#Episode 3
Kuuuuung-!!
It was a tremendous sound, like a bomb had exploded.
No, it wasn’t the sound of a bomb exploding, it was more like the sound of something huge hitting the ground.
Jeongbin and Jinshihou turned their heads at the same time.
There was a huge boulder there that looked to be about 30 meters tall.
It wasn’t just a boulder, it was a boulder with a head, arms, and legs.
“Go… Golem…?”
“It’s a golem.”
Jeongbin and Jinshihou spoke at the same time, and the two looked at each other at the same time.
“… … You’re saying it’s true that he went missing? But how do you know about the golem?”
“Because I saw a lot of it on Titan.”
“… … .”
“You don’t believe it?”
“No, believe me and let’s run away first. Take my hand.”
As a B-class Awakened, Jeongbin has several ‘skills’.
Among those skills, there is one that would be useful in this situation, and that is ‘Swift’.
The skill that makes your steps lighter and exponentially increases your running speed only grants the same effect to characters that are in physical contact with you.
However, Jin Shihou did not take Jeong Bin’s hand that was extended.
Is it really necessary to run away?
Jin Shihou stood up from his seat and snapped his fingers at the golem.
[The Seven Bonds of the Holy Fire of the White Lotus Sect.]
[Chapter 1. Breaking the Heavens with a Bullet.]
Then something amazing happened.
A ray of light.
It was exactly one ray of light.
That was all Jeongbin could see.
and.
Kwaaaaaaaah-!!
With a huge explosion, the Class A golem was blown to pieces and scattered in all directions.
Jeongbin stared at it, lost in thought.
what.
What did I just see?
And where the golem had burst, a single bead was floating. Jin Shihou snapped his fingers once more toward the bead, which was as small as a fingernail.
This time, a ray of light spreads out.
Phew.
With that sound, the marbles exploded as well.
It’s simple.
A golem is an artificial object created by someone. The object needs power to move, and that power is usually called a core.
If you destroy that core, the golem will be completely destroyed.
Jin Shihou squatted down in his seat again.
“Now, tell me. What happened on Earth over the past ten years?”
* * *
August 16, 2024, the day Jin Shihou went missing.
The world changed that day.
A strange door-like phenomenon has appeared all over the world, appearing in the air.
People of the present generation came to call that door a ‘gate’.
The gate causes a ‘gate break’ that explodes after a certain amount of time, releasing the monsters inside into the world.
It wasn’t the end.
With the advent of the gate, a ‘system’ was imposed on unspecified people regardless of gender or age.
They were able to check their own information through a holographic window in front of their eyes, and they also naturally acquired a subspace pocket, or ‘inventory’, which is absolutely impossible to implement with current technology.
The inventory could store multiple items, and the number of items stored increased as it grew.
People of the current generation who suddenly became game characters were surprised, but this was not a dream. It was a clear reality, and those who were suddenly able to use the system were called ‘awakened’ and were called ‘Awakened Ones’.
All of these phenomena are recorded in books. The year 2024, when human life changed drastically, is called the ‘Year of Cataclysm’.
The changed world could be explained very simply.
The Awakened could clear the gate by entering it and killing all the monsters inside, and at the same time level up and become stronger.
When you level up, you gain ‘remaining stats’, which are broadly divided into strength, agility, stamina, intelligence, and mana.
You can increase five stats like this.
Also, among those awakened, there are those who were granted special abilities when they first awakened. They are called unique awakened people, and unique awakened people use unique skills that cannot be obtained in the world.
At this point in time, there are exactly seven of the most outstanding Awakened in this generation, and all of them are unique Awakened.
These seven people are each considered a star, and are called ‘Chilgang’ in the East and ‘Seven Stars’ in the West.
In South Korea, Jin Song-i is the only one who is included in the ‘Chilgang’.
After the cataclysm, many incidents and accidents occurred, many books were published, and of course, many jobs were created.
That’s the world today.
By the way, those who clear the gate were initially called Hunters, but recently they are called Clearers. That’s the official name. It’s also registered in the dictionary.
Originally, it was called Clear Runner by combining Clear and Runner, but it was shortened to Clearner.
After hearing the entire explanation, Jin Shi-hoo just folded his arms.
First of all, I wanted to express my thoughts.
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“This is a mess.”
“… … It’s a mess. And our situation right now is a mess too.”
“why?”
“You’ve entered the gate. Once you enter here, you can never leave unless you clear it.”
“You said there were multiple jobs created? Isn’t there something like a rescue team?”
“… … But I just saw that this is a Grade A gate. This is not a rescue mission, but a level where the Awakened must form a party and officially clear it. And when a gate appears, you have to gather the Awakened to clear it, and all of these processes take time. At least.”
“At least?”
“It will take at least a week for a rescue team to arrive.”
“It’s taking a long time.”
“It might take longer.”
“why?”
“… … I didn’t tell you this, but when an Awakened enters the Gate, the ‘Gate Break’ timer will be paused until that Awakened dies.”
“How do you know if there is anyone inside the gate or not?”
“I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but the gate is shaped like a door. The space around that door is distorted. If there’s someone inside, that distortion stops.”
“That’s really interesting.”
“… … It’s amazing. It’s nothing special. Just hold on. One week, two weeks, somehow.”
Jin Shihou didn’t understand.
just.
“Can’t you just clear it?”
“… … I am a B-class Awakened. How can I clear an A-class gate by myself?”
Psik, Jin Shihou laughed.
“You are very short.”
“… … It’s not that low, ha… … Anyway, I gave you a rough explanation, so now you tell me. What was that thing you used earlier? It seemed to be shooting out some kind of laser.”
Jin Shihou snapped his fingers into the air once more.
Kwaaang-!
A loud noise erupts. The sound of a single ray of light stretching into the air and colliding with the sky.
“This one?”
“… … Yes, that’s it. Did you learn it from that place called Titan? Or maybe.”
“if?”
“… … A unique awakener? Isn’t it like they only just awakened, but they have amazing skills?”
Jin Shi-hoo answered, looking around as if it was nothing.
“I learned it from Titan. That’s all I know. But didn’t you say it was the ‘Salvation Guild’ earlier?”
“I did it.”
“What is that?”
“Mr. Jin Song-i is someone who awakened at the beginning of the Great Upheaval. After working for two years at the government-affiliated ‘Gate Rescue Team’, he quit and founded the Salvation Guild. It is the best guild in South Korea. It is also the best company.”
Originally, when the world changes rapidly, redistribution of wealth inevitably follows. Some people become rich overnight, while others become poor overnight.
Jinsong was just the former case. He also had the corresponding ability, so this is something else, there’s no need to say more.
He nodded as if he understood.
It seems that the world has not just changed, but has really changed a lot, Jin Shi-hoo said.
“Let’s go outside first.”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? You sound like you just went into a cafe or something.”
“It makes no difference to me.”
“… … .”
“I have one more question. Do I just have to kill the sorcerer who was the master of the golem earlier?”
“… … Among the A-class gates, there are two ways to clear the gate where the golem appears. Either find the ‘treasure’ inside the gate, or kill all the ‘sorcerers’.”
then.
“Can we just solve it the simple way?”
“What are you going to do?”
Jin Shihou did not say anything.
This time he clenched his hands tightly.
Jin Shihou’s gaze and both hands are directed towards the huge mountain in front of him.
Towards that place, Jin Shihou snapped ten fingers.
[The Seven Bonds of the Holy Fire of the White Lotus Sect.]
[Chapter 1: Change of Ties, Ten Ways to Break Heaven’s Fingers]
There were ten rays of light.
The lights each seemed to have a life of their own, bending through the air and then all fell toward the mountain.
Kwaaaaaaaah-!!
A tremendous noise rings out.
Jungbin ended up covering his ears. It sounded like a nuclear bomb exploding.
And in the meantime, I could see.
The mountain in front, which looked to be about 10km away, was riddled with holes.
It was bizarre and creepy.
This wasn’t the end.
Something even more horrifying is happening now.
Tiring!
[Gate: Golem Mountain-44]
[4th District Northeast Outskirts Stronghold]
[Grade: A]
[Clear Complete]
The gate has been cleared.
and.
[You cleared the A-class gate ‘alone’ in the shortest time possible.]
[Special stat achievements are added.]
[Special stat achievement increases by ‘1’.]
[Special rewards will be awarded. Choose one of the options.]
[1. Remaining stats: 30], [2. 1 unique skill (internal grade random)], [3. 1 unique-grade equipment (internal grade random)]
[Special compensation can be postponed.]
[Special rewards will be paid.]
[There are special rewards that are pending.]
[Special rewards are upgraded.]
[1. Remaining stats: 70], [2. 1 random grade unique skill (minimum A)], [3. 1 random grade unique equipment (minimum A)]
[Special compensation can be postponed.]
Seriously, this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this since becoming an Awakened Person.
There was a stat called Achievement? A special reward? Was there something like that?
What I don’t understand even more is that the system judged that Jeongbin cleared this A-class gate by himself.
Jeongbin’s head turned to the side.
A man is seen smiling brightly.
A man who introduced himself as Jin Shi-hu.
Why can’t the system figure out that guy?
But Jeongbin could be sure.
That man became her ‘benefactor’ at this moment.
Also, that the guy isn’t just some weirdo.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
“… … It just… … shines.”
“That’s obvious, but more importantly, it’s clear now, right? Can I go out there?”
There was a gate where Jin Shihou pointed.
That is an ‘escape gate’ that appears when the inner gate is cleared.
Jeongbin answered.
“Yes… … Yes, yes. You may go out now.”
“Your speech has changed.”
“You misunderstand. This is how I usually say it. Sir, come here. I will take you home.”
Jeongbin smiled and took Jinshihu out of the gate.
* * *
There are no restrictions on entering the gate. Anyone, whether Awakened or ordinary, can enter.
But I can assure you that there is absolutely no need to put ordinary people in the gate.
Of course, there were opinions in the very early days that we should send in the military to destroy the gate, but twice to be exact.
The US military has committed troops exactly twice, and no other country has committed troops since.
Missiles, including firearms, are turned into scrap metal as soon as they enter the gate.
This means that use itself becomes impossible.
The exact reason was not revealed, but there was an answer that everyone could agree with.
‘The system did not permit it.’
