The Jongno Gate Standoff
The news that Jeokwol had discovered a gate and successfully claimed its rewards spread to them in no time. Naturally, Jeokwol’s upper management took the information rather sensitively. It could be dismissed as nothing more than a B-class gate, but the fact that it was a Shadow Gate changed everything. No one could predict what kind of knowledge might emerge from the Fragment of Knowledge tied to another dimension—knowledge that could push Hwanryeong even further ahead. For Jeokwol, which always lingered in second place behind its rival, the development was anything but welcome.
Because of that, every Awakened within Jeokwol had no choice but to remain on standby until a gate appeared. Gates spawning inside their own territory were one thing, but when one materialized in an overlapping zone, the guild that arrived first secured priority rights. The government’s stopgap legislation, introduced after guild conflicts grew too fierce, was almost laughably simple. Yet sometimes simplicity itself proved the most convenient rule of all. The guilds had grumbled at first, but they soon adapted to the “first come, first served” reality, and the worst of the infighting died down. Of course, sworn enemies still clashed whenever they could.
Among those burning with frustration that Yusoha had claimed all the credit was one person in particular: Han Chaeyeon, leader of Jeokwol Team 1.
“She’s too damn lucky.”
Han Chaeyeon was the daughter Han Jaeho, leader of Jeokwol, had deliberately positioned as a rival to Hwanryeong’s beautiful sisters, Yusoha and Yu Danha. She possessed striking looks, equally flashy combat talent, and even a cute-looking Guardian Star. In every way she was built to win public support, and she did. The timing of her debut had been perfect too—right when Yusoha was running wild and earning resentment. Many who disliked Yusoha had become Chaeyeon’s fans instead.
Given that she currently accounted for a large share of Jeokwol’s popularity, the fact that Yusoha had seized the spotlight was nothing short of infuriating. Still, sitting around on standby wasn’t exactly pleasant either.
“This is bullshit. Who knows when a gate will even show up? How long are we supposed to rot inside the company?”
“You can say that again.”
“Haah. Wouldn’t it be perfect if a gate popped up nicely in our territory? I want to snatch some free credit just like that Soh a girl.”
“You’ll give yourself indigestion that way.”
“Shut it, Seo Minha.”
“I’d honestly prefer no gate at all.”
To Han Chaeyeon’s grumbling, the rather sly-looking young man called Seo Minha answered in a tired voice.
“Same here. Why does Yusoha keep racking up pointless achievements and making my life harder? Next time I see her I should just smack her.”
“You’d be the one getting hit.”
“That’s only because I haven’t fought her with my Guardian Star yet. I was being generous.”
Han Chaeyeon looked slightly stung and hastily smoothed out her expression. It was the truth, after all.
“Even with that swordsmanship you bragged about, you still got wrecked.”
“…Do you have a death wish?”
“Still, Yusoha really is something else. An A-class without even a Guardian Star? That’s practically a dream level. When most Awakened top out at B-class, it’s honestly impressive.”
“I’m also A-class, and I’m standing right in front of you. So is Yu Danha.”
“Come on, Team Leader, you have a Guardian Star. A ridiculously terrifying one, at that.”
Ping.
At that moment, accompanied by a rather adorable sound, Han Chaeyeon’s Guardian Star appeared before Seo Minha. The creature was covered head to toe in black fur. If one had to compare it to an Earth animal, it resembled a fennec fox—and it was unbelievably cute.
“Hieek!”
In truth, the main reason most of Han Chaeyeon’s female fans adored her was this very creature. But Seo Minha, who knew its true nature, turned deathly pale. The instant the Guardian Star materialized, an overwhelming, horrific pressure bore down on him.
Han Chaeyeon’s Guardian Star—Delparin. Though it looked adorable, it was in reality a nightmarish otherworldly monster that devoured anything its contractor perceived as an enemy.
Seo Minha had watched Delparin feast on countless things beside Chaeyeon, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Hold it, Delparin.”
“Kyuuu…”
At its contractor’s command, Delparin drooped its large ears. It shot Seo Minha one last savage glare, then vanished into thin air with another small ping.
“The reason I didn’t summon Delparin when I fought Yusoha last time was because I didn’t intend to kill her. We can’t afford an all-out war with Hwanryeong. So will you please shut up, Mister Seo Minha?”
“…Yes.”
While the pair bickered to pass the time, the news they had been anxiously awaiting finally arrived.
“A gate has opened!”
“Location?”
“Jongno-gu!”
“You rotten— Everyone, move out!”
“Yes!”
The reason Han Chaeyeon and Jeokwol Team 1 sprang into action was simple. Jongno-gu was precisely on the border between Hwanryeong and Jeokwol’s territories—and slightly closer to Hwanryeong’s side.
“Another gate?”
“Yes. What are your orders, Team Leader?”
“Mina. We deployed just three days ago. And now we have to go out again? What’s Team 1 doing?”
“Well… they say they’re quite busy at the moment.”
“What? Why?”
“Remember the Fragment of Knowledge we recovered this time?”
“Yeah.”
“Apparently that world was the one where Hidelixius—the Guardian Star of Team 1’s leader—used to live.”
“Ah.”
Yusoha felt a flicker of irritation but understood. Converting the knowledge extracted from the Fragment of Knowledge into usable data was far more important than running off to clear another gate.
“Then we’re deploying today as well. Ah…”
“The Team 1 leader said we could borrow their other personnel, so let’s move quickly. The location is Jongno-gu, of all places.”
“Then I’ll have to take some people from Team 1. Mina, tell Team 2 they can rest. Jongno-gu? Ha. Jeokwol will definitely show up too.”
“Understood.”
Naturally, the Team 2 KakaoTalk group exploded with cheers and every kind of emoticon imaginable.
“Are you coming too, Mina? You don’t have to.”
“I think it’s better if I do. I am your personal bodyguard, after all.”
“Then let’s hurry. We can’t let Jeokwol have the gate.”
“Yeah. You don’t need to step forward anyway. It’d be a pain if you showed up and made their heads explode. We’d be the ones in trouble.”
“Was that Eclipse?”
“Ah. You can’t hear him, Mina? Yeah. He asked if he could just stay quiet again today.”
“I see.”
“Let’s go. Time’s tight.”
“Yes.”
The moment the gate opened in Jongno-gu, civilians who saw it forming immediately fled the area. Even though Earth was now safe from other-dimensional threats, the presence of a gate meant anything could happen. Leaving quickly was the smartest choice. Fortunately, people had grown used to gates after so many incidents, so the evacuation happened without much delay.
The Awakened teams from Jeokwol and Hwanryeong saw the civilians retreating and sped up even more. Dozens of Awakened sprinting toward the gate made the civilians pause their frantic escape and watch with a touch of leisure. They hadn’t expected the Awakened to arrive so quickly.
“It’s Hwanryeong and Jeokwol!”
“Then we can take our time.”
“Whoa. If I snap some photos and sell them to the reporters, I could make decent money.”
“Idiot. Of course the reporters are already here.”
The civilians who had been evacuating stopped and calmly took pictures. Tomorrow, social media would no doubt be flooded with photos tagged “Jongno-gu Gate.”
While the civilians leisurely snapped photos, Yusoha and Han Chaeyeon arrived at the gate at the exact same moment.
“……”
“……”
Yusoha and Han Chaeyeon glared at each other. The Awakened standing behind them did the same.
“Anyone can see we got here first. Why don’t you hand over the gate like a good girl?”
“What are you even talking about? We arrived at the same time, didn’t we?”
“Same time? It was obviously my side that was faster.”
“What nonsense. We arrived simultaneously.”
Yusoha didn’t press the point any further. She had only been testing the waters. Even she could tell they had truly arrived together.
“Well, then we follow the rules.”
“Fine.”
The law regarding gates was straightforward: when a gate appeared in overlapping guild territory, the first to arrive claimed rights to it. However, if it was unclear who had arrived first, the leaders of both sides would settle it directly. The contest could be settled by force or by mutual agreement. No third parties were allowed to intervene.
“So? Agreement, or shall we fight it out?”
“Be honest with me, Yusoha.”
“About what?”
“You have zero intention of agreeing, do you?”
“I do, actually.”
Yusoha was genuinely open to an agreement. She had no guarantee she could defeat Han Chaeyeon for certain. Delparin’s notoriety as a Guardian Star was well known to those in the know. Moreover, from what Yusoha could see, Han Chaeyeon looked visibly impatient today.
Well, I did just rack up some achievements. She must be desperate. Looks like she’s willing to unleash Delparin to take the gate…
Han Chaeyeon had risen to her position with the ironclad belief that Jeokwol must never fall behind Hwanryeong. When her nerves were this raw, there was a real chance she would summon her Guardian Star if things went south.
If Delparin appeared, Yusoha would have no choice but to call forth Eclipse. Even if she could overwhelm Han Chaeyeon with pure skill, Delparin was a creature full of unpredictable variables.
Yusoha weighed her options carefully.
Should I bring out Eclipse?
No matter how she looked at it, revealing him on such a shabby stage didn’t suit her personality. She wanted a grander debut—the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament, where every elite Awakened gathered and her respected grandfather Yu Hyeok would personally attend. That was the proper stage for her Guardian Star’s first appearance.
No matter how strong Delparin was, she refused to waste her most brilliant stage on just one opponent.
Hmm. Yeah. It still feels too wasteful to summon Eclipse now. But simply backing down also leaves a bad taste… I’ll decide after seeing what kind of gate this is.
“…What?”
“I said I’m willing to reach an agreement.”
Han Chaeyeon narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious.
“You don’t trust me that much? Even so, I keep my word.”
“…What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything specific. How about we analyze the gate first and then decide?”
“Why analyze it?”
“If it’s a worthless gate, I’ll just leave. If it’s a B-class or lower that isn’t a Shadow Gate, I’ll step back. Truth is, I’m pretty tired. I used up a lot of power three days ago.”
“…You’re serious?”
“Have I only ever been fooled in life? I always keep my promises. Have I ever lied to you?”
Han Chaeyeon searched her memories. The conclusion came quickly.
“…No.”
“Good. Then I’ll wait quietly until the analysis is finished. Team 1, fall back.”
“Yes!”
Yusoha had her people withdraw completely, then sat comfortably on a nearby bench. Curious about her true intentions, Han Chaeyeon sat beside her. Naturally, she ordered her own team to stay back as well so their conversation wouldn’t leak.
“…What are you scheming?”
“It’s not a scheme. I’m just trying to preserve a rival’s dignity. This is because of me, isn’t it? That you came all the way here.”
“Who are you calling a rival?”
“Oh? Aren’t we? I do acknowledge kids who aren’t completely hopeless.”
“Thanks ever so much for the acknowledgment.”
“You’re welcome. I can’t stand the other bugs in Jeokwol, but I do recognize you at least.”
“So why the sudden retreat?”
“I told you. I’m tired.”
“Tired?”
“We deployed recently and now you want us out again after only three days? I’d rather die. There’s a convenient excuse, so I’m stepping back.”
“…It still feels fishy.”
“If you don’t want to believe me, don’t.”
“If you really do step back, I’d be grateful. If you want anything later, just say it. I’ll accommodate you if it’s within reason.”
It was a little-known fact, but while Yusoha and Han Chaeyeon disliked each other, they also held a mutual respect. They hated owing each other favors even more—because they saw one another as equals. That was why Han Chaeyeon had specifically offered to repay the debt. To her, living with a debt to Yusoha was unacceptable.
“No need. I don’t want anything. Just keep piling up achievements. That way the value of my name doesn’t drop when people compare us.”
“…Ha. Fine, fine.”
While silence settled between them, the gate analysts from both sides delivered the same report. The gate’s rank was C-class. It wasn’t particularly high, but it was enough for both sides to save face.