Shortly after calming down and wiping my tears, I exchanged stories with them about how we ended up here. I couldn’t detail the absurdity of being kidnapped by a Ranker due to a rumor-filled article, so I vaguely mentioned being caught in a Sync on my way home from work.
Their group consisted of four people. Originally there were more, but they disappeared somewhere after hearing a song. Unable to share what I had seen, I remained silent.
There was a high school girl and a boy, each caught in a Sync on their way home, a man in his late 40s, and a woman slightly older than me.
Of them all, the one who seemed to know the most about Gates was a woman who introduced herself as Anwoon.
“Kids these days don’t know the dangers of Gates. They think it’s a picnic, running around carefree.”
“Ah, must be nice being old and grumbling. You’re not doing anything either.”
“What, you, where do you get off interrupting adults!”
“Hey, hey. Let’s all calm down. That’s not what’s important right now.”
Anwoon also seemed to be the group’s mental support.
The tomato-faced man kept grumbling, repeating “kids these days” at least three more times.
“I wonder if Taein is okay.”
“He’s probably dead by now, running off like that.”
“Hey!”
Even meeting people didn’t improve the situation. They were just pretending to be okay.
“Nuna, I’m hungry. Don’t you have more to eat?”
“There’s nothing left. Let’s try to get some sleep now. We’ll take turns on watch.”
“What good does a night watch do in a Gate.”
“Oh, then why don’t you go out and die alone?”
“Really, these people!”
It was chaotic.
Being careful even with lighting a fire, the night air in the forest was cold. Gathering dry twigs and lighting a fire felt absurd.
The kids happily collecting things, lighting the fire, even their belief that this place was safe as they fell asleep.
The man kept complaining about “kids these days.” No one responded.
Smoke rose, and even though everyone else was asleep, I couldn’t easily doze off. Unexpressed emotions churned inside me.
“It’s chaotic, isn’t it? But try to get some sleep. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”
“Oh, it’s not that. I just can’t sleep. Too much has happened…”
“Ah.”
Silence fell again. The crackling of something burning in the fire echoed quietly in the forest.
“Um, it’s awkward, but could you keep me company? Your name was Ha Young, right?”
“Ah, yes. Park Ha Young.”
“And you said you’re an Unawakened.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s rare for an Unawakened to know the rules so well. Even though schools provide mandatory education, few know the details like you do.”
Anwoon then took something out of thin air and tossed it to me. It was chocolate.
“Awakener?”
“I’m a Creator. I can’t help in combat, but I carry a lot of things.”
“Oh.”
No wonder she had so much emergency food. I quietly put the chocolate in my mouth.
“Keep it a secret from them. Especially from that man. It would just be annoying.”
“I think I get it.”
“But you seemed reluctant about lighting the fire.”
“…You never know what might appear. We might as well be signaling our location to monsters.”
“Then we could also die of hypothermia without a fire.”
I hadn’t realized before, but she’s incredibly strong. I kept my mouth shut.
“You seem to know something about this Gate.”
“….”
Even keeping silent was futile. Her gaze clung to me persistently, as if determined not to waver until I spoke.
“……I have a hunch,” I said, unable to shake off an odd feeling.
The monsters here often take the form of trees. Meaning, this twig might have been part of a monster once.
How could I possibly explain that we’re lighting a fire with what might be the scales or toenails of a monster…
“Survival necessitates certain actions. You know how survival tactics vary from Gate to Gate. I’ve shared my secret, are you really going to be like this?”
Her pressure was relentless. A heavy sigh escaped me.
“……I don’t know much about the recent research. There are people who were lured somewhere by a song, so maybe there’s a monster that performs mental attacks. The forest setting limits the types of monsters that appear. Harpyuia… could be a possibility, but there are few traces for such a claim. Other possibilities include fairies or spirits…”
“You’re quite knowledgeable!”
“……So there’s a possibility of Dryads or Grows. If that’s the case…”
“The entire forest could be one big monster.”
“…….”
“And we’re probably already spotted by the boss, just left alone for now?”
“…….”
“Ah, so that’s why you looked so uneasy. I’ve heard a bit about that. But what confidence… to think they’re leaving us alone because they can annihilate us anytime.”
“The estimated rank would be S, probably…”
“It is S. I confirmed it when we entered.”
“Wha, cough, cough. What?”
“Shh, it’s a secret.”
Anwoon put her finger to her lips, and I felt dizzy with realization.
Right, she’s an Awakener. She can access Gate information directly… The absurdity of being caught in another S-ranked Gate made my life feel like a complete lie.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
