The Weight of Overwhelming Power
"I'll be nearby, so just finish the exploration and contact me when you're out."
"Understood."
I arrived in front of the D-rank Gate. Since this was an unofficial solo exploration, the Association staff member didn't even bother to tell me his name. He simply handed over my usual gear, three days' worth of rations, water, some basic medical supplies, and two pages of A4 paper containing the limited information they had gathered on the Gate, then vanished.
'Quite the bureaucratic attitude...'
Perhaps thanks to Hyena pulling some strings, the Association member looked like someone with a fair amount of seniority. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be the type to get involved in a D-rank Gate assignment.
'Hmm... A D-rank Gate with a surrounding environment of grasslands and forests...'
It was a typical D-rank Gate, consisting mostly of natural terrain without many unique structures. As it was an unofficial exploration, it was clear that the Gate hadn't been discovered very long ago.
"Well then... shall I head in?"
I stepped into the shimmering blue light.
"Hm."
A vast grassland and a dense forest unfolded before my eyes. As if to guide me, there was a crude, singular path made of bricks leading forward.
"The stench of beasts is already overwhelming."
For this exploration, I needed to test the limits of the bracelet's performance. I set down my luggage and stretched my body.
"For starters... let's try running."
Whoosh. My body felt as light as a feather. I was sprinting across the grassland, tearing through the landscape at a speed incomparable to anything I had experienced before.
'As expected...'
I had anticipated some level of physical enhancement, but it wasn't just my imagination. Even while dashing at this incredible speed, I could make smooth turns. No, rather, my mind couldn't keep up with my body, which had become far too strong, causing me to stumble momentarily.
The most surprising part was that even after sprinting back and forth at breakneck speed for over thirty minutes, my body showed no signs of fatigue.
'Running is enough for now...'
I took off all my armor and stuffed it into my bag. It felt too cumbersome and hindered my movement. I instinctively realized that my own flesh was far harder and sturdier than any armor.
"Shall I head into the forest...?"
"Grrr."
About thirty minutes after entering the forest, I encountered my first monster. It was a wild boar that looked to be well over six meters tall. Its black mane rippled like flames, and it pawed at the ground, ready to charge at any moment.
"What should I start with?"
I decided to experiment while wearing only the bracelet, without equipping the gauntlet for now. I wanted to see if there was a difference in strength between my right hand, which wore the bracelet, and my left.
'Left hand first.'
"Grrr!"
The boar charged at me.
"Hah."
Of course, even before this, the attacks of D-rank Gate monsters didn't feel particularly threatening, but now, they seemed so trivial it almost made me laugh. It felt as if I could see exactly where and how it would attack.
I clenched my fist and took a stance. Once the beast entered my range, I intended to strike its head with all my might using my left fist.
The creature entered my range. I put strength into my legs, pivoted my waist, and struck.
Kwang—!!!
'?!'
"Huh? Eh...?"
The monster died without even being able to let out a final cry.
"W-what..."
A sight I couldn't believe even after seeing it unfolded before me. The boar monster's head had been completely crushed and torn off, flying away. Red blood erupted like a fountain from the headless body.
'It wasn't cut...'
Looking closely at the cross-section, it wasn't that the head had been sliced off, but rather that it had been ripped away, unable to withstand the sheer force of the impact.
"Haa..."
I sat down in front of the monster's corpse, resting my chin on my hand, and fell into thought.
'I thought I might be able to kill it in one hit before I swung, but... I didn't expect the head to be ripped off. This is too strong...'
I stood up, channeled strength into my right fist, and drove it into the monster's headless torso.
Kwang—!
"Haha..."
The torso was split in half and sent flying, splashing the monster's entrails and blood all over me.
"This is truly absurd..."
The performance was beyond my imagination. I discovered that the strength of my right and left hands seemed equal while the bracelet was active. Fortunately, I also realized—after smashing a few nearby trees—that if I don't have a clear intent to attack, my strength remains similar to before. In other words, controlling my power is very easy.
'Since my family members are ordinary people... it's a relief that I won't accidentally cause an accident by failing to control my strength.'
I pulled a towel from my bag, dampened it with water, and wiped the blood off my face.
'Now, for the next part...'
"Kuooh!!!"
About an hour after I had started sprinting and clearing out small fry, a monster that looked significantly stronger appeared before me.
"A mid-boss, perhaps..."
It was the same type of boar as the first one, but its body was much more robust, and every time it breathed, flames spewed from its mouth.
'This should be enough.'
"Equip."
Click!
It was time to test the performance of the gauntlet for the first time.
"Huh?"
The golden lines running along the gauntlet at regular intervals seemed to glow brighter than when I first saw them.
'Must be my imagination.'
"Kuooh!!!"
The monster just stood there roaring; it showed no sign of charging. Even though it was a low-intelligence, purely beast-type monster that would usually charge at anything stronger than itself, it cowered and didn't approach me. As I took a few steps forward, it flinched and began to back away.
'Don't tell me.'
Every time I took a step, the monster roared louder and stomped its massive front paws into the ground. Yet, it didn't feel threatening at all. That roar didn't feel like one made before attacking me, but rather one made to avoid a fight.
"No way... You... are you afraid of me?"
Whether it was afraid of the gauntlet equipped on my right arm or afraid of me, it was clearly terrified.
My enhanced body brought a sense of exhilaration.
'I don't even need to control my strength.'
I put strength into my legs and leaped in front of the monster in an instant. I channeled power into my right hand and threw a punch toward the monster's nose.
Kwang! Rumble!
With an ear-splitting roar, my breath caught in my throat.
"Hoo..."
After swinging my fist with the gauntlet equipped, I felt a slight drain on my energy.
"Haa..."
I caught my breath and lifted my head, only to see an unbelievable sight before me.
"..."
The monster's corpse had vanished without a trace, and behind it lay a straight-line crater stretching for hundreds of meters. The trees were all knocked down, and the ground was deeply gouged as if a meteorite had fallen in a straight line.
"What... is this..."
"Release."
Click. I released the gauntlet, rubbed my eyes, stretched, and opened them again.
"Haa..."
I couldn't even fathom how strong I had become.
'Top tier among A-ranks? Perhaps... even S-rank... I don't know.'
Of course, compared to those who cross countless lines between life and death, my combat sense and experience would be far lacking, but in terms of pure physical ability, I felt I could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Haa."
Looking at the devastated forest, I let out a sigh.
'What do I do about this?'
"Whew. This should be enough, right?"
I sat in front of the shimmering escape Gate, chewing on my rations. After testing the gauntlet's performance and dealing with a few more monsters with my bare hands, I encountered the boss shortly after. I fought the boss with a dagger, and it took less than five seconds from the moment I faced it until its head was sliced off and hit the ground.
It hadn't even taken half a day to explore the D-rank Gate solo. It was so boring I could sigh.
The problem was the craters left behind when I swung the gauntlet. If the recovery team came to collect the loot after I left, they would surely report the craters. Not wanting to invite unnecessary suspicion, I didn't leave the Gate immediately after killing the boss; instead, I kept the gauntlet on and went around destroying various parts of the forest. This was to make it look like the Gate had been in a state of destruction all along.
It was fortunate that I had entered a Gate that hadn't been properly surveyed. And since it would look suspicious if I came out before sunset, I decided to spend the night here and leave tomorrow morning. My plan was to leave tomorrow morning and casually mention to the staff member that it was too easy for a D-rank Gate.
I lit a campfire in front of the escape Gate and fell into thought while watching the kettle bubble on top of it.
'What do I do now...'
It was great that I had become absurdly strong, but the fact that I had to hide this power gave me a headache. I was debating whether I should act like I was only moderately strong or if I should leave the Association.
There were two realistic options. The first was to tell the Association. Of course, I would hide the fact that I had discovered an artifact and make up an excuse, like, "I saw something in front of me and drank it, and I don't remember anything after that, but my physical abilities seem to have increased." Such cases aren't common, but they do happen occasionally. Sometimes, unique items that enhance physical abilities are discovered in S or A-rank Gates. I don't know if they'd believe me, but it's the most realistic and safe method.
The second option is to leave the Association and join a private corporation. If I borrowed the influence of the seniors I used to know, it wouldn't be a difficult task. There, I could live a life earning a high salary while clearing C-rank Gates, all while keeping my true strength hidden. Since they are fundamentally in competition with the Association, even if they sensed something strange about me, they would likely keep it hidden.
However, now that I have the ambition to reach even higher... the idea of going private doesn't appeal to me.
"Haa..."
I sighed at the fact that there was no clear-cut solution either way. Tomorrow, as soon as I leave the Gate, I have to go to headquarters and spar with Hyena. After that... I have to spend the night with Nahyun.
"Busy, busy."
I threw a few branches into the campfire, laid out a blanket, and lay down. I felt like I could sleep if I forced my eyes shut, but conversely, I felt like I wouldn't have any problems even if I didn't sleep for several days.
'Is this really me?'
I felt a sense of alienation from my body, which had become so different from before. My mind was in chaos, wondering if my body had simply recovered and strengthened, if I had been turning into something non-human from the moment I put on the gauntlet, or if I had become an entirely different being altogether.
"Let's just get some sleep."
I shook off the worries and closed my eyes.