Chapter 40 – The Calm Before the Storm (Part Four)

The day after Alpha Team arrived in Spain, Il-hyeon was enjoying a surprisingly peaceful day.

For a full day, he wasn’t assigned to any operations.

It wasn’t that Gates had suddenly stopped appearing across Europe.

The urgent Gates currently in Europe were being handled by E Team, who had been dispatched to London two weeks prior.

It wasn’t yet time for the dispatched teams to rotate; Alpha Team, which should have been on standby in Seoul, had simply arrived in Europe ahead of schedule.

Lee Soo-yeon had spoken to the Director and arranged a day of rest for them.

Thanks to her, the team members spent their time as they pleased.

Il-hyeon, too, enjoyed the rare trip abroad.

ROOOAR!!!

A tremendous roar erupted, filling the stadium.

Just in case, Il-hyeon had altered his face slightly and was now jumping up and down with the other spectators.

The cheers were so deafening they felt like a tidal wave, making his ears ring.

‘Spain means football.’

It was something he absolutely had to do in Spain, of all places.

Watching a football match live.

And not just any match; Il-hyeon was watching El Clásico, a showdown between two of the world’s strongest teams.

The score was tied 3-3, and the game was living up to its reputation as a true feast for the eyes.

Each and every player displayed such incredible skill that he wondered if they might be Awakened like him.

Most sporting events prohibited the participation of the Awakened.

Then, with little time left on the clock, what could only be described as the final attack unfolded rapidly.

They advanced, passing the ball with precision and fluidity.

“No way…? No way…!”

The surrounding spectators, Il-hyeon included, held their breath and watched.

And then, a fantastic comeback goal was scored.

WAAAAAGH!

People hugged each other, going wild with excitement.

Il-hyeon, too, celebrated by hugging complete strangers.

An excited man from the seat behind him also shouted and approached Il-hyeon.

Then, he grabbed Il-hyeon’s face with both hands.

Through his momentarily blocked vision.

He saw lips coming towards him.

Il-hyeon was horrified, but the stadium’s feverish energy had slowed his reaction by a step.

“Wait, wait!! Mmph—!”

* * *

“Ugh…”

A fantastic comeback victory, but Il-hyeon left the stadium with an utterly uncomfortable expression.

It had been a truly amazing experience, but the end had become amazing in a completely different sense.

Il-hyeon went into a restaurant and had an early dinner.

Fortunately, his English was decent enough that he had no trouble getting around on his own.

On the way back to their accommodations, he chose to walk the streets rather than take any transport.

Even in the 2030s, traditional and modern architecture still coexisted in harmony.

He watched the passersby, taking in the exotic scenery that was so different from Korea.

After walking for about 40 minutes without a break toward the outskirts of the city, their lodging, situated on high ground, came into view.

In truth, the word ‘lodging’ didn’t quite fit the image in Il-hyeon’s mind; it was closer to a mansion.

The accommodation, provided by the Spanish government, was surrounded by security personnel, ready for any contingency.

Il-hyeon changed his face back to normal before going through a security check to enter.

The first person he saw upon entering the house was Ghost.

He was slurping cup noodles, engrossed in a game on his laptop.

“You came all the way out here to eat that?”

“I only wandered around taking pictures the first few times. I have to go abroad all the time whether I want to or not, so why bother eating out?”

Ghost replied, his eyes still fixed on the laptop.

Having worked for Aegis, he’d been overseas more times than he could count, so there was nothing new about it.

“Don’t most people play VR games these days?”

“I get motion sickness. This is better.”

Ghost was playing a classic FPS game on his laptop that was over 20 years old.

Not only was it an outdated PC game, but being from the 2010s, the on-screen graphics looked like a bunch of writhing clay figures.

It was a taste Il-hyeon found hard to understand.

Lee Soo-yeon was upstairs, sitting in a chair and reading, while Seok Pil-joon was out meeting an acquaintance.

Il-hyeon grabbed a drink from the massive refrigerator and spoke.

“It’s our turn starting tomorrow. Can one team really cover an entire continent?”

“It’s not like we handle everything ourselves. Each country has its own Awakened, so normally, it wouldn’t be that busy. The problem is that the cycle is starting again.”

“The cycle…”

The fifth cycle humanity was facing.

The fourth cycle, a period of peace, was over. If predictions were correct, the next one would be a cycle of rampant monster appearances.

That cycle was set to begin tomorrow at 4 a.m.

At the same time, Alpha Team would officially take over the European sector.

It was the first dangerous cycle Il-hyeon would face as an Awakened, and he was quite tense.

When he had known nothing, he would have let it pass without a thought, but now that he knew the truth, he was terrified by how many people would die and get hurt.

Hearing Il-hyeon and Ghost’s voices, Lee Soo-yeon came down from upstairs.

“You’re back? Everyone should get some sleep while you can. We might have to head out first thing in the morning.”

“Yes.”

Il-hyeon replied, and Ghost stretched as he closed his laptop.

* * *

“Mmm…”

Il-hyeon rustled the blankets and sat up.

He checked the clock; it was past 3 a.m., approaching 4.

Thanks to the small receiver they each had to carry, which would alert them the moment an incident occurred, there was no need to be up and waiting. But Il-hyeon couldn’t sleep, so he got out of bed.

Leaving his room, he sensed a presence outside.

For a moment, he thought it might be an intruder, but he quickly realized the presence was not outside the building, but on its attached balcony.

Stepping outside, Il-hyeon came face to face with Lee Soo-yeon, who was sitting in a chair.

Along with the chilly night air.

“You’re awake?”

“Just getting some air.”

On the table sat a small clock and a bottle of wine, and a glass was in her hand.

A sword was propped against one of the walls.

“Care for a drink? It wouldn’t do to get drunk, but a little is fine.”

“I’d be grateful.”

Il-hyeon went inside, brought back a glass, and sat in the chair next to her.

Lee Soo-yeon then poured wine into his glass.

A vivid red liquid flowed down, filling the glass.

And the two of them sipped their wine.

Il-hyeon felt a gentle warmth spread through his body along with the sweet taste.

“Things are about to get tough. The cycle is back. We won’t have the luxury of downtime like before, and every Gate will be more dangerous.”

The world was quiet, as if nothing was wrong, but behind the scenes, preparations for the coming disaster were in full swing.

Facing this unpredictable new cycle, government-affiliated Awakened from every country had been placed on emergency duty.

Even the Aegis members who had been on vacation had all returned to form new teams.

All while the unknowing citizens slept soundly.

The clock on the table ticked on.

The time was running toward 4 a.m., toward the next cycle.

Less than a minute remained.

Il-hyeon swallowed hard.

And finally, the fifth cycle arrived.

The hour hand pointed to four.

Tick, tock.

The sound of the small clock could be heard.

His small receiver, and the world outside, remained silent.

Lee Soo-yeon sipped her wine.

Below, the lights of the city spread out in a panoramic view.

This place was still at peace.

Perhaps an emergency had been declared on the other side of the planet.

Or maybe this cycle had deviated from the pattern we expected.

But that thought was short-lived.

KABOOM!

The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.

A breathless emergency communication crackled from the receiver in his pocket.

-A surprise Gate has activated in the northern part of Madrid! Rank A5! Requesting immediate dispatch!

“It’s begun.”

Lee Soo-yeon picked up her sword.