You Were Alive
"There! Just past that iron gate is the basement lobby of Exit 3!"
At the edge of the sewer, beyond the thick iron bars, the open landscape of the subway station came into view. It was different from the outside. The station was silent, devoid of even a hint of the scent of blood.
"Whoa... we survived. Thank goodness!" Lee Seol-ah pressed herself against the bars, letting out a long, relieved sigh.
"It must be because we're near a Safe Zone, so the system is blocking the monsters! I was right, wasn't I?" She turned to me and beamed. Her face was completely devoid of tension. Lee Seol-ah reached out to undo the latch on the gate. But—
"Wait..."
"...Yes?"
I couldn't smile like she did. I stared into the dark lobby. Or more accurately, at the text floating there.
A lethal threat has been detected ahead.
In an instant, the blue Spoiler window turned a deep, blood-red. At the same time, a heavy, murderous intent surged from the end of the sewer.
'Crazy.'
System blocking monsters, my foot. The most dangerous one was sitting right there. '...Thick bone armor, huh.'
My hesitation was brief. I immediately opened my status window and dumped all 3 remaining stat points into one place.
I felt my muscles tighten. A heavy power surged into the hand gripping my short sword. "Si-woo? What's wrong? Open the door quickly and get in—"
"Move."
I grabbed Lee Seol-ah by the back of her neck and threw her backward.
"What? Eek!"
The moment she tumbled back—
Blood Orc Centurion / 1 second later, smashes the iron gate with a large mace.
A mountain of a shadow burst from the darkness.
— KRAAAAASH!!!
The iron gate where Lee Seol-ah had been standing just moments ago was crumpled and shattered with a deafening roar. Cement fragments flew in every direction. Amidst the thick cloud of dust, a monster larger than any mutated Orc I'd seen before revealed itself.
"KROOOOAAAAARRR!!!"
A massive roar that felt like it would tear my eardrums apart. Armor woven from beast bones. A mace the size of an adult man held in its hand. An overwhelming presence.
"H-hik...! A, aaah...!" Lee Seol-ah, who had collapsed on the floor, trembled violently.
'Should I consider this a boss monster?'
I took a stance and glared at the creature through the dust. It was definitely tough. A vicious appearance, immense size. Anyone would feel the same.
'Except for me.'
Blood Orc Centurion / 2 seconds later, performs a wide horizontal swing with the mace from right to left.
Expected result: Due to the large motion, the gap in the bone armor at the left armpit joint will be exposed undefended immediately after the attack.
The Spoiler window was showing me everything. Even its next move and its fatal weakness.
"Wait."
I lowered my body, leaving Lee Seol-ah behind. And the moment the creature raised its massive mace—
— Dash!
I lunged forward, diving into the opponent's guard.
— Whoosh!
The massive blunt weapon grazed my hair, slicing through the air. The predicted horizontal swing from right to left. Now was the time.
"KROOOOAR!"
Immediately after the mace passed, I drove my Shadow Fang toward the exposed left armpit. A strike I thought was perfectly timed.
— CLANG!
"Ugh."
Sparks flew in the dark lobby. My hand gripping the dagger went numb with a jolt. Because the creature had twisted its body at the last second, the blade had only scraped across the armor.
'It's definitely hard.'
The blade had cracked the bone armor, but it hadn't pierced it. My wrist ached. The creature's red eyes flashed toward me.
Blood Orc Centurion / 1 second later, enraged, it slams the mace down vertically.
"KRAAAAAR!!!"
The Centurion roared and raised its massive mace with both hands. I kicked off the ground without delay and retreated.
— KRAAAAASH!!
The floor where I had been standing split in all directions. Cement fragments flew up. An attack delivered with mindless force. At that moment, a new spoiler updated in my vision.
Expected result: Due to the recoil of the mace being stuck in the floor, the bone armor joint connecting the neck and collarbone will be exposed for 1.5 seconds.
The Centurion's upper body tilted and froze as it tried to force the mace out. The thick armor lifted, revealing the soft flesh of its nape.
'Now.'
— STAB!!
"Gk, KROOOOAR...!?"
The short sword pierced straight through the Centurion's nape. But perhaps it was different from a normal monster; its red eyes flashed with madness.
— KROOOOAAAAAR!
The monster spat out blood and raised its remaining hand. A final struggle aimed at my head.
— Whoosh!
Just before the thick hand touched the top of my head—
"Not a chance."
I pushed the hilt in all the way and twisted it violently in one motion.
— CRUNCH!
The sound of muscles and tendons inside its neck rupturing. The creature's hand, which had been flying toward me, trembled, then lost strength and dropped.
— SQUELCH!
A fountain of dark red blood erupted like a waterfall. The mace rolled onto the floor. The monster's two eyes lost focus and rolled back.
— THUD!
Soon, its massive body slammed down, shaking the lobby floor.
Title: One Who Slaughtered the Gatekeeper
📍 Effect: Strength +2, Stamina +1
System notifications poured in like crazy. As expected of a boss monster, the experience was extraordinary. Two levels up in one go. Plus a new title with stat bonuses.
"Whew..."
I pulled out the Shadow Fang, breathing heavily. The creature's thick blood flowed down the blade. My hands were trembling slightly.
'Two levels up?'
A pure question arose. It meant it definitely wasn't a weak enemy. My hands trembled slightly. A sense of elation at the overwhelming victory.
◈ Stamina +2, Murderous Intent Resistance +10%
◈ Crude but sturdy.
"Oh."
An E-grade piece of equipment and a title. I shook the ring off and slipped it onto my finger. A perfect fit.
— Ding!
The notification window popped up. At the same time, the coins shattered and turned into light.
'Check status window.'
Name: Park Si-woo / Level: 9
Titles: Table-Flipper, One Who Slaughtered the Gatekeeper
Strength: 19(+3) / Stamina: 18(+4) / Agility: 18(+4) / Intelligence: 12(+1)
Remaining Stats: 6
Resistance: Murderous Intent Resistance 10%
Assets: 216 Copper Coins
'So titles can be stacked.'
I learned another new fact. That they could be stacked. There must be various ways to obtain titles. I couldn't even guess how strong Choi Kang-min had become.
"Not enough..."
Just then, a change occurred in the center of the subway lobby, which had been firmly closed.
— Zzzzing—
A blue magic circle began to slowly draw itself on the floor. A clear light erupted from it, flashing once.
— Ding!
Subway Station Exit 3 Safe Zone has been activated.
During the tutorial period, you will not be attacked by monsters here, and health recovery speed is increased by 100%.
The activated Safe Zone. The effect was exactly as I had expected. And immediately after, a special notification was overlaid.
— Ding!
You are the first pioneer to solo-clear the Exit 3 Gatekeeper.
🎁 Reward: You have acquired Administrator Authority for the Safe Zone!
Administrator can control the number of people entering the Safe Zone. Access is denied to unauthorized entities by the system shield.
Currently authorized: (1/5)
'Access control.'
It was an authority I hadn't expected. It was definitely a benefit to me, but thinking about it differently—
'People will go crazy trying to take over the Safe Zone first.'
Most people didn't even know what a Safe Zone was yet, and most wouldn't have the strength to kill monsters. But by the third or fourth day—
Competition and war. I didn't know what might happen. 'I need to bring Yu-ah here quickly.'
I turned my gaze. Lee Seol-ah was staring at me, mouth agape, still sitting on the floor.
"Lee Seol-ah."
At my call, her shoulders jumped.
"Y-yes!"
"Come here and step inside the magic circle."
Lee Seol-ah scrambled to her feet. As she tried to cross the blue line, a new hologram window appeared in my vision.
Do you wish to authorize 'Lee Seol-ah' as a person allowed to enter the Safe Zone?
'Accept.'
"Whoa..."
Lee Seol-ah, having stepped inside, patted her own body and let out an exclamation. It seemed she could feel her body becoming more comfortable. Soon, her gaze turned toward the Centurion's corpse.
"But Si-woo... who on earth are you?" Lee Seol-ah's voice was trembling slightly.
"What? How did you kill such an absurd monster... all by yourself with just that sword? This isn't an action movie, this makes no sense..."
"Don't talk nonsense." I cut her off dryly.
"From now on, you wait here. I have to go somewhere."
"What? W-wait here?"
"Yeah, wait. You're not going to keep your Explorer ability as a decoration, are you? I don't know what's inside this Safe Zone, so check it out and figure everything out."
At my instruction, Lee Seol-ah's pupils wavered.
"W-wait a second! Alone? What about you!? No, if something pops out of here, what am I supposed to do alone! I don't know how to fight at all!"
She tried to grab my clothes in a panic. I replied indifferently.
"You saw it. It says it's not attacked by monsters. There shouldn't be anything particularly dangerous. If there is, just dodge or hide on your own."
"Whaaat?! No, how can you be so heartless..."
"You said you were useful, right? I can't keep dragging you around if you don't earn your keep."
At my firm words, Lee Seol-ah shut her mouth. Her lips quivered. She seemed to want to say something, but found it difficult.
"It won't take long, so just wait a moment. I'll be back soon. If there's anything unusual, tell me right away. Got it?"
Lee Seol-ah, though on the verge of tears, bit her lip and nodded. Then she asked cautiously.
"Where are you going alone, Si-woo...?"
"There's someone I need to bring."
"What? Who..."
I turned without hesitation.
"You'll see when I get back. Just stay here and earn your keep, Navigator."
I heard Lee Seol-ah's dry laugh. Leaving her gaze behind, I headed back toward the dark sewer. I had to bring Yu-ah, who must be trembling alone at home.
I exited the sewer and turned into the familiar alleyway. Even though I had saved my stats, my body felt noticeably lighter. While moving, I opened the community window. Just in case there was any new information.
"It's getting weirder by the day."
Most of it was just garbage posts or meaningless lamentations. Meaningless text. Just as I was about to close the window—
"...Huh?"
One post with unusually well-organized sentences caught my eye.
The same benevolent message I had seen before. At the same time, an inexplicable, ominous feeling arose. Suddenly, the Spoiler window in my vision distorted into a red light. The true inner thoughts hidden behind the anonymity were overlaid.
Target: Anonymous12 (Choi Kang-min / 2nd Regression)
Status: Embarrassed, annoyed / Damn it, where did the C-grade weapon box that was supposed to be at Seongsu Station go? Things are getting so messed up.. If it weren't for the first day...
"Ha."
A dry laugh escaped me before I knew it.
'So you were alive after all.'
What I had only thought about had become reality. The 2nd-regression returnee, Choi Kang-min, had not died.