Right as President Kim Tae-Hoo stepped through the Gate into the Yuashiel Dimension, he let out a gasp.
It wasn't his first time entering a Gate. He had visited low-risk Gates before as part of his duties and had seen many others through photos and reports.
However, this Gate was different. If all the Gates he had experienced directly or indirectly so far could be described as hostile, wilderness-like zones teeming with danger, then this one felt like he had stepped into an entirely different country.
The scenery inside the Gate overwhelmed him. A massive castle, encircled by tall, thick walls, dominated the landscape. Well-dressed people mingled freely, chatting and sharing meals. He had never seen a Gate that led to a place filled with such clear signs of civilization and sentient life.
The representatives of each guild, who had been conversing with knights and elves, stood from their seats. Lee Yeon-Hwa stepped forward to represent the group. In terms of both position and presence, it made sense. There was no way she'd leave the introduction to that Crazy Bastard with outsiders present.
"I am Lee Yeon-Hwa of the Shine Guild, President Kim Tae-Hoo."
"Nice to meet you. Thank you for all your efforts."
President Kim Tae-Hoo exchanged polite greetings with the other guild leaders.
They had agreed that it would be premature for him to meet the Temple Alliance or approach the Elves directly. The title of president didn't carry weight in the Yuashiel Dimension. While they could explain the role and receive a degree of formal respect, that kind of shortcut wouldn't earn the meaningful recognition they hoped to build.
"Where is Guildma—I mean, Hero Kim Ki-Rok?" President Kim Tae-Hoo asked.
"You can say Guildmaster," Lee Yeon-Hwa replied.
"Ah, is that so? That's a relief. Calling him 'hero' felt a bit awkward."
The representatives burst into laughter.
"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok has gone to visit the World Tree with key figures of the Allied Forces," someone explained.
"Ah, I see. Should I wait here then?"
"No. Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok asked that we guide you to the garden as soon as you arrived."
President Kim Tae-Hoo nodded and moved forward with his aides, guided by the representatives. The farther they walked into the interior of the fortress walls, the more evident it became that a battle had taken place here. Yet, seeing Elves resting casually on the ground and humans in white priest robes, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that he was walking through the set of an elaborate outdoor film.
"Hahaha! We were all speechless the first time we saw it too," one of the guild representatives replied.
Though they didn't show it at that moment, the representatives had been deeply shocked when they first encountered the Elves. If not for the backing of a Saintess and their disguise as heroes, and if Kim Ki-Rok hadn't insisted they keep their mouths shut while he did all the talking, their first impression would have likely been disastrous.
"We've arrived. They're just inside this flower garden."
They stopped before an arched gate surrounded by a fence overflowing with blooming flowers.
Before them lay a breathtaking garden, awash in the colors of countless blossoms glowing softly under a full moon.
President Kim Tae-Hoo unknowingly let out an exclamation and slowly took in the view.
Several figures stood gathered at the center of the garden. Their backs were turned and their faces hidden, but President Kim Tae-Hoo recognized one of them instantly.
"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok hasn't taken off that armor yet," he noted.
The representative beside him stayed silent. Kim Ki-Rok was still clad in the same striking pink armor he had worn upon entering the Gate.
The thought of meeting a High Elf as well as the regent and Saintess of the Empire had made him a bit tense, but that tension vanished in an instant. President Kim Tae-Hoo found the absurdity of the moment so disarming that he laughed aloud and stepped forward cheerfully toward the center of the garden and greeted, "Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."
At the sound of his voice, the pink-armored hero turned around. "Ah! Your Excellency! I apologize for not coming to receive you myself."
As Kim Ki-Rok greeted him with exaggerated warmth, the five men and women who had been conversing with him turned their attention to President Kim Tae-Hoo.
He was the first to offer a formal greeting. "It's an honor to meet you. I am Kim Tae-Hoo, President of the Republic of Korea."
Then, the three High Elves introduced themselves in succession.
"I am High Elf Serena. A pleasure to meet you, President Kim Tae-Hoo."
"I am Achiaer. Greetings."
A young girl so radiant she seemed almost out of place in the setting stepped forward and offered a graceful bow. "I am Renee, a servant of the Goddess of Light and a representative of the Temple Alliance."
According to the report submitted by government Hunter Go Sung-Hoo, the Goddess of Light was understood to function as a kind of dimensional manager in this world. If the Temple Alliance held actual religious or political power akin to the Vatican on Earth, then someone like Renee could reasonably be seen as a figure of great authority.
"I am Pilarin The Graygon, regent of the Aians Empire, one of the nations belonging to the Continental Alliance. I extend greetings to President Kim Tae-Hoo of the Republic of Korea."
His greeting was noticeably longer than the others, yet it was not difficult to grasp; it simply demanded to be understood on a different level.
Unlike when receiving the polite introductions of the High Elves and the Saintess, President Kim Tae-Hoo extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
Having facilitated the meeting between the President of South Korea and the key figures of the Allied Forces before the World Tree, Kim Ki-Rok politely declined to join the summit and excused himself from the garden.
He had something else to do.
Arriving at the east gate of the castle, Kim Ki-Rok immediately approached the elf warrior standing guard.
"Ah, Hero Kim Ki-Rok. Greetings."
"Uh... Warrior Etede, right?"
The elf warrior froze for a moment in surprise. "Wow! Yes, that's right. I didn't think you'd remember... This is only our second meeting."
"I try my best to remember names."
The elf warrior, young by human standards, beamed as his eyes lit up.
"Well, back to the point. I have some work to do... Could I please borrow a room?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.
"Of course. Would you like a soundproof room?"
"Ms. Serena said we should grant your requests as long as they're not unreasonable. I'll guide you right away."
Kim Ki-Rok followed the elf warrior Etede into the castle. Along the way, many Elves could be seen with documents in one hand and skewers in the other, as if alternating between work and celebration.
Etede opened a door and gestured toward the room. "This is a soundproof lounge."
Though many facilities had been damaged during the battle against the monsters, Etede had led him to one of the most intact rooms, which included a sofa and a table.
"Very nice. May I borrow this room for a while?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.
"Ah, and if anyone comes looking for me, please direct them here."
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"Not at all. If you need anything else or have further business, feel free to ask anyone nearby. We'll be happy to assist."
As soon as the door closed with a soft thud, Kim Ki-Rok pulled a laptop from his subspace pocket and sat on the sofa.
He planned to upload the original, uncut footage first. It would be a not-so-live livestream of the battle. After that, he'd edit and upload the guild-focused video, followed by the epilogue.
"Damn. Did I install too many?"
With so many cameras deployed, stitching all the files into a single, coherent video was no simple task.
With the laptop now booted in front of him, Kim Ki-Rok rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. Then, he launched his video editing software.
Back on Earth, a subscriber to the DG Channel lay sprawled in bed after a long day of work.
"Huh, they do upload now and then..."
There were no major new uploads on the DG Metube channel. Well, technically there were those pre-recorded daily vlogs starring Kim Ji-Hee. Not that she was complaining. Watching Kim Ji-Hee, a literal angel on Earth, as the lead always brought a smile to her face.
Still, something felt lacking. Maybe it was because the first livestream she'd ever watched had been the punishment of the criminal Ma Ak-Soo. Since then, she had been hoping for something special—a real event, something shocking.
Still tossing and turning with her phone in hand, the subscriber finally sat up. "Got work tomorrow... I should shower and sleep soon."
The woman unknowingly let out a sigh, then plugged her smartphone into the charger and left for the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, she walked out while towel-drying her hair. After flinging it toward her washing machine and returning to her room, she quickly patted on some lotion, flopped back into bed, and picked up her phone.
An emoji appeared at the top of the screen. She scrolled down to check the notification. "Is it another daily vlog?"
A new DG Channel video had appeared. The subscriber didn't hesitate to click on it, as she had been eagerly waiting for something laughably absurd to appear.
"Huh? Three hours and twenty-three minutes?!"
She stared in shock at the video length. Tapping into it, she began scrolling through the comments as the ad played.
⤷ We beliieeeved you, DG Guild!
⤷ Wow, damn. So this is why they've been so quiet?
⤷ Wow. They're drop-dead gorgeous.
Must be one hell of a video.
The comments weren't criticizing the DG Guild for their silence, but empathizing with it. Even though a few curses flew around in the thread, none were aimed at the guild. Instead, it felt more like excitement. Perhaps they recruited new female members.
⤷ Even the men are beautiful.
That meant more than one person was being talked about.
As the ad ended, the subscriber scrolled back up and switched the video to full screen. The footage opened with a sweeping shot of a medieval-style fortress suspended in the sky, like something out of a fantasy movie or a game.
Wind blew across the screen as the camera zoomed in on Kim Ki-Rok, standing atop the castle wall.
"Crazy bastard..." she muttered.
As Kim Ki-Rok shut his mouth, light exploded behind him.
The pounding of footsteps followed the burst of light. The screen shifted to show what Kim Ki-Rok had been looking at: the land outside the castle. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel✦fire.net
The subscriber sat up abruptly. "Wha... what is that?!"
From a pitch-black forest, hundreds, maybe thousands of monsters surged forward. Giants, beasts with animal-like bodies, and creatures with distorted humanoid torsos stampeded across the battlefield. Some had skin mottled with black blotches that pulsed like living ink.
The subscriber stared, wide-eyed, at the siege unfolding between Hunters and monsters. She hit pause and rubbed her eyes with her left hand.
Kim Ki-Rok had vanished from the screen. In his place stood a young woman so beautiful it defied jealousy. But what truly mattered wasn't her beauty, but her ears.
The subscriber squinted at the paused frame. Even with a second look, it didn't change. A platinum-blonde young woman stood tall, her pointed ears unmistakable.