CH 67

17. Snowball (1)

No. 21 explained with passion. The place they arrived was a dungeon where bloody monsters roamed. However, no monster could break his will. Rather, the more he suffered, the stronger his will grew. No. 21 and the cadets were able to learn many things from orcs. The orcs informed them that boiling the insect-type monster’s body fluid and applying it to the wound resulted in hemostasis and microscopic regeneration effects. The provisions the orcs had also helped a lot.

How many days passed?

No. 21 and the Second Generation cadets became very close to the orcs by sharing hardships. Beyond friendship, they now felt like brothers.

“Well! That makes sense!”

“You have a point!”

“All this time, we have neglected the revelations of heaven!”

Just as the Second Generation cadets were stained by the orcs, the orcs were also stained by No. 21. He read the book to the orcs every time they went to bed, arguing that there was a great evil in the world, and it was the duty of all living things to prevent it. As the orcs heard No. 21’s words, something began to boil deep in their hearts.

“We have lived only to plunder and to breed!”

“Do we have a chance?”

“Can we too be used in that great providence?”

In response to that question, No. 21 told them the story of his past. He had committed a sin that could not be washed away, but now he was trying to cleanse it. The orc chief, Gallock, shared their sorrow by patting No. 21 on the back.

“Kh, huu…darkness is always nearby. Even if you run away, it will always come to see you. Like…like a sword energy…sword energy…explosion! Heh, heh!”

No. 42 said so with a grim smile. The condition of No. 21 and the Second Generation cadets, as well as the orcs, was very different from the start. They were now all wearing helmets and armor made from monster bones. They had also acquired quite a lot of treasure chests and elixirs in the dungeon. It was almost piled up to the ceiling.

Fortunately, they were able to relieve their hunger by drinking the elixirs.

“There’s another pile of elixir and weapons here!”

“Awesome!”

“It’s all ours!”

The orcs clenched their fists and rejoiced.

“Preparation for the ordeal.”

It immediately became solemn after No. 21’s words. The orcs were also aware there was a reason for everything, and there was always a price to pay.

“How to resist evil…fuh, fufu, I know that.”

No. 42 told them everything he knew, even revealing tricks that should never have been shown. No. 42’s breathing technique, swordsmanship, step movement, and martial arts gave the Orc and the Second Generation great power.

As they went up towards the exit, they became stronger and stronger. Orcs struggling to survive were also found throughout the dungeon. As they gathered one by one, the number of orcs exceeded two hundred. The more they united together, the stronger they became as their comradeship and loyalty swelled!

It seemed like a month had passed so far. The remaining elixirs and items in the dungeon all fell into the hands of Second Generation and orcs. As they went up to the top floor of the dungeon, they saw a gate wrapped in black light.

No. 21 had a hunch: evil was out there.

“No. 21! Is that the evil you’re talking about beyond there?”

“That’s right.”

Gallock nodded; his eyes felt hot. When he ran away from the World Tree, he became a one-eyed man like the Red Crest. But now he was wearing a red gem over it. It was an artifact that granted its wielder powerful mana. His lost arm was also replaced with a hook artifact. Now, he was confident that he wouldn’t lose even if he fought with the Red Crest.

“I can feel a great evil out there. Can we get through this?”

“Well! We are together. We live together, and we die together!”

“Thank you.”

“No. 21, and you guys are already great orcs!”

Saying so, Gallock tapped No. 21 on the shoulder. The orcs already decided to share their fate with No. 21. The Second Generation cadets and the Orcs looked at each other with burning eyes and nodded. As they crossed the Gate, what they saw was a huge knight before them.

And they were human Knights slaughtering monsters.

The huge Knight wavered and staggered as if it had been hit, causing No. 42’s eyes to widen. His eyes burned with anger.

“The Seven Dragons Association…! Wang Guo Liang…! You son of a bitch…!”

No. 42 drew his sword and rushed forward. He ran at a tremendous speed and blew away the man who appeared to be a Knight. No. 21 looked at the scene and nodded.

It was decided who was evil.

“No. 42 has set an example!”

When No. 21 shouted that, everyone pulled out their weapons. Gallock also raised his weapon.

“Let us have the honor of shedding our blood for our brothers!”

An orc blew the horn. Then the Knights stopped moving and looked towards the orcs. Gallock’s body exuded enormous energy.

“We are…!”

“Orcs!”

“We are…!”

“Orcs! Orcs!”

The orcs’ cries heated the battlefield.

“Charge!”

As Gallock charged, the orcs and the Second Generation followed. Gallock swung his huge hook at the Knight in front of him. The Knight blocked it, but his sword was cleaved in twain. When he hit the Knight with his huge club in his other hand, the Knight was thrown to the floor.

“Oink! I am the orc Red Eye!”

A magical light emanated from his red-eye. After the failure of the elite Knight expedition, it was the day of a large-scale battle that drew in all the competent people in China.

* * *

Relaxing. That was a really good word. It enriched the mind and improved the quality of life. Jin-woo realized it very desperately these days. Now that the eventful year had passed, it seemed like a year without worries would come.

‘The Emperors that remain…’

The original novel was a too-long story. The time it took for the protagonist to deal with the Emperor of Vanity was also quite long. So, there was still time left.

‘There’s another problem, but…’

Accidents did happen. It was said that Kim Young-hoon and the prisoners suddenly disappeared. It wasn’t a jailbreak, but according to the report, it was like they were thrown out into another gate when the dimension was bound. As it was said they were likely moved to a nearby gate, chances were they were at the China Gate.

There was no problem with the restriction imposed by the General Manager, but he was concerned in many ways. The General Manager was punishing himself by refusing to eat and drink. Jin-woo tried to stop it, but nothing worked. There were many things to do in China with Angelica, the monsters, and now Kim Young-hoon and the prisoners.

‘Angelica doesn’t have a distinct ego, so it’ll be fine.’

She seemed to be a bit fussy, but she wasn’t at the level where she could plan. Jin-woo was only watching while gathering information. Aside from such concerns, very ordinary and peaceful days were passing.

It was the vacation that he longed for.

“Young Master, are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

Yoo-na came inside. When she noticed Jin-woo making a tired face on the soft sofa, she let out a small sigh. Next to the sofa, luxurious snacks and foods made with Gate ingredients were spread out by type.

“You’ve been up all night again.”

“I was watching some American drama. It wasn’t my taste at the start, but it was just worth watching by the end.”

When an attractive character died, he thought about taking over the drama production company.

Even though Jin-woo was on a long vacation, Yoo-na was still working hard. Ella gave Yoo-na permission to enter and exit Elonti, so she was free to enter Elonti as well. Of course, Jin-woo had to agree to open the portal, but Jin-woo wasn’t the type to question such a request.

“It is a gift from Queen Ella.”

Yoo-na placed a bottle of Elf Liquor on the table. It was said to be a liquor dipped in golden apples and the leaves of the World’s Trees. After Elonti’s recovery, the taste of the Elf Liquor had only deepened further.

Jin-woo’s mouth would feel empty if he didn’t drink a glass a day.

“What is Ella doing these days?”

“She’s working on a song. It seems she cares more about the number of views these days. And though she pretends not to be bothered with Arina’s horrendous hit, she’s paying close attention.”

“There are more Arina videos.”

Ella and Arina naturally became rivals. Fans were already calling it the great war between the angel and the demon. Elonti Entertainment took over Athens Music, a small agency, and started operating it in earnest to support them. Athens Music was an agency that lost all of its singers to a competitor and now worked mainly on compositions. It used to use a small semi-basement, but it now stood proudly inside the Elonti Entertainment building.

Yoo-na and the Future Strategy Office were still carefully managing it. Surprisingly, this field seemed to fit Yoo-na well.

“It is said that there are very few parts to edit or correct in Arina’s video. The response was pretty good, too, saying it is the work of a professional.”

Arina’s video was said to be at the level of an official music video. She said she was quite excited about the unique shooting technique, but he had a rough idea about it. After Arina received her first settlement, she worked even harder to make videos, every evening going so far as to express her desire to visit Earth. Ella was still more popular, but no one knew what would happen going forward.

“Ella also hopes to visit Elonti Entertainment.”

“It doesn’t particularly matter, though…”

He thought it would be okay since she already had her identity built.

“Oh, I heard you’re learning Spirit Magic these days.”

“T-that’s right…”

“Have you mastered it?”

Yoo-na nodded. He was even more curious when he saw her acting slightly bewildered. Yoo-na sighed a little when Jin-woo stared at her.

“Can’t we just move on?”

“Of course not. Show it off to me.”

Yoo-na hesitated, then sighed again and stretched out her hand. Jin-woo’s anticipation went up. Yoo-na was talented in spirit technique, even taking private lessons from Ella. As the World Tree came to life, she could of spirits, but she said she had summoned the spirits that best fit her and signed a contract.

‘Maybe some kind of Fire Spirit?

The Fire Spirit in the general store took the form of a salamander. If it were Yoo-na, it seemed that she could go well past that and summon the Fire Spirit King. Whether Yoo-na felt Jin-woo’s anticipation or not, she flinched and focused her mind. A magic circle appeared in front of her hand; it was a technique that exuded the energy of nature.

He was a little jealous of the ease with which she conjured it.

Whoosh!

Something soared from the magic circle. Expecting a huge flame, what instead appeared was a spirit completely different from what he imagined.

“…This is it.”

On Yoo-na’s palm, there was something that looked like a bundle of yellow fur. When he looked closer, he noticed it had a beak.

“A chick?”

Chirp!

Although the shape was slightly different, the name immediately came to mind. Jin-woo glanced between Yoo-na and the spirit. It didn’t seem like it would look good next to her, but it turned out surprisingly well.

“Huh…ummm, t-that’s cool.”

Yoo-na didn’t seem to hate it that much either.

“What’s its abilities?”

“It is said to purify the mind.”

“That matches.”

Wouldn’t it become a chicken spirit when it grew up? The chick skillfully climbed onto Yoo-na’s shoulder. Anyway, it didn’t matter because it was cute.

Jin-woo decided to head out for the first time in a few days. There was a reason why he, who was fooling around at home, wanted to go out.

“Then I will prepare.”

“No need to.”

“Pardon?”

Jin-woo stopped Yoo-na from preparing the security team. He smiled and produced his ID card. Unlike a typical ID card, it was made entirely of metal. It was his A-Rank License. The A-Rank License couldn’t be received by anyone but the recipient directly, so Jin-woo made an effort to get it secretly away from Yoo-na for this scene.

Yoo-na shook her head when she noticed what it was. It was obvious how hard he had tried to get the license without her knowledge.

“I got my pass, and I was officially registered today.”

“It usually takes about half a year, but it came so quickly.”

“Because I was the only one who passed.”

Jin-woo was the only one to be judged as he broke the best record, and the rest all received 0 points. Someone was called a Semi-Knight when they had an A-Rank License, and even a Semi-Knight must maintain dignity. From the moment he became a Semi-Knight, any escort was prohibited. Life was a battle for the Knights, and the Semi-Knights had to imitate them.

Yoo-na nodded.

“Then there will be no need for the security team anymore.”

Even so, he had no intention of disbanding them. Jin-woo was a vicious boss, so he would never plan something like that. He intended to put their talent to good use until the very end.

“Transfer them to Elonti Entertainment, or G&P. Raise their salary too. No, let’s give everyone a promotion. Don’t let them think about anything else.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Yoo-na replied with a slight smile. The chick sitting on her shoulder yawned, causing her to rub her cheek against it. Unexpectedly, she seemed to like cute things.

Yoo-na noticed Jin-woo’s gaze and coughed.

“Well, then it seems that you’re going to go out alone.”

“Don’t be sad.”

“Understood.”

He thought Yoo-na would be worried about it, but she unexpectedly answered like that. She experienced even the Emperor of Vanity herself, so she knew Jin-woo’s strength. Jin-woo was the person who least needed a guard.

“Then please go ahead.”

“Y-yeah.”

Yoo-na bowed her head and neatly stepped back. Jin-woo felt a bit disappointed that she was acting like that. He stared blankly at the door where she left for a moment, then with a grin, he got ready to leave. Jin-woo left his house without the bodyguards for the first time in what felt like forever.

As he drove, he naturally headed towards the JW Gate. The JW Cultural Center had changed remarkably; now, the quiet space was swarming with people. The Cultural Center that Jin-woo remembered had an empty feeling, but now it packed to the brim with life.

‘Come to think of it…’

The city was actively supporting it. It was an ambitious plan to make it a Gate Culture City, taking advantage of the Gates tourism potential. This large jurisdiction was now called the JW Gate Cultural Street. The number of foreign tourists continued to increase, setting new records every day.

Many people wore clothes that mimicked Gate costumes. When he looked at the entrance, he saw a clothing rental store.

‘Can Ella just come over?’

Perhaps because of Ella’s influence, many people wore elf ears. Many others wore makeup similar to that of the demons, and they were all of the excellent quality. It was said that G&P hired people who used to work as special effects makeup artists at places to work with the tourists for free.

Jin-woo climbed out of the car and looked around. Street vendors selling Gate materials lined up on Cultural Street, and several restaurants seemed packed. Large posters of Ella and Arina were hung up on several walls. The area was largely divided into Cultural Street, the Culture Center, the Elonti Entertainment, restaurants, and the Infinity Technology demonstration hall.

Both the tourists passing through the streets and the faces of the part-timers were lively. Jin-woo enjoyed that the most.

“Lee Jin-woo?”

“Really?”

Although Jin-woo was wearing big sunglasses, there were quite a few people who recognized him. They started to take pictures as people gathered around.

‘Hmm?’

He received a text message. It was an official disaster information text from the Korean Association of Competent People.

‘Knights and Semi-Knights (A-Rank License holders), please wait for the Korean Association of Competent People to contact you.’

‘Hello? Mr. Lee Jin-woo. I am Ko Jin-soo, the information officer of the Korean Association of Competent People. As an A-Class global disaster situation is currently occurring in China…’

An officer in charge kindly explained the situation to Jin-woo about China. After the MeTube video was released, there was a rumor among ordinary people that the devil might have descended. It was said that China was conscious of the rumors and carried out a large-scale operation, but there was no news for a while.

It seemed that the World Federation of Competent People had been watching and declared a global disaster.

‘Um…is it that bad?’

It meant that China couldn’t solve the A-Class situation on its own, and now it posed a serious threat to world peace. The snowball that Liu Wei rolled turned into a huge avalanche. Jin-woo moved to the G&P research institute to gather more accurate information from the lab.

Coincidentally, it was Jin-woo’s first visit to the lab. Jin-woo was able to see Kim Se-yeon’s for the first time since the incident. He felt sorry for her brother, but Kim Se-yeon didn’t seem to particularly care.

When Jin-woo arrived at the research institute, Professor Kim Dae-jin and other researchers flocked to him, carrying bundles of documents. The documents were all suggestions to Jin-woo.

“Sir! The hologram injection device you gave me last time…”

“Professor, I will hear about that matter later.”

“Oh! Yes! Well, the national matter comes first. Hahaha!”

Kim Dae-jin was a rogue researcher who, along with Kim Se-yeon, took the top spot during working hours. For them, rest was research, and rest was work.

Se-yeon was operating a mechanical device and looked at Jin-woo when he entered the lab.

“The images will come out soon.”

“It’s fast. Did you use satellites?”

“No. I made it using the hologram dispensing device and high-level artifacts you gave me last time.”

It was an image conversion system using mana tracking designed by Se-yeon. It combined artifacts, computers, and communication technology in ways that Jin-woo couldn’t understand.

“It’s still in the testing phase, but the goal is to image everywhere mana is detected. If it is completed, no one will be able to hide information from you. We designed the system to run only through you.”

“…I see.”

It was Se-yeon who said such dangerous words a bit too casually. She was still attractive, but the innocent and pitiful vibes seemed to have disappeared almost entirely. Jin-woo was lost in thought for a moment.

‘It has been demonized, and Angelica was there, but…’

It wasn’t enough to become an A-Class global disaster. Analyzing the information that had been found so far, China seemed to be suffering alone. Jin-woo was very curious about the situation.

After waiting a little longer, high-resolution images began to appear on the screen: a video of the China Gate seen from above. The image quality was much better than satellite images, so it didn’t take long to recognize.

“T-that’s?”

“Gasp!”

“Amazing! I’ve never seen this before!”

The researchers were surprised and couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. The large-scale barriers around the Gate had faded. It looked like it couldn’t endure any longer because the Magic Crystals couldn’t handle the consumption. If that was the case, it could also be observed from satellite images. But it wasn’t the barrier that surprised the researchers.

Jin-woo couldn’t help but be surprised too.

‘Ah…’

A building that looked like a huge temple was set in front of the Gate with structures that looked like dungeons around it. It was as if all the dungeons inside the China Gate were moved there.

‘What’s going on there?’

It deserved to be called an A-Class world disaster. Whose fault was that?

He didn’t even have a clue about where or how it came from or how it came to be like that.