Chapter 46: The Identity that was discovered

Just before Choi Joo-won entered the gate.

“Hmmm… I could easily deal with weaklings like you, but there’s no need not to use a method that would give me the advantage.”

As Derthod spread his tentacles.

-FWUSH

-FWUUUUSH

-FWOOOK

“GAAAHHH—!”

“KYAAAAAH—!”

Countless disciples were drained of their life force by Derthod. Of course, these tentacles also flew toward Kim Si-yeon. Beside her were her usual companions: Baek Hyun-seo, Lee Ha-ru, Yoon Seul-gi, and Seo Ye-rin.

-SHWAAAAK—!

Tentacles flew at high speed.

[Magic Shield]

-PIERCE—!

Kim Si-yeon tried to use her shield, but it was easily shattered, and the tentacles came rushing toward them at terrifying speed.

-FWUSH!

And at the moment they were about to stab Kim Si-yeon, who was at the forefront.

-WHAZAAK—!

-BAAAAAANG—!

The surroundings were engulfed in light, and the tentacles were repelled. At the same time, a powerful defensive barrier surrounded them.

-TING—

-TING—

-El—!

The tentacles attempted to break through the barrier repeatedly, but the formidable shield could not be destroyed. As time passed, the tentacles vanished to absorb other people.

“Haah… Haah… Haah… What the hell is this?….”

Kim Si-yeon looked at her abdomen. She had thought she had been stabbed by the tentacles earlier, but upon checking again, it only slightly pierced her clothes. It hadn’t penetrated her skin.

-WHAASSSH—!

A white light flickered in her arm, and the bracelet she was wearing vanished.

“W-What is this?…..”

That bracelet was an artifact Choi Joo-won had given her on her birthday.

• “Kim Si-yeon, it’s your birthday today? Here, take this.”
• “Wow, this bracelet is so pretty!”
• “It’s called a survival bracelet. It will disappear once used, but you’ll find a time to use it as you live.”
• “Huh? Something this pretty will disappear once used?! Then I don’t want to use it!”
• “It’s automatically activated in certain situations, so it won’t be easy to avoid using it.”
• “Oh no… It’s so pretty… I’ll be upset if it disappears…”

“Ugh….”

Was it because she was surprised she had almost died? Or was it the overwhelming feeling of guilt toward Choi Joo-won? Kim Si-yeon shed tears.

The artifact contained a powerful barrier that could block attacks from the monsters emerging from the black gate. Just by knowing it had such power, even an outsider could guess how valuable it was.

A person who had given her such an absurdly valuable birthday gift without expecting anything in return. Thanks to that person, she had saved her life.

“GAAAHHH….”

Kim Si-yeon sobbed. The people around her embraced her with puzzled expressions.

As time passed, Yoon Seul-gi quietly asked, “S-Si-yeon, what happened with that magic just now?… Thanks to it, we survived….”

Kim Si-yeon replied between sobs, “It was thanks to the artifact that Instructor Choi Joo-won had given me as a gift before. That saved us.”

The atmosphere became somber.

Baek Hyun-seo tightly grasped the necklace she was wearing. The necklace she wore was also an artifact gifted by Choi Joo-won. It was an artifact that used mana to cast healing magic.

Baek Hyun-seo spoke with a gloomy expression.

“Teacher, you’ve given us so many things. Not just knowledge, but also artifacts… If it weren’t for the artifact that John Choi gave us, we would all have just died.”

No one could refute Baek Hyun-seo’s words. How could they? They had witnessed the terrifying tentacles crashing down right in front of them. And they were still watching the many disciples outside dying in real-time.

If the survival bracelet that John Choi had given Kim Si-yeon hadn’t activated, it would have been their screams that echoed as they met their end.

“Sniff… Sniff…”

Kim Si-yeon continued to cry, clearly shaken.

One fortunate thing was that the place they were hiding was a cave. The powerful barrier was still holding. And they were hidden deep inside the cave.

As soon as the monsters started rampaging, Kim Si-yeon and her friends had entered the cave they had first seen when they entered the gate.

They hadn’t thought they could escape through the gate inside the cave; it was obvious that it would be blocked by magic. They were simply looking for a place to hide.

Without the artifact, they would have had to meet a gruesome death in that blocked area. But because of the existence of the artifact, this place had transformed into a stronghold they could defend.

Kim Si-yeon murmured, “If I can survive here… I’ll sincerely apologize to the teacher…”

Lee Ha-ru quietly spoke from the side, “Do you think… we can get out of here?”

At her question, everyone fell silent. Behind them was the gate, currently blocked by magic.

Yoon Seul-ki spoke softly, “No one can get out… The Black Gate can’t be opened by anyone, you know?”

At that moment of despair…

• Bang!

A brilliant light began to emanate from the gate, and a large object burst forth.

• Thud!!

What emerged was a man.

• Clatter

The mask the man wore fell to the ground.

• Thump

He hurriedly picked up the mask, but Kim Si-yeon clearly saw it—the familiar face of the man behind the mask.

It was the face of John Choi hidden under the mask of the masked instructor.

“Uh?…”

“Is… is that you, Teacher?”

Beside her, Baek Hyun-seo also recognized the silhouette of John Choi beneath the mask.

“Is that… is that really John Choi?”

John Choi looked around and finally adjusted his mask, confirming their presence.

“Damn it.”

He spat out in an annoyed tone and then asked the girls, “Where are my disciples who came in with you?”

Kim Si-yeon said, choking back tears, “John… John Choi… I… I’m really sorry for misunderstanding. I really missed you… I’m so sorry…”

Baek Hyun-seo grabbed his pants, tears welling in her eyes, and said, “Teacher… there’s something I really want to tell you. Just let me…”

But John Choi shook off their hands and spoke urgently, “Shut up! Where are my disciples, damn it?!”

At his shout, the girls froze in shock, trembling. Then Kim Si-yeon reached her hand toward the outside and said, “Th-There… outside…”

As soon as he heard her short reply, John Choi dashed out.

[Release]

• Boom!

John Choi used the release’s recoil to burst out instantly.

• Whoosh!

He quickly scanned the surroundings while suspended in the air.

“Fuck…”

What John Choi saw were the corpses of those who had died. Or those who had collapsed.

“It’s too late… I… I’m late…”

John Choi felt despair. No one could have anticipated that the Black Gate would occur. This place was merely a C-rank gate. His disciples would normally never engage in anything dangerous. They were strong.

But the Black Gate, born from a combination of the worst misfortunes, led everyone to their deaths.

“There might still be people alive… Park Hye-yeon… Where is she?”

Without realizing it, John Choi kept searching for Park Hye-yeon. Was it because her situation was similar to his? For some reason, he desperately hoped she was alive.

• Bang!

To find her, he activated the release once more, soaring higher into the air.

At that moment, he felt a massive flow of mana from the forest.

“I found it.”

[Teleport]

John Choi quickly used magic to rush toward it.

“What the hell is that?”

As he got closer, he spotted a monster. A vampire, with countless tentacles sprouting from its back, a hybrid creature.

As the figure drew nearer, John Choi recognized the being.

“It was Dertod… Damn it…”

Fortunately, Park Hye-yeon was still alive.

He began to hear the conversation from a distance.

“Do you know what I hate the most? Weaklings. Even more detestable are those who struggle to live despite being weak. They think they are noble…”

“D-Don’t talk…”

“Filthy monster… I’ve seen many people who share your mindset… All of them were worthless trash. Born with power but…”

“How dare you, a mere human, speak such nonsense? You little insect. I’ll pluck out your eyes and tear you limb from limb. You’ll beg for mercy in pain. No, I’ll make you plead for death, and I will kill you in the most gruesome way.”

In that moment, a knife made of Dertod’s blood swung toward Park Hye-yeon’s eyes.

“No! I can’t be late!”

John Choi desperately drew in the surrounding mana.

[Absorb]

Then he quickly released it, hurling it at Dertod.

• Boom!

The mass of mana struck Dertod, and he used a severing spell.

[Book]

Dertod’s arm was severed.

“Graaahhh!”

Dertod writhed in pain from losing his tentacle.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

John Choi, covered in sweat, glared at Dertod, panting heavily.

“Don’t even think about dying easily. I’ll tear you apart.”

Dertod gathered magic around his remaining arm.

Slither

In an instant, the creature’s arm regenerated. With a cold expression, he spoke to John Choi.

“You filthy human. You’re so arrogant, thinking you can boast just because you succeeded in one surprise attack. You’ll suffer in agony before I kill you.”

I replied to him, filled with killing intent.

“Go ahead, if you can, you bug.”