There’s nothing particularly important about crossing the barrier. At least, not for me. Even if there’s magic here, it’s not like it’s glaringly present like it was with Kim Seung-jun.

Right. To draw a comparison, it’s like the difference between radiation from a nuclear explosion that has a major impact on people and natural radiation that has little to no effect. Of course, if you’re exposed to it continuously, there could be issues.

No one with any common sense would stand around in concentrated magical energy trying to absorb it. And there’s equipment designed to counter magic. It’s expensive, though, and hardly any hunters venture beyond the barrier to begin with.

The government itself isn’t exactly proactive about it. No matter how influential the Hunter Association might be, pushing to cross beyond the barrier would mean trying to reclaim land, and for that, government approval is needed.

In the original story from the Hunter Association’s perspective, Cheol-shik Choi would constantly argue with President Ha Jung-seok to increase the budget and equip magic-resistant gear for crossing into Incheon, but Ha Jung-seok dismissed it, insisting that North Korea was more important.

Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. In terms of value, reclaiming North Korean land with a gate makes sense. Right now, even though places like Incheon are unexplored territories, there could be villains or creatures lurking around. There’s no guarantee of finding anything valuable.

North Korea, on the other hand, is a treasure trove. It fell because the Kim dynasty couldn’t manage the gate situation, and almost all of the land north of the DMZ is crawling with gates.

Just harvesting the monsters’ materials and cores would be substantial. That’s why Chairman Choi and the government’s stance clashed: on one hand, an aimless struggle with no clear gain, and on the other, a high-stakes gamble that could yield considerable profit.

But that’s enough background. Right now, I’ve crossed beyond the barrier.

“Since we’re still close to Seoul, the magical energy seems stable.”

There doesn’t seem to be any real issue near Seoul. As I gradually head towards Incheon, though, I can feel the magic density thickening, almost true to its nickname. I remember seeing people online referring to this area as the “Demon Realm Incheon.” Living in Incheon myself, I always wondered what that meant. But in this world, it’s a real phenomenon.

“Grrreeerrrk.”

A wild beast, looking like a twisted dog, appeared. There doesn’t seem to be much response nearby, so these are likely remnants from a closed gate. I burned it down with fire, spreading a wave of purifying white flames that erased all the magical energy around.

I could have absorbed it, but doesn’t that feel like scavenging? No self-respecting dragon would stoop to eating off the ground. I may be a wicked dragon, but I’m still the mightiest among dragons. So I extinguished the magic with white flames and unfurled my wings.

“It feels unnatural, but it’s working fine.”

Flying again after so long feels a bit awkward. I started to spread the white flames as I flew, cleansing the air. It feels like I’m a firefighting helicopter dousing flames. After a while, I finally found a spot where the magic was thick and stagnant—Michuhol District.

In the center, there was an old church. It’s been completely shut down, but once served as a stronghold for the Black God Cult, and it’s still where some of their high-ranking members are.

In the previous story, the protagonist, Yoo Jin-seok, only managed to apply “first aid,” and now Choi Si-woo has to handle everything.

“It doesn’t seem just damp and dingy if they’ve got lights on,” I muttered, cloaking myself in magic and transforming my outfit from a cadet uniform to a nun’s habit before slowly stepping into the church.

“Kim Jae-soo, that unlucky bastard, dared to use our monsters. The ones we need for the revival of the Black God Cult! I should’ve known when he insisted on going alone!”

“Kim Jae-soo, unlucky bastard”... Wow, that’s some rhyme. Seems like the Black God Cult got stabbed in the back by Kim Jae-soo. From what I overheard, it sounds like he was working alone, siphoning off their resources for his own purposes.

Still, the Black God Cult has really sunk low if they were relying on someone like Kim Jae-soo. They’ve made it clear how pathetic they are. In that case, I wouldn’t mind using their resources myself.

“You’ve got a guy who can open small gates, don’t you? With that ability, a small group could easily take down the Academy.”

Even just that guy alone could shuttle between the Academy and the Black God Cult. It seems Kim Jae-soo used members of his own faction. As long as there’s a high-ranking official capable of teleportation, nothing is out of reach. My casual remark sparked an uproar among the officials inside.

“Who’s there?!”

“Me? The god you seek.”

So worship me. I opened my golden eyes, fixing them with a sharp stare.

“What... that eye!”

“Just ordinary humans, who think they can bring me back to life, and use me as a vessel. The nonsense they babble…”

These people really are fools. They claim to need a vessel, but then what? How exactly do they plan to put my soul in it? It’s pure speculation. But now they can see for themselves.

“Sacrilege! Kill that woman!”

“What are you standing around for? Kill her!”

The fanatic elder’s command spurred the cultists to draw their weapons and approach me. This was a spell that Sister Azhdaha had once used in China for a massacre. No need for further explanation; just witnessing it says enough.

“Uh…ugghh.”

“Grrraaagh!”

The cultists around me began trembling, then suddenly started attacking one another.

“What’s going on? Stop attacking me!”

“Ahhh!”

They turned on each other, killing and dying in chaos. It’s not like it matters; they’re expendable anyway. And with enough magic, I could resurrect them in minutes, even if they were creatures. After less than a minute, I reanimated the bodies of those who had self-destructed.

“So, have you all come to your senses?”

At my command, they trembled and slowly got up, their eyes altered from moments before.

“C-could it be…are you really our god?”

“There’s no god in this. I, too, am merely a creation.”

The creation of the true Yu Eun-ha, the author. I have no qualifications to be a god.

“For us, Lord Azhdaha is our god!”

“Oh, I’m a god, am I? Then why did you attack Hansung Academy, where a god resides?”

As I released a touch of killing intent, the Black God Cult’s officials fell to their knees.

“Could it be…?”

“I was called back after the events in China. The creator said enough. Humanity has been cleansed enough; now it is time to save it.”

The Black God Cult’s ultimate goal is to see the evil dragon Azhdaha appear again, sweep humanity away, and build a new civilization centered around them. So I can use that to my advantage.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, but you, claiming to honor me as your god, have carried out terrorist acts and harmed innocent people.”

It’s honestly laughable. They claim to honor me, that they’re carrying on my will, yet they’ve caused trouble everywhere, eventually getting struck down by Yoo Jin-seok. They couldn’t let go, so they put their faith in a guy like Kim Jae-soo and ended up here.

“But look at Korea’s president. Is he worth saving? He discriminated against all creatures, labeling them as villains. Even those who couldn’t flee to Seoul were exposed to magic and turned into monsters.”

That’s certainly messed up. They quarantined refugees because they couldn’t handle them. Some people didn’t want to leave their homes and ended up abandoned by the government. Many in the provinces, isolated and hating the government, joined the Black God Cult out of resentment.

“You think I don’t know that? But did you even try to understand? After the cataclysm, criminals took advantage of the chaos, becoming villains. Because of them, even decent monsters have been generalized as scum.”

“Are you asking us to understand them?”

I get it. I don’t particularly care about humanity either. But I want this world to exist, and there are people I cherish here. Maybe I have the protagonist’s mindset, but I won’t abandon those who care for me. It’d be a miserable experience surviving in a ruined world.

“Just because the government here is trash, does that mean everyone disregards creatures as trash?”

“What are your intentions, Lord Azhdaha?”

“To unite creatures, to form an organization. Using them, I will hunt down true criminals and villain groups, reassuring the nation. Will you follow me, or will you continue despising hunters and civilians without a foundation to stand on?”

I lit white flames in my right hand. A clear, if indirect, message: choose or face death.

“…”

They had no choice in the matter. After all, the very existence of Azhdaha was the reason for the Black God Cult’s own existence and gave purpose to those who had lost all hope in the world.

It’s becoming clear that using this church as a base won’t be feasible for much longer. I’ll need a larger space. Ah, how about Songdo? In the later parts of the story, villains were known to hide out in a penthouse in Songdo New City. Since the world here is still similar to the one before the Great Cataclysm, there’s a chance it might still be intact.

“Is Songdo still in good shape?”

“Yes, Lord Azhdaha.”

So, it’s still vacant, without any other villains occupying it.

“We’ll use that as our new base. At least the new city has better facilities. This place is becoming risky for the Black God Cult.”

“Yes.”

Truthfully, I’d hoped to establish a foothold here and absorb the villains of Incheon, but I can’t forget that Yoo Jin-seok, the protagonist of the previous story, is still around.

Fighting against him would be a terrible scenario, especially as his sister.

“Hm?”

Among the Black God Cult officials bowing and lowering their heads, I noticed a young girl standing quietly, her face completely emotionless. I recognized her from the original story.