## Chapter 40 – 40. Gate (5)
#40. Gate (5)
Gates are vast.
The higher the rank, the wider they become. Some of the highest-ranked gates are said to rival continents in size.
It was clear why superpowers like the United States had kept A-rank gates open for years, and why humanity wouldn’t have to worry about resources as long as gates existed.
[Raging Screw]
KWA-BOOM!!
Six White Wolves, caught in a tornado that soared into the sky, exploded mid-air.
Their blood and flesh rained down.
I was becoming quite accustomed to the sight of the pure white snowfield being soiled by the stinking corpses of magical beasts.
However, the blisters forming all over my palm from gripping the sword hilt so tightly for so long were just not something I could get used to.
“Good job.”
“Hmph.”
Choi Hyena lightly ignored my words.
I sighed quietly as she walked away as soon as the battle ended.
I couldn’t say anything because Choi Hyena’s attitude was entirely my fault.
I had been caught jerking off while rubbing my dick against her vulva while she was asleep. The fact that she hadn’t stuck a magic spell into my head was merciful enough.
On top of that, I had splattered her ass with sticky cum.
Looking back, it was an act that could only be explained by my brain being controlled by my dick.
“Haa…”
I couldn’t help but keep sighing. But what could I do if I regretted it now? I felt like I would do the same thing even if I went back to that moment.
Anyway, I sorted out the magic stones from the corpses of the magical beasts and washed my hands with snow.
I had to do what I had to do. No matter how difficult it was, I couldn’t commit the atrocity of leaving behind C-grade magic beast magic stones.
‘Of course, White Wolves aren’t C-grade as single entities, so their value will be a bit lower.’
Choi Hyena had said that White Wolves were classified as C-grade because they moved in packs, but their strength as individual entities was only around D+.
However, the app treated White Wolves as C-grade and provided rewards accordingly. The grading standards for magical beasts seemed to be different from ours.
‘It’s a relief we weren’t up against a pack of White Yetis.’
Those are truly C-grade, one by one. If we had faced a pack of White Yetis this time, it would have been difficult to deal with them with a single magic spell like we just did.
“Still, I think I’m getting the hang of dealing with C-grade magical beasts, so I might be able to handle three White Yetis somehow…”
Even as I tried to think positively, I felt a sense of self-doubt about what I was doing.
At first, I had intended to learn swordsmanship step by step at the dojo. Learn the grip, build up my stamina and strength, and learn basic swordsmanship.
But what is this? Why do I always have to start with real combat?
It felt like the underground dungeon all over again.
Even back then, I had been thrown into a crazy place where D+ grade magical beasts were the norm, and even elite individuals roamed around from time to time, even though I had only been learning magic for less than a month.
“Sigh.”
Yeah, this must be my fate.
I’ve never seen anyone get anywhere by complaining about fate.
In the end, I have to figure it out myself.
I decided to stop complaining here and moved my feet to find Choi Hyena, who was probably grumbling under some tree again.
It had already been two days since we were sucked into the isolated gate. There were roughly four days and ten hours left until the gate opened.
***
Choi Hyena had always thought that she would never have anything to do with marriage or dating.
Aside from official matters, she hated even imagining talking to or holding hands with a man.
Misandry? Well, you could say that.
The memory of her father leaving her behind when she was young had planted a heavy and deep trauma in her.
Perhaps because of that, Choi Hyena had hated men since she was old enough to understand.
Of course, as the sole heir to the prestigious Seongbuk Choi family of mages, with her outstanding appearance and overwhelming talent, Choi Hyena had been surrounded by men since she was young. It was somewhat different from the life she wanted.
Whenever they had the chance, the adults around her only thought about introducing her to men, and the matchmaking meetings she was forced to attend were truly the worst. The men who came out as her matchmaking partners were all people she didn’t feel were worth talking to.
They were typical spoiled brats who only relied on their family’s background and their parents’ money. Her matchmaking meetings never lasted longer than 30 seconds.
But Kang Hyunwoo was different somehow.
Perhaps it was because their first meeting was so terrible.
In front of him, she kept revealing her true self, which she usually hid for the sake of interpersonal relationships, without hesitation.
-What are you talking about, you crazy bitch.”
-Hey, open your ears and listen carefully. You know what’s more important than being from the Seongbuk Choi family or being a genius mage? Manners, manners. You seem like you’re not even a full person, and what? A mage? Research? Bullshit.
-You, you…!! How dare you, a beggar, talk to me like that!!”
-You better be prepared. Because from now on, you won’t have a place to set foot as a mage in this land.
Looking back, it was a truly terrible first meeting.
If they had parted ways there, she would have used her family’s power to harass him, let alone have an after-meeting.
But now, she didn’t feel anything, as if she was wondering, ‘Did I really do that?’
What had changed?
Even if he had saved her life twice, she had no intention of allowing him to touch her body, using that as an excuse.
Thinking that way, she felt like she was falling deeper into a maze.
‘…Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I slept so soundly.’
When she was held in Kang Hyunwoo’s arms, she rarely had nightmares.
Nine times out of ten, the memories of that day appeared in the form of dreams. The blood-soaked hallway and her father staring at her with a fierce look.
Even taking medicine didn’t help.
She suffered from chronic insomnia, which made it difficult for her to do magic research.
What was it about him that made her allow a body she would never have allowed, and even the nightmares she would normally have?
Choi Hyena suddenly became scared.
She felt like if things continued like this, she would end up allowing him everything.
She was afraid that she would even give her heart to that frivolous man.
She was afraid of herself for imagining such a terrible future and feeling the corners of her lips rising.
But if she was asked if she really wanted to run away from him because she was so scared and afraid… Choi Hyena rarely couldn’t give a definite answer.
She didn’t know why.
‘But…’
When did it get dark?
The large tree she had been leaning against, the gloomy gray sky, and the cold, boring snowfield were all gone.
The only thing around her was pitch-black darkness.
The ominous darkness made it impossible to tell whether what she was looking at was right in front of her nose or far away.
The moment her hands and feet started to tremble slightly.
-…Hyena!!!
Crack-
The darkness that had been surrounding her shattered like glass, and familiar light entered from all directions.
“Hey!! Choi Hyena!!”
“…Huh?”
Apart from the fact that her vision, which had been unable to see anything, had returned to normal, Choi Hyena couldn’t properly grasp the situation.
That’s because.
“Damn it, wake up!!”
She was currently lunging at Kang Hyunwoo, ready to stab a sharp piece of stone into his neck.
***
Spirits, beings different from magical beasts, exist everywhere in the world.
In the fiercely rising flames, in the rough waves, in the wind on the fields, and in the dark caves.
Spirits are all extremely self-centered and selfish, so most people don’t like them.
No, some people even hate them.
It is said that spirits and magical beasts were once considered the same, which gives an idea of how outrageous their behavior was.
Of course, does that mean that spirits are unconditionally evil? If you ask that, that’s not the case either.
No, rather, spirits were close to pure humans.
Just as people are not divided into good and evil, most spirits also had neutral tendencies.
Just as there are people who are born with a good nature, there are particularly good spirits, and just as there are people who are born evil, there are also spirits who harm humans for no reason.
“Uh, uh…??
“Wake up!!”
Choi Hyena, who had pounced on Kang Hyunwoo, was threatening him with a sharp piece of stone she had picked up from somewhere, ready to stab it into his neck with bloodshot eyes.
Kang Hyunwoo was barely holding onto Choi Hyena’s arm with a strength that the usual Choi Hyena would never have imagined.
“I, why am I…??
“If you’ve woken up, move…!!”
Ugh, she definitely seems to have woken up, but her strength has increased.
His neck was about to be pierced by the sharp piece of stone at any moment.
“M, my body won’t move on its own!!”
“What…!!”
Kang Hyunwoo, who squeezed out a voice that sounded like he was about to die, actually felt like he was going to die.
The force of her downward strike was so strong that his bones seemed to be ringing even though he was blocking with both arms.
He had been looking around to appease Choi Hyena, who must have been angry, when he saw her standing blankly under a rather large tree and ran straight to her.
He had thought she was just very angry at his calls being unanswered, but Choi Hyena pounced on him with a sharp piece of stone as soon as he got close.
He hadn’t been able to react properly to the unexpected attack, which led to the current standoff, and already 5 minutes had passed.
He was starting to lose strength. He didn’t have the strength to hold on any longer because he hadn’t been long since he fought the White Wolf pack.
Choi Hyena was just as embarrassed, but she quickly assessed the situation rationally, as a mage should.
The monologue she didn’t know when she had started, the consciousness trapped in an unidentified space, and the body that wouldn’t move as she wanted.
It was a typical characteristic of mind control.
There weren’t many magical beasts that could perform such mind control on her, a mage with a mental barrier far stronger than that of an ordinary person.
Moreover, if there was a magical beast in the snowfield gate, which was estimated to be C+ grade or higher, that could do that, there was only one.
“Wendigo!”
Wendigo, a spirit of snow and ice, is a vicious spirit that is called an evil spirit.
Its grade is B-.
It is known to possess people’s bodies and control their minds, although it has no physical strength.
According to a person who barely escaped after having their mind taken over by a Wendigo, they felt an intense urge to kill.
Fortunately, she didn’t feel the urge to kill because her mental barrier was strong, but even that was gradually reaching its limit.
She was a 3-circle mage, while the Wendigo was a B- grade magical beast.
Her consciousness was gradually fading, and it was clear that if things continued like this, her mind would be controlled by the Wendigo just like her body.
If that happened, both Kang Hyunwoo and she would be finished.
“What’s a Wendigo…!!”
“A B- grade magical beast that controls minds!!”
“What’s its weakness?!!”
“Divine power!!”
There was no way there would be a priest using divine power or holy water imbued with divine power in the middle of a gate with only two mages.
Then there was only one way.
“S, store!!”
Ting-
[Store]
[Lowest Grade Antidote: Sold Out]
[Sweet Apple: 250 Coins]
[Imperial Army’s Magic Sword: Sold Out]
[Cultured Books for Glamorous Ladies: 540 Coins]
[High-Grade Random Scroll: 600 Coins]
·
·
·
She had hoped, but as expected, the store had not been reset.
“Damn it…! Reset it already!!”
She felt like she was really going to die if things continued like this. It seemed like she had no choice but to start a new matching.
It was the worst. In her current state, she didn’t have time to leisurely specify the other person’s information.
She had no choice but to hope that an ordinary person would be matched with her.
Ting-
[Store Reset]
[Price: 1,000 Coins]
[Would you like to proceed with the store reset?]
[Y/N]
[Caution! Once selected, it cannot be undone]
Hope appeared.
But it was a very ominous hope.
The timing was suspiciously perfect, and 1,000 coins? They were really doing business in a dirty way even when people’s lives were on the line.
“Reset it!!”
But there was no other way now.
[Y]
[The store will be reset]
Ten new items appeared, and there was no time to read the descriptions of each one.
She had no choice but to guess what kind of item it was based on its name.
Her eyes quickly scrolled down.
And she intuitively felt that this item was the only one that could solve the current situation.
[Would you like to purchase the Ring of Desire Reversal?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[You have purchased the Ring of Desire Reversal]
[Remaining Coins: 2,000 Coins]
“Choi Hyena! Release your mental barrier!!”
“What?! Are you crazy?! If you release this, you’ll die and I’ll die!!”
“Trust me!!”
In Choi Hyena’s blurry vision, Kang Hyunwoo’s eyes, more serious than ever, came into view.
“Trust me.”
“…Okay!!”
[Would you like to use the Ring of Desire Reversal?]
[Target: Choi Hyena (Wendigo)]
[Y/N]
[Y]
Crack, the Ring of Desire Reversal broke, and a wave carrying an unknown intangible energy swept around us.
I was fine, but Choi Hyena, who had been lunging at me as if she was going to kill me right away, collapsed to the side as if she had fainted.
“Haa, haa… I almost died.”
This was the save of all saves.
It was good enough to be included in a funeral mad movie.
The snowfield was terribly cold, but I really didn’t have the strength to move a finger right now.
Fortunately, after running a magic detection, the only magical beast around was the Wendigo possessed in Choi Hyena’s body.
“Now, how do I deal with that…”
Just thinking about how to deal with a B- grade magical beast made my head throb.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Choi Hyena, who had been lying on the snowfield, woke up and raised her body.
Fortunately, judging from her eyes, the possession seemed to be over.
Ring of Desire Reversal, I don’t know what kind of effect it has, but it seems to have an effect since I bought it for 800 coins.
“Hey, if you’ve woken up, can you come and help me up? I don’t have any strength in my body… Choi Hyena…?”
Choi Hyena, who was struggling to get up, was already approaching me.
Her staggering appearance looked precarious, but more than that, Choi Hyena’s condition was somehow strange.
“Haa, haa…”
Her rough breathing looked somehow uneasy.
‘Could it be… that the possession hasn’t been lifted??’
If that were the case, I would have felt a murderous aura from Choi Hyena, who was trying to kill me while possessed by the Wendigo.
On the other hand, I didn’t feel any threat from the current Choi Hyena, let alone a murderous aura.
Then, side effects of being possessed?
“Choi Hyena? Are you okay…”
Just as I was about to force myself to get up, Choi Hyena pounced on me.
To be exact, she climbed on top of my stomach.
“Choi Hyena…?”
“Heu, heua… haa… haat…”
Choi Hyena’s condition, seen up close, was not normal.
Her face was bright red, and her breathing was strangely rough.
Ting-
“Yaa… Kang Hyunwooo…”
A coquettish, sticky voice, a voice that the usual Choi Hyena would never have imagined.
Moreover, Choi Hyena’s pupils were heart-shaped, as if they were from a 19+ doujinshi.
[Ring of Desire Reversal]
[Target: Choi Hyena (Wendigo)]
[Reversed Desire: Urge to Kill 〉 Sex Drive]
“Youu… look delicious…?♡”
