Anomaly. 01: It Began Like a Gentle Ripple
The anomaly started like a faint ripple. Massive iron chains blanketing the sky, numbers from the system. Even before these bizarre phenomena that shattered common sense, the Tier I hunters didn't react with much surprise. For them, the Ant Nest was their first gate, after all. Lulled by the complacency that this was a space apart from reality, they simply gazed up at the sky with curious eyes.
In short, it was a lack of experience. They didn't know. And without experience, they couldn't immediately grasp the gravity of the situation.
"Why the sudden chains?"
"What's that number supposed to be? Some kind of status window?"
"How do we make it go away?"
The hunters glanced up at the sky, tossing out casual remarks. Gut reactions to the sight before them. Their gazes scattered in every direction. But the emotion they all shared was one and the same.
"That's weird."
"Talk about something you never see coming."
"Something's off."
Strange. The word they instinctively spat out upon realization began to converge into one.
A number demanding something of them. Chains that wouldn't break until then. And finally, the spot where the chains had plunged down.
"We're... trapped...?"
A feeble voice from someone. The ripple gradually thickened, solidifying into distinct forms for each of them.
"No way. It can't be."
"Yeah, this is the Ant Nest. What could go wrong here...?"
"We should check it out. Get closer and we'll know."
Some moved to act right away. But the hunters were in groups.
"Hold up. What if something happens when we get close?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Why?! Didn't you see those chains slamming down? No guarantee they won't hit somewhere similar again! Look how packed they are!"
Of course, opinions wouldn't align. It was their first time facing something like this.
"What the hell is that number telling us to do?"
"If it hits zero, we're screwed, right?"
"On the flip side, if it goes up, that's kinda scary too."
Some analyzed the situation coolly. Others...
"Why? Why does this crap have to happen when I'm here?"
"Fuck. I just wanted to make some money, and now this bullshit..."
...despaired at their predicament. Amid it all, Yeonwoo was also looking up at the sky, sensing the dissonance through her feet and eyes.
"No way."
Unlike the other hunters, it wasn't a vague question. It was closer to certainty.
"An anomaly. Why here?"
That made it all the more baffling. She was certain that when her past self had visited the Ant Nest, it had already been liberated. The evidence for her reasoning was simple: during her time as an active hunter, she'd never heard any stories or news about the Ant Nest being cleared.
So why? Same Ant Nest, but different then and now? Could it be because of her, altering the world in some way?
"Ah!"
Yeonwoo realized the reason in an instant. Not out of some egocentric arrogance, of course.
"I waited forever back then."
From the first Hunter Center visit to the support program, nearly a month had passed. That delayed her visit to the Ant Nest.
"No wonder it didn't stick in my memory."
She hadn't been a hunter yet—just a hunter-in-waiting. Any news would have gone in one ear and out the other.
"What now."
It would've been beyond her back then. But now was different. Sure, even in the past, she'd never encountered an anomaly. But a veteran hunter who'd rolled in the dirt like a dog had razor-sharp situational awareness. Or at least, she desperately strived for it.
Come to think of it, this isn't my first rodeo anymore.
It all started when she offered her precious to the altar. And there were clues.
Vibrations.
Countless vibrations had hit at the exact moment the numbers and chains appeared.
The chains won't break until the anomaly is resolved.
And that condition was clearly the numbers. But should she reduce them? Increase them? Hell, she had no idea how to even affect them.
No. Don't get trapped in the obvious frame.
Always doubt, doubt again, never lock into one assumption. That was a veteran hunter's survival tactic.
"...It's getting closer."
Even as she thought, the vibrations drew nearer. Still faint, but clearer than at the start.
"Anomaly. Vibrations. And..."
Yeonwoo lowered her gaze from the sky. The vast wasteland sprawled into view.
"The Ant Nest!"
The answer lay in the space itself. At last, she understood what those thousands of vibrations meant. And what needed to be done.
"Everyone, back to camp!"
Yeonwoo shouted without warning. No time for explanations.
"...Huh?"
"What the? Why all of a sudden?"
Right now, her transformed female body was a boon. Her loud, lovely voice pierced the hunters' ears, drawing every eye in seconds.
"No time to explain! Get back to camp before it hits!"
"What do we do?"
"Might as well go if she says so."
Plus, her rampage with the greatsword had helped. Having shown overwhelming strength, some hunters unconsciously followed her lead.
"Why's she freaking out?"
"Even if she's a beauty, we can't move without proof."
Not everyone budged. Those out of earshot, or doubting her judgment toward the chains, held their ground.
"Hurry! It's coming—run before it's too late!"
Yeonwoo yelled over and over. But dozens of hunters still stood firm, merely glancing her way.
"Goddamn it."
She couldn't hold back the curse. The frustration went beyond stifling—it was suffocating. She felt thousands of vibrations. And this was the Ant Nest. Her conclusion? No, her certainty: the anomaly had awakened the dormant ants. A hellish swarm was heading their way.
But how do I move these idiots?
She understood their hesitation. Her past self would've done the same. But explaining "vibrations" sounded like cult nonsense. By the time the ants showed, it'd be too late.
"Ha."
Yeonwoo sighed. There was a way. Veterans who rolled in the dirt like dogs picked up one key lesson naturally.
Don't tangle with crazy bastards.
She gripped her greatsword tight.
"Hey, you fucks! Don't you get what I'm saying?! I'll kill you all!"
She hoisted it high and charged at the hunters.
"H-Hiiik!"
"What the hell?!"
"She's lost it!"
A beauty charging with greatsword raised, eyes bulging, foam at her mouth. The bizarre sight snapped the hunters alert. Instinct kicked in—they backpedaled away from her.
Of course, Yeonwoo's goal was to evacuate everyone. This performance wasn't enough.
"Argh! Get out! Scram!"
Bam! Bam! Boom!
She slammed the greatsword into the ground, screaming. Then dragged it along, menacingly pursuing nearby hunters.
"Uwaaaak!"
"If you're gonna go crazy, at least do it gracefully!"
"Graceful? She's super graceful at it!"
The hunters fled from the rabid-dog Yeonwoo. No thought of fighting back. She was the monster who'd one-shot soldier ants.
"Quit gawking! First time seeing a psycho?!"
Though a psycho this gorgeous was probably a first.
Yeonwoo herded them with all her might, like a border collie driving sheep. In the end, every hunter bolted for camp, fleeing her.
"Ha. Haha!"
She laughed in disbelief. The sheer effectiveness was the most absurd part.
Me, this selfless? Never thought I had it in me.
She'd lacked the power or leeway before. Was the difference between having strength and not that huge? Or was it all the favors from the church today?
"Goddamn amen!"
Not meant as blasphemy. It just slipped out as an exclamation while playing the madwoman.
"What blasphemous nonsense is that?!"
She hadn't noticed the listening priest nearby. Mikael burst from the crowd, face flushed beet red.
"Oh, Mikael?"
"Exactly! I told you not to call me so casually!"
"Sorry. But there's a real reason."
"More importantly, have you truly lost your mind? How can your actions lack any consistency?!"
"It's really dangerous. Run now or we're done for!"
"What nonsense—"
Flap.
Mikael's shout cut off. A sharp, thin whoosh, like something whipping through the air.
Flap flap. Flaaap. Flaaap flap flap—
The sound grew closer. Yeonwoo and Mikael, with their keen senses, turned first.
"What the hell is that."
"What is that?"
Their reactions matched perfectly.
Yeonwoo had boldly graduated the Ant Nest in her past life. Mikael too, though here for volunteer work. But they'd never seen ants like those.
Flap flap flap!
Wings on the ants buzzed furiously, emitting an ominous hum. Flying ants. In gate-exterior terms, alates. A variant summoned by the anomaly.
And not just one.
Click clack! Clack!
Kieeeek!
Soldier ants clustered tightly, carried by the flying ants.
"Wh-What?!"
"Gah! Flying ants!"
"Hiii, s-save me!"
Even those fleeing toward Yeonwoo spotted the approaching swarm. Screams erupted everywhere at the horrific, never-before-seen sight, accelerating their panic.
"That's why I told you to run!"
Yeonwoo bellowed.
"I-I'm sorry."
"We have no face to show..."
She'd shed the "crazy hunter" label, but the flying ants' speed was priority now. Couldn't let them advance.
"Hey, hands! Cup your hands!"
"Pardon? Amen?"
"Not like that—like this!"
Yeonwoo showed interlocking hands, pointing downward. Mikael followed, puzzled.
"Up!"
Yeonwoo kicked off the ground, stepping into Mikael's cupped hands.
"Hah! Lord have mercy!"
Startled, Mikael thrust his hands skyward with force. The recoil launched Yeonwoo's body into the air.