Struggling to rise, I closed my eyes once more, sensing the surrounding magical energy.
‘The location… it’s near the entrance of the small mountain I passed on my way here.’
If I walked diligently, I could surely arrive before the gate fully formed.
‘Shall I go?’
With a light stretch of my shoulders, I stepped out of the house—
“Ah.”
Just as I was about to leave, I remembered the black mask I had bought earlier while grocery shopping and pulled it out, putting it on.
It was an item I’d acquired, thinking it better to conceal my face, even slightly, rather than leaving it completely exposed.
I certainly hadn’t expected to use it on the very day of the mountain expedition.
Inhaling the mask’s synthetic scent, I stepped out of the house.
Then, without delay, I diligently made my way towards the mountain’s entrance, where the gate was expected to appear.
‘The level of magical energy I’m sensing… perhaps it’s high D-rank.’
Though I hadn’t yet confirmed it directly, I knew that the more high-grade magic stones I absorbed, the stronger my bond would become.
Naturally, a higher-ranked gate also presented a greater chance of acquiring such magic stones.
The gate I was currently heading towards was estimated to be high D-rank.
If only it had been a slightly higher-ranked gate, that would have been ideal…
As I continued down that train of thought, I soon shook my head.
My current condition could only be described as abysmal.
I hadn’t consumed anything since Choi Seon-hee had treated me to a meal yesterday.
Having gone without a wink of sleep for the past two or three days, my head throbbed with a dizzying ache.
‘Perhaps it’s fortunate that it’s only D-rank.’
After all, even in this dreadful state, a D-rank gate could be cleared without much burden.
Continuing along with these various thoughts, I pressed on, eventually arriving at my destination.
The gate had yet to manifest.
Perched on a nearby rock, I scanned my surroundings, checking for any CCTV cameras.
‘None.’
Presumably due to the mountainous terrain, no CCTV cameras were readily found.
Just as I paused to catch my breath, at that very moment.
–Zzzzt…!
Sparks erupted before me, and a blue fissure materialized.
‘This is my first time seeing a naturally occurring gate this close.’
Its growth, expanding like a living organism, struck me as utterly wondrous.
Of course, I didn’t simply gape at the spectacle.
The opening of a gate signified that a member of the Hunter Association would soon be dispatched to this location.
Twenty seconds passed as I waited for the gate to fully open.
And then, the gate revealed its complete form.
“…”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the gate without hesitation.
****
–Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Sakura, a petite, white-haired girl, was rushing somewhere with frantic haste.
She had received a report from the Association indicating that a gate had appeared in her assigned district.
Her mission was straightforward.
For the next three hours, until further instructions from the Association, she was to prevent anyone from approaching the gate.
‘I wish I could enter the gate too…’
In her heart, Sakura yearned to be assigned to an expedition team, to enter the gate herself and protect its inhabitants.
However, she was not a citizen of South Korea but merely a student studying abroad.
As foreign hunters faced restrictions on gate entry, Sakura, being a Japanese national, was compelled to work as a public safety hunter.
But public safety, too, was a way of protecting people!
Dispelling her somber thoughts in an instant, Sakura continued her sprint, soon arriving at her destination.
“Oh…”
Arriving before the azure gate, Sakura’s eyes widened as she peered into it.
The Hunter Association had designated this gate as D-rank.
While the magical beasts inhabiting a D-rank gate were mere trifles for Sakura, they would undoubtedly appear as a catastrophe to ordinary individuals who weren’t awakened.
Indeed, much like that scrawny older brother she had seen just tens of minutes prior.
There was nothing more rewarding than protecting people.
Therefore.
“Ahem-hem… nobody passes!”
She would thoroughly prevent anyone from entering the gate without authorization!
Standing a short distance from the gate, Sakura puffed out her chest, flexing her shoulders with determination, and surveyed her surroundings like a vigilant gatekeeper.
“Ahem.”
All the while, she remained blissfully unaware that the scrawny older brother had already entered the gate.
****
Upon entering the gate, the surrounding environment instantly transformed.
Only moments ago, I had been in the heart of a mountain.
Now, before my eyes, stretched a dark, damp cave.
Had I been an ordinary hunter, I would have either used a pre-prepared flashlight or cast a light-summoning spell to navigate forward.
But I was a vampire.
Darkness, for me, was easily pierced, even without actively employing magical energy.
A vast expanse of cave opened up before me.
My task would be to press onward, dealing with any magical beasts that appeared, and ultimately defeating the boss.
No magical beasts were yet visible.
However, complacency was forbidden.
I halted my steps and meticulously detected the waves of magical energy flowing around me.
And then, I felt it.
Something clung tightly to the wall, approximately twenty meters away.
Though invisible to the naked eye, it unmistakably emitted the distinct magical energy signature of a beast.
As I became aware of its presence, the form of the magical beast began to materialize within my vision.
It was a moth, nearly the size of a human torso.
I couldn’t fathom why it had suddenly revealed itself, but the creature remained plastered to the wall, just as it had first appeared.
‘Since I’m not a hunter, I have no idea what kind of magical beast that is.’
Later, once I return home, I’ll have to thoroughly read through a beast encyclopedia or something.
After a good, long sleep, of course.
I’m so exhausted I feel like I could collapse at any moment.
Pinching the flesh of my thigh, I assumed my combat form.
Instantly, my attire transformed into a black suit.
Pristine white gloves appeared on my hands, and a mask covering the upper half of my face materialized.
Feeling the fierce circulation of magical energy within my body, I bit into my wrist.
–Crunch!
Blood streamed from my wrist.
As I waited for enough blood to gather to forge a Blood Sword, at that very moment.
Whether it reacted to the magical energy I was emitting, or perhaps the scent of my blood, the moth that had been plastered to the wall finally stirred.
–Wooooosh…!
‘What kind of wing-flapping sounds like a helicopter?’
With a powerful beat of its wings, the giant moth lunged at me.
Hmm, is this enough blood?
I infused magical energy into the blood flowing down my wrist and the pool that had collected on the floor.
Meanwhile, the giant moth had already closed in on me, but.
I simply sidestepped, easily evading its charge.
And then, a Blood Sword materialized in my hand.
–Swish!
I delivered a clean vertical slash to the moth, which had left its rear exposed and vulnerable.
With its left wing cleanly severed, the moth plummeted to the ground, unable to put up any real resistance.
What followed was a swift, decisive finish.
–Slice!
To the creature flailing its legs in a desperate struggle, I plunged my blade through it once horizontally, then once vertically.
With that, the moth breathed its last.
“…Why was that so anticlimactic?”
I had defeated it far too easily for my liking.
This creature was a D-rank magical beast, just like an Orc?
‘For a D-rank, its physical capabilities seem far too low.’
As I tilted my head in confusion, a hypothesis formed in my mind.
‘Could its physical abilities be weaker than other D-rank magical beasts because of the stealth ability it displayed at first?’
Initially, the creature had been invisible to my sight.
However, once I observed it through its magical energy signature, it finally revealed itself to my eyes.
Had I not possessed exceptional magical sensitivity to perceive its presence, I would have blindly advanced, exposing myself to a vulnerable opening.
‘So, it’s a creature with excellent stealth abilities, compensating for its low physical stats.’
And the cost of revealing such a vulnerability would have been dire.
It was fortunate that I, not some ordinary hunter, had entered this gate.
For me, with my superior magical sensitivity allowing me to meticulously discern their presence, these creatures were nothing more than oversized insects.
Having resolved the questions swirling in my mind, I immediately began to rummage through the moth’s carcass with my Blood Sword.
Rummaging through the large moth’s body was hardly a pleasant task, yet I had spent a decade in the Great Labyrinth, witnessing all manner of grotesque magical beasts.
Something like this could be handled without any particular emotional reaction.
“Oh, there it is.”
Soon after, discovering a grayish stone within the moth’s carcass, I smiled brightly.
To find a magic stone from the very first beast—quite lucky, wouldn’t you say?
I immediately picked up the magic stone, then removed my gloves to touch it with my bare hand.
The exhilarating sensation I had felt hours earlier when touching Gong Wiseon’s magic stone once again spread through me.
This time, I held onto the magic stone without letting go midway, gripping it until the very end.
As the magic stone gradually dwindled within my fist, eventually vanishing entirely.
–Ding!
A clear, crisp sound echoed in my ears.
This sound, I’m certain I’ve never heard it befo—
‘No.’
It wasn’t a sound I was hearing for the first time.
It was the very sound that had resonated in my ears years ago, when my unique skill, Extreme Blade, had reached Level 9.
Yes, this was a system notification sound.
It had been so long since I last heard it that I had forgotten.
And, if my memory served correctly, after a system notification sound, there would always be…
Sure enough, as expected, a cluster of text appeared before my eyes.
“Huh.”
Upon examining its contents, a hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.
