First Blood in the Gate
01 Team plunged into the Gate.
Damn it, Nam Gyuil swore inwardly. The energy he felt every time they passed through a Gate was nauseating. It was like sticky, filthy slime slithering over his skin, and every breath made his stomach churn. Repulsive, in a word.
Nam Gyuil scanned their surroundings. Lush trees and dense jungle stretched out before them. Gates changed their internal landscapes depending on the monsters inside.
"This is the Gate...."
Hong Shinu, entering a Gate for the first time, swallowed hard as she looked around.
Nam Gyuil shouted to the group. "From now on, we're destroying the core inside this Gate. Advance while maintaining four-directional vigilance!"
He drew a dagger from his belt and pointed ahead. "Forward!"
At his command, the team members moved out. They kept constant watch on their surroundings, tense as could be—who knew when a Lizardman might pop out.
Hong Shinu whispered cautiously to Lee Chanu. "How strong are the Lizardmen?"
"They're insanely strong, tough to handle. Gotta stay sharp or you're dead meat. Got it?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Hong Shinu's face darkened despite her forced reply.
Rustle.
A faint sound of leaves brushing together cut through the air. Nam Gyuil halted. He flashed hand signals to the team.
- Monster nearby.
- Form up defensive circle and annihilate.
The team instantly clustered into a tight circle, shields raised. It was a formation that could defend no matter where the monster struck from.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The thick underbrush began to shake. Heavy footfalls pounded in their ears. Branches snapped, leaves scattered through the air.
"Shaaak-!!"
A Lizardman burst into view. A massive bipedal lizard, its bumpy hide utterly alien, towering nearly two meters high—they had to crane their necks to look up at it. In its grip was a long spear.
Whoosh.
The beast swung its enormous spear blade the moment it spotted them. The blade alone was thicker than an average man's forearm by a good inch.
Crack!
The spear smashed into the National Hunters' shields.
"Kyaak-!"
Hong Shinu screamed and tumbled to the ground. Her shield had saved her from injury, but her wrist trembled violently from the impact. Her gut clenched in sheer terror. The Lizardman's strike had been that ferocious.
As Hong Shinu panted, checking if her shield had shattered, Lee Chanu yelled, "Hey, Hong Shinu! Snap out of it!!"
She jolted and looked up.
This damn—!!
The Lizardman was rearing back for another swing at her, having shattered their formation. She needed to dodge, but sprawled on the ground, she missed her chance.
I'm gonna die here, not even a week after enlisting—that's when!
Whish.
Someone charged the Lizardman. A shadow loomed over its head. The man leaping onto its skull was Nam Gyuil.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed through the forest.
"Siyaak!"
The Lizardman shrieked and pitched forward. Nam Gyuil's kick had landed clean and heavy, empowered by Arnia training methods beyond imagination. Its face slammed into the dirt, head buried, motionless—like it had blacked out.
The 01 Team National Hunters' eyes went wide.
Lizardmen were notoriously tricky foes. Stronger than National Hunters, with tough muscles making them tanky.
But taken down with one kick?!
What the hell happened in that hospital to make him this strong?!
They gaped in shock.
Nam Gyuil slit the Lizardman's throat with his dagger, severing the artery cleanly. Blood gushed skyward in a torrent. The beast bled out from massive hemorrhaging.
Nam Gyuil extended a hand to Hong Shinu. "Hey, rookie. You okay?"
"Y-yes, sir!!"
She flinched as she replied. The overwhelming display had left her half-dazed, questioning if it was even real.
Hong Shinu grabbed his hand, stood, and stared at the corpse. "Sergeant Nam Gyuil."
"What?"
"You're really strong. Amazing."
Still stunned, she kept repeating it.
Nam Gyuil chuckled and slapped her back.
Smack!!
It stung pretty good; she winced, eyes watering. "Ngh~"
To the groaning Hong Shinu, Nam Gyuil advised, "Don't get all starry-eyed over how awesome I am. This is a Gate, remember."
That snapped her back to reality. Tension flooded her dazed face again.
Right—this was a Gate. Let your guard down, and you're dead. No matter what, stay sharp.
Nam Gyuil took point, leading the way. Hong Shinu gazed at his back like he was a god.
That line in the vehicle wasn't a joke.
Call my name if shit hits the fan—he'd said it because he was that capable.
His back felt so reliable now. Larger than life.
Can I ever become like that?
No idea. But one thing was crystal clear.
Obey Sergeant Nam Gyuil's orders without question. That's how I survive.
Hong Shinu gripped her shield tighter, eyes burning with resolve as she watched him.
Meanwhile, Lee Chanu tried hefting the Lizardman's spear with both hands. "This Lizardman spear's way better than our daggers, right?"
He grunted, barely lifting it before wobbling from the weight.
Nam Gyuil barked at him. "Leave the spear. Too heavy to swing properly—what's the point?"
"But it's better than our weapons."
Lee Chanu protested; Nam Gyuil smirked. "Listen, you punk."
"Yeah?"
"Greed gets you killed. Stick to your dagger."
"Doesn't it tempt you, hyung?"
"I'd rather my familiar knife than some spear I've never swung."
Nam Gyuil twirled his dagger and pressed on, leading the team. Lee Chanu reluctantly dropped the spear.
As they advanced, Nam Gyuil suddenly sensed something off.
Splash.
His boot sank into a crimson puddle. Blood.
Looking around, he spotted claw marks gouged into trees. Even a trunk snapped and toppled.
Battle traces, no doubt.
Pushing deeper's gonna be risky.
Nam Gyuil halted the team and signaled for heightened alert while scanning the area.
Everyone gripped weapons tight, shields up, ready for instant combat.
After a long scan, Nam Gyuil declared, "No monsters nearby."
The team exhaled in relief, shoulders slumping. The tension drained away.
Nam Gyuil knelt, examining footprints. Sharp toes—definitely Lizardman.
The ones next to them... Human?
Grid patterns from boot treads.
He recalled the report from the soldiers outside the Gate.
07 Team survivors, they said.
Yes. That's what they'd told him.
So 07 Team must've made their last stand here.
But why...?
No bodies. Lizardmen eat humans. If 07 Team died here, their bones should've littered the place.
But nothing.
They didn't eat them?
Lizardmen were voracious. Odd they'd kill but not devour on-site.
If not eaten, maybe...
Stockpiled as food?
A hypothesis flashed in Nam Gyuil's mind.
The boss monster gave orders!
Gates had commander monsters—boss monsters. They guarded the core to keep the Gate open.
If the boss ordered food storage, the captured National Hunters might still be alive.
Freshness was key for stockpiles. They'd keep them breathing. Butchered meat spoiled fast, but limbs broken to prevent escape? That preserved quality.
Nam Gyuil's expression hardened.
Monster extermination might turn into rescuing 07 Team. Way tougher.
He shared his theory with 01 Team: the earlier hunters might still be alive.
Lee Chanu's face grew grave. "So what now?"
"Storming straight in risks the hostages. Lure the monsters away, split 'em up, then rescue during the chaos."
The team stared in shock. No one spoke the obvious: bait was needed.
Silence hung heavy. No volunteers.
Made sense—bait could die first. Too dangerous.
As it dragged on, Nam Gyuil stepped up. "I'll—"
Hong Shinu shot her hand up. "Private Hong Shinu! I'll be the bait, sir!"
Nam Gyuil's eyes widened. Unexpected from the newbie shaking in her boots on her first Gate run.
The riskiest role? Does she get what that means?
To be sure, he explained. "Bait lures Lizardmen. Most dangerous—could get you killed."
"I'll still do it."
"Why?"
"I'm the weakest fighter."
"You think you're useless in a fight?"
"Yes. And..."
"And?"
Hong Shinu hesitated, then continued. "If I'm in danger, I believe Sergeant Nam Gyuil will save me."
Nam Gyuil burst out laughing at the bold answer. Trusting a near-stranger for the suicide role? Ballsy, but her initiative was impressive.
He patted her shoulder. "Alright, then. Briefing the plan. No repeats—listen up."
He outlined the details. Some fidgeted nervously with their pant legs; others gaped in astonishment.
Nam Gyuil and 01 Team pushed toward the Lizardman nest.
An hour in, "Shaaak."
They found it. Hiding in the brush, they observed.
Lizardmen lounged on the ground, resting. Beside them, people with broken limbs groaned, bound in vines.
"Mmph!!"
Vines gagged their mouths too.
Nam Gyuil searched for the boss.
There it is.
The boss was a shaman Lizardman, yawning near the floating core.
Guarding the core, obviously.
Then, something intriguing caught his eye.
Hold on...
His gaze locked on the shaman's tail.
A black tail?!
Rare Lizardmen had pitch-black tails.
Nam Gyuil's eyes sharpened like blades.
That precious Akashic Records ingredient, right in front of me.
Lee Chanu, spotting his expression, whispered cautiously. "Gyuil hyung? Problem?"
"Nah. Just found some tonic ingredients after ages."
"What?"