Chapter 6 : Strange Daily Life

Gate.

That’s quite an intuitive name.

Because it denotes a passage connecting another world to the real world.

“Usually, they say it’s a world created by humanity’s collective unconscious… but honestly, with Returnees and all, there’s still a lot that hasn’t been revealed.”

After subjugating the B-rank Gate, Vivid Four Seasons, Han Sol chattered on, explaining the common knowledge of this world.

It was a little annoying, but I let her be.
It was useful information, after all.

I needed to appear ‘normal enough’ to at least get the Association President’s permission.
And for that, I needed a lot of common knowledge.

“Is… the place I came from still alright?”

Han Sol nodded slightly.

“Yes. It will probably continue to exist. It’s already a known fact that Gates don’t close even if the Returnee dies. It likely requires some special condition to clear.”

The Gate that opened in northern Gyeonggi Province, the passage I came through.
It was named ‘Death’s Blessing’, after the original game’s title.

I considered suggesting the name ‘Land of Prosperity’, but honestly, thinking about it now, it felt like naming Greenland. I stopped myself.
(TL Note: Greenland’s name is famously ironic as it’s mostly ice-covered.)

It felt a bit wrong.
Even though I was nominally the ruler of the Land of Prosperity, it was now just territory. I had no intention of forcing people to live there.

…And.
Later, I’d have to close the gate completely and settle on Earth anyway.

“Sorry. I should have done a better job. If I had known this would happen, I would have purified the land, even if it meant destroying half the continent.”

“Still, there’s plenty of time before erosion becomes serious. Considering the number of Gates you close in the meantime, Ms. Agathe, it’s a much better deal.”

The danger of Gates isn’t just otherworldly materials and monsters.
Gates threaten Earth in a more fundamental sense.

Like painting over the world with a brush, each time a Gate opens, the laws of the world change slightly, becoming more bizarre.

The Vivid Four Seasons Gate we just subjugated could be an example.

The Republic of Korea is known as a country with four distinct seasons.
That ‘common knowledge’ was ingrained in the subconscious of many people, and from that subconscious, the B-rank Gate Vivid Four Seasons was born.

And the effect of this B-rank Gate…

“Phew. It should get better now that we just subjugated it, but it’s still hot. Aren’t you hot, Ms. Agathe? Oh, right, you said you’re fine because you’re a spiritual body?”

“I have a physical body now, so it’s a bit hot. But, well. It’s not unbearable. There’s air conditioning, after all.”

Literally, it made the distinction between Korea’s four seasons clearer and more pronounced. Summers hotter, winters colder.

Thanks to that, this year’s farming was supposedly half-ruined.
I often saw news reports lamenting that already high prices were set to rise further.

…Well.
It didn’t matter much to me, who had plenty of money and didn’t really need to eat.
But I felt a bit uncomfortable, so I donated most of the money I earned recently.

If even a B-rank Gate causes this, what about A-rank and S-rank?

The S-rank Gate, Seocheon Flower Garden, supposedly showed no outward abnormalities, but according to the Association President, there seemed to be something more to it.

The case of the most famous S-rank Gate, ‘Hell’, which opened in Texas, was even worse.
Didn’t that Gate, the first S-rank Gate and the one that produced the first Returnee, affect even me living in a different world?

By providing Zamiel, who took my sister’s soul, a place to escape.

“…”

Thinking about my sister made me feel slightly depressed again, but I thought this level was acceptable.

I was taking antidepressants and a few other medications too.
This state, neither too comfortable nor too depressed, felt just right.

Anyway, perhaps because of that, my mental state seems to have improved slightly while living back in my homeland for a month.
I’ve gained a slightly different perspective on the self-blame I’d been indulging in.

Maybe it was just a means of self-consolation to lessen my guilt?
Self-blame is useless for actually saving Enhen, so maybe I was just tormenting myself to ease my own burden?

That thought occurred to me.
So I decided to stop the self-blame and focus more on reality.

“Han Sol. How much was the reward for this request?”

“Ah. I think it was around 10 billion won. I came out in a hurry so I couldn’t check, but it should be over 10 billion after taxes.”
(TL Note: 10 billion KRW is roughly 7-8 million USD)

“…It feels a bit unreal. I lived a relatively modest life before, but earning this much money with a single shot.”

Han Sol shook her head emphatically.

“Usually, it can’t be handled that easily. My gear alone costs well over a billion won, and it gets damaged while closing Gates, plus consumables cost tens of millions. Besides, usually multiple people tackle it together, so the reward has to be split.”

She continued, adding further explanation.

The defense budget allocated this year was 120 trillion won, but from the government’s perspective, hiring a few Hunters and outsourcing was much cheaper than spending billions on a single artillery shell.
(TL Note: 120 trillion KRW is roughly 90 billion USD)

Since less than 50 B-rank Gates open per year, anything below A-rank is usually handled for under 1 trillion won total.

Considering inflation, it’s actually less than when North Korea hadn’t collapsed back in the day.

Of course, this figure is possible because the money for repairing destroyed buildings and restoring social infrastructure comes from budgets other than the Ministry of Defense.

“That’s why you’re amazing, Ms. Agathe. The resources needed for subjugation are practically non-existent for you. And seeing what you did this time, you didn’t even enter the Gate. How did you do it?”

I hesitated for a moment at Han Sol’s words.

Is it okay to tell her this?

“…Just. After doing it for a while, I figured it out.”

I paused, but the hesitation wasn’t long.
We had grown somewhat close over the month, and it wasn’t something she could prevent just by knowing.

“You know my Magic Bullet has a guaranteed hit property, right?”

“Ah, yes. I heard about that.”

At first, it can only hit the person aimed at, but as one becomes more proficient, the scope expands.

“I aim not at the Gate’s enemies, but at the Gate’s core. Even if I don’t know its location, the Blessing guides the way. Then I can kill it without knowing the enemy’s specific weaknesses.”

“…Isn’t that totally broken?”

Perhaps.

But I never wanted to use a skill that only becomes useful when everyone you love is dead.

My current aiming skill is the result of relentless effort to never hit my lover’s heart again.
Though the lost chance never returned.

“Well. Enough of that. It seems like requests have decreased lately, are there no more?”

I needed something to immerse myself in.
Preferably something positive that also saved people.

“Ah. About that… Because you’ve been working so hard lately, Ms. Agathe…… well, you know? The fight over rice bowls.”
(TL Note: “Rice bowl fight” is a common Korean expression for competition over limited resources or jobs.)

“…This place has its own difficulties too.”

Back then, I could just smash things.
Being a ruler didn’t involve much work either.

In the first place, I inherited the throne just before the Land of Prosperity was about to be completely shattered.
I only inherited it because the king’s authority and blessing were needed; it was a situation where actual rule was impossible.

Of course, it seemed desperate back then.
Feeling the immense responsibility of the crown placed on my head as I recovered the prince’s body is still vivid in my memory.

I don’t know.

If I did my best, the best result should have followed, but seeing the outcome, perhaps it wasn’t really my best?

“It’s like anywhere else. Places where people live are all similar.”

Han Sol said this as if expressing solidarity, but I smiled bitterly at her words.

Right. Places where people live are all similar.

The problem was that the Land of Prosperity was a place where people didn’t live.
They were all dead or turned into monsters.

“…Ah. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s like that now, but the place I was in used to be quite similar to what you described.”

A place where people live.

With some laughter and slightly more tears.
Sometimes falling in love and cultivating life…

A relatively normal and decent land.
It used to be like that.

The day I returned after closing a B-rank Gate.

I was blankly staring at the ceiling at home.

“…There’s nothing to do.”

There’s nothing to do.

Is it because the Gate subjugation requests have decreased significantly?
Other Hunters besides me need to make a living too, and Gates don’t appear that frequently in the first place.

One might ask why there’s a fight over rice bowls when people are dying, but Han Sol seemed a bit troubled, so I obliged.
She also said people rarely die these days anyway.

Perhaps because of that, there’s nothing to do.

Trying self-harm like I used to feels a bit awkward now, and even if I try to search for information on devils, Bari somehow finds out like a ghost and contacts me.

But if asked if I hate it, that’s not it either.

How should I put it?
Overall, things have become much more comfortable.
Enough to make me think how much has changed in just a month.

My body, my mind… and the environment I’m in.

Han Sol, the first connection I made outside the Gate, has become like a sister to me, and I occasionally contact the Association President or Bari too.

‘Have I become this weak already?’

I knew I craved human affection…

But I realized I’m lonelier than I thought.
I didn’t know because my mind was sick, but now that Han Sol is gone, I feel a bit lonely.

Should I go out and make some friends?
That feels a bit awkward too.

The only people I know are a few Hunters.
Contacting that C-rank Hunter, Baek Yiryeong, was his name? Feels awkward because he’s male.

Objectively speaking, my appearance is excellent, so men are a no-go.
Even if it doesn’t become romantic, the mere fact of being looked at with that kind of gaze is slightly unpleasant.

Of course, I’m not that extreme, but the Land of Prosperity was quite conservative compared to Korea.
It’s unavoidable that my way of thinking changed after spending decades there.

“…Caspar.”

I miss Caspar.
Even though only his body remains, I can still see his face.

Yes. Right, should I go visit again?

A month is a long time to endure.
This much should be fine.

“…No. Let’s endure just a little longer.”

If I had my way, I’d visit Caspar every day.

Kiss the preservation-enchanted coffin, and just immerse myself in memories of my lover in front of it until news of Zamiel arrives.

But there’s a problem.
Crossing the Gate to see Caspar strengthens the influence of the A-rank Gate ‘Death’s Blessing’.
I’ve already tested it.

It’s probably due to my unique nature… but that’s not the important part.
What’s important is that I can’t see Caspar.

The desire to see my lover clashed with the rationality that I shouldn’t, and I made a decision.