Chapter 3 - Dragon's Mark

Translator: Roshi

'This tattoo can do something like that...?'

It wasn't as if the attack had been weak, either.

No matter how new I was to being inside a Gate, I was still an Awakener who had obtained an EX-rank skill.

That meant I could sense Mana.

And the Mana radiating from that black fireball had been so overwhelmingly powerful that just its approach was enough to make me choke.

Was this how the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous felt, watching a meteor plummet toward them?

I seriously thought I was going to die.

Hummm.

Just then, the tattoo on my arm that had been glowing settled back down.

When I focused on the tattoo, an information window appeared.

[Dragon's Mark] [Rank: ??]

-Mark of the Black Dragon Hereos.

Absolute Shield (S): Can generate a barrier that protects the body of the one bearing the mark.

Durability (351/500). Upon destruction, the barrier dissipates along with the attack it blocked. 24-hour cooldown upon destruction.

If not destroyed, it recovers naturally.

'Ooh...'

So that's what it was, a barrier.

More importantly, it only lost 150 Durability after blocking that ridiculous attack just now?

'And looks like 1 point already recovered naturally.'

Would there ever come a day when this thing ran out completely?

'Absolutely not.'

At the very least, it seemed like I'd never have to worry about a dog biting me or a cat scratching me ever again.

Those wouldn't even chip away at the naturally recovering Durability.

The dragon, having watched me stare into thin air, gave a nod.

【I don't think any further explanation is necessary. Then, I shall return to Arcsion. I will not forget today's kindness. You have my gratitude once more.】

"Haha, it's nothing. I was pretty flustered, sure, but I'm glad I finally got to put my ability to proper use. Feels good."

【Is that so. Then I'm glad.】

"Yeah. Oh, right. But which way do I go to get out of here?"

【If you head that way, you'll find a Gate leading back to your world. Then, I sincerely wish prosperity upon this Animal Hospital you run.】

The dragon finished speaking, opened a dimensional gate, and vanished.

"Wow."

He just casually created a Gate and hopped between dimensions.

He'd said something earlier about being the lord of a dimension. Guess he really was an incredible dragon.

"......"

With the dragon gone, the only sound left was the faint breathing of the unconscious cat.

To be honest, I was still in a daze, but.

"Ah, whatever!"

What mattered was that I had survived.

And that I'd received a gift, too.

I looked down at the tattoo on my arm.

Seeing this, I knew that what just happened was absolutely not some illusion or dream.

Meow...?

The cat, roused by my voice, looked around.

After confirming that the terrifying dragon was nowhere to be seen, it apparently decided the whole thing had been a dream and began purring in my arms.

Yeah, you're better off thinking it was a dream.

"Well then, shall we head back?"

I held the cat and walked in the direction the dragon had pointed.

How long had I walked?

'Oh, there it is!'

A Gate, faintly visible in the distance.

I quickened my pace.

"Come on, let's go home!"

Meow!

*

Republic of Korea, Hunter Management Bureau Headquarters, Situation Room.

Beep beep beep!!

At the emergency alert, Kim Jun-o immediately picked up the phone.

"What's going on?"

-A Gate has appeared! Estimated S-rank!

At the words "S-rank," Kim Jun-o's eyes went wide.

"What? Estimated S-rank? What type?"

-We don't know yet. It's far away, but it was so powerful that the detector picked it up. We're heading toward the point of origin now!

"Okay. The moment you get confirmed coordinates, I'll deploy an analysis team to the scene, so keep moving in!"

-Yes, sir!

The instant Kim Jun-o hung up, he shouted to the situation room staff.

"Estimated S-rank Gate in Gangseo District. We deploy the analysis team as soon as coordinates come in. Get them on standby now! It could be an Emission Gate, so send out an emergency alert to civilians, and contact every A-rank and above Hunter available for immediate mobilization!"

"Yes, sir!"

"On it!"

Gates had begun appearing worldwide five years ago.

At first, everyone assumed they were all the straightforward kind: go in, eliminate the Monsters, come back out, and the Gate closes.

But as increasingly varied types of Gates started appearing, early response to Gate emergence became critical.

That was why the Bureau had expanded its personnel and dispatched patrol units equipped with Gate Detectors.

This had revolutionized the speed of early Gate detection, but.

Since the detectors could only provide rough readings, the standard procedure was to deploy additional personnel after the initial detection.

"We're contacting A-rank and S-rank Hunters now. We'll put them up on screen as responses come in!"

Given the emergency, the situation room was buzzing with activity.

"What did you say? An estimated S-rank Gate?"

Team Leader Heo Min-cheol had come running the moment he heard the news.

"Of all places, an S-rank Gate in Seoul?"

"At least it's on the outskirts."

Team Leader Heo Min-cheol bit his lip.

"Damn it. Yun Hae-chan is in the middle of clearing an A-rank Gate right now. Lee Gi-cheol and Hong Ye-na have both burned through too much Mana, so they'll need a few days of rest."

Korea's Hunters had already expended considerable fighting power during the large-scale Gate clearing operation not long ago.

Not only Bureau-affiliated Hunters, but even the top S-rank Hunters from the most prominent guilds were currently not in fighting shape.

If this turned out to be an Emission Gate, or a boss-type Gate with a tight time limit for clearing, the outskirts of Seoul could suffer serious damage.

"Of all the timing..."

Team Leader Heo Min-cheol let out a grim murmur.

For now, they were scrambling to contact A-rank Hunters and get confirmations of availability.

Beep beep beep!

The alert rang again, and this time Heo Min-cheol grabbed the receiver himself.

"What is it!"

-T-Team Leader, sir?

"Yeah, it's me, so report already!"

-The, the Gate's Mana signature has suddenly disappeared!

At the voice from the other end, Team Leader Heo Min-cheol's brow furrowed.

"What? What do you mean by that? Are you saying a Gate never actually appeared? That can't be right!"

This wasn't some weak F-rank Gate with a faint Mana signature.

They had detected an estimated S-rank Gate, and now the signal had just vanished?

Either there was an equipment malfunction that produced a false reading.

Or the Gate had been cleared.

It had to be one or the other.

But the detector was the latest model and had never malfunctioned before.

And someone had dealt with an S-rank Gate the instant it appeared, before the Bureau even found it?

That didn't make any sense either.

-Please wait! We got an approximate coordinate range while approaching, so we're heading to the location now!

Some time passed.

-Team Leader, sir...!

"What's the situation?"

-There's no Gate! There's nothing here!

"Nothing? Send me the estimated coordinates first!"

-Yes, sir!

Team Leader Heo Min-cheol's eyes narrowed.

Then he shouted to the situation room staff.

"Pull up every CCTV camera near those coordinates and get it on screen, now!"

"Team Leader! Every CCTV camera near the coordinates went dead during the timeframe in question. It appears to be caused by the Mana shockwave from the Gate's emergence!"

Then the detector hadn't malfunctioned after all.

"So you're telling me someone actually cleared an S-rank Gate in that window?"

"I-I don't know. Could a new S-rank Awakener have appeared? There are cases where people awaken alongside a Gate appearing."

"Even so, the clear time doesn't make any sense!"

Even assuming the Gate's clear conditions were simple, it was still S-rank.

It wasn't as if a large-scale raid had gone in. Given the timeframe, it would mean someone walked right into the Gate the moment it appeared, cleared it, and walked right back out.

If a Hunter capable of soloing an S-rank Gate that quickly had appeared...

The Bureau wouldn't be the only ones scrambling. Major guilds and even international organizations would be falling over themselves to recruit them.

'Scrambling wouldn't even begin to cover it. This could be someone capable of singlehandedly shattering the balance between the Bureau and the major guilds.'

Heo Min-cheol spoke to Kim Jun-o.

"Expand the CCTV range and track any non-Awakeners who passed through or lingered near the area during that timeframe."

"Yes, sir!"

"We have to make contact first. Before the guilds catch on."

Heo Min-cheol's gaze darkened.

*

Fortunately, the Gate exit was connected to the same alley I had entered from.

I'd been worried I might pop out somewhere like America, so that was a relief.

Apparently that sort of thing had actually happened before.

I let the cat go in the alley, and it gave a meow of farewell before trotting off on its way.

I didn't try to bring it with me.

Running an Animal Hospital, if I started taking in every sick animal I came across, there'd be no end to it.

It wasn't as if I was doing this out of some grand sense of mission, anyway.

Treat cute animals here and there, earn some money, get that warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction.

What I wanted was exactly that kind of easygoing life.

A long, steady, uneventful life.

"Now then, how about some chicken and beer?"

On the way back, I called in a chicken order for pickup, bought some beer, and grabbed the chicken on my way home.

"Ahh! This is it!"

Boneless fried and soy garlic chicken, nothing but pure thigh meat.

A cold can of beer.

And the rest of the weekend still ahead!

"Now this is a Friday night."

Absolute heaven.

'Earlier, at the convenience store and the chicken place, nobody seemed to notice the tattoo on my arm.'

I'd rolled up my sleeves on purpose and casually set my items on the counter while watching for reactions.

Nobody so much as glanced at my arm.

Seemed like I really was the only one who could see it.

I cracked open a can of beer and was about to take a swig when.

Ring ring ring!

My phone rang loudly.

"Hm? Who is it?"

[Jeong Yun-a]

"Oh, my sister."

"Oppa! Are you okay?"

"Okay from what?"

"What do you mean 'from what,' the S-rank Gate! Didn't you see the emergency alert about an S-rank Gate appearing in Gangseo District? You're alright, right?"

"Aah."

If I answered with 'I accidentally wandered into it, healed a dragon, and came back out,' things would get out of hand, wouldn't they?

I wasn't even sure she'd believe me, but it'd be a problem even if she did.

'The nagging would be absolutely relentless.'

Honestly, when it came to the tattoo on my arm, I'd been more worried about my sister's wrath than my mom's.

"Nothing happened, so don't worry. I'm at home right now tearing into some chicken and beer. Tell Mom I'm fine too."

At the mention of chicken and beer, a relieved sigh came through from the other end.

"Okay. There have been a ton of new types of Gates popping up lately, so be careful, oppa. You never know when you might get caught up in one, so stop staring at your phone while you walk and watch where you're going, okay? You're not even listening again, are you?"

"No, I am! I'm listening."

"I'm pretty sure I just heard you ripping into chicken."

"Come on, you listen to nagging with your ears, not your mouth. I can eat and listen at the same ti..."

"What? Nagging?"

"Oops!"

I hurried to change the subject with Yun-a.

"Oh right, your birthday's next week, isn't it? I'll send you some spending money, so buy whatever you want."

"Oh, really? Love you, oppa!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm hanging up."

"Mm-hm! Take care of yourself!"

Yun-a was a late child, a full ten years younger than me.

When we were little, I looked after her a lot while our parents were busy, so we weren't like those siblings in other families who fight every other day.

Compared to the typical brother-sister dynamic, we got along pretty well.

The one downside was that her nagging was sometimes worse than Mom's.

Still, objectively speaking, she was a cute and pretty little sister.

"Sending her around 300,000 won should be fine." [TL: approximately $220 USD]

Knowing Yun-a's personality, if I sent too much she'd just feel burdened.

<Transfer complete.>

Having sent the spending money, I took another long, refreshing swig of beer.

"Whew, I'm getting tipsy."

I was a total lightdrinker.

Just one can of beer and my face turned red, the buzz already creeping in.

But I actually thought that was a good thing.

I could get drunk spending less money than everyone else, right?

Where else could you find that kind of cost efficiency? You drink to get drunk anyway.

"Mmm, nice."

After watching a movie and finishing two cans of beer, thoroughly drunk, I pulled the dopey lion plushie from the corner of my bed into my arms.

Squishing the soft plushie made me feel good.

"A dog or a cat... I'd honestly love to have one."

Even if I couldn't take them all in, wanting to raise at least one animal I'd grown attached to was how I honestly felt.

But I'd never once brought one home.

After the ones I'd raised and lost before, I suppose I was scared to raise another.

Now that I'd awakened, I could keep them from ever getting so much as a sniffle, sure.

But I still couldn't stop aging.

No matter how healthy I kept them, all Restoration could fix were clearly damaged things like wounds and diseases.

The average lifespan of a dog is around ten years, early teens at best. Even with the best care, twenty was the absolute limit...

The healthier I kept them, the more attached I'd get, and losing them after all that would just be too painful.

For me, the best I could do was work as a vet, treating sick animals and helping them live the happiest lives possible by their owners' sides.

That was what I'd always believed.

And that was how I'd planned to keep living.

"Aaaagh!! I still wanna raise a dog, though!!"

I mumbled through my drunken haze and drifted off to sleep.

"Mmm..."

Wait, didn't the tattoo on my arm just glow faintly for a second...?

'No way.'

I mean, nothing was attacking me.

Must've been my imagination.