to research magic further, master it, and experiment with the changes in mana I had experienced earlier... On top of that, I had to compile and organize everything that happened today... Ah.

Come to think of it, there's one more thing I need to do.

Right. Anticipating that I would post about this on the gallery later, I had secretly snapped another photo from a distance. I couldn't very well post a photo showing my own face, could I?

The moment I uploaded that, Han Yeseo would realize I was the fixed-handle user 'Mamabeobbeob,' which would expose my identity as a wizard.

Getting caught in a lie when we had barely built a relationship? And not even by confessing it myself, but through some third-party route? That would completely shatter any trust.

The best approach would be to avoid posting any personal information on the gallery altogether, but to maximize my gains, I had no choice. I needed to steadily lay the groundwork before becoming a high-rank hunter, and the gallery was the place with the strongest anonymity.

Time to go.

I confirmed that the photo of Han Yeseo taken from afar turned out well. All preparations were complete. It was time to head home and regroup.

Upon returning home and logging onto the internet, an article at the top of the page caught my eye. It was a report detailing Han Yeseo's heroic exploits.

Naturally, I scrolled down to check the comments.

At the very least, public opinion seemed favorable toward Han Yeseo. Since she had protected people and achieved the ideal outcome of zero casualties, it would be difficult for the public to react negatively.

However, this world is always home to people harboring immense dissatisfaction. Some comments were outright bashing her.

Most of those malicious comments were getting thoroughly thrashed in the replies, but still.

Well, shall I start my own self-promotion now?

Now that public opinion on Han Yeseo had improved, it was time to boost my own standing. I immediately posted a thread on the Hunter Gallery.

For the record, the prettiest was me. It might be a matter of personal taste, but I thought Baek Sowol was prettier than Han Yeseo.

Some comments were perfectly peaceful. They didn't seem to think much of it.

Naturally, there were non-believers. In a way, it was only to be expected. The gallery was a community with a high degree of anonymity. Hiding behind that anonymity, fabrication, lies, and slander were commonplace.

Disbelief was the default, and anyone who actually believed and got fooled was branded a sucker. It was only natural to doubt. Yet, those were the very people who would go out of their way to find evidence of fabrication.

And when reality contradicted their assumptions, they would immediately make a post. Just like the person below.

Naturally, that photo couldn't be found anywhere else. Because the one I took was the original.

The comments section quickly went to hell, with people arguing that the poster simply failed to find it. Everyone was stubbornly insisting they were right.

The most effective way to put out a fire like this was to ignore the trolls. If left alone, it would eventually die down. However, doing so ran the risk of getting banned from the gallery.

That would be a hassle. I decided to provide a simple verification—something that would really set the bait ablaze.

Those were the three selected fixed-handle users. I lightly manipulated my mana to write their names in the air.

After confirming that the recording had finished successfully, I posted again.

Having uploaded a post that would surely blow up the gallery, I turned off my phone.

Soon, trolls from all over would swarm the comments section. Dealing with them was the moderators' job, so I decided to stay off the gallery for a while.

Well, the doubts about me being a fake should definitely die down now.

With this, even if my identity were revealed later, people wouldn't think I had been lying. Satisfied, I began to contemplate the next gate I would raid.

The greatest connection I made in this gate...

...came to mind as I stared at the screen.

Back at her own home, Han Yeseo let out a sigh of relief as she looked at her messages with Baek Sowol.

This was because, occasionally, some people chose to abandon the hunter lifestyle entirely, finding it far more grueling than they had anticipated.

Baek Sowol was a complete novice who had just entered an E-rank gate for the first time. Having faced mortal danger right off the bat, it wouldn't have been surprising if she had given up on being a hunter altogether.

Yet, Baek Sowol was stronger than she had expected.

No, maybe it's the opposite?

Normal people would be consumed by fear after experiencing such danger. But Baek Sowol was different.

Whether by luck or skill, she had ultimately contributed to taking down the magic beast herself.

Perhaps she had felt a rush of exhilaration instead, driving her to challenge herself even further. In any case, it was a promising situation.

Well, I have plenty of time, but I should look for a suitable place. Maybe a D-rank gate would be appropriate...

Just as Han Yeseo was planning a schedule to cure her boredom—

Ring, ring, ring—

"Huh?"

Her phone rang.

"Oh, Jihu. What's up?"

[Hey, Yeseo-nuna. Are you okay? I heard there was a gate escalation.]

"Yeah, I handled it without much trouble. It was only a C-rank escalation, so it was well within my ability to handle alone."

The caller was Lee Jihu, a younger colleague from the same Binghwa Guild.

[I see. Actually, I called to ask you about that. Nuna, was there a wizard inside that gate by any chance?]

"What? A wizard?"

[Yeah.]

"What do you mean by that?"

An unexpected question slipped from Lee Jihu's lips. A wizard? Where was this coming from?

Han Yeseo was about to press for details, but Jihu sent her a message instead.

Han Yeseo clicked the link and reviewed the post. She also checked the other links attached in the comments.

There were clear traces of magic. And the photo was undeniable proof that he had been in the exact same place as her.

At that moment, a lingering doubt she had tucked away in the back of her mind resurfaced.

"I... have no idea."

[Really? Okay then.]

Click—

However, Han Yeseo chose not to tell Lee Jihu about her suspicions. It was a decision guided by her own intuition.

If Sowol really is a wizard... that would explain how she did those things.

If she were a wizard—a wizard hiding her true power—then everything would make sense.

Even so, she couldn't bring herself to voice her suspicions.

No matter the circumstances, Baek Sowol was the primary reason the crisis had been resolved with zero casualties.

Having benefited from that miracle herself, Han Yeseo felt it would be ungrateful to cast doubt on her savior.

Besides, there was no obvious reason for Baek Sowol to hide such a fact in the first place.

But...

Even so, it was impossible to completely banish the doubt lingering deep within her heart.

Thus, she kept that tiny seed of suspicion tucked away. After all, it just might turn out to be the truth.