Chapter 48 – Gatekeeper of Hell (１)

Let me check out the skill.

Gijun immediately examined the information on his newly acquired skill.

[Flame Unity]

-Grade: Unique

-It burns the Mana throughout the entire body, cloaking the user in a shroud of flame.

-Physical Attack +200%

-Fire Attack +100%

-Fire Explosion Power +70%

-Movement Speed +100%

-Attack Speed +100%

-Duration: 600 seconds

-Cooldown: 4 hours

The Skill that emerged as the Quest reward was Flame Unity.

One look at the name and description, and he knew exactly what Skill this was.

‘…This is…’

It was the very Skill Amalta had used moments ago.

‘No joke.’

The moment the Skill activated, every combat-related stat skyrocketed.

Physical and magical attack power went without saying, but Fire Explosion Power too.

And on top of that, the speed-related stats as well.

Of course, the duration was only ten minutes.

The cooldown was a whopping four hours, but even so, it was a Skill he found quite appealing.

At the very least, it meant that for ten minutes, Gijun’s combat capabilities could be pushed to their absolute limit.

In a truly critical moment, it was undoubtedly a Skill good enough to turn the tide.

“Ah, that reminds me…”

Gijun moved toward Amalta.

“What now?”

Libre shook her head, then stepped forward and pressed a hand to Amalta’s forehead.

In that instant, a faint glow seeped from her palm and wrapped around Amalta’s body.

“…Huh!”

Amalta scrambled to his feet, startled.

“W-Wait… could it be that the Flame Monarch has taken notice of this humble body… that you’ve seen the devotion in my heart?”

He looked on the verge of tears, as if overcome with emotion.

But Libre clicked her tongue and said,

[What nonsense is this? Shouldn’t you be getting up to guide my master on the way?]

“A-Ah, no, that is…”

Amalta, flustered.

He clearly still couldn’t accept the word ‘master.’

[Do you dare defy my will? I chose the one who released my seal as my master, and yet….]

“H-how could I possibly!”

Amalta flinched, his voice cracking as he cried out.

Gijun glanced at Amalta and let out a soft snicker.

“I heard strange changes are starting to take root here.”

Amalta had already composed his face, nodding gravely.

“That’s right. This vast grassland is our homeland, our mother. But a crack has appeared.”

A crack.

Gijun’s eyes flew wide at those words.

He felt certain—that crack was definitely the entrance leading to Tartaros.

“Can you take me there?”

“That’s easy enough. But remember—this isn’t for you. It’s for the Flame Monarch.”

“…Of course…”

*

“Who’s that guy?”

“Isn’t that the bastard named Amalt-something?”

“That prick?”

Players whispered among themselves, watching Gijun walk alongside Amalta.

Apparently, Amalta was a notoriously ill-tempered NPC around these parts.

“Hmph.”

Amalta snorted at the players who were muttering about him.

“Aw, that bastard… if only he weren’t so strong.”

“I’m holding back.”

But the Players couldn’t just charge at Amalta either.

Not only was Amalta strong, but the more threatening thing was the band of followers trailing behind him.

Getting marked by Amalta, who led a tribe the size of a major guild, meant you could forget about ever hunting in Hamal.

No wonder the Players shot Gijun suspicious looks as he moved alongside that very Amalta.

Anyway, Gijun and Amalta kept crossing the grasslands.

About an hour passed.

“It’s here.”

Amalta stopped.

The area was encircled by wooden palisades,

and the entrance was blocked by standing warriors of the plains.

As Gijun arrived before them, a message appeared.

[A land you cannot enter.]

A territory still forbidden to Players.

Meaning only those granted some qualification could step inside.

“Corrupted monsters kept breaking out from in here, so we had no choice but to seal it off like this.”

And of course, Gijun wasn’t the only Player present.

“This is that place, right? That Tartaros or whatever.”

“My gut says there’s treasure waiting in there!”

“Open the gate, you barbarians!”

The Players looked ready to riot for entry.

The plains warriors didn’t even blink as they shouted back.

“Get lost!”

“You’re not worthy!”

“Ugh, how the hell do we break through?”

“There has to be a Quest, right?”

“I’ve searched all over Hamal—no Quest appears!”

Just then, Amalta spoke to the warriors.

“This one may enter.”

“Understood.”

At Amalta’s single word, a message appeared before Jun’s eyes.

[You have acquired the right to enter the Corrupted Land.]

‘Let’s go.’

Gijun stepped inside.

At that moment.

“Who’s that guy!”

“Let me in too!”

“Who is he?”

“Hey! Why are you discriminating against us!”

The Players’ outcry rang out.

*

[Did you hear? They might’ve found the one who opened Tartaros.]

[No shit? Who is it?]

[Some mage in Hamal walked into the Corrupted Land alone, apparently.]

A piece of bait suddenly appeared on the community boards.

The story of someone walking into what seemed to be Tartaros’s entrance spread like wildfire.

[Wow, while a level-9 Dungeon appears, these game-addicts are obsessing over some Tartaros shit?]

[Shut up, this is my life and world.]

[Tartaros opened, and you’re talking about a level-9 Dungeon? Pfft.]

For Real Spirit Users, Tartaros bait mattered more than a level-9 Dungeon.

It wasn’t like there were any updates to the game anyway.

Sure, Users didn’t complain much since exploring the vast world and maps was fun in itself.

It was only natural for Users to get hyped at the first brand-new zone since the game launched.

And on top of that, wasn’t it tied to the main scenario?

[So where’s the screenshot?]

[Who the hell is that mage anyway?]

[Not a single person managed to snap a pic?]

But there was zero evidence.

[I took a screenshot but the mage didn’t show up ;;]

[Same here — the mage just vanished from the shot.]

Because the mage walking into the Corrupted Land had disappeared from every screenshot, like they’d been photoshopped out.

[From today, I’m camping outside the Corrupted Land.]

[I’m heading straight to Hamal too.]

[Devs, open Tartaros!]

And so, a flood of Players began streaming toward Hamal.

The high-rankers were among them, naturally.

*

[How dreary.]

Libre’s voice reached Jun the moment he set foot in the Corrupted Land.

Gijun nodded and spoke.

In this entire area, Gijun felt the same exact energy he’d sensed from that ancient evil he’d once encountered.

And naturally, it was also identical to the energy of the Magin he’d met in the Dungeon.

‘But… I can’t be certain.’

This was already a game that had rendered even Mana as realistically as the real world.

If that was the case, there’d be no reason it couldn’t mimic something like Magin’s Magi.

‘Even so…’

Wasn’t the change that had come over Gijun something that couldn’t be easily explained?

‘Well… no point overthinking it either.’

That was true enough.

It wasn’t like Gijun had any obligation to uncover the secret.

Still, there was no helping the curiosity that stirred within him.

After all, the change that had actually occurred in Gijun was one that defied all understanding.

‘…Tch.’

With that, Gijun shook his head.

These weren’t matters to think about right now.

And even less were they questions that thinking would yield answers to.

For now, making entry into Tartaros should be his top priority.

That was when it happened.

Crack!

Something came hurtling toward Gijun.

A tentacle, bursting up from the floor.

Tentacles lanced up from the earth in a sudden, vicious spray.

Jun cast Strong Wind on reflex, the gale shearing through the writhing appendages.

But that was only the beginning.

A wet, chittering sound—Kudeuduk!

The ground erupted all around him as countless tentacles burst forth, rising like a forest of grasping monsters.

‘Let them come.’

Gijun stayed utterly calm.

This much wasn’t a threat to him.

‘Orca’s Footsteps.’

He activated the skill and rolled his foot forward, a single, precise step.

Chwa-chwa-chwa-chwa-chwak!

Tentacles, torn into dozens—no, hundreds—of shreds, fluttered through the air like ribbons of meat.

*

‘Still, nothing too tough yet.’

Roughly an hour had passed since he’d entered the Corrupted Land.

The tentacle attacks, thanks to Strong Wind, never even came close to touching him.

Monsters had appeared, sure, but nothing truly threatening had shown itself.

Still, the Experience was flowing in nicely.

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

He’d already gained two full levels.

[Earliest hunter to slay 100 monsters in the Corrupted Land!]

Then a message surfaced — an Achievement unlocked.

[A Great Achievement has been earned!]

[All Stats increased by 5!]

[Gained 15% Dark Resistance!]

Now that’s hot.

That kind of reward for barely a hundred kills?

But that wasn’t all.

[First to purify the Corrupted Land.]

[Acquired a slumbering Ancient Armament.]

[Acquired the Shining Iron Fang.]

Something extraordinary revealed itself.

A slumbering Ancient Armament.

Weren’t the descriptors a bit imposing?

What the hell is this thing?

Gijun checked the info on the item called Shining Iron Fang.

[Shining Iron Fang]

— Grade: Unique

What’s this?

Supposed to be an Achievement reward, but there wasn’t even a proper description written.

Still, it can’t be junk.

A Unique Grade, no less.

That meant it was a soulbound item — one that existed only as a single copy.

Seemed like an item only those who’d first succeeded in hunting within the Corrupted Land could get their hands on.

Given that, there was no way it was meaningless.

Of course, he still couldn’t even figure out how to use it properly…

Guess I’ll just have to barge through and find out.

That was when it happened.

“Huh?”

Something was visible far in the distance.

A colossal sphere.

It was something in the shape of a vast orb — reminiscent of a black hole that sucked in even all the light around it.

The moment he saw it, Gijun understood.

“There it is.”

Gijun could tell: that was the entrance leading to Tartaros.

Let’s head straight there.

Gijun moved toward it without pause.

He kept pressing forward.

Farther than I thought.

Even after moving for quite a while, the sphere showed no sign of drawing nearer.

Gijun picked up the pace.

It was only after sprinting for another thirty minutes at breakneck speed that the sphere finally seemed to inch closer.

Insane…

Gijun’s jaw dropped as he watched the sphere grow larger and larger.

From a distance, he’d thought it was just a somewhat big orb.

But now that he was truly close — it was a sphere so vast he couldn’t see its end.

Like another planet floating right before his eyes.

That was when it hit.

Grrrr… Grawr…

A growl echoed from somewhere.

A low, sinister roar.

It sounded like a lion’s roar — that kind of cry.

Kyaaaaah!

Then, with a colossal roar erupting from somewhere—

Thump—thump!

—a single monster emerged from within the massive sphere.

That’s the one.

Gijun sensed it immediately.

That creature had to be the Gatekeeper of Hell guarding the entrance to Tartaros.

The beast had a lion’s head, a scorpion’s lower body, and two pairs of bat wings.

But in that instant—

…Huh?

Gijun’s eyes snapped open.

‘Crazy…’

A heavy groan spilled from his lips a moment later.

And the reason was simple.

[Lv. 500 Gatekeeper of Hell, Manta]

It was the bastard’s Level.

‘Level 500?’

Gijun had only just crossed Level 100 himself.

And now a Level 500 Monster.

‘…Goddammit.’

The curse slipped out on its own.

But then—

Wooooong—

Something rose into the air.