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Chapter 19

It seemed like we spent more time at the Gate than I thought, because by the time the taxi merged onto the highway, it was already rush hour.

Rush hour traffic in Gyeonggi-do was like a parking lot.

Cars were crammed bumper-to-bumper from one end of the road to the other.

I fiddled with my smartphone, thinking about getting out of the taxi and calling a helicopter, while Wolha kept glancing anxiously at the rising meter, worried about the fare.

But that didn\'t last long.

"Hey, bro."

"Yeah?"

Wolha leaned back against the seat and then sat up again.

He looked at me with a determined look in his eyes.

The outline of his delicate face was illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window.

"How did you do that earlier?"

Here it comes.

I tried to put on a brave face.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"That officer earlier, he was a C-Rank, wasn\'t he?"

“Nah~ No way. No, no."

"What do you mean, no! Don\'t try to brush it off."

I might be able to incinerate the horizon with a single gesture, having come from a world where I lived among the strongest, but that doesn\'t mean C-Ranks are weak.

Even F-Ranks, who are treated as non-Awakened in the \'Chatter of the Stars\', possess strength greater than professional athletes from the pre-Aitel era.

A C-Rank can easily slice a truck in half with a single sashimi knife.

Ranks above that are rarely encountered by ordinary people, so executive Hwang and his colleagues we met today were the \'strongest Awakened\' that regular people could possibly encounter.

I\'m sure both I and Wolha had been subjected to their abuse while working at \'Woori Mining\'.

"I wasn\'t going to ask, but it was just so shocking."

"It was a coincidence. A coincidence. Hahaha."

"You don\'t expect me to believe that, do you? Do you think I\'m an idiot?"

"L-let\'s talk about it at home. The driver\'s giving us weird looks."

Wolha seemed to have a lot to say, but he toned it down as if he couldn\'t help it because we were outside.

His gaze followed me persistently.

"I don\'t want to go home now."

I muttered quietly, just enough so Wolha couldn\'t hear.

And my wish was granted in the worst possible way.

Beep!

A loud alarm sounded, and a message from the Aitel system appeared in my vision.

【Warning! Warning! Warning!】

【Level 4 Gate Breach!】

【Finale Story: The Road to Judgment in the Valley of Bankruptcy】

"Huh?"

"Wh-what\'s that?"

Wolha and the taxi driver panicked simultaneously.

The Gate alert messages from Aitel were visible and audible to everyone.

Whoosh!

A black sphere expanded towards us from the road ahead.

"Open the door! Open it! Can\'t you hear me?"

The taxi driver\'s eyes were already wide with shock and fear.

"Damn it!"

Thud.

I kicked the door, breaking it off its hinges.

"Get out!"

I reached out to Wolha urgently.

"The seatbelt is stuck!"

Wolha\'s seatbelt wouldn\'t unbuckle, as if something was caught in it.

The black sphere was already right in front of us.

Wolha\'s eyes shook violently.

I tasted bitterness in the back of my throat.

The Constellation\'s voice echoed in my ears.

【"Retreat. You can do that, can\'t you?"】

【"I\'m not really interested in seeing this kind of side story."】

She was right.

If I used my Flame Arrows and Descent from the Crimson Flame, I could easily escape on my own.

Then, a terrible thought flashed through my mind.

He\'s not even my real brother, do I really need to risk my life going into the Gate for him?

Then Wolha spoke.

"Bro. Jump!"

He looked at me with eyes as pale as the moonlight, yet as gentle as the moon\'s glow.

Damn it.

How embarrassing.

"Hold on tight!"

I jumped back into the car, grabbing Wolha\'s hand firmly.

Whoosh!

The black sphere expanded, devouring everything in its path.

The first stage of a Gate breach: Absorption.

My vision went completely dark.

【Absorption Complete】

【Time until Release: 06 days 23 hours 59 minutes】

And when my vision returned, what I saw was...

"6 days? It\'ll take 6 days until release?"

"We\'re all going to die!"

...the sight of people who had been pulled into the Gate with us, screaming in despair.

A timer showing the time remaining until the \'Release\', when the Gate would naturally open even if not cleared— a blood-red sky, and a narrow path between crimson cliffs rising on both sides.

* * *

"What... is this?"

Wolha muttered, dazed.

Even someone as composed as him couldn\'t easily overcome the fear of being trapped inside a Gate.

Meanwhile, Baekya calmly surveyed their surroundings.

\'Is this a scenario-type Gate?\'

Having climbed the Tower, Gates didn\'t particularly faze him.

They were in a circular space, enclosed by walls on all sides, filled with people who had been sucked into the Gate.

Around 300 people.

Scattered among them were Awakened individuals with white halos floating above their heads.

The scene before him was pure chaos.

"No!"

"We\'re all going to die!"

"Mom! Mom!"

People screamed, clutching their useless smartphones.

Most modern devices were rendered useless inside a Gate.

"Waaaaah!"

Someone\'s scream triggered a wave of weeping that spread like wildfire.

Then, one of the Awakened shouted in a booming voice.

"Calm down, everyone! The Hunters will be here soon! You all know how good Korean Hunters are. It\'s just a Level 4! A Level 4!! They\'ll dismantle this low-level Gate in no time."

People turned to look at the man.

The white halo shining above his head seemed quite reassuring.

"Don\'t worry about the notification about how many days are left until the Release. It\'s true we won\'t be able to get out until then, but the Hunters will come in and clear the Gate before that anyway. Everyone, just stay calm and wait."

Thanks to his intervention before the panic could fully escalate, the atmosphere among the people shifted.

"R-right!"

"Let\'s spread out and sit down for now! Just wait patiently."

"Anyone need water?"

The people, with their innate Korean group spirit, quickly gathered and started sharing what they had.

"Bro, let\'s go too."

Wolha, having regained his composure, tried to join one of the groups.

"Wait a minute."

Baekya grabbed Wolha\'s wrist.

In extreme situations, people were the most dangerous thing of all.

Beep.

【Finale Story: \'The Road to Judgment in the Valley of Bankruptcy\' begins.】

【Walk to the end of the path where your sins return, cleanse your sins, and clear the Gate.】

【Clear Reward: Certificate of Pardon (Masterpiece). Nullifies Proposition-type debuffs.】

Soon after, a notification window popped up in front of them.

Since everyone could see it again, the crowd stirred once more.

"The Road to Judgment?"

"Where are we supposed to walk?"

"Isn\'t it over there?"

Someone pointed to the path between the cliffs.

The path was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side, and it stretched into the distance.

It blended with the red sky, making it unclear if it even had an end.

Wolha looked back at Baekya and sat down again.

Then, a man stood up and said.

"Can\'t we just walk there?"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless blades shot up from the cliffs on both sides of the path.

Shing! Swoosh! Slash!

At first, it seemed possible to dodge them and enter the path, but as the path narrowed, it became clear that getting stabbed or cut was inevitable.

"Eek!"

The man who had bravely stood up slumped back down to the ground.

"H-how can we go there?"

Someone shouted, voicing everyone\'s thoughts.

As if mocking them, another notification window popped up.

【First volunteer recruitment: 60 seconds.】

【If no volunteer steps forward after 60 seconds, the corrupt group will face collective judgment.】

Panic spread among the people once again.

"It\'s saying someone has to walk there right now!"

"I-I can\'t do it even if I die! I\'d rather we all die together."

"Th-the Awakened! Shouldn\'t an Awakened step up?"

"What the f***? I\'m just a porter!"

The timer ticked down, as if mocking them.

【16】

【15】

When it dropped below 15 seconds, the walls and floor started to vibrate.

Rumble! Rumble!

Sharp spikes began to sprout from the edges of the floor, near the walls.

"Ahhh!"

People huddled together towards the center.

One Awakened grabbed a college student, an ordinary person, by force.

"Come here!"

The student\'s friends grabbed the Awakened\'s arm and clung to it.

"No!"

"Help!"

"I\'ll report you as soon as we get out! Don\'t you know assaulting an ordinary person is an aggravated offense for an Awakened?"

Just as the Awakened, dragging the friends along, was about to shove the student onto the path...

"Stop."

Whoosh!

A Flame Arrow whizzed past the Awakened\'s face.

Baekya parted the crowd and stepped forward towards the path.

"Bro?"

Wolha tried to grab Baekya\'s wrist, but he gently slipped his hand away.

"I\'ll go."

In his mind, his Constellation let out a deep sigh.

【"I knew this would happen."】

\'I\'m sorry.\'

【"Well, since things have turned out this way, make sure you succeed spectacularly. That\'s the only way to break even."】

\'Understood. I\'ll put on a good show for you.\'

Baekya slipped off his crystal coat and handed it to Wolha.

"Make sure you keep this on."

\'Let\'s think positive. It said "clear." There\'s a high chance there\'s a physical button or something like that at the other end. If I can burn it, I might be able to absorb the high-quality mana that\'s maintaining this Gate.\'

"Bro!"

Wolha reached out once more, trying to grab his brother\'s wrist, but Baekya strode onto the path, out of his reach.

"I will undertake this penance."

An icy silence fell over the crowd.

【The First Judge appears.】

【Name: Hong#@...... (Unknown error occurred)】

It was a familiar silence to Baekya.

He walked briskly down the path, lined with blades on both sides.

\'You dare judge me?\'

As the path narrowed, the blades naturally pressed in on him, but...

Clank!

They couldn\'t pierce his hardened skin and were deflected.

* * *

Perhaps because of the incident where an Awakened man tried to force a non-Awakened person onto the path, the Awakened and non-Awakened had gathered in separate groups.

Wolha wanted to stay with the non-Awakened, but the wary glances he kept receiving forced him to move towards the Awakened.

A female Awakened approached him.

"Is that your brother?"

"Yes."

"He\'s cool. What rank is he?"

"...It\'s a bit complicated."

"So his rank is a bit of a mixed bag, huh?"

"...Yes."

"Well, just by looking at him, he seems to be at least C-Rank, so there\'s not much to worry about."

Her tone was suggestive.

Wolha met her eyes and asked urgently.

"But?"

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"This is a Gate with strong story elements. There haven\'t been any monsters or anything like that."

"Yeah."

"The notification earlier mentioned something about judgment, and it seems like your brother is blocking the blades with a skill, right?"

By now, Baekya\'s back was just a tiny dot in the distance.

Clang!

The sound of blades breaking could be heard intermittently.

"But with stories like this, if we don\'t follow the narrative, it\'ll try to force us back on track. Your brother\'s skills seem really good, so that force will be even stronger."

Wolha felt as if a cold hand had gripped his heart.

"So you\'re saying he should have been bleeding profusely to break through?"

The woman replied.

"That\'s what I think. It would be best if he could just crush that force with overwhelming power... but he can\'t, can he?"

Wolha looked at the path between the cliffs.

\'He\'s okay... right?\'

Baekya, who had been progressing smoothly, suddenly stopped moving.

Fear gripped Wolha\'s heart.

It felt like all the good things that had happened to the two brothers lately were just precursors to this misfortune.

How much time had passed?

Finally, a notification appeared once more.

【Second volunteer recruitment: 60 seconds.】

【If no volunteer steps forward after 60 seconds, the corrupt group will face collective judgment.】

Wolha\'s legs almost gave out, and he nearly collapsed.

\'No.\'

"Bro..."

The voice that escaped his parted lips trembled more than he could believe.

Hope was fading.

"Huh? Uh?"

"What?"

"D-did he fail?"

"No way. If even a C-Rank Awakened failed, how can we succeed?"

The chaos among the people intensified, far worse than before.

【10】

【9】

Meanwhile, the countdown raced towards zero.

Beep.

【Judging the corrupt group.】

Spikes erupted from the floor once again.

Whoosh!

"Aaahhhhh!"

Sharp spikes rose from the outer edges of the floor.

Long, spear-like spikes shot out sporadically from the walls, targeting the people.

Stab!

An unusually long spike jutted out.

Its tip was aimed at a man holding a child who looked about seven years old.

The man shielded the child with his body and crouched down.

Thud!

Wolha found himself pushing the man out of the way.

\'Did I catch the meddling bug from my brother too?\'

A bitter smile crept onto his face.

He braced himself for excruciating pain.

But he felt no pain at all.

\'Huh?\'

Wolha groped his chest.

The coat wasn\'t even pierced, let alone wrinkled.

\'What is this?\'

Wolha didn\'t know it, but the crystal coat he was wearing was a Masterpiece-Grade artifact.

It could easily withstand the mid-level punishment process of a Gate like this.

Pierce!

But the spear-like spikes kept shooting out.

"Aaaagh!"

Screams grew louder from all around.

The red sky seemed to speak.

Judgment.

Be judged.

All of you are sinners, so be judged.

You who are stingy, lazy, gluttonous, lustful, angry, envious, and arrogant.

Be judged!

Wolha shuddered at the Gate\'s malice.

\'What kind of judgment is this? Tell it to stop this nonsense!\'

Just then, a man approached him.

"Excuse me, could you lend me that coat? It looks like an artifact."

He was supporting an elderly woman who seemed to be his mother.

"I want to put it on her. Please, I beg you."

Immediately after, a burly man shoved the man roughly.

"Ugh!"

"Hey! I\'ll give you 10 million won if I get out of here! No, 100 million! 100 million won! Lend me the coat. It\'s an artifact, right?"

"Artifact?"

"Did you just say it’s an artifact?"

"Hey, you!"

Hundreds of eyes, filled with expectation, anxiety, and desire, focused on Wolha.

The pupils, reflecting the light of the red sky, gleamed crimson.

Even for someone as bold as him, it was an overwhelming burden for a 20-year-old who had been bedridden for so long.

"Th-that\'s..."

Wolha felt his vision blur.

\'What should I do....\'

Spikes continued to erupt from all directions.

Whoosh!

One spike hurtled towards them— about to impale both the mother and son in front of him.

Thud!

At the last moment, Wolha squeezed his eyes shut.

Fizzle!

But instead of a gruesome piercing sound, he heard something akin to ashes scattering.

He opened his eyes.

\'Huh?\'

The spike was enveloped in a white light, burning away as if on fire.

A woman who had been bleeding profusely from her wounds murmured in a trance.

"...My wounds are healing?"

"We\'re alive!"

"We\'re alive!"

The injuries of those who had already been hurt were healing as if they had never been there in the first place.

The blood-red sky cracked, and blue light seeped through.

An Aitel notification appeared in his vision.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

【Finale Story: ‘The Road to Judgment in the Valley of Bankruptcy’ has ended.】

【The Gate is collapsing.】

Wolha whipped his head around to look at the end of the path.

\'Did he succeed?\'

He could faintly see Baekya raising his fist in triumph.

[Translator - Hestia