Chapter 27: Serve Me.
*
Gang-ho, Lisa, Reina, Satoshi, and Inder followed Lee Jeong-hoon as he guided them to the upper levels of Newcastle.
“So, why Newcastle?”
While hearing a brief overview of the situation in Pyongyang during their journey, Lisa inquired about the castle’s name.
“Well, it’s because the lord is a huge fan of the Newcastle team from the EPL…”
“Really?!”
Lee Jeong-hoon, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he answered, was met with Lisa’s astonished expression.
“What a simple and straightforward name.”
Reina agreed.
“Right? I thought it was going to be some grand name that signifies the dawn of a new era or becoming the center of a new age, but it’s just the name of a football team?”
Gang-ho walked along, contemplating differently. Regardless of the name, he felt the castle was well-built. The structure and functionality were not just haphazardly thrown together.
‘This looks like the work of a professional. Building such a structure in just a month?’
Aside from the questions, Lee Jeong-hoon’s other explanations continued to echo in his mind.
‘He mentioned that the moment the dimensional gate opened, time simply stopped, as if it were a lie.’
Exactly one minute. It felt like being underwater, like experiencing zero gravity in space, he had said.
But that didn’t mean nothing happened during that time. There were no catastrophic disasters like explosions, earthquakes, subway collapses, or dam failures. Just that power plant facilities and broadcasting systems had all come to a halt.
As Lee Jeong-hoon continued explaining, Inder chimed in quietly.
“It’s a dimensional rift phenomenon. That must have happened in other dimensions as well.”
Gang-ho had a question too. It was about the people that had suddenly vanished.
“People didn’t start decreasing in number from the beginning.”
It was said that they had gradually diminished without a trace, like sand slipping through fingers.
“Given how the country has come to this point, to say nothing happened…”
Lee Jeong-hoon responded to Reina’s musing.
“To be precise, it’s not that nothing happened. The energy emanating from the dimensional gate devastated the city.”
Of course, this only pertained to Seoul and its immediate vicinity, where the gate had opened. Other regions had been subtly influenced, as if ink was seeping into paper. Naturally, the damage could not compare directly to that of Seoul.
While people were unaware, entities from beyond the dimensional gate had invaded Earth.
“There was an announcement. They said a contract was established. So, there’s no need to worry.”
“Who would make such a contract?”
“Nobody knows. They just referred to themselves as the ‘agents of the gods.’”
Agents of the gods.
Whether that entity was a group or an individual or how they managed to represent humanity in forming a contract with another world was completely unfathomable.
‘What on earth are they?’
At least, it was somewhat reassuring that the contract had stipulated that the alien species wouldn’t engage in killing. However, with time, it became apparent that something was off. And eventually, the weaknesses of the contract were revealed. It turned out that it wasn’t just them who could engage in killing.
“Engaging in killing? So, who besides them has killed people?”
Lee Jeong-hoon replied with a bitter smile to that question.
“As you know, how many people die from diseases or accidents on Earth in a day?”
The beings that crossed through the dimensional gate resurrected those deceased to make them their minions. They were, in fact, the ones attacking people, and that wasn’t a breach of contract.
“Does the contract have any enforcement?”
“Of course. Although I’m not entirely sure,”
He stated that in such cases, the dimensional gate would be destroyed immediately without conditions. If the gate was destroyed and closed, the entities that had crossed over would automatically perish as well.
“So, what about humans that crossed over? Do they die too, even if they haven’t done anything wrong?”
“Well, I don’t think so. I believe the two-way dimensional gate switches to one-way.”
It was just like a road concept. There were places where you could cross paths despite being one lane and places designated for one-way traffic.
“However, that’s not necessarily a good thing,”
Since the treaty itself had been destroyed, human safety could no longer be guaranteed in the other world. Hence, there was no reason to risk one’s life to enter those dangerous places.
“So now, does the current situation mean it’s not a breach of contract, and by contrast, are humans unable to attack them because of the agreement?”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
When Reina asked incredulously, Lee Jeong-hoon could only return a helpless response.
“The number of humans is decreasing while the undead are increasing…”
At that, someone let out a groan.
Ugh.
“But at the World Species Repository, how many lives did that black substance, the dark app, take? Doesn’t that count?”
That was yet another sudden observation from somewhere. At those words, Lee Jeong-hoon seemed taken aback.
“Wait, black substance? It even appeared in the Species Repository?”
“Eh? You know about it?”
“Yes. This world ended up like this, not through physical destruction, but because of that!”
He stated that as soon as the dimensional gate opened, that substance appeared everywhere simultaneously.
Military bases, police stations, the Blue House, and broadcasting stations—places that would typically be the first targets in a war were wiped out in an instant.
“Then isn’t that engaging in killing?!”
In response to Lisa, who was expressive with her emotions, Lee Jeong-hoon shook his head quietly.
“They say it didn’t originate from their world. They are denying any knowledge of it.”
“Seriously, what’s with that…”
Gang-ho focused primarily on listening. As he absorbed the information, he quickly combined various possibilities in his mind. Curious about how the world ended up like this, he found it intriguing that some of his questions were being answered.
Just then, as this conversation progressed, Lee Jeong-hoon stopped walking.
“Here we are. Please wait here for a moment.”
He pressed a bell, and a gigantic door opened heavily from both sides.
Creek. Cre-eak.
After a moment, another man, rather than Lee Jeong-hoon, came out to guide them. Inside was a space the size of a dome stadium.
“Wow. Is this indoors?”
At the far end of the room, there was indeed a grand throne, something you would only see in the medieval era, and a woman in black leggings was seated there.
Gang-ho scrutinized her further.
‘Park Si-yeon.’
Behind her stood numerous men, all tall and handsome, providing her with protection. It was as if ten Gang-hos had been lined up.
“Are they bodyguards?”
Just as Reina muttered that, a voice echoed like it was transmitted through a microphone.
“Welcome. I’m glad you arrived at my castle.”
As soon as they heard her voice, it felt like something was tightening around them. The unfamiliar sensation made it hard to focus on her unusual manner of speaking.
As they got closer, she turned out to be a rather alluring woman.
Her eyes were elongated without double eyelids, with short, thick eyelashes. The look in her eyes felt like they could grasp a person’s heart tightly. Moreover, her nose looked as if it had been gently molded with clay, and her thin, red lips gave off an intriguing impression.
“She looks just like a woman from a Japanese shunga.”
At Satoshi’s murmuring, Gang-ho couldn’t help but concur.
‘True. She looks like a gisaeng from Korea’s Joseon dynasty.’
Anyway, she was a different kind of Eastern beauty compared to the Western-style beauty they were used to. However, the following questions surfaced—her image was strikingly different from what they had previously heard, leaving the group feeling somewhat bewildered.
‘Have we been too one-sided and demonized her?’
But they quickly confirmed that it wasn’t the case.
“Being ugly is a sin. Conversely, being beautiful is virtue.”
With that sudden statement,
“You. I like you. Serve me.”
This was a pointed order directed right at Gang-ho.
And then, she added,
“Although it’s an exception, the women here are pretty, so they deserve to stay. But, as slaves.”
How could someone spit out such nonsensical words so casually, followed by even more unbelievable statements?
“For now, I will take the armored vehicle you came in as a tribute.”
Did she genuinely consider herself a lord, a queen, or something along those lines?
“It’s a kind of Ripleys syndrome. When you get down to it.”
As if she read Gang-ho’s mind, Lisa beside him named the woman’s diagnosis.
Satoshi muttered, “So, she’s just crazy?”
Everyone around them nodded silently in agreement.
Just then, Lee Jeong-hoon on the platform whispered something into the woman’s ear.
Then, with an intrigued expression, she leaned forward to look closely at the group.
‘……!’
Though she had a slender figure, the outline of her cleavage was strikingly visible.
“Wow, a slender big chest!”
At Satoshi’s exclamation from the side, Gang-ho was startled, feeling like his thoughts had been exposed.
Meanwhile, the woman pointed at Gang-ho and spoke.
“You there, tall, fit, and handsome. You must be Han Gang-ho? They say you’re an Awakened One. What kind of abilities do you have?”
“……”
Gang-ho chose not to answer. Instead, he felt the need to show his powers.
Zzzzap.
Instead of a specific area, lightning erupted all over his body.
Certainly, it was much more powerful than the first time, and with the control over his strength improved, he was able to create quite a stunning display.
Ooh.
Wow.
Gasps erupted from several members on their side.
Yet, Park Si-yeon’s reaction was utterly nonsensical.
“What a beautiful effect. I like it. You shall serve me.”
“……”
Not hearing any response from Gang-ho, she frowned, emphasizing further.
“The commands here are absolute. Disobeying means expulsion.”
The atmosphere shifted dramatically. With an overwhelming pressure, a violet mist began to rise around her.
Ugh!
*
See next chapter.
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