Chapter 21 – The Hidden Truth (Part Two)

“No way…”

Kang Il-hyeon muttered, looking down below.

This wasn’t like twenty years ago when Gates first appeared. A disaster of this magnitude was enough to throw the entire world into chaos.

The city was obliterated in an instant, and the estimated death toll on the screen was already nearing the thousands.

“It’s the Fungaloids. We’ve run into some nasty ones. They’ve probably settled in one spot and are multiplying endlessly. High chance they’ve set up shop under the subway. Timjang Jeong and I will head straight to the center and take care of the breeding ground first.”

Lee Soo-yeon said.

The Fungaloids, a species of humanoid monster, had appeared several times before.

They were a nuisance every time they showed up, and when the initial response was delayed like this, their rapid proliferation caused catastrophic damage.

This was why it was classified as a B1 Gate—the highest among B-ranks—despite its ace monster being of a relatively low grade.

Worse, they could rapidly infect humans through wounds, turning them into more Fungaloids and adding a layer of psychological horror.

“Wait… does this sort of thing happen often?”

Kang Il-hyeon asked, flustered by their surprisingly calm demeanor.

They were all just checking their gear, readying for the mission. Kang Il-hyeon was the only one with a look of pure horror.

“Even in South Korea, a country teeming with high-ranking Awakened, surprise Gates cause fatalities from time to time. Did you really think it was possible to prevent every single one of these incidents across the entire world? On a planet this vast?”

He’d always heard that other countries were more dangerous than his own when it came to Gates.

But never to this extent.

The news would only report on the rare major incident where hundreds were killed or injured. And each time, politicians and social media would offer brief condolences before moving on.

“I’ve never heard of damage on this scale…”

“Of course you haven’t. The media is being controlled worldwide. By governments, international organizations, everyone.”

Lee Soo-yeon said calmly.

Hearing these unbelievable words, Kang Il-hyeon felt his head spin.

The world he thought he knew was completely different from reality.

“Anyway, explanations can wait. We need to put out the most urgent fire first. Help rescue any civilians and thin out the numbers on the perimeter.”

The other team members had all finished checking their gear and were ready to go.

The transport carrying them landed on the roof of a five-story building in the city center.

Three Fungaloids on the rooftop charged them, only to be instantly sliced to pieces by Jeong Jin-seong’s sword.

Three of the Awakened disembarked onto the roof, while the two team leaders remained on the transport to deal with the more urgent matter of the breeding ground.

The Russian Awakened in the city were reportedly holding the perimeter to prevent the disaster from spreading any further.

The Gate had already disgorged all its monsters and closed.

The trio’s mission was twofold: thin the horde to relieve pressure on the perimeter and rescue any remaining survivors.

Kang Il-hyeon slowly drew his sword.

First, he had to deal with the monsters right in front of him.

The Fungaloids, having seen the transport land, were swarming toward them.

The sight of them scaling the building in a frenzy was straight out of a blockbuster zombie movie.

“I’ll handle this. You go on ahead.”

Seok Pil-joon said bluntly without looking back.

Ghost nodded and grabbed Kang Il-hyeon’s sleeve.

Whoosh! His body turned translucent as he was suddenly pulled into the building.

This being his third time, Kang Il-hyeon barely managed to keep his composure and look ahead.

They passed through the building, sank into the ground, and shot up through the earth, emerging onto the street.

Kang Il-hyeon muttered, gagging.

“Ugh… When will I ever get used to this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anyone get used to it.”

“Damn it.”

“Well then, I’m heading north. Call if you need me!”

Before he could finish, Ghost sank into the ground and disappeared.

Kang Il-hyeon looked around.

D-rank monsters swarmed the area, all turning to stare at his sudden appearance.

Monsters with lumpy, swollen heads and skin, their flesh tinged with green in places.

Among them, he knew, were citizens who had been laughing and living their lives just moments before.

“Hoo…”

At his previous power level, this situation would have been extremely dangerous.

But after absorbing the new Ether, Kang Il-hyeon had spent the last three days gauging his new strength and getting accustomed to it.

He had concluded that this level of threat was no longer a problem.

Kang Il-hyeon stomped his foot.

The ground rippled, and hundreds of mice appeared.

The vast swarm of rats knew exactly what to do without a single command.

They scurried off furiously, fanning out across the streets like a living tide to search for survivors.

‘For these guys, this should work well.’

Kang Il-hyeon eyed the flames raging in the adjacent building.

In that time, the monsters began to charge him.

Kang Il-hyeon clenched his fists and pulled them back.

The flames engulfing the building suddenly surged toward the street.

*Fwoosh!*

The white flames, empowered by his ability, roared to life, engulfing the surrounding monsters and cleansing the filthy street.

The Fungaloids that had filled the street were reduced to crumbling ash.

* * *

Kang Il-hyeon broke down a door and entered the building’s basement.

Inside, a family of four was hiding in silence.

Two parents and their young son and daughter.

“I’m here to rescue you!”

Kang Il-hyeon said, touching a hand to his ear to activate his communicator.

Its built-in translator relayed his words in another language.

The tear-stained family followed him as if he were their savior.

After leading them out of the basement, Kang Il-hyeon summoned a wolf.

The family was startled when the wolf emerged from the ground, but they obediently climbed onto its back at his instruction.

He intended for them to escape on its back, patting the wolf’s hindquarters to send it on its way.

The wolf darted through the streets at incredible speed, weaving past monsters as the family breathed a sigh of relief.

But before they were even out of his sight, disaster struck.

Green smoke suddenly billowed from a side alley.

“Wait!”

Kang Il-hyeon cried out, but before anyone could react, the smoke engulfed them.

The summoned wolf and the family riding it.

Engulfed in the smoke, they melted into puddles on the ground without so much as a scream.

“No!”

Kang Il-hyeon roared as he watched the innocent family brutally murdered before his eyes.

*Thud!* A massive Fungaloid appeared.

No, this was on a completely different level from the others.

The ace monster of this Gate: the Smoker.

It stood over four meters tall, a hulking gray mass with a demonic appearance. Green smoke billowed from it with every breath.

It was one of the strongest C-rank monsters ever recorded.

For Kang Il-hyeon, it was a dangerous opponent.

Its base specs were formidable, and the poisonous smoke constantly emanating from its body was a potent threat that even a standard coat’s purification function couldn’t completely block.

But Kang Il-hyeon had no intention of backing down.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Staring into the creature’s vacant, swollen eyes, a sickening rage welled up inside him.

As if sensing his killing intent, the Smoker unleashed a dense cloud of smoke directly at him.

The dark green smoke billowed forward, blanketing the area and melting everything it touched—the road, the utility poles, everything.

But Kang Il-hyeon and the ground directly beneath his feet remained untouched.

It was thanks to the powerful performance of his new Defensive Coat.

Taking a lighter from his pocket, Kang Il-hyeon sparked a flame, and from it, a fox materialized.

Like before, it was a fox made entirely of fire.

But unlike before, its body was a deeper shade of red, and it radiated a much stronger aura.

As a summon connected to his emotions, the fox immediately shared his hostility toward the Smoker.

With a nod from Kang Il-hyeon, the fox’s body shimmered and rose into the air, instantly swelling into a giant ball of fire.

The massive fireball shot toward the Smoker.

The Smoker tried to dodge, but the sentient flame pursued it, completely engulfing the monster.

The Smoker’s skin burned, releasing a foul stench.

“Keeeeeegh!”

Writhing in unexpected agony from mere flames, the beast thrashed about, smashing into nearby buildings.

Its three powerful, elongated arms laid waste to everything around it.

The flames of his ability alone couldn’t inflict a serious wound.

But it was enough.

While the beast was distracted, Kang Il-hyeon closed in and drove his sword into its chest.

*Clang!*

His sword failed to pierce its thick hide and bounced off.

The surprise attack failed, and the Smoker retaliated.

*CRASH!*

Struck squarely by the Smoker’s arm, Kang Il-hyeon was sent tumbling across the ground.

Without his Defensive Coat, the blow would have broken several bones.

The fox’s flames enveloping the Smoker were also swatted away by the beast’s hand.

“Kuh… Let’s go again.”

Kang Il-hyeon said.

The fox once again became a ball of fire and shot forward.

This time, the Smoker didn’t try to dodge, instead batting the flames away with its hands.

In that moment, Kang Il-hyeon circled behind the Smoker, climbed onto its neck, and placed his hand on it, attempting to alter its very body.

However, the powerful Ether core inside the Smoker’s body resisted, neutralizing his transformation ability.

He could temporarily warp the bodies of E-rank monsters on contact, but with this one, it was like touching a solid wall; he felt no give at all.

He could, however, weaken that wall.

The skin around its neck where his hand rested turned black, crumbling and weakening.

Seizing the opportunity, Kang Il-hyeon plunged his sword deep into the monster’s neck.

“Kieeeeeegh!”

*Thud!* The massive monster writhed violently before collapsing to the ground.

Kang Il-hyeon repeatedly stabbed his sword into the fallen creature’s head.

But he felt no sense of accomplishment or relief.

“Damn it… This feels awful.”