As soon as we entered the Gate, a cold wind that froze the skin blew.
We roughly expected it from the color before entering the Gate (there was even a specialized department researching Gate colors), but the background of this dimension was a snow field.
“Welcome to Serena’s Ice Palace.”
The Gate kindly informed us of the name of this place. Serena’s Ice Palace, huh.
An Ice Palace isn’t a bad match for Yoo Seon-je.
Whether ice or whatever, it would turn into water when melted, and water was a medium that conducted lightning well.
Who or what Serena is, we’ll find out from now on.
Yoo Seon-je raised his head and took in the world spread out before his eyes. A snow-covered mountain range spread out before him.
It was a peaceful world all buried in snow, except for the black rocks jutting out here and there as if someone had forgotten to paint them.
The conquest team had entered in the middle of the snow mountain. Seeing the ice palace glittering in the distance, it seemed we wouldn’t have to wander around not knowing the destination.
Someone appeared beside him before he knew it.
“Ugh, I hate the cold.”
It was Kim Dae-gwon, the 7-Circle hunter Jin Yeon-hwa had assigned this time. A martial artist type hunter who condensed and released mana from his body, he was a giant even taller than the 183cm Yoo Seon-je by a head. Jin Yeon-hwa had included him in this conquest team because, as a martial artist type, he wasn’t affected by attribute compatibility.
He was also given the role of assisting and protecting the glass cannon Yoo Seon-je.
“Ah, when are the others coming?”
The space beside him rippled and a slender figure appeared.
Kim Dae-gwon has lived his whole life as a martial artist. He wasn’t suitable for leading others.
Naturally, the command here was taken by this woman.
“Team Leader Lee Hye-won.”
The 6-Circle hunter Lee Hye-won, whom Jin Yeon-hwa cherished the most. Because she had an excellent eye for battlefield situations.
* * *
I walked following the porters in front. With the same gait as the others, trying not to stand out.
‘Whew.’
I infiltrated this attack force disguised as a porter.
Although it wasn’t easy to break through security and insert my identity as a porter who also belongs to the conquest team, it was much easier than hiding in the support team or attack force.
Originally, I thought about infiltrating the Gate later after the conquest team had all departed, but the defense seemed no joke.
Fortunately, the porter captain we found through Han Seo-hyeon’s information skills ‘gladly’ accepted me into the team.
—To call it that when you kidnapped him and poured mana into him until the lies took effect.
‘It’s all for the greater good.’
Thanks to that, we were able to enter safely as porters. Ah, Kim Jae-ho decided to sit out this operation. It was natural since we only had two masks that could change faces immediately.
Actually, if we had the materials, making one more wouldn’t be a big deal, but I made various excuses telling him to watch outside because I didn’t think Kim Jae-ho with his poor social skills could properly carry out an infiltration mission.
There’s a possibility that personnel trying to interfere with the conquest might enter after the conquest team departed.
With Kim Jae-ho’s keen senses, he should be able to filter out those who enter later.
I told him to enter immediately if such a case arose.
Anyway, Han Seo-hyeon and I were able to register safely as porters for the Sirius conquest team.
Even though we persuaded the porter captain, the whole process was too easy. They didn’t even do additional identity checks.
I had loaded up on lies thoroughly for that moment.
—It seems like someone expanded the hole, but…
‘To make the whole process sloppy, it would have to be at least team leader level, right? Surely a team leader wouldn’t have betrayed them.’
—Stay alert for now. Somehow I have a bad feeling.
Ray said he was suspicious from the top down, but what I found most suspicious was still the porters. They had the weakest defenses too.
I scanned the faces of the porters.
They all looked like ordinary faces, but I couldn’t let my guard down. There might be people among them who entered to ruin the conquest.
But I couldn’t see anyone particularly suspicious.
Well, it probably wouldn’t be easy to spot suspicious people even if there were any.
Because it’s a snow mountain terrain, everyone was wrapped in thick winter gear. With body-sized bags on top of that, they all looked the same.
Honestly, without Ray, it would be hard to even recognize Han Seo-hyeon.
—You can skip the thanks.
‘Yes.’
Right now, the porter team was sitting quietly on a cliff of the snow mountain waiting for a signal.
They say to stand by until the support team finishes exploring this place. Although we were stopped, not a word was easily exchanged, perhaps to conserve energy. It was fortunate. Han Seo-hyeon’s youthful voice didn’t match at all with the current gruff mask, so we had decided not to speak as much as possible.
—Use transmission if you need to communicate with the kid.
Ray gave me an answer, perhaps finding me impatient just standing still.
The 2-stroke transmission was a talent that literally transmitted words. Although it could only be used in short distances and had the disadvantage of only being able to send my words to the other person but not receiving their reply, it was certainly good to be able to deliver messages avoiding others’ ears.
‘I’m planning to use talents as little as possible here.’
—Why?
‘Even if the hunters don’t, among the supporters there are those with talents that can sense even the slightest movement of mana.’
Exploration, detection, and such. Using talents isn’t a good choice because supporters with such talents are really sensitive to mana flow.
But I was also getting antsy just standing still. I casually spoke to Ray.
‘You said before. That Gates were created because of attacks from other dimensions.’
—That’s right.
‘Why do they bother making Gates?’
To be honest, Gates before the ‘destruction’ clearly caused many casualties, but ultimately played a role in nurturing humanity. Humanity was enjoying a second Renaissance with the resources coming out of there.
Ray answered my question.
—To match the mana concentration in the atmosphere. It’s a kind of terraforming. There’s not much you can do in a land without mana. Thanks to the greed of humans in this world, the mana erosion in this world is much faster than other dimensions.
‘Greed, you say?’
—To think they even plan to maintain Gates and extract what’s inside.
‘Ah.’
Only then did I understand a little. It’s easier if you think of mana as a pollutant. The ‘destruction sequence’ starts only when the pollutant reaches a certain level. Our world is not only failing to remove pollution, but directly drawing that pollutant from the source.
‘Can’t we cross over from our side in advance?’
If Gates are dimensional doors, shouldn’t it be possible for us to cross over as well as them coming over?
—No, dimensions connected by such Gates are just copies of worlds that have been devoured and destroyed by rulers. That’s why they’re degraded and weakened. Even Yebrica you caught originally wasn’t something that could be taken down like that.
‘Is that so?’
—Yes. Having lost their world and been driven out of even that degraded version. That’s how they became so weak.
Monsters that come out when Gate breaks occur are in a weakened state? This is the first time I’m hearing this. I only thought Gate breaks were unconditionally bad. For Gates that are too high rank, it might not be bad to just leave them to burst.
As if reading my thoughts, Ray said:
—It’s definitely a negative influence on a world scale. When Gates break, the mana that made up the world inside the Gate spreads too.
‘Ah, so the pollution gets worse than eliminating the monsters.’
—That’s right. And when pollution accumulates, destruction will begin.
About a year has passed since I returned. Once we get through this winter, a year will have passed and only 9 years will be left.
According to Ray, our dimension’s pollution speed is fast because of humans who use even ‘Gate maintenance devices’ to extract resources.
—The more mana-rich a world is, the faster the invasion, and the less you can prepare for that invasion. Your world is lucky. It’s a world with no mana to speak of. Even with such actions, it took 10 years.
Hmm. Should we completely block mana stone mining?
But the only way for awakeners below 2nd class who couldn’t become hunters to make money is mining mana stones that come out of Gates. Even to become a porter, you had to be at least 3rd class.
To be blunt, I wouldn’t mind if all mana stone mining was blocked. It’s been a long time since I relied on mining to make a living. But blocking that mining now for a greater cause…
It’s too selfish.
‘Let’s leave the mining as it is. There are many people whose livelihoods depend on it.’
—Ha, you’re worrying about that? I’m telling you the world is going to be destroyed.
‘If I block Gate mining, those people’s world will be destroyed that very day.’
Anyway, there are still several years left until destruction. We can find a way somehow in the meantime.
The porter captain was already patting people’s backs and speaking, as if the supporter team’s detection had finished.
“Detection is over. We’ll move slowly following the vanguard.”
In this place where we don’t know what monsters there are, noise generation is forbidden. That’s why he seems to be delivering the message by tapping shoulders one by one like that.
There’s no need to come to me at the very end of the line, but the porter captain approached me and asked:
“Brother-in-law, are you not having any trouble?”
By the way, the lie I told this porter captain was to think of me as someone who could be included in this job.
The problem is that person was this person’s brother-in-law.
“Please put in a good word to my wife.”
He seems to be quite henpecked.
“Yes.”
“Great! Brother-in-law, if this job goes well, I’ll get you into our team. Let’s do our best!”
The innocent eyes above the mask curved looking at me.
This is a bit burdensome.
Fortunately, the porter captain soon disappeared. As I was sighing looking at him taking the lead, a middle-aged man approached me.
It was Han Seo-hyeon. I couldn’t find him earlier, wondering where he went, but now I could see clearly.
I gestured with my eyes to be quiet. Han Seo-hyeon closed his mouth and followed behind me.
Black shadows could be seen scattering behind Han Seo-hyeon, who was at the very back.
It was the rat minions he had brought all the way here.
Those undead minions revived from death should be able to move without problems even in this harsh environment.
We plan to be at the very rear and then pretend to have an ‘accident’ and fall at an appropriate time.
It would be good if we could find suspicious people before that, but it would be the same for them not to move until the decisive moment.
I looked at the conquest team with sunken eyes.
Many people carefully descending the steep path of the snow mountain.
Among them was hidden someone who would annihilate this conquest team.