My First Gate Experience

The first semester of freshman year at the Hunter Academy focused on adapting to basic combat. After all, most hunters end up making their living through brawling. Then came the second semester of freshman year, when the real curriculum to train proper hunters began. The main goal was to get students familiar with dungeons and gates.

Students who had already built up their ranks before enrollment wouldn't find this too difficult. Some might even think it was unnecessary. They'd already experienced it, after all.

But where was I right now? In the Fucking Idiot Class. A place where nobody knew jack shit about dungeons or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gates.

"I know plenty about fucking other people over. Including how to fuck with you, Piece."

For today's practical training, the person explaining gates and dungeons was Professor Marina. As I'd mentioned before, this was the Fucking Idiot Class. Detailed explanations were absolutely essential here. Realizing that, Marina didn't even bother hiding her annoyed expression.

But what could she do? She'd taken the money, so she had to do the work.

"Everyone, I'm sure some of you aren't familiar with gates and dungeons. Simply put, a gate is a door. A dungeon is a room where monsters exist. And the gate connected to a dungeon is generally called a monster gate."

Suddenly, Marina started drinking water. It seemed using her throat—which she normally didn't use much—had quickly made her thirsty.

"The reason monster gates are dangerous is simple. If you leave a dungeon alone, the monsters will cross over through the gate. Of course, the gate and dungeon you'll be experiencing today are greatly scaled-down versions compared to the real thing. Even if you get hurt, you'll recover. It's designed so that even going in alone won't be too difficult, so there's no need to worry. In the end, first-years will wrap up by indirectly experiencing what the hunter profession is like."

Marina's explanation ended with a short round of applause from the students. It finally felt like we were having a class worthy of the Hunter Academy. Even though it was definitely stuff everyone already knew, I started asking Jung Ayeon, who was listening intently, about something I was curious about.

"Hey, Jung Ayeon. Since you're from the real deal, you've experienced a lot of this stuff, right?"

"That is correct, young lord. Is there something you are curious about?"

"It's common sense that every dungeon has a boss mob, right?"

Dungeon. What a beautiful word. Of course there had to be a boss.

"It is not necessarily so. However, in places with a leader, the monsters' hostility becomes extremely strong."

"Then is it over once you kill the boss?"

"Similar, but different. Usually, when the leader of a monster group dies, they lose their focal point and tend to weaken. However—"

"However?"

"Though extremely rare, there are cases where they become even more violent."

"Tsk. That damn uppercut hurt like hell."

Then a sudden question occurred to me.

"But normally people don't go into dungeons alone. Who have you been going with all this time?"

"That is... I went with my mother."

"Your mom is a hunter too?"

"Not exactly... There is that sort of thing."

Jung Ayeon suddenly cut me off sharply. Even if I tried to dig deeper, it didn't look like she'd answer. As I backed off from Jung Ayeon at an appropriate distance, Hye-ji immediately filled the gap.

"Shinwoo. Whether it's a dungeon or whatever, you just need to roast them all and blow them up."

"...I sometimes seriously wonder how the hell I should nerf you."

"Young lady. Monster materials are valuable resources, so we must minimize damage as much as possible."

"You think that helps?"

Hye-ji expressed strong doubt, her face saying she could just use gunpowder and lead, so why bother.

"Blood. Bodily fluids. Skin. Armor. Many people surprisingly need all sorts of other materials."

"Who the hell buys that crap?"

"They are used as ingredients for recovery potions, and people with suspiciously large amounts of money buy strange materials at auctions."

"How rich do you have to be to hit the ceiling in real life too?"

"Stop talking. It hurts my heart."

As soon as Jung Ayeon finished speaking, a single gate was generated. While the students were buzzing with a mix of tension and excitement, Marina suddenly pointed at me.

"Then, let's have Student Shinwoo go first."

"Me?"

"Yes. Since it's the first time, you need to show a good demonstration."

"There are people here with experience. Why me?"

"Because you're reliable."

The feeling was icy. The moment a professor says you're reliable is the most dangerous time.

"Really? This isn't some bait item, right?"

"...Of course not."

"This was generated by the academy, so it's safe, right?"

"......"

Marina avoided my gaze and didn't answer anymore. Instead, she swung the whip in her hand, leaving a scar on the ground beside me.

"Hurry up and go!"

"You fucking bitch."

"Fifty minerals are precious too, you damn bastards."

Marina kept trying to send me in, and the students' gazes urged me on. Unable to endure it any longer, I stood up half in resignation.

Anyway, it was my first time experiencing this. Just in case, instead of the longsword I usually used, I grabbed a spear.

"Some general once said that a spear is the most defensive weapon."

"I know damn well the academy is full of absolute fucking idiots. You think I'd trust that?"

After packing some extra gear, I slowly walked into the gate.

Passing through a gate was a strange experience. Right before entering, it felt like walking through a wide-open front door. But the moment I crossed the boundary, the air changed completely along with a slight nausea.

The scene of ruins that hadn't shown even a fragment before entry unfolded wide open before my eyes the instant I crossed that single boundary called a gate.

Before my brain could even process the information of that sight, a crude blade sweeping up from below toward my neck came into view.

- Shaaak!

I twisted my neck to dodge the blade, and the moment I saw the owner who had swung it at me, a sigh escaped without me realizing it.

And for good reason. The monster that appeared was one I'd seen to the point of exhaustion across countless media.

Green skin. Big nose. Yellow eyes. It was a perfectly stereotypical goblin.

One goblin, wearing nothing but a tattered rag around its waist, was retrieving the sword I'd dodged. Fortunately, since it was a monster generated by the academy's simulator, there were no numbers floating above its head.

"Even club entrance standards aren't this harsh."

Anyway, the fact that it attacked meant it was prepared to be attacked in return. I kicked the goblin that still hadn't retrieved its weapon.

Was the goblin flying away from my kick some kind of signal? Only then did multiple goblins start slinking out from here and there. They wore the same crude outfits as the previous one. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd come to a trash mob dungeon.

"Just a moment."

Still, I wondered if communication might be possible with them, so I tried reaching out mentally. You never know. A noble knight might be born among them.

"Hey, you guys—"

- Shiiik!

This time, a feebly flying arrow cut off my words. As expected, there was no noble goblin knight here. What I needed now was a goblin slayer.

"Ah, I've decided. You are all to be purged. Let's go—to the Gulag."

The arrow flew past me and embedded itself in a tree. That seemed to be the signal, as the goblins began charging at me.

I gripped my spear properly and dealt with the goblin in front first. I saw the thrust spear blade swallowed by the green body. I immediately twisted my hand to pull the spear back toward me, then kicked away the goblin's body that came along with it.

"Get lost, you son of a bitch."

The green meat lump flew far and started tangling with the other goblins. They looked flustered, as if they hadn't expected this at all. They really were trash mobs.

Whether they were trash mobs or not, killing them was the same. I quickly raised the spear blade and aimed at the goblins.

"Come quickly. If you come first, I'll only stab you once. If I have to go myself, it'll be twice."

A rather unconventional offer. Even department store sales wouldn't go this far. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Perhaps too moved, the goblins all let out cheers and started charging at the same time.

"Line up, you bastards."

Among the charging goblins, two were overlapping in a straight line. Aiming at them, I thrust my spear with all my strength.

- Puuuuk!!!

The spear blade that had pierced through two and still had its tip sticking out. After neatly skewering one more goblin on that final part, I swung the spear widely sideways.

The green meat lumps fell off the spear one by one due to centrifugal force. Since the skewer was empty, it was time to load it with meat again.

The moment I tried to thrust the spear once more, this time I heard a goblin's shriek from behind. For an ambush attempt, it was quite a noisy mess. I stepped sideways to dodge the attack once, then immediately twisted my body and struck the goblin with my left elbow.

- Thud!!!

The goblin exploded with a loud noise. Not just its clothes and weapon, but its body itself was quite fragile.

"I see it."

Rotating in the direction I'd twisted my body, I thrust the spear straight. The goblin that had been nocking an arrow met its end by the giant arrow that flew in instead.

At that moment, one goblin let out a shriek and leaped toward me. From the front, no less.

"Be quiet!"

I immediately swung my fist and smashed its head. Naturally, the goblin's skull caved in. While clearing that away and continuing to deal with the other goblins, a question slowly began to form.

"There are... kind of a lot, aren't there?"

At first, there hadn't been that many. But now it was different. The number of goblins had increased like crazy before I knew it. Certainly, I held the advantage in pure strength. However, the violence of numbers demanded a price from me.

Kill ten, get one scratch. Kill twenty, get one shallow cut. Kill forty, get one deep wound.

The number of goblins kept increasing, and proportionally, the wounds piling up on my body only grew.

And the end always comes. This time, however, it was my body that reached its limit. In the brief moment when my body wouldn't move due to the countless wounds, a green wave swept over me.

"Fuck. There are way too many."

"I don't have any lifesteal items..."

That wave was a bit different from a normal wave. It didn't stop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at just sweeping over me. Torso. Legs. Arms. Neck. Head. Every single finger. Every part of my body was caught by the green wave. To be precise, I was bitten by the teeth of the goblins making up the wave and couldn't move an inch.

At that moment, one goblin that had been hiding in the very back came running forward triumphantly. Its expression wasn't any different from the other goblins, but somehow it looked like it was mocking me.

The goblin that approached me immediately brought its sword down on my head.

- Clang!!!!

Naturally, the sword shattered. The goblin was momentarily flustered by the unrealistic sight. I taught that dullard the cruel reality.

"This is a bulletproof head, you son of a bitch!"

Having realized reality, the goblin pulled out another sword. This time, it stabbed toward my neck. And with that, the training ended.