Red Gate Subjugation (3)

After the abnormal phenomena of the Red Gate were reported, a large-scale evacuation began.

Fortunately, it was important that there were not that many people who needed to be evacuated, since it was the time when people were wrapping up the day’s work and slowly preparing to rest, and when many were coming and going through the Gate to make reports.

However, since there were people who had gone fairly deep inside to inspect the interior, I began identifying the place where magic power was moving and gathering in a swirling manner in order to evacuate them.

At the same time, I pointed out a few 6th Circle black mages and spoke.

“There are still workers remaining in the one o’clock and four o’clock directions, so please evacuate them, and everyone else can follow me.”

The people moved after hearing those words.

In the meantime, Han Sang-gil looked at me and asked,

“Have you found the location?”

“I have identified one for now, but I do not know if that place is the right one.”

Was my answer not satisfactory?

“What kind of answer is that? What a useless fellow.”

At Jeong Gil-sun’s grumbling, Baek Da-gyeong, who had been listening, stepped in and spoke.

“That could happen. Since Master Geum Seong-chan is the only one who can track it, if you are so capable, Chairman Jeong Gil-sun, then why don’t you find it yourself?”

“And what are you supposed to be?”

“Baek Da-gyeong!”

“Who does not know that?!”

The two bickered back and forth, and from what I had heard, they were fairly close. Moreover, Baek Da-gyeong had also said that she belonged to the Black Mage Association.

Her area of activity was Busan, and since she mostly worked through her guild, there was no reason for her to come all the way up to Seoul to handle Association matters, so it was only that they could not meet often, but I had heard that whenever something happened to the Association, she was someone who always stepped up first.

‘Had it been said that she was also fairly close with Ms. Jeong Da-bin?’

Perhaps because they were around the same age, it was known that they got along quite well.

In fact, during the fifteen days of investigation, I knew that the two of them had frequently gone out of the Gate and dropped by nearby taverns.

Since it had been an investigation without much tension, I had no intention of saying anything about it, nor was I in any position to do so, but in any case, right now, sorting out the situation came before their squabbling.

“You can strengthen your friendship later. Let’s move. It is starting to intensify.”

Everyone raised their tension after hearing my words.

At present, there are ten great black mage masters here.

Unless the Gate exploded and collapsed in an instant, they would be able to deal with almost any threat.

And that was not all.

Almost all of the 6th Circle black mages were also inside the Red Gate.

Since they were people obsessed with “magic,” they had been unable to leave the Gate because any abnormal phenomenon would make their eyes light up, and because of the expectation that there might be something special due to the mutation.

On top of that, the fact that they were paid a daily wage just for being inside the Gate was another attractive point.

In fact, the government was paying us an enormous daily rate alone, enough to blow huge holes in the budget.

Naturally, the price of people at the master class and the “master craftsman” class below them could not possibly be cheap.

“But what do you plan to do if that gigantic monster appears?”

At Cheon Jong-un’s question, I looked around at everyone and said,

“First, let’s concentrate curses on it to restrict its movements, and then try various experiments on it.”

The masters’ eyes gleamed.

To speak honestly, if this had been a situation led mainly by physical Awakeners or supernatural Awakeners with power comparable to ours, then the moment the monster appeared, they probably would have left the Gate and waited until a break occurred.

But with black mages stationed everywhere who could restrict movement and provide all kinds of utility, I believed we could control something like a monster going berserk well enough.

At that, Jeong Gil-sun stepped forward and said,

“It would be nice if we could collect plenty of samples. It certainly will not be an ordinary monster.”

“I agree too. If we can gather everything from cell tissue to bone fragments, that alone would make excellent research material for the Black Mage Academy.”

Everyone nodded at Baek Da-gyeong’s claim. In fact, after the academy was established, a total of five masters had committed themselves to it.

Jo Jin-man from Hamheung had not yet given a definite answer, but Han Sang-gil, Gong Baek-jin, Tae Young-su, Baek Da-gyeong, and Jang Seong-hun had already agreed that the five of them would lead the academy and devote themselves to fostering the younger generation.

The fact that each had a different specialty was also one reason they had committed themselves, but at present, there was no other group that included as many as five master-class figures, so the world was paying close attention to the Black Mage Academy.

‘So it would be right to minimize the damage as much as possible. No one must die.’

Renewing my resolve, I spoke.

“Anyway, the contract states that after the hunt, the byproducts will belong to us. Besides, since they will have been contaminated by dark magic, it will surely be difficult to handle them by ordinary methods, so it is only right that we use them.”

In fact, if we could command undead using a powerful monster as a medium, it would help strengthen our forces, so this was also the first condition that absolutely had to be settled.

It was surely a situation that would make Kim Dae-san’s stomach burn, but if a break occurred and caused large-scale damage like in France, dealing with the aftermath would not be easy.

Indeed, Kim Dae-san himself might even have to step onto the battlefield.

That was how much the neighboring countries were quietly hoping for Korea’s weakening.

So Kim Dae-san had drawn me in because he wanted to minimize the damage somehow, and by showing the will to accept every condition no matter what it was, I could sympathize with how desperately he wished for his authority and power not to diminish.

Everyone looked fired up, and we began moving again until we reached a position where we could see the center of the violently raging vortex of magic power.

“The abnormal phenomenon is severe. But I heard that in Britain’s Red Gate, the monster appeared without any warning signs at all, so does anyone know why this one is like this?”

At Gong Baek-jin’s question, everyone kept their mouths shut like mute fools.

A phenomenon was occurring that no one could easily predict. So I cautiously released magic power, then guided my magic power to mix into the vortex and began examining the situation below.

And as I felt my magic power digging quite deep, I thought I understood why I had not been able to easily find the cause.

“…There is something strange underground. It feels like the Gate’s core, but closer to something more fundamental than that…. It is alien.”

“What does it seem to be?”

“I do not know.”

“How deep is it?”

At Jeong Gil-sun’s question, I thought for a moment, then said that it seemed to be roughly one hundred meters below, causing him to click his tongue.

“To break through that much thickness and go down, ordinary magic will not be enough. Would it be right to simply wait until it bursts up?”

“I suppose so. But what was said to have happened with Britain’s Red Gate?”

After the subjugation had been completed, nothing had been properly revealed about what happened afterward. So just as Han Sang-gil and everyone else were wondering about it, that was when—

“I know.”

Everyone’s gaze gathered at the familiar voice.

“If all of you stare at me like that, it is burdensome, you know?”

“So-mi. This is not the time for jokes.”

At Han Sang-gil’s words, she grinned and began speaking.

“It was not anything that amazing. They say the break ‘stabilized.’ Then the Red Gate regained a complete form again and, after shrinking down, entered a standby state.”

“…Is such a thing possible?”

As everyone looked at me in puzzlement, I shrugged and said,

“My reaching the 8th Circle and my possessing knowledge are separate matters. Though perhaps I might know the Necronomicon.”

“You absolutely would not. That damned book is just paper trash unless it is about black magic.”

At Han Sang-gil’s savage sneer, everyone wore complicated expressions.

To black mages, the Necronomicon is a dream book. But conversely, it is also a cursed book.

You can learn an enormous variety of black magic from it, but the problem is that the price is far too cruel.

It has never been revealed what price Han Sang-gil paid, but everyone who should know is aware that the price I paid, with Han Sang-gil’s help, was “emotion.”

In any case, what mattered was that we could not predict what would happen afterward.

‘Since the Red Gate did not disappear, perhaps it is going to keep turning into a recurring phenomenon. Or else, perhaps whatever is underground loses power, then enters a standby state until it recovers again.’

If this kind of thing repeated itself, then the more Red Gates appeared in the world, the more it would be correct to think that humanity had no future.

Even if we responded and stopped the problem, that problem would already have caused massive damage, and then it would repeat?

Those who survive might become more elite, but on the other hand, it could turn into trauma and leave them unable to continue living as Awakeners.

When a comrade from a moment ago, an acquaintance, or a heroic figure representing a nation dies, there are not many people who can endure that without breaking.

“Let’s dig up the ground.”

Everyone looked startled at my words, and I said,

“There must be a clear reason why the Gate has not disappeared. And I think that reason is that the ‘core’ has remained intact.”

“Then are you saying that what is below here is the core?”

“I think that could be the case. So after pouring out the power accumulated through mutation once, it may be trying to go through a recovery period and repeat the same situation.”

“What about Yellow Gates?”

I judged that they too might have some sort of mechanism, but I could not jump to conclusions.

When I shook my head to show that I did not know, everyone looked disappointed, and just as I was about to release magic power and make the ground surge upward, Tae Young-su spoke.

“I am closer to a researcher, so let me use my strength here. If a battle breaks out, I would like you all to act more actively.”

In truth, Tae Young-su was someone closer to a black magic researcher.

That did not mean he could not fight, but compared to the others, he lacked some edge. So, since this was a matter that would consume immense magic power, he judged that it was right for him to step forward first.

At that, with Han Sang-gil saying that they would leave it to him, Tae Young-su released magic power and began pushing away the earth.

His ability to control magic power was excellent, and the way he deployed spells vertically and handled formula calculations was also highly refined, making it seem that there was quite a lot I could learn from him.

‘The title of master is not given for nothing. Perhaps the fact that each of them uses different formula calculations and spell-language deployments is also something I should learn?’

There was still much left for me to learn, so all of this was pleasing.

Thus, an amount of magic power equal to more than five full spell castings was used, and it did not take long for a giant pit one hundred meters deep to form, but when everyone looked at the underground area that had been revealed in such a brute-force way, they could not help but tense up.

“…Does that look like some kind of living being?”

Because a giant was sleeping there, wrapped in an opaque membrane.