SWNOVELXO Chapter 9
**Episode 9: Isolation**
“I never dreamed that person was an S-rank…”
“Well… it’s not surprising that you wouldn’t know. You just joined the association, after all. As a healer, they might not be all that interested, even if they’re S-rank.”
I.Dae-ri subtly nudged me.
“Ah… yes…”
I looked at I.Dae-ri weakly.
I.Dae-ri patted my shoulder as if to say it was all understandable.
“Oh, right. Siwoo, do you know when the new recruit training starts?”
“Isn’t there still a bit more time before it starts?”
“Yeah, there’s about 10 minutes left, but I think it’s better to go now if you can.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
I hurriedly moved away from I.Dae-ri, who loved to meddle in everything, to attend the new recruit training.
But I wondered if I was going too early.
I arrived at an office that felt like it had glass partitions…?
They say a person’s ominous premonitions are never wrong.
… And sure enough, I was the first to arrive.
‘I.Dae-ri, you bastard…’
But it couldn’t be bad to arrive first, so I didn’t call him that.
“Oh wow, a new employee arrived this quickly. What’s your name?”
“Ah yes! I just joined the association in the Gate Processing Department!”
“Good enthusiasm. I’m Park Jun-geon.”
“Yes! Thank you, Mr. Park Jun-geon!”
“Just call me Mr. Park.”
Mr. Park seemed pleased that I was the first to arrive.
Right after that, soon three people came in a line like a train.
They each held a cup of SxxxBucks coffee in one hand.
Their expressions were quite relaxed.
“Why did you only just arrive?”
“Huh? We arrived on time.”
“Geez… This is why the youngsters these days… Back in my day, we arrived 30 minutes early and left 30 minutes late. And by the way, who dares to talk back to their boss?”
…
…
…
…
…
“… Got it?!”
Mr. Park rambled on by himself.
‘Damn… why is he so passionately spouting nonsense…?’
I seriously thought I couldn’t understand any of it.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
But one brave soul retorted to Mr. Park’s words.
“So what you’re saying is, the three of you are fired as of now.”
“”What? But we just joined today…!””
“Do I look like I care? Now just scram.”
But even though the courage was commendable, the outcome was not good.
Thus, the trio with SxxxBucks coffee were all fired on the spot.
They left the place looking completely despondent.
‘Damn, thank you, I.Dae-ri. I’ll really do my best now.’
I almost messed things up before the mission even started.
I had a reason to be thankful to I.Dae-ri.
“Well then, now it’s just the two of us left. Shall we start the new recruit training?”
Then Mr. Park’s lengthy torment began.
Honestly, aside from being a workplace superior, he didn’t seem that impressive compared to me.
However, since he was so much my superior, I had to listen to his rambling without much resistance.
**********
The new recruit training content was very lengthy.
It wasn’t entirely a ramble from him.
Anyway, Mr. Park said that our department, as the name ‘Gate Processing Department’ implies, primarily deals with disposed gates.
However, most of the time, hunters go to clean up gates by themselves when the time comes, so to be honest, there’s not much work to do in this department unless someone volunteer to clean up a gate.
Though he called it a grand “new recruit training,” there didn’t seem to be anything particularly important.
Surprisingly, the training ended earlier than expected.
“Um, that’s the end of my explanation. Do you have any questions?”
“Ah, I have a question.”
I immediately raised my hand to express that I had a question.
“Mr. Park, may I ask about the incident about seven years ago when the family of an S-rank hunter was killed because of the negligence of this department in handling a gate?”
“Hmm… Yes, there was such an incident. If I remember correctly, monsters came out of the gate and killed the entire family of that S-rank hunter, correct?”
“Yes… roughly.”
“I think it’s best not to mention that incident moving forward.”
“Why? Why is that?”
“Well… it’s because the association made a mistake by failing to handle that S-rank hunter, so naturally, that incident became a stain on the association.”
A mistake that wasn’t a mistake…
“I heard back then that the Association President pressured the Gate Processing Department not to block that particular gate.”
“Why?!”
I momentarily lost control of my actions.
Important information was about to come out.
“Ahem! That’s all I’m going to say about that incident. No matter how much of a boss I am, if this gets back to the Association President… it wouldn’t just end with being fired from the association.”
‘It wouldn’t end with just being fired… So there are follow-up actions in place.’
I lightly organized the information I obtained in my mind.
“Oh, and Siwoo, you have something to do today… just listen for a moment.”
“Yes…”
My voice weakened a bit due to fatigue.
“I hope you can handle one of the leftover gates today… of course, once you clear this gate, you can leave work immediately.”
But Mr. Park continued without paying attention to me.
I immediately accepted his offer, readying myself to head to the gate after hearing that I could leave as soon as I cleared it.
“Oh, and you have to enter the gate in pairs, so keep that in mind.”
Pairs.
That meant I needed a partner.
What to do…
I left Mr. Park with a vow to clear the gate and stepped out.
Hmm… Should I call Eunbyul?
No, what would I do if I called Eunbyul here?
Anyone who knows the former S-rank hunter would recognize her face.
So what should I do…
As I continued to ponder, the noise ahead started to grow.
In front of me, a person named Baek Harin was walking toward me.
The surroundings were all buzzing.
It was a murmur of awe as everyone was looking at her.
Does Harin really resemble a celebrity in the association?
The only S-rank healer means she’s the only one of that rank in the healer category, and while there are some S-rank dealers or tanks, I know that much.
Since there are fewer healers anyway… It doesn’t seem strange that people would react like that.
So she must be famous by her own mouth.
“Oh my… That gait… That breathing… Could you be the one standing in front of me, Siwoo…?”
What? Suddenly I got goosebumps.
How can she distinguish someone by their gait and breath…
“I mentioned that we should meet again soon, but I never dreamed I would see you this soon.”
“Yes… it seems so… Harin…?”
“Hmm… There’s no need to be so stiff between us, right? Just call me by my name, Harin~.”
What kind of relationship do we have?
Did we not just meet yesterday?
“Then… Harin. Um, I have a favor to ask…”
“Oh my… Asking for a favor right here…”
“Can you please join me for a gate exploration?”
“Yes, of course! … Wait? What?”
“I’m asking to explore the gate together…”
“Oh… You’re quite romantic about dungeons, aren’t you?”
I brought the rambling Harin to the gate Mr. Park mentioned.
This was the gate Mr. Park said was leftover… and it seemed the time was almost up.
I grabbed Harin’s wrist to enter the gate together.
“Oh my, what confidence…”
What is she saying now?
By the way, when will I get used to the sensation of entering this gate…
**********
We entered the inside of the gate.
The dungeon inside the gate was so dark that I couldn’t see ahead.
“Harin, it’s too dark here, I can’t see anything.”
“Huh? I usually can’t see ahead.”
“Isn’t there any technique to illuminate the front?”
“Could you please refrain from asking questions that are no different from asking a monk if he has a comb? Even for me, being joked about being visually impaired would hurt…”
“No, I wasn’t mocking you for being blind.”
As we chatted, the back gate began to fade.
The only light source in this situation was disappearing.
We needed to clear this dungeon quickly.
‘For an early exit!’
The Black Gate has time flowing differently inside compared to the outside.
Once you enter the Black Gate, you cannot escape.
However, the situation is a bit different with the Blue Gate.
The Blue Gate does not have a different flow of time inside and outside, and it’s possible to exit even after entering.
And the Black Gate does not disappear with the passage of time; it remains permanent unless cleared.
So far, there have been no records of monsters coming out from the Black Gate.
So what’s my point?
I’ve been wandering this dungeon for three hours now.
With this foolish healer.
I returned to the gate.
What kind of homeward instinct is this strong…
– Pop!
Suddenly, the gate connecting the dungeon and the outside world disappeared with a pop.
“What’s going on…?”
“What do you mean?”
Normally, when a Blue Gate’s time runs out, we should all exit together…
‘What is really going on…?’
Out of nowhere, I found myself isolated in the dungeon with Harin.
If I wanted to survive, seeking an exit was my only option.
Ha… my fate.