Chapter 51

“Your Majesty, have you forgotten the door is that way?”

There were only the two of us in the room, but I asked politely anyway.

Was this the so-called youth dementia I’d only heard about?

Shin Jae-heon frowned at my words.

“It’s a hassle to enter officially.”

Fair enough.

“Gotta get out of this damn dungeon quick.”

As I spoke, a chat from Shin Jae-heon popped up.

Joo Yian went quiet for a moment at that. Then, a bit later, her chat appeared.

I was floored by that.

True, but…

Without a second thought, she dropped something insane in response.

Why tie a skill rank limit to a manual? That’s when I waved my hand dismissively.

“Captain of the Guardian Knights!”

Someone pounded fiercely on the door from outside.

“!”

My eyes met Shin Jae-heon’s. Why did someone always show up right when this guy did?

—Bang!

I flung the window open again.

“Please leave the way you came. That’s all.”

Go, quick! Unless you want that penalty!

“What kind of guy…”

“Captain!”

Meanwhile, the knight’s voice calling me grew even louder.

Muttering about how clueless they were, this empire’s emperor clambered back out the window.

Hey, I can see your hand on the sill, you know?

I casually placed a coffee cup near the window to hide it and glanced up at the clock.

It was already 11 p.m.

“What is it at this hour—”

The moment I opened the door and started speaking.

The knight who’d called me so urgently was pale as a ghost.

“A b-black gate has appeared! It’s unlike any gate we’ve ever seen!”

“What?”

My jaw dropped.

It’s common knowledge that a gate’s color indicates its difficulty.

F-rank are light green, progressing through yellow to near-red for A-rank gates.

From S-rank onward, the color changes entirely to signal a whole different league of difficulty.

Like this L-rank gate we’d entered, which was a deep ink-black.

But if it’s black enough to warrant the word…

SS-rank? SS+?

My head was ringing.

Korea didn’t see one until five years in?

“What’s the gate’s progress?”

Good thing I could ask that.

Thanks to the Magic Tower’s research (or rather, So Yeri the hunter’s basic knowledge), people in this world now knew that the smaller the gate entrance, the closer monsters were to spilling out.

In other words, you could gauge how long until it rampaged.

“W-well, it was discovered late in the mountains… It’s about two finger-widths now.”

“Oh.”

My vision swam for a second. At that size…

…We’re screwed.

At minimum, an SS-rank gate.

The investigating knight and nearby mages had quickly determined it had odd properties.

“If four or more approach, a powerful magic field activates.”

System-speak for a 3-man dungeon.

An SS-rank-plus dungeon with a strict party limit?

Once I explained, even So Yeri got serious.

That was the issue.

If I’d entered at full power, SS-rank or not, it wouldn’t be this dire.

I’d just steamroll with overwhelming DPS.

Problem was, I was C-rank right now.

In the grim mood, I suddenly checked my skill window.

Active skills? Not worth checking.

I wanted passives.

I recalled getting something useful from the Galaxy Server skill key recently.

And my memory was spot on.

My lips curled up involuntarily.

A C-rank in an SS dungeon? Everyone would call us crazy.

Joo Yian phrased it nicely. Turning “you’d just get in the way” into something so polite was a talent.

A normal C-rank? Sure.

But not me!

Crazy enough to DPS an SS dungeon?

So Yeri shot back right away. I replied confidently.

The chat vibe shifted instantly.

Their quick pivot made sense.

No S-rank hunter would leave a walking 25% damage buff behind.

But there was one hitch.

I’d thought God’s Shop was all junk. But it had some gems.

I shrugged.

Time for God’s Shop to shine. Not even pricey.

I bought two items.

3-man limit? Magical ID Badge bypasses entry restrictions.

“Anywhere” includes dungeons.

Sure, minor issues.

In the name of Emperor Ivan Elethia von Karman, Guardian Knight Captain Senia de Edelweiss is ordered on a southern reconnaissance mission.

Clarify my status before I’m listed missing.

And.

“It’s a gate for only three. Yet there…”

Knights, priests, mages—none could finish the sentence.

The strongest from each were the emperor, pope, and tower lord, of course.

But.

“If all three of you move at once, there are too many concerns.”

The nation’s pillars rushing into the deadliest spot? Natural worries.

The imperial attendant had a point. Even rarer, Magic Tower and temple folk opposed it.

“We don’t doubt the Tower Lord’s skill. But for such danger, send us instead?”

That was the Tower’s number two, high A-rank.

“Your Grace, His Holiness said more await your touch. Don’t confine yourself to one gate.”

The grand priest right under the pope. Short for: don’t go.

But they had no choice.

All objecting were merely top A-ranks.

Stuff them in an SS dungeon?

Murder.

They trailed us to the gate, still pleading.

“Your Grace…”

“Tower Lord…”

“Your Majesty…”

Desperate.

—Thud!

Finally, Shin Jae-heon slammed his greatsword into the ground and scanned the crowd.

“I know your concerns.”

All three dying together? Bad for us, bad for the world.

Normal nation would’ve triggered RP dungeon penalty at the plan.

But not here.

Why?

This was sword-mad sword empire, DPS-mad DPS nation Karman!

“I’ve heard many knights feel their limits from this gate crisis.”

—Boom!

Shin Jae-heon slammed the sheathed sword down again.

His stern voice hushed imperial folk, clergy, mages alike.

“I will turn this crisis into opportunity. As emperor and symbol, I’ll set an example—show you all have no limits.”

The knights, silent till now, clenched fists.

Then roared as one.

“Waaaaah!”

Fitting for a DPS nation.

Meaning most key members were dealers with no second thoughts.

And I heard it from Shin Jae-heon’s pocket.

Via So Yeri’s Corner Seat Front Row effect, watching.

How? In his pocket because…

But only 7 minutes left on the buff?

Don’t wanna see that pocket explode? Hurry into the gate!