Chapter 15 : S Class Gate – Seocheon Flower garden (4)

Grandmother Samsin is the deity who determines childbirth.

Therefore, the recent phenomenon of collective miscarriages is abnormal.
If they had been affected by the erosion of Seocheon Flower Garden, more babies should have been born, not fewer.

That’s right.

The babies didn’t die because of the erosion.

The Association’s defense system killed the babies who had already become monsters due to the erosion.

Baridegi moved forward.
Holding three babies in her arms, escorted by Jacheongbi and the rest of the group.

A space filled with endlessly unfolding beautiful flowers suddenly appeared before their eyes.

“Everyone, close your eyes. You must absolutely not look directly at the flowers. Don’t stray from the path either, stay close together. Jacheongbi will provide escort.”

Every single flower visible in Seocheon Flower Garden is a monstrosity capable of killing a person easily.
It was safe only because they came through the proper path and had the Flower Inspector’s permission; normally, merely existing nearby would be dangerous.

-Thud.

-Thud.

Only the quiet sound of footsteps on the dirt path echoed in Seocheon Flower Garden.
Baridegi walked slowly towards the Flower Inspector’s dwelling visible ahead.

Not much further now.

Finally, her long-cherished wish could be fulfilled.

It was 8 years ago when Seocheon Flower Garden first appeared on Jeju Island, the second S-rank Gate to open in the Republic of Korea.

Naturally, at first, no one knew the Gate’s identity.
Before that Gate opened, neither the Hunter Association nor Association President Saradoryeong even existed.

Thanks to that, the Gate was left unattended for well over a month.
Since monsters didn’t immediately emerge, it was judged to be low-rank.

And.
From then on, children born in Korea became slightly strange.

At first, it was thought that humanity had finally adapted to the changed world.
Because they wielded strong power as if awakened from birth.

However, the babies born that way were somehow strange.
They had intellect and could communicate, but they couldn’t accept the values shared by humanity up to that point at all.

Morality, ethics, community, family.
Things like that.
They were no different from intelligent beasts capable of speech.
It was a disaster.

By the time people slowly began to feel something was wrong, Baridegi’s mother was abducted to a laboratory.
At the time, the government was secretly conducting human experiments, so it was a common occurrence.

The purpose was clear too.
The government wanted to control the new humanity.

More accurately, they wanted to analyze the new humanity that had already begun to be born and make them a species adaptable to society.
Otherwise, Korea was on the verge of collapsing due to internal strife.

Six nameless sisters were born and died.
She heard later it was because the influence of erosion was too strong, making socialization utterly impossible.

Baridegi recalled.
The moment she was first born.

A pure white laboratory.
Her mother looking down at her with dead eyes.

And the horrific sight of her mother’s belly burst open, blood flowing madly, herself staring blankly at her blood-stained tiny hands.

Baridegi was born killing her mother.
Literally, she tore through her mother’s belly from within the womb.

It was an act worse than any beast.

Thus, Baridegi was left alone.
The horrific memory from that time was vivid enough to be replayed clearly, even though she was young.

She grew quickly, and her potential was outstanding.
The government researchers didn’t know, but it was natural for a human born receiving the mana of an S-rank Gate.

All of that pointed to the fact that she wasn’t a proper human but a half-breed mongrel.

A beast-like human, strong but untaught in morality.
The abandoned Baridegi, who didn’t even receive a name from her parents.
A patricide who killed her mother at birth.

She would have remained that way if not for Saradoryeong, who taught her humanity.
He blamed himself for the tragedy caused by Seocheon Flower Garden’s erosion and took Baridegi in, raising her instead.

“Lord Sarado. Flower Inspector who rules Seocheon Flower Garden. Take pity on me…”

Please. Grant me mercy.

Just as you did for me in my childhood.

Baridegi knelt gracefully, holding the newborn triplets in her arms.
Then, two pure white, transparent flowers descended.

The Honsaeng Flower.
Also known as the Honsali Flower.
*(TL Note: Honsaeng Flower (혼생화) – likely ‘Soul-Birth Flower’.)*

“Ah…”

It was beautiful.
Even knowing its origin, even knowing her parents died miserably because of it and her own life was completely ruined.

Baridegi couldn’t help but reach out and gently take the Honsali Flowers into her arms.

Because that was the only means to save her deceased parents.

And. The moment Jacheongbi came forward and touched the remaining Honsaeng Flower with trembling hands.

An anomaly occurred.

-Doong!

A drum beats.

-Doong!

The sky tears open, and dark, dark clouds fill the heavens.

-Doong!

[I step away for a moment, and flower thieves arrive. To think even the Flower Inspector was complicit, this is a matter to ask the Supreme Emperor.]

The third drum beat sounded.
The true master of Seocheon Flower Garden, Grandmother Samsin, appeared.

***

Although I anticipated something like this might happen, Grandmother Samsin’s appearance was much earlier than expected.

It was likely because Jacheongbi, no, Agathe, interfered with the plan.
Moreover, she didn’t even perform her role properly, insisting on maintaining her chastity, so how much worse could it get?

But I didn’t feel like reprimanding her.

Even considering all that, Agathe’s combat power was far greater than anticipated.

[Ruffians from the marketplace run riot in the celestial flower garden…!]

-Kwaaaang!

A mad torrent of bullets faintly registered in Baridegi’s vision.
The ominous shadow clinging to the bullets collided with lightning striking down from the heavens.

Agathe fired bullets from her long rifle as if from a machine gun.
I knew beforehand that her gun wasn’t bound by physical laws, but I didn’t expect she could unleash such power repeatedly.

To be able to face an S-rank Gate’s boss monster head-on, there must be some price.

“…Playing games with children’s lives.”

Agathe seemed genuinely enraged by Grandmother Samsin’s actions.
Her silver hair whipped around as she took a thunderclap head-on, but Agathe remained completely unharmed.

She just continued firing bullets.
Magic Bullets filled with thick curses and darkness.

At first glance, it looked like Grandmother Samsin was the good guy and our side was the villain.
No, from the perspective of the ‘story’, that would certainly be the case.

“Everyone else, help Hunter Baek Hyunwoo set the flower garden on fire. Now is the chance while Jacheongbi and Saradoryeong hold back Samsin!”

Far away, Lord Sarado could be seen single-handedly suppressing the power of Seocheon Flower Garden.

-Come! Come hither! Haha! This damn flower garden. I always wanted to burn it down!

The Association President was stomping on the Gwangcheon Pond that watered the flower garden with his blood-and-mud-stained feet, holding back the child attendants.
*(TL Note: Gwangcheon Pond (광천못) – likely ‘Mad Heaven Pond’ or ‘Broad Heaven Pond’, the mythical water source.)*

Aside from their mind-controlling effects, the flowers of Seocheon Flower Garden were similar to ordinary flowers.

Meaning. They wither without water and burn when set ablaze.

The Hunters’ eyes changed.
They realized now was the time to act.

“Spray Agent Orange and White Phosphorus. This place will disappear soon anyway.”

Both were incredibly harmful substances to humans, but who cared.
An S-rank Gate was far more dangerous than such trivialities.

-Fwoooosh!

Deprived of water from Gwangcheon Pond, the flowers of Seocheon Flower Garden couldn’t overcome the absolute elemental disadvantage and scattered into dust.
A-rank flame user Baek Hyunwoo erupted fire from his entire body as if going berserk, burning the flower garden.

[…You. Scoundrels!]

Perhaps angered by the sight of the blazing flower garden, Grandmother Samsin glared fiercely this way.
Then she smirked, a sly smile playing on her lips.

[Aha. You are a child from memory.]

It was true.
Baridegi remembered Grandmother Samsin.
Grandmother Samsin also knew Baridegi.

Because she was one of the souls of Seocheon Flower Garden ‘assigned’ by Samsin to a pregnant woman outside the Gate.

Grandmother Samsin recited a true word.

A soul from another world might resist, but a soul owned by Seocheon Flower Garden even before birth could not refuse the command of the garden’s master, Grandmother Samsin.

Normally, that should have been the case.

[How can a child whose name is written in the will…]

Grandmother Samsin’s bewildered voice echoed.

Enduring the feeling of her mind turning to sludge, Baridegi gritted her teeth and lifted her head high.

Grandmother Samsin’s attack was undoubtedly lethal.
Baridegi’s soul, eroded by Seocheon Flower Garden since birth, was of otherworldly origin.

However…

She was born in Seocheon Flower Garden, and simultaneously, she was the only case who resisted the erosion and became a complete human.

Also, because she was raised not by Saradoryeong, but by the ‘Association President’.
Baridegi had surpassed Princess Bari of the myth and possessed another identity as well.

“…We. Have prepared for a very long time, to hunt things like you.”

Baridegi panted, smiling fiercely.

Humans don’t catch tigers with strength.
They hunt using technique, persistence, and civilization.

Gates are the same.
Superhuman heroes don’t exist, and humanity has always been weaker than the enemy beyond the Gate.

Therefore…

They are not Awakened or Heroes, but Hunters.

-Rustle.

The Hanbok she wore transformed into a black business suit.
She entrusted the babies she held to her colleagues behind her and looked at the colossal deity with cold eyes.

“Samsin. You will perish today. By, our hands.”

Present here now was neither Baridegi nor Princess Bari.

She was the Chief of the Hunter Association’s Emergency Defense Special Task Force, responsible for its military power.

She was Bari.