Seo Jung-woo did not cross the defense line of the Aptitude Gate.

Instead, he pulled the trigger from outside the defense line. He broke the front legs of the monster charging toward him with several armor-piercing rounds, then fired a few more shots into its vital points as it lost balance.

There was no time to focus on a single target for long in this urgent situation. He left the half-neutralized one to others and moved on to the next.

Hunters and soldiers shouted from all directions.

“Bring more grenades!”

“Cover fire over here! Cover fire!”

Seo Jung-woo swapped magazines and lifted his gaze to the distance.

Flying insect-type monsters were approaching from the sky.

“Damn it. Even the flies are coming out.”

As soon as those flying monsters emerged from the spatial distortion field, short-range anti-air missiles launched from behind the defense line, trailing white smoke.

The missiles shot up, spitting flames, and collided with the airborne monsters.

These small anti-air missiles were designed specifically to take down monsters. Though they were small and had a short range, their explosive power was sufficient to take out a single small flying monster.

A series of powerful explosions erupted in the sky. Heavy shockwaves reached the defense line. Each time, an insect-like flying monster plummeted to the ground—some with their wings burned, others with their heads blown clean off.

People shouted toward the sky.

“Fire more! Fire more!”

“Wipe them all out!”

The anti-air missiles continued to launch, quickly reducing the number of flying monsters.

Suddenly, an unpleasant sensation pricked at Seo Jung-woo’s senses. He knew what this feeling was.

He shouted.

“Magical disruption!”

Magical disruption was even more potent than electromagnetic interference. Ordinary EMP shielding was ineffective against it.

The short-range anti-air missiles heading toward the flying monsters lost their targets and scattered. Some spun aimlessly in the air, while others flew off in the wrong direction or self-destructed mid-flight.

Two of them turned back toward their own side.

Seo Jung-woo raised his automatic rifle toward the sky. The missiles were still out of range. He waited a moment longer before pulling the trigger.

The armor-piercing rounds shot out at supersonic speed. The missile flying toward them started getting punctured at a distance of 300 meters, and at 200 meters, it exploded.

The other missile was being shot at by those on the opposite side, but they failed to bring it down.

“Get down!”

The missile struck the ground and exploded.

“Ughhh!”

Hearing screams meant there were injuries. But it was better than not hearing any screams at all.

The medical team stationed further back rushed toward the injured.

The remaining few flying monsters continued to charge at the defense line.

But humanity’s anti-air defenses weren’t limited to just missiles.

A hidden quadruple-barreled anti-air cannon began firing. It was a fully mechanical anti-air cannon, built without electric motors or electronic firing mechanisms, ensuring it remained operational even under magical disruption.

The rapid-fire 20mm rounds painted multiple orange streaks across the sky. Mechanical targeting was certainly less accurate than electronic targeting, but it still landed solid hits.

Suddenly, a fast-moving monster darted through the remaining flying creatures. It was flying at a low altitude. Its abdomen was swollen with acidic fluid.

A hunter spotted it and shouted.

“Assault bug incoming! It’s targeting the anti-air gun!”

Seo Jung-woo aimed precisely at the creature’s head and pulled the trigger. The armor-piercing round hit dead center.

Most small insect-type flying monsters had thin exoskeletons. The one he shot had its head perforated, and it crashed into an empty space behind the defense line.

Seo Jung-woo swapped magazines. The defensive battle had somewhat subsided. The remaining flying monsters altered their course, and the ones on the ground began retreating.

Park Cheol-woo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Phew. Now we’re even getting swarms of flies.”

Seo Jung-woo frowned.

“What if a real giant monster shows up next? The army still doesn’t have any plans to clear this place?”

“There are more urgent places, so this place keeps getting pushed down the priority list. They even pulled out the artillery stationed behind us, so how could they possibly organize a sweep?”

Park Cheol-woo held out his hand.

“The song?”

Seo Jung-woo pulled a USB stick from his pocket.

“I recorded the ‘Little Baby Kittens’ song they sang onto this, but the magical disruption might have wiped the data.”

“That makes sense.”

“What about your laptop?”

“The protective case is made of monster hide, and the magical disruption happened way beyond the defense line, so if we’re lucky, it might have survived. If it’s fried, I’ll have to buy a new one.”

“What about the data?”

“I backed it up in the rear.”

Upon checking, Park Cheol-woo's laptop turned on normally, but Seo Jung-woo’s USB memory stick had lost its data.

Seo Jung-woo spoke.

“Nothing I can do about it. I’ll just head home for today.”

Park Cheol-woo chuckled.

“You’re not just heading home. Thanks to you, there were no fatalities today.”

There were some severely injured due to the missile that got disrupted and flew back, but with the medical advancements of this world, such injuries could be fully healed within a month.

On the bus ride home, Seo Jung-woo thought to himself.

‘At least I kept my promise not to cross the defense line.’

After arriving home, he timed his departure to match Lee Seon-hwa’s arrival and walked toward the bus stop.

It wasn’t easy for individuals to buy and maintain privately armored cars. They were expensive, and if caught in battle, they would be destroyed in an instant.

That made public transportation all the more important.

However, the same reason individuals couldn’t afford armored cars applied to bus companies as well. There was no telling when a bus might get destroyed.

Yet, eliminating public transportation would isolate people.

Thus, public transport buses in this world were directly operated by the government, and all bus drivers were civil servants.

As he wandered around the bus stop, he spotted a high schooler he had met in the PC café of the other world—Jeong Hyun-su.

“Oh? Hey, high schooler!”

Jeong Hyun-su didn’t turn around.

“Hyun-soo!”

Only then did Jeong Hyun-su finally look back at him.

After confirming Seo Jung-woo’s face, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Do I know you?”

“Yeah, you do. I’m your neighborhood hyung.”

In the other world, they had met at a PC café and eaten ramen together. Jeong Hyun-su had even taught him how to order ramen at the café.

‘So his family didn’t move and still lives in this neighborhood.’

Jeong Hyun-su still looked puzzled.

“I don’t remember you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be at school? It’s not even a school anniversary or anything today.”

“There was a Gate alarm, so we have the day off. But do you really know me?”

In the other world, they had agreed that next time they met, he would buy him black bean noodles.

Instead of black bean noodles, Seo Jung-woo pulled a packet of sweet bean jelly from his tactical vest and tossed it to him. It had been repackaged in this world.

“Want one?”

Jeong Hyun-su assumed that Seo Jung-woo must know his family and accepted the jelly.

“I don’t even like sweet bean jelly.”

He grumbled as he unwrapped it.

“Huh?”

The scent was unusual. With a doubtful expression, he took a big bite—and his eyes widened.

Seo Jung-woo asked.

“Good, right?”

Jeong Hyun-su nodded. The jelly melted in his mouth. The rich sweetness of sugar, distinct from saccharin, filled his entire palate.

It dissolved instantly. After licking the wrapper clean, Jeong Hyun-su gave a slight bow.

“Thank you.”

“Took you long enough to say it.”

“Oh, I see now. You must be the neighborhood hyung who knows my noona?”

“Huh?”

“That’s why you gave me such an expensive treat. If you give me this jelly often, I’ll say nice things about you to my noona.”

Seo Jung-woo considered making a joke but stopped himself. His detection skill was picking up something strange.

‘Hmm? It’s similar to bloodlust but… slightly different…’

Lee Seon-hwa appeared behind Jeong Hyun-su, wearing a floral-patterned dress.

She spoke to him.

“Oh my, look at this lively high schooler. The forsythia are blooming beautifully, yet this eternal youth is skipping school and hanging around here?”

Jeong Hyun-su frowned and turned around.

“What forsythia? There’s no— Huh! Seon-hwa noona!”

“You know me?”

“Yes! I’m a fan, noona!”

Lee Seon-hwa’s cold expression softened a little, and she boasted to Seo Jung-woo.

“Did you see that? I have fans!”

Seo Jung-woo already knew.

‘In the other world, she has hundreds of thousands of fan café members. She’s the star of a ten-million-viewer movie and the queen of romantic comedies.’

And yet, in this world, she was proud just to have met a single fan on the street.

‘If only the monsters hadn’t invaded, she’d be living as a top star.’

In this world, Lee Seon-hwa never awakened a body-enhancing skill that could reduce the production cost of films and dramas. Because of that, she was only cast in supporting roles.

Lee Seon-hwa asked.

“What? Why are you looking at me with such a pitying expression? It’s kind of annoying.”

“You came early.”

“You’re changing the subject—that makes it even more suspicious. Do you think I have no work? It’s fine. I’ll just find more later. I’m just taking a short break.”

Seo Jung-woo had seen the scripts piled up like a mountain on the table at Lee Seon-hwa’s house when he caught the stalker in the other world.

‘Would taking one of those help Seon-hwa? There should be plenty of scripts that don’t need special effects. No, wait. Even if the script is great, no production company would want to make a movie or drama without action.’

Suddenly, he thought of Kim Seong-jun, the man he had saved before. In the other world, he was the president of the production company AKX Pictures, but in this world, he was just a duo hunter working with Lee Yoon-mi.

‘Kim Seong-jun said he also dreamed of making movies in this world but gave up because he couldn’t gather the production costs. If I bring a romance script from the other world and show it to him, could we make a movie or drama with Seon-hwa as the lead?’

For that, production costs were necessary. In this world, thanks to skills, action movies could be made on a low budget, but in the other world, movies required a lot of funding, even if they didn’t rely on skills.

‘As expected, money is the problem.’

He pondered over how to solve it.

As he was deep in thought, Jeong Hyun-su suddenly shouted.

“Wow! Hyung, you know Seon-hwa noona? That’s amazing!”

Lee Seon-hwa asked.

“And how do you know Jung-woo oppa?”

“Huh? I just met him for the first time now.”

At those words, her expression completely relaxed.

“He’s got a terrible personality, so don’t introduce him to your noona. That would be like selling your noona off to a villain. Betrayal of family, pure betrayal.”

“My noona is super popular, you know?”

“Exactly. With that insane popularity, she should meet someone else.”

“The other guys are all kinda… ugh.”

“Seriously, why are you even here instead of at school?”

“There was a Gate alarm, so school’s closed today.”

Lee Seon-hwa pulled out her phone.

Phones in this world had a special function that didn’t exist in the other world. She pressed a button, and the Gate alarm message for her current location appeared immediately.

“The alarm’s already been lifted. You need to go to school.”

Jeong Hyun-su complained.

“Damn it. If it was just a false alarm, that sucks.”

“It’s a million times better than a Gate actually opening. Now get to school.”

Humanity had invested a lot in trying to predict when Gates would open. Thanks to the funding and the scientists working tirelessly through the nights, progress had been made.

The Namsan Gate Detection Radar, developed with this technology, could pinpoint a rift’s location in its early stages.

It usually took anywhere from a few hours to several days for a rift to fully open and become a Gate. Even just a few hours’ notice allowed people to evacuate, and if given days, the military could set up a strong defensive line.

For sudden Gates, where rifts fully opened within minutes, having even a brief warning was still far better than none at all.

However, the Gate detection radar still had room for improvement. False alarms were common.

The government issued Gate alarms not only when a rift was definitely detected but also in ambiguous cases.

It was far better to evacuate and return with nothing happening than to dismiss an ambiguous case and get attacked by monsters from a sudden Gate.

Because of this, Gate alarms were issued even when it seemed unlikely that a rift would fully open. If the rift disappeared on its own, the alarm would then be lifted.

Lee Seon-hwa waved her phone.

“Kids, time to go. Get to school.”

“Can’t I just follow you around today, noona?”

“Nope. Not happening.”

Seo Jung-woo suddenly cut into their conversation.

“Seon-hwa, are you sure the Gate alarm was fully lifted?”

“Yeah. It says it was a false alarm.”

“Damn it. Hyun-soo, can you shoot a gun?”

As soon as Lee Seon-hwa heard what Seo Jung-woo asked, she opened her handbag and reached for her pistol.

In this world, even high school students carried at least one handgun. Monsters didn’t spare minors.

Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Jeong Hyun-su boasted.

“Of course! I’m the best shot at my school.”

“Then draw.”

“Huh?”

Seo Jung-woo suddenly pulled out his own pistol.