The System and the Unknown Realms
Hongryeon Guild headquarters rooftop. He withdrew the mana barrier and landed silently on the roof.
On a bench in the rooftop garden, Park So-jin lounged with a red coat draped casually over her shoulders, sipping from a can of beer. Spotting him, she waved.
"You're here? Our pint-sized hero."
"Drinking on the job?"
"I'm the guild master. No overtime pay—gotta let me have this much or I'll lose my mind."
So-jin tossed the empty can into the trash. He followed her to the private elevator. The floor buttons were too high. She smirked and pressed the top-floor button for the guild master's office instead. Irritation bubbled up, but he held it in.
The elevator glided downward.
"So, business, huh? What errand did that old geezer from the Association send you on?"
"Remember that ancient book you showed me last time? The one rotting away."
Her expression turned dead serious in an instant—the cool face of an S-rank hunter, all playfulness gone.
"Yeah. The one we picked up from that harpy nest."
"The Association's research team has a hypothesis."
The doors opened. As they walked to the guild master's office, he continued explaining. The classification of fantasy-type and wuxia-type monsters. The nagging speculation that they might harbor neidans—energy crystals—instead of mana stones. He carefully concealed his own firsthand experience absorbing a neidan during training, packaging it all as purely the Association's theory.
Seated across from each other on the office sofa, So-jin rubbed her face dryly.
"This is insane. For real."
She groaned.
"If that's true, it means two completely different worldviews are mashed together inside the gates. And neidans? Aren't those the miracle elixirs from wuxia novels that give you a power-up when you eat them?"
"It's just the Association's guess. Nothing confirmed yet."
"Nah. It fits too perfectly."
She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Lately, our guild hit a dungeon where the mobs dropped these weird talismans—like creepy shaman charms. Already bizarre that beast cubs were using tools, and no mana stones? We just cursed it as a bust. Didn't expect it to connect like this."
So-jin shot to her feet. She tapped the tablet on her desk, bundling dozens of secure files and sending them straight to his email.
"No secrets here. Just sent you all the data from Hongryeon's recent clears on those off-kilter dungeons, plus ecology logs on the variant beasts."
"Handing it over this easily? That's gotta be valuable intel."
"You think it's about money? If word gets out about these neidans or whatever, deranged hunters will slaughter each other digging for them—turning the world into a bloodbath."
Her eyes sharpened fiercely.
"Get it to the Association's research team fast and have them figure out countermeasures. I won't stand for the world my daughter grows up in turning into a lawless slaughterhouse."
This was why Park So-jin was so straightforward. Quick to read the situation, crystal clear on what lines not to cross. He stood.
"I'll pass it on. We'll reschedule that meat dinner soon."
"Yeah. Hitting other guilds too?"
"A few more stops."
He gave a light wave and headed back to the roof.
He crossed the night sky. Next destination: a massive building in central Gangbuk. Headquarters of Paradise Guild, the behemoth standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Hongryeon as one of Korea's twin giants.
He released the mana barrier and descended to the rooftop helipad. Before his toes even touched down—
Shiiiing.
The air sliced sharply. A viciously keen aura erupted from the darkness. Not outright killing intent, but an overwhelming wave of power that instinctively made him draw up his mana. From the rooftop entrance strode a tall, imposing man.
Neatly combed-back hair. Sharp, refined features in his early forties. A tailored suit hugging his frame. Former national fencing team member. Current Paradise Guild master. S-rank physical enhancer and Korea's top sword demon, Ryu Ji-hwan.
"Tae-ho."
Ji-hwan called his name in a low voice. In his hand was the special alloy stick he always carried—not just a cane, but a deceptive weapon that could morph into a thin, lethal blade at any moment.
"Long time. Ji-hwan hyung."
He greeted flatly. Back in the early Gate Shock days, when the front lines crumbled and the capital was on the brink, one of the few comrades who'd guarded his back. Not the jovial banter type like So-jin, but a man bound by heavy trust forged in life-and-death battles. Ji-hwan approached, lightly tapping the stick on the ground.
A faint question lingered in his gaze as he looked down at him.
"You showing up unannounced? First time you've come to me. What's up? The Association wouldn't waste you on errands."
Sharp as ever. Piercing the oddity in one go.
"National security business. Need access to your guild's database, hyung."
No beating around the bush. He laid out the Association conversation. The disparate fantasy and wuxia monster classifications. The possibility of neidans. Ji-hwan's impassive face subtly hardened as he listened.
"...So, you're saying Paradise hands over all logs from our anomalous dungeons and beast dissections to the Association for free."
"Exactly."
Ji-hwan stared coldly into the void.
"That Association president sure knows how to play. Demanding guild secrets, but sending you instead of some admin order. Knows damn well I can't coldly refuse a request from Kang Tae-ho."
"Sorry to hit you with this hassle right off the bat after so long, hyung."
Genuine apology. Leveraging brotherhood for intel grated on him too. But Ji-hwan just sighed deeply and shook his head.
"No. If it's big enough to move you, the implications are beyond imagining. You're no errand boy."
He raised his stick, pointing toward the rooftop entrance.
"Got it. By tomorrow morning, we'll encrypt and send all relevant data to the Association servers. Keep Paradise's name out of it until I give the word—don't want the political tightrope."
"Understood. Thanks."
"Go on. Next time you're free, grab a drink with So-jin and me."
Short, dry farewell. Ji-hwan turned and vanished into the building. Perfect, no-frills efficiency. He checked the time. Well past midnight.
"Ugh, tired."
The remaining major guilds were middling ones without S-ranks. No need to knock at dawn. Work for the day done. He lifted off toward the penthouse.
The next day. Afternoon sun bathed the Seoul sky. After a solid rest, time to clean up the leftovers.
Three A-rank centered guilds, major but S-rank-less. He toured their HQs in sequence. No polite requests this time.
"Open the door."
First guild's lobby. Hovering midair, he unleashed his mana waves unchecked. Crushing gravity like suffocating weight. Guards and A-rank hunters flattened to the floor, sweating bullets.
"K-Kang Tae-ho Hunter-nim! Wh-what brings you here?!"
He matched eye level with the guild master who came scrambling out, grabbing his collar in spirit.
"Send every scrap of data from anomalous dungeons cleared in the last year to the Association. All beast ecology reports too. You have one hour."
"Y-yes sir! Sending it right now!"
No explanations needed. Raw power made paperwork and excuses luxuries. Wrangling data from the three guilds took just 40 minutes. Mission complete.
Rooftop of an abandoned high-rise on the city outskirts. He perched on the railing and pulled out his smartphone. Called the old man.
—Yo, Tae-ho!
"Hongryeon and Paradise data should be in. Just strong-armed the three small fries into sending theirs too. Check it."
—Checked! Massive data dump just hit the servers! This sample size—research team can pull meaningful results in a week. You killed it. Thanks to you.
"Send me the briefing when results are out. I'm out."
He hung up. Sat on the railing, swinging his legs idly in the air. Cool autumn breeze tousled his silver hair.
Below sprawled Seoul's dense forest of skyscrapers and traffic-choked roads. Peaceful daily life. The invisible gears grinding endlessly in the shadows to keep it that way.
Chin in hand, he gazed skyward. Clear blue, no rifts visible. But behind it lurked the horrific unknown.
What the hell are gates, anyway.
Western fantasy. Eastern wuxia. Ecosystems from human imagination manifesting into reality. Mana stones and neidans.
And what's with the System.
The damn System that "saved" humanity by forcibly remodeling his body into this 140cm magical girl form. What connection did it have to the worlds beyond the gates? Why grant him alone this overwhelming, freakish mana optimization? Thoughts spiraled endlessly. His mind tangled.
"Haa."
He exhaled a deep, long sigh. Overthinking didn't suit him. Racking his brain here wouldn't drop cosmic truths from the sky.
Whatever the truth—gods, demons, or interdimensional overlords beyond the gates.
"If they barge into my front yard, just smash their heads in. Done."
Simple, clear conclusion. That was his specialty, the only way to navigate this exhausting world. He wasn't guarding humanity's future or grand truths. Just mom's kimchi jjigae on the dinner table, a silly game sesh with his sister. That humid, cozy routine.
He hopped up. Blew away the tangled thoughts on the wind.
"Gonna ask for samgyeopsal tonight."
A faint smile tugged his lips. A light push off his toes, and mana repulsion launched him skyward. Cutting through the city skyline, he flew home to his cozy penthouse. Another flawless—if annoying—day drawing to a close.