Gi Min Ji meticulously scanned the hall, her gaze tracing every crack and shard of crystal. Her eyes swept over the fallen hunters once more before she abruptly froze. Slowly, the fragments of her thoughts began to connect, assembling into a coherent chain of reasoning.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "Five dead. The other ten... where are they?"
She looked again at the spot where the dissolved body had been found. Clothes, weapons, and armor lay strewn about, but there was no indication anywhere in the hall of what had become of the remaining members. Even the signs of combat were insufficient to explain the absence of so many.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "If they had died here, there would be something left."
A faint draft interrupted her thoughts. She stilled, feeling the cold breeze lightly brush against her face. In a dungeon like this, there shouldn't have been any wind at all.
B-Rank Hunter: "Officer Gi, what are you thinking?"
She ignored his question, stepping purposefully toward the throne. The breeze was undeniably coming from behind it. She moved around the massive stone structure, each step deliberate, her eyes scanning with an intense, scrutinizing gaze. Then she saw it—a large door concealed behind the throne's bulk.
Gi Min Ji: "A door."
She squinted, examining it carefully before turning sharply towards her subordinates.
Gi Min Ji: "All of you, over here."
The hunters assembled near the throne, converging at Gi Min Ji's command. She pointed towards the door.
Gi Min Ji: "We're moving in. Form up and prepare for anything. This place has already proven to be far beyond our expectations."
The team nodded, quickly arranging themselves and readying for whatever lay ahead.
Beyond the door, an expansive chamber opened up, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a cathedral. Crystals covered the ceilings and walls, emitting a soft blue luminescence. The pulpit at the center of the room, along with rows of benches, evoked an unsettlingly human aspect. This juxtaposition—the human elements amidst the alien crystals — made the place even more foreboding.
Kang Jae Ho (A-Rank Hunter): "What is this place? A church?"
Gi Min Ji (curtly): "No. Look at the symbol behind the pulpit. It has nothing to do with our beliefs."
Gi Min Ji's eyes were locked onto the pulpit, her gaze hardening as she scrutinized it.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "Something is very wrong here."
Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Turning, she saw eight infected hunters standing before the pulpit, arranged like sentinels, guarding whatever lay behind it.
Gi Min Ji: "They're protecting something."
Without giving her team a chance to speculate, she issued her command, her voice icy and authoritative.
Gi Min Ji: "Eliminate them."
The hunters acted at once. The infected surged forward, but the team was well-prepared. Clashes of steel and bursts of magical energy reverberated through the chamber. Gi Min Ji, however, held back, her attention fixed on the surroundings. Her eyes continued to probe every corner, examining every subtle detail.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "This place... It resembles a church, but these symbols... They seem ancient, perhaps pre-Christian or pagan. Why is it here?"
Amid the background noise of combat, Gi Min Ji remained absorbed in her investigation. Thin lines were etched across the floor, as though a spellcaster had used magic to shape this chamber. Symbols carved into the walls glowed with an almost imperceptible blue shimmer.
Gi Min Ji: "This place... it wasn't built for worship. This isn't a temple. It's... a trap."
A few moments later, Kang Jae Ho approached, his face set in grim determination.
Kang Jae Ho: "Officer, the infected have been neutralized. But behind the pulpit... there's something unusual."
Gi Min Ji nodded and moved towards the pulpit. Her pace was deliberate, each footstep echoing eerily in the expansive hall. As she neared the structure, her gaze settled on two bodies.
Before the pulpit lay two bodies. A young woman lay sprawled over another figure, her form shielding him from whatever had threatened them. Her back was torn open, chunks of flesh missing, her blood pooling beneath her and staining the cold stone floor. Even in death, her arms remained wrapped tightly around the one she protected, as if her final wish was to keep him safe at any cost.Gi Min Ji (coldly): "This... doesn't seem like one of the infected."
She nudged the woman's body with her boot, and her arms went slack, revealing the face of the young man she had been shielding. His face was ashen, but there were no visible wounds. The front of his shirt was torn, as if pierced by a weapon, yet his skin was unbroken.
Gi Min Ji knelt, pressing her fingers to his neck, pausing as she felt a faint pulse.
Gi Min Ji: "He's alive."
Her gaze shifted back to the young woman. She studied the mangled state of her body, her voice becoming even colder.
Gi Min Ji: "She protected him to the very end. Even as she was being torn apart, she refused to let go."
Gi Min Ji searched the pockets of the young woman. After a few seconds, she pulled out a Registration Card.
Gi Min Ji (reading): "Choi Mi Ra. Born in 1998. C-Rank Hunter."
She pocketed the card and similarly retrieved the young man's identification.
Gi Min Ji (reading): "Park Hyun Woo. Born in 2001. E-Rank Hunter."
Standing, she pressed two fingers to her earpiece, activating the communication line.
Gi Min Ji: "Officer Gi Min Ji, Delta Squad. Reporting from Post 37, Gate E-Rank. Anomalous Gate confirmed. Team of fifteen hunters found deceased. One survivor located. The rest were infected; eradication successful. Requesting Cleanup Squad and medical support. Over."
She lowered her hand as Kang Jae Ho approached. Their exchange was terse.
Kang Jae Ho: "Officer, what are your orders regarding him?"
Gi Min Ji: "Take him to HQ. If he's the only one left, we need to learn everything that happened here — through him."
She studied Park Hyun Woo's face, her gaze narrowing, as if trying to discern some hidden meaning behind his features.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "How did you make it through this?"
The hall was silent, save for the faint hum of the crystals embedded in the walls, their soft glow casting an eerie calm over the scene. Gi Min Ji surveyed the bodies scattered around the pulpit again, her expression hard, focused. Beneath her stoic demeanor, however, one question gnawed at her — how could an E-Rank hunter survive when all the others had perished?
She turned to her squad and gave a curt nod.
Gi Min Ji: "Take him. Make sure the medics stabilize him, and then we'll get the answers we need."
Kang Jae Ho: "And the rest?"
Gi Min Ji's gaze swept over the infected and the bodies of the fallen hunters. Her eyes lingered on the pulpit, as if something about it refused to let her rest.
Gi Min Ji: "Leave it to the Cleanup Squad. Their job is to finish the sweep and collect anything that might be valuable for analysis."
She moved closer to Park Hyun Woo, her eyes lingering on his seemingly peaceful expression. He looked as though he were merely sleeping, but her instincts told her otherwise — this wasn't mere unconsciousness. It was something deeper.
Gi Min Ji (whispering): "You have a lot to tell us, kid. If you pull through."
Her words were a statement of fact, devoid of hope or sentiment. She straightened, gesturing for two B-Rank hunters to carry the young man.
Kang Jae Ho: "If this site truly is an anomaly, we should prepare for the worst. What if the infected are just the beginning?"
Gi Min Ji: "We've already faced worse than this. But we need more data."
The squad made their way back through the hall, their eyes scanning every inch of the surroundings as they moved. There was no room for oversight — no clue, no matter how small, could be ignored.
Several hours later, Park Hyun Woo was transported to the Association's medical facility, where he was immediately connected to a myriad of monitoring devices, tracking his vitals with precision. The medical personnel worked in silence, their expressions reflecting unease. One physician, a man in his early forties with streaks of gray in his hair, stared intently at the displays and muttered softly to himself.Doctor: "His condition is stable, but these readings are peculiar. His regenerative capacity exceeds normal limits."
Nurse: "Is it due to the treatment?"
Doctor: "No. It appears as though his body is autonomously repairing itself."
Behind a glass partition, Gi Min Ji stood observing, listening to every word of their exchange through the intercom.
Gi Min Ji: "It seems he's far from ordinary."
A fellow officer approached her — a man with a buzz cut and a steely demeanor.
Officer: "The report has been forwarded to headquarters. The Gate has been classified as anomalous. An investigation is already underway."
Gi Min Ji: "Good. But until we can determine what occurred with the rest of the group, we're navigating in the dark."
Her eyes remained fixed on Hyun Woo, the sense that his silence concealed something deeper gnawing at her.
In the room, Park Hyun Woo lay still, his surroundings filled with the rhythmic beeping of medical machinery. Suddenly, his fingers twitched. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open.
Everything around him remained shrouded in darkness, yet now it was interrupted by a glowing, ethereal interface.
System: "Welcome, user. System activated."
Hyun Woo blinked, trying to orient himself, confusion muddling his thoughts as his eyes followed the text appearing before him.
System: "Status: stabilized. Experience points awarded. Mission accomplished: survive at all costs. Reward: access granted to system."
He felt an unfamiliar energy coursing through his body — strange, almost rejuvenating, yet devoid of pain.
Hyun Woo (internally): "What is this? Who's speaking to me?"
The system offered no response, and the glowing interface continued to display cascading lines of information. Hyun Woo attempted to lift himself up, but his body refused to comply, still too feeble. Just then, the door to his room swung open, and Gi Min Ji entered.
Gi Min Ji: "Awake already. Good. Now you will tell me everything."
Her tone was frigid, yet it held a hint of genuine curiosity. Hyun Woo met her gaze, his eyes filled with exhaustion and traces of fear.
Hyun Woo: "Where am I?... What happened to me?"
Gi Min Ji: "You're in a secure facility — the Association's medical unit. Now answer me — how did you survive?"
Hyun Woo stayed silent, struggling to piece together his fragmented memories. Words evaded him, and the ethereal interface still floated within his field of vision. Gi Min Ji caught on to his hesitation.
Gi Min Ji: "Don't remember? Then I'll be direct. What happened beyond the doors behind the throne? Why are you the only survivor?"
A wave of dizziness overtook Hyun Woo, and he shut his eyes, wishing desperately that all of this was merely a nightmare.
Hyun Woo (whispering): "Mi Ra..."
Hearing the name, Gi Min Ji's expression hardened.
Gi Min Ji: "You survived. What about the others? The infected? What became of them?"
Hyun Woo offered no response. His consciousness began to slip away once more, leaving Gi Min Ji with only more unanswered questions.
She exited the room, where she was met by Kang Jae Ho, who waited in the hallway.
Kang Jae Ho: "Any progress?"
Gi Min Ji: "Nothing yet. But I suspect he knows far more than he's letting on."
Kang Jae Ho: "What's our next move?"
Gi Min Ji: "We wait. And we watch. This kid is the key to unraveling what transpired inside that Gate."
She cast a lingering glance at the door to Hyun Woo's room, her gaze intense and contemplative.
Gi Min Ji (murmuring to herself): "Park Hyun Woo... just who are you?"
The silence in the hallway was palpable, broken only by the soft, steady hum of the medical equipment beyond the glass. As Gi Min Ji turned to leave, her thoughts remained tethered to the mystery surrounding the lone survivor, and the darkness from which he had emerged.