The Final Gateway.
By “final gateway,” they meant the long mountain fortress that marked the boundary between the sacred zone and the next area. In other words, once you crossed that boundary, you’d reach the site of the Promised Temple—hence the name.
“Wow… it’s really long.”
“Not just tall, but the length is insane. I wonder how far it stretches?”
Nam Da-eun and Go Yeon-ju exclaimed one after the other.
As before, the final gateway was a structure that never failed to inspire awe. No one knew what it was made of, but its surface was neatly stacked with large gray bricks, fitting together perfectly. It stood at least ten meters tall, with walls over four meters thick.
But more than that, as Go Yeon-ju said, the sight of this endless wall stretching straight across the vast, open plain was nothing short of spectacular. It was like looking at the Great Wall of China.
Since no one could fly, crossing that gate was practically impossible by normal means. But there was one spot where you could walk through. Compared to the entire fortress, it was just a small hole, but for us, it was essentially a doorless passage.
Anyway, since we remembered the place clearly, we retraced our steps and found the path early enough to pass through the gate.
As soon as we crossed the final gateway, the scenery that greeted us was drastically different from the areas we’d passed before. If the previous four zones had been barren wastelands with no sign of life, this place was a vast expanse dotted with white buildings everywhere you looked—like a lonely ancient ruin covered in snow.
Only, most of the buildings had succumbed to the ravages of time, crumbling and worn, and the eerie silence gave the place a faintly apocalyptic, desolate vibe.
At this point, you’d expect someone to ask, “Where exactly are we?” or “Where do we go from here?”
But the four women had been silent since earlier. When I glanced back, they were all staring up at the sky, mouths slightly open, lost in thought.
Then Han So-young caught my eye, and with a sudden realization, she snapped her mouth shut and wore an inexplicably annoyed expression. I had no idea what I’d done wrong, but instinctively, I quickly looked forward again.
Raising my gaze slowly toward the front, amid the Ground Zero-like landscape, I spotted a massive structure that stood out alone—reminiscent of a grand palace.
Though it was some distance away and appeared faint, its scale was so immense that it was clearly visible even from here. Its gleaming white exterior radiated a sacred, mysterious beauty.
“…”
Yes.
The Promised Temple.
After about twenty minutes of walking, we finally arrived right in front of it.
It was impressive from afar, but up close, it was even more breathtaking.
The thick rectangular base supporting the entire structure was so massive and grand it took my breath away just to look at it. Above that, columns reminiscent of the Parthenon stood neatly in a row, and atop those was a structure identical to a Baroque-style church, connected to the pillars. The roof was finished with an elegant, old-fashioned arch.
This three-tiered temple was so tall it was impossible to measure.
“Phew!”
Someone suddenly exhaled loudly, followed by two more sighs. They were probably overwhelmed by the building’s grandeur without realizing it. I probably felt the same way the first time I saw it.
I smiled inwardly and glanced left and right. There was no path straight ahead, but on either side, stairs led up to the platform.
Well, we’d come this far—what was there to hesitate about? With that thought, I calmly moved toward the nearest stairs.
A moment later, stepping onto the long, wide staircase, we finally ascended the massive platform and stood before the temple.
“…Hah.”
Words couldn’t express the feeling. Seeing the white door adorned with strange symbols stirred something deep inside me. The moment I opened that door and climbed to the top floor, I would obtain the Zero Code for the second time. Feeling lighthearted, I reached out to push the door open.
“The Mercenary Road is—”
That’s when it happened.
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
A calm voice made me stop mid-motion.
“You seem like someone who’s been here before.”
“…What?”
I barely managed to ask, but my heart skipped a beat. Turning around in a daze, I found Han So-young looking at me with deep, intense eyes. How did she know? How could she tell?
“Come to think of it… don’t you know this place a little too well? It’s so vast, you’d think we’d get lost.”
Go Yeon-ju pretended to ponder, resting her chin on her finger as she asked. Though she smiled teasingly, her eyes were fixed squarely on me.
I hurriedly composed myself. I had no idea why she brought it up, but it was better to let it slide here.
“No way. Just lucky, I guess. Haha.”
I shrugged and joked, but Go Yeon-ju narrowed her eyes and pouted slightly. At that moment, Han So-young’s head tilted forward just a bit. I realized I’d forgotten about her heightened senses. That was a mistake.
Next, I felt a sharp glance from the side, but I cleared my throat and turned away. Hastily, I pushed the door open and stepped inside, feeling almost pushed forward.
So, after five long years, I was entering the Promised Temple again—but there was no time to savor the moment. A silent pressure kept poking at my back.
Though I knew the way and walked reflexively, sweat broke out and my heart pounded so hard my body trembled. I’d hidden it well until now…
But after walking in a daze for a while, I suddenly thought, what did it matter now? Once I got the Zero Code and left, it would all be over. Sure, it wasn’t something easy to talk about, but since the end was near, there was no need to hide it anymore.
When I came to my senses, I was climbing a dark staircase.
Had I really come this far? I’d been so distracted I hadn’t even noticed the interior or the mechanisms. Or maybe something had changed, since I’d made it here safely.
Glancing back, Nam Da-eun and Ma were peering around the wall beside the stairs. The other two women were deep in conversation, with Go Yeon-ju doing most of the talking and Han So-young nodding occasionally. Somehow, it felt like they were talking about me.
“Come to think of it, he always sneaks around quietly… huh?”
“!”
They must have sensed my gaze, because they stopped talking and looked at me simultaneously. Then, with a playful glare, they huddled closer and whispered even more, as if daring me to listen. Well, whatever.
Coincidentally, I reached the top of the stairs and opened the door leading to the upper floor with a smirk.
In that split second, a fierce inner conflict erupted.
For some reason, the temple’s guardian hadn’t appeared, and no traps had been triggered. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like the temple was letting us pass, just like the zone before. The problem was the path ahead—starting from the upper floors, a complex maze awaited.
Should I wander blindly, or take the path I knew?
The decision came quicker than I expected.
I chose not to hide anything.
As soon as I opened the door, sure enough, a vast space of winding walls appeared. At first glance, it was so chaotic you couldn’t tell one corridor from another. But I strode confidently into the maze.
As expected, the guardian never showed up. Not once did any traps or shifting mechanisms activate. I quickly navigated the maze, climbed the stairs, and cleared the next floor in no time.
Each floor took about ten minutes to conquer. Moving at lightning speed, I reached the top floor in under an hour.
The top floor was a tunnel-like corridor bathed in a soft blue light. At the end was a passage just wide enough for one person—completely dark, nothing visible inside.
I stopped at the corridor’s end, took a deep breath to steady my pounding heart.
This was where I’d obtained the Zero Code.
“Soohyun~ what kind of place is this inside~?”
Go Yeon-ju pointed toward the passage, her curiosity obvious. She seemed to expect me to know, teasing me a little. I vowed to squeeze that cheeky spirit out of her later and replied with a mischievous tone.
“Who knows.”
“Huhhh~?”
“I can’t see inside. So, Istantel Low Road, would you turn on the light?”
“…”
But no matter how long I waited, Han So-young didn’t respond. She just stared at me silently and blinked once.
“…”
I had no idea what she wanted me to do. Feeling stubborn, I decided to stay silent and blink back. Let’s see how this goes.
Blink!
…blink?
Blink blink!
…blink blink?
Just as I was about to blink a third time,
“…Hoo. ────. ────.”
Han So-young let out a quiet sigh before softly beginning to chant the spell. A sudden wave of unease washed over me—as if winning didn’t quite feel like winning—but I forced myself to look straight ahead, pretending nothing was wrong. And I immediately regretted it. I should’ve just turned back.
“Light.”
But Han So-young had already finished the incantation, and a glowing orb of light appeared. Following the orb as it moved forward through the passage, I calmly stepped inside.
“Hmm. So you’ve finally arrived.”
…Huh? Who just spoke?
“Well, whatever.”
No, didn’t I just hear that from up ahead?
“How does it feel to be the second to reach the summit? Oh, summit of the past.”
It was at that moment.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
The true meaning behind the word ‘summit’ (頂上) holds a special effect that Kim Soo-hyun is unaware of.