Ding-

[You have entered Samyun’s Laboratory.]

With a floating sensation—pop—his vision snapped back.

‘So this is a B-Rank Gate…’

Ha Gangwoo slowly swept his gaze across the scene before him.

Damp gloom that conjured images of an underground dungeon. Worn stone tiles.

Even the faint torches barely pushed back the dark.

Despite the title of Secret Laboratory, it was a place that crawled under your skin.

The stench of musty, damp mold mixed with the iron reek of blood, assaulting his senses.

Just as Gangwoo was taking in the environment—

“Nothing around us. I’ll check the Quest first.”

Yoo Ayoung issued orders swiftly.

‘Not bad.’

Gangwoo looked at Yoo Ayoung and recalled their conversation from moments ago.

Back when Kaguchi Kentaro had been unconscious.

“Why’d you pick me for main?”

Gangwoo had voiced his curiosity.

Yoo Ayoung surely must have known.

Exactly how Kaguchi Kentaro would react if she put Gangwoo in the main slot.

Yet she’d appointed him—someone she had no real reason to trust—as the main DPS.

That’s why he wanted to know her intent.

“Because I was curious.”

But the answer that came back was more disappointing than he’d expected.

A decision made on a whim?

Gangwoo’s expression twitched subtly, and Yoo Ayoung chuckled, giving him the real reason.

“Just kidding. I figured the only weakness Mr. Kaguchi has is his arrogance. I didn’t think he’d actually challenge you to a PVP, though.”

She looked at the collapsed Kentaro and offered a faint, lonely smile.

Watching her expression, Gangwoo felt it.

‘Impressive.’

Social command, every action, every judgment—she was far too mature to be the leader of a B-Rank Gate party.

What did someone do for three whole years after awakening to wear an expression like that?

Ha Gangwoo nodded once more at Yoo Ayoung’s leadership and checked his quest window.

Ding-

[Samyun’s Secret Laboratory]

Grade: B

Description: You have discovered Samyun’s laboratory! Unearth the lab’s secrets and eliminate its master!

Reward: ???

The quest was simpler than he’d expected.

A straightforward mission: take down the boss at the dungeon’s end.

“Everyone see it?”

Yoo Ayoung swept her gaze across the party members and continued.

“We’ll advance slowly, holding formation. Move to A-Position until I give the hand signal.”

And with Yoo Ayoung’s direction as the starting note—

“Yes!”

—Ha Gangwoo’s first Gate clear began.

Thump-thump.

A faint tension threaded through Gangwoo as he stepped forward.

At point: Yoo Ayoung, with her Detection skill.

She carried a massive rifle and moved ahead at a careful pace.

Between her Trait and her weapon, her role looked like a support-type DPS.

Behind her came the party’s tank, a man named Sirien.

Heavy plate armor, a tower shield—his very silhouette radiated solid reassurance.

At the center, the linchpin Healer: Ji Somin. Around her, Kentaro, Ha Gangwoo, and a man named Bando formed the core.

A-Position was the textbook formation for protecting the Healer.

Tread-tread.

Deep darkness. Six Players pressed onward.

Whoosh—a bleak wind.

Drip-drip.

Water beads fell from the ceiling.

A tension like crossing a frozen lake filled the air around them.

In that breathless advance—

‘Demonic energy?’

Ha Gangwoo narrowed his eyes, peering into the thick dark ahead.

The demonic energy that hadn’t been there at the entrance grew stronger with every step.

He knew it because he’d faced so much of it before.

A familiar yet alien presence.

The intensity Lucifel radiated, and the stillness Asrul exuded.

Mixed together, it felt chilling and ominous.

‘Why is there nothing here?’

Sensing the demonic energy, Gangwoo frowned in doubt.

Thirty minutes had passed since they entered the Gate. And yet—an unnerving silence.

As if someone had already cleared all the monsters away.

“This is strange.”

Yoo Ayoung must have felt it too; worry creased her face.

She’d cleared plenty of Gates, but she’d never experienced anything like this.

As if mocking that unease—

“……”

Even thirty more minutes of deep exploration revealed nothing.

Not even a single common trap.

They’d only walked, but by now the party members were fraying from the constant tension.

Slowly—

Yoo Ayoung raised her right hand. A gesture meaning she’d found something.

But none of the party members asked. Because they had found it too.

Dozens of rotting monster carcasses. And a violet blaze, roaring — *whoosh* — with intense heat.

A massive door standing at the center of that gruesome battlefield.

*Gulp.*

Yoo Ayoung swallowed dryly and stepped toward the door.

“I can’t sense anything past it. Something’s blocking me.”

She must have scanned beyond the door with her Detection skill — her words came out flat, clinical.

‘Is this the Boss room?’

Ha Gangwoo was thinking the same thing.

Beyond the door felt empty as a vacant house — not a trace of Mana. But one thing still nagged at him.

‘Demonic energy.’

The source of the Demonic energy they’d felt at the dungeon entrance was right there, on the other side.

“I’m going in now.”

Resolve set on her face, Yoo Ayoung placed her palm against the great door. The instant it groaned open with a creak —

*Ding-*

[You have entered Samyun’s Secret Laboratory.]

Along with the system chime, an eerie violet haze seeped out from beyond the door.

Then Yoo Ayoung shouted, panic bleeding into her voice.

“Monsters! Get ready!”

No sooner had her warning left her lips —

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion tore through the doorway, and dozens of monsters surged out, crashing into Ha Gangwoo’s party.

***

*Krrrr—*

Monsters, their eyes blazing like madmen.

Each stood a good three meters tall, flickering violet light swimming in their eyes.

*Crunch! Thwack-*

*Ding-*

[Frenzied Orc has been defeated.]

[You gain 20,000 EXP!!]

[Perk bonus: You gain an additional 20,000 EXP.]

But the hunt ended almost too easily.

“Haaah… haaah…”

“Whew… thank god they’re stupid.”

The reason was simple.

These monsters were pathetically, devastatingly stupid.

‘Definitely stable.’

Gangwoo wiped a chunk of orc flesh off Barzel’s Appetite as he replayed the moment of the hunt in his mind.

The instant Ayoung opened the door, thirty-odd monsters had burst out.

Their retreat was cut off in an instant. He’d thought they were done for.

But.

*—Waaahhh!!*

Sirien, the party’s Tank, hoisted his massive shield high and fired off a Taunt skill.

The Taunt worked better than expected. Within seconds, all thirty monsters were tearing into Sirien’s body.

Their teeth ripped out strips of his flesh; his armor shattered and fell away.

Each time —

*Ding-*

[Party member Sirien’s HP has fallen below 20%.]

[Ms. Ji Somin casts Healer’s Blessing on Sirien.]

Ji Somin, their Healer, restored Sirien’s HP.

Once the monsters’ Aggro was locked securely like that, everything fell into place.

“Attack!”

At Yoo Ayoung’s command, the remaining party members drove their blades into the monsters’ backs.

A monster that couldn’t even register its own comrades dying after a single taunt skill? For a B-Rank monster, that was a pathetic showing.

Was that why?

‘Cheap.’

Ha Gangwoo clicked his tongue as he looked over the EXP from this hunt.

They were inside a B-Rank Gate now. He’d expected the levels to come flying in.

But the amount of EXP he’d earned was pitiful. At this rate, the DLC — the Wilderness Plains — would have given him more.

Still, it wasn’t a total loss.

Gangwoo placed his hand on the monster’s corpse, already gone frigid.

Ding-

[Absorbing 240 Chaos Essence.]

Fshhh-

The darkness clinging to the monster’s body streamed into Gangwoo’s own.

[Core of Ruin]

Grade: ???

Storage: 3,150

Description: A Core of Ruin forms within your body. It is the Destroyer’s origin and the only power that can overcome Chaos.

Effect

-Absorbs Chaos from monsters, converts it into Ruin power, and stores it.

In the Wilderness Plains, no matter how many monsters he killed, the storage amount only built up in tiny increments — right? But not in this Dungeon.

In just thirty minutes, his stored Ruin had swelled to nearly three thousand.

And so Gangwoo changed his objective.

‘Summon one more.’

Instead of growing through level-ups, he’d summon another Ruin Construct. The storage needed to call Ru had been three thousand — and his current reserves had already blown past that benchmark.

Which meant by the time this hunt ended, he’d be able to summon a Ruin Construct ranked higher than Ru.

‘I’m curious.’

Gangwoo’s lips curled with interest as he pictured the Construct he would summon.

He was just checking the spoils from this hunt when —

“We’ll take a short rest.”

Yoo Ayoung announced a brief break, and Gangwoo’s first Gate hunt came to a successful close.

***

Warm lighting. Spotlighted clothes and bags.

This was a clothing store in the middle of the city.

“Oh my! It’s so pretty~ Are you a Player?”

“Ah?! Yes.”

“Wow… You look just like an angel!”

The employee clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling as she gazed at the woman.

That woman was Chae Seohyun.

Flushing, embarrassed by the employee’s stare, Seohyun handed over the clothes she was holding.

“Please wrap these up, and that one too.”

“Yes!”

Seohyun was using some rare personal time to go shopping.

Was it the clear weather? The peaceful atmosphere?

For some reason, her heart felt calm today, wrapped in a strange sense of stability.

But Seohyun was annoyed at herself for it.

‘Get a grip!’

She’d resolved, and resolved again, and steeled herself — yet after only ten years, she’d let her guard down.

“Huuuh…”

In an instant, a chilling fury crept into Seohyun’s eyes.

‘Let’s find a Gate.’

There’s something about comfort that loosens a person’s grip on their own mind — body relaxed, and the thoughts follow, like an animal dozing off in the sun.

Chae Seohyun chided herself, already pulling up her phone to search for a Gate.

She couldn’t afford even a single minute of rest.

“Here you go.”

Seohyun’s eyes were blazing with focus when the clerk handed over her neatly packaged clothes.

“Thank you.”

She took the package, fingers already reaching for her wallet —

“A GATE!!!!!”

“AHHHH!!!”

Chaos erupted in a wall of noise.

Ding-

[A Field is being generated.]

A System window materialized right before her eyes.

‘A Field… of all things.’

The type of Rift that claimed the most casualties — spawning right in the middle of the city.

Seohyun’s hand flew to her phone, dialing the Association.

[The call cannot connect…]

But the signal was already dead, as though the space itself had been sealed shut.

That left her with only one option.

‘Find it first.’

The only way was to find the Gate and handle it herself.

Seohyun spun on her heel and rushed out of the building.

Meanwhile.

“Eeek!”

“Please, save me!!”

*Thump! Thump!*

Hundreds of people pounded against the transparent wall, screaming.

This was the most terrifying thing about a Field-Type Gate.

The moment the Gate formed, it sealed off the entire surrounding area.

Survival rate under 20%. For ordinary people, this was practically a death sentence.

‘N-no way…’

At the heart of the pandemonium —

Yoo Junsik rubbed his eyes and stared straight ahead.

In front of a massive fountain, a Rift blazed with brilliant light as it materialized.

‘It’s… over.’

Junsik’s jaw dropped. He slumped to the ground, legs giving out.

A Field-Type Gate. Of all the Gates he could’ve encountered first, it had to be this.

Junsik knew—because he’d dreamed of being a Player.

He knew exactly what this newly formed Gate meant.

And it was right then, as despair swallowed him whole —

“Everyone, snap out of it!!!!”

A man stepped forward from the crowd and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Clean armor. A longsword at his side.

“A Player!!!”

“We made it! We’re alive!!!”

The man was clearly a Player—you could tell at a glance.

Hope flickered across the crowd’s faces in an instant.

“Scattering will only make it more dangerous. For now, follow me to where it’s safe!!”

He began to calm the people with a convincing tone.

‘What a stroke of luck!’

The man’s name was Kim Daeseong.

His face looked oddly familiar.

‘This is my chance.’

Kim Daeseong’s lips curled up to his ears, unable to hide his glee.

He’d just wrapped up Scenario 1 and stepped out into the city for a breather—then a Gate had burst open.

And what’s more, it was a field-type Gate.

If he played this right, he’d not only become a hero but also drive up his own value.

So Kim Daeseong gathered the people around.

“I’m Kim Daeseong of the Association!!! Trust my lead, and you’ll all come out safe!!!”

With sweet hope, he branded his name into their minds.

“He says he’s from the Association,”

“What a relief. They say the mortality rate for getting trapped in a field-type Gate is over 80%…”

Naturally, the people exhaled in relief at Kim Daeseong’s words, looking up to him with trusting eyes.

Feeling their gazes on him, Daeseong flashed a confident grin and said,

“Trust me and head into that building! The first floor’s too dangerous. Wait on the second!”

It was a sturdy-looking eight-story building.

Without a shred of doubt, the crowd followed his orders.

‘Yeah, go on up there and watch from a good spot.’

Watching the citizens scramble, Daeseong’s lips curled into a smug smirk.

His choice of that building wasn’t pure altruism — it was purely self-serving.

It was the perfect vantage point to watch his own heroics unfold, prime real estate to film a historic moment.

And so, in the now-quiet plaza, Daeseong walked toward the Gate blazing fiercely in the square.

That’s when he saw them.

“Whoa~! It’s so pretty!”

A fearless little kid, eyes sparkling at the Gate,

“I told you, it’s dangerous! Let’s run! Why are you so strong!”

A boy straining desperately to hold onto that little kid.

‘Kids are trouble wherever you go.’

Kim Daeseong scratched the back of his head, eyeing the two children.

“It’s dangerous. Why don’t you stay inside that building?”

Despite his rough thoughts, he coaxed them kindly.

“Heheheh. This looks fun.”

But the dumb little brat didn’t listen.

‘Tch… This is why I can’t stand kids.’

In a flash of anger, Kim Daeseong clenched his fist, ready to knock the kid’s head—then stopped himself.

He glanced back at the building and spotted it.

“Oh my! There are kids over there!”

A citizen pointing a phone at him, recording.

‘Fuck. Keep it together.’

Forcing a smile, Kim Daeseong grabbed the kid by the shoulders.

“Hey, kid. Oppa will help you. Are you too scared to move?”

But in that moment, Kim Daeseong realized something.

“Huh?”

He was pulling at the child with all his strength, but the kid wouldn’t budge an inch.

‘What the hell?’

Kim Daeseong tilted his head, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. That was the moment.

Thump—

A woman appeared from nowhere, scooped up the unmoving child, and hugged him tight against her chest.

‘Whoa…’

Daeseong stared at her, dumbfounded.

Flawless skin, sharp eyes, and a golden ring hovering above her head that only amplified her beauty.

‘She’s gorgeous…’

Daeseong was still lost in a daze, as if his soul had been stolen by the woman, when—

“I’ll take this kid somewhere safe for now! Just hold on as long as you can!!!”

The woman’s beautiful voice rang out, shouting at Daeseong.

“Huh? Oh… yes.”

Daeseong couldn’t snap out of it, still staring at her stunning face.

Then it happened.

Crack—

Something burst out from beyond the Gate.

“Kkeo-uk…”

A thick pool of blood began spreading across the floor under Kim Daeseong’s feet, and

“Kyaaaaah!!!”

“Th-this can’t be…”

the people watching the scene fell into despair.