TRC 05

Chapter 05…

“We’re getting a signal from the Gate!”

“…Already?”

“What do you mean, ‘already’? The kid just awakened—if he lasted fifteen minutes in there, that’s impressive.”

Outside the Gate, the Jotun Guild—who had been waiting around—suddenly grew busy.

Among them, Team Leader Jang Seong-han stood up with his massive frame and shouted,

“Is the coffin ready? Good! Once he comes out, put him in right away and carry him properly! After all, he’s a young hero who gave his life stopping a wave!”

At his command, the guild members moved in perfect coordination.
Yet their faces carried more smiles than sorrow.

In contrast, the Gate Administration Bureau, composed of only a few members, maintained a neutral stance.

They were government officials, after all—civil servants on a salary.
They’d get a small bonus if the Gate was cleared, but it wasn’t much.
So their reaction wasn’t nearly as intense as the guild’s.

Among everyone, the one most excited was Jang Seong-han himself.

He approached a middle-aged woman who wore a determined expression and said with forced bravado,

“Ma’am! Don’t you worry! Our Jotun Guild will make sure your son’s journey is honored with the grandest ceremony possible!”

He thumped his chest proudly with his fist, but behind that display was a sly, calculating mind.

‘This is a good chance to repair my damaged reputation. I can already see the headlines: [Jang Seong-han, who gave a grand farewell to the young hero—his compassion moves the nation.] Perfect. Absolutely killer.’

“….”

Seo Gyeo-ul, watching him from behind, frowned in disgust. She could tell exactly what he was thinking just by looking at his back.

But even though she could see through his scheme, she didn’t stop him.
Whatever his motives, holding a proper funeral was still better than no respect at all.

Gyeo-ul walked over to the young man’s mother and offered the best comfort she could.

“We’ll do everything we can to have him laid to rest in the national cemetery.”

“…No need.”

“Pardon?”

The middle-aged woman met Gyeo-ul’s eyes and spoke again, firmly.

“There’s no need. My son will come back.”

“…”

Feeling the woman’s unshakable conviction, Gyeo-ul gave up on persuading her.
Few mothers could ever accept the death of their own child.

“No matter the outcome, we at the Gate Administration Bureau will do our utmost.”

Saying that, Gyeo-ul turned away.
She had to prepare for entry into the Gate herself.

A harsh truth—but in matters of life and death, she stood in the same place as Jang Seong-han.

‘The Gate’s color has turned almost navy. A civilian-level rookie trying to clear an Indigo Gate? That’s as close to impossible as it gets.’

She could understand a mother’s hope, but reality was merciless.
Her job as a civil servant was to ensure citizens didn’t freeze to death in the cold of that reality.

So she had to keep her mind sharp—always.

‘Still… maybe I should reconsider my assumptions.’

She too believed the young man was dead.
But that was precisely when she needed to question that belief.

When everyone assumes “A,” they’re defenseless when “B” appears.
So at least one person had to consider and prepare for “B,” no matter how unlikely.

Fortunately, there was an official manual for such cases.

And Gyeo-ul, guided by instinct, decided not to ignore it.

“Assistant Park.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Contact the Player Management Department immediately and prepare a Special Player Test.”

“…Right now?”

Gyeo-ul fixed him with a sharp look.
“Do I need to repeat myself? It’s been fifteen minutes, hasn’t it?”

“Apologies, I’ll make preparations right away!”

As Park hurried off, Gyeo-ul turned back toward the Gate.

‘It’s not like it’s never happened before.’

Every once in a while, geniuses appeared who shattered common sense entirely—emerging from the most unexpected situations.

There were only three such people on Earth.

First, Joo Geon-ryul, the Guardian—an unmatched powerhouse who never climbed the Tower.
Second, Miyamoto Daichi, the Sword Saint—currently tackling the Tower’s highest floors.
Third, Julie Pearson, the owner of BlueStone Megacorp, who sparked the Fifth Industrial Revolution using magic stones from Towers and Gates.

The world called them The Three Sovereigns.

‘If that young man happened to be a fourth—one of those “B” types…?’

Highly unlikely—but following protocol meant she’d done her duty.

“……!?”

“Huh?”

Bzzzzzzzzt—!

Suddenly, the Gate flared with brilliant light and a loud hum.

It was the signal—the Gate was ejecting something.

“He’s coming out!”

Someone shouted.

The Gate shot a beam of light onto the ground, and that light began to take human shape—like clay molding itself.

“…”

“…”

Gulp—

Everyone held their breath.

It didn’t look like a corpse.

If he’d died, his body should have been torn apart or crumpled on the ground.

But this glowing shape wasn’t like that.

‘He’s… standing?’

The luminous clay figure was upright, feet planted firmly on the ground.

“…”

“…”

People stared in silence—some in disappointment, others in confusion or relief.

As the white light shifted into colors, the figure of a young man slowly appeared.

His features were unexpectedly refined.

He hadn’t died—he had come back alive.

Everyone understood what that meant.

“So that means…”

Crrrk—

Someone from the government side began to speak, but their voice was drowned out by the Gate’s deep groaning.

Creak— Crackkk—

The Gate twisted like crushed metal, shrinking into a black dot.

The Indigo Gate had been cleared.

By a single person.

“…”

“…”

When the truth sank in, murmurs spread through the crowd.

“He—he really cleared it?!”

“This isn’t a dream, right? Pinch me.”

“Shut it! Can’t you see the team leader’s pissed off?”

Everyone was whispering, too awestruck to step forward.
There was something about the young man—a pressure that made him hard to approach.

Except for one person.

“My son!”

The young man’s mother ran forward and wrapped her son in her arms.

The intimidating aura vanished instantly, melting away like snow.
He smiled brightly and returned her embrace.

“See, Mom? I told you I’d come back safe. You didn’t believe me?”

“I did… I just missed you, that’s all.”

“Heh, that’s not like you, Mrs. Park. We can talk more at home—there are people here waiting for me.”

He lifted his head.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on him, but he looked perfectly calm—almost used to the attention.

Facing the government officers and guild members, he finally spoke.

“What’s everyone staring at? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

‘Whew, good thing [Two Are One (S-)] works like that.’

Outside the Gate, Kang Si-woo exhaled in relief.

His current skill, Nest (F), could only store one beast.
But Gary and Freki’s Two Are One (S-)—as expected of an S-rank skill—had multiple effects, one of which let both beasts occupy a single slot.

‘Even if people found out, it wouldn’t matter, but there’s no need to reveal my hand yet.’

A trump card was most dangerous when hidden.

‘Still, all these stares… it’s been a while.’

Hatred, envy, curiosity, greed—
A mixture of emotions.

The same looks he used to get back when he first began climbing the Tower.

‘Later, those stares turned to fear and reverence. Anyway…’

He scanned the crowd.

The provocative comment he’d made earlier had been deliberate—to distinguish friend from foe.

Sure enough, the most impatient fish had bitten the bait.

A big one.

“Hey, kid. Not to be rude in front of your mother, but did you grow up without a father?”

“And you are?”

It was Jang Seong-han from the Jotun Guild.

Si-woo feigned ignorance, and Jang smirked arrogantly, bringing his face close.

“See? You really do look uneducated. Normally, when you talk to your elders, you start with an introduction—that’s what we call manners here in the land of propriety, huh?”

Clearly, the man was furious—probably because Si-woo had stolen his spotlight.

‘Let me guess… he lost a reward because I cleared the Gate first, or maybe he just wanted to show off in front of someone he liked. Or all three.’

Whatever the reason, Si-woo wasn’t about to keep tolerating him.

“You talk a lot for someone so ugly. If you’ve got a problem, come at me.”

“…What?! You little punk!”

As expected, Jang swung first.
A massive iron mace came crashing down—a single hit would pulp a skull.

His level was about 45.
And level differences were hard to overcome.

But something harder to bridge than level… was experience.

‘You and I have eaten different amounts of battlefield dust, buddy.’

Si-woo gently pushed his mother toward Seo Gyeo-ul, who was rushing to stop the fight.

Then he activated his only combat skill.

[Blue Wolf’s Step]

• Grade: C

• Level: 2

• Info: A movement technique that activates when the opponent attacks.
  Allows the user to take two steps in an incorporeal state.
  (Only succeeds if the user is in a “Fearless” state.)

‘I won’t even need two steps for that sloppy swing.’

BOOM—!

Dust exploded everywhere.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell.

The guild members groaned quietly—the team leader’s done it again—while Gyeo-ul’s team shouted in worry as she ran toward the blast.

A gust of wind swept in, blowing away the dust—clearly Gyeo-ul’s magic.

“—!”

“—?!”

And the scene that appeared was telling.

Jang’s mace had shattered the asphalt.
Meanwhile, Si-woo’s claw-shaped karambit was pressing lightly against his carotid artery.

Jang’s face burned red—humiliated beyond words.

“You little bastard… I was trying to go easy on you since you’re newly awakened…”

The veins in his eyes bulged and burst.

He was activating his skill—Berserker.
His signature ability—one that only ended when someone died.

‘So you want to take it that far?’

Just as Si-woo steeled himself, a cold, sharp voice sliced through the air.

“Team Leader Jang. What are you doing?”

It was Seo Gyeo-ul—protecting Si-woo’s mother with one arm and gripping her long staff with the other.

“Officer Seo! You’re taking his side now?! This brat needs discipline! And he entered the Gate without permission—!”

He began to protest mid-skill activation.

But reasoning with Seo Gyeo-ul was harder than plucking stars from the sky.

“Incidents caused by energy storms or monster attacks inside Gates are legally recognized as unavoidable circumstances.”

“N-no, but still—”

“Also, this man is legally classified as a quasi-civilian. Using abilities against a civilian—how severe was the punishment again? You should know—you’ve been charged for it before, haven’t you?”

Her machine-gun words buried him completely.

Then, she turned her gaze toward Si-woo.

“And you too. That’s enough. Even if you just awakened, you should know that entering a Gate without registration is illegal. You’re not exactly in the clear either.”

Si-woo knew there were exceptions, but he didn’t bother arguing.
No need to be rude to the woman who’d protected his mother.

Whrrt—
He spun the karambit once and sheathed it.

Haa—
Gyeo-ul exhaled softly in relief, then took command.

“As of now, the Bijeonjo Gate in Amsa 1-dong, Gangdong District has been cleared. The operation is over. Lift the lockdown and have all assault personnel return.”

Her icy tone cut through the air.

Jang glared at her, trembling with rage.

“…That’s it? You want us to just walk away empty-handed?”

“Would you like me to conjure another Gate for you to clear?”

“There’s got to be some reward that bastard got!”

“Are you confessing to a future crime, Team Leader?”

“No, I—”

“I’ll repeat myself. Return.”

“…”

He gave Si-woo a murderous glare, but Si-woo only shrugged.

“Fuck this. Let’s go get drunk, boys!”

Jang spat on the ground and stalked off, his men following.

With that nuisance gone, a proper conversation could finally begin.

Si-woo walked up to Gyeo-ul.

“Thank you for earlier—for protecting my mother.”

“It’s my duty as a civil servant to ensure public safety.”

“Not many actually do that duty, though.”

“Unlucky for you, then.”

Typical Gyeo-ul—rigid as ever.

True to form, she went straight to the point.

“About the Player Management Department I mentioned earlier—”

“You mean the Special Test for irregulars, right?”

“…Yes, exactly.”

“I’m free now. We can go right away.”

Her stoic face cracked slightly at his quick response.

“…Do you have any relatives or acquaintances in government?”

“Let’s just say I do.”

“Hmph. Saves me from explaining.”

Partly because he didn’t want to hear the same explanation twice—and partly because it was fun to see her flustered—he’d said it on purpose.

After all, he’d already heard this conversation before, from a past Seo Gyeo-ul.

“Then we’ll make sure your mother gets home safely. And you are…?”

“Kang Si-woo.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang Si-woo. Please come with us.”

As she turned to leave, he called out.

“Officer Seo?”

“…Yes? Did I tell you my name earlier?”

Sharp as ever.

“I overheard that pig say it.”

“Hm. I see.”

Before she could suspect anything, he continued smoothly.

“Anyway, I’ve got a proposal—something that could benefit us both.”

“I’m listening.”

She likely had already guessed his situation.

A Level 1 player who singlehandedly cleared a non-standard Gate.

An irregular.

Once word got out, his value would skyrocket—offers pouring in from major guilds with enormous benefits.

But there was something more important to him than that.
And for that, he needed Seo Gyeo-ul on his side.

“I’m good at what I do. Would you consider hiring me as a part-timer?”

“…Excuse me? At the Gate Administration Bureau?”

For the first time, the icy expression of Seo Gyeo-ul cracked once more.