INHO 23

The Isolated Island (3)

“Since the completion window didn’t pop up… it’s probably not broken, right?”

We all stared at the forest that had been turned upside down.
How were we supposed to find anything in that mess? The thought alone was overwhelming.

“It definitely wasn’t near the spot from before.”

“Should we split up like earlier and search again?”

If we wanted to find it before sunset, dividing up seemed most efficient.
But just as I stepped forward, Iyul spoke first.

“Minhajun and I will take the inner area. You circle around the coast. I don’t think it’s coming this way.”

“Seriously? I already checked around here earlier.”

“Then check properly this time.”

“I agree. If it didn’t break even after that attack, there’s a higher chance it’s outside the forest.”

Before I could say another word, the two men—shockingly—were of one mind and promptly sent me to the outskirts.
Their intent was obvious, but they did have a point, so I decided to let it slide.

“Fine. I’ll handle the outer perimeter then. Who’s going for the inside—”

Both Minhajun and Iyul went silent, their earlier unity evaporating in an instant.

“Someone’s gotta go,” I said. “You’re not just gonna stand here, are you?”

“Minhajun will go.”

“I think Wind should go.”

“Do you even have a conscience? You’re going this time.”

“It’s more efficient for the one with better mobility to move quickly.”

A fierce, unrelenting back-and-forth ensued.

“Enough. You’re both going.”

“You expect us to let you go alone when we don’t know what’s out there?”

“Do I really look that helpless to you?”

I crossed one leg over the other and looked at them. Iyul shrugged and took a step back.

“You are tough as nails.”

Guess those gate runs together weren’t for nothing—he was starting to get a feel for me.

“Still…”

Minhajun still looked uneasy, but he didn’t dare say anything that would sound like doubting my skills.
Instead, after a moment’s hesitation, he handed me something.

“A flare gun. If something happens—or if you find anything—shoot it up.”

“Got it.”

I tucked the gun-shaped flare launcher safely into my belt and waved off the two men, who were still lingering.

‘Do they really not trust me?’

I’d torn monsters apart with my bare hands, yet somehow that wasn’t reassuring enough.
One took to the air, the other set off on foot, and once they disappeared, I began my own search.

I sighed, gazing up at the red sky. Quite some time had passed since we split up—
the sun was already setting.

“So it does get dark here.”

Time sure flew.

The crimson light over the sea was beautiful, but I didn’t have the luxury to admire it.
The bigger issue was right in front of me.

‘It’ll be harder to find anything once it’s dark.’

Great. Just great. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and let out a long sigh.
The gate’s low rank had made me think it would be easy—how naïve.
They should really factor in treasure-hunt difficulty when assigning gate grades.

As I was mentally drafting complaints and suggestions for the Hunter Association,
a dark silhouette suddenly dropped from the sky.

Instinct kicked in. I jumped back and drew my weapon—

“Whoa—! You almost stabbed me!”

It was just Iyul.

I sheathed my dagger and grumbled, but there was no snappy retort in return.

“What’s with that face?”

“Well… uh… I found something.”

“What kind of something?”

He raked a hand through his hair, visibly unsettled.
“It’s better if you come see for yourself.”

This wasn’t just about finding the gate core.
Sensing the tension, I followed him without another word.

We crossed the island to the opposite edge of the forest. Minhajun was already there, his expression grave.

“This way,” Iyul said.

I followed his lead—and froze.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Near the edge of the forest, where the soil had been slightly disturbed, something was half-buried in the ground—

A human skeleton.

By nightfall, we were sitting around a small campfire.
For something we’d thrown together on the spot, our makeshift campsite looked surprisingly decent.

“Does this even make sense?”

Once we’d dug up the bones, there was no mistaking it.
They were unmistakably human—exactly like the anatomical models in science labs.
And it wasn’t just one set of remains.

“I think they were Korean.”

Minhajun held up an old flip phone.
The keys were engraved with Hangul characters, clear as day.
We’d found it among the scattered junk lying nearby.

‘We can’t just tell the outside world about this.’

If this got out, the chaos would be unimaginable.

If these skeletons really belonged to people from our world—those who’d died long ago inside this gate—
then the very definition of what a gate was would have to be rewritten.

“A gate, once closed, never reopens.”

That was the one thing everyone agreed on.
It was also the biggest reason research into gates had hit a dead end.
The question of whether the inside of a gate was even a real world had never been resolved.

Some scholars had gone so far as to claim that a gate’s interior was a temporary, virtual space that existed only when connected.

But these bones—and the debris around them—were undeniably from Earth.
And they looked like they’d been here for a long, long time.

‘I’ve seen gates open in multiple places before…’

When the first gates appeared and humanity nearly collapsed, there had been simultaneous openings worldwide.
But not even I—after everything I’d been through—had ever seen a gate reopen once its core was destroyed.

For now, we decided to stay at the entrance, make sure nothing escaped, and get a better grasp of the situation.
We didn’t need reinforcements yet, and closing the gate prematurely would only bury the truth.

“It reminds me of something I heard once,” Minhajun said quietly.

“What’s that?”

The crackle of burning wood filled the silence.

“About twenty years ago, there was a gate where a bunch of civilians went missing.”

“…Missing?”

“Yeah. Back before the system was organized—some civilians got caught inside, and when rescue teams entered, there was no one left.”

“No one? Not even bodies?”

“Exactly. They said it was like they’d vanished into thin air.
And it happened on a small island, too… they searched every inch of it.”

‘A small island…?’

He must have realized it himself, because he bit his lip hard.
Despite the fire’s warmth, goosebumps prickled along my arms.

“This feels like something out of a horror story,” Iyul muttered.
The air seemed to grow colder.

“Could the monsters we saw earlier have buried them?” I suggested.

“Maybe,” Minhajun said, though his voice lacked conviction.
We had no solid proof either way—and we’d only found three sets of bones so far, judging by the skulls.
Too few to call it a mass death.

If they’d all been killed, their remains should have been together.

“Let’s continue in the morning,” Iyul said, lying down. “We’ll find something.”

He wasn’t wrong—searching further now would be useless.

“I’ll keep watch. Get some rest.”

My head was spinning, but there was nothing more to do tonight.
I tried to shake off the unease and lay down. Luckily, I was used to sleeping outdoors.

Then, something soft landed over me—a coat.

“It gets cold at night,” Minhajun said.

“What about you?”

“I don’t feel the cold.”

“Yeah, right,” Iyul muttered under his breath, but Minhajun ignored him.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling faintly as I turned to the side.
Despite the turmoil in my head, my eyelids soon grew heavy.

Rumble.

I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when I felt the tremor through the ground.
A deep, resounding vibration.

I opened my eyes, trying to assess what was happening—
but before I could, the world was already collapsing around me.
The island was tilting.

“Everyone—!”

I tried to shout, but before the words could escape, salt water filled my mouth.

I kicked desperately, reaching for a floating piece of driftwood—but the pull was too strong.
I was dragged down, fast and mercilessly.