Monsters from the Dimensional Rift
I was left alone in the guest room after the Monster Queen of this other world departed.
A teacup, untouched and now stone-cold, sat forlornly on the table.
I tapped the smooth, chilled surface with my fingertip, staring blankly out the window.
A disbelieving chuckle escaped my lips.
They dragged me all the way to Osaka, Japan, just to ask if I'd attend a meeting three months from now.
The long-lived races must have some seriously shattered ideas about efficiency.
If they were gonna do this, they could've at least given me a smartphone and made a group chat.
Overwhelmed by exhaustion, I sank deep into the ornate yet oddly uncomfortable sofa.
The rough velvet cushion prickled unpleasantly against the nape of my neck.
I was just about to close my eyes when—
—Ssslrk.
The thick vines sealing the guest room entrance slithered apart like snakes, revealing a familiar face.
It was the Elf Captain who had guided me here.
Perched on her shoulder floated the familiar fluffball, the wind spirit Sylph.
"Human! If you're free, come hang with us!"
The spirit zipped naturally to my shoulder, chattering the Elf Captain's words into my ear.
"I can understand your language now thanks to this mark on my hand. Just speak directly."
The Elf Captain's eyes widened round at my fluent elven speech bursting from my mouth.
A faint, soft smile spread across her lips, which had always been taut with vigilance.
"Is that true? Whew... what a relief. You have no idea how frustrating it was not being able to communicate."
She let out a deep sigh, stroking her chest.
I thought she was some stiff knight type, but she warms up quick once words flow.
"Wait, hold on!!! Does that mean I'm not needed anymore?!?"
The peaceful air shattered as the Sylph on my shoulder yelped in shock and shot into the air.
Its pea-sized eyes trembled like aspen leaves.
"This can't happen! Waaah! Don't ditch me! What am I gonna eat and live on?!"
The spirit blocked my face, flailing its stubby limbs in a tantrum.
It looked just like a pitiful 40-year-old perpetual middle manager who'd lost his desk overnight.
"I'll be good from now on!!!"
"Sylph. Enough."
The Elf Captain scolded the spirit in a firm, icy tone.
At that single word, tears welled up in the spirit's big eyes.
It looked so pathetically on the verge of spilling over.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and stepped between them.
"Eh, whatever. Just let it be."
"But it'll be a nuisance. It's disrespectful to the world's representative."
"Doesn't matter. It's lively and fun having it around."
No sooner had I spoken than color returned to the spirit's face.
"Human! You're the best!! Sweet mana never lies!!"
The little guy zipped over and rubbed its face madly against my cheek.
A squishy yet cotton-candy-soft sensation tickled my skin.
"Ah, got it, so stop. This enthusiasm is a bit much."
I reached out, grabbed the spirit by the scruff, and plopped it back on my right shoulder.
The Elf Captain shook her head helplessly at the sight.
"You're a strange human. Even spirits taking to you like that is amazing."
She let out a light laugh, then quickly sobered her expression.
"To business. As the representative, you should see the monsters appearing in our world ahead of time."
Monsters, huh.
"Can I see them right now?"
"Yes. There's a gate open nearby."
I gripped the sofa armrest and rose slowly.
My sweet rest was over.
We left the guest room and followed the Elf Captain to the outskirts of the elf capital.
The fragrant grass scent tickling my nose faded with each step.
In its place came a nauseating stench of blood and rot that stabbed at my nostrils.
At the end of the chilly forest path, fully armed elf soldiers stood in rigid formation, faces grim.
Their gazes fixed on a massive portal rippling before them like a gaping maw.
Unlike Earth's blue-tinged ordinary gates, this one pulsed with ominous crimson-black light.
Just standing there, the fishy, rotting meat smell ravaged my sinuses relentlessly.
"Enter."
The Elf Captain's curt signal.
The elf soldiers advanced shield-first, plunging into the gate in perfect unison.
I clicked my tongue, wrapped my body in a thin, dense layer of mana, and stepped into the rift.
—Wooong!
A deafening hum made my eardrums throb, followed by a brief wave of vertigo.
"......"
As my vision cleared, a humid, repulsive mucus stench enveloped me.
The sight before me involuntarily furrowed my brow.
It was like being swallowed alive into a colossal monster's guts—a nightmarish landscape.
The ground underfoot squelched disgustingly like meat laced with throbbing red veins.
Something slimy clung to my shoe soles.
Viscous acidic mucus oozed from everywhere, soaking the floor.
The walls bristled with writhing, worm-like tentacles lashing the air.
Then—
[Kieeeek—!]
A grotesque screech tore at my eardrums.
Monsters began crawling from the dim innards.
Asymmetrically twisted limbs, dozens of eyes haphazardly embedded in rotting flesh chunks.
Beastly bones and tentacles grotesquely fused with slime.
A level of revulsion beyond the bipedal monsters I sliced up on Earth.
[Kieeeek—!]
Another ear-scraping shriek, and they swarmed from walls and ceiling.
I gazed indifferently at the horde and flicked my finger.
Condensed mana shot from my fingertip like taut silver thread.
—Slash!
The lead monster's head severed cleanly along the mana's arc.
A heavy thud as the meat hit the ground, followed by thick black ichor spraying from the stump.
—Sssizzle!
The liquid hit the floor with a foul burst, boiling the surrounding meaty ground.
Where the blood seeped, veins swelled grotesquely, rapidly corrupting the terrain.
"Mages, maintain purification magic!"
The Elf Captain swung her sword wide, barking sharply.
The soldiers instantly formed a circular phalanx.
—Shooing!
Arrows pierced twisted torsos precisely.
Spirit power on the tips exploded, shredding flesh in flames.
But the monsters seemed devoid of pain.
Even half-blown apart, remaining tentacles hammered shields relentlessly.
"Fucking gross bug bastards."
I clicked my tongue, loaded mana heavily into my soles, and kicked off.
The squelching bloody floor cratered under my weight.
Hovering midair, I spread my arms wide, maxing mana output.
Space warped behind me, manifesting dozens, hundreds of sharp mana spears.
In the crimson-black guts, my dazzling silver glow stood alien.
"Everyone, get down."
My will-infused spears rained like a storm on the gate floor.
—Kwarung!
Overwhelming mana shredded the squirming floor and tentacles.
The shrieks drowned in massive blasts.
In the storm's wake, hundreds of monsters reduced to ash and dust—no blood left.
The nightmarish guts now a cleanly weeded empty lot.
After clearing the gate interior, we emerged into the crisp forest air.
Fresh wind on my face.
Coming from that hellish gut-stench, the elf capital's peace felt illusory.
"How do you handle these pains in the ass without a scratch? One drop of blood and the ground goes nuts."
I dusted my clothes, eyeing the Elf Captain beside me.
She wiped her bloodied sword meticulously, sheathing it with a bitter expression.
"Exactly. Their blood rots the soil fast if it seeps in. Even one escaping to splatter everywhere is a headache, so we handle them inside the gate no matter what."
"Killing inside's fine?"
"Yes. The gate interior's their domain already. Contamination barely affects our world. But if even one gets out and spreads blood..."
She shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Purifying that soil wastes massive mana and manpower. Mages pour purification nonstop for days to calm it. Post-battle cleanup losses exceed the fight itself."
I eyed her pursed lips, then spoke.
"But their blood's the issue for purification—the monsters themselves seem weak, right? Strip the nasty contamination on contact, and they're soft, movements basic. My mana spears turned 'em to dust easy."
Pure physical prowess? Just mob fodder overwhelming by numbers.
The Elf Captain halted, staring at me.
Blank-faced a moment, she sighed self-deprecatingly.
"True. Not big threats individually to our soldiers. Just annoying blood spray and swarm tactics. As you say, not high quality."
She smiled bitterly, gazing skyward.
"The gods block the truly strong, massive ones from crossing."
"Gods?"
Another grandiose term.
"Empire church priests say the gods constantly reinforce and heal the dimensional rifts, controlling them to tiny slits. That's why only low-grade trash crawls through."
"Then why not have those gods seal the gates completely? Done deal. What's with the leaky cracks?"
"We don't know details. Only high priests or the Queen know that depth. We just trust the tales and hold the line."
She shook her head helplessly, resuming the forest path.
Round and round.
Even this frontline elf captain can't access this world's core secrets.
"Ha, so I gotta hit that damn alliance meeting to learn the real deal."
She bowed apologetically at my dripping disappointment.
Looks like I'll grab those priests by the collar there for answers.
To scratch this itch, I'll force through these three months.
"Representative, good work today. Seeing your strength again reassures me."
At the gate exit, the Elf Captain bowed politely.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm heading out."
More craving my Earth room, hot shower, bed dive than empty thanks.
These laid-back long-lived folks veil all key info till three months later.
No wonder hot-blooded Koreans like me can't vibe with elves.