# Kansai International Airport, Japan.
The moment I stepped down the private jet's boarding stairs, blinding camera flashes erupted from all directions.
High-ranking Japanese government officials lined up on the runway bowed in perfect unison at a full 90-degree angle.
"Thank you so much for coming! Heroes of South Korea!"
A desperate voice came through the mechanical drone of the interpreter device.
Annoyed, I pulled my cap down low and kept my gaze on the ground.
Association President Park Jin-cheol handled all the tiresome political smiles and handshakes with the adults.
"Alright, alright, let's skip the welcome ceremony and get moving. Everyone's tired."
The Association President slithered through the officials like an eel, clearing a path.
Escorted by rows of soldiers, I climbed into a waiting top-of-the-line armored limousine.
The spacious leather seat swallowed my small frame in plush comfort.
Outside the window, Osaka's desolate cityscape—emptied of evacuated refugees—rushed past.
"They must be grasping at straws. Three cabinet-level ministers coming out to greet us at the airport."
Seo Ji-hun, sitting across from me, smacked his gum and snorted.
Baek Ho-yeong, who'd been staring out the window, growled as he roughly loosened his tie in frustration.
"I'm suffocating. Why the hell did they make us wear suits?"
"We came as national representatives, so bear with it. Anyway, we need to dig out the real story beyond what's in the official documents."
I rolled through my head the briefing we'd received in the Blue House bunker.
Elves. Earth residents. Peace treaty. And a summons for Earth's strongest.
The limousine passed through the forest of buildings and stopped in front of an underground bunker converted into a temporary shelter.
The moment I stepped out of the car, rough-looking Japanese agents approached with metal detectors. Under the pretext of security screening, they were trying to conduct a body search.
"Where do you think you're pointing that piece of junk?"
When Baek Ho-yeong stepped forward with a beast-like glare, the approaching agent froze in place with a gasp. Too lazy to waste time in a battle of wills, I casually raised both arms and said indifferently,
"Just give us a quick pat-down and let's move on. I don't want to waste time."
The agents looked at my silver hair and red eyes, then frantically waved their detectors through empty air like they were swinging at nothing before hastily clearing the way. Metal detectors against S-Rank Hunters—it was pure comedy.
* * * * *
The cold steel door opened, and I entered the visitation room partitioned by thick bulletproof glass.
Beyond the glass sat a returnee in a patient gown—a Japanese Hunter—staring blankly.
"Ji-hun hyung. Let's verify first."
At my nod, Seo Ji-hun, standing behind me, pushed his glasses up firmly. Blue mana flickered beyond his lenses. His Emotion Eye swept over the patient's entire body like an X-ray.
"No traces of mental interference or magical brainwashing. Completely clean. Not drug addiction either."
The moment Seo Ji-hun confirmed, I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, propping my chin on my hand.
The interpreter standing by gripped the microphone tensely.
"We've heard the general outline through our government. There's a forest, elves live there, they're friendly. I want to ask about the details, not that obvious paperwork stuff."
At my question, the survivor slowly raised his head.
"I watched the body cam footage. Your barrier got ripped apart and you were dragged away while getting completely destroyed. But looking at you now, there's not a single scar. What exactly happened in there?"
Through the interpreter, the returnee's voice carried a mixture of deep fear and awe.
"It was... one-sided brutality that couldn't even be called a fight."
The returnee swallowed dryly.
"The moment we crossed the Gate, there was a massive forest, and we were ambushed by elven archers without a moment to catch our breath. Just as shown in the footage. Our side's highest-ranked tank's barrier was torn like paper by a single arrow they shot. Just the pressure of pure mana condensed on the arrowhead was suffocating. Before we could counterattack, everyone suffered fatal injuries and passed out instantly."
Seo Ji-hun interjected while jotting something in his notebook.
"But you came back alive without a scratch? That doesn't add up."
"I thought I'd fallen into hell too. But when I opened my eyes... we weren't in a prison but in comfortable facilities near the World Tree. The wounds of our members who'd been pierced by arrows and had their flesh burned were perfectly healed without a single scar."
The returnee rubbed his face with both hands.
"They had simply subdued armed forces that trespassed on their territory without permission—they never intended to kill us from the start. And when we woke up, Earth people who were with the elves approached and explained the situation."
"Earth people?"
Park So-jin raised an eyebrow.
"People who went missing during the Gate Shock three years ago. Those we thought were dead were living under the elves' protection, building villages on the forest's outskirts. Through those Earth interpreters, the elves confirmed we weren't monsters but sapient beings from another dimension, and the misunderstanding was cleared up."
My mind raced. Survivors who'd been sucked into Gates three years ago had finished adapting locally and were working as interpreters.
"Didn't the elves know about Earth's situation?"
"Those interpreters only knew the situation from three years ago, so they thought Earth had been destroyed. When I explained that a system called Hunters had emerged and humanity was still alive, the elves finally grasped the situation and sent me back as an envoy to attempt dialogue."
The skeleton of the story was coming together. The elves had crushed the intruders with overwhelming force, but the moment they realized communication was possible, they healed them.
Park So-jin asked sharply, arms crossed.
"According to the report, that place isn't a dungeon but a world in another dimension. How big is it?"
"All I saw was the forest, but according to the interpreters, beyond the forest exists a massive human territory called the Empire. It's a complete otherworld where not just elves exist, but also beastkin and dwarves."
A calm statement.
Seo Ji-hun's Emotion Eye guaranteed it wasn't a lie.
But the most important question still remained in my head.
I leaned back against the chair and narrowed my eyes.
"Fine. I understand it's a peaceful fantasy world. But if their world is that powerful and peaceful, why specifically summon Earth's representative? They could just come over themselves. What's the real reason they specifically called for me?"
At my pointed question, the returnee's expression darkened for a moment.
He glanced at the surrounding Japanese agents, then brought his mouth close to the interpretation microphone.
"That's... because their world is also heading toward destruction."
The air in the conference room froze instantly.
"The elves said that unidentified Gates are opening throughout their continent as well. But what pours out of those Gates is completely different from the monsters we know. Far more grotesque and... alien things are encroaching on the continent."
The returnee's pupils trembled faintly with fear.
"The elves have far deeper knowledge about the origin of Gates and mana than we do. They're trying to use this connection with a new dimension called Earth as an opportunity. They want to combine their knowledge with Earth's strongest fighter's military power to stop this dimension's collapse."
The wrapping was just a peace treaty—the reality was completely different.
It was a desperate plea for salvation from otherworldly beings, reaching out to somehow prevent approaching destruction.
* * * * *
We left the visitation room and gathered in an empty conference room in the bunker.
I locked the heavy steel door and cast mana soundproofing.
Drinking lukewarm canned coffee from a vending machine, I spoke.
"What do you think?"
Park So-jin was the first to step forward.
"Another dimension experiencing the same Gate disaster as us. And if even the types of monsters are different, the situation gets very complicated."
Baek Ho-yeong cracked his thick neck and grumbled.
"What's complicated about it? If they're not enemies, that's fortunate. Those pointy-eared folks know more about Gates than us, right? Then we should go extract information. We need to block those strange monsters before they cross into our front yard."
"That's right. It's also a golden opportunity to monopolize information."
Seo Ji-hun agreed with Baek Ho-yeong while cleaning his glasses.
The Association President lightly tapped the table, gathering everyone's attention.
"Ho-yeong's right. Since they've designated Earth's representative, we can't ignore this Permanent Gate. Before their disaster spills over to Earth, we need to go in first, seize the initiative, and sit at the negotiating table."
Ultimately, the conclusion was narrowing to one.
All that remained was my decision as the designated representative. Everyone's gaze naturally focused on me.
I downed the canned coffee in one gulp and stood up. The sound of my small, cute shoe heels lightly echoed on the conference room floor.
"Let's go."
At my short answer, the Association President's eyes widened.
"That's unlike you—no complaints? You made such a fuss about wanting to rest in your penthouse."
"I want to rest, so I'm trying to quickly stamp out the spark. If their world's problems spread to our front yard, my peaceful daily life gets exhausting."
"But I have no intention of camping there for days. We'll have a quick talk with the top brass and pull out, so everyone prepare thoroughly."
That ended the meeting.
It was the moment when the will of the six greatest powers not just of South Korea, but of the entire world, united as one.
* * * * *
A few hours later, in the heart of downtown Osaka.
The street that had once been a bustling district was now completely swallowed by a massive blue curtain.
The Gate that had been pulsing like a time bomb now rippled calmly like a tranquil lake.
The Japanese Self-Defense Forces surrounding it in layers and cameras from press corps gathered from around the world focused on us.
Japanese agents wearing bulletproof vests cleared a path with tense faces.
Without any grand armament, I casually walked forward in my usual baggy hoodie.
"Going in."
The Association President and guild masters silently nodded behind me.
The dimensional door solidified like a massive pool of mana. I brought my hand to its blue surface.
There was no resistance. Rather, it resonated with the pure mana composing my entire body, pulling me in with a very smooth and sticky sensation.
I took one deep breath and stepped into the rippling curtain.
My vision flickered with blue light. The acrid city smog and helicopter noise that had pierced my lungs were instantly cut off.
Instead, what strongly hit my nose was the thick, damp smell of earth and an explosive concentration of mana.
"Huh."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before my eyes.
Enormous ancient trees that pierced through the clouds formed an endless forest. Pure mana floating in the atmosphere visibly condensed and flowed like heat haze.
Following behind me, Seo Ji-hun, Park So-jin, and Baek Ho-yeong crossed the portal in turn.
Facing the otherworldly landscape, they too froze as if by agreement, unable to close their mouths.
The forest of the massive World Tree pregnant with overwhelming mana.
We had truly set foot in the heart of another world.
