The inside of the Gate was eerily silent.
“I can’t see anything……………?”
Breaking the silence, Baek Ji-woo was the first to quietly whisper. As if he couldn’t stand the uneasy silence any longer, he began to chatter non-stop.
“Isn’t this a first? It’s pitch black in every direction. No monsters in sight, and not even a sound to be heard. Is this really an S-rank Gate?”
No one could answer him; everyone just looked around.
No matter where we looked, the scenery was exactly the same. It was enough to make you lose your sense of direction.
At that moment, Yeon Ha-yeon exchanged glances with Kang Ye-dam, then took the lead and guided us in one direction.
“If we go this way, something might turn up.”
“Can you sense the boss? I still don’t feel anything.”
Yeon Hyeong-gwang quietly followed behind her, speaking in a low voice.
“As expected from the number one on the hierarchy. Let’s just follow her for now.”
No one felt anything, but since the top-ranked was taking the lead, everyone followed.
‘It’s better for Yeon Ha-yeon to take charge than Kang Ye-dam.’
If the highest-ranked Awakened led in a situation like this, it would make the others feel more reassured and give them something to rely on.
Yeon Ha-yeon, showing the leadership of a boss, took the lead and walked forward.
I quietly followed behind without a word. Already knowing from Kang Ye-dam about what would happen in the future, I, the Four Heavenly Kings, Yeon Ha-yeon, and the Three Major VIPs from Iljin High were all tense and in battle mode.
If we walked just a bit further, the surroundings would brighten as if the lights were turned on, and monsters would come bursting out.
Gulp. Someone’s dry swallowing was audible.
“If only the guild members had come with us, I’d feel a lot more secure.”
Eun Ha-soo muttered anxiously.
With a Gate of this scale, the fact that we were the only ones able to enter made her understandably uneasy.
On top of that, unlike other Gates, everything from the dungeon’s interior to the way it was running was peculiar here, so it made sense to feel that way.
‘I’ve never seen her this nervous before.’
If things hadn’t been such a mess outside, we would’ve gathered as many Awakened as possible and come in together.
But right now, that just wasn’t possible.
Everyone probably shared Eun Ha-soo’s thoughts but kept it to themselves. When Eun Ha-soo brought it up, everyone let out shaky sighs, trying to calm their nerves.
How long had we been walking, cautiously, step by step?
Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the surroundings brightened, and we were enveloped in a dazzlingly white space.
“I can’t see anything…………?”
Baek Ji-woo muttered the same words as before.
Then, as the brightness around us gradually dimmed, the space surrounding us began to take shape.
We found ourselves in the middle of a vast arena. We were at the center, surrounded by rows of spectator seats.
Everyone busily darted their eyes around, trying to figure out the layout—it looked just like a colosseum.
“Uh……?”
At that moment, Kang Ye-dam anxiously looked around.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s different.”
Kang Ye-dam, blinking anxiously, spoke in a trembling voice.
“This isn’t the future I saw. I’ve never seen a place like this. In the vision, monsters would appear in the white space, and then a sandstorm would blow until a canyon came into view. But here……………”
As soon as Kang Ye-dam said that, the Four Heavenly Kings summoned lower spirits and ordered them to scout the scenery beyond the arena.
The spirits quickly flew up, surveyed the area, and returned.
“They say there’s nothing around, just an empty plain.”
“You didn’t see any canyon in the distance?”
As Ji Kang-han relayed the spirits’ report, Yeon Ha-yeon asked with a hint of hope.
But the Four Heavenly Kings, after hearing the report, all shook their heads. There was no canyon—not even far away.
“……So, only the fact that an S-rank Gate opened is the same, but everything else is completely different?”
Han Ji-bin bit her lip and looked at us with trembling eyes.
Maybe our group whispering together was irritating, because Lee Hwan, who had silently stayed with us until now, approached.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no. There’s no problem!”
With the future already changed, there was no need to reveal that Kang Ye-dam was a regressor or my own secret.
Han Ji-bin waved her hand and habitually smiled, then quickly realized now wasn’t the time and straightened her face.
Just then—
“Ugh, I’m starving to death. How much longer do we have to walk?”
A young girl’s grumbling voice echoed from behind the arena’s western bars.
The Awakened, not expecting anyone else to be here, all snapped their heads in that direction.
Those who knew the future weren’t sure yet if this was the appearance of Lee Dan-ah or not.
Since no one actually knew Lee Dan-ah’s face or voice, they couldn’t tell just from hearing a brief snippet.
Even the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Ha-yeon, who’d been in the same class as Lee Dan-ah, were no exception.
After the quest to change bodies succeeded, their memories had been manipulated, so everything about Lee Dan-ah’s original face and voice had been erased.
But I recognized her immediately.
I was sure Ban Eun-hyeol, whose memory was still intact, would also have realized Lee Dan-ah had appeared.
‘So this is where she was.’
Judging by her grumbling, Lee Dan-ah must have been wandering around lost inside the S-rank Gate.
No wonder we never found anyone even after searching other Gates. I hadn’t imagined she was still wandering inside this one.
When I’d possessed this body, the Gate had immediately closed and ejected me outside, so I’d just assumed she’d fallen into this dimension in a similar way to me.
“Someone seems to be trapped over there.”
Since Yeon Ha-yeon at the front wasn’t moving, Cha Hyun-seo stepped forward and peered through the western bars.
James and Mark followed behind him, confirming the shape of a person on the other side.
Those of us who’d heard about the future from Kang Ye-dam—the Four Heavenly Kings, Yeon Ha-yeon, and the Three Major VIPs from Iljin High—exchanged quick glances before making a move.
As everyone nodded, Yeon Ha-yeon and Ban Eun-hyeol deliberately created a tense atmosphere and spoke in low voices.
“No one would just wander in here by accident. You all saw how menacing this Gate is. For all we know—”
“It could be a monster.”
Even though we’d clearly heard a human voice, suggesting it could be a monster made all the Awakened widen their eyes and stare at the western bars.
But still, only darkness was visible through the bars. Lee Dan-ah herself couldn’t be seen.
At times like this, it was best to move fast.
If Yeon Ha-yeon and Ban Eun-hyeol went together, they could easily send back a non-Awakened like Lee Dan-ah the way she’d come.
They were overwhelmingly powerful, and the two of them were perfect for persuading her.
Especially Yeon Ha-yeon could intimidate, while Ban Eun-hyeol could use sharp words and gentle coaxing to handle Lee Dan-ah.
We all watched their backs, rehearsing our backup plans in case they failed.
Yeon Ha-yeon and Ban Eun-hyeol cautiously approached the bars, acting as if they were just checking things out.
When they spoke with Lee Dan-ah, Kang Ye-dam would secretly set up a barrier to keep their voices from leaking out.
‘Did they find her?’
Seeing both Yeon Ha-yeon and Ban Eun-hyeol’s eyes go wide, they must have spotted Lee Dan-ah inside.
But something was off.
Their faces weren’t just surprised to see Lee Dan-ah, but as if they’d seen something horrifying.
“……What’s wrong with them?”
Kang Ye-dam, who’d already set up the barrier, whispered anxiously to me as he watched them.
I had no idea why they were acting that way.
As I kept my eyes fixed on them and narrowed my gaze to try to see past the western bars—
Bang!
The wooden bars exploded with a thunderous noise.
Ban Eun-hyeol and Yeon Ha-yeon, who’d been right by the bars, hastily shielded themselves from the flying splinters.
“Everyone, shields up!”
Ban Eun-hyeol shouted urgently.
Things were going wrong.
We thought everything would be resolved as long as we sent Lee Dan-ah back to her dimension. None of us had ever considered using Awakened force on her.
After all, the person we needed to send back was supposed to be a non-Awakened.
But why………….
“Wow! I’m back! I really made it back!”
Why was Lee Dan-ah bouncing in place, grabbing Bisharp and Red by the hands?
I turned my head and checked—Bisharp and Red, known as my summoned spirits, were right there fluttering their wings next to me.
“Uh……? What’s going on?”
As if thinking the same thing, Eun Ha-soo asked in a dazed voice.
There were now two Bisharps and two Reds, both well-known as my spirits.