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[Why do you want to pull out their bones?]

"I was thinking they would be more useful than the Skeleton bones, but that appears not to be the case. Let me just take their mana stones."

I threw the bones down.

[...But where are the mana stones used?]

"They're materials for item reinforcement and potion-making. There has been some research into using them as an alternative source of energy, so they can be sold at a high price to the government. That's why I'm taking them. The skin can be used too, but there isn't enough of it left..."

[You’re pretty good at bone extraction, huh? ...As for the slaughtering part, I can teach you a little bit. I caught quite a few animals when I was homeless in the Martial World.]

"Really? I can make a lot of money using that skill if I can learn it."

[What's the big deal with money when you have martial arts?]

"Because these aren’t the times when you can make money by martial force alone. I don't want to be a criminal."

[If you're unbeatable, the story is different.]

"Let's think about that when I'm stronger."

As I started collecting the mana stones, the woman and her fellow hunters approached me.

She appeared to be quite young, almost like a student, and she seemed to be still a bit apprehensive of me. I was sure it was all due to my appearance.

"You were incredible!"

"Thank you for your assistance."

The man who appeared to be the party's leader thanked me, and the woman whom I had rescued bowed to express her gratitude.

"Huh?"

[What is it?]

‘I hadn't recognized her because her face had been covered in blood earlier. But seeing her now, I remembered. In the past, that girl had been the owner of the 'Warrior Armor Set.'’

I activated my Lv.2 Insight skill.

<SYSTEM: Cannot access basic ability values from other users.>

<SYSTEM: The other user's skills cannot be verified with Lv.2 Insight>

[User: Woo Seol-ah Lv.14]

[Title: Blood Dancer (???)]

[Status: Surprised/Confused/Grateful]

This was all the user information that Lv.2 Insight could see, but that was enough.

Bloody Dancer Woo Seol-ah! Before I had travelled back, she had been a renowned hunter.

Her signature attack skill was Shadow Dance, and her signature weapon was the Flame Sword. Due to the sheer amount of bloodshed her sword dance could create, her title became a widely-known nickname.

Although she was just a regular hunter of high school age now, she could easily become one of the top rankers of the S-Rank in the future.

[What is a ranker?]

‘It refers to hunters in the ranking system managed by the government. The ranking system is directly correlated to a hunter's abilities.’

[I see. Then, are you saying that this child will become a master in the future?]

'More than that. She’s going to be the number one among them.'

[That's incredible.]

Not only that, with her beautiful face and outstanding strength, Woo Seol-ah had many fans. The problem was that she was also known to loathe men.

Nevertheless, I remembered that there were many suitors vying for her attention.

From what I knew, Woo Seol-ah had entered the Gate of Hyehwa-dong with her party, killed the Boss monster, and thus obtained the rare-grade Warrior Armor Set. However, it was said that her whole party was wiped out during the hunt, and only she and one other had survived.

[Perhaps her aversion to men has arisen because of you!]

The Heavenly Demon joked about my current appearance. The person who served as my teacher had such a shallow personality…

As the Heavenly Demon and I mentally conversed, the one I assumed to be their party's leader spoke to me. His name was Lee Seong-jin, and he was the representative of the Luna Guild.

"Thank you for saving Seol-ah, but why are you wearing a shopping bag?"

"Personal reasons."

[You’re embarrassed.]

Lee Seong-jin's expression stiffened, but he quickly shook it off, smiled, and introduced his guild members.

The composition of their party was as follows:

Magic-related skills, using a staff and dagger: Lv. 35 Lee Seong-jin (Male), representative of the Luna Guild.

Close-quarters combat-related skills, using a giant sword: Kim Seong-ho (Male) Lv. 33, also from the Luna Guild.

Healing and buff-related skills, using a sword and shield: Choi Yoo-hwan (Male) Lv. 43, also from the Luna Guild.

Shooting-related skills, using a crossbow and daggers: Yoo So-eun (Female) Lv. 13, a Proby.

Close-quarters combat-related skills, using swords: Woo Seol-ah (Female) Lv. 14, also a Proby.

They were about the average level I expected from hunters in this period. The only issue was that there were two Probies.

[Proby?]

‘It refers to hunters who have just awakened.’

Woo Seol-ah and Yoo So-eun were awakened individuals who had just returned today. High-ranking Choi Yoo-hwan had recommended they party together in order to survive.

In a normal situation, Probies usually acted as shooters for high-level hunters like Choi Yoo-hwan. However, in a Cataclysm such as this, Probies typically wouldn't enter into battle.

But this was their guild's business, not mine.

And for now, this was all I could glean from my Insight skill.

[By the way..]

"What now?"

[The so-called Insight skill that you have, it's better to keep it hidden.]

‘I have some unpleasant memories associated with it. I plan to keep it confidential this time, you don’t have to remind me.’

[That’s a wise decision.]

Lee's party had decided to go straight to the gate.

Since the Luna Guild was a small guild, they could use the gate here to recruit new hunters after cleaning it up.

This also seemed to be at Choi Yoo-hwan’s prompting. It appeared that Lee Seong-jin, despite being their representative, deferred to the stronger hunter.

"By the way, Seol-ah has decided to join our guild. What about you? Would you like to join? I'll make sure you're treated properly."

"No, I don't."

When I refused without hesitation, Lee Seong-jin's status window showed 'surprise.'

I declined because I didn't want to enter a guild like I had before and be treated like a slave and be taken advantage of.

"Hahaha! You might regret it later. Our guild will become very famous in the future."

He smiled awkwardly, as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Yoo So-eun doesn't have a guild either."

"Yoo So-eun is a soldier. She just happened to end up with us, but she'll return to the army once this Cataclysm has been averted."

"Is that so?"

"What about you...?"

"I refuse, anyway."

His expression became complicated.

No matter how high-level Choi Yoo-hwan was, it would be difficult for him to clear the gate with their small numbers. He'd want to bring along as many additional people as he could; even one would be of invaluable assistance.

I decided to go with them, as it was clear I could gain something, but I stressed the condition that I wouldn't be joining their guild. Lee Seong-jin readily agreed.

"Seong-jin, even if there aren't enough people, isn't it a bit inappropriate to take Probies who don't have any combat experience to the gate?"

"Just do as Yoo-hwan said. Without Yoo-hwan, we wouldn't have reached this stage."

“Even if Seol-ah and So-eun are fine, I still don't like this Byeong-gi fellow. Not only is his level low... but also look at his appearance. He doesn't seem normal."

Although they were whispering, I heard everything due to the Heavenly Demon's techniques that enhanced my senses.

Kim Seong-ho didn't seem to like the idea of taking me along as a companion.

I listened to their conversation from afar as I watched Choi Yoo-hwan.

[Is Choi Yoo-hwan too handsome? See how Seol-ah is standing very close to him.]

“What are you saying...? It's not like that.”

Like the Heavenly Demon said, Choi Yoo-hwan had a handsome face like an idol singer, and he had an articulate way of speaking.

Perhaps that was why Woo Seol-ah stuck close to him, but that wasn't my concern.

Since they had introduced themselves, I checked each of their status windows, but I couldn't check Choi Yoo-hwan's due to the level restriction.

[User: Choi Yoo-hwan Lv.43]

[Title: ? ? ? (???)]

[Status: ? ? ?/? ? ?/? ? ?]

<SYSTEM: Due to the level limit, you cannot access this person’s status.>

Choi Yoo-hwan's status window was displayed as question marks. His level was too high for me to my Insight skill.

[What's the matter? Does it bother you?]

‘It's strange that I don't remember him even with that level. If only one person in the party comes back alive with Seol-ah, it will most likely be Choi Yoo-hwan.'

[Your thinking is reasonable, but don't jump to conclusions too early. This reminds me of the first time I appeared in the Martial World and went to Junxian County, Hubei Province. Come to think of it, that was my first encounter with the Wu-Tang Clan...]

The Heavenly Demon’s story was getting longer.

"Can we talk about this some other time?"

[How dare you interrupt me? If this were in the Martial World, the moment you interrupted my story, your life would be interrupted as well!]

"I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm concerned."

[Is it because this party was completely annihilated?]

‘Yes. Although Woo Seol-ah survived, the Luna Guild was completely annihilated, which is highly suspicious.’

[Are you planning to prevent the destruction of this party and form a bond with Seol-ah?]

‘That sounds like a good idea.’

Seol-ah would become a top-ranker in the future. There was no harm in lending her a helping hand. Moreover, now that we were a party, I wanted to ensure that none of us would die at the gates.

[Mind your own business.]

The Heavenly Demon grumbled.

"I need to get some items from the Gate anyway."

[What a lame excuse...]

Before long, we had arrived at the gate.

The shapes of the gates varied, but as the name implied, they were all entrances. Accordingly, most of them emerged where a door was already present.

There were several cases where ordinary doors transformed into gates, though occasionally, the entrance would rise from the ground. In any case, a black hole-like portal would appear through which one could enter.

The Hyehwa-dong gate was situated at the entrance of a commercial building.

***

After entering the gate, a world that was totally different from the Tutorial Dungeon appeared.

Unlike the Hyehwa-dong devastated by the Second Cataclysm, it put us in what appeared to be a secluded rural forest.

[It's similar to the Second World.]

"What makes you say that?"

[What I did in Jianghu was guide the strong people who ascended from their worlds to another dimension. I also went on business trips occasionally... the atmosphere here is very similar to one of those places.]

"I guess you didn't encounter any monsters when you went to the Second World."

[I went on a business trip, not to fight.]

That meant he hadn't encountered any. In any case, I decided not to ask any more.

"Looks like they've already noticed us."

[Can you feel it?]

I nodded quietly and stretched out my senses. I could feel werewolves approaching us from all directions.

"Wait a minute."

Lee Seong-jin stopped the party at my warning.

"What's going on?"

Kim Seong-ho asked instead of Lee Seong-jin. There was a hint of impatience in his voice.

"They are coming."

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

Lee Seong-jin looked embarrassed at Kim Seong-ho's harsh response.

"I can sense them with my skills."

Because it was hard to say that I could easily sense them thanks to my martial art techniques, I had to tell a lie.

But Kim Seong-ho didn't seem to believe me.

"I've never heard of such a skill."

"Why do you doubt it? Is there any harm in being careful?"

Yoo So-eun stopped him.

She was a soldier who served as a special-forces officer, so she knew the value of being cautious.

"So-eun, the leader of our party is Seong-jin. If you’re a Proby, you follow the leader's instructions like a Proby."

Kim Seong-ho didn’t bother hiding his dissatisfaction.

"Seong-ho, I'm fine. As the leader, I should also listen to the opinion of our party’s members. "

"You stay out of it."

Lee Seong-jin closed his mouth, embarrassed by Kim Seong-ho.

"Mr. Byeong-gi, you have just awakened, so don't make trouble again. Just follow us silently."

"Seong-ho, that’s enough."

Lee Seong-jin dissuaded him, probably thinking his words were too harsh.

[Hehe, what a depressing guy! Will you just listen quietly?]

I wasn’t going to remain silent. The Werewolves were close now.

"I don't think this is the time for that. Get ready to fight."

Kim Seong-ho grimaced at my command. He had more of an ill temper than I had initially thought.

"What? Haven’t I told you enough...!"

With the werewolves getting closer, it'd only give me a headache to argue with him.

I strode towards Kim Seong-ho with the force of the Heavenly Demon's Royal Stride.

At that moment, a tremendous amount of energy erupted from my body, causing Kim Seong-ho to pale under the pressure.

[Hahaha! Heavenly Demon’s Royal Stride should certainly be used for this kind of situation. It’s been a while since I’ve felt something like this.]

The surrounding air grew heavy, and the other party members grimaced, feeling the oppressive energy.

Kim Seong-ho, however, was the one most affected; his legs trembled uncontrollably.

"Ah-ah... who... who are you?"

I had no reason to answer nor anything to say.

[Alright, let's stop now. If you do any more, he might lose his mind.]

Even if the Heavenly Demon hadn’t warned me, I would have stopped because I could feel the Werewolves very close.

"It seems the Werewolves have surrounded us."

Yoo So-eun, staring at me with a dazed look under the pressure I exuded, came to her senses at my words.

"What? Mr. Byeong-gi, can you really feel...?"

Yoo So-eun wanted to ask me more, but there wasn’t time for her questions.

There were a lot of monsters around us.

"Krrr...!"

Even when the monsters appeared, Lee Seong-jin didn't issue any orders; he seemed frightened and dumbstruck by their numbers.

Yoo So-eun shouted in frustration.

"Seong-ho, please stand in front and prepare for the attack. Seong-jin and I will support from the left and back. Yoo-hwan, take charge of the buffs. Seol-ah, watch the rear! And Mr. Byeong-gi, you'll help, right?"

I nodded in agreement.

[It seems like a defensive formation designed specifically for dealing with multiple enemies.]

"She's got the tactics of an experienced hunter. Just as you'd expect from an active-duty soldier."

At that moment, Kim Seong-ho's face flushed with anger.

"How can you give orders when you're a Proby? Will you take responsibility if the party is put in danger? Hmm?"

"This bastard?"

Kim Seong-ho, still feeling the aftermath of my pressure, spoke harshly instead of grasping the situation.

I guess words weren't enough.

Pow-

I landed a heavy blow, and Kim Seong-ho fell without a sound. His head would hurt quite a bit when he woke up.

[Oh! You have quite the temper.]

"Mr. Byeong-gi!"

Lee Seong-jin shouted in surprise as I grabbed Kim Seong-ho by the scruff of the neck and threw him back.

"Just take care of the guys that I miss!!"

"W-What are you doing?"

Yoo So-eun watched on with wide eyes. Woo Seol-ah seemed just as confused beside her.

Only Choi Yoo-hwan calmly watched on.

"Yoo-hwan, will we be okay?"

"Don't worry, stay close to me."

Seol-ah seemed to have been expecting such a response, and she clung to Choi Yoo-hwan.

‘That's why I hate good-looking guys...’

[Do you think Yujin abandoned you because of Gangsuk's attractiveness?]

‘Why is this topic coming up now?’

[Focus on the monsters. They're getting closer.]

The Werewolves were slowly advancing, drooling at the prospect of their new prey.

There was no time to waste.

Bang-

I left the party behind and rushed towards the Werewolves.