ACHSCGL 10

Chapter 10

A gate? Here? Suddenly?

No, wait. Calm down.

I carefully checked the gate alert again.

The gate’s location was the mountain behind Gyehwa Village, which was directly connected to the area.

It was quite close—but the village itself was just barely outside the danger range.

‘It’s… E-rank.’

Not a dangerous gate.

It was still early morning, and no villagers would have gone up the mountain yet.

Once I confirmed that, I finally let out a breath of relief.

Soon, the Hunter Guild would be dispatched to handle the gate. There was no need for a civilian like me to get involved.

If this had been in the past, I would’ve been assigned to it too.

‘…Team 5 used to handle small gates like this.’

Receiving a gate alert made me realize once again that I had really retired from being a Hunter.

My sleep had already vanished. I got out of bed.

It was an E-rank gate, so there was no need to evacuate.

But the people living in this village—except for me, who had just moved in, and the child I met at the general store yesterday—were all elderly. The youngest “youth leader” in the village was said to be in his 60s.

Most of them probably didn’t understand gates well, so I thought it would be better to reassure them.

If I asked the village head to use the community broadcast system, that should help.

“Ror, wake up.”

“Byaaah… mmn, why…? It’s still dawn…”

Ror, still half-asleep, buried her head deeper into the blanket and mumbled.

Even after calling her a few times and shaking her, she wouldn’t respond.

Maybe I should just let her sleep. It’s only an E-rank gate anyway—nothing should happen even if she stays home alone.

I even considered taking the earth golems in my pocket with me.

But—

“We prefer staying here. Don’t worry and go on ahead.”

They had already gathered under the floor on the damp soil and said that.

Hmm. The leader golem seems more mature than Ror.

Feeling a bit lighter, I left the house.

It was early, but the village was already in chaos due to the gate alert.

Several villagers had gathered in front of the community hall. I saw the village chief and my neighbor, Grandma Deok-hee, among them.

I quickly approached and spoke.

“Hello. You must’ve been quite startled early in the morning.”

“H-how did this happen… The phone rang at this hour…”

“I heard gates are only in Seoul. If monsters come, won’t we all die?”

Seeing their anxiety, I was glad I came out.

I spoke calmly, as if it were nothing serious.

“Don’t worry. Hunters will be dispatched within two hours. Just stay home and rest today instead of going to the fields.”

“Is… is that true?”

“Yes. I’ve experienced things like this a lot in Seoul.”

My words gradually calmed the villagers. The fact that I was from Seoul seemed to make me more trustworthy.

“Village chief, could we use the broadcast system? It might help reassure everyone.”

“Oh? Yes, good idea! Just a moment!”

Just as the village chief was about to turn on the broadcast system—

“Hey! I found you all!”

“Mr. Kim!”

An elderly man with white hair rushed into the courtyard. He was Mr. Kim, the owner of the Gyehwa General Store.

“M-my Daon! Have you seen him?!”

“Daon?”

Who is that? Don’t tell me…

“Are you talking about the child who was at your shop yesterday?”

“Yes! I can’t find him this morning! With this gate thing happening… what if he went somewhere dangerous…”

The village chief patted his shoulder.

“Calm down. This young lady here said Hunters will come soon, so nothing will happen.”

“Drink some water first. I’ll help search around.”

Grandma Deok-hee handed him water.

After drinking it, the old man slowly calmed down.

“Daon! Where are you!”

“Daon! Grandpa is looking for you!”

We searched the village together, but—

…there was no sign of the child.

“Where could he have gone… huh? This is Daon’s book!”

Near the back of the village, a book lay on the ground.

It was the same biography the child had been reading at the shop yesterday.

The path led toward the mountain where the gate had appeared.

Meaning—the child likely entered the gate danger zone.

“….”

Calm down. I need to stay calm.

Emergency gates are supposed to have Hunter Guild dispatch within two hours.

Even if the child entered the zone, we could request a search once Hunters arrived.

There are many Hunters with tracking skills too. If we wait just a little—

“Daon!!”

“Mr. Kim, calm yourself!”

But then—

Buzz— buzz—

My phone rang again.

This time it wasn’t a gate alert from the monitoring app—it was breaking news.

[Breaking News]

“A B-rank emergency gate has occurred near Songdo coast in Busan.

Nearby residents are being evacuated… Hunters will be deployed soon.”

Impossible.

Another emergency gate? And B-rank?

“Your grandson… didn’t he go up that mountain?”

“No, no way!”

I couldn’t bring myself to reassure them anymore.

Emergency gates are handled by the national guild, the Baekam Guild.

And its leader—Baek Yoo-seong.

I could already imagine his decision.

Rural areas always suffer from manpower shortages.

And now, a gate in a rural village and a city appeared at the same time—worse, the Busan gate was higher rank.

Most Hunters would be dispatched there first.

An E-rank rural gate would inevitably be delayed.

Hunters would come eventually, but no one knew how long it would take.

That “efficient” judgment might be correct.

But…

When I was still a Hunter, what I hated most was that “efficiency.”

I became a Hunter to save people—but often felt like I couldn’t save anyone properly.

“….”

But what could I do now?

I had already retired—no, my body had broken down so I had no choice but to retire.

Mr. Kim looked at me desperately, as if clinging to any hope.

I should have told him the truth.

That Hunters might be delayed because of another gate.

But instead, words came out on their own.

“I’ll go.”

“What? That’s dangerous!”

“It’s fine. I’ll bring Daon back. Please wait somewhere safe.”

“W-wait! Where are you going!”

I immediately turned and ran.

I first headed not to the mountain—but home.

I opened the drawer and pulled out my old mana gun.

A weapon I no longer used.

If I had sold it, I could’ve gotten a good price—but I couldn’t let go of it.

“Hoo…”

No time for sentiment.

I gripped the mana gun and took a breath.

It requires mana to fire. For someone like me with a broken mana circuit, it was practically scrap.

But if I forcibly drew out the remaining mana in my body…

I could probably fire one shot.

Even if it would be incredibly painful.

My already broken body would worsen.

My lifespan would shorten.

I had already experienced that pain once before.

<Argh…!>

Maybe I was insane.

But for some reason, I felt like I needed this.

I steadied myself and placed my hand on the magazine.

And just as I was about to force mana out of my body—

[Your bond with “Aspellor” has deepened.]

Bond Level: 1 → 2

You have received a bond reward.

※ Higher bond levels grant greater rewards!

[You have acquired the blessing of the mythic space dragon: “Mana Blessing (Stage 1)”.]

“…Huh?”

Fwoosh—!

Blue light filled the magazine of the mana gun.