Avoidance Instinct
It was Saturday, and there was no school.
After lunch, my father and I prepared to leave the house.
“We’ll head out now! We’ll probably be back by dinner time,” my father called out.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Be careful not to get hurt and come back safely,” my mother said with concern.
“Yes, I will. See you later,” I replied reassuringly.
Though my mother worried upon hearing that I was going to fight in the field, she didn’t stop me.
She trusted my father’s judgment and chose to believe in me as I worked to grow stronger.
With a final wave, I turned away and followed my father.
“Shall we go?” he asked.
“Yes, let’s go now.”
Our destination was the Regulus Clan branch closest to our home—the clan where my father worked.
I climbed into my father’s car, and we set off.
After some time, a building came into view.
A blue emblem in the shape of a lion gleamed atop it.
“Is that the building?” I asked.
“Yes, this is where I work. Is it your first time seeing it up close?”
“Yes. I knew the location, but I’ve never been here before.”
The Regulus Clan, the origin of the Shinken Taoist school, was a renowned organization.
Founded during the Great Cataclysm by the first head of the clan, it now had branches all over the country.
This was one of them.
It was also the branch where my father served as the branch manager.
That was why I had come here today.
To enter dungeons, gates, and monster habitats managed by the state, one needed a hunter’s license.
Since I didn’t have such a license, my options were limited.
However, being the branch manager’s son granted me some flexibility.
Through my father’s authority, I could gain access to a gate owned by the clan.
That was my goal: to experience real combat by facing monsters inside a gate.
My father parked the car.
“Alright, let’s get out. Don’t forget your sword,” he reminded me.
“Got it,” I said, raising the sword high for him to see.
According to the game’s setting, the dimensions of this world had become increasingly unstable since the Great Cataclysm.
This instability caused frequent dimensional distortions, which gave rise to dungeons and gates.
Monsters emerged from these distortions, and some distortions became fixed, transforming into dungeons.
Gates, on the other hand, were phenomena where the world’s dimensions connected with another distorted world, creating a passage to that world.
‘If the gate isn’t resolved in time, it will result in an Outbreak, spilling the other world into reality.’
In the game, gates had to be cleared within a time limit to avoid catastrophic consequences.
For me, gates were more than just a dangerous anomaly—they were a key gameplay feature.
They kept players engaged, provided character development opportunities, and offered a break from the main story.
Gates also rewarded players with gate keys, which allowed them to revisit previously cleared gates.
That mechanic had been faithfully carried over to the real world I now inhabited.
“Let’s go get the gate key first. We can’t do anything without it,” my father said.
“Where’s the key?”
“It’s stored in the warehouse.”
We headed to the basement of the Regulus Clan’s Songpa-gu branch, where the warehouse was located.
Along the way, I met some of my father’s coworkers.
“Wow! Is this the branch manager’s son? He’s so cute!”
“Right? He looks so innocent. He doesn’t look like the branch manager at all—thank goodness.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” my father interjected, feigning indignation.
I introduced myself politely, but the clan members were overly enthusiastic.
They pinched my cheeks, ruffled my hair, and one particularly muscular man even hugged me.
“… Are you okay, Gyeonwoo?” my father asked afterward.
“… No,” I muttered, thoroughly exhausted.
Fortunately, the people we met after that were less aggressive.
“You look so kind. How old are you?”
“Be honest, branch manager—did you adopt him?”
“Well, your wife is beautiful, so I guess it makes sense.”
“Want to take a picture with your sister?”
While their comments were still overwhelming, they were at least more tolerable.
I greeted them politely and hurried to leave the area.
“Dad,” I said quietly.
“Yes, Gyeonwoo?”
“Are all hunters like that?”
“Well… not all of them, but some are,” he admitted.
“… .”
“It’s not easy staying sane when you’re risking your life fighting monsters every day,” he added apologetically.
It sounded like an excuse, but I decided to let it go.
Finally, we arrived at the warehouse.
A woman at the reception desk greeted us warmly.
“Hello, branch manager. I heard you’ll be entering the gate with your son today.”
“Yes. Do you have the key ready?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment—I’ll bring it out.”
She disappeared into the warehouse and returned shortly with a small box, about the size of my hand.
“This is the key you requested. Please check it.”
“Thank you. Also, could you confirm the room I reserved?”
“It’s room number 2.”
“Got it. Thank you for your help.”
With the key in hand, my father turned and left the reception area. I followed close behind.
“Where are we going now?” I asked.
“To the room with the artificial gate. It’s room number 2.”
A gate key alone wasn’t enough—you needed a door to activate it.
Artificial gates, created by human ingenuity, served that purpose.
However, due to their high production, maintenance, and management costs, only large clans like Regulus could afford them.
Soon, we entered a spacious room labeled “2.”
Inside, there was little to decorate the space, save for a massive circular iron gate embedded in the wall.
“That’s an artificial gate,” my father explained.
A keyhole sat at the center of the gate.
“We’re about to enter this gate. Are you ready? Think carefully. Once we go inside, we can’t come out until we clear it.”
My father’s tone grew serious as he turned to me.
But my resolve didn’t waver.
“I’ve thought it through. I’m ready. Besides, if I can’t conquer it, you’ll be there to finish the job, right?”
My father chuckled.
“Fine. Just don’t push yourself too hard. We don’t want your mom to worry.”
He pulled the key—a white-handled one—out of the box and inserted it into the gate.
As he turned the key, white ripples spread outward from the keyhole.
The gate began to glow, and the iron door turned white.
The gate was now active.
“Alright. I’ll go in first. Follow me in ten minutes.”
“Yes. Be careful.”
“Will do.”
He stepped into the gate, disappearing into the bright light.
After waiting a few minutes, I followed him.
A pure white light enveloped me as I entered.
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