Even now, the situation remained hard to process. I pinched my cheek just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but the scene unfolding before my eyes forced me to accept that this was reality.

After all, I was staring at Hee-Ra noona sitting in the middle of a completely devastated Lindel, stuffing herself with piles of meat and alcohol.

As if to prove that the battle we had just witnessed hadn't been an illusion, the old man's corpse still lay nearby. Judging by the way my hand instinctively reached for an empty wine glass, I didn't seem to have lost my mind either.

Still, I had to admit that we had narrowly avoided the worst-case scenario.

A Transcendent had appeared in the middle of Lindel without any warning. To put it bluntly, it was no different from the 27th Legion Summoning Incident happening all over again. No, this was even worse. Belial had crossed over under severe restrictions and could only use a fraction of his power.

Meanwhile, that old man had no such limitations. He was fully capable of unleashing his full strength, making him less a person and more a natural disaster that had suddenly landed in the center of a city.

"..."

"Honestly... I think he was more skilled than me," Cha Hee-Ra commented.

"..."

"It's a good thing the old man didn't fully understand the situation. Otherwise, I could have died. If that last attack of his had landed just a little higher, my brain would have been blown apart. Honestly, it's kind of amazing that I'm still alive," she added.

'No, it's not amazing that you're alive, noona.'

Watching her casually chew through chunks of meat, even though half her face was still being healed by a priest, made her survival seem perfectly natural.

I was amazed by how the food was even making it down her throat while her face was rebuilding itself. The regeneration wasn't even particularly fast. This wasn't the kind of injury that could be healed overnight.

It was the kind that required dozens of treatments over a long period of time, yet she was laughing it off as though it were nothing, despite suffering wounds that would justify all the complaining in the world.

'O-Our Hee-Ra noona really is the strongest,' I thought, but it didn't change the fact that she had been in real danger. In fact, just as she said...

'She could have lost... Damn it...'

It was that close. If my memory was serving me correctly, there hadn't even been enough time for Jung Ha-Yan or Commander Jin to intervene. Had she fallen here, the resulting disaster would have been unimaginable.

The continent would have lost one of its greatest military assets, but it wouldn't have been surprising if the entire Democratic Country had been reduced to ruins along with Lindel.

"So... what the hell is going on, darling?" Cha Hee-Ra asked.

"I'm not really sure how to explain it... but to get straight to the point, it looks like a gate connecting another dimension to our Tutorial Dungeons has opened. Have you ever watched murim movies or read wuxia novels?" I asked.

"I know the basics. The kind where people shoot energy blasts from their hands and stuff, right? Ah, that old man really was firing energy blasts from his palms. So, you're saying that... old fossil came from a world like that?" she asked.

I nodded slightly.

"More specifically, it seems the gate is connected to a place called the Bottomless Abyss, where that world imprisons its criminals. We still don't know exactly how the gate works or what caused it to open, but that's all the information we've managed to gather so far," I told her.

"Hmm... so there might be other monsters like that old man popping out of different Tutorial Dungeons, too?" she asked.

"That old man was an irregular even in his own world. Apparently, he's an old monster who has lived for over seven hundred years, and his title is something like Fiend Elder Mad White. Even if others come through, it'll be hard for them to make the same kind of impact.

"Demon Lord Star Swallower, who appeared in the Republic's Tutorial Dungeon, was killed by Xiaolin. I'd say their world is roughly the same level as ours. The number of irregulars should be similar to..." I explained.

"And how many of these irregulars do you think there are?" she asked.

"No idea. Nothing's certain. I think there's probably at least one more, but whether there are really other irregulars on the level of the Fiend Elder Mad White is impossible to say," I answered.

"Still, it means you've heard information about them from somewhere. Is there any way for us to enter the gate connected to that world through the Tutorial Dungeon t?" she asked.

"We're investigating. The problem is that we haven't found even traces of a gate, let alone the gate itself," I told her.

"..."

"..."

'She's absolutely planning to go in there.'

She seemed eager to stretch her legs a little more, and it was probably because of the fact that she had just woken up. Then again, the fight she'd been waiting so long for had ended in an anticlimactic way, so I could understand why she felt unsatisfied.

From my perspective, however, we couldn't let something like this happen again at all costs.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

"We're locking down and restricting access to every Tutorial Dungeon on the continent. We don't know whether this is a one-time phenomenon or something that's going to keep happening, but we can't risk another incident like this. I've already called some people over here, actually... You're okay with that, too, right, noona?" I asked.

"You're planning to use me as training material, aren't you, darling?" she questioned.

"I-If that's not okay..." I answered.

"I don't really care, but if you ever find a way to go over there, you're taking me with you. No exceptions. Got it?" she said.

"I... don't think I can promise that..." I muttered.

"Too bad. I've already decided. Hmm? Ah, looks like they're here."

'Speak of the devil, and it appears.'

I turned toward where Hee-Ra noona was pointing and saw several familiar faces approaching.

'Suzumiya Ibuki.'

"Greetings, Mr. Lee Ki-Young."

'Kasugano Yuno.'

"It's been a while."

'Cheon Kwan-Wi.'

"Unni... what exactly happened here? A-And what's wrong with your face?"

'Yu Ran.'

With Cha Hee-Ra and Jung Ha-Yan already present, that meant six members of the Democratic Country's Top Ten were gathered here. The Democratic Country's Eight Seats were reorganized into the Top Ten upon my removal, and for the first time ever, so many members of the Top Ten were here.

"And... why is that Republic bastard here?"

"..."

"Commander Jin will be departing shortly," I said.

"..."

"..."

"As you've probably already heard through the official reports, I felt it was necessary to explain once again just how serious the ongoing situation is, which is why I called all of you here.

"This isn't something limited to one location. It's happening across the entire continent. We still don't know how long this phenomenon will continue, but it looks like the Democratic Country—no, the entire continent will need to cooperate," I explained.

Lindel's destruction was one thing, but Cheon Kwan-Wi and Yu Ran seemed far more concerned about the massive wound on Cha Hee-Ra's face. They revealed faces that screamed that no human was supposed to be capable of injuring that monster.

Judging by the way their eyes kept drifting toward the corpse in martial robes nearby, they had already figured out who had caused those injuries. As expected, both looked more than a little shaken.

"But... why did you call only us, sir? I understand why the Blue Guild Master isn't here, and Miss Park Yeon-Joo of the Black Swan is apparently away on a mission, but the other two members aren't here either..." Yu Ran asked.

"Because titles like the Democratic Country's Top Ten are meaningless. How foolish," Cheon Kwan-Wi commented.

"What? What did you just say?" Yu Ran questioned.

"..."

"If you want an arrow through your forehead, keep talking, Cheon Kwan-Wi," Yu Ran said, threatening him.

"I apologize for calling you foolish," he replied.

"I-I'll accept the apology, but what do you mean by saying the Democratic Country's Top Ten are meaningless?" she asked.

"Try using your brain for once, Yu Ran. If the goal were to select the ten strongest individuals in the Democratic Country, then Jo Hye-Jin would obviously be one of them. The Blue Guild has plenty of powerful people. At least the four gathered here have symbolic value as representatives of the major cities and their respective factions.

"The remaining two were chosen to spread out the concentration of power centered in Lindel," he explained, then he added, "Explaining a situation like this to a couple of rookies who only recently graduated from being novices and still don't know their place would be pointless."

'Sharp as ever.'

I noticed Cheon Kwan-Wi glancing my way with a face that seemed to be asking whether he was wrong.

I said, "I won't deny it. The vacant positions often change anyway... and everyone necessary for controlling the Tutorial Dungeons within the Democratic Country is already here."

"..."

"This isn't going to be some grand strategy meeting. We don't have the time, and frankly, we don't have the luxury of time. There's only one thing I really want to say.

"Keep strict control over the Tutorial Dungeons in your cities. If you notice even the slightest abnormality, report it immediately to the Continental Protection Management Committee,” I instructed.

“...”

“The same applies if an incident occurs, and this isn't limited to the Democratic Country. The Republic, the Federation, and the Union have all agreed to cooperate as well..." I added.

"Wait, who made that decision, sir?" Cheon Kwan-Wi asked.

"I did," I answered.

"..."

"..."

'Look at Kwan-Wi hyung suddenly behaving himself.'

"Especially you two from Dawan... Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi and Miss Yu Ran. I should let you know in advance that you'll likely be receiving support from the Republic or providing support to them as the circumstances require.

"The continent has become rather chaotic all of a sudden, but... as always, I trust that all of you will handle it," I explained.

"..."

I glanced at Kasugano Yuno, only to find her staring silently ahead without any reaction. Apparently, even her eyes couldn't see what was coming this time.

"Then let's all return to our respective regions. Since you came here through the Warp Gates, anyway... I won't apologize for taking up your time," I said.

"If anything, I'm glad I came. Honestly, if I had only heard about it, it wouldn't feel very real to me... but seeing it with my own eyes... well... things have been too peaceful lately. Looks like it's time to stay on guard again. See you later, unni," Yu Ran said.

"Yeah, stay safe out there," Cha Hee-Ra said.

"And Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi, could you stay for a moment?" I requested.

"Sure."

'Right, I almost forgot.'

As soon as I rose from my seat, he immediately followed me. It was a little out of place given the current situation, but then again, perhaps it was precisely because of the ongoing situation that I needed to press the issue even harder.

"Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi," I said.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"E-Excuse me?"

"A girlfriend. Do you have one?" I repeated.

"N-No, not currently..." he answered.

"You should really start looking for a partner," I suggested.

"..."

"Personally, I think Miss Yu Ran would be an excellent match for you. What do you think, Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi?" I asked.

"I'm... not entirely sure what your intention is..." he muttered.

"I mean exactly what I said. I'd like to see the two of you get together," I told him bluntly.

"..."

He looked at me as though I had completely lost my mind. His face clearly said that he had no idea what I was talking about.

"I'd also like to see the two of you have a child," I added.

"What... exactly are you—"

"Actually, the more children you have, the better," I interrupted him.

"What are... saying right now..." he asked.

"It just occurred to me that the two of you would make a great couple. It's also a wonderful way to strengthen Dawan's unity. If things are difficult for you, I can help. Matchmaking happens to be one of my specialties," I offered.

"Th-That's... I mean... first..." he mumbled.

"..."

"First of all—"

"Within a year. You understand what I mean, right?" I asked, flashing him a big smile.

I watched him slowly nod as if he were under a spell.