'What a bolt from the blue.'

Come to think of it, Red Gates and Blue Gates may seem similar at first glance, but their occurrence processes are quite different. In the case of the red passage that intermittently spews out monsters, its formation signs are so clear that it's even possible to predict its emergence with some probability.

However, this blue gate was so calm in its process that I only realized it was about to open just moments before it happened. It could be described as sudden. My guess is that this difference arises because the blue gate is much more stable than the red gate.

“O, oh my goodness! Wait, is the probability of this even... possible? I’ve lived my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve seen a gate appear right next to me!”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Esther, seemingly shaken by the sudden appearance of the subspace, stammered her words and clutched her chest in shock. However, true to her role as the leader of a guild, her recovery was quick. A few minutes later, she picked up the internal phone on the desk and called the analysts on the lower floor.

"What is all this?"

"Heuk."

"Wow, how did it end up right in the middle of the CEO's office like this...?"

The staff that arrived at the Magic Tower were busy investigating the mysterious gate. However, during the process, somewhat disheartening information came to light.Piik.

Then, one of the Magic Tower staff, holding an analyzer in hand, reached their right arm into the gate.

'Oh, that's how to do it.'

By the time they pulled their arm out, the tension that had built up seemed almost pointless, as the device displayed text that put everyone at ease.

[Unidentified Gate]

[Grade: F]

“It's F-rank, though?”

“F?”

Even an ordinary person with no magic could handle it just by wielding a club. It's a low-level hunting ground rated with the lowest danger.

“Ah, what is this?”

The gate that appeared before us was none other than an F-rank dungeon. Well, the fact that a gate had suddenly manifested among people just sitting around drinking coffee was already ridiculous enough—there was no way an exceptionally rare case like an A-rank would be piled on top of that. At that point, we might as well go buy a lottery ticket.

“I was worried for nothing!”

Esther let out a relieved breath, her voice much calmer now. As the shock faded, curiosity began to slowly rise within her. Come to think of it, this gate was only classified as F-rank, a safe zone, yet the dungeon name was displayed as [Unidentified Gate].

In other words, it meant that the gate contained an environment never before discovered anywhere in the world. Alternatively, it was possible that someone had already found the dungeon but had failed to report the information to Pixie.

“Hmm.”

Either way, as the discoverers, we had no choice but to hold the upper hand in terms of information.

“It’s a completely new dungeon.”

The curly-haired woman standing to one side of the office narrowed her droopy eyes in contemplation. After a brief pause, a new proposal slipped from her lips.

“You know, Giryeo-ssi.”

“Yes.”

You know, Giryeo-ssi.

Yes.

This gate just had to appear right in the middle of the room, so we should clear it quickly—if only to get it out of the way, right?

Yes.

But do we really need to involve the Association in this? I've dealt with a similar case before, so I know how they operate. Even when investigating something as minor as a D-rank gate, they kept all the internal information to themselves under the pretense of 'hunter protection' and whatnot. And to top it off, I was the one who reported it—how irritating.

Seo Esther's lips curled upward slightly.

So this time, the Tower should handle it independently. And if it's not too much trouble, could you help with the gate exploration a little?

Me?

Our Giryeo has a much keener eye than most people.

Sharing information secretly among the discoverers while ignoring the Association, huh. Since I have no ties to any nat

"Our Giryeo has a much keener eye than most people."

Sharing information secretly among the discoverers while ignoring the Association, huh. Since I have no ties to any national institution anyway, it wasn't a proposal I felt uncomfortable rejecting.

'The problem is that it just had to be a Sunday.'

As I mentioned earlier, today is the weekend. Moreover, I had planned to stay in not just for the sake of resting but for another reason as well.

'11 AM.'

I took out my phone to check the current time. At that moment, a calm voice flowed in from Esther's direction.

"If we happen to discover something interesting like reinforcement materials again, keeping the boss alive and making a round trip should take about 30 minutes at most."

That's not just enough; it's excessive. For an S-rank hunter, an F-rank dungeon wasn't something that took 30 minutes; they could clear it in under five just by running through it.

"Giryeo-ssi, please. Just give me an hour and thirty minutes."

s, they could clear it in under five just by running through it.

“Giryeo-ssi, please. Just give me an hour and thirty minutes.”

“An hour and thirty minutes?”

“Thirty minutes to explore the dungeon, and then we can have lunch together at a restaurant. I think it’d be perfect. Would that be okay?”

“....”

“Of course, I'll make sure to pay you well for your time. The guild just got some really good magic stones!”

To pay for labor with magic stones, huh. For reference, this is a country where the minimum wage hovers around ten thousand won. Besides, a wealthy person kind enough to offer magic stones as an hourly wage wouldn’t bother splitting the bill over something as trivial as a meal. Given the flow of the conversation, it’s highly likely that my companion will be covering lunch as well.

“...What kind of menu did you have in mind?”

“Yes?”

When I suddenly asked about the lunch menu, Esther stammered for a moment before quickly responding.

“Uh, well... I'm not sure? Ah, maybe something simple like steak or a Korean set meal?”

Then, someone's refreshing approval flowed.

“Okay. Let's go.”

There's a saying in this world that you should be wary of people who treat you to beef, but honestly, if it's a free steak, wouldn't it be okay to turn a blind eye and be fooled just this once?

***

“It's quite dark, as expected.”

“And it's damp, too.”

“That's how caves are, well.”

“That’s how caves are, well.”

“Oh my, watch your step.”

“Why are there so many rocks in the way?”

A moment later, we finished our simple preparations and entered the dungeon.

What we brought were Esther’s main equipment and some analog writing tools. Thanks to the monster lurking near the entrance, we were able to confirm once again that this dungeon was indeed F-rank. With such a light load, there was nothing to worry about.

“There’s a monster 10m ahead.”

Bam!

As I stood still, quietly observing the walls, a dull thud soon reached my ears. It was the sound of Esther dealing with the obstacle ahead. They were beings that were squirming through the dry ground, just like plants sprouting.

“By the way, I was expecting something exciting since this is a new dungeon, but these monsters look awfully familiar.”

The obstacle ahead. They were beings that were squirming through the dry ground, just like plants sprouting.

“By the way, I was expecting something exciting since this is a new dungeon, but these monsters look awfully familiar.”

The inhabitants of this place were none other than [Old Bones]. To be precise, they were monsters so common in F-rank dungeons that their photos were even included as examples in the beginner's guide distributed by the Hunter Association.

“Even aside from the monsters, the dungeon's structure is pretty ordinary too.”

Unlike the wind, this gate was a separate world in the form of a cave, commonly found in various hunting grounds

I’d rather not recall it, but... The incident where I was almost robbed by the criminals known as the Frogs because of those twin guardian angels. Yeah, if I had to compare, this dungeon is an exact replica of that F-rank gate I entered back then. Red, dark, with a winding ceiling like the esophagus of a beast.

“Hmm.”

The only difference is that the path ahead is a straight line.

“What is this? There’s nothing to see here.”

“What is this? There's nothing to see here.”

We decided to explore a little further just in case, but in the end, aside from discovering this structure, we didn't gain anything noteworthy.

“It’s a fountain.”

“It’s a bit small.”

“Why is it here?”

“How would I know?”

A carved fountain, like the one I saw in the White Maze, suddenly placed in the middle of the path. No, what is this mishmash of leftover elements? What’s this bizarre food box?

“....”

“....”

Esther and I exchanged a brief glance. No matter how we looked at it, this dungeon seemed like a variant of the comm

....

Esther and I exchanged a brief glance. No matter how we looked at it, this dungeon seemed like a variant of the common F-class caves. So, instead of wasting our energy, it seemed better to move on.

Since we haven't been here for long anyway, let's just head back.

Right, Giryeo-ssi. At this point, my secretary could clear it while eating instant noodles.

The opinions came together in an instant. So, we unanimously decided to give up on the dungeon and head back. It took about 10 minutes to get to the fountain, but considering we stopped along the way for analysis, the time to return should probably be...

Less than 5 minutes....or at least, that's what I thought just a moment ago.

'Huh.'

A few minutes passed since then. As Esther and I were casually chatting while heading back to the entrance, I instinctively sensed that something felt off about the atmosphere here.

To be precise, the brightness is off. By now, we should be seeing the blue light emitted by the gate, but the far end of the path is still shrouded in a dark shadow, isn't it?

vely sensed that something felt off about the atmosphere here.

To be precise, the brightness is off. By now, we should be seeing the blue light emitted by the gate, but the far end of the path is still shrouded in a dark shadow, isn't it?

'What on earth is this?'

A cold sweat runs down my spine. It wasn't just because I felt a sense of unease. I suddenly focused my senses to confirm a hypothesis that crossed my mind, and as a result, I arrived at a certain conclusion.

"No way..."

"Giryeo-ssi?"

Tak, tak, tak.

I put my weight on my shoes and ran forward. However, no matter how much I jumped, I couldn't see the entrance I had come in through.

No, damn it! Wait a minute, if I look closely, it's not just that I can't see the light.

"The passage!"

No, damn it! Wait a minute, if I look closely, it's not just that I can't see the light.

“The passage!”

“Heuk!”

Soon after, the woman who followed me gasped. Shockingly, the entrance we had come through was now completely blocked by a red stone wall. The gate no longer existed at that spot.

Tuk.

I stood frozen, staring at the cave's end blocked by the wall, utterly dumbfounded. Damn it. How long has it been since I took down that cursed Rakhsasa Temple? Why is this absurd situation happening now, with the entrance just vanishing out of nowhere?

‘Could it be a characteristic of the dungeon itself?’

But I never expected it. When Esther went ahead to check if the grade analysis results were correct, the gate was clearly functioning normally back when we hunted the monsters at the entrance.

“Goodness, what happened here?”

“I don't know.”

Goodness, what happened here?

I don't know.

Could it be that someone outside used an item... No, that can't be. This was clearly the top floor of our guild!

Calm down. It's quite shocking that the entrance disappeared, but we still have other ways to handle this.

Looks like there's no choice. At this point, we'll have to defeat the boss and find our way out.

Gate clear.

Thankfully, there is an absolute condition in these otherworlds that opens the exit.

That's right. Don't panic and calmly proceed with the attack.

But after a whole 3 hours.

“Oh my...”

We finally discovered the last peculiar detail this dungeon had been hiding.

‘The path...’

The unidentified gate that appeared in the Magic Tower's representative office. Its true nature was none other than...

‘The path doesn't end!’

It is a new type of dungeon with an extremely abnormal length!

I once heard from Ahn Yoonseung that recently, the scale of dungeons contained within gates has been steadily increasing. A prime example of this is the dungeon called [The Deepest Place], which is divided into three floors.

However, this phenomenon had only been observed in higher-grade dungeons, around A or B rank. In low-level hunting grounds, such changes weren't noticeable. It was common knowledge in the industry that E-grade gates were sma

I once heard from Ahn Yoonseung that recently, the scale of dungeons contained within gates has been steadily increasing. A prime example of this is the dungeon called [The Deepest Place], which is divided into three floors.

However, this phenomenon had only been observed in higher-grade dungeons, around A or B rank. In low-level hunting grounds, such changes weren't noticeable. It was common knowledge in the industry that F-grade gates were small enough that even a round trip could be done within an hour.

"Goodness, no matter how much we walk, we still can't see the boss."

Esther tried to lighten the mood with a small laugh, but I wasn't in the mood to go along with it. I had just made a chilling discovery after persistently testing—this dungeon's boss wasn't within the scope of the archmage's detection.

Damn, how could something like this happen...

"I really picked the wrong day."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I began repeating a sentence over and over. I started mumbling about how, of all days, an incident had to occur today, filled with a sense of anxiety.

"Why? Was there something else you were busy with?"

The S-rank Hunter reacted awkwardly. She was walking ahead of me, so I couldn't see her face, but judging from the tone of her voice, she was probably wearing a rather sad expression.

I'm sorry. I made an unnecessary suggestion and ended up wasting your time, Giryeo-ssi.

....

Uhm, how about this? From now on, shall we both give it our all and run? How about a race? With both of us being S-rank, if we pick up speed, we should definitely be able to...

However, at that moment, the peaceful conversation suddenly stopped. At the same time, the regular sound of footsteps stops as well. What filled the cave was an unnatural silence.

Giryeo-ssi?

Whoosh.

As Esther tilted her head and looked back when she no longer heard the sound of footsteps, I found myself meeting her gaze after just a few minutes. However, I still couldn't bring myself to answer her call.

Hunter Giryeo?!

er gaze after just a few minutes. However, I still couldn't bring myself to answer her call.

“Hunter Giryeo?!”

The blood kept surging up from my throat, making it practically impossible to speak. I covered my mouth in a hurry. However, when the blood that had accumulated in my mouth hit my Adam’s apple, I couldn’t hold back a cough.

Keugh, cough.

The sound of mucus and blood being coughed up echoed through the air. The blood dripped down my chin, staining my clothes a deep crimson. In between my fingers, there were unpleasant traces, and after a few seconds, even the whites of my eyes were filled with broken blood vessels.

“Cough.”

That’s right. This was the identity of the ‘slightly uncomfortable shortcoming’ of the [Sacred Tree Seedling].

“…It’s oka…”

To be exact, I was about to say something. But as soon as I opened my mouth to say that I was okay, I started vomiting blood again...

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)