This small girl is the one who opens the gates. In the original story, when Choi Si-woo had to deal with the Black God Cult, even though they were a small faction, she was the reason it was such a struggle. Every time the cult caused trouble, they’d use this girl to escape, leaving Choi Si-woo with no way to respond.

“What are the conditions for opening a gate?”

“If I’ve been to a place once, I can teleport there anytime.”

So, if she’s been somewhere, it automatically gets saved in her memory. The Black God Cult really trained a useful tool. I can’t remember her name. She’s an experimental subject raised secretly by the cult’s officials, equipped solely with inter-dimensional teleportation for shuttling people. With this ability, they could release monsters into Seoul if they wanted to.

“So, you can teleport continuously?”

“Uh, it’s a bit different. I need magic energy.”

“So, the distance traveled must require a large amount.”

It makes sense that the energy required would vary depending on the distance.

“Yes.”

“How about the distance between Songdo and Hansung Academy?”

“I could manage twice a day.”

That means it’s feasible to make two round trips to the Academy each day.

“You’re a creature, right?”

If she manipulates magic energy, it means she’s a creature.

“Yes. I gained this ability after becoming one.”

“So, with magic stones, could it be practically limitless?”

Magic stones, known as pure condensations of magical energy, allow creatures to recover their energy. While magic and magic energy are almost identical, only creatures can consume magic stones to recharge.

“Yes. However, magic stones are hard to find around here.”

“I’ll supply you with magic stones. Can you do it then?”

“Yes, Lord Azhdaha.”

That makes things easy. I stepped outside and gathered the concentrated magical energy near the church, crystallizing it. I produced high-purity magic stones, and when I showed them to the blonde girl, her eyes sparkled.

“Is this enough?”

“This will be more than sufficient.”

“From now on, you’re my exclusive shuttle. Flying is fine, but I’d rather handle things quickly.”

If Yoo Jin-seok finds out, he’ll likely prevent me from crossing the barrier.

“Yes.”

“Since you open gates, let’s name you… Kate.”

Since she seems like a Western girl, the name Kate doesn’t sound bad. Upon arriving in Songdo, I absorbed all the magic in the area, converting it into magic stones. I could absorb everything immediately, but it’s more than I can handle right now. Plus, these magic stones are valuable for making money. While cores are expensive, magic stones sell for even more since they’re used for various recent studies.

When I showed the stones to a few officials, they stared in surprise, blinking.

“Can these magic stones be sold? We need capital to make any moves.”

One of the officials muttered awkwardly.

“Explain. So, what funds were you using until now?”

“Well, since the government abandoned the quarantine zones, there was plenty to scavenge and use as capital.”

Makes sense. No one would’ve bothered to carry everything to Seoul amid the chaos. There are even people on the internet talking about exploring the quarantine zone in secret, though most don’t return. They either die from magical exposure or get killed by creatures or monsters. I wouldn’t tolerate anyone coming to raid my territory either.

“So, you mean there’s no one to sell the magic stones to.”

“Yes. The quarantine zone operates under a survival-of-the-fittest rule.”

It’s practically like the ancient world, where people live by biting and devouring each other. At least the Black God Cult will fare better now with me around. I’ve already purified the magic in Songdo, so this area should be safe enough for ordinary people, allowing refugees in hiding to relocate here.

“At least creatures don’t need food to survive, so they’re in a slightly better position, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll take the magic stones to Seoul and sell them.”

I happen to know the right place. There’s the heir to the Cheonsan Group, Lee Yoo-jin’s older sister, Lee Yu-jeong. Although she’s brainwashed and hands over ancient relics to a villain in the original story, she’s no easy target. She’s secretly been setting up a business related to magic stones, and she’s rumored to have made discreet contacts with villains.

“Then tell us what tasks we should handle, Lord Azhdaha.”

Hmm, is there really anything? Oh, maybe I can have them handle the things I find too bothersome to do.

“Focus on integrating the ordinary people around here into Songdo.”

“Yes, Lord Azhdaha. And what about the villains?”

Right, the villains are a problem. Ideally, I’d like to keep them under my control. If I plan to involve them in the conflict with China, I need to keep them alive under my command. Luckily, the villains in the quarantine zone aren’t particularly strong.

“Try to negotiate with them, but if a conflict arises, contact me through the Magic Device, and I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, Lord Azhdaha.”

“And don’t call me by such a long title. Shorten it.”

“Lord Aji.”

Aji… It sounds a bit too cute and irritates me.

“That sounds like a dog’s name. Call me Lord Dahaka instead.”

“Yes, Lord Dahaka.”

“Then let’s store the magic stones in a designated room.”

“Yes, we’ll fill one room with the magic stones.”

I should also inform the Hunter Association of what I’ve brought back, so handing over a few magic stones would be wise. But first, I have something else to do.

On the way back to Seoul, I stopped by Onsu Station. Right now, Onsu Station is the Black Dragon Society’s base. I’ll need to deal with them before they grow larger and expand into Seoul. Though I took the ancient relics, there’s no telling what else they might have.

“Come to think of it, why didn’t you tell me about the Black Dragon Society earlier?”

[The Black Dragon Society was designated as an enemy from the beginning, Master. It’s only natural.]

The Akashic Record always seems to know the right things to say. The Black Dragon Society’s base wasn’t much different from the Black God Cult’s church. It looked like they’d set up a few containers around an old gas station. I decided to go in directly.

“Hello? Konnichiwa? Nihao?”

“Who’s there?”

“Why, your Grim Reaper.”

The Black Dragon Society’s thugs sneered at my words. Of course, who wouldn’t when a lone nun shows up claiming to be the Grim Reaper?

“You think you can take us all on by yourself?”

“We may not be famous, but we’re not going to let one woman capture us. Even a hunter would struggle against us.”

“She looks like a premium one. Let’s have our fun with her before we kill her.”

They were clearly aiming to capture me rather than kill me right away, approaching with clenched fists. A gun would have been more suitable, but it’s not like they’re thinking straight. Using white flames would be a waste here; just a sprinkle of chaos will do.

Snap!

With a flick of my finger, I infused their minds with chaos.

“What’s with this crazy… huh?”

Swish!

The boss-looking one got his head sliced off by the sword of his own subordinate. This is always a satisfying sight. They let their guard down, thinking I was just a girl, only to end up stabbing each other in the back.

“What the hell, you moron!”

“Were you working with that b****?!”

“I told you, I’m the Grim Reaper.”

The Black Dragon Society may not be a big organization, but their strength could’ve been useful. Still, I can’t just ignore their background in human trafficking, rape, and murder. With this, I’ve exterminated one of the villain groups mentioned in the original story. I don’t care about causality or anything; I’ll kill anyone who stands in my way.

“A m-monster!”

“Oh, look who’s calling names—the ones who’ve been trafficking, raping, and murdering.”

The few left alive with severe injuries began begging for their lives.

“P-please, spare us…”

“Heh.”

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this exhilarated. Clearly, I haven’t fully shed my old self. But I’m not completely without mercy. Smiling, I lifted my foot over the head of a villain clutching my ankle and begging.

Crunch!

Korean Hunter Association

Chairman Choi Cheol-shik let out a sigh at Jeong Na-yoon’s report.

“So, can you repeat that? I’m old, and my brain processes things a bit slowly.”

It’s not just his brain; maybe his ears are at fault too. After all, it’s unbelievable. An Academy cadet acting as a temporary hunter crossed the barrier, gathered high-purity magic stones, and wiped out villains in a matter of hours. Even for Yu Eun-ha, it’d be impossible to know the location of the stones and the Black Dragon Society’s base without some kind of detection device. The area’s been an unknown territory for so long, and she scouted it in mere hours? It doesn’t make sense.

“I’m saying that Hansung Academy’s cadet and temporary hunter, Yu Eun-ha, went to Incheon, mined magic stones, and stopped by Onsu Station on her way back, where she encountered and eliminated the Black Dragon Society.”

“Are you telling me this is real?”

“Having trouble hearing in your old age? Yes, it’s true. She’s even purified the magic released by the Black Dragon Society and marked the coordinates.”

At Jeong Na-yoon’s sharp remark, Choi Cheol-shik lowered his head. Old age really isn’t fair. He used to be an immortal warrior who hunted monsters single-handedly with just his Solar Strike. Now, he’s being spoken to like this by someone who threatens even his own position.

Still, he had something to say.

“Even if we’re talking about the Black Dragon Society here, this is still hard to believe. Magic stones—where were they even found? Until now, we haven’t discovered any.”

“Well, who knows? It’s possible that search parties smuggled some out and reported nothing to the Association.”

It’s not out of the question. If someone risked their life going outside the barrier and managed to gather magic stones, they’d likely be reluctant to hand them over. They might have even secretly sold them. But, magic stones that left no trace until now? Finding one by purifying and condensing magic energy is theoretically possible but very costly.

Choi Cheol-shik strained his aged brain, finally coming to a conclusion.

“This is something only Yu Eun-ha could pull off.”

And so, another follower of Yu Eun-ha was born.

“With this development, do you think President Ha Jung-seok might consider supporting the purification of the quarantine zones?”

“It’s possible that Eun-ha simply got lucky in Incheon. Should we report this to the president?”

“No, let’s skip that. We’ll only end up arguing.”

Ha Jung-seok was both Choi Cheol-shik’s rival and a person with whom he was constantly at odds. Drawing a boundary was the best option to avoid conflicts.

“Yes, sir.”

“Make sure Yu Jin-seok doesn’t find out. Bring the magic stones so I can inspect them before we send them to the Association’s research facility.”

“Yes, sir.”

If he knew that his own sister ventured into the quarantine zone, retrieved magic stones, and eliminated villains, there would be quite an uproar.