A Sudden Gate Break (2)

Was it the first rampage?

The monsters began to pour out again, and seeing that, Cheon Se-ah, famous as the Cold Witch, performed a miracle.

As a supernatural ability Awakener, she could manipulate the ice attribute, and she performed wonders by gathering moisture from the atmosphere to create ice masses or something similar.

A massive ice barrier was created in an instant before our eyes, and she guided the fighting dogs that had begun to pour out straight toward us so they wouldn’t escape in other directions.

‘Supernatural ability users are indeed quite troublesome opponents. Moreover, since the manifestation of their abilities is very fast, responding won’t be easy.’

I briefly calculated by assuming Cheon Se-ah as an enemy, and seeing the fighting dogs flocking toward us, I questioned her.

“Can you handle it?”

“What do you take me for?”

She spoke thus and reached out her hand with a confident appearance. Then, thorns protruded from the ice barriers set up on the left and right walls and skewered the fighting dogs just like that.

Dozens died instantly, and some whimpered while suffering major injuries.

However, a characteristic of fighting dogs is that they become even wilder when they catch the scent of ‘blood.’

I didn’t think Cheon Se-ah, who could be called a veteran, wouldn’t know that fact, and as if my expectation was correct, her second ability manifested immediately.

In a situation where the fighting dogs, excited by blood, were blindly rushing toward us, a transparent ice wall was created in the front, and the fighting dogs that had been running toward it collided head-on, staining the transparent ice wall with blood.

“Are you planning to just keep them trapped?”

“No? The temperature inside will continue to drop. I can even lower it to what’s commonly called absolute zero, but they aren’t monsters that require going that low. They usually die at around minus 70 degrees Celsius.”

Most things would freeze to death at that temperature.

I nodded at the obvious words and flew back into the air. Then, I checked the people who were finally peering out at the commotion and checked the photos that had just been delivered.

‘Hmm, as expected, it’s uniform as if deliberately sliced. What are the chances of a break occurring like this?’

No matter how much I thought about it, I judged it to be impossible. Since my prediction hit the mark, it was important which person was involved.

‘Someone capable of manifesting this much power… the Cultists of Ruin recently lost their strength, and Pi Jin-hyeok of the Magic Tower at the highest level doesn’t have this much power.’

If the values were quantified into mana every time a Grade 6 Gate formed, it would be included in magic corresponding to the 8th Circle.

However, in Pi Jin-hyeok’s case, he was a person expected to be an 8th Circle Beginner from a 7th Circle Master.

Based on mage standards, unless one is an 8th Circle Master, one cannot produce power similar to 8th Circle black magic.

‘Perhaps he’s standing in the gap, but at the very least, such a person wouldn’t conspire with the Cultists of Ruin. Then is this matter due to an external factor, or the appearance of a new individual?’

At least since the probability that the Cultists of Ruin were involved couldn’t be ignored, a cautious approach was necessary.

Because there was a need to examine the place where this Gate originally should have been, I went as far as sending a Message magic toward the ground.

“I will go look at another place, so I leave this area to you.”

At that, Cheon Se-ah shouted from below.

“Don’t you worry! I’m the Cold Witch, after all!”

Leaving behind Cheon Se-ah, who revealed quite a bit of confidence in her supernatural ability and moniker, I began to move quickly using Short-range Warp repeatedly, and after not much time had passed, I arrived near the intended location and looked down at the ground, which was fierce with battle.

In a situation where the dim sun was about to rise, I released mana.

Then, I saw many Awakeners looking up, but ignoring their gazes, I locked onto all the fighting dogs with the released mana and sliced off their necks by creating the wind rings I had used before coming here.

Blood splattered everywhere, and as thousands of fighting dogs collapsed in an instant, the Awakeners stirred in bewilderment.

So, I slowly lowered my altitude and ended up facing a familiar face.

“Mr. Gu Hae-sang, it’s been a while.”

“…Is that place already taken care of?”

“I quickly settled the first eruption, and the Cold Witch decided to take charge of the second eruption. I came here to investigate the cause.”

Just then, a woman who seemed extremely nervous spoke to me.

“N-nice to meet you! M-my name is Bak Mi-so!”

“She’s our team’s strategist.”

“Pleasant to meet you. I’ve looked at the data you sent. Did you confirm it?”

After speaking to Bak Mi-so, I asked while looking at Gu Hae-sang, and he nodded.

“…It really was split uniformly. Ms. Bak Mi-so said the probability of that… converges to almost zero. Is it true?”

“I think so too. That’s why I came to check for myself. I plan to go over there.”

The direction I pointed to was the underground drainage system.

“…There are still many monsters inside.”

“I’ve never experienced being injured by the likes of fighting dogs. I’ll be back.”

I lightly moved my steps, and Gu Hae-sang spoke urgently while following me.

“It’s an operation area. It’s off-limits to civilians. No matter who you are, isn’t your status that of a civilian?”

“Then let’s go together. Aren’t you curious?”

Gu Hae-sang swallowed hard, and at that moment, Bak Mi-so asked.

“Can… the cause be known?”

“If we see it directly, we’ll be able to gauge whether it’s artificial or natural.”

“If it’s artificial… the culprit will be inside, but because the energy level of Grade 6 is very high… wouldn’t it be dangerous because there’s a possibility that a high-level Awakener is involved…?”

She had a worried expression, but seeing Bak Mi-so like that, I spoke with the corners of my mouth curled up.

“It would be more correct to worry about the opponent than me. Who the more dangerous element is… doesn’t everyone here know?”

Bak Mi-so swallowed hard. However, Gu Hae-sang replied calmly.

“I don’t think you’re a dangerous element. Calling a hero who saved this country a dangerous element—those bastards who spit out such nonsense were all crushed by my hands long ago. So don’t say such things.”

“Thank you. For thinking of me like that. Let’s go for now.”

With that, we moved our steps toward the drainage system.

“The weakness of fighting dogs is the nape of the neck. Even if you injure other parts, they will eventually rush at you aggressively. They’re of the Hound type, but why else would they be called zombie dogs?”

Saying so, I used Dead Rise with lightly released mana to raise the fighting dog I had killed as a zombie dog.

“Zombie dogs are stiff and unnatural in their movements. However, they become a perfect shield against fighting dogs.”

Gu Hae-sang and Bak Mi-so watched in silence at the calm explanation.

The rushing zombie dogs and fighting dogs battled.

But the funny thing was that the fighting dogs, which had been biting the zombie dogs like that, suddenly began to crawl on the ground while struggling as if having a seizure.

“Fighting dogs have a habit of craving ‘blood.’ That’s why they get excited and rampage when they see blood. Furthermore, the range of craving also includes gluttony. Just by reviving a freshly killed fighting dog as a zombie dog, the zombie dog’s saliva and blood become deadly poison. But they end up devouring it.”

The fighting dogs struggled and then went limp. They didn’t die immediately.

The paralysis poison mixed in the zombie dog’s blood acted first to stiffen the body, and then a stronger neurotoxin stimulated the stiffened body to destroy the entire system.

In that way, the fighting dogs died of poisoning in less than a minute.

The funny thing was that the poison didn’t spread this fast in humans.

They would hold out for at least 10 minutes before paralysis symptoms appeared, but because fighting dogs had a very active metabolism, the poison spread rapidly throughout the entire body.

Thanks to that, just by operating zombie dogs, dealing with the flocking fighting dogs was a simple matter.

“Black magic… is amazing.”

At Bak Mi-so’s words just then, Gu Hae-sang replied.

“During the war, black magic was treated as a national power. In fact, when the war between the Three East Asian Countries was at its peak, it was considered that the side whose black mages won the battle was the winner.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard that story too. And at that time… you, well, played an active role…”

Bak Mi-so trailed off while gauging my reaction.

There was no reason to be so cautious, but because the rumors had been that grim, I replied nonchalantly.

“I just mobilized every method to survive. Not just me, but everyone standing on the battlefield was forced to make a choice.”

Those who roamed the battlefield pretending to be clean didn’t last long before becoming corpses.

We fought the war by even utilizing their corpses, and regardless of whether they were friend or foe, all corpses were nothing more than good tools for a black mage.

Eventually, the tide of battle began to tilt drastically due to a small number of surviving individuals, and Korea, which had a relatively large number of that minority, pushed out Japan and China and gained victory.

In reality, even now, the Three Nations maintained the worst relationship, and such a problem was also a global issue.

There were still many countries currently in the middle of war.

Not many countries had found stability and recovered their daily lives.

Furthermore, even the recovered daily life was one full of scars. They were merely living lives moving forward one or two steps while dragging countless scar-covered bodies that could not return to the way they were before.

“We’re here.”

Arriving at the Gate entrance just then, the word “as expected” flowed out naturally while looking at it, and I released mana upon confirming that the surroundings of the Gate were distorted by a powerful wavelength.

Crackle, the moment my mana touched the wavelength, black sparks flew, and what that meant was simple.

‘It’s black magic. Which fellow is it?’

There weren’t many individuals capable of producing this much power. And considering that there were several distorted wavelengths nearby, it could be seen that an individual of relatively low circle had amplified their power by utilizing a special medium.

The culprit was a black mage; however, thinking of individuals with the background to use amplification magic tools, I thought of the Black Tower and the Black Mage Association, but since the Black Mage Association was a group with no interest in this sort of thing, I was certain the Black Tower was involved.

‘For what reason did the Black Tower commit such an act?’

For exactly what?

Questions made my head dizzy, but just then Bak Mi-so spoke as if she had reached a similar conclusion as mine after examining the surroundings.

“Looking at the mana and the distortion, it seems several mediums were utilized… Doesn’t a general black mage lack this kind of capacity?”

“Are you sure it was the work of a black mage?”

Bak Mi-so nodded at Gu Hae-sang’s question, and Gu Hae-sang questioned me accordingly.

“Is what Mi-so said really true?”

“That’s correct. A black mage was involved, and at least a 6th Circle Master must have been related.”

“…There aren’t many 6th Circle Master black mages in the country.”

“There are forty-seven. Among them, twenty belong to the Black Mage Association, and the rest belong to the Black Tower and local guilds. Check the CCTV and trace the movements of the black mages.”

“…Understood.”

Leaving behind the two busy people, I moved my steps. And it was exactly when I thrust my hand into the Gate.

A black hand suddenly popped out, grabbed my arm, and pulled.

“Mr. Geum Seong-chan!!”

Gu Hae-sang’s urgent voice erupted, but I didn’t bother to resist the power pulling me and thought as I was sucked in just like that.

‘How bold. Was it intended?’

Thinking about it, a diffusion-type break occurred, but what were the chances it would manifest right in front of my house?

‘I shall accept the invitation.’

I didn’t know who it was, but it felt like they had expected me to react this way.