## Chapter 264 – 264. Unidentified Gate
#264. Unidentified Gate
When a gate appears, the Hunter Association detects the magic power fluctuations and tentatively classifies the gate’s rank.
Afterward, the gate’s rank is finalized by a precise measurement from dispatched association personnel.
However, some gates conceal their magic power fluctuations, and these are called unidentified gates.
“Maybe around B- grade?”
It was certainly possible the association couldn’t find it.
It was deep in the mountains where no one goes, and the magic power fluctuations leaking out were too faint.
At least a 2-circle mage or higher would need to measure the magic power concentration to even determine the gate’s rank.
‘But how did Grandma Choi Young-ok know about a gate like this?’
I had only said I wanted to enter a gate with B-grade monsters alone, and she told me there was an unidentified gate that even the association didn’t know about and gave me its location.
I wondered if that was even possible, but then I thought it wouldn’t be too difficult for a family of the Three Great Clans.
Besides, the provinces suffer more damage from monsters and gates compared to the capital area, so the association probably doesn’t have the resources to pay attention to these remote mountain valleys.
Of course, I don’t care as long as I can enter a B-grade gate.
‘Come to think of it, the association branch manager mentioned unidentified gates before, too, didn’t he?’
Kang Cheol-ho, the Seoul branch manager of the World Hunter Association and an S-grade hunter known as the Iron Man.
He suddenly sought me out and told me he wanted me to participate in the investigation team for an unidentified gate discovered in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.
I initially planned to refuse, but I thought it wouldn’t be bad to build connections with the association branch manager, so I tried to accept the offer.
But I ended up suffering internal injuries from getting one over on Ma Pae-seon, so it fizzled out.
Judging by the fact that I haven’t heard from him since, it seems he’s completely lost interest in me.
‘Well, it’s strange for someone who’s an association branch manager to keep paying attention to a mere mage.’
Having finished my preparations, I headed straight through the gate.
Whoosh-
I felt the familiar sensation of floating and sensed the change in the surrounding air. The magic power concentration in the atmosphere rapidly increased, and a strong wind whipped around.
What unfolded before my eyes was a vast prairie.
“Is the theme of this gate a prairie?”
I calmly surveyed my surroundings.
There wasn’t a forest or even a single tree in sight. Only a vast plain. There probably wasn’t a river either.
I was about to use magic power detection as a habit, but I withdrew my magic power. I wasn’t planning on using magic power in this gate.
To explain the reason, I first needed to go over why I came all the way to Hwangjang Mountain today.
There were two main reasons, one of which was, of course, the Berserk skill quest.
[Berserker
Rank: Special
Defeat 10 B-grade or higher monsters barehanded without using magic power.
Reward: Rank increase for the ‘Berserk’ skill]
And the other reason was to train in martial arts, which I had been vaguely putting off with Qi Circulation.
Of course, I didn’t know if I could face a boss-level monster without magic, but I wasn’t planning on taking off the Necklace of Concealment until Rosario’s fatal wound recovery effect activated, at least.
[Necklace of Concealment
Rank: Rare
A necklace containing powerful magic power concealment.
※ Use of magic power is restricted while equipped.]
I took out Gillennium from my inventory.
Golden sword energy formed on the blade. It was such clear sword energy that other hunters would be shocked, but I wasn’t satisfied.
I was planning on compressing the sword energy to create sword force.
‘Well, if sword force could be created like this, everyone would be using it.’
I quickly shook off my disappointment since it was a somewhat expected result.
From the start, this wasn’t the time to be thinking leisurely.
Thud thud thud-
Along with the earth-shaking sound of hooves, something was kicking up dust and rushing toward me from the distance.
I focused my eyesight.
“That’s…”
It was a C-grade monster, a Bulkemimus, with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a monster.
It was a monster that mainly appeared in prairie gates and was characterized by always traveling in groups.
“About twenty of them?”
It was a B- grade gate, but it wasn’t a number of monsters that would appear right from the start.
But I wasn’t worried.
I was short on coins anyway, so this was a good thing.
“I’ll have to go deeper inside to catch B-grade monsters.”
I immediately ran toward the Bulkemimus group. Perhaps because it was an unobstructed plain, I was moving at a speed comparable to a car on the highway.
Actually, it wasn’t a normal speed. It was all thanks to my internal energy backing me up.
“Kraaaar!!”
As I got closer, one of the Bulkemimus at the head of the group roared. Judging by the fact that it was unusually large compared to the others, it must have been the leader of the group.
The monster that discovered me raised the huge axe it was holding in both hands and increased its speed.
I had heard that a Bulkemimus’ charge was difficult even for a B-grade tank to handle.
Of course, that was assuming they were blocking it head-on.
Slash-
Golden sword energy rippled, and blood mist erupted in all directions. I dodged the charge of the monsters rushing at me as if they were going to trample me and moved forward, slicing their necks.
The monsters were enraged to see me walking through their group as if it were my own front yard, but they couldn’t even graze my clothes.
It was only a matter of moments before the 20 Bulkemimus turned into chunks of meat.
There’s a saying, “Bo-Shin-Gyeong.”
Footwork, body movement, and agility may seem like separate martial arts, but in the end, in battle, you must know how to properly mix and use all three martial arts.
“This isn’t the end, is it?”
No sooner had I finished speaking than I sensed a considerable number of presences in the distance. I adjusted my stance as I watched the monsters rushing toward me from all directions, kicking up dust.
It was a number that a normal B-grade party would have to consider retreating from, but not me.
‘I won’t be short on coins.’
***
Half a day had passed since I entered the gate.
While defeating monsters and exploring various parts of the gate, I finally found the habitat of B-grade monsters.
It was a village consisting of at least a hundred High Orcs.
High Orcs with blood-red skin are known for being particularly intelligent and ferocious among B-grade monsters. The fact that such monsters had formed a village of this size meant one of two possibilities.
Either I had misjudged the gate’s rank, or the gate’s boss was among them.
‘It’s probably the latter.’
I watched them from the hill, then got up and headed toward the village.
100 High Orcs, certainly not an opponent to be taken lightly with my magic power restricted. But not to the point of running away either.
‘If they’re gathered like that, there’ll be room to kill 10 with my bare hands.’
As I got closer, the monsters seemed to have noticed me, and a strange cry echoed from the village.
Phew-
At that moment, something flew through the air from the village.
‘An arrow?’
I lightly tilted my head to dodge the attack. But the arrow wasn’t the only one.
The sky, which had been cloudless, darkened. Arrows, probably numbering in the hundreds, filled the sky.
It would be difficult to dodge all of those, so I would have to block them one by one…
‘And then the next volley of arrows would come flying.’
I didn’t want to go to that trouble.
Bang!
I took a firm step and ran forward.
I quickly escaped the attack range and raised my energy as I watched the Orcs pouring out of the village.
Diamond Energy shone like a crescent moon in the night sky.
Formless Sword Art – Moonless.
“Kraaaar!!”
“Twee!!”
“Kukuk!!”
Golden slashes swept in all directions.
I swung my sword among the Orcs rushing toward me. I vividly felt the sensation of the blade cutting through flesh and blood.
I don’t particularly enjoy slaughter, but I didn’t feel any qualms since the opponents were monsters.
The Orcs rushed toward me with their weapons, trying to kill the intruder who had attacked their village. Of course, their attacks never reached me.
Rather, I seemed to be getting more accustomed to fighting multiple opponents, and I was even able to predict their attacks.
Upper right diagonal slash.
Left horizontal slash.
Rear thrust.
I emptied my mind and swung my sword, relying only on my senses.
Then, Rutledge’s words to me suddenly came to mind.
-You have too many unnecessary thoughts. Discard them all.
At first, I thought he was talking about choosing and focusing, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like that wasn’t the answer.
‘…I feel like I’m about to grasp something.’
Bang!
“Karararack!!”
“Kuaaa!!”
“Kyaaaaack!!”
Tsk, the situation wasn’t suitable for getting lost in thought.
After confirming that their numbers had decreased considerably, I stomped on the head of an Orc that was rushing at me and jumped upward.
I sheathed my sword and looked at the Orcs rushing at me, raising my Diamond Energy. Gazes filled with murderous intent were all directed at me, and I reached out my hand toward those monsters.
Ding-
Along with the benevolent sound of a Buddhist bell, the Buddha’s palm to destroy evil fell upon them.
Diamond Tathagata Subduing Demon Palm.
My internal energy was rapidly consumed, and blood mist once again swept through the area. The corpses of the Orcs that had been knocked away formed a small hill.
[7/10]
The meaning of the screen that appeared before my eyes was simple. It meant that 7 of them had died from the attack just now.
‘If I keep this up, it’ll be over soon…?!’
-!!
At that moment, something with speed and power that couldn’t even be compared to arrows flew toward me.
Thanks to my sense of danger, I sensed the attack in advance, but I was currently floating in the air.
Since my movements were bound to be restricted, I had no choice but to block the attack with my fist.
Clang!
Fortunately, the attack didn’t penetrate my energy barrier. I looked at the broken spear shaft after landing on the ground. It looked like an ordinary spear, but its power was anything but ordinary.
‘Even a B-grade tank wouldn’t be able to block that without a shield.’
It was a javelin with that much power.
I suddenly wondered if I had been too dismissive of the village where 100 High Orcs had gathered.
I turned my head and looked in the direction the javelin had come from.
There, five Orcs with an even more ferocious aura than the others were standing.
‘High Orc Warriors?’
Each of them is classified as a commander-level B+ grade monster.
Five of those…
‘No wonder there were so few monsters inside the gate.’
The gate’s rank is determined by the concentration of magic power leaking out. In other words, whether there are 100 low-level monsters or 10 high-level monsters inside the gate, if the magic power concentration is similar, it can be measured as the same rank.
That’s probably why five High Orc Warriors, who are B+ grade monsters, came out of a B- grade gate.
Moreover, I hadn’t reacted to the killing intent when I was surrounded by the Bulkemimus group or when I was swinging my sword among the High Orcs earlier. Because none of them were even a threat to me.
But now, the senses throughout my body were ringing alarm bells as if reacting to killing intent.
Thump-
A giant Orc, with the five High Orc Warriors acting as if they were guarding him, revealed himself. Befitting his huge physique of at least 3 meters, the aura he emitted was also considerable.
I couldn’t help but let out a burst of laughter.
‘Something like that comes out of a B- grade gate?’
Orc Champion.
He was a B+ grade boss monster, like the Ice Golem who was the boss of the special gate I was trapped in with Choi Hye-na last time.
