Chapter 92: The First Gate, and the Light That Claimed It

A few days later, Gwangmyeong Guild’s first gate-gathering schedule was set. Since all five guild members would be attending, there was an unspoken sense of tension and anticipation among them.

“If you’re ready to go in, line up for buffs.”

At Seong Ji-woo’s words, Chae Min-jeong quickly stepped forward. Yu Hee-ro twitched an eyebrow, then shoved himself between her and Seong Ji-woo.

“What—hey, no cutting in line… Ah. Of course the guild master should go first. I’ll step aside.”

Chae Min-jeong frowned, then realized who was standing in front of her and instantly changed her attitude.

“Then I’ll go after.”

Son Ji-hwan lined up behind her. The only one not in line was Lee Won-jae—until Seong Ji-woo’s gaze landed on him.

After hesitating for a long moment, Lee Won-jae carefully took his place behind Son Ji-hwan.

“Lining up like this actually feels nice. Makes me feel like a kindergarten teacher or something.”

Seong Ji-woo snorted softly and began casting buffs in order, starting with Yu Hee-ro. Rings of light bloomed around them, then were absorbed into their bodies.

“Whoa! I’ve never gotten buffs like this before!”

Chae Min-jeong bounced excitedly. According to the plan, she wouldn’t be playing a major role in combat today. While the others dealt with the monsters, her job was to collect anything of value.

Buffs weren’t really necessary for her—this was familiar work—but Seong Ji-woo gave her buffs generously all the same.

Son Ji-hwan didn’t show it much, but he also seemed startled by how different his condition felt.

Watching their reactions, Lee Won-jae swallowed dryly. Compared to them, his ability was insignificant. Even with buffs, would anything really change?

Higher ranks amplified buff effects, after all.

Still… just once, he wanted to feel what it was like to be A-rank. Even if only as much as those people who’d looked down on him back in school—he wanted to draw out that level of power.

Touched by his earnest wish, Seong Ji-woo’s light reached him. For a moment, the world flared blindingly—then snapped back into sharp focus.

“Uh…”

Just as expected. He didn’t feel anything dramatic enough to jump around and celebrate—

“Huh?”

He felt it. He really did. His heart pounded hard, blood rushing through every corner of his body. A warm, ticklish sensation spread through his chest.

It felt as if water sealed inside him was gently sloshing and stirring. Maybe it was an illusion, but right now… he felt like he could do anything.

“No problems, right? Then we’re going in.”

At Seong Ji-woo’s question, Lee Won-jae nodded vigorously. Seeing how different he looked from just moments ago, Seong Ji-woo seemed briefly surprised—then smiled.

And so, Gwangmyeong Guild’s first gate entry began.

This gate consisted of three dungeons in total. Three guilds were participating.

For subjugation, entering alone was both the rule and common courtesy. But for gathering, multiple guilds often entered together. Gates were limited, and there were far more guilds than available entrances.

At first, arguments over who got monster cores were fierce, but once the winner-takes-all culture settled in, disputes naturally faded. Simply put, whoever killed it first owned it.

As soon as they entered the first dungeon, the Gwangmyeong Guild split into two teams: a combat team and a gathering team.

Lee Won-jae and Chae Min-jeong formed the gathering team; the remaining three made up the combat team.

The other guilds charged straight toward the center of the dungeon, seemingly here only for monsters—or at least determined to kill monsters first, no matter what.

In the meantime, Lee Won-jae formed a water barrier, and Chae Min-jeong efficiently picked out only the valuable items within it. What looked like ordinary stones underfoot to others appeared to her as floating numbers of worth.

Meanwhile, Seong Ji-woo and Son Ji-hwan exchanged a look only they understood, then joined the monster-core scramble.

And now… it was time to keep his promise to Yu Hee-ro.

“You’re really going to do that?”

Seeing Seong Ji-woo like this, Son Ji-hwan asked with an awkward expression. Seong Ji-woo gave an uneasy smile and nodded. He’d promised Yu Hee-ro—he couldn’t go back on his word.

“…Well, it does look safe.”

He wasn’t wrong. The condition Yu Hee-ro had set practically guaranteed Seong Ji-woo’s safety.

Yu Hee-ro’s shadow was tightly wrapped around Seong Ji-woo’s body.

The condition had been, “Make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt properly.” At first, Seong Ji-woo hadn’t understood—until Yu Hee-ro bound him snugly in shadows.

The doctor had said light movement was fine now, but Yu Hee-ro had firmly insisted otherwise.

The three of them waited after securing a position ideal for fighting monsters.

“Excuse me.”

A stranger’s voice came from behind.

All three turned at once, but the man seemed to be addressing Seong Ji-woo alone. Seong Ji-woo tilted his head questioningly.

The man glanced warily at Yu Hee-ro beside him, then spoke sharply to Seong Ji-woo.

“Aren’t you a supporter?”

“…And?”

“If you’re a supporter, you should stay in the back. Why are you standing here?”

“What?”

When Seong Ji-woo asked in confusion, the man let out an irritated sigh.

“Because you’re taking up space, other hunters don’t have anywhere to wait.”

He jerked his chin toward the back. Seong Ji-woo followed his gaze—

—and met the eyes of people looking at him with clear displeasure. The territorial behavior of damage dealers, long forgotten, resurfaced vividly.

Damage dealers believed they had the right to claim positions first in battle, with everyone else adjusting around them. So it wasn’t surprising they felt Seong Ji-woo had stolen their spot.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

Just as Seong Ji-woo began calmly, Yu Hee-ro cut in.

“Why don’t you piss off?”

“…What?”

Thinking he’d misheard, the man smiled faintly and widened his eyes. Yu Hee-ro returned a gentle smile and repeated himself kindly.

“I said, piss off.”

The man’s face twisted as comprehension dawned.

“What the f*ck?”

“Hey—no, wait—!”

Sensing a fight about to break out, Seong Ji-woo hurriedly stepped in, grabbing Yu Hee-ro’s arm and pulling him behind himself—though Yu Hee-ro was far too big to hide.

“I am a damage dealer. And a supporter, too. I do both, so don’t tell me where to stand. Find your own spot. If you wanted this one so badly, you should’ve gotten here first.”

He meant to de-escalate, but his words came out anything but gentle.

He remembered this man. They’d been in the same party once. Even with Seong Ji-woo’s poor memory for faces, it was impossible to forget someone who’d bragged so loudly about being a damage dealer.

The man glared and ran a hand through his hair. Feeling Yu Hee-ro move behind him, Seong Ji-woo grabbed his arm again.

“…Tch. What a bunch of assholes.”

Kuuuuung.

As if on cue, the ground began to tremble—the monster was about to appear. Seong Ji-woo gestured impatiently for the man to leave. After cursing, the man finally returned to his teammates.

Seong Ji-woo turned to Yu Hee-ro. He was still staring daggers at the man, but when he noticed Seong Ji-woo’s gaze, his expression softened instantly.

“….”

Seeing Seong Ji-woo’s stiff face, Yu Hee-ro fidgeted nervously and asked carefully,

“Um… did I mess up again? Are you mad because I told him to piss off?”

Seong Ji-woo raised a hand and lightly pinched Yu Hee-ro’s cheek.

“No. You did good. Let’s go.”

Yu Hee-ro rubbed his cheek, smiling shyly.

The first dungeon’s monster was a plant-type. Roots burst from the ground, writhing as they tried to snatch people, while petals repeatedly opened and closed, scattering pollen.

The pale pollen carried faint toxins; as it spread like fog and obscured vision, people began coughing.

The monster was massive—easily over three meters tall. The only saving grace was its lack of intelligence.

As the guild that had rushed in first was swept aside like fallen leaves, Seong Ji-woo and Son Ji-hwan quietly and swiftly took position behind the plant.

They exploited the way its stem and pollen extended in the direction the flower faced.

If they could predict where the flower would look, they could read its attack pattern. Seong Ji-woo narrowed his eyes, carefully observing.

It didn’t seem to be reacting to approaching people. He raised his head—

—and sure enough, floating in the direction the plant faced was a sphere resembling the sun. Only then did he understand why the petals glowed a vivid yellow.

This is basically my meal.

Seong Ji-woo raised his free hand. In an instant, the light doubled. Confused, the monster swung its flower back and forth.

Seong Ji-woo quickly signaled to Yu Hee-ro. Thankfully, Yu Hee-ro grasped the plan and guided his shadows exactly as needed.

Seong Ji-woo sliced through the monster’s stem at high speed. The severed parts wriggled and regenerated, but not fast enough to be dangerous.

Using the path Seong Ji-woo had carved, Son Ji-hwan dashed in and drove his blade into the calyx.

The mouthless monster writhed in silent agony, seeds pouring out from its center.

Unable to endure any longer, the monster began spinning and firing seeds in all directions. Sharp as thorns, they embedded themselves into the dungeon walls at terrifying speed.

Seong Ji-woo deflected the seeds flying toward him with his sword, though most never even grazed him thanks to Yu Hee-ro’s control.

As time passed, Seong Ji-woo felt his sword fit his hand more perfectly than ever.

That sensation Son Ji-hwan had once described—his body and blade moving as one.

Not bad.

He lightly swung his sword again and signaled Yu Hee-ro once more. Yu Hee-ro frowned but still carried him to the monster’s front.

The monster remained mesmerized by the twin suns. Seong Ji-woo paused to take a deep breath.

His swordsmanship wasn’t perfect yet. The safest move was to end it in a single strike.

He trusted Yu Hee-ro—but he didn’t want to create danger unnecessarily. His heart thundered as he prepared for the final blow, eyes scouring every inch of the monster.

“…Found it.”

Light reflected into his eyes. At the very center of the flower—where the seeds had fallen away—the monster core was embedded.

The other guilds, busy defending against the area attacks, hadn’t noticed yet.

Only a small portion of the core was exposed, most of it still covered in black seeds. Without the reflection at just the right moment, Seong Ji-woo would’ve missed it too.

He adjusted the angle of the light sphere. As he increased its intensity, the monster obediently turned its flower toward the glow.

“See that?”

Seong Ji-woo shouted to Yu Hee-ro below, pointing. Yu Hee-ro frowned but followed his gaze—then nodded.

Seong Ji-woo counted silently. One. Two.

His body surged forward at high speed, hurtling straight toward the monster core.

As he faced the seed-filled flower head-on—

his sword pierced straight through its center. The monster thrashed violently, petals and seeds raining down.

The severed stem regenerated and swung wildly. Seong Ji-woo flinched too late—

and suddenly dropped like a roller coaster plunging downward.

“—Aaaah!”

Still gripping Yu Hee-ro’s shadow tightly around his waist, Seong Ji-woo screamed.

Cold sweat ran down his spine as his heart seemed to leap up and crash down. Only then did he see the stem attacking him from behind.

Yu Hee-ro had saved him.

But the thought barely formed before Seong Ji-woo glared down at him.

“You scared the hell out of me!”

His heart was still pounding.

“Hey—pull me up. Up!”

He pointed back at the flower.

“That was dangerous! Where do you think you’re going now? No more.”

“How can I not go after seeing that?!”

“What if you get attacked again?”

Seong Ji-woo was anxious that another hunter might notice first. This time, he wanted to finish what he had set up.

If someone stole the core now, he’d lose his mind.

He snapped,

“You’re going to save me again anyway, so what are you worried about?”

“….”

Yu Hee-ro was silent. Seong Ji-woo looked down at him pleadingly. His faintly visible face almost looked like it was smiling.

Then—

“Hold on tight.”

Seong Ji-woo shot upward once more, stopping directly above the flower—close enough to touch if he extended his foot.

He poured his ability into the sword. The blade flashed like lightning.

“Haa—!”

He raised the sword high, and behind him, a massive golden sphere of light surged into existence.

The monster spread its petals wide, mesmerized, staring straight at Seong Ji-woo. He set his jaw.

Thunk!

The sword plunged down mercilessly, light exploding like a bolt of lightning.

Everyone raised their arms to shield their eyes. Even in that blinding brilliance, Yu Hee-ro watched Seong Ji-woo clearly.

When the light faded, what people saw was Seong Ji-woo, alone, floating proudly in the sky.