Chapter 100
“I’m back.”
On the way back after finishing another gate raid.
It had already been almost a week since I started spending my days recklessly clearing gates at the association president’s request.
Just how much have the gates increased?
I’d been clearing every dangerous gate I could, pushing my stamina to the limit—but even so, new gates were appearing at a frightening pace.
No matter how much Juhyeok ran around, clearing two a day by himself, the number never seemed to decrease.
Since gates didn’t disappear just because they were cleared once, the total number of open gates only kept rising.
“You’re back?”
“Hello.”
Late in the evening, the one greeting Juhyeok wasn’t his mother, but Yena.
It looked like she’d come straight from work, since she was still wearing a business suit.
“I heard you’ve been really busy lately? Sui said you haven’t even been able to come to training.”
“I’ve been splitting my day into morning and afternoon, clearing gates nonstop.”
“Two a day… well, if it’s you, Juhyeok, I guess it’s doable.”
She accepted it easily, knowing that Juhyeok wasn’t the type who relied purely on mana in combat.
And judging by his appearance—he didn’t look tired at all—she wasn’t too worried.
“The association is in total chaos right now. They’re begging every day for more people to be dispatched.”
“I heard they’re even shortening the mandatory rest periods.”
“Ugh, people are going to drop like flies for a while.”
Hunters working in the field weren’t the only ones suffering from the increase in gates.
Even guild employees handling gate-related data were on the brink of collapse.
Yena, who handled administrative work on top of being a hunter, would come back from gates only to sit in the office and deal with piles of accumulated work without any rest.
“The number of gates keeps increasing, but the rate of new Awakened isn’t keeping up… Doesn’t this feel like it’s heading for disaster?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s that serious yet.”
“Not serious? There was even a Break this morning.”
A gate Break.
Juhyeok knew about it too—from the disaster alert.
A low-priority F-rank gate had shown unstable mana flow and, after three days, finally broke.
“It’s lucky it was only F-rank. If it had been D-rank or higher, it would’ve been a full-blown catastrophe.”
Up to F-rank, the military’s firepower was usually enough to suppress it.
But from E-rank onward, it was a different story.
Defense that non-Awakened couldn’t easily penetrate, and speeds beyond normal human comprehension.
Sure, you might manage with tanks—but if dozens of those things poured out of a gate at once, it would truly be a disaster.
“I heard Vietnam already had an E-rank Break and it completely turned the place upside down.”
“…That doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”
For now, it was just something happening overseas—but it was only a matter of time before the same thing happened in Korea.
Hunters and civilians alike were filled with confusion and fear over the sudden surge in gates.
If we keep clearing them, they’ll eventually disappear… right?
It wasn’t at a truly critical level yet.
Thinking that if we just kept clearing gates like today, things would resolve themselves, Juhyeok tried to stay optimistic.
Then—
The bakery door opened, and a familiar face entered… wearing a mask and a hat.
“Th-that person…”
“…Calm down.”
Why on earth would she come to a bakery dressed like that?
As Juhyeok frowned at her, Jia spoke.
“Hey. You busy right now?”
“Not really… but why come dressed like that? Trying to get arrested?”
“I came through a gate anyway, so it doesn’t matter. She’s already seen my face.”
“……”
Jia confidently sat down.
After listening quietly for a moment, Yena spoke.
“You… that voice…”
“What, have you heard it somewhere?”
“So it wasn’t the first time.”
A face she’d already encountered before.
Yena immediately recalled her.
The woman who’d casually bought bread in front of Juhyeok’s mother.
Even at the terror incident, she’d felt a strange sense of déjà vu when they met.
Only now did she realize why.
It felt like being hit in the back of the head.
The shock of Jia’s sudden appearance—and her identity—left Yena stunned.
Seeing Yena’s expression crumble, Juhyeok tried to calm her.
“Yena, take a breath.”
“…I am calm.”
“Then put the phone down.”
She was gripping it as if she were about to call someone at any moment.
He stopped her quickly, worried the place would turn into chaos.
Thankfully, his mother wasn’t there—otherwise, it really would’ve been a disaster.
“So why did you come wearing a mask and hat?”
Had she really come here intending to turn herself in?
He couldn’t understand why she’d walk into a bakery dressed like she had been during the terror incident.
Jia replied calmly.
“There are only two times I dress like this. When I’m acting as part of a group, or when I need to use a gate.”
“Since you came alone, it’s the latter.”
“Exactly.”
Jia smiled, pleased with how quickly things were moving.
Adjusting her slightly crooked hat, she continued.
“They said they wanted to see you.”
“Who?”
“It’d be awkward to say his name here—but you’ll know who it is once I take you there.”
“……”
Mephisto.
For no one other than Mephisto to suddenly call for a meeting—
Up until now, they’d never met because Mephisto initiated it.
As Juhyeok wondered what this was about, Jia casually unzipped the air and opened a gate.
She’d made one before with just a finger snap… Maybe she liked putting on a show like this—
“Hey! You can’t open a gate here!”
If his mother came downstairs and saw this, she’d probably faint on the spot.
When he scolded her, she quickly closed the gate.
“He wants to see you right now.”
“I get it—just open it somewhere secluded.”
Juhyeok stood up.
At that, Yena, who’d been watching with wide eyes, grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
He stopped and turned to her.
“You’re going?”
She stared at him in disbelief.
From her perspective, it looked like he was about to go through a gate with a terrorist group—dangerous no matter how you looked at it.
That reaction was only natural.
Juhyeok was just used to it after spending time with Jia.
He lowered himself to meet her eye level.
“It’s someone important. I have to go.”
“……”
Her face was full of dissatisfaction.
Still, hearing him say it was someone important, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
“You don’t even know where you’re going.”
“I have a rough idea.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Not for me.”
At this point, even Mephisto’s minions—and Mephisto himself—weren’t much of a threat.
They hadn’t fought yet, so he didn’t know how strong she truly was, but at least their relationship was amicable.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be back soon, so just wait a bit.”
“……”
Yena fell silent.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke quietly.
“I want to go too.”
“…What?”
“I need to see where you’re going.”
“…That’s not a good idea.”
Where they were going was essentially hell—crawling with A-rank demons.
They’d go straight to Mephisto’s study, so it would be fine, but even so, the idea of taking her somewhere that dangerous made him uncomfortable.
And Mephisto wouldn’t exactly welcome an uninvited guest either, so refusing her—
“She said bring her.”
“Huh?”
“She says it’s fine. Bring her.”
Jia had already gotten Mephisto’s permission.
It seemed he’d been watching everything through her.
With the host’s approval, there was no problem.
Except for one.
“I don’t like it.”
He didn’t like it.
That demon had a twisted personality.
Getting Yena involved with someone like that wouldn’t do any good, so he wanted to avoid it if possible.
“There’s nothing good waiting for you there.”
“Then why are you going?”
“…I don’t really have a comeback for that.”
“I’ll stay quiet. I’ll stick right next to you. That’s fine, right?”
“……”
She clearly had no intention of backing down.
And his mother could come down at any moment.
After a brief pause, Juhyeok spoke.
“Then promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“That you won’t say a single word to anyone you meet there.”
“…Are we going to meet a demon or something?”
How was she so sharp?
Suppressing the urge to comment, he emphasized it again.
“If you promise not to say a word, I’ll take you.”
“Okay. I won’t talk.”
They finally reached an agreement.
Watching the exchange with boredom, Jia asked,
“So, are we going?”
“Not here. Let’s open it in a nearby alley.”
“Suit yourself.”
The three of them left the bakery together.
They moved quickly, worried someone might recognize Jia.
Fortunately, the alley next to the bakery was empty, and they were able to open the gate quietly.
“Hurry up.”
Juhyeok stepped through first.
Yena stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the gate he’d entered.
“What? Getting cold feet?”
“…I’m not scared.”
She snapped irritably at Jia’s provocation.
“How old are you, anyway? Why are you speaking casually?”
“Keep talking and I’ll close the gate.”
“….”
A woman she couldn’t stand.
From the moment they first met at the bakery, she hadn’t liked her.
Her job, her behavior—nothing about her sat right with Yena.
Juhyeok should really be more careful about who he hangs out with.
She glared at Jia and stepped through the gate.
Receiving her hostile gaze, Jia let out a mocking smile.
She must be the one he said was more important than me.
Having once investigated his past, Jia knew about Yena.
Seeing how bright and put-together she looked compared to herself, Jia felt irritated and, without realizing it, spoke casually out of spite.
I don’t like her.
Yena was the complete opposite of her—short, dark circles under her eyes, and a gloomy impression.
Feeling compared, Jia frowned, her long-buried inferiority complex surfacing.
