Chapter 20

“Gates basically pop up randomly.”

If no measures are taken and you happen to have bad luck, a Gate can suddenly appear right in the middle of a bustling crowd, causing a major disaster.

That was especially true in the early days. Many countries, including South Korea, suffered significant damage until people managed to study and control the probabilities to some extent.

We still don’t fully understand the workings of magic or Gates, but at least several magical methods have been developed to control Gates to some degree.

By drawing Magic Circles like protective barriers and layering them, the chances of a Gate forming within that range dramatically decrease.

Well, they diminish, but they don’t entirely disappear.

Moreover, beyond the Gates lie materials that cannot be found in this world, or resources that are incredibly rare. Some creatures bizarrely yield rare earth elements, and in some cases, countries that can interact with them exist. The nations beyond the Gates tend to have civilizations that excel in magic.

If they could just shut all the Gates worldwide, policy would probably have taken that direction, but once it was discovered that Gates could be somewhat controlled, most countries aimed to make full use of them.

The more secretive the country, the more it lacked natural resources, and the smaller the territory, the more they leaned towards utilizing Gates.

And as long as those countries existed, it was difficult for others to choose to completely shut off the Gates. Even if there weren’t extraordinary resources beyond, the mere fact that ‘space’ is created is already an advantage. You could toss in overflowing trash or bury troublesome industrial waste and radioactive materials.

Well, no matter what you do, the possibility of a Gate appearing can never be a complete ‘0’, so it’s less painful to at least make use of them.

“But what about Bukhansan?”

“Yeah, well… it’s just bad luck in this case.”

Unless you’re ‘creating’ a Gate at will, getting a ‘useful Gate’ is also a matter of luck.

No matter how useful it is, if it’s a place that could take countless lives, it’s better to close it off. But if the Gate is deep within the mountains even in the heart of Seoul, and if controlling whatever comes through is within reason, not many would want to close it.

I knew there was such a Gate not far from the Cathedral. That space beyond was practically like a planet in terms of scale, with creatures appearing that posed a danger level equivalent to those seen in zoos, and it was rich in various resources.

However, it seemed no civilization had been discovered within that area yet, as only a dump was set up a good few kilometers away from the actual Gate.

But not closing the Gate also meant not placing the magical methods to do so nearby.

Even just one Gate would have a volume roughly the size of a sports field. Measuring the influence of magic is almost impossible to the extent that you can’t just whip out a ruler and check.

The likelihood of another Gate forming within that sports field-sized space is fairly low—yet the probability is certainly not ‘0’ either.

The incident that happened nearby was due to that newly formed Gate.

“What on earth could be in there that’s so amazing?”

“It doesn’t look particularly dangerous from the outside, but apparently there’s quite a fearsome beast inside.”

As I muttered to myself casually, Ria, who was sitting next to me, responded.

“How dangerous of a beast are we talking about?”

She said it was likely worse than any monster I had seen so far, so it must be quite a formidable creature.

And I think even in the story, Lee Si-yoon mentioned something like that.

“Well, I may not know for sure, but among the scary creatures confirmed so far, there are things like bear-sized elephants. Usually, larger sizes mean they need to consume more calories and constantly eat, but strangely, some have evolved to become carnivorous.”

“……”

“To catch that many creatures, they’d need to be pretty agile, too.”

Even that ‘bear-sized elephant’ was used as an example by Ria, so it probably wasn’t the ‘worst case scenario.’

“How on earth did that person survive?”

Just running into a bear would typically mean getting ripped to shreds, right?

“As of now, the only carnivore confirmed nearby is that one. And if they’re a Hunter, even the lowest rank would still be outside the ‘ordinary person’ category. Well, I suppose I agree with your question. It’s a miracle they survived in that situation.”

In the jolting vehicle, Ria, sitting next to me, said that.

“Well, don’t worry too much. Normally, it shouldn’t leap out of the Gate.”

“I get that, but…”

I tilted my head.

“If that’s the case, isn’t there no need for Lee Si-yoon to go in? It’d make more sense to send a team of much stronger Hunters instead, right?”

“Why? Are you worried about him?”

At my words, Ria’s eyes narrowed slightly. There was a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, which was a bit unsettling. Why does it feel like she’s teasing but also doubting me at the same time?

Oh, I see. Is this also a type of jealousy? If I get too chummy with Lee Si-yoon, she might end up competing with me.

Well, I guess I should look pretty enough.

“Of course I’m worried.”

But I said that firmly.

No matter how much of a protagonist he is and how hidden his talents may be, ultimately he’s still at the bottom tier of Hunters. Last time he survived by sheer luck, but if he got unlucky this time, he could really lose his head.

…Thinking about how this is still before the main story, he has a high chance of surviving, but, well, the fact that my presence changes things a bit compared to the story I knew adds a twist.

“…Well, I guess that makes sense.”

Seeing me state the obvious, Ria seemed to understand what I meant.

“There’s no need to worry. Normally if something goes wrong, the ones dispatched next are top-tier Hunters and heroes. His following the team in is just to locate that predator. Following the magic tracking is the quickest way to verify it. Once the direction is confirmed, he’ll probably slip out, so it should be okay.”

“Hmm.”

Somehow, I feel like it won’t be that simple.

Not that I’m hoping for trouble, though.

But before I could ask anything else, the vehicle came to a stop.

It seemed we had arrived at our destination, as the unpaved, bumpy road had finally ended.

“We’ve arrived.”

In response to my assessment, the driver said from the front seat.

The door of the van smoothly opened before I could even reach out, and a cold breeze rushed in.

“Oh, right.”

About to step out, I turned to Ria and said.

“You’re not going into the Gate, right?”

“Why, are you worried?”

This time, Ria asked with a genuinely teasing expression and tone, causing me to raise an eyebrow slightly.

“…Just don’t go in.”

I replied bluntly and stepped out of the vehicle.

*

Without taking a moment to rest after stepping out of the car, I headed straight toward the building where the injured were located. Despite being in the mountains, there was still a road suitable for vehicles, so the building wasn’t a makeshift structure. However, the design wasn’t particularly impressive either.

And the moment the door opened with the person guiding Ria and me, the smell that wafted out was the scent of blood.

“Wait a sec.”

As I was about to rush in, Ria grabbed my arm tightly. Enough to hurt a little.

“Calm down for now.”

“But—”

“How many can you heal?”

“…Uh.”

“You pass out just from healing one dying person. You’d fall into a coma after getting a bit tired.”

“I—”

“Hey, don’t get it twisted. I’m not worried about you collapsing; I’m worried about how many people you can actually heal.”

“…Ah.”

I see.

“If you collapse, you won’t be able to heal any incoming patients after you. Watch yourself.”

As Ria pointed around, I turned my head to look around and, indeed, not every patient was in a serious condition.

Some were pouring holy water directly on their wounds to heal themselves, and others were being attended to by different Priests who had already arrived before me.

“Only the ones who are on the verge of death or those whose lives are seriously endangered are a priority.”

Ria still held my arm tightly as she said.

“If they’re not like that, don’t intervene. The reason they called you here is for those unavoidable circumstances.”

“…Got it.”

That makes sense.

Maybe I could heal a few people at once by sharing my Saint Power bit by bit. I might even manage to treat multiple people at once.

However, if I overdo it and end up collapsing, I might have to leave someone like Lee Si-yoon, who could come in injured, to fend for themselves.

As long as there’s someone to replace me, I shouldn’t do their job. Otherwise, it might create a situation I wouldn’t be able to handle.

“…Well, should we hear what the people have to say first? We might find out about what kind of beings were beyond the Gate. Though, even if we do, it might not be of great use to us right away.”

As Ria suggested, I nodded.

Walking among the injured, I felt the eyes of others fixate on me. I awkwardly kept my head down to avoid eye contact.

“You don’t have to walk like you’re guilty or something.”

Ria said as she patted my back, but I still couldn’t help feeling a weird sense of guilt.