Episode 601. The Culprit Was Lee Hoyeon.

After sending an emergency contact to the Iris Guild, Lee Hoyeon headed straight home.

He was originally planning to spend the evening destroying the black pillars, but if the attack was already starting, the black pillars weren’t the priority anymore.

‘This really isn’t right. It’s really not.’

Upon returning home, Lee Hoyeon hid his anxious feelings and immediately turned on his smartwatch.

Then, he connected a video call with Irene in France.

[Yeah. I got the message. What’s up?]

Irene’s face, seen for the first time in days.

Seeing her gaunt face, it seemed like she had been very busy on her end too.

He wanted to ask how she was doing and tease her a bit, but now wasn’t the time.

[It’s been a while, Irene-ssi. I don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. You’re still monitoring the Gate to the Underworld, right?]

[Of course. It’s expanding its territory even now.]

[Have you finished analyzing how long it’ll take to reach the continent?]

[We originally estimated over a month… but the darkness is spreading faster and faster? At this rate, we’re expecting about a week.]

[A week….]

From the moment the continent and the Underworld touch, it’s the beginning of hell on earth.

Tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people will die every day.

But what if even that week doesn’t exist?

[You know that monster we saw last time, the one flying around in the sky? Has it come out of its territory and started roaming?]

[Yeah. We haven’t seen anything like that yet. It’s keeping its distance, and while it looks this way, it hasn’t shown any signs of attacking.]

[That’s a huge relief. Please keep a close watch and tell me immediately if you see any movement.]

That’s a relief.

Those guys haven’t made a move yet.

It means they need more time to adapt to Earth.

[Got it. You tell me immediately if anything unusual happens on your end too.]

[Yes, Irene-ssi. I love you. Please send my regards to Alice too.]

[What are you talking about… I’ll pass on the message.]

Click-

He chuckled, looking at the blank screen.

Irene getting embarrassed at the end was quite entertaining.

“Hoo.”

Lee Hoyeon looked down at the glowing red magic orb with a troubled expression.

Its glowing meant that Earth and the Underworld were completely connected.

“Fuck. This is way too fast.”

The good mood he’d gotten thanks to Irene plummeted instantly.

It was incredibly fortunate that the monsters weren’t attacking immediately, but the fact remained that Earth was merging with the Underworld years faster than in the original story.

Even in the original story, where preparations were complete, immense damage occurred. There was no way they could stop it like this.

‘The process was completely different from the original story.’

Although Earth was merging faster than in the original story, many phenomena differed from what happened back then.

In the original story, the phenomenon of dungeon rampages was more crucial.

Dungeon rampages caused Underworld mana to flow, gradually merging Earth’s mana with the Underworld’s.

After several years in that state, Earth would transform into an environment saturated with Underworld mana.

Humans would also become more accustomed to the Underworld mana.

But that wasn’t happening at all now.

Earth wasn’t filled with Underworld mana like in the original story.

“It’s connected to the Underworld, but hasn’t adapted yet.”

In other words, it was an incomplete assimilation.

Earth and the Underworld were simply linked, but the environment hadn’t caught up.

That meant the monsters from the Underworld couldn’t exert their full power either.

“…No. That doesn’t make sense. Then there’s no need for assimilation.”

Lee Hoyeon shook his head.

[Earth and the Underworld have assimilated, but imperfectly, and without Underworld mana, the monsters are weak.]

That wasn’t wrong.

However, it was too convenient an interpretation.

The reason why the assimilation of Earth and the Underworld happened so quickly.

He needed to definitively figure out why those monsters were already flying around on Earth.

“Let’s think slowly. The monsters from the Underworld need Underworld mana to use their powers. That’s why Chiron and Albedo couldn’t use their full strength either. That concept probably hasn’t changed.”

Just as humans aren’t accustomed to Underworld mana, they aren’t accustomed to Earth’s mana.

If the monsters can’t use their powers properly, humans could band together and fend them off.

So why did Earth assimilate so quickly?

The opponent was the god of this world.

They wouldn’t proceed foolishly.

“…”

Lee Hoyeon bit his lip and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

He had to think.

In this world, he was the only one who knew the information from the original story.

As long as the God of Betting existed, the bet was fair.

If the monsters from the Underworld killed all humans overnight, it wouldn’t be a fair bet.

No, if they had that much power, Lee Hoyeon wouldn’t even be alive right now.

There must be a loophole he didn’t know about.

“The reason monsters appeared without Underworld mana. Those bastards need Underworld mana to regain their strength. Like near the Gate to the Underworld, for example…”

The Gate to the Underworld had a limit to how far it could expand.

Assimilation was about connecting the Underworld and Earth, not the Underworld devouring Earth.

It would probably be limited to covering the Pacific Ocean, just like in the original story.

“If not the Gate to the Underworld, then the black pillars filled with Underworld mana… Wait a second. Black pillars?”

Lee Hoyeon, who had been frowning,’s eyes widened.

Black pillars.

The current world was definitely different from the original story.

The god of this world was possessing the Demon King, and the assimilation phenomenon between Earth and the Underworld had occurred before it was ready.

And, unlike the original story, structures spreading Underworld mana existed all over Earth.

“…It’s the Underworld mana flowing from the black pillars.”

The black pillars towering all over the world.

If they received a supply of Underworld mana from the black pillars, those monsters could be active.

*

Inside the quiet Hunter Association conference room.

Moon Surin attended as the representative of Victoria Academy, substituting for the chairman.

She led the meeting, proving her qualifications to represent the Academy despite her young age.

And now…

“…Do you really think that makes sense right now?”

Moon Surin spoke, trying desperately to suppress the rage boiling up inside her.

Although she tried her best to speak calmly, her voice trembled uncontrollably at the end.

“Student Council President. Isn’t this strange? Look at the Gate to the Underworld expanding its territory in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The monsters there are incredibly strong, and they aren’t confined to dungeons. We don’t know when they might attack our homes. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The Association President, continuing his speech, casually met Moon Surin’s gaze and looked around, seeking agreement.

It was a meeting attended mostly by the heads of major Korean guilds and other important figures in the industry.

Every statement made here carried immense weight.

“When the Gate to the Underworld appeared, what major event was happening globally at the same time? Yes. It was Cadet Lee Hoyeon destroying the black pillars.”

Since the representative of Victoria Academy, who held the most influence, and the head of the Hunter Association were confronting each other, no one spoke up directly.

If Baek Ahyoung were here, she would have stood by Lee Hoyeon without hesitation, but she wasn’t attending the meeting today.

However, even amidst the silence, one could sense a favorable atmosphere towards the Association President.

No matter how much she represented Victoria Academy, Student Council President Moon Surin was still just a girl in her twenties.

Most people were inwardly thinking, ‘The Association President must be right.’

“…The two incidents are completely unrelated. The Association President’s claims lack evidence.”

“The Gate to the Underworld appeared immediately after Cadet Lee Hoyeon destroyed the black pillars. And both the black pillars and the Gate to the Underworld emit the same Underworld mana. Are you saying there’s no causal relationship between them?”

Moon Surin’s patience had already hit rock bottom.

The Association President’s argument was absurd sophistry, cleverly mixing truth and falsehood.

The black pillars and the Gate to the Underworld.

It was true that both structures emitted Underworld mana, but the claim that the Gate to the Underworld appeared because the black pillars were destroyed was an illogical leap.

What angered Moon Surin even more was that there were people who accepted such claims, not just in this conference room but all over the world.

“So what are you trying to say? The Gate to the Underworld has already appeared, and shouldn’t we prioritize establishing a global response, as the Iris Guild suggested?”

“It means we must first stop Cadet Lee Hoyeon’s reckless actions. It’s possible that the expansion of the Gate to the Underworld is related to the destruction of the black pillars.”

“…That point is covered in the information provided by the Iris Guild. In fact, Cadet Lee Hoyeon removed most of the black pillars in France with the permission of the French government.”

“Are you referring to information suggesting a mere terrorist group is orchestrating global anomalies?”

The Association President looked around.

Those who made eye contact felt compelled to add a word or two.

And most of those words were affirmative towards the Association President.

“Ahem. While the Student Council President’s words have merit, I believe it’s reasonable to be suspicious, as the Association President suggests.”

“Mage Lee Hoyeon destroyed a black pillar in Korea again today. Just because his actions aren’t legally defined doesn’t mean he should be doing things like that…”

Anger surged within Moon Surin’s chest.

She tried to maintain her composure, but it felt like the world was conspiring against her and Lee Hoyeon.

Doubting the information provided by the Iris Guild, the world’s top intelligence guild.

It was as if they were all hypnotized.

‘…I’ll protect Hoyeon.’

Moon Surin soon stood up from her seat.

“I understand everyone’s opinions. However, Victoria Academy maintains its stance of defending Cadet Lee Hoyeon to the end. …I will take my leave now for an internal meeting.”

She realized that continuing the meeting further wouldn’t convince the other attendees.

In situations like this, it was better to strongly state her opinion, show her anger, and break up the meeting.

They wouldn’t be able to ignore Victoria Academy’s influence and pressure Lee Hoyeon.

Moon Surin gave a slight bow, gathered her documents, and left the conference room.

The other attendees glanced at the Association President and silently watched Moon Surin leave.

“Haa… I apologize. I’ve made quite a scene. We’ll adjourn the meeting here. We will reconvene in a few days to discuss the matter of the Gate to the Underworld.”

At the Association President’s words, the attendees, glancing around nervously, filed out of the room one by one.

As Moon Surin intended, the issue concerning Lee Hoyeon ended inconclusively.

They probably wouldn’t take sides just yet.

The Association President was left alone in the empty conference room after everyone else had left.

He sat at the table, staring blankly into space.

‘…What was I doing just now?’

A moment later.

The Association President’s eyes turned vacant.

*

Lee Hoyeon left his house and headed towards the Academy.

The place he needed to go now was the student council room where Surin noona was.

He had already planned to see Surin noona as soon as her schedule ended, but he received this message right after finishing his thoughts about the black pillars.

– Surin noona: Hoyeon-ah. Can you come to the student council room right now?

Lee Hoyeon sent a reply and left his house immediately.

To reduce the damage from monster attacks emerging from the Gate to the Underworld, humans needed to cooperate and unite.

In the original story, this process happened relatively quickly.

This was because a global state of emergency had already persisted for a long time due to dungeon rampages.

Therefore, the world could cooperate as soon as the monsters from the Underworld appeared.

But not now.

A global state of emergency needed to be declared as soon as possible. Otherwise, irreversible damage would occur.

For that, he needed the cooperation of the Wizard Association and the Iris Guild. Naturally, Victoria Academy’s help would be necessary too.

Lee Hoyeon stepped into the elevator of the club building.

Since Lucy and Lumi were resting in the dormitory, he planned to have a long conversation with Surin noona today.

Ting-

As the doors opened, he saw the empty student council room.

The student council seniors weren’t visible, but it didn’t matter.

Lee Hoyeon smiled as he saw a familiar face sitting inside.

He saw Surin noona frowning, looking down at her desk.

It felt even nicer to see her face after two weeks.

“Surin noona. I’m here.”

Lee Hoyeon greeted her as he opened the door.

“Hoyeon-ah!”

At the same time, Moon Surin pushed aside the documents she was working on and jumped up from her seat.

The moment she saw Lee Hoyeon’s face, the stress that had been weighing her down felt lighter.

“Noona, you’ve gotten prettier even after just two weeks.”

“Hoyeon-ah… Hh, haaa…”

Moon Surin hugged Lee Hoyeon, who offered a faint smile, tightly and let out a shaky breath.

She needed to find peace for her mind and body in his embrace.

The gazes she’d received in the conference room just moments ago flashed through her mind.

Although she was the representative of Victoria Academy, she was still a woman.

Even while trying her best not to break down, she sometimes wanted to lean on Lee Hoyeon.

Moreover, as much as she worried about him, she needed to deliver the news quickly.

“…Surin-ah. Did something happen?”

Fortunately, Lee Hoyeon could immediately sense Moon Surin’s distress.

Even before checking the status window, it was obvious something was wrong with her.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

• [ Affection: 100 ] ( + 0.9 )

• [ Lust: 70 ]

• [ Hunger: 45 ]

• [ Fatigue: 80 ]

Current State: I must protect Hoyeon. I must protect him until the very end.

[Upon reaching 100 Affection, dependency on Lee Hoyeon intensifies.]

‘Something really did happen.’

Lee Hoyeon gently patted Moon Surin’s back, calming her down.

Then, he slowly listened to her story.