The transcendent woman appeared and vanished in an instant, leaving me bewildered by her abrupt disappearance.

But I didn’t have the luxury to dwell on her exit. As she left, she had somehow triggered another bizarre phenomenon.

The space in front of me, which looked like it had been torn open, revealed a new scene—a different place entirely, like a cave. And within it, something small and… unexpectedly cute was running toward me.

Wait, is that… an antler? Or some kind of horn?

It had tripped, thankfully, giving me a few moments to observe it more closely.

The most striking features were the little horn on its head and large, floppy ears. Neither were things you’d find on a human.

Everything else about it seemed human enough, though—an absurdly wide forehead, large, innocent eyes, and clothes too big, practically spilling over its small frame. And, due to the fall, its underwear was showing… Best to pretend I didn’t see that.

Whatever this was, it wasn’t human, despite looking somewhat like one.

Rubbing its head. Then springing up.

By the time I’d sized it up, it had already gotten back on its feet. Tears were welling up in its eyes, but it stood up straight, determination filling its face. Its attempt at a serious expression only made its chubby cheeks look softer.

I nearly let my guard down at how harmless it seemed.

“I’m leaving now, Saintess,” the transcendent had said as she vanished.

Is this… a Saintess?

The only thing keeping me from relaxing was what the transcendent woman had called it. Based on the context, this creature had to be the "Saintess."

She’d instructed the Church to send Gong with me to the S-rank gate, foresaw the gate’s occurrence, and, by all accounts, seemed even more powerful than my master. It was no wonder I felt cautious.

Was meeting me the goal all along? Was everything up until now part of some setup?

From the amusement park date to every interaction I’d had with the Church… Had all of it been orchestrated by this creature?

And why did they insist Gong bring me to the S-rank gate? Just so we could meet like this, one-on-one?

And the reason she’d called the transcendent? Most likely because she couldn’t tear space open herself. To meet me, such power was necessary.

That all made sense. But still…

Why go through all this trouble just to meet me?

That was the biggest question. Why was this humanlike creature so fixated on me? What motive could it have to go so far as to manipulate the Church just for contact with me?

Plop, plop…

“Hey, stop right there.”

Freeze.

I stopped it to get some answers. The first rule of a Gatewalker: always be suspicious within a gate.

It looked up at me, its big, round eyes full of unshed tears, its puffed-up cheeks making it look unbelievably cute.

"..."

“You seem to understand my words since you stopped, but… can we actually have a conversation?”

Head nod.

“Good. I’ll ask a few questions, so please answer them right there.”

I maintained my suspicion. The second rule of a Gatewalker: always follow rule one.

But in response to my cautious approach…

Plop, plop.

“…Stop! Stop right there!”

"......"

Do-do-do.

“Hey!!!”

Instead of stopping, it ignored my instructions and started running!

"..."

Points.

"...Huh."

With a tiny finger, it pointed at the crack in space left by the transcendent’s departure. The tear was gradually closing, like a wound being stitched up.

It was clear it wanted to escape before the rift fully sealed.

What should I do? Let it go, or stop it?

Grits teeth.

...Better stop it. Eliminate the unknown variables.

I gripped my katana tightly. I didn’t need any mysterious entities interfering with my plans, and there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

Ding!
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' seems hesitant!]
[It sniffs the air, remarking that there’s a faint, familiar motherly scent, though it’s barely there...]

Glance.
[Superior Skill '???' asserts control.]
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' reacts in shock, asking what happened to its ‘mom’!]
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' opens a locked door and starts running forward.]

But for some reason, my vision blurred momentarily, and when I came to, I found myself stepping back, as if my instincts were keeping me from approaching.

Well, it’s understandable.

This thing was close to the transcendent, after all. Who knows if I could even stop it with force? Attacking it head-on was indeed reckless.

And there was one more thing to consider.

According to Gong, I’ll be found alone, trembling in fear. It’s nearly thirty minutes already; maybe trying to stop it is what leads to that outcome.

If Gong’s vision was accurate, in just a few moments, I’d be found shaking and traumatized, possibly having wet myself. And maybe, in a world where I tried to prevent this creature from leaving, that’s exactly what happened.

If I didn’t interfere, I’d still be inside the gate, likely not alone. But if I did… then I’d be found alone and afraid.

I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but it seemed worth taking a chance.

So, I took a few more steps back.

Ding.
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' bounces around, seeking praise.]

"..."

[Superior Skill '???' stamps its feet in agreement.]

For some reason, I kept sensing something flitting across my vision—probably just lingering aftereffects from the transcendent’s oppressive aura. My limbs were still trembling, after all.

Heave, roll…

It’s out!

Soon enough, the creature managed to crawl through the gap, landing in the boss room.

It struggled for a while, bouncing around, before finally tumbling through and landing with a thud. And with its arms raised in a triumphant "Y" pose, it celebrated its achievement.

No reason for me to relax, though.

The rift is closing…

The tear it had used to escape fully sealed within moments, cutting off any chance of retreat.

Nearly thirty minutes...

I glanced at my wristwatch. I’d been in the boss room for 28 minutes. Only two minutes left before Gong and the main team entered.

I had to gather information quickly.

"Stop right there. I need to check if you’re hostile or not."

Freeze.

"Good. Now stay put, and don’t move..."

"..."

Plop, plop.

“Didn’t I just say don’t move, hey!!”

It showed no interest in cooperating.

Ignoring my orders, it wandered around curiously, poking at the walls, picking up rocks from the floor—basically, behaving like an inquisitive kid.

“Listen up. I’m Seo Yu-jin, a Korean A-rank Gatewalker. If you don’t comply, I’ll consider you a villain or monster and execute you.”

I gripped my katana and prepared to use hypnosis.

Ding.
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' activates...]
[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' says family members don’t do this and crosses its arms, scolding you.]
[Activation failed.]

It failed. Not that I expected much.

No effect, just as I thought.

If the transcendent woman had repelled my hypnosis, this one was immune. It didn’t even feel like the hypnosis reached it.

Not that my ‘Perfect Hypnosis’ would let that happen, but still.

[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis' whistles, avoiding eye contact as if nothing happened.]

Grip.

Do I have to kill it?

Ultimately, my conclusion was unavoidable. A creature that disregards orders within a gate may as well be a monster.

It may look harmless and unaggressive, but without knowing its threat level, I couldn’t take any chances.

I channeled mana into my katana.

“Stop in the count of three. Three, two, one.”

– Step, step.

“…Zero. I hereby temporarily name you as ‘Deer Antler Mochi Monster.’ And now I’ll exterminate you.”

With that, I charged forward, a sharp sound marking my sprint across the boss room.

Although my speed was a far cry from usual—my condition hardly what I'd call optimal after dealing with the transcendent woman…

‘Thirty seconds. I’ll bait out its initial pattern and meet up with Kong.’

Unlike you, I have comrades. My master, Kong, my wives, the Vietnamese Liberation Army, and even awakened clan members from the U.S.

With this force, taking down a creature that even the transcendent woman referred to as “fallen” should be easy enough.

With that thought, I launched my attack, not recklessly, but with full conviction.

– Ding! [Skill ‘Complete Hypnosis’ is shocked by its master’s actions…]

“…” [Upper-level skill ‘???’ explains this is just a phase.] [Skill ‘Complete Hypnosis’ starts scribbling notes in a picture book with crayons.]

“Die!!!!”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation as I swung my katana down toward its neck…

– Whoosh. Swish.

“…What?”

My katana passed right through its body.

There was no impact, nothing at all, as if I’d swung at empty air. The creature simply looked up at me, unharmed.

And finally…

– Swish, swish, swish.

“This… is…”

As I reached out, my hand went right through the creature’s body as though it were just a mirage.

“….”

– Pat, pat.

My hand was passing through its head, yet it nonchalantly reached out and patted my thigh with its small hand.

Seeing all of this, I lost any desire to fight. Because…

– Trembling, grip tightening.

‘This… this is just like those monsters, isn’t it?’

This was an EX-level gate. The same monsters that had turned the world into a dystopia in my previous life. The same ones with these exact abilities.

We can’t hurt them. Our weapons, our magic, even nuclear bombs—they all go right through them.

But they can kill us. Even my master and I couldn’t avoid being injured by them.

– Drip, drip.

‘What… have I summoned here…?’

Blood trickled from my hand, clenched around the katana so tightly it was crushed. Given my trait, “Indomitable,” it meant I was squeezing with all the strength I had.

But a little blood was the least of my worries. This creature embodied my deepest trauma—a monster that had rendered us helpless.

A few drops of blood didn’t matter when I was staring down my worst nightmare.

‘It may look cute, but…’

– Step, step… shine.

“Y-Your hand, disciple! It’s bleeding!”

“…!!!” ‘It’s already been thirty minutes!?’

Even time wasn’t on my side. The thirty-minute mark had passed, and our main team was beginning to teleport into the boss room.

And then… then…

The monster in front of us…

– Bow.

“…What?”

…It bowed to our group, as if it were introducing itself, even repeating the bow several times for good measure.

– Bow… thud.

“…” “…”

It bent over so far it stumbled and fell.

Kong, my master, and I exchanged bewildered looks.

[What… is this?] [What is this, disciple?] [….]

Seriously, what on earth is this thing?