The aftermath was as bad as Jun Xin had feared. The Gate was sealed off immediately, but the damage had been done. The entire raid team was presumed dead, and whispers began spreading through the building. How could a low-rank Gate turn into a death trap? Who was responsible?
Jun Xin sat alone at his desk, his mind racing. His report had been ignored, and now people were dead. He clenched his fists.
"Seo Jun Xin!" Mr. Park's voice boomed from across the room.
Jun Xin looked up, his expression blank.
"In my office. Now."
Park's office was dim, the blinds shut tightly to block out the morning sun. He stood behind his desk, glaring at Jun Xin with barely contained fury.
"Do you have any idea what kind of mess this is?" Park growled.
Jun Xin met his gaze evenly. "I tried to warn you. I told you the mana levels were unstable."
"Watch your tone," Park snapped. "The higher-ups are looking for someone to blame, and you're the obvious choice. You should'
"Should what? Take the fall for something I tried to prevent?" Jun Xin interrupted, his voice sharper than he intended.
Park's face reddened. "You're walking on thin ice, Seo Jun Xin."
"And you're ignoring facts," Jun Xin shot back, unable to hold his frustration any longer. "The mana levels were right there in the data. I flagged them, and you ignored me. Now an entire team is dead because no one listened."
Park's eyes narrowed, and he slammed his palm against the desk. "You don't get to talk to me like that! You think you're smarter than everyone here?"
"No, but I care more than anyone else seems to," Jun Xin replied coldly. "If that's a crime, then fine. I'll take the blame."
Park fell silent for a moment, breathing heavily as he glared at Jun Xin. Finally, he sat down, his voice quieter but just as dangerous. "I'll tell you this once. Keep your mouth shut about this incident. Don't say another word to anyone—understood? The company doesn't need more bad publicity."
Jun Xin stared at him in disbelief. "People died. They deserve answers."
"They'll get answers when we're ready to give them. That's how it works." Park's tone turned hostile. "Do you want to keep your job, Seo Jun Xin? Because if you don't, I'll have no problem kicking you out."
The threat lingered in the air like a bad smell. Jun Xin clenched his fists at his sides, the anger boiling inside him, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. He couldn't afford to lose his job, not now. Not yet.
"…Understood," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Park smirked, satisfied. "Good. Now get out of my office."
Jun Xin left Park's office, his head spinning. The other analysts avoided his gaze as he passed through the room, whispers filling the silence like faint echoes. He knew what they were saying. He must have messed up. The deaths are his fault.
He bit the inside of his cheek as he sat back at his desk, staring blankly at the screen in front of him. The weight of everything—the deaths, the blame, Park's threats—crushed him like an invisible hand on his chest.
Min Su appeared at his desk moments later, her face filled with concern. "Jun Xin, what happened? I heard Park called you in."
Jun Xin didn't answer right away. Finally, he muttered, "He told me to keep quiet."
"What?!" Min Su's voice was sharp. "But you warned them about the Gate! This isn't your fault."
"Doesn't matter," Jun Xin said bitterly. "Someone has to take the fall. And apparently, it's me."
Min Su slammed her hands on the edge of his desk, drawing a few startled looks from nearby analysts. "That's not fair, Jun Xin! You need to fight back—tell someone higher up what happened."
He shook his head, his voice low. "And what good will that do? They won't believe me. All they'll see is the analyst who caused a failed raid."
Min Su looked like she wanted to argue, but she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "This is messed up."
Jun Xin didn't reply. He couldn't. His mind was already elsewhere—on the Gate, the abnormal mana readings, and the creature that had torn through the Rankers like they were nothing. Something bigger was at play here. Something no one else seemed to want to acknowledge.
But I know what I saw, he thought. That wasn't a normal Gate.
That night, Jun Xin sat alone in his tiny apartment. The single bulb above his desk flickered, casting shadows on the walls. His computer buzzed softly, the screen filled with mana data from Gate #2013. He hadn't been able to stop himself from digging into it further.
The patterns didn't make sense. The sudden spikes in mana, the readings that fluctuated randomly before the Gate opened… it wasn't random. It felt deliberate—like something had been hiding behind those weak energy signatures.
"What are you?" Jun Xin whispered to himself, scrolling through line after line of data.
A soft knock on his door startled him. He turned sharply, his heart racing. It was late—too late for visitors. Slowly, he stood and moved to the door, glancing through the peephole.
It was Min Su.
Jun Xin sighed in relief and opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
Min Su stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, holding up a takeout bag. "You didn't answer your phone. I figured you were working yourself to death again, so I brought food."
Jun Xin's lips quirked into a small smile. "Thanks."
As they sat down at the cluttered table, Min Su looked at his computer screen and frowned. "You're still looking at Gate #2013?"
"Something's not right," Jun Xin said, taking a bite of food. "The mana data doesn't add up. It's almost like… something was hiding its true strength until it was too late."
Min Su's expression turned serious. "Jun Xin, what are you saying?"
He hesitated before answering, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if that Gate wasn't supposed to be low-rank? What if someone tampered with it?"
Min Su blinked, clearly shocked. "Are you saying this was intentional?"
"I don't know," Jun Xin admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But think about it. How else could a supposedly low-rank Gate suddenly spike to that level? It's like… like it was masking itself."
Min Su stared at him, her face pale. "Jun Xin, this is dangerous. If someone really tampered with that Gate, you're poking a hornet's nest."
"I need to know the truth," Jun Xin said firmly. "People died, Min Su. And if this happens again, more people will die."
She was silent for a long moment before she finally said, "Then I'm helping you."
Jun Xin looked up in surprise. "You don't have to—"
"You think I'm going to let you do this alone?" Min Su cut him off, her voice steady. "We've been through enough together. I'm not leaving you to fight this on your own."
Jun Xin felt a trace of warmth in his chest. For the first time all day, he didn't feel completely alone.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Min Su smiled. "Just don't get us both killed, okay?"
Jun Xin let out a dry laugh. "I'll do my best."
That night, as Min Su dozed off on the couch, Jun Xin sat at his desk, staring at the data. He opened a separate folder on his computer and began cross-referencing it with past Gates that had exhibited unusual energy signatures.
There were only a handful of records, but each one told a chilling story: sudden spikes in mana, Gates that were classified as low-rank but turned deadly, and raid teams that never returned. The connections were unclear, but they were there.
Jun Xin's fingers hovered over his keyboard as a single, terrifying thought crossed his mind:
What if this isn't an accident? What if someone is manipulating Gates on purpose?
His heart raced as he leaned back in his chair, staring at the glowing screen. If he was right, this wasn't just about Gate #2013. This was bigger—much bigger.
And he had no idea how deep the truth really went.