episode_0038

[Gate Safety Management Office of the Republic of Korea] Jeju Branch Command and Control Room.

The sound of paper turning, the sound of keystrokes being typed, the sound of telephone calls, everyone is moving around in confusion,

The face of [Bone Destroyer] Lee Dong-jin, who is an A-class attacker, the head of the Jeju Island Safety Management Branch, and the person in charge of the control room, was seriously stiff.

The gate did not suddenly appear, but the external dimension values of the existing gate were greatly amplified.

This was an unprecedented event in Korea and was virtually a catastrophe that required management responsibility.

A dangerous, crunching sound came from Lee Dong-jin’s clenched teeth. At that sight, the management team members who had gotten up to report fell silent.

“… Report the cause and the amplified value. What is the gate number?”

The heavy silence was barely broken by voices suppressing their anger. The staff members who had regained their composure began to talk in unison while fiddling with the situation room computers.

“Yes! A magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred as Mt. Halla suddenly resumed volcanic activity! Lava erupted from Baeknokdam, and Gate #51 in the center of Baeknokdam was exposed to lava and earthquake damage, causing it to deteriorate due to the strong external impact!”

“According to the researcher, the gate shook greatly due to the strong impact, and the cracks may have even grown bigger!”

“The amplification value is currently being confirmed! You can get the result in less than 3 minutes!”

Lee Dong-jin wished that at least one person who was talking right now would tell him that this whole situation was a dream. However, the words coming out of his employees’ mouths were trampling on his wishes and urging him that this was reality.

Lee Dong-jin, who felt dizzy despite his size, placed his hand on his forehead and opened his mouth with a sigh.

“#51 Gate, is that the newly created [Red Plains]? That, the one where the [rare grade material] Bloodstone comes out? That place that is rumored in the strategy community?”

It was a place that Lee Dong-jin also knew.

Gate #51 was so unique that he recorded it in his memory. It happened so quietly, and compared to the sudden appearance of the gate, the size of the gate was so small that only three people could fit through it.

Considering its small size, the difficulty level was moderately high. The overall evaluation was around B grade.

It was a moderate difficulty level, not too weak but not too strong either, and the strange thing was that the land beyond the gate and the small monsters that came out of it were all red, so it was called [Red Plains]. Another peculiarity was that it contained [rare grade material], bloodstone, which could only be obtained from places like the [Blood Fountain] gate in Russia.

However, although it was somewhat unusual, there were no major problems with the strategy, so I just let it slide.

To Lee Dong-jin, who was feeling like he had been hit in the back of the head in real time, one of the employees gave a sharp reply.

“Yes! The extradimensional suppressor near the gate short-circuited and stopped working as the extradimensional values were greatly amplified. As the extradimensional particles of [Red Plains] erupted all at once, monsters began to appear from beyond the gate!”

It just so happened that a gate was created at Baekrokdam. It just so happened that Mt. Halla began volcanic activity. It just so happened that the gate was hit by an earthquake and the impact of lava.

There is a saying that when three coincidences come together, it is inevitable. Could it be that all of this happened because of coincidences? Why? For what reason? Lee Dong-jin forcibly erased the thoughts that were floating around in his head. Right now was not the time to escape reality.

Let’s think positively. Lee Dong-jin shook his head, trying to see the negative situation as positively as possible.

Fortunately, after the gate incident, the entrance was controlled not only for foreign tourists but also for ordinary hikers. Mt. Halla is quite high, and even if the monsters were coming down in a straight line, it would be possible for civilians to evacuate quickly.

All that remained were the amplified numbers. Lee Dong-jin put his hands together and prayed to the god he had never sought in his entire life.

Even if it was amplified, an A-class would be enough. I don’t even want a B+-class. If it was just an A-class, if we somehow formed an elite attack force led by him, there would be a chance of stopping the out-of-control Gate…!

“Chief! After the gate was expanded, we were unable to enter, but the extradimensional values detected remotely via drone were confirmed!”

“How much? Grade A? Is it Grade A?”

The employee took a deep breath as he looked at the recorded figures.

“Detection, result. Difficulty is S…. No, it is getting more and more amplified. At least, it is S-rank…!”

The control room fell into a heavy silence. The staff who were reporting, the staff who were preparing another report, and even Branch Manager Lee Dong-jin who was listening to the report were all at a loss for words for a moment and bit their lips.

“What the fuck!”

Lee Dong-jin, unable to control his anger, jumped up from his seat and slammed down the office chair he was sitting on.

WHAT! The chair made of high-quality materials could not withstand the force and collapsed with a single punch. Lee Dong-jin, whose neck was bloodshot, screamed with his eyes wide open.

“Management Team, you bastards! How did you manage the site! Where can a volcano erupt without warning!”

“Branch Manager.”

The one who stopped Lee Dong-jin from screaming was the deputy chief who was assisting him. The deputy chief, with his pale face and sweat dripping down his face, opened his mouth to the rampaging Lee Dong-jin.

“You know the kids below are innocent, right? The on-site management records were all ‘nothing unusual’. There were no warning signs, and it was quiet when we measured seismic waves. …Suddenly, it was volcanic activity.”

“Still-!”

“Brother Dongjin.”

Lee Dong-jin was silent at the title of Vice-Chief. They had been in the same party together, had made a name for themselves as awakened members of the strategy group, had been offered a position at the national level, and had been in charge of the branch of the management bureau… It was the call of his younger brother, whom he had never called in public.

“You know. You went on a field trip with me, hyung. I know that the situation is so unreasonable and you feel resentful, but now is not the time.”

The deputy chief’s voice was trembling. He was not the only one who felt wronged and angry. He could pass the buck later.

Realizing that fact, Lee Dong-jin lowered his fist, which he had been clenching weakly.

“First, we need to take care of the situation, hyung… .”

“I know.”

Lee Dong-jin, who had collapsed to the floor, covered his face with both hands. He muttered in a slurred voice, squeezing his face with his hands as if he was going to squeeze it.

“But, it’s S-class. At least an S-class gate. The gate that [Du-eok-sin-i] came out of in Daejeon was S-class. But, this time, it’s at least an S-class? Haha, how do I stop this?”

Neither the deputy manager nor the management staff could say anything to him as he spat out words filled with despair. A few heavy seconds that felt like hours passed in the control room.

Lee Dong-jin opened his mouth again in a subdued tone.

“… The damage situation hasn’t been reported yet, right?”

“It is said that several members of the strategy group who entered the gate and other members of the strategy group who were waiting at the entrance to enter were swept away. We checked the SOS signal, but… the signal was cut off after that. The identity is still being determined.”

“… Send out a field team and get help from nearby Awakened attackers to quickly set up a defensive position at the entrance to Mt. Halla and its surroundings. Even if it’s just a barricade, the aftershock will be less severe.”

Lee Dong-jin, who had been forcibly dragging his weakened legs to get up, barely swallowed a sigh and consoled himself.

It was later that he started to panic. The situation was hopeless, but as the person in charge, he had to do everything he could to minimize the damage.

“Inform the capital headquarters immediately and request that they assemble as many attack groups as possible. If possible, tell them to shorten the time it takes for them to arrive at the scene by using someone with the [Warp] skill.”

“Yes!”

“I will send it quickly.”

“The appearance of the boss series has not been confirmed yet, right?”

“Yes. The gate’s external dimension value has been amplified, but its size has not changed much, so the number of monsters coming through is still small.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Hoo, Lee Dong-jin grabbed the table to replace the fallen chair and slumped his shoulders. He lowered his head and his eyes turned to the CCTV that was capturing the scene.

“Received from the Capital Headquarters. They said they will provide support as quickly as possible, so please keep an eye on the scene.”

“… … .”

“Branch Manager?”

“… CCTV filming Baekrokdam at the entrance of Hallasan. Show it on the screen now.”

At Lee Dong-jin’s words, one of the staff members brought up the CCTV screen on the control room screen.

“What is that?”

“… … .”

“… Huh?”

From the peak of Hallasan Mountain, visible on a wide screen, a red streak of light flowed across the sky.

The gate suddenly opened wide, and two reptilian hands emerged. One hand was pointed toward the sky, the other toward the ground. They grabbed the two ends of the gate and began to force it apart.

Crack, crack, crack. The inaudible cracking sound beyond the CCTV reverberated through the control room like an auditory hallucination. Monsters began pouring in through the gate that had been forcibly opened.

But the problem wasn’t the waves of red monsters that had multiplied in large numbers.

“What is that?”

That hand. Those eyes, forcing countless faces through the gap beyond that hand. Those teeth.

A dragon of such enormous size that it covered one third of the sky, extended its numerous branches beyond the gate.

Beyond the CCTV, a huge dragon was visible through the window of the management office control room, a building directly across from Jeju City Hall, and it was seen breathing with its seven snouts open.

Someone in the control room screamed.

“Everyone, get down-!!”

Seven laser-like blasts from the monster’s gaping jaws passed over the land of Jeju Island, ripping it apart.

Later, it was the first appearance of the red dragon that remained a nightmare on Jeju Island.

The second SS-class boss monster to appear in the world.

Commonly known as [Apocalypse].