No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 20

Ep. 20

Chapter 2

Encounters and Opportunities (7)

Gates generally appeared randomly. If no measures were taken and luck was bad, a gate could open in the middle of a bustling area, causing a major disaster.

In the early days, this was indeed the case. Until people researched and managed to control the probability to some extent, many countries, including South Korea, suffered significant damage.

Although the exact workings of magic and gates were not fully understood, several magical formulas had been developed to control the gates to some extent.

By drawing magic circles like protective barriers here and there and layering those ranges, the likelihood of a gate appearing within that area is significantly reduced.

Well, reduced, but not completely eliminated.

Moreover, beyond the gates lay materials and resources that were either impossible or extremely difficult to obtain in this world. Some creatures’ bodies contained rare earth elements, and there were even countries beyond the gates that could be interacted with. These countries often had civilizations that excelled in magic.

If the world had decided to close all gates, policies would have likely moved in that direction, but after it was revealed that gates could be controlled to some extent, most countries sought to utilize those gates as much as possible.

The more secretive the country, the more it lacked natural resources, and the smaller its territory, the more it sought to utilize the gates.

And as long as such countries existed, it was difficult for other countries to choose to close the gates completely. Even if there were no significant resources beyond, the mere creation of ‘space’ was already advantageous. There were also choices such as dumping excessive waste, difficult-to-handle industrial waste, or burying radioactive waste beyond those gates.

Well, since the possibility of a gate appearing could never be reduced to a perfect ‘0’ by any means, it seemed less frustrating to make use of them instead.

“But, Bukhansan Mountain?”

“Yeah, well… In this case, we have to say it’s bad luck.”

Since gates couldn’t be ‘constructed at will,’ having a ‘useful gate’ appear was also a matter of luck.

No matter how useful it might be, if it could completely take the lives of countless people, it would be better to close it, but if a gate were deep within a mountain, even in the middle of Seoul, and if the creatures that came through were at a controllable level, few would want to close it.

I knew that there was such a gate not too far from the church. The space beyond it was practically the size of a planet, and the creatures that emerged were mostly no more dangerous than those we would see in a zoo, plus it had various abundant resources.

However, since no civilized area had been discovered yet, I heard they had even set up a landfill several kilometers inside the gate. But not closing a gate meant not placing a gate-closing magic circle nearby.

Even if there was only one gate, its volume was about the size of a sports field. Since the influence of magic is almost impossible to measure the exact measurements, the possibility of another gate appearing within the size of a sports field is fairly low—but still, the probability is not ‘0’.

The place where Lee Si-yoon was injured was an incident that had occurred at a newly formed gate.

“What could possibly be inside that makes it so great?”

“It doesn’t look particularly dangerous on the outside, but apparently there’s quite a dangerous beast inside.”

As I muttered to myself, Ria, who was sitting next to me, responded.

“How dangerous is the beast?”

Considering it was said to be more ferocious than any monster seen so far, it must be an incredibly formidable creature.

In fact, I remembered Lee Si-yoon mentioning something similar in the story.

“Well, I’m not exactly sure, but there are various ferocious creatures that have been identified. Like a bear the size of an elephant. Usually, larger creatures need to consume a lot of energy, so they have to eat constantly, but strangely, some have evolved to be carnivorous.”

“…”

“To catch that many prey, they must also be quite agile.”

Even the ‘bear the size of an elephant’ that Ria mentioned as an example wasn’t likely the ‘worst opponent.’

“How did he even survive?”

After all, just encountering a bear would typically end in being torn apart, right?

“Well, the only carnivorous creature confirmed in the vicinity is that one. And even a hunter, regardless of their rank, would surpass the category of an ‘ordinary person.’ Still, I agree with your skepticism. Surviving in such a situation is a miracle.”

In the rattling car, Ria, sitting next to me, said.

“Well, don’t worry too much. It’s unlikely that it will come out of the gate.”

“I understand that, but…”

I tilted my head.

“In that case, isn’t it unnecessary for Lee Si-yoon to go in? Wouldn’t it be better for a team of much more skilled hunters to enter?”

“Why? Are you worried?”

At my words, Ria’s eyes narrowed slightly, a smirk playing on her lips that felt rather unsettling. Why was she smiling? It seemed more like she was teasing me, but her expression conveyed suspicion.

Ah, I see. Is this a kind of jealousy? If I got too close to Lee Si-yoon, it would turn into competition for her.

Well, I should be somewhat pretty for that to be the case.

“Of course, I’m worried.”

I spoke firmly.

No matter how much of a protagonist he is or how much hidden talent he has, he’s still a low-ranked hunter for now. He had survived before due to luck, but if he made a mistake this time and got mauled, he would genuinely die.

…Considering this was still before the main story began, there was a good chance he would survive again, but still, with me being here, this world had shifted somewhat from the story I knew.

“…Well, that’s true.”

Seeing me speak as if it were obvious, Ria seemed to understand my point.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Usually, in such situations, the next ones to be deployed are top-tier hunters and heroes. He’s just going in to locate the predator. Using magic to track it is the quickest way to confirm. Once they identify the direction, he’ll probably withdraw, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Hmm.”

I had a feeling it wouldn’t end that easily.

Not that I particularly wished for it to be difficult, of course.

But before I could ask anything further, the car came to a stop.

Judging by the bumpy, poorly paved cement road coming to an end, we had arrived at our destination.

“We’ve arrived.”

The driver in the front seat said, responding to my judgment.

Before I could even reach for the handle, the van’s door opened smoothly, and a cold breeze swept into the car.

“Oh, right.”

As I was about to get out, I turned to Ria and said,

“You’re not going into the gate, are you?”

“Why? Are you worried?”

This time Ria genuinely asked with a teasing expression, causing me to flinch at her raised eyebrows.

“…Just don’t go in.”

I answered curtly and got out of the car.

After getting out of the car, I headed straight for the building where the injured were reported to be, without taking a moment to rest. Despite being in the mountains, the building did not appear to be temporary or prefabricated, likely due to the road accessible for vehicles. However, it wasn’t particularly well-designed either.

As soon as the person guiding us opened the door to the building, the smell of blood hit us.

“Wait.”

Ria grabbed my arm tightly, almost painfully, as I tried to rush inside.

“Calm down first.”

“But—”

“How many people can you heal?”

“…Uh.”

“If you treat just one person on the verge of death, you’ll collapse and fall asleep right after. You’ll even faint if you get too tired.”

“I—”

“Hey, don’t kid yourself. I’m not worried about you collapsing. I’m concerned about how many people you can actually help.”

“…Oh.”

I see.

“If you collapse, you won’t be able to heal any patients who might come in later. Look around.”

Ria pointed around, and as I turned my head, I noticed that not all the patients were in critical condition.

Some were healing their wounds by sprinkling holy water on themselves, while others were being tended to by other clergy who had arrived before me.

“Only those who are really in critical condition and on the verge of dying, or those whose lives depend on you.”

Ria continued to grip my arm firmly.

“Don’t get involved unless it’s someone like that. They called you here for those inevitable situations.”

“…Alright.”

It was a reasonable choice.

Perhaps I could distribute my divine power to treat several people at once. I might be able to gather multiple people in one spot and heal them together. However, if I did that and ended up exhausting myself, I might have to leave someone like Lee Si-yoon to suffer when they came in injured.

As long as there were others who could take over, I shouldn’t do their job. Otherwise, there might be a situation where no one could handle it.

“…Let’s talk to the people first. We might learn something about what was beyond the gate. Not that it would help us much right now.”

I nodded at Ria’s suggestion.

As I walked among the injured, I felt eyes fixed on me. Not wanting to meet their gaze, I lowered my head and walked on.

“There’s no need to walk like a sinner, you know?”

Ria said, tapping my back lightly, but the strange sense of guilt lingered within me regardless.