Chapter 48

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 48

Chapter Title: Multiple Accounts Emerge

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We packed sandwiches and drinks into a small basket and headed out of the house.

This really felt less like entering a gate and more like going on a picnic somewhere.

The destination was a gate located at the edge of the hill behind the neighborhood—not too far from home.

Its rank was the lowest: Omen-grade.

Han Yuseol could protect me all by herself at this level.

I figured we could test what I had in mind without any major risks.

"Since gate rank doesn't matter, I picked one in a somewhat secluded spot. It also helps the nearby residents," she said.

"Ah, nice!"

I'd wondered why it was tucked away like this.

That was the reason she'd chosen it.

Gates appear randomly all over the country, so sometimes ones in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remote areas like this don't get visited by hunters often.

I've heard they can even get delayed until overflow hits.

That's probably why she picked this one—to prevent that.

It was another reminder of just how kind Han Yuseol was.

"Then we'll enter. Stay behind me, Master."

"Got it. I'll leave it to you."

I sidled up behind her and gently grabbed her sleeve.

She looked down at me steadily, then cleared her throat with a cough.

Wait, did she catch a cold or something?

I wasn't sure if S-rank hunters even got colds.

If she did, I should pick up some medicine on the way home.

A familiar string of messages scrolled up in front of my eyes, just like always.

But the moment I saw them, I jolted in surprise and hurriedly checked my status window.

"Whoa!"

The skill proficiency went up?

According to my memory, it was around 90% after clearing the 3rd layer.

Activating the unique skill upon entering must've naturally filled the rest.

Proficiency rises just from buffing allies, huh.

Great news.

The buff amount jumped by a full 10%, prediction range quadrupled to 2km, and intelligence correction got a nice +10 bump too.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"My skill proficiency leveled up. Did you feel anything, Yuseol?"

"Ah, so that's it. I was wondering why my body feels even lighter than before."

She must mean back when she got my buff on the 3rd layer.

That time, even with item effects, it was 36%.

Now it's 48% including items.

That's a noticeable difference... Huh?

Wait, what's this?

Dungeon info? First time seeing this.

Probably from the unique skill proficiency increase?

Or maybe unique to this place.

Nothing certain yet, so I decided to move forward and see.

"Master, stay behind me. There are enemies in the bushes."

"Okay."

As we ventured deeper into the jungle, Han Yuseol extended her arm to halt me.

She scanned the surroundings with her detection skill, then drew her sword.

A chill seemed to emanate from her body.

Whoosh!

Sensing the threat instinctively, perhaps, the monster hiding in the bushes—as she'd said—leapt into the air.

Four in total.

I quickly relayed their movement paths.

"The two on the left are fastest. The right two will come from front and back."

"Understood."

Slash!

But it was probably overkill on my part.

Before my words even landed, her sword was already in motion.

At a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.

A silver line sliced lightly through the air.

Time seemed to freeze; the airborne monsters halted mid-leap.

Splat!

As she sheathed her sword, all four burst with blood and collapsed simultaneously.

It was like a movie scene—I couldn't help but clap.

"As expected of Yuseol... Incredible."

"This is nothing. You're too kind."

She scratched her head, looking embarrassed.

Well, for an S-rank hunter, Omen-grade monsters were barely a warm-up.

Still, impressive.

Anyway, these guys...

They're the same ones I encountered on my first gate dive.

The name Jungle Hyena rang a bell—I'd hoped, and sure enough.

Back then, it was a variant gate, so variant Jungle Hyenas corrupted by otherworldly energy.

If my memory served, levels and other info matched perfectly.

But two new pieces: race and drop items.

Looks like proficiency rise unlocked hidden info.

Same for the dungeon info earlier.

'Race, drop items.'

Definitely useful.

Though I had a slight question.

Drops make sense—valuable intel.

But is race that crucial? Worth unlocking at B-rank proficiency?

"Let's keep moving for now."

"Yes."

I shelved the question and hurried after her.

Ssssh!

A few steps later, another monster appeared.

Different from the hyenas.

Covered in black spots.

Unusually large paws and claws.

Yup, the Bigfoot Jaguar from the earlier info.

Beastkin like the hyenas.

Same weakness too.

"To save trouble, I'll clear them all at once. Step back a bit, Master."

She was planning to take out the hidden ones in the bushes too.

Hand on her sword hilt, she took a shallow breath.

Swoooosh!

Silver sword energy arced out, spreading thinly in all directions.

Almost thread-thin.

But bushes and trees it touched split in half instantly.

The jaguar rearing up before us met the same fate.

We kept exploring the gate after that.

And encountered more monsters.

From that, I learned something interesting.

First: Same race monsters share the same weakness.

Second: Higher level doesn't guarantee rarer drops.

Some don't drop anything at all.

'Coincidence?'

Too few examples to say for sure.

But considering race unlocked at B-rank proficiency...

It must be that important.

Reason it was hidden: Knowing race lets you guess weaknesses.

Doesn't matter to me since I see weaknesses anyway—but that's just me.

Races are somewhat guessable from appearance.

If a sudden beastkin-like monster appears, prioritize fire attacks for an edge.

That's huge.

And it's not just one gate.

Compile data from multiple gates, analyze...

Might uncover more.

Problem: Where to organize it?

Impossible outside gates with my brain.

Need to handle it inside somehow...

"...Ah!"

That's when I remembered the phone I'd brought for today's experiment.

I pulled it out and turned it on.

Powers up fine.

Can I do other stuff in here?

Test with my go-to: Enter Hunter Gallery.

An unexpected screen popped up.

Huh?

I already have an account?

What's going on?

From what I know, Hunter Gallery doesn't allow multiples.

Normal communities use IP or real names.

But Hunter Gallery is awakener-only, mana terminal access—mana info acts as unique ID, no duplicates.

So why can I make another?

Enchanted item effect?

Or my unique skill?

No way to know for sure.

But for now, let's make one to log in.

A loading bar appeared briefly.

Then the familiar screen loaded.

This might actually work...