CH 23

”Is that all the caveats?”

“No.”

Simeon said, shaking his head emphatically.

“We can’t let the beings inside the gate know we’re ‘from outside’.”

“And what happens if we are found out?”

“You’ll be bounced back to reality on the spot if your suspicions are confirmed.”

A sigh escaped my lips as I realized I had more to protect than I thought.

To end the spirit’s rampage, I must enter the gate and complete certain tasks. As if that weren’t hard enough, I also have to pretend to be someone who belongs in that world. It’s literally a mountain to climb.

“The <Codex Gigas> was written in the 17th-century, so the inside of the gate must have been constructed then.”

”Then how can we not be spotted? We’ve got doubles to start with.”

“Don’t worry, the moment you walk through the gate, you’re transformed into something that fits in with the world the spirit has created.”

You change your appearance the moment you enter a fictional world. We’re like actors in a play, and if we play our part on the stage as planned by the creator, the curtain falls safely. However, if we deviate from the plot, we are mercilessly kicked out. Only when the glorious curtain call is over can the explosion of spirits stop and return to reality.

“This is hard….”

It’s going to be difficult. But if I do what Simeon tells me to do, at least it won’t be embarrassing.

“And finally.”

“Is there anything else…?”

“The most important one.”

He said with a serious face without a hint of a smile.

“Don’t forget that injuries inside the gates are real.”

“Oh…….”

I already knew that. I’ve read that hunter, who was knocked unconscious in the gate this time, is still in a coma. I must succeed in preventing another victim. For some reason, my shoulders felt heavy.

“We’re here.”

The bodyguard’s words brought the car to a halt. Taking a deep breath to clear his nerves, Simeon said.

“Before you get out, turn the bezel of your watch to the left.”

There’s another feature.

I did as he said and turned the bezel to the left, and click, a sound similar to a lock being turned. I turned the bezel to the left as he told me to, and suddenly I saw my reflection in the window and was horrified.

“Wh, what…!”

I was wearing a black mask, like an apostle. Not even the eye sockets were pierced, but the front looked normal. I even cautiously touched my cheek and felt flesh. No way, I thought, and turned the bezel to the right.

Click. There was another sound. Then the black shadow that covered his face slid away.

“Crazy.” A swear word slipped out of my mouth, and from then on, I kept turning the bezel to look at the face. I don’t know how it works, but a jet-black substance oozes out from the edges and covers my face in an instant. I couldn’t believe my eyes, no matter how many times I looked at it.

“It’s not a real mask….”

I muttered in admiration, and Simeon chuckled.

“Then you can’t see through it.”

“That’s what I was wondering, is this a spirit?”

”Nope. This is the work of my guild.”

To make something like this, Apostle must really have a lot of awakened people. I’m purely curious about the abilities of the other nine, except for the two I’ve already met. But the only way I’ll be able to meet them in person is if I become one of them.

“But why am I wearing a mask?”

Simeon said, turning the bezel of his watch as I asked the question I’d been wondering all along.

“You’ll know when you step outside.”

With a click, darkness fell over his face. No, it should have, but instead, I could see Simeon’s face clearly. I stared at my watch, wondering if it was broken, and Simeon smiled thinly.

“People who wear masks can see each other.”

“…That’s very convenient.”

Then, just before opening the car door, Simeon glanced back at me and added.

“Put the hood on if you can.”

I don’t know why, but I put the hood on and followed him out of the car. The next moment, bright lights burst in front of me.

Click, click, click, click, click, click.

The sharp noise pierced my ears one after another. When my eyes finally adjusted, I looked around and saw a group of reporters with cameras and microphones. The camera lenses pointed at me felt like muzzles. This was followed by a baptism of questions that were as painful as the flashes.

“Did you do anything special to prepare for this gate?”

“Why do you think the other hunters have been unsuccessful for a month?”

“If you get the spirit this time, will you not reveal it?”

Their voices were jumbled together, and only a few could be heard in complete sentences. It was like having several radios playing at the same time with the volume turned up. Luckily, there were no reporters blocking my way, but it was hard to move forward with the constant barrage of questions.

I was starting to feel dizzy. Someone gently grabbed my arm and pulled me into their arms.

“Are you okay?”

The voice whispered in my ear was Simeon’s. He stood in front of me as if to shield me from the camera. For a moment, the clicking stopped. I nod slowly, leaning into his embrace, feeling like I’m finally going to live.

“I was just… surprised.”

He sighed deeply, his warm breath tickling the back of my head.

Afterwards, I made my way through the crowd, half-hugged by Simeon. I wasn’t even worried about being photographed with him on the front page of the internet news, I was just relieved to have him by my side and not have reporters rudely approach me.

As we made our way through the crowds, I could see a path into the forest ahead. It must be a cordoned-off area. The road is barricaded to prevent cars from entering, and guards from the association are lined up. It was as secure as any military installation.

I was worried about what would happen if they found out I was a regular person without a hunter’s licence, but as soon as they saw Simeon, they moved to the side to let us through. Of course, he had to have asked permission beforehand, but the fact that he let us in without asking was a relief.

“We can just walk in like this?”

I asked in a whisper as we entered the restricted area, and Simeon chuckled.

“I told you not to worry. You didn’t trust me?”

“No, that’s not it….”

Power through honour and capital was a convenient thing.

How long did he walk in the forest. I don’t feel any presence anymore. Finally, we’re alone. As soon as I was sure there was no one else around, I relaxed my shoulders and sighed heavily.

“Haha… this is why I wear a mask.”

Some hunters enjoy the publicity, but I don’t. A famous hunter has as little privacy as a celebrity, and I suspect Simeon started wearing the mask for the same reason, which makes me feel even more guilty about sneaking a picture of him and selling it.

I glanced over and met his eyes, which were looking at me with concern.

“You’re not hurt?”

“Yes. I’m alive, thanks to you.”

If Simeon hadn’t been there to support me, I would have ended up collapsing, and there would have been a humiliating photo on the front page of the news with an ugly headline like ‘Apostle, all of a sudden on the way to the gate?!’ It’s horrifying to imagine.

As I wiped the sweat from my brow, Simeon tapped me on the shoulder and spoke.

“Come on, the gate is that way.”

I followed him through the dense forest until we reached a clearing, and the sight before me took my breath away. There was an enormous unknown sitting on a vast expanse of land.

“Wow…….”

I wondered what it would be like if a black hole in space was brought down to earth.

Looking at the oval black sphere, which was at least seven meters across, I could see why they called it a rift. It looks like someone swung a knife through thin air, ripping space and time apart and forcing them apart. It was pitch black inside and I couldn’t see anything or hear anything. For some reason, gravity seems to weigh heavily on me the closer I get.

”I’m supposed to go in there, right?”

“Yes. Do you get motion sickness?”

“No. I don’t get motion sickness….”

As I stood in place, unable to enter, Simeon held out his hand to me.

“Shall we go then?”

The look on his face, carefree as if we were going somewhere, put me at ease. Cautiously, I took his hand and stepped into the crack. More precisely, the moment we stepped into the fissure, a black substance shot out and engulfed us.

From then on, I couldn’t tell what was happening. My vision was blinded by the darkness, and my ears were ringing.

His whole body was stiff, like he was in a swamp, and he couldn’t move at will. My only comfort was my hand holding his.

Time passed in the darkness, and a cool breeze blew in from somewhere.

“Um….”

I gingerly opened my eyes and found myself standing at the base of a hill. The town below me resembled a medieval city in Europe. Similar brick houses stood one after another, and goats roamed freely on the hillside, grazing.

The <Codex Gigas> was completed in the 17th century, and the world of that time was perfectly constructed and unfolded before my eyes. The smell of grass wafts past my nostrils, but it doesn’t feel real, like I’m dreaming.

As I stared at the scenery in a daze, I heard a voice call out to me.