NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
I originally planned to include this in Chapter 2.
But if I did, bricks would start piling up from Chapter 2.
No, it would be the Great Wall of China.
So, I want to briefly touch on it this time.
As I mentioned before, there are mainly two types of gates.
One is a gate that moves to another place, and the other is a monster gate where monsters appear.
Even those gates can be divided into two types.
One suddenly occurs randomly.
The other one is a fixed gate where coordinates are specified for movement.
Currently, in the case of random gates, only monster gates exist.
This is one of the main reasons why South Korea, despite having strong firepower in the past, was ravaged by monsters.
There is no more threatening attack than a surprise attack from an enemy that cannot be pinpointed.
Especially, an attack that is close to infinite.
However, things are a bit different now.
Random gates emit a unique wavelength about 20 minutes before they occur.
This is what is being utilized.
Ability users affiliated with the government can detect this wavelength and identify and communicate the location through contact methods.
From this point, it can be said that the counteroffensive against monsters began.
On the other hand, the method of specifying coordinates from fixed gates has a slightly different nature.
It is a method of temporarily forming a gate by specifying coordinates through the magical power held by certain individuals.
Those specific individuals are, of course, a minority.
To differentiate themselves, they called themselves Gate Creating Ability Users instead of the nickname “Irasshaimase!” that used to be said.
Up to this point, it wasn’t bad.
After all, they were registered with the government and were utilized whenever needed.
However, there is a saying that a person’s greed knows no bounds.
The Gate Creating Ability Users started to go on strike suddenly without any warning at crucial moments.
Of course, it was selfish behavior only for their own benefit.
At that time, a post appeared in the anonymous community of the Gate Creating Ability Users.
– Car카5Gate: Let’s stop providing gate services for just one week. Then the government might wake up, right?
– Gate 못 버려: How hard is it to open a gate? Rather than showing us any consideration, they even stopped us from watching YouTube every time we open one.
– HOXY: Are you mad? If you’re mad, then directly make it yourself, idiots.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61.110.219.59): Fine. I’m off. Wait for me.
So they really made it.
They said the scariest Korean government is the hardworking Korean government.
They analyzed the existing fixed gates in detail by grinding the country’s engineers.
As a result, what was created was nothing less than an artificial gate that anyone could use.
Unlike existing gates, anyone with magical power could specify the coordinates for the gate.
Now, the government was starting to grasp the leash of the Gate Creating Ability Users.
Of course, this didn’t end there.
Artificial gates were widely distributed across the country.
By the time the runaway government came to its senses, they had already spread more than Lotteria.
Soon, the jobs of the Gate Creating Ability Users began to disappear.
Here, the icing on the cake.
With the swift passage of laws, the indiscriminate use of abilities by Gate Creating Ability Users was prohibited.
And they were forced to be hired as public servants with worse treatment than grade 9 officials.
If they refused, their accounts would be frozen.
If there was a concern of fleeing, they could even be arrested.
The whole process didn’t even take several months.
Why am I suddenly talking about this?
Because a gate has just been created right here in the sparring ground.
*
Midterms.
That damn echo no matter where you go.
You couldn’t escape it even at the academy.
First-year students, unlike other grades, must also take theoretical exams.
The ratio is about 2 theory to 8 practice.
“Why the hell is the score ratio so messed up despite cramming theoretical knowledge?”
But there are still two weeks left.
That’s enough.
Midterms are usually prepared the day before, after all.
So today, I was training in practice as always.
Of course, the opponent was Professor Pilyong.
“Kim! Try to dodge better!”
“Y-You have about as much conscience as your hair, Professor.”
“Shut up, you b*tch!”
At that moment, an unexpected event occurred.
Suddenly, the center of the sparring ground wavered, and a mirage rose.
After a moment, a gigantic blue gate appeared there.
Everyone who saw it acted the same way.
They checked their phones to see if a disaster message had arrived.
However, there were no disaster messages.
Someone specified the coordinates to come here.
It’s not an artificial gate either.
But who opened a gate here by specifying coordinates?
It was obviously someone coming to mess with the academy or a high-ranking person visiting out of boredom.
But whether this place was worthy of that was questionable.
Logically, this place was filled with either noobs or practice noobs.
I wondered if they came to watch the antics of the low tiers.
Sure, the novice fight is super interesting.
At that moment, a gigantic figure began to walk out of the gate, fitting its size.
The estimated height was 4m, body length 8m.
White fur like snow and a shimmering silver mane and tail.
A piercing blue eye that looks fierce.
A single thick and sharp horn scarred with small wounds.
That was right.
It was a unicorn.
No one in the sparring ground could speak in the face of the unicorn’s appearance.
Perhaps it was due to the presence emanating softly from the unicorn that silenced them all.
Everyone just quietly fixed their gaze on the unicorn.
I was no different.
Except for one difference.
Damn it. Even a horse can regress, why can’t I?
My gaze was fixed on the unicorn’s horn.
Specifically, the number above the unicorn’s head.
A number that proves the ability to regress.
Regardless of my feelings, the unicorn began to tilt its head slowly.
It seemed to be acting as if something was strange.
After a brief moment, I began to hear a telepathic voice from the unicorn.
[I’m sure I entered the coordinates correctly.]
As soon as the words ended, another unicorn rushed out of the gate.
It was slightly smaller, and its tail and mane were closer to white than silver.
However, it was undoubtedly a unicorn in appearance.
That unicorn exhaled roughly while urgently communicating with the first unicorn.
[Great Unicorn! I’m sorry! The coordinates were wrong!]
[You have never failed before. What’s the matter?]
[I calculated the spatial distance based on what the Ear Goblins… or rather, the elves told me and entered the coordinates, but a problem occurred there.]
[What kind of problem?]
The Great Unicorn displayed a mixture of curiosity and doubt on its face.
A question of why it failed.
And the interest in someone who had never made a mistake before making one.
With a somewhat glum face, the unicorn spilled its telepathic voice.
[I was told the spatial distance in yards instead of meters.]
[Ah, it can’t be helped. Return quickly.]
Thus, the conversation between the Great Unicorn and the unicorn ended.
Perhaps too focused on the conversation, or perhaps not thinking of something due to the sudden variable.
The Great Unicorn finally noticed the people around it.
As if to remember the current scene before leaving, it slowly began to turn its head and survey the surroundings.
And then for a moment.
The number above the Great Unicorn rose by one.
What’s it watching to regress?
Suddenly, the appearance of the Great Unicorn changed.
The calm and gentle demeanor from a moment ago disappeared, and it began to tremble and breathe heavily.
Just as I was about to question this sudden change.
In an instant, the appearance of the Great Unicorn vanished.
“AAAH!!!”
“Ugh!!!”
As soon as the Great Unicorn’s figure disappeared, a scream erupted.
The screams came from the sparring ground, slightly removed from the gate.
The victims were impaled on the Great Unicorn’s horn.
One male student and one female student.
However, the Great Unicorn nonchalantly shook off the male and female from its horn as if such acts were nothing.
Only then did the gazes of the others turn toward the Great Unicorn.
It was not the gaze that followed the movement from a moment ago.
It was a gaze that only moved after having heard the screams.
As the people’s eyes filled with shock and fear, the Great Unicorn shouted furiously with bloodshot eyes.
[Brothers!!!! Purify this filthy and disgusting place!!!!!!]
The gate began to tremble violently, much more intensely than before.
Before long, a slightly smaller group of unicorns poured out.
It was the arrival of the unicorn legion.
Although they were smaller in size compared to the Great Unicorn, their reactions were similar.
The unicorn legion began to tremble all over, breathing heavily, just like the Great Unicorn had.
Finally, the Great Unicorn shouted loudly.
[Everyone, purify this place as Non-Virgin Slayers!!!!!]
[[[[[[[[Purify!!!!!!!]]]]]]]]
All unicorns began to scatter and sweep around the sparring ground.
Compared to the Great Unicorn from just a moment ago, they were relatively slower.
However, to those watching, it was fast enough.
The once-peaceful sparring ground transformed into chaos in an instant.
[Those who do not cherish virgins! Repent!]
[You lost your virginity? I’ll take that neck off!!!!!]
[This filthy place will become more unsightly! We’ll deliver punishment before it becomes more unsightly!!!]
[The heroine’s virginity is more precious than life!!!]
A sudden disaster had descended.
The students could not even think of resisting this calamity.
They had only chosen to flee in a disgraceful manner.
However, many students had already fallen victim to the unicorn’s horns.
“Save me!!!!! Why the hell did you freak out right after I lost it two days ago!!”
“Hey! Why are you blaming me!!! Honestly, you enjoyed it too!!! Ugh!!!”
“I’m innocent!! I regenerated my virginity with body regeneration!!! AAH!!!”
“F*ck! I’ve never done it! What? I’m already not a virgin?…What does that even mean?”
“I only did it from behind!!! I still haven’t done it from the front!!! Aah!!!”
In an instant, blood began to spill all over the sparring ground.
Even if the sparring ground system turned off, the wounds would return to normal.
That said, the pain wouldn’t vanish either.
It was only natural that students began to lose consciousness due to the pain.
I heard that there were people pierced in front of motels every Christmas.
Those bastards were the culprits.
Maybe it was because I was a former hunter.
Professor Pilyong was hastily evacuating the students.
In the midst of this, he faced off against the approaching Great Unicorn.
“What are you doing to the research students! No, to the students!”
In an instant, countless icebergs sprung up, restricting the Great Unicorn’s movement.
At the same time, Professor Pilyong shot sharp ice chunks conjured in the air.
[You are doing unnecessary things!]
“Ahk!”
Indeed, it was an unnecessary thing as the Great Unicorn said.
The oncoming ice hit the Great Unicorn directly, leaving not even a scratch.
Instead, the Great Unicorn continued to charge forward fiercely, piercing Professor Pilyong’s heart with its sharp horn.
It merely shook off the tragically struggling Professor Pilyong mechanically.
Turning its gaze, it searched for another prey until its eyes met mine.
Slowly, the Great Unicorn began approaching me, gazing at me.
Damn it, how do I catch something I can’t even see?
According to the threat level of registered creatures by the government, unicorns are at a borderline level.
They can be very aggressive depending on the situation, and are not afraid of getting hurt in combat, fighting with all their strength.
Until their life’s flame is extinguished.
That ferocity is a double-edged sword.
Even if they are at their own demise, they can still drag down a small nation with them.
That means they fight recklessly.
But there’s a reason why they are only at a borderline level.
They are sentient beings that can communicate. Their attacks are very linear and simple.
They can also be highly friendly to specific individuals, willingness to offer everything.
Of course,
That thing is definitely not at a borderline level.
The Great Unicorn had now approached me.
It paused, no longer moving, and began staring at me.
Feeling burdened by that gaze, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
At least there’s some good news.
Thanks to Professor Pilyong’s swift handling, quite a number of students had fled far away from the sparring ground.
Has Hyeji managed to avoid it?
At that moment I caught a glimpse of Hyeji far off, safely distanced from the gate.
She seemed to be in the safest area as the unicorns weren’t interested in that direction.
Seeing that, I felt a slightly relieved.
Of course, that relief didn’t last long.
Before long, dozens of unicorns surrounded me.
The immense pressure began to make my hands that held the longsword and shotgun tremble.
Today’s lunch is horse meat, you damned beast.
I tried to suppress the rising fear and focused my mind.
Just as I managed to calm my shaking hands and was about to charge in.
[This can’t be… this is…!]
The red number above the Great Unicorn’s head rose by one.
It immediately lowered its head and knelt.
Not me, but the Great Unicorn.
In the sudden situation, I couldn’t help but question.
What’s happening? What’s going on?
But the strange phenomenon did not stop.
Even the other unicorns began to kneel and lower their heads.
Many strange images flashed in my mind.
At that moment.
[Noble soul, indeed.]
“……Huh?”
The Great Unicorn’s voice came to me telepathically.
In a silky, smooth tone devoid of earlier rage and disgust.
[A being of brilliant pure white purity.]
“Huh?”
Once again I expressed my confusion at the sudden words from the Great Unicorn.
But what followed was even more unbelievable.
[You are our king.]
[[[[[[[[You are the king!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“…what the f*ck?”
The thunderous voice of the unicorn legion resounded grandly within the sparring ground.
Everyone fell silent at the sight.
The gossipy students, the other professors who rushed in to suppress the situation, and the staff trying to help.
All of them were casting bewildered looks my way.
Don’t look at me like that, you bastards.
I’m the one who’s the most baffled here.
Suddenly, I began to stutter in surprise.
“What do you mean by that…?”
[You possess the most beautiful soul I have ever seen in my life.]
“What have I done that could be called a beautiful soul?”
[This old being has seen fragments of someone’s life.]
Suddenly, the surreal dialogue began.
While keeping its gaze fixed on me, the Great Unicorn continued to speak.
[However, your life was nothing short of a brilliant light itself.]
“……Me?”
[Your being, living without any interaction with women, is indeed that of a saint.]
[[[[[[[[You are a saint!!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“What the f*ck. Wait a minute, stop.”
Suddenly, the feeling was strange.
If this continues, I feel like I need to put a stop to it urgently.
However, the Great Unicorn continued to speak without pausing.
[Such a noble soul should become our king… Oh no! We must enshrine you as our king!]
[[[[[[[[Please be our king!!!!!!]]]]]]]]
[Will you become the king of our unicorns? You are the God of Virginity!]
[[[[[[[[You are the God!!!!!]]]]]]]]
I didn’t decide to be this way! Damn it!
When those who can win an argument start to speak, it’s always the worst.
This is one of those moments.
Meanwhile, the students all had pitiful gazes directed at me.
I wondered if even Hyeji was giving me that kind of look.
…Why do you like this? Hyeji, this is a ridiculously sad story.
But their gazes were quite different in nature.
Anyways, the crazy unicorns were becoming even more frantic.
[Although there was a recent encounter with a woman, it was in a completely selfless manner!]
[[[[[[[[No selfishness at all!!!!!]]]]]]]]
[Oh, my king! Climb atop this old one and show your majesty to all!]
[[[[[[[[Show it to us!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“You’re just a bunch of bratty bastards! Why the hell is your nonsense a passive skill!!”
Ignoring my shouts, the Great Unicorn lowered its head as if inviting me to climb atop it.
These guys are totally insane.
They are indeed ridiculously crazy.
I wanted to ditch it all and go home.
Suddenly, I felt the cold gaze.
The gaze was coming from Hyeji.
Please stop glaring at me… I feel like I’m dying inside.
Angrily, I kicked the Great Unicorn’s head.
Or I tried to kick it.
However, my foot suddenly slipped, and I ended up climbing on the head of the Great Unicorn.
Seriously, can nothing ever go right?
As soon as I got on its head, the Great Unicorn lifted its head and began to slide me toward its back.
Just after the Great Unicorn stood up, the other unicorns began to rise as well.
Just then, the sparring ground system powers down, and the students who had collapsed began to wake up one by one.
The first sight met by the awakened students was the unicorns that had slaughtered them.
Students were horrified when they saw it, but soon they started questioning.
After all, they saw me atop the Great Unicorn’s back.
To gather everyone’s gaze, the Great Unicorn roared mightily.
[All you impious beings, behold!!! From now on, this person is our King of Unicorns!!!!]
[[[[[[[[The King of Unicorns!!!!]]]]]]]]
[And the God of Virginity!!!!!!]
[[[[[[[[The God of Virginity!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“Please shut up!!!!!!!!!!!”
Then suddenly the Great Unicorn glared at a nearby student with bloodshot eyes and said.
[Even you, who are such an impious being, are allowed. Yell it out! King of Unicorns!]
“U-Unicorn’s king…”
[Louder!!!!!]
“Unicorn’s king!!!!!”
[God of Virginity!!!!!]
“God of Virginity!!!!!”
This time, the Great Unicorn raised its front leg and stood up while carrying me.
With its hooves hitting the ground, dust arose.
Before the dust from the ground settled, the Great Unicorn began to gallop around the sparring ground.
The unicorn legion followed behind the Great Unicorn.
[Everyone shout together!!!! The King of Unicorns!!!!]
[[[[[[[[The King of Unicorns!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“””””The King of Unicorns!!!!!”””””
[The God of Virginity!!!!!!]
[[[[[[[[The God of Virginity!!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“””””The God of Virginity!!!!!!”””””
“Please stop, you insane bastards.”
For the first time, tears fell down my face, even when being hit by Mr. Kang-hyuk.
This was tears of sorrow and agony.
However, the Great Unicorn seemed to interpret this differently.
Seeing me cry made the Great Unicorn raise its voice even more.
[The king has been moved!!!!! Everyone shout even louder!!!!!]
The merry-go-round continued for 5 minutes.
The cheer grew louder, and proportionally, the tears I shed increased too.
Damn it. Seriously.
*
Immediately after the hellish unicorn parade ended.
The unicorns were preparing to leave.
[King! This old man and the foolish multitude will depart now.]
“Anywhere but here, please just don’t come back again.”
[Though this land is dark and gloomy, as long as we have a King of Unicorns, its future shall be radiant.]
“Please leave already.”
[Stay at peace.]
[[[[[[[Stay at peace!!!!!]]]]]]]]
“Get lost!!!!!!”
Those unicorns continued to ignore my pleas.
Thus, the unicorns departed through the regenerated gate.
As soon as the situation ended, the teachers and staff disappeared like ghosts.
In the end, only the students, including me, and Professor Pilyong remained.
Professor Pilyong scratched his head and spoke to me.
“Shinwoo, don’t worry too much. Someday…”
“I’m heading home early.”
“…Alright, go rest. I’ll inform the other professors about your attendance.”
The tear stains on my face remained unwashed.
Rather, new tears flowed along the same path as the old ones.
Thus, on my way to the dormitory, tears were all that streamed down my face.
By the way, shortly after, a meeting between the Korean government and unicorns occurred.
Compared to their former complete refusal to engage, this was quite a surprising development.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
The unicorns, mentioning keywords like ‘King of Unicorns’ and ‘God of Virginity,’ struck a remarkably shocking deal.
The first contract stated, ‘To protect South Korea as much as possible where the King of Unicorns resides.’
The second contract stated, ‘From December 24 to 26, all unicorns shall not come to South Korea.’
After this news spread, the academy awarded me a prize.
As a reason, I contributed to the peace of South Korea.
Thus, the award I received was called the ‘Virgin Peace Prize.’
That day, I took off early again.
Being recognized on such a scale hurt quite a lot.
My heart was in pain.
*
The day after the award ceremony.
It was so close to the midterms.
I too felt the pressure of the upcoming exams.
As soon as I stepped into the classroom, the students began to murmur upon discovering me.
“Look there. The King of Unicorns has arrived.”
“He is a god! The God of Virginity!”
I already wanted to kill them all.
Meanwhile, someone raised a question.
“Why is he a virgin with that face?”
“Isn’t he just aiming for boys?”
“Oh, so that’s why he made Hyeji wear a skirt?”
“I heard he made Jeong Ahyeon wear a mini skirt maid outfit.”
No wonder Hyeji looked extremely displeased.
One student was surely destined to be given a beating later.
While the students were gossiping and throwing around speculation, someone offered a rather novel idea.
“Maybe he just doesn’t stand?”
“That could be. Naturally, he’s eliminated since he can’t penetrate.”
“So he just acted as Jeong Ahyeon’s tutor? Since he can’t penetrate anyway?”
“He doesn’t stand but tutors his beloved. Isn’t that a pure love?”
“Those morons who said they don’t stand will see me later in the sparring ground.”
I silently engraved the faces of those students I planned to beat up later into my mind.
Then suddenly, a wave of anger surged.
Damn it, these bastards are feeding into this nonsense?
They can regress and also have sex too?
Life really isn’t fair.
I was pinning my hopes on “Sex 2” coming out.
Just then, Hyeji waved at me, noticing my approach.
“Hi, Shinwoo. Or should I call you the God of Virginity?”
“Please, don’t you start too. Damn it, I really want to die.”
“You haven’t even become a hunter and you’ve already earned a title. Congratulations.”
“F*ck.”
As Hyeji was smiling brightly, suddenly a thought seemed to strike her.
A hint of anger began to glimmer on Hyeji’s face.
“Shinwoo, but didn’t you have any specific intentions?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you have any selfish desires?”
For some reason, Hyeji’s gaze felt piercingly sharp.
As if I wasn’t already hurt from being called a virgin.
Her additional gaze seemed like it was literally cutting through my heart.
“…No, what are you talking about?”
“Do you really have to ask that?”
“I can’t know unless you tell me.”
“Never mind, it’s not necessary. Just drop it.”
“Seriously, you’re driving me crazy.”
Hyeji abruptly ended the conversation.
She then took out her phone and began contacting someone.
I guess she was calling her father.
Since then, she said she began to reestablish discussions with her father little by little.
Recently, she’s even been having conversations almost every three days.
Considering the silence of the past, that’s a significant improvement.
It was a very different atmosphere from my own family.
When I call my parents, in every instance I’m just greeted with some roaming message stating they’re abroad.
If I ever connect at all, it would cut off immediately.
Damn it, can I get treated like a son?
I guess they were too engrossed in making babies.
While I was thinking about names for my sibling, Hyeji spoke to me again.
“Shinwoo, by the way, there’s been another update about you in the campus newspaper.”
“I’m already at peace with it. Whatever comes out won’t hit me hard.”
“Oh really? Just take a look.”
Hyeji handed me her phone, which displayed the campus newspaper.
At the very top was an article titled “Applaud.”
The content was simple.
There was a single picture of me riding the Great Unicorn.
Right underneath was a brief note.
– God of Virginity
That stung.
It really stung.
‘Peace of mind? This feels more like a raging bull is striking hard.’
This journalist is definitely going to get beaten up after midterms.
I’m serious.