Episode 587. Gate of Hell

An island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

A deserted island, far from civilization, is a remote place untouched by human hands.

In the heart of the island, where unique wildlife and natural landscapes could be seen, stood a colossal gate.

A colossal gate, completely different from the island’s pristine atmosphere.

The gate, luxurious like a sculpture, was intricately and elaborately engraved with depictions of humans suffering.

And not far from the gate, two men stood.

“This is annoyingly tedious.”

“What are you complaining about? What’s easier than guard duty? Don’t you know the other guild members are going crazy trying to break the black pillar?”

“I heard. They said they’re undergoing special training for Underworld magic.”

“Yeah. I heard the process of learning it is incredibly difficult. You know Lucifer who attacked Korea? They say you have to touch its corpse. That’s how you learn Underworld magic.”

“Ugh, just hearing about it makes me sick.”

“We’re so lucky. We just have to stare blankly at the sea, that’s all.”

The Iris Guild members chatted, casually glancing back at the colossal gate.

It was a structure that looked ominous just by looking at it.

Because it was emitting Underworld magic like the black pillar, they couldn’t get close, but they were positioned as close as possible to respond immediately if anything happened.

“By the way, isn’t this gate kind of scary too? It feels like something’s going to pop out.”

They didn’t know the gate’s true identity, but looking at it gave them the creeps and made them feel eerie.

Plus, the Underworld magic made them feel uneasy.

“It’s probably similar to the black pillar. That thing was just a headache and nothing else, right? Besides, Cadet Lee Hoyeon, no, Mage Lee Hoyeon, eventually succeeded in destroying it.”

“They said the black pillar shouldn’t be ignored either…. Ah, screw it. It’s almost time for the shift change, so get ready. Who’s next?”

“It was Yujin and Alex…”

Ku-gung-

At that moment. The colossal gate trembled.

The guild members who were chatting stopped moving as if on cue.

The air around them grew heavy, and the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

“W-what is it? An earthquake?”

“Damn it. First, I need to report… Huh?”

Bbeegok. Bbeegok.

Dalgeurak- Dalgeurak-

The colossal gate they were guarding was shaking slightly.

A rotten smell wafted from the other side of the gate.

Despite the considerable distance, a terror like facing a vast abyss washed over the guild members.

“R-report. Report!”

“No response on the radio…! My magic won’t move either!”

“Ah, fuck this… Let’s just run…”

Kkiiiiik-

The creaking gate opened completely.

The darkness seeping from within moved like a living entity, engulfing the surroundings.

[Kya-ha-ha. Kya-ha-ha.]

[Geureureuk- Geureureuk-]

Unspeakable, bizarre sounds could be heard.

Simultaneously, the darkness that burst from the gate surged towards the guild members at tremendous speed.

“Ah, ah…”

In the final moment.

The guild member closed his eyes, seeing the despair engulfing him.

*

Chal-kak- Chal-kak-

A bustling photo studio.

Lee Hoyeon smiled, looking at the camera in front of him.

It was Irene’s request to take photos for Iris Guild’s promotion before they returned to Korea.

“Say cheese! Wistiti~.”

“Wistiti.”

For reference, ‘Wistiti’ is the French version of the Korean ‘Kimchi~’.

Lee Hoyeon only found out after coming to the photo studio.

What was the meaning again? Was it ‘monkey’?

“Your smiling face didn’t come out… Should we finish with this?”

“Let me take a look.”

As the photographer smiled awkwardly, Irene, who was standing behind Lee Hoyeon, walked over, looked at the photo, and nodded.

“This should be fine. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all! We’re the ones who should be thanking you. To be able to use such a handsome man and beautiful woman for promotional purposes.”

Leaving the photographer bowing repeatedly.

Irene approached them.

“Since our business here is done, shall we go back?”

“…Unnie. I distinctly came here thinking I was taking promotional photos with Lee Hoyeon alone.”

“Since we were taking pictures anyway, I thought we could take a commemorative photo of the three of us… Did it make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, Alice.”

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable… No, it’s nothing.”

Alice felt strangely off.

It wasn’t something that should make her uncomfortable.

She did take photos with Lee Hoyeon, and there was no reason to be uncomfortable just because Irene joined them.

…But why was she feeling annoyed?

It felt like their purposes were different from the start.

“Alice. We had a good time yesterday, didn’t we? Irene just wanted to take a picture too, cough. Aack…”

Lee Hoyeon doubled over, hit by Alice’s fist in the stomach, and collapsed on the spot.

Alice had now started hitting him naturally.

Of course, since Lee Hoyeon couldn’t hit back when Alice hit him, he just had to take it.

“…Stop talking about that.”

Alice’s hands trembled.

Yesterday, or rather, it hadn’t even been 12 hours.

Unable to forget what happened, Alice felt her face turning bright red.

“Shall we go grab something to eat first? Alice. Is steak okay?”

“Yeah. Okay… Do whatever you want, Unnie.”

Alice glanced away from Irene, avoiding her gaze.

Lee Hoyeon was fine, but Irene was still embarrassed.

It was more embarrassment than awkwardness.

She felt too embarrassed recalling how she had climaxed multiple times while held by Irene that day.

Especially when she thought of Irene’s ample bosom, the soft sensation came to mind, making her extremely embarrassed.

“Lee Hoyeon. You’re coming too, right? It’s your last meal in France.”

“Yes. Of course, I have to.”

“Okay. Alice. Then… Hmm?”

Ttiriri- Ttiriri-

Irene, who was about to take them to Alice’s favorite restaurant, looked at her smartwatch and her expression hardened.

[Emergency situation occurred. Guild members monitoring the giant gate in the Pacific have gone missing, investigation team sent closer also lost contact. Currently dispatching Team Leader 2 to the scene, all executives are summoned to the Guild Leader’s office.]

Alice, standing nearby, had received the exact same message.

“Alice. Dinner can wait.”

“Yes. Unnie.”

“…Weren’t we going to eat?”

Alice pondered for a moment, looking at Lee Hoyeon tilting his head in confusion.

Lee Hoyeon knew about the gate in the Pacific, so sharing what happened there wouldn’t be a problem.

If this was related to Pandemic, Lee Hoyeon’s help would be essential.

‘…But it’s not certain yet.’

Whether it was Pandemic’s doing, another information guild’s, or a third party’s.

She wanted to tell him only after finding out who the attacker was.

Because she couldn’t solve everything with Lee Hoyeon’s help.

“I’m sorry, Lee Hoyeon. Something urgent came up at the guild, so I have to go.”

“Is it something I can’t help with?”

“It’s an Iris Guild matter. You’re heading back to Korea soon, and I can’t always rely on your help. You should rest at your accommodation.”

“…Alright. You look busy, so hurry and go. Irene-ssi, I’ll see you next time too.”

“Yeah. See you next time. Oh, we’ll make good use of the photos.”

As soon as Alice finished speaking, she ran off, and Irene hurriedly followed her.

“What does she mean by ‘make good use of the photos’?”

Lee Hoyeon muttered to himself, left alone in the middle of Paris.

I hope Dad didn’t get caught cheating again.

Chup.

It feels unsettling somehow… but Alice said it was fine, so it must be fine.

Lee Hoyeon turned around, carrying a sense of disappointment.

*

Dudu-du-du-

The Iris Guild’s helicopter circled above the uninhabited island in the Pacific.

The island, shrouded in thick darkness, made it impossible to see inside.

It was like looking at a city covered in dawn fog, but the ominous feeling emanating from it was incomparable to mere fog.

Since the number of guild members swallowed by that darkness exceeded two digits, they couldn’t get any closer.

“Jackson. Is the camera working properly?”

“Yes. Team Leader 2-nim. It’s being transmitted to headquarters in real-time. However… I feel like you really need to see that darkness with your own eyes.”

“Video can’t convey the atmosphere of the scene. You really can’t feel this gloominess unless you see it in person.”

The Iris Guild’s Team Leader 2 maintained tension, watching the darkness intently.

The darkness had spread to the sea surrounding the island.

It was similar to when he actually witnessed an oil spill accident before.

The island and sea, devoid of any signs of life, exuded a dark and ominous aura.

“I don’t see any demons or dungeon beasts. But the scale is too large to be a dungeon rampage.”

“Yes. Not yet… Ah? Team Leader 2-nim. What is that…!”

Team Leader 2 and Jackson, who were gazing at the island, squinted.

From a corner of the darkness, an unidentified creature unfurled its wings and took flight.

Elongated arms and huge wings.

And a bat-like humanoid with sharp teeth was flying up.

“Damn it, retreat! Pull back immediately!”

Team Leader 2 immediately turned the helicopter around, but the monster, with eyes shining even amidst the darkness, instantly flew towards the helicopter.

“My magic… My magic isn’t responding!”

“What?! What do you mean, with this much distance between us!”

Kadeudeuk-

The monster’s movements were fast and ferocious.

In the blink of an eye, the helicopter’s body tilted precariously.

Sharp claws had scratched the helicopter’s steel body.

“Ah, fuck this… Jackson! Prepare for combat…”

*

[Jackson! Prepare for combat…. Chijijijijijijik-]

Bbi. Bbi. Bbi.

Along with Team Leader 2’s final cry, the video ended.

The executives gathered in the Iris Guild Leader’s office swallowed hard, watching Team Leader 2’s final moments.

“…”

“…”

It was a shocking video, so no one spoke first.

As Team Leader 2 had said, that massive darkness was an unprecedented phenomenon.

Moreover, a powerful monster they had never seen before had appeared.

This meant it was no longer something Iris Guild could handle alone.

“…We won’t send any more guild members. Instead, it’s better to send this video to other guilds and the Association.”

“Yes. I’ll contact them immediately.”

“With something like that appearing in the middle of the Pacific, we can’t control the information. It’s better to act first before others figure it out.”

“We were fortunate that Iris Guild discovered and managed the giant gate first.”

“But the situation has changed. If we can’t control it, we must take the lead.”

“The Wizard Association is the top priority. After that, Victoria Academy.”

“Contacting Chairman Arthur directly!”

The atmosphere in the Guild Leader’s office was remarkably calm.

Everyone here was a professional.

In times like these, it was crucial to control emotions and handle priorities.

‘I should have called Lee Hoyeon.’

Meanwhile, Alice, having watched the video, sighed quietly in regret.

She didn’t know what that darkness was, but no matter how much she thought about it, Lee Hoyeon was the only one who came to mind as a solution.

Because he possessed a lot of information she wasn’t aware of.

“…I’ll contact Lee Hoyeon. He might know something.”

“Oh, alright, Alice. I’ll leave matters concerning Mage Lee Hoyeon to you.”

The world’s best information guild.

No, it was unthinkable that Iris Guild, now the best in all fields, lacked information compared to Lee Hoyeon.

Even though they were cooperating to some extent now, Alice felt angry that they couldn’t be of more help to him.

Could they really kill the Demon King Lee Hoyeon mentioned like this?

“Alice… Are you okay?”

Irene, standing beside her, looked at Alice cautiously.

Because she was worried about her younger sister, who seemed troubled.

“It’s nothing, Unnie. I’ll go make a call to Lee Hoyeon.”

Alice frowned and stepped out of the Guild Leader’s office.