Episode 02
Gate Break
I ignored my brother’s advice and took the bus instead.
It wasn’t about saving money.
I hadn’t regressed just to become obsessed with cash.
I need time to think.
I’d jumped a full ten years into the past.
At this point, I couldn’t even remember where I used to live—my old address refused to come to mind.
This is driving me insane.
And my chest felt tight, emotions churning out of control.
There was one more thing.
If things follow the original timeline, my brother has two days left.
Should I call him now?
Tell him not to enter that B-rank Gate in two days?
Say there are spies from multiple factions lying in wait—would that even convince him…?
“…Yeah. No way.”
To do that, I’d need explanations piled sky-high.
“I’m a regressor, hyung.”
Sure, that one sentence might explain everything—but I didn’t even fully believe it myself yet. How could I convince someone else?
I’ll keep this to myself for now.
The alcohol was wearing off, leaving me dizzy. Trying to piece together the situation only made the nausea worse.
I deliberately fixed my gaze outside the window.
Namsan Tower stood quietly in the distance.
Come to think of it…
Just before I died, I’d heard a voice.
What did it say again?
It felt like something critically important.
“Should I try…?”
I took a deep breath and muttered softly.
“Status window.”
Heads turned.
“…Stat window.”
“….”
“….”
My face burned.
“Guess he’s lost it.”
“Told you. Gates ruin people.”
Damn it.
People were whispering when—
Boom!
A deafening crash, followed by violent impact.
The bus lurched forward as its sudden stop threw everyone off balance. Passengers tumbled and screamed.
“Hey! What kind of driving is th—”
The man shouting went pale mid-sentence.
He’d seen it through the windshield.
“A—a Gate!”
“A Gate? A Gate?!”
Those three words carried terrifying weight. As if on cue, everyone pressed their foreheads to the windows.
I quietly did the same.
Maybe because I’d just regressed—my heart was strangely calm.
“I-it’s real…”
Anxiety fogged the glass with every breath.
Ahead of us, a giant oval maw yawned open.
An Abyss Gate.
If we could just hold on, we’d be fine.
People were panicking now, but nearby hunters would arrive soon.
Except—
Damn it.
There were three problems.
The first was our location.
Of all places, why a bridge?
No easy escape routes. Perfect for a bottleneck.
Worse—there were two Gates, one in front, one behind.
And compared to what came next, those were nothing.
“…Mom. The Gate is red…”
Right.
A Gate should’ve been jade-green.
This one was blood-red.
Gate Break.
The name alone reeked of doom.
I vaguely remembered an article online.
[August 17 — Gate Break incident at Hangju Bridge…]
Gate Breaks were rare.
Normally, Gates were one-way passages—hunters invaded them.
A Gate Break was the opposite.
The other world invaded us.
A freak occurrence.
Once or twice a year, at most.
This is insane…
Then again, I’d regressed—so who was I to complain about reality?
I was about to become goblin chow the moment I came back.
Get it together.
It started.
Rumble—!
The Gate convulsed.
The bus shook violently. Hanging straps smacked people over the head.
“Kyyaaaah!”
“O-outside!”
Limbs pushed through the wavering oval—some grotesquely thin, others unnaturally swollen.
Goblins. Orcs.
The bridge entrances were overrun in seconds.
Cars closest to the Gate emptied as people fled—
Toward our bus.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Let us in! Please, let us in!”
Fists slammed against the doors.
The driver trembled. Passengers collapsed, faces drained of color.
A green tide advanced, crushing cars like fallen leaves.
Crunch.
I bit my lower lip.
We’ll die if we stay here.
I’d regressed just to end like this?
My gaze swept the bus.
Then locked onto it.
The emergency hammer.
That was it.
I shoved through the panicked crowd and grabbed it.
A man noticed me and panicked.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“What does it look like? We’re getting out!”
“Why would we go outside?!”
“Listen, all of you!”
I raised my voice.
“If we stay here, we’re dead anyway! But the doors are blocked—damn it!”
My tongue tangled.
Sweat slicked my palm, the hammer nearly slipping free.
“Anyway! Everyone, get out! Now!”
“But that’s—”
“If we stay on the bus, will we magically live?! If hunters don’t show, we’ll have to jump into the river anyway!”
I meant every word.
Trapped in a sinking vehicle meant death.
Bare flesh meant a chance.
And hunters might not come at all.
Either way, we needed an escape route.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Objects rattled in rhythm.
Goblins and orcs charged, eyes gleaming.
“If you won’t go, I will.”
“….”
As I raised the hammer—
Half the passengers hurriedly lined up behind me.
“Let’s go together.”
I nodded.
Then swung with all my strength.
Crack!
Spiderweb fractures spread—but it wasn’t enough.
I froze.
Right.
Damn it.
I regressed.
My level reset too.
“Unbelievable…”
As I cursed inwardly, a rough hand reached into view.
“Let me.”
The man arguing with the driver earlier.
“I’ve worked construction all my life. Move!”
His flushed face inspired trust.
I handed over the hammer.
Crash!
The window shattered in one blow.
Too strong for a normal civilian.
I asked bluntly as he cleared the glass.
“You awakened?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why construction?”
“D-rank.”
That explained it.
“You too?”
“Yes.”
“Rank’s probably like mine.”
…Sorry.
One rank lower.
E—no, F-rank.
“Let’s move.”
“Right.”
He hopped down effortlessly.
I followed—clumsier.
Passengers helped each other down.
Thud thud thud!
My neck stiffened.
The green tide surged like a tsunami.
Skreee! Skreeee!
The goblins’ infrasonic screeches froze our limbs.
“Grah!”
A goblin lunged.
The D-rank man swung.
Clang!
Green blood sprayed from its crushed temple.
But even then, the goblin threw its dagger.
Whirl—!
It flew—
Toward me.
“Hey—watch—!”
Thunk!
“…Huh?”
Cold familiarity.
I looked down.
A stick protruded from my thigh.
A blade.
Again.
My strength drained.
Drip. Drip.
Red dots stained the ground.
My fingers came away sticky.
“N-nosebleed…?”
I collapsed.
Something’s wrong.
One stab shouldn’t—
Then I saw it.
Green ichor coated the blade.
Poison.
Goblin blood—paralytic.
They’d coated their own weapons.
Clever bastards.
“Hey! Hey!”
The man caught me.
“Stay awake!”
“Ugh…”
My luck was awful.
I might really die right after regressing.
“Hah… hah…”
I lay on the asphalt, its rough chill seeping into my back.
“One, two, three—I’ll pull it out!”
“P-please…”
“Three!”
Rip!
“Gaaah!”
Blood kept flowing.
He tore his clothes to bind it.
“Those green bastards—what did they do to the blade?!”
It barely helped.
The monsters closed in.
People scrambled, climbing over railings—ready to jump.
Chaos.
This was everyday life now.
How empty.
Then—
Swoooooosh—!
A beam of light cut the sky.
Like a comet.
It descended.
“…Wow.”
Light faded.
A human silhouette emerged.
Holy.
A hunter.
At least B-rank or higher.
“Hunters!”
The hunter clicked his tongue.
“What? Didn’t even need to come.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Whatever. Just hide somewhere.”
“Here! Over here!”
The man waved.
“Injured here! Potion, now!”
“You know how much potions cost?”
“Does that matter?! He’s dying!”
The hunter twisted his lips.
“If he’s lucky, he’ll live. I’m not handing out potions. Builds immunity, right?”
“You bastard—!”
He ignored us and drew his blade.
A curved sword.
That weapon—
Him.
The one who killed my brother.
Killed me.
Ten years ago, he’d already been rotten.
“You… bastard…”
I reached out.
He darted away instantly.
Uncatchable.
He slaughtered monsters with slick efficiency.
Then—
Something strange happened.
A red thread flowed from my index finger.
“Hey! Don’t move!”
The man’s voice slowed.
Time stopped.
The thread straightened.
〈You awaken to the True Essence of Blessing: Bloodline〉
The thread connected me to him.
Why?
Memory surged.
That moment when I bit his artery.
〈Han Bi-yeol has begun hunting monsters〉
Text flooded my vision.
Han Bi-yeol.
My enemy’s name.
〈Due to insufficient ‘Blood Exchange,’ output reduced to 12.9%〉
“What…?”
My focus snapped sharp.
The man gasped.
“What—what is that?”
Blood from slain monsters moved.
Streams crawled toward me.
〈Han Bi-yeol gained 937 EXP〉
Thump—!
〈Han Bi-yeol gained 821 EXP〉
Thump—!
〈Han Bi-yeol gained 764 EXP〉
Thump—!
The blood surged into me.
“Guh—!”
My back arched.
Red particles raced through my veins.
“Hey! Stay with me!”
Text formed.
〈乙 (Second) Han Bi-yeol offers a portion of acquired EXP〉
Coincidence?
“…!!”
He turned.
The same face I’d seen at death.
〈甲 (First) Seo Wonseok has leveled up!〉
His face went pale white.
