How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

Shin Baran was directly leading us.

“Shin Baran, your posture is off. You’re not letting your guard down just because it’s safe, are you?”

“Yes, yes! I’m sorry!”

She could have left it to another hunter.

As the commander of the fortress, she must be busy, yet she voluntarily took the time to play the ‘mentor’ role—it’s just like Shin Baran.

This fortress, ‘Bucheon Gyeongin Fortress,’ was built where the Seoun Junction of the Gyeongin Expressway was located.

After the tower appeared in the center of Seoul, protruding gates started to appear frequently nearby.

As a result, Seoul quickly fell into ruin.

Those who barely escaped to the outskirts of Seoul felt the need to defend against the invasion of monsters coming out of the city.

Consequently, the government designated Seoul and some border areas as ‘danger zones,’ while Incheon and Gyeonggi Province were marked as intermediate zones. They also constructed massive fortresses in key locations along the outskirts of the danger zones.

This was one of the measures to prevent monsters from coming out at least beyond the borders of Seoul.

However, the area where the protruding gates appeared gradually widened. By the time the fortresses were completed, the danger zones had simply become lands of death where gates frequently emerged.

The fortress was now right next to the danger zones.

Thus, the fortress was reinforced to prepare for gates that might appear in the intermediate zones as well.

“I can actually see monsters…!”

“I can see houses in the intermediate zone, too.”

Min Jae-yun exclaimed in awe, and Shin Baran responded.

…Indeed, eight years ago, the ‘Yongin Gate Incident’ occurred in the middle of the intermediate zone when a gate emerged.

The occurrence of protruding gates is slowly widening in swirling patterns centered around the Tower of Desire in Seoul.

The fortunate thing is that the speed of change is not rapid, and it is possible to predict it based on previous patterns.

Therefore, the government allowed people to reside in the areas of the intermediate zone that had a relatively low probability of gate occurrence.

Considering the illegal residents who live just beyond that line, it could be said that people are roughly living throughout the entire intermediate zone.

I spoke up.

“The houses visible from here are probably those of illegal residents!”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. I used to live in the intermediate zone.”

I had even flowed down to where the illegal residents lived.

Did you know?

In this world, if you don’t have citizenship, you can’t reside even in the intermediate zone. If you are caught living in a legally prohibited area, you are immediately deported.

Thanks to my parents, I was registered right after birth, so it didn’t matter to me, but the teachers at the orphanage and my younger siblings were all in the same situation.

After my words, Dumdum seemed to ponder for a moment before cautiously asking, “…Can I ask where you lived?”

“Yeah… I was so young back then that I don’t remember the specific area! I only have vague impressions.”

Looking at those houses only brings back memories of the past when I got hit for no reason.

As I casually smiled and spoke, Dumdum made a strange expression and said something odd.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What does Siwoo have to apologize for?”

Anyway, the ‘Yongin Gate’ was a gate that emerged unexpectedly, breaking away from the swirling pattern that no one could have predicted.

The ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding the Yongin Gate show just how sudden and incomprehensible the event was.

Because of that horrific gate, there were many casualties, a lot of damage, and many crimes were committed,

… and many orphans were created.

While we were conversing, Shin Baran, who had been frowning the entire time, seemed unable to bear it any longer and warned us.

“Stop the small talk.”

“Sorry!”

I smiled brightly, trying to act like an excited student outside with my friends.

Otherwise, I felt like I would sink into memories of the past.

This is an exhilarating field practice, right?

“We don’t have time to look around; we need to hurry!”

“Yes!”

I hurried to follow Shin Baran as she quickly walked ahead. I could feel Dumdum’s gaze from behind.

I felt a little anxious. I hoped it would be okay soon, and they would just let it go.

The place where Shin Baran led us was the very top of the fortress walls, where the cannons were installed. Huge cannons, almost as tall as trees, lined the area.

“This is the GAH series cannon that protects the fortress.”

The massive cannon was a dark, colorless shade similar to the gray walls. Next to the cannon, there was a hole for inserting something, and beside it was a sturdy box that appeared to be for inserting mana stones.

It seemed that they would insert the mana stone into the box and then activate a small filter next to it to imbue the user’s magical power with specific attributes.

Though the shapes were different, I recognized the prototype of that filter.

Wow, what kind of day is today? They’re showing me this at just this moment?

I could feel Choi Garam stealing glances at me.

Suddenly, I wanted to burst out laughing—not because I was happy, but because it was absurd.

“Nahyun, Mom will protect people with her research.”

There’s a limit to how much you can endure in a bad omen.

“And I want to leave my name in history.”

Since coming here, it felt like everything was triggering past traumas. My head was throbbing.

At that moment, I felt a gentle grip on my arm. It was Dumdum.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded with a smile at Dumdum, who whispered in a small voice, then gathered my thoughts and turned my attention back to Shin Baran.

“As you all know, the GAH series uses the ‘GAH filter’ in its cannons. The GAH filter is an invention that dramatically enhances the efficiency of mana stone usage, allowing for the extraction of magical power without loss even from tiny fragments of mana stones.”

I could feel Choi Garam glancing over here. I hoped they would focus on their superiors instead.

“Another feature of the GAH filter is the conversion of magical properties. By inserting a mana stone of a specific attribute into the filter and then injecting magical power of a different attribute, it converts the injected power into the same attribute as that of the mana stone within the filter.”

I already knew this. That filter was also installed in my gun.

To be precise, it is installed in most high-grade weapons, such as Meister weapons or costly military firearms.

Why, you ask?

“Therefore, as long as you have mana stones prepared, you can respond advantageously in various situations.”

That’s exactly the case.

The GAH filter is an essential tool. It can be said that the survival rate of hunters has changed significantly since the invention of that filter.

In fact, even if you fill it with cheap mana stone fragments, as long as the quantity is sufficient, the efficiency is almost comparable to using a large mana stone.

Once installed, it is an incredibly convenient invention.

Unfortunately, the person who invented it died before it was commercialized.

“Who wants to try it out?”

At Shin Baran’s suggestion, Min Jae-yoon and Shin Baran both raised their hands eagerly. Shin Baran looked at both of them, as if noticing their reluctance, but patiently explained the usage. I listened along and decided to give it a try as well.

Boom— a loud sound that could shatter eardrums echoed, and a monster far off in the distance collapsed.

“Wow! You hit it…!”

“Hm, hm… Not bad!”

I had used similar devices before. However, I smiled and feigned modesty.

“It’s probably because of my profession! Since I’m a sniper, I get a bit of a boost with firearms.”

But Shin Baran poured cold water on our cheerful conversation.

“Shin Baran, you didn’t hit it in one shot. Why is that?”

With a cold tone, Shin Baran flinched and replied.

“Yes, yes! I’m sorry!”

Seeing this, Shin Baran frowned and said,

“Sigh… You’ve always been like this. Incredibly slow. Pathetic. In an emergency, even an archer must switch to a marksman position. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, understood…”

Shin Baran, who had her head bowed deeply, was stared at intently by Shin Barun, who then suddenly turned around and began to walk away.

At that moment, I smiled brightly and spoke to her.

“Wow, it seems like we’ve only had one chance to practice, and you’re already putting pressure on us. Captain Shin Barun, you’re quite strict!”

Shin Barun looked back at me. I could feel the astonished gazes of Shin Baran, Min Jae-yoon, and Choi Garam.

“If you had the skill, you would have hit it in one shot.”

“Isn’t skill built through effort? We’ve agreed to call any performance without practice talent.”

Just wait. She’s trembling.

Shin Baran was shivering and grabbed my sleeve. “It’s okay. Stay behind me,” I said, pushing her back.

Seeing this, Shin Barun chuckled and said, “Do you want to say you’re overflowing with talent?”

“Yeah, I guess. And we should also consider the difference in professional bonuses.”

“Are you trying to challenge your mentor? It’s not good to be unable to distinguish between work and personal matters.”

To that, I replied nonchalantly, “I’m not challenging my mentor, I’m challenging Shin Baran’s sister. And I wonder who was the one that couldn’t distinguish between work and personal matters first.”

“Are you not afraid of the backlash?”

“Seems like you’re someone who can’t distinguish between work and personal matters?”

My provocative