Chapter 264: Unidentified Gate
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 264: Unidentified Gate
When a gate appears, the Hunter Association detects its magic wavelength and provisionally classifies its rank.
Afterward, the gate's rank is finalized through a precise measurement by dispatched Association staff.
However, some gates conceal their magic wavelength; these are called Unidentified Gates.
“Probably around B-rank?”
No wonder the Association couldn't find it.
It was deep in the mountains where no one ever came, and the magic wavelength leaking out was incredibly faint.
A mage of at least the 2nd Circle would have to measure the magic density to even have a chance of determining the gate's rank.
But how did Grandma Choi Young-ok know about a gate like this?
All I did was say I wanted to enter a gate with B-rank monsters by myself, and she told me the location of an unidentified gate that not even the Association knew about.
I wondered if that was even possible, but then again, for one of the Three Great Families, it probably wasn't that difficult.
Besides, the provinces suffer more damage from monsters and gates than the capital region, so the Association likely doesn't have the resources to pay attention to every remote mountain valley.
Of course, as long as I could get into a B-rank gate, I didn't really care.
Come to think of it, the Association's branch chief mentioned an unidentified gate before, didn't he?
Kang Cheolho, the Iron Man. The S-rank hunter and chief of the World Hunter Association's Seoul branch.
He'd shown up out of the blue and told me he wanted me to join the investigation team for an unidentified gate found in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.
I was planning to refuse at first, but I figured building a connection with the branch chief wouldn't be a bad idea, so I was about to accept his offer.
But then the whole thing fizzled out after I sustained internal injuries while dealing a blow to Ma Paeseon.
Judging by the fact that he hadn't contacted me since, it seemed he'd completely lost interest in me.
Well, it would be strange for someone like the Association's branch chief to stay interested in a mere mage anyway.
Having finished my preparations, I stepped through the gate.
Vwoom—
Amidst the familiar sensation of floating, I felt the surrounding air change. The magic density in the atmosphere rose sharply, and a strong wind began to blow.
A vast grassland spread out before my eyes.
“So the theme for this gate is a grassland, huh?”
I calmly surveyed my surroundings.
There wasn't a forest, not even a single tree in sight. Only an expansive plain. There probably wasn't a river, either.
I was about to use magic detection out of habit, but I withdrew my magic. I wasn't planning on using magic in this gate.
To explain why, I first needed to go over my reasons for coming to Mt. Hwangjang today.
There were two main reasons. The first, obviously, was for the Berserk skill mission.
[Berserker
Grade: Special
Kill 10 B-rank or higher monsters bare-handed without using magic.
Reward: ‘Berserk’ skill rank increase]
And the other was to properly train in martial arts, which I had been neglecting by just relying on Qi Circulation Practice.
Of course, I didn't know if I could take on a boss-grade monster without magic, but I didn't plan on taking off the Necklace of Concealment until the Rosary's fatal wound recovery effect activated.
[Necklace of Concealment
Grade: Rare
A necklace imbued with powerful magic concealment.
※Restricts the use of magic while worn.]
I took Gilenium out of my inventory.
A golden Sword Qi formed on the blade. It was an aura so distinct it would have shocked other hunters, but I wasn't satisfied.
I was trying to compress the Sword Qi to create an Aura Blade.
Then again, if it were this easy to create an Aura Blade, everyone and their mother would be using them.
It was the result I'd more or less expected, so I quickly let go of any lingering disappointment.
Besides, this wasn't the time to be lost in thought.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
With the sound of hooves shaking the very earth, something in the distance kicked up a cloud of dust as it charged forward.
I focused my internal energy into my eyes.
“That's...”
A Bulcheminus, a C-rank monster with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a monster.
They primarily appear in grassland gates and are known for always moving in herds.
“About twenty of them?”
Even for a B-rank gate, that was a lot of monsters to face right at the start.
But I wasn't worried.
I was running low on coins anyway, so this was actually a good thing.
“I'll have to go deeper to find B-rank monsters.”
I immediately ran toward the herd of Bulcheminuses. Perhaps because it was an open plain with no obstacles, I reached a speed comparable to a car on a highway.
In truth, it wasn't a normal speed. It was only possible because my internal energy was backing me up.
“Krrrrraaaak!!”
As I got closer, a Bulcheminus at the head of the herd let out a roar. It was noticeably larger than the others, so it was probably the leader of the pack.
Spotting me, it swung the giant axe in its hands and picked up speed.
I'd heard that even a B-rank tanker would struggle against a Bulcheminus's charge.
Assuming they tried to block it head-on, of course.
Shhhk—
My golden Sword Qi rippled, and a spray of blood erupted in all directions. I dodged the charges of the beasts that rushed to trample me, slicing their necks as I moved forward.
Enraged to see me weaving through their ranks as if it were my own front yard, they charged at me, but they couldn't even graze my clothes.
In an instant, the 20 Bulcheminuses were turned into chunks of meat.
There's a concept known as Light Body Steps (Bosingyeong).
It means that while footwork, body techniques, and lightness skills may seem like separate martial arts, in actual combat, one must know how to properly mix all three.
“This can't be all of them, right?”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than I sensed a significant number of presences in the distance. I readjusted my stance as I watched monsters kicking up dust from all directions.
It was a number that would have made an ordinary B-rank party consider retreating, but not me.
I guess I won't have to worry about coins.
*
Half a day had passed since I entered the gate.
After defeating monsters and exploring various parts of the gate, I finally found the habitat of B-rank monsters.
It was a settlement composed of at least a hundred High Orcs.
High Orcs, with their blood-red skin, are known for being particularly intelligent and ferocious among B-rank monsters. For them to have formed a settlement of this size meant one of two things.
Either I had misjudged the gate's rank, or the gate's boss was among them.
It's probably the latter.
Watching them from a hilltop, I got up and headed toward the settlement.
A hundred High Orcs. With my magic restricted, they were certainly not an opponent to be taken lightly. But they weren't formidable enough to make me run away, either.
With that many of them gathered together, I should be able to find an opening to kill ten with my bare hands.
As I drew closer, they must have spotted me, as a monstrous roar echoed from the settlement.
Fweee—
At that moment, something shot through the air from the settlement.
An arrow?
I tilted my head slightly to dodge the attack. But it wasn't just one arrow.
The cloudless sky darkened. A volley of what looked like hundreds of arrows filled the air.
Dodging that would be difficult, which meant I'd have to knock them down one by one...
But while I'm doing that, the next volley will already be on its way.
I had no intention of going to such trouble.
Kwang!
I stomped the ground and charged forward.
Instantly breaking out of the attack range, I watched the orcs pouring out of the settlement and drew upon my internal energy.
My Vajra Qi shone like a crescent moon in the night sky.
Formless Sword Art, Formless Moon.
“Krarak!!”
“Chwiik!!”
“Kekekek!!”
Golden slashes raged in every direction.
I swung my sword amidst the orcs charging at me. I could clearly feel the sensation of the blade slicing through living flesh.
I don't particularly enjoy slaughter, but when my opponents are monsters, I have no reservations.
The orcs raised their weapons and rushed me, trying to kill the intruder who had attacked their settlement. Of course, none of their attacks ever reached me.
In fact, I was growing more accustomed to fighting multiple opponents at once, to the point where I could even predict their attacks.
Diagonal slash, top right.
Horizontal slash, left.
Thrust, rear.
I emptied my mind completely, relying only on my senses as I swung my sword.
Then, a thought suddenly surfaced—the words the Duke of Rutland had said to me.
—You have too many stray thoughts. Discard them all.
At first, I thought he was talking about focus and selection, but the more I thought about it, that didn't seem to be the right answer.
...I feel like I'm on the verge of grasping something.
Kwang!
“Karrrarak!!”
“Kuoohh!!”
“Kyaaaaak!!”
Tsk, the situation wasn't exactly ideal for getting lost in thought.
Seeing that their numbers had dwindled considerably, I stomped on the head of a charging orc and leaped into the air.
I sheathed my sword and looked down at the swarming orcs, raising my Vajra Qi. Their murderous gazes were all fixed on me, and I extended a hand toward them.
Deeeeeng—
With the sound of a merciful Buddhist temple bell, the palm of the Buddha, which annihilates evil, descended upon them.
Vajra Tathagata Demon-Subduing Divine Palm.
My internal energy was rapidly consumed as another storm of blood raged. The bodies of the fallen orcs were enough to form a small hill.
[7/10]
The meaning of the screen that appeared before me was simple. That last attack killed seven of them.
At this rate, this will be over soon...?!
—!!
At that moment, something with speed and power incomparable to an arrow came flying at me.
Thanks to my Qi sense, I detected the attack in advance, but I was currently airborne.
My movements were inevitably restricted, so I had no choice but to block the attack with my fist.
Kang!
Fortunately, the attack couldn't penetrate my fist aura. Landing on the ground, I looked at the broken spear shaft. It looked like an ordinary spear, but its power was anything but.
Even a B-rank tanker couldn't block that without a shield.
The thrown spear had that much power.
It occurred to me that I might have underestimated a settlement of a hundred High Orcs.
I turned my head to look in the direction the spear had come from.
There stood five orcs with an aura far more ferocious than the others.
High Orc Warriors?
Every one of them was a B+ rank monster, classified as a commander-grade individual.
Five of them...
No wonder there were so few monsters in the gate.
A gate's rank is determined by the density of the magic leaking from it. In other words, whether there are 100 low-rank monsters or 10 high-rank monsters inside, if the magic density is similar, the gate can be measured as the same rank.
That must be why five B+ rank High Orc Warriors appeared in a B-rank gate.
Moreover, I hadn't reacted to any killing intent when I was surrounded by the Bulcheminuses, or just now when I was swinging my sword among the High Orcs. None of them had posed a threat to me.
But now, my senses, which had been silent, were ringing alarm bells as if reacting to a palpable killing intent.
Thump—
A colossal orc, flanked by the five High Orc Warriors as if they were its guards, revealed itself. Befitting its massive frame, which had to be at least three meters tall, the presence it exuded was immense.
An incredulous laugh escaped me.
Something like that can come out of a B-rank gate?
An Orc Champion.
A B+ rank boss individual, the same as the Ice Golem that was the boss of the special gate I was trapped in with Choi Hyena.