Chapter 315 & 316 - Demon Realm Gate (2)

[Bellflower: Nayun(娜允)]

[Bellflower: It means ‘true beauty’. Isn’t it pretty?]

Chae Nayun let out a deep sigh. Bitterness rose up from the bottom of her heart.

True beauty.

She didn’t think it suited her, an empty shell who lost everything.

[Yes, it’s pretty.]

Chae Nayun wanted to end the conversation.

[Bellfower: I want my child to be beautiful just the way she is.]

But Bellflower’s messages continued.

[Bellflower: She might fall and get hurt, but I want her to overcome everything in the end.]

Just looking at the messages stung Chae Nayun’s heart, but she couldn’t find it in herself to look away. She pushed her hair back and grumbled.

[How is that beautiful? That’s just not knowing when to give up.]

[Bellflower: You’re right. To me, true beauty isn’t weak or feeble but strong and tenacious.]

At that moment, Chae Nayun’s fingers paused.

[Bellflower: Being hurt, regretting, and grieving but also accepting that pain and sadness as a part of her.]

[Bellflower: Accepting herself and standing up on her two feet as a person…]

Her mother’s voice, the same one she remembered from years past, seemed to flow into her ears through the messages.

[Bellflower: That’s what Nayun means to me.]

“…I’m heading out.”

Shin Jonghak read the mood and took a leave. Chae Nayun wiped the tears glistening around here eyes and typed.

[I’ll remember that.]

She knew she was in a fake world, but she decided to believe anyways. She decided to remember the meaning of her name and hold onto it.

[Always.]

Of course, that didn’t mean her outlook on life would change overnight. Her memories of Kim Hajin, Chae Jinyoon’s death, Chae Joochul’s sins… it was hard to accept all of them. She would likely repeat her doubts and justifications.

But she would also repeatedly think about the meaning of the name she learned today. And eventually, one day, before her death, it might truly change.

[I have something to attend to. Thank you.]

[Bellflower: Ah, okay. Let’s talk later. ^^]

Chae Nayun ended the conversation and turned off her computer.

Yoo Yeonha then appeared at the perfect timing.

“You’re done chatting?”

“…Yeah.”

Chae Nayun got up with a short reply. Yoo Yeonha was startled when she saw Chae Nayun’s face and then smiled brightly.

“Looks like you received a good piece of advice.”

“Huh? Ah, no, it’s nothing like that.”

Chae Nayun shook her head and went out to the living room with Yoo Yeonha. Her comrades were gathered inside the large penthouse living room surrounded by walls of glass.

“Why can’t we logout? You lied to us, didn’t you?!”

Yun Seung-Ah was complaining to Kaita, while Kim Suho greeted Chae Nayun with a smile.

“Would I be here if I was lying? Just wait ten days…”

Walking past the arguing Kaita and Yun Seung-Ah, Chae Nayun sat down on the couch. A cool breeze blew in from the open window, gently caressing her hair.

Feeling the peaceful atmosphere, Chae Nayun stared at her comrades. Then, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Guys.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Chae Nayun.

Chae Nayun let out a small breath, as if in thought, then finally smiled beautifully, like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

“I’m going to go meet Mom and Oppa.”

**

[D-6 Until Logout]

Cheok Jungyeong went to work with Shag and Mohawk first thing in the morning. He left for the mountains, knowing that the mountains of the 2000s were full of hidden experts.

Repeatedly fighting strong opponents. Cheok Jungyeong was enjoying a happy daily life, and it was Shag and Mohawk’s duty to bare witness to his tales of battle.

On the other hand, I selected a more peaceful lifestyle.

“This is the flower you like?”

Byul nodded from next to me. In her hand were two yellow flowers. I checked the name of the flower with Observation and Reading.

[Evening Primrose]

“Evening primrose?”

“…?” But Byul only tilted her head. From the looks of it, she didn’t know the name of the flower either.

“That’s the name of this flower. If you didn’t know before, now you do.”

I stretched and got up. I played ball with her for an hour, read her a fairy tale for an hour, and went flower-hunting for an hour. It was time to go eat.

“Let’s go get dinner now.”

“….”

Byul nodded while keeping a three-step distance between us. Although she was just as expressionless as before, I could tell from the four-days I spent with her that this was her reaction when she was extremely happy. The way the corner of her mouth twitched a bit was an easy sign.

“Alright, follow me.”

“….”

Byul nodded silently and chased after me like a duckling following her mother.

On a side note, I purchased this orphanage four days ago to win over Byul’s heart. Kaita gave me the money for it. I didn’t know how he made his money, but he was a mogul in this world.

Of course, I had to lie to Byul that the reason her parents suddenly disappeared was because they abandoned her, but Byul didn’t express any shock or sorrow. She acted normal even though she must be hurt on the inside.

“…Oh right, what’s your favorite meal out of all the ones I’ve made so far?”

I asked what she liked as we walked together. This virtual world was created with an extreme synergy between Yoo Jinhyuk’s Gift and Stigma. Since Stigma’s power materialized the world of the past with the capsule and USB as its mediums, the current Boss should have the same taste in food as the young Boss.

“….”

But Byul didn’t say anything.

“Pasta? Pork belly?”

She didn’t answer no matter how many times I asked.

“Chicken? Pizza? Candy? Dumplings?”

However, she stopped when she heard the words ‘dumplings’.

“…Dumplings?”

“….”

She looked up at me silently. Looking at her sparkling eyes, I smiled.

“That’s unexpected.”

Thinking about it now, I never made Boss dumplings.

“Perfect, let’s go with dumplings.”

“….”

Byul nodded and even walked ahead of me excitedly. The kid who always followed me from a few-step distance was now skipping over to the kitchen.

“…Pft.”

I laughed and chased after Byul.

**

[D-2 Until Logout]

Chae Nayun arrived at a hanok, a traditional Korean house, on the outskirts of Seoul. It was the same house she lived in since she was little. She walked to the front gate with delight.

[Chae Family Hanok]

The nameplate written in Chinese characters looked slightly less worn down than the one she remembered. With a grin, she stood in front of the gate.

At that moment, a voice flowed into her ears.

—Hey, don’t let yourself be found out and just run. They’ll capture you and take you away if you act suspicious. You know the time they go for a stroll, so aim for that.

It was Kaita’s voice.

Chae Nayun walked away from the hanok and headed to the nearby trail. Grass, flowers, a mountain, and a stream. The trail was full of natural beauty.

Chae Nayun sat down at a nearby bench. She knew the exact path her mother would take in her daily stroll through the trail.

“Whew~”

She took a deep breath and felt the spiritual energy of her surroundings.

After about 20 minutes of waiting, Kaita’s voice rang out.

—She’s out. Chae Jinyoon’s with her.

Chae Nayun immediately tensed up with nervousness. About three minutes later, a woman and a young boy appeared in the trail hand-in-hand.

“…!”

Chae Nayun shot up and reiterated the sentence she prepared beforehand.

“Oh, isn’t it Bellflower-nim? Wow, what a coincidence, I also come here often….”

She practiced the line again, trying to make herself sound and look as natural as possible.

“Huu….”

This is it.

Don’t be scared.

Don’t be afraid.

These are the people who became scars in your heart because you loved them so much.

Walk towards them slowly.

With courage, Chae Nayun stepped forward.

**

[15 Minutes Before Logout]

The sky was dark. I was sitting on a chair, staring at Byul who was sleeping on the bed. She had been eating nothing but dumplings for the past week and was starting to smell like one too.

“…What a shame.”

I stayed with Byul for a week. Although Cheok Jungyeong and Kaita dropped by to see her face, Byul spent most of her time with me.

But a week was too short, and she never once showed me her smile.

[There are 10 minutes remaining until logout. The virtual reality with shut down in 10 minutes.]

That’s the one thing I regretted, but my time here wasn’t meaningless. After all, I got to learn Boss’s past and figure out what food she liked.

That was enough.

“…Byul.”

I smiled and placed my hand on Byul’s forehead. It wasn’t cold but warm.

[7 minutes until logout…]

I turned off the system alert for a moment. Then, for the remaining time, I stared at Byul.

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes… time flowed without stopping.

4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes… I settled the bitterness in the corner of my heart.

Then, in the final minute…

“…See you tomorrow.”

I said my farewell.

[The virtual reality will now stop.]

[Forceful logout will now commence.]

**

Wooong—

The capsule opened with a hum, and I immediately looked at the clock.

[9:45 P.M.]

About three hours had passed in the real world.

“Hmm.”

It was a truly mysterious experience. Some spent 3 or 4 years in the virtual world but only 3 hours had passed in the real world.

“…Huu.”

In any case, I threw off the groggy feeling in my heart and came out to the hallway of the capsule room.

Woong— Woong— Woong—

I could hear other capsules opening simultaneously. I hastened my feet and stood at the exit of Capsule de Mars.

“You’re leaving now?”

Just as I was about to grab the doorknob and run, Yoo Yeonha’s voice rang out.

I turned my head to the side and looked at her.

“…You knew I was here?”

“I suspected as much when I saw Chameleon Troupe members in the virtual world.”

“I see.”

“I had a good hunch as to what happened… Anyways, it was a nice healing trip for us.”

Yoo Yeonha stretched with a grin. I looked at her oddly.

“…Healing?”

“Yep. For me, I didn’t have to work for two months. As for Nayun….”

Yoo Yeonha paused and glanced behind her. No one had left the capsule room yet.

“She met her mother and older brother.”

“….”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Yoo Yeonha spoke softly and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“You can go. Looks like the others will come out soon.”

Yoo Yeonha opened the door for me. I looked at her for a moment, then left.

Paris’s Mars Plaza filled my view. The festival in Paris wasn’t over, but there was only one thing I wanted to do right now.

I turned on my smartwatch and called Boss.

—What’s up?

Boss picked up immediately. I calmed my heart before opening my mouth.

“…Boss, are you also in Paris?”

—I am.

“Then wait for me. I’ll be right there.”

—Hm? Now? What—

I hung up then located Boss with Spartan.

She was eating fish cakes at a street stall.

I first ran to a flower shop and asked the owner if he had any evening primrose. The owner nodded his head and pointed to a flower bouquet. I quickly threw the owner money and left with the bouquet of yellow flowers.

Soon, I arrived at an alleyway filled with street stalls. I spotted Boss munching on fish cakes and called her with a bright smile.

“Boss!”

Boss turned back and tilted her head curiously.

“W-What is it so suddenly?”

“….”

I stomped towards her and handed her the bouquet of flowers. Boss’s eyes widened and a question mark popped up above her head.

“What’s this?”

“A present.”

I shoved the bouquet into her arms. Boss furrowed her brows before nodding her head and looking at the flowers.

“…Ah.”

In that instant, her shoulders trembled faintly. I stared at her fixedly and muttered.

“They’re called the evening primrose. It’s a beautiful name, right?”

“….”

Boss looked up at me. Flustered, she blinked her eyes repeatedly. Looking at her, my body moved on its own.

I… pulled her into my embrace.

Our robes touched, and Boss’s forehead reached my chest. The flow of time slowed down, like Bullet Time activated on its own.

Boss stood frozen like a statue. I buried my face on her shoulder and whispered quietly.

“…I wanted to see you.”

**

[France – Paris]

The third round of the selections for the Gate of Glory proceeded without any problems. A total of a thousand people would be selected. Once the fourth and final round ended, two hundred people would be chosen among the thousand to enter the Demon Realm Gate.

“Farewell is soon.” Bell murmured on top of the Eiffel Tower.

“Yeah.” Jin Sahyuk replied, floating in the air next to him.

“Don’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. Don’t hesitate. Don’t miss the opportunity.”

This time, Jin Sahyuk didn’t reply to Bell. Normally, she would say something like, ‘I’ll kill you before you even have the chance to revive!’ …but now that the ‘end’ was truly in front of her, she was somewhat bitter and sad.

“Convince Rumi for me too.”

But Bell was calm and composed, just as always. He had no hesitation and no regrets.

“….”

Jin Sahyuk nodded her head silently.

“Good. Then I’ll see you next week.”

Tk, tk. Bell tapped on Jin Sahyuk’s shoulders a couple of times before turning into a gaseous state and disappearing.

The top of the Eifel Tower turned silent.

Left alone, Jin Sahyuk let out a deep sigh.

“Huu….”

Soon, Baal would descend from the Demon Realm Gate.

She would be able to return to Akatrina.

Wasn’t that the ending she wanted?

“…Tsk.”

So where is this bitterness coming from?

Unable to figure out the answer, Jin Sahyuk created a portal and left Paris.

Immediately after I returned to Seoul, I began preparing for the future.

First, I purchased an entire block of single houses in Hannam-dong, then I began construction to renovate the basement of these houses.

Though the future was no longer the future I knew, if the general storyline hadn’t changed, then not much time was left until most parts of the world transformed into the Demon Realm.

With the help of Young Dwarf’s Dexterity, I designed the blueprint for an ‘underground city’. Then I used [Buster Call] to summon Genkelope’s Vessel. Together with Genkelope’s ‘maintenance ships’, I began the construction.

Because the blueprint was top notch—this was according to the ship’s crew—and because Yoo Yeonha lent me all of the equipment I needed, the assembly proceeded quickly.

“…What’s this?”

And today, I brought Boss to the construction site.

Jiing— Watching a robot make parts with its laser hands, Boss widened her eyes in awe.

“I’m building this place to prepare for the Demon Realm Transformation.”

“Demon Realm Transformation?”

“Yes.”

We needed to begin preparations to overcome the existential crisis and to achieve the happily ever after that we all deserved.

“This is the crystal that can stop the Transformation.”

I took out [Akatrina’s Purification Crystal]. It was something ‘Prihi’ from the recorded past had left to me. However, its effects were limited to a radius of 5km from the crystal.

“This crystal can also purify the soil and the air. With it, we can easily produce crops here in the underground.”

According to Horner— we could even build an ‘artificial sea’ using this crystal. If we could cultivate soil with the crystal and grow crops that could be found in the Tower of the Wish, such as [meat-flavored corn], we wouldn’t have to worry about food shortages.

“That’s interesting.”

Boss nodded.

Tiriring—

It was then that I received a video call on my smartwatch.

“Excuse me for a minute, Boss.”

The call was from Yoo Yeonha. I adjust the angle of the smartwatch so that Boss wouldn’t be seen in the screen and answered the call.

[Hello?]

Yoo Yeonha appeared in the air as a hologram.

“What’s up?”

[How’s the construction going? Is everything fine?]

“Yup. I think it’ll be finished in a month.”

The underground city was huge, but Genkelope’s crew worked unbelievably fast. Thanks to the [Regeneration Orb] the workers could work continuously without resting.

[Mm. You said you were using the technology of the Genkelope’s Vessel, right?]

“Yeah.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded and asked cautiously.

[Then could you help me?]

“…Help you?”

[‘Essential Dynamics’ is working to build underground cities in Seoul, Busan, and Ulsan as well as in the U.S. and Japan.]

“Ah, really? That sounds like a good plan. I’ll help you.”

Yoo Yeonha was as meticulous as always.

[Thank you. I’ll send my people to you later. I have to go now-]

“Ah, give me a moment.”

Suddenly I remembered something. I turned my head to the side and saw Boss, who was glaring at me with a sullen look.

I muted Yoo Yeonha and said, “Boss, the Mountain Sage members are still locked up, right?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s time to use them.”

With a smirk, I unmuted the smartwatch.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on some wonderful informants.”

Yoo Yeonha’s hologram tilted her head.

[…Informants?]

“Yeah, they’re called the Mountain Sage.”

Yoo Yeonha was an expert at persuading people. Despite being locked up for six months, the Mountain Sage had yet to reveal who ordered my assassination. Perhaps Yoo Yeonha could persuade them to speak.

[Mountain Sage? The Mountain Sage?!]

Yoo Yeonha’s calm voice became unusually high-pitched.

“I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the same people. They’re incredible.”

[…]

Yoo Yeonha’s cheeks were flushed. She would always get extremely excited whenever she discovered talent.

I said with a smile, “You can have them. That is, if you can persuade them.”

[What do you mean by that?]

“I’ll text you the details later.”

Sadly, our call would have to end here. I had no choice. Boss had been staring at me way too intensely for some time.

[Ah, okay. I’ll be waiting for your text.]

“Yeah. Bye.”

[Bye!]

Yoo Yeonha clenched her fists and hung up. I turned my gaze to Boss. She was pouting.

“…What?”

“You’ve been on the phone too long. And, I don’t want to hand them over. They tried to kill you.”

“Ah.”

Her voice was soaked in anger.

With a soft smile, I put my hand on Boss’s shoulder.

“That’s why I’m handing them over. To find out who was trying to kill me.”

The Mountain Sage members were all immune to mental interventions, and neither torture nor hypnosis worked on them.

But I knew Yoo Yeonha could find a way to break them.

“…”

Boss said nothing, but her silence always meant consent. So I slowly reached for her hand.

“Now, should we get something to eat?”

Boss’s gaze traveled down. Looking at our clasped hands, Boss slowly nodded.

“Let’s go~”

I pulled her hand towards the restaurant with her favorite dish— ‘dumplings’.

**

[The last round of the Gate of Glory Qualification Tournament will be held at the Temple of Justice.]

[It has been a long journey. Now, the remaining 1000 Heroes are heading for the Temple.]

[This will be the last hurdle for the countless Heroes gathered.]

The moment the theme of the 4th round of the Qualification Tournament was announced, the Internet began to overflow with news articles. Everyone on various social media sites was talking about the Tournament, and gambling sites began hosting real-time bets on who would be included in the final 200.

“…These three are the judges?”

And here at the Temple of Justice which was now the center of global attention, Aileen was looking around the waiting room of the judges.

“It’s four in total, including you, Chairman Aileen,” answered her secretary. But Aileen seemed rather dissatisfied with the lineup.

“Good to see you, little one.”

The one who just called Aileen ‘little one’ was ‘Heynckes’ of the Nine Stars. Aileen sat down on a chair, sighing disapprovingly.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

“…Dammit. Stop calling me little one,” snapped Aileen.

But she wasn’t dissatisfied with Heynckes. She considered him well qualified to be the judge of the Tournament. No one would be more suited than an active member of the Nine Stars.

The person she had a problem with was the woman sitting next to Heynckes.

Yoo Yeonha.

As the Chief Officer of Essence of the Strait, she was known for many things, but as a Hero she was merely a high-intermediate-rank grade-1 at best. Aileen still couldn’t understand why a weakling like Yoo Yeonha was called the ‘Queen of Seoul’ by so many people.

“…Hello.”

Yoo Yeonha lowered her head with a small smile. Aileen snorted and turned her gaze to the man sitting on the other side of Heynckes.

Yoo Sihyuk, the master of Baekdu Mountain.

He was busy reading a book, not even sparing Aileen a glance. It had been a while since they last saw each other, but he was still as snobby as ever.

“Ah, right. Lord Heynckes.”

At that moment, she heard Yoo Yeonha’s voice. Aileen again shifted her gaze to Yoo Yeonha, who was handing what seemed to be a pill to Heynckes.

“…What’s this?” asked Heynckes. Aileen also stared at the pill with sparkly eyes.

‘Is it vitamins?’ she wondered, when Yoo Yeonha courteously responded, “It’s the cure for your side effect that we talked about before.”

“The cure?”

“Yes.”

Kim Hajin had passed on the pills he had made to Yoo Yeonha and asked her to distribute them to the Nine Stars who were suffering from serious side effects. Yoo Yeonha gladly accepted.

“…Is this what you tried to give me last time?”

“They’re similar.”

“…”

Heynckes stared at the pill for a while before grabbing it and putting it inside his pocket. He then said bashfully, “I do need to stay alive until at least the Demon Realm Gate opens.”

“Thank you for accepting it.”

“…I should be the one thanking you. I really don’t think my heart has a lot of time left, and I’ve been regretting declining your offer last time.”

Aileen turned away from them and began organizing the papers for the meeting. “I like gifts. And pills, too.” She muttered to herself.

…As she neared her 40s, she had recently grown more interested in health.

“Oh, I have a gift for you as well, Chairman Aileen.”

Of course, Yoo Yeonha was not the type to miss such an opportunity.

The gift she prepared for Aileen was a box of top-class medicinal pills. Each pill contained a small amount of [Dimensional Entropy] and was worth at least 100 million won. There were 60 of these pills in the box.

“…H-Hmm. Yeah? I guess I’ll take it, if you so insist.”

Aileen hugged the gift box tightly.

“Well then, should we get on with the meeting? To discuss how we’re gonna judge?”

Yoo Yeonha bit her lips, trying hard not to laugh out loud at Aileen who was beaming in satisfaction.

“Look, we have to pick 200 out of 1000 people. But do we have enough time to meet all the candidates? Of course we don’t. So we should first pick out the most qualified candidates, and-”

“Ah, about that,” Yoo Yeonha intervened.

Because of the gift she had just received, Aileen felt more forgiving than usual. So she casually asked, “What is it?”

“…”

Without a word, Yoo Yeonha put forth an envelope.

A black and a golden lotus symbol was embossed on it.

Kim Hajin wrote this letter and left it to Yoo Yeonha, hoping to earn himself a spot in the final 200.

“This is….”

Aileen looked at the envelope—the symbol on the envelope, to be precise—and frowned.

“Yes, it’s a letter from Black Lotus.”

At that moment, Heynckes and Yoo Sihyuk, who had been quite all along, opened their eyes wide.

Yoo Yeonha glanced at them and continued cautiously, “Black Lotus sent this letter to my guild. It appears that he also wants to enter the Gate…. What do you think? I’d like to hear your opinions.”

**

[Korea — Demon Realm Gate]

Cold wind swept across the land under the gray sky. It was unusual weather for a day in April.

The last round of the Qualification Tournament was over and the entire selection process had ended. Black Lotus was secretly selected as one of the participants.

I came to the site of the Demon Realm Gate when I realized that the deadline of 30 days as denoted by the Gate would be over soon.

“…Hmm.”

Because the area around the Gate had been sealed off to the public, it was very quiet here.

I hid myself in a nearby mountain and looked around. There were many Heroes and Djinns down below. Heroes sought to enter the Gate, and the Djinns wanted to take their place.

Whish—

Suddenly the wind blew. And with that wind— a certain existence appeared next to me.

“…You’re here,” I muttered.

“Yeah, I am,” Jin Sahyuk said with a nod. On her back, [Alexander III’s Cape] was fluttering boastingly in the wind.

I looked at the people below.

On the Heroes’ side I saw Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Jin Seyeon, Aileen, Yoon Seung-Ah, Rachel, Yoo Jinwoong, Kim Junwoo, Vast Expense, and even Bell… in terms of strength, all of them were qualified to represent humanity.

“I see Bell over there.”

“It’s not only Bell,” Jin Sahyuk remarked in all seriousness, “There are also a lot of Djinns. Inside that gate is where the greatest devil of all time will be born.”

“The greatest devil… are you talking about Bell?”

I took out my bow and arrows. It was just as Jin Sahyuk said. There were too many Djinns here in the mountain range in Hamgyeong-do.

Below the ground, above the ground, even in the sky. They were waiting for their chance to enter the Gate of the Demon Realm.

“Yes. Inside the Gate is where Bell will die and Baal will be born.”

“…”

I notched five [Dark Ore Arrows] against the bowstring and shot them.

Chweeek—

The arrows flew like a hawk towards the Djinns. Keuk— Keuk— I heard ear-splitting shrieks.

“…Then.”

I retrieved the arrows and notched them again. Then I asked Jin Sahyuk, “Does that mean we’re 100% sure that Baal is going to descend?”

“…‘Kill me inside the Gate of the Demon Realm and eliminate Baal.’”

Jin Sahyuk mimicked Bell’s voice. It was quite similar, and a laugh escaped my lips.

“That’s what Bell said.”

“…Yeah, I agree. If Baal does descend, we can’t bring him to Earth. We’ll have to end him in there.”

Baal in my setting was close to God. He would probably be more powerful than Orden and would try to transform the Earth immediately.

That’s why we would have to end everything inside. Once Baal escapes, the Earth would be destroyed for good.

“What are you gonna do, Jin Sahyuk?”

But there was one more thing I needed to ask Jin Sahyuk.

She would need to rely on Baal’s powers if she wanted to connect Akatrina and the Earth. Therefore, if Jin Sahyuk did not give up on her initial goal—to return to her homeland—she would have no choice but to cooperate with Baal.

“Bell and I will take care of that.”

“How-”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t cause you a problem, so stay out of it.”

Jin Sahyuk was adamant.

I nodded reluctantly and shot the arrows again. [Dark Ore Arrows] danced in the air as they flew towards the Djinns. They disposed of a dozen Djinns and returned to me.

—Fuck! Someone’s shooting arrows!

—It’s dark arrows! Dark arrows!

—Dark arrows… that means Black Lotus.

—Damn it, that son of a bitch…!

The Djinns, cornered by my surprise attack, initiated Devil Transformation. But that was a bad decision.

Heroes immediately detected the change in their demonic energy. Aileen was the first to jump up in the air and track down the demonic energy. Destroying her enemies with her Spirit Speech, she was as merciless as the Grim Reaper.

—What do you think you’re doing here! Vermins, you’ll be crushed!

And her Spirit Speech crushed the Djinns quite literally. Yoo Sihyuk’s white wolves jumped in, followed by Yoo Jinwoong’s electric strikes and Shin Jonghak’s dark flames.

“Jin Sahyuk.”

Watching the scene unfold, I called Jin Sahyuk’s name. She looked at me.

“What.”

“…”

I hesitated, unable to look her in the eye. I opened my mouth then closed it again. It took me a while, but I finally managed to get it out.

I wanted Jin Sahyuk to hear this.

“Can’t you just stay here?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk said nothing.

I waited for her to answer.

But she kept her silence… and suddenly.

Guoooo—

The Demon Realm Gate began releasing magic power. The giant magic power shook the earth and spread in all directions. The fight between the Djinns and the Heroes stopped, and runic symbols rose above the slowly opening gate.

I translated it with my Gift.

[The Demon Realm Gate shall determine who among the humans gathered here qualifies to enter it.]

That was all there was.

The moment I finished reading it, however, branch-shaped magic power flowed out from the half-open Gate.

—Kieeeek

Two of the many branches stretching out in all directions came this way and wrapped around Jin Sahyuk and me.

“What the…!”

“Dammit.”

We didn’t even have time to react.

Whish—!

The branch of magic power bound our bodies tightly and dragged us into the Demon Realm Gate without a moment’s delay.