Chapter 3 …
Sejin stirred the cooling bowl of soup with a spoon, yet her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
-“So, citizens, please become our eyes and ears. We encourage you to actively participate in reporting.”
A sharp, piercing gaze flashed as if it could cut through the screen.
Why does it feel like our eyes just met?
A look that seemed to see right through her made sweat start trickling down Sejin’s back. She could almost feel it on her philtrum as well.
‘Hah… insane. Look at those eyes.’
Even before this, whenever she secretly closed a gate and left, Han Ki-tae had been on her heels more than once.
Each near escape had sent shivers down her spine.
[What to do… That guy looks like he’s about to blow a fuse.]
“Seriously… It’s already stressful enough. Why does he have to be like that?”
Sejin complained as if she were on a call.
Why am I even dealing with this? Frustration surged.
Am I doing all this just for my own benefit? Just so I can live a comfortable life alone?
Her teeth gritted with indignation.
She buried her face in the cooling soup and stirred the half-eaten, now mushy rice with her spoon.
‘Why is life so hard?’
Cheon-hee, who had sealed the soul of her younger brother trying to destroy the world. The fact that she had inherited that soul suddenly felt exhausting.
Watching Han Ki-tae on the screen, eyes wide open despite the flashing lights, Sejin let out a long sigh from deep in her core.
‘I’m not trying to do anything bad, okay?’
Her stomach churned with secrets she could tell no one, but she soon resigned herself to silence.
The lonely life of an unregistered hunter, unrecognized by anyone.
She never even dreamed of going to college like everyone else.
She always had to be on standby, searching for the god who might awaken at any moment.
After zoning out for a moment, Han Ki-tae disappeared from the briefing, and an advertisement began to play.
-“Seize the opportunity.”
A deep, commanding male voice filled the screen.
As the camera focused on his face, light shimmered across his red hair.
A handsome man, dressed in the black guild uniform of Conquest, slowly lifted his head with a composed air.
‘Oh.’
Sejin’s mouth naturally opened as she craned her neck toward the TV.
Broad shoulders, a muscular build that even the uniform couldn’t hide, and a relaxed smile.
The man on the screen was perfect.
-“The Eunryeong Guild will be your opportunity.”
The camera swiftly panned upward along a tall building.
On the glass facade, a massive guild logo reading ER gleamed in gold, reflecting the city lights above.
With the city sprawling beneath him, the hem of his black coat fluttered once more.
It was Do Jae-gyu, head of the famous Eunryeong Guild, known for its stylish uniforms.
[What a poser.]
Pagun clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
It was stylish enough that calling it a “poser” felt unfair.
In the past, hunters had been more like soldiers under government employment.
Though treated better than ordinary office workers, they were ultimately beholden to the state.
The government monopolized the spoils from gates, rife with corruption and backroom deals.
Do Jae-gyu was the first to bring these issues to light.
Backed by a massive corporation, he gathered like-minded hunters and formed a guild.
After that, hunters’ treatment improved significantly.
Countless guilds sprang up following him.
Hunters’ worth skyrocketed, and the government had no choice but to improve conditions to retain them.
A kind of self-correcting system, so to speak.
Whether seen up close or from afar, Do Jae-gyu promoted his guild with a handsome face.
It was no wonder he was considered a rival to Han Ki-tae.
“Hmph, handsome.”
[Do you like anyone just because he’s handsome?!]
“No, I didn’t say I liked him…! Can’t I just comment?”
Sejin pouted, staring at the screen showing Do Jae-gyu leaping from a rooftop with a cheerful wink.
“Ugh… he winked at me.”
[Snap out of it. Sigh.]
Sejin took a bite of the kimchi in front of her. Delicious.
Then, just as she continued her meal, Pagun shouted urgently.
[The demon gate has opened!]
“Now?”
Sejin, still half-focused on her half-eaten soup, hesitated, but Pagun pressed.
[You can finish eating later! What are you doing not moving?]
“Ah, fine, fine.”
Sejin hastily slung the black backpack on the chair over her shoulder.
“Let’s go. Let’s go.”
1. The Gate
“It’s creepy… really creepy.”
Thankfully, it was a rural area with no traffic. If the gate had appeared in the middle of a city, chaos would have ensued.
Since this gate had gone undetected by measuring devices, the area would have been complete havoc.
In the two-lane road encircling the mountain, black haze began to rise around the gate.
Sejin carefully pulled on her black cap and mask.
After almost being caught by government hunters last time, a cap alone didn’t feel enough.
Changing into a black hoodie she brought, she pulled the hood over her head and tightened the strings on both sides.
From a distance, she looked like a black silhouette.
“Why do I have to go this far… ugh.”
Letting out a dry sob, Sejin tightened her backpack and stepped forward.
[Let’s go.]
“Yes, yes! I was just about to go!”
Dragging her feet but knowing it had to be done, Sejin closed her eyes and stepped through the gate.
2. Worship
“Ugh, disgusting.”
Passing through the gate, a sticky sensation seemed to coat her body, like some slimy liquid.
It was as if a liquid monster had brushed over her.
The uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave her, so she bounced in place.
[It’s always this messy, huh?]
Pagun scolded her not to make weak noises.
“The feeling is always the same.”
Sejin turned her head to see a forest rising up to her shoulders.
At the far end of the endless thicket stood a massive old tree, skeletal and towering.
Even from afar, it looked enormous. Up close, it would rival a high-rise building.
“That must be it.”
She felt that the owner of this gate was there.
[Even a village dog has grown up.]
Pagun’s praise was… peculiar.
Sejin, unimpressed, moved forward with a sour expression.
“Let’s finish this quickly and get back to that soup.”
[Why is all you think about food?]
Sejin pouted, caught off guard.
“What’s wrong with that? It’s all for survival. Besides…”
Lowering her voice, she added:
“They say it’s a really famous spot.”
It wasn’t just any soup. She finally understood why it was so popular and why the owner’s hands were practically gilded.
[Hah, let’s go. Please, let’s go!]
Sejin broke the branches with her bare hands as she moved.
The massive tree loomed taller than she could capture with her eyes even when tilting her head back.
“How am I supposed to get to the top?”
If only there were an elevator… Sejin shook her head and examined a hole gnawed into the tree.
She peered inside; the hole extended upward, not straight but in a gentle zigzag.
“Gotta climb… haha.”
The path seemed endless. Sejin clenched her teeth and sighed.
[When has it ever been easy?]
Indeed, life had never been easy since she first received the god. She soon resigned herself and moved along the path.
The incline wasn’t insurmountable, but it was exhausting.
Halfway up, she glanced at the red mark on the back of her right hand.
[Save it.]
Pagun read her mind and replied dismissively.
“Hiiing.”
Sejin’s power, with only Pagun among the Seven Stars, was limited.
Though she could one day gain the full might of Cheon-hee’s reputation by acquiring all Seven Stars, it wasn’t now.
Even dealing with the demon that opened this gate was overwhelming enough.
Still, she gazed at her hand longingly.
“Seems like the soup I ate earlier has digested.”
Unlike the chilly air of the gate, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Her overworked thighs wobbled, making it hard to stand.
“Once I get out… I’m eating again.”
Her stomach was practically flat against her back, despite having just eaten.
This was her first meal of the day.
The half-eaten soup haunted her mind.
[Yes. The summit is near. Focus.]
“Two… two bowls… I’m eating them all.”
[Sigh.]
Pagun’s exhaled sigh echoed in her mind.
[Don’t… focus now. We don’t know what demons we’ll face.]
Was that calling her a pig? Sejin wiped the sweat dripping from her chin onto her hand.
“That must be it.”
She whispered, staring at a burrow near the very top of the tree, where a bee slept.
