The Three Silent Gates

In the center of the event dungeon plaza, three doors appeared without a sound. Each was a massive gate roughly five meters wide and ten meters tall. Just like the Gate to the Underworld inside my Cradle of Rest, the interior of each door churned with a thick, liquid-like substance. Passing through them would transport us straight into the event dungeon. People immediately began to murmur, and a message floated up before my eyes.

The message contained nothing I didn't already know. It simply laid out the information on each dungeon. I gathered my party and addressed them.

My party members nodded.

Ji-yoon raised her hand.

It was simple.

My party nodded once more. Juniell didn't need any extra instructions. Si-eun and Ji-yoon were mentally prepared as well, so I wasn't worried. As for Daejang-ajeossi, the man had always been ruthless at heart, so he'd handle himself just fine. The most mentally fragile among us was undoubtedly Ji-su. She hadn't killed another human since the time I forced her to do it with a command. That was why she would enter the third dungeon with me. It was a place where humans had no choice but to fight one another. I planned to use it to temper her resolve.

I watched the people reluctantly filing through the doors, then opened my palm and thought the words.

Two hundred gold.

Twenty large, gleaming gold coins appeared above my hand. I divided them evenly, giving five coins each to Juniell, Daejang-ajeossi, Si-eun, and Ji-yoon.

At my words, they headed toward their assigned doors. This was the first time we were splitting up so decisively, and the feeling was strangely unsettling. I opened the Gate of Rest, pushed Ji-su and Dong-seok inside, then walked slowly toward the third door. A great many people were still streaming through. I slipped into the crowd and passed through the gate along with them.

My vision went completely black. When it cleared, I stood in an empty space where nothing was visible. A new message appeared before me.

A nickname, huh... what should I use?

I casually tried to set it to "GetLost."

...Tsk. Then "GetLost1".

Damn it. Then "GetLost12". This should work.

"Goddamn it!"

In the end, I was able to register the nickname "GetLost1234."

Once the nickname was set, the space before my eyes flashed. The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a dense forest packed with countless trees. There was no one else in sight. Then another message appeared.

After reading the message, I summoned the Gate of Rest and brought Ji-su out. She emerged with her sword drawn, looking around with curious eyes.

"Looks like everyone gets a different starting point. The event's about to begin. Are you ready to fight?"

Ji-su nodded with a slightly nervous expression.

That's right. She had to work hard. Only then could she earn my favor and call me "honey" again. Still, with so many people pouring through those doors, the complete absence of anyone nearby was surprising. Just how enormous was this event area?

As I continued scanning the surroundings, another message appeared.

The message vanished quickly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In its place appeared a large, semi-transparent map, along with a small compass that dropped at my feet. The map was extremely simple: a large circular island shape. Ten golden dots were scattered across it. The island was divided into four quadrants by horizontal and vertical lines, each with a green dot at its exact center. One sparkling white dot was also visible.

The white dot must mark my position. The golden ones are probably the treasures... but what are the green dots?

I reached out and tried manipulating the map directly. Drawing on memories of using a smartphone, I attempted to zoom in and out, but nothing happened. However, when I tapped one of the golden dots, a stream of information appeared, showing the direction and exact distance in kilometers from my current location.

Not bad. Finding the treasures won't be too difficult if I use the map.

According to the map, I was currently in the southeast sector. The closest treasure was roughly three kilometers to the northwest. It was also fairly close to one of the green dots. I could grab the treasure and find ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out what the green markers meant at the same time. I checked the compass for direction and spoke to Ji-su.

"Yes, Master."

Compass in my left hand and a summoned spear in my right, I began to run. The surrounding trees were quite obstructive, but the same would be true for everyone else. I spoke to Ji-su, who had started running beside me.

"Yes, Master."

Since Ji-su's stats were far higher than mine, she would likely detect threats before I could. I ran at high speed, constantly checking the map and compass. When we were about a kilometer away from the treasure marker, Ji-su spoke up.

They were probably groups rushing toward the treasure after seeing the map.

"....."

I looked at the tense Ji-su.

"...Yes, Master."

"Yes... Master."

Ji-su looked straight at me, steel in her eyes. With that much said, she should understand. We were nearly at the golden marker now. A group of people running toward the same point came into view. At that moment, the golden dot on the map began to move.

...Someone must have picked up the treasure.

Coincidentally, the treasure was moving in my direction. Perfect. That worked in my favor. After running a little farther, the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts echoed from up ahead. Countless people were sprinting in the same direction. There were a lot of them. Where had they all been hiding?

As I ran closer, I saw an enormous crowd gathered together. At least a hundred people surrounded someone in a tight circle. In the center, six individuals stood guard in every direction while holding something. The object in their hands was a large golden trophy. That had to be the treasure. They could have made it easier to carry. Why was it so big? Not that it mattered to me.

The six people holding the treasure pointed their weapons ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the encircling crowd, their eyes tense as they scanned the area. The surrounding mob stared back but didn't dare make a move. It was an awkward standoff. Everyone clearly wanted to snatch the treasure, but the moment they did, they'd become everyone else's target. The six who had obtained it seemed quite skilled. Quite a few corpses already lay on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ground around them.

While both sides remained locked in this tense deadlock, the dots on the map all disappeared. The ten minutes of display time must have ended. Now, what to do?

As I pondered, one man stepped forward and shouted.

From another direction in the crowd, a second man stepped out.

Wow, a fairly large group was involved. But it seemed the other side was no different.

Everyone had come in organized groups. If they had any sense, focusing all their forces on a single dungeon made more sense than splitting up like I had. Sure enough, the surrounding crowds appeared to belong to various teams of different sizes. A few small parties like ours were present, but with such low numbers they couldn't step forward. The mutual checks between teams made touching the treasure even more difficult. The moment any team claimed it, a massive brawl would erupt.

Still, we couldn't stay like this forever. I moved behind the crowd, opened the Gate of Rest, and pulled Dong-seok out. He walked forward with a vacant look in his eyes. Since he wasn't a combat class, I hadn't planned to use him, but we were short on manpower. I gave orders to both Dong-seok and Ji-su.

Dong-seok charged out first.

Screaming like a lunatic, he drew everyone's attention and ran straight toward the six holding the treasure. All eyes turned to him. Even the six guards looked flustered. In such a high-tension standoff, only a madman would charge in unarmed. While the crowd stared at the absurd sight, another shadow burst from between them at a speed incomparable to Dong-seok's and shot toward the treasure.

The surrounding crowd could see the new shadow, but the six guards were too focused on Dong-seok to notice the second figure closing in. A sword plunged into Dong-seok's chest with a wet sound. As he shuddered and collapsed, a sharp scream rang out and one of the treasure holder's arms flew into the air.

Only then did the six realize Ji-su had slipped between them and swung her blade. They tried to respond, but she had already seized the treasure and was sprinting toward me. The crowd stood frozen in confusion at the sudden turn of events. I ran forward to meet Ji-su and summoned the Gate of Rest. She dashed inside. I followed her into the Cradle of Rest, and a sudden silence fell over the crowd outside.

The treasure thief and the treasure itself had vanished completely. After a brief moment of stunned quiet, a massive uproar erupted. The crowd began frantically searching for where we might be hiding. Inside the Cradle of Rest, I watched them with a relaxed gaze, then lifted the trophy Ji-su had brought.

One treasure acquired. That was easy.