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Using public transport to travel to Gangnam Station would take me over an hour. That time was shortened to 20 minutes, thanks to Heavenly Demon Air-Stride.

"I've reached about 30% of the way with Heavenly Demon Air-Stride."

[I want to fly a little more, but it's a pity!]

"So moody."

I couldn't use Heavenly Demon Air-Stride for long due to its significant consumption of inner power. Gangnam Station was far away, so I flew only about a third of the distance and had to cover the rest on foot.

Even though it was called Heavenly Demon Air-Stride, I couldn't stay in the air all the time.

I understood the Heavenly Demon's disappointment, but I needed to conserve my inner power before we reached the gate.

It was just after 4 in the morning. Before the Second Cataclysm, the station would have been bustling with people, but now that martial law had been declared, travel was strictly prohibited after midnight.

All the neon signs on the once dazzling streets were turned off, and debris from destroyed buildings could still be found elsewhere.

Soldiers and police patrolled the ruins.

"Hmm?"

I saw a familiar face among them, that of Yoo So-eun.

It seemed that she was their commander by the way she issued orders.

'She said she was a soldier, so she seems to have returned to active duty already.'

I checked with my Insight skill, and the soldiers and policemen with her were all hunters.

However, their attire was oddly familiar.

'It isn't time for the special forces to appear yet.'

In the past, a particular unit was created by the Hunter Management Bureau to arrest criminal hunters and manage gates. But it was too soon for them to show up.

[The situation seems to have changed after you saved her party from being wiped out at the Hyehwa-dong gate.]

'Maybe.'

It seemed that the situation had changed with Yoo So-eun's survival.

Before my regression, Yoo So-eun would have died at Hyehwa-dong, meaning it was thanks to my intervention that the future had changed.

[Until you get everything you want, it might be better to avoid getting involved in major events, if possible.]

"How different will it be from what I know…? But, well, the moment I returned, the decision had already been made. For now, I will continue as already planned."

[Hmm… Watch out for unexpected variables.]

"I will."

I couldn't wait any longer, so I headed straight into the Gangnam Station underground shopping mall.

- Under construction -

There was a construction notice board at the entrance to the women's bathroom. I cautiously slipped past it.

Since the Heavenly Demon’s Origin Art had already allowed me to sense the magic of the gate, it wasn’t difficult to find the entrance.

It sat in the very last stall. When I opened the ordinary-looking stall door, a black portal appeared inside.

The place might have been under construction, but I didn't know when someone might come in, so after locking the door, I stepped into the portal without delay.

An unpleasant, sticky energy surrounded me as soon as my vision changed, and I found myself in a dark cave.

It was utterly dark, but thanks to the Heavenly Demon’s Origin Art, my vision was largely unaffected by the lack of light.

[As expected… I think again that the inside of these gates is related to the Second World. I can definitely feel the energy from there.]

‘I'm also curious since you keep saying that.’

[Have you ever been to the end of the gates?]

'Curious hunters have tried, but the Gates are endless. They keep going, and at some point, they loop back to the entrance.'

[Hmm. It could be an illusion trap.]

'I'll check that out later. I can feel a presence outside the cave.'

[It doesn't seem to be a monster. Could it be someone from the Second World?]

'I've never heard of anyone meeting an outsider in a gate.'

I cautiously moved toward the cave entrance, from where the presence emanated.

Judging by the distant dawn, it seemed to be early morning outside the cave. Only the two moons still floating in the sky revealed this was inside a gate.

[It's certainly the Second World. I can tell by looking at the moons.]

'We'll talk about that later. Who are they?'

[You should find out.]

Two men were standing not far from the cave, apparently hunters, as they wore armor and held weapons.

It was strange. As far as I knew, the existence of this gate was unknown until the monsters appeared. But there were definitely hunters here already.

I didn't know how their presence would affect my plan, so I decided to watch and observe them for a while.

[User: Choi Yooseong Lv. 36]

[Title: Skeleton Slayer (10% Health Absorption)]

-Title Effect: Summons a Skeleton. When the summoned Skeleton attacks, 10% of the damage dealt is absorbed as health.

[Status: Angry/Alert]

[User: Na Sehun Lv. 35]

[Title: None]

[Status: Nervous/Anxious/Alert]

Looking at their status window, it seemed they were being chased by someone.

Although I watched from afar, I overheard their conversation with my keen senses.

"I'm sorry, Hyung. I should have been more careful."

"Sehun, don't blame yourself too much. You were just unlucky."

"Hyung, do you believe her words?"

"Let's not talk about that."

"Whew… anyway, I didn't know that Seol-ah had a connection to Yoo So-eun. I should have killed her then."

"She's at B-Rank. Besides, she's already reached level 40, even though she just awakened. We are no match."

"Damn… So what are you going to do now?"

"We were lucky to find the gate here. They're still out there, so let's use the monsters here."

"Hyung, are you really thinking of luring the monsters out of the gate? The damage will be no joke."

"We have to live first. If we get caught now, we'll die. We have to survive somehow to get our revenge."

I frowned as I continued to listen to their conversation.

***

[Ha! It's a Time Paradox.]

'Where did you pick up that term?'

[From your memory.]

I had seen a few movies and read a couple books that threw around that term, so I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

As the Heavenly Demon said, the situation seemed to twist around me.

I didn't know if Choi Yoo-seong and Na Sehun were related to the Curse of Exit 7 before, but judging from the current situation, it seemed their actions would directly cause it this time. 

I hadn't anticipated that this would be a major issue, since I had come to destroy the gate anyway. It was just a matter of what to do with them. Summarizing the ongoing conversation between the two, they were part of the Heaven's Way Guild. 

They had concealed the guild they belonged to, formed a party, hunted in the gate, and then killed their other party members when they defeated the Boss monster. Afterward, the spoils were theirs to take.

And apparently now, they had met Woo Seol-ah, and it seemed they were being chased after their identity was discovered.

What was funny was that Choi Yoo-seong was the older brother of Choi Yoo-hwan, whom I killed.

I didn't know if he knew who killed his brother, but he would likely try to discover my identity through Seol-ah.

In the past, none of this had had anything to do with me, but since I had stepped in to save Seol-ah, I’d become entangled in it.

[Some would say that’s the butterfly effect.]

'Stop digging into my head. You’ve made a mess of my thoughts, haven't you?'

[I'll organize everything by folder. Kukuku. How about naming that folder 'New Folder?’]

‘Is that supposed to be a joke?'

[Kukuku, your world's juvenile humor fits well with mine.]

'You really like obtuse humor.'

Regardless, these two hunters were attempting to cause chaos by luring the monsters out of the gate so they could escape.

[Both siblings are the same.]

'That's right. That one is Choi Yoo-hwan's older brother...'

[Don't make it too complicated. It happened anyway, and it will happen again. If it were me...]

'You would have solved it by force without even thinking about the consequences. That's why you were banished.'

[Meh! Why are you bringing that up?]

'I really want to do this just like you would, but I'm trying to be careful.'

[Careful about what? It's a messed-up world, anyway. Can't you do whatever you want? Now that you have become a Peak master, you have the same abilities as an S-Rank hunter, right?]

'It's still not enough. No matter if I’m S-Rank, if three A-Ranks teamed up against me, I wouldn't be able to beat them. I have to reach the level you were at to be able to do whatever I want.'

[Still, it seems you’re already intent on doing whatever you please.]

'I've been through hell. I'm going to become stronger than I am now, and I'm going to eat and live well.'

[Hmm… I don't like it. So, what are you going to do with them?]

'I'm going to apprehend them and take care of my business first. After that, I'll hand them over to the Management Bureau.'

[How are you going to catch them?]

'What did I learn martial arts for?'

[What?]

Without answering the Heavenly Demon, I hid my presence and snuck behind Choi Yoo-seong and Na Sehun.

Pik-

Pibik-

"Huh?"

"Huh? Who is it?!"

[You caught them by the Movement Point!]

As the Heavenly Demon said, I had caught them by the Movement Point, one of the pressure points at the back of the neck where the nerves are concentrated.

Choi Yoo-seong and Na Sehun, unable to move, continued to shriek and demanded I reveal myself.

If I had wanted them to know what I looked like, I wouldn’t have done this in the first place.

[I don't remember teaching you this?]

‘We shared memories when learning martial arts. I thought it would be useful, so I saved it in a separate 'Hidden Folder'.'

[…Stop playing with your words. Pinching those pressure points can lead to fainting or even death in severe cases. You were lucky this time.]

'I'll keep that in mind.'

[Don't be so quick to agree, I won’t have anything to say…]

'That's what I'm after.'

[You're always noisy.]

'Right.'

I hit their Mouth Points before beating them up and throwing them into the cave.

To properly immobilize them, I removed a few vines from the trees and bound their hands and feet.

[You're surprisingly meticulous.]

'The gate is vast, and time is short. I need to move fast.'

[Continue to move while training Heavenly Demon Air-Stride.]

Whoosh-

I widened my senses and took off toward a gathering of monsters.

[But, what if you leave them as they are, and they get attacked by monsters?]

"Then that's their fate. I don't have the time to worry over them at the moment. I must act before the monsters do."

[I still don't feel right about this. I thought you were going to wipe out the monsters before they left the gate...]

'You seem surprisingly worried.'

[…The monsters here look very strange.]

It seemed the Heavenly Demon checked my memories.

"Yes, they are stinky creatures, but they can fight with armor and weapons like humans."

The monsters of this gate were Orcs.

***

The title 'Two Hearts' could be obtained by defeating the Boss monster ‘Twin Headed Orc.'

But if I killed it, only intermediate mana stones and an 'Orc Breastplate' would drop. I needed him to activate his Berserk Mode first in order for me to get the title.

The method was surprisingly simple: I had to keep attacking him without killing him.

Then, enraged he would switch to Berserk Mode, and I could stab him through the heart to end it.

The party that entered this place before had weak attack power, so the Twin Headed Orc, enraged by their constant attacks, activated Berserk Mode by pure coincidence.

As I moved, lost in thought, I came to a place where I could feel the presence of the Orcs.

[You can see their habitat over there.]

"Then, shall I go hunting?"

[They don't look very strong. Focus on embracing the martial arts you have learned so far. How did I tell you to do it in practice?]

"Practice like I'm training, and train like I'm practicing!"

I had heard that phrase countless times while training with the Heavenly Demon.

[Let's see! Kukuku.]

"I might die, you know?"

[Don't act weak… Believe in yourself!]

"Yes, Master!

[I didn't say I was taking you in as a disciple!]