Chapter 10

The Gate.

It was a pillar at the center of the intersection where four districts crossed. If it were a pillar of light, it might have been sacred, but it was a pitch-black color that absorbed all light. Perhaps because not a single ray of light was reflected, the black pillar lacked a sense of depth. Seo-un had seen such a color before while browsing the web. It was as black as Vantablack, so dark that it even felt eerie.

But could it really be called a pillar?

If it were truly a pillar, it would be like placing a two-dimensional object in a three-dimensional world. The pillar had only width and surface, shaped like a square.

In front of the Gate, which could be seen from a distance, there was a long barricade as extensive as the Gate itself. The heavily guarded barricade looked like an airport immigration checkpoint. Seo-un knew well who was guarding the place.

The 'Five Stars' guild had taken control of the intersection in exchange for abandoning the other four districts. The Five Stars guild, like the origin of the Seven Stars Temple, was formed by five people with different surnames, and only two of the five founding members were still alive.

The screening process for using the Gate was as strict as the existence of various manseong (species). The Five Stars guild screened the manseong to prevent them from causing major accidents in their original worlds.

"Manseong unique number, guild name, and if you don't belong to a guild, skip it, and your name, please."

The woman at the checkpoint seemed like a soulless civil servant.

"121, 183, Cha Seo-un from the Fallen Angel guild."

The guild name always evoked a sense of shame, but Seo-un deliberately spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

The woman, who had been fiddling with a pad while seated at the checkpoint, suddenly looked up. Her eyes, which were close to a reddish-brown, suggested she was a mental-type, but Seo-un couldn't tell the specifics of her abilities.

"Could you show me your face clearly for identification?"

Seo-un pulled down the hood she was wearing. The woman, who looked a bit older than Seo-un, smiled.

"Wow, Inspector Cha Seo-un! It's been a long time."

Although she didn't go to law school, being called an inspector was a relief.

"How have you been?"

"I've been well."

Seo-un didn't recognize the woman.

"Are you still with the Fallen Angel guild?"

"Yes."

Seo-un could feel the people preparing for the screening behind her, but she just pulled her hood back up.

"I heard the Fallen Angel guild no longer has a deputy leader."

The woman trailed off, as if testing the waters.

"We're trying to make the guild a horizontal organization."

"Ah, I see..."

The woman seemed disappointed with the response.

"Could you place your ore on the scale here?"

The woman pointed to a board that looked like a reduced version of the Gate, about the size of an A4 sheet. Seo-un placed the ore on what looked like a scale. The woman looked at the weight on the pad and smiled.

"It's 20 ounces (oz), grade 3. With its high density, that should allow you to stay for about three days."

20 ounces was approximately 600 grams.

"Since it's your first time crossing, please read this guide as well."

The woman handed Seo-un one of the guides stacked on the table. Seo-un thanked her and folded the paper, putting it in her back pocket.

"Can I go in now?"

"Is that the only weapon you have? The Matahari?"

The woman pointed to the snake-skin-handled sword on Seo-un's back.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Could I have a handshake? I've been a fan of Inspector Cha Seo-un for a long time. I've watched the video of you hunting the ant ghost at least a hundred times."

The woman extended her hand, smiling shyly.

"Thank you."

Seo-un only nodded and didn't shake her hand.

<‘Elephant Shrew Cha Seo-un’ rushed out to stop me, but what's going on, oh~>

Seo-un suspected the woman was trying to read her thoughts through physical contact, which was why she hesitated to shake hands.

"Alright, go in. When you return, make sure to bring your weapon. According to the Manseong Special Law, if you commit a crime after crossing the Gate, you will be immediately isolated upon arrival in the Narakga."

"Understood."

Seo-un silently grumbled about the Matahari on her back being unbearably heavy. It used to feel like it was part of her, but now she could feel its weight.

She straightened her back and put her hands in her pockets. Seo-un stroked the rough, sandpaper-like ore in her pocket, given to her by Cha Haya.

Seo-un briefly turned back at the black Gate.

She thought she turned back because of the prying eyes on her back, but the sight of Cha Haya, who was wearing a mask, made her feel less anxious. Seo-un mumbled to herself, "See you later," as she watched Cha Haya talking to someone in front of the checkpoint.

<You're moving to $%*%&^. Be careful of motion sickness. The pain will be like being hit on the back of the head! Don't die, shrew! No, elephant shrew!>

If she were to die, the messenger might be the culprit.

The moment Seo-un stepped into the black surface, her body was sucked into a space like a black hole.

Thud! The pain was like being hit on the back of the head with a hammer. Even though she was hit from behind, it felt like blood was gushing from her nose and mouth. Then, the intense gravity compressed her body, causing her bones and flesh to shatter. Don't die, shrew. The messenger wasn't lying.

***

Seo-un groaned, feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head.

When she shifted her body, the sheets clung softly to her skin. Despite usually sleeping under a thin newspaper, the sheets smelled clean. Seo-un's eyes suddenly opened wide. She raised her head and looked around.

The room was dim due to the blackout curtains, but she could see the white sheets and blankets. Seo-un quickly sat up and, as usual, reached for the pad. When she touched the display on the headboard, the curtains, which were closed on three sides, began to open.

A suitable amount of clouds was visible, and in front of the window, the large, rollable TV she had always wanted was there.

[Good morning, sir. It is 9:00 AM on April 19th, and the weather is clear. Would you like to know the weather forecast for the rest of the day?]

As usual, the AI speaker started its routine as soon as the curtains opened.

"...Yeah, tell me."

Seo-un answered in a low voice.

The 8-inch pad, which was the main body of the speaker, was the AI she had been using since high school. Though not human, it sometimes acted more human than people.

'If it weren't for my mother, I would have run away from this suffocating house long ago.'

She often secretly vented her frustrations to the AI. Of course, the response was always the same.

'Sir, I don't understand what you mean.'

[The weather is generally clear across the country, with a high of 22 degrees and a low of 13 degrees, expecting a significant temperature difference.]

Seo-un kicked off the large bed and wrapped herself in a robe. She went to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the cityscape.

The roads at around 9:00 AM were filled with people commuting, creating a rush hour. The high-rise apartment where Seo-un lived had a clear view, even to the far north of the river.

"...It was a dream."

Seo-un laughed in a hollow manner.

It had all been a dream, damn it.

That was the only way to describe the moment. Seo-un walked around the house, as if trying to erase a long and terrible nightmare.

My grand piano, the carpet I had difficulty importing from Egypt, the 8-person dining table I commissioned from a master carpenter after waiting for a year, my wine cellar, the three refrigerators I carefully chose, and the French whirlpool bathtub for enjoying the city's night view. All of these were things I had bought with my own hard-earned money.

She hadn't realized how precious they were when she had them, but now they felt so dear.

Seo-un finally turned on the TV in the living room. She had been in such a long and intense dream that she couldn't even remember what she had been doing before falling asleep. She flipped through the channels, hoping to clear her mind by watching some news.

[In the current situation, the help of manseong is inevitable, but the public is deeply divided. The Blue House has granted the manseong their previous rights.]

Seo-un stared blankly at the screen, holding the remote.

Swoosh, the string of the robe she had loosely tied came undone, but she didn't notice.

[It has been reported that 'Cha Haya' and 'Cha Seo-un' from the 'Fallen Angel' guild have entered Seoul, and 'Gang San' and 'Han Don-hee' have also used the Gate. As of April 19th, a total of twenty manseong have crossed from Narakga.]

As soon as the announcer's voice ended, Seo-un retied her robe. She rushed to the shoe rack and found the Matahari leaning against the corner of the entrance. The cheap snake-skin handle was still there.

Ah... A sigh, like a sigh of relief, escaped her lips. It was only then that she realized.