The first thing I recognized was the explosion. The land turned over and crimson pillars of fire shot up into the air. I saw the flames penetrate the protective walls and stretch out in all directions.
Aether moved before I could think. It stretched towards the flames before turning into a thick barricade that stopped the fire from spreading.
The explosion stopped, but this was only the beginning.
Koong—!
The earth shook violently, followed by huge crustal movements.
Everywhere I could see, the earth was starting to slither like a snake. Suddenly, a giant ‘door’ appeared at the center of the transformed land. It was a rectangular, metallic door.
“Uaah, uuk…!”
Yoo Yeonha leaned against me, swaying back and forth from the earthquake. I created a foothold with Aether and stood on top of it with her. Now in a more stable position, Yoo Yeonha let out a dry cough of embarrassment and turned her gaze to the other side.
“…What is that?”
“I have no idea.”
Runic language that I couldn’t understand floated around the mysterious door.
It was a rather strange scene.
I carefully looked over the symbols.
[Interpreting the runes with Gift ‘Observation and Reading’]
[First step to Demon Realm Transformation — Erosion]
[30 days left until the door to the Demon Realm opens]
“…It looks like bad things will happen when that door opens,” Yoo Yeonha said with a frown, “Though I’m not exactly sure what that is-”
“Be quiet while I interpret the runes.”
“…What?”
Yoo Yeonha’s face distorted into a scowl.
I ignored her and continued with the interpretation.
[This is the ‘Demon Realm Gate’ which increases the rate of Demon Realm Transformation of the land surrounding it.]
“This is the ‘Demon Realm Gate’ which increases the rate of Demon Realm Transformation of the land surrounding it.”
I spoke out loud so that Yoo Yeonha could hear.
She looked more comfortable now.
[30 days from now, the Door of Challenge will open. A total of 200 people may rise to the challenge.]
“30 days from now, the Door of Challenge will open. A total of 200 people may rise to the challenge.”
[If the challengers are victorious, the door will disappear forever.]
[However, if the challengers are defeated, the door will open completely and the ‘devil’ shall descend.]
[Entrance is first come first served.]
The moment I finished the interpretation, demons suddenly rose from the transformed earth. They looked similar to humans except for the horns on their heads, just like the demons I saw in the Tower of Wish.
“…The Demon Realm Gate.”
The name sounded strangely familiar.
‘The Demon Realm Gate, the Demon Realm Gate…’
I kept repeating it inside my head. Then I suddenly remembered.
“Ah, this is-”
‘The Demon Realm Gate’ was among the settings I had discarded. It was quite different from regular Erosion.
I went on a hiatus before I could utilize it, but I knew for sure that a new world and challenges were waiting inside it.
It would be the perfect stepping stone for a memorable ending.
“This is- What?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
I shook my head at Yoo Yeonha’s question.
“I just wanted to say, all the information I just told you, be sure to keep them to yourself. I don’t want any Djinns to enter the Gate 30 days from now.”
“…Of course. You didn’t think I’d know that?”
Yoo Yeonha shrugged, slightly offended.
“But I already heard everything you said.”
All of a sudden, I heard Jin Sahyuk’s voice.
Startled, I turned my head to the side, and there she was, Jin Sahyuk, just as expected.
Jin Sahyuk looked at me and Yoo Yeonha and smirked.
“I’ll definitely be one of the 200 challengers.”
“…”
I was really self-conscious because of Yoo Yeonha. I had to pretend that I had never seen Jin Sahyuk before in my life.
“I’ve seen her before. She’s Crevon’s former Knight Commander,” Yoo Yeonha remarked.
“Ah. You’re right,” I said with a nod.
“…This is ridiculous.”
Jin Sahyuk began digging into her pockets. At the same time, I heard loud footsteps from a distance. Heroes were probably on their way here.
“What is she doing?”
Yoo Yeonha stared at Jin Sahyuk with doubtful eyes. Jin Sahyuk was looking at me through a magnifying glass.
….Wait.
A magnifying glass?
“Hey, hey! Stop!”
I stretched Aether towards the magnifying glass, but….
Boom!
It shattered into pieces before Aether could reach it.
Chwaak….
Pieces of glass fell on the ground.
“Damn it.”
I had no idea why the magnifying glass suddenly shattered.
Maybe Jin Sahyuk broke it, or maybe it broke naturally.
But I knew one thing for sure.
“…”
That Jin Sahyuk definitely saw something.
Her widened eyes and dazed expression told me so.
But I didn’t have any time to react.
“Hey! What happened here? I’m the high-intermediate-rank Hero Kim Wajung from Creator’s Sacred Grace!”
Soon, hundreds of Heroes and reporters poured in, and I took my eyes off of Jin Sahyuk for about 1 second.
“…Damn it.”
And Jin Sahyuk was gone.
**
[Heart of Pandemonium — Chameleon Troupe’s Building]
“…A request, you say?”
The next day, Boss received a call from Kim Hajin. He informed her of his decision on accepting a request in the name of Jeronimo’s Fenrir.
—Yes, I was hired as a bodyguard.
Bodyguard. That made sense considering how dangerous Pandemonium was. It was much bigger and far more brutal than any civilian could imagine.
“Are you heading to the west?”
Initially, Pandemonium started in the plains of Mongolia. However, as the Djinns gained more and more power, the territory stretched beyond Xinjiang into Kazakhstan.
—Yes, to Kazakhstan.
Boss nodded, her gaze fixed on the TV screen.
[The appearance of the ‘Demon Realm Gate’ at the border area of North Hamgyeong Province has driven the Association to call for an emergency meeting….]
Reports of ‘Demon Realm Transformation’ in North Hamgyeong Province were in full swing. Rather than the news, Boss was more focused on Kim Hajin and Jin Sahyuk. Though it was only for a brief moment, Boss saw the two of them together on the screen.
“…Are you going alone?”
—Yes, it’s highly confidential.
“…”
She said nothing. But currently, her imagination was running wild.
Kim Hajin continued.
—I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy lately. But my gift should’ve arrived there by now… Boss, did you not get it yet?
“…Gift?”
Boss raised her eyebrows.
—Yes. Clothes and a robe.
“I didn’t get any-”
As Boss shook her head, she suddenly recalled last night's strange incident.
Jain was wearing a dress and a robe both of which Boss had never seen before. When Boss asked her about them, Jain, clearly surprised, had answered, “It’s nothing.”
‘Did she really…?’
Boss felt anger well up in her heart.
“It appears that Jain stole them.”
—Ah, Jain? Again?
“Again? I can’t believe this.”
So this wasn’t the first time Jain had done something like this.
‘Why didn’t I notice before?’ Boss wondered. Soon enough, she realized that Jain must have used her ability to disguise as herself.
“Jain…” Boss muttered to herself, “How dare you insult me, your boss?”
Boss clenched her fists.
—Boss?
“I’m hanging up.”
As soon as she hung up, Boss called Jain.
Her hands were shaking with rage, but she tried to remain calm. She knew that even the slightest hint of anger would be enough to drive Jain away.
—Hey, Boss~ What’s up~?
Jain picked up right away, thankfully.
“Jain, where are… Kuhum.”
Boss gulped nervously and put on a smile.
She felt the need to feign kindness in order to lure Jain in.
“Where are you~?”
—…Huh?
Jain had never seen Boss smile and speak so warmly.
Slightly bewildered, Jain began to stutter.
—Um…. I’m at Paris for a party. Why did you call me?
“Ah, nothing~ I was just wondering~ When are you coming home~?”
—…
But Jain felt wary of Boss’s overly friendly demeanor. It was just as the old saying goes, “too much water drowned the miller.”
From the other side of the smartwatch, Jain asked carefully.
—Boss…, did you, um… by any chance… find out…?
**
Under the night sky lit with a full moon, Yoo Yeonha left her mansion, concealing herself under a robe and a mask. Only two people were allowed to accompany her on this top secret mission: her secretary ‘Jin Sechan’ and Master-rank Hero ‘Jin Seyeon’. The two had already arrived in Pandemonium and just now sent her a message saying that they found a place to stay.
Yoo Yeonha once again scrutinized the most crucial piece of information before departing for good.
===
《Dimensional Entropy》
—★★★x300000000!! The most important item right now.
—A source of unknown energy. Buried somewhere in Pandemonium’s lawless zone.
—Rumor has it that the Djinns and demons are fighting over it.
===
This was her first and foremost goal.
The name ‘Dimensional Entropy’ was only temporary, because no one knew for sure whether this item was an ore or something entirely different.
But she knew for sure that it was the source of energy that spanned the entire globe.
Therefore, she couldn’t risk having it fall into the hands of the Djinns or other entrepreneurs. Yoo Yeonha believed that only she, the Queen of Seoul, could handle an item of such importance.
“With this, I’ll have the entire world in the palm of my hand.”
Yoo Yeonha clenched her fist. It was then, a man appeared from the shadow of the garden. It was, of course, Kim Hajin.
Yoo Yeonha crossed her arms and said, “You’re here.”
“Yeah. Where’s the Dwarven Supercar?”
“Wait a second.”
Yoo Yeonha approached the pond at the corner of the garden. The water was crystal clear and carp were happily swimming inside it. However, when Yoo Yeonha pushed a button on her smartwatch, shooong— a huge platform ascended from the bottom of the pond.
“Woah…. You did a good job hiding it.”
A Dwarven Supercar, sleek and shiny, was sitting on the platform.
“It’s become my hobby to go out for a ride whenever I’m too stressed. I can’t risk having it stolen.”
Yoo Yeonha smiled.
“Let’s get going, then.”
“Right.”
Kim Hajin sat in the front and Yoo Yeonha sat in the back.
Kim Hajin immediately activated [Random Consolidation System]. Suddenly, something amazing happened. Not only did the vehicle become sturdier and more efficient, but its seats also became wider and cozier.
“…You’re really a man of mystery.” That was all Yoo Yeonha could say.
“I’m going to drive slowly, so why don’t you take a nap? This will take at least an hour.”
“I’m not sleepy. More importantly, did you finish reading the Yi Yeonjun files?”
Kim Hajin nodded.
“I did. He’s more dangerous than I thought.”
Currently, Yoo Jinhyuk was in the process of researching Yi Yeonjun’s past based on Kim Hosup’s reports.
Although much research had yet to be done, what he found so far was enough to prove Yi Yeonjun was evil.
“He is.”
He had to get what he wanted at all costs.
He and Yoo Yeonha were similar in that sense, but the difference was that Yi Yeonjun cared for neither rationality nor practicality.
He relied only on violence to meet his needs.
“….Ah, right.”
Yoo Yeonha casually brought up the subject that had kept her awake for days in regret, the question that she had been wanting to ask him for so long.
“You were lying about ‘Balmung’, right?”
He had to be. How could he recognize ‘Balmung’ so quickly when even professional appraisers couldn’t recognize it?
“No, I wasn’t.”
But Kim Hajin was unwavering. Yoo Yeonha felt the confidence in his voice. It made her heart heavy.
“…Then give it back.”
Yoo Yeonha caught Kim Hajin by the sleeve and pulled feebly.
“Give it back.”
“…Give what back?”
“I was going to give it to Nayun anyway….”
“Pft.”
Though Yoo Yeonha was starting to sound pitiful, Kim Hajin only smiled.
“Okay, how about we make it a lease? I want more shares.”
“You have plenty already.”
“No,” Kim Hajin shook his head bitterly and said, “I need a lot more to prepare for the future.”
**
[Pandemonium — Kazakhstan Lawless Zone]
In the face of the recent monster invasion, most Central Asian countries had declared the dissolution of state. Kazakhstan was one of such countries. Still, its legacy lived on as humanity began to refer to the lawless zone as ‘Kazakhstan’, for that was where it was.
“We’re here.”
The sky was starting to fade when we arrived at the ‘Kazakhstan Lawless Zone’, which was notorious for its, well, lawlessness.
“…Huh?”
The flight was exactly 1 hour. Before landing, I woke up Yoo Yeonha, who had fallen asleep in the back seat while working. I then put the Dwarven Supercar inside the ‘vehicular spatial pouch’ that Yoo Yeonha had prepared in advance.
“…Are you sure we’re at the lawless zone?”
Yoo Yeonha muttered doubtfully. For a land that was infested with over 3 billion monsters, everything seemed surprisingly peaceful.
“Just because this is the lawless zone doesn’t mean everyone is fighting 24/7. There are Circles here.”
“Ah~ I get it.”
“Because-”
“I researched it in advance. I don’t need your explanation.”
“…Hm.”
A Circle referred to a group of Djinns, similar to ‘Satan’s Servants’. All Djinns living in the lawless zone were a member of a Circle, be it big or small. Things were peaceful right now because there was a balance of power between different Circles. One hasty move could lead to a full-blown war, as insulting a member of a Circle was tantamount to insulting the Circle itself.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, Yoo Yeonha pointed into the distance.
“Look, over there. Looks like they even sell food here.”
I turned my gaze to where Yoo Yeonha was pointing.
[Skewered Pork]
A stall was there. It had large chunks of meat placed on wooden skewers for display.
However, as evident from the way Yoo Yeonha was drooling, it was not an ordinary meat. In fact, it was the meat of an intermediate-rank grade-5 monster, [Effellie Boar]. Effellie boars live only in Central Asia, so there was no way to get it in Korea.
“Should we get some?”
“…Well, if you insist.”
Together we approached the stall. A grim-faced Djinn was roasting the meat.
I asked, “How much?”
The Djinn glanced at me and replied, “300,000 won, or 300 DP.”
It seemed that in Pandemonium, both won and DP were widely used.
However.
“Fuck that.”
“…Eh? W-What?”
Yoo Yeonha seemed surprised at my sudden cursing.
I could easily pay 300000 won, of course. But like I said, all Djinns belonged to a Circle. So if I let this one undermine me, the members of the Circle that he belonged to would do the same.
In the society of Djinns, weakness was considered a sin.
“‘Fuck that’?”
The vendor glared at me. Though he appeared quite threatening, he failed to scare me.
“Yeah, fuck that.”
“Then get lost.”
“I would, but you haven’t sold me the food yet.”
“…”
Yoo Yeonha seemed confused.
“What’s wrong with you? I told you we have to be secretive,” she whispered, but I ignored her.
“…Are you gonna pay in DP or won?”
The Djinn finally gave up.
“Won.”
“70,000 won each.”
That sounded much more reasonable. Having received a discount, I payed 250000 won for 4 skewers.
…5 minutes later.
“It tastes even more amazing because of the discount. Let’s head over to the hotel now.”
Nom, nom— We munched on the meat as we walked towards the hotel.
“This place is far more dangerous than you think. Remember to keep your robe on at all times.”
“Yes, I know. …Ah, there it is.”
Finally a hotel came into our view.
It was a wooden building that looked more like a pub than a hotel. The name of the hotel was [Djinn Days]— obviously very cheesy.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
We went in.
Kiik—
“Mm?”
“Wow, this is surprising.”
Our eyes widened the moment we opened the door.
Though the hotel appeared shabby on the outside, the lobby was big and even had a bar. There were lots of customers as well.
“Let’s get going.”
“Okay. They said room 303….”
Yoo Yeonha quickly passed through the lobby. However, just as she was about to set foot on the staircase, I saw a man sitting alone at a corner table. I had no idea why, but he stood out to me.
He had disheveled hair and a bushy beard. Right then, the morning sunlight seeped through the window and shone over the man's face.
“…!”
Immediately my hair stood on end.
The man leaning against the window—I wasn’t sure if he was drunk or just sleepy—I had seen him before through Spartan’s eyes and also in the composite sketches.
It was Yi Yeonjun.
