The gates are vast.
The higher their rank, the wider they become. Some of the highest-ranked gates are said to be as large as entire continents.
This explained why superpowers like the United States had kept A-rank gates open for years, and why humanity wouldn't have to worry about resources as long as the gates existed.
[Raging Screw]
KWA-AAANG!!
Six White Wolves, caught in a spiraling tornado of energy, exploded in mid-air.
Their blood and gore rained down like a crimson shower.
The sight of the pure white snowfield defiled by the stinking carcasses of magical beasts was now quite familiar.
However, the blisters on my palms, caused by gripping the sword hilt tightly for so long, were still agonizing and showed no signs of becoming bearable.
"Good work."
"Hmph."
Choi Hyena lightly dismissed my words.
I sighed softly as she wandered off as soon as the battle was over.
I couldn't say anything, as Choi Hyena's attitude was entirely my fault.
I had been caught pleasuring myself by rubbing my dick against her vulva while she was asleep, and she hadn't even blasted me with magic—which was merciful enough.
On top of that, I'd ejaculated all over her ass.
Looking back, it was an act of sheer brainless lust.
"Haa…"
I couldn't help but sigh. But what good would regret do now? If I went back to that moment, I'd probably do the same thing.
Anyway, I needed to collect the magic stones from the corpses and wash my hands in the snow.
I had to do what I had to do; no matter how difficult, I couldn't commit the sacrilege of leaving C-rank magic beast stones behind.
'Of course, White Wolves aren't individually C-rank, so they won't be worth as much.'
Choi Hyena had said that White Wolves were classified as C-rank because they hunted in packs; an individual White Wolf was only about D+ rank in strength.
But the app treated White Wolves as C-rank and gave corresponding rewards. The ranking criteria for magic beasts seemed different for us.
"Lucky we didn't run into a White Yeti pack."
Each one of those things is truly C-rank. If we'd faced a White Yeti pack this time, it would've been difficult to take them out with a single spell like before.
"Still, I seem to be getting the hang of fighting C-rank magical beasts, so I might be able to handle three White Yetis somehow…"
Even as I tried to think positively, a sense of doubt crept in. Why the hell was I doing all this?
At first, I'd planned to learn swordsmanship step by step at the dojo. Learn the proper grip, build up strength and stamina, and learn basic swordsmanship.
But what was this? Why did I always have to start with real combat?
It reminded me of the underground dungeon.
Back then, I'd been thrown into a crazy place where I'd barely learned magic for a month and had to deal with D+ rank magical beasts on a regular basis, and even elite creatures showed up every now and then.
"Sigh."
Well, this must be my fate.
I've never seen anyone improve their situation by complaining about their fate.
In the end, I had to figure it out myself.
I decided to stop complaining and went to find Choi Hyena, who was probably grumbling under some tree.
It had already been two days since we'd been sucked into the isolated gate, and we had about four days and ten hours left until the gate opened again.
***
Choi Hyena had always thought that marriage, dating, and things like that were never going to happen for her.
Aside from official business, she hated the thought of talking to or holding hands with a man.
Male aversion? Yeah, you could say that.
The memory of her father abandoning her when she was young had left her with deep and heavy trauma.
Perhaps because of that, Choi Hyena had disliked men ever since she'd come of age.
Of course, as the sole heir of the prestigious Seongbuk Choi Family of magic users, and with her outstanding appearance and overwhelming talent, Choi Hyena had been surrounded by men since she was a child. It was a bit of a distance from the life she wanted.
Whenever they had the chance, the adults around her seemed to think only of introducing her to men, and the blind dates she was forced to go on were the worst. The men who showed up for these blind dates were all worthless and not worth talking to.
Typical good-for-nothings who only believed in the backing of their family and their parents' money; her blind dates never lasted longer than 30 seconds.
But Kang Hyunwoo was somehow different.
Maybe it was because their first meeting was so terrible.
In front of him, she found herself freely revealing her true self, which she normally hid to maintain relationships.
-What are you talking about, you crazy bitch?"
-Hey, listen up. You think being from the Seongbuk Choi Family and being a genius mage is all that? There's something more important than that, got it? Manners, manners. You act like you're not even human, and you think you're a mage? Research? Bullshit.
-You, you…!! How dare you talk to me like that, you beggar!!"
-You better brace yourself. You won't be able to set foot in this land as a mage anymore.
Looking back on it now, it was a terrible first meeting.
If they'd parted ways there, she would've used her family's power to torment him, never mind after.
But now, she didn't feel anything, as if it hadn't been her.
What had changed?
Even if he had saved her life twice, she had no intention of using that as an excuse to give him her body.
Thinking about it that way made her feel like she was getting lost in a maze.
'…Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I slept so soundly.'
When she was in Kang Hyunwoo's arms, she rarely had nightmares.
Nine times out of ten, that day's memories appeared in the form of a dream. The blood-soaked corridor and her father looking at her with a murderous glint in his eyes.
Even taking medication didn't help.
She suffered from chronic insomnia, which made it difficult to do magic research.
What was it about him that made her give him her body, which she would never have allowed under normal circumstances, and prevent the nightmares she would normally have?
Choi Hyena suddenly felt scared.
If things continued like this, she felt like she would give him everything, even her heart, to that frivolous man.
She was terrified of imagining such a terrible future.
But if she were asked if she really wanted to run away from him because she was so scared and afraid… Choi Hyena rarely couldn't give a definite answer.
She didn't know why.
'But…'
When did it get dark?
There was no large tree she had been leaning against, no gloomy gray sky, and no cold, boring snowfield.
All that surrounded her was pitch-black darkness.
The ominous darkness made it impossible to tell whether what she was looking at was right in front of her nose or far away.
At that moment, her hands and feet started to tremble slightly.
-…Hyena!!!
Crack-
The darkness that had surrounded her shattered like glass, and familiar light poured in from all directions.
"Hey!! Choi Hyena!!"
"…Huh?"
Even though her vision, which had been completely blocked, had returned to normal, Choi Hyena couldn't figure out what was going on.
No wonder.
"Damn it, wake up!!"
She was currently straddling Kang Hyunwoo, about to stab a sharp piece of stone into his neck.
***
Spirits are different from magical beasts; they are everywhere in the world.
In the fiercely burning fire, in the rough waves, in the wind over the fields, and in the dark caves.
Spirits are all extremely self-centered and selfish, so most people don't like them.
No, some people hate them.
In the old days, spirits and magical beasts were even equated, which shows how bad their misdeeds were.
Of course, does that mean that spirits are unconditionally evil? If you ask that, it's not true.
No, rather, spirits were close to pure humans.
Just as people are not clearly divided into good and evil, most spirits also have neutral tendencies.
Just as there are people who are born with a good nature, there are particularly good spirits, and just as there are people who are born evil, there are also spirits that harm humans for no reason.
"Huh, huh…?"
"Wake up!!"
Choi Hyena, who had attacked Kang Hyunwoo, was threatening him with a sharp piece of stone she had picked up from somewhere, her eyes bloodshot.
Kang Hyunwoo could only hold Choi Hyena's arm and resist with a strength that Choi Hyena would never have imagined.
"I, why…?"
"If you're awake, get off…!!"
Ugh, she seemed to have woken up, but her strength had increased.
It looked like her neck would be pierced by the sharp piece of stone at any moment.
"M, my body won't move!"
"What…!!"
Kang Hyunwoo squeezed out a voice that sounded like he was about to die, and he actually felt like he was going to die.
The force of the downward strike was so strong that even though he was blocking it with both arms, his bones felt like they were ringing.
In order to appease Choi Hyena, who was clearly angry, he looked around and spotted her standing blankly under a fairly large tree, so he ran straight to her.
He thought she was just very angry that she didn't answer when he called her, but as soon as he got closer, Choi Hyena attacked him with the sharp piece of stone she was holding in her other hand.
He hadn't been able to react properly to the unexpected attack, which had led to the current standoff, and five minutes had passed.
He was starting to lose strength. He had just fought a White Wolf pack, so he didn't have the strength to hold out any longer.
Choi Hyena was just as flustered, but as a mage, she quickly and rationally assessed the situation.
The constant stream of thoughts, the consciousness trapped in an unidentified space, and the body that wouldn't move as she wished.
These were the typical characteristics of mind control.
There weren't many magical beasts that could exert this kind of mind control on a mage with a mental barrier that was far more powerful than that of an ordinary person.
Moreover, in the gate in the snowy mountains, which was estimated to be C+ rank or higher, there was only one magical beast capable of doing such a thing.
"Wendigo!"
Wendigo, a spirit of snow and ice, is a vicious spirit known as an evil spirit.
Its rank is B-.
It has no physical strength, but it is known to be able to possess people's bodies and control their minds.
According to a person who had their mind stolen by a Wendigo and barely escaped with their life, they felt an intense urge to kill.
Fortunately, her mental barrier was strong, so she didn't feel the urge to kill, but even that was reaching its limit.
She was only a 3-circle mage, while the Wendigo was a B- rank magical beast.
Her consciousness was gradually fading, and if things continued like this, her mind would be controlled by the Wendigo just like her body.
If that happened, it would be the end for both Kang Hyunwoo and herself.
"What's a Wendigo…!!"
"A B-rank magical beast that controls minds!!"
"What's its weakness?!"
"Divine power!!"
There was no way a priest who could use divine power or holy water imbued with divine power would be in the middle of a gate with only two mages.
Then there was only one way.
"Sh, shop!!"
Ting-
[Shop]
[Low-Grade Antidote: Sold Out]
[Sweet Apple: 250 Coins]
[Imperial Army's Magic Sword: Sold Out]
[Book of Etiquette for Glamorous Women: 540 Coins]
[High-Grade Random Scroll: 600 Coins]
·
·
·
She had hoped, but as expected, the shop had not been reset.
"Damn it…! Please reset!!"
She felt like she was really going to die if things continued like this. It seemed like she had no choice but to roll for a new match.
It was the worst. In her current state, she didn't even have time to leisurely specify the opponent's information.
She could only hope that an ordinary person would be selected.
Ting-
[Shop Reset]
[Price: 1,000 Coins]
[Would you like to reset the shop?]
[Y/N]
[Warning! Once selected, you cannot undo this action]
Hope appeared.
But it was a very unsettling hope.
It was suspicious that the timing was so perfect, and 1,000 coins? They were really running a business even when people's lives were on the line.
"Reset!!"
But there was no other way now.
[Y]
[The shop will be reset]
Ten new items appeared, and there was no time to read the descriptions of each one.
She had no choice but to guess what kind of items they were from their names.
Her eyes quickly scanned down the scroll.
And she intuitively felt that this was the only item that could solve the current situation.
[Would you like to purchase the Ring of Desire Reversal?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[You have purchased the Ring of Desire Reversal]
[Remaining Coins: 2,000 Coins]
"Choi Hyena! Drop your mental barrier!!"
"What?! Are you crazy?! If I drop it, you'll die and I'll die!!"
"Trust me!!"
In Choi Hyena's blurry vision, Kang Hyunwoo's eyes looked more serious than ever before.
"Trust me."
"…Fine!!"
[Would you like to use the Ring of Desire Reversal?]
[Target: Choi Hyena (Wendigo)]
[Y/N]
[Y]
Crack, the Ring of Desire Reversal broke, and a wave carrying an unknown intangible energy swept around us.
I was fine, but Choi Hyena, who had been about to kill me, collapsed sideways as if she had fainted.
"Ha, haa, haa… I almost died."
This was a save like no other.
This was worthy of being included in a funeral mad movie.
The snowfield was terribly cold, but right now, I didn't have the strength to move a finger.
Fortunately, after running a magic power scan, the only magical beast around was the Wendigo possessing Choi Hyena's body.
"Now how do I deal with that…"
Just thinking about how to deal with a B- rank magical beast gave me a headache.
"Ugh, ugh…"
Choi Hyena, who had been lying on the snowfield, woke up and raised her body.
Fortunately, judging from her eyes, the possession seemed to be over.
The Ring of Desire Reversal; I didn't know what effect it had, but it seemed to be effective since I had spent 800 coins to buy it.
"Hey, if you're awake, can you come and help me up? I don't have any strength in my body… Choi Hyena…?"
Choi Hyena, who was struggling to get up, was already coming towards me.
Her staggering looked precarious, but more than that, something was wrong with Choi Hyena's condition.
"Haa, haa…"
The way she was breathing heavily looked somehow uneasy.
'Could it be… that the possession isn't over?'
But the Choi Hyena who had been possessed by the Wendigo and tried to kill me had a murderous aura.
On the other hand, I didn't feel any threat from the current Choi Hyena, let alone a murderous aura.
Then was it a side effect of the possession?
"Choi Hyena? Are you alri—"
Just as I was trying to force myself to get up, Choi Hyena attacked me.
To be exact, she straddled me.
"Choi Hyena…?"
"Hoo, hooah… haa… haat…"
Choi Hyena's condition up close was not normal.
Her face was bright red, and her breath was strangely rough.
Ting-
"Ooh… Kang Hyunwooo…"
A coquettish, sticky voice; it was a voice that Choi Hyena would never have imagined using.
Moreover, Choi Hyena's pupils were heart-shaped, as if they were from a 19+ doujinshi.
[Ring of Desire Reversal]
[Target: Choi Hyena (Wendigo)]
[Reversed Desire: Murderous Impulse > Sexual Desire]
"You look… delicious…?♡"