“Episode 4”
A chill swept over me. It was bone-penetrating cold. The temperature of this place didn’t seem low, yet the chill I felt was piercing. My mind was a whirlwind.
Right now, I’m caught in a gate.
If I were to talk about the path that led me to this gate, I’d have to start from some time ago. After joining Cheonrang, my daily routine of commuting continued.
It wasn’t entirely peaceful, though. Incidents and accidents always erupted, and public transportation during rush hour was agonizing.
Still, work was manageable. Since I exceeded expectations, my teammates seemed genuinely pleased. Though they never explicitly showed it, they left cans of coffee, candies, chocolates, and such on my desk.
Thinking back to the subtle workplace ostracism I endured in my previous job, tears welled up even more.
I had become quite close with my team leader during this time. She initially insisted I don’t address her as a team leader and even suggested calling her “unnie,” but upon my refusal, she showed a saddened expression.
Perhaps fearing that I might quit if faced directly with the intimidation of being a newbie Hunter, my team leader made sure I didn’t have to meet our combat team. It seemed she intended to entrust that role to me once I got more accustomed.
Despite being familiar with such tasks, I pretended to be naive and laughed it off. I had to keep my association with the association a secret.
She often shared stories from the past, mentioning that there used to be frequent incidents where Hunters would use their skills to threaten others within the guild.
She chuckled, saying it was fortunate that such incidents had disappeared after the enactment of the law.
“It’s been quite a while since the law was enacted… When was the last incident?” I asked, just to be sure.
He continued, “Back in the day… before joining Cheollang. It’s fortunate that the members of Cheollang Temple mainly used verbal threats.”
Even now, in other guilds, it’s common for office workers and lower-ranking hunters to be threatened with skills. She laughed, suggesting that becoming an official guild member might be a good idea.
Since I couldn’t forcefully push the conversation in that direction, I just laughed it off.
By my second week at work, the commuting hell during rush hours had become familiar. Even so, the hardships were manifold. Sitting on a bench during lunchtime, sipping coffee, I involuntarily made groaning sounds.
Fatigue accumulated. With no option to move my entire home for the three-month temporary office assistance, I had to endure it.
I often indulged in idle daydreams. If I really became an official member of Cheollang, would it be okay to look for a house nearby? The land prices around here are high, so the rent would be exorbitant. I should look for a place reasonably far away.
Unrealized futures quickly unfolded. I fantasized about finding a house where I could raise animals, even thinking about bringing a cat along.
My imagination took flight to strange places.
If my parents hadn’t passed away, if my brother were still alive, if he welcomed me back upon my return.
If I had a family.
If there was at least one person to support me.
“Huh? I don’t recognize this face.”
“……?”
“What’s this? You’re a tasteless person. Hey, you. This is a restricted area for outsiders. How did you get in?”
Lost in thought for a moment, a stranger approached me and started an argument.
It seemed he was trying to access my awakening information, which is accessible among awakeners. It made me feel uneasy.
The man with a meddling demeanor frowned. “Who are you? How dare an outsider come in here?”
“I work here.”
“Work? Don’t lie to me. What effort did I make to come in here… Huh? Really?”
As I handed over my guild ID, which is only valid for three months, the man’s eyes widened.
“Is this for real? Hiring a tasteless person? Cheollang? That Cheollang? Hey, be honest with me. What’s going on? Did you come from Amwol? Or perhaps…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry, but I should go now.”
“Hey, wait!”
I decided to evade further involvement. That guy seemed suspicious.
My long and arduous part-time job experience sounded alarm bells. Whether I liked it or not, the man grabbed my arm roughly.
“How dare you speak? Where do you think you’re running off to?”
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”
In that moment, I felt a sudden fear that something serious might happen.
Squish. Squish.
A strange ringing sound echoed.
It was more like an unpleasant and discordant noise directly scratching the nerves than a sound heard through the ears.
In front of me, unknown windows floated around chaotically. It felt like someone was stirring up my mind, causing a strong headache to crush me.
“What’s going on? Hey, hey!”
Noise, dissonance, ringing in the ears, uncomfortable sensations, headache, distorted vision.
A dull shock struck my whole body. My vision went dark.
Somewhere, the scent of flowers lingered. The sweet fragrance dispersed here and there, dizzying me.
“…even if it means…you?”
Someone asked me. It was a familiar and dearly missed voice.
I remember responding, but I can’t recall what I said.
Just the distorted expression and the gentle touch…
“Yeah…if that’s you…”
She replied to me. At the same time, laughter sounded like sobbing.
A bright, blooming flower garden. A world of eternal spring. A paradise without sadness or misfortune. Pure beings living in this world.
So, this laughter…
The woman beyond the blurry vision wore a sad expression. She spoke. Amidst everything being blurry, her voice was clear. “Someday, come back to me, my child.”
Did I respond to that? Promising to come back? Or telling her not to wait?
My head throbbed. No, I haven’t achieved anything yet. I…
My head throbbed. I’ve never had such a headache even after drinking all night. It was hard to breathe. The sensation of missing limbs, the harsh air pressing on my lungs. The blackness where I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.
“OfOt, Op.”
I barely regained consciousness, only to be struck by intense cold. I struggled to get up and saw a corridor adorned with vivid colors. And there was someone collapsed beside me.
“This is insane…”
Didn’t someone say that when something was so absurd it was laughable? It was so absurd it was funny. Despite being utterly bewildered, it was oddly amusing. No matter how many times I ran simulations in preparation for emergencies, I had never experienced anything like this in reality. I involuntarily wrinkled my nose at the foul odor permeating the air.
A white apparition appeared and dissipated before me. What was that? Rationality began to be paralyzed by the overwhelming fear.
My hands trembled. My throat was dry. What could I possibly do in this situation? I shook the person next to me fiercely.
“Excuse me. Wake up. It’s not time to sleep.”
“Uhh, Mom. Mom…”
The man beside me didn’t wake up easily. It felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.
Swearing escaped my lips. Despite seeing such situations countless times on the news, now that it had happened to me, my mind went blank. Getting caught up in the gate sync was unfortunate enough, but I’ve never heard of a gate sync happening within a guild territory. This is as peculiar a case as a returnee with no sense of taste. Despite the overwhelming anxiety, I tried hard to shake off the gloom. Tears didn’t come. Instead, being paralyzed by fear oddly kept me calm. What should I do in this situation? Swallowing hard, I looked around, sensing that the air itself was tainted. There was a murky, purplish-gray smoke drifting somewhere. That white haze floating around since earlier… I definitely can’t survive on my own here. My hands trembled. I felt like I’d burst into tears if I relaxed even a bit. But I couldn’t just sit still here. After swallowing another gulp, I moved to another seat, carrying the person next to me. Instinct warned me not to head towards the purplish-gray haze. So, I should go in the opposite direction. With each step, all sorts of negative thoughts flooded my mind. Will I die like this? Without achieving anything? What about a funeral when I have no family? If you encounter a real monster, they say ordinary people can’t move at all. They say it smells rotten. Then what should I do? The weight pressing down on me snapped me back to reality. I wanted to leave the unconscious man behind, but if he died and I was left alone, I couldn’t bear it. “What did he eat to be this heavy…?” The danger wasn’t immediate, so this should be okay for now.
Was it because of the oppressive silence that the thick scent of death tingled my nostrils? Normally, one shouldn’t touch anything in the gate. The principle was to sit still and wait for rescue. But instinct warned me not to stay still. Supporting the man next to me, I entered a nearby room. After entering the dimly lit room where no lights were on, I could finally lay him down as if tossing him. He continued to moan as if still in a nightmare. Judging by his distorted expression and tear streaks, his dream seemed terribly horrifying. Still, having someone else with me oddly brought a sense of relief. Carefully closing the door of the room, suddenly the lights turned on.
