I stared intently at the laptop screen from my bedside.
The view of Osaka on the screen was eerily quiet, almost surreal.
An hour had already passed since the clock struck zero, but the monsters that should have poured out hadn't shown even a shadow.
I picked up my smartphone and pressed the speed dial for the first number that came to mind. The ringtone cut off after just two rings.
"Old Man. You're watching, right?"
-Yeah, I'm watching.
Association President Park Jin-cheol's voice over the receiver was even more subdued than usual. Behind him, I could hear the noise of countless equipment and the urgent shouts of researchers mixed together.
"There's no sign of it bursting at all. If anything, the mana is settling into place. This is what I'm thinking it is, right?"
-The probability is very high. It's not a collapse but stabilization. The fact that it hasn't burst even after the grace period following the Gate's appearance means that thing isn't a time bomb—it's a door.
The Association President paused for a moment, then added as if he'd made up his mind.
-But it's still just speculation. We need to watch a bit longer to see if the mana waves remain constant. For now, stand by.
"Understood. I'll share this with the others for now."
I ended the call and opened the group message window.
The chat room where the S-Ranks gathered already had hundreds of unread messages piling up.
I left just one short sentence.
[No Break. Looks like a confirmed Permanent Gate. See you tomorrow at the Blue House bunker.]
The message changed to "read" as soon as I sent it.
I closed the laptop and stared blankly at Seoul's night view outside the window.
Tomorrow was obviously going to be a much more exhausting day than today.
* * * * *
The air in the Blue House underground bunker I returned to was much sharper than it had been a few days ago.
Heavy security was in place from the entrance, and the eyes of the agents coming and going were filled with sharp tension.
When I opened the conference room door and entered, the S-Ranks who had already arrived were holding their positions in a heavy atmosphere.
Near the head seat stood an unfamiliar figure organizing documents. Director Choi, who had been bowing and scraping until a few days ago, was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, suit. Where'd Director Choi go and why are you standing here?"
Baek Ho-yeong asked grumblingly while chewing on a large piece of jerky. The new government agent bowed deeply and answered.
"Former Director Choi was dismissed as of yesterday after evidence was discovered that he had been promised inappropriate compensation from the Japanese side and forced the dispatch. From today, I'm Director Kim, who will be in charge of briefings."
"Dismissed? Hmm, this reeks of cutting off the tail. Is the Minister safe?"
At Baek Ho-yeong's pointed remark, Director Kim's face stiffened slightly. As the atmosphere grew tense, Baek Ho-yeong laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.
"Bwahaha! Well, the Minister is a high-ranking person after all. I'm joking, just joking. Why so serious? You have no sense of humor. Let's just start the briefing already."
Director Kim cleared his throat and turned on the screen. Detailed analysis data from last night's Osaka Gate filled the screen.
"This is the government's official assessment. The Osaka Gate has been confirmed as a Permanent Gate. It's not a Dungeon, but a fixed passage connecting an Otherworld to our world."
"The Japanese side doesn't know this information yet. They're still trembling in fear, thinking it's a time bomb that could explode at any moment. Thanks to suffering relatively less damage during the Gate Shock, the Republic of Korea has an overwhelming amount of information collected on monster research and Gate structures. We succeeded in data compilation in a stable environment compared to other countries."
National priority and information disparity. Japan was preparing for annihilation while we were eyeing opportunities beyond it.
"That's enough for the briefing. We have some things to discuss among ourselves, so please leave."
As soon as the request ended, Director Kim reluctantly bowed his head and left the room with the agents.
The moment I heard the heavy door close, I extended the mana spread throughout my body in thin threads.
Wall crevices, ceiling vents, under the table. Sharp mana like needles thoroughly searched for any listening devices.
"It's clean. You can talk."
I looked at Park So-jin with my arms crossed.
"Should we go? Or should we just leave it and watch?"
The first to speak was Seo Ji-hun.
"I'm against it. If it's a Permanent Gate, it's actually more dangerous. It means their army could pour out at any time, so there's no need for us to crawl in there first and become prey. Whether Japan gets eaten or not, we just need to maintain our defensive line, right?"
Park So-jin also shook her head.
"There's too little information. Just looking at the military force in the video, they're not ones to mess with carelessly. Going in blind like this is suicide. There's even less reason for us to shed blood first on someone else's country's soil."
Then, the Association President, who had been listening silently, spoke while fiddling with his teacup.
"I'm leaning toward agreement. That Gate won't disappear just because we avoid it. Rather, we should focus on the fact that they captured people alive. It means there's a high possibility they're beings we can communicate with. This might be the first and last chance to learn the origin of Gates. We need to make contact first and take the initiative."
Pros and cons clashed evenly. Each side's logic was firm. While opinions couldn't be narrowed down with loud voices going back and forth for a while, the conference room door burst open roughly. Director Kim, who had left earlier, rushed in with a pale face.
"Emergency situation! One of the Japanese advance team Hunters who disappeared beyond the Gate just walked out!"
* * * * *
The next morning, the survivor's testimony that the Hunter Association and government had closely obtained was scattered before us as documents.
"This is information obtained after close negotiations with the Japanese side. The returned survivor was in perfectly fine condition without a single external injury. According to his testimony, those long-eared beings... the Elves are fundamentally different from the monsters we knew."
Director Kim quickly continued while turning pages.
"They didn't kill the Hunters. Rather, they treated them carefully and let them stay in comfortable facilities. There's even information that Earthlings who went missing before have formed villages and are living in that world."
The conference room stirred. Monsters treating and protecting humans? At this development beyond common sense, Park So-jin frowned.
"That's impossible. So all the people who went missing are alive there?"
"They say they want dialogue, not invasion. Since a passage connecting their world and Earth has opened, they want to talk officially. They've sent a message asking us to send Earth's representative to their forest."
A laugh of disbelief escaped me.
"What about the possibility the survivor was brainwashed or controlled by magic? What if he ate some herb from that world and is seeing things?"
Director Kim adjusted his glasses and answered calmly.
"According to the Japanese appraisers' confirmation, there were no traces of mental interference at all. It's highly likely to be sincere. Or that world really is a paradise."
Silence descended. The possibility that what we thought was hell beyond the Gate might actually be a peaceful paradise. The Association President struck at the core with a subdued voice.
"So what's their standard for Earth's representative? Should we bring the UN Secretary-General?"
Director Kim frantically shuffled through the pile of documents and stopped. His gaze carefully turned toward me.
"Well... the standard the Elves conveyed was clear. They said to send Earth's strongest. That's the courtesy of their civilization."
In an instant, every eye in the conference room poured toward me. Park So-jin's worried gaze, Baek Ho-yeong's interested smile, and even the Association President's heavy stare.
"Phew..."
A deep sigh swept through my lungs.
I could hear the sound of my dream of living an ordinary life growing distant.
I pressed my throbbing brow with my fingers.
"This is really making me tired. You're saying there's no alternative but me right now. I get it for now, so let's organize our thoughts. This is giving me a real headache."
I never knew the title of Earth's strongest would feel this heavy and annoying. I buried myself in the chair and closed my eyes tightly. The situation was already racing toward a predetermined track.
"Phew... From the information so far, it doesn't seem like the Elves are dangerous beings..."
I opened my eyes and scanned the assembly. Everyone was staring only at my lips.
"For now, let's go over to Japan and talk directly with that person, whether they're a survivor or returnee. With Ji-hun hyung's eyes, we might be able to obtain additional information."
In the end, participation it is. The problem was how to tell my family about this.
"But what should I tell my family..."
* * * * *
Late at night, I arrived at the penthouse and entered the password. As soon as I entered through the front door, I heard news flowing from the living room. My family was gathered on the sofa, staring intently at breaking news about the Osaka Gate survivor.
Mother, who turned her head sensing my presence, had reddened eyes.
"You're going after all, aren't you? You promised you wouldn't go."
My heart stung at her tearful voice. I strode over and sat beside Mother, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. Thanks to my small frame, it actually looked more like Mother was holding me in her arms, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.
"No, Mom. I'm not going in yet. I'm just going over to Japan to listen to what that person who came back alive has to say. There's nothing dangerous at all."
"The news says everyone who goes in there gets captured!"
"The information on the news is all old. In reality, the beings there have been treating our people and taking good care of them. They're not brainwashed, and they really are friendly beings."
I mixed in security details not shown on the news bit by bit to reassure them as much as possible.
My family concentrated on my every word as if clinging to them.
"Really? Oppa's not lying, right?"
Ha-eun also asked from the side, rolling her eyes.
When I nodded to give them assurance, only then did deep sighs of relief escape from my family's mouths.
Everyone looked clearly exhausted from mental anguish.
"Tonight... can we all sleep together? It's been a while since the four of us laid out blankets in the living room."
At my sudden suggestion, Father burst into a hearty laugh and headed to the linen closet.
Leaving the spacious master bedroom bed in the penthouse unused, we laid out thick blankets in the living room and lay down side by side. Mother held my left hand tightly, Father my right hand. Ha-eun settled near my feet while grumbling.
"Puppy, sleep well without scary dreams."
Mother gently stroked my hair. Gazing at the ceiling in the darkness, I whispered softly.
"Mom, you know I'm really strong. So don't worry. I'll be back soon."
"I know, our son is the best. But a parent's heart isn't like that."
Father patted the back of my hand with his heavy palm. Conversation continued warmly like the night before a field trip in childhood.
From the immature story of secretly stealing Ha-eun's snacks long ago, to past memories of when I first got this body and Mother tried to dress me in doll-like clothes saying I was cute.
It was the most incongruous yet warm night in my life plagued by chronic fatigue. Tomorrow I'd have to stand on the front lines of the battlefield again, but for this moment at least, I fell into deep sleep having returned not as the Silver Hero but as one family's immature son.
