Gi-Gyu had to prepare for tomorrow, and the remaining hours of the day were his only companions. After the meeting, he became a literal example of the word "post-haste". He knew the perfect spot to maximize his growth; now, he only wished to get there the very next second. He murmured, “I have to hunt as much as I can before I’ve to leave for home.”

Gi-Gyu and the sixth floor were still strangers to each other since he had been engrossed with hunting the monsters on the tutorial levels. Now, Lou had struck a wall: regardless of how many they killed, Lou’s speed and power refused to increase. So, he had to quickly ascend to the higher floors and hunt some new monsters.

‘I’ll surely repay the debt once I become stronger.’

Gi-Gyu had been hunting for a long time on the fourth floor, but he never saw its guardian again. And it wasn’t because someone else captured it. The guardian forced Gi-Gyu into entering the fifth floor; after becoming strong enough, he planned on repaying the favor at first sight.

“After all, I only became stronger thanks to that guardian… Lou! Don’t you agree?” Gi-Gyu asked.

-Ugh! You’re so childish.

“You’re the childish one here. I’ve never met a bigger ass than you, jerk,” Gi-Gyu bickered.

Floors above the fifth were easier to ascend since they all had portals for convenient transportation. However, a player could only use portals to the floors they had visited previously.

And Gi-Gyu was currently rushing toward the fifth-floor landmark.

***

“So this is the landmark.”

Gi-Gyu had been here before; back then, he was unconscious. This was, in a way, his first time here since he couldn’t even remember if he was assward or facefirst back then.

“There's pretty much a city here.”

The fifth-floor landmark was essentially an entire city. A landmark existed on each floor, starting at the fifth floor. These landmarks were created by players from all over the world as a place to rest. Landmarks could have anything from well-furnished buildings to teetering cabanas. The landmarks on the tutorial floors were more developed because there weren’t any dangerous monsters around.

“I should just get right to the battles,” Gi-Gyu told himself. He had to get as many experience points as he could get before entering the Gate tomorrow. So, Gi-Gyu made his way toward the sixth floor without sightseeing: there would always be time for that in the future.

***

Gi-Gyu had already researched the path between the fifth and sixth floors beforehand, so he was on the sixth floor before long. The monster that appeared on the sixth floor were lizardmen.

“When was I this nervous before?” Gi-Gyu murmured. This was the first time he was hunting a monster besides orcs and goblins. The Lizardmen were going to be a new beginning for him, a step up for Gi-Gyu as a player.

“Creak! Creak!!!” a lizardman screamed with its strange voice. Its scimitar was so rusted that even a small knick from it was enough to give tetanus.

‘I’m so glad I already got the tetanus booster. Then again, everyone said lizardmen are pretty easy to hunt.’

One of Gi-Gyu’s past customers, who later became his good friend, used to tell him about the different floors and their monsters. He visited Gi-Gyu sometimes and talked about effective ways to hunt the various creatures roaming the many floors. He was a good man who wanted to tell Gi-Gyu about the things Gi-Gyu himself couldn’t experience at the time. That player was a talented hunter, skilled enough to take a shot at becoming a ranker; unfortunately, he died while trying to hunt a guardian.

‘I’ve to be smart about this and only hunt the guardians when I'm completely ready.’

His friend’s death saddened him, but Gi-Gyu learned a valuable lesson from it.

Gi-Gyu remembered what his friend told him about hunting a lizardman.

‘He said that I should attack its waist to imbalance it.’

-Oh! Another hunt!

‘Be quiet!’

The ring on his finger was already transforming back into the red sword. Lou seemed excited at the prospect of hunting the lizardman. Gi-Gyu obliged by gripping the sword with both of his hands and charging forward.

“Creeeek! Creeeek!”

Clank!

The lizardman’s rusted scimitar and Lou met with a sharp noise.

Slash!

“Huh?”

And just like that, Lou cut through the corroded scimitar.

“Creek!” the lizardman shrieked as Lou sliced its shoulder and left a trail of green blood.

“What the heck?!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed in shock. He had witnessed Lou cut through the orcs’ and goblins’ weapons like a hot knife through butter; unexpectedly, even the sixth-floor lizardmen failed to challenge this now-reformed bratty sword.

‘Guess I don’t even need to keep the proper hunting strategy for this floor in mind.’

With a bright smile on his face, Gi-Gyu dashed toward the lizardman.

***

Guri Station.

Ha Song-Su and his group members were waiting for Gi-Gyu at the station. Song-Su greeted Gi-Gyu, “Thank god you got here on time.”

“Yeah,” Gi-Gyu replied.

“We’ll leave immediately then,” Song-Su announced. Gi-Gyu was barely on time. He only had two minutes to spare till the set time, which must’ve been why Ha Song-Su didn’t look too happy. But thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it.

‘I’m glad I cleaned off the blood before I came.’

Gi-Gyu had been busy hunting until the very last minute. He only made it because Lou reminded him of the time. It was considered bad manners to hunt right before a group Gate hunt. If a player spent too much energy beforehand, he could feel drained during the group hunt and put the other members in danger.

Gi-Gyu knew this very well, but he had been so focused on hunting that he forgot about time. Besides, thanks to Lou’s improved stamina, he didn’t feel tired at all.

***

Before long, the hunting party stood in front of the Gate.

Ha Song-Su made the payment at the entrance, “Here is the admission fee.”

“Ha Song-Su and the group of five, right?” the admission cashier asked.

“Yes.”

“I wish you good luck in clearing the Gate safely,” the admission cashier said to the group and stepped aside. The Gate they were entering today belonged to the association, so the cashier had to be the doorkeeper sent by the association.

“Before you begin, I’ll explain the rules once more. You must follow my orders without question. Since we must clear the Gate within our reserved time, we’re going to move quickly,” Song-Su announced.

“Alright,” Gi-Gyu and the rest of the group answered together. It seemed the other players also found this group online. They were all acting awkward around each other, not a good sign.

The blue Gate began to shake. This was the first time Gi-Gyu was seeing one up close; he was mesmerized by it.

‘It looks very different from the floor doors in the Tower, but it’s still very beautiful.’

It was indeed beautiful. Inside the Gate could be a living hell; at least, its entrance was lovely.

“Is this your first time entering a Gate?” one of the members with an unknown name asked Gi-Gyu.

“Yes.” The man smirked at Gi-Gyu’s answer.

“Hmm…”

Gi-Gyu narrowed his eyes as he watched his group entering the Gate one by one. Soon, it was his turn, so Gi-Gyu jumped into the blue Gate.

***

[You have entered the Gate.]

‘So this is the Gate.’

Soggy air stabbed at Gi-Gyu’s nose.

“Check your equipment before going forward. It’s going to get darker inside, so please light your torches,” Song-Su announced.

Crackle… Blaze!

Everyone brought out their own torchlights.

‘I guess it takes a special kind of man to become a group leader.’

They were about to hunt inside the easiest class Gate, yet Ha Song-Su seemed very thorough. He checked each member carefully and then designated different roles based on the members’ talents. It seemed Ha Song-Su had already studied the group members before he came here today.

“Now, we’ll get going!” Song-Su announced, and the group began to move.

‘Thank goodness. This doesn’t look like one of those exceptional Gates.’

As he walked, Gi-Gyu realized the Gate’s interior and the description he had heard of it matched to a tee. Relief washed over him now that he thought this was an ordinary Gate. Excitement and glee weren’t too far behind as he pated himself for fearlessly making this attempt.

His group formed a triangle with the tanker Song Byung-Hoon at the front. The second row included Gi-Gyu and a player who belonged to the close combat category. Behind them were the group leader Ha Song-Su and a female player.

‘Does Song-Su know that woman?’

Ha Song-Su clearly didn’t like getting close to any of the members, but he kept the female player close by for some reason.

***

The group paused not too long after they began because they could feel a monster nearby.

“Get ready,” at Ha Song-Su’s command, all the players stopped. He announced, “A zombie has been spotted in our perimeters. Prepare for a battle.”

All the players, including Gi-Gyu, gripped their weapons tighter. Ha Song-Su quickly returned to his position and nocked an arrow. He requested, “Tanker! Please lead the aggro hard.”

“Okay.”

Ha Song-Su’s arrow left its bow at an almost unreal pace.

Whoosh!

The arrow’s shrill whistling sound struck everyone’s ears and left a resounding echo.

Stab!

The shrill whistle was followed by the grotesque sound of an arrow piercing thick flesh.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The shrieking zombies attracted the nearby zombies, and they began swarming Gi-Gyu’s group.

“Haaa!” Song Byung-Hoon shouted to attract the zombies; consequently, the seemingly endless wave of zombies rushed toward his shield. Song-Su ordered, “Dealer!”

It was finally Gi-Gyu’s turn.

-Let’s kill them all!

With Lou’s excited cheer, Gi-Gyu twirled the sword and ran toward the zombies that were busy attacking the shield.

Slash!

“Huh?”

“What?!”

“The hell?!!!”

Gi-Gyu, Song Byung-Hoon, and the other close combat dealer Choi Dae-Oh exclaimed in confusion.

“What the! What’s going on here?” one player asked in surprise, but before anyone could answer, Ha Song-Su screamed, “Focus!” Every member stopped gawking. They knew they couldn’t forget the fact that they were in the middle of a battle.

Everyone, including Gi-Gyu, was confused because of what happened when Gi-Gyu swung his sword. He swung Lou once and ended up slaying four zombies like they were fragile wooden chopsticks.

‘I better control my strength.’

Gi-Gyu couldn’t understand what happened exactly, but one thing was for certain: he didn’t have to go all-out in this battle. Then, Lou beheaded a zombie with each relaxed swing. Thanks to Gi-Gyu’s quick work, it didn’t take the group long to finish the hunt.

Ha Song-Su announced, “We’ll take a quick break.”

“Okay,” the members answered and sat down on the ground. They couldn’t afford to use expensive potions for every injury, so it was important to regain strength naturally after every battle. If someone were wounded, they would’ve watered down the potion and applied it. This was enough to heal the wound slowly over time.

“Gi-Gyu, what the heck was that earlier?” Song Byung-Hoon approached Gi-Gyu and asked.

“Wow… Didn’t you say you were only Level 7?” Choi Dae-Oh also came by to ask. Choi Dae-Oh was the player who smirked at Gi-Gyu before entering the Gate. Obviously, he was older, but Gi-Gyu still didn’t like how informally he talked.

The two men continued to gush over Gi-Gyu. It made sense since Gi-Gyu’s technique earlier was no doubt impressive.

“Gi-Gyu must’ve achieved some critical hits,” Byung-Hoon guessed.

“Oh, but that doesn’t make sense. How can someone do that many critical hits consecutively?” Dae-Oh asked in doubt.

“But, oh man! When I heard this was your first time hunting inside the Gate, I was so worried. But now, it looks like it’s going to be a smooth sail!” Byung-Hoon exclaimed excitedly. Both men seemed thrilled at the prospect of an easy hunt. After all, having a powerful player in a group decreases the chances of death or dangerous situations.

Gi-Gyu replied quietly, “I just got lucky, that’s all.”

“Oh, come on! This guy is humble too; let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as a luck stat,” Byung-Hoon flattered Gi-Gyu.

“You don’t look tired at all either.” When Dae-Oh mentioned this with surprise, Gi-Gyu replied awkwardly, “I-I guess not?”

Song Byung-Hoon and Choi Dae-Oh seemed ignorant of how uncomfortable they were making Gi-Gyu. When they continued to chat loudly, Ha Song-Su warned them, “Please be quiet. You can’t let your guard down. We’re still inside the Gate.”

The warning quietened the noisy duo, but not completely. Song Byung-Hoon muttered, “Gosh! He’s being so picky!” Although he said this quietly, his voice rang because they were underground. Gi-Gyu glanced at Song-Su, but it seemed that Song-Su planned on ignoring Byung-Hoo.

‘I’ have to hide my abilities better.’

The unexpected source of power was creating a clear division between the group; it wasn’t ideal for survival. Gi-Gyu pulled himself together since it was time for the group to continue.

***

“I think this is a mid boss’ room,” Ha Song-Su stated.

A metal fence was blocking their path, and they knew that crossing it would bring them face to face with the mid-boss. It was common knowledge that this Gate’s mid-boss was a giant zombie, so the players began checking their stamina and equipment. Then, Ha Song-Su walked up to the fence, took out a small glass vial from his bag, and threw it at the metal fence.

Shhhh, shhhhh…

‘Corrosion solution.’

The metal fence began to slowly melt away. Ha Song-Su warned the members, “Please be careful not to touch the corrosion solution.”

“Okay,” the players answered.

Cautiously, the members began crossing the fence using the small eroded hole. Gi-Gyu was the last one to cross; the fence repaired itself as soon as he did.

‘The escape path has been sealed.’

Escaping the Gate was possible, but a player couldn’t escape the mid-boss’ or the boss’ room. It was a life or death situation, meaning the players could only leave after killing the boss.

“Gi-Gyu! Please take good care of us.” Song Byung-Hoon winked at Gi-Gyu, who replied awkwardly, “Oh, okay.” He had been trying to control his strength, but the zombies kept falling like twigs in front of him. By now, everyone believed Gi-Gyu lied about his level. They seemed to like the idea, and they did their best to flatter him.

“Focus!” Ha Sung-Su yelled as a giant zombie appeared.

[Gate’s mid-boss, Giant Zombie, has appeared.]

“Ugh…” the female player, who hadn’t done much so far and remained close to Song-Su, groaned when she saw the giant zombie. The three-meter monster was covered in squirming worms trying to escape its body.

“Kuooooo!”

The players weren’t given much time to feel disgusted because the giant zombie roared, causing the worms to fall on the ground. The battle was about to begin.

“Haaa!” Song Byung-Hoon shouted to distract the monster. His aggro was followed by Ha Song-Su’s fire arrow and the female player’s magic attack.

Thud!

“Ack!” Song Byung-Hoon groaned when the giant zombie slammed his shield. Byung-Hoon’s arms began to shake visibly as he muttered, “He’s too strong…”

“You need to hang on a bit longer!” Choi Dae-Oh rushed toward the giant zombie with his sword held high.

Slash!

A bunch of the zombie’s worms fell to the ground with a gnarly sound. Unfortunately, the attack failed to deliver much damage to the giant zombie. Instead, it continued to slam on Song Byung-Hoon’s shield.

“Ackkk!!!” Song Byung-Hoon screamed in pain.

“Think! The giant zombie’s weaknesses are its neck and chest! Focus only on those two areas!” Ha Song-Su screamed and continued shooting his fire arrows at the giant zombie’s chest.

Then, Gi-Gyu finally made his move.